So I'm watching the most recent episode of my favorite current TV show, "Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" a few days ago with my wife, and we were viewing the segment Oliver did on how, even though it seems we've come so far on gay rights in America, there are still areas of blatant discrimination, and we shouldn't forget that.
And I got to thinking about progress. Progress is sometimes easy to spot on social issues; we no longer have "white-only" bathrooms in public places, and there are ramps for handicapped people in millions of public buildings.
We're making progress on so many significant issues in the U.S.: Awareness of global warming, the environment, race relations, scientific breakthroughs about disease, and too many other areas to mention.
But as once again was made painfully clear last week, we are making zero progress on the issue of gun violence. Like, literally, NONE.
We heard from Alison Parker's father, who wants to be the "John Walsh" of gun control, referring to the "America's Most Wanted" host who, after his son was murdered, became a tireless advocate for changing laws.
We will hear hand-wringing from politicians, and hear political strategist flap their lips (one GOP operative said on "Meet the Press" Sunday that for anything to change in our gun control laws, it'll have to be Republican legislators who move the needle, since Democrats have fought all they can and gotten nothing done. Sadly, he's probably right.), and then … pffft. Nothing will happen.
Progress is disgustingly unattainable in this area, and I'm damn tired of it. I'm going to stop asking what it will take, or how many more have to die, because after a while you just get tired of spitting in the wind.
Progress seems so promising in so many areas. But here? We couldn't find progress with a damn GPS.
**Next up today, I honestly don't know if you will find this next thing funny, or offensive and slightly racist. I found it really funny.
My cousin Rob and I have both, independently, recently discovered the awesomeness of a website called Fiverr.com, where basically people offer their services and expertise for five bucks. Somebody offers to make you a ringtone of anything, or will update your resume for you, or any one of a thousand tasks.
One guy advertised on there that he's an English teacher in India, and for $5 he will teach his Indian students to say in English whatever you want them to say.
So Rob, being a creative soul, decided to use $5 to have a bunch of little kids trash-talk the other members of his fantasy football league.
I mean, the kids are learning English from this, right?
**Finally today, this fantastic story by Steve Lopez of the Los Angeles Times was really moving. It's about a California man named Juan Romero, who was a 17-year-old busboy working at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on June 5, 1968, the night Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated by Sirhan Sirhan.
In this famous photograph, it's Romero who is cradling Kennedy's head for a few moments. Minutes earlier Romero had shaken Kennedy's hand, and now he watched the presidential candidate die.
The events of that day, understandably, haunted Romero for decades, and despite what anyone said or did, he felt incredible guilt and remorse about what happened.
Until finally, a complete stranger from Germany named Claudia Zwiener heard about Romero and reached out to help.
This is really a tremendous story by Lopez, whose work I try to highlight here as often as I remember to. It sometimes takes decades for wounds to heal, and for a person troubled by one moment of their past to let go.
I'm not sure if HBO planned it this way (it'd have been very smart if it did), but in the past three weeks the channel premiered two brand-new and extremely good documentaries on men called "Ted" who both are inextricably linked with New England.
I watched both movies this weekend, and thought both were terrific. You wouldn't think there would be that much in common between them other than Massachusetts: Teddy Ballgame was a San Diego kid who grew up and could do something better than anyone else in the world: hit a baseball between two fielders.
And Teddy Kennedy, well, he's an indestructible force of nature, for good and bad, who's been a part of the American political scene longer than anyone else.
**Both of them gave people plenty of reason to dislike them, yet have ended up being mostly beloved. Williams was a jerk to a lot of people: teammates, the media, his own family, sometimes.
**They both had difficult childhoods, though for very different reasons. Williams was neglected by his parents and forced to grow up fast, while Kennedy suffered tragedy after tragedy. Two siblings died before he was even 15 years old, which I don't think most people remember about him.
** You want your flawed heroes, here are two very flawed men. Williams was a jerk a lot of the time, an absent father to his kids, and he seemed to resent how much Joe Dimaggio won, and yet "The Splendid Splinter" could get to only one World Series.
And as for Kennedy, well, where do you start with his flaws? He was a heavy drinker for most of his adult life, an accidental murderer of a young woman named Mary Jo Kopechne on the island of Chappaquiddick 40 years ago, and an egotist who commanded the spotlight everywhere he went.
But both men were so human, with their foibles so out in the open, that I think perhaps they became larger than life when they succeeded.
** I knew Williams had a love-hate relationship with Red Sox fans, but I was honestly shocked to learn that as early as 1940, after his amazing rookie season, he was getting booed at Fenway. The guy had just hit .327, drove in 145 runs, and finished fourth in the MVP voting, and he's getting yelled at by his home fans? Crazy.
**His temper was legendary, but I thought the best example in the movie was the anecdote told by one of his former wives, who said he once ripped the phone out of the wall in their house, then demanded she call the phone company to have them come fix it. Funny if it wasn't so scary.
**Robert Redford chose No. 9 for the Roy Hobbs character in "The Natural" because he idolized Ted Williams. Didn't know that.
** I know the "Ted Kennedy has endured so much tragedy" angle is as cliched as it gets, but when you see it all put together at once, it's still breathtaking in its sadness. Brother Joe and sister Kathleen die early in his life. Brother John murdered while President. Then Teddy nearly dies in a plane crash. Four years later, other brother Robert shot while running for President. Then Ted's son gets bone cancer and has to have leg amputated. It's just staggering.
** I find it sad that Chappaquiddick has almost become an afterthought in the Kennedy legacy. A woman died. Kennedy drove off a bridge, escaped, tried to save her, then went back to his room and never reported that she was down there. Truly horrible, despicable behavior. I like so much of what Kennedy has done as a senator, but it's really hard to respect him as a man after what happened in July of 1969.
**Also found it interesting that during the 1970s busing crisis in Boston, Kennedy was a pariah. He was booed and pelted with debris because he actually supported interracial school busing.
I came away with more admiration and respect for both 20th century giants after seeing this. Check them out if you have the chance.
P.S. The link on the Ted Williams reference above is to an Esquire story by Richard Ben Cramer, and it's one of the single greatest pieces of sportswriting ever. If you have 20 minutes, it's definitely worth your time.


It's never easy to choose a trek out of so many beautiful mountain ranges in India. So, Arjun Majumdar puts down a handy ready reckoner to help you choose a trek for the summer, based on presence of snow, scenery, altitude, level of difficulty and other aspects. It is not easy to pick, but the guide here will help.
Solo trekker Sathya Venkatachari puts down the pros and cons solo trekking and "sahib" style trekking. Which one would you choose?
After much consideration and many rounds of discussions between the judges we have finally arrived at the top three photographs of the Kedarkantha trek photo contest.
Most people who have been on a trek or two are quickly bitten by the shutterbug. And rightly so! But what's the point of having the same shots as everyone else? Neelima Vallangi tells you how to make your pictures unique, and also hands out tips to improve your photography skills.
There are lot of questions that come to mind about trekking in the Himalayas in winter. What kind of shoes to wear? How many layers should I wear? What accessories do I need? Arjun Majumdar answers your questions here.
With increase in the number of trekkers, mountain folk are able to improve their livelihoods through micro-enterprises such as dhabas and homestays. With a little bit of monetary help from bigger organisations and soft-skill training from volunteers, these micro-enterprises have been doing wonders!
Sandhya UC recollects the discussions the Indiahikes team had before deciding to explore the alpine lakes of Kashmir. Read about them here.
It's difficult to choose out of our two signature treks – Rupin Pass and Roopkund. But given a choice of only one trek what would we choose? Arjun Majumdar picks one of the two with great difficulty. Read all about it here.


