text:
Home Money, Politics and Power What Amazon's Purchase of MGM Is Really About
What Amazon's Purchase of MGM Is Really About
The company wants to control pricing on everything, and funnel as many transactions to itself as possible. Here's how the MGM deal does that.
by David Dayen
STRF/STAR MAX/IPx
Amazon on Wednesday announced its intention to buy MGM Studios for $8.45 billion.
Why does Amazon run a streaming video service? Why does it run a Hollywood movie studio? Businesses generally try to make money. We don't know that to be the case for Amazon's streaming, and its film and digital production, because film and television are not broken out as separate revenue streams. Prime Video comes with an Amazon Prime account, and in its earnings releases, digital video revenue (like rentals) is bundled in with all the other subscriptions the company sells, including Prime. Amazon Studios, which does theatrical releases and produces shows for Prime Video and other networks, doesn't split out its earnings either.
In 2020, Amazon spent $11 billion on film and TV production, along with licensing music for both its programming and its music streaming service. It's literally impossible to know whether it's recouping those costs. In the meantime, Amazon is plowing more money into entertainment. It just announced its intent to purchase MGM, a legacy studio that has fallen behind some of the other behemoths (like Disney) but still remains a "mini-major," for $8.45 billion.
More from David Dayen
While this would make sense for a company trying to survive in a cutthroat streaming space where everyone else is consolidating, we have no real idea what Amazon is up to. It's good for Prime Video to grab onto the James Bond franchise, and build out its viewing library, which now will include The Pink Panther, Rocky, and RoboCop films, and 4,000 movies in all. (Older MGM films are actually now in the hands of AT&T, through its purchase of Time Warner, which had purchased Ted Turner's media empire, which once owned MGM but kept the pre-1986 library when it sold MGM off. It's a long story.)
But Amazon is spending at the level of Netflix for an ancillary business that seems to be designed to flatter company executives' longing to be creative artists (Bezos thinks he has distilled the 12 components of every piece of storytelling), and draw customers to buy Prime memberships and use the Amazon.com website so they can be sold socks. We don't know how much The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel drives Prime subscriptions over and above the desire for cheap socks; indeed, there's no way to know.
What we do know is that a company that's able to snap up a good-sized movie studio for what amounts to loose change, a company that can thoughtlessly buy up Sundance favorites and Thursday Night Football, reboot franchises like Coming to America, and acquire the rights to Pulitzer Prize winners like Colson Whitehead's The Underground Railroad is setting a price in the marketplace. As a (potentially) cross-subsidized content devourer, Amazon puts pressure on Netflix and HBO and Comcast and Disney, bidding up in-demand projects. That can certainly be good for producers, though everyone else will probably end up seeing it in their monthly streaming bills.
But it's something different when Amazon, for which film and TV is a vanity project and a seventh-rate priority at best, is doing this bidding. They have hundreds of billions of dollars to pull from all their other moneymakers to effectively punish these other streaming companies. And the goal seems to be to make competing products more expensive, to push people away from them and back into the waiting arms of Amazon.com.
Keep this site free and open for all to read...
SUPPORT THE PROSPECT
That's not exactly what D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine is arguing in the antitrust lawsuit against Amazon he filed on Tuesday, but it's a pretty close analogue. Racine is targeting Amazon's price agreements with third-party sellers, which he says force prices up across the internet for e-commerce. It should be a familiar argument to Prospect readers, as Shaoul Sussman made the case that Amazon was engaging in this practice in a 2019 story.
As Sussman explained, Amazon demands in contracts that brand-name products on its marketplace must sell at the lowest cost anywhere on the internet. These companies could sell elsewhere for less, because they don't have to deal with Amazon's exorbitant third-party fulfillment fees or free Amazon Prime shipping. So the "artificially high price," as Racine explained to CNBC, includes Amazon's commission. Third-party sellers have the choice to either not sell on Amazon, the number one e-commerce site, or raise their prices elsewhere to match the Amazon price. "Sellers who sell to multiple outlets admit that the prices of the products they are selling could have been lower [elsewhere], but due to Amazon's price-matching scheme they are higher," Sussman wrote.
That's the heart of Racine's complaint. By prohibiting Amazon sellers from offering lower prices on other sites, Amazon creates "an artificially high price floor across the online retail marketplace," harming consumers who pay those balances. Under the current iteration of antitrust law, which is all about consumer welfare, this is one of the slicker ways to get at Amazon's monopoly power in a way that a judge might accept.
Amazon wants to control all economic activity in the United States and the world. It wants a cut of every transaction.
Amazon appears to know this, because in 2019 it excised a clause in its contracts with third-party sellers known as the "price parity" provision, which explicitly stated that sellers could not sell on other online outlets at a lower price. But it replaced that clause with a "fair pricing policy" that enables Amazon to sanction sellers that do offer lower prices elsewhere. As those sanctions include placing products further down in Amazon search results, rendering it impossible for sellers to make sales, Amazon merely made the explicit implicit, with the exact same effect of raising prices across the online marketplace.
Amazon has responded that they're allowed to "not highlight offers" that are not "priced competitively," but anyone with a cursory understanding of how the internet works knows that websites can make links invisible with relative ease. It's not just putting certain options on a high shelf or in the back of the store, it's burying them 100 feet underground. And only because Amazon has monopoly power on online commerce does this compel sellers to raise their prices at other websites.
You can see the MGM purchase as a corollary to Amazon's goal of controlling prices, whether on online goods or for streaming services and film and television production costs. By drawing on its nearly limitless resources, Amazon can make business more costly on Netflix and Disney and Paramount and HBO, which could lead to increasing prices for those services. This race for scale to "win" the streaming wars has been going on for a couple of years now. But Amazon has no price on its streaming service, as it's bundled in with Prime. If the MGM deal has the effect of increasing prices elsewhere to make Amazon look more favorable, than it's indirectly doing the same thing it does through its third-party seller agreements, the focus of the D.C. lawsuit.
In addition, Amazon sells other streaming services on its website, and having a robust streaming service of its own puts customers in the mindset of watching TV on Amazon, which gooses those sales. Amazon also sells Fire TV, a device that shows streaming video, and to the extent that a beefed-up Prime Video can affect behavior on other streamers, it can control carriage rates and other revenues, like selling advertising within Disney or HBO programs shown on its devices.
The usual suspects have condemned Amazon's proposed purchase of MGM, saying it is "trying to take over another sector of the economy" or that it's "monopolizing content for the streaming service." That's not really accurate: MGM is a mini-major, and Amazon isn't, nor is it trying to be, a giant of the streaming world. I think you have to look at the deal more in the context of Amazon's prime directive. It wants to control all economic activity in the United States and the world. It wants a cut of every transaction. And that means squeezing its suppliers and competitors, to funnel more and more of those transactions its way. That's ultimately what's happening with the MGM purchase, and with the conditions on third-party sellers. It's just the flexing of market power, and it's about time someone, in this case Karl Racine, is attempting to hold them accountable for it.
Movies Big Tech monopoly corporate power antitrust Amazon Television
David Dayen is the Prospect's executive editor. His work has appeared in The Intercept, The New Republic, HuffPost, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, and more. His most recent book is 'Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power.'
Read more by David Dayen
Fortify your mind! Join the Prospect today
Support The American Prospect's independent, nonprofit journalism by becoming a member today. You will stay engaged with the best and brightest political and public policy reporting and analyses, and help keep this website free from paywalls and open for all to read. Our membership levels offer a range of perks including an opt-in to receive the print magazine by mail.
Choose your membership level: IDEAS, POLITICS & POWER


text:
@import "./variable.css";
@import "./mixin.css";

