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The first trailer for director Ruben Fleischer's (Zombieland) crime drama Gangster Squad has gone online. The film stars Sean Penn as gangster Mickey Cohen, and centers on the Los Angeles task force (headed by Josh Brolin) assembled to bring him to justice. I'm a sucker for anything 1940s-related, but I think this trailer is pretty damn great. The cast is incredible, and Fleischer's visual flair from his previous films looks to have matured and evolved for this more dramatic story. Above all, though, Gangster Squad looks like a lot of fun. It's easy for period pieces like this to be drowned by solemnity (I'm looking at you, Public Enemies), but Fleischer hasn't forgotten that there's a lot of fun to be had in 1940s L.A. Additionally, I'm loving the different personalities on display in the ensemble. Between this, Argo, and the slew of movies slated for this fall/winter, 2012 is shaping up to be something special.
Hit the jump to watch the trailer. The film also stars Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Nick Nolte, Michael Peña, Anthony Mackie, and Giovanni Ribisi. Gangster Squad opens later this year.
Click over to Apple to watch in HD.
Here's the official synopsis:
Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and–if he has his way–every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It's enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen's world apart. "The Gangster Squad" is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD's efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.

subset: commoncrawl


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Most of us can't tell our secant from our cotangent. But the forms are everywhere, and Nikki Graziano wants to help us see them. Graziano, a math and photography student at Rochester Institute of Technology, overlays graphs and their corresponding equations onto her carefully composed photos. "I wanted to create something that could communicate how awesome math is, to everyone," she says. Graziano doesn't go out looking for a specific function but lets one find her instead. Once she's got an image she likes, Graziano whips up the numbers and tweaks the function until the graph it describes aligns perfectly with the photograph. See more of her Found Functions series at Nikkigraziano.com.
When graphed, this trigonometry function produces an ever-repeating wave of peaks and valleys that mirror the natural curves Graziano sees in plants. (October 2008.)
"It's a pretty famous function," Graziano says of this bell curve in the sky. (June 2009.)
Surrounded by piles of snow last spring, Graziano says she couldn't help but take some photos like this one. (April 2009.)
Nature speaks a language, Graziano says, and sometimes that language can look pretty complicated—like the function whose graph mirrors the shape of this pile of sand. (March 2009.)
Hollywood's going 3-D, and so has Graziano. She ventured into the third dimension to produce graphs that map the contours of plants. This one is a hyperbolic parabloid.
This function describes 3-D representations of a repeating sine curve.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.


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Well, it's over and we can all exhale. A lot of expensive iron crossed the blocks during the ultra high-tone auctions in the Northern California enclaves of Monterey and Carmel. The auctions culminated with last Sunday's Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Lots of expensive cars. Lots of high rollers. And some of them clearly like old cars from Italy.
Ferrari led the pack, according to this auction roundup by Gizmag's Angus MacKenzie, with nine of the 10 top-selling auction cars coming from the Ferrari factory. Only a 1965 Ford GT40 managed to break that Top 10 hit parade.
Average sale price of cars at the auctions put on by the big collector car houses was $535,000 and the top selling car, establishing a world record auto auction price, was a 1962 Ferrari 250GTO, at just over $38 million. (It's not the top price for a 250GTO, however. Last year, a private collector in Connecticut sold one for a reported $52 million.)
By the way, for those keeping score, MacKenzie points out Ferrari is the best seller in the collector car arena (no surprise here.)
"This domination reflects the entire rare car marketplace," MacKenzie writes. "When the dust settled after the (Pebble Beach) weekend, 52 of the top 100 most valuable cars ever to sell at auction are Ferraris, with Mercedes-Benz second (10 cars in top 100), Bentley (five cars in top 100) third, and Bugatti (4) and Talbot-Lago (4) equal fourth."


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Benefit Cosmetics has launched a new blush palette called Cheek Parade and it's a showstopper!
Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette
So I present to you my Sephora purchase: The Too Faced Chocolate Bar palette! By far the most tasty looking and delicious item in my make up collection. The palette has a mix of sixteen eyeshadows, that are infused with cocoa powder. The eyeshadow shades are beautiful complimentary colors. The palette contains a mix of shimmers and mattes, and also has extra large highlight shades
An eyeshadow palette that not only looks like a chocolate bar, but actually smells like my favorite treat, chocolate… Too Faced I love you! ;-)


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The most commonly asked questions, answered
- Home
- Condition and Treatment
- Types of critical illness cover
- Types of critical illness cover
Types of critical illness cover
Types of critical illness cover
Types of critical illness cover
What the different types of critical illness cover?
The insurance industry can confuse customers and itself with the titles it gives to types of policy within the wider definition of Critical Illness Insurance.
The main variations are listed below, but products do not always fit easily into one definition, so check exactly what they offer. There is an industry move to introduce policies both with narrower definitions to cover only a specific problem such as cancer, or to widen the definition to make Critical Illness policies cover more than the current specified illnesses.
This is a specific critical illness cover for self employed individuals and small firms. It covers the life of one or two key individuals. This is usually the business owner and sometimes their partner (life or business or both) too.
The object is to pay off a business loan or business mortgage should the individual die or get a critical illness.
They are usually life and critical illness, rather than just critical illness policies.
Cancer is a disease caused by normal cells changing so that they grow in an uncontrolled way. The uncontrolled growth causes a lump called a tumour to form. If not treated, the tumour can cause problems.
There are over 200 different types of cancer because there are over 200 different types of body cells. For example, cells that make up the lungs can cause a lung cancer.
Every year in the UK:
- 50,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer
- 20,000 men are diagnosed with lung cancer
- 2,000 men are diagnosed with testicular cancer
An increasing number of people survive cancer and even recover fully.
There are many cancer treatments - including surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, bisphosphonates, bone marrow and stem cell transplants, and biological therapies.
Cancer is the most common claim under critical illness.
Special cover just for cancer, is on offer.
Choosing just cancer cover, rather than a full critical illness policy is a gamble and it may not even save you money.
Most cancer covers do not cover all or even most cancers, but a pre-selected small list.
Most critical illness insurance cover providers enable you to extend your plan to also cover your children. Although the cover available ranges between critical illness insurance providers, it is usually a much smaller amount than the main sum insured.
If your child is covered by your critical illness insurance policy and he or she develops an illness covered then you will receive a tax-free lump sum payment. You will receive this payment from your critical illness insurance even if your child gets better. This payment can be spent in any way that you wish, such as on the provision of medical care and treatment for your child.
It is common for the child cover to cover fewer specified diseases than for the adults covered. Some insurers add specific child diseases to child cover; e.g. Bacterial Meningitis. Some insurers delete diseases that are not relevant to children while others see no need to if the children cannot catch them anyway e.g. senile dementia.
Critical Illness insurance pays out a lump sum if you suffer one of a number of specific medical problems, such as a heart attack, cancer or stroke. However, it doesn't pay out for any medical condition, other than those listed.
Critical illness does not pay out for stress, depression or back problems; whereas a full Income Protection policies cover all three. Unlike many, other health and protection insurances, policies pay out on diagnosis of the critical conditions covered, regardless of how well or quickly you recover.
On a Life policy, you have to die before a payout. On a Critical Illness policy, you will get a payout whether you live or die.
Many Critical Illness policies cover total and permanent disability – illnesses and medical conditions where there is no long-term prospect of recovery and where the insured is totally disabled.
A new variant is the offer of disability cover as an option within a wider income protection or critical illness policy. This cover includes illnesses and problems that are not usually covered under Critical Illness. Each insurer varies but a typical offering includes:
- Advanced Cancer
- Cardiovascular System
- Digestive System
- Mental disorders
- Musculoskeletar system
- Permanent failure of functional activity
- Renal Disease
- Respiratory System
Heart attack and stroke
Every year, 150,000 people have a stroke. Most are over 65, but anyone can have a stroke, including children.
A stroke changes lives. It can have a huge effect on you and your family.
A stroke happens when blood cannot get to the brain and brain cells are damaged and die. A stroke happens suddenly and can damage: bodily functions, thought processes, ability to learn, and communication skills.
Some people will experience ongoing problems after their stroke. These problems may be different for each individual, but long-term problems may include difficulties with ongoing tiredness, movement, physical pain, emotional problems, difficulties with speech, memory problems, difficulties swallowing and visual difficulties.
2 out 3 people after a stroke, find their income and ability to earn, reduced.
A stroke is often called heart failure.Heart failure often develops because you have or had a medical condition, such as coronary artery disease, a heart attack or high blood pressure, which has damaged or put extra workload on your heart.
Heart attacks are one of the most common reasons why a person requires emergency medical treatment.
There are over 90,000 heart attacks in England each year.
Most heart attacks occur in people over 45. Men are two to three times more likely to have a heart attack than women.
2 out of 3 people survive a heart attack.
Heart attacks and strokes are the second most common claim under critical illness.
Special cover just for heart attack and stroke is on offer.
Choosing just heart attack and stroke cover, rather than a full critical illness policy is a gamble and it may not even save you money.