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HomeCarBYD rolls out One-millionth electric passenger car, Han EV in China
BYD rolls out One-millionth electric passenger car, Han EV in China
Written by Akshay
BYD is celebrating a significant production milestone by becoming one of the first electric vehicle manufacturer globally to produce one million electric passenger cars. The one-millionth car, the Han EV, rolled off the production line today at BYD's headquarters and manufacturing facility in Shenzhen, China.
BYD's pioneering work in the development of battery technology and new energy vehicle (NEV) manufacturing has led the new energy revolution in the global automotive industry since the company's emergence in 2003. In 2004, BYD unveiled its all-electric concept car, the ET, at the Beijing Auto Show, marking the premiere debut of an NEV model. This was followed in 2008 when the world's first mass-produced plug-in hybrid NEV – the F3DM – was officially unveiled. Then, in 2020, the BYD Han was launched with performance specs setting twelve records globally and nine in China. The BYD Han continues to be a top-selling model in the mid-to-large luxury sedan sector.
BYD had invited ten of its NEV customers to attend the ceremony, including the owners of the 100,000th and the one-millionth vehicles to join BYD as it celebrates its work in helping move towards a better, more sustainable future. In the central square of BYD's global headquarters, another eighty BYD car owners assembled their vehicles in a specially choreographed display forming the number '1,000,000' to help celebrate the milestone.
Alongside news of the production of its one-millionth passenger car line, BYD has also confirmed its entry into the European market with the first 100 pure-electric BYD Tang SUVs on their way to Norway. The northern European country has been selected to kick off BYD's journey towards a successful presence in the burgeoning NEVs market in Europe.
With Rolf Petter Almklov, Commercial Counsellor, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Beijing, alongside Wang Chuanfu, Chairman and President of BYD, the first batch of 100 Tang SUVs will be shipped at the end of May and delivered to local customers in Norway during the third quarter of this year. Also before the end of 2021, BYD plans to deliver a total of 1500 Tang SUVs to Norway, underlining a significant commitment from BYD to its new Scandinavian market and its European neighbours.
With decarbonisation high on the political agenda in Europe, BYD's entry into the passenger car market comes at an important time. The BYD Tang EV provides serious competition for the more established European brands, with its stylish design and new technologies providing a compelling proposition for new car buyers. Central to its technology credentials is the new space-saving Blade Battery, with performance figures including a class-leading range of up to 505km (NEDC) and acceleration from 0-100 km/h in 4.6-seconds from its 86.4 kWh capacity.
BYD describes its new business in Norway as the 'start of the European dream' with respect to its passenger car ambitions. A key differentiator for BYD is its commitment to bringing only pure-electric, 100% emissions-free cars to market – a strategy supported by BYD's electric bus product range and its leading position in eBus markets right across Europe.
BYD electric car
BYD han ev
BYD Tang
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Where Do I Get A Historical Essay Thesis Example?
As students advance in learning, things become a little more demanding. This is often witnessed in areas of writing, research and filing reports. Another area in which many students quite often face challenges is finding ideal reading materials. In this age, the glamour of college libraries is plummeting fast and furious. This is because with the advent of the internet, a new world defined by virtual libraries has been created. These days, students prefer to read soft copy books, term paper samples and news online. The culture of going to a bookshop to buy books if fast fading among many a generation determined to change with time. Well, there are number of learning areas students are required to partake on and one of them is historical studies.
Over the years, history has remained a subject of interest, thanks to its significance in a world where the past is always gold anyone want to treasure. History covers many areas and so, if you have been assigned thesis writing on the same, the floor is always open to explore yonder and come up with a title that is interesting and useful in terms of what will be written on it henceforth. However, when it gets difficult to figure out a good thesis essay topic for yourself on history, it is important to take a look at samples. The big question however is; where can you find ideal samples? Because pretty much has been written on history, finding examples is easy and in this post, we take a look at some areas from where you can always locate history paper samples to get started the right way, so read on for details.
When you have a history thesis at hand, sometimes getting to know much about the topic means you must read samples. This way, you could be lucky to find useful information which could be of necessity in expounding on the knowledge you are already endowed with from class. Well, you can always seek help from the librarian so that you can find the most ideal sample and save time for writing.
The internet has created a platform for e-libraries. It is therefore a place you can always visit whenever you are in need of history term paper samples. There are thousands of online libraries but make sure to use authentic sources only.


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Home> Health & Wellbeing >General Health & Wellbeing >Mayor calls for better deal for night workers
Mayor calls for better deal for night workers
THE MAYOR Sadiq Khan has called on employers to improve pay and working conditions for London's night-time workers as new world-leading research shines a light on the changing nature of the capital's thriving night life.
In a first for a global city, a comprehensive new study by City Hall and the Night Time Commission paints a detailed picture of London at night, the workers keeping the city moving, and how the capital's nocturnal habits are changing.
The landmark report reveals that 1.6m Londoners – a third of the capital's workers - usually work evenings and nights and that jobs in the night-time industries are growing faster than the wider economy.
However, more than half a million in occupations where they are likely to work at night, including more than half in the culture and leisure sector, are earning below the London Living Wage.
Those working at night are most likely to be male, aged 45-49 and living in inner London. The sectors employing the most employees at night are the health services, professional services and culture and leisure.
The findings show that two-thirds of Londoners are regularly active at night, including running errands and socialising and that there has been an increase in restaurants, cafes and takeaways open at night. However, the research also reveals that Londoners are drinking alcohol less regularly, and alcohol-related crime has fallen significantly in the last eight years.
The report lays bare the barriers preventing many people from making the most of London at night, with a third of Londoners saying activities are too expensive, while women, disabled people, and those on lower income feel less safe.
Overnight visitors to London spent £16.2bn in 2017. Four out of five visitors to the capital say culture and heritage is the main reason for their visit, and this research shows that going to restaurants is the most popular night-time experience for visitors, followed by sightseeing, going to pubs, the theatre and shopping.
With demand for night time activities and services expected to rise from Londoners and visitors, this valuable research will be used by the Night Time Commission and Night Czar Amy Lamé to help shape the Mayor's Vision for London as 24-hour city. The Mayor appointed a Night Time Commission to research what London is like between 6pm and 6am and provide recommendations on how London can become one of the world's most forward-thinking night-time cities.
Sadiq is committed to ensuring that London's night-time culture meets the needs of all Londoners, and has pledged to plan for life at night in the same way the city does for the day. His work has already included teaming up with local authorities and developers to help safeguard night-time economy and culture venues, including setting up a Night Time Borough Champions Network, chaired by his Night Czar. He also launched the Night Tube and Night Overground.
Earlier this year, Night Czar, Amy Lamé, and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Sophie Linden, called on organisations, businesses and councils to join the Mayor's Women's Night Safety Charter and help ensure women in the capital are safe at night. The charter sets out guidance for venues, operators, charities, councils and businesses to improve safety at night for women. This includes better training of staff, encouraging the reporting of harassment, and ensuring public spaces are safe.
The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said, "There's no doubt that the night-time economy is a key part of the success of our capital, but this world-leading research shows the hugely significant role it plays in the lives of Londoners and visitors. We live in the greatest city in the world, but as jobs and the demand for services at night grows, we have to make sure London is a city that works for all Londoners at all hours. We're working hard to create a life at night that meets the needs of everyone, but we need employers to step up and ensure the welfare of their employees by paying them the London Living Wage. Every Londoner is entitled to a to a decent standard of living – no matter what time of day or night they work."
Night czar Amy Lamé said, "London has long been renowned for its thriving life at night, but until now there has been little research about what Londoners and visitors specifically do at night. This report shows the reality of how many people work at night and what Londoners and visitors want from their free time. We're determined to make sure the capital works for everyone at night – whether you're working, shopping or going out – and we will use this report to deliver the Mayor's vision for London as a 24-hour city."
Kate Nicholls, chair of the Night Time Commission, said, "The late-night sector is a crucial component of the UK's hospitality industry and London's night life is world-renowned. The Mayor is determined to support late-night businesses and establish London as a truly 24-hour city. The Night Time Commission was established to support the Mayor's work and we both recognise the importance of a thriving night time economy in the capital. It is imperative that decisions to mould the city's night life are taken as a result of clear and robust research, and we are very pleased to publish the first London at Night report to enable this. The report is a first for a global city such as London and we are confident that it, and subsequent reports, will be used to promote a thriving and lively late-night industry."
Sam Gurney, TUC London, East and South East regional secretary, said, "Every night while we sleep, hundreds and thousands of workers are busy keeping London running. Whether it's security guards keeping watch or midwives looking after new mums and babies, we all depend on Britain's army of night workers. But night work takes its toll and can disrupt family life. So, we should show our appreciation for night workers by ensuring they are paid fairly and have good rights and protections at work."
This week is Living Wage Week and on Monday, Sadiq announced that the London Living Wage is increasing from £10.20 to £10.55 per hour. Sadiq is determined to make London a fairer and more equal city and that's why later this year he will be launching his Good Work Standard. The Good Work Standard will support employers in adopting best practice and achieving high standards in areas of such as workplace diversity, flexible working, health and well-being, skills development and ensuring employees' voices are heard at all levels of their organisations.
Spotlight placed on lone worker safety
Health board prosecuted after worker breaks back
The road to hell is paved with good intentions
£200k fine after employees trapped in machinery
Chef injured in restaurant gas explosion
Health and Safety Event postponed until 2021
First corporate manslaughter conviction
Employee's multiple fractures from lorry fall
Board fined after psychiatric patients died
Dust tight
SAFEContractor for 5th year
BSC welcomes proposals to slash legal costs in personal injury claims
Get some insight
Asbestos remains number one killer
Chemical exposure course goes more than skin deep
Getting workers involved in safety
Dual drug testing
On-site health screening
There's nothing funny about slips, trips and falls
Worker injured falling from stepladder


