The AASM Comprehensive Academic Sleep Programs of Distinction recognizes academic sleep programs that have demonstrated excellence through compliance with rigorous standards in the areas of clinical service, educational mission and research accomplishments.
Programs can compete, on an annual basis, for a one-year grant from the American Sleep Medicine Foundation that supports a fellow for training in sleep medicine research. All recognized programs will receive, on an annual basis, a grant that provides travel assistance to the SLEEP meeting for one fellow.
Click here for more information on the program requirements and to download the application. If you have any questions, please contact Jordana Money at (708) 492-0930.


Collections and models called during a page load.
Magento 2 has kept its options-galore open for seasoned as well as budding developers to explore more on the open source software. Exploring Magento 2 has its own learning process; developers may face problems in accessing all the vital information or tracking of template file path for its MVC structure in an organized way.
Developer-Debug Tool by CedCommerce, for Magento 2.0 is a development and debugging extension, which aims at easing developers concerns by fetching vital information for a current page load. The extension users are provided with complete set of data related to a current page request, collections and models called during a page load. Besides this, all observer called events data, along with parent and its extended classes of a page load are viewable by developers. Further, data information on blocks with their respective handle names, and associated template files with full file path is also communicated to the extension users.
However, in the absence of Developer-Debug Tool, developers are tasked with tracking of all important data via Magento's backend.The data in the module has been divided into tabs, which can be viewed at module's bottom page, after it's being configured from the admin section. Each tab is designed to allow developers to have better understanding on data related to the current page load.
Shows the Module, Controller, Action name of the recently loaded page. Provides accurate Path Info of the loaded page, the feature help developers for URL rewriting.
Shows all the active collections and its types (Flat/EAV) along with SQL Queries generated during a page load. All the extended classes i.e. base classes along with derived classes are shown.
This is a special feature as it allows developer to enable or disable Path hints and Cache. Besides, flushing the system cache from Magento 2 frontend only.
Shows all the Model Resource Name and their respective Class Name in a sequenced manner during the current page load. Also mentions, frequency of instantiated models.
Shows all events and its details called during page load. Observer details like Observer Name, Observer Function, Observer Class and Observer Frequency of being instantiated are also provided.
Shows the names of all the blocks of the currently loaded page with their respective handle names. Block is responsible for showing path of the template file.
Developer-Debug module is tested on the 2.0.0.0-dev35 version of Magento 2.0. The tool is launched with a goal to help global developers, who are willing to leave no stone unturned in analyzing structure of Magento 2.0.
I can easily debug my code and remove errors. And fortunately this tool is free.
This extension help us a lot in fetching important information for current page load.
Good and Must one For Developers..
Its a fantastic tool for the Developers to keep track of related data during page load....it provide a detailed information at one place..makes our task easy...!!!
Such a great tool to ease the developer.
This is type of pain killer for developers. By using this tool developer need not to worry about usual data related to the collections, observers and events data as well as associated phtml files at any page. Such a great tool to debug any extension.
I am a beginner in magento 2 and i was quite frustrated from magento errors . And i used this tool and now am not frustrated anymore . I can easily debug my code and remove errors. And fortunately this tool is free. A must try tool and highly recommended. And yeah its easy to use and with great UI !!
I was always looking for the Debugging tools which could provide ease to my work.
Understanding Magento 2 becomes much more easier for me now.
Developer Debug tool Magento 2 is a best debugging extension to work with.


text:
Royals dominate in win over Monarchs
Tom Boland
Royals forward Ian Watters (27) and defenseman Florian Iberer (48) defend against Manchester center Derek Arnold (14) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Tyrell Goulbourne (24) plays the puck away from Manchester defenseman Craig Wyszomirski (27) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Chris McCarthy (3) earned the first star with a goal and two assists during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Johnny McInnis (37) chases the puck during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Chris McCarthy (3) shoots during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals goaltender Martin Ouellette (1) clears the puck during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals Head Coach Larry Courville coaches during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Steven Swavely (12) and Manchester defenseman Ed Wittchow (20) battle during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals goaltender Martin Ouellette (1) makes a save during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Johnny McInnis (37) earned the third star with a goal and an assist during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Special to the Reading Eagle: Tom Boland
Reading's Johnny McInnis jumps over Manchester's Alexx Privitera during the Royals' 6-3 victory.
Royals forward Johnny McInnis (37) looks for a pass in front of the defense of Manchester defenseman David Kolomatis (6) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals defenseman Nick Luukko (25) plays the puck past a fallen Manchester defenseman Teddy Doherty (44) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Robbie Czarnik (70) cuts away from Manchester forward Daniel Doremus (19) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Ryan Penny (9) and Manchester forward Daniel Doremus (19) battle during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Chris McCarthy (3) looks to pass the puck during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals defenseman Jesper Pettersson (8) shoots past Manchester forward Kevin Morris (9) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals goaltender Martin Ouellette (1) covers up a shot by Manchester forward Kevin Morris (9) as Royals defenseman Derik Johnson (6) defends during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals Head Coach Larry Courville gives his players instructions in the late minutes of a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Johnny McInnis (37) plays the puck along the boards against the defense of Manchester defenseman Alexx Privitera (18) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals goaltender Martin Ouellette (1) reaches for a save during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Robbie Czarnik (70) celebrates his goal with forward Ian Watters (27) and forward Justin Crandall (19) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Johnny McInnis (37) celebrates his goal with goaltender Martin Ouellette (1) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Johnny McInnis (37) celebrates his goal during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals defenseman Nick Luukko (25) plays the puck away from Manchester forward Gasper Kopitar (13) during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals forward Matt Willows (15) tries for a shot on Manchester goaltender Jonah Imoo (30) as defenseman Justin Agosta (12) slides to defend during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Reading Royals players celebrate their first win in seven games against the Manchester Monarchs, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
Royals goaltender Martin Ouellette (1) reaches for the puck as defenseman Maxim Lamarche (4) and forward Ryan Penny (9) look to clear it during a ECHL hockey game between the Manchester Monarchs and the Reading Royals, Sunday, January 29, 2017, at Santander Arena, Reading, PA.
By Jason Guarente |
PUBLISHED: January 30, 2017 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: August 19, 2021 at 4:17 a.m.
The Reading Royals considered the six losses in six games to be an aberration.
They said it repeatedly and they believed it.
What they needed to do starting Sunday at Santander Arena was prove it.
For two overwhelming periods, they left no doubt.
The Royals dominated first-place Manchester in a 6-3 victory that eased their minds as much as anything.
"We got the monkey off our back," said right wing Olivier Labelle. "We finally showed we can beat them. It's going to be important for us to keep the momentum going."
The Royals were 0-5-1 against Manchester, a string of defeats that mostly dates to when the ECHL poured water on Reading's engines with a brutal road schedule.
Only one of those losses came after Nov. 19.
The Royals (25-14-3) have won 19 of their last 27 games and have emerged as one of the stingiest defensive teams in the league.
That's the version that was on display Sunday.
The Royals blitzed Manchester for six unanswered goals from six players in the span of 26 minutes.
To make the point more emphatic, Royals forward Tyrell Goulbourne pounded Justin Agosta in a tilt shortly after the sixth goal.
Manchester, which has 11 regulation losses and is third in the ECHL with 59 points, doesn't get treated this way often.
"You don't want any team to have your number, especially if you're chasing them in the standings," Royals forward Johnny McInnis said. "We did a nice job of protecting our building."
Labelle, who returned from AHL Syracuse in the early morning hours, had one of the goals.
McInnis had another. The forward, held without a point in his first seven games since being acquired in a trade with Utah, delivered five points over the weekend.
The Royals swept three games in three days against Adirondack, Fort Wayne and Manchester. They outscored those teams 17-5 overall and 13-0 in the first two periods.
With a brutal week ahead that includes two at Toledo and one at Wheeling, the Royals are red hot.
"I'm trying to look at it as a whole," Royals coach Larry Courville said. "When you beat three quality teams in a row, we're obviously very happy."
The Royals played a disinterested third period that allowed Manchester to pull within three goals with eight minutes left.
While Courville was annoyed by the lapse, the overall picture was positive.
Chris McCarthy had a goal and two assists to extend his team lead to 40 points in 39 games.
Muhlenberg grad Steven Swavely had a goal and an assist. Robbie Czarnik and Matt Willows scored.
"I think it's good for us to show we have a little fight back," McInnis said. "Give them a taste of their own medicine. Hopefully we can catch them."
The Royals are suddenly as close to catching Manchester as they are to the final playoff spot in the North Division.
Reading is six points out of first with two games in hand. Its 25 wins are third-most in the Eastern Conference.
Even better, the Royals no longer have to ask themselves why they can't beat the team they're chasing.
"The first one was the hardest one obviously," Labelle said. "There's so much mental in hockey if you start losing to a team."
Contact Jason Guarente: 610-371-5079 or jguarente@readingeagle.com.
Jason Guarente

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Using a free business text messaging service is a great way to communicate with customers and employees. Across every metric, text messages are the way people prefer to connect in 2019. Text messages are read more, read faster than email. Today, your customers and employees always have their phone at hand. Text messaging for business is perfect for communicating reminders, job assignments and events.
Text Message Volume – are you sending just a few text messages, or hundreds? Most of the free text message options send a single text message at a time, which a few offer bulk functionality (e.g. uploading your contacts from an Excel spreadsheet). The bulk tools make managing large contacts lists much easier.
Text Message Responses – Do need or want text message responses from your contacts? Not all free text messaging services can handle responses. We recommend thinking about how you will collect message responses.
