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Home Arts & Leisure Marilyn, Arthur, Elia — Revisiting the Black List and Naming Names in...
Marilyn, Arthur, Elia — Revisiting the Black List and Naming Names in 1950s America
Annette Hinkle
Arthur Miller in September of 1966. Courtesy of Dutch National Archives
Politics make strange bedfellows, and in the 1950s, there probably was not a stranger mix of politics and bedfellows than that surrounding a renowned playwright, an Academy-Award winning director and perhaps the biggest Hollywood star that ever lived — Marilyn Monroe, who every woman wanted to be and every man wanted to be with.
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) also played a key role.
When Jack Canfora's play "Fellow Travelers," opens as a world premier at Bay Street Theater on May 29, it will delve into the intertwined lives and political differences of playwright Arthur Miller, director Elia Kazan and Monroe.
"The two men were best friends and there were 10 years where they didn't speak to each other," said Canfora in a recent phone interview.
The catalyst for their falling out came in 1952 when Kazan, a former communist, agreed to testify before the HUAC where he "named names" — 17 in all, including that of playwright Clifford Odetts whose career was effectively ended by the committee. Though Kazan reasoned he wasn't doing any harm because all of the names he relinquished had already come out, Hollywood in general and Miller in particular disagreed. Kazan's career was forever tarnished by the episode.
Despite not speaking in the years that followed, Kazan and Miller were still very much communicating with one another through their work. Miller's 1953 play "The Crucible," a fictionalized version of the Salem witch trials, was an allegory for McCarthyism and the danger of making false accusations. Kazan's 1954 Academy-Award winning film "On the Waterfront" tells the story of longshoreman Terry Malloy (played by Marlon Brando) who stands up totestify against corrupt union bosses and as a consequence is considered a traitor by his fellow workers. Though the film is based on a script Miller had written in 1951, it sent the message that Kazan had no regrets about his decision to speak to the committee.
And Marilyn Monroe's role in the story?
"Marilyn is the fulcrum," explained Canfora. "She and Kazan were friends and lovers, and then she married Arthur Miller. Though she's not the central character, it was she who brought them together through reconciliation."
Canfora has a lot of ground to cover in "Fellow Travelers," which travels from 1951 to 1963 in a space of two hours.
"It was daunting for me," confessed Canfora. "I've written 12 plays, two on real paper. This one was written using biographies. As a playwright, I'm trying to put words in Arthur Miller's mouth."
Because the play is based on historical events — and highly contentious ones at that, Canfora explains that he researched his subjects extensively to ensure he had a real sense of his character's voices.
"At the end of the day, it is a work of fiction and I take creative license," Canfora said. "You try to be as respectful and true as you can be, and represent them as well as you possibly can and be fair to them — not to paper over their imperfections, but be realistic.
"I was aware of Kazan and I knew it was a controversy and he named names. Like most people I was appalled," he added. "Not that I'm not appalled still, but the situation was fraught and the pressure all these people were under is difficult for us to fully appreciate. Not to justify what Kazan did, but I was provided with a context in which to understand what happened."
"The pure, simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."
That's certainly an understatement when it comes to Marilyn Monroe, a complicated woman who is the catalyst in the play, which begins with Kazan and Miller taking a trip to Hollywood to pitch a screenplay. That's where they meet Monroe who is not yet a big star.
"Kazan starts an affair with her and Miller falls in love with her," said Canfora. "The stereotype of the time and one that persists is she's the quintessential dumb blonde. She was not well educated, but she was savvy and intuitively intelligent about psychology and behavior.
"I hope I do her justice. People will have opinions about it, no question. It's incumbent on me to be respectful. That doesn't mean reverent, but I did my best to capture these people as flesh and blood human beings."
"At the end of the day, I have to stop worrying and put it out there."
"Fellow Travelers" stars Rachel Spencer Hewitt and Wayne Alan Wilcox.
Canfora was inspired to write "Fellow Travelers" after seeing a documentary about Miller, Monroe and Kazan.
"I was always struck by how powerful the story was. I decided that night I wanted to write a play," said Canfora. "I ordered Kazan's biography, his memoir and Miller's autobiography and I spent probably a good three months reading, researching and taking notes. I continued to reference these works as I started writing. Most of the events took place in real life, even some of the dialogue."
It's interesting to note that Miller, like Kazan, had dealings with the HUAC. In 1954, shortly after "The Crucible" opened, the committee denied Miller a passport to travel to London for the opening of the play there. In 1956, he was called to testify and, unlike Kazan, refused to name names.
One sleazy (and very telling) side note: The committee's chair — Frances E. Walter — told Miller before the hearing that the whole thing could go away if Miller arranged for the senator to have his photo taken with his new wife, Marilyn Monroe. Miller declined.
If you find that any of this story sounds familiar, Canfora won't disagree.
"Lots of people keep saying the play is timely. Maybe that's why it ended up being produced now," he said. "People say it's never been this bad, but maybe it's always been this bad."
"They say history doesn't repeat, but it rhymes."
"Fellow Travelers," is directed by Michael Wilson and stars Wayne Alan Wilcox, Vince Nappo, Rachel Spencer Hewitt, Mark Blum and Jeffrey Bean. The play runs May 29 to June 17 at Bay Street Theater on Long Wharf in Sag Harbor. To purchase tickets and subscriptions, call the box office at (631) 725-9500 or purchase online at www.baystreet.org.The first preview on May 29 is a "Pay What You Can" performance. A limited amount of "Pay What You Can" tickets are available at the box office at 11 a.m.
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Annette Hinkle, former associate editor of the Sag Harbor Express, writes extensively about the East End of Long Island for a number of regional publications. In 2017, her first book was published. "Sag Harbor: 100 Years of Film in the Village."
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THE WILD BUNCH: Featuring BILLY SCHENCK, GREG MILLER, + AMERICA MARTIN
aquaculture conferences


role of diet | Happy Bubs. Happy Mums.
Sorry mum's and bub's this one is for the general public.
A question I am commonly asked is…what is the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian?
Essentially, nutritionist and dietitians are both knowledgeable about food. We have both studied how diet affect your body and health. However, the two professional titles should not be used interchangeably.
Firstly, to become a qualified dietitian in Australia, a dietitian has completed a under graduate/master degree that includes substantial theory and supervised and assessed professional practice in the clinical setting (hospitals), medical nutrition therapy and food service management. The dietetic courses are structured to include biochemistry, physiology, applied science. We are scientists in the food world.
Whilst a nutritionist is someone who has studied nutrition and may have a graduate degree, diploma or undertaken a nutrition course. In Australia, all dietitians are considered to be nutritionists however, nutritionists without a dietetics qualification cannot take on the specialised role of a dietitian.
What do Dietitian's and Nutritionist do differently?
A dietitian is an expert in food and nutrition. We offer dietary advice, help promote health eating habits, develop specific diets for people and can participate in clinical studies/research. In the hospitals we work in a team by providing nutritional care to treat patients with complex clinical conditions such as diabetes, food allergy and intolerance, IBS syndrome, eating disorders, chronic fatigue, malnutrition, kidney failure, bowel disorders and advise on diet to avoid the side effects and interactions between medications. Dietitan's are legally able to prescribe specialised formula's, pancreatic enzymes and phosphate binders.
Nutritionists work in different roles including public health, health improvement, health policy, local and national government, in the private sector, Non Government Organisations (NGOs) and in education and research. Nutritionists are qualified to provide information about food and healthy eating.
I am a Dietitian…NOT a Nutritionist.


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Q: How can I workaround heroku's 30 sec timeout when executing long PLSQL procedure in Rails? In a rails web app I needed to develop a page where I can launch PLSQL procedures.
I finally developed it by this tutorial:
How can I call a PLSQL function in rails, by clicking a button in a view?
But I have a huge problem. The procedures I want to launch can run for several hours. The web app is in Heroku, which has a timeout set to 30 seconds.
How can I rewrite my code in order to bypass this 30 sec timeout, and run the extremely long PLSQL procedures?

