text:
Kissing twin stone fish sculpture
Carved in stone: Historic India-Korea links discovered NDTV.com
Shivnath Thukral
Tuesday, September 14, 2004 (Kimhae):
Links between India and Korea are not only modern-day trade links with commercial names like LG, Hyundai and Samsung making their presence felt in India.
In 48 AD, Queen Suro or Princess Heo Hwang-ok is said to have made a journey from Lord Ram's birthplace to Korea by sea, carrying a stone which calmed the waters.
Crucial evidence
The stone is not found anywhere in Korea and is now a part of crucial evidence that the princess belonged to the city of Ayodhya in India.
"This stone is only found in India, proof that it came from there to Korea," said Song Weon Young, city archeologist of Kimhae, a city near the big industrial town of Pusan.
People of Kimhae were so fascinated by these links that they started research on it several years ago.
They also ran into a symbol of the Kaya Kingdon with two fish kissing each other, similar to that of the Mishra royal family in Ayodhya.
And in the mainly Buddhist city of Kimhae, the fact that Ayodhya has now become the epicentre of a religious divide is an upsetting one
"I am aware of the problem and I feel sorry that Ayodhya is such a volatile city," said a Kimhae resident.
Dynastic links
The Princess is said to have given birth to 10 children, which marked the beginning of the powerful dynasty of Kimhae Kims. Kim Dae Jung, a former President also belongs to the same family name.
But even at the centre of these links lies a strong sense of commercial exchange between Korea and India.
The stone represents Kaya's cultural heritage which did not stay in one place, and the stone indicates that commercial exchange has been on since the Queen came from India.
Thousands of miles away from Ayodhya, the stone is a small piece of history. The people in the city seem quite proud of their links with India, especially because Queen Suro gave rise to the Kim dynasty, a powerful family name in the country.
Korean relative of Kings of Ayodhya goes on evidence hunting The Indian Express Jan 21, 2010
A Professor Emeritus of Hanyang University and national archeologist from Korea, Prof Byung Mo Kim shares a 'genetic connection' with Ayodhya.
"I share my genes with the royal family of Ayodhya. Travellers from both these countries not just traded goods, but also genes. And I hail from the Kara dynasty, whose first woman was the princess of Ayodhya, who married the first Kara king. Her brothers went on to become the Kings of Ayodhya and this is how I am genetically connected to the holy city," said Prof Kim.
The archaeologist, whose work on the princess of Ayodhya marrying the prince of Korea's Kara dynasty in 4th century AD has received widespread recognition, is on his fifth visit to the Holy city in search of more evidence for his study.
On his three-day visit to the state, he not only visited Ayodhya but also made a slide presentation on historical evidences of cultural links between Ayodhya and Korea, on being invited by the state government's Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan. "The queen of Korea's biggest dynasty Hoh was the daughter of Ayodhya and in that manner, Ayodhya is like our mother city. Princess Ho travelled by sea route and married King Kim Suro of Kara dynasty. He was the first king and the entire Kara clan, which comprises over about two-third the population of Korea are its descendents," said Prof Kim.
The twin fish, which is the state symbol of Uttar Pradesh and is found on almost all the ancient buildings of Ayodhya, is the biggest clue to the link and the route undertaken by Princess Hoh, says the professor. "I have pictorial evidences. The twin fish symbol is originally from the Meditarrenean states and it travelled to this part of the world and settled around Lucknow. But the same twin fish symbol can also be seen in ancient buildings in Nepal, Pakistan, China and Japan and the gate of royal tomb of King Suro in Kimhae city in Korea," said Prof Kim.
But, it is not this connection alone that has brought the archaeologist here as he also seeks a cultural connect between Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and Kimhae city in Korea.
"For the last 40 years, I have been tracing the route taken by the princess between Ayodhya and Kimhae city and after five visits, I have all the evidence to culturally connect the two cities."
Nearly six years ago, the Korean government had declared Ayodhya as the sister city of Korea and a monument in the memory of Princess Hoh was also established here in the city.
"The Kara clan is the biggest community in Korea and we like to visit our queen mother's place. Through these visits, we are making attempts to talk to the Uttar Pradesh government to open up their doors for strengthening cultural relations between the two countries," said Prof Kim.
Ayodhya Shodh Sansthan director Dr Y P Singh said the state's culture department is making all efforts to help the Koreans find their missing links.
"Through these interactions, we have been able to find new facets of Ayodhya and now in addition to being Lord Ram's birthplace, the city has another significance attached," said Singh.k
Further readings:
The Buddhist Fish symbol – Pairs of Shachihoko, gargoyle-like carp, often appear on opposite ends of the ridge of a castle roof to symbolise diligence and ecstasy. There is also a fertility association with this pair since one fish is male and the other female.
In Japan, the fish means well-being, happiness and freedom. It is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols used in Buddhism imported from China. The fish symbolises living in a state of fearlessness, without danger of drowning in the ocean of sufferings, and migrating from place to place freely and spontaneously.
A shachihoko decorates the roof of Okayama Castle (Photo: Wikipedia). From an entry on Shachihoko in Wikipedia, the definition of Shachihoko is as follows below:
A shachihoko (鯱?) is an animal in Japanese folklore with the head of a tiger and the body of a carp. It was believed that this animal could cause the rain to fall, and as such, temples and castles were often adorned with roof ornaments (shibi) crafted in the form of a shachihoko, in order to protect them from fire.
The above kanji can be pronounced in two different ways. When pronounced "shachihoko", it refers to the mystical animal mentioned above. When pronounced "shachi", it usually means orca.
India: The Origin of Korea? (The Marmot's Hole) FEBRUARY 26, 2010
Kwon Ju-hyeon (권주현) (2003). 가야인의 삶과 문화 (Gayain-ui salm-gwa munhwa, The culture and life of the Gaya people). Seoul: Hyean. ISBN 89-8494-221-9.
Ancient ties between Ayodhya and South Korea, November 1, 2011 by Chandrakant Marwadi
Newspaper report reported that Kim, wife of South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, is a descendant of one of royal families in Ayodhya dating back two thousand years. The Korea Times had reported quoting the presidential office.
"The office said Kim is a descendant of Heo Hwang-ok, a princess who travelled from an ancient Kingdom in Ayodhya, India , to Korea," the newspaper reported.
It has been an affair that resurfaced after a lapse of almost 2000 years in the year 2001. Mayors of Ayodhya and Kim-Hae city in South Korea had signed a Sister City Bond in March 2001.
On the picturesque banks of river Saryu in the holy city, one will find a monument in memory of an Ayodhya princess who is believed to have 'mothered' a dynasty in South Korea.
The clan that descended from the Ayodhya princess Huh and South Korean King Suros, today known as Kim-Hae-Kim clan, has a little over six million Huh descendants in the Republic of South Korea….
Brahmin Raja of Ayodhya
While the present Korean rulers are said to be the 72nd generation after Kim Suro, the Ayodhya princess' descendant, Bimlendra Mohan Prasad Mishra, continues to be referred to as 'Raja saheb', or sometimes more intimately as 'Pappu bhaiyya', in India. The former ruler of Ayodhya was invited by South Korean Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil for the annual memorial ceremony of King Suro. The South Korean government has also installed a monument in Ayodhya in their former queen's memory.
While Koreans regard Mishra as a descendant of Kaya royal family, Mishra traces his roots back to Bhojpur's landlord, Sadanand Pathak. With his eye on politics, he is desperate to play down his royal lineage. Ask him for a photograph in his royal attire, and he flatly refuses. Ask him about his extravagance and he insists that he is a commoner.
Heo Hwang-ok, from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Heo Hwang-ok was a princess who is believed to have travelled from the ancient kingdom of "Ayodhya" to Korea; however her source is still a matter of ongoing research.[1] Information about her comes almost entirely from a few short passages in the Samguk Yusa, an 11th-century Korean chronicle. According to that chronicle,[2] she arrived on a boat and married King Suro of Gaya in the year 48 CE. She was the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya, and is considered an ancestor by several Korean lineages.
According to the Samguk Yusa,[3] Heo's parents had a dream of King Suro. The dream showed that the king had not yet found a queen. Her father then told her to go to him. She arrived on a boat with gold, silver, and a tea plant. Before marrying the king, she took off her silk trousers and prayed to the mountain spirit.
A tomb believed to be Heo's lies near that believed to be her husband's, in Gimhae, South Korea. A pagoda traditionally held to have been brought to Korea on her ship is located near her grave. The Samguk Yusa reports that the pagoda was erected on her ship in order to calm the god of the ocean and allow the ship to pass. The unusual and rough form of this pagoda, unlike any other in Korea, may lend some credence to the account.[4]
The Samguk Yusa also records that a temple was built in honor of Heo and her husband by King Jilji in 452. The temple was called Wanghusa, or "the Queen's temple." Since there is no other record of Buddhism having been adopted in 5th-century Gaya, modern scholars have interpreted this as an ancestral shrine rather than a Buddhist temple.[5]
Members of both the Heo lineages (including the clans of Gimhae, Hayang, Taein, and Yangcheon{=Gongam}) and the Gimhae Kim lineage consider themselves descendants of Heo Hwang-ok and King Suro. Two of the couple's ten sons chose the mother's name. The Heo clans trace their origins to them, and regard Heo as the founder of their lines. The Gimhae Kims trace their origin to the other eight sons.
Excerpt from Ayodhya (Wikipedia):
Kim clan and Princess Heo Hwang-ok
The Atharva Veda called Ayodhya "a city built by gods and being as prosperous as paradise itself".
According to the 11th-century Korean chronicle the Samguk Yusa, the wife of King Suro of the ancient Korean kingdom of Geumgwan Gaya was a princess who traveled by boat from a faraway land called Ayuta to Korea in 48 CE. It is commonly thought that Ayodhya is the foreign land referred to in the Korean chronicles, but some scholars believe that the foreign land may have been Ayutthaya of Thailand.
However, the local government of Ayodhya and South Korea acknowledged the connection, and held a ceremony to raise a statue of the princess on the banks of the Sarayu River. The adopted Korean name of the princess is Heo Hwang-ok, the first queen of Geumgwan Gaya Dynasty and the ancestor of the Korean Kim family of Kimhae and Heo. Two millennia prior, a princess of Ayodhya had been shipped off as a bride to Suro. They had ten children, of whom nine became Buddhist monks. His descendants now form the 10 million-strong Kim Kimhae clan and Heo Gimhae clan.[6][13][14][15]
In the 7th century CE, Xuanzang (Hiuen Tsang), the Chinese monk, recorded many Hindu temples in Ayodhya. In the epic Ramayana, the city of Ayodhya is cited as the birthplace of Lord Sri Rama, a Hindu deity who was worshipped as Lord Vishnu's seventh incarnation. Ayodhya became a famous pilgrimage destination in the 15th century when Ramananda, the Hindu mystic, established a devotional sect of Sri Rama.
The Thai kingdom and city of Ayutthaya, and the Indonesian sultanate of Yogyakarta, are thought to be named after Ayodhya
5 thoughts on "The twin fish, state symbol of Uttar Pradesh and commonly found on ancient buildings of Ayodhya, is the biggest clue to the link and the route undertaken by Kaya (Kara/Gaya) royals to Korea (and Japan)"
kim, hae june says:
I am from kimhae kim(samhyun pah). I grew up among my sibilings and observed relatives. Now I live in the usa, melting pot. I strongly believe the fact of the liniage with indian. Our family are different from other Korean member. we thought that fact was bad, inferior and cursed. That is the reason King kim suro 's descendant were searching for clues. If DNA proves that,we don't have to carry or feel different. That is the reason our clan people looked for clue. Thank you.
heritageofjapan says:
Thank you for your comments, I hope someday you get your DNA test and establish your family genealogy, it is fascinating to know where we come from and our connections with one another across the continents.
To tell you deep and touching stories about … since we are different from the most community folk, only can related to same clan folk emotionally but by law same name clan was banned years ago. My sibilings marriges are not smooth either. So, Economic reason is not any part of this liniage searching of the kim,s clan endeavor. That is very difficult to adjust to. I already mentioned that I am living in the USA and met folk from Arabic,african and Italian blood civilians. One of from important part of clues was found from Food. thank you…
I met one woman from north china and asked about "Kim". She said kim is from north china. Through histories ,people left their hometown to stay away from occurred disasters or famines. Probably young man ,whose ame is "Kim suro" went to ayodhia to study Buddism . And also I met indian hindu girl and asked her about Ayodhia city. She said that the city is big academic ancient city had lots of battles. S.o many castles and royal family. I guess that buddism student Kim suro escaped the caotic city with this princess Huh hwangok. he was supposed to be a monk but he fell in love with her and landed in korea adjacent to japan. Think about japan budism… monk has wife…. according to the monk rule … should not have woman…… sorry for my English……
Heavy Metal666 says:
Really? How are you different from other Koreans? Do you look different? Act different? What?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
AFC, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, NFL
Patriots vs. Colts: The matchup we've all been waiting for
October 14, 2015 Bill Bodell	Leave a comment
The time we've all been waiting for is soon upon us, week 6 of the NFL season Patriots vs. Colts. As we all already know the Colts are the team that started the whole "DeflateGate" BS that has been the biggest news story since the news broke after the beat down the Patriots put on the Colts in the AFC Championship game last season.
via mstarz.com
This game is going to be a complete embarrassment for the Indianapolis Colts. He Patriots have the biggest edge and chip on their shoulders of all-time and are playing with a vengeance right now, and will even more against the Colts this Sunday. Tom Brady has been playing at an unreal level, he's pissed and has been pissed the past 9 months and has taken it out his anger so far this year on the Patriots opponents. Brady is going to be even more fired up this Sunday against the Colts, they started everything that went on this offseason and tried to ruin Brady's name and reputation that he has worked so hard for over his career. The Colts should be scared; though Brady and the Patriots will say this is just another game we all know it isn't. The past few games New England has played against the Colts they have buried the Colts, mostly running it down their throats with the Colts having no answer to stop the Patriots. This week I think it's going to be all Brady. He's going to come out and throw all over this Colts defense and show them that he is the greatest of all-time and is playing at maybe the best level he has throughout his career at age 38. The Colts should be worried because this is going to be a complete and utter embarrassment for the Colts and I cant wait to watch it.
The Patriots as a team are playing phenomenal football right now, while the Colts are not. The Patriots are 4-0 and it hasn't been close at all. The Colts are 3-2 coming off wins where they barely beat the Jaguars and Texans and their star quarterback Andrew Luck has mightily underperformed this season and have looked better with backup Matt Hasslebeck under center. The Patriots have Brady's back and there all fired up and playing at a whole different intensity level this year and will especially this game. The defense is going to get at whoever is under center for the Colts and give them a hard day, while the offense is just going to continue to dominate like they have all year.
The Colts haven't been saying the Patriots name in interviews this week; this just proves even more that there scared. They want to make it seem like it doesn't matter who there playing this week, it does and they should be worried. The Patriots are just going to keep playing better and better. The Patriots are going to come out and completely dominate this week and I can't wait to see the beat down we put on Indy. After this game the Colts may want to take down their embarrassing "AFC Finalists" banner because the patriots are going to make that game look like a challenge. The point spread could be Patriots by 100 and I would still take the over. Sunday Night cannot come any sooner, this is going to be the most dominating football game that has ever been played.
via patriots.com
And just one more thing to throw at the Colts and Colts fans; remember when the Colts traded a first round pick for Trent Richardson? Who was the player they cut to make room for Richardson? Dion Lewis. Thank you for that, we'll make sure he finds the end zone a few times Sunday Night just to rub it in even more.
2015 NFL Season2015 PreviewAFC EastAndrew LuckDion LewisIndianapolis ColtsNew England PatriotsTom Brady
Previous PostStuds And Duds From Patriots Victory Over CowboysNext PostThe 2015 Indianapolis Massacre