There are a handful of ways to accomplish business text messaging from a computer. In this list we've outlined four of our favorites. In each case we're outlined our Pros and Cons for each approach. Let's get started!
For the best free business text messaging service from a computer we recommend going with one of the web-based business messaging companies like Sakari. Most offer a free trial, which requires no credit card. The additional features of the dedicated text messaging system will quickly be apparent.
Bulk tools, built for business.
You may not be aware, but another free business text messaging service option is using email. Using the contacts phone number combined with the carriers unique email address you can send text messages. The downside of this approach is you need to know both the phone number ANDthe carrier of the persons mobile number (e.g. AT&T or Verizon) and you must combine them together.
Draft your message – Write your message, and be sure to keep it under 140 characters (text messages have character limits). Pro tip: Be sure to remove your email signature and don't include a email subject line.
Send – Once you're finished, hit send.
Another free business text messaging service option is using one of the free SMS websites (e.g. example, Text 'Em, Send SMS Now, A Free SMS, and Txt2day). These sites are generally free, and easy to get started, but with most business applications their downsides will be quickly apparent.
Usually they require you to register to receive replies, or you're required to provide an email address to receive replies.
Free comes at a price: you'll be bombarded with paid advertising.
Google Voice only permits you to send and receive text messages to telephone numbers in the U.S. and Canada.
In this blog post we'll walk through the basics of a text to give campaign for non-profit organizations. We'll discuss what it is, why you should be using it and how to get it setup (without having to give away a percentage of your donations).


Organized by the Ministry of Trade and Industry of Finland, the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, the Six Countries Programme and the European Commission, this workshop focused on the challenges that globalisation poses to knowledge-based economies and its impact on innovation, the economy and society. Past and future trends were analysed, and issues of policy, governance, sustainability and the sharing of benefits and responsibilities were addressed. The workshop brought together experts and practitioners from policy, entrepreneurial and academic spheres.
Valio's approach to open innovations by Prof. Tiina Mattila-Sandholm, Senior Vice President, R&D, Valio Ltd.
Transformation into a knowledge-based economy: The Malaysian experience by Dato' Sri Dr. Jamaludin Mohd Jarjis, Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia. PAPER 2.


text:
REC Silicon – Cancellation of subsequent offering
REC Silicon ASA
1 December 2020, 2:14 pm ·2-min read
NOT FOR RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, IN AUSTRALIA, CANADA, JAPAN OR THE UNITED STATES OR ANY OTHER JURISDICTION IN WHICH SUCH RELEASE, PUBLICATION OR DISTRIBUTION WOULD BE UNLAWFUL.
Lysaker, 1 December 2020
Reference is made to the stock exchange announcements by REC Silicon ASA (the "Company") on 14 October 2020 and 15 October 2020 regarding the successful completion of a private placement raising gross proceeds of approximately NOK 1,000 million (the "Private Placement") and a potential subsequent offering (the "Subsequent Offering") of up to 18,518,518 new shares directed towards shareholders of the Company as of 14 October 2020 who were not allocated shares in the Private Placement.
The Company has decided not to initiate the Subsequent Offering.
The background for the cancellation is that the Company's shares have over time traded on the Oslo Stock Exchange, with significant trading volume, at prices below the subscription price in the Private Placement of NOK 10.80. Accordingly, shareholders wishing to neutralize the dilutive effect of the Private Placement have had the opportunity to purchase shares in the Company in the open market, at prices below what would have been the subscription price in the Subsequent Offering.
James A. May II, Chief Financial Officer
Email: james.may@recsilicon.com
Nils O. Kjerstad
Email: nils.kjerstad@crux.no
REC Silicon is a leading producer of advanced silicon materials, delivering high-purity polysilicon and silicon gas to the solar and electronics industries worldwide. We combine over 30 years of experience and proprietary technology with the needs of our customers, with annual production capacity of more than 20,000 MT of polysilicon from our two US-based manufacturing plants. Listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker: RECSI), the Company is headquartered in Lysaker, Norway. For more information, please visit: www.recsilicon.com.
This information is subject to the disclosure requirements pursuant to section 5-12 of the Norwegian Securities Trading Act.
England overcome scare to beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets in Galle
Emicida, a rapper on a mission to recover Brazil's black historyMusician and maker of 'heroic' Netflix documentary warns his country is on a dangerous path
Australia's state by state Covid restrictions and coronavirus lockdown rules explainedThe number of new coronavirus cases in Australia has been dropping, but states remain on high alert for the UK variant of Covid-19, so what restrictions are still in place? Do I have to wear a mask and where can and can't I go in Australia? Untangle Australia's Covid-19 laws and guidelines with our guide * Vic hotspots list; NSW hotspots list; QLD hotspots list
• England (421 and 76 for three) beat Sri Lanka (135 and 359) by seven wickets• Jonny Bairstow and Dan Lawrence see England home
The internet is filled with articles discussing the impact of COVID-19 on our professional lives. Family dynamics changed completely as we spent a major part of the year locked down within our homes with our family members. Kids get easily distracted during online lessons and prefer to skip classes rather than sit through the lecture.
The move comes after the Chargers ended Anthony Lynn's four-year run as head coach following a disappointing 7-9 season. Staley, 38, steps up to take the head coaching job at the Chargers after just one year with the Rams, a campaign in which he coordinated the league's top defense in both yards and points allowed in the regular season.
35-year-old Russian influencer gives birth to her 21-year-old stepson's baby
Marina Balmasheva, a Russian influencer who married her former stepson has given birth to their first baby.
(Bloomberg) -- U.S. equity futures dipped and Asian stocks were mixed Monday amid investor caution at the start of the week even as data indicated China's economic recovery remains on track. The dollar nudged up.South Korean and Taiwan shares retreated as sentiment toward chip component makers took a hit on news the Trump administration will restrict licenses to several Huawei Technologies Co. suppliers. Hong Kong and Chinese stocks saw modest gains after growth and industrial output data beat expectations. S&P 500 futures pointed lower with European contracts. Crude oil slipped.There is no trading of cash Treasuries due to the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, though U.S. bond futures advanced. The S&P 500 closed lower Friday and support for Treasuries pushed the yield on 10-year notes down to around 1.08%.Global shares slipped last week after optimism about the $1.9 trillion U.S. aid package, and the so-called reflation trade, faltered into a holiday weekend. Investors are waiting for the inauguration of Joe Biden, who ascends to the U.S. presidency on Wednesday with a speech outlining how he'll tackle the health and economic crises he inherits."Markets needed a breather or even a pull back to justify reflationary expectations," said Ben Emons, managing director of global macro strategy at Medley Global Advisors.Meanwhile, Janet Yellen is expected to affirm the U.S.'s commitment to market-determined exchange rates and provide assurances that the U.S. will not seek a weaker currency for competitive trade advantages, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing Biden transition officials familiar with preparation for her confirmation hearing as Treasury Secretary.U.S.-China tension continues to bubble in the last days of Donald Trump's presidency. The U.S. government notified several Huawei suppliers that it's revoking their licenses to work with the Chinese firm and rejecting other applications, Reuters reported, citing unidentified people familiar with the matter.On the coronavirus front, cases approached the 95 million mark, while the U.S. death toll from Covid-19 neared 400,000. Norway expressed increasing concern about the safety of the Pfizer Inc. vaccine on elderly people with serious underlying health conditions after deaths in 29 people who received inoculations.These are some key events coming up in the week ahead:U.S. equity and bond markets are shut Monday for the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday.Earnings come from companies including Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, Procter & Gamble, Intel, and Netflix.Joe Biden takes office as U.S. president on Wednesday.Policy decisions are due Wednesday from central banks in Brazil, Malaysia and Canada. The Bank of Japan and the ECB deliver decisions Thursday.Here are the main moves in markets:StocksS&P 500 futures slid 0.2% as of 1:43 p.m. in Tokyo. The index fell 0.7% on Friday.Japan's Topix index declined 0.7%.Hong Kong's Hang Seng rose 0.5%.South Korea's Kospi lost 1.5%.Shanghai Composite rose 0.7%.Euro Stoxx 50 futures lost 0.3%.CurrenciesThe yen was at 103.76 per dollar, up 0.1%.The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index climbed 0.1%.The euro bought $1.2069.The offshore yuan traded flat at 6.4944 per dollar.BondsThe yield on 10-year Treasuries ended last week at 1.08%.CommoditiesWest Texas Intermediate crude slid 0.8% to $51.93 a barrel.Gold was steady at $1,828.24 an ounce.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
Zion Williamson had 31 points and six rebounds, Steven Adams made a pair of clutch free throws with 17.9 seconds remaining, and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 43-point performance by Sacramento's De'Aaron Fox and beat the Kings 128-123 Sunday night. Brandon Ingram scored 22 points, Eric Bledsoe added 21 and Adams had 12 points and 15 rebounds to help the Pelicans end a five-game losing streak.