A: sounds like a thing for background jobs ;) https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/background-jobs-queueing

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Projects, News & Insights
New charging solution boosts sustainable elec...
New charging solution boosts sustainable electric vehicles (and reduces energy consumption)
©Keolis Norge
PostedMAY. 11, 2022
Words byKeolis
Sustainable mobility,
As part of its commitment to reducing energy consumption, Keolis helps public transit authorities build green and sustainable transit networks. To this end, Keolis Norge now targets an 85% reduction in the CO2 emissions of its fleet of diesel-powered buses by replacing them with 102 electric vehicles, a revolution aided by the implementation of a charging solution to guarantee battery charging and longevity.
Context: Reducing CO2 emissions with renewable energy
In Bergen, Norway's second-largest city, Keolis Norge operates and maintains the Keolis Group's first 100% decarbonized bus network: a fleet of 138 buses powered by alternative energies, including 102 electric vehicles. These electric vehicles have introduced a new maintenance challenge for Keolis: it was essential to design an efficient and sustainable battery charging solution to extend their lifespan as much as possible.
In order to cut the CO2 emissions of this fleet by 85% compared to diesel-powered buses over the 10 years of its contract, the subsidiary faced two major challenges. On the one hand, the charging solution ensured that each bus is fully charged every morning so it could run the full service it was planned for, even in harsh winter conditions, and on the other hand, it improved the lifespan of the battery and charging infrastructure.
Enhanced safety, equipment life, and energy efficiency are all benefits of the new charging solution.
Innovation: A charging solution to guarantee urban electric mobility
In partnership with suppliers from China, Iceland, and Germany, Keolis Norge co-developed a charging solution to solve this challenge. Despite the Covid-19 global health crisis, the teams prepared a solution integrating an Operational Control Center (OCC), which provides a precise overview of the State of Charge (SoC) of each bus to detect and solve any charging issues, and a smart charging approach to adapt charging power to the needs and characteristics of each bus. This offers a crucial advantage when operating a large fleet of electric vehicles in a country with harsh winter conditions.
A Keolis Norge bus driver
Benefits: Enhanced safety, equipment life, and energy efficiency
By allowing the early and automated detection of defects, the charging solution ensures the robust operation of electric buses, while limiting the risks posed to staff or passengers. In addition, the smart charging system ensures that each bus is charged to its optimal power, thus maximizing the lifespan of charging infrastructure and vehicle batteries, while simultaneously improving energy efficiency and lowering electricity costs. Lastly, the SoC overview provided by the OCC boosts employee engagement by empowering staff to respond to charging process incidents in real-time.
aimed reduction in the CO2 emissions of the fleet of diesel-powered buses
buses powered by alternative energies, including 102 electric buses
Keolis Group's first 100% decarbonized bus network
Next steps: Completing the roll-out of the system and replicating its success
After concluding the technical test phase, Keolis Norge is now proceeding with the full operational roll-out of the charging solution, notably by training its staff. With expertise in urban electric mobility and in managing and operating very large electric vehicle bus fleets gained on this project, Keolis now stands as a trusted partner and key player in the energy transition. Building on the lessons learned in Bergen, Keolis can apply its skills and tools at other electric vehicle bus depots around the world.
Keolis is increasing the deployment of its electric and autonomous vehicles, thereby building green and sustainable public transit networks, which in turn lead to reduced CO2 emissions. With this progressive roll-out, Keolis is underscoring its commitment to the electric vehicles of the future.
Keolis Denmark and Lectron test flexible solar panels on buses
JAN. 21, 2022 by Keolis
Keolis, Rennes' partner to improve air quality
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OperaHandhelds: Still hard to defend!
Joe Clark's post Opera: Still hard to defend! may not actually have anything to do with Opera, but it sure does illustrate the sad state of mobile browsing.
Handhelds, mobiles and other small-screen devices are still steaming piles of manure when it comes to viewing web content. The handheld media type is ignored in nearly all of the software laughably being called 'browsers' on handhelds, suggesting an industry-wide disregard for standards... even including the ones that would massively benefit the industry.
It's hardly surprising that mobile phone browsers suck, of course. Mobile phone manufacturers realised years ago that consumers don't care if it's easy to use, so long as it's prettier and smaller than the next guy's phone. Why improve the software when they can just jam in a shitty pinhole camera and sell another million units?
Handhelds are a pain since every single one seems to have a different operating system (or version), each with an entirely different interface. Of the four different handhelds we tested at work, only one was capable of running Opera - the boss's Sony Ericsson P900. That's the only one anyone really wants to play with during meetings.
Frankly, creating handheld stylesheets is a waste of time. There is absolutely no consistency between any of them and unless a client specifically asks for it, they won't get anywhere near a requirements list.
It's not that I don't think handhelds could be great. Quite the contrary - I'd love a fully net-ready wireless device in my pocket. But currently they're unreliable, unusable and incredibly overpriced.
opera's tenth birthday bash
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monday: live from wanau brisbane...
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interna18n1337ness presentation
from the 'bleeding obvious' files
Font Support for Unicode Characters
don't say the w3c doesn't ask!
colourblindness resource linkfest
endnotes, not footnotes
slashdot discovers css


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A demolition date has finally been set for (part of) Piccadilly Gardens' wall
Deanna Thomas 6 November 2020
Council leader confirms that improving the area is a high priority
It has been confirmed that work to knock down the free-standing part of the Piccadilly Gardens' wall will begin this month. Well it's a start we suppose…
The demolition, which will begin on 16th November, is the first step in plans to transform the area. Ideas for the wider improvement scheme are being developed and will be shared with the public and businesses to gauge their views towards the end of the year. This feedback will then help shape the final design brief.
This demolition will be the first visible sign that change is coming
These early works are designed to make it easier to see across and move through Piccadilly Gardens, with poor sight-lines cited as a contributory factor in antisocial behaviour.
The overall regeneration scheme will cover an area including a section of Piccadilly to the north of Piccadilly Gardens, Parker Street to the south and Mosley Street to the west. The scheme also intends to address improvements to the Pavilion building, which includes the other part of the wall. What form these improvements take is to be determined.
Plans to improved the area are being worked on
Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "Piccadilly Gardens is a much-used public space with huge potential.
"As the city begins its recovery from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic and looks to the future, the regeneration of this prominent space will have a big part to play – hosting appropriate events and encouraging and supporting nearby business activity and job creation.
"Improving Piccadilly Gardens and the surrounding area is a high priority for the council. Further ideas are in the pipeline but this demolition will be the first visible sign that change is coming."
Apologies Manchester.
This should have been done a decade ago.
Now on to the rest of it.
Demolition of Piccadilly Gardens' hated 'Berlin Wall' will start in days https://t.co/jf6LfzhLH3
— Pat Karney (@patkarney) November 5, 2020
Councillor Pat Karney, city centre spokesperson, said: "This is the news that everybody in Manchester has been waiting for – part of the wall is coming down. I'm going to mark it on my calendar.
"This is only the first part of what will be much bigger plans to make Piccadilly Gardens the vibrant and inviting space at the heart of the city which it should be."
Just going to leave this picture here....
Piccadilly Gardens was reconfigured in 2002 to include a *ahem* 'water feature' and a 'concrete pavilion' by Japanese architect Tadao Ando, who, as far as we know, hasn't been back to check how popular his idea of Berlin Wall chic has been amongst the local population.
Also read - 'Piccadilly Gardens is a tough gig at the best of times' - Tampopo announces closure of one city centre site
piccadilly gardens
sir richard leese
manchester city council
pat karney
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Experts say Tier 3 closures and a lack of NYE government planning spell disaster…