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Photo: Thatcher Cook for Mercy Corps
Large swaths of the Indian population remain desperately poor despite the country's rapid economic growth, led by the flourishing private sector. These communities are often unable to access basic amenities and services, and have limited access to opportunities offered by the growing economy. Millions of people are especially vulnerable to the impact of disasters and may lose their fragile livelihoods and homes all at once if a natural disaster strikes.
Emergency response: Responding to human suffering in the aftermath of disasters with emergency supplies, cash distributions, and water and sanitation services.
Agriculture & Food: Linking farmers to markets and supporting them with tools and resources to improve productivity and increase incomes.
Children & Youth: Teaching proper hygiene in schools to reduce disease, and empowering young people through leadership training.
Health: Working with rural communities to provide water and sanitation facilities and encourage proper hygiene practices that positively impact community health.
Economic opportunity: Training unemployed youth from tea-growing families and connecting them with jobs. Helping small businesses run by women improve and grow through management and technical resources.
India: Unveiling a world of possibility on India's tea estates
Life on India's tea estates can be difficult — especially for youth who have limited access to resources and opportunities to build a bright future. Learn how we're helping them look past their circumstances and see possibility.
India: Mercy Corps monitoring flooding in India
Mercy Corps is monitoring the historic flooding in Chennai, India, but is not mounting a relief operation for now.
Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan: Deadly earthquake strikes northeastern Afghanistan
A powerful 7.5 magnitude earthquake hit northeastern Afghanistan, with deadly effects both there and in Pakistan. We are ready to assist in relief efforts as needs become apparent.
India, Somalia: Indian Ocean tsunami: Ten years later
It's been a decade since the Indian Ocean tsunami ravaged communities from Indonesia to East Africa. Take a look back at the historic response and how people recovered.
India: In the field helping families stranded by Kashmir floods
Stagnant floodwaters still haven't receded and are creating risks for people who can't return home. How we're reaching families like Fatima's with supplies.
India: Responding to devastating floods in Kashmir
Kashmir has been inundated with its worst floods in half a century. We're distributing medicine and clean water to stranded families.
India: Shelter for families displaced by Cyclone Phailin
Evacuations saved lives, but the massive storm left hundreds of thousands without homes and electricity as winter approaches.
India: Meet our field staff: Hasina
When India's Assam state was besieged by conflict and natural disasters, Hasina took action. Meet this inspiring Mercy Corps team member who has taken a leading role in rebuilding her community.
India: Brewing change for ten years
In Darjeeling, deep in the foothills of the Himalayas, and in Assam, nourished by a tropical river basin, the world's most favored teas are hand-planted, plucked and processed.
India: Chipping in to help India's farmers grow potatoes
When you mention potatoes, most Americans would think "Idaho." Few would think the Kashmir Valley in the Himalaya Mountains. But Mercy Corps did. In 2010, Mercy Corps supported an experiment growing seed potatoes in the upper regions of the Kashmir Valley.
Country details
Population (2014 est.): 1.2 billion
UN Human Development Index rank: 135 (out of 187)
Mercy Corps has worked here since 2001

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I'm late to both the Dirty Chai and Eggnog party. I initially thought it was crazy to combine both tea and coffee into one fabulously caffeinated beverage. Now that I'm on that Dirty Chai train, I don't ever want to get off. Cocktail recipe creation can sometimes be an arduous task and it's becoming increasingly even more difficult to be original.
Here I was on Monday, all proud of myself for coming up with this fun spin on a Christmas classic. Until I googled 'Dirty Chai Eggnog'. If you want to really doubt your special ability, google it. You'll most likely find out you're not so special. It's quite deflating, kind of like going swimsuit shopping in the dead of winter.
All doubts aside, I really think 'Cocktail Testing Monday' should become a regular thing around here. It was a lot of fun playing around with spices and spirits and the end result was so delicious. I learned a lot about taking photos in the snow and how the white balance always seems off no matter what.
One Mug of Eggnog, Coming Up!
Best of all (or maybe not depending on how you look at it) I learned that you can make eggnog by the glassful. This is great news if you like the odd glass of eggnog and don't want to make a huge punch bowl full every time the craving strikes. However, if you're an addict like me this is BAD NEWS because it makes real eggnog way too accessible.
By the way, I made homemade eggnog for the very first time last year and the store-bought stuff doesn't even come close. If you are hosting a huge gathering this Christmas season, try out this amazing recipe for 'The Best Eggnog in the World' from Jamie Oliver. So humble, that Jamie Oliver…and he didn't even pay me to say that!
As a side note here, it should be mentioned that my recipe uses raw egg. Here in North America we are very particular about our eggs. They go though rigorous testing and are always refrigerated, which is a lot more than what many other countries do around the world. If you are worried, make sure you buy the freshest eggs possible and give them a wash before you crack them into your shaker.
Real eggnog for two. Yes, it's a thing.
Begin by infusing the whipping cream with the aromatics. Add clove bulbs, cardmom pods, peppercorns, and 1/2 cinnamon stick to a mortar. Grind slightly with a pestle then place ground aromatics in a silk mulling pouch or tea bag.
Add whipping cream to a small heavy bottomed pot then add the aromatics. Bring to a slight simmer then turn temperature on low and allow to infuse for 15 minutes.
Add black tea and allow to infuse for another 10 minutes. Strain and allow to cool.
For the cocktail; add rum and liqueur, egg, and 1 ounce chai infused whipping cream to a shaker. Dry shake.
Add ice and shake until frosty. Pour into a coup glass and garnish as desired.
Looks amazing Bernice! I love how "dirty" this cocktail is. It literally covers all the bases. It would be a perfect pick me up late into christmas evening.
Dirty is my middle name! JK!! lol. It would be perfect for late night wrapping frenzies and baking marathons! Lots of calories and caffeine to keep you going for hours.
Oh wow! This is an indulgent cocktail! I love tea infused things so a tea cocktail sounds amazing! Plus, these photos! Ahh!
Really? Thanks so much for saying that…they gave me such a headache when I was editing them. Shooting with snow is a lot more difficult than I thought it would be!
Tea is super versatile and fun to play with!
Bernice, this sounds totally amazing! I've recently ventured into dirty chai land as well and I don't know why I was so late to the party — it's fabulous! Do you think I could sub whipping cream for full fat coconut milk? I have a trusty brand I use for baking and lattes that's the consistency of whipping cream. I'd love to make this when we go home for the holidays — my family make a huge punch bowl of eggog and I sadly can't indulge anymore. I always love collaborating with you and seeing what you come up with!
This cocktail looks divine! I am obsessed with Dirty Chai's and you've just taken this wonderful drink to a whole other level! I cannot wait to try this during the holiday season, cheers to Connecting Over Cocktails!
I have all of the ingredients in the house right now. That would be a good afternoon drink!
Mmmmm, so did you try it? I hope you enjoyed!