A $6 Billion Fund Is Upbeat on Indian Stocks Unfazed by Prices
(Bloomberg) -- A record price-to-earnings valuation for Indian shares shouldn't act as a deterrent for investors, according to Radhika Gupta, the head of Edelweiss Asset Management Ltd.Gupta, the only female chief executive officer of a major asset manager in India, says it's "risky to be underweight equities" at a time when local stocks remain "heavily" driven by liquidity. Her firm, which oversees 465 billion rupees ($6.4 billion) in assets, is putting its money to work: an Edelweiss balanced fund that invests in both stocks and bonds has boosted its equity allocation to about 75%, from just 30% in March."Looking at a single metric of value or P/E is not a fair way to judge the market at a point when domestic economic activity is bottoming out, and you have such high liquidity," she said. "We are buyers of businesses. We are looking at corporate earnings, the domestic economy, flows and risk appetite."India's benchmark S&P BSE Sensex has rallied around 90% from its low during the March swoon in 2020, hitting fresh records on the way. The rally fueled by central bank liquidity and incessant foreign inflows has the gauge trading at more than 23 times its 12-month forward earnings. That's versus a five-year average multiple of around 18 times, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.The Sensex was down 0.6% as of 10:16 a.m. in Mumbai on Monday, tracking broad declines in Asian stocks. It completed an 11th straight week of gains on Friday.Gupta's optimism is at odds with rising concern among many market watchers that stock prices in India have run ahead of themselves as the economy braces for its biggest annual contraction in records going back to 1952.Last week, the Reserve Bank of India also warned about the rally, citing a widening "disconnect" between certain sections of the financial markets and the real economy. The RBI will also start draining cash from the banking system as it seeks to revert to normal liquidity operations from pandemic-imposed emergency measures.READ: Record Valuations Raise Alarm in India's Frenzied Stock MarketEarnings, DataGupta, on the other hand, points to improving corporate earnings and the strength shown in recent months by high-frequency economic indicators such as exports, automobile sales and manufacturing output amid an uptick in consumption. Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg have revised up 12-month estimated earnings for Sensex members by about 20% since a trough in July."A lot of the uncertainty surrounding markets has ebbed," she said. "The second quarter was good for company earnings led by margin expansion, the tail risk for banks has been contained and a couple of government reforms in the pipeline tell you that the downside risk isn't very high."READ: Top Fund Manager Is Bullish on Riskier India Credits on RecoveryForeigners continue to pile into Indian stocks, having bought a net $2.4 billion in two weeks in the new year, after pumping in $23.4 billion in 2020. That was the most since 2012."Vaccines and the low interest environment that we are in could be a very good thing for emerging markets" like India, said Gupta. "We are hoping to see a scenario of better-than-expected performance for the corporate sector. With lockdowns opening up, we expect revenues to come back."READ: Massive Vaccine Drive Starts in India Despite Safety Doubts(Adds Monday's moves in the fifth paragraph, updates prices throughout.)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2021 Bloomberg L.P.
President-elect Joe Biden plans to scrap the permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline between Canada and the US, two Canadian broadcasters said Sunday.


text:
4 Biblical Fathers to Thank Dad For Emulating
By Lisa Samra, This content first appeared on Crosswalk.com and is used here with permission. To view the original visit: https://www.crosswalk.com/special-coverage/fathers-day/4-biblical-fathers-to-thank-dad-for-emulating.html
As Father's Day approaches, you've likely experienced the familiar scene of shoppers looking through seemingly endless racks of cards for something that expresses their love and gratitude to their fathers. Often the syrupy sentiments lack the depth of true appreciation for the father figures in our lives who have loved and nurtured us.
If you want to skip the crowds this year, but still long for ways to express gratitude to the father figures in your life, you might find it helpful to learn from the lives of biblical men and the example they set of faithful, godly fathers.
Here are four courageous men to inspire your own note to your father this year:
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
1. Jethro, Man of Wisdom
I remember watching reruns of the iconic 1950s sitcom "Father Knows Best" featuring the loving and admired dad, Jim Anderson. He always seemed to be offering fatherly wisdom to his three children for the everyday dilemmas they faced on the show.
While our families are rarely as idealized as the one depicted in the sitcom or our problems as easily resolved, the show highlighted the blessing of a wise father.
In the Old Testament, we find another father who "knows best." His advice was a blessing not only to his family but the entire nation of Israel. Identified as a priest of Midian, the land adjacent to ancient Egypt, Jethro was Moses's father-in-law.
Jethro visited Moses and the Israelites where theycamped near the mountain of God, after they crossed the Red Sea and defeated the Amalekites. Jethro was "delighted to hear about all the good things the Lord had done for Israel in rescuing them from the hand of the Egyptians" (Exodus 18:9).
Jethro's delight turns to concern as he observed the physical and emotional strain evident in Moses, who was judging every dispute among the people. He told Moses, "What you are doing is not good" (Exodus 18:17). Jethro gave Moses some sage advice, telling him to appoint men to serve as judges over smaller groups of peopl, to distribute the incredible pressure that came with caring for such a large community of people.
The Bible tells us that "Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said" (Exodus 18:24). The result was a manageable system that encouraged capable men who were full of integrity to help Moses carry out the task of governing the new nation.
Do you have a father who knows best? Has his advice or wisdom helped you navigate a difficult relationship or enabled you to see a better way to manage your finances or a work project?
I imagine he would love to read a note of thanks for a specific way you benefited from a father who is a man of wisdom.
Photo Credit: ©Thinkstock/Halfpoint
2. Zechariah, Prayerful Father
Many dads in the Bible model the importance of praying for their children. We read of King David praying for his son Solomon (I Chronicles 29:19) and Job, a righteous man whose regular custom was to pray for his children and offer sacrifices on their behalf (Job 1:5).
Zechariah, whose prayer for his son is recorded in Luke's Gospel, is a noteworthy example of a father who prays.
A high priest at the temple in Jerusalem, Zechariah was a godly, respected man who was faithful and obedient to the Lord. However, he and his wife Elizabeth grieved the fact that they did not have any children.
At their advanced ages, Zechariah initially responded in disbelief to the angel who appeared to him in the temple and announced Elizabeth would become pregnant. Despite his first reaction of doubt that left him unable to speak, Zechariah responded in obedience after his son was born by giving him the name John (Luke 1:63).
Zechariah's gratitude at the miracle of the birth of a son is expressed in a beautiful prayer of praise to God that included a special blessing for this long-awaited son.
It was a prayer that I imagine Zechariah prayed over his son again and again. This tender prayer would have been a great encouragement for John in his role as a prophet because he had the difficult task to "go before the Lord to prepare the way for him" (Luke 1:76).
Do you have a father who regularly prays for you? Consider writing him a note expressing appreciation for all the time he has spent on his knees bringing you and your concerns before your heavenly father.
Photo Credit: ©Thinkstock/monkeybusinessimages
3. Simon of Cyrene, Model of Faith
While faith is not something that is simply handed down from one generation to the next, a life of obedience and trusting God can be modeled and lived out in a manner that encourages faith in future generations.
An example of a biblical father who left a legacy of faith was Simon of Cyrene who makes a brief but significant appearance in the final days of Jesus's life.
As he is watching the guards who are marching Jesus toward Golgotha (the execution site outside the city walls), he is pulled from the crowd. He is forced to help Jesus carry his cross. Simon's engagement with Jesus and all he witnessed that first Easter appears to have ripple effects in the lives of his children.
The Gospel of Mark identifies Simon as the father of Rufus and Alexander (Mark 15:21). This is significant because church tradition holds that it is the same Rufus identified by Paul at the end of Romans as "chosen in the Lord" (Romans 16:13). This is a special greeting of distinction among those who were working hard to spread the message of Jesus in the first century.
It is likely that Rufus learned of the Gospel from the eyewitness account of his father who experienced the dramatic events of Jesus's death and resurrection. Impacted by his father's actions and testimony, Rufus became an integral part of the early church.
As you look for words to express your gratitude to your father, remember the ways in which he modeled genuine faith to you. It is an invaluable blessing to have a father who started, or continued, a legacy of faith that helped encourage you on your own spiritual journey.
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4. Paul, Spiritual Father to Titus and Timothy
Influential fathers come into our lives in many different forms. While we all have a biological father, many of us also have other men that have shaped and formed our lives in significant ways.
When former President of the United States Gerald R. Ford learned he was adopted at 12 years old, he recalled that it didn't have a major impact on him because of his relationship with his adopted dad. He remembered, "Dad and I had the closest, most intimate relationship. We acted alike. We had the same interests. I thought we looked alike."
The lack of a biological connection didn't diminish the impact of Ford's adopted father on his life.
The apostle Paul called several men in the Bible his "sons," a clear reference to their close relationship. He referred to Timothy several times as his son (including I Timothy 1:2 and 2 Timothy 2:1) and called Titus, "my true son in our common faith" (Titus 1:4). In letters written to both these men in the New Testament, Paul provided them with encouragement and guidance for godly Christian living undergirded by love.
Perhaps you have a father, or a significant role model, who writes notes of encouragement or provides helpful guidance.
Just as Paul taught Timothy and Titus how to live out their Christian faith, the gentle leadership of a father to provide instruction to his children is a meaningful example to honor.
Why not write your own notes or letters of gratitude?
Ask God to highlight the men in your life who have played an indelible part of shaping your character and your faith story. As you reflect on the many reasons you are thankful for these father figures in your life, especially for the biblical traits they exemplify that have encouraged you in your spiritual journey, why not write a note of gratitude? Rather than simply a Hallmark sentiment, let it be a blessing, inspired by God's word.
Lisa Samra was born and raised in Texas, Lisa graduated with a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas and earned a Master of Biblical Studies degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. Lisa now lives in Grand Rapids, Mich., with her husband, Jim, and their four children. She is a regular contributor to Our Daily Bread, and her work has also appeared in a variety of publications and online sites. Lisa loves to travel and often finds inspiration from experiencing the beauty of diverse cultures, places and people. Lisa enjoys good coffee, running and reading, just not all at the same time.