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Memories of the World Series -- and Great Car-Radio Drives
Sox Banner on Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley. Courtesy: Antonio Rossman.
(This very site seemed to have vanished on Nov. 6; at moments like that, one realizes how fragile all this geekiness is in the hands of innocents. Maybe it will re-appear on its own.)
Baseball has vanished to the other side of the moon, not to reappear til March. My greatest memory from the 2013 World Series goes beyond the joy of watching Ortiz and Lester and Pedroia and Uehara -- exuberant phenomena that even a non-Red Sox fan could love.
The best baseball note of October came from David Waldstein of The New York Times as he tried to outrun the ubiquitous KMOX on Tuesday night. He got south of Memphis, into Mississippi, and that landmark AM station was still going strong, outlasting the game itself. Here's the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/sports/baseball/trying-to-outrun-the-long-reach-of-cardinals-baseball.html?_r=0
The part I loved about Waldstein's article was that it celebrated the holy union between baseball and radio, as good as ever, late in its first century. What fan has not learned to love the sport from an hour or two in the car, listening to great chunks of a ball game, epic or mundane?
It's one of the great relationships in American life – the ball fan with the gabby play-by-play broadcaster and color commentator. I have great patience with John Sterling of the Yankees because he fills that job description – a character, living memory, part of the act.
I can recall some epic games in the car:
In 1946 my dad took a temporary job as a special-delivery mailman, driving around quiet corners of Queens. I'd feign illness in school, to go around with him, listening to the Brooklyn Dodgers, heading to the playoff loss to the Cardinals.
Driving alone from New York to Chicago, circa 1965, listening to KMOX clear as a bell, as Lou Brock manufactured a run for a 1-0 victory over the Phillies.
In 1991, my wife and I were driving to Florida during the seventh game of the World Series. As we hurtled south, we heard Jack Morris of the Twins pitching against John Smoltz. When the game went into the 10th inning, I would have been happy if it had gone 20 – we were pulling an all-nighter. When Gene Larkin won the game, 1-0, with a bases-loaded single, I felt desolate, just as I felt Wednesday night. The season was over.The link to that game:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/100
The car radio delivers amazing events. I remember driving before dawn from Nashville to eastern Kentucky, in 1971, listening to a New Orleans clear-channel station, I believe WWL, 870 on the dial, describing the final hours of Mardi Gras. I remember driving from the Detroit airport to Pontiac for a World Cup soccer match in 1994, listening to WFAN, 660 AM, for the madness in Madison Square Garden as fans watched the eerie O.J. Simpson drive along the freeway as it unfolded on TV. On drives on Long Island on Saturday night, I used to catch the Grand Ole Opry on WSM at 650 AM.
But nothing suits radio better than baseball. It is now officially Off Season. If you pick up any ball games from now until spring training, courtesy of sun spots or time warps or dark holes, please let me know.
Any great baseball car drives you can recall?
Alan D. Levine
One stands out, but it's not a good memory. Driving along Tyringham Road in the Berkshires on a beautiful August day in 2005 and turning on WFAN just in time to hear Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron collide in the outfield.
Would a baseball walk count?
From 1946-49 I used to take the Long Island Railroad from Rockville Centre to Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn. (ticket money earned caddying, setting pins in bowling alley, pulling crab grass and one "ten ticket" LIRR pass as a birthday present.). Walking down Nostrand Avenue, or occasionally catching a trolley car for a nickel, and then cutting west on unnamed streets, until the right field wall on Bedford Avenue loomed and getting in line at the ticket window which opened at noon and gathering dollars from friends in "The Section 8 Club" who had the luxury of coming late. (We took turns, but I was always early so...)
The windows were open in the row houses heading to Ebbets and on the way home, people were listening to the post game show while sitting out on "the stoop." or in occasional beach chairs,Schaeffer can in hand. The rebroadcasts of key hits, " 2-0 count,here comes the pitch, Snyder swings and it well hit heading toward the wall, Slaughter goes back, back....It's over the wall into Bedford Avenue and the Dodgers lead 4-2". I wish I could type Red Barber 's mellow tones, full of excitement but tempered with professional reserve, the way it was in the day.
Walking back, the sound of baseball everywhere, the echoing cheers, it was a simple joy, Dodger baseball and being a kid at the game was just about perfect.
Stereophonic radios. Too bad more people didn't go to the games. O'Malley would have had a harder time rationalizing the move. But you're right, baseball was a radio sport in those days -- and less air conditioning, so the sound carried. GV
GV, In 1955 and 1956 Ebbets Field attendance was second in the league, behind County stadium in Milwaukee- about 1.2 million
In 1957 attendance, still over 1 million dropped to fifth, but I believe plans to move to the West coast were becoming known.
In 56 and 57 the Giants in the Polo Ground drew about 620,000 and 650,000. So It looks like Horace Stoneham may have been whispering in Walter O'Malley's ear. A CURSE ON BOTH.
(attendance in LA about 2 million.). Grumble.
Ed--There was a 10 year period when the Dodgers were either 1st, 2nd or 3rd in major league attendance. Considering their 32,000 capacity and that most were daytime games during the period, it shows the loyalty of the fans.
Fathers' Day 1964. Stuck in traffic on the way to New Rochelle to take my grandpa out to dinner. A guy in the car next to us is gesticulating madly to my Dad who rolled down his window to hear the guy yell, "JIM BUNNING JUST PITCHED A PERFECT GAME!" And we missed it. Forgot to even turn on the radio.
Tony Rossmann link
East Asian Navy duty, last year in Japan, 1967-68. Dialed into the 1967 World Series via Armed Forces Radio (Far East Network) at 0200 on game days in Boston. I can still remember being up at appx 0430 in game seven, when Stanford's and Sox' great Jim Lonborg could not pull off a third victory. The Sox were behind from the beginning, and even across 8000 miles of short wave static, there in my Tokyo house one could have heard a pin drop in Fenway.
Craig Oren
But AM radio -- where almost all baseball is broadcast -- has been in decline for decades. There is a New York Times story today on efforts to bring it back. I too have great radio memories, although I am far younger than most of you; I remember listening to Mel Allen, Phil Rizzuto (he was good then) and Red Barber call Yankee games.
Craig, thanks for calling my attention to the AM article. Didn't realize the situation was so Sirius.
I can't address the economics and sociology of car radios, but one problem with AM radio is the digital dial. You used to be able to finesse the selector -- finding a Red Sox or Oriole game in NY at night -- by teasing the dial. Now there is no wiggle room.
Thanks for your sage comments.
Charlie Accetta
This drive happened during a baseball season, but there was no baseball to be found. I was caught mid-flight on 9/11 on the way to California (by way of Phoenix, thank you Southwest) when we were forced to land in St.Louis. We were unaware of the events until they were over, but spared the immediate trauma we were still victims of circumstance, stuck in a purgatorial holding cell and waiting for the national shock to wear off. After three days of hoping for a resumption of flight service, I rented a car at the airport and headed north to Route 80 and then east toward home. I relied on NPR that day, jiggling the dial as I passed from one broadcast zone into another. I would have given anything to have heard a baseball game ... I'd even have put up with Sterling, if it came down to it. Still, the NPR broadcast threw out a small, consistent beacon of normalcy in an otherwise abnormal moment in our time. I'm thankful for that.
Charlie, great point. The NPR stations are often synchronized, easily findable. My wife and I were driving north on Dec. 2, 1990, when Aaron Copland passed. Through coastal Georgia and South Carolina, we were able to enjoy Appalachian Spring and Fanfare for the Common Man, plus his biography and interviews and critiques. I think of that when the lunkheads in Congress talk about NPR as the devil that needs to be defunded. In their own red states, there is a web of culture and knowledge, operating because people in those regions want it, need it. Fanfare for the Common Man, indeed.
So it's not just baseball....GV
Peggy and I drive to and from Florida to Canada and return each summer and have the joy of NPR virtually all the way. In our early days we drove between NYC and Tuscaloosa, Ala. On the weekends NBC had a program called Monitor, what would be called today a magazine format, I believe. It was NPR before NPR and Bob and Ray had hilarious segments that are unforgettable, spoofing sports reporters among others. Tuscaloosa was a radio wasteland in the 50s and early 60s and I would cries the clear channel stations looking for jazz, baseball, conversation, etc. WHO from DesMoines was an eye-opener they broadcast a long list of High school girls basketball scores-- Ottuma 37- Waterloo 26. Girls basketball in the dark ages! WWL in N.O. Had jazz after midnight, "Moon Glow with Martin (sending and receiving.). KMOX brought Cardinal games sometimes, Crossley fro Cincinnati (forget call letters) and WGN from Chicago also were intermittent and sometimes KDKA from Pgh.
All you didn't want to know and didnt ask. Ciao.
And let's not forget WHO in Marshalltown, Iowa.
http://www.iowahistoryjournal.com/featured_articles16.html
And I first heard country music in upstate NY in the summers over WWVA, straight through the mountains...GV
You had me there for awhile GV. I found no info on the link,connecting Marshalltown to WHO, but thanks to Wikipedia I found Adrian "Cap" Anson, Hall of Fame Baseball Player, from a time even before my time.
While wistfully remembering 50K watts of clear channel, here is Altenir, coming by ethernet from Brazil.
I think of my Dad, born 1902 in NYC, telling how he would scale his cap under new-fangled automobiles and shout, "Get a horse!. He lived to see a man on the moon, among other things and from a crystal radio to color tv,and computers-- all in one lifetime.
Great stuff on baseball and radio, but the real message that I get from the many interesting posts is the beauty of radio and its impact on society over the years since its inception.
I was born in Manhattan in 1935 and cannot remember not listening to radio. Although I enjoy most of today's electronic toys and the various Medias made accessible by them, nothing has replaced radio as #1 for me. I consider the recorded books that I listen to in the car as a form of radio as it is the spoken word that I enjoy and all the imagination that it triggers.
Baseball aside, I believe that some of my radio memories might resonate with many of you.
I was three years old on Halloween eve, October 30, 1938 when Orson Wells Mercury Theater group did an adaptation of a science fiction novel written 40 years earlier: The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells. I did not quite know what was happening, but I was scared because my older sister was.
The hoax worked, historians say, because the broadcast authentically simulated how radio worked in an emergency.
"Audiences heard their regularly scheduled broadcast interrupted by breaking news," said Michele Hilmes, a communications professor at University of Wisconsin in Madison and author of Radio Voices: American Broadcasting, 1922-1952. Stations then cut to a live reporter on the scene of the invasion in New Jersey. "By the end of the first half of the program, the radio studios themselves were under attack," Hilmes said.
I listened with my parents to FDR's fireside chats during WWII. Although I did not understand many of the earlier ones, I remember feeling comforted by his voice. Several recent books about the period between 1939-1941 and the path to US involvement referred to the effect of these chats.
Some of the important blocks of radio time in the mid-1940's were the fifteen minute daily serials between 4:45 and 6:00 PM and the Saturday and Sunday evening lineups.
During the week, everyone my age in the neighborhood would rush home to listen Captain Midnight (secret decoder ring), Tom mix, the Lone Ranger, etc. I believe that neighborhood crime increased when these programs went off the air.
Saturday night had FBI in Peace and War, the Hit Parade; but my two favorites were "Can You Top This?" with Harry Hirshfield, Senator Ford, Joe Laurie, Jr, Mory Amsterdam with host Peter Donald and "The Grand Old Opry".
Peter would read a joke submitted from the audience and the others had to top it on a laugh meter. I think that my life-long attempt to see humor in things started here.
I only listened to the Opry because it was between two shows that I liked, but it grew on me. Later, I started to listen to folk music.
The Sunday line up included, The Shadow, Fibber McGee and Molly with his famous closet, Fred Allen followed by Jack Benny.
I was finally hooked on country music in college. I was studying engineering at Lehigh University for five years in the 1950's, but it was only for a BS and MS in Metallurgical Engineering, which falls short of Lee Lowenfish's MS and PhD in history from Wisconsin. Today I'm more involved with history than engineering.
I always studied, and later worked, with radio as a background. The local stations in Bethlehem, PA went off early and WWWV from Wheeling, WV and WCKY from Cincinnati were the only stations I could get after midnight, both country music. The cold weather atmospheric conditions that several people commented on were called "skipping". I was hooked on country music and the culture of Appalachia.
later,someone described how Cajun music developed. Many Irish and Scots arriving in Philadelphia in the American Colonial period settled into the hills of Appalachia and remained isolated, which preserved their culture. Later, with the westward development of our country, the path continued on to New Orleans.
