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German Literature and Culture after 1945
Glossen 44 | 2019 | Current Issue
Editors and Advisory Board
Editorial Policy and Submissions
Authors Agreement
Michael Eskin Cofounder and Publisher Upper West Side Philosophers, Inc.
Published by Glossen at 5:37 pm under Uncategorized
How Writing a Novel Can Get You Fired … in London A Publisher's Field Notes
Do you remember what happened to Marzieh Rasouli? Or to Osip Mandel'shtam and Joseph Brodsky? Let me remind you: Rasouli, a journalist, was recently sentenced to fifty lashes and two years in prison for allegedly "spreading propaganda against the system," Mandel'stham was sent to the Gulag for writing poetry, and Brodsky was incarcerated and exiled for social parasitism. Yes, these things do happen, we know only too well – in places like Iran and Russia – but certainly not in our very midst, or do they? You be the judge.
We recently published the debut novel of London-based author Stephen Grant, A Moment More Sublime. Inspired by real-life events (which novel isn't?) involving Richmond upon Thames College, London, where the author has, until recently, taught philosophy and been an elected representative of the University and Colleges Union, A Moment More Sublime is the fictional story of a London-based philosophy teacher, who finds himself unexpectedly embroiled in his union's struggle against a corrupt school administration and its plans to cut jobs under the pretense of modernization and fiscal austerity, just as he and his partner are getting ready to buy a home and start a family …
No sooner had the novel been published than the author found himself caught up in the maelstrom of a totalitarian nightmare: his employer immediately initiated disciplinary proceedings against him, ostensibly, with a view to summarily dismissing him for "Gross Misconduct," which allegedly consisted in "failing to obtain appropriate permission in relation to the publication … before entering into any agreement with the publisher," breaching the "legal limits" of "the right to 'express one's opinion'," and, more generally, not "abid[ing] by common law" in writing and publishing a novel that presumably brings Richmond upon Thames College "into disrepute."
During one of the "Investigative Meetings" conducted by officer Yvonne G., the college's head of HR, our author was asked: "… would you say … that the reason you did not seek permission prior to the publication of the book was because you knew if you had you would not have received the College's permission?"
The college's frivolous accusation against our author of acting illegally and against common law, as well as the preposterous stipulation that an author seek his teaching institution's permission to publish creative work (or any kind of work, for that matter) aside (on the evidence contained in the college's investigative report, by the way, this stipulation was not part of our author's employment contract) – the claim that A Moment More Sublime allegedly brings "the College into disrepute" bears further scrutiny, since it constitutes the linchpin in the college's case against our author.
Reading the novel squarely and willfully as a more or less exact mirror of reality – something that wouldn't even fly in a 100-level Introduction to Literature course – officer G. took the naive stance, throughout the investigation, that certain depictions and characters in the novel could be directly correlated with, and consequently reflected poorly on, the college. Thus, to give only two examples: At one point, officer G. highlighted our author's ostensible lack of "respect for other colleagues" bespoken by the "bizarre physical attributes" ascribed to some of the novel's fictional characters. The passage explicitly referred to by officer G. is set in the novel's fictional college's IT support center, where the protagonist "is suddenly reminded of the bizarre physical aspect of its inhabitants. Three of the technicians are shaped like enormous footballs with smaller balls sitting on top. The fourth is a bearded, longhaired, stick-like creature who looks as if he has arrived on twenty-first-century Earth from Planet of the Apes to find himself in a Texan fat camp. At the far end sits Tony, roundest of them all." At another point in the investigation, officer G. averred that because the fictional college is situated close to a playing field (which college isn't?) and has a parking lot next to it (which college doesn't?), readers will invariably be lead to identify the novel's setting with the real Richmond upon Thames College. Here is officer G.'s summary of her "geopolitical" argument: "Stephen was asked about a particular passage in the book which refers to the location of the fictional College being a couple of hundred yards from the RFU (Rugby Football Union) stadium and how the RFU uses the College car park on match days. RuTC allows the usage of its car park on rugby match days. This provides a direct reference to the College's location and an association to RuTC. The association could lead the reader to conclude the book was written about RuTC and could potentially be damaging to the College."
In light of these and similar 'findings', officer G. summarily demanded that our author "arrange for (1) the removal of any advertisement of the publication from the Internet … (2) notify the publisher to cease sales and remove it from any advertisement by the publisher [and] refrain from any conduct which seeks to sell or publish the novel more widely …"
Now, purely for the record: inspired by real-life events that involved Richmond upon Thames College though it may be, nowhere does the novel mention Richmond upon Thames College or any of its employees, and nothing in the novel suggests that it is 'about' matters concerning Richmond upon Thames College (which it is avowedly not, being about ongoings at the fictional Sandford College). Even knowing that the author has taught at Richmond upon Thames College by no means suggest that the novel ought to be read as a roman-à-clef about Richmond upon Thames College. Only if you happen to know both the novel and Richmond upon Thames College does the alleged correlation become a tempting (if essentially untenable) possibility – but only in the so inclined, naive reader's mind (and not in the novel as such) – the same reader's who would also entertain the notion that Nabokov was a lecher and pedophile on the basis of Lolita, that Shakespeare was morose and potentially suicidal on the basis of Hamlet, and that Jeffrey Eugenides is gender-troubled and marriage-wary on the basis of Middlesex and The Marriage Plot, respectively.
Far more troubling, however, than the theoretical question of whether officer G. has a point or not (as any English teacher will tell you, she commits the gravest kind of category mistake in not accepting the fundamental premise of fiction, namely, the suspension of language's referential function) is Richmond upon Thames College's frivolous abuse of power in regard to a novel and its author – at the heart of a Western democracy, in 2014! – and what it might mean for authors and publishers more generally, should the College's actions go unremediated. After all, Richmond upon Thames College wished to extend its dictatorial reach to the publisher as well in mandating that we cease selling and promoting A Moment More Sublime.
It seems to me that what needs to be done is obvious: actions such Richmond upon Thames College's against our author, his novel, and its publisher must be fought tooth and nail in the name of the core freedoms that subtend our Western democracies: in his case, those of speech and expression. As our author's case makes abundantly clear: these freedoms must not be taken for granted, they are not givens, their preservation and implementation is ever in need of our efforts and vigilance. And that is why we need authors, who in turn need publishers to be heard.
And while Stephen Grant's situation may objectively not be as dire as Rasouli's, Mandel'shtam's, Brodsky's and many others' in those faraway lands of dictatorial wantonness, essentially speaking it is the same: he has been willfully punished for exercising his right to free speech. (Ironically, as I found out when I wrote to PEN International headquarters in London in this matter, authors like Stephen Grant fall through the cracks of PEN's vigilance, which tends to train its gaze precisely on those "faraway lands …," overlooking abuses of authors in their own backyard in the process.)
Neither our author nor we, his publishers, expected all this when we first embarked on the journey of turning a manuscript into a book. But in the process we have certainly been reminded of what noble and necessary endeavors writing and publishing are at their core, insofar as they always involve the risk – which they must take – of falling foul of, and thus showing up, the powers that be.
Part III – My Continuing Battle with Cancer November 19, 2018
Part II – My Continuing Battle with Cancer November 13, 2018
My Continuing Battle with Tongue Cancer – Part I November 8, 2018
Nobelpreis für Wolf Biermann: Eine transatlantische PEN-Initiative July 30, 2018
#MeToo and the Legends of Genesis January 23, 2018
A Publisher's Reflections on the Frankfurt Book Fair 2017 December 5, 2017
Kristallnacht: The View from 2017 November 16, 2017
Ansprache am Mauergedenkort 9. November 2017 November 14, 2017
Tom Petty's "Heart Attack": Zum "Herzstillstand" des "Heartbreakers" October 20, 2017
Make America Great Again December 13, 2016
Herta Müller wird der Heinrich-Böll-Preis verliehen July 2, 2015
Gerd Sonntag: Zum 1. Mai 2015 April 30, 2015
Günter Grass und Salman Rushdie — Ost-Westlicher Diwan April 27, 2015
Der neue Film "Nackt unter Wölfen" — SED-Propaganda in der ARD? April 8, 2015
Michael Eskin Cofounder and Publisher Upper West Side Philosophers, Inc. November 30, 2014
Jürgen Fuchs Projekt August 18, 2014
Günter Kunert June 12, 2014
Verzeichnis der Rezensionen: Glossen 34 – 40 (2012 – 2015) July 25, 2013
Warum Günter Grass besser geschwiegen hätte. Ein 'Gedicht' und seine Folgen April 14, 2012
Mauerreste July 31, 2011
50 Jahre Mauerbau
Börsenblatt.net — Online Magazin für den deutschen Buchhandel
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Obituary & Tribute to Nikos Chatzisarantis
OBITUARY & TRIBUTE
Professor Nikos Chatzisarantis, BSc., MSc., PhD
Dr Nikos Chatzisarantis sadly passed away in Greece on May 6th, 2020 after a year-long illness with cancer. Nikos was an extraordinary academic and, even within his relatively short – far too short – life, he achieved so much. More of that later. In this obituary and tribute, a number of friends and colleagues recollect stories from Nikos' life and through this we celebrate a wonderful person who shall be missed hugely.
Stuart Biddle: I was lucky to supervise Nikos for his MSc and PhD degrees. His MSc (Exercise & Sport Psychology at the University of Exeter, 1993-95) comprised a number of taught modules ('units'/'courses') by various esteemed staff in sport & exercise science (e.g. Kenneth Fox, Andrew Sparkes) and psychology (e.g., Paul Kline, Paul Webley) as well as a year-long research project. But, Nikos being a rather unconventional person, decided that he would work hard (actually very hard) on the subjects he found interesting, and not do much for the others! This, alongside a rather rusty style of written English in his early days at Exeter, left him risking a failing profile for the MSc degree. But I kept thinking that there was more to this man. In a class I taught on exercise and mental health, I asked the students to collect a small bit of data, analyse it, and report back verbally and in written form. Around this time, Nikos opted into Professor Paul Kline's class on factor analysis (Prof Kline was a world authority on the subject). Armed with responses from far more questionnaires on exercise and mental health than I was expecting, Nikos presented a most impressive summary of his factor analysis skills in my class! He blew me away with his knowledge and enthusiasm. You could see that he loved it! Similar to the scenes from Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, I asked myself "who is this guy?" There seemed more than met the eye.
His MSc project was titled "Theory of planned behaviour, self-efficacy theory, and motivational orientations: an investigation of physical exercise behaviour". The motivational orientations referred to self-determination theory. You can see even back then that Nikos had a strong interest in theory integration. A paper in the European Journal of Social Psychology, in 1998, was based on the data from this MSc project.
