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#6826: Noxxa's GBA The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Vast Fame) in 18:29.14
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Submission Text Full Submission Page
GBA The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Vast Fame) in 18:29.14
(Link to video)
Game objectives
Emulator used: BizHawk v2.4.2
Aims for fastest time
Plays on hardest difficulty
Heavy luck manipulation
Takes damage to save time
Mo Jie Qibing (魔戒奇兵 "Lord of the Rings") is a bootleg action game developed by Taiwanese bootleg game developer Vast Fame and released in 2003. It is a top-down shooting game in the vein of Pocky & Rocky - in fact, it even uses the engine from Kiki KaiKai Advance (known as Pocky & Rocky with Becky in the US), which Vast Fame are rumored to have obtained legitimately from its developers.
Unlike other Vast Fame games, this game has no known English release, only a Chinese one. This means that this time there is no funny Engrish to laugh at. As it turns out, pictures of the English release were posted online less than one day after this submission was posted. Maybe we can still laugh at the funny Engrish some other time.
For now, instead, you get to enjoy watching Gandalf spam lots of fireballs and lay waste to everything in his way, in the quest to travel through Middle-earth and destroying Sauron...I...think? I have no idea what the storyline of this game is.
The game has 8 worlds, each with 1 or 2 stages. The total number of stages is 14. The last stage of every world has a boss battle.
About the run
This run aims to beat the game as fast as possible, playing in Hard mode. The difficulty setting only changes the amount of HP that regular enemies have; bosses are unaffected. Regular enemies being harder to kill sometimes makes it trickier to get around them while advancing forward, so it makes things more interesting here and there. Gandalf is picked - see below for more information about why.
Tricks and mechanics
Character choice
The game has five playable characters: Legolas, Gandalf, Gimli, Aragorn, and Frodo Baggins. Gandalf is chosen for this movie.
The differences between the characters are quite minor: almost everything is the same for each character, except for the projectiles that they fire, and associated upgrades. All characters have 4 different upgrade levels for their weapons, with later upgrades generally manifesting in different forms of spread shots.
There are a few universal mechanics for each character's upgrades:
Each projectile has a firing delay before another projectile can be fired. This is 16 frames for the first upgrade level, 19 frames for the second, 22 frames for the third, and 25 frames for the fourth.
All projectiles from the first or second upgrade level do 1 damage to enemies. All projectiles from the third or fourth upgrade level do 2 damage.
As a reference, bosses have just 4 frames of invincibility per hit, which means that for optimization purposes, the biggest limiting factor for damaging bosses is not the invincibility time, but rather the firing delay between projectiles. However, those 4 frames of invincibility do mean that it's not possible to do multi-hits with projectiles that reach the enemy at the same time. This renders most attacks like spread shots useless, as it's simply not possible most of the time to hit different spread shots with enough time in-between.
So, enter Gandalf. With upgrades, his projectile fires a secondary fireball. Regardless of initial firing direction, this fireball will be launched in the direction of an enemy upon firing (precisely which enemy is a bit wonky, but can be manipulated reasonably enough). It also moves half as fast as Gandalf's normal projectiles. This means that it can be used to reliably double-hit just about every boss in the game, which gives Gandalf a significant edge over all the other characters in terms of speed.
Since the third and fourth projectile upgrades both do 2 damage per hit, and the fourth upgrade takes a few frames longer to fire, it's actually optimal most of the time to stick to the third projectile upgrade. This is used for the majority of bosses in the game. The fourth upgrade's only advantage with Gandalf is that it will fire two fireballs sideways, which can be useful sometimes.
Besides their projectiles, the characters also have a melee attack. This attack deflects projectiles, and one-hit kills almost any regular unit in the game, but does not affect bosses at all. This is universal for all characters. In stages it is sometimes useful because the character has to stand still for the duration of the animation, but sometimes it is still useful anyway.
All characters also have a special super-move that clears the screen of all regular enemies, but it cannot be used during boss fights, is mostly unnecessary for regular enemies, and wastes a ton of time, so it is never seen in this movie.
Camera scrolling
The most important aspect of optimization in this game is actually not so much the movement of the player, as it is the movement of the camera. Obviously the two are tied together, but advancing areas or spawning bosses generally depends on the position of the camera, so making sure the camera does not lag behind at any point is of utmost importance.
Conveniently, it's rather easy to get ahead of the camera, especially when taking a turn towards a new area. If the character is ahead of the camera, the camera will keep scrolling at a consistent 2px/f pace as long as the character is facing forward or diagonally forward (with less wiggle room if facing diagonal), even if the character isn't actually moving.
In the first few levels it's most obvious that the pace of the run is more dictated by the camera than by the player character, but later levels with more enemies make it significantly harder to move on unimpeded, so there still remain lots of challenges along the way.
Every world (except world 7) has one boss battle, which appears at the end of the last stage. World 7 also has two boss battles in the middle of its stage.
All bosses have 100 HP, 4 frames of invincibility on hit, and the projectiles we use against them deal 2 damage per hit. It's possible to deal damage before the boss dialogue starts
Stage-by-stage notes
Round 1-1
Luck manipulation is used to get projectile upgrades and reach the third-grade projectile upgrade as soon as possible. This is the projectile level that we want to maintain throughout most of the run.
It's pretty simple to just walk by most enemies at this point. To spice things up a bit, I attempted to destroy as many enemies as possible and aim for a high score.
The scorpion boss is surprisingly tough for where it is in the game (many later bosses are significantly easier). It also has a tendency to jump around, which renders it invulnerable for a moment. Conveniently, it's easy to break its AI just by walking into a wall when the scorpion tries to get level with the player.
The door enemies are a major pain. They can absorb a lot of damage, and while using melee to get past them is an option, it leaves the character standing still for a moment which can hamper scrolling. Fortunately, I still manage to keep the scrolling smooth throughout this stage.
I get an extra projectile upgrade at the end of this stage. Normally I wouldn't want this, but I'll take damage early in the next stage and lose the upgrade there.
This is where the stages start getting particularly painful, and it no longer becomes a matter of just keeping the scrolling up uninhibited throughout the entire stage.
I take damage from one of the door enemies at the start - it's almost impossible to dodge all the shots here while also beating the door, so taking damage is the fastest option. It costs 12 frames.
Unlike the first world's boss, this one is content with staying in place, making it significantly easier to just unload shots while it uses a very slow attack.
Hey, there's a connection to another Vast Fame game here - the stage theme here also appears in Digimon Ruby, although the instrumentation is different and this version is faster paced.
Uniquely, this stage is entirely straight. Enemies also become substantially harder to destroy at this point without stopping. There are no door enemies this time around, but still some enemies that block narrow passages that make it tricky to get past.
In the middle of the stage, there are some hedge-maze parts where it's not possible to proceed just by facing forward the whole time, so there is some camera stoppage here. This just could not be avoided. There are also some very tight bridges, but at least it's easy enough to just blast my way past here and not lose too much position.
Now, this world is an absolute pain, but for entirely different reasons. It's an autoscroller. A very slow one. It takes four minutes in total, and enemies rarely come with more than one or two at a time. I do my best with Gandalf showcasing the power of Top Spin or whatever else he can do to run around, but four minutes just is an absolute drag.
The boss battle here is a pain as well. It appears at a fixed location, so that's not too bad, and its attacks are generally easy enough to dodge, so that's also not too bad, but some of its tentacle sprites like to take up the attention of Gandalf's homing fireballs. I do some tricky movement here and there, and that's not just for fun, but it's necessary to make sure that the fireballs keep pointing the right way.
This world introduces some kind of shinobi enemies that spawn several clones as soon as they appear into view. These are annoying to get past, as they tend to fill the entire path. Sometimes it's possible to destroy one of the clones quick enough to get past, but other times they just waste time.
Most of this stage is the usual fare, but the end is rather tricky. There are boulders falling from the sky, which cannot be destroyed by projectiles, and cannot be deflected if Gandalf is too high up at the screen. They can be dodged sideways, but not if Gandalf happens to be on a narrow bridge at the time. I tried a lot of different routes and options to get past them, but a combination of taking damage and later deflecting a few turned out most efficient.
This stage starts going left-ward instead of up like most other stages. Annoyingly, Gandalf starts just far enough to the right that the camera won't immediately be scrolling when Gandalf is moving diagonally, and without diagonal movements it's not possible to cleanly get past all the enemies, so some frames have to be lost here.
On the flipside, a stage that starts going to the right does not have that issue.
Also, this stage literally has the entire previous stage copy-pasted in at the end. That's rather lazy.
This is another special world. Instead of being split in two stages like most of the others, this is one stage split into 3 segments.
Between each segment is a sort of mini-boss battle, with a giant centipede-like boss circling around the stage. Its only vulnerable point is its head.
This is one of the only times where the 4th-grade projectile upgrade is better than the 3rd-grade one. This is because the homing fireball actually tracks the tail end of the centipede, which makes it impossible to hit with, and the centipede's fast movement makes it viable to do double hits with spread shots from the 4th-grade projectiles. However, it requires a ton of precision.
It's not always cleanly possible to be in the correct position at the right time when the next projectile has to be fired, so some frames are lost here and there, but this is the best I could make of it.
After some time, the centipede starts firing lots of projectiles, turning the battle into borderline bullet hell. This is actually advantageous in a silly way, as the bullets now get targeted by the homing fireball, and it's now possible to direct those to fly towards the head of the centipede. Thus, now triple hits become possible.
This miniboss appears twice in the level, and both instances function identical. The same input is used to defeat both.
The stage end boss also has this issue where Gandalf's homing fireballs start going after the projectiles. At least it's still easy enough to get them to move in the correct directions.
Near the start, there are some quite tricky movement parts. The enemies here take a lot of hits to defeat, and the skeletons try to move directly towards the character, so they are hard to avoid.
This level and the next are actually pseudo-mazes. When the level changes orientation, it's possible to go in different ways, but one of them always leads to a dead end.
Final boss time! As with the previous stage boss, the biggest issue here is the fact that boss projectiles set off the homing fireballs, and most annoyingly, the boss remains in place at a high position where it's hard to hit with fireballs aiming down. Due to the boss' hurtbox slightly weaving with the animation, sometimes a fireball won't hit even if hit from the best possible spot. Because of this, there's a slight delay between one of the hits. I tried various other strategies to see if the projectile could be removed, but attempting to touch it would just waste significantly more time.
I believe this final boss is supposed to represent Sauron? Not sure. Either way, boss gets toasted, time for credits!
Thanks for reading and/or watching!
ThunderAxe31: Judging!
ThunderAxe31: Setting to Delayed per author request, in view of the possibility of resycing on an English version that may come out soon.
ThunderAxe31: We waited enough, I'm now resuming the judging process.
ThunderAxe31: Optimization seems good. The hard question is about entertainment. I personally enjoyed this movie, and the audience opinion wasn't bad. Which it isn't so strange, since this game was made by a notoriously good bootleg company, and the engine on which is based comes directly from a licensed game, Kiki Kai Kai Advance. Accepting for Moons.
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Posted: 7/28/2020 7:00 PM
TASVideoAgent
They/Them
Experienced Forum User, Moderator
This topic is for the purpose of discussing #6826: Noxxa's GBA The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Vast Fame) in 18:29.14
EZGames69
He/They
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Publisher (4046)
Location: Marquette MI
I figured you would find these games on Bootleg Wiki, but even then, I still ask myself where do you find these games?
[14:15] <feos> WinDOES what DOSn't 12:33:44 PM <Mothrayas> "I got an oof with my game!" Mothrayas Today at 12:22: <Colin> thank you for supporting noble causes such as my feet MemoryTAS Today at 11:55 AM: you wouldn't know beauty if it slapped you in the face with a giant fish [Today at 4:51 PM] Mothrayas: although if you like your own tweets that's the online equivalent of sniffing your own farts and probably tells a lot about you as a person MemoryTAS Today at 7:01 PM: But I exert big staff energy honestly lol Samsara Today at 1:20 PM: wouldn't ACE in a real life TAS just stand for Actually Cease Existing
Posted: 7/29/2020 12:05 PM
(Edited: 7/29/2020 12:19 PM)
nymx
Experienced Forum User, Published Author (1051)
Location: South Pole, True Land Down Under
Mothrayas wrote:
Camera scrolling The most important aspect of optimization in this game is actually not so much the movement of the player, as it is the movement of the camera. Obviously the two are tied together, but advancing areas or spawning bosses generally depends on the position of the camera, so making sure the camera does not lag behind at any point is of utmost importance. Conveniently, it's rather easy to get ahead of the camera, especially when taking a turn towards a new area. If the character is ahead of the camera, the camera will keep scrolling at a consistent 2px/f pace as long as the character is facing forward or diagonally forward (with less wiggle room if facing diagonal), even if the character isn't actually moving. In the first few levels it's most obvious that the pace of the run is more dictated by the camera than by the player character, but later levels with more enemies make it significantly harder to move on unimpeded, so there still remain lots of challenges along the way.
This was the first thing that I noticed in the encode. I was wondering why there was momentary hesitations, but this explanation settles it for me.
This is unfortunate, in the sense of a grand display of ammo barrages. To make reference, The Bomb Torizo in Super Metroid is one of the first bosses that I can think of that has this problem. Even though current TASes no longer deal with this particular fight, speed runners have to remain calm and not shoot missiles as quickly as possible. The cool down in this case is not so much of a problem, as the invincibility time is more of the concern; however, other bosses don't demonstrate that issue at all...particularly Phantoon, which can take them as fast as you can deliver them. I also discovered this recently, with a TAS that I'm currently working on, where it is possible to to hit an enemy with multiple ammunition...yet it doesn't have any collective productivity. So the challenge, as with this game, appears to be the careful timing between firing and delivery to ensure the fastest damage possible. To add complexity, different ammunition also has different delivery speeds which means you can sequence them in the right order to maximize the time spent. Great work. With a current vote of 3 (being all yes) and always moving for constant action, this is on track for a strong and higher level of moons. Looking forward to hearing from others on this. Yes vote.
SOYZA: Are you playing a game? NYMX: I'm not playing a game, I'm TASing. SOYZA: Oh...so its not a game...Its for real? ------------------------------------------------- Anybody got a Quantum computer I can borrow for 20 minutes?
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Senior Judge (2263)
Mo Jie Qibing, mo' problems. I can't say I'm the biggest fan of bootlegs, but I found myself really entertained by this. You did an excellent job keeping it entertaining through Gandalf's fun time spin party antics, weekdays at 4:30 PM on Cartoon Network, even the four minute autoscroller on the raft didn't get boring. The game actually looks like a bootleg that works well and is fun to play. Really liked damaging the bosses before their speeches, too. Gives the run some extra flair. Also, stolen Trials of Mana assets! Voted Yes, and I agree that this is Moon worthy. Alternate Joke: Why do we need Mo Jie Qibing? Why can't we have Less Jie Qibing?
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warmCabin wrote:
You shouldn't need a degree in computer science to get into this hobby.
Post subject: Re: #6826: Mothrayas's GBA Mo Jie Qibing in 18:29.14
Admin Assistant, Experienced Forum User, Published Author (5230)
Unlike other Vast Fame games, this game has no known English release, only a Chinese one. This means that this time there is no funny Engrish to laugh at.
Funnily enough, literally less than a day after writing this, pictures of an English version are posted online. And yes, it has funny Engrish to laugh at. Perhaps it'll be dumped online in the near future. EDIT: After discussing with publishers, I've updated the game name accordingly to its English title. "(Vast Fame)" is added to disambiguate it from the officially licensed GBA release of the same name, published by EA.
http://www.youtube.com/Noxxa (formerly known as Mothrayas) <dwangoAC> This is a TAS (...). Not suitable for all audiences. May cause undesirable side-effects. May contain emulator abuse. Emulator may be abusive. This product contains glitches known to the state of California to cause egg defects. <Masterjun> I'm just a guy arranging bits in a sequence which could potentially amuse other people looking at these bits <adelikat> In Oregon Trail, I sacrificed my own family to save time. In Star trek, I killed helpless comrades in escape pods to save time. Here, I kill my allies to save time. I think I need help.
Post subject: Vast Fame Bootleg
Experienced Forum User
At first, the game looked to me like Twinkle Tale, what with the wizard in the top down view. The HUD elements looked familiar with Digimon Sapphire. Taizou replied to me saying that the ROM dump of the English version won't take long. Hopefully it doesn't desync with this movie.
I like Doraemon
Post subject: I need more opinions
ThunderAxe31
Experienced Forum User, Judge, Moderator, Published Author (1258)
Location: Southern Italy
I need more feedback on this one. In particular: how much entertained did you feel from watching this movie? And: do you feel like you'd want to watch it again in the future?
my personal page - my YouTube channel - my GitHub - my Discord: ThunderAxe31#1512 <Masterjun> if you look at the "NES" in a weird angle, it actually clearly says "GBA"
Dacicus
Editor, Experienced Forum User, Published Author (44)
Haven't played this myself, but I found the run entertaining. The pacing is nice, autoscroller excepted. The stages don't seem repetitive compared to other games. It seems like some player projectiles are wasted, but I'm assuming that those couldn't be controlled. Yes vote.
Current Projects: TAS: NES Lemmings. Wizards & Warriors III. Other: Zook Man ZX4 ROM map.
feos
Experienced Forum User, Published Author, Senior Judge, Senior Publisher (1423)
Location: RU
Fast pace and cool graphics, lots of shooting, but little variety in gameplay IMO: it gets old after a couple levels, and the raft level makes it even more boring. Voting Meh.
Warning: When making decisions, I try to collect as much data as possible before actually deciding. I try to abstract away and see the principles behind real world events and people's opinions. I try to generalize them and turn into something clear and reusable. I hate depending on unpredictable and having to make lottery guesses. Any problem can be solved by systems thinking and acting. If TASing is meta-play, TASVideos Movie Rules are meta-meta-play!
Posted: 9/28/2020 7:41 AM
Post subject: Movie published
This movie has been published. The posts before this message apply to the submission, and posts after this message apply to the published movie. ---- [4294] GBA Mo Jie Qibing by Noxxa in 18:29.14
Posted: 12/20/2020 5:51 PM
For the record, the English version of the game was dumped a few days ago. The English is just about what you'd expect. That being said, I currently do not have plans to resync this movie. If anybody else wants to take it up, feel free.