← Fall is here – my favorite time of year!
As a writer I believe in sharing other's work in any of the creative fields. Not only because I receive such generous support from fellow bloggers but because we are a community and what is good for you is good for me.
There are a number of ways that you can promote your blog, poetry, books, art, photography, music and any other creative skill you have.
I am looking for guest posts on all aspects of health, on hobbies and crafts, cookery, recipes and writing of course.
There is a special place in my heart for short stories and we already have some great ones scheduled. By guest posting your stories here you will reach a new audience to your own blog and take advantage of my social media contacts.


text:
Scranton is a hamlet in the town of Hamburg in Erie County, New York, United States. It is named after the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

References

Hamlets in New York (state)
Hamlets in Erie County, New York

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Wednesday, September 12th, 2012 technology research practice
Public Consultations as a Key to Legislative Change
I was reminded to look at public consultations by Gilbert Van Nes, General Counsel and Settlement Officer for the Environmental Appeals Board in Alberta some time ago when we both had an opportunity to present at a Legal Education Society of Alberta seminar. Alberta has a public consultations portal on the government website, which is a handy, and probably under used, research space. The portal includes completed consultations as well – highly useful.
The Government of Canada also offers a Consulting with Canadians portal.
Is there a public consultations portal on your provincial government website?
— 3 comments — Research & Writing
3 comments on Public Consultations as a Key to Legislative Change
The Government of Ontario has its Regulatory Register where it posts proposed regulations. Past proposals can be found as well, but not the results of the consultations. (Two of the 'past proposals' for September 2012 end by saying that the submissions made have become part of the public record, but do not say how that record can be found.)
Ontario has had for many years the < a hre="http://www.ebr.gov.on.ca/ERS-WEB-External/">Environmental Registry under the Environmental Bill of Rights, as well.
(I was pleased to find that the Government of Canada site is not actually called 'consultating …' but 'consulting', as in the rest of the English-speaking world.)
Shaunna Mireau says:
Thanks John G
Michael Posluns says:
I want to offer two comments about consultation on legislation. First Nations political organizations have produced a definition of consultation because for many years governments would send a low level public servant, or the parliamentary secretary to announce a fait accompli and call it consultation. Their definition requires a person of sufficient standing that he can seriously influence the legislation at issue. Otherwise, why bother.
Secondly, in many legislatures there can be no amendment that affects the principal of a bill after 2d reading. (The Senate has changed their rules on that but the Commons has not.) I have never yet figured ourhow one determines the principle of an omnibus bill. So testifying after 2d reading is of very limited value and, more to the point, it is not consultation. Likewise, if the minister and his most senior officials have already made up their minds then, as the Assembly of First Nations and others long ago figured out, it ain't consultation.


