text:
The Chang effect: Wooing palates, breaking hearts--- and why he left
Published online 3:47pm Tuesday Mar 23rd, 2010
and in print issue #0912 dated Thursday Mar 25th, 2010
Peter Chang's food has created a frenzy among foodies. PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
Last fall, word that a famous Szechuan chef had quietly set up in Charlottesville had foodies salivating. There was a small newspaper mention and online chatter from groupies who track his every move, but after a March 1 story in the New Yorker, diners went into a feeding frenzy.
"We were surprised that it became so popular so fast,"says restaurant co-owner John Rong during a lunch time interview last week. "We noticed business going up after the story in the Hook, too, but when that story in the New Yorker come out..."
Indeed, sophisticated palates from Richmond and D.C. began making pilgrimages to Taste of China, where–- even on cold winter evenings–- lines could be seen snaking out onto the sidewalk of the north wing of Albemarle Square Shopping Center.
What was happening? Ever since the New York Times discovered the C&O back in 1976, Charlottesville restaurants have been making headlines. But this crossed some lines. For weeks, "Have you eaten at Taste of China yet?" was a popular refrain.
"I've been there at least 12 times since December,"says lawyer Ellen Teplitzky. "One week, I went there three times. And I'm not alone."
Rong smiles and shakes his head, free to relax late on a Wednesday afternoon when just four or five tables are occupied.
In recent weeks, long waits have been typical, and on several nights the restaurant has actually run out of food. On another recent visit, the Hook saw Rong's busy wife, Jenny, who serves as hostess, handing out little hand-written numbered tickets–- and then handing off the telephone to customers to handle the volume of incoming inquiries.
The Chang effect
As foodies waxed about Chang online, local gourmands, fearing the famed chef with a reputation for sudden departures might not last long, obediently lined up to wait over an hour for a table at the small and unremarkably decorated Chinese restaurant just off U.S. 29. Many were not first-time visitors.
Even before its official publication date of March 1, Calvin Trillin's "Annals of Gastronomy"article in the New Yorker began making the rounds and further mythologizing Chang by taking the point of view of his groupies, whom Trillin calls "Changians," and who introduced him to the chef. One of the most devoted Changians is Washingtonian food critic Todd Kliman, who penned a piece for the Oxford American, none-too-subtly titled "The Perfect Chef," a 6,755-word love letter.
The two stories made much of the chef's "mysterious" migrations from one Chinese restaurant to the next, and the lengths to which his fans would go to find him. Attempting to understand Chang's nomadic tendencies, the writers tossed out such theories as his fear of success, his dissatisfaction with working conditions, and possible immigration troubles.
Kliman admitted traveling 600 miles to eat Chang's food, and–- by devoting nearly 7,000 words to analyzing the man, his own obsession with his food–- but like a fan frozen in the presence of his idol, he couldn't bring himself to speak to Chang.
(Co-owner Rong believes he spotted Kliman ordering multiple dishes at a corner table, scribbling in a notebook, and lingering in the hallway with a cell phone camera near the kitchen entrance.)
The chef's migratory ways are legend, but he says he likes Charlottesville. PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
When the chef emerged from the kitchen last week for an interview, Rong, two waiters, and our translator surrounded him like attaches to a foreign dignitary.
"He is best cook in China," whispers waiter Jimmy Chang (no relation), who says he moved down here from New York City for the job. "It is a very important job the waiter has," he says, "to educate people about his food." When Peter Chang's wife, Hong Ying Zhang, joins the group, Jimmy is equally reverential. "She," he says, "is very famous pastry chef in China."
As the translator relates, 47-year-old Chang was born in the centrally located HuBei province of China and has won gold and silver medals in China's "Olympics" of cooking, a national competition held every fours years.
Chang says he heard about Charlottesville from a professor friend at UVA, who told him that people here are open-minded enough to try authentic Szechuan cuisine. Chang says he is "overwhelmed" by the attention he has received in Charlottesville, especially after the two national articles appeared. The same thing tends to happen everywhere he goes, he says. Just never this quickly.
In 2001, Chang became head chef at the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C., and after his two-year contract expired, he began wowing DC food writers at a place called China Star in Fairfax. From there, he moved to China Gourmet in Fairfax, to TemptAsian in Alexandria, to Tasty China in Marietta, Georgia, and then to Hong Kong House in Knoxville, Tennessee–- a vexatious journey to devotees like Kliman and Trillin's dining mate, a North Carolina resident named John Binkley,who began eating at China Star in 2005 while working in DC, and whom Chang described as an "old friend."
But Chang debunks the elaborate theories propounded by the national food writers. His jobs were simply consulting work, he tells a reporter. He says he would make each place a success, teach the cooks, and then leave. His goal was to be an "ambassador" of authentic Chinese cooking. Chang makes a similar claim in the Trillin piece, but then Trillin quotes his friend as saying it "sounded like spin."
Chang's wife, Hong Ying Zhang, serves up the scallion bubble pancakes. PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
Chang, however, insists that his "dream" is to change American perceptions of Chinese food, and he plans to use Charlottesville as his "home base" to spread his cooking knowledge to other restaurants.
In the beginning, Chang says, it was hard to spread his knowledge, which was why he moved around to different places. Now that more people know him, he believes that spreading the word will become easier.
A Taste of Chang
A word about the translator. He is Gen Lee, who, with his wife, Mary, owns Li'l Dino Subs next door, and was himself a sought-after chef. He says he and Chang are old friends from their days in Northern Virginia.
Lee explains that the mountainous Szechuan region of China is cold, wet, and foggy, and that the spicy food for which the region is known has historically served a medicinal purpose–- to raise the body temperature amid the chill. In particular, Lee mentions a special Szechuan peppercorn that Chang uses, noting that when mixed with chili peppers and other spices, it produces a flavoring known as ma la, which has a numbing effect on the mouth.
While Chang leaves to prepare a few dishes, waiter Jimmy Chang deciphers the menu, circling the authentic Peter Changs.
For example, the roast fish with green onion and the crispy beef with green onions Szechuan-style are unique Chang creations, as are the fish with cilantro rolls and the scallion bubble pancakes, the ma po bean curd, and the braised beef fillets with chili sauce.
However, the way the menu is arranged–- without any demarcation of the gems–- one could order an egg roll, fried dumplings, or sweet and sour pork and walk away wondering what all the hype was about.
Jimmy says he sometimes steers customers away from certain Chang dishes, like the braised fish fillet with hot bean sauce, which is very bony. And because the dish is so spicy as well, he often issues a warning, or as was the case recently with an elderly couple, simply refuses to serve it.
"Only brown sauce and white sauce used in American Chinese cooking,"says Jimmy, shaking his head, "They don't make it spicy. A good chef knows how to control the heat."
Indeed, when Chang's food arrives at a reporter's table, there's a noticeable absence of heavy sauces. Gently fried pieces of flounder nestle on a bed of greens over a small latticed tray with an awning propped up with a chopstick. Crunched lightly in the mouth, they release the singular flavor of the fish.
The eggplant in one dish has remarkable bluish-purple skin, gleaming like the inside of an oyster shell, and surrounded by blood-red chili peppers. Biting into it is a completely foreign experience, as a soft interior and slightly crunchy exterior break the American eggplant mold, which usually involves deep frying–- or being baked or sauteed into submission.
A thin coat of oil, slightly bitter at first, begins to spread a film of heat across the tongue that keeps slipping to the back of the throat, while more direct spices are ignited on the lips. Very small, thin slices of potato appear in the mix, along with scallions, other greens, and the unique-looking husks of those Szechuan peppercorns. Hours after the meal, the dish lingers in the mind, the mouth having sent never-before-heard messages to the brain.
"There's something addictive about the unusual nature of the food, of his use of spices,"says Teplitzky. "Everything is so different from any Chinese food I've ever had."
Moving on, a row of finger-width cilantro fish rolls (the fish is minced into very tiny pieces) maintain a crispness and perfumic flavor so subtle that it becomes hard to think of a comparison–- maybe phyllo dough without the sweetness, but a little bit stiffer and less oily? A hot pot burns under a saut©ed shrimp dish laced with jalape±os, by far the spiciest selection, just long enough to keep it steaming throughout the meal. And until we ripped into them, the beautiful scallion bubble pancakes seemed to be defying gravity, puffed up like two golden blowfish.
We begin to understand what Kliman took so many words to say, that truly exceptional cuisine can haunt. And to think Chang is planning to make Charlottesville his home base. It sounds just too good to be true.
Making adjustments
Later, next door at Li'l Dino Subs, Gen Lee shows us certificates and letters from Chin Chin in Santa Monica, Caesar's Palace, and the Trump Plaza that verify his own past as a successful Chinese chef before retirement made him seek something less demanding than working as a professional chef.
"People ask why I'm doing this,"laughs Lee. "This place is easy, and the sandwiches are good."
"Peter [Chang] comes here for lunch, and we talk about cooking," says Lee. "Once you are a cooking manager or a chef, you can't stop. We talk until one in the morning about food, always talking about making adjustments, always making adjustments."
Four days later, Chang left Taste of China.
Chang changes his mind
Will Taste of China continue without the tastes of Chang? PHOTO BY JEN FARIELLO
When we arrive for dinner at Taste of China on Sunday night, March 21, there is a note taped to the door saying the restaurant is closed. Another group arrives at the same time saying they've driven all the way from Richmond, only to get the bad news.
By Monday, March 22, Rong has re-opened and explained that Chang had left "temporarily" and will be back in three or four months, but that in the meantime the chefs that Chang has trained will still be cooking "the Peter Chang way."
But when we manage to track down Chang and his wife through Gen Lee, the chef–- over coffee at the Starbucks across from Fashion Square Mall–- tells a different story. There has been a falling out with the Rongs, Chang says, and he won't be returning.
Still speaking through translator Lee, Chang says the small business had become so overwhelmed by the attention that the quality of the food and the service began to suffer, and it was becoming "embarrassing" to him. Chang wanted to scale back and slow down, or perhaps find a larger space, but the Rongs didn't agree. They wanted to keep a good thing going, Chang says, and believed they could run the restaurant without him.
"For a chef like Chang, when he's cooking for many people, it's like fighting a war," says Lee. "He did not want to risk damaging his reputation."
Glancing at the chef's hands, a reporter notices that they are covered with cuts and small burns, wounds from having served so many frenzied foodies for the last six months.
"This is a disaster," declares Teplitzsky, who says she had planned on meeting friends there Tuesday night. "My heart sank when I found out. I felt robbed, betrayed. Why did he have to leave?"
Chang now says he wants to create a concept restaurant with some investors he's lined up, so he can "do it right" and finally stop his wandering ways. In fact, Chang says, he wants to create a chain of Chang-concept restaurants, with distinct Chang-style menus, where he can control the quality and service.
Clearly, Chang is aware of his growing name recognition, but does he still plan to stay in Charlottesville?
"He would like to, but he doesn't know," says Lee, adding that he is now Chang's informal partner. "But he is hoping to open another place in Virginia in about three or four months."
"This is so difficult," said Teplitzsky when she hears the details. "Do we go in and try the new guys, or follow Chang and suffer?"
Read more on: chinese foodpeter changSzechuantaste of china
orchid March 25th, 2010 | 1:32pm
look what's happened with mas? like, it's delicious?
jim r March 26th, 2010 | 12:15pm
I agree with Andy. I thought the Oxford American article was really over the top, so much so that it became unreadable at a certain point. It did not make me want to try Chef Chang's food.
Andy March 26th, 2010 | 12:20pm
I don't want to be misunderstood either- it was definitely the best Chinese food around here ever. I'm sorry he's gone. I just find the hype over-the-top.
Quirkyeats March 28th, 2010 | 9:59pm
Peter Chang update:
http://www.atlantacuisine.com/2010/03/update-on-peter-chang/
keepetlow March 24th, 2010 | 10:32am
I hear that Chang secretly has a deal to work with Olive Garden on a new concept created just for Charlottesville and that's why he left the last place.
Frank March 27th, 2010 | 8:04pm
So what is the best Chinese/Asian restaurant in Charlottesville now?
dennis t March 23rd, 2010 | 9:25pm
Curse you, Calvin Trillin
RB March 26th, 2010 | 10:39pm
Chinese food can be roughly divided into eight regional cuisines, but there are also many other relatively less famous local area cuisines like shanghai cuisine, xinjiang cuisine, beijing cuisine, guizhou cuisine etc
eight big regional cuisines are: Shandong Cuisine, Sichuan Cuisine ,Guangdong Cuisine, Fujian Cuisine, Jiangsu Cuisine, Zhejiang Cuisine, Hunan cuisine ,Anhui Cuisine . Chef Chang's food is mostly Sichuan style. As a Chinese who devotes her big chunk of daily passion to food I think Chef Jiang ââ?¬Ë?s food is deadly normal. Most food are over salted, over fried and not visually beautiful. Yet I still go to TofC at least once a week, why? Because this is the only authentic Chinese food in Cville. Just like my American husband went to McDonalds once a week when he was living in China because that's something reminded him his home country and as soon as we moved back to US several years ago he hasn't gone to McDonalds once. If I am in China now I will not go to TofC at all because I will not waste my money and taste bud on something just so so but in Cville ââ?¬Ë?McDonalds' is as good as it can be.
gaslog March 25th, 2010 | 9:58pm
I just ate at Chang's new spot. It is in Wolftown. I'm not sayin where. Get hep or stay stoopid.
Yu Fu Ke March 25th, 2010 | 9:59pm
The only thing that makes the food here special is that it is authentic. American Chinese food is not Chinese food. In Shanghai, Taste of China would be a mediocre restaurant...edible but not in the least bit outstanding. Anyone that raves about the food here has very limited experience with real Chinese food. That said, if you have never tasted authentic Chinese food or if you crave it, it is nice to have somewhere local to go.
Andy March 26th, 2010 | 11:50am