International cover
This is where there is no treatment in the UK and it is not for UK full time residents. It covers treatment overseas. It is only for UK expatriates living abroad.
Life cover with a critical illness option
This is where a life assurance policy, which pays on death or after a fixed period, offers the option to add a Critical illness policy.
There are hundreds of life policy providers. Many of these are tied to a mortgage or only available from a bank where you have an account. Selecting a Life Policy because of the option it offers on Critical Illness, is as nonsensical as buying a car just because you like the radio or sat-nav system.
Where critical illness is part of or an option to add to a life policy, it is important to understand the two main types of cover:
Fixed term life cover
You pay a fixed, regular amount into a policy that lasts for a period of time decided by you. It pays out a pre-agreed tax-free lump sum if you die (or are diagnosed with a terminal illness).
Mortgage life cover
In return for regular payments, you get a policy that is designed to pay out enough to cover the outstanding balance on the repayment mortgage sum in the event you die (or are diagnosed with a terminal illness). The amount to be paid out reduces in size as you pay back your mortgage.
Life cover with a children's critical illness option
These plans are very similar to Life Insurance Cover with a Critical Illness Option, except that the life cover is only on adults, not children; while the critical illness cover is on children but not adults.
Life cover and critical illness cover combined
This is where a life assurance policy, which pays on death or after a fixed period, also includes the equivalent of a Critical illness policy. There are hundreds of life policy providers. Many of these are tied to a mortgage or only available from a bank where you have an account.
Selecting a Life Policy because of the option it also offers on Critical Illness, is as nonsensical as buying a car just because you like the radio or sat nav system. There is one benefit of combined life and critical illness policies. They can be cheaper than buying the two products separately.
Most of these types of policies, and details about them, are only available from insurance intermediaries, tied agents of insurance companies, banks, building societies, supermarkets and others. In theory, you should be able to see clearly whether or not a provider offers a range of policies from the market, only products from one company, or is a multi tied agent for only a handful of insurers. In practice, this is not always clear.
Life cover with a disability option
This is a combination of Disability cover with a life insurance cover.
These policies only allow you to take out Disability cover if you also buy the Life cover.
Membership plans
Even the best critical illness insurance policy is based on the premise that any assistance and information is secondary to paying out a cash sum. Membership plans turn the conventional wisdom on its head by concentrating on offering assistance and help at all stages.
Plans pay for and arrange the best possible treatment, often overseas. The aim is to increase the chances of survival and recovery after a major life-threatening critical illness. The treatment costs are paid for from an insurance fund.
Overseas treatment
This is where you do not get treated in the UK, but are sent overseas for treatment, usually to the USA.
Severity based cover
Critical illness cover is based on a list of illnesses and conditions for which insurance payouts will be made.
If you have a listed condition, the chances of beating it or living more than a few months used to be very low.
So, on a conventional cover if you have an insured illness and a claim has been paid, then insurers will no longer offer you cover.
But modern medicine means that many more conditions are beatable, and others can go into remission for years, while even with some diseases, people can live for many years.
An increasing number of insurers recognise that some conditions, such as early stage cancers where the removal of a breast is required, warrant some payout instead of nothing at all.
So one in two policies now automatically includes severity cover, where the payout is directly linked to the severity of the condition. If you have a claim paid, and live for another ten years and a condition worsens or if a new illness is diagnosed, not only does cover continue but also further claims can be made.
The severity concept is literally moving the goalposts. The really important question is changing from 'will my claim be paid?' to 'how much will I be paid?'.
It is now an important part of the cover and you should check if the insurer that perhaps looks good value, does so because another insurer at a slightly higher price also includes severity cover.
Latest news
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Critical illness insurance guides
- What is covered
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As a Tombstone Tourist, I love to wander cemeteries, looking for historical, artistic and cultural finds. Although I've seen these rectangular shaped graves for years, I only recently learned that it is known as a cradle grave.
|Headboard and Footboard
|Plain Curbing
|Cement Cradle Grave
|Child's Cradle Grave
|Adult Cradle Grave
|White Bronze Cradle Grave
|Leaves and Grass on Cradle Grave
|Overgrown White Bronze
|Neglected White Bronze
~ Joy


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When people think of San Diego a few things instantly come to mind: sun, surf and, of course, pandas.
After all, the San Diego Zoo is famous for the furry bears that consistently make headlines with their cuteness.
Now, the black and white bears have inspired two locals to create a new San Diego flag reminiscent of the California state flag, only more "panda-like," if you will.
[G] San Diego's Cutest Critters
Constance Carroll, chancellor of the San Diego Community College District, and Martha Barnette, journalist and public radio host, joined forces this year to create San Diego Republic, a company that sells T-shirts featuring a flag of a panda bear.
The design looks similar to the California flag, with a panda instead of a grizzly bear. The iconic star and colored stripe on the design is blue rather than red, too, and below the stripe are the words "San Diego Republic."
[WXPIC] Why We Love San Diego Gallery II
According to the company website, Carroll is the artist behind the flag that honors America's Finest City. The T-shirts featuring the panda design cost $19.95 a pop and are sold online or at the Simply Local Store in Seaport Village.
The longtime San Diegans are also working on more panda-inspired products slated to be available soon on their website.


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Bachelor degree Universities, Colleges and Business Schools in 2020
On this page you can search for Universities, Colleges and Business schools in . You will easily find all information about the top ranked universities in . Click on"Read more" for a detailed description of the university and an overview of the study programs offered....
On this page you can search for Universities, Colleges and Business schools in . You will easily find all information about the top ranked universities in . Click on"Read more" for a detailed description of the university and an overview of the study programs offered.อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Find universities in and browse through their programs to find the ones that suit you best. Get all info about the various study options in and compare the tuition fees and length of study. You can save time and contact universities in directly: fill out the"Request free information" form, which will put you in contact with the admissions office.
Start the search for your future education right away!อ่านบทย่อ
The Rady School of Management at UC San Diego is a professional school within one of the top-ranked institutions in the U.S. for higher education and research. Established in 2003 and accredited by AA ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
At Hult, we believe a business school should give you so much more than a degree. Our students graduate with a global network in place, the practical skills to make an impact from day one, a future mi ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
UC Berkeley's School of Information (I School) is the newest school at the university, featuring programs designed to prepare professionals to understand and use information to solve complex problems. ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) provides innovative academic programs dedicated to building scholar-practitioners through hands-on learning. We shape individua ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
We are a true global society of faculty, staff, students and community partners dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through education and research — all with an eye on building a Pacific communi ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) is an innovative, forward-thinking university based in San Francisco, California.
Established on the values of being progressive, motivated and innovative, Mantissa College persistently contributed to nurturing students,in not only to be well qualified academically, but also to pos ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Be a leader. Build productive and compassionate organizations. Be a force for positive change in the world.
The School of Education celebrates four decades of involved teachers, devoted leaders and caring counselors. Our faculty and students are scholars and social justice advocates engaged within the diver ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
As one of the country's premier Jesuit Catholic universities, the College of Arts and Sciences pairs a rigorous academic curriculum with an urban, global perspective. The college's vision of success i ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Thanks to nationally recognized faculty, programs, and a truly inspiring location, the study of law at Pepperdine University is a one-of-a-kind experience. Learn why Pepperdine prepares you for a law ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Founded in 1994, as a Center specialized in CGI - COMPUTER GENERATED IMAGES - (Infographics, 3D Animation, Video Games, Cinema, Advertising and Special Effects) and Digital Image (Graphic Design, Post ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Loyola Law School is located in the legal, financial and media capital of Los Angeles. It is home to world-renowned faculty, and academic programs at the leading edge of the legal field. Our students ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
For the second consecutive year, Washington Monthly ranks Golden Gate University America's #1 School for Adult Learners in its annual College Guide and Rankings. Golden Gate University prepares indivi ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
The School of Nursing and Health Professions follows the University of San Francisco's mission to provide a liberal arts education rooted in the Jesuit tradition of diversity, justice and global persp ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Westcliff University is a globally recognized and regionally accredited private institution that specializes in Business and Education. Our curriculum is designed to develop students both personally a ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Drawing on its rich legacy as the oldest chartered university in California, University of the Pacific is a student-focused, comprehensive educational institution that produces outstanding graduates p ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Because our future depends on better leaders, smarter innovators, and more informed global citizens, we are preparing the next generations of exceptional, lifelong learners to work together in solving ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Welcome to Fresno Pacific University! Here we challenge students to think critically, excel academically and live ethically. Our core values and commitment to building character spring from a distinct ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Our mission is to provide an outstanding legal education for an internationally based, diverse student body. While our residential JD program has been around for decades, our online Graduate Programs ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
University of the People (UoPeople) is the Education Revolution. We are the first non-profit, tuition-free, American accredited online university. Dedicated to opening access to higher education globa ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Dignity Health Global Education (DHGE) is the leading healthcare workforce development company. Dedicated to providing customized educational opportunities and a student-centric experience, we develop ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
ISDI, the business school for the digital era. We are not in an era of change but in a change of an era. Find the education you need to open doors in the digital era. Join ISDI, the first digital busi ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
The University of Redlands is a dynamic private liberal arts and sciences university located in the Inland Empire of Southern California, close to Los Angeles. Redlands' 2,450 students from 45 countr ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
At San Jose City College we believe that each and every one of our students has a unique gift. We believe if you work hard and dedicate yourself to your goals, our talented faculty and staff can help ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Meridian University is dedicated to enabling human development through wise transformative impact across multiple domains of the public and private sectors with global reach and local value. Meridian' ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
For nearly 90 years, artists and designers have called Academy of Art University their home. Founded in San Francisco and family owned since 1929, it is the largest private art and design university i ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
The University of California was founded in 1868, born out of a vision in the State Constitution of a university that would "contribute even more than California's gold to the glory and happiness of a ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
The International Education Programs (IEP) at the University of California, Riverside (UCR), has been providing English as a Second Language (ESL), academic, and professional programs since 1975. Our ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Shillington is a global design school created by today's professionals to help students upskill and change careers. With campuses in New York, London, Manchester, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane — the ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
UC San Diego Extension International Programs provides instruction of the highest quality, in which people can learn to their full potential. Quality academics, combined with our superb campus facilit ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
We bring together people, cultures, and ideas to develop responsible leaders who transform business and society.