We're always open to hearing about what you want to see in your Library.
Not in our collection (we tend to order the most popular items, so be sure to search our collection first).
Already in print and released in North America (we do not consider items that have not yet been published).
Suggest up to 5 items each month.
If you want to know more about how we decide which items to purchase, please see our Collection Development Policy.
If you are a creator, and you would like your work included in our collection, there is a different process for making a suggestion. Please see our Information for Creators page.
To suggest a purchase, you need to login to your Library account.
Once you're logged in go to My Settings, click Suggested Purchases under the Account Preferences heading at the left of the page.
Here, you can view past and pending suggestions, and click Add a Suggestion to make a new one.


Home >> PVC Figures >> MAX FACTORY Fate/Grand Order figma Saber/Altria Pendragon Alter Shinjuku ver.
MAX FACTORY Fate/Grand Order figma Saber/Altria Pendragon Alter Shinjuku ver.
Fate/Grand Order figma セイバー/アルトリア・ペンドラゴン オルタ 新宿ver.
Saber Alter in her modern black outfit, blending in fittingly to modern-day Shinjuku! Comes with her favourite dog Cavas II. Bike sold separately.


Are Teeth Cleaning Videos The New Gross Obsession?
If you're one of the few who find blackhead extractions, ingrown toenail procedures, and earwax removals satisfying to look at, get ready to binge-watch teeth cleaning clips!
Based on the number of views of the videos (some of which have more than Dr. Pimple Popper's famous ones), there must be something oddly therapeutic about seeing plaque being removed and washed away from teeth.
Apart from the ~gross~ content, we'd like to warn you that it's better to watch these videos with your device's sound switched off. Trust us, you don't want to hear them.
Are you ready to see extreme cases of plaque buildup vacuumed off? Watch the videos below!
Don't want this to happen to you? Then you might want to call your dentist rn and book that teeth cleaning appointment you've been postponing for the past few months.


