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Home 560 7th Avenue
Margaritaville Resort Making Rapid Progress at 560 Seventh Avenue in Times Square
Margaritaville Resort, rendering courtesy The McBride Company
By: Michael Young 8:00 am on September 28, 2019
The Margaritaville Resort is ascending swiftly at 560 Seventh Avenue in Times Square. Construction has passed the primary setback and workers are forming the floor plates for the main massing that will contain the hotel's 234 rooms. Portions of the metal-trimmed glass façade have also begun to be installed on the tower, which will rise 29 stories. The project is designed by Stonehill & Taylor Architects and developed by Sharif El-Gamal of Soho Properties along with MHP Real Estate Services.
New photos from street level show the vertical progress that has been made over the past several months since YIMBY's June update.
Looking west. Photo by Michael Young
Looking up from across the street. Photo by Michael Young
The southern elevation of the hotel. Photo by Michael Young
A close-up of the façade. Photo by Michael Young
The southern corner of the curtain wall. Photo by Michael Young
The property will contain a three-story restaurant, an outdoor swimming pool with plentiful seating and beach motifs, and a rooftop bar called the LandShark Bar & Grill. The projected price for the resort hotel is expected to be around $300 million. Located between 40th Street and 41st Street, the site is near a number of transit options including the N, Q, R, W, 1, 2, 3, 7, and S trains at the Times Square-42nd Street station; the B, D, F, and M trains at 42nd Street-Bryant Park station to the east; and the A, C, E, and buses at 42nd Street-Port Authority Bus Terminal to the west. Below are some renderings of the interiors and outdoor spaces.
Margaritaville Resort guest room, rendering courtesy The McBride Company
Outdoor Amenities space on the Margaritaville Resort, rendering courtesy The McBride Company
The Margaritaville Resort is one numerous developments transforming the area surrounding Times Square. Other projects include the demolition and re-branding of 1568 Broadway as TSX Broadway, a Hard Rock Hotel coming to 159 West 48th Street, a 23-story hotel at 223 West 46th Street, and a 27-story hotel at 145 West 47th Street.
Completion of the Margaritaville Resort is expected next fall.
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560 7th Avenue Architecture Construction Update Margaritaville Resort Midtown Mixed-Use New York Retail Sharif el Gamal Soho Properties Stonehill & Taylor Architects Times Square
4 Comments on "Margaritaville Resort Making Rapid Progress at 560 Seventh Avenue in Times Square"
Monath | September 28, 2019 at 9:21 am | Reply
Sure to attract a fun crowd..Cheers!
David in Bushwick | September 29, 2019 at 10:10 am | Reply
It's amazing what a Billboard #8 song from 1977 can do.
Pat on Long Island | October 3, 2019 at 11:21 am | Reply
Can't wait for this to open I've been to Hollywood Florida twice and looking forward to staying at this place when it opens. Room's,Service & Food were top notch in Florida and I'm sure this will be also.
james | October 4, 2019 at 12:53 pm | Reply
i want to puke each time i read about sharif el gamal
Leave a Reply to Monath Cancel reply
Turkevi Center's Glass Façade Closes in on Completion at 821 First Avenue in Midtown East
Tishman Speyer and Gabellini Sheppard Associates Reimagine Rockefeller Plaza
Façade Work Continues on Gene Kaufman's 305 West 48th Street in Hell's Kitchen
30 West 39th Street Rises Past Podium Setback in Midtown


Australia's most visually compelling comedian returns to the stage in Frank Woodley: Bemusement Park. Frank Woodley weaves physical comedy, whimsical songs, stand up and hilarious slapstick into a fantastic half hour of entertainment.
The star of the much loved Woodley on ABC TV returns to where fans love to see him most - on stage doing live stand up in his unique song singing, limb flinging Woodley way.
After 20 years as one half of the much loved, Lano and Woodley, Frank said good bye to their twenty years on stage in 2006 with a national tour that took in 34 markets and sold more than 125,000 tickets.
Since hanging up his hat, Frank has been busier than a bee (bees are allegedly flat out). His smash hit solo show 'Possessed' played across Australia and the Edinburgh Festival with packed houses and rave reviews. In addition, his animated short, 'Chicken of God', received an AFI nomination and he won the coveted Herald Angel Award at the Edinburgh Fringe for his role of Candide in the Malthouse Theatre production of 'Optimism'. Other TV appearances include Spicks and Specks, Good News Week and Thank God You're Here.
Australia's most visually compelling comedian returns to the stage in Bemusement Park. Frank Woodley weaves physical comedy, whimsical songs, stand up and hilarious slapstick into a fantastic half hour of entertainment.


No matter how large or small your backyard space maybe, there is still room for some beautiful edible plants. With a little bit of planning and creativity even the smallest NYC apartment can boast some of these delicious varieties. When choosing seeds it is important to consider the sun exposure, maintenance required, and also make sure you are buying non-GMO, non-treated seeds. This is why I love Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. Baker Creek carries a large selection of seeds including rare and heirloom varieties. They do not buy seed from Monsanto-owned Seminis and further boycott all gene-altering companies. Instead they work with small farmers, gardeners, and seed growers to bring consumers non-hybrid, non-GMO, non-treated, and non-patented seeds.
This small cherry tomato variety grows to about a foot in height and does not require support like other taller cherries. The Minibel is a great choice for pots or hanging baskets and would be a beautiful addition to your patio.
Harvesting Health: Lycopene rich tomatoes provide antioxidant protection. They reduce the risk of heart disease by regulating fat in the bloodstream. There is also a growing body of research showing benefits to bone health as a result of incorporating antioxidant-rich tomatoes into the diet.
These gorgeous hot peppers are also container ready. They range in vibrant colors from purple, cream, yellow, orange and red as they ripen. Venture to say, the heat of these peppers should also keep pests away from consuming your stash :).
Harvesting Health: The hotter the pepper the more capsaicin is present. Capsaicin is a potent anti-inflammatory compound that fights chronic and sub-clinical inflammation. It also possesses powerful anti-bacterial properties. Studies have shown capsaicin assists the body in remedying certain intestinal disorders. Further this compound has also been correlated with pain relief.
This radish variety is a fast grower. Plant, water, sun…no patience required as it will mature in just 18 days! This European variety is bright red and has round perfect globes. It is ready when the tops are 4" tall. A deep rectangular pot should do the trick here. If you plant in your yard, fence it in as I'm sure the local groundhogs will munch it right up (although the short growing time gives you a better opportunity for a successful yield).
Harvesting Health: Radishes have a cooling effect on the body and are a great option to eat during the warmer months. The water and fiber content in these little guys help to fill up your belly with little-to-no calories (exhibiting a natural low glycemic load). Radishes also act as a natural decongestant helping those with asthma and sinus conditions.
This peppery green is often found on plates all over the Mediterranean. It's hardy, fast and easy to grow. As you take off the tops more will grow back, so even in tiny spaces this lady will continue to produce. Pair this plant with your Minibel Tomatoes and you have one awesome homegrown salad.
Harvesting Health: High levels of chlorophyll found in arugula help cleanse the blood of toxins and improves skin health. Arugula also contains phytochemicals that fight disease and prevent certain types of cancer. Compared to its popular mild-mannered sister salad green (iceberg), arugula contains approximately eight times the calcium, fives times the vitamin A, C and K, and four times the iron. Ancient Romans also believed this spicy green improved sexual relationships and was honored as a powerful aphrodisiac. I guess you can say arugula is the powerful, smart, attractive, party-bound sister while iceberg sits at home waiting for a prom date to call.
No small garden would be complete without this staple herb. Genovese Basil is my pick for you. The leaves of this famous Italian variety can be used throughout your cooking and will leave your pasta sauce tasting divine. It grows quickly and is abundant. The best thing about having your own garden is you can pick fresh leaves as you need. If you've ever encountered a moldy package of basil at the grocery store, you'll be over the moon at having your own basil plant.
Harvesting Health: High in Vitamin K and Manganese, this small yet powerful leaf provides cellular protection. Basil has anti-bacterial properties, inhibiting growth of staph, listeria, and even some pathogenic bacteria that has become resistant to antibiotics. Basil also is an anti-inflammatory food, protects the body from free radical damage and promotes good cardiovascular health. Additionally, mosquitos don't like basil! A natural bug repellent, plant a few of these throughout your yard…heck rub some leaves on you and your kids too so you can enjoy the summer evenings a little longer before retreating inside.
Gorgeous photography found in this post is courtesy of Baker Creek. For a visual treat, make sure you sign up for their beautiful catalog. If you are interested in the varieties mentioned in this article, you can visit www.rareseeds.com to place your order.


Next Good Career | Is Finding a Job Easy or a Challenging Task?
Is Finding a Job Easy or a Challenging Task?
15 Dec Is Finding a Job Easy or a Challenging Task?
Finding a job is the process which starts after you are done with your degree. For many people it is continuous process, especially for those who are keen to reach their goals within no time. These types of people don't bother to change their profession or career path to reach their goals. They are called risk takers.
We may take an example of a professional who has received his degree recently from a college or university. He wants to be employed right after he has passed out from the college or university. He starts finding a job and never hesitates to accept an offer to work at even very low paid positions. According to his point of view, gaining quick experience is more important than keep waiting for the high paid job opportunity. Well, he might be a good strategy maker because no doubt, nothing worth more than earning experience. Though he is working in some organization but he never stops finding a job opportunity in other organizations. He keeps switching from one job to another very frequently. Sometimes he is supported by his luck as he can get some better opportunity but many a times he could find that he has made the wrong decision.
A person is considered as an opportunist, who always keeps finding a job opportunity and never sticks with one job. He is normally not preferred by the multinational organizations because they prefer to hire a person who must be willing to serve them for longer period time. Hence they don't give preference to the people who are frequent to switch between the jobs. Hence finding a job and switching to a new one should not be a problem but on the other hand, it is very necessary to show the seriousness with profession. If you are employed somewhere then take it as a blessing and serve the employer for enough time period. It will strengthen your professional profile. It will bring a very positive effect to your resume as well. However it does mean that you should stop finding a job. It means only switch to the other job when you find an excellent opportunity that you would never like to miss. Once you got that position, then you must serve the employer for enough time period.
Staying at one job for couple of years should be fine. Gain the experience; learn new things, and looking forward to be promoted within the organization. If your employer offers you raised salary and you receive the promotions as well, then why would you keep finding a job? It doesn't make any sense. However once you feel that you will not promoted further and there are less chances of getting raised salary; that is the time when you should start finding a job. Look for the better opportunity and an employer where you may receive a better designation and of course higher salary.
If you are employed already or you are in between the jobs, finding a job opportunity is an easy task but for that you have to keep yourself motivated. Losing hopes doesn't help at all but it ruins your struggle that you have been doing while finding a job.
Keep your resume most updated when you are finding a job. Keep an eye on professional requirements of your prospective employers and maintain your resume accordingly. Remember that an impressive resume can bring you an interview phone call.
Prepare yourself for the job interview. Appear in the interviews with confidence. Hope for the best that you are going to win the job.
Bottom line is that finding a job is not very complicated but some people make it complex for themselves. Therefore take it easy, go online and build your profile on various job offering sites. Never hesitate to apply for any job that is a best fit for your professional experience and qualification. Don't let it to be overwhelming for you while finding a job. Take it light and have fun of finding a job. Make the best use of your professional contacts as they can be helpful for you as you are finding a job.