Oh, one other thing, I forgot to mention that that Oxford American article was just ridiculous. Just such over-the-top, sycophantic sucking up. I'd be very surprised if the author had ever had real Chinese food. I guess if you're used to beef broccoli and chicken chow mein that changes your perspective and we get stuff like:
"This was the Chef Chang I had created in my imagination, in lieu of actual knowledge of the actual Chef Chang. A chef with poetry in his soul, a romantic figure who yearned to break free of all that constrained him, including the limits of his own imagination."
Really, give me a break. My favorite passage, god what a chump:
"He did not come out. It was okay. I understood. Maybe it was better this way. Not through talk; through taste. I did not come to Charlottesville for a meeting of the minds. I had come to Charlottesville because his food was a part of my life. His tastes had become my tastes. Where he went, I followed. I dug into a mound of cleavered chicken with peppers. My mouth went numb. Tears rolled down my cheeks."
MTT March 27th, 2010 | 7:53am
"If I am in China now I will not go to TofC at all because I will not waste my money and taste bud on something just so so but in Cville ââ?¬Ë?McDonalds' is as good as it can be."
Well if you are in China now, how the hell would you go to Taste of China in Charlottesville anyway? Unless you can somehow figure out the space time continuum, of course! :) Just giving you a hard time Mrs. RB. I enjoy the place, since I live here and not DC, San Fran or NY. It's fine and dandy. It's freaking Charlottesville for gods sake. A town of 40 thousand, 20 thousand students, and also a little more than 110 thousand (or so) Albemarle County citizens. It's not Paris. It's a tiny town. TOC does not suck so bad when you think about where we actually live. Right?
morrishifflette March 24th, 2010 | 9:52pm
In Ruckersville we don't "take advantage of our food". Mr. Chang has relocated to the "Crossroads of North-East Dixie to escape people like you. He is ours now...
St. Halsey March 24th, 2010 | 12:37pm
Chang comes he cooks then
darts away like a red dragonfly
leaves only great hunger
David King March 24th, 2010 | 8:35am
Chang is the perfect chef, but running after him will not be easy, just as it was not. 6 different restaurants in 4 years, and now 7 in 4 and a half, what will following these? Who knows, maybe not even Chang himself. But it is lucky enough for us that he has been here in c'vill and hope, as Karl mentioned, the staff that Chang trained can keep doing a good job.
Gaslog March 24th, 2010 | 8:30am
I hear that Chang is in Ruckersville.
Joe Cecil March 24th, 2010 | 9:20am
Too much hype in this town about everything including itself. Ive eaten there, not bad, not the best but Im not an elitist celebrity like so many here in town, Im just a regular person without an entourage. I think people in New York come here and only see one side of this town, the rich, pampered side they feel comfortable in, not the homeless, coal tower, along the railroad tracks side of this town. They somehow seem to ignore all the homeless people on the downtown mall while they are dining on sushi and Grey Goose Martinis. Get over your terrible loss, Im sure you will still be able to go out to eat at any restaraunt you choose, while the poor people in this town, which you ignore, will eat your left overs from the trash cans behind the famous restaraunts.
Jim March 23rd, 2010 | 5:10pm
Damn, waited too long.
Er, um, darn, I waited too long.
Nancy March 23rd, 2010 | 5:22pm
Sure hope he stays in the community. He could open anywhere he'd like, determine the days and hours, and any other conditions and I'll bet he'd be a success.
Ellen March 23rd, 2010 | 6:10pm
Ok, so I just couldn't stay away. The cravings won out, and I returned tonight to see how TofC is faring without Mr Chang at the helm. The staff seemed a little anxious, and asked a few times if I thought everything was ok, and sure enough, it is. Everything sampled was delicious and unchanged from how it tasted on previous visits. So with a sigh of relief I am still recommending that people go and enjoy the most amazing Chinese food on offer in C'ville. I guess Mr Chang taught his staff well. Don't miss the dry fried eggplant, or the crispy spicy duck, or those fish and cilantro rolls and the... well, never mind, I'll stop there. Go sample it all!
Jenny, you say Chang was good, not great and "People need to get out more." Where specifically do you recommend?
Andy March 27th, 2010 | 8:29pm
Nobody said TOC sucked. But for anyone who has been to China and had real Chinese food, the hype is silly.
I actually still think it's pretty good
Karl Bock March 23rd, 2010 | 6:59pm
My wife and I returned tonight, and found the food to still be outstanding. Had cold noodles w' chili sauce to start, followed by crispy shrimp w/ scallion & chilis, ma po tofu and braised fish with bean sauce. It was great. The food was indistinguishable from when Chef Chang was in residence.
The staff actually seems more relaxed and attentive, albeit a bit nervous.
I look at it this way: If you go to any of, let's say, Mario Batali's restaurants, what are the chances of him actually cooking for you? Slim to none, and the same is the case with any celeb chef. But, that's not the point. The sign of a truly outstanding kitchen is how the food tastes when the chef is NOT there. When I go to MAS, I never worry about whether Tomas Rahal is actually there, because of the way he has trained and drilled his staff.
I think you may end up seeing another aspect of the "Chang Effect," namely the legacy in knowledge and technique he's left behind at ToC. If the Rongs are wise, they'll maintain this level of cooking.
Yongxin Tang March 23rd, 2010 | 6:16pm
I go twice. Special not very special. As person from China, it not authentic, it not good. Stu pid Charlottesville people don't know head from r ear end.
JK March 27th, 2010 | 6:42pm
Hopefully Mr. Chang will be able to get some new venue started here that works. Hey, the Hook did it after the split with the C'ville!
JCS March 27th, 2010 | 8:38pm
According to this post on Friday (3/26), he's back in Atlanta:
http://www.atlantacuisine.com/2010/03/peter-chang-is-back/
fu March 27th, 2010 | 8:45pm
"The most electrifying chef to ever cook in the Atlanta market was Peter Chang."
Wow, what a sad state of affairs they have in Atlanta if that's true.
You can get a copy of this for about $5 and do it yourself. http://www.amazon.com/Mrs-Chiangs-Szechwan-Cookbook-Cooking/dp/006015828X
Shhh March 24th, 2010 | 9:33am
I hear that Chang is cooking in Scottsville
Ken F. March 24th, 2010 | 12:25pm
I didn't know that Marietta had moved from Georgia to North Carolina. I guess that's what happens when you leave Georgia. Now, being one of those Changians who was in the original party when Calvin Trillin was in C'ville (and I just happen to have been born in C'ville so I know all about the homeless on Star Hill), Peter Chang has complete control over the food he cooks. The first lunch wasn't very spicy (and ma la means spicy and numbing, btw) but on our return, after we specifically told both Joe R. and Peter that we wanted ma la, we got ma la. Sublime flavors, amazing tastes. I'm not sure who the person was who said that Peter Chang isn't a very good chef, but I don't think they have any idea what they're talking about. I guess it's time to go looking again. Food like Peter Chang's comes along very rarely, you have to take advantage of it.
on the hunt March 25th, 2010 | 12:52pm
NOVA friends who went to Change's places in Fairfax and Alexandria tell me that after he leaves, the abandoned restruarant stays very good foe few weeks, and then begins its inevitable decline back to standard Ameri-nese mediocrity. By Mother's Day, Taste of China will be no beter than China King Buffet. When you lose the chef, you lose the force that drives a place to ecellence. Look what's happend with Mas since Tomas stopped working there. Is Change really in Ruckersville? If so, it now has both the best Asian food and the best BBQ (Hog Heaven) in central Va.
Allison March 25th, 2010 | 2:31pm
Should have known something was up when I went this week and saw they removed all the authentic noodle options from the lunch specials. All they offer now is chow mein.
yepper March 25th, 2010 | 2:33pm
mas has been recycling the same tired menu for years. When it started there seemed to be some variation. I used to wonder what new things would be available. Not any longer. Now I know when I go exactly what will be there. In a word: boooooring
It's still the cool, hip(ster) place to be, but it's running on reputation now, not on the freshness of the menu.
Lewis Nelson March 25th, 2010 | 4:02pm
I'm so glad I read about this restaurant back in December and had the good fortunes of dining there three or four times before he left. Thanks for the experience; can't wait to see how things work out in the future! This chef could definitely fill a large restaurant and I hope he has many apprentices to carry on the tradition.
Jenny March 26th, 2010 | 9:44am
I am kind of tired of people stirring up online and raving about Taste of China. Most people probably don't even know that the restaurant is based on traditional Sichuan cuisine but the chef isn't even a Sichuan native. This types of restaurants are everywhere in bigger cities like NYC or SF. The reason why Peter Chang opened a restaurant in Cville is because people here had never tasted such unique flavors before, especially for the tongue numbing Sichuan peppercorn. As a Sichuan native, I think the food is good but not great. Some of the dishes were prepared wrong. One of the signature Sichuan style chicken dishes should have been poached instead of boiled.
So people, stop creating unnecessary frenzy. Go enjoy Taste of China for what it really worth. A nice taste of home for Sichuaness and a good restaurant for adventures eaters and pepper lovers.
MTT March 26th, 2010 | 12:02pm
So, Jenny if you aren't from Italy you can't be an amazing Italian food chef? WTF? Where you are from does not mean a hill of beans about your ability as a certain kind of chef...
went last night March 26th, 2010 | 11:14am
Gave Tof C a post-Chang try last night, and the quality is already slipping. Cold chili noodles and fried dumplings had dropped in quality (Chang's wife made them before, and now someone else does), scallion pancakes were heavier and greasier, contrast between crips and soft wasn't as dramatic in egg plant, but crispy beef and shrimp were still top notch. It's still the best C food in town, but that aint saying much. Chang is indeed a superior chef -- I've had C food in LA, SF, NYC, Honolulu, Seattle, and London, and none was better than his (although he does not do dim sum, which I miss). He's not merely great by Cville standards -- his awards are from China, after all. He was the best in DC and Atlanta before coming here, and those are not culinary backwaters. As for Mas, if you think it's great now, you should have gone when Tomas ran it, and would happily take the time to explain how he got his bread to do what it did (it don't do it no more, coz he aint there to do it).
WBF March 26th, 2010 | 11:22am
This types of restaurants are everywhere in bigger cities like NYC or SF. The reason why Peter Chang opened a restaurant in Cville is because people here had never tasted such unique flavors before, especially for the tongue numbing Sichuan peppercorn.
Oh, that explains the extensive write-ups in the New Yorker and Oxford American. I guess Calvin Trillin is a provincial hack.
WBF, he's certainly not a great food critic. He likes food and he's written some books about traveling and eating, but so what? That doesn't mean he knows a ton about real Chinese food. Peter Chang's a good chef, especially for someone around here but to anyone that's eaten real Chinese food in China the hype seems more than a little silly.
Also, your appeal to authority is pretty weak.
Jenny March 26th, 2010 | 1:08pm
MTT, maybe I didn't get my point across clearly. Most people go to Taste of China because of the hype. It's a cool thing to do to follow this "disappearing chef". It annoys the hell out of me when I try to have a little taste of home but couldn't get into the place at 6:30 at night because all these so called foodies. I totally agree with what Andy said above. Of course he can be a good Sichuan chef even if he's not from Sichuan. But I can certainly tell you that a mid-level chef in Sichuan can do as good if not better than Peter Chang. People need to get out more.
St. Halsey March 26th, 2010 | 1:10pm
It was the best chinese food around and for most cities this size. It was overhyped and the guy for the Oxford American was myth making or stalking, I really can't tell.
All that said their lunch was sublime for $6.95- There wasn't a better lunch for the money anywhere in town. Probably should have charged more, that would have reduced the stress, the crowds and the tension.
Unimpressed March 26th, 2010 | 2:51pm
I went twice, once for dinner, once for lunch. Yes, the seasonings were unique, but ToC wouldn't make my top 25 restaurants, and probably not even my top 10 of ethnics. No better than P.F. Changs, though different. Ridiculous expectations on the part of so many killed it. I won't miss it, I'd rather dig in to the lunch at Milan, anyway.
Slog March 26th, 2010 | 4:54pm
The best regional food in the area is: The Thomas House, in Dayton.
Mike McCoy March 26th, 2010 | 7:42pm
There is a space in the stirp mal on Pantops with a large banner in front of it reading, "Chinese Restaurant Coming Soon." Could this be Chang's next move?
fu March 28th, 2010 | 10:23pm
Taste of China is an inexpensive restaurant. Seems that if Chang was worthy of the hype it would be simple to double the prices, halve the crowds and do just fine with the reduced work load. There must be more to this story than anyone is telling.
waiting for the return March 29th, 2010 | 8:42am
Looks like his effort to find a new locale in Atlanta is on ice (for a year), and he's headimng back to va for a spell (but maybe Richmond). His former patrons at tasty China in Marrietta all thought he was cooking there agian this last weekend, but he wasn't, and doesn't plan to stay there while they find new Atlanta digs. Wish he'd come back to Cville instead of Richmond, but then again if he goes to Richmond there will finally be one decent place to eat there. In the mean time, anyone got a clue about the name of the Thai restaurant in Nelson County that Calvin trillin mentioned in his NYer piece?
slavin March 29th, 2010 | 12:03pm
Try Korea House, close enough. Anyway, what's so wrong with China King Buffet? At least everything is not swimming in the brown gravy.
Raul Duke March 29th, 2010 | 2:58pm
Comment deleted by moderator
Patsy March 23rd, 2010 | 4:04pm
Blame the New Yorker all that you want, but you guys definitely contributed to the change and loss as well.
Reality Check March 23rd, 2010 | 4:44pm
Thanks for the great article and interview, Dave. This is truly Charlottesville's loss, but I'm glad that Chang kept his integrity as a chef. His food was delicious, and spoke volumes about how much he cared.
Lex March 23rd, 2010 | 4:59pm
Patsy, The Hook is a local magazine that reported on a new local restaurant. They never hyped Chang in the way that the New Yorker and Oxford American did. Why does any blame need to be cast at all? It's just a shame that Chang didn't stay longer.
well now.... March 23rd, 2010 | 7:35pm
good to hear Ellen and Karl. I've been there 4 or 5 times the last couple of months and my mother is visiting soon; she really wants to check it out.
Those cilantro fish rolls are just too, too yummy and that eggplant!
O.M.G.
**** March 23rd, 2010 | 11:24pm
Not sure if having Chang's new business partner translate his take on his differences with his former one violates any journalistic ethics or not, but I hope you got the Rong's to explain their side of the situation before you ran the story.