Freiburg is located in the south-west of Germany and sits close to the borders of both France and Switzerland.
Freiburg is one of the best places to visit in Germany in the summer with its great climate, food, wine, attractions and proximity for some amazing day trips. As a base for Catholicism in the 15th century, to forgettable activities such as witch burning and being caught in the thirty-year war. Throughout history, Freiburg has been controlled and influenced by Austrians, the French, the Swedish, the Spanish, and various German independent states at times.
Freiburg was heavily bombed during World War II. Thankfully after the war, Freiburg was rebuilt on its medieval plan into the beautiful city that we see today. Freiburg is a university town which gives it a young, cosmopolitan and energetic feel.
Freiburg University is the fifth-oldest university in Germany, with a long tradition of teaching the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. Today Freiburg is the model of a green city. Freiburg promotes itself as a Green city—especially in the areas of transportation, energy, waste management, land conservation, and green economics—and the city has won various national and international environmental awards.
Sitting in one of the green spaces would be one of the most relaxing things to do in Freiburg on a beautiful day. The Minster was partly built on the foundations of an original church that had been there from the beginning of Freiburg, in The Freiburg Cathedral survived the bombing raids of November , which destroyed all of the houses on the west and north side of the market.
The meter high cathedral has 16 bells the oldest dating back to The inside features some nice chapels and stain glass windows. Tours up the belfry tower are not possible at the moment as the tower is closed for renovation but once it is completed it should be on your list of things to do in Freiburg.
The square was once a cemetery in the 15th century but has been used as a market area since. You will find on most days over stalls at the market. The market is open from 8: Saturday is the best day to visit the market as you will find extra market stalls on the weekend. One thing is for sure any product you buy is local as only local growers can sell their wares at the Minster market.
This space quickly turns into the Freiburg Christmas market in December. We experienced the Freiburg Christmas market in December of and enjoyed the Mulled wine, food and products on sale it was one of our best things to do in Freiburg. Search here for the latest prices for this tour What to do in Freiburg — See the Bachle One of the unique features of Freiburg is the Bachle.
It truly is a feature I have never come across anywhere else in the world. The legend goes if you fall into the Bachle you will marry a Freiburger. The water seems to keep the streets cool on hot days and certainly entertains kids. Our kids loved jumping over them and fighting the desire to paddle in them, after all, it was winter, very cold and it would not have been one of the best things to do in Freiburg at that time!
It was like a game to the kids with every corner we approached where would the water channels head. Museums to visit in Freiburg im Breisgau Augustiner Museum: This museum is housed in a former monastery and church of the Augustinian monks. This museum is home to an art and cultural collection from the Middle Ages to the Baroque era.
There is a focus on the stone original figures, glass windows of the Freiburg Minster, and medieval wood sculpture. This makes the museum an important culturally significant thing to do around Freiburg. The archaeological collection has over original pieces of history on display from more than 2, years of Greek, Etruscan and Roman antiquity.
The pieces are aged from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. To the 5th century AD. This is a must see of Freiburg attractions for history lovers. The park area is about 35 hectares and offers numerous opportunities for recreation and relaxation for both young and old. The large lake invites you to walk around it and enjoy the peace and relax. Use the park benches for a rest or just to admire the scenery.
On hot days swimming is allowed to cool yourself off. You can hire paddle boats and check out the surrounds of the lake from on the water. The Japanese garden will inspire you while the sounds of the created waterfall will soothe you. The kids can play on the adventure playground or play mini golf. There is a beer garden that serves beer and food, a great place to relax on warm summer days. Domestic and livestock breeds from all over the world live in the 38 hectares of paddocks.
The Mundenhof is free to visit but a donation is welcome for the upkeep of this amazing place. There is a restaurant on site to grab a bite to eat and it would be one of the best things to do in Freiburg with the kids. The trip to the top takes 20 minutes and is one of the best things to do in Freiburg for kids.
At the top of the mountain, there are activities for the whole family. These include: The Mine Tour: The mine has over km of tunnels on 22 levels. The mine was developed over the last years to mine silver, lead and zinc. There are 3 different tours of different lengths depending on age and height.
The basic tour for any age runs for 45 minutes. The Schniederlihof Museum offers a deep glimpse into the Black Forest history. This museum shows you what life was like on the mountain for early pioneers of the Freiburg region. For kids and adults over 12 you can ride a scooter down specially made paths from the top of the Schauinsland to the base of the mountain.
The 8 km track down the hill will take you around 1 hour. You will be given instructions and fitted with safety equipment for the trip. This would have to be one of the most exciting things to do in Freiburg for the whole family! All this and more is available on the mountain. Throw in Mountain biking and hiking in the summer months and cross-country skiing, sledging and snowboarding in the winter there is a never-ending list of Freiburg things to do.
The Theatre puts on shows featuring classic hand puppet play. The sort of thing that kids love. Places to stay in Freiburg Freiburg places to stay include everything from luxury properties to hostels. Freiburg is situated on the western edge of the Black Forest. People often refer to Freiburg as the capital of the Black Forest. From an elevated location in the City of Freiburg, look left, or right and you will the Black Forest.
Titisee is in the municipality in the district of Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald. We visited Titisee in the Black Forest. You will find shops selling cuckoo clocks and souvenirs, you will find cafes selling black forest cake and coffee. In the summer you can go swimming, hire paddle boats or go for a cruise on the lake. You can relax at one of the many waterfront establishments, have a meal and try the local wine and beer. A trip on the Black Forest railway from Freiburg will take you past fairytale houses and amazing scenery before arriving at Titisee.
A little further away is Heidelberg. This local Black Forest brewery is widely popular in Baden Wurttemberg. We went on a tour of the brewery with our kids in tow. The tour started with a video about Rothaus bier and brewery history followed by a tour of the factory. We were shown where the beer was made and bottled. The girls found the packing line very interesting with the bottles flying along the belts being labelled and put into boxes.
At the end of the tour, you were able to sample some Rothaus beer and have a pretzel. There is a Rothaus shop that you can buy souvenirs from, we walked away with a t-shirt. There is also a traditional restaurant located onsite where you can eat and drink more Rothaus beer if you like!
We settled for a coffee and some Black Forest cake in the Black Forest! Badischer Winzerkeller For all of us who love good wine whether it be red, white or sparkling you have certainly come to the right region of the world. Badischer Winzerkeller is a co-operative that produces, bottles and markets the wines of the region bringing together the grapes from many small wine growing plots in South Baden.
We took a guided tour that lasts 2. The tour starts off with a short film before you enter the factory and see the wine being made, stored and bottled. The highlight of the tour for the kids anyway was a small train ride that takes you underground past all the cellars and brings you out in a big storage room. Here you will see massive wine barrels that each small vineyard used to use to store their wine in over the last few centuries.
At the conclusion, you get to sit down with your expert guide and open a few bottles for tasting. Your guide will talk you through each bottle and tell you about its smells and tastes.
The kids had an orange juice but they really enjoyed the tour as well. Staufen is one of this fairy tale picture-perfect towns with winding streets and cobblestones. Shops selling local wines, beers and crafts in all directions and archways leading into secluded little courts.
The city centre shifted from the Old City to the new Train Station quarter. Throw in Mountain biking and hiking in the summer months and cross-country skiing, Dating freiburg im breisgau, sledging and snowboarding in the winter there is a never-ending list of Freiburg things to do. People often refer to Freiburg as the capital of the Black Forest. Museums to visit in Freiburg im Breisgau Augustiner Museum: There is also a traditional restaurant located onsite where you can eat and drink more Rothaus beer if you like! Dating freiburg im breisgau Koenigsbourg visit Alsace France. For the kids, you will find the Basel Zoo featuring animal species housed in eleven hectares of grounds in the heart of the city. The Freiburg Cathedral survived the bombing raids of Novemberwhich destroyed all of the houses on the west and north side of the market.


The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) recently announced the six winners of its One City, One Symphony poetry contest.
One City, One Symphony is an annual initiative hosted by the CSO that fosters dialogue within the community about various themes and music. This year's theme focused on freedom.
The poetry contest asked for original submissions responding to the question, "What does freedom mean to you?" Applicants were encouraged to find inspiration in Dvorak's Ninth Symphony or poems written by Maya Angelou: Forgive, Equality and Elegy.
Each winner received two tickets to attend the One City, One Symphony concerts Nov. 13-14 as well as a cash prize.
"We hope that this poetry and the dialogue around the concerts will challenge people to think about freedom in a way they maybe haven't before and feel inspired to continue this discussion into other aspects of life as well," Berneking says.
Grand Prize: Dana Schneider of Edgewood, "Is Freedom Just Not That Into Me?"
1st Prize: Bridget Bill of Cincinnati, "A Snow Globe Sky"
2nd Prize: Alison Maniace of Columbus, "Are We There Yet?"
Grand Prize: Mark Flanigan of Prospect Hill, "The Bell Ringer's Song"
1st Prize: Richard Hague of Madisonville, "Finding Freedom"
2nd Prize: Elese Daniel of Mt. Auburn, "Self-Portrait at 25"
• Read the winning poems on the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Facebook page.
• Buy tickets to attend the Symphony's One City, One Symphony concerts Nov. 13-14 at Music Hall.
• Learn more about the CSO at its website.


In Ansedonia, beautiful villa with sea view.
The property has two floors and, internally, on the ground floor, there are two rooms with a kitchen with many appliances and one bedroom with a bathroom.
On the upper floor, there are three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
On the property there is also an apartment with separate entrance with living area, kitchen and two bedrooms with two bathrooms.
Terraces and a nice garden area with table tennis.
It is a 10 minute walk from the sea.