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News Release 1-Jun-2020
The interface of genomic information with the electronic health record
The interface of genomic information with the electronic health record: a points to consider statement of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG)
American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics
Advances in genetic and genomic testing technology have not only introduced the utilization of clinical genomic information into virtually every area of medical care, this testing has become an essential tool to achieve the goal of precision medicine. As genomic data become more complex, so too must the electronic health record (EHR) evolve to provide optimal care for patients, maximizing benefits while minimizing harm. Issues of patient autonomy, access, genetic literacy, privacy and protection, and transferability of data, as well as the appropriate genomic data set, are key in facilitating the incorporation of genomic information into patient care.
In an effort to provide practical guidance and important considerations regarding how genomic information can be incorporated into electronic health records, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has released, "The interface of genomic information with the electronic health record: a points to consider statement of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG)."
"The electronic health record serves as a powerful interactive tool in improving the healthcare of patients and populations," said Terri Grebe, MD, FACMG Chair of the ACMG Social, Ethical, and Legal Issues Committee. "As an integral component of medical treatment, genomic data in the EHR must therefore be continuously and easily accessible to both patients and providers, while simultaneously receiving appropriate privacy protection, to achieve the goal of personalized medicine. This ACMG document provides guidelines on the storage and access of genomic information, improvements in EHR systems, and ethical issues surrounding the sharing of genomic data."
This new ACMG points to consider document addresses types of genomic information in the EHR, mechanisms of placement, data entry, usage, patient/provider access, results disclosure, portability, and privacy. It highlights patient, family, and societal benefits, discusses areas of concern, identifying where further modifications are needed, and makes recommendations for further optimization. It also highlights unique characteristics of genomic information that require additional attention, as they relate to universal bioethical principles.
A few of the specific points to consider include:
Genetic data in the medical record should be readily and continuously accessible to the patient, including test results, secondary findings, AND the clinician's interpretation.
Caution should be exercised in assessing the quality and medical actionability of outside results from other institutions and laboratories uploaded to the EHR by the patient, particularly direct-to-consumer testing companies. These results would be best stored in a separate section of the EHR or flagged in such a way as to clarify the origin of the report.
Further optimization of the interoperability of EHR networks is encouraged to allow separate institutions who provide care to the same patient to be able to view the patient's genetic data, furthering coordinated care and minimizing the risk of duplicate testing, with the attendant waste of resources. The use of standards such as the Health Level 7 (HL7) genomics model, and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) including the emerging FHIR genomics standards by EHR vendors is encouraged.
In the future development/revision of EHRs, the ability to easily retrieve genomic information will be vital to enable targeted testing for family members, facilitating cost reduction, earlier diagnosis and treatment.
Informed consent should be adapted to reflect these points to consider, explicit on right of access, mechanism of access, delayed release of certain results, and potential usage of personal genomic information by the ordering institution as well as outside agencies such as public health programs and genomic databases.
The statement concludes that further research is needed to determine the optimal approaches for patient access to and use of genomic information in the EHR, as well as protecting patient privacy and avoiding harm. While direct patient access to the EHR is appropriate and will facilitate patients' involvement in their own health care, it is not a substitute for face-to-face interaction, which remains the ideal method of communication of potentially life-altering personal health information. These points to consider should be viewed as guidance for the ordering provider, clinical geneticist, laboratory geneticist and genetic counselor, and for institutions and vendors. They are intended to assist providers, institutions and vendors to develop policies and procedures that optimize the use of the EHR in the delivery of healthcare to maximize patient benefit, minimize harm, improve population health and decrease healthcare costs.
About the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and ACMG Foundation
Founded in 1991, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) is the only nationally recognized medical professional organization solely dedicated to improving health through the practice of medical genetics and genomics, and the only medical specialty society in the US that represents the full spectrum of medical genetics disciplines in a single organization. The ACMG is the largest membership organization specifically for medical geneticists, providing education, resources and a voice for more than 2,400 clinical and laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals, nearly 80% of whom are board certified in the medical genetics specialties. ACMG's mission is to improve health through the clinical and laboratory practice of medical genetics as well as through advocacy, education and clinical research, and to guide the safe and effective integration of genetics and genomics into all of medicine and healthcare, resulting in improved personal and public health. Four overarching strategies guide ACMG's work: 1) to reinforce and expand ACMG's position as the leader and prominent authority in the field of medical genetics and genomics, including clinical research, while educating the medical community on the significant role that genetics and genomics will continue to play in understanding, preventing, treating and curing disease; 2) to secure and expand the professional workforce for medical genetics and genomics; 3) to advocate for the specialty; and 4) to provide best-in-class education to members and nonmembers. Genetics in Medicine, published monthly, is the official ACMG journal. ACMG's website offers resources including policy statements, practice guidelines, educational programs and a 'Find a Genetic Service' tool. The educational and public health programs of the ACMG are dependent upon charitable gifts from corporations, foundations and individuals through the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine.
Kathy Moran, MBA
kmoran@acmg.net
/Health and medicine/Clinical medicine/Medical genetics/Genetic medicine
/Applied sciences and engineering/Applied ecology/Natural resources/Genetic resources
/Health and medicine/Clinical medicine/Medical genetics/Genetic testing