Photo Credit: ©Thinkstock/shironosov
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Need Encouragement? Give Encouragement! - Girlfriends in God - July 18, 2019
When the people in your life are in pain, they need your encouragement. God will take your "loaves" and meet those needs. How many loaves are you willing to give?


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by Ed Brubaker
Featured in this issue is "Life on the Fault Line" about a man who struggles with his hated roommates and the dystopian world around him as he tries vainly to cling to his moral standards. This hilarious black comedy seamlessly blends the real and the unreal to concoct a frightening vision of the not too distant future.
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SKU: DETOUR Categories: Alternative Comics, Ed Brubaker Product ID: 26046
Ed Brubaker's Harvey Award nominated Detour was a landmark for this acclaimed creator as he explored exciting new directions. Featured in this issue is "Life on the Faultline" about a man who struggles with his hated roommates and the dystopian world around him as he tries vainly to cling to his moral standards. This hilarious black comedy seamlessly blends the real and the unreal to concoct a frightening vision of the not too distant future.
Detour marks a move from the autobiographical form to a more exploratory fiction. "It will have all of the elements that people loved about Lowlife but will have a lot more going on behind the scenes, a lot more humor, and a lot more experimentation," says creator Brubaker, "try to imagine if Buddy Bradley were written by Philip K. Dick."
Ed Brubaker's work, from his first series Lowlife to his his projects for Image, Marvel, DC, Vertigo and Dark Horse have garnered him several Harvey and Eisner Award nominations and wins and a lot of critical acclaim over the years. Brubaker's At The Seams from Alternative Comics earned him an Ignatz Award nomination for outstanting collection.
24 page black and white 'golden age' size comic with color covers
Alternative Comics, 1997
10.5 × 8 × 0.125 in
Criminal Vol. 2: Lawless
Rad Erwank & Conspiracy Dog
She's Not Into Poetry Minicomics 1991-1996
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The Fade Out: The Complete Collection
Resurrection Perverts Vol. 1: Hunter's Point
Alternative Comics Print
True Stories #4
Secret Avengers: Mission to Mars
Captain America by Ed Brubaker Vol. 4
Meathaus 8: Head Games
Kill or Be Killed Vol. 4
Deadenders


Nashik-based Sula Vineyards, a leading premium wine brand company in the country, has now diversified into hospitality industry. The company is setting up a 23-room resort near Gangapur dam here and it is expected to commence within a month. The company, which has just opened a new restaurant— 'Soma' at its vineyards near Gangapur village here, has set the target of Rs 100 crore turnover by selling 35 lakh liters of grape-wine in 2010-11.


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Rapid Diagnosis of Old World Leishmaniasis by High-Resolution Melting Analysis of the 7SL RNA Gene
Abedelmajeed Nasereddin, Charles L. Jaffe
Abedelmajeed Nasereddin
Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, the Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, IMRIC, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, P.O. Box 12272, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
Charles L. Jaffe
For correspondence: cjaffe@cc.huji.ac.il
High-resolution melt analysis PCR (HRM PCR) for diagnosis of Old World Leishmania was developed using the 7SL RNA gene. Cutaneous leishmaniasis samples were analyzed. Sensitivity and specificity of HRM PCR were significantly better (P < 0.001) than those of internal transcribed spacer 1 PCR and similar to those of kinetoplast DNA PCR.
Leishmania causes cutaneous (CL), mucocutaneous, and visceral leishmaniasis (VL), and the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis are dependent on accurate identification of the infecting parasite species. Microscopic and culture-based diagnostic methods are being replaced by rapid, highly sensitive and specific molecular techniques based on PCR that target coding and noncoding regions of the Leishmania genome (8). At minimum, these assays require post-PCR examination by agarose gel electrophoresis (1), and species identification requires additional processing by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) (8), hybridization (5), DNA sequencing (12), etc.
High-resolution melt (HRM) analysis is a relatively new technique that allows direct characterization of PCR amplicons in a closed system. It measures changes in the fluorescence intensity of a DNA intercalating dye during dissociation from double-stranded DNA to single-stranded DNA and can differentiate between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP). HRM has been used for analysis of genomic mutations (7), SNP genotyping (4), Mycobacterium tuberculosis rifampin susceptibility (3), Staphylococcus aureus typing (10), etc. HRM is simpler, less expensive, and faster than conventional PCR assays that require post-PCR processing.
A previous study comparing Leishmania 7SL RNA gene DNA sequences suggested that the gene might be a good diagnostic target (12). An HRM PCR assay for Old World Leishmania based on this gene (7SL-HRM) is described here that can be used to differentiate between L. tropica, L. major, and the L. donovani complex. The sensitivity and specificity of this assay, as well as species identification using clinical samples, were compared with those of assays frequently used for parasite diagnosis, internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) and kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) PCR.
Cultured Leishmania strains (n = 77) were grown in M199 medium containing 10% fetal calf serum (FCS) and antibiotics. L. infantum (MHOM/PS/1999/LRC-L773), L. major (MHOM/IL/1980/Freidlin), L. tropica genotype I (MHOM/IL/2006/LRC-L1286), and L. tropica genotype IV (IARA/IL/2000/LRC-L810) were used as reference strains. Clinical samples on filter paper for routine diagnosis by ITS1 PCR were prepared as described previously (1), and DNA was extracted using the High Pure PCR template preparation kit (Roche, Germany). All samples were analyzed by ITS1 PCR, and if positive, species were determined by RFLP (8). Some samples were analyzed by kDNA PCR (1). The Helsinki Committee for Human Research of the Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem, Jerusalem, Israel, approved this study.
7SL RNA gene sequences of L. donovani complex (GenBank accession numbers AY722733, AY722734, AY722735, AY781795, and AY781792), L. tropica (AY722722, AY722723, and AY781789), and L. major (AY722713, AY722714, and AY722715) were compared by multialignment (http://bioinfo.genotoul.fr/multalin/multalin.html ) (2). The PCR primers CJ7SLF (5′-ACG TGG ACC AGC GAG GGT-3′) and QRT7SLR (5′-CGG TTC CCT CGC TTC AAC-3′), in conserved regions flanking a 119-bp polymorphic internal region, were designed using the primer3 software program (http://frodo.wi.mit.edu/primer3/ ) (6).
7SL RNA PCR was carried out as follows: DNA samples or controls (2 μl) were added to 2× Thermo-Start PCR master mix (10 μl; Thermo Scientific), Syto 9 (1.5 μM; Invitrogen), primers (0.5 μM [each] final concentration), and ultra-pure PCR-grade water (Fisher); final volume, 20 μl/PCR. Amplification conditions were as follows: 15 min of denaturation at 95°C, followed by 40 cycles of denaturation for 5 s at 95°C; annealing for 10 s at 55°C; and a final extension for 2 min at 72°C. A 119-bp amplicon was observed with the Leishmania reference strains. HRM ramping was carried out at 0.1°C/s from 75 to 95°C. HRM PCR and analysis were performed using a Rotor-Gene 6000 real-time thermal analyzer (Corbett Life Science). Positive-control (reference strain DNA, 20 ng/reaction) and negative-control reactions were included in each experiment. PCR efficiency was evaluated using the threshold cycle (CT), and a normalized melt window, 88 to 92°C, was used in analyzing HRM curves. Statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS computer software program, v.15.0.
The sensitivity, specificity, and discrimination between species endemic to the Middle East (L. infantum, L. major, and L. tropica) were examined using reference strains (Fig. 1 and data not shown). Sensitivity was determined using 10-fold dilutions of each DNA. Plots of CT versus log DNA concentration were linear over 7 orders of magnitude (2 × 104 to 2 × 10−2 pg; r2 = 0.995), and detection limits were identical, 0.02 pg DNA/species. The average melting point (Tm) ± standard deviation (SD) for 30 7SL-HRM runs was as follows: L. major, 89.27 ± 0.06°C; L. tropica genotype IV, 89.49 ± 0.09°C; L. tropica genotype I, 89.78 ± 0.04°C; and L. infantum, 90.58 ± 0.02°C (indicating that each Tm is highly reproducible). Melting curves and Tm were unaffected by the quantity of DNA used and varied by ±0.06°C over the concentration range examined.
Seventy-seven leishmanial strains (for L. tropica, n = 43; for L. major, n = 19; for L. infantum, n = 13; and for L. donovani, n = 2) from the Mediterranean Region (n = 45), Middle East (n = 10), Central Asia (n = 5), Africa (n = 13), and India (n = 4) were examined (see the supplemental material). HRM analysis correctly typed all the strains, regardless of parasite geographic or host origin. In addition, 7SL-HRM distinguished between L. tropica microsatellite genotypes I (n = 34) and IV (n = 9) found in Israel and the Palestinian Authority (9). DNA sequencing showed this was due to an SNP, C/T, at position 98 in the targeted gene sequence (data not shown). Nonleishmanial kinetoplastids, Sauroleishmania tarentolae (P10 strain), Trypanosoma brucei (BF427 strain), Crithidia fasiculata (ATCC 11745), Leptomonas seymouri (ATCC 30220), Phytomonas davidi (ATCC 50166), and Trypanosoma cruzi, were all negative (data not shown).
ITS1 PCR and 7SL-HRM were used to screen clinical samples (n = 192) (Fig. 1 and data not shown), and the results are summarized in Table 1. By ITS1 PCR, 49% (94/192) were positive, while the remaining 51% gave no PCR product, i.e., they were negative. Of the positive samples, 81/94 (86%) produced sufficient product for species determination by RFLP analysis: L. tropica (n = 37), L. major (n = 41), or L. donovani complex (n = 3). An additional 20 samples were positive when examined by 7SL-HRM (total number positive = 114/192 [59%]), all of which could be typed: L. tropica (n = 48), L. major (n = 61), or L. donovani complex (n = 4). Species identification of samples examined by both assays correlated 100%. The remaining samples (n = 78; 41%) were negative. Significant correlation (Fisher's exact test, two-tailed P value < 0.0001) and good agreement (κ = 0.78) were found between the assays. In addition, using HRM it was possible to distinguish between L. tropica genotypes I (n = 28) and IV (n = 20).