Earlier this month I wrote about for legislation that would modify the existing EB-5 visa to make it easier for foreign-born entrepreneurs with financial patrons to immigrate to the United States, saying in my headline that the Startup Visa Act would invite foreign investment in the U.S. Sadly, as with the hot-button H-1B visa program, it would also likely create the potential for abuse.
In theory it sounds great.
In practice, it will be yet another example of how the worst in our country abuse the most vulnerable for profit. The sad fact of the matter is that you can't mix big money and immigration. Corporations simply are not to be trusted when it comes to administering something that I believe is sacrosanct.
Immigration should be about people seeking a brighter future in a country that championed democracy. And that is all it should be about. Keep big business and exploiters of immigrants out of the immigration process!
Writing on his Venture Chronicles blog and citing a Business Insider piece by Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry, Jeff Nolan gets to the heart of the problem by noting the Startup Visa Act would make foreign entrepreneurs incredibly beholden to their investors. "I can't imagine a situation primed for more potential abuse than one where the entrepreneur is dependent not only for funding from a VC but also residency in this country," he writes, echoing Lawson's point.
The venture firm providing investment funds could go belly-up during the three-year period allotted to the entrepreneurs to produce $1 million in revenue or additional investment and to employ five people, something that Nolan says is not uncommon.
An emphasis on short-term revenue vs.long-term sustainability creates temptation for entrepreneurs and their investors to cook the books. This same temptation brought us Enron and countless other financial scandals. But it's exacerbated here by the relatively short three-year timeframe and the fact that U.S. citizenship, not just financial riches, is at stake for the entrepreneurs.
The bill doesn't require entrepreneurs or their investors to create new business in the tech sector. Nolan says this could lead to a "scenario where this program is used by U.S. investors to establish companies onshore with cheap offshore entrepreneurs in exchange for green cards again it empowers investors to turn foreign nationals into indentured servants." His point is sound, although I'm not sure why other industries would be any more prone to this kind of abuse than tech.
It places a limit on the number of possible visas, which like the H-1B program "all but ensures that a legal specialty industry will attach itself to it like a parasite for the sole purpose of selling off access to the visa program," says Nolan. This, I think, is the biggest issue. I've often wondered if lifting caps on hotly contested visas would ultimately result in less gaming of the system, especially if a removal of caps was accompanied by requirements for more transparency in how visas are used, something that seems sorely lacking in the current H-1B system.
Despite these reservations, Nolan thinks Congress should let the bill live, but "go back and address these weaknesses with draft language that passes muster and puts reasonable checks and balances in place that ensures the intentions of lawmakers and investors are being met." His support for the bill is linked to the fact that he personally knows some of the investors backing the bill and believes their intentions are honest.
The important thing, as both Nolan and a commenter named Pete Warden note following the post, is to keep the bill's requirements fairly streamlined to avoid making the process so complex that it requires immigration lawyers to get involved. Warden, who says he'll become a U.S. citizen soon, describes the slow pace of the immigration process, a problem I've written about before: six months to transfer an H-1B visa and seven years to get a green card.
Thanks for your comment. However, the post only mentions the H-1B in passing. The subject is a proposed new visa for foreign startups. Both the H-1B and this new visa create the potential for employers or investors to take advantage of visa holders. I do not think you'll find many companies that publicly advertise for h-1B visa holders only. Companies tend to keep that kind of employment bias to themselves or risk being sued.
You are not stating properly. MOST OF THE COMPANIES prefer H-1B holders. Most of these H-1B holders are poorly educated. They speak very less on the job so that they are not exposed. Thier communication skills are very limited. Most techanical jobs they are some how able to manage but they are given GRE verbal 70% will not score even 300 out of 800. WHY GOVT DOOES NOT ENSURE THAT BEST AND BRIGHTEST ARE REALLY have acceptable score in ENGLISH and computer science reletd subjects. It will rediuce the abusive visa practice. The industry is dumping lower grade freshers with worst degree and some software knowledge. PLEASE EXAMINE THE REAL DEGREE OF THOSE WHO WERE GRANTED VISA IN PREVIOUS YEARS.
I'm thinking about the early poster, who raises issues about US employers who can legally discriminat against qualified Americans and I'm curious to know what you say about this in general? Do you agree that the H1B program (e.g. non-immigraiton program) has helped to deteriorate what was "once" a "thriving" IT industry? Do you agree that US corps are not adhering to existing laws/rules/guidelines, pertaining to the H1B program? Do you agree that these laws are also not being enforced by the US government?
I believe all of the above, however interested in your opinion. With that said, sadly I see so many intelligent, experienced IT professionals (some employed, some unemployed, some who have had a decrease in pay; & others who have been forced to get out of IT consulting altogether), ... due to the H1B program. It's good that people are actually understanding and talking about this issue which has had a large impact on the IT industry... However sadly I don't see anyone with good suggestions (other than to suggest that you write your politicians) about how we can address the issue and restructure the Non-immigration (H1B and other 1bs) program which is eliminating jobs, permitting discrimination and harming US workers. Why is it is so unpopular to be a US citizen these days...? or to enforce laws that protect US jobs... sometimes I wonder if we are so "political" today, we are so quick to call someone a racist, ... that no one really wants to speak up. I am gainfully employed right now, but very concerned about what is happening to the IT industry altogether.
Do you know what could potentially be done legally, fight against this discrimination against US workers? ... as well as illegal activity, by corporations, with respect to existing H1B/ non-immigration laws?


