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Profile of Paul Nathan
Dr. Paul Nathan, MD, M.Sc., FRCPC
- Senior Associate Scientist, Child Health Evaluative Sciences
- Director, Aftercare Program, Haematology/Oncology
- Staff Oncologist, Haematology/Oncology
- Professor, Paediatrics and Health Policy, Management & Evaluation, University of Toronto
1. Where are you from?/Where did you study?
I'm originally from South Africa but immigrated to Canada as a teenager, so I completed all of my training here. I went to the University of Toronto for medical school and did a residency in paediatrics and a fellowship in haematology/oncology at SickKids. During my fellowship I completed a Master's in health research methodology at McMaster in Hamilton. At the end of my fellowship I spent a year at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland doing a clinical research fellowship in paediatric oncology.
2. What are you researching right now?
My main interest is long-term outcomes in children and teenagers who have survived cancer. We know that about 80 per cent of children diagnosed with cancer will become long-term survivors. Unfortunately many of them develop long-term side-effects, usually from the therapies we use, such as chemotherapy or radiation. My focus is on determining the particular long-term side-effects these survivors develop, and on figuring out how we can prevent them. A child that is cured of leukemia at age 5 will hopefully have many many years of life ahead of them. My research focuses on ensuring that they are as healthy as possible for that long life, and that its quality is as good as possible.
We've just started a five-year study examining cardiac outcomes in childhood cancer survivors. We know that many children treated with a certain class of chemotherapy agents known as anthracyclines are at high risk for developing heart failure as adults. What we're not sure of is which kids will and which kids won't ultimately develop these life-threatening complications. Our current research is trying to determine if there are any genetic predictors of why one child or teenager treated with anthracyclines will go on to develop terrible heart disease and why another patient treated with the exact same dose of the drug won't. We are also looking to find better tools to detect heart disease earlier, such as imaging techniques and blood biomarkers. That's just one of our projects out of several that are all focused on cancer survivors.
3. Who is your all-time favourite scientist, and why?
I really admire people who can solve problems in their head. I am always amazed when I read about Albert Einstein's history and the fact that he could understand so much about how the universe works just by doing thought experiments. I'm not sure that I have a favourite scientist, but I admire the way that certain scientists can imagine the unimaginable. This is a fantastic skill.
4. What in your opinion is the single most important scientific breakthrough, and why?
I think that once we understood DNA and the role that our genes play in causing or modifying disease as well as in determining how we respond to our environment, so much of what we didn't understand about health and disease became clearer. In my research, the ability to figure out why one patient will develop a life-threatening late effect such as heart disease or a second cancer while another patient exposed to the exact same treatment will not, will be pretty powerful. At some point in the not too distant future we hope that these tools will allow us to personalize the cancer treatment received by each patient – giving just the right type and amount of a drug to kill the tumour while minimizing the risks of long-term side effects.
5. What are your major interests outside the lab?
I'm a runner. I run marathons and I'm actually training for one right now. That means a lot of early mornings. Currently, running is my big passion. I also read a lot, fiction and non-fiction and I'm a family guy. I work a lot so whenever I'm not at work I like to be with my family. One day I'd like to learn to do photography. I have a camera, just not the talent.
6. Why science?
I think that I chose to be a physician first and a researcher second.
I always liked the idea of being able to work with people and have an impact on their lives and on their health and well-being. There are few more impactful relationships you can have. I gravitated towards a field where patients are quite sick. Paediatric oncology is obviously an area where kids are going through the most difficult experience that one can imagine. To be able to make a difference in this field was something that I found an irresistible calling. Not just in terms of being able to cure patients, which fortunately we can now do for many kids with cancer, but also realizing that there are some kids for who the journey won't end well, but you can still be a positive light and a support through that difficult journey, both for the child and the family.
Having realized that I liked the clinical side, I also realized that there are so many questions that haven't been answered. No matter how much progress we make in medicine, we can always do more. I think we've got a medical culture that deals a lot with treating disease and very little in terms of promoting health. Realizing that many children who survive cancer will go on to develop other illnesses as a result of the treatment we give them, creates a tremendous opportunity – we can always do better for our patients, and research is one path we need to take to get there.
7. Why SickKids?
Why not SickKids? Since I've been at SickKids, I've had the opportunity to visit quite a few other institutions and I think there is no place quite like this anywhere. Certainly as a paediatric hospital, it's world class. As a research institute, not just compared to other paediatric research institutes, but compared to all research institutes in big medical settings, it's world class.
However, I really think that on top of being a world-class institution, it's the people at SickKids who make the place. This is just a good place to work. The people are supportive, they are collegial and they clearly love what they're doing. I think there is a culture at SickKids that makes you proud to be a part of it. To be able to treat patients and do science and feel good about coming to work every day is pretty special.
On top of all this, you can never underestimate what a great city Toronto is. It has so many of the advantages of any big North American city but so few of the disadvantages. It's clean and it's safe and it's vibrant. There's culture and there's arts. To be able to work at a place like this, in a city like this, is perfect.
8. What is the most controversial question in your field right now?
I'm not sure whether this is controversial, but I would say that the realization that some of the therapies that we use for cancer cause considerable harm to the patients is intensely difficult. It is not infrequent that we are faced with a young patient, a baby or a toddler, who we know we have treatments that can cure their cancer, chemotherapy, often radiation, but we know that those treatments are going to come with considerable long term costs. For example, we can now cure the majority of kids with brain tumours but some of them will have very poor long-term outcomes – they may never be able to live or work independently.
I think the difficulty of trying to balance what I think is everyone's inherent desire, to preserve life, while having the knowledge that sometimes those kids and their families are going to face considerable long-term challenges is very tough. Sitting down with families and trying to paint an honest picture, when all they want is for their child to survive is very difficult and we wrestle with this all the time. I think sometimes there are therapies that we don't offer because we know how devastating they'll be and that's hard too because you've maybe taken away a chance of cure because you know the consequences of that cure. The question, at least from a medical standpoint, and I think the research feeds into that, is 'Can we treat kids in a way that we get the cures that we want to get without the long-term repercussions?'
9. What are you reading right now?
I just finished a great book called Destiny of the Republic: A tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. It is the story of James Garfield, a little known president of the United States in 1880 who was shot by a schizophrenic man just a few months into his presidency. It's a biography, but it's written in a really compelling way. It tells the story of how medical incompetence was probably far more likely to have been the cause of his death than the bullet itself and how far we've come since then in terms of our understanding of illness and disease.
It was also a fascinating insight into US politics in the late 1800s. The presidents of that time basically walked around unescorted. There was no security and no one ever imagined that people might shoot a president. Lincoln had been shot 20 years earlier but no one thought it would happen again. The Secret Service existed, but their focus was on preventing counterfeiting.
10. If you could give one piece of advice to someone considering a research career, what would it be?
I think researchers come at research from different directions. Some come at it from a pure research standpoint. I came at it as a clinician first. I think it's really important to make sure that your clinical interests and your research interests are aligned because what you see on the ward and in the clinic everyday are probably the greatest resources for coming up with research questions. So if you can find a way to marry those two things, if you are going to be a clinician-scientist, I think the research constantly feeds your clinical practice and your clinical practice constantly generates new research questions.
11. What does the SickKids Centre for Research and Learning mean to you?
For a very long time, SickKids has had a tremendous clinical service and a tremendous Research Institute. I think what has not happened as well as it could is the integration of these two things. Our hope is that the SickKids Centre for Research and Learning will be a place where clinicians and researchers and everyone in between can come together and share a common vision. Often the people in the clinical trenches seeing patients are not researchers and don't know what the researchers are doing and vice versa. This will be a breeding ground where ideas can be exchanged.
The other key piece of the tower is the learning component and the ability to continue to grow education as a science – not just the recognition that education is important and that we need to teach, but that how we teach can always be improved. The tower will give us an even greater opportunity to be creative and innovative and to bring it all together in one place.
I can see the building going up from my office window and I'm amazed at how quickly it's rising. There are exciting things to come.
March 2012


