The NEBOSH General Certificate, or NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health to give it its full title, is one of the most popular and widely-held health and safety qualifications in the UK. It is intended to be taken by managers, supervisors and any other employees who require an understanding of general health and safety issues.
The NEBOSH General Certificate covers the main legal requirements for health and safety in the UK, along with the identification and control of workplace hazards, and the practical application of this knowledge.
The general content of the NEBOSH General Certificate syllabus means it is suitable and relevant for those working in virtually any industry, and is often used as a solid foundation for those going on to further study and specialising in a particular area such as construction site health and safety or fire safety.
NEBOSH provide standard exam sittings which are conducted every three months. Some providers enrol their candidates in these exam dates in order to keep costs to a minimum and offer low prices.
Unfortunately though this can mean a wait of up to three months between the conclusion of the course and taking your exams, which is a lot of time to forgot most of what you learnt at the beginning of the course.
This many lost marks will normally result in a failing of one of more unit, no qualification, and the need for a further re-sit (possibly in another three months time!), and of course even more information may have been forgotten by then. So trying to save time and money has actually ended up costing you a lot more of both!
All of our classroom NEBOSH courses have the exams scheduled a few days after the training. This ensures that delegates go into the exams with all of the information fresh in their minds, which provides a far better chance of passing first time.
How Are Classroom Courses Run?
Service personnel who qualify for Enhanced Learning Credits can use them towards enrolling on a NEBOSH General Certificate qualification.
If you have ELCAS credits to use and are interested in enrolling on a NEBOSH General Certificate course, please call us on 0844 800 3295 or contact us online by clicking on the button below.
What Will the NEBOSH General Certificate Give Me?
This accredited NEBOSH qualification is assessed by two exams of 2 hours each, and a workplace-based practical inspection project.
Rather than linking to the NEBOSH standards exam sittings and giving you a wait of up to 3 months for your exams like some providers, these exams are scheduled to take place whilst the information is fresh in your mind, which gives you a much higher chance of passing.
The NGC3 project is completed in your own workplace, and you will have 7 days from the end of the course to return it to us by post or e-mail.
Those who successfully complete the course and pass the assessments are awarded the official NEBOSH National General Certificate in Occupational Safety and Health.
Whilst we would always recommend a classroom course as the best option for learning the information, passing the assessments and achieving the qualification, we realise that for some people, taking two weeks away from the workplace will simply not be an option. For others, being able to spread the course over a few months is more preferable to them. Therefore, we also offer an online version of the NEBOSH General Certificate course.
Course material is viewed online as PDF documents, which can also be downloaded and saved for study when offline. As well as these, it is also provided in audio form, allowing you to listen at anytime.
In addition to the actual course materials, students also have access to interactive material such as activities, video summaries and mock assessments.
The recommended number of study hours for the online course is 131 hours. Support is provided throughout, with expert tutors being available by phone, e-mail, Skype or secure messaging. Although it might not be as good as having a tutor right there with you in the room, you will still have a good support system in place as you progress with your online studies. There is also an invitation-only Facebook Group where students can discuss topics with each other and NEBOSH course tutors.
The online NEBOSH General Certificate course costs £395.00 + VAT. This price does not include the NGC1, NGC2 and NGC3 exams/assessments. These can be booked when you have completed your online studies and are ready to take them. Students enrolled with us receive a 50% discount on our NEBOSH exam only prices.
Please click on the button below to book and enrol on the NEBOSH National General Certificate online course.
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Areas Treated
Stem Cell Treatments
My take on CCI
I think patients with cranio-cervical instability (CCI) deserve my explanation as to why I have decided to withdraw the CCI treatment from my armoury. There are several reason that led me to this uneasy decision. Let me discuss them below:
In the UK we currently have a very limited diagnostic options. Sadly Prof. Smith passed away earlier this year and in my opinion he was the best. His reports were like no other, competent, explanatory and thorough. I feel that what I see now is of much lower quality. Moreover, there are no DMX scanning available in the UK (and in Europe as far as I know).
The above has put me in a very difficult position as it has never been my intention to become CCI expert. And I am not the one. As you might have heard me saying during the consultations, my treatment is generic: no matter what is the pathology I can only do some localised injections. So, I don't feel I am and I will be competent enough to diagnose CCI.
We would all agree that there are many various causes of the instability. Probably the worst is the one attributed to the hypermobility. This condition in turn is commonly caused by genetic factors and the outcome of localised treatment(s) is very poor and in my opinion serious risks of these treatments outweigh considerably mediocre results.
The aforementioned risks should not be taken lightly. They can be grave, including para/tetraplegia and death. And I fully recognise that a desperate patient who has been suffering for months or years would agree to anything what could potentially give some relief. But I think it is the role of responsible doctor to assess the risk more objectively. In my humble opinion, the risks of the upper cervical injections often outweigh the benefits as mentioned above.
In medicine what we do is , or at least should be, based on evidence. There are various levels of evidence: from pretty weak, such as specialist's opinion (yes, it counts as a weak evidence…) to robust one such as meta-analysis. And in between sits many more, such as randomised trials and so on. Sadly, to my knowledge, there is no evidence that regenerative medicine works for CCI. It doesn't mean that the regenerative medicine doesn't work for CCI. It means exactly what it means: there is no evidence. I personally think that the lack of evidence is caused by many factors, such as difficult study design, difficult outcome assessments, very few clinicians involved in these treatments, cost of the studies and probably many more.
I try to be a responsible clinician. And as such I simply can't jump on the high risk treatment with no robust evidence of its effectiveness. I also accept that other clinicians, perhaps with much more experience, would take a different view. It is their right as is mine to differ in opinion.
I hope the above will explain my decision and will meet your understanding.
To summarise in a more optimistic tone, I am still happy to treat patients whose instability has been caused by trauma, such as whiplash and where there is a clear target for injection. I think that here the results are potentially better and might outweigh the risks. The final decision, however, is always made based on patient's history and clinical examination. It is also important to realise that upper cervical spine injection is not a remedy for all symptoms, neither is it a "quick fix".
Dr ZM Kirkor
clinic@algocells.com
Find us at 1 Hollywood Road, London & 81 Harborne Road, Birmingham
© Algocells 2023
Registered Address 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ. Company No. 10857554

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Ein Todesfall in der Familie (Originaltitel A Death in the Family) ist ein 1957 posthum erschienener Roman des US-amerikanischen Schriftstellers James Agee, der an dem Manuskript von etwa 1947 bis zu seinem Tod 1955 schrieb. Das autobiografische Werk, das Agee noch vor seinem Tod überarbeitete, wurde von seinem Verleger David McDowell bearbeitet und herausgegeben.

Der Roman erhielt 1958 den Pulitzer-Preis für Belletristik und wurde in die Time-Auswahl der besten 100 englischsprachigen Romane von 1923 bis 2005 aufgenommen. Im Deutschen erschien der Roman erstmals 1962 in einer Übersetzung von Gerda von Uslar, die 2009 beim Verlag C. H. Beck in einer überarbeiteten Version von Ingo Herzke erneut veröffentlicht wurde.

Handlung
Eine Familie aus Knoxville, Tennessee, muss im Jahr 1915 den plötzlichen Tod ihres Vaters bei einem Autounfall verkraften. Das Buch spielt, allerdings mit mehreren Rückblenden, im Verlauf von nur wenigen und ist in drei Teile eingeteilt: Der erste Teil beschreibt den letzten Tag des Vaters Jay Follet mit seiner Ehefrau Mary und den beiden Kindern Rufus und Catherine. Von seinem angetrunkenen Bruder Ralph wird Jay nachts angerufen, dass sein Vater einen Herzinfarkt erlitten habe und möglicherweise im Sterben liege. Jay fährt zu seinen Eltern, wo sich der Infarkt als nicht tödlich herausstellt, und verunglückt auf dem Heimweg mit seinem Automobil. Der zweite Teil behandelt die Nacht und den Morgen, an dem Mary von dem Unfall ihres Ehemannes und schließlich nach einigem Bangen von seinem Tod erfährt. Im dritten Teil wird der Tag der Beerdigung dargestellt, als sich die Familie versammelt und gegenseitig tröstet. Beobachtet werden insbesondere die Beziehungen und Gefühle der einzelnen Familienmitglieder zueinander; daneben werden Fragen nach Religiosität, dem Wesen von Leben und Tod und der scheinbaren Zufälligkeit eines Unglücks gestellt.

Kontroverse und neue Version
Die gängigste Fassung des Romans, die auch ins Deutsche übersetzt wurde, ist die Bearbeitung von Agees Verleger David McDowell. Michael Lofaro, ein Professor der University of Tennessee, der zu Agee geforscht hatte, veröffentlichte im Jahr 2007 eine Neufassung unter dem Titel A Death in the Family: A Restoration of the Author's Text. Laut ihm hatte McDowell bei seiner Bearbeitung viele eigenmächtige Änderungen vorgenommen, er wollte dem eine Fassung entgegensetzten, die mehr den Vorstellungen Agees entsprochen habe. Loforo fügte in seiner Fassung zehn Kapitel hinzu und tauschte ein paar Kapitel aus, den berühmten Prolog des Romans entfernte er. Allerdings stieß auch Lofaros Bearbeitung auf ein geteiltes Echo: Die Schriftstellerin Nina Revoyr wies in der Los Angeles Times daraufhin, dass Agee zu seinem Todeszeitpunkt den Roman noch nicht beendet habe und daher beide Romanausgaben nicht als die intendierte Fassung Agees gesehen werden könnten. McDowells Editierung wirke für sie allerdings lyrischer und zugleich ökonomischer erzählt.

Adaptionen
Tad Mosel verfasste basierend auf dem Roman das Theaterstück All the Way Home, das 1960 am Broadway Premiere feierte. Unter Regie von Arthur Penn lief das Stück fast ein Jahr dort im Belasco Theatre, unter anderem mit Arthur Hill als Jay Follet, Colleen Dewhurst als Mary Follet, Clifton James als Ralph Follet, John Megna als Rufus Follet, Lillian Gish als Catherine Lynch und Aline MacMahon als Hannah Lynch. Wie auch Agee für dessen Romanvorlage erhielt Mosel für seine Adaption den Pulitzer-Preis, er aber in der Kategorie Theater.

