text:
\section{Maser observations in the RadioAstron project}
Galactic masers have been observed in the RadioAstron (RA) project during 6 year of operation since the launch in July 2011~[\cite{raes}]. The satellite is equipped with receivers allowing observations of strong maser lines at 22235, 1665 and 1667 MHz. The space interferometer provides a record angular resolution up to 7~$\mu$as at 22 GHz. So, we can put tight limits on the sizes of very compact maser spots, estimate their brightness temperatures and, thus, obtain important parameters for maser models.

The sensitivity of the RA together with the 100-m Effelsberg RT at 22 GHz is $\sim$10~Jy (at 6$\sigma$) with a coherent integration time $\sim$600 sec and typical line width $\sim$0.4~km/s. Observations carried out for H$_2$O masers on the RA indicate in the most cases only a small contribution from ultra-compact components to the total flux of the separate spatial-kinematic features. Thus, the W3~IRS~5, observed on a baseline of 2.5~ED, showed a visibility function amplitude of only 1\% of the total flux density [\cite{sasb2017}].

Such super-compact H$_2$O features were successfully detected in 7 galactic star-forming regions regions and in 2 extragalactic masers in NGC4258 and NGC3079. Current statistics of RA observations can be found in~[\cite{sasb2017}]. In present work we consider 5 galactic H$_2$O masers and obtain the upper limit of the angular size of the most compact components and the lower limit of the brightness temperature. We used the data processed on the ASC software correlator for the RA mission [\cite{corr}].

\section{Brightness temperatures from the interferometric visibilities}
\label{tbsize}

Normally, brightness temperature T$_b$ can be obtained from imaging with a long period of observations and many telescopes involved. But there are a lot of short observations ($\sim$1~hour) in the early RA maser survey with a few baseline sets, about 3~to~6. In this case it is possible to estimate brightness temperature of a source using some assumptions. Thus, without a priory information about brightness distribution, we may use a circular Gaussian and estimate T$_b$ and size of a source as proposed by \cite{lobanov}:

\begin{equation}
\label{tb_eq}
T_{\rm b} = \frac{\pi}{2k}\frac{B^2 V_0}{\ln(V_0/V_q)} [K],
\end{equation}

\noindent where V$_q$ is the visibility amplitude, V$_0$ is the space-zero visibility, $q=B/\lambda$~-- single spatial frequency. It was shown in~[\cite{lobanov}]~that T$_b$ is at its lowest when $V_0/V_q = e$. This provides the minimal brightness temperature given the baseline length and correlated flux obtained from data processing using PIMA package [\cite{petrov}]:

\begin{equation}
\label{tbmin_eq}
T_{\rm b,min} \approx 3.09\left(B [{\rm km}]\right)^2\left(V_q [{\rm mJy}]\right) [K].
\end{equation}

\section{Results and conclusions}
\label{results}

Results of our calculations of T$_b$ and T$_{\rm b,min}$ according to \ref{tb_eq} and \ref{tbmin_eq} are given in the Table~\ref{results_table}. Columns contain from left to right: (1) source name, (2) RA and DEC coordinates (J2000), (3) baseline in units of Earth diameters (ED), (4) corresponding resolution in $\mu$as (this value can be considered as an upper limit of angular size of the compact feature), (5) T$_{\rm b,min}$ (the lower limit of T$_b$) and (6) T$_b$.

\underline{Main conclusions.} In star-forming regions very compact maser features with angular sizes of 23$-$60~$\mu$as were observed, which correspond to $\sim$4$-$10 million km. The best linear resolution was obtained for the H$_2$O maser in Orion~-- 4~million~km. The best angular resolution for Galactic masers is 23 $\mu$as for W49~N (the distance is $\sim$11~kpc). Brightness temperatures for the most compact maser features range from 10$^{14}$ to a few of 10$^{15}$~К.

\begin{table}
\caption{Brightness temperature for compact H$_2$O masers observed in the RA project.}
\centering
\begin{tabular}{|c|c|c|c|c|c|c|}
\hline
Source    & RA (J2000)  & DEC (J2000)               & Baseline,   & Resolution, & T$_{\rm b,min}$,     & T$_b$, \\
          & hh mm ss.ss & $\circ$\quad$\prime$\quad$\prime\prime$ & ED          & $\mu$as     & K                    & K      \\
\hline
Orion KL  & 05 35 14.13 & $-$05 22 36.48            & 3.3         & 66          & 1.2$\times$10$^{15}$ & 6$\times$10$^{15}$ \\
\hline
Cepheus A & 22 56 17.97 & 62 01 48.75               & 3.4         & 64          & 1.2$\times$10$^{14}$ & 3$\times$10$^{14}$ \\
\hline
W3 OH     & 02 27 04.84 & 61 52 24.61               & 3.8         & 58          & 2.1$\times$10$^{14}$ & 7$\times$10$^{14}$ \\
\hline
W3 IRS5   & 02 25 40.71 & 62 05 52.52               & 5.4         & 40          & 1.5$\times$10$^{15}$ & 8$\times$10$^{15}$ \\
\hline
W49 N     & 19 10 13.41 & 09 06 12.80               & 9.6         & 23          & 4.5$\times$10$^{14}$ & 3$\times$10$^{15}$ \\
\hline
\end{tabular}
\label{results_table}
\end{table}

\acknowledgements

The RadioAstron project is led by the Astro Space Center of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the RAS and the Lavochkin Association of the Russian Federal Space Agency, and is a collaboration with partner institutions in Russia and other countries: IAA RAS, MPIfR, INAF, NRAO, MASTER Robotic Net, ISON and others.


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text:
Join The Safety Net
By: Mozzie the Mosquito
Malaria in the Media: January 2021
It's a new dawn, it's a new day, it's a new life for me…
and I'm feeling bad. Mosquitoes around the world know how I feel. A team from Oxford is entering the final stage of malaria vaccine trials. Can you imagine if there was a simple vaccination for one of the world's oldest and deadliest diseases? It would devastate malaria mosquitoes like me!
Speaking of old and deadly diseases, The Economist pulled together a stunning video about the historical impact of malaria on humans. At least someone is finally recognizing our work.
What is history's deadliest pandemic?
— By The Economist
"The COVID-19 pandemic may have derailed the world in 2020, but a far deadlier disease has shaped human history for thousands of years. Malaria defeated armies, fueled the slave trade and jump-started the modern environmental movement."
The parasites and the pandemic—how has COVID-19 affected the fight against malaria?
— By Babbage: an Economist podcast
"While the world has been preoccupied with tackling COVID-19, deadly malaria epidemics are continuing around the world. Robert Guest, The Economist's foreign editor, investigates how COVID-19 has affected the fight against malaria and talks to scientists in Senegal working to eliminate the disease.
Questions and answers on the World Malaria Report 2020
— By World Health Organization African Region
"Dr. Kalu Akpaka, team leader for the malaria control program, talks about the World Malaria Report with regards to Africa."
Team behind Oxford COVID jab start final stage of malaria vaccine trials
— The Guardian
"The Oxford team that has produced a successful coronavirus vaccine is about to enter the final stage of human trials in its quest for an inoculation against malaria."
How Mutations In Malaria Parasite Might Affect Pregnant Women & Children The Most
— By Forbes
"Scientists have recently found that the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum's populations in Africa and Southeast Asia have been growing resistant to a first-line treatment to prevent malaria among vulnerable groups – including pregnant women and children."
Global Fund signs a record-breaking $8.54 billion in grants to fight HIV, TB, and malaria
— By ReliefWeb
"This is an exceptional achievement that will help more than 100 countries continue the critical fight against HIV, TB, and malaria – epidemics that kill more than 2.3 million people every year," said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund."
Shedding Enzyme Essential for Parasite Survival
By Malaria Minute podcast
"Researchers find that SUB2, a malaria parasite enzyme, helps the parasite survive in the human host and new research characterizes cerebral malaria infection in adults and children.
Sign up now to stay up to date on progress made in the fight to beat malaria.
What is Malaria?
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E: info@beatmalaria.org
© United to Beat Malaria. 2023 • Save Lives, Beat Malaria
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Next Yes, Twin Cities traffic is sucking more lately, and it's about to get worse
Minneapolis drops case against civil rights lawyer Jordan Kushner
Monday, April 11, 2016 by Mike Mullen in News
Jordan Kushner said there were numerous curious elements in what should've been a minor case.
More than five months after he was arrested for filming interactions between police and protesters, Jordan Kushner's off the hook. This means the veteran civil rights attorney can focus more of his time on defending clients whose cases are, frankly, far more intriguing than the one against Kushner.
The city had charged Kushner with three misdemeanor crimes for his actions on November 3, 2015, when he was attending a controversial Israeli academic's speech at the University of Minnesota. When other people in the crowd began protesting, Kushner started filming as police dragged them out. Soon enough, cops decided Kushner himself was the next guy who needed help finding the door — and the back of a squad car.
The Minneapolis City Attorney's Office dropped its case against Kushner on Friday, citing "prosecutorial discretion." It's an oddly sensible twist for a case that had strangely endured longer, and received more of the city's attention, than most others of this stature. Kushner had noted several things that seemed different from previous times he'd been arrested for filming police, not to mention the many protest-related cases he's argued before:
Police continued to go back and re-interview witnesses well after the fact, bolstering their case against Kushner.
After he refused to accept a plea deal, the city added a second prosecutor to help its case against Kushner, who was, along with another attorney, serving as co-counsel in his own defense.
At a preliminary court hearing in what seemed like a relatively minor case, six lawyers for the city attorney's office showed up to take in the proceedings.
Kushner noted these peculiarities in earlier interviews with City Pages. This pissed the City Attorney's Office right off: Twice, Minneapolis sought a gag order against Kushner, most recently in a court filing on March 25.
Kushner, at that time, filed a motion to dismiss the charges against him, saying he had been "selectively and discriminatorily arrested and prosecuted." Kushner had said he was not sure why the city had been so fervent in bringing charges against him, but suggested it might have been payback for signing a letter that argued against the reappointment of Susan Segal as city attorney.
Kushner has also represented numerous protest groups in the past, and has most recently been affiliated with Black Lives Matter Minneapolis, helping members of that outfit get off after their Mall of America arrests in December 2014, and defeating the city of Bloomington's attempted injunction against protests there one year later.
Bloomington to File Charges, Seek Reparations From Organizers of Mall of America Protest
10 Organizers Charged for Roles in Mall of America Protest
CityPages News
Please tell us this is your boa constrictor slithering through Burnsville July 18 by Hannah Jones
Congressman Jim Hagedorn bans liberal group from his Mankato office July 18 by Hannah Jones