text:
memorate.com.au – Art installation: ANZAC – an alternative perspective
memorate.com.au
An installation by Orange based artist Victor Gordon at the Orange Regional Gallery
Opening Friday the 24th April – 5th July 2015
This exhibition coincides with the 100 year Anzac Day Commemoration and is the culmination of eighteen months preparation. The Orange Regional Gallery is hosting a site-specific art installation intended, not as a static commemorative exhibition to be viewed passively, but as a simulated emotional and intellectual experience intended to provoke thought. Gallery 2 will be transformed to provide a powerful and perhaps confronting artistic response to the supreme sacrifice of soldier volunteers in WWI.
It will provide an historical overview of the military hierarchy and the human resources required to conduct the Great War. The statistics of all Australian volunteers who died as well as those of our community here in Orange and districts will be included.
A large scale 9 metre long panelled painting will take up one entire wall of Gallery 2. The painting sets 'the stage' by [re]presenting the industrial-scale magnitude of tombstone production to meet the demand of the War Graves Commission for an adequate and tasteful commemoration of the dead.
While of intense topical interest at this moment in time to the general viewer on a national scale, Gordon's installation is directed towards engaging and addressing the local community of Orange, by symbolically bringing together and bringing home, the (approximately 120) volunteers from our district who died in WWI.
Attention will importantly be drawn to one individual, Private Ernest Lachlan Powter, who was the youngest volunteer from Orange to die. Being born on 9th march 1900, he was fifteen when he lied about his age to go to the war and was dead by the time he was sixteen!
Concurrently An image of Alec Campbell, who volunteered at age sixteen and survived to become the last Anzac to die, also features. Of note is his personal reflection on Anzac which evolved and developed after his war service as he matured.
The installation will additionally include reference to contemporary local and national opposition to the war. The shaming symbol of their non patriotic stance, the white feather, will form an integral aspect of the installation, which highlighted the divisive sentiment on the home front and peaked around the two failed conscription referenda debates which divided the nation. Orange was not excluded.
Gordon's art will provide thoughtful insights into the tough choices young men faced; to volunteer and potentially die, be wounded or otherwise be permanently affected or, face being labelled a coward — which could mean becoming a social outcast, forever stigmatised.
By highlighting the devastating cost of Australia's voluntary participation in the Great War in young Australian lives, Victor Gordon's aesthetic response to the Anzac legacy will provide much food for thought.
Art installation – ANZAC, CWD 22 Jan 2015
Read the CWD article
You can keep up to date with this exhibition by visiting memorate.com.au
Multi-Didactic October 2001
Mixed media installation: Small rug, transparent acrylic cube, wire basket, stainless steel bucket, rope, shaped painted boards and lettering
This installation was prompted by the events of September 2001. I had, prior to the momentous bombings in the USA been contemplating addressing the issue of suicide, in rural NSW. I had come to learn of the vast numbers of suicides and the fact that they were largely brushed under the carpet so to speak, devastated me. No-one discussed these suicides and I felt compelled to make some sort of artistic statement.
The bombings of September 11th prompted me to respond to both issues in the same work. The bombings however took centre stage in the development of my installation. I combined two salient notions in my approach. The first was that the whole world seemed to out of sync and this resulted in a gigantic imbalance. I conceived of a scale of religious opposites, two hypothetically suspended buckets which did not balance. The second and more important idea was that I perceive that there is little or no compassion among the powers that be in the world. The symbols I have deployed for these polar opposites are the Red Cross and the Red Crescent. Two circular disks with their discrete symbols were placed each half way down their respective buckets to form the surfaces of half full /half empty vessels.
The Red Cross representing the West's "coalition of the willing", their shiny stainless steel Crusaders bucket hanging high and suspended off a thick rope tied in an hangman's noose. To make it particularly germane to Australians, I added the text "lest we forget", the reprise used after Laurence Binyon's poem "For the Fallen" at military remembrance services.
The Red Crescent represents the Muslim Jihadi extremists of the world and their bucket is a skeleton which is located under a transparent acrylic box on a small prayer mat on the floor. Above the acrylic box is a dusting brush also suspended from a smaller hangman's noose.
The work is intended to provoke a correspondence or thoughtfulness on the current imbalance and lack of compassion in the world. More than a decade since making this work little has changed.
PRETEXT – 1991
Mixed media installation: Custom built iconic frame, oil painting, assemblages, welded metal, custom built table and stair case, kelim rug, small box draw and human caul
"O yes, detected in his very heart of home: his children's father and their brother son and husband of his mother; bed rival to his father and assassin."
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
The installation I titled Pretext evolved into an enigmatic erotic metaphor. Bataille described perfectly what I wished to achieve visually. "Eroticism springs from an alternation of fascination and horror, of affirmation and denial." The resultant work comprised a complex installation resembling an altar, which embodied elements of attraction as well as repulsion. In terms of its form, it became an inter-genre tableau which incorporated painting, sculptural forms and found objects.
At the core of the work in the single-drawer reliquary container on top of the (impractical) table, I located my mother's caul. This was the actual amniotic membrane that had covered her head at birth, which had been surgically removed, dried out and retained back in 1916. It was thought to be a talisman, an apotropaion, which warded-off disaster, particularly against drowning. Additionally a child born with a caul was considered to be a seer. I had inherited the caul from my mother at her death. Scrutinising the snake skin-like caul it is not difficult to imagine it to be an enlarged dried-out foreskin. Eerie stuff man…
Utilising meaningful personal objects had become part of my iconographic process (I had earlier bolted my mother's bible to a Zebra skin ). By using pertinent objects from my real world instead of only deploying mimetic devices, I was breaching the divide between the real and representation in my attempt to infuse a more profound sense of verisimilitude
All components of the installation were conceived to appear normal when, in fact, nothing was as it seemed to be. The rich-patterned fabric of the Afghan rug entices the viewer inwards and leads to a logically implausible staircase. The table with its turned legs of differing lengths is entirely dependent on the stairs to keep its equilibrium and is equally impracticable, while the stairs are equally not accessible. They ascend up and under ending abruptly at the back of the table.
The subject of the painting in the central panel is the mother of my daughter Hannah (during pregnancy) who had my mother's name; Louise Gordon – no biological relation. My mother's full name had been Louise Caroline (known as Carol) Gordon. My first wife Felicity Carol (known only as Carol) had adopted my surname and become Carol Gordon, so the names of both the mothers of my two daughters were identifiable with my mother's. Was this merely serendipitous or had I indeed been subconsciously seeking-out successive nominal replacements?
In an archetypal Freudian manner my mother's absence after her voluntary death, was a probable causal factor for me to metaphorically seek to replace her in my life. On a deep subliminal level was I also questioning my culpability (in a metaphorical sense) of having the desire to have serial incestuous conjugal relations with my mother? As Camille Paglia put it, "Reunion with the mother is a siren call haunting our imagination."
Interestingly this very substitution would, on matured reflection, eventually provide me the opportunity of breaking those ties and thereby distancing myself from my mother's power-hold over me. I would strive to sever the proverbial 'Gordian' (read Gordon) knot.
The installation's timber elements, with the exception of the antique single-drawer container, were designed and fashioned by me from new raw-cut American Oak. The design was intentionally based on the hieratic power 'em-bodied' in 1st (French) Empire Neo-Classical period.
The traditionally painted reclining nude in the central panel of the tri-partite construction faces away from the viewer, displaying only her back view. The predominant and visibly protruding spinal column, prefigures later art work which delves into the sub-structure of the figure. While the image is intended to erotically entice the viewer in a traditional male-gaze voyeuristic manner, the unrevealing back-view is, in realty, a pose of rejection. She is painted lying on a bed covered by a patterned carpet, the same carpet which, in reality, leads to the stairs. By purposefully not fully-connecting the figure to the carpet via any logical shadow in the painting, the nude almost becomes a cut-out and takes on a floating ethereal quality. The actual carpet had been a shared treasured possession from my first marriage and held significance for me as such.
The actual (3D) carpet is continued or transubstantiated into painted (2D) illusion on the canvas – and that illusion is then suggestive of itself become reality. Is this not a classic case of "life imitates art far more than art imitates life."
The construction has, at its apex, a cross formed by an iron hammer and key, similarly paired but functionally illogical and impracticable – yet symbolically loaded. This cruciform is housed in a custom-made coffin-like diamond shape. On the left (or sinister) end of the key, the action-end, is a small negative or voided inverted Petrine cross, nowadays associated with satanic worship; while on the right side handle of the key we find a negative cut-out eight – the symbol of harmony and balance. The key cannot unlock anything as it is impeded by the hammer, which also cannot be used. I dug the hammer up in my childhood garden and the key I discovered embedded in a mud brick while renovating the first house I owned in Johannesburg.
The two panels on either side of the central panel are a re-use of earlier iconography. Made of taut raw canvas pulled and twisted over stretchers, their surface structure and sub-structure are simultaneously visible and pose a visual conundrum. They are each intended to represent one of my two young daughters, their lives metaphorically yet-to-be-painted.