1963 erschien der Kinofilm Ein Schmetterling flog auf (All the Way Home) unter Regie von Alex Segal, der auf Mosels Adaption basierte. Aus der Broadway-Besetzung wiederholte Aline MacMahon als Tante Hannah ihre Darstellung. Außerdem sind Jean Simmons als Mary Follett, Robert Preston als Jay Follett und Pat Hingle als Onkel Ralph zu sehen. Der Film war wenig erfolgreich. Laut Filmkritiker Craig Butler fehlten dem Film die Kraft und Tiefgründigkeit von Agees Vorlage, bei Segal sei der Stoff zu einem einfachen Tränendrüsen-Film geworden.

Bereits 1947 schrieb Samuel Barber Knoxville: Summer of 1915, ein viertelstündiges Werk für Orchester und Gesang, basierend auf einer Kurzgeschichte von Agee. Diese Kurzgeschichte wurde später in den Roman in McDowells Fassung als Prolog aufgenommen.

Ausgaben
Englisch
 A Death in the Family; New York: McDowell Obolensky 1957.
 A Death in the Family: A Restoration of the Author's Text, herausgegeben von Michael A. Lofaro; Knoxville: University of Tennessee 2007. ISBN 978-1-57233-594-3
Deutsch
 Ein Schmetterling flog auf, dt. von Gerda von Uslar; Hamburg: Nannen 1962.
 auch als: Ein Todesfall in der Familie, gleiche Übersetzung; Reinbek bei Hamburg: Rowohlt 1991. ISBN 3-499-40086-3
 Neuausgabe: Ein Todesfall in der Familie, Überarbeitung von Uslars Übersetzung durch Ingo Herzke; München C.H. Beck 2009. ISBN 978-3-406-58388-9.

Einzelnachweise

Literarisches Werk
Roman, Epik
Literatur (Englisch)
Literatur (Vereinigte Staaten)
Literatur (20. Jahrhundert)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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This $1.3 Million 1967 Shelby Is The Most Expensive Mustang Ever Sold
For reasons I cannot understand, someone this weekend paid a whopping $1.1 million for the "Eleanor" Ford Mustang from Nicolas Cage's Gone In 60 Seconds. It's not that I don't like that movie, I just think the kit is a bit overcooked and overrated. However, someone else paid $1.3 million for a far more tasteful 'Stang.
The Mustang From Gone In 60 Seconds Just Sold For $1 Million
The Ford Mustang that portrayed "Eleanor" in the Gone in 60 Seconds remake (that's the one with Nic
That would be this one-of-a-kind 1967 Shelby GT Super Snake, which Mustangs Daily reports went to a new home following the Mecum Auction in Indianapolis for $1.3 million. That made it "easily" the highest grossing car at the show and the most expensive Ford Mustang ever sold, according to their records. Damn.
What makes this Mustang so special? Besides its one-off status, there's the fact that under its hood lies a 427 cubic inch V8 lifted directly from a race car you may or may not have heard of called the Ford GT40. I know, right?
Mustangs Daily says 50 were supposed to have been made, but with the then-sky high price tag of $8,000 — about $54,000 today — meant little interest from potential buyers. Sounds like a bargain to me, considering that really high-end Mustangs can go for that much or more today.
Still, this Super Snake is an an incredible machine, and I hope it makes its new owner very, very happy.
Photos credit Mecum


After looking at the HD 5870 so many times I was feeling pretty confident that ATI were going to deliver with the HD 5850. The good news is they did. Really, like the HD 5870 we can see for the most part it's able to pull out a win against the GTX 285 which is NVIDIAs top single GPU graphics card.
As for pricing, the HD 5850 manages to be pretty aggressive. The GTX 285 sits around the $350 US mark, while the HD 5870 is about $30 US more expensive at $380 US. The HD 5850, however, comes in at $260 US. This is simply sweet pricing. Over the past few years any ATI card that has sat in the top series and has offered a 50 at the end of the model name has represented excellent value for money; this is really no different.
Really, to be honest this card offers better value for money than the HD 5870 for the plain fact that if you're gaming at 1920 x 1200 or below the top ATI card offers really no extra performance that would enhance your gaming experience over the HD 5850.
A prime example of this is Far Cry 2. At 1920 x 1200 the HD 5870 offers a minimum of 61.26 FPS, while the HD 5850 offers us 52.14 FPS. While the latter might be lower, the main thing we want to see is a minimum over 30 FPS. Now that's what we need for a good gaming experience. Mind you, it's right on the edge so if we can get around the 40 FPS mark we're happy. Moving to a 50 FPS minimum and then getting 60 FPS on another is going to offer no better or worse gaming experience.
It's disappointing that Sapphire didn't include the Dirt 2 coupon or at least another game like we saw in the HD 5870. With that said, leaving them out helps keep price down which increases the value for money and this is one area the card stands out in. We really can't wait to slap another one into our testbed to see what kind of performance CrossFire HD 5850 can offer.


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Reduce your 2017 tax bill by buying business assets
Two valuable depreciation-related tax breaks can potentially reduce your 2017 taxes if you acquire and place in service qualifying assets by the end of the tax year. Tax reform could enhance these breaks, so you'll want to keep an eye on legislative developments as you plan your asset purchases.
Section 179 expensing
Sec. 179 expensing allows businesses to deduct up to 100% of the cost of qualifying assets (new or used) in Year 1 instead of depreciating the cost over a number of years. Sec. 179 can be used for fixed assets, such as equipment, software and real property improvements.
The Sec. 179 expensing limit for 2017 is $510,000. The break begins to phase out dollar-for-dollar for 2017 when total asset acquisitions for the tax year exceed $2.03 million. Under current law, both limits are indexed for inflation annually.
Under the initial version of the House bill, the limit on Section 179 expensing would rise to $5 million, with the phaseout threshold increasing to $20 million. These higher amounts would be adjusted for inflation, and the definition of qualifying assets would be expanded slightly. The higher limits generally would apply for 2018 through 2022.
The initial version of the Senate bill also would increase the Sec. 179 expensing limit, but only to $1 million, and would increase the phaseout threshold, but only to $2.5 million. The higher limits would be indexed for inflation and generally apply beginning in 2018. Significantly, unlike under the House bill, the higher limits would be permanent under the Senate bill. There would also be some small differences in which assets would qualify under the Senate bill vs. the House bill.
First-year bonus depreciation
For qualified new assets (including software) that your business places in service in 2017, you can claim 50% first-year bonus depreciation. Examples of qualifying assets include computer systems, software, machinery, equipment, office furniture and qualified improvement property. Currently, bonus depreciation is scheduled to drop to 40% for 2018 and 30% for 2019 and then disappear for 2020.
The initial House bill would boost bonus depreciation to 100% for qualifying assets (which would be expanded to include certain used assets) acquired and placed in service after September 27, 2017, and before January 1, 2023 (with an additional year for certain property with a longer production period).
The initial Senate bill would allow 100% bonus depreciation for qualifying assets acquired and placed in service during the same period as under the House bill, though there would be some differences in which assets would qualify.
Year-end planning
If you've been thinking about buying business assets, consider doing it before year end to reduce your 2017 tax bill. If, however, you could save more taxes under tax reform legislation, for now you might want to limit your asset investments to the maximum 179 expense election currently available to you, and then consider additional investments depending on what happens with tax reform. It's still uncertain what the final legislation will contain and whether it will be passed and signed into law this year. Contact us to discuss the best strategy for your particular situation.