text:
Lawmakers to host town hall forum Nov. 1
State Sen. Charles Perry will appear at a series of town hall forums in District 28, joined by state Rep. Drew Darby on his first stop in Mertzon.
Lawmakers to host town hall forum Nov. 1 State Sen. Charles Perry will appear at a series of town hall forums in District 28, joined by state Rep. Drew Darby on his first stop in Mertzon. Check out this story on gosanangelo.com: http://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/politics/2016/10/20/lawmakers-to-host-town-hall-forum-nov-1/92504810/
Standard-Times Published 9:10 a.m. CT Oct. 20, 2016
The lawmakers will be at the Irion County Courthouse at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 1 to speak with residents about legislative matters, answer questions and hear feedback from constituents.
Perry and Darby, who represent the San Angelo area, are preparing for the upcoming legislative session, which begins Jan. 10.
This will be Perry's second session in the Texas Senate after serving two terms in the Texas House. He serves as chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Water & Rural Affairs.
Darby is chairman of the House Committee on Energy Resources, and this will be his sixth legislative session.
The event is open to the public in the Irion County Courthouse, 209 N. Park View St.
Read or Share this story: http://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/politics/2016/10/20/lawmakers-to-host-town-hall-forum-nov-1/92504810/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


MSI is the phenotypic reflection of an underlying MMR defect in a tumor. For this analysis, both tumor and normal tissue or cells are required. Typically, paraffin-embedded tissue sections (10 |im thick) are microdissected to obtain relatively pure tumor cells. Areas containing >70% tumor cells are typically used, although regions containing as little as 50% can provide adequate results. Normal cells are derived from adjacent normal mucosa, sections from archival normal surgical specimens for the same patient, if available, or peripheral blood. DNA is extracted separately from the tumor and normal cells. A number of extraction methods are now available that provide good-quality DNA from paraffin-embedded tissue. Isolated DNA is analyzed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using radioactive or fluorescent-labeled primers to amplify and visualize multiple segments of DNA containing microsatellite loci. The PCR products are subjected to size-based separation on polyacrylamide gels or, more recently, through capillary electrophoresis.
MSI can be observed by comparing the electrophoretic patterns of amplified DNA from both tumor and normal tissue and is scored as the presence of novel fragments in tumor DNA compared to normal DNA (Figure 19-1a). For dinucleotide repeats, these novel fragments can be seen as higher- or lower-molecular-weight fragments (expansion or contraction of repeat). For mononucleotide repeats, however, lower-molecular-weight fragments are typically detected. Allelic imbalance, or LOH, is not scored as MSI since this alteration is the result of an entirely different mechanism (Figure 19-1, panel b). Overall, we have found that the most important aspect of this test is to have a well-optimized PCR assay. Because of PCR artifact, results will be far more difficult to interpret if each of the assays is not sufficiently optimized.
Historically, a major obstacle to understanding the tumor phenotype associated with defective MMR was a lack of consensus on the definition of MSI. The number of microsatellite loci and the proportion that demonstrate instability in order to be classified as MSI positive were highly variable between studies. The likelihood that any particular microsatellite will be susceptible to instability in a tumor probably relates to the inherent instability at the locus. Thus, differences in marker susceptibility to instability may lead to differences in the number of tumors scored as MSI positive.
In 1998, guidelines proposed for MSI testing at a National Cancer Institute (NCI) workshop were pub lished.19 These guidelines provide a reference panel of five validated microsatellite loci to ensure uniformity of diagnosis between laboratories. Laboratories could use the panel directly or use this panel as a basis of comparison to validate their own set of markers. These loci consist of two mononucleotide (BAT 25 and BAT 26) and three dinu-cleotide (D2S123, D5S346, and D175250) repeat markers. Mononucleotide markers are relatively stable and tend to be monomorphic. Mononucleotide markers were included in the panel because reports indicate that cells with mutant hMSH6 were mainly associated with instability at mononucleotide markers, while cells with mutations in hMLHl, hMSH2, or hPMS2 lead to pronounced instability at both mono- and dinucleotide repeats.48 Thus, analysis of only dinucleotide markers could lead to false-negative MSI results for tumors caused by mutations in hMSH6.
05-Patient1-Tumor.fsa mor.fsa 6 Yel aaJLjjvaA!
100 1 05 110 115 1 20 125 130 135 140 145 150 155 1 6!
ABI3100 genetic analyzer. (a) Example of MSI for each of the ten markers. (b) Example of microsatellite changes that can be misinterpreted as MSI: allelic imbalance or LOH.(c) Example of a patient that is heterozygous for the marker BAT 26.
The proper differentiation between MSI-H and MSI-L/MSS tumors is important because these two tumor subsets have very different biological characteristics with different molecular etiologies. Current data indicate that the MSI-H phenotype is due almost exclusively to defective MMR. MSI-L and MSS tumors, so far, appear to share the same phenotypic characteristics with little or no involvement of defective MMR. MSI-L tumors show a genetic profile similar to sporadic MSS CRC (with typical KRAS and TP53 mutations and LOH at 5q, 17p, and 18q),but not to MSI-H CRC.53,54 In addition, several histopathologic studies demonstrate that MSI-H tumors reflect the clinical and pathological features typically associated with HNPCC (reviewed above), while MSI-L/MSS tumors are not associated with these features.49 Together, these data indicate that MSI-L/MSS CRC are fundamentally different from MSI-H CRC. This assay, therefore, provides a sensitive test for detecting the presence of an abnormality in the MMR pathway.
As noted earlier, MSI is not a specific characteristic of CRC associated with HNPCC. Large prospective studies of unselected CRC patients have determined the frequency of MSI-H in both sporadic and HNPCC-derived tumors. These studies indicated that 12% to 28% of unselected CRC display MSI.16,17 However, mutation analysis of the samples with MSI-H revealed germline MMR gene mutations in only approximately 2% of the patients. MSI also has been described in other sporadic component tumors within the HNPCC spectrum.55 These data led to an interesting paradox: although most CRC derived from individuals with a clinical diagnosis of HNPCC demonstrate MSI-H, only a minority of unselected tumors with MSI-H are from HNPCC families. These data indicate that two groups of phenotypically indistinguishable MSI-H tumors exist: those that are due to an underlying germline mutation in an MMR gene and those that are due to another mechanism. Insight into this paradox was gained, in part, by the analysis of MMR proteins in colorectal tumor specimens by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Nearly all tumors that displayed MSI-H, but without germline MMR gene mutations, demonstrated a loss of hMLH1 protein expression. Subsequent analysis of tumor tissue for hMLHl mutations indicated that somatic mutation was a relatively infrequent event. However, analysis of the methylation status of the hMLHl promoter region indicated that aberrant promoter methylation was the most likely explanation for the loss of hMLH1 expression in these tumors.56,57 Thus, it appears that MMR inactivation can account for nearly all CRC demonstrating the MSI-H phenotype.