text:
Florida has never had law against smoking outside public buildings
11:05 PM EDT, Fri October 05, 2018
On Thursday, we introduced you to the Venetian, a new Fort Myers apartment complex with a stringent no smoking policy.
After our story aired, a viewer wrote ABC7 Facebook to ask, "Whatever happened to that supposed law that people could not smoke within 100 feet of any entrance to a building or restaurant?"
The viewer said they are tired of swallowing someone else's smoke as they walk out of the store.
It's an unpleasant experience many people can relate to.
"You walk by the door, and there's an ashtray there, and it's filled with a lot of freshly extinguished cigarettes. There's a very unique and unpleasant odor that comes out of there," said John Meyer, the President of Hodges University.
Meyer said it was one of the main reasons Hodges University implemented an entirely smoke-free policy this year at all of its campuses, inside buildings and outside.
"It's just as a matter of courtesy to others to not have that negative environmental effect," said Meyer.
Florida has never had a law protecting people from secondhand smoke outside.
"In Florida, we have what's known as the Florida Clean Indoor Air Act," said personal injury attorney Bruce L. Scheiner. He adds that act was amended in 2002, banning smoking inside almost all public places, with a few exceptions.
"They have special smoking parlors. They have individual stand-alone bars, certain motel rooms you're allowed to smoke in, [and] tobacco shops," said Scheiner. But he said there's nothing stopping smokers from lighting up as soon as they get outside.
"As far as I can ascertain, you're entitled to smoke any place outside of a public building," said Scheiner.
Private businesses, like restaurants, are allowed to establish their own outdoor smoking policies and enforce them as they want.
California is the only state with a widespread law banning people from smoking in outdoor areas. In California, it is illegal to smoke within 20 feet of the main entrance, exit, or window of a public building.
New device looks to help prevent hot car deaths
Nearly half of guns stolen in Cape Coral in 2018 from unlocked cars


They did so in a letter to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), submitted along with NICTD's request to enter into the New Starts Engineering phase of the Capital Investment Grant program.
"It is our understanding that the application demonstrates the project's forecasted economic impact as well as its financial capacity, including the requirement that one hundred percent of the nonfederal funding is dedicated with no further action needed by local and state entities.
"We remain confident that this project will serve our nation as a model to show how support from local communities and federal transportation infrastructure programs can maximize the return of private sector economic investments from taxpayer dollars. . . .