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Strange explosion in Argentina, scientists probe meteor link
Posted on 20 February 2014 by Jay Tate
"This happened at an altitude of approximately 70 kilometers", said Argentine space expert Jorge Coghlan who added that as the "space rock penetrates the atmosphere; in a radius of forty kilometers it could be clearly heard". However in this case the radius area was estimated in 300 kilometers.
The Fire Brigade of the town of El Trebol in central Santa Fe province had been warned by NASA that sometime in the morning a phenomenon of this kind was possible, "and most probably that is what happened".
The head of the local Fire Brigade said that according to reports from different offices the bang was heard in a radius of 250 to 300 kilometers, thus the fright and fears it could have been an earth tremor.
Marcos Escajadillo, head of Santa Fe province Civil Protection said that because of the impact and extension of the bang, "all emergency mechanisms went on alert. Currently we are waiting for a report from the Space Activities National Committee, although at this stage we can confirm no impact on land".
"We have reports from an area of 120 kilometers and it all confirms it was a high altitude event. Radiation pressure generated the vibrations at surface level and in window glasses as if it had been a minor earthquake" added Coghlan.
The expert from Code, Center of Space Observers said that "an estimated 100.000 elements of this kind bombard the Earth every day but they are mostly so small that they are not detectable".
Authorities have not yet found any meteor fragments, but "it is possible that the orb disintegrated in the air," astronomer Jorge Coghlan of the Santa Fe Astronomical Observatory told local radio.
Residents in the area who reported hearing a loud explosion Tuesday said that the ground and also buildings shook.
‹ Large asteroid passes Earth nearly one year after Chelyabinsk meteorite
Astronomers spot record-breaking lunar impact ›


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TVWeek, HBO
Jul 11, 2019 • Post A Comment
A drama series that premiered last month has been picked up for a second season. Francesca Orsi, executive VP of programming for HBO, annnounced the renewal of the teen drama "Euphoria."
The series, which stars Zendaya, is midway through its eight-episode freshman season, which premiered June 16.
"'Euphoria' creator Sam Levinson has built an incredible world with an extraordinary cast led by the supremely talented Zendaya. We are so grateful that he chose HBO as the home for this groundbreaking series," said Orsi. "We look forward to following these complex characters as their journeys continue through the challenging world they inhabit."
Click here to read the full announcement.