At Mt. SAC, students can get the full college experience without the full college debt. We give our students the support and excellent education they need to succeed in new careers, gain admission int ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Founded in 1905, the USC School of Pharmacy has played a key leadership role in both the advancement of the field of pharmacy and in the education of new generations of pharmacists and remains one of ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Located on an award-winning Frank Gehry-designed campus in downtown Los Angeles, Loyola Law School, Los Angeles is home to prominent faculty, dedicated students and cutting-edge programs. The Law Scho ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Our long academic tradition aims to foster in students an appreciation for the complexities of the modern world and workplace while never losing sight of the importance of social responsibility.
McGeorge educates lawyers for large and small law firms, government agencies and corporate legal departments in California, across the United States, and around the world. This has been our hallmark s ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
At the Pepperdine School of Public Policy, students learn from real policy practitioners in order to become well-rounded and successful leaders. We use a unique curriculum that melds quantitative poli ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
USC Gould is an elite law school committed to academic excellence. Our success is comprised of a world-class faculty, a close-knit and diverse student body, a well-situated campus, an interdisciplinar ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Stanton University (SU) was founded in 1996 as an academic institution of higher learning which focuses those approaches of higher education that lead to student success. To meet the needs of its stud ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
UC Berkeley Extension is an academic department within UC Berkeley and is located just a few blocks away from the main campus. This department offers short-term programming for international students ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Diverse, Engaged, Inspiring - this is Southwestern Law School—a history of public service, innovative teachers, brilliant scholars, and trailblazing alumni. Prepare to succeed through our innovative c ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
The Berkeley International Study Program (BISP) provides the opportunity for short-term study abroad at the world-class and culturally-rich University of California, Berkeley.
Brentwood University endeavors to provide current and effective graduate business education programs to qualified learners. Instruction is delivered via programs that are adaptable to student needs or ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Glendale Community College (Glendale, CA) was founded in 1927 and has been offering "over 85 years of Educational Excellence and Quality" during this time. Glendale College, or "GCC," is fully accredi ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
California Lutheran University is a selective, comprehensive institution offering undergraduate and graduate degrees in the liberal arts and sciences and professional fields. Rooted in the Lutheran tr ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
The University of San Diego (USD) School of Law is recognized for the excellence of its faculty, depth of its curriculum, and strength of its clinical programs. Each year, USD educates approximately 9 ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Located in downtown Los Angeles, SCI-Arc is a center of innovation and one of the nation's few independent architecture schools.
West Hills College, Coalinga is a public, two-year college located in the city of Coalinga, California. Coalinga is centrally located, mid-way between Los Angeles and San Francisco. West Hills College ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
At the University of San Diego Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies, we promote a multifaceted approach to peacebuilding and social justice, integrating theory and practice in the classroom as well as ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Centrally located in the South Bay and the heart of Los Angeles, CSU Dominguez Hills is a diverse, welcoming community of learners and educators collaborating to change lives and communities for the b ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
The mission of the USC Rossier School of Education (pronounced "ross-EAR") is to prepare leaders to achieve educational equity through practice, research and policy. We work to improve learning opport ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
WEEI was established to provide professionals rare opportunities to achieve postgraduate qualifications from prestigious international universities. We maintain partnerships with various higher-learn ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Contech is a novel university of applied sciences focused on the software-based economy of tomorrow. "Contech Students" are provided with studying and take advantage of living and learning in four dif ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
We facilitate connections and provide resources for entrepreneurs and innovators to build and grow a successful company. While we focus on technology and startups in practice, in spirit we build our w ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Founded in 1928, the Lucas College and Graduate School of Business has been accredited since 1967 by AACSB International, the world's preeminent accreditation body for business schools. We are the la ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
This is a place where all kinds of students of science, including research professionals, teachers at all levels, and university undergraduates and graduates come together to discover and innovate.
At IESE Business School we want to educate leaders to whom we can entrust the future of business and society.
Almost 100 years after the dedication of Sunset Boulevard, The Los Angeles Film School opened its doors. In a story that includes iconic moments, from the creation of the Walk of Fame to the Hollywood ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Santiago Canyon College (SCC) is a dynamic award-winning Southern California Community College within the Rancho Santiago Community College District. SCC campus is located in the city of Orange, which ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
For more than 60 years, California State University, East Bay (Cal State East Bay or CSUEB for short) has served the San Francisco Bay Area as part of the California State University system (the large ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
The San José State University School of Information prepares individuals for careers as information professionals. Graduates work in diverse areas of the information profession, such as user experienc ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Since 2013, your DMAC (Digital Marketing Academy) has been a top online learning institution specializing in helping students in the U.S., Canada and globally, prepare for a career in Digital and Soci ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
There are many Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) course providers operating around the world. With so much choice, and with such a vast amount of conflicting information available on the I ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
At 6,229 feet above sea level, Lake Tahoe Community College, set in the heart of South Lake Tahoe, is located at the highest elevation of any college in Northern California.
Sonoma State is a regionally serving public university committed to educational access and excellence. Guided by our core values and driven by a commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, Sonoma Sta ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Located on nearly 1,200 scenic acres in Inland Southern California and distinguished by more than 60 years of high-impact research, UCR is a living laboratory for the exploration of issues critical to ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
FinTech is shaping the future of finance and global banking with technology. Financial Institutions want to evolve but need help incorporating FinTech into their business model. Technology professiona ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
California Western School of Law is committed to using the law to solve human and societal problems. Our mission is to train ethical, competent and compassionate lawyers, representative of our diverse ... อ่านเพิ่มเติม
Università Bocconi, founded in 1902, was the first Italian university to grant a degree in economics.
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Following a 6 month stalemate in which neither side had attained any advantage, it suddenly took just a few days for the Libyan rebel forces to steamroll unopposed into Tripoli. While we are confident that the political aftermath of this outcome will be very much comparable to what is happening in Egypt right now, many wonder why it is that the Libyan situation has progressed with such speed. Perhaps the answer can be found in the 143.8 tons of gold held by the Libyan Central Bank. Granted it is nowhere near close the 366 tons of gold that Venezuela supposedly has per the WGC, most of it likely held offshore and not being repatriated, the question of where the global gold cartel may find some of the much needed physical to satisfy Chavez' demands has been now answered. Of course we assume that said gold has not already departed Libya in direction Caracas over the past 6 months. Which, in retrospect, we probably should, as it would explain why gold is now at $1875 and rapidly rising.
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BMC Alpenchallenge 01 TWO
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Awards will be presented at Global Water Intelligence conference in April
Aquatech has received two nominations for this year's Global Water Awards, which will be presented at by Global Water Intelligence (GWI) annual conference in Zurich on April 27, 2009. The nominations are for the Water Reuse Project of the Year and Industrial Project of the Year.
Aquatech's installation of advanced evaporation technology to recycle produced water for the Mukhaizna oil field in Oman received the Water Reuse Project of the Year nomination. The Mukhaizna project is the world's largest installation for produced water reuse application utilizing evaporation technology and is also the first major application of MVC technology in the water reuse sector in the Middle East.
For the Industrial Project of the Year category, Aquatech's multiproject contract with ENEL, one of Europe's largest power utilities, for zero liquid discharge solutions at five major power stations in Italy received the nomination. The ZLD plants are treating flue gas desulphurization (FGD) wastewater, one of the most significant environmental challenges for a coal-fired power plant. Prior to these projects, the concept of zero discharge for FGD wastewater was not considered to be viable. Taking a hybrid approach and utilizing pretreatment to the evaporators allowed Aquatech to exhibit that ZLD could be achieved on this water for a reasonable cost and with ultimate reliability.