Samples (n = 20) positive by 7SL-HRM but missed by ITS1 PCR were examined by kDNA PCR. All were confirmed as positive by the latter method. Similarly, the HRM-negative samples (77/78) were confirmed as negative by kDNA PCR (data not shown).
7SL-HRM diagnosis of leishmaniasis is a rapid, simple technique that takes place without opening the tube, reducing the potential for operator error. It is more sensitive than ITS1 PCR, used in many laboratories, and doesn't require post-PCR processing in order to identify the parasite species. Turnaround time from sample receipt until species identification is only 4 h, 3 h less than needed for analysis by ITS1 PCR (1).
The choice of the gene used for HRM analysis is important in developing a successful assay, since it can take advantage of small differences in melting curves to distinguish between organisms with highly homologous sequences. However, it is generally better to choose a short DNA region with limited polymorphisms, since this gives better separation and simpler HRM curves (11). The 7SL-HRM can be used for diagnosis of human leishmaniasis, as well as epidemiological studies on potential reservoir hosts, sand fly vectors, and parasite genotypes. This assay may be further developed for diagnosis of New World Leishmania species, since the DNA sequences of the 7SL RNA gene from L. amazonensis, L. mexicana, and the L. viannia complex also show polymorphism (12). In conclusion, we have developed a new molecular assay for identifying Old World Leishmania species. It is rapid, sensitive, specific, and simple and can be used to directly diagnose parasites in the tissues of patients with leishmaniasis with a minimum of operator post-PCR manipulation and interpretation.
Comparison of normalized high-resolution melting (HRM) curves of the 7SL PCR amplicon obtained for Leishmania references species (Leishmania tropica genotype I [LtropI], MHOM/IL/2006/LRC-L1286; L. tropica genotype IV [LtropIV], IARA/IL/2000/LRC-L810; L. major [LmajC], MHOM/IL/1980/Freidlin; and L. infantum [LinfC], MHOM/PS/1999/LRC-L773) and five random patient samples (no. 845, 846, 847, 848, and 853).
Comparison of human leishmaniasis diagnosis by ITS1 and 7SL-HRM PCR
This research was supported by grant no. SCHO 448/8-1 from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) as part of a German-Israeli-Palestinian Co-operative Project on Emergence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in the Middle East: an investigation of Leishmania tropica in the Palestinian Authority and Israel. C.L.J. holds the Michael and Penny Feiwel Chair in Dermatology.
We thank K. Azmi at Al-Quds University, Palestinian Authority, and Lionel Schnur at the Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Disease, IMRIC, Hebrew University Faculty of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel, for providing several of the Leishmania strains.
Received 15 March 2010.
Accepted 2 April 2010.
Bensoussan, E., A. Nasereddin, F. Jonas, L. F. Schnur, and C. L. Jaffe. 2006. Comparison of PCR assays for diagnosis of cutaneous leishmaniasis. J. Clin. Microbiol.44:1435-1439.
Corpet, F. 1988. Multiple sequence alignment with hierarchical clustering. Nucleic Acids Res.16:10881-10890.
Hoek, K. G., N. C. Gey van Pittius, H. Moolman-Smook, K. Carelse-Tofa, A. Jordaan, G. D. van der Spuy, E. Streicher, T. C. Victor, P. D. van Helden, and R. M. Warren. 2008. Fluorometric assay for testing rifampin susceptibility of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. J. Clin. Microbiol.46:1369-1373.
Kristensen, L. S., and A. Dobrovic. 2008. Direct genotyping of single nucleotide polymorphisms in methyl metabolism genes using probe-free high-resolution melting analysis. Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev.17:1240-1247.
Nasereddin, A., E. Bensoussan-Hermano, G. Schonian, G. Baneth, and C. L. Jaffe. 2008. Molecular diagnosis of Old World cutaneous leishmaniasis and species identification by use of a reverse line blot hybridization assay. J. Clin. Microbiol.46:2848-2855.
Rozen, S., and H. Skaletsky. 2000. Primer3 on the WWW for general users and for biologist programmers. Methods Mol. Biol.132:365-386.
Saitsu, H., M. Kato, T. Mizuguchi, K. Hamada, H. Osaka, J. Tohyama, K. Uruno, S. Kumada, K. Nishiyama, A. Nishimura, I. Okada, Y. Yoshimura, S. Hirai, T. Kumada, K. Hayasaka, A. Fukuda, K. Ogata, and N. Matsumoto. 2008. De novo mutations in the gene encoding STXBP1 (MUNC18-1) cause early infantile epileptic encephalopathy. Nat. Genet.40:782-788.
Schonian, G., A. Nasereddin, N. Dinse, C. Schweynoch, H. D. Schallig, W. Presber, and C. L. Jaffe. 2003. PCR diagnosis and characterization of Leishmania in local and imported clinical samples. Diagn. Microbiol. Infect. Dis.47:349-358.
Schwenkenbecher, J. M., T. Wirth, L. F. Schnur, C. L. Jaffe, H. Schallig, A. Al-Jawabreh, O. Hamarsheh, K. Azmi, F. Pratlong, and G. Schonian. 2006. Microsatellite analysis reveals genetic structure of Leishmania tropica. Int. J. Parasitol.36:237-246.
Stephens, A. J., J. Inman-Bamber, P. M. Giffard, and F. Huygens. 2008. High-resolution melting analysis of the spa repeat region of Staphylococcus aureus. Clin. Chem.54:432-436.
Talmi-Frank, D., A. Nasereddin, L. F. Schnur, G. Schonian, S. O. Toz, C. L. Jaffe, and G. Baneth. 2010. Detection and identification of old world Leishmania by high resolution melt analysis. PLoS Negl. Trop. Dis.4:e581.
Zelazny, A. M., D. P. Fedorko, L. Li, F. A. Neva, and S. H. Fischer. 2005. Evaluation of 7SL RNA gene sequences for the identification of Leishmania spp. Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg.72:415-420.
Journal of Clinical Microbiology May 2010, 48 (6) 2240-2242; DOI: 10.1128/JCM.00553-10
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AL FREEMAN JR (1)
ALBERT HALL (1)
ANGELA BASSETT (1)
BLACK CINEMA (28)
CROOKLYN (1)
ESPERANZA MOZO (1)
FRANCISCO ATHIE (1)
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ROBERTO SOSA (1)
Dir: Spike Lee. 1994. Starring: Alfre Woodard, Delroy Lindo, Zelda Harris, Carlton Williams. English. Black Cinema/Comedy/Drama
Crooklyn is a love letter from Spike Lee to his youth. Co-written with his sister Joie and brother Cinque, it draws from memories of their childhood growing up in Brooklyn. It is the story of the Carmichael family made up of a jazz musician father, an overworked and harried schoolteacher mother and 5 children. Seen from the eyes of ten year old Troy, the only daughter, we see the chaos and turbulent joy, frustration and sorrow of the Carmichael family. The movie plays like impressions with abrupt shifts from comedy to drama and has no political or dramatic motivation other than a look at life through the eyes of a child. Even without this the movie provides a true emotional arc and one is absorbed by the nostalgic and slightly foreign era where children are not afraid to play in the streets or confront crazy neighbors. Nobody walks around shaded by hooded sweatshirts and assuming menacing anonymity simply for their own protection. The only drug users are two ridiculous glue sniffers who are the neighborhood's sad joke.
When we follow Troy, who visits her relatives in Virginia, there is a wonderful shift of perspective as the differences in environment and behavior are cataloged and deciphered through her eyes. You can feel the strength of her mother rise to the surface as she adapts and dismisses affection and manners from her southern family. There is no arguing her demand to go home and, once there, she must draw on that strength again to see herself and her family through tragedy.
Jessica Kaman
Feb 27, 2008 3:39pm
Dir: Francisco Athié, 1993. Starring: Roberto Sosa, Lucha Villa, Esperanza Mozo. Cine en Español.
This is the kind of movie that was made with various limitations that must be taken into account. I'll lay all the flaws out on the line, and in the end you can be the judge. The lighting is horrendous, but due to the grizzly subject matter it works. I can't imagine what kind of equipment they used, but many of the scenes are shot at night, which normally boosts a film's budget by several degrees. The camera work, however, is awesome. I'm not sure how that's possible, but I'd love to see how they crafted the various overhead shots and rotational pans, similar to some popular French films and 360 shots that Spike Lee used in the '90s. You could say that the darkness provides a good storytelling device for this film, seeing as how it has some very violent scenes, but there were honestly some shots where I could hardly see the characters or follow what was going on. The music is interestingly different, spanning from Mexican hard rock/punk to boleros, but it does lack proper placement and flow. The film is also fairly short and resolved with a bit of haste.