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HomeTagsPosts tagged with "manspreading"
manspreading
Manspreading: Woman attacked on train for asking man to move over
A passenger on New York's subway claims that she was attacked by a man after she asked him to stop manspreading.
Manspreading – when a man takes up as much room as humanly possible by spreading their legs wide open – is generally now considered to be a public transport faux pas if it encroaches on another passengers space.
Sam Saia said that she was attacked by a man on the underground train when she asked him to move over.
Happened to me today, and the District 34 Transit Police are doing fuck all about it. Be safe #nyc #ntrain #mta #brooklyn #newyork pic.twitter.com/hg8nmdZw2K
— Sam Sweeney Saia (Bantersaurus Rex) (@Proud_Smartass) November 16, 2017
'He proceeded to press me against the wall and manspread excessively,' she told her Twitter followers, after detailing how the stranger had sat beside her on the tram.
When she asked him to move over, he began to verbally assault her,
'When I asked him to give me room, he yelled "b**** you aint nothing! I've raped white b****** like you, you f****** c***,' she alleges.
She then put her earphones in to ignore his tirade, which made the man more aggressive and launch a physical attack.
Saia was punched by them man and had her head bashed into the wall. She uploaded photos of her injuries to Twitter.
A male passenger on the train leapt to her defence, and made the attacker get off the train at the next stop.
After crying off all of my makeup, dealing with being told a stranger can essentially punch me and get away with it, and a visit to urgent care. Crushing it, NYC. I sure feel safe… pic.twitter.com/PFAsdi2R6q
Part of the incident was caught on camera by another commuter.
Initially, Saia told The Sun that she was given the runaround by the authorities when she attempted to report the incident.
However, since her story has gone viral, she has been contacted by the police who want to investigate the assault.
sam saia
Madrid has officially banned manspreading on public transport
There is nothing more uncomfortable than being pressed up against the window of the Luas thanks to the vastly spread legs of the man sitting beside you.
Being confronted with a full frontal view of a crotch definitely isn't what we need to be seeing at 8am, thanks though.
The phenomenon of manspreading – the act where men open their legs as wide as is gymnastically possible while on public transport – has been recognised as an issue by the Madrid government.
Esta es la señal de los autobuses de la @EMTmadrid para respetar el espacio de los demás y evitar el #manspreading. https://t.co/dnqdMycgaO pic.twitter.com/Xwcx3bx8DG
— Ayuntamiento Madrid (@MADRID) June 7, 2017
The city has officially banned the act on trains and buses (much to the delight of the extra people who can now sit comfortably while trying to get from A to B).
The city's Municipal Transportation Company plan on installing new signs in all its carriages and transport vehicles.
The women of Madrid have been petitioning for months to have the issue addressed, creating a change.org campaign and hashtag to call attention to manspreading.
Madrid has officially banned #manspreading pic.twitter.com/IOxfOevrfz
— Femestella (@femestella) June 7, 2017
'Manspreading is the practice of certain men sitting with their legs wide open on public transport, taking up other people's space,' reads their manifesto.
'It is not something that occurs sporadically, if you pay attention you'll see that it is a very common practice.'
The ban was introduced by Spanish left-wing party Podemo.
'We believe that putting a name to, and making visible these kinds of daily sexist behaviour that go unnoticed, is the way ahead to become more aware, seeing what we used not to see and leaving inequality and machismo behind,' said Clara Serra of Podemo, according to Newstalk.


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For more information regarding Stamp Duties, please contact the appropriate Govt. body in your state.


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Berry Creek Falls Loop at Big Basin Redwoods State Park- A Hiking Guide
Berry Falls is the premier hike of Big Basin Redwoods State Park in California. They even have commemorative stickers for sale in the gift shop that says "I Made It! – Berry Falls". In part, the notoriety is because it's a difficult but manageable hike. It's labeled as a strenuous 10.5 mile loop with 2,364' of elevation gain. If you're going to take one hike in the redwoods south of San Francisco, this is the hike. You'll see the largest old growth redwoods and the spectacular Berry Falls. Keep reading to learn more about Hiking Berry Falls Loop, Background on Big Basin Redwoods SP, and the breathtaking images from the hike.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park Overview
Over a century ago, Carrie Stevens Walter of the Sempervirens Club had an amazing astute prophecy about why Big Basin Redwoods and Berry Creek needed protection – "Imagine a time when the whole peninsula from San Francisco to San Jose shall become one great city; then picture, at its very doorstep, this magnificent domain of redwood forests and running streams, the breathing place of millions of cramped and crowded denizens of the city." That was 1901. In 1902, Big Basin Redwoods State Park was established as the first California State Park.
The City by the Bay did fill in between San Francisco to San Jose and beyond and this ancient forest is still protected. It sits just 60 miles south of San Francisco, 30 miles west of San Jose, and 20 miles north of Santa Cruz. The deep forest and the proximity to town makes it the perfect choice for parks to visit if you want a challenging hiking adventure. It's a great complement to a visit to Santa Cruz or the epic road trip along the Big Sur Coast.
"Imagine a time when the whole peninsula from San Francisco to San Jose shall become one great city; then picture, at its very doorstep, this magnificent domain of redwood forests and running streams, the breathing place of millions of cramped and crowded denizens of the city."
Big Basin contains the largest continuous stand of Redwoods south of San Francisco, with giant trees over 50' in diameter that have been around since before the Roman Empire. Within the park, there is camping in the redwoods and over 80 miles of hiking trails. The trails vary in length from the ½ mile Redwood Trail where you can see the Mother of the Forest Tree that's almost 300' tall to the massive Skyline to Sea trail that goes 12.5 miles down from the Redwood Forest to the Pacific Ocean and that's not even including the return trip. We chose to hike the Berry Creek Falls Trail so we could see both the redwoods and waterfalls.
Taco Tuesday at Puesto La Jolla
Hiking Berry Creek Falls: Park Headquarters to Junction with Skyline to Sea Connector
1.1 mile : 420' delta
We hiked Berry Creek Falls in mid September. We left Santa Cruz drenched in sunshine and pulled into a hazy, soft rain at Big Basin Park. When we checked in with the ranger about the weather, she said that the weather report said zero chance of precipitation with a sly smile. Then she handed us our trail map and highlighted the trails that were closed from heavy rain washing out bridges. She also gave us an information sheet for our car so we could mark our departure time (10:00) and our destination (Berry Creek Falls) so the Rangers could find us if need be. Then she gave us quick directions to the trailhead across the street and we were off. We filled our water bottles at headquarters and were ready to go.
Berry Creek Falls is the type of trail that Rangers have to be careful with. The trail goes primarily downhill, so it is harder coming out than in. You are also hiking in deep forest that gets very dark at twilight. There are several incidents with lost hikers every year so they emphasize self reliance like food, lights and, warm clothes. We slipped our fleece into the daypack and figured our cell phones had the flashlight app to cover the rest.
The funny thing is, with all of the precautions and warnings about Berry Creek Falls, the marked trail distance and elevation was considerably off between our GPS and the signage. The sign at the parking lot said 10.5 miles, 2150' elevation gain. Our GPS registered 14 miles and almost 3000' of gain. I think this discrepancy was caused by the GPS losing signal in the deep valleys. Our track showed a lot of wandering that we just didn't do. For the purpose of this article, I am recreating the track via Google Maps to get the most accurate trail distance. Just remember to periodically check your reported distance traveled with your trail guide so you have an accurate distance remaining.
We started off on the Redwood Trail that was wide, gentle and inviting. Moss covered branches swept across the trail. We crossed Opal Creek on a big wooden bridge and made our first turn onto the Skyline to the Sea Trail. We turned right because the trail was washed out to the left. We traveled a short way along Opal Creek, past a Marbled Murrelet nesting area and turned again on the Dool Trail.
Pro tip: Check with the Rangers about trail closures and park conditions
Marbled Murrelets are a peculiar seabird that travels inland to nest in redwood forests. They need extra protection from scavenging birds, like jays, whose population has been exploding from eating the crumbs from park visitors. That's why Big Basin Park is a crumb free zone to minimize the human impact on this unique ecosystem.
Chill at the Queen Mary
The Dool Trail quickly connects with the Sunset Trail which we followed up hill to a major junction with the Middle Ridge Road. From there, is was a short downhill to the Skyline to Sea Connector.
Alternative Trails:
Another alternative is to take the Skyline to Sea Trail (if it was open) one way and Dool / Sunset the other way to have zero overlap on the loop.
Skyline to Sea Connector to Berry Creek Falls
2.5 miles : 850' loss
There are various opinions on how to hike the Berry Falls Loop but only two choices, clockwise or counter-clockwise. We choose clockwise so we could look up the falls and navigate uphill on the notoriously slick sections of Berry Creek Trail. We were very happy with that choice but we could imagine in the heat of the summer the exposed sections of the Sunset Trail could get a little hot in the afternoon. But we're getting ahead of ourselves.
We took the Skyline to Sea Connector and quickly got on the Skyline to Sea Trail. For the first .7 miles, the trail drops rapidly (about 330') into a deep valley where you reach Kelly Creek. From there, you walk along the creek bed for another mile (-370') and you reach the junction with Waddle Creek and the Timm's Creek Trail Junction (closed when we were hiking). From there, the trail flattens out considerably and you continue for about a mile until you reach Berry Creek Falls and the junction with the Berry Creek Trail.
This section of trail goes through dense, old forest and follows a babbling stream the entire time. You can see how hard the Rangers work to maintain this trail through the fallen trees. Sometimes, they just cut through smaller trees on the trail, but the larger trees require a chainsawed tunnel to be cut through them. This is the raw, primeval forest that beckons you to come and explore Big Basin Redwoods.
A Perfect Romantic Restaurant Date in Fort Lauderdale
Berry Creek Falls Trail
.9 miles : 436' gain
Berry Creek Trail is less than a mile long and gets to be the namesake of the entire hike. Why? Because it's just that cool. Through this entire section, you are hiking alongside one gorgeous waterfall after another. It's by far the steepest section of trail with some exposed slick rocks so we were very happy hiking up it for better footing.
You see Berry Falls first, even before you turn onto the Berry Falls Trail. After a minute or two of walking, you reach the observation platform. We went on a Monday afternoon after the summer crowds had left so we had the place to ourselves. We have heard that this is one of the busiest places in the park on a summer weekend.
A well formed trail leads up past the Berry Falls to the next falls in the sequence. There seems to be a little discrepancy between the Google Map names, names on the park map, and names of the falls from other posts on the internet. We are going with park map names which shows the falls in order from Berry Falls, Silver Falls, Cascades, and finally Golden Falls. Given that, we reached Silver Falls next. These falls had a big drop and a little beach at the bottom. Steps were carved out the rocks that led up trail right along the falls.
The next falls in the sequence were Cascades. They cascaded gently along a much nicer staircase than Silver Falls.
The final falls of the series are Golden Falls. They remind me of a brimstone waterfall in a cave with the way the water trickles down the rock dome. There was a perfectly placed log at the base for long exposure photographs like we took in Cloudland Canyon with our polarizing filter.
From here, you have a choice. You can backtrack along the two most beautiful sections of the trail, the falls and the deep forest on Skyline to Sea, or you can climb out of the creek and take the Sunset Trail across the ridge. I would completely understand if you wanted to hike the money sections of trail again. It's actually a little shorter to head back and less climbing too. But we have a little fomo and love exploring new trails so we opted to close the loop and take the Sunset Trail Back.
Sunset Trail to Skyline to Sea Connector
3.8 miles : 1230' total climbing
What Makes Indy Cool and Why Does It Taste So Good?
Did you notice the omitted item from our hiking prep list – food! We were playing the trail game what would Bear Grylls eat. Of course, we didn't harvest any plants from the forest but it did distract us from that fact that this trail undulated through four different streambeds. In fact, we went down over 700' into these stream beds just to climb back out of them again. There was also the fact that our GPS errors were accumulating and saying we should have been at the car already before we joined up with the Skyline to Sea Connector. Maybe we would have been less grumpy if we hiked the route counterclockwise and did this section before we got tired. Maybe we should have just brought a ham sandwich.
To be fair, there were some unique sections of forest here where the mosses covered the branches. You could tell that we were in a different microclimate. The bridges over the creeks were also particularly photogenic. We saw our first banana slugs here and there were some redwoods of extraordinary size. If we weren't completely spoiled by the primeval forest along the creek bed and waterfalls, we would have really enjoyed this section.
We retraced our steps back from the Skyline to Sea Connector to Park Headquarters. You can see from the map that we crossed Opal Creek a little earlier and came out at the camp store where we had a decent latte and some soft serve ice cream. That latte and soft serve ice cream were way better than anything Bear would have had us eating out there.
Wrapping up hiking the Berry Creek Falls Trail in Big Basin Redwoods State Park
The Berry Creek Falls loop is no joke. The trail is in excellent condition with plentiful shade but you need to plan for the six hours they say this hike takes. The elevation gain is real and the park store sells ham sandwiches if you forgot to bring one from town (softserve just wouldn't do in your pack). What makes this trail special is that you hike through real, old growth redwoods and see waterfalls. There are few places on Earth where you can do both on the same hike.
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The Sussexes 8th March 2019
Sydney Zatz
This Week in Royal Fashion: Investiture Anniversary, Kate in Blackpool & Meghan Celebrates International Women's Day
CREDIT: @KENSINGTONROYAL / TWITTER
In a panel discussion for International Women's Day, the Duchess of Sussex revealed that she is not one to engage with social media whether it's positive or negative.
Perhaps one of the most photographed faces in the world since marrying Prince Harry last spring, Meghan took the chance to speak on how she deals with the plethora of news pieces about her.
During a discussion at King's College London, the Duchess sat alongside singer Annie Lennox, former Prime Minister of Australia Julia Gillard and Gurls Talk founder Adwoa Aboah to discuss a number of issues facing women in today's society.
The Duchess revealed that she does not read newspapers or engage with Twitter. A move that she believes helps her focus on what's most important, the causes in which she supports.
The former actress said: "I don't read anything, it's much safer that way, but equally that's just my own personal preference, because I think positive or negative, it can all sort of just feel like noise to a certain extent these days."
She then went on to add that the "noise" of social media makes her feel "muddled" and takes the attention away from the real causes she is trying to support.
Speaking to the audience of about 140 students and activists, Meghan spoke on how it's ones choice to engage with social media.
"It's our responsibility to make a choice on what we click on, we make a choice of what we read, we make a choice of we engage in, that's our personal decision to not be there for negativity, to be more positive and action based.
"And that for me that's a tricky one because I'm not part of any of that."
Meghan's announcement about not engaging with social media comes just days after the Royal household revealed that it would block those on social media who target the royal family in an unsuitable way. It's been rumored that Kensington Palace staff have spent hours moderating online abuse that is aimed both at the Duchess of Sussex and the Duchess of Cambridge.
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By ABC 30, 12/09/20, 3:30PM EST
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- There's a new soccer team coming to the Central Valley.
A locally-owned team, Central Valley Fuego Futbol Club has been franchised by the United Soccer League (USL) League One, the team announced on Tuesday in a press briefing.
The new team will start playing in 2022.
It's unclear which city the team will be affiliated with, but officials plan to build a new soccer stadium "in the Central Valley region" as well as a training and development center for its players.
The Central Valley Fuego Futbol Club will play in USL One, a level below the USL Championship, which is the league the former Fresno FC played in before the team folded in 2019. The league is two steps below Major League Soccer.
The football club will unveil its new logo in January. They're asking for the community to be involved with the creative process and hold meetings to develop its brand.
Tag(s): News