GWI, through the Global Water Awards, recognizes important achievements and innovative contributions of various companies globally in the water industry. They are chosen by way of a free vote given to all subscribers to Global Water Intelligence and The Water Desalination Report, as well as to members of the International Private Water Association and the International Desalination Association. For more information, visit www.globalwaterawards.com.


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Congressional lawmakers investigating the shortage of lifesaving drugs used to treat cancer and other illnesses are looking into three companies in North Carolina and Maryland that they believe set up "fake pharmacies" to access the drugs that they then sold at a markup.
The lawmakers, led by Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a Baltimore Democrat, said Wednesday that they sent letters to the three pharmacies that they believe sold drugs to wholesalers that they also owned, which then sold the drugs on the "gray market" to entities that do not manufacture drugs or treat patients. The drugs often passed through several other entities before reaching patients at hospitals and other medical facilities.
The companies sometimes operated as shell operations with no staff and where the owners were rarely seen, the investigation found.
In two cases the companies' licenses have been revoked or were not renewed by the state. But Cummings said the investigation is useful because it provides a better understanding of abuses and could lead to measures to stop other companies from engaging in similar practices. The letters requested more documents.
A national drug shortage has left hospitals and doctors scrambling for ways to treat patients. Some say patients are having to use less effective or more costly drugs. There are also safety concerns because nobody knows whether drugs are handled correctly as they change hands on the gray market. The number of drug shortages annually has nearly tripled from 61 in 2005 to 178 in 2010, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
"What these greedy folks are doing is putting people's health and their lives in jeopardy," Cummings said.
The companies that received letters were LTC Pharmacy Inc. in Durham, N.C., Columbia Med Services in Columbia and Priority Healthcare LLC in Elkton.
The investigation, which Cummings launched in October, found that LTC Pharmacy had a license to purchase drugs such as fluorouracil, which is used to treat colon, stomach, breast and pancreatic cancers. The drugs were to be sold to long-term care facilities and infusion clinics. Instead, investigators said they were sold to International Pharmaceuticals, a company with the same owners as LTC Pharmacy. The drugs were then sold to other wholesalers on the gray market.
The licenses of both companies were revoked or denied by the state of North Carolina after an investigation there determined that the company violated wholesaler prescription drug distribution laws.
In Elkton, the congressional investigation found that a husband-and-wife team created the pharmacy Priority Healthcare. They also formed Tri-Med America, a separate wholesale company in New Jersey. The fluorouracil was transferred from Priority Healthcare to their wholesale company before being sold to another company on the gray market at a higher price.
Columbia Med Services was set up as a pharmacy to serve long-term care patients, the investigation found. The drugs were then transferred to Columbia Medical Distributors, a company with the same owners. The companies' licenses expired last year and were not renewed, according to the Maryland Board of Pharmacy.
The owners of Columbia Med Services and Priority Healthcare could not be reached for comment.
Jessica Hoppe, president and owner of LTC Pharmacy Inc., said, "For now, we are just going to leave it at no comment."
Letters were also sent to 19 other licensed pharmacies requesting information about their possible role in selling drugs on the gray market. The names of those companies were not released.
Congressional lawmakers investigating the shortage of lifesaving drugs used to treat cancer and other illnesses are looking into three companies in North Carolina and Maryland that they believe set up "fake pharmacies" to access the drugs that they then sold at a markup.


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Thursday, January 16, 2014
The Detective Dances: Thoughts on Sherlock's Third Season
I could, of course, be talking about the by-now infamous incident at the BFI preview event for Sherlock's third season, in which Times columnist Caitlin Moran asked Benedict Cumberbatch (and Martin Freeman) to read an explicit Sherlock/John fanfic out loud. But just as easily, I could be talking about an incident from the third season itself. In the season's middle episode "The Sign of Three," Sherlock, acting as John Watson's best man at his wedding to Mary Morstan (Amanda Abbington), has the task of reading the "telegrams" sent by absent well-wishers (this is apparently a British wedding tradition). The audience is clearly supposed to be entertained as he stumbles over such terms of endearment as "poppet" and "oodles of love." In both instances, the authors of the joke clearly think that it is much funnier than it actually is--Moran has, quite rightly, been taken to task for not only embarrassing Cumberbatch and Freeman but humiliating the hapless author of the fanfic she asked them to read, and while "Sign of Three" writer Steve Thompson shows us Mrs. Hudson nearly incapacitated with laughter at the mere thought of how silly Sherlock will look reading out sweet nothings, I doubt that anyone watching at home was more than mildly tickled. The incongruity of life and art dovetailing in this manner, however, points to another reason why both jokes fall flat. Moran and Thompson both assume that making Sherlock say things like "big squishy cuddles," or express his ardent lust for John, is funny because these are things that he would never do. But in order for that to be true, Sherlock itself would have to have a firm grasp on who its title character is, and where the limits of his realistic behavior lie. As the third season amply demonstrates, this is very much not the case.
Sherlock is, of course, fanfic. As Laurie Penny has pointed out in this astute piece in the New Statesman, the show represents "a chance to see what modern fan fiction would look like if it was written by well-paid, well-respected middle-aged men with a big fat budget," which confers upon it a legitimacy that other, less laddish and coolness-obsessed variants on the great detective have been denied.[1] It's this legitimacy that makes it possible for Moran to mock one kind of fanfic while lauding another, and not even notice the contradiction. What surprised me about Sherlock's third season, however, was how much the show seemed to be aware of its own fanfic nature--even, in some ways, playing up to it.
Take the season's first episode, "The Empty Hearse" by Mark Gatiss, in which Sherlock returns to London after a two-year absence, eager to resume his partnership with John--who has finally climbed out of the deep well of grief he plunged into after Sherlock's apparent suicide at the end of the second season, and is about to become engaged to Mary--and befuddled when he is greeted with incandescent rage and flat rejection. My first reaction when I watched the episode--which in general I think vies with "The Blind Banker" and "The Hounds of Baskerville" for the title of Sherlock's very worst installment--was "I've read this fanfic, and I liked it better then." Almost every plot detail in "The Empty Hearse"--John's anger and its eruption into violence upon first seeing Sherlock alive; the existence of Mary and her willingness to help repair the relationship between the former partners; even actual lines, such as Sherlock telling Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) that "Moriarty slipped up... the one person he thought didn't matter at all to me was the one person that mattered the most"--has appeared in countless fanfics that have imagined the aftermath of "The Reichenbach Fall," almost all of them cleverer and more interesting than the official version of the story[2]. Part of the problem, of course, is that two years have passed for us, the fans, as well as the characters, and in that time the wisdom of crowds was almost bound to produce something more satisfying and adventurous than any single, "official" writer. But the problem runs much deeper. Despite having John, quite wisely, proclaim that "I don't dare how you faked [your death], Sherlock. I want to know why," "The Empty Hearse" gets bogged down in "how," in the logistics of getting Sherlock and John back together--which it does in the most predictable, perfunctory way possible--instead of the next chapter of their story.
Almost the only way to read "The Empty Hearse" as anything but a colossal waste of its premise (not to mention a full third of the season's running time) is to take it as a purely metafictional exercise, in which the damaged, years-dormant relationship between Sherlock and John is a stand-in for the relationship between Sherlock and its fans. That relationship has been semi-adversarial at best, with Gatiss and co-creator Steven Moffat often seeming chagrined that their fame and success have been handed to them by a largely-female, relationship-oriented fanbase. On one level, "The Empty Hearse" persists in this tone of disdain. It features a Sherlock fan club whose members are obsessed with figuring out how he faked his death, and one of the theories suggested (which function as a sort of fanfic-within-fanfic) feels like an encapsulation of Moffat and Gatiss's stereotypical take on their fandom--it involves Sherlock tricking John with a dummy and then dissolving into a kiss with Moriarty (Andrew Scott), and is raised by a fat girl in a t-shirt (Sharon Rooney).
There is also, however, an edge of self-effacement to this depiction. Intentionally or not, the girl writing Sherlock/Moriarty fanfic is a sympathetic figure. She punctures the officiousness of Anderson (Jonathan Aris), a former policeman turned Sherlock fanatic--protesting, for example, his decree that members of the club should wear deerstalker hats. She also doesn't share his obsequiousness before Sherlock, whom she treats as an entertainment, one that she can twist into whatever form pleases her, rather than someone whose dignity must be respected. Later in the episode, when Sherlock tells Anderson how he really faked his death (repeating almost word for word the conclusions that fandom had reached shortly after "The Reichenbach Fall" aired), Anderson quite rightly points out that the solution isn't very satisfactory, and has more than a few holes in it. "Everyone's a critic," Sherlock huffs, but for once there's a sense that that criticism isn't inherently illegitimate. The fantastically cruel scene late in the episode, in which Sherlock tricks John into forgiving him by pretending that they are both about to die, and then laughs at John's terror, can be taken as a statement by the show to its fans--you love it when I hurt you, Gatiss seems to be saying, and you keep coming back for more, so I'm going to keep doing it. But at the same time, "The Empty Hearse" ends with a celebration of John and Mary's engagement, decisively puncturing Sherlock's earlier-stated conviction that after two years, John will just be waiting for him in Baker Street, his life paused while Sherlock was away--suggesting that Sherlock, too, needs to adjust to the fact that its fans have moved on (Mary as a metaphor for Elementary?). It's hardly a justification for the episode, and it doesn't make "The Empty Hearse" any easier to watch, but an acknowledgment that Sherlock the show can develop a smidgeon of humility even if the character can't is certainly welcome.