Now, if the above would not deter you from taking a look, I think you'd be as pleased with the film as I was. Instead of writing this review in a regular sense, I'd like to add a bit of analysis, which will better explain why I like it so much. Without spoiling the entire plot for you - or the ending - I'd say that if you are annoyed by religious overtones and metaphors in films, this might not be a movie you'd like. My next statement might not be as easily swallowed by some people, but certain elements in the film's plot and emotive efforts reminds me of two of my favorite movies, Pixote and Mulholland Drive. This is not a comparison, but simply an automatic mental note. It reminds me of the slum-element and young protagonist of Pixote (along with the poor production); but with Mulholland Drive, the resemblance for me is in the importance of a key object. In David Lynch's movie, it is the blue box and key that holds the fate for the lead characters and alters their past and future. In a similar sense, a golden watch and a pair of red sneakers are two simple props from which all the events in this movie can be pivoted.
Edythe Smith
Sep 7, 2010 9:23pm
Dir: Spike Lee, 1992. Starring: Denzel Washington, Angela Bassett, Spike Lee, Albert Hall, Al Freeman Jr. Black Cinema.
Spike Lee's films have always been hit or miss for me. I grew up watching them, as they were fictitious and familiar depictions of African-Americans, but for the longest time I fell just short of pleased with his work. Forgive me for going on a tangent, but I feel the need to cite the differences and subject matter of some other Spike Lee Joints before raving about this one.
The first Lee film I saw was Crooklyn, and it is perhaps the only other that I am fond of. In short, it is an energetic, sometimes melancholic film about a family in Brooklyn—more or less through the eyes of the couple's only daughter in their large brood. Overall, the movie is harmless, though it deals softly with substance abuse and death, but it's a little too gentle; it held up when I was a child, but lost flavor for me in adulthood. This criticism does not translate to it being a bad film, but rather anticlimactic. Another that comes to mind is Jungle Fever—a ballsy film about two co-workers (black male/white female) who become lovers despite their committed relationships. The movie unfolds with over-the-top characters and events, ultimately making it very black and white, both literally and figuratively. I remember being unmoved by the assumed dangers and taboo thrills of biracial lust. It disappointed me then, and it does now. Do The Right Thing, while it is Lee's most popular and acclaimed work, still reminds me of the misdirected angst that would follow its release in the form of riots. Obviously the film is not to blame, but in times of such hostility, you'd think a message geared toward working together would be better suited and more universal. Its deadpan racist rants (common among his Italian and Black characters) hit you over the head so hard that it almost begs you to choose sides, if not fails to deliver a clear message.
Jul 19, 2010 6:38pm


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The city requires reservations for tennis courts, baseball fields, and the pavilion at Lake Nassau Park located at 18900 Upper Bay Road. Nassau Bay residents can make request reservations by completing the following form and submitting to City Hall. For questions about reservations, please call 281-333-4211.


Welcome to "TV Take," Variety's television podcast. In this week's episode, Variety's senior features editor of TV, Danielle Turchiano, talks with Bradley Whitford, star of "Valley of the Boom," National Geographic's limited series about Silicon Valley during the dot-com era.
Whitford had no idea what to expect when he signed on to National Geographic's "Valley of the Boom." The series' strange format, which includes documentary-style talking heads, fictional reenactments and several musical numbers, led to a "terrifying feeling," the actor says — but the unconventional storyline is also the reason he decided to do the show.
Whitford's character, former Netscape CEO James Barksdale, provided a similarly harrowing experience for the actor, since the tech giant himself appears during some of the series' documentary-style interviews. Although he never met Barksdale on set (Whitford says there's a kind of "danger" in meeting the person an actor is playing), the idea of portraying him alongside his real-life persona was scary.
"I've played real people before, but I've never really had to play them when I knew they were cutting from documentary footage of them staring straight in," Whitford says.
Whitford is also a series regular for the third season of "The Handmaid's Tale," for which he says he had a much better idea of what to expect when he signed on to play Commander Joseph Lawrence. The character helped set up the Gilead system, but at the end of the second season he helped set up an escape from the regime's misogynistic clutches, a shift that Whitford says he knew was coming when producers asked him if he wanted to know what happened to his character.
Additionally, Whitford takes time to acknowledge the importance of fictional shows like "Valley of the Boom" and "The Handmaid's Tale" in helping viewers confront some of the darker feelings present in society today.


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Trinidad and Tobago Women's team has World Cup dreams
Tim Nash (excellesports.com)
Previous Aritcle Mollon lauds appointment of Morace to oversee Women's Football
Next Aritcle Mollon launches football academy
There are 14 minutes left, and the U.S. Women's national team is leading Trinidad and Tobago 4-0 in a Victory Tour match in San Antonio on Dec. 10, 2015. Abby Wambach, the world's all-time leading scorer, is standing at the midfield line waiting to enter the match. Wambach is closing in on retirement, and she's the one many of the 10,600 fans came to the Alamodome to see.
As the television cameras zoom in on Wambach, no one notices the woman standing next to her, the one with her sleeves rolled up three times because the jersey is two sizes too big, pants so large the drawstring stretched to its limit, goalkeeper gloves borrowed from East Carolina University where she played three seasons.
No one knows it's 21-year-old Saundra Baron's first international appearance with the Trinidad and Tobago senior national team after playing roughly 25 times for T&T youth national teams from age 13-16. The commentators don't even notice her at first.
"My dad told me the commentators said a few minutes later, 'Oh, and Trinidad has made a goalkeeper change,'" she said.
That's okay. Baron understands the shadow cast by someone of Wambach's stature. It's okay to be somewhat invisible on this occasion. At least there is a good reason. She knows the feeling of being unseen and unheard. She is, after all, a woman playing soccer for Trinidad and Tobago.
Just this once, she is okay with it.
"That was the coolest moment of my life because I subbed in at the same time as Abby Wambach," said Baron. "She is from the same hometown as me, Rochester, N.Y., and I used to go to her camps when I was little."
When Baron entered the match, her teammates were already demoralized and exhausted. The Americans were just getting started. The U.S. scored twice on her. Christen Press completed her hat trick in the 84th minute, and Lindsay Horan scored her first international goal in the 92nd.
"My heart was racing the whole 15 minutes, but I think I did okay," she said. "I did get scored on twice, but honestly they were great shots. My favorite moment was on a corner kick. They were trying to get Abby to score, but I came out and went straight up with Abby and punched it away.
"If I see you on TV, I think you are elite. But during that game, (the U.S. players) became people again," she adds. "I shook their hands and went to my coaches. Honestly, I'm proud of myself for not being a fan."
Before that game in San Antonio, Baron had questions about her future, wondering if she could play at the international level.
"That game is fast," she said. "The game moves very quickly. But I did okay. After the game, our coach, Randy Waldrum, told me he was proud of me and told me to keep playing."
Baron is, after all just 21 years old. After two more World Cup cycles, 2019 and 2023, she would still not have reached her 30th birthday.
"I probably should go get my masters, but I'm crazy," she said. "I want to play in the 2019 World Cup in France. We came so close in 2014."
Island Roots
Shirleyanne Baron grew in a tiny house in Trinidad with 11 siblings. The house, her daughter Saundra said, is more like a shack. But please don't confuse poverty with weakness. Shirelyanne, who died from cancer when Saundra was in college, was anything but weak. Weakness does not help you earn an academic scholarship to Howard University or a doctorate in bio-inorganic chemistry.
"Going to Trinidad always humbles me," said Saundra, "because my mom gave me the best life imaginable." Shirleyanne married Joffre Baron and had four children, Saundra and her three older brothers. The family moved to Rochester, N.Y., where Shirleyanne went to work for Eastman Kodak. Joffre, who also graduated from Howard, worked as a geologist. Saundra played soccer.
"Our neighbors in Rochester had a soccer field in their backyard with full size goals," said Saundra. "I played all the time with the neighborhood kids and my brothers. They beat on me all the time."
When the Barons moved to Greensboro, N.C., Saundra joined the Greensboro Twisters at age 11 and advanced to the Olympic Development Program's state and regional teams. She was the starting keeper on the T&T U17 national team as a 13-year-old and a year later she was the goalkeeper and captain of the U15s.
Her coach for both the youth national teams was Randy Waldrum, a successful American coach who was working for zero pay. He was let go after coaching the U15s.
After playing with the U15s, Baron had little or no contact with the T&T Football Federation (TTFA). The silence, Baron believes, had little to do with talent. It had more to do with issues at the TTFA, and with Waldrum gone no one cared enough about the women's program to keep records, or even contact information, for a pool of eligible players in the U.S.
"I started speaking up with I was 15," Saundra said. "I got it from my mom. I think if my mom was alive, this nonsense with the national team would not be happening. She would have spoken up."
An American Coach and World Cup Dreams
The qualifying tournament for the 2015 Women's World Cup was scheduled to begin in October, 2014, and it was Trinidad and Tobago's best chance ever to qualify.
Canada, the host, qualified automatically, and CONCACAF was awarded three-and-a-half additional spots. Two, logic said, would go to the USA and Mexico. Unlike past years, the Soca Princesses, wat the locals called the T&T national team, had a chance, a solid chance.
But T&T's first game was against the United States. The USA and Trinidad and Tobago had played seven times previously with the Americans winning all seven by a combined score of 54-2.
The T&T women's national team, obviously, had a lot of work to do, and Randy Waldrum was the guy who was going to try to get it done. Waldrum, who had led Notre Dame to two national championships before leaving South Bend to coach the Houston Dash of the National Women's Soccer League, came back to Trinidad at the urging of long-time U.S. goalkeeping instructor and coach, Lincoln Phillips, a Trinidad native who Waldrum knew well from working coaching schools in the U.S.
Wanting to get started as soon as possible, Waldrum made plans to bring the team to Houston in June to begin training.