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John has spent over 50 years as an entertainer: Rock musician/singer, TV host, author, columnist, actor, producer, emcee and radio broadcaster. John and 16th U.S. president Abraham Lincoln are cousins. Favorite actors/actresses include: Clint Eastwood, Dustin Hoffman, Johnny Depp, Susan Sarandon and Richard Dreyfuss. As for favorite television shows, nowadays everything on TV stinks (unless it's an historic documentary). Favorite music of all-time includes surf, psychedelia, garage bands, Motown and just plain ol' good time Rock & Roll. His NEWEST book, "Paranormal Michigan" has been released and his rock trivia books, "Johnny's Vintage Rock 'n' Roll Q&A" and "Johnny's Jukebox Trivia" are available as well. Make sure you check out his "Haunted Michigan" page found on this site.
The World's Largest Working Rifle is in Michigan
CLICK IN to see the World's Largest Working Rifle and World's Largest Working Chainsaw...both here in Michigan!
MICHIGAN SHADOW TOWN: Marilla, in Manistee County
CLICK IN for details and photos of Marilla! It used to be a busy little community with a decent amount of businesses...now just an old general store stands alongside where the railroad tracks used to be, along with a handful of residents.
The World's Largest Cement Plant is in Michigan
It's another "World's Largest" that's found in Michigan! CLICK IN for info...
MICHIGAN ICON: The 1950's Barrel Hot Dog Stand in Douglas
This iconic 1950's root beer/hot dog stand is back! For those who remember it from the 50's & 60's, and those who don't - you should check it out! CLICK IN for photos, history, and location.....perfect roadtrip stop!
HAUNTED MICHIGAN: Paranormal Activity in Chelsea
A haunted girls' bathroom...glowing red eyes...a house that disappears & re-appears...ghosts that hang around operating rooms...these and more are some of the creepy legends in Chelsea! CLICK IN to find out more!
MICHIGAN 'GHOST' TOWN: Dighton, in Osceola County
This old town has a few great late-1800's stores still standing! Go for some photos while you still can.....CLICK IN for details!
World's Oldest Continuously-Manned Fire Station is in Michigan
It's another World's Record for Michigan! CLICK IN and find out where this is...then pay a visit!
HAUNTED MICHIGAN: Bizarre Events in This Macomb County Graveyard
Ghosts, suicides, disembodied screams, and more weird stuff have happened within the gates of this Macomb County graveyard. CLICK IN for the disturbing details!
How Wisconsin Lost the Upper Peninsula to Michigan
How did Wisconsin lose a piece of land to Michigan that contained a wealth of copper, ore, and timber? CLICK IN and find out!
The Oldest Living Thing in Michigan!
It's the Oldest Living Thing in Michigan...and it's HUGE. CLICK IN and find out what it is!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


There's nothing new under the sun. This old saw is one of the first things you learn on the job if you're a writer, artist, or other drudge who tries to earn a living making things up.
I can still remember my astonishment when, a few years after my first book for kids was published by Henry Holt in 1994, an almost ridiculously similar children's title (though in pop-up form) came out from Little Simon.
My title, Red Cat, White Cat, a simple picture book of opposites, started off this way: "Red Cat, White Cat, Day Cat, Night Cat. In Cat, Out Cat, Thin Cat, Stout Cat." Not to be outdone, Chuck Murphy's 1998 Black Cat, White Cat: A Pop-Up Book of Opposites begins like this: "Black Cat, Day Cat. Fat Cat, Thin Cat. Out Cat, In Cat."
Well, I thought. Maybe Chuck Murphy was having a bad day. Maybe I should forgive and forget. Maybe, I thought. Maybe.
I contacted a copyright lawyer.
To make a long story brief, I learned THE LESSON. That, although text and specific wording is subject to copyright laws, infringement is a difficult thing to prove in court. And, just before cashing my check, my lawyer added: "Just so you know, you can't copyright a concept or idea."
This legal reality doesn't do very much to heal the burn when concept rip-offs happen. And, since there's very little to prevent them, they happen all the time.
For example, as if this simple concept of picture book cats and opposites hadn't already been bludgeoned to death by me and my old pal, Chuck Murphy, Candlewick came out last summer with a truly groundbreaking children's title called (I swear I am not making this up) Black Cat, White Cat by Silvia Borando.
Even more demoralizing than this, in some ways, was passing a rack of magazines the other day and seeing the May/June 2016 issue of Yankee Magazine, "Best of New England." Now, being a New Englander, I've always had sort of a soft spot for Yankee and admiration for their longtime editor, Mel Allen. But, in chunky type at the very top of the magazine cover was a banner touting Yankee's current feature on walking the New Hampshire coastline south to north, "Walking the Shortest Coast."
I think you know where I'm going with this. Along with children's picture books, I write about travel for newspapers and magazines, and for Huffington Post. A few years back, in its July/August 2009 issue, Coastal Living published my feature, "Walking New Hampshire," with, as it happens, an eerily similar cover banner. In case you think it might have been a different sort of piece, here was the subtitle of my story: "Follow in the footsteps of writer Peter Mandel as he chronicles the shortest shoreline of any state--taking in the beauty of iconic New England towns and scenery."
I know, I know. You can't copyright a concept. And you may prefer Yankee's article to mine for Coastal Living. But even a cursory bit of Googling by Yankee editors would have turned up the Coastal Living piece and the fact that it later ran in umpteen newspaper travel sections in New England and around the country, including The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Dallas Morning News, The Columbus Dispatch, The Providence Journal, etc. Why wouldn't the staff there or the writer of the piece, Julia Shipley, have taken the minimal trouble of at least tweaking the concept a tiny bit? Walking the shoreline, let's say, from north to south. Walking a different bit of coast.
There's nothing--absolutely nothing--new under the sun.


I am actually working all of this weekend, so when I realised I still didn't have a blog post for today – as well as realising I wouldn't be able to work on it Sunday morning if needed – I decided to bring you this mini haul instead of no post at all.
I recently took a trip into town and visited Superdrug, I had the intent of getting Revolution's new concealer to both use and review, but they didn't have the shade I needed. Anyone else a C1?
Now, when buying these, two of the items were the wrong things I intended to buy, but despite that, I'm in love with them!
I grabbed the chocolate palette from where the new violet palette should've been, and I used a tester which had a highlighter and bronzer (which was the perfect shade for my skin!) which was kept under the highlighter palette I grabbed.
The setting spray I meant to grab.
Thanks to Superdrug's 3 for 2 sale this mini haul only cost me £14.99.
I'll be mentioning this in their individual reviews, but can I just say, the two palettes smell of chocolate. I love it.
Next time I go to the store I'll be looking at I Heart Revolution's multi-liners, I'm very much interested in owning more lip liners – anyone else have incredibly uneven lips?! – as well as Revolution's concealer. I will get my hands on one!
What beauty products have you got your eyes on? Let me know in the comments below!