One cannot say enough about the positive, and enjoyable, impact of NPR. I suspect that most of the people who want to defund it have never listened in.
My son and I, when he was in high school and college, always listened to Jonathan Schwartz. Of all his gems, my favorite was during the NYC discussion about funding bullet-proof vests for the police department. The issue was that the city did not have the money. Jonathan suggested that the police would be safe from bullets if they put the Sunday Times under their shirts as everyone knew how long it took to get through the Times.
I loved the Henry Morgan show, but he came on at 7:30 which was after my bedtime. I listened under the covers and had to stifle my laughs, which was not easy.
He was the first to mock his sponsors, which created problems for him. Adler Shoes pulled their ads when Henry told listeners to go to the stores and say that "Old Man Adler" sent you. However, the ads were back after people actually did that.
He also ruffled the feathers at Gillette when he d
Edwin W Martin Jr
Hi Alan, Just catching up on your last post. We listened to just about the same shows. There was one centered around three characters, Jack, Doc and Reggie. It might have been called, "I Love a Mystery." It kind of set me back a bit when I heard the same three actors on "One Man's Family" a family oriented soap--they played the three Barber brothers.
Later Bob and Ray made merciless fun of that show, "One Fella's Family." One line sticks in my memory. Henry, father Barber is always ruminating on something with Hm Hms. As Bob and Ray wrote it, Fannie, Mrs. Barber says in reply, "Oh Henry, you are such a collossal bore."
Final note, got a radio for Christmas when I was 12 and never missed a night listening to it. Mostly sports after the serials.
Monday night fights from the St. Nicholas Arena, virtually every college basketball game, none were to minor, The Millrose Games from Madison Square Garden and the Wanamaker Mile. Hockey, Pro Basketball, Championship fights, never a quiet night. For you young guys, "Ya Shoulda been there."
Cincinnati's WLW brought Clara Kappelhoff (Doris Day) to the air.
When I lived in Louisville, I listened to young Al Michaels calling Reds' games and a terrific DJ named Jim LaBarbara. The Reds could be heard all over Appalachia via local stations. GV
Altenir Silva
Game 1 - 2011 - postseason - Yankees won Detroit (9-3). I was driving my car in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). Hearing the game in my iPhone on the app of MLB.
I don't understand Woody Allen. He said that filming in Europe is marvelous, but the worst thing is that he loses the games. He needs know about the app of MLB.
Regards - Altenir (from Brazil)
Altenir: keep driving with two hands!
It's true. We are all connected.
My friend (since junior high school!) John Vinocur, a great voice of the International Herald Tribune, told me about getting up at dawn in Paris and somehow getting Vin Scully doing Dodger night games in LA.
I think that John Henry should invest in a musical of Broadway and sell David Ortiz for the Yankees. The curse of Big Papi would be wonderful for us.
Best - Altenir
George's mention of Vin Scully got me recalling a few things. My memory's not the greatest, but 60 years later I can still remember his exact words as the Dodger game came on: "It's time for Brooklyn Dodger baseball! Brought to you by the F & M Schaefer Brewing Company, makers of Schaefer – it's REAL beer; and the American Tobacco Company, makers of Lucky Strike – remember, LSMFT: Lucky Strike means fine tobacco!"
Later, as Snider walked from the on deck circle to the batter's box: "And here comes the Duke!"
And then Scully's home run call, when the Duke would hit one out: "There's a long driver, to deep right field . . . . it's high, it's deep . . . . forget it, it's gone!"
It doesn't get any better than this: Scully calling the ninth inning of Sandy Koufax's perfect game in 1965: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uozLFsEPu8
I caught Scully while driving around LA two years ago. Still the best. Couldn't get the Beach Boys on the car radio, however.
Lee Lowenfish link
From 1963 to 1968 I spent five years in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Somehow in those days of my yout' as Casey Stengel would say it, I'd drive the 1000 miles from NYC in one stretch, baseball broadcasts being my steady companion. Harry Caray and Jack Buck on KMOX may not have liked each other off the air but they were a precise delight to listen to, talking about bad positioning on defense and then bingo! a triple over a center fielder playing too shallow. That's one clear memory I have.
Back in NYC in 1969 I was entering the Lincoln Tunnel on my way to a party in New Jersey with the Mets trailing the Braves in the first-ever
NLCS. When I came out in NJ JC Martin had cleared the bases and the Mets were on their way to a sweep.
It must have 1970 when I was driving somewhere when the Pirate announcers on KDKA announced a pitching change - Lamb replaced Veale in the 6th inning. Moose was also available but not that day.
Great memories. Today as the games drone on past midnight I find myself listening to the end in bed on the radio. The announcers have lost color because they are constant shills for ads - Geico's 15 out
plug, a glaring example - but radio still stokes the imagination in ways that TV never can.
Lee, five years in grad school? I' m impressed. But it was Madison -- a great place to be in those days (or any days).
I hate it when I am committed to listening to a radio game and the broadcaster pushes a sponsor in between pitches. Then again, look what the teams bombard you with at the ball parks.
Lee--great to hear from you. It has been a while since Josh interned at WBAI and got me on to your sports program. He had given me a cassette of your interview with Kevin Kerrane discussing his book, "Dollar Sign on the Muscle: The World of Baseball Scouting" as well as the book. An interesting read. I asked a scout at a Pittsfield met's game if he had read the book. He said that it was quick accurate.
I can relate to the 1000 mile trip as I drove some things to my daughter when she settled into madison 18 years ago.
Everything said in this topic about the joys of radio is "right on". I've been listening to baseball since 1940. Some of the early broadcasts were an announcer simulating the game by reading from a ticker tape. Often, the final score would be announced before the the entire game had been play-by-played.
I think that listening on radio is similar to reading a book, which is always better than the movie, as one's imagination adds all the needed color.
If a tuned in late to a Knick basketball game in the 1970's, I could usually tell my Marv Albert's voice who was winning and whether the Knicks were rallying. I caught his call of the NBA championship game in which Willis Reed started although he was injured. He played a few minutes, but it was enough to rally the team. Reed's brief performance sounded thrilling.
When i watched a lot of baseball, I sometimes turned down the TV volume and heard a better game on the radio.
alan - wonderful to hear from you. Please give my best to Josh.
Think of you whenever I pass Bway and 98th Street which is often. Did you know I wrote a bio of Branch Rickey that is still available? And also that Kerrane's book on scouting is being reissued with new material this month. Cheers from Lee
Lee's book, "Branch Rickey" is a great read. "Dollar Sign on the Muscle: The World of Baseball Scouting" by Kevin Kerrane complements it well since it covers Rickey's farm systems and his harsh treatment of minor league prospects.
WWL. Thanks for the memory jolt. Good old Clara, I remember her. Didn't she own the club at one time-- no that was Marge.
Gene Palumbo rang the bell for me. George, not to pick a fight or anything, but I am reminded that when jazz,swing, drummer was rushed to the hospital, the Admitting doctor asked him if he was allergic to anything? Country music, he replied.
I just went back and listened to Scully calling that last half inning of Koufax's perfect game. As the last batter came to the plate, I was reminded of another of Scully's signature phrases: "Smith has his foot in the door, and Koufax is trying to close it."
Bill Wakefield
George - My childhood buddies from KC have fond radio/baseball memories. I've enclosed their KC Blues thoughts.
II like Larry Ray too, but one fond memory is that of listening to Harry Carey broadcast a Cards/Mets game with one William Wakefield pitching. Knowing your pal is a major leaguer is one thing, but hearing him on radio through the voice of the inimitable Harry is quite another.
More KC radio
Interesting that there is something so perfect about the combination of baseball and radio. No other sport seems to work so well with the radio medium.
Perhaps something to do with the leisurely pace of the game, and the fact that radio -- better than TV & certainly better than the internet -- works so well as a background device. You can have a baseball game droning on like white noise until something happens, when you can pay attention and then return to whatever you were doing. Dozing probably.
Unfortunately, the Rockies broadcasters have whiney edges to their voices, and don't blend very well into the background. Of course, that's the least of the Rockies problems.
I was a little kid when I started listening to Larry Ray (1949 or 1950) and believed that he travelled with the team. I don't remember who burst that bubble, it could have been a wise guy on the Border Star playground, but it changed my life forever. For more than 50 years I have questioned all broadcast and print reports. "Edward Murrow, London" or "Irving R. Levine, Moscow." You betcha. Just cup one hand over your mouth, gently squeeze your nostrils, say "Irving R. Levine, NBC News, Moscow," and become an instant foreign correspondent.
From a 1990 article by Howard Rosenberg in the L.A. Times:
These wire accounts offered only the bare minimum and lacked frills. However, Ray used his imagination to embellish and pump so much life into them ("And as Bob Cerv crosses home plate, he's grinning from ear to ear") that I had no idea he wasn't actually in Columbus or Indianapolis or Minneapolis, seeing what he was describing.
Occasionally, Ray would report something from the wire that a few seconds later he'd discover to be a mistake, such as a pop out incorrectly called a home run. However, he'd backtrack so masterfully ("Hold it. Instead of going out of the park, that ball is caught by the third baseman") that the original misstatement hardly seemed relevant.
There was something else that was distinctive about Ray. Seemingly no matter where a ball was hit to the outfield, he always found a way to describe it in proximity to a certain sign that was part of the outfield fence ("It landed in left center field, about 30 feet from the Cook Paint sign that says, 'Best for wear and weather!' ").
>>Interesting that there is something so perfect about the combination of baseball and radio. No other sport seems to work so well with the radio medium.
I think so too. Part of the reason is the requirement to use one's imagination. I had to imagine the Mud Hens park or the towering fly that sent Bob Cerv to the fence. Works that way for radio drama. I know what 79 Wistful Vista looks like.
Bill, nothing like home-town broadcasters on the radio. Bob Murphy almost had the listener shocked that the Mets ever lost a game. But late in his career, after the Phillies, I think, staged a huge rally, he ended up his recap with, "Aw, t'hell with it." He thought he was gone, but everybody agreed, it was charming.
Don Wiederecht
I started to understand how great car radios were when I was 17. My family and I had just attended a Nets-Warriors exhibition game at Nassau Coliseum in October 1975. They were my favorite ABA and NBA teams.
That year no AM stations in New York carried the World Series Cincinnati versus Boston. It was on an FM station that year. We just had an AM radio in our car. I thought there is no way we can hear on our drive back to Westchester. We searched up and down the dial until we found WTIC 1080 from Hartford, the pulse of New England. I got to hear Curt Gowdy and Dick Stockton call a great game during that 40 mile trip home.
great memory. 6th game?
Jonathan Schwartz, the great DJ and singer and writer, used to get in his car and park on a hill near Columbia Univ. to get Red Sox games, late 60's, early 70s.
G.V- I remembered that the game was in Cincinnati and Tiant pitched. I looked it up and it was Game 4. That was a memorable World Series. Jonathan Schwartz is still my favorite dj because he would talk about baseball on his show. I am glad he is still on the air.
Did you see the great Remnick profile of Jonathan in last week's New Yorker? GV
After reading David Remnick, I agree with Remnick, in this age of large corporations running radio stations, I am glad to know that Jonathon Schwartz is doing his own show without interference. G.V. that was a great article.
Peggy Martin chips in. She worked on 27th street and 7th Ave. And as she walked up toward Penn Station she sway crowds of people almost pressing up against store windows. Distinguished men in blue suits, bicycle messengers, working women, homeless people all staring at flickering tv sets broadcasting the Mets-Houston 16 inning playoff game. Lots of people got home late that night.
One of the most desperate games the Mets ever played. They would get Mike Scott the next day.
Keith Hernandez threatened Orosco on the mound that he would punch out his lights if he threw the wrong pitch. Must have been nuts to follow as a fan. I was there....GV
George, what a great idea you had on this string. Vecsey on line may be the best thing since baseball and radio. The Mets-Houston game reminded me of a visit John McMullen, Nets and Houston owner made to the Henry Viscardi School on Long Island, a non-profit, tuition-free school for children with physical disabilities. As I showed him around we came upon a youngster using a wheel chair and Mr Mc Mullen asked him if he liked baseball. The youngster immediately said yes and McMullen told him his favorite player was Mike Scott. The lad's expression darkened and he replied, "He's a scuffer!".
John McMullen was a good guy. Heart on his sleeve.
Scott was a scuffer. The Mets were in mortal fear of Game Seven. Carter and Hernandez admitted it after the game.
Must have been a great radio game.
Thanks for the nice words. This is fun, to hear from people who care about some of the stuff I do.
Back to the book.
ÊÁÔÁÓÊÅÕÇ E-SHOP WOOCOMMERCE link
It's an awesome post. i reading this article and understood this words. I really like this article. Thanks for sharing.