Performing music is good for the mind, body and soul. Organizations are harnessing this power to change lives all around the world.
An elderly woman with Alzheimer's recognizes her granddaughter for the first time, a group of strangers leaves as friends, and an impoverished orphan creates art. How? That's music's power to heal and just a few of the benefits of recreational music making (RMM).
According to NAMM, recreational music making refers to playing musical instruments alone or in a group without the goals of mastery or performance; it emphasizes quality of life and non-musical outcomes rather than competition or heightened performance. Examples include drum circles, jam sessions or experimenting with instruments.
Companies, organizations and musicians are researching and implementing programs centered around RMM to help heal ailments such as depression, anxiety and even cancer as well as to improve morale and bring people together.
Percussion company Remo, Inc. created the HealthRHYTHMS Division to investigate, research and harness the power of RMM.
Neurologist Barry Bittman, M.D. and his research team created the Health- RHYTHMS Protocol, a ten-step method that includes drums and more.
Through the research of Bittman and others, Remo created a list of seven evidence-based elements, or benefits, of HealthRYHTHMS Group Empowerment Drumming: self-expression, stress reduction, exercise, camaraderie/support, nurturing, spirituality and music-making.
Further research by the Yamaha Music and Wellness Institute showed that RMM had greater stress-reduction impacts than standard relaxation activities such as reading or conversation.
Remo holds training seminars for facilitators to become certified and apply the techniques to their own industries and expertise. Past participants have included doctors, nurses, clergy from various religions, music and behavioral therapists, counselors, teachers, CEOs and more.
They use HealthRHYTHMS for programs involving multiple sclerosis, cancer, Alzheimer's and stroke support groups; employee wellness; drug and alcohol rehabilitation; community stress buster circles; senior populations; assisted living facilities; caregivers; adults with intellectual disabilities; intergenerational groups and at-risk youth.
One HealthRHYTHMS facilitator, Bonnie Harr, led an intergenerational session on Mother's Day. One woman brought her daughter as well as her mother who was suffering from Alzheimer's. All of a sudden during the drumming, the grandmother looked at her 8-year-old granddaughter and called her by name for the first time, enthralling the young girl as she jumped up to hug her Nana.
Shanti's book "Muse Power: How Recreational Music Making Heals Us From Depression and the Symptoms of Modern Culture" details how music went from a community tribal experience to a Westernized model where audience and performer are separated.
A junior high and high school marching band saxophonist and drum major, Shanti found her way back to music later in life through drum circles and the Pagan community. Now Shanti leads drum circles, seminars and retreats focused on RMM and nature.
Founded by renowned cellist Lynn Harrell and his wife, violinist Helen Nightengale, the foundation's pilot program launched with a 10-day trip to Kathmandu, Nepal, to implement and develop music and art therapy programs. HEARTbeats partnered with the Unatti Foundation, a previously established notfor- profit that provides food, shelter and education to underprivileged girls in Nepal.
The foundation conducted several activities such as performing for the children, drawing and painting what they felt while hearing music, self-portraits using mirrors (a rarity for them), learning and singing songs, and experimenting with instruments.
A soon-to-be-released album "Paint Me a Rainbow" will raise funds for HEARTbeats and Save the Children's HEART program—the organization that originally inspired Nightengale and Harrell to create their own foundation. Primarily with original songs written specifically for HEARTbeats, the album features superstars such as Placido Domingo, Jessye Norman, Christine Brewer, John Williams, Joan Baez, Blind Boys of Alabama, Maroon 5, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Sting, Paul Simon and more.