text:
SBA Economic Aid Update – 3/29/2021
Below is a summary of the programs as of 3/29/21….
Paycheck Protection Program – most recent Program report (as of March 29, 2021)
The SBA has guaranteed 3.58 million PPP loans totaling more than $211.8 billion in the 2021 PPP funding round.
The SBA has guaranteed 8.7 million PPP loans totaling more than $734 billion as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (2020 & 2021)
The deadline for lenders to get PPP loan applications into the SBA remains March 31, 2021 until the President signs the PPP Extension Act of 2021 into law. The Act, which has passed both houses of Congress, would extend PPP with May 31,2021 as the date by which PPP applications must be submitted to the SBA and June 30, 2021 the date by which SBA must approve such applications.
The average 2021 PPP loan is $59,000 and over 78.4% of these loans have been for $50,000 or less.
42.5% of 2021 PPP loans (more than 1.56 million) are First Draw PPP loans and, of those, nearly 98% are for those with 10 or fewer employees, providing new – and the smallest – businesses with critical relief.
More than 1.55 million Second Draw PPP loans, totaling over $48.7 billion, have gone to those with 10 or fewer employees further supporting relief for the smallest businesses.
Shuttered Venue Operators Grants – key dates
April 8: Applications are slated to open (March 19 news release)
March 24: 40,900+ people who either already signed up via the application portal or expressed interest in receiving SVOG updates following the mid-January national introduction webinar received the attached email re: the SVOG program
March 30: a SVOG national/public informational webinar re: the applications (it will be recorded and posted on YouTube/SVOG website)
As the SBA builds and prepares to open the program, the dedicated webpage, www.sba.gov/svogrant, which includes frequently asked questions, video tutorials and other SVOG details, is the best source for information.
Right now potential applicants can work to get registered in the federal government's System for Award Management (SAM.gov), as this will be required for an entity to receive an SVOG, and reference the preliminary application checklist and eligibility requirements in preparation for the application opening.
COVID-19 EIDLs
Per a March 24 news release, the week of April 6, the SBA will increase the COVID-19 disaster loan maximum amount to 24-months of economic injury / $500,000.
As of March 25, the SBA has approved over 3.75 million COVID-19 EIDLs for $201.1 billion. SBA has disbursed approx.. 3.6 million of those equaling $193.5 billion (96% of approved amount)
78% of all COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loans are less than $100,000 in value, totaling 39% of total volume.
Reporting Identity Theft – A website is now available to educate and inform the public on this: Report ID theft and fraud (sba.gov)
COVID-19 Relief Program Report – updated with data as of March 25, 2021; key PPP points include:
More than 3.58 million PPP loans totaling more than $217.8 billion have been submitted to the SBA for processing by lenders in the 2021 PPP funding round..
The average loan size was $60,459.
87% of the PPP loans in the 2021 funding round are for less than $100,000
93% of PPP loans in the 2021 funding round have gone to businesses with 20 employees or fewer, totaling 49% of total 2021 PPP loan volume.
Approx. 44% of PPP loans have completed the forgiveness process (totaling approx. 37% of 2020 PPP loan volume). Across all loan sizes, over 99% of loan value has been forgiven on loans completing the forgiveness process.
American Rescue Plan Act New Programs
Restaurant Revitalization Fund/Grants
The American Rescue Plan Act provided $28.6 billion for a new Restaurant Revitalization Fund for grants to eligible entities in this hard-hit industry, with a maximum $5 million grant per location and aggregate maximum $10 million grant. The SBA has immediately begun work on this new program and will launch it as quickly possible to deliver the intended economic assistance.
Per the ARPA, the Restaurant Revitalization Grants will provide economic relief to:
Establishment Types: restaurants, food stands, food trucks, food carts, caterers, saloons, inns, taverns, bars, lounges, brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms, licensed facilities or premises of a beverage alcohol producer where the public may taste, buy or sample products or any other similar establishment where people assemble for the primary purpose of being served food or drink.
Any establishment with 20 or fewer locations
Ineligible entities include state or local government-operated entities and publicly traded-companies, as well as those entities that have a pending Shuttered Venue Operators Grant application or have received an SVOG.
As the program is built and developed, businesses should visit SBA's COVID-19 relief page – www.sba.gov/relief or www.sba.gov/asistencia – for information on this and other economic aid programs as it comes available. Also, all are encouraged to stay up to date by following the SBA on Twitter (@sbagov) and subscribing to SBA's e-newsletter.
Community Navigators
A website now features the program: Community Navigators (sba.gov) (www.sba.gov/navigators)
You can also see all of the SBA's translated resources here: https://www.sba.gov/page/covid-19-recovery-information-other-languages
2021-04-02T11:53:36-04:00April 1st, 2021|All|


text:
Hudson Place may refer to:
Hudson Place (Manhattan), a street in the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project
Hudson Place (Hoboken), a short street near Hoboken Terminal


text:
Brian Churilla comic
Megalex (2014)
An original Sci-Fi adventure of rebellion against a totalitarian and oppressive world, as only imagined by master storyteller Alexandro Jodorowsky. On Megalex, the city-planet, the laws of nature are prohibited. The tyrannical order reigns over a renewed population controlled by genetic manipulation. Due to the repeated attacks of the neighboring forest, primitive and impenetrable, the urbanized system in command allowed an 'anomaly,' a clone policeman nearly 10 ft tall, to escape. Guided by Adama, one of the rebels fighting for their freedom, the gentle giant manages to join the camp of the 'objectors' and help them go up against the evil powers of Megalex. Straight from the untamed minds of Alexandro Jodorowsky ( The Incal, The Metabarons ) and Fred Beltran ( Pin-Up Girls From Around the World ).
Genre: Mature, Sci-Fi
Alejandro Jodorowsky's Screaming Planet
Alexandro Jodorowsky steps up to the challenge of the short graphic novel story format by collaborating with an international panoply of artists. A collection of Sci-Fi short stories all written by Alexandro Jodorowsky ( The Incal, The Metabarons ) and illustrated by talent from various countries and different graphic traditions. The thematic thread of these tales: an asteroid spawned from the destruction of a planet produces sounds (a howling shriek ) which, when crossing an inhabited world, creates a change or imbalance within it…
Genre: Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Anibal 5
The misadventures of a sex-addicted cyborg humorously subvert classic science fiction and super-spy tropes. PUBLICATION IN 2 VOLUMES - COMPLETED WORK. The European Defense Organization (EDO) is entrusted with protecting the Earth from cosmic terrorists bent on the destruction of humanity. Their key weapon: a sex-obsessed secret agent by the name of Anibal 5. As Anibal and the rest of EDO's eclectic team battle evil dictators, nymphet clones, and a mysterious criminal syndicate, things turn inevitably, and irrevocably, delirious and erotic.
The Technopriests (2015)
The cosmic adventures of a young boy on his path to ridding the galaxy of an insidious technological plague. After the Greek tragedy of The Metabarons, Alexandro Jodorowsky comes back to his biblical roots with this quest reminiscent of Moses and set on a galactic scale. To top it off, the characters and the theme of virtual reality are tailor-made for artist Zoran Janjetov ( Before The Incal ), who finds in Jodorowsky his perfect match. Albino, hero of this space odyssey, remembers here his childhood, his apprenticeship, and the big and small battles he had to fight to fulfill his ambitions in a universe where technological advances are paradoxically matched only by the cruelty and the barbarism of the forces controlling it.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Supernatural, Mystery
The Metabaron
The return of the greatest warrior in the universe: The Metabaron! The Metabaron once single-handedly brought the Techno-Techno Empire to its knees. But in the chaos that followed, a new regime within the Techno-Techno civilization has rebuilt by seizing control of the galaxy's most precious fuel, the Epiphyte. When this tyrannical new force learns that the Metabaron is back and headed towards Marmola, the only known source of Epiphyte, the Empire dispatches its most trusted servant: the notoriously invulnerable and cruel Wilhelm-100, The Techno-Admiral. Can the Metabaron save the universe once more, or has he finally met his match?
The Incal
The Sci-Fi masterpiece by Moebius and Jodorowsky about the tribulations of the shabby detective John Difool as he searches for the precious and coveted Incal. John Difool, a low-class detective in a degenerate dystopian world, finds his life turned upside down when he discovers an ancient, mystical artifact called The Incal. Difool's adventures will bring him into conflict with the galaxy's greatest warrior, the Metabaron, and will pit him against the awesome powers of the Technopope. These encounters and many more make up a tale of comic and cosmic proportions that has Difool fighting for not only his very survival, but also the survival of the entire universe.
Issue # TPB 6 (2 years ago)
Metabarons Genesis: Castaka
Before the Metabarons there were the Castakas, a clan of lawless pirates - this is their story. The Metabarons recounted the extraordinary saga of the genealogy of the galaxy's ultimate warrior. But his ancestors also had ancestors. And far from being noble warriors with an inflexible code, one will discover they were in fact disloyal, vengeful pirates born out of brutality and war. From legendary creator Alexandro Jodorowsky and artist Das Pastoras, and for all of those who dreamt of a sequel to The Metabarons, comes instead the origin tale of their first ancestor, Dayal de Castaka.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Military
Issue # TPB (2 years ago)
Final Incal
Jodorowsky and Mœbius's internationally bestselling Sci-Fi saga THE INCAL comes to its phenomenal finale ! Lowly class 'R' detective John Difool and his faithful companion, Deepo, are unwillingly hurled into yet another universe-saving mission, as their world is faced with the threat of an all-devouring metallic virus. Visionary storyteller Jodorowsky returns to the epic mythology he created with the late Mœbius in the early 80s. For the conclusion of the legendary spiritual space adventure series, he partners with Eisner-winning artist Ladrönn ( Cable, Hip Flask, Elephantmen ).
Genre: Sci-Fi, Post-Apocalyptic
Before the Incal
The adventures of a young John Difool before he became the most famous Sci-Fi anti-hero. Alexandro Jodorowsky ( The Metabarons ) and artist Zoran Janjetov, with the help of Fred Beltran ( Megalex ) on colors, take us way back to the youth of the notorious Class R private investigator. We are instantly plunged back into the unique atmosphere of the world of The Incal, as we witness John Difool's search for his identity and his origins, his first meeting with Deepo, and the appearance of many of the series' key characters, such as the Metabaron or Diavaloo.
Genre: Sci-Fi, Robots
Post-Apocalyptic 1
Supernatural 1


Once the send button is pressed the words written by you on a mail are out of your control. But, now Gmail has come up with a confidential mode with addition of new features. It gives you a bit of control back by offering message expiration dates and making it trickier for emails to be forwarded on.
The new confidential mode doesn't technically use standard email protocols to deliver the message. Instead the mails sent through this mode are hosted on Google's servers. But it comes with its own drawbacks, for example, the recipients who aren't viewing the email in Gmail have to click a link to open messages in a browser. But yes it could be stated as a decent attempt to make mails more secure and controllable and its uses are seamless if all the parties in a mail are using Gmail.
The old gmail classic user can easily switch to the new interface by simply clicking on the settings button on the top right side of the main page and select 'Try the new Gmail' option. Automatically the new interface would be loaded for you.
From here you can set the date of expiry ranging from one day to five years. Also there is an option for passcode to be sent as an SMS on the receivers phone number which they need to enter to access the mails sent by you.
The badge like one above will be informing you that mail is being sent in confidential mode. Moreover, you can always open the message in your sent folder, there is an option there to disable access immediately if you don't want to wait till the message expiry date.
The forward button is disabled and again there is a banner at bottom of it explaining the feature. Otherwise the mail looks much like the standard mail.
When the mail expires the text disappears entirely and a box as below is displayed.
Looks and feels simple but its not the same case for other platform users.
The receiver needs to click the link 'view the email' to check the confidential mode email. This will open as a window in the browser for viewing.
The confidential mode just inhibits the user from simply pressing the forward button to other mail users but it still could be copied or taken screenshot of for content copying purposes. Ultimately, the feature is just an intent display by the sender that the mail is of confidential nature and should not be shared with anyone else.