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Dandara is a Nintendo Switch game with a (rare) black female protagonist.
How video game Dandara uses capoeira to tell the story of Brazil's beginnings
Tof Eklund | Guest writer
Tof Eklund goes deep on the historical context and significance of Dandara, a newly released Metroidvania-style game about the famous-in-Brazil folk hero.
I was certain, from the first screenshot I saw of Dandara, that there were layers to the world and narrative of Brazilian studio Long Hat House's jump-warping Metroidvania. Reviewers seemed not to care, noting that they didn't get the story, ignoring the game's repeated references to the importance of recovering a forgotten past, and focusing entirely on whether they loved or hated the game's unique movement mechanics. That may be because I was looking at reviews by white, western, English-speaking reviewers.
In Brazil, the context of Dandara is unmissable: the historical Dandara was a descendant of escaped slaves, a master of capoeira, and the last Queen of the Quilombo dos Palmares, wife of the universally-known King Zumi dos Palmares. Palmares was a independent community of escaped slaves that withstood all attacks for almost a century and grew from a starting community of a few dozen to a population somewhere between ten and thirty thousand.
I found one review that made passing mention of the historical Dandara as the leader of a slave revolt but dismissed that history as unrelated to the game. Even that review didn't bother to comment on the significance of Dandara's protagonist being a black (preto) woman with voluminous, powerful hair. Positive representations of black women in games are still extremely rare, let alone black, female protagonists with natural hair. Even if there was no meaningful story to the game, that would still be worth noting.
But that's just the beginning. The history of Dandara and Palmares is also a guide to both the significance of the game's surreal setting, but also to its strategy. There are large gaps and conflicts in the historical Dandara's story, and it may be that some of her deeds have been absorbed into the more complete and coherent history of her husband, the King, Zumbi dos Palmares. The Palmares was defended in no small part by the palm trees it was named for: the quilombos were concealed and protected by the jungle and it's rough terrain that favoured guerilla tactics and made it difficult to bring European cannons to bear.
Much like in the land wars here in New Zealand two centuries later, the Palmarinos (aided by native allies and runaway soldiers) turned their enemies' war machine against itself. The mostly Angolan Palmarionos further developed their ancestral war-dancing into what is now known as capoeira, a martial art based on constant movement, evasion, and waiting for your opportunity to strike.
That is the primary game mechanic of Dandara. Dandara is capoeira. You move swiftly and decisively, almost instantaneously leaping from wall to wall. Your enemies target where you are, and as soon as they commit, you are no longer there, like the ginga, the fundamental zig-zag step of capoeira that threw off the aim of enemies with (single shot) firearms. It is always best to bring a gun to a gun fight, but a master of capoeira, like Dandara, could leap in and inflict disabling strikes with a machete or straight razor while foes were reloading or off caught off balance.
In the Dandara, your primary attack is short ranged and has to charge before each use – but you can charge it while evading, biding your time. If you try to go toe-to-toe with even rank-and-file Eldarian soldiers, you will die. The common Metroidvania strategy of "just keep shooting, jump to avoid their attacks" is a recipe for failure here. Don't stay close – or far. Don't keep the foe in your crosshairs. Move, move, move, go wherever they won't expect you to be, go wherever you want them to go, wait for an opening, then get as close as you can, strike and evade again.
Dandara is a hard game, the campsites where you can raise your flag (heal and recover energy) few and far between. It's a much faster-paced game than I usually go for, and I can understand why some reviewers found it frustrating, but once I got used to thinking about fighting in Dandara as capoeira, I got better at it. Likewise, I started thinking about exploring as more like a series of guerrilla raids, and treating my store of healing items like supplies for a journey, better make sure you have enough to get back to camp again (where they will be replenished). This led to far fewer instances of becoming overextended and then having to go try to recover my ghost for the Salt I needed to upgrade my Essence capacity.
Ghost? Salt? Essence? Yeah, Dandara's still surreal, and so are some of the people you help and rescue in game, including npcs that sometimes look basically human and sometimes have elongated limbs that appear to have been made out of yellow play-doh, or consist of giant heads attached to the wall opposite the one their glowing hands are stuck to. It feels like a metaphor to me: most of the friendly characters live in the Village of the Artists, which looks like a funhouse mirror version of an urban neighborhood.
Afro-Brazilians still face discrimination, and the odd, varied appearances of the artists makes sense in terms of Brazilian racial identity, which includes pretos like Dandara: dark-skinned people with obvious African heritage; but also pardos with medium skin tone who are generally assumed to have African, Indiginous, and European heritage. Both pretos and pardos face significant discrimination, even though when put together, they constitute an outright majority of the population. After brancos (whites), the pardo population is the single largest demographic in the country. There is an Afro-Brazilian movement, small but growing, that wants to unite pretos, pardos, and brancos who are prepared to own their African heritage. From that perspective, the artists appear to be pardos and brancos who need Dandara, the preto, the negro, to achieve their own liberation.
The Eldarian soldiers patrolling the streets of as the artists hide in their cramped dwellings has a contemporary relevance, as increasing violence by narco gangs has led to the decision to deploy the military in Rio de Janero, where they are encircling and isolating the city's favelas (slums), and residents living in fear of both gangs and solders. Augustus, an early-game boss in Dandara, syncretizes historical and contemporary concerns. Responsible for the occupation of the village, he appears as a huge, long face with a pronounced cleft chin and a general's cap, says that he is bringing order, and expresses his sorrow at Dandara's opposition. Indeed, in the 1670s, the colonial government offered Palmares peace and recognition on condition that escaped slaves (not born in Palmares) would be returned to their "owners." It is said that Dandara led opposition to this devil's deal.
One version of the legend of Dandara claims that she was pregnant at the final battle for Palmares, her capoeira danced to the rhythm of the quickening in her belly as she cut a swath through Domingos Jorge Vehlo's soldiers. I can't find that version again now, and but it swims in my memory, like a vision. Pregnant or not, Dandara's story always ends the same way: facing capture, she killed herself rather than be enslaved. Many accounts say that she was surrounded and threw herself off a cliff. Here history comes full circle, as the story of the videogame Dandara begins with her emergence from the Womb of Creation. Perhaps she is the historical Dandara's daughter, gestated over a descent three centuries long, come to complete her mother's war for liberation.
You don't have to know the history of the Quilombo dos Palmares to enjoy Dandara, and I'm sure some players will master the game's strategy without giving a moment's thought to its protagonist, but the game is richer, more meaningful, if you treat its origins and context as relevant. Long Hat House clearly didn't set out to tell the world Dandara's story: so much of it has been lost they would have been making it up anyway.
What they have done is create a game that is true to Dandara's spirit and legacy… and, to the unenlightened, a perfectly decent metroidvania. Dandara is best played with a light touch, with awareness, not obsession, and with the flick of a finger on a touchscreen rather than a deathgrip on a controller (this seems to be the common element in whether reviewers love or hate Dandara's controls: it really is best on Switch or iPad). Don't mistake that lightness for triviality: its lightness is capoeira, the bearing of a heavy heart as if it were a feather.
This post, like all our gaming content, comes to your peepers only with the support of Bigpipe Broadband.
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Indian Americans Divya Nag and Amit Agarwal have made it to the top 10 on the Fast Company's 100 "Most Creative People in Business" list. The annual list, in its eighth year dating back to 2009, was released May 16.
Nag was ranked No. 2 on the list, just behind composer, lyricist and performer Lin-Manuel Miranda. She was selected "for moving Apple into the doctor's office," according to the Fast Company piece.
She leads the team at Apple that created ResearchKit, an open-source developer toolbox that piggybacked on the company's HealthKit framework — which allows users to store and share health data — to allow doctors and researchers to create apps that make it easy to participate in medical research, Fast Company explained.
"Through Apple's new CareKit tools, doctors can automatically alert outpatients when it's time to take their medications or exercise — while patients can reciprocate with continual updates on their condition," Fast Company wrote. "Doctors and hospitals are already using CareKit apps to provide better care, staying in touch with post-surgery patients, and there are countless applications for monitoring diabetes, mental health, pregnancy and more," it added.
Nag dropped out of Stanford and founded Stem Cell Theranostics, a company dedicated toward revolutionizing the drug discovery process. Additionally, she founded StartX Med in 2012 and served as the chief product officer and head of network management and R&D at StartX.
Coming in at No. 10 on the list is Agarwal, who made the list "for extending Amazon's reach, one vendor at a time," Fast Company said. Agarwal has been a staple at Amazon since 1999. The IIT Kanpur and Stanford University graduate started with the e-commerce company as a software developer. Throughout his career he has held various roles, including managing director of the Bangalore-based development center, shadow and technical adviser to the CEO, vice president of international expansion and his current role of vice president and country manager at Amazon India.
"In less than three years, Agarwal grew the division to become competitive with homegrown rivals Flipkart and Snapdeal, and is using the country's underdeveloped logistics and payment infrastructure to his advantage," Fast Company wrote. He has also established many "India first" innovations, it added.
San Francisco-based Kakul Srivastava was slotted in at No. 25 on Fast Company's list. The publication said she earned a spot "for seeing the people behind the code." The MIT and U.C. Berkeley graduate serves as the vice president of product management at GitHub, as well as on the Cure Violence advisory board. Previously, she served as CEO at Project Sublime, product manager at Adobe Systems and chief product officer at WeWork, as well as executive positions with Yahoo, Tiny Speck Inc., Tomfoolery Inc. and Flikr.
"Historically, GitHub users have been engineers working together on open-source projects, but Srivastava is rethinking its capabilities for the masses, in an era when everyone from farmers to animators is learning to program," Fast Company wrote. Among her additions to the company are word processor-style editing tools and easier ways for members to help improve their code.
Patanjali Ayurved makes many products, including spices, soaps and cosmetics. Ramdev has helped expand the brand's product line and "is making global firms like Procter & Gamble and Unilever squirm," it said.
Among the companies who rely on software co-developed by Narkhede are Netflix and CA Technologies. The six-year-old Apache Kafka technology, which funnels data from disparate sources of information — web analytics, sales data and social media — into a single stream that employees can use to build or enhance their projects, has become "so integral to the tech world that Silicon Valley engineers brandish Kafka expertise on their resumes," Fast Company said.