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Representatives Keith Ellison from Minnesota and Andre Carson from Indiana are currently the only Muslim American members of Congress. But they represent a growing segment of the U.S. population that is often in the spotlight as a result of racial profiling and religious intolerance.
In an effort to seek better representation in Washington, many Muslim American communities across the country are organizing voting drives to ensure those that can vote, have their voices heard in the upcoming midtern elections.
It is a cool and unusually windy evening in the suburban Chicago community of Bridgeview.
Not far from the local mosque, which towers over the homes in this predominately Muslim-American neighborhood, Kuwaiti-born Palestinian Alaa is knocking on doors.
With the November 2 mid term election just days away, Alaa is trying to make sure those who can, vote.
Voting is a right not extended to Alaa. "By 1993 we came to the United States on a visa, I was seven years old, I had no idea what was going on at that age, the visa expired, and we stayed. And we've been here ever since 1993," she said.
Alaa is one of an estimated ten million undocumented immigrants living illegally in the United States. Because she is not a U.S. citizen, she does not have the right to vote, which fuels her efforts to make sure those who can, exercise that right. "With citizenship comes responsibility, and I feel that it's very important that we get that out to the Muslim community so they go out and vote," she said.
On the streets, and on the phone.
Maryam Al-Zoubi of the New American Democracy Project, or NADP, works side by side with Alaa to get out the Muslim-American vote. "I think that voting helps our other neighbors and our other government officials realize that yes, we are Americans, and the xenophobia we have towards Muslims is incorrect," she said.
Al Zoubi says immigration reform is one issue among many concerns she hears about from registered voters she meets in the Muslim American community. "There are a lot of issues that the Muslim community wants to be heard about - for example Islamaphobia, religious tolerance, racial profiling. What we do is we try to tell our elected officials why we vote, but in a very non-partisan way because we want all our elected officials to respect us and to stand with us."
In the nearby community of Summit on Chicago's Southwest side, Reema Ahmad goes one step further. "We are distributing endorsement cards, laying out candidates out who have specifically asked for the support of the Muslim community, have committed themselves to supporting initiatives on behalf of the Muslim community when they are elected to office so we are really bridging that gap," Ahmad said.
Ahmad is the Director of the recently formed Project Mobilize, which has a goal of eventually fielding Muslim American candidates for office. "This is really the next logical step towards us fulfilling our political aspirations. It's about developing that potential, ensuring that people who have aspirations to hold public office know how to get into those positions and garner the support they need," Ahmad said.
But Gerald Hankerson with the Council on American Islamic Relations in Chicago says many in the Muslim American community remain divided on the impact of their vote. "Even with the election cycle there is much argument and debate whether Muslims should be involved. One way or another we are living here, and our life is being impacted by whether or not we decide to offer our voice and our balance. So most definitely religion may factor into it on certain issues, such as immigration reform, such as protecting first amendment rights, because we definitely want to see that our faith is not impeded for us to be truly considered Americans," he said.
There are approximately half a million Muslim Americans living in the greater Chicago area. In the city's upcoming elections in 2011, one Muslim American candidate is on the ballot. Ahmed Khan is running for Alderman in Chicago's 50th Ward.


Jarred Banks didn't have to go to Vineland High School.
He had opportunities to play football elsewhere, for teams that had a winning pedigree. Programs with things most players would be drawn to.
The linebacker/wide receiver chose to join the Fighting Clan.
Banks started at linebacker his freshman season and has ever since, until first offensive series of this season.
Playing at wide receiver, Banks was the target of a screen play. After making the catch, he was tackled and landed awkwardly on the turf.
He walked off on his own power, but was taken by ambulance to a local hospital for a dislocated elbow.
After missing the next three games, Banks returned to the field against Clearview. It was a welcomed return for the senior.
Watching his teammates compete was a painful process, but so was working back his way back from the injury.
When asked to describe Banks, fellow linebacker DaQuan Cosby thought of a superhero.
Even though he's back from the injury, he still isn't fully back into the offense and defense at the level he once was.
Russo explained that the team is easing him back into the offense, but he is back to his old ways on the defensive side of the ball.
He isn't bothered by the fact that he isn't the go-to guy on the offense anymore.
The Fighting Clan will need him on the field if they're hopes of a sectional championship are to come true.
Regardless of the wins and losses, Banks has never regretted his decision to stay home in Vineland.