text:
/* Magic Mirror
 * Module: MMM-Events
 *
 * By Mykle1
 *
 */
const NodeHelper = require('node_helper');
const unirest = require('unirest');
const cheerio = require('cheerio');

module.exports = NodeHelper.create({

    start: function() {
        console.log("Starting node_helper for: " + this.name);
    },

    getEvents: function() {
	var self = this;
	var url = 'http://heuteinhamburg.de';
	var events = [];
	unirest.post(url)
		.header("Content-Type", "text/html; charset=utf-8")
		.end(function (r) {
	    		if (!r.error) {
				$ = cheerio.load(r.body);
				$('#post-list').find('.post').each(function() {
					var title = $(this).find('h2').html();
					var today = $(this).find('.post-today').html();
					var datetime = $(this).find('time').attr('datetime');
					time = datetime.split('T');
					if (today != null) {
						events.push({
							title: title,
							startDate: time[0],
							startTime: time[1]
						});
					}
				});
				events.sort(function(x, y){
    					return x.startTime.substring(0,2) - y.startTime.substring(0,2);
				});
				self.sendSocketNotification('EVENTS_RESULT', events);
			}
	});
    },

    socketNotificationReceived: function(notification, payload) {
        if (notification === 'GET_EVENTS') {
            this.getEvents();
        }
    }
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


rec. Menuhin Hall, Stoke d'Abernon, UK, 18 February 2010 (Busch), 3 April 2009 (Leighton), 9 October 2008 (Wordsworth) Music Hall, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, October 2005 (Cooke).
This disc is a praiseworthy reissue of a collection of recordings previously released by the British Music Society (Leighton ~ Wordsworth & Busch ~ Cooke). It derives from four separate sessions spread over period of nearly five years but all featuring the same artists. All of the works are unfamiliar — indeed the Wordsworth remains unpublished. Robert Kay's booklet notes attribute this to an unwillingness on the part of all four composers represented to 'push themselves' and promote their own music. Add to this the fact that their adoption of a 'conventional idiom' led to their marginalisation by the BBC after 1960. Indeed even in recent years only Kenneth Leighton has made much in the way of inroads into the recorded repertory. Even so this appears to be the only representation of his Partita on disc. As such this CD is self-recommending to anybody interested in British music in the latter half of the twentieth century, and Naxos are to be congratulated on its reissue.
Another possible reason for the neglect of this music, which Robert Kay does not mention, is the sheer difficulty of much of the writing for both instruments. All these works presuppose playing of superlative stature, well above the normal level of virtuosity, and it may well be that performers have been reluctant to spend the time and effort on pieces that will inevitably have a limited circulation. The original BMS release of the Leighton Partita remains available on a disc of the composer's complete music for cello and piano issued in 2011. The other items in this collection appear to have disappeared from the current listings altogether although can be had via the BMS website. Raphael Wallfisch and Raphael Terroni have not allowed this to discourage them, and their poised and committed playing certainly makes out the best possible case for all the works here.
The William Wordsworth sonata is probably the best of these pieces, and is certainly the most attractive on initial acquaintance. The work is in three linked movements, separately tracked here, and Robert Kay's notes even cite the influence of Brahms on the music. Although the writing is largely lyrical rather than virtuosic, there is also a sense of brooding melancholy which is most definitely of the twentieth century. Although the work was written before the composer's move to the Scottish Highlands in 1961, there is also a decidedly Celtic atmosphere. It is shocking to see how little of Wordsworth's music is currently available on CD, although there are plenty of broadcast relays available on the internet which repay exploration. This composer deserves more plentiful modern performances, and we should be grateful for this one. The opening movement has a hieratic grandeur, and the closing 'finale' section has a quirky insouciance which should raise a wry smile.
It is perhaps unfortunate that the works by William Busch and Kenneth Leighton which precede it on this disc are more forbidding and less approachable. Robert Kay notes the influence of Shostakovich on both works, but the material is quite tough in manner and the strenuous demands on both players do not always make for comfortable listening. William Busch's Suite consists of four fairly brief movements, but the Leighton Partita is rather more substantial with a third movement consisting of a theme and variations (separately tracked) which extends over ten minutes in length. There is therefore plenty of variety in these pieces, although even the opening Elegy of the Leighton work is correctly described in the booklet as "jagged". The best of both Busch and Leighton is to be found elsewhere.
The sonata by Arnold Cooke was not performed at all during the composer's lifetime, and was indeed given its public première by these same artists as late as 2006 - after the date of this recording. This is perhaps not so surprising when one learns that Cooke's final Sixth Symphony remains unperformed to this day. In this sonata one finds Cooke turning away from the neo-classical influences of his earlier music to a more rhapsodic pastoral style which indeed recalls Vaughan Williams; does one detect a distorted quotation of the folksong The water is wide in the first movement (track 18, 1.15)? There is a heartfelt slow movement, a lively scherzo and a chugging finale, too. The music does not have the sheer panache of the Wordsworth — there are some sequential passages which sound a bit contrived — but it runs it a close second.
As I have stated earlier, this disc is self-recommending, and indeed required listening for anyone who wishes to explore the byways of more 'traditional' British composition in the second half of the twentieth century. We are not likely to get further recordings of the music – and indeed any prospective rival would have its work cut out to match these performances – so potential purchasers are advised to snap this one up while it remains readily available. The Wordsworth and Cooke sonatas in particular will give them much enjoyment.


Our fine little art gallery is conveniently located in down-town Halifax, Nova Scotia, close to the waterfront shops and boutiques, only minutes from the Seaport Farmer's Market and across the road from a hand-crafted Chocolate shop! We are midway between the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia and the Westin Hotel.
If you'd like to receive periodic emails from Art1274Hollis, please give your consent to be added to our mailing list. You may unsubscribe at any time by emailing the gallery and adding "unsubscribe" in the subject box.


Information governance enables organizations to achieve their goals by establishing a culture that understands the value of the information produced, used and shared. Without adequate controls, a corporate heart attack might be just around the corner.
Connect-the-dot puzzles are a lot like information governance: Connecting the right pieces of data creates a clearer picture of your company's strategic direction, and reveals the gaps toward achieving your goals. But connecting the right data can be complicated, so getting it right requires a solid foundation.
How do you connect the dots in a utility landscape where data flows from devices and customers at a speed and volume that continues to grow? Traditionally, utilities haven't been good at analyzing business intelligence data to predict trends or to shape customer offerings.
Data analytics, data privacy and information management potentially are major game-changers for utilities. At the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD), we are embracing new ideas and technology, including implementing formal data-management processes and procedures, more-efficient records management, and an increasingly digital workplace to make SMUD future ready.
Strong, executive management support recognizes that our organization needs to change to be increasingly digital and information-centric. We're now working to convey the importance of enterprise data governance to our workforce, including making sure that everyone will have appropriate access to high-quality data. Data stored outside of enterprise systems in Excel, Access or other personal data repositories can be in conflict with good information governance practices as they do not guarantee appropriate access. In addition, employees who "fix" data values outside enterprise systems create processes that are not sustainable. They may produce incorrect values and, even if correct, they may not provide any benefit to the rest of the enterprise.
Once data quality is appropriate for business use and access is streamlined, decisions can be made in a timely manner, and processes can be completed in the most cost-effective and efficient way possible.
3. Lack of transparency and awareness for data elements, systems and processes.
• A data governance council comprised of an executive sponsor, program manager and directors representing all business units within SMUD.
• A program manager to lead, coordinate and put the program into operation. The program manager is the only full-time person working on data governance.
• Domain leads are leaders within their business units for data governance efforts. At SMUD, business units are created based on processes, and are used for budgeting and work planning.
• Data stewards were identified within each department who became the go-to people for anyone with questions about data that was defined, produced or used within that department.
An initial focus of our data governance program was to create an inventory and catalog of key data elements, centralized to establish standards, definitions and accountability. For example, we could create a data element named Water Year Precipitation Average, save it in an enterprise metadata glossary, and then document it to an accountable individual using a standardized calculation.
One important data governance integration point is the reports we are using to make data-driven decisions, such as cycle-time reports for business processes. This led the data governance team to work closely with our business intelligence and analytics team.
Over the last year, SMUD has formalized the people, processes and technology used for business intelligence reporting and analytics. SMUD's leaders are asking better questions when reviewing reports and metrics. This ensures that data quality meets business needs, that calculations used for metrics are transparent and drive the intended actions, and that data is sourced directly from enterprise systems.
The business intelligence and analytics team is running its due diligence by implementing the technology and tools needed to organize data from disparate systems into a unified, enterprise location. A dedicated, core team will lead program communications, implement technology solutions, and coordinate the work of identified stakeholders in the business units. These stakeholders will be accountable to executives and directors.
In the Summer 2016 issue of WE Magazine, Cameron Madill, president of PixelSpoke, wrote a great article that provided eight questions for utilities and customers to ask themselves in order to ensure the highest level of data security. Madill suggested that sharing data with third parties transfers trust: that the data will be used only for the agreed-upon purposes, and that when no longer necessary, that data will be destroyed. Authorized users of this data are also presumed to understand their accountability, and to properly handle it, while executing their business functions.
Recognizing these concerns, SMUD established a data privacy program in early 2016, and dedicated an experienced information security resource to establish protocols for data privacy and use.
Promoting and providing authorized access to data is a shared concern for data governance, business intelligence and analytics, and data privacy. Compiling a data glossary also helps to address these concerns by creating a centralized location for personally identifiable, intellectual property and sensitive data. A third dot was connected.
Records management is critical for utilities to maintain compliance with federal, state and local legal requirements. While SMUD has a very good program in place to meet compliance expectations, the operations were inefficient and in need of a makeover if we were to establish the foundation for a digital workplace.
To establish a robust records and information management program, this year we centralized records management functions within our office of the general counsel. We also expanded legislative compliance goals to include improvements in processes and technology to reduce our dependency on physical records, and to speed the transition to a fully digital storage system.
An initial, common misperception is to look at records management as documents and unstructured data; and data governance as databases and structured data. However, eventually, the two must meld together to find big data and records for retention. Both efforts seek to track and enforce regulatory compliance and conformance to policies, standards and procedures.
SMUD's records and information management program included establishing a council to oversee, advocate and make decisions. To ensure that a holistic approach was taken to data and information governance, records and information management was added to the Data Governance Council, thereby connecting the fourth dot.
To recap, since establishing the Data Governance Council in 2015, SMUD has added business intelligence and analytics, data privacy, and records and information management programs to form the Information Governance Council.
Each of these programs within the council creates individual and joint measurable goals for 2017. Program leaders are creating communication plans, change management plans, 18-month goals, and integration points for core business processes that move each program forward across SMUD. An easy-to-understand job aid is being created to pull the top priorities from each program and to identify which group is leading the effort, and which messages are supporting information governance objectives.
With the dots all connected, it's our responsibility to bring the image to life for SMUD's customers.
David Schmitt is SMUD's data governance program manager. His areas of responsibility include data quality, metadata management and data controls. For the past 16 years, he has found ways to use data, analytics and technology to add value and improve business performance.