The next episode, "The Sign of Three," is fanfic of a completely different stripe, a frothy, sitcommy affair in which the sadistic, uncaring Sherlock of "The Empty Hearse" becomes a defanged, adorably inept woobie, whose insults and malapropisms stem from cluelessness, not callousness, and anyway hurt him more than anyone else. Spanning the day of John and Mary's wedding, the episode revolves around Sherlock's anxiety over his duties as best man, which conceals a deeper anxiety over whether the marriage will leave him out in the cold. Structurally, "The Sign of Three" is the most successful of the third season's three episodes. Though padded at points (the 90 minute running time remains an albatross around the show's neck), it uses the framing device of Sherlock's best man toast to segue into several secondary stories, which it then ties together as Sherlock realizes that one of the wedding guests is about to be murdered. The intercutting between framing story and internal stories, between the build-up to the wedding and the day itself, and between reality and Sherlock's mind as he tries to puzzle out the mystery while still giving his toast, is Sherlock at its sharpest, a reminder of why this show, despite being so flawed in so many ways, can still sometimes feel like one of the most exciting things on TV[3].
What it isn't, in any recognizable way, is an episode of Sherlock, but rather one of those fanfics that shift the tone and genre of their source material, in this case towards the comedic and sentimental. This is an episode in which John steps out of a room for a moment, and when he comes back Sherlock is surrounded by a dozen napkins folded in the shape of the Sydney opera house, shame-facedly explaining that "that just... sort of... happened." An episode in which Sherlock writes a waltz for the violin for John and Mary to dance to as their first dance, after which he tearfully promises to always be at their side. An episode in which Sherlock increasingly warms to maid of honor Janine (Yasmine Akram), becoming disarmingly flirtatious before finally confiding in her that he loves to dance ("it rarely comes up in crime-work, but I live in hope of the right case"). It's charming and funny (not to mention something of a relief, after an episode that seemed positively confrontational about Sherlock's relationship with its fans, to get an episode that seems so determined to court them) but the more one watches, the clearer it becomes that we're in some sort of alternate universe, one slightly adjacent to the show's world but not really part of it.
In my first post about Sherlock, I wrote that Thompson and Gatiss's episodes felt less like a coherent part of the show's world, and more as if they were writing fanfic in Moffat's universe, using the same setting and cast of characters, but unable to (or uninterested in) capturing his tone. As I've written, their episodes in the third season take that fanfic approach to extremes, so it's perhaps unsurprising that it's only Moffat's episode, the concluding "His Last Vow," that feels like a genuine story set in the Sherlock universe, rather than a commentary on the show and its fandom. Neither as solipsistic as "The Empty Hearse," nor as silly as "The Sign of Three," "His Last Vow" nevertheless feels more than a little mechanical, and in many ways a retread of "The Reichenbach Fall," complete with a conclusion in which Sherlock, cornered by his opponent and facing imminent danger to his friends, sacrifices himself for them. The story, a thin gloss on "The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton," is just barely enough to sustain the episode, and its power is rooted mainly in the discovery that Mary (who is now pregnant) is actually an assassin on the run, and in the crisis this precipitates between her and John, as Sherlock scrambles to protect them both and save their marriage[4]. Freeman and Abbington's chemistry is strong enough (as well it might be, since the actors are long-term partners in real life) that the threat to their relationship feels devastating even though it's just been introduced, and "His Last Vow" also features the series's only effective use of the dreaded (and decidedly un-Holmes-ian) Mind Palace device, when Sherlock must scramble all his mental resources to will himself to survive after being shot. But none of this quite gets around the gaping plot hole in the middle of the episode--Sherlock's efforts to secure the blackmailer's vault of incriminating material are scuttled when it's revealed that he has a mind palace of his own, and has no incriminating documents; but every blackmailer knows that the reason you keep a vault isn't so you can prove your allegations, but so as to dissuade your victims from blowing your brains out, which is indeed what happens at the episode's end.
More importantly, while "His Last Vow" might close out the third season out on a more solid, dependable note than the previous episodes, it can't do enough to correct the fact that Sherlock has lost sight of its title character. It isn't impossible draw a line between "Hearse"'s cruel manipulator, "Three"'s sad clown, and "Vow"'s brave child, who will do anything to protect the people he loves except tell them he loves them[5]. But Sherlock doesn't seem particularly interested in drawing that line, and the tonal shifts between its three episodes, the way they each seem to take place in a subtly different world to the others, only intensifies the feeling that they also represent three different takes on the same character rather than three facets of the same person. Moffat's writing has always been characterized by a desire to hit the big emotional payoff without doing any of the work of earning it, and Sherlock's stylistic quirks only intensify that flaw. So that when Sherlock once again declares, before shooting Magnussen at the end of "His Final Vow," that he is a high-functioning sociopath, this feels more like empty posturing, the repetition of a by-now meaningless phrase, than any true insight into the character (besides which, Moffat has grown far too fond of the sociopath label, sprinkling it liberally on multiple characters in both Sherlock and Doctor Who as a substitute for actually developing them as people).
If Sherlock has grown increasingly cipher-like, however, one definite point in the third season's favor is how it allows the rest of the cast to blossom around him. Freeman's John has always been Sherlock's greatest asset, and the third season functions almost as a character study of him, overturning his perception of himself as an island of normalcy and culminating in a scene in which Sherlock and Mary both insist that John is drawn to monsters of their type and the excitement they offer him. Molly Hooper continues the growth she began in "The Reichenbach Fall," finding new layers in her relationship with Sherlock, which turns alternately respectful, teasing, and demanding. Best of all, however, is Gatiss's Mycroft, whom previous seasons had kept at a distance, a grey eminence who showed up to jump-start a story or clean up Sherlock's mess. The third season expands on the relationship between the Holmes brothers--in fact one might argue that the season's most powerful throughline is their reconciliation, as it begins with Sherlock accusing Mycroft of enjoying the sight of his torture, and ends with Mycroft telling Sherlock that "your loss would break my heart"--and also gives us a better look at Mycroft as a person, and the ways in which he both resembles and differs from his brother.[6]
It's these character notes that leave me, on the whole, feeling fairly satisfied with Sherlock's third season. This is, obviously, to be taken advisedly. Sherlock still suffers from its perennial, frustrating flaws. Its plots are still tissue-thin at best, insultingly stupid at worst. Its pacing is still awful. It is still, despite spotty improvements like Molly (or Janine, who in "His Last Vow" is taken advantage of by Sherlock but is then given the chance to tell him that he should have trusted her enough to ask for her help), vilely misogynistic. And, as a special treat this season, it seems to have lost all interest in Holmes-ian mystery (it's terrifying to think this, but the fluffy "Sign of Three" is the closest the season comes to a Conan Doyle-style story). But these were all flaws I expected to find going into the season. What I wasn't expecting was that the show would own up to at least some of them, as well as its fraught, dysfunctional relationship with its fans. And I certainly wasn't expecting Sherlock to try to make human beings out of anyone but its main character, something that Doctor Who, for example, is profoundly uninterested in. As I wrote in my post about the second season, Sherlock is a show that is terrible as often as it is brilliant. The third season can't get away from this truth, but it does manage to find that brilliance in new and unexpected places.
[1] Though, in fairness, it should be noted that while Sherlock shares with other, official Holmes fanfic like House or the Guy Ritchie films a fawning admiration for its main character and his general disdain for anyone not as smart, cool, or funny as he is, the world of Holmes fanfic is not as starkly divided between these and explicit fanworks as Penny seems to be suggesting. Other official fanfic like Laurie R. King's Mary Russell novels, whose Mary Sue-ish heroine captures Holmes's admiration and then his heart, and of course Elementary, are far less guy-oriented without relinquishing the gloss of legitimacy that fan-authored works lack.↩
[2] The episode's actual plot, meanwhile, in which Sherlock is recalled to London to stop an impending terror attack, is so forgettable that the show itself can't seem to bother giving it a real effort, padding it out with endless cut scenes of Sherlock exploring underground stations or his "mind palace." It also draws attention to Sherlock's unfortunate tendency to only take an interest in its title character's adventures when these involve matters of national security, when part of the charm of Conan Doyle's original stories was how often they revolved around the seemingly trivial and mundane, only for Holmes to reveal the fascinating mystery that lay beneath.↩
[3] A particular standout is a beautifully shot and staged scene that visualizes Sherlock's conversation, on an online forum, with women who claim to have dated a ghost. Given this show's history, however, it was perhaps unfortunate to have chosen to put Sherlock in a room full of women whom he can turn on and off and make speak on command.↩
[4] Moffat no doubt imagined that another source of appeal would be Lars Mikkelsen's performance as Milverton (here called Magnussen), an odious fellow who is introduced licking the face of one of his blackmail victims, pees in Sherlock's fireplace in his second appearance, and uses his power over Mary to force John to let him flick his face in his third. It's an extremely effective performance, in that by the end of the episode the mere sight of the man was enough to turn my stomach, but it's also too clearly a manipulative one, an attempt to justify Magnussen's fast-approaching murder.↩
[5] After all, the eleventh Doctor, upon whom Sherlock is so blatantly based, seems to run this gamut once an episode.↩
[6] The exception to this celebration of character is, alas, Mary. While Abbington is excellent and, as noted, has great chemistry with Freeman, Mary never emerges as a real person so much as a wife-shaped cutout who can be perfect for John without threatening (and in fact encouraging) his bond with Sherlock. The fact that this blankness turns out to have been deliberate, a function of Mary's own sociopathy, doesn't really address the problem, since she can never hope to compete with the sociopath already at the show's center. Ultimately, Mary is a character defined by her lack of personality--her reconciliation with John, after all, is signaled by his refusal to read her file and find out anything about her.↩
5 comments:
- ibmiller said...