These were brought to you by the below websites, I have taken the highlights for quick reading, but the full guides are available below. I have picked what I think are the best and most helpful ideas. I will be adding to this constantly, so please get in touch if you have any great tips to share!
Don't worry about the size on the label… You might need to go up a size or two or even down a size or two, but don't stress over it. The most important thing is that you get a good fit.
Don't get caught up in trends…Just because the celebs are doing it doesn't mean you have to. If you don't suit it, then don't buy it! Classic jeans never go out of style.
Buy tight but not too tight…Jeans will stretch throughout the day with wear, so buy jeans on the tight side but not so tight they're too small/you can't do anything in them. Try sitting down/squatting/bending down in the fitting room.
Make them fit you…Consider getting them altered. If you are an odd shape (like moi) consider getting them taken in a tad at the waist if they fit your hips/bum/legs perfectly. It is best to find jeans that fit your waist and hips then get the leg altered if necessary instead.
Take your time…Don't rush it, take as many pairs of different styles and sizes into the fitting room and spend plenty of time seeing how they look feel, if they will gape, can you sit etc.
Know what suits your shape…As a starting point, look up what styles suit you…but be prepared to throw it out the window.
If anyone knows about jeans for curvy girls its Oprah! Granted, the brands etc are American, but they highlight what to be looking for, and should you ever find yourself discount shopping in the US of A, you'll know what to buy!
The House of Fraser site features descriptions and tips for each of the major styles to familiarise yourself with, plus style advice for different body shapes. It also includes information on the major brands/designers that they stock, which is useful if you have the extra cash to spend on designer/better quality jeans. If not, the style guide and shopping tips are still incredibly useful.
Imogen Fox analyses some of the best jeans particularly for some of us bigger/curvy girls. Some sage advice and some good styles to buy.
If you have any suggestions/ recommendations, please email me: claire@clairedearn.co.uk,or fatgirlskinnyjeansblog@gmail.com, find me on twitter: @fgsjblog or leave a comment below!


text:
Q: php : Error 500 : premature end of script headers when executing loop in a script I'm running in a very disturbing  "error 500"  when running a gradient descent algorithm in a php script on a ~50x25 matrices.
If I set the number of iterations of the gradient to a very small number (<3), it works fine. But if I increase it to 4 iterations , it starts throwing an error 500 (premature end of script headers) almost all the time. If the number of iterations is greater then 4, then it never works. I've checked the script memory consumption and it's lesser than 3MB so it should be fine on this side.
The script is hosted on a shared server (OVH), so it may use too much CPU for the server or executing too many requests, but the problem is that I don't have any idea of how to know where the problem comes from. I've read many posts (here or on other forums) about this type of errors, and about the number of requests allowed for a script that could be the cause of it, so I added ini_set('pm.max_requests', 0); at the beginning of the script but nothing changed.
My PHP knowledge is very limited, so I am ready to hear any piece of advice youu have to get rid of this error ! :D
Thanks a lot!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Carolina Costagrande
Volleyball Player
38 Year Old Volleyball Player#9
Volleyball Player Born in Argentina#2
Libra Volleyball Player#19
Libra Named Carolina#9
Argentinian-born Italian outside hitter who's represented both countries in international play. She was part Italy's 2011 World Cup-winning team.
She started her career in Argentina with Club Trebolense in 1995. She started playing professionally in Italy in 1998.
She played for Argentina's international team from 1999 to 2002. She was named MVP of the 2011 World Cup.
She's a naturalized citizen of Italy and started playing for their national team in 2009.
She and Monica De Gennaro were teammates on Italy's national team in 2011.
Carolina Costagrande Popularity
Carolina Costagrande Is A Member Of
Volleyball Players
First Name Carolina
Carolina Costagrande Fans Also Viewed
Kerri Walsh-Jennings
Dante Amaral
Volleyball Player Trivia Games


Winter Session was among the topics discussed at Tuesday's faculty meeting. The proposal would not force a change in the academic calendar.
Updated Nov. 4, 2015 at 2:16 p.m.
The campus climate around freedom of speech featured prominently in remarks from both President Christina Paxson P'19 and Provost Richard Locke P'17 at a faculty meeting Tuesday. Paxson underscored Brown's complementary roles as a place of open inquiry and an "inclusive" space for every student, and Locke unveiled a series of lectures and workshops around issues of race, gender and justice.
Attendees also discussed a potential Winter Session, the BrownTogether fundraising campaign, Title IX training requirements for faculty members, research grant procedures and departmental evaluation standards.
Some Corporation members asked if she could make national headlines around campus issues go away, Paxson said, and she replied she could not. Potentially turbulent conversations are a staple of college campuses, she said, adding that those conversations will be supported as long as Brown remains a welcome space for all students.
Locke announced a discussion series that will help frame campus conversations on race, gender identity, class and health care, to begin later this semester. Students and faculty members are meeting with the provost to develop these lectures, which will draw on both student and faculty expertise, as well as outside practitioners, wrote Marisa Quinn, chief of staff to the provost, in an email to The Herald.
The goal is to "show that we can support a diverse community and a diverse intellectual community," Locke said.
A forum to allow faculty members to share their work with one another is also under way, with the hope that "providing these opportunities can help build community and perhaps inspire increased collaboration across disciplines," Quinn wrote.
A Faculty Forum on Winter Session will occur Nov. 17, Paxson said. She added that the latest proposal for the possible January academic term has three benefits. First, the session in its current iteration would not cause a change in the school year calendar, she said. Second, students would have the opportunity to graduate a semester early through use of optional Winter Session courses — though total tuition would remain the same. Finally, faculty members would be able to approach teaching in a more flexible way, as Winter Session offerings would fulfill regular faculty teaching requirements and free up time for scholarship during the rest of the academic year.
Paxson also ran through a financial breakdown of the recently announced BrownTogether comprehensive campaign. Half of the $3 billion raised will enter the endowment with the goal of providing for Brown's future. The University can only access a small portion of the endowment for current use, she said.
About $410 million from the campaign is allotted for faculty chairs, positions funded with endowments that cover salaries and some benefits. Faculty chair positions currently support 16 to 17 percent of the faculty, a figure much lower than the 50 percent at some peer institutions, Paxson said.
The $600 million allocated for campus and community will include some new buildings but will largely focus on improvements to existing ones, she added.
Locke urged faculty members to complete the required Title IX online training program before next week's deadline.
Released to faculty Oct. 1, currently only 33 percent of faculty members have completed the training, compared to 52 percent of staff members, he said. It is the "bare minimum that we're all trained," so that "all of our students when they come here can truly be safe and learn," he said.
Chair of the Faculty Executive Committee Thomas Roberts gave a report on resources for faculty members related to research, particularly grants given by the Office of Sponsored Projects.
Roberts said the University will address "excessive risk aversion" relating to federal guidelines for grant allocation. Brown should not be stricter in its application of grants than the regulating organizations, he said. Instead of policing or gatekeeping, the administrative component should serve as a problem-solving partner when details or logistics of the research are in question, Roberts said. The University will then create focus groups to determine which research services are currently working and which need an overhaul, he added.
Dean of the Faculty Kevin McLaughlin P'12 led a discussion of departmental evaluation standards. The administration asked departments which criteria should be evaluated in order to determine faculty promotions and tenure, among other departmental decisions.
Departments identified 56 different categories, McLaughlin said, with 10 categories appearing in a high consensus across departments polled. The categories included peer-reviewed articles, monographs, peer-reviewed book chapters, invited lectures, faculty awards and fellowships, research graphs, PhD placement, faculty diversity and grad student diversity.
The goal is to establish four or five consensus criteria and track them accordingly, McLaughlin said, adding that some departments will be more idiosyncratic in evaluation standards depending on their line of work.
The faculty also held a memorial minute for Lecturer Emeritus in Theatre, Speech and Dance John Lucas, who passed away Aug. 29.