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Debt default by the US government
September 21, 2018 Michael Reddell Economic history, USA
There was a great deal of debt defaulted on during the Great Depression. Businesses failed, farms went bust, and some mortgage borrowers defaulted too. But a huge number of governments also defaulted on their obligations, not just in places like Greece or Argentina which had form in that regard, but including many of the governments of the richest countries in the world. You could read about the New Zealand episode here. Most countries in Europe (including the UK and France) defaulted on their (substantial) war debts to the United States – in fact, only Finland paid in full. But even the United States government defaulted.
There is an interesting and accessible new book out about that experience, American Default. It is written by UCLA Chilean academic Sebastian Edwards (who has been used as an adviser and author here, including this paper at a Treasury/Reserve Bank conference a few years ago), who got onto the subject after acting as an adviser to law firms involved with sovereign defaults by Argentina after 2001.
Going into the Great Depression most countries were, directly or indirectly, on the Gold Standard (indirect in New Zealand's case, where the banks managed the exchange rate to maintain parity with sterling which was fixed to gold). But the US situation was a bit different than most. After the experiences with inflation (and fiat money) during the Civil War, in the subsequent decades – right up to the early 1930s – US government bonds were issued with a provision (the "gold clause") that entitled the borrower, at his/her own option, to be repaid in gold. Many corporate bond contracts had similar provisions. They were intended as a protection for the lender against unexpected inflation (arising when the fixed parity between dollars and gold was broken, or abandoned), and at least in the early decades must have allowed US borrowers to borrow more cheaply, and/or for longer-terms than they would have otherwise been able too. In that respect, they were similar to the way in which many countries with a track record of high or variable inflation found it difficult to borrow in their local currency, and borrowed in foreign currencies instead.
By 1933, many countries (notably the UK) had already broken the link to gold. But the US (and France and several other smaller European economies) hadn't. Breaking the link was part of what enabled those countries to begin recovering from the Depression (both by devaluing against gold-based currencies, and by allowing interest rates to be cut further). By 1933, there was plenty of gold in the US, but no recovery – indeed, Roosevelt took office in the midst of a banking panic. As in many other countries, the price level had fallen significantly, such that the real value/burden of any debt contract outstanding was materially greater than had been expected only a few years earlier.
That said, the US government itself was not particularly heavily indebted. Economic historian Peter Temin's book on the Great Depression includes a table suggesting that gross debt of all level of US government in 1929 had only been about 35 per cent of GDP. (By contrast, in New Zealand, Australia, and the UK general government public debt in 1929 had been in excess of 170 per cent of GDP.) Corporate bonds outstanding seem to have been of a similar size. Of course, in all cases these debt ratios rose as economies moved towards the depths of the Depression, as both real GDP and the level of prices fell.
It seems that Roosevelt didn't have a clear strategy in mind when he took office (and the tie to gold hadn't been a campaign issue). The actual approach unfolded gradually over the year or two after he took office. What did the US government do?
The first major step – extraordinary in a free society – was to simply outlaw private sector holdings of gold. All but trivial amounts of gold had to be delivered to the government, with less than a month's notice, for which holders were paid at the then still-current official price of gold (US$20.67 an ounce). Private holdings of gold were forbidden for decades. A few weeks later Congress passed a declaration explicitly prohibiting gold clauses in future securities issues, and abrograting (voiding) existing provisions. The government then began buying up gold (in the international market) steadily raising the US dollar price of gold until in January 1934, with Congressional authorisation, the official price was reset at $35 an ounce (where it remained until 1971). US citizens couldn't get hold of gold, but the US remained willing to buy at the price from overseas sellers.
In effect, the US was off the Gold Standard and had devalued its exchange rate. Gold purchases were increasing the domestic monetary base. In combination, such measures should, and did, support a lift in US economic activity and in prices (commodity prices in particular, in USD terms, rose quite quickly and substantially as one might expect).
And, in the process, the US government managed a huge windfall gain for itself. As another recent treatment of this episode (by Richard Timberlake, not referenced by Edwards) records, the book profits on the revalued gold was roughly equal to total Federal government revenues in 1934. Compel citizens to sell you an asset at one price and then re-set the price, more in line with economic realities, and in the process transfer a great deal of wealth from citizens to the government. It isn't the sort of approach one would normally expect in a country with the rule of law.
But, of course, the interesting thing about the United States is the way the constitution sometimes intrudes in the freedom of governments to do just as they want. Had a New Zealand, Australian, or British government adopted measures like those in the US, there would have been nothing much anyone could have done about it, once the parliamentary battle was lost. But in the US many of these sorts of issues are only finally resolved at the Supreme Court, testing the validity of congressional or executive actions against the provisions and protections of the Constitution.
And that is what happened in this case, although only in respect of the abrogation of the gold clauses. There were several cases taken, each with slightly different factual bases, covering both private and government obligations. The claim wasn't to be paid in physical gold – private holdings of which were now illegal – but to be paid the dollar value of the gold equivalent when the bond had been issued. In dollar terms, that would be 69 per cent (35/20.67) more than otherwise. There were substantial sums at stake.
As Edwards illustrates, the Supreme Court hearings were closely followed by markets and the press (and at the time the court was perceived to be roughly evenly divided between what might loosely be described as "conservatives" and those of a more moderate or "progressive" disposition). Media coverage suggested that the government's lawyers had not had the best of the hearings themselves. The Court's ruling was eagerly awaited, and with some trepidation by the government. Contingency planning had been undertaken, and in Roosevelt's papers is the draft text of an address he intended to deliver had the Court ruled comprehensively against the government, and papers outlining the actions he intended to initiate in response. An adverse outcome wasn't going to be acceptable. Roosevelt seems to have regarded the abrogation of the gold clauses as an essential element in his overall strategy to lift economic activity and prices; indeed one of the key arguments made to the Supreme Court was around a justification of national emergency.
As it happens, the government won in practice. The abrogation of the gold clauses, at least as applied to Federal government debt, was ruled unconstitutional (by an 8 to 1 margin). But by a 5 to 4 margin, the Court ruled that the abrogation had not produced any damages to bond holders, and so those bondholders were prevented from taking further action (in something called the Court of Claims) against the government. In other words, there were to be no practical consequences for having passed an unconstitutional law (I'm not entirely clear – it isn't discussed in the book – why having ruled it unconstitutional the Court didn't overturn that provision, but clearly they didn't).
Had the gold clauses in private and government bonds been allowed to stand, issuers would have been required to pay 69 per cent more (dollars) than otherwise (but, in effect, the same amount of gold). In his book, Edwards seems to accept that this would have been a highly damaging, undesirable, and unacceptable outcome. I'm less convinced.
For a start, they were the terms on which contracts had been entered into (at numerous different dates), and the cases before the Supreme Court all involved substantial and sophisticated issuers including the US government itself (although I understand that some residential mortgages at the time may also have contained the clause). And it is not as if changes in gold parities and prices had never happened before (indeed, in other countries they had been frequent during World War One and the subsequent decade). No one, in contracting – or purchasing – these bonds could credibly claim to have put no weight at all on the possibility of the US ever changing the gold price of dollars. In fact, the US was still issuing bonds containing the gold clause into 1933, 18 months after the UK (for example) had gone off gold.
It is probably fair to suggest that no one really anticipated a deflationary event as severe and sustained as the Great Depression, but there is at least an arguable case that bankruptcy courts and limited liability exist to handle cases where things turn out unsustainably far from expectation. But that is a case-by-case procedure, not a blanket transfer of wealth from lenders to borrowers. In the US government case – see the numbers earlier – federal debt was not large and even Roosevelt acknowledged that losing the case would not have bankrupted the government. Quite possibly the situation would have been different for some corporates. But it is also worth remembering the whole point of the Roosevelt strategy (not so different in its end aims from those in many other countries), which was to markedly raise the economywide price level and reverse the sharp falls that had happened during the Depression. To the extent that strategy was successful, the abrogration of the gold clauses would clearly leave lenders materially worse off than they would have been otherwise. For borrowers in the tradables sector (admittedly probably a minority), the depreciation in the exchange rate itself markedly (and immediately) improved their capacity to service the debt, so it is even less obvious what the case was for the arbitrary use of government power to provide debt relief.
One of the government's other arguments was that since the price level in the mid 1930s was materially lower than it had been a decade earlier, anyone who held the bonds throughout would be getting an unexpected windfall gain simply being paid out in dollars (since the purchasing power of those dollars was greater than it had been), let alone being paid out at the new higher gold price. But even to the extent that argument was valid, it doesn't take any account of secondary market trading in the affected securities. A person who purchased a new issue bond in (say) 1926 might indeed be getting a windfall gain – and windfall gains and losses happen all the time in economic life – but a secondary market purchaser who'd purchased that bond in late 1932 would have lost out badly (and might well have put a high value on the gold clause as protection against just such an eventuality).
(To illustrate the windfall point, in the late 1980s and early 1990s New Zealand governments were determined to get inflation sustainably down. There wasn't a great deal of confidence that would happen. As late as November 1990, the 10 year bond yield averaged 12.96 per cent. Actual CPI inflation in the subsequent 10 years averaged 1.8 per cent. Similar windfall losses happened when inflation unexpectedly rose, and stayed up, in the 1970s.)
The sorts of revaluation effects the Roosevelt administration successfully tried to overturn happen not infrequently in systems where borrowers – especially those not in the tradables sectors, without an export revenue hedge – have taken on considerable foreign currency debt, only for a substantial devaluation or depreciation in the exchange rate to occur. It happened, for example, in New Zealand in 1984: much of the government's debt was in foreign currency terms, and a 20 per cent devaluation immediately increased the servicing burden by 25 per cent. Granted that New Zealand wasn't in the depths of a depression in 1984 , but no one thought it would fair, reasonable (or even possible) to default on that additional servicing burden.
But in the early 1930s, both New Zealand and Australia were in the depths of really rather severe economic depressions – perhaps not quite as bad as in the US, but certainly much worse than in, say, the UK. Both countries had really large volumes of central, local (and state, in Australia) government debt issued abroad – debt burdens far heavier than those facing the US government when Roosevelt took office. The distinction between New Zealand or Australian pounds and pounds sterling wasn't that clear in those days, but as the exchange rate diverged during the Depression, initially with government acquiescence and then at government direction (our own formal devaluation happened in early 1933) debts payable in London were suddenly costing the borrowers far far more than they had envisaged (in New Zealand pound terms). And the price levels in New Zealand, Australia, and London were all quite a bit lower than initially envisaged. New Zealand and Australian governments would have welcomed some debt relief on their overseas debts, but it never came: the powerful counterargument was "well, if we are going to successfully boost global price levels such relief won't end up being necessary". And it wasn't.
The big difference perhaps between the New Zealand and Australian cases and the US one in the 1930s is that the US debt was almost entirely held by domestic investors and was issued wholly under US domestic law. The US didn't need to tap international markets on a continuing basis, unlike both New Zealand and Australia. And so New Zealand and Australia imposed defaults in respect of government debt issued to domestic holders, but not to foreign ones, and the bulk of the (public) debt was foreign. But rereading the account of the New Zealand (and Australian) experience in the 1930s, what is striking is the extent to which lenders were willing voluntarily to write down the value of their claims, voluntarily converting to less valuable (government) securities, apparently from some sense of "fairness" or the "national interest". One can wonder what sort of response Roosevelt would have achieved had he tried moral suasion rather than legislative coercion. Perhaps it wouldn't have worked for private sector issuers – and for example, the New Zealand government used various legislative interventions in the 1930s to relieve farm debt – but some case-by-case approach still seems preferable than the rather arbitrary use of legislative instruments to relieve all corporate borrowers from obligations they voluntarily entered into. Especially, when the economy and the price level were just about to recover, improving (markedly) future servicing capacity.
Of course, had the US recovery subsequently been strikingly more robust and successful than those of other countries, there might be a stronger prima facie case for this (distinctive) debt relief component of Roosevelt's strategy. But it wasn't. As is well-recognised, it wasn't until around 1940 that real GDP per capita in the US got back to 1929 levels (years behind, say, New Zealand, Australia, and the UK in that regard). And the recovery in the price level also lagged.
Here is a chart of the price levels, indexed to 100 in 1929.
Prior to World War One, price level movements tended to be quite slow and gradual. There was little sign anywhere of entrenched expectations of future trend changs (up or down). After World War Two, inflation became an entrenched feature of the system. In this period, things were in transition. There were windfall gains and losses, falling heavily on different groups at different times. But if deflation was the story of the Depression specifically, across all four countries the dominant theme of the period is a lift in the price level. Even by 1939, in New Zealand and Australia and the UK price levels were more or less back to pre-Depression levels (it took a few years longer in the US). There seems little obvious case for a borrower, not initially over-indebted, to use legislative powers to abrogate contracts freely entered into to remove significant value from lenders, at a time when the entire of macro policy was to drive up the price level.
A fair, and interesting, point Edwards makes (and which I also make in the treatment of the New Zealand default) is that there were few obvious adverse consequences from this US default. There is little sign that borrowers became more reluctant to lend, or charged higher risk premia. If so, that suggests that perhaps people in aggregate really did see it as a step not unjustifed in the extraordinary circumstances.
It is an interesting book about a now little-known episode in US history. Edwards combines history, economics, and legal analysis, but presents in a way designed to appeal to the intelligent lay reader, not just to the geeky economic historian. Debt default episodes – here, there, and everywhere – should be better understood. We surely haven't seen the last of sovereign defaults perhaps – the way fiscal policy is going – even in the United States.