Opera Riparata (Fixed Opera) is a tribute to Bruno Munari and to his Broken Opera (created with Davide Mosconi).
Starting from the original text written in 1989 by Munari and Mosconi, the musician Økapi and the visual artist More*Tv*V de-structure and re-compose 40 famous Operas, following the contemporary framework of digital remix (cutting, breaking down, juxtaposing and overlapping).
While Munari and Mosconi's monumental game/engine forecasted several performers and the whole scenic equipment, the Fixed Opera re-handles the same elements of the Opera language using only digital audio and visual instruments.
The possibility of digitalizing amongst every kind of cultural product, and the easiness of their retrieval turns that "availability of the whole music history" described in the original project into something which today is more real than ever, and brings Munari's words into a new level, more prophetic than visionary as well. The Fixed Opera implies two different parts: studio session and live performance. In the first step, Økapi and More*Tv*V work on parallel paths mashing up the 40 Operas in short audio/visual portions of 1'11" time length each. The strictness of the writing mode is controverted in the latter part, when these rational and individual means meet, crash and melt, following the logic and the spontaneity of contemporary improv modules.
Just like in a child's play, the Fixed Opera, though following strict principles and methods of academic composition, at the same time thrives on keeping itself close to the aim of staying free from ties and rules. It therefore suggests curiosity as a way of knowledge and creation but also as a transgression from primary forms to reach an unexpected result.
A genre-crossing journey into virtuoso turntablism with Okapi, aka Italian cutup artist Filippo Paolini, who has previously released work as one half of duo Metaxu and one third of trio Dogon, collaborating along the way with that elder statesman of the turntable, Christian Marclay. These sample-hopping narratives have a strongly humourous streak running through them, inevitably inviting Negativland comparisons, yet the music here tends to be less of a blur, instead forming beautifully produced fragmentary tracts that incorporate snatches of playful abstract electronics, old easy listening records and passages of dialogue. The overall effect is an absorbing musical narrative that's full of wit and sleight of hand.
More*Tv*V [deadalive]: It is a collective of live performers [vjset] created in Rome in 2005. Being lovers of indie-arthouse cinema, they found a new way to show videos and extracts of films that not many people did go to watch at screenings organized by them as well.
Re-editing original materials and filters corrected ones, they sync with the music beats a video stream composed by cinema classic spanning from the mute period to contemporary filmmakers.
Although the music beat is always fast paced, around 180bpm, the visual stream partly follows the speed. There's no research for synchronicity, but instead more for empathy. The frames try to be representative of emotions and/or moods created by the soundwaves and by the attending crowd.