text:
Archive for the tag "soldiers"
It seems incredible in this day and age to imagine what led up to the Civil War. Slavery was an issue, but an underlying issue when the war started. In 1863, abolition had become more prevalent.
Following the Battle of Brandy Station on June 9, 1863, J.E.B. Stuart and his Confederate cavaliers moved north into enemy territory. For nearly the entire month of June, they traveled northward, sometimes through unfamiliar territory, to screen General Lee's troops. Their movements came to fruition in the Battle of Gettysburg, which took place July 1-3, 1863.
Here is an excerpt from my novel, A Beckoning Hellfire, which describes the Confederate cavalry's travels and challenges.
The horses plodded along with their eyes closed. A few of the drivers fell asleep, and their drowsy mules walked off the road into the ditch, pulling their wagons behind them. Some bucked, brayed and kicked in protest to their hunger and fatigue. Assigned soldiers rode up and down the line in the dark, looking for delays, barely coherent themselves. A few men slept while their horses jumped over fences, sending them sprawling, but even then they were too tired to awaken.
As dawn approached, General Stuart cantered alongside them, singing his battle song at the top of his lungs. His obedient soldiers, happy to see their commander alive and well, stirred themselves to sing along.
"Well, we're the boys that rode around McClellian,
Rode around McClellian, rode around McClellian,
We're the boys who rode around McClellian,
Bully boys, hey! Bully boys, ho!
"If you want to have a good time, jine the cavalry!
Jine the cavalry! Jine the cavalry!
If you want to catch the Devil, if you want to have fun,
If you want to smell Hell, jine the cavalry!"
The words inspired and rejuvenated the troopers. They began conversing amongst themselves in every effort to stay awake as the sky grew brighter, but the sun failed to appear, hidden behind thick clouds. The cavaliers wondered if, once again, they would be riding through a rainstorm.
"Wish there was somethin' to eat besides dust," Michael noted sarcastically as their mounts slowly walked along behind the wagon train.
"And I could go for a dunk in a lake right about now," added John.
"I wouldn't mind gittin' me some new boots," Custis commented. He pulled one of his feet from a stirrup and held it in the air, revealing a hole clean through the sole. "These here are plumb worn out, and I wasn't lucky enough to snag me a pair back in Culpeper."
"Well, if'n we'd ever git paid, I'd buy me two pairs of socks from the quartermaster, or a lucky feller who got some from home," said Peter Smith, "make them into puppets, and send one to each of my daughters."
David snickered at the thought of Peter drawing puppet faces on his socks.
"Seems the only one of us with any money is Summers," Michael observed.
The men all looked over at David.
"Whatcha aim on doin' with the grayback you won in that race?" Michael asked.
David hesitated for a moment. He realized that he was the only one in the group who'd been capable of earning rewards by racing and writing letters home, even though the practice of reciprocation had been outlawed by General Lee sometime before David's enlistment.
"Well, I was thinkin' of savin' it up for college," he casually replied.
The other troopers laughed.
David glared at them, astonished by their reaction.
"Son, you'll be lucky if'n that gits you two cords of wood by the war's end," John remarked.
David frowned.
John continued, "what with the way things is goin' with the price of things, that is. Sorry to be the one to inform you." He smiled sympathetically.
David sighed. Even though his hope of going to school was just a pipe dream, he held onto it as tightly as he'd grasped hold of the $100 note. Now it seemed inevitable that he was destined to be a farmer all his life.
https://www.amazon.com/Beckoning-Hellfire-Novel-Civil-Renegade/dp/197963372X/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9CZ828JW3EVKEKWWQSM1
Posted in Civil War and tagged A Beckoning Hellfire, abolition, Battle of Gettysburg, Brandy Station, cavalry, Civil War, Confederacy, Confederate, General Lee, Gettysburg, JEB Stuart, slavery, soldiers, troopers, Virginia | Leave a comment
Another Excellent Review
I received another great review for my novel, A Beautiful Glittering Lie. Here is the review:
By Francine1440
A Beautiful Glittering Lie is a historical fiction novel set during the American Civil War. Not being from the States, I have bare bones knowledge of this event in history so I found the author's detailed telling of events and way of life during this time to be very interesting. The book provides both historical facts and a look at the conditions that both the soldiers and the citizens lived in during the Civil War. I found that some of the facts became rather dry and dragged the story down, although I do realize that they are essential to the story. For the most part, the story is told from the side of the Confederates. I've really only ever read information from the other side so I found it very interesting to read the alternate viewpoint. I can't say I have changed my mind about which side I would have supported during the war but it did open my eyes as to why the Confederates felt the way they did. I found the pace of the book quite slow and I struggled to stay interested but for anyone who is a Civil War buff, this book would make for some entertaining reading. The characters are well developed and realistically written. I enjoyed the variety of personalities in the book, such as David who just wants to be like his dad and fight, and his dad, tough as nails even in horrible conditions. It can be difficult to have a lot of characters and make each one a worthwhile part of a book but the author manages to do this well throughout the whole story. For me, the pace was a bit slow but I realize the author had to do this in order to keep the realism of the story. Sometimes action sequences have to be sacrificed. Overall, I did learn a lot from this book, even with it being fiction, and I will look for more books by this author.
https://www.amazon.com/Beautiful-Glittering-Lie-Novel-Renagade/dp/1544842481/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=a+beautiful+glittering+lie&qid=1559710417&s=gateway&sr=8-1
Posted in books, Uncategorized and tagged A Beautiful Glittering Lie, American, American history, book, book review, books, Civil War, Confederate, historic, historical, historical fiction, history, novel, soldiers | Leave a comment
The UDC and America's First Memorial Day
What many consider the first Memorial Day occurred April 25, 1866 in Columbus, Mississippi. The town's Ladies Memorial Association, decorated the graves of both Union and Confederate soldiers in Friendship Cemetery. In a nation trying to find a way to move on after a war that split the country, states, communities and even families, this gesture by these nobel women was welcomed as a way to lay the past to rest while honoring those who had fought on either side. Less than 30 years later this ladies group became the 34th chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy. The UDC will forever honor all of our country's heroes with undying devotion and that our Confederate Dead have earned their rightful place to be included as America's Veterans.
We should embrace our heritage as Americans. North and South, Black and White, Rich and Poor, our American heritage is the one thing we have in common and it is what defines us. The monuments we have built to chronicle this heritage must be preserved so that those that come after us will see where we have been and where we must, as a unified people, go. Protecting all monuments to American Veterans will defend our heritage. Our monuments are reminders of our path forward.
(Courtesy of Caddo Confederate, Shreveport, LA, United States)
https://www.change.org/p/caddo-parish-commission-we-will-not-give-up/u/24604567?cs_tk=AgrqFs2n3M5yBfdF61wAAXicyyvNyQEABF8BvJaM27qx88Mn9RHwiosM050%3D&utm_campaign=06f32116a7834a1ca3b1d52342c2cd41&utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_update&utm_term=cs
Posted in Civil War, Uncategorized and tagged American, Americans, Confederate, heritage, historic, historical, history, Memorial Day, Mississippi, soldiers, Union, United Daughters of the Confederacy, Veterans | Leave a comment
A Special Honor
The Civil War created many tight bonds between soldiers, between comrades and enemies, as well as soldiers and animals. Cavalrymen were so reliant on their mounts that they often treated them as pets and became emotionally attached. This also happened with some of the soldiers' mascots, which included an eagle, numerous dogs, and in one rare case, a camel. Douglas the camel was an especially revered mascot. He was killed at the Battle of Vicksburg. I have had the opportunity to see where Douglas' headstone is located (his body isn't in a grave), and it was quite moving to think that the soldiers who knew him loved him so much that they made him a marker.
GRAVE OF DOUGLAS THE CONFEDERATE CAMEL
The final resting place of the camel who served with the Confederate Army during the Civil War
Among the 5,000 grave markers for Confederate soldiers in the Soldier's Rest section of Cedar Hill Cemetery in Vicksburg, Mississippi, one pays tribute to Old Douglas, the camel of the 43rd Mississippi Infantry, Company A, nicknamed "The Camel Regiment."
It is not known how Douglas, a dromedary (one hump) camel, came to serve with the 43rd Mississippi infantry during the Civil War. He was a gift to Colonel W. H. Moore, who assigned him to carry the instruments and knapsacks for the regimental band. Douglas participated in the Battles of Iuka and Corinth under Major Generals Sterling Price and Earl Van Dorn, respectively, before being shot by a Union sharpshooter on June 27th, 1863, during the siege of Vicksburg.
Douglas was well loved by the humans of his regiment, less so by the horses. On one occasion, Douglas is said to have spooked one of the horses into stampeding through a camp near Iuka, injuring horses and soldiers, possibly killing some of the former. Soldiers climbed trees to get out of the path of destruction.
Douglas routinely broke free of his tether, but usually used his freedom to graze, never wandering too far from the regiment. On that fateful day in 1863, though, he wandered into no man's land between the Union and Confederate armies, and paid the ultimate price.
The Union army responded to the camel's death, according to legend, by eating him, since food was scarce, and making war souvenirs out of his bones. The Confederates responded by making a point of severely wounding the sharpshooter who had killed their beloved camel. His gravestone, however, states that he was eaten by his own Confederate regiment who were suffering under the Siege of Vicksburg.
Douglas was not the only camel in the United States during the Civil War. Before he became president of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis was the U.S. Secretary of War, and implemented the Texas Camel Experiment in the 1850s to see how useful camels would be in the American Southwest where horses were beginning to have trouble on long trips. Camels can carry immensely heavy loads for long distances with little water. They are also not nearly as tamable as horses, though Douglas was called "faithful" and "patient" by those who knew him best.
Camels were brought over from the Mediterranean and North Africa, and used for exploring the Southwest. The Civil War took the steam out of the experiment, and the camels eventually dispensed. Many were sold at auctions in 1864 and 1866 to work in circuses and mines, as postal carriers and pack animals and racing camels. Some even escaped or were set free, and feral camels were occasionally spotted roaming the American Southwest for years after.
Lest the contributions of camels in the Civil War be forgotten, the Texas Camel Corps promotes their stories with reenactments and hosts camel rides. Two of the camels are descendants of Old Douglas.
To find Douglas turn into the cemetery at Lindsey Street from Sky Farm Ave. A bit after the first cross street you will see a group of graves with Confederate flags on the left. Douglas' marker (the one with the camel on it) is on the right side of the group, second row in.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/grave-of- douglas-the-confederate-camel
(Article courtesy of The Southern Comfort, Private Samuel A. Hughey Camp #1452 Sons of Confederate Veterans, Hernando, MS, vol. 43 issue 5, May 2019)
Posted in Civil War, Uncategorized and tagged Battle of Vicksburg, camel, cavalry, Confederate, mascot, Old Douglas, soldiers, War Between the States | Leave a comment
Fear the Ramrod
It is difficult to imagine what a soldier who fought in the American Civil War endured. Firearms were virtually relics at the start of the war. Soldiers fought with arms they brought from home, which were typically muskets used for hunting. These firearms were very slow to fire and were usually ineffective, and sometimes dangerous, because they were difficult to aim, load and fire. During the course of the war, increments became far more effective and deadly. Here's an explanation of how the early muskets were used.
Civil War soldiers were taught to load and fire their muskets using the "Nine-Steps." They were drilled for hours to ensure every soldier would know each step without thinking. Step No. 6 was "return rammer" and while all of the steps were important, this one could have serious consequences if it was skipped.
Pvt. Arminius Bill of the 66th Illinois Western Sharp Shooters, recorded an incident in his diary about a man who skipped step No. 6. It was on Dec. 2, 1861,during a "sham battle" between Union forces at Benton Barracks near St. Louis. Artillery roared, cavalry galloped, and tens of thousands of blank rounds were fired. "One infantry man was killed by the man behind him in the rear rank who became excited & forgot to withdraw his ramrod. The gun went off & drove the ramrod through the head of the man in front."
At the battle of Tupelo, July 14, 1864, Captain Theodore Carter cheered on his men of the 14th Wisconsin as they fired while lying down. Suddenly a private rose to his feet and began to hurl curses across the open ground to the Confederates. A rammer had streaked across the field and skewered his bicep, and he paused to pull out the long bloody piece of steel. "It was ludicrous to see hear him use strong invectives against the 'rebel' who was so careless as to leave his ramrod in the gun after loading."
Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned, "I shot an arrow in the air, it fell to earth, I know not where." A beautiful poem, he was certainly not thinking of Pvt. Alexander Downing of the 11th Iowa Infantry, and an incident on April 6, 1862, during the battle of Shiloh.
"My musket became so dirty with the cartridge powder, that in loading it the ramrod stuck fast and I could neither get it up nor down, so I put a [percussion] cap on, elevated the gun and fired it off. But now I had no ramrod, and throwing down my musket, I picked up a Belgian rifle lying at the side of a dead rebel, unstrapped the cartridge box from his body, and advanced to our company, taking my place with the boys."
Longfellow's arrow was found unbroken in an oak; whatever happened to Downing's?
Shiloh National Military Park
(Thanks to Trent Lewis)
(Article courtesy of the Southern Comfort, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Samuel A. Hughey camp #1452, Volume 43, Issue 5, May 2019 ed.)
Posted in Civil War, Uncategorized and tagged cavalry, Civil War, Confederates, historic, historical, history, infantry, soldiers, Union, War Between the States
"The Rebel in the Family"
The life of Confederate spy Nancy Hart is shrouded in mystery. Old documents refer to her with a mixture of fact and folklore. It is believed that she was born in Raleigh, North Carolina to John and Rebecca Hart in 1846. Her mother was a first cousin of Andrew Johnson, who later became president when Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. The Harts were devout Christians, and her father frequently held family worship services. While Nancy was still an infant, they moved to Tazwell, Virginia.
Nancy was tall, lithe, and black-eyed. She was a middle child who had six, or possibly twelve, siblings. In 1853, she went to live with her sister and brother-in-law, Mary and William Clay Price, in Roane County, Virginia, which became West Virginia in 1863. The family lived in the wilderness, so Nancy learned how to be an accomplished hunter and rider, but she never learned how to read and write. When the Civil War began, the Roane County held divided loyalties. Friends, neighbors, and families were separated by opposing beliefs. William was not a Confederate soldier, but he did his part by assisting them. After drawing suspicion, Union soldiers confronted him at his farm and ordered him to go to nearby Spencer to take the oath of allegiance. He departed with the Yankees, but never made it to Spencer. His body was discovered three days later. He had been shot in the back and left in the road.
The murder of William spawned Nancy's loathing for the Federals. She revered the Southern Cause, even though two of her brothers went to fight for the North. In early 1861, her neighbors, the Kelly's, held a going away party for their two sons who had joined the Confederate Army. While the party was commencing, Union officers marched past the house in the moonlight. Nancy hollered, "Hurrah for Jeff Davis!" Four rifle shots rang out in response, and four minie balls struck the front stoop, one of which lodged in the door. Three days later, Nancy joined the Moccasin Rangers, who were pro-Southern guerrillas, and rode with their leader, Perry Conley (or Connolly) at the head of the column, leading the Rangers while working as a spy, scout, and guide to the local region. She travelled alone at night to deliver messages between Confederate armies, and slept during the day. She also saved the lives of many wounded Rebel soldiers by hiding them with Southern sympathizers and nursing them back to health. Posing as a farm girl, she peddled eggs and vegetables to Union detachments to obtain information, and scouted isolated Federal outposts to report their strength, population, and vulnerability to General Stonewall Jackson. She even led Jackson's cavalry on several raids. In the fall of 1861, Conley narrowly escaped the Federals, but Nancy was captured. Deciding she didn't know anything, they released her, which was a big mistake, because she reported back to Conley with valuable information about the Yankees.
Nancy married one of the Moccasin Rangers, Joshua Douglas. Conley was mortally wounded in an engagement with Ohio Infantry in early summer, 1862. He fought off his attackers until he ran out of ammunition, and then the Yankees clubbed him to death. Afterward, the Rangers disbanded. Nancy's husband joined up with the 19th Virginia Cavalry, and she moved into the mountains of Nicholas County, where she continued her work as a messenger. A reward for her capture was issued, and it wasn't long until Union Lieutenant Colonel Starr recognized "Peggy," as Nancy was known by both armies. She and a female friend were discovered in a log cabin, crushing corn. They were taken prisoner, and confined to the second-story of an old, dilapidated house in Summersville. Soldiers were quartered downstairs, and a sentry was posted to guard them in their room.
While there, 20-year-old Nancy was allowed to roam the jail grounds of her own free will. She gained the attention of several soldiers, including telegrapher Marion H. Kerner, who convinced Starr to transfer the young women to the Summersville jail, and supplied them with sewing materials and illustrated papers. When an itinerant photographer showed up to hone his trade, Kerner persuaded Nancy to pose for a picture, although she said that she didn't have clothes "fittin' to be pictured in." Kerner requested clothing from some Union women, and fashioned a Yankee officer's hat by folding the bill and inserting a plume. The resulting photograph is the only one in existence of Nancy Hart, who, according to legend, refused to smile because she had to wear Yankee attire.
Here is where the story differs. One version states that, later that night, Nancy tricked a naive soldier. After talking to him extensively, she convinced him to show her his pistol. The young, enamored Yankee willingly obliged. She promptly fired into his heart, killing him instantly. Nancy jumped headlong out of a second-story window into a clump of tall jimson weeds, and escaped bareback on Lieutenant Colonel Starr's horse.
A week later, on July 25, she returned with 200 Confederate cavalrymen. She was still riding Lieutenant Colonel Starr's horse. At 4:00 a.m., the Rebels burned three buildings, including the commissary storehouse. They also destroyed two wagons, and captured eight mules and twelve horses. In all, only ten shots were fired, and two soldiers were wounded. The Confederates easily arrested the slumbering Yankees, including Starr, who was shipped off to Libby Prison with his officers. Marion Kerner was also captured, but Nancy convinced the Confederate officers to release him because of the kind treatment he had shown her. He was immediately arrested, however, after attempting to send a telegraph to Union forces.
Nancy faded out of the picture as an active partisan, no doubt knowing that, if she were to be captured again, a rope would be waiting for her. After the War Between the States ended, her husband returned, and they lived in Greenbrier County, raising two sons. Nancy's last public appearance was in 1902, when she testified at the Courthouse in Lewisburg on behalf of her son, Kennos, who was charged with killing a man at a dance. Nancy died in either 1902 or 1913.
The other version of her story isn't nearly as colorful, and is much sadder. According to Hart family legend, Nancy was born to rebel, and paid with her life after she was arrested and confined in Summersville. Because Union troops didn't want the locals to know, her hanging on Cold Knob Mountain was kept a secret. Nancy remained calm, but once allowed to speak, she hollered out the Rebel yell, as well as "Wahoo! Whoop! Hurrah!" and "Yay for the President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis!" However, there is little or no evidence suggesting that Nancy was executed by hanging. On the other hand, there is little or no evidence stating that she ever married, either, and no official record of her killing a Union soldier. Census records are sketchy at best, as are family records.
She is buried at Mannings Knob Cemetery in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, near Richwood, where the Mannings family buried their slaves. The cemetery is also known as Nancy Hart Cemetery. She was originally buried with only a pile of stones to mark her grave. Years later, Jim Comstock, a publisher and Civil War buff, decided that she deserved a proper marker, so he and Nancy's granddaughter found the top of Mannings Knob, but the area had been bulldozed to make room for a beacon tower. Her grave was never located. However, a marker was erected in the cemetery in her honor.
Marion H. Kerner, the Union officer who convinced Nancy to pose for a photograph, said that the last glimpse he caught of her was shortly after the Summersville raid, and he never "heard of her since. She may be dead." He later wrote about her, making her story famous in Leslie's Weekly Magazine. The article was published in 1910. A large rock, known as "Nancy's Dancing Rock," still exists on the West Fork of the Little Kanawha River, near the place where Nancy grew up.
Posted in Civil War, Uncategorized and tagged Abraham Lincoln, cavalry, Civil War, Confederate, Federals, Jefferson Davis, Nancy Hart, North Carolina, Raleigh, Rebel, soldiers, Southern, spy, Stonewall Jackson, Union, Virginia, War Between the States, Yankees | Leave a comment
Laura Ratcliffe
If it wasn't for Laura Ratcliffe, Colonel John Mosby, the infamous "Grey Ghost," might have been captured by the Yankees. Not only did she aid Mosby in his mission to serve the Confederacy as a Partisan Ranger, but she also provided valuable information to Confederate cavalry commander Brigadier General J.E.B. Stuart.
Laura Ratcliffe was born on May 28, 1836 in Fairfax City, Virginia. Her parents were Francis Fitzhugh and Ann McCarty (Lee) Ratcliffe. Laura was a distant cousin to General Robert E. Lee on her mother's side. When her father died, she moved with her mother and two sisters to Frying Pan (now Herndon) in Fairfax County, just south of Washington D.C. Once the Civil War broke out, the area bore witness to numerous raids and encampments from both sides.
Laura and one of her sisters volunteered to serve as nurses. During the winter of 1861, while they were assisting wounded soldiers, Laura met General J.E.B. (James Ewell Brown) Stuart, and the two became friends. He wrote several personal letters and four poems to her, imploring her to continue with her espionage. In return, she provided him and fellow cavalryman Colonel John Singleton Mosby with valuable information concerning Union troop activity in the county.
A year later, Stuart led his cavalry on several raids in the area, and he visited Laura at her home many times. While at the Ratcliffe home, Mosby asked if he could remain there and continue operations instead of going into winter quarters. Stuart consented, and departed the area. Mosby and nine other soldiers from the 1st Virginia Cavalry continued to use the Ratcliffe home as their headquarters. Oftentimes, Mosby met Laura at a large rock near the top of Squirrel Hill to exchange information. Following one particularly lucrative raid, he requested that Laura keep the Federal greenbacks he had confiscated for safekeeping, so she stashed them beneath the rock.
In February 1863, Mosby captured several Federal soldiers, and returned their plunder to local citizens. Laura discovered that the Yankees had set a trap for Mosby, so she warned him of the intended ambush. Because of her valuable information, Mosby avoided arrest and captured a sutler's wagon.
Captain Willard Glazer with the 2nd New York Cavalry complained that Laura "is a very active and cunning rebel, who is known to our men, and is at least suspected of assisting Mosby not a little in his movements … by the means of Miss Ratcliffe and her rebellious sisterhood, Mosby is generally informed."
In March, Mosby managed to capture Union Brigadier General Edwin Stoughton by surprising him in his sleep. Arriving in the general's room, Mosby asked him, "Do you know Mosby?"
"Yes," replied the general. "Have you captured the devil?"
"No," Mosby responded. "The devil has caught you."
Mosby captured the general, two of his captains, and 58 horses without firing a single shot. When President Abraham Lincoln heard of the event, he reportedly said that generals are replaceable, but he deeply regretted the loss of so many good horses.
Although it was obvious to the Federals that Laura's house was being used for Confederate headquarters, she was never arrested or tried for any crime. After the war ended, she lived with her mother in an old farmhouse named "Merrybrook." In 1890, Laura, who was now 54 years old and destitute, married a neighbor, Union veteran Milton Hanna. She became wealthy because of it, but her husband died in an accident seven years later.
Laura was a very private person, and never sought or received recognition for her courageous contributions to the Confederacy. Instead, she directed her attentions to the poor and unfortunate. In 1914, she fell and presumably broke her hip, but because she refused to receive medical treatment from a male doctor, the diagnosis was never verified. However, the accident left her an invalid for the rest of her life. Before her death at age 87 on August 8, 1923, she requested that "a neat grey granite stone" be placed at her gravesite with the names of Ratcliffe, Coleman, and Hanna carved into them. In 2007, the United Daughters of the Confederacy, Laura Ratcliffe Branch, erected such a marker.
Merrybrook is now under direct threat. The current owners are striving to have the home preserved, but development is encroaching. The rock where Laura and Colonel Mosby exchanged information still exists, and a monument on the country highway nearby has been erected with an inscription that reads:
This large boulder, located just south of here, served as an important landmark during the Civil War, when Col. John S. Mosby's Partisan Rangers (43rd Battalion, Virginia Cavalry) assembled there to raid Union outposts, communications, and supply lines. Laura Ratcliffe, a young woman who lived nearby and spied for Mosby, concealed money and messages for him under the rock. Mosby credited her with saving him from certain capture by Federal cavalry on one occasion. She also was a friend of Maj. Gen. J.E.B. Stuart.
Among the items discovered in her effects after her death was a gold-embossed brown leather album, which contained several poems, as well as the signatures of General J.E.B. Stuart, Colonel Mosby, and Brigadier General Fitzhugh Lee, son of Robert E. Lee. A gold watch chain belonging to Stuart was also found with her possessions.
For more information, and to learn how you can help with preservation, please visit:
www.lauraratcliffe.org.
Posted in Civil War, Uncategorized and tagged Abraham Lincoln, cavalry, Civil War, Confederacy, Federals, Fitzhugh Lee, Grey Ghost, J.E.B. Stuart, John Mosby, Laura Ratclifffe, Partisan Ranger, Robert E. Lee, soldiers, Union, Virginia, Washington D. C., Yankees | Leave a comment