Toyota Motor Corporation (Japanese: トヨタ自動車株式会社 Hepburn: Toyota Jidōsha KK?, IPA: [toꜜjota], /tɔɪˈoʊtə/) is a Japanese automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota, Aichi, Japan. In March 2014 the multinational corporation consisted of 338,875 employees worldwide and, as of February 2016, was the 13th-largest company in the world by revenue. Toyota was the largest automobile manufacturer in 2012 (by production) ahead of the Volkswagen Group and General Motors. In July of that year, the company reported the production of its 200-millionth vehicle. Toyota is the world's first automobile manufacturer to produce more than 10 million vehicles per year. It did so in 2012 according to OICA, and in 2013 according to company data. As of July 2014, Toyota was the largest listed company in Japan by market capitalization (worth more than twice as much as #2-ranked SoftBank) and by revenue.


text:
package com.hp.application.automation.tools.model;

import hudson.Util;
import hudson.util.VariableResolver;

/**
 * Created by barush on 09/11/2014.
 */
public class AUTEnvironmentModelResolver {

    public static AUTEnvironmentResolvedModel resolveModel(
            AutEnvironmentModel autEnvironmentModel,
            VariableResolver<String> buildResolver) {

        String resolvedUserName =
                Util.replaceMacro(autEnvironmentModel.getAlmUserName(), buildResolver);
        String resolvedAlmDomain =
                Util.replaceMacro(autEnvironmentModel.getAlmDomain(), buildResolver);
        String resolvedAlmProject =
                Util.replaceMacro(autEnvironmentModel.getAlmProject(), buildResolver);
        String resolvedAutEnvironmentId =
                Util.replaceMacro(autEnvironmentModel.getAutEnvironmentId(), buildResolver);
        String resolvedAutEnvConfId =
                Util.replaceMacro(autEnvironmentModel.getExistingAutEnvConfId(), buildResolver);
        String resolvedAutEnvConfName =
                Util.replaceMacro(autEnvironmentModel.getNewAutEnvConfName(), buildResolver);
        String resolvedJsonPath =
                Util.replaceMacro(autEnvironmentModel.getPathToJsonFile(), buildResolver);

        return new AUTEnvironmentResolvedModel(
                autEnvironmentModel.getAlmServerName(),
                autEnvironmentModel.getAlmServerUrl(),
                resolvedUserName,
                autEnvironmentModel.getAlmPassword(),
                resolvedAlmDomain,
                resolvedAlmProject,
                resolvedAutEnvironmentId,
                autEnvironmentModel.isUseExistingAutEnvConf(),
                resolvedAutEnvConfId,
                autEnvironmentModel.isCreateNewAutEnvConf(),
                resolvedAutEnvConfName,
                autEnvironmentModel.getAutEnvironmentParameters(),
                resolvedJsonPath,
                autEnvironmentModel.getOutputParameter());

    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Okonjo-Iweala got Nigeria out of debt, but we're now back there —Amina Mohammed
September 13, 2018	no comments	239	Business, Entertainment, Top Stories
Amina Mohammed: UN deputy secretary-general
Speaking at International Monetary, IMF, and UN working together conversation on Tuesday,
Deputy Secretary-General of United Nations, Amina Mohammed, has said former Finance Minister, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, spent years to get Nigeria out of debt, but lamented that the country was now back to worrying levels of debt.
Mohammed expressed concern over the rising level of debt in Nigeria and the rest of Africa.
Mohammed, who was Nigeria's former Environment Minister, prior to her Un appointment, said the UN and IMF must have better conversations on the demands of a growing economy, seeking ways to make growth better and inclusive.
She said: "Public resources are always going to be important, and so is ODA and the private sector. But I think we still haven't yet got quite the solution and I hope that the work that we do together will open up that space to think more on how to leverage that.
"As I was coming up from New York, some of the concerns that came up from the meeting we had in China just recently and reports that we have; the debt issues are really big, I mean, having experienced what it was for Ngozi (Okonjo-Iweala) to get debt relief.
"It took her a few years to convince people, and we are now back again in my country, with a level of debt that is worrying, but its happening all over. Africa, is that the way we want to go?
"I think we really need to sit down and have a better conversation about all the asks of a growing economy; that needs to be inclusive, it needs to succeed, because stability is needed more than ever today, across our countries and where we are working."
In the conversation with Christine Lagarde, the managing director of the IMF, Mohammed had agreed with Lagarde that Okonjo-Iweala was very influential in the debt relief Nigeria secured in 2006.
DANGOTE CEMENT BAG OF GOODIES PROMO RECORDS FIRST STAR ...


text:
April 6, 2008 by Clay
R.E.M. – Accelerate
It's a difficult challenge for a great, established band (or solo artist) to put out new material. When you have a dozen albums behind you, filled with classic songs, how can you avoid the let-down of comparisons to your storied history?
Accelerate is R.E.M.'s 15th studio album and viewed in that light it is something of a disappointment. There is no 'Half a World Away' here. No 'Nightswimming.' No 'Driver 8,' 'Can't Get There From Here' or 'Fall On Me.' No 'So. Central Rain' or 'Rockville.' How could there be, really? Those songs, and many others, are among the all-time greats, written and recorded over a decade in one of those creative bursts that has to have a beginning and an end.
But there's another light in which this album can be viewed, and from that perspective it is a roaring success ("roaring" being an appropriate term, given the nature of the music). Much has been written about how R.E.M. lost its step after drummer Bill Berry left the band in 1997. Their last album as a quartet, New Adventures in Hi-Fi, was a sprawling minor masterpiece and the three albums that followed (Up, Reveal and Around the Sun) were major disappointments, or so the story goes. I find a lot to like in that trio of albums (particularly Up, which I'd put right up there with some of their great early work), but they are clearly the work of a band in transition. Listening to them prior to buying Accelerate, I was struck by what a minor role Peter Buck played — it's as if the band lost both its drummer and guitarist. Heavy on atmosphere, dominated by keyboards, produced to the point of sterilization, the one thing that's clear is that those albums weren't much fun to make.
Which brings us to Accelerate… and I bet it was a blast. Peter Buck is back with a vengeance. This is the loudest album R.E.M. has ever made, louder even than Monster, which mired its grunge in murkiness. This album is pure thrash — 35 minutes of balls-to-the-wall rock-and-roll. And for the most part it's a great time. A couple songs are light on hook and melody and as a result sort of drone along, but nothing here lasts very long (several of the songs clock in at just over two minutes, only a couple reach four). Two-and-a-half of the tracks are comparatively slow, and they're among the album's finest, including 'Until the Day is Done,' a political dirge that would have been at home on Automatic for the People. And 'Supernatural Superserious' is their best single since 'Losing My Religion.'
This is an above-average R.E.M. album but not a great one. More important, though, it's a signal that this is a band very much invested in playing music together. The last few albums suggested that maybe they were close to hanging it up. Accelerate suggests they're just getting started.
This entry was posted in 2008 music reviews and tagged Accelerate, r.e.m..