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← Sat 23 April: The Little Unsaid/ Benedict Benjamin
Fri 29th April: DOWN IN THE BASEMENT! Norton Money/ The Rosellys/ Golden Spike →
Thursday 28th April: Tymon Dogg with support from Gentlefolk/ Poet John Crow
The Harrison, 28 Harrison Street, WC1H 8JF London, United Kingdom Ph: 020 7278 3966
Doors 7.30 pm Adv tickets £6.00/ Door Price £7.00 BUY NOW Please Scroll Down For More Details
Tymon Dogg is a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter variously described as the 'King of Gypsy Punk', 'alt-folk legend' and 'a demented elf'. He is a true folk artist, imbued with the still blazing spirit of the London punk movement who's formation he was so central to. His illustrious career began when he was discovered by Paul McCartney at seventeen years old, and signed to Apple records. Over his 40 year career he has worked with a wide variety of musicians from Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, The Clash and James Taylor to Malcolm McClaren and Flamenco superstar, the late Enrique Morente.
Tymon has wriiten and played with the Clash on Sandanista and Combat Rock and was a full time member of Joe Strummer's Mescaleros until Joe's untimely death in 2002. In 2010 Cherry Red Records released the critically acclaimed 'The Irrepressible Dogg', a compilation of songs from 1967 – 2009. His new Solo album, 'Made of Light' was released in November 2015.
'It was in New York. I had speakers the size of a wall…They [The Clash] came into my apartment and shoved a tape into my machine. It was 'Lose This Skin'…suddenly thunder and lightening erupted all over the city…it was one of those great moments…all the forces came down into that room."
Martin Scorsese on 'Lose This Skin' (written and played by Tymon Dogg on 'Sandinista')
"Tymon's a fuckin' genius."
John Cooper Clarke
'A truly outstanding and utterly original musican' fRoots Magazine December 2015
'Uber talented Clash/101ers associate's ornate and barbed song make their mark'.
Gavin Martin Daily Mirror November 2015
Folk troubadour George Hoyle is head of the 'South East London Folklore Society', a group dedicated to London folklore and the esoteric, and inspiration for his musical gazetteer of London- 'Gemini City'. As Gentlefolk he is augmented by a four piece band of cello, violin, percussion and additional vocals. His music stretches from chamber folk to psychedelic storytelling, utterly uncatgorisable and all the better for it- a true maverick. Recent performances include the Southbank Centre, the Globe Theatre, and Cecil Sharp House.
John Constable is a playwright, poet and performer. His plays include Tulip Futures, the stage adaptation of Gormenghast and his solo shows I Was An Alien Sex God and Spare. He is widely known as John Crow, the urban shaman who raised the spirit of 'The Goose', a medieval sex worker, at Cross Bones, south London's outcasts' graveyard. The 'Goose Vision' inspired his best-known work, The Southwark Mysteries, which was performed in Shakespeare's Globe and Southwark Cathedral. In his John Crow persona he conducts The Halloween of Cross Bones and the vigils held at Cross Bones gates on the 23rd of every month. He curates a shrine at the gates and has worked for many years to protect the site as a garden of remembrance. John performs his poetry world-wide and hosted The Palace of Wisdom, the all-night poetry tent at the Glastonbury Festival. His Sha-Manic Plays, The Southwark Mysteries, and his stage adaptation of Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast, are published by Oberon Books. A selection of his poetry, Spark In The Dark, is published by Thin Man Books