text:
Q: Passing javascript function vs use imports in Svelte or React component I wanted to use some function from javascript module in one of my component. Should I pass it in props when making the component or should I just use Imports in component itself to get the javascript function?
Example of Passing in Svelte component:
Proxy.js
var Proxy = {
    test: function() {
        .....
    }
}

export default Proxy;

Dashboard.svelte
<script>

export let Proxy;

// use Proxy test function now
</script>

Example of import JS
Proxy.js
var Proxy = {
    test: function() {
        .....
    }
}

export default Proxy;

Dashboard.svelte
<script>
import Proxy from "../Proxy.js"

// use Proxy test function now
</script>

Which is better way to do in svelte components or any frontend code for that matter?

A: If you plan to use your Proxy module inside of the <script /> section, then you will need to use import just like you would do with any other javascript module.
The export keyword used here is special when using Svelte.js. You use it to receive props in your components. Since it appears that Proxy is not a prop for a svelte component, then you wouldn't use export to include it.
When using React, you would also use import. The use of export in React is the same as in regular javascript, you don't use it for props.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Though this may give a fair idea of the property's market value, an official property valuation would carry more weight. E.g. if you need to use this piece of property as a security against a loan, the bank's loan approval process would be faster and smoother if the property is certified by an official evaluator. Many banks now insist on valuation certificates before issuing loans using properties as security. The value thus certified may also have chances of getting a higher amount of loan sanctioned.
Do NRI's require permission of Reserve Bank to transfer immovable property in India?
Do PIO's require permission of Reserve Bank to purchase immovable property in India for their residential use?
In what manner should the purchase consideration for the immovable property be paid by PIO's under the general permission?
Reserve Bank has granted general permission to certain financial institutions providing housing finance e.g. HDFC, LIC Housing Finance Ltd., etc., to grant housing loans to NRI's for acquisition of a house/flat for self-occupation subject to certain conditions. The purpose of loan margin money and the quantum of loan will be at par with those applicable to housing loans to residents. Repayment of loan should be made within a period not exceeding 15 years out of inward remittances or out of funds held in the investor's NRE/FCNR/NRO Accounts.
Authorised dealers have been granted permission to grant loans to NRI's for acquisition of house/flat for self-occupation on their return to India subject to certain conditions. Repayment of the loan should be made within a period not exceeding 15 years out of inward remittance through banking channels or out of funds held in the investors' NRE/FCNR/NRO accounts.
Can authorised dealers grant housing loan to NRI's where he is a principal borrower with his resident close relative as a co-applicant / guarantor or where the land is owned jointly by such NRI borrower with his resident close relative?


For physiology or other research fields where experiments require remote monitoring or telemetry, use a BioHarness or TEAM system. BIOPAC's BioHarness with AcqKnowledge software is a state-of-the-art lightweight portable biological data logger and telemetry system. BioHarness monitors, analyzes and records a variety of physiological parameters including ECG, respiration, posture, and acceleration. BioHarness applications include physiology, psychology, psychophysiology, exercise physiology, ergonomics, human factors, and more.
The harness employs Smart Fabric technology that eliminates the need for additional electrodes and wires. The device uses Bluetooth transmission to telemeter data back to a base computer or logs it locally for later download.
The TEAMSystem-1 is a stand-alone, RF telemetry physiology monitoring system for one person. That can be expanded to simultaneously monitor multiple people in real time, anywhere in a stadium, field or other wide-area setting.
BioHarness and the TEAM include AcqKnowledge software to provide a wide range of tools for viewing, measuring, and analyzing the data; automated routines for HRV and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia simplify the analysis process and save time.
The live Bluetooth telemetry mode allows you to monitor subjects in real time; range is ~30 m, environment dependent.
Use the logging mode to monitor subjects away from the lab—athletes can wear the device while they train.


text:
Q: RabbitMQ Management web page cannot show login button using latest cloudfoundry UAA I try to using oauth authentication in RabbitMQ via cloudfoundry UAA
Follow this tutorial it works there's no problem
I checked RabbitMQ management login successfully and RabbitMQ management API also successfully called
But RabbitMQ UAA demo's cloudfoundry UAA image created 2years ago. so UAA image has log4j vulnerability (CVE-2021-44228)
So I'm trying to UAA image changes to 75.16.0
And I faced critical problem

*

*In RabbitMQ Management Web login button does not show

*Web Browser's console log showed X-Frame-Options DENY (192.168.137.237:8080 is UAA server IP address)

Can anyone help me?


There are several different benefits from purchasing online and from coming directly into our store. A more thorough evaluation of your foot can be done when you come into the shop. With that said, more time is spent per patient, therefore we can't honor our online pricing.