Fortunately, Nikos managed to pass his MSc despite having this rather uneven profile of grades. But this led immediately to him requesting that I take him on for his PhD. I was a little doubtful to start with. "Nikos", I said, "your MSc grades were a bit patchy; how do I know you can handle a PhD?" It was then that he explained what ignited his academic passions, and how he focussed on his areas of interests, but not others. In the end, I accepted Nikos onto the PhD program, with some hesitation. What a great decision! In fact, if I had rejected him, it would have been one of the worse calls I would have made in my career.
So, Nikos started his PhD at Exeter in 1995 focussing on his passion for theory testing and statistics. His thesis, approved in 1999, was titled "A self-determination theory approach to the study of physical activity intentions". His first study was a meta-analysis: "Self-Determination Theory approach to the boundary conditions of the Theory of Reasoned Action and Planned Behaviour: theoretical extensions using meta-analysis". A key conclusion was "if intentions are less likely to predict behaviour when the motivational process is controlling, it follows that the TRA/TPB can lead to applications that undermine intrinsic motivation and adherence. Also, a more differentiated analysis of intention formation from the self-determination point of view could provide a more appropriate means for promoting adherence". Nikos was well and truly up and running!
Four other studies featured in his PhD, addressing the theoretical integration of constructs from SDT and TPB, with Study 2 published in the British Journal of Health Psychology in 1997. His focus on intentions was key to his PhD. Study 5 had a title that I'm sure Nikos was proud of: "On the entropic nature of the attitude-intention relationship: the roles of identification and autonomous and controlling intentions in understanding stationarity".
Similar to his MSc, however, more troubles lay ahead for Nikos. In producing what I thought was a highly novel PhD in 1998, his examination panel didn't like it! I had just taken up a position at Loughborough University and appointed Nikos to a Research Associate position there – essentially a 'post-doc', even though they were not officially called that at the time. His PhD committee criticised Nikos's writing and, frankly, couldn't see what I thought was highly original thinking. While I should take some blame for not checking his writing thoroughly enough, to this day I can't see why the examiners couldn't see the merit of his work. The outcome was that Nikos had to revise his thesis quite substantially and re-submit later in the year. The descriptions above of some impressive studies were from his revised thesis. Thankfully, he passed! Moreover, while he was at Loughborough I introduced him to someone who was just finishing his own PhD – a certain Martin Hagger. And what a powerhouse partnership that created! Martin was a somewhat dapper, well-groomed and what some might say elegant individual; Nikos, well, was not really like that! Opposites attract I guess. And the field of health/exercise psychology is all the better for it.
Just to reinforce what a mistake I could have made, at least from my point of view, if I had rejected Nikos for his PhD, here are some impressive statistics:
Scopus: h-index = 44; citations = 7,982 (23 papers cited > 100 times)
Google Scholar: h-index = 66; citations = 19,185
His most cited papers:
1,052 citations (Scopus); 2145 (Google Scholar): Hagger, M.S., Wood, C., Stiff, C., & Chatzisarantis, N.L.D. (2010). Ego depletion and the strength model of self-control: a meta-analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 136(4), 495-525. doi:10.1037/a0019486
889 citations (Scopus); 1840 (Google Scholar): Hagger, M.S., Chatzisarantis, N.L.D., & Biddle, S.J.H. (2002). A meta-analytic review of the Theories of Reasoned Action and Planned Behaviour in physical activity: Predictive validity and the contribution of additional variables. Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology, 24, 3-32. doi:10.1123/jsep.24.1.3
Nikos read widely – well beyond psychology. As far as his contributions to health/social/exercise psychology were concerned, he published a number of works addressing the Theory of Planned Behaviour and Self-Determination Theory, continuation intentions, the trans-contextual model, self-control, and the common sense model. He has published in Motivation & Emotion, Personality & Social Psychology Bulletin, Psychological Bulletin, British Journal of Social Psychology, Health Psychology Review, and Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, to name just a few. His track record in the sport and exercise sciences was equally impressive with papers in Exercise and Sport Sciences Reviews, Psychology of Sport & Exercise, and Journal of Sport & Exercise Psychology. And in case you might be thinking he had been solely focused on his own productivity, please note that he regularly reviewed 50 (yes, 50!) papers a year for various journals. He gave his time generously to make these contributions to his profession.
Nikos – I am so proud to have been your supervisor and friend. I can honestly say I learned a great deal from you. You were 'one of a kind' and will be badly missed.
Brett Smith: I met Nikos when I started my MSc at Exeter in 1995. I am proud to say that we remained great friends until he died. Speaking with him over Skype many times when he was living with cancer was still an experience! He continued spinning wonderful stories, including many from his time in hospital and about living with the brutal reality of cancer that made me laugh so hard. I look forward to sharing these with friends over time – most are not for print! But for now, I would like to share two small stories that can be printed and which capture, for me, a little of Nikos – my friend who I miss deeply.
"Brett" shouted Nikos in his thick accent. "I got the job at Exeter. Can I stay with you man, for a week, before I find a flat?"
"Of course mate," I responded. "You do remember I don't have a proper kitchen, no oven, and only have a bedroom and lounge. Are you ok to sleep in the lounge on a mattress on the floor?"
"Yes. I'll be there in an hour. I don't have much to pack."
Six months later Nikos was still living with me. We spent many hours after work drinking at the Firehouse, talking about theory, methods, and throwing ideas out. Nikos of course also traded stories about his colourful life that, as you can all imagine, cannot be shared here! But one of my lasting memories of this time living together (we lived together on 3 occasions) was this: Every time he went clubbing to 'Humphrey B's' without me he'd return at 3.00am (if he came back!), climb into my bed, and with his usual generosity say, "Wake up man. I've brought you a kebab. Can we watch TV?"
"Nikos, I'm going to visit my mum for the weekend. Do you want to come?"
"Yes. I want to see the village outside Hull you grew up in."
"We need to leave early Sunday morning to get back to Exeter because I need to get back to my PhD. OK?"
"No problem man."
Saturday we spend the afternoon in the village local pub that I had been a regular at whilst working as an college lecturer in Hull before returning to Exeter to study for my PhD. The locals in the pub very quickly loved Nikos. Like most people Nikos met, they were captivated by him – his inquisitive, generous, honest, and playful nature quickly made him everyone's friend. Walking home Nikos would say "I love this place Brett. It's a little like Greece. Men are sitting huddled around tables playing domino's and cards for pennies. Everyone buying rounds, looking a little grumpy, and laughing at jokes."
Sunday morning came. Sunday afternoon we were back to the pub, with the locals welcoming him back with a loud cheer of 'Nik The Greek is back. Get him a beer. Come and sit down'. We left my village a week later. I could rarely say 'no' to Nikos.
For years after, if Nikos didn't come back with me, the locals in the pub would welcome me not with 'How are you Brett? Finished that PhD yet? but with "Where is Nikos? Is he here? Tell him we miss him and to come back soon.'
Nikos Ntoumanis: Nikos C (as I used to call him) and I shared many memories in Exeter and Perth, most of which I cannot share in public! I first met him in August 1995 at the Mount Radford Pub, opposite the St. Luke's campus at the University of Exeter. I visited Stuart Biddle at the time, as I was about to start a PhD under Stuart's supervision a month later. Stuart wanted to introduce me to fellow Greek students he supervised. As with many people, I was taken aback when I first met Nikos C, but at least the other two Greeks (Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis and Simos Vlachopoulos) seemed "sane", so I decided to stay at Exeter!
Some of my vivid memories from our Exeter days include: a) he and I working together to figure out how to implement the Hunter and Schmidt meta-analysis technique by reading their book that Stuart lent us; b) he recovering at the hospital after breaking his ankle playing football at a park; c) he and I sharing food, drinks, and many stories living in the same house in the summer of 1996. Nikos C left for Loughborough University with Stuart in 1998.
Nikos C and I didn't work on the same campus until 2014 when I moved to Curtin University in Perth, he had moved to Curtin a year or so earlier. I still remember my first day. Cecilie and I arrived there with our daughters and he greeted us in his office. He and the girls got on very well, he was subsequently called by them as "the funny Nikos". Shortly after meeting the girls, he got out of his office, put the girls on his office chair, and spun the chair down the office corridor. The girls had such a brilliant time! Some colleagues complained about the noise but we had such a laugh!
I visited Nikos at the hospital when he was ill; I always brought with me his favourite juice (watermelon). He looked tired but he had not lost his sense of humour. He and I had several coffee meetings over the last year, and I was very confident that he would "make it". Up to about a month before he passed away, he was still talking with his usual passion about papers, analyses, and ideas for future work. Then, suddenly, he stopped answering my calls and emails, but I was glad he was able to travel back to his home town of Thessaloniki before he died. I miss our coffee breaks very much!
John Wang: I first met Nikos in 1998 when I started my PhD journey at Loughborough University. He taught me structural equation modelling and many other statistical analyses. I spent a lot of time with him in the lab and in the weekly pub sessions. He travelled with me to many schools in the UK for data collection. When we met every time, we used the Greek way of greeting "Ela, Malaka". After that, he went to Brunel University and I helped him to move house to London. We remained in touch with each other.
In 2009, Nikos joined me in Nanyang Technological University in Singapore as an Associate Professor. We created many milestones, including the creation of the Motivation in Educational Research Lab, getting many big grants from the Ministry of Education (MOE) Tier 2, Ministry of Health grants, Ministry of Community Development and Youth, and MOE Education Research Grants, and others. Many of these ideas came from the weekly pub sessions with Nikos. In the four and the half years in Singapore, he helped me to grow professionally. He has also mentored many colleagues and graduate students. Nikos was well liked by many of us in Singapore. I was happy for Nikos when he got a professorship in Curtin University, in Australia, although I was sad to see him leave. When he resigned from the university, he wrote two words in his resignation letter, "I resigned".
When I heard from Stuart that Nikos has been ill in Feb 2020, I contacted Nikos a few times to ask him to drop a line to me. Knowing Nikos, he replied, "Hi, I drop you a line".
To Nikos: Miss You!
Erika Borkoles: Nikos was a true raw diamond. He shined from within. He didn't need flashy stuff. He was the most unassuming, most tolerant of differing views and cultures and a very kind person. I see Nikos now dancing under the lights in a night club on the Quay in Exeter. He was very happy. He never lost that optimism that he took to everything he attempted to do.
He had a formidable intellect. I've never had such brilliant theoretical and meaningful debate marathons, going on for days, with anyone. He was a man of few words, but when we spoke about theories and science we didn't stop talking. In these times, I had a rare glimpse into who he really was as a person. He always put others before him. Not many people know this, but he used most of his income to support his family and others he cared for. He lived an unconventional life, but a truly meaningful one.