Interesting - I did note the incredibly fandom-meta nature of "Hearse," and the really strong variance of tone of "Three" (though the fact that apparently all three writers co-wrote that episode makes it all the more confusing to try to figure out what is happening with the show's tone). I didn't catch the hint of self-awareness that you draw out here - I'll have to think about that - but I do think the show itself wants to be Sherlock - too cool, inconsistent, and armored from any criticism to really change for the better.
- January 16, 2014 8:55 PM
- JP said...
Holmes explicitly speaks about the mind as an attic stored with memories in A Study In Scarlet, so the idea of him using a memory palace is hardly un-Holmesian.
- January 20, 2014 12:53 PM
- Abigail Nussbaum said...
The exact quote from A Study in Scarlet goes:
"I consider that a man's brain originally is like a little empty attic, and you have to stock it with such furniture as you choose. A fool takes in all the lumber of every sort that he comes across, so that the knowledge which might be useful to him gets crowded out, or at best is jumbled up with a lot of other things, so that he has a difficulty in laying his hands upon it."
In other words, Holmes picks the facts that he considers "useful" and discards the rest, the exact opposite of the mind palace concept - which John describes, in "The Empty Hearse," as Sherlock having "all the facts in the universe" socked away in his head. On the contrary, another quote from A Study in Scarlet describes Holmes as being ignorant of everyday facts such as whether the Earth revolves around the sun, because he doesn't consider them germane to his investigative work (Sherlock even gave its Holmes the same ignorance in "The Great Game," before it decided that the mind palace was such a nifty idea).
- January 20, 2014 2:26 PM
- Unknown said...
Sherlock describes having to "delete" things as late as 3x02 when he can't remember the guy's room number. John's statements about how the thing works can hardly be considered authoritative.
- January 20, 2014 3:17 PM
This is really stellar critique for the most part but I'm more than a little tired of the criticism of Sherlock (the character) because the entire premise of the show is to meet a younger-than-usual Sherlock Holmes and watch him evolve into the Brett-esque character we remember him to be from canon-compliant versions. One who is still quite cold and removed but perfectly able to express warmth, humor and delight when the situation calls for it. This disjointed, dualistic quality (the fact that he can look grossed out saying "poppet" and then go on to delivery a speech dripping with emotion) is the essence of Sherlock Holmes and I, for one, loved that the series is moving him there. I appreciate that for some people it seemed like the character was inconsistent this season but even Moffat has EXPLICITLY said in interviews that Sherlock is not a sociopath. He's only a man who thinks emotions make him less smart and so tries to keep them locked away and now he's slowly failing at that. The evolution, for me, is the most interesting part of the show. Full stop. I'm behind any criticism of this show except one that doesn't at least consider the disjointed quality of the character to be a result of that constant battle between emotions and wanting to be a purely reasonable machine.
Otherwise, though, really stellar reading of the nature and quality of the writing and the show vs. its fans. I really enjoyed it.
- January 29, 2014 9:12 PM


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Due to climate change and growing cities, water scarcity is becoming one of the futures biggest problems. On top of that, the population and prosperity of cities around the equator are growing fast. Meaning that the need for electricity, cooling and drinking water will grow fast in the following decades. ROTEC's vision is that these growing...student report 2018


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SL learning "fun"
Second Life provides options for multi-modality in communication that "make learning fun – always a desired outcome," according to two Finish researchers.
This was only one of the findings from their recently completed in-depth study of distance learning in Second Life, published recently in First Monday, the peer-reviewed journal of the University of Illinois (Chicago). http://www.uic.edu/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/2178/2033
Reflecting other research Kim Holmberg and Isto Huvila (both have researcher/lecturer roles in Finland's Department of Information Studies, Åbo Akademi) found that, although virtual learning is reshaping what happens in the classroom and will be a valuable add-on learning tool in the future, Second Life and other virtual worlds can never fully replace in-class learning.
But they said, "To place Second Life, Web-based learning environments and face-to-face education in order according to which one is the best is hardly useful.
"According to the results of this study, the three learning environments compete very well with each other," they said. "There are benefits in face-to-face education and in real physical presence that are difficult to achieve in other learning environments.
"Education in Second Life is closer to face-to-face education than traditional methods in distance education that are based on asynchronous communication and two-dimensional media. Second Life provides options for multimodality in communication (voice, chat, gestures, space) that make learning fun – always a desired outcome."
The researchers said they were convinced that the concept of interreality – the integration of physical and virtual worlds – is "an advantage in distance education, if it can bring distance education closer to face-to-face education."
Interestingly of the 30 students that participated in the study of a course in information studies – 28 female, two male – few had difficulty navigating through SL and most felt that it was superior to other Web-based learning environments.
Second Life was used as a platform to deliver lectures and as a place for organising group assignments and having discussions.
"One reason why the barrier to participation in Second Life was lower may be the fact that SL provides means for multimodal communication, even in-world," the two researchers said.
"Students could use text-based chat inside SL to ask questions and participate and the teacher could answer and respond at a suitable time without interruption. It is possible to communicate through different channels at the same time, and students can use a channel that best suits them. Another possible explanation might be that the use of avatars gives students some level of anonymity with students 'hiding' behind their avatars.
But they added, provided that participating face-to-face education does not require too much travelling and learning outcomes are satisfactory, "Second Life does not necessarily provide any significant benefits, at least not when using it only as a platform for lectures and teamwork.
"When considering distance only as a physical measure of separation, Second Life provides a means to overcome it. The existence of multimodal and non-interfering means of communication and socialisation by using chat, instant messages and voice calls in personal and group interaction provides users a wider range of possibilities to communicate than in face-to-face sessions."
Browser wars?
My belief that the creation of a universal generic browser (carrying assets) will be the key to the widespread adoption of virtual worlds received somewhat of a setback this week with Wagner James Au reporting in Newworldnotes, about a leading open source developer creating a non-SL compatible viewer.
Asking whether there was a fork ahead in the road to the Metaverse (http://nwn.blogs.com/nwn/2008/11/a-fork-in-the-m.html#more) he wrote about KirstenLee Cinquetti's, development of the Openlife R16 viewer, (pictured, courtesy nwn) which, although based on the original open source code of the SL viewer, only works with Openlife.
Au said the move was significant because the work by Cinquetti, previously renowned for her SL-compatible viewers, especially her dynamic lighting-enabled Shadowdraft viewer, could complicate attempts by Linden Lab, IBM, and other organisations to create full interoperability between Second Life and OpenSim servers as well as possibly lead to browser wars a la the early days of the net.
SL prize details
Every educator believes they are working not only for the good of their students but also for the good of the world and even the universe.
Well, Linden Labs has now allowed them – as well as every other Second Life resident – to compete in a "superlative achievement" award in what would appear to be a made for education prize opportunity (http://lindenlab.com/lindenprize)
Robin Linden and Everett Linden gave further details of the Linden Prize in SL this week. The prize will see one Second Life resident or team receive US$10,000 (paid in $L) for an innovative inworld project "that improves the way people work, learn and communicate in their daily lives outside of the virtual world."
When originally announced four months ago by Mitch Kapor the prize was described as rewarding "superlative achievement" exemplifying the mission of "elevating the human condition" through using SL.
"We expect and want to create a wide funnel of people thinking, 'Hey that might be me,'" said Everett Linden (Everett Harper in RL and Linden's Director of Community Initiatives).
He said entries were expected from people in healthcare, people-creating communities with real impact, scientists with psychological studies, people with diplomacy projects, and architecture among other things.
"The key thing is that can you document tangible evidence of improving and having a good impact on people's lives, and I say that broadly," he said. "And it's got to be compelling and high-quality, from compelling to aesthetics to technical to pure execution. It should really have a sense of being influential to creating future development across virtual worlds into the real world. " Applications close January 15, 2009, with the winner and finalists announced no later than April 30, 2009.