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Kroger expands autonomous vehicle delivery service
The Kroger Co. and Nuro announced an expanded collaboration to continue redefining the customer experience leveraging autonomous vehicles with the introduction of Nuro's third-generation autonomous delivery vehicle.
In 2018, Kroger and Nuro announced a partnership to deliver fresh groceries with all-electric, autonomous vehicles.
"Our expanded collaboration with Nuro supports Kroger's commitment to provide fresh food, at a great value — all without asking our customers to compromise," said Yael Cosset, Kroger's senior vice president and chief information officer. "The role of autonomous vehicles in our seamless ecosystem continues to increase, contributing to meeting our customers in the context of their day without compromising on the quality or value, while contributing to our long-term growth and sustainability goals."
Leveraging Nuro's new third-generation vehicles, Kroger will continue to grow its digital offerings in Houston, one of the largest cities in the U.S., building on its commitment to anything, anytime, anywhere. Grocery delivery through autonomous vehicles is a leading-edge e-commerce solution that offers customer-focused convenience — regardless of basket size.
"We are thrilled to expand our longstanding strategic partnership with Kroger and further our shared vision for the future of goods delivery," said Dave Ferguson, Nuro co-founder and president. "We look forward to leveraging our third-generation, and most advanced, autonomous vehicle to date to continue to build on the success of this program."
This expanded collaboration is a key part of Kroger's seamless ecosystem. The grocer is committed to making it simple for its customers to find the grocery items they crave without compromising on freshness or value. Its seamless ecosystem supports customers who want to shop online, in-store or a combination of both to support the needs of each day.
"We are excited to expand our collaboration with Nuro here in Houston, one of the largest cities in the U.S.," said Laura Gump, president of Kroger's Houston division. "Our associates, customers and city embrace innovation and we are thrilled to be able to soon provide this enterprising grocery delivery service to even more shoppers across the region."
Wakefern trialing frictionless checkout technology
Alsum Farms & Produce partners with Consentio
Alsum Farms & Produce of Wisconsin has selected Consentio as its digital trading platform of choice.
"We… Read More
Clean Crop Solutions offering an alternative to toxic chemicals