He was also someone who cared deeply about human rights. When I stayed with him in Singapore, he picked me up at the airport. We hailed a taxi and I casually asked him about what he thought of living in Singapore. He started to talk about the 'computer says no' culture, where being gay is still illegal. He said the hidden oppression of the LGBTQ community needs to be highlighted. He deliberately said it so that taxi driver would hear. I kept glancing at the taxi driver in the mirror, waiting for Nikos and me to be arrested! We got out of the taxi and went to his apartment. It was as sparse as any of his accommodations he has ever lived in, devoid of knickknacks and any other personal stuff. I ventured into the bathroom, seeing an enormous hole in the side of the bath. I started to laugh and asked what had happened. He said that he lent the keys to his friend, who had a raging party full of women. I said, I hope he paid for its repair.
Then we hit town, ended up in one of the poshest hotels to watch old men exploiting young women. He apparently, liked the white tea there and people watching. Always an anthropologist, curious about life in general. Indeed, the tea and cakes were second to none. Then we got even hungrier and he took me to a very basic, but obviously locally much appreciated little eatery. The food was scrumptious, but half way through our dinner, a soldier walked in and sat right behind me on the wooden bench and dumped his rucksack next to me. I glanced down and saw what seem liked hand grenades (real or not) sticking out from the military bag. I panicked and asked Nikos to sit somewhere else. The rows of wooden benches didn't really allow for a great distance from the grenades. Then Nikos said "Look if that thing is going to go off, it doesn't matter where we sit." Of course, he was right and we finished our meal without any major incident. After all these adventures of the day, we headed into the centre of town, to a bar in Clarke Quay. I looked up and saw what I thought were giant penises. Nikos then started to walk around shouting to everyone that his friend thinks these aircon monuments are giant penises. Luckily, I had enough to drink by then not to care about being arrested.
Simon Marshall Nikos, you spoke like a poet-scientist – you gave rhythm and passion to complex ideas, effortlessly weaving together concepts and ideas that can only come from drinking four pints in The Swan in the Rushes. While I couldn't understand most of what you said (not because of language, but because of my lagging intellect), I do fondly recall your stock answer to most questions I had about functions in the Structural Equation Modelling software you were trying to teach me – "It's not important. That's only for idiots." I still laugh about that to this day. Nikos – you were insanely smart, kind, and always up for deep chat over a pint. The world has lost a great mind but an even better person. RIP, you lovely hairy man.
Emmanouil (Manos) Georgiadis: I met Nikos in 1994. We were both attending the Masters course in Exeter Uni and in my eyes he was the "experienced" one having joined the course more than a year earlier. He was always easy-going and ready for a beer in the pub, no matter the challenge he was facing. Hanging out with Nikos was great fun as he had this unique ability to turn every serious conversation into a joyful one. His strong Greek accent made lots of heads turn during our conversations and I remember enjoying the simplified solutions he was ready to provide on all the complicated and stressful things.
Two and a half years later we were both at Loughborough Uni, following Stuart's move to the prestigious institution of the English midlands. Again, Nikos was the experienced one, being into his post-doctoral studies. He was always hospitable to provide me accommodation during my frequent journeys as I was starting my part-time PhD. During our conversations, I remember him responding in his unique calm way on the theoretical confusions I was encountering. In fact, the outcome of that conversation created the foundations for my first study and helped to unravel the sequence of studies leading to the completion of my thesis. I did not have the chance to tell him how grateful I am for his help back then. Maybe because I knew his response in advance. He would simply say: "…what's your problem re malaka? Let's go for a beer and forget about the old stuff!".
Thank you my friend Niko! I miss you already.
Sviatlana (Sveta) Kamarova: It has been over 10 years of our work and friendship with Nikos. I met Nikos at a conference in Belgium in May 2010 and in September that year I started to work with him first in Singapore and then in Australia. So it was like he became a family to me since I would see him much more. In Singapore, we used to go out with him and his girlfriend on New Year's and working on Christmas Eve (only next day he realised that that was actually Christmas Eve when we were working on some data at the laboratory). Or on another occasion, he called me at 5.30 am to ask how many conditions we had in an experiment.
Nikos was truly a very unique genuine person, and he didn't care about conventions and always treated anyone as equal. He set the bar high and I know that there will be no other person like him. He was a mentor not only professionally but in life. When I got upset once about something in my personal life he said "Don't worry about this, this is not important, think about studies. Let's go for a drink".
On the last day before the shut-down due to COVID we went out with him, Dimitris (his brother), my husband, son and me to a pub in Perth. That was April 19th and we were talking that we will come to see him in Greece later this year and where we will drive around there together…
Thank you, Nikos, for all good advice you gave, for being there and showing how wide one's soul can be. I miss you!
Sakis Papaioannou. I first met Nikos at the end of June 1994 in Exeter. Stuart Biddle and Ken Fox were so kind to invite me to deliver a lecture and maybe collaborate with them and with their very promising research students, some of them Greeks. At that time of the year Marios Goudas was in Greece but Nikos and Simos Vlachopoulos were waiting for me at Exeter central station. Those who know both Nikos and Simos know their similarities and differences; both of them highly intrinsically motivated researchers, with very deep knowledge of their research topics, very competent in statistics, committed to high research ethics standards, speaking relentlessly on theory and research. But so different personalities. Simos the serious, Nikos the crazy. To reach Nikos' flat we had to pass through a pub, "it's probably the cheapest in Exeter, I need to save money to study" he told me.
These four days (and nights) in Exeter with Nikos were so unique! Dozens of hours discussing everything about theory and research, society, politics, life, cultures, all in the very unique Nikos style that everyone who loved him understood. When I was flying back to Greece I was smiling for those hours that provided some of the most pleasant experiences I could possibly have in life.
This was the beginning of our friendship. Since then every time that we were meeting each other in universities and congresses across different places in the world, we were spending nights talking about everything, shifting our discussion so easily from research and academia to politics, from projects and psychology to ethics and Aristotle, from education and human rights to projects and research again … I was always impressed by his most updated knowledge about theory and research and maybe about everything he was speaking about. Nikos was a very unique intellectual, a very authentic guy, and mostly a VERY GOOD man, always supportive, always having something good to say or to do for us.
Nikos loved Thessaloniki – we are both from this very old Greek town. When he was coming to his homeland he wanted our meetings to be in the cafes and bars in front of the White Tower, or in the bar of Thessaloniki's archeological museum discussing in front of ancient sculptures and mosaics, or at least in the cafes and taverns next to Galerius Palace. I knew how much he missed them and I tried to invite him several times to Greece. I also tried to persuade him to return to Greece and find an academic position in his homeland, but he always insisted that "we are international man, we belong to the world, our research must be relevant to all people of this planet, not just to Greeks!" He was truly international, he taught in universities in three continents and he would have worked across all five continents if the damned cancer had allowed him to do so. In fact Nikos almost persuaded me to move away from Greece … but despite his insistence, I always had a hope that one day he would return permanently to Greece to work with us, to work together…
Nikos left us too early, too unexpectedly. His energy, smile, supportiveness, passion for research and life, made me think that he would be always like that, next to us and supporting us forever. If I had ever thought that he would leave us one day, I would have tried to learn more about him, about his personal life, to understand him better. I can't forgive myself that I didn't do it when I had the time.
Everybody says that Nikos was unconventional. Well, he has been the most conventional Section Editor of the International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology. He was never late, always providing feedback of the highest quality, until the very end of his life. He knew that he would die soon, possibly within the next week or so, but he continued inviting reviewers, providing feedback and making editorial decisions until at least April 16th 2020 (last registered Nikos' actions in the electronic Editorial system), during a time that he was emptying his house in Perth to return to Thessaloniki and die in his homeland.
Two weeks earlier (beginning of April) I had a 30-40 minute skype discussion with Nikos. He was telling me that he had decided to take an early retirement from Perth due to his sickness, return to Greece and come and work with us in Trikala. His brother Dimitris was already in Perth next to him, hearing our discussion. Only Dimitris and Nikos knew that the cancer was progressing so fast and he would die soon. Nikos didn't say anything to me or to anyone else – all his actions were as if anything was normal. Later Dimitris told me that Nikos didn't want to make us sad. We lost contact with Nikos since the end of April. Nikos and Dimitris flew from Perth to Thessaloniki on May 3rd, upon their arrival they went to a Greek hospital. On May 14th I received an email from Sveta that Nikos had died.
Symeon Vlachopoulos. As I believe that many aspects of Nikos' life and character have been covered by other contributors I will try to be brief. I first met Nikos when I began my doctorate studies in Exeter with Stuart (Biddle) and Ken (Fox). Nikos at that time started his MSc studies. We became friends immediately given that we were both beginning our studies in a foreign country (that later proved to be a very friendly and important country for both of us). It was the first stages of understanding where we are and how things work in order to get started with our mission. The next three years I can say that I considered Nikos to be my best friend given that from early morning to late night the topic of our discussions were psychological research, theory, and statistics. I was always impressed by his original way of viewing things, and his ideas I can say shaped my way of thinking. That was going on even when we were walking to visit a night club. Only when we were in the club, these discussions were ending because of loud music, Nikos having beers, and his attention being somewhere else. After some years he took my post at Brunel University when I left to return to Greece. Every few years we were meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece, his hometown, again to go out for drinks till late night and still the topic of discussion was the same as in the first years in Exeter. To characterize Nikos with a few words, I would use the words charismatic and genuine. He will be truly missed. RIP My Friend.
Guy Faulkner: I had the great fortune to know Nikos while doing postgraduate studies at Exeter and then Loughborough where I was always several steps behind him both intellectually and in terms of graduating. After we went our separate ways, with me moving to Canada and he to Singapore and then Australia, I don't think I met him again in person. Yet twenty years later my recollection of him and our interactions remain so vivid and extraordinary – whether in the lab, going for walks, or on the dance floor. He taught me the most offensive Greek swear words and also structural equation modelling. Now I only remember how to swear in Greek. He truly was a one-of-a-kind who has left an indelible mark on the field of health psychology. I will never forget him.