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Blu-ray Review: Candyman (Collector's Edition)
By Adam Frazier | @ | November 20th, 2018 at 12:00 pm
Candyman (Collector's Edition)
Director: Bernard Rose
Screenwriter: Bernard Rose
Cast: Virginia Madsen, Tony Todd, Xander Berkeley, Kasi Lemmons
Distributor: Scream Factory
Unrated | 99 Minutes
"The pain, I can assure you, will be exquisite. As for our deaths, there is nothing to fear. Our names will be written on a thousand walls. Our crimes told and retold by our faithful believers. We shall die together in front of their very eyes and give them something to be haunted by. Come with me and be immortal."
Based on author Clive Barker's short story, The Forbidden, 1992's Candyman is the definitive horror film of the 1990s. Written and directed by British filmmaker Bernard Rose (Immortal Beloved), the film stars Virginia Madsen (Dune, Sideways) as Helen Lyle, a Chicago graduate student who is researching urban legends. She stumbles upon a local legend, the Candyman (Tony Todd), a hook-wielding phantom who haunts the city's notorious Cabrini-Green housing project.
Topics: Blu-ray, Blu-ray Review, Movies, Reviews
Tags: Bernard Rose, Candyman, Kasi Lemmons, Scream Factory, Tony Todd, Virginia Madsen, Xander Berkeley
TV Review: The Walking Dead 8.16 "Wrath" (Season Finale)
By Empress Eve | @ | April 16th, 2018 at 12:08 am
Episode 8.16 "Wrath" (Season 8 finale)
Directed by Greg Nicotero
Written by Scott Gimple
Starring Andrew Lincoln, Norman Reedus, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, Danai Gurira, Melissa McBride, Lennie James, Christian Serratos, Tom Payne, Khary Payton, Austin Amelio, Alanna Masterson, Katelyn Nacon, Steven Ogg, Pollyanna McIntosh
Air Date: Sunday, April 15, 2018
Warning – SPOILERS for AMC's The Walking Dead…
Here we are, at the season 8 finale of The Walking Dead. After a frustrating first half of the season filled with an overabundance of gunfire and a story that dragged on, the second part returned this past February with a more compelling tale, one led by Carl's vision of the future. But will Rick and Negan compromise to allow this peaceful future to become a reality? All indications so far have been, no, they won't, especially since Negan told Michonne that "winning is about killing every last one of you."
On last week's episode, 8.15 "Worth," Negan faced his betrayers. Simon, who was plotting a coup, died by Negan's bare hands, while Laura's return led to the reveal that Dwight was the mole who was feeding Rick information. Negan's plan for Dwight had yet to be revealed, but we know he set him up to deliver Rick fake battle plans that would lead his enemy right into a trap. The episode also saw Rosita and Daryl's failed attempt to capture Eugene, who is head of Negan's bullet-making operation.
In this week's episode, 8.16 "Wrath," the allies ready for battle against Negan and the Saviors, while Negan prepares his army for a mission to wipe out their enemies once and for all.
Leave a comment: 2 Comments »
Topics: Recaps, Reviews, Television, TV Reviews
Tags: Alanna Masterson, AMC, Andrew Lincoln, Anthony Lopez, Austin Amelio, Autumn Dial, Briana Venskus, Callan McAuliffe, Christian Serratos, Colin Dennard, Danai Gurira, Greg Nicotero, James Chen, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Josh McDermitt, Katelyn Nacon, Kerry Cahill, Khary Payton, Lauren Cohan, Lennie James, Macsen Lintz, Matt Mangum, Melissa McBride, Nadine Marissa, Norman Reedus, Pollyanna McIntosh, Ross Marquand, Scott Gimple, Seth Gilliam, The Walking Dead, Tom Payne, Traci Dinwiddie, Xander Berkeley
TV Review: The Walking Dead 8.15 "Worth"
By Empress Eve | @ | April 9th, 2018 at 10:00 am
Episode 8.15 "Worth"
Directed by Michael Slovis
Written by David Leslie Johnson, Corey Reed
Air Date: Sunday, April 8, 2018
On last week's The Walking Dead episode, 8.14 "Still Gotta Mean Something," Negan and Jadis came to an understanding; Negan made his way back to the Sanctuary, but with a secret passenger along for the ride; Daryl and Rosita were going after Eugene at the Savior ammunitions factory; Carol found young Henry, while Morgan lost his mind again; and, sadly, we see that after his encounter with the former Savior captives, Rick is no longer a man of his word.
In this week's episode, 8.15 "Worth," Rick finally reads the letter from Carl, which talks about his vision for a peaceful future in this post-apocalyptic world; Rosita and Daryl make a move on the ammunitions factory; and Negan reconnects with his former lieutenants, especially Dwight and Simon, who are still plotting to take over the Sanctuary.
Tags: Alanna Masterson, AMC, Andrew Lincoln, Austin Amelio, Callan McAuliffe, Christian Serratos, Corey Reed, Danai Gurira, David Leslie Johnson, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Josh McDermitt, Katelyn Nacon, Khary Payton, Lauren Cohan, Lennie James, Melissa McBride, Michael Slovis, Norman Reedus, Pollyanna McIntosh, Ross Marquand, Seth Gilliam, Steven Ogg, The Walking Dead, Tom Payne, Xander Berkeley
TV Review: The Walking Dead 8.14 "Still Gotta Mean Something"
By Empress Eve | @ | April 2nd, 2018 at 10:00 am
Episode 8.14 "Still Gotta Mean Something"
Directed by Michael Satrazemis
Written by Eddie Guzelian
On last week's The Walking Dead episode, 8.13 "Do Not Send Us Astray," Negan may have gone missing (currently taken captive by Jadis), but his plan to wound the Hilltoppers with infected weapons worked like a charm. As the Hilltop residents slept after the Simon-led Savior assault, the wounded died of their injuries and turned, killing several of their own people. During the chaos, young Henry confronted the Savior POWs demanding to know which one of them murdered his brother and in the process inadvertently set all the captives free. Some fled, while others, like Alden, stayed to pledge allegiance to the Hilltop and protect the gates, but the next morning, Henry is nowhere to be found.
This week, we finally get back to Negan and Jadis, as well as to what happened to those Saviors who escaped captivity. Plus, Carol and Morgan go out to look for Henry, while Rick once again avoids reading Carl's letter to him – he has other plans in mind.
Tags: Alanna Masterson, AMC, Andrew Lincoln, Austin Amelio, Callan McAuliffe, Christian Serratos, Danai Gurira, Eddie Guzelian, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Josh McDermitt, Joshua Mikel, Katelyn Nacon, Kerry Cahill, Khary Payton, Lauren Cohan, Lennie James, Melissa McBride, Michael Satrazemis, Mike Seal, Norman Reedus, Pollyanna McIntosh, Ross Marquand, Seth Gilliam, Steven Ogg, The Walking Dead, Tom Payne, Traci Dinwiddie, Xander Berkeley


It's all changing beneath our feet - or at least that's what it feels like. The traditional ways to connect with a market are loosing efficacy. Gen Y's are entering the workplace with their Snapchat and Tinder. Big data and the internet of things are transforming how we shop for products and services.
What happens when Gen Y meets baby boomers in the workplace?
We're coming, whether you like it or not. Generation Y is entering the workforce at an alarming rate, with the workforce majority set to be in their 20's by 2015. I'm one of these millennials who supposedly values social media freedom over salary (yeah right), is self-centred, and apparently has no regard for job security. But my most interesting experiences have been around learning to work side by side with the baby boomers generation. The question remains, what impact will this influx of Gen Y have on an aging workforce… or should I say, what lessons can we learn?
They say you make your own opportunities in life, but I fear for those who believe their opportunities will be seized care of what they've learnt at university. I fear for those who will walk out of a tertiary institution with $50k of debt, thinking they are adequately prepared for what the employment world throws at them. I'm fearful because from my own experience, university didn't prepare me for what the reality is – that the real education was in fact just beginning.
How do you satisfy Generation Y's thirst for social?
I bloody love Snapchat… Sure, I may be a 23-year-old male who probably has better things to do with his time, but what is it about this App that's taken the globe by storm?
The way we are engaging with brands is changing. With Gen Y (or the millennials) becoming an increasingly influential audience, we are starting to see a seismic shift in how businesses connect with customers and markets.