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Pachinko is the second novel by Harlem-based author and journalist Min Jin Lee. Published in 2017, Pachinko is an epic historical fiction novel following a Korean family who immigrates to Japan. The character-driven story features an ensemble of characters who encounter racism, discrimination, stereotyping, and other aspects of the 20th-century Korean experience of Japan.

Pachinko was a 2017 finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction. Apple Inc.'s streaming service Apple TV+ produced a television adaptation of the novel and it was released in March 2022.

Plot

The novel takes place over the course of three sections, which begin with quotations from the works of Charles Dickens, Park Wan-suh, and Benedict Anderson, respectively.

Book I, Gohyang/Hometown, begins with the story of Sunja's father, Hoonie, and ends with Noa's birth.
Book II, Motherland, begins with Baek Isak's incarceration and ends with Sunja's search of Koh Hansu.
Book III, Pachinko, begins with Noa's new beginnings in Nagano and ends with Sunja's reflections upon everything that has happened to her.

Book I (1910–1933): Gohyang/Hometown
In 1883, in the little island fishing village of Yeongdo, which is a ferry ride from Busan, an aging fisherman and his wife take in lodgers to make a little more money. They have three sons, but only one, Hoonie, who has a cleft lip and twisted foot, survives to adulthood. Because of his deformities, Hoonie is considered ineligible for marriage. When he is 27, Japan annexes Korea, and many families are left destitute and without food. Due to their prudent habits, Hoonie's family's situation is comparatively more stable, and a matchmaker arranges a marriage between Hoonie and Yangjin, the daughter of a poor farmer who had lost everything in the colonial conquest. Hoonie and Yangjin take over the lodging house upon the passing of Hoonie's parents.

In the mid-1910s, Yangjin and Hoonie have a daughter named Sunja. After her thirteenth birthday, she is raised by her mother Yangjin, her father Hoonie having died from tuberculosis. At age sixteen, Sunja is pursued by a wealthy fishbroker named Koh Hansu. However, she shows little interest in him until he saves her from an attempted assault by three teenagers on her way home from the market, leading her to start trusting him. From that point on, Hansu spends weeks secretly meeting with her and sharing his stories of Osaka with her. After weeks of meeting her, Hansu goes with Sunja into the forest and sexually assaults her. That day marks the beginning of their affair, where Hansu repeatedly uses her for her body and Sunja is continuously assaulted without realizing it, as she believes they are meant to be married. Sunja becomes pregnant, after which Hansu reveals that he is already married but intends to keep her as his mistress. Ashamed, Sunja refuses to be his mistress and ends their relationship. Her mother finds out Sunja is pregnant, but Sunja keeps the father's identity a secret. Yangjin discusses the matter with one of their lodgers, a Christian minister suffering from tuberculosis who she has been caring for since his arrival at her boardinghouse months prior. Baek Isak, the minister, believes he will die soon due to his many illnesses, and decides to marry Sunja to give her child a name and to give meaning to his life, as he believes that it is a sign from God to take care of Sunja and her future child. Sunja agrees to the plan, marries Isak, and travels with him to Osaka to live with Isak's brother and his wife. In Osaka, Sunja is shocked to learn that Koreans are treated poorly: most are forced to live in a small ghetto and are only hired for menial jobs. Sunja's brother-in-law, Yoseb, insists on supporting the entire household on his own salary, but Sunja and her sister-in-law Kyunghee come to learn he is in heavy debt due to paying for Sunja and Isak's passage to Osaka. To repay the debtors, a pregnant Sunja sells a watch Hansu had given her in Yeongdo. Yoseb becomes furious that the women took agency over their lives and spends the whole night away. Meanwhile, Sunja gives birth to a son, Noa.

Book II (1939–1962)
The novel jumps in time, and in Book II, Sunja raises her two children, Noa (Hansu's son), and Mozasu (Isak's son). While Noa resembles Hansu in appearance, he is similar in personality to Isak, and he seeks a quiet life of learning, reading, and academia. Shortly after Mozasu is born, a member of Isak's church is caught reciting the Lord's Prayer when they were supposed to be worshiping the emperor, and Isak is sent to prison. Despite Yoseb's resistance, Sunja begins to work in the market, selling kimchi that she and Kyunghee make at home. Their small business is profitable, but as Japan enters World War II and ingredients grow scarce, they struggle to make money. Sunja is eventually approached by the owner of a restaurant, Kim Changho, who pays her and Kyunghee to make kimchi in his restaurant daily, providing them with financial security. A dying Isak is eventually released from prison, and he is able to briefly reunite with his family before dying.

A few years later, on the eve of the restaurant's closure, Sunja is approached by Hansu, who reveals that he is the actual owner of the restaurant and has been manipulating her family for years, having tracked Sunja down after she sold her watch. He arranges for her to spend the rest of the war in the countryside with Kyunghee and her children and for Yoseb to wait the rest of the war out working at a factory in Nagasaki. During her time at the farm, Hansu also reunites Sunja with her mother, Yangjin, and eventually returns a permanently crippled Yoseb to the family after he is horrifically burned during the bombings.

The Baek family return to Osaka where Noa and Mozasu resume their studies. The family continues to struggle in spite of Hansu's help. Though they long to return to the North of Korea, where Kyunghee has family, Hansu warns them not to. Noa succeeds in passing the entrance exams for Waseda University. Despite Sunja's resistance, Hansu pays for Noa's entire university education, pretending it is simply because as an older Korean man he feels responsible for helping the younger generation. Meanwhile, Mozasu drops out of school and goes to work for Goro, a man who runs pachinko parlors. Mozasu meets and falls in love with a Korean seamstress, Yumi, who dreams of moving to the United States. The two marry and have a son, Solomon. Yumi later dies in a car accident, leaving Mozasu to raise their son on his own. Noa, who has continued his studies and looks up to Hansu as a mentor, accidentally discovers that Hansu is his father, and he learns of his ties to the yakuza. Ashamed of his true heritage and of being linked to corrupt blood, he drops out of university and disowns his family.

Book III (1962–1989)
Noa moves to Nagano, intending to work off his debt to Hansu and rid himself of his shameful heritage. He becomes a bookkeeper for a racist pachinko owner who won't hire Koreans and lives undercover using his Japanese name, Nobuo, marrying a Japanese woman and having four children. After having abandoned his birth family and living sixteen years under a false identity, Noa is tracked down by Hansu at the request of Sunja. Though Hansu warns Sunja not to immediately approach Noa, Sunja refuses to listen to his warnings and begs Noa to reunite with her and the rest of the family. Noa promises to call, and he commits suicide shortly after Sunja leaves.

In the meantime, Mozasu has become extremely wealthy, owning his own pachinko parlors and dating a Japanese divorcee, Etsuko, who refuses to marry him. Hana, Etsuko's troubled teenage daughter from her previous marriage, arrives to stay with her mother after learning she is pregnant, and later she has an abortion. Hana is drawn to Solomon's innocence and they begin a sexual relationship.  He quickly falls in love with her, giving her large sums of money which she uses to run away to Tokyo.

Years later, Solomon, now attending college in New York City and dating a Korean-American woman named Phoebe, receives a call from a drunken Hana in Roppongi. He relays the information to Etsuko and Mozasu, who manage to locate her. After graduating from Columbia University, Solomon takes a job at a British bank and moves back to Japan with Phoebe. His first major client project involves convincing an elderly Korean woman to sell her land in order to clear the way for the construction of a golf resort, which he accomplishes by calling in a favor from his father's friend Goro. When the woman dies of natural causes soon afterwards, Solomon's employers claim that the deal will attract negative publicity and they fire him, citing his father's connections to pachinko and implying that the woman was murdered.

With newfound resolve and a clearer outlook on life, Solomon breaks up with Phoebe, goes to work for his father's business, and makes amends with a dying Hana in the hospital. Now an elderly woman, Sunja visits Isak's grave and reflects on her life. She learns from the cemetery groundskeeper that despite the shame Noa felt for his family, Noa had regularly visited Isak's grave even after moving to Nagano. This gives Sunja the closure and reassurance she needs, and she buries a photo of Noa beside Isak's grave.