text:
New York Film Festival 2010
Thread: New York Film Festival 2010
Raúl Ruiz: MYSTERIES OF LISBON (2010)
João Luís Arrais in Mysteries of Lisbon
Romantic labyrinths, from a book of serials
Raúl Ruiz's beautiful and dauntingly complex new film, Mysteries of Lisbon (Misterios de Lisboa), which has been made up (in the manner of Olivier Assayas' current Carlos) into two versions, a four-and-a-half-hour theatrical one and a longer one of six 55-minute segments for TV, is a confounding, hypnotic series of tales-within-tales-within-tales as intricate as anything in the Arabian Nights, or a John Barth reinvention thereof. But this isn't Baghdad under Haroun al-Rashid. It's 18th- and 19th-century Portugal and France, and the original story comes from the single hand of Camilo Castelo Branco, 1st Viscount de Correia Botelho, a 19th-century Portutuese writer who penned over 260 books, and still had time to live a life as turbulent as this film, one ended by his own hand when he learned he was going blind from syphilis.
Like the young João, AKA Pedro, around whom the narrative revolves, Castelo Branco was born out of wedlock and orphaned very young. The 1854 series of back-tracking and interlocking Gothic-cum-amour fou tales of revenge, duels, revelations, changed identities, and wild, mostly adulterous romances recap some of the writer's own experiences, rearranged to fit literary motifs and historical themes. Castelo Branco studied medicine and then for the priesthood, afterward dedicating himself to writing -- and adultery, for which he was imprisoned. He eventually settled down and wrote for a living; the title of viscount was conferred on him for his writing. There are inconsistencies in the narrative because Castel Branco wrote for serials, and lost track of what he'd said earlier. However, the film, of course, is from a screenplay, by Carlos Saboga.
Though made (according to prominent freelance producer Paulo Branco) for only $2 million, Mysteries of Lisbon nonetheless has sumptuous production values, with lovely costumes, exquisite real interiors and landscapes that look like paintings wherein a cast is deployed whose named characters alone number over three dozen. It begins promisingly, like an unusually delicate and self-possessed bildingsroman, with the young Pedro da Silva (João Luís Arrais), a handsome 14-year-old at a boarding school under the protection of a priest. Pedro, then known as João, says in voiceover "I had no idea who I was." He soon learns that he is the son of a woman of noble birth. And then there is a story. And then another. And another. And that leads to another. All concern the themes mentioned above.
Unfortunately, without a synopsis in hand, and a pause button to go back and review transitions so one sees the logical connectives and understands how one tale fits into the whole, the mysteries of Lisbon, alas, remain somewhat mysterious. Perhaps they are meant to. Readers of episodes in a 19th-century serial romance might well be satisfied without the sense of a grand design. The fun was in the emotion and drama of each episode. However as one watches a long film unroll -- and one thinks in this context of Ruiz's masterful 1999 adaptation of Proust, Time Regained, as the director evidently did too, for he reportedly sought to evoke his earlier film in the mise-en-scene and cinematography (the latter by newcomer André Szankowski) -- one tends to expect to make unifying, dovetailing sense of things, something difficult with the earlier film but doable if one knows one's Proust. Ruiz does tie Mysteries up at the end, with two final scenes that are, however, intentional conundrums, but return to the character one at least wants to be central, Pedro/João, the aristocratic bastard whose desire to know his true origins is what starts the whole swirling ball rolling.
Things are clear enough at the beginning when the friar in charge of his school, Padre Diniz (Adriano Luz), introduces the 14-year-old João to Angela de Lima (Maria João Bastos). He realizes this high-born lady must be his mother. She turns out to have been imprisoned for years at his castle as punishment for her adultery by her husband, the Count of Santa Barbara (Albano Jerónimo). Padre Diniz tells the story -- in which he appears in one of three identities, because he, among others, has had a checkered career. Joáo retells the stories throughout in a puppet theater, which serves as a transitional device between tales. But it gets crazier. Another key character has multiple identities. A heavy hired to kill Angela's lover later appears as a man called Alberto de Magalhães (Ricardo Pereira) who's gotten rich in Brazil in the slave trade. Later the focus is at times on Pedro/João, (played by Alfonso Pimentel as a young adult), or on the French noblewoman Elisa de Montfort (Clotilde Hesme), or Magalhães, or Padre Diniz in another of his manifestations. Why all these shifts? Hard to say.
Ruiz, the gifted and original 69-year-old Chilean filmmaker who rose to prominence in the 1980's and lives in France, was seriously unwell when this film was undertaken and seemed on the verge of dying of liver cancer; surgery has since saved his life. It was producer Paulo Branco who originally conceived the project of turning Castelo Branco's pulpy but absorbing three volumes into a movie. Ruiz didn't initially see how to do it, but screenwriter Carlos Saboga very quickly turned out a screenplay and the project got under way. Ruiz is clearly at home with the endless whirlwind of love tales. Whether anybody at work on the project knew how the plot fit together any better then Hawks, Faulkner, and company did when they made The Big Sleep is unknown. The beauty of the images and the constant rhythm of the action and scenes are evidently vintage Ruiz, but whether this film holds its own against the director's Time Regained is uncertain. The film is in French as well as Portuguese and some well-known French actors are invloved -- Clotilde Hesme, Malik Zidi, Melvil Poupaud, and Léa Seydoux, as well as relative newcomer Julien Alluguette.
Mysteries of Lisbon is frustrating. It is too beautiful not to watch on a big screen, but it is likely to make more sense on DVD. In many ways it is like any classy European costume mini-series, and at the same time both more and less. It has the mark of an auteur's unique vision, his fascination for circular, swirling storytelling and enchanting tableaux, and in that sense it is special. It has the bustling scenes, handsome costumes, international cast of a RAI or Canal+ product -- but it lacks the essential chronological coherence. One can tell which century one's in, but one can't always remember why.
If dauntingly long watches are going to be a fixture of film festivals, where do we stop? Why wasn't the first season of "The Wire" presented at a film festival? But that would be as hard to take in during a 4-and-half hour sit as this, and as in need of a good cheat-sheet to follow the first time through. Mysteries of Lisbon bears some similarity to Catherine Breillat's Last Mistress, also a story of amour fou from a novel that straddles (more clearly) the leap between the 18th and 19th centuries. Ruiz's film may be a masterpiece in festival terms, but for the ordinary art house viewer, Breillat's is more accessible and considerably more fun.
Mysteries of Lisbon is included in the Toronto, New York, Vancouver, Vienna, Torino and London film festivals, and is scheduled for theatrical release in France and Portugal Oct. 20 and 21. Seen and reviewed as part of the New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center, shown to the public there Oct. 10.
Film website.
Clint Eastwood: HEREAFTER (2010)
Cécile de France (center) flees from a tsunami in Hereafter
Here, and the beyond
Clint Eastwood moves into new territory in several ways with Hereafter and almost fully carries it off directing a screenplay by Peter Morgan (also in a new area outside British history). It tells three tales about dialoging with the dead that connect at the end. The subject is new; so is shooting in the tropics and London and Paris as well as the US (San Francisco) and in French as well as in English. The risk is sentimentality or hokiness on the one hand and the far-fetchedness of by now clichéd multiple storyline movies on the other. But the stories are interesting, and never slighted in the interests of theme or dovetaling.
In a flashy opening, Cécile de France is a French TV journalist caught with her coworker boyfriend Thierry Neuvic in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. He's back at the hotel but she's in the market and gets swept off in the water and almost drowns. In fact she has a near-death experience. The tsunami is neatly and swiftly recreated in special effects that convince without overwhelming. It's a superb sequence, epic yet disarmingly simple. Meanwhile in San Francisco we meet Matt Damon, a former psychic now working in a factory job because he found revisiting people's dead relatives too draining and strange a way to live his life. But his powers were effective and he keeps getting pulled back. And in London, two young twin brothers, played by newcomers Frankie and George McClaren, live with an addict mother (Niamh Cusack) whom they try to protect. When one of the twins is killed in a traffic accident the other is taken into foster care. Marcus, formerly the dependent brother, is on his own and wants both his mum and brother Jason back. He wears Jason's cap and occasionally talks to him.
It's safe to say the little twin is a strong presence. So is the dynamic, soulful Cécile de France. She has never been in an American film, but only speaks English briefly at a London book fair, where all three principals run into each other. And Damon is good here, striking a strange but convincing balance between flustered and grounded. There is a no-nonsense quality about the way he reluctantly wields his powers.
While de France is going through turmoil at work back in Paris due to her post-traumatic state and sense of having entered another world and not fully returned from it, Damon meets a lovely girl at a cooking class (Bryce Dallas Howard) whose jovial chef (Steven R. Schirripa) has students sample tastes blindfolded, and then loses her through being drawn into communing with her dead relatives. That brings up issues that are too intimate to share. Meanwhile Marcus, turning independent and running off temporarily from his foster parents, visits various psychics, an interlude that shows lots of them are frauds.
The film takes an agnostic stand through Damon, whose character views his special sense as a curse but who may be the real thing -- or not. The point of the story is not to focus on the "au delà" (the beyond, title of a book de France writes when on furlough from journalistic chores) so much as to suggest that reconciling one's feelings about death and lost loved ones is a key to peace and happiness in the here-and-now. Thus the finale, where characters are reunited in a way that's hopeful without being overly optimistic.
Morgan's screenplay obviously plays with the device of Guillermo Arriaga's Babel and other films where far-off individuals are implausibly and portentously brought together. The bringing-together here is not without clumsiness. But it is handled by Eastwood, as are even the most dramatic elements in the three stories, in such a low keyed way that one stays caught up in the characters and the subject matter and is left at the end with things to ponder rather than a sense of being put through an emotional wringer for dramatic effect. The fresh material and composed, old-fashioned filmmaking make Hereafter one of Eastwood's better recent efforts. This is not a great film but it's one that approaches potentially schlocky material in a classy manner, and that's unusual in mainstream Hollywood filmmaking.
The mainstream-ness is still a flaw at times. The way London and Paris are introduced is ham-fisted and conventional. Some details are dubious. Damon has sworn off being a psychic for three years yet still has a website celebrating his powers so Marcus can conveniently find it. De France on furlough proposes to write a biography of Mitterand -- unlikely. When this is dropped and the French publisher won't do her book on "the beyond," she gets an English publisher -- how? Steps are at best skipped there. Glimpses of the afterlife or the dead are signaled by a booming sound and white blurry images -- clear, but not very subtle. Dickens' novels and Derk Jacobi's readings of them are used as a transparent linking device. Flaws like this in the writing and the directing will make some condemn this as far from Eastwood's best work. However the good casting and fine acting offset these flaws, and the tsunami sequence is quite memorable, as are most scenes with de France and the English twins. (There's another action sequence that's equally well handled.) Hereafter treats its complex theme -- that of facing death, our own and others' -- in a tasteful and restrained manner that makes it suggestive and quietly haunting. But for the "MTV generation," as Eastwood has called it, it's hard, as it was earlier this year with Polanski's masterful The Ghost Writer, to appreciate the quiet virtues of traditional filmmaking.
Seen and reviewed at the 2010 New York Film Festival at Lincoln Center; scheduled as the Closing Night film, Oct. 10. Also shown earlier at Toronto, at Chicago Oct. 14; limited US theatrical release Oct. 15, more general, Oct. 22.
COMMENTS on the 2010 New York Film Festival
Comments on the NYFF and an index of NYFF 2010 reviews
Time hasn't allowed me to write a more formal summing up, but here are some general comments on this year's NYFF.
THE SCREENINGS. As usual the Press & Industry screenings are a pleasure, beautifully presented in comfortable surroundings and if not the most cutting edge series, at least the classiest and nicest to watch of my movie year. They're presented separately from the public ones, at the Walter Reade Theater, a venue that's cozier than the large, handsomely renovated public screening auditorium, Alice Tully Hall, yet has superb image and sound facilities, and a stage where Q&A's are conducted. Refreshments and coffee are provided in the spacious gallery across the lobby. There is a first-rate staff headed by theater manager Glenn Raucher, who in two and a half years in the job has emerged as more and more indispensable -- as well as a pleasure to have around. Screenings are scheduled over a longer period than the festival itself, on weekdays only, spread out so that anyone with the time in mornings and afternoons to spare can watch everything in a civilized manner.
THE FILMS. Favorites that I'd call mainstream or conventional are the brilliant, fast-paced The Social Network (David Fincher); subtle, complex Poetry (Lee Chang-dong); the thrilling biographical miniseries Carlos (Olivier Assayas); the French drama of the clash of politics and religion, Of Gods and Men (Xavier Beauvois); and an original first film, a German character study about a crook who's also a star athlete, The Robber (Benjamin Heisenberg) -- which I'd rate in about that order. These are my top picks. But not all I recommend. And highlighting them doesn't mean the festival doesn't have depth, even if there was nothing in 2010 as great as Haneke's The White Ribbon or as provocative on a grand scale as von Trier's Antichrist or on a lesser scale Precious and Trash Humpers, all included in last year's NYFF.
Movies I liked a lot that are a edgier and demanding are the dark political portrait of Seventies Chile, Post Mortem (Pablo Larraín), and the cannibal genre film We Are What We Are (Jorge Michel Grau).
Manoel de Oliveira's Strange Case of Angelica is in a class by itself. From what I've seen of de Oliveira's work, it's feather-light, but lovely. Likewise I'd put Clint Eastwood in a class by himself. He is an old-fashioned filmmaker. Hereafter deserves respect. It's not quite successful, but it has class, it's thought-provoking, and it has fine acting and terrific action scenes, unusual because they have both punch and restraint.
I'm not so happy with Kiarostami's Certified Copy, which was so well received at Cannes. It's beautifully made, but it seems a put-on, posing as something profound (and melding into polished European filmmaking, after a lifetime of working in Iran), but its game-playing by a couple who may be long married or have just met seems gimmicky. I'd not have included it. Thought art house film-goers will love this film, it left me feeling empty and a little played-with.
Another Year (Mike Leigh) is beautifully made and acted but seemed too pat and schematic. Leigh gets great performances and has a powerful working method, but his recent films seem fun yet don't leave such a strong impression. Julie Taymor's The Tempest, chosen partly to sell tickets as the Centeriece film, has some nice acting, but isn't at all an interesting interpretation of Shakespeare. Just window dressing.
Offerings from Eastern Europe and Russia or Ukraine continued familiar veins for where they came from and were quite disappointing. Cristi Puiu's slow motiveless study of multiple murders Aurora (not up to his Death of Mr. Lazarescu) and Radu Muntean's family breakdown movie Tuesday, Before Christmas, both from Romania, are very similar, slow, flat, obsessively quotidian. They have a certain quality but don't seem very memorable, perhaps due to a lack of narrative structure. Aleksei Fedorchenko's Russian folkloric tale Silent Souls wasn't very memorable either. Sergei Loznitsa's debut My Joy may seem radical to some but impresses only for its ultraviolence--and, admittedly, some fine camerawork. It makes ultimately no narrative sense and is a series of anecdotes posing as a coherent story. Nothing outstanding. The Romanians seem overrated, the Russians not living up to past performance.
Other disappointing features were Kelly Reichardt's attempt at a radical western, Meek's Cutooff, a lame misfire; and Korean auteur Hong Sang-soo's Oki's Movie. Hong, whose almost Nouvelle Vague-like studies of male-female relationships and vain movie directors I've loved in the past, seems to be repeating himself and running in circles. The followup of The Maid by Chiliean Sebastian Silva and his partner Pedro Peirano, Old Cats, seemed to ruin a good setup and actors with writing of the daughter's part that fell into caricature. The brilliant French-Arab director Abdellatif Kechiche's Black Venus was much too long; he seemed to want to punish the audience with his message of 19th-century white racism and this was a falling off from earlier work closer to his own experience.
Two greats produced works I couldn't quite tune in to. Godard's Film Socialisme's provocations seem largely incomprehensible; images are intermittently ugly -- beautiful. Raúl Ruiz's Mysteries of Lisbon is gorgeous, its mise-en-scene rich, its tales fascinating. But the tales-within-tales failed to dovetail; the long film is impossible to follow. Mysteries of Lisbon is a very fine film -- almost. A masterpiece manqué.
Festivals naturally and properly favor films that set themselves apart from mainstream fare. This means a leaning toward work that is hard to understand, glacially slow, often shot cooly, like Hou Hsiao-hsien's and some other great Asian directors', from a certain distance with a stationary camera. There's also a taste for features that merge fiction with documentary elements, especially exotic ones. Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, the Thai festival darling Apichatpong Weerasethakul's Cannes 2010 top prize winner, fills the bill. He has every right to go his own way. However when all is said and done he works so far out on the margins that he connects emotionally only occasionally. This study of rural spiritualism and communication with the dead has haunting and beautiful moments, but also seems disjointed, fey, and self-indulgent.
Documentaries of the festival kind similarly are ones that test an audience, are hard to follow (not a crime), without commentary or with mysterious commentary. Le Quattro Volte and Robinson in Ruins were of that kind, and The Autobiography of Nicolae Ceaşescu, a valid portrait of the Romanian dictator but one that could probably have been an hour shorter. Fred Wiseman's repetitive and boring Boxing Gym did not enchant me. He has covered everything but when he takes the fun out of even ballet I balk. These sometimes haphazard documentary efforts do no honor to the work of great directors included in the festival, whose jurors might rethink their documentary selecting process. On the other hand the conventional documentaries LennonNYC and Letter to Elia (a sidebar) and the handsomely mounted financial meltdown study Inside Job were very worthwhile -- especially the latter, the important (if not unique) Inside Job, which was as smart as The Social Network. Lennon, Elia, and Inside Job are of interest, but does their aesthetic merit warrant inclusion? Docs remain a moot point for the NYFF. Maybe they should include only one really fine one and let it go at that. A doc on a level with Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke, or Philibert's To Be and to Have, and other great ones. But when you consider content apart from form, you go astray.
Unfortunately I could only see part of the Mexican short collection, but it shows Mexican filmmakers have coherence and more of a sense of commonality than directors of any other Latin American country. Latin America in general remains a source of vibrant new work, while Korea has fallen back somewhat, and Japan and Italy remain in decline from past glories.
INDEX OF LINKS TO ALL REVIEWS
Another Year (Mike Leigh 2010)
Aurora (Cristi Puiu 2010)
Autobiography of Nicolae Ceauşescu, The (Andrei Uticǎ 2010)
Black Venus (Abdellatif Kechiche 2010)
Carlos (Olivier Assayas 2010)
Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami 2010)
Film Socialisme (Jean-Luc Godard 2010)
Hereafter (Clint Eastwood 2010)
Inside Job (Charles Ferguson 2010)
LennonNYC (Michael Epstein 2010)
Letter to Elia, A (Scorsese, Jones 2010)
Meek's Cutoff (Kelly Reichardt 2010)
My Joy (Sergei Loznitsa 2010)
Mysteries of Lisbon (Raúl Ruiz 2010)
Of Gods and Men (Xavier Beauvois 2010)
Oki's Movie (Hong Sang-soo 2010)
Old Cats (Sebastián Silva, Pedro Peirano 2010)
Poetry (Lee Chang-dong 2010)
Post Mortem (Pablo Larraín 2010)
Quattro Volte, Le (Michelangelo Frammartino 2010)
Revolución (ten short films from Mexico, 2010)
Robber, The (Benjamin Heisenberg 2010)
Robinson in Ruins (Patrick Keiller) 2010
Silent Souls (Alexei Fedorchenko 2010)
Social Network, The (David Fincher 2010)
Strange Case of Angelica, The (Manoel de Oliveira 2010)
Tempest, The (Julie Taymor 2010)
Tuesday, After Christmas (Radu Muntean 2010)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Apichatpong Weeresethakul 2010)
We Are What We Are (Jorge Michel Grau 2010)