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Up the Taqx Near You!
Posted on July 21, 2009 by Taz
The Taqwacore punks are back. And this time, they'll be coming to a punk rock venue near you.
South Asian Punks THE KOMINAS (Boston) and SARMUST (DC) are embarking west on a three week tour to bring decimation along the I-80 and I-10. Also joining them will be Propaganda Anonymous, whose undefeated free styles occupy a gray area between rap, and punk rock. They plan to raze venues through New York, Cleveland, Chicago, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Utah, Nevada, California, Texas, Mississippi, up through to Virginia, Philly, and finally to New York and New England. These will be the first performances west of Chicago.[diy]
The national tour starts July 22nd in New York City, and they will weave themselves (in a hybrid vehicle, mind you) through the rest of the country through August 15th. A different show in a different city every night – the Taqx boys are going hard and with a heart on for the environment too. What exactly can you expect at this show? Watch below.
Find more videos like this on www.truveo.com.
The above is a short film that follows the writer Michael Muhammad Knight (whom Amardeep's written about) and the Taqwacores bands from their 2007 East Coast Tour to Pakistan and back to the U.S. for some early 2009 shows. It gives you a flavor for what to expect on The Kominas Summer 2009 Tour.
Formerly of Diacritical, Omar Waqar (seen in above video) currently runs Such Records. His new project Sarmust will also be joining the tour.
Sarmust is a twisted splicing of anarchist sufism and indie-punk, masterminded by award winning sitar player Omar Waqar. A longtime stalwart of the DC hardcore scene, his music has become the bridge between discord and simple harmony.[diy]
The bulk of The Kominas songs for the tour will be pulled from Wild Nights in Guantanamo Bay, which I've written about before and can be purchased now. The Kominas have been working hard in preparation for this ultimate road trip – they have some new faces in the group, added a horn to their sound, and were just in the studio recording a new song. Black Out Beach, which can be heard here on myspace, was recorded for a play called "Waterboard: A Play About Torture being shown at the YMCA Theatre in Cambridge on July 23rd.
As a West Coast girl, I'm pretty excited to have The Kominas come through California. I've never seen them perform before. They didn't make it this far west on their first 2007 tour and the West Coast punk scene is far more bubblegum pop than what Boston has bred with the hardcore sounds of The Kominas.
I highly recommend that you check out the band when they roll through your town – you don't have to be a punk aficionado to appreciate what this tour will be doing for the next four weeks. These guys are about as real as it gets. Follow Imran Malik, The Kominas drummer, on his twitter @rockistani as he goes on tour. And to check out the latest tour dates, check out the facebook event page or their myspace. And of course, to live vicariously, check out the Taqwacore Online Zine. I know I will.
This entry was posted in Music by Taz. Bookmark the permalink.
Taz is an activist, organizer and writer based in California. She is the founder of South Asian American Voting Youth (SAAVY), curates MutinousMindState.tumblr.com and blogs at TazzyStar.blogspot.com. Follow her at twitter.com/tazzystar
View all posts by Taz →
42 thoughts on "Up the Taqx Near You!"
abdul on July 21, 2009 at 11:03 pm said:
what a bunch of dorks! hint: if you have to try too look cool, you're not.
PG on July 22, 2009 at 12:17 am said:
Is that Sarmust or Sharmoot?
Meriam on July 22, 2009 at 1:04 am said:
Uhh…spare me.
Pi on July 22, 2009 at 1:46 am said:
So if the "punk rock spirit" was so strong with these dudes, why did it take some person to write some book for them to come out now and label themselves as a Taqwacore band? Or is that the book became popular and these bands are trying to latch on to the "popularity".
Basim on July 22, 2009 at 2:28 am said:
Kominas formed in 2005, same time as Vote Hezbollah. Some of us still have the spiral bound photo copies of Mike's book, tub yeh sab kuch siraf khwaabo mein hota tha.
najeeb on July 22, 2009 at 3:18 am said:
pretty lame, terrible music. only thing i was amused was them psyching the isna crowd. not my cuppa tea..
rudie_c on July 22, 2009 at 3:32 am said:
the ISNA organizer hahaha oh how she made me laugh. siilyness.
so glad the my days of moshing are over, stick to standard pogoing .
i think its very commendable what these guys do, going out there and touring is by no means an easy thing. its easy to set up a site and put your music out, but nothing beats touring and seeing a new band live. and going to pakistan, really, how many bands do that?
dpflex on July 22, 2009 at 4:48 am said:
Tastes differ.
LinZi on July 22, 2009 at 8:12 am said:
"so glad the my days of moshing are over, stick to standard pogoing . "
I second that…. my ears can't take all the loud music anymore… aaayooo I'm grown old…
Amardeep on July 22, 2009 at 10:36 am said:
The thing about punk is, it's not trying to sound pretty. Most punk bands break up before they ever really learn to play their instruments (or, for that matter, to play together as a band). The point is shock-value. For me the line that really defines the Kominas is the opening of "Sharia Law in the USA"
"I am an Islamist, I am the Anti-Christ…"
It's an allusion to the famous opening of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK" ("I am an Anti-Christ, I am an anarchist"). It's a rhetorical taunt — a bit of theater — where the singer is saying, "Hey you, I embody everything you fear and despise. Are you scared?" In Britain in the 1970s, the buzzword that sent shockwaves was "anarchist." In the U.S. in our decade, it's "Islamist." They aren't real Islamists anymore than Johnny Rotten was a real (as in ideological) Anarchist, but they're enjoying messing with people (Muslims and non-Muslims alike) for whom the idea of hearing (or singing along to) "Sharia Law in the USA" is kind of unthinkable.
All that said, these guys are starting to sound tighter — they've been reworking their first set of songs, and writing some new ones. I saw them live a couple of weeks ago at an upscale Muslim-oriented fundraiser, and it was pretty listenable. There were even three year olds dancing to some of the songs (though their horrified parents kept hustling the kids away from the loud noise).
Another thing to consider: Everyone thought MIA was weird too, and then all of a sudden she was a superstar.
Pagal_Aadmi_for_debauchery on July 22, 2009 at 11:12 am said:
What happened at ISNA this year?
There_I_Said_It on July 22, 2009 at 11:32 am said:
"Sharia law is the USA" – that song represents the rank hypocrisy of muslim youth in the West. Shock value or not, if you did have Sharia law in the US you wouldn't have these literal punks playing any music. Very much unlike the Sex Pistols who would have been playing music in the UK in times of anarchy.
Hussein Rashid on July 22, 2009 at 11:48 am said:
It seems like the idea of "punk" has become an ideology of what it stood against. If you believe the power of punk was to shock people out of complacency and consumerism, than the Kominas are firmly part of that tradition. It's not about received, aesthetic norms, but about recognizing oppression affects multiple communities in a multitude of ways. Although it is closely tied to anarchism, it really is much more Marxist. If you believe that punk is only for poor, white, English kids of the 1970s, then the Kominas don't fit the bill. I think Johnny Rotten is still pimping "The Swindle Continues."
Taz on July 22, 2009 at 11:49 am said:
rank hypocrisy of muslim youth
Try. "ironic."
I'm pretty sure these guys would not actually want sharia law in the usa. In case that wasn't clear.
What I love about the taqx is that there is no "hypocrisy" (because that .. that imbues that their is a 'correct' or 'orthodox' way to being Muslim) but the freedom to redefine and explore your own brand of Islam. All the rest, is Allahu Alim. Punk.
Manju on July 22, 2009 at 11:51 am said:
"Hey you, I embody everything you fear and despise. Are you scared?" In Britain in the 1970s, the buzzword that sent shockwaves was "anarchist." In the U.S. in our decade, it's "Islamist."
its worth noting between "anarchist" and "islamist" there was "nazi." nazi skinhead punks.
Manju on July 22, 2009 at 12:18 pm said:
yeah, they're ironic like the pistols (and unlike the earnest neo-nazis or the fellow-travelling clash) but the line gets blurred, if for no other reason than their mocking the fear society has of such ideologies. hipsters approprating that which opresses and scares others does get a tad tiresome, like that bozo who tried selling "who killed obama" t-shirts in the lower east side of nyc.
Amardeep on July 22, 2009 at 12:25 pm said:
"Sharia law is the USA"
It's not "Sharia law IS the USA," it's "Sharia Law IN the USA." It's a little more complicated than simply saying the U.S. government is as oppressive as Sharia. First, they're mocking the vilification of Islamists:
"I am an Islamist, I am the anti-christ, most squares can't make a most-wanted list, but my-my how I stay in style."
That said, they are also protesting the authoritarian turn of U.S. policy during the Bush administration, which I think is completely legitimate. You can be pissed about Guantanamo Bay, warrantless wiretapping, torture, an unwarranted war. If you're a Muslim youth in the U.S. growing up during these years, you might be more pissed about it than some other folks have been.
It's not that different from when the Dead Kennedys wrote a song called "California Uber Alles" or Reagan Youth's song "Reagan Youth" .
Mr. X on July 22, 2009 at 1:34 pm said:
Also worth noting: Nazi Punks Fuck Off
gc on July 22, 2009 at 1:41 pm said:
yeah, the "sharia law in the usa" song made me feel pretty uncomfortable and to be honest, disgusted. if that's how punk rock is supposed to make you feel, fine. i wasn't too impressed. what i felt was really cool was the last song. i just felt the lyrics were well written and they thought before the spoke..er…yelled. granted, that song was in pakistan and not the u.s. so the rebellious subject matter was more to my taste….but you have to admit, the music for this song was probably the best of the lot.
"this is the story of our country where women are invisible who are we supposed to bhangra with? rolling past a mehran on fire a new widow wails on the wire you'll probably be dead before you retire who let these monkeys out of the cage send this brother back where he came if this keeps up we don't need no Bush bombing us back to the stone age"
PG on July 22, 2009 at 2:18 pm said:
Everything came late to the suburbs of USA. By the time I got into "punk" it was already almost a decade after the Sex Pistols had rocked London and two decades after The Velvet Underground rocked NYC and The Stooges rocked Detroit (precursors to, and origins of "punk"). Yeah I said it, punk started in the USA, way back in the 60s.
By the time I got into punk, even hardcore had been around for a while and metal-core (speed-metal?) had made its appearance, what to speak of "new wave" which had become mainstream thanks to MTV. Anybody remember when MTV (Martha Quinn!) actually played music videos and their shows were reserved for nighttime. Who remembers The Young Ones? Those were the golden years.
I got to see for 3-5 bucks in small venues bands that later became famous – Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys, Wasted Youth, and many more.
I actually don't know how I tolerated it. I can't stand the stuff now.
manax on July 22, 2009 at 2:57 pm said:
Wow. this is some amazingly lame shit.
And: "For me the line that really defines the Kominas is the opening of "Sharia Law in the USA"; "I am an Islamist, I am the Anti-Christ…"; It's an allusion to the famous opening of the Sex Pistols' "Anarchy in the UK" ("I am an Anti-Christ, I am an anarchist")."
Really? I had no idea.
The unbearable burden of meanness on July 22, 2009 at 4:04 pm said:
I enjoy coming to this board, but as a Muslim, it is very demoralizing and off putting to know that the rare Muslim-related story will always garner incredibly negative comments. The commenters are not reacting against punk so much as anything to do with Muslims. And god forbid there is a story about Pakistanis.
Month after month, it is the same thing. Is this what Hindu families teach at home to their kids. Is this the level of venom directed at Muslims — even among seemingly educated, liberal Hindu Indians? I know that my family experienced what it was like to be Muslim in India, but with the changing face of India, one thinks that those old hatreds would die…but I guess not. They can transferred to a different language, a different medium of communication, and the cycle continues.
If this punk rock band were of any other religion, these comments would not be so mean spirited. If this punk rock was about gay rights, the comments would not have been so mean spirited.
If you think your attitudes do not hurt in real life, think again. Not only does my daughter as "openly Muslim" bear the brunt of horrible comments from regular Americans, an Indian Hindu classmate of hers recently told her that his parents said that he must never marry a Muslim and put Muslims below Black people. The double-whammy of racism aside, the comment made my daughter was quiet for days, wondering what is wrong with her.
Taz, I don't know how you do it. You present the rare Muslim story, and the only one to present the story with gentleness, joy, and kindness one would expect from any story. But girl, you are outmatched here. With your lovely writing skills, have you considered posting at a more "friendly" site? You have a stronger stomach than I.
Yoga Fire on July 22, 2009 at 4:16 pm said:
If you think your attitudes do not hurt in real life, think again. Not only does my daughter as "openly Muslim" bear the brunt of horrible comments from regular Americans, an Indian Hindu classmate of hers recently told her that his parents said that he must never marry a Muslim and put Muslims below Black people.
Oh my Gods! Not below Black people!!
You can mock all you want, Yoga Fire, but the fact that this kid said this verbatim to my Muslim daughter shows what is behind the filth that gets hurled here against Muslims, Pakistanis, Arabs, and just about anything Muslim-related. Instead of mocking, look at yourself. The kid's father is a doctor, by the way. This is what openminded Hindus are teaching in their homes.
Oh I just think it's funny that you've interpreted a bunch of posts, many by Muslims themselves, accusing this band of being a bunch of derivative, bandwagon-jumping schlock and somehow interpreted this as anti-Islam!
How exactly do your daughter's difficulties with finding a nice Hindu boy to settle down with relate to the dubious moral character of a band that sings about enforcing sharia law in the USA? At best (and most likely) they are doing it for shock-value as Amardeep said, in which case we can rank them on par with assorted troglodytes like Howard Stern or Micheal Savage. At worst they're actually advocating for sharia law in the USA in which case we can rank them a fair bit lower along with fiends like Zaid Hamid.
You can't blame people who aren't familiar with punk rock sensibilities for taking their lyrics literally and assuming the latter. Most people tend to assume that self-proclaimed musicians are in it for the music rather than the opportunity to shock and offend people.
six of one on July 22, 2009 at 5:02 pm said:
the dubious moral character of a band that sings about enforcing sharia law in the USA?
At best (and most likely) they are doing it for shock-value as Amardeep said, in which case we can rank them on par with assorted troglodytes like Howard Stern or Micheal Savage. At worst they're actually advocating for sharia law in the USA in which case we can rank them a fair bit lower along with fiends like Zaid Hamid.
yoga fire, your air of calm reasonableness would be more believable if you applied it more uniformly to other ridiculous points of view. reacting with a combination of defensiveness, justification, and silence in the face of some extremism and withmockery and opposition to some relatively less objectionable stuff like this doesn't help your credibility. although i am sure you don't see it that way.
also amardeep didn't suggest that they were shock jocks.
My daughter is 8 years old, by the way, but I am sure her age will not keep you from salivating over the chance to demoralize her. Her classmate is being indoctrinated early — which I am sure that you approve. Considering the fact that you, Yoga-Fire, are one of the more viciously anti-Islam commenters here, I won't even try to persuade you — your hatred and bigotry run deep.
many by Muslims themselves
Haa-ha. Yes, out of the woodwork come "abdul" and others to bash a punk rock band and throwing in some anti-Muslim comments.
I will be posting under Radha or Krishna if I want to make some anti-Indian Hindu comments.
For now, I am off to make ice cream with my Muslim children and Muslim husband and then to enjoy a nice summer evening at the pool (in my covered, oppressed, backward attire), and I will leave the usual commenters to their feeding frenzy.
Just watched the video. They are very weak musically and vocally.
Anyway, why scream "pigs are haram" when it was an organizer of ISNA who called them in to get them off of the stage because, according to her, they violated their agreement to not have a woman singing on the stage and to not dance???
Maybe they should have chanted "ISNA is haram", or "ISNA organizers are haram" or "ISNA women are haram" or "women singing in ISLAM is haram".
The pigs (cops) were just doing what they were asked and hired by the ISNA organizer to do.
If they wanted to influence the general Muslim population or Desi and possibly Arab diaspora, I would've recommended another music genre and more poetic lyrics to get their message across.
Desi culture/Islam mixed with punk rock is what rasa aestheticians like Bharat Muni would call "ras-abhash".
Actually, it occurs to me that we have yet another case of certain posters deciding to derail a thread by making the conversation about the people who disagree with their perspectives rather than . . . you know, the actual perspectives we're trying to discuss.
So sorry for feeding the trolls. I'll stay on topic.
Lupus Solitarius on July 22, 2009 at 6:11 pm said:
feigning reasonableness
What is reasonableness, and who is the arbiter of this quality?
LinZi on July 22, 2009 at 6:23 pm said:
"It's not that different from when the Dead Kennedys wrote a song called "California Uber Alles" or Reagan Youth's song "Reagan Youth" . "
Let's not forget "Holiday in Cambodia" …
Malathi on July 22, 2009 at 6:43 pm said:
As for myself the point has always been to refine my own ideas by subjecting them to scrutiny
Yoga Fire,
What is the point of all this (public) chest-beating, sharpening of the mind, when you cannot recognize which situation, which comment deserves your superior contempt and refined ridicule and which human story is best LISTENED to with some empathy and compassion (and dare I say, some humility)?
You are a dad of a little girl, aren't you?
SM Intern on July 22, 2009 at 7:44 pm said:
Six of One & Yoga Fire,
I'll ban you both if you don't quit it. I haven't even bothered to read the banter, it's so convoluted. Be punk rock and take it offline and outside.
Back to the regularly scheduled comments about The Kominas Summer 2009 Tour.
najeeb on July 22, 2009 at 8:20 pm said:
"The unbearable burden of meanness", i truly empathize with your daughter's experience – that's plenty of hate. but let's not compare that to people not liking some punk band, which by the way is not mainstream at all. people not liking this band has little to do with islam, atleast that has been the case for me.
Amardeep, it ultimately comes to down to likability. bands have to be listenable(of course that is subjective), likable members, and should have some genuine sense of music. these guys don't fit the bill in my opinion –
boston_mahesh on July 22, 2009 at 8:27 pm said:
This band sucks. Their "message" sucks. They're a bunch of poseurs who live with their parents who aspire to become management consultants. If they think that they are so punk-rock, why don't they have a song criticizing Islam, for a change?
The Clash and Sex Pistols both criticized capitalism, the UK, the monarchy, racism, ex-girlfriends, Christianity, etc. These two bands were quite representative of the UK, btw.
Word. Plus, isn't at least one member of Kominas an avowed ATHEIST? And the others don't even practice Islam? One mentioned interest in "sufism" and other "spiritual" stuff.
I doubt most mainstream Sunnis or Shias would approve.
I mean, you saw what the organizer of ISNA was saying. She was upset coz a FEMALE was onstage performing. Tsk Tsk.
Taqwacore does not rep Islam and we all know it.
Zahra on July 22, 2009 at 8:37 pm said:
New banners = amazing
why don't they have a song criticizing Islam, for a change?
If you watch the video and listen, they ARE criticising Islam, and they got criticised and blacklisted in some Pakistani town for it.
Watch the vid.
CMF on July 22, 2009 at 10:44 pm said:
Don't have time to bother with all the tangential comments above.
But as a Hindu who is into the hardcore straight-edge punk scene, I like what these guys are doing. Keep it up! For the naysayers, its really difficult to judge a band (especially a punk band) by seeing a few Youtube clips. You have to experience it live. I've heard of the Kominas before, but haven't had a chance to check them out. I look forward to seeing them when they pass through the Midwest.
That said, they are also protesting the authoritarian turn of U.S. policy during the Bush administration, which I think is completely legitimate. You can be pissed about Guantanamo Bay, warrantless wiretapping, torture, an unwarranted war. If you're a Muslim youth in the U.S. growing up during these years, you might be more pissed about it than some other folks have been. It's not that different from when the Dead Kennedys wrote a song called "California Uber Alles" or Reagan Youth's song "Reagan Youth" .
The dkennedys aren't being ironic, rather godwinish hyperbolic. They're intentionally conflating reagan with hitler. these guys are instead putting themselves in the shoes of the islamist, not their target (bush). its more like a punk protesting the bombing of dresden by taking on the persona of an auschwitz guard. creepy, no?
the kominas strike me as the bonzo in "bonzo goes to bitburg"
ambi on July 23, 2009 at 9:33 pm said:
Another thing to consider: Everyone thought MIA was weird too, and then all of a sudden she was a superstar
Amardeep, the difference was that MIA had / has talent, originality and swagger.
wunderbar on July 26, 2009 at 12:40 pm said:
From The Unbearable burden of meanness: If this punk rock band were of any other religion, these comments would not be so mean spirited.
TUBOM, I do hear what you are saying. I read that comment of yours exactly as I was wondering what the fashionable liberal reaction to a punk band singing "Hindutva in the USA" would be. I would like to think it would be …ummm…. less charitably received.
I certainly wish the band well. I found their Pakistan tour interesting but somewhat self-defeating. The fact is that South Asian society – whether India, Pakistan or Bangladesh – has had its own homegrown subversive culture since forever. For instance, we don't have a gay underground, we have the Hijra tradition instead. We don't have pothead hippies, we have babas and holy men. And so on.
In such a milieu perhaps they could have found a culturally appropriate way to communicate their message instead of donning T-shirts and playing guitars. Doing that is only going to get them upperclass Westernised followers, not hardy sons of the working class soil.