Sarah Hardcastle: I first met Nikos soon after meeting Martin (Hagger) in 2008 and got to know him properly, and as my own friend, following my move to Australia in 2014. Nikos was always crazy, in a good way, and fun to be around. He was academically brilliant and achieved so much, yet he was humble, gracious, generous, inclusive, and authentic. Truly one of a kind … at ease talking about anything and everything!
I was fortunate to walk beside him on his cancer journey and his courage and bravery in the face of adversity was amazing. The treatments he had to endure were extremely harsh, but he never complained. He was his funny, larger than life self, even in hospital. Nikos would love to introduce me to everyone as his 'best friend's wife' with a mischievous glint in his eyes. His energy and zest for life never ceased to amaze me, particularly in the past year. We were both applying for jobs in 2019 and his laptop was a bit dodgy so I would bring my laptop to the hospital and he would be doing skype job interviews in the guest chair, concealing his PICC line with a shirt and sweater and I'd be sitting in his bed on his laptop! Crazy times … he would get very excited in the interviews and in true Nikos style, with lots of flamboyant hand waving and 'yah(s)' and 'isn't it' directed at the interview panel! We even had dress rehearsals to make sure you could not tell it was a hospital room! You could not make this stuff up! Other people were surviving but Nikos was still thriving!
When Nikos was back at home, he liked hanging out and drinking lots of coffee at 'San Churros' and talking research, psychology, philosophy, academia, religion, relationships, and things that cannot be mentioned here for hours on end! Nikos shielded his family from his plight such was his selfless nature and walked a very brave and courageous path. I will miss Nikos very much; he is simply irreplaceable and the world a much less colourful place without him. Nikos left us without warning and his premature departure has left our hearts filled with pain; but though he is no longer with us, in our hearts and memories he will always remain.
Antonis Hatzigeorgiadis: Life in Exeter … with Nikos!
I would love to grasp this chance to confess how lucky I have been in life, but this is supposed to be a brief note! So I can summarize … I was lucky enough in my life to meet Nikos at Exeter in 1994 when I joined THE masters programme!
I was even luckier to have spent together with Nikos some 5 years and utterly luckiest to share some houses with Nikos for about 3 of them in Exeter! How much I owe to Nikos … what a life experience this has been!!!
Typical of Stuart, when I arrive in Exeter he advised me to "meet Nikos, he's Greek also; he joined the masters last year"; so there I was, meeting Nikos at Sidwell Street outside James Owen Court to go to a pub; not that it mattered which pub it would be, our first time happened to be one of the darkest, loudest, and dirtiest (I thought at the time) places, two floors (it seemed) underground … it had to be The Cavern! … but I can't complaint about the unspeakable 'treatment'…
Many unspeakable "Caverns" followed throughout the Exeter years and I can remember, I think, most if not all of the key places where things happened with Nikos … this is what I'm going to share with you, Exeter friends, and I hope you can all join and travel back in time to remember, smile, maybe shed a tear, and honour our great friend the most generous and spontaneous, unique and unforgettable, the original always… Nikos!
Click here: https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1eiddF6CiPq11N–qVsZJ5HXVdPCQ24Wx&ll=50.72966590000001%2C-3.517664500000004&z=15
Nikos as I met him – more or less – but that expression was forever!
Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani: The first time I met Nikos was in October 1996 at a party at the 'main' campus at the University of Exeter (where I was an undergraduate student at the time). This took place the day after I started dating 'my' Nikos (Nikos Ntoumanis). He had asked Nikos where he'd been as he hadn't been able to reach him. When he met me that evening, he said "Ahh, now I know why".
Later on, while I still studied for my BSc, and needed to move to a friendlier house than the one I had lived in previously, I actually moved into Nikos' old room in a shared house in Exeter (I believe this was when he went to Loughborough). So I never actually shared a house with Nikos, but we certainly have in common that small room at the top of the house with the magnificent view of Exeter.
Years later, in 2004, we invited Nikos to our wedding; only very special people were invited as we had a relatively small wedding. He, of course, stayed in the some random cheap hotel close to the airport, not because he was stingy (because he wasn't), but he simply didn't care about luxury (our wedding was in a reasonably fancy hotel) and he just needed somewhere to crash. It was a brilliant wedding and I believe Nikos had a lot of fun that night too.
I saw him again years later, and I could hardly recognise him as he had lost a huge amount of weight, and was getting super fit. Very different from the man I knew at Exeter, who, in combination with his hard work as a PhD student, was combined with hard partying at the local nightclubs and the compulsory kebab afterwards.
For the past 6 years, we worked together at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia, and for the past few years, we had offices opposite each other. He would stick his head in now and then and we'd have a chat about projects or papers we wanted to write. I was of course in awe of his massive intellect, and tried my best to follow his train of thought, which wasn't always possible. He got so excited every time I suggested something which I greatly appreciated. He really instilled confidence in me and wanted to collaborate on lots of projects and papers. We also co-supervised an Honours student together, and the meetings with the student were enlightening in so many ways. We were supervising a project on social comparisons, self-compassion and interpersonal relationships with a very sweet bright female student, who also, at least appeared very young and innocent. When explaining the concept of social comparisons (using the example of attractiveness), he asked the student "Do you think I'm handsome"? to which, of course, she profusely blushed. Oh, I do miss those meetings. His passion in explaining concepts to students was incredible. I will really miss hearing his loud voice across the corridor.
Nikos was extremely generous both in terms of sharing his vast knowledge, and even in a practical sense; he always wanted to pay for everything when we went out and bought lots of stuff for our daughters too. He had a brilliant connection with our two daughters and they were incredibly fond of him. A few years ago, we needed a Santa Claus for Christmas Eve (we had an outfit), and we thought Nikos would be perfect in the role (albeit, I'm pretty sure he would reveal his true self and the girls would have seen through it pretty quickly). He thought about it, even getting excited about the prospect. Unfortunately, for some practical reasons it never happened, which is a shame.
I also appreciated Nikos for always being positive, but also for having great sensitivity. Nikos was a one in a lifetime individual and l will miss him greatly. I wish I had had even more discussions with him over the years.
Stuart Biddle (concluding remarks – 1): I wanted to write an obituary for Nikos. I asked former students of mine and his, plus other friends, to say a few words and not be restricted by formalities. Tell some stories – some funny, some sad. And here we are – 13 stories and recollections and 11 pages later!
If you are a qualitative researcher – something Nikos was not – an analysis of the 11-page text here would be very interesting. I haven't analysed it fully, but it is clear to see what people thought of Nikos: clever, funny, generous, social, liked (no, loved). I put this text into a word cloud (not something I do very often). Apart from 'giant penises' (I hope you have read the text earlier), key words range from structural equation modelling, planned behaviour, and motivational orientations, to human rights, weekly pub session, and late night! I guess this sums up the man. Brilliant, but also eclectic and unconventional, and we love you even more for that, Nikos!
Martin Hagger (concluding remarks – 2): I was very moved by all stories people shared about Nikos, it illustrated how much he was loved and respected. Nikos was like a brother to me. He enlightened my life, and shaped my thoughts and ideas, as he did for many others. It has taken me a while to come to terms with his passing – I miss him so much. It helped to write about it, the resulting 'in memorial', appearing in Psychology and Health, is linked here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/342141265_In_Memory_of_Nikos_Chatzisarantis
Paraphrasing a great work, when I think about him now, I realize that some birds are just not meant to be caged, their feathers are just too bright. However, when they fly away it reminds us that the world we live in is all the more dull and drab without them in it. But Nikos will live on, in our thoughts, our stories, our memories and, for those of us who worked with him, our writing.
Stuart Biddle (University of Southern Queensland, Australia)
Brett Smith (Durham University, UK)
Nikos Ntoumanis (Curtin University, Australia)
John Wang (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
Erika Borkoles (Griffith University, Australia)
Simon Marshall (San Diego, USA)
Emmanouil (Manos) Georgiadis (University of Suffolk, UK)
Sviatlana Kamarova (Curtin University, Australia)
Sakis Papaioannou (University of Thessaly, Greece)
Symeon Vlachopoulos (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece)
Guy Faulkner (University of British Columbia, Canada)
Sarah Hardcastle (Dublin City University, Ireland)
Antonis Hatzgeorgiadis (University of Thessaly, Greece)
Cecilie Thøgersen-Ntoumani (Curtin University, Australia)
Martin Hagger (University of California Merced, USA)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Hogville >
General Sports Discussion >
Other Arkansas Colleges and Universities (Moderators: Lanny, Seminole Indian) >
Topic: BEARS EIGHTH IN SOUTHLAND PRESEASON POLL
Author Topic: BEARS EIGHTH IN SOUTHLAND PRESEASON POLL (Read 210 times)
Seminole Indian
All-American Hogvillian
Total likes: 47
Surfing the web at Hogville.net
BEARS EIGHTH IN SOUTHLAND PRESEASON POLL
BEARS PICKED EIGHTH IN PRESEASON SOUTHLAND POLL
HOUSTON, Texas _ The University of Central Arkansas men's basketball team was picked eighth in the Southland Conference preseason poll released Wednesday as part of Southland Conference Basketball Social Media Day held at the Toyota Center in downtown Houston.
The home of the Houston Rockets is where all 26 head coaches from the league's men's and women's programs are previewed the upcoming season Wednesday. Coaches participated in Q&A sessions, media interviews, social media activities and one-on-one segments. The season is bookended in the Houston area, starting with the preview event and ending nearby at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas, with the Southland Conference tournament on March 13-17.
SLC Social Media Day can be followed on the Southland's Twitter, Instagram and Facebook accounts and will air on ESPN3 tonight at 6 p.m. The ESPN3 telecast will be archived.
The Bears, in their fifth season under head coach Russ Pennell, are coming off their best NCAA Division I season, one in which they reached their second consecutive SLC Tournament and also won their first national postseason game at the D-I level, beating Seattle in the CBI Tournament last March. The Bears finished the 2017-18 season with an 18-17 overall record and a 10-8 mark in league play.
UCA returns 10 letterwinners from last season, along with four new freshman and one redshirt freshman. The Bears open the season on Nov. 6 against the University of Missouri Tigers in Columbia, Mo. Also on the UCA schedule this year are Power 5 schools Louisville, Oklahoma State, Indiana, Pittsburgh and New Mexico.
The 2018-19 SLC season begins Jan. 2 on the road at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi.
2018-19 Southland Men's Basketball Preseason Poll
School (First-place votes) - Total
1. Stephen F. Austin (23) - 287
2. Southeastern Louisiana (2) - 243
3. New Orleans - 204
4. Abilene Christian (1) - 196
5. Lamar - 186
6. Sam Houston State - 184
7. McNeese - 172
8. Central Arkansas - 136
9. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi - 115
T10. Houston Baptist - 101
T10. Nicholls - 101
12. Northwestern State - 73
13. Incarnate Word - 30
https://ucasports.com/news/2018/10/10/mens-basketball-bears-eighth-in-southland-preseason-poll.aspx