The County of Onslow is soliciting proposals from qualified firms to provide disaster management recovery and consulting services in the event of a natural disaster. The Request for Proposal, RFP#007-18, can be obtained by contacting the Onslow County Purchasing Department, 234 NW Corridor Blvd., Jacksonville, NC 28540 (910-455-1750) or by visiting the North Carolina Interactive Purchasing System at www.ips.state.nc.us Submittals will be accepted until 4:00 PM, July 31, 2018. No Proposal will be accepted after the official date and time.
The award of a contract under this solicitation will be paid with federal funding. Funding is contingent upon compliance with all terms and conditions of funding award. All prospective firms shall comply with all applicable federal laws, regulations, executive orders, FEMA requirements and the terms and conditions of the funding award. In addition, firms providing submittals shall be responsible for complying with state law and local ordinances.
The County encourages participation by small, minority, disabled, and woman-owned businesses. The County of Onslow reserves the right to waive any informalities and to reject any and all proposals.


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Bid to target gender-wage gap states
Vol.7, No.37, 11.10.01, p6
EU countries which fail to plug the pay gap between men and women will be 'named and shamed' as part of a new get-tough policy.
The move follows the release of figures which show huge differences in the Euro pay league between the sexes.
There are only four countries - Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg and Sweden - where women's earnings are more than 85 of men's, according to Eurostat, the EU's statistical agency.
Now DG Employment is calling on member states to help close the gender pay gap, or face being named and shamed. Commission employment and social affairs spokesman Andrew Fielding says those countries found to be "dragging their feet" will be targeted.
Currently, the biggest difference in salaries between men and women are in Portugal, Greece, Ireland and the Netherlands.
Employment and Social Affairs


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Queens, New York (United States)
Sighted on Wednesday 08. April 2020
Reported on Saturday 11. April 2020
Shape: Fireball | Duration: 00:06:00
I heard a lot of helicopters outside. i went on my rooftop to get out of my bedroom and see if i could catch a taste of the action. thats when i saw this orangeish red orb seeming to be following the direction of the high gusts coming from the east. i video chatted my very skeptical partner to verify what i was seeing. she became very concerned as it seemed approach me and fly right over head. the moon was really bright that night.
Yonkers, New York 2022-12-16 Round All night every night until 5 am
NJ-18 & Bentley Ave 2022-10-29 Orb Apps 45 seconds
Lake Hopatcong, NJ 2022-09-25 linear series of lights moving east unknown
Staten Island NY 10312 2022-07-26 Cigar 10 seconds
paterson New Jersey 2021-10-28 triangluar lights 9 mins
Berkeley Heights, NJ 2021-07-16 Star-shaped blinking light Ongoing
Prospect Street, Brooklyn, Michigan, USA 2021-06-06 Disc (orb) 2-3 hours
East Harlem,NY. 2021-03-19 [email protected] [email protected]
Milford 2020-09-04 Multiple 3 mins
Cedar beach Long Island 2020-08-27 disc 2 or 3 minutes
Cold Spring, New York (United States) 2020-06-06 Other 00:00:20
Sparta, New Jersey (United States) 2020-06-04 Sphere 00:00:06
New York, New York (United States) 2020-05-31 Unknown 00:00:00
Queens, New York (United States) 2020-05-30 Square, Rectangular 10:00:00
Cambria Heights , New York (United States) 2020-05-26 Circle 00:00:00
Staten Island, New York (United States) 2020-05-21 Other 00:10:00
New Jersey (United States) 2020-05-19 Unknown 00:00:00
Farmingdale, New York (United States) 2020-05-17 Sphere 00:00:00
Brooklyn, New York (United States) 2020-05-03 Circle 00:02:00
New York, New York (United States) 2020-05-02 Other 00:04:00
Brick Township, New Jersey (United States) 2020-05-01 Circle 00:05:00
Ewing Township, New Jersey (United States) 2020-04-28 Oval 00:02:00
Interlaken, New Jersey (United States) 2020-04-25 Circle 01:00:00
Wading River, New York (United States) 2020-04-22 Cigar 00:00:00
Wading River, New York (United States) 2020-04-22 Cylinder 00:00:07
Levittown, New York (United States) 2020-04-22 Circle 06:00:00
New York, New York (United States) 2020-04-20 Circle 01:00:00
Prospect Park, New Jersey (United States) 2020-04-17 Blimp 00:10:08
Port Washington, New York (United States) 2020-04-16 Circle 00:02:00
Clifton, New Jersey (United States) 2020-04-14 Other 00:00:00
Teterboro, New Jersey (United States) 2020-04-13 Star-like 00:45:00
Lacey Township, New Jersey (United States) 2020-04-10 Circle 01:00:00
Lido Beach, New York (United States) 2020-04-09 Disc 00:02:00
New York, New York (United States) 2020-04-08 Diamond 00:55:00
Pleasantville, New York (United States) 2020-04-06 Drumbell 01:30:00
Morrisville, Pennsylvania (United States) 2020-04-04 Cylinder 00:00:10
Elmhurst, New York (United States) 2020-04-01 Circle 00:00:00
Elizabeth, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-29 Cone 00:01:15
Freehold Township, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-27 N, A 02:30:00
Easton, Connecticut (United States) 2020-03-26 Unknown 00:10:00
Hackettstown, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-26 Other 00:15:00
Monroe, New York (United States) 2020-03-25 Disc 00:01:02
Springfield Township, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-24 Teardrop 00:00:03
New York, New York (United States) 2020-03-20 Triangle 00:00:32
Cortlandt Manor, New York (United States) 2020-03-17 Circle 00:30:00
Stamford, Connecticut (United States) 2020-03-15 Circle 00:03:00
River Edge, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-15 Unknown 00:00:00
Brooklyn, New York (United States) 2020-03-15 Triangle 00:00:00
Brooklyn, New York (United States) 2020-03-14 Other 00:02:00
Berkeley Township, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-14 Other 02:00:00
Ramsey, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-13 Sphere 00:10:30
Ronkonkoma, New York (United States) 2020-03-12 Bullet, Missile 00:00:30
Edison, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-09 Tic Tac 00:02:00
Hopewell, New Jersey (United States) 2020-03-03 Disc 01:20:01
Staten island, New York (United States) 2020-03-01 Star-like 00:02:00
Orangetown , New York (United States) 2020-02-20 Sphere 00:02:00
New York, New York (United States) 2020-02-19 Oval 00:00:05
Yonkers, New York (United States) 2020-02-17 Other 00:01:01
Sayreville, New Jersey (United States) 2020-02-08 Star-like 00:07:00
Chester, New York (United States) 2020-02-08 Star-like 00:05:00
West Haverstraw, New York (United States) 2020-02-04 Unknown 00:00:00
Yorktown Heights, New York (United States) 2020-02-03 Diamond 00:20:00
West Long Branch, New Jersey (United States) 2020-01-29 Unknown 00:10:00
Nutley, New Jersey (United States) 2020-01-18 Tic Tac 03:00:00
Tuckahoe, New York (United States) 2020-01-18 Circle 00:02:00
Flemington, New Jersey (United States) 2020-01-17 Star-like 00:02:00
Trenton, New Jersey (United States) 2020-01-13 Sphere 00:20:00
Waldwick, New Jersey (United States) 2020-01-13 N, A 00:02:30
New York, New York (United States) 2020-01-11 Sphere 00:00:03
East Moriches, New York (United States) 2020-01-09 Sphere 01:00:00
Shelton, Connecticut (United States) 2020-01-07 Cigar 00:00:15
Astoria, New York (United States) 2020-01-06 Circle 08:00:00
New York, New York (United States) 2020-01-02 Disc 00:01:00
North Arlington, New Jersey (United States) 2019-12-25 Unknown 00:02:00
Greenwich, Connecticut (United States) 2019-12-22 Teardrop 00:08:00
Port Jefferson Station, New York (United States) 2019-12-20 Star-like 03:00:00
Brooklyn, New York (United States) 2019-12-19 Unknown 00:01:00
Massapequa, New York (United States) 2019-12-17 Fireball 00:00:04
Greenwich, Connecticut (United States) 2019-12-15 Sphere 00:02:00
Totowa, New Jersey (United States) 2019-12-14 Other 00:05:00
Brooklyn, New York (United States) 2019-12-07 Egg 00:05:00
Hopatcong, New Jersey (United States) 2019-11-27 Triangle 03:00:00
New York, New York (United States) 2019-11-16 Cross 00:00:05
Brooklyn, New York (United States) 2019-11-15 Sphere 00:01:30
Danbury, Connecticut (United States) 2019-11-13 Oval 00:10:00
Livingston, New Jersey (United States) 2019-11-12 N, A 00:00:04
Oceanside, New York (United States) 2019-11-11 Unknown 00:02:13