i have one.............why do you have so many staff positions available. an overwhelming staff could scare new members away.
i mean if everyone has mod powers except for 2 people on your site, it will end very poorly.


This corn dip recipe is perfect for all parties. Just throw all of the ingredients together! Its a great last minute appetizer and can be served hot or cold.
I'm sharing an insanely delicious, easy to make dip recipe today. It's a corn dip that can be served hot or cold – sounds perfect right?
Appetizers and dip recipes have been my favorite forever. Especially if they are easy to make. Some of my current favorites – layered taco dip, no-cook corn and black bean salsa, and tomato queso. And about 15 more, but who's counting?
If it's perfect for a party, it's perfect for me.
This corn dip recipe is so easy that its joined my list of favorite dips and I think it will join yours too!
This recipe mixes sour cream and mayo with corn and cheese. Two types of cheese in fact.
Cotija cheese can be hard to find if you're not near a major grocery store. If you can't find it, no worries. Substitute crumbled feta cheese instead. Make sure it's an unflavored feta because there is enough flavor in the dip on its own.
If you want more spice, add more jalapeños or leave the seeds in. I usually garnish with an additional jalapeño instead of mixing it in the dip; your guests can grab some of the jalapeños if they want more heat.
For all of you cilantro haters out there – just leave it out if you're not a fan. Or substitute parsley!
Can I serve this corn dip hot?
If you want to serve this hot, grab a small crockpot and heat it on low for 2-3 hours. You can also cook it in a pan. If I went this route, I would add everything except the shredded cheese until the end.
Then I would put the dip in the oven with the cheese on top. Just thinking about that stretchy cheese makes me hungry!!
Can I serve this corn dip cold?
Yes! Just chill the dip first and keep it in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
You can absolutely make corn dip ahead of time. I recommend chilling it for a few hours prior to serving – you could make it 2-3 days in advance if you need more time.
The longer it chills, the more blue cheese flavor!
This corn dip recipe is perfect for all parties. Just throw all of the ingredients together! It's a great last minute appetizer and can be served hot or cold with tortilla chips.
Add all ingredients to a large bowl and mix well. Cover and chill for 2 hours before serving. Serve with tortilla chips.


Headlands Social Club in Hartlepool has a function room that can be booked. The pub has a dart board, it has live music events. Headlands Social Club has a pool table. The pub holds quiz nights, it shows football on TV. Headlands Social Club has terrestrial TV.


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text:
Q: What's the best strategy to keep the chaos low? I know that having a high chaos would cause the game to be more difficult. So I'm wondering how could I keep it low and avoid killing methods that would raise the chaos.

A: From a Bethesda forums post by Gstaff, a Community Manager at Bethesda Softworks:
How does the Chaos system work? How do I raise or lower the Chaos level that is displayed on the end mission stats screen?

*

*Chaos is a value that is adjusted according to the actions of your character during gameplay. This system is a hidden mechanic and you will only see the Chaos rating displayed during the 'end mission' Stats screen.

*Weepers do count for detection. They do raise the Chaos level if they are killed.

*Kills by Rewired traps will contribute to your kill amounts and Chaos; that's Watchtowers, Arc Pylons, and Wall of Lights.

*Rats, Hagfish and River Krust do not raise Chaos if killed. They also do not count towards detection of your character.

*Wolfhound kills do not count towards Chaos, but they can detect your character and will count towards that. They can also discover bodies, as well as their corpse will count towards "bodies found".

*Your character's Chaos level will change the story outcome and lead to other various differences throughout gameplay, such as more enemy characters, more rats, or different scenes/environment items and conversations.

*Basic rule is killing less than 20% of the characters in a Mission should allow the Low Chaos rating to be sustained.

How do I lower the Chaos rating?

*

*The best method for regaining a Low Chaos rating is to not kill enemy characters and take stealth routes to avoid combat when playing through a mission.

*There are scenarios where performing a good deed will drop the Chaos rating by a small amount (Example: saving a character that is in distress).

*Following "Non-lethal" objectives will decrease chaos by a significant amount when the mission is completed.

I'm getting stats for bodies being found or killed when I've rendered NPCs unconscious, why?

*

*Not hiding bodies well enough after choking them out or sleep darting them can sometimes lead to other characters finding them.

*Unconscious characters won't survive a fall from a great height, or a slip into the water which will also result in a kill towards your character stats

Situations that could lead to an NPC being killed inadvertently:

*

*Sleep Darting or Choking out an NPC and having them hit an object when falling, causing death

*Sleep Darting or Choking out an NPC near a ledge and having them fall to cause death

*Sleep Darting or Choking out an NPC and having them fall into water will cause drowning death

*Sleep Darting or Choking an NPC and allowing them to fall down a long flight of stairs will sometimes cause them to die (possible with the stairs in the Overseer building)

*Placing an unconscious NPC in water, or even near shallow puddles, can cause drowning death

*Placing an unconscious body on un-even terrain near water can sometimes lead to the NPC slowly moving and falling into water, which would count as an NPC kill (in Prison Sewers for example)

*Rendering an NPC unconscious near a damage source (such as a fireplace or lit grill) may cause the NPC to take damage and die

*Leaving an unconscious NPC in the middle of the street or alley, where rats have access to the body, can result in clean-up which will count as a kill for the player

*Accidentally casting Devouring Swarm near an unconscious NPC could cause the rats to clean up the body, counting as a NPC kill

*Accidentally casting Windblast near an unconscious NPC could cause damage leading to NPC death

*Having a Grenade, Springrazor or Whale Oil Battery explode near an unconscious NPC could cause splash damage resulting in NPC death

*Throwing an unconscious NPC into a Wall of Light, or near and Arc Pylon would incinerate the NPC and count as a kill

*Leaving unconscious NPCs in the area around the large door on which the player places the explosive device in Prison will cause the NPCs to die when the device goes off. This includes in and around the nearby dumpster and behind the consoles and gate switch across from the door on the upper level.

*Rendering an enemy unconscious while fighting a nearby Tallboy can cause the Tallboy to stomp at the player, essentially killing the nearby unconscious NPC in the process

*Rendering an enemy unconscious and having another enemy throw a projectile (such as fire bottle or grenade) at the player, can kill the nearby unconscious NPC

*Leaving an NPC unconscious in the Brothel Steam room may cause "bite" damage due to hagfish in the center pool, killing the NPC

To prevent rats from eating an unconscious body (including unconscious Weepers, which are also vulnerable to rats), see the answers to this question: How do I prevent rats from eating a corpse that I left unattended? Also, is this a bad thing?

A: I believe all killing methods result in increased chaos.  Since there are apparently non-lethal methods for disposing of your main targets, this might include them.  Note that if you use non-lethal methods to dispose of guards and the like, rat swarms can still devour bodies and this might count towards increasing chaos (or missing achievements).  There are "safe" places to dispose of bodies (like garbage containers).  Elevated surfaces can also be safe, but if a body is not in a garbage bin there is a chance it will show up as "found" at the end of a mission (as near as I can tell).  Generally I think sticking bodies on tables in isolated rooms is safe.
Also, see this PCGamer article.  Highlights:

*

*If you get a high chaos rating it can be brought down but it can take a few missions.

*Bethesda says that if you maintain a <=20% kill ratio you should stay in low chaos.

*Most creatures don't count towards the chaos total but Weepers do.

*Re-wired trap kills and dumping unconscious bodies into water or dropping them from a great height count.

A: This is very hacky, but by default the game has a soft limit of 5 and a hard limit of 10 corpses in one area, so if you have a bunch of unconscious people heaped in a floppy pile and approach them with another slung over your shoulder, there's a good chance one or two will disappear out of respect for framerate.
N.B. If you love the ten-snoring-guys-overflowing-from-a-toilet-stall vibe, you can adjust the settings:
m_CorpseAbsoluteMaximumCount=100 (default 10) and
m_CorpseIdealMaximumCount=50 (default 5)
in the config file DishonoredAI.ini located at (on Windows 7):
%USERPROFILE%\My Documents\My Games\Dishonored\DishonoredGame\Config
or
C:\Users\username\Documents\My Games\Dishonored\DishonoredGame\Config
The settings are under the [DishonoredGame.DishonoredGlobalAIManager] heading.