You know what's hard? Moving to the other side of the world by yourself.
You know what's even more difficult? Not having any of your family here.
You know what's even worse? Not having a job locked in, a home ready or a group of friends you can turn to when you first arrive.
Whether you've moved to the other side of the world, or an extra 30 minutes away from your friends and family, we all experience homesickness at some point or another.
When I made the decision to move from Sydney, Australia to London, I wasn't worried about getting homesick. Sure, I was nervous to have to make new friends, find a new job and place to live, but the thought of leaving my family didn't stress me out too much.
With the modern era of technology, I knew I could rely on apps like Facetime, Skype, WhatsApp and social media to stay in touch. I come from a very digitally-savvy family, and there isn't a day goes by that we all don't somehow communicate.
So when I was hit with the biggest wave of homesickness I've ever experienced, I was LOST. One minute I was sitting at work in the middle of a campaign brief, and the next minute I could barely breathe. I'd stumbled across a photo of my mum from Christmas last year and I was suddenly overcome with emotion.
If you've suffered from homesickness, you'll find that it's difficult to explain what the heck it is. It's like an emotional tsunami that swells within your stomach, blocking your throat and making it difficult to breathe. The tears pour freely without a second thought and the absolute longing to be home practically screams from every bone in your body.
How did I cope with it? I went to the bathroom, stood in there for five minutes and bawled my eyes out.
Now I've experienced the wrath of homesickness, I really don't like the thought of my friends, family or complete strangers having to go through something like that alone. I've been hit with it a couple of times more, but nowhere near as bad. I've come up with a few coping mechanisms that really have helped me, and I do hope they'll help you too.
Don't ignore it. It's okay to miss home, in fact, it's perfectly normal. Whatever you do, don't keep it bottled up inside because it may turn into something sinister, or cause you to abandon your dreams of living on the other side of the world. Let it wash over you, and let yourself feel it, it's okay.
Tell someone about it. When I was at work, I didn't want to tell anyone because I was still fairly new. Oh boy, how I wish I did. The other couple of times I've had it, my colleagues have been absolutely wonderful. Whether you need to call your mum, a friend or even a free hotline (call SAMARITANS on 116 123), it's best to talk about it and explain how you're feeling. There is always someone out there that cares about you, loves you and is there for you. Can't reach anyone at all? Feel free to email me and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. We're in this together!
Stay connected, but not too connected. When you're feeling homesick, it can be tempting to call your mum every day for a month. YOU MUST RESIST. It's great to talk to your parents or family at home that you miss, but talking to them every day isn't going to help with your homesickness; it's likely to do the opposite. Schedule a weekly call, and any more than that is an added bonus. It sounds hard, but you need to live your life and live in the moment in your new surroundings, which is near impossible when you're holding on to the lives and stories of people on the other side of the world.
Become a local. It's great to play tourist, but if you've moved abroad there will be a time when you're no longer viably a tourist. You'll know the backstreets, where the best coffee is and which tube stations don't smell like someone died in them. Why not fast-track the process and get out there now? Spend your weekends exploring your surroundings, discovering new places and making new friends.
Plan a trip with friends from home. Just as you'll make new friends wherever you are, it's important to remember your friends from back home. It can be hard to say goodbye to your best friends (Dana, Aaron, Paige; I MISS YOU!), but knowing there's a date to see them again can help to relieve guilt from long breaks from not communicating. Plan a trip where you'll be reunited, and it will feel like you never left at all when you see them.
Create a routine. Something that reminds a lot of people of 'home' is having a solid routine. Whether it means getting up at 6am for the gym every morning or streaming the Bachelorette from home, do it. Routine makes people feel organized, and feeling organized means you won't get homesick as you'll be too distracted with your day-to-day monotonous tasks.
Think back to the beginning. Why are you feeling homesick? Because you've left everything behind and started the journey of a lifetime. Why live an average life when you could live an extraordinary one? Whenever I feel a little down or miss home, I simply remember how fricken incredible it is to be living on the opposite side of the world. Like all good things, this too shall pass… so take advantage of it while you can!
It's funny, whether you go back home in a month, a year or 5 years, you'll find that barely anything has changed. Everyone is still working in similar jobs, dating the same people and sharing the same group of friends. You? Well you, my friend, will come back a completely different person with a unique outlook on life.


text:
Turn The Painful Relics of Your Broken Relationship Into Cash Money
Story from Politics
Gabriel Bell
So, your latest relationship has come crashing to an end. Don't worry – it wasn't you, it was him (or was it?) You'll learn to love again (or will you?) Look, those minor questions can wait – right now the real issue at hand is: How are you going to get rid of all the gifts and mementos that remind you of his stupid, smirking face?
As dramatic and enjoyable as a bonfire can be, it's neither safe, environmentally friendly, nor, as GOOD magazine points out, the most profitable option. The ingeniously named startup Never Liked It Anyway offers both an online marketplace for reselling all those presents Mr. Ex gave you and a forum for sharing your heartbreak.
Even if you're not recently separated, the site is a great resource for discounted jewelry, clothing, and — tears! – wedding dresses. Either way, Never Liked It Anyway could help you save money on a rebound wardrobe perfect for scoring a new hottie. (Never Liked It Anyway)
Photo: Courtesy of Never Liked It Anyway
Sell Momentos After A Breakup - Make Money From Your Breakup
Politics • Entertainment News • Fashion
written by Gabriel Bell
Abortion Access For All
9 Posters To Bring To Your Next Abortion Rights Rally
Update: January 22 is the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion nationwide, Roe v Wade. But this year, of course, is differ
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Unbothered
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by Shamira Ibrahim
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DACA Might End Soon and I'm Not Ready
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by Jacqueline Delgad...
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by Kathleen Newman-B...
Meghan Markle Tried To Tell You
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by L'Oréal Blackett
We Need More Moms in Politics. But the Election Process Isn't Bui...
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by Jessica Altagraci...
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text:
In de internetterminologie is een backbone een stelsel van zeer snelle computerverbindingen waarlangs het gegevensverkeer loopt van de netwerken die op de backbone zijn aangesloten. Een aangesloten netwerk kan zelf ook weer een backbone hebben.

Een voorbeeld is het Abilene-netwerk, dat fungeert als de backbone in het Internet2-project. In de beginjaren van het internet fungeerde het ARPANET als backbone.

Het woord backbone is het Engelse equivalent van ruggengraat.

Zie ook
 National Science Foundation Network

Computernetwerk
Internet


text:
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Basketball, Sports
Senior Spotlight: Nijal Pearson
By Griffin Schneider
Four years ago, Nijal Pearson was just a kid from Beaumont, Texas who wanted nothing more than to play the game he loves at the next level. Since then, Pearson has become a friend to many, a loving father and arguably the greatest Texas State basketball player of all time.
Pearson arrived as a freshman at Texas State University in 2016 on a full-ride scholarship to play basketball for the Bobcats. It was obvious that Head Coach Danny Kaspar had high expectations for Pearson considering he started and played him in all 36 games.
Pearson immediately exceeded all expectations for his freshman year; he earned a Sun Belt Conference All-Tournament Team selection and was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the week.
Pearson's incredible freshman year was not only filled with stellar on-court play, but he also became very close with his new teammates. Pearson said that one teammate that he enjoyed playing with and learned a lot from was senior guard Ojai Black.
"He was a really good teammate and a great person to be around… he really taught me a lot… Ojai was probably one of the funniest dudes in the locker room too," Pearson said when asked about some of his favorite teammates throughout the years.
Pearson took what he learned from his freshman season and continued to build on it during his sophomore and junior seasons. He became a leader for his team on and off of the court. As a sophomore, Pearson scored a total of 502 points, second-most ever by a sophomore in program history and became the only player in program history to play 1,000-plus minutes in multiple seasons.
During his junior year, Pearson became the program's leader in games started with 102 and received his first All-Sun Belt First Team selection, making him the first-ever Bobcat to be selected. Pearson also became the third player in program history to have consecutive 500-point seasons.
Believe it or not, he received several other honors and awards this year. It is safe to say that Pearson's unbelievable skill has brought him a lot of recognition.
We are now on the ladder part of Pearson's senior season, and it has been everything he could have wished for and more. Pearson has become the all-time leading scorer for Texas State's basketball program and has been named the Sun Belt Player of the Year.
Pearson currently leads the conference at 19.3 points per game and is sitting at 2,099 total career points.
However, Pearson's broken records and countless awards may not be the most important thing he remembers about his senior season. Pearson will remember the 2019-20 season as the year he became a father to his beautiful daughter Nova.
Pearson missed the second game of this season for the birth of his daughter. I'd say he had a pretty good excuse.
Nijal Pearson has made it an absolute pleasure to be a Texas State Bobcat basketball fan over these last four years. It is hard to think of another person who has embodied their role as a student-athlete as well as this guy. I don't think it'll be long before we see Pearson's jersey hanging in the rafters of Strahan Arena.
Featured image by Nathan Rarangol.
March 9, 2020 Piper Blakebobcat basketball, Griffin Schneider, Nijal Pearson, Senior Spotlight
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text:
Q: What is the correct way to get a byte array from a FileStream? The Microsoft website has the code snippet:
  using (FileStream fsSource = new FileStream(pathSource,
        FileMode.Open, FileAccess.Read))
    {
        // Read the source file into a byte array.
        byte[] bytes = new byte[fsSource.Length];
        int numBytesToRead = (int)fsSource.Length;
        int numBytesRead = 0;
        while (numBytesToRead > 0)
        {
            // Read may return anything from 0 to numBytesToRead.
            int n = fsSource.Read(bytes, numBytesRead, numBytesToRead);

            // Break when the end of the file is reached.
            if (n == 0)
                break;

            numBytesRead += n;
            numBytesToRead -= n;
        }
    }

What concerns me is that fsSource.Length is a long, whereas numBytesRead is an int so at most only 2 * int.MaxValue can be read into bytes (the head and the tail of the stream). So my questions are:

*

*Is there some reason that this is OK?

*If not, how should you read a FileStream into a byte[].

A: In this situation I wouldn't even bother processing the FileStream manually; use File.ReadAllBytes instead:
byte[] bytes = File.ReadAllBytes(pathSource);

A: To answer your question:

*

*The sample code is good for most of applications where we are not reaching extremes.

*If you have really long stream like say a video, use BufferedStream. Sample code is available at MSDN site

A: Example using ReadAllBytes:
private byte[] m_cfgBuffer;
m_cfgBuffer = File.ReadAllBytes(m_FileName);
StringBuilder PartNbr = new StringBuilder();
StringBuilder Version = new StringBuilder();
int i, j;
byte b;
i = 356;    // We know that the cfg file header ends at position 356 (1st hex(80))
b = m_cfgBuffer[i];
while (b != 0x80)   // Scan for 2nd hex(80)
{
    i++;
    b = m_cfgBuffer[i];
}

// Now extract the part number - 6 bytes after hex(80)

m_PartNbrPos = i + 5;
for (j = m_PartNbrPos; j < m_PartNbrPos + 6; j++)
{
   char cP = (char)m_cfgBuffer[j];
   PartNbr.Append(cP);
}
m_PartNbr = PartNbr.ToString();