What are you doing these days? You look very serious!
You're spot-on about the seriousness! I work at the Istrinsky District administration, Land Use Department. I have a important and smart job for a real grown-up and a stern business person.
In 2009, you weren't a "grown-up and a stern person" yet. You were a third-year ecological engineering student and then your life was disrupted by illness.
That's right. I was a young and pretty, a student full of life. I loved to follow fashion, dress up, going to theater and concerts, hanging out with friends and of course dating. Then all of a sudden everything had changed. I started to get tired very quickly. I'd come home from school and wouldn't go out; I'd just pick a book or go to bed. Then my teeth started aching. So I went to see dentist after dentist, physician after physician… It was deeply draining both mentally and physically. Finally, I'd gotten a diagnosis at the Botkin Hospital: "Burkitt lymphoma". It was horrifying!
The doctor in charge Alexei Pshokin, told me up front what I would have to go through. I remember vividly I felt how strongly I wanted to live. I didn't think about what I'd have to do in order to achieve that, or how. I'd just have to reach my goal. I wanted to stay with my family.
How did they react to your illness?
My sudden illness was shocking for both my parents and my brother. Everyone wept. My mother fell into this strange state where she stopped feeling any emotions. She recalls that she was able to focus only on one thing— her child's health. She threw everything else aside. I remember how she offered me some very insightful words then about how our soul knows what would happen to it in advance, and was prepared for the blows fate deals. My relatives and loved ones supported me greatly in my struggle with the disease, and I did my best to support them.
You were 22 at the time, so you were in the "young adult" category—it wasn't your parents next to you but other young patients like you. What did you do with your spare time?
I was lucky; I was surrounded by young people. We developed our own vibrant little life, our own story, and it was no less active than that of normal kids. We'd go for walks around the hospital, play cards, argue, laugh and even fight. Of course, the pace of your life is completely different in hospital. Instead of ordinary activities and concerns you have none-too-pleasant treatments and an exact timetable. But life always finds its way. No matter what people want to live, feel emotions, and be happy. Even while fighting cancer.
How did you encounter the Podari Zhizn Foundation?
We'd been getting visits from the Foundation pretty often, but I'd felt rather hostile towards them. For the first month I didn't need anyone but my loved ones. But bit-by-bit, the volunteers became an important part of my life. And, you know, that life had started to gain new colors with their arrival! It was because they didn't come to feel sorry for me, they came to chat and to have a good time. The Podari Zhizn Foundation itself did a great job for me. It didn't just heal my body but my soul. In my phonebook I still have the numbers of everyone who was there with me. Sometimes we write to each other, send good wishes on special occasions, and keep an eye on people's personal lives through social network VKontakte.
What role does charity work play in your life?
I do want to help people. Everyone in our little town knows what happened to me, and often I get requests from acquaintances and acquaintances of acquaintances, who are facing difficulties and need to know where to start, what to do, and where to go. Everyone is afraid of being left alone with its disease. I share my experience, give suggestions, and, of course, contact my dear doctor in charge. I think even during the first year after my treatment I spent less time thinking and talking about what had happened than I do now. Sometimes I wonder whether I should start organizing something helpful here in Istra. I wonder if I could find some accomplices. Obviously, it would be quite a challenge to do it on my own.
How long did it take you to return to your previous life after the hospital?
The way it played out is that I was released from hospital in winter, but I had to go back to school only in fall. That half-year was my real rehabilitation process: I was able to pull myself together, forget about medication and treatments, build strength and dive into my studies with new energy. But to be honest, it was also my hardest time. First of all, I was paranoid—every type of sore made me think my life was over. It took me a long time to get my head around the fact that normal people could fall down or get injured too, and that it's not a big deal for anyone including myself. Secondly, I was very anxious and impatient. I wanted everything, and as soon as possible. I felt like after I'd gone through all that my life should sort itself out without any effort. I'd immediately get my degree, marry a millionaire, and get all the other joys of life handed to me on a plate. But it turned out that I had to keep living and fighting for what I wanted: gradually recover, study, and passing exams. It turned out to be long-term and demanding work. And for some reason I didn't even find love straight away, isn't is weird?
But did you find your prince in the end?
Fortunately, yes! I'm married and I have a wonderful husband! He knows about my past, but doesn't give me a free pass. You know, sometimes you want to exploit your past for your own benefit. But ever since we met, my husband's treated me like as an able-bodied person because I'm healthy. Meaning I have to live up to the standards of an able-bodied person. And my parents, incidentally, have also always followed that policy. And I'm very grateful to them for it.
Do you ever give yourself a break in certain situations?
No, I don't give myself breaks either. I can't say that my illness interferes with my life today, or the reverse, that it's given me something special, something supernatural. But it did, of course, help me become the person I am today. I've always been a goal-oriented person in principle, but after everything I've been through, I've started to value life more. I still have a feeling deep down I can't get enough of this life. Right now, I have no limits at all. I've stopped setting them for myself. If I've beaten cancer, then I can overcome any challenge, conquer any height and succeed at anything I do. No barriers exist for me anymore.
Do you have a hobby, something you're really into?
I enjoy sports. I go to the gym three times a week, set myself goals and gradually work towards them. I've also learned to snowboard and I strive to go to the mountains every winter.
What would you wish kids who are fighting for their lives right now?
You have to want to live. Don't abandon that desire no matter what. As long as you want to live, you'll find the strength for everything you need.


Need more space? Got a dingy unfinished room? You can quickly transform that space into something usable and comfortable. We take a closer look at it as well as some alternatives. Blue Color Living Room Designs For well Best Images About Ideas For The Fresh is one way to turn a dingy unfinished room into additional space that's attractive and comfortable. It does this by applying their expertise in building science and system design to the standard below-grade home design.


The Government of the Province of Barcelona (Diputació de Barcelona) governs an area comprising 311 municipalities with a population of 5.5 million inhabitants. Its mission is to ensure the proper provision of high-quality municipal services that are equally accessible to all. The governing body is made up of 51 indirectly elected mayors and councillors representing all 311 municipalities of the province.
Through its Directorate of International Relations, the Government of the Province of Barcelona actively promotes the participation of the municipalities and the Province at the international level. It provides support to cities and towns in the province of Barcelona in the fields of European cooperation, development cooperation and internationalisation.


Hi I am trying to open a native android activity from a button on image recognition.
I went to the Wikitude Studio and added a button to my custom image.
I downloaded the offline project and am not able to figure out how to open a native Android Activity using that button.
The button has an offline json and a url to which it can redirect to.
I want it so that this button click in the AR world leads to open my personal android activity within the same application.
I tried looking around a lot but was not able to get anything concrete which would push me in the right direction.
I'm relatively new to JS and really need a lot of help with this.
The Wikitude Studio Editor project are not editable after the export. The editor is supporting the creation of simple AR experiences, if you wish to create more advanced experiences with more interaction options, then you'd need to develop the AR experience using the HTML technolgies. The best way to start is to check out the sample app which comes with the SDK download package together with the respective documentation section.
With this sample app and the docu you should have enough details on how to implment the Native <> JS communication.
Alright all the points do make perfect sense, for further interaction I'll probably have to use the HTML part coupled with your logic in the POI native detail screen page and the architect view.
Or probably I can play around with a native overlay, I'll start prying and bother you guys again as and when I face some issues.
All the help is highly appreciated.


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Covenant University Sacks Staff Accused of Misconduct Against Female Students
December 30, 2022 Tonykamsy JAMB 0
The management of Covenant University, Ota, Ogun state, has sacked a member of staff accused of sexual assault and misconduct against female students.
This comes after several female students of the school took to social media to accuse the institution's chaplain and several other male staff of blackmail, sexual assault, and misconduct. The students also accused the university management of victimizing those who dare to speak out against the atrocities committed by its staff.
The students had mentioned hall monitors, school clinic workers, and security personnel as part of the staff who request sexual gratification in return for their studentship when a rule is broken.
The head of the student's disciplinary committee was accused of expelling a female student he had impregnated and went into a coma while trying to terminate the pregnancy.
A statement issued by the institution's executive council confirmed that they received the complaint last week, and one of the staff that was called out several times on social media appeared before the staff disciplinary committee and his employment was terminated.
JAMB announces dates for commencement of 2023 UTME registration, mock and exam
Achievers university loses its vice-chancellor


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Led by Editor Catherine Levin, Emergency Services Times is a bi-monthly magazine sent free of charge to some 6000 buyers and specifiers of equipment and services within the UK emergency services sector. The magazine is also available online and has almost 5000 subscribed readers to date.
A unique publication, read by the professional and voluntary emergency services in the UK, Emergency Services Times is published by Broden Media Ltd – the organiser of The Emergency Services Show and publisher of the online EST Directory.
Take a look at the most recent issue of Emergency Services Times online here – https://goo.gl/wFpSgb – you can also view an archive of back issues. Study the contents page and the types of news and features to get a feel for what you can contribute. Our features are dynamic and change each year (and sometimes throughout the year) to reflect current trends. Recent features include: Communications & ICT; National Resilience; Medical; Vehicles; Training; Rescue; and Protective Clothing. Our August and September issues are the Preview Issue and Show Issue for The Emergency Services Show, respectively.
The Editor also welcomes new feature ideas so if there's something you'd like to contribute please feel free to e-mail the Editor.
Emergency Services Times magazine also includes regular sections – News, Events, People, Company Profile, Comment, Last Words – please add the Editor's e-mail to your mailing list to ensure your latest press releases are considered for publication.
Timing: Submissions may be sent at any time. The magazine is bi-monthly and editorial deadlines are generally three weeks before the date of publication, ie 3 weeks before 1 February for the February issue.
Article Format: Articles should be written in a Word document. Please include a headline, author details (where written in the first person), and subheads (when needed) to break up sections of your article. Please provide captions for all graphics. We accept by-lined articles from industry experts – please contact the Editor with your proposed submission.
The approximate word count for feature articles is as follows:
2 page edit – 1500-1800 words plus 4-5 images
1 page edit – 800-1000 words plus 2-3 images
½ page edit – 400-500 words plus 1-2 images
Images: We cannot accept embedded images in Word documents. All tables, charts or diagrams should be in an electronic format (.tif, .eps or .jpg) with a minimum 300 dpi resolution, and a minimum large format size of 2400 x 3200 pixels.
Rights Acknowledgement: The articles published within Emergency Services Times magazine are copyright and are the property of Broden Media Limited.
Contributing to the EST E-Newsletter: Published monthly, the EST E-Newsletter provides its subscribers with a roundup of news from the UK's emergency services sector. Articles focus on collaboration between emergency services and partners, recent contracts won, new appointments in the UK blue light sector and innovative product launches.
If you're interested in contributing to the EST E-Newsletter, please contact the Editor. Articles that are published in the EST E-Newsletter are also posted on the magazine website: www.emergencyservicestimes.com


How many medications have you been on? How many of those medications were for the same interwoven symptoms? For many people with mental illness, the answers to these questions are often a handful or more. Mine is fifteen going on sixteen. Some of these medications worked for a little while, some didn't do a thing. They were all taken in some sort of combination, trying to work together. Some of them I still take, most of them I don't.
Honestly, there are possibly some medications missing from my list. When the list gets to a certain number it becomes hard to keep track of them all. My newest addition is Remeron (number 16). Fingers crossed this is the one.
With this many medications, along with other treatments, like TMS and years of counseling, I can look at my situation one of two ways. I can think that nothing will ever work and I've tried enough. Or can look at it and think, "wow, I've really stuck in there and have been working hard to get well." As much as the first option pulls at my depression as sounding right, I'm choosing to think of it the other way.
My goal with this blog is to help others as well as myself. I want to do my part to end the stigma against mental illness. To do this honesty is key. So, while I know the right answer is to be optimistic, a lot of days my real thought is: When is it okay to give up?
It's definitely harder to stay hopeful the longer the list gets.