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Sunday, April 29, 2012
SUNDAY SHIMMY SHOWCASE takes place at Viento y Agua Coffee House in Long Beach at 4007 East 4th Street; 562-434-1182. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ May 5 (Saturday) - Shimmyshowcase presents a special Saturday evening program as Viento y Agua goes back to the Victorian era with Saviya presenting a Vaudvillian/Victorian inspired belly dancing program with guest dancers Anastasia, Rebekah, Belly Muñeca, Bella, Sarah al Nour, and fellow Showcase coordinator Draca. Our very special guest artist and friend DeAnna Cameron, inspiration for this showcase, will read from her latest vaudeville-themed novel set in the Victorian era and will be autographing copies of her new book during the break where you may be further entertained by a surprise roving musician! We encourage everyone—guests and performers--to set the mood by wearing Victorian (including steampunk) costumes. Prizes will be awarded for the best ones! This special Saturday Shimmyshowcase will begin around 7:00 pm. If you love belly dance, vaudeville, or just dressing in Victorian/steam punk attire, mark your calendars now so you can join us for this blast from the past! May 13— NO SHIMMYSHOWCASE -- Happy Mothers' Day! May 20 - Abraiha welcomes May, and Janice, returning to Shimmyshowcase to perform their dazzling moves for you and introduces Kelsey in her Shimmyshowcase debut. May 27 – Shimmyshowcase presents "In Memoriam." This will be a program of reflection and remembrance dedicated to those who have impacted our lives. Coordinator Xandra is thrilled to welcome the exquisite Kamar, Bathsheba, Sabrina, and male dancer Daa-Uud to Viento y Agua on this Memorial Day eve. June 3—NO SHIMMYSHOWCASE –this is Cairo Caravan weekend. For more info check www.mecda.org . June 10 - Draca will be your hostess for this Shimmyshowcase, and she will be welcoming Aianna and Francesca taking their first turns on the Shimmyshowcase dance floor! We still have openings for dancers, so if you would like to join these lovely dancers on the stage at Viento y Agua, please email us at firstname.lastname@example.com for a performance spot! June 17 – NO SHIMMYSHOWCASE -- Happy Fathers' Day!
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subset: commoncrawl


text: A missionary finally arrives at his posting deep in the jungle. As he is shown to his hut, he can't help but notice the sound of drums in the background. They go on all night and he can't get a wink of sleep. Same thing the next day and the next. Finally, totally exhausted and driven near out of his mind, he goes to talk to the Chief. ' Look' he says' I realise this is probably something traditional or cultural, but when do the drums stop?' 'De drums, dey nevah stop' says the Chief 'What?' exclaims the missionary in alarm 'We cant stop de drums sah' says the Chief ' Why the hell not?' 'We stop de drums an de bass solo starts......'


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Region: Nevsehir - Urgup
Local time: 03:16
One of the most important centers in Cappadocia is Ürgüp, 20km to the east of Nevsehir. The earliest known settlement in the area was on the skirts of Mount Avla, to the north of Damsa River called as "Tomissos" in the antiquety. Though, the most important remains belonging to the later period are the Roman tombs found in the towns and villages near Ürgüp. In his history and geography book "Kamus-ül Alam" written between 1888 and 1890, Semseddin Sami mentions 70 mosques, 5 churches and 11 libraries in Ürgüp.


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Bret Michaels checking in for surgery on hole in his heart
HollywoodNews.com: Bret Michaels had a scary year in 2010 when he suffered a brain hemorrhage and now he is starting off 2011 with heart surgery.
Michaels will finally be going under the knife for the hole that was recently found in his heart, states Hollyscoop. He is allegedly checking into the hospital today and, if everything goes smoothly, he will be out in a matter of days.
Michaels has commented that he is feeling pretty good about the whole thing and doctors believe he has recovered well from all his other health matters. After his heart surgery, Michaels will have to rest and take it easy for some time.
Do you think this surgery is scary?
Follow Hollywood News on Twitter for up-to-date news information.
Hollywood News, Hollywood Awards, Awards, Movies, News, Award News, Breaking News, Entertainment News, Movie News, Music News
Image by PR Photos


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Donna Karan Hammered stretch-satin top
Opt for a modern take on sophisticated style with Donna Karan's dark-gray hammered stretch-satin wrap-effect top.
Donna Karan top: jersey back, draped plunge front, dark-gray hammered stretch-satin. Dry clean. Slips on. 58% viscose, 40% cupro, 2% elastane; combo: 95% viscose, 5% elastane.
Loosely fitted style
Mannequin height is 180cm/ 5'11" and is wearing a US 2
Donna Karan Hammered stretch-satin top
Check out this link for more Women Tops 2012


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4 persons including BSF jawan held for illegal liquor trade
Bhubaneswar: Four persons including a BSF jawan were arrested for their alleged involvement in illegal liquor trade on Sunday.
The arrested persons were BSF jawan Shushant Kumar Behera, driver Umesh Pradhan, Amulya Sethi and Tutu Behera. While Umesh is a native of Daruthenga in Chandka, other two in fake uniform are from Ganjam district.
Also Read
The Excise department personnel raided the vehicle carrying the liquor in Cuttack Road of Bhubaneswar.
Source said the liquor of worth of Rs 3 lakh was being transported from Meghalaya to Ganjam.
The seizure was done by the Excise department personnel during the patrolling, a part of the security measures for the Durga Puja festival.


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For those of you unaware, there has been a trend on social media over the last few years using the hashtag 'assholeparent.' For the most part, this involves parents taking pictures of their children while they are upset/crying/having a tantrum, posting it on social media with a caption, usually in a mocking way, explaining why their child is upset which therefore makes them an asshole parent. And I just don't get it. Why??
As a parent of 2 young children myself, I totally understand that parenting can be really hard and kids can be really challenging in ways that are difficult for adults to understand. I also know that we do need to let off some steam and talk these things out regularly, but that should be done with your closest friend over
coffee wine or with your spouse at the end of the day after the kids finally go to sleep, not with thousands of people on the internet.
If you don't see the problem, then just put yourself in their place. How would you feel if the person who you love more than anyone in this world took your picture while you were visibly upset and plastered it on the internet for thousands of people to laugh at? Not good, right? Our children deserve more respect than that.
Children, after all, are not just adults-in-the-making. They are people whose current needs and rights and experiences must be taken seriously. -Alfie Kohn
It may seem harmless in the moment to laugh or roll our eyes in commiseration with other parents who have certainly been there, but there is definitely a risk. We risk losing empathy and compassion for our most vulnerable members of society and perpetuating the conception that children are less deserving of respect than adults. Yes, children are small, dependent on adults and still learning how to navigate this world but those are the exact reasons why we should be more careful with how we speak to and about them. After all, one day they will be the adults.
So, the next time your child is completely losing her mind because you wouldn't let her eat dog food, instead of telling her to stop being silly or taking a picture to get some sympathy from other parents, just stop. Stop, breathe and put yourself in her place. Get down on her level and empathize, hug her, cuddle her and treat her like the already perfect human that she is. Let her know that you will always be there for her and will always love her no matter what. Show her that life can be tough sometimes but she always has a trusted parent from which to seek comfort.
My message is very simple. Love your kids. Just love them. Love, appreciate, show that you value them, remind them of their greatness, encourage them, respect, honor, trust, and treat them with dignity. -Eric D Greene
Thank you for reading and please comment with your thoughts. I'd love to hear your view on this!
With love,
Positive Parenting Resources You May Enjoy:


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Address: A World in Miniature Museum, Houghton Hall Garden Centre, Houghton, Carlisle, Cumbria, CA6 4JB
Phone Number: 01228 400 388
Reviews: View reviews.
Nearby Attractions: View more days out nearby.
Save up to 76%
More Info
A World in Miniature Museum is a museum displaying hand-crafted dioramas located in the Houghton Hall garden centre near Carlisle in Cumbria.
This exhibition is a collection of recreated period rooms and scenes complete with furniture, figures, textiles and décor all hand crafted with precise detail to a scale of 1/12th normal size. Rooms include a kitchen, a dining room and living rooms, plus there are miniature gardens complete with flowers, shed and greenhouse, miniature street scenes and a scale model of the interior of a theatre complete with audience.
- Free car parking.
- Garden centre with plants, garden items, gifts, clothing, craft, doll house, models and pet sales.
- Laird's Larder Farm Shop sells local and regional produce and food.
- Cafe Eden coffee shop serving homebaking, sweet treats, snacks and beverages.
- Topiary Coffee Shop.
- Laird's Larder Food Hall.
Before you start your journey to A World in Miniature Museum for your day out, we recommend that you check their website or contact them to confirm opening times and admission prices.


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From an early age my mom used art to inspire me. She used hand drawn flashcards to teach me to read, she also use to create fun arts and crafts for my elementary school when we had events or holidays coming around. She always bought pencils, drawing pads, crayons, and color pencils for me to create with and encouraged me to do so. This all translated into a love for drawing and art in general, which I took all the way through high school.
In high school I had a friend who had taken an interest in building a website dedicated to a favorite director of his. When I realized he was able to create and share something with anyone who came across his site I was immediately fascinated by this and asked him everything I needed to know to get started on my site.
I eventually created a website using a free host provider and through trial and error taught myself HTML and began designing. As my knowledge for HTML grew, my site evolved and I eventually got to a point where I was comfortable with HTML and wanted to take the level of personalization to the next step. I realized I might need to create my own graphics to make my site stand out among the others and engage my fans interest. I discovered the wonders of Photoshop and began experimenting with it. My skills grew little by little but I eventually gave up on updating my site. I still played around with Photoshop here and there but not quite as frequently.
Around this time I had started college and was majoring in Computer Electronic engineering. I was doing great in school but I just couldn't see myself doing it for the rest of my life. Thanks to another friend of mine I found out I could go to school for graphic design. I could do for a living the very thing I use to do for fun in my free time back in high school. So after a year in College I switched majors and began to work towards my BFA in Graphic Design.
Throughout the course of my education I have drawn from many influences; Instructors, friends, and other graphic designers (student and professional) but one stands out above the rest. David Carson is most likely my biggest source of inspiration. Not only for the work he creates but also because of the attitude he has going into projects. His ability to dive into a project and experiment without fear is something I aspire to and to some degree feel I posses and hope to develop upon.
I love the challenges Graphic Design brings. Solving problems artistically is very stimulating and fun for me and it satisfies my want to create. I love to create and I enjoy sharing my work with others. I always hope the hard work and dedication I put into my work translates into something others will enjoy viewing and have fun with. It's my passion and I couldn't imagine doing anything else with my life.
Copyright © Daniel Irby. All Rights Reserved.