// Now, extract version number - 6 bytes after part number

m_VersionPos = (m_PartNbrPos + 6) + 6;
for (j = m_VersionPos; j < m_VersionPos + 2; j++)
{
   char cP = (char)m_cfgBuffer[j];
   Version.Append(cP);
}
m_Version = Version.ToString();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Sunny Girl
いつまでも信じていたい
最後まで思い続けたい
自分は生きる意味があるはずと
「Poison」(反町隆史)
I want to believe forever
And keep thinking until the end
That there's meaning to my life
"Poison" (Sorimachi Takashi)
I wonder whether there are English-language blogs out here discussing Korean mystery fiction?
Because she failed in getting into an international school, Ahn Chae-yool is forced to make a late transfer to Seonam Girls High, but her very first day at school starts out as a complete disaster. She has just made a couple of steps outside her home when she is assaulted by "the biting man", a creepy man who has been leaving his teethmarks in the wrists of students of Seonam Girls High. And as if that wasn't enough, Chae-yool is also targeted by a different kind of dangerous entity at school: the Seonam Girls High Detective Club led by spectacled Yoon Mi-do has set its eyes on Chae-yool as its newest and fifth member and won't stop at anything in order to coax Chae-yool into joining the club and help catch "the biting man" terrorizing their school (actions include lying, fabricating evidence and basically stalking Chae-yool). In the course of the series, the Detective Club builds a reputation of being a group of nosy busybodies who do actually sometimes help their classmates and solve cases, while Chae-yool slowly uncovers a secret revolving around her literature teacher who seems a bit too interested in her in the South Korean TV drama Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan ("The Seonam Girls High Detective Club", 2014-2015).
Yes, it's the series that most people will probably know as "the series that featured the first onscreen lesbian kiss on South Korean television".
Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan is a 14 episode series, based on the novel with the same title by Park Ha-ik. I haven't read it, so no idea how faithful an adaptation the series is though. The series is probably best described as a school drama mystery, as Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan has a lot in common with 'normal' school drama series, like Great Teacher Onizuka. Many of the stories deal with themes often seen in that genre, like bullying at school, the gap between children and their parents, the reputation of the school and simply the things that come up when you grow up. These themes often form the background for the cases handled in Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan, which gives this series a distinct social school flavor, as it addresses the problems of society (and in particular the relation between students, their school and 'outside' society). In general, Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan does a good job at doing the school drama genre, helped by a fairly strong cast of young actresses.
As a mystery show, however, Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan is a fairly weak show however. The plots are very easy to guess and don't invite the viewer to think along with the protagonists. Admittedly, only two of the seven cases really lend themselves for whodunit couch-sleuthing (one about a photographer being shot at a gallery show and a case where a special order of delicious bread for Seonam Girls High was spiked with laxatives), but these cases are not challenging at all. The other cases too are not particularly surprising in the mystery department, and should more be enjoyed as whydunits, because as said, the cases do relate strongly to the school drama themes mentioned above. But seriously, the mystery plots themselves are sometimes incredibly chaotic and ask for every one involved to act in the most roundabout ways for no valid reasons (Looking especially hard at you, "the biting man" case!).
That said though, I did really enjoy the members of the titular Seonam Girls High Detective Club. It's a diverse group of girls who have enough enthusiasm to make up for their lack in finesse and experience. Like similar groups in series like the Koigakubo Academy Club Detective Club and Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo, the Seonam Girls High Detective Club is basically a group of misfits who want to play detectives (as opposed to Detective/Mystery Clubs that talk about detective fiction). It's fun seeing the members goofing around as they try to solve the case and are definitely what is most entertaining about the series. Also: I have no idea how life is at a all-girls' high school in South Korea, but man, I have the feeling that it's a scary place.
One thing though, Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan loves going all over the place in the comedy - human drama spectrum. The series will have cheap slapstick comedy in one scene, and in the next scene you're given tear-inducing speeches about bullying and suicide. Sure, a good balance between smiles and tears is always good, but Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan makes rather sudden and drastic jumps between cartoon-like comedy and "oh, mankind is so dark" drama, which can be a bit unsettling. Also, I don't know if this is the standard for South Korean TV dramas, but 70 minutes an episode is really long for the amount of story they had. A lot of scenes rather drag for a while.
Oh, and one little thing that really bothered me throughout the series: how many coats do these girls have?! Every case (every two episodes) they have a whole new wardrobe, it seems!
I did enjoy Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan, but mostly for its take on the school drama and the comedy. While I am fairly familiar with Japanese school dramas, this was the first time I saw a South Korean one, so that was an interesting experience (though they don't differ that much). As a mystery show however, Seonamyeogo Tamjungdan has rather weak plots. Even if you look at the show as a social school mystery, the plots sometimes make barely sense. I really did like the characters and I'd certainly watch a sequel series, but if I look at the show's 'merits' as a detective TV show (which is the idea behind this blog at the least), I can't say that this is a very captivating example of the Korean detective story. If you're interested in a school drama with a hint of mystery though, try it out.
Original Korean title(s): 박하익 (original novel) "선암여고 탐정단"
Cross-references Detective , Drama , Park Ha-ik | 박하익 , TV
This little piggy went to market,
This little piggy stayed home,
This little piggy had roast beef,
This little piggy had none,
And this little piggy cried wee wee wee all the way home
Seriously, today's book has a pretty bad cover. I know I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, but I think that in day and age, publishers should put some effort in covers. A book isn't just the story inside, it's a physical product, and that includes the cover, so I'd appreciate it if they wouldn't treat cover art as an afterthought.
The winter of Sparta, New York feels even more ruthless this year, as the town is haunted by a mysterious serial killer calling him(her?)self HOG. The murders and the victims all vary: from a highway sign crashing on a car to what at first seemed like a trip of a staircase, from little children to the elderly, nobody is safe. And HOG derives pleasure from taunting the police with Dear Boss-esque letters that show how utterly helpless they are. Private investigator Ron Gentry also becomes part of the hunting troupe and he in turn is asked to contact his mentor, Professor Niccolo Benedetti, the world's most renowned detective. Whimsical (and freeloading) as Benedetti may be, even he feels that there's absolutely evil at work in Sparta and puts his own name at stake to find the serial killer in William L. DeAndrea's The HOG Murders (1979).
Oh, how often I heard people praise DeAndrea's The HOG Murders! I don't have a special interest in serial killer stories to be honest, but still, Queen's Cat of Many Tails is quite good, so there was always the little note in the back of my head, to read The HOG Murders. Of course, too much expectations could work in its disadvantage, so I kept those in reasonable check, and I went in the book with no more knowledge than that 1) this book was about a serial killer and 2) it was supposed to be good. How did it turn out?
Well, it certainly didn't disappoint! This was my first DeAndrea and I want to read more now! The serial murders that form the core mystery are gruesome, terrifying and seem only to shock and awe the reader into accepting The HOG Murders is just a crazy serial killer story, but this is actually a well-clued, absolutely fair orthodox mystery novel. And a good one too. Pick up the hints and turn your head the right way and you can spot HOG in time (I didn't pick up on the hint, but my Gut Instinct and Meta-Knowledge did give me the right person. But that's cheating). The one little problem I have with the solution is that a lot of orthodox mystery stories that feature serial killers kinda revolve around the same concept and The HOG Murders is no different: if you have read other puzzle plot mysteries with serial killers, there's a good chance you have a rough idea what to look for. I guess it's the same for most tropes in the genre, but I haven't seen that much variation in the concept with the serial killer trope, though that may be perfectly be the fault of my skewed reading diet.
There's more to The HOG Murders than just the serial murders though and I in particular liked two parts of the story that I thought feel quite Queenian: first is speculations around what HOG actually means and the wordplay reminds of Queen's dying message stories with many, many possible solutions that what seems a simple word (the 'solution' is presented in a rather arbritrary way though). Second, there's a very strange crime scene around three-quarters in the story, with someone who froze to death. The strangeness of the scene and the way the hints to the solution were laid out (as well as the 'sort' of hints) are classic Queenian stuff and I really loved it.
Not a big fan of the detective Professor Niccolo Benedetti though, but that's more on a character level. The HOG Murders does suffer a bit from a few too many 'detective' figures in the story: I get why DeAndrea went for that and it allows him to keep the momentum by jumping to moments with story developments, but still, it's a bit crowded with a great detective, a private detective, a police inspector, a reporter and a criminal psychologist to follow. It would be bit different if they were rival detectives, but they actually work and quite often move together in little groups.
I have to admit though, I do prefer less open mysteries in general. There's just something more thrilling and enjoyable with murders commited in more intimate circles, rather than an 'everyone in this town can be a victim!' type of plot. Even with a fair play puzzle plot where you can detect the criminal in advance, I can't say that I'm a very big fan of these open mysteries. That said, I still think The HOG Murders is great, but I just don't read that much orthodox mysteries with serial killers.
Anyway, The HOG Murders is a great detective novel that combines the serial killer motif with a puzzle plot in a succesful manner. Recommended reading for everything and I'm definitely going to read of DeAndrea in the near future to see what more surprises he has in store.
Cross-references Books , Detective , Missing Link , Professor Niccolo Benedetti , William L. DeAndrea
「雪だ・・・」
『探偵神宮寺三郎 Innocent Black』
"It's snowing..."
"Detective Jinguuji Saburou: Innocent Black"
I listen to a lot of videogame music, but usually only from games I've actually played. I think that Innocent Black's soundtrack is one of the few I knew inside-out years before I even got to experience the game. It's that awesome.
Tantei Jinguuji Saburou series
The Shinjuku Central Park Murder Case (1987) [Nintendo Famicom Disk System]
The Unfinished Reportage (1996) [Sony PlayStation / SEGA Saturn]
At the End of the Dream (1998) [Sony PlayStation / SEGA Saturn]
Before the Light Fades (1999) [Sony PlaySation]
Innocent Black (2002) [Sony PlayStation 2]
The White Phantom Girl (2005) [Nintendo GameBoy Advance]
Ashes and Diamonds (2009) [Sony PlayStation Portable]
The Red Butterfly (2010) [Nintendo DS]
Rondo of Revenge (2012) [Nintendo 3DS]
Private detective Jinguuji Saburou is hired by Ninomiya Akio, a distressed father who wishes to find his daughter Hazuki who has run away from home. When Jinguuji finally manages to trace Hazuki, he finds out she ran away because she witnessed a very strange happening going on in her father's hospital, and she suspects the vice-president of the Ninomiya General Hospital might be stealing medicine as a side business. Jinguuji starts a new investigation at the hospital, where he finds another client: an elderly mother recently lost her son, who had gone missing two years ago. She never saw him alive anymore, because he recently died of breath failure in a park, and his body was brought to the Ninomiya General Hospital. The mother wants to know if her son really died of breath failure and what he had been up the last two years. Digging deeper, Jinguuji discovers that the son's death and the medicine theft are in fact connected and h starts to realize that some horrible secret ties together the Ninomiya General Hospital, a group of homeless people and a local crime syndicate in the 2002 PlayStation 2 videogame Tantei Jinguuji Saburou: Innocent Black ("Detective Jinguuji Saburou: Innocent Black").