text:
package com.google.android.mobly.snippet.bundled;

import android.content.Context;
import android.net.Uri;
import android.os.ParcelFileDescriptor;
import androidx.test.platform.app.InstrumentationRegistry;
import com.google.android.mobly.snippet.Snippet;
import com.google.android.mobly.snippet.bundled.utils.Utils;
import com.google.android.mobly.snippet.rpc.Rpc;
import java.io.IOException;
import java.security.DigestInputStream;
import java.security.MessageDigest;
import java.security.NoSuchAlgorithmException;

/** Snippet class for File and abstract storage URI operation RPCs. */
public class FileSnippet implements Snippet {

    private final Context mContext;

    public FileSnippet() {
        mContext = InstrumentationRegistry.getInstrumentation().getContext();
    }

    @Rpc(description = "Compute MD5 hash on a content URI. Return the MD5 has has a hex string.")
    public String fileMd5Hash(String uri) throws IOException, NoSuchAlgorithmException {
        Uri uri_ = Uri.parse(uri);
        ParcelFileDescriptor pfd = mContext.getContentResolver().openFileDescriptor(uri_, "r");
        MessageDigest md = MessageDigest.getInstance("MD5");
        int length = (int) pfd.getStatSize();
        byte[] buf = new byte[length];
        ParcelFileDescriptor.AutoCloseInputStream stream =
                new ParcelFileDescriptor.AutoCloseInputStream(pfd);
        DigestInputStream dis = new DigestInputStream(stream, md);
        try {
            dis.read(buf, 0, length);
            return Utils.bytesToHexString(md.digest());
        } finally {
            dis.close();
            stream.close();
        }
    }

    @Rpc(description = "Remove a file pointed to by the content URI.")
    public void fileDeleteContent(String uri) {
        Uri uri_ = Uri.parse(uri);
        mContext.getContentResolver().delete(uri_, null, null);
    }

    @Override
    public void shutdown() {}
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


What Will Your Team Be Facing While A Responsive Site Testing Project?
Designers are doing a hell of a job while creating responsive websites. Just consider the total amount of factors like size, readability, resolution, navigability and so on that require careful consideration. However, testers are having an even harder time because all that needs to be checked and double-checked.
The Environment is always a pain to set up properly. The variety of available browsers and operation systems that is currently available is quite the challenge for appropriate testing environment preparations. Then there are devices with various screen sizes and resolutions. All that is however required to properly replicate end-user experience as that is, after all, what testing is about: making sure you find defects before your users. Making sure your site is flawless on a PC with a large screen, a MacBook and an Android Tablet at the same time will cause trouble and the need of testing the site on some of the most popular devices at the very minimum. You can't just buy a set of those one time and use them constantly as new devices are being released way too often for such an approach. This means your testers need to be ready to make strategic choices with multiple configurations of various physical devices.
Design, while responsive, is tricky and may lead testers to roads they should never take. There will be many different screen versions and testers will require to test all of them. However, things people are using on a desktop differ from buttons they will require and will be tapping on an iPhone screen hence testers should be precise on what functionality should be tested here and there.
What? No Automation Frameworks? That is probably the biggest pain as frameworks offer lots of basic and simple automated tests you do not require to create. However, there are still many tools that can make your life easier like the Selenium WebDriver.
However being aware makes you ready so I hope everybody is capable of keeping up to these and more challenges!
How to Really Find Bugs! Nice Little Puzzles!


Luxurious stainless steel lid for use with 20cl Karen jars.
This is a very high quality lid, made from solid stainless steel with a mirror finish. Candle lids are an excellent way of keeping candles free from dust/hair etc and can also be sold as an accessory.
These lids are supplied without the silicone insert.
Available in silver, gold and copper colours.


text:
Board index Non-Regional Airlines serving the Caribbean Travelspan - USA
TravelSpan sends 14 Guyanese to be trained as FAs
Unread post by bimjim » Fri Jun 06, 2014
http://guyanachronicle.com/travelspan-s ... his-month/
TravelSpan sends 14 Guyanese to be trained as flight attendants in Las Vegas : - more to follow later this month
Rebecca Ganesh-Ally
Vanita Jagnarain, General Manager of TravelSpan Guyana (sitting centre) surrounded by the fourteen Guyanese flight attendants (Vishwanauth Narine photo)
TRAVELSPAN Guyana announced on Wednesday that fourteen Guyanese are attending formal training to become flight attendants at Vision Airline's Office in Las Vegas, Nevada which will be done by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Speaking at the press conference at the Executive Lounge at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, Ms. Vanita Jagnarain, General Manager of TravelSpan Guyana said the company began advertising vacancies for flight attendants in January 2014 and received hundreds of applications.
Thirty applicants were shortlisted and all will be trained by the FAA. The 14 Guyanese left this week for the training that will last three weeks. In view of the class size all prospective flight attendants were not accommodated in the first batch, but the remaining 16 are scheduled to leave at the end of June to be trained.
According to Jagnarain: "We received applications from almost every part of Guyana and we have short-listed persons from Berbice, Bartica, Essequibo, Linden and Georgetown." She said that it is the initiative of TravelSpan to have an all-Guyanese cabin crew and therefore decided to conduct the training and have Guyanese qualified by the FAA.
Referring to the cost to conduct this training, Jagnarain said, "It is very costly and for persons to access training it has to be done through an airline and this shows our commitment to the market. We would not have been making this investment unless we wanted to stay on the market."
However, she did not disclose a figure for the training cost.
Meanwhile, the prospective flight attendants have signed a contract that will see them working with the company after the training has concluded. "After the completion of the training we will have some of these same flight attendants do their first flight on their return," she indicated.
Also speaking with this newspaper, Yannick December, a flight attendant as well as an employee with Capitol News Channel 7, noted that it's a great opportunity to be trained by the FAA because as a flight attendant; you will then be recognised worldwide. He encouraged persons to elevate themselves. "I am doing two jobs, I have to cover 20 days with TravelSpan and I am still free-lancing at Capitol News."
TravelSpan Guyana is currently the only airline that provides Guyanese with non-stop flights to New York. Jagnarain said: "Our company is a U.S.-based one, but the owner, Nohar Singh, is a Guyanese." The company also has flights scheduled for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays to and from Port of Spain, Trinidad. TravelSpan also offers an all-inclusive vacation package at a cost of US$1,279 per person for 7 days at 4, 5 and 6-star hotels in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic on Tuesdays in July and August, she said.
TravelSpan Incorporated was set to begin direct flights between New York and Guyana starting December 14, 2013 after being cleared by the U.S. Department of Transport. The airline was established in April 2006 and began operations in Guyana shortly after being granted licenses to provide regional and international services. TravelSpan Guyana is a sister company of the existing TravelSpan Inc. which operates charter services between Port of Spain, Trinidad and North America.
The FAA is the national aviation authority of the United States. As an agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of American civil aviation. The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 created the organisation under the name Federal Aviation Agency. The agency adopted its current name in 1966 when it became a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
Return to "Travelspan - USA"