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Dead Whale Washes Ashore After Its Stomach & Intestines Are Destroyed By 64 Pounds of Plastic
How many whales have died as a result of ingesting plastic? Who really knows, but one thing we do know for certain is that the number is quite high, and there is no shortage of examples to prove that.
A couple of months ago, a sperm whale was found dead. Again, it's not the first time. This one washed ashore after swallowing 64 pounds of plastic debris. He was a male, found in Southern Spain on the Murcian coast. (source)
The EL Valle Wildlife Rescue Center determined that the sperm whale was killed by damaged to the stomach and intestines, by way of gastric shock.
An autopsy was performed, and a slew of nets, ropes, plastic bags and more inside the whale's stomach and intestines. Once again in case missed above, the picture above is simply a Greenpeace Philippines representation after the sperm whale was found, it's not actually real.
The intention of the display was to capture the attention of the world.
Whales, and other marine life, have been washing ashore for decades with stomachs full of plastic. Multiple studies have shown that there are unfathomable amounts of plastic and microplastic floating around in the ocean.
These studies also show that a lot of plastic that's gone into the ocean, is untraceable, meaning that there is some sort of mechanism at play that seems to be removing plastic from the ocean. Who knows if this is true, because these mechanisms have yet to be identified, and a large portion of marine life is probably ingesting these microplastics.
That being said, it wouldn't be a surprise to find out that Earth has its own cleansing mechanisms, and if so, she's really being patient with us.
For example, a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) found that at least 88 percent of the Earth's ocean surface is polluted with plastic debris. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Cadiz, Spain, as well as the University of Western Australia.
"We can't account for 99 percent of the plastic that we have in the ocean." – Carlos Duarte, Professor of Biology at the University of Western Australia, participating researcher in the study.
This is a scary thought, especially given the fact that the plastic we can account for is, already by itself, way too much. Why humanity continues to manufacture products using plastic makes absolutely no sense. We've become attached to our ego, and primarily operate for little pieces of paper that don't really have much value. For the sake of globalization and 'economic development,' we're destroying our planet. We do not need to pollute the Earth in order to advance in an 'economic' and 'global' agenda, we have so much potential and so many substances, like hemp, that would completely cut pollution down to ZERO.
"One in ten thousand of us can make a technological breakthrough capable of supporting all the rest. The youth of today are absolutely right in recognizing this nonsense of earning a wage." – Buckminister Fuller
There are also multiple new energy devices showing potential and have been for decades. On a quick side note, there were were over 5,000 inventions that were under secrecy orders at the end of Fiscal Year 2014, which marked the highest number of secrecy orders in effect since 1994. This is all thanks to an act many people are unaware of. It's called the "Invention Secrecy Act" and it was written up in 1951. Under this act, patent applications on new inventions can be subject to secrecy orders. These orders can restrict their publication if government agencies believe that their disclosure would be harmful to national security.
Here's the kicker, represented in a quote that gets my point across:
As Steven Aftergood from the Federation of American Scientists reports:
"The 1971 list indicates that patents for solar photovoltaic generators were subject to review and possible restriction if the photovoltaics were more than 20% efficient. Energy conversion systems were likewise subject to review and possible restriction if they offered conversion efficiencies in "excess of 70-80%." (source)
You can read more about that topic, in a heavily sourced article on patent secrecy HERE.
This is the same reason we have plastic pollution, because of corporate domination and the influence of industry to shut out greener solutions to several of our pollution problems.
So what's really going on here with regards to whales?
In the summer of July 2013, a sperm whale was stranded on Tershelling, a Northern island in the Netherlands. The whale had swallowed 56 different plastic items that totalled over 37 pounds. In April 2010 a gray whale died after stranding itself on a West Seattle beach; it was found to have over 20 plastic bags, small towels, surgical gloves, plastic pieces, duct tape, and more in its system. And in March of 2013, a dead sperm whale washed up on Spain's South coast which had swallowed 17kg of plastic waste.
The list goes on and on. Keep in mind, these are only the whales who choose to beach themselves or have washed up on shore; there are surely countless other whales and marine animals suffering the same fate, unbeknownst to us.
Unfortunately, these beachings are not uncommon events. In 1989 a stranded sperm whale in the Lavezzi Islands died of a stomach obstruction after accidentally ingesting plastic bags and 100 feet of plastic sheeting. A paper published in 1990 reports that a sperm whale in Iceland died due to a complete obstruction of the gut with plastic marine debris. In August 2008, a sperm whale washed up dead on the beach near Point Reyes, California, with 450 pounds of fishing net, plastic bags, and rope in its stomach (see picture to the left). In 2008, the California Marine Mammal Stranding Database recorded another sperm whale with enormous amounts of plastic and fish netting in its stomach. (source)
The Great Garbage Patch
The effects of our plastic consumption are becoming more and more visible. By now, you've probably heard of "The Great Garbage Patch," an area the size of Queensland, Australia where there are approximately one million tonnes of plastic congregated in the ocean. Drag a net in any area of this part of the ocean and you will pick up toxic, discarded plastic. We've shown this video before, but here it is again, just in case you missed it.
Military Sonar Testing
Despite the fact that this article is about plastic, it's also about marine life in general, and this is a topic that hasn't really received enough discussion, so I felt it important to mention.
The United States military has been conducting underwater testing of explosive weapons and sonar devices for some time now. These tests have taken place in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, including the Gulf of Mexico, and are happening today, having commenced in 2014 and set to run all the way to 2019.
No definitive link has been established between these tests and this particular case, but that doesn't mean we should rule it out, and while whales have, admittedly, been found beached before such testing took place, we should at least consider whether this military activity is at least a contributing factor. In any case, it certainly doesn't hurt to create awareness about it.
Sonar testing is, at the very least, doing some real damage. In 2009 Scientific American released an article examining the effects of military sonar testing on marine life, confirming that it can and has led to both injury and death of marine animals. They also note that these animals make every effort to escape the noise:
"Unfortunately for many whales, dolphins and other marine life, the use of underwater sonar (short for sound navigation and ranging) can lead to injury and even death. Sonar systems—first developed by the U.S. Navy to detect enemy submarines—generate slow-rolling sound waves topping out at around 235 decibels; the world's loudest rock bands top out at only 130. These sound waves can travel for hundreds of miles under water, and can retain an intensity of 140 decibels as far as 300 miles from their source.
These rolling walls of noise are no doubt too much for some marine wildlife. While little is known about any direct physiological effects of sonar waves on marine species, evidence shows that whales will swim hundreds of miles, rapidly change their depth (sometime leading to bleeding from the eyes and ears), and even beach themselves to get away from the sounds of sonar."
According to National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) policy analyst Michael Jasny, a study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B shows that even mid-frequency noises disrupt feeding patterns in baleen whales and could negatively affect entire populations. The NRDC cites multiple mass strandings on beaches after sonar has been used, including 200 beached melon-headed whales in 2004 off the coast of Hawaii — one of many examples.
The Navy is not denying these facts. They have admitted that most of the deaths would come from detonation of explosives, sonar testing, or animals being hit by ships. Although I do not trust Navy estimates, according to their computer models this activity could kill hundreds of whales. The Navy said it developed the estimates by totalling the hours it will test and practice with sonar, torpedoes, missiles, explosives, and other equipment for five years. This testing will be (and already has been) responsible for the death of thousands. According to Green Peace, the government estimates 138,500 whales and dolphins will be injured or killed.
Take action by sending an email to The Honorable Charles T. Hagel, U.S. Secretary of Defense. You can email him at charles.t.hagel.mil@mail.mil. Feel free to use this sample letter provided by PETA. Sign a petition here as well as here.
Solutions?
Our planet is calling on us to change our ways, and the change starts with you. Toxic industrial practices must cease. New, clean, green technology is available and we could easily replace all of these plastics with hemp or other alternatives. We have so many solutions, yet we do not implement them or often times, made aware of them either.
Solutions may include manufacturing plastics with hemp or other biodegradable products. Another example would be developing cleaning technologies, as in the story of 19 year old Boyan Slat, who developed a device with the capacity to remove 7,250,000 tonnes of plastic and garbage from the world's oceans in just 5 years. Boyan, now 20, and CEO of The Ocean Cleanup Project, has just announced that his project will come into fruition this year. You can read more about that here.
The push for a greener Earth has been around for a long time, but we rely on politicians and 'world leaders' to gather and come up with them. The power to change our planet is often given away by ourselves, and as a result, red tape and corporate interest put the planet on the back burner in favour of materialistic gains.
There is a positive note, with all this destruction and lack of compassion for Earth and all life upon it, there is a wide-spread awareness. Activists are being born every day, and with time, our actions will change the world. The movement is only growing in strength.
Not sure where to start? You can volunteer to help clean our environment or even start as simply as cleaning up your own neighborhood. Grab a friend, family or go alone and see how much garbage you can find just in your own area alone. Everything makes an impact. Share your story with others via social media to inspire more actions.
Alanna Ketler
Last week Prince Harry and Meaghan Markle announced that they would be stepping down from their royal duties, and ultimately their life as royals.
Why do so many view powerful figures like the Royal's as gods? Is it time to end this type of perception?
Last week Prince Harry and Meaghan Markle announced that they would be stepping down from their royal duties, and ultimately their life as royals. This is pretty huge news. In regards to what prompted this decision there is certainly a lot we could speculate over, perhaps they want to distance themselves from the royal family because of the recent scandal involving Uncle Prince Andrew and the allegations against him being involved in child sex trafficking, maybe they simply want to get out of the public eye, or perhaps they see how the monarchy has already started to crumble and want to get out while they can.
Whatever the reason may be, it certainly seems to validate the massive shift in consciousness that is currently taking place on our planet and perhaps throughout the entire Universe. Some people have already been calling for the abolishment of the British monarchy after the Queen passes away, as many feel this system is very archaic in this day and age.
It was reported that the Queen had no idea of Harry and Meaghan's decision before it was announced, and inside sources have told reporters that the "monarchy has never been seen in such a bad state." (source)
Longtime friend of Prince Harry, JJ Chalmers, made an insightful comment during an interview on BBC's The One on January 10th, stating that he feels Harry likely made this decision in order to "protect his family" and was simply attempting to put his family first and do what was right for them. The details regarding what Harry might be wanting to "protect his family" from weren't disclosed.
A video that has gained a lot of popularity on social media over the past week or so, being retweeted over 70,000 times since being posted on January 8th, is an interview of Harry himself discussing the need to protect his family.
Prince Harry said what he said and I'm here to remind you. Period. pic.twitter.com/t1dyZ8Tt3A
— . (@meghanysl) January 9, 2020
In another clip from that same interview we can clearly hear Harry saying that, "I will not be bullied into playing the same game that killed my mom."
"I will not be bullied into playing a game that killed my mom" OOF pic.twitter.com/DBK1sNXDZn
— Nardos (@lvnlavidanardos) January 10, 2020
How's The Queen Taking The News?
This past Monday, January 13th a meeting took place to address Harry's decision. According to CNN.com,
The highly unusual meeting was called after the couple's bombshell announcement last week that they wished to step back from their roles as senior members of the royal family. The Queen was joined at the summit by Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry, while Meghan was due to have dialed in from Canada.
After a crisis meeting of senior royals at the Queen's Sandringham estate north of London, the Queen said she had agreed that Prince Harry and Meghan could split their time between the UK and Canada but that "complex matters" would have to be resolved. The monarch said she had ordered final plans to be drawn up in the next few days.
In a statement after the meeting, the Queen said the family would have preferred the couple to "remain full-time working members of the royal family," but that they "respect and understand" Prince Harry and Meghan's "wish to live a more independent life."
The Queen said the family had "very constructive discussions on the future of my grandson and his family" during the meeting, adding that they are "entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan's desire to create a new life as a young family."
There were "complex matters for my family to resolve," and no final agreement had been reached, particularly over Harry and Meghan's desire to become "financially independent."
"There is some more work to be done, but I have asked for final decisions to be reached in the coming days," the Queen said in the statement.
Going A Bit Deeper
When we look at what happened to "the game that killed William and Harry's mum," she was harassed relentlessly by the media, and ultimately ended in a fatal car crash. However, there is a lot of controversy behind this official story. Many believe that Princess Diana was against the monarchy in some ways and was attempting to break free from it's clutches and even potentially expose some of their secrets, and thus believe that her death was no accident, but rather that she was silenced by being taken out by the Royal family.
Are Harry and Meaghan stepping away because they refuse to continue to be harassed by paparazzi, or are they making a bold statement and declaring their values by taking a stance that shows that they no longer wish to be affiliated with or support the Royal family? Could this signify the beginning of the end for the British monarchy? Only time will tell.
The US Navy Says Sharing UFO Footage & Documents Could 'Cause Grave Damage to National Security'
The US Navy recently released a statement claiming that more disclosure regarding a 2004 UFO incident in the form of video footage and documentation would be a big threat to national security.
The mainstream media has long used false information, or real information, and shaped the narrative to suit a particular agenda that serves the interests of their funders. Are we seeing the same thing here?
There is perhaps no other topic that used to be considered a 'conspiracy theory' that's now taken extremely seriously within the mainstream, like the topic of Unidentified Flying Objects (UFOs), also sometimes referred to Unidentified Ariel Phenomenon (UAP's). This is in large part due to the fact that official, declassified documents and footage have been released from a number of intelligence agencies and military organizations, on a global scale. Furthermore, all of it's complimented by statements from high ranking military personnel, ex-astronauts, and many more.
An incident that really blew this subject open in the United States occurred in 2004, where several Navy pilots that were stationed aboard the USS Nimitz encountered a "Tic-Tac-Shaped" UFO. To the Stars Academy of Arts and Science (TTSA) headed by Tom Delonge alongside several ex-high ranking intelligence personnell, like Christopher Mellon who served 30 years in the federal government and was Deputy Assistant Defense Secretary for Intelligence from 1997 to 2002, obtained the video from the United States Navy, which the Navy later verified was real. He has published detailed articles for outlets like The Hill as well as The Washington Post emphasizing the reality and seriousness of this subject. He is one of several to do so
Here's one of the videos of the object, here's another, and here's one more of other instances that they've obtained.
The 2004 incident was beamed by the New York times, and high ranking people, like Louis Elizondo who headed a an "Ariel Threat Identification Program" at the Pentagon (he's also part of the TTSA) stated that he believed these objects are extraterrestrial. He also made the point to emphasize that we should not get caught up in this particular 2004 incident, as there are many. He told VICE that "people should not be surprised by the revelation that other videos exist and at greater length."
More news has come out regarding the 2004 incident, at it's in response to a recent Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) that was filed for more video footage and documents regarding the incident. The footage and documents that were released of the incident don't show the entire video, and don't make up all of the documents. A spokesperson from the Navy's Office of Intelligence (ONI) confirmed that the agency posses at least one classified video pertaining to this incident.
According to an ONI spokesperson, sharing the information with the public "would cause exceptionally grave damage to the National Security of the United States."
The ONI also admitted to possessing at least one video of unknown length, classified as "secret" by the Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR). ONI didn't reveal whether this footage is the same 1-minute video that was leaked online in 2007 and widely released by The New York Times in 2017. However, in November 2019, several naval officers who witnessed the incident aboard the Nimitz told Popular Mechanics that they had seen a much longer video of the encounter that was between 8 and 10 minutes long. These original recordings were promptly collected and erased by "unknown individuals" who arrived on the ship by helicopter shortly after the incident, one officer said. (source)
In the 2004 incident, the object in question was performing maneuvers and flying at speeds that no known air craft on Earth can perform.
Grave Damage To National Security?? Seriously??
One thing that seems to rub me the wrong way about mainstream UFO disclosure is what seems to be a constant 'threat narrative.' This is a phenomenon that dates back hundreds, if not thousands of years. Cases have ben documented for a very, very long time. If there was some sort of 'extraterrestrial threat' or a threat to national security by these objects, wouldn't some type of 'event' have already taken place by now?
Based on my research, and the research of many other UFO researchers around the world, the majority of documented UFO incidents around the world have shown no sign of a threat. Sure, they may be intrusive, but there these objects have not behaved in any way that has been indicative of threat. That being said, this does not mean that footage of these objets performing in a way that represents a threat doesn't exist, but based on what we have now, 99.99 percent of these cases, in my opinion, do not display behaviour that is at all indicative of a threat.
In fact, not only do these objects not display characteristics of hostility, they are documented performing predominantly evasive manures, making multiple efforts to avoid our air-craft. For example, Canadian defense minister Paul Hellyer said that these objects commonly take "corrective measures to avoid our aircraft," and that our military tends to "shoot first and ask questions after." (source) Don't forget four star General Nathan Twinning, who stated in a declassified intelligence document decades ago that,
"The phenomenon is something real and not visionary or fictitious. The reported operating characteristics such as extreme rates of climb, maneuverability (particularly in roll), and motion which must be considered evasive when sighted or contacted by friendly air-craft and radar, lend belief to the possibility that some of the objects are controlled either manually, automatically, or remotely." (source)
With all of this being said, it's understandable how, from our current level of consciousness that these objects would be seen as a threat, especially from a military and intelligence perspective. For example, when a UFO is tracked on radar, military air-craft are usually sent out to take a closer look. There are many documented cases that show electronic systems within the military jet go down, they don't work. For example, here's an interesting case from Iran via a declassified NSA document:
As the F-4 approached a range of 25 nautical miles it lost all instrumentation and communications. When the F-4 turned away from the object and apparently was no longer a threat to it, the aircraft regained all instrumentation and communications. Another brightly lighted object came out of the original object. The second object headed straight toward the F4.
UFOs in close proximity to nuclear missile facilities have also been associated with the complete shut-down and deactivation of nuclear missiles. So that's interesting.
The issue is, is the threat narrative being pushed by the mainstream for some sort of ulterior motive, the same way we've seen the mainstream push the war on terror ? Are we being lied to again? To be honest, it's hard to believe anything that comes from mainstream media these days, and many people have lost their trust in these networks. Truth is not synonymous with mainstream media, so what makes the UFO topic any different? Are they trying to control the narrative?
What's curious to me is why all of a sudden do a select group of people get to publish serious pieces on the subject in mainstream media outlets while a number of 'credible' people as well as UFO researchers have been doing this for years, yet continue to go largely ignored by the mainstream media? These are all important questions to ask?
I go deeper in an article I recently published, which you can read below if you're interested:
Do UFOs Represent Some Sort of Threat? Or Is This Just Government Propaganda?
This is a subject that's full of truth, but also full of disinformation. At the end of the day, it's curious as to why mainstream media has control over the narrative and never addresses incidents and facts that've been uncovered by academics and researchers for decades. And why now? This is a topic that truly leaves no aspect of humanity untouched, it has large implications, especially for human consciousness. That being said, we have a lot of work to do down here on planet Earth to get our 'stuff' together, but this topic is no doubt always interesting to explore, and can assist one in expanding their consciousness.