"Something always came up and (the TTFA) couldn't get the team to Houston," Waldrum said. "It all came down to funding. They finally got to Houston in August. I had about eight to 10 days with them. I made arrangements for the University of Houston to house them and they could eat three meals a day in the dining hall but the players would have to pay for them. We found out later they didn't have money to eat at the dining hall and were cooking rice and beans in their dorm rooms."
But at least they were in Houston, all 12 of them, two of which were injured and could not train. When Waldrum met the team at the training field, the equipment manager was carrying a hefty garbage bag. That was their ball bag. They had eight raggedy soccer balls, six pinnies and a medical kit with nothing in it, nothing.
With each new day, Waldrum was presented with situations that showed just how poorly the T&T women's national team is treated, how little anyone cares. To call the treatment sub-standard gives it too much credit. It is, in reality, nowhere near any kind of standard deemed acceptable in women's athletics today.
Part of the agreement with UH was when summer school ended, the players had to move out of the dorms, for which the T&T federation was being charged just $20 a day. When that day came, the team manager asked Waldrum to help them get a hotel.
"No one had made any arrangements for when they had to leave the dorms," he said. "Luckily, I found a hotel that felt sorry for us and made it affordable. But when the players got there, the team manager's credit card wouldn't work. They sat in the hotel lobby from 11 in the morning to 6:30 at night until payment was arranged through the federation."
Previous experience told Waldrum not to put expenses on his personal credit card. Reimbursements were handled with the expertise of accounts payable pros – "Oh, can you send that invoice again" … "We are cutting checks at the end of the month" … "We didn't realize that was an invoice, can you re-send it' … "Our records show that was paid." And there is a long history of unpaid bills, including the one from the University of Houston.
Desperate to Prepare
The Houston camp was nowhere near what Waldrum needed to prepare the team. He only had 10 healthy players and none of the U.S. college players, which ultimately made up the core of his team. In addition to Baron at East Carolina, players from UConn, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth, West Texas State, DePaul, as well as Division II, III and NAIA players were part of the team but not in Houston.
Still, the team won the Caribbean Football Union qualifying tournament in Trinidad in early September, which gave them a place in the CONCACAF qualifiers. The team stayed in Trinidad after the CFU's, and later in September, Waldrum would bring them to Dallas, where his son Ben is a coach with FC Dallas. In Dallas, he figured, they could get final preparations in before mid-October qualifiers in the States against the USA, Haiti and Guatemala.
That was the plan anyway. Practice attendance in Trinidad usually had around eight to 12 players, all arriving at different times. "Some of the kids are so poor they sometimes they don't have the few dollars it takes to get there," Waldrum said. When possible, Baron's cousin or her aunt would borrow a car from a neighbor and give players rides.
"Sometimes we came out to training and there would be a track team or a cricket team there and we had to argue over who had the field," said Waldrum. "The field was horrible. It was hard as a rock and not level. To be honest, it was dangerous for the players. We just weren't getting anything done."
Trying desperately not to lose his mind, Waldrum could not help but think about what his team would be facing in Kansas City. Alex Morgan, Carli Lloyd, Abby Wambach, Tobin Heath, Hope Solo, etc., etc., etc. They would destroy his team, a team that still had not trained together as a whole. He approached Sheldon Phillips, Lincoln's son who was the General Secretary of the TTFA.
"I went to Sheldon and said, 'You don't understand. The U.S. is a machine,'" Waldrum recalls. "They are in camp all the time, and I can't get more than 10-12 players at training. We have to get into a camp setting."
Phillips set up a training camp for the team in southern part of Trinidad at a facility owned by an oil company. The housing was good, Waldrum said, better than what most of the kids lived in. The field? Well, not so good.
"The field was set down low, and it was the rainy season," Waldrum said. "When we started practicing, the water would come up over our shoes. Every day, we had to find a little spot of relatively dry grass where the ball would roll."
The team moved to higher ground, a 45-minute bus drive from their housing, to a dry field. Dry but all dirt and rocks.
It was something, at least.
The Tweet
Now it's mid-September, and the next part of Waldrum's ever-evolving plan was to get the team to Dallas as soon as possible. With any luck, and a little cooperation from the TTFA, they could begin serious preparation for the juggernaut they would play in a month. He hoped for a week, maybe 10 days, of training. Randy and Ben made all the arrangements. Randy sent shuttle and hotel information to the team manager, Ben took care of securing training fields from FC Dallas, and it looked like they would finally be able to prepare.
The players arrived on schedule, a feat in itself, on a Tuesday night. At midnight, Waldrum's phone rang.
"One of the players," explains Waldrum, "a girl named Yaya Cordner, said, 'Hey coach, we're here.' I said, 'Great. Just get on the shuttle bus. It will take you to the hotel. Have breakfast in the morning and I'll see you at practice.'"
And that's when what Waldrum calls an "piece of international drama" began.
"Then Yaya said, 'How do we get to the hotel?'" Waldrum recalls. "I said, 'The manager has all the shuttle bus info. I sent it to her.' She said, 'There's no manager. They didn't send anyone with us. We don't have any information. And, coach, we don't have any money.'"
The TTFA would later say they sent $500 for the team to use. They would also claim the initial $500 was for the first day and more would be sent later. However, the money the players had when they arrived in Dallas was provided by the father of one of the players. When he saw no one was with the team at the airport, he gave his daughter money.
"They spent some of that money in the airports to eat. She had about $250 left," say Waldrum. "I told her to go out and negotiate with the taxis and see if she can get everyone and their luggage to the hotel."
Waldrum didn't sleep that night. There were 15 young women he was responsible for at Dallas Fort Worth airport with no team administrator, or any adult, haggling with taxi drivers to try to get to a hotel somewhere.
He was no longer thinking about the training session in the morning, or the potential disaster looming in the form of the U.S. national team. He stayed awake trying to come up with a plan to feed his players for a week.
"The next day, I sent out a tweet," he said.
It said: "I need HELP! T&T sent a team here last night with $500 total. No equipment such as balls, no transportation, nothing."
"I'm from Dallas, so I thought that would be the quickest way to get the word out to my friends in the area. Within an hour, I was inundated with offers from people. The thing went viral."
Someone in Poland gave money. The president of the Canadian Soccer Federation responded with offers to help. Haiti, yes, Haiti, gave $1,300. The American Outlaws, the U.S. national team supporters group showed up with carloads of water, Powerade, snack bars. Restaurants offered to feed the team meals. Jen Cooper, who does color commentary on Houston Dash games, saw the tweet and set up a Go Fund Me account. The tweet went out at 10 am. By the end of the day, there was $17,000 in the Go Fund Me account.
It really brought me to tears, honestly," said Waldrum. "It was incredible."
Sheldon Phillips and TTFA President Raymond Tim Kee had a different reaction. Sheldon said Waldrum had embarrassed the president and the federation.
Phillips claimed the TTFA planned all along to send money on the day the tweet went out, saying the $500 the team had at the airport was for the first day. Money, he said, would be at Western Union by noon.
"I told him I was sorry it embarrassed him and the federation but he had to understand I was now responsible for 15 young ladies," Waldrum continued. "They didn't even send anybody from the federation. 'This is on you guys,'" I told him. 'It's not on me.'"
So after practice, Randy and Ben went to Western Union. Randy stayed in the car calling restaurants, arranging a week's worth of meals. Ben came out of Western Union with the money – another $500. Five-hundred divided by 15 players for six days is $5.55 a day per player.
Sheldon and Randy spoke again, obviously. Sheldon wanted Randy to write an apology letter they could release to the media. Randy refused. Someone, Waldrum is not sure who, decided the letter didn't necessarily have to be written by Waldrum. It just had to look like it was. And an apology letter attributed to Waldrum appeared in the Trinidad media written by someone. It wasn't Waldrum.
With that, Day One of training camp was over.
Decades Behind, One Goal Short
Dating back to first-ever CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying tournament in 1989, the U.S. Women's national team had compiled a record of 27-1-1 and outscored opponents 151-6.
On top of that, the U.S. played 16 warmup games before meeting T&T in Kansas City on Oct. 15, 2014. Opponents included France, China and Sweden. Trinidad and Tobago played three warmup matches. One was against Ben Waldrum's U16 FC Dallas ECNL team. One was against a Trinidad U16 boys team, and the third was against another local Trinidadian team.
It's important to point out that in 1989, the United States men's national team played a do-or-die World Cup qualifier against T&T in Trinidad. Paul Caliguiri scored on a 35-yard strike, a goal that still ranks among the greatest goals in U.S. Soccer history. His goal sent the USA to the World Cup for the first time in 50 years. There is a men's team in Trinidad today called Strike Force made up of players from that 1989 T&T national team. They are all over 50 now.
"We played them with the players we had together training in Trinidad," said Waldrum. "They beat us 9-1. That shows the level we were at."
So the matchup with the U.S. in Kansas City could be compared to David and Goliath. If, that is, David couldn't afford a slingshot.
Waldrum's U.S.-based college players, not including Baron who was in Cincinnati with ECU, arrived two days before the U.S. game. "I was thinking, 'We're going to get crushed. We're not even close to being ready.'"
Somehow, Waldrum's team held the U.S. scoreless through the first half. Kimika Forbes, a 25-year-old Tobagonian, was outstanding in goal that day, frustrating Morgan, Rapinoe and Wambach with acrobatic saves. T&T was outshot 29-7.
"Winning two national championships at Notre Dame, I am always going to be proud of that," said Waldrum. "But I don't know if I have ever been more proud of a team than I was with that group that day. It was amazing. To show the kind of heart and fight they did and to buy into a game plan the way they did. It was just amazing."