text:
Parler CEO Mark Matze calls Big Tech ban on the far-right app 'an assault on everybody' - as Trump ultra-loyalist Rep Devin Nunes compares Silicon Valley to the Mafia for shutting down 'free speech'
Amazon joined Google and Apple in suspending Parler on Saturday
CEO Mark Matze called the suspensions 'devastating' on Fox News on Sunday
'They made an attempt to not only kill the app, but to actually destroy the entire company,' he said
GOP Rep Devin Nunes also slammed the suspensions on Fox, saying they are 'clearly a violation' of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act
Nunes called for a federal investigation as he compared Amazon, Apple and Google to 'the Mafia'
He lamented that 'Republicans have no way to communicate' without Parler
By Megan Sheets For Dailymail.com
Parler CEO Mark Matze decried Big Tech's efforts to shut down the far-right app as an 'assault on everybody' after Amazon joined Google and Apple in suspending the platform from their servers.
'It's devastating is what it is,' Matze told Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. 'They all work together to make sure at the same time we would lose access to not only our apps, but they're actually shutting all of our servers off tonight, off the internet.'
Matze said the suspensions were aimed at decimating the company he founded for refusing to monitor its content for incitement of violence.
'They made an attempt to not only kill the app, but to actually destroy the entire company. And it's not just these three companies. Every vendor from text message services to email providers to our lawyers all ditched us too on the same day.'
Rep Devin Nunes (R - California) also appeared on Sunday Morning Futures and said that the tech giants' suspension of Parler is 'clearly a violation' of antitrust, civil rights and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act.
Nunes called for a federal investigation as he compared Amazon, Apple and Google to 'the Mafia' and lamented that 'Republicans have no way to communicate' without Parler.
Parler CEO Mark Matze (pictured) decried Big Tech's efforts to shut down the far-right app as an 'assault on everybody' after Amazon joined Google and Apple in suspending the platform
'It's devastating is what it is,' Matze said of the bans in an interview with Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures. 'They all work together to make sure at the same time we would lose access to not only our apps, but they're actually shutting all of our servers off tonight, off the internet'
Fox News Privacy Policy
Parler had been flooded by conservatives and right wingers fleeing Facebook and Twitter in recent days in the wake of suspension of prominent conservative figures, including Donald Trump.
Facebook and Twitter banned Trump after accusing him of fueling violence at the Capitol on Wednesday, when dozens of his supporters stormed the building in a bid to block the certification of Joe Biden's election victory.
Parler saw more than 1.5 million downloads this weekend alone - before Google led Apple and Amazon with shutoffs and suspensions Matze branded 'a coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the market place'.
On Sunday Matze argued the Silicon Valley leaders are 'trying to falsely claim that we're somehow responsible for the events that occurred on the 6th'.
'We've never allowed [violence] on our platform. And we don't even have a way to coordinate an event on our platform,' he said.
'They somehow want to make us responsible. This seems to me like an excuse to just basically eliminate free speech at a convenient time for them.'
Parler saw more than 1.5 million downloads this weekend alone - before Google led Apple and Amazon with shutoffs and suspensions Matze branded 'a coordinated attack by the tech giants to kill competition in the market place' (file photo)
'It would put anybody out of business,' Matze said of the bans. 'This thing could destroy anybody.'
He said the future of Parler is unclear as it works to restructure in a way that will appease platform hosts.
'We're going to try our best to get back online as quickly as possible but we're having a lot of trouble because every vendor we talk to says they won't work with us,' Matze said.
'Because if Apple doesn't approve and Google doesn't approve, they won't. They've given us no legitimate remedy. They just don't want us on the internet. They want to get rid of us.'
Rep Nunes likewise lambasted the actions of Big Tech, whining: 'I have three million followers on Parler. Tonight, I will no longer be able to communicate with those people.'
'The effect of this is that there is no longer a free and open social media company or site for any American to get on any longer,' he said. 'Because these big companies, Apple, Amazon, Google, they have just destroyed what was likely a billion dollar company. Poof, it's gone.
'It's more than just the financial aspects of that. Republicans have no way to communicate. It doesn't matter if you're Republican or conservative. If you don't want to be regulated by left wingers that are at Twitter and Facebook and Instagram, where you get shadow banned, nobody gets to see you. They get to decide what's violent or not violent.'
He continued: 'I don't know where the hell the Department of Justice is right now, or the FBI. This is clearly a violation of anti-trust, civil rights, the RICO statute.
'There should be a racketeering investigation on all the people that coordinated this attack on not only a company, but on all of those like us, like me.'
Nunes insisted that 'unlike the fake social media sites, Parler is actually a very, very safe platform'.
Rep Devin Nunes (R - California) also appeared on Sunday Morning Futures (pictured) and said that the tech giants' suspension of Parler is 'clearly a violation' of antitrust, civil rights and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act
Matze revealed on Saturday night that Parler had removed a post from right-wing attorney Lin Wood, a staunch Trump supporter, that called for Vice President Mike Pence to be executed by 'firing squads'.
'Yes, some of his parleys that violated our rules were taken down,' Matze told Mediaite, specifying that the post, or parley, about the 'firing squads' was among those removed.
The parley, uploaded Thursday, read: 'They let them in. Get the firing squads ready. Pence goes FIRST.'
In a statement to CNN, Wood denied making any threats against Pence, claiming, 'I don't believe in violence, I do believe in the rule of law.'
'I have reliable evidence that Pence has a engaged in acts of treason. My comments were rhetorical hyperbole. Any journalist should understand that concept. If my information is accurate, law enforcement will address what punishment, if any, should be administered to Pence as they do with all criminals,' Wood said.
News of Wood's controversial post came just hours after Apple announced it would be suspending Parler from its app store indefinitely, having earlier issued the company 24 hours to address the 'threats to people's safety'.
In a letter to the social media site explaining its suspension on Saturday, Apple said: 'Parler has not upheld its commitment to moderate and remove harmful or dangerous content encouraging violence and illegal activity, and is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines.'
Apple explained: 'We have always supported diverse points of view being represented on the App Store, but there is no place on our platform for threats of violence and illegal activity.
'Parler has not taken adequate measures to address the proliferation of these threats to people's safety,' it added.
'We have suspended Parler from the App Store until they resolve these issues'.
Parler faces SHUTDOWN: Amazon vows to switch off... House lawmakers are warned they may have been exposed to...
Matze (pictured) revealed on Saturday night that Parler had removed a post from right-wing attorney Lin Wood, a staunch Trump supporter, that called for Vice President Mike Pence to be executed by 'firing squads'
Matze, in a post on Parler responding to the Apple suspension, said: 'They claim it is due to violence on the platform. The community disagrees as we hit number 1 on their store today'.
'More details about our next plans coming soon as we have many options,' Matze said.
He was forced to post again shortly afterward Amazon announced that it had suspended Parler from its Amazon Web Services (AWS) unit for violating its terms of services by failing to effectively deal with a steady increase in violent content on the social networking service.
'Amazon will be shutting off all of out servers in an attempt to completely remove free speech off the internet,' Matze wrote in response.
'There is the possibility Parler will be unavailable on the Internet for up to a week as we rebuild from scratch. We prepared for events like this by never relying on Amazon's proprietary infrastructure and building bare metal products.
'We will try our best to move to a new provider right now as we have many competing for our business, however Amazon, Google and Apple purposefully did this as a coordinated effort knowing our options would be limited and knowing this would inflict the most damage right as President Trump was banned from the tech companies.
'We were too successful too fast,' he added.
'You can expect the war on competition and free speech to continue but don't count us out.
Apple said in a letter to the social media site, which has been flooded by conservatives and right wingers fleeing Facebook and Twitter, that: 'Parler has not upheld its commitment to moderate and remove harmful or dangerous content encouraging violence and illegal activity, and is not in compliance with the App Store Review Guidelines
Parler is bankrolled by prominent conservative donor Rebekah Mercer
Parler, which styles itself as a 'free speech-driven' space, is bankrolled by hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer's daughter Rebekah, the Wall Street Journal reported in November.
Rebekah has described her as a co-founder of the site with CEO John Matze.
'John and I started Parler to provide a neutral platform for free speech, as our founders intended, and also to create a social media environment that would protect data privacy,' she wrote in a post on the site this fall.
'The ever increasing tyranny and hubris of our tech overlords demands that someone lead the fight against data mining, and for the protection of free speech online,' she added.
Hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer is pictured with his daughter Rebekah in 2017
Matze replied to the post: 'Bekah is a great friend, an American patriot, and most importantly committed to the Parler vision of neutrality and data privacy. We are grateful for her support since 2018, and her early faith in the founders has enabled us to reach these heights. #transparency.'
After WSJ reported Rebekah's links to Parler she issued a statement saying that her multi-millionaire father Robert was not an investor in the site - while sources close to the clan claimed that the investment was a family affair.
Rebekah referred to herself as a co-founder of Parler in a post on the site in November
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Parler, a two-year-old, more freewheeling alternative to Twitter that has become increasingly popular among the president's most ardent supporters, would still be available in mobile browsers.
Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff claimed on Friday night it is being targeted as a conservative platform that refuses to fact check its users.
Right-leaning social media users in the United States have flocked to Parler, messaging app Telegram and hands-off social site Gab, citing the more aggressive policing of political comments on mainstream platforms such as Twitter and Facebook.
In suspending the service, Google, whose software powers Android phones, cited its policy against apps that promote violence and gave recent examples from Parler, including a Friday post that began 'How do we take back our country? About 20 or so coordinated hits', and another promoting a 'Million Militia March' on Washington.
Yet Peikoff claimed on Tucker Carlson's show on Friday night that the app should not have 'responsibility for every piece of incitement that is posted there'.
She said that the app is 'competing with other platforms who have decided that they want to surveil' as she blasted the fact-checking policies taken by larger platforms since Russian interference was revealed in the 2016 election.
'The nature of an open platform, a free and open town square, is that we do not take action on people until we are aware of a situation that's particularly suspicious,' she told the Fox News host.
Peikoff alleged that they were only being targeted by Google and Apple due to the politics of the majority of people on the site.
'I think because we do have the reputation as being the conservative platform - although we are nonpartisan - that is what everybody sees us as,' she said.
'This has been a very unusual week. And to be singled out, we think, is quite unfair.
'On the one hand, people don't like to live in the world of Orwell's '1984,' and on the other hand, a lot of people seem to want to pressure social media to do more to moderate, as they call it, content on their platforms, but that would require 24-hour surveillance,' Peikoff continued.
'And we don't think that that is consistent with the principles of America.'
She claimed that Parler wants to 'provide a place where people can come and speak freely, that they are not going to be fact-checked, not going to be told what to think, what to read, et cetera'.
'Also, we do not data pillage. We do not data mine them. We do not turn them into commodities and try to monetize them,' Peikoff added.
'We would just like to provide that service, and of course, like everyone else, we were horrified by a lot of the incitement that was going on this week, and we are doing everything that we can within our principles to deal appropriately with that content. We work with law enforcement, as well, but that content has been everywhere this week.'
Peikoff admitted that if the Google and Apple bans do take effect, it will have a very serious effect on the app's growth.
She also revealed for the first time that Amazon had also made threats ahead of the announcement the servers were being shut off on Saturday.
'Amazon is also raising some problems, and I'm not sure how serious that is, because I've yet to speak to them. I will later today. You know, they provide the server for us,' she said.
'And if they were to remove their services, then we would be down. As it is, we are having some difficulties now with the uptick in traffic, that if they took their service away, we'd be gone.'
Parler's Chief Policy Officer Amy Peikoff, pictured, claimed on Tucker Carlson it is being targeted as a conservative platform that refuses to fact check its users
Matze also claimed in a post on Friday that Apple was applying standards to Parler that it did not apply to itself.
In a statement, Google said that 'for us to distribute an app through Google Play, we do require that apps implement robust moderation for egregious content. In light of this ongoing and urgent public safety threat, we are suspending the app´s listings from the Play Store until it addresses these issues.'
In a letter from Apple's App Store review team to Parler, Apple cited participants of the mob storming the U.S. Capitol building on Wednesday.
'Content that threatens the well-being of others or is intended to incite violence or other lawless acts has never been acceptable on the App Store,' Apple said in the letter.
Apple gave Parler 24 hours to 'remove all objectionable content from your app ... as well as any content referring to harm to people or attacks on government facilities now or at any future date.'
The company also demanded that Parler submit a written plan 'to moderate and filter this content' from the app.
It has since followed through with its threat and suspended Parler.
Matze, who describes himself as libertarian, founded Parler in 2018 as a 'free-speech driven' alternative to mainstream platforms but began courting right-leaning users as prominent supporters of Trump moved there.
Those who have joined include commentator Candace Owens, Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani, and right-wing activist Laura Loomer, who handcuffed herself to the door of Twitter's New York office in November 2018 to protest a ban on her by the site.
In November, conservative activist Rebekah Mercer confirmed that she and her family, which includes her father and hedge-fund investor Robert Mercer, have provided funding to Parler.
'Apparently they believe Parler is responsible for ALL user generated content on Parler,' Matze said.
'Therefor (sic) by the same logic, Apple must be responsible for ALL actions taken by their phones. Every car bomb, every illegal cell phone conversation, every illegal crime committed on an iPhone, Apple must also be responsible for,' he wrote.
'Standards not applied to Twitter, Facebook or even Apple themselves, apply to Parler.'
Despite the suspensions, the platform would still be available on desktops
Parler CEO on suspensions from Big Tech: 'This can happen to anyone' | On Air Videos | Fox News
Rep. Nunes on Google, Apple & Amazon banning Parler from App stores | On Air Videos | Fox News
Parler CEO Mark Matze calls Big Tech bans on far-right app 'an assault on everybody