Characters
Hoonie — Hoonie is the first character to be introduced in the story, born with a twisted foot and a cleft palate. He meets his wife, Yangjin, on his wedding day, and they have three children who die young before Sunja, their only surviving daughter, is born. Hoonie dies of tuberculosis when Sunja is thirteen years old.

Sunja — Sunja is the main protagonist of Pachinko, appearing throughout the novel. Sunja is the daughter of Hoonie and Yangjin, born in Yeongdo, Busan, Korea. Sunja has two children. Her first born, Noa, is fathered by Koh Hansu, and her second born, Mozasu, is fathered by Baek Isak.

Baek Isak — Baek Isak is a Protestant minister from Pyongyang, Korea. He is first introduced when he visits Yangjin's boardinghouse on his way to Osaka to move in with his brother, Yoseb. Sickly since birth, Baek Isak struggles with sickness until his death in Osaka.

Kyunghee — Kyunghee is Yoseb's wife and Sunja's best friend and sister-in-law. She plays a large part in helping Sunja support their families in living, helping Sunja prepare kimchi to sell.

Yoseb — Yoseb is Baek Isak's brother who lives in Osaka, Japan. He works in a factory to support his family. He lives in Ikaino in Osaka, where most Koreans in Osaka are known to live. He receives a job opportunity in Nagasaki in 1945. He becomes very injured in the subsequent bombing of Nagasaki.

Koh Hansu — Koh Hansu is a Korean man who was adopted into a family of organized crime in Japan. Using his connections, Koh Hansu continually strives to earn money and control what he can. Hansu meets Sunja in Korea, even though he has a wife in Japan. Throughout the novel, Hansu utilizes his influence to look after Sunja and her family, keeping them alive. Hansu is driven by his love for his only son, Noa.

Noa — Noa is the only son of Koh Hansu and Sunja. He attends Waseda University in Tokyo before moving to Nagano to start a new life away from Hansu and Sunja. He struggles with identity issues stemming from his biological father's associations with the yakuza.

Mozasu — Mozasu is the only son of Baek Isak and Sunja. He faces constant bullying in school and tends to retaliate with force. As a result, he drops out of school and begins an apprenticeship at a pachinko parlor as a guard. Eventually, he moves up in the ranks and establishes his own parlors. Mozasu marries a girl named Yumi and has one son, Solomon.

Solomon — Solomon is the only son of Mozasu and Yumi. Growing up, Solomon does not face many of the same issues as his father or grandmother, since his father is very wealthy. Torn about what he wants to do with his life, he visits the United States and eventually decides that he wants to enter the pachinko business like his father.

Themes
Themes in Pachinko include discrimination, stereotypes, and power, particularly in the context of the experiences of Koreans in Japan during World War II. The novel also highlights the motif of the game pachinko, and the unpredictable and uncontrollable nature of the game is a metaphor for the characters' stories. Lee has said that the novel's title, which was originally set to be Motherland, was changed to Pachinko when, in her interviews, Koreans seemed to relate back to the pachinko business.

Style
The novel has been compared to the works of John Galsworthy and Charles Dickens.

Historical context
Pachinko takes place between the years of 1910 and 1989, a period that includes both the Japanese occupation of Korea and World War II. As a historical novel, these events play a central role in Pachinko, influencing many of the characters' decisions.

In an interview, Lee noted that the history of Korean-Japanese people demonstrates "exclusion and otherization".

Reception and awards
The book, a New York Times Best Seller, received strong reviews, including those from The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR, The Sydney Morning Herald, The Irish Times, and Kirkus Reviews and is on the "Best Fiction of 2017" lists from Esquire, Chicago Review of Books, Amazon.com, Entertainment Weekly, the BBC, The Guardian, and Book Riot. In a Washington Post interview, writer Roxane Gay called Pachinko her favorite book of 2017. The book was named by The New York Times as one of the 10 Best Books of 2017.

Pachinko was a 2017 finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction.

Television adaptation

In August 2018, it was announced that Apple Inc. had obtained the screen rights to the novel for development as a television series for Apple TV+. The show is expected to be produced by production company Media Res with Soo Hugh serving as showrunner, writer, and executive producer; In October 2020, the series' directors and main cast were announced: South Korean filmmaker Kogonada directed four episodes, including the pilot, and served as an executive producer of the series. Justin Chon also directed four episodes. The cast includes Youn Yuh-jung, Lee Min-ho, Jin Ha, Anna Sawai, Minha Kim, Soji Arai, and Kaho Minami. It was released on March 25, 2022.

See also
 Korean diaspora
 Koreans in Japan
 Koreans in New York City
 Koreatown, Manhattan (맨해튼 코리아타운)
 Korean journalists in New York City

References

2017 American novels
American historical novels
Family saga novels
Incest in fiction
Novels about immigration
Novels set in Japan
Novels set in Korea
Refugees and displaced people in fiction
Novels set in the Joseon dynasty
Japan in non-Japanese culture
Zainichi Korean culture
Grand Central Publishing books

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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(G)I-dle are Simply Vulnerable in "Hwaa"
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MV Review,Album Review,(G)I-dle,Yubin,MCND
True Beauty Ep. 5-8: Laughter, Love Triangle, and Loathing
SB End-of-Year Review, 2020: Dazzling On-screen Chemistry in Dramas
Kairos: A Bold and Satisfying Thriller
True Beauty Ep. 1-4: Pretty Boys, Make-up, and Cringe Galore
Drama Review,SB End-of-Year Review,Best Dramas (MYR/EYR),Cha Eun-woo,Lee Se-young
The Evolution of Fandom Platforms
Turn the Beat Around: Recognizing Disco's Past in Present Iterations
BTS,GFriend,Sunmi,Monsta X,Big Hit Entertainment
Seoulbeats Segments
Week in Review, 1/11 to 1/17
For Your Viewing Pleasure: Rewind to B&W
Week in Review, 1/4 to 1/10
Unsung Artists: November & December
For Your Viewing Pleasure (FYVP),SB Week in Review,Red Velvet,CL,Monsta X
April Prove Why They are Concept Chameleons with "Lalalilala"
DSP Media's April never quite hit the jackpot with K-pop fans despite their lineup of beautiful girls, catchy songs and an underrated vocal line. While a group's popularity is more often than not reliant on luck and timing more than anything else, April's frequent lineup changes and infrequent comebacks did not help the then-rookie girl group build its needed momentum.
While it is important to showcase a group's versatility, April has never seemed to fully be set on one sound and image, meaning that they never formed a distinguishable musical identity that set them apart from their peers in the industry. April's last Korean comeback was October 2018's "Oh! My Mistake", a promising sleeper hit with an 80s inspired sound that was a gap in the industry that April could have aimed to fill. Unfortunately, they have seemingly abandoned that entirely in favour of a trendier sound and image.
However, "Lalalilala" feels like a fresh start for the group. The track doesn't stray too far from a title track you'd expect APink and WJSN to release, but April manages to own the concept with a memorable track and impactful performance. A far cry from their early days, the videography of "Lalalilala" is worthy of praise — sharp and well-shot with varied camera movements and framing, it brings out the best of April's visuals. Coupled with chic and glamorous styling, the girls look stunning in all their various outfit changes, which range from sleek sequinned jumpsuits to ruffled floral dresses.
The set design is also minimalistic but attention-grabbing, with a galaxy-themed colour palette as the centrepiece for many of the scenes against neon ombre backdrops. The result of this is a music video that manages to feel out of this world, aligned with the song's fantastical feel. It's clear that their company is pulling out all stops for a successful comeback with an aesthetically pleasing, and eye-catching music video that will definitely impress and interest new fans.
In the music video, the girls are dressed in monochrome, individually asleep in a dark, futuristic-looking room. In their solace, their only connection to one another then comes in the form of their dreams. These dreams are bright and beautiful, portrayed through celestial motifs of planets and galaxies intertwined with traditional fine art. In several dream sequences, the members are also seen as holding and leaning onto each other, a subtle ode to their friendship and deeper connection that transcends the consciousness and visible. As a group that has had a tough time making a breakthrough through the years, this is a sweet acknowledgment of the group's unity as they seek to make a stronger comeback after their long break.
As their dreams slowly turn to nightmares at the climax of the song with the girls losing connection to one another and the brightness of their dreams turning dark, they jolt up from their slumber. The only indication viewers get of a happy ending is at the final few seconds of the video, when a button labeled 'dark dream' is removed from a switchboard. The six members are seen asleep once more, this time reunited as six in a much dreamier and hopeful backdrop.
The only aspect that was noticeably lacking was perhaps the choreography. With the song's energetic and whimsical chorus especially, there was unexplored potential for more creative and impressive choreography instead. The snippets of choreography shown in the music video are not particularly unique or different, but it has its merits in its seamless flow and smooth transitions. April also nonetheless execute it well, proving their versatility as they perform the track with both grace and confidence as they always have since debut even with their ever-changing sound.
During their absence in the past year and a half, Naeun has been making a name for herself as an actress, with her acting credits including popular dramas A-Teen and Extraordinary You. The new-found and immense popularity she brings about to the group meant that she was bound to get noticeably more centre and screen time, but it's both heartening and smart of their company to not let Naeun overshadow the other girls too much, allowing each member to get a decent amount of screentime. After all, the appeal of a group is that there are different personalities and talents that provide a balanced and dynamic performance, and the girls of April are indeed capable of that.
Thus far, the general response to the comeback has been positive, and this is undoubtedly April's most successful comeback since debut. In a time where most girl groups are moving towards girl-crush or diva-like concepts, it might be a smart move on April's part to keep their gentler, softer image even as they experiment with a new sound. It is important to be different in order to stand out, and "Lalalilala" will definitely be a turning point for April, as a group who may just be finally finding their place in K-pop to gain their long-overdue recognition.
(Source: YouTube. Images from DSP Media.)
Tags: April, MV Review
Spicy food enthusiast who clocks in an embarrassing amount of hours on Spotify every year.
For Your Viewing Pleasure: Let Loose
Support Seoulbeats
Victon Forges Ahead in "What I Said"
DPR Ian's "No Blueberries" is Beautifully and Artistically Shot
Iz One Favor Style Over Substance in "Panorama"
Rain and JYP's "Switch to me" is Delightfully Campy
Baek Yerin Creates her own Haunting Cinema with Sequel MV "Hate You"
Giriboy's "It Was Love" Uses Symbolism to Depict Toxicity in a Relationship
Jun. K's "30 Minutes Might Be Too Long" is Filled With Twists and Turns