This blog is part of a series of stories that the Living Cities summer 2018 intern cohort is producing surrounding their racial equity journey and summer experience.
It seems only fitting as I encroach upon my fourth week interning at Living Cities that I revisit the prophetic consciousness of the great James Baldwin. One of the few writers - Black, White, American or other - who I believe beautifully expresses the enduring transition the educated mind makes from an idealistic optimist to a historically enraged avenger and lastly to a profound investor in the notion of hope. Hope in this sense referencing Professor Cornel West's interpretation. An interpretation that I believe, based upon Baldwin's works, best aligns with the iconic writer's.
Professor West describes hope as a concept grounded in historical analysis. A historical analysis showcasing that morality does not always succeed. It can succeed and has but only because of the potency of imagination and its ability to push even the most unlikely individuals toward heroism. As a three-year student of American history, I foolishly believed that I transitioned beyond Baldwin's first two stages of consciousness and started my gradual ascension to the realm of hope, but I hadn't.
My anger even now as I write this, holds me prisoner. It is anger that clings unto my newfound ability to express the pain I always felt in realizing that my beloved nation, in all its glory and supposed fortitude, is built on a foundation that refuses to bestow humanity onto a people, my people, with whom without, it would not exist. The anger is appropriate, but the isolationism that results from it, I'm realizing is detrimental to my goal of hope. It leads me onto a path of believing that the experiences of my community, the marginalized community, only affects us and thus ignites a passion within us that cannot, as a result of the limitations of identity, be felt by others outside of our community. This thinking is wrong. I knew this before summer began, but knowing something doesn't always mean believing it. I thought that hearing classmates and peers, of all backgrounds, while at Columbia University expressing their disgust over American immorality would push me away from isolationism. It didn't. I thought that being open-minded to those who opposed my less than optimistic view of America so as to form cross-ideological connections would push me away from isolationism. It didn't. Embarrassingly, I admit that the latter led me often rushing back to the comforts of my anger.
As Baldwin so rightly emphasizes in the above quote, exposure to honesty is the only redress. When you read and hear unfiltered versions of other individuals' journeys, you begin to realize the elements of suffering, ignorance, regret, and joy that formulate the commonality of our humanity. As a result, isolationism gradually begins to fade because you understand that you aren't alone and your people, whoever they may be, aren't alone. Others endured whatever current upsets dictate your life. Even if the arc of history has to their benefit removed them so far from their time of suffering that it leaves no reminisce, the pain remains entrenched in their being. Therefore, the capacity for empathy is there. It needs an igniter. Truth is that igniter, and my work with Living Cities, an organization that utilizes honesty to empower people of color, is making that evermore clear to me.


Dont Judge Me….. | Chin.Deep.In.Life.
……Because I sin differently than you!
Recently, a woman I was paired to work with on a volunteer project, fired off a lengthy email to the co-ordinator. She claimed, among other things "I wasn't tough or independent enough" for the rigorous work ahead. This after 3-4 phone conversations. And two hours in each other's company.
Too bad. For her. Especially when I received a copy of the email hours after a transatlantic flight from Britain. There was no sleeping on this one. I wouldn't feel differently the next day. I had to set her straight. Immediately. I was taken aback by the fact that someone who barely knew anything besides my name. And the city I lived in. Could make such quick, unfounded judgements.
I directly addressed each of her points. And specifically asked her "not to judge me because of a few minor, petty, inconsequential incidents. Or because I sin differently than you". Needless to say, we wont be working together. The project is rather important. Her revelations? A blessing in disguise. Her timing? Spot on. We were due to start within a month.
This experience solidifies how remarkably easy it is to judge others. In my opinion, we judge, stereotype, etc, because we are too lazy. To find out otherwise. When we label. And place people in groups. We have something to work with. We don't have to look any further than the box we've placed them in. We overlook the fact that in the majority of instances, we know their names. Not their story.
We've become a society of judgemental moralists. Making decisions which affect the lives of others. Sometimes, with no earthly idea. Yet, based on personal experiences, we forge ahead. Judging spouses. Children. Coworkers. Complete strangers. Anyone with a pulse. There in lies the great danger.
Obviously, some situations require us to act on the information available to us. Simple, every day things. Others more complex. To help. Or remain a bystander. To allow a person to learn lessons. When the person has repeatedly brought woe upon themselves. Etc. In these instances, we should use our intelligence. As a way of figuring out what's happening.
Expressing an opinion is not judging. Making an observation is not judging. But. When we chose to pass sentences on any person. And act upon those sentences. That is judging. Especially with insufficient knowledge. Perhaps, the next time we are tempted to dismiss someone. Because of course, we cannot be wrong. We might want to take a step back. Better yet, try to live their lives for a day. See if you still feel the same way.
Mother Teresa once said: "If we judge people, we have no time to love them".
← Welcome To Karma Cafe……….


Stabel, J.R.; Spears, J.W.; Brown, T.T.
Fourteen Holstein steers, averaging 30 d of age, were fed a semipurified diet (1. 5 mg of Cu/kg) supplemented with 0 (-Cu) or 10 mg of Cu/kg of diet (+Cu) for 5 mo. Calves were then challenged by consecutive exposure to aerosol preparations of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus (IBRV) and Pasteurella hemolytica on d 0 and 7, respectively, of the 30-d study. Serum ceruloplasmin and plasma copper were higher in +Cu calves throughout the challenge period and increased in +Cu calves after microbial challenge. Heart weights were higher in -Cu calves, although weights of liver, spleen, and thymus were not different between treatments. Copper concentrations in all tissues as well as thymus zinc were higher in +Cu calves. Serum immunoglobulin M tended to be higher in +Cu calves and increased in both treatments after IBRV challenge. Serum IBRV antibody titers were higher in -Cu calves with detectable seroconversion by d 10 postinfection. In contrast, antigen-specific antibodies to P. hemolytica tended to be higher in +Cu calves on d 21. Copper status did not affect blastogenic response, but phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-stimulated blastogenesis was higher in both treatments after IBRV challenge. Repletion of lymphocyte cultures with copper chloride increased proliferative responses to PHA in both +Cu and -Cu calves, and greater responses at all levels of copper (1 to 16 micrograms/mL) were noted in -Cu calves. These results indicate that copper deficiency affects various physiological characteristics that may be important in immunological defense to pathogenic challenge.