A: As stated earlier all killing methods increase the general chaos of the city. Some good tips for keeping the chaos low are: always have a full quiver of sleep darts with the combat upgrade, as they allow just knock out a guard instead of killing them and stops them from alerting others.
Also max out your blink and bend time skill because combining the two
will allow you to quickly remove yourself from any violent situation.
A third helpful bit would be upgrading your boots as it allows you to walk quieter.
Finally you can find the strong arms bone charm, which allows you to choke enemies much faster. However the problem is that bone charms are randomized. I have not been able to find if they are randomized from when you start a playthrough or just at the beginning of each mission. If it is each mission simply save before right before you end the previous one and then rush through the next grabbing bone charms and restarting until you get it. If it is from the beginning of your playthrough then you just need to hope to get lucky. Hope this helps :)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


In this post, we'll show you exactly how to conduct a branded search audit, identify failing results, and implement improvements. This audit is one that we perform for our clients at Stella Rising. Now you can do the same for your clients or website.
The first part of the audit is about setting the stage. Do you know what ratio of your traffic is the result of non-brand queries vs. brand queries? You should. In this section of the audit, you'll set the stage to discuss the importance of what you identify.
Why are branded queries so important?
Branded queries are among the most important keywords you can optimize as they represent a brand-aware audience that is more likely to convert. In fact, many of the people searching for your brand are already customers looking for information or looking to purchase again.
Unlike most things in SEO, Google wants you to rank well for your own brand terms. Whenever we see branded searches that are failing users, it's usually easy to fix. Often, it's as simple as creating a new page or changing a meta tag. Other times it can be more challenging, such as when brands have significant PR and/or brand reputation issues. That said, in most cases, branded search queries are among the easiest to rank for. Don't overlook them.
While the search volume of a domain name is not a confirmed ranking factor, Google does hold a patent that may indicate the more searches a brand receives, the more likely that brand is to to be seen as high quality by Google. This, in turn, may help them to rank for associated non-brand terms. What does that mean? Essentially, if tens of thousands of people search your brand name + couch, you may be more likely to rank for "sofas." A number of 2014 Wayfair commercials brilliantly capitalized on this opportunity. The commercials literally told people to Google "Wayfair my sofa" or "Wayfair my kitchen," thus tying signals around their entity to other non-brand entities.
Branded searches can also impact autocomplete which in turn can impact more branded searches, feeding into the connection described above. When users click one of these autocompleted search suggestions, they execute a "branded search," which then signals to Google that the entities are related. For example, "Amazon, Ralph Lauren or Macy's" with "Men's shirts".
In part one of this audit, you will provide branded search landscape insights. Like any good show, you need to set the stage for the information you are about to present. This will help to win buy-in, prioritize your efforts, and keep you strategically on track.
What is your ratio of branded search?
*Advanced Tip: The above instructions only account for your brand name, not product names that are proprietary to your brand. Consider using the API to pull down your GSC report and do filtering for those as well.
You'll then see the total number of branded clicks and impressions your site receives.
Now change your filter to "Queries not containing," this will give you roughly the number of non-branded clicks the website has received from Google search.
Take this data and bring it into Excel. From there, create a pie chart to visually demonstrate the ratio of branded to non-branded clicks the website receives.
What are the top branded queries driving traffic?
The next and perhaps one of the most critical questions for this analysis is, "What are the top branded queries?" Understanding this is important because the next step in this audit is to manually search each of the top ten (or more) queries. Then you will understand which queries will better serve users.
While this analysis is simple, we found that creating a simple visual with the data makes for a better story in your presentation. To do this, download the data by clicking the down arrow at the top of the queries table.
Once you have the data in Excel, you can create a cool visual using the 2D bar chart graph.
What are the top pages receiving branded clicks?
Similar to the above analysis, you will need to download the top pages from the "pages" tab in your performance report.
Where do branded searches come from?
For some brands, it is worth considering where branded searches come from geographically. To find this information, set your filter to include brand queries and then click the "countries" tab in the Google Search Console.
Now we could just put that image into a report, but what fun would that be? Instead, download the data and bring it into Excel to create a visual.
You can do this a number of ways, but we recommend either using a map or a tree-map which generates a cool way of looking at the data. A pie chart would do but is not as visually appealing. Open Excel and highlight the data you downloaded. Click "Insert", then click either on "Maps" or the second box for a treemap.
How has branded search trended over time?
The last and perhaps the most essential question outside of which queries get clicks is, "how has branded search trended over time?" This trend is a hugely important question for any brand that has or is currently investing in brand building efforts, media, PR, or even non-branded paid search campaigns.
During this section of the audit, we have seen brands that previously invested millions in traditional print flatten out for years. Alternatively, we've also seen DTC brand's growth hit a wall. Knowing where brand interest stands is a data point that is vital to all brands and their performance marketing strategies. Whether you are conducting a branded search audit or not, tracking the branded search volume is something that should be on the KPI list for marketers across a multitude of disciplines.
Do you have any brand image issues?
Sorry, no SEO magic here. If your brand, founder or employee made headlines (and not the good ones you send to mom) your only strategy is to do your best to rectify the situation.
Take, for example, a brand we came across which was at one point dealing with first page Google results full of nasty headlines. The headings covered how the center had allegedly abandoned more than 40 research animals on an island.
In fact, that's exactly what they did. As a result, the negative stories were replaced over time with positive ones about how the center reached an agreement to find a sanctuary for the animals. The first page of results for their brand name is now squeaky clean. The moral of this story is, never abandon animals on an island.
But, if you do, and get dragged through the mud for it, no amount of SEO will save you. Are there any abandoned research animals in your organization? If so, get them off the island.
In other less metaphorical terms, part of auditing brand search is brand reputation.
As we all now know, "E-A-T" and reputation are hugely important to Google. Deal with business practice issues head-on and find the best resolution possible. John Mueller has reminded us that Google has a really good memory and is not apt to forget anything about your brand history. Stains on your brand reputation can really take a toll and have lasting power. The best offense here is a good defense.
Now for the part of the audit where we find the broken stuff.
Take your list of top terms and manually execute the search in a private browsing window for each term. Record your results and a screenshot of the SERP.
The number of positions on the page we own – With branded searches for things like "brand name backpacks," you can own 15+ of the top positions.
Others owning our conversation – Look for other brands ranking for your branded terms. Are they authorized to sell or talk about your products? Is the information they provide correct or accurate? Could a better job be done?
Misalignment of the query and title/meta – Does your title tag and meta description clearly speak to the query searched and align to the searcher's intent? If not, make some changes to bring this into alignment. For example, if your shipping info is on a page labeled "FAQ" that's unclear for users.
Cross-channel insights – Are all of your social properties listed on the first page where appropriate? Are others bidding on brand terms where you are not? Look for cross-channel synergies that could be leveraged for more aggregate traffic.
Broken pages – For big and small brands we have found soft "404" messages, outdated or broken pages ranking for highly searched branded terms. Click around the top ten and make sure everything is working as expected.
Out of stock products – Sometimes the products that rank for branded searches on ecommerce sites are out of stock. Make sure you have a protocol in place for managing inventory so that searchers are best served by the landing page.
Manually execute a search in a private browsing window for these terms. You're looking for title tags and meta descriptions that do not speak to the query, missing pages where content would be better-served broken-out, and other websites owing the conversation around your terms. In some of our audits, we have seen third-party sellers ranking on position one for things like "brand name return policy".
Furthermore, the information presented was not even correct. When it came to our site, we were not making that information easy to find, and as such, we got beat out. Simple adjustments to meta information and where content lived helped to improve our visibility and win back the featured snippet.
As with any good SEO effort, you should carefully track and measure the success of your recommendations. Consider setting up a monthly tracking sheet for your branded search volume. Also, consider tracking some of the branded queries identified as "needing work" in your rank tracker.
The branded search audit is a deliverable which does not take a great deal of time but can result in tremendous impact for your brand or client. By focusing on branded queries first, you are serving those most likely to convert on your site while simultaneously addressing your lowest hanging fruit.
Have questions about conducting your own audit? Let us know in the comments section below.
John Morabito is the Director of SEO at Women's Marketing / Flying Point Digital. He can be found on Twitter @JohnMorabitoSEO.
The post How to conduct a branded search audit appeared first on Search Engine Watch.