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MDC, Zanu-PF unfazed by Kasukuwere movement
THE ruling Zanu-PF and opposition MDC yesterday said they were unfazed by the launch of a political movement by self-exiled former ruling party stalwart, Saviour Kasukuwere.
Kasukuwere's movement, known as "Tyson Wabantu", was launched in Bulawayo on Thursday by a group of disgruntled former Zanu-PF members known as G40.
The movement distributed flyers and T-shirts branded " Tyson Wabantu" in many residential areas in the country's second capital city.
Zanu-PF spokesperson Simon Khaya Moyo told NewsDay Weekender yesterday that the ruling party would not spend sleepless nights on Kasukuwere, whom he described as a nonentity.
"The launch of the movement is insignificant and meaningless to us. He is representing nothing. That movement has no bearing on Zanu-PF. We are a mass party which has a vast support base. We don't lose sleep on that nonentity. He is just but a dreamer," Moyo said.
MDC president Nelson Chamisa's spokesperson Nkululeko Sibanda said Kasukuwere's movement did not even affect an inch of their space as he was a Zanu-PF creation.
"We don't have to comment on that. Kasukuwere is former Zanu-PF or Zanu-PF, I think a comment from there would suffice. The MDC has had Kasukuwere as a political opponent. You know how we won elections when he was in politics. Why is that question even relevant?" Sibanda asked rhetorically.
Rose Phiri, former member of the ruling party women's league, is the co-ordinator of Kasukuwere's movement.
She said: "Tyson Wabantu movement is meant to unite all Zimbabweans and provide leadership towards a better Zimbabwe."
Phiri said they were targeting one million people for the movement but admitted that the movement had no proper structures.
Kasukuwere has said he would issue a statement clarifying the position later on.
More on: #Tyson, #MDC, #Zanu-PF
a newly built house in emganwini
School stand for sale
4 beds mzilikazi barbourfields


Japan's Mizuho Financial Group intends to launch its own cryptocurrency in March 2019 as per reports by Nikkei on 26 December 2018.
The new cryptocurrency will share the same payment status as Japanese yen and will be used to make transfers or payments through a mobile phone app. The coin awaiting christening, will be rolled out to retail shops and regional banks.
The digital coin will enable conventional transactions, such as retail usage or transfer of money between individuals, at a price much lower than compared to credit cards. Mizuho's coin would also be convertible into yen via a smartphone app and using QR codes that are to be scanned in stores.
Users and retail outlets will not be charged a fee on the cryptocurrency transactions. These include the transfer of funds between their smartphones and bank accounts.
As a token for providing the service for free, the banks would benefit by collecting more data on the consumer spending patterns. Such data will come in handy for data science professionals who can harness artificial intelligence and suggest insights to banks.
The value of the newly launched digital coin will be capped at 1 yen per unit and will not fluctuate on the market when compared to other virtual currencies such as Bitcoin.
The cryptocurrency is the fallout of the J-Coin project announced in 2017 by Mizuho Financial Group Chairman Yasuhiro Sato, who was the President and CEO at the time. It will be a novel undertaking to be operated by Japanese megabanks.
The plan is to showcase Japan's fintech capability at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when a multitude of tourists are expected to visit Japan.
Perhaps this is a push to other countries to open up to upcoming technologies. When cryptocurrencies are well established with regulatory foundations, financial technologies will do wonders for a country.
Mizuho also has a dedicated interest in blockchain technology. It was able to send key financial information from Japan to Australia using blockchain. Japanese banks are striving hard to relieve consumers from using cash and adopting digital currencies.
The banks are either moving towards introducing their own cryptocurrency or using existing platforms. For example, Japanese Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG) announced plans to test a new cryptocurrency called MUFG Coin, which promises a great shopping experience.


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America the Beautiful Quarters 2014 America the Beautiful Quarter and 5 Oz Coin Design Candidates
2014 America the Beautiful Quarter and 5 Oz Coin Design Candidates
Rhonda Kay
Reverse design candidates for 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters were revealed and reviewed, but the final selection of which five will actually be used has not been announced. The 2014-dated coins will mark the 21st through the 25th issues in the ATB series.
Leading design candidates for the 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters and related America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Coins
The final five selected from the design candidates will not only appear on next year's America the Beautiful Quarters, but also on the collectible 2014 America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Uncirculated Coins and investment-grade 2014 America the Beautiful Five Ounce Silver Bullion Coins. These are the larger, three-inch diameter coins that are minted with five ounces of 99.9% pure silver.
2014 America the Beautiful Quarter reverse designs will represent these selected national sites:
Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee,
Shenandoah National Park in Virginia,
Arches National Park in Utah,
Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, and
Everglades National Park in Florida.
In all, 29 proposed designs offered up by the United States Mint were reviewed by the Commission of Fine Arts (CFA) on November 21, 2012 and by the Citizens Coinage Advisory Committee (CCAC) on November 27.
Design Candidates for the 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters and 5 Oz. Silver Coins
Below are images of the candidate designs plus a brief summary of the recommendations offered by the two review parties. Each of the design candidates may be enlarged by clicking on its image.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee)
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – Quarter and Coin Design Candidate TN-01
With scenic mountains, black bears, log cabins, and much more, choosing just one iconic image of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park presents a challenge.
The CCAC rejected all four candidates, claiming the pieces had too much detail, and it recommended new designs with, "more balance between images and negative space and less fine detail as suitable for a quarter-dollar sized coin."
In order to receive approval though, a design must pass a 50% of the committee's scoring process. The piece to come the closest was TN-01, featuring an adult bear with a cub, which garnered 13 of 30 possible points.
For the CFA, the choice was more straightforward.
It selected TN-03 because it "conveys the character of the park's landscape."
In this rendition, a log cabin is nestled in front of forested trees with a line of mountains providing the backdrop.
Shenandoah National Park (Virginia)
Shenandoah National Park – Quarter and Coin Design Candidate VA-01
Beauty abounds along the 105 miles of Skyline Drive that runs north and south through Shenandoah National Park, but it is perhaps the hikers who take in the most breathtaking views. Accordingly, the U.S. Mint drew a hiker in four of the five design candidates for the park.
Design VA-05 captured the CCAC's vote with a score of 17 out of 30 and a recommendation to remove some of the extra details that it says detracts the focal point of the design, the top of Little Stony Man Mountain.
The CFA also selected VA-05, saying it was the "best drawing," but it too made a recommendation. It requested a study of the geometry of the road in background below the peak as it appeared uncharacteristically straight.
Arches National Park (Utah)
Arches National Park – Quarter and Coin Design Candidate UT-01
Artists at the Mint stepped up their efforts to capture the essence of Arches National Park with seven drawings. All seven feature a natural stone arch. The CCAC said that UT-02 earned 28 of 30 possible points with its "well executed" rendition of Delicate Arch found inside the park.
A different drawing won over the CFA. It was UT-01 that seemed to best feature a "legible landscape" for the scale of a coin.
Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
Great Sand Dunes National Park – Quarter and Coin Design Candidate C0-01
Great Sand Dunes National Park -Quarter and Coin Design Candidate C0-02
Also having seven design candidates was the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The CCAC, however, did not select one because it felt the designs would not scale down well on a metal coin. Image CO-03 scored a 9 of 30 possible points, which was the highest of the group. The committee recommended all new designs.
As for the CFA, it recommended CO-06, which showcases many tall sand dunes in the background and flat country before it.
Per the commission's letter, the design, "best conveys a distinction between the foreground, midground, and background landscapes."
Everglades National Park (Florida)
Everglades National Park – Quarter and Coin Design Candidate FLA-01
Although Everglades National Park spans nearly 1.5 million acres, design artists chose to focus attention on the park's history, endangered species, and iconic birds. For the CCAC, design FL-04 was selected after garnering 20 of 30 possible points. In its favor, the design showcases an anhinga with outstretched wings, but the committee also recommended removing some of the clouds and foliage.
Design FL-04 was also the selection from the CFA. It felt the drawing was "the most evocative of the park."
It too requested the removal of the clouds in the background.
Next Step in the Design Selection Process
Armed with these recommendations, the process will move forward and eventually the U.S. Secretary of Treasury will make the final 2014 America the Beautiful Quarter and five ounce coin design selections.
If the tradition holds, the five design winners will be unveiled by the U.S. Mint in December 2013.
2011 America the Beautiful Quarter Design Candidates
A&L Futures
Ms. Kay,
Didn't you meant to say, "Design Candidates for the 2014 America the Beautiful Quarters and 5 Oz. Silver Coins?"
Regardless of the typo, does anyone know the status on the 2013 AtB 5oz silver coins?
Corrected subtitle. Thanks!
No word from the U.S. Mint yet as to the 2013-dated 5 oz. silver uncirculated coins. It's been about three weeks since they placed them on hold to determine new mintage levels.
I heard that they stopped all production of the 5 oz. coins. I even looked at the mints product scheduling and didn't see them on there. Will there be 2013 ATB 5oz. coins?
Stephanie, as of the end of January, the U.S. Mint had been producing the first two ATB 5 oz. bullion coins but not any of the uncirculated coins (read http://wp.me/p82Jg-8Um). There is no additional information available at this time — release dates, etc., but the U.S. Mint told me today that they would provide an update as soon as possible.
What, no bears in the Everglades?
@Mike Unser… We appreciate the updates and your fine contributions on this site.
Thanks Kevin. We appreciate the support.
hi..i hope the 1 Alabama coin of 2021 will be added as the 6th coin in 2020 series, to match & be same as 2009 did (with 6 coins to complete the series), then 2021-2031 can be also a 8 year 5 coin & 9th year 6 coins, to be consistant….us mint should learn to count & saty with the way 1999-2009 did…
56 coins total…then in 2032 its an open year & usmint could do all GEORGES !!! FOR THE 200TH ANNIVERSITY… TYEDYETOM..CT
Munzen
I wouldn't mind seeing circulating quarters for 2032 and beyond with Laura Gardin Fraser's original design. Yes, I know it was finally used for a $5 bullion piece in 1999 but when was the last time you got one of them in change? And besides, her design was the unanimous choice of the Washington Bicentennial* Commission but stubborn, chauvinistic Andrew Mellon overruled them.
(*) I assume you meant "_300th_ Anniversary" 🙂
Rick A.
Do you know where I can get storage boxes to hold the US Mint's
3 coin set of the America The Beautiful Quarters? The US Mint dosen't
have storage boxes that size! You would think they would have storage
For everything they sell!! But they don't. Can anyone help me out on this.
Reply to Rick A.
Hey Rick, try the Coin Vault and it's either .com or.net. I haven't bought from them in along time but have had to buy some kind of storage box from them cause the mint didn't carry it. Hope this helps.
on the Florida quarter, what about the skunk ape?
2010 2016 AK CT IA MA MS NM PR VA
2011 2017 AL DC ID MD MT NV RI VI
2012 2018 AR DE IL ME NC NY SC VT
2013 2019 AS FL IN MI ND OH SD WA
2014 2020 AZ GA KS MN NE OK TN WI
2015 2021 CA GU KY MO NH OR TX WV
2010-2021 CO HI LA MP NJ PA UT WY
Recent News About U.S. Quarters
Tuskegee Airmen Quarters for Alabama in Three-Coin Set
Darrin Lee Unser - February 19, 2021 4
Today, Feb. 19, the United States Mint released their Tuskegee Airmen Quarters Three-Coin Set. The set's quarters honor Tuskegee Airmen National Historic...
Tuskegee Airmen Quarters for Alabama Released in Rolls and Bags
Tallgrass Prairie Quarters for Kansas Released in Rolls and Bags
Tallgrass Prairie Quarters for Kansas in Three-Coin Set
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Quarters for Vermont in Three-Coin Set
U.S. Mint 10-Coin Set of Circulating 2020 Quarters for $10
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Quarters for Vermont Released