But perhaps the best Motor City comeback story belongs to a high school football player named Monique Howard. That's right: Howard is a girl and a football player. And she's not a kicker. She's an offensive lineman — and a good one. She's gotten a little bit of publicity for blazing a trail. But the path she took to get to a football career has been almost completely overlooked.
That story is raw, gritty, surprising and inspiring. It is uniquely Detroit.
Two years ago, Monique Howard was not a football player, not at her current high school, and not even a starter on her basketball team. She was, quite honestly, a troubled teen.
Either way, the girl was gone — from the team and from King.
They agreed Monique should live elsewhere. Her father was not in the picture, so in more than one way, Howard was going nowhere. She was six feet tall and wonderfully gifted. She was a good student. But she was lost.
Shawn Hill was the basketball coach at one of King's rivals — Pershing High. Howard heard good things about the coach and asked to switch to Pershing. Her transfer was granted, and she moved.
But she also moved in.
Howard joined the hoops team, but had to wait a semester to play since she transferred. Her first game was, naturally, against King.
Mojo was almost overwhelmed by emotion, trying so hard to show she belonged on the same court as her former teammates. She got some big rebounds and Pershing won at the buzzer. She had found a home.
Then her story took a turn nobody expected.
A football coach saw Howard throwing a shotput and saw potential for something he needed: a lineman.
Howard is 190 pounds and almost none of it fat. The girl was strong. But an offensive lineman? We've heard of the star kicker being a girl. But this? Of the 44,000 or so Michigan high school football players to take the field each year, an average of 36 are girls. Nobody in Detroit had ever heard of a girl playing in the trenches — let alone protecting a quarterback from oncoming lineman up to 100 pounds heavier.
But Mojo was fearless. And to his credit, so was her basketball coach.
Howard, now a senior, has gotten praise from opposing coaches, opposing players, and even the Detroit Lions, who welcomed her for the first hometown Monday Night Football game in 10 years.
Skeptics waiting for her to throw another punch should probably shelve that thought. Football's the perfect outlet for Howard's aggression, and any leftover energy is spent playing one-on-one — or five-on-five — with her housemates. The hoop behind the house on Six Mile is never idle for long. Her "sisters," Nijcah Hill, 16, and Caprice Dennis, 17, are both headed for D-I schools, so Coach Hill's house probably has as much women's basketball talent as some small American cities.
But perhaps the most remarkable part of the story is the lack of pettiness around her. Usually women in traditionally male sports get undermined immediately. Not Mojo. Sure, she's heard it from opponents. But not from anyone in her school. Maybe that's because the Doughboys — yes, that is the team's mascot, named after World War I soldiers — are in the state playoffs for the first time since 2004. They start this week.
Or maybe it's because Howard is quick to recognize her tight end, Lamar Jordan, who helps her with blocking assignments.
Or maybe it's because teamwork seems to be contagious in Detroit these days.
It's vintage Detroit, circa 2011: A fairy tale ending delivered in the form of a pancake block.