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Once again, I got bored and searched the net for a tag. And this is what I came across!
From Boho Vanity
1. Is your hair naturally curly or straight?Its kind of straight but also wavy at the same time :/ sometimes I can leave it as it is, sometimes it needs a bit of help from my straighteners.
2. What is your natural hair color?Some kind of light mousey brown, I honestly cant remember, I've been dying my hair for that long.
3. Do you dye it yourself or go to a salon?I dye it myself, although I want my natural hair color back (whatever that might be!) so I've completely stopped with the hair dye.
4. How often do you wash your hair?Every other day.
5. Do you wear the same style every day or change it?
I like to change it up as often as I can. I wear my hair up a lot for work though.
6. Do you do your own mani/pedi or go to a salon?
I cant wear nail varnish/fake nails on a daily basis because I work with food, so if I decide I want to do anything with my nails I will paint them myself for the weekend.
7. How often to you change your nail polish?
I don't often wear it, so whenever I want.
8. Do you polish your toes in the winter, too or just in the summer?I always have painted toe nails, it makes up for the lack of polish on my fingernails!
9. How long does it take to put on your makeup?It depends where I'm going, between 10 - 30 minutes.
10. What do you do first? Face or eyes?Always my face.
11. Do you "collect" makeup or just buy what you need when you need it?'Collect' I'm obsessed.
12. How often do you wear false eyelashes?
Not very often at all.
13. Do you do a full face of makeup every day?
Not every single day, again it depends where I'm going/what I'm doing.
14. Do you wear makeup when you are home alone (or with family)?
15. Will you leave the house without makeup?
No not at the moment, I'm going through a 'not stepping over the doorstep without my face on' phase.
16. How many high end products do you have?
A fair few.
17. How often do you wash your makeup brushes?
I'm very lazy when it comes to brush cleaning :/ I know I should do it more often but I just don't get round to it as often as I should do, probably a few times a month.
18. Do you plan your OOTD every night or decide when you are getting dressed?
I throw on whatever. Unless I have somewhere special to go, then I will plan.
19. How often do you change your handbag?
I haven't had a new handbag for about 18 months, I need a new one asap!
20. What time do you get up & go to sleep?
I stay up til 12/1 o clock every night. I get up at 8.45 if I have work and on days off anything between 11am and 2pm :/ I like my sleep A LOT.
21. How often & when do you workout?
I go to a pole dancing class once a week ( its nothing sleazy, totally fitness related, no stilettos or intimate body parts in sight! just lots of fun, laughter, strength and fitness building and bruising!) Apart from that I don't do that much, I try to stretch as often as I can because I'm teaching myself to do the splits and sometimes I will do a few exercises at home but nothing too challenging!
22. Left-handed or Right-handed?
23. How tall are you?
I really do not know, a wild guess would be 5foot8
24. Do you speak a foreign language?
I can speak a tiny bit of French
25. How many pets do you have?
I have about 15 tropical fish, that's it.
26. How often are you on Blogger?
Everyday. I don't blog a lot (I've explained why here!) but I do read blogs on a daily basis.
27. Do you read the comments posted blogs?
I've had one blog comment so far :( No one really knows about my blog, as its not really that out there or very interesting, hopefully it will grow with time though.
28. Do you keep a list of products to try as you see other posts?
I have a very long list of products I want to try thanks to reading blogs.
29. How did you come up with your blog name?
Its just my name :/ maybe I'll change one day who knows.
30. What kind of camera do you use for photographs?
If you've read the post I mentioned before you will know. I don't actually have a camera until Christmas And I don't have a clue what the camera is that I'm getting. Hopefully it will be good enough to make this blog a lot more exciting and loved!
31. How often do you clean your house? (Daily, weekly, other)
Surprisingly I'm not a big cleaner. Although I do have OCD, I live with my dad so he cleans the house (I of course help as much as I can) and as for my room its very neglected :( When I have my own place, I know for a fact I'll keep it spotless. I cant stand dirty kitchens living rooms etc.
32. What is your favorite color?
Pink and Purple
33. What is your favorite beauty/fashion magazine?
The only magazine I religiously buy is Cosmopolitan. I buy other magazines when the cover/free gift attracts me to it.
34. Do you swear?
All the time :/ I have a foul mouth!
35. What are you doing with the rest of your day?
Its 11.50 at night so I'm off to watch TV in bed with my boyfriend once this is posted. Tomorrow will be a chilled out cuddly Sunday :) I cant wait!
As always I tag everyone to do this. And if you do please let me know so I can have a nosey. I love learning things about people through tags they have done :)
Much Love Gemma xo.


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When commentators talk about political events being "seismic" we are usually guilty of gross exaggeration. The tectonic plates bump and they grind. We feel a tremor here and a shudder there, but it is not often that the roof comes in. Major shifts in the underlying structures of our politics are rare. But they do come along sometimes and when they do, the resulting earthquakes can collapse the grandest of mansions.
In the early decades of the 20th century, the Liberals split between Asquith's supporters and the followers of Lloyd George. A once-commanding party was shattered, never to be revived, clearing the way for Labour and the Tories, mainly the Tories, to dominate government. Towards the end of the 20th century, Labour had an existential crisis when the moderate revolt against the party's lurch to the left led Roy Jenkins and his friends in the Gang of Four to form the breakaway SDP. The Tories governed for 18 uninterrupted years and people asked whether the Labour party would ever again form a government. In a sense, you could say it never did since the next time a non-Tory government came to power it was under the strikingly unsocialist Tony Blair trading as New Labour.
While the progressive side of politics divided itself during the last century, the right and its voters broadly stuck together massed behind the Conservative party. Being united when your opponents are divided is a great advantage and the more so when competing in a first past the post electoral system designed to accommodate just two players. The Tories exploited that to enjoy a disproportionate share of power.
Now it is the Tory party that is doing the splits over what it means to be on the right-hand side of British politics. A decades-long quarrel within Conservatism, a struggle that is not just about Europe, but is most ferociously fought on the battlefield of Europe, is coming to its head. If the Tories win the next election and David Cameron is able to deliver on his promised referendum on membership of the European Union, that referendum will be the site of the climactic battle for the soul of Conservatism. If the Tories lose the next election, the final struggle may be postponed or it may be brought on quicker. Such is the volatility of the politics of the right, I wouldn't want to make a guess.
The last time that the Tories were so divided on a fundamental question was in 1846 when they came apart over the Corn Laws, putting them out of power for a generation. Are we now feeling the first tremors of a truly seismic moment, an earthquake that leaves the Conservative party as rent asunder as it was under Sir Robert Peel? That is the big question prompted by the defection of Douglas Carswell from the Conservatives to Ukip.
Just when David Cameron thought he'd secured a temporary truce with the Europhobes, just when he was beginning to think that his MPs would lay off him until next May, just when he hoped that the voters and the media might be getting a little bored with Ukip, just when he planned to make a recovering economy the focus of attention, the grinning mug of Nigel Farage is all over the airwaves again parading his catch from the Tory benches like a fisherman who has just landed a prize trout.
Mr Carswell has a few awkward things to navigate, such as Clacton's existing Ukip candidate who is very disgruntled at the prospect of being displaced. It will be enjoyable to see how a self-described libertarian, radical democrat with some liberal instincts on immigration reconciles his professed philosophy with joining a party as authoritarian, reactionary and anti-immigrant as the Kippers. But that sort of philosophical question probably won't have much bearing on his prospects of holding the seat in the byelection that he has triggered. His chances of becoming the first Ukip MP to be elected to parliament wearing the party's rosette look very promising. The bookies make him favourite to win. So do the psephologists. So do the private forecasts of both Tory and Labour strategists. If you were to pick the most propitious place for Ukip to win its first parliamentary byelection, you would hit upon this unaffluent Essex seaside town packed with precisely the type of white, older, non-metropolitan voter whose discontents Ukip has been so adept at turning into support.
If he wins, will it prompt more Tory MPs to throw in their lot with the Farageistes? Maybe. Maybe not. I am a bit doubtful that there will be a flood of further defections, at least not this side of the general election. By the way he has handled his switch, Mr Carswell has made it riskier for others to follow him. The media and the Tory whips are now playing Hunt the Defector, forcing disavowals from other Europhobic MPs who are suspected of playing footsie with Nigel. By taking the "honourable" course of resigning the seat to re-contest it in his new purple and yellow colours, Mr Carswell has set a precedent that any other floor-crosser would be under intense pressure to follow. Other Ukip-inclined Tories might not be so confident that they could hold their seats in a byelection.
Obviously, it will deepen the nightmare of being David Cameron and widen the grin on the face of Nigel Farage if Mr Carswell's example is emulated. But how many Tory MPs make exactly the same journey is a second-order question. It is the response of his former colleagues that is telling. A few cry treachery. Quite a lot scratch their heads at his timing and wonder at his tactics, taking the line that it is counterproductive to their cause to make it less likely that there will be a Tory government after the next election and therefore less likely that there will be a referendum on EU membership. That is the main reason why few Tory MPs may be tempted to follow him over to Ukip this side of the general election.
But they smile approvingly on everything he says about Europe and David Cameron. On the issue that drove his defection and animates his fellow Europhobes, on the big one – in or out? – they are clearly with him in spirit. They don't actually have to leave the Tory party to be fellow travellers with Mr Carswell. Even if they still hold Tory membership cards, even if they pay lip-service to waiting to see the result of a renegotiation before making up their minds, in their heads they have already signed up to the Ukip proposition that we are better off out.
David Cameron could come back from Brussels with the promise to give every citizen of Britain a million euros and they would still think we were better off out. So would many Tory activists. The Carswell defection was a shock to Number 10, but it should not have been altogether a surprise because the split through the Tory party at a grassroots level is already far advanced. Conservative MPs often tell me that they have lost significant chunks of their membership to Nigel Farage's gang. I also often hear Tory MPs report that, among those activists who haven't left, many are closet Ukip supporters.
It is true that Ukip has been taking votes from all parties. It is true to say that it also harvests support from people who have not previously or only rarely voted. But the polling suggests that going on for half of their supporters voted Conservative at the last election. Several factors have been powering the rise of Ukip and there are places where it is a menace and a worry for Labour too, but it is first and foremost the manifestation of a struggle for who owns the right of British politics.
The Tory schism over the Corn Laws was not just about the price of bread. It was the climax of a fundamental clash that had been brewing for years and which manifested itself in splits over a series of issues. One, now utterly obscure, fight was about the funding of a Catholic seminary in Ireland. A more modern, more enlightened, more open version of Toryism advocated by Sir Robert Peel was pitted against a more insular, more reactionary, more closed concept of what it means to be on the right-hand side of British politics. History does not repeat itself, but it can rhyme. As with the battle over the Corn Laws, the contemporary crisis of Tory identity has been building for a generation. It similarly pits two versions of Conservatism against each other. It similarly manifests itself in a series of diverse, blue-on-blue clashes: gay marriage, the size of the aid budget, immigration. It is about more than Europe, but Europe is the principal battlefield on which it will be fought.
On both sides, they are girding themselves for the great schism on the right, the battle to the death that will follow the election, a struggle not just for the soul of the Tory party, but about the future of Britain in the world. Where those of his fellow travellers who are still in the Tory party differ with Douglas Carswell is only in that they have decided to wait until after the general election before they start the shooting.