The lobster population of Baja, especially northern Baja has been seriously impacted for many years from over fishing due to non enforcement of harvesting laws; open season, no size limits, no professional licenses requirement.
One need to only visit "New Port" (aka LA Fonda, half way house etc) located a few miles south of TJ and examine the lobsters being served as local lobsters. There are very few California lobster the "panularis interruptus," but a number of imports such as the "panularis Cygnus" of Australia or the famous rock lobsters "jasusi Landi" of south Africa. The same lobsters that are often sold frozen in American markets such as Vons, Albertsons and even Trader Joes.
We are indeed fortunate to live north of the Mexican border and have our rights and game protected by established laws and ordinances enforced by "qualified" wardens.
Had the US followed Mexico with out established laws the California lobster population would have all but disappeared many years ago.


Our oldest daughter had asked for a "hard hike" so we decided to try the Vernal Falls hike. It began with about a mile bike ride to the trailhead, followed by a 2 mile hike with a 400 foot elevation change. This would be no problem for the adults in our party, but it could be somewhat challenging for our 2 and 4-year old. We would see. The trail was paved, which was kind of hazardous for toddlers, but the kids did great for a while. Our 4-year-old hiked the entire thing without being carried, but our little guy got a shoulder or back-pack ride for most of the trip.
Plenty of places to stop for rests on the way up the trail.
When we arrived...wow...what a view! The river rushed below us, and we could see the falls above. It was simply beautiful. There is a pretty wooden bridge which crosses the river and allows you to get the perfect view of the falls. Again, it was just rather dangerous for our two little guys, so my hubs kindly took the kids across the bridge to play on the boulders while I took some photos. Then, we switched places afterwards.
From what we've read, when the falls are at their peak flow, you can feel the mist from them from many places on the trail. Having stood there, and seen how far away they are, I am amazed at how much water must be pouring down that mountain when they are really flowing. We'd love to come back again in spring or fall to really see them going.
Happy to have made it to Vernal Falls!
Even at lower levels, you could feel the raw power of the Mighty Merced River below. The water was just rushing past.
The kids had a wonderful time exploring around the top of the trail. There are huge boulders and hillsides to explore. We let them have a little fun, before returning back down the mountain.
The girls found a perfect seat in one of the granite boulders.
There is another trail you can continue up to get an even closer look at the falls. We made the mutual decision not to go on that trail, as our two youngest kids were exhausted from the hike to this point. I would have loved to go all the way up, but the kids come first...and they were very tired. We really hope to come back again in the spring, when the kids are just a bit older, so we can really see all of the falls in their glory.
The trip down the mountain was an easy one, we just had to watch our footing. I'm really not sure why they pave many of the paths here. The downfall to the paving is that when sand/dirt are on it, it's very slippery. Also, there is about a three inch drop at either side, so when you have to move over to let other hikers pass, it's really easy to roll an ankle. I'm sure there is a reason for it, but I prefer the regular dirt trails. At any rate, just watch your step! The hike is a beautiful one, and I highly recommend it. Our 4-year old was able to hike the whole thing by herself, and our two-year old did about a third of it before being backpacked. It was a relatively easy hike for the parents, and our seven year old ran it. I recommend leaving early in the morning to beat the crowds and the hotter weather. It was a very scenic, enjoyable hike!


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text:
Why Plymouth Argyle's players are looking forward to their long Sunderland trek
Skipper Gary Sawyer has explained what goes on during the lengthy coach trips to away games
Gary Sawyer of Plymouth Argyle during the Sky Bet League 1 match between Bradford City and Plymouth Argyle on Saturday 16th February 2019 at Northern Commercials Stadium, Bradford, West Yorkshire. - Photo: Dave Rowntree/PPAUK (Image: Dave Rowntree/PPAUK)
Gary Sawyer has insisted Plymouth Argyle's players are not daunted by the prospect of their 800-mile round trip to Sunderland – quite the contrary, in fact.
The long-serving Pilgrims' skipper is used to spending countless hours travelling around the country by coach.
He also believes his team-mates, even the relatively new ones, have become accustomed to it by this stage of the season.
The trip to Sunderland's 49,000-seat capacity Stadium of Light will not be a first for Sawyer.
He was an unused substitute when Argyle went to Wearside in August 2006 for a Championship fixture and won 3-2.
Sawyer is looking forward to returning there, despite the distance, and is confident that in-form Argyle can give a very good account of themselves.
He told Plymouth Live: "For the first one or two away games of the season, I don't think the new boys realise how far this (Plymouth) is from everything.
"It's part and parcel of it, and by this stage of the season everyone is used to it. I'm certainly used to it.
"We were at Bradford the other week and this is an hour or so past that. You just put your head down.
"The bus is quite enjoyable. We have got a good group of boys and it's always a laugh. I think the lads actually look forward to away games.
"Luckily, in this day and age, there are iPads that you can download films onto and watch.
"It was a bit different the last time I went up there. We probably had one of those portable DVD players. Times have changed a bit.
"We play cards quite a bit. You obviously have to stop on the way up so we always play for whoever buys the coffees when we stop, so that gets us a couple of hours up the road."
Sunderland are currently in third position in League One, behind table-topping Luton and Barnsley, who are setting a very strong pace at the top.
Sawyer said: "You can't look past Sunderland, just for the stature of the club and where it has been.
"It's nice to have them in League One to get a chance to play them.
"I think Luton and Barnsley - Luton especially – merit where they are, but obviously Sunderland being the club they are I expect them to be well up there come the end of the season."
Sunderland beat Argyle 2-0 at Home Park in November, with former Republic of Ireland international Aiden McGeady getting both of the goals.
Sawyer was not involved in that match, however, because he was recovering from a broken foot.
He said: "I thought the boys did really well actually. It was one of the best performances up until that date.
"I would say they had a little bit of extra quality with the lad (McGeady) that scored a good goal and, unfortunately, we end up on the wrong side of it."
McGeady, 32, has a good Premier League and Championship pedigree so it is no surprise he has been so effective in League One this term.
He has scored in each of the last three games, taking his goal tally for the season to 10.
Sawyer said: "Everyone knows what's he capable of. He has been there and done it.
"He's definitely one to watch out for. He can be the difference. He was at the game down here and hopefully he's not in the game up there."
Argyle are not going to the Stadium of Light just to make the numbers up, though.
Joe's heartfelt message to players
Nance makes promise to Green Army
The results Argyle need to stay up
The Matchday Live blog
They have picked up 20 points from their last nine games, and the players are, not surprisingly, in good spirits.
Sawyer said: "I think it's a good time to play them. The pitch should be similar to ours I would have thought, which will help us.
"We are in a situation where I don't think we are fearing anyone.
"It's a massive game for us. We know how good a team Sunderland are, and how good a club they are."
He added: "It will be great for the boys. You haven't got to give it any introduction.
"It's Sunderland at the end of the day. They are a Premier League club and it will be great to see what we can do up there.
"We will definitely be going up there to try and win the game," added the Argyle left-back.
Argyle will be backed by more than 1,500 members of the Green Army who are also making the trek to the north-east of England from all over the country.
Sawyer said: "I know the journey is long but hopefully this will be a nice one for the fans because they are going to a stadium that shouldn't really be in this league.
"For any of them that didn't go before, when we were in the Championship with them, it's a great experience for them, especially for any young fans that are going up to watch."
Argyle were bottom of the table on Boxing Day but their dramatic upturn in results has seen them climb up to 14th position.
When asked for the reasons behind their revival, Sawyer replied: "I don't think there is any blueprint for it. If there was, we would have done it from the first game.
"It has just clicked at the right time. The boys are in good spirits and good form, and we are looking forward to each game now."
Plymouth Argyle injury updates on Danny Mayor and Macaulay Gillesphey
Plymouth ArgyleThere is encouraging news on the injury front for the Pilgrims ahead of their trip to Doncaster Rovers on Saturday