That is my shop on my husbands new iPhone! He got one from his bosses at work…I really didn't think that I would like it, but come on! How cool is that? Etsy looks absolutely beautiful on it too! The only down side is that it is not flash compatible, so you can't see all of the cool little things on there. So, you all don't have to worry about my trying to snag a treasury while on a road trip. haha! I am a little excited that I never have to leave my shop or blog at home again. When we have to drive 15 hours home to IL for the holidays, you know where I'm going to be.
Yes, those are antlers! So far I have worked for about 2 hours just to get that much done. For comparison this is the size of my usual feltidermy in my hand.
I'm hoping that it will be fairly close to "life" size. I plan to work most of the weekend on it, we'll see how far that gets me on it.
I also wanted to introduce you to these 2 today. It getting cold so we are seeing them cuddling out in the living room more these days. They have finally given up on the idea that the dog may just be here for a visit. That is Cassidy in front and Reeces behind her. Yes, my sisters named Reeces after the peanut butter cups and Cassidy was named for the Grateful Dead song. Aren't they cute? O.k. I'm partial, they have been our babies for 12 years now, we got them as kittens from my parents. Right now Reeces is trying to tell me that she needs food, so I will leave you all for today.
Yeah my cats are getting friendly now too!
visiting from nablopomo… those mounted stuffies are just too too clever!


Hardest Skills in Women's Gymnastics.
The Yurchenko vault has a storied history in Women's Gymnastics. First performed in 1982, it revolutionized the event for decades and continues to be one of the hardest skills to master. The Yurchenko is most commonly identified as a family of vaults in the Code of Points, named after 1983 world all-around champion Natalia Yurchenko.
In a Yurchenko, the gymnast starts with a round-off onto the board, then does a back handspring or back handspring with a full twist onto the table, and a flip off of the table, usually with a twist.
The Yurchenko vault is the most commonly performed type of vault in Olympic competition. Because it helps gymnasts generate much more power than front-handspring or Tsukahara entry vaults, many gymnasts opt to use Yurchenko vaults. It has been used to win many Olympic and world competitions since it was introduced and is a standard vault on the scene.
When Yurchenko first pioneered this vault in 1982 it was jaw-dropping. People couldn't believe that someone would attempt a vault that seemed so dangerous and risky. They admired both her power and her bravery. Listen to the commentary on Natalia Yurchenko's vault for an idea of the reaction.
Since it was introduced, there have been some scary crashes on the vault when a gymnast has missed a hand on the horse or a foot on the springboard. The most devastating was the heart-breaking crash of Julissa Gomez in 1988. She broke her neck when her foot missed the springboard, and later died from her injuries.
Since then, important steps have been taken to make vault safer. A "safety zone" mat in the shape of a U often surrounds the springboard in case the gymnast misses the board, and a mat is sometimes placed in front of the board as well, to help with proper hand placement for the round-off, and to protect from wrist injury. Most obviously, in 2001 the old vaulting horse was replaced by the safer vault table, which gives athletes more margin for error when pushing off.
With these safety improvements, many athletes even at the lower levels of Junior Olympic competition are able to complete the vault.
Do You Know This Gymnastics Vault Move?


text:
OPM-SANG sergeant major poised to make a difference
By Ms. Adriane Elliot (OPMSANG)November 20, 2015
1 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – OPM-SANG Sgt. Major Micheal Mingle (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo) VIEW ORIGINAL
2 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – 14-year old Dachshund Waldi was made a corporal in Korea and later promoted to staff sergeant (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo) VIEW ORIGINAL
3 / 3 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Mingle's 14-year-old Dachshund, Waldi, was promoted to corporal in South Korea and has since beeen promoted to staff sergeant. (Photo Credit: Courtesy photo) VIEW ORIGINAL
As the new senior enlisted adviser to the Office of the Program Manager-Saudi Arabian National Guard, Sgt. Maj. Michael James Mingle will focus his efforts on both U.S. and Saudi noncommissioned officers.
In addition to advising the program manager on all NCO matters, Mingle will make sure U.S. troops successfully satisfy their crucial roles as adviser-diplomats in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"My plan is to ensure our U.S. advisers are giving 100 percent to the SANG. In order to do this, we must make sure we have the right Soldiers performing the job," he said.
With Saudi Arabia and allied Arab nations engaged in combat in neighboring Yemen, it is especially important for OPM-SANG to receive the best personnel consistently. Mingle visited the Human Resources Command at Fort Knox, Kentucky, in October to do just that. During talks with HR officials who select Soldiers for the OPM-SANG post, Mingle stressed the importance of the assignment.
"I want to make sure it is understood how critical our mission is, and I want to make sure we receive Soldiers with the right skill sets," he said. "We've been at this mission for 42 years now. And we need the NCO and Officer Corps to understand that being assigned to OPM-SANG is not only providing a critical service to our partner nation in support of national strategy, but it's also an opportunity for anyone who takes the assignment to excel, get promoted, and to become a more well-rounded Soldier and diplomat."
OPM-SANG's core mission is to maintain and enhance the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States. To do this, military and civilian teams assigned to Saudi Arabia provide advice and assistance in modernizing the SANG. This modernization encompasses training, equipment, maintenance, supply, procurement, management, organization, health care and facilities.
Mingle's role as senior NCO also requires him to interact with SANG's enlisted troops. Topping his agenda for the SANG is helping them bolster their NCO Corps.
"I'm looking forward to getting a sergeant major from Saudi's Ministry of the National Guard enrolled in the U.S. Army Sergeant Major Academy, and help the SANG grow a stronger organization," he said.
Mingle said he'd also like to see as many Saudi NCOs as possible enrolled in English language classes, and he'd like to help the SANG establish the Warrior Leader (the Army's former PLDC) and Basic Leader courses. He acknowledged that these are tall orders that will require equal parts determination, dedication and diplomacy, but he's up for the challenge.
"I've got two years to do it," said Mingle, referring to his length of assignment. "Fortunately, my predecessor, Sgt. Maj. Love, started the groundwork and the U.S.-Saudi partnership is strong. I know it's not going to happen overnight, but I think by next year, we'll see some progress."
Mingle, who was born in Berlin, Germany, and raised in Germany, Pennsylvania, California, Alabama and later North Carolina has rarely shied away from challenge. His mother was from East Berlin and his father was an American Soldier who retired, after 23 years of service, to Valdese, North Carolina, where Mingle also calls home.
Growing up in Germany for most of his life gave Mingle his love for travel and adventure. He called it a "great experience," one that opened his eyes to the advantages of a multicultural life. Mingle worked on a German farm every day after school and learned at an early age the value of hard work.
He said he grew up in a tightknit family with one sister. He and his wife did not have children, but they are the proud parents of a 14-year-old Dachshund named Waldi. Mingle made Waldi a corporal while stationed in Korea, and has since promoted him to staff sergeant.
ARMY LIFE
Mingle served in the Army Reserve from 1981-86 while attending community college and playing basketball, his favorite sport. He said he gladly followed in his dad's footsteps when he joined the Army in Leesville, Louisiana, in December 1986.
"I always wanted to serve my country like my father did, he was my hero, and I knew I wanted to take care of Soldiers and their families," Mingle said.
And he's done just that.
With deployments and assignments that took him from Colorado, Korea, Germany and Bosnia, to California, Georgia, New York, Iraq and Afghanistan, Mingle has spent nearly three decades taking care of troops and their families.
He said the good advice of his most trusted mentor, retired Sgt. Maj. Charles Gibson, has never failed him, no matter where in the world he landed.
Gibson taught a young Mingle how to care for those in his charge, advising him to "never worry about promotions and awards, because if you are doing the right thing, you will be recognized. And he was absolutely correct," Mingle said.
Mingle said his favorite assignment was at Fort Stewart, Georgia, where he served as the 3rd Squadron, 7th Cavalry command sergeant major. His proudest moment, he recalled, "was deploying this unit to Iraq and Afghanistan and then bringing every Soldier home."
Mingle assumed responsibility as the OPM-SANG sergeant major Sept. 23, arriving from his previous assignment as the G3/5/7 sergeant major at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Some of Mingle's most gratifying accomplishments include being designated the top tank platoon in 1st Battalion, 32nd Armor, his selection as an observer controller at Fort Irwin's National Training Center, being selected as an Army Officer Basic instructor at Fort Knox under Project Warrior, the day he was promoted to first sergeant and his selection as sergeant major to OPM-SANG, commanded by Brig. Gen. Paul Laughlin.
Mingle is a self-described professional "who loves his country, his family and his job" and he relishes his assist-and-advise role.
"I will give 100 percent every day, 24/7," he said. He said his work ethic is simple, revolving around a strict adherence to the Army Values, honesty and a positive attitude.
And he expects the same of others.
While his main focus is on the NCO Corps, he expects all OPM-SANG personnel to be disciplined and respectful of one another, "trying to understand the Saudi Arabian culture and improve OPM-SANG for the next Soldier, civilian or contractor coming after us."
And so he is looking forward to meeting with civilian employees to find out how he can support and assist them.
"I want to share my philosophy and hear their ideas for improvement, and find out how we can work together to keep things going in the right direction."
Mingle's hobbies include biking, weightlifting, hot rods and basketball. He says retirement isn't in the very near future, but he can see himself teaching ROTC and becoming a motivational speaker to youth after the military.
"If I can convince one kid to be a part of society and help others, to get an education, whether they join the military or not, I'll be happy," he said. "We all have to do our parts in society to make our country a better place."
Mingle's post-retirement plans are in line with what he hopes to see at OPM-SANG.
"More than anything," he said. "I want to make the foxhole better for the next person."
OPM-SANG Homepage
January 18, 2020Sergeant Major of the Army visits the Battalion Commander Assessment Program
January 17, 2020Fort Sill Sergeant Audie Murphy Club inducts drill sergeant, bandsman
January 16, 2020Czech Republic military looks to SATMO to develop NCO training
January 15, 2020Fort Wayne native supports Task Force Spartan in Middle East
January 15, 2020Fort Wayne native serves in the Middle East supporting Task Force Spartan
January 7, 2020CSM Guden Speaks to the SMC Class 70 about the ESB and Army lifestyle
December 20, 2019MICC welcomes new command sergeant major
December 20, 2019New SDDC command sergeant major primed to lead
December 17, 2019Staff sergeant feels fortunate to be home for the holidays
December 17, 2019DA G-1 Sergeant Major and HRC Command Sergeant Major discuss enlisted talent management
December 16, 2019Idaho Guardsmen serve together in childhood town as commander, first sergeant
December 12, 2019NCOLCOE holds a roles and responsibilities panel to ensure a culture of trust