Church groups on Monday denounced the harassment against their member denominations as they accused the Duterte administration of linking progressive movements to a purported plot to oust the President.
In a press briefing, leaders of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) expressed alarm over "orchestrated" attempts by the government to brand as communists and "vilify" its member churches.
"[Ever] since [the President] opened the gates for a killing spree of drug suspects at the beginning of his term in a similar fashion, we are compelled to raise alarm and defend these church people," said Methodist pastor Marie Sol Villalon.
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) also called on the Armed Forces of the Philippines to stop the harassment of church workers following threats on the life of Iglesia Filipina Independiente (IFI) Bishop Antonio Ablon.
"This ploy is a clear rehash of an old tactic used against peace, justice and rights advocates suggestive of the imminent dark days of martial law," the UCCP said.
The NCCP, along with the Promotion of Church People's Response, an organization of Protestant church leaders, on Monday also reported to the Commission on Human Rights alleged incidents of harassment against church workers.


text:
Quantum Trilogy: Designed To Stop The Ingenuity of Hackers
• May 15, 2021
May 15, 2021 - 2:06 pm
Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay
Worse Times Ahead
The Yahoo data breaches uncovered in 2016 compromised the personal details of more than a billion users. It was a sign that ordinary people like ourselves — whether using social media platforms or harmless email — are under threat from cyber black hats.
But it's not only individuals who have to worry: in 2015 the US Office of Personnel Management was attacked by hackers. And the result? Over four million personal files were stolen from former and current government employees, a signal that even the US government — with all its financial resources and wealth of knowledge — is not immune to cyberattacks.
And do you want to know something? It's only going to get worse as the age of Quantum 2.0 develops. That is why governments, multinationals and private companies are starting to see the threat posed by these cybersecurity criminals and with it are developing countermeasures to beat them at their own game. How? By using the magic of quantum mechanics.
With the advances currently being seen in quantum computing (QC), experts around the globe are worried it constitutes a danger to security networks based on classical encryption systems. To reverse this, technological innovations such as post-quantum cryptography and quantum key distribution (QKD) have been developed to stave off the threat and keep data where it belongs, in the hands of the private user.
Quantum Technologies Laboratories
A prime example of this attitude can be seen with Quantum Technologies Laboratories, a New York City-based startup founded in 2016 by French entrepreneur Alain Obadia to leverage the research undertaken since the early 1990s by Swiss researchers on quantum physics and cybersecurity with its proprietary Quantum Trilogy technology.
The company offers several products under the umbrella "Quantum Apps":
Quantum Voice: "based on the core concept of Quantum Trilogy — a closed group of users connected through the Internet to dedicated private servers and using genuine proprietary quantum devices to secure communications — our flagship application allows your personnel and clients to speak in a secure and private environment."
Quantum Mail: "based on the core concept of Quantum Trilogy — a closed group of users connected through the Internet to dedicated private servers and using genuine proprietary quantum devices to secure communications — Quantum Mail is an e-mail system that provides the same protection as Quantum Voice, with all the benefits of e-mail communication."
Quantum Manager: "an administrative tool for Quantum Voice, Quantum Mail and Quantum VPN that allows your Corporate Security Leader to take control over communications among its group of users. You have complete control over whom your personnel communicate with, and your closed group of accounts ensures that social engineering is virtually impossible. By contrast, even the strongest encryption does not ensure security if you cannot confirm whether you are talking to the right person."
Along with these, Quantum Technologies Laboratories offers a fully integrated quantum information system, which allows clients in the public and corporate sphere to use uncompromising voice and messaging communication systems.
Launching his first company in his late twenties, founder and CEO of Quantum Technologies Laboratories Alain Obadia has more than three decades' worth of experience in designing, launching and operating new businesses in IT, telecommunications and cyber-security while at the same time actively investing in other industries. Obadia has a BA in business administration from HEC Montréal.
Supporting the CEO is an excellent team with experience in business, marketing, technology, and science. This is strengthened by partnerships with some of quantum tech's leading players like Quintessence Labs, IBM and ID Quantique.
Adamant appropriate protection will come from the quantum world through technologies such as quantum encryption, Quantum Technologies Laboratories' Quantum Trilogy product set is definitely an exciting prospect and may just be the kind of the thing the world of cybersecurity needs to stop dark forces on the Internet getting what they want.
Alain Obadia, cybersecurity, IBM, ID Quantique, New York, QKD, Quantum Technologies Laboratories, quantum technology, Quantum Trilogy, Quintessence Labs, startup, US