Stay away from concrete slabs - they are often more expensive than natural stone, will fade over time and always end up looking fake. American indian Sandstone has dominated the paving slab market for many years as it is cheap, natural, acquireable and looks good. Cheaper American indian Sandstone is not always the bargain it appears as it is more delicate, or poorer quality and even more porous causing leaching for the minerals in the mortar on to the top surface of the natural stone. There are some inexpensive granite slabs currently available that make a wonderful surface area only slightly more expensive than Indian Sandstone. The more costly options are Travertine, You are able to stone, Basalt, and Marble.
Gugara - Armstrong announces commercial floor products price. Armstrong flooring announced that it will initiate a 3 6% price increase for several commercial product lines, including commercial vinyl sheet, commercial tile, and linoleum, effective at the beginning of october "we continue to experience significant increases in raw materials, energy, transportation and operating costs," said brent flaharty, senior vice president of north american sales. Armstrong to increase product prices in canada 2015 08. Due to the fluctuation in exchange rates over the past several months, according to the company, armstrong will initiate a price increase for all residential and commercial flooring products in canada effective with shipments starting on oct 12 last year, armstrong's consolidated net sales from continuing operations totaled approximately $2 5 billion, according to the company. Armstrong flooring to increase prices floor covering news. Armstrong flooring to increase prices lancaster, pa armstrong flooringwill initiate a combination of increased product pricing and freight energy surcharges across all product categories effective may 1 "we have and continue to experience significant increases in raw material costs coupled with energy, transportation and operating cost. Armstrong announces price increase on products & freight. Lancaster, pa, april 20, 2018 armstrong flooring announced that it will initiate a combination of increased product pricing and freight energy surcharges across all product categories effective may 1. Armstrong announces price increase products floor. [lancaster, pa ] armstrong flooring announced that it will initiate a three to six percent price increase for several commercial product lines, including commercial vinyl sheet, commercial tile and linoleum, effective october 2, 2017 "we continue to experience significant increases in raw materials, energy, transportation and operating costs. Armstrong products to see tariff related price increase. Armstrong flooring expects to implement an additional price increase effective jan 1, to offset the increase in the tariff "armstrong flooring is primarily a domestic manufacturer, with three quarters of our sales in 2017 coming from product we produce," maier said. Armstrong flooring announces tariff related price increase. Armstrong flooring, inc , will increase prices to offset the imposed 10 percent tariff on affected products it imports from china including luxury vinyl tile lvt , rigid core flooring, and engineered wood flooring effective october 1, 2018. Armstrong announces commercial floor products price. Armstrong flooring announced that it will initiate a 3 6% price increase for several commercial product lines, including commercial vinyl sheet, commercial tile, and linoleum, effective at the beginning of october. Armstrong price increase 7 17 17 marjam. Effective monday, july 17, 2017, armstrong will adjust pricing on the following products as follows: pricing for all armstrong core ceiling panels will increase 10% pricing for architectural specialties infusions will increase 8%. Armstrong flooring announces price increase on residential. [lancaster, pa ] armstrong flooring announced that it will initiate a 3 5% price increase on select residential sheet products in the united states and canada effective with shipments on or after june 26, 2017 "over the past several months, the industry has experienced significant increases in raw materials, energy, transportation and operating costs.


text:
Vergina (în ) este un oraș în nordul Greciei, situat în regiunea Macedonia Centrală, Prefectura Imathia.

Așezare
De la reforma administrației publice locale din 2011, Vergina este parte a municipalității Veroia, fiind o unitate municipală a acesteia.

Orașul a devenit celebru pe plan internațional în 1977, când arheologul grec Manolis Andronikos a descoperit locul de înmormântare a regilor Macedoniei, inclusiv mormantul lui Filip al II-lea al Macedoniei, tatăl lui Alexandru cel Mare. Descoperirile au stabilit ca este orașul antic Aigai ().

Orașul modern Vergina se află la aproximativ 13 km (8 mile) sud-est de centrul municipalității Veroia și la aproximativ 80 km (50 mile) sud-vest de Salonic, capitala Macedoniei grecești. Orașul se află la poalele muntelui Pieria, la o altitudine de 120 m (394 ft) deasupra nivelului mării.

Istoric
Zona Verginei moderne a rămas nelocuită până la mijlocul secolului al VI-lea î.Hr.. După 550 î.Hr., în zona s-a stabilit o populație macedoneană.

Vergina modernă  a fost fondată în 1922 în apropiere de două sate mici agricole: Koutles () și Barbes () deținute anterior de către bey-ul turc al Palatitsei și locuite de 25 de familii de greci. După Tratatul de la Lausanne și evacuarea proprietarilor turci, terenul a fost distribuit în loturi populației existente, precum și altor 121 de familii de greci din Bulgaria și Asia Mică, după acordurile de schimb de populație între Grecia, Bulgaria și Turcia. Numele noului oraș a fost sugerat de Mitropolitul de Veria, care l-a numit după o regină legendara din Beroea antică (Veria modernă).

Descoperiri arheologice
Arheologii au fost interesați de dealurile din jurul Verginei încă din 1850, considerându-se că orașul Aigai era localizat în apropiere și știind că dealurile erau movile funerare. Săpăturile au început în 1861, sub conducerea arheologului francez Leon Heuzey, trimis de către împăratul Napoleon III.

În apropiere de Palatitsa au fost descoperite părți ale unei clădiri mari, considerată a fi fost unul dintre palatele din Antigonus III Doson (263-221), parțial distruse de un incendiu. Cu toate acestea, săpăturile au fost abandonate din cauza riscului de malarie. Arheologii au sugerat că în acest loc a fost orașul antic Valla, mit care a prevalat până în 1976. Descoperiri recente au datat palatul din timpul domniei lui Filip al II-lea al Macedoniei.

În 1937, Universitatea din Salonic a reluat săpăturile. Au fost găsite mai multe ruine ale palatului vechi, dar săpăturile au fost abandonate datorită izbucnirii războiului cu Italia în 1940. După război, s-au reluat săpăturile, iar în anii 1950 și 1960, a fost descoperită restul capitalei regale, inclusiv teatrul în care Filip al II-lea al Macedoniei a fost ucis la nunta fiicei sale Cleopatra cu regele Alexandru al Epirului.

Soarele de la Vergina

Pe capacul larnax-ului lui Filip al II-lea al Macedoniei există simbolul unui soare sau unei stele, acesta fiind adoptat ca simbol al Macedoniei grecești.

A devenit subiect de controversă internațională în 1991, când noul stat independent Republica Macedonia a folosit simbolul pe steagul său. Acest fapt a indignat opinia publică greacă, care a văzut utilizarea simbolului ca pe o însușire a patrimoniului istoric al Greciei și implicând o revendicare teritorială asupra Greciei. În 1995, Republica Macedonia a fost de acord să-și schimbe steagul.

Note

Bibliografie
 Drougou S., Saatsoglou Ch., Vergina: Reading around the archaeological site, Ministry of Culture, 2005.

Legături externe

 Informațiii pe site-ul oficial al Ministerlui Culturii
 Informații despre muzeu
 Mormintele regale de la Vergina

Vezi și
 Locuri din patrimoniul mondial
 Listă de orașe antice grecești
 Listă de orașe din Grecia

Orașe din Grecia Antică
Patrimoniul mondial în Grecia
Patrimoniul mondial în Macedonia