DBA's Pillar Vane design used in KNS Brake Rotors can outperform traditional straight vane rotors by up to 20%. This patented "Kangaroo Paw" design features a series of precisely placed diamond and tear-drop shaped pillars that increase strength and improve thermal characteristics. Combined with DBA's heat treated XG150 alloy user's routinely report a significant increase in braking performance and track like over any other rotors available.


NorthBridge is a leading property management, investment, and consulting firm with deep roots across the greater DFW Metroplex.
Company founders, Alex Payne and Brad Andrus, have been investing, developing, managing, and representing clients in commercial real estate and land investments since 1999. Through decades of hands-on experience, they knew there was a high demand in the DFW Metroplex for an integrated commercial real estate company providing best-in-class solutions with superior service. NorthBridge was founded to bridge the gap.
Our team of seasoned professionals have the experience to effectively manage a vast range of property types including office, retail and industrial assets. We are committed to fulfilling your objectives by developing and implementing customized property management and investment strategies for both capital preservation and the maximization of asset cash flow.
The NorthBridge team brings strong industry expertise and a successful track record of managing commercial real estate with outstanding results. Our senior management team averages over 20 years of experience and has brokered, financed, acquired, leased or managed hundreds of properties collectively valued at approximately $1 billion with a transactional volume of more than $250 million.
By leveraging our direct, hands-on knowledge of the DFW Metroplex, and the properties we serve, our team strives to provide higher than average market returns, significant stability for investors, and to maximize returns for property owners.
NorthBridge offers owners, developers, and investors a comprehensive suite of commercial real estate solutions.
Privately owned and operated, NorthBridge Management is a leading property management company serving commercial real estate owners across the DFW Metroplex. We work with an owner's perspective – we understand that attention to detail, expecting and preparing for the unexpected, and being proactive is essential to maximizing the value of real estate assets.
As your trusted advisor, we put your interests above all else. Our experienced team of professionals has over 100 years of combined experience across all types of commercial real estate including office, retail, and industrial properties. Leveraging our direct, hands-on knowledge of the DFW market and our experience as property owners, we develop and implement a management strategy tailored specifically for each property.
This client-centered approach helps property owners bridge the gap between under-performing and profitable ownership.
As an owner, you'll benefit from the highest level of personalized service for each of your managed properties. While other companies may take a "cookie cutter" approach, our experienced professionals go above and beyond to add value and improve the performance of your assets through truly customized solutions delivered with an unwavering commitment to service.
Our office experience includes low-and mid-rise properties throughout the DFW Metroplex, spanning new construction and historic locations.
Our retail experience includes big-box, mid-box, neighborhood retail, entertainment, and mixed-use properties.
Our industrial experience includes warehouse, storage, multi-tenant, assembly, light manufacturing, and research and development properties.
As storage facility developers and owners, we are experienced in warehouse, self-storage, and specialty storage.
© 2019 NorthBridge. All rights reserved.
Janice Stalder brings over 20 years of accounting experience to Northbridge. Janice is an analytically proficient accounting assistant responsible for accounts receivables, accounts payable, payroll and general bookkeeping support functions. Janice has a diverse background in environmental engineering, mid-to large business accounting, medical billings and bookkeeping. She is a team player always looking to grow and expand her skill-set and enjoys new challenges.
Outside of work Janice can be found with her husband at their kids sporting events, traveling to various places around the world or enjoying Texas Red Dirt Singer/Songwriter concerts or festivals.
Tim has more than 35 years of executive level business experience. He served on the faculty of Mays Business School, Texas A&M University-College Station, for five years where he taught graduate level accounting and valuation courses. Prior to his arrival at Mays Business School, he taught graduate level courses in the College of Business at the University of Dallas.
Prior to selling the company in August 2013, Tim served for eight years as Chief Financial Officer of eInstruction Corp., a Denton-based international market leading educational technology company. Prior to eInstruction, Mr. Torno served for five years as CFO/VP-Finance for a Dallas-based venture backed wireless software company. Prior to that, he was the CFO for 12 years for a Lewisville-based publicly held electronic technology company that grew from $20 million in sales to more than $200 million in annual worldwide sales while going public in the process.
He currently owns and operates numerous multifamily units in College Station, Texas and was the recipient of a 2015 housing tax credit award for a 72-unit apartment complex completed in early 2018. Tim has been a commercial real estate investor since 2000 and is a licensed Texas Real Estate Agent.
Shannon joined Northbridge Management as a Portfolio Manager in 2019. She previously worked at Younan Properties, Inc., where she held the position of Sr. Property Manager. Shannon comes to Northbridge Management with over 14+ years of Commercial Real Estate experience in the oversight of muti-million dollar assets, financial reporting, budgeting, construction management and tenant relationships.
Heather was inspired to pursue a career in real estate in 2014 after purchasing her first home in Dallas. In 2017, looking to start a new career, she joined the team at NorthBridge as Assistant Property Manager where she establishes and maintains positive relations with tenants and manages the day-to-day operation of multiple properties. She also loves to cook and take her dog on long walks. Heather is a graduate of West Texas A&M and enjoys spending time with her family and friends traveling and checking out local events.
Sharla provides executive support and marketing expertise. She brings over 22 years of commercial real estate experience where she has pioneered process design, construction, implementation and management in various roles including marketing, brokerage, research, acquisitions and administration.
Prior to joining the firm, Sharla provided virtual marketing and creative services to clients from many different industries. Before that, her experience traversed administrative and marketing roles with global and regional commercial real estate companies including CRT Properties, Inc., Cawley Partners, Jones Lang LaSalle, Holt Lunsford Commercial, Cushman & Wakefield, and Encore Enterprises.
Sharla is responsible for team support and administration, marketing and promotional materials, presentations, website maintenance, event coordination and special projects. Her talents extend across a wide range of experience in different aspects of marketing, event planning, design and project coordination.
Marsha Rice joined NorthBridge Management in April 2015 and currently serves as Director – Property Accounting. Marsha's expertise comes from decades of handling the property management and accounting for portfolios of retail centers, office and industrial buildings. Marsha began her real estate career at Henry S. Miller Commercial in Dallas and spent over 20 years learning various aspects of brokerage and property management. Her accounting responsibilities have encompassed retail, office, and industrial properties throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton regions. Marsha's comprehensive experience includes accounting, financial analysis, construction management, due diligence, leasing, and tenant relations. Marsha has held a Texas Real Estate License since 1992.
Rebecca Andreasen joined NorthBridge Management as Executive Vice President, Director-Property Management in 2017. Rebecca brings over 23 years of experience in property management to the NorthBridge team. As a professional with a proven track record of utilizing experience in commercial property operations, acquisition and disposition, financial analysis and risk management, she leads teams in driving value and impact to the bottom line. Rebecca was selected as one of the Most Influential Women in Northern California Real Estate by GlobeStreet.com and the Southern California Real Estate Journal, identifying women who have made an outstanding contribution to the real estate market. Rebecca's industry expertise has been featured in California Real Estate Journal publications. Additionally, she is a two-time recipient of The Outstanding Building of the Year Award (TOBY) for Oakland – East Bay. Rebecca has served in various capacities including Chair, BOMA Oakland- East Bay Strategic Long Range Planning, BOMA Principal Member & ICSC Member. She attended University of Phoenix with studies focused on Business Management and Finance. She holds the BOMA International designation RPA® (Real Property Administrator).