I've been a big fan of the Detective Jinguuji Saburou videogame series for years. The series started on the Famicom Disk System (a peripheral of the Japanese NES) in 1987 and saw its most recent installment in 2012, making it actually one of the oldest game franchises still active. The basic setting has not changed since the first game: every installment the player is presented a hardboiled detective story starring private detective Jinguuji Saburou, his capable assistant Misono Youko and police detective Kumano, usually set at the edges of underworld of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Occasionally we see more of an extended cast, like the forensics expert Miyoshi Shiho or local crime syndicate captain Imaizumi, and sometimes the story moves to locations outside Shinjuku, but the player can always expect a very story-driven experience with a plot that deals with realistic social problems and the people who are stuck between 'normal' society and the underworld.
The Detective Jinguuji Saburou series got a big blow in 2000 however, after the release of the seventh installment of the series. Data East, the original developers of the series, went bankrupt and many thought that this meant the end of the series. Fortunately, the company WorkJam bought the rights to the series (and still owns them), and WorkJam's first own Detective Jinguuji Saburou game was 2002's Innocent Black. This game is thus seen as a turning point for the series.
Overall, Innocent Black is a well-made entry in the series and a great hardboiled detective game. Gameplay-wise, it's the same old command-style adventure it's been for over 20 years. As expected from the Detective Jinguuji Saburou series, Innocent Black features great character designs and most importantly, fantastic music. All installments of the series have been praised for their catchy jazzy tunes and Innocent Black definitely upholds that tradition and brought some of the best songs of the whole franchise. Illustrator Terada Katsuya's designs look great too and in the visual and auditory departments, this game is really remarkable. Story-wise too, Innocent Black manages to do most things very good: as always the story starts with a small case for Jinguuji (locating Hazuki who ran away), but manages to grow out to something much bigger, without feeling too farfetched. The plot of most Detective Jinguuji Saburou are often best described as social school stories, as they are often rich in social commentary, but it definitely works for the series and Innocent Black features one of the more devilish schemes I've seen in videogame plots. I think that I can wholeheartedly recommend this game to anyone who wants to play a detective game on the PS2 with a catchy story.
Is it all perfect? Well no. One thing I thought very disappointing was that compared to the three previous games (Mikan no Rupo, Yume no Owari ni and Tomoshibi ga Kienu Ma ni), Innocent Black was a much more linear experience. Note that the series has always been somewhat linear: you usually advance in the story just by talking to the right people or being at the right place at the right time. The mentioned titles however all experimented with more interactive presentation, like parallel narratives that allowed you to experience the story with multiple characters, or giving the player certain deadlines in which he needed to move the story forward. In comparison, Innocent Black is incredibly linear, as you simply move from hotspot to hotspot to advance forward. I don't find linear games bad per se (in fact, depending on the plot, it sometimes works out better), but the above mentioned titles were the Jinguuji Saburou games I played most recently, so the sudden change was very detectable. This linear direction has been maintained in practically all of the Jinguuji Saburou games WorkJam has developed, with two notable exceptions: Shiroi Kage no Shoujo (the player needs to make deductions every now or then that can potentially lead to a game over) and Ashes and Diamonds (branching storylines).
Innocent Black is also a rather controversial topic among longtime fans of the series, because it tried to do something surprising about the longstanding relation between protagonist Jinguuji Saburou and his beautiful and capable assistant Youko.Without going into spoilers, I can tell you that I too was not pleased at all with what WorkJam was going for and in fact, they had to fix that in the next game, Kind of Blue, probably not in the least because of the negative backlash. Kind of Blue is the only Jinguuji Saburou game I haven't played yet, but I hope to, because Innocent Black did leave a somewhat bad aftertaste because of this particular, but important plotpoint, that didn't even had proper development.
Innocent Black is a game that does a lot right and features a really captivating detective story. It is however also a very linear experience, even compared to earlier installments of the game, and I think that for longtime fans, Innocent Black also feels incomplete with its successor Kind of Blue, because a significant problem is not resolved within Innocent Black's narrative. In that respect, it is an unsatisfying experience, perhaps. But overall, I thought the plot to be interesting and the fantastic music definitely helps.
Original Japanese title(s): 『探偵神宮寺三郎 Innocent Black』
Cross-references Detective , Games , Hardboiled , Jinguuji Saburou | 探偵神宮寺三郎 , Kaneko Mitsue | 金子みつえ
番外編: The Decagon House Murders
No quotes as an introduction? A post title that isn't a reference? Yes, this is one of those rare service announcements on the blog. Prior announcements included messages about me writing prefaces or having translated short stories, so this time...?
One of the most referenced novels on this blog has always been AYATSUJI Yukito's The Decagon House Murders ("Jukkakukan no Satsujin", 1987), a novel inspired by And Then There Were None, about a group of students with nicknames like "Ellery", "Carr" and "Agatha", who are targeted by a murderer during a stay on a small, deserted island with a strange ten-sided house. The Decagon House Murders showed that it was still possible to write good puzzle plot mysteries decades after the so-called "Golden Age" ended. In fact, the release of the book was like a traffic light turning to green, as many writers followed in Ayatsuji's footsteps, hailing in a renaissance of puzzle plot mystery novels in Japan (the shin honkaku, or "new orthodox" movement).
Publisher Locked Room International will be publishing the first English-language version of The Decagon House Murders this July and I had the pleasure of being the translator of the book. It's a book I always wished more people would read, but of course I had never dreamt I'd have the chance to translate it. But sometimes, the stars align at just the right time. It's one of the most influential mystery novels of the last thirty years in Japan and SHIMADA Soji wrote a special introduction for the English release, so this is a release no fan of detective fiction shouldn't miss. Which is something I say not as the translator of the book (okay, partly, I do), but as someone who has been a fan of the book since many years ago and who went all the way to Kyoto and joined the Kyoto University Mystery Club mostly because of how much I enjoyed The Decagon House Murders.
Publishers Weekly gave The Decagon House Murders an early positive starred review and selected it as one of their Best Summer Books 2015 line-up, which is certainly not a bad start! My own review of the book can be read here. It dates from a few years back and long-time readers might have noticed that it was around that time that I started to blog more consistently/often about Japanese detective fiction and that's no coincidence.
Anyway, The Decagon House Murders will be out in a bit in less than two months, so True Believers, keep an eye out for it.
Cross-references Ayatsuji Yukito | 綾辻行人 , Books , Translations , Yakata Series | 館シリーズ , くるくる
Loose Truth
"Oh, you mustn't ask me that yet. I shall have to chew it over a lot more before I can make a connected and logical story of it. Besides, the best detectives always hold up their brilliant solutions for the most effective moment (surely you know that)."
"Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery"
I might not know much about graphic design, but I'm pretty sure that a white font on a light-blue background for a cover isn't the best of ideas.
Mystery writer, amateur detective and Daily Courier correspondent Roger Sheringham and his cousin Anthony change their holiday plans when Roger is sent by his newspaper to Ludmouth Bay, Hampshire, to report on the investigation of Inspector Moresby. Moresby is investigating the death of Elise Vane, who was found beneath the cliffs in a less-than-living state. While most people think it was a mere suicide, Moresby's presence alone shows that there might be more behind the death of Mrs. Vane, but Moresby's very careful with what he says and tells Roger and Anthony nothing newsworthy, so the two have to investigate the mystery themselves. They soon find out that the victim (?) was not a very nice woman and there were not just a few persons who had reason to bump her off. Off the cliff. And so Roger and Anthony work together to solve the crime and outsmart Moresby in Anthony Berkeley's Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery (1927).
Okay, was I the only one who read the title and expected a mystery revolving around a weather vane?
Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery is the third novel in the Roger Sheringham series, of which I have reviewed the later The Poisoned Chocolates Case (1929) and Jumping Jenny (1933). Those two novels were fantastic novels that explored the limits of the Great Detective as the bringer of truth, revealer of all, with multiple solutions and other shenanigans confusing both reader and Roger. Depending on your point of view, you could even consider those books anti-mystery novels, as they undermine the idea of that a detective novel could bring the truth. Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery is in comparison quite tame, but is definitely written in the same spirit as The Poisoned Chocolate Case and Jumping Jenny.
Unlike one false solution after a false solution after another set-up of the latter two books, Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery's plot is fairly straighforward, with Roger and Anthony arriving in Ludmouth's Bay and slowly uncovering more about Elise Vane's death, occasionally bouncing off theories with each other and Inspector Moresby. The latter is a rather plain policeman, who is simply doing his work in the best way he knows and his plainness works well opposite Roger Sheringham's "great detective. Those who have read more books in the series, can probably guess how this rivalry will end, but still, it's fun.
And while the plot does have its share of twists and turns as it nears the last page, including some false solutions, it is not nearly as anti-mystery-esque as other books and I think this book leaves a less cynical aftertaste (that is, it's Roger Sheringham, so of course it's still quite cynical, just not so over-the-top as later books). Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery does not try to undermine its own premise too hard and is thus easier to enjoy than the later novels.
I do like that once again, the core mystery (the death of Elise Vane) is actually a very simple one. Trial and Error and The Poisoned Chocolates Case had at the core fairly simple deaths as the starting point, which only became more and more complex as new evidence showed up which allowed for new theories to be developed. Berkeley's critique of the infinite possibilities of evidence and theories feels more acceptable as the case itself becomes more and more simple: even the most featureless situation can be blown up to the most incredible story just by imagination deductions.
Roger Sheringham and the Vane Mystery is an enjoyable detective novel that might not be as memorable and ambitious as later books in the series, but certainly no less fun. Considering it's less crazy, it might even be a better entry point in the series.
Cross-references Anthony Berkeley , Books , Detective , Roger Sheringham
Hello Mr. my yesterday 云っておくれよ
"夢叶うその瞬間にまた逢える"と
「Hello Mr. my yesterday」(Hundred Percent Free)
Hello Mr. my yesterday, please say to me:
"We'll meet again the moment your dream comes true"
"Hello Mr. my yesterday" (Hundred Percent Free)
Some Japanese pockets feature some great cover art, but there are also the 'artsy' ones I almost never understand, or like (like this one). Todays cover is not horrible and I get the weekday references, but still... what is it?!
The death of mystery writer Raiki Raito left behind quite some questions. He may have died in his own study (locked from the inside), but was it really suicide? What about the rumours of him having been working on a new book the year before his death? And most important, what did he mean when he claimed to have discovered "the ultimate trick"? These questions also fly around in the heads of the participants of a monitoring panel for a hotel event: the hotel owns Raiki's house, the Mystery Mansion, and is planning to use it as the stage of a murder mystery event and has invited several people to try out their game. A magnificent reward awaits the winner: the location of Raiki's "ultimate trick". Among the participants are Ishizaki Kouji, our protagonist and mystery fan, and the two high school students Miria and Yuri, who were invited as representatives of a high school mystery club (little did the hotel know that the club is a fake club, only set-up to receive financial benefits for club activities from school). Can these three solve the murder mystery event and figure out what Raiki Raito's secret was in Ishizaki Kouji's Nichiyoubi no Chinmoku ("Sunday Silence", 2000)
This book was the debut novel of Ishizaki Kouji and the winner of the 18th Mephisto Prize (for more about the award and the type of novels that win, see this post). As with a lot of the Mephisto Prize winners, this is a fairly meta-conciousness novel; mystery writers killed in locked rooms, the "ultimate trick" (reminiscent of the ultimate locked room trick in Arisugawa Alice's 46 Banme no Misshitsu) and this time, a very literal game-approach to the mystery, as most of the story is about the murder game organized by the hotel. And of course, be ready for countless of references to other mystery novels (a great number of them also originating as Mephisto Prizes).