My love of farms, old barns and the beautiful rolling countryside of central Pennsylvania is the inspiration behind my paintings.
Commissions from the owners of Bear Meadows Farm, a grass-fed dairy farm, brought dairy cows into my artistic genre. When painting these gentle animals, getting their eyes just right brings them to life in my studio! I strive for realism in my painting. I work in my studio from photos I have taken of rural central Pennsylvania.
To see more of Barb's work, visit her website at barb-pennypacker.pixels.com.
Barb Pennypacker was a faculty member in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Penn State. She held the rank of professor of Agronomy and assistant Dean of the Graduate School before retiring in 2005.
She soon realized that the old barns she loved were rapidly disappearing as farmland became housing developments. Barb felt a strong desire to paint these barns, which she considered to be windows into our agricultural past, before they disappeared forever.
To realize this dream, Barb took a private, month-long, drawing class. The studio was an abandoned farm with a crumbling barn. She spent the next year plein air sketching the old barns on Centre County farms. Classes at the Art Alliance of Central PA and subsequent painting partners took her from sketching to watercolor to the oils she now uses.
Barb's paintings are featured in the Bellefonte Art Museum book 'Landscapes of Central Pennsylvania', and have been in numerous juried shows including the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art Biennial 2016. She is a member of the Farmland Preservation Artists, the Art Alliance of Central Pennsylvania and the Bellefonte Art Museum's Artist Registry.


Your adventure starts right at the Sanphawut Pier, next to Wat Bang Na Nok. The pier is located at the end of the Sanphawut Road, Bangna, Bangkok. Your guide will welcome you here and together you will cross the impressive Chao Praya river to the nearby Bangkok Bike House.
Only a few minutes after ferry departure, you arrive at the Bangkok Bike House. This is where we store our unique bamboo bicycles. At the Bangkok Bike House, you will receive a traditional Thai welcome drink and a brief introduction, while we will fit your bicycle.
The tours are operated by Bamboo Bike (Thailand) Co. LTD, a registered and licensed tour company. The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) registration number is 12/02776.
If you have a question or you would like a tailor-made offer, please fill out this form or send us an email.
All our tours can be tweaked and fine-tuned, taking into account your preferences. Therefore, you can ask anything you like using the contact form below. Also, you can make a provisional booking here.
Bamboo Bike (Thailand) Co., LTD is a licenced tour organisation. Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) registration no. 12/02766.


text:
The Jewish state may soon end sending public officials into the firing line
A few Israelis are challenged in the West and the state considers ending public talks? Perhaps isolation of Zionism is having more of an effect than we think:
Foreign Ministry officials are considering stopping the lectures by senior figures around the world, particularly in Britain.… The reason: The outspoken verbal attacks by students and pro-Palestinian activists, which render them ineffective.… The attacks peaked last week, when demonstrators assaulted the Israeli deputy ambassador to Britain at the end of a lecture she gave at the University of Manchester.
Ma'ariv has learned that Israeli diplomats stationed in the US have significantly reduced the number of public lectures that they give to students, as a result of the frequent heckling.… The last [lecture] was given by Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren in February at the University of California.
"It seems that giving lectures in public halls at universities in Britain is becoming ineffective in terms of PR.… The pro-Palestinian students cause major disruptions and prevent any dialogue.… In the worst case, the lecture is simply stopped," a Foreign Ministry source said, "in the end, the heckling and the incitement get the newspaper headlines, and not the message that the lecturer wanted to convey."
The Foreign Ministry has raised several alternative ideas.… One of them is to increase the use of social networks as a means of PR.… The Foreign Ministry has several staff members who are considered experts on public diplomacy using the Web, including Deputy Director of the Training Bureau Yaron Gamburg and Ilan Sztulman of the Public Affairs Department.… Another alternative is to allow the lectures to continue only in closed forums of lecturers and teachers.
Last week, it was reported that the Deputy Israeli Ambassador to London, Talya Lador-Fresher, was attacked at the end of her lecture at Manchester University by violent pro-Palestinian demonstrators.
As soon as she stepped out of the lecture theater she was stormed by the demonstrators, until security was able to smuggle her back inside the room. Afterwards, she was escorted out in a police car, but the demonstrators surrounded the vehicle and even climbed on top of the bonnet.
Israeli Ambassador to London, Ron Prosor, believes that the public lectures must not be cancelled, despite the attacks. Even Deputy Foreign Minister, Danny Ayalon, who suffered disruptions throughout his lecture in February, believes that "We have to appear in every forum open to us, despite the disruptions. We cannot leave the floor open to enemies of Israel. If we show weakness, and show that their violence and shouting is working, they will continue like that everywhere we go".
Tags: Britain, Judaism, United States, Zionism
When sympathy is the wrong emotion
Trying to hide the reality of apartheid (with a new, kinder face)


USS Nicholas is a n Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate. It was named for Major Samuel Nicholas, the first commanding officer of the United States Marines. Find more USS Nicholas news, pictures, and information here.


Toward a woody plant list for Antigua and Barbuda: past and present.
Botanical survey, extinction, Lesser Antilles native species, woody flora.
Gen. Tech. Rep.SO-102. New Orleans, LA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Forest Experiment Station. 28 p.
In: Abstract Volume: 23rd International Ornithological Congress; August 11-17, 2002; Beijing China. Abstract 018-5.


Protecting your collection is easier than ever with convenient self-adhesive mounts. With these high-quality mounts, there's no need to moisten the backside as with traditional mounts. You simply peel off the backing paper and affix the mount to your album page. It's so easy and convenient.
Mystic's 2015 Supplements Are Here!
Great news – Mystic's specially designed 2015 album supplements are here! For your convenience, the American Heirloom supplement is now available for perforate U.S. stamps (GS767) and another for imperforate U.S. Stamps (GS768). Use the list below to find the right pages for your growing collection.
They're here! Mystic's 2015 American Heirloom Hingeless Supplements are now available. Each includes illustrations, Scott Catalogue numbers and pre-affixed clear mounts for your 2015 U.S. stamps. Keep your album up-to-date and discover interesting facts and entertaining stories about each issue – order today!
They're here! Mystic's 2014 American Heirloom Hingeless Supplements are now available. Each includes illustrations, Scott Catalogue numbers and pre-affixed clear mounts for your 2014 U.S. stamps. Keep your album up-to-date and discover interesting facts and entertaining stories about each issue – order today!


The second largest of the Canary Islands attract huge numbers of sun-worshipers and water sport practitioners in search of one thing: the most pristine beaches in the archipelago. You can't blame them. The golden sand, cool water and gentle sea breeze of Fuerteventura are head and shoulders above those of its neighbours.
Catch a cheap flight to Fuerteventura with Aer Lingus and enjoy a quick and comfortable journey. There two flights per week to Fuerteventura from Dublin Airport Terminal 2. Once you reach Fuerteventura, you can take advantage of car hire deals with our travel partner, or reach your destination by bus or taxi.
Fuerteventura has so much to offer, from barren dessert scenery and fascinating volcanoes to colourful and characterful towns and pleasant harbour promenades, all of which visitors would be foolish to miss out on.
Fuerteventura Airport (FUE) is situated mid-way up the island's east coast, 3 kilometres from Puerto del Rosario and 35 kilometres from Corralejo.
There are three airport bus routes. Line 3 serves Puerto del Rosario and the tourist areas of Caleta del Fuste and Las Salinas. The bus leaves every 30 minutes. The other routes run to Puerto del Rosario, Morro Jable and Gran Tarajal.
Taxis are also available outside the arrivals hall. Alternatively, you can rent a car at one of the on-site offices.
Fuerteventura has a good local bus network serving most parts of the island (except parts of the southwest coast).
For more flexibility it is better to hire a car, as the road network is generally very good. If you are more active, mountain bikes can also be hired.
Taxis are generally inexpensive and in good condition.
Fares subject to terms, conditions and availability.