text:
Proposals sought for new township safety building construction
Ken Lahmers
Special to MyTownNEO
NORTHFIELD CENTER – At their 2020 closeout meeting Dec. 28, township trustees approved temporary appropriations of $1.46 million for the first three months of 2021. That is the same figure as for 2020.
The first quarter numbers show $370,550 in the general fund, which is broken down as follows: Administrative, $208,200; buildings and grounds, $31,400; lighting, $8,000; parks and recreation, $8,500; zoning, $14,450; and highway maintenance and leaves, $100,000.
Other funds are broken down as follows: Police district, $309,000; fire/EMS, $273,750; motor vehicle license tax, $4,000; gasoline tax, $95,000; roads and bridges, $371,525; miscellaneous/inheritance tax/interest, $10,000; wheelchair lift/ADA, $1,000; ODNR recycling grant, $200; cash performance bond, $20,000; permission MVL tags, $5,000; and unclaimed funds, $3,062.
In other matters, trustees decided to send requests for proposals to five companies recommended by consultant, the Thrasher Group, to design and erect the new safety building at the site of the service garage/cold storage facility on Olde Eight Road.
The five firms are Infinity Construction (Warrensville Heights), Lakeland Management Systems (Painesville), Regency Construction Services (Brook Park), C.T. Taylor Construction (Hudson) and Shook Construction (Moraine).
It was noted the township received 12 requests for qualifications from firms interested in landing the contract for the project. Specs for the building have been completed, and trustees are expected to award the contract in a few weeks.
Trustees are looking to erect a building of about 10,053 square feet, with a full complement of administrative offices, recreation area, common area with kitchen equipment, two bays and sleeping quarters. The estimated cost is about $1.25 million.
Rich Reville was named chairman of the trustees, with Russ Mazzola as vice chairman. Trustee representatives to various departments are Reville, Macedonia fire, Northfield-Macedonia Cemetery and township zoning; Mazzola, Summit County sheriff and board of health; and Paul Buescher, township roads.
Trustees also approved the organizational resolution, which spells out various township operational policies. Categories include employee holidays, salaries and wages, health insurance, sick leave, mileage reimbursement rates, legal counsel and individuals who are on boards and commissions.
Helen Humphrys will continue to be the township administrator at a salary of $30,000, with Don Saunders as zoning inspector ($17.60 per hour), Rick Youel as service director/road superintendent ($30.31 per hour), Frank Buehner as road foreman ($24.69 per hour) and Judith Flauto as Town Hall secretary ($18.18 per hour).
Police protection will continue to be provided by the Summit County Sheriff's Department and fire/EMS service by the Macedonia Fire Department.
Serving on the North Hills Water Board are Basil Lovano and John Campbell (through Dec. 31, 2021) and Daniel Schade (through Dec. 31, 2022). Lovano will serve on the Community Focus Consortium through Dec. 31, 2021.
Zoning commission members are Laura Filippi, Lisa DeLuca, Schade, Lovano and Campbell, while board of zoning appeals members are Richard Wolff, Verner Rudder, Don Christley, Diane Bielecki, Richard Patz and Marc Kaminicki (alternate).
The next regular trustees meeting will be Jan. 11.
Contact the newspaper at 330-541-9430, or newsleader@recordpub.com
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If your business is in the heavy-lifting industry then you will know just how important the quality of your equipment is, not just for the safety of your employees and the protection of your assets – but also for meeting industry regulations.
Unsafe equipment could mean your company is failing to meet government standards, make you liable for the injuries and accidents of your employees and result in inefficient and ineffective operational processes.
That's why tests and inspections are so important when it comes to ensuring that your equipment is safe. One such test for your equipment is the proof load test.
What is a proof load test?
Proof load tests can be performed on various pieces of lifting and rigging equipment, and are designed to ensure that the piece of machinery being tested is able to lift the design load without failure or deformation (yeliding).
Typically performed as a static pull test, the proof load test is considered a complementary test that provides structural and safety assurances.
In most cases a proof load test is performed by applying force for a specific time, generally ranging from between 1.1 to 1.5 times of the design load or maximum allowable working load (MAWL).
When should my business perform a proof load test?
The proof load test is performed to meet a number of standards set out by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Generally, a proof load test is performed on a new unit to confirm it is ready and safe for service or on an existing piece of equipment to ensure it is operating as it should be.
To avoid accidents and to keep your heavy lifting equipment running efficiently it's important to undergo inspections and tests on a regular basis. This will ensure your machinery is ready to use and is operating at its optimum level.
In general, most heavy lifting equipment should be tested every 12 months to ensure it is safe and working properly. This testing should be undergone by a qualified and professional person who has the skills and experience needed to spot any defects or issues.
This doesn't just include proof load testing either. Other inspections should include weld inspections, visual inspections, structural checks, magnetic particle inspection, non-destructive testing and more.
Not sure if you are doing your proof load testing and other inspections properly and regularly enough? Contact Sparta Engineering today for expert advice on how to inspect your equipment properly.
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text:
The big 'cancel'
by Judith Curry
We need to allow all voices to be heard.
Like everyone else on the planet, I have been riveted by the events of the past week. And I have been suffering from a great deal of cognitive dissonance in interpreting these events – how reconcile my staunch advocacy of the freedom of speech and abhorrence of censorship, with my abhorrence of violence.
I was going to post on this on Sunday, then cancelled (do I really want to wrestle with this tar baby?). I then decided again to post Monday night, then cancelled this morning. This essay by Matt Nisbet that I just read has convinced me to post on this topic.
Election. The results (and ensuing challenges) of the Presidential election are at the root of what has happened. Were there irregularities in the voting process? It would be astonishing if there weren't (based on the thousands of texts I've received to my phone, it appears that I am still a registered voter in Fulton Count, GA). Were there some bad actors involved here? Wouldn't surprise me. Is there anything here that would lead to overturning the result that Joe Biden won the election? I can't imagine that there is. This was not a close election, unlike the nail biter Bush vs Gore election. Further, there is indirect evidence that Trump lost in that Biden won the popular vote by large margin, and the down-ballot Republicans did quite well. Are people within their rights to ask for audits and to complain? Of course. But the process has played itself out, and the meeting of Electoral College effectively put an end to this. Do members of Congress have the right to raise issues about the electors at the Jan 6 Certification? Well, in 2017 apparently there were 11 Representatives that raised issues challenging Trump's win. Joe Biden, who presided over this, knocked these challenges back since there hadn't been any corresponding concerns raised by Senators. Do losers of elections continue to complain about an 'unfair' election? I certainly recall complaints from Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi well into 2017, after Trump and the Republicans won in 2016. Stacey Abrams never conceded her loss in the Georgia gubernatorial election. Do U.S. election practices need improvement? They certainly do, in some states. But one of the safeguards in U.S. elections is that it is impossible to comprehensively rig what is essentially 50+ separate elections that are administered at the county level. Of course, in a close election rigging a few key counties can make a difference. But this election was not that close.
Violence. Many have argued that while Trump's statements were reckless and wrong, his speech does not meet the definition of incitement under the U.S. criminal code and his statements would be considered protected speech by the Supreme Court. Here is the concern. My take on the incitement to violence can be illustrated by analogy with falsely crying 'Fire!' in a crowded theater (the canonical example of speech that isn't protected). Person X spends two months effectively talking about a theater that wasn't safe, and could burn to the ground for a concert on a specific date that featured a rival. He then effectively tried to coerce the theater owner (analogy to Pence) into cancelling the concert. When this didn't work, X organizes a rally to protest the concert, with an implicit wink and nod that fire would be ok. Further, X arranged for the expected theater security not to be present. Fire ensues. IMO, while not as explicit, this is in many ways equivalent to someone spontaneously crying "Fire." But here is the problem with what Twitter did. They suspended Trump's account permanently, "due to the risk of further incitement of violence." What role should the 'precautionary principle' play in terms of freedom of speech (in this instance, beyond Biden's inauguration)? And why are the Antifa and BLM related twitter accounts allowed, which are more explicit about violence? So is this really about politics, and not 'violence'?
Twitter. Twitter's decision to suspend Trump, is legally speaking, fairly clear cut. The tweets that I found most objectionable were his insistence that Pence throw the election in his favor at the Jan 6 certification. This was immediately followed by #HangPence, which actually trended on twitter for quite awhile, and seem more directly related to inciting violence than anything else that Trump said on Twitter. I would be more sympathetic to an apparently difficult decision by Twitter to de-platform Trump, if it weren't for their cavalier de-platforming of: Covid physicians or other 'experts' that advocated for HXQ or against lockdowns (topics for which there is legitimate debate), scientists and others who inject too much biology into discussions of 'gender,' anyone mentioning Hunter Biden's financial 'difficulties', and so on – issues that don't in any conceivable way relate to violence, other than in a political 'woke' sense whereby violence is done unto me if anyone issues words that I disagree with or my feelings get hurt.
Parler. The 'cancelled' people then went and formed their own platform (they had been told to 'build their own'), Parler, which was for proponents of free speech and didn't censor anything. I was initially intrigued by the idea, signed up for an account. The main thing that I spotted is that Willie Soon dominates climate Parler – sort of the Michael Mann of Parler (but minus the insults). I subsequently forgot my password, and never bothered further. Parler has been effectively cancelled, by the Amazon cloud declining to host Parler. Building your own server cloud system is a non trivial undertaking. Apparently the owner of Parler has been unable to find another U.S. host for their site (I suspect they will end up going with server provider in eastern Europe). The host for Climate Etc. (wordpress.com) doesn't seem to be de-platforming blogs (at least as far as I know).
Platform or publisher. There has been a debate going on for years as to whether social media should be regarded as a platform or a publisher (Section 230). Trump's social media ban could very well create a host of problems for Big Tech and its social media platforms. They will be hit from both sides: Democrats angry at the role of social media in fomenting the challenge to Biden's legitimacy as the President-elect; and Republicans angry at being censored. Removing content that they though was inciting violence in one specific instance is one thing, but preventing Trump from sharing anything further (indefinitely) on Twitter is arguably an editorial decision, which would define them as a publisher, with a whole host of different rules to abide by. Personally, I don't trust the tech titans to have fair rules and enforce them fairly. To me, this looks like an anti-trust issue. It is not a healthy situation for online discussion to take place only on a few platforms, and greater competition in the app and hosting space is needed. Some are calling for social media to be regarded as a utility.
Broader consequences for Twitter. Twitter's stock is apparently tanking. Twitter, unique among social media platforms, is widely used internationally. This includes leaders of other countries, who had assumed that a world leader should be able to speak to their citizens unfettered by decisions made by someone in Silicon Valley. Some of these leaders say some very objectionable things on Twitter; thus far, few have been censored (and none to my knowledge de-platformed). The more Twitter deletes, the more there is implicit de facto approval of what is allowed to remain on the platform. Many national leaders from other countries are voicing concerns, including Angela Merkel. National level, or at least regional, versions of Twitter can be expected, diminishing the clientele and influence (and profitability) of Twitter.
You might be next. While many are gleeful over the de-platforming of Trump, others are concerned that they could deplatformed at some point. Such concerns have been raised internationally, but also within the U.S. by the ACLU and also by some on the left, including Bernie Sanders, who is concerned that left-wing groups could be banned in the future. I can only wonder and worry about the fate of climate 'deniers' in the public discourse.
The chain reaction. The de-platforming of Trump started with social media platforms. This was then extended to anything related to Trump by mobile OS providers, cloud hosts, podcast carriers and email providers. The Twitter ban is one thing. Its the fact that all of these services were able to act in concert to instantly cancel someone from the online sphere, including the U.S. President, is rather terrifying. But it gets worse.
Corporate cancelling. In addition to social media, this has provided the impetus for Trump's preferred banks to stop lending him further funds, the PGA has cut ties with Trump's golf course in New Jersey, Shopify has terminated stores affiliated with Trump, Stripe has stopped processing payments for the Trump campaign website. I'm sure there will be others. So where does this all lead? And how can a 'cancelled' person work around this, even a billionaire? Even for those people who detest Trump, surely they must be worried about whether this could happen to them?
Who is the greater threat to freedom and democracy? So who is the greater threat – the clowns who stormed the Capitol, or the technocratic elites and other corporations who are using the Trump situation as an opportunity to consolidate their cultural and political power? Others define all this in moral terms, which really relate to their personal political preferences; they are all in favor of this if their current enemies are the ones being thwarted/cancelled. A very dangerous situation.
JC reflections
Trump will be gone from the U.S. Presidency within days. His recent behavior has arguably earned a 'Censure' from the U.S. Congress. After the short-term catharsis of the big cancellation of Trump, the ability of Big Tech and corporations to 'cancel' somebody reflects a long-term danger to our society, much worse than whatever violence might be wrought by Antifa, Proud Boys, whoever. Tyranny, or radicalization across the internet? Hopefully this doesn't need be either-or. Politically motivated and precautionary censorship is arguably the biggest source of potential tyranny. The control of speech by tech billionaires is a very dangerous place to be.
The giant scale of the social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter has arguably transformed them into a public commons. Facebook and Twitter have enriched my life – Facebook allowing me to stay in contact with old friends and distant relatives, and Twitter to communicate with interesting people that I otherwise wouldn't have even heard of.
Unless Twitter et al. develop objective rules and enforce them consistently and uniformly, the regulators and lawmakers will do this for them. While these information monopolies are free enterprise success stories, they have also amassed enormous power, as evidenced by the events of the past week.
The problems that have brought the U.S. to this point are numerous and complex. In the post-Trump era, hopefully we can focus on solutions, and bring the violent fringes under control.
via Climate Etc.
https://ift.tt/3i6YKJ6
January 12, 2021 at 02:56PM
Vorheriger Vorheriger Beitrag: How the Left invaded and trashed a different legislature
Weiter Nächster Beitrag: Guess Who's Kicking the Pandemic? (it's not EU, US or Canada)