This is a very lighthearted mystery. This is because of both the characters and the plot. To begin with the characters: the real detectives in this story are Miria and Yuri who act most of the time as stereotypical high school students who just wanna have some fun and like to make fun of everyone and everything. Heck, they only accepted the invitation for the event because of the free stay and food, not because they have an interest in detective fiction. Ishizaki Kouji (the character in the story, not the actual writer) is usually the victim of Miria and Yuri's jokes and this atmosphere of joking and teasing stays from start to finish. Miria and Yuri are also written extremely alike and there's almost seems there's no reason for them to be two different characters, though they have been split into two as to avoid the romantic implications of a thirty-ish Ishizaki Kouji and one high school student hanging out together for three days in a hotel.
But they also turn out to be a bit more intelligent than seems at first and they have a great hand in solving the mystery event, as well as figuring out the secret behind Raiki Raito's death. For most part, the mystery consists of a missing link story, where the participants of the event have to figure out what the (staged) murders are hinting at. This is solved at about two-thirds of the novel, leaving the rest for solving the secret of Raiko Raito and the 'ultimate trick'. 'Both' plots are... not bad per se, but a bit light... The first plotline is a fairly doable missing link story and actually has several layers of solutions to it, making it quite enjoyable (some solutions are kinda silly, but there's a perfectly good explanation for them). But the second missing link plotline is almost impossible to solve because it's so farfetched, making it not fun at all. Also, the secret of the 'ultimate trick' is kinda disappointing for something ultimate, making the last third of the novel not nearly as entertaining as the first two thirds (the two parts also feel a bit distinct, instead of feeling like one whole story).
Overall, Nichiyoubi no Chinmoku is entertaining enough, but it's not nearly enough to really fill one's stomach. It needed a bit more impact to really make an impression. Miria and Yuri are fun though and I gather that Miria, Yuri and author-avatar Ishizaki Kouji return in other stories too, so I might try those some time.
Original Japanese title(s): 石崎幸二『日曜日の沈黙』
Cross-references Books , Code Cracking , Detective , Ishizaki Kouji | 石崎幸二 , Missing Link
Beware the Beast from Below
自分勝手に思い込んで
裏目に出ることよくあるけど
生きてゆきたい今日より明日へ
「ひとりじゃない」(Deen)
When I'm selflishly convinced about things
They often tend to backfire on me,
But even so I want to live on, more for tomorrow than today
"Not Alone" (Deen)
By now, I might as well rename the short shorts posts. The idea was to do shorter reviews on multiple things in one single post, but nowadays it's just the most recent volumes of Conan and Kindaichi Shounen every four months.
April is always a big month for Detective Conan. A new volume is usually released together with the annual film, and occasionally extra merchandise is released too. Last year had a new 3DS game for example. No games this year though, but a new volume was released mid-April (+ shipping and stuff usually means I'm two, three weeks behind with my review). Detective Conan 86 obviously does not have the impact the previous volume had (which was basically catharsis after many years of world building), but overall I thought it was an okay volume. The volume starts off with the conclusion to A Mystery Sunken in A Midsummer Pool, which started in the previous volume. The mystery of a dead body suddenly appearing in a hotel pool is surprisingly easy to solve, as I am absolutely sure I have seen the same basic idea at least two different times in other detective manga also. Nothing more than a filler story, even if we get another hint at the 'main' story, as it seems that everyone's favorite female high school student detective apparently has some (never before revealed) ties with one of the main characters of the series.
The second story, The Boy and the Nice Lady, has the Detective Boys discovering a dead body (when don't they!) in her apartment room. A little boy who had become friends with the victim was asked by her to keep an eye on her door as she was expecting three different visitors who could mean trouble. And she was right, for she was found hanging from the ceiling. The story is a bit more complex than the usual three-suspects-which-of-them-was-it and I definitely enjoyed it for that, though I was not that big a fan of the overall story (which seems overly convoluted).
The Inn With the Kamaitachi has Hattori and Kazuha join the regular gang as they investigate a photograph of a kamaitachi, shot at an inn in the Nagano Prefecture. The youkai appears to be running over a hot spring in the picture, which would definitely mean something supernatural is going on. Things start to get really creepy when people are indeed attacked by an unseen 'wind sickle' and finally, the old owner of the inn himself is killed by an actual sickle (the Grim Reaper kind of sickle). I have a feeling Hattori & Kazuha often appear in stories featuring ghosts, and they are usually fun. This one is OK; the main trick of the kamaitachi running over the hot spring is pretty ingenious, even if a bit unlikely and the overall atmosphere is good. The final story, The Kawanakajima Murder Case will continue in the next volume, but already shapes up as an interesting cop-killer story, as the members of a detective unit are killed one by one, with as most likely suspect, the one-eyed police detective Yamato.
Overall a decent volume with two amusing stories, though I have to admit that the last, incomplete story caught my attention the most. But with Aoyama's recent hiatus (because of an operation), I guess the release of the next volume, and the one after that, might take a while.
And as always, a new volume Kindachi Shounen no Jikenbo R ("The Young Kindaici Case Files R") followed right after Detective Conan's latest release. Volume 5 surprisingly starts with The Student Akechi Kengo Case Files, a short story starring series regular Superintendent Akechi in his younger years. In the past, Akechi has also starred in his own spin-off series in his high school, as well as his early police days, but this time Akechi appears as a second year university student. Akechi visits a university festival to find Rena, his old upperclassman at high school and nowadays a popular radio personality of the university radio club. Their old teacher is worried that Rena might be in some trouble and hopes Akechi can help her. Sadly enough, he's too late, as a corpse is found at the festival and Akechi suspects that Rena killed the victim to get out of said trouble. However, Rena has a perfect alibi: she was presenting a live radio show during the murder.
The story is short, but good. I thought the trick was quite ingenious, even if a bit predictable because it is not the first time Kindaichi Shounen has featured such a scheme (so it might be a bit easy to see through). The semi-inverted approach is something we often see in the shorter Kindaichi Shounen stories, though those are usually a lot more funnier too (this one is not particularly laugh-inducing). Oh, and two points: for those interested, Akechi Kengo is also starring in a currently-running spin-off series, but illustrated by a different artist. Two: This particular story had a rather big problem when it was originally serialized: due to the paper and ink quality, a large of part of the solution was actually unreadable in its original publication in the magazine Shounen Magazine (it was written on a blackboard, so white on black background). Not sure if someone got fired for that mistake, because readers probably would want to know the explanation of a murder plot.
The rest of the volume is filled with a good part of The Antlion Trench Murder Case, which has Hajime, Miyuki and newsreporter Itsuki trapped in basically the most ridiculously designed building ever in the middle of a desert. Seriously, the Kindaichi Shounen series has featured quite a lot of weird buildings For The Sake of Plot, and I can appreciate a well designed building, but I can't even start to enjoy this story because of how little sense the building makes. And the story does have some interesting points, with a professor doing research in fears and traumas and machinery monitoring everyone's vital signs. But just looking at the building makes my head hurt. Anyway, Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo R 5 has a good start with a short, but good story, but the longer one is just not as amusing.
And that was it for this short short. Hmm, I have the feeling these short shorts aren't as short as they used to be, so I might have to rework this corner the next time.
Original Japanese title(s): 青山剛昌 『名探偵コナン』第86巻, 天樹征丸(原)、さとうふみや(画) 『金田一少年の事件簿R』第5巻
Cross-references Amagi Seimaru | 天樹征丸 , Aoyama Goushou | 青山剛昌 , Detective , Kindaichi Shounen no Jikenbo | 金田一少年の事件簿 , Manga | 漫画 , Meitantei Conan | 名探偵コナン , Short Shorts
Bloody Murder
ただ人は振り返るもの
巡りあえた景色をそっと
消えぬように とどめてゆく
「忘れ咲き」(Garnet Crow)
But people always look back
And stand still at the sceneries they've come across
Hoping they don't disappear
"Wasurezaki" (Garnet Crow)
Edogawa Rampo is commonly seen as the father of the Japanese detective story, but it was Kuroiwa Ruikou (1862-1920) who paved the way for the now succesful genre industry. Kuroiwa was a newspaper journalist/editor, writer and translator in a time of transition for Japan, who might have less 'name impact' than Rampo nowadays, but his name is still one you can't ignore. As a newspaper man, Kuroiwa had a clear political agenda and he also set up his own newspaper (the Yorozu Chouhou, one of the earliest gossip newspapers, aimed at the masses), which did quite well not only because of its accessibility and social criticism, but also because Kuroiwa published serial fiction in the newspaper, which drew quite a public.
Kuroiwa's translations were freely rewritten translations and often used to present his own political ideas. Among his serial translations are for example Dumas' Le Comte de Monte-Cristo (famously translated as Gankutsuou, "The King of the Cavern", still a common Japanese title for the book) and Hugh Conway's Dark Days, which became Houtei no Bijin ("The Beauty in the Courtroom"). He published over a hundred translations, many of them of detective novels, which is why Kuroiwa is considered one of the most important names in Japanese detective fiction history.
Kuroiwa eventually also started to write his own stories and Muzan ("In Cold Blood", 1889) has the honour of being not only Kuroiwa's first original detective story, Muzan is actually the very first original Japanese detective story (The alternate title is Sansuji no Kami, Tantei Shousetsu ("Three Strands of Hair, A Detective Story")). The short story starts with the discovery of a severely wounded corpse in a river in Tsukiji and two policemen are set on the case: veteran cop Tanimada and the rookie Ootomo. Based on the nature of the wounds and the knowledge he gathered in his many years in service, Tanimada deduces that the victim was killed in a row by a woman and quickly heads out to find la femme. Ootomo on the other hand focuses on the three strands of hair clenched in the victim's hands and using scientific analysis and logical reasoning, arrives at a different conclusion than Tanimada. Which of them is right?
I will admit right away that I think Muzan is more interesting as the first Japanese detective story than as 'a detective story' on its own, but it does has its interesting features. First of all, I find it extremely interesting that this story features not one, but two police detectives as the detectives. I had kinda expected a Great Detective and his Assistant in the spirit of Dupin and Holmes, but here we have two common cops, just on another case. Amusing is how Ruikou places the two detectives against each other: one veteran cop who 'knows' the world and takes on each cases trusting his own instincts, and a rookie cop, who despite his lack of experience, has a very sharp and keen mind and basically uses forensic methods to detect. The trope of two 'rival' detectives is one I have always appreciated, especially if both parties use different techniques to detect, and this is done wonderfully in Muzan. Ootomo is interesting as he has more in common with Great Detectives like Dupin and Holmes in terms of method, but still obvious just a man within the organization who needs to the support of his superiors to act. Tanimada on the other hand is not portrayed as just a hardheaded cop though, even in the juxtaposition with 'modern techniques', Tanimada shows that experience is indeed also necessary. Setting these positions as equal is something I had not expected and I was pleasantly surprised.
With Muzan, you'll also get a bit of the melodrama Kuroiwa was famous for in his (translated) novels. The ending consist of a long, a very long confession and explanation of how everything came to be and how the victim turned into a corpse and I have to say I thought this was quite boring, especially as it takes up a not unconsiderable amount of the total page count.
As a detective story in its own, I find Muzan an okay story, but nothing more than that. I like the concept of the two detectives, as said above, but the deductions feel a bit forced at times (especially those surrounding the three strands of hair!) and the ending is rather anti-climatic.
Muzan is interesting as a point in detective history because of its existence, rather than for its contents, but for anyone interested in Japanese detective fiction, I think it does provide an amusing short read. You can read the text at Aozora Bunko (the Japanese Project Gutenberg), though those who have never read Meiji-period literature before might find it a bit hard to get through.
Original Japanese title(s): 黒岩涙香 「無惨」
Cross-references Books , Detective , Kuroiwa Ruikou | 黒岩涙香 , Short Stories