SL Community
For those of you who missed it previously Jennifer Ragan-Fore (SL:Kittygloom Cassady), SLEDcc Co-Chair, has again provided the slurl of the streaming pages and blogs of the successful "edu track" of the Second Life Community Convention in Tampa. http://sledcc.wikispaces.com/Audio+Visual+Archives; http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=blog+sledcc08&btnG=Search; Flickr uploads http://www.flickr.com/groups/sledcc08; RezEd discussions http://www.rezed.org/ ; and tweets http://twitter.com/sledcc .
Kemp on SL strength
Building community in Second Life is "really a matter of fostering user ownership and getting users involved," says Jeremy Kemp, assistant director of San Jose State University's SL Campus and wellknown virtual world guru. "That's the strength of Second Life," he said, "it's a world created by users."
And, in Second Life, according to Kemp, where a group of students meets at the same time online, there's a sense of embodiment, a feeling of being in the classroom and a sense of presence.
"They get the feeling of being there," says Kemp, and "they can see me in the classroom."
Kemp expressed this view to Samantha Cleaver in an article in the ecommercetimes on Virtual Learning and the Avatar Generation – diverse issues in higher education, which looks at distance learning up close. http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/web20/65082.html?wlc=1226309206&wlc=1226353422
November 17, 1-5pm (SL time) "Real World Impacts from the Virtual World" including a "sneak preview" of John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation's new sim "Foundations" should be of interest to educators and researchers. Interactive events covering how groups use virtual spaces like Second Life to build opportunities in preserving native peoples' cultures, creating accessible spaces for people with disabilities, helping obese people make healthy life choices and teaching underprivileged youth about paleontology and science. Venues: (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Foundations/119/233/36) and the neighboring archipelago that includes the Network Culture Project, Justice Commons (http://slurl.com/secondlife/The%20Justice%20Commons/134/130/29) and Aloft Nonprofit Commons (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Aloft%20Nonprofit%20Commons/88/52/23/).
November 18, 2008, 7-8am (SL time) – Edward Lee Lamoureux (pictured at right), associate professor, Multimedia Program and Department of Communication, Bradley University) (SL:Professor Beliveau) participant in the recent International Distance Learning Day event. will share a portion of his IDLD talk with the Healthcare Education group (http://slurl.com/secondlife/Health%20Eduisland/174/144/25) Info on Lamoureux http://slane.bradley.edu/com/faculty/lamoureux/website2/
November 28-29, 2008 – Australasian Virtual Worlds Workshop 2008, EN 101, Swinburne University, Melbourne, Australia, and selected locations in SL. Keynote speakers include: Larry Johnson (CEO, NMC), Chris Collins (Director of Enterprise Business Systems, Linden Lab) and Bruce Joy (CEO, Vast Park) This workshop builds upon foundations established by the Second Life Discovery Day held in 2007 at Monash University, Australia. Registration for presenters and students is A$20 and for other participants A$50. In-world attendance slurls will be emailed following registration. http://avww.org/files/AVWW%20programme%20Panel%20and%20Presenters.pdf
Filed under: Education in Second Life, Education in virtual worlds, Sl Conferences | Tagged: Abo AKademi, Au, Australasian Virtual Worlds Workshop, Bradley University, browser, Bruce Joy, Chris Collins, Cinquetti, distance learning, ecommercetimes, Edward Lee Lamoureux, Everett Linden, Finland, First Monday, Foundations, Healthcare, Holmberg, Huvila, Jennifer Ragan-Fore, Jeremy Kemp, Kapor, Larry Johnson, Learning research, Linden Lab, MacArthur Foundation, newworldnotes, NMC, Samantha Cleaver, SL Prize, SLEDcc, Swinburne, University of Illinois, Vast Park | Leave a comment »


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Please help support the mission of New Advent and get the full contents of this website as an instant download. Includes the Catholic Encyclopedia, Church Fathers, Summa, Bible and more all for only $19.99...
(Latin nec, not, and legere, to pick out).
The condition of not heeding. More specifically it is here considered as the omission, whether habitual or not, of the care required for the performance of duties, or at any rate, for their full adequate discharge. In the teaching of St. Thomas, it is rated not only as a characteristic discernible in the commission of all sins, but also as a special sin in itself. Its particular deformity he judges to be the imputable lack of satisfying such solicitude as is here and now demanded for the satisfying of obligations. He therefore assigns prudence as the virtue to which it is directly opposed. What has been said applies also to actions which are not of precept, once it is resolved to undertake them. Negligence, according to St. Thomas, is initially at least a lack of promptness of will, and is quite distinguishable from torpor or slipshodness in execution. It is not commonly esteemed to be more than a venial sin. There are, however, two notable exceptions to this statement:
APA citation. (1911). Negligence. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10737b.htm
MLA citation. "Negligence." The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 10. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1911. <http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10737b.htm>.
Transcription. This article was transcribed for New Advent by Joseph P. Thomas.
Ecclesiastical approbation. Nihil Obstat. October 1, 1911. Remy Lafort, S.T.D., Censor. Imprimatur. +John Cardinal Farley, Archbishop of New York.
Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is webmaster at newadvent.org. Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.


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Broker, registered investment adviser, financial planner, insurance agent, investment adviser and wealth managers: These are a few of the common terms used to describe various financial professionals.
Many individual investors are confused by these terms, and do not have a clear understanding of what distinguishes one professional from another.
This article will clarify these terms and discuss differences in the duties owed by financial professionals to their clients.
Brokers vs. Investment Advisers
In the world of financial advisers, there are two major regulatory environments; practitioners in these environments are brokers and investment advisers.
"Broker" is a legal term. Brokers are in the business of buying and selling securities at their clients' direction. Another name for a broker is registered representative (or, registered rep). These individuals may work for broker-dealers such as Merrill Lynch, A.G. Edwards, Edward Jones and UBS, or they may be associated with small local practices such as "Johnny Jones Investments." If you walk into a commercial bank lobby, the investment professional you meet will likely be a broker. In addition, insurance agents who also offer investments are almost always brokers.
Brokers and broker-dealers—the firm the broker works for—are registered with and regulated by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), which was formed in 2007 by a merger between the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) and the regulation arm of the New York Stock Exchange.
Brokers are paid by commission or a commission-related compensation scheme based on a customer's transactions. Any advice provided by a broker is "solely incidental to the brokerage services." "Investment adviser" is also a legal term. As the name suggests, these professionals are in the business of providing investment advice. They are often called registered investment advisers, or RIAs. Depending on the size of their business, they are registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) (if they have $25 million or more in assets under management) or their state securities regulator (if they have less than $25 million under management). These professionals are subject to the Investment Advisory Act of 1940, which means that they have a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of their clients.
Other Titles
Adding to the confusion is the fact that there are numerous terms for financial professionals that are not legal terms. These include financial planner, wealth manager and financial adviser.
Although there is no legal restriction preventing someone from using these terms or some variation, from a regulatory perspective they must be acting as either a broker or investment adviser. It is important that you determine which of these two "hats" they are wearing as their obligations to you are dependent on their regulatory environment.
Legal Obligations
In dealings with clients, brokers are legally subject to a "business standard," while investment advisers are subject to a "fiduciary standard."
Business Standard
The business standard (from the NASD Code of Conduct Rule 2310) requires that brokers recommend only assets that are "suitable" for the investor, based on their financial situation, needs and other security holdings. It does not include the duty to act in the client's best interests.
It should come as no surprise that the definition of "suitable" is subject to much interpretation. Consequently, investors who believe their broker acted inappropriately are frequently faced with having to resort to court or arbitration to determine whether investments sold or recommended by their brokers were "suitable."
A business standard also does not mandate the disclosure of potential conflicts of interest. In fact, in order to eliminate confusion, in one ruling, the SEC proposed a disclosure requirement for brokers that read: "Our interests may not always be the same as yours. Please ask us questions to make sure you understand your rights and our obligations to you, including the extent of our obligations to disclose conflicts of interest and to act in your best interest. We are paid both by you and, sometimes, by people who compensate us based on what you buy. Therefore, our profits, and our salespersons' compensation, may vary by product and over time."
Fiduciary Standard
The fiduciary standard is a significantly more rigorous standard that includes the duty to act in the client's best interest. It also includes duties related to transparency, full disclosure, minimization and disclosure of conflicts of interest, diligence, fairness, loyalty, reasonable compensation and full disclosure of compensation. In addition, an investor should expect a fiduciary to provide up-front disclosure about their qualifications, what services they provide, how they are compensated, possible conflicts of interest and whether they have any record of disciplinary actions against them.
How Are They Paid?
If you receive financial advice from a professional, you will pay for it. Sometimes the costs are evident, while at other times they are hidden or, at a minimum, less evident.
Brokers are paid with commissions for completing your security transactions. Commissions vary with the nature of the investment product. The commissions may come in the form of front-end commissions, smaller annual trailing fees or both.