Songstress Lydia Caesar has just released her brand new single called "Walkin Away".
The song is being released via Sauce Records, and it was written by Lydia Caesar and Wayne Adam. "Walkin Away" was produced by DT. Just like we've experienced from her in the past, she allows her beautiful vocals to steal the show on the powerful r&b jam.
The song is the first offering from her upcoming sophomore album, which is set to release this spring. This will be the follow up to her debut album "Caesar" which released back in 2012.
Click Here to purchase the single or listen to it in full.


Chief Financial Officers and Chief Marketing Officers are not traditionally thought of as best friends. It might have something to do with the juxtaposition of left and right brain thinking, or differing views on how to measure the performance of marketing programs and their impact on the bottom line that keeps these two executives from sitting next to each other at the lunch table.
Yet this relationship is becoming more important as both executives realize the value of more specific marketing and customer information to help drive strategic decisions; a merger of the creative and analytical minds can clearly help improve performance and fuel growth.
Many clients of BearingPoint's World-Class Finance practice were asking about this, so we decided to partner with APQC, conduct a survey, and report our findings on the topic. You're invited to read the resulting report: "CFOs and CMOs: partners in information management".
One of the disconnects highlighted in the report is around the availability of data for customer segmentation and profitability analysis: while 80% of CFOs said they are providing sufficient data, less than 40% of CMOs said they are getting the data they need to make good decisions.
We hope these findings are helpful. Please feel free to share your comments and ideas here once you've read the research.
This entry was posted in Surveys and tagged business intelligence, CFO, CMO, information management, performance management, survey, Surveys. Bookmark the permalink.
Your findings are interesting, but not entirely surprising. Having provided marketing departments with high-quality customer and segmentation information, I would suggest that asking people in marketing what figures they would like to see and how would be a good place to start.
I would agree with your suggestion that CFOs should be asking CMOs what type of analysis they would like to see, but many CFOs are clearly not doing so. Most of the CFOs surveyed in our recent study said they are currently providing customer segmentation and profitability analysis, while most CMOs said that that CFOs should be providing this type of analysis, but are currently not doing so. Additionally, instead of just being "order takers", the CFO's organizations should leverage their financial acumen to deliver insightful customer information that supports the greater objectives of the business. At this point, Finance just doesn't seem to be proactively addressing the data and analysis needs of the CMO.
This sounds like a familiar story – I'm not sure what the answer is. Perhaps it is just down to the personality types that are often represented in the two roles. Stereotyping can be invidious, but sometimes there are some truths buried within generalisations.


text:
Mozilla explains why it will make Pocket a system add-on in Firefox
by AshwinNovember 16, 2015
A week ago, we reported that Mozilla would be moving Pocket, from an integrated feature in its browser, Firefox, to an add-on form.
This add-on will come pre-installed with the browser.
Mozilla integrated Pocket in Firefox back in June, which resulted in severe backlash from users who don't even use the read it later service, who demanded Mozilla remove the service from Firefox.
The bugzilla ticket which we covered last week, stands as proof of this. But the real question however, is the fact that there was no official announcement from Mozilla regarding moving Pocket to an add-on. Venturebeat, took things in its hans and decided to contact the browser maker to ask for confirmation.
And this is what Firefox's director of engineering, Dave Camp told the tech blog.
There are currently no plans to offer a version of Firefox that doesn't include Pocket.
Camp also shed some light, as to why this is happening. Mozilla is always experimenting with ways to improve Firefox, and there is a new one called, 'Go Faster'. This is related to the desktop version of the browser. The purpose of the Go Faster experiment is to ship new features as a system add-on, aka as a pre-installed extension bundled into the browser.
So why exactly is an add-on better than an integrated feature?
The answer is simple in that, add-ons can be removed by the user. This gives users some much needed control, which is what it should have been in the first place. It also as an advantage in that, Mozilla doesn't need to roll out a new version of the browser in case a bug was found in an add-on. This would be complicated, if however the feature ws integrated in the browser itself.
So it is much easier and faster to fix an add-on, and to roll out the update to users. It is also a more efficient way to enable new features this way.
Mozilla is already working towards making Pocket's transition from core feature to a system add-on, and says that this method could come in to play with any of its future partners.
Interestingly, Mozilla is also researching whether allowing Firefox users to disable or remove system add-ons, is actually of any use. I smell trouble here, as this suggests that the browser maker could be killing off the option. It wouldn't come as a surprise though, considering that Firefox has been rolling onto a path of self-destruction recently.
Internet, News
Browser, Firefox, Mozilla, Mozilla Firefox, Pocket
NXPowerLite Desktop 7 Review
How to upgrade to Windows 10 Build 10586 version 1511 without waiting for the...


What is the purpose, this feeling?
This being, I'm still listening.
In waves, in speed, swept, blurred.
We Are unhappy yet content.
But what if we aren't meant to go anywhere?
Then why do we have legs.
Behind these bodies urging for direction.
To see it, feel it, be it.
Deeply and hitting the spot.
Impermanence of this soul- this wandering light.
Never the same in skin, these walls, let them fall.
Does it mean there isn't one?
Maybe it's death, death- boundless in light and energy.
Realizing our infinite selves- without duality.
No one can say this is real. I cry- for sanity.
This is a reality, of the eyes– not the minds eye.
I feel it in me and see it in you.
A dark hole breathing in and beaming out Rays.
Home is within somewhere between the heart.
What do the eyes know, and are they the path to the soul?


The Eagle boys basketball season tipped off last week in grand style. The Eagles had three games in the season's first week, taking all three. They handled Cordia in the opener 67-50 behind senior starv Kyle Rode, who scored 35 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. Fellow seniors also contributed with Will Hacker adding 11 points/6 rebounds and Matthew Johnson chipped in 8 points/4 rebounds.
Next up they hosted Western Hills out of Frankfort. The Eagles prevailed 65-52. Once again, Rode led the way with 30 points, 10 rebounds and 6 assists. Hacker (11 pts/3 rebounds) and senior Pearce Dalton (8 pts/2 rebounds). Junior Zeke Grier added 9 points/2 rebounds.
The team traveled to Berea to take on Paris in the Oliver Properties Tip-Off Classic. LCA won 64-48 behind yet another strong performance by Rode who scored 39 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. Johnson chipped in 12 points and 3 assists to help in the victory.
The boys travel to Tates Creek tomorrow night to open district play before hosting Scott County Thursday night.
for all the results and stats all season long CLICK HERE.
Lexington Christian Academy450 West Reynolds Rd. Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 422-5700 For Information swills@lexingtonchristian.org.


IN APRIL, THE World Bank's executive directors selected Dr. Jim Yong Kim to serve as its president. Kim, whose five-year term begins in July, will be the first World Bank president whose primary experience is in community-level development. Most of his predecessors were bankers or politicians.
As a co-founder of Partners in Health, an international nonprofit dedicated to "a preferential option for the poor in health care," and as a former director of the HIV/AIDS department of the World Health Organization, Kim has done groundbreaking work in delivering essential medicines for the treatment of AIDS to impoverished countries. He has a proven capacity for designing effective solutions to real problems. His election may well usher in a new culture at the World Bank—a culture that focuses not on economic growth that doesn't trickle down, but on poverty reduction that is real.
For almost 70 years, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been major players in the global economy; the World Bank has 188 member countries, all of which must first be admitted to the IMF. In their many years of doing business, these institutions have reinvented themselves more than once. The World Bank's focus has evolved from rebuilding Europe and Japan following World War II to supporting large-scale engineering projects in so-called "developing" countries; from emphasizing nutrition, population, and poverty in the 1970s to "adjusting" the economic policies of countries in the global South, beginning in the early 1980s.