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High disk usage when streaming video from twitch.tv
Not reproducible Issue #11647873
Steps to reproduce
- Visit twitch.tv and open a live stream or VOD.
- Disk usage jumps noticeably higher than what it does with other browsers.
Expected result: Low disk usage.
update: After some research, I noticed that when watching a twitch VOD the disk activity returns to normal if you skip towards the end where there's not much video left to buffer. Around 1 or 2 minutes before the video ends disk activity is normal while all the other time it hovers between 20% and 30%. Could it be that Edge is caching/buffering(?) more aggresively than other browsers?
Comments and activity
- Microsoft Edge Team
Changed Assigned To to "James M."
Thank you for providing this information about the issue. After thorough testing, we are unable to reproduce this problem in Edge with the information at hand. Please update this case when you can provide more details, such as screenshots or run dxdiag (Windows key + r and type dxdiag, enter, then click Save all Information) and attach the txt file.
Best Wishes,
The MS Edge Team
I have attached DxDiag.txt
I have already attached some screenshots showing the difference in disk usage between Chrome and Edge; if there's anything else useful I can attach I'd be glad to.
Changed Steps to Reproduce
Thank you for providing extensive information about this issue. Unfortunately, we are still unable to identify or reproduce this problem in Edge. Please open Task Manager and go to the Performance tab, click Open Resource Monitor and expand the Disk section, then sort descending by Total (B/sec) and conduct your repro in Edge. Please note which processes are listed at the top, and attach those results as a screenshot.
Best Wishes,
The MS Edge Team
I attached 2 screenshots from Resource Monitor. MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe is the process with the most disk activity. This issue existed before Creators Update by the way. Also, after asking about it on reddit I couldn't find anyone to reproduce this issue either.
Thank you for this update. We will need to gather some more information to investigate. Please repro the problem in Edge only, and then follow these steps:
Juxtapose the Processes tab in Task Manager (sorted by Name acsending) and Overview tab of Resource Monitor (ensure all the sections are expanded) and take a screenshot; include in the file name "sample1".
In the Details tab of Task Manager, right-click the offending MicrosoftEdgeCP.exe process (it has a PID matching the one found in the Disk Activity section of Resource Monitor) and select Create dump file.
When the dump completes, locate the .DMP file and include "sample1" in the name.
Please repeat those steps twice more and increment the sample number each time. Please wait about 30 seconds between each repetition so we will have 3 unique samples to review. Attach all 3 samples to this case so we have 6 new files as a result.
Thank you so much for your assistance with this case.
Best Wishes,
The MS Edge Team
- Microsoft Edge Team
Changed Status to "Not reproducible"
You need to sign in to your Microsoft account to add a comment.


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Recent Activities
- Grid Integrated Vehicles
- Sustainable Development and Climate Change: A Multidisciplinary Program in Italy
- Reset: A Forum and Celebration of Energy Transitions
- President Trump's Executive Orders
- Georgia Town Halls: Choosing our Energy Future
- 100% Renewables in the South
- Future of Electric Power in the South
- The Clean Power Plan and Beyond
Recent Research Projects
The Environment and Energy Policy concentration at Georgia Tech's School of Public Policy positions graduates for leadership careers that address sustainable energy challenges in various areas of professional life, including government agencies, universities, non-governmental organizations, business, and industry. The Climate and Energy Policy Laboratory (CEPL) supports this effort by conducting research on clean energy financing; information and regulatory policies; trends in the U.S. South; transformation to a smart grid; and the evolution of distributed resources including energy efficiency, demand response, electric vehicles and solar photovoltaics. We are involved in studies of climate mitigation under the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, our policy interests span the triad of mitigation, adaptation, and geo-engineering, and we look at equity, employment, other impacts of policy interventions.
Multidisciplinarity, quantitative rigor, and strong conceptual frameworks underpin CEPL's approach to policy analysis. Econometric models are employed to evaluate the impacts of existing programs. We use a unique ensemble of modeling tools including the National Energy Modeling System (NEMS), hybrid NEMS-Input/Output approaches, Monte Carlo methods to characterize uncertainties, and GT-DSM and GT-Solar cost-benefit calculators. Together, these models are used to forecast the speed and market penetration of new and improved energy technologies and the ability of possible future policies to accelerate the adoption of clean energy technologies and practices. An interest in institutional and consumer behavior underpins the CEPL research agenda.


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Residence Of The Office Of Well being Promotion And Illness Prevention
Some thought of Dr. Oz's public assertion worry mongering. One well being journalist claimed mainstream drugs had diabetes all underneath management prescribing insulin. Nurses have some defense as they have much less time at the help designing well being coverage, but they have additionally been forced away from their priority areas. What is your favorite? Have been you in a position to stop espresso utilizing a substitute? Did you may have any problems along with your substitute?Let us know your experiences. A separate CMS report mentioned that between Nov. 1 and Christmas, 78 percent of the sixty seven,915 Kentuckians who had signed up for coverage on the federal trade received a tax credit to help pay for their policy, and the common credit was $275.
Corruption may imply the distinction between life and dying for those in want of pressing care. It's invariably the poor in society who are affected most by corruption as a result of they often cannot afford bribes or non-public health care. But corruption within the richest components of the world also has its prices. Practically half of growth enrollees reported that their well being had improved; only 3.5 percent that stated their well being had worsened. Just over a fourth stated they'd been recognized with at least one power health condition after obtaining protection. Additionally they confirmed fewer cases of high blood pressure and excessive ldl cholesterol.
Like many artists who die too younger, (she was only 28) it could be easy to make the error of assuming she's been canonised by way of her premature demise. In the face of swinging-sixties and publish-conflict sexist society, she carved her own unique furrow. If you're comfortable to dig deeper, you will find that not only was she a central power in Pop Art, however she had subtle political nous. Her work gives one thing far deeper and politic, than the obvious superficiality of pop and by the mid 60's Pauline Boty and her husband Clive Goodwin had been two leading members in a new rebirth of left wing politics and at the heart of each the avant guard, and mass media. Both had been politically outspoken and influential in the delivery of Encore magazine, Black Dwarf newspaper and Spare Rib. You may learn an exquisite brief article by Adam Curtis and see a few of Boty's collaborative movie work by clicking on the image below.
I had surgical procedure on the 8th of Aug. and have worked at the very least 1/2 days on a regular basis this week thus far. My mid again could be very achy and frankly, folks thinking I've turn out to be pregnant is getting a bit previous already. Lol. I've bouts of nausea throughout the day but nothing I can't deal with. I have been on a food plan of mashed potatoes (vegie stock), chicken breast, homemade vegie soup ( due to my wonderful husband ) and oatmeal all in very small portions and sporadically all through the day. Would love some recommendation on the bloat problem… Yuk!
I've a dear buddy, who differs from me on many political beliefs and opinions, who posted recently on Facebook about the fact that she learns quite a bit from reading about, and listening to, opinions completely different than her own. She feels that whereas she is robust in her convictions, that doesn't imply that she is just too above anyone else to listen to them out, even if she is aware of she is not going to agree with them. That, I think, is the kind of lady that I will try to be more like…the type of girl that maybe we should always all attempt to be like.