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>> as the format for contacts is subject to further discussions in the group".
> I've added a note to the spec.
> Contacts set it should not be a stretch to implement these fields also.
> especially where searching is concerned.
> non-fragmentation of the web platform.
>> compatible with other formats such as vCard, OMA CAB, etc.?
> to convert Portable Contacts data to and from vCard."
Next message: Suresh Chitturi: "RE: [Contacts] Contact format issue"
Previous message: Rich Tibbett: "Re: [contacts] Removal of serviceId from API"
Next in thread: Suresh Chitturi: "RE: [Contacts] Contact format issue"
Reply: Suresh Chitturi: "RE: [Contacts] Contact format issue"


text:
# encoding: utf-8
require 'simplecov'
SimpleCov.start do
  add_filter "/spec/"
end
$LOAD_PATH.unshift File.dirname(__FILE__) + '/../lib'
$LOAD_PATH.unshift File.dirname(__FILE__)

STDERR.puts("Running Specs under Ruby Version #{RUBY_VERSION}")

require "rails_app/config/environment"

require 'rspec'
require 'capybara/rspec'
require 'capybara/rails'

require 'rspec/matchers'
require 'equivalent-xml'
require 'equivalent-xml/rspec_matchers'
require 'ruby-saml'
require 'saml_idp'
require 'timecop'

Dir[File.dirname(__FILE__) + "/support/**/*.rb"].each {|f| require f}

RSpec.configure do |config|
  config.mock_with :rspec
  config.order = "random"

  config.include Rspec::Xsd
  config.include SamlRequestMacros
  config.include SecurityHelpers

  config.before do
    SamlIdp.configure do |c|
      c.attributes = {
        emailAddress: {
          name: "email-address",
          getter: ->(p) { "foo@example.com" }
        }
      }

      c.name_id.formats = {
        "1.1" => {
          email_address: ->(p) { "foo@example.com" }
        }
      }
    end
  end

  def fixture_path(filename)
    File.join(File.expand_path('fixtures', File.dirname(__FILE__)), filename)
  end

  def fixture(path)
    File.read fixture_path(path)
  end
end

Capybara.default_host = "https://app.example.com"

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Archery is one of the great activities available at Deers Leap – bookable as part of a birthday party or on its own. Try your hand at marksmanship – archery lasts for 1.5 hours and is for up to 10 people. Great for everyone!


The office opened its doors in January 2019 and already hosted a seminar on "Software for Management of the Dairy Complexes, Feeding and Animal's Well-being" together with company Madero Dairy Systems.
We're inviting you to cooperate and participate in our future events! Please follow the information on Afimilk's website.


text:
Gannon's Got Plavcan
October 21, 2009 2543 Views 1 Comment
Joseph Plavcan's "Erie Press Club Mural"
When we experience art in a gallery – like the Schuster Art Gallery at Gannon – we feel human. We feel alive. When we are surrounded by art on a daily basis, our minds are opened and expanded.
And now to add to that in our daily lives here, Gannon recently acquired a painting by Joseph Plavcan; considered Erie's most influential and renowned artist.
Joseph Plavcan grew up in Erie; he began his studies at Pennsylvania Academy High School. After two years at the academy, Plavcan won a Cresson Scholarship to study and travel in Europe where he was influenced by experiments in color. Today, color is the most outstanding element in most of his paintings.
After a couple years abroad, he returned to Erie and took a teaching position at the Erie Technical High School where he taught there for 38 years. It was during this time that he gained the respect of several generations of students, and earned a reputation as Erie's most influential art teacher.
In 1981 – at the age of 72 – Plavcan passed away. His work continues to influence many people through his art.
Gannon has acquired Plavcan's "Erie Press Club Mural," an oil painting on canvas. The massive painting stands 7 feet tall and 23 feet wide. When Gannon obtained the piece, it was rolled up and carried in a plastic bag. Several faculty and staff members, along with master-framer Joe Popp, framed the mural.
Now, with its framing, the mural weighs about 300 pounds; it took eight people to stand it up. The mural is now on permanent display in Gannon's Palumbo Academic Center. Special care has been taken to preserve its quality – it is displayed away from sunlight, under diffused lighting and protected from human ware. The painting is illuminated by several lights. One light illuminates the sun, other lights pinpoint events, and the rest wash the entire work.
"I am passionately in love with this picture; it is phenomenal," said MC Gensheimer, professor in the theatre, communication and fine arts department who helped obtain and frame the mural. "In the mid 1940s, Joseph Plavcan was contracted [by the Erie Press Club] to do the mural on one of the walls. The mural tells a story of historical, political drama."
The painting portrays reporters producing news stories in a newsroom. The stories are displayed as images throughout the painting. Some of the stories included in the painting are: the bombing of Tokyo, the Millcreek flood of 1915 (called "Erie's Blackest Day"), the Hindenburg disaster and the Homestead riots. Plavcan also incorporated a self-portrait (see the man sitting at the bottom?) and illustrated his humor (see the chicken on the roof?) in the mural.
Perhaps the most interesting parts of the painting to those of us involved with the Gannon community are the priest and student in the center – the magnetism of the piece seems to draw toward these two figures. Gensheimer and others who spent so much time helping with the painting speculate that this image of a priest standing with a student wearing a maroon and gold graduation hood symbolizes Gannon.
"I am most fascinated with the fact that maybe this painting ended up here because it belongs here," she said.
[Photos of painting taken by MC Gensheimer]
Arts, Fine Arts, History, Joe Kreydt, Joe Popp, Joseph Plavcan, MC Gensheimer, Mural, Painting, Palumbo Academic Center, Photo Gallery, Voices
Gannon announces plans for Golden Knight statue
alabama a&m social networking February 7, 2016, 11:06 am Reply
Very interesting topic, appreciate it for posting.


text:
'Bridging Partition: People's Initiatives for Peace between India and Pakistan'
Posted on December 19, 2009 by beenasarwar
Cover art: K.B. Abro; design: Bindia Thapar
BRIDGING PARTITION: People's Intitiatives for Peace Between India and Pakistan
Edited by SMITU KOTHARI and ZIA MIAN
With Kamla Bhasin, A H Nayyar and Mohammad Tahseen
Essays by Shehryar Ahmad, Karamat Ali, Sumanta Banerjee, Kamla Bhasin, Nirupama Dutt, Madeeha Gauhar, Mubashir Hasan, Pervez Hoodboy, Asma Jehangir, Sheema Kirmani, Sanat Mohanty, Kuldip Nayar, Sandeep Pandey, Narendra Panjwani, Anand Patwardhan, Balraj Puri, Laxminarayan Ramdas, Lalita Ramdas, I A Rehman, Beena Sarwar, Jamila Verghese, Achin Vanaik
"Over the past three decades, in the shadow of hostile nationalisms fuelled by radical Islamic and Hindu politics, military crises, a runaway arms race, nuclear weapons and war, an amazing set of civil society initiatives has been taking root in India and Pakistan. A citizens diplomacy movement embracing thousands of activists, scholars, business people and retired government officials has emerged in an unprecedented effort to build national and cross-border networks for peace and cooperation between the two countries.
"In these essays, leading scholars, activists and writers from India and Pakistan reflect on the political and personal impact of crossing the border, and explore the possibilities and limits of this new movement in its quest to chart a path to peace between the two countries."
Cover design Bindia Thapar
Cover art 60 Years of India Pakistan by K. B. Abro
Published by Orient BlackSwan India
Filed under: Peace | Tagged: A H Nayyar, Achin Vanaik, Anand Patwardhan, Asma Jehangir, Balraj Puri, Beena Sarwar, bridging partition, I.A. Rehman, Jamila Verghese, Kamla Bhasin, Karamat Ali, Kuldip Nayar, Lalita Ramdas, Laxminarayan Ramdas, Madeeha Gauhar, Mohammad Tahseen, Mubashir Hasan, Narendra Panjwani, Nirupama Dutt, Pervez Hoodboy, Sanat Mohanty, Sandeep Pandey, Sheema Kirmani, smitu kothari, Sumanta Banerjee, Zia Mian | Leave a comment »
Smitu Kothari – rest in peace
Smitu Kothari
Just heard the sad news from Rani (Khawar Mumtaz) in Lahore about Smitu Kothari's sudden and unexpected departure from this world.
Last I met Smitu it was in 2004, when I interviewed him about his late friend, the Pakistani activist Omar Asghar Khan, for a documentary commissioned by Asia Foundation broadcast on Geo TV. During the same trip I interviewed his father Rajni Kothari, a meeting he facilitated, for another documentary in the Asia Foundation/Geo TV series, on Eqbal Ahmad.
Besides being an ardent environmental and freedom of information activist, Smitu was one of the earliest and most genuine advocates of Pakistan-India peace. May he rest in peace.
His cremation is at 4 pm today in Delhi. Deepest condolences to his aged father and his family, including a 12-year old daughter.
p.s. Found this news item which gives some details…
http://www.sindhtoday.net/south-asia/77983.htm
Environmentalist Smitu Kothari dies of cardiac arrest
New Delhi, March 23 (IANS) Smitu Kothari, 59, one of India's leading
social and environmental activists, died of a cardiac arrest early
Monday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.
Kothari was editor of the Lokayan Bulletin published by the Lokayan
group which promotes dialogue between NGOs and the rest of the world.
He also co-edited Ecologist Asia with other environmentalists
including Vandana Shiva, Claude Alvares and Bittu Sahgal and has been
a visiting professor at Cornell and Princeton universities.
P.S. March 27: Amit Sengupta's obituary on Smitu in Hard News – excerpt:
"Now, that he has become bark and sky and earth, and now that the saline waters are still soaked inside the eyes and hearts of his father, wife, brothers, friends, strangers and comrades, it's the tree of life which must hold his eyes and his mind, like leaves, flowers and seeds, as his legacy of regeneration, retreat and resistance"
http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2009/03/2772
Filed under: Environment, Pakistan-India, Politics | Tagged: Environment, india-pak, smitu kothari | Leave a comment »