For example, a broker who recommends the purchase of American Fund's Growth Fund of America Class A shares will share with their broker-dealer the upfront commission of up to 5.75%. This commission, referred to as a "load," is reduced for larger purchases. In addition, you will pay an annual trailing fee, called a 12b-1 fee, equal to 0.25% of the account's value.
In contrast, investment advisers are paid through a fee-only structure. The fees are most often based on a percent of "assets under management," referred to as AUM. This is the total amount of assets on which the adviser provides advice. For example, many financial planners charge an annual fee of 1% of assets under management for accounts of up to $1 million or $2 million and generally something less for larger amounts.
Another form of fee-only compensation is to charge an hourly fee, or to charge an annual retainer fee for a bundle of services. In fee-only structures, investment advisers are charging for their advice; their compensation does not depend upon the investment security or product they recommend.
Some advisers act in both capacities. This is referred to as "fee-based" instead of "fee-only." When providing advice for a fee (generally a charge for the initial planning), the adviser is acting as an RIA and often charges a flat fee. Implementation may then be based on a recommendation of commissioned products. For this activity, the adviser is acting as a broker under FINRA.
Conflicts of Interest
This section provides examples of some of the conflicts of interest facing investment professionals. But first, we need to explain differences in compensation structures.
Load vs. No-Load Mutual Funds
Suppose you are seeking advice on the selection of a mutual fund. And suppose your current portfolio is such that a large-cap value fund would be a good recommendation. If you walk into a retail investment office, the broker may recommend the (hypothetical) ABC Value Fund. It has a one-time 5.75% front-end commission and charges a 1.25% annual expense ratio. The expense ratio is the total cost, in percent, that is deducted annually from the investor's account. Most (1% of the 1.25%) goes to pay for the cost of managing the portfolio and other expenses, while 0.25% is a 12b-1 fee that is an annual trailing commission. The broker and his broker-dealer will share in the 5.75% commission and the 0.25% annual trailing fee.
If you seek the help of a fee-only investment adviser, she would more likely recommend the (hypothetical) XYZ Value Fund, a no-load large-cap value fund with a 1% annual expense ratio. The total costs of the average broker-sold fund are higher than those of the average no-load fund: Although both have to pay the 1% annual fee to the mutual fund managers, the broker-sold funds have the additional costs that are paid to the broker and broker-dealer. As a fee-only adviser, she cannot accept commissions. However, she will independently charge a fee for her advice.
Choice of Share Classes
A conflict of interest may affect the choice of mutual fund share class that a broker recommends.
For example, for mutual funds that have multiple share classes, the most common are A shares and B shares. Both shares represent ownership of the same underlying portfolio; the only difference between them is in their cost structures.
Typically, A shares might have a front-end load of up to 5.75%, and charge an annual expense ratio of 1.25%, which consists of 1% management fee and a 0.25% 12b-1 fee. In addition, the front-end commission is less on larger purchases. It might be 5% on purchases of at least $25,000, 4.5% at $50,000, 3% at $100,000 and continue to fall until it is 0% on purchases of $1 million or more. The transition values where commissions start to drop are called break points.
In contrast, B shares do not have a front-end commission, so the broker can legitimately claim that "all of the funds go to work for the investor." However, B shares might have a 2% annual expense ratio, consisting of a 1% management fee and a 1% 12b-1 fee that is shared by the broker and broker-dealer. In addition, B shares have a contingent deferred sales charge (CDSC)—a commission on withdrawals that declines over time—a typical example being 5% on withdrawals in the first year, 4% in the second and third years, 3% in the fourth, 2% in the fifth, 1% in the sixth and no CDSC for withdrawals in the seventh year or later.
The brokerage firm wants to ensure that it receives a full commission no matter which share class is bought. For purchases below $25,000, their cost structures ensure this outcome.
For a one-year horizon, the A shares have a total cost of 7% (5.75% front-end load plus 1.25% expense ratio), while the B shares have a total cost of 7% (2% expense ratio plus 5% CDSC). After two years the A shares have a total cost of 8.25% (5.75% plus two years at 1.25% each), while the B shares have a total cost of 8% (two years at 2% each plus 4% CDSC). After seven years, the A shares have a total cost of 14.5%, while the B shares have a total cost of 14%. Although these numbers ignore the time value of money, they illustrate that the total costs of both share classes are similar for purchases of less than $25,000.
The issue of whether A shares or B shares are better from the investor's standpoint depends on a number of factors, but the most significant is the amount of money invested.
For individuals investing amounts that do not exceed the first break point, there is usually not a significant difference in total costs. However, investors making larger purchases can take advantage of the break points. For these investors, the A shares usually have lower costs. For these larger purchases, the commissions are usually higher on the B shares.
This alternative commission structure poses a potential conflict of interest. Although the broker has a legal obligation to recommend the share class that is better for the client, it is a wise investor who verifies the recommendation.
Mutual Funds vs. Annuities
Many commission structures for mutual funds involve break points, where commissions are reduced for higher initial purchase values.
Variable annuities do not offer the advantage of break points, and for that reason, brokers often receive higher commissions for selling variable annuities than mutual funds.
For example, let's consider an individual who is considering investing $10,000. An investment made in the A shares of the ABC Value Fund is likely to produce a commission and trailing 12b-1 fee to the broker and broker-dealer that is the same as the ABC Value Fund held in a variable annuity. So, there may not be a conflict of interest for investors who make a small investment. However, the conflict of interest can be extreme for large sales. Suppose Ellen retires and wants to roll $500,000 from her 401(k) into a traditional IRA. Her broker could recommend that the rolled funds be: 1) invested directly in mutual funds; or 2) held in mutual funds within a variable annuity. If the rollover were invested directly in mutual funds, Ellen would more likely be subject to a 2% commission (or $10,000), where the 2% reflects the benefit of the typical break point. If the funds are placed in a variable annuity and a mutual fund is purchased inside the annuity, then the effective commission to the firm would more likely be 5.75% of $500,000, or $28,750.
There are no break points for variable annuity investments. As a consequence, the broker has an incentive to recommend the annuity even though it may not be in the best interest of the investor.
Immediate Annuities
Brokers are not the only professionals who face conflicts of interest. As the following example illustrates, fee-only investment advisers face a conflict of interest when it might be appropriate to recommend the purchase of an immediate annuity.
Mary is a fee-only investment adviser who charges 1% per year on assets under management. Her 75-year-old female client has a current investment portfolio of $1,000,000. Mary's analysis concludes that it's in her client's best interest to purchase a $250,000 lifetime payout annuity with a 10-year certainty guarantee. If her client buys this payout annuity, she will have to liquidate $250,000 of her managed investment account to pay the insurance firm for the purchase of her immediate annuity.
The fee-only adviser has a significant potential conflict of interest. If Mary makes the appropriate recommendation and her client in fact reduces her managed account from $1,000,000 to $750,000, Mary's annual fee from her client drops from $10,000 to $7,500.
Fees vs. Commissions
It's not only the retail investor who has to wade through the confusion of fees versus commissions. This issue has long been a contentious item for professionals and regulators. During the last few years, it has been a major focus for the SEC, the primary regulatory authority for the financial services industry. The debate centered on what has become known as the "Merrill Rule." Historically, in accordance with the law, brokerage firms charged commissions for transactions and RIAs charged fees for advice. However, as business and technology evolved, brokerage firms developed investment offerings referred to as "separate accounts," or "wrap accounts," that provided investors with the ability to open an account and have a professional manager select individual stocks and/or bonds for their accounts.
Recognizing the business opportunity offered by these managed accounts but wishing to avoid having to be held to the fiduciary standard associated with registration as an investment adviser, Merrill Lynch asked the SEC to allow the firm to charge a "wrap fee" (i.e., an AUM fee) for this service, arguing that the wrap fee was a different form of "commission," and hence it should not require the firm to be held to a fiduciary standard. The SEC allowed these wrap fee accounts, as long as the broker satisfied two conditions: 1) any advice provided must be solely incidental to the brokerage service; and 2) any advertisements and other forms governing the accounts must state that the account is a brokerage account and not an advisory account, and that the broker-dealer's interests may not always be the same as the customer's.
However, the Financial Planning Association challenged the SEC ruling, and in 2007, the D.C. Federal Court of Appeals ruled that it was inconsistent with the Investment Advisor Act. So, brokerage firms may not charge account fees based on AUM unless they assume a fiduciary standard.
Who Do You Trust?
Trust is a key element in any relationship between an investor and a financial professional.
In a good relationship, the investor:
- Trusts that the professional is technically competent,
- Trusts that the professional understands the individual's needs and circumstances, and
- Trusts that the professional is ethical and of good character.
If you are seeking investment advice from a financial professional, you can attain such a relationship with either a broker or an investment adviser. There is no certification that can assure someone that a professional will use good judgment, is truly interested in the client or is trustworthy, and there is no compensation structure that ensures one adviser is more honest than another.
Nevertheless, it is important to understand the different standards and compensation structures under which various professionals operate. A wise investor also understands the potential conflicts of interest that all financial professionals face.
You should only make your decision regarding who to hire after evaluating all of these issues.