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Abandonment Issues, Procurement: Start again and defeat the claim?
A lot of construction goes on in my house, with varying levels of success. We are quite proficient at lego models and can create some pretty futuristic looking structures with magnetic shapes. Our child-sized Burj Khalifa (a grandiose project title, I know) was an attempt at our biggest building out of wooden blocks yet, but it had some structural issues near the base, so we made the call to abandon and start again.
Abandoning a project is sometimes a bitter pill to swallow, but often it's a pragmatic course of action, especially if flaws emerge which have potentially had a significant impact on the outcome.
Abandonment of award procedures in a regulated procurement is not uncommon. Flaws in the process may come to light during the tendering and evaluation process which require the contracting authority to conduct a comprehensive review and start afresh.
Procurement teams will also be aware of Regulation 27(9) of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015, which provides that "Nothing in these Regulations prevents an authority which has commenced a procurement from terminating that procurement at any time."
So, in the face of a legal challenge by a bidder aggrieved at the outcome of a procurement, do contracting authorities always have the safety net of abandonment: start again and defeat the claim? Not necessarily.
Decisions to abandon are not often the subject of a challenge so we have little guidance on the point. However, in Amey Highways Ltd v West Sussex County Council, the Technology and Construction Court held that the decision of the Council to abandon a procurement did not defeat a claim where the accrued cause of action arose before the abandonment decision was taken.
In that case, Amey had brought two sets of proceedings against the Council alleging failures in the Council's procurement of a contract known as the Highways Term Service Contract. The Council decided to award the contract to Ringway Infrastructure Services Ltd. Amey's overall score was assessed to be 85.48, with Ringway just 0.03 ahead. In its first action, Amey alleged that its score should have been higher than Ringway's and that it should have been awarded the contract.
The Council then gave notice that it was abandoning the process and would start again with the hope and intention that abandonment would defeat Amey's claim. Amey promptly issued a second set of proceedings challenging the lawfulness and effect of the abandonment.
While the judge concluded that the decision to abandon was not, in and of itself, "manifestly wrong" - he noted a variety of reasons for the decision which were a "rational attempt to preserve public funds" - the decision to abandon still left the Council exposed to a claim for damages.
This was because the court held that the abandonment decision had no effect on Amey's first claim because it had an accrued cause of action before the abandonment decision was taken.
The court commented that there was a fundamental difference between, on the one hand, abandoning to prevent further causes of action accruing in the future, and on the other, depriving an economic operator of a cause of action which already existed and which that operator was entitled to enforce before the decision was taken to abandon.
This is a helpful case to note for parties involved in potential procurement challenges. Although tenderers are taken to accept the risk that a contracting authority may in some circumstances lawfully decide to abandon, they do not also have to accept the additional risk that, if that happens, they will be deprived of the opportunity to raise an action in respect of a breach of duty that caused them (or risked causing them) loss or damage before the decision to abandon was taken.
By Ruth McNaught
Senior Associate, Procurement
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Published 18 June 2019
Brexit Data Protection Disputes Employment Health & Safety Housebuilding Intellectual Property Legislation Oil & Gas Planning Property Technology
Procurement Law and Maternity Leave - Two Peas in a Pod
Delivering on the Deal
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No Time To Delay – Challenging Public Procurement Decisions
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The Horror Returns at Scare-A-Con New England (4.5 Stars)
06/17/18 by Matt Martino
Last year Scare-A-Con made it's New England debut out in Springfield Massachusetts. This year they made the strategic choice to move much closer to Boston by relocating to Framingham, right off of the Mass Pike. This makes this horror convention much easier to get to for those in the Boston area. It seems this move paid off since one of the most noticeable differences from last year were much larger crowds.
So what treats were the fans exposed to as they stalked the halls of the hotel? Like many fan conventions, there were vendors, artists, movies and celebrities galore – all catered to the horror enthusiast.
If you are into foods infused with fear you can sample Deadly Grounds Coffee who returns for another year selling Java from beyond the grave in their custom Hearse! But fear not if coffee is not your preferred morning beverage. BrutaliTeas sells custom horror themed teas. Between the two, there was enough caffeine to wake the dead.
Among the artist selling their wares was Amanda from Scratch the Glass who customizes glass panes and pint glasses with her etched art. She emblazoned one of the shows treasured guests in glass, Elvira herself! But she also had a few Sci Fi icons as well to display. Dean Calusdian treated folks to his custom art on T-shirts that included Edgar Allen Poe, Alice in Wonderland and everyone's favorite elder god – Cthulhu. Plus he showcased his Horror Christmas comic The Stocking Dead.
The Sinister Sisters sold super creepy doll creations as well as crazy teddy bears. They also had an assortment of crystals and essential oils helpful for the healing arts. I Made a Monstah (Monster pronounced with a Boston accent) sold creature inspired jewelry boxes, book covers and jars. The lid of these boxes would open up, much like a monster chomping down on it's victim. They were just cute enough to almost be on Sesame Street while being scary enough to be in the collection of an avid horror fan. Rich Wentworth is an artist who contributed to comics as well as The Power Rangers book with his unique style. Among his collection he was selling were vintage Artari posters he rescued from an old drug store decades ago.
Among the more colorful attendees were the Massachusetts Ghostbusters. They were cosplayers raising the dead and raising money for a children's hospital. If you are a Ghostbusters fan you have to check them out. These folks go all out in their costumes right down to their custom made proton packs that glow and flash with lights. GR Reptiles gave visitors a unique experience, the chance to wrap a snake around their neck for a photo op. If snakes aren't your thing, then you can pose with a real live alligator or a tarantula!
There were also a few unique chances to become a walking horror yourself. Horror Show Jack Fangsmith creates custom fangs for the when you want to show off your inner vampire. The Makeup Curio was there to turn customers into ghouls with special effects makeup for the day. At Scare-A-Con, you have ample opportunity to become a monster yourself.
Although haunting season is months away, at least one Halloween show was on hand to promote their event. Fear Town is a haunted attraction in Seekonk MA that boasts as being a 45 minutes long haunted experience that is unique every year. Plus they have begun an extreme version of the haunt that allows the actors to touch the participants and more! It has been a sell out show due to it's popularity and they expect the same this year.
Scare-A-Con is also an independent movie festival. We got to check out 4/20 Massacre a unique hybrid of the slasher and stoner movie genre. A group of friends go camping when they stumble upon a crazed hiker with a backpack full of weed. After numerous victims are discovered murdered in a grizzly manner, they realize some malevolent force is trying to get their stash back. It was a fun take on the lost in the woods trope that featured a largely female cast.
No fan convention is complete without celebrities and Scare-A-Con had quite a few. Rock legend and Twisted Sister front man Dee Snider was on hand to meet and greet his fans. Although mostly known for his music, his cult movie Strangleand made him a horror Icon. Special Effects makeup artist and actor Tom Savini is best know for movies like Friday the 13th, From Dusk till Dawn and Dawn of the Dead. Along with meeting and signing autographs, he lead a discussion on his work with the fans. Easily the most popular that day was Cassandra Peterson who is best know as Elvira – Mistress of the Dark. She began her career as the sexy horror host who later broke out into feature films. Elvira truly earned the status as a living horror legend and Cassandra Peterson was very gracious to all her fans.
Scare-A-Con was a great experience with fun and fiends. Its proximity to Boston brought out bigger crowds, yet there was rarely a long wait to meet with the celebrities. It was good to see significant growth for this show as the hope is it will continue to be a regular visitor to New England.
Check them out online at http://scareacon.com. And see our review videos, below!


Aircall adds call center capabilities to Salesforce by centralizing phone operations in a single-interface and uses data in Salesforce to give context to Aircall interactions.
Our Salesforce integration is only available on the Professional plan.
Aircall automatically logs calls for every call made, missed, received and voicemail.
For each type of call, choose to log object type as a case or a task.
Choose to log calls according to business hours.
Contact history made visible in Salesforce when a call is received.
When answering a call, an object is automatically created and opens on your screen. This object is automatically assigned to you. You can then take notes while talking with your client and not miss any information.
You can decide whether to add the object to the caller's existing call history or create a new log.
Call transfers, comments, tags, and recordings automatically sync from Aircall & appear on Salesforce.
You can create ticket assignment rules for pre-existing Salesforce users or groups.
Gain access to the Aircall CTI which is embedded within your Salesforce interface.
Now that you know exactly what our Salesforce integration has to offer, check out how to configure your Salesforce integration on Aircall.
If you need more information you can always contact our Support Team. They are more than happy to help!


SEO involves a great deal of learning – relearning - unlearning – learning again. Make sure you prepare a clear action plan and stick to it.
A search engine is a automated Directory (like Lycos, Hotbot etc.,) or a human directory (like Google, Yahoo ,dmoz etc.,).
• There is no way anyone can guarantee top#1 result unless they actually control the search engine results.
• While optimizing a particular website, SEO experts have to try to get into the subconscious mind of surfer. And that's not impossible.
• Making your web site content relevant and visible to search engines and searchers. Keep adding / updating new content.
• Always be 100% sure about your landing pages, they shall add value to the proposition and maintain continuity. People generally spent just a few seconds on the page (around 10 to 12 seems to be the average) in which they scan (not read) 4 to 5 listings. There was almost no deliberation. People click quickly, and if they don't like what they see, they click back.
• They shall never force the user to think laterally but just the product he had searched for, don't give him too many options to get confused and start looking for more and more.
• Use the h1 - h6 elements for headings.
• Use Different spellings / frequent misspellings from all types of English.
If you use one of the above techniques, you might get short term results, but it's most likely that your site will be banned from search engines, and therefore you will put your business at severe risk.
•	Google cache to see if your navigation is easily crawlable.
•	One thing to remember here is to break pages out as much as possible subject wise or any other wise.
•	The search engines rarely associate many keyword combinations to one page. Use natural language queries, what comes to your mind ….because that's the future of Search Engine Algorithm.
•	Unique Meta tags, Keywords, Descriptions for each page.
•	Copyright all articles, documents and watermark your images wherever possible.
•	Check for validity and errors in you pages, it will help you in putting a check on PR of your web pages.
•	Browser detection logic, it shall not breakdown when an unknown user agent is trying to access it.
•	A bad contact us page may cause someone to think twice about dealing with you altogether. Provide multiple options for contacting you including phone, fax, email and web form. You shall also mention map, working hours and dept wise contact.
Page optimization should include meeting accessibility guidelines, standards compliance and usability conventions. I find that one of the hardest parts of SEO is getting the client to produce quality content that is relative to the audience they are trying to attract.
If you do decide to take your SEO efforts upon yourself after studying SEO on Internet, don't think it's too easy. SEO involves a great deal of learning – relearning - unlearning – learning again. Make sure you prepare a clear action plan and stick to it.