The Seahawks (4-3) snapped a two-game losing streak by driving 80 yards in nine plays before the Wilson-to-Willson connection. The tight end got behind rookie safety Tre Boston, who was playing in place of an injured Thomas DeCoud.
Norman said Seattle ran four vertical routes on the play, and Willson held on despite a big hit by strong safety Roman Harper at the goal line.
DeCoud pulled his hamstring during the second half and watched the Seahawks' winning drive from the sideline. He spent the past six years in Atlanta but had seen enough tape of the Panthers' 2013 loss to Seattle to know how similarly it played out.
The Panthers will face New Orleans on Thursday night in a matchup of the top teams in the NFC South, a division in which no team has a winning record.
After Wilson's touchdown pass, the Panthers got the ball at their 23 with 42 seconds left. But Cam Newton was sacked twice and bounced a throw at the feet of running back Jonathan Stewart on a screen play on fourth-and-25.
Newton had another tough day against the Seahawks, completing 12 of 22 passes for 171 yards with no touchdowns and a 61.0 passer rating. Newton lost two turnovers. He was sacked three times, all during the fourth quarter.
In three games against Seattle, Newton has completed 54 percent of his passes for an average of 146 yards. His two lowest-yardage passing games were in the 2012 and 2013 Seahawks losses.
It was the beginning that ended up costing the Panthers.
The Panthers drove inside the Seattle 15 on their first three possessions but came away with only two Graham Gano field goals.
The third drive ended when Newton fumbled a zone-read exchange to Stewart at the Seahawks' 14, and defensive end Cliff Avril recovered at the 16.
Leading 6-3 at halftime, the Panthers started the second half near midfield after a 49-yard kickoff return by Brenton Bersin.
On third-and-7 from the Seattle 34, Newton rolled to his left to avoid a sack and flung the ball backhanded toward tight end Greg Olsen. But Marcus Burley intercepted it and ran it back into Panthers' territory.
Carolina coach Ron Rivera said he thought Newton was "pressing" to make plays.
It wasn't just Newton who looked bad in the red zone.
On the Panthers' second possession, rookie Kelvin Benjamin dropped a pass in the end zone on second-and-goal from the 3. After a Seattle penalty moved the ball to the 1, Stewart was dropped for a 7-yard loss when the right side of the line was pushed backward.
The Panthers' defense played well until the final drive, when Wilson completed four of four passes – to four receivers – for 53 yards. He also ran twice for 21 yards, including a 14-yard scramble after the Seahawks were penalized 5 yards for a false start.
"When I went into the huddle, I kind of laughed and smiled. I told them, 'Hey man, we've here for two years in a row. Just like this. Let's go do it,' " said Wilson, who was 20-for-32 passing for 199 yards and one touchdown, with one interception.
Panthers middle linebacker Luke Kuechly had that been-here-before feeling, as well.
"When you look back at the last few games, it's kind of been around the same score. That's when you know it's a good matchup. It's two good teams playing against each other, and it's fun playing against these guys," he said.


DLX is back on Free Love Digi this month with more of his experimental bass vibrations, and we're hyped to present the premiere of Busted Groove! Twinkling synth melodies combine with chunky halftime drum rhythms and satisfyingly distorted low end for a cracking slice out of left field…just like we like it! Hit up Beatport to grab this one right now.
Deeper beats for you all this weekend as B1tyze deliver the latest instalment of our exclusive mix series! Formed of US button pusher B1t Crunch3r and French studio duo Kantyze, B1tyze have been crafting some really unusual leftfield rhythms over the past year with releases for the likes of Onset Audio, Free Love Digi, Keep Deep & Future Follower Records.
Due to geographical separation we couldn't get all three behind the Dojo decks but rest assured that Jason B1t Crunch3r has delivered a top notch mix representing the sound the trio are pushing right now. Moving through deep halftime, hybrid jungle and full roll tech and featuring material from GREAZUS, Mauoq, Quadrant & Iris and of course a host of their own beats, this one is a proper journey through the 170 sound. Sick!
Prolific US experimental beatsmith Quentin Hiatus launches the fourth volume of his I'm Neither Quentin Nor Hiatus album series into your living rooms this week, so to celebrate we asked him to pick through his extensive musical catalogue and pick his five favourite beats.
Quentin Hiatus's FLD imprint continue their relentless schedule of forward-thinking future music with a fresh new album from French duo Kantyze. The Mutation LP features some serious riddims so naturally we jumped at the chance to share the premiere of one of them, and The Blastmaster is one frenetic riddim indeed. Rapid-fire breakbeats set to a lilting, swung bassline and punctuated by raved-up synth melodies and staccato vocal hits make for a relentlessly energetic track; sick vibes! Check it out and look for the full album dropping October 16th.
The inimitable Quentin Hiatus continues his rapidly expanding discography with the third part of his I'm Neither Quentin Nor Hiatus album series this month, and we've got the exclusive on exuberant electronic explosion Magnetic Blast. Joyous synth hits, slow/fast halftime clap riddims and an oddly serene quality; it's Drum & Bass Jim, but not as we know it. Look for this dropping August 7th at all the usual outlets.
We're back with US posse Free Love Digi for today's exclusive as we present a cut from the brand new DLX EP Ain't It Funky. Harnessing crazy drum patterns, a hint of jungle and some serious exuberance, Predator Dance Battle Party is exactly as whimsical and chaotic as the title suggests, and so so good for that vibe! Check it out and watch for the whole EP hitting digital stores later today.


Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging (DTI) is a non-invasive imaging method that allows for estimating the molecular self-diffusion of water molecules within the surrounding biological tissue, and for determination of the macroscopic orientation of the underlying microscopic cellular architecture. Because of the implicit assumption of a single-Gaussian diffusion model, DTI falls short in resolving fiber crossings adequately and in reflecting the non-Gaussian nature of diffusion in biological tissue in general. Due to these shortcomings, various alternative diffusion models and corresponding acquisition schemes have been proposed that reflect the histological tissue architecture more closely, one of which is the kurtosis model. The fast and robust estimation of kurtosis by means of constrained quadratic programming requires taking the logarithm of the initial data, together with the magnitude data processing of MR images (resulting in Rician instead of Gaussian noise), and both steps lead to a biased estimation of kurtosis. To resolve this bias, we propose to use the approach of a Bayesian or maximum likelihood estimator for kurtosis.
This page was last modified on 30 January 2012, at 13:41.


The nation"s largest lender State Bank of India will open 50 more branches in Gujarat by fiscal-end according to Gujarat Circle Chief General Manager P Nanda Kumaran.
Moving towards paperless banking culture, the state-run lender has proposed to open a separate 24X7 operationalSelf Service branch.
"We will open a Self Service branch in Ahmedabadbefore this fiscal-end in one of the non-banked areas of thecity, which shall be followed with another such branch inVadodara," Kumaran said.
The concept of Self Service branch promotes paperlessbanking culture where automated machines offer routineservices like cash deposit, withdrawal, remittances, passbookupdates and statements.
The bank has proposed to add 225 ATMs in Gujarat toits existing network of 1,300 machines. It will also installhigh-end ATMs which provide direct cash deposit facility.
"In order to get rid of disputes arising from envelope-based ATM cash deposits, the bank has decided to introducedirect cash deposit ATMs at seven locations in five majorcities of Gujarat," Kumaran said.
The bank has signed an MoU with the Gujarat Government to provide financial assistance of Rs 50,000 crore to SME sector over a period of three years. The MoU was signed during the last month's Vibrant Gujarat Summit, a SBI statement said.
Gujarat Circle has topped amongst the 14 SBI Circles when it comes to performance of gold deposit scheme.
"Gujarat Circle has ranked first amongst the 14 Circles when it comes to performance of the gold deposit scheme. So far, we have been able to garner 140 kg of gold deposits this year," Kumaran said.
"The performance of our bullion scheme, where the traders can repay the loans in precious metals, has also been successful. We have been able to trade in 1,000 kg of bullion this year," he said.