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Indian Institute of Management Rohtak, organized its fourth edition of management summit in New Delhi on 9th December 2017. Several … More
Category: Marketing
IIM Rohtak wraps up final placements, CTC rise by 10% over previous year
IIM Rohtak's final placements for the batch of 2017, saw an increase in the average CTC by 10%. The highest … More
Defensive Marketing: How Reliance Jio is pushing competitors onto a defensive stance
Marketing is a tool associated with growth. It is generally seen as the means to penetrate markets to gain and/or … More


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Microsoft Black Belt Alex Fernandes presented at the most recent TechConnex Big Data Peer Group hosted by SWI. Alex, a Data Solutions Architect, presented an overview of the various components of the Microsoft Azure Cortana Intelligence Suite. The suite is a complete set of well integrated cloud services offered in the Microsoft Azure platform which includes the components that organizations require to implement a Big Data or Advanced Analytics solution.
These components include:
- Information Management
This layer is responsible for gathering the information from various sources into a central store for analysis.
o Data Factory is used for batch data loads
o Event IoT Hubs collect streaming analytics for IoT and other streaming sources
- Storage
In this layer the data is collected so it is available for reporting and analysis. Microsoft Azure supports storing data in the cloud in
o Relational Data Storage
o Big Data HDFS compliant storage called Data Lake Store
- Advanced Analytics
Azure provides multiple options for advanced analytics that cover all the analytics needs of the organization from the most basic to the most advanced
o Azure NL ML is a graphical drag and drop interface for analytics geared to business users.
o HDInsight R-Server allows running R code at scale
o HDInsight Spark allows leveraging Apache Spark ML for analytics at the petabyte scale
o Stream Analytics allow analytics of stream data on the fly
- And much more…
o Visualization with Power BI, Cognitive services (Vison recognition, Speech/Language recognition etc.). The Cortana Intelligence Suite is growing every day with new features and enhancements!
You can learn more about Cortana Intelligence Suite here.
To join the next Big Data Peer Group, click here.


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All the time that I have been in business, I have continued to pursue my interest in fine arts photography.
Collecting photographs.
Curating exhibitions.
Shooting my own work.
My work has been exhibited in numerous group and solo shows in galleries throughout New England.
A Neighborhood Boxing Gym
For this series of photographs, I chose a neighborhood boxing gym called Boston Boxing & Fitness. It epitomizes a number of the qualities I think make Allston a unique place to live. It is a non-assuming, local gym where men, women, and young athletes of all abilities come to workout. It is definitely not a dating bar health club.
The first time I visited the gym, I watched an instructor coaching a young boxer. Knowing how hard a boxing workout is, I realize that this is a place that pushes young athletes beyond what they think they are capable of. Boston Boxing & Fitness is home to many local high school and college athletes who pour their hearts out on the field…but as they say on their website, "their sweat and tears belong to us!"


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Be In it to Win It
One of the things to keep in mind before enrolling in any online college degree programs is that you should be certain in your degree before you enroll. These degree programs don't normally offer much room for the transfer of credits so if you plan on starting a course of study it is important that you finish it. If you are thinking about going online to complete a college degree of some sort be prepared to see it all the way through until the end. One must prepare for such a thing not only in their schedules and brains, but in their finances as well so take everything into consideration and be sure that it is what you want to do before you start paying for classes.
Be Sure of Your Choice
One of the things you want to be sure to look into before you enroll into any of the programs for online college degrees that you come across is to make sure that these institutions are accredited. There is nothing worse than paying to get a degree just to find out that nobody considers it a valuable asset because of the choice in institutions that you made. When you sign up for classes the first thing you should do is check the reputation of the school and their accreditation.
Online college degrees are just one way to go about getting the education that you need, but it is a great one. If you have kids, a job, a social life or have just been away from school for so long that you don't know how you would fit it into your schedule, degree options that are web-based are one of the best options that you will have open to you.
You can get more in-depth information about finding the best colleges in USA as well as online accredited degrees by checking out the links


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Webinar – Prefab Data Centres
Attend a webinar on our new Prefabricated Data Centre technology with one of our DC infrastructure experts. Gain an understanding of the different options and their applications – all from the comfort of your own desk!
Submit the form below and we'll arrange your personal tour at a time that suits you.


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And now we have Psycroptic's fifth studio full-length, The Inherited Repression.
Despite the rather boring album cover, The Inherited Repression brings better songwriting to the table when compared to its predecessor. The technicality of the guitarwork has been amped up significantly, and the guitar tone is pretty solid if a bit on the light end of things. It is distorted enough to retain some potency without muddying up the intricacies. Tracks like "The Throne Of Kings" feature some nice leads and drumwork that shows the Haley brothers do really know what they're doing when playing together. I definitely dig the semi-flamenco acoustic intro to "Deprivation" too.
However there's one thing I have to say about The Inherited Repression, and it's something I noticed on Observant too: there is a stark lack of bass on here. In fact most of the time I feel like Cameron Grant's basslines are completely insignificant, considering they're not audible 95% of the time. They pop up occasionally on "Become The Cult" and "Carriers Of The Plague," the latter of which makes for a nice intro and is the longest track on the album.
Another thing people often complain about when it comes to newer Psycroptic is the shouted "core" vocals. They don't particularly sound "core" to me, but whatever. They are a bit grating at times on both Observant and they make their (un?) welcome return on The Inherited Repression. They are still shouted, still a bit dominant in the mix, but this time around there is some vocal layering effect added to certain parts that gives the shouts a resonant feel. I don't know whether to like this or not. It's pretty unremarkable in general but it isn't outright offensive like some people claim.
Psycroptic aren't afraid to use arpeggiated chords like it's their business either. They utilize the fuck out of this technique on "Forward Into Submission" and the intro, as well as sporadically on other tracks. It works to their advantage and is typical for Joe Haley's style of songwriting. I definitely found myself enjoying a lot of the tracks on here although I personally didn't find the album all too memorable after the first few listens. In the end The Inherited Repression feels like Observant Pt. 2 as opposed to a standalone release, and ultimately that's its greatest downfall.
6.75 out of 10
|Carriers of the Plague
|Forward to Submission
|The Throne of Kings
|Unmasking the Traitors
|Become the Cult
|From Scribe to Ashes
|The Sleepers Have Awoken


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being scared by the youth of today
i had an argument this weekend with my cousin about how just because something is expensive, doesn't necessarily mean that it's better.
her reasons - (re: restaurants) luxury, good service, better food.
i had to reply with 'not necessarily. the only meal that has ever made me gag was in an expensive/trendy restaurant in london'
she then went on to quiz my other cousin about why she didn't let her boyfriend (who is quite well off) pay for everything for her.
granted, this girl is 15. but it scares me to think of the woman she may grow up to be.
People change so much they become unrecognisable in their formative years though.
Or yeah, she could be some Cruella De Ville type.
your cousin tried to be at least slightly financially independent
and you think this is a bad, worrying thing?
and she thinks that expensive stuff is likely to be better quality than cheap stuff?
Does this make her a MONSTER?
i think it was she thinks its DEFINITELY better
i have a theory on the subject that noone ever seems interested when i tell
that isn't what she said
she said that the cousin who thinks expensive = better asked another cousin why she doesn't let/make her boyfriend pay for everything for her.
my bad
yeah, Cousin A is a durp