text:
A mix of clouds and sun. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 94F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph..
A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible early. Some passing clouds. Low 76F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
We have to lead the dialogue about us
By Chauncey Nelson
We were sitting silently in the living room of a friend's home. A group of my peers had gathered somberly on the evening of July 5, 2005. We had all just lost a friend, mentor, advocate and family member. This was someone – for most of us, the only one – who gave us hope, resources and an outlet away from the circumstances that terrorized us daily.
Through the obscured space of grief, I heard it so subtle and clear: "All I have left is death or jail."
This was the narrative for every young man in that room that night and most of the men from my neighborhood. What brought us together was the components of our lived experiences that we held in common. Most of our fathers had been absent due to incarceration, death, regulations to gain access to systematic assistance, and/or parental conflict. Many of our mothers had been victimized by the overwhelmingly copious access to the reality-escaping substances that masked their pain and suffering.
We had learned to make a way for ourselves, when there was nowhere to go. We developed a means to living without knowing what we were living for. We had created a purpose for ourselves when no one was giving us any opportunities. The world had shown us how much it valued us, and we were determined to live up to that expectation.
We were failing. The hope and admiration had left our souls. The very reason for engaging in these activities – to create a better means of living – had made us consciously numb. In that room that evening, we all ranged between the ages of 19 to 22 yet believed that life had run its course at a time when most people are just beginning to live. Society shunned us, our community did not have solutions for us, and elders distanced themselves from us.
Personally, I felt abandoned. But, unlike the other gentlemen in the room that evening, I believed in the power of resilience. We still had options – not placed along a path of upward mobility, but options nevertheless.
The next month I enrolled in the local community college and begin to listen to messages in the lectures rather than the content in the lessons. I began to realize that most people would never have the capacity to understand the depth of the dynamics we faced on a daily basis.
For me, higher education became a platform for debate. Here, my people had a voice and you could not shun us. I began taking courses in sociology and psychology to learn more about why things were the way they were, and why we think the way we think. I started to create an understanding for social constructs and mental wellness.
We were hurting and tired of fighting a battle we would inevitably lose. Our parents were hurt and defeated by trying to fight the same battle. Our children would one day have the same outcomes if something in this paradigm did not change.
Reluctant to believe anyone at a university could comprehend the discourse I had endured, I brought myself to meet with instructors. I wanted to discuss their understanding of life and theories to explain how we made it to this particular moment in history.
I began to be impaled by research around the functionality of society. I looked at the complexity of stereotypes played out in classic Disney films targeted to children to shape their expectations. I read the lectures of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, and compared similarities of desired outcomes while given through very dissimilar dialogue.
I was brought to the conclusion that it was a system that had no intent of allowing us to flourish. It was designed to either keep us complacent or consume us. It had no intentions of allowing us to grow individually or as a subgroup of people, but also wanted no direct dealings with us where we were not second-class citizens. I realized we had to be the ones leading the dialogue to change the narrative.
We must be the common denominator that contributes to our outcomes. We have to be leaders on the forefront and not spectators from the balcony. We must hold ourselves accountable in every facet. Our youth need to know that they have a safe space in this world to develop, learn and grow into flourishing young men. But we must create the haven that will allow for such growth and welcome them with opportunities that harvest visions.
Chauncey Nelson is a graduate of the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and a former research assistant for the Race and Opportunity Lab. He currently works on an initiative with Saint Louis University, "Shut It Down: Plug the School to Prison Pipeline," and leads cognitive life skills groups for youth throughout the region to increase resilience and potential outcomes.
"Homegrown Black Males" is a partnership between HomeGrown STL at the Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis and The St. Louis American, edited by Sean Joe, Benjamin E. Youngdahl Professor and associate dean at the Brown School, and Chris King, managing editor of The American, in memory of Michael Brown.
Brown School Of Social Work
Sean Joe
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Changing the way we treat young black males


Most businesses are run by people who either know sales, or know marketing. It's rare to come across leaders who have an intimate understanding of both – and yet, Brett Bonser's experience in facilitating hundreds of sales and marketing projects for some of the world's biggest brands proves that he truly is a Sales and Marketing expert.
As Director of align.me, Brett has combined his 20 years of real world experience with align.me's proven sales and marketing methodology, Funnel Logic, to lead the growth of businesses such as Transfield Services, NEC, Sony, Spotless, Aker Kvaerner, Cap Gemini and Ernst and Young.
Brett's powerful process for translating strategy into plan resulted in the creation of Funnel Camp™, align.me's facilitated planning workshop. Through Funnel Camp, Brett has helped both blue-chip and aspiring businesses alike to realise their growth objectives. He recently worked with IPScape, a start-up call centre solutions provider, to build a clear, actionable plan in less than two days. Since the implementation of their plan, IPScape have become an award winner on Delloite's Technology Fast 50 list.
A prominent figure in the field of business sales and marketing, Brett is regularly invited to share his knowledge at industry events. He was most recently engaged by IT solutions provider, Professional Advantage, to deliver a series of presentations as part of the Microsoft Dynamics Seminar Roadshow. Presenting alongside other sales and marketing leaders, he was consistently ranked the top presenter, with an average score of 4.5 out of 5.
Prior to consulting, in his previous role as Director of Sales for Request Broadband, Brett developed and then led the team that invigorated the Australian business broadband arena. Along with helping the company achieve industry recognition as Telecommunications carrier of the year in 2001, Brett oversaw the rapid engagement of the most extensive indirect channel structure in the industry, resulting in revenue growth from $500,000 to $22 million p/a over a two-year period.
Prior to that, Brett was General Manager of VTEL Australia, where he not only oversaw the company's establishment and management, but was also individually involved in Australia's pilot implementations of videoconferencing technology.
Brett holds a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from The University of Melbourne, and a Graduate Diploma in Direct Marketing from the University of San Diego. He has lectured in the areas of strategic selling, broadband services and multimedia technology, and is a certified Master Sales trainer with the Miller Heiman organisation.
Brett is an active participant in a number of technology, sales, and marketing industry bodies, and an associate adviser to the venture catalyst firm Nexstep Australia Pty Ltd. Beyond these pursuits, he also chairs the Tuxedo Junction advisory board – an annual fundraising event already contributing more than $700,000 for cancer research.
To contact Brett, please use our Contact form, or call +61 (04) 1820-5153.


text:
Apple to Create 3,000 Jobs in Wake County
Apple has selected North Carolina's Research Triangle region as the location for its newest research and development campus and will create 3,000 jobs in Wake County. Apple plans to invest more than $1 billion in the state by 2032.
Earlier today, Governor Cooper, Senator President Pro Tempore Phil Berger, Senator Dan Blue, Speaker Tim Moore, and Representative Robert Reives issued this statement:
"Innovation has long been North Carolina's calling card and Apple's decision to build this new campus in the Research Triangle showcases the importance of our state's favorable business climate, world-class universities, our tech-ready workforce, and the welcoming and diverse communities that make so many people want to call North Carolina home. This announcement will benefit communities across our state and we are proud to work together to continue to grow our economy and bring transformational industries and good-paying jobs to North Carolina."
Apple [NASDAQ: AAPL] revolutionized personal technology with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Today, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple's five software platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — provide seamless experiences across all Apple devices and empower people with breakthrough services including the App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. The company's new project in North Carolina will create an R&D, Operations and Engineering hub in Wake County of at least 1 million square feet, powered 100 percent from renewable energy sources from day one, similar to all Apple facilities worldwide. In addition, Apple will set up a $100 million fund to support schools and community initiatives across the state.
"As a North-Carolina native, I'm thrilled Apple is expanding and creating new long-term job opportunities in the community I grew up in," said Jeff Williams, Apple's Chief Operating Officer. "We're proud that this new investment will also be supporting education and critical infrastructure projects across the state. Apple has been a part of North Carolina for nearly two decades, and we're looking forward to continuing to grow and a bright future ahead."
The North Carolina Department of Commerce led the state's efforts to attract Apple's new R&D campus. The company will retain its existing 1,100-person workforce at various locations in North Carolina. Apple's new positions over the entire period of the grant will offer salaries that average $187,001, creating a regional payroll impact estimated to top $550 million per year. Wake County's overall average annual wage is currently $63,966.
"Apple's choice to grow in North Carolina comes at an important time for our state," said Commerce Secretary Machelle Baker Sanders. "As we move past the hardships of the pandemic, we must work even harder to bring new opportunity to all people of our state. Companies like Apple, with its tangible commitment to equity and justice issues, add an important perspective to this conversation and we welcome them to our state."
Apple's project in North Carolina will be facilitated, in part, by a transformative Job Development Investment Grant (JDIG) approved by the state's Economic Investment Committee earlier today. The project is estimated to grow the state's economy by nearly $79.8 billion over 39 years, the time period the grant could be active. The 3,000 new jobs will generate $1.97 billion in new tax revenues to the state over the grant period. Using a formula that takes into account these new tax revenues, the JDIG agreement authorizes the potential reimbursement to the company of up to $845.8 million. This potential payment would also be spread over 39 years.
Like all grants from the JDIG program, any state payments only occur following performance verification each year by the departments of Commerce and Revenue that the company has met its incremental job creation and investment targets.
"We're thrilled that Apple has selected Wake County for its newest research and development campus," said Chair Matt Calabria of the Wake County Board of Commissioners. "Like Apple, we're a community that is always looking for what comes next. That, coupled with our incredible education system and top talent pool, give us the right mindset and the right skillset to attract industry-leading companies like Apple."
Because Apple chose a site in Wake County, classified by the state's economic tier system as Tier 3, the company's JDIG agreement also calls for moving as much as $112.4 million into the state's Industrial Development Fund – Utility Account. The Utility Account helps rural communities finance necessary infrastructure upgrades to attract future business. Even as the new jobs associated with this JDIG are created in Tier 3 Wake County, local communities in more economically challenged areas of the state can use funds from the Utility Account to build public infrastructure projects, which improve a community's ability to attract companies to their regions.
"Apple's global name recognition and the scale of its new presence in the Research Triangle will elevate North Carolina's already strong reputation for producing highly skilled tech workers as well as having the quality of life and affordability that attract more of the same," said Christopher Chung, chief executive officer of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina. "We expect other businesses ― particularly in Silicon Valley and even globally ― to take notice of this major announcement. And that will definitely boost our future recruitment efforts."
The North Carolina General Assembly introduced the Transformative project classification to the JDIG program in 2017. Economic development projects from companies that invest more than $1 billion and create more than 3,000 jobs can qualify for the special grant classification, which alters certain parameters of the program such as the length of time the grant can be active and the percentage of state tax withholdings that can be used to fund the grant.
"Apple is one of the world's best-known companies," said N.C. Representative Gale Adcock. "In addition to the new jobs and investment they're bringing to our region, the company's decision also brings welcome attention to the many advantages North Carolina offers as a place to do business."
"For many years, a dedicated group of economic development partners worked to bring this investment to Wake County," said N.C. Senator Sydney Batch. "I'm pleased to see the result of their efforts pay off, and I know they will continue to provide the support Apple and its new employees will need as the company opens its new campus."
Partnering with the North Carolina Department of Commerce and the Economic Development Partnership of N.C. on this project were the North Carolina General Assembly, the Research Triangle Foundation, North Carolina State University, Wake Tech, Wake County Government, and Wake County Economic Development, a program of the Raleigh Chamber.