Terry has spent over 25 years in the business community. He grew up in the sign manufacturing business in Denton at Starlite Sign. His father instilled a strong work ethic at an early age. Time spent on the manufacturing floor, purchasing, estimating, sales, and operations helped develop his business acumen. Terry purchased the company and led growth from $6 million to $22 million in annual revenue before selling a majority stake to private equity and merging with another large sign company in 2016. Shortly after the merger, Terry assumed the CEO role of a $55 million manufacturing firm with three locations in TX, IL, and WI. Terry has spent his professional career promoting the small business and the sign Industry. He served on the Board of Directors for the Texas Sign Association for several years including President from 2009-2010. Promoting general business and educating municipalities on sign ordinances has been a passion. Terry's real estate experience is that of an investor/developer. Since 2006, he has developed and invested in several retail centers and land deals. Terry grew up in the North Texas and graduated from Celina High School in 1992. He earned a bachelor's degree in Marketing from UNT in 1997. He currently lives in Aubrey, TX with his wife and two young daughters. In addition to spending time with his family, Terry enjoys hunting and sports.
As the owner of Newland Real Estate, Everette Newland uses his many years of real estate experience to provide each client with honest, fair and professional real estate solutions. A graduate from Texas A&M, Everette's emphasis on environmental science and land economics allows him a breadth of knowledge to better assist and educate clients on their personal real estate needs. Since 2002, Everette has been among the top three producers in acreage properties in North Central Texas. His expertise spans three areas: acreage property with emphasis on development for resale, recreation, investment, transitional lands and environmental consulting; commercial land with focus on entitlements, and preparation for marketing as highest and best use; and ranchland with experience in beneficial ranch infrastructure improvements, watershed management, oil and gas impact mitigation, grazing dynamics, and locating beneficial markets. Everette is a member of Denton Bible Church and the founder of Denton Bible's cattle ministry. Everette also serves on Denton Calvary Academy's School Board. He is active in the Denton community. Everette lives in Western Denton County with his wife and children. His hobbies include coaching, hunting, fishing, and ranching.
Brad's passion for real estate was first kindled as an investor, focusing his attention on commercial real estate. Prior to co-founding NorthBridge Management and Consulting, Brad spent seven years as an executive for a community bank. In that capacity, Brad guided clients in the development and acquisition of commercial real estate throughout North Texas. His expertise in underwriting and financing commercial real estate transactions enables him to advise his clients through the underwriting process and provides critical knowledge in closing complex transactions. Brad has a strong background in construction and property management. His experience as a developer provides him with the ability to guide his clients through their own construction and development projects. He understands what it takes to own and maintain real estate and enjoys sharing his expertise with his clients. Brad earned a bachelor's degree from Brigham Young University in marketing and a master's degree in Journalism from the University of North Texas.
After attending Brigham Young University, Bret served as the Vice President at Farmers and Merchants State Bank in Krum. When the bank sold in 2006 he began his real estate career and started NorthBridge Realty Holdings. He has been involved in many real estate development projects, including several office parks, self-storage facilities and redevelopment projects in the Downtown area of Denton. He has worked to secure outside investors, contractors, and financing for many of the projects in which NorthBridge has been involved. Bret is also a partner in various business entities, including Yellow Door Self Storage and BAAP Capital, which is in its third year of operation, and manages four private placement funds with over $10 million under management. BAAP Capital invests solely in Life Settlement Contracts. He is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and his hobbies include anything outdoors, with a special interest in golf and being involved in his kid's sports.
Since 1999, Alex has been representing owners and tenants of all commercial property types throughout Denton County and the Dallas/Fort Worth area. He has been retained as a consultant on large assignments including high profile clients such as City of Lake Dallas, North Central Texas College, and Denton Fireman's Pension Fund and Denton County. Alex received his bachelor's degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 2000 and has been an active member of International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), Texas Self Storage Association, the North Texas Commercial Association of REALTORS (NRCAR), Greater Denton/Wise County Association of Realtors (GDWCAR), The Chamber of Commerce in Denton and Argyle, Denton Economic Development Partnership, The Urban Land Institute, Class of 2004-2005 Leadership Denton. He serves/has served on the Board of Directors for Health Services of North Texas, Denton Community Theatre, Downtown Development Task Force, Denton Zoning Board of Adjustment, Texas Filmmakers (Thin Line Film Festival), Denton Downtown TIF Board, West Park TIRZ Board, and Argyle Chamber of Commerce.


Nearly new Hannibal roof rack, just took it off and stored in the garage, not a scratch on it, full floor with aluminum bars.
Excellent nearly new condition. New price is $1200, asking $600.
Too big to ship, pickup in southern California.
Yes, pics please. Also, where in SoCal?
I'll take it. Although I'm in Northern California....Sending you a PM.


"Inkscape is an Open Source vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDraw, or Xara X using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format. Supported SVG features include shapes, paths, text, markers, clones, alpha blending, transforms, gradients, patterns, and grouping. Inkscape also supports Creative Commons meta-data, node editing, layers, complex path operations, bitmap tracing, text-on-path, flowed text, direct XML editing, and more. It imports formats such as Postscript, EPS, JPEG, PNG, and TIFF and exports PNG as well as multiple vector-based formats. Inkscape's main goal is to create a powerful and convenient drawing tool fully compliant with XML, SVG, and CSS standards. We also aim to maintain a thriving user and developer community by using open, community-oriented development process, and by making sure Inkcape is easy to learn, to use, and to extend. "
World Saver 3D is a beautiful, useful, and educational screensaver, featuring The Earth, Sun, and Moon, and allowing you to tell time globally.
One of the best codecs for converting audio files to the MP3 format.
Three skeletons (Johnny, Billy and Willy) dancing to the music... System requirements: P-II 300 Mhz, 16 MB video RAM.


When financial statements are prepared, in order to comply with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), they must be prepared using the accrual basis of accounting. This differs from the cash basis because rather than record transactions only when money is received or paid, revenues are recognized when earned, and expenses are recorded when incurred. What does the word accrue mean? What types of events or activities in your own daily life represent accrued expenses?
The matching principle requires that businesses match the expenses incurred with the earned revenue. Depreciation is another example of this accounting principle.
Class, what is depreciation and why do we have to make an adjustment for depreciation each accounting period? What are some examples of assets that a business might depreciate?


The Himalayan cat is a breed of long-haired cat identical in type to the Persian, with the exception of its blue eyes and its point coloration, which were derived from the crossing of the Persian with the Siamese. In Europe they are referred to as Colourpoint Persians.
While the Himalayan is considered a breed separate from the Persian by The International Cat Association, it is grouped together with the Persian and Exotic Shorthair (shorthaired version of the Persian) under a "Persian Breed Group standard". The Cat Fanciers' Association considers the Himalayan a colour variation of the Persian rather than as a separate breed, although they do compete in their own colour division.
Like many long-haired cats, Himalayans need to be brushed daily to keep their coats looking their best and healthiest. In addition, they may need their face wiped daily, depending on the cat. Bathing a Himalayan is also recommended by some breeders, to help reduce the amount of oil on the cat's fur and skin. The fur on the body of a Himalayan is white or cream, but the points come in many different colours: seal (or black), blue, lilac, chocolate, red (flame), and cream. The points can also be tabby or tortoiseshell-patterned. The chocolate and lilac point Himalayans are the most difficult to produce, because both parents must carry the gene for chocolate/lilac to produce a chocolate or lilac kitten, as the trait is autosomal recessive.