In the 55th minute, Alex Morgan broke in on goal. Forbes forced her wide to the left, but Morgan chipped it back in front of the goal to Wambach who headed home the only goal of the game.
"I remember late in the game, we got two great chances," said Waldrum. "On one hand, you could say the U.S. could've scored five. On the other hand, we could've walked away with at least a tie."
Energized by the performance T&T, defeated Haiti 1-0 on 37th-minute goal by Yaya Cordner, who also served as chief taxi negotiator. Three days later, a 2-1 win over Guatemala on goals by Cordner and Maylee Attin-Johnson put T&T through to the knock-out phase and a game with Costa Rica. Lauryn Hutchinson's 73rd-minute goal sent the Costa Rica game into overtime and eventually penalty kicks were needed to break the tie. T&T missed its first three attempts and Costa Rica advanced while T&T went to the third-place game against Mexico. A win meant a berth in the 2016 Women's World Cup.
Mexico scored first. Cordner tied it up early in the second half. Mariah Shade put T&T ahead with 12 minutes left but Mexico tied it 2-2 a minute later. Once again, Waldrum's beleaguered players went into overtime, and they simply gave out. Mexico scored twice in a two-minute span to win 4-2.
The fourth-place finish in CONCACAF was good enough to send T&T into a special home-and-away playoff with Ecuador, third-place finishers behind Brazil and Colombia in South America's CONMEBOL region. Win the series, go to the World Cup.
"I knew the altitude in Ecuador was very difficult," Waldrum said. "I wanted to go to Mexico City to train at an altitude that was similar, and we did."
Then the manager approached Waldrum two days before the team is scheduled to leave Mexico for Ecuador.
She said, "'Coach, I didn't want to bother you with this but I don't know how we are going to get to Ecuador," Waldrum recalls. "We don't have any money, and the travel agency we've been using declined to front us the tickets like they have been doing because we haven't been paying our bills.'"
Once Waldrum and the TTFA worked out a way to get to Ecuador, Waldrum discovered another problem.
"We were leaving Mexico City at 5:00 am. We were loading the bus and the hotel people grabbed me and said, 'Where are you going? You haven't paid your bill.' I had to leave an administrator like a hostage at the hotel."
When the team got to the airport, some of the players shared a memory with Waldrum from their days with the U19 national team.
"There was this little grass area with concrete benches, and the girls said, 'Hey Coach, this is where we spent the night last time we were in Mexico City. We got stuck in Mexico City one night and didn't have any money, so the coach (Norwegian Even Pellerud) made us sleep out here and watch the equipment.' He and his assistant went and got a hotel room."
On to Ecuador where because of the altitude – 9,000 feet above sea level – the home team never loses.
"I can't even explain it you," Waldrum said. "Just getting up off the bench and walking across the track to the side of the field made me light-headed. I can't imagine what it was like to play in it. It was absolutely brutal.
"Luckily, I was able to take a doctor to Ecuador. Up until that point, I hadn't been able to. We had two players go into altitude poising. As soon as the game ended, everybody left – the local medical people, hospitality people. Tasha St. Louis collapsed on the field and Rhea Belgrave collapsed in the locker room. If we didn't have a doctor there, I'm not sure they would have lived."
Cordner thought she had won it in stoppage time but her goal was disallowed, and T&T settled for a well-earned draw. Now they could go home and play Ecuador one more time with a solid shot at going to the World Cup.
It was the largest crowd at Hasely Crawford Stadium since that day in '89 when Paul Caliguiri sent the USA to the 1990 World Cup. Some 22,000 fans showed up, about 19,000 more than were on hand to see the T&T women win the CFU championship.
It took 91 minutes for someone to score, and unfortunately it was Ecuador. The Soca Princesses had used up their chances. There would be no World Cup.
"The sad piece is we had enough good players. We could have qualified if they just put anything in it," said Waldrum. "Just any kind of resource to give us a chance to train together."
Baron, who was on the bench in Trinidad for the Ecuador game, saw enough to keep trying.
"That hurt," she said of the loss. "But you know what? That was the biggest experience of my life and that's when I decided to stick with it. We were one game away from a World Cup. That was in 2014 and now we are sitting here in 2016, and I don't even know if we have a team anymore. I don't know if anyone cares."
"I Wish I Had Some Leverage"
Sixteen months separated T&Ts World Cup qualifying exit and the beginning of Olympic qualifying. Waldrum wanted to get to work.
"After World Cup qualifying, Randy called me and said, we will have a week training camp in Trinidad. Then we will go to Costa Rica. Then we'll go to Houston. None of that happened."
For the second time in six years, the TTFA fired their volunteer coach.
"We just lost the man who did everything for us," said Baron. "The man coached us for free! He's one of the best coaches in the world, and they threw him out the back door."
So T&T entered Olympic qualifying with a new coach, Richard Hood, a Trinidadian who coaches a men's team in Trinidad's pro league. Unprepared and unfit due to a lack of training, they were thoroughly overmatched, out-played and embarrassed, losing 6-0 to Canada in group play and 5-0 to the USA in the semifinals.
"Olympic qualifying experience was awful," said Baron. "We were put up in a motel off the highway staying four to a room. I shared a queen bed with the other keeper.
"At one point, I was ready to leave because I was sick of the nonsense," continues Baron. "Then they kicked the starting goalkeeper off the team and told me I was the starter. The next day, they brought her back. That's when I realized they were just using us."
There's a binder with pages of notes Baron keeps. Her intention is to put it all together and give it to someone who will help. Flipping through the pages, she rattles off some of her notes.
The contract they were offered was riddled with typos and misspellings. It had the words "men's national team" – as well as dollar figures — whited out and replaced with "women's national team" and much smaller dollar amounts. The team trained for the World Cup on a 60-yard by 60-yard patch with no goals. The starting central defender sprained her ankle stepping in hole. They never played 11v11 at training. There was no ice or water. No medical personnel or treatment. Players taped their own ankles. No per diem. Hand-me-down uniforms. Players had to buy their own food. Page after page of notes.
And in the binder is this: "The Colombian, Mexican and Spanish national teams have spoken out about the way they are treated. They have spoken up about being treated as equals, even to the point of getting their coaches out of power. There is a distinct difference between those nations and us. They have gone to the World Cup, and they have fought to get their coach removed. We are fighting to get one of the best coaches in the world to stay."
Feeling helpless, Baron watches closely as the U.S. players wage a public battle with the United States Soccer Federation over equal pay and equal treatment. Baron and her teammates would be happy to be treated like they exist, just for someone to care.
"Coming from my perspective, (the U.S. players) are the giants of the world," Baron said. "If they don't think they are equal, what are we? We don't even feel like we have a voice. Girls over there are taught they can't be anything more than they are, and the TTFA is showing us that."
Her father urges her to be careful, afraid that their family in Trinidad will suffer from his daughter speaking out. She's also aware, of course, that the TTFA could think solving the problem might just be as easy as never asking Baron and others who speak out to play for their country again.
"In Trinidad, they say politics is everything," she adds "There has been an election in the TTFA, and there is a new president. David John-Williams, the new president, is saying this is happening, that is happening. He's done nothing. But no one cares about us. It's all about money."
That, and anything else remotely involving a character named Jack Warner, is an understatement. Warner is the former head of the Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation and the Caribbean Football Union. On Dec. 3, 2015, Warner, who was also a FIFA Vice-President, was whisked away from a Zurich hotel by the FBI and Swiss authorities with other members of the FIFA Executive Committee. He was charged with 29 counts of embezzlement, fraud, money laundering, wire fraud, racketeering and bribery, totaling some $150 million. Among the accusations is he diverted $750,000 in aid to Haiti Hurricane victims into one of his many accounts.
The man who succeeded Warner as the head of CONCACAF, Jeffrey Webb, lasted five months before landing in prison. Corruption, racketeering, conspiracy, money laundering, etc., etc. American Chuck Blazer, the former General Secretary of CONCACAF, lived a lavish lifestyle which included a separate apartment in Trump Towers for this cats.
Funds earmarked for the development of women's soccer in the Caribbean, never seems to make it there.
"No one believes any money taken away from us is going to anything good," Baron said. "How can we?"
So Baron works out daily, lifting, running hills and playing with the Greensboro Lady Dynamo, a Women's Premier Soccer League team in North Carolina
She trains young goalkeepers and hopes for some positive news out of Trinidad. The best she can figure, the T&T women's national team is in limbo. She communicates with other national team players. They don't know anything either. She contacts the federation. Nothing.
Maybe she will go to grad school, or catch on with a professional team in the U.S. or Europe. Or do both. But she is still not willing to give up on a shot at playing in a World Cup before she's done.
As for Waldrum, the obvious question is why would a coach of his pedigree and stature go through all that. Money, obviously, is not the answer. It started, he said, as an effort to better himself as a coach.
Then he met the players.
"If you have ever done any kind of work with underprivileged or disadvantaged, you can understand," he said "You just want to help."
Randy Waldrum	Maylee Attin-Johnson	Kennya Cordner	Kimika Forbes	Saundra Baron


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No More Fur in West Hollywood?
On Tuesday the West Hollywood City Council unanimously approved [5-0] an ordinance that will ban the sale of fur apparel, making West Hollywood the first U.S. city to pass such an ordinance. To be exact, the ban doesn't just target fur, but apparel made in whole or part from the pelt or skin of an animal with hair, wool or fur. The new ban in West Hollywood is tentatively set to go into effect in June 2012, but the city council plans to meet again in two weeks to set the effective date, penalties for violating the ban and whether to provide exemptions for vintage clothing.