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HOME | Monitor | Millrock Receives Exploration Permit, Reports Progress on Goodpaster Project
Millrock Receives Exploration Permit, Reports Progress on Goodpaster Project
Nov 6, 2019 | Monitor
Figure 1: Goodpaster Gold District Location in the Tintina Gold Province.
Millrock Resources
VANCOUVER, BC—Millrock Resources provided an update on the progress it has made on its Goodpaster Gold Project in Alaska, with particular focus on the West Pogo Block.
Significant progress has been made since Millrock and N27 announced on October 17, 2019 that they had executed a Binding Term Sheet concerning the Goodpaster Gold District exploration project. Upon successful completion of the due diligence period, and signing of a definitive agreement, N27 will begin earning an interest in the project through exploration funding, and by making N27 share issuances and cash payments as detailed in a previous press release.
In 2020, Millrock and N27 are planning a $5.0 million exploration program that will include a thorough test of drill targets established on the West Pogo Block.
Upon receipt of a $250,000 exploration advance from N27, work immediately began. Permits to construct drill roads and drill exploratory holes were received the same week.
An upgrade to Millrock's existing State of Alaska permit to use the Pogo Gold Mine road was also received.
The road, which leads from the paved highway near Delta Junction, is a state-owned industrial road maintained by Pogo Mine operator, Northern Star Resources. Millrock will enter a Shared Use Agreement with Northern Star. This agreement will help ensure safe road use through communication and defined travel protocols and provide for pro-rata sharing of road maintenance costs. A work campsite has been established at Mile 39 of the Pogo Mine road. This will serve as a base for the work to be done on the Goodpaster project in the coming months. A lay-down area has been cleared at Mile 45.5, located where CSAMT Line 3 intersects the mine road (as shown in Figure 3) south of the Aurora target areas. This will serve as a place to stage equipment and supplies for the planned first quarter 2020 drilling program.
A drill road, leading approximately 6.5 kilometers north from the Pogo Mine Road to the Aurora Creek target areas, is being constructed from the Mile 45.5 lay-down. With the road in place, a water well will be drilled in the Aurora Creek valley. The well will provide a local water source for drilling during the winter months. A water well contractor has been secured.
Figure 2: Millrock claims shown in blue, subdivided by "blocks": West Pogo, East Pogo South Pogo, North Pogo, LMS-X, Eagle, Shaw, Last Chance, and Divide. Lands owned by others are shown in grey.
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The following map illustrates the Aurora Creek target area on Millrock's West Pogo Block:
Figure 3: Airborne magnetic map showing the location of the Pogo Mine gold vein outlines, Central Lodes (CL) gold deposit, and Goodpaster (GP) gold deposit on Northern Star's property. Note that gold deposits occur in areas of low magnetic susceptibility (bluish shading) near magnetic diorite intrusions (red-magenta shading). Also, note the presence of CSAMT geophysical survey conductors within the magnetic low areas on Millrock's claims in the Aurora Target Area.
Millrock and N27 inspected drill cores drilled by prior operators at the ER prospect (ten kilometers west of the Pogo Gold Mine) and Eagle prospect (thirty kilometers southwest of the Pogo Gold Mine). It appears that prior workers did not geochemically sample a substantial amount of core left at the prospect's sites. Numerous sections of the unsampled core are altered by mineralizing fluids, and host arsenopyrite and bismuthinite (gold pathfinder elements arsenic and bismuth minerals) laden quartz veins. The core is being recovered and moved to Fairbanks for re-logging and geochemical sampling.
"Upon successful completion of the drill road and water well by Millrock's team, the companies will be in a position to execute a $5.0 million drilling program beginning as early as the first quarter of 2020," Millrock President & CEO Gregory A. Beischer commented. "The compelling drill targets offer shareholders of Millrock and N27 the potential for share price appreciation. New drill intercepts announced recently by Northern Star indicate a gold deposit (named the Goodpaster deposit), with high-grade intersections, just east of Millrock's West Pogo Block, which is a subset of the overall Goodpaster project. Northern Star's Goodpaster deposit may trend onto Millrock's West Pogo block both in the strike directions and down dip."
Alaska Events
The Marx Bros. Café
Jack Amon and Richard "Van" Hale opened the doors of the Marx Bros. Café on October 18, 1979; however, the two had already been partners in cuisine for some time, having created the Wednesday Night Gourmet Wine Tasting Society and Volleyball Team Which Now Meets on Sunday, a weekly evening of food and wine. It was actually the end of the weekly event that spurred the name of the restaurant: hours after its final service, Amon and Hale were hauling equipment and furnishings out of their old location and to their now-iconic building on Third Street, all while managing arguments about equipment ownership, a visit from the police, and quite a bit of wine. "If you've ever seen the movie 'A Night at the Opera" starring the Marx Brothers, that's what it was like," Hale explains.
Alaska Business © 2020


The reactors, when completed, will lead to enhancement of power capacity.
The Government plans to set up more atomic energy plants with latest safeguards available in the international market. Construction work on eight reactors is in progress, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Thursday.
The eight nuclear reactors, when completed, will lead to enhancement of power capacity from the current 3360 MWe to 7280 MWe in the next five years, Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan said in a written reply.
He said completion of the reactors will add 760 MWe this financial year, 1660 MWe in the next financial year, 1000 MWe in 2008-09 and 500 MWe in 2010-11.
In addition to the capacity of 7280 MWe in operation or under construction, more nuclear power projects are also planned to progressively increase the nuclear capacity base in the country, Chavan said.
Exploitation of indigenous nuclear resources for production of electricity is based on three-stage nuclear power programme, he said, adding the three stages have fuel cycle linkages and have to be gone through sequentially which requires time.
Chavan said the country's atomic energy programme has been formulated to achieve long-term energy security through use of abundantly available Indian thorium resources.
Imported nuclear fuels are expected to serve as additional resource to help in achieving a faster growth in the share of nuclear energy to meet the national energy needs in the near term, he said.