An alarming video has been released, showing a driver of a stolen bus recklessly speeding through the West Midlands, running through red lights and driving on the wrong side of the road. The dashboard footage taken from the chasing police car shows the single-decker vehicle going the wrong way on a roundabout, mounting pavements and hitting walls during the 12-mile joyride.
The bus was eventually stopped after officers used a Stinger to puncture one of its wheels in the town of Bilston after two failed attempts to stop the vehicle.
The video was released by West Midlands Police after the three people inside the bus, John Burton, 38, Simon Loveland, 39 and Thomas Tibbs, 21, pleaded guilty to aggravated vehicle-taking on the grounds of driving or being carried at Wolverhampton Crown Court earlier this month.
The men denied stealing the bus from a yard in Coseley, close to where they were stopped, claiming they found it outside a pub where they had been drinking.
The men managed to cause more than £10,000-worth of damage while on the rampage.
Burton, who had 37 previous convictions and was the one driving the bus, was sentenced to 14 months in prison and disqualified from driving for 13 months. Loveland, who had 31 prior convictions, was sentenced to 12 months and disqualified from driving for 18 months, with Tibbs handed a six-month sentence and disqualified from driving for 15 months.


text:
Sir Edward Leigh MP
Working hard for the Gainsborough constituency
About Sir Edward Leigh
About the Constituency
Campaign Responses
Dear Constituent,
Thank you for contacting me about road safety.
Every road user has a responsibility to behave safely and with consideration for others as set out in the Highway Code. A cycle safety review is examining ways in which responsible cycling can be better encouraged, alongside other measures to ensure motorists are reliable road users.
The Highway Code clearly sets out rules for cyclists on equipment, clothing and the use of lanes and crossings. There are currently a range of offences available to deal with cyclists who cause harm to pedestrians or other road users. Sections 28-30 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 include dangerous or careless cycling and cycling while under the influence of drink or drugs, which carries a maximum penalty of £2,500. At the most serious end of the scale, manslaughter or wanton and furious driving can be charged.
While the UK has some of the safest roads in the world, the Department for Transport (DfT) is always looking at ways to make them safer and that is why the Transport Minister Jesse Norman announced a consultation on the recommendations produced by the cycle safety review. This includes a proposal to introduce new offences of causing death or serious injury while cycling and other changes to some existing cycling offences, further work on guidance on cycling and walking infrastructure, and improvements to the Highway Code. This 12-week consultation will run until the 5 November 2018 which you can respond to online or by email or post.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.
Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy
Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs
Housing, Communities & Local Government
Work & Pensions
Sir Edward Leigh for Gainsborough
The Gainsborough Constituency
Sir Edward Leigh, Gainsborough Constituency Conservative Association, P.O. Box 295, Gainsborough, Lincs DN21 9EZ
Copyright 2021 Sir Edward Leigh for Gainsborough. All rights reserved.