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Sharemarket
Call me crazy: SoftBank and the madness in the options market
SoftBank has been revealed as the 'Nasdaq whale' in the options market. That goes some way to explaining the unusual forces at play in the world of equity derivatives.
Jonathan ShapiroSenior reporter
Sep 7, 2020 – 12.00am
What the tech is going on? That's what a Goldman Sachs analyst asked as he sent out a trade note to clients pointing out a whole lot of crazy stuff going on in the options market last month.
What brokers such as Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley were observing was an explosion in buying out-of-the-money call options – a contract to buy a security at a price higher than its present level.
SoftBank has been revealed as the so-called 'Nasdaq whale'. Getty
But what was unusual was the buying was big and it was concentrated in a few of the big tech names.
Someone was taking big short-term bets on tech giants such as Salesforce, Adobe, Google, Amazon, Facebook and Netflix. And it was creating some crazy price action.
For instance, when Salesforce delivered market-beating earnings, the stock jumped by 26 per cent, compared to a predicted 6 per cent rise if it beat earnings.
It was, in the words of that analyst, "one of the largest optionality programs I have ever witnessed".
On Friday, the media could confirm what many in the market apparently either knew or suspected: the so-called "Nasdaq whale" was none other than SoftBank.
Yes, the free-spending, bubble-blowing Japanese tech conglomerate was the big buyer of out-of-the-money call options – spending billions of dollars on near-infinite notional exposure to the big tech names.
The Nasdaq whale
SoftBank had learnt to weaponise free money in the private markets by providing their portfolio companies with more money than they needed to grow.
Now it seems it has worked out how to use unlimited cash and infinite risk appetite to move the public market.
The huge demand for calls has the effect of what traders call a gamma squeeze, which is like a short squeeze on steroids because of the leverage associated with options.
(Options traders use the so-called Greeks to describe the characteristics of options which are sensitive to moves in price, the extent to which the price moves, and time to expiry. Gamma measures the speed of the change in the options price.)
In effect, as investors bought these call options, those on the other side of the trade writing the calls were forced to buy more options or buy the underlying stock to hedge their positions. The scramble to buy may have created a melt-up in the stocks.
Single name mania
The presence of this large institutional buyer was complicated by a rise in retail buying of single-name stock options, in particular tech stocks, compared to options tied to major indices.
This concentration in the options market to a single sector is without precedent.
This time last year there was about $20 billion of notional call options written on the seven largest tech stocks, which include market favourite Tesla. That was broadly equivalent to the value of call options written on all the other stocks in the US market.
But the volume has since surged by 10 times for the tech names, compared to three times for the rest of the market – which means there's a large collective leveraged bet on the big tech names.
Then there's the huge skew – the extent to which traders are buying calls (the option to buy a stock at a certain price) relative to puts (the option to sell a stock at a certain price).
At the moment the put to call ratio is at levels not seen for 10 years.
That seems to be a function of retail YOLO (you only live once) traders buying call options to get rich quick and the Softbank YOLO trade to get rich within 300 years, as per the founder's stated investment timeframe.
The other reason for the skew is the dearth of put selling. The institutions that got into the game of making a few extra dollars selling market insurance by writing puts were probably wiped out in March by the massive crash, never to return.
High jinks on the VIX
A further oddity that options traders have noted is that indicators of volatility are much higher than they otherwise would be in a surging market.
The VIX is the most tracked measure of volatility and is calculated by the size of the insurance premium the market is willing to pay for both up and down moves.
But not since 1999 and 2000 has the VIX been anywhere close to its current level of about 25 at the time the S&P 500 is setting a new market high.
That all points to a highly unusual and unstable market. And the SoftBank "reveal" provides a working hypothesis to those who have been scratching their heads to understand what has fuelled this extraordinary rally in tech stocks.
As for what lies ahead, options traders are warning the gamma squeeze works in both directions.
Once the market starts to fall, the risk reversal can be equally violent and options writers scramble to short or buy puts on the stocks.
Jonathan Shapiro writes about banking and finance, specialising in hedge funds, corporate debt, private equity and investment banking. He is based in Sydney. Connect with Jonathan on Twitter. Email Jonathan at jonathan.shapiro@afr.com
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BBC: Grant Shapps accused of using bullying tactics after threatening to slash funding
Grant Shapps accused BBC of bias over immigration and Government spending cuts and said other broadcasters could get a slice of the licence fee
James Lyons
Accusation: Grant Shapps (Image: Andy Stenning)
Top Tory Grant Shapps has been accused of trying to bully the BBC by threatening to slash funding.
Mr Shapps accused the Corporation of bias over reporting on immigration and Government spending cuts and said other broadcasters could get a slice of the licence fee unless it falls into line.
Former Director General Greg Dyke said the party chairman was attempting to "intimidate" the BBC ahead of the next general election.
"When it comes to deciding impartiality we can't let politicians define impartiality," he said.
Mr Shapps stopped short of accusing the BBC "institutional bias" but voiced concerns over a recent coverage of an EU report on the extent of benefit tourism in Britain.
The Cabinet minister said: "There is an editorial question for the BBC about applying fairness in both directions.
"That also is a question of credibility for the organisation."
Mr Shapps accused the Corporation of playing down a poll that showed many people believe the standard of public services has improved despite spending cuts.
"When they were proved categorically wrong, and people gave the wrong answer and said their services were improved, their response was to bury the story," he claimed.
Intimidation: The BBC's former Director General Greg Dyke (Image: The FA)
The Conservative MP also accused the BBC of a culture of secrecy, slammed payoffs for departing executives and criticised its handling of the Jimmy Savile scandal.
Greg Dyke, who was forced out by Labour over the BBC's claims that the infamous dossier on Iraq's "weapons on mass destruction" had been "sexed up", told the broadcaster to ignore him.
"This is an attempt to patronise and intimidate the BBC which is what governments do and it is it the BBC's job to resist," he told BBC1's Marr programme.
"There are two or three things that have been pretty uncomfortable for the BBC - Savile and the payoffs is a difficult story for the BBC.
"But that does not mean that the whole of what the BBC stands for should be threatened and that is what is happening here.
"He is the chairman of the Conservatives. I have had the chairmen of so many different parties doing almost the same thing over the years – 18 months before an election 'let's make sure the BBC behaves itself'."
Deputy Labour leader Harriet Harman accused Mr Shapps of trying to blame the BBC for the Tory-led coalition's own failings and is it was "absolutely wrong".
"The Conservatives are trying to somehow blame the BBC for the fact that they're having to report that the Government is actually not succeeding in so many ways," she said.
"I think it's right for the BBC to keep a hawk eye on making sure that people don't stray over and trespass on the independence of the BBC, and that is what the BBC should be making sure that they hold out against.
"But I do think that just in the run-up to the charter review and the licence review for Grant Shapps, who's the chair of the Conservative party, to start weighing in on this, I think that's completely wrong.
"And apparently he's saying it's with the support of Downing Street. I hope the BBC will resist that."
Greg Dyke


Sir Isaac Newton statue from Trinity Chapel. Photo by Harlequeen.
Sir Isaac Newton proved it. David Clayton-Thomas wrote about it in the "Spinning Wheel" song. BS&T (Blood, Sweat & Tears) and Dame Shirley Bassey covered it in their albums.
Songwriter & singer Dame Shirley Bassey.
How many ups and downs has your business experienced? Since we started our business, we have been through seven ups and downs – oil, banking, real estate, savings and loans, dot.com, Wall Street, and now real estate again. It has caused us to refine and redefine our business at least that many times.
If it's a part life, it does not make sense just to try to survive this one. Another wave is coming. If you own a business, the wave that could take you under could be something global like this "Great Recession" or something unique to you and your business. So be watchful; be prepared for those business challenges that are out there.