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July 29, 2008
The following is a long paper I wrote with several other people. They will be kept anonymous, for their protection, but I thought I'd post it anyway.
Reality Show Judging: a New Code of Ethics
Salt Lake Community College
Group Community Writing Campaign
Reality TV shows' lack of fairness, ethics and good judgment are making an impact on popular culture. There is a lot of disagreement and discontentment with the values that are being transmitted to the viewers. Through research of several different types of reality shows, we have come up with ideas and ways to improve these shows. The most important things we are looking for are (1) qualified judges, since they represent justice (2) stopping multiple voting (3) assuring that judges cannot change their mind after a decision has been made, and (4) establishing a strict code of ethics between contestants and judges (which also includes: no unprofessional interaction and professional conduct on the parts of both contestants and judges, throughout the entire process, including prescreening). The expected outcome is a fair and enjoyable reality TV show.
In the last decade, the genre of reality television has become culturally iconic. TV shows, on which contestants compete, in particular, have enjoyed immense success. Programs that add viewer voting into the setup are watched and participated in by millions of people. The populous now has an even more direct influence on the "next big thing," whether musicians, dancers, comedians, or even pets. As entertaining as these shows are, however, they are not immune from criticism. Upon closer examination, one can find many problems with the prescreening techniques, the voting process, and the objectivity of the judges -- problems which could be less glaring with some minor adjustments. How do so many obviously untalented people get on TV in the first place? Is it possible some fans are able to "pad" the votes? How does the audience influence the judges, and how do they influence each other? We will attempt to explore these questions, among others, through the specific formats of four popular reality shows that are centered on four different kinds of talent. We will examine the credibility and objectivity of the judges on each show, explain the effect of viewers or audience members on the eventual outcome, and examine what the code of ethics seems to be, if indeed there is one. We will then put forth specific ideas on how each show, and reality competitions in general, may be improved.
The most popular reality show right now is American Idol. American Idol is a hallmark television program with millions of followers. Idol was created by Simon Fuller, the Spice Girls Svengali, and first aired in England in 2001, as Pop Idol. It came to America the following year, with a new name but with the same purpose: to find market-friendly talent among an enormous pool of amateurs and wannabes (Frere-Jones, 2008, p.74). It has a simple dynamic plot that has captivated America for eight seasons. Every year judges that work for the show travel to different cities in the U.S. searching for talented singers. Long lines of hopeful young performers make their way through preliminary screenings anticipating their moment in front of the three famous judges: Simon Cowell, a successful, hit-making executive for BMG Records in Britain who created and helps produce the series, Paula Abdul, a popular singer and choreographer, and Randy Jackson, a veteran musician (Duffy,2002).
Reality competitions are only as good as the judges who preside over them. The American Idol panel, the gold standard of the genre, proves that the right combination of critiques can add professional insight, comic relief or a verbal jab (much to the delight of the audience) (Kinon,2008, p.1). Each judge has a distinct personality and role on the series. Simon is usually the most critical and direct. His opinion is however the most valued because of his experience in the music industry. Simon is paid to deliver his criticism in a nasty way, although he's usually right. "He's just being honest, saying it in blunt fashion. It's just constructive criticism," said Justin Guarini, a personable Pennsylvanian who was among the favorites to win it all (Duffy, 2002). And then there's Paula -- if she could find it in herself to do a taping sober, she might give some good feedback. John Rich of Nashville Star thinks she's downright disrespectful to contestants with how nonsensical her commentary is (Sample, 2008, p.3).
These performances in front of Simon, Paula, and Randy are called the preliminaries, though the contestants have already been seen by another professional panel to eliminate those that are obviously not qualified- or so you might think. The reality is that these first acts from all over the country can be some of the most entertaining, although sometimes at the singer's expense. In these episodes of American Idol the judges will send a few singers they think have a shot at winning to a second round in Hollywood. These are also the episodes that showcase a variety of obviously bad auditions. The judges, though honest, can be cruel. This of course is entertaining and is usually a crowd pleaser.
"I think this kind of competition, going in there live, singing a cappella, is as brutal as it can get," says Abdul (Duffy,2002). Although each contestant agrees to the terms and condition of auditioning for the show, it might seem mean spirited to show these obviously bad auditions for amusement and public scrutiny. Some of the contestants who might even be mentally ill or psychologically challenged are ridiculed by the judges and their performances are aired on primetime television. Does this aspect of the contest distract from the real goal of helping an amateur singer rise to the top and become a success?
"The original idea was to do a show that shows what the music business is really like-illogical, sexist, all the things," stated Cowell (Duffy, 2002). The contest's intentions may be pure but judges can be brutal, especially in the preliminaries. In one instance, the usually kinder and more sympathetic Paula and Randy were unusually rude.
"If you were looking for insensitive behavior, Randy and Paula were your go-to judges. The two of them breaking into hysterical laughter as 22-year-old James Lewis sang "Go Down Moses, Let My People Go," was the cruelest moment of the night. They might be forgiven for not having the back story, but the producers made sure to let the viewers in on the fact that the Philadelphia tour guide had been encouraged by his co-workers to audition, obviously some sort of cruel joke on their part, which the producers were happy to help with" (Kerwin,2008, p.30).
Though it may seem the judges have the final word in the preliminaries by the next phase of the contest it's not just the judges who affect the outcome. Except for the early stages of the competition, when the judges winnow a group of about two hundred down to twenty-four, they can only file amicus briefs. They can say, "It was just O.K. for me, dog," banish singers to cruise ships, and make everyone cry, but the people have the power (Frere-Jones, 2008, p.74).
The judges critique contestants on their vocal ability, song choice, presentation, and other aspects of pop craftsmanship. The American public, though, decides who remains in the running, by phoning and texting in votes after Tuesday night's broadcast (Frere-Jones, 2008, 75). This is an exciting opportunity for the American people to get involved. They feel that their vote might be the deciding facture of who stays on the show and competes until the end or who goes home. American Idol does "an immense good in getting younger people interested in singing." Finkle (2006, p.18) notes that "competition, as we know makes you get better." Each week contestants are cut based on the popular vote received from text messages sent into the network from the masses. But text messaging voting, though it involves the viewers, has its disadvantages. There is no limit on how many times a viewer can vote in. While interviewing coworkers at my job I found that many of those who voted texted in dozens of times. Therefore the outcome may be a little skewed.
According to Frere-Jones (2008, p.75), seventy-four million votes were cast in the finale of the 2007 season. The problem with the voting may not just be the amount of times one can repeatedly vote, but the lack of experience the general public has with actual musical talent. Simon Cowell's critiques, though harsh at times, represent real value.
The viewers need to compete only with Simon; Jackson and Abdul both give us plenty of opportunities to feel superior. The self-flummoxing Abdul is physically incapable of not reassuring the contestants. One of the few variables that Jackson seems able to track is pitch (Frere-Jones, 2008, p.75). Even if the professional judges' opinions might be off at times, surely the general public is even less qualified to judge the real art of singing. Finkle (2006, p.18) wrote, "I don't think that the most important factors are being addressed by the judges more than half the time. You're dealing with a range of watchers who [include] musicians and record producers who know what is marketable. According to Finkle (2006, p.13), there are people who vote for contestants because they're cute. Undoubtedly the winner in the grand finale of the show will become an American idol. A show as big as American Idol, is open for all types of people who want to take advantage of it (Keveney, 2006, p.40). Does this contest undermine the real talent that exists in America? Just because it's popular doesn't necessarily mean it's the most valuable. What the judges say about the contestants does not always sway the voters, although Cowell - the only judge who is able to dependably articulate why he thinks certain performances do or don't work - probably affects some (Frere-Jones, 2008, p.75). Hopefully America will realize that to really find the best of the best a popular television show, though it may have many fans, should not be considered the greatest resource for finding America's most talented singers.
In addition to people pets are also expected to hold their own in the world of reality television. Each episode of Pet Star has a talented group of animals and their owners who show off their special talent competing against one another. The winner of the show for that day will receive $2,500 and return at the end of the season and compete for $25,000 in cash and prizes with the other finalist from that season ("Mario Lopez," 2008, p.1). Any type of animal can participate in the show as there is anything from lizards and ponies to the average dog competing. To showcase your animal's talent, all you need to do is call or e-mail the producers and they will send you a form to fill out about the talent that will be shown and what type of animal you have. There are also questions not just about your pet's personality but also your personality. According to Borgenicht (2004, p.10), in his book, "Reality TV Handbook," if you would like to pass the prescreening you need to make your personality more interesting then it really is.
The host of the show Pet Star is Mario Lopez. Mario has been a celebrity star since 1985 in an ABC comedy series ("Mario Lopez," 2008, p.1). It is unknown if he owns any animals, but he seems to love each animal that comes on stage with him. Mario makes a wonderful host as he is able to get along well with the animals and the panel of judges (C. Cole, personal communication, July 7, 2008).
The panel of judges is made up of celebrities. The judges will stay for that season then next season there will be new celebrities judging the contestants. Some judges are Ben Stein, Susan Yezzi, Billy West, Brad Pitt, Melissa Pertman, and Brett Butler to name a few ("Animal Planet's," 2008, p.1). For each show there are always three judges on the panel. The main things the judges have in common are that they are well known celebrities that are either annoying or funny (C. Cole, personal communication, July 7, 2008). The article "Favorite Reality Television Judges" by Andy Dehnart (2008, p.3) states, "Judges on reality shows need to be knowledgeable, articulate and entertaining, or some combination of those." Dehnart's point is that you don't need to be an animal trainer or have an educated knowledge of animals to be a judge deciding America's talented animals but you need to be funny and well known.
The judges vote after each animal has preformed their talent on stage giving them points from 1-10, 10 being the best ("Mario Lopez," 2008, p.1). The judges are to write in their score before they begin to share what they thought of the animal that just preformed. Their comments are not as rude as other reality shows, but uplifting. As the judges may not be educated about the animal that is performing, the judges may not be as awed by a pet that is not incredible. If you really knew the animal and the behaviors of that animal you would find it either normal or simply amazing. An example of this is from the episode on July 7, 2008; the first contestant, a border collie jumped for Frisbees as the owner threw them while the second, a potbellied pig, went through an army obstacle course. The judges gave the Border collie one 9 and two 10s, while they gave the pig two 8s and one 9 (Ross, 2004). Both performances were well done with little mistakes. To me this was unfair judging. If you knew about the two animals you would know that Border Collies learn very fast and are very smart while potbellied pigs are stubborn and hard to train. The correct way to judge this show is to have judges that actually know about different animals and have studied their personalities.
The code of ethics that is illustrated in Pet Star shows professional conduct. As the backstage and the true prescreening of the show are not shown, there is no way to find out if there is unprofessional conduct or unfair prescreening. In most reality competition shows the judges meet the contestants before they are brought on the show, this can be unfair and cause discrimination or prejudging. A change that should be made in Pet Star is to have educated judges that know animals and their natural behaviors. With this change in the show there will be fairness in judging and the right "pet star" will be found.
While the comments on reality shows are often amusing, one show's purpose is to find the funniest person in America. Last Comic Standing is a reality show in which stand-up comedians compete for the favor of NBC producers, celebrity talent scouts, and of course, audience members. If they succeed in this endeavor, as of the sixth season, they win, "a $250,000 grand prize including an exclusive talent deal with NBC, a brand new Honda, and a starring appearance in Jubilee! at Bally's Las Vegas." ("Information About Last", 2008, p.1). Comedians that attend auditions, are given a chance to perform in live showcases, and are narrowed down to only the best. Then they are voted on by the audience.
The show is hosted by Bill Bellamy, who is a comedian. Bellamy has hosted Def Comedy Jam and received an NAACP Image Award. The show also boasts "special correspondents" Fearne Cotton, ANT, and past winner Debra DiGiovanni ("Information About Last", 2008, p.1).
The participants on the show are diverse. Anyone who thinks they are funny finds their way to the auditions. Many of the contestants who are successful have been doing stand-up for a while, but their styles differ widely. The most recent season started off with the expected satire on everyday life that stand-up generally consists of, as well as a man who impersonates dinosaurs and mosquitoes and one totes his rather large bass fiddle onstage (Hurwitz, 2008). Auditions are open, and it is up to the many celebrity talent scouts to decide who will go to the next round. The scouts don't always agree about who is funny, but if one sees potential s/he can usually convince his/her fellow judges to give the contestant a chance. The producers are pretty good about which auditions make it into actual air-time: bad comedians are only shown to give the scouts an opportunity to explain what they are looking for or an interesting aspect of the show, such as when a comedian refuses to be rejected, as shown on a recent episode. However, this is not always the case. In one episode, we see a shirtless man in clown make-up make one bizarre statement before the scouts command him to leave. It is likely that the producers show this audition to highlight all the strange diversity of comedy, but it seems just as likely that they had another thirty seconds of air-time to fill (Hurwitz, 2008).
The talent scouts consist of several comedians and comedic actors. While many viewers would agree that these people are funny, and they have obviously found success, one may ask why they are any more qualified to know what's funny than anyone else. Just because an actor can deliver someone else's lines well, we give them the credit for being funny but, what about the writer? After all, stand-up comedians have to write their own material as well. Perhaps this is the reason that nearly all of the show's talent scouts have experience in stand-up, improvisational comedy, or writing. All have been trained in the art of comedy, yet comedy is still highly subjective. After all, what makes someone laugh? Connie Weiss (2008, p.1) quotes Susanne Langer as saying that this is the wrong question-that humor is only one of the "causes of laughter." Weiss points out that laughter can come from relief or surprise. We may find some things funny that one close to the situation would not, our detachment provides the humor. In contrast, we may find a dark or satirical joke amusing precisely because we can relate to the situation. Weiss observes that comedy often surrounds tragedy, perhaps as a way of dealing with it. This is valid, as satire or "spoofs" have become increasingly popular, and directors like Mel Brooks have based their career on them (T. Dirks, 1996, p.1). It is also what stand-up tends to be about-experiences are embellished or under exaggerated in order to see humor in them. A qualified judge would be one who understands what makes other people laugh and why. The scouts and judges are aware of these techniques, and they have honed their own comedic ability, but they are not free from bias.
While there is no popular vote in Last Comic Standing until the final round, placing more emphasis on professional opinion than many shows, although, viewers still have influence. Comedians perform in showcases, in which judges and the general population are able to see their talent. This is an important part of the process, comedian Tony Jaeger states that "Ultimately, the number of people in your audience that are laughing is the key to comedic greatness" (Jaeger, personal communication, July 7, 2008). It is important to test the hopeful comedian out on an audience. This however, definitely influences a judge's opinion. Laughter is infectious and a judge may suddenly see a comedian as much funnier (or less amusing) in front of an audience. This also has subtle influences on the viewer who looks forward to voting. The cameramen focus on those members of the audience who seem to be having the most fun, presenting an infectious mood to the viewers as well. There is something to be said for a live connection as well. Comedy is much funnier in person, and it's much funnier in the front row than in the back. Judge Lonny Ross stated that comedy doesn't always translate, and though he was referring to cultural differences, it could apply to live versus filmed comedy as well.
Compared to some reality shows, Last Comic Standing runs fairly professionally. However, to limit the judge/audience influence on each other, it might be helpful to split the sections of the show. For example, the talent scouts could choose their favorite comedians from the audition. Those comedians could then perform in a showcase for an audience who votes once for their favorite-this audience would not include the judges. This would consist of the first elimination, and the show would proceed with similar guidelines until a winner is chosen. This would respect the importance of the live audience, check the people's influences on the judges, and still allow the professional influence to be paramount.
In addition to singing, pets, and comedy, dance as become a popular subject for reality shows. America's Best Dance Crew is a TV show broadcasted through MTV where dance groups known as "street crews" compete for money and prizes. Randy Jackson, a very successful Grammy Award-winning producer who is also a judge in the aforementioned American Idol, created the show. America's Best Dance Crew is hosted by Mario Lopez (previously Pet Star's host), and he hosts quite well. He does however, get overexcited sometimes and starts to demonstrate certain empathy for some of the contestants, usually when they do something totally out of the box and Mario shows his emotion in an exaggerated way.
As I previously mentioned the participants here are called "street crews", though many of them really aren't; most of them look pretty preppy or at least they are middle class. They might even go to dancing academies. It's very strange how the judges refer to them as if they came from the streets even if they are not. It looks absolutely fake how some of the judges would tell them that they know what it is like to come from the streets and how difficult it is to overcome, that is annoying, even though some of the contestants really do come from the streets and most have been dancing in the streets for a long time. Only two or three groups at the most out of the twelve that compete are from the streets (Kubicek, 2007, p.1). These contestants are usually the ones that have the best qualities and do the best performances. Mario Lopez needs to remember that he is the host and he has to show partiality and not favoritism to the street dancers. The main purpose of the show is to make streets dancers famous, and when they bring people that have been going to academies or schools to the show kind of contradicts the purpose of the show (Ominous, 2007, p. 3).
The jury consist of three judges; JC Chasez, Lil Mama and Shane Sparks. JC Chasez used to be one of the members of NSYNC. Lil Mama is a former rapper-singer. Last but not least, Shane Sparks is the only professional dancer of the jury. Here is where the biggest problem is, the jury (Cudworth, 2008, p.2). Not including Shane Sparks, who is the only judge that makes good observations to the contestants' performances and provides them with a constructive critique, JC Chasez and Lil Mama are very questionable participants on the show. Lil Mama is the main problem because of her poor critiques. There is lack of constructive comments, and the way she expresses herself makes her very hard to understand. Besides she isn't really a dancer, she is a singer, so we could say that her experience is not relevant. Then we have JC Chasez, who has been out of the scene for almost six years. After NSYNC tore apart he tried to start a solo career, which turned out to be a big failure (Cudworth, 2008, p.2). He gained a lot of experience dancing with his group and he probably learned some basics, but let's face it, he was just a pretty face.
The voting system is very simple, call as many times that is necessary for your favorite crew. I personally don't vote for the contestants, but there is some sense of coherency of who is going home and who is staying in the program. We could say that there is some fairness in that part. There have only been two seasons so far, and none of the judges have changed their decisions nor have any argued the reason why certain crews have gone home. There has never been any intimate interaction between contestants and the people in charge of the show (judges, hosts, producers, executives, etc.) so that speaks volumes about the ethics of the program (Kurtz, 2007, p. 69).
In conclusion, to have absolute fairness in the show Mario Lopez would have to stop showing his favoritism. It is not necessary to kick him out, if he would just improve in that he would become a better host. Two of the judges definitely would have to be replaced for others more capable and with more experience, of the same caliber of Shane Sparks to be more specific. This way all spectators would enjoy a more fair TV show and would with no doubt keep watching it (Hill, 2005 p. 47).
As we have made evident, with the creation of a code of ethics and small changes in the voting and prescreening processes, as well as choosing highly qualified judges, reality competitions could be about real talent. These changes will result in better conditions (and chances) for the contestants, more respected judges, and an even more enjoyable experience for the viewers.
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Calm Kaua'i Delights. Located in the leading resort community of Princeville, Kauai, Wyndham Bali Hai Villas truly captures the splendor of Hawaii. Princeville and the neighboring town of Hanalei offers an abundance of restaurants, beaches, galleries.
Your 2 bedroom sleeps 6 It has a king size bed in the master bedroom along with a Jacuzzi tub. The 2nd bedroom has either a queen bed or two full size beds. I have both, so if you have a preference please let me know and as long as it's avaialble we will do out best to get that for you. There is also a queen sleeper sofa in the living room. Your condo is fully equipped for cooking with a full size kitchen complete with oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher, pots, pans, glassware, silverware, and full size refrigerator. There are flat screen televisions in each bedroom plus in the living room.
Upon arrival, the 24 hour concierge will check you in and provide your keys. Resort collects an occupancy tax for the State of Hawaii of 6.24 per day, not per person, per unit.
At time of booking, please provide the name and address with zip of just 1 adult who will be present at check in. It is important to note that the guest whose name is on the reservation, must be the one checking in, and must be at least 21 years old at time of check in. This person can only have 1 reservation in their name. This is who the resort will give the keys to. Please be sure of the name you provide for checking in, as if this has to be changed, Wyndham charges $99 for a new guest certificate. We really appreciate you booking your vacation with us and will assist in any way to assure you have a well deserved vacation!
2 Outdoor Swimming Pools
"Play Days" Activities Program
3 Outdoor Hot Tubs
Outdoor Children's Pool
Tennis Court
Picnic/BBQ Area
Area Activities
Day Spa
Horseback Riding
Live Entertainment


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In some aspects of your marketing strategy, you can easily see and course-correct if you aren't headed in the direction you want to go. Lead generation is a little trickier because mistakes may not take you in entirely the wrong direction but only put you a little off-target. You don't need to settle for sub-optimal lead gen once you know what to look for and how to overcome these hidden mistakes that can hinder your efforts.
Lacking Patience with Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing strategies are incredibly valuable for lead generation, but they take time to develop fully. Quick-fix solutions are necessarily incomplete; they might give you a rapid influx of leads but without much differentiation, or they may provide deeper background on leads but offer only modest numbers. The most effective inbound marketing lead gen strategies use a combination of rapid-fire opportunities for success and enough patience to let long-term plans, such as establishing authority through content creation, come to fruition.
Setting Vague Goals
Without a clear idea of where your lead gen is going, you don't know when you've gotten there. Spend some time defining your goals clearly: Who are your target leads? Which of their problems do you solve? What level of sales readiness do you want them to reach, and by what point in the lead nurturing process? More precision in setting benchmarks will directly result in more effective lead gen.
Underutilizing Existing Resources
You probably have more lead gen resources at your fingertips than you think, especially if you've recently upgraded to a marketing automation system. Before making major changes to your current lead gen program, assess the current state of your software and hardware. Scan your customer database to gain insight into the people who have completed their buying journeys and have something to teach about your prospects. Look at content you have and think of how you might repurpose it, such as turning a series of blog posts into a webinar or assembling videos to go along with them.
Using Outdated Buyer Personas
Buyer personas are an ongoing project, not one you complete and set aside. To be effective, your buyer personas must undergo regular updates using data enhancement to keep them current. They have to make sense with your business goals as they are, which might prioritize retention over acquisition as your company matures or include a larger service portfolio. You may serve a larger region or an expanded range of market segments now and have yet to reflect the changes in your buyer personas. While outmoded customer personas will still contribute to lead gen, you aren't getting the most from them without maintenance.
Missing Key Channels
Do your prospects find you easily, or do they have to hunt? Your lead gen strategy should include an analysis of where your leads come from so you can meet them on familiar territory. If they're avid Facebook users, allocate more resources to amplify your social media signal. Strong blog content can be a potent SEO tool, and it becomes even more powerful if you double or triple your output.
© Reach Marketing LLC 2017 All Rights Reserved.


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Data: Aug. 10, 2018
4:13 p.m. Wednesday: 800 block of West Oxford Street, Worthington, adult female who had fallen and broke her hip.
12:33 a.m. Thursday: 1800 block of Collegeway, Worthington, adult female with right side weakness, slurred speech and high blood pressure.
7:11 a.m. Thursday: 1800 block of Collegeway, Worthington, individual who was unable to walk, pale and acting strangely.
WPD: 10:08 a.m. Thursday, North McMillan Street.
WPD: 12:57 p.m. Thursday, 700 block of Oxford Street.
WPD: 3:16 p.m. Thursday, Vogt Park.
Jackson County Sheriff's Office: theft, 5:48 p.m. Tuesday, Jackson.
WPD: harassing communication, 4:07 p.m. Wednesday.
Osceola County Sheriff's Office: Paul K. Davis, 28, of May City, Iowa was arrested Thursday for third-degree harassment. He was transported and booked into the Osceola County Jail, where he was held on $300 bond. The charge stems from a July 25 incident where Davis allegedly harassed someone at a rural Osceola County residence.


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(Daniil Kharms and Alisa Poret. 1930)
Daniil Kharms, the Leningrad microliterary absurdist and corpse-faced poseur — he always dressed like an English dandy with a calabash pipe.
Because of her excessive curiosity, an old lady fell out of the window and smashed into the ground. Another old lady looked out of the window, staring down at the one who was smashed, but out of her excessive curiosity she also fell out of the window and smashed into the ground. Then the third old lady fell out of the window, then the fourth did, then the fifth. When the sixth old lady fell out of the window, I got bored watching them and went to Maltsev market where, they say, someone gave a woven shawl to a blind person.
That was just a short story by Kharms. Other interesting things about him can be found at http://goo.gl/wAqUL
"I am interested only in 'nonsense'; only in that which makes no practical sense. I am interested in life only in its absurd manifestation."


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Alexander Ekmans A Swan Lake (Blu-ray)
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Label: Arthaus
Cat No: 108116
Format: Blu-ray
Number of Discs: 1
Genre: Ballet
Release Date: 1st September 2014
WorksA Swan Lake
ArtistsNorwegian National Ballet
Norwegian National Opera Orchestra
ConductorPer Kristian Skalstad
WorksA Swan Lake
ArtistsNorwegian National Ballet
Norwegian National Opera Orchestra
ConductorPer Kristian Skalstad
I wanted to do something big and wild and different. Something with water! said choreographer Alexander Ekman and filled the Main Stage at the Oslo Opera House with masses of water. In A Swan Lake, his new full-length work created for the Norwegian National Ballet, the dancers are joined on stage by actors, a soprano, musicians and 1,000 rubber ducks.
Alexander Ekman is an internationally acclaimed choreographer, recognised and sought after for his unique ability to pair wit and playfulness. With a score by Swedish composer Mikael Karlsson and costumes by Danish fashion designer Henrik Vibskov, A Swan Lake takes a fresh look at Tchaikovskys ballet of all ballets.
A spectacular show that transcends boundaries. (Aftenposten)
it is easy to be both amused and seduced by this mischievous swan dive. (Dagbladet)
Choreography and Scenography: Alexander Ekman
Music: Mikael Karlsson (+ short quotes from Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake')
Costumes: Henrik Vibskov
Sound Formats: PCM Stereo, dts-HD Master Audio 5.1
Picture Format: 16:9
Blu-ray Disc: 25 GB (Single Layer)
Resolution: 1080i High Defi nition
Audio Language: GB
Running Time: 98 mins + 7 mins (bonus clips)
Region: worldwide
Worldwide available
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Cutting past the political circus that dominates Washington, D.C., Georgia Democrat Jon Ossoff said on Saturday that the highly anticipated special election contest in GA-06 should be about "improving daily life for Georgians."
In an interview on AM Joy, Ossoff said no issue is more central to that than health care, where people in his district are worried about Republican efforts to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
Jon Ossoff says voters from both parties in his district want no part of the GOP health care plan pic.twitter.com/PvTAHFlj5u
— Sean Colarossi (@SeanColarossi) June 17, 2017
The Georgia Democrat said:
Across the political spectrum, folks are concerned about this bill that has just passed the House, particularly women and particularly those with pre-existing conditions – more than 300,000 Georgians with pre-existing conditions in the sixth district alone. You know, folks are concerned about losing access to health care. What they want to see is a bipartisan effort to improve the laws on the books, to make health care and health insurance more affordable, to improve access, to improve the quality of care. But what they are getting out of Congress right now is deeply concerning.
In this deeply polarized political climate, Ossoff appears to be tapping into the bipartisan consensus that the GOP health care plan is disastrous and will hurt millions of Americans. As Joy Reid pointed out, most people in Ossoff's district chose health care as their top issue.
The Georgia Democrat's commitment to the issues, instead of diving head first into the political gutter, has largely been successful so far as a handful of polls in recent weeks show him with a small, steady lead over his Republican opponent, Karen Handel.
In a district that Donald Trump carried in 2016 and Republicans have held for decades, this should strike fear into the hearts of the GOP as the 2018 midterm campaign is just around the corner.
With days until voters in Georgia's sixth district head to the polls, Ossoff is making the smart move by focusing not just on the corruption that continues to consume the White House, but the disastrous Republican policy agenda that will bury the middle class.