text:
Quick tastes
By Metro Times music staff on Wed, Jul 4, 2007 at 12:00 am
Yup, it's time for Michigan's oldest taste festival — now christened Comerica Cityfest — which means tons of food, free shit, sweaty man-tit, bald-spot burns, day drunks and the best free live music assembled in one place all year. Here are a few staff picks of must-sees.
Demon Days — An Official Planet E Selection: Carl Craig's apocalyptic live/DJ events have crossed North America over the last couple years, so why not on an outdoor stage in the D? This time he taps jazzers Marcus Belgrave and Wendell Harrison, Q-Tip's keyboard man Kelvin Sholar, DJs Recloose and 52, Gamall and special surprise guests. (Wednesday, noon, Pure Detroit Stage).
Femi Kuti and the Positive Force: His Afrobeat pop, Fela, partied on the power-to-the-people line. While still political, son Femi sometimes seems to party even harder. (Wednesday, 5:30 p.m., Motorcity Casino Stage)
Gerard Gibbs & ReORGAN'YZ: After swinging the organ chords behind sax man James Carter on the road, Gibbs comes home to lead his more funk-oriented combo. (Wednesday, 4 p.m., Metro PCS Jazz & Blues Stage)
Inside Outlaws Collective: Downriver-bred singer-songwriters will inherit the earth. Just ask Atlantic-signee Ty Stone. (Wednesday, 9 p.m. New Center Council Park Stage)
The Wailers: Bob Marley's gone. Peter Tosh is gone. Bunny Wailer is a homebody. But the band rub-a-dubs on, some original members included. (Thursday, 5:30 p.m., Motor City Casino Stage)
Gorilla Funk Mob starring Allan Barnes: The mobsters blend funk, fusion, hip hop and soul. Barnes pioneered pop fusion under the tutelage of Donald Byrd as saxophonist for the group the Blackbyrds. (Thursday, 7:30 and 9 p.m., Jazz & Blues Stage)
DJ Sicari, DJ K-Fresh, MC Finale, Monica Blaire, Neco Redd, Angelique Brown, Invincible, Miz Korona, L'Renee, Patrice Williams: The cream of smart, community-aware Motor City emcees and DJs. Worthy of countless ankle aches and neck nerve pinches. (Thursday, 9 p.m., Pure Detroit Stage)
The Syreens: Crowd-pleasing folked-up femmes boosted by Audra Kubat's pick and croon. (Friday, 6 p.m., New Center Council Park Stage)
Satin Peaches: OK, certain things are sacred, such as comparing any Beatle to any band anywhere on the planet. So we won't. (Friday, 6:30 p.m., Pure Detroit Stage)
Hot Club of Detroit: Django Reinhardt-inspired jazz took hold in Motown some years ago, and the most successful exponents have been in this club, which made a national mark thanks to their Mack Avenue label debut disc. (Friday, 7:30 and 9 p.m., Jazz & Blues Stage)
The Sirens: Ever wonder what the house band in a women's prison would sound like? (Friday, 8 p.m., New Center Council Park Stage)
The Detroit Cobras: World's greatest cover band that knocks the cover off. (Friday, 9 p.m., New Center Council Park Stage)
Tumbao Bravo: Percussionist Alberto Nacif and saxophonist Paul Vornhagen joined forces four or so years ago to put their ideas about Latin jazz into action: strong compositions, room for heated solos and a tight combo sound to support it all. (Saturday, 2 p.m., Jazz & Blues Stage)
Siddhartha: As oil-marked as the old MC5, melodic like Arthur Lee and black as Detroit. The proverbial Next Big Thing. (Saturday, 8 p.m., New Center Council Stage)
Raysee Biggs: Lots of trumpeters double on flügelhorn, but Biggs can double-up and play both at the same time. Yes, he's played alongside folks from Diz to Kid Rock, but we had to mention the two-horn thing. (Saturday, 7:30 and 9, Jazz & Blues Stage)
The Go: If its last two albums are any kind of indication, then the Go should be giant. But "coulda-shoulda-wouldas" can kill a band every time. (Saturday, 9 p.m., New Center Council Park Stage)
Polka Floyd: Polka covers of Pink Floyd give them 1,000 Weird Al points! (Sunday, 11:45 a.m. and 1 p.m., New Center Council Park Stage)
Detroit Soul and Blues Revue featuring Sir Mack Rice, Alberta Adams, Johnnie Bassett, RJ Spangler & the Rhythm Rockers: RJ has made a career out of putting simpatico younger bands behind the elders of Detroit blues and R&B. If you don't know Alberta and Johnnie, we hope you know the Rice-penned classic "Mustang Sally." (Sunday, 6 p.m., Jazz & Blues Stage)
Citizen Smile: Years underage, straight as hell and loud as fuck. We even hear the ghost of Stuart Adamson! (Sunday, 5 p.m., New Center Council Park Stage)
The Displays: What would result if you crossed the After School Special with the Sights. Wait. How old are these punks? (Sunday, 7 p.m., New Center Council Park Stage)
CityFest runs Wednesday, July 4 through Sunday, July 8, 11:30 a.m. — 10:30 p.m. (except 8 p.m. Sunday). West Grand Boulevard between Woodward Avenue and the Lodge expressway, Detroit; 313-927-2700.
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Madonna announces 40th anniversary tour with Detroit stop


text:
Philipp Ludwig Wenzel von Sinzendorf (26 December 1671 – 8 February 1742) was an Austrian diplomat and statesman who for nearly four decades served as Court Chancellor responsible of foreign affairs of the Habsburg monarchy.

Origin
He was born in the Austrian capital Vienna, the son of Count Georg Ludwig von Sinzendorf (1616–1681), member of the Upper Austrian Sinzendorf noble family, and his wife Dorothea Elisabeth, Duchess of Holstein-Wiesenburg. His father served as president of the Habsburg court chamber under Emperor Leopold I. After the emperor led a thorough examination of his financial irregularities, Georg Ludwig was sentenced to life imprisonment, but his wife managed the commutation of the sentence into house arrest in one of the palaces of the family. As a younger son of this marriage, Philipp Ludwig was designated early for an ecclesiastical career and joined the cathedral chapter in Cologne.

Rise
After his brother's death in the Battle of Mohács (1687), he returned to secular life. Philipp Ludwig von Sinzendorf initially entered military service. The emperor noticed him and appointed him in 1694 as treasurer. As a result, he was entrusted with various diplomatic missions. In 1696 he married the Countess Rosina Katharina von Waldstein. With her he had four children. Among them was the later Cardinal Philipp Ludwig von Sinzendorf.

In 1699,  hardly a 28-year-old, he was appointed Ambassador to the court of Versailles. After the beginning of the War of Spanish Succession, he had to leave France. In 1701 he was appointed Privy Council. Along with the future Emperor Joseph I, he participated in the siege of Landau, one of the longest in the War of the Spanish Succession. After that, he was commissioner in Liege. Here, he dismissed the Prince-bishop of Liège Joseph Clemens of Bavaria, whose brother fought with France against Austria, and introduced a new government. In 1704, he concluded the Imperial Evacuation Treaty with the Elector of Bavaria after the great victory in the Battle of Blenheim.

Court Chancellor
After the death of Emperor Leopold, Sinzendorf gained the favor of Emperor Joseph I, who made him in 1705 Court Chancellor (Obersthofkanzler). He was also the protector of the Imperial Academy of Arts. He was a central figure for four decades, especially in the foreign policy of the Habsburg Empire. In 1706 he negotiated in The Hague with John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough and the Netherlands' representatives. He was next to Eugene of Savoy in 1709 and negotiator in the negotiations to a preliminary peace that failed, because of the excessive demands from the side of Sinzendorf. In this way he succeeded in preventing a premature Austrian demand for peace.

The Emperor rewarded Sinzendorf for his services by awarding him the fiefs of Hals and Schärding in Bavaria. Surprised by the death of the Emperor in The Hague, he went immediately to Frankfurt am Main to lobby for the election of Charles VI as Holy Roman Emperor. After the election, Charles VI confirmed Sinzendorf in his offices and while he accompanied Charles to his coronation in Frankfurt, Charles VI appointed him Knight of the Golden Fleece.

In negotiating the Treaty of Utrecht, Sinzendorf teamed up with Prince Eugene and tried in vain to persuade the former allies to continue the war. Back in Vienna, he was appointed as Privy Conference Minister. He was since then not only responsible for the exterior, but also for domestic politics. Since 1721 he was also the director of the Imperial Privileged Oriental Company (Kaiserliche privilegierte orientalische Kompagnie). At the Congress of Soissons to end the Anglo-Spanish War (1727–29), he opened the negotiations. He came in contact with the French cardinal and statesman André-Hercule de Fleury. His efforts were in vain and he returned to Vienna. In the negotiations with the Protestants in Hungary, he was present in 1734 as the only layman. He was an ardent supporter of the marriage of Maria Theresa and Francis Stephen of Lorraine. This he did also because he hoped it would bring him personal material benefits. After the War of the Polish Succession, Sinzendorf led the peace negotiations for Austria, which led to the Treaty of Vienna (1738). The defeats of the Imperial forces in the Austro-Russian–Turkish War (1735–39) prompted him to urge the Emperor to an early peace.

After the emperor's death, he supported Maria Theresa in claiming her inheritance rights. Even in the early years of the Austrian Succession War, he remained in the service of the Empress.

See also
List of Austrian ambassadors to Turkey

Notes and references

1671 births
1742 deaths
Austrian Empire politicians
Foreign ministers of Austria
Austrian diplomats
Knights of the Golden Fleece of Austria

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Jackson deserialiser affected by the Deadbolt "restrict" annotation I receiving an exception Could not resolve type id 'path.to.MyClass' as a subtype of [simple type, class java.lang.Object]: no such class found on play 2.7 server with DeadBolt (2.6.3 and 2.7.0) when I try deserialise JSON to Map<String, MyClass> inside of route action with a @Restrict annotation. All works fine if Remove this annotation.
MyClass.java

@JsonTypeInfo(use = JsonTypeInfo.Id.CLASS, property = "class")
public class MyClass implements Serializable {
    public String name;
    public Integer age;
    public MyClass(){}
    public MyClass(String name, Integer age){
        this.name = name;
        this.age = age;
    }
}

serialise Map<String, MyClass>
Map<String, MyClass> value = new HashMap<>();
value.put("first", new MyClass("Bob",10));
value.put("second", new MyClass("Rob",20));

ObjectMapper mapper = Json.newDefaultMapper();
        mapper.enableDefaultTypingAsProperty(ObjectMapper.DefaultTyping.OBJECT_AND_NON_CONCRETE, "class");
String json = null;
try {
    json = mapper.writeValueAsString(value);
} catch (JsonProcessingException e) {
    e.printStackTrace();
}

output
{
  "first":{
    "class":"path.to.MyClass",
    "name":"Bob",
    "age":10
  },
  "second":{
    "class":"path.to.MyClass",
    "name":"Rob",
    "age":20
  }
}

JSON format looks so because of backward compatibility with old server which use old FlexJson.
deserialise
@Restrict({@Group({"Admin"})})
public CompletionStage<Result> action(long id) {
    String json = getJsonFromStorage();
    Map<String, MyClass> result = new HashMap<>();
    try {
        ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
        mapper.enableDefaultTypingAsProperty(ObjectMapper.DefaultTyping.OBJECT_AND_NON_CONCRETE, "class");
        JsonFactory factory = mapper.getFactory();
        JsonParser parser = factory.createParser(new ByteArrayInputStream(json.getBytes(Charset.forName("UTF-8"))));
        JavaType type = mapper.getTypeFactory().constructType(result.getClass());
        t = mapper.readValue(parser, type);
        } catch (IOException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }

    return ok("ok")
}

A: I have a temporary solution. I override class loader for current thread to class loader from play.Environment
public class MyController extends Controller {

    @Inject
    private Environment environment;

    @Restrict({@Group({"Admin"})})
    public CompletionStage<Result> action(long id) {

        Thread.currentThread().setContextClassLoader(environment.classLoader());

        String json = getJsonFromStorage();
        Map<String, MyClass> result = new HashMap<>();
        try {
            ObjectMapper mapper = new ObjectMapper();
            mapper.enableDefaultTypingAsProperty(ObjectMapper.DefaultTyping.OBJECT_AND_NON_CONCRETE, "class");
            JsonFactory factory = mapper.getFactory();
            JsonParser parser = factory.createParser(new ByteArrayInputStream(json.getBytes(Charset.forName("UTF-8"))));
            JavaType type = mapper.getTypeFactory().constructType(result.getClass());
            t = mapper.readValue(parser, type);
            } catch (IOException e) {
                e.printStackTrace();
            }

        return ok("ok")
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange