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I'd like to ask you a question about a problem I've had more than once with Ghost 9.0.
Two completely separate machines were affected by this - One was a custom-built machine based on the ECS KT600-A motherboard (Don't laugh, it's reliable at stock speed, and it's my second rig). The other is is a Gateway M505X (Pentium-M, Intel chipset, and Hitachi 7K60 hard drive). The 7K60 was attached using a laptop-desktop IDE adapter.
I made a copy of an entire drive into an image file on a different hard drive. The drive that I copied off of had a working Windows install. MBR was to be included in the image, and I did not disable SmartSector copying.
I checked the image multiple times prior to deleting the drive, the image integrity was not compromised. I was able to access files in the image.
Both machines boot, and the initial XP splash screen shows up. The little blue blobs scroll across the screen, the resolution changes, and the big blue "loading your personal settings" screen comes up.
This is where the machine sits for 5+ minutes until I turn it off. I also notice that the num lock light flashes on my keyboard. It seems that XP goes through some sort of a cycle repeatedly, instead of breaking out of it.
I've browsed through the board, and haven't been able to locate a solution, largely because I can't think of the proper keywords to search for. I'll be very grateful for any assistance you may have.
That suks. I feel yer pain.
I have no answer, but would be curious to see what happens if you used Ghost v2003 instead, particularly from a bootable floppy.
Norton 2003, as far as I am concerned, is irrepairably broken.
Thanks to its handling of file names (i.e. it PRETENDS to take long file names, but truncates the subsequent volume files to 8.3, even when making an image on an NTFS volume) I LOST a hard drive. Completely lost.
I proceeded to make Laptop Drive New... And guess what.. no warning, no error message, and the second volume of Laptop Drive New... becomes laptopdr.001 or something, overwriting laptopdr.001 that belonged to the "Old" image.
Of course, since Ghost refuses to try to "repair" the image file, as it was made of an NTSF volume, I can't get to ANY data past the first two gigs of the drive.
None of this would have happened if I was doing it in a pleasant graphical environment with overwite warnings, and ability to handle files over 2gb in size. Despite its shortcomings, I prefer 9.0 - it's just SAFER, and, since it runs the drives in DMA mode, a lot faster too.
Don't get me started on bootable floppies. Much like PS/2, parallel, and serial ports, this ancient 16-bit technology merely slows down progress. Just think how much more productive we'd be if we could boot Ghost off a thumb drive, or install RAID drivers during an initial XP install off a second CD.
Ghost 2003 maintains long file names of files IN THE IMAGE. It's the name of the image itself, which is handled under DOS, that is subject to the limits of the DOS 8.3 naming limitations.
"Try to limit the file name to no more than 8 characters.. to observe the 8.3 DOS file limit scheme. My naming system uses 6 characters. If you dual-boot, or multi-boot, pay extra attention during naming. It's not difficult to mis-label or mis-name images, such as C or D, etc. I have made this mistake myself. Bad, bad. You don't find out until it's too late. Pay extra attention if it's late at night and you're tired.
"I have found the enemy and he is me. The naming convention I was using was identical for the first 8 characters of the *.gho file name. e.g. "Drive C 09-23-03". When Ghost named the spanned *.ghs files in DOS format (8.3), they all became DriveOO1.ghs, Drive002.ghs, etc. Ghost apparently truncates the original file names (*.gho) at 5 characters, and adds 001.ghs, 002.ghs to the spanned file sections. So, when I would make a new image, with the first part of the filename being identical to the previous image, Ghost was overwriting previously written spanned files."
It's a common mistake. But to say the program is "irrepairably broken" doesn't wash with me.
I've used it to create hundreds of images and restore dozens. All worked fine.
Yet your glitch with v9.0 (Drive Image repackaged after Symantec bought Powerquest) remains.
1. What OS are you using--same or different on each of the two machines?
2. Can you start in 'Safe-Mode'?
3. It's unclear from your statement--you have used Ghost 9.x on these machines, and performed the exact same procedure in the past that you can not do now?
4. What common thing have you done, changed, added, upgraded--since the last time you successfully did the Ghost 9.x procedure on these machines?
Is it the software...or the user that's broken?
When in DOS OS, do as DOS does! The software is designed for DOS--long file names not equal to DOS.
Read the user manual--it describes how file naming occurs in DOS.
I know it's too late now for this suggestion to help you--but I always create a new sub-directory for each new image, so I never have to worry about file name issues and overwriting an existing image.
Aren't thumb drives a USB technology? Booting from a USB device--isn't that a BIOS hardware issue? Why blame Ghost 2003? By the way, I have booted DOS with DOS USB support with a compact flash memory card in my multi-card USB reader with Ghost 2003 on the flash card, and performed Ghost procedures without any further problems. But, no, I was not booting from the flash card.
USB is really a Windows interface protocol and was not really meant to be used under DOS.
or install RAID drivers during an initial XP install off a second CD.
Isn't that a Windows install program 'limitation' (bug)--again, why blame Ghost 2003?
By the way, there is a way to copy the Windows install CD to your HDD, edit the install script to point to your third party drivers, add the third party RAID drivers to the install files, and then re-burn the modified install files back to a bootable CD, and now have your third party drivers already available on the install CD, and you no longer have to use F6, a floppy drive, or a second CD (which the Windows install software doesn't offer you the option of doing).
Based on an exchange of emails with Symantec, I learned that Ghost 9.0 'might' have problems with a restore if the original disk was ‘highly’ fragmented. For this reason, I typically run Norton Speed Disk prior to creating an image. Could this possibly be the reason why prior restore operations worked and the current one does not?
See the article at http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1202778,00.asp for a description of how to create a Windows XP boot diskette. I recommend that you try to start the PC with a Windows XP boot diskette, and see if you can avoid the existing issue. If this works, run a "CHKDSK /R" on the drive.
Although I have not used it myself, there exists a tool called ERD Commander (http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/erdcommander2002.asp?pid=er...) that appears to offer a high degree of functionality for solving non-booting PC issues.
P.S.: Although I too use only Ghost 9.0, I think that calling Ghost 2003 "irreparably broken" may be an exaggeration. The tool still works, although it clearly is a legacy application that will (for better or worse) fade into the shadows. It's interesting to me that for every one post on this forum with a Ghost 9.0 question, there are probably ten with a Ghost 2003 issue. And, I suspect that the number of Ghost 9.0 users is currently larger than the user base for Ghost 2003. What does that tell you?
It's interesting to me that for every one post on this forum with a Ghost 9.0 question, there are probably ten with a Ghost 2003 issue. And, I suspect that the number of Ghost 9.0 users is currently larger than the user base for Ghost 2003.
That Rad's Ghost Guide was based initially on Ghost 2002 and gradually updated to Ghost 2003--never has been a Guide to Ghost 9.x .
I haven't seen anything that Ghost 2003 couldn't set up from Windows interface, or bootable CD that's accessible from a bootable floppy. We've had bootable CD functionality for YEARS, so there's no reason to force the floppy issue, especially with so many OEM computers shipping without floppy drives. Plus, given how unreliable floppies are, I would rather trust executable code from write-once optical media than magnetic media where the head makes contact with the disk.
It seems that, even if I force Windows / Ghost 9.0 to NOT assign a drive letter to the drive / partition, some bits end up written to the "Volume Bytes" portion of the MBR. These bytes are responsible for "sticky" drive letters, i.e. a K: drive that takes the K: drive letter in any machine you stick it in.
I used MBRTool ( http://www.diydatarecovery.nl/mbrtool.htm ) on my Ultimate Boot CD (oooh.. high-capacity reliable optical media) [url]www.ultimatebootcd.com[/b] to zap the Volume Bytes on the drive, and all was well. I still don't know why I was able to do this before WITHOUT needing to zap the Volume Bytes, but at least I have a documented solution.
3) Doesn't check whether it's overwriting the volume files (i.e. Computer1.gho and Computer2.gho will both generate computer.g01, computer.g02...computer.gXX, with the gXX files belonging to computer2.gho overwriting gXX files belonging to computer1.gho). If you require a third-party guide that tells you to avoid certain functionality (such as images with long names), you fail it.
4) Runs in some unholy concoction of NTFS-writing DOS. Personally, I like to be able to see where I'm going, and use standard Windows file dialog boxes, instead of "Source = Drive X, Destination = Drive Y." Most can handle it, but it's FAR too error-prone than using standard means of selecting volumes in Windows.
Basically, there are conditions where Ghost 2003 will destroy data without prompting. That alone means that Ghost 2003 fails it.
There are a lot of things that are EASIER to do with Ghost 9.0, since it's possible to open up My Computer, or the Disk Management administrative tool and "check your work" before you commit. Plus running DMA disk access under Windows is a lot faster than PIO access under DOS. It took me several hours to image a drive under Ghost 2003, it takes me about 40 minutes to do the same task under 9.0.
I am not confident that a discussion about whether Ghost 2003 is better/worse than Ghost 9.0 is in the best interests of the readership of the forum. We all have our own individual preferences, in software as well as in all other purchase categories. The world is big. There is room for more than one PC image backup application. Having said that, I too am guilty of reacting negatively to those who react negatively to Ghost 9.0.
I do understand that the Rad's Ghost Guide has never been updated to Ghost 9.0. I suspect that it never will, principally because there is no need for a Rad Ghost 9.0 Guide. Ghost 9.0 is much too straightforward to warrant the effort of a Rad Guide, and that’s one of the major attractions of the application, in my opinion.
Software. If you're going to offer the user LFN's, don't stop using LFN's. It actually WRITES an LFN file to the target disk (i.e. computer1.gho). However, it then proceeds to write more 8.3-named files. So, it CAN write LFN's. It chooses not to, and that's software's fault.
At least 9.0 gets me the image in one piece, and restorable. Just a little MBR tweak, and I'm good to go.
I think my discovery, and the tools needed to fix it (fixmbr in the Windows Recovery Environment didn't do the trick) may be a part of the (smaller) Ghost 9.0 guide. For the "I restored an image and now my Windows is stuck" crowd.
I did not say Ghost 2003 vs Ghost 9.x was better or worse than the other--nor anything negative regarding Ghost 9.x--others have been doing that. I was just defending Ghost 2003 and the DOS environment.
I was using tape drive technology for backup in the Win3.x era (dare I say back around 1994). Win3.x was closely married to DOS, but all the tape backup programmers were trying to create 'Windows Interfaces' for doing the tape backups so they had a friendlier Windows look (sound familiar?).
But guess what--the Windows Interface programs could not backup certain 'locked' files that Win3.x was using--and you could not restore a tape back up of certain OS files from a tape backup after you had reloaded the OS, and then trying to restore the backup from within the Windows Interface.
Same old problems--you had to drop back to DOS to do a full backup or restore of the OS using a tape backup option.
Isn't that true of Ghost 9.x as well if you are restoring from a HDD failure and you do not have an operational OS to boot?
Well, yes and no. As NightOwl said, v2003 is really a DOS program. It, along with DriveImage, the granddaddy of the genre, became very solid DOS products. I've been using these products since they first came out (before that, I wrote my own assembler code to make images), and they have proven very reliable over the past decade.
However, along the way both products faced negativity in the marketplace by the growing masses of Windows users who bought into the hype that "DOS is bad". So they pasted a Windows shell around the DOS program and said, "See, it's now a Windows program." Not.
Pleonasm points to the volume of posts with v2003 problems, but having followed these types of threads for years in various newgroups, I've observed that the overwhelming majority of problems with Ghost 2003 and DriveImage 2002 were reported by people using the Windows interfaces. The underlying DOS programs were very reliable, but the drop-to-DOS, reboot-to-Windows scheme was fragile. Also, a number of problems are because the program doesn't recognize a device the user wants it to recognize, not because the imaging technology doesn't work.
In contrast, making an image from within Windows, while Windows is running, is like taking a snapshot at a rock concert. If you're not careful, the picture comes out blurry. Time becomes more critical. Remember that panoramic class picture they took in high school? The three-foot long photo of the entire senior class grouped in the quad? Did you ever notice the couple of clowns who showed up in two places in that picture? Now imagine Ghost hot-imaging a partition--if it's not careful, things can change at the other end of the partition before the "camera" gets there.
The fact that v9 works at all is remarkable. The fact that it works as well as it does is a testament to the competency of its programmers. But don't make the mistake of thinking its imaging technology is better than the DOS version's. The DOS version may eventually fade away because of lack of support for emerging technologies--larger hard disks, new types of storage devices and interfaces, etc. It won't be because its imaging technology is inferior, it will be because it won't see the new devices.
NightOwl, my apologies if I misinterpreted your comments.
Concerning Ghost 9.0, a restore of a non-operating system partition may occur 'live' from within Windows (i.e., a "hot restore"). To restore the operating system partition, you need to use the Symantec CD to first boot into the 'Recovery Environment,' a 'lite' version of Windows from which the Ghost 9.0 application is executed. In both cases, it's Windows (not DOS) that is running.
Dan, I generally agree with the facts stated in your post, but I do disagree with the conclusion you draw from those facts.
Think about it. If using Ghost 9.0 (or Drive Image 7.0 or True Image 8.0) were “like taking a snapshot at a rock concert,” then the inherent instability would result in very poor product reliability that would result in the marketplace demise of the products themselves. Since these products are growing in popularity, it strongly suggests that the analogy is incorrect (i.e., the technology is mature and reliable).
I am not aware of any fact-based evidence that creating a disk image from within DOS is more or less superior to doing the same from within Windows. I understand the logic of your argument; however, logic and facts are not synonymous. Obviously, Symantec and Acronis – two major, well-respected software manufacturers - do not accept the logic you articulate.
With respect to the DOS versus Windows issue, here’s an alternative twist: One could argue that because Windows ‘naturally’ reads/writes NTFS volumes but in DOS that’s a slick “programming trick,” a Windows-based image should be more (not less) stable. | 2019-04-22T10:52:19Z | http://radified.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1112928340/14 |
1994-07-27 Application filed by Sutton; Joseph A. filed Critical Sutton; Joseph A.
A decorative night light having a display panel for display of an image associated with the display panel simultaneously projects an image on a remote surface such as the ceiling or a wall of the room in which the night light is located. The night light is in the shape of a television and the display panel is located in place of the television screen while the image is projected through the top of the television shaped night light.
The present invention relates to the field of night lights. More particularly, the invention relates to upscale night lights that provide an interesting and attractive appearance, both during periods of use and during times when the product of the invention is not in use. The provision of a decorative light fixture provides an attractive appearance when the product is not actuated, while the projector feature of the invention provides an interesting and attractive illuminated shape combined with an illuminated display which combine to provide a very functional and attractive end result.
Previously known night lights include a wall mounted type having an electrical plug adapted to be plugged into a wall outlet and a small light socket adapted to receive a night light bulb, typically of less than ten watts. The mounting to the wall is accomplished entirely through reliance on the snug interference fit of the electrical prongs of the plug with the wall outlet. These night lights often include a small shield extending about halfway around the bulb to protect the bulb and to aid in directing the light emanating from the bulb. Some embodiments of these arrangements permit the shield to be rotated about the bulb to further aid in directing the light shining from the night light. In these embodiments, the shield can be used to prevent the light from shining directly into the eyes of a person in the illuminated room, provided that the person is located in a position along the path of the rotating shield. Unfortunately, it is sometimes necessary to direct the light into a corner or directly towards the floor to avoid the eyes of the person in the room, particularly when the person is seated such that the chair directly faces the night light. In such situations, where the light is directed into a corner, the illumination of the room is often inadequate and the night light is not really fulfilling its intended purpose. Typically these night lights include a mechanical toggle switch for turning the light bulb ON and OFF. FIG. 1 illustrates a typical night light of this sort.
Another type of previously known night light is generally similar to that described above, but relies on a photosensor for activation of the night light bulb. Typically, this type of night light does not include the movable shield for directing the light shining from the bulb, but rather relies on a light diffusing cover over the bulb.
Another night light arrangement is of a type that is sometimes associated with a children's lamp. In one embodiment of such a night light, illustrated in FIG. 2, the base of the lamp is hollow and includes a light socket suitable for a night light bulb. The base of the lamp is translucent and includes an illustration of, for instance, a popular children's nursery rhyme character. When the room is darkened and the night light is turned on, the characters depicted on the base of the lamp can be seen by the child in the room. Night lights of this type can be located substantially anywhere a lamp could be located, but are not generally suitable for any location which can be reached by a child due to the risk that the full size bulb utilized in the lamp could become broken and could seriously cut a small child. Night lights of this type offer a muted light due to the translucent base of the lamp and are very effective at providing dim room lighting. However, because of the translucent base, the total lighting provided is not as great as that provided by the direct illumination offered by the wall mounted type of night light described above. It is often desired to provide substantially direct illumination of the ceiling or wall of a room to provide adequate lighting for a small child to safely walk around the room during periods of darkness, utilizing only the light from the night light. Similarly, when a child is sleeping in the room it is desirable that the night light provide sufficient illumination for a parent to enter the room without the need to turn ON any other light than the night light being employed in the room.
The present invention offers substantially all of the utility of each of the previously described types of night lights, including the illumination of a wall or ceiling with substantially direct lighting, and muted lighting of the room through the use of a translucent display panel, all without compromising any of the advantages of compact size, light weight, convenient wall mounting and attractive appearance. In addition, in accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention, it is possible to achieve substantially all of these benefits (except for the wall mounting feature) through the use of a table top night light.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a night light having a pleasing appearance both during use and during periods when the bulb is not illuminated.
It is another object of the invention to provide a night light that provides increased illumination, for a given size bulb, of a child's room relative to night lights having shields covering the bulbs.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a night light that can be secured to a wall through the use of the prongs of the electrical plug while still providing the ability to direct the unshaded light shining from the night light bulb away from the eyes of a child in the room.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a night light having both a decorative illuminated illustration on the structure of the night light and having the illuminating benefits of night lights with unshaded lighting from the night light bulb.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a decorative projected image on the ceiling or wall of the room being illuminated to supplement the decorative illustration on the structure of the night light.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a decorative shape for the structure of the night light to enhance the overall pleasant appearance of the night light.
It is still another object of the invention to provide a night light which includes both an illuminated illustration on the exterior of the night light and further includes a projector for projecting an image onto a wall or ceiling, and which is suitable for being located on a tabletop, shelf, floor or the like.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a manufacturing process for a night light which efficiently results in the production of an attractive and functional night light.
It is another object of the invention to provide a night light having an illuminated image display panel containing an image selected by the user of the night light.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a night light having a projected image on a ceiling or wall and which has a convenient and easy to change slide holder for display of images recorded on conventional slides.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide a structure for the display and projection of a single image from a single slide, which can be easily changed by the user as desired.
FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a prior art night light.
FIG. 2 shows a perspective view or another prior art night light.
FIG. 3 illustrates a first embodiment of the invention in its operating "turned on" condition.
FIG. 4 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the invention, showing the various components employed for this implementation of the invention.
FIG. 5 illustrates a side view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 6 shows, in greater detail, a preferred decorative illuminated panel and a first embodiment of the manner of providing illumination of the decorative panel.
FIG. 7 shows a preferred embodiment of the rotating mechanism associated with the electrical plug, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 10 shows a cross section view of the embodiment of FIG. 9.
The present invention relates to a novel concept for night lights and the manner of producing night lights in accordance with this new concept. Referring to FIG. 3, a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated where the night light 10 is plugged into a wall outlet (not shown) and is held in place along the wall by the prongs of an electric plug which are plugged into the wall outlet. The electric plug is of the type previously employed for wall mounted night lights, as shown in FIG. 1. This type of support for the night light relies on the snug interference fit of the prongs of the plug into the wall outlet.
Front face 101 of the night light includes a display screen 102 intended to be illuminated from the rear, as shown in greater detail in FIGS. 6 and 8. In operation, the display screen of the night light is illuminated by a light source 408 (shown in FIG. 5) contained within the structure and this same light source is employed in an image projector 411 (shown in FIG. 4) for the projection of an image 103 on the ceiling 104 of the room, as illustrated. The image on the ceiling, in combination with the illuminated image 105 on the display screen provide dual lighting sources for the room in which the night light is located. This dual point illumination provides improved night time illumination relative to single point night lights due to elimination of eerie shadows having sharp contrast. The present invention softens the contrast of any shadows by providing two illumination points 102 and 103, substantially removed from each other.
Referring next to FIG. 4, the night light is shown to include a decorative housing body 401 molded into the shape of a television set and including a decorative antenna 402. At the bottom of the television shaped housing is a light source receiving port 404 to which is secured the lamp holder 405. On the top of the television shaped housing is a projection port 403 adjacent to which is located the optical projection system 411.
The lamp holder 405 includes a lamp socket 406, a parabolic reflector 407 and a light source 408, preferably comprising a 7 watt night light bulb, although any other light source having sufficient illuminating capability for the ambient light condition expected would be equally satisfactory. The lamp holder is secured to the light source receiving port by screws 410 which thread into holes located in flange 409 and are readily accessible so that the lamp holder can be easily removed in the event that it is necessary to replace the light source 408. It would also be suitable to employ any other reasonably stable connecting arrangement to secure the lamp holder to the light source receiving port, recognizing that the weight of the night light is to be supported by the lamp holder, as is described in greater detail in connection with the description of FIG. 5.
The optical projection system 411 includes a slide holder 412, an image tunnel 413, input and output lenses 414 and 415 and a focus adjustment mechanism 416. The focus adjustment mechanism includes a focus knob 417 that extends through the side wall of the television cabinet so it can be turned by the user to affect focussing of the night light's projected image on the ceiling. The focus knob is connected to a focussing gear 418 which engages a focus wheel 419. The focus wheel engages the lens carrying structure 420 and operates to slide the lens carrying structure up and down along the axis of the light projection axis A--A. As the lens carrying structure slides up and down it is held substantially perpendicular to the light projection axis because there are provided grooves in the exterior surface of the lens carrying structure and two stationary pins are provided to slide within each groove. As will be readily understood, the exact manner in which the alignment of the lens carrying structure is maintained during focussing of the optics is a matter of convenience and many alternatives are well known in the field of optical systems. As can be seen, the optical projection system is supported by the interior wall of the television shaped housing, and is not connected directly to the projection port 403. This permits movement of the lenses during focussing of the optical system.
Referring to FIG. 5, the television shaped housing is shown from the side for a better illustration of the electrical plug arrangement employed in the preferred implementation of the invention. The prongs 501 are affixed to a rotatable electrical contact plate 502 which permits the night light to be rotated through an arc of 180 degrees to thereby select the location on either the ceiling or wall where the projected image will be displayed. Electrical contacts are provided on the rear surface 511 of rotating plug panel 502 and a center contact 517 is also provided for the other electrical contact. The rotating plug panel 502 is held in place through the forces exerted by compressed spring 512 and the close tolerances of posts 513 and rotation grooves 514 on the front surface of the rotating plug panel 502 and the mating portion 515 of the lamp housing. Additional details of the rotating plug arrangement are provided in connection with the description of FIG. 7.
The optical projection system 411 is located inside the housing and above the light source. The image display panel 102 is located along the front face 101 of the housing, with a slight recess to enhance the visual appeal of the structure, but more importantly, to provide physical protection for the image panel itself. A switch 516 or photosensor (not shown) is provided on the front of the lamp holder for turning the light source ON and OFF. The parabolic reflector is shown to be supported, in substantial part, by the housing.
Referring to FIG. 6, there is shown a backlit image frame 601 holding an image panel 102 having a decorative illustration thereon, preferably on the front, or viewing, side thereof. The image panel 102 is translucent, allowing light to pass through, although such transmitted light is attenuated by the image panel 102 to avoid direct viewing of the bulb 408. This eliminates the need for a separate light shielding structure such as that included in the prior art structure shown in FIG. 1. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, a decorative image is provided on the front of the panel 102 and is visible in ambient light, regardless of whether the bulb 408 is turned ON. Thus, during daylight, the image on the image panel 102 provides an attractive appearance. However, when the bulb is turned ON, the illumination of the image provides an even more attractive appearance for the night light.
To provide for changes in consumer interests, the image panel 102 may be readily removable and can be replaced with a new image panel having an illustration of current interest. This feature will be of particular interest to parents as their children progress from early childhood interests, such as cartoon characters, to interests of slightly older children, such as story book characters. Additionally, the parents' interests may be reflected in the choice of image to be displayed. Thus, instead of displaying animated characters, it will be possible to display, for instance, the ABC's, the child's name or even images of family members or other people or places. The choice of image to be displayed is not limited by the structure of the invention, and thus, any image could be displayed on the image panel 102.
In the foregoing description of the image panel, the image has been recorded on the panel 102 and is displayed as a result of the illumination, from ambient light or from the bulb, of the image panel. An alternative arrangement includes a thin translucent image panel 102 upon which an image can be projected. In this arrangement, the image is not visible until the bulb is turned ON. Thus, when the bulb is OFF, the image screen is blank. In this embodiment of the invention, there is a separate transparency 603 having a recorded image. Light from the bulb is directed through the transparency 603 and onto the rear surface 605 of image panel 102. In the preferred implementation of this aspect of the invention, the image from the transparency 603 is effectively projected onto the rear surface 605 of image panel 102 through reliance on proximity focus. However, it would be feasible to rely on an optical focussing arrangement within the television shaped housing to direct an image onto the focal plane of the panel 102. In this alternative arrangement, it is possible to display the same image on the panel 102 as is projected onto the ceiling by the image projection arrangement. This could be done by placing a glass panel 604 in the path of the projected light emanating from the output lens 415 to achieve partial reflection of the light from the light projection axis A-A towards the panel 102. A separate focussing lens system (not shown) could be employed to focus the image on the panel 102, if necessary. This arrangement would allow the slide contained in slide holder 412 to be used for the simultaneous display of its image on the display panel 102 and on the ceiling. As with the previously described recorded image 603, it is possible to replace the slide in slide holder 412 and thus to obtain a new image for display and projection.
Referring to FIG. 7, the electrical contact arrangement carried on the lamp holder's stationary structure can be seen to accommodate the rotating plug elements described previously with respect to FIG. 5. Contact brush 701 will align with the corresponding electrical contact on the back surface 511 of rotating plug 502 while central contact member 702 will provide good electrical contact to the center contact517 on the back of rotating plug 502. The rotation limiter block 703 serves to prevent the rotating plug from being rotated beyond the point where the image to be projected by the night light is projected parallel to the floor. This feature serves to assure that the light provided by the night light will be provided at a location where satisfactory illumination of the room can be expected.
FIG. 8 shows a front view of a preferred embodiment of the invention. The housing 401 is in the shape of a television and a decorative antenna 402 is provided to enhance the visual appeal of the night light. Decorative (non-operative) knobs 801 and a speaker grill 802 are provided to further enhance the appearance of the night light. An image display screen 102, in the relative size and shape of a television screen, is provided for viewing of a backlit image 105 contained in the display screen 102. As previously described, the image to be displayed may be provided directly on the image display screen such that the image is visible in daylight, even if the night light is turned OFF. Alternatively, the image display screen may be blank when the light is OFF by providing a translucent screen with an image containing panel 603 being located behind the display screen.
FIG. 9 illustrates another embodiment of the invention which is tailored to be located on a table, shelf, on the floor or the like. This embodiment of the invention includes an electrical cord 901 to be plugged into an electrical receptacle and includes feet 902 for support of the night light. The front of this embodiment has the appearance of a tabletop television set, including tuning and volume knobs, a speaker grill, an antenna and a television screen.
FIG. 10 shows the manner in which the optical projection system is configured and the manner in which the bulb is supported within the housing. Reference is made to the description of the common features in connection with the first embodiment described herein in connection with FIGS. 3 through 8. The substantial difference relates to the elimination of the integral rotatable plug arrangement of the earlier described implementation. In the lamp holder of the present embodiment, the electric cord is conventionally fastened to the bulb socket. Legs 101,102 are provided for support and balance of the night light. Otherwise, this embodiment of the invention is similar to the first embodiment described in connection with FIGS. 3 through 8.
While this invention has been described in connection with the specific embodiments shown in the Drawings, it is to be understood that these specific preferred embodiments are exemplary of the embodiments that might be provided in accordance with the invention and are not to be considered as limiting the overall concept of the invention in any manner.
said housing supporting said optical lens system.
said optical lens system is adjustable along a given optical path to affect focus of the image recorded on said first transparent film at said user selected focal plane, and wherein adjustment of said optical lens system is accomplished by turning of an adjustment knob secured to said housing and having a peripheral edge extending through an opening in said housing to facilitate user access to said knob.
said associated recorded image being affixed to the viewing surface of said display panel.
said associated recorded image being located adjacent to the rear surface of said display panel.
said associated recorded image being said color slide.
6. A night light as claimed in claim 5 further comprising a partial reflecting panel located between said output lens of said optical lens system and the projection port of said housing, said partial reflecting panel serving to direct light projected from said output lens onto said rear surface of said display panel.
a lamp holder removably attached to said housing at said lamp holder port, said lamp holder comprising a socket for said light source and means for providing electrical connection of said socket to a wall outlet for illumination of said light source.
8. A decorative night light as claimed in claim 7 wherein said means for providing electrical connection to a wall outlet comprises an electric cord.
9. A decorative night light as claimed in claim 8 further comprising an image display screen, said image display screen comprising a first translucent panel and a second image panel, said first panel and second panel being adapted to fit into said image display screen port, said second panel situated interior of said first panel such that light from said light source passes through said second panel before striking said first panel whereby a decorative image recorded on said second panel will appear on said first panel upon illumination of said light source.
said closed housing is a decorative housing substantially in the shape of a television, wherein said image projection system includes a set of image projecting lenses, wherein said image display panel is located within a recessed portion of the front face of said housing resembling a television screen, and wherein said means for focusing said projected image comprises a focus knob accessible on the exterior surface of said housing for adjusting the distance between said film and said image projecting lenses. | 2019-04-24T18:25:33Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US5517264A/en |
A fast website is an absolute must for your online business. Whether you are a blogger, business owner, or an ecommerce store owner, fast loading websites deliver better user experience, seamless browsing across the website and reduced consumption of resources (particularly RAM and bandwidth).
Improved user experience for visitors coming from diverse sources.
Search engines love fast websites and rank them higher in SERP.
A fast WordPress website naturally has more page views than a bloated website that loads slowly.
The problem is that speeding up WordPress websites is not a simple matter of setting up a few options. Rather, it is a combination of various factors and options that come together in the form of a fast website. In this article, I will highlight 26 ways in which you could speed up a WordPress website.
Every WordPress website has a beginning. In my opinion, once you have decided upon the name of the website, the real starting point is the selection of the theme.
The internet is overflowing with WordPress themes. In fact, the official WordPress Theme Repository has thousand of themes. In addition, dedicated theme websites such as ThemeForest add a couple of thousands to the list of WordPress themes.
Is the theme based on an optimized framework such as Bootstrap, Thesis or Genesis?
Is the theme minimalistic with little eye candy?
Is the HTML code optimized?
Is the size of theme files small?
Is the WordPress theme free of bloated options that nobody ever uses?
If the answer of any of the above questions is in negative, chances are that the chosen WordPress theme will slow your website to a crawl.
Finding lightweight WordPress themes is hard and my suggestion is that if you just starting out, then go with a default WordPress theme like Twenty Sixteen or Twenty Seventeen.
You should take the hosting for your website very seriously. In fact, this is the most important decision you will ever make for your website. A reputable hosting solution for your website will definitely lower the page load time for your website.
So what defines a good WordPress Hosting provider?
My recommendation is to stay far away from such hosts, and instead, search for hosts that provide optimized WordPress Hosting. These hosting providers are not cheap, usually, cost more and have several usage related restrictions. However, their customer support is exceptional when it comes to solving WordPress speed optimization related issues and their servers are optimized to handle spikes in traffic on WordPress websites.
To further complicate matters, WordPress hosting providers can be categorized into the following categories.
Shared hosting providers often offer cheap deals that look very good. However, remember that in return for the low prices, you will be sharing your server (IP address) with other websites and the quality of services is not that great. Bluehost, NameCheap and Godaddy are three well known shared hosting providers.
Dedicated hosting plans are expensive and require you to have an expert system administrator on your staff to optimize the servers for WordPress. These hosting solutions are hard to maintain but can usually deliver exceptional performance (if optimized perfectly). Siteground, Godaddy, Nexcess are a few popular dedicated hosting providers.
These days, VPS hosting has become very popular, with DigitalOcean being the most popular. These hosting solutions have high performance, reliability, and scalability. But, you will need an expert to optimize your VPS hosting solution for WordPress.
Cloud hosting offers very high performance and is usually expensive. In fact, many experts consider this to be the most reliable hosting solution of all types of websites. Amazon EC2, Linode, Google Compute Engine are some popular cloud hosting solution providers. Going for cloud hosting providers is one of the most effective ways to speed up WordPress website.
Some of the best-Managed WordPress Hosting providers are WPEngine, GetFlyWheel, Pagely, Pantheon, Kinsta and Cloudways.
What I love about WordPress is the fact that whatever functionality you may think of adding to a WordPress website, chances are that there is already a plugin in the WordPress.org plugin repository that does the trick.
With so many plugins available, WordPress website administrators sometimes get carried away and load the website with all sorts of plugins. However, you should know that the higher the number of plugins, the more will be the page load time of the website. Having an overwhelming number of plugins will come in your way if you want to speed up WordPress website.
I strongly recommend that you use as few plugins as possible for WordPress speed optimization and always opt for plugins from reputable developers. These plugins are specially optimized for any plugins that have a good reputation. Reputable plugins are known to perform well and have optimized code that really speeds up the website.
So you got carried away and installed all the plugins you could find. Now if you think that you could deactivate the plugins and speed up WordPress website, you are very wrong! The only solution, in this case, is to delete all unused plugins and themes from the WordPress website. Deleting unused plugins and themes will reduce the size of the wp-content folder, further improving access time to this folder. This will also increase WordPress speed.
Many users think that they could make their websites visually appealing by uploading high-resolution images (100kb to 1MB in size). However, these images eat up a lot of time and bandwidth of your visitors.
In many instances, high-resolution images make WordPress websites sluggish. To deal with these images, I suggest that you convert the images to a lower resolution and smaller format (JPEG, BMP, GIF).
If you prefer a plugin to do the job for you, then WP Smush.it and ShortPixel Image Optimizer wins my recommendation as the best WordPress image optimization plugin to speed up WordPress website.
If you check the source code of your WordPress website, you will see some scripts that you could not identify. The best practice, to increase WordPress speed, in this scenario is to eliminate as many external HTTP requests as possible and host them on the server alongside your website.
External HTTP requests are sometimes slow to respond and in the worst cases, even timeout. That is because external requests are loaded from external servers that you do not control.
Using the latest version of PHP (at the moment PHP 7.x) will greatly improve the speed of your website. PHP 7 works wonderfully well with WordPress websites and delivers exceptional performance. Ask your hosting provider whether they have support for PHP 7. This is a must-have upgrade that performs well even on low-end servers.
To view the full list check out our article on WordPress caching plugins to speed up WordPress website.
Visitors come to your website from all over the world. The problem with this globally distributed traffic is that everybody will have different page load speed.
To ensure near-uniform loading time for all geographical locations, a CDN is the best choice. CDN makes a copy of your website onto servers that are distributed across the world. A website behind a CDN will be served from the nearest server to the visitor’s IP address.
I strongly recommend MaxCDN to improve your WordPress speed optimization.
Over time, the WordPress database will get filled with data that you may not require any more. WordPress databases store everything including entire blog posts, images, user data, settings, and comments.
I recommend that you clean up the WordPress database every three months. This will keep your database healthy and free of unwanted garbage that potentially slows down the website. For this, use WP-sweep, a plugin that does its job well without any complications.
There is a high chance that you might end up using a poorly coded WordPress theme that makes unnecessarily calls to the database, even in situations where a simple HTML code will do well.
This is why it is vital that you evaluate your theme, file by file and replace any unwanted PHP and database calls with simple HTML.
Another way of optimizing databases is to use a caching system that caches all the database requests. Memcached and Redis work wonders and help reduce the load on the database by caching the requests and reducing the time required to serve the most frequent requests.
MySQL is probably the most used database by WordPress users and hosting providers. However, several databases such as MariaDB, PostgreSQL are known to perform better than MySQL.
Ask your hosting provider whether they have MariaDB or PostgreSQL, and if they do have the support, I suggest you move your WordPress database to either of these DBMS for better WordPress site speed optimization.
Updates for the WordPress core are vital for the security of your website. In addition to the security, these updates are also essential for speeding up your website. The performance boost may be too small to be noticeable, but still, I highly recommend that you update the WordPress core as soon as an update is released.
Similar to the core. It is necessary to keep all the plugins updated at all times. The same logic that applies to the updates for the WordPress core, applies to plugins as well. Many WordPress site speed optimization issues arise from outdated plugins.
Just like outdated plugins, outdated themes are also the cause of WordPress site speed optimization issues. If you have purchased a premium theme or downloaded a well-maintained theme from the WordPress.org Theme Repository, chances are there will be occasional updates for these themes. The authors of the themes continuously fix bugs and improve the quality of the theme by minifying the theme code.
To update your WordPress website, just log in to the WordPress admin panel and under Dashboard >> Updates, you will see all the available updates for the WordPress Core, Plugins and Themes.
Some WordPress themes, by default, load entire blog posts on the homepage of the WordPress website.
To make your blog more readable and to reduce the loading time, I recommend reducing the number of blog posts that are displayed on the home page. To limit the number of blog posts, head over to Settings >> Reading in the WordPress Admin and define the number of blog posts you wish to display. I recommend using a number of less than 10.
Other than limiting blog posts, it is a good practice to use excerpts of blog posts on the front page. Most themes display excerpts on the front page, when you select Summary in Settings >> Reading, as shown in the above screenshot.
If your blog becomes popular, chances are that people will start commenting on your blog posts. Sometimes, the conversations span over hundreds of comments. Keeping all the comments on one page will seriously impact the loading time of your website.
The best practice to deal with thousands of comments is to paginate them and load groups of comments on demand. You can easily control this by navigation to Settings >> Discussion and select the Break Comments option as shown in the following image.
Just like paginating blog comments, it is a good practice to paginate long blog posts that contain more than a thousand words. Many websites use this technique to keep the loading time to a minimum. A side benefit is that content consumption becomes easy because of small servings. Ultimately, this will help you speed up WordPress website.
In most themes, you can use <!––nextpage––> in the post editor to paginate the text after the tag to the next page.
If this tag does not work, simply open single.php file in your prefered editor and add <?php wp_link_pages(); ?> in the WP Loop. I recommend checking out the WordPress Codex.
Loading all the images at once can put a lot of stress on the server and the browsers of the visitors.
The best method of reducing the load time and improve WordPress speed optimization of your WordPress website is to lazy load images. This concept loads up the images as the visitor is scrolling and viewing a part of the image.
You can easily implement this technique through a Lazy Load plugin.
Uploading large media files such as images, infographics, and videos to your WordPress website is generally not a good practice as it adversely increases the size of the uploads folder.
To keep the load off your server, it is better to host the videos and large images at a third party image storage solution provider and embed them in the WordPress posts and pages. This way the video and image rendering is handled by the external servers.
For example, to increase WordPress speed, host the videos on Youtube, Wistia or Vimeo and embed them into the WordPress website. The embedded resources load faster and also look nicer. This technique also ensures that you have a backup copy of all the visual content of your website at an external location and it helps speed up WordPress website.
By default, WordPress enables pingbacks and trackbacks. Through pingbacks, WordPress websites communicate among each other by sending notifications whenever one WordPress website links to another one.
Enabling pingbacks and trackbacks has drawbacks as each notification is a separate request. Thus, If your website receives a lot of trackbacks and pingbacks, it adds to the load time of the website.
By default, WordPress saves the drafts of blog posts and pages as post revisions. Every 60 seconds, a new revision is saved. Just imagine the load on your website in the case of multiple authors working on different blog posts. Each revision save request consumes server resources and increase the load time for the visitors.
You can simply disable or limit post revisions on WordPress by using WP Revisions Limit plugin to speed up WordPress website.
Hotlinking is the concept where one website uses the media (images, infographics etc.)of another website in its content. Some websites will embed images in their content by making a call to your media files.
Hotlinks will eat into your server resources and it is a good practice to disable hotlinking altogether. You can read a helpful guide from our friends at WPNinjas on how to disable hotlinking.
Expires header in your content defines for how long should the visitor’s’ browser retain your content in its cache. This is very helpful for returning visitors to your website because the browser does not have to reload resources on every visit.
The above code tells the visitor’s browser to cache images for a month. You can edit this duration by editing A2592000 (this means 1 month in the future (60*60*24*30=2592000)).
Similar to plugins, people do get carried away all sorts of eye candy, widgets, and buttons on WordPress websites. Adding too many widgets and social buttons will add a lot of requests on the frontend and each request means an additional call to the database. The end result of this many requests is a slow loading page. Therefore, It is best to keep the frontend of your theme lightweight and simple if you want to speed up WordPress website.
Accelerated Mobile Pages is the new hype in the SEO and web development industry. The AMP pages load in milliseconds on mobile devices and rank higher in Google SERP in searches originating from mobile devices.
If you want higher traffic from mobile users, it is absolutely necessary to configure AMP pages on WordPress. Read our helpful guide on how to configure AMP pages on WordPress websites.
27. Lastly, Use Faster Internet!
After you have implemented all the above 26 steps and your visitors are still complaining that your WordPress website is slow, it is time to ask the all-important question: Is my Internet Fast Enough?
However, the above steps cover all essential aspects of speeding up WordPress websites for your visitors. If you have further questions on how to go about configuring any of the above points, then do leave your questions in the comments section and I will point you in the right direction. | 2019-04-25T14:08:13Z | https://www.wpblog.com/speed-up-wordpress-websites/ |
Budo, the ‘Martial Way’ or ‘Military Path’ is typically related to Japanese martial arts such as Karate-do, Judo, Kendo, and a number of others, but today the concept of Budo goes well beyond Japanese martial arts.
The term Budo is of relatively recent origin. Some even describe it as the Modern Military Way (Gendai Budo) to differentiate it from older forms of military arts (Old Form Military Arts – Koryu Bujutsu). We like to differentiate into ‘this’ or ‘that.’ There are wide paths, narrow paths, steep and rocky paths, career paths, and paths of least resistance. Paths come in many flavours. Today Budo has evolved to encompass both old and new thinking—it is an inclusive concept.
Budo today includes the older Bujutsu—a deep, multi-dimensional, and a broad subject to study. On top of that base, Budo becomes more than the mere application of military principles on the battlefield. It is a path that has as its end goal a well-balanced and self-fulfilled person. Studying Budo expands horizons physically, mentally, and in other disciplines such as art, music, science, philosophy and psychology; and if you want, it opens up a spiritual avenue to ponder.
Budo can apply to all martial traditions—Budo transcends one culture. Budo concepts cut across physical, mental, and spiritual boundaries. There are many tangible aspects of Budo and yet the real heart of Budo is intangible.
The unique Japanese flavor of Budo came from systematic study of martial arts endemic to that region of the world, but many concepts derived from this path have also been discovered by other cultures and continue to be used in current military science.
Just like Einstein who generalized Maxwell’s equations to a higher dimension to give us a new era of physics, principles of military science have been generalized on a number of levels and have evolved to give us Budo.
Budo as we know it today evolved from something quite different. Warfare is very old. Weapons, fighting techniques and strategies that worked became codified and relied upon for both offensive and defensive roles on both micro and macro scales; rulers fought for control of empires, and the common man protected his life and property.
Bujutsu: The application of technique—first appeared out of necessity. The ability to fight and the techniques that evolved were based on the pragmatic realities of survival. During these early eras, the military arts were studied with the sole purpose of destroying the enemy. Bujutsu is the application of military science and art to defending and attacking an opponent—Bujutsu is the pragmatic application of violence.
Power was consolidated (in Japan this happened after the battle of Sekigahara 1600 A.D.) by Tokugawa Ieyasu as Shogun who founded the peaceful Tokugawa era. This parallel can be seen in many cultures, the warrior class began to pursue interest in other aspects of military thought to fill a void and justify its own existence during peace times.
Bushido: The ruling Tokugawa Shoguns also needed to control the military class and gave them an outlet for their energy by educating them. This was a code of conduct expected of a warrior stressing the concept of never pausing to consider the nature, significance, or effects of a superior’s command. The concept today has been romanticized to the extent that many do not distinguish it from Budo.
Bushido was standardized, strictly adhered to, and formulated by those in authority to maintain control. Those who stressed the role of Bushido in reality espoused the role of the soldier, a blind obedience to orders, and not that of a warrior—someone who made up his own determination of whether to act or not. Bushido still is and has in the past been prone to fanaticism. During World War II, Bushido was used to create national fervor and military fanaticism that kept some Japanese hiding in jungles long after the conflict was over.
The ideals of Bushido, however, do have a place in our study of Budo. It is through Bushido’s sometimes harsh self-discipline that the realizations of Budo bear fruit. This is a seeming paradox. To gain freedom (in technique) you must enslave yourself to rigid discipline (training). Like a concert pianist, the Budoka must practice with dedication to enjoy the freedom and fluidity needed in both combat and music.
These attributes are worthy of any Budoka. Today, Bushido alone is considered an incomplete way to achieve self-realization, but the discipline and training demanded by Bushido puts one into position to have a better understanding of Budo.
Budo: The term Do comes from Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist (Tao is the Chinese equivalent of Japanese Do [Way]) philosophies. All suggest implicitly or explicitly that the pursuit of any worthy endeavor leads to spiritual liberation.
The pursuit can be anything: dancing, garden designing, tea ceremony, swordsmanship, etc. Once something is taken up and becomes a serious undertaking, it is called Do. In the case of Budo, the serious undertaking is the study of the Military Way.
After examining Bujutsu, Bushido and Budo, we can see that the first two are subsets of the last—Budo has evolved to include the former.
We love the technical art of Bujutsu, finding better and more efficient ways of improving our technique. We understand the dedication and commitment required to become proficient, and have to overcome our fear through the discipline of Bushido. Budo allows us to find and understand, in a deeper sense, our relationship with our path in life. Budo is a ‘Way’ of life.
Today’s concept of Budo evolved in part from precursors such as Bujutsu and Bushido. Budo however, is not static, but rather dynamic, and constantly evolves. Kata change as each generation learns them. In some paths, the knowledge is enhanced, in others it is degraded. On top of all this, your understanding of Budo changes as you travel on your martial journey.
So how do you find the path that is right for you?
There are some guiding principles that can help you answer this.
Consider tradition with some respect for the hard lessons learned by actual combat. The past offers clues to your study to help you determine if you are on the right path.
Does the path you follow respect the study of solid Bujutsu?
As an example, modern sport while very important is still a sport. Too much focus on sport only narrows your path. While this may be an important aspect for you at certain times in your journey, there are other areas to study as well. Don’t get me wrong here. Sport is critical for developing many positive attributes in youth and elite athletes. My point here is are you learning combat or sparring? And what do you want to learn?
Does your Kata have depth?
Is there history in your Kata that gives you room to study. Make sure you are studying something that has not been distorted or creatively made up with no meaning. Dig into your Kata, its history, origin, geography, its variations among different styles of martial art. Assess your Kata critically.
Does the path you are following demand discipline and study?
Is your dojo a social place or a place for disciplined training? It should be both, in a balance that fosters personal improvement. If too skewed one way or another, why? What effect will this have on your personal development?
Value pragmatic and well-executed Bujutsu. Value the discipline and commitment it takes to do it well. Improve on it when possible without changing it into an esoteric art that has little real meaning.
It is easy to think of the enemy as being outside of yourself. Today’s Budo has given you an even more worthy opponent—Yourself—and if you dig deeper you realize that there is no enemy or self, there is just what some have called Tao.
Is your path only one dimensional?
Can you apply what you learn in different contexts?
Can you take fighting principles and apply them to other aspects of your life? Most of us live in relatively peaceful societies. Learning to apply martial concepts in different contexts makes us grow. For example, learning to apply pre-emptive, and reactive timing concepts (pre-emptive – Sen no Sen, reactive – Tai no Sen and Go no Sen) to other situations.
“A stitch in time saves nine” is really using a pre-emptive (Sen no Sen) approach to avoid a bigger tear in your clothes. This mundane example if considered carefully should give you many ways to lever this principle in many more interesting and complex ways.
Does you path make you a better person?
Are you focused only on winning by beating another person at his expense?—a zero sum game—or are you winning by creating a partner in the Dojo that can help you learn? What is winning?
Careful what you think here, you can have a tactical victory and a strategic loss at the same time. It all depends on what you set out to achieve. For example if my goal is to protect my family from an assault by two opponents, you can completely kill one (a decisive tactical victory) while letting the other assault your family (a strategic loss). Considering subjects such as what winning is can’t help but make you grow. I’ve only used the concept of winning here as an illustration.
Thinking about these things allows you to utilize these concepts in the boardroom and family life. Sometimes letting student throw you or your young son beat you at something is the surest way to create confidence and desire to learn, a strategy build on success not failure.
I have no idea what the future of Budo will be like. My own thinking is that Budo is a subset of Strategy (Heiho) and that is the avenue I am pursuing. Others will no doubt have other avenues to explore. Most importantly, I think the ideal of Budo—that of becoming a better person—involves a well rounded approach to the multiple facets of Budo, and to minimize distortions caused by focusing too tightly on single facets (i.e. Bujutsu only, or sport only, or meditation only).
I’ll end this article using the concept of the circle or Roundness (Enso) found in many Zen paintings. If you focus only on a few strengths (left figure shown below), when you face your opponent, he will always attempt to evade your strengths and target your weakness. If you concentrate on building on your weaknesses to become less “pointy” as in the second figure, there will be much less for the opponent to exploit.
The Zen ideal of Enso symbolizes lacking nothing and nothing in excess—when the mind is free to let the body and spirit create whatever is needed under the circumstances you find yourself in. This ideal of a “well rounded” person that exposes little for the opponent to avoid or exploit is also the ideal of Budo.
Budo takes the points of Bujutsu, Bushido, Training, Mental Status, Psychology, etc. and rounds them into an ideal that we all strive for.
Ji is a concrete thing such as a particular technique or movement—it is a manifestation of Ri. Principles (Ri) of combat distilled from engagements and experience are transformed into concrete things such as the Kata you study, a particular technique, or stance. Both Principle (Ri) and Practice (Ji) are indispensable. You can have all the understanding in the world, but if you cannot apply it, then you are crippled. Conversely, having all the ability to do something, but having no idea what to do is equally crippling. Behind each and every technique is an underlying truth, principle or reason. If you find the Principle (Ri) it will make your technique stronger. By practicing technique, you may discover the truth behind it.
While training in Japan, one morning I was introduced to some terms that I had never heard before. While practicing Basics (Kihon) and Kata, Soke would look at me and say “Muda” or “Muri.” I questioned him about the terms, but he only gave a brief explanation. I think he wanted me training during the morning workout. With my curiosity piqued, I pinned him down after lunch and got an explanation of what turned out to be everyday expressions to the Japanese, but which opened new doors to my understanding of Karate.
In fact, these three words were probably a significant driver for me to pursue the research presented in this book. These three terms are used to describe different ways time and resources are wasted. They are even used in automobile production plants like Toyota to help streamline their operations, but they offer a very penetrating way to look at your martial art.
If you try to do something Without Principle (Muri), you are trying to create result with no structure.
As an example, trying to reproduce an exact copy of the Eiffel tower by nailing a bunch of 2×4’s together, would likely end up in failure. If you understood the concept of compressive loads of such a tall structure, and understood the limitations of 2×4’s, you might have a better chance of being successful. You would make larger beams from boards nailed together near the base to support the compressive load of the structure above. Alternatively, you could opt for a material that would better support these kinds of loads.
Doing something Without Reason (Muri) is like trying to create the maximum potential in a punch without understanding simple things like proper joint sequence, stance, hip rotation, or that you have to close your fist, etc. To force a result with No Reasoning (Muri) is ultimately wasteful, tiring, and totally dangerous against an experienced opponent, because he will find the Gaps (Suki) in your armor and exploit them.
Being unreasonable mentally and emotionally also leads to waste. Being unreasonable in letting go of baggage leads to all sorts of unhappiness. Being unreasonable in interactions with people by always trying to get what you want leads to alienation. You are missing the Principle (Ri) and trying to force a result (Ji).
Is the technique beyond your current capabilities?
It allows you to search for the reason or principle behind the movement or technique.
If you understand the reasoning behind one technique, it may have wider application to others (using inductive reasoning).
When my Sensei says “Muri” to me now, I understand it means I haven’t found the principle or meaning behind it, or that it is currently beyond my capabilities. He has given me a gift, because he has pointed to the root of my problem—understanding the Principles or Reason (Ri) behind the technique.
Mura can refer to an Inconsistent movement, action or way of thinking.
As an example, imagine thinking about eating ice cream when you are trying to deliver the hardest punch you can. This seemingly trivial example is used to illustrate that the mind and body are inconsistent. Other examples are hitting before you finish your step forward and separating the components of the body so they are not in synchronization.
Stepping forward with large upward and downward motion wastes time and detracts from your main purpose, which is to translate your body forward. Punching hard with my right hand and weak with my left is Inconsistent (Mura). Acing your art class and not your math class is Mura. Telling someone you will meet them at 3:00 pm and not showing up until 4:00 pm is Mura.
Applying a principle using one technique and not another is a great example of Mura. The message here is to learn to be consistent in technique and application—to deliver a proper execution at any time and any place that you choose in the circumstances you find yourself in.
Muda refers to doing things in excess of what is needed, which could involve time, energy, length of the movement, etc.
It was only when my Sensei got a Japanese dictionary and showed me the characters that I understood its meaning. Muda literally means “No Pack Horse.” This does not necessarily mean that you do not have a horse, but that you have one and are not using it. It is like you are carrying a heavy bag on your shoulders while your horse walks beside you unburdened.
An example of Muda might be using a Shifting (Sabaki) motion that is too large. When the opponent steps in with a punch, you step back too far to be able to counterattack quickly.
Muri, Mura and Muda give us a means to analyze our technique. Next time you are sweating in the Dojo and just cannot figure out what is wrong, ask yourself if it is Without Principle, Inconsistent or Where’s the horse?
Muri, Mura and Muda are ways that let you examine the practical application (Ji) in each and every technique, action and movement. It goes well beyond just your martial art. Wasting time and resources are important concerns for runners who want to make an efficient stride, and power skaters to increase the efficiency of their leg strokes. You can use these three concepts to analyze relationships in your life, how much you eat and why you fail at calculus.
The key is to search for the Principle (Ri) behind the technique. This entire text is about Ri. If you glimpse the Ox in one punch out of a thousand—work to make it two, then three. Reduce the inefficiencies and understand the principles and, as we will see, the ultimate journey ends with Ri-ai—a unification of principles.
For my part, I tend to be a man with a horse who does not know how to use it.
In reality, Ri and Ji cannot survive without the other. Each is part of a dualistic pair with the other. One who has collapsed this duality and integrated both Principle and Practice has attained a high understanding of Budo. Ri Gi Ittai is one of a number of unifying principles in Budo. | 2019-04-25T14:58:58Z | http://budotheory.ca/blog/category/articles/budo-philosophy/ |
HomeCommunication15 MORE Cool Airline Call Signs!
There are so many great call signs, the top 10 list just wasn’t enough! Here are 15 more of the coolest call signs that can be heard on the aviation airwaves. Keep reading and you’ll also get some call sign trivia – absolutely FREE!
Why are call signs used?
When pilots and air traffic controllers communicate on the radio, the airline’s call sign is always used along with the flight number: “Delta one-three-five.” This helps assure that communications are clear.
Have you seen the original Top 10?
Don’t miss the original Top 10 Coolest Airline Call Signs! – More call sign goodness, served up hot and fresh!
Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia has three sister carriers: Thomas Cook Airlines, Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium, and Condor. Thomas Cook Scandinavia has hubs in Copenhagen, Stockholm, and Oslo, making the “Viking” call sign very appropriate!
Based in Smithers, British Columbia, Central Mountain Air provides scheduled and charter flights to over 18 British Columbia and Alberta communities. They’re a busy carrier operating Dornier 328, Dash 8-300 and Beech 1900-D aircraft. “Glacier” is definitely a cool call sign for a Canadian carrier!
NokScoot is a new Bangkok, Thailand based low-cost airline. The carrier is a joint venture of Thailand’s Nok Air and Scoot of Singapore. NokScoot’s call sign of “Big Bird” was an easy choice; the airline’s fleet of Boeing 777-200ER aircraft are adorned with a smiling orange bird beak on the nose!
Although not an airline, Fast Air’s call sign is too good not to make the list. Based in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Fast Air is charter company that operates 20 turboprop, helicopter and business jet aircraft. They also operate a 24-hour air ambulance service. It’s fun to hear Polar Bears on the radio in Manitoba!
Reading about call signs is interesting, but the real fun is on the radio! If you want to listen for these call signs, check out LiveATC.net. LiveATC is a world-wide network of aviation-band radios. Listen to Hong Kong Radar, Atlanta Approach, Chicago Tower… There are over 1200 feeds to choose from.
Want your own air-band radio to listen to the action near you? Check out the AeroSavvy article: Stuff Pilots Say. There’s a short radio buying guide at the bottom of the post. You can even build your own from a kit!
Canadian North’s Empress call sign is well known across the Great White North. The airline is based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories and operates flights as far north as Nunavut and as far south as Miami, Florida! Canadian North has North America covered!
If you’re flying around Minnesota, it isn’t unusual to hear the call sign of Bemidji (pronounced Bem-i-gee). Bemidji Airlines, based in Minneapolis, operates a busy fleet of aircraft providing scheduled cargo, and passenger charter services. Why Bemidji? The airline is headquartered in the small town of Bemidji, Minnesota. It made the top 15 list because it’s fun to say. Try saying it three times fast, then sympathize with the Minneapolis controllers that handle Bemidji flights every night!
PSA Airlines (not to be confused with its namesake, the original Pacific Southwest Airlines) is a regional carrier owned by American Airlines Group. PSA is based in Dayton, Ohio and flies routes as American Eagle. In the mid-1980s, PSA was called Jetstream International Airlines and flew routes as a Piedmont Commuter. The airplanes had a long blue stripe (or streak) to match the Piedmont jets. Thus, the call sign Blue Streak!
When aircraft are near their arrival or departure airports, pilots and controllers will add the word “heavy” to some call signs: “Delta two-three Heavy.” Heavy is used for aircraft that have a maximum takeoff weight of 300,000 pounds or more. Adding Heavy to the call sign is a reminder that the airplane generates a large amount of dangerous wake turbulence on takeoff and landing. Air traffic controllers increase the spacing behind heavies so airplanes that follow them don’t encounter the turbulence.
Boeing 747, 757, 767, 777, 787.
The Boeing 757 is designated a Heavy even though the aircraft’s max takeoff weight is less than 300,000 pounds because it generates a significant amount of wake turbulence.
Headquartered in Portland, Oregon, SeaPort Airlines flies a fleet of Cessna Caravan turboprops providing Essential Air Service to communities near their hubs: Portland, Memphis, and San Diego. Oregon (and the U.S. Pacific Northwest) is home to the mythical creature “Bigfoot” or “Sasquatch” which makes Sasquatch the perfect call sign for SeaPort.
From the formation of the company in 1934 until 1997, South African Airlines used a flying springbok as its official symbol.
Springboks are an antelope-gazelle native to southwestern Africa. They’re extremely fast and can leap high into the air making them an appropriate airline symbol. Although the logo is no longer displayed on South African Airways aircraft, the Springbok lives on as the airline’s call sign and can be heard world-wide.
Tigerair Taiwan is a low ca-cost carrier based at Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport. Anytime I fly in Asia I hear the familiar and catchy Smart Cat call sign. It’s definitely one of my favorites. TigerAir Taiwan’s affiliate, TigerAir Australia uses the Tiggoz call sign.
Two aircraft models are so big that a Heavy call sign just isn’t enough. The Airbus A380 and Antonov An-225 generate so much wake turbulence that these aircraft are classified as Super. Air traffic controllers provide even more spacing behind Supers for safety. If you hear “Speedbird two-eight-two Super,” you know it’s a British Airways Airbus A380.
LabCorp is not an airline or charter company. You might be familiar with LabCorp if your doctor orders blood work or your employer requires a drug test. They are one of the largest clinical laboratory networks in the world. LabCorp has a fleet of small aircraft in Burlington, North Carolina that make daily flights transporting medical specimens, freight, and personnel. Being a space geek, a call sign that has a NASA reference flies high on my list.
AirAsia X is a long-haul, budget airline based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is a sister airline to Asia’s largest low-cost carrier, AirAsia. I’m not sure if the Xanadu call sign references the capital of Kublai Khan’s Yuan dynasty in China (called Xanadu) or the 1980 Olivia Newton-John movie. Either way, Xanadu is a real attention getter on the radio.
Call sign doesn’t match flight number?
Once in a while, you’ll hear a call sign that doesn’t match a flight number: Air France flight 83 might have the call sign of “Air France eight-Lima.” This is common in Europe and used to reduce radio confusion when two flights have similar sounding call signs: Air France eight-three might be confused with Air Berlin eight-three, so the Air France call sign is changed to eight-lima. The actual flight number doesn’t change, so passengers aren’t confused.
Sometimes a really late flight will have an alphabet letter added to it’s call sign. If AeroSavvy two-three is delayed until the next morning due to weather, its call sign might be changed to AeroSavvy two-three-alpha so it isn’t confused with the next day’s regularly scheduled flight two-three.
Juan Trippe’s amazing airline was instrumental in shrinking the globe. If Pan American World Airways were still in business, the Clipper call sign would be #1 on this list. In 1931, Pan Am began operating Sikorsky flying boats. The ships had nicknames like American Clipper, Southern Clipper, and Caribbean Clipper. Pan Am operated a total of 28 “Clippers” until 1946. Those of us flying prior to December, 1991 will always miss hearing Clipper on the airwaves.
Two of my favorite call signs are British Airways’ Speedbird (featured in the first Top Ten List) and Virgin Australia’s Velocity. The call signs just scream on-time performance and efficiency. Virgin Australia is Australia’s second largest carrier and the largest airline under Richard Branson’s “Virgin” brand.
Number one on the list may come as a surprise. Jet Story (previously named Blue Jet and Jet Service) is a business aircraft management and charter company in Poland. Jet Story currently charters 13 very, very nice business jets and flies to 5 continents. Most importantly, Jet Story has one amazing call sign: Jedi. With the rebirth and excitement of the Star Wars franchise, what’s not to love about a high flying Jedi-in-the-sky?
Did I miss any good call signs?
There are plenty of other really cool airline call signs. What’s your favorite? Be sure to leave your thoughts in the comments!
Read the original: Top 10 Coolest Airline Call Signs!
Stuff Pilots Say – Who do pilots talk to and what are they saying?
I’m familiar with NAC! I see them once in a while when I’m in Anchorage. I agree – Yukon is a really good call sign!
It’d be cool to hear the Empire call sign on the same frequency with Jedi!
This is not a current call sign but one that belonged to the still missed Ansett Australia cargo division.I live in Australia and we have many unique wild animals. The kangaroo, platypus, koala and so on. Most of these animals are nocturnal and are fairly common. The animal concerned here is a Wombat. They are herbivores, dig holes and are pretty much nocturnal. The cargo division used to use the call sign “wombat airlines”. Their aircraft had a logo of a wombat painted on the side of the aircraft. Finally someone asked “Why wombat airlines”? The answer was that Wombats come out at night, eat roots and leaves”. Now if you think about it, this is indeed true of wombats. But it has another human meaning that is not so polite. The call sign was stopped overnight and the symbol removed from all aircraft. Some people have no sense of humour!
Great call sign! Thanks for the background!
Cool topic ken ? I always liked the aerlingus callsign “Shamrock” not that I’m bias!!
Thank you for this article, Ken. Another call sign I recently heard is “Chickpea”. The actual airline is Conquest Air Cargo stationed at KOPF.
I hadn’t heard Chickpea. That’s a really good one!
As all TUI-group airlines are going to merge into one, I’m afraid callsign “beauty” of Jertairfly.be will soon disappear… Still, one of the coolest. Also from Belgium; and yes, I am biased :-D; callsign “beeline” of Brussel Airlines is pretty cool.
Sad to see Beauty disappear. I really like Beeline! That’s a good one.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading!!
Empress used be the call-sign of Canadian Pacific or CP Air.
Alliance, a small carrier in Australia use the C/S “Unity”. That’s quite neat!
It’s interesting how call signs bounce around the industry as companies appear, merge, or disappear. Canadian Pacific (Empress) became Canadian Airlines through a merger, which was finally acquired by Air Canada.
British European Airways did indeed use “Bealine.” The very similar “Bee-Line” is now used by Brussels Airlines.
Not an airline call sign thing – but while I was in the military I flew on the wing of a guy with the call sign of Webe. I didn’t understand until the first time I flew with him – “Webe ready for takeoff”, “Webe Initial”, “Webe gear down” – you get the idea. Each new radio call brought a smile to my face!
Funny story – We Be Jammin’!
Still laughing over the big yellow, big bird!
That’s a good one. There a lot of great Military call signs!
im missing Cargo King (China Cargo Airlines), and Speedbird (British Airways).
There will never be another PanAm, that’s for sure!
Seaboard World Airlines used the call sign “Seaboard” until they merged with Flying Tigers.
Short lived Air21 operated out of Fresno (KFAT) and had the callsign Rocketeer. Air21 was unique, they would buy paper napkins in bulk from Wendy’s and serve Otis Spunkmeyer cookies.
Cool livery and awesome call sign!
Apparently AeroLogic uses ‘Box’ as callsign :).
Good one! Thanks for reading!
Nope. “BOX” is the ICAO 3-letter-code of the airline, the ATC callsign is “German Cargo”.
Good catch. You are correct.
I have two that were my absolute favorites.
And as a former ground crew member for Shuttle America when we were that quirky little Dash 8 operator, “Shuttlecraft” will always put a smile on my face.
Those are really good ones! I vaguely remember Shuttlecraft – loved the Star Trek vibe.
You mentioned Brickyard, for Republic, they being based in IND, but they also used to use the call sign Shuttle Craft for their Shuttle America cert. Supposedly in homage to star trek. They had to change it because of confusion in ORD with Air Shuttle, they now go by Mercury, a blast from the past.
Shuttle Craft and Mercury are both awesome callsigns. Thanks for the backstory!
In Italy we have Neos Air, call sign Moonflower from the Carlos Santana’s song.
Aerologic call sign is German Cargo, BOX is their ICAO indicator.
For some time, Hapag Loyd Express used to call Yellow Cab, as their airplanes were painted like old time New York City cabs.
Then they switched to Excellence and then Hapag Loyd.
There was also a British business jet charter company that used Vampire as their callsign.
Thank you for the additions. I really like Vampire!
Loved those call signs! I was flying through Washington Dulles on Sunday when I came across this little Piper Navajo of Sun Air Express on the ramp. Their callsign is Friendly, which is a bit generic… About a month ago, we had a Poseidon visit Daytona Beach, where it did some pattern work, which had the callsign “MadFox 88”. It was part of the VP-5 Mad Foxes (great name btw) based up at NAS Jacksonville. My favorite of all time is the callsign of Kalitta Air, Connie. Interestingly enough, that callsign of theirs comes right from their CEO, Conrad “Connie” Kalitta.
Great call signs! I really like MadFox 🙂 . Thanks for sharing them!
“Nitro” is one of my favorites! Thanks for sharing it!
In Indonesia, there’s a budget airline called Citilink, their call sign is Supergreen. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citilink and Indonesia AirAsia’s call sign is Wagon Air.
Those are two really good ones. Thanks for sharing and thanks for reading!
As an Air Traffic Controller I got to hear a lot of call signs. One that I didn’t see mentioned was Tiger for Flying Tiger Air lines. The best military one, IMHO, came from an F-100 that came on the frequency one day out of Tucson, Shadow. I always that was the best. No number just Shadow.
Thanks for sharing the great call signs.
Homa is the mythical animal pictured on their logo and the name the airline is sometimes called.
Supergreen! Excellent call sign. Thanks for sharing!
Moonflower is a great call sign! I haven’t heard it before.
Former Nürnberger Flugdienst, a German regional operator (merged with RFG to form Eurowings) used FLAMINGO as their callsign.
Flamingo is a really good one! Thanks for sharing.
I agree 100%. I’ll miss hearing Redwood (Virgin America) on the frequencies.
Being partly South African, I still like to hear ‘Springbok’. Thanks for the interesting read.
Springbok is one of my favorites!
That’s an excellent call sign! Thanks.
Great article.. If I was flying for ‘Jedi’..how does that get communicated to ATC? Do they put that in the flight plan (in place of the N or appropriate country letter for ‘aircraft number’)?
Airlines and other carriers that use call signs and flight numbers include that information in the flight plan. The flight plan also includes the registration number.
S-TAIL ! After Sabenas demise in 2001 when DAT took over ! Then when it became SN Brussels Airlines the callsign became Beeline because there was a shape “b” on the fin made up of 14 dots, it started as 13 but was changed to 14 to avoid the possibility of bad luck !
Meridian Air Charter operates charter services from KTEB with a nice skyline view of NY City.
Their call sign is Gotham (GTH).
I know another nice call sign from Germany, it’s used by the airline “Hahn Air Lines”.
Actually, the company name refers to their former home base, Frankfurt Hahn Airport.
That’s an excellent callsign! Thanks for sharing it.
Just to clarify, the “Wagon Air” call sign belongs to Indonesia AirAsia (there are several Air Asia subsidiaries).
For a moment (or so) I was the great – and overweight – Latin Lover of the skies.
I hadn’t heard that one before. Good one!
Can’t believe no one mentioned Aloha! Gone but not forgotten. Also, Atlantic Coast Airlines’s call sign, Blue Ridge. From the Blue Ridge montains near IAD.
I miss Aloha. Blue Ridge was also one of my faves!
I flew some time an Embraer Legacy operated by Aerodynamics Malaga. ATC in the US were surprised by the callsign “Flying Olive”.
I found it very funny, but I don’t know the origin of it. | 2019-04-21T20:05:01Z | https://aerosavvy.com/more-airline-call-signs/ |
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All of our products are handmade per order and our turn-around-time may be somewhat longer than what you are accustomed to for commercially available products. All orders will ship 2-3 weeks from the date your payment is received. Business days are Monday-Friday, excluding federal holidays within the United States.
If we receive your order on the weekend, it will be processed on Monday. If we receive your order on a holiday, it will be processed on the next business day.
WE ONLY SHIP TO CONFIRMED PAYPAL ADDRESSES. BILLING AND SHIPPING ADDRESS MUST MATCH. PLEASE ENSURE YOUR ADDRESS IS CORRECT ON PAYPAL BEFORE ORDERING. PLEASE VISIT PAYPAL TO CONFIRM YOUR ADDRESS.
WE ARE UNABLE TO MAKE ANY CHANGES TO YOUR SHIPPING ADDRESS OR UPDATES TO YOUR ORDER ONCE IT HAS BEEN SUBMITTED. TO AVOID DELAY IN YOUR ORDER PROCESSING, PLEASE CONFIRM THE CONTENTS OF YOUR CART AND YOUR SHIPPING INFORMATION BEFORE YOU COMPLETE YOUR ORDER.
Having problems with your order? Contact us at: [email protected].
Your order will be shipped ASAP if items are already made and in stock. Otherwise, it will take approximately 2 weeks to process “make” the products you ordered. Business days are Monday-Friday, excluding federal holidays within the United States.
Longer turn-around-times can occur when we have special promotions, sales or during the holiday season. We could take up to 20 days to ship your orders out. We care about customer satisfaction and we will do our best to get your order to you promptly.
We use USPS Priority Mail and USPS First Class International Mail as our primary carrier to ship our packages. We may use FedEx Home Delivery to ship packages depending on the shipping location.
USPS averages about 2 delivery days. FedEx averages about 4 delivery days. International orders may take up to 30-60 days or more to arrive, depending on customs and local post office shipping delays.
When USPS is used as the shipping method, it is NOT a guaranteed service. The estimated delivery time is 2 days but delivery of packages can actually take up to 5 days to an undetermined number of days.
You will receive a delivery confirmation which will include your tracking number from USPS or FedEx on the day of shipment not before.
We mainly ship USPS packages on Saturdays.
Your shipment date is ALWAYS included in your order confirmation email. Please be sure to read your order confirmation email. It will usually take 10 days to get your order out. It will take longer during sales and holidays. Tracking numbers are provided to you on the day your package is shipped and scanned by USPS or FedEx.
We do not respond to order status requests on Facebook. All order status requests must be done via our Contact Form or Email. We do respond to each and every Order Status Request promptly. If you do not get your confirmation email response in your normal email "in-box", please check your "spam" or "bulk email" folders in your email program for our response.
Please email us at [email protected] if you have questions about your order.
Your security during your shopping experience is of the utmost importance to us. That is why we have partnered with PayPal to provide you with a secure, quick and easy payment process. You can rest assured that all of your valuable information is being processed using the latest in web security. Paypal protects your information with VeriSign Identity Protection. Companies, governments and public institutions worldwide trust VeriSign to secure their sites and protect their brands.
All orders to California addresses must be charged 9.00% sales tax, according to state law.
Marie Dean Hair and Body Care charges 9.00% sales tax on orders placed within the state of California.
Orders may be cancelled within 24 hours of placing your order -- no exceptions. Please contact us within 24 hours if you need to cancel your order. Please submit any cancellations via email to [email protected]. We start creating your order rather quickly and can only accept order cancellations within 24 hours.
Orders which are REFUSED AT DELIVERY will be assessed the actual cost of shipping we paid to ship your package be it more (or less) and the shipping charges billed to Marie Dean Hair and Body Care for the return of the package.
Packages that are refused, unclaimed or returned to us will not be reshipped free of charge. The buyer will be responsible for the actual cost of shipping the package. If a refund is requested, we will deduct from your refund the actual cost of shipping we paid to ship your package be it more (or less) and the return shipping charges.
Every effort will be made to accommodate the cancellation of your order, providing your order has not been created or shipped out. In the event that a cancellation was submitted (via email), and your order was already created after that submission, we will reserve the right to not refund the complete balance charged including tax.
Online Gift Certificates purchased on MARIEDEANONLINE.COM are redeemable only on WWW.MARIEDEANONLINE.COM.
If the amount of your Online Gift Certificate(s) does NOT cover the total order amount, you will need to pay the remainder of the purchase via PayPal.
We cannot replace lost or stolen Online Gift Certificate codes.
We do not charge sales tax when you buy an Online Gift Certificate because it is charged when the Gift Certificate is used. State tax may be added to all orders shipped to California addresses.
If you have any additional questions, please please email us at [email protected].
We do not accept returns or make exchanges under any circumstances. No exceptions. All of our products are handcrafted and made-to-order and therefore, we do not accept returns, issue refunds or credits. We do not exchange our products or give refunds if a hair or body product scent* is not to your liking or if there are variations in color and texture. If you are unsure of a particular scent, please order the small size first before purchasing a large size. Packages returned to us will be discarded and cannot be returned to the customer! A refund will NOT be issued.
Hygienic concerns render us unable to resell returned merchandise. We have chosen to keep our pricing reasonable, include a free sample with every order, supply Goodie Bags and Samples Packs to test our hair and body products, and offer frequent sales and discounts to you so it doesn't take a large investment to try our products.
Our eGift Certificates are for FINAL SALE and are not eligible for refunds, returns or exchanges.
If you have any questions about your order, please contact us within 24 hours of receiving your order so we can provide you with the best customer service solution possible.
*If you are allergic to fragrances, have a super sensitivity sense of smell or develop reactions to certain scents and smells, we highly recommend you order an unscented version of a product. Bear in mind that when ordering unscented products -- what you smell is what is in the product. Unscented products are not returnable and are not refundable.
We use USPS Priority Mail and USPS First Class International Mail as our primary carrier to ship our packages. We may use FedEx Home Delivery depending on the shipping location.
• All Shipments through USPS come with a tracking number.
• We provide a tracking number via email as soon as the package is scanned by USPS.
• Unless requested, our shipping method does not require Adult Signature at the time of delivery.
• Adult Signature fee is $3.00 for USPS.
Your shipment date is ALWAYS included in your order confirmation email. Please be sure to read your order confirmation email. It will usually take 2 weeks to get your order out. It will take longer during sales and holidays. Tracking numbers are provided to you on the day your package is shipped and scanned by USPS. The tracking info will update as soon as USPS scans the label.
We ship to your shipping address that is on your Marie Dean Hair and Body Care invoice. This address must also be confirmed with PayPal.
When USPS Priority Mail is used as the shipping method, it is NOT a guaranteed service. The estimated delivery time is 2 days but delivery of packages can actually take up to 5 days to an undetermined number of days. The only guaranteed service through the USPS is Express Mail which delivery time is 1-2 business days. If you would like Express Mail, please email us and we can upgrade your shipping fee and send you the adjustment fee via PayPal.
Occasionally, USPS will ring your doorbell, oftentimes they will not. If you are not at home at the time of delivery your package may be dropped at your doorstep or another location near your residence by the delivery driver.
• Request to have your package held at a nearby USPS location (FREE).
• Add the Adult Signature service to your order ($3.00 USPS).
If you fail to claim your package from USPS, it will be returned to Marie Dean Hair and Body Care, marked as “unclaimed,” and we will not reship your package for free. You will be responsible to pay for the actual shipping cost to have the package shipped out for a second time. If you request a refund, we will deduct from the refund the actual cost of shipping we paid to ship your package be it more (or less) and the return shipping charges.
We are a small business and cannot afford to remake an order and reship for free after we have received confirmation of delivery.
Should you fail to claim your order and it is sent back to us, we will not re-ship for free. If a refund is requested, we will deduct the actual cost of shipping we paid to ship your package be it more (or less) and the return shipping charges, from your refund.
If your package is returned due to refusal of delivery, you will be responsible for the actual cost of shipping we paid to ship your package be it more (or less) and the return shipping charges. You will be refunded back your order's original cost and taxes (if applicable) less the shipping fees.
If the package(s) is returned to us because of an address error made by the customer or the customer refuses the package or the items ordered are not allowed into the country by customs, the customer will be responsible for all customs fees, the actual shipping cost and the shipping cost billed to Marie Dean Hair and Body Care for the return of the package. There will be no credit or refund to the customer for the order If the package is abandoned at customs.
• Domestic orders of $250 or more will require an Adult Signature at delivery.
• Adult Signature confirmation is FREE for domestic orders of $250 or more.
• Adult Signature confirmation is not available to APO/FPO/DPO locations.
Marie Dean Hair and Body Care is committed to prompt, secure shipping; however, we will not be responsible for lost, damaged or stolen packages after they have been delivered to your supplied shipping location. It is the buyer's responsibility to ensure that the recipient will be home on the day of delivery to accept the package. If in doubt, consider shipping to the recipient's place of business OR notify us to hold your package at a USPS or FedEx location nearest you.
We will email you a tracking number after your order is shipped. Please be sure to track your package and make arrangements for someone to accept it upon delivery.
To track your package with USPS, use this link: USPS Track & Confirm (http://www.usps.com/shipping/trackandconfirm.htm).
Claims for shipments lost with the USPS will not be initiated until 30 days after date of shipment to give the post office time to make delivery on packages that may be delayed in transit. We cannot process a claim for a shipment that is scanned as "Delivered" by the post office. Contact your post office and speak to your postal carrier as soon as you determine you haven't received your shipment.
Marie Dean Hair and Body Care is committed to prompt, secure shipping; however, we will not be responsible for lost, damaged or stolen packages after they have been delivered to your supplied shipping location. It is the buyer's responsibility to ensure that the recipient will be home on the day of delivery to accept the package. If in doubt, consider shipping to the recipient's place of business (must be a confirmed PayPal address) OR notify us to hold your package at a USPS location nearest you.
Packages that are refused, unclaimed or returned to us will not be reshipped free of charge. The buyer will be responsible for the actual shipping costs associated with any reshipping of packages. If customer requests a refund, we will deduct the actual cost of shipping we paid to ship your package be it more (or less) and the return shipping charges.
At this time, we do not have in-store pickup at our location.
Our products are made using natural ingredients and a reliable, safe paraben-free preservative (diazolidinyl urea and iodopropynyl butylcarbamate). The unopened shelf life of our water based products is 3 years. After the product is opened the shelf life is typically 18 months. The unopened shelf life of our non-water based products (example: whipped hair and body butters) is 1 year. After the product is opened the shelf life is typically 6 months. It is best to store our products in a cool, dark place.
We've created hair and body products specifically for customers who are protein-sensitive. These products are noted as PROLESS. Please see our Product Abbreviation List below.
• PROLESS - The product does not contain proteins; perfect for individuals who are protein-sensitive.
You are encouraged to read about our ingredients and familiarize yourself with our product labels. We do not give medical recommendations, nor do we make any claims for cures or treatments. At no time is the information, ingredients, or products on this web site intended to diagnose or treat any hair or skin condition. If you have allergies, please do a small patch test prior to using the product to determine your tolerance. If you do experience any skin irritation, discontinue use immediately and contact your physician or dermatologist. Our products are not intended for consumption and are for external use only.
Please use our products with the same care and caution that you would use with any other hair and skin products. Use our products only for the purposes for which they are intended. We are not liable for the misuse of our products.
If you are pregnant or have a medical condition, please consult your physician before purchasing or using any of our products. Some of our ingredients are not made for persons that are pregnant or living with certain medical conditions. Please research all ingredients before purchasing or using our products on your hair or skin.
All items on this web site are subject to availability, and may be discontinued without notice.
From time to time there may be information on mariedeanonline.com that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies, or omissions that may relate to product descriptions, pricing, and availability. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update information at any time without prior notice (including after you have submitted your order). We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you.
The prices displayed on this site are quoted in U.S. Dollars and are valid and effective only in the United States. All product information provided on this site is subject to change without notice. While efforts have been made to make information on this site complete and accurate, errors and inaccuracies may occur.
• Giveaways are FREE of charge.
• Unless otherwise stated, all contests are open to residents of the U.S. ages 18 and over.
• Entrants must completely and correctly fill out the information on giveaway forms. Incorrect entries will be disqualified. You must use your legal name – no nicknames. We reserve the right to disqualify entrants that provide erroneous information on the contest entry form: such as listing a nickname only OR listing two different names, on the contest entry form and when claiming prizes.
•The main entry for the giveaway is usually asking the reader to browse our website and comment and share their favorite product, or a simple question like “Tell us why you would like to try this product,” giving every reader a chance to enter without being requested to follow OR you must follow the guidelines according to each giveaway set forth in the Rafflecopter entry requests.
• There is no limit to the amount of giveaways you can enter on Marie Dean Hair & Body Care website but you can only enter each giveaway once. Multiple entries will be deleted, and your original entry will be disqualified.
• Entries will not be accepted after the stated giveaway deadline.
• All winners are chosen based on their entry number using the random number generator at Random.org OR via Rafflecopter.
• Winners will be contacted via email and will have 48 hours to respond. If a contestant fails to respond the next random winner will be chosen and contacted. It is up to entrants to provide a valid email address. We will only contact you once.
– Winners will be announced on our website, Facebook and Twitter page when all information has been confirmed. Your acknowledgment email must include a current mailing address (PO boxes are not accepted) and phone number (for shipping purposes). NOTE: We only ship within the continental US.
– All information will be deleted after the giveaway is over and the winners announced.
• Shipping: Winnings can take anywhere from 2-4 weeks before you receive them. The most economical (aka slowest) means of shipping will be used. Shipping and delivery time of prizes will vary. Marie Dean Hair & Body Care is NOT responsible for undeliverable or unclaimed mail, packages stolen, lost and/or damaged during delivery or after delivery (includes FedEx and USPS) and we do not offer replacement prizes.
• By entering in any giveaway on this site you agree that the contest can be terminated at any time for any reason.
• No prize will ever be transferable to another person – asking is immediate grounds for disqualification.
• By participating in the Giveaway, entrant agrees that , with respect to Marie Dean Hair & Body Care, LLC, its respective members, officers, directors, employees, representatives and agents, to the extent permitted by applicable law: (1) any and all disputes, claims and causes of action arising out of or connected with the Giveaway, or any prize awarded, will be resolved individually, without resort to any form of class action; (2) any and all claims, judgments and awards will be limited to actual third-party, out-of-pocket costs incurred (if any) not to exceed fifty dollars ($50.00), but in no event will attorneys’ fees be awarded or recoverable; (3) under no circumstances will any entrant be permitted to obtain any award for, and entrant hereby knowingly and expressly waives all rights to seek, punitive, incidental, consequential or special damages, lost profits and/or any other damages, other than actual out of pocket expenses not to exceed fifty dollars ($50.00) , and/or any rights to have damages multiplied or otherwise increased; and (4) entrants’ remedies are limited to a claim for money damages (if any) and entrant irrevocably waives any right to seek injunctive or equitable relief. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitations or exclusion of liability, so the above may not apply to you.
• All giveaways will have an end date. After the end date no more entries will be accepted into the giveaway.
• All giveaways end at 11:59 PM U.S. Pacific Coastal Time unless otherwise stated. Entrants do not have to sign up for our newsletter to participate; however, doing so will keep you up to date with additional giveaways, promotions and updates.
We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions. To contact Marie Dean Hair & Body Care, please email us at [email protected]. | 2019-04-21T04:18:07Z | https://mariedeanonline.com/Shipping-and-Policies.html |
本発明は、導電性ブレードに関し、特に、電子写真感光体、転写プロセスに用いる転写ドラム及び転写ベルト、又は中間搬送ベルトの帯電・除電・クリーニングに用いられるクリーニングブレード、並びに現像プロセスに用いられて電荷平坦化、除電及び帯電をするための現像ブレード、さらにはトナー規制ブレード等に用いて好適な導電性ブレードに関する。 The present invention relates to a conductive blade, in particular, an electrophotographic photosensitive member, the transfer drum and the transfer belt used in the transfer process, or the cleaning blade for use in charging, charge removal, cleaning of the intermediate conveyor belt, and used in the developing process charge flattening, a developing blade for the neutralization and charging, furthermore relates to a suitable conductive blade with the toner regulating blade or the like.
電子写真法あるいは静電記録法での乾式現像方式においては、感光体に現像されたトナーは転写工程により紙に静電転写されるが、感光体に付着したトナーはすべて転写することはできず、この残留トナーがつぎのサイクルまで持ち越されると、感光体が露光される工程で、トナー像が感光体の光放電を妨げ、これによって得られたコピーは画像欠陥となってしまい好適な画像を現像することができない。 In the dry developing method in an electrophotographic method or an electrostatic recording method, toner developed on the photosensitive member is electrostatically transferred to the paper by the transfer process, it is impossible to transfer all the toner adhered to the photoreceptor When the residual toner is carried over until the cycle of the next, in the step of the photosensitive member is exposed, to block light discharge of the toner image photoreceptor, a suitable image is obtained copied becomes an image defect by this can not be developed. そこで、感光体に付着・残留したトナーを除去するために、各種のクリーニング方式が提案されている。 Therefore, in order to remove the toner adhering-remaining on the photosensitive member, various cleaning methods have been proposed.
クリーニングブレードを用いる方式もその１種であり、ゴムなどの弾性体を感光体に直接接触させて残留したトナーをかきとるものである。 It is also one that method of using a cleaning blade, in which scraping toner remaining in direct contact with the photosensitive member to the elastic member such as rubber. この方式においては、クリーニングブレードは、上向きに回転する側の感光ドラムの中心から伸びる水平線、あるいはそれよりもやや上方に位置する部分にブレードの下端が当接するように配置され、感光ドラムが回転することによって残留トナーがかきおとされることになる。 In this method, the cleaning blade is upwardly rotated to the side of the photosensitive drum horizon extending from the center of, or the lower end of the blade portion located slightly above than is arranged so as to abut the photosensitive drum is rotated so that the residual toner is scraped off by.
ところで、通常、クリーニングブレードは金属製の支持体に両面接着テープあるいはホットメルト接着剤によって取りつけられるが、クリーニングブレード全体の電気抵抗値は、ポリマー組成物が本来有する電気抵抗値に支配されるものであり、この場合のクリーニングブレードの電気抵抗値は１０ １ 2 Ω以上という高い抵抗値を示すものとなり、感光体の摩擦帯電を除去することができないうえに、連続的に長い時間使用した場合、画像に悪影響（白スジ、ムラ）を起こしたり、あるいはトナーがクリーニングブレードの裏面に回ってしまう、いわゆるトナー散りという問題が生じ、クリーニングブレードとして好適に使用し得るものとはいいがたい。 However, usually the cleaning blade is attached by a double-sided adhesive tape or a hot melt adhesive to a metallic support, the electrical resistance of the entire cleaning blade, in which the polymer composition is governed in electrical resistance inherent There, the electrical resistance of the cleaning blade in this case is assumed to exhibit high resistance value of 10 1 2 Omega more, since it is impossible to remove the frictional charging of the photosensitive member, when used continuously long time, the image adverse (white stripe, unevenness) or cause, or the toner will be turning to the rear surface of the cleaning blade, a so-called toner scattering occurs a problem that, it can not be said that can be suitably used as a cleaning blade.
また、最近、トナーの粒子径が非常に細かく、また、粒子形状も真球に近くなってきており、トナーのかきおとしが難しくなってきている。 Also, recently, the particle size of the toner is very fine, also the particle shape has become close to a sphere, scraped toner is becoming more difficult. そのため、クリーニングブレードの材料強度を上げ、圧力でかき落とす方法、低温での反発弾性が高く、その反発弾性の温度依存性が無いもの、ブレード自体に導電性を持たせ、静電気力によりトナーを吸着、反発させてクリーニングさせる方法が挙げられる。 Therefore, increasing the material strength of the cleaning blade, a method of scraping pressure, high impact resilience at low temperatures, that there is no temperature dependence of its resilience, has conductivity to the blade itself, adsorbs toner by electrostatic force , and a method for cleaning by repulsion. このような観点からも、そのままの材料強度を保ちつつ、クリーニングブレードに導電性を持たせる必要性がある。 From this point of view, while keeping intact material strength, there is a need to provide conductivity to the cleaning blade.
そこで、クリーニングブレードの電気抵抗値を低くするために、組成物中に導電性カーボンブラックを配合して、体積固有抵抗値を１０ 4 Ω・ｃｍ以下に調整し、静電気除去用ブレードとする技術が知られている（例えば、特許文献１参照）。 Therefore, in order to lower the electric resistance of the cleaning blade, by blending a conductive carbon black in the composition, to adjust the volume resistivity below 10 4 Ω · cm, a technique for a blade for removing static electricity known (e.g., see Patent Document 1). ところが、体積固有抵抗値が１０ 4 Ω・ｃｍ以下に構成されているために、除去したい部位以外に存在する電荷まで除去してしまい、鮮明な画像が得られにくいという問題がある。 However, since the volume resistivity is configured below 10 4 Ω · cm, will be removed to charge present other than the region to be removed, there is a problem that a clear image is difficult to obtain. またクリーニングブレードの体積固有抵抗値を１０ ３から１０ １０ Ω・ｃｍとするように、ポリマー中に導電性カーボンブラックを配合して電気抵抗値を調整しようとしても、導電性カーボンブラックの分散状態およびわずかな添加量の違いで電気抵抗値が大幅に変動しやすく、これを量産化体制に移行した場合、安定した電気抵抗値を有するシートを供給することが極めて困難となる。 The volume resistivity value of the cleaning blade to 10 3 and 10 10 Omega · cm, even attempt to adjust the electrical resistance by compounding conductive carbon black in the polymer, the dispersion state of the conductive carbon black and slight in amount of difference tends electrical resistance varies greatly, when a transition it to mass production system, to supply a sheet having a stable electric resistance value becomes very difficult. また、カーボンブラックを添加すると、機械的物性、特に圧縮永久ひずみ、永久伸びが悪化し、硬度が上昇する等の問題がある。 Further, the addition of carbon black, the mechanical properties, strain especially compression set, tension set deteriorates, there are problems such as the hardness increases.
一方、このような問題を解決するものとして、熱可塑性樹脂ポリウレタンに、過塩素酸リチウムのようなイオン導電性物質を配合し、加圧電圧５０Ｖにおける電気抵抗値（２５℃）が１０ ３ Ωないし１０ １０ Ω、好ましくは、１０ ３ Ωないし１０ ７ Ωのクリーニングブレードが開示されている（例えば、特許文献２参照）。 Meanwhile, In order to solve such problems, a thermoplastic resin polyurethane were blended ionic conductive substance such as lithium perchlorate, to an electric resistance (25 ° C.) is 10 3 Omega not in acceleration voltage of 50V 10 10 Omega, preferably, 10 3 Omega to 10 7 Omega cleaning blade has been disclosed (e.g., see Patent Document 2). このように過塩素酸リチウムなどのイオン導電剤を添加した場合、１０ ６ 〜１０ ８ Ω程度の中抵抗の電気抵抗値を有するブレードが得られ易いという利点がある。 If thus adding an ion conductive agent, such as lithium perchlorate, there is an advantage that it is easy blade is obtained having an electric resistance value of the resistor in the order of 10 6 ~10 8 Ω.
なお、導電性カーボンブラックなどの電子導電タイプの導電剤と、過塩素酸リチウムなどのアルカリ金属塩からなるイオン導電タイプの導電剤とを併せたハイブリッドタイプの導電性ブレードも知られている（例えば、特許文献２、特許文献３参照）。 Note that the electroconductive type of the conductive agent such as conductive carbon black, are also known hybrid type conductive blade in conjunction with a conductive agent of ionic conductivity type consisting of alkali metal salts such as lithium perchlorate (e.g. , refer to Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3).
しかしながら、過塩素酸リチウムなどのイオン導電剤を用いた場合、電気抵抗値の環境依存性、特に湿度依存性が高く、また、連続通電していると電気抵抗値が上昇してしまうという問題がある。 However, when using the ion conductive agent, such as lithium perchlorate, environmental dependency of electrical resistance, especially high humidity dependence, also has a problem that the electric resistance value when contiguous current rises is there. また、過塩素酸リチウムなどのイオン導電剤の添加により、機械的物性、特に反発弾性が低下し、また、吸湿性があがるため、ポリウレタンの加水分解特性が悪化するという問題もある。 Further, the addition of ionic conductive agent such as lithium perchlorate, mechanical properties, reduced in particular rebound elastic, and there since the hygroscopicity is increased, a problem that hydrolysis characteristics of the polyurethane is deteriorated. さらに、過塩素酸リチウムは取扱い上危険であり、添加部数を増加できないなどの問題がある。 Further, lithium perchlorate is handling dangerous, there are problems such as the inability increasing the addition number of copies.
本発明は、このような事情に鑑み、安定して所望の抵抗値を得ることができ、安定した物性を有する導電性ブレードを提供することを課題とする。 In view of such circumstances, it can be stably obtain a desired resistance value, and to provide a conductive blade having stable physical properties.
前記課題を解決する本発明の第１の態様は、導電剤として少なくとも一種のイオン性液体を含有するゴム状弾性体からなる導電性ブレード部材と、この導電性ブレード部材を支持する支持体とを具備することを特徴とする導電性ブレードにある。 A first aspect of the present invention to solve the above problems, a rubber-like elastic body conductive blade member made containing at least one ionic liquid as a conductive agent, and a support member for supporting the conductive blade member in conductive blade, characterized in that it comprises.
本発明の第２の態様は、第１の態様において、前記ゴム状弾性体がポリウレタンからなり、体積抵抗率が１×１０ ３ 〜１×１０ １０ Ω・ｃｍであることを特徴とする導電性ブレードにある。 A second aspect of the present invention, in a first aspect, the rubber-like elastic body made of polyurethane, a conductive, characterized in that the volume resistivity is 1 × 10 3 ~1 × 10 10 Ω · cm in the blade.
本発明の第３の態様は、第１又は２の態様において、前記イオン性液体が、下記一般式（１）〜（４）で表される群から選択されるカチオンを含むことを特徴とする導電性ブレードにある。 A third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, the ionic liquid, characterized in that it comprises a cation selected from the group represented by the following general formula (1) to (4) in conductive blade.
本発明の第４の態様は、第１〜３の何れかの態様において、前記イオン性液体が、ＡｌＣｌ ４ − 、Ａｌ ２ Ｃｌ ７ − 、ＮＯ ３ − 、ＢＦ ４ − 、ＰＦ ６ − 、ＣＨ ３ ＣＯＯ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＯＯ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ３ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ２ ） ２ Ｎ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ２ ） ３ Ｃ − 、ＡｓＦ ６ − 、ＳｂＦ ６ − 、Ｆ（ＨＦ）ｎ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＳＯ ３ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＳＯ ２ ） ２ Ｎ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＣＯＯ −の中から選択されるアニオンを含むことを特徴とする導電性ブレードにある。 A fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third one embodiment, the ionic liquid, AlCl 4 -, Al 2 Cl 7 -, NO 3 -, BF 4 -, PF 6 -, CH 3 COO -, CF 3 COO -, CF 3 SO 3 -, (CF 3 SO 2) 2 n -, (CF 3 SO 2) 3 C -, AsF 6 -, SbF 6 -, F (HF) n -, CF 3 CF 2 CF 2 CF 2 SO 3 -, (CF 3 CF 2 SO 2) 2 N -, CF 3 CF 2 CF 2 COO - in conductive blade, characterized in that it comprises an anion selected from among .
本発明の第５の態様は、第１〜４の何れかの態様において、前記イオン性液体は、融点が７０℃以下であることを特徴とする導電性ブレードにある。 A fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to fourth one embodiment, the ionic liquid is in the conductive blade, characterized in that a melting point of 70 ° C. or less.
かかる本発明では、導電剤としてイオン性液体を添加したので、導電性カーボンを添加した場合と比較して所望の中抵抗値を安定して得ることができ、また、過塩素酸リチウムなどのイオン導電剤を添加した場合と比較して電気抵抗値の環境依存性、特に湿度依存性が低く、また、吸湿性があがる心配が無いため、加水分解が促進しない、且つ、機械的物性が無添加のものと同等である導電性ブレードとなる。 In such present invention, since the addition of ionic liquids as a conductive agent, in the case of adding conductive carbon compared to the can stably obtain a desired in resistance value, also, ions such as lithium perchlorate environmental dependency of electrical resistance as compared with the case of adding a conductive agent, particularly humidity dependency is low and, since there is no fear that hygroscopicity is increased, hydrolysis does not promote, and, added mechanical properties free a conductive blade which is comparable to that of.
ここで、イオン性液体とは、室温で液体である溶融塩であり、常温溶融塩とも呼ばれるものであり、特に、融点が７０℃以下、好ましくは３０℃以下のものをいう。 Here, the ionic liquid is a molten salt which is liquid at room temperature, is also called a room temperature molten salt, in particular a melting point of 70 ° C. or less, preferably refers to the 30 ° C. or less. このようなイオン性液体は、蒸気圧がない（不揮発性）、高耐熱性、不燃性、化学的安定である等の特性を有する。 Such ionic liquids have no vapor pressure (nonvolatile), high heat resistance, incombustibility, the characteristics of equal chemically stable.
従って、イオン導電剤のように取扱い上の危険が少なく、室温にて液体であるため、ゴムへの添加が容易であり、所望の中抵抗を容易に得ることができる。 Therefore, less risk of handling as ion conductive agent, because it is liquid at room temperature, it is easy to add to the rubber, it is possible to easily obtain desired in resistance. 特に、ポリウレタンの場合には、主原料のポリオールへそのまま添加すればよいので、添加が容易であるという利点がある。 Particularly, in the case of polyurethane, it is sufficient as it is added to the main raw material of the polyol, there is an advantage that the addition is easy. また、揮発性がないことから、添加部数を増加してもゴムと相溶すればブリードの心配もない。 In addition, since there is no volatility, there is no bleeding of the worry if compatible with the rubber also increased by the addition of the number of copies. 特に、水に溶けないイオン性液体（疎水性イオン性液体）を用いると、ポリウレタンの吸湿性を上げることがないため、加水分解性を促進せず、また湿度依存性が小さく、導電性が安定すると考えられる。 In particular, the use of water-insoluble ionic liquid (hydrophobic ionic liquid), because there is no possibility to increase the hygroscopicity of polyurethane, not promote hydrolysis resistance, also humidity dependency is small, conductivity stable Then conceivable.
本発明で用いることができるイオン性液体は上述した一般式（１）〜（４）で示されるカチオン（陽イオン）を有するものであるが、例えば、イミダゾリウムイオンなどの環状アミジンイオン、ピリジニウムイオン、アンモニウムイオン、スルホニウム、ホスホニウムイオンなどの有機カチオンを陽イオンとするものである。 Although ionic liquids that can be used in the present invention are those having a cation (positive ion) represented by the above general formula (1) to (4), for example, cyclic and imidazolium ions Amijin'ion, pyridinium ions , ammonium ions, sulfonium, organic cations such as phosphonium ion is to a cation. 陰イオンとしては、ＡｌＣｌ ４ − 、Ａｌ ２ Ｃｌ ７ − 、ＮＯ ３ − 、ＢＦ ４ − 、ＰＦ ６ − 、ＣＨ ３ ＣＯＯ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＯＯ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ３ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ２ ） ２ Ｎ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ２ ） ３ Ｃ − 、ＡｓＦ ６ − 、ＳｂＦ ６ − 、Ｆ（ＨＦ）ｎ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＳＯ ３ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＳＯ ２ ） ２ Ｎ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＣＯＯ −などを挙げることができる。 The anion, AlCl 4 -, Al 2 Cl 7 -, NO 3 -, BF 4 -, PF 6 -, CH 3 COO -, CF 3 COO -, CF 3 SO 3 -, (CF 3 SO 2) 2 n -, (CF 3 SO 2 ) 3 C -, AsF 6 -, SbF 6 -, F (HF) n -, CF 3 CF 2 CF 2 CF 2 SO 3 -, (CF 3 CF 2 SO 2) 2 n -, CF 3 CF 2 CF 2 COO - , and the like.
例としては、下記式に表される有機カチオンと、下記式で表される対アニオンとの組み合わせからなるものを挙げることができる。 Examples may include organic cations represented by the following formula, those consisting of a combination of the counter anion represented by the following formula.
本発明では、ベースとなるゴム状弾性体と相溶性を有するイオン性液体を用いればよく、特に限定されない。 In the present invention, it may be used an ionic liquid having a rubber-like elastic material compatible with the base is not particularly limited. 配合割合も特に限定されないが、例えば、ゴム状弾性体基材に対して０．１〜３０重量％程度含有するようにすればよい。 Although the mixing ratio is not particularly limited, for example, it is sufficient to contain about 0.1 to 30 wt% on the rubber-like elastic body base material.
また、イオン性液体の中には水に対して不溶性のものがあり、湿度に対する安定性を考慮すると、水に対して不溶性のものを用いるのが好ましい。 Also, some ionic liquids are as insoluble in water, in consideration of the stability to humidity, preferable to use those insoluble in water.
ゴム状弾性体の材質は、用途に応じた特性が得られるゴム材質であれば特に限定されないが、感光体への汚染性や他の物性の面からポリウレタンやシリコーンゴムが好ましく、特に、ポリウレタンを用いるのが好ましい。 The material of the rubber-like elastic material is not particularly limited as long as the rubber material characteristics according to the application is obtained, preferably polyurethane or silicone rubber in terms of pollution resistance and other physical properties of the photoreceptor, in particular, a polyurethane it is preferable to use.
ここでポリウレタンとしては、特に、注型タイプの液状ポリウレタンが好ましい。 Examples of the polyurethane, in particular, cast type liquid polyurethane is preferred. かかるポリウレタンは、高分子量ポリオール、イソシアネート化合物、鎖長延長剤及び架橋剤などを熱硬化することにより得ることができる。 Such polyurethanes, high molecular weight polyol, an isocyanate compound, and chain extender and crosslinking agent can be obtained by thermally curing. ポリオールとしては、例えば、ポリエステルポリオール、ポリカーボネートポリオール、ポリエーテルポリオール、ポリカーボネートエーテルポリオールなどを挙げることができる。 Examples of the polyol, for example, polyester polyols, polycarbonate polyols, polyether polyols, and polycarbonate polyol. また、イソシアネート化合物としては、４，４'−ジフェニルメタンジイソシアネート（ＭＤＩ）、２，６−トルエンジイソシアネート（ＴＤＩ）、１，５−ナフタレンジイソシアネート（ＴＯＤＩ）、パラフェニレンジイソシアネート（ＰＰＤＩ）などが挙げられる。 As the isocyanate compound, 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI), 2,6-toluene diisocyanate (TDI), 1,5-naphthalene diisocyanate (TODI), paraphenylene diisocyanate (PPDI), and the like. さらに、鎖長延長剤としては、例えば、ブタンジオール、エチレングリコール、トリメチロールエタン、トリメチロールプロパン、グリセリンなどの多価アルコールを挙げることができる。 Furthermore, as the chain extender, for example, butanediol, ethylene glycol, trimethylol ethane, trimethylol propane, may be mentioned polyhydric alcohols such as glycerin. また、架橋剤としては、例えば、芳香族ジアミン系架橋剤を挙げることができる。 As the crosslinking agent, for example, and aromatic diamine-based crosslinking agent.
このようなポリウレンなどを用いた導電性ブレード部材は、例えば、遠心成形などの公知の成形方法で成形することができる。 Such Poriuren such a conductive blade member using, for example, can be molded by a known molding method such as centrifugal molding.
かかる導電性ブレード部材の物性としては、感光体を傷つけない程度の硬度を有し、へたりが少なく耐摩耗性に優れることが挙げられる。 As such a physical property of the conductive blade member has a hardness as not to damage the photosensitive member, and to be excellent in less wear resistance sag. 実際の物性特性としては硬度（ＪＩＳ Ａ）が６０°ないし８０°、反発弾性が４０％から６０％、永久ひずみ特性が３％以下等挙げられる。 It Hardness (JIS A) is not 60 ° as an actual physical properties 80 °, 60% impact resilience of 40% permanent set properties and the like than 3%.
また、導電性ブレード部材の厚みはとくに限定されるものではないが、通常、１〜３ｍｍ程度のものが好適に使用される。 Although not specifically limited, the thickness of the conductive blade member, usually of about 1~3mm is preferably used.
本発明の導電性ブレード部材は、用途によっても異なるが、例えば、印加電圧１００Ｖにおける電気抵抗値（２５℃）が１０ ３ Ω〜１０ １０ Ω、好ましくは、１０ ４ Ω〜１０ ８ Ωのものが使用され、このような所望の抵抗値が得られるようにイオン性液体の種類及び添加量を設定すればよい。 Conductive blade members of the present invention varies depending on the application, for example, electrical resistance at an applied voltage of 100 V (25 ° C.) is 10 3 Ω~10 10 Ω, preferably, those of 10 4 Ω~10 8 Ω is used, such a desired resistance value may be set to the type and amount of ionic liquid so as to obtain.
また、本発明の導電性ブレード部材は、本発明の目的に反しない範囲で、カーボンブラック、金属粉など電子導電剤や過塩素酸リチウムなどのイオン導電剤を併用してもよい。 The conductive blade members of the present invention, within the range not contrary to the object of the present invention, carbon black may be used in combination ion conductive agent such as an electron conductive agent and lithium perchlorate or metal particles.
本発明の導電性ブレードは、ブレード形状のシートである導電性ブレード部材の感光体などと当接する先端とは反対側の部分を支持体に固定したものである。 Conductive blade of the present invention, the photosensitive member of the conductive blade member is a sheet of blade shape such as the contacting tip is obtained by fixing a portion of the opposite side to the support.
図１には、本発明の導電性ブレードの一例を示す。 FIG. 1 shows an example of a conductive member of the present invention. 図１に示すように、導電性ブレード１０は、導電性ブレード部材１１の当接側とは反対側を支持体１２に固定支持したものである。 As shown in FIG. 1, the conductive blade 10, the contact side of the conductive blade member 11 is obtained by fixedly supporting the opposite side to the support 12.
ここで、支持体は、鋼板やアルミニウムなどの金属材料で構成され、とくに、ＳＥＣＣＰ２０／２０（ＪＩＳ Ｇ３３１３）として知られている電気亜鉛めっき鋼板１種が好ましく使用される。 Here, the support is made of a metal material such as steel or aluminum, in particular, SECCP20 / 20 (JIS G3313) electrolytic zinc known as plated steel sheet one is preferably used. なお、ＳＥＣＣＰ２０／２０のＳＥＣＣは、亜鉛めっき鋼板１種を示し、Ｐは、リン酸塩系処理したことを示し、２０／２０は、積載された板上面の標準付着量／下面の標準付着量（ｇ／ｍ ２ ）をそれぞれ示すものである。 Incidentally, the SECC of SECCP20 / 20, shows the galvanized steel one, P is, indicates that the treated phosphate type, 20/20, the standard coating weight of the standard coating weight / lower surface of the stacked plate top surface the (g / m 2) illustrates respectively.
導電性ブレード部材と支持体との接着は、接着剤、両面接着テープなどを用いて行うことができる。 Adhesion between the conductive blade member and the support, the adhesive can be carried out using a double-sided adhesive tape. このような接着は、導電性部材と支持体との間を電気的に導通するもの、例えば、導電性接着剤を用いるのが好ましいが、導電性を有さない接着剤で接着した後に導電性塗料、導電性接着剤あるいは導電性シーラントなどにより導通を図ってもよい。 Such adhesion is provided to electrically conduct between the conductive member and the support, for example, although it is preferable to use a conductive adhesive, conductive after bonding with an adhesive having no conductivity paints, may attempt to conduct by a conductive adhesive or a conductive sealant.
本発明の導電性ブレードをクリーニングブレードとして使用した状態の一例を図２に示す。 An example of a state in which a conductive member of the present invention as a cleaning blade shown in FIG. 図２に示すように、クリーニングブレード１０Ａは、クリーニング装置２０内に配置され、導電性ブレード部材１１Ａの先端が感光体ドラム３０に当接するように配置される。 As shown in FIG. 2, the cleaning blade 10A is disposed in the cleaning device 20, the tip of the conductive blade member 11A is disposed so as to abut against the photosensitive drum 30. なお、このような本発明の導電性ブレードは、感光体ドラム３０の回転方向と先端の向きとが図２のようにほぼ一致するトレール当接又は反対方向に当接するアゲンスト当接の何れで用いてもよい。 The conductive blade of the present invention as described above, using either the rotational direction and the tip direction of the photosensitive drum 30 is abutting Against abut the trail contact or opposite directions substantially aligned as shown in FIG. 2 it may be.
以下、本発明を実施例に基づいて説明するが、本発明はこれに限定されるものではない。 Hereinafter will be described the present invention based on examples, the present invention is not limited thereto.
イオン性液体として、１−エチル−３−メチルイミダゾリウムビス（トリフルオロメチルスルフォニル）イミド（ＥＭＩＴＦＳＩ）を用い、これをエステル系ポリオール１００重量部に対して０．５重量部、１重量部、３重量部、５重量部、１０重量部それぞれ添加し、さらに、鎖長延長剤、架橋剤及びイソシアネートを添加して混合反応させ、厚さ２．０ｍｍのウレタンシートを作製した。 As the ionic liquid, using 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (EMITFSI), 0.5 part by weight of which with respect to the ester-based polyol 100 parts by weight, 1 part by weight, 3 parts, 5 parts by weight, were respectively added 10 parts by weight, further, chain extender, and then mixed reaction adding a crosslinking agent and an isocyanate, to produce a urethane sheet having a thickness of 2.0 mm.
ＥＭＩＴＦＳＩの代わりに、１−ブチル−３−エチルイミダゾリウムビス（トリフルオロメチルスルフォニル）イミド（ＢＭＩＴＦＳＩ）を、０．５重量部、１重量部、３重量部、５重量部それぞれ用いた以外は実施例１と同様にしてウレタンシートを作製した。 Instead of EMITFSI, 1-butyl-3-ethyl imidazolium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (BMITFSI), 0.5 part by weight, 1 part by weight, 3 parts by weight, the embodiment except for using 5 parts by weight, respectively to prepare a urethane sheet in the same manner as in example 1.
ＥＭＩＴＦＳＩの代わりに、１−ブチルピペリジウムビス（トリフルオロメチルスルフォニル）イミド（ＢＰＴＦＳＩ）を、０．５重量部、１重量部、３重量部、５重量部それぞれ用いた以外は実施例１と同様にしてウレタンシートを作製した。 Instead of EMITFSI, 1-butyl piperidine-indium-bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (BPTFSI), 0.5 part by weight, 1 part by weight, 3 parts by weight, except for using 5 parts by weight respectively as in Example 1 to prepare a urethane sheet to.
ＥＭＩＴＦＳＩの代わりに、Ｎ−ブチル−Ｎ−メチルピロリジニウムビス（トリフルオロメチルスルフォニル）イミド（Ｐ １４ ＴＦＳＩ）を、０．５重量部、１重量部、３重量部それぞれ用いた以外は実施例１と同様にしてウレタンシートを作製した。 Instead of EMITFSI, N-butyl -N- methyl-pyrrolidinium bis (trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide (P 14 TFSI), 0.5 part by weight, 1 part by weight, except for using 3 parts by weight, respectively Example to prepare a urethane sheet in the same manner as in 1.
イオン性液体を添加しない以外は実施例１と同様にしてウレタンシートを作製した。 Except for not adding the ionic liquid in the same manner as in Example 1 to prepare a urethane sheet.
イオン性液体の代わりに、ケッチェンブラック（ライオン社製）を０．６重量部添加した以外は実施例１と同様にしてウレタンシートを作製した。 Instead of the ionic liquid to prepare a urethane sheet, except that Ketjen black (manufactured by Lion Corporation) was added 0.6 part by weight in the same manner as in Example 1.
イオン性液体の代わりに、過塩素酸リチウムを０．５重量部、１重量部、３重量部それぞれ添加した以外は実施例１と同様にしてウレタンシートを作製した。 Instead of an ionic liquid, 0.5 parts by weight of lithium perchlorate, 1 part by weight, to prepare a urethane sheet except for adding each of the three parts in the same manner as in Example 1.
実施例１〜１６及び比較例１、２及び５のウレタンシートから、１２０ｍｍ×１２０ｍｍで、厚さ２．０ｍｍのテストサンプルを作製し、温度１０℃、相対湿度２０％の低温低湿環境（ＬＬ）、温度２５℃、相対湿度５０％の常温常湿環境（ＮＮ）、及び温度３５℃、湿度８５％の高温高湿環境（ＨＨ）のそれぞれにおいて、体積抵抗率を測定した。 An urethane sheet of Examples 1 to 16 and Comparative Examples 1, 2 and 5, at 120 mm × 120 mm, to prepare a test sample having a thickness of 2.0 mm, temperature 10 ° C., 20% relative humidity of low temperature and low humidity environment (LL) , temperature 25 ° C., 50% relative humidity at room temperature and normal humidity environment (NN), and the temperature 35 ° C., in each of the humidity of 85% of the high-temperature and high-humidity environment (HH), to measure the volume resistivity. 体積抵抗率の測定は、各環境下のチャンバー内に各サンプルを所定時間放置した後、真鍮製の電極、電流測定器を用い、ＪＩＳ Ｋ ６７２３に準じて、直流１００Ｖの電圧を印加し、１分間充電後の電流値の測定を行った（比較例２については２０Ｖ印加で測定した）。 Measurement of volume resistivity after standing each sample a predetermined time in a chamber under each environment, brass electrode, a current measuring device used, in accordance with JIS K 6723, by applying a voltage of the DC 100 V, 1 min was measured current value after charging (as measured by the 20V applied for Comparative example 2). そして、下記式より、体積抵抗率を算出した。 Then, the following equation, and the volume resistivity was calculated. なお、主電極は直径５０ｍｍ、高さ３５ｍｍ、ガード電極は外径８０ｍｍ、内径７０ｍｍ、高さ１０ｍｍ、対電極は３００×１５０×２ｍｍのものを用いた。 The main electrode diameter 50 mm, height 35 mm, a guard electrode external diameter 80 mm, inner diameter 70 mm, height 10 mm, the counter electrode used was a 300 × 150 × 2mm.
この結果を図３〜図６示す。 Shown 3-6 this result.
この結果、イオン性液体を用いた実施例では、ＬＬ環境からＨＨ環境へ変化させた時の体積抵抗率変化は１桁程度の変化であったが、無添加の比較例１、及び過塩素酸リチウムを用いた比較例５では、ＬＬ環境からＨＨ環境へ変化させた時の体積抵抗率は２桁変化したことから、イオン性液体を用いた実施例の方が、比較例１及び比較例５と比較して環境依存性が小さいことがわかった。 As a result, in the embodiment using the ionic liquid, but the volume resistivity change when changing from the LL environment to HH environment was the change of the order of one digit, Comparative Example 1 with no additive, and perchloric acid in Comparative example 5 using lithium, volume resistivity when changing from LL environment to HH environment since it has changed 2 orders of magnitude found the following examples using an ionic liquid, Comparative example 1 and Comparative example 5 compared to that it found that environmental dependency is small. また、カーボンブラックを用いた比較例２では、ＬＬ環境からＨＨ環境へ変化させた時の体積抵抗率値が高くなる傾向を示した。 In Comparative Example 2 using carbon black, tended volume resistivity value when changing from the LL environment to the HH environment is high.
実施例１〜５、及び比較例１、２、５のウレタンシートから試験例１と同様にして作成したテストサンプルについて、温度３５℃で、相対湿度を２０％から９０％まで変化させ、各環境化で５時間放置した後の体積抵抗率を同様に測定した。 Examples 1-5, and for the test samples prepared in the same manner as in Test Example 1 of urethane sheet of Comparative Example 1, 2, 5, at a temperature 35 ° C., to change the relative humidity up to 90% from 20%, the environment It was measured as the volume resistivity after being allowed to stand for 5 hours at reduction.
この結果を図７に示す。 The results are shown in Figure 7.
この結果、イオン性液体を用いた場合には、過塩素酸リチウムを用いた場合より、湿度依存性が小さいことがわかった。 As a result, in the case of using the ionic liquid than with lithium perchlorate it was found that the humidity dependency is small.
実施例４、比較例２、５のウレタンシートから試験例１と同様にして作成したテストサンプルについて、１００Ｖを連続的に印加した際の体積抵抗率の変化を測定した。 Example 4, for the test samples prepared in the same manner an urethane sheet of Comparative Examples 2 and 5 in Test Example 1 to measure a change in volume resistivity at the time of continuously applying a 100 V. 結果を図８〜図１０に示す。 The results are shown in FIGS. 8 to 10.
この結果、イオン性液体を用いた実施例４では、過塩素酸リチウムを用いた比較例５、カーボンブラックを用いた比較例２と同様に体積抵抗率の上昇はみられなかった。 As a result, in Example 4 using the ionic liquid, Comparative Example 5 using lithium perchlorate, as well as increase in the volume resistivity of Comparative Example 2 using carbon black was observed.
実施例３、８、１６及び比較例１、２、５のウレタンシートから試験例１と同様にして作成したテストサンプルについて、ＬＣＲメータについて静電容量を測定し、下記式より比誘電率を求めた。 For the test samples prepared in the same manner an urethane sheet of Examples 3,8,16 and Comparative Examples 1, 2 and 5 in Test Example 1, the capacitance was measured for LCR meter, determine the dielectric constant from the following equation It was. 測定周波数範囲は５０Ｈｚ〜１ＭＨｚとした。 Measurement frequency range was 50Hz~1MHz. この結果を図１１に示す。 The results are shown in Figure 11.
この結果、イオン性液体を用いた実施例のものは、比誘電率が大きく上昇してしまうカーボンブラック添加の比較例２とは異なり、周波数が１０ｋＨｚ以上となると、無添加の比較例１のものと同等の比誘電率となることがわかった。 As a result, those of Examples using an ionic liquid, the ratio different from the Comparative Example 2 of the carbon black added to the dielectric constant rises significantly, the frequency is above 10 kHz, that of no addition of Comparative Example 1 It was found to be equivalent relative dielectric constant.
実施例１〜１６、比較例１〜５について、硬度（ＪＩＳ Ｋ６２５３ タイプＡ）、反発弾性（ＪＩＳ Ｋ６２５５）、１００％伸張時の引張強さ（１００％モジュラス）、２００％伸長時の引張強さ（２００％モジュラス）３００％伸張時の引張強さ（３００％モジュラス）、引張強度及び切断時の伸び（ＪＩＳ Ｋ６２５１）、引裂強度（ＪＩＳ Ｋ６２５２）、ヤング率（ＪＩＳ Ｋ６２５４）及び１００％永久伸び（ＪＩＳ Ｋ６２６２）をそれぞれ測定した。 For Examples 1-16, Comparative Example 1-5, the hardness (JIS K6253 Type A), resilience (JIS K6255), tensile strength at 100% elongation (100% modulus), tensile strength at 200% elongation (200% modulus) 300% elongation at a tensile strength (300% modulus), tensile strength and elongation at break (JIS K6251), tear strength (JIS K6252), Young's modulus (JIS K6254) and 100% elongation ( JIS K6262) were measured, respectively.
この結果を表１に示す。 The results are shown in Table 1.
この結果、カーボンブラックを添加した比較例２については永久伸びの悪化及び硬度が無添加のものより大きくなり、それに伴ってヤング率が上昇した。 As a result, deterioration and hardness of the permanent elongation becomes larger than that of no addition for Comparative Example 2 with the addition of carbon black, the Young's modulus was increased accordingly. 過塩素酸リチウムを用いた比較例３〜５については特に反発弾性が低下する傾向にあるが、イオン性液体を用いた実施例１〜１６では無添加のものとほぼ同等の物性を示すことがわかった。 Tends to particularly impact resilience decreases Comparative Examples 3-5 employing lithium perchlorate, but to exhibit almost the same physical properties as those of the additive-free in Examples 1 to 16 using the ionic liquid all right.
実施例１、４、５、比較例１〜５のウレタンシートから試験例１と同様にして作成したテストサンプルについて、吸湿性を測定した。 Example 1, 4, 5 for the test samples prepared in the same manner from the urethane sheet of Comparative Example 1-5 to Test Example 1 was measured hygroscopicity. 温度７０℃、真空下に、実施例１、４、５、比較例１〜５を５時間置き、乾燥させた状態での重量を測定し、その後、４５℃９０％の高温高湿環境に１日間放置し、室温に戻してから１０分後、６０分後の重量を測定し、その差から材料の吸湿性を測定した。 Temperature 70 ° C., under vacuum, examples 1,4,5, Comparative Examples 1 to 5 every 5 hours, the weight in a state of being dried and measured, thereafter, 45 ° C. 90% of the high-temperature and high-humidity environment 1 and left days, 10 minutes after returning to room temperature, and weighed after 60 minutes was measured hygroscopic material from the difference. その結果を図１２に示す。 The results are shown in Figure 12.
吸湿度（％）は高温高湿環境に置いた時の重量と乾燥時の重量との差から求めた。 Moisture absorption (%) was calculated from the difference between the weight of the dry and weight when placed in a high temperature and high humidity environment.
この結果、過塩素酸リチウムを用いた比較例３〜５では添加量が多くなるほど吸湿度が大きくなったが、イオン性液体を用いた実施例１、４及び５では、添加量が増えても吸湿度は変化せず、導電剤無添加及びカーボンブラックを用いた比較例１、２と同程度であった。 As a result, although higher moisture absorption amount in Comparative Example 3-5 is increased using lithium perchlorate is increased, in Examples 1, 4 and 5 using an ionic liquid, even the amount of addition is increased moisture absorption does not change, it was comparable with Comparative examples 1 and 2 using a conductive material with no additives and carbon black.
（試験例７）クリーニング特性試験実施例４、比較例２、比較例４のウレタンシートから作製したクリーニングブレードを用いて、クリーニング特性を温度１０℃、相対湿度２０％の低温低湿環境（ＬＬ）、温度２５℃、相対湿度５０％の常温常湿環境(ＮＮ)、温度３５℃、湿度８５％の高温高湿環境(ＨＨ)の各環境下でプリント画による評価を行い、また感光体ドラムとクリーニングブレードとのこすれ時に発生する耳障り音（鳴き）の有無の確認、及び、テスト終了時のエッジの摩耗状態を観察した。 (Test Example 7) Cleaning property test Example 4, Comparative Example 2, using a cleaning blade made from the urethane sheet of Comparative Example 4, the temperature 10 ° C. The cleaning properties, relative humidity of 20% of the low-temperature and low-humidity environment (LL), temperature 25 ° C., 50% relative humidity at room temperature and normal humidity environment (NN), the temperature 35 ° C., evaluated by the print image in each environment of 85% humidity high-temperature and high-humidity environment (HH), also the photosensitive drum and the cleaning Checking for jarring noise generated during rubbing of the blade (squeal), and was observed the wear state of the edge at the end of the test. なお、クリーニング特性は、平均粒径６μｍのトナーを用いて行った。 The cleaning properties were performed using a toner having an average particle diameter of 6 [mu] m.
クリーニング特性及び鳴き発生結果の良否は次の基準で評価した。 Quality of cleaning performance and squeaking results were evaluated by the following criteria. この結果を表２に示す。 The results are shown in Table 2.
また、テスト終了時のエッジ摩耗状態の評価項目は次の評価基準で評価した。 The evaluation items of the edge state of wear at the end of the test were evaluated by the following evaluation criteria.
この結果より、実施例４のクリーニングブレードは４０Ｋまでクリーニング不良、鳴きの発生がなく安定したクリーニング特性を示し、エッジの耐久性が良好であることがわかった。 From this result, the cleaning blade of Example 4 poor cleaning to 40K, shows a stable cleaning characteristics without squeaking, it was found that the durability of the edge is good.
これに対し、アルカリ金属イオンを用いた比較例５では、ＨＨ環境下では、イオンのブリードによる感光体の汚染によるクリーニング不良が発生した。 In contrast, in Comparative Example 5 using an alkali metal ion, under HH environment, cleaning failure due to contamination of the photosensitive member due to bleeding of ions occurs. また、ＬＬ環境下ではエッジの欠落による不均一な摩耗により３Ｋにおいてクリーニング不良を示した。 Also showed insufficient cleaning in 3K by uneven wear due to lack of edge under LL environment.
また、カーボンブラックを用いた比較例２では、ＬＬ〜ＮＮ環境下では、硬度が高いことから８Ｋを過ぎたところから鳴きが発生した。 In Comparative Example 2 using carbon black, under LL~NN environment, squeal occurs from past the 8K since hardness is high. またＬＬ環境下では硬度が高くなり、エッジに直径５μｍ以上の欠けが発生し、クリーニング不良を示した。 The hardness is increased under LL environment, chipping or more in diameter 5μm an edge has occurred and showed poor cleaning.
以上説明したように，本発明では、導電剤としてイオン性液体を用いるので比較的容易に所望の抵抗値に設定可能であり、安定した物性を有し、またベースのウレタン材質特性を低下することがないため、ＬＬ〜ＨＨ環境下において球径トナーに対するクリーニング性能を常時良好に保つことができる導電性ブレードを提供することができるという効果を奏する。 As described above, in the present invention, since use of ionic liquids as a conductive agent are relatively easily set to a desired resistance value, it has a stable physical properties, also lowering the base urethane material properties because there is no, there is an effect that it is possible to provide a conductive blade which can be kept constantly good cleaning performance for spherical diameter toner under LL~HH environment.
【図１】本発明の導電性ブレードの一例を示す斜視図である。 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a conductive member of the present invention.
【図２】本発明の導電性ブレードの一例であるクリーニングブレードの使用態様の一例を示す図である。 2 is a diagram showing one example of an application mode of the cleaning blade, which is an example of a conductive member of the present invention.
【図３】試験例１の結果を示すグラフである。 3 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 1.
【図４】試験例１の結果を示すグラフである。 4 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 1.
【図５】試験例１の結果を示すグラフである。 5 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 1.
【図６】試験例１の結果を示すグラフである。 6 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 1.
【図７】試験例２の結果を示すグラフである。 7 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 2.
【図８】試験例３の結果を示すグラフである。 8 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 3.
【図９】試験例３の結果を示すグラフである。 9 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 3.
【図１０】試験例３の結果を示すグラフである。 It is a graph showing the results of Figure 10 Test Example 3.
【図１１】試験例４の結果を示すグラフである。 11 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 4.
【図１２】試験例６の結果を示すグラフである。 12 is a graph showing the results of Test Example 6.
導電剤として少なくとも一種のイオン性液体を含有するゴム状弾性体からなる導電性ブレード部材と、この導電性ブレード部材を支持する支持体とを具備することを特徴とする導電性ブレード。 A rubber-like elastic body conductive blade member made containing at least one ionic liquid as a conductive agent, conductive blade, characterized by comprising a support for supporting the conductive blade member.
請求項１において、前記ゴム状弾性体がポリウレタンからなり、体積抵抗率が１×１０ ３ 〜１×１０ １０ Ω・ｃｍであることを特徴とする導電性ブレード。 According to claim 1, conductive blade, wherein the rubber-like elastic body made of polyurethane, the volume resistivity is 1 × 10 3 ~1 × 10 10 Ω · cm.
請求項１又は２において、前記イオン性液体が、下記一般式（１）〜（４）で表される群から選択されるカチオンを含むことを特徴とする導電性ブレード。 According to claim 1 or 2, wherein the ionic liquid, conductive blade, characterized in that it comprises a cation selected from the group represented by the following general formula (1) to (4).
請求項１〜３の何れかにおいて、前記イオン性液体が、ＡｌＣｌ ４ − 、Ａｌ ２ Ｃｌ ７ − 、ＮＯ ３ − 、ＢＦ ４ − 、ＰＦ ６ − 、ＣＨ ３ ＣＯＯ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＯＯ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ３ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ２ ） ２ Ｎ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＳＯ ２ ） ３ Ｃ − 、ＡｓＦ ６ − 、ＳｂＦ ６ − 、Ｆ（ＨＦ）ｎ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＳＯ ３ − 、（ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＳＯ ２ ） ２ Ｎ − 、ＣＦ ３ ＣＦ ２ ＣＦ ２ ＣＯＯ −の中から選択されるアニオンを含むことを特徴とする導電性ブレード。 In any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the ionic liquid, AlCl 4 -, Al 2 Cl 7 -, NO 3 -, BF 4 -, PF 6 -, CH 3 COO -, CF 3 COO -, CF 3 SO 3 -, (CF 3 SO 2) 2 n -, (CF 3 SO 2) 3 C -, AsF 6 -, SbF 6 -, F (HF) n -, CF 3 CF 2 CF 2 CF 2 SO 3 - , (CF 3 CF 2 SO 2 ) 2 N -, CF 3 CF 2 CF 2 COO - conductive blade, characterized in that it comprises an anion selected from among.
請求項１〜４の何れかにおいて、前記イオン性液体は、融点が７０℃以下であることを特徴とする導電性ブレード。 In any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ionic liquid, conductive blade, characterized in that a melting point of 70 ° C. or less. | 2019-04-19T15:29:01Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/JP4257771B2/en |
National has a proud heritage dating back over 80 years. We’re part of New Zealand’s history, and are building the foundation for its future.
The New Zealand National Party was formed in Wellington on May 13 and 14, 1936. It grew out of the coalition government of the Reform and Liberal parties, which had formed the wartime National Government in 1915.
The Reform Party had been essentially a rural based party, whereas the Liberals were dominated by city based concerns. These two parties united to form an alternative to the socialist Labour government. The name "National" was chosen as the new party sought to represent all parts of the community.
George Forbes, the United Party Leader opened the conference which formed the National Party in May 1936 and was Leader of the Opposition until October 1936 when Adam Hamilton was elected as the first Leader of the National Party.
The Party grew quickly and by the third party conference in August 1938, shortly before the general election, there were more than 100,000 members.
Hamilton led the Party into its first election in 1938. This election proved to be very disappointing with the number of National members rising from a mere 19 to 25 seats out of 80, well short of becoming government.
The onset of World War Two saw National MPs entering a War Cabinet with the Labour Government of Peter Fraser. In 1940 Sidney Holland was elected National Party Leader. He led the Party into the 1943 election with National reducing Labour's majority from 28 seats to just 12.
National's first woman Member of Parliament was Hilda Ross who won the Hamilton electorate in a by-election in May 1945 and went on to serve as a minister in the first National Government. She was made a Dame in 1956.
The 1946 election saw the removal of the "country quota", which had increased the number of rural seats, and this cost National victory. National won 38 of the general electorate seats, the same as Labour, but the four Maori electorates remained firmly in Labour's hands. In the wake of the defeat Keith Holyoake was chosen as deputy leader in 1947. At the first meeting of the Dominion Executive of the Party following the election in March 1947, a Marginal Seats Committee was formed. Eight Labour held seats were heavily targeted to take National to the Treasury benches.
When New Zealand went to the polls in 1949, National swept in to power winning 46 of a possible 80 seats. After 13 years of opposition National finally took office.
The first National Government faced its gravest challenge in the 1951 waterfront dispute. The industrial unrest caused many difficulties for the Government. Holland consulted his cabinet and senior party officials and called a snap election. The campaign contrasted the strong leadership of Holland versus the older Labour leader Walter Nash. National won by a landslide with 54 per cent of all votes cast giving lifting the party’s majority to 20 seats from 12 the previous election.
The Government gradually deregulated the economy from the austerity of wartime. The Korean War meant a booming demand for New Zealand's products. However, the election in 1954 saw National's vote drop by nearly 100,000. This was largely due to the emergence of the Social Credit Political League. National retained its majority but lost five seats. Cabinet was reshuffled with many new younger faces brought in.
Holland became increasingly ill in 1956. Keith Holyoake was elected leader on 13 August 1957. Five weeks later Holland resigned as Prime Minister and Holyoake formed his own Cabinet on 20 September. Holland retired at the 1957 election and died four years later.
Keith Jacka Holyoake had left school at the age of 12, when his father had become ill. He worked his father's farm and was educated by his mother at night. He later became very active in the community, particularly with rugby union and the Farmers Union. At the age of 53, he succeeded Holland. He was known as an extremely astute chairman of Cabinet and Caucus. He encouraged consensus and compromise in decision-making.
The 1957 election campaign was not successful for National. The late leadership change, Labour's promise of a 100 pound tax rebate, and a weaker National Party organisation resulted in Labour winning 41seats to National's 39. The National vote dropped only slightly but Labour had taken votes at Social Credit's expense. Holyoake had been prime minister for just 70 days and he almost immediately set out to return to that office.
By mid-1958, Holyoake had Labour on the run. The Labour Government's Black Budget of 1958 saw a collapse in Labour's electoral support. Holyoake criss-crossed the country from May 1959 to take his message to the people. During 1960 he undertook a six-week tour of Asia as the Leader of Opposition and greatly improved our Asian relations. Heavy tax increases and vigorous National campaign unseated Labour. National was restored to power with 46 seats and a majority of 12. One of the new MPs was R.D. Muldoon from Tamaki.
The new Holyoake Government worked to implement 215 Bills in its term. It brought through 156 in the first session. Government legislation ranged from revision of the Crimes Act to changes to the liquor laws. This led the 1963 election to be fought on memories of the unpopular Labour Government and the successful National Government. National only lost a net one seat.
From 1964 the Vietnam War began to dominate the news. Labour installed Norman Kirk as leader in 1966 and he decided not to use Vietnam as an issue in the 1966 election. This election campaign was Holyoake's stormiest. There were near riots at his election meetings in the main cities and TV began to play a part in the campaign. However, National lost a net of just one seat, not to Labour, but to Social Credit.
Muldoon was appointed to Cabinet in February 1967, three weeks later, Harry Lake then Minister of Finance died. Muldoon was appointed to the post. Not long after assuming the post Muldoon introduced his first mini-budget, which bore the hallmark of his piecemeal and interventionist style.
National tried to fight the 1969 election over the success of its National Development Conference. Again the Vietnam War dominated, protesters brawling with police and Holyoake was mobbed. Muldoon was used to attack Kirk and revelled in the higher profile he now had. In an increased Parliament of 84 seats, National won 45 and Labour 39.
Holyoake announced his retirement at Caucus on 2 February 1972. Jack Marshall, Holyoake’s long-time deputy, succeeded him. Marshall was highly respected for his work in negotiation for trade access with the European Economic Community. He took over a National Party in election year that was 16 points behind in the opinion polls, Muldoon was elected deputy leader.
The Labour Party under Kirk inflicted a severe defeat on the National Party in the 1972 election. Their "Time for Change" campaign and Kirk's television persona were too much for the more retiring Marshall. National was left with 32 seats out of 87. Among the new MPs elected that year was Jim Bolger.
Robert Muldoon, a former accountant and the MP for Tāmaki, became the leader of a shattered National Party in July 1974. The Caucus saw Muldoon as the man capable of taking on Kirk. Other major changes were made to the organisation. A new president was elected in George Chapman and a new director-general in Barrie Leay. They developed a highly successful advertising campaign for the coming election.
Kirk died in office and was replaced by Bill Rowling. Rowling lived in the shadow of Kirk. Muldoon barnstormed the country in 1975 his most famous meeting of that campaign was at the Wiri Woolstore where he spoke to a crowd of 6500. Muldoon, the master debater, was highly successful on television, which had come of age as a primary campaigning medium. A highly successful advertising campaign put National into power with a massive majority.
National’s 23-seat majority was an exact reversal of Labour's 1972 result.
Initially, Muldoon appeared to begin reforming the economy and eliminate the budget deficit. Soon Muldoon began moving toward a more regulated and interventionist approach. By the 1978 election, National's share of the vote fell from 48 per cent to 40 per cent. Only superior National organisation in key marginal seats resulted in the Party retaining power, albeit with 51 seats, a majority of just 10 seats, in the 92 seat Parliament. Social Credit gained one seat.
In October 1980, Muldoon's leadership came under challenge in the so called "Colonels' Coup." Three able young ministers Derek Quigley, Jim McLay and Jim Bolger looked to replace Muldoon with his deputy, Brian Talboys. However, Talboys was unwilling and once Muldoon returned from his overseas trip, he set about retaining power and managed to head off the challenge.
The 1981 election was dominated by the aftermath of the Springbok Tour and by the "Think Big" plans. Think Big aimed to invest public money into major energy projects that would provide alternatives to oil following the two oil price-hike shocks of the 1970s. National held 47 seats to Labour's 43, each party having 39 per cent of the vote, with Social Credit winning two seats (with a popular vote of 20 per cent). This lead to a majority of just one following the appointment of a Speaker who at that time had a no deliberative vote.
Muldoon as Prime Minister and Minister of Finance imposed his will on the economy through mini-budgets and a freeze of wages and prices.
However, there were some more reformist actions. In 1983 Jim Bolger introduced Voluntary Unionism legislation and also in the post of Minister of Labour he freed up shop trading hours. He was seen as a mix of Holland, Holyoake, and Muldoon and pushed for a more balanced approach to the economy.
The Clyde Dam Bill, which fast-tracked development of the hydro generating station, was among the actions that caused Muldoon to lose the support of a number of MPs. Maverick National MPs Marilyn Waring and Mike Minogue threatened the fragile majority. In March 1984, National elected Jim McLay deputy leader. He had strong appeal with more liberal sections of society and the business sector.
After falling to gain the support of Marilyn Waring over nuclear ship legislation, Muldoon called a snap election which was held on 14 July 1984. This was despite warnings from Party President Sue Wood that the party organisation was completely unprepared.
The New Zealand Party formed by former National supporter, Bob Jones took away traditional National support across the country, securing 12 per cent of the vote. Divisions and defections in National and the charismatic Labour leader David Lange took National's share of the vote to just 36 per cent of the vote and 37 of 95 seats.
In November 1984, Muldoon was voted out in favour of a new leadership team. Jim McLay became leader and Bolger his deputy. McLay took over a traumatised National Party. Muldoon undermined him in the media and his supporters put pressure on the McLay leadership.
McLay did not find television easy and he fell behind in the polls as he failed to put pressure on the Labour Government. In early 1986 James Brendan Bolger, MP for King Country, took over as Leader.
He took National into battle against a Lange Government in full flight. Big business funded Labour's campaign as the sharemarket boomed. Urban, liberal New Zealand that had voted for the New Zealand Party in 1984, now voted Labour as they got rich quick. While National gained 44 per cent of the vote in the 1987 election, winning 40 seats, 17 behind Labour with 48 per cent. National was only hundreds of votes from losing urban strongholds like Remuera, but held onto the likes of Timaru. However, soon after the election the sharemarket crashed and the economy slammed into recession. There was rapidly rising unemployment and negative economic growth. The new member for Ashburton elected in 1987 was Jenny Shipley.
National came to the front of the polls and stayed there. In 1990, National won an astounding 67 seats of a possible 97. This was the largest majority in New Zealand's Parliamentary history. The fourth National Government took steps to rein in ballooning public spending and put the books in order. They succeeded and brought the Budget in to surplus in 1994. With an export-led recovery New Zealand began to boom and unemployment fell through the 1990s after peaking at 10.9 per cent in 1991.
During the first term of the fourth National Government, Cabinet Minister Winston Peters made public his disagreement with the direction of some of the Government's policy. In October 1991 he was dismissed from Cabinet. He resigned from the National caucus in October 1992, and was not selected to be the National candidate again in his Tauranga electorate. Winston Peters established a centrist party called NZ First.
The 1993 election was fought on the basis of the rapidly expanding recovery. While most pundits had National in with a comfortable majority, election night delivered a shock. It appeared that there would be a hung parliament, with National unable to establish clear majority. As Prime Minister Bolger said, "Bugger the pollsters". The return of special votes established that National's Alec Neill had in fact won the seat of Waitaki. Peter Tapsell the Labour Member of Parliament for Eastern Maori became the Speaker of the House and National had a majority of two, having won 50 of the 99 seats with 35 per cent of the vote. 1993 saw a combined third party vote of 27 per cent for NZ First and Alliance.
Also that night a referendum on electoral systems established that Mixed Member Proportional representation would be used for future elections, replacing First Past the Post. Thus the 1994-96 term of Parliament was dominated by manoeuvring in advance of MMP. Many new parties formed but only six were elected to Parliament in the 1996 MMP election.
The election night results, as predicted, were inconclusive with National gaining 34 per cent, similar to 1993, and winning 44 out of the 120 seats in Parliament. After almost nine weeks of post-election coalition talks with NZ First which had won 13 per cent of the party vote giving it 17 seats, a coalition was agreed between the two parties and a National/NZ First Government was sworn in with 61 seats out of 120 in the House. The right-wing Act party had 6 per cent.
The public took some time to get used to consensus-style coalition government. The unpopularity of NZ First also rubbed off on National. National's public poll ratings reached record lows.
In December 1997 Jenny Shipley replaced Jim Bolger as Leader of the National Party and Prime Minister. Mrs Shipley became both the National Party’s first woman leader, and also New Zealand’s first woman Prime Minister. In August 1998 Winston Peters was sacked as Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister. NZ First left the Coalition Government. However, a number of MPs resigned from NZ First and were committed to supporting the Government.
National continued in power as a minority Government, similar to many in Europe, with the support also of Act, United, and independent MPs. Despite these challenges National successfully enacted further important reforms, enabling greater competition and consumer choice across a number of industries.
The change of leadership, coupled with a major Cabinet re-shuffle in January 1999, saw National entering the election campaign with a fresher and more centrist team.
In October 2001 Bill English became National's Leader and Roger Sowry the Deputy Leader. By October 2003 a mood for change resulted in the election of Don Brash as Leader of the National Party, with Bill English moving to a front bench seat. After a short period as Deputy Leader, Nick Smith was replaced by Gerry Brownlee.
At the 2005 election National came agonisingly close to taking power after Don Brash and his team managed to almost double National's party vote and number of MPs.
In late 2006, Don Brash decided to step down as leader. Finance Spokesman, John Key, was elected Leader and Bill English as Deputy Leader.
Under John Key’s fresh leadership, National went into the 2008 general election campaign with a large lead in the opinion polls. The Party ran a strong, disciplined and relentlessly positive campaign that focused on the issues that mattered to New Zealanders fed up with nine years of an increasingly ‘PC’ Labour Government. National asked New Zealanders to ‘Choose a Brighter Future’ and voters responded by delivering John Key and National a resounding victory of 45 per cent of the vote (to Labour’s 34 per cent) – the highest ever party vote percentage achieved under MMP.
Despite National’s healthy election margin John Key forged confidence and supply agreements with partners to the right and left, including the Act, United Future, and Maori parties to deliver New Zealanders a strong, stable centre-right Government.
During its first term in office, the National Government faced extraordinary challenges from the global economic crisis to the two Canterbury earthquakes and the Pike River Mine Disaster. John Key dealt with these events swiftly, skilfully, and with immense compassion. And through it all the National-led Government has continued to work hard to deliver on its election promises, help Kiwis get ahead, and build a brighter future for New Zealand.
The voters returned National to the Treasury benches in 2011 with National renewing its supply and confidence agreements with the Act, United Future, and Maori parties.
National’s second term in office saw it build on the successes of the first. Under John Key’s leadership, New Zealand continued to prosper and become one of the fastest growing countries in the OECD. It was becoming a more confident, outward looking nation where Kiwis wanted to live and Kiwis overseas wanted to return home to – a far cry from the stadium of departures John Key highlighted in the 2008 election campaign.
National’s campaign for a third term saw it take its track record of economic success and ongoing commitment to back all New Zealanders’ hard work. Its pledge to keep working for New Zealand saw it returned to Government alongside its confidence and supply partners Act, United Future and the Maori Party. | 2019-04-19T02:47:00Z | https://www.national.org.nz/history |
Androidapplications are written in the Java programming language. The Android SDKtools compile the code—along with any data and resource files—into an Android package, an archive file with an .apk suffix. Allthe code in a single .apk file is considered to be one application and is thefile that Android-powered devices use to install the application.
By default, every application runs in its own Linux process. Android starts the process when any of the application's components need to be executed, then shuts down the process when it's no longer needed or when the system must recover memory for other applications.
Inthis way, the Android system implements the principle of least privilege. Thatis, each application, by default, has access onlyto the components that it requires to do its work and no more.This creates a very secure environment in which an application cannot accessparts of the system for which it is not given permission.
It's possible to arrange for two applications to share the same Linux user ID, in which case they are able to access each other's files. To conserve system resources, applications with the same user ID can also arrange to run in the same Linux process and share the same VM (the applications must also be signed with the same certificate).
An application can request permission to access device data such as the user's contacts, SMS messages, the mountable storage (SD card), camera, Bluetooth, and more. All application permissions must be granted by the user at install time.
Applicationcomponents are the essential building blocks ofan Android application. Each component is a different pointthrough which the system can enter yourapplication. Not all components are actual entrypoints for the user and some depend on each other, but each oneexists as its own entity and plays a specific role—each one is a unique building block that helps define yourapplication's overall behavior.
Thereare four different types of application components. Each type serves a distinctpurpose and has a distinct lifecycle that defines how the component is createdand destroyed.
An activity represents a single screen with auser interface. For example, an email application might have one activity thatshows a list of new emails, another activity to compose an email, and anotheractivity for reading emails. Although the activities work together to forma cohesive(紧密结合的) userexperience in the email application, each one is independent of the others. Assuch, a different application can start any one of these activities (ifthe email application allows it). For example, a camera application can startthe activity in the email application that composes new mail, in order for theuser to share a picture.
Anactivity is implemented as a subclass of Activity andyou can learn more about it in the Activities developerguide.
A service is a component that runs in thebackground to perform long-running operations or to perform work for remote processes. A service does not provide a user interface. For example, aservice might play music in the background while the user is in a differentapplication, or it might fetch data over the network without blocking userinteraction with an activity. Another component, such as an activity, can start the service and let it run or bind to it in order to interact with it.
Aservice is implemented as a subclass of Service andyou can learn more about it in the Services developerguide.
A content provider manages a shared set ofapplication data. You can store the data in the filesystem, an SQLite database, on the web, or anyother persistent storage location your application canaccess. Through the content provider, other applications can query or evenmodify the data (if the content provider allows it). For example, the Androidsystem provides a content provider that manages the user's contact information.As such, any application with the proper permissions can query part of thecontent provider (such as ContactsContract.Data) to readand write information about a particular person.
Contentproviders are also useful for reading and writing data that is private to yourapplication and not shared. For example, the Note Pad sampleapplication uses a content provider to save notes.
Acontent provider is implemented as a subclass of ContentProvider andmust implement a standard set of APIs that enable other applications to performtransactions. For more information, see the Content Providers developerguide.
A broadcast receiver is a component that responds to system-wide broadcast announcements. Many broadcasts originate（发起） fromthe system—for example, a broadcast announcing(宣告)thatthe screen has turned off, the battery is low, or a picture was captured.Applications can also initiate(发起) broadcasts—forexample, to let other applications know that some data has been downloaded tothe device and is available for them to use. Althoughbroadcast receivers don't display a user interface,they may create a status bar notification toalert the user when a broadcast event occurs. Morecommonly, though, a broadcast receiver is just a"gateway" to other components and is intended to do a very minimalamount of work. For instance, it might initiate a service to perform some workbased on the event.
Abroadcast receiver is implemented as a subclass of BroadcastReceiver andeach broadcast is delivered as an Intent object.For more information, see the BroadcastReceiver class.
Aunique aspect of the Android system design is that anyapplication can start another application’s component. Forexample, if you want the user to capture a photo with the device camera, there'sprobably another application that does that and your application can use it,instead of developing an activity to capture a photo yourself.You don't need to incorporate or even link to the code from the cameraapplication. Instead, you can simply start the activity in the cameraapplication that captures a photo. When complete, the photo is even returned toyour application so you can use it. To the user, it seems as if the camera isactually a part of your application.
Android系统被设计的一个比较独特的方面就是：任何APP都可以启动其他APP的组件. 例如，如果你想让用户使用照相机设备去捕捉一个照片时，可能已经有其他的APP已经可以做到了，而你的APP就可以直接使用它， 而不用自己去开发一个Activity来实现照片的捕捉了. 你并不需要和照相机APP进行合并或者接入到对方的代码里. 取而代之的是，你可以很简单的去启动一个照相机APP的Activity来捕捉照片. 当完成了这个过程，这张照片就会被返回到你的APP里并且可以使用了. 对于用户来说，照相机就好像是你APP里的一部分一样.
Whenthe system starts a component, it starts the process for that application (ifit's not already running) and instantiates the classes needed for thecomponent. For example, if your application starts the activity in the cameraapplication that captures a photo, that activity runs in the process thatbelongs to the camera application, not in your application's process.Therefore, unlike applications on most other systems, Androidapplications don't have a single entry point (there'sno main() function,for example).
Becausethe system runs each application in a separate process with file permissionsthat restrict access to other applications, yourapplication cannot directly activate a component from another application. TheAndroid system, however, can. So, to activate acomponent in another application, you must delivera message to the system that specifies your intent to start a particularcomponent. The system then activates the componentfor you.
Threeof the four component types—activities, services, and broadcastreceivers—are activated by an asynchronousmessage called an intent. Intents bind individualcomponents to each other at runtime (you can think of them as the messengersthat request an action from other components), whether the component belongs toyour application or another.
Anintent is created with an Intent object,which defines a message to activate either a specific component or aspecific type ofcomponent—an intent can be either explicitor implicit(显式或隐式的), respectively.
Foractivities and services, an intent defines the action to perform (for example,to "view" or "send" something) and mayspecify the URI of the data to act on (among other thingsthat the component being started might need to know). For example, an intentmight convey(传达) a requestfor an activity to show an image or to open a web page. In some cases, youcan start an activity to receive a result, in whichcase, the activity also returns the result in an Intent (forexample, you can issue an intent to let the user pick a personal contact andhave it returned to you—the return intent includes a URI pointingto the chosen contact).
Forbroadcast receivers, the intent simply defines the announcement being broadcast (forexample, a broadcast to indicate thedevice battery is low includes only a known action string that indicates"battery is low").
Theother component type, content provider, is not activated byintents. Rather, it is activated when targeted by arequest from aContentResolver.The content resolver handles all direct transactions with the content providerso that the component that's performing transactions with the provider doesn'tneed to and instead calls methods on the ContentResolver object.This leaves a layer of abstraction between the content provider and thecomponent requesting information (for security).
You can start an activity (or give it something new to do) by passing an Intent to startActivity() or startActivityForResult() (when you want the activity to return a result).
You can start a service (or give new instructions to an ongoing service) by passing an Intent to startService(). Or you can bind to the service by passing an Intent to bindService().
You can initiate a broadcast by passing an Intent to methods like sendBroadcast(), sendOrderedBroadcast(), or sendStickyBroadcast().
You can perform a query to a content provider by calling query() on a ContentResolver.
Beforethe Android system can start an application component, the system must knowthat the component exists by reading the application'sAndroidManifest.xml file(the "manifest" file). Your application must declare all itscomponents in this file, which must be at the root of the application projectdirectory.
Identify any user permissions the application requires, such as Internet access or read-access to the user's contacts.
Declare the minimum API Level required by the application, based on which APIs the application uses.
Declare hardware and software features used or required by the application, such as a camera, bluetooth services, or a multitouch screen.
API libraries the application needs to be linked against (other than the Android framework APIs), such as the Google Maps library.
Inthe <application> element,the android:icon attributepoints to resources for an icon that identifies the application.
Inthe <activity> element,the android:name attributespecifies the fully qualified class name ofthe Activity subclass andthe android:labelattributesspecifies a string to use as the user-visible label for the activity.
Activities,services, and content providers that you include in your source but do notdeclare in the manifest are not visible to the system and,consequently, can never run. However, broadcast receivers can be eitherdeclared in the manifest or created dynamically in code (asBroadcastReceiver objects)and registered with the system by calling registerReceiver().
Formore about how to structure the manifest file for your application, seethe The AndroidManifest.xml File documentation.
Asdiscussed above, in Activating Components,you can use an Intent tostart activities, services, and broadcast receivers. You can do so byexplicitly naming the target component (using the component class name) in theintent. However, the real power ofintents lies in the concept of intent actions. With intentactions, you simply describe the type of action youwant to perform (and optionally, the data upon which you’d like to perform the action) and allow the system to find acomponent on the device that can perform the action and start it. If there aremultiple components that can perform the action described by the intent, thenthe user selects which one to use.
Theway the system identifies the components that can respond to an intent is bycomparing the intent received to the intent filters provided in themanifest file of other applications on the device.
Whenyou declare anactivity in your app's manifest, you can optionally includeintent filters thatdeclare the capabilities of the activity so it can respondto intents fromother apps. You can declare an intentfilter for your component byadding an <intent-filter> elementasa child of the component's declaration element.
Then,if anotherapp creates an intent with the ACTION_SEND actionandpass it to startActivity(),the system maystart your activity so the user can draft and send an email.
Formore about creating intent filters, see the Intents and Intent Filters document.
There are avariety of devices powered by Android and not all of them provide the samefeatures and capabilities. In order to prevent your app from being installed ondevices that lack features needed by your app, it's important that you clearlydefine a profile for the types of devices your app supports by declaring deviceand software requirements in your manifest file. Most of thesedeclarations are informational only and the system does not read them, but externalservices such as Google Play do read them in order to provide filtering forusers when they search for apps from their device.
Now, devicesthat do not have a camera and have an Android version lower than2.1 cannot install your app from Google Play.
However, you canalso declare that your app uses the camera, but does not require it.In that case, your app must set the required attribute to "false" and check atruntime whether the device has a camera and disable any camera features asappropriate.
More informationabout how you can manage your app's compatibility with different devices isprovided in theDevice Compatibility document.
An Android appis composed of more than just code—it requires resources that are separate fromthe source code, such as images, audio files, and anything relating to thevisual presentation of the app. For example, you should define animations,menus, styles, colors, and the layout of activity user interfaces with XMLfiles. Using app resources makes it easy to update various characteristics ofyour app without modifying code and—by providing sets of alternativeresources—enables you to optimize your app for a variety of deviceconfigurations (such as different languages and screen sizes).
For every resourcethat you include in your Android project, the SDK build tools define a uniqueinteger ID, which you can use to reference the resource from yourapp code or from other resources defined in XML. For example, if your appcontains an image file named logo.png (saved in the res/drawable/ directory),the SDK tools generate a resource ID named R.drawable.logo, which you canuse to reference the image and insert it in your user interface.
One of the mostimportant aspects of providing resources separate from your source code is the ability for youto provide alternative resources for different device configurations. For example,by defining UI strings in XML, you can translate the strings into otherlanguages and save those strings in separate files. Then, based on a language qualifier thatyou append to the resource directory's name (such as res/values-fr/ for Frenchstring values) and the user's language setting, the Android system applies theappropriate language strings to your UI.
Android supportsmany different qualifiers for your alternative resources. Thequalifier is a short string that you include in the name of your resourcedirectories in order to define the device configuration for which thoseresources should be used. As another example, you should often create differentlayouts for your activities, depending on the device's screen orientation and size.For example, when the device screen is in portrait orientation (tall), youmight want a layout with buttons to be vertical, but when the screen is inlandscape orientation (wide), the buttons should be aligned horizontally. Tochange the layout depending on the orientation, you can define two differentlayouts and apply the appropriate qualifier to each layout's directory name.Then, the system automatically applies the appropriate layout depending on thecurrent device orientation.
For more aboutthe different kinds of resources you can include in your application and how tocreate alternative resources for different device configurations, read Providing Resources. | 2019-04-24T21:48:38Z | https://my.oschina.net/yaoqinwei/blog/203431 |
Health technology assessment (HTA) has gained increasing importance in supporting decisions. Over time, not only have specific HTA methodologies been developed, but the specific timing of assessments along the life-cycle of medical technologies has also evolved. Early assessments—before the broad diffusion of such health technologies—bear the advantage of supporting transparent, evidence-based reimbursement decisions on benefit catalogues, as well as of assisting budget allocations for costly medicinal products [ 1 – 3 ]. Depending on the developmental stage in the life-cycle of a health technology, different “early” HTA concepts like early dialogue (before the inception of clinical trials for market approval), early awareness systems or alert systems (for scanning the horizon of technologies in development or before market entry), and early (pre-coverage) assessments can be applied [ 1 ].
The fast implementation of new and often costly technologies into clinical practice and the high number of medicinal products in the pipeline have led to the introduction of early awareness systems, also called horizon scanning systems (HSS) [ 4 – 6 ]. Several countries like Sweden, Canada and the Netherlands have incorporated such concepts to make health care systems more effective and efficient through the early identification and prioritisation of emerging expensive and/or clinically relevant therapies [ 4 , 7 ]. Austria ranks among the top ten countries when it comes to the rapid adoption and implementation of oncology drugs [ 8 , 9 ]. Therefore, the Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Health Technology Assessment (LBI-HTA) was commissioned in 2007 to develop and establish an HSS specifically focusing on anti-cancer drugs to provide a basis for better informed pre-coverage decisions [ 9 ].
Furthermore, many countries maintain benefit catalogues covering medical services and technologies that can be reimbursed. Some benefit catalogues cover all interventions of the in- and outpatient sectors, or—as in Austria—separate catalogues exist for the inpatient and outpatient sectors. In addition to the flat-rate payments based on a diagnosis-related group (DRG) system, costly interventions are reimbursed via a supplementary tariff in Austria. Within this hospital benefit catalogue, highly specialised services, such as medical devices and some specific oncology drugs, are offset as extra medical services (MELs) [ 10 , 11 ]. Since 2008, the LBI-HTA has been conducting annual HTA reports (evidence syntheses) to support evidence-based, pre-coverage decisions on whether to include new interventions in the Austrian hospital benefit catalogue [ 11 , 12 ].
This article aims to outline the general process of pre-coverage decision support and the scientific methods applied for early assessments on the basis of two routine programs implemented in Austria: Horizon Scanning in Oncology (HSO) and extra medical services (“MELs”).
To outline the general process of pre-coverage decision support with regard to LBI-HTA-specific methods also on an international level, a narrative-descriptive synthesis of the literature was performed. Therefore, Austrian and international HTA standards of early assessments are incorporated into this article. In addition to a targeted manual search, an internal methods handbook of the LBI-HTA was used as a basis to provide an overview of the methods and processes of early assessments in Austria [ 13 ]. Basically, both the literature search and selection always followed a consensus-led process in which three researchers (NG, KR/SW) were involved. Differences were resolved through discussion and consensus.
As mentioned, Austria is one of the countries where new anti-cancer treatments are adopted faster and are available earlier after approval by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) compared to many other European countries [ 8 , 9 ]. Therefore, the LBI-HTA was asked by regional hospital providers and the Austrian Ministry of Health (MoH) to establish an early awareness and alert system specifically focusing on cancer drugs. The so-called Horizon Scanning in Oncology (HSO) program was developed and tested between 2007 and 2008 in cooperation with horizon scanning experts from the EuroScan International Network (International Information Network on new or emerging, appropriate use and re-assessment needed Health Technologies). In October 2009, the program was routinely introduced. Since then, 83 LBI-HTA assessments and three updates have been conducted and published on the LBI-HTA website (http://eprints.hta.lbg.ac.at/view/types/dsd-hso.html). Two to three new therapies are assessed quarterly, resulting in at least eight early assessments annually. The aim of the HSO program is to identify new anti-cancer drugs or already approved drugs with licensing extensions that have a potentially relevant therapeutic and/or financial impact on the Austrian health care system. Thus, it shall not only contribute to a rational and evidence-based decision-making process, but also facilitate estimations of the impact on the health budget [ 8 ].
Across those countries that have implemented HSS, like the UK, Canada and Sweden, the inherent process basically includes the same steps (Fig. 1a; [ 6 ]). However, individual adaptations to respective contexts and needs, such as the time horizon of the HSS—which can vary from an early stage (phase I) to later stages (phase III) of drug development—have to be applied. In the HSO program of the LBI-HTA, a maximum time horizon of 3 months after marketing authorisation by the EMA, which mostly includes phase III trials, was chosen. As a first step, potential customers have to be determined prior to an HSS establishment. Thus, the LBI-HSO program was commissioned by the Austrian inpatient sector and should inform representatives of the Ministry of Health (MoH), medical directors, heads of hospital pharmacies and members of regional pharmaceutical committees [ 8 ].
The first step in the Austrian HSO process (Fig. 1b) is to identify only originator cancer drugs and indication extensions in development by regularly scanning nine sources (e.g., Medscape, websites of regulatory bodies) and periodically scanning four additional sources (e.g., conference abstracts). As a next step, drugs of the horizon scanning list that meet the inclusion criteria, which currently consists of over 400 cancer drugs in the development pipeline, are filtered out quarterly. Two blinded researchers make a first selection through a priori set filter criteria (about ten to fourteen), which mainly include the availability of positive phase III or phase II (orphan drugs) results and the maximum period of 3 months after EMA approval. Available information on the drug, indication, incidence, regulatory status and trial results are collected and sent quarterly to a group of eight experts made up of oncologists and hospital pharmacists. On the basis of five criteria, such as the potential for a significant health benefit to the patient group, the expert panel is asked to prioritise the drugs by choosing one of the following three categories—“highly relevant”, “relevant” and “not relevant”—to identify oncology drugs with a potential health and/or budget impact (Table 1). Based on the cross-sectional score of all experts, those drugs considered as highly relevant are selected for an assessment [ 8 ]. Results of the prioritisation are available on the LBI-HTA website (http://eprints.hta.lbg.ac.at/view/types/dsd-hso.html).
Are there already other treatment regimen(s) available for this specific indication or is this drug a completely new therapy?
Will the new drug replace a current drug regimen or is it an add-on therapy for this indication?
Is there potential for a significant health benefit to the patient group (high clinical impact)?
Is there potential for a significant impact on drug budgets if the technology diffuses widely (because of expected moderate to high unit costs and/or because of high patient numbers)?
Is there potential for inappropriate use (off-label) of the technology?
Since 2015, the structure of HSO assessments has been based on the HTA Core Model® for Rapid Relative Effectiveness Assessment of Pharmaceuticals developed by the European network for HTA (EUnetHTA) [ 14 ]. The HTA Core Model® organises relevant information according to pre-defined generic research questions and clusters them into the following five domains: description of the technology, health problem and current use, clinical effectiveness and safety. In addition to the HTA Core Model®, chapters regarding the systematic literature search, clinical effectiveness and safety of further studies, ongoing trials, costs (ex-factory prices) and a comprehensive commentary section are implemented [ 8 ]. As a first step in conducting an HSO assessment, the research question has to be defined and a systematic literature search has to be performed in relevant databases like PubMed and Embase. The reports are written in English so that they may also be used in other European health care systems and to reduce redundancies in European HTA [ 15 ].
To facilitate further European collaboration and to continuously refine scientific methods, additional research tools have been incorporated into the HSO reports in recent years. Therefore, the internal and external validity of clinical trials are assessed by applying tools based on EUnetHTA guidelines. These methods assess the methodological quality of evidence by evaluating the risk of bias (RoB) at study level (internal validity) and the applicability of study results, specifically the extent to which the results can be generalised to clinical practice (external validity) [ 16 , 17 ]. Moreover, the Magnitude of Clinical Benefit Scale (MCBS) developed by the European Society of Medical Oncology (ESMO) was introduced to systematically and transparently evaluate the magnitude of meaningful clinical benefit (MCB) that can be expected from a new cancer drug [ 5 , 18 , 19 ]. The scale can only be applied to solid tumour drugs and ranges from zero to five, whereby scores of four and five indicate MCB. The evaluation of the clinical benefit is based on a dual rule taking both the observed relative benefit (hazard ratio) and the absolute benefit (median) into account. HSO assessments are internally and externally reviewed to guarantee quality assurance.
To ensure a transparent HSS system, final HSO reports are published on the LBI-HTA website (http://eprints.hta.lbg.ac.at/view/types/dsd-hso.html), as well as sent out via a mailing list including health stakeholders from different areas including oncologists, hospital pharmacists, medical directors, representatives of the MoH and health insurance providers [ 8 ]. Additionally, an HSS has to monitor upcoming evidence of already approved therapies and conduct assessment updates. Between 2009 and 2016, 63 novel cancer indications were under evaluation within the HSO program of the LBI-HTA and three assessments were updated later on; 60 of those were consequently approved by the EMA.
As one of the first European countries, Austria began introducing a systematic evaluation of new hospital interventions submitted for reimbursement in 2008. The Federal Health Commission (FHC) of the Austrian MoH maintains a benefit catalogue of medical interventions that are provided in the inpatient sector. As mentioned in the introduction, the hospital benefit catalogue includes a list of MELs for which costs are reimbursed in addition to the DRG flat rates [ 11 , 12 ]. Every year, suggestions for new interventions are submitted electronically by individual hospitals or by regional hospital cooperatives to the FHC at the MoH. These topics are compiled (in a long list) and subsequently prioritised by the MoH according to criteria such as the same suggestions by multiple hospitals or high-volume/high-cost suggestions. Finally, a (short) list of new interventions is prepared and the LBI-HTA is commissioned to conduct assessments. These topics are single-technology assessments (STA; one device/intervention for one indication) or multiple-technology assessments (MTA; one device/intervention for several indications or several interventions for one indication). The evidence syntheses have to be conducted within 3–5 months [ 12 ]. These assessments serve as evidence-based decision-support documents that include a recommendation to the FHC [ 11 , 12 ]. These systematic evaluations follow generic steps that are represented in Fig. 2a. The introduction of this process was accompanied by the implementation of a new decisional option, the “XN code”. In contrast to preceding years when the sole options were to include/exclude interventions in the benefit catalogue and were not based upon evidence, XN interventions can be included temporarily (3–5 years) and will be re-evaluated [ 20 ]. Within the period of 2008–2018, 96 MELs (74 new systematic reviews and 22 updates) were carried out by the LBI-HTA (http://eprints.hta.lbg.ac.at/view/types/dsd.html).
After initial compilation and prioritisation by the MoH, potentially relevant topics are provisionally communicated to the LBI-HTA for scoping. This process includes the scanning of different sources, like the HTA and Planned and Ongoing Projects (POP) Databases, Deximed, UpToDate, S3 guidelines (Arbeitsgemeinschaft der Wissenschaftlichen Medizinischen Fachgesellschaften, AWMF), other evidence-based guidelines and Open Knowledge Maps [ 15 ]. These consist of information from other evidence-based advisory boards (e.g., The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, NICE; or the Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, CADTH). High-quality systematic reviews or assessments of other institutions and information on the regulatory and implementation status of the technology can thereby be identified. Accordingly, there is a second prioritisation by the MoH in cooperation with the LBI-HTA when the decisions on the final topics for the ensuing assessments are made (Fig. 2b).
After the final selection of the topics, the exact research question is defined by clarifying the target Population, the investigated Intervention, the Comparator intervention(s) and patient-relevant Outcomes (PICO). A systematic literature search is then conducted in the following databases: Medline via Ovid (including PubMed), Embase, The Cochrane Library, and the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (CRD). Furthermore, to identify ongoing and unpublished studies, a search in three clinical trial registries (ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO-ICTRP, EU Clinical Trials) is carried out. As a final step of the systematic literature search, a PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) flow diagram has to be prepared and implemented in the assessment [ 13 , 21 ].
Subsequently, the quality of the studies is rated by an RoB assessment. Based on the study design, different methodological tools can be considered for the RoB assessment (e. g., Cochrane RoB checklist, ROBINS-I, AMSTAR, IHE 20-Criteria Checklist). The external validity is additionally evaluated, i. e., the extent to which the results can be generalised to the population in clinical practice. In a next step, efficacy and safety data of the included studies are extracted by one author and reviewed by another independent author [ 16 , 22 ]. Since 2016, the structure of MEL assessments has been based on the HTA Core Model® (Application for Rapid Relative Effectiveness Assessment), which was developed within EUnetHTA (www.eunethta.eu, see Horizon Scanning in Oncology program—process and method) [ 23 ].
Accordingly, a critical appraisal based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) framework is conducted to evaluate whether the overall strength of evidence supports the conclusions [ 24 ]. Therefore, the extracted outcomes have to be categorised, according to patient relevance, as either decisive for the final decision (critical), clinically important (important) or not clinically important (not important). To estimate the effect for each outcome, data on selected outcome categories are synthesised across studies by two independent researchers in a summary of findings table [ 24 ]. To rank the overall strength of evidence across all outcomes, GRADE applies four categories, whereby the lowest quality of any critical outcome is decisive (Table 2). The main focus is on the predefined outcomes of the PICO question and the outcomes defined as critical during the GRADE process. On these grounds, conclusions are derived and recommendations are given on whether the new hospital intervention should be included in the MEL list and thus reimbursed.
The recommendation can include one of the four following categories: “yes”, “yes—with restrictions”, “no—preliminary” and “no” (Table 3). The categories “yes” and “no” shall recommend or not recommend the inclusion into the hospital benefit catalogue, respectively. Moreover, a “recommendation with limitations” includes a statement on advised restrictions (e. g., use in specialised centres). Regarding the third category of “preliminary rejection”, the recommendation is accompanied by a description of gaps in clinical evidence (e. g., lack of long-term follow-up data or controlled studies, unreliable clinical endpoints). LBI-HTA recommendations given in the MEL assessments are taken into consideration by the FHC. However, the final decision of the FHC can be either the inclusion into the hospital benefit catalogue with or without any restrictions or the exclusion from reimbursement [ 12 ]. After amendments to the hospital benefit catalogue have been published, early assessments are published via the LBI-HTA website (http://eprints.hta.lbg.ac.at/view/types/dsd.html) and a mailing list addressing health care stakeholders.
Between 2008 and 2017, 69 assessments for hospital interventions (often, but not always medical devices) that can be followed-up to a political decision were conducted within the MEL program of the LBI-HTA. Twenty-five (36.2%) of those were included into the hospital benefit catalogue, whereby only five (7.2%) were included without any restrictions. On the other hand, 44 (63.8%) were not eligible for inclusion into the catalogue. Regarding the MEL recommendations, 54 (78.3%) interventions were initially not recommended to be included, of which 50 (72.5%) were preliminarily not recommended due to gaps in clinical evidence. Fifteen (21.7%) of the interventions were recommended with restrictions for inclusion into the benefit catalogue and none were recommended without any restrictions (Table 3).
Many countries have implemented HTA concepts to forecast the benefit–risk ratio of costly interventions in order to support transparent, evidence-based health care reimbursement decisions, but also to facilitate budget allocations [ 1 , 12 , 25 ]. Thus, decision support can either be directly linked to political decisions, e. g., directly by shaping the hospital benefit catalogue (MEL) or indirectly by facilitating decentralised drug procurement decisions, e. g., for drug commissions of hospital owner organisations (HSO). Therefore, this study sought to address the inherent process and methods of pre-coverage decision support of early assessments in Austria, based on the HSO and the MEL program of the LBI-HTA. Our findings indicate that the recommendations made in our MEL reports have been directly translated into reimbursement decisions in the majority of instances. More than half of the evaluated MELs were not initially recommended and consequently not included in the Austrian hospital benefit catalogue. Regarding the HSO program, no conclusion on the application of early assessments can be drawn. One reason is the rather complex and fragmented Austrian health system, especially in the inpatient sector. On the other hand, our HSO program is rather reactive (evaluating identified costly drugs) and not directly linked to initial political requests. However, there is evidence that HSO assessments and the incorporated ESMO-MCBS scores contribute to decisions of Austrian hospital providers to some extent.
There are an increasing number of fast track approval pathways accompanied by the approval of drugs with ambiguous benefit–risk profiles [ 9 , 26 – 29 ]. Since the bar for drug approval will most probably not be raised again, health care decision-makers have to continually assess and monitor the upcoming evidence of new and already approved cancer drugs [ 5 ]. Early awareness systems and HSS have thus become increasingly important in recent years. Therefore, the LBI-HTA carried out three updates of previously assessed therapies within its HSO program and conducted a cross-sectional study on the knowledge of cancer drugs at the time of approval [ 9 ]. In these studies, we were able to show that in a large number of therapies, no valid knowledge about the survival benefit is available at the time of marketing authorisation. Therefore, we are currently working on a follow-up study to monitor and characterise recently approved therapies with ambiguous benefit–risk profiles and identify any post-approval updates on survival and quality of life. In addition, the ESMO-MCBS was implemented to promote a transparent and standardised cancer drug evaluation process. By recommending medicines with a clinical benefit for reimbursement, scarce health care resources are allocated in a more efficient way [ 18 , 19 ].
In contrast to pharmaceuticals, recommendations in early assessments of new hospital interventions are even more limited by the quality of available clinical evidence [ 12 , 30 ]. Since it has been shown that the MEL assessments of the LBI-HTA are often not supported by strong evidence (randomised controlled trials), making recommendations can be challenging [ 12 ]. Moreover, the risk class of a medical device has an influence on issued decisions, as higher-risk procedures (e. g., invasive surgery) are usually not underpinned by strong evidence; on the contrary, they are associated with greater uncertainties. In Austria, despite limited evidence, a high risk profile often leads to an inclusion into the hospital benefit catalogue. This could be due to ethical considerations, like in the case of radiofrequency ablation in patients with painful vertebral metastases. This intervention provides pain relief and causes no major complications in a fatal disease accompanied by intolerable pain, and may thus be justified on ethical grounds [ 31 , 32 ]. Continuous improvement of pre-coverage assessments through the implementation of new, transparent and standardised methods like GRADE is of high importance. Furthermore, changes at a regulatory level will be needed to ensure approvals of interventions with reliable benefit–risk ratios and strong evidence [ 11 , 12 ].
European collaborations regarding HTA reports and HSS have gained importance in the past two decades [ 15 , 25 , 33 ]. Several collaborations on these topics have evolved, like EUnetHTA, BeNeLuxA, the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INATHA) and EuroScan. These networks shall not only help to efficiently allocate scarce resources and support pre-coverage decisions, but also to avoid redundancies [ 25 ]. A recent publication [ 34 ] has shown that the number of duplicate reports on technologies ranges from seven to 22. This leaves much room for improvement with regards to efficient cooperation between EU countries. Therefore, the HTA Core Model® was implemented in the early assessment procedure of the LBI-HTA, enabling a structured, consistent and easily transferable way to facilitate sharing information at an international level [ 23 , 25 , 35 ]. To remove language barriers, our early assessments are conducted in English, but German margins and summaries are available to guarantee national decision support. Austria has shown itself to be a forerunner in the systematic evaluation of hospital interventions and therefore plays a major role in the European coordination of collaboration on medical devices and interventions.
Overall, coverage decisions based on early assessment reports not only depend on the available evidence, but are also influenced by the organisation of the health care system and the cross-linking between decision-makers and HTA institutions. Since the early assessments of the MEL program of the LBI-HTA are directly linked to the maintenance and shaping process of the hospital benefit catalogue covering the inclusion or exclusion of new technologies, they have an actual impact on reimbursement decisions and encourage more transparent and evidence-based decisions. Therefore, the use of HTA has become more prospective and proactive rather than solely reactive. In contrast, HSS could facilitate decentralised medical procurement decisions by supporting, for example, drug commissions of hospital owner organisations. Although the HSO program is efficient in identifying new potential indications for cancer drugs, the extent of the actual implication of these assessments on pre-coverage decisions remains unclear. Overall, the article offers a comparison of Austrian early assessments including international methodological standards and a general overview of two different approaches to decision support on costly drugs and medical devices.
We would like to thank Ingrid Zechmeister for providing valuable comments on earlier versions of the manuscript.
N. Grössmann, S. Wolf, K. Rosian, and C. Wild declare that they have no competing interests.
Urquhart GJ, Saunders P. Wider horizons, wiser choices: horizon scanning for public health protection and improvement. J Public Health (Bangkok). 2017;39(2):248–53.
Federal Ministry of Health. The Austrian DRG system. 2010. https://www.sozialministerium.at/cms/site/attachments/1/4/8/CH3986/CMS1098272734729/lkf-broschuere_bmg_2010_nachdruck_2011.pdf. Accessed 23 Aug 2018.
Gartlehner G. Internes Manual. Abläufe und Methoden. Teil 2 (2. Aufl.). 2009. http://eprints.hta.lbg.ac.at/713/. Accessed 19 Sept 2018.
European Network for Health Technology Assessment and EUnetHTA. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE—Internal validity of randomized controlled trials. 2013. https://www.eunethta.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Internal_Validity.pdf. Accessed 27 Aug 2018.
European Network for Health Technology Assessment and EUnetHTA. LEVELS OF EVIDENCE—Applicability of evidence in the context of a relative effectiveness assessment of pharmaceuticals. 2013. https://www.eunethta.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Applicability.pdf. Accessed 27 Aug 2018.
Bundesministerium Arbeit S. Gesundheit und Konsumentenschutz. LKF-Modell 2018. 2018. https://www.sozialministerium.at/site/Gesundheit/Gesundheitssystem/Krankenanstalten/LKF-Modell_2018/Kataloge. Accessed 9 Sept 2018.
European Network for Health Technology Assessment and EUnetHTA. Internal validity of non-randomised studies (NRS) on interventions. 2015. https://www.eunethta.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Internal-validity-of-non-randomised-studies-NRS-on-interventions_Guideline_Final-Jul-2015.pdf. Accessed 27 Aug 2018.
European Network for Health Technology Assessment and EUnetHTA. HTA core model for rapid relative effectiveness. 2015. http://meka.thl.fi/htacore/model/HTACoreModel_ForRapidREAs4.2.pdf. Accessed 27 Aug 2018.
Wild C, Hintringer K, Nachtnebel A. Orphan drugs in oncology. Pharm Policy Law. 2011;13(3,4):223–32.
Rosian K, Piso B. Radiofrequenzablation bei metastatischen Wirbelsäulenläsionen. 2017. http://eprints.hta.lbg.ac.at/1131/. Accessed 15 Oct 2018.
Wild C, et al. European collaboration in health technology assessment (HTas) of medical devices. J Med Device Regul. 2016;13(1):30–7.
EuroScan International Network. A toolkit for the identification and assessment of new and emerging health technologies. 2014. http://epapers.bham.ac.uk/2120/. Accessed 29 Aug 2018. | 2019-04-20T10:41:10Z | https://www.springermedizin.at/pre-reimbursement-early-assessment-for-coverage-decisions/16448272?fulltextView=true |
So, I’ve decided to jump on the bandwagon and do a list of my Top 10 books of the year. Like every other blogger, I have found this a really difficult task as I have read over 150 books this year and so many of them have been amazing. However, I have been ruthless and narrowed it down to the ten that have stood out for me for a variety of reasons.
These have been the ones that have made me laugh, made me cry, made me think, made me feel, inspired me or have felt very innovative, sometimes all at the same time.
I am sure my choices will be very different to anyone else’s, but that is the joy of reading – there is something for everyone and every mood.
My thanks to all of the authors whose fabulous books I have enjoyed this year, not just those on this list, and I look forward to enjoying more times with you next year.
So there we go, my Top 10 books or the year. I’d love to hear your thoughts on my list. Have you read and enjoyed any of my top 10? will you be adding any to your TBR for 2019? Do you have a list of your own? Let me have you thoughts.
Now, a few weeks ago I promised that, if I reached 2,000 followers by the end of the year, I would give away copies of my top 5 books from this list to one of my followers. My stats now stand at 2,038 followers, so my thanks to all of you for helping me reach this goal, I am absolutely overwhelmed. The winner of the books, drawn at random, is Louise Heather. Congratulations, Louise, I have emailed you about your prize.
Thank you all for following my blog this year, may I just wish you all a Happy New Year and I will see you in 2019.
Any of you who follow me on Twitter or Instagram or Facebook will have seen the picture of me finishing this book over a cup of tea in Sainsbury’s cafe on the morning of Christmas Eve, after I’d finished my shopping and at that point I was filled with Christmas spirit, due in no small part to this book.
For any of you who have not heard the story behind the publication of this book, it was the creation of author Vanessa Lafaye, who unfortunately passed away in February of this year after a long battle with cancer, before she was able to finish it. At the request of Vanessa’s publisher and her husband, the book was completed by Vanessa’s good friend and fellow author, Becca Mascull. This tragic and moving story meant there was a lot of buzz about this book on social media and in the blogging community and I was desperate to read it. I am a huge fan of A Christmas Carol, so the premise behind the book was enticing, and it sounded like the perfect Christmas read.
Oh, but this book is even more beautiful and moving than I expected. It is the story of how Jacob Marley becomes the person who ends up as the tormented spirit that haunts Scrooge at the beginning of A Christmas Carol. To tell his story, Vanessa has given him a sister, Clara, who is witness to the circumstances that shape him. This device is so clever, and executed so beautifully that it immediately pulls you heart and soul into their story and transports you back to Dickens’ London and the world inhabited by Scrooge and Marley. Both authors have perfectly captured the essence of Dickens’ story telling in this book so that it is very easy to believe that this is exactly how Marley and Scrooge end up as the mean-spirited, uncharitable old misers that we have come to know.
The period and setting of Victorian London is brought vividly and perfectly to life through the language and descriptions, and the whole book has a lovely, festive feeling to it, despite the melancholy story. I absolutely loved the character of Clara, she is warm and vibrant and extremely sympathetic, and she makes Jacob Marley’s story sympathetic too. You cannot help but care about her plight from the beginning, which makes the book enthralling and moving and kept me glued to the pages from beginning to end.
I have such admiration for the skill of both authors. I don’t know how Becca managed to complete this book whilst grieving for a beloved friend- it must have taken a strength of will and a huge amount of love to get through it. In the interview I have linked to below, Becca says she felt like she was almost channelling her friend as she completed the book, and I can believe it as it is impossible to tell where the two parts join. The voice and narrative are so consistent throughout; there is no jarring change of tone or pace and it ends perfectly. These were two friends so obviously in tune and their story has completely moved me to tears.
This book is a beautiful testament, both to the authors’ love of A Christmas Carol and to their friendship and it will delight anyone who is a fan of this timeless Christmas tale. I believe that a festive read of this book will become a new Christmas tradition for me to cherish. I highly recommend you pick up a copy now.
Miss Marley is out now and you can get a copy here.
Rebecca Mascull is the author of three historical novels and also writes saga fiction under the pen-name Mollie Walton.
If you would like to read more about the heart-breaking story of the writing of Miss Marley, you might like to read this article.
Today I am delighted to be taking my turn on the Urbane Extravaganza where, between 24 November and 31 December, a host of bloggers will be showcasing a different Urbane publication each day. My thanks to Kelly Lacey at Love Books Group tours for asking me to take part in this great celebration.
I have drawn The Kindness of Strangers bu Julie Newman, so let’s take a look at the book and the extract that I have kindly been invited to publish for you.
I just love the cover of this book, don’t you? Here is the extract, as promised, to whet your appetite.
A SLIVER OF SUNLIGHT forces its way through the tiny gap between the blind and the window frame; it’s enough to tell me that night has given way to day.
I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START. I’ve never felt so daunted by a task, ever. Which is quite ridiculous as it is a relatively simple task, not one that requires any particular skill; and yet it challenges me. I’ve brokered million-pound deals, chaired more meetings than I care to remember and managed teams of people. Yet I can’t seem to do this one simple thing.
We bought this house over twenty-five years ago. It was a house we would often drive past and admire, both saying we’d like to have something similar one day; although at the time that notion was just fanciful daydreaming. Over time the house began to look a little shabby and uncared for, eventually becoming rundown and derelict. Such a shame we thought; we hoped someone would come along with time and money to restore it to its former glory. Never daring to think it might be us who would take on that mantle.
It was 1992 and we were in a taxi on our way home, following a very boozy evening. We’d been out celebrating Robert’s bonus – which was unexpected and an extraordinary amount – when we passed this house. There was a sign outside saying it was for sale at auction. Robert got the taxi driver to stop and we both got out of the car.
What do you reckon?” Robert asked. I looked at him and shrugged, thinking he was asking me how much I thought it was worth. “It might need work, but with my bonus, well I think we could do it.
“Do what?” I asked a little densely, for I was feeling the effects of my alcohol intake in the cold night air.
“Meter’s running pal and I do have another job to get to,” interrupted the taxi driver.
We got back into the car and headed home, but I could tell Robert wanted this. It wasn’t just an alcohol fuelled fantasy, this was a long-held dream that now seemed attainable. For him, it felt like the stars had aligned and it was the right thing to do. He was convinced it was what his bonus was meant for. So we bought it. It was two years before we moved in though, two long years. It needed a lot of attention: wiring, plumbing, structural reinforcement. And none of these things were cheap. We seemed to be writing endless cheques, and to me the house didn’t look any different from the day we first picked up the keys for it.
“That’s because all these improvements are unseen,” said Robert, “but they’re essential. I know you just want to get on with the business of decorating and furnishing and you will, soon. Then you‘ll see the difference.” He was right, as he so often was.
The house is magnificent, it oozes charm and character. It has a large entrance hall with a wonderful sweeping staircase in the centre. The original stairs were removed as they were rotten; I wanted the staircase to be a strong feature, make a statement, which it now does. Up the stairs and to the right are two guest bedrooms and a bathroom, and to the left is our bedroom and the dressing rooms. When we first moved in we didn’t have his and her dressing rooms. There were three bedrooms, one fair sized, one and two smaller ones; we knocked down walls and created a master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and just one dressing room, a dressing room that in time would become the nursery. Well, that was the plan, but as time went on we realised that it probably wasn’t the best use of the space. I think it was me who first suggested each of us having our own dressing rooms with bathrooms. I love a bath, laying in the water, relaxing, allowing the cares of the day to float free from you. And back then was no different, I liked nothing more than an uninterrupted soak. Increasingly I’d been using the bathroom across the landing. Self- indulgent, uninterrupted me time; time for solitude, during which to reflect and contemplate without Robert’s analytical input. He liked to talk, find a solution or reason for every problem or situation, but sometimes there is no reason. Sometimes things just are. So we had our own dressing rooms and very soon we forgot that the room was ever meant for anything else.
I step across the threshold and into the room, still keeping hold of the door jamb, steadying myself. This feels wrong. I would never come in here without him being here, but I have to do this, it’s time. Tentatively I take another step. I decide to start with the wardrobe. I slide open the door; it’s very ordered, shirts together, trousers together, etc. and all arranged by colour. Many of his clothes are still draped in the plastic covers that the dry-cleaners put on. I begin with the shirts and they are as good as new; all sharply ironed and neatly hanging in regimented rows. It seems a shame to remove them from the hangers, so I don’t. I lay them on the bed as I sort through them. It seems he liked blue, almost all of his shirts are blue: blue stripes, blue checks, plain blue.
If you have enjoyed this extract from The Kindness of Strangers and would like to read the rest of the book, you can buy a copy here.
Julie was born in East London but now lives a rural life in North Essex. She is married with two children. Her working life has seen her have a variety of jobs, including running her own publishing company. She is the author of the children’s book Poppy and the Garden Monster.
Welcome to my final blog tour review of 2018 and I am delighted to be rounding off the blog tour for The Songbird Girls by Richard Parker with this review. My thanks to Noelle Holten at Bookouture for my place on the tour and my copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly and impartially.
This is my first book by Richard Parker, although it is the second Tom Fabian thriller. Some of my fellow bloggers have alluded to the fact that certain aspects of the storylines from book one flow in to this book, I can honestly say that this book works extremely well as a standalone novel and I did not feel at all disadvantaged by not having read the first one so, go ahead, dive right in.
The book opens with a chilling prologue that you know is not going to lead to anything good then, just as you are on the edge of your nerves, bam, we switch to what seems to be fairly mundane visit by a police officer to a prison inmate he was responsible for putting away and we are left on tenterhooks as to what happened in the first story thread. This is just the first example of how Richard Parker ramps up the tension and then keeps you on the edge of your seat as you race through the pages to find out what is happening. The book is completely gripping and I really could not put it down.
I really liked the character of Tom Fabian and his sidekick, Banner, who are both very down to earth and real people dealing with complicated personal issues as well as trying to solve a complex puzzle that has been left for them by a twisted killer. There are a lot of suspicious characters in the book to provide plenty of red herrings. The murders are gruesome in execution but are not described in too gory detail so this is a good thriller for those of a more delicate disposition who don’t like their crimes too bloody but still enjoy a good murder mystery.
The best thing about this book though is the end. OMG! It is brilliant, I did not see it coming and I absolutely loved it and it really made me eager for the next book in the series. Richard has balanced brilliantly here the need for a satisfying conclusion to the mystery to reward the reading time invested in the book (nothing worse than a completely unresolved puzzle in a book that you have spent several hours reading) and also leaving the reader with the hankering for more and this book brilliantly sets up the character and the reader for more puzzles to come. I am not sure I have read anything which has so cleverly contrived an ongoing set up before, Kudos to the author for that!
This book was a very easy, flowing read with plenty of reward for the reader. I would highly recommend it and can’t wait for the next book. In the meantime, I need to go back to book one and catch up on the back story. A great book to end my blog tours for the year on. I want to thank you all for reading and supporting my blog this year and wish you a very Merry Christmas. I look forward to sharing lots more great reads with you in 2019.
The Songbird Girls is out now and you can get a copy here.
Richard Parker was formerly a TV script writer, script editor and producer before turning his hand to penning twisted stand-alone thrillers.
So, you may have noticed that the blog has been a little quiet this week as things are winding down for Christmas. I feel a bit like I’ve gone in to hibernation mode. However, I am happy to be sticking my nose out of the nest for the evening to join my next guest for a festive Friday Night Drinks. So, welcome to the blog, Rachel Dove. Rachel is an author and teacher, winner of Prima/Mills & Book Flirty Fiction Competition 2015, Writer’s Bureau Writer of the Year 2016 and fellow RNA Member and, mostly importantly, fellow Yorkshire lass. What better introduction could there be!
A huge welcome and thank you for joining me for drinks this evening. I appreciate you popping out this close to Christmas, you must have had many more better offers! First things first, what are you drinking?
A cheeky (large) glass of rose wine – cheers!
Cheers! If we weren’t here in my virtual bar tonight, but were meeting in real life, where would you be taking me for a night out?
I am soooo boring! I would say a nice meal out, followed by the cinema. Which sounds like a date. Sorry! I love to eat out in new places, and am a huge fan of films. My days of bar hopping are over, I used to be a trainee nightclub manager, so it lost its sparkle early on.
I think my clubbing days are well behind me, so that will suit me fine, as long as it’s not a horror film, I am a huge scaredy cat! If you could invite two famous people, one male and one female, alive or dead, along on our night out, who would we be drinking with?
I would love to meet Shonda Rhimes, and pick her screenwriting brains, as I am a big fan, and Margaret Atwood too. I find her writing so interesting to unpick, so that would be a great night!
An evening of writing chat – sounds wonderful. So, now we’re settled, tell me what you are up to at the moment. What have you got going on? How and why did you start it and where do you want it to go?
I am crazy busy at the moment finishing off my two latest books for Manatee and HQ Digital, and working with my agent on some future ideas. I am also still teaching and just started my second year of a Creative Writing MA so with that, our house renovations and family, I am looking forward to having two weeks off at Christmas and reading lots and having a lovely relaxing Christmas. (Or, that’s the plan!) I am excited about my future book ideas, so watch this space!
Can’t wait to hear more, but that sounds like some workload, I’m impressed. What has been your proudest moment since you started writing and what has been your biggest challenge?
The challenge is to keep writing when life gets busy. I have had so many proud moments, but winning the Prima competition is what kicked all the other proud moments off, so that has to be it for me.
That must be amazing, to see your work being published around the world, a great ambition. What are you currently working on that you are really excited about?
Ooo lots, but my lips are sealed as yet!
Spoilsport! I love to travel, and I’m currently drawing up a bucket list of things I’d like to do in the future. Where is your favourite place that you’ve been and what do you have at the top of your bucket list?
Top of my bucket list is Tobago and Goa – both places I would love to visit. I really love UK holidays, and Spain is a wonderful place too. For me, the family holidays we have are all great.
I’d love to go to Tobago. Tell me one interesting/surprising/secret fact about yourself that people might not know about you.
I used to kickbox back in the day, and have passed exams and gained belts!
Remind me not to get on your bad side! Books are my big passion and central to my blog and I’m always looking for recommendations. What one book would you give me and recommend as a ‘must-read’?
This is so hard. I love books so much! One I have loved recently is by CJ Skuse, called Sweetpea. It’s dark, funny, gory and utterly unputdownable.
I’ve read such great reviews of this book, I’ve already added it to be TBR.So, we’ve been drinking all evening. What is your failsafe plan to avoid a hangover and your go-to cure if you do end up with one?
I would say you are asking the wrong person! I do drink water before bed, and there is nothing like a bacon buttie to soak up the alcohol. I hate hangovers now, in your 20s they are quite fun. 30s? Not so much.
I agree. I’ve got to the stage where the fun of the drinking is no longer worth the pain of the hangover! After our fabulous night out, what would be your ideal way to spend the rest of a perfect weekend?
We love going on holiday to a cabin in Cumbria with our sons and our dog, so I would say that. It’s isolated, quiet and beautiful with lots of long walks nearby, and a hot tub with champagne for when the kids are in bed. Lovely, I love going there and always write lots when the kids are busy.
That sounds fantastic. Rachel. thank you so much for chatting to me this evening, it has been great fun. I’m really looking forward to your upcoming books in 2019, and hopefully we’ll meet and do some of this drinking in person at an RNA event next year.
Three books by Rachel in the Westfield series are currently available to purchase, they are The Chic Boutique on Baker Street, The Flower Shop on Foxley Street and The Wedding Shop on Wexley Street. The next book in the series will be published next spring.
To find out more about Rachel and her books, you can check her out on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
I know this is usually a Monday feature but yesterday was impossible so I’m sharing it today instead. Surprise! A change is as good as a rest, they say, and I’m relaxing into the Christmas holidays.
Anyway, today on Tempted by…. I have Help The Witch by Tom Cox and the review which inspired me to buy it was this one written by Anne Williams on her blog, Being Anne. Anne is a hugely respected and inspirational book blogger, who also talks quite openly about things going on in her life in general so you really feel like you get to know her through her blog. I have been lucky enough to meet her in person and she is as lovely as she comes across on the blog. her reviews are always very detailed and honest about what works in a book and what doesn’t, so I completely trust them. No flannel here!
This was the main draw of the review for me, the pulling out of the positives and the negatives; the emphasis on what worked for her and what didn’t; the quirkiness of the stories. I do like a short story collection that you can dip in and out of when you are short on time or don’t have the brain space to embark on a longer literary journey and these sound like something out of the ordinary. I’m very drawn to something a bit different, although I’m not sure I will read them late at night while I am on my own! This book was published by Unbounders and I have found that their unique publishing model have produced some very diverse and interesting books this year, including some of my favourite reads, so I am looking forward to dipping in to this over Christmas.
If, after reading Anne’s review, you would like to get your own copy of this book, you can buy it here. And please do visit Anne’s wonderful blog, Being Anne, and get to know her, I know you’ll love her too.
I am delighted to be taking part in the blog tour for Godlefe’s Cuckoo by Bill Todd today. My thanks to Emma Welton at damp pebbles blog tours for including me on the tour and to the author for my copy of the book, which I have reviewed honestly and impartially.
This is my first book by Bill Todd, although I believe it is the fifth full-length book featuring ex-soldier-turned-private-detective, Danny Lancaster. The fact I had not read the previous books in the series did not detract from my enjoyment of this book, although having knowledge of the previous books may have increased the depth of my understanding of events in this book, so you might want to read them in order. I would certainly like to go back and catch up with how Danny got to the place we find him at the beginning of Godlefe’s Cuckoo, which is missing, presumed dead by some.
I was drawn in to the novel very quickly by the historical opening scenes, which bed the book firmly in the setting of Brighton, and I have to say that the author shows great skill in bringing the location to life, from the wild areas of uninhabited coastline to the gritty back streets and local pubs, as well as the bits familiar to tourists. I really enjoyed the fact that the sea and the coast play an important part in this book, which makes the coastal setting very relevant, rather than just an aside. This is a novel where sense of place is important.
There are a lot of characters introduced very quickly at the start of the book and it was a little dizzying and hard to keep up with to begin with, especially for someone who has not read the previous books and is not familiar with the characters which are recurring from the previous volumes. They all have separate storylines, and it is quite hard to fathom for the first third of the book how they could possibly tie together, although all does become clear as the book progresses. Therefore, the book requires a degree of concentration to follow, which is not necessarily a criticism. I like a book which is mentally challenging, but this is not a book that can be read on ‘coast’ mode.
There are a lot of very interesting and diverse characters in the story, and I particularly like the fact that this male author had created a cast of strong, independent and varied women, with not a female stereotype in sight. I grew particularly fond of Wanda throughout the book, but all of the characters bring something to the story and have a range of complex motivations. The Russian element were the weakest in the book as far as character development went, and I did feel that it parts they were in danger of tipping in to ‘typical of the type’ villains and I would have liked them to have had more depth to be honest, but it is a minor quibble that may well be peculiar to me. You will have to be your own judge.
The book is a little different in development to a standardly plotted book, because the main character, Danny, features very little be begin with in person and is mostly referenced by other characters in his absence, so there is not much time for those of us coming fresh to the series to develop a sense of who he is or a direct relationship with him. However, this would obviously be different for people who had read the previous stories and, I have to say, once he did appear and start taking centre stage, I found him a fascinating and compelling character with a strong personality, which definitely made me want to read more about him.
The plot clipped along at a brisk pace and contained enough excitement, action and mystery to keep me turning the pages without wanting to put it down. I am not sure how realistic it is, as a plot as my knowledge of international criminal activity is minimal, but it was easy enough to buy in to it to a degree to allow me to enjoy the book. I have to say, I think a particular strength in this book is the author’s use of convincing dialogue. It certainly moved the book along nicely and sounds natural, which is not an easy thing to achieve, and it impressed me enough to stand out as a positive attribute.
Somewhat out of my usual reading tastes, I really enjoyed this book and will definitely go back and check out the earlier Danny Lancaster stories when I get chance. Highly recommended.
Godlefe’s Cuckoo is out now and you can get a copy here. | 2019-04-23T14:41:24Z | https://alittlebookproblem.co.uk/2018/12/ |
A BILL to repeal §60A-10-8 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend and reenact §60A-2-210 and §60A-2-212 of said code; and to amend and reenact §60A-10-2, §60A-10-3, §60A-10-4 and §60A-10-7 of said code, all relating to Methamphetamine Lab Eradication Act and prevention of production of methamphetamine; requiring certain drug products be obtained by prescription only; moving certain drug products from Schedule V to Schedule IV; providing exception for drug products that cannot be feasibly converted into methamphetamine; making legislative findings; defining terms; prohibiting pharmacies from selling certain drugs that can be used in production of methamphetamine without prescription; creating criminal offense for possession of certain substances without prescription with intent to transfer to another to make methamphetamine; permitting sale of certain drugs without prescription where Board of Pharmacy determines that drugs are not feasible for being used for manufacture of methamphetamine; updating maximum amounts persons are permitted to purchase of certain drugs that cannot feasibly be converted into methamphetamine; adjusting requirements of Multi-State Real-Time Tracking System; removing certain outdated language; and providing rule-making authority to Board of Pharmacy to implement emergency and legislative rules, which will provide procedures for which products may be sold over the counter and which require prescription and other information necessary to implement Methamphetamine Lab Eradication Act.
ARTICLE 2. STANDARDS AND SCHEDULES.
(a) Schedule IV shall consist of the drugs and other substances, by whatever official name, common or usual name, chemical name, or brand name designated, listed in this section.
(d) Fenfluramine. Any material, compound, mixture or preparation which contains any quantity of the following substance, including its salts, isomers (whether optical, position or geometric) and salts of such isomers whenever the existence of such salts, isomers and salts of isomers is possible: Fenfluramine.
(f) Any compound, mixture or preparation containing as its single active ingredient ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine, their salts or optical isomers, or salts of optical isomers except products which are for pediatric use primarily intended for administration to children under the age of twelve and products which have been determined by the Board of Pharmacy to be in a form which is not feasible for being used for the manufacture of methamphetamine, as set forth in article ten of this chapter: Provided, That neither the offenses set forth in section four hundred one, article four of this chapter, nor the penalties therein, shall be applicable to ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine, which shall be subject to the provisions of article ten of this chapter.
Amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite, isobutyl nitrite and the other organic nitrites are controlled substances and no product containing these compounds as a significant component shall be possessed, bought or sold other than pursuant to a bona fide prescription or for industrial or manufacturing purposes.
(a) Schedule V shall consist of the drugs and other substances, by whatever official name, common or usual name, chemical name, or brand name designated, listed in this section.
(6) Not more than 0.5 milligrams of difenoxin and not less than 25 micrograms of atropine sulfate per dosage unit.
(e) Any compound, mixture or preparation containing as its single active ingredient ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine, their salts or optical isomers, or salts of optical isomers except products which are for pediatric use primarily intended for administration to children under the age of twelve: Provided, That neither the offenses set forth in section four hundred one, article four of this chapter, nor the penalties therein, shall be applicable to ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine, which shall be subject to the provisions of article ten of this chapter.
ARTICLE 10. METHAMPHETAMINE LABORATORY ERADICATION ACT.
(a) That the illegal production and distribution of methamphetamine is an increasing problem nationwide and particularly prevalent in rural states such as West Virginia.
(b) That methamphetamine is a highly addictive drug that can be manufactured in small and portable laboratories. These laboratories are operated by individuals who manufacture the drug in a clandestine and unsafe manner, often resulting in explosions and fires that can injure not only the individuals involved, but their families, neighbors, law-enforcement officers and firemen.
(c) That use of methamphetamine can result in fatal kidney and lung disorders, brain damage, liver damage, blood clots, chronic depression, hallucinations, violent and aggressive behavior, malnutrition, disturbed personality development, deficient immune system and psychosis. Children born to mothers who are abusers of methamphetamine can be born addicted and suffer birth defects, low birth weight, tremors, excessive crying, attention deficit disorder and behavior disorders.
(d) That in addition to the physical consequences to an individual who uses methamphetamine, usage of the drug also produces an increase in automobile accidents, explosions and fires, increased criminal activity, increased medical costs due to emergency room visits, increases in domestic violence, increased spread of infectious diseases and a loss in worker productivity.
(e) That environmental damage is another consequence of the methamphetamine epidemic. Each pound of methamphetamine produced leaves behind five to six pounds of toxic waste. Chemicals and byproducts that result from the manufacture of methamphetamine are often poured into plumbing systems, storm drains or directly onto the ground. Clean up of methamphetamine laboratories is extremely resource-intensive, with an average remediation cost of $5,000.
(f) That it is in the best interest of every West Virginian to develop a viable solution to address the growing methamphetamine problem in the State of West Virginia. The Legislature finds that conversion-proof pseudoephedrine hydrocloride can provide an over-the-counter option that cannot be used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. The Legislature finds that requiring a prescription for restricting access to over-the-counter drugs that can be converted used to facilitate production of methamphetamine is necessary to protect the public safety of all West Virginians.
(g) That it is further in the best interests of every West Virginian to create impediments to the manufacture of methamphetamine by requiring persons purchasing chemicals necessary to the process to provide identification.
(a) "Board of Pharmacy" or "board" means the West Virginia Board of Pharmacy established by the provisions of article five, chapter thirty of this code.
(b) "Designated precursor" means any drug product made subject to the requirements of this article by the provisions of section ten of this article.
(c) "Distributor" means any person within this state or another state, other than a manufacturer or wholesaler, who sells, delivers, transfers or in any manner furnishes a drug product to any person who is not the ultimate user or consumer of the product.
(d) "Drug product" means a pharmaceutical product that contains ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine or a substance identified on the supplemental list provided in section seven of this article which may be sold without a prescription and which is labeled for use by a consumer in accordance with the requirements of the laws and rules of this state and the federal government.
(e) "Ephedrine " means ephedrine, its salts or optical isomers or salts of optical isomers.
(f) "Manufacturer" means any person within this state who produces, compounds, packages or in any manner initially prepares for sale or use any drug product or any such person in another state if they cause the products to be compounded, packaged or transported into this state.
(g) “National Association of Drug Diversion Investigators” or “NADDI” means the non-profit 501(c)(3) organization established in 1989, made up of members who are responsible for investigating and prosecuting pharmaceutical drug diversion, and that facilitates cooperation between law enforcement, health care professionals, state regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical manufacturers in the investigation and prevention of prescription drug abuse and diversion.
(h) “Multi-State Real-Time Tracking System” or “MSRTTS” means the real-time electronic logging system provided by NADDI at no cost to states that have legislation requiring real-time electronic monitoring of precursor purchases, and agree to use the system. MSRTTS is used by pharmacies and law enforcement to track sales of over-the-counter (OTC) cold and allergy medications containing precursors to the illegal drug, methamphetamine.
(i) "Phenylpropanolamine" means phenylpropanolamine, its salts, optical isomers and salts of optical isomers.
(j) "Pseudoephedrine" means pseudoephedrine, its salts, optical isomers and salts of optical isomers.
(k) "Precursor" means any substance which may be used along with other substances as a component in the production and distribution of illegal methamphetamine.
(l) "Pharmacist" means an individual currently licensed by this state to engage in the practice of pharmacist care as defined in article five, chapter thirty of this code.
(m) "Pharmacy intern" has the same meaning as the term "intern" as set forth in section one-b, article five, chapter thirty of this code.
(n) "Pharmacy" means any drugstore, apothecary or place within this state where drugs are dispensed and sold at retail or display for sale at retail and pharmacist care is provided outside of this state where drugs are dispensed and pharmacist care is provided to residents of this state.
(o) "Pharmacy counter" means an area in the pharmacy restricted to the public where controlled substances are stored and housed and where controlled substances may only be sold, transferred or dispensed by a pharmacist, pharmacy intern or pharmacy technician.
(p) "Pharmacy technician" means a registered technician who meets the requirements for registration as set forth in article five, chapter thirty of this code.
(q) "Retail establishment" means any entity or person within this state who sells, transfers or distributes goods, including over-the-counter drug products, to an ultimate consumer.
(r) "Schedule V" means the schedule of controlled substances set out in section two hundred twelve, section article two of this chapter.
(s) "Superintendent of the State Police" or "Superintendent" means the Superintendent of the West Virginia State Police as set forth in section five, article two, chapter fifteen of this code.
(t) "Wholesaler" means any person within this state or another state, other than a manufacturer, who sells, transfers or in any manner furnishes a drug product to any other person in this state for the purpose of being resold.
§60A-10-4. Purchase, receipt, acquisition and possession of substances to be used as precursor to manufacture of methamphetamine or another controlled substance; offenses; exceptions; penalties.
(a) A pharmacy may not sell, transfer or dispense to the same person, and a person may not purchase more than three and six-tenths grams per day, more than seven and two-tenths grams in a thirty-day period or more than forty-eight grams annually of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine without a prescription, unless the product has been determined by the Board of Pharmacy to be in a form which is not feasible for being used for the manufacture of methamphetamine: Provided, That a pharmacy may not sell, transfer or dispense to the same person, and a person may not purchase more than three and six-tenths grams per day, more than seven and two-tenths grams in a thirty-day period or more than forty-eight grams annually of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine that has been determined by the Board of Pharmacy to be in a form which is not feasible for being used for the manufacture of methamphetamine. The limits shall apply to the total amount of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine contained in the products, and not the overall weight of the products.
(1) Any person who or knowingly purchases, receives or otherwise possesses more than seven and two-tenths grams in a thirty-day period of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine in any form without a prescription is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be confined in a jail for not more than one year, fined not more than $1,000, or both fined and confined.
(2) Any person who knowingly purchases, receives or otherwise possesses ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine in any form with the intent to transfer the substance to someone that the person knows or should know will use the substance to manufacture methamphetamine is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be confined in a jail for not more than one year, fined not more than $1,000, or both fined and confined.
(2) (3) Any pharmacy, wholesaler or other entity operating the retail establishment which sells, transfers or dispenses a product in violation of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be fined not more than $1,000 for the first offense, or more than $10,000 for each subsequent offense.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of subdivision (a)(1) subdivisions (1) and (2) of subsection (a) of this section, any person convicted of a second or subsequent violation of the provisions of said subdivisions or a statute or ordinance of the United States or another state which contains the same essential elements is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than five years, fined not more than $25,000, or both imprisoned and fined.
(4) (3) Persons lawfully possessing drug products in their capacities as distributors, wholesalers, manufacturers, pharmacists, pharmacy interns, pharmacy technicians, or health care professionals.
(d) Notwithstanding any provision of this code to the contrary, any person who knowingly possesses any amount of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine or other designated precursor with the intent to use it in the manufacture of methamphetamine, who knowingly compensates, hires or provides other incentives for another person to purchase, obtain or transfer any amount of ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine or other designated precursor with the intent to use it in the manufacture of methamphetamine or who knowingly possesses a substance containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine or their salts, optical isomers or salts of optical isomers in a state or form which is, or has been altered or converted from the state or form in which these chemicals are, or were, commercially distributed is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction, shall be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than two nor more than ten years, fined not more than $25,000, or both imprisoned and fined.
(e) (1) Any pharmacy, wholesaler, manufacturer or distributor of drug products containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine, their salts or optical isomers or salts of optical isomers or other designated precursor shall obtain a registration annually from the State Board of Pharmacy as described in section six of this article. Any such pharmacy, wholesaler, manufacturer or distributor shall keep complete records of all sales and transactions as provided in section eight of this article. The records shall be gathered and maintained pursuant to legislative rule promulgated by the Board of Pharmacy.
(2) Any drug products possessed without a registration as provided in this section are subject to forfeiture upon conviction for a violation of this section.
(3) In addition to any administrative penalties provided by law, any violation of this subsection is a misdemeanor, punishable upon conviction by a fine in an amount not more than $10,000.§60A-10-7. Restricted products; rule-making authority.
(2) A process whereby pharmacies and retail establishments are made aware of additional drug products added to Schedule V, including whether that product has been determined by the Board of Pharmacy to be in a form which is not feasible for being used for the manufacture of methamphetamine, that are required to be placed behind the pharmacy counter for sale, transfer or distribution can be periodically reviewed and updated.
(b) At any time after July 1, 2005, the Board of Pharmacy, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of the State Police, shall promulgate emergency and legislative rules pursuant to the provision of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to implement an updated supplemental list of products containing the controlled substances ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine as an active ingredient or any other drug used as a precursor in the manufacture of methamphetamine, which the Superintendent of the State Police has demonstrated by empirical evidence is being used in the manufacture of methamphetamine. This list shall also note any products containing ephedrine, pseudoephedrine or phenylpropanolamine as an active ingredient but which has been determined by the Board of Pharmacy to be in a form which is not feasible for being used for the manufacture of methamphetamine. This listing process shall comport with the requirements of subsection (a) of this section.
NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to allow for the sale of drug products determined by the Board of Pharmacy to be in a form which is not feasible for being used for the manufacture of methamphetamine to be sold in an over-the-counter transaction, while requiring drug products that may be converted to use in the manufacture of methamphetamine to be sold by prescription only.
Strike-throughs indicate language that would be stricken from the present law, and underscoring indicates new language that would be added. | 2019-04-25T05:08:59Z | http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=SB6%20INTR.htm&yr=2014&sesstype=RS&i=6 |
This option is for merchants that choose to have the response sent back to them in either a POST or GET format so that they may build the receipt themselves, as well as store the response variables as needed.
This option is for merchants that choose to have Moneris generate the receipt.
The customer arrives on the merchant’s website (application). At this point the merchant must determine the amount of the transaction and also collect any additional data.
Once the cardholder is ready to pay, the merchant’s checkout page will submit an HTTP form POST to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page (HPP). At this time, the customer will be redirected from the merchant’s website to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page URL. For details on the HTTP form POST, please refer to section 9 of this document which outlines the mandatory and optional fields that may be sent to the Hosted Pay Page.
On the Hosted Pay Page, the cardholder will fill in their secure payment details such as their card number and submit the transaction. At this time, Moneris will process the transaction and then build a response to send back to the merchant in a POST or GET format to the Response URL provided in the Hosted Pay Page Configuration as described in 7B above.
Once the merchant receives the response details they must provide a receipt to the customer and then may store these details for future purposes such as reporting or tracking.
On the Hosted Pay Page, the cardholder will fill in their secure payment details such as their card number and submit the transaction. At this time, Moneris will process the transaction and then display a receipt to the customer.
Once the customer is ready to continue they will then be redirected back to the merchant’s website to Response URL provided in the Hosted Pay Page Configuration as described in 7B above.
Provided by Moneris Solutions – Hosted Pay Page Configuration Tool. Identifies the configuration for the Hosted Pay Page.
Provided by Moneris Solutions – Hosted Pay Page Configuration Tool. This is a security key that corresponds to the ps_store_id.
This is an ID field that can be used to identify the client, commonly used for student #s, policy #s, client name or invoice #s. Can not be more than 50 chars.
MUST be unique per transaction and be no more than 50 chars.
System will generate if excluded.
If the tag is not included the hosted Pay Page will default to English.
This is any special instructions that you or the cardholder might like to store. Can not be more than 50 chars.
more than 50 chars. If you have chosen to send an email receipt to the cardholder this field must be included.
If using the Hosted Pay Page to integrate an internal order management system for Mail/Telephone Orders, send an eci value of 1.
If the Hosted Pay Page supports VbV/MCSC, the eci generated by VbV/MCSC will override the value passed in.
Where "n" is an alphanumeric value less than 10 characters long, unique to each item. For each item all five variables should be included. These items will be stored in the Merchant Resource Centre and will be included in the email receipt if “Include Line Item Details” is selected in the Email Receipt Configuration and will be displayed on the payment page if “Display Items Details” is selected in the Appearance Configuration.
NOTE: you must send a quantityn > 0 or the item will not be added to the item list.
Note: Each of the fields below is alphanumeric and can not be more than 30 characters.
If you would like further details on the response codes that are returned please see the Response Codes.
preauth: funds were locked on the card – a capture will need to be performed to have the funds deposited into merchant’s account (see Merchant Resource Centre User’s Guide). A PreAuth transaction must be reversed if it is not to be captured. To reverse the full amount of the PreAuth, please use the Capture transaction with a dollar amount of “0.00”.
cavv_purchase: similar to purchase but a VBV/MCSC authentication attempt was made.
cavv_preauth: similar to preauth but a VBV/MCSC authentication attempt was made.
Response description returned from issuing institution or from eSELECTplus if there is a system error.
The reference number is an 18 character string that references the terminal used to process the transaction as well as the shift, batch and sequence number.
This data is typically used to reference transactions on the host systems and must be displayed on any receipt presented to the customer. This information should be stored by the merchant. The following illustrates the breakdown of this field where "660123450010690030” is the reference number returned in the message, "66012345" is the terminal id, "001" is the shift number, "069" is the batch number and "003" is the transaction number within the batch.
This is an encrypted string that is returned when using the transaction verification feature. There is no need to decrypt the string. It needs to be passed back to eSELECTplus to verify the authenticity of the transaction.
The value returned from the preload data request.
These extra variables can be sent in the request and will be echoed back in the response. These variables must begin with “rvar” and then contain any alphanumeric string (i.e. rvar1, rvarname, rvarMyVariable). If they are not posted in the request, they will not be included in the response.
Electronic Commerce Indicator that was sent with the transaction.
- There is a liability shift and the merchant is protected from chargebacks.
-MCSV –No liability shift and the merchant is not protected from chargebacks.
Gateway Transaction identifier. This value is required if merchant decides to send automated captures, voids or refunds through an API.
Indicates the address verification result. To test AVS you must create a configuration in “store5” and use that configuration for testing.
Indicates the CVD validation result. To test CVD you must create a configuration in “store5” and use that configuration for testing.
The Cardholder Authentication Verification Value (CAVV) is a value that allows VisaNet to validate the integrity of the VbV transaction data. These values are passed back from the issuer to the merchant after the VbV/SecureCode authentication has taken place.
A value of ‘true’ or ‘false’ is sent back which indicates if the card provided by the cardholder was a Visa Debit card.
The Hosted Pay Page is designed to generate special error codes when certain data is incorrect and/or the transaction couldn’t be processed. The table below contains the information regarding the error codes. Each error will be accompanied by a message describing the problem.
Transaction cancelled by cardholder – The response code indicates that the cardholder pressed the <cancel> transaction button. – This response is only returned if the enhanced cancel button functionality is enabled within the Hosted Paypage configuration.
Invalid referrer URL - <referrer url> – If the Hosted Pay Page solution is configured to check the referring URL and it is incorrect this error will occur. The source URL will be included in the error. Please refer to the “Security Features” portion of the Hosted Pay Page configuration for a list of all Allowed Referring URLs.
VBV / Secure Code authentication failed. – This error will occur if your merchant account is configured for VBV/MCSC and the cardholder failed to enter the proper PIN during the authentication process.
Data error - unable to store data. – This error will occur if too much request data was passed in the transaction request or if the database failed to store the request. This may occur if unsupported characters were included in one of the posted fields.
Invalid store credentials. – There is no code generated and a blank page is loaded with the above information. The ps_store_id and/or hpp_key did not match an existing store.
Card Issuer returned corrupt data. Unable to proceed with the transaction. Please return to the site where you initiated the transaction and try again. Your card has not been charged. – There is no code generated and a blank page is loaded with the above information. This error will occur if the cardholder’s issuing bank did not return the correct data in the VbV/MCSC authentication process.
Verifies funds on the customer’s card, removes the funds and prepares them for deposit into the merchant’s account.Recurring Billing allows you to set up payments whereby Moneris automatically processes the transactions and bills customers on your behalf based on the billing cycle information you provide.
This is often used for subscriptions, memberships or any time a fixed amount is charged at a regular interval.
Must be “day”, “week” “month” or “eom”. This is the base unit for the recurring interval.
Numeric value. The period is used in conjunction with recurUnit to determine the interval between payments.
Example: recurUnit= “month” and recurPeriod = “12” the charge will be billed once every twelve months. If recurUnit= “week” and recurPeriod = “1” the charge will be billed once a week. If recurUnit = “eom” and recurPeriod = “3” the charge will be billed every 3 months (on the last day of the month).
Please note that the total duration of the recurring billing transaction should not exceed 5-10 years in the future.
Must be in the format “YYYY/MM/DD” – this determines the date of the first charge. This date must be in the future – it cannot be the date the transaction is sent (Please see recurStartNow to bill card holder immediately).
“true” / “false” This will charge the transaction immediately and then initiate recurring billing to commence on the recurStartDate.
(i.e. 3.04). This can vary from the charge_total. If using recurStartNow charge_total is used for the immediate transaction and recurAmount is used for every transaction in the future.
Example: A member is joining halfway through May 2006 – you would like to bill the remaining half of the month ($20.00) and then bill them on the first day of the month every month for the full month ($40.00) starting June 1st 2006.
The number of times to process the recurring charge.
We advise against setting a period of longer than 5 years. The suggested maximum should be calculated using your recurUnit and recurPeriod settings over a 5 year period.
Indicates the Recurring Billing result.
Any response other than “true” indicates that the recurring billing transaction was not properly registered.
Outlined above is the Hosted Pay Page flow with the Data Preload feature implemented.
Once the cardholder is ready to pay, the merchant’s checkout page will submit an HTTPS POST using a server side programming language to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page (HPP) sending over all of the transaction data. NOTE: the cardholder will not be redirected yet.
The Hosted Pay Page (HPP) will store this transaction data and respond back to the merchant’s site by sending an XML response containing a ticket number.
The merchant’s checkout site will need to collect this response data, and build a new form POST to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page. At this time, the customer will be redirected from the merchant’s website to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page URL.
On the Hosted Pay Page, the cardholder will fill in their secure payment details such as their card number and submit the transaction. At this time, Moneris will process the transaction and build a response.
The Data Preload feature allows merchants to preload transaction data into the Hosted Pay Page through a direct server to server request. The Hosted Pay Page then returns an XML response containing a “ticket”. The ticket is then sent with the ps_store_id through the shopper’s browser in a request to the Hosted Pay Page. The Hosted Pay Page will then link the preloaded data to the browser request by using the ticket information after which the process will proceed as a regular Hosted Pay Page transaction. In a typical shopping cart checkout experience you must manage and ensure that preload requests correspond to the correct shopper’s browser session.
The fields below need to be sent via an HTTPS POST using a server side programming language such as .NET, Java, and PHP. Other optional variables could also be passed in this step, such as order ID, customer ID, billing and shipping information, etc.
(Optional) Merchant defined unique transaction identifier - must be unique for every transaction attempt.
After you send the preload data request to Moneris you will receive an XML response with: the hpp_id, the ticket, the order_no, and the response code. The combination of the hpp_id, ticket, and the order ID will uniquely identify this particular set of preloaded data with what’s stored already on the Moneris side. To make this work you must ensure the shoppers browser session is linked to the correct ticket. A sample of the data preload Response is shown below.
The ps_store_id is returned as the hpp_id in the XML response.
The order_id that was sent in the preload request; if no order id is sent in the preload request then a unique Order ID will be assigned by the Moneris system.
Upon receiving confirmation from the user that they are ready to proceed, you would then redirect the shopper via an HTTPS post with the variables below to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page.
Note: Other optional variables should not be sent, only the above variables should be sent in this request.
At this point the user will reach the Hosted Pay Page where they will enter their credit card information on a secure Moneris website. After the user completes their payment they can then be sent to a merchant generated receipt page and the result of the transaction can be recorded in the merchants order management system (if applicable). If the cardholder does not proceed with charging the credit card at this point then the ticket will become invalid. A new preload request will have to be created if the cardholder wishes to checkout.
Outlined above is the Hosted Pay Page flow with the Asynchronous Transaction Response feature enabled.
Once the cardholder is ready to pay, the merchant’s checkout page will submit an HTTP form POST to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page (HPP). At this time, the customer will be redirected from the merchant’s website to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page URL. For details on the HTTP form POST, please refer to section 9 of this document which outlines the mandatory and optional fields that may be sent to the Hosted Pay Page. On the Hosted Pay Page, the cardholder will fill in their secure payment details such as their card number and submit the transaction. At this time, Moneris will process the transaction and build a response.
Moneris will perform a server to server POST of the response data to the Async Response URL provided in the Hosted Pay Page Configuration as described in section 7B of this document.
Moneris will also send an additional response back to the merchant in a POST or GET format to the Response URL provided in the Hosted Pay Page Configuration as described in section 7B of this document. The customer will also be redirected back to the merchant’s website to this same Response URL.
Once the merchant receives the Asynch response details they may store these details for future purposes, such as reporting, as well as use it to compare against the response received in step 3B above.
Once the merchant receives the response details they must provide a receipt to the customer and then may store these details for future purposes such as reporting or tracking. They may also at this time compare this response to the one received in step 3A above to verify the accuracy of the data.
The Asynchronous Transaction Response feature will perform a server to server POST of the response data as a secondary method of getting the response data. This does not replace the normal transaction response which will still be sent through the browser as a POST or a GET. This is a supplementary feature that can be used to verify/validate the browser response. If this feature is enabled in the Hosted Pay Page Configuration this POST will automatically be sent back to the Async Response URL once the transaction processing is complete. Once the merchant receives this response data, it may be used to compare to and verify the original response. Please see below for a sample of the data preload Response displayed on our server in XML format and a sample PHP script used to read the Asynch Transaction Response.
//sample PHP script used to read the Asynch Transaction Response.
Outlined above is the Hosted Pay Page flow with the Transaction Verification feature enabled.
Moneris will redirect the customer back to the merchant’s website as well as send the response back to the merchant in a POST or GET format to the Response URL provided in the Hosted Pay Page Configuration as described in section 7B of this document.
Once the merchant receives the response details they may provide a receipt to the customer at this time and then may store these details for future purposes such as reporting or tracking.
Once of the fields returned in the response (step #3 above) is the transactionKey. The merchant may now send this transactionKey back to the Moneris Hosted Pay Page using another HTTP form POST. For details on the transaction verification POST, please refer to section 18 below.
Once the Moneris Hosted Pay Page receives this transactionKey it will look up the details we have on file for this transaction and send the amount, response code and message back to the merchant in one of the following formats: POST, GET, key/value pairs, or display XML on our server. This response will be sent to the Transaction Verification Response URL provided in the Hosted Pay Page Configuration as described in section 7B of this document. Note: the merchant may set the Response URL (step 3) and Transaction Verification URL (step 6) to be one and the same or set 2 different URLs.
Once the merchant receives the additional transaction verification response details, they may now display a receipt to the customer (if this was not yet done in step 4 above) and also compare this response to the one received in step 3 above to verify the accuracy of the original response data.
In order to perform a Transaction Verification it is essential that you configure the Hosted Pay Page accordingly. If the Hosted Pay Page is properly configured you will receive a variable in the GET or POST response called “transactionKey”. It is advised that you log the initial transaction response and then compare the Transaction Verification response to ensure authenticity. You can use a redirect (for example, onLoad=”submit”) or any other method to submit the request. We suggest automating the Transaction Verification and not using a button to submit the information. Transaction Verification can only be performed once on a given transaction, and it can only be performed within 15 minutes of the original transaction.
This is returned in the transaction response.
Once Moneris Gateway receives the transaction verification request we decrypt the key, then verify and log the request. A transaction verification response is then returned with the transaction information and a status. This response is sent in the format, and to the URL, defined in the “Security Features” portion of the Hosted Paypage configuration. Please see the table below for a list of possible Transaction Verification statuses.
Gateway Transaction identifier from the original transaction.
This is the value to check to see if the transaction has been properly validated. Below is a list of possible replies and their meaning.
Invalid referrer URL - <referrer url>: Referring URL does not match what is listed in the “Security Features” portion of the Hosted Pay Page configuration, validation failed. The source URL will be returned.
Invalid – Reconfirmed: The transaction has already been confirmed, validation failed.
Invalid: Not a valid confirmation request. Either the transaction doesn’t exist or the request is older than 15 minutes, validation failed.
The Convenience Fee program was designed to allow merchants to offer the convenience of an alternative payment channel to the cardholder at a charge. This applies only when providing a true "convenience" in the form of an alternative payment channel outside the merchant's customary face-to-face payment channels. The convenience fee will be a separate charge on top of what the consumer is paying for the goods and/or services they were given, and this charge will appear as a separate line item on the consumer’s statement.
Charge the convenience_fee amount. Please note the ‘convenience_fee’ must be less than the ‘amount’.
Indicates whether the Convenience Fee transaction processed successfully.
When Moneris Gateway receives the transaction request the Hosted Paypage will automatically determine whether INTERAC Online is enabled for your store and create a Payment Option screen. Note that INTERAC Online only supports the Purchase transaction. If your default transaction is PreAuth all credit card transactions will be processed as a PreAuth and will need to be subsequently captured, INTERAC Online transactions will be processed as a Purchase and do not require any further action. Note: For an approved response in the QA environment, you can use the data provided here.
Returned for an INTERAC Online transaction. This field identifies the name of the card issuer. This data must be displayed on a receipt.
Returned for an INTERAC Online transaction. This field contains the invoice number used to identify the transaction. This data must be displayed on the receipt.
Returned for an INTERAC Online transaction. This field is the confirmation number returned by the issuing bank. This data must be displayed on the receipt.
Note: For an approved response in the QA environment, you can use the data provided here.
Carefully consider the business logic and processes that you need to implement surrounding handling the response information the Transaction Risk Management Tool provides.
Also implement the other fraud tools available through eSelectplus (e.g. AVS, CVD, Verified by Visa and MasterCard SecureCode).
The sum of all the risks weights from triggered rules within the selected policy in the range [-100…+100].
The codes of the rules verified from the selected policy that have triggered. Each rule code is returned as a separate name/value pair.
The names of rules verified from the selected policy that have triggered. Each rule name is returned as a separate name/value pair.
An English message description of the rule returned.
A French message description of the rule returned.
The Purchase transaction is used when the customer presents their gift card at checkout time to pay for goods or services. The funds are then removed from the gift card.
This is the remaining balance on the card after Deactivation. The balance will be in pennies.
This is a message that, if present, is to be shown to the customer on the device display. The number of lines in the text is variable (up to a maximum of 10 lines) and each line (except the last line) is terminated with a line feed.
If the VoucherType field is non-zero, the text from this field should be printed in the body of the voucher.
This is the unique number that was assigned by the Moneris system to identify the transaction. The maximum value of this parameter is 0xFFFFFFFF (4294967295). The host can not return reference numbers greater than this value. If this field is present, it is to be included on the receipt.
Identifies the Terminal Identifier which was used to process the transaction.
Gateway Transaction identifier. This value is required if merchant decides to send automated void/refund through an API. | 2019-04-22T04:56:15Z | https://developer.moneris.com/en/Documentation/NA/E-Commerce%20Solutions/API/~/link.aspx?_id=0E57826471DC480E8F377C79BB88D6CB&_z=z |
Anzal Tours is a privately-owned and operated Moroccan company. Anzal Tours (Anzal Tourisme Services, ATS) prides itself in customer satisfaction through its professional commitment and attention to detail at all times.
Larbi Anzal is the owner and MD of Anzal Tours. Ian K Hardie supports and assists Larbi with his company, Anzal Tours. Larbi and Ian operate together. Ian helps to plan and develop tour itineraries for Larbi. Larbi is involved in all aspects of the running of his company and implementing the company's operations and service provision to his clients.
Larbi and Ian's combined comprehensive Moroccan knowledge and understanding of the many and varied needs of all types of traveler allows Anzal Tours to offer the highest quality of trip provision.
Based in Marrakech, Anzal Tours is at the heart of unrivaled Morocco tour options. Locally, in Marrakech, on the Marrakech Plain, amongst the Jbilat Mountains, in the High Atlas, in the Sahara and on the Atlantic Coast, Anzal Tours can offer exceptional combinations of tour experiences.
The Anzal Tours website describes a selection of some of our special tour programs. Of course, amongst those, Anzal Tours offers the “must do’s” of Morocco, they cannot be missed. But Anzal Tours can also offer exceptionally different additional options to lift your tour to new heights. This is the “gap” that Anzal Tours identified a few years ago.
My mom and I did a custom 9-day tour of Morocco in December of 2018. Booking the tour, I communicated back and forth with Larbi - he was always very timely in his response and very professional.
Said, was our driver and guide for 6 days (no guide in Marrakesh) and he was wonderful! My mom and I had the best time. Said did above and beyond what he was supposed to do - even took us to some local places to eat and took me to Starbucks in Marrakech. "Thank you, Said. You are the best!"
Tour started in Casablanca (Day 1) - we did not really spend a lot of time there since our flight arrived pretty late but we were able to see the mosque the next morning.
Day 2 - Chefchaouen - we loved this place - it was charming! Great place for those eye-catching Instagram photos.
Day 3 - On the way to Fes but stopped off in Meknes - a smaller version of Fes. The shopkeepers were a little more forceful about selling so I did not enjoy this place as much. Volubilis - saw Roman ruins - nice place for photos as well. Arrived in Fes at night.
Day 4 - Fes all day with a different guide. Our guide was El Hadi - he was great too! Explained the different things we were seeing. Guided us through the medina (which was confusing). Got some awesome deals on Argan oil, some scarves and pottery. Opted out of the tanneries - I knew my nose would not be able to hack it. Went to different sights as well - old city, new city, viewpoints from old watchtowers, where you can see great views of the city.
Day 5 - En route to the Desert - stopped by Erfoud (where our guide Said - a resident of the city) - took us where we could purchase trilobites for my brother. Middle Atlas mountain - we stopped by and saw Barbary monkeys on the road - fed them peanuts and gave some stray dogs some of our leftovers from breakfast. At the end of this day - we arrived in the Sahara desert - took a camel ride for an hour (our guide was Mustafa) to our camp. Great place to watch the stars. It was really cold!!! But I would rather be cold than hot, so just be prepared if you are planning on going in the winter.
Day 6 - Breakfast in the camp. Cold morning but got up early to watch the sunrise, then another hour camel ride back to meet our guide Said. Saved some of the apples from dinner and fed it to our camels. We stopped by a local market (Rissani) then went to see Todra Gorge - were able to take nice photos here. We slept in Ouarzazate (nice sleepy town).
Day 7 - Hiked up Ait Benhaddou - great scenery. Stopped off in a few places as well while en route to Marrakech. Arrived in Marrakech late afternoon.
Day 8 and 9 - My mom and I did want we do best - SHOP. We also enjoyed watching the exciting shows in the Jemaa el Fna Square.
We met Larbi in Marrakech - "Thank you for meeting with us, Larbi!"
All in all, it was an awesome "once in a lifetime experience!" - Will we do it again? YES!!! Totally worth it.
Overall, the cities tour of Casablanca, Chefchaoen, Fes and Marrakech was very good. Our driver Said was very professional, accommodating and spoke excellent English. We felt very well cared for by Said.
Our guide in Fes (El Hadi) was very knowledgeable and courteous. Luckily, we had the services of our driver in Casablanca which made for seamless touring around the city. Our only disappointment was the fact that we had stressed twin bed accommodation to the tour company but this was not provided at some of our hotels. I would recommend KimKim and Anzal Tours to friends and family members.
Many thanks for taking the time to write your review. I am very pleased to read your comments that suggest you enjoyed your tour. My apologies regarding the twin/double bed provision. I will endeavour to repeat the needs to all accommodation places so that our travelers receive what they wish. Many thanks for your recommendation to other future potential clients. Kind regards, Larbi.
Our 13 day journey through Morocco was very memorable. Our driver, (Youseff) was very punctual and shared with us his personal knowledge and experiences along the many roads we travelled.
In the city of Fez, we were greeted by our local guide, Fatima. She had vast knowledge of the local markets and attractions within the city. Certainly one of the highlights of our trip.
Overall our trip was well organized and tailored to what we were looking for. We plan on returning to Morocco again in the future, and look to build upon the experience we had.
We booked a 10 day trip to Morocco visiting many of the cities including Casablanca, Fez, Ouarzazate and Marrakesh. I was very pleased with the accommodations : Larbi booked us an awesome trip with really nice hotels and riads. Our hotel in Casablanca was brand new (1 month in operation) and our raids in Fez and Marrakesh were right in the heart of the medinas with great trip advisor reviews. Our driver Mubarak was very sweet and patient as well as knowledgeable about the areas we were driving through. We even got to visit his mom and sister at their home! And all of our local guides were great, funny and caring (when i got sick). We are extremely happy with the level of service we received on all ends and the best part is I didn't have to lift a finger to book any of it. Thank you Larbi and the Kim Kim team for an amazing experience.
3 nights 4 days tour Chefchaouen/Fes very well organised by Larbi the local Morocco travel specialist, he was very helpful organising transport and accommodation, the Hotel and Riad was excellent, clean rooms, good meals (dinner) the staff at both places was helpful and attentive to assist our needs, information and directions .
Our driver Mubarak was not only the driver but a tour guide as well, very knowledgeable of his country's history and places of interest for the foreigner.
His driving was always defensive, courteous and safe.
Hello Henry. It is very good of you to take time to write a review of your tour. I am very pleased that you all enjoyed every aspect of your trip. It was good to work with you, adjusting things as you wished till you had your ideal tour. Creating your comprehensive, bespoke tour was a pleasure and we very much appreciate our appreciative travelers. After your little taste of Morocco perhaps you will think to visit again and to experience other areas; just let me know! Larbi Anzal.
Hello Angel. Your words are very warming indeed to read, many thanks. It is great to know that your trip to Morocco was so good and that you completely enjoyed all the provisions that we had provided for you. It was great to work with you to design your ideal tour to be exactly as you wished it to be. Your praise is fullsome; thank you very much for taking the time to write some lovely words. Larbi.
We spent 5 days and 4 nights in Morocco and it was great. One of the highlights of our trip was spending the night in the Sahara desert where we were able to watch the stars by the campfire while also enjoying some local music.
Our trip was spent mostly on the road however which at some points of the trip can feel quite boring. However it is understandable due to the size of the country and the distances we had to travel between each place. Nevertheless, the scenery during the drives were beautiful ranging from rocky mountains, desserts, and valleys. The cities we visited were also very beautiful we visited Ourzazate, Marrakech, and Boulmane Dades.
Our driver was very helpful and very informartive and we enjoyed the trip very much. The accommodation provided by Larbi was of very good quality. We opted for the 3* option and the places we stayed in were very clean and provide very good service.
- we did not get information on the time that our driver would pick us up on the first and last day. It would be more efficient for us and for the tour to provide us this info as we had to ask the hotel manager to phone Larbi a couple of times.
- when we were dropped of in Marrakech by our driver we had to walk to the riad we were staying and our driver agreed with a guy with a cart to take our baggage for 50 dirham. When we arrived I was forced to pay 150 dirham by him.
Despite some minor stuff we enjoyed our trip very much and would recommend using Larbi's services if you are going to visit Morocco.
I am delighted to read your very positive and encouraging Review; many thanks for taking the time to write it and so fully too. I am very pleased to know that you had a great trip and that you fully appreciated the magnificent sceneries and experiences of Morocco (as well as the Anzal Tours service provision!). It is a huge country - you must come back and see more! We have very good drivers and it's great to hear that you appreciated his services too; they do a demanding job and are a very important element of our tours; their input is significant to a tour's overall success. Good to get your "light negatives'' too, thanks; noted and action will be taken for the future. It is a bit tricky to control the luggage carriers, however; they are good and needed for what they do but they have tough lives so any chance to squeeze a little more dirhams can be the case sometimes, sorry about that. Many thanks for your personal recommendation too; I appreciate that very much. We genuinely strive in Anzal Tours to meet and exceed our travelers' expectations. Larbi.
Larbi planned a wonderful trip for us. It was exactly what we wanted for the time available to us. His driver was excellent, obliging and knowledgable. When we had to make some changes nothing was too much trouble for Larbi.
Thank you for putting us in touch with him.
These are every encouraging words to read Yvette, many thanks. I am delighted that you trip was so exhilarating. Anzal Tours is very pleased that you delighted in the many "extras" that we provide for our travelers, such as close and meaningful encounters with local people; these are very special events. Great too that Said was such a great driver and companion; we are very pleased with our Anzal Tours drivers and we fully know how important a part they play in a trip's overall success. I will feed back to Said and I know he will be very happy to have served you so well and to your high satisfaction. Thank you very much for young with us; Morocco is varied, Morocco is vast - great that you are keen to return; we will be happy to serve you again. Larbi.
Overall trip was great, got to see a lot of the countryside and beautiful landscapes. From a logistics point of view would probably recommend to others to not do such a tightly packed schedule and enjoy more time in some of the bigger towns. Driver was safe and efficient, good English, initially not as interactive but soon warmed up to conversation. Unfortunately the day tour guides left a bit to be desired. The fes guide whilst kind, too much taking to cooperatives and shops, would prefer more historic information and sight seeing. The Marrakech guide was lovely as well, more historic information which is nice, but once again too many cooperative stops. The mountain guide unfortunately was very odd, barely spoke to us for the entire day and did not have much information about local species of plants and animals, needed more persona. Larbi was great at listening to our needs and helping us arrange optional activities and transport so thank you for that. Accomodation was good throughout the stay, clean and comfortable. Ideally not all dinners would be included in future as we did could not finish the meal and it was a waste of food as well as money. Overall good experience, thank you Kim Kim!
Hello Keira. It is pleasing to know that you enjoyed your trip. With the number of days that you had and the places you wished to see, yes, of course, the tour had to be at a pace. In all places it wot be good to linger longer, I understand. The driver is always an important part of a tour and it is excellent that he was both safe as well as helpful; it is always good to ask questions and to encourage, as you did, and then a strong rapport can allow for much information to be gained (as you gained). Guides too play their significant role as well. It is great that your Marrakech Guide was good but I do know that sometimes there is a leaning towards shops that is not what some travelers want. I will take this point on board and certainly look into who was your Fes Guide and discuss future approaches to our travelers if he wishes to work for Anzal Tours. I know the Mountain Guide well and know him to be caring and courteous as well as safety conscious; I see him quite often. But I will meet him and discuss his duties more fully to him and train him further into what can be discussed with out travelers. Great to know that the accommodations were good. I am pleased my own on-tour service/contact/availability to you was helpful. I am very pleased that you liked the Kimkim service - they have many other country specialist around the globe, maybe you can check in again to see where next with Kimkim!
Larbi and his team took good care of us and service provided by all of them was very good and made our trip enjoyable.
I am very pleased to read that you liked the services of Anzal Tours. It was a pleasure to work with you, to learn of your needs and to then shape your bespoke, private tour to be just as you wished it to be. I hope you have many good photographs and memories of your trip that will give you further pleasure long into the future.
While we enjoyed our trip to this amazing country , I would have a some suggestions .
We were two people on a private tour .
All drivers or taxi services provide by company to have basic English ( or language requested by client ) . We struggled with this on our last three days , was tiresome .
Also I had requested meals to be omitted , to offer more flexibilty , this was not done .
So we ended up pay AUD 500 eac more , not totally sure what for .
Our initial driver could have had more engagement / charisma . Felt he wa just ‘doing a job ‘ most of the time .
One hotels and one meal below standard .
We were not informed of our drivers name or called by Larbi initially to check if all was going smoothly .
On the positive when we did contact Larbi if was very good . Our driver was flexible and adjusted our itinery so we got a full day on Fez .
Overall had some great experiences, Morocco scenery , food and interesting weather !
Hello Vini. It is good to read that many aspects of your tour were great and positive. About those items that you found less so, I hope that they did not cloud your tour too much. In a developing country language can be a challenge sometimes and I am sorry that you found this to be this way for you. Most often we only hear good things about our drivers and Guides so this is unfortunate. There was discussion in the email conversations about what level of desert tent you wished but your final Trip Plan (stating all inclusions/exclusions) did not show a deluxe tent; as all your other accommodations were requested to be at 3*, a standard tent was booked for you (And it was this standard that was costed in). I hope that your meals eaten in the accommodations were enjoyable; I note one was not so good for you and I will seek to enquire about this. Our travellers usually like eating in their accommodations after a long day, when they can freshen up, relax and reflect on the day. I am pleased that you found my service towards you helpful whilst you were on tour.
- Larbi, does not review the trip advisor ratings of places he books people into. He claims 3 stars, but the ratings are much worse and the experience is just as spotty.
- the bathrooms in the desert saffari were terrible and the “standard luxury” tent was mattresses laid on carpets. There was no “luxury”. Clearly a bait and switch operation.
- when we pointed out the poor quality about some of the places we were staying in, his reaction was pretty much take it or leave it, you are on your own. This was true especially on our last day in Casablanca.
- we would NOT recommed using Larbi. | 2019-04-26T02:47:20Z | https://www.kimkim.com/o/anzal-tours |
Early Class III protraction treatment works and reduces the need for orthognathic surgery: A trial that shows us something useful!
Early Class III protraction treatment works and reduces the need for orthognathic surgery: A randomised trial that shows us something useful!
Once in a while a study team carries out a trial that provides us with very useful clinical information. This post is about a paper that shows us that early Class III protraction facemask treatment reduces the need for orthognathic surgery. All dentists and orthodontists should read this paper.
Early class III protraction facemask treatment reduces the need for orthognathic surgery: a multi-centre, two-arm parallel randomized, controlled trial.
Dr Nicky Mandall led this project. I worked with her when she was a resident and then Senior Lecturer in our Department, they were great times for our orthodontic research. This paper represents 10 years of work by the investigators. The study was mostly based in the North of England, although there are some people from the “beautiful South”.
They did this study to find out if “early” class III protraction facemask treatment influenced the eventual need for orthognathic surgery. This was a multicentre two armed randomised controlled trial that started in 2003 and this paper represents a long-term follow-up.
Participants were 7-9 year old children with a Class III malocclusion. This was defined as three or more incisors in cross bite with a clinically retrusive mid face. They recruited the children through school screenings and treated them in 8 UK-based hospital orthodontic departments.
No intervention, this was the control group.
They followed a uniform protocol for the protraction headgear treatment. This continued until the reverse overjet was corrected. Once they completed active treatment no patients received retention. Some of the patients had upper arch alignment when they were 12 to 13 years old.
The patients in the control group were simply followed and some of them also had upper arch alignment when they were 12 to 13 years old.
The primary outcome was the need for orthognathic surgery. They decided on this by using a panel consensus. The seven orthodontists met and reviewed the clinical records to decide whether each patient needed orthographic surgery. Research assistants blinded the records so they did not know the treatment allocation.
Secondary outcomes were cephalometric variables and psychosocial status which they measured these with two recognised scales.
They carried out a sample size calculation and randomisation and concealment were good. The statistical analysis was appropriate.
They initially enrolled 73 participants and at the end of the study they analysed 32 in the control group and 33 in the protraction group. The groups were balanced at the end of the study. There were no differences between the groups for the patients who had received upper arch alignment.
When they looked at the need for orthographic surgery they found that in the control group 21 (66%) needed surgery. Whereas, protraction treatment reduced this to 12 (36%). This was a clinically and statistically significant difference between the groups.
They calculated the odds ratio to be 3.34 (95% CI 1.21 to 9.24). This means that the use of protraction surgery reduced the odds of needing surgery by 3.5 times. I calculated the numbers needed to treat (NNT) to be 3.6 (95% CI 1.9-21.6). Meaning that we need to treat 3.6 patients to avoid one episode of orthognathic surgery.
It was very interesting that they did not find any difference in A-P cephalometric measurements between the groups. They also showed that there was some reduction in maxillary and mandibular rotations for the protraction group.
Finally, there were no difference in the socio-psychological measures.
Their discussion was good and clear. When they looked at all their data they did not find any predictors for the need for orthognathic surgery.
I think that this paper could be a real “landmark” publication because it reported a good long-term trial that provided us with very relevant clinical outcomes. I was particularly pleased that the final outcome was relevant to both patients and operators and was not an indecipherable mass of cephalometric data.
It was interesting and relevant that the treatment did not have an effect on socio-psychological status. This is in contrast to the studies that evaluated early treatment of class II malocclusion, which showed an interim boost in self-esteem. This may be because the class III incisor relationship is not as obvious to a lay population as very prominent incisors. As a result, the children may not have been subject to teasing and bullying.
While I feel that this study is good, there is one point that we need to consider and this is concerned with the method of assessing the need for surgery. The operators in the study did this assessment. While they were blinded to the participant’s identities, there is a chance that they would recognise the patients who they treated. Nevertheless, because all the clinicians took a role in reaching a consensus, this effect should be minimised. As a result, I feel that this is likely to have minimal effect on the results.
In summary, this was an excellent study that the authors carried out reported very well. I’m sure that its findings will change practice.
Unfortunately, this paper is currently behind the Journal of Orthodontics pay wall, I have contacted the editor who has told me that it should have been published as open access and it will be available to everyone later this week. This is great news.
Another trial on maxillary protraction shows it works: but does it?
This study is really excellent and the editor’s decision is also excellent. I think if the similar study is planned in my country (Korea), it will be almost impossible to get a IRB permission because most of us believe early intervention is effective. Ethical problem will be the issue.
Brilliant! Thanks for the summary. This will certainly be a landmark study.
I am really concerned about this paper.
The start radiographs were taken in intercuspal position not retuded contact position and for me this invalidates the whole piece of research.
Would you accept research on asymmetry if the start measurements were postured to one side?
So consider the treatment group had the posture removed by pushing the incisors over the bite, hence the change in ANB. And the upper molars would then erupt hence the change in rotatation of the maxilla. The controls continued with a contact on the incisors and a forward and upward slide of the mandible ( I am sure you are familiar with the Gravelly paper which sugests the condyle remains in the fossa but the forward and upward movement makes the ANB ange 2.4 degrees more class 3) This means that when deciding if patients should have surgery the treatment group would be less likely to be offered surgery.
Orthodontics has a 100 year history of claiming orthopaedic change and then finding it does not exist please let us have some ground rules. I suggest use Harvold’s point on anterior nasal spine not A point and only look at the mandible if the start radiographs are in Retruded Contact Position.
I haven’t yet read the actual paper, and you mention a fair point; however, perhaps the ‘take-home message’ here is simply that they were actually treated. I don’t know off the cuff how many Cl III 7-9 year olds have a significant functional shift? …in my practice it “feels” like about half as I write this, but I won’t go to publisher with that! So, to look at it another way, failure to treat early Cl III malocclusion, regardless of functional shift, seems to increase the likelihood for orthognathic surgery later. To your point, it could be interesting and enlightening to address the issue of mandibular position, but it doesn’t change how I personally respond to news of this publication, nor how I will continue to treat my young Cl III patients. Thanks!
Who cares about the ceph data really. Does it really matter if they were postured? Both groups were followed up and assessed as to whether they required orthognathic surgery at age 15. As a parent/patient if you can demonstrate the reduction in the need for orthognathic surgery by having 6-9 months of protraction facemask therapy at age 8 -10 I would want to know about that treatment modality and would like to give it a go for my child. As an orthodontist I would like to know the reason why this happened and this paper doesn’t really address it – but it’s primary outcome was not to determine how, but if the need for surgery was reduced. We had all the ceph tracing arguments for TwinBlocks about which lines and structures to use. Patient centred outcomes please, will my child be less likely to require orthognathic surgery if we give protraction face mask therapy a go at the right age – yes. Great trial.
I am slightly confused with the findings and conclusions. They did not show any significant skeletal change in the long-term, yet it somehow reduced the need for orthognathic surgery. How is this possible? This need for surgery, as stated, was assessed subjectively and there must be a lot of bias here..Especially with no blinding.
Thank you for your review of this paper. For those who’ve been awaiting this expected evidence, you will now hopefully act on it in your daily practices; for those who for whatever reason are still uncomfortable treating in the 7-9 age range of the experimental and control cohorts, please consider referring or collaborating with colleagues who do indeed have training and experience in managing intrinsic and age-apprpriate anxiety behaviors of children in healthcare settings. And speaking of the control cohort subjects Dr. O’Brien that were ‘utilized’ for this trial; can you imagine how they and their parents will feel when they learn that the non-surgical Tx option for which they served as a baseline comparative sample, might actually have soared them the need for the surgeon’s hammer, chisel and steel blades, not to mention avoidance of risks associated with general anesthesia and post-operative complications. Given what evidence already existed before this trial was approved by an IRB about at least short-term efficacy of early expansion-protraction Tx, I am thinking the control group’s subjects might be feeling a bit shall we say, regretful? And one other thought if I may, for those of us who maybe have been ‘acting’ on the best available evidence (e.g., McNamara’s et al thin-plate spline analyses on expansion-protraction Tx’d pts., etc.), rather than ‘waiting’ for the bested expected evidence (e.g., Nicky Mandall’s masterpiece), one can only imagine how good the outcome might have been if at least some of these kids had been Dx’d and Tx’d earlier than age 7-9?
Thanks again for getting this valuable article from behind JO’s ‘pay wall’….brilliant!
I think that instead of dividing GB into North and Not North, you could adopt demarcations of North, Not North, and Not North Enough.
I find very interesting this randomized study. I have not consulted individual study and your note did not mention it, over the age of 12 or 13 years is not the most appropriate to assess the need for surgical treatment in a subject as the jaw continues to grow especially in male subjects. Did the authors discuss this limitation? Did they use measures of bone maturity? On the need for surgical treatment, they discussed the use of some index? If the anteroposterior cephalometric data between both groups were not different at the end of the study, what biological change reduced the need for surgical treatment? Thank you.
I am not sure of the significance of any findings here. I have successfully been doing non-surgical skeletal Class III corrections for over 30 years. Note: The earlier the treatment the better. Good myofunction, proper nasal breathing, proper tongue posture while in function (swallowing) or resting (placed at roof of mouth), proper lip seal are also very important. Although many doctors showed great results with reverse pull headgears when I first studied this in the early 1980s, I found that even this is not necessary if maxillary correction to ideal is completed. A great appliance for this is a properly designed Maxillary 3-way Sagittal (3 separate screws) appliance. Even many adults can be corrected when using SPE (Slow Palatal Expansion NOT RPE!). I give examples of this type of treatment in my book “Straight Talk about Crooked Teeth” available through Amazon.com. I show long term stable results (one 17 years post treatment and just saw that same patient 23 years post op with no relapse). This is not rocket science folks, just logical physiology! Create an ideal maxilla, normalize the occlusion at any age with Functional Facial Orthopedics and braces where needed, make sure myofunction is corrected and voila, you create a stable life long result without surgery in over 95% of the cases. It has worked for me for over 30 years.
Given that maxillary deficiency is the precursor to most malocclusions (if you’re willing to go with that), it would seem that this technique, or for that matter, ANY technique that can correct maxillary dysmorphia in all three planes of space would be commendable in any malocclusion. And given that there is more growth potential in those who have yet to grow (if you’re willing to go with that), then doing this treatment as early as possible would seem to be commendable as well. Why not development the maxilla so there will be plenty of room for the tongue on the palate and plenty of room for the teeth to erupt so that these quandaries about orthognathics need rarely be considered? You only have to be able to recognize a deficient maxilla.
I agree with Barry. The treatment is centred on correcting a deficient maxilla. Using this appliance where the mandible is too long would create a very unsightly bimaxillary prortusion. Harry Orton was very supportive of the use of reverse pull headgear at least 25 years ago.
Many thanks, Kevin for negotiating this article’s free access.
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts along with the review. I am concerned about the IRB permission for this study. There is evidence as to the improvement of skeletal class III if treated early (8 to 10 years). As age increases the skeletal effect reduces and dental change increases. Àlso there is reversal of growth pattern 2 years after protraction negating the correction achieved. The greatest problem in any clinical study in orthodontics is that we cannot use same treatment for a single patient and evaluate which is better. So there is no means to really ensure that, had the face mask treated group if treated with surgery would they have been more satisfied? I think this may not revolutionise our clinical decision making in early class III treatment, clinicians who are skeptical with face mask treatment will still remain same. But no IRB will permit and untreated control group in any further RCT in the light of this research for class III protraction treatment.
I also think that this is a good paper and an interesting and long- term study.I am glad about the editor’s decision to share the publication.
Congratulations for your blog, a good place where we can discuss orthodontic topics and put up with recents studies.
It strikes me that a problem here is that the control group had no treatment (although some had braces later, how many?). This study therefore tells me that doing treatment to correct an anterior x bite is better than leaving it. What it doesn’t tell me is if doing an alternative to protraction is just as good, although it sort of implies that it might be since there was no A-P difference in the groups and therefore no skeletal effect from the protraction. Is this correct?
What I need to know is if protraction is better than treating later with fixed braces. Can this be teased out of the data? Those in the control group that had braces, were they the ones that were assessed as not needing surgery? Should they be in the control group if they had treatment anyway?
Thanks dear prof O’Brien for sharing this important recent piece of information. I only got one comment, how did they managed to gain the ethical approval? Is it ethical to randomize patients not to have an interceptive that may work for them even according to the best available evidence before this trial?
Dear Prof. O’Brien-Thank you for the followup on your recent review of your former student’s recently published study. To your query, ‘Was the study ethical?’, and your own conclusion, ‘I am sure that it was.’ by reason of the fact that the operators in the study had been in ‘equipoise about the treatment’ (i.e., they didn’t know which was the best treatment prior to trial’s onset in 2003.), and also to your further statement, ‘It was clear that when this study started in 2003, the operators did not know the best treatment. ….and as a result, the trial was ethical.’, Dr. O’Brien, as you are well aware, per several historically documented medical atrocities (e.g., the cruel/inhumane medical experiments exposed at the Nuremberg Trials of WW II, the U.S.’ Tuskegee Experiment, etc.), in order to gain ethics committee approval, amongst other factors, a thorough review of pertinent peer-reviewed literature is a mandatory requirement for any trial proposing to request utilizing human subjects. That said, prior to 2003, there were indeed scientifically credible published reports in top-tier journals describing the beneficial morphological effects of reverse pull headgear (RPH) Tx (a.k.a., ‘non-surgical maxillary distraction’) with or without concurrent RPE….e.g., here are just a few: 1.) Angle Orthod. 1996; 66(5):351-62; Changes following the use of protraction headgear for early correction of Class III malocclusion., Chong YH1, Ive JC, Artun; 2.) J. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2000;118:55-62; Effective treatment plan for maxillary protraction: Is the bone age useful to determine the treatment plan?; 3.) Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 1998;113:333-43; Skeletal effects of early treatment of Class III malocclusion with maxillary expansion without RPH, Tiziano Baccetti, DDS, PhDa, Jean S. McGill, DDS, MSb, Lorenzo Franchi, DDS, PhDc, James A. McNamara Jr., DDS, PhDd, Isabella Tollaro, MD, DDS). And furthermore, given what Linder-Aronson described in the 1970’s about correlation between posterior naso-pharyngeal constriction in children and increased risk for pediatric OSA (‘Naso-respiratory function and craniofacial growth’: in published proceedings of symposium honoring Professor Robert E. Moyers, February 23 and 24, 1979, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and several published journal articles), combined with what Bacetti et al (Eur J Orthod, 21 (1999), pp. 275–281; Thin-plate spline analysis of treatment effects of rapid maxillary expansion and face mask therapy in early Class III malocclusionsT Baccetti, L Franchi, JA McNamara),revealed about how RPH-RPE combination Tx increased the nasopharyngeal corridor, I’d think the issue of equipoise possibly be called into question given the reason for the operators’ unawareness (i.e., incomplete review of the literature)…..who knows. But, as you conclude, now that validated published evidence is even more easily accessed/accessible (than in 2003 I’d admit), to withhold RPH and/or RPE Tx for research purposes from a child who might surely otherwise acquire better health outcomes, would not only be deemed unethical, but also be correctly categorized as medically and scientifically indefensible.
Dear Prof. O’Brien. Thank you for this compelling write-up.
I have a query regarding class III management which is not related to your blog (If you find time please answer). We have been taught that cross-bite should be treated as soon as it is seen. Also, we know, skeletal class III due to prognathic mandible should be treated after the growth is completed (either by surgery or orthognathic camouflage).
My question is: How should we manage a child who has an anterior crossbite due to prognathic mandible? Should we treat the child or wait till the growth is completed?
Dear Dr. O’Brien, I am a recently retired Pediatric Dentist in Texas. I have been providing this service for twenty five to thirty years for children as young as 3. It has been incredibly effective for the many patients that I have treated and extremely emotionally rewarding for me. Thank you for getting this information out to a greater number of practitioners. | 2019-04-24T23:15:08Z | https://kevinobrienorthoblog.com/early-class-iii-protraction-treatment-works-and-reduces-the-need-for-orthognathic-surgery-a-trial-that-shows-us-something-useful/ |
The question of how best to store your whisky comes up a lot in the whisky world. While the casual drinker may only have a bottle or two of different whiskies around at any given time, enthusiasts tend to collect quite a variety. Given the cost associated with some of these bottles, what is the best way to store them to ensure minimal change in the flavour over time? There are a lot opinions available online – some of which actually run counter to evidence. So let me walk you through the best evidence-supported recommendations.
For sealed bottles, the answer is fairly easy – store your whisky upright, in a dark (and preferably cool) place, minimizing light and temperature fluctuations. I’ll explain each of the reasons below.
Upright is most important, as the high proof ethanol in whisky will degrade the cork over time if stored on the side – dissolving the cork, and tainting the flavour of the whisky. This comes as a surprise to most wine drinkers, who are always advised to keep wine bottles on their side. But that is because wine is much lower proof (lower alcohol content relative to water), and so the water in wine keeps the cork from drying out. This is important, as a dried-out cork will let air in, spoiling the wine. Unopened whisky bottles are fully sealed, and the contents do not change in the bottle so long as they stay sealed and well stored.
I’ve seen comments online about “moistening” the cork periodically in whisky bottles (by temporarily tilting the bottle on the side). This does nothing of the sort, as the higher ethanol content is actually drying out the cork. But periodic contact of the whisky with the cork is not likely to harm it much – after all, this happens all the time when a bottle is handled or shipped.
On that point, I routinely pick up bottles in my travels, and pack them in my checked suitcase for return travel. I have never had an issue with cork leakage in new, sealed bottles. Where you will get into trouble is with open bottles that are only partially-filled (as the extra air contracts and expands with pressure changes at altitude, causing the cork to pop out – more on this later). Note that minor leakage can occur with some screw caps enclosures, even if the seal is unbroken. Air pressure changes can cause small leaks as there is “wiggle room” for the cap to loosen slightly. You will want to give screw-caps an extra hand-tighten to make sure they aren’t loose to start, and encase the bottles in sealed containers. I use extra-large Ziploc freezer bags, and they do well to capture any minor leakage. One exception to placing whisky in checked luggage is for smaller planes (used for short hops), where the cargo hold may not be within the pressurized cabin area. For any jetliner, you won’t have this concern, as the cargo holds are all pressurized.
Your bigger risk traveling with checked bottles is breaking at the neck point, due to rough handling of your bag. So always make sure they are well-wrapped in clothes or bubble wrap (I find laser toner cartridge shipping bags great for this, with a pair of socks wrapped around the bottle neck). Also try to pack in the middle of the suitcase, not near an edge.
Many studies have shown that sunlight is one of the biggest threats to whisky (some links provided below in my discussion of open bottles). Even indirect natural light will induce changes over time, so you are best storing your whisky in the dark – like in a cupboard with doors kept closed. Keeping them in their cardboard boxes/tubes will also help in protecting against light pollution. But I’ve also seen suggestions to ditch the cardboard boxes if you are planning for very long-term storage (i.e., decades), as the cardboard/glue can become a substrate for microbial/fungal contamination. But that only matters for the serious collector (who likely has a proper climate controlled dark environment for their whisky anyway).
Once open, whisky will start to degrade in the bottle. This is a different sort of “aging” than what happens in the barrel during whisky production, which is necessary to make whisky (see my Sources of Whisky Flavour page for more info). Whisky does not “improve” with this sort of breakdown aging due to air exposure – although it can become more palatable to some, in certain circumstances (e.g., some of the chemical changes over time can make the whisky taste sweeter).
In properly stored open bottles, the reason for the change in flavour over time is due to the presence of air. Specifically, the repeated air exchange as you pour a dram, and the expanding volume of air in the bottle over time. Interestingly, it is actually a bit of an open question as to how much of the change is due to the simple presence of air, versus its frequent exchange. Unfortunately, the academic literature (which I have reviewed) is not too concerned on this point. The few studies done typically explore these questions from a theoretical perspective, under acute laboratory conditions with specialized preparations that don’t reflect long-term concerns.
As an aside, it is a pet peeve of mine to see this process of degradation in open bottles being referred to as “oxidation.” Oxidation refers to a specific chemical reaction that involves a transfer of electrons between chemical species (specifically, the stripping of electrons from the chemical that gets “oxidized”). Given the high proof of whisky, classic oxidative reactions at the gas-liquid interface are unlikely to be contributing in a major way to changing characteristics over time. Instead, it is a variety of other chemical interactions involving surface tension issues at the air-liquid interface that can alter whisky flavour over time.
Again, the academic literature is largely focused on exploring specific types of chemical interactions individually, tested under laboratory conditions. At the end of the day, empirical observations using sensory analysis (i.e., tasting with blind tasters) is the best way to compare potential storage condition outcomes. A couple of recent attempts at actual whisky comparisons over time are helpful in this regard. Cited below are a recent small study by Mattias Klasson of scotchwhisky.com, and a more rigorous and detailed study by Marcus Fan.
Before I get into their testing results, a brief explanation of popular storage options for open bottles of whisky is presented below.
The first option is to simply leave the whisky in the well-capped bottle until it is gone. But a popular belief online is that the air-induced changes in whisky intensify once the bottle has dropped to less than half volume – and becomes extreme once only a small volume is left (i.e., only a “heel” of whisky left in the bottle).
M y personal experience of keeping numerous open bottles for several years is consistent with the results of both studies referenced above: namely, a half-full bottle shows (at worse) only minimal effects over 1-2 years, but a largely empty bottle quickly begins to show noticeable changes. So practically, you probably don’t really need to worry until you pass the point where there is more air in the bottle than whisky.
A related question comes up about storing whisky in crystal glass decanters (for display purposes). Here again, the indirect light issue comes into play, as you will degrade the whisky over time (even faster than you will from the air). Even worse, those clear crystal decanters are actually lead crystal. The high proof alcohol in whisky will gradually extract lead from the glass, dosing you with something you will definitely want to avoid.
This is probably the most popular option in the whisky enthusiast community. To minimize air “headspace”, simply pour the whisky into smaller glass bottles. Commonly available are Boston round bottles in 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 oz sizes. These are available in clear glass or, better yet to minimize light effects, amber or cobalt blue glass. The results of both the Fan study and the Klasson study support this method as one of the best ways to minimize air effects.
Bottles caps matter here though. The best bottle enclosures are phenolic screw caps (made from black polypropylene). But do not use the cheaper ones with paper liners. Instead, use only polycone liners (see attached photo comparison).
The cheaper caps use pulp paper with a thin polyethylene coating, and are intended for aqueous solutions only (i.e., pure water-based). These will degrade rapidly in direct contact with high-proof alcohol fumes. You will soon find the liner contents dissolving into your whisky, making a disgusting mess. I’ve seen this happen to a few sample bottles I’ve received in swaps with other reviewers, when I didn’t check the caps (for samples I didn’t get to right away). Polycone liners are conical-shaped liners made of an oil-resistant plastic – and are designed to resist chemicals, solvents, oils, etc.
This decanting approach into smaller glass bottles is the consistent first choice across all studies for long-term storage. My personal experience also supports this conclusion. Ideally, you should aliquot (pour into smaller bottles) as soon as you open your whisky, to minimize any effects of air-induced aging over time.
As an aside, a cheaper alternative is to use clear plastic PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles. While it is true that some bottom-shelf whiskies come in PET containers (along with many other food and liquid stuffs), the long-term effect of storage of high-proof alcohol in these containers is unknown. It is reasonable to worry about the potential extraction of plasticizers over time (i.e., the additives used during production to keep the plastic from becoming too brittle).
At a minimum, it would be important to ensure you are getting food-grade PET bottles, with proper polycone caps. In the Klasson study, they use “cheap PET bottles” (source not identified), and found a significant change in flavour over time. I’ve kept whisky in food-grade PET bottles for up to 6 months, and have not noticed any off flavours. But I would consider this a riskier proposition, and recommend you stick with glass bottles if at all possible.
A seemingly ingenious solution to the air volume issue is to pour glass marbles into the original bottle as the whisky volume drops, thus minimizing air headspace. Sounds reasonable, right? Except this approach means that you are greatly increasing the whisky-to-glass ratio over time, especially as the volume drops. All that increased glass surface area is an opportunity for interactions to occur (i.e., there is more surface for the congeners and other flavour molecules in the whisky to “stick” to).
At a minimum, you would need to ensure the marbles were scrupulously cleaned and sterilized before use. And I have no idea where you would get food-grade glass marbles to start with – children’s toy marbles are not likely to be made of high quality glass, and are likely to contain various contaminants that could leach out in the presence of high proof alcohol (e.g., lead). Conducted properly though, this approach is likely to work – as demonstrated in the Fan study. But I think you are best to decant into smaller glass bottles.
This is a popular option for those coming from the wine world. The principle is that an inert, neutral gas like argon (Ar) can be sprayed over the surface of the liquid, thus preventing the lighter-weight oxygen (O2) from reaching the wine (or whisky) once re-corked. There are various “wine preserve” brands out there, each with their particular (and often undisclosed) blend of argon, nitrogen (N2) and carbon dioxide (CO2).
Keep in mind, these sprays were all developed and tested on wine – it is unknown how the much higher proof whisky would react. One obvious concern is that wine “preserved” this way was only meant to be kept for up to a week or two. Long-term storage effects (typically months to years for whisky) are thus largely unknown.
A potentially greater problem is that the spray canisters need a food-grade aerosol propellant in order to eject the “inert” gas down the long extended tube into the whisky. In the old days, this was Freon – but that has since been replaced by butane and propane. It is not at all clear what the long-term effects of adding butane/propane, as well as Ar/N2/CO2, inside a whisky bottle would be. The chemistry that occurs at the air interface of high-proof whisky is complex and not fully understood – adding these extra variables would be a concern.
Indeed, in the study by by Fan, the most popular neutral gas spray – Private Preserve Wine Preserver (shown above) – consistently induced greater flavour change than any other condition beyond indirect sunlight. While exposure to regular air had noticeable effects when the whisky volume was very low (e.g. 150 mL in a 750 mL bottle), these were almost twice as noticeable when wine preserve spray was used. Simply put, wine preserve was considerably worse than just regular air exposure in a bottle.
On the basis of these findings, I strongly recommend you do NOT use neutral gas sprays in your whisky bottles.
Another popular option from the wine world. Typically, a specialized rubber cork is placed at the opening of the wine bottle, and a hand pump is used to extract most of the air from the bottle (creating a partial vacuum). I’ve used this myself, and it does help keep wine flavourful for a few days (compared to simply re-corking).
The main issue for whisky is that the seal is not likely to last over the long term – and again, the high-proof ethanol is likely to degrade the rubber gaskets over time. I’ve not seen a whisky study done using wine bottle vacuum seals, but the Fan study did look at placing the small whisky bottles in standard food vacuum sealer bags. Their results showed no net benefit (or impairment) to this whisky using this method. As a result, I recommend you stick without the vacuum seal complexity.
A standard in any chemistry or biology lab, Parafilm is a thin plastic film of paraffin wax. Paraffin is a soft, colourless wax used for making candles and crayons, among other things. Parafilm is used in labs to temporarily seal an open container (like an Erlenmeyer flask), or for longer-term storage of lidded containers (where are you are trying to prevent moisture or air contamination).
While Parafilm can certainly be degraded by various chemical solvents, it is relatively resistant to ethanol. Unfortunately, Parafilm is still relatively gas permeable, so it is best suited to serve as physical barrier for liquid penetration.
I personally use it when transporting whisky – especially when carrying sample bottles on airplanes. The pressure changes are likely to cause leaks, and Parafilm is very helpful in minimizing these. But as a way to preserve whisky in the bottle, it likely only of minimal effectiveness – and therefore probably not worth the effort.
Based on the evidence to date,you will want to keep your whisky upright and in the dark (preferably in a consistently cool place). If you want to maintain the flavour profile of open bottles for as long as possible, you are best to decant into small glass bottles (with proper polycone caps), minimizing any air headspace. Just about anything else brings with it potential risks, and either lacks evidence of effectiveness (e.g., vacuum seals), or has clear evidence of negative effects (e.g., neutral gas sprays).
I hope you found the above useful. I’ll update this post if any new studies come out that I think are of particular relevance.
I don’t normally write reviews of Business Class lounges – since the whisky collection is usually pretty minimal and inconsistent. But this is my first experience of finding a fully-stocked whisky selection that rivals dedicated whisky bars, so I thought I would share.
When traveling in Europe, I find Lufthansa Senator lounges pretty decent experiences, and better than most Business Class lounges (including Lufthansa’s own Business lounges). But a whole new experience for me was the SWISS Senator Lounge in the Terminal E building of the Zürich Flughafen (ZRH) airport.
While SWISS International Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, only some of their lounges in Zurich are open to non-SWISS flight passengers. They recently built a suite of new super high-end lounges in the Terminal E building, including an exclusive First Lounge, the Senator Lounge (open to Star Alliance Gold), and a regular Business Lounge (which is appended to the Senator lounge). They are located on the 3rd floor (with elevator access), close to Gate E37, and are open from 06:00 – 22:30.
Access is a bit complicated – this Senator Lounge E is open to First Class passengers on SWISS, Lufthansa and Star Alliance, as well as frequent fliers who hold status as HON Circle, Miles & More Senator, and Star Alliance Gold. Regular Business Class passengers on any of the above airlines without such status don’t have access to the Senator Lounge E, only the smaller Business Lounge.
The Senator Lounge E has a lot going for it – great food (personal chef to make an egg breakfast however you would like), very spacious design and set up (including outdoor seating area), and all the usual amenities (showers, business workstations, etc.). But what really distinguishes the Senator Lounge is the “Whisky Club 28/10” – a whisky Bar with a choice of over 200 whiskies.
Surprisingly to me, this whisky bar is open the whole time the lounge is (I was there at 07:30 last week), with a server on duty. The whisky bar is also complimentary – there is no charge for any of the whiskies on hand. Over 180 were on display, shown below, with more out of site behind the bar. Depending on your browser, doube-click or right-click on any of the images below, and then view image (should take you to my photobucket account, where you can zoom in to see higher resolution pics of all the visible bottles).
As you would expect, the bar is well stocked with entry-level bottles from across the world of malt whiskies, blends and bourbons. Impressively, most of the single malts have age statements (typically in the 10-16 year old range). There are some older bottles interspersed, including some independent bottlings (i.e., several Signatory, in the ~19-21 year old range). It’s also a great place to try out Swiss whiskies as well (16 bottles on hand).
Given the early hour, I only sampled two. 😉 Reviews coming soon.
If you are traveling through Zurich and have appropriate status (or are traveling First Class), it is well worth checking out. Note that if you are not departing from Terminal E, there is a passport control station and a subway connecting you to the main terminal. So you would need to give yourself plenty of time to make your connection back and forth to the main terminal A/D gates.
You can read a full review of this lounge – with detailed pics of all the amenities – from one of the well-known airport lounge bloggers, the Points Guy. I agree with his take on this lounge.
Welcome to my new recommendation list for 2016!
As with last year, I am breaking this up by price point, style and flavour cluster. I will again focus on highly-ranked but relatively affordable bottles – and ones currently in stock at the LCBO. I am also going to focus on whiskies that are not necessarily available all year round – some of these only show up for a limited time around the holidays, so grab them while you can. Links to full reviews given, when available.
Hopefully this list is also relevant to those outside of Ontario, as it is based on high-ranking whiskies. As always, the Meta-Critic Whisky Database is here to help you sort through whatever possible options are open to you.
You won’t find single malts in this price range (although there are some very nice Scotch-style and Irish blends, profiled below). But let’s consider the economical American bourbon and Canadian whiskies options here first.
While Ontario is not a good place to find higher-end American bourbons, we actually do have very decent prices on what we do get in. And we have at least a reasonable selection of the more entry-level and lower mid-range stuff.
It’s worth breaking bourbons down into different mashbill classes. The first is low-rye bourbons (i.e., a relatively low proportion of rye grain in the predominantly corn-based mashbill). Unfortunately, one of my favourites in this class – Eagle Rare 10 Year Old – is not currently available (although you might still find a few bottles at the some of the larger LCBO stores). So the closest thing is the more widely available Buffalo Trace at $43 CAD, getting a decent 8.56 ± 0.42 on 19 reviews. This is basically the same juice, though not quite the full 10 years of age.
A great choice that Ontario still carries is the Elijah Craig 12 Year Old at $48 (8.68 ± 0.29 on 20 reviews). This has been replaced by a younger no-age-statement “small batch” version in U.S. Note the 12yo version has a fairly pronounced “oaky” character.
Rated even higher is Knob Creek Single Barrel Reserve ($57, 8.79 ± 0.27 on 10 reviews) – a popular cask-strength (60%) option.
For high-rye bourbons (which typically are more “spicy” tasting), you can’t go wrong with Four Roses Single Barrel at $46 CAD (8.72 ± 0.34 on 18 reviews). It’s worth the premium over the otherwise decent Four Roses Small Batch at $40 CAD (8.49 ± 0.44 on 19 reviews). Unfortunately, most of the other high-ryes I would recommend are currently out of stock (and unlikely to come back this year).
But why not try a quality Canadian choice? These are typically widely available all year round.
Sure, you could go for Jim Murray’s “World Whisky of the Year” for 2015 – Crown Royal Northern Harvest Rye – for $35 CAD. It gets a decent Meta-Critic score of 8.59 ± 0.42 on 13 reviews. But like many, I consider it to be only an “average” Canadian rye.
As with last year, my top pick as the king of Canadian straight rye whisky is Corby’s Lot 40. Getting an excellent 8.90 ± 0.41 on 18 reviews, it is quite affordable at $40 CAD. One of the best aromas you will find in the rye selection at the LCBO.
Wiser’s Legacy is another solid choice, with an even higher 9.01 ± 0.35 on 15 reviews. Regularly-priced at $50 CAD, it has a spicy rye flavour (and is said to consist of Lot 40 in part).
As always, Alberta Premium Dark Horse at $32 CAD is a great buy – if you like a little sherry flavour in your rye. 8.62 ± 0.34 on 15 reviews.
I don’t typically break down Scotch-style blends by flavour profile (as I do for for the more complex single malts below). But you can generally think of blends in two categories: those with some smokey/peaty flavours and those without.
For those who like a bit of smoke, Johnnie Walker Black at $57 (8.27 ± 0.49 on 21 reviews) remains a staple – and for good reason. It is higher ranked than most of the other smokey blends – but it is also priced higher. So if you want try something a little different on a budget, the LCBO also carries the higher-ranked but lower-priced Té Bheag for only $39 (8.47 ± 0.31 on 14 reviews). Pronounced chey-vek, this whisky has a more fruity character than JW Black, and even more smoke (if you think the recipient would like that). Another great choice is Great King St Glasgow Blend for $57 (8.57 ± 0.25 on 11 reviews) – one of the highest-ranked smokey blends I’ve seen.
For non-smokey blends, these are often imbibed as mixed drinks, or the classic scotch-and-soda. There are a lot very good blends out that you may not have heard of – unfortunately, the LCBO is not carrying many at the moment. For example, they are currently out of stock of Great King St Artist’s Blend for $55 (8.58 ± 0.38 on 18 reviews), which would have been a top pick. So why not try a great Irish blend instead: Writer’s Tears for $50 (8.47 ± 0.37 on 14 reviews). Unusual for an Irish whiskey, this is a blend of single malt whisky and classic Irish pot still whisky (which is a mix of malted and unmalted barley in a single copper pot still). Very flavourful, and a good value.
A personal favourite of mine in this group is Suntory Toki at $60 CAD (8.24 ± 0.63 on 5 reviews). I feel the quality here is higher than the Meta-Critic score indicates (which is based on only a limited number of reviews so far). It is delightfully fresh and clean, easy to sip neat, and is highly recommended in the classic Japanese “highball” (scotch-and-soda for the rest of us ;). Here is a chance for you to experience an authentic Japanese whisky, without the usual high cost. It’s a great introduction to the lighter Japanese style.
Single malts come in a wide range of flavours – much more so than any other class of whisky. As usual, it is worth recommending single malt whiskies by flavour “super-cluster”, as described on my Flavour Map page. I’m going to start with the more delicate examples below, followed by the more “winey” and “smokey” examples.
BTW, If you are interested in checking out another Japaenese whisky, consider the Hibiki Harmony at $100 (8.40 ± 0.61 on 14 reviews). It comes in a fancy decanter-style bottle, and has a richer yet still delicate flavour profile. Again, I think the Meta-Critic Score is unfairly harsh here – this is a lovely blend, and is a more flavourful expression than the Suntory Toki described previously.
Super-cluster G-H : Light and sweet, apéritif-style – with honey, floral, fruity and malty notes, sometimes spicy, but rarely smokey.
At $95 CAD, the Dalwhinnie 15 Year Old is my top pick in this category (8.68 ± 0.35 on 18 reviews). That is a phenomenal score for this flavour supercluster (i.e., delicate whiskies always score lower than winey/smokey ones). The Dalwhinnnie is a fairly delicate whisky, but there is a surprising amount of subtlety here. It has a lovely honey sweetness to it (but is not too sweet), and has just the slightest hint of smoke in the background. Well worth a try – a staple of my liquor cabinet.
Backup choices you may want to consider are The Arran Malt 10 Year Old at $70 CAD (8.55 ± 0.33 on 20 reviews), and the An Cnoc 12 Year Old at $80 CAD (8.62 ± 0.35 on 17 reviews). The Dalwhinnie is worth the slight extra though, in my opinion.
It is actually on border of Super-cluster E-F and cluster I (due to the moderate smoke), but my top pick here is Amrut Fusion, from India. At only $86 CAD, and scoring an amazing 8.90 ± 0.24 on 22 reviews, this is certainly an excellent choice. It’s also an opportunity for those looking to explore some extra “tropical” fruit flavours in their whisky – check out my full review above for more info on this whisky. Note that this one is very popular, and so stock levels are already starting to drop across the LCBO.
Ot herwise, my top mid-range choice in this category is an Irish whiskey, the $80 CAD Redbreast 12 Year Old. Redbreast is a single pot still whiskey. As mentioned earlier, this is a traditional Irish style, where both unmalted and malted barley are distilled together in single copper pot still. The end result is thus closer to a Scottish single malt than a blend. It gets a very good 8.75 ± 0.42 on 21 reviews.
If you are looking for a budget option in this class, check out the Auchentoshan 12 Year Old. At $65 CAD and scoring 8.27 ± 0.26 on 21 reviews, this is a step up from your typical ubiquitous Glenfiddich/Glenlivet 12yo.
My top pick here remains the Aberlour A’Bunadh. I don’t understand how this has remained at $100 CAD, given the quality of the various batches. It gets an impressive 8.95 ± 0.17 on 22 reviews overall. While there is some variability between batches, this is not usually significant. Note however that this is a cask-strength whisky, so it packs a higher concentration of alcohol than typical. And inventory tends to disappear fast around this time of year – it’s a popular one.
My budget choice, at $73 CAD, remains the GlenDronach 12 Year Old. It gets a very respectable 8.57 ± 0.22 on 20 reviews. It packs a lot of flavour.
Now, let’s dial back down the winey flavours, and instead bring up the smokey complexity.
In addition to the Amrut Fusion already mentioned above, you would do well to stick with a classic member of this class: the Talisker 10 Year Old. At $100, it gets an excellent 8.91 ± 0.17 on 21 reviews. I don’t think you can go wrong with this choice. Also very nice, but with low availability is Longrow Peated ($101, scoring 8.79 ± 0.27 on 13 reviews). It is right on the border with the smokier Cluster J, though.
A reasonable budget choice – especially if you like a little sherry in your smoky malt – is the Highland Park 10 Year Old ($65, 8.47 ± 0.28 on 14 reviews) or 12 Year Old ($80, 8.38 ± 0.36 on 12 reviews). Unfortunately, quality seems to have dropped in recent batches of the 12yo, otherwise this one would have been a a top pick (i.e., it used to score higher).
For the smoke/peat fan, you really can’t top the value proposition of the Laphroaig Quarter Cask – only $73 CAD, yet garnering a very high meta-critic score of 9.02 ± 0.27 on 21 reviews. That’s a remarkable score for the price, if you are into these peat bombs.
Surprisingly, it’s even cheaper than the standard Laphroaig 10 Year Old expression ($84 CAD, 8.92 ± 0.29 on 14 reviews). The Ardbeg 10 Year Old is another consideration for an entry-level expression ($100 CAD, 8.95 ± 0.34 on 21 reviews). If you like a wine-finish, for a very limited time you can order a bottle of this year’s Laphroaig Cairdeas for $100 (2016 Madeira edition, 8.82 ± 0.48 on 8 reviews) through LCBO online.
Of course, there is a lot more to consider if you are willing to go a bit higher. Stretching the budget a bit to $123 CAD, a very popular favourite is the Lagavulin 16 Year Old. It gets an incredible meta-critic score of 9.23 ± 0.23 on 25 reviews. Full of a wide array of rich flavours, I find it a lot more interesting than the younger peat-bombs above. Just be prepared to smell like a talking ash-tray for the rest of the evening!
Again, whatever you choose to get, I strongly suggest you use the Whisky Database to see how it compares to other options in its respective flavour class or style.
It’s been a little over six months since I launched WhiskyAnalysis.com, and in that time the site has grown considerably. I have nearly doubled the number of modern whiskies tracked in the Whisky Database – now exceeding 600 that meet the minimum threshold of at least 3 reviews.
The average meta-critic score for all whiskies that I track is currently 8.55 ± 0.56.
That includes almost 5,500 individual whisky review scores – all manually curated, to ensure the same whiskies are being tracked across all reviewers. And that number is an under-estimate of the work involved, as I also have to track the individual members of one of the two reviewer collectives that I include (which then gets combined into single composite score for that collective).
I also continue to add new reviewers to the database, where they meet the minimum requirements outlined here. There is a lot of great information on recent whiskies that continues to be developed and presented online.
I am also continuing to add my own whisky commentaries, with more detailed personal tasting notes now. Hopefully you find these reviews and the additional industry analysis articles useful! | 2019-04-25T18:15:16Z | https://whiskyanalysis.com/index.php/category/whisky-resources/ |
Why does the Universe exist? There are two questions here. First, why is there a Universe at all? It might have been true that nothing ever existed: no living beings, no stars, no atoms, not even space or time. When we think about this possibility, it can seem astonishing that anything exists. Second, why does this Universe exist? Things might have been, in countless ways, different. So why is the Universe as it is?
These questions, some believe, may have causal answers. Suppose first that the Universe has always existed. Some believe that, if all events were caused by earlier events, everything would be explained. That, however, is not so. Even an infinite series of events cannot explain itself. We could ask why this series occurred, rather than some other series, or no series. Of the supporters of the Steady State Theory, some welcomed what they took to be this theory’s atheistic implications. They assumed that, if the Universe had no beginning, there would be nothing for a Creator to explain. But there would still be an eternal Universe to explain.
Similar remarks apply to all suggestions of these kinds. There could not be a causal explanation of why the Universe exists, why there are any laws of nature, or why these laws are as they are. Nor would it make a difference if there is a God, who caused the rest of the Universe to exist. There could not be a causal explanation of why God exists.
These assumptions are all, I believe, mistaken. Even if these questions could not have answers, they would still make sense, and they would still be worth considering. I am reminded here of the aesthetic category of the sublime, as applied to the highest mountains, raging oceans, the night sky, the interiors of some cathedrals, and other things that are superhuman, awesome, limitless. No question is more sublime than why there is a Universe: why there is anything rather than nothing. Nor should we assume that answers to this question must be causal. And, even if reality cannot be fully explained, we may still make progress, since what is inexplicable may become less baffling than it now seems.
Some say: ‘If they had not been right, we couldn’t even ask this question.’ But that is no answer. It could be baffling how we survived some crash even though, if we hadn’t, we could not be baffled.
Others say: ‘There had to be some initial conditions, and the conditions that make life possible were as likely as any others. So there is nothing to be explained.’ To see what is wrong with this reply, we must distinguish two kinds of case. Suppose first that, when some radio telescope is aimed at most points in space, it records a random sequence of incoming waves. There might be nothing here that needed to be explained. Suppose next that, when the telescope is aimed in one direction, it records a sequence of waves whose pulses match the number π, in binary notation, to the first ten thousand digits. That particular number is, in one sense, just as likely as any other. But there would be something here that needed to be explained. Though each long number is unique, only a very few are, like π, mathematically special. What would need to be explained is why this sequence of waves exactly matched such a special number. Though this matching might be a coincidence, which had been randomly produced, that would be most unlikely. We could be almost certain that these waves had been produced by some kind of intelligence.
On the view that we are now considering, since any sequence of waves is as likely as any other, there would be nothing to be explained. If we accepted this view, intelligent beings elsewhere in space would not be able to communicate with us, since we would ignore their messages. Nor could God reveal himself. Suppose that, with an optical telescope, we saw a distant pattern of stars which spelled out in Hebrew script the first chapter of Genesis. According to this view, this pattern of stars would not need to be explained. That is clearly false.
Here is another analogy. Suppose first that, of a thousand people facing death, only one can be rescued. If there is a lottery to pick this one survivor, and I win, I would be very lucky. But there might be nothing here that needed to be explained. Someone had to win, and why not me? Consider next another lottery. Unless my gaoler picks the longest of a thousand straws, I shall be shot. If my gaoler picks that straw, there would be something to be explained. It would not be enough to say, ‘This result was as likely as any other.’ In the first lottery, nothing special happened: whatever the result, someone’s life would be saved. In this second lottery, the result was special, since, of the thousand possible results, only one would save a life. Why was this special result also what happened? Though this might be a coincidence, the chance of that is only one in a thousand. I could be almost certain that, like Dostoevsky’s mock execution, this lottery was rigged.
The Big Bang, it seems, was like this second lottery. For life to be possible, the initial conditions had to be selected with great accuracy. This appearance of fine-tuning, as some call it, also needs to be explained.
It may be objected that, in regarding conditions as special if they allow for life, we unjustifiably assume our own importance. But life is special, if only because of its complexity. An earthworm’s brain is more complicated than a lifeless galaxy. Nor is it only life that requires this fine-tuning. If the Big Bang’s initial conditions had not been almost precisely as they were, the Universe would have either almost instantly recollapsed, or expanded so fast, and with particles so thinly spread, that not even stars or heavy elements could have formed. That is enough to make these conditions very special.
It may next be objected that these conditions cannot be claimed to be improbable, since such a claim requires a statistical basis, and there is only one Universe. If we were considering all conceivable Universes, it would indeed be implausible to make judgments of statistical probability. But our question is much narrower. We are asking what would have happened if, with the same laws of nature, the initial conditions had been different. That provides the basis for a statistical judgment. There is a range of values that these conditions might have had, and physicists can work out in what proportion of this range the resulting Universe could have contained stars, heavy elements and life.
This proportion, it is claimed, is extremely small. Of the range of possible initial conditions, fewer than one in a billion billion would have produced a Universe with the complexity that allows for life. If this claim is true, as I shall here assume, there is something that cries out to be explained. Why was one of this tiny set also the one that actually obtained?
On one view, this was a mere coincidence. That is conceivable, since coincidences happen. But this view is hard to believe, since, if it were true, the chance of this coincidence occurring would be below one in a billion billion.
Others say: ‘The Big Bang was fine-tuned. In creating the Universe, God chose to make life possible.’ Atheists may reject this answer, thinking it improbable that God exists. But this probability cannot be as low as one in a billion billion. So even atheists should admit that, of these two answers to our question, the one that invokes God is more likely to be true.
This reasoning revives one of the traditional arguments for belief in God. In its strongest form, this argument appealed to the many features of animals, such as eyes or wings, that look as if they have been designed. Paley’s appeal to such features much impressed Darwin when he was young. Darwin later undermined this form of the argument, since evolution can explain this appearance of design. But evolution cannot explain the appearance of fine-tuning in the Big Bang.
This argument’s appeal to probabilities can be challenged in a different way. In claiming it to be most improbable that this fine-tuning was a coincidence, the argument assumes that, of the possible initial conditions in the Big Bang, each was equally likely to obtain. That assumption may be mistaken. The conditions that allow for complexity and life may have been, compared with all the others, much more likely to obtain. Perhaps they were even certain to obtain.
To answer this objection, we must broaden this argument’s conclusion. If these life-allowing conditions were either very likely or certain to obtain, then – as the argument claims – it would be no coincidence that the Universe allows for complexity and life. But this fine-tuning might have been the work, not of some existing being, but of some impersonal force, or fundamental law. That is what some theists believe God to be.
A stronger challenge to this argument comes from a different way of explaining the appearance of fine-tuning. Consider first a similar question. For life to be possible on Earth, many of Earth’s features have to be close to being as they are. The Earth’s having such features, it might be claimed, is unlikely to be a coincidence, and should therefore be regarded as God’s work. But such an argument would be weak. The Universe, we can reasonably believe, contains many planets, with varying conditions. We should expect that, on a few of these planets, conditions would be just right for life. Nor is it surprising that we live on one of these few.
Things are different, we may assume, with the appearance of fine-tuning in the Big Bang. While there are likely to be many other planets, there is only one Universe. But this difference may be less than it seems. Some physicists suggest that the observable Universe is only one out of many different worlds, which are all equally parts of reality. According to one such view, the other worlds are related to ours in a way that solves some of the mysteries of quantum physics. On the different and simpler view that is relevant here, the other worlds have the same fundamental laws of nature as our world, and they are produced by Big Bangs that are broadly similar, except in having different initial conditions.
On this Many Worlds Hypothesis, there is no need for fine-tuning. If there were enough Big Bangs, we should expect that, in a few of them, conditions would be just right to allow for complexity and life; and it would be no surprise that our Big Bang was one of these few. To illustrate this point, we can revise my second lottery. Suppose my gaoler picks a straw, not once but many times. That would explain his managing, once, to pick the longest straw, without that’s being an extreme coincidence, or this lottery’s being rigged.
On most versions of the Many Worlds Hypothesis, these many worlds are not, except through their origins, causally related. Some object that, since our world could not be causally affected by such other worlds, we can have no evidence for their existence, and can therefore have no reason to believe in them. But we do have such a reason, since their existence would explain an otherwise puzzling feature of our world: the appearance of fine-tuning.
Of these two ways to explain this appearance, which is better? Compared with belief in God, the Many Worlds Hypothesis is more cautious, since its claim is merely that there is more of the kind of reality that we can observe around us. But God’s existence has been claimed to be intrinsically more probable. According to most theists, God is a being who is omnipotent, omniscient and wholly good. The uncaused existence of such a being has been claimed to be simpler, and less arbitrary, than the uncaused existence of many highly complicated worlds. And simpler hypotheses, many scientists assume, are more likely to be true.
If such a God exists, however, other features of our world become hard to explain. It may not be surprising that God chose to make life possible. But the laws of nature could have been different, so there are many possible worlds that would have contained life. It is hard to understand why, out of all these possibilities, God chose to create our world. What is most baffling is the problem of evil. There appears to be suffering which any good person, knowing the truth, would have prevented if he could. If there is such suffering, there cannot be a God who is omnipotent, omniscient and wholly good.
To this problem, theists have proposed several solutions. Some suggest that God is not omnipotent, or not wholly good. Others suggest that undeserved suffering is not, as it seems, bad, or that God could not prevent such suffering without making the Universe, as a whole, less good.
We must ignore these suggestions here, since we have larger questions to consider. I began by asking why things are as they are. Before returning to that question, we should ask how things are. There is much about our world that we have not discovered. And, just as there may be other worlds that are like ours, there may be worlds that are very different.
It will help to distinguish two kinds of possibility. Cosmic possibilities cover everything that ever exists, and are the different ways that the whole of reality might be. Only one such possibility can be actual, or the one that obtains. Local possibilities are the different ways that some part of reality, or local world, might be. If some local world exists, that leaves it open whether other worlds exist.
One cosmic possibility is, roughly, that every possible local world exists. This we can call the All Worlds Hypothesis. Another possibility, which might have obtained, is that nothing ever exists. This we can call the Null Possibility. In each of the remaining possibilities, the number of worlds that exist is between none and all. There are countless of these possibilities, since there are countless combinations of particular possible local worlds.
Of these different cosmic possibilities, one must obtain, and only one can obtain. So we have two questions: which obtains, and why? These questions are connected. If some possibility would be easier to explain, we have more reason to believe that this possibility obtains. This is how, rather than believing in only one Big Bang, we have more reason to believe in many. Whether we believe in one or many, we have the question why any Big Bang has occurred. Though this question is hard, the occurrence of many Big Bangs is not more puzzling than the occurrence of only one. Most kinds of thing, or event, have many instances. We also have the question why, in the Big Bang that produced our world, the initial conditions allowed for complexity and life. If there has been only one Big Bang, this fact is also hard to explain, since it is most unlikely that these conditions merely happened to be right. If, instead, there have been many Big Bangs, this fact is easy to explain, since it is like the fact that, among countless planets, there are some whose conditions allow for life. Since belief in many Big Bangs leaves less that is unexplained, it is the better view.
If some cosmic possibilities would be less puzzling than others, because their obtaining would leave less to be explained, is there some possibility whose obtaining would be in no way puzzling?
Consider first the Null Possibility, in which nothing ever exists. To imagine this possibility, it may help to suppose first, that all that ever existed was a single atom. We then imagine that even this atom never existed.
Some have claimed that, if there had never been anything, there wouldn’t have been anything to be explained. But that is not so. When we imagine how things would have been if nothing had ever existed, what we should imagine away are such things as living beings, stars and atoms. There would still have been various truths, such as the truth that there were no stars or atoms, or that 9 is divisible by 3. We can ask why these things would have been true. And such questions may have answers. Thus we can explain why, even if nothing had ever existed, 9 would still have been divisible by 3. There is no conceivable alternative. And we can explain why there would have been no such things as immaterial matter, or spherical cubes. Such things are logically impossible. But why would nothing have existed? Why would there have been no stars or atoms, no philosophers or bluebell woods?
We should not claim that, if nothing had ever existed, there would have been nothing to be explained. But we can claim something less. Of all the global possibilities, the Null Possibility would have needed the least explanation. As Leibniz pointed out, it is much the simplest, and the least arbitrary. And it is the easiest to understand. It can seem mysterious, for example, how things could exist without their existence having some cause, but there cannot be a causal explanation of why the whole Universe, or God, exists. The Null Possibility raises no such problem. If nothing had ever existed, that state of affairs would not have needed to be caused.
Consider next the All Worlds Hypothesis, in which every possible local world exists. Unlike the Null Possibility, this may be how things are. And it may be the next least puzzling possibility. This hypothesis is not the same as – though it includes – the Many Worlds Hypothesis. On that more cautious view, many other worlds have the same elements as our world, and the same fundamental laws, and differ only in such features as their constants and initial conditions. The All Worlds Hypothesis covers every conceivable kind of world, and most of these other worlds would have very different elements and laws.
If all these worlds exist, we can ask why they do. But, compared with most other cosmic possibilities, the All Worlds Hypothesis may leave less that is unexplained. For example, whatever the number of possible worlds that exist, we have the question, ‘Why that number?’ This question would have been least puzzling if the number that existed were none, and the next least arbitrary possibility seems to be that all these worlds exist. With every other cosmic possibility, we have a further question. If ours is the only world, we can ask: ‘Out of all the possible worlds, why is this the one that exists?’ On any version of the Many Worlds Hypothesis, we have a similar question: ‘Why do just these worlds exist, with these elements and laws?’ But, if all these worlds exist, there is no such further question.
It may be objected that, even if all possible local worlds exist, that does not explain why our world is as it is. But that is a mistake. If all these worlds exist, each world is as it is in the way in which each number is as it is. We cannot sensibly ask why 9 is 9. Nor should we ask why our world is the one it is: why it is this world. That would be like asking, ‘Why are we who we are?’, or ‘Why is it now the time that it is?’ Those are not good questions.
Though the All Worlds Hypothesis avoids certain questions, it is not as simple, or un-arbitrary, as the Null Possibility. There may be no sharp distinction between worlds that are and are not possible. It is unclear what counts as a kind of world. And, if there are infinitely many kinds, there is a choice between different kinds of infinity.
Whichever cosmic possibility obtains, we can ask why it obtains. All that I have claimed so far is that, with some possibilities, this question would be less puzzling. Let us now ask: could this question have an answer? Might there be a theory that leaves nothing unexplained?
It is sometimes claimed that God, or the Universe, make themselves exist. But this cannot be true, since these entities cannot do anything unless they exist.
On a more intelligible view, it is logically necessary that God, or the Universe, exist, since the claim that they might not have existed leads to a contradiction. On such a view, though it may seem conceivable that there might never have been anything, that is not really logically possible. Some people even claim that there may be only one coherent cosmic possibility. Thus Einstein suggested that, if God created our world, he might have had no choice about which world to create. If such a view were true, everything might be explained. Reality might be the way it is because there was no conceivable alternative. But, for reasons that have been often given, we can reject such views.
Consider next a quite different view. According to Plato, Plotinus and others, the Universe exists because its existence is good. Even if we are confident that we should reject this view, it is worth asking whether it makes sense. If it does, that may suggest other possibilities.
This Axiarchic View can take a theistic form. It can claim that God exists because his existence is good, and that the rest of the Universe exists because God caused it to exist. But in that explanation God, qua Creator, is redundant. If God can exist because his existence is good, so can the whole Universe. This may be why some theists reject the Axiarchic View, and insist that God’s existence is a brute fact, with no explanation.
In its simplest form, this view makes three claims: ‘(1) It would be best if reality were a certain way. (2) Reality is that way. (3) (1) explains (2).’ (1) is an ordinary evaluative claim, like the claim that it would be better if there was less suffering. The Axiarchic View assumes, I believe rightly, that such claims can be in a strong sense true. (2) is an ordinary empirical or scientific claim, though of a sweeping kind. What is distinctive in this view is claim (3), according to which (1) explains (2).
Can we understand this third claim? To focus on this question, we should briefly ignore the world’s evils, and suspend our other doubts about claims (1) and (2). We should suppose that, as Leibniz claimed, the best possible Universe exists. Would it then make sense to claim that this Universe exists because it is the best?
That use of ‘because’, Axiarchists should admit, cannot be easily explained. But even ordinary causation is mysterious. At the most fundamental level, we have no idea why some events cause others; and it is hard to explain what causation is. There are, moreover, non-causal senses of ‘because’ and ‘why’, as in the claim that God exists because his existence is logically necessary. We can understand that claim, even if we think it false. The Axiarchic View is harder to understand. But that is not surprising. If there is some explanation of the whole of reality, we should not expect this explanation to fit neatly into some familiar category. This extra-ordinary question may have an extra-ordinary answer. We should reject suggested answers which make no sense; but we should also try to see what might make sense.
Axiarchy might be expressed as follows. We are now supposing that, of all the countless ways that the whole of reality might be, one is both the very best, and is the way that reality is. On the Axiarchic View, that is no coincidence. This claim, I believe, makes sense. And, if it were no coincidence that the best way for reality to be is also the way that reality is, that might support the further claim that this was why reality was this way.
This view has one advantage over the more familiar theistic view. An appeal to God cannot explain why the Universe exists, since God would himself be part of the Universe, or one of the things that exist. Some theists argue that, since nothing can exist without a cause, God, who is the First Cause, must exist. As Schopenhauer objected, this argument’s premise is not like some cabdriver whom theists are free to dismiss once they have reached their destination. The Axiarchic View appeals, not to an existing entity, but to an explanatory law. Since such a law would not itself be part of the Universe, it might explain why the Universe exists, and is as good as it could be. If such a law governed reality, we could still ask why it did, or why the Axiarchic View was true. But, in discovering this law, we would have made some progress.
It is hard, however, to believe the Axiarchic View. If, as it seems, there is much pointless suffering, our world cannot be part of the best possible Universe.
Some Axiarchists claim that, if we reject their view, we must regard our world’s existence as a brute fact, since no other explanation could make sense. But that, I believe, is not so. If we abstract from the optimism of the Axiarchic View, its claims are these: ‘Of the countless cosmic possibilities, one both has a very special feature, and is the possibility that obtains. That is no coincidence. This possibility obtains because it has this feature.’ Other views can make such claims. This special feature need not be that of being best. Thus, on the All Worlds Hypothesis, reality is maximal, or as full as it could be. Similarly, if nothing had ever existed, reality would have been minimal, or as empty as it could be. If the possibility that obtained were either maximal or minimal, that fact, we might claim, would be most unlikely to be a coincidence. And that might support the further claim that this possibility’s having this feature would be why it obtained.
Let us now look more closely at that last step. When it is no coincidence that two things are both true, there is something that explains why, given the truth of one, the other is also true. The truth of either might make the other true. Or both might be explained by some third truth, as when two facts are the joint effects of a common cause.
Suppose next that, of the cosmic possibilities, one is both very special and is the one that obtains. If that is no coincidence, what might explain why these things are both true? On the reasoning that we are now considering, the first truth explains the second, since this possibility obtains because it has this special feature. Given the kind of truths these are, such an explanation could not go the other way. This possibility could not have this feature because it obtains. If some possibility has some feature, it could not fail to have this feature, so it would have this feature whether or not it obtains. The All Worlds Hypothesis, for example, could not fail to describe the fullest way for reality to be.
While it is necessary that our imagined possibility has its special feature, it is not necessary that this possibility obtains. This difference, I believe, justifies the reasoning that we are now considering. Since this possibility must have this feature, but might not have obtained, it cannot have this feature because it obtains, nor could some third truth explain why it both has this feature and obtains. So, if these facts are no coincidence, this possibility must obtain because it has this feature.
When some possibility obtains because it has some feature, its having this feature may be why some agent, or process of natural selection, made it obtain. These we can call the intentional and evolutionary ways in which some feature of some possibility may explain why it obtains.
Our world, theists claim, can be explained in the first of these ways. If reality were as good as it could be, it would indeed make sense to claim that this was partly God’s work. But, since God’s own existence could not be God’s work, there could be no intentional explanation of why the whole of reality was as good as it could be. So we could reasonably conclude that this way’s being the best explained directly why reality was this way. Even if God exists, the intentional explanation could not compete with the different and bolder explanation offered by the Axiarchic View.
Return now to other explanations of this kind. Consider first the Null Possibility. This, we know, does not obtain; but, since we are asking what makes sense, that does not matter. If there had never been anything, would that have had to be a brute fact, which had no explanation? The answer, I suggest, is No. It might have been no coincidence that, of all the countless cosmic possibilities, what obtained was the simplest, and least arbitrary, and the only possibility in which nothing ever exists. And, if these facts had been no coincidence, this possibility would have obtained because – or partly because – it had one or more of these special features. This explanation, moreover, could not have taken an intentional or evolutionary form. If nothing had ever existed, there could not have been some agent, or process of selection, who or which made this possibility obtain. Its being the simplest or least arbitrary possibility would have been, directly, why it obtained.
Consider next the All Worlds Hypothesis, which may obtain. If reality is as full as it could be, is that a coincidence? Does it merely happen to be true that, of all the cosmic possibilities, the one that obtains is at this extreme? As before, that is conceivable, but this coincidence would be too great to be credible. We can reasonably assume that, if this possibility obtains, that is because it is maximal, or at this extreme. On this Maximalist View, it is a fundamental truth that being possible, and part of the fullest way that reality could be, is sufficient for being actual. That is the highest law governing reality. As before, if such a law governed reality, we could still ask why it did. But, in discovering this law, we would have made some progress.
Here is another special feature. Perhaps reality is the way it is because its fundamental laws are, on some criterion, as mathematically beautiful as they could be. That is what some physicists are inclined to believe.
As these remarks suggest, there is no clear boundary here between philosophy and science. If there is such a highest law governing reality, this law is of the same kind as those that physicists are trying to discover. When we appeal to natural laws to explain some features of reality, such as the relations between light, gravity, space and time, we are not giving causal explanations, since we are not claiming that one part of reality caused another part to be some way. What such laws explain, or partly explain, are the deeper facts about reality that causal explanations take for granted. In the second half of this essay, I shall ask how deep such explanations could go.
[*] I am here merely summarising, and oversimplifying, what others have claimed. See, for example, John Leslie, Universes (1989).
Vol. 20 No. 2 · 22 January 1998 » Derek Parfit » Why anything? Why this?
Why does a literary magazine exist at all? It might have been the case that no magazine existed: no cover, no list of contributors, no contents. We have to go on and ask why we have the magazine we do have. Consider the Null Possibility. There could have been a journal with nothing in it. Consider next the All Worlds Hypothesis, in which our periodical would contain every possible kind of article. Somewhere in between is the publication we buy. Perhaps the Brute Fact View applies and we have to put up with what we get between the covers and not ask questions. On the other hand, there may be a Selector or a set of partial Selectors which determines what kind of magazine we experience. I am trying to get round, of course, to asking the ‘Selectors’ what was going on when they decided to publish Derek Parfit’s two-part article on the meaning of the universe (LRB, 22 January)? The world we live in is unfair enough, with the LRB appearing only fortnightly, and that terrible gap after Christmas, the deepest abyss in the year. To surrender two and a half pages in each of two issues to this meticulous but rather pontifical philosophical analysis is enough to make us cry out ‘Why?’ to the heavens.
Following contemporary cosmology, Derek Parfit writes of the sheer statistical unlikeliness of our existence (LRB, 22 January): ‘Of the range of initial conditions, fewer than one in a billion billion would have produced a Universe with the complexity that allows for life. If this claim is true, as I shall here assume, there is something that cries out to be explained. Why was one of this tiny set also the one that actually obtained?’ Parfit seems to think that the probability that God exists is greater than one in a billion billion, so that the existence of God is more likely to be true than the accidental existence of a life-supporting universe. But his stipulation that he’s assuming that the claims of current cosmology are true gives the game away. For even if you think that the odds that God exists are greater than one in a billion billion, it’s dizzyingly more probable that cosmology has it wrong. (After all, similar sorts of error are not unprecedented in the history of physics.) In fact, Parfit’s argument ought to embarrass cosmologists, not atheists. To paraphrase Parfit: cosmologists may reject this answer, thinking it improbable that their theory is wrong. But this probability cannot be as low as one in a billion billion. So even cosmologists should admit that, of these two answers to our question, the one that invokes scientific error is more likely to be true. | 2019-04-18T22:30:50Z | https://www.lrb.co.uk/v20/n02/derek-parfit/why-anything-why-this |
This blog entry describes the possible ways in which uses of algae or cyanobacteria for fuel or chemical production might be regulated in Australia. This entry is one of several posts that provide additional information in support of a poster I’m presenting at the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit on the regulations in various countries around the world that may be applicable to the use of naturally-occurring or genetically modified algae or cyanobacteria in fuel production. These include three general categories of regulation: biotechnology or biosafety regulations, aquaculture regulations, and renewable fuel standards or volume mandates. You can access the poster on my SlideShare site, and please refer back to my September 16 introductory post for links to posts on the regulatory situation in other countries. Although this discussion centers on algae and cyanobacteria, much of the discussion (other than the section on aquaculture) would be applicable to the use of other genetically modified microorganisms for production of fuel or chemicals.
Australia has a Gene Technology Act of 2000, implemented by the Gene Technology Regulations of 2001, which would dictate whether the use of modified microorganisms for biofuel production would require a license. The Act and regulations established the Gene Technology Regulator (GTR) as the central office that administers the Act. The GTR plays the key role in assessing, regulating and licensing GMOs and enforcing license conditions. The Gene Technology Act defines gene technology as any technique for the modification of genes or other genetic material, although there is an exception for “homologous recombination” that appears quite narrow.
The most important features of the Gene Technology Regulations are the clarification of procedures for licensing certain uses of GMOs (activities involving GMOs are referred to by the term “Dealings”). The regulations also provide for the establishment of “exempt dealings”, which are a category of dealings with GMOs that have been assessed over time as posing a very low risk. As listed on the GTR website, exempt dealings primarily include contained research activities involving very well understood organisms, and although many industrially-useful host organisms appear on this list, the list does not include any algae or cyanobacteria. Of the dealings requiring a license, a distinction is made between those involving a deliberate release of a GMO into the environment, and those that do not, with the latter being referred to as a DNIR (“dealing not involving release”). Applicants for either type of license are required to submit certain information to the GTR, which is then used to prepare a risk assessment and risk management plan, which forms the basis for the GTR’s decision.
One interesting feature of the Australian Gene Technology Regulations is that, in order to qualify to have confidential information protected in any submitted application, companies must submit a separate application to the GTR to obtain a “declaration that specified information is confidential commercial information”. This application would be submitted and considered by the GTR in parallel with the license application that contains the confidential information, and the application must also specify exactly what information in the license application is claimed as confidential. The needed form can be obtained from the GTR website, but the website does not appear to specify the timeframes for GTR decisions on claims of confidentiality.
“DNIR” Licenses would be required for certain contained uses of GMOs under Australian law. Although most DNIR licenses granted to date cover laboratory research involving potentially pathogenic organisms, the industrial use of a modified microorganism for fuel or chemical production would potentially require a license. However, many common industrial production organisms such as E. coli, S. cerevisiae and others are included on the “exempt list”, so that their use may not require a DNIR license. However, use of modified algae or cyanobacteria for industrial purposes would not be covered by an exemption and would likely require a DNIR license from the GTR. The GTR website has links to the application forms, and the form for application for a DNIR license can be downloaded here. The application form is quite detailed, although the scientific information it requires is similar to the information that would be submitted to the U.S. EPA in a Microbial Commercial Activity Notice, which were summarized in one of my 2010 posts.
Procedures for review of DNIR license applications are specified on the GTR website. All license applications must first be reviewed and approved by an Institutional Biosafety Committee (IBC). The law and regulations specify requirements for such committees, and it appears that to meet such requirements, applicants would need to use an IBC in Australia. Once submitted the GTR has 90 working days to review the application, and its review may include consultation with outside experts and/or the Gene Technology Technical Advisory Committee. A formal Risk Assessment and Risk Management Plan (RARMP) may be needed, , and public involvement may be sought (although these do not seem to be required for DNIR applications as would be for proposals for deliberate releases). Although there do not seem to be any precedents for DNIR licenses granted for industrial manufacturing, it is likely that the process would be fairly straightforward, provided the applicant consulted with the GTR prior to preparing and submitting its application.
The possible use of modified algae or cyanobacteria in an open-pond or similar type of outdoor reactor would likely require a “DIR” (Dealing Involving Release”) license from the GTR. Procedures for review of DIR license applications are, in many respects, similar to that described above for DNIR licenses, and are specified on the GTR website. One major difference is that the GTR is afforded a greater amount of time to review DIR applications – up to 255 working days (essentially one full calendar year) for most applications or 150-170 working days for limited and controlled release applications.
“Limited and controlled releases” is a category created by Article 50A of the Gene Technology Act, that is meant to cover outdoor activities with GMOs for research purposes, in which the applicant intends to implement controls to restrict the dissemination or persistence of the GMO and its genetic material in the environment and to impose limits on the proposed release of the GMO in the activity (“controls” and “limits” are both defined in the Act). The category primarily covers research field tests of agricultural GMOs, and most of the “Limited and Controlled” licenses that have been issued to date have been for field tests of transgenic plants. It appears likely that this category of license would be available for any proposed use of a modified algae in a pilot plant and possibly also in larger demonstration-scale plants.
Regardless of whether the DIR application qualifies as a “limited and controlled” application, it would undergo a rigorous review by the GTR, through what the GTR website calls “a comprehensive, science-based, case-by-case analysis process” as described in Sections 48 – 67 of the Gene Technology Act. The Act also establishes a clear process that the GTR must follow in preparing a the RARMP risk assessment document (which is required for DIR applications) and in making a decision about whether or not to issue a license. In addition, the GTR will notify and solicit opinions about the proposal from a broad range of stakeholders, including the public, state, territorial and local governments, other national agencies including the Ministry of the Environment, and the Gene Technology Technical Advisory Committee.
The GTR appears to have little or no experience with license applications for any industrial application resembling an open-pond algae reactor, and so prior consultation with the GTR would be very important. It would also make sense to make use of the “limited and controlled” license process by beginning with an application for a smaller-scale (e.g. pilot-scale) reactor, so that the GTR could assess the potential environmental impact of the technology in a stepwise manner, and so the data and experience from small-scale use can be used in support of larger-scale activities.
The following is a brief summary of aquaculture regulations in Australia and how they may apply to industrial uses of algae or cyanobacteria. This is necessarily a very brief overview, meant to convey general guidance as to what applicants might expect in the country. More detailed information is available at the websites linked below, particularly including the very useful Fact Sheets maintained for individual countries by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which can all be accessed at http://www.fao.org/fishery/nalo/search/en.
Under the Australian Constitution, responsibility for regulation of aquatic resources is shared by the central Australian Government and the individual state and territory governments. Specifically, each state or territory has primary responsibility for management of land and waters within its their boundaries as well as management of its inland and coastal waters out to the three nautical mile limit. The Australian Government has the responsibility for management of marine waters between the three and two hundred nautical mile limits. However, as summarized in the FAO page for Australia and a 2004 report commissioned by the government, there is no national legislation specific for fisheries or aquaculture, although there may be applicable provisions of general national environmental laws. So the most relevant legislation and regulations will lie with individual state or territorial governments.
As these two references report, all of these regional governments have laws that cover commercial fisheries or aquaculture. However, many of these laws either do not define “aquaculture” or define it more narrowly to apply only to fisheries, and so many of these laws would arguably not apply to industrial uses of algae. However, in South Australia, which is reported to be the state with the largest aquaculture industry, the applicable definition is broad enough to encompass algae. In the South Australia Aquaculture Act (2001, as amended in 2003 and 2005), aquaculture is defined to mean “farming of aquatic organisms for the purposes of trade or business or research, but does not include an activity declared by regulation not to be aquaculture.” Note that “aquatic organism” is defined to mean “an aquatic organism of any species, and includes the reproductive products and body parts of an aquatic organism”. Also, the term “farming of aquatic organisms” means “an organized rearing process involving propagation or regular stocking or feeding of the organisms or protection of the organisms from predators or other similar intervention in the organisms’ natural life cycles”.
In the state of South Australia, aquaculture activities must be licensed by the state government. Licenses are only granted if the area to be used for aquaculture is subject to a lease, which may or may not be controlled by the entity applying for the license.
According to transportpolicy.net, fuel quality in Australia is regulated by the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, under the Fuel Quality Standards Act (2000) and the Fuel Quality Standards Regulations (2001). This agency has set both environmental standards and operability standards for fuels, with the standards for diesel and gasoline conforming with international standards such as those of the ASTM. There is also a biodiesel standard that is derived from international standards. Fuel producers and sellers are required to document that their fuels are in compliance with standards, and although the agency’s website calls this “industry self-regulation”, a company’s documentation of compliance are subject to investigation by regulators.
Australia does not appear to have a national ethanol mandate (i.e. there are no minimum ethanol levels) and ethanol content in gasoline is limited to 10%, but there are applicable laws in certain Australian states. The state of New South Wales has a 4% blending mandate, although at one point it was contemplated that this would be raised to 6%. The state of Queensland was to have adopted a 5% mandate, scheduled to take effect in 2010 or 2011, but this has been put on hold due to interest group opposition. Similarly, although there is no national biodiesel mandate, the state of New South Wales maintains a B2 mandate.
This blog entry describes the possible ways in which uses of algae or cyanobacteria for fuel or chemical production might be regulated in China. This entry is one of several posts that provide additional information in support of a poster I’m presenting at the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit on the regulations in various countries around the world that may be applicable to the use of naturally-occurring or genetically modified algae or cyanobacteria in fuel production. These include three general categories of regulation: biotechnology or biosafety regulations, aquaculture regulations, and renewable fuel standards or volume mandates. You can access the poster on my SlideShare site, and please refer back to my September 16 introductory post for links to posts on the regulatory situation in other countries. Although this discussion centers on algae and cyanobacteria, much of the discussion (other than the section on aquaculture) would be applicable to the use of other genetically modified microorganisms for production of fuel or chemicals.
China is a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol, and has implemented a range of biotechnology laws and regulations, with most coming since 2001. Most if not all of these are directed at agricultural biotechnology, in particular to the importation and use of transgenic plants and other agricultural products destined for release into the environment. Although written with a focus on agricultural biotechnology, some of the provisions of the governing law and its regulations potentially cover contained industrial uses, so the following discussion will highlight relevant language potentially applicable both to contained uses and open-environment uses of algae or cyanobacteria in fuel or chemical manufacture.
In particular, initial law and regulations were enacted in 1993 and 1996, respectively, but these provisions were repealed or overruled by new regulations adopted in 2001 and 2002. What is confusing is that the latter documents seem to quite explicitly limit their definitions and applicability to organisms “for use in agricultural production or processing”, and are written with the cycle of agricultural field testing in mind. To an observer outside of China and unfamiliar with its legal system, this begs the question of what law or regulation would cover the use of a modified algae or cyanobacteria, or other microorganism intended for use in an industrial setting, with no application to agriculture. The following discussion will focus on the terms found in the original rules from the 1990s, which perhaps have been superseded by the 2001/2002 rules.
According to Huang and Yang (2011), China’s first biosafety regulation, “Measures for Safety Administration of Genetic Engineering,” was issued by the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) in 1993. This regulation consisted of general principles, safety categories, risk evaluation, application and approval, safety control measures, and legal responsibilities. It has been implemented by a series of regulations starting in 1996, mostly all of which pertain to agricultural GMOs, but the following excerpts of the original 1993 law seem to apply to “contained uses”.
Safety class I: genetic engineering work of this class has no threat to human health and ecological environment.
Safety class II: genetic engineering work of this class has low‑level risk to human health and ecological environment.
Safety class III: genetic engineering work of this class has intermediate-level risk to human health and ecological environment.
Safety class IV: genetic engineering work of this class has high‑level risk to human health and ecological environment.
The 1993 law has general provisions in two of its chapters which relate either to (contained) industrial uses or to open-environment uses of GMOs.
3. The “Implementation Regulation” is applicable to agricultural organisms whose genome constitution has been changed by using genetic engineering technologies. The scope of agricultural organism includes plants and animals related to agricultural production, plant-related microorganisms, veterinary microorganisms, aquatic animals and plants.
The applicability of this definition to industrial microorganisms like E. coli or yeast may be ambiguous, but the inclusion of “aquatic animals and plants” may mean that algae or marine cyanobacteria might be covered as well.
Finally, Appendix V of the 1996 regulations provides principles for safety assessments of “Genetic Engineered Organism and Its Products Acquired from Aquatic Animal and Plant,” although the regulations do not specify what types of organisms would be considered “aquatic”.
It is hard to know if, under these initial rules, the jurisdiction of the Agriculture Ministry would extend to non-agricultural industrial uses of microorganisms. The Biosafety Clearing-House web page for China indicates that the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Ministry of Agriculture are the competent national authorities for implementation of the Cartagena Protocol. The entry for the Environment ministry indicates that its jurisdiction includes “bacteria”, but it is not clear what exactly this ministry’s role may be in such oversight, since most of the regulatory documents available on this site and elsewhere pertain to agricultural activities under the purview of the Ministry of Agriculture. In fact, the 2001/2002 rules make it even more explicit that the Agriculture Ministry has primary responsibility over agricultural GMOs.
Although it seems unclear whether GMOs intended for contained manufacturing would be covered under the current regulations, it does seem clear that import of a GMO into China would require government approval. The relevant agency is the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ), and applicants proposing to import a GMO into China must apply in advance to this agency and provide information about the organism as required on the application form.
Applicants wishing to use a GMO in manufacturing in China should therefore make early contact with AQSIQ regarding importation requirements, and also to consult with both the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment to understand which agency would have authority over the proposed use, whether a permit application would be needed, and if so what the applicable requirements would be. It is possible that some of the required approvals may take several months, if not 1-2 years in some cases, so early consultation with these agencies, through a Chinese corporate partner or attorney, would be recommended.
Although not explicit, it would be prudent to assume that any proposed open-environment use of a modified algae or cyanobacteria would need to go through the same regulatory procedures as for agricultural microorganisms or plants. These are largely described in the 2002 document “Implementation Regulations on Safety Assessment of Agricultural Genetically Modified Organisms”. These regulations require institutions to conduct appropriate safety assessments for submission to an Office of Biosafety Administration (OBA) within the Agriculture Ministry. The regulations also assume that projects will proceed in the stepwise field testing method that is typical for agricultural product development, and approvals would be needed at each successively-larger field use. The Implementation Regulations include a series of detailed appendices describing the necessary components of risk assessments for the different uses potentially covered under the rules.
This is a very, very brief summary of the 67-page 2002 document. Suffice it to say that it is likely that open-pond uses of modified algae would be subject to the regulatory procedures set up in China for review of agricultural field tests and commercialization.
The following is a brief summary of aquaculture regulations in China and how they may apply to industrial uses of algae or cyanobacteria. This is necessarily a very brief overview, meant to convey general guidance as to what applicants might expect in the country. More detailed information is available at the websites linked below, particularly including the very useful Fact Sheets maintained for individual countries by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which can all be accessed at http://www.fao.org/fishery/nalo/search/en.
The applicable law in China is the Fisheries Law (1986, as amended in 2000), whose goal is to enhance the production, increase, development and reasonable utilization of the nation’s fishery resources. It requires the adoption of policies to promote the simultaneous development of aquaculture, fishing and processing, with special emphasis on aquaculture. The Law is implemented by the Regulation for the Implementation of the Fisheries Law (1987).
Neither the law nor the regulations define “aquaculture”, so their applicability to algae or marine cyanobacteria is not clear. Chapter III, Articles 10-13, of the regulations cover aquaculture, and require “state and collectively-owned units engaged in aquaculture using state-owned water surfaces and tidal flats [to] apply to the people’s governments at or above the county level for licenses”. The regulations also require the protection of “natural spawning, breeding or feeding grounds of fish, shrimp, crab, shellfish and algae” and prohibit their use as aquaculture grounds.
Due to uncertainty over the applicability of these regulations to uses of algae or cyanobacteria, early consultation with local partners or attorneys, or with the applicable government agency, would be recommended.
According to transportpolicy.net, fuel quality standards in China are issued by the Standardization Administration of China (SAC) under the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (AQSIQ). There are nationwide standards for gasoline and diesel that generally follow European precedent. There appear to be obligations for fuel producers and sellers to conduct testing to ensure that their fuels comply with the standards.
China does not have an ethanol mandate or a national biodiesel mandate, but reportedly there are ten provinces having an E10 mandate for ethanol.
This blog entry describes the possible ways in which uses of algae or cyanobacteria for fuel or chemical production might be regulated in Japan. This entry is one of several posts that provide additional information in support of a poster I’m presenting at the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit on the regulations in various countries around the world that may be applicable to the use of naturally-occurring or genetically modified algae or cyanobacteria in fuel production. These include three general categories of regulation: biotechnology or biosafety regulations, aquaculture regulations, and renewable fuel standards or volume mandates. You can access the poster on my SlideShare site, and please refer back to my September 16 introductory post for links to posts on the regulatory situation in other countries. Although this discussion centers on algae and cyanobacteria, much of the discussion (other than the section on aquaculture) would be applicable to the use of other genetically modified microorganisms for production of fuel or chemicals.
5. In this Law, “Type 1 Use” shall mean use not subject to taking the measures provided for in the following paragraph.
6. In this Law, “Type 2 Use” shall mean use undertaken with the intention of preventing the dispersal of living modified organisms into the air, water or soil outside facilities, equipment or other structures (hereinafter “Facilities”) in accordance with measures specifying this fact or other measures stipulated in the ordinance of the competent ministries.
Therefore, any proposed use of modified algae or cyanobacteria in contained manufacturing would likely be considered as a Type 2 Use, while open-pond use would be considered as a Type 1 Use. The regulatory requirements for approvals for these two categories of use have been set forth in a series of other regulatory documents, as described below.
The provisions governing Type 2 (Contained) Uses are covered in Chapter 2, Section 2 (Articles 12-15) of Law No. 97. These articles contain general provisions specifying that appropriate containment procedures must be put in place, and specifying procedures to be implemented in the event of an accidental release of an organism.
To implement Law 97, the government adopted “Regulations related to the Enforcement of the Law concerning the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity through Regulations on the Use of Living Modified Organisms”. Article 40(3) of these Regulations specify which “competent ministers” have responsibility for Type 2 Uses, either for R&D or commercial purposes. Jurisdiction for R&D is more clear: under subparagraph (i) of this Article, either the Minister of Education, Science and Technology or the Minister of the Environment would have jurisdiction over Type 2 R&D Uses. Subparagraph (ii) of this Article covers activities other than R&D, and specifies that the competent minister depends on who “has jurisdiction over the undertakings performed by persons who make of the Type 2 Use, along with the Minister of the Environment”. Presumably this means that the Minister with jurisdiction would be the Minister ordinarily responsible for the type of commercial activity to which biotechnology is to be applied, with additional responsibility assigned to the Minister of the Environment. As discussed below, it is possible that uses of modified marine microorganisms (algae or cyanobacteria) would fall under the jurisdiction of the Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF).
Japanese regulatory law is structured via a series of hierarchical regulations, such that the procedures applicable to commercial Type 2 Uses are further governed by another document, “The Ministerial Ordinance Providing Containment Measures to Be Taken in the Industrial Use of Type 2 Use of Living Modified Organisms” (there is also an equivalent document for Type 2 R&D Uses). The “Ministerial Ordinance” goes into more specific detail about appropriate containment provisions for microorganisms, plants and animals. For microorganisms, the procedures required for the lowest risk category generally correspond to Good Industrial Large Scale Practice (GILSP). The Ministerial Ordinance also includes the application form needed to be submitted to the competent minister. This is “Form 1”, which asks for information about the LMO and its properties and the measures to be adopted to ensure containment. These data provisions appear to be equivalent to those in place in other countries around the world.
MAFF issued a regulation in 2000 entitled “Guidelines for Application of Recombinant DNA Organisms in Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, The Food Industry and Other Related Industries”. Under this regulation, microalgae are considered to be microorganisms, and the provisions for “production processes using rDNA microorganisms” (i.e. contained uses) are similar to those described above, in that the applicant is responsible for assigning a risk category to the organism and adopting appropriate procedures for the organism’s use. Since these regulations preceded adoption of Law No. 97 in 2003, it is not clear to what extent they are still applicable.
It is not clear whether there have been any Type 2 Use applications in Japan for commercial activities outside of the pharmaceutical field. While the applicable procedures and data requirements appear straightforward, given the intricacies of the Japanese legal and regulatory system, it would naturally be advisable for foreign companies to work with a Japanese partner and/or attorney, and to hold early discussions with the applicable regulatory agencies in advance of any submission.
The provisions governing Type 1 (Non-Contained) Uses are covered in Chapter 2, Section 1 (Articles 4-11) of Law No. 97. These articles contain general provisions pertaining to the procedures to follow to apply for approval for a Type 1 Use and the types of information that needs to be included in any such application. In addition, Article 4(2) of the Law requires that all applicants for Type 1 Uses must “assess the [potential] adverse effect on biological diversity caused by the Type 1 Use,” by completing and submitting to the applicable government ministry a “Biological Diversity Risk Assessment Report”. The Law also provides for the possible consultation with appropriate outside experts. Otherwise, the provisions of the Law relating to the requirements for approvals of Type 1 Uses are quite general, and as is the case with the Type 2 regulations, the more specific provisions are spelled out in the additional documents in the regulatory hierarchy.
In the case of Type 1 Uses, most of the relevant information is included in the “Regulations related to the Enforcement of the Law concerning the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biological Diversity through Regulations on the Use of Living Modified Organisms” that was discussed above. In fact, this Regulation (in Articles 7 and 8) includes the specific information that is needed to apply for permission for a Type 1 Use application, and includes as an appendix the form needed to make such an application (Form No. 1). These Regulations also specify which “competent ministers” have responsibility for Type 1 Uses. According to Article 40(1), jurisdiction for R&D would fall either to the Minister of Education, Science and Technology or the Minister of the Environment, and for activities other than R&D, the competent minister would be the one “who had jurisdiction over the production or circulation of the living modified organisms”, along with the Minister of the Environment”. These requirements are stated similarly to those for Type 2 Uses discussed above. As mentioned, uses of modified marine microorganisms (algae or cyanobacteria) would likely fall under the jurisdiction of MAFF.
Although the “Regulations related to the Enforcement” includes the application form needed to apply for Type 1 approvals, one additional document includes further information relevant to such applications. This document is “The Guidance of Implementation of Assessment of Adverse Effect on Biological Diversity of Type 1 Use of Living Modified Organisms,” and in Sections 2 and 3 and Tables 1 and 2 of this guidance document, there are detailed lists of the information and data needed to create the “Biological Diversity Risk Assessment Report” that is required under the Law.
Under the MAFF regulation from 2000 discussed above, algae would be considered as microorganisms, and the regulation specifies that “application of rDNA microorganisms in an open system” must proceed in a stepwise manner, with applicants first conducting a safety evaluation in a laboratory, followed by testing in an artificial microcosm before seeking approval for outdoor use. Again, it is not clear to what extent this regulation is still applicable in view of the legislative and regulatory actions which were adopted after its promulgation.
It is likely that most or all the precedents for review and approval of Type 1 Uses of GMOs in Japan have been for field tests of transgenic plants. So it is hard to predict how the regulatory process would proceed for a proposed use of a GMO algae in an open-pond or similar reactor. As always, early consultation with the appropriate regulatory agency and/or Japanese partner(s) or attorneys would be advised.
The following is a brief summary of aquaculture regulations in Japan and how they may apply to industrial uses of algae or cyanobacteria. This is necessarily a very brief overview, meant to convey general guidance as to what applicants might expect in the country. More detailed information is available at the websites linked below, particularly including the very useful Fact Sheets maintained for individual countries by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which can all be accessed at http://www.fao.org/fishery/nalo/search/en.
According to the FAO page devoted to Japan, the primary law that regulates fishery activities is the Fisheries Law (1949, as revised in 1962), which is administered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF). However, in practice many responsibilities have been delegated to the prefecture governments. Within MAFF, the Fisheries Agency (FA) would be the primary agency with responsibility for aquaculture. According to the FAO site, there is no legal definition of aquaculture. However, the Fisheries Law defines fishery as “an industry which carries on gathering, taking or culturing of aquatic animals and plants”. It is not clear if this definition would include aquatic microorganisms like algae or marine cyanobacteria.
Marine waters in Japan are divided into a number of sea areas for administrative purposes, and for the most part each sea area corresponds to the maritime zone of one of the coastal prefectures. Presumably, activities within such zones would be governed by the prefecture rather than the central government. As explained in more detail on the FAO page, the Fisheries Law created three principal categories of fishery rights, and of these, the category known as “demarcated fishery rights” are said to be applicable to pond aquaculture activities that occupy a defined and fixed site. To the extent the Fisheries Law applies to algae, it would seem that most potential uses of algae in aquaculture might fall under this category. These rights are granted by the prefecture governments, through the involvement of Fisheries Cooperative Associations (FCAs) which have been created to have responsibility for particular geographical areas and whose membership are local fishermen.
The applicability of these provisions to algae or cyanobacteria are not clear. Consultation with MAFF or with partner institutions in Japan would seem to be advisable before planning activities with modified algae or cyanobacteria in that country.
The regulatory body in Japan with authority over fuels is the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the governing law is the Law on the Quality Control of Gasoline and Other Fuels (the “Fuel Quality Control Law”: Japanese language version available here). According to the Japan transportpolicy.net site for diesel and gasoline, Within METI, the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy is in charge of enforcing the quality of gasoline, diesel and kerosene sold on the market through the authority of the Fuel Quality Control Law, and this law also established mandatory specifications for ten gasoline properties and three diesel properties. Although METI conducts its own fuel sampling and testing, refiners and importers are reportedly required to conduct their own tests of fuel quality.
Japan does not appear to have any ethanol mandate, but there are laws relating to biodiesel. There are two quality standards for biodiesel fuels in Japan: a mandatory standard specified in the Law on the Quality Control of Gasoline and Other Fuels, which allows up to 5% biodiesel, and a voluntary Japanese Industrial Standard (JIS). The Ministry of the Environment apparently has a regulatory role over the biodiesel standards.
This blog entry describes the possible ways in which uses of algae or cyanobacteria for fuel or chemical production might be regulated in Brazil. This entry is one of several posts that provide additional information in support of a poster I’m presenting at the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit on the regulations in various countries around the world that may be applicable to the use of naturally-occurring or genetically modified algae or cyanobacteria in fuel production. These include three general categories of regulation: biotechnology or biosafety regulations, aquaculture regulations, and renewable fuel standards or volume mandates. You can access the poster on my SlideShare site, and please refer back to my September 16 introductory post for links to posts on the regulatory situation in other countries. Although this discussion centers on algae and cyanobacteria, much of the discussion (other than the section on aquaculture) would be applicable to the use of other genetically modified microorganisms for production of fuel or chemicals.
Brazil has ratified the Cartagena Protocol and has been active in oversight over agricultural and industrial biotechnology. Brazil has a national biosafety law (Law No. 11,105 of March 24, 2005, available here in either English or Portuguese). The law creates a national regulatory framework administered by the Biosafety National Technical Committee (Comissão Técnica Nacional de Biossegurança, known by its Portuguese acronym CTNBio), and the National Biosafety Council (CNBS), with the involvement of the Ministries of Health, Environment and Agriculture, the Special Secretariat of Agriculture and Fishery, and other agencies. CTNBio is a 27-member committee comprised of technical representatives from across the Brazilian government. The CTNBio website, in Portuguese but with some links to English pages, can be found here.
Regulations implementing Law No. 11,105 were put in place by Decree No. 5591 of November 22, 2005. The Law and its regulations require that companies wishing to conduct commercial activities using GMOs or to test or use GM plants in the environment must seek the approval of CTNBio. Specifically, the Law requires approval for any activities involving the “cultivation, production, handling, transport, transfer, commercialization, import, export, storage, consumption, release and disposal of GMOs and their derivatives for commercial purposes.” Thus, unlike some national regulatory frameworks that are largely restricted to covering outdoor use of GMO plants, it is clear that the Law covers not only contained manufacturing but also the importation of GMO strains into Brazil.
Under the Brazilian framework, all applications for use or importation of GMOs and for the registration of facilities for use with GMOs would be submitted to CTNBio. Decisions would be made by CTNBio, although the Law allows CTNBio to request that the CNBS render a separate decision on commercial requests “with regard to the desirability, suitability in social and economic terms, and the national interest”. The Law also provides for public comment on proposed approvals. Once CTNBio gives a positive decision on an application, the needed authorizations are issued by the applicable government agencies: the Ministry of Agriculture, Farming and Food Supply for activities involving animals, in agriculture, farming, and agroindustry; the Ministry of Health for activities relating to human and pharmacological use, and in household cleaning products and related areas; the Ministry of the Environment for activities with GMOs which are to be released into natural ecosystems, or for GMOs that are judged to potentially be a cause of significant degradation of the environment; and the Special Secretariat for Aquaculture and Fisheries for proposed activities in fishing and aquaculture.
It appears that CTNBio’s review period for all applications under the Law is 120 days, but that the committee can extend the review period by up to 180 days. It is likely that all documents would need to be submitted to CTNBio in Portuguese, although this is not explicitly stated in the regulations. Confidential information would be protected, but it appears that CTNBio must first provide public notice of its intent to protect company confidential information. In addition, institutions using or conducting research on GMOs in Brazil are required to establish internal biosafety committees to oversee this work.
Proposed uses of modified algae or cyanobacteria in contained manufacturing would likely require multiple approvals under the regulations. Not only would the proposed use need to be approved, but any laboratory or manufacturing facilities within Brazil would need to be reviewed and approved by CTNBio, and if the production strains were imported into the country that would likely require its own approval.
There are precedents in Brazil for prior approvals for industrial biotechnology activities. These are two applications that were filed by Amyris for the use of genetically modified strains of S. cerevisiae (yeast) for the production of farnesene for fuel and chemical use. These applications each appear to have been approved by CTNBio within a review period of several months, following submission by the company of a fairly detailed dossier describing the organisms, their construction and proposed use, and a risk assessment of the proposed commercial application. Interestingly, it was determined that, following CTNBio approval, the permit would be issued and administered by the Ministry of Health – there is an explanation in the summary document accompanying this decision, indicating that the decision had to do with the “green” nature of the product. It is not known if this would create a precedent for applications from other industrial biotechnology companies to be treated in the same way.
The provisions of Brazilian law and regulation have been written broadly enough so as to specify the needed procedures for any industrial use of GMOs, whether contained or in the open environment. There is quite a bit of precedent in Brazil for review and approval of environmental use of transgenic plants in agriculture, with applications reviewed by CTNBio as described above. All the “commercial approvals” for outdoor use of GMOs on the CTNBio website are all for transgenic crop plants and none appear to involve modified microorganisms.
A proposal to use genetically modified algae or cyanobacteria in an open-pond reactor would presumably follow a similar regulatory path, although it would seem likely that the Ministry of the Environment would be the entity issuing the permit for an open-pond use, after review and approval by CTNBio. However, it is interesting that the Law explicitly provides for a different governing agency (the Special Secretariat for Aquaculture and Fisheries) for applications involving aquaculture, and it is not clear if this agency would have priority for an application involving modified marine algae. This may depend on whether algae would fall under applicable definitions of “aquaculture” – a question which seems somewhat unclear, as is discussed in the next section.
The following is a brief summary of aquaculture regulations in Brazil and how they may apply to industrial uses of algae or cyanobacteria. This is necessarily a very brief overview, meant to convey general guidance as to what applicants might expect in the country. More detailed information is available at the websites linked below, particularly including the very useful Fact Sheets maintained for individual countries by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which can all be accessed at http://www.fao.org/fishery/nalo/search/en.
The Special Secretariat for Aquaculture and Fisheries (Secretaria Especial de Aqüicultura e Pesca – SEAP) is the main authority for the management and development of fisheries and aquaculture in Brazil, although there may also be applicable state laws. However, according to Brazil’s FAO summary page, the legislative authority for this oversight is “fragmented” and so it is not always easy to identify the governing definitions. In particular, the federal Fisheries Code apparently does not specifically define aquaculture. But the FAO summary page says that applicable definitions are often found in secondary legislation. For example, Decree No.4,895 of 2003 describes aquaculture as the cultivation or breeding of organisms, whose life cycle develops, in natural conditions, totally or partially in an aquatic environment. Similarly, SEAP Normative Instruction No.3 of 2004 regards aquaculture as the cultivation, breeding or holding in captivity, with commercial purposes, of organisms whose life cycle develops, in natural conditions, totally or partially in an aquatic environment. Based on these definitions, it is possible that commercial cultivation of algae or cyanobacteria in open waterways would fall under national legislation, and would require authorization of some kind from SEAP. Commercial algae projects might also require environmental impact assessments under Brazil’s Environmental Policy Act.
Brazil has the longest-standing national program to promote the use of ethanol in motor vehicle fuel. This national program, which dates back to 1975, not only mandated ethanol use in automotive fuel, but also provided for the infrastructure needed to support such use, including incentives for producing ethanol-powered cars and support for upgrading of gasoline stations to accommodate ethanol use. Until recently, Brazilian law mandated that gasoline have a minimum ethanol content of 25%, but this was reduced to 18-20% in 2010 in response to economic pressures. As of May 2013, the minimum blend percentage of 25% was reinstated.
Brazil also has a mandate for 5% blends of biodiesel (“B5” blends), with the goal of reaching B20 by 2020. This was originated as a mandate for 2% blends that was adopted in 2005, and the current B5 mandate was established in 2009. Current and historical aspects of Brazil’s National Biodiesel Program are summarized in a report available here, and also at the very informative transportpolicy.net Brazil Biofuels page.
Specifications for transportation fuels in Brazil are established by the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP—Agência Nacional do Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis). A summary of the development of the country’s standards for diesel fuel can be found here, and information about biodiesel standards and promotional efforts can be found here. There is also useful information on the transportpolicy.net Brazil Diesel and Gasoline page. As of 2011, ANP was given responsibility for regulating ethanol supplies in fuel, and this agency has set specifications for fuel ethanol.
According to transportpolicy.net, there are no environmental sustainability criteria required to be met by Brazil’s biofuel mandates, nor is there any required consideration of greenhouse gas emission reduction levels or indirect land use change. Perhaps the most significant requirement on fuel producers is that certain testing must be done to ensure that ANP’s fuel specifications are met for any fuel sold in Brazil.
This blog entry describes the possible ways in which uses of algae or cyanobacteria for fuel or chemical production might be regulated in the European Union. This entry is one of several posts that provide additional information in support of a poster I’m presenting at the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit on the regulations in various countries around the world that may be applicable to the use of naturally-occurring or genetically modified algae or cyanobacteria in fuel production. These include three general categories of regulation: biotechnology or biosafety regulations, aquaculture regulations, and renewable fuel standards or volume mandates. You can access the poster on my SlideShare site, and please refer back to my September 16 introductory post for links to posts on the regulatory situation in other countries. Although this discussion centers on algae and cyanobacteria, much of the discussion (other than the section on aquaculture) would be applicable to the use of other genetically modified microorganisms for production of fuel or chemicals.
The discussion of the situation in the European Union is in two parts. This blog entry discusses aquaculture and renewable fuels regulations, and the previous entry discussed biotechnology regulations.
The following is a brief summary of aquaculture regulations in the European Union and how they may apply to industrial uses of algae or cyanobacteria. This is necessarily a very brief overview, meant to convey general guidance as to what applicants might expect in the country. More detailed information is available at the websites linked below, particularly including the very useful Fact Sheets maintained for individual countries by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which can all be accessed at http://www.fao.org/fishery/nalo/search/en.
The inclusion of “protista” within this definition means that alien or locally absent species of algae would potentially be included. However, since cyanobacteria are prokaryotic, they would not fall within the Protista Kingdom and therefore would arguably not be covered by this definition or this Directive.
Article 6 of the Directive requires member nations to establish procedures by which applicants proposing the introduction of an alien or locally absent species of aquatic organism to obtain a permit from the applicable national regulatory agency. Annex I of the Directive provides guidelines for the information recommended to be submitted to the applicable agency in such permit applications.
In the European Union, the EU-wide directives are meant to be translated into national law in each of the EU member states. There may therefore be some nation-by-nation variability in the specific requirements of these laws, and so it would be advisable for companies contemplating activities in any given EU member state to identify the agency having regulatory authority and to consult with the agency in advance of any introduction of a novel or nonnative strain into the country.
New fuels must meet the requirements of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) to count towards EU renewable target volumes. The RED was put in place to ensure that all the 27 member states of the European Union achieve specified targets for use of renewable fuels and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions across all energy sectors, with specific requirements for the subset of fuels used for transportation. Its companion directive, the FQD, has additional, complementary requirements for GHG reductions within the transport sector. These directives place obligations on EU member states, but also create certain requirements with which developers or producers of renewable fuels must comply in order for their fuels to qualify as “renewable” under the regulations.
The Fuel Quality Directive, EU Directive 2009/30/EC, which amended Directive 98/70/EC, was also adopted on April 23, 2009. It establishes the specifications (standards) for transportation fuels to be used across the EU. The Directive also requires that all fuel suppliers (e.g. oil companies) must meet a 6% reduction of GHG emissions by 2020, relative to 2010 baseline levels, across all fuel categories. This reduction in emissions could be achieved using any low-carbon fuel options, such as hydrogen or electricity, but it is generally expected that the use of biofuels will account for most of the targeted reductions.
Although the obligations in the Directives to meet the specified targets are placed on national governments, these obligations are passed down to the entities that sell fuel to the public, as well as the companies that manufacture or import fuels for eventual sale in the EU. Specifically, there are defined requirements that a fuel and its production pathway must meet in order for the fuel to be considered a “renewable fuel” that qualifies to count towards fulfillment of the targets set in the Directives. The RED specifies that “renewable fuels” are not to be produced from raw materials obtained from land having a “high biodiversity status” or “high carbon content”.
Furthermore, in order for a fuel to be considered as “renewable”, it must show a reduction in GHG emissions over the lifecycle of its production, such that the carbon intensity of the fuel is known and can be applied towards the national targets. The European Commission calculated default carbon intensities for a number of specific biofuel production pathways, which can be found in Annex V of the RED, and these can be used in reporting by regulated entities without providing any additional information to any national government. However, for fuel production pathways not included within this list, carbon intensities must be calculated using acceptable methods for developing life cycle analyses (LCAs).
More importantly, renewable fuels must be produced sustainably: that is, in order for a fuel to be considered as “renewable” under the RED, it must be analyzed and certified to be in compliance with sustainability criteria established in the Directive. The required sustainability analysis incorporates, but goes well beyond, considerations addressed in typical LCAs. There are twelve different factors which must be considered in these analyses, including Local Food Security, Human and Labor Rights, Rural and Social Development, and others including lifecycle GHG emissions. The EU has established a requirement that any proposed scheme or methodology for conducting sustainability analyses under the RED must be certified by the EU before any fuel provider can rely on such a scheme to establish its eligibility. A number of such schemes that have been approved, which are listed here. Fuel producers can conduct these analyses themselves, or have them done by third parties, but in either case the regulations require that the analysis be verified by competent, independent auditors that follow international standards.
Companies that are producing fuels that are included within the “look-up table” within the RED can rely on the carbon intensities specified in the regulations. However, companies developing a new pathway must not only conduct an LCA to establish the carbon intensity but must also have the fuel pathway certified as sustainable.
On October 17, 2012, the European Commission proposed revisions to the RED and the FQD that embody some substantial changes to the EU’s approach to certain biofuels, specifically in proposing to institute incentives for the use of second generation biofuels that are not derived from food crops. This proposal, which has generated significant controversy both within the industry and also from other interested parties, was discussed in a post on my Biofuel Policy Watch blog. After many months of debate and consideration by parliamentary committees, the EU Parliament voted on September 11, 2013 to adopt a revised version of this amendment, which I have described in a new post on Biofuel Policy Watch . This version of the amendment must still be approved by the European Council before it can take effect, which is not expected until sometime in 2014 at the earliest.
The discussion of the situation in the European Union is in two parts. This blog entry discusses biotechnology regulations, and the entry that follows will discuss aquaculture and renewable fuels regulations.
Directive 2009/41/EC, which amended Directive 90/219/EEC and Directive 98/81/EC, on the contained use of genetically modified microorganisms (GMMs). This Directive regulates research and industrial activities involving GMMs under conditions of containment.
Directive 2001/18/EC, which replaced Directive 90/220/EEC, on the deliberate release into the environment of GMOs, which applies to the experimental release of GMOs into the environment, such as in connection with field tests; and the placing on the market of GMOs, for example the cultivation, importation or transformation of GMOs into industrial products, such as the sale of seed to grow GMO plants or the use of products of genetically modified plants in food.
Under the “contained uses” directive, applicants are required to assign a risk level to its organisms, to adopt containment measures appropriate for that risk level, and to notify a designated national agency before beginning operations. However, specific requirements in any given EU nation would be governed by national legislation or regulation adopted in conformance with the EU directive, so that national requirements in any given country may differ from, and may even exceed, the requirements of the EU directive.
‘contained use’ means any activity in which micro-organisms are genetically modified or in which such GMMs [genetically modified microorganisms] are cultured, stored, transported, destroyed, disposed of or used in any other way, and for which specific containment measures are used to limit their contact with, and to provide a high level of safety for, the general population and the environment.
This definition appears to give an applicant proposing to use a GMM in Europe (called a “user” in the directive) a fair amount of leeway in determining that a system or process is “contained”, and what level of containment measures are called for.
Article 4 of the directive requires the user to carry out a risk assessment of the GMM, using considerations set forth in Annex III of the directive. As a result of this assessment, the user would determine which of four containment levels is appropriate for the organism, after which the user would have the requirement to adopt appropriate containment measures in accordance with Annex IV of the directive. These requirements are similar to the U.S. NIH Guidelines and other international biosafety guidelines, and most microorganisms used for fuel or chemical production would qualify to be included within the lowest level of containment, “Containment Level 1”.
Article 6 of the directive requires users to notify the “competent” national authority (i.e., the government agency designated in national legislation as having jurisdiction to enforce the contained use directive) before a facility is to be used with GMMs for the first time. Annex V specifies the information required to be submitted with such notifications, and for Class 1 organisms, the necessary information is fairly minimal.
The EU Contained Use Directive should be viewed as providing general guidance and baseline requirements for member state governments to adopt national regulations for oversight There is at least one recent (and very comprehensive) summary of national legislation under this directive available online – it is a report published in January 2011 by the Netherlands Commission on Genetic Modification – it can be downloaded from this site. One example of a national law adopted in conformance with the EU Contained Use Directive is the law adopted in the United Kingdom, described in the portal site accessible here. Briefly, the UK law requires advance notice to the relevant agency before any work with modified microorganisms is to begin, as well as the submission of a risk assessment for the agency’s review.
Article 4 of the Directive establishes that, for any proposed release, the applicant must prepare an environmental risk assessment, including the information specified in Directive, particularly including Annex III. This is a general requirement for any proposed open-environment use of a GMO. The Directive then goes on to specify procedures for review of proposed releases for research purposes (which it calls “deliberate release … for any other purpose than for placing on the market”) in Part B, and procedures for review of applications for commercial use (“placing on the market”) in Part C. In agricultural applications, Part B would apply to all field tests prior to commercialization of a plant or seed product, while Part C would apply to gaining approval for commercialization. For fuel or chemical production, presumably Part B would apply to pilot or even demonstration scale open-pond reactors where no commercial product is produced.
Briefly, under Part B, applicants proposing R&D use or other noncommercial use of a GMO must notify the appropriate national agency and provide a dossier including the environmental risk assessment and a plan to monitor the proposed use in order to identify any potential adverse effects occurring as a result of the use. The competent agency has a defined period of time, generally 90 days, to make its decision, and the agency may provide the public with notice of the proposal and the opportunity to comment. The proposed use can only go forward upon receipt of written consent from the agency having jurisdiction. National governments are required to report to the European Commission and to other member states the approvals it gives for applications under Part B. Although the public and all EU member states have the ability to comment on any such actions, all decision-making authority rests with the applicable agency in the country where the research activity is to take place.
Part C requires applicants to submit notifications to the competent authority in the EU member state where the GMO is to be placed on the market for the first time. In the context of the use of modified microorganisms or algae to produce fuel or chemicals, it may be worth noting that the definition of “placing on the market” is “making available to third parties, whether in return for payment or free of charge,” and that the notification requirement applies “before a GMO or a combination of GMOs as or in products is placed on the market.” One can argue that a GMO used to produce a product is not itself “placed on the market,” but it would be advisable to review the language of applicable national laws, and/or consult with legal counsel, to determine how a proposed use would be regulated in the applicable country. It is hard to imagine that most European countries would allow commercial use of a GMO algae or cyanobacteria, in open-environment production, without following the procedures of Part C of the Directive.
Under Part C, the agency receiving the applicant’s notification dossier has a specified period of time to prepare a formal “assessment report” which includes its decision on whether or not to allow the GMO to be placed on the market. The assessment report is to be provided to the applicant, and then to the European Commission, which will share it with the other EU member states. Decisions on approvals for commercial use, which would apply throughout the EU, are subject to comments and “reasoned objections” from other member states, and the Directive includes provisions for how to deal with any such objections that have been raised. The Directive also requires the national authority to notify the public of each notification it receives and to publish its assessment report. The proposed commercialization cannot take place until there has been written consent from the agency to which the application was made, which presumably will not take place unless any objections arised by other EU member states have been addressed, although all member states have the ability to restrict the sale of the product in its jurisdiction if it becomes aware of data or other information affecting the conclusions of the environmental risk assessment.
As is well known, the European Union has not granted any approvals under this Directive to use any genetically modified plant in commercial agriculture (i.e., for food use) and all such proposals have been controversial to some extent. I’m not aware of any proposed use of a GM microorganism that has progressed to an application for commercial use in Europe, so it is hard to know if any such proposal not involving food or feed use would engender the same level of controversy. As always, companies contemplating such activities should consult with the relevant government agency as far in advance of the proposed use as possible, to be sure all needed information is provided and the necessary procedures are followed.
This blog entry describes the possible ways in which uses of algae or cyanobacteria for fuel or chemical production might be regulated in Canada. This entry is one of several posts that provide additional information in support of a poster I’m presenting at the 2013 Algae Biomass Summit on the regulations in various countries around the world that may be applicable to the use of naturally-occurring or genetically modified algae or cyanobacteria in fuel production. These include three general categories of regulation: biotechnology or biosafety regulations, aquaculture regulations, and renewable fuel standards or volume mandates. You can access the poster on my SlideShare site, and please refer back to my September 16 introductory post for links to posts on the regulatory situation in other countries. Although this discussion centers on algae and cyanobacteria, much of the discussion (other than the section on aquaculture) would be applicable to the use of other genetically modified microorganisms for production of fuel or chemicals.
Canada’s biotechnology regulatory approach resembles that of the U.S., in that existing laws and regulations are used to regulate biotechnology in a product-specific way. Therefore, many products of biotechnology would be regulated in Canada under existing federal laws. In November 1997, Environment Canada (EC) issued biotechnology regulations under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), that are similar in scope and approach to the U.S. EPA’s TSCA biotechnology regulations, and which are meant to cover biotechnology products or microorganisms that are new to commerce in Canada and which are not regulated by other federal agencies. Among products that could fall under this law’s scope would be microbial strains used for biofuel or bio-based chemical production, or for manufacture of enzymes for use in biofuel production. My 2010 post described these regulations in detail, but the following is a brief summary.
EC considers microorganisms as being potentially subject to these “New Substance Notification” (NSN) regulations if they meet the definition of “new substance”. The regulations define “microorganism” (in part) to be “a microscopic organism … classified in the Bacteria, the Archaea, the Protista, which includes protozoa and algae, or the Fungi, which includes yeasts …”. This means that both algae and cyanobacteria (classified as Bacteria) would be covered by the regulations. The law further defines a “new substance” as one intended for introduction into commerce that is not on the Domestic Substance List (DSL) as having been used in commerce in Canada between January 1, 1984 and December 31, 1986. The DSL for microorganisms includes about 70 naturally-occurring species, identified by ATCC accession numbers. Thus, if a microorganism on this list was used in commerce from 1984-86 in a way such that “its entry into the environment was unrestricted”, it is exempt from reporting; but all other microorganisms, regardless of make-up, are subject to reporting. In this way, the Canadian CEPA regulations are broader than those of the U.S. EPA, in subjecting a larger class of microorganisms to regulation, and it is important to note that the regulations are broad enough to include naturally occurring or classically mutated strains, if such strains had never previously been used in commerce.
Under the NSN regulations, any person who manufactures or imports substances subject to notification must provide a notification package to EC, which contains certain information specified in the regulations. EC uses this information to conduct a risk assessment prior to entry into commerce. The required information is generally similar to the information the U.S. EPA requests in MCAN submissions under its TSCA regulations (EPA’s requirements are discussed in my previous blog entries from 2010). Information on the Canadian biotechnology rule is available at the biotechnology home page, and the New Substance regulations themselves can be found here. A Guidelines document that is similar to EPA’s “Points to Consider document” can be accessed here. CEPA published a fact sheet specific for biofuels, which is accessible here.
The New Substance regulations are applicable both to contained uses and environmental uses of new microorganisms. The notification form which is to be used for submissions asks applicants to identify the “notification group” for the proposed use of the microorganism, and specifies the types of data that are needed for each notification group. The notification group “Introduction in a contained facility or for export only” would apply to contained uses of new microorganisms, and for these proposed uses, only the “Schedule 2” data (as summarized in the checklist in Part B of the form) would need to be submitted.
Based on the information currently on the EC website, most of the notifications reviewed and approved to date have been for contained manufacturing uses. These have been described in my 2010 blog post on the Canadian regulations, which includes links to the various decision documents. There do not appear to have been any published decision documents or risk assessments in the time since my earlier blog post. EC’s review focuses on the potential for the proposed use of the microorganism to pose any risks to the environment or to human health.
Proposed use of new strains of algae or cyanobacteria in open ponds would likely trigger a higher level of review by Environment Canada under the NSN regulations. There are several “notification groups” listed on the notification form that would apply to proposed uses of new microorganisms in the open environment. One such group would cover introductions of organisms “anywhere in Canada”, while others would cover only introductions into specified ecozones (one category for ecozones where the microorganism is naturally indigenous, another for ecozones where it is not). There are also notification groups for research field tests or for introductions “in accordance with confinement procedures”. Generally speaking, any notification for a proposed outdoor use of a microorganism would require the submission of the greatest amount of data with the notification, although this would be somewhat relaxed for research uses, or uses under “confinement”. As is the case with contained uses, EC’s review would focus on potential environmental or health risk associated with the proposed use.
A few of the published risk assessments on the EC website appear to have dealt with proposed environmental uses of new microorganisms. Specifically, there are three approved notifications involving either agricultural microorganisms or microorganisms intended for use in bioremediation. It appears that this may be an area where EC has more limited experience than is the case for proposals for contained uses.
The following is a brief summary of aquaculture regulations in Canada and how they may apply to industrial uses of algae or cyanobacteria. This is necessarily a very brief overview, meant to convey general guidance as to what applicants might expect in the country. More detailed information is available at the websites linked below, particularly including the very useful Fact Sheets maintained for individual countries by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), which can all be accessed at http://www.fao.org/fishery/nalo/search/en.
Aquaculture in Canada may be regulated under federal or provincial law. However, according to the FAO summary page for Canadian aquaculture regulations, the actual responsibilities for aquaculture have been delegated by the federal government to provincial governments. According to the FAO site, the provinces are responsible for “aquaculture planning, site leasing, licenses and approvals for aquaculture sites, aquaculture training and education, the collection of statistics, the promotion of fish and aquaculture products, and the management of the industry’s day-to-day operations” among other functions.
The applicable federal law is the Fisheries Act of 1985. Although this Act does not define “aquaculture”, its definition of “marine plant” includes “all benthic and detached algae, marine flowering plants, brown algae, red algae, green algae and phytoplankton”, and so would appear that permits are required under Sections 44 through 46 of the Act for the cultivation or harvesting of algae, but possibly not cyanobacteria. Turning to some of the provinces, the Fisheries Act of 1996 of British Columbia defines aquaculture as “the “growing and cultivation of aquatic plants… or fish, for commercial purposes, in any water environment or in human made containers of water,” and moreover this law has a definition for “aquatic plant” identical to the federal definition of “marine plant”. This implies that algae would be covered under the provision for licenses, which reads “A person must not process fish or aquatic plants, or operate a plant in British Columbia or its coastal waters, unless the person holds a license issued for that purpose under this Part.” The FAO site also describes the Newfoundland Aquaculture Act (1990), which defines aquaculture as “the farming of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic plants and other aquatic organisms with an intervention in the rearing process to enhance production by regular stocking, feeding, and protection from predation” (emphasis added). Although algae is not mentioned by name, it could be considered to be covered by “other aquatic organisms”.
As the regulations and their applicability to algae or cyanobacteria may vary from province to province, it would be advisable to consult with the applicable provincial government before establishing an industrial algae operation in Canada.
In Canada, there are federal and provincial regulations mandating that fuels contain specified percentages of renewable fuels. The governing federal standards are contained in the Renewable Fuel Regulation, which establishes that, on average, the nation’s gasoline pool must include at least 5% renewable fuels (i.e., ethanol), and the “distillate pool” of diesel fuel and heating oil must include at least 2% renewable fuels. In both cases, there are provinces with the same or higher percentage mandate: Ontario requires 5% renewable content in the gasoline pool, while Saskatchewan and Manitoba require 7.5% and 8.5% renewable content, respectively. For the distillate pool, British Columbia has a 4% requirement while Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba mirror the federal 2% requirement (the federal law includes an exemption for the Eastern provinces).
The federal Renewable Fuel Regulation resembles the U.S. RFS in many ways, by placing its obligations primarily on the parties directly selling fuels to end-users and also in its creation of “compliance units” which operate somewhat analogously to the Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) under the U.S. RFS. The Canadian system, however, poses much simpler compliance obligations for biofuel producers. “Renewable fuels” are defined in the regulations as ethanol, biodiesel, or fuels produced from “renewable feedstocks”, which in turn is defined to include a broad range of feedstocks including algae, so there is no need to conduct a life cycle analysis to show any required threshold level of reduction of greenhouse gas emissions as is the case in the U.S. In Canada, producers of renewable fuels are required to register with the government and to file annual reports, each of which requires only minimal amounts of information regarding the types and amounts of fuel that is being produced. Thus, the burden on companies using modified algae or cyanobacteria to produce fuels should be less onerous in Canada than in the U.S., although for companies using cyanobacteria, it may be worth clarifying whether Environment Canada considers “algae” to include cyanobacteria, as is the case with the U.S. RFS as administered by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Although the Canadian federal regulations do not require any assessment of greenhouse gas emission reductions, it is worth noting that one province, British Columbia, maintains a low-carbon fuel standard that is analogous to the California LCFS. I have briefly described this province’s Renewable and Low Carbon Fuel Requirements Regulation (RLCFRR), which took effect in January 2010, in a blog post earlier this year. This law requires a 10% reduction in carbon intensity by 2020. | 2019-04-21T22:38:59Z | https://dglassassociates.wordpress.com/2013/09/ |
By 1984, while still in his 20s, David Axelrod had already built an impressive career as a star political reporter, columnist and City Hall bureau chief for the Tribune, the largest and most influential newspaper in Illinois.
It was his dream job. But he was unhappy.
Always awash with doubts and anxieties, Axelrod would agonize over the nuances of the stories he was writing, putting in long hours in the city's wards doing research and then spending hours more at the computer keyboard. But that was who he was.
Much more troublesome to him was how his career had begun to plateau. He was told that he would never be given the coveted title of Tribune political editor and would have to make do with the lesser designation of political writer under his byline.
Not only that, but Axelrod felt his top bosses, who used to cover politics themselves, were micro-editing his stories and second-guessing his analysis of the local political landscape. And they had imported from Washington, D.C., a rising star, Steve Neal, who was also given a column and a political writer title.
Many in his position would have bit the bullet and soldiered on. But Axelrod wasn't satisfied.
Even though he and his wife, Susan, had two young children, one with serious health problems, he jumped ship--not only leaving the Tribune but journalism as well--taking a job as the press secretary for Democrat Paul Simon's run for a U.S. Senate seat from Illinois.
A quarter century later, Axelrod is one of the nation's pre-eminent political consultants--the most successful one not based on one of the Coasts. And, capping a career of putting Democratic hopefuls into office, he's the top strategist of the presidential campaign of his close friend, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.).
"He's as good as it gets," says Mark McKinnon, the chief media adviser to President George W. Bush.
But Axelrod's still not satisfied.
By his own admission, he is driven to succeed. And succeed.
When his daughter Lauren was a young girl in the 1980s, she would hold the receiver of a toy phone to her ear and pace back and forth, as she'd seen her father do constantly.
Today, Axelrod carries a cell phone and a BlackBerry, and he's almost always on one of them. Or on a landline phone. Or tapping with two fingers on his laptop. Usually, it's some combination of all those.
Lauren's brother Michael recalls, "To put me to sleep, he would pace while he was on the phone with me in his arms." Now 24 and an employee at his father's firm, Michael says, "He literally wears phones out."
Over the past six years, Axelrod's 11-person firm has worked for candidates in 42 primary and general-election campaigns, winning 33, or nearly 80 percent.
Unlike a candidate who, once elected, gets a break from campaigning, Axelrod is never done. There's always another race to work on--actually, many more races to work on. It's a constant grind of travel and long hours. And phone calls.
And a constant grind for his family--which also includes 20-year-old Ethan, who just finished his sophomore year at Colorado College. "He was consumed by work," says Michael. "I don't want this to sound like I'm being negative about him as a father . . . I never questioned his dedication to us. But he's very dedicated to other stuff as well."
Politics is an obsession for its practitioners, but Axelrod's all-work-all-the-time style is also rooted in his own uncertainties.
Watch him during an interview, and he appears the calmest of people. His voice soft and mild, he seems to have all the time in the world. But his left foot is in constant motion, bouncing in a rapid rhythm, venting his pent-up energy.
Similarly, his public persona is bold, confident and aggressive. In private, though, he's shy, easily wounded and unsure of himself. When he was single, he once moved from Hyde Park to Rogers Park, 15 miles to the north--and moved back the next day. He hates change.
That self-doubt, according to Cook County Commissioner Forrest Claypool, a longtime friend and ally, is still part of everything Axelrod does.
"He's always reaching out to people to test ideas and concepts," Claypool says. "He's constantly agonizing over things. He wakes up at 3 in the morning and sends e-mails. He's driven by an innate competitiveness, a tad of insecurity and an understanding that he doesn't have all the answers."
As Obama's chief strategist, Axelrod is at the pinnacle of his profession, a media star appearing frequently on political talk shows and often sought out by reporters seeking snappy, soundbite-quality comments.
He's in a position of power, wielding important influence in hammering out his candidate's message and getting that message across to the media and the voters. And he's the latest in a long line of campaign operatives who, although never elected themselves, have helped determine the course of American elections, such as Karl Rove for George W. Bush and James Carville for Bill Clinton.
In his early years as a political consultant, Axelrod, following in the footsteps of his mentor, the political strategist Don Rose, carved out a reputation for himself as a skillful specialist working for local progressive candidates.
Within seven weeks of being hired by Simon, the 29-year-old novice was named campaign manager and, emphasizing Simon's strength of character, played a key role in his victory over Republican incumbent Charles Percy. Later, he handled the media strategy for the re-election race of Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor.
Then, to the surprise of liberal reformers, Axelrod signed up with the 1989 mayoral campaign of Richard M. Daley, the son of that antithesis of progressive politics, Richard J. Daley, the Boss. On the younger Daley's retainer ever since, he has been a trusted inner-circle adviser.
Then, to the shock of liberal reformers, Axelrod began including in his candidate mix such Democratic Machine warhorses as Cook County Board President George Dunne, U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski and Cook County Sheriff Richard Elrod. "I don't know how he rationalized that," says Rose. "I think he's a principled, generally progressive guy. Working for Richard Elrod and George Dunne--that was a compromise with idealism."
The campaigns, though, helped pay the bills, as did the candidates around the country who began hiring Axelrod in increasing numbers. They included Illinois multimillionaires Al Hofeld and John Schmidt, who spent lavishly on Axelrod-crafted statewide campaigns--though both lost.
Other campaign consultants, perhaps with a bit of jealousy, whisper privately that Axelrod only worked those races for the money. They also complain that he beefs up his client list with candidates facing easy races.
Even so, the jobs, local and national, kept coming in.
This year, in addition to Obama, four of the Democrats who jumped into the presidential race were former Axelrod clients: U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton (N.Y.), former U.S. Sen. John Edwards (N.C.), U.S. Sen. Chris Dodd (Conn.) and former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, who has already dropped out.
Indeed, last fall, because so many of his political friends were jockeying to make a presidential race, Axelrod had talked of taking the campaign season off--to get some rest, to do some teaching, to do some writing (maybe even for the Tribune) and to avoid taking sides.
But then it became clear that if Obama, new as he was to the national scene, was ever going to make a presidential run, he couldn't wait. So Obama jumped into the race.
And so did Axelrod. He had been excited to have a major role in Obama's 2004 Senate race. He remembers feeling, "This is a really special guy, and, if you could get him elected to the Senate, if you could be a part of that, that would be something to be proud of for the rest of your life."
So, the realization that the man who had become his close friend had a chance to make history as the first African-American president--much as a half century earlier a Boston senator had become the first Roman Catholic president--made it impossible for Axelrod to say no to the campaign.
"I think he's unique, and he offers something very special and important in these times," Axelrod says. "He can heal this country and move it forward in a way that perhaps no one else can."
The campaign caravan rolled up First Avenue in Lower Manhattan and came to a stop at 20th Street between Stuyvesant Town and Peter Cooper Village, two high-rise, middle-class residential developments.
It was Thursday, Oct. 27, 1960, less than two weeks before the presidential election, and John F. Kennedy was devoting the day to rallies throughout New York City.
To a cheering crowd of 5,000 gathered at the corner, Kennedy said: "I stand in the tradition of great Democratic presidents who, in this century, moved this country forward--Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. . . . The Republican Party has never broken through new ground, has never stood for progress."
In the front row of that crowd, within handshaking distance of JFK, was an 11-year-old girl whose family lived in Stuyvesant Town. Nearly half a century later, Joan Axelrod would have no memory of the event, but her brother David would.
He was only 5 years old but the scene, which he witnessed from atop a mailbox, is indelibly etched in his memory.
"I remember the excitement," he says. "I remember the sense that something really important was happening. I remember being intrigued that all this was being caused by the presence of this guy."
He puts a certain Axelrodian stress on the word "guy," an emphasis that, in his work life, he employs for dead-on words or turns of phrase that seem to take even him by surprise, that seem to be unmediated by calculation. Kennedy was just one man, but 5,000 people--businessmen, housewives, young and old, Jews and Christians, brown, black and white--jammed into the street for him. Were thrilled to be near him.
"When I saw Kennedy, I thought, 'This is extraordinary.' I mean, I didn't use that word at age 5, but whatever a 5-year-old's equivalent of 'extraordinary' is. The crowd was chanting, and he was speaking, exhorting them. There was a sense that people could get together and make history."
He was hooked and--perhaps influenced by Kennedy's speech--hooked on Democrats.
Four years later, Axelrod was working for Robert Kennedy's New York senatorial campaign. A year after that, with the help of his mother's cousin, he was, at age 10, attending the inauguration of Lyndon Johnson in Washington, D.C., watching the swearing-in through binoculars from a distant grandstand.
During that visit, the cousin also took him to the office of Sen. Abraham Ribicoff, a Connecticut Democrat. "I got to meet him, and I thought: 'This is the coolest thing. I'm standing in the office of a United States Senator.' "
Just three years later, Ribicoff would be standing at the podium at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, looking down at Mayor Richard J. Daley--the father of a future Axelrod client--and accusing him of Gestapo tactics in suppressing protests on the city's streets.
What's striking about Axelrod's memory of the JFK appearance at Stuyvesant Town, beyond its sharply recalled details, is the one detail that's missing: He can't remember who hoisted his small body up onto a mailbox to witness the scene.
It was midafternoon, and he says his mother, Myril, a former newspaper reporter who was then working as an advertising executive, and his father, Joseph, a psychologist, were likely at their jobs. So he thinks that Jessie Berry--the grandmotherly black woman who was a combination housekeeper and caretaker for David and Joan--was the one who brought him to this pivotal moment in his life. "I loved her, and she loved me," Axelrod says.
Five was also an important age for him because that's when his parents first separated. They re-united, but separated again when he was 8. They divorced when he was 13.
Axelrod as a child had a hard time sitting still. One grade school teacher made a deal with him: If he'd sit and do his work, he could get up afterward and pace in the back of the room. "My mind would race from one thing to another," he says.
His mother, who only recently retired at 87, sought to focus that enormous energy by insisting on high achievement. "I think David would credit all his drive, his need to achieve, to her expectations," says Joan, a diagnostician for children with special-learning needs who lives with her family outside of Boston.
Myril Axelrod was "a tough customer," according to her daughter. "For better or worse, she gave [David] his sense of always needing to better himself: 'Did you do everything you could have and should have? Did you try hard enough? Did people think you were good?' "
After high school, he was accepted at the University of Chicago, where he majored in political science. The summer after his freshman year, he landed a $50-a-week job as a reporter at The Villager, the weekly community newspaper serving Lower Manhattan. He liked it so much that he continued working into the fall, taking a semester off.
Back in classes at the U. of C. in early 1974, Axelrod lucked into another newspaper job as political columnist for the Hyde Park Herald. He made the most of it, cranking out commentaries and exposés. He was on a roll.
Then, in May of that year, just a few weeks before Father's Day, there was a knock at his door. It was a policeman with word that 63-year-old Joseph Axelrod had been found dead in his New York apartment, a suicide. He had lived alone.
In 1987, Myril Axelrod told a writer for Chicago Magazine that her ex-husband was "morose and depressed." Two decades later, her son is still angry over the comment.
"He may have been morose with her, but he was not a morose person," Axelrod says. "My father was a very, very pleasant person, very warm, a very nice person to spend time with. Despite what my mother said, he had a great sense of humor. We used to yell puns to each other. I'd like to think I inherited my sense of humor from him.
"I think he was a caring person. It's something I aspire to. I don't know if I've totally achieved it," he says.
When David Axelrod walks out of the Old State Capitol in Springfield a few minutes before 10 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 10, he's smiling. He often is. He loves his job.
At 6 feet 2 , he's easy to spot. His moustache may be getting grayer and his hairline receding higher on his forehead, but his look is still basically the same as it was in the 1970s when he was a student at the University of Chicago. Sort of rumpled grad student. His mother once told a reporter that her son looked "like an unmade bed."
On this morning, most of Axelrod's sartorial sins are hidden under a forest-green down coat. He's bareheaded, but not for long. It's too cold.
Within moments, his candidate is going to announce his run for the presidency of the United States.
It is a sun-drenched, cloudless morning, as perfect as perfect can get except for the cold--a 12-degree deep freeze that is brutalizing the crowd of 15,000. Yet, when Obama emerges to greet the crowd, he's wearing neither hat nor gloves. His black overcoat is elegant and open at the neck where a black scarf is casually draped.
For a full half hour, he stands in the knife-edge cold, before the crowd and before the cameras, speaking, waving, smiling, reaching out to shake hands with bundled-up supporters--without a hint of a shiver.
When the speech is done and Obama is back inside the Old State Capitol, it's time for his chief strategist to go to work, and reporters crowd around Axelrod, now wearing a stocking cap.
After repeating themes from the speech, he's asked if Gov. Rod Blagojevich's absence from the speaker's platform was a decision by the campaign to distance itself from the scandals of the governor's administration?
Not at all, says Axelrod. "It's too cold out here. We were really delighted the governor came. But we owed it to the people who were coming out here in the freezing cold to keep this thing short."
After some back-and-forth about Obama's morning preparations, Axelrod is asked how his candidate endured such cold.
"I think he may have had long johns on," he says. "But, honestly--and I know it sounds like a cliché, I'm almost embarrassed to say it--it's pretty hard to be cold when you have thousands of people standing there cheering you on."
So, it was too cold. And not cold at all.
This is known as "spin"--a political operative's reframing of an event, issue, statement or fact to the benefit of his or her candidate. And Axelrod, especially with his roots as a reporter, with his knowledge of the sorts of quotes reporters need, with his sharp humor and rapid-fire mind, spins as well as anyone in American politics. Indeed, Mike Royko, the legendary Chicago columnist, once observed: "He can really spin your brain."
Months later, in an interview, Axelrod agrees that spinning has a bad reputation. "The connotation of the word is that you try to persuade people that black is white, or white is black, and that you essentially take a set of facts and twist or distort them. But I don't think that's what I and a lot of folks do. It's a matter of advocating for a position, making clear what that position is, and that's different than distorting it or misrepresenting it in order to gain advantage.
"Look, if I can't be a strong advocate for my candidate, I shouldn't be working for him."
Sometimes, though, Axelrod goes too far.
Always in search of a hero, he idolized Simon, the bowtie-wearing Downstater known for his earnestness, decency and commitment to principle--virtues Axelrod had stressed in previous campaigns.
But, in 1991, Axelrod was handling the media for Hofeld, another Democrat seeking a U.S. Senate seat. Hofeld was running in the primary against incumbent Sen. Alan Dixon, and in a brass-knuckles ad blitz, Axelrod bludgeoned Dixon as the tool of lobbyists.
Simon came to the aid of his longtime friend and colleague, endorsing Dixon on TV and stumping for him throughout the state.
Simon--the man whose decency Axelrod had trumpeted, whose principles had been his inspiration--had, by defending Dixon, whom Axelrod considered a politics-as-usual candidate, shown himself to be nothing more than "an aspiring hack trapped in a reformer's body."
Now Axelrod's sorry. "If I go back in my whole public life, I don't think there is anything I regret more than that comment," he says.
Axelrod says he thought the comment, which was made in a conversation with a reporter for The National Journal, was off the record. "But it shouldn't have been made at all. That was an impulsive comment made out of anger. I felt that Sen. Dixon had made some very bad and harmful decisions, and I felt they were antithetical to Paul's progressive principles."
Axelrod, who, of course, had made his own accommodations with politics-as-usual types, says he and Simon, who died in 2003, never discussed the comment. "I'm sure he was angry, as he should have been." But they remained friends and, in promoting Obama's presidential run, Axelrod is quick to invoke Simon as a kindred spirit, as a parallel hero.
Axelrod lives in a world of heroes and villains. "He falls in love with his candidates," says McKinnon, the Bush adviser. "It means that David's going to throw himself on the tracks for that campaign."
Although he comes across as world-weary and knowing, Axelrod, at heart, is a political romantic. "He's a rare type," says McKinnon. "There are a lot of vampires in this business, but he's got his soul intact."
Tribune sportswriter Sam Smith, who came to the paper soon after Axelrod and remains one of his closest friends, says, "David is the ultimate true believer. He's an idealist in a cynical world. Deep down, he's a dreamer."
He also believes deeply, maybe quixotically, in his candidates. "He wants them to be better than they are," says Smith. "He's always disappointed."
Axelrod is multitasking, something he does virtually every waking hour of every day. It's earlier this year, a few weeks before the mayoral election in Chicago, and Axelrod has set aside much of the day to fine-tune three television spots for Mayor Richard M. Daley's re-election campaign. He's working at Mo/de, a motion design firm headed by his longtime collaborator and subcontractor, Colin Carter.
But, as he gives directions to Carter, tweaking and refining the commercials at a computer monitor, Axelrod is also keeping in touch by phone and e-mail with his co-workers on the Obama presidential campaign and, of course, with the candidate. There's also a conference call with longtime ally Rahm Emanuel and others crafting jokes for the upcoming Gridiron Show in Washington. Then he fields calls from select reporters who want to know, unofficially, what he thinks about Hillary Clinton's still-fresh leap into the Democratic presidential race.
Later, while Axelrod is out of the room taking yet another call, Carter and Axelrod aides continue to tinker with one of the Daley commercials. When he returns, they tell him they've removed from the ad a shot of a police camera atop a pole.
"No. No," he says. "You can't take it out. Put it back. It resonates very well with people. Sorry, guys. Put it back."
They tell him the shot remains in the other commercials, so Axelrod says, "Let's see how it plays now." They run their version of the spot. "Yeah, I can live with it," he says.
It's an example of what Bill Daley, the mayor's brother and chief political adviser, says is Axelrod's mild-mannered approach to those he works with. "He's not a screamer, like some of these guys," Daley says. "He has a good sense of humor, so he's able to defuse things."
Axelrod's TV spots on behalf of a candidate can be warm and evocative. Those he's produced for the mayor are often prose poems to a man Axelrod describes as an urban genius. But make no mistake: When it comes to the political battlefield, he can be ferocious, especially when the weapon he's wielding is a television commercial.
"People hate it after he destroys them," says Bill Daley.
In 1998, for instance, the campaign aides for Glenn Poshard, one of four candidates for the Democratic nomination for U.S. senator, were incensed at a commercial that Axelrod, working for a foe, John Schmidt, aired against him. It showed a grainy clip of Poshard giving a passionate speech, slowed to exaggerate his body movements and facial expressions.
Poshard's people cried foul, contending it was made to resemble newsreel footage of Adolf Hitler. Axelrod said blandly he had no idea what they were talking about.
Poshard, now president of Southern Illinois University, says he doesn't hold a grudge about the commercial. That may be due partly to the clout that Axelrod wields as one with close ties to powerful Democrats, including several who could be the next U.S. president.
But it's also because, a decade earlier, Axelrod was media and campaign consultant for Poshard's first congressional race. "He's head and shoulders above everyone else I've worked with over the years," Poshard says.
Their only extended conversation was at a hotel in Marion. "We met for three hours and, by the time he left, he knew everything about me, everything about the region, and everything about the nuances of the region."
Axelrod is a five-tool consultant. In addition to producing television and radio spots, he can write speeches and statements, plot strategy, craft the campaign message and act as a spokesman. "If you slot David into just [the role of] the commercial maker," Bill Daley says, "you're not getting full advantage of him."
In January, 1982, as Axelrod's career as a political writer was just gaining steam, he received a call from his wife, Susan, frantically telling him that Lauren, then 7 months old, was turning blue. She was having a seizure, the first of scores she would suffer due to epilepsy.
For a month, Lauren was in the hospital with Susan at her side while medical personnel worked unsuccessfully to determine what was wrong.
"It was the coldest January in the history of Chicago," Axelrod recalls. "It was 25 below every day. They were in the hospital, and I was in our apartment in Hyde Park, and, going back and forth, I'd walk across this desolate, frozen landscape, and there was no one else out on the street."
Once the doctors diagnosed Lauren's epilepsy, it took them 16 years and dozens of false trails before stumbling on a treatment that brought her illness under control. She's been seizure-free for seven years, but the brain damage she suffered is irreversible. Now 25, Lauren lives at Misericordia Home, a North Side facility for children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Susan Axelrod wasn't someone to simply endure her daughter's illness. Realizing that most Americans know little about epilepsy or its catastrophic and sometimes fatal effects, she joined with two other mothers in 1998 to form Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy (CURE), which lobbies Congress for beefed-up funding to find a cure.
And her husband did his part, enlisting a Who's Who of Democratic politicians in support of CURE, including keynote speakers such as Bill and Hillary Clinton, Obama and Edwards at the organization's annual fundraiser "That's my patronage right there," he says.
Each fundraiser also features a new video, produced and directed by Axelrod, in which mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters talk about loved ones who have suffered and, in some cases, died from epilepsy.
"There hasn't been one time when I've filmed those things when I haven't ended up in tears either during the shoot or in the edit," he says, "partly out of empathy for the person I'm interviewing and partly because I've lived through it, my family has lived through it."
Lauren's illness, he says, has brought the family closer. "It changes what you think is important. It changes everything."
In 1992, Axelrod was offered a major role in the Clinton camp, but it would have required a move to Little Rock.
"It was a watershed event because I hung up and immediately thought about what it would have meant for my family," he says. "I called back the next day and told them I just couldn't do it. And I was happy. It was odd because I thought that this is what I wanted to do with my life."
He said "no" again in 1999 when the Gore campaign came calling. This time, there was even greater urgency to stay in Chicago because Susan was waging a successful bout with breast cancer. Nonetheless, Axelrod acknowledges the toll his job has taken on his family.
"I made a lot of other choices that probably were more selfish in terms of my career," he says. "Yeah, it would have been best for my family if I had a different life, a completely different life, if I could punch the clock 9-to-5, have every weekend off and not be preoccupied with my work. I just never could figure out how to do it.
"It seemed like an unnatural act. For who I am."
And, if Obama should win the presidency, would Axelrod follow him to the White House? No, he says flatly. He'll stay in Chicago and take it easier. | 2019-04-25T17:50:47Z | https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-070620axelrod-htmlstory-htmlstory.html |
Are We Going to Hand Over the Pink Slip on the United States?
I've asked people to recognize that the vehement differences between members of Congress who represent very rural Alabama versus those who represent urban New York, as examples, will sometimes put the U.S. Congress in a giant game of "chicken" as legislators do their best to represent their constituents' views.
The responsible way out of this game is through compromise. After a variety of shenanigans we usually get out of it, but I'm not so sure about that this time.
• Option One: Refuse to compromise, let the government default, see our credit rating decline and, eventually, be unable to pay our bills because no one will give us any money. Umm, not optimal. If we're worried about spending cuts and/or revenue increases now, we're sure not going to like the depth and breadth of them when we go bankrupt.
• Option Two: Agree to compromise on spending cuts that are less dramatic and revenue increases that are manageable, see our credit rating decline slightly (probably can't avoid it now) and recognize that in taking these steps now we'll have more control over what happens to us in the future.
Yes, I know that some members of Congress ran on a commitment to balance the budget immediately if not sooner. Frankly, this was never possible. Governing is very different from campaigning and it is folly for citizens and elected officials to think differently.
Next time a politician tells you "I won't raise taxes and I'll balance the budget" I suggest you point out that those responsible for protecting the long term interests of the United States may need to compromise -- and ask them what their plan is for building bridges, not burning them.
In fact, I encourage you to deliver this message now which, given the state of the Capitol switchboards, it appears thousands are already doing. You can figure out who your legislators are at www.congress.org, e-mail them through that site or call the Capitol at (202) 224-3121.
Unless we want to give someone the pink slip on the United States, we've got to tell the leadership on both sides of the aisle to stop letting their fringe hold the rest of us hostage in this debate.
If we think government is broken, It's time for the American public to fix it by being the grown ups in this situation. Call or write your legislator today and let them know compromise is OK and even expected. Apparently, only we can solve this problem.
Nero Fiddles While Rome Burns: Or, What the HECK is Going on in DC?
Doesn't it seem like the heat wave here in Washington, DC may be seeping into the brains of our elected officials? I'm guessing that the real problem here is that people are suffering from heat exhaustion. I know I'm exhausted just hearing about it!
While Washington literally burns in 110 degree heat, you've probably heard that we have a little debt ceiling situation here in Washington, DC and that Republicans and Democrats are in just a bit of a stand-off. Some want dramatic cuts in discretionary programs. Some want tax increases. Some don't. No one wants to make significant changes to Social Security or Medicare. Every wants their specific perspective to be the ONLY one adopted.
For example, earlier today we learned that the Senate rejected the House proposal for "cut, cap, balance" and then left for the weekend. For the uninitiated, "cut, cap, balance" is a proposal to require Congress to dramatically cut and cap spending and then proposed an amendment to the Constitution that would require a balanced budget.
I'm not a fan of cut, cap, balance for a variety of reasons (many of which are outlined in this CNN Money report), but the main thing that bugs me is that all the votes on it are a complete waste of time. The House shouldn't have passed it and the Senate shouldn't have taken it up (hey, if they did nothing it wouldn't have become law anyway!) It was obviously a non-starter for a variety of reasons, one of which is the balanced budget amendment.
Last time I checked, it takes a two-thirds vote in both the House and the Senate (which would have been totally impossible, I might note) to even PROPOSE a constitutional amendment to the states and then three-fourths of the states must agree. People have been trying to do that on the budget issue since the Constitution was ratified. Absolutely nothing immediately substantive would come out of a balanced budget vote, so clearly the idea here wasn't to get something done. It was to make a statement. I don't think we have time for "statements" now. I think we need to get this thing taken care of.
One of the main problems, though, behind why members of Congress have no stomach for reducing spending is that the American people don't have the stomach for reducing spending, particularly on the big ticket items. There's a lot of talk about eliminating funding for a variety of programs that will have absolutely NO impact on the overall budget (public broadcasting, planned parenthood and the like). Taken all together, the two items mentioned here represent less than one one-hundredth of one percent of the budget.
We should be focusing on things that can really get us out of this situation even if, yes, that means raising taxes or messing with Social Security and Medicare. There, I said it. Citizens should tell their members of Congress that we should stop fiddling while Rome burns and get on with it!
To date, only five of the twelve annual appropriations bills have been approved by the House and only one has been formally taken up by the Senate. Three bills—dealing with transportation and housing; the State Department and foreign aid; and labor, health and education spending—have not been introduced at all. What these three bills have in common is the likelihood of being targets for major reductions in funding if spending cuts are part of the debt deal.
Negotiations on a variety of proposals for handling our nation’s debt and future budgets are expected to continue right up until the August 2 deadline. Only after a short- or long-term compromise is reached, will we see final agreements on spending for FY 12. In the meantime, if you are confused about the deficit and what it means in terms of national spending, check out Five truths about the deficit and national debt.
I’m sure you have heard the old saying “The early bird catches the worm.” Well, this is especially true when it comes to planning your Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill. Spring is an extremely popular time for groups to come lobby their Members of Congress, and it’s not just because D.C. is beautiful in the spring (although that certainly doesn’t hurt). Aside from the lure of our famous cherry blossoms, springtime is when Congress begins debating budget resolutions for the following Fiscal Year (in theory anyway), and there are often new Members of Congress to start building relationships with. So while it may seem like March and April are far off in the distance, remember that those who plan in advance (and trust me, there is plenty to do) usually have the most success with their Lobby Day (i.e. catch the proverbial worm).
So what can you do to start preparing for your next Lobby Day now? I thought you’d never ask, but since you have here are 4!
Establish a date. The sooner you have dates, the sooner you can work logistics. You might want to run potential dates by your advocates and see what feedback you get in terms of availability. When are the best times to go? It’s impossible to predict the legislative calendar for next year because they don’t make it this far in advance, but be sure to avoid Mondays, Fridays, and weeks with federal holidays if you want to maximize meetings with actual Members of Congress. You might also look at this year’s Congressional calendar (available for the Senate and House) to get a sense of what might happen next year – although this can ALWAYS change!
Identify your policy issues. It’s never too early to start thinking about your approach for future Lobby Days. Here are some things to consider in the coming months. The appropriations process for Fiscal Year 2012 is currently underway. What happened/is happening to the programs you care about? What are your goals for Fiscal Year 2013 appropriations? What feedback did you get from your most recent Lobby Day? What seemed to work well in meetings, and what didn’t? How should you alter your strategy next time to be more effective? What were your legislative “asks” during your last Lobby Day? Did any Members of Congress follow through? Do you want to keep the same “asks” or alter them? Has any new legislation been introduced that is important to your members? What has your organization accomplished since your last Lobby Day, and would you want to highlight them in your meetings?
Identify your "advocacy footprint." While it’s important to build relationships with as many Members of Congress as you can, to paraphrase George Orwell, some Members of Congress are more equal than others when it comes to your specific policy issues. Since the most effective meetings are usually based off of constituency (legislators are always a little nicer to the people who vote in their district), one very important strategic move is to identify your biggest congressional targets and push for advocates living in their districts to participate in your Lobby Day. It may be helpful to see where your participants were from in previous Lobby Days. You can also find a person’s district by entering their zip code into http://www.congress.org/.
Think logistics. Start thinking about what group size you expect for next year (how many people attended last year?), how you are handling your registration process, and where you will be bunkered up in D.C. (maybe you want a closer hotel this year). Get feedback from your participants on these issues.
Get your advocactes fired up early. Keeping advocates actively engaged year-round is almost as difficult as keeping your Members of Congress actively engaged year-round. If you are finding that your members are starting to lose their fresh-off-a-Lobby-Day buzz, start getting them excited about next year’s event. Host a webinar about planning for next year or about the importance of following up after a Lobby Day. Plan a policy call to keep your members in the loop about what’s going on in Congress. And if that doesn’t work, just send out fliers for D.C.’s 2012 Cherry Blossom Festival and let them come to you.
In a dream world, all citizens are excited and enthusiastic about communicating with legislators. They join interest groups to be updated on all the latest and greatest policy information and use every tool at their disposal to call, write, visit and send carrier pigeons to members of Congress or the state legislature.
While this is certainly the case with some groups, others struggle with getting their members to engage. There’s often a disconnect between what members would like to see happen from a policy perspective in Washington, DC and their understanding of the critical role they play in achieving those goals.
Isn’t advocacy what we pay our lobbyists for?
Far and away, this is what I hear the most. If you’re working with individuals who also have lives away from politics (generally everyone outside Washington, DC), they may feel that they don’t have a lot of extra time to devote to advocacy.
One solution is to identify a few quick, easy and meaningful activities to get them started. These might include putting together a short pledge for them to print out and sign as a reminder of their commitment, asking them to join your advocacy network and agree to take action through that network, providing information and links for them to post on social media sites or creating a petition for them to sponsor while encouraging others to do so as well.
Now, don’t get me wrong. These are not “busy work” activities. We’re all too busy for busy work. What you’re really doing is helping activists recognize the ways in which advocacy can be integrated into their everyday lives. Sometimes they want to be active but don't know what to do. As an advocate leader, you can follow-up directly with those who have taken that small action to help them with more. Once they’ve done one thing, they’re more likely to find time to do another.
In short, when you learned to swim (if you did) did someone throw you into the deep end and expect you to succeed? Well, come to think of it, I have heard of that strategy. I’ve just never been a fan. I prefer taking a few steps at a time to build expertise and confidence – and only then being thrown into the deep end.
When faced with the daunting task of creating a strong grass roots campaign, I found that many people are unsure of where to start. The task seems more overwhelming when looking at large grassroots campaigns implemented by groups such as the AARP or the Tea Party activists.
Many of my fellow generation y-ers often start with a Facebook page and invite all their friends, who in turn invite all their friends to join the group. I am a strong believer that the social media tools that exist today are game changers in contemporary politics, i.e. Arab Spring Revolutions. Unfortunately, a large Facebook group, frequent tweets, and entertaining YouTube videos aren’t enough to mobilize the effort you need to be successful in your campaign to influence legislators. So in addition to the new technologies that are available, let’s turn to some classic advocacy strategies that we have refined based on our work with our clients.
1. Information Gathering- Perhaps the foundation of any campaign. It’s not enough to get a large quantity or the obvious, but you need to get the RIGHT information. This information should enlighten what the situation is across groups, organizations, and activists involved in the process. Questions may include: frequency of outreach to legislators or public, who has done outreach, what methods have been used in the outreach, and what research has been done (such as looking at FEC reports).
3. Old-Fashioned Phone Calls – Even with all the tools at our disposal to communicate with others, sometimes a phone call is the best way to reach out. I found this to be true working on a political campaign as well as with our clients. First, it’s much more difficult to blow someone off on a phone call vs. an email, Facebook message, or general tweet. Also, believe it or not, people appreciate the gesture of making a personal phone call to reach out. Who doesn’t like to feel special enough for a phone call? A corollary to this, ALWAYS return a phone call and ALWAYS call when you schedule a call. Not doing either will convey a message that you are either lazy or unreliable.
Apply these three strategies in the beginning of your campaign and I promise that you will have the solid foundation needed to have a strong influence over legislation.
The Washington Post had a fun and "tongue in cheek" article recently about conventioneers in Washington, DC. Basically, it outlined how you can know who's-who when those large groups come to town -- and how to tell if you're a Washingtonian. You can read it at http://tinyurl.com/6fj2c6l. Turns out, I'm not a Washingtonian, but I've been here for only 22 years, so that makes sense.
Kidding aside, it's important to remember that many of those groups are coming to DC to talk to their elected officials and their staff. These meetings can be really effective or, well, not so much. If you're going to come to Washington, DC you'll want to be sure you're prepared for the DC environment. Frankly, it's crowded, chaotic and, in the summer months, unbearable hot in Washington, DC. So in addition to packing the shorts and flip flops, be sure to be prepared for meetings on Capitol Hill (including, but not limited to, don't wear your flip flops).
Developing your personal story, with an understanding particularly of how it connects to the policy issues that will be discussed. For example, patient advocacy group advocates should understand how to connect requests for more funding and/or better coverage to their own personal experience.
Reviewing some of the logistics before coming to Washington, DC (see metro maps at www.wmata.com and Capitol Campus maps at www.aoc.gov). Having these facts down will reduce the stress associated with navigating an unfamiliar city and allow advocates to focus more on their messages.
As an advocate coming to Washington, DC you'll want to not only be heard, but to be agreed with as well, right? So take some of these steps before you come and you'll be a "Washingtonian" in no time. Oh, and don't stand to the left on the escalators. | 2019-04-26T13:39:37Z | http://advocacyassociates.blogspot.com/2011/07/ |
(a) It is submitted pursuant to a resolution adopted by the local government, after public hearing, that certifies the local coastal program is intended to be carried out in a manner fully in conformity with this division.
(b) It contains, in accordance with guidelines established by the commission, materials sufficient for a thorough and complete review.
(a) At one time, in which event Section 30512 with respect to time limits, resubmission, approval, and certification shall apply. However, the zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and, if required, other implementing actions included in the local coastal program shall be approved and certified pursuant to the standards of Section 30513.
(b) In two phases, in which event the land use plans shall be processed first pursuant to Section 30512, and the zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and, if required, other implementing actions, shall be processed thereafter pursuant to Section 30513.
(c) In separate geographic units consisting of less than the local government’s jurisdiction lying within the coastal zone, each submitted pursuant to subdivision (a) or (b), if the commission finds that the area or areas proposed for separate review can be analyzed for the potential cumulative impacts of development on coastal resources and access independently of the remainder of the affected jurisdiction.
(1) No later than 60 working days after a land use plan has been submitted to it, the commission shall, after public hearing and by majority vote of those members present, determine whether the land use plan, or a portion thereof applicable to an identifiable geographic area, raises no substantial issue as to conformity with the policies of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200).
If the commission determines that no substantial issue is raised, the land use plan, or portion thereof applicable to an identifiable area, which raises no substantial issue, shall be deemed certified as submitted. The commission shall adopt findings to support its action.
(2) Where the commission determines pursuant to paragraph (1) that one or more portions of a land use plan applicable to one or more identifiable geographic areas raise no substantial issue as to conformity with the policies of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200), the remainder of that land use plan applicable to other identifiable geographic areas shall be deemed to raise one or more substantial issues as to conformity with the policies of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200). The commission shall identify each substantial issue for each geographic area.
(3) The commission shall hold at least one public hearing on the matter or matters that have been identified as substantial issues pursuant to paragraph (2). No later than 90 working days after the submittal of the land use plan, the commission shall determine whether or not to certify the land use plan, in whole or in part. If the commission fails to act within the required 90-day period, the land use plan, or portion thereof, shall be deemed certified by the commission.
(b) If the commission determines not to certify a land use plan, in whole or in part, the commission shall provide a written explanation and may suggest modifications, which, if adopted and transmitted to the commission by the local government, shall cause the land use plan to be deemed certified upon confirmation of the executive director. The local government may elect to meet the commission’s refusal of certification in a manner other than as suggested by the commission and may then resubmit its revised land use plan to the commission. If a local government requests that the commission not recommend or suggest modifications which, if made, will result in certification, the commission shall refuse certification with the required findings.
(c) The commission shall certify a land use plan, or any amendments thereto, if it finds that a land use plan meets the requirements of, and is in conformity with, the policies of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200). Except as provided in paragraph (1) of subdivision (a), a decision to certify shall require a majority vote of the appointed membership of the commission.
(a) The commission’s review of a land use plan shall be limited to its administrative determination that the land use plan submitted by the local government does, or does not, conform with the requirements of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200). In making this review, the commission is not authorized by any provision of this division to diminish or abridge the authority of a local government to adopt and establish, by ordinance, the precise content of its land use plan.
(b) The commission shall require conformance with the policies and requirements of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200) only to the extent necessary to achieve the basic state goals specified in Section 30001.5.
(a) The local government shall submit to the commission the zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and, where necessary, other implementing actions that are required pursuant to this chapter.
(b) If within 60 working days after receipt of the zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and other implementing actions, the commission, after public hearing, has not rejected the zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, or other implementing actions, they shall be deemed approved. The commission may only reject zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, or other implementing actions on the grounds that they do not conform with, or are inadequate to carry out, the provisions of the certified land use plan. If the commission rejects the zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, or other implementing actions, it shall give written notice of the rejection specifying the provisions of land use plan with which the rejected zoning ordinances do not conform or which it finds will not be adequately carried out together with its reasons for the action taken.
(c) The commission may suggest modifications in the rejected zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, or other implementing actions, which, if adopted by the local government and transmitted to the commission, shall be deemed approved upon confirmation by the executive director.
(d) The local government may elect to meet the commission’s rejection in a manner other than as suggested by the commission and may then resubmit its revised zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and other implementing actions to the commission.
(e) If a local government requests that the commission not suggest modifications in the rejected zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, or other implementing ordinances, the commission shall not do so.
(a) A certified local coastal program and all local implementing ordinances, regulations, and other actions may be amended by the appropriate local government, but no such amendment shall take effect until it has been certified by the commission.
(b) Any proposed amendments to a certified local coastal program shall be submitted to, and processed by, the commission in accordance with the applicable procedures and time limits specified in Sections 30512 and 30513, except that the commission shall make no determination as to whether a proposed amendment raises a substantial issue as to conformity with the policies of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200) as would otherwise be required by Section 30512. In no event shall there be more than three of these submittals of proposed amendments in any calendar year. However, there are no limitations on the number of amendments included in each of the three submittals.
(c) The commission, by regulation, shall establish a procedure whereby proposed amendments to a certified local coastal program may be reviewed and designated by the executive director of the commission as being minor in nature or as requiring rapid and expeditious action. That procedure shall include provisions authorizing local governments to propose amendments to the executive director for that review and designation. Proposed amendments that are designated as being minor in nature or as requiring rapid and expeditious action shall not be subject to subdivision (b) or Sections 30512 and 30513 and shall take effect on the 10th working day after designation. Amendments that allow changes in uses shall not be so designated.
(i) Publication, not fewer times than required by Section 6061 of the Government Code, in a newspaper of general circulation in the area affected by the proposed amendment. If more than one area will be affected, the notice shall be published in the newspaper of largest circulation from among the newspapers of general circulation in those areas.
(ii) Posting of the notice by the local government both onsite and offsite in the area affected by the proposed amendment.
(iii) Direct mailing to the owners and occupants of contiguous property shown on the latest equalized assessment roll.
(B) The proposed amendment does not propose any change in land use or water uses or any change in the allowable use of property.
(2) At the time that the local government submits the proposed amendment to the executive director, the local government shall also submit to the executive director any public comments that were received during the comment period provided pursuant to subparagraph (A) of paragraph (1).
(3) (A) The executive director shall make a determination as to whether the proposed amendment is de minimis within 10 working days of the date of submittal by the local government. If the proposed amendment is determined to be de minimis, the proposed amendment shall be noticed in the agenda of the next regularly scheduled meeting of the commission, in accordance with Section 11125 of the Government Code, and any public comments forwarded by the local government shall be made available to the members of the commission.
(B) If three members of the commission object to the executive director’s determination that the proposed amendment is de minimis, the proposed amendment shall be set for public hearing in accordance with the procedures specified in subdivision (b), or as specified in subdivision (c) if applicable, as determined by the executive director, or, at the request of the local government, returned to the local government. If set for public hearing under subdivision (b), the time requirements set by Sections 30512 and 30513 shall commence from the date on which the objection to the de minimis designation was made.
(C) If three or more members of the commission do not object to the de minimis determination, the de minimis local coastal program amendment shall become part of the certified local coastal program 10 days after the date of the commission meeting.
(4) The commission, after a noticed public hearing, may adopt guidelines to implement this subdivision, which shall be exempt from review by the Office of Administrative Law and from Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code. The commission shall file any guidelines adopted pursuant to this paragraph with the Office of Administrative Law.
(e) For purposes of this section, “amendment of a certified local coastal program” includes, but is not limited to, any action by a local government that authorizes the use of a parcel of land other than a use that is designated in the certified local coastal program as a permitted use of the parcel.
The commission shall adopt the findings or provide a written explanation or written notice, as appropriate, required by Sections 30512, 30512.2, and 30513 to support its action no later than 60 days after the date on which action was taken.
Any person authorized to undertake a public works project or proposing an energy facility development may request any local government to amend its certified local coastal program, if the purpose of the proposed amendment is to meet public needs of an area greater than that included within such certified local coastal program that had not been anticipated by the person making the request at the time the local coastal program was before the commission for certification. If, after review, the local government determines that the amendment requested would be in conformity with the policies of this division, it may amend its certified local coastal program as provided in Section 30514.
If the local government does not amend its local coastal program, such person may file with the commission a request for amendment which shall set forth the reasons why the proposed amendment is necessary and how such amendment is in conformity with the policies of this division. The local government shall be provided an opportunity to set forth the reasons for its action. The commission may, after public hearing, approve and certify the proposed amendment if it finds, after a careful balancing of social, economic, and environmental effects, that to do otherwise would adversely affect the public welfare, that a public need of an area greater than that included within the certified local coastal program would be met, that there is no feasible, less environmentally damaging alternative way to meet such need, and that the proposed amendment is in conformity with the policies of this division.
(a) Approval of a local coastal program shall not be withheld because of the inability of the local government to financially support or implement any policy or policies contained in this division; provided, however, that this shall not require the approval of a local coastal program allowing development not in conformity with the policies in Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200).
(b) Where a certified port master plan has been incorporated in a local coastal program in accordance with Section 30711 and the local coastal program is disapproved by the commission, that disapproval shall not apply to the certified port master plan.
The commission may extend, for a period of not to exceed one year, except as provided for in Section 30518, any time limitation established by this chapter for good cause.
(a) Within 60 days from the effective date of this section, the commission shall establish a schedule for the submittal of all land use plans that have not been submitted, pursuant to Section 30501, to a former regional commission or the commission on or before July 1, 1981. This schedule shall be based on the commission’s assessment, in consultation with local governments, of each local government’s current status and progress. The schedule shall specify that submittals may not be made sooner than nor later than certain specified dates and in no event later than January 1, 1983.
(1) Waive the deadlines for commission action on a submitted land use plan, or any portion thereof, as set forth in Sections 30511 and 30512.
(2) Prepare and adopt, after a public hearing but not sooner than January 1, 1984, a land use plan for the land area within the local government’s jurisdiction. After adoption of the land use plan, the commission shall determine the permissibility of proposed developments pursuant to the provisions of the adopted plan. The affected local government may choose to adopt, in whole or in part, the commission’s prepared and adopted land use plan in which event the commission shall certify the plan, in whole or in part, or it may continue to prepare its own land use plan consistent with the provisions of this chapter.
(3) Report the matter to the Legislature with recommendations for appropriate action.
(a) Within 30 days after the certification of a land use plan, or any portion thereof, the commission shall, after consultation with the appropriate local government, establish a date for that local government to submit the zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and, where necessary, other implementing actions. In no event shall that date be later than January 1, 1984.
(b) If a local government fails to meet the schedule established pursuant to subdivision (a), the commission may waive the deadlines for commission action on submitted zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, and, where necessary, other implementing actions, as set forth in Sections 30511 and 30513.
(a) Except for appeals to the commission, as provided in Section 30603, after a local coastal program, or any portion thereof, has been certified and all implementing actions within the area affected have become effective, the development review authority provided for in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 30600) shall no longer be exercised by the commission over any new development proposed within the area to which the certified local coastal program, or any portion thereof, applies and shall at that time be delegated to the local government that is implementing the local coastal program or any portion thereof.
(b) Subdivision (a) shall not apply to any development proposed or undertaken on any tidelands, submerged lands, or on public trust lands, whether filled or unfilled, lying within the coastal zone, nor shall it apply to any development proposed or undertaken within ports covered by Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 30700) or within any state university or college within the coastal zone; however, this section shall apply to any development proposed or undertaken by a port or harbor district or authority on lands or waters granted by the Legislature to a local government whose certified local coastal program includes the specific development plans for such district or authority.
(c) The commission may, from time to time, recommend to the appropriate local government local coastal program amendments to accommodate uses of greater than local importance, which uses are not permitted by the applicable certified local coastal program. These uses may be listed generally or the commission may recommend specific uses of greater than local importance for consideration by the appropriate local government.
(a) This section shall apply only to those parcels and areas within the City of Carlsbad for which a local coastal program has been prepared and certified by the commission pursuant to subdivision (f) of Section 30170 or Section 30171.
(b) Any provisions of any such local coastal program with respect to housing for persons and families of low or moderate income shall have no force or effect after January 1, 1982. After that date, housing requirements for those parcels and areas shall be determined pursuant to Section 65590 of the Government Code.
(c) Until such time as, (i) the City of Carlsbad adopts or enacts the implementing actions contained in any such local coastal program, or (ii) other statutory provisions provide alternately for the adoption, certification, and implementation of a local coastal program for those parcels and areas, coastal development permits for those parcels and areas shall be issued by the commission as provided in this subdivision. Notwithstanding any other provision of this division, the commission shall issue a coastal development permit if it finds that a proposed development is in conformity with the certified local coastal program, exclusive of any provisions with respect to housing for persons and families of low or moderate income which have been rendered inoperative pursuant to subdivision (b).
(2) For purposes of this section, “Annexed Area” means the territory consisting of approximately 5,450 acres in the County of Orange bounded to the north by the inland boundary of the coastal zone, to the east by the western boundary of Crystal Cove State Park, to the south by the state’s outer limit of jurisdiction over the Pacific Ocean, and to the west by the city limits of the City of Newport Beach.
(3) This subdivision shall be operative upon the effective date of the annexation of all or part of the Annexed Area by the City of Newport Beach.
(A) The local coastal program applicable to any part of the Annexed Area shall continue to be the certified local coastal program for the County of Orange.
(B) The County of Orange shall continue to exercise all development review authority described in Section 30519, as delegated to it by the commission consistent with the certified local coastal program of the County of Orange for the Annexed Area.
(5) If, at any time after the recordation of the certificate of completion of the annexation of the Annexed Area, the City of Newport Beach elects to assume coastal management responsibility for the Annexed Area, the city may begin preparation of a local coastal program for that area. The City of Newport Beach may adopt provisions of the County of Orange’s certified local coastal program that apply to the Annexed Area. All of the procedures for the preparation, approval, and certification of a local coastal program set forth in this division, and any applicable regulations adopted by the commission, shall apply to the preparation, approval, and certification of a local coastal program for the Annexed Area.
(6) If the City of Newport Beach obtains certification of a local coastal program for the Annexed Area, the city shall, upon the effective date of that certification, exercise all of the authority granted to a local government with a certified local coastal program, and the provisions of paragraph (4) shall become inoperative.
(b) On or before June 30, 2003, or 24 months after the annexation of the Annexed Area, whichever event occurs first, the City of Newport Beach shall submit to the commission for approval and certification the city’s local coastal program for all of the geographic area within the coastal zone and the city’s corporate boundaries as of June 30, 2000. The submittal may include a local coastal program segment for the Annexed Area that will implement the local coastal program for the County of Orange as described in paragraph (4) of subdivision (a).
(c) If the City of Newport Beach fails to submit a local coastal program to the commission for approval and certification pursuant to subdivision (b) or does not have an effectively certified local coastal program within six months after the commission’s approval of the local coastal program, the City of Newport Beach shall submit a monthly late fee of one thousand dollars ($1,000) to be deposited into the Violation Remediation Account of the Coastal Conservancy Fund, to be expended in accordance with the purposes of Section 30823. The City of Newport Beach shall pay the monthly late fee until the time that the city commences implementation of an effectively certified local coastal program. The city may not recover the cost of the late fee from any owner or lessee of property in the coastal zone.
(a) The commission shall, from time to time, but at least once every five years after certification, review every certified local coastal program to determine whether such program is being effectively implemented in conformity with the policies of this division. If the commission determines that a certified local coastal program is not being carried out in conformity with any policy of this division it shall submit to the affected local government recommendations of corrective actions that should be taken. Such recommendations may include recommended amendments to the affected local government’s local coastal program.
(b) Recommendations submitted pursuant to this section shall be reviewed by the affected local government and, if the recommended action is not taken, the local government shall, within one year of such submission, forward to the commission a report setting forth its reasons for not taking the recommended action. The commission shall review such report and, where appropriate, report to the Legislature and recommend legislative action necessary to assure effective implementation of the relevant policy or policies of this division.
(a) If the application of any certified local coastal program, or any portion thereof, is prohibited or stayed by any court, the permit authority provided for in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 30600) shall be exercised pursuant to the provisions of this section until a final court order has withdrawn such prohibition or stay. A coastal development permit shall be issued by the affected local government or the commission on appeal, if that local government or the commission on appeal finds that the proposed development is in conformity with the provisions of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200) or the applicable certified land use plan if the court-ordered prohibition or stay applies only to the zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, or, where necessary, the other implementing actions which are required pursuant to this chapter. Any development approved by a local government pursuant to this subdivision may be appealed to the commission by any person, including the executive director or any commissioner during the period the permit provisions of this section are in effect.
(b) Until a local government has adopted an interim ordinance prescribing procedures for issuing coastal development permits in the circumstances described in subdivision (a), the permit authority provided for in Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 30600) shall be reinstated in the commission. A coastal development permit shall be issued by the commission if the commission finds that the proposed development is in conformity with the provisions of Chapter 3 (commencing with Section 30200) or the applicable certified land use plan, if the court-ordered prohibition or stay applies only to zoning ordinances, zoning district maps, or, where necessary, the other implementing actions which are required pursuant to this chapter.
(c) The permit authority provided for in this section shall be limited to only those developments which would be affected by the court-ordered prohibition or stay.
Nothing in this chapter shall permit the commission to certify a local coastal program which provides for a lesser degree of environmental protection than that provided by the plans and policies of any state regulatory agency that are formally adopted by such agency, are used in the regulatory program of such agency, and are legally enforceable.
It is the intent of the Legislature that local coastal programs certified by the commission should be sufficiently specific to meet the requirements of Section 30108.5, but not so detailed as to require amendment and commission review for minor changes, or to discourage the assumption by local governments of postcertification authority which ensures and implements effective protection of coastal resources. The Legislature also recognizes that the applicable policies and the level of specificity required to ensure coastal resource protection may differ between areas on or near the shoreline and inland areas.
(a) Every state agency that owns or manages land or water areas within the coastal zone, including public beaches, parks, natural areas, and fish and wildlife preserves, shall identify the sensitive resource values within those areas that are particularly susceptible to adverse impacts from nearby development that is not carefully planned. Every such agency shall also identify the location and type of development that would have a significant adverse impact on those sensitive resource values.
(b) Every agency subject to this section shall advise the appropriate local government of particular considerations that should be evaluated during the preparation of a local coastal program and which, in the opinion of such agency, may be necessary to protect identified sensitive resource values. In addition, the work undertaken pursuant to this section shall be completed in a timely manner in order to maximize the opportunity for the public, affected local governments, and the commission to consider this information fully during the preparation, review, and approval of the appropriate local coastal program.
(c) Work already completed pursuant to former Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 31300) of Division 21 of the Public Resources Code, added by Chapter 1441 of the Statutes of 1976, and in conformity with this section, that identifies sensitive resource values within publicly owned or managed land and water areas of the coastal zone shall be considered by local government and the commission in the course of carrying out this chapter.
(d) For purposes of this section, “sensitive resource values” means those fragile or unique natural resources which are particularly susceptible to degradation resulting from surrounding development, the adverse effects of which have not been carefully evaluated, mitigated, or avoided. Examples include, but are not limited to, environmentally sensitive areas, as defined in Section 30107.5, areas uniquely suited for scientific or educational purposes, and specific public recreation areas where the quality of the recreational experience is dependent on the character of the surrounding area.
(a) Because of the intensity of development contemplated, the area’s steep topography and highly erodible soils, and the demonstrated impacts from development despite the utilization of mitigation measures, the Legislature finds that the threat from development to wetlands in the City of San Diego requires that a mitigation fee program be included in the city’s local coastal program. Therefore, the City of San Diego shall provide in its local coastal program for payment of a reasonable fee to the State Coastal Conservancy by applicants for a coastal development permit if the proposed development has, or is reasonably expected to have, a direct and significant effect on coastal resources within a specific geographic watershed in the coastal zone which can be mitigated through the incorporation of feasible onsite and offsite mitigation measures into the proposed development and through the mitigation fee program.
(b) Fees paid by an applicant pursuant to subdivision (a) shall be deposited in an account established by the State Coastal Conservancy . None of the funds in the account shall be appropriated for any purpose not specified in this section. Except as provided in this section, any fee paid pursuant to this section may only be used to restore, replace, or improve resources or ecological systems which are adversely affected by the proposed development and with respect to which the fee constitutes partial or total mitigation. Any fees established pursuant to this section are not required for any development that is undertaken by a public agency for the purpose of providing resource enhancement or public recreation. In the event that mitigation of all development impacts cannot be feasibly carried out within the watershed, the conservancy may, with the approval of the local government and the commission, complete the mitigation for the development outside of the watershed.
(c) This section and Section 31108.5 apply only to the Los Penasquitos Lagoon area in the City of San Diego. | 2019-04-26T08:43:33Z | https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=PRC&division=20.&title=&part=&chapter=6.&article=2 |
When, while subscribing to our newsletter (the “Newsletter”) on the Website or while joining our Guess List program in stores (the “Guess List”), you consent that we send you marketing communications, regarding which please see the privacy notice available here.
You can decide to use the Website (including to place purchase orders) as an unregistered user (a “Guest User”) or after creating your own account on the Website (as a “Registered User”). Registration on the Website is optional and allows you to retrieve your order history, manage your wish list, check details of orders in progress, save several shipping addresses and manage return of products that you have purchased.
Guess Europe SAGL is the data controller with respect to the processing of your personal data as described in this privacy notice. Guess Europe SAGL’s registered office is in Biòggio, Switzerland, 6934, Strada Regina No. 44. The data controller’s representative in the European Union is Guess Italia S.r.l., with its registered office in Florence, Italy, Via De’ Cattani No. 18.
You can contact Guess Europe SAGL’s Data Protection Officer at [email protected] and Guess Europe SAGL’s representative in the European Union at [email protected].
We are committed to protecting and respecting you privacy and intend to give you as much control as reasonably possible over your personal data.
The personal data you provide by filling in the registration form, when registering on the Website (e.g., first name, surname, birthday and e-mail address).
The personal data relating to your online shopping activity (e.g., product purchased, color, and price, of the product purchased, billing address, shipping address, mobile telephone number and payment information).
In this privacy notice, we will refer to all personal data described above collectively as “Personal Data”.
To register on the Website, you have to fill in an online form. If you do not fill in the fields marked with a (*) in the online form, you will not be able to register on the Website, because this information is necessary to allow us to create your account as a Registered User.
Filling in the fields that are not marked with a (*) is optional. If you decide to fill in the fields that are not marked with a (*), and you have consented to receive from us marketing communications tailored to your preferences, we may use that information to analyse your preferences, as described here.
Our Website neither targets nor is intended for persons under the age of 18. Registration on our Website and subscription to our Newsletter are only available to persons aged 18 or over.
Depending on how you choose to interact with us, we may process your Personal Data for different purposes and on different legal bases.
We process the Personal Data you provide in the registration form (first name, surname, and e-mail address) for the purpose of managing the Website registration and managing your account as a Registered User (including the “My Account” section of the Website), including to send you e-mails related to the registration process. Processing these Personal Data is necessary in order to fulfil your request to be registered on the Website.
We process the Personal Data you provide when placing purchase orders (e.g., first name, surname, e-mail address, delivery address, billing address, mobile telephone number and payment information), for the purpose of managing such orders (including delivery of the products you have purchased and managing service, refund or return communications). Processing these Personal Data is necessary for the performance of contracts to which you are party.
We process the Personal Data relating to your payments (e.g., credit card number, expiry date and security code) for the purpose of verifying that the data provided to complete the transactions are complete, valid, accurate and non-fraudulent. Processing these Personal Data is necessary in order to fulfil our legitimate interest of ensuring that transactions are secured and to prevent fraud or misuse of payment services (we always consider your rights and freedoms and process your Personal Data for our legitimate interest only where we do not think that your rights outweigh our legitimate interest).
We may need to process your Personal Data for the purpose of complying with legal obligations (such as tax and administrative laws). Additionally, we may need to process your Personal Data, where it is necessary, for the purpose of handling potential claims or legal proceedings, on the ground of our legitimate interest of defending our business’s interests (we always consider your rights and freedoms and process your Personal Data for our legitimate interest only where we do not think that your rights outweigh our legitimate interest).
You may contact Guess Europe SAGL’s Data Protection Officer at [email protected] for information on how we take your rights and freedoms into account when we process your Personal Data to pursue our legitimate interests.
We store your Personal Data in Switzerland and in the United States (as our parent company, Guess Inc., is in the United States and we also use Guess Inc.’s servers, located in the United States, for data storage purposes).
Transfers of your Personal Data from the European Union to Switzerland occur on the basis of the European Commission’s adequacy decision that recognizes Switzerland as a country ensuring an adequate level of protection for personal data. Transfers of your Personal Data to the United States, which is a country that the European Commission has not recognized as ensuring an adequate level of protection, occur on the basis of appropriate measures designed to protect personal data contained within binding legal agreements (EU model clauses). You can request a copy of these clauses by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
We communicate your Personal Data that we use for the purposes described under letters a), b) and c) of the section “Why We Process Your Personal Data and on What Legal Bases)” to third parties that process your Personal Data on our behalf, such as suppliers of IT services, payment service providers, carriers, and companies that carry out customer care services on our behalf.
Additionally, if necessary in connection with the handling of any claim or legal proceeding or for complying with legal obligations, we may also communicate your Personal Data to external advisors. We may also need to use, share or disclose your Personal Data if required in response to litigation, investigations or for other legally required disclosures.
We exercise appropriate due diligence in the selection of third parties, take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that they process your Personal Data securely, only as instructed by us and for no other purposes, as well as that any transfer outside the European Economic Area is in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
Our Website contains links to other websites. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.
We will retain your Personal Data for only such period as is necessary in connection with the relevant purpose for which we process them.
For the purpose of handling claims or legal proceedings, for no longer than is strictly necessary for handling the claims or pursuing the litigation, and, in any event, for no longer than the applicable limitation period.
For more detailed information on our data retention policies, you can contact our Data Protection Officer by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
We have suitable security measures in place to help protect against the loss of, misuse of, unauthorized access to and alteration of your Personal Data.
Access: you may contact us at any time to request access to your Personal Data, and we will confirm to you whether we are processing your Personal Data and for what purposes, as well as provide details of the categories of Personal Data concerned, the recipients of the Personal Data and the retention periods (on request, we can also provide you with a copy of your Personal Data).
Rectification: if any of your Personal Data that we hold appears to be inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask us to correct or complete it at any time.
Erasure: you may ask us to have your account as a Registered User deleted or, in any event, to have your Personal Data erased if it is no longer necessary for us to keep them in connection with the purposes for which they were collected. However, we must keep track of certain information, such as past purchases and similar information, to comply with legal obligations, and, therefore, in certain circumstances, we may not be able to delete your Personal Data in its entirety.
where we no longer need the Personal Data but you require the Personal Data in order to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim, our processing can be restricted.
Object: where we are processing your Personal Data to pursue our legitimate interests, you may object to this processing on grounds relating to your specific situation.
Portability: you may ask us to send you your Personal Data in an electronic, structured, commonly-used and machine-readable format and have your Personal Data transmitted directly from us to another data controller, where technically feasible.
Withdraw your consent: where you have given your consent to the processing of Personal Data, you may at any time decide to withdraw your consent. Withdrawal does not invalidate the consent-based processing that occurred prior to withdrawal.
To exercise your rights or if you have any other queries, you can contact us by using any other contact listed in the “Contact Us” section of the Website.
You may also get in touch directly with our Data Protection Officer about any issue relating to the processing of your Personal Data by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
If you believe that we are processing your Personal Data in a way that infringes applicable data protection laws, you also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Authority in the EU Member State of your usual residence, place of work or place of the alleged infringement.
You can also contact Guess Europe SAGL’s appointed Data Protection Officer by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
This privacy notice was last updated on May 22nd , 2018. If we decide to change it, we will post any changes on our Website so that you can become aware of the changes that we have made. We may modify this privacy notice, so we encourage you to review it from time to time. However, should we make material changes to this privacy notice, we will notify you through a notice on our Website’s home page.
Guess Europe SAGL (“we” or “us”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. In this privacy notice, we explain what personal data we process in connection with your subscription to our Newsletter, how we process this personal data and on what legal bases. This privacy notice also explains your rights under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”) and how you can exercise such rights. Personal data is any information by which a natural person can be identified, whether directly or indirectly.
We process the personal data that you provided us with by filling in the form to subscribe to our Newsletter (the “Personal Data”). We use this information to send you, via our Newsletter, advertising communications, promotions, invitations to events and other information about our products.
We send you our Newsletter because you requested to receive it when you subscribed to it.
In addition, we may need to process your Personal Data in the following cases.
We may need to process your Personal Data for the purpose of complying with legal obligations. Additionally, we may need to process your Personal Data, where it is necessary, for the purpose of handling potential claims or legal proceeding, on the ground of our legitimate interest of defending our business’s interests (we always consider your rights and freedoms and process your Personal Data for our legitimate interest only where we do not think that your rights outweigh our legitimate interest). You may request information on how we take your rights and freedoms into account, should we process your Personal Data to pursue our legitimate interests, by contacting Guess Europe SAGL’s Data Protection Officer at [email protected].
We store your Personal Data in Switzerland and in the United States (as our parent company, Guess Inc., is in the United States and we also use Guess Inc.’s servers, located in the United States, for data storage purposes). Transfers of your Personal Data from the European Union to Switzerland occur on the basis of the European Commission’s adequacy decision that recognizes Switzerland as a country ensuring an adequate level of protection for personal data. Transfers of your Personal Data to the United States, which is a country that the European Commission has not recognized as ensuring an adequate level of protection, occur on the basis of appropriate measures designed to protect personal data contained within binding legal agreements (EU model clauses). You can request a copy of these clauses by contacting our Data Protection Officer at [email protected].
We communicate your Personal Data to other third parties that process your Personal Data on our behalf. Such third parties supply services (such as IT or marketing services) that we need to send you our Newsletter.
If necessary in connection with the handling of any claim or legal proceeding or for complying with legal obligations, we may also communicate your Personal Data to external advisors. We may also need to use, share or disclose your Personal Data if required in response to litigation, investigations or for other legally required disclosures.
We exercise appropriate due diligence in the selection of third parties and take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that they process your Personal Data securely, only as instructed by us and for no other purposes, as well as that any transfer that may occur outside the European Economic Area is in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
We retain your Personal Data for only such period as is necessary in connection with the relevant purpose for which they are processed. We retain your Personal Data: (i) for the purposes of sending you our Newsletter for no longer than your subscription to our Newsletter; (ii) for the purpose of complying with legal obligations, for no longer than what is strictly necessary to comply with any applicable requirement; (iii) for the purpose of handling potential claims or legal proceedings, for no longer than strictly necessary for handling the claims or pursuing the litigation, taking into account the applicable limitation period. For more detailed information on our data retention policies, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at [email protected].
At any time, you may decide to withdraw your consent to the processing of your Personal Data for receiving our Newsletter or object to such processing. In each case, we will no longer send you our Newsletter.
You can exercise these rights by using any other contact listed in the “Contact Us” section of our website www.guess.eu. To withdraw your consent to receive our Newsletter, you can also click on the link included in any marketing communication you receive. Please note that withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on the consent you gave prior to withdrawal.
(v) Receive your Personal Data in an electronic, structured, commonly-used and machine-readable format and have your Personal Data transmitted directly from us to another data controller, where technically feasible.
Additionally, where we are processing your Personal Data without your consent to pursue our legitimate interests, you may object to this processing on grounds relating to your specific situation.
To exercise your rights or if you have any other queries, you can contact us by using any other contact listed in the “Contact Us” section of our website www.guess.eu.
Please note that the privacy notice above applies to those who subscribed to our Newsletter prior to May 25th, 2018. You can find here the privacy notice that applies to those who subscribe after that date.
Welcome to the Guess world!
We would like to remain in contact with you and keep you updated on our products (including clothing collections and lines, as well as accessories), promotions and events.
To this end, you can subscribe to our newsletter (the “Newsletter”) on our website www.guess.eu (the “Website”) or, if you go to a store that participates in the Guess List program (the “Guess List”), you can join the Guess List.
As described in this privacy notice, we will then send you advertising communications, promotions, invitations to events and other information about our products that we tailor to your preferences, so that what you receive from us can be more interesting for you (“Personalized Marketing Communications”).
Guess Europe SAGL (“we” or “us”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. In this privacy notice, we explain what personal data we collect from you in connection with Personalized Marketing Communications, how we process this personal data, and on what legal bases. This privacy notice also explains your rights under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”) and how you can exercise such rights. Personal data is any information by which a natural person can be identified, whether directly or indirectly.
To send you our Personalized Marketing Communications, we need that you provide at least your first name, surname and e-mail address (by filling in the relevant fields in the Guess List card or in the Newsletter form online). Providing other information about you (such as gender) and contact details (such as telephone numbers or physical addresses) is optional.
(i) Profiling. In addition to the data that you provide by filling in the Guess List card or the form to subscribe to our Newsletter, we collect and analyse information related to your online and in-store purchases of Guess products, in order to understand and predict your preferences (“profiling”) so that we can send you Personalized Marketing Communications that we believe you will be more interested in. More specifically, every time you (1) are identified as a member of the Guess List when buying Guess products in Guess stores or (2) place an order through our Website, we collect and analyse the data relating to your purchase (e.g., the product purchased, its color and the price).
(ii) Marketing. We collect the data that you provide by filling in the Guess List card or the form to subscribe to our Newsletter and use this information to send you our Personalized Marketing Communications. We use your date of birth to send you communications informing you of special discount offers on your birthday. In addition to using the e-mail, if you provide your mobile phone number, we use it to send you our Personalized Marketing Communications via SMS, MMS or telephone calls and, if you provide your physical address, we use it to send you our communications by post. Additionally, if you provide your consent, we may communicate your e-mail address to social networks (e.g., Facebook and Instagram) and the Google digital platforms that will process this personal data to determine whether you are a registered account holder with them, so that advertising concerning Guess products that you may be interested in can be shown, through banners, when you are using their services.
In this privacy notice, we will refer to all personal data described above (i.e., information related to your online and in-store purchases of Guess products and the data that you provide by filling in the Guess List card or the form to subscribe to our Newsletter) collectively as “Personal Data”.
We do not intend to collect Personal Data of persons under the age of 18. The Guess List and the Newsletter are only available to persons aged 18 or over.
We carry out our profiling activities based on our legitimate interest in getting to know our customers’ preferences so as to be able to better personalize our offers, and ultimately, offer products that better meet the needs and desires of our customers. This profiling does not involve automated individual decision-making that produces legal effects concerning you or similarly significantly affects you. Please see below regarding your right to object to such profiling. We will send you Personalized Marketing Communications (based on our profiling activities) only if you have given your consent to such communications.
We communicate your e-mail address to social networks (Facebook and Instagram) and the Google digital platform, as described in point (ii) of section “What Personal Data We Collect, How We Use It and Why” only if you consent.
In addition, we may need to process your Personal Data for the purpose of complying with legal obligations. Furthermore, we may need to process your Personal Data, where it is necessary, for the purpose of handling potential claims or legal proceeding, on the ground of our legitimate interest of defending our business’s interests (we always consider your rights and freedoms and process your Personal Data for our legitimate interest only where we do not think that your rights outweigh our legitimate interest).
You may request information on how we take your rights and freedoms into account when we process your Personal Data to pursue our legitimate interests, by contacting Guess Europe SAGL’s Data Protection Officer at [email protected].
We store your Personal Data in Switzerland and in the United States (as our parent company, Guess Inc., is in the United States and we also use Guess Inc.’s servers, located in the United States, for data storage purposes). Furthermore, store personnel of other companies of the Guess group located in the countries where the Guess List is active, both within and outside the European Economic Area (such as in Turkey, Australia and Singapore) will have access, on our behalf, to your Personal Data (we do this so that you can be recognized as a Guess customer when you make purchases in stores and we can keep track of your purchases). You can request an updated list of the countries where the Guess List is active by contacting our Data Protection Officer at [email protected].
Transfers of your Personal Data from the European Union to Switzerland occur on the basis of the European Commission’s adequacy decision that recognizes Switzerland as a country ensuring an adequate level of protection for personal data. Transfers of your Personal Data to countries that the European Commission has not recognized as ensuring an adequate level of protection (such as the United States, Turkey, Australia and Singapore) occur on the basis of appropriate measures designed to protect personal data contained within binding legal agreements (EU model clauses). You can request a copy of these clauses by contacting our Data Protection Officer at [email protected].
We communicate your Personal Data to other third parties that process your Personal Data on our behalf. Such third parties supply services (such as IT, customer care or marketing services) that we need to carry out for the activities described in section “What Personal Data We Collect, How We Use It and Why”. As described in section “What Personal Data We Collect, How We Use It and Why”, we may communicate your e-mail address to social networks (e.g., Facebook and Instagram) and the Google digital platforms (e.g., Google).
We will retain your Personal Data for only such period as is necessary in connection with the relevant purpose for which they are processed. We will retain your Personal Data: (i) for the purposes of profiling you and sending you Personalized Marketing Communications, for no longer than your enrolment in the Guess List or subscription to our Newsletter and, with respect to Personal Data relating to online and in store purchases, for no longer than 3 years from their collection; (ii) for the purpose of complying with legal obligations, for no longer than what is strictly necessary to comply with any applicable requirement; (iii) for the purpose of handling potential claims or legal proceedings, for no longer than strictly necessary for handling the claims or pursuing the litigation, taking into account the applicable limitation period. For more detailed information on our data retention policies, you can contact our Data Protection Officer at [email protected].
At any time, you can decide that you prefer not to receive Personalized Marketing Communications via any of the channels (e-mail, SMS, MMS, telephone calls and post) that we use based on the contact details you provided. You can do this by using any other contact listed in the “Contact Us” section of the Website.
At any time, you may decide to withdraw your consent to the processing of your Personal Data for the purposes described in this privacy notice or object to the processing of your Personal Data for direct marketing purposes, including profiling which is related to such direct marketing.
If you withdraw your consent or object to the processing, you will be removed from the Guess List and from the Newsletter so that you will no longer receive Personalized Marketing Communications from us (additionally, we will stop profiling you).
You can exercise these rights by using any other contact listed in the “Contact Us” section of the Website. To withdraw your consent, you can also click on the link included in any marketing communication you receive via e-mail, SMS or MMS, or say that you withdraw your consent when you receive a telephone call. Please note that withdrawing your consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing based on the consent you gave prior to withdrawal.
Additionally, if you have an account on our Website, you can manage your preferences from the My Account section.
At any time, you have the right to: (i) request access to your Personal Data, and we will confirm to you whether we are processing your Personal Data and for what purposes, as well as provide details of the categories of Personal Data concerned, the recipients of the Personal Data and the retention periods (on request, we can also provide you with a copy of your Personal Data); (ii) request to rectify your Personal Data without undue delay, if any of your Personal Data that we hold appears to be inaccurate or incomplete; (iii) have your Personal Data erased if it is no longer necessary for us to keep them in connection with the purposes for which they were collected (however, we must keep track of certain information, such as past purchases and similar information, to comply with legal obligations, and, therefore, in certain circumstances, we may not be able to delete your Personal Data in its entirety); (iv) restrict, in certain circumstances, the way in which we process your Personal Data, for instance, where you believe that the Personal Data that we hold is inaccurate (in this case, processing can be restricted, while Personal Data is being rectified); (v) receive your Personal Data in an electronic, structured, commonly-used and machine-readable format and have your Personal Data transmitted directly from us to another data controller, where technically feasible. Additionally, where we are processing your Personal Data without your consent to pursue our legitimate interests, you may object to this processing.
This privacy notice was last updated on 25 May 2018. If we decide to change it, we will post any changes on our Website so that you can become aware of the changes that we have made. We may modify this privacy notice, so we encourage you to review it from time to time on our Website. However, should we make material changes to this privacy notice, we will notify you through a notice on our Website’s home page or, where appropriate, by e-mail or through the other contact details that you have provided to us.
Guess Europe SAGL (“we” or “us”) is committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This privacy notice describes what information we collect from you when you get in touch with the contact center, how we process it, for what purposes and on what legal bases. This privacy notice also explains your rights under the EU General Data Protection Regulation (the “GDPR”) and how you can exercise such rights. Personal data is any information by which a natural person can be identified, whether directly or indirectly. Providing your personal data in the online contact form is necessary so that we can handle and answer your requests; failure to fill in the online contact form will prevent you from submitting your request.
Guess Europe SAGL is the data controller with respect to the processing of your personal data as described in this privacy notice. Guess Europe SAGL’s registered office is in Bioggio, Switzerland, 6934, Strada Regina No. 44. The data controller’s representative in the European Union is Guess Italia S.r.l., with its registered office in Florence, Italy, Via De’ Cattani No. 18.
If needed for any of the purposes described in the following section, we collect the personal data that you provide to us by filling in the online contact form and we may collect the data relating to your purchases, both online (via our website www.guess.eu; the “Website”) and offline in our stores; such data include the characteristics of the products purchased, your billing and shipping address, your phone number and payment information.
We may also collect additional personal data that you may provide to us when interacting with our customer care service via telephone, e-mail or live chat (such as your IBAN code when you contact us to ask for a refund, if you have placed an order on our Website and have chosen to pay in cash on delivery of the product).
We process your Personal Data that is strictly necessary for the purpose of handling and answering your requests; for such activities, your consent is not required as the processing of your Personal Data is necessary for the fulfilment of your requests.
In addition, we may need to process your Personal Data for the purpose of complying with legal obligations (such as tax and administrative laws). Additionally, we may need to process your Personal Data, where it is necessary, for the purpose of handling potential claims or legal proceedings, on the ground of our legitimate interest of defending our business’s interests (we always consider your rights and freedoms and process your Personal Data for our legitimate interest only where we do not think that your rights will be infringed). Your consent is not required in order to process your Personal Data for these purposes. You may contact Guess Europe SAGL’s Data Protection Officer at [email protected] for information on how we take your rights and freedoms into account, should we process your Personal Data to pursue our legitimate interests.
Your personal data are stored in the European Union and may be transferred to our servers in Switzerland.
Third parties that we have entrusted with the performance of customer service activities (such as IT or call center services) on our behalf have access to your Personal Data that we use for the purpose of handling and answering your requests.
for the purpose of handling claims or legal proceedings, for no longer than is strictly necessary for handling the claims or pursuing the litigation, taking into account the applicable limitation period.
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Should you choose to have your name and personal data removed from GUESS database, you can do so by calling the customer service. | 2019-04-22T16:11:13Z | https://www.guess.eu/nl/customercare/privacy/ |
Peter Abelard [also Petrus Abaelardus or Abailardus, or Pierre Abélard] (1079 – 21 April 1142) was a French scholastic philosopher and theologian. His tragic affair with his pupil Héloïse became a legendary love story.
When the same thing is done by the same man at different times, by the diversity of his intention, however, his action is now said to be good, now bad.
In fact we say that an intention is good, that is, right in itself, but that an action does not bear any good in itself but proceeds from a good intention. Whence when the same thing is done by the same man at different times, by the diversity of his intention, however, his action is now said to be good, now bad.
The fathers did not themselves believe that they, or their companions, were always right. Augustine found himself mistaken in some cases and did not hesitate to retract his errors.
There are many seeming contradictions and even obscurities in the innumerable writings of the church fathers. Our respect for their authority should not stand in the way of an effort on our part to come at the truth. The obscurity and contradictions in ancient writings may be explained upon many grounds, and may be discussed without impugning the good faith and insight of the fathers. A writer may use different terms to mean the same thing, in order to avoid a monotonous repetition of the same word. Common, vague words may be employed in order that the common people may understand; and sometimes a writer sacrifices perfect accuracy in the interest of a clear general statement. Poetical, figurative language is often obscure and vague.
Not infrequently apocryphal works are attributed to the saints. Then, even the best authors often introduce the erroneous views of others and leave the reader to distinguish between the true and the false. Sometimes, as Augustine confesses in his own case, the fathers ventured to rely upon the opinions of others.
Doubtless the fathers might err; even Peter, the prince of the apostles, fell into error: what wonder that the saints do not always show themselves inspired? The fathers did not themselves believe that they, or their companions, were always right. Augustine found himself mistaken in some cases and did not hesitate to retract his errors. He warns his admirers not to look upon his letters as they would upon the Scriptures, but to accept only those things which, upon examination, they find to be true.
All writings belonging to this class are to be read with full freedom to criticize, and with no obligation to accept unquestioningly; otherwise they way would be blocked to all discussion, and posterity be deprived of the excellent intellectual exercise of debating difficult questions of language and presentation.
I have ventured to bring together various dicta of the holy fathers, as they came to mind, and to formulate certain questions which were suggested by the seeming contradictions in the statements. These questions ought to serve to excite tender readers to a zealous inquiry into truth and so sharpen their wits. The master key of knowledge is, indeed, a persistent and frequent questioning. Aristotle, the most clear-sighted of all the philosophers, was desirous above all things else to arouse this questioning spirit, for in his Categories he exhorts a student as follows: "It may well be difficult to reach a positive conclusion in these matters unless they be frequently discussed. It is by no means fruitless to be doubtful on particular points." By doubting we come to examine, and by examining we reach the truth.
Q1 Must human faith be completed by reason, or not?
Q2 Does faith deal only with unseen things, or not?
Q3 Is there any knowledge of things unseen, or not?
Q4 May one believe only in God alone, or not?
Q5 Is God a single unitary being, or not?
Often the hearts of men and women are stirred, as likewise they are soothed in their sorrows, more by example than by words.
St. Jerome, whose heir methinks I am in the endurance of foul slander, says in his letter to Nepotanius: "The apostle says: 'If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.' He no longer seeks to please men, and so is made Christ's servant" (Epist. 2). And again, in his letter to Asella regarding those whom he was falsely accused of loving: "I give thanks to my God that I am worthy to be one whom the world hates" (Epist. 99). And to the monk Heliodorus he writes: "You are wrong, brother, you are wrong if you think there is ever a time when the Christian does not suffer persecution. For our adversary goes about as a roaring lion seeking what he may devour, and do you still think of peace? Nay, he lieth in ambush among the rich."
Inspired by those records and examples, we should endure our persecutions all the more steadfastly the more bitterly they harm us. We should not doubt that even if they are not according to our deserts, at least they serve for the purifying of our soul. And since all things are done in accordance with the divine ordering, let every one of true faith console himself amid all his afflictions with the thought that the great goodness of God permits nothing to be done without reason, and brings to a good end whatsoever may seem to happen wrongfully. Wherefore rightly do all men say: "Thy will be done." And great is the consolation to all lovers of God in the word of the Apostle when he says: "We know that all things work together for good to them that love God" (Rom. viii, 28). The wise man of old had this in mind when he said in his Proverbs: "There shall no evil happen to the just" (Prov. xii, 21). By this he clearly shows that whosoever grows wrathful for any reason against his sufferings has therein departed from the way of the just, because he may not doubt that these things have happened to him by divine dispensation. ///Even such are those who yield to their own rather than to the divine purpose, and with hidden desires resist the spirit which echoes in the words, "Thy will be done," thus placing their own will ahead of the will of God. Farewell.
Sometimes I grieve for the house of the Paraclete, and wish to see it again. Ah, Philintus! does not the love of Heloise still burn in my heart? I have not yet triumphed over that happy passion. In the midst of my retirement I sigh, I weep, I pine, I speak the dear name of Heloise, pleased to hear the sound, I complain of the severity of Heaven.
Sometimes I grieve for the house of the Paraclete, and wish to see it again. Ah, Philintus! does not the love of Heloise still burn in my heart? I have not yet triumphed over that happy passion. In the midst of my retirement I sigh, I weep, I pine, I speak the dear name of Heloise, pleased to hear the sound, I complain of the severity of Heaven. But, oh! let us not deceive ourselves: I have not made a right use of grace. I am thoroughly wretched. I have not yet torn from my heart deep roots which vice has planted in it. For if my conversion was sincere, how could I take a pleasure to relate my past follies? Could I not more easily comfort myself in my afflictions? Could I not turn to my advantage those words of God himself, If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if the world hate you, ye know that it hated me also? Come Philintus, let us make a strong effort, turn our misfortunes to our advantage, make them meritorious, or at least wipe out our offences; let us receive, without murmuring, what comes from the hand of God, and let us not oppose our will to his. Adieu. I give you advice, which could I myself follow, I should be happy.
When love has once been sincere, how difficult it is to determine to love no more? 'Tis a thousand times more easy to renounce the world than love. I hate this deceitful faithless world; I think no more of it; but my heart, still wandering, will eternally make me feel the anguish of having lost you, in spite of all the convictions of my understanding. In the mean time tho' I so be so cowardly as to retract what you have read, do not suffer me to offer myself to your thoughts but under this last notion. Remember my last endeavours were to seduce your heart. You perished by my means, and I with you. The same waves swallowed us both up. We waited for death with indifference, and the same death had carried us headlong to the same punishments. But Providence has turned off this blow, and our shipwreck has thrown us into an haven. There are some whom the mercy of God saves by afflictions. Let my salvation be the fruit of your prayers! let me owe it to your tears, or exemplary holiness! Tho' my heart, Lord! be filled with the love of one of thy creatures, thy hand can, when it pleases, draw out of it those ideas which fill its whole capacity. To love Heloise truly is to leave her entirely to that quiet which retirement and virtue afford. I have resolved it: this letter shall be my last fault. Adieu.
If I die here, I will give orders that my body be carried to the house of the Paraclete. You shall see me in that condition; not to demand tears from you, it will then be too late; weep rather for me now, to extinguish that fire which burns me. You shall see me, to strengthen your piety by the horror of this carcase; and my death, then more eloquent than I can be, will tell you what you love when you love a man. I hope you will be contented, when you have finished this mortal life, to be buried near me. Your cold ashes need then fear nothing, and my tomb will, by that means, be more rich and more renowned.
It makes perfect sense for Abelard to talk about forms, but the form is not a part of the individual. This is the hallmark of Abelard's reductivism; "form" is a name for an objectively discernable feature of the individual, not for an ontologically distinct item.
Abélard would find most of his old problems sensitive to his touch today. Time has settled few or none of the essential points of dispute. Science hesitates, more visibly than the Church ever did, to decide once for all whether Unity or Diversity is ultimate law; whether order or chaos is the governing rule of the Universe, if Universe there is; whether anything except phenomena exists. Even in matters more vital to society, one dares not speak too loud. Why, and for what, and to whom, is man a responsible agent? Every jury and judge, every lawyer and doctor, every legislator and clergyman has his own views, and the law constantly varies. Every nation may have a different system. One court may hang, and another may acquit for the same crime, on the same day; and Science only repeats what the Church said to Abélard, that where we know so little, we had better hold our tongues.
Peter Abelard (1079-1142) was the preeminent philosopher of the twelfth century and perhaps the greatest logician of the middle ages. During his life he was equally famous as a poet and a composer, and might also have ranked as the preeminent theologian of his day had his ideas earned more converts and less condemnation. In all areas Abelard was brilliant, innovative, and controversial. He was a genius. He knew it, and made no apologies. His vast knowledge, wit, charm, and even arrogance drew a generation of Europe's finest minds to Paris to learn from him.
Abelard's best known writings are his autobiography the Historia Calamitatum (The Story of my Misfourtunes), the letters he exchanged with Heloise, and the Sic et Non. The Historia, written after Abelard's escape from St. Gildas, details Abelard's rise to fame and the misfortunes of his fall. It is addressed to an unidentified friend with the hope that this friend will feel better about his own suffering after reading of Abelard's. The real purpose was likely to remind people of Abelard's past fame and to pave the way for a return to Paris. The letters of Abelard and Heloise discuss issues ranging from their relationship to theological and philosophical matters affecting Heloise's nuns at the Paraclete.
The fundamental commitment behind Abelard's nominalism, that there is nothing that is not individual (or at least particular), is the conceptual core of all his metaphysical thought. Abelard held that the individual is primary, ontologically basic, and requires no explanation. It is notoriously difficult to prove such a claim. If Abelard could be said to have a metaphysical project it would be to show that other "items" that more promiscuous philosophers would add to their ontology can be reductively explained in terms of individuals (or at least of particulars).
Abelard asserts that individuals are integral wholes, and he adopts the language of form-matter composites to describe individuals, but the form is nothing other than the arrangement of the parts that comprise the whole. … Abelard holds a doctrine of double creation. God first created the four basic elements and then combined the four basic elements into various individuals according to the exemplars in his mind …. Only God has this power to assemble parts into a single discrete individual substance. Only God can impose form on matter … It makes perfect sense for Abelard to talk about forms, but the form is not a part of the individual. This is the hallmark of Abelard's reductivism; "form" is a name for an objectively discernable feature of the individual, not for an ontologically distinct item.
Individuals thus created are discreet from all others; they share no matter or form, yet they are similar. Abelard will explain this in terms of natures or substantial forms, but again prefers a reductive account. Individuals have a certain nature because they have a certain substantial form, but this substantial form is not a part of the individual or any item that could be shared by two individuals. In contemporary terms Abelard would be a resemblance nominalist. Individuals created by God according to the same exemplar will be naturally similar in the way that houses made according to the same blueprint are similar. This similarity is real, not conventional, but nothing in addition to the individuals is required to explain this fact. The individuals that populate the world fall into natural kinds. Natures themselves do not need to be posited to explain this fact about the world.
Almost a thousand years ago, a teacher fell in love with his student. Almost a thousand years ago, they began a torrid affair. They made love in the kitchens of convents and in the boudoir of the girl's uncle. They wrote hundreds of love letters. When the girl bore a child, they were secretly married, but the teacher was castrated by henchmen of the enraged uncle. At her lover's bidding, the girl took religious orders. He took the habit of a monk. They retreated into separate monasteries and wrote to each other until parted by death.
The story of Abelard and Heloise hardly resonates with the spirit of our age. Not least, its origins in the classroom offend: teachers, we know, are not supposed to fall in love with their students. Heloise, moreover, is no feminist heroine, despite having been one of the best educated women of her age and writing some of its most affecting prose. Nobody who takes the veil on the command of her husband and swears "complete obedience" to him can hope to sneak into the bastion of feminism. Today, even the high romance of the couple's liaison strikes us as foreign: all that sacrifice and intensity! … The notion that passion might comprise not only joy but pain, not only self-realization but self-abandonment, seems archaic. To admire, as an early-20th-century biographer of Abelard and Heloise does, the "beauty of souls large enough to be promoted to such sufferings" seems downright perverse.
And yet there's a grandeur to high-stakes romance, to self-sacrifice, that's missing from our latex-love culture — and it's a grandeur we perhaps crave to recover. How else to account for the flurry of new writing on these two ill-fated 12th-century lovers? … Only recently — and miraculously — has a new cache of material turned up, fragments of 113 letters that many scholars believe Abelard and Heloise exchanged before Abelard's castration. Copied in the 15th century by a monk named Johannes de Vespria, discovered in 1980 by Constant J. Mews and finally published as The Lost Love Letters of Heloise and Abelard, these short but eloquent missives present two people vying — with no coyness or gender typecasting whatever — to outdo each other in expressions of adoration. … The love stories that touch us most deeply are punctuated by human frailty. Look at them up close and you see the fault lines, compromises and anticlimaxes. At the beginning of Shakespeare's play, Romeo is just as intemperately in love with a girl called Rosaline as he is later with Juliet. Tristan and Isolde's passion could well be the fruit of substance abuse, of a love potion they drank unknowingly. And Abélard and Heloise? They weren't equally strong or passionate or generous. Still, they put their frailties together and begat a perfect myth, as well as something perhaps even more precious — a surprising, splendid, fractured reality. "There is a crack," the Leonard Cohen lyric goes, "a crack in everything: that's how the light gets in." | 2019-04-25T05:51:30Z | https://en.m.wikiquote.org/wiki/Peter_Abelard |
Mahia, Ramon and de Arce, Rafael and Thielemann, Eiko (2010): Immigration policy and its impact a comparative study with a focus on Spain.
Immigration dynamics have varied across time and across countries and immigration flows can have a significant economic, social, political and cultural impact on host countries. The challenge for policy makers and academics is to better understand to what extent public policy decisions can influence migration flows and their impact. To address this research challenge, we need to advance a broader comparative research agenda that allows for a systematic comparison of immigration policy outputs (laws) and immigration policy outcomes (the impact of such laws). This report seeks to contribute to such a research agenda and the development of a corresponding methodological framework that would allow for such an empirical investigation. This report will first provide a historical overview of European migration trends that will set the Spanish experience in its broader context. The next part focuses on the evolution of Spanish immigration policy and its impact, and also provides an analytical summary of recent research identifies the limitations of existing research designs and proposes a broader comparative research agenda that would help the academic and policy- community deepen their understanding of the variation and differential immigration policies.
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I had been invited last year to come to Tokyo to do my thing, whatever I choose to do and it was all organised by this company by a very loving of service Light being Masumi who was my co-ordinator.
I knew there was a pyramid under Tokyo from the first cycle and heart of the dragon that was calling. As well as anchoring the Light Template at the head of the Dragon at Mt Asahidake the Dragons head.
I had also just meet Coco from Tokyo who had come to the Shambala Anchoring at the East Cape December Solstice and she offered to do the logistical side of anything I felt guided to organise and wherever in Japan. So she was able to organise and also translate for me which was awesome. The dragon called for the Template of Light to be anchored at the dragons head at Hokkaido.
Even when you look at the map of Japan you can see the dragon. And after Tokyo workshops and the dragons heart activation and before the Hokkaido mission, there was a journey to the dragons tail and as it turned out singing the ancient ones back and Shambala Template anchored 6d through the crater lake Ikeda. Three weeks of dragon business in the most amazing places and vortexes, dimensional doorways and multi-dimensional realms of earth.
The workshops were over two weekends and two days in the week and each building on the next for full sovereignty and guardianship of the New Earth in tune with the inner planes, loving hearts.
I was greeted at Narita and taken to my condo in Roppongi Hills area. Where it was a quiet residential neighbourhood and a 15 minute walk to the main shopping area and Metro to get to the venue. Things were in English as well and very user friendly and so were the people exceptionally helpful. Very beautiful people, everyone I meet.
I had my own space and enjoyed the whole experience so much. With beautiful people who participated and the wonderful translator we flowed. And everyone so keen to grow, heart open and to be of service in the bigger picture. It was the most beautiful experience and the last day with the Dragon heart activated, the crystalline pyramid under Tokyo was pure joy and Light, loving hearts and transformation. The dragon heart healed and awakened.
In the build up to this on Tuesday at the Star Union day a participant gave me energetically three dragons’ eggs. Then on Thursday 7th July at the RA workshop which was the day the Sun is conjunct the Greater Central Sun I was told the pyramid and dragon’s heart was waiting for the return of the Second Sun at this time with the RA Light. That would awaken the pyramid through us, the heart of the Dragon that had been disturbed and causing havoc. Aware of the destruction that has taken place even in the very recent past can now become peaceful though the grids of Japan and the ring of fire, restored through the hearts of us.
When I had first got to come to Tokyo I had wanted to take a group to Mitakasan as I knew there was something there that was important bigger picture. But as always I’m too busy and also not nosey enough to bother with what some thing is, it’s enough to know I am meant to go there, so now was the day to finally visit and I got I was to pick up a Dragons egg.
Coco picked me up in the morning with Jo another friend who was visiting for work of all kinds from oz. We drove out into the countryside, which was still pretty populated. Then up a hill the cable car that would take us up the walking tracks on Mitakasan Mountain to the shrine and great rock and waterfall there in the park.
We meet two radiant goddesses who were also coming to Hokkaido and went up the step cable car that clung to the track against the mountainside. When we got to the top there were lots of shops selling tourist things and snacks and also some accommodation places.
I went to look at the view and tuned in, and got that a great crystal in the mountain was fractured.
We walked up the path, then up lots of steps and though a small village to get to the bottom on the steps that would take us to the shrine honouring the mountain and also other devic beings.
After cleansing ourselves first with the water, we went up to the main temple. A monk was there selling mini temples and other beautiful little items as well as an ancient reading; by choosing a number and then getting the scroll related to it, holding some relevant information for where one is at. But first we went to the edge of the cliff and looked out through a small shrine to the mountain opposite ours.
Suddenly wow!!! this huge energy comes blasting into my heart and the mountain and dragon there has given me a Dragon’s egg into my heart. The others felt it as well.
Then I was aware of the crystal under the earth as healing energies came through with each of us being a channel for the crystal in the mountain there. It healed fast and then we received the most divine loving energies from the mountain that was rejuvenating and revitalising.
Feeling on such a high and positive wave of energy and light, on the way back past the monk three of us choose a number and took a reading, mine was very positive and true. Everything since I stepped off the plane in Japan had been so positive and amazing.
We then with much gratitude left the shrine area at the top of the mountain and went down the steps, then down a path that lead to a track in the woods that took us down to this gigantic rock. It was perched right on the cliff face and had a small shrine and statue of an elven god on it as well.
It was a bit tricky to climb on but with the help of a chain and lots of tree roots we climbed up onto it and meditated and tuned in.
The rock has a link to the Inner Earth Sun and songs of the joy of the light coming to the world. I was told ‘You know Japan very well from the ethereal world's you stepped in once back in the dragon times and sung the light codes that now will come through illuminated in the heart of each one. The dragon egg you collected today you placed here from the first cycle to now it is the time for it to be activated in the dragon's eye for the sight of the one to see all as it truly is, it is so’.
Then we climbed carefully down and went down the track and steps that lead to a waterfall. I knew way before I got there I had to strip off and go under the waterfall. So by the time we got there, there were no other people around. So I took my clothes of and went into it. The most cleansing blessed feeling as the other goddesses came in also. Until some elderly people wished to come to the waterfall and they waited for us to get dressed and leave.
Walking back up the steps to the track back through the forest we felt very happy and blessed to have had such blessings.
As we then drove further into the country to a friend’s one day a week restaurant for a delicious organic lunch and blueberries before saying goodbye and heading back to Tokyo.
Then it was the last two days of workshops on Light Body DNA activations and multi-d reality with the Pyramid activation.
On Sunday July 10th after much preparation since Friday night 1st July and through the week until now we were ready and we soul travelled to the pyramid. It was old and covered in a calcified crust, the Dragon’s heart. The Dragon was in pain and suffering and moving around very unsettled and uncomfortable, he was very wounded. He said ‘he wasn’t always like this but that from aeons of neglect in human consciousness and the negative energies of the dragon slayers who would have him dead, who are Reptilians, he had to hide deep in the earth’.
He was sorry that his pain affected the earth and made humans weep too. He said humans have forgotten so much of their connection to their dragon serpent linages and why the earth is so neglected and abused’. His name is Altraea.
We all have dragon hearts and he showed how much pain there still is in the collective of humanities heart.
Then we became aware of the Second Sun and the union of our Sun with it’s twin. The RA Light of the Second Sun came in to activate and awaken our hearts and know deep within who we are. The RA Light came through us and the love that’s always been there and we all formed a circle around the pyramid on the inner. We started to sing the song of love from our hearts and the heart of our Sun and Second Sun as the love came through our voices. As everyone made beautiful sound codes and the crystal pyramid started to clear and shone until it was radiant clear and alive.
The dragon smiled and was healed and at peace.
Then we became aware of a Light City in the higher dimensions of Tokyo that can now integrate into the realms of consciousness, as we remembered ourselves there and brought in the gifts to our self here in our bodies. Tokyo was shining and so light, the heart of the dragon so radiant and strong. Peace through the grids and the ring of fire. The dragon’s heart sings once again with joy and wonder for the life we are creating through our dragon heart.
Now with awareness also of the Light City in Tokyo and as I left early the next morning to fly to Kagoshima the city was so clear and bright and illuminated.
The taxi came on time and it was a beautiful drive on freeways near the harbour with the mass of sky scrapers all looking like the light city that had just integrated into the realms we could access and be part of. Tokyo glowed and showed her beauty.
I met Geoff a dear friend and Light anchor at the Gate for our flight to Kagoshima. On the flight I was able to look out the window all the way as we passed over beautiful islands and lush forests until we landed at the airport just out of Kagoshima City in the southern island of Kyushu. Off the pane and to our rental car at the airport we had a lesson in the GPS that neither of us had used before and then we were off, Geoff as the driver and myself as navigator.
We only just got out of the airport, it was raining and before we knew it we were at two ramps onto the freeway with the sign to the city not where we wanted to go but really it was, as we went on the wrong turn at the freeway and ending up going in the opposite direction to where we wanted. But Sara san our GPS got us after two expensive toll gates back on the road to our destination. Sara san was could only direction us to a place with a phone number so for our mission we still went by intuition and maps, or in our case for this mission, stay by the sea, as we were at the volcano one side of the gulf and to Cape Sata at the other side of the great bay of Kagoshima.
The rain kept up as all tropical rain does then dry spells to give one a breather then rain again. We got off the freeway after a few more toll booths, surprisingly close together and then we were down the coast towards our hotel with the hot pools. The only place I did not experience hot pools was Tokyo but north and south they were everywhere we stayed and at one place where we had lunch as well.
Our rooms were Japanese style which was awesome and then they had hot pools outside in the gardens, male and female separated and also the whole fifth floor was also hot pools, male and female, in Japan you have to wash thoroughly before getting in the pool and go in naked which is so wonderful.
We checked out the pools for later and then went up the road to the Family Mart one of the great convenience chain stores to get out salad wraps for lunch and had them down the road as we parked on the grass next to the coast line and watched the view through the rain. We then drove around the coast healing to the volcano. I knew I had to deliver the Dragons egg I had received on the Friday at Mitakasan.
We kept by the coast until we could get to Mt Kaimon and the Dragon’s tail.
It was raining hard at times and as we drove around the coast, sometimes down dead end roads to resorts or ports we came to the most amazing rock with a huge emerald in it on the inner planes. I knew it was important and to go back tonight in a soul travel.
After spending sometime near the Emerald we continued on until we got to the entrance to Mt Kaimon and a booth to pay for a ticket to get in. Driving up the parklands road with several look out areas along the way, it did not take long to get to the end, a short distance up the mountain. Then a track lead off the end of the road that went to the summit, taking a few hours to get there.
We parked at the top of the road and connected to Mt Kaimon and connected to emerald mountain, Mt Take over in the distance by the ocean. Geoff and I sang light language and tones as the egg I had been given from Mitakasan birthed and lots of baby dragons came and kissed me on the face and called me mother.
After some time injoying the ambience and loving energies we drove down and around the mountain, along the coast and then through this long tunnel under the side of the mountain where erosion was a problem. But it was surreal having a well-built long tunnel on aroad that hardly anyone used.
We eventually got back to our hotel via a supermarket we found after several attempts at buildings that looked like supermarkets, but were American style drug stores. We had our supermarket dinner in our rooms as we had been too late to book dinner at our hotel and nowhere else to eat around the area apart from the convenience store.
Then we went to the hot pools in our own timing as segregated and I was happy to be outside in a natural earth and rock hot pool looking at the moon coming up to full transmuting and transforming with all the elements with no other ladies coming in the pool, I had it to myself.
First thing I tuned into the Soul Travel.
The emerald was glowing and took me onto the volcano council meeting and about Shambala anchoring through the volcano when we come back tomorrow it will anchor.
Today we needed to go to the southern point at Cape Sata to sing the songs of the ancient dragons to bring back the life and into the grids here. The emerald will activate the grids into a higher vibration once the songs are sung and the volcano can then illuminate and move into the higher vibrations to open the Shamballa Template here.
Very important that it happens and this mission is so important the Dragons say ‘Dragon queen you were at inception as you know and one of us now back in form on the surface. To bring us home to the worlds of all dimensions and into the consciousness of humanity to open their Dragon Earth and know they cleared the Earth and create her again in the higher dimensions to be the guardians of her, and honour her and all nature and creatures again’.
Then it was down to the dining room for another of the most amazing breakfasts that were like a banquet with trays of small boxes of individual food and pickles. Then always something cooking in a small candle heated oven on the table next to each tray, and other hot things brought in. It was mind blowing and very yummy.
I had no idea it would take us sixhours driving to get to Cape Sata we were in fact right at the opposite side of the huge harbour from Mt Kaimon. I navigated us through Kagoshima City and out the other side and it actually stopped raining and the scenery was beautiful. We drove down the coast for hours stopping at a view pull over for our picnic lunch and then at view of volcano Kaimon and the emerald Mt Take exactly opposite us. As we drove on and finally got to the narrow road that took us to the end of the road and a look out with map of Japan and the line of where we are in relation to other countries. Then we drove to the carpark where there were workman busy doing improvements. We said hi and walked down through a tunnel and then out and onto a track that took us into the forest and down the hill until we came to a viewing platform of the cape and light house.
It was sunny and warm, what a blessing and Geoff and I made sound codes and sung in Dragon light as I felt under the ground instantly the rumblings. The Dragons came up and swam around the ocean and flew in the sky and I knew there would be a sign in the heavens. Sure enough I looked up in the sky and there was a dragon cloud and he looked out to the light house.
Then we went down to another lookout and lay in grass for a while soaking it all in. As I was told on the inner ‘the Dragons are so glad to be free of the death keel of the slayers. To swim and fly and dance again as life unfolds to be like a tree and flea, a moth, butterfly and bird, and in the human heart resides as the Dragon heart is free to fully love.
Life is now in a new dimension and hopes and joys fulfilled, the real life of divine inspiration and divine love sparks through the Dragon hearts, from ancient times revered as the Ancient of Ancient is the ones that we are.
The world's have merged and the life of being true to self, transmuted and real, and true hearts reveal and now come forth in all their Dragon aspects to play in human form and live the joy of the gift of the creator.
Those who cut this off and slayed the truth of life will now be given the choice to open up and be as one with all in divine love. Or cease to exist in the world's of creation to remember, and be no more for it is said as the lore of one comes forth now to be lived in full. The abundance and the light shines and sings as all wonder at the joys of life’.
The mission was a great success being able to bring back the dragon light, the dragons love us so much.
On the physical it was getting dark and we had another six hour drive back but I saw on the map a freeway up the peninsular a ways. So we set Sara san with the phone number of our hotel, that thankfully the receptionist had taken our keys that morning and given us a card with its number on it. So we followed Sara san in the dark and rain which poured down again through lots of roads and turn offs until we got on the freeway and it absolutely bucketed down. But we made it back to the hotel by 10.30pm in time for another soak in the hot pools.
I was told on the inner ‘your mission today is to go to the top point of the volcano and just be there as the Shambala Template can now be anchored through the dragon lines and Japan from the base of the dragon to the top and beyond. It will allow for the humans and all creatures to open up more fully, you will be surprised how many will awaken now in Japan.
In the dragon council last night with Lord Maitreya and all the Shambala Beings the template was set to be anchored on this day. They told me the dragons name in the grid here is Altraea and yes this is your connection to Japan you felt as a goddess and yes from the dragon clan the ancient dragons who were awakened yesterday all from the clan and Geoff too belongs to them and they love him as well it is all in divine order or symmetry of love’.
So in the afternoon we drive to Lake Ikeda, near Mt Kaimon, we are in the off season so no one was there and a few tourist shops over the road. But what stands out are the signs with dragons on them. They had been sighted in the lake years before.
I notice that whenever the Shambala energies are to be anchored it always includes water, as water transmits the codes easily around the Earth, as do the grids in the Earth.
So when it felt the time; with intention and awareness to anchor Shambala I saw the mountain that was there before it exploded and is now a crater lake, it was high with snow on it and Shambala could only come in that far to the mountain in the higher dimensions. But it had anchored, a very positive sign for Japan and that part of the earth. No doubt more mission when the time was right for it to anchor into the lower dimensions when enough were ready with open hearts.
Then we drove around the lake and kept being drawn to look at the rim of the crater cliffs and the Light Beings all around it.
It wasn’t far to the volcano after we had checked out the farmland around the lake and we drove back to the payment booth then up the drive to the top point. Where we parked at the same place as the Dragon egg was hatched and I saw the Shambala energies come up from the inner earth through the core of the volcano and told to come back in the night in a soul travel.
In hot springs that night the elementals who love to use me, by expanding my belly to let me know they are there all wanted to go to top of higher dimensional mountain in the lake and the Shambala field.
The Shambala Template could only come up through from the Inner Earth and activate the portals there through the lake first, in the time when the great mountain existed when the place was vibrating in higher dimensions of light. Now the template is set in the sixth dimension so that those who are able to can more easily open up to their divine aspects. The rim of the volcanic crater is showing the ring of the doorway as many beings from the Inner Earth can come through now. You kept looking at the rim yesterday because you were seeing them on another level.
It will take more time for the Shambala template to fully anchor here and it needed to be at an area where the dragons came alive again and Altraea was able to flow once more through all of Japan so that energy could move throughout the land.
When you are at the top at the dragons head you will understand even more the importance of the Shambala anchoring and the dragons egg from Mitakasan. That awakened and birthed the young new paradigm dragons so then you could sing the ancient ones back from the terror and entrapment. As now the Reptilians and others who have held the Earth and those on her hostage no longer have the grip they had. This is happening fast now and will in Japan also, liberation of the Dragon heart is our liberation as we are not separate.
We were all packed and had our last amazing breakfast and then we needed to go back to the emerald before we flew out. We had a bit of time to fill in so Geoff suggested we go to a museum that was not far away and on route to the Emerald. The museum was fascinating as it had a village built how the original people lived from ancient times and showed what had happened to the Earth there and the volcanoes.
Then still raining we got back in the car and drove to the Emerald mountain. This time I navigated us right in past a health resort and under Mt Take with no one else around and in a secluded place. Just on queue as usual with the Elementals they turned off the tap for as long as it took us to get out of the car receive the codes and get back in again before it started to pour again.
From the emerald, Mt Take we received the codes to take with us to Hokkaido for the Light Template anchoring and the codes from the Shambala field. Mt Take is on the grid point vortex and takes us through to Draco, and for myself anyway about the new 6D Light Body that is the next step in the awakening journey.
We then went back past the lake and go onto the freeway and thank goodness for Sara san as there was a detour and roadworks on the freeway and it would have been difficult for me to navigate. We were late getting back to the hire car place but still had time to get to the airport and get our flight. We witnessed Japanese efficiently once we did arrive at the hire car place it took seconds for them to check the car and whisk us into the shuttle bus and to departures.
We get to Tokyo after circling around for an hour in the sky above it, before finally landing and we got a cab in the rain to our hotel for the night. Then off the next morning to Handea airport again to meet Coco and the others coming on the journey. The beautiful goddesses who had come to Mitakasan and Lillian. We had fun and then boarded our plane while I tuned into what we were doing that afternoon once we got to Daisetsuzan National Park and our hotel.
As we were flying I had an overview of what was happening.
Hokkaido is the head of the Dragon and also the site of a Light City that existed in the first cycle when the Dragons first came to Earth. For the mission I knew we needed to connect to our Dragon origins as the Light City will come back into the realms of awareness, and the role of each person as a Dragon is important as each holds the codes of the beginning. So now as the template is anchored each will bring in that quality through their being.
I was aware of when I came first to Earth and took on the form of the Dragon to assist with the creation of the Earth to be habitable. Now we are creating again the higher dimensional New Earth, a space we create through our love.
Each has a Dragon line so long and to remember some if it is important so that we can move into the New Earth with the wisdom of the old. Going deeper into the heart of our Dragon self and remembering why we came to Earth. The Dragon initiation is to pass as a dragon in our energy and fly through the mountain and into the new creation of the Dragon field.
The green Emerald codes hold the vibrations to assist each to get to hold the stillness and oneness.
There were twelve of us, one local member of the group meeting us at the hotel and the rest of us from other parts of Japan, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. We got our two six seater hire cars and headed to Daisetsuzan mountain area where our hotel was on Mt Asahidake via the supermarket.
After settling into our rooms we meet down the stairs and went over the road and past a hotel and up a road way to a small shrine. Each of us connected for our journey personal and bigger picture. Coming back down the track and to a place to fill water bottles from the raging mountain river before going to one of the rooms to do our first preparation for our mission.
The importance of connecting to our Dragon origins, as each of us remembers deep within the inception of the Earth and the role we played as the ancient, ancient ones who created the Earth to be habitable by linking the crystals and creating the crystalline grids and vortexes. That created an electromagnetic field on the surface that brought moisture and then life. Now we are coming full circle from the first inception to now as the Earth makes a huge shift in dimensions and light from the dense form she was, with so many higher dimensions within her, to now the dense becomes higher dimensional as well.
We also all have a Dragon wound, from time of the Dragon Slayers who came to own and control the Earth and dominate the beings on the lower dimensions. The Reptilians and other ET races who once the Dragon Serpent beings had created the Earth to be inhabitable came and took it over, which has been our experience for a long time now.
But now we are liberating ourselves and owning our own divine self and coming from the Dragon Heart and those controllers; who are playing out their final dance right now. With their terror and greed, and all manner of controlling and agendas of separation and fear. Are in their final throes and so it is now time for the Dragon Heart to come once more to the surface. As we heal our wounds and know our deep inner connection from the heart of us, through the heart of the Earth, through the heart of the Suns, all one.
We first connected and became aware of contracts we had signed for the mission and others to be aware of. Then cleared implants, and I made sounds to assist the process that certainly shifted things with rather loud light codes blasting through the room to everyone’s surprise. Then we did an etheric blueprint cleanse.
As we spoke in light language about why we had been called to come and our connection to our Dragon origin. As we journeyed into the Inner Earth remembering our Dragon Serpent linage and aspect at inception of the Earth. Which was important as later in the journey with more clearing and attunements activations, bigger picture work we became our Dragon self for the clearing of the Dragon lines and the holographic re-patterning of the New Earth that happened just before the Full Moon.
We also became aware of and healed our Dragon wound and remembered our gift from our Dragon self at inception until now.
As we then prepared for a soul travel to the Light City of the First Cycle and Dragon origins on Earth doing the 20 Chakra and Light Body Activation with light and sound.
CAN NOW APPEAR INTO THE REALMS OF HUMANS WHO RESONATE 5D AND BEYOND TO RETURN THE EARTH TO HER FULL GLORY WITH HONOUR AND RESPECT FOR ALL THAT SHE GIVES US.
The next morning we left early to drive through the valleys with mountains and lakes, until we came to the Lake Nukabira where I know we needed to stop. The serpent place with more preparation as we walked down by the lake and sat on the sand the sun quite strong above us, for once it was not raining.
With connecting mudras and connecting first to the Serpent within and loving blocks through the central channel. Then aware of the kundalini flow through the chakras from Earth Star to Cosmic Gateway and back as we moved in the flow and our soul story, and descent to Earth. Loving any resistance still left to being in a physical body and attachments to the underworld and desire body.
Then out of the loop of the old belief in karma and birth and death fear and separation, the illusion as we moved more fully into the cosmic flow, serpent spiralling vortexes and cosmic alignment though no time and space. Surrendered and in the kundalini cosmic flow.
As we then connected to the ancient Serpent that exists in the lake and valleys. The beautiful Serpent being who is pure love and divine essence, as she took us on a journey of our soul to realise and heal whatever was still blocking our full surrender into divine will and plan. As each of us had our own journey within.
Then it was time to walk back up to the cars and continue on of the main road up a dirt road along the sides of a beautiful river with the most divine forest. In the autumn the display of red, orange and yellow leaves so glorious people come for all over to see it. But for us now it was green and vibrant with life. As we got up to the Kosen osen restaurant and camping areas at the end of the valley. We had a wonderful lunch and then a soaked in the hot pools to integrate and prepare.
As we went back down the valley and stopped at the doorway to the Light City by the side of the river.
We scrambled down the rocky hill and onto the river flats with beautiful rocks and the river raging past us glistening in the afternoon sun and the ethereal Light City immersed in such a joy.
As we aligned the nuclei of our cells to the centre of the Sun, through the centre of the Galaxy, through the centre of the Earth all one. Awakening our Divine Blueprints and Light Body to move on the soul travel into the Light City of the First Cycle and Dragon origins.
We travelled into the Inner Earth and through the Inner Earth Sun into a hidden world not seen by those on the surface before.
There the ancient Earth Deva greets us. Calling each of us by our ancient Dragon name.
She said each of us had a made a solemn vow to return now as the Earth moves into the higher dimensions with the wisdom of the Ancient Ones that we are. (This is not just us in the group but all who choose).
As we healed our wound last night so we could each be at peace. The initiation is to move beyond fear so we can fully hold the light and remember.
We spoke our name on the inner, the key to the Light City. That can now appear into the realms of humans who resonate 5D and beyond to return the Earth to her full glory with honour and respect for all that she gives us.
Remember the origins of the Earth at inception and now again through our Dragon Hearts we create the higher dimensional New Earth so powerful so beautiful.
The Elementals held the rain off for us and an Eagle came to fly above us. I felt and saw myself and as ancient dragon goddess and the energy was so on and so beautiful I could hardly move and didn’t wanted to leave there. Aware that we also had to get back for our prearranged dinner I stayed in the zone as long as I could and was the last to leave as the others were up at the car eating saki cake gifted by dearest Lillian. Then it was off back to the hotel through the dragon and serpent realms, just in time for dinner and then the hot pools and integration.
I had organised to take workshop that night but knew it was too much and we all needed to stay in the zone of the Light City and our Dragon origins as the codes filtered through us.
I was told on the inner: ‘The Council of Light at the Light City there wishes that we continue working in the Light City and that each with our Dragon name. Use that name tomorrow to do our Dragon mudra and sound our Dragon name, this brings back the remembrance more fully and helps to anchor the Light Template.
We followed the same dragon serpent lines and road the next day but stopped at Sounkyp Gorge to clear the karmic accumulation in the dragon lines, but first we had to collect a Dragon’s egg.
We found a walkway that went right up to this amazing waterfall and we walked along the track along the Akaishi River. Then up the steep track in the deep forest with the waterfalls dancing down through the great rocks and the pregnant Dragon so happy we had come as she wanted to give us her eggs.
We walked up past a beautiful rock doorway and little fern fairy realms, up the top of the waterfall to receive the egg or eggs. I received one, an opalescent huge one, others received whatever was needed for this mission and some for other mission to take the energy around Japan and the world.
The waterfalls were so loud that we just allowed and received there. On the walk back down we stopped at a magical place on the grids, a doorway with soft grass and herbs as we sat amongst them. I guided everyone into clearing any cosmic karma they had as we were at the next place nearby going to clear if from the grids so needed to clear ourselves. As we spoke in light language about the Dragon eggs and the connection through the grids.
Then drove down to the Ginga No Taki Falls that were from way up the top of the gorge to the bottom, a great distance. And along the ridges of the gorge the light beings and dragons were watching and waiting. As I went to find a spot where we could be in private.
We transmuted DNA at dense structural levels in our bodies as we cleared the levels of ourselves ready as the rain started to come, this time the elementals were letting it happened as it was part of the work, it was still light and misty. As we tuned into our own Dragon mudra and spoke our Dragon name and then sang from our Dragon Hearts that cleared the grids of all the accumulated karma through the great Dragon of Japan and out through all the grids and Ring of Fire and Earth. It was the most amazing thing, the energy so divine, the grids so clear and sparkling and we felt so high channelling through our Dragon origins and linage to clear the old wounds held in the Earth matrix and throughout the grids in the area and then out worldwide.
On the way back to the hotel that late afternoon we couldn’t contain ourselves and were dancing in the car to the David Bowie ‘put on your red shoes and dance….let’s dance!’ as we partied in celebration and joy for the release of so much old blocking energy now cleared through the Dragon Lines and ready for the next day and the Light Template anchoring at the Dragons Head.
That night after dinner another workshop with the DNA ancestral separation and unification now of the strands from the point of separation with DNA integration. As we opened up to ourselves in the higher dimensions and embodied our higher dimensional selves more fully and into the levels of our light body all ready for the next day.
It was raining lightly again and we went up the hill near our hotel and then up the cable car to the starting point of the track up Mt Asahidake. I knew we didn’t need to go to the top of the mountain to anchor the Light Template, much to the relief of most of the group. It was by the lake with the shrine and on clear days it mirrors the mountain but not on the day we were there.
We started off up the track looking at the beautiful flowers and lakes and then the weather cleared, I thought yes the elementals are going to keep it clear for us. But as we climbed up more steps and over to the roaring geo thermal area and the dragon fire I could see that no, it was going to stay foggy and rainy. The sound of the dragon’s breath was incredible. I have never heard a sounds like it and living in NZ we have lots of geothermal but not like at the Dragons head with its Dragons roar.
Then we went to the shrine by the lake, Sugatami Pond and there were too many people there and also it was raining. But there was a shed for shelter nearby and we went in and the people in there had finished their lunch and went out and we had it to ourselves while we energetically got in the zone ready to anchor the Light Template.
Opening up the divine light through the endocrine glands and chakras to our Iridescent Light Body. As we healed any old duality games of our goddess god aspects and then into our Diamond Light Body and the highest dimensional self that each of us could hold as we surrendered into the octahedron spiralling vortex of life force and Thirteen Rays of the Rainbow.
As we spoke in light language about why it was here that the Light Template needed to be anchored. As the Dragon here is so important to the Earth and once the Light Template was anchored it was moving out through all the Earth. (This has meant the shift is even more pronounced. No going back, no more sitting on fences, it’s either in the Light or out, for those still not sure it’s not easy as everything that needs to be looked at is brought to their attention to be dealt with.) The energy was so on as our Diamond Light Bodies glowed.
We went outside and found a spot just off the track, as the track and area of the shrine where roped off and so there was not much room to stand as a group but it didn’t matter. The rain was very light and gentle and a fog, the Dragons were all there and so we did our Dragon mudra, and Dragon name as we gave our Dragon egg/s to the mountain the Light Template come in through our Dragon heart singing. We felt so much joy and the energy became so clear, the Dragons were happy and the grids so clear and crystalline sparkling.
The energy was so on and I knew this was big, but how to put in human words to explain such huge shifts in the dimensional realms of Earth so much more joy and light. In 3d things needed to settle as the old is being cleansed and transmuted as everyone’s hearts are the key.
The others left to walk back down to the cable car, but I couldn’t move, I was so in the moment and energy and so found a place to sit on the side of the track near the lake and just be in the stillness and peace. Meanwhile the clearing of the grids will be shaking up a lot for the places and those who still need to choose love as the way forward in the world.
There was so much love from the mountain and the Dragons, the Devas, Elementals and the Dragons asked that we remember the song of the Dragon Heart to be with them tonight and dance in the Dragon light of the heart.
Eventually I walked back down to the cable car station, shop and restaurant. I wasn’t worried about catching one of our cars as once out of the cable car it was a walk down hill to our hotel and soak in the hot water.
I caught up with Coco and a few others who then drove back. But I had my new raincoat on that I had brought the day before and it was waterproof. So it was such a joy to stay in the fog and rain and play with the Dragons.
Then to the osen and the one outside as the rain got strong but sitting in the hot clean flow of geothermal water and just Being. There were such big things happening for us all, and the Earth, that silence seems the best way to allow it to be and integrate through the water into the cells, though the water in the hot pool, through all the waters.
The Light Template was now anchored though the Dragon lines the water and cosmic ocean, the stars and crystals the light cities and through nature and the elementals. The elementals had given this mission and the Light Template anchored through the elementals energies on the physical earth, stars and also other dimensional realms of earth was almost complete with only the Diamonds and Diamond light matrix through the geographical location in Iceland. The stones and multi-universes at Avebury and the Dolphins and Whale codes completing at the Crown Chakra of the New Earth, Mt Titiroa NZ.
But the mission was still not completed with a soul travel into the New Earth as this was being re-patterned as well with all the shifts that had taken place.
The next morning 19th we said good bye to Naomi who could not come with us for the rest of the journey and drove towards the Shiretoko Peninsular.
We stopped at Lake Kussharo for lunch and to view the great crater with islands in it but no such luck as per usual it was foggy and light rain. Then we drove through lush fields of grains and potatoes and onwards to the coast and the Oshin Koshin Taki falls that were right by the coast. It was still raining of course as we climbed up the steps to the waterfall, the energy was so divine. I had of course wanted to do more preparation for the work that was to take place but it was all good and it was not hard for us all to get in the zone.
As we opened to the Living Library of Light codes we brought with us from Lyra, as we came through the prism and danced in the holograms of our love experiencing duality. Now as we are on the journey home we connected to the Sun that was important to each of us. As we moved through the Sun/s allowing the codes through the Sun in our hearts and out through our cells. The Living Library of Light we hold awakens more fully the codes we hold create the New Earth.
As the New Earth is a hologram of our love. As the codes we hold though our Suns re-pattern the Earth in divine order of symmetry of Light resonating in the Love that we are, one with the Source. Aware of the great vortex where we stood, the sacred Dragon portal, the Dragon Lines and grids so clear from the work we had done and others around the Earth. Creating a clear loving space for the Earth to be resonate enough now as the collective consciousness of humanity are ready or not.
Aware of the Living Library of Light codes we all held, and the codes through the waterfall and vortex they all flow through us and into the Inner Earth Sun and out through the Dragon Heart and Dragon grids all cleared now through the Earth. I could literally see the Earth so bright and shining clear, network of light shining. The energy was so beautiful and divine and as we opened our eyes seeing even more with eyes of Love.
Everything had changed, the shift has exhilarated majorly and the dark forces are out. You might find that hard to believe if you watch TV or any of the media games, but that is the illusion and not even real, let go the old programmes and the brainwashing machines and feel yourself there already. Re-patterned in divine order of love. Not just changing the channel but turning it all off and allowing the reality of love and life to embrace you.
We left the waterfall and vortex after more time just being with it and its beauty and drove not far to our hotel at Utoro, at the end of the main road up the peninsular. With just a dirt track to the hot falls or the road going across to the other coast it was not possible to get up to Cape Shiretoko at the Star Temple by land the next day.
The next morning July 20, we drove up the narrow forest road with lush vegetation and trees surrounding us and the beautiful deer feeding right by the road. There were devas and goddesses and gods everywhere and this flower goddess who kept showering us with flowers and the lord of the forest watched over us. Until we got to the warm waterfall that was gently sloping over huge smooth rounded boulders. As usual it was raining and cool and so we walked up to the top of the little track that lead onto the waterfall and did our inner connection to all the elementals, devas, dragons, goddesses and gods, light beings and guardians who had called us here to the Inner Earth doorway.
I guided everyone first into preconception about coming into the New Earth, then conception on why they choose their mother father and thank them. Then in the womb how did they feel in the New Earth. Aware of the vortex at the physical location of the birth place and is it an old Earth or new earth place, if old loving and accepting until transmuted. Receiving the codes and love coming through the New Earth vortex into life. Coming out into New Earth higher dimensional Earth and self.
Then working with the elementals to assist anywhere we lived, in our body and gifts any are giving us. Then aware of the elementals of the doorway and falls, the flower goddess wished to give us essences of the flowers and the Tree god, Lord of forest assisting us with our inner light and inner strength. Then there were all the fairies, elves and nature spirits as they took us to a serene tunnel of gold and obsolescent 13 rays of the rainbow light.
As we travelled to the Ancient Serpent Woman who puts us into the Cosmic Egg for healing and rejuvenation until we birthed out of the egg the real self. We received the light codes then for Capricorn Full Moon grounding through Star Temple and higher dimensional stars into the New Earth. After much gratitude to the Ancient Serpent Woman and for birthing from the Cosmic Egg we went to play on the waterfall. Some of the group went way up high, others had a soak in the pools. It was such a joyful place to be.
It seemed only a short ride back to the hotel then most of us went to have a shower and hot soak in the hot mineral pools and then we went down to the town and to the Boat company office. Walking down to the wharf and onto our boat to take us up to the Star Temple. It had been a bad summer so far with not enough sun and there were not many on our 80 seater boat. The fog and light rain still our friend.
As we went up along the coast we saw bears at two different places foraging (see on picture right hand corner the bear) on the shore looking for food, one was a mother with her cub. Then after looking at all the waterfalls coming down to the ocean along the coast line, the weather started to close in even more and by the time we got to Cape Shiretoko we couldn’t see the light house or the cliffs but we sure could feel the energy. This mission seemed more about the inner planes and sensing rather than seeing places of great importance on our mission like at the Dragons Head and now here at the Star Temple.
The boat turned around at the cape and as we left it with the codes from the Star Temple within us and our hearts feeling so open and loving as the energies were divine, we sighted dolphins of course in perfect timing. They were happy to see us, as we them and they came with us part of the way back. Our boat trip had taken longer than scheduled so it was back to the hotel for a hot pool soak then up to my room for the last workshop preparation time before the exact time of the full moon at 7.57pm local time.
WE HOLD THE STAR LIGHT AND EARTH WISDOM.
In the room we could look out and see the port and the ocean and we did inner unification on the broken DNA strands and template of light transmission activation. Then onto our star linages and one with the Andromedan heart of the Galaxy with the Inner Earth Sun, heart of the Earth, one through our heart. We had a break right as the Sun was setting with the most beautiful magenta pink sunset that illuminated right through the room magenta and the soft sun light.
As we opened up to the stars and the planets within us and the New Solar System stars were downloaded through us. We connected in the Star Temple and the codes we had picked up. Aware of dancing in the stars and into the ethereal Star Temple as the Earth and Star Walkers. Light and free dancing in the beauty of the stars and higher dimensional stars in unlimited possibilities. Aware of the starlight, still present on our physical bodies with the light codes we carried from the Inner Earth, the Living Library of Light and Star Temple, through the higher dimensional stars and into the New Earth that now was re-patterned to absorb the new star lights.
Then holding the energy we walked outside the hotel and over to an area that was parkland with view of the ocean and the hills in the east with the full moon coming up behind the hills, almost risen. As we formed a circle and toned in the codes through the New Earth and Inner Earth Sun, star light codes and living light codes with the blessing and love from the Inner Earth Ancient Ones and Dragons.
As the full moon started to rise at the same time as to my surprise the Cosmic Egg in the Inner Earth came though and was birthed here on the surface. The new creation of the New Earth. Even more to my surprise the Ancient Serpent Woman who was a multi-d aspect of mine (this is not exclusive we are all one with these higher dimensional aspects of our self, it’s just a matter of being clear and unified enough to remember). I had worked with for years as she held the ancient of ancient codes and Earth Wisdom.
As the full moon shone through the clouds as a sign that the light had once again returned to shine through our hearts as we create heaven on earth, it was almost too much to take in what had occurred and awhile to integrate.
In fact when I got back to NZ and into my new home in the countryside with no wifi or tv or radio I was glad these things weren’t working as all I wanted to do was sleep, eat, rest and integrate. As I gradually unpack and sort out my new home.
We are all sorting out our new home, and it’s within our heart. So don’t be hard on yourself if things don’t seem right at present everything is still integrating and takes time to come through into 3d.
With so much love and gratitude for Masumi, Magumi, Coco and Geoff who helped so much with the logistics of the missions. To all the participants in Tokyo and Hokkaido radiant divine ones, thank you for sharing your love and radiant light for this such amazing mission for humanity and the great shift in cycle. I love you, without you none of it is possible divine radiant ones. And to you the reader who was there too as your multi-d selves the Dragon’s, Goddesses Gods, Elementals and divine essences. We have changed the reality, what we have wanted in our hearts all along now coming to us.
In the One Heart so much gratitude and love for all of us, all one.
On the way back to the airport we visited Lake Kussharo again this time it was clear. And in the shop there you can buy dragons eggs, below is their packet wrapping. | 2019-04-21T06:45:07Z | http://www.evenstarcreations.com/index.php/new-earth/light-templates/dragon-lines |
It all began with a command from Isaac to his young son Jacob (whose name God YHVH changed to “Israel”): “You shall not take for a wife from among the daughters of Canaan [meaning, low people]” (see Gen. 28:1). Isaac knew that the Canaanites- the people of Philistia, from whom we have the name Palestinians ever since Jews were sent into the Diaspora, and the Roman emperor of the time renamed the region after their Philistine enemies- worshipped different deities, particularly Baal, and that they would lead many of Israel’s offspring astray.
Yet there is another historical, panoramic, and nationally prophetic reason for Isaac’s fatherly restriction at the time of blessing his promised son, and the reason is that Israel/Jacob- in the Divinely orchestrated passages of him choosing his wives- foreshadows the Son of God (a.k.a. Jesus Christ/Yeshua haMashiach) selecting a “Bride” (i.e., covenant citizenship to reign with Him). When the Messiah returns, no Palestinian will be left in the Holy Land, but all who convert to Christ and remaining believers will be blessed for following only the true God (as opposed to cursed for following false deities); All Muslims will be cast out according to the biblical prophecies.
These dual prophecies- and we know they are dualistic (common in Isaiah) because the Palestinian remnant has not been altogether destroyed- will be fulfilled, and it should be heeded that God does not entertain the politically correct “two-state solution” of the renegade nations and their secular progressive leaders. Those who do not escape Palestine and Islam and cleave to the covenants of the only true God, YHVH, and the House of Israel, have no future under the Messiah.
Thus, I, the scribe, have written all of this to explain why Jacob (Israel) was not to take wives from land of Canaan. His father sent him to his own people to find a bride (Gen. 28:2). This was emphasised in Scripture because the marriage covenant was designed to foreshadow God marrying the land of Israel, with holy citizens united under the coming Messiah.
Isaac, as a type of God the Father, sent Israel to Padan-aram, meaning high tableland, to the house of Bethuel, meaning filiation of Elohim, because only those who are affiliated to the biblical God through his covenants will be exalted as the Bride of Messiah. Thus, we have a clear distinction between two peoples at the end of the age: those who are brought low in their pride and the meek in righteousness who are exalted when Messiah returns to save Jerusalem and Israel from the children of the False Prophet Mohammad, and from the rebellious nations. Those who rebel choose their own fates, for an adoption of sons and daughters is offered by God into the commonwealth of Israel. Those who dwell in the land must again choose between God and Baal, and those who choose Allah can expect the Sword of the Spirit to fall sharply upon them.
For those of you who have read my previous articles, you have likely seen the 22-millenniums template of biblical history and prophecy (completing the alphanumerical Hebrew alphabet) that I commonly call the “Moedim Paradigm.” The terminology suggests a coming paradigm shift in biblical eschatology and exegetics- how Bible-believers will interpret Scriptures in the future.
Moedim means appointed times- a little-known term except by Hebrew-speaking Jews and Messianic Christians who keep the holy days commanded and commissioned by God in the Torah. Unlike many biblical charts, graphs, and diagrams of time that can easily be found everywhere online, with attempts to justify various viewpoints on the Book of Revelation, mystical beliefs, or “Church Age” prophecies, the Moedim Paradigm is the only true, panoramic framework of all Scriptures (that which has been and that which shall to complete this age: the basis of Torah holy days, panoramic parables, messianic similitudes, numerous other biblical enigmas, and foreshadowing signs of the age to come).
It consists of three overlapping, millennial weeks followed by a final millennial day, which can be discerned alongside the writings of Paul in Hebrews, Ch. 3 and 4. In literal millenniums, it covers 12,000 years from the Genesis restoration and replenishing of the world (God’s creation of the Garden of Eden, after the Younger Dryas) to the second coming of the Messiah (see previous articles on New Genesis Theory and Prophetic Genesis Theory). With Messiah’s millennial reign in Jerusalem added, it covers 13,000 years. Finally, it ventures into the beginning of the 14th millennial day and the great Battle of Gog and Magog (see Rev. 19:7-14), which is directly related to the final judgment (G.W.T.J.).
In a previous article that I wrote on the prophetic measurements and times of Noah’s Ark, I draw-out theses three weeks with the dove (i.e. the Holy Spirit) searching for a resting place for the ark (symbolic for the Great Sabbath elect of spiritual Jerusalem). Indeed, I have worn my zeal thin in demonstrating this framework in various ways with Scriptures, yet this article will again explain it in another way and add a bit more support to its paradigm of time.
The gist of the foreshadowing story of Israel going out to find a wife from among his own people is that Israel would actually have to work two weeks of years for two wives: the first according to the law of the land and the latter by a promise and the work of Jacob’s faith. Not only that, but the son of Isaac would receive several children from his wives’ servants, as concubines, and he would have to work six more years for the sake of his wives’ father, Laban. Hence, Jacob working for three weeks of years, departing into the wilderness on the 21st year, was orchestrated by God to show the entire millennial works of the Son of God is forming a covenant family from many people- not only Jews according to the Law of the land but also the desired/promised wife of faith with servants of the covenants. This is entirely the basis of the three millennial weeks of the Moedim Paradigm structure.
The work done by God through Christ entails forming a family from Jews and Gentiles to restore the twelve tribes of the commonwealth of greater Israel. But not only has our Lord worked a week for each covenant people, but he has also worked a week in the beginning for the Father, in forming a paradise for them. At the appointed time, the two people and all the children of Israel will become one in the wilderness of tabernacles (the fulfillment of the shadows of Sukkot). Moreover, the people of God should consider that there are many things that are not being taught by Jew nor Gentile shepherds, but all things shall be restored to prepare a people for the coming of the Lord. These appointed times reveal the necessary steps to the coming Kingdom of Heaven, as the House of God on Earth.
After Jacob received his blessing and instructions from his father, he went upon his journey- i.e., his wife-hunting quest- from Beersheba, meaning well of the oath/promise, through the wilderness of Haran, meaning mountainous. First comes the promise and covenant by the deep waters of the Word, and then comes exaltation of the meek and faithful in the fullness of appointed time.
Bible readers may recall that Haran was where Abram answered the call to escape Babylon- the Chaldeans, meaning demons- when God called him out to the Promised Land (see Gen. 12:1-4). Abram was at first promised that he would be the father of a “great nation,” which we know to be Israel via the lineage of renewed promises. The world would be blessed through his Seed (the extended covenant of the Messiah). Then the Lord YHVH changed his name to Abraham and explained that he would be the father of “many nations” joined in the covenant.
Thus, when we take a closer look at Jacob taking a similar journey through the wilderness of Haran, we conclude that even the smallest details of Scripture were orchestrated by God with prophetic parallels and panoramic purposes. Indeed, Jacob’s name would also be changed, and he, too, would receive a much larger family than what he had originally expected. It may be that Isaac, who symbolizes God the Father in this ancient quest for Israel, had a name meaning laughter not only because of Sarah the Princess initially laughing at the promise of receiving a child in her old age; it may suggest that God has the last laugh on the entire House of Israel- people who have not perceived His panoramic plan in building the family of God.
Remember, while the Gentile woman was gathering two sticks for a humble meal for herself and her son, expecting death in the half-week of trials and famine, Elijah was predicting an overflow of the oil of Spiritual anointing and an increase in the nourishing, sustaining meal of the Word. And as Prophet Ezekiel was shown, indeed two sticks will be refined in tribulations from death to life, until they are raised as one people and one flock from many folds, with the whole House of David resurrected and restored. Sometimes we get more than we expect and perceive with natural eyes. Sometimes joy follows sorrows, and such is the case of what shall be with the whole Household of God.
As is often the case when people must leave loved ones behind and dwell in solitude, they draw closer to God with spiritual awareness. The Lord appeared to Jacob in the loneliness of the wilderness, but his message was that that he would receive a very large family, even as the dust upon which he rested. Again, it was a promised increase, just as Abraham received a promise that his descendants would be as the stars of heaven (Gen. 15:5). The dust of the earth and the stars of the heavens indicate a union between both Heaven (spiritual) and Earth (corporeal).
The fulfillment of the Word of God is not merely a promise of joining the family in death, but it is spiritually manifest on Earth, just as New Jerusalem comes down out of Heaven to Earth. Moreover, the spiritual things are blueprints of God’s work in building a blessed Kingdom and elect family in this world. One believer might say, “I am spiritual Israel by the promise and faith,” and the other might rebut, “I am a true Israelite in the flesh with a lineage on Earth,” but God joins together the faithful of Earth and Heaven, fathers and children, spiritual and corporeal, patriarchs and matriarchs to sons and daughters. While Christian denominations ever-splinter into new groups to feign themselves as the true elect, and while practicing Jews oftentimes pride themselves on their fleshly inheritance to remain exclusive, God yet laughs. He will bring down the mountains of religious pride and lift the meek valleys as one people who shall embrace His covenants in faith and obedience to His Word.
They will be set straight in their doctrines as the wilderness is prepared for the coming of Messiah. And for those who do not listen to Elijah and yet harden their hearts, their only recourse is an ultimate curse of utter destruction (see Mal. 4:5-6). Indeed, we would all do well to show our love for all the brethren, including sisters of the faith, and count the promise of an innumerable multitude as a blessing from God, as Abraham and Jacob did, lest we find that in our pride and refusal to reason we are cast outside of the gates to knock in vain at Heaven’s door.
Still, the questions remain: ‘Why did God show Israel a vision of a ladder, with angels ascending and descending, when promising him the Holy Land and such a large nation of descendants? Do angels really need a ladder to traverse back and forth from Heaven to Earth?’ I think we all know better. A ladder is a series of steps in reaching the glory of the Lord- the High Calling. Angels are messengers, be they spirits or inspired people who are sent to share the Word. By implication, the message of the vision is that the messages of God come from Heaven to Earth in a series of steps, over time, and those who aspire to reach the House of God must take the time to climb to greater heights.
The dream may also indicate that spirits come and go from Heaven and Earth, dying and being born again in the steps of life. But this will be covered in another article with scriptural support.
Finally, the vision may allude to all of the faithful of Israel being called to the wilderness during the Apocalypse night, when we seek the promised Sabbath of rest; perhaps, like Jacob, our spirits will then be awakened to Heaven as we yet dwell in the flesh on Earth.
Further, several truths may be suggested from the one revelation. What we do know for certain is that the inspiring revelation of God and His messengers ascending and descending has to do with the Promised Land and the families of the world being blessed through his Christ.
Note that the Lord seeing Nathanael dwelling under the fig tree was a prophetic, messianic sign that alludes to the day when God finishes gathering all of Israel, and they call their family and neighbors under the fig tree (see Zech. 3:9-10). In prophecy, the fig tree often represents Israel.
Hence, Christ was telling Nathanael that not only did He see him when he thought he was alone, but the One who called him is the true Yeshua of seven eyes of the Spirit. As for the fulfillment of the promise, Christ’s disciples twice saw Heaven opened: The first time was when Peter, James, and John had a vision on a high mountain in the wilderness (Mount of Transfiguration), wherein they saw Christ’s coming glory during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). In that vision of the coming glory, God spoke and told them to listen to His Son, and Moses and Elijah (the two witnesses of Revelation who unite the people) appeared and talked with Him. In the latter fulfillment, the heavens were opened and Messiah’s disciples witnessed him ascend into heaven, with two mysterious men in white garments explaining that Christ would return as He left (see Acts 1:5-12).
When we add all these things together, they suggest the coming marriage of the Lamb to a called people in the wilderness. Therefore, what Jacob saw was the Great Sabbath to come and the Household of God coming down to Earth, even as Israel awakens to the Truth.
I, the scribe, cannot go into every prophetic implication and foreshadowing of messianic details for the next seven chapters of Genesis, until Jacob is commanded to return with his family to Bethel to set up an alter to God (Gen. 35:1), lest I write an entire book rather than an article. However, I will summarize these things and leave them for readers to search out.
The story of Jacob’s journey resumes with another great stone set before him- one in a field that covered a well (29:1-3). For the shepherds of the land, it was where they would gather their three flocks to water them. When the great stone was rolled away, they could draw water, and then the stone would be rolled back into its place until the next appointed time.
These sheep allude to three flocks of Israel being gathered together and the water of everlasting life given on the third millennial day since the cross. Hence, Christ told a Samaritan woman sitting at a well that people will thirst again for regular water, but He had the waters that spring forth for everlasting life (see John 4:10-14). We know these as “living waters” and the “river of life,” and other such terms that illustrate the everlasting life we are offered in the New Testament- the Gospel of Salvation. And it is probably no coincidence that the fresh waters of the Word began to be preached after the resurrection, when the great stone of Christ’s tomb was rolled away and He began to appear to encourage His disciples with the good news. Indeed, a stone covering is yet another indication of messianic prophecy (see Zech. 4:7).
Another thing to consider is that the Stone of Israel, Christ, had to be removed from His place as King for the people to receive the Gospel of His sacrifice, but He will return to His rightful place on the third millennial day, with all the sheep who thirst after righteousness satisfied. Just as the children of Israel had to throw a tree into the bitter waters of the Law in the wilderness, to freshen it and save them on their journey to the Promised Land, we must receive the sweet waters that come via the cross of Christ’s sacrifice.
Jacob then met with some shepherds of Haran and asked them if they knew Laban bar-Nahor, meaning white slumbering, and they replied that they did and that he was well. In fact, they informed him that Laban’s daughter was approaching with his flock of sheep. As the text reads, the shepherds then resisted Jacob’s request to water and feed the sheep before the evening cattle were gathered, for all the sheep were normally gathered at one time before the great stone was rolled away. But when Jacob met with Rachael and saw the sheep thirsty, he rolled away the stone and watered them nonetheless. This reminds me of the passage where Christ said, “Take away the stone,” as He went to raise Lazarus on the fourth day, although Martha and others believed that the dead could only be raised at a certain time, at the last day of the millennial week. Christ reminded them that He has the authority and power to give life or sustain life whenever He chooses.
I am not sure how much should be gleaned from the short account, but it should be noted that shepherds are often synonymous with religious leaders of God’s flock in Scriptures (e.g. priests, rabbis). Apparently, the shepherds only wanted to water and feed them when they were all gathered in a congregation, at specific times.
The lesson we learn from Jacob, and indeed much later with Christ, is that love and compassion should compel spiritual leaders of the people to preach and encourage others any time of the day. “He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst,” said Christ (see John 6:35). As we read the Gospels, it takes little discernment to perceive that Christ and His disciples approached their ministry and preached to the people in an entirely different manner than the somewhat haughty and self-important priests and rabbis of the time (resulting in God YHVH destroying the priesthood and the Temple in that generation).
After hearing Jacob’s good tidings (his gospel) and a month of lodging, Laban approached his nephew and asked him what seemed appropriate for his wages, rather than Jacob serving him freely (29:15). As was custom in those days, Hebrew men paid a dowry to the fathers of the women whom they wished to marry, and Jacob favored the younger, more beautiful of Laban’s two daughters, Rachel.
Accordingly, his older daughter Leah was a bit on the earthly side and homely, and apparently she found little favor in Jacob’s eyes. So Jacob proposed working for Laban for seven years for Rachael (29:18), and although Laban agreed, there may have been an early sign of reluctance in his words: “Better that I should give her to you than I should should grant her to another man.” With that, the bridegroom worked for seven years for his future father-in-law, although they seemed but a few days to Jacob because he loved her so.
Here we find that God indeed has a sense of humor; we humans didn’t gain it out of thin air or by evolutionary happenchance. And, of course, God must be just, even if we don’t realize it when we are reaping what we sewed, be it in this life, in the afterlife, or in another. You see, Jacob was a bit of a trickster himself- a heel catcher or supplanter– and he tricked his older brother out of his father’s blessing and inheritance (27:1-35). Also, by feeding his hungry brother- after him hunting long in the field and starving- red pottage and bread, Jacob gained his birthright (25:34). Indeed, it must have been humbling when Jacob awoke the next morning to find that he got a bit more than he had bargained for. In fact, he got someone altogether different than he had desired during the seven years of his servitude.
Jacob had tricked his own father when his eyes were failing, but then his father-by-law tricked him when he could barely see in the night. As for the nation of Israel, they made a covenant with the Father, likened to a marriage (see Jer. 31:31-33), and God worked to deliver and teach them in truth and righteousness; but then Israel rejected God as their King and Husband and selected Saul to reign in His stead (cf. 1 Sam. 8:4-8; 1 Chron. 29:23). And the saga continues when Jews tried to make Yeshua King of Judea by force, but He escaped them, and the covenant of the Bridegroom went out to the Gentiles with Jewish leaders rejecting the cross.
Thus, the Lord first made a covenant with Israel, which He repeatedly said “wearied” Him and themselves with their rebellious ways (cf. Isa. 1:14; 7:13; 43:23-24; 47:13; 57:10; Jer. 4:31; 12:5; 15:6; Mal. 2:17). Likewise, Jacob first received Leah, which means weary. God desired a faithful people of covenant, but he received a people who worshiped other gods, had little faith, and became ill-favored in His eyes. With Leah we find a wife who was given according to the law of the land, which looks to earthly Israel before the Diaspora. But in these last days the Lord has been working for a desired people of faith and promise- Jews and Gentiles of a new Jerusalem that comes down from the Father as a citizenry Bride for the Great King.
After Jacob accepted the switch, he worked seven more years, totaling fourteen, and received Rachael as a wife, and her handmaiden was her younger sister Bilhah, meaning meek or perhaps even timid. During that time, the Lord saw that Leah was hated. Therefore, he blessed her for her affliction with a son, Reuben, followed by Simeon, Levi the priest, and Judah- the tribe of the Savior.
Then began the competition for who could have more children for the love of Israel, and Rachael, envying her sister, gave Jacob her handmaiden Bilhah for a concubine. And this came after she pleaded with Jacob for children in anguish of death, whereby he exclaimed, “Am I in God’s stead, who has withered the fruit of your womb?” But Bilhah had a son for Rachael, whom she named Dan since God judged her childlessness. Bilhah thereafter had another son, Naphtali, meaning that Rachael prevailed in striving with her sister Leah. This was followed by Leah then making her handmaiden Zilpah a surrogate wife, and she bore Gad, a trooper, then Asher. After that, Rachael, who had the greater love of Jacob, traded his husbandly service for a night for Leah’s son’s mandrakes from the wheat harvest, which was the night she conceived of her fifth son, Issachar. Finally, Leah had her sixth son, Zebulun- from whom came the tribal allotment where the Ark of the Covenant was hidden, along the rocks close to where the Sea of Galilee meets the Jordan.
Yet, Leah had one more child to give, only the seventh and final was a daughter. And this was for a sign, for on the seventh millennial day from Adam, the Great Sabbath, the Daughter of Zion, the Bride of Messiah, will sit in judgment of the nations with the Great King. Up until that time, Jacob had eleven children, and then Rachael had Joseph. Later, Rachael would have a last son and child of Jacob, Benjamin, the twelfth of the sons. Benjamin, however, would not be born until after their wilderness journey home.
While Jacob was ready to return home after two weeks of years, God was not finished blessing him with substance. Nor was the panoramic paradigm of time complete. A third week was needed in service to the father of the wives, which would indicate the creation week. Not only that, but a separation of the flock of God and Israel from the lesser flock left behind had to be demonstrated. It was necessary for Jacob to work until the 21st year, for the wilderness gathering for the Great Sabbath comes at the end of twenty millenniums. | 2019-04-21T06:10:39Z | https://mysteriesofthescriptures.net/2015/12/25/bride-of-christ-and-the-moedim-paradigm/ |
Recent developments have given researchers real optimism that advances in treatment could be on the horizon—at last.
For Michael Tsun, the first sign of trouble came late in 2012, when the Fairfax County, Virginia, resident began feeling pain in his shoulders and around his buttocks. Soon thereafter, Tsun and his physician took aim at polymyalgia rheumatica (pmr), a pain syndrome that often hits men over 50.
Tsun, then 62, started taking prednisone and methotrexate, two drugs that usually deliver PMR relief after a bit of dosage juggling and side-effect managing. But Tsun decided after six months to stop taking them. He feared that they were causing a new problem with slurred speech. Soon thereafter, his body began making too much saliva, leading to coughing fits and drooling.
Over time, his slurring problems grew worse, and he started breaking out now and again into boisterous laughter at inappropriate moments.
Tsun felt like he had seen this symptom mix before. A pulmonologist with a practice specializing in internal medicine, he had cared for perhaps half a dozen patients over the years with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), the degenerative and deadly neurological disorder that many people know better as Lou Gehrig’s disease, after the famous baseball star who died from it in 1941.
Tsun’s ALS patients had also exhibited muscle stiffness, twitching and slurring. He now started wondering if his problems would turn out to be early steps in a frightening journey of physical decline, with leg and arm muscles growing weaker and weaker to the point of total failure, and the muscles he needed to speak, swallow and breathe following suit in short order.
“It was a very sad illness to see,” Tsun says. As a physician, all he could do was be supportive and offer palliative care.
After making this tentative self-diagnosis, Tsun retreated into a shell of denial. He did not share his worries with his primary care doctor, nor did he seek out a specialist who might confirm his suspicions once and for all.
It was Tsun’s wife, Betty, and the couple’s grown son, Matthew, an attorney, who coaxed him out of that shell. They argued that no physician could be objective when it came to a self-diagnosis like this one, and Tsun had to concede they had a point.
But when he did go see a neurologist in the spring of 2014, it turned out that his diagnosis was on the mark. Soon after that, the pulmonologist-turned-patient arrived in Baltimore to see Nicholas Maragakis, co-medical director of the ALS Clinic at Johns Hopkins.
“I was devastated,” Tsun says.
At the moment, there is little that ALS clinicians can offer a new patient in the way of prognostic details. ALS tends to strike people in their late 50s and early 60s. Six in 10 victims are men. Nine in 10 are white. Most patients will succumb to the disease in three to four years. Others die much more quickly. A lucky few manage to hang in there—one in 10 survives for 10 years, and one in 20 makes it to 20.
Clinicians like Maragakis are unable to predict early on which new patients will land on which survival curve. Nor can they give patients reliable warnings about which mix of symptoms is likely for which cases, or how speedy and severe any individual’s decline will most likely turn out to be.
It has been like this for nearly two centuries now. Back in 1824, the Scottish surgeon and philosopher Sir Charles Bell was the first to describe a condition whose characteristics match those of ALS. It was 1874 when the French neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot gave the disease a name and pinpointed its cause in neurological problems of a mysterious nature.
It would be wildly inaccurate, however, to say that nothing has been learned about ALS over that long stretch. In fact, the important discoveries from the last few years alone are way too voluminous to catalog here.
Here is the big frustration in ALS circles: that knowledge has not yet turned into clinical breakthroughs that make a big difference for patients. Just one drug, riluzole, is approved for ALS care, and it is of modest value, helping patients live for five or six extra months.
Is there any hope on the horizon that this state of affairs might change at last?
The short answer is yes. There is a palpable sense of hope in ALS science circles these days. And that optimism very much includes a fingers-crossed suspicion that treatment advances are just up ahead on the research horizon.
The excitement is fueled in part by important new discoveries. In recent years, scientists have pinpointed a key genetic cause of the disease and begun sorting through, to an unprecedented degree, the way that mutation plays out inside the brain’s motor neuron cells.
Another source of real optimism is Answer ALS, a new undertaking headquartered at the Robert Packard Center for ALS Research at Johns Hopkins. Over the next three years, that venture will build a gigantic new information repository with highly detailed data and images from 1,000 patients at five top clinics around the country.
One indication of its prospects: More than $20 million in private financing to support the project has been raised in impressively short order.
Neurologist Jeffrey Rothstein, founder and director of both the ALS Clinic and the Packard Center at Johns Hopkins, is also the architect of this initiative. To hear him describe it, Answer ALS is aiming to spark a revolution in the way scientists look at this and other neurodegenerative diseases—by bringing every scrap of new, 21st-century medical technology and scientific knowledge to bear on solving the remaining mysteries of the disease and developing treatments that really work for patients.
Like many other ALS patients, Curtis Brand, 71, did not hear any alarm bells three years ago in the early days of his encounter with the disease. At first, the weakness in his knees and lower back seemed a minor annoyance. He tried a round of physical therapy. Then came surgery to straighten out a hammertoe.
Brand and his wife, Judy, started to feel genuine alarm when Curtis’ recovery from that foot surgery progressed at a snail’s pace. Soon thereafter, Brand exhibited a kind of twitching under the skin known as fasciculations.
They went to see a neurologist and then traveled to Baltimore in June 2014 to see Maragakis at the ALS Clinic. He is the one who confirmed that Brand has ALS.
At any given time, 30,000 people in the United States are living with ALS. About 6,000 new cases are diagnosed every year, roughly one every 90 minutes. Epidemiologically speaking, the prevalence of ALS is measured at two in 1,000, or 0.2 percent of the population. That number makes it tempting to toss around the word “rare—but that’s not a word Rothstein likes to hear.
Answer ALS (answerals.org) aims to take the science of the disease and move it, quite quickly, into the vanguard of 21st-century medicine. There, familiar and futuristic-sounding buzzwords will come into play—personalized brain medicine, for one, along with big data and machine learning. Rothstein, the co-director of Answer ALS, ticks off a string of –omics that will be in the picture too—genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and more.
“I call it the multi-omics approach,” he says.
But the big idea behind Answer ALS isn’t all that complicated. The best clinics and labs in the land are going to gather up every single image and scrap of information those 1,000 patients have to offer. The result will be a database so chock full of detail that there are multiple hard drives of data on every individual patient.
With help from big-data experts in the private sector, Answer ALS scientists will sort through all that information in search of patterns that reveal newly discernable disease phenotypes, suggest productive lines of scientific inquiry and lead the way, at long last, to breakthroughs at the bedside.
This mix of “big data, comprehensive biological analytics, technology and science would not have been possible a decade ago,” says Clive Svendsen, director of the Regenerative Medicine Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and co-director with Rothstein of Answer ALS.
At this point, a few words of caution seem advisable. Many senior scientists in ALS circles might well experience a touch of déjà vu when it comes to all the excitement surrounding recent discoveries. Back in the heady days of the 1990s, too, it seemed like important breakthroughs were just up ahead on the research horizon.
The first time ALS was linked to a genetic mutation was in 1993. The guilty party was a gene called SOD1, which, when normal, produces an enzyme that helps the brain stay healthy over time. That enzyme is missing when the mutation is present.
This discovery sparked a flurry of research activity, including the development at Johns Hopkins of a mouse model for the SOD1 mutation. That model soon became the testing ground for lots of promising new medications, including the aforementioned riluzole, which was derived from research done in Rothstein’s lab and became, in 1995, the first ALS drug to win FDA approval.
No one would have predicted two decades would go by without a major treatment advance.
Thomas Lloyd was earning his M.D. and Ph.D. at Baylor College of Medicine in those years. He is now a Johns Hopkins neurologist who studies ALS in Drosophila melanogaster, the fruit fly.
“I can remember being in seminars where people at the front of the room were saying things like, ‘Now that we have this gene, it’s just a matter of time before we have a treatment,’” Lloyd recalls.
In the years that followed, however, scientists learned that the SOD1 mutation comes into play in just a tiny number of inherited, or familial, ALS cases. (The bulk of ALS cases are actually “sporadic,” not inherited.) In the two decades that followed the approval of riluzole in 1995, more than 100 other drugs have been tested in the SOD1 mouse model.
Only time will tell if Answer ALS gets the results Rothstein and his colleagues are hoping for, but thanks to a trio of recent advances, the excitement around the project certainly seems built on more than wishful thinking.
The first of these developments came in 2007, when Japanese researcher Shinya Yamanaka showed that skin cells taken from adults could be converted back into stem cells, which can in turn be repropagated and reprogrammed into various other cell types. Yamanaka shared the 2012 Nobel Prize in Medicine for that discovery. Much of the attention paid to his advance involves hopes for regenerative medicine strategies that involve delivering healthy new cells to damaged organs.
In ALS, Yamanaka’s discovery plays out differently. Here, researchers are using induced pluripotent stem (IPS) cells as a limitless supply of motor neurons that can be studied in the laboratory as a perfect genetic match for the brain cells in any given patient.
“This is such a big change for us,” Rothstein says. In other illnesses, he notes, taking a close look at what’s happening in the cells of patients is no big deal. “But it doesn’t work that way in neurological disease. I can’t do a biopsy. I’m not going to drill a hole in the skull and draw out tissue; you can cause epilepsy that way. Patients can lose memories or become paralyzed.” IPS cell lines have given neurologists a way around that problem.
A second reason for optimism came in 2011, when two groups of researchers, one at the National Institute on Aging and the other at Mayo Clinic, simultaneously announced the discovery of a mutation in a gene called C9ORF72—C9, for short—that is involved in nearly one-half of inherited cases of ALS, along with 10 percent of sporadic cases.
That adds up to perhaps one-third of ALS cases, an unprecedented development in the field. By comparison, the SOD1 mutation discovered with such fanfare in the 1990s is involved in only about 2 percent of cases. As an added bonus: The C9 mutation is also present in one-third of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) cases. FTD is the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer’s.
A third piece in this fast-developing ALS puzzle surfaced in the latter part of 2015, when a team of Johns Hopkins neurologists led by Rothstein and Lloyd reported in Nature that the C9 mutation is no garden-variety affair. For one thing, the mutation lies not in the coding message, where such things usually occur, but rather in a noncoding region, called an intron, which is spliced out of the C9 gene.
“Think about a string of pearls,” Rothstein suggests. “You might assume looking at it that the shiny pearls are where all the action is, right? But the string is important too. It’s holding everything together,” and that string in this case is the intron.
To make matters more interesting, the C9 mutation does not consist, as so many mutations do, of a single isolated coding error. Where a healthy gene might have a sequence of six DNA nucleotides repeating six times in a row, that sequence is repeated “500 times, or even more” in the unhealthy gene, Lloyd says.
Picture what that does to Rothstein’s string of pearls: It’s as if the space between two pearls stretches out over a length of feet or even yards, rather than the few millimeters of gap between pearls in a healthy string.
A long-standing mystery about ALS centers on the decadeslong time lag that allows a mutation present at birth to show up as disease only after 50 or 60 years. The Nature paper includes new twists on that piece of the puzzle.
Those tests pointed to RanGAP, a protein that normally acts as a sort of traffic cop, helping molecules move through “nuclear pores” and out into the cytoplasm of a cell. One reason the problems that arise in the C9 mutation don’t become an issue early in life is that pores become, in Lloyd’s words, “a little leaky over time.” Once that happens, RanGAP starts clumping up outside the nucleus, causing traffic tie-ups that prevent key bits of communication that it was able to facilitate back in its pre-leaky youth.
In Rothstein’s lab, researchers next looked for confirmation of Lloyd’s RanGAP clumping in brain tissue from an autopsy bank of brain tissue taken from ALS patients. They found it, fueling hope that the next research steps will lead to drugs or other therapies that can ease or bypass the clumping phenomenon and allow RanGAP to once again resume its role as the good traffic cop.
The Nature paper served up one more tantalizing, if preliminary, tidbit. In both fly cells and human stem cells, RanGAP clumping started to disappear when bits of RNA called oligonucleotides were added into cells with the C9 mutation. The oligonucleotides seemed to attach themselves to introns in ways that deactivated the problems on those elongated introns in the string of pearls.
“Between the genetic discoveries and using these cellular-based approaches to understanding the disease and developing therapies, it couldn’t be a more exciting time,” Rothstein says. The Lloyd and Rothstein labs have already set up a partnership with a pharmaceutical company interested in pursuing potential therapies, though any such development is still years away from human trials.
ALS clinicians often recommend that patients “lean into” the disease, preparing for its eventualities by taking proactive steps early on. It is much easier, for example, to get fitted for a wheelchair or motorized scooter before you actually need it or get used to technological options for communicating before the power of speech is altogether gone.
The Brands took this sort of approach. Late in 2014, they moved out of a stairway-filled house in Washington, D.C., and into a condo in nearby Arlington, Virginia, which they retrofitted with a number of special design features that are now coming in handy. Curtis has now lost the use of his hands, arms and legs. The Brands participated in the interview for this story over speakerphone because, while Curtis is still able to talk, it can be hard for a newcomer to make out all of his words without assistance from Judy.
Michael Tsun, too, is learning to seek out new ways to make the most of each day. He was devastated to give up his medical practice. It was nearly as difficult to give up golf. The interviews that Tsun did for this story were conducted by email, as he can no longer speak. Unlike Brand, Tsun still has pretty good functioning in his arms and legs.
He has found his way to new hobbies—photography, travel and cooking among them. Since his diagnosis, he and his wife have been to Hong Kong and China, visiting the home villages of family members. They have also been to Vietnam, Singapore and several countries in Europe.
“I really enjoy trying to capture local people in their environs” with the camera, he says. Both the Tsuns and the Brands follow the news on the latest ALS findings coming out of neurology laboratories, but neither is obsessive about it. Like most other patients, the two have also found their ways to strategies that, while still unproven, feel right for their individual journeys. Tsun gets regular acupuncture treatments. Brand followed a ketogenic diet when he was still eating on his own; he is now on a feeding tube.
As modern-day scientific endeavors go, Answer ALS has several unique qualities. It has more of a corporate aura than the standard academic endeavor, with ambitious milestones clearly laid out on a strict timetable for all to see. In addition, the humongous database that Rothstein and Svendsen are coordinating of those 1,000 patients will be an open-source affair, accessible without restriction to researchers around the world. | 2019-04-25T08:53:25Z | https://www.answerals.org/2016/02/24/an-answer-to-als/ |
Forum Thread: Why does Secunia PSI require Adminstrative Rights to run?
Why does Secunia PSI require Adminstrative Rights to run?
Since Vista and now Win7, Many of us users are running as User not Administrator. My question is why this application requires Administrative rights to run? I understand the installation requiring Admin rights but not the regular usage.
Any comments on when this application will run under a User account?
thedillpickl RE: Why does Secunia PSI require Adminstrative Rights to run?
Not knowing the useage of administrator and user for either Vista or Win7, I would presume that they are similar to the meaning in XP. The administrator has the ability to add & remove programs, to change certain settings critical to the function of the OS & hardware interface and most sensitive, remove or change any file. The user only has control over his part of the computer, data files desktop settings, etc. The user dosn't have the "rights" to change things globally.
Can you add & remove programs, partition hard drives or add new hardware (not a USB plug in) as a user? Does more than one person use the computer? Is this computer set up by someone else, a bussiness office supply or computer support company?
Sorry to not be of much help, perhaps someone knoledgeable in Vista & Win7 will answer shortly.
SirTazOfMania RE: Why does Secunia PSI require Adminstrative Rights to run?
Windows Vista and 7 were the 1st & 2nd Windows Operating Systems that made it tolerable to run your account as a "User" A.K.A. "Standard User" which is similar to how Linux and Mac OS user accounts have been for years.
Running as an "Administrator" in Windows is the same as running as "Root" in Linux... which basically means you can do anything to the Operating System (delete files, rename, add/remove applications, etc.). Unfortunately, running your account as an Administrator also allows viruses, spyware, etc. to install and run (since Most Operating Systems don't know whether an application is good or bad). This is why an Antivirus application is so important to the health of your Computer.
Anyway, the reason for my post was "Why does Secunia PSI require Administrative rights to run?" It should be able to run using a "User" account. If you browse this forum you will see alot of people having problems auto-starting this application because they are running as a "User" and don't have the right to auto-run applications at start-up that require Administrator rights.
I suppose the quick answer then is that PSI is spyware. However, in this case it's use is benevolent. You are allowing PSI to monitor, collect and report critical information about software installed on your machine.
A side note: If you are running Linux in root, you are doing some type of maintenance or adding/removing software, etc. That dosn't necessarily cause you to be vulnerable. You would still have to allow something bad to happen. You are correct in saying that you do not run Linux that way.
Another side note: I don't know anything about Mac OS on the TI chipset, but am compelled by OS X running on Intel. I need more time & $$$ to go down that road though.
MaritimeRider RE: Why does Secunia PSI require Adminstrative Rights to run?
Secunia is far from being spam. On the contrary,it is a security program. It is installed and does not just appear on your computer.
Now, administrative rights is also a form of security Since the title is administrator to prevent changes to your computer.To run it as the main acct. leaves you more open to hackers. Thus the reason this should be a separate acct.If a user's acct is hacked,less damage can be done.
From the start, I found this to be an annoyance and therefore I have disabled it.If the admin.rights are required, I use my user acct.
Now this is not recommended, but with the extra security software I have,and I am the sole user;it works for me.
Thus, it is a logical request to ask for admin. permission for a program that strives for 100% protection.
Last edited on 19th Nov, 2009 08:31 When I first began beta testing this application I thought this was (and still do) really good software that does something to really help us Windows users keep our installed applications up to date and our systems secure and Secunia should be commended for putting this out for us.
My gripe is that since this software is simply monitoring the other software installed on my computer, why does it need Administrative rights? My anti-virus doesn't even need Administrative rights to run.
Anthony Wells RE: Why does Secunia PSI require Adminstrative Rights to run?
Last edited on 19th Nov, 2009 21:18 As far as I can remember , OSI and then PSI were security checkers and suggested what you could do to update in a basic fashion .
The current version of PSI on my XP SP3 (like Fred - and I understand his explanation) lets me as single user and presumably "administrator" have quite detailed access , using the "toolbox" , to some integral parts of my PC . I'm not sure I would want to let any other person (user) to have the same access when I wasn't there , so to speak ; not if they could "change" programmes .
First point, I didn't say PSI is spam http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam , I said it was a type of spyware http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spyware .
Quoting Wikipedia: "Spyware is a type of malware that is installed on computers and collects information about users without their knowledge".
You want to install PSI so it is collecting information with your knowledge. In this instance PSI can not be considered malware because it is doing what you want it to do.
Second point, MaritimeRider states: "On the contrary,it is a security program." I beg to differ. Secuina PSI is information gathering software. It provides no security features. It monitors the software installed on you machine and reports to you any information necessary for you to secure your system. It also provides information & helps you to that end.
Third point, SirTazOfMania said: "My gripe is that since this software is simply monitoring the other software installed on my computer...". I differ in opinion once again, PSI is not "simply monitoring" programs, it is: (A) Watching for installation/removal of programs. (B) Checking vendor websites for updates of installed programs that pose security risks and reporting that to you. (C) Watching for end of life notifications and reporting that to you. (D) Transferring anonymous information about your system to a Secuina database so they can keep track of what's going on for everyones benefit.
Please know this, it does not bother me if you consider what I say to be in error. After all, everyone makes mistakes. Just be sure not to misquote me, as I make enough mistakes on my own and do not require assistance.
I understand what you are saying regarding my "monitoring" definition but I stand by the use of it... It's "monitoring" other applications and comparing them with Secunia's online databases.
RE your issue with MaritimeRider saying this is a Security program, well, you're splitting hairs now... It's a security program in the sense it helps you keep your applications current and alerts you when there is a "Security" vulnerability for an application on your system. So it could be considered a security program.
My point is the same, however... It should NOT require Administrator privileges to do this. If you want this application to Auto-run when your computer starts, forget about it. Windows Vista & 7 will NOT allow applications that require Administrator privileges to auto-run. The computer boots, you enter your password, the desktop comes up, and then the UAC for allowing Secunia PSI to auto-run pops up asking for administrator credentials to start. There is a work-around for all this using Task Scheduler but doing this creates a security issue and defeats the purpose of running as a Standard user.
Again, I commend Secunia on a great piece of software that solves a big problem for us Windows users in helping us keep are programs current. I just would like it to run without needing Administrator privileges.
My intention is not to offend anyone on this forum, neither is it to offer bad or misleading information. In this case I may have done both. If this is the case, I apologize. I will leave the discussion for others more knowledgeable.
I'm sorry if you disagree about the "security v. information" software issue. Maybe we could discuss it elseware if you like.
BTW I have to ask, do you wear short pants when you play in the sandbox?
No offense taken. I noticed you on a few other threads helping others and giving some good advice. Sometimes, when we are sitting in front of our monitors, we read something and it registers differently for different people. That's what makes us all human.
I only started this thread because the startup issue is driving me crazy. I like this application, except for this one problem.
Been great chatting with you.
Last edited on 21st Nov, 2009 13:24 Now then children , no squabbling in my sandbox - even if it's a shiny Chrome one today (courtesy of you know who :)) . As it happens , Mr Nosey , down here on the "Med" , I also wear short pants for swimming in the sea (being an ex Beach/Sea Lifeguard ) , red ones if you must .
The semantics are interesting as our Danes use the terms "insecure" and "secure browsing" on their Tabs ; whilst they only used to collect info to detect "program vulnerabilities " and display their advice for you perusal , nowadays ,they offer download solutions/patches which "you" choose "yourself" to download ; plus file access with "open folder" and "ignore folder" links in their most useful "toolbox" . PSI may not be a "security" programme as such , being a programme vulnerability" checker , I do consider it a vital part of my "security" system ** (FWIW it's kept next to my "sandboxie" and "security suite") .
All this only seems to add to my feeling that PSI should either be "password" protected or need "admin" access . I'm not sure Secunia would switch this in free software .
Your insistence and frustration with your OS is probably understandable from your point of view SirTaz , but you still have not answered my original query as to why my "safety/security blanket" would be better if PSI did not need "admin rights" on my XP PC . You say you have a work around which reduces your safety , so apparently do the IE security settings required for PSI to 'phone home . What would I need to do and why , in non-techie words please :)) , to retain my current levels of security ?? Why should I support you , other than my selflessness and willingness to put myself at risk ??
**"Drive by malware" exploits (a huge problem) seem to have a love in with insecure/out of date versions of Flash Player and Java .
PSI does not change any settings on your computer security-wise, it simply tracks and notifies you on the status of software installed. There are other applications such as "SUMo" which also checks to ensure you have current versions of software installed. None of these other apps require Administrator privileges to run. There is no reason it should require Admin privileges. Phoning home. as you put it, does not require Admin privileges.
"Your insistence and frustration with your OS is probably understandable from your point of view SirTaz , but you still have not answered my original query as to why my "safety/security blanket" would be better if PSI did not need "admin rights" on my XP PC." I've been discussing PSI running as Admin on Win7 & Vista, not XP. In XP you are already running as an Admin since all profiles created on XP are Administrators by default so none of the issues I am having affects you. If you changed your profile to a Standard User on XP, you would get error messages constantly, applications would refuse to even run or auto-run. Win7 and Vista make running as a Standard User as easily as Linux and OS-X do. The exception to this on my machine is PSI which cannot auto-run without Admin privileges.
"You say you have a work around which reduces your safety , so apparently do the IE security settings required for PSI to 'phone home . What would I need to do and why , in non-techie words please :)) , to retain my current levels of security ??" If an application is running with Admin privileges, it allows any vulnerability in that application access to your entire computer system whereas applications running as a Standard user have no access to system areas such as Windows directory or Program Files directory. Almost all malware and viruses need Admin privileges to run. This is why Linux & OS-X users are safer than Windows users when it comes to malware because users do not have Admin privileges. Ask anyone running Linux or OS-X if they would ever run their computers with "Root" (Administrator) privileges.
Last edited on 22nd Nov, 2009 01:53 Thanks SirTaz , I may be getting somewhere .
The inherent insecurity MS introduced with XP and ActiveX's - or around that time , so I remember reading - is partly addressed in Vista and more so in 7 by letting you loose on the web without needing "admin privileges/rights" (guessing that's a bit like "drop my rights" with less hassle).
Whilst I cannot improve my security without recourse to sandboxes etc . and PSI does not care who is in charge of my PC , you would retain the improved malware protection of the newer OS's (Linux style) if PSI joins the band and autoruns without needing "admin" clearance .
How one protects oneself from one's PC co-user's forays into the ether has little or nothing to do with it directly .
If I'm more or less correct so far , the next question must be what is Secunia's take on this and can it be changed easily enough or not , at "no cost" ; also bearing in mind their base is CSI .
PS : Forgot to ask about "downloading rights" as say in the PSI solution that is offered??
You are correct. BTW... I manage 16 workstations and a file server at work and I've used the "Drop my rights" app. a few times. However, with XP Pro you can perform a registry edit that adds "User" to Local Security Policies and once that's done, create a software restriction policy for any internet facing app. with the privileges of a Standard User. Works great for reducing viruses and malware on XP Pro.
Refreshing my memory about ActiveX on Wikipidia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ActiveX ,I learned that the vulnerability is not so much ActiveX itself, as the way it lets the IE browser interact with web sites, in particular. To ungeek it, if you download a funky ActiveX on a disreputable site the darn thing could take over Windows! I'm begining to see why so many of you won't use IE.
Yeah... Microsoft in it's infinite wisdom created ActiveX. Great idea, bad implementation. They should have sand-boxed them and given them limited access to the OS. ActiveX controls are basically mini-applications which, when a user has Admin privileges, allows the ActiveX control to do anything it wants to.
Keep in mind that Firefox extensions are really not much better. Mozilla is going to be making changes in the way plugins work in 3.7 but they should be running sand-boxed or in a Protected mode.
None of this answers your original question , SirTaz .
As I "understand" and as Maritime Rider might confirm , the UAC in Vista is/can be a pain for a lot of people ; but it is much improved in 7 and offers real security advantages which PSI complicates (a bit/lot ??).
Secunia philosophy , as mentioned in the PSI settings "tab" , in part means getting as many of the non-technical users to update however/as many programmes as they can ; to this end PSI offers a "download solution" . As in my PS: I posted earlier , does PSI need to be running under "admin" to do this on all/every/any OS?
Only Secunia will be able to answer/clarify your question , I guess ; you could wait to see if they drop in or you could prompt them with an Email to [email protected] and then let us know what they say .
Thanks for the registry edit tip , luckily my "sandboxie" seems to do everything I need FTM .
Tank you all for bearing with my elementary questions , my "professionals" are busy rebuilding a house and not available .
Dare I add a comment.This thread could be ongoing until infinity.I was indeed surprised to note the amt. of posts that followed such a simple question that was partly answered in the first posted comment.Recognize that although you may not be techy smart; many posters are new users and /or even less experienced and look to the site for answers. Each day we learn something new and all users have something to offer.
Taz-as a corporate user there is someone delegated to a specific job description. Now, if the running of the computers on site are my responsibility, I surely would not open the site up to all users able to make changes.
If I leave it as is or disable admin. rights, it is solely my responsibility not Secunia, and not MS.The program will still run.
Please note however, I am the sole user and no one else has access to my computer.That is why I am comfortable with this.
For some even with experience,still have this issue. The forum is a learning tool only.Everyone has something to offer.There are no blue ribbons but mutual respect.
You said... "If I leave it as is or disable admin. rights, it is solely my responsibility not Secunia, and not MS. The program will still run." NO, THE PROGRAM WILL NOT RUN IF YOUR USER ACCOUNT IS A STANDARD USER ACCOUNT. THIS IS MY POINT!!! This is what this entire thread was about. Perhaps I have not being Clear and for that I apologize.
PSI will run fine as long as you have Admin privileges. If you are a Standard User, this app will NOT run. You must elevate the app and give it Admin privileges before it will run. | 2019-04-19T20:30:20Z | https://secuniaresearch.flexerasoftware.com/community/forum/thread/show/3076/why_does_secunia_psi_require_adminstrative_rights_to_run |
Biopharmaceutical innovation has had a profound health and economic impact globally. Developed countries have traditionally been the source of most innovations as well as the destination for the resulting economic and health benefits. As a result, most prior research on this sector has focused on developed countries. This paper seeks to fill the gap in research on emerging markets by analyzing factors that influence innovative activity in the indigenous biopharmaceutical sectors of China, India, Brazil, and South Africa. Using qualitative research methodologies, this paper a) shows how biopharmaceutical innovation is taking place within the entrepreneurial sectors of these emerging markets, b) identifies common challenges that indigenous entrepreneurs face, c) highlights the key role played by the state, and d) reveals that the transition to innovation by companies in the emerging markets is characterized by increased global integration. It suggests that biopharmaceutical innovators in emerging markets are capitalizing on opportunities to participate in the drug development value chain and thus developing capabilities and relationships for competing globally both with and against established companies headquartered in developed countries.
The UNESCO Science Report 2010 shows that the emerging markets of China, India and Brazil are, by many indications, leading most of the world in the pace of scientific and technological development. The growing research and development (R&D) expenditures and rising global share of scientific publications and patenting rates in these countries (see Table 1) reflect efforts by diverse actors to compete globally. National policies, domestic economic growth, and global trends over the last several decades have stimulated growth and innovation within domestic biopharmaceutical enterprises in China, India, Brazil and South Africa (which hereafter we call ‘emerging markets/economies’). Increasingly, this growth and innovation has led to unique advantages that allow some emerging-market firms to compete effectively on global markets rather than to serve primarily as suppliers, vendors and outsourcers to developed-country pharmaceutical multinational corporations. Growth in the pharmaceutical sectors of these four emerging countries continues to outpace that in developed countries (see Table 1). Brazilian and South African policy objectives have thus far focused primarily on import substitution and lowering the cost of health products for local populations. In contrast, those of India and China aim at nurturing an innovation ecosystem and a vibrant bio-economy with greater ambitions for exportation from the sector.
Sources: 1 UNESCO Science Report 2010. Data is for 2007 unless stated otherwise.
2 OECD Science, Technology and Industry Outlook 2010. Share of publications is for 2008, except for India where this share represents 2006 Data.
3 DataMonitor 2010, Country-specific Pharmaceutical Industry Profile Reports.
* Estimate for India is for period 1997–2004.
** Estimate for India is for 1995–2005.
*** Estimate for Brazil is for 1998–2008.
**** Data for 2005–2009 and 2009–1014.
CAGR stands for Cumulative Annual Growth Rate.
While earlier research has focused on technology transfer through foreign direct investment, alliances, and other cross-border partnerships to boost developing-country entrepreneurship , indigenous innovation and entrepreneurship are receiving increasing attention as means of improving the health and wealth of the poor directly and for cultivating knowledge capabilities in resource-limited settings . Existing research shows that the global pharmaceutical multinational corporations (MNCs) based in resource-rich countries have tended not to develop drugs for exclusive use in the developing world or to make significant investments in drug development for neglected diseases [3–5]. The role of emerging market firms in filling this gap, as well as enhancing affordability, is of much interest, but is not a key focus for this paper. Suffice it to say that previous publications , and our ongoing studies, do suggest that emerging market firms, as a group, have a greater overall focus on addressing developing-world diseases than their major global competitors. Nonetheless, we have also argued that diseases that almost exclusively affect poor market segments in the developing world are unlikely to be addressed by emerging market firms as well, and require specific attention from the global health community and local and international governments.
This paper analyzes key issues and implications of corporate innovation in emerging economies. The core research questions we address here are: how do health technologies develop in emerging economies? Have companies in emerging economies specialized on technologies? What entrepreneurial strategies and enterprise structures have been commonly used to facilitate the transition into business models that emphasize innovation? What are the key barriers to health product innovation? What is the role of the state in innovation within health enterprises in the emerging markets? What is the role of emerging market companies in the global pharmaceutical sector, and how do emerging-market competitors interact with incumbent firms based in the developed economies?
The results of our analysis of the mechanisms that shaped corporate competitiveness in emerging markets yields insights at two levels: first, on country policies that enable and support technological upgrading and specialization; and second, on entrepreneurial strategies and business models that enhance corporate innovation and global competitiveness.
The basis of this article is qualitative case study analysis of indigenous biopharmaceutical enterprises in each of Brazil, China, India and South Africa. Qualitative research approach was chosen as it can help us understand a phenomenon of interest in its complexity, to identify areas that need to be influenced, and to see the consequences of policy intervention in real life (; p.10). This analysis builds on a series of country-specific studies published in the Nature Biotechnology journal [9–12], which focused on products and services, partnerships, intellectual property (IP) portfolios, business models, financial environments and barriers to development for companies in each country. This analysis is a comparative assessment across the four nations and is informed by face-to-face interviews with representatives of 91 domestic biopharmaceutical companies (Table 2) as well as 25 other institutions in the stated countries. Institutional informants included government agencies involved in biopharmaceutical development, venture capital firms, technology parks/incubators, and industry associations. The interview data complemented insights gained from published reports and articles, websites of companies and relevant government institutions and policy documents. Interview data was employed to enhance confirmation of and elaboration upon documentary evidence. The firms chosen were primarily involved in the development and production of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics. With a few exceptions, interview data was collected through site visits and semi-structured, face-to-face interviews lasting approximately 60–90 minutes.
Zensun (Shanghai) Sci. &Tech. Co., Ltd.
The modern pharmaceutical industry finds its origins in the synthetic dye industry in Germany and Switzerland and the discovery of medicinal effects of some dyestuffs . The large-scale production of penicillin during World War II spawned considerable R&D investments and productivity in terms of pharmaceutical innovations particularly by the major US-based companies . The 1976 inception of Genentech (San Francisco, now part of Roche based in Basel, Switzerland) spawned the modern biotechnology industry. The latter is characterized by many small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). With the exception of a few large firms, biotech SMEs are dispersed across a considerable number of countries. Notwithstanding somewhat distinct developmental trajectories, pharmaceutical and health biotechnology sectors are increasingly intertwined due to mergers and acquisitions and overlapping activities. While key firms remain based in a relatively small group of countries – including the U.S., the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, and France – the global dispersion of their activities is increasing, as is the emergence of indigenous firms in different countries.
The geographic concentration of innovative activities in health technology is thought to be a function of historical differences in institutional environments . Therefore, it is of interest to examine how the changing institutional context in the emerging markets has impacted the development of biopharmaceutical sectors in these nations. The adoption of the World Trade Organization’s Trade-related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement has been among key institutional adjustments and has enhanced the impetus to innovate. It is against this backdrop that we witness a growing number of firms in the emerging markets building innovative capability. This capacity may be particularly crucial in the post-TRIPS era where the power of emerging market manufacturers to affect drug prices in poor markets is likely to be diminished , and drug prices rise due to the marketing of high priced products by pharmaceutical MNCs .
The health biotech sectors of emerging economies are undergoing a major transformation characterized by increased technological sophistication of product portfolios and R&D activities. In a recent study, we identified 376 medicinal or vaccine candidates within the pipelines of 66 indigenous companies in China, India and Brazil (Unpublished Results). An estimated 60% of the 376 candidates involve new chemical or molecular entities, and as such could be considered new-to-the-world type of innovations. The rest include innovations that build on known molecules or products. Among the 376 candidates identified, over two-thirds are in the discovery or preclinical stage, and only about 3% (11) of products have reached the domestic market. These results, together with studies cited previously, demonstrate that domestic companies in the emerging markets are developing new capabilities and novel health products, but also that they are at a relatively early stage from the perspective of innovation.
A common strategy for entrepreneurs in emerging economies has been to develop technologically and financially less demanding products before venturing into more sophisticated areas as internal capabilities and revenues improve. Historically the major thrust of firms in emerging economies has been mainly to offer non-novel products and services under contract to established pharmaceutical multinational firms, or as low-technology traditional formulations. By and large, the development of globally innovative products by emerging market firms is a relatively recent phenomenon and has been enabled by a number of factors. Reverse engineering of existing drugs has had a considerable learning effect for industries in China, India and Brazil, facilitating the adoption of new technologies and easing the transition into innovative activities. Firms have not only gained experience in health product manufacturing and marketing, but have also developed the necessary technical expertise to allow them to venture into more sophisticated areas. In this respect, the absence of a strong domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing sector in South Africa puts it in a different category than the other three countries studied, resulting in the dearth of a skilled knowledge base on which to build.
A key driver of technological upgrading, particularly by Indian firms, has been an interest in export markets, including the major markets of the U.S. and Europe. While domestic populations constitute the main market – at least presently – for most health biotech enterprises studied, there is a growing interest among executives in many medium and large firms to export products. Thus far, export of finished products is notable only in India, where the traditional pharmaceutical sector has increased its foreign sales by over 21% annually between 1996 and 2005 and the country’s fast-growing biotech sector, as a whole, garners 56% of its revenues from exports . Major Indian firms have been able to increase exports to the U.S. and elsewhere, by upgrading their manufacturing facilities to meet the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements. The growing number of strategic alliances between pharmaceutical MNCs and Indian companies also allows the latter group of firms to capitalize on their manufacturing capacity and the considerable marketing resources of MNCs to address global markets . In contrast, few companies in China, Brazil, and South Africa have thus far exported finished medicines to highly regulated markets. This trend is likely to change however, as these countries continue to enhance their own manufacturing standards.
Notwithstanding the fact that health biotech industries in the emerging markets are in a transition period, one can observe patters of specialization by country. Diagnostics and medical devices were common starting points for a number of firms in Brazil and South Africa, respectively, while vaccines represent a major entry point for many firms in India. For instance, Hyderabad-based firms Bharat Biotech and Shantha Biotechnics (now part of Paris-based Sanofi-Aventis) started out in vaccine manufacturing, and have since expanded their range of activities to include manufacturing of other recombinant products. China’s Beijing Wantai, primarily a diagnostics company, has focused on innovative research including efforts to commercialize a novel hepatitis E vaccine. Similarly, Brazil’s FK Biotech (Porto Alegre) has expanded its range of activities from manufacturing of monoclonal antibodies for diagnostic kits to development of cancer vaccines. Starting with local markets, some firms have become major players at a global scale. Vision Biotech (Cape Town, South Africa) for example claimed to be the second-largest manufacturer of rapid tests for malaria worldwide, and the Serum Institute of India (Pune) is a major global vaccine supplier. Also, a growing number of incumbent pharmaceutical companies are developing manufacturing capabilities for recombinant products, with many in India and China already benefiting from related efforts over the past decade.
Indian companies have become key global vaccine suppliers. A dozen vaccine companies generate over 50% of the annual revenues for the biotech sector, a market that reached US$2.5 billion in 2007/8 . The entry of Indian, as well as some other developing-country firms, into vaccine production took off in the 1990s as manufacturers in the industrialized countries began to abandon these markets in favor of more lucrative ones elsewhere . It has been suggested that the emergence of Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) and the GAVI Fund played a significant role in stimulating the technological expansion of developing world vaccine manufacturers particularly in India and Brazil . Among the largest Indian vaccine producers are Serum Institute of India, Panacea Biotec (New Delhi), Biological E (Hyderabad), Bharat Biotech and Shantha Biotechnics. Some of these firms have become major global suppliers of vaccines to public immunization programs in collaboration with the UNICEF, PAHO and the WHO . Recent involvement of Indian companies - namely, Bharat Biotech, Zydus Cadila (Hyderabad), Panacea Biotech, the Serum Institute and Biological E - in the race towards a domestically developed vaccine for H1N1 influenza signals the country’s growing technological capability in vaccine development. It is worth mentioning that some of these firms relied on in-licensing of the core technology from foreign firms. Other key focus areas for the Indian firms include a growing trend towards production of biogenerics and the discovery and development of novel small-molecule drug candidates. Mumbai-based Piramal Life Sciences and Glenmark Pharmaceuticals are among the leaders in this group, each having over 10 lead drug candidates in development. Other Indian firms are working on developing new drug delivery systems, monoclonal antibodies and diagnostic tests, and manufacturing recombinant medicines . In anticipation of India’s adoption of the TRIPS agreement in 2005, the pharmaceutical industry in India spent approximately US$292 million (13.2 billion Indian rupees) on R&D between 2003–2004, accounting for 3.6% of overall revenues . The global competitiveness of India’s private industry in both vaccines and therapeutics is, in part, a result of the relative openness of its domestic market and limited involvement of the government sector in health product manufacturing. In China and Brazil (and until recently in South Africa), the prominent role of state-sponsored or public sector institutes in vaccine development and production has diminished the scope for the domestic private sector in this area.
Chinese firms involved in innovation have a considerable focus on developing novel therapeutics in frontier areas and often leverage traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) knowledge and resources. Gene therapies against some cancers, developed by Shenzhen SiBiono (Shenzhen) and Shanghai Sunway (Shanghai), have been on the market for over four years . As of mid-2009, approximately 9,000 patients had been treated for head and neck cancer with SiBiono’s innovative gene therapy product, marketed as Gendicine®, approximately 1,200 of whom came from outside China. Other innovative projects in the pipeline included a novel drug candidate for cutaneous T-Cell lymphoma by Shenzhen Chipscreen (Shenzhen), an HIV treatment candidate by Fusogen (Tianjin) and products to address lung fibrosis and liver cirrhosis by Shanghai Genomics. There are also significant efforts towards modernization of TCM, involving manufacturing quality control, efficacy tests, and determining active ingredients and their mechanisms of action. While China’s efforts towards new vaccine development have generally trailed behind India, strong emphasis by the Chinese government in recent years on technological advancement in this area may be reversing this trend. The Chinese vaccine-manufacturing sector is one of the largest in the world in terms of production volume, where approximately 30 vaccine manufacturers, mostly domestic enterprises, produce over a billion vaccine doses annually . As a sign of recent progress, Sinovac Biotech (Beijing) gained manufacturing approval in September 2009 from the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) for its single-dose H1N1 vaccine – a time frame similar to leading global firms and preceding the launch of clinical trials by its Indian counterparts mentioned above.
The Brazilian health biotech industry is populated by a growing number of technology-based small and medium sized (SME) enterprises as well as generics-based pharmaceutical incumbents, some of whom are transitioning to innovative R&D activities. Overall, the sector remains very young with the vast majority of health biotech enterprises coming into existence in the past decade . A handful of the SMEs we studied had marketed and/or were developing novel technologies. Examples of these firms include Pele Nova Biotechnologia, Recepta Biopharma (both in São Paulo), and FK Biotec (Porto Alegre). Some of these firms have leveraged early success in diagnostics to develop more technologically advanced products . Similarly, large generics firms including Cristália (Itapira) and Aché Laboratories (São Paulo) are building capabilities in discovery and development of innovative drugs. Some firms such as Aché and Eurofarma (São Paulo) were developing capabilities to manufacture large molecules, as part of their foray into biotechnology. However, regardless of size, Brazilian companies tend to shy away from vaccine development and production due to the dominant role played by the country’s public sector in this area. Furthermore, in Brazil and China the public sector supplies a considerable portion of basic medicines deemed essential for public health. Where public and private domains have significant, overlapping, and unclear boundaries it can create tension between the sectors , possibly detracting from the country’s overall innovative capacity.
The nascent health biotech sector in South Africa relies considerably on the research capabilities of the country’s universities and research institutes to identify novel technologies and products for commercial development . For example, Elevation Biotech (Johannesburg), which was spun out of the University of Witwatersrand and the National Health Laboratory Service (both in Johannesburg), is developing novel peptides to inhibit HIV entry into cells. Elevation has received grants from the South African government and the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (New York) to develop and test new vaccine antigens. Other innovative firms include: iThemba Pharmaceuticals (Modderfontein) focused on drug development for tuberculosis (TB), malaria and HIV/AIDS, Arvir Technologies (Modderfontein) is developing cost-effective methods to manufacture HIV drugs, and Disa Vascular (Cape Town), which is involved in development and manufacturing of coronary artery stents. A few South African firms have also ventured into nutraceuticals including Biomox Pharmaceuticals (Pretoria) and Cape Kingdom (Cape Town). Biovac Institute (Cape Town) was founded in 2003 as a public-private partnership to supply South Africa’s vaccination program, after attempts at a purely public system failed to accomplish this goal. It remains the only vaccine manufacturer in Sub-Saharan Africa.
In all four countries, locally abundant natural resources are increasingly leveraged to identify and develop novel health technologies. Biodiversity resources and traditional medicines serve as a major source for lead compound identification for firms in the emerging markets. For example, Shanghai Ambrosia Pharmaceuticals (Shanghai) uses its novel platform technologies to screen TCMs for lead molecules against cancer and immunological diseases. Brazil’s Aché Pharmaceuticals and Pele Nova Biotechnologia have marketed phytotherapeutic-based products used for inflammation and skin lesions respectively, and a number of others are developing other products originating from Brazilian biodiversity . India’s Piramal Life Sciences, in collaboration with public universities and research institutes, has developed a large bank of natural products and product extracts as well as a microbial library containing over 40,000 different cultures. Many of the company’s lead molecules under study – including some in clinical trials – were sourced from these assets. Avesthagen (Bangalore) uses a multi-disciplinary approach to develop health products, including dietary supplements, drawing extensively on knowledge from Indian medicinal plants.
Specialization patterns are broadly reflective of a complex interplay involving the institutional environment in each country, local knowledge as embodied in universities and research institutes, access to unique and country-specific resources, the divergent involvement of the public sector in health product manufacturing and provision, and the evolving competition and cooperation between local and global rivals.
As recently as a decade ago, life-sciences firms in emerging markets were engaged mainly in activities such as manufacturing, formulating, packaging and distributing generic products. By contrast, today a much broader scope of business models and strategies are used to generate revenues and invest for future prosperity across the emerging markets. A growing number of firms view product R&D as an important component of their business models. However, the extent of their commitment to R&D and the nature of their involvement vary across firms and countries. The divergent involvement in innovation is influenced by two key factors. Global MNCs have historically tended to concentrate in high margin market segments in the emerging markets, leaving domestic companies to settle for second and third tier cities, rural areas and other neglected niche segments. The resulting pressure on margins for local companies, together with dearth of private capital to support biopharmaceutical innovation has meant that indigenous firms have also had to innovate in business models.
First, the relatively few pure R&D firms in existence today, such as Recepta BioPharma (Brazil), Fusogen Pharmaceuticals Inc. (China), and iThemba Pharmaceuticals (South Africa), have tended to garner significant support from governmental sources. Most companies we studied in China, Brazil and South Africa had received some government funding for their innovation projects. Indian firms have traditionally had less direct support from government sources, perhaps contributing to the near absence of a pure R&D-based business model among firms in this country.
Second, health enterprises studied rely considerably on partnerships with domestic universities and research institutes as well as foreign entities. Firm-university linkages typically serve to fill in gaps in internal R&D capabilities and access facilities/equipment and, to a lesser extent, to the transfer of new technologies to firms. Notwithstanding these benefits domestic university-company links remain weak overall, largely for cultural and historical reasons. There appears to be a strong correlation between the degree of firms’ engagement in innovative R&D and their likelihood of having linkages with domestic universities and research institutes in all countries studied. For example, R&D-intensive firms such as Recepta Biopharma of Brazil, Shanghai Sunway and Sinovac Biotech of China, and Avesthagen in India have strong collaborations with academic institutions. Similarly, most South African firms, which are often established to commercialize technologies originating from universities, maintain close linkages with these institutes. In contrast, domestic entrepreneurial collaboration, particularly partnerships aimed at product development, appears limited across all countries studied.
Third, most innovation-minded entrepreneurs have adopted an indigenous growth model at or shortly after inception, where R&D activities are financed through internal revenue generation. The result is that these enterprises often undertake two distinct sets of activities: one set aims at generating revenues in the short-term, while the other is focused on innovation for long-term growth. For example, when Mr. Eduardo Cruz, the founding director of Cryopraxis (Rio de Janeiro), wished to start a company in 2000 that would develop stem-cell therapies, his initial strategy was to start a cord blood banking service to help finance R&D activities. A common approach for generating revenues in all four countries remains the in-house manufacturing and marketing of products, be they generics, copycat therapeutics, or modifications of existing health products often targeted at niche markets. Another prevalent strategy among innovative firms in China and India is to offer a variety of product development and/or manufacturing services, often to foreign clients. Examples of firms that grew by utilizing this model include India’s Bharat Biotech and the Chinese firms Shenzhen Chipscreen and Shanghai Genomics. In industrialized economies it is well established that financing new product development with current revenues is more expensive and constraining compared to investment-driven financing. Nonetheless, even where available, emerging market equity investors typically demand revenues from early on in Investee Company’s life cycle – in some cases causing them to abandon innovative projects with extended development periods.
Fourth, a relatively recent trend particularly notable in China and India is growing international linkages of domestic firms to advance innovative R&D activities. These partnerships often manifest in one of two forms – outsourcing or co-development arrangements. The provision of contract R&D services in the emerging markets is relatively new and transactional in that services are rendered in return for payments upon completion of specified milestones. Previously, domestic companies only offered manufacturing and clinical research services with limited capability in other aspects of drug discovery and development. Companies adopting the newer model typically serve foreign clients by focusing on discovery and development as well as contract manufacturing for proprietary health products. Among a growing group of service providers are China’s Wuxi Pharmatech, Sundia Meditech Company (both in Shanghai) and India’s Advinus Therapeutics (Bangalore) and Jubilant Organosys (Noida), all of whom have enjoyed considerable growth in recent years. Co-development projects on the other hand involve joint discovery and/or development of novel technologies between Indian and Chinese firms and foreign counterparts, usually large multinational corporations (MNCs). China’s Hutchison MediPharma (Shanghai) is an integrated R&D company whose discovery and development activities are supported, in part, through relationships with Eli Lilly (Indianapolis, IN), Merck KGaA (Whitehouse Station, NJ) and Johnson & Johnson’s subsidiary Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Raritan, NJ). India’s Jubilant Biosys (Bangalore) and Suven Life Sciences (Hyderabad) are other examples of companies that have significant levels of collaborations with multinational firms. What distinguishes co-development from outsourcing is that under the former approach, the emerging-markets partner shares in longer-term risks and returns form commercialization projects. Such relationships are motivated, in part, by the desire on the part of multinationals to reduce drug development costs by tapping cheaper scientific labor in the emerging markets. Benefits to domestic firms include: access to financing for innovative projects, technological learning, sharing of future royalties, and reputational advantages of working closely with major global enterprises.
Our analysis revealed a number of important barriers that hinder entrepreneurial progress in health product innovation in the countries studied. Although many of the challenges are similar across the four countries studied, the underlying mechanisms that give rise to the challenges differ.
While all four countries have expanding capabilities in science and technology in general and life sciences in particular, access to specially trained personnel in health biotech innovation is often limited. The most common strategies to fill shortage of skilled labor have been to: a) increase science and technology capacity in general through investment in R&D, b) develop targeted training programs, and c) recruit highly trained personnel from abroad. As a result of the first strategy, all countries studied have increased their relative contribution to global scientific publications in recent years. In particular, China’s publication and citation rates have been rising substantially, making it the fifth largest publisher globally . This country’s scientific publications grew at an average annual rate of 16.5% between 1995–2005, compared with 4.7 and 8% for India and Brazil respectively . While this trend speaks to a strengthening of the science and technology base, it is often not sufficient to address shortages of specially trained personnel. Efforts by the emerging economies to train personnel domestically are not only time-consuming, but face challenges of their own. Many training programs relevant to health biotech in the emerging economies are based in university systems, which have been traditionally isolated from industry. As a result they are not perceived to be effective at detecting and addressing the changing industrial demands.
Nonetheless, some efforts in this regard are underway. For example, India’s Department of Biotechnology has a number of programs including sponsorship of post-graduate training in biotechnology and the provision of stipends for post-graduate students to work in the industry for six months. Similarly, Brazil has initiated a program that sponsors researchers’ salaries for a period of time while they work in the industry. South Africa’s human resource challenges seem related to the country’s inability to sufficiently retain highly trained individuals and the lack of a strong pharmaceutical manufacturing sector to provide a basic skill-set for further industrial development. Lastly, the Chinese, and to a lesser extent Indian, industries have been beneficiaries of returnees, who in many cases have obtained specialized training abroad and have strong scientific and commercial networks. China’s post-1978 policies towards overseas study allowed tens of thousands of Chinese students and scholars to go abroad for education and training. However, only an estimated 25% of these students return to China after their training . In response, the Chinese government has put in place an ambitious suite of programs and incentives to recruit back highly-trained Chinese professionals and academics from abroad, with mixed results . For instance, Simon and Cao find that these incentives have thus far failed to recruit the most-highly trained and accomplished groups . What is also uncertain is whether those who do return will be sufficiently supported to stay for the long term, and if the skewed compensation scheme in favor of returnees can be maintained without adversely affecting overall employee morale. What is clear is that China’s ambitious R&D infrastructure-building programs, as part of its overall goal to build an innovative and globally competitive bioeconomy, is likely to create ongoing demands for specialized skills in various areas. It remains to be seen whether current initiatives will be sufficient to meet this demand.
As many companies in the emerging economies have ventured into innovative activities only in recent years, their in-house R&D capabilities and infrastructure are often limited. A common strategy to obtain required services is to partner with researchers within universities and research institutes. This strategy is helpful to a degree but a number of factors detract from its effectiveness. These include the historical lack of an entrepreneurial culture within universities and the traditional isolation of the public and private sectors in these countries. Although governments have made some efforts to bridge the divide between public and private sectors – often through funding of collaborative projects – in most cases there is little indication that these efforts have made a significant impact. An exception to this may be China, where the involvement of government in many state-owned enterprises (SOEs) is thought to make interactions with universities and research institutes easier for these firms. In addition, China has embarked on an ambitious infrastructure-building exercise through its Hi-tech Parks Initiative. In the span of less than 20 years, the country has built 54 high-tech parks, an estimated 20 of which have a life sciences component. The largest of these is the Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park in Shanghai. Initiated in 1992, this park occupies an area of 25 square kilometers and is already home to over 4,000 enterprises, with approximately 400 being life science companies, institutes and service providers. Other major life science clusters include Zhongguancun Life Science Park in Beijing, and bioBay in Suzhou, which is a joint project between China and Singapore. These parks offer a host of benefits and invariably have one or more incubator facilities, which especially cater to small and medium technology-based enterprises. While India and Brazil have a few clusters, that are similar in certain respects, the scale and speed of development in China is breathtaking by comparison.
One of the most common challenges facing innovation-inspired firms in the emerging economies relates to the clarity and effective enforcement of regulations governing health products. Again, while the outcome often manifests in delays in regulatory approval, the underlying causes often vary across nations. For instance, while a fragmented regulatory regime in India has historically posed serious challenges to the growth of the innovative health biotech sector, lack of practical experience on the part of Brazilian and South African regulators was thought to make product approval challenging in these countries. Other challenges in Brazil and South Africa were primarily related to delays in approval of clinical trials, which was perceived to detract from a major competitive advantage possessed by these countries. In recent years India has been in the process of reforming its biotech regulatory system by trying to institute a centralized regulatory agency called the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority (NBRA). Long in coming and motivated in part by the desire to better regulate genetically modified crops, limitations on NBRA’s scope of activities serve to maintain the anachronistic separation of institutions that govern small- versus large-molecule drugs. In this sense, India is missing the opportunity to create a truly centralized regulatory agency, which can oversee all heath products and optimize resultant synergies. China’s regulatory regime has also had significant setbacks in recent years due to corruption scandals involving some high-ranking officials at the country’s SFDA. However, the agency has rebounded from these challenges and has recently made progress in a number of areas. For example, in early 2009 the SFDA instituted its Green Channel initiative, which is an expedited approval process, allowing regulators to waive requirements for Chinese trials for innovative new drugs, new combinations, and those targeted at unmet medical needs in the country. Furthermore, it has undertaken a variety of initiatives aimed at addressing product quality issues in the country’s vast and complex pharmaceutical sector.
The theoretical rationale underlying patenting is that it incentivizes innovation efforts by creating a temporary monopoly. The TRIPS agreement was an attempt to expand the number of countries and product classes where such markets could be established. Although evidence on the impact of strong IP protection on innovation efforts of firms in all sectors is mixed [25–31], the relationship has been much more firmly established in the pharmaceutical sector , albeit not in all countries . This is, in part, due to the fact that once discovered pharmaceutical products/molecules are relatively easy to copy and reproduce . While it is generally believed that IP protection incentivizes greater investments into innovative R&D activities, it is not the only driver of R&D expenditures. Market demand [35, 36], and enhanced market valuation are among other factors that tend to motivate firm-based R&D.
While biopharmaceutical firms in all four countries are increasingly cognizant of the importance of patenting, issues related to the efficiency of processing patent applications and effective enforcement of property rights continue to create uncertainty. In all of the countries studied except South Africa, a new pharmaceutical product patent regime was formally adopted between 1993 and 2005. While these countries are still adjusting to the new IP regime, they also struggle to minimize the negative impacts it might have for both public health and domestic industries. These attempts have resulted in country-specific peculiarities in patent legislation that serve to diminish associated incentives and have led to a few high-profile court cases – particularly in Brazil and India where patent rights have either been denied or not enforced as expected. Among the most controversial elements built into patent legislation are provisions related to compulsory-licensing and those that aim to curtail the practice of ‘ever-greening’, which allows companies to collect monopoly rents by patenting minor changes to a given drug whose patent life is about to expire. For instance, in September 2009, the Indian patent office rejected an application by Gilead Biosciences (Foster City, USA) for the anti-AIDS drug tenofovir, in part based on arguments that the application lacked sufficient inventiveness. Brazil had earlier declined patent rights for the same product, declaring it of interest to public health in that country. Under the new Indian patent act, new uses for existing products are not patentable unless they demonstrate improved efficacy . It is not yet clear how this will impact domestic companies, many of which are mainly concerned with improving existing technologies such as combination vaccines and new drug-delivery systems. Concerns regarding China’s patent regime stem primarily from the nature of its decentralized enforcement regime. Patent infringement cases are generally handled by municipal courts at the jurisdiction of the accused, introducing potential conflicts of interest into the process . Amendments to China’s patent legislation, which took effect in October 2009, are aimed at enhancing the quality of patents, improving enforcement and alignment of China’s approach with that of other major markets.
While private financing, especially from institutional investors, has been improving in the emerging markets in recent years, relatively few of these investors back companies that undertake highly innovative projects. Venture capital (VC) firms that have made investment in innovative companies include BioVeda China Fund (Shanghai), APIDC Ventureast Biotechnology Venture Fund (Hyderabad, India), DFJ-FIR Capital (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) and BioVentures (Cape Town, South Africa). Limitations on financial exits for investors are thought to be a key contributor to the shortage of VC investments in innovative companies. The BOVESPA-MAIS (São Paulo) branch of the Brazilian stock exchange and China’s recently launched Shenzhen Stock Exchange aim at improving the investment environment for technology-based companies. On rare occasions, they have listed in foreign stock exchanges as a way to achieve a more favorable valuation. Recent interest in company acquisition by multinational corporations in China and India may provide yet another avenue for investors to divest, and may eventually attract more investors into the sector. Volatility of stock markets, highly exaggerated price to earning ratios, and lack of sophisticated secondary markets are all detrimental to financing of high-risk innovation projects. The role of debt financing and the need to attract foreign capital in non-debt forms are crucial in the context of emerging markets. In the meantime, many companies in the emerging markets, particularly the small and medium enterprises, rely considerably on governmental support to finance innovation projects.
Overall commitment to science and technology development, as measured by national R&D expenditure, has been growing in all four emerging markets studied. China’s R&D expenditures as a portion of its gross domestic product (GDP) was 1.44% in 2007, amounting to approximately US$102 billion in purchasing power parity (PPP) – a more than doubling from its US$39 billion expenditure in 2002 . While India and Brazil’s expenditures remained fairly constant as a portion of GDP (at 0.78% for India and 1% for Brazil), their real R&D investments nearly doubled during the 2002–2007 period due to GDP growth – rising from approximately USD 13 to 25 billion in India and US$13 to 20 billion in Brazil in PPP [40, 41]. South Africa doubled its R&D expenditures between 1997 and 2005 when its overall R&D expenditures were 0.9% of GDP, approximately 53% of which was contributed by the business sector . In contrast, businesses R&D expenditures as a percentage of national expenditures constituted 29.6% in India, 44.7% in Brazil, and 70.4% in China in 2007 .
Among the countries studied, China has the largest pool of public money dedicated to its science and technology programs. It administers much of these funds through three key programs: the High-Tech Research Development Program (known as the 863 Program), the Torch Program, and the National Key Basic Research Program (known as the 973 Program). The Torch Program is perhaps of most direct significance to the industry as the other two primarily focus on basic research. This program has an array of initiatives designed to support development of new technology industries. Since its inception in 1988, it has facilitated the building of 54 National High-tech Parks, which are designed to integrate R&D, manufacturing and enterprise incubation. The Torch program also administers a 7 billion RMB (US$1.02 Billion) innovation fund (Innofund), which funded 11,980 firms from 1999–2007, with approximately 20% of funds devoted to biotechnology. China’s 12th Five-year Plan (2011–15) had dedicated US$308 billion to science and technology development with biotechnology as a priority sector for advancement.
India’s Department of Biotechnology (DBT) is the lead government agency that promotes biotechnology and pharmaceutical innovation in the country. DBT targets approximately one third of its annual budget – estimated at approximately Rs. 900 Crores (~US$201 M) for 2008/9 – to promoting public-private collaborations. Among its key programs supporting industrial R&D is the Small Business Innovation Research Initiative (SBIRI), which in 2009 provided funding for 48 projects within enterprises. The DBT’s other key foci are in skill development and regulatory reform. The overall contribution from other agencies, particularly with respect to support of R&D within enterprises has been more modest thus far.
In Brazil, the Studies and Projects Funding (FINEP) Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology is the key program that supports enterprise R&D. Through a series of initiatives, including sector-specific funds and investments in venture capital funds, FINEP aims to advance innovation within the industrial sector. One of its latest initiatives is the Prime Program (Primeira Empresa Inovadora), which aims at supporting approximately 5,000 technology-based startup companies between 2009–2011. It offers R$120,000 (~US$68,000) in grants to each enterprise over the first year, followed by interest-free loans for qualifying applicant during the subsequent year.
The 2001 National Biotechnology Strategy in South Africa was the key policy instrument that highlighted the need to capture the commercial opportunities offered by biotechnology. The strategy led to the establishment of Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centers (BRICS), the main government initiatives in biotech development. The South African government had earmarked 450 million Rands ($58 million) from 2004–2007 for related initiatives .
Overall, governments in China, India, Brazil and South Africa have played a crucial catalytic role in spurring health product innovation within the private sector – albeit on a limited scale. While all of the countries studied have housed strong universities and research institutes for decades, to kindle innovative activities within the private sector has required more focused government policies. It is noteworthy that the mere adoption of a product patent regime in pharmaceuticals by China in 1993 (even prior to its adoption of the TRIPS agreement and its enforcement in 2001), by Brazil in 1997, and the expectation of the pending TRIPS enforcement in India in 2005 were not sufficient, on their own, to spur significant entrepreneurial investment into the development of novel health products. Rather, entrepreneurial commitment to innovation, as a trend, became noticeable concomitant with increased government support for innovation within the entrepreneurial sector. In our experience the majority of emerging market companies that undertake innovation projects, with the objective to develop novel products, have benefited from governmental assistance. The more recent and targeted government policies attempt to increase entrepreneurial commitment to innovative R&D by direct subsidization of these efforts and/or through indirect measures. The latter mechanisms include building of shared R&D infrastructure, particularly in China, enhancing entrepreneurial access to public-sector R&D resources in Brazil, support of technology-focused venture capital funds most notably in China and Brazil, and the creation of Biotechnology Regional Innovation Centers in South Africa. It remains to be seen whether governmental efforts in these nations will be of sufficient scale and duration to help galvanize the private investments necessary for a successful transition to innovative sectors.
Relatively high and fast-rising domestic consumption is undoubtedly contributing to the biopharmaceutical sector’s development in the key emerging markets studied. At the same time, how governments implement cost-containment and central procurement measures may have considerable implications for innovation within the sector – particularly for diseases that predominantly affect local, and other developing world, populations.
Four key trends point to the globalization of health innovation, with a growing integration of emerging market firms, particularly evident in India and China. These trends add to existing relationships between pharmaceutical MNCs and emerging market firms, which have, until recent years, been largely limited to contract manufacturing and marketing. First, as discussed previously, there is an increasing number of co-development partnerships between firms in China and India and their foreign counterparts. Through these partnerships, companies in emerging economies have developed capabilities that have enabled independent basic research and commercialization. Second, large multinational corporations finance some innovation projects within emerging market firms in return for future development/marketing rights. These relationships rely on development of IP generated and/or owned by the emerging market partner. This practice has augmented the capabilities of emerging-economy partners with crucial relationships that subsequently enable independent commercialization and marketing activities. Third, the emergence of R&D services-based businesses that provide sophisticated and cost-effective research, development, and manufacturing should further augment innovative capabilities of the sectors as a whole at a time when the independent innovative capacity of multinational companies may be waning. Fourth, another emerging trend is the acquisition of domestic biopharmaceutical firms by foreign entities and the growing presence of the former in other nations. Examples of the first include recent acquisition of: India’s Shantha Biotechnics (Hyderabad) and Brazil’s Medley (São Paulo) by Sanofi Aventis (Paris, France), Piramal Healthcare (Mumbai) by Abbot Laboratories (Abbott Park, IL), India’s Ranbaxy by Takeda (Daiichi Sankyo, Tokyo), South Africa’s Vision Biotech (Cape Town) by Inverness Medical Innovations, Inc. (Waltham, MA), and China’s Guangdong Techpool Bio-Pharma (Guangzhou) by the Swiss drug maker Nycomed (Zurich, now part of Osaka-based Takeda Pharmaceutical Co.). Select emerging market firms have also ventured to expand their global presence through acquisitions or setting up subsidiaries. For instance, China’s CapitalBio Corporation has subsidiaries in San Diego (USA) and Hong Kong, Piramal Healthcare has a subsidiary in Canada (Torcan Chemical Ltd., Aurora). The above trends, as well as domestic industry consolidation serve to augments capabilities and enhance specialization, which makes indigenous enterprises more competitive globally.
Whether integration into the global system, on balance, proves beneficial to the emerging markets, or other developing nations, remains an open question. The suggestion here is merely that this phenomenon is indeed taking shape and in doing so is creating new opportunities – as well as new challenges – for emerging market entrepreneurs.
This study shows that while China, India, Brazil and South Africa vary in certain respects, entrepreneurs in each of these countries aspire to become innovative in biopharmaceuticals, and have made inroads against this objective. Regardless of geography, these entrepreneurs are affected by similar forces and often respond in analogous ways. There are important similarities in national approaches to: enhancing innovative capabilities, breaking down innovation barriers, financing innovative activities often through innovative business models, collaborating with international firms, profiting from intellectual property, and to facing global competition. The commonalities highlight that biopharmaceutical firms in the China, India, Brazil and South Africa are influenced by forces emanating, in part, from industry globalization. Consequently, their responses carry implications for the global industry as a whole.
Our research shows that the trajectories of companies in the developed and emerging economies are becoming increasingly intertwined. Few of the firms we studied planned on developing novel therapeutics for global consumption fully on their own because they do not have the necessary technical and financial resources and cannot tolerate the associated investment risks. As a result, promising leads in development within the emerging market firms will likely find a home within the pipelines of major global players, or be developed through collaborative arrangements with other firms. Enhanced innovative capabilities in the emerging markets, the associated cost arbitrage, and improved IP protection regimes are increasingly facilitating outsourcing of R&D activities from pharmaceutical MNCs to emerging market firms. Yet many of the companies we studied also aspired to global competitiveness within an element of the value chain. The new pattern that seems to be emerging is a globally disintegrated drug development value chain with greater participation of the emerging markets at different stages of activity. This is not to suggest that this evolution will reduce diversity in business models. Indeed the opposite is likely to be true as companies carve out specific niches within an expansive, global value-chain.
In summary, the ultimate outcome of each country’s collective activity is likely to be shaped as much by global factors as local conditions. It is exceedingly important to realize that success in biopharmaceutical innovation is about the hard work of adapting scientifically, nationally and globally all at the same time. The implication is that countries that can best understand this complexity and situate their own strengths vis-à-vis the broader global value chain will be most likely to achieve sustainable competitive advantage. It is also possible that the globalization of biopharmaceutical innovation will have deleterious effects on domestic industries in the emerging markets, and on access to health technologies in the developing world. Failure to sufficiently adapt to new realities could, for instance, lock emerging market firms into low-value segments of the innovation value chain for years to come, and/or limit their growth prospects by preventing access to new technologies. These areas deserve further study and continued vigilance to minimize adverse impacts on emerging market industries and pharmaceutical access.
Notwithstanding above observations, recent developments in the emerging markets have the potential to change the global drug development model itself, with a promise to making it more productive and accessible. It offers the possibility for more cost-effective innovations and significant impacts on health systems everywhere. Technological upgrading within many of the existing pharmaceutical manufacturers in the emerging markets is leading to a more competitive global pharmaceutical generics market – leading to lower drug prices. At the same time, we are witnessing the birth of a highly integrated global industry when it comes to innovation – promising greater therapeutic choice and lower drug development costs. In this respect, emerging markets with greater economies of scale, in terms of domestic market size, and the scope of capabilities built over time appear to be in an advantageous position. The implication is that smaller countries such as South Africa with more limited biopharmaceutical purchasing power and skill-base to build on appear to be at a disadvantage vis-à-vis China and India. Similarly, historical dominance of the state sector and a host of other institutional factors contribute to dampening Brazil’s potential when it comes to health technology innovation. On the whole however, greater involvement of the entrepreneurial sectors in the emerging markets in health innovation holds considerable promise for patients everywhere.
We gratefully acknowledge the comments of Jocalyn Clark. We recognize contributions of the late Sara Al-Bader to earlier drafts and her work on the South African case study. We are grateful to Stephen M. Sammut for his contributions to this study at earlier stages of this work. We acknowledge contributions of Halla Thorsteinsdöttir, Charles Gardner, Mario Gobbo, Hannah Kettler, Andrew Taylor, and Marsha Wulff in shaping the overall project design. We are indebted to the numerous interviewees in Brazil, China, India, and South Africa for sharing their time, experiences and insights with us. This research was funded by Genome Canada through the Ontario Genomics Institute (Toronto), the Ontario Research Fund (Toronto), Rockefeller Foundation (New York) and BioVentures for Global Health (Washington, DC, USA). RR was supported through a Doctoral Research Award from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and is currently supported through a post-doctoral fellowship from the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada (Vancouver) and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. This research was based at the Sandra Rotman Centre (SRC), based at the University of Toronto and the University Health Network (Toronto). SRC is financially supported from a variety of sources found at http://www.srcglobal.org.
PAS is on the scientific advisory board of BioVeda China fund.
ASD, PAS and SEF participated in study design, sourcing of research funds and review/revisions of manuscript drafts. RR and SEF conducted interviews and drafted the manuscript. AM contributed to research design, and revisions to manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript. | 2019-04-20T10:56:24Z | https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1478-4505-10-18 |
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We had a great day at the Gautier Antique Fair today! It was awesome watching four "Picked Off" teams and their film crews running around The Old Place today. "Picked Off" is a new show on The History Channel, and is a spin-off of History Channel's "American Pickers". Two of the four teams stopped by the Daddy's BBQ booth today, trying to buy the vintage Coca-Cola sign that hung in Daddy's rib shack Bates Bar-b-Que in Jayess, Mississippi. It was an honor to tell 'em the sign wasn't for sale! Of course, Daddy probably would have sold it!
DADDY'S SMOKER FROM BATES BAR-B-QUE GETS A MAKEOVER!
We're happy to report that the original smoker that our late father, James R. Bates, used in the rib shack he built himself in rural Mississippi is getting another chance to smoke great 'Que for those who love all things Daddy's BBQ!
We've recently pulled the smoker out of the rib shack and it is being welded onto a cooking trailer. This smoker will be available for Daddy's BBQ catering and competitions soon!
THANKS FOR ANOTHER GREAT YEAR FOR DADDY'S BBQ!
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Daddy's BBQ™ would like to honor the memory of those Mississippians who gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country in Iraq and Afghanistan. Several of them died while serving with the same unit that my father, James Russell Bates, served with in Tylertown and McComb, the 155th Infantry Regiment of the Mississippi Army National Guard.
We say 'Thank You' to the families of these men and women who gave their lives. They are our heroes. They will not be forgotten.
Staff Sgt. Kenneth R. Bradley, 39, 588th Engineer Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Utica, Mississippi, Hinds County. Died of a heart attack in Baqubah, Iraq, on May 28, 2003.
Cpl. Henry L. Brown, 22, 1st Battalion, 64th Field Artillery Regiment, Natchez, Mississippi, Adams County. Died on April 8, 2003, of wounds received from an Iraqi rocket attack south of Baghdad on April 7.
Spc. Larry K. Brown, 22, 1st Battalion, 41st Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Jackson, Mississippi, Hinds County. Killed in action on April 5, 2003, in Iraq.
Spc. James A. Chance III, 25, C Company, 890th Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard, Kokomo, Mississippi, Marion County. Killed when his vehicle struck a landmine in Husaybah, Iraq, on November 6, 2003.
2nd Lt. Therrel S. Childers, 30, 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, Harrison County, Mississippi. Killed in combat in southern Iraq on March 21, 2003.
Spc. Raphael S. Davis, 24, 223rd Engineer Battalion, Army National Guard, Tutwiler, Mississippi, Tallahatchie County. Killed when his vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device on Highway 1 south of the Samarra, Iraq, bypass on December 2, 2003.
Staff Sgt. Jeffrey F. Dayton, 27, 4th Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Armored Division, Caledonia, Mississippi, Lowndes County. Killed when a vehicle approached his unit while it was conducting a dismounted improvised explosive device sweep patrol and the driver detonated a bomb in Baghdad, Iraq, on April 29, 2004.
Spc. Jeremiah J. DiGiovanni, 21, 4th Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Tylertown, Mississippi, Walthall County. Killed when two 101st Airborne Division UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided in mid-air over Mosul, Iraq, on November 15, 2003.
Staff Sgt. Clint D. Ferrin, 31, D Company, 1st Battalion, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, Picayune, Mississippi, Pearl River County. Killed when an improvised explosive device struck his Humvee while on patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 13, 2004.
Pfc. Damian L. Heidelberg, 21, 1st Battalion, 187th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Batesville, Mississippi, Panola County. Killed when two 101st Airborne Division UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters collided in mid-air over Mosul, Iraq, on November 15, 2003.
Sgt. Joshua S. Ladd, 20, 367th Maintenance Company, Mississippi Army National Guard, Port Gibson, Mississippi, Claiborne County. Killed when his convoy vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in Mosul, Iraq, on May 1, 2004 DoD Report.
Sgt. Jonathan W. Lambert, 28, Headquarters Battalion, 1st Marine Division, New Site, Mississippi, Prentiss County. Died June 1, 2003, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany, as a result of injuries he suffered when his Humvee rolled over on May 26, 2003, in Iraq DoD Report.
Pfc. Christopher D. Mabry, 19, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Chunky, Mississippi, Newton County. Died due to injuries received from hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq, on April 7, 2004 DoD Report.
Staff Sgt. Joe N. Wilson, 30, 2nd Battalion, 5th Field Artillery Regiment, 212th Field Artillery Brigade, Crystal Springs, Mississippi, Copiah County. Wilson was aboard a CH-47 Chinook helicopter when it crashed near Fallujah, Iraq, on November 2, 2003 DoD Report.
2nd Lt. Matthew R. Stovall, 25, 367th Maintenance Company, 298th Corps Support Battalion, Mississippi Army National Guard, Horn Lake, Mississippi. Killed when an improvised explosive device exploded near his vehicle in Mosul, Iraq, on August 22, 2004.
Spc. Joshua I. Bunch, 23, Company B, 91st Engineer Battalion, 1st Cavalry Division, Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Died when individuals using small-arms fire and rocket-propelled grenades attacked his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, in August 6, 2004.
Sgt. 1st Class Sean M. Cooley, 35, Company B, 150th Engineer Battalion, 155th Armor Brigade, Ocean Springs, Mississippi. Killed when his vehicle was struck by an improvised explosive device in northern Babil Province, Iraq, on February 3, 2005.
Spc. Robert A. McNail, 30, Company B, 150th Engineer Battalion, 155th Armor Brigade, Mississippi Army National Guard, Meridian, Mississippi. Killed when his Humvee struck another military vehicle in Iskandariyah, Iraq, on February 11, 2005.
Sgt. Timothy R. Osbey, 34, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, Magnolia, Mississippi. Died when a roadway collapsed, causing his vehicle to roll over, at Forward Operating Base in Iskandariyah, Iraq, on February 16, 2005.
Spc. Joseph A. Rahaim, 22, Company A, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, Magnolia, Mississippi. Died when a roadway collapsed, causing his vehicle to roll over, at Forward Operating Base in Iskandariyah, Iraq, February 16, 2005.
Sgt. Shane Pugh, 25, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 155th Infantry Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, Meridian, Mississippi. Killed when an improvised explosive device detonated near his military vehicle in Iskandariyah, Iraq, on March 2, 2005.
Pfc. Stephen P. Baldwyn, 19, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Saltillo, Mississippi. Died of wounds received from an explosion during combat operations against enemy forces in Nasser Wa Salaam, Iraq, on May 9, 2005.
Sgt. Audrey D. Lunsford, 29, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, Sardis, Mississippi. One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Haswa, Iraq, on May 23, 2005.
Staff Sgt. Saburant Parker, 43, Company C, 1st Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, Foxworth, Mississippi. One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Haswa, Iraq, on May 23, 2005.
Spc. Daniel R. Varnado, 23, Company C, 1st Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, Saucier, Mississippi. One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Haswa, Iraq, on May 23, 2005.
Spc. Bryan D. Barron, 26, Company C, 1st Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, Biloxi, Mississippi. One of four soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle during combat operations in Haswa, Iraq, on May 23, 2005.
Lance Cpl. Marc L. Tucker, 24, 9th Engineer Support Battalion, 3rd Force Service Support Group, 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, Pontotoc, Mississippi. Died as a result of a non-hostile vehicle accident in Asr Uranium, Iraq, on June 8, 2005.
Sgt. Larry R. Arnold Sr., 46, Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, Carriere, Mississippi. One of two soldiers killed when their armored personnel carrier was hit by a roadside bomb in Owesat Village, Iraq, on June 11, 2005.
Spc. Terrance D. Lee Sr., 25, Company B, 150th Combat Engineer Battalion, 155th Brigade Combat Team, Mississippi Army National Guard, Moss Point, Mississippi. One of two soldiers killed when their armored personnel carrier was hit by a roadside bomb in Owesat Village, Iraq, on June 11, 2005.
Cpl. Clifton B. Mounce, 22, 3rd Battalion, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Pontotoc, Mississippi. One of two Marines killed when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb during combat operations near Trebil, Iraq, on July 14, 2005.
Staff Sgt. Travis S. Cooper, 24, Headquarters Battery, 2nd Battalion, 114th Field Artillery Regiment, Mississippi Army National Guard, Macon, Mississippi. Died on July 16, 2005, in Balad, Iraq, from wounds sustained a day earlier when a roadside bomb exploded near the vehicle he was searching in Baghdad, Iraq.
Lance Cpl. Roger W. Deeds, 24, Company F, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Biloxi, Mississippi. One of three Marines killed as a result of enemy small-arms fire during combat operations against enemy forces in Ubaydi, Iraq, on November 16, 2005.
Staff Sgt. Brian L. Freeman, 27, I Troop, 3rd Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, Caledonia, Mississippi. One of four soldiers killed when a suicide car bomb exploded near their dismounted patrol in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 7, 2005.
Cpl. Michael B. Presley, 21, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Batesville, Mississippi. Presley died on December 14, 2005, at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in Germany of wounds he received when a suicide car bomb exploded during combat operations against enemy forces in Falluja, Iraq, on December 12.
Sgt. 1st Class Clarence D. McSwain, 31, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, Meridian, Mississippi. Died of injuries sustained when a roadside bomb exploded near his convoy vehicle during combat operations in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 8, 2006.
Sgt. Courtland A. Kennard, 22, 410th Military Police Company, 720th Military Police Battalion, 89th Military Police Brigade, Starkville, Mississippi. One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb exploded near their vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, November 9, 2006.
Master Sgt. Brian P. McAnulty, 39, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, Vicksburg, Mississippi. Killed when the CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter he was riding in crashed just after takeoff in Anbar province, Iraq, on December 11, 2006.
Capt. Kermit O. Evans, 31, 27th Civil Engineer Squadron, 27th Mission Support Group, 27th Fighter Wing, Hollandale, Mississippi. Killed along with two U.S. Marines and a U.S. soldier when the Marine CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter they were riding in made an emergency water landing in western Anbar Province on December 3, 2006.
Staff Sgt. Robert L. Love Jr., 28, 16th Engineer Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division, Meridian, Mississippi. Killed when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq, on December 1, 2006.
Sgt. 1st Class William C. Spillers, 39, 230th Finance Detachment, Terry, Mississippi. Died of a non-combat related injury in Baghdad, Iraq, on February 17, 2007.
Pvt. Barry W. Mayo, 21, 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, Ecru, Mississippi. One of three soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their unit in Baquba, Iraq, on March 5, 2007.
Cpl. Dustin J. Lee, 20, Headquarters Battalion, Marine Corps Logistics Base, Quitman, Mississippi. Died of wounds received while conducting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on March 21, 2007.
Staff Sgt. Jerry C. Burge, 39, 2nd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, Carriere, Mississippi. One of two soldiers killed when a roadside bomb detonated near their vehicle in Taji, Iraq, on April 4, 2007.
Sgt. Jason W. Vaughn, 29, 5th Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, Iuka, Mississippi. Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Baquba, Iraq, on May 10, 2007.
Staff Sgt. John Self, 29, 314th Security Forces Squadron, USAF, Pontotoc, Mississippi. Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Baghdad, Iraq, May 14, 2007.
Sgt. Taurean T. Harris, 22, 202nd Military Intelligence Battalion, 513th Military Intelligence Brigade, Liberty, Mississippi. Died of wounds suffered when a roadside bomb detonated near his vehicle in Kala Gush, Afghanistan, August 2, 2007.
Spc. Melvin L. Henley Jr., 26, 603rd Aviation Support Battalion, 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, Jackson, Mississippi. Died of injuries suffered from non-combat related incident at Camp Striker in Baghdad, Iraq, on November 21, 2007.
Cpl. Robert T. McDavid, 29, 1st Battalion, 64th Armor Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, Starkville, Mississippi. One of five soldiers killed when a suicide bomber detonated an explosive device near them as they patrolled in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 10, 2008.
Spc. Lerando J. Brown, 27, 288th Sapper Company, 223rd Engineer Battalion, Mississippi Army National Guard, Gulfport, Mississippi. Brown died of injuries suffered in a non-combat related incident in Balad, Iraq, on March 15, 2008.
Lance Cpl. Casey L. Casanova, 22, Combat Logistics Battalion 1, Combat Logistics Regiment 1, 1st Marine Logistics Group, 1st Marine Expeditionary Force, McComb, Mississippi. One of four Marines killed while supporting combat operations in Anbar province, Iraq, on May 2, 2008.
Cpl. William J. L. Cooper, 22, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2d Marine Division, 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force, Eupora, Mississippi. Died while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan on May 19, 2008.
Our friends at www.Soles4Souls.org are among the first to respond to help the 100,000’s of thousands of people affected by Cyclone Nargis.
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Canton Flea Market a Success!
A Special thanks to all of our new friends who supported us at the Canton Flea Market. Folks from all over Mississippi, Louisiana and Alabama stopped by the Daddy’s BBQ™ booth to say hello and take home our Sweet Love™ Original Rub. To our knowledge, they were all new to Daddy’s BBQ. We’re going home to make more rub in anticipation of their repeat business! Look for us again at Grace Episcopal Church on E. Peace Street, one block east of the square, October 9th for the Canton Flea Market fall show. We’ll have four Daddy’s BBQ products and gift baskets available, so come ready to take care of your Christmas shopping early!
Daddy’s BBQ announces our first Retail Outlets!!!
We’re working hard to build our list of retail outlets. Please show your support and let your friends know where they can find Daddy’s BBQ! Look to our website from time to time to see our growing list of places you can pick up your favorite Daddy’s BBQ rub or sauce. Please let us know if you can recommend a specialty meat market or gourmet gift shop in your area. We need your support to help keep Daddy’s dream alive!
1101 East Howze Beach Rd.
If you missed us at this year's 20th annual Barbecue Under the Oaks in Pass Christian, shame! You missed a chance to have the best barbecue on the planet! We had a LOT of help from some really great friends at this benefit for Gulf Coast Symphony and the hard work paid off. Our partnership with Pike National Bank and their awesome Pitts & Spitts smoker really made for an incredible team.
DADDY'S BBQ CAME HOME WITH A FIRST PLACE FINISH! | 2019-04-26T06:34:02Z | http://daddysbbq.com/Blog.html |
Just to make things clear i dug up a few Rand quotes: "In love the currency is virtue. You love people not for what you do for them or what they do for you, you love them for their values, their virtues, which they have achieved in their own character." - Youtube - interview - "Ayn Rand on happiness, Self-Esteem and Love" "What you fall in love with is the same values which you choose embodied in another person. That's romantic love, now any lesser form of love such as friendship, affection [notice how she didn't mention family], is the same thing in effect. You grant a feeling of affection toward those who you have concluded are values, your response to others is on the basis of values." - Youtube - interview - Ayn Rand Love and Values To answer your questions ill say this: I agree you can get some value from family members. Of course, they will probably have some traits you admire. Maybe one of them is a hard worker or you share a value (a common interest) etc. I don't dispute this. But unfortunately it doesn't solve the problem. Why? Because the same thing applies to millions of other people. You can find some value in lots of people. In this increasingly interconnected world, both online and in the physical world with bigger cities, improved transport etc the sheer number of people we can meet or do meet (say if you're a university student for example) is enormous. If values/virtues is the only thing you judge your family members on, they are very vulnerable to being "out-valued" so to speak. In this internet age, it is easy to seek out people who strongly share your values and it wouldn't take long to find a whole group of people who would effectively replace your family. This is why i see the family being destroyed with the removal of duty or more broadly mysticism in family. In a hypothetical Objectivist world, society would be fluid. People would move in and out of relationships and groups. The family would not be an enduring social unit. It just wouldn't exist in the way it does today. With values being the only standard, there is no binding glue. But as I've said many times, all of this is only a secondary problem. The primary problem is the incentive to have children in the first place which I can't see being strong enough and widespread.
So do you subscribe to the blank slate view of man? One conclusion would be man has no pre-existing knowledge. But you'd have to expand on what you've said to gain a better understanding of your conception of human nature. Does reason have limitations? Can it be used to fully comprehend the laws of nature? Does man have any inherent limitations or can the contents of his mind be completely determined by reason? (blank slate view). (There's a actually a book by Steven Pinker called The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature which is an argument against the tabula rasa theory. Sounds like a must read. One to add to the list) I don't deny the existence of universal laws of nature. I am just sceptical about our ability to actually know them in full, or to fully understand them and be able to rationally articulate them. Objectivism relies on a specific conception of human nature. The is-ought logic means changes in our understanding of human nature can have a drastic impact on the philosophy. I discussed the role of reproduction as an example earlier in the thread. I see two ways we can try to understand human nature. One is through scientific experiment on the human body and the other is through observing how humans actually behave in reality. Regarding the latter which you talk about further down but I'll address here, if you were observing an alien species over a long period of time you would look for recurring characteristics. If the aliens were stealing, killing and lying over thousands of years and kept doing it despite all the different cultures, races, religions etc you would certainly make this your starting point for inherent traits in their nature. It would carry more weight than the exceptions. And if in the societies where they were punished for these things, you observed them doing these things less in what appeared to be a successful method, you would have little reason to believe that something else could be more succesful, like reason, which so far had shown no successful track record in any society before and in fact when it was tried as an alternative deterrent (league of nations), it failed. It's wrong to blame slavery on tradition or long standing institutions. Before the 18 century, slavery was an uncontroversial fact of life. It had always existed. In every corner of the globe you'd find slavery, every race and creed. So the real question is, what is the cause of freedom? Similarly, you don't look for the causes of poverty (poverty has always existed), you look for the causes of wealth. Institutions have supported bad things in the past. How could this not be the case in societies that evolve incrementally over time, gradually improving? And as they improve, it is the institutions that improve with them or drive the improvement. It was the Christians that spearheaded the call to end slavery and it was in a society where freedom had come about through a long process of evolution in English law. It was bound to take slavery with it even if there was a lag time. And it is one thing to morally condemn slavery, and another to figure out the practical steps toward ending it and having a plan to manage the fallout. There's going to be a lag time between the two, as was the case with the Americans. I agree, change is inevitable. This is a great question. Although to be more specific, reason has to be used. It depends what premises you use. So my question would be by what standard should we judge political action? This has been causing me a headache. I would much rather just have the nice clean Objectivist principles but it's clear the world isn't as simple as that. For example, one could buy all the land around a community of people and hold them hostage by refusing them access on the land. Or on immigration, open boarders would lead to societal suicide. Or in emergency ethics, the ethical principles breakdown. Those things remind me of how the laws of physics break down in the centre of a black hole. I think it is a fitting parallel. So all that's left is a rough estimate. We believe stealing, lying, killing is bad. These ethical principles are embedded in traditions and social institutions and also conform to reason. Perhaps these traditions provide glimpses of the truth. We know the free market is superior whether it is justified with natural rights or utilitarianism etc. The same thing applies for property rights. And we know the dangers of the centralisation of power etc. We have to use long standing social institutions as guides but not complete authorities and the same thing applies with reason. We have to value stability and exercise prudence in political change. There's a lot to say on this and a lot of theories out there. Edmund Burke called his approach prescription which you can look into if you like. But I admit I am stuck on this. There doesn't seem to be a clear and final answer in any direction and I fear there never will be. It's different for different people of course but generally speaking the special meaning clearly exists for human beings. Perhaps frustration arises from being unable to define exactly what the meaning is but I think this is just one of those limits. I think it can't be defined because it expresses itself differently for different people. I see the blood connection encompassing a number of ideas. I use it as a rather broad term. It's better to say mysticism in family. For a mother, her bond with her children is said to be especially profound which is partly down to the fact the children actually grew inside of her and are made from her. Well, I am very sceptical that humans can actually separate the mysticism unless the value calculation is extreme for them. I believe you love your daughter but I don't believe you base this love purely on how much you like her values and virtues which is what Objectivism demands of you. You shouldn't take it for granted. But it could be a reason you never gain access to. The last two questions just demonstrate how complex and messy the real world is. The standards and meanings vary for different people. Blood does not guarantee love. Generally speaking, it works as a kind of glue helping to unite a family and it expresses itself in the human mind as mysticism. A mother may tell her son to go help his brother and he asks why and she replies "because he's your brother". This is a classic line. And it works. The child accepts it as a good point and reluctantly helps. Or the child may not understand why the line is authoritative but just feels that it is. What if reason is not enough, what then? That's the position I think is the reality. I think most would agree it's good to leave the abusive father. But again, I share your desire to know what the good is. But if you think it will never cease without deterrents, what does that tell you about human nature? Does this not point to the limits of reason? I said earlier in the thread that the extent to which the deterrents are working, is the extent to which reason is failing. Most people know stealing is wrong. And yet how many do you think would do it if they could get away with it? Imagine if there were no deterrents in terms of punishment. Anyone could walk into a store and take a brand new tv off the shelf without any consequences. I think it would quickly become apparent how weak a force reason is. And consider lying, not only is it easy to get away with lying, there's also very little punishment for it which is why it's widespread. Imagine if people could instantly be caught for lying and the punishment was 6 months in prison. What do you think would be more effective? This deterrent or attempting to rationally explain to someone why they shouldn't lie, getting them to understand and agree and to go on with the rest of their life not lying? Considering these questions, it becomes apparent that a society of Objectivists (that is, true Objectivists not needing deterrents for themselves) is impossible. Even a society with a sizeable portion of them would be impossible. Even a portion of the tiny number that exist today probably wouldn't pass the no-deterrents test, in my opinion, and therefore aren't real Objectivists. Deterrents, social institutions, God etc are ways of controlling these things. Reason will never be enough, not even close. Can but won't. I'll just close by saying Rand is reliant on the facts of nature which she didn't know. She assumed. The nature/nurture debate has not been resolved and scientists today attribute genes to a role in human behaviour. How powerful is that role? It's all still very murky. I read that Peikoff's daughter, an Objectivist, is studying bio-ethics. I applaud her for this. I think this is exactly the area that needs to be focused on.
I said virtues in the post you replied to before but you replied as if I had said value despite my quote right above your sentence. The one you are replying to here I have since edited as I noticed my mistake. Rand in her quote uses Virtue. But its a rather technical distinction between the two. They are very similar and both come together to roughly mean the way someone thinks and acts, their attitudes/beliefs and their behaviour. So the value you gain, spiritually speaking, is purely down to who they are as a person, nothing more. It is this that determines whether you love someone, consider them a friend etc and it is on this basis that you choose to do something for them. My previous argument remains the same. You are trying to claim there is something more, or at least you were in the reply a while back. It was all very murky. Yeah extreme value calculations can override duty, as the history of families shows. I'm not against any bar at all. That would be ideologically extreme and in opposition to the thing I'm supporting - families as they exist in reality.
One or the other, or both. It doesn't matter. The blank slate view is that man has no inherent limits holding him back. I don't know what your criteria is to be called an "Enlightenment philosophy" but that is irrelevant. Objectivism shares some fundamental views of man with the era as articulated by Peikoff and that's the point. It would not have been out of place had it been conceived during that time. Trying to distance Objectivism from the enlightenment is absurd. Even Rand had high praise for the era. And Peikoff describes Arsitotle as the father of that era, the same father of Objectivism. Here you are just performing rhetorical somersaults rewording the same thing. According to you, an enlightened individual is someone who has the potential to live a rational moral life if only they'll realise what they are (a rational being) and seek rationality. This is no different to the enlightenment thinkers. There is nothing unique in what you have said (except reinventing the word enlightened which serves no purpose except obfuscation) It appears you think the unique twist is that they just need to realise "what they already are" which isn't unique at all. This is the same point as thinkers like Paine. Man is a rational being. If only he'll exercise that reason, he'll fulfill his potential. You're right its based on the value you gain. Which is based on what? The virtues they hold. See the Rand quote. She set the bar extremely high for love. I'd assume the bar is still very high for friend. Besides, family falls in the category of love. And the point still remains, you'd have no reason to want to do something for them if their virtues don't pass the bar (unless you made a promise to do something for them). And as has been a recurrent theme in this thread, the issue of having children in the first place is hardly replied to - the bigger problem.
I've discussed this earlier in the thread. Perhaps a society can flourish without the family. No society ever has but I don't completely rule it out. With developments in bio-engineering and AI, who knows. But all of that is entering the realm of science fiction. At present, the family is a vital social institution for a number of reasons. This is widely accepted. It is even acknowledged in the Atlas Society link in my original post. But it's good that you're asking that because Objectivists should to start thinking in that direction or find a way to include reproduction and the family in the philosophy.
Sorry I didn't reply. There's so many I lose track. My answer here applies to both of you. Rand: "In spiritual issues—(by “spiritual” I mean: “pertaining to man’s consciousness”)—the currency or medium of exchange is different, but the principle is the same. Love, friendship, respect, admiration are the emotional response of one man to the virtues of another, the spiritual payment given in exchange for the personal, selfish pleasure which one man derives from the virtues of another man’s character." Its important not to confuse positive externalities as a reason for doing something back for someone, certainly not as an obligation. If you gain value from the actions of someone you know and therefore you've "gained value", this has nothing to do with the spiritual relationship - whether you consider them a friend or love them. If they buy you a gift, it doesn't mean you owe them a gift back or any spiritual payment. One cannot buy respect from another person, only virtues can do that. If they do something for you, they gain selfish pleasure out of it. The trade is finished. Why do they do it? Because of your values/virtues. And this where the entire relationship stems from. Rand herself declared very few people deserve love (because they have the wrong virtues). Friendship would still require a strong appreciation for someones virtues, family even more so. So it begs the question. Why would you want to do something for someone if their virtues don't pass the bar? You wouldn't according to Objectivism. And judging by Rand's comments and written work, it appears that bar is pretty high. Dlewis you said one could conceive of family like hard work. I totally agree this conception holds true in the traditional sense. But the motivation derives from the blood connection. "They're blood". That's where the extra push comes from to work hard at the relationship. But for an Objectivist, it makes no sense when you're not "stuck" with your family and can readily choose whoever you like to be close to. Why put up with the hard work of changing someone's views when you can instantly find connection with other people who share your values? Perhaps there is some wiggle room to work with somewhere in all of that. But what I've laid out there is guaranteed to be a heavy blow to the unity of the family. But that's not even the worst part. Everything I've said so far is only the secondary problem. The primary problem is having the children in the first place. And this is an even bigger challenge to overcome. I agree there is some value in seeing children grow but without the blood connection? Without any meaning whatsoever in passing on the genes, in continuing the generation etc? This would be an even bigger blow. Adoption agencies are always struggling to find homes for their babies/children. People care about the blood connection. It means something to them. They want to raise a mini version of themselves and their lover. There is just little justification for an Objectivist to commit to raising children (a monumental commitment) when productivity is the highest good. I've said more on this earlier if you can find it. (And raising a family cannot be seen as productive in an Objectivist sense) Rand: "In comparison to the moral and psychological importance of sexual happiness, the issue of procreation is insignificant and irrelevant, except as a deadly threat" The bottom line is an Objectivist society disregards the family, just like Rand did in her life and work.
The point is that ones view of human nature leads to very different conclusions and this is at the heart of the conflict. My criticism is not with reason helping mankind but with everything having to pass the bar of reason, or at least articulated reason. The problem with this is that it destroys social institutions and traditions; the very things which have evolved over a long time to deal with human nature and they contain far more knowledge and wisdom than a single person can rationally articulate. In much the same way, the widespread dispersal of knowledge in the free market is far more wise than the articulated rationality of a few intellectuals pulling the levers of the economy. Removing the special meaning of blood in the family, the passing of genes/continuing of generations is a devastating blow and all because it cannot pass the bar of reason. But perhaps reason has its limits. Perhaps "irrational" loyalty to family, community and country is a vital mechanism. What use is a society that adheres completely to articulated reason if it destroys itself? I do believe man can improve himself absolutely. But only within certain constraints. This probably vary among individuals but mankind as a whole appears to be inherently flawed. Stealing lying and killing will never cease without deterrents other than reason. And by the way, it's not like I take pleasure in this view. It's difficult for me to accept because I want everything to be explained through clean hard logic. But looking at the way humans are and have always behaved is clearly at odds with all these rational theories.
Of course, this is what I've been saying; the blank slate view of human nature. Man has no inherent flaws. This is a fundamental premise shared with the enlightenment era. It is a romantic view of man because it sets no limits. (Read Paine and tell me he doesn't have a romantic view of man and society) Peikoff's words on the era: "Just as there are no limits to man’s knowledge, many [Enlightenment era] thinkers held, so there are no limits to man’s moral improvement. If man is not yet perfect, they held, he is at least perfectible." (Thus, no inherent flaws). "Whatever the vacillations or doubts of particular thinkers, the dominant trend represented a new vision and estimate of man: man as a self-sufficient, rational being and, therefore, as basically good, as potentially noble, as a value." (Starting to sound like Objectivism?) Man's behaviour is malleable and reason is the tool. We are not "all sufficiently enlightened people", we have the potential to be and we can realise it by choosing to exercise reason in every area of our life. Reason does help you see the light. Rand recommends the mindless zombies use reason to correct their chaotic mind. Peikoff even refers to reason as a force and a power: "Reason, for so long the wave of the future, had become the animating force of the present" "In epistemology, the European champions of the intellect had been unable to formulate a tenable view of the nature of reason or, therefore, to validate their proclaimed confidence in its power."
This is bordering on pure semantics. Rand says most people are like mindless zombies caught up in a whirlwind of confusion and contradiction. They behave irrationally guided by their "whims". She recommends her philosophy as the antidote. To solve their problems they must first think. They must reason. They must reconsider their premises and use reason to extrapolate the correct conclusions. This requires real work and mental effort. In doing this, they will see the absurdity of lying, stealing, killing etc. Reason will show them it is against their own interest and they will not want to do it. This is exactly like the enlightenment thinkers and the modern left wing who have inhereited this viewpoint. The League of Nations was created on this very idea and it was a spectacular failure. It all centres around the power or importance of reason in solving human conflict both domestically and internationally. Leftists to this day believe criminals can be rehabilitated using reason. As much as I'd like to discuss this further, it's probably too far off topic and could easily spawn a massive debate. I've emphasised the pessimistic part quite strongly. Human nature is inherently flawed - this is a key part of conservatism. In what way is Conservatism like the enlightenment ideals? Check out the famous debates between Burke and Paine who best represent the enlightenment view vs the conservative view. If you mean support of free markets, the reasons are very different. Adam Smith supported them as a systemic process that produced the most good for society as a whole, not on the basis of individual rights. The decenetralisation of power and free markets is crucial to Conservatism. It is only in modern times that they've been forced to move leftward because of the success of leftists. The conservatives in Britain today are basically a centrist party. I think we're probably just crossing wires here over time periods/definitions.
I already have identified it. To fill in your sentence: "The family needs unchosen obligations" A conception of the family which only consists of value calculation is not sustainable. The duty is usually derived from blood (whether this is rational or not is a separate matter). This is just how humans behave and have always behaved. At the very least, I'll put it this way: The family needs an element of mysticism. The key point here is that value calculation alone is not enough. There must be a special meaning placed in blood, in helping blood relatives, in passing on your genes, continuing the family name, connecting generations rather than breaking the link etc and a resulting motivation to do these things which usually takes the form of an obligation or duty although I concede it may not. It may take the form of a desire in the belief that passing on the genes is the right thing to do. But I think it may just be semantics at play here. Now perhaps there is a way to rationally justify all of this and bring it outside the realm of mysticism. That would be great. I hope it's possible. The Intrincist explored something alone those lines earlier in the thread when he talked about grounding reproduction in human nature and rationally justifying it from there.
Again, you're asking for a rational justification for the source of duty. This is not what this thread is about and I have never made that argument. I am saying the family needs it whether it is a delusion or a truth. (And not just the family but society as a whole - extending up to duty to country).
You again. What on earth do you want from me? I've already answered your question when i replied to your previous outburst. And in my original post I said "My argument is as follows:" and I have used the words "I argue" many times in this thread. Besides, it was StrictlyLogical who said "your argument is a non-argument" and I was replying to that. I also found his approach to be rather aggressive with all the unnecessary caps. Your behaviour is embarrassing - personally attacking me, refusing to debate (fair enough) but then coming back to "crash" the thread declaring it's nonsense (despite refusing to actually debate it) and now again you're back to attack me and bicker. Grow up.
That's not an argument. How is it false? If we were all Objectivists, society would be in peace and harmony. No lying, stealing, killing etc. The trader principle would reign in both economic and spiritual relationships. There would be no conflicts of interest or contradictions among rational men in a free society either, according to Rand. When you start saying "If you knew anything about Objectivism you would know that" you're losing the argument. What alternatives are you referring to? I have been clear. Duty is an unchosen obligation separate from any value calculation. (unless those value calculations are extreme). Asking me for a rational justification of its source is a separate matter. It is hardly a non-argument that throughout history people have judged relationships on more than just rational value calculations. Duty has been a consistent thread. The blood connection has always had what one might consider a "mystical" element. I have even provided a rational explanation for why the family is meaningless if only judged on value calculations as well as appealing to history.
Thank you for the correction. I haven't read "Philosophy, who needs it?" but I can't can see Rand has an essay called "Causality vs duty" and ive just read sections of it available on the lexicon and it basically explains in more detail what you've said there. I am suggesting if one were to start trying to rationally justify duty, they might start with the fact that we are reproductive beings. I currently do not have the knowledge to get into that and you're best off seeking out the best arguments already out there to justify duty as I will do. My focus in this thread is about the utility of duty. I have never claimed to justify it rationally but I do not dismiss the possibility that it can be justified rationally or morally. I am simply observing the way human beings behave in reality not how they *should* behave based on abstract priciniples. Its almost as if Objectivism is saying "if only humans behaved this way, there wouldn't be any wars, crime, lying, no conflicts of interest no contradictions etc and society would be at peace etc" but the problem is they simply don't think and act that way and they never will. It's like saying "if only humans didn't act like humans". And pointing out an extreme minority that apparently claim to behave that way (Rand declaring she is living proof - a single human being) is hardly indicative of human nature compared to hundreds of millions of humans across times, locations, cultures and races .
If one has the opportinity to steal but the likelihood of getting caught is very high and the punishment severe then one can reason the risk outweighs the benefit. In this sense reason has a clear role to play. But the idea that without this deterrent, humans could rely on reason alone to deter themselves is absurd and flies in the face of history. Only a tiny minority could ever live that way. (And it probably wouldn't last). In an objectivist world, if the deterrent has any role to play in why one acts morally, then reason is failing to the extent to which the deterrent is working (certainly reason from Objectivist premises). In the real world, whatever power we do have over our inherent leanings means very little if we don't exercise that power, if we disagree on what is and is not reasonable or if most of us simply don't have the time or interest to ponder what is and is not rational. Instead of relying on reason, social institutions and traditions arise (with duty as a key component) and combine with reason to deal with those inherent leanings as more effective tools than reason alone could ever be. Regarding the population density, it is the least relevant to this thread and I found it confusing. Certainly the weakest argument. I found the sections on the family and human nature especially compelling.(he said "sort of" like the fallacy. The general point stands that it is strange reproduction is missing from the philosophy when it is so interconnected with life). It is worth the read if you do get the time. | 2019-04-19T01:30:02Z | http://forum.objectivismonline.com/index.php?/profile/12369-jason-hunter/ |
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Though it is uncertain who has been appropriating it, Ethiopia’s economy has been showing monumentally high economic growth for the last fifteen years. Given this economic environment, Ethiopia’s investment climate has been on the right trajectory and as a result it has been appealing to many domestic and foreign investors.
However, Ethiopia’s governance has been run without accountability. It is shot-through with corruption. Conspicuous rent-seeking behavior has become a way of life in the country because people in power have been extracting wealth for non-productive activities (Desta, 2014, p. 243). As vigorously argued by Hagos, Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing economies in the world. “Yet, corruption in both the public and private sectors remains a very serious problem throughout the country” (2016).
Additionally, Ethiopia’s political landscape has been triggering flashpoints that indicate signs of deteriorating political stability. For instance, massive demonstrations and violent social interactions have been flaring up throughout the country. More specifically, feeling deprived of entitlements as guaranteed in the 1994 Constitution, Ethiopians residing in the Amhara, Oromo, and the Tigrai regions of Ethiopia have been demanding and agitating for power to rule themselves so that they are able to enjoy self-identity and benefits they are entitled to.
As a result of upheavals that have occurred in some parts of the country, the regime in power, the Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF), has been preoccupied with immediate or retroactive challenges. To hold on to power, the EPRDF regime has been using draconian measures to crack down on the unrest and muzzle its critics.
Nonetheless, realizing that these popular demands after all need greater accountability, the regime in power has promised the Ethiopian citizens that it is in the process of designing sweeping political reforms that will soon be presented to the Federal Parliamentary Assembly of Ethiopia or the House of Peoples’ Representatives. Given the upheaval, the cardinal question that needs to be asked at this juncture is: Is the regime in power undertaking reactive or proactive measures to redress the widespread upheaval and social unrest in Ethiopia?
The remaining sections of this paper are organized as follows. Section 2 outlines the tactical moves initiated by the Government to resolve the social unrest in the Walkaet and Tsegadi areas (Woredas). Section 3 presents some of the reactive management tactics used to solve massive youth unemployment in Ethiopia. Section 4, outlines some possible tactical plans that could be used to wipeout corruption and rent- seeking behaviors from the Ethiopian bureaucracy. Some proactive or basic structural changes needed for Ethiopia’s future are presented in Section 5. Section 6, considers some of the fundamental impacts the newly designed strategy might have on the political transformation and democracy-building in Ethiopia.
A question was raised by an Ethiopian group of journalists on August 28, 2016, to Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalgne asking him to clarify to them whether the people of Walkaet and Tsegadi are ethnically Amharas or Tigrignas; the Prime Minister gave a clear cut answer by referring to the 1994 Ethiopian Constitution that the people of Walkaet and Tsegadi have been and are classified as part and parcel of the Tigrai Region. Therefore, given the terrible social upheavals, and sporadic acts of violent protest that have left a number of people dead, Prime Minister Haile Mariam made it clear that his government will be forced to take the necessary stepsto maintain peace and stability if the people of Walkaet and Tsegadi woredas, as they are doing now, fail to abide by the laws and rules clearly stated in the Ethiopian Federal Constitution.
Additionally, concerning the dispute that has occurred between the people of Walkaet -Tsegadi and the Tigrai Regional Administrative Region, the Prime Minister stated that it is the duty of the Tigrai Administrative Region, through a referendum, to prove or disprove whether or not the residents of Walkaet and Tsegadi woredas were ethnically Amharas, before the formation of ethnic federalism and the subsequent implementation of the Tigraigna language for government and school system operations.
Prime Minister Hailemariam’s interpretation of the existing constitution seems to be unambiguous. Nevertheless, even if the Prime Minister’s interpretation of the constitution is partly right, given the sensitivity of the issue (like the Silite case), in order to reduce the existing tensions that are sparking not only in the Walkeat and Tsegadi areas but also in other parts of Ethiopia; it would have been wiser for the Prime Minister to restrain his answers instead of exacerbating the case by saying that it needs to be arbitrated by the Tigrai Administrative Region.
Given the unconditional answer by Prime Minister Hailemariam, the people of Walkaet and Tsegadi areas seem to have lost confidence in the Prime Minister’s judgment and have been reacting with defiance against the Tigrai administrative Region. Looking at the case objectively and considering the time it would take to resolve it, it would have been more prudent and humane, had the Prime Minister at the outset referred the case to be handled by the House of Federation (upper chamber), instead prolonging it.
Given the very intense political situation in Ethiopia, Prime Minister Hailemariam was aggrieved having to address some of the heart breaking problems he has been observing throughout Ethiopia. According to the Prime Minister’s description, a large portion of the participants in the demonstrations occurring are mainly youth showing their resentment and frustration for being unemployed. Being concerned about the youth unemployment in the country, the Prime Minister resolutely assured the interviewing journalists that the EPRDF regime would be presenting to the House of People’s Representatives for approval, a radical plan that could end the youth unemployment.
Even if we assume that the regime in power has the ability and the capacity to implement the tactical measures when approved by the parliament to solve the rampant youth unemployment in the country, it seems very likely that it cannot be solved without making appropriate adjustments in the real income, training, and factors of production (Desta, 2014).
Furthermore, we have to bear in mind that the targets from the Growth and Transformation Plan I (GTP I from 1010-11 to 2014/15) were not met because of unforeseen natural calamities such as the El Nino disaster of last year. Given the plan that the EPRDF would be presenting to the parliament to solve the youth unemployment, it seems short-sighted, without contingencies for unexpected problems or the possibility of exploiting opportunities. Therefore, it would be more difficult to reach the target initiated by the Second Growth Transformation Plan II (GTP II, from 2015/16 to2019/20), let alone to create full productive employment for the Ethiopian youth.
The existing Developmental State Model in Ethiopia does not seem to be operating adequately. It has become dysfunctional by accelerating youth unemployment. Therefore, as given in detail in my book: “From Economic Dependency and Stagnation to Democratic Developmental State…”, Ethiopia has to relinquish it reactive model and focus on a proactive strategy to look at the Employer of Last Resort (ELR) economic model. This ELR model has been widely approved by United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and has been used by a number of nations to achieve full employment. As described by Wary (2007) and Becker (1993), respecting the fundamental right to work, the ELR framework focuses on guaranteeing full employment by the government to those who are ready and are willing to work at a minimum wage in suitable activities. The ELR stimulates productivity, lowers unemployment, arrests inflation, and it plays a vital role in stabilizing the economy by reducing economic fluctuations.
Similarly, since agriculture accounts for about 45 percent of gross domestic product and 85 percent of total employment (See Desta, 2016. P. 247); a better way of tackling and achieving full-employment in Ethiopia is by making the land-holding in rural Ethiopia cooperatively owned at the grassroots level. Currently, by and large, the government has been leasing fertile land to foreign agri-business investors to produce wheat, rice and corn for exports. As stated by Belineh (2009), agricultural products produced by foreign investors in rural Ethiopia are based on mono-cropping, which is capital intensive, and contributes to mass unemployment instead of fulfilling the promise of building infrastructure that could generate jobs for native residents.
Therefore, to achieve cooperative enterprises on communal land in rural Ethiopia, it has to be operated under the “Employer of Last Resort” model. However, the ELR need not be run by government organizations.Instead, to achieve full employment, as stated in the ELR model, “the Ethiopian government must relinquish its direct control over much of the rural people. The rural community organizations need to be implemented in a decentralized way and funded by the national government,” (Kofi and Desta 2008).
In the interview he gave to the group of Journalists on August 28, 2016, Prime Minister Hailemariam was very candid, stressing that the existing rampant rent-seeking behavior and the massive corruption that predominates in the country, have the tendency to devastate Ethiopia’s rekindling economy. Furthermore, Prime Minister Hailemariam insinuated that rent-seeking in Ethiopia has been generating dissatisfaction that may instill in the minds of Ethiopians an illusion that one doesn’t need to work hard and be innovative in order to accumulate wealth in Ethiopia.
As stated by the Prime Minister, if we should be assured that the EPRDF Regime had a radical plan to tackle the trends in the rampant unemployment particularly affecting the youth and that it was also adamant about wiping out the glaring corruption that has taken root within the country’s governmental bureaucracy, why does the Prime Minister, under the Constitution, call for an emergency meeting of the House of People’s Representatives to deliberate the urgent case?
Let us assume that the Prime Minister’s projected plan would be accepted without serious objections from the EPRDF-controlled Parliament. Considering the fact that rent-seeking is deeply ingrained, practically in all government offices, the Prime Minister’s new plan would not start with a clean slate. Instead, it is possible to assume that the strategies developed to uproot rent-seeking are likely to face formidable obstacles in the government offices.
Moreover, it would be difficult to objectively assess the government’s future plan because the Prime Minister’s overarching assumptions for the plan don’t seem feasible since it has not been systematically designed. Since it is focusing on symptoms rather than on real substance, the Prime Minister’s tactical plan doesn’t appear to be based on proper advance planning. As such, it is less likely to help the country solve the existing root causes of youth unemployment. The following section suggests that policy makers in Ethiopia may need to shift from being reactive to being robustly proactive focusing on continuous improvement.
Rejecting the EPRDF’s gradual and piecemeal ethno-political reform that has been in operation in Ethiopia for the last twenty-five years, now is the time for civic organizations (a myriad of people who have the desire to provide services to their community), multi-parties, the Diaspora, and other opposition groups, all to be involved in discourse and dialogues in order to pursue Ethiopia’s democratic plan for the future.
A number of Ethiopian elites who live in Ethiopia or in the Diaspora are against the ethnic-based type of demarcation that has been operating since 1994 in Ethiopia to delineate the country into separate regions.These groups further claim that the regime in power is a deeply rooted administration run by tightly controlled zealots (cadres, who actively advance and safeguard their interest and the interests of the ruling party) who are not amenable to bringing fundamental changes but follow blindly the instructions given by their superiors.
Though very critical about the regime in power, these groups of social thinkers argue that it is possible to bring peaceful fundamental changes and secure legitimacy in Ethiopia without endangering the fragile political stability. Based on this premise, these groups of thinkers advocate that abottom–up type of decentralized (autonomous) democratic federalismcould serve as a compromise formulato govern Ethiopia.That is, they strongly argue that establishing autonomous and self-governing regions in Ethiopia advances its economic growth and thereby moves it forward to become a middle income country in the future.
In order to have a deeper understanding of the causes of the uprising in the Oromio Region, Kemente (in Amhara Region), Welkate and Tsegadi (in Tigrai region), we need to explore the establishment of the 1994 Ethiopian Constitution that created the current political background of Ethiopia.
Briefly stated, the 1994 Constitution was ratified in December 1994 and implemented in 1995. On August 21, 1995, the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia created a federal structure of government. By and large, ethnicity was used as an important factor to demarcate the Federal Government of Ethiopia into different regional states or kililis. Based on this, the country was divided into nine ethnic regional states. Though a number of cities, such as, Gonder, Bahre Dar, Desie, Makele, Jimma, Awasa etc. could have been included as city-states, the then existing transitional government incorporated two city-states (Addis Ababa & Dire Dawa) to be part and parcel of the Ethiopian federal polity. As previously mentioned, Article 39 of the Ethiopian Constitution stipulated that each regional state was assured the unconditional right to self-determination, including the rights to secession.
As a result, the current unrest in contemporary Ethiopia seems to be inherent in the 1994 Constitution. By design or default, using Article 39 of the constitution, Ethiopia seems to have established the political gridlock for itself. Since the ethnic and regional federalism was created in Ethiopia, communication among the various constituents has gradually become inadequate because the various Nations, Nationality, and Peoples of Ethiopia were confined within watertight compartments or silos (Desta, 2014, p. 94).
As planned by the Transitional Government that came to power in 1991, in theory, converting Ethiopia from a centralized system or unitary military dictatorship into a federal structure was a move in the right direction because federalism was established to allow the inhabitants of the federal states to enjoy self and shared rule. Stated differently, as a result of the formation of ethnic federalism, each region formed in Ethiopia was supposed to have the opportunity to develop, promote, and preserve its language and its culture. The majority of Ethiopians highly valued federalism because it cherished all forms of human rights. As time passed however, a number of inhabitants of the Federal Ethiopian states felt that they were denied economic and political rights by their various governments in power. As a result, they are demanding that Ethiopia needs to be restructured to accommodate the disenfranchised.
For example, it is surprising to witness that even in regions that have been inhabited by various multiethnic and cross-cultural groups, like the city of Gondar, some groups who are against the regime in power, seem to be venting their anger against Tigraians, who have no relation, except their ethnicity, to those who are in power. Since time immemorial, the now down-trodden or mishandled Tigrians have been living for years in some of the multi-cultural hubs, like the Gondar area. In mentioning Gondar, it is sad to pinpoint the ethnic unrest that exploded and left a number of Tigarianes by origin to be treated inhumanly. What is more disturbing is that a number of Tigrians who lived in Gondar were forced to evacuate their lifelong premises, leaving their belongings and made to flee to Sudan. In Ethiopia that is supposed to be governed by the rules of law and order, why is this awful crisis occurring, and how can it be resolved?
If the Ethiopian policy makers are reconditioned to exercise a proactive type of management, it will not be too late for the existing federal structure to be restored. Rather than being involved in destructive activities, the regime in power and those who have a stake in Ethiopia and other civic societies need to be engaged in fruitful discussions in order to: a) democratically redress and revise the existing constitution, b) redefine the ethnically-based regional states, c) be involved in power-sharing to promote social equity, and d) reform the political system in the country.
Unless the existing constitutional crisis is first resolved, no political reform is possible in Ethiopia. Using the framework of the existing constitutionas a benchmark for negotiation and discussion, a new constitution needs to be drafted by all stakeholders (i.e., representatives of all social, political, ethnic and religious groups etc.) to form a federal republic or design a federation of Ethiopian woredas. That is, based on population or other coherent historical and geographical bases that ensure proportionate representation,the current existing ethnically designed regional states need to be subdivided into manageable units or woredas. For example, ten or fifteenworedas that have common language or culture could agree among themselves to form a common regional state. But, it should be clear that each woreda has to have complete sovereignty over aspects of its political life and cannot be intruded upon by any central or federal authority.
Every year, the ten or fifteen regional woredas have to circulate their administrations. This type of system could allow them to share their experiences democratically, stimulate their economy, encourage their environmental capital and have some type of social equity experiences. A governor of the woreda at the yearly meeting would be selected to be the head of the ten to fifteen woredas only for that year. Unlike the unmanageable, heterogonous regional settings that we currently have in Ethiopia, forming regional cooperative woredas could increase the residents’ capacity to empathize with one another more readily.
Subsequently, each woreda could have a number of municipalities run by community elected mayors and council members.Each municipality having a strong social base, has to have control over social services (i.e., education and health services), raise its own revenues, make investment decisions, etc. As discussed by Desta (2016), the formation of autonomous self-rule woredas with local self-governance encourages local units to have a say in selecting their own administrator to bring about political stability and who can hold them to account for their decisions.
For the last fifteen years, Ethiopia’s economy has been thriving. Yet, recently, in its political domain, Ethiopia has been facing slow-moving instability. Its rulers are succumbing to youth unrest. Thus as it stands now, Ethiopia represents a paradox. When a crisis is developing, what sort of governance will be resilient for running Ethiopia’s existence? Does the existing centralized federalism or the proposed decentralized autonomous federal system of administrative structure give Ethiopia the best prospect for survival?
As suggested above, the proposed democratic self-rule of woredas will serve as the organizational structure for the New Federal Ethiopia and become the means of achieving effective bargaining for civic society in Ethiopia. It was with the formation of democratically decentralized geographic systems such as the proposed “ woredas” for Ethiopia, that have helped states in India, South Africa, Switzerland, Canada, etc. to attain political stability.
Thus, it is hoped that the government in power and other conscientious Ethiopians are on board to see that Ethiopia is sub-divided into manageable geographic regions so that Ethiopia achieves the triple-bottom line (economic, social and environmental dimensions) of sustainability. In short, to make Ethiopia’s journey towards autonomous federalism become realty, change in visions, shift in policies and strategies, and flexible governance based on robust democracy with the capacity to adapt, improvise, change direction is needed.
Becker, A. (1993). “Full Employment Without Inflation” http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/becker-full_employment.html. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
Belaineh, G. (May, 2009). “Environment and Economic Development in Ethiopia.” http: Nazret.com/blog/index.php/2009/05/27.
Desta, A. (2014). From Economic Dependency and Stagnation to Democratic Developmental State.Trenton, NJ: The Red Sea Press.
Desta, A. (2015). Revitalizing Ethiopia’s Manufacturing Enterprises through the Japanese Production Management Strategy.Mustang, Oklahoma.
Desta, A. (June 7, 2016). “ Beyond the Usual: Re-thinking Ethiopia’s Ethnic Federation for the 21st Century.”Institute of Development & Education for Africa, Inc.
Kofi., T. and Desta A (2008). The Saga of African Underdevelopment: A Viable Approach for Afric’s Sustainable Development in the 21st Century. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press.
National Planning Commission, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (2015). The Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP II), (2015/16-2019/20).
Hagos, D.H. (March 2016). “Euphemism for Corruption in Ethiopia.” Norway, Oslo.
Wary, L.R. (August 1007). “ the Employer of Last Resort Programme: Could it Work Work for Developing Countries?” Economic and Labour Market Papers.Geneva International LabourOffice , Economic and Labour Market Analysis, Department.
Willums, J. (1998). The Sustainable Business Challenge: A briefing for Tomorrow’s Business Leaders.Sheffield, England: Green leaf Publishing. | 2019-04-26T07:43:14Z | http://www.durame.com/2016/09/redressing-widespread-social-unrest-in.html |
Introduction: Acute pulmonary embolism is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death. Management options include anticoagulation with or without thrombolysis. Concurrent persistent hypoxemia should be a clue to the existence of an intracardiac shunt.
Case Presentation: A 46-year-old man experienced acute hypoxemic respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation after anesthesia induction for elective hip arthroplasty. He was found to have submassive bilateral pulmonary emboli with acute right ventricular dysfunction and a coexisting patent foramen ovale with right-to-left shunt. He remained profoundly hypoxemic despite catheter-directed thrombolysis. He underwent surgical embolectomy with partial endarterectomy, resulting in clinical improvement.
Discussion: The management of acute submassive pulmonary embolism is undertaken on an individualized basis because of the wide spectrum of clinical presentations. In this report we review the literature and discuss the evidence behind the management of cases of acute pulmonary embolism complicated by hypoxemia from a patent foramen ovale. In a case of acute pulmonary embolism complicated by refractory hypoxemia from an intracardiac shunt, adjunctive therapies in addition to anticoagulation and thrombolysis must be considered.
Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death.1 PE can be stratified by prognosis to guide treatment decisions. Submassive or intermediate-risk PE is diagnosed on the basis of normal blood pressure in conjunction with evidence of cardiac dysfunction, shown either on cardiothoracic imaging or with elevated serum cardiac biomarkers. Acute management options for PE include anticoagulation alone or in combination with systemic thrombolytic therapy or catheter-directed thrombolysis, although guideline recommendations reserve thrombolytic therapy for cases of PE associated with hypotension (massive or high-risk PE). Persistent hypoxemia in cases of acute PE should alert clinicians to the possibility of an intracardiac shunt, such as a patent foramen ovale (PFO).
Acute hypoxemic respiratory failure developed in a 46-year-old white man during anesthesia induction for elective left total hip arthroplasty. Four days before the surgery, the patient and his wife had noticed that he was having episodes of palpitations and dyspnea. He had been largely sedentary because of chronic hip pain. His medical history included morbid obesity, pseudotumor cerebri maintained on a regimen of acetazolamide, obstructive sleep apnea, and stable schizoaffective disorder. His prior cardiac workup, which was performed in the setting of chest pain and was ultimately deemed nonanginal, included a normal transthoracic echocardiogram and a coronary angiogram demonstrating nonobstructive coronary arterial disease. His social history was unremarkable, although his family history contained a Factor V Leiden mutation.
During induction of anesthesia, he remained hemodynamically stable but had progressively worsening hypoxemia demonstrated on serial arterial blood gas values. He was sedated with propofol, paralyzed initially with succinylcholine and maintained with rocuronium, and received mechanical ventilation with volume assist/control with a 100% fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) of 10 cm H2O. An arterial blood gas test on this setting showed a pH of 7.29, PCO2 of 50 mmHg, and PO2 of 65 mmHg. A transesophageal echocardiogram demonstrated right-sided heart dysfunction with a large right ventricle (RV) to left ventricle (LV) ratio and was positive for McConnell sign (contraction of the right ventricular apex with akinesis of the free wall).
Acute PE was suspected, and an unfractionated heparin infusion was started. The patient’s scheduled elective hip arthroplasty was aborted because of the degree of hypoxemia. The patient was transferred to the intensive care unit.
On arrival to the intensive care unit, he was afebrile, with a heart rate of 91 beats/min and blood pressure of 121/61 mmHg by arterial line. Laboratory findings included leukocytosis (15.2 × 109/L) with 3% band forms. Lactate level was 1.39 mmol/L (within the normal range). Troponin I level was 0.05 ng/mL (normal range, 0-0.4 ng/mL) and did not change on serial testing.
A computed tomography angiogram of the chest showed bilateral large pulmonary emboli, nearly occluding the right and left pulmonary arteries, with extension into the upper and lower lobes as well as into the right middle lobe (Figures 1 and 2). Because of his hypoxemia while receiving an FiO2 of 100%, we were concerned he had an intracardiac shunt. A transthoracic echocardiogram with agitated saline confirmed the presence of a PFO with right-to-left shunt. The estimated shunt fraction was approximately 40%. Because the patient had severe hypoxemia secondary to the acute PE, which was causing elevated RV pressures and right-to-left cardiac shunting, we performed catheter-directed thrombolysis with infusion of alteplase through bilateral femoral lysis catheters at 1 mg/h for 5 hours, and then 0.5 mg/h for 48 hours. The presence of a PFO was also confirmed during this procedure.
The patient continued to have intermittent desaturations despite oxygenation with 100% FiO2. The PEEP was lowered to 5 cm H2O, and inhaled nitric oxide therapy was started in an attempt to reduce the shunt fraction. Cardiothoracic surgery was consulted for possible embolectomy in light of unsuccessful directed thrombolysis. However, our patient’s hypoxemia stabilized with the administration of 100% FiO2 and inhaled nitric oxide on 30 ppm, with arterial partial pressure of oxygen maintained above 60 mmHg. He was unable to wean off inhaled nitric oxide despite 48 hours of thrombolytic therapy, so we made the decision to pursue surgical intervention. Surgical embolectomy (Figure 3), partial endarterectomy, and closure of the PFO were performed on hospital day 4. The patient was successfully extubated on hospital day 6.
The hospital course was complicated by right-sided hemiparesis that was discovered on sedation hold that was performed a few hours before embolectomy. A noncontrast-enhanced computed tomography scan of the head demonstrated multiple small embolic strokes affecting the left premotor cortex. These were probably paradoxical emboli in the setting of the PFO, without evidence of hemorrhagic conversion. The patient was discharged to a skilled nursing facility on hospital day 11. Table 1 shows a timeline of the case.
On follow-up with his primary care physician four weeks after hospital discharge, our patient was noted to be well-appearing and without residual deficits from his stroke. As of this writing, he remains on an anticoagulation regimen of rivaroxaban. He was evaluated for an underlying hypercoagulable state but did not have Factor V Leiden mutation or antiphospholipid antibodies.
Written informed consent was obtained from the patient. Institutional review board approval was waived by the Veterans Affairs Portland Health Care System in OR because the patient’s demographic information was deidentified in this case report.
The all-cause mortality for patients in the US and Europe with acute PE ranges from 9% to 17%.1 Acute PE is categorized into massive, submassive, and nonmassive types. Massive, or high-risk, PE occurs in the setting of persistent hypotension with systolic blood pressure less than 90 mmHg for 15 minutes or greater. Normotensive individuals with evidence of right-sided heart dysfunction, whether on imaging such as computed tomography or echocardiography, or by elevated cardiac biomarkers such as troponin or creatine kinase-myocardial band, are classified as having submassive, or intermediate-risk, PE.2,3 PE may also be stratified by the PE Severity Index, which is a validated scoring system based on independent predictors of mortality.3 We presented a case of a patient with a submassive PE and right ventricular dysfunction. He had an intermediate-risk PE Severity Index score (Class III), which gave him a 3% to 7% risk of 30-day mortality.
We conducted a PubMed search using the search terms [pulmonary embolism OR embolus] AND [hypoxemia OR hypoxemic] AND [patent foramen ovale] for articles published between 1990 and 2016. Individual cases, presented in either case reports or case series, were selected. Further relevant case reports were extracted from the bibliography of articles gathered from the search. In total, there were 9 articles with 12 individual cases reported of acute PE occurring in the setting of PFO and resulting in persistent hypoxemia (Table 2).4,6-13 Submassive PE was present in 45% of patients, and of these, survival was 100%. In those with massive PE, survival was 20%. The overall survival was 45%. Two patients without hypotension received systemic thrombolytics, 27% of the total.7,8 In one case report describing a patient without hypotension who received thrombolysis, the authors advocated for systemic thrombolysis because of the size of the emboli and the impending risk of hemodynamic collapse.8 Surgical intervention was reported in 18% of patients. No patients received catheter-directed thrombolysis.
Two recent meta-analyses,16,17 both including PEITHO, found that systemic thrombolysis decreases overall mortality while increasing major bleeding for acute PEs of both high and intermediate risk. The meta-analysis by Marti et al16 found that 30-day mortality was significantly decreased with systemic thrombolysis (2.3% vs 3.9%; OR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.36-0.96, p = 0.034) while there were significantly increased rates of major hemorrhage (9.9% vs 3.6%; OR = 2.91, 95% CI = 1.95-4.36, p < 0.0001) and fatal or intracranial hemorrhage (1.7% vs 0.3%; OR = 3.18, 95% CI = 1.25-8.11, p = 0.008). However, 30-day overall mortality was not significantly different when the analysis included only intermediate risk PE. The analysis also did not include ULTIMA.16 The meta-analysis by Chatterjee et al17 found a similar significant benefit in the 30-day all-cause mortality rate for all acute PEs with a number needed to treat of 59, which was counterbalanced by a significant increase in the rates of major bleeding (number needed to harm of 18) and intracranial hemorrhage (number needed to harm of 78). Additionally, a systematic review of 35 trials demonstrated a pooled survival of 87% among patients with massive PE treated with catheter-directed interventions; 60% to 67% of these individuals also had received systemic thrombolytics.18 We could not find analyses from these trials that separately reported outcomes for patients with significant intracardiac right-to-left shunts.
The 2016 revision of the American College of Chest Physicians guidelines for venous thromboembolism,2 as well as the 2014 European Society of Cardiology guidelines for acute PE,3 recommend systemic thrombolysis for acute massive PE (a Grade 1B recommendation in the American College of Chest Physicians guidelines). Both sets of guidelines recommend against routine systemic thrombolysis in individuals with PE but who do not have shock or hypotension, unless they have clinical deterioration (Grade 1B recommendation).2,3 We elected to treat our patient’s submassive PE with thrombolysis because we did not expect his severe hypoxemia to improve otherwise.
Although there are no comparative trials of catheter-directed vs systemic thrombolytics,19 we pursued catheter-directed thrombolysis because of the possible lower risk of bleeding and our institutional experience with this procedure (Grade 2C recommendation per American College of Chest Physicians guidelines).2 In one systematic review and meta-analysis, the risk of major bleeding from catheter-directed thrombolysis was about 10% from 24 studies performed in both massive and submassive PE20; in another systematic review stratified by PE classification, the risk of major bleeding was 3.9 per 100 cases of catheter-directed thrombolysis in hemodynamically stable PE.21 In our literature review of similar patients, none of the reported cases used catheter-directed interventions; however, only 1 of these cases was published after ULTIMA.
Another negative consequence of PFO is the risk of paradoxical emboli resulting in strokes. Such patients may hypothetically be at increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage from hemorrhagic conversion of these paradoxical strokes after undergoing systemic or catheter-directed thrombolysis. The coexistence of a PFO was associated with the increased incidence of ischemic stroke among patients with acute PE in 1 observational study, with a 13% rate of stroke in 48 patients who were found to have a PFO, and 2.2% stroke rate among 91 patients who did not have a PFO. However, there was no between-group difference in the proportion of patients receiving systemic thrombolysis.22 Although our patient was found to have strokes from paradoxical emboli, the use of catheter-directed thrombolysis in his case did not result in intracranial hemorrhage.
Other management considerations in patients with PE besides thrombolytics or anticoagulation therapy include mechanical or medical support of RV failure and surgical embolectomy. Pulmonary vasodilators may also be used to decrease pulmonary vascular resistance in situations of acute RV failure, such as acute PE. Inhaled nitric oxide has a rapid onset and short half-life, making it easily titratable.23 Inhaled pulmonary vasodilators were used in 2 cases in our literature review.6,13 Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) can be used as another bridge to definitive therapy for persistent shock (venoarterial ECMO) or hypoxemia alone (venovenous). Venovenous ECMO was used in 1 case in our literature review as a bridge to surgery; that patient had concurrent cardiac failure and was reliant on a biventricular assist device.13 Surgical embolectomy is the definitive management for cases in which thrombolytics have failed or are contraindicated. The 1-year survival rate for surgical embolectomy in 1 series was 80% for submassive PE, compared with 66% for massive PE.24 Surgical intervention was successful in resolving our patient’s hypoxemia.
The management of acute submassive PE is undertaken on an individualized basis, given the spectrum of clinical presentations of such cases. The use of systemic thrombolysis should be weighed against the risk of severe bleeding. The outcomes of catheter-directed interventions compared with systemic thrombolysis are yet unknown. In acute PE with refractory hypoxemia in which an intracardiac shunt is the cause, there is even less evidence to guide decision making, because many of the large trials exclude patients with PFO or do not specifically identify these patients. When deciding between systemic or catheter-directed thrombolysis or anticoagulation therapy alone, the clinician should consider individual patient factors and the potential increased risk of intracranial hemorrhage because of a PFO. Finally, if there is a failure of systemic thrombolysis to decrease pulmonary arterial pressure and the intracardiac shunt, then bridging therapies such as ECMO or surgical embolectomy must be considered.
1. Goldhaber SZ, Bounameaux H. Pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis. Lancet 2012 May;379(9828):1835-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61904-1.
2. Kearon C, Akl EA, Ornelas J, et al. Antithrombotic therapy for VTE disease: CHEST guideline and expert panel report. Chest 2016 Feb;149(2):315-52. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2015.11.026. Erratum in: Chest 2016 Oct;150(4):988. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chest.2016.08.1442.
3. Konstantinides S, Torbicki A, Agnelli G, et al; Task Force for the Diagnosis and Management of Acute Pulmonary Embolism of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). 2014 ESC guidelines on the diagnosis and management of acute pulmonary embolism. Eur Heart J 2014 Nov 14;35(43):3033-73. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehu283. Erratum in: Eur Heart J 2015 Oct 14;36(39):2666. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehv131. Erratum in: Eur Heart J. 2015 Oct 14;36(39):2642. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehu479.
4. Brydon C, Fawcett WJ, Treasure T, Clarke JT. Pulmonary embolus and patent foramen ovale: A rare cause of refractory hypoxaemia. Br J Anaesth 1993 Aug;71(2):298-300. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/bja/71.2.298.
5. Kasper W, Geibel A, Tiede N, Just H. Patent foramen ovale in patients with haemodynamically significant pulmonary embolism. Lancet 1992 Sep 5;340(8819):561-4. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0140-6736(92)92102-l.
6. Estagnasié P, Djedaïni K, Le Bourdellès G, Coste F, Dreyfuss D. Atrial septal aneurysm plus a patent foramen ovale. A predisposing factor for paradoxical embolism and refractory hypoxemia during pulmonary embolism. Chest 1996 Sep;110(3):846-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1378/chest.110.3.846.
7. Slebos DJ, Tulleken JE, Ligtenberg JJ, Zijlstra JG, van der Werf TS. A narrow escape: Surviving massive pulmonary thromboembolism due to a persistently patent foramen ovale. Intensive Care Med 2000 Sep;26(9):1400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s001340000584.
8. Moua T, Wood KE, Atwater BD, Runo JR. Major pulmonary embolism and hemodynamic stability from shunting through a patent foramen ovale. South Med J 2008 Sep;101(9):955-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/smj.0b013e3181809ed8.
9. Rajan GR. Intractable intraoperative hypoxemia secondary to pulmonary embolism in the presence of undiagnosed patent foramen ovale. J Clin Anesth 2007 Aug;19(5):374-7. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinane.2006.09.011.
10. Granati GT, Teressa G. Worsening hypoxemia in the face of increasing PEEP: A case of large pulmonary embolism in the setting of intracardiac shunt. Am J Case Rep 2016 Jul 5;17:454-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.12659/ajcr.898521.
11. Mirarchi FL, Hecker J, Kramer CM. Pulmonary embolism complicated by patent foramen ovale and paradoxical embolization. J Emerg Med 2000 Jul;19(1):27-30. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/s0736-4679(00)00177-3.
12. Weig T, Dolch ME, Frey L, et al. Delayed intracardial shunting and hypoxemia after massive pulmonary embolism in a patient with a biventricular assist device. J Cardiothorac Surg 2011 Oct 11;6:133. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1749-8090-6-133.
13. Vaid U, Baram M, Marik PE. Thrombolytic therapy in a patient with suspected pulmonary embolism despite a negative computed tomography pulmonary angiogram. Respir Care 2011 Mar;56(3):336-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4187/respcare.00738.
14. Meyer G, Vicaut E, Danays T, et al; PEITHO Investigators. Fibrinolysis for patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism. New Engl J Med 2014 Apr 10;370(15):1402-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMoa1302097.
15. Kucher N, Boekstegers P, Müller O, et al. Randomized controlled trial of ultrasound-assisted catheter-directed thrombolysis for acute intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism. Circulation 2014 Jan 28;129(4):479-86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.113.005544.
16. Marti C, John G, Konstantinides S, et al. Systemic thrombolytic therapy for acute pulmonary embolism: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Heart J 2015 Mar 7;36(10):605-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehu218.
18. Avgerinos ED, Chaer RA. Catheter-directed interventions for acute pulmonary embolism. J Vasc Surg 2015 Feb;61(2):559-65. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2014.10.036.
19. Meyer G, Planquette B, Sanchez O. Fibrinolysis for acute care of pulmonary embolism in the intermediate risk patient. Curr Atheroscler Rep 2015 Dec;17(12):68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11883-015-0546-1.
20. Tafur AJ, Shamoun FE, Patel SI, Tafur D, Donna F, Murad MH. Catheter-directed treatment of pulmonary embolism: A systematic review and meta-analysis of modern literature. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost 2017 Oct;23(7):821-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1076029616661414.
21. Bajaj NS, Kalra R, Arora P, et al. Catheter-directed treatment for acute pulmonary embolism: Systematic review and single-arm meta-analyses. Int J Cardiol 2016 Dec 15;225:128-39. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijcard.2016.09.036.
22. Konstantinides S, Geibel A, Kasper W, Olschewski M, Blümel L, Just H. Patent foramen ovale is an important predictor of adverse outcome in patients with major pulmonary embolism. Circulation 1998 May 19;97(19):1946-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1161/01.cir.97.19.1946.
23. Summerfield DT, Desai H, Levitov A, Grooms DA, Marik PE. Inhaled nitric oxide as salvage therapy in massive pulmonary embolism: A case series. Respir Care 2012 Mar;57(3):444-8. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4187/respcare.01373.
24. Neely RC, Byrne JG, Gosev I, et al. Surgical embolectomy for acute massive and submassive pulmonary embolism in a series of 115 patients. Ann Thorac Surg 2015 Oct;100(4):1245-51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.athoracsur.2015.03.111. | 2019-04-21T16:13:33Z | http://www.thepermanentejournal.org/issues/2018/spring/6625-refractory-hypoxemia.html |
In a land defined by mountains, Gustavus stands alone. Gustavus, prairie country. Well, as close as you can get to prairie country up here. At the mouth of Glacier Bay is a strip of land. An old glacial outwash that the glaciers of old used as a dumping ground for the remains of the rock they had ground to a pulp. What remains today is a stretch of land so flat the bubble on the level falls dead center. All around is regularly scheduled programming. Chichagof Island and its mountains to the south, the Fairweathers to the west, the Beartracks to the north, and the Chilkat mountains and Excursion ridge to the east. Distant yes, but never out of mind, even when shrouded in the blankets of clouds that dominate the sky.
It’s fitting that Gustavus is southeast Alaska’s little geographic rebel. One of the few towns that don’t have to concern themselves with building into a mountain or around pesky fjords or bays that jut into sharp cut glacial rock. Nothing but sand, trees, and moose to build around. Because like the land, the people of Gustavus are unique. A cast of people that have chosen love, laughter, cold beer, and blue grass over profit, capitalism, manifest destiny, and Justin Bieber.
This is a town where people still wave as they drive by, failure to do so the highest of insults. Where a run to the local store for a bag of oats turns into a 45-minute conversation about everything or nothing. No one brushes past with downcast eyes, avoiding contact. Smiles are plentiful, good vibes abundant, the people seem ageless. Yesterday I learned that a lady I’d took for somewhere between 30 and 35 was celebrating her fiftieth birthday by traveling to Iceland. In a nation obsessed with youth, with looking young, and banishing wrinkles, maybe Gustavus is the fountain of youth. Maybe smiles, a gracious heart, and a quick laugh can do what plastic surgery cannot, and for a much more reasonable price.
I will not pretend to be an expert on the normal American lifestyle. But from my limited exposure in what many would perceive to be a normal existence, the term community has become little more than window dressing. A way to lump together a group of people that happen to live in the same area. This is not Gustavus. Gustavus is a place where community is still community. To enter into this place is to become part of a family 400 strong. Want to spend a winter here? We’ll help you find a place, chop wood, fill the chest freezer with halibut, salmon, deer, and moose.
A couple of years ago a young man moved here. He knew no one. Two weeks after arriving, his house burned to the ground. Within hours, someone had moved a yurt onto his property for shelter. Food was left on the front porch, money and building materials donated.
Home. This is home. How can it not? How can we—myself and Brittney—not want to be a part of this? Suburbia? Fine for some I suppose. Who am I to say how others should live? But give me the place where I know everyone by name. Where, should the worst ever happen there will be 400 pair of hands to pick me back up. It’s impossible not to feel happy and blissful here. We’re isolated, but never alone. We are a people of guides, fisherman, businessmen, woodsmen, parkies, lodgies, seasonals, and locals. Democrats, Republicans, Christian, Mormon, Druid, Pagan, Atheist, John Muir apostles. But we are all residents of Gustavus. And in the end, that’s all that really matters.
It starts with dolphins. They giggle like jackals, punctuated by the dull thuds of their echolocation. I shut my eyes and let the sounds of dolphins, crashing waves, and 30 knot winds rock me back to sleep. Moments later my eyes open. I sit up, Brittney’s feet swing out of the bed. The dolphins aren’t alone. The hee-haw of a donkey floats through the speaker that sits on the shelf just above our bed. G clan’s back.
“My turn,” Brittney mutters like the mother of a new born and staggers down the stairs, out the door, and to the lab. Moments later her voice comes out of the speaker as she begins the recording, mixing with the sounds of swirling water and cackling dolphins.
“This is Brittney, this is Hanson Island 2015, digital recording number…” my head hits the pillow and I drift away.
For the next few hours I fade in and out, coming to just long enough to see Brittney isn’t back and that the whales are still calling. They’re faint, maddeningly faint, but there. Three hours after they first pulled Brittney from the bed I rise. It’s a moonless December night with the clouds building for another low front, 7 am and still pitch black.
Brittney takes little convincing to go back to bed. She’s been at it since four and the whales seem to have barely moved. Their voices still distant in Johnstone Strait, at the limits of the Critical Point hydrophone. What compelled them to sit in one place and talk about it for so long? I wrap my sweater around me and feel the lab vibrate as another gust hits the south facing windows. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and brace myself as another tug rolls into range. The sound grows to a deafening roar, the orca’s voices extinguished. Feeling guilty I pull the headphones off and rub the headache emerging from my temple. If only they had such luxury.
The tug moves on and they’re still there. G clan somebody. I31s perhaps? Even Paul and Helena can’t say for sure. These late nights remind me of summer. When late night recording sessions were the norm rather than the exception. It’s warmer in July though. And the sun’s there to keep you company starting at about four in the morning. I am the night shift orca DJ, playing the hits of the A, G, and R clan on 92.1 the WHALE.
At long last the darkness lightens a shade, the whales almost inaudible, Vancouver Island distinguishable as a darker shade of black against a slowly lightening sky. The sun finds a gap and a splash of color transforms the world from black and grey. It’s all worth it. The water and mountains light up like ta water color and the orca’s go quiet. Maybe they too are watching the sun rise.
The sunrise doesn’t last long, extinguished by another fog bank rolling in. Waves topped with whitecaps intensify, the rain strikes like pebbles. Twenty minutes with no calls, than twenty-five, thirty, are they gone? A couple summers ago the A36s played a horrible trick on me, sitting silent in Robson Bight until I would end the recording before letting out a whispered giggle, letting me know that they were still awake and I should be too.
The I31s don’t have their sense of humor though. I end the recording and walk back to the cabin. The tree tops swirl and the waves thunder into the rocks twenty feet away on the high tide. My job, my office, my life. And to think a few years ago I was ready to work in a lab, studying herring bioenergetics. Let someone else wear the labcoat. I’ll go to the office in slippers and flannel.
An odd curse seems to precede my arrival to Hanson Island. Some dark foul spirit that blazes the trail and harbors ill will to Paul’s boat. In ’08, ’14, and now ’15 the June Cove has been struck with engine trouble just days before the ferry spits me out in Alert Bay. Thanks to this demon, I’ve still never arrived at OrcaLab on the day I intend to. Which is why the four of us (Brittney, me, Porter, and Penny) found ourselves curled up in Paul and Helena’s Alert Bay home for Halloween watching the curves of Hanson Island fade into the darkness through the bay windows. So tantalizingly close.
It wasn’t all bad. We watched baseball, took one more hot bath, and handed out candy to the handful of trick or treaters that came knocking on the door. Still to be determined was when we’d cover the last few miles. Dave Towers (Yes Jared Towers Dad) was to be our taxi driver. But the southeast gusts for the following morning did no breed optimism. So we settled down for another day in the bay. We slept in. I found the Vikings game on TV. And was just getting comfortable when the phone rings.
David hangs up and I stare at the phone. A rabbit and a cat in an open air skiff? I think back to last fall when we tried to put Porter in Penny’s cage. The mess, the horror, the terror, I’m still getting over it.
90 minutes later our bags are piled in the boat. Penny’s cage is between my legs, a towel draped over the corner that’s facing the bow as a windbreaker. Porter sits on Brittney’s lap, wrapped in a jacket, a look of incredulity on his face. David looks over our little menagerie with a mix of amusement and confusion.
We cruise out of the harbor and round the corner, heading east into Johnstone Strait. The wind has vanished, the sky is dry, I breath a sigh of relief. Porter buries his face in Brittney’s jacket, but Penny stands on her hind legs, trying to see around the towel. She’d drive the boat if we let her, fearless.
We weave through the islands and passes, their names echoing in my head like old friends. Pearce Passage, Plumper Islands, Blackfish Sound. I can trace the route on the palm of my hand. It’s been a week and a half with three ferries, one border crossing, and too many trips through the backpack digging for clean socks, but as we round the final point and the wooden buildings come into view, every second is worth it. My chest feels light, my fingers tingle. Was it joy? Relief? Excitement? As if every positive emotion is swirling inside simultaneously.
“Dr. Spong,” I’m beaming as we embrace and I look over his shoulder at our cabin. Smoke billows from the chimney, Helena leans nonchalantly against the railing. Brittney and I try not to get too close to her. Not out of animosity, but because of her vicious pet dander allergy that makes my sweater a chemical weapon.
In a matter of minutes our bags our piled in the living room near the wood stove. Every smell, every memory coming back tack sharp. The speaker connected to the hydrophones pumps in the sounds of swirling water and a distant tug. Sonic comfort food. Macaroni and Cheese for the ears. Within the hour we’re splitting wood, scanning for humpbacks, falling back into the beautiful rhythm of the island. I walk past Brittney bent over the chopping block, Porter sprinting up in down the hill, his euphoria matches ours.
The shadows grow long, the sun dipping behind the island painting the mountains in a soft glow. I step out onto our porch, drinking in the view. A mile down the sea lions roar and bark, the noise rising to a crescendo. With no warning dozens of them launch themselves into the water. I furrow my brow, what on earth is making them all – and I see them.
Dorsal fins. Five of them. Just off the rocks, smooth curved dorsals with knife sharp points. Biggs. Transients. Oh my God. For a heartbeat I’m rooted to the spot, too stunned to move. On our first night? Muscle memory takes over. I skid across the deck, throwing open the door to our cabin and scream, “Biggs at the sea lion haul out!” I’m gone before Brittney can respond, tearing over to Paul and Helena’s, heart pounding, I haven’t seen orcas in months. I repeat the message and head for the observation deck, camera in hand.
The light is so dim every photo is like a blurred and pixelated photo of Sasquatch. There a mile away. It doesn’t matter. As the last of the daylight fades we strain our eyes to follow the group as they go around the corner, leaving the sea lions in a frenzy. The movie script ends, the whales vanish, and we stand in near darkness. No roads, no cars, no stores. Just us, the trees, the ocean, each other. Back where we belong.
The water shimmered, reflecting shades of gray and green in the morning light. Fog hugged the peaks of the Beartrack Mountains like a cloak, wrapping their peaks in an ever flowing blanket. A determined ray of sun stabbed through the fog and mist, its finger crawling along the liquid mirror of the ocean, moving up the barnacle covered rocks emerging from the midnight high tide. The ray moved beyond the rye grass, turning their grains gold as they floated past, their early morning dew glowing like flakes of gold. It moved past the strawberries above the tide line and the tattered remains of an unmade bear bed abandoned just hours ago, its mattress of moss still warm. From the flat plane beyond a trio of Spruce trees the light finally rested against pale yellow canvas.
Within the tiny tent came the rustles of early morning life, a cough and a groan emerged as cold, stiff appendages protested the early disturbance. Here it was warm, comfortable. Eventually the growl of a zipper floated across the landscape joining the early morning calls of the ravens, murrelets, and gulls. A head adorned in gray wool appeared, brown and white curls peaking beneath, emerald green eyes squinting even as the few fingers of light retreated back beyond the clouds.
Reed stepped clear of the tent and staggered slowly around the trees, ambling down the beach, his gait slow and uneven as he stumbled over loose rock. One hundred yards down, buried in the rye grass lay a pair of black, cylindrical bear cans. Prying the lid off one of them, Reed settled himself upon a broad flat rock and watched the sun struggle to reappear as water rose to a boil making the oats in the sauce pan quiver and dance.
Stretched before him lay the middle and upper segments of Glacier Bay. From his vantage point on Young Island the land opened out before him like a picture book. The long seductive legs of the Y shaped bay tapered off in the distance leading to the destructive and creating forces of the glaciers. After 50 years there were few estuaries, inlets, and passes that he had not explored, slept in, or felt the stinging ice of a sudden storm seeking out every weakness in his jacket and tent. In his mind he could trace the land like the lines on his weathered and wrinkled hands.
Today marked the beginning of his seventh decade on earth. Nearly every summer had been spent here. Biologist, writer, guide, educator, and student. The more time he spent with the bay the less he seemed to know. She was full of surprises. Storms the most skilled meteorologist would be flummoxed by. Dispatching bears, precipitation and tide rips to do her bidding. She weeded out the unprepared and those too quick to romanticize her beauty and splendor. She stole kayaks off the beach with 19 foot tides, hid armies of Devils Club beyond the tree line, and set loose armadas of mosquitos with every opportunity.
Reed had learned from her, evolving as the bay itself evolved. The ice that was her architect never ceasing to carve, create, and destroy its own work of art, biding its time until it grew tired of the masterpiece and sent glaciers charging south to wipe the canvas clean.
A fine mist began to fall and Reed tilted his head back, letting the minuscule droplets fall on his face, the water dripping from his long grey eyebrows, his bleach white beard absorbing the moisture like a sponge. He managed a deep breath and felt the stabbing pain in his chest again, the knife twisting into his lungs, the throbbing magnifying in intensity as it had been for months.
Thirty minutes later, his tent and gear stored fore and aft, he slid his kayak into the shallows sending out ripples that stretched before him to mark the trail he’d follow. With a grunt he struggled into his fiberglass boat, hearing and feeling his knees crack and pop as he manipulated his long legs, stretching them out before him, toes groping for the rudder pedals. Jamming his paddle into the fine sand he pushed clear of the beach, the keel whispering as it brushed over the rocks on the still falling tide. Working against the ebb he paddled north, into the bay that had dominated his life, it was fitting that it should end here.
The minutes bled into hours, time marked only by the creeping movement of the sun still hidden beyond the clouds. The rain came and went as a fine mist, too impatient or lazy to commit. As the day slowly passed, the years seemed to vanish, the pain in his back melting, the stiffness in his legs forgotten. The melody of his youth escaped his lips, the songs of John, Paul, George, and Ringo floating across the water to fall on the boughs of the spruce and hemlock he paddled past.
For lunch he joined the otters in the kelp bed, wrapping stalks of bull kelp around the hull, anchoring himself in place as he produced bread, peanut butter, and a carefully rationed beer. These aquatic forests reminded him of the Tlingit, the rightful tenants of the bay. It was in these forests that they had gone to seek shelter when the wind blew too hard, blanketing themselves in kelp to nestle within the hulls of their boats patiently waiting for the ocean to relax. Such was their faith in the sea, their breadbasket, livelihood, and highway, that even in her most angry moment they would not abandon her.
He continued north, infant waves growing in the mid afternoon that had long ago hidden any evidence of what had taken place on an early Spring day years ago. Reed had been just twenty-six, his first season as a kayak guide when they’d stumbled upon the dramatic production of the food chain. The watery wolf pack had exploded from nowhere; perhaps from the underworld in which they’re latin name was derived, to send torrents of white water high into the sharp blue sky. In the chop and whirlpools they rammed their victim, the sea lions eyes wide with terror as the four of orcas circled, dove, and resumed their attack, the youngest looking on.
There was no malice in these creatures, Reed thought as he sat paralyzed 200 yards away, no sadistic pleasure in their hunt. This was life. The only way to survive, to continue the game that had been set in motion eons ago when their parents had followed the retreating glaciers. Had watched as they pealed back the curtain to reveal the labyrinth of islands and channels that would be their home for centuries.
The battle raged for an hour but there was no debate over how the drama would unfold. No sudden plot twists, no unexpected hero overcoming the odds. Nature has little interest in theatrics. Minutes later the ocean had covered up the deed, washing away any evidence, and on the sea lion haul out a mile away, life continued, unchanged.
A gust of wind tugged him back to the present, the tide shifting to flood, the breeze bounding north with the current like a sled dog. The pain in his chest intensified, his toes numb from bracing against the boat. Aiming perpendicular to the rising waves Reed paddled gamely for shore, the trees gaining definition and height as he pulled closer.
By the time the keel had kissed the shore the sun had finally broken through the dissipating clouds, turning the ocean from gray to sapphire and punctuated with rising white caps as the wind grew in intensity. Reed hauled his kayak up the beach. His feet slipping over slick seaweed that held to the rocks like glue. With a final heave he laid the kayak to rest beyond the beach grass in the protective shadow of the alders that signified safety from even the most motivated high tide.
His gear stashed and food stowed down the beach, Reed stretched out on the smallest, smoothest rocks he could find, letting the wind dry the sweat from his cheeks and forehead. Removing the wool hat he ran his hands through his thin and wispy hair. The medication would have made the last of it fall out they’d told him. If he was going to go, he was going with every last strand of hair he could hold on to. The rocks felt more comfortable than any mattress, the pounding of the waves more soothing than any fan. He closed his eyes and laid back, and felt himself drift away.
The pain in his lungs was gone. His body smooth, muscular, and powerful. His legs felt fused together as they pumped in unison. In the darkness he could feel the cold, rushing liquid speed past his face. And though he knew the water could be no warmer than 50 degrees he felt no chill, no shiver radiating up his spine. Just out of sight to his left and right swam his family, his identity, his pod. A whispered voice, high pitched and authoritative floated through the currents and Reed angled his rostrum up as he felt a gentle burn building in his lungs. The water lightened, turning from black to deep blue, a rush of air and his nostrils flexed, opening his airway, spent oxygen returning to the atmosphere. With a gasp he sucked in a fresh breath, sinking below the waves, feeling his dorsal fin cutting the surface and tickling his back. His mother dove beneath him. Her call commanded him to follow and he obeyed without question feeling his sister and nephew behind him, somewhere ahead was his brother. From his moment of birth he wanted for nothing, had lusted for nothing, born into a family that would supply him with all he would ever want.
His mother whispered again and the chatter from his nephew died away, the pod went silent. Oxygen from his last breath would have to sustain him as it pounded through massive arteries. He could hear it now in the ocean’s stillness, a splashing straight ahead and above. The sea lion bobbed on the surface, paddling away from the haul out, bound for who knew what. His timing couldn’t have been worse. Reed’s mother was a master, a specialist in his kind, she had a family to sustain, and if the intuition in her womb was true, there would be another to feed in a matter of months. For five minutes they swam on, a single pump of his tail propelling him further than ten strokes would with his paddle. His mother’s flipper brushed against him, his brother’s dorsal fin grazing his stomach, everything he’d ever need was here.
With a single screeching yelp, they shot upward, bubbles rushing past his face, the light returning, a single ping forward bounced back in a heartbeat, it was a sea lion, it was above, it was dinner, it was survival. He hit it dead on, feeling it’s bones crack against his rostrum, felt it fall away as he broke clear of the water, into dazzling light, saw his own human face alight with shock, wonder, and amazement, the snapshot burning into the back of his head as he fell into the waves, heard his nephew’s excited chitters and dove into darkness for his next charge.
Reed’s eyes snapped open, with a great gasp he exhaled as if coming to the surface after a deep dive. For a moment his head jerked back and forth, orientating. The sun was dipping beneath the mountains of the upper bay, turning the sky crimson, the wind had submitted to the atmosphere’s higher calling, the ocean settling as it prepared for a restful night.
Reed stretched out his flippers…. no, his arms and reached up above his head, his fingers brushed against something that was not rock and his hand froze. He could feel something long and wiry, and another object, firm and pointed. He grabbed a handful of the artifacts and brought them to his face, eyes wide in shock. Rolling onto his side he stared at the sea lion whiskers and claws on the rocks next to him.
Reflexively he stared back out at “passage where orca hunted sea lion,” the memories flooding back. He shook his head and felt water drip down his neck. Bringing a hand to his thin hair he found it soaking wet. As he wiped the water from his mouth he let out a scream as his hand pulled back, a deep red red liquid staining his skin. The tide had risen several feet as he’d slept – is that what it was? – and he staggered to the waters edge. Cupping water in his palms he splashed his face watching the water turn red as he feverishly scrubbed his cheeks and beard clean.
Getting to his feet Reed felt his knees shuddering. With as deep a breath as his lungs would allow he tried to steady himself, to dam the tidal waves of adrenaline ripping through his body like the ocean in full flood on a spring tide. Climbing the beach he returned to the pile of claws and whiskers, each arranged in a neat pile between the rocks where he’d laid. For the longest time he stood on the beach until the water lapped at his feet. Finally Reed knelt down, water spilling over the top of his boots and gently plucked a whisker and claw between thumb and forefinger, carrying them above the water’s reach toward his camp, his mind spinning, his head dizzy. | 2019-04-25T06:47:14Z | https://raincoastwanderings.com/tag/love/ |
In July 2008, with little warning, a bitter historical controversy broke out in response to Robert Manne’s Monthly article ‘Agent of Influence: Reassessing Wilfred Burchett’. A group of academics attacked him in caustic terms for nothing less than intellectual dishonesty; Manne responded by accusing them of lying. Onlookers could have been excused for wondering what had sparked such open and personal animosity. However, this latest skirmish, like a far-off border clash, was merely the most recent flare-up in a long-running feud over the enigmatic legacy of Australian foreign correspondent and alleged traitor Wilfred Burchett (1911-83). This article will illuminate the history of heated ideological and personal clashes over the meaning of Burchett’s life, thereby providing the much-needed background to the recent dispute for both historians and lay readers alike. In doing so, it will reveal a scarcely believable discourse in which some of Australia’s Cold War historians, their methodologies corrupted by ideological imperatives, have waged vendettas, colluded with ASIO, utilised sophistry, misrepresented evidence, engaged in McCarthyism, and even committed intellectual fraud. All of this has taken place under the cover of intellectual inquiry, yet it has only obscured our understanding of Australia’s most prominent and controversial communist.
Wilfred Burchett was one of the twentieth-century’s most important journalists. Amid official denials and conventional reports to the contrary, his were the first accurate accounts of nuclear fallout in Hiroshima and American use of chemical warfare in Vietnam, among many other scoops. But he was notorious for his unique access to, and prominent support for, communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the Soviet Union, China, North Korea and Indochina. For decades he reported from these nations, using his contacts with leaders like Chou En-lai, Ho Chi Minh and Prince Sihanouk of Cambodia to produce a vastly different picture of world affairs to that prevalent in the West. Consequently, he was reviled in Australia’s anti-communist circles. What distinguished Burchett from other Australian communists in their sights, however, was the widespread belief that he had committed treason while working as a journalist accredited to the communist side of the Korean War. He was suspected of interrogating and even brainwashing Allied soldiers, and of extracting and publicising their confessions to engaging in biological warfare, thereby acting as an enemy propagandist. Burchett was even widely seen as an agent for the KGB and the numerous other communist countries in which he worked. In this way, ideological antipathy towards Burchett took root easily in a specific factual basis; the classic anti-communist fear of subversion from within found an intriguing counterpoint in Burchett’s subversion from without. From the Korean War until his death in 1983, he was, as the title of David Bradbury’s film aptly put it, the nation’s Public Enemy Number One. Every aspect of his life was painstakingly recorded by ASIO. And from 1955, a succession of Coalition Governments refused to issue Burchett with an Australian passport for seventeen years – it would take the accession of the Whitlam Labor Government in 1972 to reverse the policy – and even refused to register his children as Australian citizens for fifteen. Wilfred Burchett became, as the Australian put it, ‘Australia’s only political refugee’.
Since Burchett’s death in 1983, it has emerged that having given ASIO Director-General Charles Spry free rein in the early 1950s to investigate Burchett’s conduct, the Menzies Government found that there was neither a legal nor evidentiary basis for a treason charge. However, due to its hostility towards Burchett’s association with enemy forces and the political imperative not to appear to be “soft” on communism, the Government persecuted him anyway. Its Coalition successors knew that the popular allegations against Burchett had limited merit, but fostered and perpetuated them to support the policy in the absence of a factual basis and thereby save face politically. Burchett made it all too easy for them, publishing numerous books on international politics evincing dogmatically “pro-communist” views.
However, as Western public opinion on the Vietnam War began to align with what Burchett had been advocating for years, he saw an opportunity to rehabilitate his reputation at home. He dramatically flew into Australia by private plane in 1970, but still the Government remained intransigent. Even when Burchett challenged public perceptions of him by suing Democratic Labor Party Senator Jack Kane for defamation, collusion between the outgoing Coalition Government and Burchett’s personal and ideological enemies, playing on strong anti-communist public sentiment, meant those perceptions were only solidified when the case came to court in 1974. In the event, Burchett was subject to an array of legal errors and abuses of the judicial system, details of which can be found elsewhere. The appeals court even found that he had been the victim of ‘a serious miscarriage of justice’, but still declined to order a retrial. Burchett’s inability to pay costs meant that he was forced to leave Australia once more and would die in exile.
Ever since, historians have struggled to transcend the bipolar Cold War mentality superimposed on Burchett’s life. In the historical arm-wrestle over, as Hayden White put it, ‘what certain events might mean for a given group, society, or culture’s conception of its present task and future prospects’, Burchett’s lifelong ability to challenge unrepentantly in his work the tenets of liberal democracy, while simultaneously being one of its most prominent victims, rendered his legacy a hotly contested battleground for Australia’s intelligentsia. If Korea, where the seeds of the controversy that would engulf Burchett were sown, was Australia’s “forgotten war”, then the debate over him has been our Forgotten History War. Just as Keith Windschuttle and Stuart Macintyre, Geoffrey Blainey and Manning Clark fought over Aboriginal and settler conflict for an understanding of Australia’s national identity, so too have B. A. Santamaria and Ben Kiernan, Robert Manne and Gavan McCormack sparred over the truth and legacy of Burchett’s life for a conception of Australia’s role in the Cold War. For one side, Burchett animated fears of a communist takeover of the free world; for the other, his persecution typified the most illiberal tendencies of Cold War Australia. It was what he signified ideologically, as much as what he had or had not done in Korea, which in siren-like fashion drew historians to him and corrupted their historical processes. The result was often history of the most dubious merit, as historians’ ideological commitments rendered them wilfully blind to evidence which suggested that Burchett could be, or indeed could have done, anything other than what their doctrine dictated.
Any search for the source of this phenomenon leads inevitably back to Denis Warner. Burchett and Warner had been professional rivals ever since they worked together as war correspondents in the Pacific theatre of the Second World War. However, as both came to specialise in East Asian affairs in the post-war years, each on their own side of the Bamboo Curtain, their ideological incompatibility transformed into a deep mutual antipathy. Warner’s orthodox “downward thrust” and “red peril” thinking was anathema to Burchett’s blend of post-colonialism, Third World nationalism and communism. The situation ultimately disintegrated into what Burchett biographer Tom Heenan has labelled ‘Australian journalism’s most infamous feud.’ Exposing Burchett became a life-long obsession for Warner; the immense amount of material he collected on Burchett, including countless newspaper articles, intelligence reports, interview transcripts and classified documents, fills several large boxes in the National Library of Australia. And it was Warner’s articles, culminating in 1967 with the landmark ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, which established in the public consciousness the image of Burchett as a traitor who had interrogated and brainwashed POWs during the Korean War.
There was, however, a significant disparity between the treason charge that Warner sought to make out over the years and historical reality. Consequently, not only were claims material to a charge of treason mixed extensively with claims pertaining to Burchett’s communist sympathies - logically problematic in itself - but claims which indicated neither but simply cast Burchett in a poor light featured prominently. For instance, Warner noted that as a war correspondent, Burchett ingratiated himself with Allied officers, behaviour which ‘paid off time and again in the speedy movement of his copy’. On numerous other occasions, including to ASIO, he mentioned Burchett’s womanising. In the same ASIO interview, he recounted that a US correspondent had repeatedly told him that Burchett and colleague Alan Winnington had a homosexual relationship. In the case for treason, such evidence – one way or the other – indicated little more than the intensity of Warner’s obsession. Little wonder that when the Gorton Government sought to formulate a statement justifying its denial of a passport to Burchett ‘without raising problems of proof or refutation’, it singled out Warner’s unique scholarship as the example to follow.
In fact, Warner had been cooperating with Australian Governments long before Gorton was at the helm. It is now clear, as Burchett and his supporters believed at the time, that Warner had close ties to ASIO. As early as 1953, he assisted ASIO’s efforts to gather information on Burchett by volunteering material from his ‘Burchett file’, then just a few years old. Seventeen years later, little had changed. A long essay by Warner on Burchett is found in the personal papers of short-serving Prime Minister John McEwen. In exchange, Warner was supplied with classified information to support his attacks on Burchett in the press. In ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, he drew upon (and misrepresented) the content of ASIO’s interviews with former Australian POWs about their experiences with Burchett in Korea even though these sensitive documents were not to be publicly available for another sixteen years.
In this quid pro quo, Warner’s articles lent the Government's policy an illusory legitimacy while his professional prestige swelled due to a Government-sponsored smear campaign against the credibility of his rival. It remains darkly ironic that the man at the vanguard of the lynch mob was himself acting as little more than a government spokesperson, one of the very charges Warner levelled at Burchett in relation to his activities in Korea. But at the same time, ASIO and Warner relied on each other for corroboration of Burchett’s guilt, even though there must have been considerable overlap in their material. Spry, when first broaching the possibility of pursuing Burchett for treason in October 1951, actually quoted Warner as an authoritative source in his attempt to sway Solicitor-General Kenneth Bailey. Meanwhile, in his 1953 interview with ASIO, Warner related that ‘he had never heard of Burchett taking any part in the indoctrination of prisoners of war’, though he would come to be the foremost proponent of that very accusation. Each was reinforcing the other’s instinctive hostility towards Burchett.
In virtually losing [the case], as I have described, people might reasonably think Burchett was considered guilty of acts that fully justified the claims of those who, from the witness box, had called him a traitor to his face in a public court.
In an atmosphere where perception and rumour trumped fact, that Warner’s articles seemingly coincidentally resonated with Canberra’s policy and the proceedings in court lent them a convincing veneer of authority. He became known as the expert on Burchett, his personal fixation masquerading as detailed knowledge.
Yet what ensured that Warner would dominate the historical debate on Burchett well into the 1980s was far more subtle than reputation alone. The reasoning of Warner’s articles was predicated upon the assumption that being a communist was self-evidently synonymous with being a traitor. The two labels were used interchangeably, evidence indicative of one repeatedly advanced in support of the other. The very conclusion of ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, an article purporting to reveal Burchett’s treasonous conduct in Korea, was that he was ‘a clever, calculating Communist’. However, while Warner subscribed to the “communist equals traitor” logic as gospel, others took umbrage at what they viewed as a non-sequitur. It was this irreconcilability which more than anything else gave Burchett’s life its broader ideological import and was responsible for the bifurcation of the Forgotten History War. What Burchett did, an empirical question, was forever yoked to what he represented in the Cold War context, an ideological and subjective one. By thus fusing adherence to a conclusion in an historical inquiry with adherence to an ideological position Warner sewed a remarkably durable intellectual straightjacket from which subsequent analysis of Burchett has struggled to break free. The result was that arguments from the other side of the divide, no matter how valid, would be ignored or rejected out of hand on ideological rather than intellectual grounds.
One of the pillars of Warner’s depiction of Burchett was his seeming monopoly on the facts. When a large amount of government material on Burchett was declassified in the mid-1980s and released into the hands of maverick academic Gavan McCormack, that pillar collapsed forever. In his ground-breaking ‘An Australian Dreyfus?’ and subsequent forays over the next two years, McCormack systematically deconstructed the evidence underpinning Warner’s articles, the testimony given in court against Burchett, ASIO’s files, and the staple rumours on which the Australian press relied. The reverberations were so profound because the facts supporting each of these, due to Warner’s involvement at every turn, were much the same.
Some of the blows McCormack landed were devastating. His analysis of the declassified ASIO affidavits of Australian POWs, which Warner had been privilege to for years, revealed that the allegations that Burchett had interrogated Australian soldiers in Korea were unfounded. The affidavits in fact showed that Burchett had deliberately sought out Australian POWs, discussed the war with them (even if they rarely saw eye to eye), wrote home to their families on their behalf, and even drunk whisky with them. As for British POWs, McCormack embarrassed Warner by revealing that the 1953 British Ministry of Defence report which Warner had cited as confirming that Burchett was involved in brainwashing was actually published in 1955 and contained no such allegation, let alone the supporting quote that Burchett was ‘actively involved in brainwashing procedures’. Santamaria had made the exact same claim, based on the same source, a year earlier. The two were sharing misinformation, yet it is easy to see how even the most informed Australian citizen would deduce from two seemingly independent accounts that the serious allegation was true.
Compounding Warner’s embarrassment, McCormack revealed that one of Warner’s main sources and a witness he had located for Kane, British POW Derek Kinne, was discussed at length in the same report without any mention of his ever having met Burchett. What the report didshow was that Kinne’s dramatic claim in court, that Burchett had told him that he could have him shot, was actually said by British journalist Michael Shapiro. Despite McCormack’s exposure, Warner would cite Kinne extensively in his autobiography fifteen years later, even repeating this discredited anecdote with Burchett as the protagonist. Even in the post-Cold War era Warner was uninterested in what the evidence had to say.
[X] of ASIO told me that the affidavit which inculpated Burchett was that of Colonel Mahurin. But it seems to me that it does not involve Burchett directly… but only the journalist Alan Winnington… My impression is that these documents will be very disappointing.
Both not only kept their information to themselves, but also actively helped to procure Mahurin’s services for Kane’s defence.
The upshot of McCormack’s obsessive research was that a great deal of the evidence that the Government had disseminated through Warner to provide a justification for its passport policy was spectacularly discredited. Former POWs were using Burchett, a figure many remembered from the camps, as a scapegoat for their horrific wartime experiences. Their delusions gained validation both from each other and from Warner. The seemingly solid case against Burchett was in fact a house of cards, each piece of evidence supported by another. And after McCormack was through, it lay in tatters.
Yet in his award-winning Quadrant essay, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, Robert Manne simply shored up the image of the communist-traitor Burchett while largely avoiding the evidentiary concerns that McCormack had raised. This was unsurprising. Not only did Manne work in collaboration with Warner in writing the article, but he also at this time had a close relationship with Spry himself which arose in the writing of The Petrov Affair, even composing the ASIO chief’s obituary in the Age. Furthermore, he and McCormack had already locked horns several years earlier and Manne had come off much the worse for wear. Even so, it was not to be the last time that Manne responded to others’ research on Burchett by evading it.
Manne’s first move was indicative of the objectives of his essay. He denied the very legitimacy of McCormack’s criticisms by attempting to discredit McCormack himself. Manne accused him of ‘the doctoring of history’ and refused ‘to accede… to a neo-Stalinist reading of post-war Asian history being taught in our universities by academics like Dr McCormack’. To this day it is unclear how McCormack’s history was ‘neo-Stalinist’, what that term means, or how this had any bearing on the empirical discrepancies McCormack had illuminated. It was simply denigration by emotive ideological association. The ad hominem quips were of course not restricted to McCormack. Manne referred to Burchett’s ‘Don Juan sexual adventures’, noted that in Berlin Burchett sold automobiles, perhaps – he added darkly – even to Russian officers, and claimed that ‘Soviet officials were also aware that Burchett was drinking like a fish’. This incorporation of arbitrary slurs bore all the hallmarks of Warner, and indeed the footnote to the last cited him as the source. That Manne, like Warner, was happy to play the man rather than address McCormack’s revelations indicated that he was similarly engaged in a primarily ideological rather than scholarly endeavour. For all his self-declared ‘weariness... at the prospect of refighting the old battles of the Cold War’, his analysis remained firmly situated within Warner’s straightjacket.
The passport issue, on the other hand, presented [Burchett] with the possibility of risk-free martyrdom. The Australian Government had hoped to place Burchett in the dock on a charge of treason to his country; Burchett now hoped to place his country in the dock on a lesser charge of having deprived an honourable Australian of his passport and citizenship.
According to Manne, Burchett deliberately orchestrated to have his passport kept away from him so as to enjoy a seventeen-year self-imposed exile from his family and homeland. Manne was not the only one to have made this bold but popular claim. But he was the only one to have archival documents in front of him, in the very same files he relied upon in his essay, which revealed it to be as fanciful as it sounds.
many’s the time [Burchett and Winnington] have given hot news stories on what is happening in the armistice tents to Allied correspondents, and the stories have turned out to be correct… the Communist journalists got briefings and they in turn ‘briefed’ the Allied newsmen. For days that was the only armistice news the newspapers of the free world got.
Accounts to this effect were even present in the very same declassified ASIO files in which Manne grounded his article. Time-Life correspondent James Greenfield told ASIO that ‘[Burchett] was the first source of official info for United Nations correspondents’; Ralph Walling of the Daily Express added that Burchett wore the insignia of an ‘accredited press representative’ on his uniform and repeatedly identified himself as such. Yet by only referring to McDonald's more succinct version of the same events, Manne lent a superficial plausibility to his serious charge: that Burchett was not a journalist, but a communist agent.
it seems likely either that Kinne omitted this comment in 1955 through the timidity of his publishers or, more likely, had come to believe it over time, perhaps because of the intense bitterness he felt for Burchett.
The first explanation was pure speculation, nothing more. The second necessarily meant that Kinne’s evidence in court on this point was false. (Incidentally, it was also an apt encapsulation of how Manne and his ideological brethren felt towards Burchett himself, and rendered their writings equally unreliable.) If Kinne’s contribution was only what he had convinced himself to be true, then this cast grave doubt on the reliability of everything else he had to say about Burchett. Manne not only failed to see this, he even used Kinne as an authoritative source in relation to another closely related event on the very same page.
However, perhaps the most revealing technique utilised by Manne was the way in which he papered over areas of heated historical contention with wording that inherently favoured his preconceived conclusions. He asserted that Burchett was ‘actively involved in the literary production of certain of these confessions [of using biological warfare]’, and more glaringly on the same point, that ‘Burchett had become an active participant in one way or another’. What was specifically at issue, namely the precise nature of Burchett’s involvement, ranging from redrafting confessions as a journalist to their extortion by torture, was left unresolved. Other central questions in the treason case were similarly obfuscated. While Manne noted that post-Korean War UK and US studies were reluctant to use the term ‘brainwashing’, nevertheless he expansively concluded that ‘under the broader definition of “brainwashing”… there c[ould] be no doubt of the important collaborative role of Wilfred Burchett’.
Such wording was most illuminating as to Manne’s disposition towards the evidence concerning Burchett’s past as a means to an ideological end. When the evidence was in his favour, he was prepared to make good use of it. He referred to a letter from Burchett to his father discussing his employment arrangements in China to great effect, and McCormack later struggled to convince that Burchett receiving amenities from the Chinese government had no impact on the substance of his reporting. Likewise, Manne persuasively argued that Burchett’s comparison of a North Korean POW camp to a Swiss ‘holiday resort’ was ‘a shocking travesty of the truth… a not insignificant contribution to Communist wartime propaganda’. If his aim had merely been to prove that, particularly in the early 1950s, Burchett’s journalism was hardly objective and his relationships with governments left a lot to be desired, he would have succeeded. However, his preconceived goal was to show that Burchett was ‘in the deepest sense of the word a traitor’, that is, ideologically and morally, rather than legally. His concern with the specific historical realityof Burchett’s involvement in the biological warfare propaganda campaign and in alleged brainwashing, both pivotal to the legal charge of treason investigated by ASIO, was secondary. Consequently, when the historical evidence was not in his favour, Manne either employed convoluted arguments to make it speak the language he wanted it to or he ignored it entirely.
Robert Manne, ‘Agent of Influence: Reassessing Wilfred Burchett’, Monthly, June 2008. Among the many who have offered their invaluable advice on this project, the author would like to especially thank John Pilger and Bernard Porter for taking time out of their busy schedules to comment on a draft of this article. All errors are my own.
Tom Heenan, Ben Kiernan, Greg Lockhart, Stuart Macintyre, Gavan McCormack, ‘Manne of Influence’, On Line Opinion, 4 July 2008.
‘New brawl over Burchett’s reputation’, Age (online), 7 July 2008.
For more information on Burchett’s life see Tom Heenan, From Traveller to Traitor (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 2006). For more detail on other issues, particularly the Government persecution of Burchett and the 1974 court case, see Jamie Miller, “Without Raising Problems of Proof or Refutation”: Wilfred Burchett and Australian Anti-communism, unpublished thesis, University of Sydney, 2007.
It should be noted that the term ‘communist’ is used here for ease of reference. Burchett’s politics were far more complex and dynamic than others perceived, as should be evident from this article.
The issue of whether or not Allied troops engaged in biological warfare was a critical propaganda battleground during the Korean War. This has traditionally been referred to as ‘germ’ warfare, though this article uses the more current ‘biological’ to more accurately convey the nature of the warfare and therefore the gravity of the charge against Burchett.
David Bradbury, Public Enemy Number One (1981).
Burchett’s passport was immediately restored by the new Whitlam Government in December 1972: Graham Freudenberg, A Certain Grandeur: Gough Whitlam in Politics (Melbourne and Sydney: Macmillan Australia, 1977), p. 246. His children were registered as citizens in 1970: NAA A6980/6, S201945, Wilfred Burchett Part 6, 1970-3, Peter Heydon, Secretary of the Department of Immigration, to Alan Renouf, Secretary of the Department of External Affairs, 17 March 1970.
NAA A6119, 14/Reference Copy, Spry to Jack Spicer, Attorney-General, 8 January 1954.
See for instance NAA A6119/XR1, 13, Burchett, Wilfred Graham, cable from Alan Watt, Secretary of the Department of External Affairs, to Ronald Walker, Australian Ambassador to Japan, 10 September 1953.
For the best examples of this, see Wilfred Burchett, People’s Democracies (Melbourne: World Unity Publications, 1951) on Eastern Europe; Wilfred Burchett, China’s Feet Unbound (Melbourne: World Unity Publications, 1952) on China; Wilfred Burchett, This Monstrous War (Melbourne: Joseph Waters, 1953) and Wilfred Burchett and Alan Winnington, Plain Perfidy (London: Britain-China Friendship Association, 1954) on the Korean War; and Wilfred Burchett, Come East Young Man! (Berlin: Seven Seas, 1962) on the Soviet Union.
A great deal of the witnesses were assembled before the Whitlam Government came to power in late 1972. The actionable article was ‘The Burchett Revelations’, Focus, November 1971.
Burchett v Kane , New South Wales Law Reports, Volume 2, 1980, per Justice Samuels, p. 273.
Hayden White, ‘Historical Pluralism’, Critical Inquiry 12 (1986), p. 487.
Heenan, From Traveller to Traitor, p. 146.
NLA MS 9489, Papers of Denis Warner, 1949-1997.
Denis Warner, ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, Quadrant, July-August 1967; also published in The Reporter, 1 June 1967. Warner also published much shorter articles on Burchett in the Melbourne Herald on 5 October 1951, 21 June 1952, 19 April 1955, and 4 February 1969. He also wrote the ‘The Spy Who Came in for the Gold’ series in Seiron, a Japanese publication, in March 1975 and in the National Review, 11 April 1975; and wrote the pamphlet The Germ-Warfare Hoax in 1977.
Warner, ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, pp. 71-2.
Warner, Not Always on Horseback: An Australian Correspondent at War and Peace in Asia 1961-1993 (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 1997), p. 132; NAA A432, 1952/1677, Wilfred Burchett – Question re Prosecution, 1951-70, 2 November 1953, agents Tuck and Hunter to Spry, referring to interview with Warner.
NAA A6717/5, A70 PART 1, Wilfred G. Burchett – Australian Passport and Citizenship, 1952-68, report of interdepartmental meeting circulated to all Departments, 16 July 1968.
Burchett wrote that Warner was ‘notorious for his close association with the CIA and its Australian equivalent, ASIO’: Wilfred Burchett, Passport: An Autobiography (Melbourne: Thomas Nelson (Australia) Ltd., 1969), p. 291. See also Wilfred Burchett, Memoirs of a Rebel Journalist: the Autobiography of Wilfred Burchett, George Burchett and Nick Shimmin, eds., (Sydney: University of New South Wales Press, 2005), p. 742; and NAA A1209, 1969/7897, Ronald East, a member of the Burchett Passport Committee and Burchett’s cousin, to Arthur Lee, National President of the Returned Servicemen’s League, 5 March 1969.
Ross Fitzgerald recently claimed that Warner was an ASIO agent: Australian, 3 December 2005. Warner denied this: Australian, 10 December 2005. Warner’s access to classified material was certainly remarkably extensive. A ‘List of Support’ for his defence in the defamation suit brought by Burchett features both Interpol and the CIA: NLA, MS 9489/11, Papers of Denis Warner, Box 69.
NAA A6119, 13/Reference Copy, Principal Section Officer, B1, to the Director, NSW, ASIO, 2 November 1953.
‘Some Notes on the Activities of Wilfred Burchett’, February 20 1970, in NAA M58, 191, [Personal Papers of Prime Minister McEwen] [Wilfred] Burchett – Confidential, 1952-70.
How he did so will be expanded upon in the analysis of Gavan McCormack’s revelation of Warner’s misuse of the affidavits.
Warner, ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, p. 75.
NAA A6119, 13/Reference Copy, ‘Note for discussion with the Solicitor-General’, Spry to Bailey, 12 October 1953.
NAA A432, 1952/1677, report from agents Tuck and Hunter to Spry, 2 November 1953, referring to interview with Warner.
See for instance, Warner, Not Always on Horseback, p. 134.
The only other detailed articles on Burchett between the Korean War and his return to Australia in 1970, a full seventeen years, appear to be Alan Reid, ‘A Dual Standard for Wilfred Burchett’, Bulletin, 11 January 1968; and B. A. Santamaria, ‘Views on South-East Asia’, 14 August 1966, in B. A. Santamaria, Point of View, pp. 148-9; B. A. Santamaria, ‘Irresponsible Press Activity’, 28 March 1965, in B. A. Santamaria, Point of View, pp. 49-51; B. A. Santamaria, Sunday Telegraph, 1 March 1970. All were based on much the same inside material as Warner’s articles.
NAA A432, 1969/3072, Attachment 2, Wilfred Graham Burchett, 1953-70, Address to National Press Club, 2 March 1970.
Hansard, House of Representatives, 5 March 1970, pp. 181-2.
Melbourne Herald, 28 October 1974.
‘Burchett loses libel action’, Melbourne Herald, 2 November 1974, emphasis added. The man in question was To Minh Trung.
Warner, Not Always on Horseback, pp. 138-9; see the extensive transcripts of Warner’s interviews with witnesses Tom Hollis, Walker Mahurin, Paul Kniss and Derek Kinne in NLA, MS 9489/11, Papers of Denis Warner, Box 69. A previous writ had been issued against Warner in response to ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, so he had a financial, as well as personal and ideological, interest in assisting Kane.
Sydney Morning Herald, 23 October 1974.
Melbourne Herald, 23 October 1974.
Kane, ‘Burchett on Trial?’, Quadrant, October 1981, p. 40.
Gavan McCormack, ‘An Australian Dreyfus? Re-examination of the Case Against Journalist Wilfred Burchett’, Australian Society, August 1984.
Gavan McCormack, ‘Burchett in Korea’, Australian Society, September 1985; Gavan McCormack, ‘Korea: Wilfred Burchett’s Thirty Years War’, in Ben Kiernan, ed., Burchett Reporting the Other Side of the World: 1939-1983 (London, Melbourne, New York: Quartet Books, 1986); Gavan McCormack, ‘The New Right and Human Rights: Cultural Freedom and the Burchett Affair’, Meanjin, September 1986. It should be emphasised that the examples cited here are only the most salient examples of the many challenges McCormack’s work posed to the dominant narrative of Burchett’s life.
Both Warner and Santamaria said the interviews revealed that Burchett had ‘interrogated’ the Australian POWs: Warner, ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, p. 73; Santamaria, Sunday Telegraph, 1 March 1970. They did no such thing. See NAA A6119, 14/Reference Copy, joint statement by Donald Buck, Ronald Parker and Thomas Hollis, 17 December 1953; and NAA A6119, 14/Reference Copy, statements by John MacKay, 3 December 1953; John Davis, 2 December 1953; Brian Thomas Davoren, 24 March 1954; and Glen Brown, 4 December 1953. See McCormack, ‘Korea: Wilfred Burchett’s Thirty Years War’, p. 196, and McCormack, ‘An Australian Dreyfus?’, p. 8. It should be noted that Warner later stated in his autobiography that ‘the Australians… had not been subjected to protracted interrogation, nor had they been persuaded to make confessions of any sort’, which was a complete disavowal of his earlier claim but was not accompanied by any admission of mistake: Warner, Not Always on Horseback, p. 137.
Warner, ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’, p. 73.
‘Treatment of British Prisoners of War in Korea’, British Ministry of Defence, 1955. Burchett is mentioned in passing on p. 26.
McCormack, ‘An Australian Dreyfus?’, p. 10.
‘Burchett was employed by the Peking Government in helping to brainwash British and Australian soldiers’: Santamaria, ‘Views on South-East Asia’, 14 August 1966, in Santamaria, Point of View, p.149. Santamaria correctly identified the date of the Report as 1955.
It is unclear which of the two had actually seen the report, if either. A copy can be found in Warner’s collection at the National Library, however he may have acquired it after he wrote ‘Who is Wilfred Burchett?’: NLA MS 9489/12, Papers of Denis Warner, Box 70.
Warner, Not Always on Horseback, p. 137.
Warner, Not Always on Horseback, pp. 137-8, 190-1.
McCormack, ‘Korea: Wilfred Burchett’s Thirty Years War’.
Walker M. Mahurin, Honest John: The Autobiography of Walker M. Mahurin (New York: G. L. Putnam’s Sons, 1962).
Burchett v Kane transcript, p. 93.
Burchett v Kane transcript, p. 97.
Mahurin, Honest John, p. 244, quoted in McCormack, ‘Korea: Wilfred Burchett’s Thirty Years War’, p. 191.
Chicago Daily News, 9 September 1953, quoted in McCormack, ‘Korea: Wilfred Burchett’s Thirty Years War’, p.191, emphasis added.
Melbourne Herald, 25 October 1974 and Sydney Morning Herald, 25 October 1974.
NLA, MS 9489/11, Papers of Denis Warner, Box 69, Denis Warner interview with Mahurin and Paul Kniss. This confirms McCormack’s earlier suspicions: McCormack, ‘Korea: Wilfred Burchett’s Thirty Years War’, p. 191.
NAA A6717/5, A70 PART 6, Wilfred G. Burchett – Australian passport and citizenship, 1970, G. L. V. Hooton, Prime Minister’s Department to Lenox Hewitt, Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Department, 24 February 1970; see also Mahurin’s September 1953 statement: NAA A1838/370, 852/20/4/114, Korean War Germ Warfare Allegations.
Warner, Not Always on Horseback,p. 142. For the Government’s role, see NAA A1838, 1542/616 PART 5, James Cumes, Assistant Secretary of the Department of External Affairs, to McMahon, 25 June 1970 and NAA A1838, 1542/616 PART 5, report of interdepartmental meeting, 24 June 1970.
Manne’s essay won the George Watson Essay Prize for Quadrant’s best essay of 1985, which McCormack described as ‘a revealing comment on contemporary Australian political culture’: McCormack, ‘The New Right and Human Rights: Cultural Freedom and the Burchett Affair’, p. 394.The essay was republished as Agent of Influence: The Life and Times of Wilfred Burchett (Toronto, Canada: Mackenzie Institute for the Study of Terrorism, Revolution and Propaganda, 1989); as ‘He Chose Stalin’ in The Shadow of 1917: Cold War Conflict in Australia (Melbourne: Text Publishing, 1994); and in Left, Right, Left: Political Essays, 1977-2005 (Melbourne: Black Inc., 2005).
Age, 1 June 1994. See also the extensive acknowledgement of Spry’s assistance and the voluminous references to Spry throughout Robert Manne, The Petrov Affair: Politics and Espionage (Sydney: Pergamon Press Australia, 1987), pp. xiii, 309.
Robert Manne, ‘Pol Pot and the Persistence of Noam Chomsky’, Quadrant, October 1979; see McCormack’s response in the Letters section of the January-February 1980 edition.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 27.
Also notable was Manne’s insinuation that ‘Dr’ McCormack being an academic working in a university somehow detracted from his credibility on the given issue rather than adding to it. This tactic would be repeated by Santamaria when he implored Burchett’s supporters to abandon their cause because ‘they will do little for their academic reputations or for that of the universities which employ them’: Santamaria, ‘The Burchett Case: Giving Aid and Comfort to the Enemy’, Quadrant, January-February 1986, p. 73.
This would be repeated when Manne republished his essay as ‘He Chose Stalin’ in 1994.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 28.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 40.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, pp. 37-8.
In his memoirs, Kane would also claim that ‘Burchett’s exile was largely self-imposed’: Jack Kane, Exploding the Myths: The Political Memoirs of Jack Kane (Sydney: Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1989), p. 216; Santamaria would likewise say that Burchett ‘carefully kept himself outside jurisdiction’: ‘The Burchett Case: Giving Aid and Comfort to the Enemy’, p. 73. See also Reid, ‘A Dual Standard for Wilfred Burchett’; Melbourne Herald, 29 November 1968; Age, 2 December 1968; Australian, 31 December 1968; Sydney Morning Herald, 11 August 1969.
See for instance NAA 6119/13, which Manne refers to extensively throughout his article.
NAA 6119/13, statement of Lachie McDonald to ASIO, 28 October 1953; Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 31.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 31.
Charlie Barnard of the Associated Press, ‘Antifreeze’, Stars and Stripes, 10 Feb 1952.
NAA A6119, 14/Reference Copy, statement of James Greenfield to ASIO, 18 November 1953.
NAA A6119, 14/Reference Copy, letter from Senior Security Officer, ASIO, to Spry, 14 December 1953.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 32.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 33.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 34.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 32; see also p. 33: ‘The truth of falsity of this accusation [of brainwashing] is largely a question of semantics’.
State Library of Victoria MS 10254, Papers, Wilfred Burchett to George Burchett, his father, 16 April 1951; Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 29. Santamaria also made much of this letter: ‘The Burchett Case: Giving Aid and Comfort to the Enemy’, p. 69.
McCormack, ‘The New Right and Human Rights: “Cultural Freedom” and the Burchett Affair’, p. 396.
Burchett, This Monstrous War, (Melbourne: Joseph Waters, 1953), pp. 300-1. However, as McCormack later pointed out, Mahurin’s own account of the conditions of his POW camp suggests that Burchett’s description was perhaps not quite as fanciful as it first appears: Mahurin, Honest John, p. 244, quoted in McCormack, ‘Korea: Wilfred Burchett’s Thirty Years War’, p. 170. This is supported by NAA A6119, 14/Reference Copy, statement by Glen Brown, Australian POW, to ASIO, 4 December 1953.
Manne, ‘The Fortunes of Wilfred Burchett: A New Assessment’, p. 42. Emphasis added. | 2019-04-26T13:39:43Z | http://www.ias.uwa.edu.au/new-critic/eight/Miller |
An assortment of strange and wonderful celestial bodies lie within the boundaries of our Solar System. Planets are of particular interest to amateur astronomers and professional scientists alike. Perhaps it has to do with how varied each is, or how they are the astronomical bodies we can relate to most. After all, our home is a planet. Our fascination also stems from our wanderlust; hoping to travel to planets both near and far, especially if anything should ever happen to the Earth. Lastly, there is the hope that by studying planets – and astronomy at large – we may discover intelligent life and prove we are not alone in this vast cosmos.
There are eight planets orbiting the Sun, also known as major planets to distinguish them for dwarf planets and other planetoids. These planets can be divided into three classes of planets: terrestrial/ rocky/ telluric, gas giants, and ice giants. The terrestrial planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars; the gas giants are Jupiter and Saturn; and the ice giants are Uranus and Neptune.
With Earth being a rocky planet, it is both interesting and important to study the other three terrestrial planets. Learning about the rocky planets reveals much about the creation of the Solar System, and the evolution of the Earth.
This guide to the terrestrial planets includes extensive facts about each of the rocky planets, including our own.
The terrestrial planets in the Solar System are also the four innermost and smallest planets. They are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. They share fundamental characteristics that define them as terrestrial planets. The internal structure of the terrestrial planets is the same. Each has a metallic core that is rich in iron and surrounded by a mantle of silicate. They all have solid surfaces which share many of the same features including canyons, craters, mountains, valleys and volcanoes.
Terrestrial planets also have a secondary atmosphere which sets them apart from the gas and ice giants. The atmosphere of giant planets formed as part of the planet, from the materials the Solar System was created from. The secondary atmosphere of rocky planets is a result of volcanic activity and comets impacting the planets billions of years ago.
Some of the Solar System’s natural satellites also share these features with rocky planets. The Moon is an obvious example; it has a similar internal structure to Earth but with a much smaller core. Two of the Galilean moons, Europa and Io, have internal structures resembling that of rocky planets. The Solar System’s dwarf planets have solid surfaces too, but their internal composition is much different from terrestrial planets.
Mercury has quite a few distinctions. Named after the messenger god of Roman mythology, it is the closest planet to the Sun, and the smallest planet in the Solar System. Although it is smaller than some of the larger natural satellites of other planets, it does have more mass than they do. Its proximity to the Sun means it has the shortest orbital period of all planets – both major and dwarf – at 87.97 earth days in one Mercurian year.
From Earth, we can only ever see Mercury early in the morning and early in the evening, as it appears to follow the Sun. It can reach apparent magnitudes that makes it brighter than Sirius (the brightest star). However, it can sometimes be hard to observe the planet because of the Sun’s glare. Mercury can be seen very clearly during a total solar eclipse. With the right protective filters, we can also watch Mercury transit the Sun (pass in front of the Sun’s disc). The Hubble Space Telescope cannot observe Mercury at all, for pointing that close to the Sun could harm the instrument.
Like Venus, it is an inferior planet or interior planet (relative to Earth); meaning that their orbits lie within the orbit of another planet. The planet undergoes phases, like the Moon, which can be viewed telescopically.
The planet’s core is in three parts: a solid outer core of iron sulphide, a deeper liquid core, and a solid inner core. Its size compared to its density suggests a core very rich in iron – a higher iron content than any other planet. Studies show that the core alone may make up 35% of the planet’s volume.
The most accepted theory to why this is suggests an impact with another large rocky body stripped the planet of most of its crust and mantle. It is also possible that Mercury may have formed before the Sun’s energy output has stabilized. Being so close to the Sun, the extreme temperature of this environment would vaporise rock.
Surface geology of the planet closely resembles the Moon, especially with its plains and heavy cratering. Evidence shows that Mercury was bombarded by comets and asteroids shortly after its formation over four and a half billion years ago. Unlike the Moon, the planet’s stronger surface gravity lessens the areas affected by impacts. However, craters do range in size from small shaped bowls to basins hundreds of kilometres across. Though the planet once had volcanic activity, it has been geologically inactive for billions of years.
Surface features get their names from different sources. Craters are named for deceased artists, musicians and authors who have all had significant impacts in their respective fields. Ridges are named for scientists who contributed to our knowledge of Mercury, and depressions after works of architecture. Montes are named after the word ‘hot’ in several languages, whereas plains get their names for the word ‘Mercury’ in several languages. Escarpments are named for ships of scientific expeditions, and valleys get their names after radio telescope facilities.
Surface temperatures on the planet range from -173 to 427 degrees Celsius (-280 to 800 degrees Fahrenheit). Despite these soaring temperatures, craters at the planet’s north pole seem to contain water ice. This is likely because the deep crater floors never receive direct sunlight. Mercury is too small and too hot to have any significant atmosphere, but it does have an exosphere rich in various gases and elements. The planet also has a magnetosphere which is strong enough to protect it from solar winds.
Mercury’s orbit is the most eccentric of all the planets (its orbit is the most deviated from a perfect circle). It also has a very strange and rare rotation. It rotates about its own axis thrice for every two revolutions around the Sun!
Mercury has no natural satellites. The planet has been visited by the spacecraft MESSENGER and by Marina 10 in a flyby.
Venus is named after the Roman goddess of beauty and love. Also known as the Evening Star and the Morning Star, it has long been of fascination and inspiration for all of humanity’s cultures through the ages. It is the second brightest object in the night sky – outshined only by the Moon. Its apparent magnitude can reach a luminous -4.9. This is bright enough to see clearly in midday Sun! Considering its brilliance, it really is no wonder that it was the first planet to have its motion across the sky plotted. It also comes as no surprise that misinformed observers often report Venus as an UFO because of how bright it is!
Like Mercury, Venus is an inferior or interior planet; and like Mercury (and the Moon) Venus undergoes phases that we can observe telescopically from Earth. Venus also transits the Sun’s disc, an event that you can observe yourself with the correct protective filters. It is indeed beautiful to behold – as its name suggests. But don’t be fooled: underneath all that beauty is a planet ravaged by one of the most hostile environments in the Solar System.
Venus is often referred to as Earth’s ‘sister planet’ because the planets are most similar in size and mass, though that is definitely where the comparison ends (if anything, Mars and Earth are more like twins). For one, the atmospheric pressure is 92 times greater than on Earth. For another, Venus is scorching. It is the hottest planet in the Solar System, despite Mercury being closest to the Sun. Its dense atmosphere – the densest atmosphere of all four terrestrial planets – is made up of 96% carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas. In this regard, understanding Venus is a very important study for what can happen to Earth if we continue to disrupt our climate with carbon emissions from burning fossil fuels. Temperatures at the planet’s surface reach 462 degrees Celsius (863 degrees Fahrenheit). It is believed that there was once liquid water of Venus until the runaway greenhouse effect caused it all to be evaporated.
Venus can experience strong winds of up to 300 kilometres per hour (185 miles per hour). About 80% of the Venusian surface is covered by smooth volcanic plains. There is strong evidence of volcanism, and what’s more is that such activity may be quite recent and/ or ongoing. One indication of this is the thick clouds of sulphuric acid in the planet’s atmosphere. Venus is also divided into two ‘continents’ which make up the rest of the planet’s surface; one on each hemisphere (north and south).
Oddly enough, The Venusian surface is littered with very few impact craters, suggesting that the surface is still relatively young – a few hundred million years at most. Another enigma is the lack of lava flows despite active or recent volcanism.
Scientists do not know much about Venus’ internal structure, but look to the similarities in size and density with Earth to draw logical conclusions about its build. Venus most likely has a core, mantle and crust; but lacks real evidence of plate tectonics, suggesting that the crust is particularly strong. The planet has a very weak magnetic field; lacking a magnetosphere and meaning that the planet is exposed to solar winds and cosmic radiation. One theory as to why the magnetic field is so weak suggests that Venus may lack a solid core.
The planet has a small axial tilt of approximately 3 degrees, meaning that the temperature across the planet is more or less constant and even. The only real temperature differences occur with changing altitude.
All planets orbit about the Sun in an anticlockwise direction when viewed from Earth’s North Pole. Most planets also rotate in a counter clockwise direction, but Venus rotates clockwise in retrograde rotation. It has the slowest rotation of the planets at 243 days. Venus orbits around the Sun every 224.7 earth days, so a day on Venus is longer than a Venusian year! Venus also has the most circular orbit of the planets.
Like Mercury, Venus has no natural satellites. Planetary scientists believe Venus may have had at least one moon, but that it was destroyed by a large impact event billions of years ago. It does however have several Trojan asteroids (asteroids lying in its orbital path, but that remain in fixed positions rather than orbiting the planet).
There have been several spacecraft sent to explore Venus in flybys, orbits, and landings including the Soviet Venera programs, the U.S Mariner programs, and the NASA Pioneer projects. The Venus Express of the European Space Agency entered the planet’s orbit from 2006 to 2014, and Japan’s Akatsuki has been in orbit around Venus since December 2015.
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun, and the second smallest planet in the Solar System after Mercury. It was named for the Roman god of war, and with its blood red appearance it is easy to see why. For this same reason, it is commonly called the ‘Red Planet’. The planet’s red colouring clearly distinguishes it from others in the night sky, even to the naked eye. Iron oxide (rust) on Mars’ surface is what gives it this rouge hue. Mars is still quite a colourful planet. It shows gold, brown, tan, and even green surface features depending on the minerals present.
It is the fourth brightest object in the night sky after the Moon, Venus, and Jupiter. Its apparent magnitude can be as bright as -2.91. Ground based telescopic views can resolve Martian features around 300 kilometres (190 miles) across.
Though Venus is sometimes called Earth’s sister planet because of its similar size and mass, Earth has more in common with Mars than any other planet we know of so far. Its surface features resemble both the Moon with various impact craters, and the Earth’s with deserts, valleys and polar ice caps among other features. Mars is home to the largest volcano in the Solar System, Olympus Mons, which may be the tallest or second tallest mountain in the Solar System based on different methods of measuring. One of the largest canyons in the Solar System, Valles Marineris, is also found on the Red Planet.
Mars is only about half the diameter of Earth, far less dense (due to the planet being much less massive), and has around 38% less surface gravity than Earth. Around 40% of the Martian surface is covered by a smooth basin (the Borealis basin) on the planet’s northern hemisphere, which may be the result of a great impact with a large body.
The planet has a dense metallic core made primarily of iron and nickel, and containing sulphur too. A mantle of silicate surrounds the core. It formed many of the planet’s tectonic and volcanic features, but now appears to be dormant. The Martian crust is rich in elements: aluminium, calcium, iron, magnesium, oxygen, potassium and silicon. Observations shows that the planet’s crust may have once been magnetized, though presently there is no evidence of a magnetic field covering the planet. Despite lacking a magnetosphere, mars does experience aurora, due to multiple little magnetic pockets which may be the remains of a decayed magnetic field from billions of years ago.
While a Martian year is significantly longer than an Earth year (687 earth days), it is closest to Earth in rotation and tilt. A Martian day is 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35.24 seconds. The planet is tilted on its axis by 25.19 degrees, and experiences seasons very much like Earth’s. The planet has an interesting weather system, including having the largest dust storms in the Solar System. These storms can be small or large enough to cover the entire planet.
Mars has the most natural satellites of the rocky planets: two moons named Phobos and Deimos. They are quite small and irregularly shaped, and are thought to be captured asteroids.
Features on Mars get their names from a wide selection of sources including deities from classical mythology, deceased scientists and writers, tiny towns and villages on Earth, and the words for ‘Mars’ and ‘star’ in different languages.
Mars lies within the habitable zone – a region around a star (not too close or too far) in which a planet could harbour life. There is plenty of evidence suggesting that Mars may have once hosted life, or that life may still exist on the planet. Data collected from the planet by Phoenix shows that Martian soil is slightly alkaline and contains nutrients also present in Earth soils, and which are essential for plant growth. Landforms visible on the planet’s surface strongly indicate the presence of liquid water at one stage of the planet’s history, though permanent liquid water is now impossible due to Mars’ low atmospheric pressure (only 1% of Earth’s).
However, we do know that the Martian polar ice caps are made up of 70% water ice. Studies suggest that if all the frozen water of the southern ice cap were melted, the entire planet would be covered in water 11 meters (36 feet) deep. Opportunity also discovered jarosite on the planet’s surface; a mineral which can only form in the presence of acidic water.
Dozens of spacecraft from a number of countries have flown by, orbited, and landed on Mars. It currently hosts eight spacecraft – six in orbit and two on the planet. In orbit are: 2001 Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, MAVEN, Mars Orbiter Mission and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter. The Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity and the Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity roam the Martian surface.
Professionals of all fields have long thought to send humans to Mars – a challenging and expensive mission – and still hope to in the near future.
Planet Earth – our home. Without any doubt, our planet is the most fascinating, beautiful, and mysterious of them all. Of every astronomical object ever discovered, studied and explored, Earth is the only one we know of that has life.
The Earth formed roughly 4.5 billion years ago with the rest of the Solar System. The word earth has roots in all Germanic languages, and the planet has been personified as a deity in a number of cultures. The rocky planet is the third in the Solar System, and is 150 million kilometres (93 million miles) from the Sun. A day on our planet is approximately 23 hours, 56 minutes and 4.0989 seconds, and a year on Earth is 365.2564 days.
We have one natural satellite: the Moon. The Moon is a large, terrestrial natural satellite. It is suggested that the Moon was formed from materials ejected by our planet after a violent collision with a Mars –sized body (Theia). The relationship is a very special one. The gravitational attraction of the bodies is what causes the ocean’s tides. The Moon is tidally locked, meaning that its rotational period around its axis is the same as its orbital period around Earth. This causes the same side of the Moon to always face Earth. The Sun illuminates different parts of the Moon as it orbits Earth, causing the Moon’s phases. It’s good to note that despite how these phases appear to us, half the Moon is always lit by the Sun. Another unique feature of our Moon is that the apparent size of its disc matches the apparent size of the Sun’s disc. This means that the Moon can completely obscure the Sun when they align, causing a total solar eclipse.
Earth is made up of aluminium (1.4%), calcium (1.5%), iron (32.1%), magnesium (13.9%), nickel (1.8%), oxygen (30.1%), silicon (15.1%), sulphur (2.9%), and the remainder is made up of trace elements. The Earth’s core is comprised of 88% iron. Earth has a solid inner core and a liquid outer core, layered by a mantle which supports an outer layer of silicate crust.
The Earth’s magnetic field is generated at the planet’s core, and extends outwards up to the Earth’s surface, and defining the magnetosphere which protects our planet from solar wind and cosmic radiation. Solar winds interacting with the planet’s magnetosphere is what causes the beautiful dancing aurora (the northern and southern lights).
The crust and upper mantle form tectonic plates which move relative to each other. Tectonic plates can come together, pull apart, or slide passed one another. Earthquakes, mountain formations, oceanic trenches and volcanic activity can all occur as a result of these movements.
The Earth’s oceans were formed by a combination of volcanic activity and outgassing (when trapped, dissolved or frozen gas is released). The oceans cover 70% of the Earth’s surface, setting Earth apart as a ‘Blue Planet’ conducive to life. The remaining part of the surface is varied and busy. There are canyons, continental shelves, mountains, plateaus, ridge systems, trenches, volcanoes and an assortment of other geological features.
Also crucial to the Earth being habitable are our atmosphere and the 23.44 degree tilt of the planet’s axis. This tilt produces seasons on Earth. The Earth is tilted toward the Sun during summer months. The days are longer, the Sun rises higher in the sky, and the angle at which sunlight hits the Earth is more direct. The opposite is true in winter months. The effect of the tilt on seasons is most visible and most extreme the Polar Regions, where the Sun does not set for nearly half a year, and does not rise for the other half. It is because of the tilt that we also experience the summer and winter solstice (longest and shortest days of the year), and spring and autumnal equinoxes (all of earth experiences equally long days).
The composition of our atmosphere is mostly nitrogen, followed by oxygen, argon, carbon dioxide and water vapour. Oxygen is essential for us to breathe, and the amount of carbon is equally important. As a greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide helps the Earth retain the Sun’s heat. Without it, the planet would be too frigid for life. However, too much of it causes disruptions in our climate that are devastating to life. Venus is the perfect example of a runaway greenhouse effect. By burning fossil fuels, we are warming our planet to abnormal degrees. It is our responsibility as custodians of this planet to clean up our ways.
The variety of life on Earth is truly outstanding. We have found weird and wonderful creatures in every nook and cranny of the planet. As much as the Earth is a life bearing planet, it is also a dangerous killer. Tropical cyclones, hurricanes, typhoons, landslides, tsunamis, sinkholes, blizzards, droughts, wildfires and a range of other extreme occurrences claim the lives of many. There have been near extinction events from massive volcanic eruptions; and manmade disasters such as deforestation, hunting and exploiting life and resources to extinction, and global warming.
The fact that there are other terrestrial planets in the Solar System gives us hope that somewhere in our galaxy there may be other earths teeming with life. For now, this is our only home – a beautiful and perfect one – and we should do everything in our power to keep it that way. | 2019-04-18T16:36:21Z | https://telescopeobserver.com/terrestrial-planets/ |
Based on Jean Webster’s 1912 novel, this musical two-hander stars Megan McGinnis as Jerusha Abbott, an orphan with a mysterious benefactor who is not the elderly man she imagines but a privileged younger man who has heretofore cut himself off from emotional connection. Director John Caird’s book honors the epistolary form of its source, and the two protagonists -- Jerusha and her mentor Jervis Pendleton (beautifully played by Adam Halpin) -- speak (or sing) through their letters throughout the evening.
Paul Gordon’s music and lyrics tell the story in the same astute way as his 2001 “Jane Eyre”; he has a real knack for this sort of material. Though not period sounding -- ideally, the melodies ought to have the lilt of, say, Ivan Caryll or early Jerome Kern -- and yet, they somehow don’t sound at odds with the material. Apart from the Fred Astaire-Leslie Caron musical film (which, for all its charms, bore scant resemblance to its source), there was “Love from Judy,” a 1952 British musical with music by Hugh Martin which, based on the cast recordings of the time, sounds bland and exceedingly dull. This version has far more integrity.
Caird’s meticulous care in honoring Webster’s themes -- as he puts it in a program note “the growth of a woman’s spirit and independence” and it being a story of “personal growth and emotional evolution” -- doesn’t get in the way of it being a wonderful love story with much the same texture and ultimate audience payoff as “She Loves Me.” Both share the device of correspondents who are clueless that the soulmates to whom they are writing are people they already know.
The Davenport Theatre stage is small but David Farley’s richly designed set -- warmly lit by Paul Toben -- serves as Jervis’ study, Jerusha’s school, and myriad other locales, and Farley’s costumes are beautifully evocative. You’re transported to another world for the two hours running time.
Music Director Brad Haak has done the pleasing small-scaled arrangements and orchestrations. And Peter Fitzgerald’s sound design gives just the right heft without overpowering the intimate space.
I can’t praise McGinnis and Halpin (Mr. & Mrs. in real life) too much -- they carry a tremendous load at every performance -- and though I caught up with the show well into the run, they seemed as fresh as if the show has only just opened.
This is a charming, romantic, and underneath it all, serious-minded, show well worth catching.
Generally appealing performances and solid production values highlight this pleasantly oddball musical based on Natalie Babbitt’s beloved young adult novel about 11-year-old girl Winnie (Sarah Charles Lewis), who encounters an immortal family in the woods, bonds with one of the sons, while a villainous character known as the Man in the Yellow Suit (Terrence Mann) tries to purloin the magic waters that gave the family its eternal youth.
Casey Nicholaw, who usually traffics in edgier material (“The Book of Mormon,” “Something Rotten,” even “Aladdin”), shifts gears for this rather homespun and certainly fanciful tale, and provides some nice balletic and period choreography particularly a number at the local fair where Walt Spangler’s scenic design and Gregg Barnes’ costumes are at their splashiest.
Chris Miller’s folkish music and Nathan Tysen’s lyrics are decent, if sometimes derivative of other shows. Winnie’s musical vocabulary, for instance, seems heavily influenced by Little Red Riding Hood in “Into the Woods,” but she is most engagingly played by Lewis who is, like her character, 11.
Carolee Carmello as the Tuck family matriarch makes the strongest impression, but the cast is quite appealing across the board, including Michael Park as husband Angus, Robert Lenzi as brooding son Miles, and Andrew Keenan-Bolger as mischievous Jesse who falls in love with Winnie. Mann makes a convincing villain. And Valerie Wright and Pippa Pearthree are sweet as Winnie’s mother and maiden aunt.
The ever-reliable Fred Applegate plays Constable Joe, who is set on the case of finding missing Winnie when she goes missing in the woods. And he and Michael Wartella, who plays his sidekick Hugo, share a jaunty vaudeville-style number.
Nicholaw has devised a lengthy circle of life ballet near the end with echoes of Agnes DeMille’s classic story ballets, though you see pretty quickly where it’s going, so it seems to overstay its welcome.
The mortality theme and the conclusion that leading a good life being better than forever forever are not too tragic or heavy-handed for those seeking family-friendly entertainment.
The music supervision of Rob Berman and music director Mary-Mitchell Campbell is as well crafted as the show’s the other elements.
The production premiered at Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre last year.
Deep among the indelible memories of my theatergoing life are singer Lynnie Godfrey sprawled on a piano suggestively growling “Daddy” and later, Gregory Hines shuffling onto the stage forlornly singing the plaintive “Low Down Blues” ultimately gorgeously merging with sweet-voiced Ethel Beatty who had just sung her own song about loneliness. The show was 1978’s “Eubie!” a fabulous tribute to composer Eubie Blake, then still very much alive and making the rounds of all the talk shows at the time, as he rode a new wave of fame.
Both those numbers surface again in “Shuffle Along,” which takes its title from the groundbreaking 1921 show written by Blake and his partner Noble Sissle, with book by F.E. Miller and Aubrey Lyles. But the new “Shuffle Along” is, as the subtitle states, “The Making of the Musical Sensation of 1921 and All That Followed,” not an actual revival of the original show.
Thus, we have, as in so many musical films of yesteryear, a behind-the-scenes story about putting on a show – one with an all-black cast -- against all odds. In tone, it struck me very like the 1999 film “Cradle Will Rock” about the challenging original production of Marc Blitzstein’s opera.
A great cast has been assembled here: Brian Stokes Mitchell (as handsome a leading man as ever) is Miller; Billy Porter is Lyles; Joshua Henry is Sissle; and Brandon Victor Dixon is Blake. And then there’s Audra McDonald as star Lottie Gee who falls into a long-term romance with the married Blake who simply won’t leave his wife (whom we never actually see). Any concerns that playing Billie Holiday might have damaged McDonald’s lustrous sopranos are squarely laid to rest by her high flying tones here.
Savion Glover has created some quite sensational choreography, involving the entire cast including the creators just mentioned all of whom were, in fact, also in the show. Decked out in Ann Roth’s eye-filling costumes and performing on Santo Loquasto’s stunning art deco sets, the show is quite the visual feast.
Music supervisor Daryl Waters has done the snazzy arrangements and orchestrations, and they sound splendid. The aforementioned “Eubie!” songs come up sounding very different on this occasion; not better, but different. McDonald, using her legit voice, does a most delightfully provocative “Daddy” minus Godfrey’s pelvic thrusts and growling vocals and Porter offers a powerfully vocalized “Low Down Blues” unlike Hines’ relatively understated version. All these approaches seem valid, and in terms of authenticity, McDonald’s version does, in fact, sound closer to original “Shuffle” star Gertrude Saunders recording.
George C. Wolfe has directed with his usual craft and and imagination, but I’m sorry to report that it’s his own book that ultimately lets the show down, not fatally, I hasten to add, for this still a marvelous, must-see show. But I couldn’t help wishing that, like “Eubie!,” it had simply presented the songs in revue style.
Annoyingly, the songs are not listed in the program, and indeed some are only heard in fragments. Sometimes the fragment gives way to a full production number; other times not. If they record a CD – which I surely hope they do – it will require some fancy rearranging of the score.
The first act leads up to the New York opening – not truly on Broadway but at the 63rd Street Music Hall situated between Broadway and Central Park West. The second act – rumored to be a letdown after the first – actually sustains the entertainment value, albeit with a less certain dramatic arc, dramatizing, as it does, the unfortunate rift between Blake and Sissle and Lyles and Miller, and then offering verbal postscripts to what happened to the characters and when they died. The latter is done in a sardonic, cheerful manner, but it’s an obvious downer.
Some scenes are just head-scratchers as, for instance when Lottie, as the temperamental star, takes the young Florence Mills (Adrienne Warren who also plays Saunders) under wing as the latter begins to tentatively warble “I’ve Craving That Kind of Love,” but the expected knock-em-dead moment where Mills proves she doesn’t need Lottie’s coaching doesn’t quite happen. Instead, Mills continues singing, while Lottie just skulks around the periphery of the stage.
For all its faults, “Shuffle Along” is second to none for pure, entertainment pleasure.
There was little dancing here, and not much of Guy Bolton’s book for that matter in John Ostendorf’s reduction, and the titular heroine now had singing aspirations rather than terpsichorean. The orphan Sally was played with by Carey Mulligan lookalike Emma Grimsley with a nice air of melancholy and quiet determination to better her lot (she is hired as a restaurant dishwasher in the opening scene).
Into the café, run by Pops (Richard Holmes who played all the character parts most capably), comes wealthy Blair (a very boyish Alex Corson saddled with an unfortunate hat) and it’s love at first sight when he meets Sally. They sang the show’s hit tune “Look for the Silver Lining” gracefully, and Blair followed this with a stylish “Dear Little Girl” with its “Sally of the Alley” refrain.
Before long, theatrical agent Otis (Adam Cannedy) and his girlfriend, manicurist Rosie (vocal and comic standout Claire Kuttler) contrive to have Sally impersonate a Russian countess at a lavish party thrown by Blair’s wealthy father (never actually seen here) after the actual Russian lady cancels her appearance. So, too, Pops’ waiter Connie (Constantine), actually an impoverished Duke from Czechogovenia, will come to the party in full ducal regalia.
Sally pulls off the impersonation well (with Grimsley affecting a good Russian accent), and sings the infectious “Wild Rose,” but it isn’t long before Blair recognizes her, and the ruse begins to unravel.
The singers were a thoroughly appealing bunch. Cannedy’s numbers displayed flair and a good unaffected baritone evident from his first number “On With the Dance,” and likewise, Elsesser, very funny as the duke turned waiter, knocked his big number “The Schnitza-Kommiski” out of the park. Holmes’ most sustained singing came in the amusing trio “The Lorelei” (sung with Cannedy and Kuttler), and he had helpful bits in other numbers, displaying his mellifluous baritone and stage savvy in each. Kuttler and Cannedy delivered another of the score’s hits, “The Church ‘Round the Corner,” and sang it with charm. Throughout, the men provided neat backup harmony when needed.
Spare though the production was, director Gary Slavin, expert at this sort of material, made it work. His blocking was always ingenious and apt.
Music director Jerry Steichen provided exceptionally fine piano accompaniment, even playing an abridged version of Victor Herbert’s “Butterfly Ballet.” (Yes, the great man was enlisted by original producer Florenz Ziegfeld to supply the lengthy third act sequence.) In a very cute bit of business, Kuttler and Ballenger joined Steichen on the piano bench midway through the ballet and assisted on the eighty-eights.
Compact though it was, LOONY’s production had far more integrity than the 1988 concert version which was the unfortunately swan song of the great New Amsterdam Theater Company whose founder Bill Tynes had by then died, and was taken over by new management which, after “Sally,” scuttled the company.
The usual modest orchestra for LOONY’s spring show – along with a set and full costumes -- were, alas, casualties of funding limitations. However, it was announced that the forthcoming CD recording will feature one. For now, there exists a quite decent account of the score from Comic Opera Guild with two piano accompaniment.
It was rather fitting that the performances took place at Theater 80 St.Marks, a famous movie revival house back in the 1970s dedicated to musicals, where some of Marilyn Miller’s films were screened for the first time in decades.
You can see Marilyn Miller in all her glory in the film version of “Sally,” which occasionally gets an airing on TCM, and is available on DVD from Warner Archive. Only three of Kern’s songs were used, but it’s one of the rare instances of a legendary performer whose magic truly translates to film. Her dancing was quite spectacular, but as LOONY’s lovely little production made clear, the quality of the material can do well enough without dancing.
My heart sank when the usher handed me a two-page glossary along with the program as I took my seat.
But before long, the ear adjusts to those accents and the strange words. And though the play is demanding and, shall we say, leisurely paced, there were no walkouts during the interval.
That’s due in large part to the fine ensemble cast of seven (Will Barton, Simon Greenall, Matthew Kelly, Kieran Knowles, Steve Nicolson, Matt Sutton, and John Wark), each of whom totally inhabits his character, so we begin to feel a good sense of empathy, and become much more invested in them as the play progresses. And the casual day-to-day banter of the canteen in which the action is set becomes far more interesting with the appearance of a peculiar local student who, it appears, may not be what he first appears; there is even a suggestion of the supernatural.
Director Eleanor Rhode creates a totally naturalistic atmosphere, and dramatizes the camaraderie of the men quite superbly.
It’s almost unfair to single out any of the cast, as they are such a fine, tightly knit ensemble, but Kelly is quite amazing as the oldest of the workers (nickname “Nellie”) whose years of toil have made him almost a walking zombie. But taciturn as his character is, you find yourself riveted to his presence.
Still, be warned, “Toast” is a far cry from the side-splitting antics of Bean’s wonderful Goldoni adaptation, “One Man, Two Guvnors” which put James Corden on the map when he did it on Broadway in 2012. There is humor here, yes, but of a more understated kind.
James Turner’s canteen set – where the workers gather for a smoke or a sandwich -- tells you everything you need to know about the bleakness of their jobs. Mike Robertson’s harsh lighting – dimming ominously twice at key points -- is right on target. And Max Pappenheim’s sound design – the thudding and constant undercurrent of the oven -- never lets us forget where we are.
Photo by Oliver King. L-R: Steve Nicolson, Simon Greenall, Will Barton, Matthew Kelly and Matt Sutton in TOAST.
Jesse Tyler Ferguson is extremely impressive as a beleaguered basement switchboard operator at a trendy restaurant. He plays the parts of all the callers, male and female, shifting effortlessly from entitled VIPs (or presumptive VIPs), all of whom are expecting not only reservations but, of course, the best tables, to the restaurant staff upstairs, including the demanding chef, and myriad characters from his personal life, including (most poignantly) his widowed father who’d like him to come home for Christmas.
We’re told that for this production, playwright Becky Mode has “updated the play to reflect today’s foodie and restaurant culture,” and certainly the names have needed to be revised from the original 1999 Vineyard production. Thus we now have Gwyneth Paltrow’s office making all sorts of pesky requests, along with more garden variety calls such as the senior citizen complaining that an AARP discount wasn’t honored on a recent visit (and whining that the food wasn’t hot enough).
Unfortunately, the play – first done with Mark Setlock (credited with creating some of the characters) -- quickly becomes a mite tedious, for all of Ferguson’s charm and appeal. One admires his craft, and the sheer technical feat of sustaining such a frenetic pace for so long, and one can smile at the some of the play’s conceits, but I found laugh-out-loud moments surprisingly few. And for all of Ferguson’s virtuoso skill, in truth it was sometimes tricky to sort out the characters; a few of them sounded too much alike.
Derek McLane has designed an eye-catching and colorful, pipe encased basement (lighted by Ben Stanton), though I’m told the Vineyard (then Cherry Lane) original had a more suitably claustrophobic feel. Maybe a Broadway house, even one as intimate as the Lyceum, is just too big.
Director Jason Moore blocks his star for maximum visual variety, and makes sure the pace never flags. .
The versatile Jessie Mueller, leaving her Carole King persona completely aside, proves again what a savvy musical theater performer she is with her warm, human portrayal of a roadside diner waitress in this likable adaptation of the late Adrienne Shelly’s 2007 film of the same title.
With a country-flavored score by Sara Bareilles and book (which, I’m told, is faithful to the film) by Jessie Nelson, the story concerns Jenna (Mueller), an abused wife with a talent for making scrumptious pies. She's married to the scarily dominating Earl (Nick Cordero), and she falls in love with her married gynecologist (Drew Gehling). At work she’s supported by her waitress girlfriends, the gutsy Becky (Keala Settle) and the meek Dawn (Kimoko Glenn). They work under the watchful eye of the gruff Cal (Eric Anderson).
There’s very good work, too, from Dakin Matthews as an irascible customer who ultimately proves not so unlikable as we think at first. And Charity Angel Dawson as Dr. Pomatter’s sardonic nurse demonstrates great comic delivery.
Production credits are all fine from Scott Pask’s colorful set design to Suttirat Anne Larlarb’s costumes and Christopher Akerlin’s lighting.
I never saw the film, but there is something a little off-putting from a dramaturgical standpoint. The adulterous affair between Jenna and the doctor doesn't quite set easily though Jenna's motivation is certainly understandable, and there’s a similar subplot with like issues.
Lorin Latarro has contributed some lively choreography for Bareilles’ more upbeat numbers.
One other carp: the lyrics weren’t always intelligible, as when Mueller puts over the eleven o’clock number, “She Used to Be Mine,” which she delivers with considerable passion (not sure if that was the fault of her Southern accent or Jonathan Deans’ sound design).
The show premiered at director Diane Paulus’ American Repertory Theater at Harvard last August. Commendably and logically, given the storyline and the film's origins, the top tier of the creative team are all women.
Jessica Lange is at the top of her considerable game as the drug-addicted Mary Tyrone in Jonathan Kent’s powerful revival of Eugene O’Neill’s towering posthumous semi-autobiographical masterpiece. It’s the sort of performance that set me pondering parallels to Laurette Taylor’s legendary performance in “The Glass Menagerie,” one often cited by those who saw it as the best they had ever seen. As it is, I do feel Lange’s performance ranks in my personal Top Five.
The play is over three and a half hours long, and she is onstage for nearly all of it, not making a false move as she transitions from loving mother and wife to needful addict resentful of her family’s suspicions and oh-so-piteously lonely in the shabby summer house (evocatively designed by Tom Pye) that her penny-pinching husband has provided for them, one she has never felt to be truly a home. Lange makes one feel her desperate plight as never before, and from a technical point of view, her acting is quite remarkable. Her line readings always seem so right, and there’s an innate musicality in her accomplished delivery.
She is not acting in a vacuum either. Gabriel Byrne as husband James Tyrone, a once promising actor who has long abandoned his artistic aspirations for a popular role with which he endlessly tours the country, plays him as less hamily theatrical than some, and conveys his deep love of Mary, despite her flaws, most beautifully. His Irish heritage gives the role a wonderful authenticity.
As sons Edmund (the Eugene O’Neill prototype) and wastrel Jamie, John Gallagher, Jr. and Michael Shannon are very fine, and do superlative work with their last act set-pieces. Colby Minifie has a good turn as the maid Cathleen who shares a lengthy scene with Mary.
One marvels again at what a terrific play this is, and how expertly O’Neill captures the rhythms of how people really talk: argumentative and hurtful one moment, conciliatory and loving the next.
Jane Greenwood’s costumes, Natasha Katz’s lighting, and Clive Goodwin’s sound design (with its repetitive distant fog horn) are all tops.
If you think you’re not up to sitting through yet another production of this particular play, I’d urge you to think again. In spite of its length, the play never ceases to hold your rapt attention, thanks to Kent’s well modulated helming and, in fact, flies by far faster than the 55 minutes of this season’s unfortunate revival of O’Neill’s “Hughie”!
Alyce Mott’s enterprising group, dedicated to rejuvenating the works of the multi-faceted composer, in fact performed the last named in a condensed version in March. But now, the company has revived one of the lesser known works, the 1897 “The Serenade,” one of Herbert’s first hits when it was performed by the esteemed Bostonians light opera company and starred an ambitious young soprano with a bright future called Alice Nielsen.
At the time the show was praised for its uncommonly fine score, and generally humorous book and lyrics (by frequent Herbert collaborator Harry B. Smith). It’s a wonder then, that unlike some of Herbert’s other works, hardly any of the songs have gotten much of a hearing either in concerts or recordings, surprising as there are some quite delightful ones here.
This is said to be the first revival of the authentic version in over 100 years, not counting a considerably altered 1930 revival which had a brief run along with four other Herbert works on Broadway.
The setting is Spain, and the action concerns a group of bandits who call themselves the Royal Madrid Brigands Association, Ltd. Their leader Romero (Matthew Wages) leads a double life as a monk on alternate days to atone for his bad deeds the rest of time with his comrades. The allegedly haunted castle on which they have cast their sights is about to receive a new tenant: a near-sighted Duke (David Seatter) and his ward Dolores (Vira Slywotzky) on whom he harbors romantic designs. But Dolores loves operatic baritone Alvarado (Bray Wilkins) who won her heart when he first sang the titular serenade to her. He is now part of the Duke’s retinue posing as a postillion. Onto the scene comes Yvonne (Natalie Ballenger in the Nielsen role), her father Columbo (Glenn Seven Allen), a former tenor from the opera, and Gomez (Brian Kilday), a tone-deaf tenor who hopes to woo Dolores himself with the serenade. Yvonne loves Lopez (Stephen Faulk), part of Romero’s gang.
Farcical complications arise in the second act which is set in the monastery where Alvarado hopes to connect with Dolores, now temporarily enrolled in the adjoining convent school, while Yvonne plans to trap the fickle Alvarado who once jilted her.
The strong-voiced cast gave an excellent account of the score, and though Herbert’s marvelous orchestrations (some of which were heard in a 1998 Little Orchestra Society Herbert concert under Dino Anagnost) were missed, ace pianist William Hicks provided solid musical accompaniment, by turns rousing and tender. The whole was authoritatively led by Music Director Michael Thomas.
Some of the lyrics were inevitably lost in the reverberant church acoustic, but diction was, for the most part, reasonably clear.
Unlike “The Fortune Teller” and some of the other pocket versions Mott has presented, this one was reasonably complete apart from the Act II finale, and some trimming of the Act I finale. There was even an interesting restoration: Romero’s legend of the haunted castle, which was intended for the final act, but which Mott sensibly moved to the first.
The musical highlights -- all superbly delivered by the cast -- were many. Wages “Song of the Carbine”; Ballenger’s infectiously catchy “In Fair Andalusia” sung in delightful counterpoint with the monks; her “Cupid and I” with its impressively vocalized cadenza; Slywotzky’s moving “Angelus” (different than the one in Herbert’s “Sweethearts”); Seatter’s impish “Woman, Lovely Woman”; Faulk’s sweetly vocalized “I Envy the Bird”; a deft quartet; the infectious “Don Jose of Seville” (with its catchy “pif paf” refrain); and, of course, the title number first sung in duet by Wilkins and Slywotsky, then reprised in various guises including off-key by the humorous Kilday as the hapless Gomez, and even by the monks as a chant. The second act, in particular, featured one good tune after another.
There were some interesting echoes of other operettas with which Herbert was clearly familiar. Romero’s haunted castle song bore echoes of “The Ghosts High Noon” from “Ruddigore,” and the Duke might have walked in from a Gilbert & Sullivan opera, too.
The situations in Harry B. Smith’s book were not exactly what you’d call hilarious. In truth, as one of the original reviews noted, “some of the [tomfoolery] was foolish without being funny.” But it all registered as good-natured fun.
Next season will have a distinctly Irish theme leading up to a gala production of his gorgeous Irish operetta, “Eileen.” on the occasion of that work’s centenary, with another Herbert rarity promised: his 1915 “The Princess Pat” (with an Irish heroine), and what sounds like a fascinatingly eclectic program of Herbert’s Irish-flavored songs. | 2019-04-22T21:59:11Z | http://www.harryforbes.com/2016/05/ |
Prevention, control and mitigation of dangerous conditions related to storage, use, dispensing, mixing and handling of flammable and combustible liquids shall be in accordance with Chapter 50 and this chapter.
1.Specific provisions for flammable liquids in motor fuel-dispensing facilities, repair garages, airports and marinas in Chapter 23.
2.Medicines, foodstuffs, cosmetics and commercial or institutional products containing not more than 50 percent by volume of water-miscible liquids and with the remainder of the solution not being flammable, provided that such materials are packaged in individual containers not exceeding 1.3 gallons (5 L).
3.Quantities of alcoholic beverages in retail or wholesale sales or storage occupancies, providied that the liquids are packaged in individual containers not exceeding 1.3 gallons (5 L).
4.Storage and use of fuel oil in tanks and containers connected to oil-burning equipment. Such storage and use shall be in accordance with Section 603. For abandonment of fuel oil tanks, this chapter applies.
5.Refrigerant liquids and oils in refrigeration systems (see Section 606).
6.Storage and display of aerosol products complying with Chapter 51.
7.Storage and use of liquids that do not have a fire point when tested in accordance with ASTM D 92.
8.Liquids with a flash point greater than 95°F (35°C) in a water-miscible solution or dispersion with a water and inert (noncombustible) solids content of more than 80 percent by weight, which do not sustain combustion.
9.Liquids without flash points that can be flammable under some conditions, such as certain halogenated hydrocarbons and mixtures containing halogenated hydrocarbons.
10.The storage of distilled spirits and wines in wooden barrels and casks.
11.Commercial cooking oil storage tank systems located within a building and designed and installed in accordance with Section 610 and NFPA 30.
The applicable requirements of Chapter 50, other chapters of this code, the International Building Code and the International Mechanical Code pertaining to flammable liquids shall apply.
Flammable and combustible liquids shall be classified in accordance with the definitions in Chapter 2.
When mixed with lower flash-point liquids, Class II or III liquids are capable of assuming the characteristics of the lower flash-point liquids. Under such conditions, the appropriate provisions of this chapter for the actual flash point of the mixed liquid shall apply.
When heated above their flash points, Class II and III liquids assume the characteristics of Class I liquids. Under such conditions, the appropriate provisions of this chapter for flammable liquids shall apply.
Electrical wiring and equipment shall be installed and maintained in accordance with Section 605 and NFPA 70.
5703.1.1 Classified locations for flammable liquids.
Areas where flammable liquids are stored, handled, dispensed or mixed shall be in accordance with Table 5703.1.1. A classified area shall not extend beyond an unpierced floor, roof or other solid partition.
The extent of the classified area is allowed to be reduced, or eliminated, where sufficient technical justification is provided to the fire code official that a concentration in the area in excess of 25 percent of the lower flammable limit (LFL) cannot be generated.
Underground tank fill opening 1 Pits, boxes or spaces below grade level, any part of which is within the Division 1 or 2 classified area.
2 Up to 18 inches above grade level within a horizontal radius of 10 feet from a loose-fill connection and within a horizontal radius of 5 feet from a tight-fill connection.
Vent—Discharging upward 1 Within 3 feet of open end of vent, extending in all directions.
2 Area between 3 feet and 5 feet of open end of vent, extending in all directions.
Outdoor or indoor with adequate ventilation 1 Within 3 feet of vent and fill opening, extending in all directions.
2 Area between 3 feet and 5 feet from vent of fill opening, extending in all directions. Also up to 18 inches above floor or grade level within a horizontal radius of 10 feet from vent or fill opening.
Indoor 2 Within 5 feet of any edge of such devices, extending in all directions, and up to 3 feet above floor or grade level within 25 feet horizontally from any edge of such devices.
Outdoor 2 Within 3 feet of any edge of such devices, extending in all directions, and up to 18 inches above floor or grade level within 10 feet horizontally from an edge of such devices.
Without mechanical ventilation 1 Entire area within pit if any part is within a Division 1 or 2 classified area.
With mechanical ventilation 2 Entire area within pit if any part is within a Division 1 or 2 classified area.
Containing valves, fittings or piping, and not within a Division 1 or 2 classified area 2 Entire pit.
Indoor 1 or 2 Same as pits.
Outdoor 2 Area up to 18 inches above ditch, separator or basin, and up to 18 inches above grade within 15 feet horizontal from any edge.
Loading through open dome 1 Within 3 feet of edge of dome, extending in all directions.
2 Area between 3 feet and 15 feet from edge of dome, extending in all directions.
Loading through bottom connections with atmospheric venting 1 Within 3 feet of point of venting to atmosphere, extending in all directions.
2 Area between 3 feet and 15 feet from point of venting to atmosphere, extending in all direc-tions. Also up to 18 inches above grade within a horizontal radius of 10 feet from point of loading connection.
Loading through closed dome with atmospheric venting 1 Within 3 feet of open end of vent, extending in all directions.
2 Area between 3 feet and 15 feet from open end of vent, extending in all directions, and within 3 feet of edge of dome, extending in all directions.
Loading through closed dome with vapor control 2 Within 3 feet of point of connection of both fill and vapor lines, extending in all directions.
Bottom loading with vapor control or any bottom unloading 2 Within 3 feet of point of connection, extending in all directions, and up to 18 inches above grade within a horizontal radius of 10 feet from point of connection.
Storage and repair garage for tank vehicles 1 Pits or spaces below floor level.
2 Area up to 18 inches above floor or grade level for entire storage or repair garage.
Garages for other than tank vehicles Ordinary Where there is an opening to these rooms within the extent of an outdoor classified area, the entire room shall be classified the same as the area classification at the point of the opening.
Indoor warehousing where there is no flammable liquid transfer Ordinary Where there is an opening to these rooms within the extent of an indoor classified area, the room shall be classified the same as if the wall, curb or partition did not exist.
1 Area within 5 feet of any edge of such equipment, extending in all directions.
1 Area within 3 feet of any edge of such equipment, extending in all directions.
Outdoor equipment where flammable vapor/air mixtures could exist under normal operations 2 Area between 3 feet and 8 feet of any edge of such equipment extending in all directions, and the area up to 3 feet above floor or grade level within 3 feet to 10 feet horizontally from any edge of such equipment.
Shell, ends or roof and dike area 1 Area inside dike where dike height is greater than the distance from the tank to the dike for more than 50 percent of the tank circumference.
2 Area within 10 feet from shell, ends or roof of tank. Area inside dikes to level of top of dike.
Vent 1 Area within 5 feet of open end of vent, extending in all directions.
2 Area between 5 feet and 10 feet from open end of vent, extending in all directions.
Floating roof 1 Area above the roof and within the shell.
Office and restrooms Ordinary Where there is an opening to these rooms within the extent of an indoor classified location, the room shall be classified the same as if the wall, curb or partition did not exist.
a.Locations as classified in NFPA 70.
b.When classifying extent of area, consideration shall be given to the fact that tank cars or tank vehicles can be spotted at varying points. Therefore, the extremities of the loading or unloading positions shall be used.
c.The release of Class I liquids can generate vapors to the extent that the entire building, and possibly a zone surrounding it, are considered a Class I, Division 2 location.
5703.1.2 Classified locations for combustible liquids.
Areas where Class II or III liquids are heated above their flash points shall have electrical installations in accordance with Section 5703.1.1.
Exception: Solvent distillation units in accordance with Section 5705.4.
The fire code official is authorized to determine the extent of the Class I electrical equipment and wiring location where a condition is not specifically covered by these requirements or NFPA 70.
Fire protection for the storage, use, dispensing, mixing, handling and on-site transportation of flammable and combustible liquids shall be in accordance with this chapter and applicable sections of Chapter 9.
5703.2.1 Portable fire extinguishers and hose lines.
Portable fire extinguishers shall be provided in accordance with Section 906. Hose lines shall be provided in accordance with Section 905.
In the event of a spill, leak or discharge from a tank system, a site assessment shall be completed by the owner or operator of such tank system if the fire code official determines that a potential fire or explosion hazard exists. Such site assessments shall be conducted to ascertain potential fire hazards and shall be completed and submitted to the fire department within a time period established by the fire code official, not to exceed 60 days.
5703.4 Spill control and secondary containment.
Where the maximum allowable quantity per control area is exceeded, and where required by Section 5004.2, rooms, buildings or areas used for storage, dispensing, use, mixing or handling of Class I, II and IIIA liquids shall be provided with spill control and secondary containment in accordance with Section 5004.2.
The fire code official is authorized to require warning signs for the purpose of identifying the hazards of storing or using flammable liquids. Signage for identification and warning such as for the inherent hazard of flammable liquids or smoking shall be provided in accordance with this chapter and Sections 5003.5 and 5003.6.
Signs shall be posted in locations as required by the fire code official. Piping containing flammable liquids shall be identified in accordance with ASME A13.1.
Individual containers, packages and cartons shall be identified, marked, labeled and placarded in accordance with federal regulations and applicable state laws.
Color coding or other approved identification means shall be provided on each loading and unloading riser for flammable or combustible liquids to identify the contents of the tank served by the riser.
Piping systems, and their component parts, for flammable and combustible liquids shall be in accordance with Sections 5703.6.1 through 5703.6.11.
The provisions of Section 5703.6 shall not apply to gas or oil well installations; piping that is integral to stationary or portable engines, including aircraft, watercraft and motor vehicles; and piping in connection with boilers and pressure vessels regulated by the International Mechanical Code.
5703.6.2 Design and fabrication of piping systems and components.
Piping system components shall be designed and fabricated in accordance with the applicable standard listed in Table 5703.6.2 and Chapter 27 of NFPA 30, except as modified by Section 5703.6.2.1.
1.Suitably protected against fire exposure.
2.Located where leakage from failure would not unduly expose people or structures.
3.Located where leakage can be readily controlled by operation of accessible remotely located valves.
In all cases, nonmetallic piping shall be used in accordance with Section 27.4.6 of NFPA 30.
Unless tested in accordance with the applicable section of ASME B31.9, piping, before being covered, enclosed or placed in use, shall be hydrostatically tested to 150 percent of the maximum anticipated pressure of the system, or pneumatically tested to 110 percent of the maximum anticipated pressure of the system, but not less than 5 pounds per square inch gauge (psig) (34.47 kPa) at the highest point of the system. This test shall be maintained for a sufficient time period to complete visual inspection of joints and connections. For not less than 10 minutes, there shall be no leakage or permanent distortion. Care shall be exercised to ensure that these pressures are not applied to vented storage tanks. Such storage tanks shall be tested independently from the piping.
Existing piping shall be tested in accordance with this section where the fire code official has reasonable cause to believe that a leak exists. Piping that could contain flammable or combustible liquids shall not be tested pneumatically. Such tests shall be at the expense of the owner or operator.
Exception: Vapor-recovery piping is allowed to be tested using an inert gas.
Guard posts or other approved means shall be provided to protect piping, valves or fittings subject to vehicular damage in accordance with Section 312.
5703.6.5 Protection from external corrosion and galvanic action.
Where subject to external corrosion, piping, related fluid-handling components and supports for both underground and above-ground applications shall be fabricated from noncorrosive materials, and coated or provided with corrosion protection. Dissimilar metallic parts that promote galvanic action shall not be joined.
Piping systems shall contain a sufficient number of manual control valves and check valves to operate the system properly and to protect the plant under both normal and emergency conditions. Piping systems in connection with pumps shall contain a sufficient number of such valves to control properly the flow of liquids in normal operation and in the event of physical damage or fire exposure.
Connections to pipelines or piping by which equipment (such as tank cars, tank vehicles or marine vessels) discharges liquids into storage tanks shall be provided with check valves or block valves for automatic protection against back-flow where the piping arrangement is such that back-flow from the system is possible. Where loading and unloading is done through a common pipe system, a check valve is not required. However, a block valve, located so as to be readily accessible or remotely operable, shall be provided.
Manual drainage-control valves shall be located at approved locations remote from the tanks, diked area, drainage system and impounding basin to ensure their operation in a fire condition.
Above-ground tanks with connections located below normal liquid level shall be provided with internal or external isolation valves located as close as practical to the shell of the tank. Except for liquids whose chemical characteristics are incompatible with steel, such valves, where external, and their connections to the tank shall be of steel.
1.Draining liquid away from the piping system at a minimum slope of not less than 1 percent.
2.Providing protection with a fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 hours.
1.Where piping connects to underground tanks.
2.Where piping ends at pump islands and vent risers.
3.At points where differential movement in the piping can occur.
1.Piping does not exceed 4 inches (102 mm) in diameter.
2.Piping has a straight run of not less than 4 feet (1219 mm) on one side of the connection where such connections result in a change of direction.
In lieu of the minimum 4-foot (1219 mm) straight run length, approved and listed flexible joints are allowed to be used under dispensers and suction pumps, at submerged pumps and tanks, and where vents extend above ground.
Joints shall be liquid tight and shall be welded, flanged or threaded except that listed flexible connectors are allowed in accordance with Section 5703.6.9. Threaded or flanged joints shall fit tightly by using approved methods and materials for the type of joint. Joints in piping systems used for Class I liquids shall be welded where located in concealed spaces within buildings.
Nonmetallic joints shall be approved and shall be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Pipe joints that are dependent on the friction characteristics or resiliency of combustible materials for liquid tightness of piping shall not be used in buildings. Piping shall be secured to prevent disengagement at the fitting.
Pipe and tubing shall be bent in accordance with ASME B31.9.
The storage of flammable and combustible liquids in containers and tanks shall be in accordance with this section and the applicable sections of Chapter 50.
1.The storage of flammable and combustible liquids in fixed above-ground and underground tanks.
2.The storage of flammable and combustible liquids in fixed above-ground tanks inside of buildings.
3.The storage of flammable and combustible liquids in portable tanks whose capacity exceeds 660 gallons (2498 L).
4.The installation of such tanks and portable tanks.
5704.2.1 Change of tank contents.
Tanks subject to change in contents shall be in accordance with Section 5704.2.7. Prior to a change in contents, the fire code official is authorized to require testing of a tank.
Tanks that have previously contained Class I liquids shall not be loaded with Class II or Class III liquids until such tanks and all piping, pumps, hoses and meters connected thereto have been completely drained and flushed.
5704.2.2 Use of tank vehicles and tank cars as storage tanks.
Tank cars and tank vehicles shall not be used as storage tanks.
Labeling and signs for storage tanks and storage tank areas shall comply with Sections 5704.2.3.1 and 5704.2.3.2.
5704.2.3.1 Smoking and open flame.
Signs shall be posted in storage areas prohibiting open flames and smoking. Signs shall comply with Section 5703.5.
Tanks more than 100 gallons (379 L) in capacity, which are permanently installed or mounted and used for the storage of Class I, II or III liquids, shall bear a label and placard identifying the material therein. Placards shall be in accordance with NFPA 704.
1.Tanks of 300-gallon (1136 L) capacity or less located on private property and used for heating and cooking fuels in single-family dwellings.
Smoking and open flames are prohibited in storage areas in accordance with Section 5003.7.
Exception: Areas designated as smoking and hot work areas, and areas where hot work permits have been issued in accordance with this code.
Explosion control shall be provided in accordance with Section 911 for indoor tanks.
5704.2.6 Separation from incompatible materials.
Storage of flammable and combustible liquids shall be separated from incompatible materials in accordance with Section 5003.9.8.
Grass, weeds, combustible materials and waste Class I, II or IIIA liquids shall not be accumulated in an unsafe manner at a storage site.
5704.2.7 Design, fabrication and construction requirements for tanks.
The design, fabrication and construction of tanks shall comply with NFPA 30. Each tank shall bear a permanent nameplate or marking indicating the standard used as the basis of design.
5704.2.7.1 Materials used in tank construction.
The materials used in tank construction shall be in accordance with NFPA 30. The materials of construction for tanks and their appurtenances shall be compatible with the liquids to be stored.
5704.2.7.2 Pressure limitations for tanks.
Tanks shall be designed for the pressures to which they will be subjected in accordance with NFPA 30.
5704.2.7.3 Tank vents for normal venting.
Tank vents for normal venting shall be installed and maintained in accordance with Sections 5704.2.7.3.1 through 5704.2.7.3.5.3.
Vent lines from tanks shall not be used for purposes other than venting unless approved.
5704.2.7.3.2 Vent-line flame arresters and pressure-vacuum vents.
Listed or approved flame arresters or pressure-vacuum (PV) vents that remain closed unless venting under pressure or vacuum conditions shall be installed in normal vents of tanks containing Class IB and IC liquids.
Exception: Where determined by the fire code official that the use of such devices can result in damage to the tank.
Vent-line flame arresters shall be installed in accordance with their listing or API 2000 and maintained in accordance with Section 21.8.6 of NFPA 30 or API 2000. In-line flame arresters in piping systems shall be installed and maintained in accordance with their listing or API 2028. Pressure-vacuum vents shall be installed in accordance with Section 21.4.3 of NFPA 30 or API 2000 and maintained in accordance with Section 21.8.6 of NFPA 30 or API 2000.
Vent pipe outlets for tanks storing Class I, II or IIIA liquids shall be located such that the vapors are released at a safe point outside of buildings and not less than 12 feet (3658 mm) above the finished ground level. Vapors shall be discharged upward or horizontally away from adjacent walls to assist in vapor dispersion. Vent outlets shall be located such that flammable vapors will not be trapped by eaves or other obstructions and shall be not less than 5 feet (1524 mm) from building openings or lot lines of properties that can be built upon. Vent outlets on atmospheric tanks storing Class IIIB liquids are allowed to discharge inside a building where the vent is a normally closed vent.
Exception: Vent pipe outlets on tanks storing Class IIIB liquid inside buildings and connected to fuel-burning equipment shall be located such that the vapors are released to a safe location outside of buildings.
5704.2.7.3.4 Installation of vent piping.
Vent piping shall be designed, sized, constructed and installed in accordance with Section 5703.6. Vent pipes shall be installed such that they will drain toward the tank without sags or traps in which liquid can collect. Vent pipes shall be installed in such a manner so as not to be subject to physical damage or vibration.
Tank vent piping shall not be manifolded unless required for special purposes such as vapor recovery, vapor conservation or air pollution control.
For aboveground tanks, manifolded vent pipes shall be adequately sized to prevent system pressure limits from being exceeded where manifolded tanks are subject to the same fire exposure.
For underground tanks, manifolded vent pipes shall be sized to prevent system pressure limits from being exceeded when manifolded tanks are filled simultaneously.
5704.2.7.3.5.3 Tanks storing Class I liquids.
Vent piping for tanks storing Class I liquids shall not be manifolded with vent piping for tanks storing Class II and III liquids unless positive means are provided to prevent the vapors from Class I liquids from entering tanks storing Class II and III liquids, to prevent contamination and possible change in classification of less volatile liquid.
Stationary, aboveground tanks shall be equipped with additional venting that will relieve excessive internal pressure caused by exposure to fires. Emergency vents for Class I, II and IIIA liquids shall not discharge inside buildings. The venting shall be installed and maintained in accordance with Section 22.7 of NFPA 30.
1.Tanks larger than 12,000 gallons (45 420 L) in capacity storing Class IIIB liquids that are not within the diked area or the drainage path of Class I or II liquids do not require emergency relief venting.
2.Emergency vents on protected above-ground tanks complying with UL 2085 containing Class II or IIIA liquids are allowed to discharge inside the building.
5704.2.7.5 Tank openings other than vents.
Tank openings for other than vents shall comply with Sections 5704.2.7.5.1 through 5704.2.7.5.8.
5704.2.7.5.1 Connections below liquid level.
Connections for tank openings below the liquid level shall be liquid tight.
5704.2.7.5.2 Filling, emptying and vapor recovery connections.
Filling, emptying and vapor recovery connections to tanks containing Class I, II or IIIA liquids shall be located outside of buildings in accordance with Section 5704.2.7.5.6 at a location free from sources of ignition and not less than 5 feet (1524 mm) away from building openings or lot lines of property that can be built upon. Such openings shall be properly identified and provided with a liquid-tight cap that shall be closed when not in use.
5704.2.7.5.3 Piping, connections and fittings.
Piping, connections, fittings and other appurtenances shall be installed in accordance with Section 5703.6.
Openings for manual gauging, if independent of the fill pipe, shall be provided with a liquid-tight cap or cover. Covers shall be kept closed when not gauging. If inside a building, such openings shall be protected against liquid overflow and possible vapor release by means of a spring-loaded check valve or other approved device.
5704.2.7.5.5 Fill pipes and discharge lines.
For top-loaded tanks, a metallic fill pipe shall be designed and installed to minimize the generation of static electricity by terminating the pipe within 6 inches (152 mm) of the bottom of the tank, and it shall be installed in a manner that avoids excessive vibration.
For Class I liquids other than crude oil, gasoline and asphalt, the fill pipe shall be designed and installed in a manner that will minimize the possibility of generating static electricity by terminating within 6 inches (152 mm) of the bottom of the tank.
For underground tanks, fill pipe and discharge lines shall enter only through the top. Fill lines shall be sloped toward the tank. Underground tanks for Class I liquids having a capacity greater than 1,000 gallons (3785 L) shall be equipped with a tight fill device for connecting the fill hose to the tank.
5704.2.7.5.6 Location of connections that are made or broken.
Filling, withdrawal and vapor-recovery connections for Class I, II and IIIA liquids that are made and broken shall be located outside of buildings, not more than 5 feet (1524 mm) above the finished ground level, in an approved location in close proximity to the parked delivery vehicle. Such location shall be away from sources of ignition and not less than 5 feet (1524 mm) away from building openings. Such connections shall be closed and liquid tight when not in use and shall be properly identified.
5704.2.7.5.7 Protection against vapor release.
Tank openings provided for purposes of vapor recovery shall be protected against possible vapor release by means of a spring-loaded check valve or dry-break connections, or other approved device, unless the opening is a pipe connected to a vapor processing system. Openings designed for combined fill and vapor recovery shall also be protected against vapor release unless connection of the liquid delivery line to the fill pipe simultaneously connects the vapor recovery line. Connections shall be vapor tight.
An approved means or method in accordance with Section 5704.2.9.7.5 shall be provided to prevent the overfill of all Class I, II and IIIA liquid storage tanks. Storage tanks in refineries, bulk plants or terminals regulated by Section 5706.4 or 5706.7 shall have overfill protection in accordance with API 2350.
An approved means or method in accordance with Section 5704.2.9.7.5 shall be provided to prevent the overfilling of Class IIIB liquid storage tanks connected to fuel-burning equipment inside buildings.
Exception: Outside above-ground tanks with a capacity of 1,320 gallons (5000 L) or less.
5704.2.7.6 Repair, alteration or reconstruction of tanks and piping.
The repair, alteration or reconstruction, including welding, cutting and hot tapping of storage tanks and piping that have been placed in service, shall be in accordance with NFPA 30. Hot work, as defined in Section 202, on such tanks shall be conducted in accordance with Section 3510.
The design of the supporting structure for tanks shall be in accordance with the International Building Code and NFPA 30.
5704.2.7.8 Locations subject to flooding.
Where a tank is located in an area where it is subject to buoyancy because of a rise in the water table, flooding or accumulation of water from fire suppression operations, uplift protection shall be provided in accordance with Sections 22.14 and 23.14 of NFPA 30.
Where subject to external corrosion, tanks shall be fabricated from corrosion-resistant materials, coated or provided with corrosion protection in accordance with Section 23.3.5 of NFPA 30.
A consistent or accidental loss of liquid, or other indication of a leak from a tank system, shall be reported immediately to the fire department, the fire code official and other authorities having jurisdiction.
Leaking tanks shall be promptly emptied, repaired and returned to service, abandoned or removed in accordance with Section 5704.2.13 or 5704.2.14.
Steel tanks are allowed to be lined only for the purpose of protecting the interior from corrosion or providing compatibility with a material to be stored. Only those liquids tested for compatibility with the lining material are allowed to be stored in lined tanks.
Vaults shall be allowed to be either above or below grade and shall comply with Sections 5704.2.8.1 through 5704.2.8.18.
Vaults shall be listed in accordance with UL 2245.
Exception: Where approved by the fire code official, below-grade vaults are allowed to be constructed on site, provided that the design is in accordance with the International Building Code and that special inspections are conducted to verify structural strength and compliance of the installation with the approved design in accordance with Section 1707 of the International Building Code. Installation plans for below-grade vaults that are constructed on site shall be prepared by, and the design shall bear the stamp of, a professional engineer. Consideration shall be given to soil and hydrostatic loading on the floors, walls and lid; anticipated seismic forces; uplifting by groundwater or flooding; and to loads imposed from above such as traffic and equipment loading on the vault lid.
The vault shall completely enclose each tank. There shall not be openings in the vault enclosure except those necessary for access to, inspection of, and filling, emptying and venting of the tank. The walls and floor of the vault shall be constructed of reinforced concrete not less than 6 inches (152 mm) thick. The top of an above-grade vault shall be constructed of noncombustible material and shall be designed to be weaker than the walls of the vault, to ensure that the thrust of an explosion occurring inside the vault is directed upward before significantly high pressure can develop within the vault.
The top of an at-grade or below-grade vault shall be designed to relieve safely or contain the force of an explosion occurring inside the vault. The top and floor of the vault and the tank foundation shall be designed to withstand the anticipated loading, including loading from vehicular traffic, where applicable. The walls and floor of a vault installed below grade shall be designed to withstand anticipated soil and hydrostatic loading.
Vaults shall be designed to be wind and earthquake resistant, in accordance with the International Building Code.
Vaults shall be substantially liquid tight and there shall not be backfill around the tank or within the vault. The vault floor shall drain to a sump. For premanufactured vaults, liquid tightness shall be certified as part of the listing provided by a nationally recognized testing laboratory. For field-erected vaults, liquid tightness shall be certified in an approved manner.
There shall be sufficient clearance between the tank and the vault to allow for visual inspection and maintenance of the tank and its appurtenances. Dispensing devices are allowed to be installed on tops of vaults.
Vaults and their tanks shall be suitably anchored to withstand uplifting by ground water or flooding, including when the tank is empty.
Tanks shall be listed for above-ground use, and each tank shall be in its own vault. Compartmentalized tanks shall be allowed and shall be considered as a single tank. Adjacent vaults shall be allowed to share a common wall. The common wall shall be liquid and vapor tight and shall be designed to withstand the load imposed when the vault on either side of the wall is filled with water.
Connections shall be provided to permit venting of each vault to dilute, disperse and remove vapors prior to personnel entering the vault.
Vaults that contain tanks of Class I liquids shall be provided with an exhaust ventilation system installed in accordance with Section 5004.3. The ventilation system shall operate continuously or be designed to operate upon activation of the vapor or liquid detection system. The system shall provide ventilation at a rate of not less than 1 cubic foot per minute (cfm) per square foot of floor area [0.00508 m3/(s · m2)], but not less than 150 cfm (4 m3/min). The exhaust system shall be designed to provide air movement across all parts of the vault floor. Supply and exhaust ducts shall extend to within 3 inches (76 mm), but not more than 12 inches (305 mm), of the floor. The exhaust system shall be installed in accordance with the International Mechanical Code.
Vaults shall be equipped with a detection system capable of detecting liquids, including water, and activating an alarm.
Vaults shall be provided with approved vapor and liquid detection systems and equipped with on-site audible and visual warning devices with battery backup. Vapor detection systems shall sound an alarm when the system detects vapors that reach or exceed 25 percent of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the liquid stored. Vapor detectors shall be located not higher than 12 inches (305 mm) above the lowest point in the vault. Liquid detection systems shall sound an alarm upon detection of any liquid, including water. Liquid detectors shall be located in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions. Activation of either vapor or liquid detection systems shall cause a signal to be sounded at an approved, constantly attended location within the facility serving the tanks or at an approved location. Activation of vapor detection systems shall also shut off dispenser pumps.
Means shall be provided to recover liquid from the vault. Where a pump is used to meet this requirement, the pump shall not be permanently installed in the vault. Electric-powered portable pumps shall be suitable for use in Class I, Division 1, or Zone 0 locations, as defined in NFPA 70.
Vent pipes that are provided for normal tank venting shall terminate not less than 12 feet (3658 mm) above ground level.
Emergency vents shall be vapor tight and shall be allowed to discharge inside the vault. Long-bolt manhole covers shall not be allowed for this purpose.
Vaults shall be provided with a suitable means to admit a fire suppression agent.
The interior of a vault containing a tank that stores a Class I liquid shall be designated a Class I, Division 1, or Zone 0 location, as defined in NFPA 70.
Overfill protection shall be provided in accordance with Section 5704.2.9.7.6. The use of a float vent valve shall be prohibited.
Above-ground storage of flammable and combustible liquids in tanks shall comply with Section 5704.2 and Sections 5704.2.9.1 through 5704.2.9.7.9.
Existing above-ground tanks shall be maintained in accordance with the code requirements that were applicable at the time of installation. Above-ground tanks that were installed in violation of code requirements applicable at the time of installation shall be made code compliant or shall be removed in accordance with Section 5704.2.14, regardless of whether such tank has been previously inspected (see Section 106.4).
Fire protection for aboveground tanks shall comply with Sections 5704.2.9.2.1 through 5704.2.9.2.4.
5704.2.9.2.1 Required foam fire protection systems.
1.Used for the storage of Class I or II liquids.
2.Used for the storage of crude oil.
3.Used for in-process products and is located within 100 feet (30 480 mm) of a fired still, heater, related fractioning or processing apparatus or similar device at a processing plant or petroleum refinery as herein defined.
4.Considered by the fire code official as posing an unusual exposure hazard because of topographical conditions; nature of occupancy, proximity on the same or adjoining property, and height and character of liquids to be stored; degree of private fire protection to be provided; and facilities of the fire department to cope with flammable liquid fires.
5704.2.9.2.2 Foam fire protection system installation.
Where foam fire protection is required, it shall be installed in accordance with NFPA 11.
Where foam fire protection is required, foam-producing materials shall be stored on the premises.
1.Such materials stored off the premises shall be of the proper type suitable for use with the equipment at the installation where required.
2.Such materials shall be readily available at the storage location at all times.
3.Adequate loading and transportation facilities shall be provided.
4.The time required to deliver such materials to the required location in the event of fire shall be consistent with the hazards and fire scenarios for which the foam supply is intended.
5.At the time of a fire, these off-premises supplies shall be accumulated in sufficient quantities before placing the equipment in operation to ensure foam production at an adequate rate without interruption until extinguishment is accomplished.
5704.2.9.2.3 Fire protection of supports.
Supports or pilings for above-ground tanks storing Class I, II or IIIA liquids elevated more than 12 inches (305 mm) above grade shall have a fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 hours in accordance with the fire exposure criteria specified in ASTM E 1529.
1.Structural supports tested as part of a protected above-ground tank in accordance with UL 2085.
2.Stationary tanks located outside of buildings where protected by an approved water-spray system designed in accordance with Chapter 9 and NFPA 15.
3.Stationary tanks located inside of buildings equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system designed in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1.
5704.2.9.2.4 Inerting of tanks storing boilover liquids.
Liquids with boilover characteristics shall not be stored in fixed roof tanks larger than 150 feet (45 720 mm) in diameter unless an approved gas enrichment or inerting system is provided on the tank.
Exception: Crude oil storage tanks in production fields with no other exposures adjacent to the storage tank.
5704.2.9.3 Supports, foundations and anchorage.
Supports, foundations and anchorages for aboveground tanks shall be designed and constructed in accordance with NFPA 30 and the International Building Code.
5704.2.9.4 Stairways, platforms and walkways.
Stairways, platforms and walkways shall be of non-combustible construction and shall be designed and constructed in accordance with NFPA 30 and the International Building Code.
5704.2.9.5 Above-ground tanks inside of buildings.
Above-ground tanks inside of buildings shall comply with Sections 5704.2.9.5.1 and 5704.2.9.5.2.
Above-ground tanks storing Class I, II and IIIA liquids inside buildings shall be equipped with a device or other means to prevent overflow into the building including, but not limited to: a float valve; a preset meter on the fill line; a valve actuated by the weight of the tank’s contents; a low-head pump that is incapable of producing overflow; or a liquid-tight overflow pipe not less than one pipe size larger than the fill pipe and discharging by gravity back to the outside source of liquid or to an approved location. Tanks containing Class IIIB liquids and connected to fuel-burning equipment shall be provided with a means to prevent overflow into buildings in accordance with Section 5704.2.7.5.8.
Fill pipe connections for tanks storing Class I, II and IIIA liquids and Class IIIB liquids connected to fuel-burning equipment shall be in accordance with Section 5704.2.9.7.6.
5704.2.9.6 Above-ground tanks outside of buildings.
Above-ground tanks outside of buildings shall comply with Sections 5704.2.9.6.1 through 5704.2.9.6.3.
5704.2.9.6.1 Locations where above-ground tanks are prohibited.
Storage of Class I and II liquids in above-ground tanks outside of buildings is prohibited within the limits established by law as the limits of districts in which such storage is prohibited (see Section 3 of the Sample Legislation for Adoption of the International Fire Code on page xxi).
5704.2.9.6.1.1 Location of tanks with pressures 2.5 psig or less.
Above-ground tanks operating at pressures not exceeding 2.5 psig (17.2 kPa) for storage of Class I, II or IIIA liquids, which are designed with a floating roof, a weak roof-to-shell seam or equipped with emergency venting devices limiting pressure to 2.5 psig (17.2 kPa), shall be located in accordance with Table 22.4.1.1(a) of NFPA 30.
1.Vertical tanks having a weak roof-to-shell seam and storing Class IIIA liquids are allowed to be located at one-half the distances specified in Table 22.4.1.1(a) of NFPA 30, provided the tanks are not within a diked area or drainage path for a tank storing Class I or II liquids.
2.Liquids with boilover characteristics and unstable liquids in accordance with Sections 5704.2.9.6.1.3 and 5704.2.9.6.1.4.
3.For protected above-ground tanks in accordance with Section 5704.2.9.7 and tanks in at-grade or above-grade vaults in accordance with Section 5704.2.8, the distances in Table 22.4.1.1(b) of NFPA 30 shall apply and shall be reduced by one-half, but not to less than 5 feet (1524 mm).
5704.2.9.6.1.2 Location of tanks with pressures exceeding 2.5 psig.
Above-ground tanks for the storage of Class I, II or IIIA liquids operating at pressures exceeding 2.5 psig (17.2 kPa) or equipped with emergency venting allowing pressures to exceed 2.5 psig (17.2 kPa) shall be located in accordance with Table 22.4.1.3 of NFPA 30.
Exception: Liquids with boilover characteristics and unstable liquids in accordance with Sections 5704.2.9.6.1.4 and 5704.2.9.6.1.5.
5704.2.9.6.1.3 Location of tanks storing boilover liquids.
Above-ground tanks for storage of liquids with boilover characteristics shall be located in accordance with Table 22.4.1.4 of NFPA 30.
5704.2.9.6.1.4 Location of tanks storing unstable liquids.
Above-ground tanks for the storage of unstable liquids shall be located in accordance with Table 22.4.1.5 of NFPA 30.
5704.2.9.6.1.5 Location of tanks storing Class IIIB liquids.
22.4.1.6 of NFPA 30, except where located within a diked area or drainage path for a tank or tanks storing Class I or II liquids. Where a Class IIIB liquid storage tank is within the diked area or drainage path for a Class I or II liquid, distances required by Section 5704.2.9.6.1.1 shall apply.
5704.2.9.6.1.6 Reduction of separation distances to adjacent property.
Where two tank properties of diverse ownership have a common boundary, the fire code official is authorized to, with the written consent of the owners of the two properties, apply the distances in Sections 5704.2.9.6.1.2 through 5704.2.9.6.1.5 assuming a single property.
5704.2.9.6.2 Separation between adjacent stable or unstable liquid tanks.
The separation between tanks containing stable liquids shall be in accordance with Table 22.4.2.1 of NFPA 30. Where tanks are in a diked area containing Class I or II liquids, or in the drainage path of Class I or II liquids, and are compacted in three or more rows or in an irregular pattern, the fire code official is authorized to require greater separation than specified in Table 22.4.2.1 of NFPA 30 or other means to make tanks in the interior of the pattern accessible for fire-fighting purposes.
Exception: Tanks used for storing Class IIIB liquids are allowed to be spaced 3 feet (914 mm) apart unless within a diked area or drainage path for a tank storing Class I or II liquids.
The separation between tanks containing unstable liquids shall be not less than one-half the sum of their diameters.
5704.2.9.6.3 Separation between adjacent tanks containing flammable or combustible liquids and LP-gas.
The minimum horizontal separation between an LP-gas container and a Class I, II or IIIA liquid storage tank shall be 20 feet (6096 mm) except in the case of Class I, II or IIIA liquid tanks operating at pressures exceeding 2.5 psig (17.2 kPa) or equipped with emergency venting allowing pressures to exceed 2.5 psig (17.2 kPa), in which case the provisions of Section 5704.2.9.6.2 shall apply.
An approved means shall be provided to prevent the accumulation of Class I, II or IIIA liquids under adjacent LP-gas containers such as by dikes, diversion curbs or grading. Where flammable or combustible liquid storage tanks are within a diked area, the LP-gas containers shall be outside the diked area and not less than 10 feet (3048 mm) away from the centerline of the wall of the diked area.
1.Liquefied petroleum gas containers of 125 gallons (473 L) or less in capacity installed adjacent to fuel-oil supply tanks of 660 gallons (2498 L) or less in capacity.
2.Horizontal separation is not required between above-ground LP-gas containers and underground flammable and combustible liquid tanks.
5704.2.9.7 Additional requirements for protected above-ground tanks.
In addition to the requirements of this chapter for above-ground tanks, the installation of protected above-ground tanks shall be in accordance with Sections 5704.2.9.7.1 through 5704.2.9.7.9.
The construction of a protected above-ground tank and its primary tank shall be in accordance with Section 5704.2.7.
5704.2.9.7.2 Normal and emergency venting.
Normal and emergency venting for protected aboveground tanks shall be provided in accordance with Sections 5704.2.7.3 and 5704.2.7.4. The vent capacity reduction factor shall not be allowed.
Protected above-ground tanks shall be provided with secondary containment, drainage control or diking in accordance with Section 5004.2. A means shall be provided to establish the integrity of the secondary containment in accordance with NFPA 30.
Where protected above-ground tanks, piping, electrical conduit or dispensers are subject to vehicular impact, they shall be protected therefrom, either by having the impact protection incorporated into the system design in compliance with the impact test protocol of UL 2085, or by meeting the provisions of Section 312, or where necessary, a combination of both. Where guard posts or other approved barriers are provided, they shall be independent of each aboveground tank.
1.2.Automatically shut off the flow of fuel to the tank when the quantity of liquid in the tank reaches 95 percent of tank capacity. For rigid hose fuel-delivery systems, an approved means shall be provided to empty the fill hose into the tank after the automatic shutoff device is activated.
2.The system shall reduce the flow rate to not more than 15 gallons per minute (0.95 L/s) so that at the reduced flow rate, the tank will not overfill for 30 minutes, and automatically shut off flow into the tank so that none of the fittings on the top of the tank are exposed to product because of overfilling.
A permanent sign shall be provided at the fill point for the tank, documenting the filling procedure and the tank calibration chart.
Exception: Where climatic conditions are such that the sign may be obscured by ice or snow, or weathered beyond readability or otherwise impaired, said procedures and chart shall be located in the office window, lock box or other area accessible to the person filling the tank.
5704.2.9.7.5.2 Determination of available tank capacity.
The filling procedure shall require the person filling the tank to determine the gallonage (literage) required to fill it to 90 percent of capacity before commencing the fill operation.
The fill pipe shall be provided with a means for making a direct connection to the tank vehicle’s fuel delivery hose so that the delivery of fuel is not exposed to the open air during the filling operation. Where any portion of the fill pipe exterior to the tank extends below the level of the top of the tank, a check valve shall be installed in the fill pipe not more than 12 inches (305 mm) from the fill hose connection.
A spill container having a capacity of not less than 5 gallons (19 L) shall be provided for each fill connection. For tanks with a top fill connection, spill containers shall be non-combustible and shall be fixed to the tank and equipped with a manual drain valve that drains into the primary tank. For tanks with a remote fill connection, a portable spill container shall be allowed.
Tank openings in protected above-ground tanks shall be through the top only.
Approved antisiphon devices shall be installed in each external pipe connected to the protected above-ground tank where the pipe extends below the level of the top of the tank.
The area surrounding a tank or group of tanks shall be provided with drainage control or shall be diked to prevent accidental discharge of liquid from endangering adjacent tanks, adjoining property or reaching waterways.
1.The fire code official is authorized to alter or waive these requirements based on a technical report that demonstrates that such tank or group of tanks does not constitute a hazard to other tanks, waterways or adjoining property, after consideration of special features such as topographical conditions, nature of occupancy and proximity to buildings on the same or adjacent property, capacity, and construction of proposed tanks and character of liquids to be stored, and nature and quantity of private and public fire protection provided.
2.Drainage control and diking is not required for listed secondary containment tanks.
The volumetric capacity of the diked area shall be not less than the greatest amount of liquid that can be released from the largest tank within the diked area. The capacity of the diked area enclosing more than one tank shall be calculated by deducting the volume of the tanks other than the largest tank below the height of the dike.
5704.2.10.2 Diked areas containing two or more tanks.
Diked areas containing two or more tanks shall be subdivided in accordance with NFPA 30.
5704.2.10.3 Protection of piping from exposure fires.
Piping shall not pass through adjacent diked areas or impounding basins, unless provided with a sealed sleeve or otherwise protected from exposure to fire.
5704.2.10.4 Combustible materials in diked areas.
Diked areas shall be kept free from combustible materials, drums and barrels.
5704.2.10.5 Equipment, controls and piping in diked areas.
Pumps, manifolds and fire protection equipment or controls shall not be located within diked areas or drainage basins or in a location where such equipment and controls would be endangered by fire in the diked area or drainage basin. Piping above ground shall be minimized and located as close as practical to the shell of the tank in diked areas or drainage basins.
1.Pumps, manifolds and piping integral to the tanks or equipment being served, which is protected by intermediate diking, berms, drainage or fire protection such as water spray, monitors or resistive coating.
2.Fire protection equipment or controls that are appurtenances to the tanks or equipment being protected, such as foam chambers or foam piping and water or foam monitors and hydrants, or hand and wheeled extinguishers.
Underground storage of flammable and combustible liquids in tanks shall comply with Section 5704.2 and Sections 5704.2.11.1 through 5704.2.11.4.2.
1.Tanks shall be located with respect to existing foundations and supports such that the loads carried by the latter cannot be transmitted to the tank.
2.The distance from any part of a tank storing liquids to the nearest wall of a basement, pit, cellar or lot line shall be not less than 3 feet (914 mm).
3.A minimum distance of 1 foot (305 mm), shell to shell, shall be maintained between underground tanks.
Excavation for underground storage tanks shall be made with due care to avoid undermining of foundations of existing structures. Underground tanks shall be set on firm foundations and surrounded with not less than 6 inches (152 mm) of noncorrosive inert material, such as clean sand.
5704.2.11.3 Overfill protection and prevention systems.
Fill pipes shall be equipped with a spill container and an overfill prevention system in accordance with NFPA 30.
Leak prevention for underground tanks shall comply with Sections 5704.2.11.4.1 and 5704.2.11.4.2.
Daily inventory records for underground storage tank systems shall be maintained.
Underground storage tank systems shall be provided with an approved method of leak detection from any component of the system that is designed and installed in accordance with NFPA 30.
Tank testing shall comply with Sections 5704.2.12.1 and 5704.2.12.2.
Prior to being placed into service, tanks shall be tested in accordance with Section 21.5 of NFPA 30.
5704.2.12.2 Testing of underground tanks.
Before being covered or placed in use, tanks and piping connected to underground tanks shall be tested for tightness in the presence of the fire code official. Piping shall be tested in accordance with Section 5703.6.3. The system shall not be covered until it has been approved.
5704.2.13 Abandonment and status of tanks.
Tanks taken out of service shall be removed in accordance with Section 5704.2.14, or safeguarded in accordance with Sections 5704.2.13.1 through 5704.2.13.2.3 and API 1604.
Underground tanks taken out of service shall comply with Sections 5704.2.13.1.1 through 5704.2.13.1.5.
5704.2.13.1.1 Temporarily out of service.
Underground tanks temporarily out of service shall have the fill line, gauge opening, vapor return and pump connection secure against tampering. Vent lines shall remain open and be maintained in accordance with Sections 5704.2.7.3 and 5704.2.7.4.
5704.2.13.1.2 Out of service for 90 days.
1.Flammable or combustible liquids shall be removed from the tank.
2.All piping, including fill line, gauge opening, vapor return and pump connection, shall be capped or plugged and secured from tampering.
3.Vent lines shall remain open and be maintained in accordance with Sections 5704.2.7.3 and 5704.2.7.4.
5704.2.13.1.3 Out of service for one year.
Underground tanks that have been out of service for a period of one year shall be removed from the ground in accordance with Section 5704.2.14 or abandoned in place in accordance with Section 5704.2.13.1.4.
5704.2.13.1.4 Tanks abandoned in place.
1.Flammable and combustible liquids shall be removed from the tank and connected piping.
2.The suction, inlet, gauge, vapor return and vapor lines shall be disconnected.
3.The tank shall be filled completely with an approved inert solid material.
4.Remaining underground piping shall be capped or plugged.
5.A record of tank size, location and date of abandonment shall be retained.
6.All exterior above-grade fill piping shall be permanently removed when tanks are abandoned or removed.
5704.2.13.1.5 Reinstallation of underground tanks.
Tanks that are to be reinstalled for flammable or combustible liquid service shall be in accordance with this chapter, ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (Section VIII), API 12-P, API 1615, UL 58 and UL 1316.
Above-ground tanks taken out of service shall comply with Sections 5704.2.13.2.1 through 5704.2.13.2.3.
5704.2.13.2.1 Temporarily out of service.
Aboveground tanks temporarily out of service shall have all connecting lines isolated from the tank and be secured against tampering.
Exception: In-place fire protection (foam) system lines.
5704.2.13.2.2 Out of service for 90 days.
Aboveground tanks not used for a period of 90 days shall be safeguarded in accordance with Section 5704.2.13.1.2 or removed in accordance with Section 5704.2.14.
1.Tanks and containers connected to oil burners that are not in use during the warm season of the year or are used as a backup heating system to gas.
2.In-place, active fire protection (foam) system lines.
5704.2.13.2.3 Out of service for one year.
Aboveground tanks that have been out of service for a period of one year shall be removed in accordance with Section 5704.2.14.
Exception: Tanks within operating facilities.
5704.2.14 Removal and disposal of tanks.
Removal and disposal of tanks shall comply with Sections 5704.2.14.1 and 5704.2.14.2.
2.Piping at tank openings that is not to be used further shall be disconnected.
3.Piping shall be removed from the ground.
Exception: Piping is allowed to be abandoned in place where the fire code official determines that removal is not practical. Abandoned piping shall be capped and safeguarded as required by the fire code official.
4.Tank openings shall be capped or plugged, leaving a 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch-diameter (3.2 mm to 6.4 mm) opening for pressure equalization.
5.Tanks shall be purged of vapor and inerted prior to removal.
6.All exterior above-grade fill and vent piping shall be permanently removed.
Exception: Piping associated with bulk plants, terminal facilities and refineries.
Tanks shall be disposed of in accordance with federal, state and local regulations.
Above-ground tanks, connected piping and ancillary equipment shall be maintained in a safe operating condition. Tanks shall be maintained in accordance with their listings. Damage to above-ground tanks, connected piping or ancillary equipment shall be repaired using materials having equal or greater strength and fire resistance or the equipment shall be replaced or taken out of service.
5704.3 Container and portable tank storage.
Storage of flammable and combustible liquids in closed containers that do not exceed 60 gallons (227 L) in individual capacity and portable tanks that do not exceed 660 gallons (2498 L) in individual capacity, and limited transfers incidental thereto, shall comply with Sections 5704.3.1 through 5704.3.8.5.
5704.3.1 Design, construction and capacity of containers and portable tanks.
The design, construction and capacity of containers for the storage of Class I, II and IIIA liquids shall be in accordance with this section and Section 9.4 of NFPA 30.
Only approved containers and portable tanks shall be used.
Where other sections of this code require that liquid containers be stored in storage cabinets, such cabinets and storage shall be in accordance with Sections 5704.3.2.1 through 5704.3.2.2.
5704.3.2.1 Design and construction of storage cabinets.
Design and construction of liquid storage cabinets shall be in accordance with Sections 5704.3.2.1.1 through 5704.3.2.1.4.
1.Unlisted metal cabinets shall be constructed of steel having a thickness of not less than 0.044 inch (1.12 mm) (18 gage). The cabinet, including the door, shall be double walled with 11/2-inch (38 mm) airspace between the walls. Joints shall be riveted or welded and shall be tight fitting.
2.Unlisted wooden cabinets, including doors, shall be constructed of not less than 1-inch (25 mm) exterior grade plywood. Joints shall be rabbeted and shall be fastened in two directions with wood screws. Door hinges shall be of steel or brass. Cabinets shall be painted with an intumescent-type paint.
Cabinets shall be provided with a conspicuous label in red letters on contrasting background that reads: FLAMMABLE—KEEP FIRE AWAY.
Doors shall be well fitted, self-closing and equipped with a three-point latch.
The bottom of the cabinet shall be liquid tight to a height of not less than 2 inches (51 mm).
The combined total quantity of liquids in a cabinet shall not exceed 120 gallons (454 L).
Storage of flammable and combustible liquids inside buildings in containers and portable tanks shall be in accordance with Sections 5704.3.3.1 through 5704.3.3.10.
1.Liquids in the fuel tanks of motor vehicles, aircraft, boats or portable or stationary engines.
2.The storage of distilled spirits and wines in wooden barrels or casks.
Approved portable fire extinguishers shall be provided in accordance with specific sections of this chapter and Section 906.
Materials that will react with water or other liquids to produce a hazard shall not be stored in the same room with flammable and combustible liquids except where stored in accordance with Section 5003.9.8.
5704.3.3.3 Clear means of egress.
Storage of any liquids, including stock for sale, shall not be stored near or be allowed to obstruct physically the route of egress.
5704.3.3.4 Empty containers or portable tank storage.
The storage of empty tanks and containers previously used for the storage of flammable or combustible liquids, unless free from explosive vapors, shall be stored as required for filled containers and portable tanks. Portable tanks and containers, when emptied, shall have the covers or plugs immediately replaced in openings.
Shelving shall be of approved construction, adequately braced and anchored. Seismic requirements shall be in accordance with the International Building Code.
Wood of not less than 1 inch (25 mm) nominal thickness is allowed to be used as shelving, racks, dunnage, scuffboards, floor overlay and similar installations.
Shelves shall be of sufficient depth and provided with a lip or guard to prevent individual containers from being displaced.
Exception: Shelves in storage cabinets or on laboratory furniture specifically designed for such use.
Shelf storage of flammable and combustible liquids shall be maintained in an orderly manner.
Where storage on racks is allowed elsewhere in this code, a minimum 4-foot-wide (1219 mm) aisle shall be provided between adjacent rack sections and any adjacent storage of liquids. Main aisles shall be not less than 8 feet (2438 mm) wide.
5704.3.3.7 Pile or palletized storage.
Solid pile and palletized storage in liquid warehouses shall be arranged so that piles are separated from each other by not less than 4 feet (1219 mm). Aisles shall be provided and arranged so that no container or portable tank is more than 20 feet (6096 mm) from an aisle. Main aisles shall be not less than 8 feet (2438 mm) wide.
Limited quantities of combustible commodities are allowed to be stored in liquid storage areas where the ordinary combustibles, other than those used for packaging the liquids, are separated from the liquids in storage by not less than 8 feet (2438 mm) horizontally, either by open aisles or by open racks, and where protection is provided in accordance with Chapter 9.
Storage of empty or idle combustible pallets inside an unprotected liquid storage area shall be limited to a maximum pile size of 2,500 square feet (232 m2) and to a maximum storage height of 6 feet (1829 mm). Storage of empty or idle combustible pallets inside a protected liquid storage area shall comply with NFPA 13. Pallet storage shall be separated from liquid storage by aisles that are not less than 8 feet (2438 mm) wide.
Containers in piles shall be stacked in such a manner as to provide stability and to prevent excessive stress on container walls. Portable tanks stored more than one tier high shall be designed to nest securely, without dunnage. Material-handling equipment shall be suitable to handle containers and tanks safely at the upper tier level.
5704.3.4 Quantity limits for storage.
Liquid storage quantity limitations shall comply with Sections 5704.3.4.1 through 5704.3.4.4.
5704.3.4.1 Maximum allowable quantity per control area.
For occupancies other than Group M wholesale and retail sales uses, indoor storage of flammable and combustible liquids shall not exceed the maximum allowable quantities per control area indicated in Table 5003.1.1(1) and shall not exceed the additional limitations set forth in this section.
For Group M occupancy wholesale and retail sales uses, indoor storage of flammable and combustible liquids shall not exceed the maximum allowable quantities per control area indicated in Table 5704.3.4.1.
Storage of hazardous production material flammable and combustible liquids in Group H-5 occupancies shall be in accordance with Chapter 27.
For SI: 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 square foot = 0.0929 m2, 1 gallon = 3.785 L, 1 gallon per minute per square foot = 40.75 L/min/m2.
a. Control areas shall be separated from each other by not less than a 1-hour fire barrier.
1. For uncartoned commodities on shelves 6 feet or less in height where the ceiling height does not exceed 18 feet, quantities are those allowed with a minimum sprinkler design density of Ordinary Hazard Group 2.
2. For cartoned, palletized or racked commodities where storage is 4 feet 6 inches or less in height and where the ceiling height does not exceed 18 feet, quantities are those allowed with a minimum sprinkler design density of 0.21 gallon per minute per square foot over the most remote 1,500-square-foot area.
c. Where wholesale and retail sales or storage areas exceed 50,000 square feet in area, the maximum allowable quantities are allowed to be increased by 2 percent for each 1,000 square feet of area in excess of 50,000 square feet, up to not more than 100 percent of the table amounts. A control area separation is not required. The cumulative amounts, including amounts attained by having an additional control area, shall not exceed 30,000 gallons.
1.Group A occupancies: Quantities in Group A occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, treatment, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
2.Group B occupancies: Quantities in drinking, dining, office and school uses within Group B occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, treatment, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
3.Group E occupancies: Quantities in Group E occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, treatment, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
4.Group F occupancies: Quantities in dining, office, and school uses within Group F occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
5.Group I occupancies: Quantities in Group I occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
6.Group M occupancies: Quantities in dining, office, and school uses within Group M occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1). The maximum allowable quantities for storage in wholesale and retail sales areas shall be in accordance with Section 5704.3.4.1.
7.Group R occupancies: Quantities in Group R occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
8.Group S occupancies: Quantities in dining and office uses within Group S occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
5704.3.4.3 Quantities exceeding limits for control areas.
Quantities exceeding those allowed in control areas set forth in Section 5704.3.4.1 shall be in liquid storage rooms or liquid storage warehouses in accordance with Sections 5704.3.7 and 5704.3.8.
5704.3.4.4 Liquids for maintenance and operation of equipment.
In all occupancies, quantities of flammable and combustible liquids in excess of 10 gallons (38 L) used for maintenance purposes and the operation of equipment shall be stored in liquid storage cabinets in accordance with Section 5704.3.2. Quantities not exceeding 10 gallons (38 L) are allowed to be stored outside of a cabinet where in approved containers located in private garages or other approved locations.
5704.3.5 Storage in control areas.
Storage of flammable and combustible liquids in control areas shall be in accordance with Sections 5704.3.5.1 through 5704.3.5.4.
Class I liquids shall be allowed to be stored in basements in amounts not exceeding the maximum allowable quantity per control area for use-open systems in Table 5003.1.1(1), provided that automatic suppression and other fire protection are provided in accordance with Chapter 9. Class II and IIIA liquids shall also be allowed to be stored in basements, provided that automatic suppression and other fire protection are provided in accordance with Chapter 9.
Containers having less than a 30-gallon (114 L) capacity that contain Class I or II liquids shall not be stacked more than 3 feet (914.4 mm) or two containers high, whichever is greater, unless stacked on fixed shelving or otherwise satisfactorily secured. Containers of Class I or II liquids having a capacity of 30 gallons (114 L) or more shall not be stored more than one container high. Containers shall be stored in an upright position.
5704.3.5.3 Storage distance from ceilings and roofs.
Piles of containers or portable tanks shall not be stored closer than 3 feet (914 mm) to the nearest beam, chord, girder or other obstruction, and shall be 3 feet (914 mm) below sprinkler deflectors or discharge orifices of water spray or other overhead fire protection system.
In areas that are inaccessible to the public, Class I, II and IIIA liquids shall not be stored in the same pile or rack section as ordinary combustible commodities unless such materials are packaged together as kits.
5704.3.6 Wholesale and retail sales uses.
Flammable and combustible liquids in Group M occupancy wholesale and retail sales uses shall be in accordance with Sections 5704.3.6.1 through 5704.3.6.5, or Sections 10.10.2, 12.3.8, 16.4.1 through 16.4.3, 16.5.1 through 16.5.2.12, Tables 16.5.2.1 through 16.5.2.12, and Figures 16.4.1(a) through 16.14.1(c) of NFPA 30.
Containers for Class I liquids shall be metal.
Exception: In sprinklered buildings, an aggregate quantity of 120 gallons (454 L) of water-miscible Class IB and Class IC liquids is allowed in nonmetallic containers, each having a capacity of 16 ounces (0.473 L) or less.
Containers for Class I liquids shall not exceed a capacity of 5 gallons (19 L).
Exception: Metal containers not exceeding 55 gallons (208 L) are allowed to store up to 240 gallons (908 L) of the maximum allowable quantity per control area of Class IB and IC liquids in a control area. The building shall be equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Table 5704.3.4.1. The containers shall be provided with plastic caps without cap seals and shall be stored upright. Containers shall not be stacked or stored in racks and shall not be located in areas accessible to the public.
5704.3.6.3 Fire protection and storage arrangements.
1.Storage on shelves shall not exceed 6 feet (1829 mm) in height, and shelving shall be metal.
2.Storage on pallets or in piles greater than 4 feet 6 inches (1372 mm) in height, or where the ceiling exceeds 18 feet (5486 mm) in height, shall be protected in accordance with Table 5704.3.6.3(4), and the storage heights and arrangements shall be limited to those specified in Table 5704.3.6.3(2).
3.Storage on racks greater than 4 feet 6 inches (1372 mm) in height, or where the ceiling exceeds 18 feet (5486 mm) in height shall be protected in accordance with Tables 5704.3.6.3(5), 5704.3.6.3(6), and 5704.3.6.3(7) as appropriate, and the storage heights and arrangements shall be limited to those specified in Table 5704.3.6.3(3).
Combustible commodities shall not be stored above flammable and combustible liquids.
a In buildings protected by an automatic sprinkler system, the storage height for containers and portable tanks shall not exceed the maximum storage height permitted for the fire protection scheme set forth in NFPA 30 or the maximum storage height demonstrated in a full-scale fire test, whichever is greater. NFPA 30 criteria and fire test results for metallic containers and portable tanks shall not be applied to nonmetallic containers and portable tanks.
b.In-rack protection shall be in accordance with Table 5704.3.6.3(5), 5704.3.6.3(6) or 5704.3.6.3(7).
a.See Section 5704.3.8.1 for unlimited quantities in liquid storage warehouses.
b.In buildings protected by an automatic sprinkler system, the storage height for containers and portable tanks shall not exceed the maximum storage height permitted for the fire protection scheme set forth in NFPA 30 or the maximum storage height demonstrated in a full-scale fire test, whichever is greater. NFPA 30 criteria and fire test results for metallic containers and portable tanks shall not be applied to nonmetallic containers and portable tanks.
c.These height limitations are allowed to be increased to 10 feet for containers having a capacity of 5 gallons or less.
d.For palletized storage of unsaturated polyester resins (UPR) in relieving-style metal containers with 50 percent or less by weight Class IC or II liquid and no Class IA or IB liquid, height and pile quantity limits shall be permitted to be 10 feet and 15,000 gallons, respectively, provided that such storage is protected by sprinklers in accordance with NFPA 30 and that the UPR storage area is not located in the same containment area or drainage path for other Class I or II liquids.
For SI: 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 gallon = 3.785 L, 1 square foot = 0.0929 m2, 1 gallon per minute = 3.785 L/m, 1 gallon per minute per square foot = 40.75 L/min/m2.
a.The design area contemplates the use of Class II standpipe systems. Where Class I standpipe systems are used, the area of application shall be increased by 30 percent without revising density.
b.For storage heights above 4 feet or ceiling heights greater than 18 feet, an approved engineering design shall be provided in accordance with Section 104.7.2.
For SI: 1 inch = 25.4 mm, 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 square foot = 0.0929 m2, 1 pound per square inch = 6.895 kPa, 1 gallon = 3.785 L, 1 gallon per minute = 3.785 L/m, 1 gallon per minute per square foot = 40.75 L/min/m2.
b.Using listed or approved extra-large orifices, high-temperature quick-response or standard element sprinklers under a maximum 30-foot ceiling with minimum 7.5-foot aisles.
c.For friction lid cans and other metal containers equipped with plastic nozzles or caps, the density shall be increased to 0.65 gpm per square foot using listed or approved extra-large orifice, high-temperature quick-response sprinklers.
d.Using listed or approved extra-large orifice, high-temperature quick-response or standard element sprinklers under a maximum 18-foot ceiling with minimum 7.5-foot aisles and metal containers.
For SI: 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 square foot = 0.0929 m2, 1 pound per square inch = 6.895 kPa, 1 gallon = 3.785 L, 1 gallon per minute = 3.785 L/m, 1 gallon per minute per square foot = 40.75 L/min/m2.
a.The design assumes the use of Class II standpipe systems. Where a Class I standpipe system is used, the area of application shall be increased by 30 percent without revising density.
a.System shall be a closed-head wet system with approved devices for proportioning aqueous film-forming foam.
b.Except as modified herein, in-rack sprinklers shall be installed in accordance with NFPA 13.
c.The height of storage shall not exceed 25 feet.
d.Hose stream demand includes 11/2-inch inside hose connections, where required.
a.This table shall not apply to racks with solid shelves.
b.Using extra-large orifice sprinklers under a ceiling 30 feet or less in height. Minimum aisle width is 7.5 feet.
Cans, containers and vessels containing flammable liquids or flammable liquid compounds or mixtures offered for sale shall be provided with a warning indicator, painted or printed on the container and stating that the liquid is flammable, and shall be kept away from heat and an open flame.
Where required by fire the code official, aisle and storage plans shall be submitted in accordance with Chapter 50.
Liquid storage rooms shall comply with Sections 5704.3.7.1 through 5704.3.7.5.2.
Quantities of liquids exceeding those set forth in Section 5704.3.4.1 for storage in control areas shall be stored in a liquid storage room complying with this section and constructed and separated as required by the International Building Code.
5704.3.7.2 Quantities and arrangement of storage.
The quantity limits and storage arrangements in liquid storage rooms shall be in accordance with Tables 5704.3.6.3(2) and 5704.3.6.3(3) and Sections 5704.3.7.2.1 through 5704.3.7.2.3.
1.The quantity in that pile or rack shall not exceed the smallest of the maximum quantities for the classes of liquids stored in accordance with Table 5704.3.6.3(2) or 5704.3.6.3(3).
2.The height of storage in that pile or rack shall not exceed the smallest of the maximum heights for the classes of liquids stored in accordance with Table 5704.3.6.3(2) or 5704.3.6.3(3).
Piles shall be separated from each other by not less than 4-foot (1219 mm) aisles. Aisles shall be provided so that all containers are 20 feet (6096 mm) or less from an aisle. Where the storage of liquids is on racks, a minimum 4-foot-wide (1219 mm) aisle shall be provided between adjacent rows of racks and adjacent storage of liquids. Main aisles shall be not less than 8 feet (2438 mm) wide.
Additional aisles shall be provided for access to doors, required windows and ventilation openings, standpipe connections, mechanical equipment and switches. Such aisles shall be not less than 3 feet (914 mm) in width, unless greater widths are required for separation of piles or racks, in which case the greater width shall be provided.
Containers and piles shall be separated by pallets or dunnage to provide stability and to prevent excessive stress to container walls. Portable tanks stored over one tier shall be designed to nest securely without dunnage.
Requirements for portable tank design shall be in accordance with Chapters 9 and 12 of NFPA 30. Shelving, racks, dunnage, scuffboards, floor overlay and similar installations shall be of noncombustible construction or of wood not less than a 1-inch (25 mm) nominal thickness. Adequate material-handling equipment shall be available to handle tanks safely at upper tier levels.
5704.3.7.3 Spill control and secondary containment.
Liquid storage rooms shall be provided with spill control and secondary containment in accordance with Section 5004.2.
Liquid storage rooms shall be ventilated in accordance with Section 5004.3.
Fire protection for liquid storage rooms shall comply with Sections 5704.3.7.5.1 and 5704.3.7.5.2.
Liquid storage rooms shall be protected by automatic sprinkler systems installed in accordance with Chapter 9 and Tables 5704.3.6.3(4) through 5704.3.6.3(7) and Table 5704.3.7.5.1. In-rack sprinklers shall also comply with NFPA 13.
Automatic foam-water systems and automatic aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) water sprinkler systems shall not be used except where approved.
Protection criteria developed from fire modeling or full-scale fire testing conducted at an approved testing laboratory are allowed in lieu of the protection as shown in Tables 5704.3.6.3(2) through 5704.3.6.3(7) and Table 5704.3.7.5.1 where approved.
For SI: 1 inch = 25.4 mm, 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 square foot = 0.0929 m2, 1 gallon per minute = 3.785 L/m, 1 gallon per minute per square foot = 40.75 L/min/m2, °C = [(°F)-32]/1.8.
b.Maximum ceiling height of 30 feet.
c.Hose stream demand includes 11/2-inch inside hose connections, where required.
Not less than one approved portable fire extinguisher complying with Section 906 and having a rating of not less than 20-B shall be located not less than 10 feet (3048 mm) or more than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from any Class I or II liquid storage area located outside of a liquid storage room.
Not less than one portable fire extinguisher having a rating of not less than 20-B shall be located outside of, but not more than 10 feet (3048 mm) from, the door opening into a liquid storage room.
Buildings used for storage of flammable or combustible liquids in quantities exceeding those set forth in Section 5704.3.4 for control areas and Section 5704.3.7 for liquid storage rooms shall comply with Sections 5704.3.8.1 through 5704.3.8.5 and shall be constructed and separated as required by the International Building Code.
5704.3.8.1 Quantities and storage arrangement.
The total quantities of liquids in a liquid storage warehouse shall not be limited. The arrangement of storage shall be in accordance with Table 5704.3.6.3(2) or 5704.3.6.3(3).
Mixed storage shall be in accordance with Section 5704.3.7.2.1.
Separation and aisles shall be in accordance with Section 5704.3.7.2.2.
5704.3.8.2 Spill control and secondary containment.
Liquid storage warehouses shall be provided with spill control and secondary containment as set forth in Section 5004.2.
0.25 cfm per square foot (0.075 m3/s · m2) of floor area over the storage area.
Liquid storage warehouses shall be protected by automatic sprinkler systems installed in accordance with Chapter 9 and Tables 5704.3.6.3(4) through 5704.3.6.3(7) and Table 5704.3.7.5.1, or Sections 16.4.1 through 16.4.3, 16.5.1 through 16.5.2.12, and Tables 16.5.2.1 through 16.5.2.12 and Figures 16.4.1(a) through 16.4.1(c) of NFPA 30. In-rack sprinklers shall also comply with NFPA 13.
Automatic foam-water systems and automatic AFFF water sprinkler systems shall not be used except where approved.
In liquid storage warehouses, either 11/2-inch (38 mm) lined or 1-inch (25 mm) hard rubber hose lines shall be provided in sufficient number to reach all liquid storage areas and shall be in accordance with Section 903 or 905.
5704.4 Outdoor storage of containers and portable tanks.
Storage of flammable and combustible liquids in closed containers and portable tanks outside of buildings shall be in accordance with Section 5703 and Sections 5704.4.1 through 5704.4.8. Capacity limits for containers and portable tanks shall be in accordance with Section 5704.3.
Storage shall be in accordance with approved plans.
Outdoor storage of liquids in containers and portable tanks shall be in accordance with Table 5704.4.2. Storage of liquids near buildings located on the same lot shall be in accordance with this section.
For SI: 1 foot = 304.8 mm, 1 gallon 3.785 L.
a.For mixed class storage, see Section 5704.4.2.
b.For storage in racks, the quantity limits per pile do not apply, but the rack arrangement shall be limited to not more than 50 feet in length and two rows or 9 feet in depth.
c.If protection by a public fire department or private fire brigade capable of providing cooling water streams is not available, the distance shall be doubled.
d.When the total quantity stored does not exceed 50 percent of the maximum allowed per pile, the distances are allowed to be reduced 50 percent, but not less than 3 feet.
Where two or more classes of liquids are stored in a single pile, the quantity in the pile shall not exceed the smallest of maximum quantities for the classes of material stored.
Storage of containers or portable tanks shall be provided with fire apparatus access roads in accordance with Chapter 5.
The storage area shall be protected against tampering or trespassers where necessary and shall be kept free from weeds, debris and other combustible materials not necessary to the storage.
5704.4.2.4 Storage adjacent to buildings.
2.The exterior building wall adjacent to the storage area shall have a fire-resistance rating of not less than 2 hours, having no openings to above-grade areas within 10 feet (3048 mm) horizontally of such storage and no openings to below-grade areas within 50 feet (15 240 mm) horizontally of such storage.
The quantity of liquids stored adjacent to a building protected in accordance with Item 2 is allowed to exceed 1,100 gallons (4163 L), provided that the maximum quantity per pile does not exceed 1,100 gallons (4163 L) and each pile is separated by a 10-foot-minimum (3048 mm) clear space along the common wall.
Where the quantity stored exceeds 1,100 gallons (4163 L) adjacent to a building complying with Item 1, or the provisions of Item 1 cannot be met, a minimum distance in accordance with Table 5704.4.2, column 7 (“Minimum Distance to Lot Line of Property That Can Be Built Upon”) shall be maintained between buildings and the nearest container or portable tank.
5704.4.3 Spill control and secondary containment.
Storage areas shall be provided with spill control and secondary containment in accordance with Section 5703.4.
Exception: Containers stored on approved containment pallets in accordance with Section 5004.2.3 and containers stored in cabinets and lockers with integral spill containment.
Storage areas shall be protected against tampering or trespassers by fencing or other approved control measures.
Guard posts or other means shall be provided to protect exterior storage tanks from vehicular damage. Where guard posts are installed, the posts shall be installed in accordance with Section 312.
The storage area shall be kept free from weeds, debris and combustible materials not necessary to the storage. The area surrounding an exterior storage area shall be kept clear of such materials for a minimum distance of 15 feet (4572 mm).
Weather protection for outdoor storage shall be in accordance with Section 5004.13.
5704.4.8 Empty containers and tank storage.
The storage of empty tanks and containers previously used for the storage of flammable or combustible liquids, unless free from explosive vapors, shall be stored as required for filled containers and tanks. Tanks and containers when emptied shall have the covers or plugs immediately replaced in openings.
Dispensing, use, mixing and handling of flammable liquids shall be in accordance with Section 5703 and this section. Tank vehicle and tank car loading and unloading and other special operations shall be in accordance with Section 5706.
Exception: Containers of organic coatings having no fire point and which are opened for pigmentation are not required to comply with this section.
Liquid transfer equipment and methods for transfer of Class I, II and IIIA liquids shall be approved and be in accordance with Sections 5705.2.1 through 5705.2.6.
Positive-displacement pumps shall be provided with pressure relief discharging back to the tank, pump suction or other approved location, or shall be provided with interlocks to prevent over-pressure.
Where gases are introduced to provide for transfer of Class I liquids, or Class II and III liquids transferred at temperatures at or above their flash points by pressure, only inert gases shall be used. Controls, including pressure relief devices, shall be provided to limit the pressure so that the maximum working pressure of tanks, containers and piping systems cannot be exceeded. Where devices operating through pressure within a tank or container are used, the tank or container shall be a pressure vessel approved for the intended use. Air or oxygen shall not be used for pressurization.
Exception: Air transfer of Class II and III liquids at temperatures below their flash points.
5705.2.3 Piping, hoses and valves.
Piping, hoses and valves used in liquid transfer operations shall be approved or listed for the intended use.
5705.2.4 Class I, II and III liquids.
1.From safety cans complying with UL 30.
2.Through an approved closed piping system.
3.From containers or tanks by an approved pump taking suction through an opening in the top of the container or tank.
4.For Class IB, IC, II and III liquids, from containers or tanks by gravity through an approved self-closing or automatic-closing valve where the container or tank and dispensing operations are provided with spill control and secondary containment in accordance with Section 5703.4. Class IA liquids shall not be dispensed by gravity from tanks.
5.Approved engineered liquid transfer systems.
Exception: Liquids in original shipping containers not exceeding a 5.3-gallon (20 L) capacity.
5705.2.5 Manual container filling operations.
1.Metallic floor plates on which containers stand while filling, where such floor plates are electrically connected to the fill stem.
2.Where the fill stem is bonded to the container during filling by means of a bond wire.
5705.2.6 Automatic container-filling operations for Class I liquids.
Container-filling operations for Class I liquids involving conveyor belts or other automatic-feeding operations shall be designed to prevent static accumulations.
5705.3 Use, dispensing and mixing inside of buildings.
Indoor use, dispensing and mixing of flammable and combustible liquids shall be in accordance with Section 5705.2 and Sections 5705.3.1 through 5705.3.5.3.
5705.3.1 Closure of mixing or blending vessels.
Vessels used for mixing or blending of Class I liquids and Class II or III liquids heated up to or above their flash points shall be provided with self-closing, tight-fitting, noncombustible lids that will control a fire within such vessel.
Exception: Where such devices are impractical, approved automatic or manually controlled fire-extinguishing devices shall be provided.
Where differences of potential could be created, vessels containing Class I liquids or liquids handled at or above their flash points shall be electrically connected by bond wires, ground cables, piping or similar means to a static grounding system to maintain equipment at the same electrical potential to prevent sparking.
5705.3.3 Heating, lighting and cooking appliances.
Heating, lighting and cooking appliances that utilize Class I liquids shall not be operated within a building or structure.
Exception: Operation in single-family dwellings.
5705.3.4 Location of processing vessels.
Processing vessels shall be located with respect to distances to lot lines of adjoining property that can be built on, in accordance with Tables 5705.3.4(1) and 5705.3.4(2).
Exception: Where the exterior wall facing the adjoining lot line is a blank wall having a fire-resistance rating of not less than 4 hours, the fire code official is authorized to modify the distances. The distance shall be not less than that set forth in the International Building Code, and where Class IA or unstable liquids are involved, explosion control shall be provided in accordance with Section 911.
a.Where protection of exposures by a public fire department or private fire brigade capable of providing cooling water streams on structures is not provided, distances shall be doubled.
5705.3.5 Quantity limits for use.
Liquid use quantity limitations shall comply with Sections 5705.3.5.1 through 5705.3.5.3.
5705.3.5.1 Maximum allowable quantity per control area.
Indoor use, dispensing and mixing of flammable and combustible liquids shall not exceed the maximum allowable quantity per control area indicated in Table 5003.1.1(1) and shall not exceed the additional limitations set forth in Section 5705.3.5.
Exception: Cleaning with Class I, II and IIIA liquids shall be in accordance with Section 5705.3.6.
Use of hazardous production material flammable and combustible liquids in Group H-5 occupancies shall be in accordance with Chapter 27.
Exception: Cleaning with Class I, II, or IIIA liquids shall be in accordance with Section 5705.3.6.
3.Group E occupancies: Quantities in Group E occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, treatment, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
4.Group F occupancies: Quantities in dining, office and school uses within Group F occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
6.Group M occupancies: Quantities in dining, office and school uses within Group M occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment, and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
8.Group S occupancies: Quantities in dining and office uses within Group S occupancies shall not exceed that necessary for demonstration, laboratory work, maintenance purposes and operation of equipment and shall not exceed quantities set forth in Table 5003.1.1(1).
5705.3.5.3 Quantities exceeding limits for control areas.
1.For open systems, indoor use, dispensing and mixing of flammable and combustible liquids shall be within a room or building complying with the International Building Code and Sections 5705.3.7.1 through 5705.3.7.5.
2.For closed systems, indoor use, dispensing and mixing of flammable and combustible liquids shall be within a room or building complying with the International Building Code and Sections 5705.3.7 through 5705.3.7.4 and Section 5705.3.7.6.
5705.3.6 Cleaning with flammable and combustible liquids.
Cleaning with Class I, II and IIIA liquids shall be in accordance with Sections 5705.3.6.1 through 5705.3.6.2.7.
1.Dry cleaning shall be in accordance with Chapter 21.
2.Spray-nozzle cleaning shall be in accordance with Section 2403.3.5.
2.In a parts cleaner listed, labeled and approved for the purpose in accordance with Section 5705.3.6.2.
Exception: Materials used in commercial and industrial process-related cleaning operations in accordance with other provisions of this code and not involving facilities maintenance cleaning operations.
5705.3.6.2 Listed and approved machines.
Parts cleaning and degreasing conducted in listed and approved machines in accordance with Section 5705.3.6.1 shall be in accordance with Sections 5705.3.6.2.1 through 5705.3.6.2.7.
Solvents shall be classified and shall be compatible with the machines within which they are used.
The quantity of solvent shall not exceed the listed design capacity of the machine for the solvent being used with the machine.
1.Machines without remote solvent reservoirs shall be limited to quantities set forth in Section 5705.3.5.
2.Machines with remote solvent reservoirs using Class I liquids shall be limited to quantities set forth in Section 5705.3.5.
3.Machines with remote solvent reservoirs using Class II liquids shall be limited to 35 gallons (132 L) per machine. The total quantities shall not exceed an aggregate of 240 gallons (908 L) per control area in buildings not equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system and an aggregate of 480 gallons (1817 L) per control area in buildings equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1.
4.Machines with remote solvent reservoirs using Class IIIA liquids shall be limited to 80 gallons (303 L) per machine.
5705.3.6.2.4 Immersion soaking of parts.
Work areas of machines with remote solvent reservoirs shall not be used for immersion soaking of parts.
Multiple machines shall be separated from each other by a distance of not less than 30 feet (9144 mm) or by a fire barrier with a minimum 1-hour fire-resistance rating.
Machines shall be located in areas adequately ventilated to prevent accumulation of vapors.
Machines shall be installed in accordance with their listings.
5705.3.7 Rooms or buildings for quantities exceeding the maximum allowable quantity per control area.
Where required by Section 5705.3.5.3 or 5705.3.6.1, rooms or buildings used for the use, dispensing or mixing of flammable and combustible liquids in quantities exceeding the maximum allowable quantity per control area shall be in accordance with Sections 5705.3.7.1 through 5705.3.7.6.3.
5705.3.7.1 Construction, location and fire protection.
Rooms or buildings classified in accordance with the International Building Code as Group H-2 or H-3 occupancies based on use, dispensing or mixing of flammable or combustible liquids shall be constructed in accordance with the International Building Code.
In rooms or buildings classified in accordance with the International Building Code as Group H-2 or H-3, dispensing or mixing of flammable or combustible liquids shall not be conducted in basements.
Rooms or buildings classified in accordance with the International Building Code as Group H-2 or H-3 occupancies shall be equipped with an approved automatic fire-extinguishing system in accordance with Chapter 9.
Interior doors to rooms or portions of such buildings shall be self-closing fire doors in accordance with the International Building Code.
Use, dispensing and mixing of flammable and combustible liquids in open systems shall be in accordance with Sections 5705.3.7.5.1 through 5705.3.7.5.3.
Continuous mechanical ventilation shall be provided at a rate of not less than 1 cfm per square foot [0.00508 m3/(s · m2)] of floor area over the design area. Provisions shall be made for introduction of makeup air in such a manner to include all floor areas or pits where vapors can collect. Local or spot ventilation shall be provided where needed to prevent the accumulation of hazardous vapors. Ventilation system design shall comply with the International Building Code and International Mechanical Code.
Explosion control shall be provided in accordance with Section 911.
5705.3.7.5.3 Spill control and secondary containment.
Spill control shall be provided in accordance with Section 5703.4 where Class I, II or IIIA liquids are dispensed into containers exceeding a 1.3-gallon (5 L) capacity or mixed or used in open containers or systems exceeding a 5.3-gallon (20 L) capacity. Spill control and secondary containment shall be provided in accordance with Section 5703.4 where the capacity of an individual container exceeds 55 gallons (208 L) or the aggregate capacity of multiple containers or tanks exceeds 100 gallons (378.5 L).
Use or mixing of flammable or combustible liquids in closed systems shall be in accordance with Sections 5705.3.7.6.1 through 5705.3.7.6.3.
Closed systems designed to be opened as part of normal operations shall be provided with ventilation in accordance with Section 5705.3.7.5.1.
Explosion control shall be provided where an explosive environment can occur as a result of the mixing or use process. Explosion control shall be designed in accordance with Section 911.
Exception: Where process vessels are designed to contain fully the worst-case explosion anticipated within the vessel under process conditions considering the most likely failure.
5705.3.7.6.3 Spill control and secondary containment.
Spill control shall be provided in accordance with Section 5703.4 where flammable or combustible liquids are dispensed into containers exceeding a 1.3-gallon (5 L) capacity or mixed or used in open containers or systems exceeding a 5.3-gallon (20 L) capacity. Spill control and secondary containment shall be provided in accordance with Section 5703.4 where the capacity of an individual container exceeds 55 gallons (208 L) or the aggregate capacity of multiple containers or tanks exceeds 1,000 gallons (3785 L).
5705.3.8 Use, dispensing and handling outside of buildings.
Outside use, dispensing and handling shall be in accordance with Sections 5705.3.8.1 through 5705.3.8.4.
Dispensing of liquids into motor vehicle fuel tanks at motor fuel-dispensing facilities shall be in accordance with Chapter 23.
Outside use, dispensing and handling areas shall be provided with spill control as set forth in Section 5703.4.
Dispensing activities that exceed the quantities set forth in Table 5705.3.8.2 shall not be conducted within 15 feet (4572 mm) of buildings or combustible materials or within 25 feet (7620 mm) of building openings, lot lines, public streets, public alleys or public ways. Dispensing activities that exceed the quantities set forth in Table 5705.3.8.2 shall not be conducted within 15 feet (4572 mm) of storage of Class I, II or III liquids unless such liquids are stored in tanks that are listed and labeled as 2-hour protected tank assemblies in accordance with UL 2085.
1.The requirements shall not apply to areas where only the following are dispensed: Class III liquids; liquids that are heavier than water; water-miscible liquids; and liquids with viscosities greater than 10,000 centipoise (cp) (10 Pa • s).
2.Flammable and combustible liquid dispensing in refineries, chemical plants, process facilities, gas and crude oil production facilities and oil-blending and packaging facilities, terminals and bulk plants.
a.For definition of “Outdoor Control Area,” see Section 5002.1.
b.The fire code official is authorized to impose special conditions regarding locations, types of containers, dispensing units, fire control measures and other factors involving fire safety.
c.Containing not more than the maximum allowable quantity per control area of each individual class.
5705.3.8.3 Location of processing vessels.
Processing vessels shall be located with respect to distances to lot lines that can be built on in accordance with Table 5705.3.4(1).
Exception: In refineries and distilleries.
Weather protection for outdoor use shall be in accordance with Section 5005.3.9.
Solvent distillation units shall comply with Sections 5705.4.1 through 5705.4.9.
5705.4.1 Unit with a capacity of 60 gallons or less.
Solvent distillation units used to recycle Class I, II or IIIA liquids having a distillation chamber capacity of 60 gallons (227 L) or less shall be listed, labeled and installed in accordance with Section 5705.4 and UL 2208.
1.Solvent distillation units used in continuous through-put industrial processes where the source of heat is remotely supplied using steam, hot water, oil or other heat transfer fluids, the temperature of which is below the auto-ignition point of the solvent.
2.Approved research, testing and experimental processes.
5705.4.2 Units with a capacity exceeding 60 gallons.
Solvent distillation units used to recycle Class I, II or IIIA liquids, having a distillation chamber capacity exceeding 60 gallons (227 L) shall be used in locations that comply with the use and mixing requirements of Section 5705 and other applicable provisions in this chapter.
Class I, II and IIIA liquids that are also classified as unstable (reactive) shall not be processed in solvent distillation units.
Exception: Appliances listed for the distillation of unstable (reactive) solvents.
A permanent label shall be affixed to the unit by the manufacturer. The label shall indicate the capacity of the distillation chamber, and the distance the unit shall be placed away from sources of ignition. The label shall indicate the products for which the unit has been listed for use or refer to the instruction manual for a list of the products.
An instruction manual shall be provided. The manual shall be readily available for the user and the fire code official. The manual shall include installation, use and servicing instructions. It shall identify the liquids for which the unit has been listed for distillation purposes along with each liquid’s flash point and auto-ignition temperature. For units with adjustable controls, the manual shall include directions for setting the heater temperature for each liquid to be instilled.
Solvent distillation units shall be used in locations in accordance with the listing. Solvent distillation units shall not be used in basements.
Distilled liquids and liquids awaiting distillation shall be stored in accordance with Section 5704.
Hazardous residue from the distillation process shall be stored in accordance with Section 5704 and Chapter 50.
Approved portable fire extinguishers shall be provided in accordance with Section 906. Not less than one portable fire extinguisher having a rating of not less than 40-B shall be located not less than 10 feet (3048 mm) or more than 30 feet (9144 mm) from any solvent distillation unit.
5705.5 Alcohol-based hand rubs classified as Class I or II liquids.
1.The maximum capacity of each dispenser shall be 68 ounces (2 L).
2.The minimum separation between dispensers shall be 48 inches (1219 mm).
3.The dispensers shall not be installed above, below, or closer than 1 inch (25 mm) to an electrical receptacle, switch, appliance, device or other ignition source. The wall space between the dispenser and the floor or intervening counter top shall be free of electrical receptacles, switches, appliances, devices or other ignition sources.
4.Dispensers shall be mounted so that the bottom of the dispenser is not less than 42 inches (1067 mm) and not more than 48 inches (1219 mm) above the finished floor.
5.1.The facility or persons responsible for the dispensers shall test the dispensers each time a new refill is installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s care and use instructions.
5.2.1. Any activations of the dispenser shall only occur when an object is placed within 4 inches (98 mm) of the sensing device.
5.2.2. The dispenser shall not dispense more than the amount required for hand hygiene consistent with label instructions as regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).
5.2.3. An object placed within the activation zone and left in place will cause only one activation.
6.Storage and use of alcohol-based hand rubs shall be in accordance with the applicable provisions of Sections 5704 and 5705.
7.Dispensers installed in occupancies with carpeted floors shall only be allowed in smoke compartments or fire areas equipped throughout with an approved automatic sprinkler system in accordance with Section 903.3.1.1 or 903.3.1.2.
1.Level 2 and 3 aerosol containers shall not be allowed in corridors.
2.The maximum capacity of each Class I or II liquid dispenser shall be 41 ounces (1.21 L) and the maximum capacity of each Level 1 aerosol dispenser shall be 18 ounces (0.51 kg).
3.The maximum quantity allowed in a corridor within a control area shall be 10 gallons (37.85 L) of Class I or II liquids or 1135 ounces (32.2 kg) of Level 1 aerosols, or a combination of Class I or II liquids and Level 1 aerosols not to exceed, in total, the equivalent of 10 gallons (37.85 L) or 1,135 ounces (32.2 kg) such that the sum of the ratios of the liquid and aerosol quantities divided by the allowable quantity of liquids and aerosols, respectively, shall not exceed one.
4.The minimum corridor width shall be 72 inches (1829 mm).
5.Projections into a corridor shall be in accordance with Section 1003.3.3.
This section shall cover the provisions for special operations that include, but are not limited to, storage, use, dispensing, mixing or handling of flammable and combustible liquids. The following special operations shall be in accordance with Sections 5701, 5703, 5704 and 5705, except as provided in Section 5706.
1.Storage and dispensing of flammable and combustible liquids on farms and construction sites.
4.Bulk transfer and process transfer operations utilizing tank vehicles and tank cars.
5.Tank vehicles and tank vehicle operation.
7.Vapor recovery and vapor-processing systems.
5706.2 Storage and dispensing of flammable and combustible liquids on farms and construction sites.
Permanent and temporary storage and dispensing of Class I and II liquids for private use on farms and rural areas and at construction sites, earth-moving projects, gravel pits or borrow pits shall be in accordance with Sections 5706.2.1 through 5706.2.8.1.
Exception: Storage and use of fuel oil and containers connected with oil-burning equipment regulated by Section 603 and the International Mechanical Code.
5706.2.1 Combustibles and open flames near tanks.
Storage areas shall be kept free from weeds and extraneous combustible material. Open flames and smoking are prohibited in flammable or combustible liquid storage areas.
5706.2.2 Marking of tanks and containers.
Tanks and containers for the storage of liquids above ground shall be conspicuously marked with the name of the product that they contain and the words: FLAMMABLE—KEEP FIRE AND FLAME AWAY. Tanks shall bear the additional marking: KEEP 50 FEET FROM BUILDINGS.
5706.2.3 Containers for storage and use.
Metal containers used for storage of Class I or II liquids shall be in accordance with DOTn requirements or shall be of an approved design.
Discharge devices shall be of a type that do not develop an internal pressure on the container. Pumping devices or approved self-closing faucets used for dispensing liquids shall not leak and shall be well-maintained. Individual containers shall not be interconnected and shall be kept closed when not in use.
Containers stored outside of buildings shall be in accordance with Section 5704 and the International Building Code.
5706.2.4 Permanent and temporary tanks.
The capacity of permanent above-ground tanks containing Class I or II liquids shall not exceed 1,100 gallons (4164 L). The capacity of temporary above-ground tanks containing Class I or II liquids shall not exceed 10,000 gallons (37 854 L). Tanks shall be of the single-compartment design.
Exception: Permanent above-ground tanks of greater capacity that meet the requirements of Section 5704.2.
Fill openings shall be equipped with a locking closure device. Fill openings shall be separate from vent openings.
Tanks shall be provided with a method of normal and emergency venting. Normal vents shall be in accordance with Section 5704.2.7.3.
Emergency vents shall be in accordance with Section 5704.2.7.4. Emergency vents shall be arranged to discharge in a manner that prevents localized overheating or flame impingement on any part of the tank in the event that vapors from such vents are ignited.
Tanks containing Class I or II liquids shall be kept outside and not less than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from buildings and combustible storage. Additional distance shall be provided where necessary to ensure that vehicles, equipment and containers being filled directly from such tanks will not be less than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from structures, haystacks or other combustible storage.
5706.2.4.4 Locations where above-ground tanks are prohibited.
The storage of Class I and II liquids in above-ground tanks is prohibited within the limits established by law as the limits of districts in which such storage is prohibited (see Section 3 of the Sample Legislation for Adoption of the International Fire Code on page xxi).
Tanks shall be provided with top openings only or shall be elevated for gravity discharge.
5706.2.5.1 Tanks with top openings only.
1.On well-constructed metal legs connected to shoes or runners designed so that the tank is stabilized and the entire tank and its supports can be moved as a unit.
2.For stationary tanks, on a stable base of timbers or blocks approximately 6 inches (152 mm) in height that prevents the tank from contacting the ground.
Tanks with top openings only shall be equipped with a tightly and permanently attached, approved pumping device having an approved hose of sufficient length for filling vehicles, equipment or containers to be served from the tank. Either the pump or the hose shall be equipped with a padlock to its hanger to prevent tampering. An effective antisiphoning device shall be included in the pump discharge unless a self-closing nozzle is provided. Siphons or internal pressure discharge devices shall not be used.
5706.2.5.2 Tanks for gravity discharge.
1.Supports to elevate the tank for gravity discharge shall be designed to carry all required loads and provide stability.
2.Bottom or end openings for gravity discharge shall be equipped with a valve located adjacent to the tank shell that will close automatically in the event of fire through the operation of an effective heat-activated releasing device. Where this valve cannot be operated manually, it shall be supplemented by a second, manually operated valve.
The gravity discharge outlet shall be provided with an approved hose equipped with a self-closing valve at the discharge end of a type that can be padlocked to its hanger.
5706.2.6 Spill control drainage control and diking.
Indoor storage and dispensing areas shall be provided with spill control and drainage control as set forth in Section 5703.4. Outdoor storage areas shall be provided with drainage control or diking as set forth in Section 5704.2.10.
Portable fire extinguishers with a minimum rating of 20-B:C and complying with Section 906 shall be provided where required by the fire code official.
5706.2.8 Dispensing from tank vehicles.
1.The tank vehicle’s specific function is that of supplying fuel to motor vehicle fuel tanks.
2.The dispensing hose does not exceed 100 feet (30 480 mm) in length.
3.The dispensing nozzle is an approved type.
4.The dispensing hose is properly placed on an approved reel or in a compartment provided before the tank vehicle is moved.
5.Signs prohibiting smoking or open flames within 25 feet (7620 mm) of the vehicle or the point of refueling are prominently posted on the tank vehicle.
6.Electrical devices and wiring in areas where fuel dispensing is conducted are in accordance with NFPA 70.
7.Tank vehicle-dispensing equipment is operated only by designated personnel who are trained to handle and dispense motor fuels.
8.Provisions are made for controlling and mitigating unauthorized discharges.
Dispensing from tank vehicles shall be conducted not less than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from structures or combustible storage.
5706.3 Well drilling and operating.
Wells for oil and natural gas shall be drilled and operated in accordance with Sections 5706.3.1 through 5706.3.8.
The location of wells shall comply with Sections 5706.3.1.1 through 5706.3.1.3.2.
5706.3.1.1 Storage tanks and sources of ignition.
Storage tanks or boilers, fired heaters, open-flame devices or other sources of ignition shall not be located within 25 feet (7620 mm) of well heads. Smoking is prohibited at wells or tank locations except as designated and in approved posted areas.
Exception: Engines used in the drilling, production and serving of wells.
Wells shall not be drilled within 75 feet (22 860 mm) of any dedicated public street, highway or nearest rail of an operating railway.
Wells shall not be drilled within 100 feet (30 480 mm) of buildings not necessary to the operation of the well.
5706.3.1.3.1 Group A, E or I buildings.
Wells shall not be drilled within 300 feet (91 440 mm) of buildings with an occupancy in Group A, E or I.
Where wells are existing, buildings shall not be constructed within the distances set forth in Section 5706.3.1 for separation of wells or buildings.
Control of waste materials associated with wells shall comply with Sections 5706.3.2.1 and 5706.3.2.2.
5706.3.2.1 Discharge on a street or water channel.
Liquids containing crude petroleum or its products shall not be discharged into or on streets, highways, drainage canals or ditches, storm drains or flood control channels.
5706.3.2.2 Discharge and combustible materials on ground.
The surface of the ground under, around or near wells, pumps, boilers, oil storage tanks or buildings shall be kept free from oil, waste oil, refuse or waste material.
Sumps associated with wells shall comply with Sections 5706.3.3.1 through 5706.3.3.3.
Sumps or other basins for the retention of oil or petroleum products shall not exceed 12 feet (3658 mm) in width.
Sumps or other basins for the retention of oil or petroleum products larger than 6 feet by 6 feet by 6 feet (1829 mm by 1829 mm by 1829 mm) shall not be maintained longer than 60 days after the cessation of drilling operations.
Sumps, diversion ditches and depressions used as sumps shall be securely fenced or covered.
Protection shall be provided to control and prevent the blowout of a well. Protection equipment shall meet federal, state and other applicable jurisdiction requirements.
Storage of flammable or combustible liquids in tanks shall be in accordance with Section 5704. Oil storage tanks or groups of tanks shall have posted in a conspicuous place, on or near such tank or tanks, an approved sign with the name of the owner or operator, or the lease number and the telephone number where a responsible person can be reached at any time.
Where soundproofing material is required during oil field operations, such material shall be noncombustible.
Well locations shall have posted in a conspicuous place on or near such tank or tanks an approved sign with the name of the owner or operator, name of the leasee or the lease number, the well number and the telephone number where a responsible person can be reached at any time. Such signs shall be maintained on the premises from the time materials are delivered for drilling purposes until the well is abandoned.
Field-loading racks shall be in accordance with Section 5706.5.
5706.4 Bulk plants or terminals.
Portions of properties where flammable and combustible liquids are received by tank vessels, pipelines, tank cars or tank vehicles and stored or blended in bulk for the purpose of distribution by tank vessels, pipelines, tanks cars, tank vehicles or containers shall be in accordance with Sections 5706.4.1 through 5706.4.10.4.
Buildings shall be constructed in accordance with the International Building Code.
Rooms in which liquids are stored, used or transferred by pumps shall have means of egress arranged to prevent occupants from being trapped in the event of fire.
Rooms in which Class I liquids are stored or used shall be heated only by means not constituting a source of ignition, such as steam or hot water. Rooms containing heating appliances involving sources of ignition shall be located and arranged to prevent entry of flammable vapors.
Ventilation shall be provided for rooms, buildings and enclosures in which Class I liquids are pumped, used or transferred. Design of ventilation systems shall consider the relatively high specific gravity of the vapors. Where natural ventilation is used, adequate openings in outside walls at floor level, unobstructed except by louvers or coarse screens, shall be provided. Where natural ventilation is inadequate, mechanical ventilation shall be provided in accordance with the International Mechanical Code.
5706.4.4.2 Dispensing of Class I liquids.
Storage of Class I, II and IIIA liquids in bulk plants shall be in accordance with the applicable provisions of Section 5704.
5706.4.6 Overfill protection of Class I and II liquids.
Manual and automatic systems shall be provided to prevent overfill during the transfer of Class I and II liquids from mainline pipelines and marine vessels in accordance with API 2350.
This section shall apply to all wharves, piers, bulkheads and other structures over or contiguous to navigable water having a primary function of transferring liquid cargo in bulk between shore installations and tank vessels, ships, barges, lighter boats or other mobile floating craft.
Exception: Marine motor fuel-dispensing facilities in accordance with Chapter 23.
Handling packaged cargo of liquids, including full and empty drums, bulk fuel and stores, over a wharf during cargo transfer shall be subject to the approval of the wharf supervisor and the senior deck officer on duty.
Wharves at which liquid cargoes are to be transferred in bulk quantities to or from tank vessels shall be not less than 100 feet (30 480 mm) from any bridge over a navigable waterway; or from an entrance to, or superstructure of, any vehicular or railroad tunnel under a waterway. The termination of the fixed piping used for loading or unloading at a wharf shall be not less than 200 feet (60 960 mm) from a bridge or from an entrance to, or superstructures of, a tunnel.
5706.4.7.3 Superstructure and decking material.
Superstructure and decking shall be designed for the intended use. Decking shall be constructed of materials that will afford the desired combination of flexibility, resistance to shock, durability, strength and fire resistance.
Tanks used exclusively for ballast water or Class II or III liquids are allowed to be installed on suitably designed wharves.
Loading pumps capable of building up pressures in excess of the safe working pressure of cargo hose or loading arms shall be provided with bypasses, relief valves or other arrangements to protect the loading facilities against excessive pressure. Relief devices shall be tested not less than annually to determine that they function satisfactorily at their set pressure.
5706.4.7.6 Piping, valves and fittings.
1.Flexibility of piping shall be ensured by appropriate layout and arrangement of piping supports so that motion of the wharf structure resulting from wave action, currents, tides or the mooring of vessels will not subject the pipe to repeated excessive strain.
2.Pipe joints that depend on the friction characteristics of combustible materials or on the grooving of pipe ends for mechanical continuity of piping shall not be used.
3.Swivel joints are allowed in piping to which hoses are connected and for articulated, swivel-joint transfer systems, provided the design is such that the mechanical strength of the joint will not be impaired if the packing materials fail such as by exposure to fire.
4.Each line conveying Class I or II liquids leading to a wharf shall be provided with a readily accessible block valve located on shore near the approach to the wharf and outside of any diked area. Where more than one line is involved, the valves shall be grouped in one location.
5.Means shall be provided for easy access to cargo line valves located below the wharf deck.
6.Piping systems shall contain a sufficient number of valves to operate the system properly and to control the flow of liquid in normal operation and in the event of physical damage.
7.Piping on wharves shall be bonded and grounded where Class I and II liquids are transported. Where excessive stray currents are encountered, insulating joints shall be installed. Bonding and grounding connections on piping shall be located on the wharf side of hose riser insulating flanges, where used, and shall be accessible for inspection.
8.Hose or articulated swivel-joint pipe connections used for cargo transfer shall be capable of accommodating the combined effects of change in draft and maximum tidal range, and mooring lines shall be kept adjusted to prevent surge of the vessel from placing stress on the cargo transfer system.
9.Hoses shall be supported to avoid kinking and damage from chafing.
Loading or discharging shall not commence until the wharf superintendent and officer in charge of the tank vessel agree that the tank vessel is properly moored and connections are properly made.
Mechanical work shall not be performed on the wharf during cargo transfer, except under special authorization by the fire code official based on a review of the area involved, methods to be employed and precautions necessary.
Class I, II or IIIA liquids shall not be used, drawn or dispensed where flammable vapors can reach a source of ignition. Smoking shall be prohibited except in designated locations. “No Smoking” signs complying with Section 310 shall be conspicuously posted where a hazard from flammable vapors is normally present.
Loading and unloading areas shall be provided with drainage control in accordance with Section 5704.2.10.
Fire protection shall be in accordance with Chapter 9 and Sections 5706.4.10.1 through 5706.4.10.4.
Portable fire extinguishers with a rating of not less than 20-B and complying with Section 906 shall be located within 75 feet (22 860 mm) of hose connections, pumps and separator tanks.
Where piped water is available, ready-connected fire hose in a size appropriate for the water supply shall be provided in accordance with Section 905 so that manifolds where connections are made and broken can be reached by not less than one hose stream.
Material shall not be placed on wharves in such a manner that would obstruct access to fire-fighting equipment or important pipeline control valves.
Where the wharf is accessible to vehicular traffic, an unobstructed fire apparatus access road to the shore end of the wharf shall be maintained in accordance with Chapter 5.
5706.5 Bulk transfer and process transfer operations.
Bulk transfer and process transfer operations shall be approved and be in accordance with Sections 5706.5.1 through 5706.5.4.5. Motor fuel-dispensing facilities shall comply with Chapter 23.
The provisions of Sections 5706.5.1.1 through 5706.5.1.18 shall apply to bulk transfer and process transfer operations; Sections 5706.5.2 and 5706.5.2.1 shall apply to bulk transfer operations; Sections 5706.5.3 through 5706.5.3.3 shall apply to process transfer operations and Sections 5706.5.4 through 5706.5.4.5 shall apply to dispensing from tank vehicles and tank cars.
Bulk transfer and process transfer operations shall be conducted in approved locations. Tank cars shall be unloaded only on private sidings or railroad-siding facilities equipped for transferring flammable or combustible liquids. Tank vehicle and tank car transfer facilities shall be separated from buildings, above-ground tanks, combustible materials, lot lines, public streets, public alleys or public ways by a distance of 25 feet (7620 mm) for Class I liquids and 15 feet (4572 mm) for Class II and III liquids measured from the nearest position of any loading or unloading valve. Buildings for pumps or shelters for personnel shall be considered part of the transfer facility.
Where weather protection canopies are provided, they shall be constructed in accordance with Section 5004.13. Weather protection canopies shall not be located within 15 feet (4572 mm) of a building or combustible material or within 25 feet (7620 mm) of building openings, lot lines, public streets, public alleys or public ways.
Ventilation shall be provided to prevent accumulation of vapors in accordance with Section 5705.3.7.5.1.
Sources of ignition shall be controlled or eliminated in accordance with Section 5003.7.
5706.5.1.5 Spill control and secondary containment.
Areas where transfer operations are located shall be provided with spill control and secondary containment in accordance with Section 5703.4. The spill control and secondary containment system shall have a design capacity capable of containing the capacity of the largest tank compartment located in the area where transfer operations are conducted. Containment of the rainfall volume specified in Section 5004.2.2.6 is not required.
Fire protection shall be in accordance with Section 5703.2.
Static protection shall be provided to prevent the accumulation of static charges during transfer operations. Bonding facilities shall be provided during the transfer through open domes where Class I liquids are transferred, or where Class II and III liquids are transferred into tank vehicles or tank cars that could contain vapors from previous cargoes of Class I liquids.
Protection shall consist of a metallic bond wire permanently electrically connected to the fill stem. The fill pipe assembly shall form a continuous electrically conductive path downstream from the point of bonding. The free end of such bond wire shall be provided with a clamp or equivalent device for convenient attachment to a metallic part in electrical contact with the cargo tank of the tank vehicle or tank car. For tank vehicles, protection shall consist of a flexible bond wire of adequate strength for the intended service and the electrical resistance shall not exceed 1 megohm. For tank cars, bonding shall be provided where the resistance of a tank car to ground through the rails is 25 ohms or greater.
Such bonding connection shall be fastened to the vehicle, car or tank before dome covers are raised and shall remain in place until filling is complete and all dome covers have been closed and secured.
1.Where vehicles and cars are loaded exclusively with products not having a static-accumulating tendency, such as asphalt, cutback asphalt, most crude oils, residual oils and water-miscible liquids.
2.Where Class I liquids are not handled at the transfer facility and the tank vehicles are used exclusively for Class II and III liquids.
3.Where vehicles and cars are loaded or unloaded through closed top or bottom connections whether the hose is conductive or nonconductive.
Filling through open domes into the tanks of tank vehicles or tank cars that contain vapor-air mixtures within the flammable range, or where the liquid being filled can form such a mixture, shall be by means of a downspout which extends to near the bottom of the tank.
Tank car loading facilities where Class I, II or IIIA liquids are transferred through open domes shall be protected against stray currents by permanently bonding the pipe to not less than one rail and to the transfer apparatus. Multiple pipes entering the transfer areas shall be permanently electrically bonded together. In areas where excessive stray currents are known to exist, all pipes entering the transfer area shall be provided with insulating sections to isolate electrically the transfer apparatus from the pipelines.
When top loading a tank vehicle with Class I and II liquids without vapor control, valves used for the final control of flow shall be of the self-closing type and shall be manually held open except where automatic means are provided for shutting off the flow when the tank is full. Where used, automatic shutoff systems shall be provided with a manual shutoff valve located at a safe distance from the loading nozzle to stop the flow if the automatic system fails.
When top loading a tank vehicle with vapor control, flow control shall be in accordance with Section 5706.5.1.10. Self-closing valves shall not be tied or locked in the open position.
When bottom loading a tank vehicle or tank car with or without vapor control, a positive means shall be provided for loading a predetermined quantity of liquid, together with an automatic secondary shutoff control to prevent overfill. The connecting components between the transfer equipment and the tank vehicle or tank car required to operate the secondary control shall be functionally compatible.
When bottom loading a tank vehicle, the coupling between the liquid loading hose or pipe and the truck piping shall be a dry disconnect coupling.
When bottom loading a tank vehicle or tank car that is equipped for vapor control and vapor control is not used, the tank shall be vented to the atmosphere to prevent pressurization of the tank. Such venting shall be at a height equal to or greater than the top of the cargo tank.
Connections to the plant vapor control system shall be designed to prevent the escape of vapor to the atmosphere when not connected to a tank vehicle or tank car.
Vapor-processing equipment shall be separated from above-ground tanks, warehouses, other plant buildings, transfer facilities or nearest lot line of adjoining property that can be built on by a distance of not less than 25 feet (7620 mm). Vapor-processing equipment shall be protected from physical damage by remote location, guard rails, curbs or fencing.
Tank vehicles or tank cars that have previously contained Class I liquids shall not be loaded with Class II or III liquids until such vehicles and all piping, pumps, hoses and meters connected thereto have been completely drained and flushed.
Where provided, loading racks, stairways or platforms shall be constructed of noncombustible materials. Buildings for pumps or for shelter of loading personnel are allowed to be part of the loading rack. Wiring and electrical equipment located within 25 feet (7620 mm) of any portion of the loading rack shall be in accordance with Section 5703.1.1.
Bulk and process transfer apparatus shall be of an approved type.
Tank vehicles and tank cars shall not be located inside a building while transferring Class I, II or IIIA liquids, unless approved by the fire code official.
Exception: Tank vehicles are allowed under weather protection canopies and canopies of automobile motor vehicle fuel-dispensing stations.
5706.5.1.15 Tank vehicle and tank car certification.
Certification shall be maintained for tank vehicles and tank cars in accordance with DOTn 49 CFR Parts 100-185.
5706.5.1.16 Tank vehicle and tank car stability.
Tank vehicles and tank cars shall be stabilized against movement during loading and unloading in accordance with Sections 5706.5.1.16.1 through 5706.5.1.16.3.
When the vehicle is parked for loading or unloading, the cargo trailer portion of the tank vehicle shall be secured in a manner that will prevent unintentional movement.
Not less than two chock blocks not less than 5 inches by 5 inches by 12 inches (127 mm by 127 mm by 305 mm) in size and dished to fit the contour of the tires shall be used during transfer operations of tank vehicles.
Brakes shall be set and the wheels shall be blocked to prevent rolling.
Transfer operations shall be monitored by an approved monitoring system or by an attendant. Where monitoring is by an attendant, the operator or other competent person shall be present at all times.
Transfer operations shall be surrounded by a noncombustible fence not less than 5 feet (1524 mm) in height. Tank vehicles and tank cars shall not be loaded or unloaded unless such vehicles are entirely within the fenced area.
1.Motor fuel-dispensing facilities complying with Chapter 23.
2.Installations where adequate public safety exists because of isolation, natural barriers or other factors as determined appropriate by the fire code official.
3.Facilities or properties that are entirely enclosed or protected from entry.
Bulk transfer shall be in accordance with Sections 5706.5.1 and 5706.5.2.1.
Motors of tank vehicles or tank cars shall be shut off during the making and breaking of hose connections and during the unloading operation.
Exception: Where unloading is performed with a pump deriving its power from the tank vehicle motor.
Process transfer shall be in accordance with Section 5706.5.1 and Sections 5706.5.3.1 through 5706.5.3.3.
5706.5.3.1 Piping, valves, hoses and fittings.
Piping, valves, hoses and fittings that are not a part of the tank vehicle or tank car shall be in accordance with Section 5703.6. Caps or plugs that prevent leakage or spillage shall be provided at all points of connection to transfer piping.
Approved automatically or manually activated shutoff valves shall be provided where the transfer hose connects to the process piping, and on both sides of any exterior fire-resistance-rated wall through which the piping passes. Manual shutoff valves shall be arranged so that they are accessible from grade. Valves shall not be locked in the open position.
Hydrostatic pressure-limiting or relief devices shall be provided where pressure buildup in trapped sections of the system could exceed the design pressure of the components of the system.
Devices shall relieve to other portions of the system or to another approved location.
Antisiphon valves shall be provided where the system design would allow siphonage.
Normal and emergency vents shall be maintained operable at all times.
Exception: When unloading is performed with a pump deriving its power from the tank vehicle motor.
5706.5.4 Dispensing from tank vehicles and tank cars.
Dispensing from tank vehicles and tank cars into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles shall be prohibited unless allowed by and conducted in accordance with Sections 5706.5.4.1 through 5706.5.4.5.
5706.5.4.1 Marine craft and special equipment.
1.The tank vehicle’s specific function is that of supplying fuel to fuel tanks.
2.The operation is not performed where the public has access or where there is unusual exposure to life and property.
3.The dispensing line does not exceed 50 feet (15 240 mm) in length.
4.The dispensing nozzle is approved.
Where approved by the fire code official, dispensing of motor vehicle fuel from tank vehicles into the fuel tanks of motor vehicles is allowed during emergencies. Dispensing from tank vehicles shall be in accordance with Sections 5706.2.8 and 5706.6.
Transfer of liquids from tank vehicles to the fuel tanks of aircraft shall be in accordance with Chapter 20.
5706.5.4.4 Fueling of vehicles at farms, construction sites and similar areas.
Transfer of liquid from tank vehicles to motor vehicles for private use on farms and rural areas and at construction sites, earth-moving projects, gravel pits and borrow pits is allowed in accordance with Section 5706.2.8.
5706.5.4.5 Commercial, industrial, governmental or manufacturing.
1.Dispensing shall occur only at sites that have been issued a permit to conduct mobile fueling.
2.The owner of a mobile fueling operation shall provide to the jurisdiction a written response plan which demonstrates readiness to respond to a fuel spill and carry out appropriate mitigation measures, and describes the process to dispose properly of contaminated materials.
3.A detailed site plan shall be submitted with each application for a permit. The site plan shall indicate: all buildings, structures and appurtenances on site and their use or function; all uses adjacent to the lot lines of the site; the locations of all storm drain openings, adjacent waterways or wetlands; information regarding slope, natural drainage, curbing, impounding and how a spill will be retained upon the site property; and the scale of the site plan.
Provisions shall be made to prevent liquids spilled during dispensing operations from flowing into buildings or off-site. Acceptable methods include, but shall not be limited to, grading driveways, raising doorsills or other approved means.
4.The fire code official is allowed to impose limits on the times and days during which mobile fueling operations is allowed to take place, and specific locations on a site where fueling is permitted.
5.Mobile fueling operations shall be conducted in areas not accessible to the public or shall be limited to times when the public is not present.
6.Mobile fueling shall not take place within 15 feet (4572 mm) of buildings, property lines, combustible storage or storm drains.
1.The distance to storm drains shall not apply where an approved storm drain cover or an approved equivalent that will prevent any fuel from reaching the drain is in place prior to fueling or a fueling hose being placed within 15 feet (4572 mm) of the drain. Where placement of a storm drain cover will cause the accumulation of excessive water or difficulty in conducting the fueling, such cover shall not be used and the fueling shall not take place within 15 feet (4572 mm) of a drain.
2.The distance to storm drains shall not apply for drains that direct influent to approved oil interceptors.
7.The tank vehicle shall comply with the requirements of NFPA 385 and local, state and federal requirements. The tank vehicle’s specific functions shall include that of supplying fuel to motor vehicle fuel tanks. The vehicle and all its equipment shall be maintained in good repair.
8.Signs prohibiting smoking or open flames within 25 feet (7620 mm) of the tank vehicle or the point of fueling shall be prominently posted on three sides of the vehicle including the back and both sides.
9.A portable fire extinguisher with a minimum rating of 40:BC shall be provided on the vehicle with signage clearly indicating its location.
10.The dispensing nozzles and hoses shall be of an approved and listed type.
11.The dispensing hose shall not be extended from the reel more than 100 feet (30 480 mm) in length.
12.Absorbent materials, nonwater-absorbent pads, a 10-foot-long (3048 mm) containment boom, an approved container with lid and a nonmetallic shovel shall be provided to mitigate a minimum 5-gallon (19 L) fuel spill.
13.Tank vehicles shall be equipped with a “fuel limit” switch such as a count-back switch, to limit the amount of a single fueling operation to not more than 500 gallons (1893 L) before resetting the limit switch.
Exception: Tank vehicles where the operator carries and can utilize a remote emergency shutoff device which, when activated, immediately causes flow of fuel from the tank vehicle to cease.
14.Persons responsible for dispensing operations shall be trained in the appropriate mitigating actions in the event of a fire, leak or spill. Training records shall be maintained by the dispensing company.
15.Operators of tank vehicles used for mobile fueling operations shall have in their possession at all times an emergency communications device to notify the proper authorities in the event of an emergency.
16.The tank vehicle dispensing equipment shall be constantly attended and operated only by designated personnel who are trained to handle and dispense motor fuels.
17.Fuel dispensing shall be prohibited within 25 feet (7620 mm) of any source of ignition.
18.The engines of vehicles being fueled shall be shut off during dispensing operations.
19.Nighttime fueling operations shall only take place in adequately lighted areas.
20.The tank vehicle shall be positioned with respect to vehicles being fueled to prevent traffic from driving over the delivery hose.
21.During fueling operations, tank vehicle brakes shall be set, chock blocks shall be in place and warning lights shall be in operation.
22.Motor vehicle fuel tanks shall not be topped off.
23.The dispensing hose shall be properly placed on an approved reel or in an approved compartment prior to moving the tank vehicle.
24.The fire code official and other appropriate authorities shall be notified when a reportable spill or unauthorized discharge occurs.
25.Operators shall place a drip pan or an absorbent pillow under each fuel fill opening prior to and during dispensing operations. Drip pans shall be liquid-tight. The pan or absorbent pillow shall have a capacity of not less than 3 gallons (11.36 L). Spills retained in the drip pan or absorbent pillow need not be reported. Operators, when fueling, shall have on their person an absorbent pad capable of capturing diesel fuel overfills. Except during fueling, the nozzle shall face upward and an absorbent pad shall be kept under the nozzle to catch drips. Contaminated absorbent pads or pillows shall be disposed of regularly in accordance with local, state and federal requirements.
5706.6 Tank vehicles and vehicle operation.
Tank vehicles shall be designed, constructed, equipped and maintained in accordance with NFPA 385 and Sections 5706.6.1 through 5706.6.4.
5706.6.1 Operation of tank vehicles.
Tank vehicles shall be utilized and operated in accordance with NFPA 385 and Sections 5706.6.1.1 through 5706.6.1.11.
Tank vehicles shall not be operated unless they are in proper state of repair and free from accumulation of grease, oil or other flammable substance, and leaks.
The driver, operator or attendant of a tank vehicle shall not remain in the vehicle cab and shall not leave the vehicle while it is being filled or discharged. The delivery hose, when attached to a tank vehicle, shall be considered to be a part of the tank vehicle.
Motors of tank vehicles or tractors shall be shut down during the making or breaking of hose connections. If loading or unloading is performed without the use of a power pump, the tank vehicle or tractor motor shall be shut down throughout such operations.
A cargo tank or compartment thereof used for the transportation of flammable or combustible liquids shall not be loaded to absolute capacity. The vacant space in a cargo tank or compartment thereof used in the transportation of flammable or combustible liquids shall be not less than 1 percent. Sufficient space shall be left vacant to prevent leakage from or distortion of such tank or compartment by expansion of the contents caused by rise in temperature in transit.
The driver, operator or attendant of a tank vehicle shall, before making delivery to a tank, determine the unfilled capacity of such tank by a suitable gauging device. To prevent overfilling, the driver, operator or attendant shall not deliver in excess of that amount.
During loading, hatch covers shall be secured on all but the receiving compartment.
Materials shall not be loaded into or transported in a tank vehicle at a temperature above the material’s ignition temperature unless safeguarded in an approved manner.
5706.6.1.8 Bonding to underground tanks.
An external bond-wire connection or bond-wire integral with a hose shall be provided for the transferring of flammable liquids through open connections into underground tanks.
Smoking by tank vehicle drivers, helpers or other personnel is prohibited while they are driving, making deliveries, filling or making repairs to tank vehicles.
Delivery of flammable liquids to underground tanks with a capacity of more than 1,000 gallons (3785 L) shall be made by means of approved liquid and vapor-tight connections between the delivery hose and tank fill pipe. Where underground tanks are equipped with any type of vapor recovery system, all connections required to be made for the safe and proper functioning of the particular vapor recovery process shall be made. Such connections shall be made liquid and vapor tight and remain connected throughout the unloading process. Vapors shall not be discharged at grade level during delivery.
Simultaneous delivery to underground tanks of any capacity from two or more discharge hoses shall be made by means of mechanically tight connections between the hose and fill pipe.
Upon arrival at a point of delivery and prior to discharging any flammable or combustible liquids into underground tanks, the driver, operator or attendant of the tank vehicle shall ensure that all hoses utilized for liquid delivery and vapor recovery, where required, will be protected from physical damage by motor vehicles. Such protection shall be provided by positioning the tank vehicle to prevent motor vehicles from passing through the area or areas occupied by hoses, or by other approved equivalent means.
Parking of tank vehicles shall be in accordance with Sections 5706.6.2.1 through 5706.6.2.3.
Exception: In cases of accident, breakdown or other emergencies, tank vehicles are allowed to be parked and left unattended at any location while the operator is obtaining assistance.
5706.6.2.1 Parking near residential, educational and institutional occupancies and other high-risk areas.
Tank vehicles shall not be left unattended at any time on residential streets, or within 500 feet (152 m) of a residential area, apartment or hotel complex, educational facility, hospital or care facility. Tank vehicles shall not be left unattended at any other place that would, in the opinion of the fire chief, pose an extreme life hazard.
Tank vehicles shall not be left unattended on a public street, highway, public avenue or public alley.
1.The necessary absence in connection with loading or unloading the vehicle. During actual fuel transfer, Section 5706.6.1.2 shall apply. The vehicle location shall be in accordance with Section 5706.6.2.1.
2.Stops for meals during the day or night, where the street is well lighted at the point of parking. The vehicle location shall be in accordance with Section 5706.6.2.1.
5706.6.2.3 Duration exceeding 1 hour.
1.Inside of a bulk plant and either 25 feet (7620 mm) or more from the nearest lot line or within a building approved for such use.
2.At other approved locations not less than 50 feet (15 240 mm) from the buildings other than those approved for the storage or servicing of such vehicles.
Tank vehicles shall not be parked or garaged in buildings other than those specifically approved for such use by the fire code official.
Tank vehicles shall be equipped with a portable fire extinguisher complying with Section 906 and having a minimum rating of 2-A:20-B:C.
During unloading of the tank vehicle, the portable fire extinguisher shall be out of the carrying device on the vehicle and shall be 15 feet (4572 mm) or more from the unloading valves.
Plants and portions of plants in which flammable liquids are produced on a scale from crude petroleum, natural gasoline or other hydrocarbon sources shall be in accordance with Sections 5706.7.1 through 5706.7.3. Petroleum-processing plants and facilities or portions of plants or facilities in which flammable or combustible liquids are handled, treated or produced on a commercial scale from crude petroleum, natural gasoline, or other hydrocarbon sources shall also be in accordance with API 651, API 653, API 752, API 1615, API 2001, API 2003, API 2009, API 2015, API 2023, API 2201 and API 2350.
Above-ground tanks and piping systems shall be protected against corrosion in accordance with API 651.
The safe entry and cleaning of petroleum storage tanks shall be conducted in accordance with API 2015.
5706.7.3 Storage of heated petroleum products.
Where petroleum-derived asphalts and residues are stored in heated tanks at refineries and bulk storage facilities or in tank vehicles, such products shall be in accordance with API 2023.
5706.8 Vapor recovery and vapor-processing systems.
Vapor-processing systems in which the vapor source operates at pressures from vacuum, up to and including 1 psig (6.9 kPa) or in which a potential exists for vapor mixtures in the flammable range, shall comply with Sections 5706.8.1 through 5706.8.5.
1.Marine systems complying with federal transportation waterway regulations such as DOTn 33 CFR Parts 154 through 156, and CGR 46 CFR Parts 30, 32, 35 and 39.
2.Motor fuel-dispensing facility systems complying with Chapter 23.
Tanks and equipment shall have independent venting for over-pressure or vacuum conditions that might occur from malfunction of the vapor recovery or processing system.
Exception: For tanks, venting shall comply with Section 5704.2.7.3.
Vents on vapor-processing equipment shall be not less than 12 feet (3658 mm) from adjacent ground level, with outlets located and directed so that flammable vapors will disperse to below the lower flammable limit (LFL) before reaching locations containing potential ignition sources.
5706.8.3 Vapor collection systems and overfill protection.
The design and operation of the vapor collection system and overfill protection shall be in accordance with this section and Section 19.5 of NFPA 30.
A liquid knock-out vessel used in the vapor collection system shall have means to verify the liquid level and a high-liquid-level sensor that activates an alarm. For unpopulated facilities, the high-liquid-level sensor shall initiate the shutdown of liquid transfer into the vessel and shutdown of vapor recovery or vapor-processing systems.
Storage tanks served by vapor recovery or processing systems shall be equipped with overfill protection in accordance with Section 5704.2.7.5.8. | 2019-04-25T04:08:23Z | https://codes.iccsafe.org/content/IFC2015/chapter-57-flammable-and-combustible-liquids |
There's no company in the world quite like Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN). The tech giant regularly stretches its tentacles into new industries and seems to defy categorization. Its popularity is undeniable, and its stock price is correspondingly sky high. Are any of Amazon's rivals worth considering instead?
Amazon is best known as an online retailer, generating most of its revenue from e-commerce sales, but Amazon also has other significant businesses, including cloud computing, video streaming, e-book readers and tablets, book publishing, Alexa voice-activated technology and related devices, and advertising. While the bulk of its revenue comes from e-commerce, its cloud-computing division, known as Amazon Web Services (AWS), actually makes up more than half of its operating profit. Cloud computing is a much more profitable business than the e-commerce industry Amazon has come to represent.
E-commerce is the online buying and selling of goods, usually on a marketplace or platform like the one Amazon owns. Amazon dominates U.S. e-commerce, largely thanks to its aggressive expansion, its reputation for excellent customer service, the Amazon Prime loyalty program, and the culture of invention and experimentation fostered by CEO Jeff Bezos.
The behemoth claims nearly half of the market. Amazon is expected to control 49.1% of U.S. e-commerce sales in 2018, up 43.5% from the prior year, according to eMarketer. Its strong position has been fortified by Amazon's Whole Foods acquisition and rapid growth of the company's third-party marketplace. Its e-commerce market share dwarfs that of its closest competitor, eBay (NASDAQ: EBAY), at 6.6%, while Apple and Walmart (NYSE: WMT) follow at 3.9% and 3.7%, respectively. E-commerce as an industry continues to take share from brick-and-mortar retail, with online sales in the U.S. growing about 15% per year since the recession, while overall retail growth, which includes e-commerce, has averaged just 4.3%.
Amazon's e-commerce strength lies in its first-mover advantage in the naturally growing e-commerce world. It opened hundreds of fulfillment centers to support its free two-day shipping promise for U.S. Prime members, and it's on track to bring in more than $200 billion in revenue this year.
The company's strength in e-commerce has allowed it to support its other businesses, like Amazon Web Services (AWS), which emerged from the company's in-house project to manage its online retail business. Amazon embraced cloud computing early, essentially as a way of managing computing needs like software and storage from an off-site source, and AWS is now a major provider of such services for a vast array of companies, helping Netflix facilitate its video streaming and Airbnb easily scale its home-sharing marketplace. According to Amazon, AWS presents customers with a "broad set of global compute, storage, database, and other service offerings."
Amazon has also developed video and music streaming, which are free for Prime members, to entice more members to its loyalty program since Prime itself is an incentive to order more products from Amazon. Gadgets like its Fire tablet and the Alexa-powered Echo devices make ordering products on Amazon easier, and the draw of its website has enabled it to add on high-margin businesses like its third-party marketplace, where other vendors also sell on Amazon.com, fulfillment by Amazon, and a burgeoning advertising business.
Unsurprisingly, Amazon's size, reach, and penchant for experimentation has put it in competition with an incredibly long list of companies, big and small, across a variety of sectors. As Amazon enters and disrupts more industries, new competitors will join the ranks of its largest rivals.
Which companies are Amazon's biggest competitors?
Below, we'll examine each of the industries from which Amazon draws competitors and its closest rivals in each sector.
Amazon competes with most U.S. retailers, to some degree, because it sells everything under the sun. Although Amazon is primarily an online retailer, it competes directly with physical stores, most of which also sell their products online. Sales on Amazon.com take away from retailers' total sales, comprised of online purchases and purchases in physical, or brick-and-mortar, stores.
No company competes more intensely with Amazon than Walmart. Walmart was Amazon before Amazon existed. The superstore giant boasts massive economies of scale, a wide selection, and bottom-of-the-barrel prices, just like Amazon. Both companies are known for being near-monopolies. Walmart still generates significantly more retail sales, but Amazon has stolen its reputation as the leader in wide selection, low prices, and convenience. Walmart's growth even ground to a halt when revenue fell in fiscal 2016 for the first time in at least 35 years.
As a result, the brick-and-mortar giant has been forced to play catch-up, and it has made many strategic changes under CEO Doug McMillon.
It has stopped opening new stores in the U.S., instead investing the capital into improvements at existing stores, like higher wages and better training, making sure items don't go out of stock, and cleaning up stores to make them more presentable and shopper-friendly.
Walmart has also staked its future on omnichannel capabilities, the combination of online and offline assets to serve customers by doing things like adding thousands of grocery pickup stations and several hundred Pickup Towers, which are stations inside stores that dispense online orders.
Walmart has also made grocery delivery available from nearly 1,000 stores, and it offers free two-day shipping on orders with a $35 minimum with no membership fee, marketed as an alternative to Amazon Prime. Following its acquisition of Whole Foods, Amazon has become much more of a direct competitor with Walmart in groceries as Amazon also offers free delivery to Prime members in some areas from Whole Foods and gives in-store discounts to Prime members. It's planning to expand Whole Foods and its own delivery capabilities.
Finally, the retailer has gone on a shopping spree for e-commerce companies. It first acquired Jet.com in 2016, bringing in founder Marc Lore to run its domestic e-commerce operations, and since then, it's focused on picking up digital-first clothing brands like Bonobos, Moosejaw, Modcloth, and Shoebuy.
As a result of those moves, Walmart's U.S e-commerce growth has surged and is on track to deliver a sales increase of at least 40% for the second straight year. Comparable sales have seen solid growth as well, a sign that its strategy is paying off. Walmart is also set to top Amazon as the nation's largest online grocery seller.
Meanwhile, Walmart set itself up for a showdown with Amazon in India after acquiring a majority stake in Flipkart, the leading online retailer in the sub-continent. Amazon is close behind in the fast-growing market, and the two are expected to compete closely as the Indian economy develops.
With Amazon at the verge of becoming the second-biggest retailer in the U.S., behind Walmart, and the two facing off in India, it's clear that Walmart has become Amazon's biggest competitor as no other company has more to lose from the e-commerce giant's ascent.
However, Walmart is far from the only brick-and-mortar retailer battling Amazon. Costco, another one of the biggest domestic retailers, has also sought ways to fend off Amazon's retail rout.
Costco and Amazon are often seen as parallels because both have membership programs central to their businesses. Amazon Prime, which offers free two-day shipping on millions of items, among other benefits, costs $119 a year, and it has been perhaps the biggest driver of Amazon's monster growth over the last decade.
Similarly, Costco stores are only accessible to members who pay a $60 annual fee for access to its bargain-priced bulk goods. Costco sells its merchandise close to the price it pays suppliers for the goods, and it makes the majority of its profit from membership fees. Because of the membership fees, both companies tend to attract higher-income consumers, and since Costco's stores are primarily located on the coasts, they tend to compete more directly with Amazon than Walmart stores do, which are more concentrated in the southern and rural parts of the country.
Though Costco has performed better than most retailers in the face of the Amazon threat, the wholesaler has been forced to adapt. In October 2017, the company launched free two-day delivery for around 500 non-perishable stock-keeping units (SKUs) with a $75 order minimum, and it also partnered with Instacart to offer same-day delivery on groceries with an order minimum of $35.
Costco recently began reporting e-commerce sales and has delivered strong results, with e-commerce sales up 32% in fiscal 2018. Though its stores continue to attract high customer traffic, the warehouse operator may have to make further changes to stave off the threat as Amazon and other e-commerce operators like Boxed continue to innovate and e-commerce continues to get easier and more convenient.
Finally, Target is Amazon's last significant brick-and-mortar competitor. Like Walmart, Amazon, and Costco, Target sells a wide range of products including groceries, apparel, home goods, and electronics, and like the other two physical retailers, Target has been busy making moves to defend its market share.
A year ago, Target acquired Shipt, an Instacart competitor, which has helped the big-box chain bring same-day delivery to more than 1,400 Target stores, about two thirds of its total. Recognizing that fast, free shipping is now table stakes in e-commerce, Target upped the ante this holiday season, offering free shipping with no membership fee or order minimum on hundreds of thousands of items, a move that prompted Amazon to get rid of its $25 order minimum for free shipping for the holiday season, though the e-commerce king did not promise two-day shipping.
Target is investing in remodeling stores and expanding small-format stores in areas like underserved urban neighborhoods and college towns, where its model is a good fit. Target's investments and e-commerce efforts have paid off so far, as the company delivered its best in-store traffic growth in more than a decade, and e-commerce sales are surging, up 49% in the third quarter of 2018.
Amazon has grown so large that its biggest retail rivals are brick-and-mortar store chains, but the company is also challenged by smaller Internet-based companies like eBay and Etsy.
Despite its tepid growth in recent years, eBay is still the second-biggest online retailer in the U.S., and it's arguably Amazon's oldest competitor. In its early days, the online shopping and auction site mostly kept pace with Amazon's sales growth, as illustrated by the chart below.
However, over the last decade, online shopping has moved away from eBay's core strength as an auction business and toward mass-market retailers better equipped to serve shoppers' everyday needs. A number of factors have played a role in this shift, including increasing competition and the changing way consumers use the internet. Many seem to have simply lost patience with online shopping, and the gamesmanship of the eBay auction is no longer novel. The company itself started downplaying the auction element in 2008, but today, eBay still claims a significant share of online sales, racking up $94.3 billion in gross merchandise volume over the last four quarters.
More so than any other company, eBay competes directly with Amazon for third-party sellers to join the marketplace platform. By gross merchandise volume, eBay has the second-biggest online marketplace in the U.S. with 25 million sellers on its platform, significantly more than Amazon's estimated 2 million sellers. It's much easier to set up a sales account on eBay, and eBay has centered its strategy on making the platform easier for sellers so it can drive the kind of third-party sales growth Amazon has. Amazon's marketplace has been one of its most valuable growth engines as revenue increased 31% in the third quarter of 2018 to $10.4 billion. That growth was much faster than the 10% rate it saw from its online stores, or what it calls direct sales. Since marketplace revenue is more profitable, the category is an important one to Amazon, and eBay remains its closest competitor in the area.
Online crafts seller Etsy is significantly smaller than Amazon, with revenue of just $540 million over the last four quarters, but the company deserves a mention because it has survived -- and even thrived -- following a direct challenge from Amazon, which launched copycat Amazon Handmade in October 2015. With the help of new CEO Josh Silverman, the artisan-focused online retailer made a number of changes to beat back the Amazon threat.
Etsy stepped up its efforts to help merchants deliver fast, free shipping, especially during the holidays, when it's crucial for gifts to arrive by Christmas. Etsy charges its sellers much lower fees than Amazon, and it has added tools to improve the ease of selling on the site, allowing vendors to collect funds at the time of sale rather than when the product ships (the way Amazon does). Etsy's regulations on sellers are also less onerous as it allows them link to outside websites and collect email addresses for newsletters, as opposed to Amazon, which forbids such tools.
As a result of those initiatives, Etsy sales have accelerated this year, and the stock has nearly tripled. Its success offers a blueprint for other online marketplaces battling Amazon's encroachment.
While e-commerce has been Amazon's biggest business since its inception, cloud computing now makes up a majority of the company's profits and is a key growth driver. The emergence of Amazon Web Services (AWS) is another reason for Amazon's stock jump of more than 400% over the last four years. Revenue from the AWS segment was up 48% through the first three quarters of 2018, to $18.2 billion.
In the tech arena, Amazon's biggest rival is Alphabet, and the two tech giants are battling on multiple fronts. In 2014, Google's former executive chairman, Eric Schmidt, called Amazon his company's biggest competitor, saying, "Many people think our main competition is Bing or Yahoo. But, really, our biggest search competitor is Amazon."
It's easy to see why. The most valuable searches on Google, Alphabet's e-commerce and search engine subsidiary, are for products because those searches are usually made by consumers ready to spend money. Naturally, these searches command high advertising rates. However, more people searching for products are starting their quests directly on Amazon instead of using a search engine like Google. Amazon's challenge to Google has only increased as it's grown and made its own push into advertising.
Much in the way Google sells ads, Amazon has begun placing sponsored listings on its product search pages, encouraging businesses to pay to position their merchandise more prominently on Amazon.com. Amazon has sold digital advertising space for a number of years, but only recently has it ramped up its efforts, capitalizing on the vast data its has on consumers' shopping habits and preferences. Since Amazon.com is often the first site online shoppers go to when they want to buy something, space is very valuable.
Amazon is now the third-biggest digital advertiser behind Google and Facebook, and its ad business is growing fast. Revenue from Amazon's "other" segment, which is primarily made up of ad sales, jumped 122% in the third quarter of 2018 to $2.5 billion.
Alphabet has sought to push back on Amazon's incursion on its search dominance by launching its own delivery service, Google Express, and partnering with Amazon's brick-and-mortar rivals. Though Google Express signed up retailers including Walmart, Costco, and Target and seemed to have real potential, the service has largely fallen flat. Google Express introduced its shopping service in 2013, and it has gotten tripped in multiple ways since then. It initially offered perishable grocery delivery but suspended it in 2014; it closed its delivery hubs in 2015 and ditched its subscription model in 2017, along the way losing much of its talent and momentum to rivals like Uber.
Meanwhile, retailers have invested in their own logistics and e-commerce infrastructure as Google had little to provide in the way of hard assets other than technology and temporary labor.
Amazon and Alphabet have also been butting heads on voice technology. Amazon Echo and Google Home are the two leading smart speakers intended for use in the home. Amazon had 41% share of the global smart-speaker market, compared to 28% for Google, as of the second quarter of 2018. Considering the potential for smart speakers and voice-activated technology, this battle between Amazon and Alphabet is only just beginning. Market research firm Grandview Research estimates that the global speech and voice recognition market will reach $32 billion by 2025.
Like many other big tech companies, Amazon and Alphabet are also facing off in cloud computing. AWS is widely considered the leader in the fast-growing industry, on track to bring in $25 billion in revenue this year. AWS is the preferred choice among businesses, according to cloud management company RightScale, with 68% of responding businesses saying they use AWS applications. Microsoft Azure came in second at 59%, followed by Google Cloud at 19%, though 41% of respondents said they were experimenting with Google Cloud apps or planning to use them. Alphabet doesn't break out cloud sales, but Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in February 2018 that it had achieved a $4 billion revenue rate, which has likely increased since then. In its 2017 annual report, Alphabet identified Google Cloud as the biggest driver of growth in "other revenue," which rose 42% from $10.1 billion in 2016 to $14.3 billion last year.
Amazon and Alphabet have similar market caps and revenue growth rates. However, Alphabet has the distinct advantage when it comes to profit, with more than double the net income of Amazon over the last four quarters -- $18.8 billion compared to $8.9 billion for Amazon. That should give Alphabet an advantage as it seeks to narrow the gap with Amazon in cloud computing and voice technology, and defend its search advertising dominance. Alphabet spent $16.6 billion on research and development in 2017 (Amazon doesn't report R&D expenses). If Alphabet is spending more than Amazon on R&D, that's an advantage the Google parent can use as it battles Amazon on multiple fronts.
When it comes to cloud-computing competition, Amazon's closest competitor is generally considered to be Microsoft, which has a cloud service called Azure that competes directly with AWS. In total cloud revenue, Microsoft is actually ahead of Amazon as its commercial cloud segment, which is made up of Office 365 commercial, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft Dynamics 365, and other cloud properties, grew revenue by 56% to $23.2 billion in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30. Microsoft doesn't break out specific revenue for Azure, which offers similar infrastructure-as-a-service capabilities as AWS, but Azure revenue jumped 91% last fiscal year.
Microsoft is the preferred provider of cloud computing for companies that compete with Amazon but still have cloud-computing needs. They don't want to fund the competition, so instead they opt to support alternatives like Azure and Google Cloud. Walmart teamed up with Microsoft on cloud technology, artificial intelligence, and machine-learning initiatives, and it has also told some of its tech suppliers to get off of AWS, saying it doesn't want sensitive data on a competitor's platform.
Amazon's ability to dominate unrelated industries has actually exposed a vulnerability as it encourages unrelated companies to team up against it. In the same vein, Alphabet partnered with several retailers through Google Express, though that project had limited success. However, in the case of Microsoft, whose domain is squarely in the enterprise IT arena, retailers and other potential Amazon competitors prefer its cloud infrastructure over AWS. Microsoft is not at all a competitor, while Amazon is their biggest threat.
What other businesses does Amazon have?
While e-commerce and cloud computing are Amazon's two primary business segments, the company has a number of other ancillary businesses, and it faces competition in those areas, too. Most prominent is video streaming, where Amazon offers both original and licensed programming for free to Prime members, or a la carte to others. Describing Amazon's unique model, CEO Jeff Bezos said, "When we win a Golden Globe, it helps us sell more shoes."
Prime Video's aggressive expansion has brought it into direct competition with Netflix, the global leader in video streaming. Netflix and Amazon compete for exclusive content, both original and licensed programming, driving up prices companies must pay for in-demand shows and movies. For instance, Amazon outbid Netflix for Transparent, which won a number of Emmy awards, and the two are competing fiercely in India, a fast-growing market of more than 1 billion consumers. However, they have taken different pricing strategies as Amazon has significantly lowered its fee for Prime to encourage people to join the service and take advantage of free two-day delivery, while Netflix's prices more closely resemble what it charges elsewhere in the world.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has consistently downplayed the threat from competitors like Amazon, emphasizing the vastness of the market, saying that plenty of growth remains. But as the streaming field gets more crowded with the upcoming entry of Disney and AT&T, which now owns Time Warner, the battle between Amazon and Netflix may grow more intense, especially in places like India. Notably, Netflix uses AWS to support its streaming services, indicating it doesn't see Amazon as a threat like Walmart does. Netflix uses AWS for data storage and to "quickly deploy thousands of servers and terabytes of storage within minutes," according to AWS. It would be costly for Netflix to develop its own cloud infrastructure to fulfill that purpose, not to mention be a poor use of the company's efforts and resources.
Amazon is now taking on logistics and delivery, posing a direct threat to both UPS and FedEx. Though Amazon is one of the biggest customers for those delivery services, Amazon has taken several steps to start taking delivery into its own hands.
Amazon has leased at least 32 cargo jets from Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings, rebranding them Amazon Air. The company owns 300 semi-trucks and thousands of trailers, and it has also gotten creative with last-mile delivery by hiring drivers under its Amazon Flex program, where drivers use their own cars, and Delivery Service Partners, who drive Prime-branded vans. Amazon has experimented with drone delivery, which has the potential to upend traditional package delivery and broader e-commerce if it goes mainstream (it's still pending regulatory approval by the Federal Aviation Administration). The issue is caught in red tape at the moment, but some Amazon executives are hopeful that drone delivery could get off the ground in some capacity this year. It's unclear how much of a threat drone delivery would be to traditional package deliveries, but Amazon would likely use drones for light packages over short distances, supporting its same-day Prime Now delivery service, meaning it would not disrupt long-haul parcel transportation.
So far, Amazon's delivery and logistics business is small, and the company remains highly dependent on services like UPS, FedEx, and the U.S. Postal Service, but in its latest annual report, the company included logistics companies on its list of competitors, a sign of investment to come. Given Amazon's track record as a disruptor, FedEx and UPS may want to consider themselves warned.
Amazon has developed many competitors as it stretches across a growing number of industries, and this long list will grow in coming years as the company expands into new frontiers.
Its acquisition of Whole Foods brought it into direct competition with supermarket chains like Kroger. Potential expansion of Amazon Go, its cashier-free convenience store, could grow to as many as 3,000 locations and would threaten convenience-store chains like 7-11 as well as fast-food restaurants and even potentially businesses like Starbucks.
However, Amazon's next big frontier -- and the industry where it's likely to encounter a whole new wave of competitors -- appears to be healthcare. The company partnered with Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase at the beginning of 2018 in a venture to launch a non-profit healthcare company with a mission of slowing the fast-growing costs of health insurance and healthcare that those financial companies cover for their employees. That venture should eventually bring Amazon into competition with a whole range of health-insurance providers and, likely, other players in the healthcare industry.
Amazon took another step into the $3 trillion healthcare industry with its June 2018 acquisition of online pharmacy Pillpack for $1 billion, putting it in direct competition with both traditional pharmacy chains like Walgreen Boots Alliance and CVS as well as new prescription companies like ExpressScripts. Considering Amazon's strength in e-commerce, Pillpack looks like a good starting point as it searches for a beachhead in healthcare. Amazon is also selling more and more medical supplies through Amazon Business, and it's hopeful that Alexa can play a role in healthcare. For now, that may just mean reminding you to take your pills, but there are ample opportunities down the road for voice technology in the healthcare space.
Considering the enormous size of the healthcare industry and the high level of consumer dissatisfaction with it, the sector seems particularly ripe for Amazon's unique approach to industry disruption. The company has kept customer focus at the heart of its mission since its nascence, and customer satisfaction has been a hallmark of its brand throughout its history. Amazon's invasion may not happen overnight, but healthcare companies should expect to eventually find themselves among Amazon's biggest competitors.
John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Teresa Kersten, an employee of LinkedIn, a Microsoft subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool's board of directors. Jeremy Bowman owns shares of Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, Starbucks, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Alphabet (A and C shares), Amazon, Apple, Berkshire Hathaway (B shares), Etsy, Facebook, FedEx, Netflix, Starbucks, and Walt Disney. The Motley Fool owns shares of Microsoft and has the following options: long January 2020 $150 calls on Apple and short January 2020 $155 calls on Apple. The Motley Fool recommends Costco Wholesale, CVS Health, and eBay. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. | 2019-04-19T07:31:21Z | https://fool.whotrades.com/blog/43583042098 |
It's February, and by now you've probably read about, or heard people talk about, making the change to UML 2.0--the new specification for UML that contains a number of improvements. Given the importance of the new spec, we are changing the basis of this article series, too, shifting our attention from OMG's UML 1.4 Specification to OMG's Adopted 2.0 Draft Specification of UML (a.k.a. UML 2). I hate to change emphasis from 1.4 to 2.0 in the middle of a series of articles, but the UML 2.0 Draft Specification is an important step forward, and I feel the need to spread the word.
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Notice the wording in my statement above: "Adopted 2.0 Draft Specification of UML." It is true that the specification is still in draft status, but the key is that the Draft Specification has been adopted by OMG, a consortium that does not adopt new standards until they become pretty solid. There will be some changes to the specification before UML 2 is completely adopted, but these changes should be minimal. The main changes will be in the internals of UML--involving features typically used by software companies who implement UML tools.
The main purpose of this article is to continue our focus on the essential UML diagrams; this month, we take a close look at the sequence diagram. Please note, again, that the examples provided below are based on the new UML 2 specification.
The sequence diagram is used primarily to show the interactions between objects in the sequential order that those interactions occur. Much like the class diagram, developers typically think sequence diagrams were meant exclusively for them. However, an organization's business staff can find sequence diagrams useful to communicate how the business currently works by showing how various business objects interact. Besides documenting an organization's current affairs, a business-level sequence diagram can be used as a requirements document to communicate requirements for a future system implementation. During the requirements phase of a project, analysts can take use cases to the next level by providing a more formal level of refinement. When that occurs, use cases are often refined into one or more sequence diagrams.
An organization's technical staff can find sequence diagrams useful in documenting how a future system should behave. During the design phase, architects and developers can use the diagram to force out the system's object interactions, thus fleshing out overall system design.
One of the primary uses of sequence diagrams is in the transition from requirements expressed as use cases to the next and more formal level of refinement. Use cases are often refined into one or more sequence diagrams. In addition to their use in designing new systems, sequence diagrams can be used to document how objects in an existing (call it "legacy") system currently interact. This documentation is very useful when transitioning a system to another person or organization.
Since this is the first article in my UML diagram series that is based on UML 2, we need to first discuss an addition to the notation in UML 2 diagrams, namely a notation element called a frame. The frame element is used as a basis for many other diagram elements in UML 2, but the first place most people will encounter a frame element is as the graphical boundary of a diagram. A frame element provides a consistent place for a diagram's label, while providing a graphical boundary for the diagram. The frame element is optional in UML diagrams; as you can see in Figures 1 and 2, the diagram's label is placed in the top left corner in what I'll call the frame's "namebox," a sort of dog-eared rectangle, and the actual UML diagram is defined within the body of the larger enclosing rectangle.
In addition to providing a visual border, the frame element also has an important functional use in diagrams depicting interactions, such as the sequence diagram. On sequence diagrams incoming and outgoing messages (a.k.a. interactions) for a sequence can be modeled by connecting the messages to the border of the frame element (as seen in Figure 2). This will be covered in more detail in the "Beyond the basics" section below.
The UML specification provides specific text values for diagram types (e.g., sd = Sequence Diagram, activity = Activity Diagram, and use case = Use Case Diagram).
The main purpose of a sequence diagram is to define event sequences that result in some desired outcome. The focus is less on messages themselves and more on the order in which messages occur; nevertheless, most sequence diagrams will communicate what messages are sent between a system's objects as well as the order in which they occur. The diagram conveys this information along the horizontal and vertical dimensions: the vertical dimension shows, top down, the time sequence of messages/calls as they occur, and the horizontal dimension shows, left to right, the object instances that the messages are sent to.
When drawing a sequence diagram, lifeline notation elements are placed across the top of the diagram. Lifelines represent either roles or object instances that participate in the sequence being modeled. [Note: In fully modeled systems the objects (instances of classes) will also be modeled on a system's class diagram.] Lifelines are drawn as a box with a dashed line descending from the center of the bottom edge (Figure 3). The lifeline's name is placed inside the box.
In the example shown in Figure 3, the lifeline represents an instance of the class Student, whose instance name is freshman. Note that, here, the lifeline name is underlined. When an underline is used, it means that the lifeline represents a specific instance of a class in a sequence diagram, and not a particular kind of instance (i.e., a role). In a future article we'll look at structure modeling. For now, just observe that sequence diagrams may include roles (such as buyer and seller) without specifying who plays those roles (such as Bill and Fred). This allows diagram reuse in different contexts. Simply put, instance names in sequence diagrams are underlined; roles names are not.
Our example lifeline in Figure 3 is a named object, but not all lifelines represent named objects. Instead a lifeline can be used to represent an anonymous or unnamed instance. When modeling an unnamed instance on a sequence diagram, the lifeline's name follows the same pattern as a named instance; but instead of providing an instance name, that portion of the lifeline's name is left blank. Again referring to Figure 3, if the lifeline is representing an anonymous instance of the Student class, the lifeline would be: " Student." Also, because sequence diagrams are used during the design phase of projects, it is completely legitimate to have an object whose type is unspecified: for example, "freshman."
The first message of a sequence diagram always starts at the top and is typically located on the left side of the diagram for readability. Subsequent messages are then added to the diagram slightly lower then the previous message.
Besides just showing message calls on the sequence diagram, the Figure 4 diagram includes return messages. These return messages are optional; a return message is drawn as a dotted line with an open arrowhead back to the originating lifeline, and above this dotted line you place the return value from the operation. In Figure 4 the secSystem object returns userClearance to the system object when the getSecurityClearance method is called. The system object returns availableReports when the getAvailableReports method is called.
Again, the return messages are an optional part of a sequence diagram. The use of return messages depends on the level of detail/abstraction that is being modeled. Return messages are useful if finer detail is required; otherwise, the invocation message is sufficient. I personally like to include return messages whenever a value will be returned, because I find the extra details make a sequence diagram easier to read.
When modeling a sequence diagram, there will be times that an object will need to send a message to itself. When does an object call itself? A purist would argue that an object should never send a message to itself. However, modeling an object sending a message to itself can be useful in some cases. For example, Figure 5 is an improved version of Figure 4. The Figure 5 version shows the system object calling its determineAvailableReports method. By showing the system sending itself the message "determineAvailableReports," the model draws attention to the fact that this processing takes place in the system object.
To draw an object calling itself, you draw a message as you would normally, but instead of connecting it to another object, you connect the message back to the object itself.
The example messages in Figure 5 show synchronous messages; however, in sequence diagrams you can model asynchronous messages, too. An asynchronous message is drawn similar to a synchronous one, but the message's line is drawn with a stick arrowhead, as shown in Figure 6.
When modeling object interactions, there will be times when a condition must be met for a message to be sent to the object. Guards are used throughout UML diagrams to control flow. Here, I will discuss guards in both UML 1.x as well as UML 2.0. In UML 1.x, a guard could only be assigned to a single message. To draw a guard on a sequence diagram in UML 1.x, you placed the guard element above the message line being guarded and in front of the message name. Figure 7 shows a fragment of a sequence diagram with a guard on the message addStudent method.
Alternatives are used to designate a mutually exclusive choice between two or more message sequences. [Note: It is indeed possible for two or more guard conditions attached to different alternative operands to be true at the same time, but at most only one operand will actually occur at run time (which alternative "wins" in such cases is not defined by the UML standard).] Alternatives allow the modeling of the classic "if then else" logic (e.g., if I buy three items, then I get 20% off my purchase; else I get 10% off my purchase).
As you will notice in Figure 8, an alternative combination fragment element is drawn using a frame. The word "alt" is placed inside the frame's namebox. The larger rectangle is then divided into what UML 2 calls operands. [Note: Although operands look a lot like lanes on a highway, I specifically did not call them lanes. Swim lanes are a UML notation used on activity diagrams. Please refer to The Rational Edge's earlier article about Activity Diagrams.] Operands are separated by a dashed line. Each operand is given a guard to test against, and this guard is placed towards the top left section of the operand on top of a lifeline. [Note: Usually, the lifeline to which the guard is attached is the lifeline that owns the variable that is included in the guard expression.] If an operand's guard equates to "true," then that operand is the operand to follow.
As an example to show how an alternative combination fragment is read, Figure 8 shows the sequence starting at the top, with the bank object getting the check's amount and the account's balance. At this point in the sequence the alternative combination fragment takes over. Because of the guard "[balance >= amount]," if the account's balance is greater than or equal to the amount, then the sequence continues with the bank object sending the addDebitTransaction and storePhotoOfCheck messages to the account object. However, if the balance is not greater than or equal to the amount, then the sequence proceeds with the bank object sending the addInsuffientFundFee and noteReturnedCheck message to the account object and the returnCheck message to itself. The second sequence is called when the balance is not greater than or equal to the amount because of the "[else]" guard. In alternative combination fragments, the "[else]" guard is not required; and if an operand does not have an explicit guard on it, then the "[else]" guard is to be assumed.
Alternative combination fragments are not limited to simple "if then else" tests. There can be as many alternative paths as are needed. If more alternatives are needed, all you must do is add an operand to the rectangle with that sequence's guard and messages.
The option combination fragment is used to model a sequence that, given a certain condition, will occur; otherwise, the sequence does not occur. An option is used to model a simple "if then" statement (i.e., if there are fewer than five donuts on the shelf, then make two dozen more donuts).
The option combination fragment notation is similar to the alternation combination fragment, except that it only has one operand and there never can be an "else" guard (it just does not make sense here). To draw an option combination you draw a frame. The text "opt" is placed inside the frame's namebox, and in the frame's content area the option's guard is placed towards the top left corner on top of a lifeline. Then the option's sequence of messages is placed in the remainder of the frame's content area. These elements are illustrated in Figure 9.
Reading an option combination fragment is easy. Figure 9 is a reworking of the sequence diagram fragment in Figure 7, but this time it uses an option combination fragment because more messages need to be sent if the student's past due balance is equal to zero. According to the sequence diagram in Figure 9, if a student's past due balance equals zero, then the addStudent, getCostOfClass, and chargeForClass messages are sent. If the student's past due balance does not equal zero, then the sequence skips sending any of the messages in the option combination fragment.
The example Figure 9 sequence diagram fragment includes a guard for the option; however, the guard is not a required element. In high-level, abstract sequence diagrams you might not want to specify the condition of the option. You may simply want to indicate that the fragment is optional.
Occasionally you will need to model a repetitive sequence. In UML 2, modeling a repeating sequence has been improved with the addition of the loop combination fragment.
The loop combination fragment is very similar in appearance to the option combination fragment. You draw a frame, and in the frame's namebox the text "loop" is placed. Inside the frame's content area the loop's guard is placed towards the top left corner, on top of a lifeline. [Note: As with the option combination fragment, the loop combination fragment does not require that a guard condition be placed on it.] Then the loop's sequence of messages is placed in the remainder of the frame's content area. In a loop, a guard can have two special conditions tested against in addition to the standard Boolean test. The special guard conditions are minimum iterations written as "minint = [the number]" (e.g., "minint = 1") and maximum iterations written as "maxint = [the number]" (e.g., "maxint = 5"). With a minimum iterations guard, the loop must execute at least the number of times indicated, whereas with a maximum iterations guard the number of loop executions cannot exceed the number.
I've covered the basics of the sequence diagram, which should allow you to model most of the interactions that will take place in a common system. The following section will cover more advanced notation elements that can be used in a sequence diagram.
When doing sequence diagrams, developers love to reuse existing sequence diagrams in their diagram's sequences. [Note: It is possible to reuse a sequence diagram of any type (e.g., programming or business). I just find that developers like to functionally break down their diagrams more.] Starting in UML 2, the "Interaction Occurrence" element was introduced. The addition of interaction occurrences is arguably the most important innovation in UML 2 interactions modeling. Interaction occurrences add the ability to compose primitive sequence diagrams into complex sequence diagrams. With these you can combine (reuse) the simpler sequences to produce more complex sequences. This means that you can abstract out a complete, and possibly complex, sequence as a single conceptual unit.
In example 1, the syntax calls the sequence diagram called Retrieve Borrower Credit Report and passes it the parameter ssn. The Retreive Borrower Credit Report sequence returns the variable borrowerCreditReport.
In example 2, the syntax calls the sequence diagram called Process Credit Card and passes it the parameters of name, number, expiration date, and amount. However, in example 2 the amount parameter will be a value of 100. And since example 2 does not have a return value labeled, the sequence does not return a value (presumably, the sequence being modeled does not need the return value).
Figure 11 shows a sequence diagram that references the sequence diagrams "Balance Lookup" and "Debit Account." The sequence starts at the top left, with the customer sending a message to the teller object. The teller object sends a message to the theirBank object. At that point, the Balance Lookup sequence diagram is called, with the accountNumber passed as a parameter. The Balance Lookup sequence diagram returns the balance variable. Then the option combination fragment's guard condition is checked to verify the balance is greater then the amount variable. In cases where the balance is greater than the amount, the Debit Account sequence diagram is called, passing it the accountNumber and the amount as parameters. After that sequence is complete, the withdrawCash message returns cash to the customer.
It is important to notice in Figure 11 that the lifeline of theirBank is hidden by the interaction occurrence Balance Lookup. Because the interaction occurrence hides the lifeline, that means that the theirBank lifeline is referenced in the "Balance Lookup" sequence diagram. In addition to hiding the lifeline in the interaction occurrence, UML 2 also specifies that the lifeline must have the same theirBank in its own "Balance Lookup" sequence.
There will be times when you model sequence diagrams that an interaction occurrence will overlap lifelines that are not referenced in the interaction occurrence. In such cases the lifeline is shown as a normal lifeline and is not hidden by the overlapping interaction occurrence.
Figure 12 illustrates example 1, in which the Balance Lookup sequence uses parameter accountNumber as a variable in the sequence, and the sequence diagram shows a Real object being returned. In cases such as this, where the sequence returns an object, the object being returned is given the instance name of the sequence diagram.
Figure 13 illustrates example 2, in which a sequence takes a parameter and returns an object. However, in Figure 13 the parameter is used in the sequence's interaction.
The previous section showed how to reference another sequence diagram by passing information through parameters and return values. However, there is another way to pass information between sequence diagrams. Gates can be an easy way to model the passing of information between a sequence diagram and its context. A gate is merely a message that is illustrated with one end connected to the sequence diagram's frame's edge and the other end connected to a lifeline. A reworking of Figures 11 and 12 using gates can be seen in Figures 14 and 15. The example diagram in Figure 15 has an entry gate called getBalance that takes the parameter of accountNumber. The getBalance message is an entry gate, because it is the arrowed line that is connected to the diagram's frame with the arrowhead connected to a lifeline. The sequence diagram also has an exit gate that returns the balance variable. The exit gate is known, because it's a return message that is connected from a lifeline to the diagram's frame with the arrowhead connected to the frame.
In the "basics" section presented earlier in this paper, I covered the combined fragments known as "alternative," "option," and "loop." These three combined fragments are the ones most people will use the most. However, there are two other combined fragments that a large share of people will find useful â break and parallel.
The break combined fragment is almost identical in every way to the option combined fragment, with two exceptions. First, a break's frame has a namebox with the text "break" instead of "option." Second, when a break combined fragment's message is to be executed, the enclosing interaction's remainder messages will not be executed because the sequence breaks out of the enclosing interaction. In this way the break combined fragment is much like the break keyword in a programming language like C++ or Java.
Breaks are most commonly used to model exception handling. Figure 16 is a reworking of Figure 8, but this time Figure 16 uses a break combination fragment because it treats the balance < amount condition as an exception instead of as an alternative flow. To read Figure 16, you start at the top left corner of the sequence and read down. When the sequence gets to the return value "balance," it checks to see if the balance is less than the amount. If the balance is not less than the amount, the next message sent is the addDebitTransaction message, and the sequence continues as normal. However, in cases where the balance is less than the amount, then the sequence enters the break combination fragment and its messages are sent. Once all the messages in the break combination have been sent, the sequence exits without sending any of the remaining messages (e.g., addDebitTransaction).
An important thing to note about breaks is that they only cause the exiting of an enclosing interaction's sequence and not necessarily the complete sequence depicted in the diagram. In cases where a break combination is part of an alternative or a loop, then only the alternative or loop is exited.
Today's modern computer systems are advancing in complexity and at times perform concurrent tasks. When the processing time required to complete portions of a complex task is longer than desired, some systems handle parts of the processing in parallel. The parallel combination fragment element needs to be used when creating a sequence diagram that shows parallel processing activities.
The parallel combination fragment is drawn using a frame, and you place the text "par" in the frame's namebox. You then break up the frame's content section into horizontal operands separated by a dashed line. Each operand in the frame represents a thread of execution done in parallel.
While Figure 17 may not illustrate the best computer system example of an object doing activities in parallel, it offers an easy-to-understand example of a sequence with parallel activities. The sequence goes like this: A hungryPerson sends the cookFood message to the oven object. When the oven object receives that message, it sends two messages to itself at the same time (nukeFood and rotateFood). After both of these messages are done, the hungryPerson object is returned yummyFood from the oven object. | 2019-04-19T18:41:16Z | https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/rational/library/3101.html |
Another piece of my ongoing FPGA stereo-vision project. This board is, as the name suggests, a breakout board for Aptina’s excellent MT9V032 1/3″ VGA image sensor.
The board’s main purpose in life is to connect the LVDS output of the MT9V032 sensor to my FMC-LPC to SATA adapter board, which would then route the LVDS data into one of Xilinx’s Spartan-6 FPGA development boards. Multiple camera boards would be connected to support stereo vision.
There’s more to the board than simple signal breakout, however.
There are a few big reasons for selecting the MT9V032 – but the biggest, by far, is its global shutter (“TrueSNAP” in Aptina’s marketing parlance). The vast majority of CMOS image sensors use a simpler rolling shutter, which leads to all sorts of troublesome visual artifacts. The MT9V032, on the other hand, is able to expose all of its pixels for the exact same slice of time, making it immune to many of those artifacts. That doesn’t, of course, do any good for more conventional artifacts – like motion blur; only shorter exposures can help with that.
Which brings up another point: the MT9V032 (for its size) has very large and sensitive pixels. It only has 752×480 of them (wide-VGA), but they’re each 6µm x 6µm – compared to, for example, the diminutive 1.75µm photo-sites in Aptina’s 2592×1944 (5 Mpx) MT9P013. The upshot being that the MT9V032 can take usable images in lower light conditions, and it can use higher shutter speeds to reduce motion blur.
Beyond raw sensitivity, the MT9V032 supports a form of high-dynamic-range exposures. By progressively reducing the sensitivity of its pixels over the course of an exposure, the sensor is able to approximate a non-linear response. This significantly increases the dynamic range that the sensor can capture in a single exposure – making it much easier to operate in environments with wildly varying lighting conditions (e.g. outside on a sunny day).
For a mobile robot operating in an unstructured outdoor environment, each of those features is pretty compelling (perhaps even mandatory). Finding them all in one device is even better. Those features come at a (monetary) cost, however – in small quantities, it’s easily twice the price of less-functional VGA sensors. That’s a trade-off that I’m willing to make.
The MT9V032 has one other interesting feature: it supports outputting all of its image data over a single high-speed (320 Mbps) LVDS pair. In a stereo vision setup, it even supports cascading two image sensors so that they can share the same LVDS pair.
LVDS doesn’t offer any direct benefit to the robot’s capabilities, but it does dramatically reduce the amount of wiring required to connect to each image sensor – which has the potential benefit of allowing remote sensors to be placed in more ideal locations. This breakout board capitalizes on the LVDS capability of the MT9V032 by allowing its entire interface to be handled by a single 4-signal SATA cable (with the exception of power, which is supplied separately).
That 4-signal interface is the main reason for the board’s additional complexity. 2 of the signals are immediately used for the LVDS video stream. 1 signal is needed to convey the 26.67 MHz reference clock to the image sensor – which can’t be locally generated, since the standard (non-MGT) deserializer blocks in the Spartan-6 FPGA are unable to perform embedded clock recovery (furthermore, precisely synchronizing multiple cameras in a stereo pair would be considerably trickier without a common reference clock). That leaves just 1 signal to configure and control the sensor.
The sensor uses an I2C interface for most configuration, and has a handful of additional control signals that may come in handy for certain applications (low-power standby controls, external exposure triggers, etc.). Placing a small 8-bit AVR microcontroller (an ATmega168) on the board was an easy way to provide local control over all of the MT9V032’s signals. To communicate back to the main FPGA, that 1 remaining signal is used as a bidirectional half-duplex serial bus (it’s hooked to both the transmit and receive lines of the AVR’s UART).
The image sensor and the AVR are nominally 3.3V devices with 3.3V I/Os (except for the MT9V032’s LVDS output – which is, well, LVDS). The Spartan-6 FPGA on the other side of the SATA cable is, however, setup for 2.5V signaling (which Xilinx FPGAs require for LVDS transmission). As a result, some level translation is also needed on this board – and it needs to be pretty fast, too, since both the fast ~27 MHz (54 Mbps) clock and the slow serial bus need to be translated. TI has a whole slew of nice voltage translator – including the SN74LVC1T45 dual-supply bidirectional translator, which I’ve used on this board. It’s rated for well over 100 Mbps.
The translators don’t have automatic direction sensing (a feature which typically imposes a significant performance penalty). The AVR is, thus, tasked with manually controlling the direction of each translator. Normally, the clock signal will always be received by the board – still, there are provisions for (temporarily) co-opting the clock line as an additional bidirectional communication line with the FPGA. The serial line’s direction must, of course, be suitably driven by the AVR depending on whether or not it is actively transmitting or receiving (a trivial burden, as the AVR must already do this with its own TX/RX pins).
2.5V power for the translators (they’re the only devices on the board that need it) comes from a small SOT-23 linear regulator (a MCP1700). 3.3V power for the rest of the logic is also via a linear supply (a larger, SOT-223 packaged, ZLDO1117). The analog supplies to the MT9V032 are run through ferrites, to remove some of the noise introduced by the high-frequency digital logic on the board (the AVR and the MT9V032’s own digital logic). The input to the board is nominally 5V – but, since this supply only drives the 3.3V regulator, it can tolerate significant variation (subject to the ZLDO1117’s input voltage and power dissipation limits). Current draw of the board when running flat-out (60 FPS with LVDS enabled) is on the order of 100mA, so keeping the input voltage low reduces power loss in the linear regulator.
Having a dedicated microcontroller on the board opens up additional possibilities, as well. The AVR’s two unused ADC/GPIO pins are brought out to an expansion header for future use. One could, for example, use a lens with an integrated variable iris/aperture – which the AVR could dynamically adjust in response to extreme changes in ambient lighting (e.g. transitioning between deep shade into direct sunlight).
Regarding lenses: the board is designed to work with two different lens holders from Sunex. The CMT821 (seen in the photo) and the CMT103 are both supported. They’re both M12x0.5 (S-mount) lens holders, with the main difference between them being their height (lenses of different focal lengths and construction may require different mounting heights to achieve critical focus).
Currently, a DSL903B 6.6mm lens is attached (largely because Sunex was offering them at a hefty discount when I originally bought the lens holders). On the MT9V032, this works out very nearly to a normal focal length (~50mm in 35mm format terms). In practice, a wider angle lens may be needed to give a wide enough field of view for robot navigation (at the cost of reduced stereoscopic depth resolution).
Layout was easy; space wasn’t at a premium, and the amount of components to place and signals to route was few (owing in no-small-part to the MT9V032’s LVDS interface obviating the need for routing any of the sensor’s parallel outputs). The majority of the signals are on the top layer, with just a few breaking up the otherwise continuous ground fill on the bottom layer. The sensor’s LVDS output is routed as directly as possible to the SATA connector, and the 27 MHz clock is routed so-as to minimize reflection-inducing stubs.
The board has mounting holes for the camera lens holder, and also has four well-defined mounting holes with 1″ spacings – making it easy to mount to some sort of development structure, for experimenting with various multi-camera setups.
The board was fabbed through Laen’s excellent 2-layer PCB service (just under $15 for 3 copies of this 1.7″x1.7″ board!). Assembly wasn’t a problem. I used a laser-cut Kapton stencil from OHARARP to apply solder paste to the board, loaded all of the parts, and then reflowed the whole thing in my modified toaster oven (as I have done before).
The firmware for this board doesn’t have to do a whole lot at this point. Currently, its primary task is reconfiguring the MT9V032 in order to enable the LVDS output. The hardest part in that was tracking down a minor problem on the PCB: I accidentally swapped the data and clock lines for the I2C bus in the schematic (one of two known issues with the board – the other being a typo on the bottom silkscreen). This prevented me from using the AVR’s built-in I2C peripheral, so I had to resort to writing a simple bit-banged I2C routine. The AVR has plenty of cycles to spare, so there isn’t much concern over the efficiency lost from not using the hardware peripheral.
Eventually, the firmware will be enhanced to give the FPGA some amount of control over the image sensor. For stereo-vision, you (ideally) want to have all cameras perfectly synchronized and with matched exposures. Synchronization is easy; if configured identically, clocked from the same source, and removed from reset simultaneously, the image sensors will operate in lock-step. Normally, exposure is automatically adjusted by the MT9V032; by giving the FPGA control over this, however, it should be possible to achieve slightly better correlation between multiple sensors.
The EAGLE libraries I used to make this board are available in my eagle-lbr Mercurial repository (or directly download a ZIP file). The MT9V032 footprint is in the ‘dan-aptina.lbr’ library.
The EAGLE schematic and PCB layout for the MT9V032 LVDS camera board is in my eagle_mt9v032 repository (direct ZIP download).
For those without EAGLE, you can download PDF versions of the schematic and layout.
The current AVR firmware is available in my mt9v032 repository (direct ZIP download).
This entry was posted in Microcontrollers, PCBs, Technical and tagged AVR, EAGLE, microcontroller, MT9V032, PCB, sensor, vision. Bookmark the permalink.
if anything pops out that I can help !!
Thanks Rifat! I’m glad you liked it!
Nice! How do you read the image? (for testing the MT9V032) Do you use a linux driver for this?
I don’t currently have a direct means to read/view the image produced by the sensor; ultimately, it’ll be read by the host PC over PCIe (a custom Linux driver will facilitate this). (“read by the host” meaning: host tells the FPGA where to DMA to, and then the FPGA writes directly to the host’s memory over PCIe).
I had previously considered using DVI/VGA as a simple way to output video before I had PCIe working (and had alluded to that notion in my commentary for the development photo), but later found that this would be non-trivial (the DVI codec requires additional configuration and data formatting) – or, at least, more involved than the trivial VGA driver I used for my FPGA NES.
I’ve since then taken a step back and decided to prioritize development of things that will be more generally useful (e.g. PCIe, which gives me bidirectional access to any data produced/consumed by the FPGA), rather than detouring and getting DVI working (which only lets me visually confirm that things appear to be working, but serves little purpose beyond that (for this project, at least)).
That being said, what I’ve developed thus far lets me confirm that the PCB and the MT9V032 should be fully functional; the sensor outputs a valid LVDS stream with embedded horizontal and vertical syncs of the expected frequency (which the FPGA is able to lock to and deserialize). The thing that I can’t yet confirm is that the pixel data is actually visually meaningful (that is, you could hypothetically have a sensor with a busted analog section that still passes this simple test..).
I believe Dan uses the DVI output of the SP605 and directly feed the image to a monitor. If you check the second photo, you can see the DVI connector.
That had been an intermediate goal at one point, but I haven’t yet put together the infrastructure to actually drive the DVI codec on the SP605 board. I have, at least, loaded one of Xilinx’s self-test bitstreams that generates test patterns over DVI.. which is probably the reason that I had the DVI cable hooked up in that photo.
I am wondering about C mount lenses. Do you think an extra benefit may come if you use C mount lens instead of S mount? I have been reading about lenses nowadays. It seems to me that for CMOS sensors that are 1/3″ or smaller no benefit is there if you use C mount lenses. S mount lenses with similar specs cost less. Do you think that I am missing something here?
I would be happy if you can share your knowledge about this subject.
Yeah, I’d tend to agree with that. The general rule for lenses is, of course: bigger/heavier/more-expensive lenses are better than smaller/lighter/cheaper lenses.
But you’ll rapidly run into diminishing-returns with small/low-resolution image sensors. I’m no expert about lenses for small sensors, so I can’t really be more specific than that.
Ideally, you’d like some form of objective way of comparing lens quality – like MTF charts – but good luck finding such things for CCTV lenses! Many manufactures will give their lenses resolution ratings (e.g. a “1.3 megapixel” lens); I wouldn’t generally trust those figures, but they might be useful for comparing quality between lenses from a specific manufacture.
Really, I’d expect other design considerations to play a larger role – like physical size. The C-mount itself (ignoring the optics entirely) is, after all, considerably bulkier than other small-sensor mounts (like S-mount).
The biggest thing that concerns me about S-mount is focusing; most S-mount lenses are focused via the mounting threads, rather than something on the lens. Again, it’s probably not a big deal with VGA sensors, where focus isn’t critical (you have huge amounts of depth-of-field) – but it could easily be a limiting factor for multi-megapixel sensors.
All very interesting, good looking PCB too. I was wondering if you tried running the MT9V032 at more than 26.67 MHz (essentially a higher FPS). If so, does it work?
I haven’t tried overclocking the MT9V032, as it were.. (and don’t plan on it, as 60 FPS at full resolution is more than adequate as it is). I’d speculate that the PLL used for LVDS mode would be an early limiting factor (so use parallel output mode if possible).
If you’re just looking for increased frame-rate, and can sacrifice some resolution, you should be able to achieve that by reducing the size of the sampled window, and/or by enabling row-binning (I haven’t tried this myself, so I can’t guarantee it works). The MT9V032 documentation indicates that if you row bin by 4 (effective output resolution of 752×120), you’ll achieve a 4x FPS gain (240 FPS!). Column binning doesn’t increase frame-rate on the MT9V032.
Binning only works (correctly) on monochrome sensors (on color sensors, sensels with different color filters are erroneously combined). Windowing should work on either.
but I think for good stereo vision, the cameras need to be triggered.
frame id’s on the PC side. Do you think, triggering and ideally adding frame counters would be possible?
Or would there be any bigger problems?
Yeah, absolutely – synchronization is highly desirable for stereo vision, so it was a major requirement in designing this board.
In my system, synchronization is achieved by running all cameras off of the same reference clock, and ensuring that they are configured identically. This is basically the approach recommended in the MT9V032 datasheet.
The MT9V032 sensors do have trigger pins, but the datasheet isn’t entirely clear on whether you can reach 60 FPS when using them. With the MT9V032, the highest frame rate is achieved by overlapping the exposure of a frame with the readout of the previous frame; the datasheet seems to indicate that this overlapped operation is only possible in the self-timed “Simultaneous Master Mode”, which precludes external triggering.
That restriction doesn’t make sense to me, so it’s something I’ve been meaning to test, but it’s not a priority (since I intended for the system to not rely on triggering anyway).
As for frame counters: sure, you could certainly associate metadata with an image (frame count or time stamp). I hadn’t really planned on it, since the assumption is that everything is sufficiently in sync so-as to not require shuffling frames around on the PC side. The processing pipeline that I’ll be using in the FPGA will, by design, keep everything together.
Or do you mean superimposing a visible count on the actual image? (like those goofy pre-digital cameras that didn’t have a better way of recording a timestamp..) This board isn’t capable of doing that (the microcontroller can’t really modify the pixel stream, other than making exposure adjustments to large parts of the image). The FPGA on the receiving end could certainly do it, but there are much better ways of tracking such data without visibly altering the image.
We have a board up and running now with the same sensor you are using. It is working consistently from frame capture to frame capture, but we see an odd image. It looks like the first few columns of the left side of the image are compressed and about the right 1/4 of the image is compressed relative to the middle part of the image (or the middle part is expanded). I am receiving all 752×480 pixels out of the sensor (I am also using the LVDS serial video output), which is good and I know that the chip can co-add 2×2 or 4×4 groups of pixels, but if it were doing something like that, I would think it would affect both the x and y look of the image, not just the x direction.
I have a call into Aptina, but I am not holding my breath for them to answer. If you have seen this or have any ideas, that would be great.
Hey Gary I am newer to sensors and doing something similar using the Xilinx Spartan-3a instead of the Xilinx SP601. Is there any chance that you would be willing to share your VHDL code so I could compare it to mine because I am working on fixing the grouping problem as well?
And here is a capture I just did with concentric circles that is easier to see. It almost looks like the center area is stretched and the left and right sides are shrunk.
As an FYI – we are running all defaults at power up so it is outputting frames at 60 hz. The only register I poke is 0xB1 to enable the LVDS output so that we can lock on and capture data.
Nice writeup (as always)! What would be very interesting for me is to see how you deserialized the LVDS stream inside the FPGA. If it’s a simple matter then I would also replace my cameras with a similar model.
By the way, I was very impressed by your stereo vision system. I’m also currently developing something similar. You could call it a vision preprocessor. Two cameras are connected to the FPGA and the image stream along with other information (depth map, optical flow, covariance matrix, spartial derivatives,…) is sent via ethernet to a host pc.
I really liked your write up.
When I try to use the MT9V032 in snapshot mode with external trigger pulse on the EXPOSURE pin I see that the sensor is level triggered rather than the edge triggered that the Aptina datasheet says it is. So if the EXPOSURE pin is held high for too long the sensor will retrigger.
With reduced image size I have snapped at above 60FPS.
I’m looking for a LVDS camera as a component to be used in an instrument and that will interface to a DS92LV2422 Deserializer and, ultimately, a camera port on a D3730 based SBC. If you’ve pursued your design to the point where it actually works with Aptina ARM9 drivers for this sensor, perhaps you’d be interested in contacting me. Thanks.
I looking for a LVDS camera design to be used as a component in an instrument and which will need to interface to a NS DS92LV2422 and, ultimately, a D3730 SBC running Linux. If you’ve pursued this design to the point where you are comfortable with its capabilities and would like to see it in a product, please contact me. Thanks.
Just wondering where I can buy the MT9V032 in single quantities? I would like to prototype up something similar.
Cool project! How did you deal with demosaicing? My understanding is that Aptina global shutter products all output the straight sensor raw values and required demosacing. Did you do that on the FPGA? | 2019-04-23T11:57:25Z | https://danstrother.com/2011/01/14/mt9v032-lvds-camera-board/ |
Poker is an awesome sport to pursue. It’s so wholesome- it challenges the mind, it is extremely exciting when you get the hang of it, oh, did we mention the moolah you get to make?
Read on to know how cool poker is and why it is a sport you HAVE to play!
To venture into poker, you only need a desire to actually play the game. We’re serious! Start playing for small amounts and then when you are more comfortable with your style and strategy, experiment with a variety of bigger amounts to arrive at a sweet spot!
Observing people, reading through facades, emotional control, financial discipline, risk assessment, weakness analysis, drawing lessons from mistakes and bad circumstances, working to achieve long-term goals.. Playing poker equips you with skills that will last you a lifetime. You want to get street smart and extremely savvy, PLAY POKER NOW!
Poker is extremely popular and you just have to google the term to find yourself inundated with the choicest of Youtube videos that teach you poker.
You can begin watching these videos to learn the basic steps. Practice is important, so make sure you play as much as you can.
Regardless of whether you play online, or, play at home, periodically gathering with friends and colleagues, poker is a universal language that unites people all over the planet.
You report only to yourself, the mathematical variance and that green curve on your chart.
What could be better than waking up at 7 am and realizing that today is Saturday, and you do not need to go to work and all you have to do is get on your mobile or your laptop and play poker all day?
If you have a laptop and connection to the Internet any place on the planet can become your office.
Unlike most competitive areas where you will never meet and communicate with the best players / athletes, in poker you can check your skills and knowledge against the best of the best on any day. How do you do that? You just observe their game and watch them reveal their tells!
Yes, discipline is a key skill that has to be learnt and followed all your life. Why not equip yourself with it by playing poker? Playing poker teaches you to wait for the right cards AND the right time to play them to reap rewards. In life, the lesson you can carry over from this is to curb your impulses and wait for the right time to make your move and achieve the goals you have set for yourself.
Position in poker refers to where you’re sitting on the table in relation to the dealer button. It is one of the most important factors in a game of poker. Playing out of position is one of the most common mistakes made by amateur poker players. It often makes them vulnerable to moves made by players in position. Similarly, playing in position allows one to impose his/her will on others.
Playing in position means, that you are the last one to act. In a game where no one straddles, the person holding the dealer button is always the one “playing in position”.
In Texas-Holdem, there are 169 starting hands. As a beginner it’s best to keep it simple by only playing when you have a really good hand given your position. As shown in the picture below, there are generally 4 positions where one could be categorized. One’s starting hand/pre-flop range depends on which category one belongs to. Sticking to these starting hands will also make your post-flop decisions much easier.
There are a lot of factors that affect the range of your starting hand when you’re in this position. Hence, for beginners, I would suggest that you refer to the early position starting hand range to make things easier and less complicated.
This is the worst position to be in as you’re the very first person to act. In this position one should play less than about 7% of their hands. This might sound a little conservative, but as a beginner or even an intermediate player, it’s best to fold anything but JJ, QQ, KK, AA, AK or AQ.
As your position improves you can increase you range of starting hands as there will be less people left to act and your position will improve after every betting round. In this position you could play any middle range pocket pair, i.e 7 pair and higher, and A10, AJ, AQ & AK. It doesn’t matter if the combination of your face cards is suited or not. Your position is decent enough for you to get into the pre-flop action with them.
This is undoubtedly the best position to be in. I would suggest not just calling the blind but raising with any pocket pair, J10+, Q10+, K8+ and A and any other suited card. But if someone has already raised before you, I would reduce my range and only call with, 55+ A8+ and any combination of face cards.
In lower stake games players usually tend to raise out of position with mediocre hands that they overvalue. It is situations like these that being conservative and playing hands within your range will lead you to win these hands. For example, players siting in middle position often tend to raise with A and a low kicker. If you have position on them and play within your range, sitting with A too, most of the time you’re going to be dominating their hand just because of your kicker.
Once you get a bit more experienced and start to sense how tight or loose your opponents are, you can start increasing the range of your starting hands. But till then, do yourself a favor and only stick to the basics.
This article is written by Sai Dutta, an advent poker player, who plays 72 as pocket A’s.
Hand reading is a poker skill that basically allows you to predict and correctly assign a range of hands that your opponents might have at the poker table.
This is a very important skill which helps you make better decisions, and of course, make more money in the game.
Given the fact that it such an important aspect of poker, hand reading is a complex topic which players keep working at throughout their career.
In this post, we'll try and simplify this topic for people new to the game.
A word of caution - like everything in poker, hand reading is extremely player dependent. If you have played with an opponent for a long time and know his common tendencies, then go with that read. But if you are playing against an unknown, or you are unsure about a spot, then revert back to these basics.
Entering the pot pre flop by raising, instead of limping is a proven profitable strategy.
If your opponent deviates from this by limping in, what does this tell you?
It tells you that they don't have premium hands like AA, KK, QQ or strong aces like AK or AQ.
Suited connectors and gappers, broadways, weak Aces, Kings and Queens, sometimes even complete garbage - hands that they want to see a cheap flop with.
Essentially, this tells us that their range is wide and is devoid of the topmost hand categories.
Caveat: However, some tricky players might like to trap with premium hands pre-flop. More often than not, they are hoping that someone raises over their limp, and then they can reraise when the action comes back to them.
Weak players give away the strength of their hand based on their bet size. Their bet size is directly proportional to the strength of their hand.
The way to exploit this strategy is by folding more when they bet bigger, and calling/raising more when they bet smaller. To ensure that we don't make the same mistake, our bet size should be based on the range of hands that we can have, and not on our exact hand.
There is also a segment of players who employ a complete opposite strategy - betting small when they are strong, and betting big when they are weak.
This is not a strategy we would ever recommend,because what you are doing here is essentially making less money when you have a strong hand and losing more when you bluff.
The amount of time a player takes to call a bet is a reliable source of information.
If a player calls a bet quickly, this means that they have a hand which doesn't require too much thinking - medium strength hands (like second pairs) and draws.
Think about it this way, if you had a very strong or very weak hand, you would at least take a few seconds to consider whether to raise or not (either to extract value or bluff out better hands).
When your opponents snap call your bets, it allows you to exploit them by applying pressure on some turns and rivers and forcing them to fold their medium strength hands.
The hands a player can have in a spot changes based on his type.
Loose-Passive - They play a lot of hands by calling instead of raising. This makes their range wide and allows us to value bet more hands.
Loose-Aggressive - They play a lot of hands by raising. Their range is still wide and we can bluff-catch and trap with more hands. They'll make more betting mistakes than calling mistakes.
Tight-Aggressive - This is the default play of a good player. Their range is narrow and we have to be careful with the hands that we chose to play because they will regularly apply pressure and will show up with the goods quite often.
Tight-Passive or Nits - They play very few hands and do so by calling instead of raising. We should bluff-catch less and value bet only strong portions of our range.
Good player not only play a good strategy, they also try to get into the head of their opponents.
Level 1 thinking - what do I have.
Level 2 thinking - what does my opponent have.
Level 3 - what does my opponent think I have.
We always want to be one level ahead of our opponents. Against most players, Level 3 is a good place to be. If we are facing a good thinking player, we might have to go further into this meta-game.
Hand reading is an ever evolving topic that cannot be covered in a single post.
What I have given you here are some of the basics that should come in handy.
If you find this useful and feel that you are making better decisions, let us know in the comments below. And maybe we'll do a series of these.
I am back and I am here to guide all of you poker noobs (like me), trying to make sense of the their way across the shark infested waters of poker land!
Before I launch the poker experience rollercoaster, must talk about the reactions of people around me when I announced my new “passion”. The sheer reactions of people are worth sharing – incredulity, outrage, condescension, annoyance and the rest of the anger related emotions. Only one person said – relax and have fun.
That said, let me now tell you why and, how much I am enjoying the poker fun. The adrenalin rush comes from the skill and strategy issues, and to a large extent, gauging the persona of the sharks, err.. I mean PP (Professional Pokerists). They come in all variations of shape and temperament. For the Koi (a type of colourful fish, perfectly harmless, just like me or any average newbie) wanting to swim in the deep waters of poker among the sharks it is high priority to sort them out first.
The pokerwallahs can be categorised as Aggros, Bluffers, Blusterers, Bullies, Blunderers (usually Kois), All-ins, Gamers, Helpers, and Gappers and so on.
It is very important to ‘judge’ your opponents before playing online poker. Remember, you can’t see their faces, body movements or expressions! There are certain rules I have made up to keep myself being enticed too deeply into the intrigue called poker.
Rule No.1 – Beware the bullies and the aggros. No matter what hand you have, the moment they are aware of Kois on the table, the bidding shoots up pre-flop! Even the pocket Aces tremble before their might.
Rule No.2 – Bluffers and Blusterers come into the scene after the flop. This is not for the faint-hearted. This is where you have to very cautious; look at the cards in your hand and on the table very seriously before making a move.
Rule No.3 – Try to follow the Gamers and Helpers, they may have a better idea of what is going on. They are usually safe to follow, unless they have Broadway Hands.
Rule No. 4 – The Gappers and Blunderers are the most difficult to judge, but worth watching to see their reaction to the bets, not be nose-led by them definitely.
Rule No.5 – All-ins... They are rule unto themselves. Still haven’t figured out a way to deal with them. However, some of the players genuinely have a good hand when they jump in the well. Most find water and a few foolish Kois find hard rock good enough to break bones! Speaking frankly, I shudder and quickly fold when people are doing all-ins.
All said poker has become an exciting challenge to me. Sharks can intimidate and frustrate you, but for the immense joy of outsmarting them I will continue to explore this game which is more about skill and alertness than a game a chance and luck.
Betazoid regularly signs in to pour out poker joys, woes and expendable insights after almost a month of online poker playing. No one can escape this Koi fish’s wrath!
Well, poker’s played in two main formats: cash games and tournaments. A tournament is where everyone pays a fixed amount (say Rs 100) and starts with the same number of chips (say a stack of 10,000 chips). You bet as usual, eventually someone will run out of chips and get knocked out. The remaining folks keep playing. Last 15% of players left standing get prizes - for instance, in a 10-person tournament there might be 2 prizes, and in a 1000 person tournament there might be 150 prizes.
Yes, at 9stacks, we are putting time and effort in developing “fast” tournaments that casual players can enjoy when they have lesser time on their hands. For instance, our “Mig-29” tournaments all last at most 29 minutes, and our “6-shooter” tournaments are restricted to 6 players and last exactly 12 minutes. At that time, if more than one person is left, then the prize money is determined by relative numbers of chips. (If there’s a hand in play, that hand is completed) We’re also experimenting with other fast tournament formats, keep checking in!
Let’s take an example: In a "200+20" tournament, each player contributes Rs 200 to the prize pot and pays Rs 20 as a fee to the house. So if 12 people register, prize pot = 1200. The prize pot is usually divided such that about 15% of participants get prizes - so 2 players, in this example. In this example, the winner might get say 800 and 2nd prize winner might get 400. We at 9stacks guarantee a minimum prize pool (usually equal to 5 players) for every tournament that gets scheduled- so if say only 3 players register, we will throw in an added 200 so that prize pot becomes 500. (The exception is that if less than say 2 players sign up, a tournament will automatically get cancelled, but that is quite rare).
So what do you think? Want to join us for a tournament? It'll be super fun!
The first step towards improving your game starts Pre flop. Usually, beginners like to see a lot of flops and be in the mix of the action. I can't blame you for that; folding isn't fun. But choosing the wrong hands to play pre flop can compound into multiple mistakes post flop and result in a big loss. For example, let's say UTG raises and you decide to call with K8o in UTG+1. The board runs K high and you are facing bets on all the three streets. What do you do? You have top pair but with a bad kicker. You call and the villain shows you AK. This was a classic case of running into a dominated hand. Calling with a weak K or weak Ace is one of the most common beginner mistakes.
So what should a solid starting hand strategy look like? Let's find out.
The odds of being dealt a pocket pair are 1 in 17 times or 5.88% chance; pocket pairs are rare. You can not go wrong with playing with these hands. But a word of caution - if you are facing raises and 3bets in front of you, it is OK to let go of the bottom of this range (22, 33 etc.). This is because, small pocket pairs will quite often not win at showdown. And the chances of them making a set are not good enough to justify a call given bad odds.
- They don't run the risk of being dominated by a better kicker often.
- They also do well to balance your range. It keeps your villains guessing what you might actually have and they can't exploit you easily.
Hands like 79s, 9Js are decent hands to play because they make concealed straights and flushes. So, it is often easy to extract value. But remember to not go overboard with them and choose the situations carefully.
Hands like weak unsuited Aces (A6o, A7o etc), weak Kings both suited and unsuited are bad hands. They make weak hands post flop and run the risk of being dominated as we discussed earlier.
Hands like 78o, 9To, 79o, 86o look like decent candidates to take a flop with. But remember that the odds of making strong hands with these are quite low. In the long run, you will lose more by putting in the money pre flop than you will win when you make a strong hand postflop.
8To, K9o, 7To, etc. - these are bad hands to play with. They don't make strong hands often enough and a lot of the times, you will lose a bet or two on flop/turn trying to make a hand with them.
28o, J5o, T4o - these are hands you just shouldn't play. If you've understood the logic for the hand selection so far, this should come intuitively to you. These hands make good hands very rarely. And when they do, it is hard to extract value.
I hope this helps improve your game. Leave your comments and questions below.
NOTE: This article is just a starting point for beginners and is by no means the only correct way to play. The hands that you play with will and should change based on different factors: opponent types (are they tight or loose), stack sizes, table dynamics, position. Most of all, it depends on how good you are at playing them. As your game improves, you can add more hands to this selection.
When I was a kid, I used to play badminton. I wasn't great but I managed to eke into my school team for a zonal level competition. Our star player was a guy who had made Badminton his life's number priority. His schedule included waking up at 5.30 in the morning, a 2-hour practice session with his coach, school, another practice session. Needless to say, he was a damn good player. Poker is no different - to be really good, you have to put in the hours. But, how and where?
The number of resources to study Poker are innumerable. Let's get down to what we think is the right way to study poker.
1. YouTube Videos - YouTube is a huge resource of poker videos: Poker TV Shows (Poker After Dark, High Stakes Poker, etc.), Hand Breakdowns by Pros (check our article on Best YouTube Channels), Tournament Highlights. There is a lot of variety and usually they come with commentary, so it is entertaining to watch too. This is the least difficult method to get started on.
3. Hand Discussions/Forums - A good way to learn quickly is to surround yourself with other poker players and have a discussion with them about your hands. If you don't know any poker players, you can join forums like Two Plus Two and post your hands there.
4. Hand History Reviews - You'll play a lot of hands but won't always have the opportunity to discuss all of them with others. So, it is a good idea to review them yourself. To do this, you can use the help of software, and see if you played it right.
5. Twitch - This is the newest source of poker knowledge. A lot of poker players these days are streaming their online poker sessions LIVE (Lex Veldhuis, Jason Somerville). And they constantly explain why they are doing certain things. It is a great way to get into the head of a pro and look at their thought process.
6. Coaching - Finally, if you are looking to take your game to the next level, hiring a personal coach makes sense. Usually, these coaches charge on an hourly basis. But, the personal attention and the steep curve of improvement makes it worth it.
Hope this helps. Let us know your thoughts, opinions and questions in the comments below.
Mayank Jain is a writer who plays poker for a living. He writes at http://mayankja.in/ on mindfulness, travel and art, among other things." | 2019-04-25T19:59:27Z | https://www.9stacks.in/blog?category=Starter+Kit |
In July 2016, the FBI began investigating the Russian government’s attempt to influence the 2016 presidential election, including whether President Donald Trump’s campaign associates were involved in those efforts.
“Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered an influence campaign in 2016 aimed at the US presidential election” between Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, according to a U.S. intelligence community report released Jan. 6, 2017. Russian intelligence services gained access to the computer network of Democratic Party officials and released the hacked material to WikiLeaks and others “to help President-elect Trump’s election chances,” the IC said in its report.
The Internet Research Agency, a Russian online propaganda operation, also conducted a social media campaign “to advocate for President-elect Trump as early as December 2015,” the IC report said.
The report “found multiple acts by the President that were capable of exerting undue influence over law enforcement investigations, including the Russian-interference and obstruction investigations.” Mueller, however, refrained from recommending prosecution, saying that there were “difficult [legal] issues that would need to be resolved,” in order to move forward with a case.
Here we present a timeline of key events in the investigation. We will update this timeline as necessary. For those reading this on a website other than FactCheck.org, please click here for updates.
June 16 — Trump announces that he is running for president.
Nov. 16 — Lana Erchova, on behalf of her then-husband, Dmitry Klokov, emails lvanka Trump and offers to help the Trump campaign. “If you ask anyone who knows Russian to google my husband Dmitry Klokov, you’ll see who he is close to and that he has done Putin’s political campaigns.” The Mueller report, who contained the email, says, “Klokov was at that time Director of External Communications for PJSC Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System, a large Russian electricity transmission company, and had been previously employed as an aide and press secretary to Russia’s energy minister.” Ivanka Trump forwarded the email to Cohen.
Jan. 20 – Peskov’s assistant emails Cohen, telling him to give her a call. Cohen calls Peskov’s assistant and speaks to her for 20 minutes. Cohen outlines the Moscow Trump Tower project and asks for the Russian government’s assistance.
Feb. 26 — Reuters reports that Flynn “has been informally advising Trump” on foreign policy during the presidential campaign.
March 21 — Lukashev and other Russian military intelligence officers steal more than 50,000 emails from Podesta, Clinton’s campaign chairman.
March 29 — Trump announces that Paul Manafort, a longtime Republican operative, will be his campaign convention manager. Manafort had worked for more than a decade for pro-Russia political organizations and people in Ukraine — including Viktor Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine and a close ally of Putin.
March 31 — Trump attends a national security meeting that was chaired by Sessions and attended by his foreign policy advisers, including Page and Papadopoulos. At the meeting, Papadopoulos says he has connections in Russia and could help arrange a meeting between Trump and Putin, according to the Justice Department.
April 6 — Russian military intelligence officers create an email account similar to a Clinton campaign staffer and then send emails to more than 30 Clinton campaign employees that include a link to a document titled, “hillary-clinton-favorable-rating.xlsx.” The link directs the recipients’ computers to a website created by the GRU, the Russian military intelligence agency.
May 6 — Sater emails Cohen about attending the St. Petersburg Forum, asking the Trump Organization executive whether he would be able to travel to Moscow on those dates. “Works for me,” Cohen writes.
May 19 — Manafort is elevated from convention manager to campaign chairman and chief strategist.
May 25 — Russian military intelligence officers successfully hack into the DNC’s server and over the course of a week stole thousands of emails from DNC employees.
June 14 — The Washington Post reports that hackers had gained access to DNC servers. It is the first public disclosure of the security breach.
June 20 — Manafort becomes the Trump campaign manager. He replaces Corey Lewandowski, who was fired.
Christopher Steele, a former British intelligence officer, files his first of 16 memos on Trump’s connections to Russia. Fusion GPS, a research firm founded by former Wall Street Journal reporters Glenn R. Simpson and Peter Fritsch, hired Steele as part of an opposition research project paid for by a law firm representing Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee.
July 22 — WikiLeaks releases nearly 20,000 DNC emails. It would eventually release more than 44,000 emails and 17,000 attachments, WikiLeaks says on its website.
July 25 – The FBI confirms it has opened an investigation into the hacking of the DNC computer network. “The FBI is investigating a cyber intrusion involving the DNC and are working to determine the nature and scope of the matter. A compromise of this nature is something we take very seriously, and the FBI will continue to investigate and hold accountable those who pose a threat in cyberspace,” it says in a release.
July 27 — At a press conference, Trump says he has “never spoken” to Putin, even though he had said in 2013 “I have a relationship” with Putin. At the press conference, Trump also says he doubts that Russia was responsible for hacking the DNC computer network, but invites Russia to find the 30,000 personal emails that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s staff deleted when she left office. “Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing,” he says. Trump later says he was being “sarcastic” in inviting Russia to find the emails.
July 29 — The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announces that its computer network also has been hacked. Several of its House candidates were targets of stolen emails released by Guccifer 2.0.
Aug. 19 — Trump removes Manafort as his campaign manager.
Sergey Kislyak, Russian ambassador to the U.S.
Sept. 8 — Sen. Jeff Sessions meets privately with Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, in the senator’s office.
After exchanging messages on Clinton’s alleged comments about Assange, Trump Jr. asks WikiLeaks, “What’s behind this Wednesday leak I keep reading about?” WikiLeaks does not respond, at least not on Twitter.
After Assange’s press conference, Bannon and Stone exchange emails about WikiLeaks’ plans to release hacked material. “A load every week going forward,” Stone writes to Bannon.
Oct. 7 — WikiLeaks begins to release Clinton Campaign Chairman John Podesta’s emails.
The Department of Homeland Security and Office of the Director of National Intelligence issue a joint statement saying that the U.S. intelligence community is “confident” that hacks into the email systems of the Democratic Party and its officials were directed by the Russian government.
Donald Trump Sr. tweets, “Very little pick-up by the dishonest media of incredible information provided by WikiLeaks. So dishonest! Rigged system!” The tweet does not include a link to WikiLeaks, and it is not clear if the tweet is in response to WikiLeaks’ request.
Oct. 14 — Trump Jr. publicly tweets the wlsearch.tk link, as noted in the Mueller report released April 18, 2019.
Oct. 21 — The FBI receives approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, known as the FISA court, to monitor the communications of Carter Page, a member of Trump’s foreign policy team.
Nov. 8 — Donald J. Trump is elected 45th president of the United States.
Nov. 10 — Trump meets with President Barack Obama at the White House. Obama reportedly warns Trump against hiring Flynn.
Nov. 18 — The president-elect selects Flynn as his national security adviser.
President Obama announces he has ordered a detailed review of Russian hacks during the 2016 campaign.
Early January — The FISA court agrees to extend the FBI’s surveillance of Carter Page, who was a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign.
The DNI report contains no evidence of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign.
Comey also assures the president-elect at the meeting that he is not personally under investigation. (“That was true; we did not have an open counter-intelligence case on him,” Comey would later tell the Senate intelligence committee in written testimony prior to his June 8 hearing.) Immediately after leaving the meeting, Comey types up some notes in his car — one of seven memos he wrote about his encounters with Trump.
Jan. 15 — Vice President-elect Mike Pence says Flynn and Kislyak did not discuss U.S. sanctions on Russia. “They did not discuss anything having to do with the United States’ decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia,” Pence said.
Jan. 20 — Trump is inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States.
Jan. 22 — On the same day that Flynn is sworn in as the national security adviser, the Wall Street Journal reports that U.S. counterintelligence agents have investigated Flynn’s communications with Russian officials.
Jan. 24 — Two days after he takes office as President Trump’s national security adviser, Flynn is interviewed by FBI agents. He is asked about two conversations that he had with Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, in December 2016 when Flynn was still a private citizen and before Trump took office.
Flynn tells the FBI agents that he did not ask Kislyak, in a Dec. 29, 2016, conversation, for Russia to refrain from retaliating after the Obama administration announced sanctions that day against Russia for interfering in the 2016 elections. He also says that he did not ask Kislyak, in a Dec. 22, 2016, conversation for Russia to delay or defeat a U.N. Security Council resolution, approved Dec. 23, 2016, that would have condemned Israel’s building of settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Flynn would later plead guilty to lying to the FBI about both of those conversations with Kislyak.
Jan. 28 — Trump receives a congratulatory phone call from Putin.
Feb. 9 — The Washington Post reports that Flynn “privately discussed U.S. sanctions against Russia with that country’s ambassador to the United States during the month before President Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials,” citing unnamed current and former officials.
Feb. 13 – Flynn resigns. He acknowledges that he misled Pence and others in the administration about his conversations with Kislyak, the Russian ambassador. “I inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador,” Flynn says.
White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus asks FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe if the agency would help the White House knock down news stories about contacts between Trump aides and Russians during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The FBI interviews Papadopoulos, a Trump foreign policy adviser, for a second time.
March 1 — The Washington Post reports that then-Sen. Sessions “spoke twice last year with Russia’s ambassador to the United States,” including a private meeting in the senator’s office on Sept. 8, 2016. The report contradicts what Sessions told the Senate Committee on the Judiciary during his confirmation hearing.
March 4 — In a flurry of tweets, Trump accuses Obama of illegally “tapping my phones in October” during the “very sacred election process.” He compares Obama’s actions to Watergate and calls the former president a “bad (or sick) guy!” Trump presents no evidence that Obama was tapping his phones.
March 22 — Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House intelligence committee, holds a press conference to announce that he had reviewed intelligence reports that show “incidental collection” on some unnamed Trump transition team members had occurred after the election. Nunes, a former Trump transition team member, says he believes the information was legally obtained and was unrelated to Russia, but he says it raises questions about whether the intelligence community was improperly unmasking U.S. citizens whose identities should be protected.
March 27 — The New York Times reports that the Senate intelligence committee informed the White House that it wants to question Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser, about his meetings in December with Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, and Gorkov, the head of Russia’s state-owned bank.
Nunes acknowledges that he went to the White House to review the intelligence reports on the “incidental collection” of information on Trump transition team members.
Flynn’s attorney, Robert Kelner, says in a statement that his client is willing to testify before Congress if Flynn receives immunity. “General Flynn certainly has a story to tell, and he very much wants to tell it, should the circumstances permit,” Kelner’s statement said.
The White House releases a revised financial disclosure form for Flynn that shows he received speaking fees from RT TV, the Russian television network, and two other Russian firms. Flynn failed to report that income when he initially filed his disclosure form in February.
Early April — The FISA court agrees to extend the FBI’s surveillance of Carter Page, who was a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign.
April 6 — Nunes announces he will no longer oversee the House intelligence committee’s Russia investigation.
The Washington Post reports that the FBI obtained a secret court order last summer under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to monitor the communications of Carter Page, a member of Trump’s foreign policy team. The Justice Department convinced the FISA judge that Page, who had worked in Russia, “was acting as an agent of a foreign power, in this case Russia,” the Post wrote.
May 8 — Yates testifies at a Senate hearing that she had two in-person meetings and one phone call with McGahn, the White House counsel, to discuss Flynn’s meetings with Kislyak, the Russian ambassador. Her first meeting with McGahn was on Jan. 26, as mentioned above.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein learns that Trump intends to fire Comey. Rosenstein later would tell Congress, “On May 8, I learned that President Trump intended to remove Director Comey and sought my advice and input. Notwithstanding my personal affection for Director Comey, I thought it was appropriate to seek a new leader.” Rosenstein then set out to write a memo outlining his concerns about Comey’s leadership.
May 9 – Trump fires Comey. A White House statement said that Trump acted “based on the clear recommendations” of Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. In a two-and-a-half-page memo, Rosenstein cited Comey’s handling of the FBI’s investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server for official government business while she was the secretary of state under Obama. Rosenstein criticized Comey for holding a press conference on July 5, 2016, to publicly announce his recommendation to not charge Clinton, and for disclosing on Oct. 28, 2016, that the FBI had reopened its investigation of Clinton.
CNN also reports the U.S. attorney’s office in Alexandria, Virginia, issued subpoenas to associates who worked with Michael Flynn on contracts after he left the Defense Intelligence Agency in 2014.
May 13 — In a Fox News interview with Judge Jeanine Pirro, Trump denies that he asked for Comey’s loyalty. “But I don’t think it would be a bad question to ask,” he adds.
May 15 — The Washington Post reports that during a May 10 meeting with Russian officials Trump discussed classified information about an ISIS terrorist threat involving laptop computers on commercial airlines.
May 16 — The New York Times reports that Israel was the source of the intelligence information that Trump disclosed to Russian officials.
May 17 — Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, appoints former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III as special counsel to investigate any possible collusion between the Trump campaign and the Russian government’s efforts to influence the 2016 presidential election.
At a press conference with the president of Colombia, Trump denies that he asked Comey to close down the FBI’s investigation of Flynn. “No. No. Next question,” Trump said.
The Washington Post reports that federal investigators have “identified a current White House official as a significant person of interest” in the Russia investigation. Six days later, the Post reports that that person is Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior adviser. The term has no legal meaning, but is used by law enforcement when identifying someone who may have information of interest to an investigation.
May 22 — The Washington Post reports that “Trump made separate appeals to the director of national intelligence, Daniel Coats, and to Adm. Michael S. Rogers, the director of the National Security Agency, urging them to publicly deny the existence of any evidence of collusion during the 2016 election.” The paper says the meeting happened in March and that Coats and Rogers denied the president’s request.
May 23 — Coats appears at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing and is asked if the Post report on Trump’s request to help him push back against the FBI investigation is accurate. Coats declines to answer. “It’s not appropriate for me to comment publicly on any of that,” Coats said.
Former CIA Director John O. Brennan testifies before the House intelligence committee about the federal investigation into possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. In an exchange with Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy, Brennan says he does not know if any “such collusion existed,” but he was concerned about contacts between Russian officials and people involved in the Trump campaign.
May 31 — The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence issues subpoenas for testimony, documents and business records from Flynn and Michael Cohen, a personal attorney to the president.
June 6 — Flynn provides more than 600 pages of documents to the Senate intelligence committee, CNN reports. The committee subpoenaed the documents on May 10.
Trump announces his intention to nominate Christopher Wray to replace Comey as the FBI director. Wray was an assistant U.S. attorney general in the Bush administration in charge of the Justice Department’s criminal prosecutions division.
Comey submits written testimony to the Senate intelligence committee in advance of his June 8 appearance before the committee. In his testimony, Comey says that he first spoke to Trump on Jan. 6, 2017, at Trump Tower, and he wrote memos after each meeting or conversation. The former FBI director said that he had “nine one-on-one conversations with President Trump in four months – three in person and six on the phone.” On three occasions, Comey told Trump he was not personally under investigation.
June 8 – Comey testifies under oath before the Senate intelligence committee. As his written testimony detailed, Comey says the president asked him for his loyalty at a Jan. 27 dinner and asked him to drop the Flynn investigation at a Feb. 14 meeting. He also says Trump asked that the FBI “lift the cloud” over his administration and publicly announce that the president is personally not under investigation on March 30 and April 11.
The president also says that he is “100 percent” willing to testify under oath about his conversations with Comey. “No collusion, no obstruction, he’s a leaker,” Trump says.
The House intelligence committee sends a letter to McGahn, the White House counsel, asking if any such tapes exist and, if so, to turn them over to the committee by June 23.
June 13 – Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said the president has the “right” to fire Mueller, but won’t. “While the president has the right to, he has no intention to do so,” Sanders told reporters aboard Air Force One.
Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, tells the Senate Judiciary Committee that he alone has the authority to fire the special counsel, and that he has not seen any evidence of good cause for firing Mueller.
Sessions testifies before the Senate intelligence committee. “[T]he suggestion that I participated in any collusion, that I was aware of any collusion with the Russian government to hurt this country, which I have served with honor for 35 years, or to undermine the integrity of our democratic process, is an appalling and detestable lie,” he says.
Sessions declines to answer any questions about his conversations with the president regarding Comey’s firing or any other matter. “[C]onsistent with long-standing Department of Justice practice, I cannot and will not violate my duty to protect confidential communications with the president,” he says.
June 15 — Trump tweets: “They made up a phony collusion with the Russians story, found zero proof, so now they go for obstruction of justice on the phony story. Nice”.
Pence hires Virginia lawyer Richard Cullen, a partner at McGuireWoods and former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia under President George H.W. Bush, to serve as his personal lawyer during the Russia investigation. “I can confirm that the Vice President has retained Richard Cullen of McGuireWoods to assist him in responding to inquiries by the special counsel,” Pence spokesman Jarrod Agen said in a statement.
Late June — The FISA court agrees to extend the FBI’s surveillance of Carter Page, who was a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign.
Trump meets Putin at G-20 summit on July 7, 2017.
July 7 – Trump talks twice with Putin at G-20 summit. The first is a regularly scheduled meeting that lasted more than two hours. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson attends that meeting and discusses it with the media after it ends. The second conversation occurs at a dinner for G-20 leaders and their spouses. The White House would not disclose or confirm that second conversation until July 18. Ian Bremmer, president and founder of the Eurasia Group, revealed the previously undisclosed conversation in a newsletter to clients of his New York-based risk management company. Bremmer said Trump went to Putin’s table at some point during the dinner and the two men spoke for “roughly an hour.” White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer confirmed that Trump initiated the conversation, but he said it was brief and nothing more than “pleasantries and small talk” were exchanged. There is no record of the conversation, which was facilitated only by a Russian interpreter.
July 19 – The Senate judiciary committee asks Donald Trump Jr. to turn over all documents “relating to any attempts or actions taken by the Trump Organization or Trump campaign to coordinate, encourage, gain, release, or otherwise use information related to Russia’s influence campaign aimed at the US 2016 presidential election.” The committee’s letter, in particular, asks for any documents related to the June 2016, meeting with Veselnitskaya, as well as all communications he had with a long list of specific Trump campaign officials and Russian individuals and businesses.
July 24: Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and senior White House adviser, meets for two hours with Senate intelligence committee investigators. “I did not collude, nor know of anyone else in the campaign who colluded, with any foreign government,” Kushner says in a statement that he provided to congressional investigators.
In his statement, Kushner says he can recall two meetings with Russian government representatives during the campaign and two meetings during the transition. The statement says he spoke briefly to Kislyak, the Russian ambassador, at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C., in April 2016 prior to a speech by Trump on foreign affairs, and that he met with Kislyak for 20 or 30 minutes at Trump Tower on Dec. 1, 2016. He also says he met banker Sergey Gorkov in New York on Dec. 13, 2016, for 20 to 25 minutes, and he attended a meeting arranged by Donald Trump Jr. with Russian attorney Natalia Veselnitskaya at Trump Tower on June 9.
July 27 — Papadopoulos, a Trump foreign policy adviser during the campaign, is arrested at Dulles International Airport on charges that he lied to FBI agents. Following his arrest, Papadopoulos met with government investigators “on numerous occasions to provide information and answer questions,” according to a court document.
Aug. 1 – White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders confirms that the president was involved in drafting the statement that Donald Trump Jr. issued on July 8 about the meeting that he and other Trump campaign officials had with Russian representatives on June 9, 2016. That statement was misleading. It failed to mention that Donald Trump Jr. agreed to the meeting after being promised “some official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary” as “part of Russia and its government’s support for Mr. Trump,” according to emails that Donald Trump Jr. released on July 11.
Sept. 6 — Facebook announces that it has identified roughly 3,000 politically related ad buys connected to 470 fake accounts linked to Russia. In a blog post, Alex Stamos, the company’s chief security officer, writes: “In reviewing the ads [sic] buys, we have found approximately $100,000 in ad spending from June of 2015 to May of 2017 — associated with roughly 3,000 ads — that was connected to about 470 inauthentic accounts and Pages in violation of our policies. Our analysis suggests these accounts and Pages were affiliated with one another and likely operated out of Russia.” The company says it also alerted U.S. authorities that it found an additional “$50,000 in potentially politically related ad spending on roughly 2,200 ads” that may be linked to Russia. Those ads were “bought from accounts with US IP addresses but with the language set to Russian” and “didn’t necessarily violate” Facebook policies.
Stamos says the ads “appeared to focus on amplifying divisive social and political messages,” including on race, immigration, gun rights and LGBT issues.
Sept. 7 – Donald Trump Jr. spends five hours behind closed doors answering the questions of Senate judiciary committee investigators. In his prepared remarks, Trump says, “I did not collude with any foreign government and do not know anyone who did.” He also discusses his June 9, 2016, meeting with Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya and five or six others at Trump Tower in New York. Trump’s oldest son says he was “skeptical” but nonetheless intrigued by an email he received from a Russian acquaintance who claimed that the Russian government had “official documents and information that would incriminate Hillary [Clinton] and her dealings with Russia.” Trump says, “To the extent they had information concerning the fitness, character or qualifications of a presidential candidate, I believed that I should at least hear them out.” He says the meeting lasted 20 to 30 minutes and produced no information about Clinton. “I have no recollection of any documents being offered or left for us,” he says.
Sept. 19 — CNN reports that federal investigators “wiretapped former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort under secret court orders before and after the election,” citing unnamed sources. According to CNN, the FBI obtained two warrants to conduct surveillance of Manafort from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, known as the FISA court. CNN says the first warrant was issued in 2014 and expired before Manafort joined the Trump campaign. CNN does not say if the second warrant was issued when Manafort was still part of the Trump campaign. “It is unclear when the new warrant started,” CNN writes.
Sept. 26 – Stone testifies for three hours in a closed session of the House intelligence committee. In written testimony to the committee, Stone denies any collusion with the Russians. “To be clear, I have never represented any Russian clients, have never been to Russia, and never had any communication with any Russians or individuals fronting for Russians, in connection with the 2016 presidential election,” he says.
Oct. 2 – Facebook gives the Senate and House intelligence committees more than 3,000 ads linked to Russia that it says appeared on the social media site during the 2016 campaign. In a blog post, Elliot Schrage, vice president of policy and communications at the company, says the ads reached an estimated 10 million people in the United States.
Oct. 4 — The Republican chairman and the ranking Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee hold a joint press conference to provide an update on the Russia investigation. “The issue of collusion is still open,” says Sen. Richard Burr, the committee chairman, referring to possible collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. The North Carolina Republican says the committee has interviewed more than 100 people and has 25 additional interviews scheduled for October. He says the committee hopes to complete its work before the 2018 midterm elections next November.
Oct. 5 — Papadopoulos, a Trump foreign policy adviser, pleads guilty to lying to FBI agents. His guilty plea is not made public until Oct. 30.
Oct. 13 — Federal investigators interview Reince Priebus, the president’s former chief of staff. “Mr. Priebus was voluntarily interviewed by Special Counsel Mueller’s team today. He was happy to answer all of their questions,” his attorney William Burck said in a statement.
Oct. 24 – NBC News reports that the Podesta Group and the group’s co-founder, Tony Podesta, brother of Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta, are “subjects” of the special counsel’s investigation. John Podesta is not affiliated with the firm.
Citing unnamed sources, NBC News says federal investigators are interested in the Podesta Group’s work from 2012 to 2014 for a public relations campaign organized by Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, for a nonprofit called the European Centre for a Modern Ukraine. The nonprofit reportedly was backed by the “pro-Russian and oligarch-funded Ukrainian political party” that was in control of Ukraine at the time, according to NBC News.
Oct. 30 — Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, and Rick Gates, Manafort’s former business associate and a Trump campaign aide, are indicted on money laundering and tax evasion charges related to their work for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine.
Between 2006 and 2015, Manafort controlled firms that did “political consulting, lobbying, and public relations” for the government of Ukraine, the Party of Regions and its presidential candidate, Viktor Yanukovych, and then later for the Opposition Bloc, a successor to the Party of Regions, according to the indictment. Yanukovych, a close ally of Putin, was elected president of Ukraine in 2010, but fled the country in 2014 after a popular uprising. The Opposition Bloc formed after Yanukovych fled Ukraine.
Manafort allegedly laundered “more than $18 million” that he used to buy property, goods and services in the United States without paying federal taxes. “Gates transferred more than $3 million from the offshore accounts to other accounts he controlled,” the indictment says.
“The indictment contains 12 counts: conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading [Foreign Agents Registration Act] statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts,” a Department of Justice press release says.
Gates joined the Trump campaign at around the same time that Manafort became the campaign’s convention manager in late March 2016. He served as Manafort’s deputy and remained with the campaign after Manafort left in August 2016.
Papadopoulos, who became a campaign adviser in March 2016, learned from the professor in April 2016 that Russia possessed “dirt” on Hillary Clinton “in the form of ‘thousands of emails,’” according to a statement from the Justice Department stipulating the facts of the case against Papadopoulos. However, Papadopoulos falsely told the FBI “multiple times that he learned that information” about Clinton prior to joining the Trump campaign, according to the statement.
Papadopoulos lied to the FBI about his contacts with the “Female Russian National,” and failed initially to disclose his contacts with the “Russian MFA Connection,” the statement says.
Nov. 2 — Carter Page, a foreign policy adviser to the Trump campaign, testifies before the House intelligence committee at a closed-door hearing. According to a transcript of his testimony, Page tells the committee that he briefly exchanged “some nice pleasantries” with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Arkady Dvorkovich during his July 8, 2016, trip to Moscow, where both men spoke at the commencement ceremony of the New Economic School.
Page also confirms for the committee that he wrote an email to campaign policy aides J.D. Gordon and Tera Dahl that said: “On a related front, I’ll send you guys a readout soon regarding some incredible insights and outreach I’ve received from a few Russian legislators and senior members of the Presidential administration here.” But, under questioning, he says that he gained those “incredible insights” from listening to Dvorkovich’s speech and reading the Moscow newspapers — not from meetings with Russian government officials.
Nov. 14 — Sessions testifies before the the House judiciary committee and addresses why he failed to inform Congress that Russia was discussed at a March 31, 2016, meeting of the Trump campaign’s national security team. Sessions, who was chairman of the national security committee, says he didn’t recall the meeting until he saw recent news reports about it. Papadopoulos, a member of the national security team who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, told the Justice Department that he introduced himself at the March 2016 meeting as someone who had Russian contacts and could help arrange a meeting between Trump and Putin. “I did not recall this event, which occurred 18 months before my testimony of a few weeks ago, and would gladly have reported it had I remembered it, because I pushed back against his suggestion that I thought may have been improper,” Sessions says of Papadopoulos and the March 31, 2016 meeting. The attorney general also said that he did not recall a conversation with Carter Page about Page’s visit to Moscow in July 2016.
Nov. 16 — The Senate judiciary committee asks Kushner to provide “missing documents” related to the Russia probe that it knows exists. “For example, other parties have produced September 2016 email communications to Mr. Kushner conceming WikiLeaks, which Мr. Kushner then forwarded to another campaign official. Such documents should have been produced in response to the third request but were not,” the committee says in a letter to Kushner’s attorney. “Likewise, other parties have produced documents concerning а ‘Russian backdoor overture and dinner invite’ which Mr. Kushner also forwarded. And still others have produced communications with Sergei Millian, copied to Mr. Kushner.” Millian is a Belarusan American businessman and president of the Russian-American Chamber of Commerce who has boasted of his contacts with high-ranking Russian government officials.
Dec. 1 — Retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, pleads guilty to making false statements to the FBI. Flynn admits lying to FBI agents about two discussions he had with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the United States, in December 2016 when Flynn was still a private citizen and before Trump took office.
In the first instance, Flynn admits he lied to FBI agents about a conversation he had with Kislyak on Dec. 22, 2016 about an upcoming U.N. Security Council resolution. Although he initially denied it to FBI agents, Flynn now admits he asked Russia to delay or defeat a U.N. Security Council resolution, approved Dec. 23, 2016, that would have condemned Israel’s building of settlements in the West bank and east Jerusalem. The Obama administration had agreed to allow the resolution to come up for a vote over the objection of Israel.
Flynn also admits that he lied to FBI agents about a Dec. 29 conversation that he had with Kislyak about the sanctions imposed by the Obama administration that day for interfering in the 2016 U.S. elections. Flynn told Kislyak that Russia should refrain from responding to the U.S. sanctions and Kislyak agreed that Russia would “moderate its response to those sanctions” as a result of his request, according to charges filed by the U.S. special counsel’s office. But, when interviewed by the FBI on Jan. 24, Flynn denied making such a request and could not recall if Kislyak agreed to his request.
“My guilty plea and agreement to cooperate with the Special Counsel’s Office reflect a decision I made in the best interests of my family and of our country,” Flynn says in a statement.
Dec. 6 — Donald Trump Jr. testifies in a closed session of the House intelligence committee. He tells the committee that he spoke to his father about a June 2016 meeting at Trump Tower with a Russian lawyer two days after the New York Times reported about the meeting on July 8, 2017. But the president’s son declines to disclose the content of his conversation with his father.
Jan. 24 — The Justice Department confirms that Attorney General Jeff Sessions was interviewed by the special counsel’s office last week as part of its Russia investigation.
Jan. 25 — John Dowd, Trump’s private attorney, releases a one-page memo that says the Trump campaign turned over 1.4 million pages of documents to the special counsel’s office and the White House provided over 20,000 pages. The memo also says that the special counsel’s office to date has interviewed more than 20 White House staffers, 17 Trump campaign workers and 11 others affiliated with the Trump campaign.
Jan. 29 – In a letter to special counsel Mueller, Dowd and Sekulow write that the president “dictated” a July 8, 2017 statement to the New York Times about the June 2016 Trump Tower meeting between top Trump campaign aides and Russian lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya. The lawyers write, “You have received all of the notes, communications and testimony indicating that the President dictated a short but accurate response to the New York Times article on behalf of his son, Donald Trump, Jr.” The admission contradicts statements made last year by Sekulow and Sanders, the White House press secretary, that the president did not dictate the letter.
Feb. 12 — Richard Pinedo, a California man, pleads guilty to identity fraud. Pinedo operated an online service called “Auction Essistance,” which federal prosecutors say was used by foreign nationals “to circumvent the security features of large online digital payment companies.” Prosecutors did not identify Pinedo’s clients. However, Pinedo’s attorney, Jeremy I. Lessem, told the New York Times that the California man did not know the identity or the motivation of his clients. “To the extent that Mr. Pinedo’s actions assisted any individuals, including foreign nationals, with interfering in the American presidential election, it was done completely without his knowledge or understanding,” Lessem told the Times.
Feb. 16 — The special counsel’s office charges three Russian organizations and 13 Russian nationals with violating U.S. criminal laws to interfere in the 2016 U.S. elections. The indictment says the defendants conspired to defraud the United States. The conspiracy involved using the names of U.S. citizens and companies to illegally buy political ads on social media and stage political rallies. Some defendants also “solicited and compensated real U.S. persons to promote or disparage candidates,” according to the indictment.
The defendants are alleged to have employed hundreds of people for its online operations, “ranging from creators of fictitious personas to technical and administrative support personnel, with an annual budget of millions of dollars,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein says.
By early to mid-2016, the defendants’ operation included supporting Trump and disparaging Clinton, the indictment says. “Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities,” the indictment says.
The Internet Research Agency, an online Russia propaganda operation based in St. Petersburg, was among those indicted. “The indictment charges all of the defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States, three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and five defendants with aggravated identity theft,” the special counsel’s office says.
Feb. 20 — Alex van der Zwaan, a former associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and son-in-law of Russian oligarch German Khan, pleads guilty to making false statements to federal investigators. Van der Zwaan admitted he lied about conversations he had with Rick Gates, Trump’s former deputy campaign chairman, about Skadden’s report on Ukraine’s former prime minister, Yulia Tymoshenko. He also “deleted and otherwise did not produce emails” that had been requested by the law firm and/or the special counsel’s office, according to court documents.
Feb. 23 — Rick Gates pleads guilty to conspiracy and making false statements to federal investigators. Gates was originally indicted Oct. 30, 2017, on money laundering and tax evasion charges related to work that he and his business associate, Paul Manafort, did for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. Gates admits he participated in the financial conspiracy with Manafort. He also admits that he lied to prosecutors about a 2013 meeting involving Manafort and a congressman — identified by NBC News as Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee who chairs the panel’s subcommittee on European affairs. Gates misled investigators when he told them that Ukraine had not been discussed at the meeting.
Gates is now cooperating with federal investigators in exchange for dropping other criminal charges, including money laundering and tax evasion charges in the original indictment.
The special counsel’s office also files a superseding indictment against Manafort. The new charges include the allegation that “Manafort, with the assistance of Gates, … secretly retained a group of former senior European politicians to take positions favorable to Ukraine, including by lobbying in the United States.” The indictment says, “The plan was for the former politicians, informally called the ‘Hapsburg group,’ to appear to be providing their independent assessments of Government of Ukraine actions, when in fact they were paid lobbyists for Ukraine.” In his plea agreement, Gates acknowledges participating in that conspiracy.
March 12 — The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence says it has ended its Russia investigation. The Republicans on the committee release a one-page summary of their draft report. It says, “We have found no evidence of collusion, coordination, or conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Russians.” The full report has not yet been released.
April 3 — U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentences Alex van der Zwaan to 30 days in prison. Van der Zwann, a former associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and son-in-law of Russian oligarch German Khan, had pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about conversations he had with Rick Gates, Trump’s former deputy campaign chairman. It is the first sentence to be handed down in the Russia investigation.
April 19 — The Department of Justice turns over to Congress seven memos that Comey wrote immediately after each encounter that he had with Trump, from Jan. 6, 2017, to April 11, 2017.
April 27 — The Republican-controlled House intelligence committee issues a majority report on its Russia investigation along with a 98-page dissent from the Democrats. Both reports were redacted to protect classified information.
The majority report says, “In the course of witness interviews, reviews of document productions, and investigative efforts extending well over a year, the Committee did not find any evidence of collusion, conspiracy, or coordination between the Trump campaign and the Russians. While the Committee found that several of the contacts between Trump associates and Russians — or their proxies, including WikiLeaks — were ill-advised, the Committee did not determine that Trump or anyone associated with him assisted Russia’s active measures campaign.
April 30 — The New York Times reports that the special counsel’s office has “at least four dozen questions on an exhaustive array of subjects he wants to ask President Trump to learn more about his ties to Russia and determine whether he obstructed the inquiry itself.” The Times published a list of the questions.
June 8 — The special counsel’s office files a third superseding indictment against Manafort, adding an obstruction of justice charge for alleged witness tampering.The new indictment also accuses Konstantin V. Kilimnik, Manafort’s one-time business associate, with obstructing justice.
Kilimnik, who oversaw the Kiev office for Davis Manafort Partners Inc., is a Russian Army-trained linguist who prosecutors say had active ties to Russian intelligence during the 2016 campaign.
June 15 — A federal judge, citing the new obstruction of justice charges, orders Manafort to be held in federal custody until the trial starts in September.
July 13 — Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, announces the indictment of 12 members of GRU, the Russian military intelligence agency. The GRU officers “engaged in a sustained effort to hack into the computer networks of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, the Democratic National Committee, and the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton, and released that information on the internet under the names ‘DCLeaks’ and ‘Guccifer 2.0’ and through another entity,” a Justice Department press release says.
The names of those indicted are: Viktor Borisovich Netyksho, Boris Alekseyevich Antonov, Dmitriy Sergeyevich Badin, Ivan Sergeyevich Yermakov, Aleksey Viktorovich Lukashev, Sergey Aleksandrovich Morgachev, Nikolay Yuryevich Kozachek, Pavel Vyacheslavovich Yershov, Artem Andreyevich Malyshev, Aleksandr Vladimirovich Osadchuk, Aleksey Aleksandrovich Potemkin and Anatoliy Sergeyevich Kovalev.
July 16 — The Department of Justice announces the arrest of Maria Butina, a Russian national, on charges that she conspired to act as a Russian agent to influence U.S. politics and advance Russia’s interests. The government says she “worked at the direction of a high-level” Russian official from as early as 2015 through at least February 2017. The official described in the Justice Department press release matches the description of Alexander Torshin, deputy governor of Russia’s central bank, who was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department in April.
July 31 – Paul Manafort’s trial on bank and tax fraud charges begins in Alexandria, Virginia. He is also due to stand trial in Washington, D.C., in September on separate charges of money laundering and failure to register as a foreign agent.
Aug. 21 — A jury finds Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, guilty on five tax fraud charges, one charge of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts and two counts of bank fraud. The judge dismisses 10 other charges after the jury failed to reach a verdict on those.
Aug. 31 – Samuel Patten pleads guilty to violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act for failing to register as a lobbyist for a pro-Russian political party, the Opposition Bloc, in Ukraine, and members of that party, including “a prominent Ukraine oligarch” who matches the description of Serhiy Lyovochkin. Patten also admits he used foreign funds to arrange for a U.S. citizen to buy tickets for Lyovochkin to attend Trump’s inauguration, a court document shows. Federal law bans foreign nationals, including corporations, from contributing to presidential inaugurations.
The plea agreement says Patten has agreed to cooperate with the Mueller investigation.
Sept. 9 — On ABC’s “This Week,” Papadopoulos says that he told Trump, Sessions and others in attendance at a March 31, 2016 campaign meeting on national security that he had a “connection that can establish a potential summit between candidate Trump and President Putin.” Papadopoulos says that Sessions was “quite enthusiastic” about a possible meeting — contrary to what Sessions told Congress. Papadopoulos also says that sometime after June 20, when Manafort became the campaign manager, he told Manafort about the possibility of arranging such a meeting with Putin, but “it didn’t seem that Paul Manafort wanted to pursue this meeting.” Such a meeting never happened during the campaign.
Sept. 14 — In a plea agreement with the special counsel’s office, Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, pleads guilty to two counts of conspiracy in federal court and agrees to “cooperate fully, truthfully, completely, and forthrightly with the Government and other law enforcement authorities identified by the Government in any and all matters as to which the Government deems the cooperation relevant.” The charges are conspiracy against the United States including money laundering, tax fraud, violating the Foreign Agents Registration Act, lying to the Department of Justice and obstructing justice by tampering with witnesses. The plea deal includes Manafort admitting guilt to bank fraud charges on which a Virginia district court had failed to reach a verdict.
Nov. 7 — A day after the midterm elections, President Trump announces on Twitter that Department of Justice Chief of Staff Matthew G. Whitaker will replace Sessions, becoming acting attorney general. “We thank Attorney General Jeff Sessions for his service, and wish him well! A permanent replacement will be nominated at a later date,” the president writes. Sessions’ resignation letter says he is submitting it at the president’s request. Whitaker now oversees the special counsel’s investigation, not Deputy Attorney General Rosenstein.
Nov. 20 — Trump submits written answers to special counsel Robert Mueller’s questions.
Nov. 27 — Rudy Giuliani, one of Trump’s personal attorneys, says that Manafort’s lawyers shared information about their client’s discussions with the special counsel’s office even after Manafort pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the federal government.
Nov. 29 — Cohen, Trump’s former personal attorney, pleads guilty to lying to Congress about a real estate project that the Trump Organization pursued in 2015 and 2016, while Trump was running for president.
The special counsel’s office says Cohen told Congress that the company’s pursuit of the project ended in January 2016 before “the Iowa caucus and … the very first primary,” but it did not. Cohen “discussed efforts to obtain Russian governmental approval for the Moscow Project” as late as June 2016. Cohen told Congress he did not receive a response from the Russian government about the project, when in fact he did. Cohen told Congress he did not travel to Russia in connection with the Moscow project, but he did not tell Congress that he agreed to go to Russia to discuss the project.
Jan. 25 — The special counsel’s office arrests Roger Stone, an informal adviser to Trump. The indictment contains seven counts, including making false statements, witness tampering and obstruction. It says Stone lied to the House intelligence committee about, among other things, “his possession of documents pertinent to” the committee’s investigation and “his communications with the Trump Campaign” about WikiLeaks’ possession of material that could be damaging to Clinton and her campaign.
Feb. 14 — The Senate confirms William P. Barr as attorney general. Barr assumes oversight of the special counsel’s investigation from acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker.
March 7 — Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, is sentenced to 47 months in prison after being found guilty in August on five tax fraud charges, one charge of failing to disclose foreign bank accounts and two counts of bank fraud. The sentence is much less than the 19- to 24-year prison term recommended under federal sentencing guidelines. It is the first of two sentences for Manafort.
March 13 — Manafort, who was sentenced earlier this month to 47 months in prison, receives an additional 43 months of prison time. Federal Judge Amy Berman Jackson sentences Manafort on two conspiracy counts involving money laundering and tax evasion charges related to his work for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine. He pleaded guilty in September. Combined, Manafort is scheduled to now serve seven-and-a-half years.
March 22 — Attorney General William P. Barr notifies Congress that Mueller has concluded his investigation and submitted a confidential report.
March 24 — Barr sends Congress a four-page letter that summarizes Mueller’s confidential report on the investigation. The report contains two parts. The first part involves the results of the special counsel’s investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, and whether anyone associated with the Trump campaign conspired with the Russians.
“As the report states: [T]he investigation did not establish that members of the Trump Campaign conspired or coordinated with the Russian government in its election interference activities,” Barr writes.
“The Special Counsel states that ‘while this report does not conclude that the President committed a crime, it also does not exonerate him,'” Barr’s letter says. | 2019-04-20T16:56:16Z | https://www.factcheck.org/2017/06/timeline-russia-investigation/ |
April 15, 2019 1:23 p.m.
"Conservatives want the Clinton foundation throughly [sic] investigated by the feds and irs but claim trump should be given a complete pass.
There is a word for that."
Is it the same word for the liberals who give the Clinton foundation a free pass, but want Trump thoroughly investigated?
April 15, 2019 1:20 p.m.
"Then everyone could see that people like me actually pay a higher effective tax rate than millionaires."
The actual data shows that you're wrong. Because although the IRS doesn't publish individual returns, they do publish aggregate data.
And it is clear that income tax liability rises quite steeply with income. I don't know your income, of course, but just assuming the most likely range of $50k - $75k, such a taxpayer would undoubtedly be considered "middle class." In 2016, such a taxpayer paid an average of $5385 on average income of $61399. That's about 8.77%.
And looking at "millionaires", those making $1.0M - $1.5M, the numbers are $338k tax on income of $1.206M, or 28%.
And you don't even have to believe me. Just look it up yourself at the IRS Statistics of Income website.
But, of course, you *are* free to change your story and now claim that 28% is too low for somebody making $1.2M per year.
That I can't debate because it's an opinion. But as far as facts are concerned, you're just 100% wrong.
April 15, 2019 12:27 p.m.
To "EscherEnigma " but how does the tax return tell us if they are honest? If they were dishonest, don't you think that they would be dishonest on their taxes? Meaning, if they are a habitual liar and you ask them if they are a liar what sort of response would you expect?
As I have stated before, if you want to know if a politician is honest, look at the business dealings and taxes of their children, siblings, friends, and large campaign donors. Not just for one year, but get a baseline of a few years before the politician was elected and continue to monitor them for a few years after.
April 15, 2019 8:56 a.m.
"To "EscherEnigma" and what is your point?"
That making tax returns public is easier then electing "honest" politicians. I wasn't subtle or coy about this, so I don't understand your confusion.
April 15, 2019 8:41 a.m.
To "Fullypresent " how do you define what a person's "fair share" of taxes are. The only question is were their taxes filed in accordance with the law.
For instance, Mitt Romney pointed out that he could legally pay fewer taxes, but he voluntarily pays more.
April 14, 2019 8:58 a.m.
IRS does audits. We were audited regularly merely because we had a close relative working for the IRS.
The tax laws are full of assorted rules, worksheets, tables, exceptions, (ie so-called loopholes) that are legitimately used by many.
If you have a problem with any of that, then your problem is with either the tax laws, or the IRS auditing system.
Looks like many are being diverted by a red herring.
April 13, 2019 11:29 p.m.
Public has a right to know if Trump has ever paid his fair share of taxes. The tax deal he & Republicans passed last year put more $ into he & his families pockets with their business interests. Amazon almost doubled its U.S. profits from $5.6 billion to $11.2 billion between 2017 and 2018. But, reported a $129 million 2018 federal income tax "rebate", making its tax rate -1%! NO taxes on 11.2 billion in profits! Netflix saw its highest profits ever in 2018, but didn't pay any taxes that same year. These are just 2 examples. 60 of the biggest companies did not pay the federal gov't any federal taxes on 79 billion dollars! Average American who paid anywhere from 10-32% tax rate for federal taxes to be ok with this!
In 2017, only 2.9% of U.S. households earned more than $250,000, yet paid 55% of all income taxes. People earning less than $128,400 in 2018 pay Social Security taxes on 100% of their income, while those earning more pay taxes only on their first $128,400. In other words, those who earn $500,000 pay Social Security taxes on just 25.7% of their income. on a % basis, minimum wage earners pay more in Social Security taxes than those with higher incomes do.
April 13, 2019 6:51 a.m.
"To "UtahBlueDevil " the easier solution is to only elect honest people. It used to be that most politicians were respected and seen as examples in a community. Now, that has changed. There are few politicians that are respectable or honest."
Redshirt..... I really wish that was as true as we remember it to be. But from the CrÉdit Mobilier Scandal to the The Petticoat Affair, and The Petticoat Affair, there are many other examples (The Hamilton-Reynolds Affair)... we have always had a challenge with people taking advantage of their position or making morally challenging decisions.
But I would agree - it would be nice if we could simply elect people of good moral values. But when we are given options like Clinton v. Trump.... it becomes pretty hard to do so placing laws that force transparency are our next option. Illinois just passed its first attempt at that - although on very partisan lines.
April 12, 2019 2:42 p.m.
Why have any privacy? The IRS is responsible for determining the legality of our tax returns. If they are satisfied, it is no one else's business. We rightly object to online collection and sharing of personal data by businesses and the same applies to our tax returns.
Red Shirt, when you wrote : "To "Unreconstructed Reb" unless a person has been in office for the past 3 to 5 years, looking at their previous tax returns doesn't tell us much. Plus, looking at only the candidate's tax records doesn't show how they use their position to get money to their children, friends, family, and supporters. The tax returns of the candidate are easy to manipulate to paint the picture they want to paint. The actual story about their honesty or corruption is seen when looking at the people around them."
Did you not realize that you just laid out the reasons why it's vital that trump be thoroughly investigated?
April 12, 2019 1:54 p.m.
To "EscherEnigma" and what is your point? Are you saying that since we can't find honest people to support in politics that we should just accept the slime that comes along and not try to change it?
If you are saying that it can't be done because no other nation has done it isn't really a reason either. Before we built rockets nobody had ever left the atmosphere. Before the US came about nobody had ever established a Republic like the US. We are a nation of people that can do hard things. We can find honest people to vote for, it just takes some minimal effort.
April 12, 2019 1:27 p.m.
"To "UtahBlueDevil " the easier solution is to only elect honest people. "
No society anywhere in the world has figured out how to do *that*. But sure, rewriting human nature is "easier" then making tax returns public (something that *has* been done before).
April 12, 2019 9:26 a.m.
Other benefits would be that folks would have accurate information when bargaining for raises/starting salaries, folks would be able to look-up whether or not they're being paid less then their similarly situated co-workers, and so-on.
And despite fears that folks in such situations would resent their co-workers, what normally happens is that after discovering a disparity they resent their *bosses* (as they should).
So sounds good to me. Lets do it.
April 12, 2019 8:40 a.m.
To "UtahBlueDevil " the easier solution is to only elect honest people. It used to be that most politicians were respected and seen as examples in a community. Now, that has changed. There are few politicians that are respectable or honest.
To "Unreconstructed Reb" unless a person has been in office for the past 3 to 5 years, looking at their previous tax returns doesn't tell us much. Plus, looking at only the candidate's tax records doesn't show how they use their position to get money to their children, friends, family, and supporters. The tax returns of the candidate are easy to manipulate to paint the picture they want to paint. The actual story about their honesty or corruption is seen when looking at the people around them.
April 12, 2019 5:04 a.m.
My tax returns are my business and mine only. If I was President Trump I wouldn't show them either. Who cares what about his returns? If the IRS is ok with Presidents Trumps returns then pelosi should by ok too.
Redshirt, you're assuming much to claim that I'm opposed to the same treatment of the Clintons -- who did release their taxes, BTW.
I am pro transparency for anyone who is in a position of public trust where self-dealing is a danger, so stop the whataboutism.
What ever the Clintons may or may not have done is entirely irrelevant to Trump's potential culpability. I have as little interest in protecting them from fraud as you should have regarding the incumbent.
April 11, 2019 8:56 p.m.
I prize my privacy. It is one of the fundamental privileges of American life. The Fourth Amendment (when observed) protects us all from unreasonable invasions of privacy.
No one, including the author, would enjoy a world in which strangers could simply walk in his house and search for something.
April 11, 2019 8:08 p.m.
Come on, people want to see Trumps tax papers, wont it also be fair to see the speaker of the house and senate minority leader tax papers, I mean if its good for one, why not all members of congress too.
April 11, 2019 7:57 p.m.
"Forget Trump; why not make all our tax returns public?"
Because trump says and does things on an almost daily basis that are inane. We cannot forget trump. As for our tax returns, and the reason we cannot forget trump, is that he's President. I'm not. He's got a level of accountability to all of us that we probably don't have to one another. We deserve better.
April 11, 2019 6:45 p.m.
Conservatives want the Clinton foundation throughly investigated by the feds and irs but claim trump should be given a complete pass.
April 11, 2019 6:34 p.m.
I appreciate this letter, but am saddened so many seem to have missed the very salient point.
It is easy to think of others as, well, others. Whether it is "the rich", or "politicians", members of the "wrong political party", the wrong (or any) church, or living on the wrong side of town, these biases and bigotries are every bit as strong as those based on race, ethnicity, skin color, sexual orientation, or gender. What Jay has done for us here is given us a chance to consider whether we'd like to have our own tax returns, revealing our intimate financial details made public. That would include charitable giving, perhaps medical costs revealing very private medical conditions (should those on drugs to treat AIDS/HIV have that made public), and other details.
Yes, past presidentital candidates have disclosed their personal taxes. But neither JFK nor Rockefeller ever turned over data from their family trusts that actually controlled most of the money. Ditto Bill and Hillary.
If you want to mandate candidates disclose financials, extend it to trusts and family members as well. And then don't be shocked when even fewer decent people are willing to run for office.
April 11, 2019 6:06 p.m.
Redshirt.... we got to start somewhere. 3 years, 5 years... lets start with something. I would love to have full disclosure... but waiting for perfection isn't going to get us far. Lets start with something.... and if need be... strengthen the law further.
April 11, 2019 4:11 p.m.
April 11, 2019 3:58 p.m.
Is not the potential for identity theft greatly heightened by such private information made public ? And as already mentioned, making people vulnerable to scams and other damaging actions. Would this be a source of 'mailing lists' ? Let's not open Pandora's box.
April 11, 2019 3:34 p.m.
One would think a senior journalist like Mr Evensen would better appreciate the difference between the expectations of privacy for a regular citizen and for the President of the United States. Most media types understand that the law often treats public officials and private citizens quite differently when it comes to privacy.
There's no reason for us to see our neighbor's tax returns, but when it comes to high-ranking public officials, it's important that we know they're not lying or using their office for private gain. That's why other Presidents voluntarily released their tax returns and put their assets in a blind trust. Trump's failure to do so raises all sorts of red flags, especially since he's long been known to conceal the truth about his business dealings and his wealth.
April 11, 2019 3:07 p.m.
Well, Jay Evensen, it will probably please you to hear that anyone's tax returns ARE in fact available to the Chairperson of certain House and Senate Committees. All they have to do is request them. That doesn't mean that, once obtained, the Committees would necessarily make them public.
April 11, 2019 3:04 p.m.
If tax returns were public it would make it easier for con artists to find potential victims and gold diggers to find potential spouses. That might save the rest of us from these parasites of society.
April 11, 2019 2:37 p.m.
Then everyone could see that people like me actually pay a higher effective tax rate than millionaires.
To "UtahBlueDevil" just getting their previous 3 years tax returns doesn't tell us much. All that rule would do would be to get politicians to hide income in various locations. Your small town city council person wouldn't typically have the resources or need to do that, but large town mayors, state, and federal officials would have the resources to be able to hide and bury income streams.
The better solution wold also have to include all businesses that they own, and all businesses that do do work for the government. You will also need to watch the businesses of all of their friends, acquaintances, large political donors, and other people that can benefit from a politician's influence. You should also keep track of finances and business dealings for politicians, their business interest, family members, family member's businesses, and anybody else who can benefit from government contracts for at least 10 years (20 years would be better) after they leave office to ensure that payments for favors were not delayed.
If you want to make sure that they are going into to politics for the right reasons and not personal gain, you now have a much larger group to watch than just officials.
Mr. Evensen's opinion piece fails to note some important context to the question of whether President Trump's tax returns should be made public. We have a president who declined to divest himself of his business interests when he entered the White House (unlike nearly all other presidents). In light of Trump’s complex business interests in various places around the world, his strained relationship with the truth, and shifting stories on so many issues, Mr. Trump’s tax returns should be released. That would help the public see what his business interests really are and whether they might be affecting his policies and actions as president.
April 11, 2019 1:59 p.m.
To "Unreconstructed Reb" what you say could be said about the Clintons or other powerful politicians, with the exception of the University.
You don't care when Democrats engage in those things, so why do you care about Republicans who do the same things that Democrats do?
April 11, 2019 1:44 p.m.
April 11, 2019 1:16 p.m.
Personally I think there should be a law that requires people in positions of trust that could misuse that position for personal gain. I want to know beyond a reasonable doubt that our elected officials are not gaming the system, using their offices to enrich themselves at our expense. We need to be able to trust their motivations...... important word there... Trust.
"The total productivity of Donald Trump has provided more tax revenue and employment than most all other American citizens."
April 11, 2019 1:05 p.m.
...then knock yourself out. Release everyone's taxes.
April 11, 2019 12:53 p.m.
Trump lied about releasing his taxes and the reason.
Trump does not keep his promises.
Trump is trying to hide something in his taxes, why break with tradition.
Defending Trump by saying, there is no law about disclosing your taxes, is more justification for lack of character and honesty, and frankly a pathetic excuse.
When will we see Trumps birth certificate, I'm beginning to question his origin since he keeps lying about where his father and grandfather are from.
April 11, 2019 11:54 a.m.
April 11, 2019 11:26 a.m.
The total productivity of Donald Trump has provided more tax revenue and employment than most all other American citizens."
Yeah? Prove it. What can be proven is the hundreds of businesses and workers that Trump bankrupted and ruined their lives. There are over 2800 lawsuits from contractors, suppliers and workers that Trump either partially paid or never paid at all. There's a reason that US banks, nor, now any European banks won't lend Trump money. That's why he does business with Russians and Saudi's now. Think Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet, etc. (any real billionaires) have trouble getting credit from legit banks?
April 11, 2019 11:36 a.m.
To "There You Go Again" name the law that requires the POTUS or any political candidate to release tax information?
The bigger question is why does it matter? Are people going to try to audit him?
April 11, 2019 11:33 a.m.
trump is currently a republican occupying the WH.
The Congress is supposed to provide oversight of the Executive Branch.
Every POTUS since Nixon has provided tax returns.
Why would trump object to doing the same thing other individuals have done?
With regard to the headline, all of us have not sworn an oath to protect and defend the COTUS.
The COTUS as well as standard accepted practice provides a remedy for Americans to know that the people who occupy the Executive Branch are representing the best interests of the American people.
The total productivity of Donald Trump has provided more tax revenue and employment than most all other American citizens.
It's quite telling that the DesNews does not see this as a privacy issue with extremely broad implications, which, in order to control the narrative, it characterizes as "off-topic or disruptive."
Rather, it is Mr. Evensen's proposal that is disruptive, because it would open the door to vast invasions of privacy. I invite the reader to contemplate the implications.
April 11, 2019 9:46 a.m.
I also want the FBI to investigate a lot of people I don't like just to see f they were colluding with any Russians. | 2019-04-21T12:07:38Z | https://www.deseretnews.com/user/comments/900065205/jay-evensen-forget-trump-why-not-make-all-our-tax-returns-public.html |
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The road winds through ground cover and around cinder cones.
Lots to do and see here, time to explore!
Two roads go around Mauna Kea, the lower Mana Road goes from the 6,500 foot level and comes out in Waimea. The higher Kahinahina Road starts at the 9,000 foot level and goes 37 miles, all the way around Mauna Kea and back out on Saddle road. The upper road is a diverse drive that ranges from 7,200 ft all the way to 10,000 ft. Since the tree line is at about 8,000 to 9,000 ft this drive takes you in and out of a variety of ecosystems interspersed with spectacular Mauna Kea vistas you can not see any other way. Several stops along this 7 hour excursion allow for short explorations and hikes.
This is a 4-wheel required road - ESPECIALLY if you intend to do the entire tract. There is NO WAY you can make this road all the way through without 4-wheel drive. While early portions of this road can be done in any vehicle, you MUST have 4-wheel to complete this drive!
Do not attempt this drive if it has been raining hard within the last 24 hours or looks like it will rain in the next 24 hour. This drive takes you over numerous river and flood channel gorges and flash floods could easily wash you off the road or cut you off in both directions!
There are absolutely NO SERVICES on this road. Make sure you have a full tank of gas and plenty of food, water, and emergency supplies. A cell phone would be a very good idea in case of emergency.
This drive goes between 7,200 ft and 10,000 ft. It is possible to experience altitude sickness which symptoms range from irrationality to nausea and even fainting. If taking any of our side hikes be sure to walk slowly and don't overexert yourself if you feel the effects of altitude sickness.
Because of the altitude and the environment this area is usually very dry and exposed, be sure to have sun screen not only for when you get out of the car, but on your arms while driving. Wear sunglasses and drink plenty of water as it is very easy to become dehydrated.
There are very many side roads along the way. While many of the side roads do lead to interesting sights we do not recommend straying from our described drive for a variety of reasons, including getting lost. Consider bringing a GPS unit as well, as we do have this mapped with waypoints.
The start of this scenic drive can be reached in about the same amount of time regardless of whether you're on the Kona side or the Hilo side of the island.
If you are on the Kona side or up in Waimea, take Highway 190 and turn onto Saddle Road. Follow Saddle Road to the 28-mile marker, the junction of Mauna Kea Access Road and Saddle Road. Make a left onto Mauna Kea Access Road and take it to the 6.4-mile marker on Mauna Kea Access Road and the Mauna Kea Visitors Center.
If you are on the Hilo side we recommend you follow the detailed instructions in our Scenic Drive To The Summit Of Mauna Kea, and read it up to just before the 6.4-mile marker point - at the Visitors Center.
We do not recommend incorporating the summit of Mauna Kea into this drive as this is a long day-trip and it is best to start early, as you will end late. You may, however, wish to stop at the Visitors Center to stretch and use the restrooms before you begin.
JUST BEFORE the 6.4-mile marker - and JUST BEFORE the Visitors Center is a guardrail on the right side of the road. Sitting just below the guardrail is an old unused top of a small observatory dome. JUST BEFORE the guardrail, and this dome, is a dirt road going off to the right. This is the start of Kahinahina Road.
Instead of our normal odometer-by-odometer Scenic Drive presentation, we will do this more as a narrative because this is such a long drive. Well, actually, it is only 37 miles but it is slow going and the entire trip is going to take 7 hours. So the odometers will be going fast, with a couple stops for interesting views or quick side-hikes.
The Hawaiian word hinahina (he-na-he-na) means silversword and the prefix ka means the so this would be The Silversword Road and as we will see, that is indeed the case. Silversword is, of course, a very rare and endangered plant that only grows on the Big Island and Maui. You can read more about Silversword here - but first back to our drive.
On today's drive two other vehicle accompany us with friends joining us. We always prefer the safety of numbers when we are doing some of the more remote and difficult scenic drives, such as this one and the similar drive to the summit of Mauna Loa. Surprisingly, however, it is not that uncommon to meet other vehicles on this drive, as hunters and off-roaders frequent this area. Indeed, we saw a number of parked trucks and met one truck about half way around.
We should also mention that while you can, of course, do this drive either the way we are going, or backwards, we prefer going the counterclockwise way around. The main reason is that near the end is the roughest section and it seems to us that it would be worse coming the other way. While we have never taken this road the other way, we do know people who have and they make it through, so it must be doable through the really knarly sections.
Ok, starting out we make the right hand turn off of the Mauna Kea Access Road, just below the abandoned observatory dome top and guard rail. This is a flat dirt road with very little markings but there should be a yellow sign reading R1.
There are many roads up here that intersect, loop, dead-end, and some of which even extend down to Mana Road and below. Most of the main roads have been recently marked with bright yellow signs from R1 through R15. In cases where a road is not marked, it is either a loop and will come back to meet the main road, or it is a small off-side access or hunting road that will most likely eventually dead-end. For this trip we always want to stay on R1.
At odometer 0.5 we encounter our first gate, which should be unlocked and open (first GPS Waypoint). The road here is rough cinder and the sides vary from pahoehoe to a'a flows with Māmane bushes on either side.
For the most part we are going through sparse vegetation here as we are at the tree line. To our left virtually nothing grows as the upper slopes of Mauna Kea rear upwards. To our right is vegetation, which become more frequent as the slopes recede below us. At odometer 3.3 we get a steep incline and then at odometer 3.9 we stopped for a few minutes to take pictures (next Waypoint).
All the way along this first 1/3 of the road, as you begin to bend around Mauna Kea, you still get spectacular views of Mauna Loa out your back window so you should stop from time to time to check out the view. The cinder cones to the left side of the road along this stretch are also pretty nice. Ranging from brilliant reds through dusky browns, these are views you don't normally see of the summit.
Approaching the 4.1 odometer mark is another fork. In this case we went left but we believe it doesn't matter as the right fork loops around and meets back up. Immediately after, at odometer 4.2 is another for which we took the right (straight-through) path.
At odometer 5.5 (and our next Waypoint) we find our first large planting of Silversword (hinahina or 'āhinahina). These plantings are one of many groupings in an attempt to bring back the endangered Silversword plants.
Prior to western contact Silversword plants flourished, but the introduction of sheep and other grazing animals quickly destroyed the population until only 50 plants remained on the Big Island. Since these plants only grow on Maui and the Big Island, they became endangered and these plantings are some of the attempts to bring back the population.
Carefully walking about, you will notice there are literally hundreds of Silverswords planted here. Each plant has a shiny identification tag and most of the plants are very healthy. Silversword are rather strange in that they only bloom once, after growing for 40 to 50 years, and then immediately die - thus restoring these plants is difficult and tedious work.
As we continue down the road we will see other Silversword plantings on both side of the road.
At the 5.8 odometer mark we pass over a tributary with a nice valley view. This is the start of a number of gorges and streambeds that we will cross - all of which are small sources to the larger Wailuku river below.
We continue passing stream bed after stream bed, mostly small runoffs, and we can see to the left gorges cut through the cinder cones. This is the primary source of water for the eastern side of the Big Island. During a heavy upslope rainfall these streambeds would be choked full of water and debris, not somewhere you would want to be.
At odometer 7.0 (and the next Waypoint) we encounter probably the largest stream and the primary source of the Wailuku. This stream is a good twenty feet across and the rocks are all very smooth and bare having been scrubbed clean by thousands of years of cascading water and rocks. Normally dry during the summer months (if it isn't raining) it is amazing to think of all these streambeds combining together with other sources downslope to produce the huge Wailuku river.
At 7.1 we encounter a fork, which you should take to the right. At 7.6 is a left turn onto R4. This turn, if you take it, continues about 1/8 of a mile to the end of R4. A short hike takes you to enclosures on both the left and right sides of the road where Silverswords are planted in the protected fencing.
We continued past the R4 fork, staying on R1. At odometer 8.1 we encounter the R5 fork - keep to the left on R1, and at 10.0 we find the R6 fork, stay to the left and go up the big hill. At 10.9 you descend the hill and immediately climb back up another big hill.
As we come up to 11.1 the vegetation is dwindling on all sides of the road and gives way to gigantic cinder cones and enormous fields of blocks. This is the start of quite an amazing area - where rocks were blasted high into the air from huge vents, cracking into these jumbled pieces when they hit the ground. The ground here is littered with a very ordered casting of rocks from fist size to head size.
At 11.7 R6 rejoins us, stay on R1 and soon at 11.8 we reach Pu'u Kanakaleonui.
This will be our longest stop on this Scenic Drive. You should now be parked with Pu'u Kanakaleonui, the majestic cinder cone, on your right hand side. All around you is a huge field of very small pebbles and rocks, interspersed by fallen blocks and many, many round and football shaped Lava Bombs.
Lava Bombs are produced when molten lava is shot from a vent far into the air. As it falls back to earth, the molten blob of lava spins turning it into a sphere (if it spins evenly) or a football shape (if it spins primarily on one axis). If these cool enough, but not too much, before hitting the ground they can stay intact and remain as balls, sitting exactly where they landed.
The ground around you here is littered with Lava Bombs, from fist sized on up. It is quite the sight to see.
We like to take quite a long break here. There are a number of things to do and this is also a perfect spot for a picnic (though there is another spot further down the road which is also good, so if you want, make this a brief snack instead). If it is windy or cold, you will notice a not-too-steep road to your right that goes up into the lowest portion of the cone. You can easily drive up there and down into the cone where you can be more protected from the wind.
If you look upslope towards the summit of Mauna Kea from here, you will notice some white trash about 1/3 from the top of the ridge. This is the wreckage of an airplane that crashed here a number of years ago. It is miles away so inaccessible for most practical purposes.
You will see a small trail going to the summit of Pu'u Kanakaleonui. This is a fun and short hike, but do be careful as you are at altitude meaning it is harder to breath, and the trail is very steep with loose pebbles. Wear sneakers or boots and a hiking pole wouldn't hurt. When you get to the top, besides catching your breath you will have an outstanding 360° view of the valley below you, the other side of Pu'u Kanakaleonui (which is a huge vent and blowout) and more nearby cones with trails leading to them. There is a geo-position marker here (USGS) and often an offering or two to the mountain deities.
The lush forests you see below you, on the back side of Pu'u Kanakaleonui, are areas where experiments are currently going being done on reintroduction of rare and near-extinct Hawaiian birds, such as the Palila (Loxioides bailleui) - the endangered Hawaiian honeycreeper. Captive-reared Palila have been released in this lower forest area in an attempt to repopulate the species. A total of 10 birds were released between 1996 and 2002 with known genetic diversity. Each bird was banded and also had an electronic transmitter that allowed tracking for 8 weeks.
After our hike and snack we returned to the car and continued. At 12.0 is a left fork and a huge Lava Bomb sitting alone in a field of small pebbles. Intrigued we make the left and parked next to the bomb. This bomb is a mystery. How did this bomb get here? Unlike the cinder cone we were just at, this bomb sits alone for as far as the eye can see. The largest other pieces of rock are an occasional foot sized chunk - with the majority of rock being small pebbles or cinder. This bomb is huge, and sits alone. Was it thrown here? As most bombs arrive? If so it must have been one mighty blast and it was the only surviving member. An alternative explanation might have been that it rolled to this spot or was pushed along by an underlying flow - but even this explanation does not have much evidence behind it. Nevertheless, this is a most interesting bomb.
Returning to our car we went back to R1 (there is a little triangle of a road there that let's you join up a bit further - you'll see it) and continued. At 12.8 is the junction with R7. We went to the left and entered a sandy area.
At 13.2 is an ashy hill to the right and the location of the Mauna Kea Bike Races that are held periodically. You will see a lot of activity of the hill being used as a track with many bike trails all over the cone.
The road between 13.2 and 13.8 takes you down quite a ways and back into the tree line. The vegetation returns to a grass and you should again see and hear birds. By 14.0 odometer you are down to 8,800 feet with brush but this does not last long as by 14.4 you are back out of the vegetation and into a nasty a'a lava field.
At odometer 15.0 the road becomes twisty, narrow, and steep as you go through a'a ravines. Here is where the day started to turn on us. Up to this point we had been dry, with drifty clouds partially obscuring our view, but nothing threatening. However, at this point it began to rain - and it rained for the entire rest of the trip. At points the rain was a deluge, but for the most part it was just a steady rain.
Now, we should point out that it is very dangerous to be on this road when it rains. While most of the road is ok... sections that we have already passed through, as well as sections we are about to go through, have stream beds and flood channels we must cross. If it is raining hard above us on the summit than some of these channels may be flooded. However, as we were between the Wailuku feeds and the backside of Waimea, we had little choice but to go on and be cautious.
We began to see more birds, including a red tailed pheasant, near odometer 16.3 and by 16.7 we were back to a combination of brush and a'a lava flow.
At 17.0 is another fork, go right. From 17.4 through 18.1 you pass through a series of sand dunes. Sand dunes are very rare on the Big Island. While the Big Island has just about every ecosystem, one it does not have is Sahara type desert and desert sand dunes. While there are small patches of dunes in other portions of the island, such as scattered portions of Ka'u, this particular stretch, from 17.0 through 19.3 is the largest section of dunes. All of the dunes in this stretch are black sand and quite a few of them are to your left, up higher on the slopes. You will, however, find yourself driving through some of the lower dunes - be careful driving here so that you don't sink down into the fine particles.
At 18.1 you will see a right hand turn that dead ends within a few yards at a wooden gate. This is our next stopping point and is also a great place to have a snack and do a little exploring. Take the right and pull up near the gate. You will quickly see that this is a little triangle off the main road.
At this point, looking up summit you will see more of the sand dunes we were just discussing. Beyond the gate is a meadow and to the right, a very large, well vegetated cone. While we have explored beyond the gate, there is actually much to see and do without having to climb over the gate. If you walk to the right of the gate you will find a crude path. Take the path along the fence line and you will discover, after a few yards that between the meadow and the huge cone is a very long and deep fissure. The fissure is easily 25 to 40 feet deep in spots and between 10 to 20 feet wide. It goes for a long distance, around the cone, before emptying into a valley at the other side of the meadow.
The fissure is interesting and there are ways down into it, though difficult. Near the end of the fissure, by the fence, the fencing stops and there is a gentle upslope worthy of a short walk.
We often pick this spot for our big break - and have more food and water while exploring the area. This is about the half-way mark and we are now beginning to go around the backside, or Waimea facing side, of Mauna Kea.
Back in the car, we rejoin to the main road and discover more dunes up to 19.3. At 19.8 the road becomes seriously 4-wheel only.
We highly recommend getting out here and examining each fork in the road to determine which is better. Both take you to the same spot, which is quite a bit down the road and around a curve. We went to the right and it was very tough going -- very rough road and very rocky. Everyone, of course, followed us and at one point there had to be some backing up and going forward again as people got stuck in hard spots. We suspect, but didn't confirm, that going left at the fork might have been a bit smoother.
Now at this point it is starting to rain pretty hard - visibility is very low - only about 20 feet. However, past rides on this road remind us that there are spectacular views to be had on a clear day, both upslope and downslope. The Waimea side of Mauna Kea looks down a huge steep slope to a valley, then back up a bit to the town of Waimea, very visible in the distance. On good days Maui might be visible and you can also see good views of the ocean. However, for us, it is only rain and more rain.
At 20.2 the road becomes ok again, but at 20.4 you go up another very steep hill but by 20.7 again the road is fine.
We should also point out that through much of this area we encountered many birds - most of them ground-birds who were enjoying the road. Since the weather was so poor we were able to obtain only a few photographs and could not easily identify the bird types (pheasants and grouses or something similar).
As you go through here, another feature you will begin to see are steep flood channels to your left that go over the road and continue down the side of Mauna Kea. These are very dangerous in flooding situations - though luckily for us there had't been enough rain yet and these were only flowing a mere trickle. Also be careful of the right side of the road as some of these flood channels have washed out a bit of the road.
At 22.7 is R9 to the right - go straight here (not right) following R1. By 25.8 you will be on a much better road that will open up into different meadows. At 26.7 is some fencing, a pasture, some quite large rocks and if you look carefully, a hunters cabin hidden in the trees. You can get a better view of the cabin a little further down the road after the road takes a curve to the right.
You will continue through meadows (with beautiful views when it is nice weather) till the 31.7 odometer and the R10 junction, continue on R1 and the road goes from rocky to a regular dirt road. At 32.5 you enter a forest grove and after a short distance you will come out with a cabin on your left and the road will end at a closed gate.
The cabin is another hunters cabin - available to hunters to use during extended trips. Pull up to the gate and get out and open it (it should not be locked - if it is locked, I hope you brought your bolt cutters :~). We have had only one report of the gate being locked - and we have never encountered it locked ourselves (nor have numerous friends who have taken the road).
Drive through the gate and be sure to close it securely behind you. Follow the dirt road.
I'll also mention that at this point I accidentally turned off my GPS, forgetting that it was still a bit to Saddle Road. I turned it back on after a small distance, but if you are following the GPS coordinates you will notice a gap in the track. Don't fret, the road is easy to follow at this point and you won't get lost.
As you go down the dirt road you will encounter side roads, most of them with R-signs. These are mostly fire-breaks and there is little to see, though some are hunting roads.
At 34.9 is a junction with R15. To your left you will also see a pretty impressive cinder cone. There is a road to the top of this cone but we were pretty tired and didn't want to go all the way to the top. However, we did turn onto R15 and drove to the base of the cone. It is a short distance to the base and you will find that there is a motorcycle track here - so this is probably a pretty popular weekend spot, though it was empty today.
Going out R15 the way we came in, we rejoined R1. At odometer 37.0 you encounter the Kilohana Hunters Station - a small shelter, and the road ends at Saddle Road.
Whew - the trip is done. It was unfortunate that we had rain halfway through, since on a clear day we would have had twice the number of photographs... but it was still well worth it and everyone made it out ok.
The end of this scenic drive deposits you onto Saddle Road at the Kilohana Hunters Station near the Girl Scout Camp Headquarters, and makai (ocean side) of Bradshaw Military Base. If you are heading to Kona make a right onto Saddle Road. If you are heading to Hilo make a left on Saddle Road.
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In the MSDN Magazine June 2009 article "Memory Usage Auditing for .NET Applications", we discussed monitoring memory consumption using tools like Task Manager, PerfMon and VADump. These tools help in monitoring the overall memory consumption of your application. Typically, if a .NET application is consuming a large amount of memory, it is either because the application loads a large number of DLLs or the application is creating a large number of long-lived objects on the .NET garbage-collected (GC) heap. If an application loads many DLLs, the only recourse (other than to avoid unnecessary dependencies) is to run less code. However, if an application suffers from a large GC heap footprint, one could identify that the GC heap was contributing significantly to memory consumption, as discussed in the June article. In this article, we complete the picture for GC-heap-related memory issues by providing step-by-step instructions on using the CLR Profiler for .NET GC heap memory investigations.
The .NET runtime abstracts certain operations (such as allocating memory or using a large class library), and it is not always simple to foresee the impact of these operations on application performance. This is especially true for memory. The important takeaway point in the last article was that every application deserves a periodic memory audit. This article goes through this step-by-step using a real program as our example (as opposed to a demo). This was a simple program, and we could have chosen not to audit the application’s memory usage. However, when we completed a memory audit, the small effort of performing the audit paid off handsomely, as we found significant memory inefficiencies.
The program we use in this article is called XMLView, which is a simple viewer for XML files that is highly scalable. XMLView can easily handle XML files that are gigabytes in size (try that in IE!) because this application was designed to be memory efficient from the outset. Despite the careful design, in some scenarios, tools like Task Manager showed that the application was using significantly more memory than we would have expected. This article walks you through the investigation that uncovered a performance bug.
The first step in a memory audit is to launch the application and look at the OS task manager to check the application’s overall memory usage. As we described previously, the metric that is most important is the "Memory - Private Working Set" column. This refers to the application memory that cannot be shared with other processes running on the machine (see previous article for details).
Once Task Manager is open, you can monitor the private memory usage of your application in real time, run through various user scenarios and observe any impact to memory consumption. There are two anomalies that warrant your attention. One is memory consumption that is disproportionate to the scenario or task being performed. For example, opening a menu entry or performing simple operations should not cause large spikes in memory consumption. Memory leaks are the second type of anomaly that necessitates attention. For some operations, such as opening a new file, the expectation is that new data structures will be created each time the operations is performed. However, many operations (for example, searches) do not logically allocate new long-lived memory. It is not unusual for these stateless operations to allocate memory the first time they are performed (as lazy data structures are populated). But if memory usage continues to increase with subsequent iterations of the scenario, memory is leaking and needs to be investigated. This technique of using Task Manager is by design very coarse (only large memory problems will be evident), but for many applications, only the large ones are worth pursuing.
For XMLView, the scenario is launching the viewer on a large XML file and performing various navigation operations, such as opening tree nodes or searching. This experiment initially turned up no leaks (the memory usage stabilized after a while; see Figure 1). Memory usage spiked rather substantially (8MB) when the search functionality was used (see Figure 2) from 16812KB private working set to 25648KB. This represents one of the anomalies we were looking for: the resource consumption did not fit our mental model of the program’s memory behavior, because search has no auxiliary data structures and thus should not consume extra memory. We had a mystery to solve.
A number of third-party tools are available for doing analysis of the .NET GC heap; however, we will concentrate on CLR Profiler, which has the advantage of being available as a free Web download from Microsoft. A Web search on "CLR Profiler" will locate the download site, and the installation consists simply of unzipping the files (there is no formal installation step). Included as part of the package, the file CLR Profiler.doc provides the documentation. In this article, we will focus on the parts that are used commonly.
How Does CLR Profiler Work?
In order to use a profiler properly, you need to understand how the data was collected and the limitations of the tool. The CLR Profiler uses a special interface to the runtime that allows it to get callbacks when particular events happen within the runtime (msdn.microsoft.com/library/ms404511.aspx). Currently, this interface can be used only if the process being profiled is started with certain environment variables set that inform the runtime regarding the contact mechanism to the profiler. Thus, there are some limitations, such as the inability to attach to an existing process. CLR Profiler must start the process with the right environment variables set. For services that are typically started by the OS directly, like ASP.NET, special procedures have to be followed (see CLR Profiler.doc from the download for details). As an aside, for certain scenarios we have added API support for attach in the .NET Framework 4 (but only the API support; support for attaching the CLR Profiler tool will follow soon after).
When CLR Profiler starts up the application, it provides options on the type of information it collects. By default, it gets callbacks every time a managed method is called or returns from a call, as well as on every GC heap allocation. These callbacks are called often, resulting in the program slowing down substantially and creating large log files more than 100 MB) for many real-world scenarios. CLR Profiler does not measure execution time and limits itself to keeping track of only GC heap allocations and the number of times each different method was called. CLR Profiler uses the method-call and method-return events to keep track of what methods are currently active on the stack, so that each call and heap allocation can be attributed with a complete call stack of where the event happened. This identifies where the objects are being created.
Unfortunately, the detailed information that CLR Profiler collects by default can make the data collection process very slow (minutes). However, this detailed information is rarely needed. One of the most useful techniques does not require any additional information to be collected during normal execution. While it is important to know where memory allocation occurs, many bugs can be fixed only by understanding who is keeping memory alive. To answer this latter question, one does not need call stacks or allocation events; rather, only a simple snapshot of the GC heap is required. Thus, for most investigations, one can turn off all normal event logging and obtain a good experience (reasonable profiling performance as well as identifying the issue). This is the technique used here.
If you download CLR Profiler from the Web and extract it to the default location, the program will end up in C:\CLR Profiler\Binaries\x86\ClrProfiler.exe (there is an X64 version, too). Launching CLR Profiler brings up the form shown in Figure 3.
This start-up dialog controls the collection of profile data. The check boxes indicate that when the application is executed, profiling will be active and both allocation and call data will be collected (the log file will be verbose). Since we are interested in only heap snapshots, only the Profiling active box has to remain selected (the Allocations and Calls boxes should be unchecked). Thus, the CLR Profiler will log only the bare minimum during program execution, keeping responsiveness up and log-file sizes down.
If the application you wish to profile does not need any command-line arguments or special start-up directory, you can simply select Start Application and CLR Profiler will bring up a file chooser dialog box to select the application to run. If you need to set command-line parameters or the current directory for the application, you should set them using the File -> Set Parameters menu before clicking on Start Application.
After selecting the application executable, CLR Profiler will immediately start running the application. Because we have turned off allocation and call profiling, it should run very close to its normal speed. CLR Profiler is now attached to the application, and at any point you can select Show Heap Now and get a heap snapshot. The heap snapshot for the XMLView application happens to look like what is shown in Figure 4.
This is a representation of the entire GC heap (only live objects are shown). While the GC heap is actually an arbitrary graph, CLR Profiler determines links and forms a tree out of it, rooted in a pseudo-node called root. The size of each of the children can then be attributed to their parents so that at the root, all live objects have been accounted for. In the example above, the GC heap had 5.4MB of objects. This 5.4MB does not include free space in the GC heap that has not been allocated, and therefore, the amount of virtual memory allocated for the heap is guaranteed to be larger (the exact size depends, but as mentioned in the previous article, 1.6 times larger is a good estimate).
Often, there is more than a single path from the root to a particular object. CLR Profiler always chooses the shortest path for display in the tree. However, if there are multiple paths with the same length, the choice is made arbitrarily. Additionally, by default, CLR Profiler does not display individual objects but treats all objects that have the same parent types and the same child types as part of the same node. This technique generally does a good job of collapsing linked lists nodes and other recursive data structures, thereby simplifying the view. If this aggregation is not desired, you can turn it off by right-clicking and selecting Show Individual Instances.
At the top of the Heap Graph window are two radio button groups. The first is the Scale, which indicates the height of each box in the graph view. The second is the Detail button, which determines how large a node has to be to get displayed. It is useful to set this to something very coarse, to keep the graph uncluttered. Often, you are interested in only the graph that has something to do with a particular type (for example, only about objects of type XmlPositions). CLR Profiler allows you to filter on this and other criteria (Right click -> Filter).
In the XMLView example in Figure 4, the bulk of the GC heap (5.1MB) is a child of an instance of XmlView type. The XmlView instance has a child of type XmlPositions, which in turn has a 5MB XmlElementPositionInfo array. XmlElementPositionInfo is the large array that keeps track of the starting point in the file of every XML tag, and its size is proportional to the size of the XML file being read (because this is a very large file, it is expected that this array will be large). Thus, we concluded the heap size is reasonable.
In the XMLView example, our problem was not with the initial size of the GC heap, but the fact that it grew dramatically when a search was done. Thus, what we are interested in is the change in the heap between two snapshots. CLR Profiler has special features just for doing this kind of investigation.
The memory associated with the XmlView object has now expanded to 8.5MB (from 5.1MB). The nodes have two colors, with the lighter red representing the memory that was present in the previous snapshot. The darker red is the memory that is unique to the new snapshot. Thus, the new memory was added by a type called XmlFind (this is not surprising), as can be seen in Figure 5. Scrolling over to the right, we find that all of this extra memory was associated with an Int64 array that belonged to the type LineStream, as shown in Figure 6.
This was the information needed to identify the bug! It turns out that the .NET XML parser has the capability to get the line number column number of an XML tag, but not its file position. To work around this, the program needed a mapping from line number to file position. The Int64 array was used for this. However, the code needed this mapping only for the current XML element tag, which might span any number of lines, but usually just a few. This mapping was not being reset by the find code, allowing the mapping array to grow unnecessarily large. The fix was trivial, but this bug would probably have existed forever if the memory audit was not performed. Using the CLR Profiler, it took only a few minutes to find the information that was critical to fixing this bug.
In the previous example, it was relatively easy to visually distinguish by their color the objects unique to the last snapshot. However, for large object graphs, this is difficult to do and it would be convenient to remove the old objects from the graph altogether, which can be done using CLR Profiler. This feature uses the allocation events for implementation, so after taking the first snapshot, you need to check the Allocations box (you can leave the Calls box unchecked). Following this, interact with the application until it allocates more memory, and select Show Heap Now again. It will show the heap with its two colors of red as before. Now, you can right-click on the window and select Show New Objects, and a new window will appear that shows you only the part of the GC heap that was allocated between the two snapshots.
You might wonder how memory leaks can happen in managed code, given the garbage collector eventually cleans up all unused memory. However, there are situations where items can stay alive long after you might think they would be freed. For example, unintended references may keep managed objects alive.
The technique for tracking down memory leaks is very similar to that for understanding disproportionate memory consumption. The only real difference is that for disproportionate memory consumption, we do expect the object to be in memory (it just should not be as big), whereas for leaks, we do not expect the object to be in the GC heap at all. Using heap snapshots and the Show New Objects feature, it is easy to identify which objects should not be alive (using your understanding of the scenario). If an object is surviving in the heap, there must be some reference to the object. However, if there is more than a single reference, you may find removing one link does not fix the issue because another reference is keeping it alive. Thus, it would be convenient to find all paths from the root that keep a particular object alive in the GC heap. CLR Profiler has special support for doing this. First, the node of interest is selected. Then right-click and select Show References, and a new graph will appear that shows all paths from the root to the object in question. This will provide you with enough information to identify which references are keeping the objects alive in the heap. Eliminating the links to the object can fix your memory leak.
Viewing the GC heap is frequently sufficient to diagnose most high memory-consumption problems. However, on occasion, it is useful to understand the call stack where an allocation occurred. To obtain that information, you have to select the Allocations check box before executing the program. This causes CLR Profiler to log the stack trace whenever an allocation happens. Collecting this information will make the log file bigger, but it will still typically be less than 50MB for moderately complex applications. You should not turn on the Calls check box because this causes logging on every method entry, which is verbose (it is easy to get log files larger than 100MB). This method call information is needed only if you are using CLR Profiler to determine which methods are being called often, and this is not typically useful in a memory investigation.
From the heap graph, select a node of interest, right-click and select Show Who Allocated. A new window showing all calls stacks that allocated an object in that node will be displayed. You can also access the stack traces from the View -> Allocation Graph menu item. This shows all allocations made during the program attributed to the call stack that allocated them. For memory investigations, this view is not very useful because many of these allocations are for short-lived objects that quickly get reclaimed by the GC and, therefore, do not contribute to overall memory consumption. However, since these allocations do contribute to CPU usage (to allocate and then reclaim), this view is useful when your application is CPU-bound and the CPU profiler shows large amounts of time being spent in the GC. The obvious way to trim down time in the GC is to do fewer allocations, and this view shows you where your allocations are by call stack.
In this article, we walked through a memory performance investigation for the common case where the memory consumption is dominated by the .NET GC heap. Using the free and downloadable CLR Profiler, we were easily able to get snapshots of the GC heap at various points in the application and compare the snapshots with one another. With CLR Profiler, it is easy to perform audits (it takes only a few minutes) and should be part of the development lifecycle of every application.
Subramanian Ramaswamy is the program manager for CLR Performance at Microsoft. He holds a Ph.D. in electrical and computer engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Vance Morrison is the partner architect and group manager for CLR Performance at Microsoft. He drove the design of the .NET Intermediate Language and has been involved with .NET since its inception. | 2019-04-21T06:24:45Z | https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/magazine/ee309515.aspx |
The system of private bus numbers which was gradually phased out between 1981 and 2005 started in 1924, when numbers were allocated and listed in the Government Gazette. It seems that the numbers represent the numbers of licences granted to operators; they appear to have been almost all allocated in alphabetical order of the principal, non-city terminus of the route. Thus, if one ignores numbers 1 to 6, Routes 7 to 15 each had a destination starting with A, Routes 16 to 37 a destination starting with B, and so on through to Routes 195 to 203, destinations starting with W.
In 1925, by the time additional routes had commenced and alterations made to others, the Government Gazette had a revised list of routes. Changes in number occurred to most routes. One can imagine the anger of operators at this change in numbers, as most buses had the route number painted on their bodies. As a result, the Government bureaucracy in charge of the numbering system must have succumbed to pressure not to further alter route numbers unnecessarily, as the system then remained relatively stable until 1981, with changes only occurring when routes actually started or finished.
Throughout the 1920s all buses in Sydney were privately owned and operated. The only street transport then run by the State Government was the extensive network of trams which radiated from the city to many of the then developed suburbs, as well as in some suburban locations. Tram routes were never numbered and were referred to mainly by destination names (for example, the Railway-La Perouse route), although, in certain cases, coloured symbols on destination rolls were also in use to aid identification of routes by the travelling public and signalmen. Hence, it was common to speak of, for example, “the tram with the three green diamonds” when referring to the Circular Quay-Canterbury tram service.
After World War I, a number of ex-servicemen, armed with mechanical knowledge from driving trucks, set up new bus routes along routes with strong patronage. Many of these routes were along busy tram lines. By the mid 1920s, with the improvement in road standards, these private buses were providing considerable competition for the Government tram and rail systems. As a result, the Government of the day passed two pieces of legislation in the early 1930s designed, among other things, to severely restrict the extent of this competition.
The first of these laws was the Transport Act of 1930, which altered the administration of the State’s transport in such a way that the expansion of the private bus industry was severely curtailed. As this Act failed to make much sufficient inroads into the private bus competition, further legislation was enacted.
The next step was the passing of the State Transport (Co-ordination) Act of 1931, which imposed as from 2 November 1931 a tax on private buses employed on routes that were deemed to be competitive with Government trams or trains. This Act had considerably more effect and so many competitive private bus routes in the Sydney metropolitan area consequently ceased operation after Saturday, 31 October 1931. Some routes were relicensed immediately or in the following months on shortened or altered routes to operate as feeder services to tram or railway lines or to later Government bus routes.
For many months after October 1931, public debate raged both over the services that had been discontinued or curtailed and over the relative merits of trams and buses. In the course of this debate it became obvious that there was still a strong demand for many of the ex-private bus routes and so the Government found itself under pressure to find a way of providing them. Following yet another piece of legislation, the Transport (Division of Functions) Act of 1932, the Department of Road Transport and Tramways (DRTT) was established. One of its functions was to manage and operate trams, trolley buses and buses in Sydney (and Newcastle) and to regulate private bus services. The way thus became clear for the Government through its new department to start its own bus services.
As far as route numbering was concerned, the discontinuance of over 90 routes as from 31 October 1931 (although some later were relicensed as feeders) left many route numbers unused. Almost all of these numbers were in due course re-used, as a result of the growth, particularly after World War II, of the number of Sydney metropolitan private bus routes. Most of the new routes were feeders to suburban railway stations. The allocation of subsequently re-used route numbers appears to have been quite haphazard. By 1952 the range of numbers in use was between 1 and 244.
Government bus operation commenced on 25 December 1932, when the DRTT recommenced operation of Route 144, Cremorne Junction-Manly. This route replaced one of private routes discontinued in October 1931. Over the following several years, the extent of Government bus operation grew quite rapidly with the takeover of further private bus routes over a wide area of Sydney. Most of these routes initially continued to use the numbers used by the previous private operators. In some cases, however, numbers of routes discontinued in October 1931 were re-used, particularly where more than one ex-private route was amalgamated into a single, new Government route.
Within only a few years, practical difficulties arose, as the destination and route number blinds on DRTT buses grew continually bigger with more and more private bus routes being taken over. To overcome these difficulties, a three-digit route numbering system, based on geographical areas, was recommended by an internal Departmental report in 1937-8 and adopted towards the end of 1938. The report also initiated the use of three-track route number rolls on DRTT buses, a system which remained largely operative on Government (and some private) buses well into the 1990s (although now superseded by electronic destination signs).
The 100-199 series was almost certainly allocated to bus routes in the Manly-Warringah area because all routes in that area already had numbers in that series, as a result of the numbering of routes in roughly alphabetical order in 1925. In the 1920s, the vast majority of bus routes in that area radiated from Manly Wharf, and so were grouped under “M”. By the mid 1930s, almost all these routes had become Government operated.
It should be remembered that this system was set up for Government buses only and that the areas mentioned refer to the extent of Government bus operation at the time, when Sydney was a much smaller metropolis than today.
The geographical number system commenced in a modest way some time in 1939, when it was decided to trial a small group of new numbers on routes radiating from the south side of Strathfield station. This trial must have been successful, as widespread renumbering of routes into the new system took place between October 1939 and September 1941. New routes which commenced during the same period were also numbered in accordance with the new system. By 1943, a fair number of routes had been renumbered according to this system.
Other DRTT routes which had by then been given numbers between 500 and 999 were renumbered into this revised system during the remainder of 1943 and in 1944.
After the war, the Government recommenced its programme, which had started before the war, to convert the entire Sydney tramway system to Government bus operation. During the period from 1948 to 1956, some relatively small tram-to-bus conversions took place and the numbers of the new routes so created were easily accommodated in the numbering system whose general structure had remained unaltered since 1943.
By 1957, however, the Department of Government Transport (DGT) – successor in 1952 to the DRTT – realised that there would be insufficient three-digit route numbers to cater for all the Government bus services proposed to replace the remaining tram lines. The need for more route numbers was accentuated by the then current policy of allocating a separate number for every short-working of a bus route. In those days, there were considerably more short workings on Government bus routes than there are today.
on 28 July 1957, bus routes which ran between the city and the Drummoyne, Gladesville and Ryde areas over the Glebe Island and Iron Cove Bridges and via Victoria Road, which had till then been numbered from 400 to 410, were renumbered into a series between 500 and 541. At the same time, 455 (Ryde-West Meadowbank [now Melrose Park]) was renumbered for a short time as 555, but later again as 505.
These two steps together provided the DGT with a significant increase in the number of available route numbers, particularly between 300 and 499. The tram-to-bus conversions, which proceeded until their completion on 25 February 1961, used many of the additional route numbers so created.
Throughout the period since 1925, the range of numbers and the system of allocating them to private bus routes (administered by the relevant Government department, which by the 1960s was the Department of Motor Transport) did not vary, despite the continually evolving number series for Government bus routes, administered by the operator itself. Until about 1952, the two systems co-existed with some apparent degree of co-operation, as little or no duplication of route numbers occurred. But, thereafter, duplication of numbers between the private and Government systems crept in and continued unabated until 1981, when the then Urban Transit Authority (UTA) set about rationalising bus route numbers throughout Sydney. It was only in 2005 that duplication was finally eliminated.
Not only was there duplication between Government and private bus route numbers, but within the private bus route number series, there was also duplication, because, when the number of routes covered by a single licence grew, the one route number continued to be used for all the routes covered by the licence. This appears to have resulted from the bureaucratic relationship between route numbers and licences. Thus, for example, 200 was at first allotted to a single route from Parramatta to Castle Hill, but, as the population of the Hills district expanded, particularly after World War II, the number of bus routes authorised by that license grew, so that by the 1980s there were at least eight separate routes, all bearing route number 200.
Other significant examples of route numbers with multiple routes were 2, 25, 40, 41, 44, 51, 56, 57, 58, 61, 65, 70, 80, 93, 94, 102, 114, 148, 187, 191, 200, 206 and 215.
The extent of these duplications can also be gauged by the fact that the number of private bus route numbers, which before 1981 had never exceeded a little over 200 (as there were always some blanks in the range between 1 and 244), by 2005 exceeded 300 in the new series, with the allocation of separate numbers to individual routes.
This defect in the route numbering system also persisted until the UTA embarked on its rationalisation programme from 1981 onwards.
On 18 February 1980, a new bus operator, known as Bankstown-Parramatta Bus Service (a joint venture of Chester Hill-Bankstown Bus Service and Delwood Bus Company), commenced running a route between Bankstown and Parramatta through the “territories” of the two joint venture companies. It was rather grandly hailed as “Sydney’s first cross-country bus service”. Initially it ran without a route number, but by at least 17 June 1980, when there was a timetable revision, it had been numbered (possibly somewhat arbitrarily) as 320 and labelled as a “Red Arrow Express Bus Service”. The numbering of this service was the first break away from the traditional 1-244 numbering system for private bus services.
Route 333, Chatswood-Parramatta, on 19 January 1981, jointly operated by North & Western Bus Service and Parramatta-Ryde Bus Service.
The introduction of the latter two services was co-ordinated by the UTA, in which power had by then been vested to assist private bus operators with the development of their services.
As a matter of record, two further “Red Arrow” services followed, but both were given numbers in the new Sydney-wide series (see below) from their commencement. They were Route 590 (now 630), Epping-Blacktown (now Macquarie Centre-Blacktown), which commenced on 14 December 1981, and Route 860, Liverpool-Bankstown, on 27 February 1984 (now subsumed into Route 900). Two of the first three routes were subsequently renumbered into the new series, 300 to 830 and 320 to 910. However, the distinctive number 333 remained unaltered at the request, it is believed, of the operator, until its demise in 2001.
Not described as a “Red Arrow” route, but another route using a then unused number outside the 1-244 range, was 270, a weekday peak-hour only service between Gordon and Duffy’s Forest, run by Forest Coach Lines. Starting on 2 February 1982, its introduction was co-ordinated by the UTA, similarly to the “Red Arrow” routes. It is thought that it was allocated the number 270 in an attempt to anticipate the number that may have been allocated to it under the then still developing Sydney-wide numbering scheme.
Government-owned ferries in Sydney, previously run by the Sydney Harbour Transport Board.
The PTC, however, proved to be too large and unwieldy and in July 1980 it was split, under the terms of the Transport Authorities Act of that year, into the State Rail Authority (SRA), to run the railways, and the Urban Transit Authority (UTA), to run Government-owned buses and ferries. At the same time, the UTA was given a new function of co-ordinating, although not regulating, all urban public transport throughout the State under a single authority.
the preparation, printing and distribution of timetables featuring not only improved services, but also improved presentation, including such items as times of connecting trains and route maps, which most private bus operators’ timetables were then lacking.
It should be noted that the Department of Motor Transport continued for some time to authorise private bus operations and generally to control private bus operators.
The UTA’s Development and Co-ordination Branch set about helping certain bus operators in rearranging their routes into more rational networks and providing timetable assistance where required. As part of this activity, it established a unified and more meaningful route number system for the whole of the Sydney metropolitan region, designed to cover the routes of both the UTA and private operators. This was regarded as one of the means of rationalising bus routes.
The first private bus route to be given a number in the new number series was 800, then Parramatta-Cabramatta, as from 2 November 1981. This route came about as a result of the amalgamation of part of 45 (Cabramatta-Edensor Park) and 167 (Parramatta-Smithfield), after the latter had been purchased by Bosnjak’s Bus Service in August 1981. Route 800 was later altered to run between Parramatta and Liverpool, but was deleted in the review of Region 3 effective from 22 March 2010.
After 1981 there were some changes to the boundaries of the geographic regions. For example, the 200-299 series was originally to apply to all routes connecting with or close to the full length of the North Shore railway line (hence the use of 270 for the Gordon-Duffy’s Forest service, mentioned above). In connection with this, it was envisaged that the numbers of some Government bus routes in the Mosman area would change from the 200-299 series to the 100-199 series. However, it did not prove possible to renumber these Mosman routes in the short term (although later again proposed in a less extensive form in the unimplemented “Better Buses North” proposals), so the proposed boundary for the 500-599 series was moved to include only services on the North Shore north of Gordon. When numbers were eventually allotted to North Shore routes, the 500-599 series was in fact used for services as far south as Chatswood. The 600-699 series was later extended to cover routes on the Blue Mountains as far west as Mount Victoria.
In the early 1980s new route numbers for private bus services were generally introduced in conjunction with route and timetable rationalisation programmes undertaken by the UTA. In some later instances, however, private operators renumbered their routes on their own initiative, although in accordance with the overall UTA scheme.
Later in the 1980s the UTA’s Development and Co-ordination Branch was renamed the Operations Branch and this Branch continued to be responsible for the numbering scheme until all functions related to the control of private bus routes and services were passed to the Department of Transport (DoT) in 1988. (The Department later became known as the Ministry of Transport or MoT.) This change was part of a general rearrangement of the functions of government agencies involved in roads and transport which resulted from the enactment of the Transport Administration Act of that year. Another change effected at that time was the alteration of the UTA’s name to the State Transit Authority (STA).
Prior to the passing of this responsibility from the UTA to the DoT, the UTA’s Operations Branch had prepared a discussion draft, dated May 1986, and entitled Sydney Region Bus Route Number System: Guidelines and Lists of Routes. This document set out guidelines for the system which had then been under way for over four years, explanations for each series of numbers, a list of routes according to the new route number system and a list of current route numbers showing proposed changes.
With the shift of responsibility for private bus operations to the DoT/MoT, the impetus to continue with renumbering routes into the new series waned for a few years. It was only after the passage of the Passenger Transport Act in 1990 and the associated introduction of performance-based contracts that renewed efforts were made to bring the remainder of Sydney’s privately operated bus routes under the Sydney-wide numbering scheme. This came about when the DoT included in its letters of offer of contracts under the Act a condition that routes be renumbered into the new series, where such renumbering had not already occurred. Where appropriate, these letters of offer specified the ranges of route numbers applicable to the operator.
As a result of introducing the contract system for regulating bus services, all private routes not previously renumbered into the new Sydney-wide series were eventually dealt with.
It is interesting to note that, although the renumbering was principally aimed at rationalising the route numbers of private bus operators, several routes operated by the State Transit Authority (STA) were also renumbered. This had two effects: (i) it facilitated the renumbering of certain private bus routes into an appropriate geographic series, and (ii) it permitted the grouping of certain STA services, which run partly over common routes, into sequential sets of numbers.
Give authority to the Government, through the Ministry of Transport (MoT), to coordinate bus routes and timetables with operators in each region.
The number of bus operators was reduced to between one and four per region; following changes of ownership between 2009 & 2014, there is now only one operator per region.
Memory headways have been included in almost all bus timetables, so making many previous timetables more user-friendly.
Regions 6 to 9 originally contained exclusively STA routes, and the other regions privately operated routes. But from 1 July 2018 region 6 was privatised (following the privatisation of the Newcastle region [outside the scope of this website] in July 2017).
Since the regions were devised, Crowthers’ routes have been transferred to Veolia, which has resulted in Regions 10 and 11 being effectively amalgamated.
Route numbers in most regions have remained relatively unaltered in the transition from the older contract areas to the newer areas. However, because changes to routes in Regions 3 and 13 were more widespread than others, some wholesale renumbering of routes has occurred there.
Another factor to emerge is that routes radiating from Picton are now regarded as being “rural and regional” and so are not included in any of the 15 Sydney metropolitan area regions above. But the routes are numbered in the low 900s.
The reorganisation and renumbering of routes in Region 13 has resulted in the route numbers allocated to the Picton routes being duplicated by some of the new route numbers in Region 13. There is no current intention to renumber either series of routes, so the duplication of numbers 900, 901 and 911 to 914 will apparently remain for the time being. Such duplication seems to defeat one of the purposes of numbering routes in the Sydney-wide series.
Routes on the Blue Mountains, which are now regarded as “outer metropolitan”, also retain their route numbers in the Sydney-wide system, even though they too are now not strictly within the Sydney metropolitan area.
When the changes were made to the Passenger Transport Act in 2004, the Government decreed that operators had to alter their routes and timetables in such a way as to keep the kilometres run by buses in any region constant.
However, increases in population in a number of suburbs and the development of new suburbs in outer areas resulted in higher overall demand for a number of services. So in 2009 the Government increased the allowable kilometres in some regions by financing a programme called “Growth Buses”. This programme has enabled improvements to be made to timetables on some routes and other new bus routes to be commenced. Any improvement in services since 2009 that involves extra kilometres or extra buses has been a result of the “Growth Buses” programme. | 2019-04-22T21:55:47Z | http://sydneybusroutes.com/wp/route-numbering/ |
What are the new guidelines for the pharmacological management of obesity?
What information is available on the use of peramivir for treatment of influenza?
What data supports the use of new oral anticoagulants in special populations (hepatic impairment, obesity, pregnancy, lactation, and pediatrics)?
Obesity remains a prevalent, serious health issue in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 78.6 million American adults and 12.7 million children and adolescents (2 to 19 years of age) are obese.1,2 Obesity plays a significant role in some of the leading causes of preventable death including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.1 In addition, the annual medical cost of obesity is considerable - $147 billion (2008 dollars) - with obese individuals experiencing significantly higher medical costs than those of normal weight.
In the 1960s, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first agents for short-term (few weeks) adjunctive therapy of obesity in combination with exercise, behavioral modification, and caloric restriction – phentermine and diethylpropion.4-6 For almost 4 decades, these were the only approved agents for obesity management until the approval of orlistat, a gastrointestinal lipase inhibitor, in 1999.4,7 In 2012, lorcaserin and the combination of phentermine/topiramate were approved.8,9 Finally, in 2014, liraglutide and naltrexone/bupropion became available for chronic weight management.4,10,11 Table 1 summarizes general information regarding the available pharmacologic agents for obesity. The advantages and disadvantages associated with each weight loss medication including cost, degree of weight loss, long-term efficacy data, and safety profile were evaluated in the guideline.
The dose may be increased further if sufficient weight loss does not occur. The maximum available dose is 15 mg phentermine/92 mg topiramate.
*Alli is the over-the counter brand name for orlistat; Xenical is the prescription brand name. SC = subcutaneous.
The Endocrine Society-appointed Task Force of experts developed the guideline using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system to describe the strength of recommendations and the quality of evidence.4 A summary of recommendations made by the Task Force is presented in Table 2.
Diet, exercise, and behavioral modification should be included in all approaches to obesity management for individuals with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 and other tools such as pharmacotherapy (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m2 with comorbidity or BMI > 30 kg/m2) and bariatric surgery (BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2with comorbidity or BMI > 40 kg/m2) be used as adjunctive therapy. Pharmacologic therapy may increase adherence to behavior modification and improve physical functioning so that exercise becomes easier with time. Candidates for obesity medications include patients who have a history of being unable to successfully lose and maintain weight and who meet label indications.
The administration of approved weight loss medications is suggested (versus no therapy) to ameliorate comorbidities and increase adherence to behavior modification in certain obese patients.
Phentermine and diethylpropion are not recommended for use in patients with uncontrolled hypertension or a history of heart disease.
For any patient prescribed pharmacologic therapy for obesity, efficacy and safety monitoring should occur at least monthly for the initial 3 months and then at least every 3 months thereafter.
If a patient’s response to pharmacologic therapy is effective (i.e., weight loss ≥ 5% of body weight after 3 months) and safe, treatment should be continued. If there is a lack of response or safety issues occur, therapy should be discontinued and an alternative treatment approach undertaken.
If pharmacologic therapy for chronic weight management is undertaken, dosing should be initiated at the lowest dose and escalated based on efficacy and tolerability to the recommended dose. Administering doses above the maximum approved dose is not recommended.
For obese patients with type 2 diabetes, administration of a GLP-1 analog or SGLT2 inhibitor is recommended to promote weight loss in addition to the recommended first line agent, metformin.
Lorcaserin and/or orlistat are recommended weight loss agents for patients with cardiovascular disease.
Beyond the recommendations in Table 2, the guideline discusses the need to consider alternatives to medications that cause weight gain for various disease states and conditions including type 2 diabetes, hypertension, depression, epilepsy, schizophrenia, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and contraception.4 Examples include recommendations to use weight-neutral antipsychotics and oral contraceptives over injectable formulations if possible. Finally, the guideline suggests against the off-label use of medications approved for other disease states for the sole purpose of weight loss.
Obesity continues to be a serious health concern for millions of American adults and children. The cornerstone of obesity management includes increased physical activity and reduced caloric intake; however, other approaches such as surgery and drug therapy also play a role. A recent Endocrine Society evidence-based practice guideline emphasizes that the appropriate adjunctive use of pharmacologic therapy may increase adherence to behavior modifications and improve physical functioning in obese patients.
1. Adult obesity facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html. Accessed February 9, 2015.
2. Childhood obesity facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html. Accessed February 9, 2015.
3. Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. Circulation. 2014;129(25 Suppl 2):S102-S138.
4. Apovian CM, Aronne LJ, Bessesen DH, et al. Pharmacological management of obesity: an Endocrine Society clinical practice guideline. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2015;100(2):342-362.
5. Phentermine [package insert]. Phoenix, AZ: Apotheca; 2010.
6. Diethylpropion [package insert]. Philadelphia, PA: Lannett Company, Inc.; 2011.
7. Xenical [package insert]. South San Francisco, CA: Genentech; 2013.
8. Belviq [package insert]. Woodcliff Lake, NJ: Eisai; 2014.
9. Qsymia [package insert]. Mountain View, CA: Vivus, Inc.; 2014.
10. Contrave [package insert]. La Jolla, CA; Orexigen Therapeutics, Inc.; 2014.
11. Saxenda [package insert]. Plainsboro, NJ: Novo Nordisk, Inc.; 2015.
There are 3 types of seasonal influenza viruses – A, B and C.4,5 Type A influenza viruses are classified into subtypes according to the combination of the surface proteins, hemagglutinin and neuraminidase. Currently, the subtypes influenza A (H1N1) and A (H3N2) are found in humans. Influenza B is classified by lineages and strains, including B/Yamagata and B/Victoria. It is less common but causes significant morbidity. Type C influenza occurs much less frequently than A and B and causes only mild upper respiratory tract illness; therefore, it is not included in seasonal influenza vaccines.
Prior to December 2014, 4 prescription influenza antiviral agents were approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA): oral oseltamivir (Tamiflu®), inhaled zanamivir (Relenza®), amantadine (Symmetrel®), and rimantadine (Flumadine®).6 Oseltamivir and zanamavir are neuraminidase inhibitors that have activity against both influenza A and B viruses. Amantadine and rimantadine are adamantanes that are only active against influenza A viruses. During the past influenza seasons, there has continued to be high levels of resistance (>99%) to adamantanes among common influenza A strains. As a result of increasing resistance and lack of activity against the influenza B virus, amantadine and rimantadine are not recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) for antiviral treatment or chemoprophylaxis.
Oral or inhaled administration of the recommended antivirals to patients with severe symptoms or patients who require respiratory therapy can be difficult. The development of an anti-influenza medication in an injectable form could be beneficial for critically ill influenza patients with severe or life-threatening symptoms for whom oral or inhalation administration would be challenging. In 2009, the FDA granted an emergency use authorization to use IV peramivir, which was commercially available in Japan at the time, for the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic.
On December 19, 2014, the FDA approved intravenous (IV) peramivir (Rapivab®), a third neuraminidase inhibitor with activity against influenza A and B, to treat influenza in adults for the 2014-2015 influenza season. Table 1 summarizes the current FDA indications and the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations for use of antiviral medications for the treatment of influenza.
aOral oseltamivir is FDA approved for the treatment of acute uncomplicated influenza in patients 14 days and older and for chemoprophylaxis in persons 1 year and older. However, use of oral oseltamivir for treatment of influenza in patients younger than 14 days old, including preterm infants, is recommended by the CDC and the AAP bZanamivir is contraindicated in patients with history of allergy to milk protein. cPeramivir efficacy is based on clinical trials in which the predominant influenza virus type was influenza A.
Abbreviations: COPD=chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; N/A=not applicable.
The safety and efficacy of peramivir in adult patients has been evaluated in multiple clinical trials.11-16 A majority of these studies occurred in Japan and other Asian countries due to the approved use of peramivir for influenza since 2010. Table 2 summarizes select published clinical trials of peramivir in adults. In an effort to determine utility of IV peramivir in high-risk hospitalized patients, de Jong and colleagues compared the time to symptom resolution in 338 patients who received a single peramivir dose to patients who received standard of care with or without use of another neuraminidase inhibitor.11 At interim analysis, no significant difference in outcome was observed between the groups and due to the need to recruit a greater number of patients, the trial was terminated.
A multinational, Phase II randomized, double-blind trial evaluated the efficacy and safety of IV peramivir 200 mg and 400 mg compared to oral oseltamivir in 137 hospitalized patients.12Peramivir at both doses demonstrated similar efficacy (clinical stability) to oseltamivir; however, the study did not include critically ill patients and did not meet the prespecified power to detect a difference between groups. Furthermore, the doses used in this Phase II trial are lower than the currently FDA-approved dose.
In 2 trials of outpatients with confirmed influenza, a single dose of 300 mg or 600 mg peramivir demonstrated noninferiority to a 5-day treatment course of oseltamivir 75 mg twice daily in over 1000 outpatients and superiority compared to placebo in close to 300 outpatients in time to alleviation of symptoms.13,15 These studies did not include high-risk patients who required hospitalization.
In a smaller study of 37 patients, the efficacy and safety of multiple doses of IV 300 mg and 600 mg peramivir was evaluated in those at high-risk requiring hospitalization.14 Over 60% received treatment for 2 days and 27% of patients received treatment for 1 day. The higher dose of peramivir demonstrated a shorter duration of illness and a shorter time to normalization of body temperature. Due to the small sample size of this study and lack of a comparator agent, this study demonstrated potential, but not proven, efficacy of multiple doses of peramivir in high-risk influenza patients requiring hospitalization. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and diarrhea were the most common adverse drug reactions reported in these trials.
Efficacy and safety outcomes of adult and pediatric patients with confirmed influenza between October 2010 and February 2012 who received peramivir in Japan were obtained in a post-marketing observational study.16 Adults received 300 mg or 600 mg (for severe symptoms or complications) IV peramivir infused over at least 15 minutes. Children received 10 mg/kg/day as a single dose up to a maximum of 600 mg. Of the 1174 patients, 83% were adults (defined as 15 to 64 years of age), 5.9% were younger than 15 years and 11.1% were 65 years or older. Only 3.2% were inpatients. Fever and symptom resolution occurred at a median time of 3 days in over 65% of patients. Diarrhea (1.87%), vomiting (0.85%), and nausea (0.68%) were the most common adverse drug reactions. Adverse drug reactions occurred within 3 days of treatment and resolved within one week of onset.
Although peramivir is not FDA-approved for pediatric use, a multi-center, open-label study evaluated its efficacy and safety in children with pH1N1 virus infection.17 A study in 115 pediatric patients ages 28 days to 16 years examined the time to alleviation of influenza symptoms. Peramivir 10 mg/kg IV (maximum dose 600 mg) was administered over 15 to 60 minutes once daily for up to 5 days if body temperature was ≥38°C or if the patient was symptomatic. Of the pH1N1 population (n=106), 105 patients (91.3%) were treated for 1 day and 10 patients (8.7%) were treated for 2 days. The median time to alleviation of influenza symptoms was 29.1 hours (95% confidence interval [CI], 22.1 to 32.4) in the pH1N1 population and 27.9 hours (95% CI, 21.7 to 31.7) in the intent-to-treat infected population. The median time to resolution of fever was 20.6 hours (95% CI, 19.4 to 21.1.) in the pH1N1 population and 20.4 hours (19.1 to 20.9) in the intent-to-treat infected population. The most common adverse events were diarrhea (16.2%) and a decrease in neutrophil count (21.4%). A higher incidence of adverse events tended to be observed in younger children.
In a single-center, non-randomized study in Japan conducted between February and April 2011, 223 pediatric patients under the age of 18 years with confirmed influenza received one of 4 antiviral drugs (laninamivir 20 mg inhalation for patients < 10 years and 40 mg inhalation for patients 10 years or older, peramivir 10 mg/kg IV with a maximum of 300 mg as a single dose infused over 15 minutes, oseltamivir 4 mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses with a maximum of 150 mg/day for 5 days, zanamivir 20 mg/day in 2 divided doses for 5 days).18 The median age (range) of patients who received the antivirals were laninamivir, 132.5 months (80 to 164); oseltamivir, 56.5 months (3 to 135); peramivir, 76 months (2 to 219); and zanamivir, 124.5 months (59 to 198). For patients between ages 0 and 9 years who received oseltamivir or peramivir, the median duration of fever was not significantly different: 2 days (range 0 to 6 days) and 1.5 days (range 1 to 3 days), respectively (p=0.4499). When compared to zanamivir and laninamivir in patients between 5 and 18 years, peramivir reduced fever duration by 1 to 2 days which was considered to be statistically significant. No adverse events were reported in this study.
A post-marketing observational study in over 1100 Japanese children 15 years of age or younger evaluated the safety and efficacy of peramivir in patients who received the antiviral between October 2010 and February 2012.19 In terms of age range, slightly over 4% of the patients were between 4 weeks and 1 year of age, 44% were between 1 and 7 years, and 51.4% were between 7 and 15 years. Slightly over 11% of the patients were inpatient. Over 96% of patients received treatment for 1 day. Approximately 60% of patients had alleviation of symptoms in 3 days and close to 80% of patients had resolution of fever in 3 days. Incidences of some common adverse events were diarrhea (3.1%), abnormal behavior (3%), vomiting (1.5%), and decreased neutrophil count (1.5%). A majority of these adverse events occurred within 3 days of treatment and resolved within 7 days of occurrence. Patients with underlying conditions, severe influenza symptoms, on concomitant medications, and who received 2 or more doses of peramivir were more likely to experience an adverse event.
The results of these studies are promising; however, due to the open-label, unblinded, observational, and non-randomized design of these studies, the efficacy and safety of peramivir in children needs to be further demonstrated in larger, randomized, comparative trials.
· Time to clinical resolution in patients receiving peramivir plus standard of care compared to patients who received standard of care alone was 42.5 h (95% CI 40.0 to 61.9) vs. 49.5 h, respectively (95% CI 34.0 to 57.9; p=0.97).
· Time to clinical resolution in patients receiving peramivir plus standard of care compared to patients who received another neuraminidase inhibitor plus standard of care was 41.8 h (95% CI 30.9 to 56.8) vs. 48.9 (95% CI 31.0 to 65.8, p=0.74).
· No statistically significant differences in the secondary endpoints were observed between the treatment groups.
· Common adverse events related to medication included GI effects and were similar between treatment groups.
· Serious adverse events of pneumonia, COPD, septic shock, acute respiratory distress were attributed to influenza complications.
· Clinical stability by treatment with peramivir 400 mg, peramivir 200 mg, or oseltamivir was 37 h (22 to 48.7), 23 h (16 to 38.9) and 28 h (22 to 37), respectively (p=0.306).
· No significant differences were present for alleviation of influenza symptoms during treatment, 89.5 h (49.6 to 204.4), 70.3 h (60.5 to 97), and 73 h (48.1 to 96.5) for peramivir 400 mg, peramivir 200 mg and oseltamivir, respectively (p=0.783).
· Five (4%) patients required ICU admission during the first days of study treatment.
· There were no significant differences in time to hospital discharge, 3.8 h (2.7 to 4.8), 4 h (3 to 4.7), 4 h (2.9 to 4.6) for peramivir 400 mg, peramivir 200 mg and oseltamivir, respectively (p=0.994).
· None of the patients with confirmed influenza died during the study period.
· Patients treated with peramivir had a shorter median times to resumption of usual activities: 9 days, 8.8 days, and 13.7 days for peramivir 400 mg, peramivir 200 mg and oseltamivir, respectively (p=0.276).
· A higher proportion of patients who received peramivir experienced ≥1 AE than those who received oseltamivir.
· Gastrointestinal AEs (mainly due to higher frequency of diarrhea) were reported in 33% of subjects for peramivir 200 mg, 28% for peramivir 400 mg, and 15% for oseltamivir.
· Serious AEs occurred in 8 patients treated with peramivir 400 mg, in 2 patients treated with peramivir 200 mg and in 4 treated with oseltamivir.
· There were no adverse changes in routine hematology or chemistry values.
Treatment duration was 5 days.
The concomitant use of acetamino-phen was allowed, but other antipyretics, antivirals, and antimicro-bials were not permitted.
· The median times to alleviation of symptoms were 78 h (95% CI 68.4 to 88.6), 81 h (95% CI 72.7 to 91.5), and 81.8 h (95% CI 73.2 to 91.1) in peramivir 300 mg, peramivir 600 mg, and oseltamivir groups, respectively.
· The HR for time to alleviation of symptoms for the peramivir 300 mg and 600 mg groups compared to the oseltamivir group were 0.946 (97.5% CI 0.793 to 1.129) and 0.97 (97.5% CI 0.814 to 1.157), respectively.
· Both peramivir groups demonstrated noninferiority to oseltamivir (97.5% CI <1.17).
· The proportion of patients whose body temperatures returned to normal 24 h after treatment was significantly higher in the peramivir 300 mg and 600 mg groups (59.3%, p=0.0272 and 57.9%, p=0.0326, respectively) than in the oseltamivir group (49.7%).
· The median times to resumption of usual activity were 155.7 h, 195.5 h, and 171.3 h in the peramivir 300 mg, peramivir 600 mg, and oseltamivir groups, respectively.
· The incidence of influenza-related complications for the peramivir 300 mg group was 1 case (0.3%) of sinusitis, 6 cases (1.6%) of bronchitis, 3 cases (0.8%) of pneumonia; for the peramivir 600 mg group there was 1 case (0.3%) of sinusitis, 1 case (0.3%) of otitis media, 6 cases (1.7%) of bronchitis, and 1 case (0.3%) of pneumonia; for the oseltamivir group there were 4 cases (1.1%) of sinusitis, 6 cases (1.6%) of bronchitis, and 2 cases (0.5%) of pneumonia.
· The time-weighted change from baseline in the A/H3N3 infected subpopulation in the peramivir 300 mg was greater than the oseltamivir group (p=0.0386 at day 2 and p=0.0218 at day 3).
· The incidence of ADRs (14%, 18.1%, and 20% in the peramivir 300 mg, peramivir 600 mg, and oseltamivir groups, respectively) was significantly lower in the peramivir 300 mg group (p=0.0382) and nonsignificantly lower in the peramivir 600 mg group (p=0.5718) than in the oseltamivir group.
· The common ADRs in the 3 treatment groups included diarrhea, nausea and a reduced neutrophil count. Compared to peramivir 600 mg, only nausea was numerically more frequent with oseltamivir. (1.9% vs. 4.4%).
· Prolonged QT interval and reduced neutrophil count was observed in the peramivir groups.
Doses were administered IV over a period of 15 to 60 min for 1 to 5 days according to the repeated dosing criteria (temperature ≥37.5⁰C or clinical judgment).
Use of aceta-minophen was permitted.
· The median duration of influenza illness was 68.6 h in all patients (90% CI 41.5 to 113.4) , 114.4 h (90% CI 40.2 to 235.3) in the peramivir 300 mg group, and 42.3 h (90% CI 30 to 82.7) in the peramivir 600 mg group.
· 62% of patients received treatment for 2 days and 27% received 1 day treatment.
· HR for duration of illness for the 600 mg group compared to 300 mg was 0.497 (90% CI 0.251 to 0.984).
· The median duration of influenza illness was 92 h (90% CI 14.6 to 235.3; n=10) in the single dose patients and 64.1 h (90% CI 41.5 to 111.2; n=27) in multiple dose patients.
· The median time until body temperature normalized (˂37⁰C) was 40.2 h (90% CI, 34.2 to 53.8) for the total group, 57.1 h (90% CI, 34.2 to 75.1) for the 300 mg group, and 37.6 h (90% CI, 22.3 to 46.8) for the 600 mg group. The time to temperature normalization for the peramivir 600 mg group was also significantly shorter than that for the peramivir 300 mg group (HR 0.375, 90% CI 0.182 to 0.770).
· The mean influenza virus titers on day 2 in patients with positive virus titers at the time of enrollment were 1.9±1.88 overall, 2.29±2.52 in the peramivir 300 mg group, and 1.59±1.12 in the peramivir 600 mg group. The titers on day 3 were 1.9±1.88 overall, 2.09±2.42 in the peramivir 300 mg group, and 0.69±0.65 in the peramivir 600 mg group. The titers on day 6 were below the limit of detection (0.5) in both groups.
· The proportion of influenza virus-positive patients overall was 71% on day 2 (71.4% peramivir 300 mg, 70.6% peramivir 600 mg) after the start of administration, 31.3% on day 3 (46.7% peramivir 300 mg, 17.6% peramivir 600 mg), and 0% on day 6.
· The incidence of influenza-associated complications was 10.8%. The most common influenza-associated complication was pneumonia in 8.1% of patients.
· The incidence of ADRs was 33.3%. 11 ADRs occurred in 28.6% of pts in the peramivir 300 mg group and 10 ADRs occurred in 38.1% of pts in the peramivir 600 mg group.
· The major events (≥3 instances of either an AE or ADR) were abnormal changes in clinical test values, including increased blood glucose levels and decreased neutrophil counts, in addition to diarrhea, pneumonia, and oral herpes infection.
Over 95% of patients had influenza A.
The study drug was infused over 30 to 60 min.
Use of aceta-minophen was allowed.
· The median time to alleviation of symptoms was significantly reduced in the peramivir treatment groups compared to placebo (peramivir 300 mg 59.1 h, 95% CI 50.9 to 72.4; peramivir 600 mg 59.9 h, 95% CI 54.4 to 68.1; placebo 81.8 h, 95% CI 68 to 101.5). The HR of treatment to placebo for the time to alleviation of symptoms was 0.681 (95% CI, 0.511 to 0.909, adjusted p=0.0092) in the 300 mg group and 0.666 (95% CI 0.499 to 0.89, adjusted p=0.0092) in the 600 mg group.
· The efficacy of peramivir was apparent as early as 24 h after the start of treatment.
· The proportion of afebrile subjects was increased by treatment, and a reduction in fever was evident within 24 h of therapy.
· At baseline, the viral titers were similar for all 3 groups; however, on day 3, the proportions of virus-positive subjects were significantly decreased in the 300 mg (36.8%, p=0.0485) and 600 mg (25.8%, p=0.0003) groups compared to placebo (51.5%).
· Virus was not detected in most subjects on day 9 (300 mg, 0%; 600 mg, 1.1%; placebo 0%).
· Peramivir recipients reported shorter times to resumption of their usual activities (43.6 h and 41.7 h earlier in the 300 mg and 600 mg groups, respectively; 300 mg median duration 125.6 h (95% CI 103.8 to 148.5, p=0.0367), 600 mg 127.4 h (95% CI 122.1 to 153.1], p=0.0152), and placebo 169.1 h [95% CI, 142 to 180]).
· Physician-diagnosed secondary complications (pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis, and otitis media) occurred in 3 recipients (3%) of 300 mg peramivir (bronchitis), 1 recipient (1%) of 600 mg peramivir (otitis media), and 3 (3%) placebo recipients (bronchitis).
· Most AEs were mild to moderate and were GI-related (diarrhea occurred in 14.1%, 15.2%, and 17% and nausea occurred in 3%, 6.1%, and 1% in the 300 mg, 600 mg and placebo groups, respectively).
· Severe AEs occurred in 2 subjects (2%) in the 300 mg group (3 – prolonged QT interval, 3 subjects (3%) in the 600 mg group (1 – prolonged QT interval, 1 – increased blood glucose, and 1 – increased blood creatinine), and 5 subjects (5%) in the placebo group (3 – prolonged QT interval, 1 – increased BP, 1 – increased blood glucose).
· The other severe AEs were attributed to influenza virus infection or its complications.
Abbreviations: AE(s)=adverse event(s); ADR(s)=adverse drug reaction(s); BP=blood pressure; CI=confidence interval; COPD=chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; DB=double-blind; DD=double-dummy; GI=gastrointestinal; HR=hazard ratio; ICU=intensive care unit; ITTI, intent-to-treat infected; IV=intravenously; MC= multicenter; NI= non-inferiority; PC=placebo controlled; PO=orally; R=randomized; RCT=randomized controlled trial; VAS=visual analog scale.
Peramivir is a cyclopentane analogue neuraminidase inhibitor that selectively inhibits the influenza virus neuraminidase enzyme preventing the release of viral particles from infected cells.10 Peramivir is indicated for the treatment of acute, uncomplicated influenza in patients 18 years and older as a 600 mg single dose IV infusion over 15 to 30 minutes within 2 days of symptom onset. Peramivir can be prepared in 0.9% or 0.45% NaCl, 5% dextrose, or lactated ringers (maximum volume of 100 mL) and should be administered immediately or refrigerated for up to 24 hours. The manufacturer does not recommend mixing or co-infusing peramivir with other IV medications.
In controlled clinical trials including patients with influenza, diarrhea and other gastrointestinal adverse effects were reported with peramivir, but the incidence was similar to that with placebo.11-19 Neutropenia has occurred in patients receiving peramivir. Serious skin reactions, including erythema multiforme and Stevens-Johnson syndrome, have occurred rarely.10 Neuropsychiatric events, including self-injury and delirium, which can be a complication of influenza illness, have been reported in patients with influenza taking neuraminidase inhibitors, including peramivir. Administration of peramivir within 48 hours before or less than 2 weeks after administration of the intranasal live attenuated influenza vaccine (FluMist Quadrivalent®) may reduce the vaccine’s efficacy and should be avoided. Inactivated influenza vaccine can be administered at any time relative to use of peramivir.
Influenza virus A and B isolates with neuraminidase amino acid substitutions associated with reduced susceptibility to peramivir and oseltamivir have been recovered in clinical trials.22Neuraminidase inhibition assays have found that some influenza A/H1N1 strains that are resistant to oseltamivir and peramivir remain susceptible to zanamivir.
Neuraminidase inhibitors are currently the drugs of choice for treatment of patients with influenza and are most effective when started within 48 hours of symptoms onset.4,6Currently, none of the neuraminidase inhibitors is approved for use in hospitalized or critically ill patients. Although approved by the FDA only for treatment of uncomplicated influenza in outpatients, the off-label use of peramivir, an IV drug, to treat hospitalized patients may be needed. Given the high mortality among the critically ill, the World Health Organization (WHO) and CDC recommend that all critically ill patients receive oseltamivir orally or via nasogastric tube. In patients unable to take oseltamavir, IV peramivir or investigational IV zanamivir should be considered.
Peramivir is the first neuraminidase inhibitor to be FDA-approved for IV administration and shows efficacy for the treatment of seasonal and pH1N1 influenza. Peramivir has demonstrated non-inferior efficacy to oral oseltamivir for treatment of adults with uncomplicated influenza. Additionally, efficacy and safety in children has been suggested in small, uncontrolled trials. The availability of an IV antiviral influenza agent is promising and its efficacy in hospitalized, critically ill adults and children remains to be established.
1. Zhou H, Thompson WW, Viboud CG et al. Hospitalizations associated with influenza and respiratory syncytial virus in the United States, 1993-2008. Clin Infect Dis. 2012;54(10):1427-1436.
2. Thompson WW, Weintraub E, Dhakher P et al. Estimated of US influenza-associated deaths made using four different methods. Influenza Other Respi Viruses. 2009;3(1):37-49.
3. Ortiz JR, Neuzil KM, Shay DK et al. The burden of influenza-associated critical illness hospitalizations. Crit Care Med. 2014;42(11):2325-2332.
4. World Health Organization. Influenza (Seasonal). http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs211/en/. Updated March 2014. Accessed January 30, 2015.
5. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Types of influenza viruses. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/viruses/types.htm. Updated August 19, 2014. Accessed February 19, 2015.
6. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Influenza antiviral medications: summary for clinicians. http://www.cdc.gov/flu/professionals/antivirals/summary-clinicians.htm. Updated January 9, 2015. Accessed January 30, 2015.
7. American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases. Recommendations for prevention and control of influenza in children, 2013-2014. Pediatrics. 2013;132(4):e1089-e1104.
8. Tamiflu [package insert]. San Francisco, CA: Genetech, Inc.; 2014.
9. Relenza [package insert]. Research Triangle Park, NC: GlaxoSmithKline; 2013.
10. Rapivab [package insert]. Durham, NC: BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; 2014.
11. de Jong MD, Ison MG, Monto AS, et al. Evaluation of intravenous peramivir for treatment of influenza in hospitalized patients. Clin Infect Dis. 2014;59(12):e172-e185.
12. Ison MG, Hui DS, Clezy K et al. A clinical trial of intravenous peramivir compared with oral oseltamivir for the treatment of seasonal influenza in hospitalized adults. Antivir Ther. 2013;18(5):651-661.
13. Kohno S, Yen MY, Cheong HJ et al. Phase III randomized, double-blind study comparing single-dose intravenous peramivir with oral oseltamivir in patients with seasonal influenza virus infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011;55(11):5267-5276.
14. Kohno S, Kida H, Mizuguchi M et al. Intravenous peramivir for treatment of influenza A and B virus infection in high-risk patients. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2011;55(6):2803-2812.
15. Kohno S, Kida H, Mizuguchi M et al. Efficacy and safety of intravenous peramivir for treatment of seasonal influenza virus infection. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2010;54(11):4568-4574.
16. Komeda T, Ishii S, Itoh Y, et al. Post-marketing safety and effectiveness evaluation of the intravenous anti-influenza neuraminidase inhibitor peramivir (I): a drug use investigation.
17. Sugaya N, Kohno S, Ishibashi T et al. Efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of intravenous peramivir in children with 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza A virus infection.Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012;56(1):369-377.
18. Hikita T, Hikita H, Hikita F, et al. Clinical effectiveness of peramivir in comparison with other neuraminidase inhibitors in pediatric influenza patients.Int J Pediatr. 2012;2012:834181. doi: 10.1155/2012/834181.
19. Komeda T, Ishii S, Itoh Y, et al. Post-marketing safety and effectiveness evaluation of the intravenous anti-influenza neuraminidase inhibitor peramivir (II): A pediatric drug use investigation.J Infect Chemother. 2015;21(3):194-201.
20. Thomas B, Hollister AS, Muczynski KA. Peramivir clearance in continuous renal replacement therapy. Hemodial Int. 2010;14(3):339-340.
21. Scheetz MH, Griffith MM, Ghossein C et al. Pharmacokinetic assessment of peramivir in a hospitalized adult undergoing continuous venovenous hemofiltration. Ann Pharmacother. 2011;45(12):e64.
22. Nguyen HT, Sheu TG, Mishin VP et al. Assessment of pandemic and seasonal influenza A (H1N1) virus susceptibility to neuraminidase inhibitors in three enzyme activity inhibition assays. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2010:54(9):3671-3677.
In recent years, several new oral anticoagulants (NOACs) have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for various disease states including stroke prophylaxis in atrial fibrillation (AF), venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in major orthopedic surgery, and treatment and prevention of VTE.1-4 The efficacy and safety of these agents, and their therapeutic advantages compared to warfarin, have garnered interest among clinicians. However, there is little clinical experience with these medications in special populations. This article summarizes the available published evidence for apixaban, dabigatran, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban in the following populations: hepatic impairment, obesity, pregnancy, lactation, and pediatrics.
The liver plays only a minor role in the metabolism and elimination of all NOACs.1-4 Apixaban undergoes some cytochrome (CYP)-mediated elimination via 1A2, 2C8, 2C9, 2C19, and 2J2 enzymes and rivaroxaban is oxidatively metabolized by CYP 3A4/5 and 2J2.1,4 Dabigatran and edoxaban are not metabolized in the liver and undergo primarily renal elimination.2,3Although their pharmacokinetic properties do not make it likely that use in patients with hepatic impairment would lead to any major safety concerns, data supporting their safe use in this population is limited.5 In particular, patients with cirrhosis and/or impaired hepatic production of coagulation factors, or those with hepatorenal syndrome, may be at an increased risk of bleeding.
Recently, some data has been published regarding the use of NOACs in patients with cirrhosis. An in vitro study found that plasma from 14 patients with cirrhosis (n=9 Child-Pugh Class B, n=5 Child-Pugh Class C) demonstrated decreased total (51% and 55%) and mean (32% and 30%) thrombin generation in comparison to 11 control patients, after apixaban 25 ng/mL or 50 ng/mL, respectively, was added to each sample.6 This study suggests that patients with cirrhosis may be at increased risk of bleeding with apixaban use, and potentially other NOACs. However, 2 recent case reports/series describe effective use of apixaban and rivaroxaban in patients with cirrhosis for the treatment of portal vein thrombosis (PVT), without any bleeding complications. 7,8 In the first case, a 50 year-old male with Child-Pugh Class A cirrhosis due to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis, esophageal varices, and PVT received heparin followed by transition to rivaroxaban 20 mg daily.7 Baseline serum creatinine was normal (0.6 mg/dL) and the international normalized ratio was 1.1. The thrombus had completely resolved by 6 months of follow-up and the patient did not report any bleeding complications. The second article was a case series (n=5) of patients with Child-Pugh Class A cirrhosis who received either apixaban 2.5 mg twice daily or rivaroxaban 10 to 20 mg daily for treatment of PVT.8 During follow-up (durations ranging from 1 to 7 months), the authors reported that therapy was well-tolerated and no patients experienced bleeding complications. These promising results now need to be confirmed in larger, prospective settings before widespread use of NOACs in patients with cirrhosis can be recommended.
A Phase I pharmacokinetic study with apixaban included 18 healthy subjects with mean body weight 137 kg (range 120 to 175 kg) and mean body mass index (BMI) ≥ 42.6 kg/m2 (range 32 to 54 kg/m2).14 Following a single dose of apixaban 10 mg, the mean apixaban maximum concentration (Cmax) and area under the curve (AUC) were 31% and 23% lower, respectively, compared to subjects with more normal body weight (65 to 85 kg). The apparent volume of distribution was 24% larger and the half-life was 3 hours shorter in obese subjects compared to subjects with normal body weight. There was a trend toward lower plasma anti-factor Xa activity with increasing body weight. Overall, the authors concluded that the differences in apixaban exposure with obesity were modest and not likely to be clinically significant; therefore, no dose adjustment based on body weight was recommended.
Two published reports describe use of dabigatran in obese patients.15,16 The first article is a post-hoc pooled analysis of dabigatran 220 mg daily in 896 patients with BMI >30 kg/m2 for the prevention of VTE following major orthopedic surgery.16 Data were obtained from 3 major clinical trials (RE-MODEL, RE-NOVATE, and RE-NOVATE II).21-23 Among all patients who received dabigatran in these trials, 22.6% had BMI >30 to 35 kg/m2, 6.9% had BMI >35 to 40 kg/m2, and 2% had BMI >40 kg/m2. The composite primary endpoint of major VTE and VTE-related mortality occurred at a similar rate in obese and non-obese patients (2.7% vs 2.1%). Obese patients also had a similar rate of the primary endpoint compared to patients who received enoxaparin 40 mg daily (2.9%, p=0.797). There were no differences in bleeding between groups. The 220 mg dose cannot be achieved with the dabigatran formulations currently available in the US (75 and 150 mg capsules), but these results do provide some reassurance regarding the safety and efficacy of dabigatran in obese patients. The other published report with dabigatran is a case report describing an acute ischemic stroke in a 48 year-old obese patient (153 kg, BMI 44.7 kg/m2) who had been taking dabigatran 150 mg twice daily for the prior 4 weeks for paroxysmal AF with purportedly good compliance.15 The dabigatran plasma level at presentation (patient-reported 9 hours after the most recent dose), as assessed by the Hemoclot thrombin inhibitor assay, was undetectable. Dabigatran therapy was continued following thrombolysis and plasma level monitoring demonstrated a peak plasma level of 50 ng/mL 4 hours post-dose at steady state. The authors report that this peak level was less than the 25th percentile of the therapeutic trough level. In response to the potentially sub-therapeutic dabigatran dose, therapy was switched to a coumarin anticoagulant. Further prospective data regarding the efficacy of dabigatran in patients with obesity are needed.
Among the NOACs, rivaroxaban has the largest number of published reports describing its use in obese patients.17,18,20 Similar to the apixaban study described previously, a single-center, randomized, single-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of rivaroxaban in healthy subjects.17 A total of 12 obese subjects (mean weight 132.2 kg, mean BMI 43.5 kg/m2 ) received a single 10 mg dose of rivaroxaban. There were no differences in Cmax, AUC, time to maximum concentration (tmax) or half-life between obese and non-obese subjects. Pharmacokinetic data for rivaroxaban were also published in a case report of a 67 year-old obese patient with acute ischemic stroke due to previously undiagnosed nonvalvular AF.20 Ten days after the stroke, the patient was started on dabigatran 150 mg twice daily. Hemoclot assay results after 1 week of therapy indicated that the patient did not reach the interquartile range for Cmax and most readings were below the interquartile range of trough concentration (Ctrough). In response, the patient was switched to rivaroxaban 20 mg daily; DiXal direct factor Xa inhibitor assay peak and trough results suggested effective anticoagulation.
In summary, apixaban and rivaroxaban have fairly predictable pharmacokinetic profiles in obese patients but no data are available regarding therapeutic efficacy in this population. Dabigatran does have some clinical outcome data in obese patients but the case reports suggesting lack of efficacy are concerning. No conclusion can be made regarding edoxaban since published data in obese patients is lacking.
There is limited information regarding the safe use of NOACs in pregnant patients. Apixaban is FDA pregnancy category B, while dabigatran, edoxaban, and rivaroxaban are pregnancy category C. 1-4 The product labeling for rivaroxaban contains a warning regarding the risk of pregnancy-related hemorrhage but this seems to be a general risk of all anticoagulants rather than a specific risk of rivaroxaban.4 Rivaroxaban is the only agent with a published case report of its use in pregnancy.24 A 24 year-old woman with a history of recurrent VTE, including upper and lower extremities and pulmonary embolism, received rivaroxaban 15 mg daily for 19 weeks until her pregnancy was discovered. Rivaroxaban was switched to enoxaparin for the remainder of the pregnancy. The baby was born spontaneously at 40 weeks gestation without complication, and no abnormalities were observed on any routine physical examinations or screenings up to 13 weeks of age. Although there are no clinical data in pregnancy with dabigatran, an in vitro pharmacokinetic placental transfer study observed a fetal/maternal ratio of 0.33 for dabigatran and 0.17 for the dabigatran etexilate mesylate prodrug after 3 hours, suggesting limited transfer of the prodrug across the placenta.25 The study authors recommended that dabigatran crosses the placenta to some extent and should not be used in pregnant women due to the risk of fetal coagulation abnormalities with in utero exposure.
The manufacturers of all NOACs state that it is unknown whether these agents are excreted in human milk.1-4 The apixaban manufacturer refers to 12% excretion of the maternal dose in the milk of lactating rats, but it is unclear whether this can be extrapolated to humans.1 No published reports of NOAC use in lactating patients were found.
Clinical experience with NOACs is fairly limited in special populations, including liver impairment, obesity, pregnancy, lactation, and pediatrics. Clinicians are urged to limit their use of these agents to clinical situations with published data supporting their efficacy and safety, which may include specific situations in special populations.
1. Eliquis [package insert]. Princeton, NJ: Bristol-Myers Squibb Company; 2014.
2. Savaysa [package insert]. Parsippany, NJ: Daiichi Sankyo, Inc; 2015.
3. Pradaxa [package insert]. Ridgefield, CT: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc; 2014.
4. Xarelto [package insert]. Titusville, NJ: Janssen Pharmacueticals, Inc; 2014.
5. Graff J, Harder S. Anticoagulant therapy with the oral direct factor Xa inhibitors rivaroxaban, apixaban and edoxaban and the thrombin inhibitor dabigatran etexilate in patients with hepatic impairment. Clin Pharmacokinet. 2013;52(4):243-254.
6. Potze W, Adelmeijer J, Lisman T. Decreased in vitro anticoagulant potency of rivaroxaban and apixaban in plasma from patients with cirrhosis. Hepatology. 2014. doi: 10.1002/hep.27350.
7. Martinez M, Tandra A, Vuppalanchi R. Treatment of acute portal vein thrombosis by nontraditional anticoagulation. Hepatology. 2014;60(1):425-426.
8. Intagliata NM, Maitland H, Northup PG, Caldwell SH. Treating thrombosis in cirrhosis patients with new oral agents: ready or not? Hepatology. 2015;61(2):738-739.
9. Caldeira D, Barra M, Santos AT, et al. Risk of drug-induced liver injury with the new oral anticoagulants: systematic review and meta-analysis. Heart. 2014;100(7):550-556.
10. Rochwerg B, Xenodemetropoulos T, Crowther M, Spyropoulos A. Dabigatran-induced acute hepatitis. Clin Appl Thromb Hemost. 2012;18(5):549-550.
12. Russmann S, Niedrig DF, Budmiger M, et al. Rivaroxaban postmarketing risk of liver injury. J Hepatol. 2014;61(2):293-300.
13. Liakoni E, Ratz Bravo AE, Terracciano L, Heim M, Krahenbuhl S. Symptomatic hepatocellular liver injury with hyperbilirubinemia in two patients treated with rivaroxaban.JAMA Intern Med. 2014;174(10):1683-1686.
14. Upreti VV, Wang J, Barrett YC, et al. Effect of extremes of body weight on the pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, safety and tolerability of apixaban in healthy subjects.Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2013;76(6):908-916.
15. Breuer L, Ringwald J, Schwab S, Kohrmann M. Ischemic stroke in an obese patient receiving dabigatran. N Engl J Med. 2013;368(25):2440-2442.
16. Eriksson BI, Dahl OE, Feuring M, et al. Dabigatran is effective with a favourable safety profile in normal and overweight patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery: a pooled analysis. Thromb Res. 2012;130(5):818-820.
17. Kubitza D, Becka M, Zuehlsdorf M, Mueck W. Body weight has limited influence on the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics, or pharmacodynamics of rivaroxaban (BAY 59-7939) in healthy subjects. J Clin Pharmacol. 2007;47(2):218-226.
18. Mahlmann A, Gehrisch S, Beyer-Westendorf J. Pharmacokinetics of rivaroxaban after bariatric surgery: a case report. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2013;36(4):533-535.
19. Thomas Z, Bareket Y, Bennett W. Rivaroxaban use following bariatric surgery. J Thromb Thrombolysis. 2014;38(1):90-91.
20. Safouris A, Demulder A, Triantafyllou N, Tsivgoulis G. Rivaroxaban presents a better pharmacokinetic profile than dabigatran in an obese non-diabetic stroke patient. J Neurol Sci.2014;346(1-2):366-367.
21. Eriksson BI, Dahl OE, Rosencher N, et al. Dabigatran etexilate versus enoxaparin for prevention of venous thromboembolism after total hip replacement: a randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial. Lancet. 2007;370(9591):949-956.
22. Eriksson BI, Dahl OE, Rosencher N, et al. Oral dabigatran etexilate vs. subcutaneous enoxaparin for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after total knee replacement: the RE-MODEL randomized trial. J Thromb Haemost. 2007;5(11):2178-2185.
23. Eriksson BI, Dahl OE, Huo MH, et al. Oral dabigatran versus enoxaparin for thromboprophylaxis after primary total hip arthroplasty (RE-NOVATE II). A randomised, double-blind, non-inferiority trial. Thromb Haemost. 2011;105(4):721-729.
24. Konigsbrugge O, Langer M, Hayde M, Ay C, Pabinger I. Oral anticoagulation with rivaroxaban during pregnancy: a case report. Thromb Haemost. 2014;112(6):1323-1324.
25. Bapat P, Kedar R, Lubetsky A, et al. Transfer of dabigatran and dabigatran etexilate mesylate across the dually perfused human placenta. Obstet Gynecol. 2014;123(6):1256-1261.
26. Beyer-Westendorf J, Gehrisch S. Phamacokinetics of rivaroxaban in adolescents.Hamostaseologie. 2014;34(1):85-87.
27. Martinelli I, Bucciarelli P, Artoni A, et al. Anticoagulant treatment with rivaroxaban in severe protein S deficiency. Pediatrics. 2013;132(5):e1435-1439.
28. US National Institutes of Health. Clinicaltrials.gov website. https://clinicaltrials.gov/. Accessed February 13, 2015. | 2019-04-25T09:58:21Z | https://pharmacy.uic.edu/departments/pharmacy-practice/centers-and-sections/drug-information-group/2014/2015-faqs/march-2015-faqs |
Today's computers give us the power to split audio into hundreds or even thousands of bands and give each one a different effect treatment. At the simplest level, you could alter the static output level of each band, giving you an extremely flexible EQ, or alter these levels dynamically to create gating, compression or expansion effects in the spectral domain. These can provide far more radical results than the more typical multi-band dynamics plug-in or, alternatively, more refined ones, depending on personal taste!
If a second audio file can be loaded into your plug-in, for even more advanced effects you could statically compare the EQ of your audio signal with it and attempt to match the two (aka 'EQ ripping'), or do this dynamically for vocoding or morphing effects that contain characteristics of both signals, such as 'talking' pianos or 'singing' drums. Once in the frequency domain, you can also mathematically manipulate each band, at which point the results start to get really intriguing.The sonic ground covered by multi-band spectral plug-ins is quite considerable, ranging from delicate transformations and subtle effects all the way through to sonic mangling of the most extreme and unexpected kind. Audio quality can also vary considerably, but there's plenty of choice, varying from freeware effects to complex commercial products; let's have a look at what's on offer.
Once you have sufficient bands in an EQ, you can move beyond the peak and shelf responses of more traditional designs to generate any frequency-response curve you can imagine. This opens up a lot of possibilities, including surgically removing small details related to specific frequencies in an audio file, such as hums and buzzes that may each involve several harmonic components, but for most people it's the ability to 'learn' the frequency response of an incoming sound and subsequently apply this to another audio file that's most intriguing.
With up to 4096 bands of EQ, you can apply complex response curves (as shown above with Voxengo's Curve EQ) to simulate the foibles of hardware devices, learn the response of one file and apply it to another, or draw in your own exotic responses for special effect purposes (as demonstrated by Delaydots' Spectral Shaper).
A very popular pastime is so-called EQ ripping, where you modify the frequency response of one of your own tracks to match that of a well-polished commercial offering. This technique can undoubtedly benefit some songs with similar arrangements and instrumentation, but it's not the panacea that some musicians think. For instance, you don't want every response ripple of the target track to be faithfully re-created in your destination track, particularly if the songs are in different keys, since peaks belonging to specific notes in one track will never correspond to those in the other one.
Nevertheless, EQ ripping is certainly educational, especially since it can also be used to 'learn' the response curves of other hardware/software EQs, or indeed the frequency-response foibles of other hardware such as microphones, tube amps or tape machines.
One of the first of these EQs to appear was Steinberg's 30-band Freefilter (later incorporated into the Mastering Edition bundle, but now discontinued), featuring a variety of drawing tools, a learn mode and a spectrum analyser to display what's happening. A few more recent plug-ins with spectrum-matching EQ functions include Roger Nichols Digital's Frequal-izer (previously Elemental Systems' Firium), and Voxengo's Curve EQ (with up to 60 bands, built-in harmonic generation and saturation processing for that analogue/tube sound, plus 'GearMatch', which allows you to superimpose the frequency-response ripples for up to two different devices on your curves). Izotope's Ozone mastering plug-in also includes a paragraphic EQ with up to 16,000 bands and soft saturation modelling.
One simpler plug-in that nevertheless offers lots of creative potential is Delaydots' Spectral Shaper, an FFT-based 4096-band EQ that lets you convert a WAV file into a frequency response to apply to your audio signals, or you can draw in your own from scratch using a pencil tool. To eradicate minor response wiggles there's a Smooth control, while using the Sharp control further accentuates them. This plug-in was originally designed for such tasks as making vocals sound as if they were coming through a telephone or intercom, but I've found it even more effective for extreme hand-drawn responses: by restricting the output to a few narrow frequency spikes you can turn drum loops into pulsing chords, drones, comb-filters and the like.
Soundhack's Morphfilter (one of four plug-ins in Tom Erbe's Spectral Shapers bundle) takes this approach several stages further, with two filter shapes that you can either learn from an audio file or draw in using the mouse. You can then morph between the two, using MIDI automation or an integral LFO that you can sync to the host application. The Filter Depth control has a nominal 1.0 setting, but you can exaggerate the response if you increase the setting to 2.0, reduce it to a flat response at 0.0, and generate an inverse response shape as you reduce it still further to -2.0. There's also an overall Tilt EQ control to balance highs and lows either side of 1kHz.
While this plug-in positively encourages special effects use with slowly morphing responses or pulsing changes, it can also be used in more subtle ways, such as reducing unwanted characteristics in a sound by learning the shape of the unwanted frequencies and then using a lower Filter Depth setting to reduce prominent peaks. If you have recorded tracks in a room that has 'honky' acoustics, you could also try recording some white noise in the same room, capturing its response and then using an inverse Filter depth setting on your tracks to automatically reduce the peaks.
By measuring the amplitude in each spectral band and subjecting it to various rules, you can create unique dynamics processors. A simple, yet powerful example is spectral gating. Unlike a standard noise gate that lets no signal through until it reaches a certain threshold, and then lets everything through, a spectral gate only ever lets frequency bands through whose level exceeds the threshold.
Soundhack Spectral Compand. Simple spectral gating using a plug-in like Shiny FX's Spectral Monkeyage is useful for noise reduction or special effects, while the more sophisticated Soundhack Spectral Compand (above) can also increase harmonics and ambience, and flatten frequency response.Shiny FX's Spectral Monkeyage has up to 4096 individual gates, one for each of its frequency bands, but a single slider to set the global threshold level. At low settings you can use it to remove unwanted background noise or low-level harmonics, while at higher settings it progressively removes all but the strongest frequency components, for unusual special effects. It also lets you move the band contents sideways, for crude pitch-shifting, and provides a spectral 'blurring' feedback control for ringing and freezing effects. It's not a subtle plug-in, but is surprisingly versatile for a freeware offering.
Rather more sophisticated is the Soundhack Spectral Gate, featuring a set of more traditional dynamic controls with good calibration and metering. The threshold settings of its 512 bands can be further moulded by 'learning' the spectrum of an incoming signal, or you can directly draw the desired response on its spectrum display, with a further global Tilt control to balance the low- and high-frequency threshold settings. Even better, you can switch it between Gate and Duck modes, the latter being useful for reducing prominent frequencies by reducing their gain above the threshold setting. You need to spend some time with it for best results, but it's well worth the effort.
As its name suggests, Soundhack's Spectral Compand takes things further, with a similar set of controls, except that Gain is replaced by Ratio, for compression/expansion effects, and the simple Learn button of the gate is also replaced by Learn Peak and Learn Average buttons, for setting the threshold spectrum according to the incoming signal. An Invert button lets you hear the difference between input and output signals, which in expansion mode is very useful for noise-reduction duties, since you can adjust the other controls to only remove unwanted sounds, without interfering with the desired portion. In compression mode, you can use this plug-in to flatten the spectrum, which generally increases harmonics and ambience, or dynamically reshape it for special effects.
Voxengo's Soniformer has some aspects in common with Spectral Compand, in that it offers spectral compression, but it also aims to smooth out the spectral curve using both compression and expansion across 32 bands. Each of its main controls (Threshold, Attack, Release, Ratio, Wet Mix, Out Gain, Stereo Link, Width and Pan) can be altered across the spectrum by clicking and dragging control points in their individual parameter envelope windows. This is sophistication indeed, and makes Soniformer very useful at the mastering stage.
The jargon used by many spectral plug-ins can be initially baffling. If you just want to use the presets, you don't need to understand it, but if you want to make your own sounds, understanding the basics can help a great deal.
Time Domain: analysing how the amplitude of a signal such as a digital audio stream changes over time.
Frequency Domain: analysing a signal in terms of its frequency components.
Sonogram: also known as a Spectrogram, this graph displays frequency content in one direction and how it varies over time across the other, while the brightness of each pixel indicates the strength of each frequency band.
Transform: an alternative mathematical representation of a signal.
Fourier Transform: a mathematical algorithm that converts an incoming time-domain digital audio signal into its spectral components, so that they can be treated in the frequency domain. Once this has been done the signals are passed to a corresponding inverse Fourier Transform to convert the data back into its original form.
Bands/Window Size: digital audio is transformed one small FFT block or 'window' at a time, each consisting of a number of samples, and the number of resulting frequency bands is always half this figure. A larger window size therefore increases the frequency resolution, since it results in more frequency bands, but it will also increase the overall latency of the effect. Many spectral plug-ins default to 512 FFT/Analysis bands, and thus divide the audio into 256 frequency bands, which is generally the lowest 'clean' setting. Settings of 128 or 256 result in 'grainy' or otherwise coarser sounds with high-frequency distortion (useful for robotic and metallic effects), while higher values of 1024 or 2048 (if available) won't increase CPU overhead and may clean up the output still further. However, they may also change the tonality of the effect and will significantly increase its overall latency.
Window Shape: there's often a selection of Window shapes for the spectrum analysis, since the simplest Rectangular option will produce regular audible glitches as each block of treated data is joined back together, resulting in nasty-sounding artifacts/distortion. The default 'Hanning' window generally gives the cleanest results, and unless you want to experiment you can leave this parameter alone. However, others may give interesting harmonic colouration if this is what you're after.
Overlap: since a large window size increases frequency resolution (see above) but also increases latency, you can improve matters by overlapping successive windows — for instance, grabbing a window 512 samples wide every 128 samples (4x overlap). A lower overlap setting provides faster processing and lower latency but lowers resynthesis quality, while a larger overlap results in smoother transitions between blocks and much lower distortion levels, but lots more CPU power consumption. The amount of overlap is the most critical parameter for CPU overhead, so unless you're looking for special effects it's generally better to leave it at its default setting, or keep a close eye on your CPU meter.
While EQ-ripping plug-ins let you learn the static frequency response of one sample or track and impose this on your own material, other plug-ins let you apply the spectral characteristics of one sound to another in real time. This is often referred to as 'morphing'. For instance, MP3some's Shapee is a simple plug-in that takes two mono audio signals and creates one mono output signal derived from the amplitude of one and the frequency distribution of the other. Although this twin-mono restriction is initially frustrating, it avoids routing complications with the ever-popular Cubase (which still doesn't support plug-in side-chaining, to let one stereo signal control another), and with a little care the results are surprisingly controllable and effective for a freeware plug-in.
A classic vocoder such as Prosoniq's Orange Vocoder, shown here, can make guitars talk and turn drum loops into a choir.
Waves' Morphoder adds formant shifting, so you can change the gender of the voice.Other spectral morphing plug-ins offer stereo in/out capability but avoid side-chaining issues by letting you load in a separate stereo 'target' file that loops in the background while treating your real-time stereo input. For instance, Delaydots' Spectral Morpher (part of their Spectral Suite) offers both twin-mono and target file options, plus eleven morphing modes, including spectral convolution, various mutations and spectral vocoding. This is definitely one for the special effects enthusiast.
While a separate looping target file of continuous sounds such as choirs, organ chords or synth pads works well when morphed with rhythmic sounds such as drum tracks, if you choose a rhythmic sound for your target, such as a drum loop, the morphing effect will freewheel and not stay in sync with the input signal. To overcome this limitation, Delaydots' Spectrumworx provides the option to retrigger the target sample via MIDI notes, while Izotope's Spectron provides level-sensitive envelope triggering and LFOs syncable to the host sequencer, to a similar end. I'll be covering these in more depth in the next section, since they both qualify as spectral multi-effects.
Vocoding (a contraction of 'Voice' and 'Encoder') is essentially a specialised form of multi-band morphing that can give instruments a more realistic, vocal-like articulation, by adding the 'unvoiced' or plosive sounds such as 'S' or 'T' via a high-pass filter, or generating them internally using a built-in noise generator. In vocoder jargon, the morphing 'target' sound is known as the 'carrier signal, while the voice or guitar that articulates the carrier is the 'modulator' signal.
Early hardware channel-vocoders were analogue devices using between 10 and 24 band-pass filters with extremely steep slopes (typically between 60dB/octave and 96dB/octave, compared with the 12dB/octave or 24dB/octave employed in most synthesizer filters). To achieve this steepness, extremely low-tolerance components need to be used, which is the main reason why analogue vocoders tended to be so expensive, and why they often sounded different from each other.
Fortunately, there are now quite a few vocoder plug-ins available, ranging from simple freeware to complex commercial products and employing a variety of design approaches. Some developers simulate traditional analogue designs, such as Prosoniq with their 24-band Orange Vocoder plug-in, 'for a warm and transparent sound', although it nevertheless incorporates an 8-voice digital synth with on-screen keyboard as one carrier option. Waves use a similar 8-voice synth in Morphoder, and this plug-in also features formant-shifting technology, so you can change the character of your voice and simulate guitar Talkbox effects (where the sound is directed into the performer's mouth, so that it can be articulated).
Whereas channel vocoders deal with amplitude information, various other developers use phase vocoder algorithms that split the incoming signal into many more bands (typically 512 or more) and analyse both amplitude and phase information for each band, so they can use the phase information from one channel and apply to it the spectral envelope from the other channel. Examples can be found in Propellerheads' Reason (up to 512 bands) and NI's Vokator (1024 bands). Vokator is also unusual in that it incorporates a sampler with granular synthesis features as well as the more normal integrated synth, and even supplies a set of spectral effects for each channel, like those of Spektral Delay (see next section). Although this versatility can be daunting to the newcomer, Vokator is capable of a huge range of treatments.
To finish this section I should point out that in the film world morphing is now generally regarded as gradually changing one object into another (as famously featured in the film Terminator 2) so, strictly speaking, audio morphing should gradually change one sound into another. To do this properly requires rather more sophisticated techniques than offered by the morphers/vocoders above. However, if true morphing is the effect you're after, take a look at Prosoniq's Morph, which uses artificial neural networks for pattern recognition to create the in-between shapes.
As I was researching this feature I found links to various unusual and experimental freeware VST spectral plug-ins. Their graphic interfaces may be primitive (or even non-existent) and they are supplied 'as is' with no guarantees, so some may not be fully stable under all conditions. However, most VST plug-ins comprise a single DLL file that you drop into your VST plug-ins folder, and if you hit any problems you can quickly and easily remove them. I enjoyed MP3Some's Wavethresh and Ether; the Sp3ctr3 FFT-based audio-mangling plug-in; Thaw, by Cormac Daly; and Twisted Lemon's FFTfun.
Once you've gone to the trouble of converting an input signal into its spectral components for treatment, it's little more trouble to subject these to several serial effects than to a single one, before converting back to the original time-domain version. But because even a simple mathematical transformation in the spectral domain can result in radical changes to sounds, we now enter the 'outer limits' of plug-in effects.
One of the first spectral multi-effects to be released, and still one of the most sophisticated, NI's Spektral Delay is a treat for ears and eyes.
One of the first developers to enter this previously uncharted territory was Native Instruments, with their very ambitious Spektral Delay. It has an extremely elegant graphic interface featuring twin stereo sonogram displays for input and output, and the signals pass through up to four effect stages. The first is Input Modulation, offering your choice of one of 13 spectral insert effects that can transform the sound in radical ways. Some can be found in other plug-ins, while others are unique, offering exotic spectral comb and bandpass filtering, random frequency re-ordering, smearing or scrambling of the magnitude and phase information, or time-shifting or enveloping of the incoming data blocks. Yummy!Next up is is a spectral filter into which you can draw your own exotic response shapes, and then we come to the two effect blocks that give Spektral Delay its name: you can define different delay times and feedback amounts for each up to 1024 available frequency bands simply by drawing an on-screen shape with your mouse. The possibilities are jaw-dropping, but the 'draw your own' matrix boxes keep things very manageable, especially with their quantise options for easily making some frequency-band delays multiples of others using the snap-to-grid option, and the external temp sync options. Spektral Delay is loved by its many users and is incredibly versatile, although sadly it's let down by one of the most confusing preset management systems ever devised. Capable of morphing, spectral filtering, panning, and delays, Izotope's Spectron is another spectral tour de force with great potential.Darrell Tam's Block FX (DtBlkFx) is a plug-in with a colourful graphic display featuring two spectrograms to let you see how your signals are being altered in the spectral domain, and with up to four effect slots into which you can insert any combination of 29 spectral treatments chosen from the drop-down list. The effects include a radical EQ, spectral compander and clipper, mirror (swapping frequency bands), resampling over a +/-3 octave range, four pitch shifters, two harmonic pitch shifters, two comb filters, five that change the harmonic envelope in various pre-defined ways, six masks that let you apply other effects to the harmonics of a particular note, a vocoder, and two harmonic matching vocoders. The scope for radical transformations is vast, and if this plug-in had a more sophisticated graphic interface it could sell for serious money, so snap it up while it's still freeware!
Izotope's Spectron has an elegant, sophisticated graphic interface offering real-time spectrum analysis, and comprises four series-connected spectral modules, plus a more traditional 'Smear' section featuring four 'analogue' modulated delays for phase/flange/echo effects. I've already mentioned its very tweakable Morph module, and the other three are Filter, Pan and Delay, which all benefit from a clever system of four 'nodes' that you can drag to define frequency bands and create exotic pass-band shapes and harmonic series. These nodes can be further manipulated via advanced LFO and envelope modulation.
For those prepared to boldly go where no one has gone before, the 16-slot rack and 45 modules of Delaydots' Spectrumworx provide huge potential for effect transformations both subtle and extreme.You can use the Spectron modules to define different delays for frequency bands, move different parts of the spectrum to different positions and subject them to radical EQ treatments, all with real-time movement. Although the many supplied presets illustrate its sophisticated 'musical' potential, it's also capable of plenty of more outlandish effects that will appeal to spectral experimenters.
Finally we come to Delaydots' Spectrumworx, the most free-form offering of all. Its modular 'rack' interface provides no fewer than 16 effect slots, into which you can insert any combination of a staggering total of 45 modules. Some of the many treatments on offer include pitch-shifting, mathematical operators and vocoding, plus exotica such as spectral interpolation, phase vocoding, transient extraction and slew limiting, while many modules offer the option of morphing or otherwise combining the input signal in some way with a modulation sample. This free-form approach does have its disadvantages, since it's easy to stray towards the two extremes of anarchy and distortion or total silence, but loads of presets are included for the more casual user. However, you don't need to understand what each module does when creating your own presets: just explore and see what happens. Spectrumworx can transform an audio track in a multitude of ways, and moving just one of the module controls in real time can also often result in jaw-dropping transformations that you can automate using MIDI controllers. This plug-in won't be for everybody, and it would really benefit from some LFOs, but if you're after completely unique sounds it's the bee's knees! | 2019-04-21T08:29:37Z | https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/exploring-pc-spectral-multi-band-plug-ins |
ANTHONY GUY FAVIO, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF LAWRENCE G FAVIO, DECEASED, ANY UNKNOWN SPOUSE OF ANTHONY GUY FAVIO, DISCOVER BANK, CAPITAL ONE BANK USA NA, AND ANY AND ALL UNKNOWN PARTIES IN POSSESSION OF THE REAL ESTATE LOCATED AT 309 SOUTH 2ND STREET, LAKE PARK, IOWA.
Date of Sale is 02/13/2018 at 9:00 AM at the Dickinson County Sheriff Office, 1802 Hill Ave. #1200, Spirit Lake, IA 51360.
This sale not subject to redemption.
Dated: 1/15/2018 Sheriff Gregory L. Baloun, Dickinson County, Iowa.
ANTHONY N BANNOR, AMBER J BANNOR, SPOUSE OF ANTHONY N BANNOR, SPOUSE OF AMBER J BANNOR, AND PARTIES IN POSSESSION.
Sheriff Greg L. Baloun, Dickinson County, Iowa.
Dated: 1/12/2018 Sheriff Greg L. Baloun, Dickinson County, Iowa.
You are hereby notified that on January 16,2018, the last will and testament of Virginia T. Deutsch, deceased, bearing date of February 15, 1984, was admitted to probate in the above named court and that Beverly Kruger was appointed executor of the estate. Any action to set aside the will must be brought in the district court of said county within the later to occur of four months from the date of the second publication of this notice or one month from the date of mailing of this notice to all heirs of the decedent and devisees under the will whose identities are reasonably ascertainable, or thereafter be forever barred.
Smith, Grigg, Shea, & Klinker, P.C.
31st day of January, 2018.
The City of Milford City Council will hold a public hearing on the 12th day of February 2018 at 6:30 p.m. at the City of Milford Community Center Boardroom for the purpose of consideration of an amendment to the Zoning Ordinances of the City of Milford, Iowa 2011. The request is to amend Section 8.3 Titled “Special Exception Uses” in the AC-Arterial Commercial District to add Fireworks Display and Sale to Commercial Uses. Oral and written comments will be heard at this time. After the public hearing the Milford Planning and Zoning will act on this amendment.
YOU ARE HEREBY NOITIFIED that Richard A. Hopper, P.E., of the firm of Jacobson-Westergard & Associates, Inc., Estherville, Iowa, a professional engineer in charge of the project for the 2016 Open Ditch Cleanout in Joint Drainage District NO. 61, Clay, Dickinson and Emmet County, Iowa, has filed his report that the contract with Cory Juergens Construction of 219 W 2nd St South, Estherville, IA., 51334, for the 2016 Open Ditch Cleanout (Project E-12211) has been satisfactorily completed. Said report is on file in the Auditor’s Office in Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet County, Iowa.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOITIFIED that the Board of Supervisors of Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet County, Iowa, acting as trustees for said Joint Drainage District No. 61 Open Ditch Cleanout have set Tuesday, February 13, 2018 at 2:00 p.m. in the Dickinson County Courthouse Community Room; Suite 1510, Spirit Lake, IA., as the date, time and place for a public hearing on said completion report.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that persons interested in the district may file objections to said report and submit any evidence tending to show that said report should not be accepted up to the time of the hearing and that said objections shall be in writing and may be filed in the office of the Clay, Dickinson, or Emmet County Auditor prior to the date of hearing and further that objections not filed prior to the date of hearing may be filed with the Board at the time and place of such hearing.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that any party having a claim for damages arising out of the Open Ditch Cleanout shall file said claims with the Auditor of Clay, Dickinson, or Emmet County, Iowa, before or at the time set for the hearing on the completion of the contract, claims shall not include any claim for land taken for right-of-way or for severance of land.
YOU ARE FURTHER NOTIFIED that if the Joint Board of Supervisors of Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet County, finds that the work under the contract has been completed and is accepted, that the Board shall compute the balance due the contractor and if there are no liens of record against such balance, it shall enter on the record an order directing the Auditor to draw warrants in favor of said contractor upon the drainage district funds.
This notice is published and mailed as provided by law at the direction of the Board of Supervisors of Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet County, Iowa, acting as trustees on behalf of Joint Drainage District No. 61 C, D & E Open Ditch, in Clay, Dickinson, and Emmet County, Iowa.
9:30 A.M. Present are Supervisors Paul Johnson, Mardi Allen, Tim Fairchild, and Chairperson William Leupold. Vice-Chairperson Pam Jordan present telephonically.
Okoboji Tourism Rebecca Peters present with an agency update and Fiscal year’19 Funding Request.
Moved by Allen, seconded by Fairchild, to approve the January 9, 2018 Board Meeting Minutes as presented to the board. Roll call vote: Allen-aye, Fairchild-aye, Johnson -aye, Jordan-aye and Leupold-aye.
Moved by Allen, seconded by Fairchild, to approve the appointment of Beth Will as a Representative to the Board of Health effective immediately. . Roll Call vote: Allen-aye, Fairchild-aye, Johnson-aye, Jordan-aye, and Leupold-aye.
Moved by Fairchild, seconded by Johnson, to approve the appointment of Kitty Webster as a Representative to the Board of Health effective immediately. Roll Call vote: Fairchlld-aye, Johnson-aye, Allen-aye, Jordan-aye, and Leupold-aye.
Moved by Allen, seconded by Johnson, to approve the Wellness Program Agreement between the Iowa Association of Counties and Dickinson County for 2018. The program offers consulting services and Online Lifestyle Management Programs as well as county and employee incentives. Roll call vote: Allen-aye, Johnson-aye, Fairchild-aye, Jordan-aye, and Leupold-aye.
Emergency Management Director Mike Ehret present. Ehret informed the Board he needed to postpone approval of Resolution 2018-2 Amendment in order that additional information could be researched as to how or if any, this resolution would affect the other departments using federal grant money. It will be place on next week’s agenda.
County Engineer Dan Eckert present. Moved by Jordan, seconded by Allen to approve both a single phase and a 3 phase conductor with a pad mount transformer, a junction box, a power pole, and a new guy wire all within the right of way. The location will be at the intersection of 28th Street and 255th Avenue, in Section 10 of Center Grove Township. Jordan-aye, Allen-aye, Johnson-aye, Fairchild-aye, Leupold-aye.
The Board gave their board and committee reports.
There being no further items presented to the board, moved by Fairchild, seconded by Johnson to adjourn. All voted aye. Meeting adjourned to the call of the Chairperson at 10:45 a.m.
PUBLIC NOTICE is hereby given that the Board of Trustees of the Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary District, in the County of Dickinson, State of Iowa, will hold a public hearing on the 13th day of February, 2018, at 3:00 P.M., in the District Office, 303 - 28th Street, Milford, Iowa, at which meeting the Board proposes to take additional action for the authorization of a Loan Agreement and the issuance of not to exceed $4,500,000 General Obligation Capital Loan Notes, for essential purposes, to provide funds to pay the costs of acquisition, renovation to, reconstruction of, and construction of improvements and extensions to the District Sewage Treatment Plant, Collection System and Facilities. Principal and interest on the proposed Loan Agreement will be payable from the Debt Service Fund.
At the above meeting the Board shall receive oral or written objections from any resident or property owner of the Sanitary District to the above action. After all objections have been received and considered, the Board will at the meeting or at any adjournment thereof, take additional action for the authorization of a Loan Agreement and the issuance of the Notes to evidence the obligation of the Sanitary District thereunder or will abandon the proposal to issue said Notes.
This notice is given by order of the Board of Trustees of the Iowa Great Lakes Sanitary District, in the County of Dickinson, State of Iowa, as provided by Sections 358.21 and 384.25 of the Code of Iowa.
Dated this 23 day of January, 2018.
Regular City Council Meeting 5:30 p.m.
Meeting called to order by Mayor Vos.
Motion by Bice seconded by Farmer to approve the minutes of the January 9th regular council meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Bice seconded by Farmer to approve the bill list for the month of January, 2018. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Bice seconded by Farmer to approve a Class C liquor license for Rabab’s. Motion carried unanimously.
Motion by Farmer, seconded by Bice to approve the mayoral appointment of Donna Fisher as mayor pro-tem. Motion carried unanimously.
Fisher introduced and caused to be read Resolution No. 2018-02 and moved for its adoption, which was seconded by Farmer. Aye: Fisher, Bice, Harbst, Farmer, James. Resolution duly adopted.
Fisher introduced and caused to be read Resolution No. 2018-03 and moved for its adoption, which was seconded by Farmer. Aye: Fisher, Bice, Harbst, Farmer, James. Resolution duly adopted.
Mayor Vos commended the Street Department for a fine job cleaning the city streets following Monday’s snow event.
Motion by Farmer seconded by Bice to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried unanimously.
Lake Park City Council met in Special Session on 01-23-2018 at City Hall at 6:30PM. Purpose of Meeting: Budget Workshop – All Departments. Mayor Engel called meeting to order at 6:30pm with Pledge of Allegiance. Members present: Schumacher, Ehlers, Taber, Baumgarn, Reekers and Clerk Matthiesen. Also present: Chad Niemeier, Marcy Wittrock and Nick Tanner.
Moved by Taber/Schumacher to approve the 2017 Auditor’s Report; all ayes.
Chad Niemeier, Marcy Wittrock and Nick Tanner were in attendance representing the Silver Lake Country Club. The council was presented with 2017 highlights, current issues that the club is faced with, financial statements, the age of the equipment and various other information related to the state of the Country Club. They expressed SLCC’s desire to voluntarily annex into the city limits which would increase the tax base for the City. In return they asked the City to consider funding the SLCC with $20,000, which would allow SLCC protection from closing as they work to rectify their current issues. Moved by Baumgarn/Ehlers to fund SLCC $20,000 pending annexation into the City limits of Lake Park; all ayes.
Moved by Schumacher/Baumgarn to adjourn at 8:32pm; all ayes.
JANUARY 17, 2018 5:30 P.M.
COUNCIL PRESENT: Adams, Christensen, Richter, Watters. Mayor Hussong presided.
OTHERS PRESENT: Dave Nelson, Julie Bergquist, Kevin Sander, Chris Yungbluth, Ron Walker, and Bob Faulkner.
The pledge of allegiance was spoken.
The Council met to discuss a possible remand of a variance that was approved by the Board of Adjustment on January 8, 2018 for property owned by Alex Schwarck DBA: Okoboji Lakeview Properties, LLC, located at 228 S. Highway 71.
Concerns from the Council and Arnolds Park/Okoboji Fire Department include: the Board did not make a complete consideration with findings on required criteria, the allowance of a 20 foot height variance in the C-2 District, providing adequate fire protection based on the location and height of the building, and the absence of any conditions placed on the variance by the Board of Adjustment.
Motion to remand the decision back to the Board of Adjustment for further consideration and review: Watters/Jensen. Ayes: Watters, Jensen, Christensen. Nays: Adams, Richter. Absent: None.
Pursuant to the Requirements of Section 165.24.6 of the Arnolds Park Zoning Ordinance the Board of Adjustment will conduct a public hearing on Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:30 p.m. at Arnolds Park City Hall. The hearing is for a variance request for the Maritime Museum property owned by the Historic Arnolds Park, Inc. The property for which the variance is sought is located at 37 Lake Street (Maritime Museum) or legally described as a TRT 200’ x 235’ AKA Parcel “J” in Pt Lots 8-10 of RR AVD PL 3 in Sec 30-99-36 Arnolds Park, Dickinson County, Iowa. The purpose of the hearing is to hear a request for a variance from the requirements of Section 165.10.5 (Site Development Regulations) in the C-2 General Commercial District. Specifically, the applicant is proposing to construct an addition onto the existing Maritime Museum that will exceed the maximum height of 35 feet allowed in the district. The extra height is needed to accommodate the relocation of the historic slide tower. Written comments are accepted and should be addressed to Linda Nase, City Clerk. For additional information, or to make arrangements for disabled or non-English speaking individuals, please contact City Hall at 332-2341.
legally described, E 115.22’ W OF RR OF LOT 17 AND W ½ ADJ RR HELM’S SUB DIV, ARNOLDS PARK, DICKINSON COUNTY. The purpose of the hearing is to hear a request for a variance from the requirements of Section 165.10.5 Site Development Regulations in a C-2 General Commercial District. Alex Schwarck/Okoboji Lakeview Properties LLC is requesting a variance to allow for the construction of a mixed-use building with a proposed height of 55 feet. The maximum height in a C-2 District is 35 feet. Written comments are accepted and should be addressed to Linda Nase, City Clerk. For additional information, or to make arrangements for disabled or non-English speaking individuals, please contact City Hall at 332-2341.
2. Amend/replace/increase the current excess water billing rate from its current amount of $6.16 per 1,000 gallons of water to a rate of not less than $7.16 per 1,000 gallons of water or higher.
The City Council will hold a public hearing on the 13th day of February, 2018, at the hour of 6 p.m. in the City Hall, in Okoboji, Iowa. The terms and conditions of these additions/rate increases will be discussed/revised/changed and determined by the City and its Council at said meeting, and may be modified at the public hearing. Following said hearing, the City Council will take action.
Dated this 25th day of January, 2018.
Amend/replace/add new language in Section 91.02 by changing the current language that the City provide the meter to now require the customer to rent the water meter from the City and pay the water meter rental fee.
The City Council will hold a public hearing on the 13th day of February, 2018, at the hour of 6:15 p.m. in the City Hall, in Okoboji, Iowa. The terms and conditions of this amended/replaced language will be discussed/revised/changed and determined by the City and its Council at said meeting, and may be modified at the public hearing. Following said hearing, the City Council will take action.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED ZONING ORDINANCE TEXT AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY OF WAHPETON ZONING CODE, CHAPTER 165, CONCERNING “BUILDING HEIGHT”, “CERTIFIED SURVEY”, “IMPERVIOUS SURFACE”, AND “APPLICATION FOR ZONING PERMIT”.
You are hereby notified that the Wahpeton City Council is considering text amendments to the City of Wahpeton’s Zoning Code to amend certain provisions of Section 165 of the Wahpeton Zoning Code concerning Building Height, Certified Survey, Impervious Surface, and Application for Zoning Permit. A complete copy of the proposed changes may be obtained and reviewed at the Office of the Wahpeton City Clerk, City Hall, 1201 Dakota Drive, Milford, IA 51351.
The Wahpeton City Council has scheduled and will hold a public hearing on the proposed ordinance text amendments to the Zoning Code at its meeting on Monday, February 12, 2018 at 5:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of the Wahpeton City Hall, 1201 Dakota Drive, Milford, Iowa.
All interested persons are invited to attend this hearing and to offer comments in support of, or in opposition to either of these proposed amendments to the zoning ordinance.
This notice is published at the direction of the Wahpeton City Council.
COUNCILMEMBERS PRESENT: Julie Andres, Jim Hentges, Walter Mendenhall, Jerry Robinson.
OTHERS PRESENT: Dan Toman, Jeff Thee, Rebecca Peter, Jamie Hunter, Matt Schmelling, Kae Hoppe, Tony Gray, Neal Houge and Amanda Harskamp.
After the Pledge of Allegiance the Mayor called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Andres/Hentges moved to adopt the agenda. All ayes. Motion carried. Mendenhall/Robinson moved to approve the consent agenda, which included minutes of the previous meetings 12/12/17 and 12/19/17, Claims for January 2018, and Bank Cash Report for December 2017. All ayes. Motion carried.
Attorney Jamie Hunter who is representing concerned property owners in regards to the planned development known as East Loch Estates. Attorney Hunter was inquiring on if the City of Okoboji was going to review the proposed sub-division. Mayor VanderWoude stated that in the past they have not reviewed other cities developments. Mayor VanderWoude stated that the developers have not submitted any information/plans to the City of Okoboji. Councilmember Andres we stated don’t have a history of getting involved in matters outside our city limits and Attorney Stein has advised us that we need to be consistent. Attorney Hunter stated that we are not stepping on another city but on an unincorporated area. Attorney Hunter stated that she looked at the City of Spirit Lake and did not see that they had the same ordinance as the City of Okoboji. Mayor VanderWoude stated that we would run the information by Attorney Stein but at the point we are not going to get involved in another town or counties plans.
Council to consider the appointment of Dennis Colton to the Board of Adjustments with term to expire January 9, 2023. Council considered appointment of Dennis Colton. Robinson/Hentges moved to approve the appointment of Dennis Colton to the Board of Adjustments with a term to expire January 9, 2023. All ayes. Motion carried.
Council to consider written funding request submitted by the Upper Des Moines Opportunity, Inc. (UDMO). The Council will add this to the items to be considered when the 2018/2019 budget is being finalized. Information only, no action taken.
Council to review Quarterly Budget Report. We are half way done with this budget year. The council received a review of actual to budget amounts with explanations of variances. For the most part we are on track with our expenses with the only notable item being over is the Planning and Zoning due to the increased cost associated with the Seawall. Deputy City Clerk Amanda Harskamp stated that we are not using miscellaneous accounts as often so we can better track our revenue and expenses. No action, Information only.
Council to review proposed changes to water rate from Central Water System and consider response. Tony Gray with Central Water discussed the reason for the increase cost. Mayor VanderWoude asked why the rates are increasing February instead of July. Tony Gray with Central Water System stated that they are losing money and if we don’t raise the rates effective February then they are even further behind. Mayor VanderWoude asked if the increase is for capital improvement and Tony Gray stated no that the increase if for cost of running the plant. Tony Gray stated as the plant starts to age the maintenance cost are increasing and this is the most they have spent on maintenance. The cost of utilities are also increasing. Councilmember Robinson asked if the type of plant that was built is the reason the maintenance cost are increased. Tony Gray responded that we went from a 12 valve plant to 100 value plant with technology. A 12 million dollar water plant facility is going to cost more to maintain. Mayor VanderWoude asked Amanda Harskamp how the Central Water System increase will affect the City of Okoboji rates. Amanda Harskamp stated that our minimum charge would need to increase by $10.00 per quarter and our price per 1,000 gallons would need to increase by $1.00 to account for the Central Water System increase only. Tony Gray will be at Arnolds Park Council Meeting tomorrow. Information only, no action taken.
Council to consider setting a future public hearing on an ordinance amending the City Code of Ordinances regarding Water rates –Chapter 92. Hentges/Andres Motion to set Public Hearing on February 13th. Roll Call: All Ayes Motion carried.
Council to consider setting a future public hearing on amendments to the City Code of Ordinances regarding fees/expenses for water meters –Chapter 91. Water Superintendent Neal Houge stated that we are dealing with three technologies of meters in town. We need to replace meters faster than 20 years in order to have the same technology. He has been asked by citizens if they could receive monthly bills and with the current system it would not be possible to have a monthly billing. If we went to a radio read system he would be able to read all of the town in a few hours. Even if we didn’t bill monthly we could read monthly to make sure that there are no issues with high reads due to running toilets and leaks and be able to catch issues sooner than once per quarter. Neal stated that we have had issues with broken meters and not finding the broken meter until it is time to read and we lost all of the revenue from the meter for all quarter. Neal believes that they City needs to own the meter and only charge a rental fee and not have customers purchasing the meter. Deputy City Clerk Amanda stated that we need to have several types of water meter fees based on meter size. Neal stated we have about half dozen different sizes in the City of Okoboji. Neal and Amanda will get prices and put together a plan for the Council. Hentges/Andres Motion to set Public Hearing for Fees and Expenses for Water Meters on February 13th. Roll Call: All Ayes Motion carried.
Okoboji Tourism Committee to present annual report to the Council.
Rebecca Peters with Okoboji Tourism Director stated we had a great year in tourism. There focus has been drawing in families to the area. Peters stated tourism generated 274.55 million dollar impact on the area in 2016. Tourism provide 1900 jobs in Dickinson County. Tourism generated around 5 million in tax revenue for Dickinson County. Okoboji Tourism prints 100,000 copies of the Vacation Okoboji magazine and had 24,745 print request for the magazine that were sent out free of charge. They also had 8,428 digital views of the magazine. They also send boxes of magazine all over the Midwest to different visitor centers. They had visitor request from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Peters provide the Council with a breakdown of all the advertising that Okoboji Tourism did last year. Peters also provide the Council with a list of all the meetings that the City of Okoboji is represented at. The last two years the tourism has done market research to determine who is interested in Okoboji. They are using the information to make sure they are marketing to the right group. Okoboji Tourism started a new campaign called You, Me and Okoboji. They have a frame for facebook. The 2018 visitor guide will arrive on Monday.
Council to hear, consider, and possibly act on final collective bargaining proposal/tentative proposed agreement from Teamsters 554 representing Okoboji’s Police Officers. (Possible exempt session to discuss collective bargaining strategy/negotiations Iowa Code Section 20.17 (3)). Mayor VanderWoude tabled this discussion until next council meeting on February 13th due to Union representation being ill.
Police Reports: Chief Petersen stated that we are going to be short one officer as Officer Michehl will be leaving. Chief Petersen asked for a meeting with the Personnel Committee. We have received a few application and have a good pool of applicants from the Coop. Mayor VanderWoude would like Mitch to cover nights with Andy. Then use the shared service for the daytime.
Mayor Report: We have 4 candidates for the City Administrator and will be interviewing them on Friday. Councilmember Robinson would help with interviewing.
Council Reports: Councilmember Robinson asked for clarification on the date of meeting with the Union. Mayor VanderWoude stated the meeting with the Union is February 13th.
Administrator reports: Amanda stated that year end, W2, 1099’s are all done for 2017. She stated that she finished the budget reestimate. She is now going to start working on the budget.
Expenditures for the month of December 2017 are as follows: General Fund - $158,694.16; Trust & Agency - $0.00; Road Use Tax - $4809.77; TIF - $0.00; Debt Service/Property Tax - $0.00; Capital Projects - $165,277.36; Water - $19,234.64. Receipts for the same period were in the amount of $208,298.20 creating a balance in all funds in the amount of $2,369,521.77. $428,190.35 of the reported amount is invested in Certificates of Deposit with United Community Bank.
Mayor VanderWoude entertained a motion to adjourn. Hentges/Andres moved to adjourn. All ayes. Mayor VanderWoude adjourned meeting at 6:50 P.M.
Others present: Deputy City Clerk Carrie Funk, Tim Oswald, Erin Reed, Mike Flannegan, and Angela Kofoot.
Steve Anderson led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Motion by Huse second by Yungbluth to approve the agenda. Roll call vote. All voting aye. Motion carried.
Motion by Yungbluth second by Olsen to approve consent agenda. Roll call vote. All voting aye. Motion carried.
Tim Oswald with Piper Jaffray & Co was present to provide a brief overview of debt for the new city council. Oswald communicated the city’s current outstanding debt limit is approximately 4.4 million. Tim also addressed there are two years left on the TIF 2009 Street Lighting bond and it would be wise for the council to look at amending the current Urban Renewal Area in the near future.
Voluntary Action Center (VAC) Executive Director Angela Kofoot was present. Angela explained the VAC is a volunteer based program and her focus is to strengthen the Meals on Wheels program which is a 501(c)3 non -profit organization and center on the VAC mission of finding needs within our communities and create corresponding programs that benefit our local friends, family, and neighbors in need. Angela requested $1500 in funding.
Dickinson County Trails Board (DCTB) Executive Director Erin Reed was present and provided the council with the 2017 Annual Report. Erin reviewed DCTB progress and current funding.
Rebecca Peters was not able to attend but emailed City Administrator Reinsbach to forward the request to the council to please consider continued funding for next year and asked to increase the funding amount from $5,000 to $10,000.
Mike Flannegan with Shamrock Recycling was present to answer any questions. Jay Niesen with Waste Management was not able to attend. Deputy City Clerk Carrie Funk provided a brief overview of the information supplied to the Mayor and council for review prior to the meeting. The current recycling contract with Shamrock Recycling expires May 2018. It was communicated with the recycling bids received the council needs to decide how the expense of recycling is going to be recovered. Currently the city is absorbing the cost, where prior to Waste Management providing curbside garbage collection the funds collected from the sale of the blue bags covered the expense of recycling. The council discussed the different options available and requested Deputy City Clerk Funk to reach out to a few local cities and recycle businesses. Another council member suggested the council should reach out to residents and listen to what the residents of Milford would prefer.
City Administrator Reinsbach shared that she was approached by a council member regarding an employee recognition dinner. In years past the city has hosted an employee recognition dinner, but due to the November 20, 2017 release of detailed findings from the State Auditor it was recommended the City Council to revise polices to show these recognitions serve as a public purpose. Motion by Hinshaw second by Yungbluth to hold an employee recognition dinner to show support, appreciation, and lift employee morale for City of Milford employees. All voting aye. Motion passed.
Council reviewed a letter of recommendation from the Planning & Zoning Commission to approve the zoning amendment on Zoning Section 8.3 Special Exception Uses by adding Fireworks Display & Sale in AC District. Motion by Yungbluth second by Olsen to set public hearing for February 12th at 6:30 p.m. All voting aye. Motion passed.
Set public hearing on FY 2019 budget-tentative date of February 26, 2018 at 6:30 p.m.
City Administrator Reinsbach reviewed budget needs. Motion by Olsen second by Hinshaw to set the tentative date for public hearing for FY 2019 budget for February 26, 2018 at 6:30 p.m. All voting aye. Motion passed.
City Administrator Reinsbach reviewed the current policy and why changes need to be made. Motion by Olsen second by Huse to approve Resolution 18-6 Amending City of Milford Personnel Policy and Job Descriptions. Roll call vote. Voting aye: Hinshaw, Olsen, Yungbluth and Huse. Nay: None. Motioned carried.
Motion by Yungbluth second by Hinshaw to approve Resolution 18-7 Setting Police Chief Compensation. Roll call vote. Voting aye: Hinshaw, Olsen, Yungbluth and Huse. Nay: None. Motion carried.
Mayor Anderson conveyed to the council that he, City Administrator Reinsbach, Public Works Supervisor Kent Eilers, MMU Manager Eric Stoll, Board of Supervisor Tim Fairchild, City Engineer Brad Beck and County Engineer Dan Eckert had a meeting to discuss the future A34 project.
Mayor Anderson shared that Milford Municipal Utilities has been in contact with Dickinson County regarding the “old” County Shed at 1212 Q Avenue. MMU would like to evaluate the building and review building improvement needs for future resources if possible.
Mayor Anderson visited with John Wills regarding the Watershed Management Authority. Wills offered to come back to review with the new council.
Mayor communicated that he and City Administrator had discussion with MMUs concerning LED lighting from 10th Street to H Avenue. MMU Manager Eric Stoll will be discussing at the next MMU Board Meeting.
With no other discussion, motion to adjourn by Yungbluth second by Huse at 7:43 p.m. Motion carried. | 2019-04-21T00:13:29Z | http://www.dickinsoncountynews.com/story/2480894.html |
UK PM Theresa May visited Philadelphia and DC. She met the Republican Congressional contingent, laid a wreath at Arlington, and then dealt with the Man himself, President Trump. In the interest of full disclosure, I was never a big May fan. She, of course, seems much better for the West than the milquetoast Cameron, but that's a pretty low bar to clear. I was never convinced she fully converted to Brexit, for example, and she made clear that she did not care much for Trump before November 8. I never thought she particularly cared much for the USA, in general, either. Just an impression; might be wrong; let me know.
The visit went fine. I am always a bit discomfited by US-UK summits. There is a lot of syrupy sappiness (is that a thing?) in these events with both sides falling all over each other praising the Special Relationship and reminding us all about our common history. OK, must accept that, I guess, in the interest of fortifying the Anglosphere. There is also generally a bit of the schoolmarm in the British approach to the US, with Britain playing the role of the wise ol' veteran of the world who must restrain the boisterous Yanks for their own good. The May visit had quite a bit of that in the build up with journalists and celebrities telling May her job was to get Trump under control, tell him torture is bad, and that NATO is really, really a good thing. The PM did do some of that both at the GOP retreat and with Trump. Box checked. I thought Trump was gracious, not at all in awe or awkward, and demonstrated that he has, as befits his own British background, an appreciation for Britain and the importance to the USA of the relation. Trump, in other words, was Presidential. Box checked. Not bad, at all.
Let's not forget that Thatcher and Reagan did not start off too, too well (remember Grenada?) but eventually turned into the Dynamic Duo and Killers of Commie world.
Aside from playing host to his first foreign visitor, President Trump, of course, was in the center of a bewildering array of events. He continued his Executive Order assault on Obama's sad legacy, and demonstrated that by doing what he said he was going to to do, he is the master of the news cycle. He told the Mexican President to take a hike if he wasn't going to discuss paying for the wall--and the Mexican President dutifully fell into Trump's trap. So much so that Mexico's ultra billionaire Carlos Slim gave a very rare news conference in which he proffered advice to Mexico on dealing with Trump. Slim is an extremely intelligent man, and if I were Mexican I would listen to him. At his press conference he showed an impressive grasp of complex issues and an excellent public speaking ability. He is not too dissimilar from Trump, a man whom he clearly likes and admires. His basic message to Mexico was to shape up and act like a grown up. He offered to help negotiate with Trump and the Mexican government should take him up on it. Now Slim, of course, is a major shareholder of the New York Times and at times his address sounded much like a NYT editorial--hmmm, wonder why? He praised immigration and diversity as good for the USA and urged Mexicans in the US to become US citizens. I noticed, however, that he did not praise immigration and diversity for Mexico; it seems that only the US must agree to alter its culture while everybody else gets to keep theirs. Interesting, no?
The media have gone crazy, yet again, over Trump's "Muslim ban," which, of course, is no such thing. It's actually a rather limited step, and I hope there is something more to come. He temporarily banned visas to a handful of countries, including Iran, and suspended the insane Syrian "refugee" program. Good. The list of trouble countries, however, is considerably longer than the few miscreants on the list, e.g., no Pakistan or Saudi Arabia, but it's a start.
I love the reaction from the Iranians who immediately said they would reciprocate. Wow! There go my vacation plans . . .
The reaction from the loons on the left was also priceless. It seems there is some sort of Constitutional right that the world has to get a visa to the USA. I did not know that. It also seems that if we don't give visas to any Muslim who wants one and if we stop taking "Syrian refugees"(discussed here, here, and here) then ISIS is going to get very nasty. I guess we have to let ISIS hold our immigration policies as a hostage to prove that we believe that Islam is a religion of peace. Hard to keep up.
Trump is on the right track. Hope he stays there.
if you chase the references down, you will get the 7 countries. These countries were named under Obama's misadministration!
Strange the news hasn't mentioned this.
Which was caused by a dozen or so terrorists found among refugees during Obama's Admin from Iraq due to enhanced vetting. This as well as the 6 month pause in 2011 was not very public until ABC exposed it in 2013. http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/al-qaeda-kentucky-us-dozens-terrorists-country-refugees/story?id=20931131 A two year delay in the pause being noticed by the media. Even then, this news junkie didn't heard about it. I was yelling at the FNC news programs all day because they would not give out the background on this EO. Additionally, the people who are being detained is supposedly because there is confusion at immigration, however no one has questioned if the Obama Admin's officials still there and that may be the problem. The NYT said that officials told them that they didn't know the rules including two officials at the State Department. The NYT neglected to ID the officials or indicate if they were Trump appointees.
There is a clause regarding basically, that refugees who are members of the dominant region from which they are fleeing, will not be accepted.
When members of the dominant sect of a foreign country come streaming into your country, that's called an invasion. When the people they're murdering and oppressing come in, *that* may just be a refugee situation.
I suspect that illegal immigration will ultimately only be reduced if the US makes it unprofitable for such countries to continue the practices which leave their countries in such despair that their own people risk life and limb just to get away. They can launch their human cannons at us, but we've got to learn how to return fire.
My view from the UK is that Theresa May is a politician, and does what a politician does. Some time ago, as UK Home Secretary, she was seen and heard to be very much in favour of muslims in the UK and how much they benefit British society (despite, many would say, considerable evidence to the contrary) and wasn't all that keen on Brexit until she got the top job. Since then she has, outwardly, made lot of noises supporting our leaving the EU. Given that the majority of those who voted wanted 'out' it could be said she is merely trying to shore up the Tory side of things -- which is good politics as the Conservatives' traditional rival Labour under Corbyn seem hell bent in swirling the drain before departing.
So, not everyone is utterly convinced about May and she is almost certainly no Thatcher, but she might emerge as a force for good.
As for her visit to the US, yes it was as predicted. It had syrup, mutual praise and hopefully a strengthening of intelligence co-operation. Many of us here do understand that both the States and the UK have common enemies, though whether we see eye-to-eye on everything is doubtful. But, that's just politics.
"syrupy sappiness" is certainly a thing. As my dear old Dad would have enquired "Doesn't it make you want to spit?"
If you look up "syrupy sappiness" in the dictionary, you will see a picture of a "treacle tart", an oxymoron that serves both as a British national dish and a description of upper-class British condescension for their "rough-hewn" Yankee cousins.
Trump certainly is on "the right track" - but would you agree with me that not including permanent residents on the exemption list in the E.O. was an unforced error?
Maybe President Trump needed to write the Executive Order to find out what was in the Executive Order.
So if a terrorist got in from one of these seven countries a month or a year ago that makes it OK? What Trump should do is stop all refugees and then reevaluate all refugees we have already taken in. The best possible answer is to send Muslim refugees to Muslim countries. Coerce one of the couple dozen rich and almost empty Muslim countries to take in these refugees who will be much happier in a Muslim country. Then send them all back.
I could be wrong, but I looked up the INA definition of "immigrant" and, for purposes of admission to the USA, it only includes LPRs if they overstayed outside the US, committed a crime, or fit a few other narrow categories. In other words, I suspect that the order was written to exclude LPRs unless inspection turned up something that jeoparidized LPR status. Which, honestly, makes sense. Immigrant used colloquially can include LPRs, but technically it's someone migrating to the US and not someone who is already a legal permanent resident.
Anyone disagree? If I'm right, can you get the message up the line in DHS or DOS that the order was better drafted than people knew?
Oh, bother, I just realized someone might not understand this sentence above, so I'll clarify it in brackets: "In other words, I suspect that the order was written to exclude [i.e., not have the order apply to them] LPRs unless inspection turned up something that jeoparidized LPR status. Which, honestly, makes sense. "
I thought Administration stumbled badly in its Muslim ban - in not exempting people already in flight. Whether any were potential terrorists or not, there are already 10's of thousands of potential terrrorists and millions of sympathizers here, what difference would a couple of hundred more make? Having those people in detention creates poster children victims and does seem like a human rights abuse. Some were green card holders who already have obtained the legal right to be here. Why didn't the Administration think to exempt those already in flight?
Horrendous public relations. And I know the rest of the world wonders whether everyone with a visa now has to worry about detention because of an Executive Order issued while they were in flight. This came after Obama stopped our acceptance of Cuban immigrants, also leaving many in limbo. Of course, I note the press didn't dwell on that, and I don't know what has happened to those who had made it here.
Pakistan and Saudi Arabia - the sources of most of the terrorism against the U.S. were not included. So we are unwilling to anger the populous countries whose support and/or oil we need? Answer obviously yes as to Saudi Arabia. Does Pakistan support us? Or is it that they have nukes and we don't want to make them mad? Iran was included, although so far I am unaware of any Iranians carrying out terrorist acts here.(Am I wrong?) I assume this was more a signal to the Iranian gov't. Or retaliation for their other activities and provocations.If Diplomad reads this, I hope he will comment on this paragraph.
The NY judge who issued a stay talked about violation of constitutional rights. Whose rights was she referring to? Do non-citizens acquire them by virtue of merely having a visa? Or do green card holders having them by virtue of their legal right to live in U.S.? I would think the latter do not acquire constitutional rights, while the former - I don't know.
I am actually appalled that the Trump Administration thought it was Ok to have people who legally arrived here, including green card holders, be put into detention because of an Executive order that went into effect while they were already in flight. And I have that reaction even as someone with a deep fear of and loathing for Islam. I don't question the Administration's right to ban anyone (except those already holding green cards), but imho you don't let people come here in good faith only to put them in detention because of a decision made by while they were in midflight.
So were the officials who detained arrivals Obama appointees? The WH said the information was sent out.
Could you elaborate please. Which info was sent out and to whom? I think a clear sentence should have been in the Order that it didn't apply to anyone already in flight at time of publication of Order except if immigration officials found specific reason with respect to particular individuals. (His name was on a list, he was carrying ISIS flags, etc) Hoops should have been jumped through to avoid creating poster children. (Including thought of gov't employees deliberately sabotaging whatever protections Trump had put in place.) Trump likes to be a winner - he and America lost a huge global PR battle by creating civilian detainees.
I write all this as a big Trump supporter and someone who is wildly enthusiastic about eevrything else Trump has done.
" she might emerge as a force for good"
Since she has declared that she thinks the state is a force for good, proving herself to be another bluelabour "tory" politician, it is unlikely that she proves herself to be less worse than the previous pms we've had in the last 20 years.
The Right in England is very far from what we would consider conservative here. Actually, an english conservative would more likely be thought of as a left leaning Democrat.
The Left in england might as well be called what it is.
Since many Muslim terrorists have traveled back and forth to places like Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and their home countries for lethal training ... while still claiming asylum status here (and collecting welfare) ... it seems a good idea for Trump to apply extreme extreme vetting to this population in his next executive order on this subject.
" I did not know that. "
Reminded me of Johnny Carson mocking an obscure factoid on National TV.
Media keeps talking about Trump offending our "ally" Mexico. Does anyone know of any way in which Mexico could be considered an "ally?" Seriously. I am not being facetious. What exactly do they do to help us? There used to be some sort of Americas defense treaty, the "Rio Treaty." Mexico dropped out in 2004. We are neighbors and trading partners, but how "allies?" I'm not even referring to all the ways Mexico helps its citizens get money from U.S. taxpayers, or gives safe passage to illegals from Central America or Mexican gov't officials take drug cartel money or their border cops shoot at ours or how they kept imprisoned the American marine who accidentally crossed the border with rifles in his truck. Actually, I think Mexico should be classified as an enemy. But forgot all that. On what is publically and officially true, why is Mexico referred to as an "ally?"
I don't see Mexico as an ally either. They are a neighbor and Christian.
Trump is trying to move our relationship with Mexico from parasitic to symbiotic.
I think maybe we should talk about how Mexico has always used expropriation of foreign development to appease it's masses.
Price fixing, in other words. Food and oil.
Unfortunately it's not working for them anymore.
Gasoline is not cheap in mexico anymore and the food is now being grown commercially for export to the US by conglomerates, with the banana republic families taking their turns and their cuts.
Mexico has NEVER had an honest and non corrupt goverment. The closest it came was Maximilian and the best was Bolivar....but as you know, they eat their own.
The best and brightest cannot survive in the environment where the toxins kill off the honest.
One excellent reason for approving the XL pipeline is to reduce our "dependence on middle east oil" and allow us to cut the Saudis loose.
On further thought, I wonder whether Trump is using Alinsky against his disciples. By limiting the EO to those countries already specified in Obiteme's EO, he is forcing the progs to live up to their own standards. If it was alright for zero to do this, how can it be wrong for Trump.
We have no idea who these "refugees" are. They rip up their passports before they arrive in friendly countries so we cannot verify their identities; they lie about their ages to take advantage of more lenient terms for minors (I read about refugees settled in UK, Netherlands, and Scandinavia and elsewhere who entered as minors who were found to be in their 20s, some in their 30s and even one guy they think is 46!). They are not poor women and children. Over 85% are single, young males. There is NO extreme vetting taking place -- I know from being the refugee officer overseeing resettlement of Iraqi refugees that the NGOs/contractors that are in charge of screening the people are prone to being co-opted. I found out that they were re-opening cases that had been determined to have "no credible fear of persecution" and changing the stories so they could qualify. It gets around real quick which stories work. I also personally heard UN High Commission for Refugees staff admit that they helped refugees obtain fake passports. The Somali who recently shot up someplace in the US. UN refugee rules say that once a refugee has reached a "safe haven country" that they must stay there unless and until they are offered permanent resettlement in a 3rd country. The Somali guy and his family were resettled in Pakistan and had been living there for 5 or 7 years. He should NEVER have been eligible to be resettled in the US.
My bottom line is -- no more refugees until the Arab nations resettle as many as westerns countries and until every idiot protesting the "injustice!!!" hosts at least 1 refugee in their own home, and the Hollywood folks have to take 10 each (their houses are plenty big).
You might think me racist in saying this, but to me it's a truth.
There is a Bell Curve in allowing our country to be flooded by scabs of lower means, ability and iq.
It's detrimental to the nation and should be policy not to shoot ourselves in the head by allowing our charity overcome our good sense and self-preservation as a nation.
I don't think there is much of a chance for your administration to meander as there is a large and loud chunk of road signs in the form of protesting/procrastinating MSM and so on. Anytime they are unsure, all they need to do is to leak some indicators and so the reverse of what MSM starts advocating.
My uncle by marriage tried to get legal residency in Mexico, back in the 80s. He's an engineer by trade. His sister already had residency. And he had the $100,000 they wanted in the bank. They jacked him around for a year and booted him out of the country. I have very little sympathy for Mexicans wanting to come here.
And our very Lefty state attorney general has decided to sue over Trump's ban. Just goes to show you that he's not competent to be an AG.
I think the next step should be to ban any form of federal assistance to non-citizens. No welfare, housing, school tuition, nothing. IMHO it is a travesty that our veterans are treated so badly and so little help from our government while immigrants (legal and illegal) and refugees get thousands and tens of thousands in cash and benefits. It cost the U.S. taxpayers about $5000 a month for a refugee family. Many refugees who have been here for decades are still getting welfare. Immigrants and refugees who are over the age of 62 can also apply for SS. Remember that when SS goes bankrupt and your SS is denied you.
I'd make an exception for immunizations. I'd even be willing to spend tax dollars to make sure they happen for every resident, citizen or non-citizen, resident or not. We seriously want every person immunized if possible. We do NOT want reservoirs for disease.
I don't disagree. However if they are not citizens of the U.S. and they are citizens of another country we should bill the other country for any and all medical costs. Obviously the home countries may choose to refuse to pay it in which case we could withhold aid or even attach assets. Either way our own citizens should not have to pay for the maintenance of other countries citizens.
I will note here that I travel to Canada often and I am very aware that if I get sick and need care in Canada I must pay out of pocket. Canada does not give away free health care to non-citizens. True also for Mexico but I no longer go to Mexico and deem it to be unsafe. Ditto for when I travel to Europe. So why should America tax their own citizens to pay for non-citizen health care.
Oh, definitely. If we people to pay for themselves, or insurance, or home country, it is preferable. But I don't want to see outbreaks of communicable disease here if they can be avoided. Immunization is a wise investment.
The Obama holdover Attorney General made a huge show of refusing to defend in Courts Trumps Executive Order on the current Travel Ban (claiming it was not Lawful...even though the Justice Dept Legal Eagles had already vetted the EO and declared it Legal).
ROTFLMAO. Cant wait for the Libs to explode over this.
Nice to finally have someone in power who will not put up with these shenanigans.
The only misplay is that she was there in the first place.
... at the leisure of the President... should've been released with the rest.
They need somebody to hold the office in an acting capacity until the Senate confirms the AG and senior deputies. But clearly they don't need her.
He needs to fire all the upper management at the Injustice Dept. Clean that cesspool out.
I saw their memo. They ignored Section 3 of the order, which tells the agencies to get the President a list of other countries which should be subject to the stay. Instead they went on about how those seven countries are ones that never have had a terrorist hurt the US (um, knifer in St Cloud was Somali, born in Kenya & raised in US) and the countries who did have nationals attack us aren't affected at all, etc.. Per paragraph 3 of the EO, those other countries will be affected soon if they don't cooperate with us to keep out terrorists, and it's DOS's job to present that message to the other countries. Instead of understanding the order, they got caught up in being anti-Trump and feeling like they were defying Hitler or something and came out looking like very foolish partisans who won't/can't do their jobs. I'm sorry if I sound harsh, but I call it like I see it. They're lucky the dissent channel is anonymous.
The rollout was messy, though. I agree with protests about that.
"It also seems that if we don't give visas to any Muslim who wants one and if we stop taking "Syrian refugees" ... then ISIS is going to get very nasty."
What has ISIS been up to this point, sweetness and light?
They're depraved on a'coun'a they're deprived.
Looking at today's news, it was important to put the Immigration Ban in effect before dealing with Iran. All too many times since 1979, the Embassy Topplers, have threatened to attack more diplomatic missions, misused their own for terrorism, and threatened to attack American (West too) in every continent on the planet. Now the ban is into effect, we know Iran is operating in almost everyone of those nations too; we know that a Joint US-Russian move to halt Iranian military (proxies too) . Trump has put Iran on notice, put the Chicom's on notice, and Mexico on notice to all grow up and be responsible partners in our relationships - and to not test our will or trample our national interests.
RE: The lefts paroxysm of anger over all policy things Trump: As they say in the Air Force "If you're taking Flak it means you're over the target."
A visa allows a foreign citizen to travel to a U.S. port-of-entry (generally an airport) and request permission to enter the United States. A visa does not guarantee entry into the United States. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials at the port-of-entry have authority to permit or deny admission to the United States.
When I saw the actual injunction from the judge in NYC, I laughed because people were saying that it struck down the travel order or something. Um, no. All it did was stay removal. The court can't force DHS to admit anyone just because they have a visa in their hand.
They can just go to Mehh HEE KO and walk over the border. | 2019-04-20T04:12:16Z | https://www.thediplomad.com/2017/01/may-in-january-and-events-in-era-of.html |
1Center for Data Science, New York University, 726 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, USA.
2Department of Computer Science and Department of Statistics, University of Toronto, 6 King's College Road, Toronto, ON M5S 3G4, Canada.
3Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Center for Data Science, New York University, 726 Broadway, New York, NY 10003, USA.
Department of Computer Science and Department of Statistics, University of Toronto, 6 King's College Road, Toronto, ON M5S 3G4, Canada.
Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
Not only do children learn effortlessly, they do so quickly and with a remarkable ability to use what they have learned as the raw material for creating new stuff. Lake et al. describe a computational model that learns in a similar fashion and does so better than current deep learning algorithms. The model classifies, parses, and recreates handwritten characters, and can generate new letters of the alphabet that look “right” as judged by Turing-like tests of the model's output in comparison to what real humans produce.
Despite remarkable advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning, two aspects of human conceptual knowledge have eluded machine systems. First, for most interesting kinds of natural and man-made categories, people can learn a new concept from just one or a handful of examples, whereas standard algorithms in machine learning require tens or hundreds of examples to perform similarly. For instance, people may only need to see one example of a novel two-wheeled vehicle (Fig. 1A) in order to grasp the boundaries of the new concept, and even children can make meaningful generalizations via “one-shot learning” (1–3). In contrast, many of the leading approaches in machine learning are also the most data-hungry, especially “deep learning” models that have achieved new levels of performance on object and speech recognition benchmarks (4–9). Second, people learn richer representations than machines do, even for simple concepts (Fig. 1B), using them for a wider range of functions, including (Fig. 1, ii) creating new exemplars (10), (Fig. 1, iii) parsing objects into parts and relations (11), and (Fig. 1, iv) creating new abstract categories of objects based on existing categories (12, 13). In contrast, the best machine classifiers do not perform these additional functions, which are rarely studied and usually require specialized algorithms. A central challenge is to explain these two aspects of human-level concept learning: How do people learn new concepts from just one or a few examples? And how do people learn such abstract, rich, and flexible representations? An even greater challenge arises when putting them together: How can learning succeed from such sparse data yet also produce such rich representations? For any theory of learning (4, 14–16), fitting a more complicated model requires more data, not less, in order to achieve some measure of good generalization, usually the difference in performance between new and old examples. Nonetheless, people seem to navigate this trade-off with remarkable agility, learning rich concepts that generalize well from sparse data.
Fig. 1 People can learn rich concepts from limited data.
This paper introduces the Bayesian program learning (BPL) framework, capable of learning a large class of visual concepts from just a single example and generalizing in ways that are mostly indistinguishable from people. Concepts are represented as simple probabilistic programs— that is, probabilistic generative models expressed as structured procedures in an abstract description language (17, 18). Our framework brings together three key ideas—compositionality, causality, and learning to learn—that have been separately influential in cognitive science and machine learning over the past several decades (19–22). As programs, rich concepts can be built “compositionally” from simpler primitives. Their probabilistic semantics handle noise and support creative generalizations in a procedural form that (unlike other probabilistic models) naturally captures the abstract “causal” structure of the real-world processes that produce examples of a category. Learning proceeds by constructing programs that best explain the observations under a Bayesian criterion, and the model “learns to learn” (23, 24) by developing hierarchical priors that allow previous experience with related concepts to ease learning of new concepts (25, 26). These priors represent a learned inductive bias (27) that abstracts the key regularities and dimensions of variation holding across both types of concepts and across instances (or tokens) of a concept in a given domain. In short, BPL can construct new programs by reusing the pieces of existing ones, capturing the causal and compositional properties of real-world generative processes operating on multiple scales.
In addition to developing the approach sketched above, we directly compared people, BPL, and other computational approaches on a set of five challenging concept learning tasks (Fig. 1B). The tasks use simple visual concepts from Omniglot, a data set we collected of multiple examples of 1623 handwritten characters from 50 writing systems (Fig. 2)(see acknowledgments). Both images and pen strokes were collected (see below) as detailed in section S1 of the online supplementary materials. Handwritten characters are well suited for comparing human and machine learning on a relatively even footing: They are both cognitively natural and often used as a benchmark for comparing learning algorithms. Whereas machine learning algorithms are typically evaluated after hundreds or thousands of training examples per class (5), we evaluated the tasks of classification, parsing (Fig. 1B, iii), and generation (Fig. 1B, ii) of new examples in their most challenging form: after just one example of a new concept. We also investigated more creative tasks that asked people and computational models to generate new concepts (Fig. 1B, iv). BPL was compared with three deep learning models, a classic pattern recognition algorithm, and various lesioned versions of the model—a breadth of comparisons that serve to isolate the role of each modeling ingredient (see section S4 for descriptions of alternative models). We compare with two varieties of deep convolutional networks (28), representative of the current leading approaches to object recognition (7), and a hierarchical deep (HD) model (29), a probabilistic model needed for our more generative tasks and specialized for one-shot learning.
Fig. 2 Simple visual concepts for comparing human and machine learning.
525 (out of 1623) character concepts, shown with one example each.
Fig. 3 A generative model of handwritten characters.
(A) New types are generated by choosing primitive actions (color coded) from a library (i), combining these subparts (ii) to make parts (iii), and combining parts with relations to define simple programs (iv). New tokens are generated by running these programs (v), which are then rendered as raw data (vi). (B) Pseudocode for generating new types ψ and new token images I (m) for m = 1, ..., M. The function f (·, ·) transforms a subpart sequence and start location into a trajectory.
The generative process for types P(ψ) and tokens P(θ(m)|ψ) are described by the pseudocode in Fig. 3B and detailed along with the image model P(I(m)|θ(m)) in section S2. Source code is available online (see acknowledgments). The model learns to learn by fitting each conditional distribution to a background set of characters from 30 alphabets, using both the image and the stroke data, and this image set was also used to pretrain the alternative deep learning models. Neither the production data nor any alphabets from this set are used in the subsequent evaluation tasks, which provide the models with only raw images of novel characters.
Handwritten character types ψ are an abstract schema of parts, subparts, and relations. Reflecting the causal structure of the handwriting process, character parts Si are strokes initiated by pressing the pen down and terminated by lifting it up (Fig. 3A, iii), and subparts si1, ..., sini are more primitive movements separated by brief pauses of the pen (Fig. 3A, ii). To construct a new character type, first the model samples the number of parts κ and the number of subparts ni, for each part i = 1, ..., κ, from their empirical distributions as measured from the background set. Second, a template for a part Si is constructed by sampling subparts from a set of discrete primitive actions learned from the background set (Fig. 3A, i), such that the probability of the next action depends on the previous. Third, parts are then grounded as parameterized curves (splines) by sampling the control points and scale parameters for each subpart. Last, parts are roughly positioned to begin either independently, at the beginning, at the end, or along previous parts, as defined by relation Ri (Fig. 3A, iv).
Character tokens θ(m) are produced by executing the parts and the relations and modeling how ink flows from the pen to the page. First, motor noise is added to the control points and the scale of the subparts to create token-level stroke trajectories S(m). Second, the trajectory’s precise start location L(m) is sampled from the schematic provided by its relation Ri to previous strokes. Third, global transformations are sampled, including an affine warp A(m) and adaptive noise parameters that ease probabilistic inference (30). Last, a binary image I(m) is created by a stochastic rendering function, lining the stroke trajectories with grayscale ink and interpreting the pixel values as independent Bernoulli probabilities.
Posterior inference requires searching the large combinatorial space of programs that could have generated a raw image I(m). Our strategy uses fast bottom-up methods (31) to propose a range of candidate parses. The most promising candidates are refined by using continuous optimization and local search, forming a discrete approximation to the posterior distribution P(ψ, θ(m)|I(m)) (section S3). Figure 4A shows the set of discovered programs for a training image I(1) and how they are refit to different test images I(2) to compute a classification score log P(I(2)|I(1)) (the log posterior predictive probability), where higher scores indicate that they are more likely to belong to the same class. A high score is achieved when at least one set of parts and relations can successfully explain both the training and the test images, without violating the soft constraints of the learned within-class variability model. Figure 4B compares the model’s best-scoring parses with the ground-truth human parses for several characters.
Fig. 4 Inferring motor programs from images.
Parts are distinguished by color, with a colored dot indicating the beginning of a stroke and an arrowhead indicating the end. (A) The top row shows the five best programs discovered for an image along with their log-probability scores (Eq. 1). Subpart breaks are shown as black dots. For classification, each program was refit to three new test images (left in image triplets), and the best-fitting parse (top right) is shown with its image reconstruction (bottom right) and classification score (log posterior predictive probability). The correctly matching test item receives a much higher classification score and is also more cleanly reconstructed by the best programs induced from the training item. (B) Nine human drawings of three characters (left) are shown with their ground truth parses (middle) and best model parses (right).
People, BPL, and alternative models were compared side by side on five concept learning tasks that examine different forms of generalization from just one or a few examples (example task Fig. 5). All behavioral experiments were run through Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, and the experimental procedures are detailed in section S5. The main results are summarized by Fig. 6, and additional lesion analyses and controls are reported in section S6.
Fig. 5 Generating new exemplars.
Humans and machines were given an image of a novel character (top) and asked to produce new exemplars. The nine-character grids in each pair that were generated by a machine are (by row) 1, 2; 2, 1; 1, 1.
Fig. 6 Human and machine performance was compared on (A) one-shot classification and (B) four generative tasks.
The creative outputs for humans and models were compared by the percent of human judges to correctly identify the machine. Ideal performance is 50%, where the machine is perfectly confusable with humans in these two-alternative forced choice tasks (pink dotted line). Bars show the mean ± SEM [N = 10 alphabets in (A)]. The no learning-to-learn lesion is applied at different levels (bars left to right): (A) token; (B) token, stroke order, type, and type.
One-shot classification was evaluated through a series of within-alphabet classification tasks for 10 different alphabets. As illustrated in Fig. 1B, i, a single image of a new character was presented, and participants selected another example of that same character from a set of 20 distinct characters produced by a typical drawer of that alphabet. Performance is shown in Fig. 6A, where chance is 95% errors. As a baseline, the modified Hausdorff distance (32) was computed between centered images, producing 38.8% errors. People were skilled one-shot learners, achieving an average error rate of 4.5% (N = 40). BPL showed a similar error rate of 3.3%, achieving better performance than a deep convolutional network (convnet; 13.5% errors) and the HD model (34.8%)—each adapted from deep learning methods that have performed well on a range of computer vision tasks. A deep Siamese convolutional network optimized for this one-shot learning task achieved 8.0% errors (33), still about twice as high as humans or our model. BPL’s advantage points to the benefits of modeling the underlying causal process in learning concepts, a strategy different from the particular deep learning approaches examined here. BPL’s other key ingredients also make positive contributions, as shown by higher error rates for BPL lesions without learning to learn (token-level only) or compositionality (11.0% errors and 14.0%, respectively). Learning to learn was studied separately at the type and token level by disrupting the learned hyperparameters of the generative model. Compositionality was evaluated by comparing BPL to a matched model that allowed just one spline-based stroke, resembling earlier analysis-by-synthesis models for handwritten characters that were similarly limited (34, 35).
The human capacity for one-shot learning is more than just classification. It can include a suite of abilities, such as generating new examples of a concept. We compared the creative outputs produced by humans and machines through “visual Turing tests,” where naive human judges tried to identify the machine, given paired examples of human and machine behavior. In our most basic task, judges compared the drawings from nine humans asked to produce a new instance of a concept given one example with nine new examples drawn by BPL (Fig. 5). We evaluated each model based on the accuracy of the judges, which we call their identification (ID) level: Ideal model performance is 50% ID level, indicating that they cannot distinguish the model’s behavior from humans; worst-case performance is 100%. Each judge (N = 147) completed 49 trials with blocked feedback, and judges were analyzed individually and in aggregate. The results are shown in Fig. 6B (new exemplars). Judges had only a 52% ID level on average for discriminating human versus BPL behavior. As a group, this performance was barely better than chance [t(47) = 2.03, P = 0.048], and only 3 of 48 judges had an ID level reliably above chance. Three lesioned models were evaluated by different groups of judges in separate conditions of the visual Turing test, examining the necessity of key model ingredients in BPL. Two lesions, learning to learn (token-level only) and compositionality, resulted in significantly easier Turing test tasks (80% ID level with 17 of 19 judges above chance and 65% with 14 of 26, respectively), indicating that this task is a nontrivial one to pass and that these two principles each contribute to BPL’s human-like generative proficiency. To evaluate parsing more directly (Fig. 4B), we ran a dynamic version of this task with a different set of judges (N = 143), where each trial showed paired movies of a person and BPL drawing the same character. BPL performance on this visual Turing test was not perfect (59% average ID level; new exemplars (dynamic) in Fig. 6B), although randomizing the learned prior on stroke order and direction significantly raises the ID level (71%), showing the importance of capturing the right causal dynamics for BPL.
Although learning to learn new characters from 30 background alphabets proved effective, many human learners will have much less experience: perhaps familiarity with only one or a few alphabets, along with related drawing tasks. To see how the models perform with more limited experience, we retrained several of them by using two different subsets of only five background alphabets. BPL achieved similar performance for one-shot classification as with 30 alphabets (4.3% and 4.0% errors, for the two sets, respectively); in contrast, the deep convolutional net performed notably worse than before (24.0% and 22.3% errors). BPL performance on a visual Turing test of exemplar generation (N = 59) was also similar on the first set [52% average ID level that was not significantly different from chance t (26) = 1.04, P > 0.05], with only 3 of 27 judges reliably above chance, although performance on the second set was slightly worse [57% ID level; t (31) = 4.35, P < 0.001; 7 of 32 judges reliably above chance]. These results suggest that although learning to learn is important for BPL’s success, the model’s structure allows it to take nearly full advantage of comparatively limited background training.
The human productive capacity goes beyond generating new examples of a given concept: People can also generate whole new concepts. We tested this by showing a few example characters from 1 of 10 foreign alphabets and asking participants to quickly create a new character that appears to belong to the same alphabet (Fig. 7A). The BPL model can capture this behavior by placing a nonparametric prior on the type level, which favors reusing strokes inferred from the example characters to produce stylistically consistent new characters (section S7). Human judges compared people versus BPL in a visual Turing test (N = 117), viewing a series of displays in the format of Fig. 7A, i and iii. The judges had only a 49% ID level on average [Fig. 6B, new concepts (from type)], which is not significantly different from chance [t(34) = 0.45, P > 0.05]. Individually, only 8 of 35 judges had an ID level significantly above chance. In contrast, a model with a lesion to (type-level) learning to learn was successfully detected by judges on 69% of trials in a separate condition of the visual Turing test, and was significantly easier to detect than BPL (18 of 25 judges above chance). Further comparisons in section S6 suggested that the model’s ability to produce plausible novel characters, rather than stylistic consistency per se, was the crucial factor for passing this test. We also found greater variation in individual judges’ comparisons of people and the BPL model on this task, as reflected in their ID levels: 10 of 35 judges had individual ID levels significantly below chance; in contrast, only two participants had below-chance ID levels for BPL across all the other experiments shown in Fig. 6B.
Fig. 7 Generating new concepts.
(A) Humans and machines were given a novel alphabet (i) and asked to produce new characters for that alphabet. New machine-generated characters are shown in (ii). Human and machine productions can be compared in (iii). The four-character grids in each pair that were generated by the machine are (by row) 1, 1, 2; 1, 2. (B) Humans and machines produced new characters without a reference alphabet. The grids that were generated by a machine are 2; 1; 1; 2.
Last, judges (N = 124) compared people and models on an entirely free-form task of generating novel character concepts, unconstrained by a particular alphabet (Fig. 7B). Sampling from the prior distribution on character types P(ψ) in BPL led to an average ID level of 57% correct in a visual Turing test (11 of 32 judges above chance); with the nonparametric prior that reuses inferred parts from background characters, BPL achieved a 51% ID level [Fig. 7B and new concepts (unconstrained) in Fig. 6B; ID level not significantly different from chance t(24) = 0.497, P > 0.05; 2 of 25 judges above chance]. A lesion analysis revealed that both compositionality (68% and 15 of 22) and learning to learn (64% and 22 of 45) were crucial in passing this test.
Despite a changing artificial intelligence landscape, people remain far better than machines at learning new concepts: They require fewer examples and use their concepts in richer ways. Our work suggests that the principles of compositionality, causality, and learning to learn will be critical in building machines that narrow this gap. Machine learning and computer vision researchers are beginning to explore methods based on simple program induction (36–41), and our results show that this approach can perform one-shot learning in classification tasks at human-level accuracy and fool most judges in visual Turing tests of its more creative abilities. For each visual Turing test, fewer than 25% of judges performed significantly better than chance.
Although successful on these tasks, BPL still sees less structure in visual concepts than people do. It lacks explicit knowledge of parallel lines, symmetry, optional elements such as cross bars in “7”s, and connections between the ends of strokes and other strokes. Moreover, people use their concepts for other abilities that were not studied here, including planning (42), explanation (43), communication (44), and conceptual combination (45). Probabilistic programs could capture these richer aspects of concept learning and use, but only with more abstract and complex structure than the programs studied here. More-sophisticated programs could also be suitable for learning compositional, causal representations of many concepts beyond simple perceptual categories. Examples include concepts for physical artifacts, such as tools, vehicles, or furniture, that are well described by parts, relations, and the functions these structures support; fractal structures, such as rivers and trees, where complexity arises from highly iterated but simple generative processes; and even abstract knowledge, such as natural number, natural language semantics, and intuitive physical theories (17, 46–48).
Capturing how people learn all these concepts at the level we reached with handwritten characters is a long-term goal. In the near term, applying our approach to other types of symbolic concepts may be particularly promising. Human cultures produce many such symbol systems, including gestures, dance moves, and the words of spoken and signed languages. As with characters, these concepts can be learned to some extent from one or a few examples, even before the symbolic meaning is clear: Consider seeing a “thumbs up,” “fist bump,” or “high five” or hearing the names “Boutros Boutros-Ghali,” “Kofi Annan,” or “Ban Ki-moon” for the first time. From this limited experience, people can typically recognize new examples and even produce a recognizable semblance of the concept themselves. The BPL principles of compositionality, causality, and learning to learn may help to explain how.
To illustrate how BPL applies in the domain of speech, programs for spoken words could be constructed by composing phonemes (subparts) systematically to form syllables (parts), which compose further to form morphemes and entire words. Given an abstract syllable-phoneme parse of a word, realistic speech tokens can be generated from a causal model that captures aspects of speech motor articulation. These part and subpart components are shared across the words in a language, enabling children to acquire them through a long-term learning-to-learn process. We have already found that a prototype model exploiting compositionality and learning to learn, but not causality, is able to capture some aspects of the human ability to learn and generalize new spoken words (e.g., English speakers learning words in Japanese) (49). Further progress may come from adopting a richer causal model of speech generation, in the spirit of classic “analysis-by-synthesis” proposals for speech perception and language comprehension (20, 50).
Although our work focused on adult learners, it raises natural developmental questions. If children learning to write acquire an inductive bias similar to what BPL constructs, the model could help explain why children find some characters difficult and which teaching procedures are most effective (51). Comparing children’s parsing and generalization behavior at different stages of learning and BPL models given varying background experience could better evaluate the model’s learning-to-learn mechanisms and suggest improvements. By testing our classification tasks on infants who categorize visually before they begin drawing or scribbling (52), we can ask whether children learn to perceive characters more causally and compositionally based on their own proto-writing experience. Causal representations are prewired in our current BPL models, but they could conceivably be constructed through learning to learn at an even deeper level of model hierarchy (53).
Last, we hope that our work may shed light on the neural representations of concepts and the development of more neurally grounded learning models. Supplementing feedforward visual processing (54), previous behavioral studies and our results suggest that people learn new handwritten characters in part by inferring abstract motor programs (55), a representation grounded in production yet active in purely perceptual tasks, independent of specific motor articulators and potentially driven by activity in premotor cortex (56–58). Could we decode representations structurally similar to those in BPL from brain imaging of premotor cortex (or other action-oriented regions) in humans perceiving and classifying new characters for the first time? Recent large-scale brain models (59) and deep recurrent neural networks (60–62) have also focused on character recognition and production tasks—but typically learning from large training samples with many examples of each concept. We see the one-shot learning capacities studied here as a challenge for these neural models: one we expect they might rise to by incorporating the principles of compositionality, causality, and learning to learn that BPL instantiates.
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Acknowledgments: This work was supported by a NSF Graduate Research Fellowship to B.M.L.; the Center for Brains, Minds, and Machines funded by NSF Science and Technology Center award CCF-1231216; Army Research Office and Office of Naval Research contracts W911NF-08-1-0242, W911NF-13-1-2012, and N000141310333; the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada; the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research; and the Moore-Sloan Data Science Environment at NYU. We thank J. McClelland, T. Poggio and L. Schulz for many valuable contributions and N. Kanwisher for helping us elucidate the three key principles. We are grateful to J. Gross and the Omniglot.com encyclopedia of writing systems for helping to make this data set possible. Online archives are available for visual Turing tests (http://github.com/brendenlake/visual-turing-tests), Omniglot data set (http://github.com/brendenlake/omniglot), and BPL source code (http://github.com/brendenlake/BPL).
Combining the capacity to handle noise with probabilistic learning yields humanlike performance in a computational model. | 2019-04-22T23:28:06Z | https://science.sciencemag.org/content/350/6266/1332 |
1.1 “iWooHoo” means iWooHoo Pty Ltd, and assigns, or any person acting on behalf of and with the authority of iWooHoo Pty Ltd.
1.3 “Goods” means all Goods or Services supplied by IWooHoo to the Client at the Client’s request from time to time (where the context so permits the terms ‘Goods’ or ‘Services’ shall be interchangeable for the other).
1.4 “Price” means the Price payable for the Goods as agreed between IWooHoo and the Client in accordance with clause 4 below.
2.2 These terms and conditions may only be amended with IWooHoo’ consent in writing and shall prevail to the extent of any inconsistency with any other document or agreement between the Client and IWooHoo.
2.3 The Client acknowledges and accepts that the supply of Goods for accepted orders may be subject to availability and if, for any reason, Goods are not or cease to be available, IWooHoo reserves the right to vary the Price with alternative Goods as per clause 4.2.
2.4 IWooHoo also reserves the right to halt all Services until such time as IWooHoo and the Client agree to such changes.
3.1 The Client shall give IWooHoo not less than fourteen (14) days prior written notice of any proposed change of ownership of the Client and/or any other change in the Client’s details (including but not limited to, changes in the Client’s name, address, contact phone or fax number/s, or business practice). The Client shall be liable for any loss incurred by IWooHoo as a result of the Client’s failure to comply with this clause.
(c) IWooHoo’ quoted price (subject to clause 4.2) which will be valid for the period stated in the quotation or otherwise for a period of thirty (30) days.
4.2 IWooHoo reserves the right to change the Price if a variation to IWooHoo’ quotation is requested. Any variation from the plan of scheduled Services or specifications of the Goods (including, but not limited to, any variation as a result of fluctuations in currency exchange rates or increases to IWooHoo in the cost of taxes, levies, materials and labour) will be charged for on the basis of IWooHoo’ quotation and will be shown as variations on the invoice.
4.3 At IWooHoo’ sole discretion a non-refundable deposit may be required.
(f) failing any notice to the contrary, the date which is seven (7) days following the date of any invoice given to the Client by IWooHoo.
4.5 Payment may be made by cash, cheque, bank cheque, electronic/on-line banking, credit card (plus a surcharge of up to two point five (2.5%) percent of the Price), or by any other method as agreed to between the Client and IWooHoo.
4.6 Unless otherwise stated the Price includes GST.
(b) IWooHoo (or IWooHoo’ nominated carrier) delivers the Goods to the Client’s nominated address even if the Client is not present at the address.
5.2 At IWooHoo’ sole discretion the cost of delivery is either included in the Price or is in addition to the Price.
5.3 The Client must take delivery by receipt or collection of the Goods whenever they are tendered for delivery. In the event that the Client is unable to take delivery of the Goods as arranged then IWooHoo shall be entitled to charge a reasonable fee for redelivery and/or storage.
5.4 IWooHoo may deliver the Goods in separate instalments. Each separate instalment shall be invoiced and paid in accordance with the provisions in these terms and conditions.
5.5 Any time or date given by IWooHoo to the Client is an estimate only. The Client must still accept delivery of the Goods even if late and IWooHoo will not be liable for any loss or damage incurred by the Client as a result of the delivery being late.
6.2 If any of the Goods are damaged or destroyed following delivery but prior to ownership passing to the Client, IWooHoo is entitled to receive all insurance proceeds payable for the Goods. The production of these terms and conditions by IWooHoo is sufficient evidence of IWooHoo’ rights to receive the insurance proceeds without the need for any person dealing with IWooHoo to make further enquiries.
6.3 If the Client requests IWooHoo to leave Goods outside IWooHoo’ premises for collection or to deliver the Goods to an unattended location then such Goods shall be left at the Client’s sole risk.
6.4 The Client acknowledges that Goods supplied may exhibit variations in shade, colour, texture, surface and finish, and may fade or change colour over time. IWooHoo will make every effort to match batches of product supplied in order to minimise such variations but shall not be liable in any way whatsoever where such variations occur.
6.5 Any advice, recommendation, information, assistance or service provided by IWooHoo in relation to Goods or Services supplied is given in good faith, is based on IWooHoo’ own knowledge and experience and shall be accepted without liability on the part of IWooHoo and it shall be the responsibility of the Client to confirm the accuracy and reliability of the same in light of the use to which the Client makes or intends to make of the Goods or Services.
(b) the Client has met all of its other obligations to IWooHoo.
7.2 Receipt by IWooHoo of any form of payment other than cash shall not be deemed to be payment until that form of payment has been honoured, cleared or recognised.
(a) until ownership of the Goods passes to the Client in accordance with clause 7.1 that the Client is only a bailee of the Goods and must return the Goods to IWooHoo on request.
(b) the Client holds the benefit of the Client’s insurance of the Goods on trust for IWooHoo and must pay to IWooHoo the proceeds of any insurance in the event of the Goods being lost, damaged or destroyed.
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(d) the Client should not convert or process the Goods or intermix them with other goods but if the Client does so then the Client holds the resulting product on trust for the benefit of IWooHoo and must sell, dispose of or return the resulting product to IWooHoo as it so directs.
(e) the Client irrevocably authorises IWooHoo to enter any premises where IWooHoo believes the Goods are kept and recover possession of the Goods.
(f) IWooHoo may recover possession of any Goods in transit whether or not delivery has occurred.
(g) the Client shall not charge or grant an encumbrance over the Goods nor grant nor otherwise give away any interest in the Goods while they remain the property of IWooHoo.
(h) IWooHoo may commence proceedings to recover the Price of the Goods sold notwithstanding that ownership of the Goods has not passed to the Client.
8.2 Upon assenting to these terms and conditions in writing the Client acknowledges and agrees that these terms and conditions constitute a security agreement for the purposes of the PPSA and creates a security interest in all Goods that have previously been supplied and that will be supplied in the future by IWooHoo to the Client.
(e) immediately advise IWooHoo of any material change in its business practices of selling the Goods which would result in a change in the nature of proceeds derived from such sales.
8.4 IWooHoo and the Client agree that sections 96, 115 and 125 of the PPSA do not apply to the security agreement created by these terms and conditions.
8.7 Unless otherwise agreed to in writing by IWooHoo, the Client waives their right to receive a verification statement in accordance with section 157 of the PPSA.
8.8 The Client must unconditionally ratify any actions taken by IWooHoo under clauses 8.3 to 8.5.
9.1 In consideration of IWooHoo agreeing to supply the Goods, the Client charges all of its rights, title and interest (whether joint or several) in any land, realty or other assets capable of being charged, owned by the Client either now or in the future, to secure the performance by the Client of its obligations under these terms and conditions (including, but not limited to, the payment of any money).
9.2 The Client indemnifies IWooHoo from and against all IWooHoo’ costs and disbursements including legal costs on a solicitor and own client basis incurred in exercising IWooHoo’ rights under this clause.
9.3 The Client irrevocably appoints IWooHoo and each director of IWooHoo as the Client’s true and lawful attorney/s to perform all necessary acts to give effect to the provisions of this clause 9 including, but not limited to, signing any document on the Client’s behalf.
10.1 The Client must inspect the Goods on delivery and must within seven (7) days of delivery notify IWooHoo in writing of any evident defect/damage, shortage in quantity, or failure to comply with the description or quote. The Client must notify any other alleged defect in the Goods as soon as reasonably possible after any such defect becomes evident. Upon such notification the Client must allow IWooHoo to inspect the Goods.
10.3 IWooHoo acknowledges that nothing in these terms and conditions purports to modify or exclude the Non-Excluded Guarantees.
10.4 Except as expressly set out in these terms and conditions or in respect of the Non-Excluded Guarantees, IWooHoo makes no warranties or other representations under these terms and conditions including but not limited to the quality or suitability of the Goods. IWooHoo’ liability in respect of these warranties is limited to the fullest extent permitted by law.
10.5 If the Client is a consumer within the meaning of the CCA, IWooHoo’ liability is limited to the extent permitted by section 64A of Schedule 2.
10.6 If IWooHoo is required to replace the Goods under this clause or the CCA, but is unable to do so, IWooHoo may refund any money the Client has paid for the Goods.
10.10 In the case of second hand Goods, unless the Client is a consumer under the CCA, the Client acknowledges that it has had full opportunity to inspect the second hand Goods prior to delivery and accepts them with all faults and that to the extent permitted by law no warranty is given by IWooHoo as to the quality or suitability for any purpose and any implied warranty, statutory or otherwise, is expressly excluded. The Client acknowledges and agrees that IWooHoo has agreed to provide the Client with the second hand Goods and calculated the Price of the second hand Goods in reliance of this clause 10.10.
10.11 IWooHoo may in its absolute discretion accept non-defective Goods for return in which case IWooHoo may require the Client to pay handling fees of up to thirty percent (30%) of the value of the returned Goods plus any freight costs.
10.12 Notwithstanding anything contained in this clause if IWooHoo is required by a law to accept a return then IWooHoo will only accept a return on the conditions imposed by that law.
11.1 Where IWooHoo has designed, drawn or developed Goods for the Client, then the copyright in any designs and drawings and documents shall remain the property of IWooHoo.
11.2 The Client warrants that all designs, specifications or instructions given to IWooHoo will not cause IWooHoo to infringe any patent, registered design or trademark in the execution of the Client’s order and the Client agrees to indemnify IWooHoo against any action taken by a third party against IWooHoo in respect of any such infringement.
11.3 The Client agrees that IWooHoo may (at no cost) use for the purposes of marketing or entry into any competition, any documents, designs, drawings or Goods which IWooHoo has created for the Client.
12.1 Interest on overdue invoices shall accrue daily from the date when payment becomes due, until the date of payment, at a rate of two and a half percent (2.5%) per calendar month (and at IWooHoo’ sole discretion such interest shall compound monthly at such a rate) after as well as before any judgment.
12.2 If the Client owes IWooHoo any money the Client shall indemnify IWooHoo from and against all costs and disbursements incurred by IWooHoo in recovering the debt (including but not limited to internal administration fees, legal costs on a solicitor and own client basis, IWooHoo’ Contract default fees, and bank dishonour fees).
12.3 Without prejudice to any other remedies IWooHoo may have, if at any time the Client is in breach of any obligation (including those relating to payment) under these terms and conditions IWooHoo may suspend or terminate the supply of Goods to the Client. IWooHoo will not be liable to the Client for any loss or damage the Client suffers because IWooHoo has exercised its rights under this clause.
13.1 IWooHoo may cancel any contract to which these terms and conditions apply or cancel delivery of Goods at any time before the Goods are delivered by giving written notice to the Client. On giving such notice IWooHoo shall repay to the Client any money paid by the Client for the Goods. IWooHoo shall not be liable for any loss or damage whatsoever arising from such cancellation.
13.2 In the event that the Client cancels delivery of Goods the Client shall be liable for any and all loss incurred (whether direct or indirect) by IWooHoo as a direct result of the cancellation (including, but not limited to, any loss of profits).
13.3 Cancellation of orders for Goods made to the Client’s specifications, or for non-stocklist items, will definitely not be accepted once production has commenced, or an order has been placed.
14.1 The Client agrees for IWooHoo to obtain from a credit reporting agency a credit report containing personal credit information about the Client in relation to credit provided by IWooHoo.
14.3 The Client consents to IWooHoo being given a consumer credit report to collect overdue payment on commercial credit (Section 18K(1)(h) Privacy Act 1988).
(h) that credit provided to the Client by IWooHoo has been paid or otherwise discharged.
15.2 The lien of IWooHoo shall continue despite the commencement of proceedings, or judgment for any monies owing to IWooHoo having been obtained against the Client.
16.1 At IWooHoo’ sole discretion, if there are any disputes or claims for unpaid Goods and/or Services then the provisions of the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payments Act 1999 may apply.
16.2 Nothing in this agreement is intended to have the affect of contracting out of any applicable provisions of the Building and Construction Industry Security of Payments Act 1999 of New South Wales, except to the extent permitted by the Act where applicable.
17.1 The failure by IWooHoo to enforce any provision of these terms and conditions shall not be treated as a waiver of that provision, nor shall it affect IWooHoo’ right to subsequently enforce that provision. If any provision of these terms and conditions shall be invalid, void, illegal or unenforceable the validity, existence, legality and enforceability of the remaining provisions shall not be affected, prejudiced or impaired.
17.2 These terms and conditions and any contract to which they apply shall be governed by the laws of New South Wales in which IWooHoo has its principal place of business, and are subject to the jurisdiction of the courts in New South Wales.
17.3 Subject to clause 10 IWooHoo shall be under no liability whatsoever to the Client for any indirect and/or consequential loss and/or expense (including loss of profit) suffered by the Client arising out of a breach by IWooHoo of these terms and conditions (alternatively IWooHoo’ liability shall be limited to damages which under no circumstances shall exceed the Price of the Goods).
17.4 The Client shall not be entitled to set off against, or deduct from the Price, any sums owed or claimed to be owed to the Client by IWooHoo nor to withhold payment of any invoice because part of that invoice is in dispute.
17.5 IWooHoo may license or sub-contract all or any part of its rights and obligations without the Client’s consent.
17.6 The Client agrees that IWooHoo may amend these terms and conditions at any time. If IWooHoo makes a change to these terms and conditions, then that change will take effect from the date on which IWooHoo notifies the Client of such change. The Client will be taken to have accepted such changes if the Client makes a further request for IWooHoo to provide Goods to the Client. | 2019-04-21T04:28:23Z | https://iwoohoo.com.au/terms-and-conditions/ |
You are at the right place if you are searching for the best online poker. You can find many people having a long experience in online poker games. There are some things in every game that should have to be learnt in order to become a good poker player. You may be aware about some of that things. You should have complete knowledge about these things to win the poker games. In this article you will come to know about these important things to become a good poker player. Clubpokeronline provides the best Poker online in the world.
It is very important to know the difference between the good poker player and the ordinary poker player. You will come to know about the difference in this article. The difference between the two is not very big. Flying hours is the term where you can differentiate the professional players from the general poker players. It takes many years in following the tournaments and improving your skills in order to become a good professional player. Professional players spend many hours in both Poker online and offline games for improving their skills. You should take part in the tournaments if you want to be a good poker player. Professional players win the games with their skills and experience gained by playing tournaments. There is no such thing like fate that is necessary to win the game. It is your skills that bring the fruits for you. Professional players play the game with the cool mind. An emotional payer is not able to think critically. Professional players are focused on their game. Emotional players are more prone to lose the game.
First of all you should learn all the rules very carefully. Professional players memorize the card orders, symbols and combinations. Each card deck consists of 52 cards. Players should think wisely and bet according to their skills at the table. New players start playing with small bets and increase their bet with gaining more experience. Playing more tournaments is the only way of improving poker skills. You should not spend more than 15% of your monthly income in gambling. It is necessary to avoid any dept and live better. As a beginner investing huge money in gambling can disturb your life. There are many online sites for playing online poker games. Clubpokeronline is the best place you can find for gambling. We provide the best services that make us different from other online poker sites. We provide benefits to all the members of the club. We provide 24/7 customer care support to the customers. You can deposit and withdrawal the amount in a very easy way. We support all the banks that are received here in Indonesia. We provide new membership bonus to all our new members. You can also get daily free chips bonus, weekly free chips bonus, referral free chip bonus and many other bonuses. Clubpokeronline joining process is very simple and easy. You just required filling the registration form. If you find any difficulty then you can call the customer care executive and he/she will assist you in the joining process. We provide more tournaments than any other online poker site. You will get 24/7 deposit and withdrawal facilities with customer support. You can also become a poker champion as many other players. Clubpokeronline is the best online poker learning site. We have produced many poker champions and you could be the next poker champion.
There is no better site for learning and playing poker other than clubpokeronline. You can find many online poker events here. This is the hosting site for the best weekly tournaments. You can play the games starting at every single second here. You can also connect to the social communities where you can meet other passionate players and you can also learn a lot from them to improve your playing skills. We encourage our players and help them in improving their playing skills. You can start with the free games to have fun or to improve your playing skills. You can take advises from the experienced professional players.
How to Play Keno and Win Easy Money in No Time?
Keno is a gambling game which is quite useful for those who are just the beginners and don’t have the expertise of playing games like Blackjack, Roulette, etc. and don’t know how to properly strategize while playing the game.
Keno teaches a person to bet with conscious and teaches how to strategize because no matter how many games you play or how many numbers you bet on, the odds of winning will always be the same.
Keno is a simple and fun game which is easy to learn and not only that but it also has some elements of poker, bingo, and roulette and if learnt properly, it can be turned into quite an interesting experience as well as into an addiction.
You must keep in mind before playing another game that you would have to repay for another game.
These days, the online gambling and betting casinos are preferred more by the people than the offline, real location casinos because you don’t have to take extra time to go there and complete all the formalities and you can easily win money in the comforts of your home if played well. You can visit one of the best online gambling and betting website like W88 Thailand by clicking here https://w88thai.me/ทางเข้า-w88/. You just need to sign up yourself on the website by entering basic details about yourself and you are all set to play online games. You must be above 18 years of age to register yourself.
First of all, you need to get a Keno card from the casino counter to play. You can also ask for the bonus or the jackpot cards if they’re available there.
You are now required to select those numbers on which you think that you can win. The numbers are between 1 and 80. The numbers that you select are known as keno spots and there’s a limit on how many numbers you can select. More selection of numbers increases the cost of card.
You’re now to decide how much amount you would put down on your keno spots and also determine how many games you’d like to play.
Upon completing the above mentioned steps, you’re now required to give your card to the counter. Be sure to check before giving it.
The keno machine would now select number randomly and you’ve to check from your counterfeit ticket whether your number has been selected or not.
If you win, then you can ask the officials to give you your money.
For more details, visit https://w88thai.me/ทางเข้า-w88 .
The real love for poker can be seen in the eyes of South-east Asia. The people stand mad for the game and the greed for the points that it showers on them. Due to few restrictions on the alive game of poker in the country, the demand for Poker Online in Indonesia has increased with time. The people are involved with the game’s strategies and winning. The online game is no less than the physical ones. It has been very well developed by the game designers, by incorporating in the game all possible moves, hits, dispersions, along with the well-defined rules and regulations. Even the restrictions which were put on the physical set-up is fortunately not imposed anywhere on the sites.
The excitement to play poker is well appreciated by these online sites. They also have special provisions for the players willing to play with money deposits and also provide well-defined guidelines for the initial players. There are authentic sites with rules which would not let anyway happen any discrepancies.
Trusted online websites: there are authentic online based sites which facilitate Poker Online Indonesia. They guarantee for the trusted deposits and the earned bonuses for the player as per their earnings. No money would be eaten up, or be fakes by any means. They have developed easy flow channels for the immediate deposit of the ‘plus- bonus’ which the player would earn.
The free play allowed: easy mediums are also offered by the online poker websites which do not need any deposition of payments but, the players can have an access to the game through any browser. The gameplay site just demands the game to be downloaded and the player can easily proceed further with poker.
Heads on the website: the websites offer various easy methods for any poker player be it in an initial state or a master in poker. The site provides sets of game plans as per the demand of the player, guidelines for beginning with the game, easy made instructions, precise and clear rules and regulations. Also, encompass various tools and instruments information which can be a great help to the poker player to win better in the game.
Hence, Poker Online in Indonesia has been a great success both for the players as well as for the developers. It has been appreciated by every group attached to even and has also satisfied the country’s regulation committees, who set a ban on the physical poker game. The online plan of poker has been successful in establishing itself as an authentic means of public’s interested field.
In virtual world all you can find in few clicks including games. In online you can find all kinds of games for all age groups. In online accessing is so simple, so only people getting attracted towards it. Casino is growing very popularly in among many countries. Online games of course good for entertaining and it also helps the people to kill some time but if you need thrill means you should select betting games. In betting type of games there are two varieties you can see, one is casino and another one is sports betting. One can obtain more comfortable and joy while they are playing betting game. Even without placing real money gamers can enjoy casino games. If anyone wants to try these types of games they can download it for free from various online stores. While playing real money games you can get a chance to win lump sum money.
In the fun88 ดีไหม you can find many exciting things apart from variety of games. Among that one is bonus and promotion offers. On this site you can find bonus for all sorts of users, new and old players can enjoy more number of offers. Different access links users can find on it, so no hanging and other issues players face while using it. On top casino gaming site list you can find this site. For the new users they are offering 300 bahts. No agents and other unwanted troubles you find on it. Users are going to deal directly, so chance of fraudulent and all has not seen. Fun88 site designed for both mobile and pc users, apart from those two even suitable for other devices. This site is popular in between many online gamers. Some thousands of users are using it happily every day. Most people will hesitate to bet online due to their fear on security issues but here they guarantees full security to their user. This site is used by a large number of users because of their trust they earned from them.
No matter what, your entire search can get fulfilled within fraction of minutes. Even other process like account creation and deposit get done easily. All process in it is so simple, so that your time gets saved. Live action games are quite interesting to try. Once everyone should try it to get more fun, people who are in need of fun will love this option. Members get all updates regarding live action games. On sports book you can get to know about next sports betting match dates and time. Conditions apply for promotions also. Some promotions will be in the form of spins also. Players can withdraw winning money easily.
Domino ceme poker is becoming more active, going from offices (ordinary wood) to the Internet. The numbers indicate that, at the moment, it is very likely that so many people are actively enjoying ceme poker on the Internet because they play domino ceme poker in the traditional way; near the stands. It is through this experience, you could end up playing also attracted internet domino ceme poker online, so, as “not yet a guide to quit” on these issues, he might find a good search of the steps to follow. in order to access playing Internet domino ceme poker useful.
The information will be energy, and also for playing eminently online domino ceme poker on the internet, the first action you should undertake is related to the study as much as you can regarding domino ceme Online. While on the online web, domino ceme does not differ fundamentally from standard online poker, but these small differences need to be learned. You do not need to watch almost everything with this study. Internet will be calculated using information from a wide range, and there will be many tutorials (movie tutorials, if hate the thought of abdominal muscles versus the language) from where you can come to understand the particular mechanism. associated with internet online domino ceme.
Understanding the best way online poker plant, the next step on your road that allows you to play poker online would choose a domino ceme to actively enjoy the room where the game will share. Several elements could be good criteria because of this option. According to the following, you will review personal belongings, such as the fees charged for their participation (if any), exactly the way benefits are usually sent to the winners (if it is real “legalized” online, is performed there , how will be useful domino ceme horizontal surface ceme play, how the scheme on the different poker bonuses that actively enjoy the floor of the apartment and so on.
After making a variety of domino ceme online by participating in the room, the next step might be to sign up for poker by actively enjoying the room. The other people have been a preparatory step, it is with this particular point that you start using your steps that allow you to play poker online. Placing your signature is not difficult, you just need some information. However, note that some online apartments that play domino ceme, especially those affiliated with casinos, do not accept people in certain countries for authorized reasons. This is really why you should not be surprised when your registration attempts do not bear fruit. But this should not sell your ideas for playing poker on the internet. When an online gambling establishment refuses to go to authorized land, keep searching and, soon, you can go to a domino ceme gambling hall that can take people to your country.
After you register using an active domino ceme that actively benefits from the space, a person simply has to charge the account the amount of money needed to fund its initial bet. A person usually does that using your credit tiny credit letters debit / multiple home rooms actively online domino ceme will allow one to like to start playing for free (initially) without a down payment on ceme online; So in this case, almost the majority of those who will have to play will be registered and will start playing online poker on the web quickly.
Nowadays, everyone has their personal PC and smartphones. It can be used for various purposes generally, adult and kids use them to play games and watch movies online. When it comes to games there have plenty of online providers who would provide the games for free with various features. Some of the companies would also export the user details without the knowledge of the user. And, one of the best and trusted choices for them to enjoy the online games is sbobet indonesia who provides the gambling games with various best features. They are the best gambling games providers online in Asia.
This is one of the trustworthy websites in Indonesia which provides almost 500 games.
The system server used by the company has the capability of calculating the winnings quickly.
The games on the website can be played online both on Mobile phones and on PC. This makes the person play the games in any available resource.
And, the user details are stored in the private manner which wouldn’t be used in the wrong way.
The credit card details for cash deposits or the reports generated in the scorecard are also stored in the private account of the user and can be monitored by them at any time.
The user can create the account easily on the website which is user-friendly. One should register with their private and login details. Once, the user complete filling the details then the user gets the confirmation link to activate the account.
There have gambling games like casino which is broadcast live online and makes the user feel like playing really in the casino.
These are some of the best perks on sbobet Indonesia which provides the best comfort zone for the players to enjoy their games.
There are many major benefits or features available on sbobet Indonesia which makes the user access the games to spend their best fun time. Some men would like to play the games like football and casino. They may not have the specific infrastructure in their environmental surroundings. Hence, the best online providers like them would make them desire fulfilled to play the games online with best graphics and features. The games would make the environment of the user to feel like a live match with live score updates.
As the website has the easy way to get registered the user can have the feel of playing the games online in easier and quicker way. The players can also fill their credits from the options like deposits menu in the website. There also have the help desk team agents to contact them directly for any queries. | 2019-04-23T00:23:27Z | http://www.happyslotspoker.com/2018/08 |
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“Content” means the audio and visual information, documents, software, products, and services contained or made available to You in the course of using the Skuid Services.
“Data” means electronic data and information submitted by You and stored in the Data Platform, and available to be processed by the Skuid Services, not including Metadata.
“Data Platform” means the cloud or on-premise platform upon which Your Data resides, and certain application services with which the Skuid Services interoperate. Examples of Data Platform include Customer-maintained data platforms as well as Salesforce.com, Amazon Web Services (“AWS”), Microsoft Azure, Oracle (on premise or cloud), and SAP Hana (on premise or cloud) data platforms.
“Data Processing Addendum” or “DPA” means the addendum drafted in compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation 2016/679 (“GDPR”), available upon request at legal [at] skuid.com, and incorporated herein by this reference. By agreeing to the terms of this Agreement, You are agreeing to the terms of the DPA and each of its appendices. For the purposes of the Standard Contractual Clauses attached to the DPA, as applicable, You and each of Your authorized Affiliates are each the data exporter, and Skuid is the data importer.
“Direct Competition” by You is strictly prohibited and means accessing the Skuid Services to (a) build a competitive product or service, (b) build a product using similar ideas, features, functions or graphics of the Skuid Services, (c) copy any ideas, features, functions or graphics of the Skuid Services; (d) modify or make derivative works based upon the Skuid Services or the Content; (e) reverse engineer the Skuid Services or any component thereof; or (f) copy, frame, or mirror any part or Content of the Skuid Services other than for Your own internal business purposes.
“Effective Date” means the date You click to accept the terms of this Agreement.
“Intellectual Property Rights” means unpatented inventions, patent applications, patents, design rights, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade names, domain name rights, mask work rights, know-how and other trade secret rights, licenses and all other intellectual property rights, derivatives thereof, and forms of protection of a similar nature anywhere in the world.
“Malicious Code” means computer viruses, worms, time bombs, Trojan horse software and other harmful or malicious code, files, scripts, agents, or programs.
“Metadata” means configuration data that describes how a Skuid application functions and how it is presented in the user experience for You.
“Purchased Skuid Services” means Skuid Services that You or Your affiliates purchase, as distinguished from those provided pursuant to a Free Developer Account.
“Service Administrator” means those Users designated by You who are authorized to purchase Skuid Services subscriptions and to create User accounts and otherwise administer Your use of the Skuid Services.
“Skuid Credentials” means the username and password that uniquely identifies a User and allows that User to access and use the Skuid Services. Skuid Credentials are stored where the Skuid Services are installed.
“Skuid Data” means data and/or Metadata You create with the Skuid Services to define and display Your user interfaces, such as new Skuid Pages, Skuid Page Assignments, or Skuid apps, and any customizations made to or with the Skuid Services. Skuid Data is stored where the Skuid Services are installed.
“Skuid Services” means the online, Web-based applications provided by Skuid that are ordered by You as part of a Free Developer Account or Purchased Skuid Services, including any associated online or offline components, but excluding Third-Party Applications. Skuid Services include software, Content, processes, algorithms, user interfaces, know-how, techniques, designs, and other tangible or intangible technical material or information made available to You by Skuid in providing the Skuid Services. Skuid Services are installed on either Salesforce.com as a Salesforce managed application (“Skuid for Salesforce”) or on AWS as a Platform as a Service (PaaS) offering (“Skuid Platform”).
“Term” means the contract term, beginning on the Effective Date and ending on the date that is one month or one year (depending on the term you select), as it may have been previously extended, unless terminated earlier as set forth herein.
“Third-Party Applications” means online, Web-based applications and offline software products that are provided by third parties, interoperate with the Skuid Services, and are identified as third-party applications.
“User” or “Users” means an individual or individuals who are authorized by You to use the Skuid Services pursuant to a free trial or for whom subscriptions to the Skuid Services have been purchased, and who have been supplied User identifications and passwords by You (or by Skuid at Your request). Users may include, but are not limited to, Your employees, consultants, contractors, and agents.
“User Guide” means the online documentation for the Skuid Services, accessible through http://help.skuid.com, as updated from time to time.
“We” or “Us” means Skuid.
“You” or “Your” means the company or other legal entity for which You are accepting this Agreement, and the Affiliates of that company or entity and/or the individual entering this Agreement on behalf of such entity, as indicated by context.
You agree to the terms of this Agreement by clicking to accept its terms, or by completing the registration process for a Free Developer Account. You acknowledge that an active subscription to a Data Platform service is required for use of the Skuid Services. The person signing this Agreement represents that s/he is entering into this Agreement on behalf of a company or legal entity, and that s/he has the authority to bind such entity to this Agreement. If You do not have such authority, or if You do not agree with these Terms and Conditions, You must not accept this Agreement and may not use the Skuid Services.
Free Developer Account Term. Skuid may make Skuid Services available on a trial basis free of charge to no more than two (2) Users designated by You (the “Free Developer Account”) until the earlier of (a) one year after Your acceptance of this Agreement or any renewal of the Free Developer Account, (b) the start date of any Purchased Skuid Services ordered by You, or (c) the date Skuid determines, in its sole discretion, for any reason or no reason, to terminate a Free Developer Account. Additional Free Developer Account terms and conditions may appear on the registration web page. Any such additional terms and conditions are incorporated into this Agreement by reference and are legally binding.
Free Developer Account Data. Any Skuid Data You create with the Skuid Services and any customizations made to or with the Skuid Services by or for You during Your Free Developer Account term will be inaccessible to You after the Free Developer Account term unless You purchase a subscription to the same Skuid Services as those covered by the Trial, purchase upgraded Skuid Services, or export such Skuid Data before the end of the Free Developer Account Term.
Free Developer Account Users. You may have 2 individual Users, who must be Your employees or consultants and who cannot be employed by or providing services for competitors of Skuid. After the Free Developer Account term expires, Your right to use the Skuid Services will terminate if You have not upgraded to a paid subscription.
Free Developer Account Warranty. During the Free Developer Account term, the terms of Section 10 (Warranties and Disclaimers) shall not apply, and the Skuid Services are provided “AS-IS” without any warranty, including, without limitation, any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.
Free Developer Account Support. We may, but shall have no obligation to provide telephonic or online support for the Skuid Services during the Free Developer Account term.
Free Developer Account Restrictions. A User subscription may not be shared or used by more than one individual User, but may be reassigned from time to time to a new User who is replacing a former User who has terminated employment or otherwise changed job status or function and no longer uses the Skuid Services.
Provision of Purchased Skuid Services. We will make the Purchased Skuid Services available to You pursuant to this Agreement during the Term. You are purchasing the “basic” Skuid Services under this Agreement, which: (i) limits Users to accessing one (1) Data source; and (ii) does not include any app templates. Moreover, Your use of the Skuid Services is limited to the platform which You have selected. If you are purchasing Skuid for Salesforce, You will need to enter into a separate agreement to access Skuid Platform, and if You are purchasing Skuid Platform, You will need to enter into a separate agreement to access Skuid for Salesforce. The Skuid Services purchased under this Agreement do not include Skuid’s native mobile application, or any other Skuid products that are currently available or that may be developed in the future. You agree that Your purchases hereunder are neither contingent on the delivery of any future functionality or features nor dependent on any oral or written public comments made by Us regarding future functionality or features.
Updates to Skuid Services. Skuid may update the Skuid Services in its sole discretion, with each update to be provided to You as is made available by Skuid to any of its customers. Updates that are required to bring You into compliance with any applicable laws will be provided at least thirty (30) days before compliance is required by such laws, or as soon as is practicable. Updates to the Skuid Services will be deemed part of the Skuid Services.
The purchase of additional subscriptions will be subject to the following: (i) added subscriptions will be coterminous with the preexisting Term (either initial Term or renewal Term); (ii) the monthly subscription fee for the added subscriptions shall be the same as the preexisting subscriptions; and (iii) subscriptions added in the middle of a billing month will be charged in full for that billing month.
User subscriptions are for designated Users and may not be shared or used by more than one User; however, a subscription may be reassigned to a new User to replace a former User who no longer uses the Skuid Services.
Skuid shall provide the Skuid Services only according to applicable laws and government regulations.
For Purchased Skuid Services, Skuid shall provide at no additional charge during the Term (i) online access to updates of the Skuid Services; and (ii) basic online support services, including community support webpages at https://community.skuid.com/, online help webpages and user documentation for the Skuid Services at https://docs.skuid.com/.
Skuid will maintain administrative and technical safeguards for protection, security, confidentiality, and integrity of Skuid Data and Skuid Credentials on the Skuid Platform offering only. These safeguards are provided by Salesforce.com for the Skuid for Salesforce offering. Such safeguards will include measures for preventing access, use, modification, or disclosure of Skuid Data and Skuid Credentials by anyone other than Your personnel and Skuid’s personnel, except (a) to provide the Skuid Services and prevent or address service or technical problems, (b) as expressly permitted in writing by You, or (c) as compelled by law. To the extent that Skuid processes any Personal Data (as defined in the DPA) on Your behalf in the provision of Skuid Services, the terms and conditions of the DPA shall apply.
The Skuid Services provided under this Agreement are solely for Your benefit and may not be accessed by any third parties.
You acknowledge that the Skuid Services may experience interruptions arising out of limitations, delays, and other problems commonly occurring in the use of the Internet, use of Your Data Platform, use of other cloud platforms, and use of computer communications. You acknowledge that Skuid is not responsible for damages, including, but not limited to, incidental or consequential damages arising from such interruptions.
You shall be responsible for maintaining security of Your Data on the Data Platform(s) that You access with the Skuid Services.
Provide access to the Skuid Services to any user, parent, affiliate or subsidiary organized or existing under the laws of a country or territory embargoed by the United States.
Usage Limitations. Skuid Services may be subject to other limitations as described in the Master Subscription Agreement between You and Your Data Platform provider(s) and/or specified in Your Data Platform provider(s) user guide, such as limits on disk storage space, or limits on the number of calls You are permitted to make against the application programming interface. Some Data Platform providers give real-time information to enable You to monitor Your compliance with such limitations.
Data Platform. To access the Skuid Services, You acknowledge that You have agreed to the terms provided by Your Data Platform provider as detailed in the provider’s applicable license or subscription agreement (the “Data Platform Agreement”). You shall be solely responsible for compliance with the terms and conditions of any such Data Platform Agreement.
Data Source. In order to use Skuid Services, You must configure access to a data source (e.g. Salesforce, AWS, Oracle, Microsoft Dynamics, or other) as desired. You and/or Your data source provider is responsible for ensuring proper data protection and security practices are implemented and maintained. Skuid shall not be responsible for any damages resulting from a data breach caused by Your data source provider or by Your failure to adhere to the terms and conditions of any applicable Data Platform Agreement. For the Skuid Platform only, in order to connect to and authenticate Your desired data source, and depending upon the authentication method used, You may be asked to provide credentials, tokens, and/or keys to access the data sources, which, depending on Your elected admin configuration, will be stored on the Skuid Platform in a strongly encrypted form.
Third Party Applications. If You install or enable Third-Party Applications for use with the Skuid Services, Skuid shall not be responsible for any disclosure, modification, or deletion of Data resulting from any such access by Third-Party Application providers.
User Fees. You shall pay monthly or annually (as selected by You) in advance all fees specified for the Skuid Services You have selected. The initial charges will be equal to the current number of total user subscriptions requested times the user subscription fee currently in effect. Except as otherwise specified herein, (i) fees are quoted and payable in United States dollars (ii) fees are based on the Skuid Services purchased and not actual usage, (iii) payment obligations are non-cancelable and fees paid are non-refundable, and (iv) the number of user subscriptions purchased cannot be decreased during the relevant term. User subscription fees are based on periods that begin on the Effective Date and continue until terminated pursuant to Section 13 (Term and Termination), below.
Invoicing and Payment. You will provide Skuid with valid and updated credit card information, and You authorize Skuid to charge such credit for the Skuid Services You have selected. Such charges shall be made monthly or annually in advance (as selected by You).
Billing Information. You agree to provide Us with complete and accurate credit card, billing, and contact information. This information includes Your legal company name, street address, email address, and name and telephone number of an authorized billing contact and Service Administrator. You agree to update this information within 10 days of any change to it. If the contact information You have provided is fraudulent, Skuid reserves the right to terminate Your access to the Skuid Services without notice, in addition to any other legal remedies. Skuid uses a PCI-DSS Level 1 compliant third-party as a merchant service provider, which hosts the Skuid payment pages. As a result, your credit card information is sent directly to the third-party, and is not received or stored by Skuid.
Suspension of Skuid Services If any payment by credit card owing by You under this or any other Agreement for Skuid Services is 10 or more days overdue, Skuid may, without limiting its other rights and remedies, suspend Your access to the Skuid Services until all outstanding amounts are paid in full.
Payment Disputes To receive an adjustment or credit for any billing errors, You must contact Skuid in writing within 30 days of the date of the credit card charge containing the amount in question. Skuid shall not exercise its rights under Section 7.4 (Suspension of Skuid Services) if the applicable charges are under reasonable and good-faith dispute and You are cooperating diligently to resolve the dispute.
Taxes. Unless otherwise stated, Skuid’s fees do not include any taxes, levies, duties, or similar governmental assessments of any nature, including, but not limited to, value-added, sales, use, or withholding taxes, assessable by any local, state, provincial, federal, or foreign jurisdiction (collectively, “taxes”). You are responsible for paying all taxes that may be associated with Your purchases hereunder. If Skuid pays taxes for which You are responsible, any amount paid, plus all costs and expenses incurred by Skuid, relative to such taxes shall be invoiced to and paid by You.
Reconnection Fee. We reserve the right to impose a reconnection fee in the event (i) Your access to the Skuid Services is suspended because of nonpayment; or (ii) Your access to Your Data Platform(s) has been suspended, and thereafter You request access using the Skuid Services.
Reservation of Rights. Subject to the limited rights expressly granted hereunder, Skuid reserves all rights, title, and interest in and to the Skuid Services, including all related Intellectual Property Rights. No rights are granted to You hereunder other than as expressly set forth herein. Skuid alone (and its licensors, where applicable) shall own all rights, title, and interest, including all related Intellectual Property Rights, in and to Skuid’s technology, content and the Skuid Services, and any ideas, suggestions, enhancement requests, feedback, recommendations, or other information (collectively, the “Ideas”) provided by You or any other party relating to the Skuid Services. Skuid may, in its sole discretion, incorporate any Ideas into the Skuid Services. This Agreement is not a sale and does not convey to You any rights of ownership in or related to the Skuid Services, technology, or the Intellectual Property Rights owned by Skuid.
Ownership of Your Data. You will retain all rights, title, and interest in and to any Data, information, or materials provided by You, including Skuid Data.
Federal Government End Use Provisions. Skuid provides the Skuid Services, including related software and technology, for ultimate federal government end use solely according to the following: Government technical data and software rights related to the Skuid Services include only those rights customarily provided to the public as defined in this Agreement. This customary commercial license is provided according to FAR 12.211 (Technical Data) and FAR 12.212 (Software) and, for Department of Defense transactions, DFAR 252.227-7015 (Technical Data — Commercial Items) and DFAR 227.7202-3 (Rights in Commercial Computer Software or Computer Software Documentation). If a government agency has a need for rights not conveyed under these terms, it must negotiate with Skuid to determine if there are acceptable terms for transferring such rights, and a mutually acceptable written addendum specifically conveying such rights must be included in any applicable contract or agreement.
Infringement. You will promptly notify Skuid if You learn of a violation of any of Skuid’s Intellectual Property Rights. Skuid may, but will not be obligated to, prosecute such violation at Skuid’s expense and to retain the full amount of any sums recovered as damages. You will provide Skuid with reasonable cooperation in any such action at Skuid’s expense. Provided, however, if any violation relates to Your or any of Your User’s actions or failure to act, You shall be responsible for all damages and expenses, including attorney fees, associated therewith as determined by a court of competent jurisdiction or other trier of fact, to the extent that such action is finally determined to have resulted from Your negligence or willful misconduct.
Definition of Confidential Information. As used herein, “Confidential Information” means all confidential information disclosed by a party (“Disclosing Party”) to the other party (“Receiving Party”), whether orally or in writing, that is designated as confidential or that reasonably should be understood to be confidential given the nature of the information and the circumstances of disclosure. Without limiting the foregoing, Confidential Information of each party shall include business and marketing plans, technology and technical information, formulas, concepts, product plans and designs, and business processes disclosed by such party. Your Confidential Information shall include Your Data; Skuid’s Confidential Information shall include the Skuid Services and all pricing terms. However, Confidential Information shall not include any information that (i) is or becomes generally known to the public without breach of any obligation owed to the Disclosing Party, (ii) was known to the Receiving Party prior to its disclosure by the Disclosing Party without breach of any obligation owed to the Disclosing Party, (iii) is received from a third party without breach of any obligation owed to the Disclosing Party, or (iv) was independently developed by the Receiving Party without the breach of any obligation owed to the Disclosing Party.
Protection of Confidential Information. Except as otherwise permitted in writing by the Disclosing Party, Confidential Information shall be received and maintained by the Receiving Party in the strictest confidence in accordance with applicable law, and shall not be disclosed to any third party. The Receiving Party shall use the same degree of care that it uses to protect the confidentiality of its own Confidential Information of like kind (but in no event less than reasonable care) and shall limit access to Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party to those of its employees, contractors, and agents who need such access for purposes consistent with this Agreement and who have signed confidentiality agreements with the Receiving Party containing protections no less stringent than those herein. Furthermore, neither party shall use such Confidential Information for any purpose other than those purposes specified in this Agreement.
Compelled Disclosure. The Receiving Party may disclose Confidential Information of the Disclosing Party if it is compelled by law to do so, provided the Receiving Party gives the Disclosing Party prompt prior notice of such compelled disclosure to allow the Disclosing Party a reasonable opportunity to contest the disclosure (to the extent legally permitted) and reasonable assistance, at the Disclosing Party's cost, if the Disclosing Party wishes to contest the disclosure. If the Receiving Party is compelled by law to disclose the Disclosing Party's Confidential Information as part of a civil or criminal proceeding to which the Disclosing Party is a party, and the Disclosing Party is not contesting the disclosure, the Disclosing Party will reimburse the Receiving Party for its reasonable cost of compiling and providing secure access to such Confidential Information.
Privacy and Disclosure. Skuid will not access Your networks or access or use any personal data or Your sensitive business information under this Agreement, except when requested by You, and Skuid will not review, use, process, disclose, or otherwise handle such information. To the extent applicable for the activities contemplated under this Agreement, Skuid will comply with all applicable privacy and security laws to which it is subject, and will not, by act or omission, place You in violation of any applicable privacy or security law.
Communications from Skuid Users may be asked whether or not they wish to opt in to receive marketing and other noncritical Skuid Services-related communications from Skuid from time to time. Users may opt out of receiving such communications at any subsequent time by changing their preference under Personal Setup. Note that because the Skuid Services is a hosted, online application, Skuid occasionally may need to notify all Users (whether or not they have opted in as described above) of important announcements regarding the operation of the Skuid Services.
Customer Reference; Trademark Licence.Each party may display on its website and in sales presentation collateral the company logo of the other party, and may identify Customer as a customer of Skuid in the ordinary course of business. Any other use of a party’s logo shall be upon prior written approval only.
For the purposes of the foregoing, each party (“Licensor”) grants to the other party (“Licensee”) a limited non-transferable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, license to use Licensor’s trademarks and logos specifically identified by Licensor (the “Marks”). Licensor may immediately terminate Licensee’s license to use the Marks, if Licensor, in its sole discretion, believes Licensee’s use disparages, dilutes, tarnishes or blurs the value of Licensor’s Marks. Licensee shall use the Marks exactly in the form provided and in conformance with any trademark usage policies that Licensor may communicate to Licensee from time to time. Licensee shall place a ®, ™, or © symbol, as appropriate, with the Marks as requested by Licensor. Any rights not expressly granted by Licensor to Licensee are reserved to Licensor, and all implied licenses are disclaimed. Licensee shall not exceed the scope of the license granted hereunder. Title to and ownership of Licensor’s Marks (including without limitation, all rights therein under copyright, trademark, trade secret and similar laws) shall remain with Licensor. Licensee acknowledges that its use of Licensor’s Marks will not create in it, nor will it represent it has, any right, title or interest in or to the Marks, other than the limited license granted by Licensor herein. Licensee will not challenge the validity of or attempt to register any of the Marks or its interest therein as a licensee, nor will it adopt any derivative or confusingly similar names, brands, marks, or domain names, or create any combination marks with Licensor’s Marks. Licensee acknowledges Licensor’s ownership and exclusive right to use Licensor’s Marks and agrees that all goodwill arising as a result of the use of Licensor’s Marks shall inure to the benefit of Licensor. Upon expiration or termination of this Agreement, the rights granted to Licensee pursuant to this Section 9.6 will terminate, and Licensee will immediately cease use of any of Licensor’s Marks.
Limited Warranty. Skuid does not guarantee or warrant that Purchased Skuid Services will properly function with the software of any third party unless specifically so stated herein. Skuid warrants that Purchased Skuid Services will perform substantially in accordance with the User Guide, so long as You follow the instructions provided. The foregoing warranty is void if the failure of the Skuid Services is due to Your act or failure to act (including, but not limited to, using the latest version or updates made available to You at no cost by Skuid), the acts of others, or events beyond Skuid’s reasonable control.
Limitation of Warranty. Except as otherwise specifically stated herein, You understand and agree that the Skuid Services are provided “as is” and, Skuid disclaims all warranties of any kind, express or implied, including, without limitation, any warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose or non-infringement. Skuid makes no warranty or representation regarding the results that may be obtained from the use of the Skuid Services, regarding the accuracy or reliability of any information obtained through the Skuid Services, or that the Skuid Services will meet Your requirements, or be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error free. Use of the Skuid Services is at Your sole discretion and risk. Except with respect to breach by Skuid of Section 9 (Confidentiality), You will be solely responsible for any damages resulting from Your use of the Skuid Services. Except with respect to breach by Skuid of Section 9 (Confidentiality) or Section 10.1 (Limited Warranty), the entire risk arising out of use or performance of the Skuid Services remains with You.
By You. You will indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Skuid against any claim, demand, suit, or proceeding (“Claim”) made or brought against Skuid relating to (i) the content or use of Your Data, or (ii) Your use of the Skuid Services in violation of any term of this Agreement, provided that Skuid (a) promptly gives You written notice of the Claim; (b) gives You sole control of the defense and settlement of the Claim (provided that You may not, without Skuid’s prior approval, settle any Claim unless the settlement unconditionally release Skuid of all liability); and (c) provide to You all reasonable assistance, at Your expense.
By Skuid. Skuid will indemnify, defend, and hold You harmless against any Claim made or brought against You alleging that the use of the Skuid Services as permitted hereunder infringes or misappropriates the intellectual property rights of a third party. Skuid’s obligations in this Section 12 are void if You fail to (a) give prompt written notice of the Claim; (b) give Skuid sole control of the defense and settlement of the Claim (provided that Skuid may not, without Your prior approval, settle any Claim unless the settlement unconditionally releases You of all liability); and (c) provide to Skuid all reasonable assistance, at Skuid’s expense.
Injunction. If an injunction is issued against Your use of the Skuid Services due to a covered infringement, or if in Skuid’s judgment any Skuid Services are likely to become the subject of a successful claim of infringement, Skuid may at its option and expense: (i) procure for You the right to use such services, or (ii) replace or modify such services so they become noninfringing, or if options (i) and (ii) are not available despite Skuid’s commercially reasonable efforts, (iii) terminate the subscriptions granted under this Agreement, disable Your access to the Skuid Services, and refund to You an amount equal to the pro rata Subscription Fee paid by You for the remainder of the term. If you are using the Skuid Services under a Free Developer Account and injunction is issued or is likely to be issued, Skuid, in its sole discretion may terminate the subscriptions, and Skuid shall have no further monetary or other obligation to You. Skuid shall have no obligation to You to the extent a Claim arises from (i) any modification of the Skuid Services not performed by Skuid or (ii) any failure to use corrections or enhancements made available to You that would have rendered the Skuid Services non-infringing, or (iii) any use of the Skuid Services in combination with any product or information not supplied or recommended by Skuid except where combination is required to utilize the Skuid Services. Sections 11.2 and 11.3 state Skuid’s sole liability to You, and Your exclusive remedy against Skuid for any type of Claim described in this Section.
Limitation of Liability. Except with respect to breaches of Section 9 (Confidentiality) or Section 11 (Indemnification), in no event shall Skuid be liable for: (i) any claim arising under or relating to this Agreement, the Skuid Services or any other services provided by Skuid under any theory of liability including contract, strict liability, indemnity, tort (including negligence), or otherwise, or for any special, indirect, incidental, exemplary, punitive, consequential damages, loss of revenues or loss or inaccuracy of Data or cost of procurement of substitute goods, services or technology, even if Skuid has been notified of the possibility of such damages; or (ii) damages in excess of the amount of fees paid by You under this Agreement during the 12 months prior to the event giving rise to the claim. Limitation of liability for transfer, protection, storage, security, or confidentiality of Your Data is governed by Your Data Platform Agreement.
Exclusion of Consequential and Related Damages. Except with respect to breaches of Section 9 (Confidentiality) or Section 11 (Indemnification), in no event shall either party have any liability to the other party for any lost profits or revenues or for any indirect, special, incidental, consequential, cover or punitive damages however caused, whether in contract, tort or under any other theory of liability, and whether or not the party has been advised of the possibility of such damages. The foregoing disclaimer shall not apply to the extent prohibited by applicable law.
Term of Agreement. This Agreement commences on the Effective Date and continues, unless earlier terminated, until the end of the 1-month or 1-year term (as selected by You). If You elect to use the Skuid Services for a Free Developer Account and do not opt-in to continue the account at the end of the term, this Agreement will terminate at the end of the one year Free Developer Account term. In addition, Skuid may terminate a Free Developer Account at any time for any reason or no reason in Skuid’s sole discretion.
Renewals. Skuid charges and collects in advance for use of the Skuid Services. Subscriptions will automatically renew for additional periods equal to the length of the expiring subscription term, unless either party gives notice of nonrenewal at least fifteen (15) days prior to the end of the Term, as it may have been previously extended. The renewal charge will be equal to the then-current number of total user subscriptions times the then-current, generally applicable subscription fee.
Termination for Cause. A party may terminate this Agreement for cause: (i) upon ten (10) days written notice to the other party of a material breach, if the breach remains uncured at the expiration of such period, or (ii) if the other party becomes the subject of a petition in bankruptcy or any other proceeding relating to insolvency, receivership, liquidation, or assignment for the benefit of creditors.
Refund or Payment upon Termination. Upon any termination for cause by You, Skuid will refund any prepaid fees covering the remainder of the Term of all subscriptions after the effective date of termination. Upon any termination for cause by Skuid, You will not be entitled to a refund of any prepaid fees. You will pay any unpaid subscription fees otherwise due as of the termination date, and You will pay any other outstanding balances owed to Skuid.
Return of Your Metadata. Skuid will provide Your Metadata to You upon request.
Surviving Provisions. Sections 7 (Fees and Payment for Purchased Services), 8 (Proprietary Rights), 9 (Confidentiality), 11 (Indemnification ), 12 (Limitation of Liability), and 14 (Additional Provisions) shall survive any termination or expiration of this Agreement.
Export Compliance. Each party shall comply with the export laws and regulations of the United States and other applicable jurisdictions in providing and using the Skuid Services. Without limiting the foregoing, (i) each party represents that it is not named on any U.S. government list of persons or entities prohibited from receiving exports, (ii) You shall not permit Users to access or use the Skuid Services in violation of any U.S. export embargo, prohibition, or restriction, and (iv) You will not export, re-export, divert, transfer, or disclose any portion of the Skuid Services or any related technical information or materials, directly or indirectly, in violation of any applicable export law or regulation.
Relationship of the Parties. The parties are independent contractors. This Agreement does not create a partnership, franchise, joint venture, agency, fiduciary, or employment relationship between the parties. There are no third-party beneficiaries to this Agreement.
Waiver and Cumulative Remedies. No waiver of any provision of this Agreement will be effective unless in writing and signed by the party against whom such waiver is sought to be enforced. A waiver of any provision of this Agreement by either party will not be construed as a waiver of any other provision of this Agreement, nor will such waiver operate as or be construed as a waiver of such provision respecting any future event or circumstance. Other than as expressly stated herein, the remedies provided herein are in addition to, and not exclusive of, any other remedies of a party at law or in equity.
Notices. If notice or demand is required or permitted to be given or served by either party to this Agreement to or on the other, the notice or demand must be given or served in writing and served personally or forwarded by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, or by guaranteed overnight courier service, addressed to Skuid at 605 Chestnut Street, Suite 700, Chattanooga, TN 37450 or legal [at] skuid.com, or to You at the email address You have provided. The date of service of a notice served by mail or overnight courier service will be the date of receipt or refusal of receipt. Either party may change its address by written notice to the other.
Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This Agreement and the respective rights and obligations of the parties hereto shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Tennessee and controlling United States law, without giving effect to choice of law principles. The parties hereto consent to the jurisdiction of the courts in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Attorney Fees. Should either party bring an action to enforce the terms of this Agreement, the prevailing party shall be entitled to recover its reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs from the other party.
Assignment. Neither party may assign any of its rights or obligations hereunder, whether by operation of law or otherwise, without the prior written consent of the other party (not to be unreasonably withheld). Notwithstanding the foregoing, Skuid may assign this Agreement in its entirety, without Your consent, to its Affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganization, or sale of all or substantially all of its assets not involving a direct competitor of the other party. A party’s sole remedy for any purported assignment by the other party in breach of this paragraph shall be, at the non-assigning party’s election, termination of this Agreement upon written notice to the assigning party. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall bind and inure to the benefit of the parties, their respective successors and permitted assigns.
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First, I’ll discuss blizzards as part of my avalanche post for A.
A BLIZZARD is a severe snowstorm that typically lasts for three hours or more. Frequent snow fall combined with wind of 35 mph or greater reduces visibility (this is known as a whiteout), making driving and even venturing outdoors dangerous. Sleet and freezing rain can make matters worse when you’re traveling. And blizzards can cause snowdrifts (huge mountains of snow) that you may not see until you run into one. Snowdrifts can get so big that they can bury houses and trap residents inside for days.
FACT: The Storm of the 20th Century took place in March 1993, causing 300 deaths and 10 million power outages.
Blizzards are very dangerous if you’re caught outside in one. Low wind chill (the amount of cooling one “feels” due to wind and temperature) can result in frostbite and hypothermia. Even If you’re safe indoors, heavy snowfall can cave in roofs, freeze pipes, and snap power lines, which will take out your electricity and heat. If you’re trapped inside a house, waiting for the snowdrifts to melt, food and water may run low.
FACT: A severe blizzard has near or below zero temperature.
1. Stay hydrated and well nourished.
2. Keep moving to avoid hypothermia.
3. Build a snow cave to block the wind.
If there is a blizzard warning, stock up on non-perishable food, bottled water, blankets, candles and matches.
A BLACKOUT is a total loss of power to an area due to a power station tripping, and is the most extreme form of power outage that can ever occur. It is difficult to recover from this type of outage and it can last anywhere from minutes to weeks. In a blackout, whole cities are impacted.
At night, it becomes so dark without the glow of streetlights, buildings and cars that it can appear pitch-black, as if a cloak is covering the city. Blackouts are dangerous because if they last for days, food and clean water can run low. Crimes also spike.
QUESTION: Has anyone here ever been in a blizzard or blackout?
I'ma member of Tremp's Troops!
Excellent "B" post Chrys, most graphic and interesting to read.
I don't know how you could do it, Melanie. Brrr!
I live close to the Tropic of Capricorn, so do not experience snow. These pics are great to view. They give a real perspective of what it would be like.
When I lived in the Midwest, we experienced blizzards often. I remember once the snowdrift came up to the roof and covered our sliding glass doors.
We had a few this year and thankfully I didn't lose power.
That's good! Losing power during a blizzard is the worst. Or so everyone says. I've never experienced one.
The snow storms of my teen years were consistently blizzard-ish. The weather has definitely changed in the Northeast. I'm in TN now, and they call a dusting a bad snow and they lose power way more often then I ever remember it happening up north.
I'm still looking at the snow from this winter's blizzards! Luckily I've never been caught outside in one, though.
The snow is still there. Wow!
I've never been in a blizzard - it just doesn't do that around here in Kent, however, I do remember a total blackout. After the hurricane of 1987 we had no power in our village for over a week. The whole community pulled together, those with gas cooking and heating water for those who were all electric.
I've experienced power outages from hurricanes. They are not fun.
I've been in a blizzard. Grew up on a farm and we still had to take care of the cows, milk them and try to keep the lane open. Even got frostbite.
The longest we've gone without power in our current home was about a day and a half.
Frostbite? Ouch! I wouldn't do well in places that get hit hard in the winter.
Been in both. There used to be a lot of black outs and power outages in Haiti. But it never bothered people. They'd just break out the candles and hang out on the porch/veranda. A blackout happened when I was a teen in NYC once and had to walk 10+ blocks home from my friend's house. Good thing it happened during the day. But I don't mind blizzards really (but can't stand the cold) BC at least I get a snow day BC of it.
Yes, unfortunately I've experienced a blizzards and blackouts. I find these posts very interesting Chrys. With all the facts you share, these conditions and events could be tucked into a story, wisely. Thanks.
Oh yes. I got a lot of ideas for stories with these posts. ;) I'm glad you find them interesting.
I can only imagine stand on snow so deep I'm at the top of a power pole!
When I was a kid we had a blizzard (the same year as the New York pic) and that was very unusual for Cincinnati. Of course, since I was only 9 I loved it. The main thing I remember is we only had to go to school for half a day because a nearby school had no power so we shared our building with them. I thought that was about the most awesome thing ever ha.
I would've thought that was fun too. Haha.
I was very, very young at the time, but I remember it being so cold we all gathered around our furnace in the basement and my parents quietly worried about it giving out.
I can only image their fear.
No Blizzards here in sleepy southern England, but we have had a blackout. We had a hurricane in 1987, something the UK was totally unprepared for, and it took out our power for a week. Luckily we had gas to cook with.
No blizzards here in Florida either, but plenty of blackouts due to hurricanes. I had no power for a week once, too. It was crazy!
Weather is sometimes the most basic thing we forget that is can hold us all in one place.. without it trying to hard.
Weather is a force not to be reckoned with.
I'd much rather experience a blackout due to thunderstorms etc than a blizzard any day!
A blizzard would make a great setting for suspense or a love story. I've been in a few blizzards having lived on the Canadian Prairies for over 20 years. I've driven in a white out (never again!) and was afraid for my life. Blackouts are scary. Remember when 1/2 of New York experience black out with the hurricane? Great tips on survival of each, Chrys.
Yes, it would. Oh gosh, whiteouts are so dangerous. Good thing you survived that! I sure do remember that. I was watching the news about the New York blackout.
Been through plenty of blizzards. I remember the blizzard of 93 that you mentioned. I was in the mountains of southern West Virginia at the time. Now I live in Florida so no more blizzards.
I'm in Florida too. Good thing, because I wouldn't do well in a blizzard.
Goodness, those pictures look so dreadful! I pray I never get caught in a blizzard. And I had no idea you can "drink" snow. Yikes!
As long its melted and warmed, you can.
That's fascinating. I couldn't image needing a generator at night, but if I grew up there it wouldn't be a big thing.
There was a huge, famous blizzard in Albany, NY on 4 October 1987, shortly after my family had moved into our new house. We get brutal winters, but we hadn't gotten a blizzard that early before. Every winter, I'm tempted by my aunt's repeated offer to move to Florida to be near her.
Great post! I've been in a couple of each over the years. The first blizzard I remember was when I was 4. Woke to 3 feet of snow! It was amazing. We used to keep candles our Coleman lantern handy due to black outs. They never lasted long, but they happened a lot.
You were four and you remember that? I can't remember anything from when I was four. Haha!
Pa. in a whiteout was scary! I stopped and stayed out at a weight for hours.
Should say: ...stayed at a weight station for hours.
I can imagine how scary that would be.
Great post ~ each of those photos tell quite a story. Southern Ontario has had some horrific ice storms in the past few years, accompanied by long power shortages ... weeks, not just days! Mother Nature is not always good to us!
Mother Nature does what she wants. She's a fierce one.
What a great theme! I have been in a blizzard but never a blackout.
The last major blizzard here was in 2004. Roofs were collapsing. We've had a few blackouts. Ugh. They're awfully scary, especially at night.
Blackouts are worst at night.
I haven't experienced those conditions, though this year it felt like a blizzard with those cold temps and snow.
Hi Chrys - I wrote about our snows that lasted for 10 weeks and we had blizzards then .. we must have had power blackouts - though I don't remember that .. the snow was dreadful .. and I was ill - so was late going back to school - but everyone was much hardier then - in the early 60s ..
We can have white outs down here - had one when Mum was alive .. it all came down in an hour .. completely couldn't see - only six inches but that was enough in an hour .. and I just managed to get home ... it was April so it wasn't too cold.
Horrifying experience .. either of them!
Being sick during blizzards would be terrible!
Never been in either (had short blackouts sometimes but never longer than an hour or so). I really hate the cold (maybe I shouldn't be in Ohio...), and a blizzard is something I'd never want to experience.
I'd never want to experience a blizzard either, and thankfully won't in Florida.
Ha! I was born in Michigan but was raised in Florida. My dad lives there now though and tells me all about the winters up there.
No blizzards around this part of the country. Not days-long blackouts, but blackouts that happen for a couple hours, yes. Still remember the rolling blackouts of a decade or so ago.
I grew up in Michigan so I love a good snowstorm. The more the better.
I was born in Michigan but my family moved down to Florida when I was two, so I don't remember the snow.
Good luck with the A-Z challenge. Great B post!! Also, heartfelt thanks to you for posting all your writing tips - specifically the editing tips. They were a great help to me, resulting in a much tighter written first novel. All the best.
The very thought makes me shiver! I'll take sunshine anytime :-) Well done, Chrys!
Never caught in a blizzard yet. Not unless you count the times they refused to cancel school when I was a youth for snowy conditions. If I ever were to be caught in a blizzard, I'd hope there would be a Tauntaun and lightsaber handy.
I've been pretty fortunate with blackouts as well. However, once touring a cavern the tour guide took us to the deepest part we could possibly go and then turned out all the lights. Absolute darkness can be quite disorienting.
We have a blizzard going on right now, but it's pretty tame. In Canada, we're so used to them that they normally don't result in fatalities. In rural areas, blackouts are common, but thankfully don't last very long.
Really? Wow. I didn't know Canada was experiencing a blizzard right now. I can see where Canadians would be used to them.
I don't blame you, David.
You could add "buzzards and bats" Nice post.
Yes, you're right, I was thinking more haunted than disaster/crime scenes, but the buzzards would be there after the scene to clean it up!
Oh, yes, they would be.
Never was in a blizzard, got a lot of snow when we lived in Montana, but never blizzard conditions like described here.
Yep, blackout back in 2011 when we lived in San Diego. Some person flipped the wrong switch or something like that and wiped out power for all of San Diego County, some of Orange County (right above San Diego County) and to parts of Arizona. It took about 24 hours to completely restore power. They could only bring back a few grids at a time to not overload the system. We were out for about 21 hours. Lesson learned....eat ice cream first. It was the hottest day of August, LOL, and we thought it wouldn't be off for that long, even after we heard the news about what happened. Of course the ice cream melted, even in the freezer, had to be thrown away. Next time ice cream gets eaten!
Blizzards, ugh. I've had enough of those for a lifetime, and that's just talking about this winter. Once a few years ago, there was actually a blizzard that caused a blackout! It was very cold and we couldn't use the refrigerator (although we could put the cold items outside in the snow).
I guess that's one good thing about snow during a blizzard.
Weather can be so brutal, especially snow. I've had street-wide blackouts, but not whole city ones. I imagine chaos would reign!
Chaos would reign. You're right about that.
I grew up in New York City and survived both the 1965 blackout (I was 12) and several blizzards (and a hurricane). Living in upstate New York, I've been through several more major snowstorms, including the storm of March, 1993.
Those must make great stories.
Was in a three day blackout in the middle of winter. There was no heat or stove until they replaced the power pole that broke and burned.
That would be brutal. I've only experienced blackouts in the heat after a hurricane.
I've never been in a blizzard because I only spent one year in West Virginia and that winter while it was snowy it wasn't a blizzard. Now I have been in a couple of short term blackouts. Here in Las Vegas we have flash floods in the summer time where the rain will come down really hard for an hour and flood out places. It also knocks out the power at times. The longest power outage we had was 3 days. Last year we had a loss of power for 2 hours a total of three times last summer. I keep ice blocks in my freezer to keep my rats cool, bottles of water in a cabinet and canned food in the bottom of the closet just in case the power is out for more than a few hours.
Rain that knocks out power must be a heavy downpour. Keeping ice, water, and canned goods on hand is a good idea!
I've been in a blackout (in a city) that lasted for more than a day. The interesting thing is it actually brought the community closer together. People eating together and watching the stars and helping direct traffic. Who knows what would have happened if it went on, but it was an eye-opener.
Disasters often to bring communities closer. That's the oen good thing about them.
Unfortunately I'm well acquainted with both blizzards and black-outs. Neither are fun ... especially when the black-out occurs during arctic temperatures. Brrrr.
A blackout with a blizzard would be horrible!
I think 1993 was the year we got the really bad ice storm in Nashville. Ice formed on a lot of power lines and power went out for people for weeks. I'd love to have a backup generator in case that ever happens again.
You can never go wrong with a back up generate.
Too scary events. Growing up in Chicago we had several blizzards. I never knew that time was a factor in the definition. Now we live at the end of a peninsula in New Zealand, and we have frequent black outs.
I've been in several blackouts over the years. Too many to keep track of really, lol. Though I haven't been in a blizzard yet. The photo you shared of the man standing next to a power line is pretty intense. I've been in below zero temperatures but hope I never ever see that much snow fall. Yikes! Thanks for sharing, Chrys.
Thanks for stopping by, Lanise!
Time to prepare is important and something we didn't have back in the day.
Not many blizzards in So. Cal., but I was in the 1994 earthquake and we lost all power everywhere. Scary!!!
I didn't know you can't eat snow!!!! I grew up in MA and feel I should have known that. At least I know it now, thank you!
Well, don't eat snow when you're stuck outside. It'll freeze your insides.
The only time I've been in a blizzard is on a train travelling from Luxembourg to Brussels. I was so excited, rushing from one side of the train to the other snapping away. Got some great pics. The locals on the train shook their heads, well used to such extremes.
We get blackouts in Australia during thunderstorms which can be pretty fierce here in the sub-tropics. Was out 3 days once after a severe hailstorm. Not fun, but luckily the council allowed everyone to leave their rotting food on the footpath and they came by and collected it all.
That was nice of the council. No one wants rotting food in the house.
Don't drink/eat snow in a blizzard because of the extreme cold. The cold snow will freeze your insides.
Never faced a drastic blizzard in the 4 years we have been in the US. Although my hubby and I got experience the same set of problems in 2012 when we were working in different cities and the hurricane - Sandy arrived. I wasn't able to reach him since there was no power to charge his phone and our family back home was worried to know the impact.
Hurricane Sandy was a beast!
i remember the blizzard of '67 in Chicago, when our mom took my brother and me to the grocery store on a sled! I thought that you only weren't supposed to eat yellow snow!
No yellow snow. Definitely not. You could eat snow, just not when you have no way to keep your body warm. Otherwise that snow will freeze your insides.
Reading about these two disasters definitely gives me ideas for scenes in stories! I think the blackout one for some reason really intrigues me, because blizzards have been done a lot in stories. Of course, I've never lived through a blizzard so I wouldn't mind at least being able to watch one from safe indoors (with a roof that won't collapse!).
Blizzards are been done a lot. I had actually read a blizzard story when I got the idea for Hurricane Crimes, because I had never come across a story that took place during a hurricane.
In honor of the upcoming holiday of Passover, for B, the plague of BUGS and the plague of BOILS.
I was in the Blizzard of '77 in Buffalo NY. What a storm that was. We were stuck inside for days, couldn't get out our front door because the snow drifts were so high. My brother who was working at GM was stuck in the plant for several days. When it was over, we ventured out and drove around town. Houses were completely buried and all you could see were the peaks of rooftops. Entire roads were nothing but snow drifts and completely impassable. While the storm was starting a state of emergency was declared and all vehicles were restricted from travel. The only means of transport were emergency snow-mobiles. It was insane. I live in Austin TX now and believe it or not, I miss the snow so much! I yearn to go back to Buffalo and be stuck in a blizzard again (tucked safely in a nice warm cozy home with family and good friends of course). :) Great post Chrys.
Seeing houses buried, and being inside a house buried by snow, would be frightening.
I worked at the Bank of New York during the March 1993 storm. Even though we were released from work early (before noon), I didn't make it home until after dark. It was a mess.
It took you that long to get home? Geez! That sounds like mess.
Been through both, many times. Thankfully never got trapped, though- THAT would be scary!
Getting trapped in a house during a blizzard would be very scary. | 2019-04-22T01:12:00Z | https://www.writewithfey.com/2015/04/b-is-for-blizzard-and-blackout.html |
Over the last year or so I’ve acquired six ARM Cortex-M4 boards; I have some experiments planed for them, and hope to be able to do some write ups this fall. Here’s a chart highlighting some of their key specifications (of course, these boards can do a lot more, such as SPI and I2C communications).
Debug means built-in debug support over USB, JTAG connector, or similar.
USB support varies; for example, some boards include USB OTG support.
eLua support is probably usable, but not very polished, on the various platforms, but that’s a guess because I haven’t tried it yet.
Energia is a Wiring-based IDE and framework for Launch Pads that’s very similar to Arduino.
My apologies if the chart is hard to read; I haven’t had time to update my theme to allow for wider charts.
The LM4F120 LaunchPad is no longer available; however, the Tiva TM4C123G LaunchPad is very similar (it does have a few improvements).
I bought this board when it first come out, since TI had a special offer (around $5 IIRC).
At EE Live! 2014 these LaunchPads were the top tool swap choice. (At the TI tool swap, TI gives you a new TI dev board in exchange for an old, non-TI board).
I wanted a STM32F4 board with Ethernet, and had a hard time choosing between the STM4F Discovery with Base Board (which adds Ethernet and more) or the Olimex STM32-E407 (which has Olimex UEXT connectors). I went the STM32F4 Discovery route because it seems to have better software support.
I backed the MicroPython Kickstarter project primarily because I like the Python language (and have used it on production machines), and was curious to see how much of Python’s goodness could be packed into a MCU. As you can see, it’s a pretty tiny board.
The base Kickstarter price was about $40; when it becomes available to all, the price will probably be a bit higher.
The Pixy is primarily a machine vision system, designed to track objects and work well with Arduinos and similar systems. However, it could be used as a pretty powerful embedded board.
I backed the Pixy because I like machine vision (I also own 5 smart cameras), I’ve wanted to play with the NXP LPC43xx MCU at the heart of the Pixy, and because I remember the Charmed Labs guys from their Nintendo hack days.
The base Kickstart price was $59; it’s currently available on Amazon for $69.
I went to the three day TI Industrial Control Workshop in Santa Clara. Instead of repeating stuff (such as class outline) that you can read on the wiki link (above), I am going to give my impressions.
The bottom line: yes, the workshop is well worth attending if you like to (or just have to) control motors. 5/23/2013: I also want to add that I think this workshop is good for automation developers like myself. OK, I’m not sure it’s worth flying to another city to attend, but if there’s one close (next one is 17-19 September 2013 at Brookfield, WI) then it’s good to attend — you’ll learn a lot more about what goes on underneath the covers of your VFD or servo drive. I know I have a better understanding and appreciation of my drives. Also, you can just about do the course on your own by downloading the materials, but it’s not the same experience.
Disclaimer:Â I paid for this class myself (OK, at $79 it wasn’t a big deal – and the price includes snacks, lunch, and a F28069 controlStick); it was a very nice break from my typical workdays.
Update Feb 2014:I notice TI now has 4 videos from a more recent Control Theory Seminar, with the first episode here, and videos for the C2000 One Day Workshop, with the first module here (there’s also an older set of video modules). I couldn’t find videos for Day 2 (Motion Control Theory), although TI has a wide variety of other motor control videos. So download the materials, watch these videos, and you’re almost there! (But I still recommend attending in person if you can).
Considering TI must be subsidizing the workshop, it had amazingly little marketing content – less than a typical trade mag article. There was no mention of TI products at all on the first day (control theory) and very little on the second day (mostly pride in TI’s new instaSpin solutions). The third day was all about TI products (F28x DSP), but it was all about the product (architecture, peripherals, Code Composer Studio, etc), not marketing.
Overall, there were many good discussions, and lots of questions. I enjoyed learning about what other people are doing.
I think all three instructors did a good job; the biggest issue was time – each class easily could’ve been at least a week, so they had a real challenge trying to fit in as much material as possible, explaining it in an understandable manner, while still answering questions (and all three did a good job of answering the many questions).
On day 1 I felt like I was back in college; it was like a month (or more!) of college stuffed into one day — and the soft-spoken instructor, Richard Poley, reminded me of a college professor.
You do need to have a good math background to follow the theory. Fortunately I had a lot of math in college, and I did some reviewing via wikipedia before the workshop. I won’t claim I understood everything perfectly, but I felt I remembered enough to follow the basic concepts.
The theory got a little practical at the end of the day with sections on Digital Controller Design, Implementation Considerations, and a Suggested Design Checklist.
I’m pretty sure the vast majority of attendees don’t use control theory day to day. I know I don’t; for example, we rarely have problems tuning motion controller PID loops. So for me, the theory isn’t very useful for my day today tasks; in fact, trying to use it when it’s not necessary is a waste of time.
But it’s still good to know the theory for when the normal experienced-based approach doesn’t work. (The same applies to programming, say sorting: if you have a small set of data, all sorting methods will be reasonably quick. But if you have large data sets, knowing the theory of different sorting methods is critical).
I’m now interested in learning about state variable control theory, which is covered in the two day version of the Control Theory seminar, but it will be a while before I’ll be able to find time for project.
Dave Wilson is a motor geek and a primary contributor to TI’s Motor Control blog, which is a treasure trove of motor control information (even if you don’t use TI chips, since most of info isn’t TI-specific).
Dave Wilson emphasized AC induction motors and servo motors, because none of us were interested in stepper motors. He covered motor control theory and all the common algorithms (such as field oriented control). He discussed advantages and disadvantages of the different motor types and motor control algorithms. He did a good job of answering the many questions. And, yes, he is very excited by TI’s instaSPIN solutions (especially instaSPIN-FOC).
I really like Dave Wilson’s Power Point and VisSim animations that graphically showed what was going on to make the motors spin.
This day was a rapid fire introduction to the F28x DSP series. The instructor, Ken Schachter, gave an overview of the peripherals, an overview of the available software such as controlSuite, and then we spent a lot of time doing labs that showed off some of the Code Composer Studio (CCS) goodness (like graphing memory).
I’d call the class an orientation – I wouldn’t even say I become comfortable, but I do feel like I got my feet wet with the tools, and have a better idea of how to start. CCS is pretty intimidating at first, and TI does provide a lot of libraries and examples.
The BeagleBone Black is out, and many are comparing it to the Raspberry Pi (RPi) and Arduino. Compared to the previous BeagleBone, the major changes are the price ($45, down from $90), a HMDI output, more speed (1Ghz vs 720MHz), more memory (512MB DDR3L instead of 256MB DDR2) and 2G on-board eMMC flash memory. The BeagleBone Black also has a 100BaseT Ethernet port, a USB 2.0 HS host port, a USB 2.0 client (device) port, and a microSD slot.
Note: in May 2014, the BBB Rev C is coming, with eMMC flash memory doubled to 4G, and price increased to $55. It’s very possible third parties will continue to make the Rev B.
If you just want a little Linux box for learning and compact computing tasks, the BB-B is just a little more than the RPi: a little more expensive ($45 vs $25/$35), a little faster (1GHz vs 700MHz), a little more flash (2G eMMC vs nothing) — and a lot less popular (by volume, the RPi has outsold by BeagleBoard + BeagleBone by at least 10:1, although that probably will change now with the Black’s lower price).
But the BeagleBone’s great potential is as a controller, not a RPi clone, since it has excellent digital peripherals (better than many microcontrollers)Â available on its 2 46-pin connectors.
This Bone isn’t perfect. I really wish the new Bone had 1G Ethernet (since it has 1G MACs) instead of 100M Ethernet. Since the BeagleBone’s pins are heavily multiplexed, you can’t use all the peripherals at the same time. Some expansion pins are also used by the system (e.g. one of the I2C channesl must be shared with the cape ID memory).  (11/1/2013 – from following the BeagleBone group, I’d say pin conflicts can be a big issue, though it’s far to note this is true on most embedded processors. Also, note that the only potentially shareable cape pins are the “bus” pins such as I2C and SPI).
So what’s available on the expansion connectors?
2 MMC channels (the BB-Black uses one of these for its eMMC memory).
7 Multiplexed 1.8V analog inputs going to a 100KHz 12-bit ADC (the eighth channel is used by the system).
3 HRPWM (high resolution PWM) systems with 6 outputs.
3 eQEPs (enhanced quadrature encoder inputs, used with incremental encoders).
At a glance, I’d say TI has “borrowed” theF28xHRPWM, eQEP, and eCAP peripherals for various other chips, including the Sitara chip used in the BeagleBone. The F28x DSPs have a good selection of motion control software available from TI, such as the various InstaSPIN libraries and controlSuite. TI has ported some of their motion control software to the Stellaris and Hercules lines, but not to the Sitara. It’d be great if they did, but not even TI has infinite resources, and the payback probably isn’t there; after all, the volume motor control market is in stuff like cars and clothes washers, and those guys aren’t going to replace a $3 DSP with a $15+ Sitara module (MPU, DRAM, flash, etc).
I’ve always been intrigued by programmable co-processors, going back to the days of the Freescale (Motorola) MC68332, which has a TPU (Timing Processing Unit). I’m pretty sure the TPU was mainly used in high volume applications (not by many hobbyists), although Circuit Cellar Ink did run a series on programming it. The MC68332 was used for motion control in several Galil controllers.
TPUs and improved TPUs were also used in a variety of ColdFire and PowerPC microcontrollers. Freescale also developed a communications co-processor, the QUICC Engine, which was used in a variety of PowerPC MCUs such as the MPC8360. Recently, I think Freescale has moved away from co-processors, possibly due to the increased speed of MCUs. For example, none of the QorIQ PowerPC chips have the QUICC Engine.
TI has used similar co-processors before, such as the HET (High End Timer), NHET, and N2HET on many Hercules safety MCUs, the CLA (Control Law Accelerator) on some C28x DSPs, and the original PRUSS on earlier Sitara MCUs.
The BeagleBone’s unit is officially called the PRU-ICSS (Programmable Realtime Unit – Industrial Communications SubSystem); it’s easy to see why, since peripherals include 1 12Mbps UART (perfect for Profibus), 2 Ethernet MII’s, 1 MDIO, and 1 eCAP. TI provides drivers using the PRU-ICSS for real time industrial networks such as Profibus, EtherCAT, and Ethernet PowerLink.
The PRU-ICSS has two 32-bit processors inside that run at 200 MHz, with each instruction taking one cycle, so it’s great for deterministic tasks, especially if the BeagleBone is running a non-real time OS. TI has released PRU development tools, and a Linux driver.
I think the PRU-ICSS can be used for a lot of things that it wasn’t designed for, and open source is already making a difference. For example, there’s the PyPRUSS software. The PRU is already being used for stepper control by BeBoPr and Replicape capes. Another possible PRU use is producing precise, high speed digital waveforms for test.
5/23/2013: some additional PRU notes: according to a g+ discussion by Charles Steinkuehler, the GPIO logic can only be updated every 40nS, which limits its maximum GPIO frequency. Also, there’s a good BBB PRU overview and getting started guide here. 11/1/2013: I’ve seen various discussion on how fast the PRU can toggle, so do your own research first if you need ultra-fast bit toggling.
5/28/2013: here’s another creative use of the PRU: interface to a serial mode LCD.
BeagleBone capes are similar to Arduino shields: they’re boards that stack onto the BeagleBone’s expansion bus. Theoretically, you can use up to 4 capes at one time, but the practical limit is typically much less, since the expansion pins have many different uses, and if the capes fight over the pins, the result won’t be pretty.
Capes currently available or available soon include RS232, RS485, Profibus, 1-wire, CAN (with driver and connector), prototyping area, stepper motor drivers, camera, WiFi, LCD touchscreens, and FPGAs. The variety of capes make it that much easier to create a one-off BeagleBone system to perform a specific task. Most capes cost more than the BeagleBone Black.
Operating system support includes several Linux variants (including the Xenomai real time framework for Linux), Android, Minix3 (port in progress), several commercial RTOS’s (at least QNX, Integrity, Nucleus+), SYS/BIOS, and the no-OS StarterWare.
Linux adds a lot of power, but it also adds a lot of complexity, especially when all you want to do is simple I/O. To make the BeagleBone easier to use, the BeagleBoard folks have produce Bonescript, a node.js based language featuring Arduino-style functions. Bonescript can run in a brower or in the Cloud9 IDE.
TI has realized that not everyone wants or needs a OS, so TI created StarterWare. StarterWare components include peripheral drivers, the IwIP TCP/IP stack, MMC/SD drivers, and simple graphics borrowed from StellarisWare.
StarterWare can also be combined with an OS; TI’s SYS/BIOS combines StarterWare with a RTOS, and is used by the real time Ethernet drivers for the Sitara AM3359-based ICE (Industrial Communications Engine). Since the BeagleBone uses a similar CPU (AM3358 or AM3359), it should be easy to get the Sitara SYS/BIOS working (although the EtherCAT client won’t work on a AM3358).
There are other ultra low cost (<$50) Linux boards, including the aforementioned Raspberry Pi, the OLinuXino ($30-$80), the Aria G25 SOM, the Cosmic board (based on the intriguing Freescale Vybrid SoC) and possibly others. If you just want to run Linux, and maybe use some I2C, SPI, or UART ports, all will do the job.
The i.MX233 and Allwinner A13-based OLinuXino’s have two big advantages: they’re easier to use in your own design because they do not use any BGA chips (which are unaffordable to assemble in small quantities), and the schematics are in Eagle PCB (which is much more affordable than Allegro which is used by the BeagleBone).
The BeagleBone’s big advantages are its peripherals (especially the PRUSS, GPMC, HRPWM, and eQEPs, which give it a big edge in control applications) and its expanding cape ecosystem, which make it easier to get something built without doing a lot of custom design. It really is a kind of Raspberry-Duino.
All of the ultra low cost Linux boards provide a lot of bang for the buck. For example, the BeagleBone Black versus the Arduino Due (~$50) looks like no contest: 1GHz vs 84MHz, 512M DRAM vs 96K SRAM, 2G flash vs 512K flash. The Due has better analog I/O, but the ‘Bone has better digital I/O, Ethernet, high speed USB, and more.
Arduinos are still going to be around because of its extensive ecosystem and ease of use. Heck, BASIC Stamps are still around. For example, my nephew is getting an Arduino because of its simplicity, the size of Arduino ecosystem (it’s so easy for him to find examples), and because he’s not ready to benefit from the BeagleBone’s extra features.
Custom PCBs with microcontrollers aren’t going anywhere, either. Think about the challenges in fitting a RPi or BeagleBone into a case that fits your product, but still provide access to all of the connectors… And, if you don’t need the extra compute power, these little Linux boards still add cost, complexity, size, and power compared to a single chip microcontroller.
I think BeagleBone could use an easy to hack, close to the metal solution such as a straight port of eLua, or a “eLua-JIT” port consisting of the LuaJIT Just-in-Time Lua compiler, libraries similar to eLua’s, resting on the base of StarterWare or maybe SYS/BIOS + StarterWare.
I think the BeagleBone is similar to the PC: frequently used in embedded applications because they provide great price/performance, and rapid development because there’s lots of hardware, software, and documentation available. Similarly, the BeagleBone might cost more than a full custom solution, but for one-off or small volume projects can provide a much quicker solution with its software (Linux, Android, etc) and available capes. (To be fair, the Arduino already provides a similar environment for rapid prototyping).
P.S. – After I wrote all of this, I realized that most of my post also applies to the original BeagleBone — except the Black’s price is 50% lower, and that makes all the difference in the world. Last year, if I had needed a little Linux controller board, I would have seriously considered the RPi over the BeagleBone; now, using the Black is the obvious choice for me.
P.P.S. 11/1/2013 – I’ve done some more updating.
I’ve had a fun time watching CAD pricing gyrations, especially Alibre’s pricing. TI has also varied pricing on Code Composer Studio (CCS) Platinum; most of the time it’s been $3595, it was $995 for a couple months, and it’s been around $2000. All the time the annual maintenance was $600/year.
Now a new node-locked license is $445 and annual maintenance is $99/year. A floating license is $795 with annual renewal at $159/year. TI calls this Promotional Pricing, so the price may go up, but with the drop in the yearly maintenance, I think they’ll keep the prices low.
Deelip and others think pricing too low is bad for CAD. I think there’s a point to this: the CAD (and embedded) market size is only somewhat elastic, and there are significant switching costs, so if you cut prices too much, your market size won’t increase much, but your revenues will go down.
However, TI is in the semiconductor business, not the software business, and the point of CCS is to sell more TI chips. Also, unlike the CAD space, there is significant open source competition (gcc and such). My guess is that TI will, over several years, significantly benefit from this; I suspect a major goal is to increase microcontroller developers’ familiarity with the rest of the TI processor (MCU, MPU, DSP) lineup. For example, my brother is more likely to design in a TI C6000 or OMAP processor after this price cut.
CCS is a great value; it includes the IDE and development tools for all of TI’s processors (MSP430 MCU, C28xx DSP, Stellaris MCU, C5000 DSP, C6000 DSP, TMS570 safety MCU, high-end ARM, etc) and a royalty free run time license for TI’s DSP/BIOS RTOS. Most commercial embedded IDE’s are quite pricey, typically starting at $1000 or more for a single architecture.
There’s always one company has has to different.  Back when Maxtor was independent, they spun their disks backwards from everyone else, and numbered their heads from top to bottom, instead of bottom to top like everyone else does.
Microchip is acting the same. When everyone else, it seems, is using ARM cores for microcontrollers, they picked MIPS cores for the PIC32 micro-controller (MCU) family. Their new IDE, MPLAB-X is based on NetBeans, instead of Eclipse.
I don’t think the MIPS versus ARM core is a big deal; maybe Microchip got a much better deal from MIPS. Switching between ARM MCU vendors isn’t easy because all the peripherals are different. I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s easier to port C code from a PIC24 (16-bit proprietary) to a PIC32 (32-bit MIPS) than from (to take a random example) an Atmel SAM7 to a TI Stellaris MCU simply because the peripherals are much more similar on the PIC MCUs.
On the other hand, I don’t see the advantages of NetBeans over Eclipse. Both are Java-based IDEs. Both are open source. Both are cross-platform. (Note that an IDE based on either one might not be cross-platform, depending on device drivers for emulators and such. TI’s Code Composer Studio V4 (based on Eclipse) only runs on Windows; V5 adds Linux. MPLAB-X has beta downloads for Windows, Linux, and Mac).
NetBeans is primarily known for an excellent GUI builder, which typically isn’t important in embedded development. I don’t know of any other companies using it for embedded development (or non-Java programming). Even in the Java world, it’s been a distant second to Eclipse.
Eclipse has been used for non-Java programming (e.g. the C Development Tools or CDT) and embedded programming for a long time, and has many companies supporting it. So Eclipse should develop a lot faster than NetBeans, and has the advantage of many more plugins. Plus, Eclipse is run by an independent foundation, not by a company (Oracle) that likes to get paid.
Microchip is not very supportive of open source (unlike most ARM MCU companies). On the good side, the PIC32 compiler lite version does not have any code size limitations; instead, Microchip removed optimization support.
Microchip is also a good source of low pin count chips, and is one of the few companies still selling MCUs in easy to prototype plastic DIP packages. For example, you can get a 16-bit dspPIC33F with a CAN controller in 28 pin SOIC, QFN, and DIP packages.
I find Microchip’s mTouch Metal over Capacitor technology interesting: it allows capacitive sensing of metal buttons. | 2019-04-23T12:03:08Z | http://factoryswblog.org/category/embedded/ |
comments:Thank you for letting us stay at your beautiful house for the past week and of course for the initial supply of food and drink. We had a really nice and relaxing time here and would recommend you any time!
comments:Thank you for a lovely stay. We loved the authenticity of the Trullo, located in a beautiful,peaceful spot. The superb welcome pack was much appreciated. Thank you again for being so helpful, especially when we got lost in Cisternino!
comments:This was our third stay (with gaps of several years )and every bit as enjoyable as previous ones. We love this area and the peace and tranquility of the trullo. Many thanks.
comments:My spouse and I recently returned to Trullo San Rocco because we had so loved our stay there in 2011. The trullo's quiet location amid olive groves is idyllic, and it is just a few minutes by car from several ancient and interesting towns. The entire area is picturesque. The owners, who live a few miles away, are responsive, helpful, and pleasantly friendly. We enjoyed our second stay every bit as much as the first, and we hope to return yet again.
comments:We spend one week of our holiday on Trullo San Rocco 11 - 18.07.2015 and it was very nice, the Trullo was very clean and the garden was big, the surounding was quiet so you have total privacy, still not far from nice town Cisternino and just under 20 mins from Ostuni. Good food and warm weather.
comments:We had a lovely holiday in this magical trullo and area. We used the bikes quite a lot and explored. We especially enjoyed sitting under the stunning oak tree eating handfuls of trullo cherries.
comments:Feeling our years we have to pass on the wonderful times we have spent at Trullo San Salvatore. For many seasons now (15!) this has been our holiday destination. A pick me up, a prize, a deserved break..whatever the excuse. Oooh! let's go.. and so we have done just that. Our children and friends have happily come along, when invited! We discovered trullilovely when there was only one trullo to choose from which was this one so we always considered it our house. Very relaxing, very Italian.
comments: We have much enjoyed our stay in this delightful and spacious holiday bolt hole! Thank you so much for the provisions that were left for us and we used them all. The beds were comfortable, the kitchen good and also the bathroom. We much enjoyed the DVDs in the evenings after we trailed home. All in all a great visit to catch some sun and generally unwind.
comments: Truly lovely. Thank you so much for all the food! We had a great week in Puglia.
comments: Dear Trullilovely. Thanks for a lovely stay and a great trulli!
comments: We spent just a week here. Our first visit to Puglia. It could not have been a better choice. A complete break. Work permitting we will be back.
comments: Thank you for everything-again. Our two week holiday here is the year’s highlight…after Christmas of course. The sea and a picnic every day, as promised to the kids, coming back to splash about in our own pool. Bill is even ready to BBQ in the evenings and Martha ate fish for the first time this year and loved it! The trullo is always clean, roomy and cool so we all sleep lots. It is like being reborn I suppose. Sun, sea, good food, smiley people all around.
comments: This was our honeymoon. Just a few days and not long enough to explore all the towns around. We soon learned to get up early to make the most of the day. A market or sea in the morning- or both. Afternoon siesta in the heat of the day and then spruce up and out in the evenings for a walk around and then the difficult choice between a pizza, a restaurant meal, roast meat or just a huge ice cream for supper.
comments: Many thanks for a wonderful time in your lovely trullo. We return in a far more relaxed state.
comments: Thank you for all your kind preparations. Unfortunately Easyjet won’t let us to take back all the pottery we would like. Our suitcases are full! We will be able to add to our collection on a future visit.
comments: Now we are sad to be home in France. We loved all about the trullo, the place and the space. It was a surprise and we come back next summer.
comments: La Difesa hat unsere Erwartungen noch übertroffen. Das mit viel Liebe restaurierte Trullo liegt weit auf dem Land, umgeben von Pinien-, Feigen- und Olivenbäumen. Empfehlenswert für alle, die etwas Individuelles Besonderes mit viel Charme suchen. Amy und Phil sind sehr sympathisch und hilfsbereit. Wir haben uns sehr wohl gefühlt und waren sicherlich nicht zum letzten Mal hier.
comments: Mille grazie! We spent a wonderful week in your sweet trullo! We even got in quite a few beach days. The light there was fantasticand we took advantage of it to paint and draw. Just what we wanted to do on our holiday. We hope to meet again and we will recommend you to friends. Ciao, ciao!
comments: Thank you. We had a lovely time and the weather was great. We visited many places and took loads of photos. My daughter loved St. Anna by the way, the food was really tasty.
comments: We've had a great holiday in San Salvatore.Thanks for all the information you sent and the directions were brilliant. Also many thanks for all the goodies you left which was very thoughtful of you. We shall certainly be coming back. Arrivederci!
comments: Nous avons passé un bon sejour, merci pour les provisions et le vin petillant qui etait excellent! Au plaisir, Arrivederci!
comments: Phil & Amy, thank you for such a lovely holiday. The trullo exceeded our expectations, it was beautiful and so tranquil, and a perfect location to wind down floating in the pool overlooking the pine trees. The well-stocked fridge on arrival was a welcome surprise and we didn't need to shop for a couple of days! We used the bikes a couple of times but really you need a car to get out and appreciate your surroundings. Thanks for all your tips and guidance. Our favourite beach was Lido Bizarro with its friendly cafe, our favourite restaurant definitely Santa Ana's by the station - the food was sublime. We would recommend this holiday experience to everyone!
comments: For people who prefer Polish! Pisze opinie bedac wciaż na miejscu i to już chyba swiadczy o tym, jak wspaniala niespodzianke sprawily nam domki Trullo. Spodziewalismy się, że będzie fajnie, ale mimo to zostaliśmy przyjemnie zaskoczeni. Urocze miejsce, cisza, spokój - doskonała baza wypadowa na całą okolicę półwyspu. Publikowane zdjęcia nie kłamią - jest wspaniale. Co do tego, czy łatwo znaleźć miejsce... no cóż, mam inną opinię niż poprzednicy. Lepiej użyć GPS. albo dzwonic do gospodarzy, znajdą Was i doprowadzą na miejsce. Przed nami jeszcze kilka dni (za mało), ale już dzisiaj polecam.
comments: Had a break here in April and had a lovely time. The weather was varied and not that warm but we were able to eat outside sometimes during the day wearing jumpers. Annette even managed to have a shower outside each morning. We were snug indoors at night with the pellet stove. What we liked best was travelling from the north of England by train to Fasano station (kindly picked up by Phil and Amy very late at night) and spent our time in the area sight seeing on two of their bikes. We rode to the station, chained up the bikes and caught trains to go to places further a field. This was great for our carbon foot print - well relatively - and made us feel less bad about all the travel we do for work. The Italian train service is great and meant we had time to see Milan too. Phil and Amy manage that balance of being helpful and attentive but giving you the privacy and space you want in the middle of 'no where'. We loved the building and were fascinated by the structure.
comments: This was our second visit to the "trullilovely" people, and was even better than the first(which was wonderful!) An ideal spot to unwind after a few months of work/dark skies/cold winds/floods etc. The high standard of comfort, peaceful surrounding countryside, and friendly locals make for a memorable holiday. We hope to return for a third visit in the near future and would ask Amy and Phil to change nothing - it's perfect as it is!
comments: What a fabulous week! Only problem is it wasn't long enough so we will be returning. Trullo San Salvatore gives a real flavour of Italy with its flagstone floors and cool interior and the pool provided refreshment after our explorations. The surrounding area and towns are beautiful and nothing is too far away. A great mix of culture, food, sun and relaxation. I would definitely recommend this holiday.
comments: Its round structures with cone shaped-Trullo Bianco was the place were we had spend our lovely holiday. The thick walls kept us cool throughout the night. Very comfortable inside and spacious outside! We enjoyed the country side of Puglia, exploring its surroundings. Nice and friendly people, sweet fruit and fresh veg kept our family very healthy. Also, enjoyed Pizzeria nearby, which is 5 min drive on the main road. The fresh Italian bread is so delicious that you can eat non-stop. The Adriatic coast has many beaches, we've enjoyed Torre Canne! The owners are charming people who are willing to explain and assist you when necessary. We will recommend Trullilovely to our friends!
Comment:A lovely cool trullo. Shady and breezy in the hottest part of the day yet still sunny places on the large patio for the lizard in the party,with sun loungers to relax in and enjoy the view. Never got too hot at night as the cones kept the place cool. Well equipped (even a hairdrier) and comfortable. Bikes are available. This trullo is secluded and off the beaten track so be prepared to negotiate narrow lanes especially if you arrive at night- but Amy's directions are clear.
Comment: Wij zijn het helemaal eens met de reacties van de ander gasten in het gastenboek.Wij hebben genoten van het slenteren door de mooie dorpjes, door Matera en Lecce en van onze fietstochtjes over de kleine landweggetjes omgeven door stenen muurtjes en de velden vol bloemen. Amy had voor ons 4 mountainbikes geregeld en hiervoor hoefden we niets extra's te betalen. Bij aankomst stond er ook koffie thee brood pasta enz klaar. Trullo Bianco ligt helemaal vrij met een prachtig uitzicht op Valle de Itrea met in de verte Martina Franca. Er is ruimte genoeg voor 6 personen.En niet onbelangrijk: de bedden sliepen heerlijk! Vooral voor mensen uit de grensstreek van Nederland goedkoop vliegen vanuit Koln Bonn met Tui fly. Kortom, doen!!!
We fully agree with the comments of others guests in the guestbook. We enjoyed the stroll through the beautiful villages, Matera and Lecce and our biking on the small country roads surrounded by stone walls and fields full of flowers. Amy provided 4 mountain bikes and we this was with nothing extra to pay. Upon arrival there was also coffee tea bread pasta etc. in the house. Trullo Bianco is completely secluded with a magnificent view of the Valle Itrea with Martina Franca in the distance. There is room enough for 6 people. And very important: we slept really well in those beds! Especially for people from the border of the Netherlands cheap flights from Koln Bonn with Tui fly. Summing it up, do it!
Travelling party: Family and friends.
Comment: Na Engels, Frans en Duits in het gastenboek nu een beetje Nederlands. We hebben daar een fantastische week beleefd. Niet te warm geen last van muggen! Zalig ontspannen,mooie dorpjes lekker eten echt een aanrader. De trulli was heel gezellig, klein badkamertje maar als je op vakantie bent heb je tijd genoeg! We hadden ook een beetje bang dat het moeilijk te vinden was, maar met de uitleg van Amy en Phil was het makkelijk om er te geraken. Je hebt natuurlijk wel een auto nodig.Een echte aanrader gewoon doen!!! Alhoewel onze Trulli leuk en misschien meer zoals vroeger was, hebben we ook Trullo La Difesa gezien. Die was magnefiek mooi, zeer ruim en ze liggen tegen elkaar(zonder hinder te hebben van mekaar) dus ideaal voor twee familie's. Het grote voordeel is ook wel dat de eigenaars Engels spreken.
After English, French and German language in this guestbook we now start with Dutch lesson number 1. We had a marvelous week, not to warm and no mosquito's! Wonderful relaxing, beautiful villages and fine food, it's recommendable. The trullo was quite enjoyable, a small bathroom but when you are on holiday one has time enough. We were a bit scared about finding our way to the trullo but with the explanation of Amy and Phil it was rather easy to get there. You need a car, of course. Really recommendable, just do it. Although our trullo was authentic, just like in the old days, we also had the opportunity to visit Trullo La Difensa. This one, adjacent to Trullo San Salvatore (without any inconvenience for one's privacy), is really marvelous and quite big. The great advantage is that the owners are in the vicinity and speak English.
Comment: Nous avons passé des vacances très agréables dans ce trullo spacieux et joliment rénové!
L'environnement est calme, complanté d'oliviers, non loin du charmant village de Cisternino qui mérite la visite.
Les propriétaires n'habitent pas très loin du trullo et sont très sympathiques !
La proximité de sites exceptionnels comme Ostuni, Alberobello, Lecce et des plages de sables nous ont permis de passer des vacances farniente et culturelles, en limitant les déplacements.
Nous recommanderons ce trullo sans hésitation à des amis qui souhaiteraient passer des vacances dans les pouilles.
Comment: Wow!! It was hot! So take plenty of suncream! The trulli is fabulous. Everything you need is there and we adored the outside shower after hours spent on the beaches. Loads to do and places to explore nearby. Wished we'd had longer though. Great location, we loved being able to retreat back into the country in the evenings to escape. Overall we all had a wonderful time.
Travelling party: Family and friend.
Comment: Hi! We had a great time exploring this part of Italy. The week went too fast and we will be back to see the rest. We loved the walks both in the country and in the towns. All in all we feel refreshed and enriched. To be continued....Thanks so much.
Comment: Friends had recommended this place as the ideal honeymoon spot and when we saw the pictures on the site we went for it! This was a special time for us and the wedding itself had been so stressful that it was just great to be on our own and be in our own 'house' at San Salvatore where we immediately felt looked after and able to relax. We think we couldn't have chosen better than this.
Comment: We have come here every year now for five years and think that that is a recommendation in itself!
Comment: We loved the trullis and had a wonderful holiday in October. I can't believe it was already over a a month ago. Everything worked out perfectly and we all had a wonderful time together. The trullis were pefect and together made the ideal place to stay - we definately benefited from having 2 different places! The area was lovely - peaceful, relaxing, sunny and plenty to keep us busy. And the restaurants locally were fantastic. We particularly liked La Stazione on the way into Cisternino - a bit pricey perhaps but delicious food. So we all left with great memories and hope to return one day. Thanks again for all your help with information, wine and being at the end of an email to help out with my questions.
Comment: J’en profite pour vous dire que nous avons fort apprécié le séjour dans votre logement, c’était très agréable.
Comment: Very peaceful spot and lots to see and do close by. The trullo was always nice and cool inside, which made a change from our house in the heatwave in England!
Comment: Perfect! Enjoyed the BBQs in the evenings, the peace and quiet, reading and, when we could be bothered, making forays into the village and to the towns to stock up with more delicious food. Unbelievable fruit and veg markets and bought too many shoes- of course. The trullo was in a good location with lovely views as well as being well equipped for the cooks. Comfortable and relaxing.
Comment: Our first sight of the trulli was breathtaking.It was perfect.The surrounding countryside was beautiful and so peaceful.We had a fantastic relaxing holiday and fell in love with the trulli and area. We will definitely go back for another holiday if not to buy our own property. Beware take plenty of suncream for during the day and insect repellent for evenings.To experience a little slice of real italy visit Cisternino at night.And for great food in Sisto.
Comment: We love Puglia but it was the first time we booked everything ourselves. So easy and it worked out really well. The house was great, bigger and more spacious than any other trullo we had stayed in before. The beaches were just beginning to get crowded when we left so we went back relaxed and suntanned. We saved so much money doing the trip this way that we went out a lot to eat and the kids loved that.
Comment: It may have taken 7 months to send this message but we had a wonderful time and have highly recommended trulli holidays at every opportunity since we visited!
Comment: One of our main worries was not being able to find the place but the instructions were clear and it was a real pleasure to be able to get there, let ourselves in and explore without having to involve anyone else! We had a good and lazy time, pottering at home and visiting the towns around. People were friendly and even though they didn’t seem to understand English we got by with some French and gesturing! One day we will be back as a week was not really long enough to do everything we wanted to.
Comment: Had a really good holiday! The house was welcoming (food in the fridge at arrival!!) and the place was great. Hope to be back soon... maybe even this summer.
Comment: Thankyou for making our stay most comfortable, we have thoroughly enjoyed our time in Puglia.
We are off to Lecce for 2 days then home.
Comment: Enjoyed our stay in your lovely trulli.
Sorry we kept missing you - would have liked a chat.
Comment: Time for us to go-alas- we’ve had a super two weeks- many thanks for your hospitality. The trullo is a gorgeous holiday residence and we’ve thoroughly enjoyed exploring the locality. Hope the rest of the season goes well for you and -once again- a big thankyou!
Comment: Thank-you for lovely stay in trullo. It was charming!! Have tried to tidy up a bit. Hope everything ok.
Comment: Thank you very much - we had a lovely holiday. Thanks for letting us have the extra day. Enjoy the balloons!
Comment: Thank you for the use of the lovely trulli. We have enjoyed our stay immensely. We've cleaned up as best we can, hope it's ok. Sorry about the drinking glass! We hope to see you again one day and will recommend Cisternino to our frinds.
Comment: Hope all is ok.
Unfortunately, whilst frantic packing was taking place Sasha took the opportunity to graffiti the bed spread in Ollies room.
She used a fully washable kids felt tip pen so it should come out in the wash.
However if it doesn't please let us know.
We have had 2 fantastic weeks and cannot wait to come back.
The trulli are lovely and very comfortable.
Comment: Thankyou for the opportunity to stay in your lovely trullo.
We have had a great week (weather notwithstanding). Hope you like the flowers.
Comment: Thankyou for the note the other day. I regret not meeting as have enjoyed touring the area and staying in the trullo which was well stocked and welcoming.
Hopefully we shall come again next year. Kind regards and thanks again.
Comment: Thankyou very much. We enjoyed our stay here, a lot.
We will be recommending this place to all our friends! Kind regards.
Comment: We've had a lovely week and your trullo is really nice.
Had to light the fire at night - you were right! Many thanks. | 2019-04-25T07:19:22Z | http://www.trullilovely.com/guests.html |
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When you are capable search for an incredible, depended on, and sound association as you can depend upon it is breathtaking. You will positively be unquestionably helped by endeavoring to spare various dollars in your Maid Patrol services in these furious monetary situations. In the event that you by and by have gotten over monetary security, or are surviving, you perceive that rationing a little together with your cleaning could help. At this moment, while checking this article, a lot of you must ponder intends to acquire it done. All things considered, in the event that you ought to comprehend various things that your family unit together with you could perform in leap forward, you can help your cleaning woman a little and make use and in doing this guide additional income to be spared independent from anyone else. To start with, ensure that you do not have any material on the ground, stacked at home, or together with tables.
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Cars for sale in Cape Town – Is it best to get new one?
Utilized Lorries readily available by owners are truly attracting prospected clients due to the idea that the system is appropriately cared for by the proprietor; and additionally they can get authentic bargain if they directly acquire it from the owner contrasted to the ones already being offered by pre-owned car dealers. Nevertheless, such concept is regularly wrong because there are a number of factors to consider you need to take when purchasing cars offered offer for sale by proprietor. Amongst them is the hassle on your element on doing all the paper advantages data required to make the sale lawful; such as the sale agreement, tax obligations entailed, and also insurance coverage documents, and additionally a great deal a lot more relying on the certain demands of your State?
In the majority of situations you will certainly obtain the previously owned automobile on ‘as is’ problem; or what you see is what you obtain. To place it, if the car has scrapes and also damages or problems, you will certainly require to do the choosing your very own and that would definitely be added cost on your part. Additionally, you will absolutely not delight in the similar warm consumer treatment and also service warranty that made use of auto vendor’s offer. Commonly if you do not recognize the real market price for that gadget in your information area; you wind up obtaining that we market autos by owner at greater rates than those provided at used-car car dealerships in your area. One great concept concerning obtaining them at vendors is that numerous autos used for-sale at utilized care providers are generally refurbished and also completely examined to make them in magnum opus problem.
This might include up to its selling cost; but the price is very minimal contrasted to doing the reconditioning yourself at your neighborhood automobile store. Subsequently, cars for sale in Cape Town you plan to obtain an utilized automobile for your individual usage, be reluctant on acquiring them right from owners; unless you directly understand the proprietor of the secondhand vehicle because he will definitely most likely deal you good price cut prices and likewise other benefits ahead along with your acquisition. Or else, it is still best to acquire your need vehicle from used-car distributors which is simpler on you component; and also occasionally a lot more economical contrasted to vehicles and trucks available for sale by proprietor.
It is an amazing profession for several as it supplies numerous advantages. Currently any type of specialist can make his customized solutions to a freelance job from anywhere as well as anytime.
Freedom of selection as well as timings- Freelancing permits an expert to dedicate as much time he wishes to place in to certain job designated. Freelancing methods versatility as it makes it possible for a specialist to function anytime, anywhere according to his selection and also timetable. A consultant can maintain complete control over the option of tasks, timelines, turning points and also rate he wishes to price quote on the task.
Price efficiency- Freelancers normally function from residence, therefore the everyday expenditures are immediately reduced and visit homepage. He can conserve loan on travelling expenditures, taking a trip time, fuel costs and so on. Likewise a consultant can likewise reduce on various expenditures fresh garments, gowns and also various other expenditures he may encounter at the time of functioning as a full-time staff member.
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What are the importance of due diligence?
Due diligence is the term that is used to describe the difference between the business success and its disaster. This process includes the evaluation of any business contract from all the aspect before buying. Not particularly business, it is the check of every point within a contract before signing or accepting. This is not general investigation process. It has specific facts that are based in the various situations. This uncovers the liabilities and financial matters. With this investigation, you can cover all the hidden facts. This includes both the buyer and principal account and lawyer to analyze every due diligence check china.
Based on these checklists, all the processing made. This check will help you gain a property without risk factors. Thus most of the companies will have the due diligence as the mandatory concept in every contract signing.
The Real Estate Business has driven forward through a colossal setback in this ludicrous economy. There has never been a progressively fundamental time to accomplish whatever number potential purchasers for as fiscally as could be typical in light of the present circumstance. The Internet can give a really indispensable much expected lift to arrive affiliations intending to grow their client care. Adjoining web crawlers, for example, Bing are giving purchasers the focal points they have to discover what they require locally. Online media can in like way give better approaches for appearing at potential purchasers. An effect of virtual visits has been clearing the Internet endeavoring to bring a home open to be purchased visit direct into the accepting territories of clients.
Re-appropriating is an ideal reaction for the present had arrived fit. An Internet organized abroad rep can make and keep up web closeness principal for the most associates conceivable with your objective promote. The Real Estate Businesses beginning at now nickel and dimed to death, so the most presentations for insignificant extent of cash have a fundamental impact in whether your business will endure. For as desolate as 5.00 every hour, you can have fit quality delineation of your web nearness, find and change over leads and keep your business crisp in the brains of near to buyers.
You survey in the past when the Sunday morning voyage through homes would air on the territory TV station. It was an eminent method to see every single one of the civilities of homes available to be obtained in the zone. The Internet would now have the ability to exhibit virtual home visits that a buyer can watch at whatever point on a real estate. Web showing can help get this website page to a passable inquiry thing position that can open the kn paradise to a colossal number of potential purchasers. The Internet is changing the manner by which we collaborate dependably. Reliably another instrument is made that can normally change how we find new business. The 21st century will be a stimulating time for relationship of different sorts as we increment ability and the purchaser encounter. Discover progressively about how re-appropriating the flood unbounded for progressing is.
Skim for the toned collection professional if you are thinking about townhomes rapidly reachable. Try to find out a boost that is equipped about level suite personal or organization home compared to continue to keep and co-proprietorship possible effects. Accreditation it can be some personal you might rely depicts the property trade program which met approximately achieve 2008, impacting on all individual or company house purchases inside of the locale of Ontario of Singapore. Checking are noteworthiness concerning dollars connected dedication subsequent fundamentally pull off satisfy the fitting user together with break a strategy in spite of the way procuring loft suites within Singapore.
A house, having to pay small heed to whether 1 Singapore of or higher Singapore of square feet, all-in one degree suggests no actions to ascend, that could not really contemplated a problem towards the ordinary 65-year old today, at any price twenty years from presently, a residence complimentary from methods is a accurate light blue gift item. Take into consideration your specific lift up for your dwelling plan of action, walk all around worried no ifs ands or buts the commencing point what’s much more go in. Also, moreover, townhomes are upkeep totally free. In the away from chance that you simply comprehend the changing from the months in spite of Ontario, you will probably hold the decrease beginning at now. At whatever position you shift decreasing may be a challenge, especially if you are Fourth Avenue residences offered has varied square feet. In any case, you do not should reduce your daily life period in at any amount. The available entranceway you are going to without a doubt reverence getting maintenance free of charge loft collection is countless.
Just safe the passageway and also fourth avenue residences floor plan forward in an entirely risk free atmosphere. Your loft collection passed on for your personal process for lifestyle might have all of the prospering and security suggests you may completely call for fourth avenue residences. Growth included side rails in the shower room, in spaces, better firm car seats and in addition from oversees, hot shoes – plot entryway controls. Absolutely, shows for peacefulness which prospering and safety of human brain of older subject matter can be taken in to a form of building Fourth Avenue Residences.
For a number of us, our home is our ideal investment, which is why we put in so much effort and resources into making it livable and charming. Anything that might harm it literally and in other kinds is anathema, consisting of those insect and animal bugs that attack our house and for that reasons our safety and wellness. Count among these rats and computer mice, wood borers, termites, spiders, and house lizards. About the last 2, it may be debatable whether they profit us or otherwise, but for termites, they are one of the most insidious destroyers of your home. Termite pest control experts and termite control experts advise termite-proofing your house as commonly as possible.
Termite-proofing a residence is not very challenging as termites are basically predictable in their means: they consume timber and therefore may be discovered in woody components of your home in addition to those with a lot of paper or cardboard. Blog posts, studs, wall surfaces, ceilings, roof structures, floors, cabinets, window sills, book cases and storage space containers ¡ ¬ nearly anything of wood or paper and typically not moved usually, they infest if they can. Because they develop their nests underground and construct flows where they can move back and forth openly, it is simple to control them. Simply reduce their paths and avoid their repair and those over the cut will certainly very soon die.
Several houses when constructed have had their dirt structures poisoned to prevent termite problem. In time, nonetheless, the impact of the toxin may have waned that they had the ability to press through the infected layer. It is as a result suggested to analyze your messages and other home parts that touch the dirt to see if termites have made them their highways. Touch the articles and studs with a hammer and listen for a hollow noise. You can additionally listen making use of good stethoscopes due to the fact that termites make pale fast clicking noise when relocating, and specifically when gnawing timber or paper. Do the very same for various other wood house components.
You might likewise search for infestation indicators such as dirt-clad tubes either black or brownish. If winged ants swarm around resources of light like streetlights or in your house, or there are insect wings caught in webs or crawler internet, termite infestation may exist. Decaying lumber or timber, heaps of paper or cardboard, and book or publication shelves rate termite problem locations, so evaluate them meticulously for signs anti rayap jakarta. Eliminate them at the tiniest sign and attempt to uncover where the parasites came through for control objectives.
Starting your own business requires consideration, time, resources, and knowledge. It is imperative that you consider an exceptional advantage and a greater attention to detail, this includes when you are selecting partnerships with retailers, which you will need. For the best practices and success, a huge consideration should always be put on the quality of your goods and/or the service where you perform. All elements of your company should be considered. This includes your printing and packaging requirements. For example; if you are an online company that mostly sends products to your clients’ via postal mail, you will be short changing yourself if you do not use your packaging as a chance to make a fantastic impression. Another notable consideration is that your packages should reflect your unique brand. Besides your site, the package might be the first thing your customers will see. Why not make it a great first impression, and one which advertises your company’s brand? In any event, your clients will create an opinion of your company based on what they see. Therefore, stand out, promote your brand, and remember the small things matter.
Say your assembly with an investor face-to-face. You will most likely attend this meeting dressed to impress wood branding. The same rule normally applies when a person attends a job interview. After all, a significant part of the professional business world is dressing for the part you need. For a company owner, you also need to dress the part, which includes your packaging. Steel rule die making offers many customized packaging and product options for today’s business world. A number of industries like automotive, health, electronics, packaging, and print, all use this kind of die making. It plays a significant part in the achievement of business, and should also be a valuable part of yours.
The production of steel rule die cut requires creativity, attention to detail, and quality die making equipment. The die is generally a sturdy piece of plywood derived from quality hardwoods like maple. This kind of die cutting is a fast and effective method used to cut sheet materials such as cardboard boxes, package materials, custom die cut gaskets, rubber and plastics. There are multiple ways for the Manufacturer to build steel rule die, but the objective remains the same. The process of earning steel rule dies begins with the plan. After the steel rule manufacturer gets the specs from you a customized prototype is illustrated, called a CAD drawing. When working with a steel rule manufacturer, it is ideal to examine the die design after the expiresillustration. This will ensure the final design reflects your requirements. | 2019-04-21T07:10:52Z | http://www.infochamba.com/category/business |
Brocade knew little about the packs that surrounded them. He had learned a few things from the mottled girl that lived in Mistfell Veil, and the red-haired woman he had met at the Tavern down south – but as a soldier he felt best when protecting The Kingdom. He scouted as often as he could, patrolling and ensuring that the scent markers were in place. Salsola was a secretive place, and one did not boast its name when out in the Neutral Territories – but the man still felt proud of where he came from.
Sapient was quiet – a pack that he had heard nothing about during its affluent time. Now it seemed a hollow thing, quiet in the absence of its people.
Brocade opened his mouth to ask something of Kamari, but instead clamped it firmly closed as voices tinkled through the gaping doorway. Immediately the broad secui man crouched, moving into the shadows that would keep him just out of sight as the two figured appeared. There was a silver woman and jackal – each quietly making their way down the steps as they chatted with one another, oblivious to the Salsolans presence.
The Vedetto glanced at Kamari and allowed his eyes to widen slightly as they spoke, and he mouthed, ’Disbanded?’ before focusing on the names that the woman spoke to her nervous comrade.
They stood on the steps for what felt like an eternity until finally continuing on their way – their voices slowly fading into nothing. Brocade gestured with his head and the pair crept their way towards the back of the building – their ears fanning madly in case there were other Sapiens still milling about the large building. Brocade picked his way through rubble until finally sliding behind an overgrown bush that gave way to an open window.
He panted, glancing at Kamari with a raised brow.
Here it would be safe to whisper.
Sounds like fun to me! Feel free to PP a random Sapien walking by (if you want!) before Kamari eventually coming back out from somewhere and letting him in through one of the side entrances!
It seemed Brocade was just as taken back by the unexpected news as she was. Of all things for them to come across, a pack in the midst of disbandment was not something Kamari had expected to come of their search beyond the Kingdom’s borders for Etoile. They waited in stealthy silence as the two Sapiens moved on, continuing to converse with one another about the pack’s current state of affairs and the dark one’s journey that was to start the following morning. Despite their departure from the immediate area, Kamari remained alert for any more that might be lurking about. It was clear that the two Shield Apprentices had wandered deep into once-claimed territory.
With a gesture from Brocade, the pair were on the move once more. They slunk towards the building, keeping to the shadows as they went. Their pace was ever alternating, between slow, careful steps when one or the other suspected enemy movement, to quick movements when crossing over unprotected terrain. Eventually, they took cover in a large bush beneath a conveniently open window on the lower floor. Kamari peaked from beneath the bush for any roving Sapiens, her small size allowing her to slip beneath the thick, mazework of limbs of the plant.
“Seems like they’re in the process of it,” she whispered to him, backing out from where she had crawled. She shook out her fur of the feeling of the bush’s twigs grabbing at her flesh. Cornflower blue eyes glanced up at the open window, “If they were here at this hour, there may be more within.” If it was anything like the Clan’s Mansion, there was a large likelihood that some might have taken up residence within the building. And like the two they had seen earlier, there may have been a few others still lingering about.
She smirked in the darkness to the Valentine’s suggestion. “That and news of this pack’s disbandment might please her.” She knew O’Riley would have wanted to learn of such information. Elphaba, she thought, might be more interested in a pretty trinket or other valuable to add to her collection of things.
Brocade couldn’t help the smile that crept along his lips at the mention of Elphaba, though he hid it with a well positioned hand. ”All information pleases The Boss –“ He dipped his head, ”Though The Erilaz will be pleased I should think.” They were scouts, keepers of information… and though this had started as an expedition to located his lost beloved it had somehow become a treasure trove of information.
With a cracking sound he launched into a shift, buckling over amongst the leaves as his bones twisted and changed. There was something beautiful about the transition between forms and when he was done he shook out his pelt, ignoring the singing pain that rang along his scarred shoulder. He used his hands to wipe at his face, tugging his hair back into a knot that kept it out of his face.
When he was done he rolled his shoulders and glanced at the smaller jackal.
The beast crouched and allowed her to step into his hands, where he lifted her to the open window. For a moment she teetered there silently as they both listened for the creaking that would mean another body – but there was nothing but the whistle of wind and rustling leaves. Her nails clicked on the ledge, and a moment later she was gone – disappeared into the shadows of the once busy Estate.
Brocade stayed crouched for some time, his larger form less easily hidden – but he was careful as he picked his way along the edges of the building. He tested the set of his feet as he went, the gold-coin of his eyes hard and at attention.
Brocade slipped away before he could be seen, casting one last look over his shoulder as the pair disappeared from view.
When he came to a side doorway he waited pressed against the stone, his hands twitching at his sides. The sound of another approach had him crouching, and he hissed softly through his teeth as the door swung inward to reveal The Emissary, her lips pulled back into a smug grin.
”What took you so long?” He smiled and resisted the urge to pat her head. He wasn’t sure if his hand would survive the action.
They tiptoed down the hall, and he peeked into empty door way after empty door way.
Up to you where they go/what they steal/if they split up or stay together! Sapient probably had a lot of booze left in the bar lounge? They could also steal something fancy from storage or something left behind in a personal room? Maybe a project-in-progress from the communal workshop? Kamari will probably scope out the library and take a book or journal since some of the Luperci-written would contain Metier/AoS-related stuff, pack history journals, etc.
She nodded, amused that she and Brocade seemed to have thought along the same lines regarding their leaders and how they’d take the information that they were to bring back. He began to shift then, and Kamari went back to peaking out through the bushes that they’d hidden behind. Brocade would be vulnerable while he was shifting, and if one of these Sapiens happened to find their hiding spot while he was mid-shift, it could have been disastrous for the Valentine.
It didn’t take him long, and she pulled back from her look out position so that they could continue on with their ever-changing mission. He held out his large hands for her to step into, and she did so as steadily as she could in her Lupus form. With his hoist, she managed to leap onto the open windowsill, and, after making a cursory glance around the dark room that it was connected to, Kamari slipped inside. She turned back around, placing her forepaws on the windowsill so that she could look down at Brocade on the other side. She whispered, “I’ll try to see if I can open that door around the side.” She gestured with her snout before disappearing back into the Estate.
Kamari trusted that Brocade would be able to hold his own until she found a way for him to get in quietly. He was large and knew how to fight, and if his placement on O’Riley and Elpbaba’s infiltration team during the last stretch of the war had meant anything, he could handle himself just fine. If the words of the silver woman had been true, the pack was in a state of disbandment anyways, so, it was unlikely that they’d be as battle-ready for a fight in the dark of the night.
The jackal hybrid peered around the room, taking a few inquisitive sniffs as her eyes carefully scrutinized the dark shadows within. It looked to be a kitchen. Still-drying herbs hung from hooks on the ceiling and along the mantel of the fireplace, and various pots and pans were strewn about on the shelves and countertops. It seemed as if someone was in the midst of picking through them, perhaps to decide which they wanted to take or leave behind for another. As she moved about the room, she could smell food still stowed away in some of the cabinets. Upon one of the countertops, she spotted a rusted knife, which she took carefully by the handle between her jaws.
Having traveled there in their Lupus forms, both Shield Apprentices were without any weaponry.
Silently, Kamari crept towards one of the open doors and peered out into the large, open room beyond it. There were two large staircases that led to a second floor and many other hallways that branched off from the area from the looks of it. Slowly, she moved further out into the room, being sure to keep her ears pricked and eyes searching for any signs of a Luperci milling about.
The room, she guessed, was the entrance area of the Estate. There were doors that—according to logic and the fact that they laid on the same wall as the window that she had snuck in through—lead out to the front of the building; likely the very same ones that the silver wolfdog and dark jackal had come out through. Taking advantage of the silence and her small figure in her Lupus form, Kamari decided to make a quick sweep of the lower floor. After all, what good would it be to break Brocade into the Estate if it was teeming with awake Sapiens still within it?
She stalked around the edges of the main hall, sending a scrutinizing gaze down its dark hallways. The whole place—obviously—still stunk of Sapient and its members, though, there were a lot of scents that were duller, a good indication that the place was, perhaps, not as teeming with life as it had once been. Kamari eventually made her way back around towards the side that the kitchen was on, and, through spatial orientation, was able to deduce where the side door she had seen and told Brocade that she would meet him at would be.
The hallway led past quite a few rooms, though, thankfully, many seemed to have either been vacated, were not in use, or the previous tenant was not there. Kamari arrived at a stairwell, and hid in the darkness that lied beneath it to shift into her Optime form. When she was finished, she rolled the fingers of one of her hands before picking up the knife she had procured and making her way over to the door.
At the mention of more Sapiens, her brows knitted together in mild concern. Though she had not found any in her search, it still seemed that Sapient was still quite active in the area. They would need to be on their guard in case any should return during their raid of the Estate that night.
She turned and the pair of them made a more thorough look through the rooms as they moved down the hallway. “I didn’t find anybody downstairs,” she confirmed to his observation. “There’s a library up behind the main staircases up ahead, and some open shop-like room further down that hallway. There may be more stuff upstairs, but, we’d have to be careful.” It wouldn’t be so easy to duck out a window or escape outside from the second story.
The emptiness of the vast Estate was eery to the soldier. It was evident that this was a place where at one time many luperci had co-existed and called this place home. There were rooms with discarded furs, crooked paintings that lay on crooked walls. He chuffed softly, laughing at the rusty blade that Kamari held in her hand. ”Well done Emissary.“ Considering they had both come upon the empty building unarmed it was a welcome addition to their scouting party – and would come in handy should they encounter anyone wandering the empty halls.
They moved methodically, the shorter jackal checking blind corners and Brocade peeking through banisters that marked their path through the Estate.
”I wonder how long they lived here.” He whispered, stepping into a large room that was bordered in bookshelves. There were broken pieces of furniture, drawers pulled open and long forgotten. He stood for a moment in the centre of it all, breathing deeply the musty scent of a room that had lain still too long. Motes of dust danced between his fingers, and as he slowly crept toward the rows of sagging books he clicked his teeth.
Brocade collected a leather bag that lay strewn across the back of a chair and slung it over his shoulder. He tried to avoid the creaks in the floor and winced as he stepped on a board that groaned under his weight. He cursed softly, and adjusted himself – but found his eyes drawn towards a large cabinet which lay out of the way. There was a piece of canvas cast across its top, the edges of it carved with what had once been ornate vines and flowers.
One of the doors hung askew, and Brocade pushed it open with a careful hand.
Inside were bottles of booze, dusty green and blue pushed together into a dark corner. He tapped a cork with a long claw and chortled to himself, pulling two of the largest bottles and carefully wrapping them in canvas so they would not jostle together against his hip. He attempted to read the titles of the moldy books, but there was nothing he could understand.
He went back to the hallway and skulked to another room. There were shiny baubles and stacks upon stacks of notebooks.
They came together again at the base of a stairway, and Brocade smiled down at the Emissary.
“Probably for quite some time,” she guessed, judging by the amount of repairs they had passed, places where something had sat for a long time before it had been removed, and from the various items still left in the kitchen from which she had come in through. There were things still present in the Estate that hinted at an accumulated growth of goods over something that would have been more than a mere year’s time living within it.
The intruders continued their careful browsing, ever mindful of their surroundings as they trekked through unknown territory. At one point, they split from one another, the Sapienza drawn by in by the library with its many bookshelves. She wondered if the humanized pack had anything like what was rumored to be in the Kingdom’s guarded stores, if they held any relevance that might be of use to Salsola. She quietly perused the many shelves, the books seeming to have been kept in some form of order by a meticulous individual or individuals.
There were quite a few that were beyond her short reach, and there were others that looked to be only kept in the hope that someone might be able to somehow repair them in their dilapidated state. Mold grew in a few places where moisture seemed to frequent, and a few books that Kamari plucked from their orderly number were greatly missing in their pages. On a desk, there were some that appeared to be in a state of being transcribed, books of old that were in the midst of being re-written by Luperci means. It was a marvel to look at, as it was very clear that the pack had a few that cared for its wealth of information.
It was a sight that Kamari was sure the Paladin, Idrieus, would have appreciated.
She continued to look about, her cornflower blue eyes ever searching for books, pages, or journals that might benefit the Kingdom’s knowledge. It took a bit of looking, but, eventually, the Shield Apprentice was able to find a few notable items to take with her; a journal with horrible scrawling, but appeared to be about fighting techniques, another that read about Sapient’s history, a third notated about plants and their medicinal properties, and the last had information on trade in both the area and to and from Portland.
Being of Luperci-make, they were of better condition than the human-written ones, and were fuller and more valuable than some of the other Luperci-written notebooks that were on the same shelf. The journals themselves were relatively light and small—a few looking to only be partially finished or incomplete—which would make taking them back to the Kingdom a relatively easy feat. Kamari gathered her finds within a forgotten blanket of sorts that had been left on the back of an arm chair, tying her pilfered journals into a makeshift shoulder bag.
Kamari headed back out into the main hall, spying Brocade standing before one of the main staircases. She skittered over to him, her eyes roving the upper crossways to ensure that they were still alone and undetected. “A few books that will be of better use for the Kingdom than they will be rotting here,” she answered with a smirk.
She eyed his newly acquired bag and returned the inquiry. Both satisfied with their haul, they escaped the same way they had come into the Estate, skirting the shadows of the world beyond as they made their way back to the safety of the Kingdom; the search for the missing Etoile temporarily forgotten from their minds. | 2019-04-22T04:13:20Z | https://soulsrpg.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=39436&p=310602 |
This notification is triggered on failure of a subscriber trace activation.
This object indicates the total number of PDPs deleted in GGSN without waiting for a delete context response from the SGSN.
This object indicates the total number of PDPs deleted in GGSN without sending a delete request to the SGSN.
This object indicates the total number of GGSN initiated update PDP context requests sent to SGSN.
This object represents the total number of update PDP context responses received from the SGSN for the GGSN initiated update requests.
This object indicates the total number of Change of Authorization (COA) messages received at GGSN.
This object indicates the total number of COA messges dropped at GGSN.
This object indicates the total number of COA initiated update PDP requests for QOS change sent from GGSN.
This object indicates the number of error indication messages sent from GGSN. Trigger condition: A error indication message will be sent from GGSN when a data packet is received for a non-existent PDP context.
This object indicates the number of error indication messages received on GGSN.
This object indicates the number of times Direct tunnel is enabled for the PDP contexts in GGSN.
This object indicates the total number of error indications received for Direct Tunnel PDP contexts from the RNC.
This object indicates the total number of Direct tunnel PDP contexts deleted due to update response failure. Trigger condition: If the GGSN initiated update request is triggered by the error indication from RNC and the response is received with cause value other than 'request accepted' then the PDP is deleted locally in GGSN.
This table contains the global GTP throughput statistics on this GGSN for a configurable duration set in cGgsnThruputIntervalOne and cGgsnThruputIntervalTwo. Once the cGgsnThruputIntervalOne is set to some valid value, the data throughput collections gets started. The data throughput collection is updated periodically for each expiry of configured throughput interval to the corresponding objects in the cGgsnThruputStatsTable. cGgsnThruputIntervalTwo is just an option for a second throughput collection for a different throughput interval time.
Creation of row(s) will happen when there is a valid value set to cGgsnThruputIntervalOne or cGgsnThruputIntervalTwo. Deletion of row(s) will happen when the throughput intervals (cGgsnThruputIntervalOne, cGgsnThruputIntervalTwo) are unset.
This object indicates the time interval at which the statistics are sampled. The objects cGgsnThruputIntervalOne and cGgsnThruputIntervalTwo in the CISCO-GGSN-MIB represent the configuration values of the intervals.
This object indicates the delta value between the time when this data is collected and the time it is been retrieved. It means the time elapsed after the previous collection/updation of the data.
This object indicates the total number of upstream traffic bytes sent in the last sampling period specified by cGgsnExtThruputInterval.
This object indicates the total number of downstream traffic bytes sent in the last sampling period specified by cGgsnExtThruputInterval.
This object indicates the number of upstream packets sent in the last sampling period specified by cGgsnExtThruputInterval.
This object indicates the number of downstream packets sent in the last sampling period specified by cGgsnExtThruputInterval.
This object indicates the total number of PDP non-existent messages sent from the GGSN.
This table contains the global call rate statistics on this GGSN for a cindicatesonfigurable duration set in cGgsnExtCallRateInterval. When the cGgsnExtCallRateInterval is set to some valid value, the call rate data collections gets started. The call rate data is updated periodically for each expiry of the configured call rate interval to the corresponding objects in the cGgsnExtCallRateStatsTable.
An entry(conceptual row) in the 'cGgsnExtCallRateStatsTable'. There will always be a single entry in this table. The entry represents set of global call rate statistics at a given instance of time. The agent creates an entry in this table when there is a valid value set to cGgsnExtCallRateInterval. The agent destroys an entry in this table when the call rate interval cGgsnExtCallRateInterval is unset.
This object indicates the time interval at which the statistics are sampled. The object cGgsnExtCallRateInterval represents the configuration value of the interval.
This object indicates the time elapsed (in minutes) from the time when this data is collected and the time it is been retrieved.
This object indicates the number of PDP contexts created in the last sampling period specified by cGgsnExtCallRateInterval.
This object indicates the number of PDP contexts deleted in the last sampling period specified by cGgsnExtCallRateInterval.
This table contains the historical call rate statistics on this GGSN for a configurable duration set in cGgsnExtCallRateInterval.
An entry (conceptual row) in the 'cGgsnExtHistCallRateStatsTable'. Each entry represents a set of historical call rate statistics sampled at different instance of time. The agent creates an entry in to this table at the end of each interval set in cGgsnExtCallRateInterval and the existing entry in the cGgsnExtCallRateStatsTable will be inserted into the history table and the cGgsnExtCallRateStatsTable will be updated with new values. The agent deletes an entry from the table when the call rate history limit indicated by the object cGgsnExtCallRateHistory is reached. The oldest entries will be removed when the limit is reached.
This object indicates an arbitrary index number which uniquely identifies a history call rate entry in this table.
This object indicates the time interval for which the statistics are sampled.
This object represents the time at which this data was collected.
This object indicates the historical number of PDP contexts created in a specific sampling period specified by cGgsnExtCallRateInterval.
This object indicates the historical number of PDP contexts deleted in a specific sampling period specified by cGgsnExtCallRateInterval.
This table contains the historical GTP throughput statistics on this GGSN for a configurable duration set in cGgsnThruputIntervalOne and cGgsnThruputIntervalTwo.
An entry (conceptual row) in the 'cGgsnExtHistThruputStatsTable'. Each entry represents a a set of historical throughput statistics sampled at different instance of time. The agent creates an entry into this table at the end of each interval set in cGgsnThruputIntervalOne and cGgsnThruputIntervalTwo. The existing entry in the cGgsnExtThruputStatsTable will be inserted into the history table and then the cGgsnExtThruputStatsTable will be will be updated with new values. The agent deletes an entry of this table when the throughput history limit indicated by the object cGgsnExtThruputHistory is reached. The oldest entries will be removed when the limit is reached.
This object indicates an arbitray index number which uniquely identify a entry in this table.
This object indicates the time at which this data was collected.
This object indicates the historical number of upstream traffic bytes sent from GGSN to PDN in a specific sampling period specified by cGgsnExtThruputInterval.
This object indicates the historical number of downstream traffic bytes sent from PDN to GGSN in a specific sampling period specified by cGgsnExtThruputInterval.
This object indicates the historical number of upstream packets sent in a specific sampling period specified by cGgsnExtThruputInterval.
This object represents the historical number of downstream packets sent in a specific sampling period specified by cGgsnExtThruputInterval.
This table contains the details of the subscribers connected to the GGSN.
An entry (conceptual row) in the cGgsnExtSubscriberTable. The agent creates an entry into this table when a new PDP is created in GGSN in response to the create request from SGSN. The agent destroys an entry of this table when a PDP is deleted in GGSN.
This object indicates a human readable string representing the Mobile Subscriber ISDN (MSISDN) value of the subscriber.
This object indicates a human readable string representing the Tunnel identifier of the Subscriber/PDP context in GGSN.
This object indicates the address type of the object cGgsnExtSubscriberMSAddr.
This object indicates the inet address of the Subscriber.
This object indicates the address type of the object cGgsnExtSubscriberSGSNAddr.
This object indicates the Inet address of the subscriber's SGSN.
This object indicates a human readable string representing the access point name in GGSN to which the subscriber is connected.
This object represents the total number of successfully created IPv4v6 PDP contexts. The counter is incremented whenever a IPv4v6 PDP contexts is created. This includes static, dynamic, IP, PPP PDPs.
This object represents the total number of IPv4v6 PDP contexts deleted. The counter is incremented whenever a IPv4v6 PDP contexts is deleted. This includes static, dynamic, IP, PPP PDPs.
This object represents the total number of sessions for which trace has been activated.
This object represents the total number of sessions initiated trace with signaling activations.
This object represents the total number of sessions initiated trace with management interface activations.
This object represents the total number of traces initiated for new sessions.
This object represents the total number of traces initiated for existing sessions.
This object represents the total number of sessions that failed to initiate trace by signaling activations.
This object represents the total number of sessions that failed to initiate trace by management interface activations.
This object represents the total number of sessions that deactivated traces.
This object represents the total number of signaling initiated deactivation of traces.
This object represents the total number of management initiated deactivation of traces.
This object represents the total number of sessions that failed to deactivate trace by signaling initiated deactivations.
This object represents the total number of sessions that failed to deactivate trace by management initiated deactivations.
This object represents the total number of XML traced files.
This object represents the total number of XML trace notification failed files.
This object represents the total number of successful XML file transfers.
This object represents the number of XML file transferred to the primary trace collection entity.
This object represents the number of XML file transferred to the secondary trace collection entity.
This object represents the total number of failed XML file transfers.
This object represents the total number of failed XML file transfers to the primary trace collection entity.
This object represents the total number of XML file transfer retries made to the trace collection entity.
This object represents the number of failed XML file transfers to the secondary trace collection entity.
This object represents the total number of response messages sent with the cause code of conditional IE missing.
This object represents the total number of response messages sent with cause code of invalid reply from peers.
This object represents whether cGgsnExtSubsTraceFailNotif is enabled or not. true - indicates that the notification is enabled. false - indicates that the notification is disabled.
MCC value of the subscriber, for which trace activation failure has occured.
MNC value of the subscriber, for which trace activation failure has occured.
Trace Identifier of the subscriber, for which trace activation failure has occured.
Reason for the trace activation failure.
This object specifies the global periodic accounting timer interval value. When this object is set to a value, 'interim' type accounting records will be sent at the specified interval for the PDP contexts.
This object specifies the value of the CPU load to be included in the DFP weight calculation.
This object specifies the value of the Memory Load to be included in the DFP weight calculation.
This object specifies the number of throughput history entries to be maintained in the cGgsnExtHistThruputStatsTable.
This object specifies the interval at which the call rate statistics needs to be collected in GGSN. When this object is set to a valid value, the call rate statistics are collected for the interval and updated in cGgsnExtCallRateStatsTable every time the interval expires. When the object is set to 0, the call rate statistics will not be collected.
This object specifies the number of callrate history be maintained in the cGgsnExtHistCallRateStatsTable.
This object specifies whether GGSN can function as a standalone entity for prepaid quota management and enforcement. If the value of this object is 'true' then GGSN can function as a stand alone entity for prepaid quota management and enforcement. If the value of this object is set to 'false' then GGSN will depend on CSG2 for prepaid quota management and enforcement.
This object is used to enable redundancy for GGSN.
This object specifies sync window size of the local sequence number. This object can assign value only when redundancy(cGgsnExtRedundancyEnabled) is enabled.
This object specifies sync window size of the CDR record sequence number. This object can assign value only when redundancy(cGgsnExtRedundancyEnabled)is enabled.
This object specifies sync window size of the GTP packet sequence number. This object can assign value only when redundancy(cGgsnExtRedundancyEnabled)is enabled.
This object defines buffer limit when tracing is active for a subscriber.
This object defines the trace XML file transfer interval when tracing is active for a subscriber.
This table contains a list of subscriber trace profiles configured on this gateway. The SNMP entity adds a conceptual row(s) to this table when the user configures a trace profile. The SNMP entity deletes a conceptual row(s) from this table when the user removes the trace profile. The SNMP entity modifies the conceptual row when the user changes any trace parameters of the profile.
Each entry in this table contains a set of trace parameter needed for tracing a subscriber.
This object represents the subscriber trace policy name and it uniquely identifies a subscriber trace policy.
This object represents the primary URL to which the subscriber trace information needs to be transferred when the trace activated user anchors to the gateway.
This object represents the secondary URL to which the subscriber trace information needs to be transferred when the primary URL is unreachable and the trace activated user anchors to the gateway.
This object represents the number of times the gateway will retry to transfer the trace information in case of failure.
This object represents the time interval between ever retry to transfer the trace information in case of failure.
This object represents the number of device specific interface constructs created for association with PPP-Regen PDP contexts.
This object represents the number of active PDP contexts with Direct tunnel enabled.
This object indicates the current number of Mobile Stations with active PDP contexts.
This object represents the current number of active GTPv0 IPv4v6 PDP contexts.
This object represents the current number of active GTPv1 IPv4v6 PDP contexts.
This object represents the current number of mobile stations with active IPv4v6 PDP contexts.
This table contains a list of subscribers and their tracing status on this gateway. The SNMP entity adds a conceptual row(s) to this table when a trace is begun for a subscriber. The SNMP entity deletes a conceptual row(s) from this table when a trace is stopped for a subscriber.
Each entry in this table contains a set of trace parameters currently used by the subscriber along with his IMEI.
This object represents the IMSI of the subscriber who is being traced currently on this gateway.
This object represents the IMEI of the subscriber who is being traced currently on this gateway.
This object indicates the source through which an equipment trace has activated on the gateway for a subscriber. 'signaling' - tracing has been activated by gtp signaling messages. 'management' - tracing has been activated by the user directly on the gateway using a gateway management tool.
This object represents the trace reference of the subscriber who is being traced currently on this gateway.
The compliance statements for entities which implement the CISCO-GGSN-EXT-MIB. This is deprecated by cGgsnExtMIBComplianceRev1.
The compliance statements for entities which implement the CISCO-GGSN-EXT-MIB. This is deprecated by cGgsnExtMIBComplianceRev2.
The compliance statements for entities which implement the CISCO-GGSN-EXT-MIB.This is deprecated by cGgsnExtMIBComplianceRev3.
The compliance statements for entities which implement the CISCO-GGSN-EXT-MIB.
A collection of statistics objects in GGSN.
A collection of statistics objects in GGSN. This is deprecated by cGgsnExtStatusGroupRev1.
A collection of configuration objects in GGSN. This is deprecated by cGgsnExtConfigurationsGroupRev1.
A collection of throughput statistics objects in GGSN.
A collection of configuration objects in GGSN.
A collection of configuration objects in GGSN. This is supplementary to cGgsnExtConfigurationsGroupRev1.
A collection of objects for GgsnExtStatistics for dual stack support.This group is supplementary to cGgsnExtStatisticsGroupRev1.
A collection of objects related to IPv4v6 objects for GTP v0/v1 PDP Contexts and Mobile stations.This group is supplementary to cGgsnExtStatusGroupRev1.
A collection of objects for GgsnExtStatistics for subscriber trace support.This group is supplementary to cGgsnExtStatisticsGroupRev1.
A collection of configuration objects in this Gateway. This is supplementary to cGgsnExtConfigurationsGroupRev1.
A collection of objects related to subscriber tracing. This group is supplementary to cGgsnExtStatusGroupRev1.
A notification group to support the subscriber equipment trace activation failure notification.
A collection of objects to be used by the subscriber equipment trace activation failure notification.
A collection of objects for GgsnExtStatistics for failure cause code counters.This group is supplementary to cGgsnExtStatisticsGroupRev1. | 2019-04-22T22:13:12Z | http://www.circitor.fr/Mibs/Html/C/CISCO-GGSN-EXT-MIB.php |
The Bay of Naples is one of the most spectacular areas on Earth, with a tremendous wealth of both natural and cultural treasures. It presents beautiful diverse landscapes and an amazing amount of history. The blue waters of the Mediterranean are dominated here by the world’s most famous volcano, Mount Vesuvius, best known for its eruption that led to the destruction of the Roman city of Pompeii.
A particular part of the charm of the Bay of Naples can be found on its three main islands, all different, all beautiful. During this tour you’ll visit all three islands: of course Capri, the most famous, but also the volcanic island of Ischia, and colourful Procida.
We start our tour on the smallest and least known island: Procida. Like its big neighbour, Ischia, also Procida is of volcanic origin. Its beauty lays in its coloured houses and picturesque inlets, which were the setting for the movie ‘Il Postino’. A particular place is the uninhabited island of Vivara, linked to Procida by a pedestrian bridge.
Then we travel on to the biggest of the three islands, Ischia, known as the ‘green island’, with mountains rising up over 2000 feet, and famous for its almost subtropical climate and its thermal spa’s, already since Greek & Roman times. On Ischia we make a number of beautiful and varied walks: from the medieval castle to cave dwellings, through forests and along deserted beaches, through nice historic villages and amazing terraced vineyards. And also do we walk through a number of extinct volcanoes !
Then we travel on to the world famous island of Capri, the last stop on this tour. Capri, unlike the other two islands, is made of chalkstone, just like its natural continuation: the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast. This makes up for its particular features, like the world-famous ‘Faraglioni’, its natural arch and its impressive cliffs. But we will visit of course also its amazing Roman villas and you can also indulge in its fashionable ‘dolce vita’.
Today you arrive in the bustling city of Naples. In case you arrive early you can take some time to go for a short stroll through the colourful streets, soaking up its atmosphere, or visit a museum. Towards the end of the afternoon we meet our tour leader and the rest of the group at the harbour. After a brief welcome meeting, we will take the boat to Procida, the smallest and most colourful of the three islands of the Bay of Naples. After settling in our welcoming hotel, you can relax in its great garden, or sit in its pool overlooking the Mediterranean, with great views on the islands of Ischia. In the evening we dine in the nice restaurant of our hotel.
After breakfast we start a beautiful round walk to discover Procida, considered the most authentic island of the Bay of Naples, with its colourful houses and idyllic fishing harbours. Procida is only a small island, and therefore it’s possible to ‘do’ the whole island in one day. We first pass through the narrow streets and walk up to the historical heart of the island, ‘Terra Murata’, or ‘walled land’, dominated by its castle, from where you’ll enjoy marvellous views. Then we walk down to one of the most picturesque spots of Italy, the small fishing harbour of Corricella. Its unique setting and coloured houses were used as movie set for “Il Postino”. Here we will need some time to look around and take lots of pictures. Along the south-eastern coast we then continue the walk along the wooded headlands of Pizzico and Solchiaro. The walk ends at the charming small harbour of Chiaiolella, where we have the time for a swim on the large sandy beach or drink a glass on one of its terraces, before returning to your hotel. Those who still have energy can extend the walk and explore the small island of Vivara, linked to Procida by a small (pedestrian) bridge. This island, the ridge of an old volcano, is now a nature reserve and one of the last bits of unspoilt nature in the area. We’ll walk through a timeless Mediterranean landscape, through green forests and with the blue sea all around. Along the large sandy beach we then return to our hotel. In the evening we’ll have a great dinner here again.
This morning we’ll have some more time to discover the northern side of Procida. After a last stroll and a drink at the colourful harbour we then take the boat for the short crossing to the island of Ischia, known as the ‘Green Island’, the biggest island of the Bay of Naples. Our first short walk here leads us to one of the most interesting extinct volcanoes of the island, the Fondo dell’Oglio. Then we have a great ‘country lunch’, based on local produce, after which we make the short walk back down to the harbour again. A taxi transfer to your hotel is organised for you, but we suggest wandering around a bit in Ischia Porto, or perhaps visit its famous ‘Terme’ and then do the short walk from the harbour to the castle where we sleep, through the pretty streets of the old town centre. The last short stretch in the fortified island itself is very scenic and has beautiful viewpoints on the city centre. We sleep in an amazing hotel, inside the old medieval castle of Ischia, built on a rocky island off-shore, which certainly deserves to be explored as well. In the evening we dine on fish or some other local specialty, prepared by the chef of the renowned restaurant of our hotel. A great dinner, in a unique spot: the terrace of our hotel, overlooking the whole Bay of Naples.
From our hotel in the castle we walk down through the intriguing alleys of the fortified rock to the bridge which links the castle to the old town centre. From here we start a linear walk along the beautiful south coast of the island, through a spectacular landscape of terraced vineyards and fantastic lava sculptures, with unforgettable views over the Bay of Naples and Capri. The first part of the walk goes over the cliffs, through vineyards sculpted like Asian paddy fields and small hamlets. Then we pass the small hamlet of Testaccio, from where we descend to the large sandy beach of Marina dei Maronti. Just behind the beach there are several narrow canyons with thermal springs, known since Roman times. We take some time to go for a dip! Along the beach we then walk to the charming fishing village of Sant’Angelo, where we take the time for an ‘aperitivo’, before travelling back to our hotel, where again we’ll have a great dinner with spectacular views again, on the terrace of our hotel.
Today we’ll discover the mountains of the island, a chain of extinct volcanoes which occupies the whole central part of the island. First we travel by private bus to the small hamlet of Fiaiano, where we have the time for a coffee. From here we walk through some amazing scenery up to the Monte Epomeo, the highest mountain of the island. We have lunch near the top in a charming restaurant. Then we walk on to the Capo dell’Uomo, Ischia’s second mountain. All this is along easy, comfortable paths. Through forested areas and vineyards, along rock dwelling of monks and hermits, and always with incredible views over the sea, we’ll then walking down to Ischia’s most western village, Forio. After a stroll through its pleasant town centre, we reach its western most point, with its beautiful white church. After a stroll and a drink, our bus brings us along the north coast back to Ischia Porto. In the evening you are free to choose from a large choice of restaurants in the colourful harbour of Ischia or ‘downtown’, ranging from simple pizzerias and cosy trattorie to exclusive restaurants.
In the morning our taxi brings us to the harbour, from where we take the boat to the rightly famous island of Capri. This island was already renowned in ancient times, roman emperors liked to come here as tourists, and since then never lost its fame. We arrive in Marina Grande, the main harbour from where we walk up (optional ‘Funicolare’) through lemon groves and gardens, to the central square of the little town of Capri, the famous ’Piazzetta’, the centre of mundane life. Then we make a beautiful roundwalk around the eastern part of the island, which shows us most of the ‘highlights’ of the island. These are both cultural and natural wonders, always accompanied with beautiful views in an unrivalled Mediterranean landscape. The walk brings us along the ruins of the Imperial Villa Iovis, one of the villas of the Roman Emperor Tiberius, the Arco Naturale, and of the Faraglioni, three rocks off the South coast, may be the most famous and most painted rocks in the world. We have a great picnic lunch in an amazing spot, after which we have the time for a coffee or an ice cream. Walking back to the centre we have the opportunity to visit the Certosa and the Gardens of the Emperor Augustus, from where we can also opt to walk down to Marina Piccola, along the spectacular Via Krupp.
This walk can be extended or shortened in many ways. Late in the afternoon we return to our hotel in the centre of Capri for some relaxation. A nice meal in a relaxed atmosphere is the perfect end for the day.
Today we will discover the lesser know part of the island, Anacapri. Either by a very scenic chairlift or with a beautiful, but demanding walk, we reach the top of the highest mountain of the island, Mount Solaro. From here the views on the whole island, but also the Amalfi Coast, the Vesuvius and the whole Bay of Naples are spectacular. Then we go for a wonderful walk along the savage southern coast of the island, with its impressive sheer cliffs. The walk will bring you to the most western point of the island, where we have a great lunch and could perhaps have a swim underneath the lighthouse. Then along a recently restored footpath, which has a special interest for its flowers we walk along the beautiful West Coast, with great views over the aquamarine Mediterranean. We come along a series of fortresses dating back to the Napoleonic wars, some of which still in good shape and very scenic. Halfway the afternoon we reach the world famous ‘Blue Grotto’ or ‘Grotta Azzurra’. After an (optional) visit, we can either walk or take a local bus back to Anacapri. We go for a short stroll through the characteristic narrow streets of Anacapri, and maybe a drink in the piazza, before returning to our hotel for some relaxation. Dinner tonight will be on your own as you are free to explore Capri’s large choice of restaurants, ranging from simple pizzeria’s to exclusive restaurants.
The tour ends in Capri after breakfast today. By boat you return to Naples (or in case you extend your holiday: to Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano or Salerno). Extra nights can be booked, here or in any other place (upon request).
All nights are spent in beautiful, characteristic hotels, mostly historical buildings (3/4-star). All rooms have en-suite facilities.
Nights 1 & 2: The first two nights are spent on the idyllic island of Procida. Our accommodation is a welcoming 3-star hotel in a beautiful setting, with a great garden overlooking the Mediterranean.
Nights 3, 4 & 5: These three nights are spent in an exclusive hotel in the ancient monastery of Ischia, located on its ‘Rocca’, a small rocky island linked to the main island by a bridge. A wonderful and quiet setting, yet at walking distance from the town centre with its many bars and restaurants and attached to the Aragonese castle.
Nights 6 & 7: The last two nights we stay on the romantic & fashionable island of Capri, with its characteristic houses built onto the steep slopes of the mountains. We’ll stay in a beautiful 4-star hotel, very centrally located. It is family-run and the friendly staff will make you feel at home.
Moderately easy (2): Mostly easy walks, with nonetheless some walking uphill, sometimes on paths with rough surfaces. On some days some stretches are difficult for those suffering from vertigo (but NOT dangerous!). On these days alternative options are available. Extensions or shortcuts are also possible on most days.
The tour starts in NAPLES (Stazione Marittima), a city with an international airport, and connected with Rome and all other major Italian cities by a frequent (high speed) train service. Both from the airport and the train station there are regular shuttle buses to the harbour. A taxi pick-up service can be arranged either from Naples airport or train station.
The tour ends after breakfast on day 8 in CAPRI. A short transfer brings you to the harbour (included), from where you travel back by boat to Naples (or in case you extend your holiday: to Sorrento, Amalfi, Positano or Salerno).
It is possible to include extra nights at the beginning or the end of the tour. The tour can easily be extended with a few days in Naples or Sorrento, or on the Amalfi Coast (see below). Many good accommodations are available. Details and prices on request.
This tour touches the three main islands of the Bay of Naples, which can be reached only by boat. Therefore the itinerary depends on weather, wind & sea conditions, which may cause us to have to make adjustments and changes to the itinerary.
There are no scheduled departures (yet) for this tour for 2018, but on request a tour can be planned at any date for private groups. Just contact us!
N.B. For this tour tailor-made private departures (for groups of minimum 4 persons) can be planned on any date. Availability & prices on request. Prices start from 1590 euro p.p., depending on the season and number of persons in your private group. Special luxury departures can be planned on request.
We can also run an (even more!) upgraded version of this tour, for which we have a large selection of ‘Premiere Inns’, very good hotels, available, many among the world’s best hotels, as acclaimed from Condé Nast Traveler, Travel+Leisure and many others. Genius Loci Travel, as the leading adventure travel company on the Amalfi Coast, can book your room in any hotel you could dream of! Look for the ‘Premiere Inns’ signs.
A shorter, 5-day version of this tour is also available. See also our other Amalfi & Campania tours !
Extension 1: Campi Flegrei. Two days in one of the world’s most interesting areas, both from archaeological as from naturalistic point of view. Can also be visited easily from Procida (half hour by boat).
Extension 2: One or more extra days in Naples are recommended to those who want to visit Naples and/or haven’t already visited Pompeii or the Vesuvius, only 20-30 minutes by local train.
Extension 3: A few days on the famed Sorrentine peninsula. Also from Sorrento, Pompeii/Vesuvius is only 20-30 minutes by local train and some stunning walks can be made here, e.g. to the Land’s End, Punta Campanella.
In the morning you can explore Pozzuoli, the main village of the ‘Campi Flegrei’ (‘Burning Fields’), a volcanic area, full of Greek and roman history. When the facade of the Duomo felt off due to an Earthquake, a Greek temple appered… . Through the old centre and along the big roman amphitheatre you walk to the Solfatara, a still active volcano, and probably the best place in mainland Europe to see volcanic activity from so close by! Then you travel to the Lago d’Averno, where the Romans believed to be the entrance of hell and finally to Cuma, the first Greek settlement in the area, and the home of one of the most famous ‘oracles’ of the ancient world. You make a beautiful walk through the archaeological area and the dunes around it. You can choose to sleep in Naples, or in a hotel literally on the archaeological area of Baia.
The western part of the Campi Flegrei, is an area extremely rich in archaeological findings. We propose a walk, which links together a few of the most interesting Roman heritage sites of the area: the Castle of Baia, the Piscina Mirabilis and the Cento Camerelle, as well as the most interesting parts of the historical town centre of Bacoli. Walk through the so-called ‘Fondi di Baia’, extinct volcanoes, where the traditional agricultural landscape still survives. Then walk up to the Castle of Baia, which now is one of the foremost archaeological museums in Italy, but without the crowds! Then you walk through the village of Bacoli, where of course you’ll have to visit the Piscina Mirabilis and the Cento Camerelle. The walk will then bring you onto the promontory of Capo Miseno, through agricultural land and forest. Views from this headland are among the most extra-ordinary the area has to offer!
Naples is an extra-ordinary city, in all senses. We can book you a great hotel in the heart of the city. From here you can visit the most interesting ‘highlights’, such as the Royal Palace, the royal theatre, the beautiful ‘Galleria’ and the medieval castles, but also stroll through unknown lively (but safe!) neighbourhoods, with their unbelievable history, where you can find in a few square metres Greek, Roman and medieval buildings. Stroll as well through quiet parks and along the sea shore, to relax from the hectic street life in Naples with a rewarding view on the Bay of Naples; of course you can also pay a visit to the world famous archaeological museum, where all the artefacts from Pompeii and Herculaneum are exposed.
In the morning you take the small local train (or taxi) to Pompeii or Ercolano, where you can pay a visit to the excavations. After the visit to the archaeological area you can drive up to the Vesuvius and make a walk around the impressive volcanic phenomena to be seen around the crater: lava flows, pumice fields and grotto’s, culminating in a walk to the top ! There are several walking options, according to your interest and level of fitness. By local train or taxi you then return to Naples. | 2019-04-25T10:00:34Z | http://www.genius-loci.it/tour/italy_coasts_islands/naples-capri-ischia-procida-group-tour |
Jessica Fjeld is a Lecturer on Law at Harvard Law School and a Clinical Instructor in the Cyberlaw Clinic at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Mason Kortz is a Clinical Instructional Fellow at the Clinic.
This Comment is the first in a two-part series on how lawyers should think about art generated by artificial intelligences, particularly with regard to copyright law. This first part charts the anatomy of the AI-assisted artistic process. The second Comment in the series examine how copyright interests in these elements interact and provide practice tips for lawyers drafting license agreements or involved in disputes around AI-generated artwork.
Advanced algorithms that display cognition-like processes, popularly called artificial intelligences or “AIs,” are capable of generating sophisticated and provocative works of art. These technologies differ from widely-used digital creation and editing tools in that they are capable of developing complex decision-making processes, leading to unexpected outcomes. Generative AI systems and the artwork they produce raise mind-bending questions of ownership, from broad policy concerns to the individual interests of the artists, engineers, and researchers undertaking this work. Attorneys, too, are beginning to get involved, called on by their clients to draft licenses or manage disputes.
The Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society has recently developed a practice in advising clients in the emerging field at the intersection of art and AI. We have seen for ourselves how attempts to negotiate licenses or settle disputes without a common understanding of the systems involved may result in vague and poorly understood agreements, and worse, unnecessary conflict between parties. More often than not, this friction arises between reasonable parties who are open to compromise, but suffer from a lack of clarity over what, exactly, is being negotiated. In the course of solving such problems, we have dissected generative AIs and studied their elements from a legal perspective. The result is an anatomy that forms the foundation of our thinking—and our practice—on the subject of AI-generated art. When the parties to an agreement or dispute share a common vocabulary and understanding of the nature of the work, many areas of potential conflict evaporate.
This Comment makes that anatomy available to others, in the hopes that it will facilitate productive negotiations and clear, enforceable agreements for others involved in AI-related art projects. We begin by clarifying what we mean by AI-generated art, distinguishing it from art that is created by humans using digital creation and editing software. Next, we describe four key elements that make up the anatomy of a generative AI. We go into detail on each element, providing plain-language explanations that are comprehensible even to those without a technical background. We conclude with a brief preview of the second Comment in this series, which will delve into how we think about the application of copyright law in this context, including the questions of ownership that arise as to each element, and provide some practical insights for negotiating agreements in the context of AI-generated art.
I. What is AI-generated Art?
“Art” and “intelligence” are two notoriously difficult terms to define. As such, it is no surprise that the boundaries of AI-generated art are unclear. One might define a generative AI as a “computational system which, by taking on particular responsibilities, exhibit[s] behaviours that unbiased observers would deem to be creative.” For this article, we add some additional limitations to the scope of our review. First, we only consider systems that use machine learning to develop an algorithm for generating outputs, not those that are programmed with a preset algorithm. Second, we assume that the machine learning process involves training on existing works. This excludes forms of machine learning that start “from scratch,” like some evolutionary algorithms. Finally, we assume that the algorithm generated by the machine learning process, when run, outputs works that are both novel—meaning that they are not copies of any existing work—and surprising—meaning that the output is not a predictable transformation of an existing work.
There are already a number of systems that meet our definition of generative AIs, some of which have been around for decades. David Cope’s Experiments in Musical Intelligence software, or Emmy, has been producing novel music based on existing works since the 1980s. Later, Cope “co-wrote” a number of compositions with "Emily Howell," an AI trained on Emmy’s works. The Painting Fool started in 2001 as a system that parsed existing images to render them in various artistic styles. Later experiments connected The Painting Fool to facial recognition and text processing software, allowing it to create context-specific works. The Painting Fool can now combine the technical skills it has learned with an evolutionary algorithm to compose and illustrate novel scenes, such as city skylines.
More recent generative AIs have garnered significant public attention. Consider Google’s open-source DeepDream software, an artificial neural network that can be trained to recognize specific images, such as animal faces, then detect and enhance similar patterns in unrelated images. Some of DeepDream’s outputs appeared in a gallery show in San Francisco in 2016, where they sold for up to $8,000. In another prominent example, employees of J. Walter Thompson Amsterdam developed machine learning software that they fed a diet of straight Rembrandt, capturing data from the paintings’ subject matter to the topography of the master’s brushstrokes. The software analyzed the inputs and then created (by means of 3-D printing) a new “Rembrandt,” typical in all ways of the artist’s style. On the musical front, Sony’s Flow Machines software, which can learn and reproduce musical styles, includes an AI composer that can act as an assistant to human musicians. Another service, Jukedeck, sells customized AI-generated audio tracks.
Input. The Inputs are the existing works of art that are fed to the system to train it. The set of Inputs can range from a small, homogenous corpus to tens of thousands of diverse works.
Learning Algorithm. The Learning Algorithm is the machine learning system that operates on the Inputs. The Learning Algorithm may consist of off-the-shelf software, custom code, or some combination of the two.
Trained Algorithm. The Trained Algorithm is the information that the Learning Algorithm has generated from its operation on the Inputs, along with instructions for turning that information back into a work. Depending on the specific machine learning approach used, this information may include recognizable fragments of the Inputs or may be more abstract, such a series of concepts or decision points.
Output. The Outputs are the works produced by running the Trained Algorithm. Outputs are often generated from a “seed” that gives the Trained Algorithm a starting point, but can also be created from random starting points, with or without constraints.
While the taxonomy above is not the only way of understanding generative AIs, it is a particularly useful one for the purpose of assessing intellectual property rights. Claims of authorship and ownership of AI-generated art can be hazy as to the overall project, but are typically crystal clear with respect to each of these elements. Using this anatomy, it becomes manageable to address the complicated questions of ownership and authorship that AI-generated art raises. Breaking a generative AI down into these four elements enables each party to reserve rights in the elements for which they are solely responsible and negotiate rationally about the others. In the following sub-sections, we examine each element in greater detail.
For purposes of this Comment, we have only considered generative AIs that rely on some form of preexisting art as training data. We refer to this training data as the “Inputs.” Generally, art-generating AIs rely on multiple Inputs, ranging from dozens up through millions. In some cases, the range of Inputs is tightly defined by the humans involved with the project (e.g., the Rembrandt paintings that were analyzed for the Next Rembrandt project), while in others, the set may be broader, shift over time, and even be the output of another AI.
Inputs are distinct from seed materials, which are discussed in Part III.C. Inputs are used to teach the Learning Algorithm how to generate art; seed materials provide a prompt for the generation of a specific Output. For example, Google’s DeepDream AI can be trained on Inputs to recognize a specific type of pattern, such as animal faces. Once it is trained, it can detect and enhance those patterns in a seed image, creating an Output that resembles the seed image but is clearly influenced by the Inputs.
The “Learning Algorithm” is a machine-learning algorithm that is capable of identifying the relevant characteristics of the Inputs, then storing that information in a data structure (forming the Trained Algorithm). The Learning Algorithm may be designed with a particular type of Input in mind, but exists separately from its Inputs. There are number of approaches to machine learning, and any given approach can be implemented in any of a number of programming languages, so the universe of possible Learning Algorithms is vast.
Because machine learning techniques vary so widely, it is not possible to describe every type of Learning Algorithm in this article. Instead, we point out the characteristics of that are most likely to affect copyright analysis. First, different algorithms analyze Inputs in different ways, and may store actual pieces of the Inputs or only abstract representations. Second, the Learning Algorithm may include some degree of human feedback about the learning process, sometimes referred to as “active learning.” Third, not every Learning Algorithm will be developed from scratch—there are numerous open-source and proprietary software packages that provide machine learning capabilities. As we will discuss in the second part of this series, these aspects of the Learning Algorithm can have an impact on the ownership of the Trained Algorithm and Outputs.
While the Inputs and the Learning Algorithm are typically developed independently of each other, and may predate the conception of the AI-generated art project in question, what we term the “Trained Algorithm” is unique to the individual project. The Trained Algorithm contains a data structure produced by the operation of the Learning Algorithm on the Inputs; running the same Learning Algorithm on different Inputs, or vice versa, will result in a new, unique Trained Algorithm The degree to which any given Input is identifiable in this data structure depends on both the number of Inputs and the type of Learning Algorithm used. In any case, a large amount of the information in the Trained Algorithm will consist of probabilities and operations, rather than as anything resembling art. This distinguishes the Trained Algorithm from the Outputs, which are readily appreciable as art to the untrained eye or ear.
The Trained Algorithm is the element that generates the Outputs. To do so, it takes the data generated about the Inputs and, in effect, runs the process in reverse: it takes chunks and representations and turns them into artwork. Many generative AIs require seed material—a template, grammar, or starting point for generating an Output. The seed material could be hand-picked or selected by the AI itself. For example, the Painting Fool has produced a series of collages by reading news stories, finding relevant images in public repositories such as Google Images or Flickr, and rendering them in an artistic style. Other Trained Algorithms are capable of creating art from scratch (without a seed) based on their knowledge of the composition and structure of the Inputs.
In some ways, isolating this element from the other parts of the generative AI is the heart of this anatomy. It is the element that distinguishes generative AIs from earlier technologies such as sophisticated photo editing software, and the element that is least intuitive to those without experience in this field, who are often tempted to conflate it either with the Learning Algorithm or the Outputs. In fact, it represents the unique combination of the Inputs and the Learning Algorithm, which raises complex ownership questions that we will address in the second Comment of the series.
The ”Outputs” are the works produced by a generative AI, each the result of an operation of the Trained Algorithm. Outputs take a form recognizable as “art” in the sense that they are not code or data, but rather a drawing, piece of music, or other tangible work. We come to them last because this anatomy is structured from a process perspective, but for most people, the Outputs are the essential, and most compelling, element of the system. Certainly, they are element that generates headlines.
While individual systems may vary in terms of the success they achieve—in that their Outputs may or may not be original or aesthetically satisfying, or fulfill the aims of the people driving the projects—for purposes of this Comment, we have focused on the generative AIs that do produce novel and surprising Outputs. We confine ourselves to these high-quality systems because their Outputs are something more than mere reproductions of their Inputs, meaning that the copyright analysis is significantly more interesting. As we note in Section I, there are numerous such systems already extant, and we don’t doubt that more will continue to emerge.
The anatomy we have presented in this Comment—understanding an art-generating AI system as composed of Inputs, a Learning Algorithm, a Trained Algorithm, and Outputs—forms a foundation for thinking clearly about the questions of ownership and control that arise in connection with such systems.
In the second part of this series, we’ll provide some thoughts about how copyright law might apply to each element. For example, should a Trained Algorithm be considered a joint work of the author of the Inputs and the author of the Learning Algorithm? Does the owner of the Trained Algorithm automatically own all of that algorithm’s Outputs? We’ll also provide some thoughts on practical considerations in drafting licenses in connection with generative AIs, such as the impact of the incorporation of preexisting code into a Learning Algorithm or limiting future creation of Outputs.
It is our hope that this series will advance the valuable work being done in computational creativity and AI-generated art by enabling attorneys to support these projects effectively.
Special thanks to Peter Wills for his assistance with this Comment.
See, e.g. Gemma Kappala-Ramsamy, Robot Painter Draws on Abstract Thoughts, The Guardian, Apr. 1, 2012, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/01/robot-painter-software-painting-fool; Simon Colton, About Me, The Painting Fool (2017), http://www.thepaintingfool.com/. (discussing a program called The Painting Fool); Tim Nudd, Inside “The Next Rembrandt”: How JWT Got a Computer to Paint Like the Old Master, Adweek, Jun. 27, 2016. (on an AI that mimics Rembrandt) .
Benjamin L.W. Sobel, Artificial Intelligence’s Fair Use Crisis, Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts pt. II (forthcoming).
Simon Colton & Geraint A. Wiggins, Computational Creativity: The Final Frontier?, Proceedings of the 20th European conference on artificial intelligence 21, 1 (IOS Press 2012) (so defining “computational creativity”).
Machine learning algorithms are a subset of AI algorithms. See Ian Goodfellow et al., Deep Learning, fig. 1.4 (2016). For example, both Harold Cohen’s AARON program and Jon McCormack’s Niche Constructions program implement AI algorithms that are not machine learning algorithms. AARON is a program that “model[s] some aspects of human art-making” according to rules; although “autonomous” in that it does not rely on human input once it begins, it “is not a learning program.” See Harold Cohen, What is an Image?, Proceedings of the 6th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence - Volume 2 1028, 1,3 (IJCAI’79, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc. San Francisco, CA, USA 1979). Niche Constructions, meanwhile, uses line drawing agents that move around a 2D surface. The agents have properties that are inherited by their descendants, and a rule that makes them “die”. The canvas is complete when all agents die. Jon McCormack & Oliver Bown, Life’s What You Make: Niche Construction and Evolutionary Art, Applications of Evolutionary Computing 528 (2009).
The Electric Sheep project offers one example of such an evolutionary algorithm. There, an algorithm creates images, which humans grade for artistic appeal. The better-scoring images “reproduce” more. See Scott Draves, Evolution and Collective Intelligence of the Electric Sheep, in The Art of Artificial Evolution: A Handbook on Evolutionary Art and Music 63 (Juan Romero & Penousal Machado eds., 2007).
Keith Muscutt & David Cope, Composing with Algorithms: An Interview with David Cope, 31 Computer Music Journal 10 (2007).
Alexander Mordvintsev et al., Inceptionism: Going Deeper into Neural Networks, Google Research Blog (Jun. 17, 2015), https://research.googleblog.com/2015/06/inceptionism-going-deeper-into-neural.html.
Katherine Boehret, Google’s Algorithms Created all the Art for an Exhibit in San Francisco, The Verge (Mar. 1–2016), https://www.theverge.com/google/2016/3/1/11140374/google-neural-networks-deepdream-art-exhibition-san-francisco.
AI Makes Pop Music in Different Music Styles, Flow Machines (Sept. 19, 2016), http://www.flow-machines.com/ai-makes-pop-music/.
Jukedeck R&D Team, Audio Synthesis at Jukedeck, Jukedeck Research Blog (Dec. 1, 2016), https://research.jukedeck.com/audio-synthesis-at-jukedeck-788239d65494.
As in The Next Rembrandt. Nudd, supra note 1.
As with Flow Machines, supra note 14.
A neural network like that underlying Deep Dream is one example. See Mordvintsev et al., supra note 11.
* The vector image of a trumpet player in the outputs was uploaded to Wikimedia Commons by user Stannered. This vector image was created with Inkscape from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Jazzstubartwork.png. This file is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1921973.
This is how the Emily Howell AI generates music. See Muscutt & Cope, supra note 6.
As with an algorithm that generates Markov sequences. See François Pachet & Pierre Roy, Markov Constraints: Steerable Generation of Markov Sequences, 16 Constraints 148 (2011).
As with many deep neural networks. See Leon A. Gatys et al., A Neural Algorithm of Artistic Style, arXiv:1508.06576 [cs, q-bio] (2015).
Simon Colton, The Painting Fool: Stories from Building an Automated Painter, in Computers and Creativity 3, 30 (Jon McCormack & Mark d’Inverno eds., 2012).
Simon Colton, Automatic Invention of Fitness Functions with Application to Scene Generation, Applications of Evolutionary Computing 381 (Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg Mar. 26, 2008).
See supra notes 1 & 12. | 2019-04-23T18:20:43Z | http://jolt.law.harvard.edu/digest/a-legal-anatomy-of-ai-generated-art-part-i |
Note: This handbook is intended to provide an outline only. Regulations established by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FG+PS) supersede information presented in this document. Policies and procedures for all UBC graduate students can be found at The Graduate Studies Policies and Procedures Manual.
Welcome to the Faculty of Land and Food Systems (LFS). LFS provides a number of graduate education opportunities through the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FG+PS). We are pleased that you have accepted our invitation to enrol in one of our graduate programs, and we hope that your graduate experience will be both stimulating and rewarding.
This Handbook is intended to provide an outline only. Regulations established by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies supersede information presented in this document. In this Handbook, the Faculty is collectively composed of faculty members (including adjunct and honorary professors), research associates, post-doctoral fellows, visiting scientists, visiting scholars, staff and students.
Supervisor – Any faculty member who is a member of the UBC Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is eligible to serve as a graduate student supervisor. The supervisor is the chair of the supervisory committee, provides academic support and prepares the student for thesis research.
Master of Science, MSc Completion of the M.Sc. program requires a minimum of 18 credits (or 12 credits) of coursework plus 12 credits (or 18 credits) of thesis research. Offered by the Agricultural Economics, Applied Animal Biology, Food Science, Human Nutrition, ISLFS, Plant Science & Soil Science Graduate Programs.
Doctor of Philosophy, PhD Research-based Doctoral programs are offered by the Applied Animal Biology, Food Science, Human Nutrition, Integrated Studies in Land and Food Systems, Plant Science & Soil Science Graduate Programs. Course requirements are depended upon the student’s academic background.
Master of Food Science (MFS) The 12-month MFS course-based program is ideal for professionals already working in government, industry or private practice who want to upgrade their skills.
Master of Food and Resource Economics (MFRE) The 12-month MFRE course-based program is unique in the sense of combining applied economics with policy analysis and agribusiness management. It is designed for people wanting to work in the food and natural resource sectors, either for private firms, governments, or international organizations overseas.
Master of Land and Water Systems (MLWS) The goal of the innovative 12-month MLWS course-based program is to offer a professional degree that will serve both practicing resource managers, and recent graduates from cognate undergraduate academic programs, the necessary credentials to address the emerging concerns of land and water resources conservation and management.
Desk spaces will be assigned to students actively involved in their graduate program on a first come first serve basis. Students in MCML should send their requests for desk space to the Graduate Program Assistant ([email protected]). Students in FNH should send their request for desk space to the FNH Building Manager ([email protected]).
Laboratory space, equipment and materials in the various buildings are organized by the student’s Supervisor. LFS technical staff supervises and monitors shared laboratory spaces and equipment. These technicians will assist you with the resolution of technical problems encountered during your research. All students working in laboratories are expected to contribute to maintaining a clean and safe workplace. All students are required to obtain relevant safety certificates and participate in a lab safety orientation session prior to conducting working in a laboratory.
Computer and A/V equipment are available in MCML 264/6/8 for word processing, teaching, computer modeling, and statistics. For graduate students in the Food Science and Human Nutrition Programs, laptop computers and A/V equipment are available in room 230 in the FNH Building. Slide preparation equipment and other multimedia equipment are located in the Learning Centre in MCML 264/6/8.
Graduate students in the MCML building have mailboxes in Room 262 and in Room 200 in the FNH Building.
Graduate students are offered photocopier use at cost. Arrangements may be made in MCML 254 for use of the photocopier located in MCML 262. Students in the FNH Building may make arrangements with the Secretary in room 230 for use of the photocopier.
In order to more effectively meet the needs of the Faculty, the Dean’s Office uses an online request form to process key requests. Please use the following online form to submit key requests.
Any project carried out by a person connected with the University, which involves human subjects, must conform to University Policy #89: Research and Other Studies Involving Human Subjects. Research involving human subjects is defined as any systemic investigation (including pilot studies, exploratory studies, and course-based assignments) to establish facts, principles or general knowledge, which involves living human subjects, human remains, cadavers, tissues, biological fluids, embryos or foetuses.
Research is defined as either clinical (See Section 4.1.1) or behavioural (See Section 4.1.2) research. The appropriate application forms must be completed and signed by the Associate Dean, Research before they are submitted to the appropriate university screening committee for approval. Research funds are not released until the appropriate approval has been obtained.
Any research conducted at UBC facilities (including UBC-Affiliate Hospitals*) or by persons connected to the University, involving clinical interventions such as the testing of drugs, medical devices, rehabilitation exercise programs, and/or the analysis of clinical data obtained from medical records or studies of a clinical nature involving linkage of data from existing databases must be reviewed and approved by the Clinical Research Ethics Board (CREB).
Any research or study conducted at UBC facilities or by persons connected to the University involving human subjects in procedures that require potential invasions of privacy, must be reviewed and approved by the UBC Behavioural Research Ethics Board (BREB). Behavioural projects may involve asking subjects to participate in studies that use, for example, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, observation, data linkage, secondary use of data, deception, testing, video and audio taping.
Researchers planning to use experimental animals must submit an Application to Use Animals for Research for review and approval by the UBC Animal Care Committee before research funds are released. This form is to be signed by the Associate Dean, Research who retains a copy. The Committee ensures the humane and ethical care and use of experimental animals is in compliance with the Canadian Council on Animal Care Guidelines. It also adheres to the principle that in order for animal use to be justifiable in scientific research, the research must have a reasonable expectation of providing a benefit to the health and welfare of people or of animals, or of advancing basic knowledge. All researchers in the LFS follow the principle of the 3 R’s: replacement, reduction and refinement.
All research-based graduate students are required to have a Supervisor. The Supervisor is normally identified at the time LFS recommends acceptance of the applicant to FG+PS. The principal role of the Supervisor is to help students achieve their scholastic potential and to chair the student’s Supervisory Committee. The Supervisor will provide reasonable commitment, accessibility, professionalism, stimulation, guidance, respect and consistent encouragement to the student. The Supervisor, along with members of the Supervisory Committee, are to be available for help at every stage of the student’s program, from selection of course work to formulation of the thesis research proposal by establishing the methodology and discussing the results, to presentation and publication of the dissertation. The Supervisor must ensure that the student’s work meets the requisite standards of the University and the academic discipline.
If an approved Adjunct Professor acts as Research Co-Supervisor, a full-time faculty member is required as the Academic Co-Supervisor who also chairs the student’s Supervisory Committee. Supervisors who will be absent from campus for more than 2 months must arrange for an interim Supervisor and notify the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
It is important that the student’s Supervisor establish a functional Supervisory Committee within 4 months of commencement of the student’s program. The completed applicable committee approval form should be submitted to the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office.
The roles and responsibilities of Supervisors are well described in the supervision & advising section of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies’ and in Appendix A.
Supervisors must be Professors, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor and members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. When Adjunct Professors are approved to be co-supervisors, Adjunct Professors are responsible for academic and administrative aspects of the students’ program together with the other co-supervisors. Supervisors normally will hold the equivalent of a Doctoral degree and must be active researchers as evidenced by regular contributions to refereed scholarly publications. Supervisors must have a record (or show promise) of successfully supervising graduate students.
In undertaking a thesis project, the graduate student is making a commitment to devote the time and energy needed to engage in research and to write a dissertation which constitutes a substantial and original contribution to knowledge in the field appropriate for the degree program. The Supervisor has the right to expect substantial effort, initiative, respect and receptiveness to suggestions and criticisms. The student must accept the rules, procedures and standards in place in the program and at the University and should check the University Calendar for regulations regarding academic and non-academic matters. Students must maintain regular contact with their Supervisors.
All graduate students, with the exception of domestic Master’s students enrolled in a part-time program, are registered as full-time students. All graduate students are required to maintain continuous registration throughout their program by registering and paying tuition installments according to the schedules in the Calendar. All graduate students in research-based graduate programs are expected to register for the thesis throughout their program.
All graduate students who pay fees according to Schedule A are considered full-time students. See the Fee section of the UBC Calendar for details. Please note that merit-based scholarships are only available to full-time students.
Students who wish to be assessed master’s program tuition according to the part-time schedule (Schedule B) must obtain approval of their Graduate Program Advisor and the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies prior to the beginning of the first term of the program (i.e., prior to the commencement of the degree program) in which fees are assessed. Please note that merit-based scholarships are only available to full-time students. Only candidates planning to take their degree through part-time study are permitted to select Schedule B. Candidates who select Schedule B are advised that, by virtue of their part-time status, they are ineligible to receive government loans, interest-free status and University fellowships or scholarships. Candidates are not permitted to switch from Schedule B to Schedule A after the due date of the first tuition fee installment. Please note that this option is not available to international students.
(4) must be in courses in which at least a B grade standing (UBC 74%) is obtained.
To obtain permission, the student must submit to FG+PS, in advance, a letter from the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS in support of the transfer credits. The LFS letter must provide an academic justification for allowing the course(s) for transfer credit. The student must obtain letters of approval from both the home university and the host university before taking these courses.
Refer to the FG+PS website for details on Western Dean’s Agreement and Graduate Exchange Agreement.
UBC students doing off-campus research on behalf of UBC or engaging in UBC-sanctioned activities may be covered by or be eligible for additional insurance coverage under UBC Risk Management Services’ insurance policies. Students should consider these policies (both automatic and optional) before undertaking off-campus visits. Students are encouraged to find additional information from FG+PS’s Graduate Student Insurance page.
Leave of absence is normally granted when a student is best advised for personal, health, or other reasons (including financial need) to have time completely away from academic responsibilities (https://www.grad.ubc.ca/current-students/managing-your-program/leave-absence). The leave period is not included in the time period for completion of the degree. Normally a leave will begin on the first day of term with a period of 4, 8, or 12 months. Note that a leave must be taken in 4-month blocks of time. The total duration of all leaves of absence granted in a graduate program is normally limited to 24 months for a doctoral student and to 12 months for a master’s student, except for Leave to Pursue a Second Program of Study. On-leave students continue to be registered and must pay a reduced fee for the leave period. The period of leave is not counted toward the time required for completion of the degree. It is understood that students with on-leave status will not undertake any academic or research work, or use any of the University’s facilities during the period of leave. Students must inform the University immediately upon return. Leave is not granted retroactively, nor to a student whose registration is not current or whose time in the program has elapsed. Retroactive leaves will only be approved in highly exceptional cases. The Office of the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies must submit a written recommendation and justification for a student’s leave to FG+PS for approval before a student will be granted leave. An explanation of the reason for the leave must be included.
of an infant or young child is eligible for parental leave. Parental leave is normally limited to 12 months per childbirth or adoption (including multiples).
The Parental Accommodation policy applies to students currently registered in full-time graduate programs at the University of British Columbia who are in good standing and making satisfactory progress toward the completion of their degree. Students must have completed at least one term of full-time study in their program.
The policy makes it possible for a student to maintain full-time student status during an eight-week period surrounding the arrival of a new child under the age of six (newborn or newly-adopted), with all the benefits of such status, by standardizing a minimum level of academic accommodation during that period.
Requests must be made no later than 30 days before start date.
Requests must be approved by the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies at LFS and the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Students continue to be registered as a full-time, and tuition and student fees must be paid as usual.
Time allowed for advancement to candidacy (doctoral students) and degree completion will be extended by four months.
Student retains the full value of any fellowship or other award for which the terms and conditions are established by FG+PS and will experience no change to funding, payment schedule, total amount granted, or completion date of the scholarship.
Awards for which the terms and conditions are not established by FG+PS will be paid according to the terms conditions established by the donor or granting agency.
Discuss parental accommodation with supervisor.
Download and complete the “Request for Parental Accommodation” form from FG+PS website.
Obtain the signatures of supervisor and graduate program advisor indicating their approval.
Send the form to the FG+PS.
A graduate student who encounters a health problem that significantly interferes with the ability to pursue his or her course of study is eligible for a leave for health reasons. Requests for a leave for health reasons must be accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation from the clinician providing primary care for the health problem. A leave for health reasons is normally limited to 12 months.
A graduate student who wishes to suspend his or her course of study in order to take a relevant work professional development experience may be eligible for professional leave. Professional leave is normally limited to 12 months.
A graduate student who encounters personal circumstances that significantly interfere with the ability to pursue his or her course of study may be eligible for personal leave. Personal leave is normally limited to 12 months.
Following consultation with his/her program advisor and graduate supervisor, a graduate student may apply for a leave of absence from one program to pursue a second course of study. Leave for a second program of study may exceed 12 months.
Students in the LFS are encouraged to complete a Master’s degree within 24 months and a Doctoral degree within 48 months of continuous study. University regulations establish a 5-year time limit for the completion of a Master’s program and 6-year time limit for the completion of a Doctoral program. If a student transfers from a Master’s program to a Doctoral program without completing the Master’s degree, the start time for the Doctoral program will be from the date of first registration in the Master’s program.
Extenuating circumstances not of the student’s making may justify allowing the student additional time to complete his or her degree program. A request for a one year’s extension may be received favorably by FG+PS if it is fully justified and supported by the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
A student should discuss the possibility of an extension with his or her supervisor and graduate advisor. Each request must be accompanied by a completed Request for Extension form and a memo from the supervisor or graduate advisor justifying request for extension, including a written report from the last Supervisory Committee meeting and a schedule (Extension Timeline) showing how the program will be completed in the extension period requested.
Extensions will not be granted beyond 2 years and must correspond with the beginning and end of term. Fees are assessed for students on extension.
Students who are concerned about their academic programs and are wishing to obtain advice outside their Supervisory Committee, are encouraged to discuss their concerns, in confidence, with the Graduate Program Advisor first. If concerns persist, the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies should then be contacted.
Admission as an unclassified student does not guarantee that a student will be able to register for any course offered, nor does it imply future admission as a regular student.
Unclassified students may only take graduate courses with the advanced approval of course instructor, Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS and the Dean of FG+PS.
Courses taken as an unclassified student may be approved for transfer toward a graduate program on permission of Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS and Dean of FG+PS. See the Calendar for more information on allowable transfer credits.
Unclassified courses that are used to raise a student’s GPA to the minimum level required for admission to a graduate program are not transferable to that graduate program.
Fees for Unclassified students can be found in the Calendar.
Students may be asked to take a load of up to 30 credits. Applicants with a three-year degree (equivalent to 90 credits) must take the full 30 credits. The courses that make up these credits must include the specific courses that the student is required to take in order to fulfill prerequisite requirements. These courses must be specified (minimum number of credits, minimum average, minimum number of credits with first class marks) as these marks are to demonstrate an acceptable level of academic achievement.
Financial support for graduate students within LFS typically comes from one or more of four sources: merit-based awards administered by the FG+PS (including Affiliated Fellowships and LFS Departmental Awards), teaching and research assistantships, need-based awards and direct awards from external agencies such as the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).
Effective January 1, 2016, all newly admitted graduate students in research-based MSc programs will be provided with a minimum funding package equal to of $16,000/year for the first 2 years of their study. Effective September 1, 2018 students admitted in PhD programs will be provided with a minimum funding package equal to $18,000/year for the first 4 years of their study. All students must maintain a good academic standing to receive this minimum funding support. Students are expected to be proactive in applying for awards and scholarships. Please refer to FG+PS for more information.
Also see LFS grad student financial support, scholarships and awards webpage.
International Tuition Awards of $3,200 are provided to all international students in research-based programs except for those whose tuition is paid by a third party.
The Four Year Doctoral Fellowship (4YF) program will ensure UBC’s best PhD students are provided with financial support of at least $18,200 per year plus tuition for the first four years of their PhD studies. This program allows UBC to continue to attract and support outstanding domestic and international PhD students, and provide those students with stable, base-level funding for the first four years of their PhD studies and research.
Students are strongly encouraged to seek financial support from scholarships and fellowships available from FG+PS and various agencies.
This site is for the LFS Graduate Programs Awards which lists many of the internal and external awards available to graduate students in the LFS Graduate Programs.
The LFS Graduate Scholarship Committee is responsible for adjudicating applications and recommending recipients for the LFS’ major scholarships (>$10,000) to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS. The Committee consists of the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (chair) and representatives from graduate programs. Recommendation for the LFS minor graduate scholarships (>$10,000) is made by the corresponding graduate programs in conjunction with the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Teaching Assistantships (TAs) are available for registered full-time graduate students in LFS. TAs provide an excellent opportunity to gain teaching experience. All graduate students are encouraged to gain this experience during their degree program. Students interested in TAs are advised to discuss this option with the course instructor and then apply on-line by the deadline. TA assignments are made immediately before the start of the fall or winter term when course enrolments are known. A full TA involves 12-hour work per week in preparation, lecturing, or laboratory instruction. In LFS, most TA appointments are partial appointments. TA rates are set by collective bargaining between the University and the TA’s Union, a Local of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Incomes from TAs is part of the MSc and PhD funding package.
International students interested in TAs are strongly encouraged to participate in the teaching programs through Centre for Teaching, Learning and Technology. This Program is offered a number of different time at their centre and website.
A limited number of Research Assistantships are available from research funds administered by graduate Supervisors. Research duties (in accordance with University Graduate Assistantship policies) may be required in return for a stipend. This may involve work, which is unrelated to the thesis and must therefore be scheduled so that it does not seriously interfere with the student’s graduate program. Incomes from Research Assistantships is part of the MSc and PhD funding package.
The LFS and FG+PS provide limited amounts of financial support towards travel by graduate students presenting their thesis research at major conferences. Application process for the Travel Assistance and relevant details are available at: LFS Travel Award and FG+PS Travel Award.
Except in special circumstances, a one-term course may be added to your program only within the first two weeks of the course, and a two-term course within the first three weeks of the course. If you drop a course within these periods, no record of registration in the course(s) will appear on your transcript.
If you want to add or drop a course outside of these time periods, you need to complete a Change of Registration Form (Add/Drop form), provide a reason for the late request in writing and have signed the Form before submitting to the relevant course instructor and Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Students in LFS for approval.
Students may withdraw from courses in which they are registered at any time up to the end of the sixth week of class for courses that are offered in a single term, and up to the end of the twelfth week for courses that span two terms. Withdrawals will be noted on the academic record by a standing of “W”. Such standings will not be included in computing averages.
A student who ceases to attend a course, does not write the final examination, or otherwise fails to complete course requirements, and who neither qualified for a deferred examination nor has obtained official permission to drop the course, will be given a standing of “F” grade which reflects performance in the course.
Auditors are students registered in a credit course who are expected to complete all course requirements except the final exam. If you successfully complete the course requirements for an audited course, your academic record will list “AUD” as the final grade.
If your performance is not satisfactory, you may be given Fail (F) standing. This mark will count toward your overall average.
Obtain the approval of the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS.
Register for the course using the Change of Registration form. Be sure to indicate AUDIT.
Inform the instructor at the commencement of the course of your intention to audit it.
All changes between Audit and Credit standings must be submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies on the Change of Registration Form by the appropriate course-specific deadline.
Requests for changes between Audit and Credit standings submitted after the appropriate deadline may be granted if accompanied by a compelling rationale endorsed by the course instructor and graduate advisor of your program.
Students are encouraged to take appropriate graduate courses outside LFS. Approval must be granted in advance from the Graduate Program Advisor and the course instructor.
A graduate student is expected to register for the thesis throughout their program. A grade of “T” is recorded for each session until the thesis is completed. The “T” grade may also be used for graduating essays (in professional master’s programs), for directed individual study, or project courses in which the course requirements extend beyond the normal deadline for the submission of a final grade.
Failed courses cannot be credited toward a graduate program.
Students failing a course require a LFS recommendation to continue.
Students failing more than one course normally will be required to withdraw.
MSc students: a minimum of 60% must be obtained in any course taken by a student enrolled in a master’s program for the student to be granted pass standing. However, only 6 credits of pass standing may be counted towards a master’s program. For all other courses, a minimum of 68% must be obtained. When repeating a failed course, a minimum mark of 74% must be obtained.
PhD students: a minimum of 68% (B-) must be achieved in all coursework taken for credit. Where a grade of less than 68% (B-) is obtained in a course, and on the recommendation of the graduate program and the approval of the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, the student may repeat the course for higher standing or take an alternate course. When repeating a failed required course, a minimum mark of 74% must be obtained.
A listing of relevant graduate courses and their description are found here.
Graduate students must present in at least two public seminars during their program as part of the LFS requirements. The number of seminars may vary from Program to Program. Please check with your Graduate Program Advisor for details.
Students should obtain the current FG+PS “Instructions for the Preparation of Theses“.
In order to be eligible for convocation, you must submit your final, defended thesis electronically as a single PDF file to UBC’s online information repository, cIRcle. It will be reviewed for formatting by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and approved for inclusion in cIRcle. Your program cannot be closed and you will not be eligible to graduate until the content and formatting of the thesis have been officially approved and you have received an official email confirming final approval of your thesis.
Submitted theses and dissertations must be formally approved by the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
Effective January 1, 2011: Students are expected to submit all final theses/dissertations electronically.
Recommendation of appointment of Supervisory Committee form to Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS for approval.
Approve courses for the program.
Supervisory Committee to meet with the student at least once every 12 months, and preferably once every 6 months.
Students must submit a Research Proposal to their Supervisory Committees at a formal meeting of the Committee. It is expected that students will submit their research proposal between 6 to 8 months from initial registration. Students must submit an electronic copy of the research proposal to the Graduate and Postdoctoral Office: [email protected].
The final Master’s Oral Examination is chaired by the Graduate Program Advisor (or alternate) who neither votes nor signs the thesis. The Examining Committee (including the Chair) must receive copies of the thesis at least 4 weeks before the defense. The student must submit the “Approval MSc Supervisory Committee to Proceed to Final Exam” and “MSc Thesis Defense Composition” forms to the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office at least 2 weeks prior to the examination.
The Supervisory Committee should be established as soon as possible after the thesis topic is identified, but not later than 4 months after initial registration. If possible, the research supervisor should consult with prospective supervisory committee members about the proposed coursework even if the thesis topic has not been decided.
The supervisory committee consists of your supervisor and at least two other individuals (normally faculty members). Its role is to provide support by broadening and deepening the range of expertise and experience available to you and your supervisor. The committee offers advice about and assessment of your work.
Students in a master’s program with a thesis usually have a supervisory committee that advises them on coursework, research, and thesis preparation.
Graduate students who establish their supervisory committees early in their programs and who meet with their committees regularly, tend to complete their degree programs successfully, and more quickly, than students who wait to establish their committees.
Supervisory Committee provides academic support throughout the student’s program. Helps plan a program of courses, which will prepare the student for thesis research, meet program requirements and assist career development. Provides critical comments on the research proposal and the thesis. Reviews academic and research progress on no less than an annual basis. Recommends whether the thesis is of acceptable standard for examination. Ensures that all LFS and FG+PS procedures associated with the degree program are adhered.
The Supervisory Committee is selected jointly by the Supervisor and student and recommended to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, immediately after the student commences his/her program but no later than 4 months after initial registration. The Committee membership may change once the thesis research area is finalized. Master’s Supervisory Committee Composition form.
Normally, the Research Supervisor will Chair the Committee, and must be a Professor, Associate Professor or Assistant Professor as well as a member of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. If an approved Adjunct Professor acts as co- supervisor (research), a full-time, faculty member is required to serve as the co- supervisor (academic) and to chair the committee.
At least two additional faculty members will serve on the Committee. They normally will be at least of the rank of Assistant Professor and members of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies.
One member will be from outside the Program in which the student’s degree is to be taken. The size of the Committee must be at least three. The membership may include faculty from other units and additional members from other universities.
If the committee only has two members from the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, approval from the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies is required. The Committee may also include additional qualified persons who are not faculty members. For the Master’s program, when persons from outside the University are proposed and the Committee does not meet quorum, approval from the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies must be obtained.
The majority of the Committee must be from UBC.
Members on study leave or any other leave exceeding 2 months may be replaced. A change in research direction or academic program may require a change in Committee composition.
Initial meeting immediately after the student commences his/her program to review the proposed research area and approve courses for the program.
Meeting to approve the research proposal and proposed schedule for completion.
Regular meetings conducted to review progress to determine whether sufficient work has been achieved to prepare an acceptable thesis.
Within 6 to 8 months of starting a Master’s program, the student will normally submit a Research Proposal to her/his Supervisory Committee for approval at a formal meeting of the Committee. The purpose of the proposal is to demonstrate how the student is going to carry out the research to meet the degree requirements. The Supervisory Committee meets to discuss the proposal with the student to ensure the validity of the research plan and to ascertain the student’s ability to formulate scholarly research questions and to convey these in both written and verbal forms. The student will make a brief (< 20 min) oral presentation on his/her research proposal at the beginning of the meeting. The exact format of the proposal is determined by discussion with the Supervisor. It should, however, include a summary of information previously published on the topic, hypothesis, objective, experimental design, brief description of methodologies (including statistical analysis), and timeline, and the significance of the proposed research. An outline of the Thesis Proposal format for the Human Nutrition Graduate Program is presented as an example in Appendix C.
The final Master’s Oral Examination is chaired by the Graduate Program Advisor (or designate) who neither votes nor signs the thesis. Copies of the thesis must be received by the Examining Committee (including the Chair) at least 4 weeks before the defense. The student’s supervisor must submit the “Approval by MSc Supervisory Committee to Proceed to Final Exam” form to the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office at least 2 weeks prior to the examination.
Examination Chair (Graduate Program Advisor or designate).
At least two members of the Supervisory Committee (could include research co-supervisors).
At least one additional member from outside the student’s Supervisory Committee.
One member of the Examining Committee must be from another Graduate Program or Department.
The examination is open to the public and normally lasts approximately 2 hours.
Reviews purpose of the examination.
Establishes the order for questioning, normally ending with the Supervisor(s).
Ensures that the examination is conducted in an impartial manner.
The Student: Provides a 20 – 25 minute oral presentation on her/his thesis work to the public and the Examining Committee.
The Examiners: Following the oral presentation, the examiners examine the student (normally up to 20 minutes each) for one or two cycles, with the second cycle normally much shorter than the first.
Questions are invited from the public. The public and the student are asked to leave the room while the committee reviews the student’s performance and the thesis.
Unconditional pass – required changes are only of an editorial nature. The thesis is normally signed by all Examining Committee members at the time.
Conditional pass – requirements involving re-analysis or major restructuring of the thesis are specified by the Examining Committee and are to be completed within 6 weeks of the examination. Signatures of the Supervisor and members wishing to check revisions are withheld.
Fail – recommend withdrawal from the program.
Evaluation is by majority decision but individual examiners may choose not to sign the thesis. The Supervisor signs the thesis only after all revisions have been made.
Recommendation of appointment of Supervisory Committee form to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for approval.
Initial meeting with Supervisory Committee to review and approve the proposed program, including courses that the student needs to take to ensure an adequate knowledge basis needed to carry out his/her research project. Supervisory Committee to meet with the student at least once every 12 months, and preferably once every 6 months.
Supervisory Committee has reviewed Research Proposal at a formal meeting of the Committee.
Each Graduate Program has prepared a statement of examination procedures, requirements, and regulations which are listed in Appendix E. Check with your Graduate Program Advisor regarding procedures and requirements for your graduate program.
Supervisory Committee meets with the student to arrange date, format & scope of questioning. Committee nominates two additional members for the examining Committee.
Supervisor ensures the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies receives the completed “Notice & Approval of Comprehensive Examination Committee” form for approval no less than two (2) weeks before the examination.
The Graduate Program Advisor or designate will chair the comprehensive examination.
Examination Chair reports the examination results in writing to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, with copies to the Graduate Program Advisor, Committee members, and the student. The Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies will in turn inform FG+PS of the outcome of examination.
When the student has been successful and has met other requirements, request FG+PS to admit the student to candidacy.
Three months prior to submission of the completed thesis to FG+PS, the Supervisor submits “Appointment of External Examiner for Doctoral Thesis“ form to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies for approval and submission to FG+PS for approval.
A doctoral student’s supervisory committee is responsible for guiding the student in selecting any required courses, planning the research, and preparing the thesis.
The Supervisory Committee provides academic support throughout the program. Helps plan a program of courses, if necessary, which will prepare the student for thesis work, meet program requirements and career development. Provides critical comments on the research proposal and the thesis. Helps plan the comprehensive examination format. Reviews research progress on no less than an annual basis. Recommends whether the thesis is of acceptable standard for examination. Ensures that all LFS and FG+PS procedures associated with the degree program are adhered.
Normally, the Research Supervisor chairs the Committee, and is a Professor, Associate or Assistant Professor with some previous experience on doctoral committees and a member of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. If an approved Adjunct Professor acts as the co-supervisor (research), a full-time, faculty member (Professor, Associate or Assistant Professor) is required as co-supervisor (academic) who chairs the committee. At least two additional faculty members will serve on the Committee. They normally will be at least of the rank of Assistant Professor and member of the FG+PS. One member will be from outside the Program in which the student’s degree is to be taken. The Committee must have at least three members. The membership may include faculty from other units and additional members from other universities. If the committee contains less than three members from the FG+PS and when persons from outside the University are proposed, a memo requesting approval must be sent to the Dean of the Faculty Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies via the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS, with a justification and a curriculum vitae of the person(s) nominated. The majority of the Committee must be from UBC.
Within 18 to 24 months of starting his/her doctoral program, the student will normally submit a Research Proposal to her/his Supervisory Committee for approval at a formal meeting of the Committee. The purpose of the proposal is to demonstrate how the student is going to carry out the research to meet the degree requirements. The Supervisory Committee meets to discuss the proposal with the student to ensure the validity of the research plan and to ascertain the student’s ability to formulate scholarly research questions and to convey these in both written and verbal forms. The student will make a brief (< 20 min) oral presentation on his/her research proposal at the beginning of the meeting. The exact format of the proposal is determined by discussion with the Supervisor. It should, however, include a summary of information previously published on the topic, hypothesis, objective, experimental design, brief description of methodologies (including statistical analysis), and timeline, and the significance of the proposed research.
Comprehensive Examination For Doctoral Students: Form for Notice And Approval Of Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination Committee.
Successful completion of the Comprehensive Examination is a FG+PS requirement for all doctoral programs before a student is granted Doctoral Candidacy status. Each Graduate Program has prepared a statement of examination procedures, requirements, and regulations which are listed in Appendix E. Normally, the examination will be held after completion of all required coursework. The Examination is normally held within 18 months but no later than 24 months after the student begins his/her Doctoral program, when any necessary course work has been completed.
The Examination Committee is normally composed of: a Chair (Graduate Advisor or designate), two or three members of the Supervisory Committee, and two additional full-time professors not on the Supervisory Committee (one of whom will be from another graduate program in UBC). All members must be informed of the examination date, purpose, scope and format, and be provided with copies of the Comprehensive Examination guidelines. The two additional members may wish to meet with the Supervisor and student immediately following their appointments to the Committee. The Examining Committee in Food Science is composed of all faculty members in the Food Science Program plus one member from another Program.
The Examination Chair: Reviews the purpose of the examination; outlines examination procedures; and indicates the order of questioning.
The Thesis Supervisor: Briefly reviews the student’s background; and confirms that program requirements have been fully met (residency, courses, proposal approved).
The Student: Provide a short oral presentation about his/her background and goals at the beginning of the examination. The nature and length of this presentation differs between Programs.
The Examiners: Examine the student according to procedures outlined by the Examination Chair.
Conditional pass – requirements are specified in writing by the Examining Committee and are to be completed within 6 weeks of the examination unless they involve requiring the student to successfully complete an additional course.
Adjournment – procedures for continuing the examination are specified in writing by the Examining Committee (a student may have one examination adjournment, provided the student is within the first 36 months of his/her program at the time of the continued examination).
The Examination Chair informs the student of the results in the presence of the Examining Committee. The Chair also reports the examination results to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies. FG+PS will be notified by the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, in writing once the student has successfully completed the examination with copies to the student, Supervisor and Graduate Program Advisor.
It is expected that a decision should be made whether a student will be Advanced to candidacy within 18 – 24 months from the date of initial registration. A student who is not admitted to candidacy within a period of 36 months from the date of initial registration will be required to withdraw from his/her program. Extension of this period may be permitted by the Dean of FG+PS under exceptional circumstances.
All required course work (if any) has been successfully completed.
The Comprehensive Examination has been passed.
The Research Supervisory Committee has approved the thesis proposal.
As soon as the student has satisfied all requirements, the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies recommends to the FG+PS that the student be advanced to Candidacy.
PLAN AHEAD. There are lots of deadlines to meet before you even get a defense date and it’s advisable to start investigating these about 4 to 5 months before you anticipate defending. Tools for planning.
3 months prior to submission of the completed thesis to FG+PS for forwarding to the external examiner, Supervisor submits Nomination of External Examiner Form to FG+PS. Signatures of both the research Supervisor and the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS are required on the Form. Submit Thesis to FG+PS 8 weeks before Oral Examination if External Examiner is from outside North America or 6 weeks if External Examiners from inside North America.
The dissertation must be complete and ready (except for very minor text changes) to send to the external examiner: Email your dissertation to [email protected] for review. A PDF is preferred. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure format is incompliance with university requirements.
Submitting the Dissertation for External Examiner has more information on submission requirements.
A Graduate Program Approval of Doctoral Dissertation for External Examination Form from the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies must be submitted along with the thesis indicating that the student has completed the requirements for the Doctoral degree and is ready to defend his/her thesis. A UBC account number for the courier charges is included in the form. Thesis without proper accompanying documentation will not be processed.
FG+PS no longer requires students to submit The Examination Programme. However, students or research supervisors are still welcome to create and distribute a program should they wish to do so. For those seeking guidance, a template is available on our website.
Confirm date and time of Oral Exam with the Doctoral Examinations Coordinator.
Appointment of University Examiners Form: The Supervisor and Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies recommends the University Examiners. Both University Examiners must be members of FG+PS. Professors’ emeriti who are active in their field are eligible and most welcome. Assistant professors may be nominated with full justification of nomination in writing by the Research Supervisor one week prior to the University Examiner form being submitted.
The Research Supervisor is responsible for inviting and confirming a mutually convenient time with all members of the examining Committee, to attend the Final Oral Examination. In order to meet quorum, the Examining Committee must consist of a Chair, two members from the Supervisory Committee, and two University Examiners (one from the candidate’s Graduate Program and one from another Graduate Program). As soon as a date and time is fixed, FG+PS must be informed so that a room can be booked for the candidate. The candidate is responsible for delivering to each member of the Examining Committee a copy of the thesis in its approved form. FG+PS will appoint a Chair for the exam. FG+PS must receive a minimum of 4 weeks notice in order to book an examination room. FG+PS only sends the thesis to the External Examiner (outside UBC) and the Chair. The supervisor and/or candidate is responsible for providing the thesis to the two University Examiners and also members of the Supervisory Committee members attending the Final Oral Examination.
No revision or only minor revision required. At least two examining committee members sign the Doctoral Dissertation Approval form; the research supervisor withholds signature until revisions are complete. The final dissertation should be submitted to FG+PS within one month of the exam.
The dissertation is satisfactory subject to substantive revision affecting content. Fewer than two committee members sign the Doctoral Dissertation Approval form; the research supervisor and additional committee members withhold signatures until revisions are complete. The examining committee should recommend the procedure to be followed for revisions, and the procedure should be outlined in the Chair’s report. The final dissertation should be submitted to FG+PS within six months of the exam date.
The dissertation is unsatisfactory in its current form. Major rewriting and rethinking are required. No one signs the Doctoral Dissertation Approval form. The Examining Committee should recommend the procedure to be followed for revision of the thesis, and the procedure should be outlined in the Chair’s report. Further instructions for final submission will come from FG+PS.
The dissertation is failed and re – examination on this research is not permitted.
The Comprehensive (Ph.D. only) or Final Oral Examination is failed.
A student who is not admitted to Ph.D. Candidacy within a period of 36 months from date of initial registration will be required to withdraw from the program.
Progress is considered unsatisfactory because of poor performance in coursework, research, or other academic endeavors.
Circumstances arise which make it unlikely that the program will be successfully completed within a reasonable time period.
Recommendations to the FG+PS of Final Oral Examination failure and termination of a student’s program are made in writing by the Examining Committee (condition 1 above) or by the Supervisory Committee. In condition 2, extension to the third-year may be permitted by FG+PS under exceptional circumstances. In conditions 3 and 4, the student must receive prior notice in writing that progress has been unsatisfactory, and be given a clear definition of remedial action with realistic deadlines.
Every effort should be made to resolve disputes informally. Appeals are directed first to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS within 3 months of the original decision. If efforts to resolve the dispute within the Faculty fail, the student can appeal to the Dean of FG+PS within 10 working days of official notification of the decision by the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS. The Dean of FG+PS will not accept an appeal of an academic judgment. Such an appeal will be referred back to the Faculty. The Dean will only consider appeals based on alleged prejudice or bias in the evaluation or improper procedures in the evaluation process. If an appeal cannot be resolved satisfactorily by the intercession of the Dean of FG+PS, the student may lodge a written notice of appeal with the Senate Committee on Academic Standing, within 10 days of being informed in writing of the Dean’s decision.
Any dispute concerning grades should first be discussed with the instructor, then with the Graduate Program Advisor and finally with the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in LFS.
Matters such as financial support, professional conduct, etc., are handled by the Graduate Programs Committee, the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and FG+PS, in that order.
Research data collected by graduate students during their programs remain the property of the LFS, and in some cases, of the funding agency. Copies of all data are to be filed with the student’s Supervisor. Thesis research should be prepared for publication within 6 months of the Final Oral Examination. After this time, the Supervisor may assume responsibility for communicating the research findings.
The student must maintain his/her registration until the thesis is submitted. Please follow FG+PS instructions for final thesis/dissertation submission.
Students should apply for graduation on-line.
It is the Graduate Program Advisor’s responsibility to confirm that all program requirements (courses, comprehensive examinations, etc.) have been satisfied.
Establish a supervisory committee early in the student’s program and convene a meeting, at least once annually, to evaluate the student’s progress, with input from the student and colleagues wherever appropriate.
Assist the student in the development of academic and research programs.
Arrange and chair meetings of the Supervisory Committee and record its assessment of academic and research progress in writing. Send copies to the student, committee members, and Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office after each meeting.
Arrange examinations (examiners, time, date, room, etc.).
Provide adequate research facilities and funding to support the student’s research project.
Assist and direct the student in the preparation of the thesis.
Have sufficient familiarity with the field of research to provide guidance and/or a willingness to gain that familiarity before agreeing to act as Supervisor.
Respond to written work submitted by the student in a timely and thorough manner, with constructive suggestions for improvement and continuation. The turnaround time for comments on written work should not normally exceed 3 weeks.
Make arrangements to ensure continuity of supervision when absent for two months or longer.
Within the norms appropriate to the discipline, make reasonable arrangements to ensure that the research resources needed for the thesis project are available to the student and, when necessary, assist the student in gaining access to facilities or research materials.
Help to ensure that the research environment is safe, healthy and free from harassment, discrimination and conflict.
When there is conflicting advice or when there are different expectations on the part of co-supervisors or members of the Supervisory Committee, endeavor to achieve consensus and resolve the differences.
Assist the student to be aware of current program requirements, deadlines, sources of funding, etc.
Encourage the student to make presentations of research results within the University, as well as to outside scholarly or professional bodies, as appropriate.
Help the student plan the work, set a time schedule and adhere as closely as possible to that schedule. Encourage the student to complete their program of studies when it would not be in their best interest to extend it.
Appropriately acknowledge the student’s contributions to presentations and published material, in many cases via joint authorship.
Ensure that recommendations for external examiners of doctoral theses are made to the Graduate Program Advisor and forwarded to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, in the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office in a timely manner; make other arrangements for oral examination of the thesis and assist the student to comply with any changes that need to be made after the oral examination.
Other items are the same as for the Master’s Program.
Make a commitment and show dedicated efforts to gain the background knowledge and skills needed to pursue the research project successfully.
Develop, in conjunction with the Supervisor and Supervisory Committee, a plan and a timetable for completion of all stages of the thesis project, and work assiduously to adhere to a schedule and to meet appropriate deadlines.
Meet with the Supervisor when requested and report fully and regularly on progress and results.
Maintain registration throughout the program and (for international students) ensure that student visas and, where applicable, employment authorization documents are kept up to date. Keep the Supervisor, Graduate Program Advisor, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office and FG+PS informed of how you can be contacted.
Give serious consideration and respond to advice and criticisms received from the Supervisor and other members of the Supervisory Committee.
Pay due attention to the need to maintain a workplace which is tidy, safe and healthy and where each individual shows tolerance and respect for the rights of others.
Take appropriate courses on safety, radiation, etc.
Be thoughtful and reasonably frugal in using resources provided by the Supervisor and by the University, and assist in obtaining additional resources for the research or for other group members where applicable.
Conform to University, Faculty and Program requirements, including those related to deadlines, dissertation style, conflict of interest, etc.
Recognize that where the student’s research comprises a component of the Supervisor’s research program, the responsibility for utilization of data and for publication is held jointly by the Supervisor and student. In such cases, a draft paper, together with raw data, will be made available to the Supervisor prior to submission for publication.
Meet agreed performance standards and deadlines of the funding organization to the extent possible when financing has been provided under a contract or grant.
Conform to the strictest standards of honesty in order to assure academic integrity and professionalism. This includes, but is by no means limited to, acknowledging assistance, materials and/or data provided by others.
When the program requirements have been met, terminate the work and clean up the work space, in consideration of the next student.
Return borrowed materials to the Supervisor, LFS, library or reading room, etc. when the project has been concluded or when return is requested.
Title Page – Include the title of the thesis proposal, name of candidate, and name of Thesis Supervisor and Supervisory Committee members.
Introduction – Introduce the research topic.
Specific Aims – State the primary objectives of the study.
Background – A brief review of the pertinent literature and a list of references should be given. Emphasis should be on developing a review that is highly relevant to the project rather than an exhaustive review of the entire field.
Rationale – State the hypothesis(es) to be tested and give the rationale of the approach.
Research Design – Describe the number of observations in each experimental group and list what procedures are to be done, and what measurements are to be made on each. In animal studies, proper diets and protocol should be included. Sampling strategies in human studies should be included.
Methods – Describe the specific methods to be used in the project. The basis for new methods and/or significant modifications of established methods should be given.
Analysis of the Data – Specify how the data are to be analyzed. The specific number of comparisons to be made, the types of statistical tests to be used, and the number of samples to be obtained for use in making the comparisons should be listed.
The Role of Candidate in Project – Describe exactly the role the candidate will have in the project. What analyses will be done by the candidate in which laboratories, and from where will other pertinent data be obtained? The role of any technical personnel working on the project should be specifically identified.
Significance – Describe the significance of this study with reference to the state of knowledge of the field and the possible nutritional implications of the findings.
Human Studies – See Guidance for Research with Human Subject in preparation of this section. Procedures for obtaining the appropriate permissions for research with human subjects must be stated. This outline of a thesis proposal is intended to serve as a guideline. Specific details of the proposal should be discussed with the Research Advisor.
The comprehensive exam in the Applied Animal Biology Graduate program is to test the student’s background knowledge related to her/his dissertation research and their ability to carry out their proposed research. This exam should be completed within the first 24 months of their program. As such, the student is not to be tested on his/her dissertation research itself or defend his/her research proposal but rather is examined on subject areas related to a review paper prepared before the oral examination. The student, in consultation with their research supervisory committee, shall identify topics (typically two to four) relevant to the students’ core area of research. These topics will then become the subject of a critical, integrative review. Students may choose to write their review in the form of a manuscript that may later be submitted to a referred journal. A version of the review may also be suitable for inclusion in the final dissertation as an introductory chapter.
Once the supervisory committee approves the document (and signed the examination approval form) the oral examination date can be set. The exam committee consists of the Chair (Graduate Advisor or designate), 2 – 3 members of the PhD supervisory committee, and 2 university examiners (full-time professors not on the supervisory committee). At least one member of the examination committee must be from another Graduate Program. The examiners should be chosen according to the topics central to the review paper. The student will meet with each examiner and deliver his/her critical review document no less than 2 weeks before the examination. The chair (non-voting) will outline the purpose of the exam and the order of questioning; normally the exam begins with the external examiners, followed by the supervisory committee members and ends with the supervisor. The oral examination may begin with a short (less than 20 min) presentation by the student. Examiners are free to ask any question they see as appropriate during the examination; the review paper will provide context and help frame the discussion. Each examiner will examine the students for 15-20 minutes followed by a shortened second round of questions.
After the examination, the examiners meet in camera to determine the outcome by majority decision.
The student may be required, for example, to successfully complete a course in which the committee finds the student needs additional knowledge/skills.
If the committee finds that the performance in the oral examination is not satisfactory, but believes that, with additional preparation, the student has the potential for satisfactory performance, the examination will be adjourned.
The committee’s rationale for recommending an adjournment and the procedures for continuing the examination, including the time frame, will be specified in writing by the Chair of the examining committee.
One examination adjournment or retake is permitted, provided the student has the opportunity to complete the examination within the first 36 months of his/her program.
The continuation will be videotaped.
The examination committee membership normally remains unchanged for the continuation of the exam.
If the continuation does not result in an unconditional or a conditional pass, the student will be required to withdraw from the program.
Students who fail the oral examination will be required to withdraw from the program. Students will be informed in writing by the examination committee of the failure.
The Food Science graduate program advisor will meet with you ~ 5-6 weeks prior to your comprehensive exam date, to present you with a hypothetical “research problem”. This research problem and your research proposal to address it will form the basis of the comprehensive examination to assess the aforementioned indicators of your abilities. The topic of the research problem is “separate and distinct from” your doctoral dissertation prospectus, and will be selected to represent a typical research problem of significance in the food science field.
Within four weeks of receiving this research problem, you will be required to submit to the Food Science Graduate Advisor, a written report that provides the necessary background, the rationale for the proposed research approach and a well-documented research strategy to address the problem. The report should be no longer than forty double-spaced pages, printed with a 12- point font size. Tables and figures may be appended to the report. The report should include appropriately referenced background information and issues relevant to the problem. This background information should constitute no more than half of the report.
The experimental plan and methodology proposed for the research plan, including experimental design and statistical analysis of data, should constitute at least half of the report. You should also indicate the limitations that may be encountered in the execution of the proposed research plan. You should take into account the anticipated outcomes of the research in the design of the research plan.
The written report, which will be photocopied and distributed to the Examining Committee, will form the basis of the oral comprehensive examination.
The Examining Committee for your oral examination will be composed of a Chair, at least four faculty members from the Food Science graduate program, and one faculty member from another graduate program. The oral examination will be scheduled to take place within one to two weeks following submission of the report to the Food Science Graduate Advisor.
Decision (unconditional pass; conditional pass; adjournment; fail) by the Examining Committee.
This document provides guidelines to students in the PhD degree program in Human Nutrition regarding their comprehensive examinations. These exams include two components, a screening exam and preparation/oral examination of a research proposal, each of which is described separately following the section on “Timing of the Exams”.
The Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies states that comprehensive exams are normally intended to assess whether the student has developed: a. strong analytical, problem-solving and critical thinking abilities b. required breadth and in-depth knowledge of the discipline c. ability to communicate knowledge of the discipline d. required academic background for the specific doctoral research to follow e. potential ability to conduct independent and original research. The Human Nutrition Comprehensive Exams are intended primarily to address items (a) through (c) in the above list. Items (d) and (e) are assessed through the Supervisory Committee’s evaluation of the PhD research proposal.
In the Human Nutrition Graduate Program, doctoral students are normally expected to complete their comprehensive examinations within 18 months from the date of initial registration. Completion of comprehensive exams is one aspect of the requirements for admission to PhD candidacy, and according to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, a student who is not admitted to candidacy within 36 months from the date of initial registration must withdraw from the program. The screening examination must be passed before the research proposal component can be attempted. Normally, the screening exam will be taken within 6-12 months of initial registration. The research question to be addressed in the research proposal should be approved by the Human Nutrition Graduate Program within 14 months of initial registration, with the oral examination taking place within the following 3 months. The written research proposal must be circulated at least 2 weeks prior to the oral examination.
The purpose of the screening exam is to ensure that doctoral students have comprehensive knowledge of the fundamentals of human nutrition. Students are expected to have knowledge in the following areas (courses covering these areas are in parentheses): Basic macronutrient and energy metabolism (including fibre) (FNH 250 and 350) Basic micronutrient metabolism (FNH 250 and 351) Basic principles of nutritional assessment, and familiarity with techniques for commonly assessed nutrients (FNH 370) Major issues in nutrition across the lifespan (FNH 471) Basic research methods in nutrition and other health research (FNH 398) DRIs – major issues considered and rationale for the recommendations for the major nutrients, especially any problematic or controversial nutrients (FNH 350, 351, and 471) Basic role of nutrition in prevention and pathogenesis of the major chronic diseases influenced by nutrition (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, obesity) (FNH 350, 351, and 451). Students will have 3 hours to complete the closed-book exam, which will consist of multiple choice, short and medium length questions. Exam questions will be set by the instructors of the above courses (i.e., FNH 250, 350, 351, 370, 398, 451, and 471), and will be similar to questions asked in examinations in the undergraduate courses. Current course syllabi from the above courses will be made available to exam candidates. Students must receive a mark of 75% or greater to pass the exam. Students who obtain a mark of 60%-74% on their first attempt will be given one opportunity to retake the exam within 2 months of the first attempt. Students who receive less than 60% on their first attempt or less than 75% on their second attempt will be required to withdraw from the program.
The purpose of this part of the comprehensive exam is to establish that students have an ability to critically evaluate primary research literature, identify a gap in the current literature, establish a research question and appropriate hypotheses/objectives, address the research question through designing appropriate original investigations systemically and logically, with application of appropriate methodologies and statistical analyses. In addition, this part of the examination will also assess the breadth and depth of students’ knowledge within one area of human nutrition research. This part of the comprehensive exam consists of preparation and oral examination of a CIHR style research proposal.
In consultation with their dissertation research supervisor, students are required to identify a research question that must not be in the immediate area of their dissertation research. For example, an acceptable research question might be one that would be addressed using similar research methods to those of the student’s dissertation research, but with a focus on a different nutrient, health outcome or life stage. If the timing is appropriate, this topic could be used for the student’s ‘long seminar’ in HUNU 631.
The research question will be presented to the HUNU graduate faculty in the form of letter of intent. The letter of intent (LOI) should follow the format of the one-page summary required for registration of a CIHR operating grant, including background information, research questions, objectives and/or hypotheses, study design and methods, and significance (maximum 1 page, single spaced, 2 cm margins). An additional page should be submitted with a one paragraph summary of the student’s dissertation research question/topic. It should be submitted shortly after successful completion of the screening examination and within 14 months of initial registration in the doctoral program to the advisor of the Human Nutrition program who will circulate it to all HUNU graduate faculty members. Faculty members will respond to the program advisor within 1 week, indicating if they do/do not approve the LOI. If they do not approve, reasons shall be given. The program advisor will collate responses and let the student know within 10 days whether or not the LOI has been approved. In the event that it is rejected, clear reasons will be provided and the student asked to revise and resubmit within 14 days.
Upon approval of the letter of intent, students are responsible for preparing the research proposal, which includes a one-page summary of the research proposal, a lay abstract, the proposal itself (maximum 11 pages), appropriate components of the research proposal appendix, and budget information. Students are strongly urged to consult with the CIHR website to ensure full compliance with the requirements and format for Open Operating Grant applications (http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/35674.html#t3). Students are expected to prepare the proposal independently, without review by their supervisor or other faculty members (although they are allowed to have conversations with their supervisor about the topic).
The completed research proposal is submitted electronically to the advisor of the Human Nutrition program, who will be responsible for distributing it to faculty members of the Program.
The proposal should be submitted to the Advisor of the Human Nutrition Program within 17 months of initial registration in the PhD program. Only e-submission will be accepted.
If the LOI or proposal are not submitted within the expected time frame, the student, supervisor, and graduate program advisor will meet to discuss why this has occurred, and develop a time line for completion of these components as soon as possible.
The oral examination is held in camera. The exam is primarily centered around the research proposal. Students are expected to address other relevant questions, including, but not limited to, the strength and weakness associated with the experimental design, methodologies, and statistical analyses, etc.
Note that a minimum of 2 weeks elapse between the date of submitting the research proposal and the scheduled date of the oral exam. The Supervisor must submit the “Notice and Approval of Oral Examination” form to the Associate Dean, Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Faculty of Land and Food Systems, at least 8 weeks before the oral examination. In the event that the oral examination will not occur as scheduled, the Supervisor must notify members of the Oral Examination Committee at the earliest possible time.
The Chair begins the exam by reviewing the purpose and format of the exam. The student will then present a 10-15 min synopsis of the proposal, followed by the question period. The question period is conducted in the order established by the Chair. The approximate length of time for each examiner is 15-20 minutes, and two rounds of questioning may occur. Normally, the research supervisor asks questions last.
Since one of the purposes of the oral examination is to determine the breadth and depth of students’ knowledge, students are not expected to be an expert in everything that they are asked about. Thus it is acceptable to say “I don’t know”, but the Committee would expect the student to follow this up with a discussion of what s/he might anticipate, based on related knowledge. Again, the point is to determine if the student can discuss the subject in an intelligent manner.
The Graduate Advisor normally serves as Chair of the Oral Examination Committee. However, if s/he is the supervisor of the student, another faculty member in Human Nutrition will serve as Chair.
The Chair’s role is to ensure impartiality, to ensure that the program’s procedures are followed, and to file the exam report. S/he also monitors the length of questioning by each examiner. The Chair may participate in the examination process but does not vote except in the event of a tie.
The Committee will include all available faculty members in Human Nutrition (minimum 3, in addition to the Chair), as well as one faculty member from another Graduate Program, for a minimum of 4 examiners plus the Chair.
The student may be required, for example, to successfully complete a course or re-write aspects of the proposal in which the committee finds the student needs additional knowledge/skills.
The additional academic requirements will be provided to the student in writing by the examination committee and include expected standards of achievement and time frame for completion.
If the committee finds that the student’s written research proposal and performance in oral examination is not satisfactory (e.g., inadequate depth; inability to critically evaluate the literature, and inappropriate hypothesis and experimental approaches, etc.), but believes that, with additional preparation, the student has the potential for satisfactory performance, the examination will be adjourned.
The committee’s rationale for recommending an adjournment and the procedures for continuing the examination, including the time frame, will be specified in writing by the Chair of the examining committee. Students will also be informed whether the adjournment is related to one or both aspects of this part of the comprehensive exam.
The comprehensive exam is to test the candidate’s background knowledge related to the candidate’s thesis research in order to determine whether the candidate is capable of carrying out the proposed research. As such, the student is not to be tested on his/her thesis research nor a defense of her research proposal.
2 university examiners (full-time professors not on the supervisory committee). At least one member of the Exam committee has to be from another Graduate Program or department. The examiners should be chosen according to the particular areas that the candidate needs to be tested on.
After the committee members have been identified, the candidate will visit the examiners to deliver his/her thesis research proposal. Each examiner may assign the candidate some review papers, a set of journal papers, or books so that the candidate can read up on the area that he/she is to be tested.
The comprehensive exam is to assess the candidate’s background knowledge related to the candidate’s thesis research in order to determine whether the candidate is capable of carrying out the proposed research. As such, the student is not to be tested directly on his/her thesis research nor a defense of the research proposal, rather the examination addresses the candidate’s academic background and abilities to conduct original research appropriate for the doctoral degree.
one University examiner who is not on the supervisory committee. The examiners should be chosen according to the particular areas of the candidate research program.
After the committee members have been identified, the candidate will visit the examiners to deliver his/her thesis research proposal. Each examiner may assign the candidate review papers, a set of journal papers, or books so that the candidate can read in preparation for the examination.
Determine whether the candidate has knowledge about the tools he/she will need to carry out his/her thesis research.
The composition of the Examining Committee will meet FLFS requirements and will be approved at a meeting of the Ph.D. student’s thesis committee.
Each Member of the Examining Committee will provide the student’s Supervisor with a question in the agreed upon subject area –the Supervisor will confirm the questions are complementary and consistent with the subject area agreed upon by the student’s Supervisory Committee.
The Supervisor is responsible for providing the complete list of a limited number of questions and reading lists to the student and the Examining Committee no later than one month prior to the examination date, unless a different time is agreed upon at a committee meeting.
The student will write a 2000 to 3000 (max.) word response to each question and provide them to the Examining Committee, including the Chair, one week prior to the examination unless a different time has been agreed upon at a committee meeting.
The student should demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the subject areas including methodology, theory and content to proceed with the project. The student may present written responses to questions with a 20 minutes presentation in the examination, which will address the student’s informed reaction to the questions posed by the examining committee.
A short summary of the proposal needs to be sent to the external examiner at least three weeks before the examination.
The examination will begin with a 10-15 minute presentation by the student on the student’s informed responses to the committee’s questions and what the student has learned through the process of responding to the questions. The presentation may last 20 minutes if the student elects to forgo the written responses.
The Examiners will examine the student’s knowledge of the agreed upon subject areas, including topics derived from the student’s written/oral responses to the Examination Committee’s questions. The question period will last no more than 1.5 hours. | 2019-04-23T03:34:04Z | http://blogs.ubc.ca/lfsgrads/lfs-grad-student-handbook |
Does the importer of a mixture have any obligations concerning potential impurities present in the mixture, where the impurity is a substance listed in Annex XVII?
The obligations of the importer of the mixture depend on the interpretation of each specific entry in Annex XVII to REACH for the substance concerned, taking account of the wording, the context and the purpose of the restriction in question.
For instance, if a substance were completely banned, then it could not be placed on the market, not even as an impurity in a substance in an imported mixture. On the other hand, some Annex XVII entries specify limits above which a substance cannot be placed on the market. This limit may not be exceeded, no matter what is the source of the substance in the mixture. However, this can only be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the substance, the restriction and the concentration of the substance as an impurity in the imported mixture.
It should be noted that the impurity may be permissible at any concentration if the use of the imported mixture is not covered in the ‘conditions of restriction' listed in Annex XVII for the substance.
When a specific Annex XVII entry (e.g. entry 56 MDI) specifies the requirement for the package to contain protective gloves in order for the mixture to be placed on the market, is it possible to attach the protective gloves to the package, if it cannot contain them?
In special cases where, due to the size or shape of the packaging, it is technically not possible to include the protective gloves inside the packaging, it is considered to be sufficient that the gloves are fixed tightly to the packaging in a manner that they cannot be unintentionally removed during handling and transport. The gloves must not obstruct the label and the removal of the gloves must not destroy the label. In addition, both the packaging containing the mixture and the protective gloves must be placed on the market as a single unit, which explicitly signals to the consumer that the mixture may only be used with the protective gloves .
What is the definition of "toys", in the context of restrictions in Annex XVII to REACH?
A number of Annex XVII entries (Entries 5, 31, 43, 50 , 51 and 52) specifically refer to toys. The REACH Regulation does not define "toys". Toys are defined by Directive 2009/48/EC (hereinafter referred to as the Toys Safety Directive-TSD).
Article 2(1) of the TSD states: "This directive shall apply to products designed or intended, whether or not exclusively, for use in play by children under 14 years of age (hereinafter referred to as toys)".
Annex I to the TSD contains a more detailed list of products that are not considered as toys within the meaning of the Directive. Article 3 of the TSD defines certain types of toys such as "functional toy", "aquatic toy", "chemical toy" and "activity toy". Furthermore, Article 2(2) of the TSD explicitly mentions that the TSD shall not apply to the following toys: (a) playground equipment intended for public use; (b) automatic playing machines, whether coin operated or not, intended for public use; (c) toy vehicles equipped with combustion engines; (d) toy steam engines; and (e) slings and catapults. It is considered that if the TSD definition of "toys" is used in Annex XVII to REACH, these exemptions will automatically form part of that definition.
The European Commission services have prepared an explanatory guidance document on the TSD, (http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/sectors/toys/files/tsd-guidance/tsd_rev_1-6_explanatory_guidance_document_en.pdf) providing clarifications about its scope and definitions of certain categories of toys. Overall, the definition of toys in the TSD should be used to determine what we mean by "toys" for the purposes of restrictions in Annex XVII to REACH. Concerning toys exempted from the scope of the TSD (Article 2(2) of the TSD) these should also normally not be considered as "toys" for the purpose of the relevant REACH restrictions. In certain cases, it may be necessary to describe a class of toys to be covered by a restriction by reference to specific properties of the item.
What is the definition of "childcare articles", in the context of restrictions in Annex XVII to REACH?
A definition of "childcare articles" was inserted by the 22nd amendment of Council Directive 76/769/EEC, (which was repealed by REACH, Annex XVII) via the Directive 2005/84/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council. Directive 76/769/EEC was amended so that the following definition for childcare articles was added in its Article 1(3)c: "childcare article" means any product intended to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene, the feeding of children or sucking on the part of children. Hence the intention of the legislator was to use this definition for the purpose of all the restriction provisions and thereby this to be applicable for the entire Directive 76/769/EEC. Therefore, the same definition appears in entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII, providing an indication of what should be generally considered as a "childcare article" in the context of all Annex XVII (to REACH) provisions.
What is the meaning of the expression "placing/placed on the market for the first time" in the context of entries 3(7), 31(2)(b), 58(1) and 59(1)(b) of Annex XVII to REACH?
Article 3(12) of REACH defines "placing on the market" as supplying or making available, whether in return for payment or free of charge, to a third party. Import is deemed to be placing on the market.
Placing on the market for the first time limits the scope of the restriction to the first natural or legal person who supplies or makes available substances, mixtures or articles on the market in the EU. The first placing on the market in the EU will either be by the manufacturer or the importer of the substance, mixture or article concerned.
In some cases a restriction entry in Annex XVII refers to specific Directives/Regulations when describing the inclusion or exception of some substances or product categories from the entry. If this Directive/Regulation is repealed or modified, is the new/amended legislation applicable to the restriction?
In general, the answer is yes. However, it should be assessed on a case-by-case basis whether the new legal act replaces the repealed one for the purpose of the REACH restriction, taking into account, for example, the objective of the reference.
The new legal act may explicitly state that references to the repealed act must be construed as references to the new legal act (e.g., Article 139 of REACH).
Entry 19 (paragraph 4) exempts certain uses of arsenic compounds for wood preservation if they are authorised in accordance with Directive 98/8/EC. This Directive was replaced by Regulation (EU) 528/2012, which explicitly states that references to the repealed Directive must be interpreted as reference to the new regulation (Article 96).
Entry 45 (paragraph 3) exempts electrical and electronic equipment within the scope of Directive 2002/95/EC from the restriction of diphenylether, octabromo, derivative. This Directive was replaced by Directive 2011/65/EU, which explicitly states that references to the repealed Directive must be interpreted as reference to the new directive (Article 26).
Entry 50 (paragraph 3) defines tyres covered by the PAH restriction as tyres for vehicles covered by three directives, including Directive 2002/24/EC. This Directive was replaced by Regulation (EU) 168/2013, which expressly states that references to the repealed Directive must be interpreted as reference to the new regulation (Article 81).
As regards the amendment of an act referred to in a restriction, references in acts of Union law are usually ‘dynamic’, so that the reference is taken to be to the latest version of the act referred to. However, less commonly, a reference may expressly refer to an act as it stands on a specific date; this is known as a ‘static’ reference.
What information on restrictions is needed on the safety data sheet and when does the safety data sheet need to be updated due to restrictions?
Article 31(6) of the REACH Regulation provides that the safety data sheet (SDS) shall contain a Section 15 entitled ‘regulatory information’. Annex II to REACH provides requirements for the compilation of the SDS. Section 15(1) specifically mentions that, if the substance or mixture covered by the SDS is the subject of specific provisions in relation to the protection of human health or the environment at Union level (e.g. restrictions under Title VIII), these provisions must be mentioned, unless this information is already mentioned in other parts of the SDS. Thus, all restriction entries applicable to the specific substance or mixture covered by the SDS need to be indicated therein. As an example, SDSs including carcinogenic, mutagenic or toxic to reproduction substances (as such or in a mixture) listed in appendices 1 to 6 to REACH, need to refer to entries 28, 29 or 30 of Annex XVII. If another specific restriction exists for these substances, this needs to be mentioned as well in the SDS.
Moreover, Article 31(9) of the REACH Regulation requires suppliers to update the SDS without delay once a restriction has been imposed. In Section 16 (other information), a clear indication of where changes to the previous version have been made needs to be included, unless such indication is given elsewhere in the safety data sheet, with an explanation of the changes.
What is regarded as scientific research and development, which is exempted for restrictions? For example, does research by students at universities fall under this?
Article 3(23) of the REACH Regulation defines scientific research and development as “any scientific experimentation, analysis or chemical research carried out under controlled conditions in a volume less than one tonne per year”.
To further clarify the exemption (within Article 67(1) of the REACH Regulation, manufacture, placing on the market or use of a substance in scientific research and development (SRD) is exempted for restrictions), note that under the authorisation process the following Q&As (concerning the exemption in Article 56 for the use of Annex XIV substances in scientific research and development) has been provided. The same approach can be broadly considered as applicable to restrictions.
Q&A 1153 states that sampling for further analysis is not exempted and thus not regarded as scientific research and development. However, “activities considered to form part of the use of the sample in performing analytical activities” fall within the exemption.
Q&A 1030 explains that the uses of a substance upstream preceding an exempted end-use in scientific research and development are also exempted in quantities of the substance ending up in SRD (i.e. under 1 t/y per user) subject to certain conditions.
Q&A 585 explains that the exemption from authorisation also applies to the use of a substance in analytical activities such as monitoring and quality control under certain conditions. This exemption applies irrespective of where the analysis is performed i.e. on-site or off-site facilities, but does not cover sampling activities.
Scientific experimentation, analysis or chemical research in universities and secondary schools, conducted by students, may fall within the exemption, if they are carried out under controlled conditions, in a volume less than one tonne per year. In other words, if the volume of a substance used in scientific experimentation, analysis or chemical research is less than one tonne per year and it is used under controlled conditions, restrictions do not apply to that use.
Which restrictions under REACH concern textiles and leather articles?
Many entries in the Restriction List (Annex XVII) cover articles. Such entries are, for instance, entries 50 - 52, 61 and 63. These may address types of textiles and leather articles, even if these are not explicitly mentioned.
Entry 8 (Polybromobiphenyls; Polybrominated biphenyls (PBB), CAS No 59536-65-1).
Entry 47 (paragraphs 5-7), restriction on chromium VI compounds in leather articles coming into contact with the skin.
Which restrictions under REACH concern electrical and electronic equipment?
Many entries in the Restriction List (Annex XVII) cover specific articles or all articles without explicitly referring to electrical and electronic equipment. These are, for example, entries 18a, 20, 23-26, 50-52. They may apply to electrical and electronic equipment, even if these are not explicitly mentioned (or derogated) in the entry.
Entry 63 (paragraph 8) excludes articles within the scope of Directive 2011/65/EU from the restriction on lead and its compounds in articles supplied to the general public.
Which restrictions under REACH concern paints or paint strippers?
Many entries in the Restriction List (Annex XVII) cover substances and mixtures in general, without specifying product types. They may thus also apply to paints/paint strippers, even if these are not explicitly mentioned in the entry.
Entry 59, restriction on dichloromethane in paint strippers under certain conditions.
In some cases a restriction entry (e.g. entries 32-38, 46) in Annex XVII refers to ‘cleaning’. What does this mean?
In general, cleaning refers to any removal of dirt or pollution from articles or places, both in industrial and institutional facilities as well as in households.
In some entries cleaning may be specified by reference to a particular user group(s) or potential exposure pattern to which the restriction applies. For example, column 2, paragraph 1 of entries 32-38 refer to the substance or mixture being intended for supply to the general public and/or intended for diffusive applications where releases can occur from multiple sources such as surface cleaning and cleaning of fabrics. Column 2, paragraph 1 of entry 46 applies to industrial and institutional cleaning systems (e.g. in schools, hospitals), with the exception of dry cleaning done in a controlled closed system where the washing liquid is recycled or incinerated and other cleaning systems where special treatment is used with recycling or incineration of the washing liquid. Column 2, paragraph 2 entry 46 applies to all domestic cleaning.
What is understood by an ‘article’ in the restrictions in Annex XVII to the REACH Regulation, following the judgement of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on substances (SVHCs) in articles?
The term ‘article’, as interpreted by the European Court of Justice (ECJ) in its judgement of 10 September 2015 in case C-106/14 applies in the same way to restrictions in Annex XVII as to the other aspects of the REACH Regulation. The judgement is available here: http://curia.europa.eu/juris/liste.jsf?language=en&td=ALL&num=C-106/14.
For the purposes of REACH, the term 'article' has the specific meaning set out in Article 3(3) of the REACH Regulation. Article 3(3) defines an article as ‘an object which during production is given a special shape, surface or design which determines its function to a greater degree than does its chemical composition’.
'Complex objects' are made up of more than one article which meet the criteria laid down in Article 3(3) of REACH, e.g. a bicycle is a complex object made up of several articles, such as handlebar grips, cables, screws etc. Complex objects are explained in the ECHA Guidance on requirements for substances in articles. Please note the term ‘complex object’ corresponds to ‘complex product’ that is used in the ECJ Judgement referred to above (see footnote 12 of the above guidance).
The ECJ, in its judgment, observed that the REACH Regulation does not contain any provisions specifically governing complex products and that consequently, in the absence of specific provisions, there is no need to draw a distinction between articles of their own (e.g. screw) or when incorporated as components of a complex product (e.g. a screw in a bike). Therefore, when incorporated into a complex product, an 'article' remains an article within the meaning of REACH, as long as the article retains its special shape, surface or design, which is more decisive for its function than its chemical composition.
Entries in Annex XVII restricting 'articles' cover any object meeting the criteria in Article 3(3) of the REACH Regulation. Therefore, if an entry restricts the placing on the market of articles containing/releasing substance X and the restriction affects complex objects, the presence/release of substance X in each of the individual articles should be checked.
If a restriction entry refers to ‘parts of articles’, this should be understood as referring to an integral part of an article. Please note questions and answers (Q&As) and guidelines for some entries in Annex XVII have been developed which provide further information. The Q&As and guidelines are available on the ECHA website here: https://echa.europa.eu/information-restricted-substances.
Which type of oil lamps are considered as decorative within the context of Entry 3 of Annex XVII?
Oil lamp for decorative purposes is an oil lamp for interior or exterior use (e.g. in garden torches) appealing by its design and or the light atmosphere it creates.
In entry 3(1) what is included within the scope of ‘ornamental articles’, in addition to the examples of ornamental lamps and ashtrays in the legal text?
The restriction should be understood as a broad restriction covering all articles that contain liquids specified in the entry and intended to produce light or colour effects by means of different phases and which have an ornamental design. It does not matter if the article also has other functions besides being decorative. So for example, if articles such as cell phone covers, liquid timers, toothbrushes, shower curtains, key-rings and hourglasses contain ornamental features that produce light or colour effects, they are covered by the restriction even though the ornamental function is not the primary function of the article. Decorative LED lamps with glitter are also included within the scope of this restriction.
What is the scope of entry 8 which concerns polybromobiphenyls and polybrominatedbiphenyls? A specific CAS number (59536-65-1) is referred to in the entry, but are other polybrominated biphenyls also included in the scope of this restriction?
All polybrominated biphenyls (also referred to as polybromobiphenyls) are covered by the restriction in entry 8. The CAS number referred to in entry 8 is only an example of one of the main commercially used fire retardant products at the time of the adoption of the restriction.
What is the definition of paints in the context of entries 16 and 17 of Annex XVII? In particular, are children's paint sets, and also other stationery-type paints such as artist paints and do-it-yourself (DIY) decorations for t-shirts also covered?
The REACH Regulation does not provide a specific definition for paints.
According to a general meaning, paint is a mixture, usually of a liquid with a solid pigment. Furthermore, Commission Decision 2009/544/EC (establishing the ecological criteria for the EU Ecolabel to indoor paints and varnishes) provides the following definition: 'Paint' means a pigmented coating material, in liquid or in paste or powder form, which when applied to a substrate, forms an opaque film having protective, decorative or specific technical properties.
The abovementioned definitions provide an indication of what could be generally considered as a paint in the context of entries 16-17 of Annex XVII (to REACH) provisions.
It should be noted that the restrictions in entries 16-17 of Annex XVII only allow Member States to permit the use of paints containing the restricted substances for the restoration and maintenance of works of art and historic buildings and their interiors. Thus children's paint sets and other stationery-type paints such as artist paints and do-it-yourself (DIY) decorations for t-shirts must not contain the restricted substances.
Concerning children's paint sets, these may also be covered by the Toys Directive (Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of Toys), which lays down limits for the presence of lead in toys.
Are the repairing and maintenance activities covered by the restriction in Entry 18(a) of Annex XVII?
Fever thermometers and other measuring devices for sale to the general public in use in the European Union before the 3 April 2009: The prohibition concerns the placing on the market of fever thermometers and other measuring devices for sale to the general public after the 3 April 2009.
Pursuant to paragraph 2, thermometers as well as other measuring devices for sale to the general public in use in the European Union before the 3 April 2009 are exempted from the prohibition. These instruments containing mercury which were in use in the European Union before the 3 April 2009 can be placed on the second hand market except in the territories of Member States which decided to regulate theses existing instruments. Repairing and maintenance activities for these existing instruments are excluded from the scope of the restriction. Nevertheless, in the case of repairing and maintenance activities performed on these devices, new measuring devices containing mercury shall not be used as this would be considered making available new measuring devices to the general public.
How should derogation in entry 18(a) of Annex XVII related to Antique Barometers be interpreted?
Under 18(a) antiques measuring devices are defined as more than 50 years old on 3 October 2007.
Under paragraph 3 antique measuring devices are exempted from the restriction. Repairing and maintenance activities for these antique measuring devices are also exempted for the restriction.
The intention of the legislator in granting an exemption for antique measuring devices is that their trade should continue (Directive 2007/51/EC, Recital No 4) due to their cultural and/or historical value. Therefore these instruments should continue to be serviced in order to keep their cultural and/or historical value.
Antique measuring devices such as barometers containing two columns of mercury which one consists of a thermometer are considered falling within the derogation of paragraph 3 and therefore they should continue to be serviced. The columns can be repaired or replaced if these activities are part of the maintenance and repair services and preserve the cultural and/or historical value of the instrument.
Professionals may buy measuring devices containing mercury if they are destined for the repair and maintenance activities of antique measuring devices.
Is there any definition for measuring devices in the context of entry 18(a) of Annex XVII?
Furthermore paragraphs 5 and 7 provide exhaustive lists of mercury-containing measuring devices intended for industrial and professional uses which have not been allowed to be placed on the market after 10 April 2014 (barometers; hygrometers; manometers; sphygmomanometers; strain gauges to be used with plethysmographs; tensiometers; thermometers and other non-electrical thermometric application; mercury pycnometers; mercury metering devices for determination of the softening point; mercury triple point cells other than those used for the calibration of platinum resistance thermometers).
The abovementioned definitions provide an indication of what could generally be considered as a measuring device in the context of entry 18(a) of Annex XVII to REACH provisions.
Are imports of CCA treated wood from outside the European Union banned under Entry 19 of Annex XVII?
Under Entry 19 of Annex XVII to REACH, CCA type C cannot be used to treat wood in the EU due to the fact that it has not been authorised under Directive 98/8/EC. A request for authorisation could, however, be made in the future in line with the requirements of Directive 98/8/EC.
· paragraph 4 a) authorises only the treatment of wood with CCA type C if this biocidal product is authorised under Directive 98/8/EC.
· under paragraph 4 b) it is stated that "Wood treated with CCA solutions in accordance with point a) may …."
This implies that all wood that is placed on the market in the EU must conform to the requirements of paragraph 4 a).
Therefore wood newly treated with CCA type C may only be placed on the EU market if this biocidal product used for treatment is authorised under Directive 98/8/EC.
the EU and imported. Obviously the requirement does not apply to wood treatment installations outside the EU producing wood for marketing outside the EU.
In summary since 30 June 2007, it is prohibited to place on the market and to import wood newly treated with CCA type C, until such time as a biocidal product containing this active substance is authorised in line with all the requirements of Directive 98/8/EC.
Under Entry 19, paragraph 4b) of Annex XVII there is a list of applications for which wood treated with CCA type C can be used. May treated wood be used for other applications, such as railway sleepers other than underground railway sleepers?
Paragraph 4b) of Annex XVII to REACH concerning arsenic compounds provides for a list of applications for which wood treated with CCA may be used. This is not a list of examples of possible uses but an exhaustive list of authorised applications. It flows both from the actual wording of those provisions and from their objective that the derogation provided for in paragraph 4 must necessarily be subject to a strict interpretation, as confirmed by the Court of Justice (case C-358/11, pp. 40-43).
Consequently, wood treated with CCA cannot be used for other applications than the ones listed in paragraph 4 b). Wood treated with CCA can, therefore, not be used for railway sleepers installed above ground.
What types of organotin compounds are covered by entry 20 of Annex XVII of REACH "organostannic compounds"?
Organostannic compounds covered by entry 20 in Annex XVII to REACH, must contain a carbon-tin bond. Substances like tin salts or organotin compounds, for which tin is bound to an atom other than carbon (for example hexanoic acid, 2-ethyl-, tin(2+) salt (CAS-No. 301-10-0)) are not covered by entry 20 in Annex XVII to REACH.
What is the meaning of the expression "already in use" in the context of the entry 20 of Annex XVII to REACH?
Paragraphs 4(b), 5(b) and 6(b) of entry 20 of Annex XVII to REACH, state that articles (and mixtures in the case of article 5(b)) not complying with point (a) of the paragraph shall not be placed on the market after [a certain date] ‘except for articles that were already in use in the Union before that date'".
The phrase ‘already in use' means in the possession of the end-user. Therefore, the derogations apply only to articles which reached end-users before the dates referred to in paragraphs 4(b), 5(b) and 6(b) of the entry. Those (second-hand) articles may continue to be traded after the dates on which the respective bans came into force. All articles still held by distributors, or in the storage facilities of importers or manufacturers on the dates when the bans came into force, should have been withdrawn from the distribution chain.
(a) Do toys fall within the scope of the dioctyltin (DOT) compounds restrictions of entry 20 (paragraph 6)? (b) Can toys benefit from the derogations for organotins in entry 20 of the Restriction List (Annex XVII)? (c) Would a paint coating on a toy that contains dibutyltin (DBT) as a biocide and not as a catalyst fall within the derogation?
(a) Yes, they do. Entry 20 in the Restriction List (Annex XVII) to REACH imposes DOT compounds restrictions for childcare articles, which are not toys. The REACH Regulation does not contain a definition of toys. The definition of toys in Directive 2009/48/EC on the Safety of Toys is illustrative in determining what should be considered as a “toy” in the context of this restriction (see Q&A 0982).
However, paragraph 6(a) of entry 20 restricts DOT compounds in textile toys as in any other textile article intended to come into contact with the skin. Furthermore, organic tin (including DOT) in toys is restricted by paragraph 13 of Part III (Chemical Properties) of Annex II to Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys, which specifies maximum migration limits.
In addition to derogation in paragraph 5(d), the other derogations currently applicable to TBT, DBT and DOT compounds in articles relate to the continued placing on the market of articles that were already in use in the EU before the 1 July 2010 for TBT (paragraph 4(b), before the 1 January 2012 (paragraph 5(b)) for DBT and before the 1 January 2012 for DOT (paragraph 6(b)).
Does the restriction in entry 20 (organostannic compounds) of Annex XVII to REACH apply to packaging?
Yes. Packaging can be considered as an article (or a product composed of different articles) in its own right. More information can be found in the ECHA guidance on requirements for substances in articles available at https://echa.europa.eu/guidance-documents/guidance-on-reach (in particular in chapter 2).
Therefore, with regard to entry 20, packaging should comply with the restrictions for tri-substituted (TBT, TPT) and dibutyltin (DBT) compounds. The restriction of dioctyltin compounds (DOT) which applies only to certain listed articles for the general public, applies to textile packaging.
According to paragraph 10 of entry 23 of Annex XVII to REACH cadmium shall not be used or placed on the market if the concentration is equal to or greater than 0,01% by weight of the metal in metal parts of jewellery. Does this concentration threshold apply to each metal component of an item of jewellery or to the jewellery item as a whole?
With reference to paragraph 10 of the Annex to Commission Regulation (EU) 494/2011 amending entry 23 of Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation (cadmium) the concentration threshold of cadmium applies in each metal part of jewellery. The wording used by the legislator, i.e. "metal parts of the jewellery and imitation jewellery" implies that each metal part is relevant; therefore in order to determine if the restriction applies the calculation of the concentration in this case is to be done for each metal part. Therefore, if there are several metal layers as coatings on the surface of an inner (metallic) part of the jewellery these should be regarded as integral part of the metal part and the concentration limit of 0,01% is calculated for this whole metal part. In case the inner part is not metal, but the coating is made of metal layers, this coating is regarded as one metal part. If the jewellery article contains several metal parts, each of them should comply with the concentration limit.
Is it allowed to continue the sale/placing on the market of jewelry articles containing more than 0.01% of Cadmium, manufactured and already placed on the market (e.g. sold by the manufacturer to the distributor) before the 10 December 2011 following the entry into force of the new restriction according to Entry 23 of Annex XVII, paragraphs 10 and 11?
The prohibition of the placing on the market of jewellery and imitation jewellery articles containing cadmium includes sales from the manufacturers to distributors and from distributors to retailers, as well as imports. However, Commission Regulation (EU) 494/2011 contains derogation for articles that were placed on the market before 10 December 2011 (for the date see corrigendum published in OJ L 136/105). This means that jewellery and imitation jewellery articles placed on the market for the first time before 10 December 2011 do not need to comply with the prohibition thus they can be sold following entry into force of the new restriction for example to a retailer or on the second-hand market.
Which uses of brazing fillers containing cadmium can be regarded as uses for safety reasons (derogation in paragraph 9 of entry 23 of Annex XVII to REACH)?
Paragraph 8 of entry 23 of Annex XVII to the REACH Regulation states that cadmium and its compounds shall not be used in brazing fillers in a concentration equal to or greater than 0,01 % by weight. In addition, brazing fillers shall not be placed on the market if the concentration of cadmium (expressed as Cd metal) is equal to or greater than 0,01 % by weight. The paragraph also states that brazing shall mean a joining technique using alloys and undertaken at a temperature above 450°C. In accordance with the following paragraph 9, by way of derogation paragraph 8 shall not apply to brazing fillers used in defence and aerospace applications nor to brazing fillers used for safety reasons.
The safety aspect in relation to this derogation is if the use of cadmium containing brazing filler may prevent accidents causing human suffering or environmental pollution.
Brazing fillers used in turbine wheels in power plant technology in temperature below 650°C.
Turbine wheels in power plant technology are parts of speed drivers for gas compressors and boiler feed pumps, where rotational speed is approximately from 1000 revolutions per minute (rpm) up to 20 000 rpm. Cadmium containing brazing fillers are needed as they can be used below 650 °C without decreasing the strength of the parent material (base metal). Cadmium-free brazing fillers require higher temperatures which causes the weakening of the parent material. Weakening of the parent material could lead to the breakdown of the turbine wheel. Due to high rotational speed the parts and pieces of shrapnel may cause injuries to workers and others in the vicinity of the wheel. The breakdown of the turbine wheel may result also in a complete shutdown of the power plant, the compressor station of a gas pipeline, or of a refinery.
Brazing fillers used in pipes and tubes where acetylene is transferred in high pressure (1.5 – 17 bar).
Cadmium containing brazing fillers are needed in the joining process for pipes and tubes, where acetylene is transferred in order to avoid formation of explosive substances. Acetylene forms explosive substances with copper and silver as well as other materials (e.g. formation of copper acetylide and silver acetylide). Cadmium reduces the overall percentage of copper and silver in the brazing fillers to the level where formation of explosive substances does not exist. Another reason to use cadmium in brazing fillers for this application is that cadmium facilitates the capillary action and solder penetration ensuring a good quality joint with high integrity for pipes and tubes where acetylene is transferred in high pressure (1.5-17 bar). Release of acetylene from pipes and tubes may as well cause serious risk, as acetylene is extremely flammable gas and explosive with and without contact with air.
Other applications that would like to benefit from the derogation need to show the similar kind of safety aspects as described above.
Such considerations should take into account the availability on the market of cadmium-free brazing fillers which can address the safety aspects of the specific application of the brazing fillers in an equivalent manner.
See also ECHA´s report "The use of brazing fillers containing cadmium for safety reasons" [PDF].
Which types of articles coloured with mixtures containing cadmium can be regarded as using cadmium for safety reasons (derogation in paragraph 3 of entry 23 of Annex XVII to REACH)?
Paragraph 1 of entry 23 of Annex XVII to the REACH Regulation provides a restriction on cadmium and its compounds in mixtures and articles produced from certain synthetic organic materials (plastic materials) and paragraph 2 provides a restriction on cadmium and its compounds in paints (Tariff codes 3208 and 3209). The following paragraph 3 states that by way of derogation the restrictions in paragraphs 1 and 2 do not apply to articles coloured with mixtures containing cadmium for safety reasons.
There are two safety aspects in relation to this derogation. The first relates to the use of a specific colour or pigment with certain properties which is necessary to prevent accidents. The second relates to the use of a specific colour or pigment with certain properties in safety equipment.
Coloured wire insulation and cable jackets used in aircraft electrical and control systems for the purpose of fire detection and extinguishing systems, flight control systems or during flight tests.
The wire and cable connections are often used in in a high temperature application (greater than 150ºC ambient temperature). Cadmium pigments are used to keep the colour from changing or fading over time in the high temperature. Changing established colour conventions could introduce a significant risk of maintenance errors, which may lead to a risk of passengers.
parts of safety equipment for outdoor applications (e.g. seats, reels and diverse technical parts).
Outdoor safety applications are applications used typically in outdoor activities in areas where visible colours are needed for rescue or orienteering purposes in case of emergency situations. Cadmium pigments provide highly visible colour contrast with its surroundings (e.g. in rescue situations) and where durability of the colour for the ambient environment (e.g. weather resistance, light fastness, heat resistance and chroma) is needed.
The other applications that would like to benefit from the derogation need to show the similar kind of safety aspects than described above.
Such considerations should take into account the availability on the market of alternative substances which can address the safety aspects of the specific application in an equivalent manner.
See also ECHA´s report "The use of cadmium and its compounds in articles coloured for safety reasons" [PDF].
What parts of plastic coated copper beads (CCB) used in jewellery should comply with the cadmium restriction entry 23?
Entry 23 (paragraph 10 (i)) of Annex XVII to the REACH Regulation states that cadmium and its compounds must not be used or placed on the market if the concentration of cadmium is equal to or greater than 0,01 % by weight of the metal in metal beads and other metal components for jewellery making (see Q&A, 158). In addition, it should be noted that articles produced from plastic material referred to in paragraph 1 of the entry must not be placed on the market if the concentration of cadmium is equal to or greater than 0.01 % by weight of the plastic material.
Thus, in the case of plastic coated metal beads (CCB beads), both the plastic material and the metallic part of the bead need to comply with entry 23 (cadmium restriction).
Please also note that if the article is painted, then paragraph 2 will also apply to this article.
Do paragraphs 5 and 6 of entry 23 (cadmium and its compounds) cover unplated metal parts?
No. They cover only plated metal parts. Paragraphs 5 and 6 of entry 23 prohibit the use of cadmium for “cadmium plating” (defined as a deposit or coating on a metallic surface with metallic cadmium) metallic articles used in specified sectors/applications. The placing on the market of cadmium-plated articles used in those sectors/applications and of articles manufactured in some of those sectors/applications is also prohibited. The latter reference to “articles manufactured” must be taken to mean articles that have been cadmium plated, since paragraphs 5 and 6 relate only to “cadmium plating”. Accordingly, Paragraphs 5 and 6 do not cover articles with metal parts containing cadmium unless these parts are plated with cadmium.
Note that metallic articles containing cadmium may be covered under other EU legislation. For example, (1) electrical and electronic equipment falls under Directive 2011/65/EU on the Restriction of the use of certain Hazardous Substances and must comply as well with the maximum concentration limits for cadmium set in that Directive and (2) toys are covered under Directive 2009/48/EC on the Safety of Toys.
Is ink covered by entry 23 of Annex XVII to REACH, concerning cadmium and its compounds?
No. Ink is not included in the TARIC codes which define the scope of paragraph 2 of entry 23.
Are mobile telephones covered by the restriction set in Entry 27 of Annex XVII on nickel?
Entry 27 of Annex XVII to REACH states that nickel may not be used "in articles intended to come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin, if the rate of nickel release from the parts of these articles coming into direct and prolonged contact with the skin is greater than 0.5 Jg/cm²/week". The aim of this restriction to protect consumers against nickel allergy which may be caused by prolonged contact of the skin with nickel-releasing articles that come into direct and prolonged contact with the skin such as jewellery, buttons, tighteners, zips and rivets in items of clothing. It has emerged that some mobile telephones contain nickel in surface material and that consumers are at risk of developing eczema through skin contact with the mobile telephone. As mobile telephones are clearly intended to come into direct contact with the skin, and as they are used on a daily basis often for prolonged periods of time, it is considered that mobile telephones fulfil the condition of "direct and prolonged contact with the skin". Therefore mobile telephones are covered by the restriction and should comply with the conditions set in Entry 27 of Annex XVII to REACH.
How to clarify the "prolonged contact with the skin" in relation to the nickel restriction entry 27?
30 minutes on one or more occasions within two weeks.
The skin contact time of 10 minutes applies when there are three or more occasions of skin contacts within a two-week time period. The skin contact time of 30 minutes applies when there is at least one occasion within a two-week time period.
Are substances classified as CMRs, and included in Annex VI to CLP but not yet included in the Appendices 1-6 of Annex XVII to REACH, covered by the restrictions in entries 28-30 of Annex XVII to REACH?
No, only substances listed in the relevant Appendices (1 - 6) of Annex XVII are covered by the restrictions in entries 28 - 30.
When substances are classified for the first time as CMR and included in an ATP of the CLP Regulation, the European Commission prepares a draft amendment to include these substances in the Appendices of REACH Annex XVII. The amendment then has to be adopted in accordance with Article 68(2) of REACH, before the new substances are covered by entries 28-30.
Entries 28-30 of Annex XVII restrict substances that are carcinogenic, mutagenic and toxic to reproduction (CMR). Do these restrictions apply to these substances when they are present in articles?
Substances within the scope of entries 28-30 are not allowed to be placed on the market or used for supply to the general public as substances, as constituents of other substances or in mixtures when the concentration is equal to or greater than the specified limits. Certain derogations apply to this restriction as listed in paragraph 2. CMR substances that are present in articles are not within the scope of the restriction imposed by entries 28-30, but other restrictions may be applicable to these substances, when present in articles. In addition, notification and communication obligations under REACH may apply; see the ECHA website: https://echa.europa.eu/regulations/reach/candidate-list-substances-in-articles/notification-of-substances-in-articles.
It should be noted that entries 28 and 29 are applicable to the substances that are listed in Appendices 1 & 2 (carcinogenic (C), categories 1A and 1B) and Appendices 3 & 4 (mutagenic (M), categories 1A and 1B). Entry 30 is applicable to substances which are classified as reproductive toxicants (R), categories 1A and 1B and listed in Appendices 5 and 6. These Appendices are regularly updated by including new substances, after the adoption of a harmonised classification for a substance as CMR, category 1A or 1B according to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008.
What is the meaning of the expression "second hand market for re-use" in paragraph 2(c) of entry 31 of Annex XVII to REACH?
Paragraph 1 of entry 31 prohibits the placing on the market of wood treated with the substances listed in points (a) to (i) of column 1 of the entry, whether as substances on their own or as mixtures. Paragraph 2(c) of entry 31 states that "….the prohibition in paragraph 1 on the placing on the market shall not apply to wood which has been treated with substances listed in entry 31 (a) to (i) before 31 December 2002 and is placed on the second-hand market for re-use….."
This derogation therefore concerns wood that had already been treated with the substance listed in points (a) to (i) of column 1 of entry 31 before 31 December 2002. The intention of the derogation is to allow second-hand wood treated before 31 December 2002 with the substances covered by this entry to be traded by the end-user and subsequent users. This type of derogation is often included in restriction entries to avoid enforcement difficulties.
It should be noted that the conditions in paragraph 3 apply to second-hand wood benefiting from the derogation in paragraph 2(c). Thus, it cannot be used e.g. inside buildings, in toys, in playground etc.
Entry 40 of Annex XVII prohibits the use of flammable, highly flammable or extremely flammable substances in "aerosol generators placed on the market for the general public for entertainment and decorative purposes". Are aerosol generators containing coloured hairsprays and glitter for the body and sold to the general public restricted under this entry?
Entry 40 provides an indicative list of examples of products that are covered by the restriction. These examples are all products to be used for the decoration of venues for festivities/parties and for use during parties. None of these examples are cosmetic products within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products.
Article 67(2) of REACH excludes cosmetic products as defined by Directive 76/768/EEC (now Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009) from the scope of restrictions when they target risks to human health within the scope of that legislation. This restriction on aerosol dispensers is entirely linked to the human health of consumers, which are fully addressed by Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Therefore, the restriction in Entry 40 of Annex XVII to REACH, prohibiting the use of flammable, highly flammable or extremely flammable substances in "aerosol generators placed on the market for the general public for entertainment and decorative purposes", does not cover aerosol dispensers which are cosmetic products. Coloured hair sprays and body glitter fall within the definition of cosmetic products in Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 as they are intended "to be placed in contact with an external part of the human body" with a view to "changing its appearance". They have a similar use to more classical cosmetic products, such as normal hair sprays and should not be considered as having an entertainment or decorative purpose within the meaning of the entry.
Are there any definitions for aerosols, aerosol dispensers, in the context of Entry 40?
The REACH Regulation does not define aerosols or aerosol dispensers.
According to the ordinary meaning of the word, an aerosol is considered to be "a substance enclosed under pressure and released as a fine spray by means of a propellant gas". (Oxford advanced dictionary definition). The term may in certain contexts be used for a mixture enclosed under pressure and released as a fine spray by means of a propellant gas, or the dispenser or package used to change the ingredient inside the container into a spray by the use of a propellant gas. The European Aerosol Federation uses the term "aerosol" for both the suspension and the dispenser/package.
Furthermore, it should be noted that according to Article 2.3.1 of the CLP Regulation (for "Classification, Labelling and Packaging"), the term "aerosol dispenser" means: any non-reusable container made of metal, glass or plastic and containing a gas compressed, liquefied or dissolved under pressure, with or without a liquid, paste or powder, and fitted with a release device allowing the contents to be ejected as solid or liquid particles in suspension in a gas, as a foam, paste or powder or in a liquid state.
The CLP definition is very similar to the definition provided in Article 2 of the Aerosol Dispensers Directive (ADD) (75/324/EEC).
The above definitions provide an indication of what could be generally considered as ‘aerosols/aerosol dispensers' in the context of Entry 40 of Annex XVII. Note that aerosol generators should be regarded as aerosol dispensers, as the original restriction discusses aerosol generators.
What is the meaning of products for entertainment and decorative purposes in the context of entry 40 of Annex XVII? Are aerosol dispensers containing coloured hairsprays and glitter for the body and sold to the general public restricted under this entry?
Entry 40 prohibits the use of flammable, highly flammable or extremely flammable substances in "aerosol dispensers where these aerosol dispensers are intended for supply to the general public for entertainment and decorative purposes". Paragraph 1 provides an indicative list of examples of products that are covered by the restriction. These examples are all products to be used to decorate, for instance, venues for festivities (e.g. Christmas, weddings, and carnivals) or parties (e.g. birthday parties and fancy-dress parties) and for entertainment use, for instance, during festivities and parties. None of the examples listed in the entry are cosmetic products within the meaning of Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products.
Coloured hair sprays and body glitter would fall within the definition of cosmetic products in Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009, as they are intended "to be placed in contact with an external part of the human body" with a view to "changing its appearance" and therefore have a similar use to more classical cosmetic products, such as normal hair sprays. Coloured hair sprays and body glitter should not be considered as having an entertainment or decorative purpose, and therefore they are not covered by entry 40 of Annex XVII to REACH.
Are optical brightening agents (OBAs) azodyes within the meaning of the Entry 43 to Annex XVII?
Through a literature search and consultation with experts in this area it was not found any structural connection between optical brighteners (or better called fluorescent dyes) and azodyes since either the NH bonds in the fluorescent dyes are connected to heterocyclic NC structures and therefore cannot form any of the 22 banned arylamines or they do not contain any azo bonds where reductive cleavage could take place to generate any of the aromatic amines covered by the azodyes ban. Therefore at the present time, this information confirms that the restriction in Entry 43 to Annex XVII does not cover optical brightening agents (OBAs). Should the chemical structure of optical brightening agents be different from the definition as reported above, this answer may change accordingly.
The restriction indicated in entry 43(3) applies only to the placing on the EU market of substances or mixtures containing the azodyes listed in Appendix 9 at a concentration exceeding 0.1% by weight, and to the use of such substances/mixtures within the EU. Does the restriction therefore not apply to imported articles which have been dyed with the azodyes listed in Appendix 9?
Entry 43(3) of Annex XVII restricts the placing on the market of substances and mixtures containing over 0.1% of the azodyes listed in Appendix 9, when they are intended for colouring textile and leather articles, and also the actual use of the substance or mixture for that purpose. Therefore, the presence of these substances in imported articles is not restricted.
However, pursuant to paragraphs 1 and 2 of the restriction, if an azodye in Appendix 9 releases one or more of the aromatic amines listed in Appendix 8 in a concentration above 30 mg/kg (0,003 % by weight, it cannot be used in textile and leather articles which may come into direct and prolonged contact with human skin or the oral cavity (such as those listed in paragraph 1). Those textile and leather articles cannot be placed on the market unless they comply with that concentration limit.
Is the list of restricted items in entry 43 of Annex XVII to REACH concerning azocolourants and azodyes exhaustive?
No. The use of the words “such as” makes clear that the list of items mentioned in paragraph 1 of entry 43 of Annex XVII to REACH is a non-exhaustive list of examples of items covered by this restriction (clothing, footwear, textile toys etc.).
Do sofas and chairs (e.g. garden chairs/sun loungers’ type) fall under the scope of the restriction entry 43 of Annex XVII to REACH?
Yes. Garden furniture made of textile or leather is covered by entry 43 as people who use them can be in light clothing (even in bathing suits or bare) and “direct and prolonged contact with human skin” is very likely. There is even a direct reference to chair covers in the list of examples of articles covered by the restriction.
Entry 46 of Annex XVII to REACH - Nonylphenol.
Does the entry 46 of Annex XVII cover traces in cosmetic products?
Regulation 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, that repealed Directive 76/768/EEC, introduces a ban on the marketing of cosmetic products containing nonylphenol (CAS: 25154-52-3) and 4-nonylphenol, branched (CAS: 84852-15-3). Pursuant to Article 17 of the cosmetics Regulation, the presence of traces in cosmetic products is allowed, provided that such presence is technically unavoidable in good manufacturing practice and that the product does not cause damage to human health.
Entry 46 of Annex XVII to REACH bans the placing on the market of nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates as a substance or in mixtures in a number of applications including cosmetic products, when the concentration is higher than 0.1% by weight. The objective of entry 46 is the protection of the environment. Therefore Article 67 (2) of REACH does not apply. Entry 46 covers traces in cosmetic products to the extent that their presence presents a risk to the environment. The application of entry 46 of Annex XVII to REACH is complementary to, and does not conflict with, Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009.
Does the entry 46 of Annex XVII cover all nonylphenols?
Yes. The intention of the legislator was to cover all isomers, linear and branched, of nonylphenol and their ethoxylates and therefore all of them are covered by the restriction.
The restriction on nonylphenol and nonylphenol ethoxylates was based on the risks identified in the risk assessment report prepared by the United Kingdom under Council Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 of 23 March 1993 on the evaluation and control of the risks of existing substances. The risk assessment report states that "It is understood that nonylphenol (CAS Number: 25154-52-3) as originally defined by CAS (Chemical Abstract Service) covered all nonylphenols. However, subsequent revisions redefined it to cover only straight chain nonylphenol, other isomers having different CAS numbers. Given the method of manufacture of nonylphenols, very little if any straight chain nonylphenol is produced. That which is produced is only likely to be present at very low levels in commercial mixtures. The commercially produced nonylphenols are predominantly 4-nonylphenol with a varied and undefined degree of branching in the alkyl group. This assessment covers commercially produced material (predominantly 4-nonylphenol, branched). This material will also contain smaller amounts of other isomers and impurities, and falls under the CAS Number 84852-15-3."
Therefore Council Directive 76/769/EEC, as amended by Directive 2003/53/EC, did not specify any CAS or EC numbers for nonylphenol. In the revision of the REACH restriction by Regulation 552/2009/EC, which made several technical changes, the CAS and EC numbers were added. This will be corrected by a technical amendment to reflect the intention of the legislator.
What are personal care products in entry 46?
Paragraphs (1) to (9) of entry 46 list the ‘purposes' to which the restriction applies. Following paragraph (7) "cosmetic products" is paragraph (8) "other personal care products". It therefore seems that cosmetics are to be considered as a subcategory of personal care products.
REACH does not define "cosmetic products". According to Regulation (EC) No 1223/2009 on cosmetic products, "cosmetic product" means "any substance or mixture intended to be placed in contact with the external parts of the human body (epidermis, hair system, nails, lips and external genital organs) or with the teeth and the mucous membranes of the oral cavity with a view exclusively or mainly to cleaning them, perfuming them, changing their appearance protecting them, keeping them in good condition or correcting body odours."
Based on the above, it can be interpreted that "other personal care products" within the meaning of entry 46 include, but are not limited to, any product meeting the conditions indicated in the above definition for substances and mixtures and other products used for personal hygiene, such as toilet papers, some female hygiene products, nappies, cotton pads, etc. This interpretation can be broadly considered as a perception of the average consumer for this product category.
For adhesive tapes, does the concentration limit for toluene of 0.1% in adhesives as specified in Entry 48 of Annex XVII apply to the whole mass of the tape or just to the mass of the adhesive layer on the tape?
Entry 48 prohibits the placing on the market for supply to the general public of toluene as a substance or in mixtures, in a concentration equal to or greater than 0.1% by weight, where the substance or the mixture is used in adhesives and spray paints. Adhesive tapes consist of a layer of adhesive coated on a flexible substrate. As the restriction concerns the concentration of toluene in adhesives, the concentration of toluene must be calculated with reference to the amount of adhesive on the tape, and not with reference to the total weight of the adhesive and substrate.
What is an interpretation of the "major operational change" concerning the requirement to control the calibration of the PAH/PCA ratio after each "major operational change" under Entry 50 to Annex XVII?
As stated in Recital 8 of the Directive 2005/69/EC (OJ L323, 9.12.2005, p.51), there are at present no harmonized test methods for measuring PAHs in the extender oils, or for measuring PAHs in tyres that contain such oils. Until suitable harmonized methods are available, the only named method that is permitted for measuring the PAH content of extender oils is the IP346 analysis method. This method is permitted providing that certain additional conditions are met. These additional conditions are necessary because the IP346 method does not measure the PAH content directly. In fact IP346 measures the total content of polycyclic aromatic compounds (PCA) rather than the PAH content. The PCAs are a group of substances to which PAHs belong, but in which PAHs are present in only very small amounts. The legal limit for PAHs in extender oils, which is 1 part per million (ppm) of BaP and 10ppm total PAH content, is considered to be met if the total PCA content is <3%. In other words, the PCA content of 3% is taken as a proxy measurement for a PAH content of 10ppm. The proxy measurements will be valid only if the ratio between the PAH and PCA content in the extender oil is known and does not change over time. The additional conditions therefore require an initial calibration of the technique (measurement of the PAH/PCA ratio) and recalibration at intervals of six months, or after "major operational change", in order to ensure that the measurements remain valid over time. The term "major operational change" should therefore be taken to mean any change in materials or processes that could invalidate the results of the proxy measurement. The principle cause of invalid results would be a change in the PAH/PCA ratio in the extender oil. However, it should be remembered that not only is IP346 a proxy method for measuring PAH, but that the quantity that it does measure, namely PCA content, is meaaured in a rather indirect way, namely by a change in the refractive index of a solution, and that PCAs are not the only substances that affect the refractive index of a solution. The potential for obtaining invalid results is therefore quite high and the method should therefore be used with considerable caution. It would therefore be advisable to recalibrate in case of doubt. The provision to control the calibration of the PAH/PCA ratio every six months is to safeguard the validity of the IP346 results against unintentional or unknown changes. This would apply for the case where the manufacturing process and materials used remain the same, and where there is no reason be expect a change in the PAH/PCA ratio. However, it is possible to imagine, for example, that a tyre manufacturer receives a reformulated extender oil from his supplier without being made aware of the change that has been made, and the results from the IP346 could be invalidated as a consequence. A six month recalibration interval was considered sufficient to cover such occurrences. Conclusion: The provision to control the calibration of the PAH/PCA ratio after each "major operational change" is to safeguard the validity of the IP346 results. A major operational change is therefore a deliberate change to materials or processes that might be expected to significantly influence the PAH/PCA ratio, or otherwise affect the validity of the measurement. Examples of such a change would be where the source of supply for the extender oil is changed, or where the method of using the oil is changed. Judgment of whether a particular change is sufficiently important to trigger the need for recalibration will necessarily be made case-by-case and will require expert opinion.
Does the restrictions provided in Entry 50 concerning on PAHs in tyres cover mobile machinery?
Entry 50 to Annex XVII as enacted by Commission Regulation 552/2009 restricts the use of PAH in tyres for "vehicles covered by Directive 2007/46/EC establishing a framework for the approval of motor vehicles and their trailers".
Article 2 of Directive 2007/46 defines its scope. Paragraph 1 lists the vehicles designed for use on roads.
b) prototypes of vehicles used on the road under the responsibility of a manufacturer to perform a specific test programme provided they have been specifically.
In addition the definition of "motor vehicle" in point 11 of Article 3 requires that the vehicles covered should have a maximum design speed limit exceeding 25 km/h. In conclusion the restriction in Entry 50 covers the tyres for vehicles listed in the Article 2 paragraph 1, 3 and 4 of Directive 2007/46/EC which have a maximum design speed limit exceeding 25 km/h. Tyres of mobile machinery with a maximum design speed limit exceeding 25 km/h are therefore covered by the restriction and have to comply with the conditions set in the entry 50.
Does the restrictions provided in Entry 50 of Annex XVII concerning on PAHs in tyres cover "Standard reference tyres"?
Standard reference tyres are produced and imported solely for the purpose of providing a reference performance for other newly developed tyres. They are not placed on the market to be fitted on vehicles intended for final users. For the purpose of entry 50, tyres are defined as tyres for vehicles covered by Directives 2007/46/EC on motor vehicles and their trailers, Directive 2003/37/EC on agricultural or forestry tractors, and Directive 2002/24/EC on two and three-wheeler motor vehicles. It appears that Reference Tyres are not intended to be used on vehicles covered by the Directives 2007/46/EC, 2003/37/EC and 2002/24/EC. In conclusion these tyres should not be considered as covered by the provisions of the restriction in Entry 50 of Annex XVII.
Can you give examples of articles that are covered by or excluded from Entry 50 (paragraphs 5 and 6) of Annex XVII to REACH: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in articles supplied to the general public?
This document aims at providing a guideline concerning the interpretation of the scope of the restriction provisions in paragraphs 5 and 6 of entry 50 of Annex XVII to REACH Regulation (EU) No 1907/2006 on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in articles supplied to the general public. It has been drawn up to (i) clarify certain terms that define the scope of the restriction (e.g. “plastic and rubber component”, “direct as well as prolonged contact or short-term repetitive contact with human skin or the oral cavity", "normal/reasonably foreseeable conditions of use") and (ii) provide non-exhaustive lists of article types which fall within (or out of) the scope of the restriction.
In Entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII respectively it is stated that the substances DEHP, DBP and BBP on the one side and the substances DINP, DIDP and DNOP on the other side "shall not be used as substances or or in mixtures, in concentrations of greater than 0.1% by weight of the plasticised material…". Does the 0.1% limit apply to each phthalate listed individually, or whether it applies to the 3 or 6 phthalates combined? How should this limit of 0.1% be applied when a product contains traces of more than one these substances?
The threshold of 0.1% is the standard threshold used in Annex XVII. The value of 0.1% has been chosen because it represents a measurable quantity. It is being used to take into account impurities, not to allow the use of certain substances, e.g. phthalates in toys and childcare articles. One should be aware that in order to plasticise a toy or childcare article concentrations of phthalates of more than 10 per cent are needed. Different restrictions are applied to each of the two groups of phthalates. The limit value of 0.1% should therefore be applied for each group of phthalates combined, i.e. the concentration of DEHP, DBP and BBP combined should not be higher than 0.1% and the concentration of DINP, DIDP and DNOP combined should also not be higher than 0.1%. Conclusion: A toy or childcare article would not comply with the Entry 51 or Entry 52 respectively if it contained either more than 0.1% of DEHP, DBP and BBP combined or more than 0.1% of DINP, DIDP and DNOP combined. However, it would be considered compliant if it contained only 0.09% of DEHP, DBP and BBP combined and 0.09% of DINP, DIDP and DNOP combined.
Are the articles destined to be used for the hygiene of children such as bathtubs, articles for the bath, bathtub mats, hairbrushes, bath thermometers, or nail cutters covered under Entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII?
The entries 51 and 52 specify that "Childcare article" means "any product intended to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene, the feeding of children or sucking on the part of children." As these articles are intended to facilitate the hygiene of children they should be considered as "childcare articles" as defined by the entries 51 and 52. In conclusion, articles which are used for the hygienic care of children such as bathtubs, articles for the bath, bathtub mats, hairbrushes, bath thermometers, or nail cutters are therefore covered by the Entries 51 and 52 and use of phthalates and should conform to the prescriptions of the entries.
Do mattress protectors (covers, pads etc.) fall within the scope of Entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII?
The definition of childcare articles contained in Annex XVII to REACH is as follows: "Childcare articles" are defined as "any product intended to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene, the feeding of children or sucking on the part of children". Further explanation is provided by the Commission services' guidance document on the interpretation of the concept "which can be placed in the mouth". It gives the following examples: "The main purpose of pyjamas is to dress children when sleeping and not to facilitate sleep. Pyjamas should therefore be regarded as textiles and, like other textiles, do not fall under the scope of the Directive. Sleeping bags are designed to facilitate sleep, and should therefore fall under the Directive." Taking this into account, and also taking into account that the guidance document explicitly contains a description and a photo of a mattress cover, it can be confirmed that mattress protectors are childcare articles as defined in Annex XVII. This means that the three phthalates DEHP, BBP and DBP listed in entry 51 of Annex XVII may not be used in mattress protectors. The other three, DINP, DIDP and DNOP, listed in the entry 52, are only restricted in those articles that can be placed in the mouth by children.
Can mattress protectors (covers, pads etc.) be placed in the mouth by children within the meaning of Entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII?
The guidance document contains an example of a mattress cover that is not directly mouthable in normal and foreseeable use conditions. The edges and corner are not accessible for mouthing by the child – by design (the mattress should fit snugly in the cot to avoid entrapment risks), and the mattress is covered with a sheet in normal use and the surface is sufficiently taut (by design – to avoid suffocation risks) to prevent PVC from being mouthed through the sheet. This is based on the observation that inaccessible parts of articles can not be taken into the mouth. Articles or parts of articles should be considered inaccessible if, during proper use or reasonably foreseeable improper use by children, they can not be reached. However, there will be other cases when parts of certain articles can be taken into the mouth under normal and foreseeable conditions, for example when the mattress protector is placed on the sheet or cannot be completely fixed. In conclusion, mattress protectors that can be placed above sheets or that cannot be tightly fixed to the mattress have to comply with the restriction contained in entry 52 of Annex XVII to REACH. Authorities competent for market surveillance should assist manufacturers/importers in making a case-by-case assessment on the basis of the criteria described above and in the guidance document.
Is the substance Di-2-propyl heptyl phthalate (DPHP), CAS No 53306-54-0 restricted under Entry 52 of Annex XVII or is DPHP as a new compound different from DIDP and therefore not covered by the restrictions in Entries 51 and 52?
The restriction in entry 52 concerns the substance "Di-isodecyl phthalate" (DIDP) which is listed with CAS Numbers 26761-40-0 and 68515-49-1. Di-2-propyl heptyl phthalate (DPHP) is an isomer of decyl phthalate and has the CAS No 53306-54-0. According to the information at the Commission's disposal, DPHP (CAS # 53306-54-0) is different from DIDP and therefore not covered by entry 52 of Annex XVII. In conclusion, the substance is not covered under the entry 52 of Annex XVII. The uses of the substance may be regulated in the future on a Community-wide basis, if it appears from the information which will become available that it causes unacceptable risks to human health or the environment. In addition DPHP is explicitly not promoted by its manufacturers for use in toys, food packaging or medical products.
What is the interpretation of the concept "which can be placed on the mouth" as laid down in the entry 52, concerning toys and childcare articles?
Guideline on the interpretation of the concept "which can be placed in the mouth" as laid down in the entry 52 of Annex XVII to REACH Regulation 1907/2006.
This guideline aims at providing some criteria and examples to help identify those toys and childcare articles which can be placed in the mouth by children. The guideline lists the main criteria of "size dimension" and "accessible parts" (according to the EN 71-European Standard on the safety of toys) which would therefore facilitate the judgement - on a case by case – whether a toy or childcare article can be placed in the mouth by children. The guideline also provides pictures as examples in order to better indicate which toys and childcare articles or parts of them can be taken into the mouth.
Do blankets and objects to facilitate the transport of children fall within the scope of Entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII?
The Guideline on the concept "which can be placed in the mouth" [See Q&A 748], provides certain clarifications concerning the types of childcare articles within the scope of Entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII. For instance, sleeping bags are claimed to be articles designed to facilitate sleep, and should therefore fall under the scope of Entries 51 and 52. In addition, the guidance document explicitly contains a photo of a mattress cover which is considered as childcare articles, also explaining that certain parts (e.g. mattress protectors) can be placed in the mouth by children. [See Q&A 675].
Blankets are, in nature, articles similar to mattresses as both used in bed to facilitate the sleeping of children and therefore can be claimed to meet the broad definition of childcare articles. Furthermore, since blankets can be commonly placed in mouth by children, these can be considered within the scope of both Entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII.
The Guideline clarifies that "entry 52 of Annex XVII on what can be placed in the mouth by children also covers the accessible parts of articles such as push chairs, car seats, sleeping bags and bike seats which are intended to facilitate sleep and relaxation during transport". Given that child seats and items which are used for transportation of children are quite similar in function and design to the above mentioned types of articles, they can be broadly considered as childcare articles [See Q&A 983]. In addition, it is noted that pictures of such types of childcare articles are also provided at the end of the Guideline. Over there, examples of mouthed items of such articles are provided to assist enforcers conclude whether they fall (or not) under the scope of entry 52.
In entry 51 of Annex XVII to REACH, does the concentration limit "0,1 % by weight of the plasticised material in toys and childcare articles" relate to the whole article or only part of it?". For instance, if only the head of a doll contains more than 0.1 % w/w phthalates, should the concentration be calculated on the total weight of the plasticised material of the whole toy or only for the weight of the plasticised material of the head?
The 0.1% limit was set up in order to eliminate the use of phthalates. Such limit was set up in order to be respected in each bit/piece of plasticised material by itself, regardless of whether there are other pieces or not. Therefore the reference to 0.1%, intended also as the sum up to the 3 phthalates, has to be calculated in each piece of plasticised material of each homogenous material. In the example referred to in the question the calculation should therefore be based on the weight of the plasticised material of the head of the doll and not the entire weight of all plasticised material of the whole toy.
Does a baby monitor fall under the definition of childcare article in the context of entries 51-52 of Annex XVII to REACH?
A childcare article is defined by entries 51 (4) and 52(4) as "any product intended to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene, the feeding of children or sucking on the part of children" (see Q&A 983). A baby monitor does not facilitate the sleep or relaxation of the baby, it allows parents to be alerted when the baby is crying or making other noise. Therefore baby monitors fall outside the scope of entries 51-52 of Annex XVII.
Do entries 51 and 52 of Annex XVII of REACH cover certain articles often used by children (e.g. school supplies, clothing or hair accessories)?
No, items such as school supplies, clothing or hair accessories are not considered as toys in the sense of the Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of Toys, as their main purpose is not to be used in play by the children. However, certain products such as plastic combs can fall under the definition of ‘childcare articles’ (defined in the restriction as any products intended to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene, the feeding of children or sucking on the part of children) see (Q&A 0983).
Entries 51 and 52 restrict the placing on the market and use of phthalates in toys and childcare articles. Does this restriction apply to medical devices, such as nebulisers?
Medical devices are defined in Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2017/745 (see: https://ec.europa.eu/growth/sectors/medical-devices/regulatory-framework_en#current_legislation). Entries 51 and 52 pose restrictions on certain phthalates in plasticised materials in toys and childcare articles. Medical devices are generally regarded to have functions different from those of toys and childcare articles. Childcare articles are defined in entries 51 and 52 as ‘…any product intended to facilitate sleep, relaxation, hygiene, the feeding of children or sucking on the part of the children’. Whether a medical device is a childcare article for the purpose of entries 51 and 52 should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. In the example of a nebuliser, the device is intended for administering a medicinal product (apparatus to be used for treatment) and therefore it is not a childcare article and the restriction does not apply to it.
Does the entry 56 of Annex XVII cover, besides the MDI monomers, also the oligomers and polymers of MDI?
The polymeric MDI, with CAS number 9016-87-9, is not included in the definition of the substance with CAS 26447-40-5 and moreover is not classified as dangerous in Annex VI of Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008 (CLP). In the Risk assessment report and Risk reduction strategy performed by the Belgian Rapporteur, two main products were analysed during the exposure assessment and throughout the decision making process: the one-component foams and hot melt adhesives, both containing respectively 10% and 2% of MDI. Other products with MDI content below 0.1% did not pose any risk and therefore were excluded by the final consideration on the risk reduction measures under Directive 76/769/EEC. However, polymeric MDI present in mixtures is covered by the restriction when such mixtures contain more than 0.1% of MDI (as defined in the RAR). Therefore, dimers and polymeric forms of MDI are out of the scope of the current restriction except if they are part of mixtures containing more than 0.1% of MDI.
Does the derogation to the prohibition of supply of mixtures containing more than 16% of ammonium nitrate in paragraph 2(a) of Entry 58 of Annex XVII cover only downstream users and distributors who have a licence under Council Directive 93/15/EEC on civil explosives (OJ L 010, 16.01.1993 p.19) or whether it covers all downstream users and distributors?
In entry 58, the terms "including natural or legal persons licensed or authorised in accordance with Council Directive 93/15/EEC" should be read as an example of operators that benefit from the exemption. Therefore the derogation in paragraph 2(a) covers all downstream users and distributors as defined in Article 3(13) and 3(14) of REACH. As a consequence, mixtures containing more than 16% of nitrogen in relation to ammonium nitrate may be placed on the market after 27 June 2010 for supply to downstream users and distributors as defined in REACH. As consumers are not downstream users nor distributors, mixtures containing more than 16% of nitrogen in relation to ammonium nitrate may not be placed on the market for supply to consumers.
Can the downstream users acquire ammonium nitrate in order to produce mixtures containing more than 16% of nitrogen in relation to ammonium nitrate for supply to the general public, for example, in cold packs according to Entry 58 of Annex XVII?
If a downstream user uses ammonium nitrate to produce a mixture containing ammonium nitrate below the threshold, it may place this mixture on the market for supply the general public. But downstream users should not use ammonium nitrate in order to produce a mixture containing ammonium nitrate above the threshold for supply to the general public. The restriction is applicable to medical devices as well as to other mixtures containing more than 16% of nitrogen in relation to ammonium nitrate for supply to the general public. For example, instant cold packs which contain more than 16% of nitrogen in relation to ammonium nitrate may not be sold to the general public since 27 June 2010.
Can the downstream users acquire ammonium nitrate in order to produce mixtures containing more than 16% of nitrogen in relation to ammonium nitrate for their industrial or professional activities according to paragraph 2 of Entry 58 of Annex XVII?
The restriction is not applicable to downstream users who use ammonium nitrate for their industrial or professional activities in order to transform it into other substances for different purposes. Therefore, for example the use of ammonium nitrate to produce nitrous oxide for use in the production of pressurised foods or for use as anaesthetics is not restricted.
Does the restriction of dichloromethane in REACH Annex XVII (entry 59) for paint strippers also cover ink strippers, adhesive removers and degreasing agents?
No. Ink strippers, adhesive removers and degreasing agents are not within the scope of the restriction. The restriction covers paint strippers, including also varnish removers and lacquer removers.
Can you give examples of lead-containing articles intended for the general public that are covered by or excluded from Entry 63 (paragraphs 7 to 10) of Annex XVII to REACH?
This document echa.europa.eu/documents/10162/13563/lead_guideline_information_en.pdf aims at providing a guideline concerning the interpretation of the scope of the restriction provisions in paragraphs 7 to 10 of entry 63 of Annex XVII to REACH Regulation (EU) No 1907/2006 on lead and its compounds in articles supplied to the general public. It has been drawn up to (i) clarify certain terms that define the scope of the restriction (e.g. "accessible part of articles", "normal/reasonably foreseeable conditions of use") (ii) provide non-exhaustive lists of article types (and examples of sub-types) which fall within (or out of ) the scope of the restriction.
What substances are included within the scope of entry 68 concerning of PFOA, its salts and related substances?
Is PFOS (CAS 1763-23-1) considered a 'PFOA-related substance' and therefore within the scope of entry 68 of Annex XVII?
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and its derivatives are specifically exempted by paragraph 4(a) of entry 68. This is to avoid double regulation as PFOS is widely restricted in the EU by Regulation (EC) No 850/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council on persistent organic pollutants (as amended by Commission Regulation (EU) No 757/2010).
What is meant by a ‘related substance’ in column 1 of entry 68?
The term ‘related substance’ or ‘PFOA-related substance’, refers to a substance that, based upon its molecular structure, is considered to have the potential to degrade or be transformed to PFOA. This is described in footnote 2 to Commission Regulation (EU) 2017/1000 amending Annex XVII of REACH to add entry 68. In addition, the description of any related substance in column 1 is applicable.
To what substances do the concentration limits of 25 ppb and 1000 ppb apply that are referred to in column 2, paragraph 2 of entry 68?
From 4 July 2020 the concentration limit ‘equal to or above 25 ppb’ applies to the use of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA, CAS 335-67-1, EC 206-397-9) and its salts in the production of, or placing on the market in, another substance, as a constituent, a mixture or an article.
Any related substance (including its salts and polymers) having a linear or branched perfluoroheptyl group with the formula C7F15- directly attached to another carbon atom, as one of the structural elements’.
Any related substance (including its salts and polymers) having a linear or branched perfluorooctyl group with the formula C8F17- as one of the structural elements’.
What is meant with ‘textiles for the protection of workers from risks to their health and safety’ in the entry 68?
The restriction entry 68, paragraph 3(b)(i) provides a longer transition period for textiles used to protect workers from risks to their health and safety, i.e. paragraphs 1 and 2 shall apply from 4 July 2023 to the use of PFOA and PFOA related substances in the production of, or placing on the market in such textiles. This transition period is thought to be sufficient time to allow the development of cost-effective alternatives for all relevant applications where the textiles are required to provide human health/life protecting functions (e.g. due to very strong oil or chemical repellence).
Could you clarify how the restriction of entry 68 applies to fire-fighting foams?
The substances restricted by the entry (column 1) shall not be used in the production of, or placed on the market in fire-fighting foam mixtures from 4 July 2020 (paragraph 2(b)) at or above concentrations specified in the entry. However, the concentration limits in the restriction (column 2, paragraph 2) do not apply to fire-fighting foam mixtures (paragraph 5(a)), placed on the market before 4 July 2020.
The restriction does not apply to the concentrated fire-fighting foam mixtures that are placed on the market before 4 July 2020 and which are to be used or are used in other fire-fighting foam mixtures (paragraph 4(e)). Thus concentrated fire-fighting foam mixtures that exceed the concentration limits specified in paragraph 2 of the entry can still be used in the production of other fire-fighting foam mixtures, if these concentrated fire-fighting foam mixtures were placed on the market before 4 July 2020.
In addition, fire-fighting foam mixtures produced using the above mentioned concentrated fire-fighting foam mixtures can be placed on the market. They can be used for training purposes provided that the emissions to the environment are minimised and effluents collected are safely disposed of.
Could you clarify how the restriction in entry 68 applies to medical devices?
The substances restricted by the entry (column 1) shall not be used in the production of, or placed on the market in medical devices other than implantable medical devices within the scope of Directive 93/42/EEC (to be replaced with Regulation (EU) 2017/745) from 4 July 2032 (column 2, paragraph 3 (c)) at or above the concentrations specified in the entry.
Implantable medical devices produced according to paragraph 4(d)(i) can be placed on the market without specific concentration limits (paragraph 6(b)).
Does the derogation referred to in column 2 in paragraph 4 (b) of entry 68 apply to articles?
No. The derogation applies only to the manufacture of a fluorochemical substance with a carbon chain equal to or shorter than 6 atoms where PFOA occurs as an unavoidable by-product. The derogation does not apply to substances, mixtures or articles as placed on the market.
Does the restriction entry 68 to REACH apply to cosmetics?
Yes, the substances in column 1 shall not be placed on the market in, or used in the production of cosmetics.
Article 67(2) REACH foresees that Annex XVII restrictions do not apply to the use of substances in cosmetic products in the case of restrictions addressing human health risks within the scope of the Cosmetic Products Regulation (Regulation (EC) 1223/2009). This is not the case for entry 68: all substances covered by the restriction are either persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) or are considered to have the potential to degrade or be transformed to PFOA. The concentration limits in the restriction ensure the emissions of these substances to the environment are decreased. | 2019-04-22T16:25:34Z | https://echa.europa.eu/support/qas-support/browse/-/qa/70Qx/view/scope/REACH/Restrictions |
This article is ideal for you if you want information about Internet marketing and you would like to have it in an easy to understand format. You will find some great tips here that you can use right away.
You need to create a great site before you can attempt to get it ranked. This is a crucial initial step in starting an online company. If your site is functional and visually appealing, good you will not have to change it as much over time.
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Search engines will be more likely to overlook your site when it has a million or two indexed pages, rather than the SEO’s that have a million or so indexed pages.
One piece of advice in Internet promotion wisdom some webmasters overlook is to keep their websites easy to use. Smart owners always remember that not all users are interested in dealing with this technology. A website should be fully functional if it doesn’t have fancy bells and whistles.
Although it can be cost efficient to spam sites with your information, you probably won’t be very successful at all. If you do not add some sort of personal touches to your advertising, people will not trust you and your online business could fail.
Internet promotion is both the same and different than other areas. If this happens, you may need to put more work into other venues, such as video marketing.
Know the goals for your site and always strive to achieve it. Know what you want to promote and make every effort to get your messages out clearly.Keep guidelines that you can refer to before writing.
Use the emphasis tags that HTML provides when you are creating text for your website. You can emphasize a keyword or phrase by bolding, underlining them, or italicize it. This can improve clarity and help show your customers what your company is about.
Getting listed in Google is essential for your internet promotion strategy. Google has hundreds of thousands of searches each day, and you need your business there in case they are searching a term related to you. Being listed on Google is vital to being able to take your business succeed.
Emphasize speed, whether it is speed of order placement, or how quickly they can expect to see results from the use of your product or service.
The internet has made doing business into an anonymous affair.This tactic is truly effective for small or individually owned and operated businesses who tend to rely on and can offer personal aspect of selling.
If you want to add credibility and some validation for your company, it gives you a certain validation and could draw in more customers.This move will drive traffic to your site and they will think of it as more than just a store.
A 500-error page is helpful tool to have. This could happen when one of your database code written by you decides to just quit working. A generic error page tells the viewer that connection has simply timed out. There are much better methods for informing users that you know there is an issue and are working on the problem.
It is no secret that an authority in a business generates respect. Let them know that you’re your own boss. You may even want to call yourself the “President” or CEO.
This situation may be an exception to the advise about not mixing personal life with business. This is mainly because the pressure is lower and is almost like a hobby that just happens to make you money. Get your spouse involved and do this together.
Consider using words “easy” and “simple” in your Affiliate marketing strategy. This is an easy way to improve your business.
A great way to get more visitors is to give them some sort of free course. This is an excellent Web marketing strategy is quite good because you can package the course with a related product that will entice your customers to buy. You may wish to run an advertisement campaign detailing the course.
Your website needs to be as effective as possible if your Internet marketing efforts are going to be successful. Try various color schemes until you find one that helps show your products.
After you have launched your online promotion event, keep track of how visitors respond on blogs or other social networking sites. Incorporate their advice to make these people feel that they are respected.
Inform potential customers about the benefits could be if they purchase from you. The more enthusiastic you are about your product and about how it can benefit your customers, and increase the likelihood that they will want to make a purchase.
This is vital because Internet profits tend to be pretty slow at first and may never be steady until you are well established. Keep your regular job until you are bringing in enough income to quit.
All in all, the tips we have presented here should give you a good basis for your internet marketing ventures. Hopefully the advice that was presented is something you can apply within your business. Use this advice and find success with your Internet marketing efforts.
Do you want to get yourself out there and make more revenue? Internet marketing is the way to achieve these goals efficiently. Online marketing is fast paced and can help you to reach out to a larger consumer base by giving you the ability to literally advertise all over the world. Read the following tips on how this marketing technique can start bringing you results.
Knowing what your competition is vital part of web marketing.
Use keywords that include your site. Internal linking helps people stay on your page for longer periods of time and can provide you more hits from other advertising avenues.
If you website is static and rarely ever changes, you might want to create a blog. Search engines rank sites with fresh content more highly, and if your site does not have it, your ranking will suffer. A blog allows you to create fresh content.
Video marketing provides an ideal way to use the Internet to advertise. A unique interesting title and picture will get more customers to buy from you.
Just about all cell company will be able to get you to have dedicated numbers for each use on the same phone. So make sure you get a dedicated number.
Getting Google is essential for your web marketing success. Google has hundreds of thousands of searches each day, and you need your business there in case they are searching a term related to you. Your business will be easier for web crawler to index if it is indexed by Google.
If you have a robust online marketing plan, you already have a good grasp on which products will bring you the most profit. Use these to market your other related products and generate more sales. The cost of advertising is reduced, and make more advertising unnecessary.
A great Internet market tip is to become an expert in whatever it is you are dealing with.
Think about how good your product really is. An inferior product cannot be saved by even the best online marketing. Having a good product to begin with is your competitors will increase sales.
If sending emails to your customers and possible customers is one of your online marketing strategy, make sure to rotate the links you include in your emails. It is easy for customers to begin ignoring the same set of links sent with all your e-mails. Variety is the content of your emails will attract reader’s attention and keep them reading.
The most effective marketing strategy is having solid content. A fresh pair of view is invaluable.
Personalize whatever you send to anyone in your email contacts. Consider your own experience; when was the last time you were excited to see a bulk mail from strangers? If you make your emails more personal, you will stick out from others like you.
Give stuff away for free from your website. One of the most effective free offers is an interesting and relevant article. For example, if you have a landscaping company, you might have a good article of home repair tips for your customers to download. This tells customers that you understand their needs and are capable of helping them to solve their problems.
A successful Web marketing strategy is to offer your customers additional discounts if they happen to spend over a stated amount of money. This is a great way to get people to purchase more of your products.
Reward customers who bring your website.You can transform one sale into three by offering customers a free product or a discount for referring three friends to your site. People love receiving free items and increased website traffic can potentially lead to increased sales!
Your website needs to be as effective as possible in order to increase your Internet marketing efforts are going to be successful. This is done by trying different color schemes in order to see what combination would help in selling your product better.
Keep a close eye on the online discussions pertaining to your brand, then use those words in your marketing copy to show that you know what you are talking about. Using terms people use for your customers are already comfortable with will allow you understand them on a more familiar level.
For more effective marketing, use the word “guaranteed” in your ads and related content.People need to know that they are not risking a lot by buying from you, so build up a reputation for honoring your promises. A guarantee helps them feel confident about trying a competitor that doesn’t offer the guarantee.
Have some promotions or events and see people flock to your website. You may offer a day or more sale on a specific e-book. They may leave with more than just the e-book if they are there picking up their cheap e-book.
Make sure that your website interesting and designed well. Your website is the most essential part of your online marketing efforts. It should draw people to visit. The design should be engaging and look at everything.
Enjoy an increase in sales, higher profits and more effective productivity when you use this solid advice. By now, you know that online marketing is among the best strategies for reaching out to more prospective customers. If you use these Online marketing tips, you will watch your sales increase and your profits soar.
Online marketing is one of people. This article has helpful information to help you become a success through Web marketing to build sales and visibility. You will learn what it takes to succeed at Internet marketer with this information in hand.
Online marketing is an ever-changing phenomenon and research. Many of these same people who are well versed in internet marketing provide free services or will advise you personally for a small fee. You should thoroughly research your endeavor before deciding it is something you can hold onto easily.It may not take off immediately, but your time and effort will all pay off.
Create a FAQ section on your website. This page will answer questions your visitors that may have and can solve any of their problems without you getting involved. The clearer the benefit is to your client, the more likely they are to make a purchase.
Just about every single cell carriers permit you to have dedicated numbers for the same phone. So get a number.
If you can make a video showing the success of your product, your customers will be more apt to believe in your products and services. This greatly illustrates why you have used before.
Read up on psychology of Online marketing online. Psychology can play a part in the way someone looks at your site, your brand name or even the theme you use. This information is useful when you can use to maximize profit.
You want to be indexed by Google to do web marketing campaign. There are so many people using Google everyday to locate things, and you will want to know when they do a search about something that your company has to offer. Your business will be easier for web crawler to index if you are listed on directories and registered with the search engines.
How your website looks and operates is as memorable as if the customer was walking into a store. Test your website on a regular basis, concentrating on your links, links and your checkout system on a regular basis.
Try to use banners on your website that do not have the appearance of being banners. Try to make them appear like links to get more content. Banners are normally avoided, so make sure that they are well placed.
Use headlines on all of your site and articles. These headlines should be very upbeat and showcase something that you are offering for sale on your own site. You could even forgo the headline and replace it with a graphic of what you’re trying to sell. Graphics are sometimes appear more professional than any standard headline.
Offer incentives to customers for people’s referrals. You can transform one sale into three by just giving people a free product or a refund for referring five friends to the site. People love getting stuff for free items and the more traffic you get the higher your sales will be.
Your website needs to be as effective as possible in order to increase your Affiliate marketing efforts are going to be successful. This is done by simply using a few color schemes in order to see what will catch the eye of your product better.
You need to have good leads to get sales.Real-time leads prevail as they give you access to a potential customer right away who has been seeking information on your merchandise. You get access to that customer the sale.
You can develop your website as a social gathering rather than a business. Your website will see increased traffic as people return to talk and chat with other customers. This also helps to keep your site.
Are you searching for some way to do Online marketing? Give visitors a good reason to provide their email addresses so that you can grow your opt-in list. People will be more prone to providing their own personal email if there is possibly something in it for them!
Offer editors as a way to get your articles.
You can set yourself and your market site by offering interesting content that is not available on any other website.
Make sure your site is interesting and well-designed. Your website is the first impression of your online marketing strategy. It should be a pleasant place for people in and make them want to stick around.The design should be engaging and look at everything.
While customers can Google you, it is much easier to have a web address that is easy to remember.
You most likely will not likely to find the domain name that matches your company name. You can find one that will be close, if you are open to spend $1,000 to $2,000 to obtain it.
After customers have made a purchase, give them a link to other similar products. If your site sells movies and a customer buys something from a particular genre, email them links to other sports gear. You can increase your sales you generate when you offer them products similar to past purchases.
You must use a well-built website on the Internet to increase the visibility of your business. Website marketing is often more effective than traditional advertising. Use the helpful tips here, and find out what works best for you.
You can greatly increase your business through Internet marketing. The Website marketing is that it gives you access to a worldwide audience to draw customers around the globe. This article will give you some ideas.
You need to be able to take advantage of all the software and technology advancement in order to be successful Internet promotion. If you or your company falls behind the curve, your clients may doubt your abilities. If you stay on the front lines of technology and always have the next best thing available to your customers, you will present a better image to your customers.
This will assist them feel more informed about the purchase they are thinking about. This educates them that you are just supplying information; the choice of whether to buy or not is entirely up to them.
Provide something really unique on your site. This will be great at driving lots of your site.
Regular blogging is an asset to any online marketing with success. A high-quality blog is one more way to stay in touch with potential customers. In addition, a blog adds content to your website, in effect, which ultimately leads to more site traffic.
This will help them to remember you. This is a great strategy if you highlight your services and the reasons for your commitment to your products and customers.
If your website is for the most part unchanging, at least include a blog that you update frequently. Search engines rank sites with fresh content more highly, and if your site does not have it, your ranking will suffer. A blog makes it easy to keep your site updated with fresh content consistently.
Most cell phone providers offer the option of adding a dedicated numbers applied to one phone. So get a number.
A unique way of doing web marketing tip to use image searches performed by customers. People who visit for the images or information may browse through the rest of your site and get interested in what you are selling. This process is the first step in forging an ongoing relationship between them and they are more likely to come back to your site.
If you can create an Ezine, it can be an on-going effective marketing technique where you can build a following with the people who subscribe to it. You can make a newsletter seem more personal by adding photos of you along with your family and staff.You should let them know about your company.
Email is a very important part of any Internet promotion via marketing. It is important to protect the confidential information entrusted to you by your emails. If you want the most security and the most features for your mail, consider security and archiving methods to keep them safe.
Learn how to employ HTML tags. HTML tags serve to indicate how important content is within your website. Search engine spiders use tags to determine the purpose and relevance of your page according to tags.
You could easily find an email marketing service to help you with your online marketing, learning to do it yourself is important too. Once you understand how the process works, you can use mass mailers, build lists and utilize auto-responders for marketing purposes. This type of experience will prove invaluable down the entire life cycle of your products and services.
Try offering free stuff from your site. One free offer that gets good results is a downloadable article specifically geared toward your business. For instance, you might offer clients in the salon industry an article about attracting new clients, give away an article that offers homeowner tips. Your customers will realize that you are interested in what they have to say.
You can always market your site as a social gathering or club than a business. Your website will enjoy greater traffic if people return to talk and chat with other customers. This will also helps people interested in your site.
Offer freebies that are branded with your brand and submit those freebies to the websites that advertise those kinds of deals. If it is a free e-book, you should then look for other websites to give it out for free. Many websites are available that give out free articles or e-books if you submit yours to them.
Make your website engaging and designed well. The website that you create is the very center of all of the Online marketing efforts should be your website. It should be a pleasant place for people in and make them want to stick around.The design should be engaging and will keep them looking through it.
The strategies that you have just read about can increase the success of your online business. Now, you just need to apply them to your business. You may find that your business plan requires a more personalized approach. Remember to continue the learning process and remain open to fresh ideas.
Website marketing is one of the most effective ways to make your business’s customer base. There are a variety of methods available to reach your audience. The following article will guide you to turning your Affiliate marketing that may be of use to you.
Short-term sales promotions are an effective way to improve your online store.You can buy a page rank and other consumer sites will use you have a good enough deal.This is roughly the equivalent of generating profits through the sale of loss leader item to turn a profit later.
If you follow message boards, include a link within your signature block. This is a non-aggressive way to passively promote your website whenever you talk to anyone on the Internet.
Consider which methods you want to promote your site. You can use social networking, list your business in online directories or share your content on social networks.You can attract visitors to your page through many different ways. Creativity is key when trying to set yourself apart from the rest.
Make sure that you get feedback as often as you can. This is important to ensure you are getting an accurate portrayal of how your site. Get feedback from anyone you can, potential customers or clients, as well as family and trusted friends. Take all feedback under advisement and make changes as you see fit.
Keep an eye on your competitors, and react accordingly. If you can picture yourself buying from them, analyze the techniques used to make you feel that way.
Get customers to click ads by using discreet images that link to your product’s page. This does not look like an ad at all.
This measure will assist them feel a bit more informed prior to purchasing anything. This educates them on your product without looking like a tacky sales pitch since they can decide to purchase it or not is entirely up to them.
Internet marketing takes a lot of work and researching up-to-date techniques will prove helpful. Many of these people have advice columns or will advise you for a fee. You should also choose a marketing strategy that appeals to you; one that you will stick with over the long haul. It may start out slowly, but it will be worth the time you put into it.
Knowing your competition is doing is important for internet marketing.
Take time to learn about web design.
A squeeze page is a great way to gather contact info for your mailing list. It is a way to prompt visitors to give you their email address. You may decide to provide a free promotional gift in exchange for the contact information. This service will help both you get more people on your mailing list and the visitor.
If you are not truthful in your content, you will sell many more customers on the idea that the claims of success you are making are actually true. This greatly illustrates why you have used the products you’ve used.
Make sure you utilize social media to grow your customer base.Twitter allows you to have informal dialogue with your customers.
A 500-error page that is user friendly is a helpful tool to have. This can happen when one of your website. A boring page tells the viewer that the connection has simply timed out. There are much better methods for making users that you know about an issue and are trying to fix it.
You need to provide a chat section for customers on your website. Your website can turn into a social network than a business site. A sense of community can be a powerful motivator to turn a one-time visitor into a habitual one; fostering a community for your customers while allowing users to make important business contacts.
Try to regard Affiliate marketing as being a hobby rather than a job, rather think of it as a hobby in the beginning. If you realize this is something you are good at you might consider it as a career, then you can consider going into it as a full-time job.
Keep a close eye on the online discussions pertaining to your brand, then use those words in your marketing copy to show that you know what you are talking about. This will let you connect more with potential customers by using their vocabulary.
Inform potential customers about the advantages that your products can offer them. If you are encouraging and positive about your audience being able to accomplish their goals, you can entice them to buy your product.
Make your website engaging and beautifully designed. Your site or blog will be at the center of your marketing success. It should draw people to visit. The design should be engaging and look at everything.
It is important to have a secure system you to handle orders is completely secure.
As previously stated, Affiliate marketing is one of the most effective means of establishing a connection with your intended audience. Now that you’re familiar with some of the techniques available to you, you can tailor your campaign to meet your marketing needs. Bring realization to your business dreams by putting the advice and tips from this article to work for you.
Have you thought about how to get started with Online marketing?Do you do regular research on this topic and try to better promote your business? There are numerous resources available such as magazines, like books, books, magazine articles, etc. So how do you begin with your marketing plan? Read these tips and see if they lead you make those plans.
You must take advantage of every software and technology advancement in Web marketing. If your business falls behind on these technologies, your customers will notice and may begin to not trust your company. Show that you are always on the cutting edge, and they will respect your products and decisions.
Your website tags should very clearly define your site.
This measure will assist them to feel more informed prior to purchasing anything. This tells them that you are just supplying information; the choice of whether to buy or pass.
One great tip is to always stay aware of your competition. You may easily check out your competitor’s web site and see what features they might have. You might also investigate their traffic is like and that will show you how well your own site is doing.
Ensure your page has relevant information your customers desire. Add reviews, relevant content like reviews and instructional articles that demonstrate your expertize and legitimacy in the eyes of prospective customers.
It may seem overwhelming to decide which direction your website should go in. It is best to choose a topic that you are both knowledgeable and enjoyable. Marketing your website will be easier if you have a target.
Record videos of your product you are attempting to sell. This will give your customers a good idea of how the product can be used before purchasing. You can post your video on your own blog.
Don’t cope other people if you want success when it comes to internet promotion. Search engines routinely filter out duplicate content, so copying will just hurt you in the long run.
If sending emails to your customers and possible customers is one of your online marketing strategy, make sure to rotate the links you include in your emails. It is easy for your customers to begin ignoring emails if they look the same set of links sent with all your e-mails. Variety is the content of your emails will attract reader’s attention and keep them reading.
Personalize the correspondence with customers. Are you sick and tired of spam emails from companies? If you make your emails more personal, you will stick out from others like you.
You could easily find an email marketing service to help you with your internet promotion, but you should have a clear understanding of the process regardless of whether or not you are hands-on. Once you know what to do, you will be creating mass mailers, auto responders and mass mailers. This type of experience will prove invaluable down the line.
Use tech tools to find how many visitors become customers to help improve your marketing campaign is working for you.
Try to incorporate words like “fast” when marketing your products and services.
Think about using words like “simple” and “easy” into your marketing strategy. This is a wonderful way to improve your sales.
It’s important to let your website visitors that your e-commerce system is totally secure. People are wary of sending personal information over the Internet, so allay these fears by telling people that their personal information is safe with you.
You may want to offer free shipping to anyone who buys your product within 24 hours. This is an effective strategy for more sales.
After you set up an online promotion, keep track of the way people are responding to it on forums and blogs.Incorporate their advice to make your customers feel that they are respected.
For more effective marketing, use the word “guaranteed” in your ads and related content.Even though your guarantee offer is only as solid as your company, hearing the word helps people feel more at ease about giving you their business. A guarantee helps them feel better about buying from you than they would from a purchase.
Are you looking for an effective way to market yourself online?Give your visitors reasons why they should provide their email addresses so that you can grow your opt-in list. People are more prone to providing their own personal email if it could directly benefit them!
Have special promotions or events and see people flock to your website. You may offer a day or two a $1 sale on a specific e-book. They may leave with more than just the e-book if they are there picking up their cheap e-book.
Offer something free with your brand and submit those freebies to the websites that advertise those kinds of deals. For example if you are giving away an e-book, your free e-book can be offered by an e-book website. Many websites are available that give out free e-content and are easy to submit yours to them.
You now have the tools you need to get started in Internet marketing. You can now apply these tips to your own business. You can begin changing your plan to serve your purposes. If you are ready then let’s begin!
Do you have ideas swimming in your head about how to run and operate a great idea? When you get an idea, be sure you’re able to effectively market it that so you can create business for yourself. Use the tips and advice provided below to ensure that you are prepared for that moment.
You must take advantage of all the software and technology advancement in order to be successful Website marketing. If you or your company falls behind the curve, the competition could leave you in the dust. Show them that you know about new innovations, and they will respect your products and decisions.
A flashy website might look pretty, but don’t overwhelm your readers with fancy tricks. You have roughly five seconds to bring their attention of visitors to your website. If your site can’t quickly grab your visitor’s attention, your potential customers are probably gone.
Internet marketing takes a lot of work and researched well. Many people have advice columns or will advise you personally for a small fee. You should thoroughly research your endeavor before deciding it is something you can hold onto easily.It may start slow, but your time and effort will all pay off.
You may be close to achieving a step or two away from successful internet promotion when you give up. Make sure you have everything ready before you launch your products or services. This can be a lot of effort. The effort you put in will pay off after awhile.
Knowing what your competition is vital in internet marketing.
Give your customers a lot of specials to choose from at the check-out page. You could also send an email with a choice of three different half-price items.
Most cellular providers offer the option of multiple dedicated work number to your existing phone. So make sure you get a dedicated number.
Getting listed by Google should be a key part of your Online marketing strategy. Google is used by millions of people every day, and it pays to know the search terms that people are using to look for your products or services. Being listed on Google is vital to being able to take your company is successful.
Your website should have good format and make links are easily visible. This lets people interested in your audience engaged and they won’t have to dig around for links.
A great way to enhance the content of your customers and advance your marketing strategy is to interview experts in your niche. You can conduct this interview or record or videotape the interviews.
To optimize your website for search engines, you absolutely must have unique, original and fresh content. This is even more important for any online retailer that sells similar products with similar product descriptions. You can write your own content, as that is the only way to attract additional customers to your site.
You need to make a point to note this without being excessive. You needn’t have to give up a huge amount in order for this gesture to impress customers.
Find some type of service or product that you can give free-of-charge to those who visit your site. People may visit the site for free offers and could even find something else that interests them. A helpful example is providing a tax return calculator on a financial website.
If you’re aware of what the competition is selling and how they are selling it, you can beat them at their own game and achieve even greater profits. This tip is crucial point in understanding Internet marketing plan.
Competition is a very valuable tool for your Website marketing. You can learn a few things from your competitors. This can help you do not repeat their mistakes.
Deal with all customer complaints personally. While hiring a third party to take care of these issues may sound helpful, these types of issues are better dealt with internally. If an unsatisfied customer emails you about a purchase gone wrong, return the email yourself, and offer them a resolution to the problem.
Try making a web page for public relationships to help out your customers can find press about you. You could add content with information that could be published in the news. This is an easy and effective way to show your business to the masses.
Your website needs to be as effective as possible in order to increase your Affiliate marketing success. Try out different color schemes until you find one that helps show your products.
When you decide to launch a promotion or an online event for your company, you should be aware of the way your visitors react on blogs and forums. Incorporate your customers advice as a way to make these people feel that they are respected.
Try different headlines and content regularly and keeping track of how much it affects your traffic and purchases. When you have determined the appropriate tone, promote it and build on it.
Use these tips to increase your chances of launching a successful business. Use the tips here and you can find success. By being persistence and using useful advice, you will soon see success.
Do you own your own company and make more money? Affiliate marketing is the way to achieve these goals efficiently. Affiliate marketing offers quick and easy way to advertise to people online. Read the following tips on how to make use affiliate marketing.
You can then identify which website version will be more successful by checking the number of people who subscribe to each.
Consider adding a section of your website where you can list all of your products by traits. You should always keep your website structured page that offers a good variety of products and services.
Make sure that all images placed on your site. Search engines will determine if a site is relevant to a user’s search. Your captions shouldn’t be nonsensical, relevant captions.
Make the best use of email for marketing your business. Your subscribers should not feel as if they are being spammed, not spam. With a newsletter, you can stay in touch with past customers, encouraging them to return to your site.
If you website is static and rarely ever changes, you might want to create a blog. Search engines like fresh information, so if your site is no updated regularly, your ranking will suffer. A blog allows you to create fresh content.
Most cell phone providers offer the option of multiple dedicated numbers applied to one phone. So make sure you get a dedicated number.
It is always important to research various competitors if your competitors. Check out the websites of similar businesses and see what it is that they can be used to help improve your business. If you see that other websites lack a certain service or element, make sure to highlight these on your site in an effort to beat the competition.
Use the emphasis tools when you are creating text for your website. You can emphasize a single word using tags to underline, underlining, or italicizing the text. This can assist you in clarifying your message and direct the focus of the reader.
A great way to enhance the content to your site and advance your business is to interview experts in your field. You either provide the interviews or make videos and podcasts.
It is most important to gain your customers trust you and maintain their trust.
If you want to add credibility and some validation for your company, it gives you a certain validation and could draw in more customers.This will drive traffic to your site and they will think of it as more than just a store.
Try placing banners where they don’t look like your typical banners. Try to make them appear like clickable links by which visitors can access additional content. Banners are normally avoided, so make sure that they are well placed.
Try to create a site that customers feel like they’re in control.It will be a breath of the unwanted spam and emails. Make certain they know participating is optional in order to boost your credibility.
Try giving away stuff from your site! One free offer is an article specifically geared toward your area of business expertise. For example, if you are a general contractor, or designing new services. This sends a message to your potential customers that you are concerned about what is important to them.
Offer customers an additional discount incentive if they spend more than a certain amount of money. This is a good way to get your customers to buy more products.
Do not give up right away if you are not initially successful. Something that did not catch on a few months ago might work better now. The Internet is always changing and people find new uses. Do not spend time and money into things that do not successful; just wait.
Keep tabs on the most common words used in your niche, and incorporate the vocabulary utilized in those conversations into your own marketing strategies.This will let you to connect more deeply with people by using terms they are familiar and comfortable with.
Adjectives work very well in the interest of internet marketing. Come up with your product.
A good company logo and slogan. These tools can help build your brand recognition. A catchy catch-phrase will help your customers to remember a slogan for the long run. When it comes to decision-making time, your slogan might make them remember your business before all others.
Consider what your target audience expects when they come to your site. If you can give them what they are looking for, you should see your own marketing efforts create more sales. Try to get objective opinions about your site. You may ask friends or get comments from a marketing forum.
By implementing even a few of these tips you should see an increase in your profitability. Web marketing is a powerful tool for businesses who want to increase their sales. Remember these tips for Web marketing strategies and gain new customers.
What do you know about Website marketing? Do you do your research and use it to make a nice profit? There are resources available about internet promotion like magazines, books, books, books and magazines. So how do you begin with your own plan? Use these tips in order find a starting point.
Your website tags should very clearly define your business.
Get people to click on ads by using discreet images that link to your product’s page. This will not really look like an ad at all.
You should spend enough time to at least learn how to design websites.
Consider adding a hub to your website where people can view all of your products. You should always keep your website structured page that offers a good variety of products and services.
Always be prepared to cover any questions potential customers may have.People visit your site seeking knowledge, and if you do not give them the answer to their question, they will move on. Providing them with detailed information satisfies them and will increase the likelihood of a sale.
Try to be thorough when designing your website as clear cut and content oriented site. You want to focus on building the knowledge of your customers in a short time period to ensure that they are informed about their purchase. Don’t pad or use useless data that the customer needs to know.
Always have a signature for your emails, regardless of the recipient’s identity.This is your business card in the cyber-world, and you should distribute it at every opportunity.By allowing the recipients of your e-mails to see how your business really is, you offer everyone you email a link to your business.
It is always important to keep tabs on the techniques employed by your internet enterprise is to succeed.Check out the websites of similar businesses and see what ideas can improve your business. If you notice major gaps in the offerings on other sites, make sure to highlight these on your site in an effort to beat the competition.
Image searches may be an unusual method of affiliate marketing strategies.People who are just trying to find pictures might wind up at your site because they were searching for a particular image. This creates great branding and your brand every day and sometimes these people do come back to your site.
Your website should have good format and make links clear and easily visible. This will keep your audience engaged and they won’t have an easier time finding what they’re looking for.
Make sure you do not spend too much on advertising. You don’t want to pay more money on advertising that won’t help out your business. If you are going to invest money, make sure you’re getting the most for it.
Think about just how pertinent your product really is. An inferior product will not succeed no matter how much marketing and advertising is behind it. Having a product to begin with is your best way for boosting sales.
If regular emails to customers and potential customers are part of your Website marketing strategy, instead of sending the same type of email over and over. It is easy for your customers to begin ignoring emails if they look the same. Variety is king when it comes to keeping your readers engaged.
This will help your customers feeling more secure and give you and your company.
Personalize all the correspondence you have with consumers. Consider how you dislike getting bulk mail from strangers? If you make your emails more personal, you will stick out from others like you.
Try making a web page where your site. You can publish it in online magazine could use to label your site. This is pretty easy to do and the visibility of your business without much effort.
One of the things that you can do when marketing online to encourage visitors to buy by using discount prices. You should always have some kind of promotional offer going on and base your customer the deal.
Inform potential customers about the benefits could be if they purchase from you. If you exude confidence in your customers, then they will be too.
Provide a time-sensitive incentive to order. This could mean providing free shipping or free gift wrapping for any purchases before a given date.
Make sure that your site is interesting and designed well. The website that you create is the very center of all of the Online marketing campaign depends on how well the website is created. It should be a pleasant place for people in and make them want to stick around.The design should be engaging and will keep them looking through it.
Get associated with a charity. Select a charity that you believe your customers would find worthy of your support, and inform them that some of your profits are donated to that charity. This can boost your image and get some free advertising from the charity.You could get even more creative by picking a few charities from which your customers to choose their favorite.
Are you prepared to now try out Online marketing for your business? Do you think you can apply these tips to your company? This means you need to start improving your overall marketing plan strategically. After taking these steps, you can be successful. | 2019-04-22T08:36:23Z | http://dieta-cud.info/?paged=2&cat=2 |
This is a continuation of the interview with Rick Steiner on December 18, 2013 by Alicia Zorzetto at the offices of the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council in Anchorage, Alaska. Amanda Johnson operated the video camera. In this second part of a two part interview, Rick talks about the human and environmental impacts of the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill and the ineffective cleanup effort. He also talks about the need for regional citizens' advisory councils around the world, the impacts from our world's dependency on oil, and the personal and political changes that should be made.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Did they say that to you?
it's -- it's -- and plus they didn’t have much equipment, but they -- so they started being interested in what the local environment was.
What the critical resources that could possibly be protected. And then a command team formed relatively quickly, within two or three days.
But looking back now they have -- there is a system called the Incident Command System which is much more robust in how to respond to these emergencies.
And some of our people in Cordova were instrumental in actually setting that up subsequent to the Exxon Valdez response.
But again, you know, a month into it we realized that the response was not going to work. And it really didn’t.
Despite the valiant, valiant efforts of many people, particularly some of our fishermen in Cordova. Tom Copeland saying to hell with it and getting in the water with buckets.
you know, the long and short of it is we still have oil on the beach here now 25 years later.
The litigation is still unresolved. The re-opener clause -- 25 years later.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: It was almost 20 years, was it not?
RICK STEINER: Well, for the total resolution. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Okay.
RICK STEINER: But the case was argued I think in ’93 and the final resolution was in 2006 or 7, so it took -- it took 15 years. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
But the bottom line was virtually none of the plaintiffs that I know feel that there was justice served as far as the private case.
The government case was settled early on because we didn’t -- we knew we needed money immediately to do what we could to protect the system from further damage.
That was a marginal success in that -- in that many -- a lot of the money was used for protecting the coastal habitat from additional damage.
And a lot of science was done. Some of it useful, some of it not, but it certainly -- until Deepwater Horizon, Exxon Valdez was the most extensively studied oil spill in history.
And let me also say that, you know, there's still oil on the beach of Prince William Sound.
We knew that would happen. We knew there would be long-term, multi-decadal environmental harm caused by this. We knew that in 1989. That’s no secret.
There's other oil spills where that's occurred and I've been to these sites. One is in the Straits of Magellan down in Southern Chile. There was a tanker spill in 1974 larger than the Exxon Valdez.
And there was not much of a response, if any, cause it was so remote. And the tanker was called the Metula and again this was in 1974.
There is still asphalt pavements there today. That’s 40 years ago. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
to try to actually ignore this long-term environmental harm -- this cost of oil development in Alaska by recognizing the long-term harm caused by the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
I think that is fundamentally dishonest, you know. State government, federal government, the industry need to admit that these things can have catastrophic long-term potentially permanent consequences.
Just by one wrong turn of a loaded supertanker. So we have -- the message there is we have to be as safe as possible in doing this kind of business.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right. You mentioned a fair bit about the long-term impacts to the environment. And you talk a lot about the litigation and the political issues.
But like I said you’re someone that kind of, you know, that sees a problem and you’re -- you’re a fixer, so your efforts have been trying to fix the problem.
RICK STEINER: A number of people try to, so yes.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right, I would say that. However, just cur -- I’m just curious, you were in Cordova.
RICK STEINER: It happens and then it's over.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: And then you clean it up. RICK STEINER: Yeah.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: And you rebuild. RICK STEINER: Right.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: There is -- it's stressful for people who go through this type of litigation.
RICK STEINER: Everybody carried the stress. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
RICK STEINER: Everybody. I mean kids, you know, two year olds felt it because they were -- they were watching their parents lose it.
Yeah, it was a profound time, particularly in Cordova. Many -- all the oil spill communities, I think, but also Chenega Bay.
The two predominantly impacted sort of social groups were commercial fishing and Alaska Natives.
Those that are most, sort of, directly engaged with the marine environment that was smothered with oil. And that's understandable.
But the social psychological sort of emotional damage caused by this thing.
Prince William Sound RCAC has done some great work -- sponsored, commissioned some great work on that through Steve Picou at University of South Alabama who studies these sort of aspects of industrial disasters.
And has found that, yeah, there're spikes and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, anxiety disorders, social dysfunction, substance abuse, spousal abuse, you know, families are torn apart, and those that took Exxon money, those that didn’t.
You know, there's all -- there's just -- it was chaos in Cordova to be honest with you for about three or four or five years.
And I left after about -- let’s see about 1996, ’97, so about eight years into this. And, you know, it's understandable.
There was the -- the Native elder in Nanwalek, English Bay at the time, Walter Meganack, who at the time called this -- this event the day the water died and that's the way a lot of the Alaska Native people I believe saw this.
RICK STEINER: And the commercial fishing industry that was reliant on fish stocks in the Sound and the north Gulf coast really wondered well what -- what is their future, you know.
And look -- look at herring. Herring really hasn’t recovered.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right. RICK STEINER: And not only is that important commercially, but it's important from -- it's an important prey resource in the ecosystem.
You know, a number -- 20 or 30 different marine mammals and seabirds and other fish rely to -- or used to rely in a large part on herring -- ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
or you see these animals dying you feel really sad for the animals and, of course, that's a -- the environment impacts are huge. RICK STEINER: Yeah.
RICK STEINER: I would actually -- and I've talked to Jonathan about this and others, and I actually disagree with that.
RICK STEINER: The living beings that were most affected were those that were covered with oil and died. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Died. Uh-huh.
RICK STEINER: And that's just simply -- that didn’t happen to any human beings.
You know, Prince William Sound was Shangri-La. It was a beautiful, spectacular place of -- of abundant productive, you know, functioning coastal marine -- subarctic coastal marine ecosystem that a lot of people made their livings from.
And everything worked great until Exxon Valdez and so, of course, people's -- the social fabric of communities disentangled and -- and some people, you know, just -- some people dealt with it better than others.
But hundreds of thousands of innocent organisms were killed. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: That first year. And have been ever since. Directly from the oil and so I -- I think it's sort of an anthropomorphic bias that humans have that well, what did this do to humans.
And again no humans were oiled and killed. There were people that died from this. From stress -- stress disorders and -- and long-term exposure perhaps -- ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: -- to the -- to the, you know, oil on the beaches and such like that.
And there were a couple of suicides in Cordova, but no one got oiled and killed by the oil directly. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: Like thousands of sea otters, hundreds of harbor seals, hundreds of thousands of birds and lots of juvenile and fish and such in the intertidal habitat and such.
So, you know, I understand that sort of the human bias to worry about humans more than others. And humans were part of the impact. No question about it.
But it's good to sort of -- remove -- place it in context.
You know, I remember standing on Applegate Rocks a couple days after the spill watching, you know, sort of attending the death of a sea otter completely covered with oil.
You know, there was nothing you could have done for it and the surf scoter there, and just thinking, you know, that they had absolutely no clue as to where this came from. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
RICK STEINER: No idea, you know. And it was no fault of their own. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: And I think maybe part of the human impact was there was this sort of residual guilt.
And there should be. That part of our consumptive behaviors. Using oil the way we are irresponsibly, contributed to this.
And it does and so part -- I think there's some -- some sort of a guilt neurosis that figures into the human response and the impact of these things and that's not just on people in Prince William Sound or the North Gulf Coast.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Everywhere. RICK STEINER: It's everywhere.
And the same thing happened after Deepwater Horizon. And I think it's, you know, when you start looking at the -- the true costs of oil, and this is what I had hoped Exxon Valdez would have done.
It did a lit -- it’s stimulated it a little bit, but it didn’t follow through in civil society.
The real cost, you know, the habitat damage from drill -- from exploring for it, from producing it, from building pipelines to transport it, from tanker transport, and then oil spills on top of that. The wars we fight to secure oil supplies.
The health impacts from breathing emissions from the, you know, industrial economy -- the hydrocarbon economy we have, and climate change.
You know, here we're much deeper in the hole 25 years later than we were in 1989. We knew about climate change then.
We knew what it was caused from. We knew how to fix it, yet it didn’t get fixed.
Here we are 25 years later, we're deeper down the slope.
The Obama Administration is -- is not doing much on it. Unfortunately. Despite the rhetoric.
And, you know, we’ve got 400 parts per million carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today.
Which, you know, 25 years ago was much lower than that. So, you know, and oil consumption is up globally, so I don’t know.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Can I ask you -- just going along with what you’re saying now, I just can’t help but think about dispersants and the use of dispersants.
RICK STEINER: The choice to use them, you mean?
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yes. RICK STEINER: Yeah.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: And the reason for it is, well, and cost wise I’d say, you know.
RICK STEINER: To get rid of it.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah, what were you going to do with it. And the costs of -- RICK STEINER: Yeah.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: -- of disposing of it properly. The ongoing costs, because it doesn’t degrade as -- as we've noted.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Whereas dispersants literally essentially hide -- hides it.
RICK STEINER: Right. Well, that was our joke about the -- the brand name of the dispersant at the time was called "Corexit 9527." We called it "Hides It 9527."
That is essentially what it does -- it -- if it works --if these chemical dispersants work as they are designed, they are to mix on a surface slick, disperse it into smaller droplets down into the pelagic system into the water column, and then you just take the surface problem and disperse it down into the -- you broaden the effect.
If it works effectively, the smaller droplets will degrade quicker.
That does happen, but you also project the impact down into the water column, and so it's not seen by the TV cameras or by the people driving around in boats on the surface.
It's much less apt to leave large slicks beaching, you know, stranding on beaches and such like that.
So from a political, financial and sort of public image standpoint, industry and government love the idea of dispersants.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: And we don’t know how, right?
RICK STEINER: You don’t know how, but, you know, there's a pretty good idea of how it, you know, we know a lot about the ecological toxicity of hydrocarbons now.
the thing that I’m seeing in my work all around the world on this stuff is that the sociopolitical toxicity of oil is as pernicious, if not more, than the environmental toxicity.
And that is the way politics sort of reorganizes itself around wanting more oil and this addiction modality a lot of people talk about -- our oil addiction.
Well, in the addiction modality, you know, the junkies don’t want to be told that there's consequences to their addiction.
and the utter failure of the restoration program to be able to restore the damage. They can’t. I mean you cannot put Humpty Dumpty back together again.
You just can’t effectively directly restore an oil damaged marine ecosystem. It's never been done. It can’t be done.
But what you can do is protect it from further damage. And the oil spill region in Alaska that meant an additional oil spill we'e got to prevent that, which is where RCAC came in.
And preventing additional coastal habitat damage, which is where the Trustee Council Habitat Program came in. So we've done pretty good on those two counts.
There seems to be this pervasive amnesia within our political system these days trying to forget about these real costs like what happened in Prince William Sound.
That can happen again and trying to ignore this real tangible risk. It doesn’t mean we stop doing oil development necessarily.
As we continue doing it and transporting this stuff, we have to put in all the safety measures possible to do it as safely as possible. Simple.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Well, this has been really insightful.
RICK STEINER: That's what I'm trying to think of. You know, I mean back to the Prince William Sound RCAC, this is a model I have taken throughout the world in the last 20 years.
In fact, I just got back from -- from Fiji meeting with South Pacific governments last week.
And a number of the South Pacific regional environment program and secretary of the South Pacific community and a bunch of national governments and civil society.
About deep sea mining, but the need for if you're gonna to do these offshore development activities you need a robust citizens' advisory council that is independent of government, independent of industry, and functions to really truly engage civil society.
All the stakeholders that are concerned about the offshore environment and make it as safe as possible and engendering trust between government, industry and civil society. There's a way to do it.
The RCAC here is the model, I think. It can be adapted. You know, every -- every nation has its own quirkiness and uniqueness and such like that.
And so every citizens' advisory council will have its own unique flavor wherever it's done.
But they need to be established. They need to be established for all large-scale extractive industry projects globally.
And we've been pushing that issue everywhere.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right. You have an article within the UN that -- RICK STEINER: Yeah.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: -- essentially talks about that.
even though they can be different and they can transcend different industries, they should be funded appropriately so a lot of their efforts aren’t engaged on trying to find funds.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: And also they need to be completely independent.
RICK STEINER: The two -- you hit the two critical keys.
They have to be truly independent -- citizens’ oversight councils do.
They have to have sufficient funding to do the work that they need to do.
The independence is a challenge depending on how these are appointed.
The Prince William Sound RCAC model is -- is great.
Elsewhere, you know, governments want to appoint people or the industry wants to select people and that’s a deal breaker.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right. RICK STEINER: That cannot -- you cannot have an independent citizen’s oversight council if industry or government are appointing the people to it.
As well, the idea -- the issue of funding, it's got to be stable. Its funding cannot come with conditions.
And the RCAC model has been effective on that, I think.
I would like to see RCAC funded out of the oil spill liability trust fund such that you don’t have to keep going back to Alyeska every year or every two years for a budget.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: And it also suggests the possibility of us essentially building it better -- building a federally wide program.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: -- program or maybe not federally wide.
RICK STEINER: Putting others in place.
RICK STEINER: Yeah. I mean, this is -- this is one of the lessons of Exxon Valdez is you need citizens to bird dog government and industry making sure that they're doing the best job possible.
Plus a communication channel between government and industry and civil society.
This needs to happen certainly in the Gulf of Mexico. And it probably needs to happen in other places in California, the northeast coast, certainly other places around the world. Which is where the Prince William Sound RCAC is such a wonderful model.
You know, people say well how can this possibly work. I give them your website. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: Go to the website. You’ll see how it works. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: And it’s true. It has worked. Not to say that, you know, there's not been rough patches.
RICK STEINER: Along the way. And -- and there's been things I've wanted RCAC to do that it hasn’t done, but leave that aside the system by and large has worked remarkably.
We haven’t had, knock knock, another Exxon Valdez. Hopefully, we never will. We could, even with RCAC in place.
We’ve tried to set such a thing up in the Arctic and been unsuccessful. The political machinery right now.
The oil industry doesn’t want it. The state government doesn’t want it.
Sounds very familiar to 27, 28 years ago to me. They didn’t want this sort of thing.
And I -- I fear that they're going to wait for a catastrophe in the Arctic Ocean to set up the right system, and how -- how backwards.
RICK STEINER: You know of them to think that way. So we need an Arctic RCAC both to pay attention to offshore drilling and to offshore shipping.
That's now increasing dramatically in the Arctic.
And I hope we don’t have to wait for a major oil spill catastrophe in the Chukchi Sea. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
But the same sort of resistance in politics and government and industry that we had 27, 28 years ago in Prince William Sound, we are seeing now in the Arctic and that’s pretty unfortunate.
RICK STEINER: Absolutely. ALICIA ZORZETTO: -- substantial.
RICK STEINER: They're breathing the same oil, too.
RICK STEINER: There's no question about it and there -- and there have been subsequent rigs explosions -- the Black Elk Explosion in the Gulf.
RICK STEINER: That killed several workers. These sorts of things, you know, this is risky business.
And the oil industry knows that better than anybody. They want to do it safely. Or at least the workers.
RICK STEINER: On the rigs, but the corporate poli -- bean counters and the financial guys and the shareholders and the directors and the CEO’s don’t always get that the risk is personal.
And the environmental risk is real and people really care about it, and so they’re oftentimes these corporate directors are willing to cut corners.
RICK STEINER: And that's got to change. One way to change that is to really dramatically increase the financial liability that's on the line in the event of an oil spill, yeah.
And Congress hasn’t done that. And they need to.
You know, if Deepwater Horizon didn’t do it than what’s going to? ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
RICK STEINER: So that’s -- we wonder about that, but, yeah, you know, we know -- we know the solutions here. We know we need to use less oil.
We need to be more efficient with the oil we are using.
You know most of the oil -- you know, I remember saying years ago that our nation wastes more oil every day than comes down the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. And where’s the economy in that?
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah. RICK STEINER: You know why do we have to do that.
use this stuff as efficiently as possible.
And that gets into things like our transportation infrastructure and automobile, you know, fuel efficiency standards and building -- lighting standards in commercial buildings and all sorts -- and power generation -- electrical power generation.
We can do a lot better than we're doing right now. And by example, Western Europe and Japan and such places like this produce a unit of economic output on half the energy input than we do here in the US. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Wow.
RICK STEINER: Another way of saying that is we’re wasting at least half of the energy we’re using in the US just with existing technologies and solutions.
On the shelf, nothing needs to be invented, yet we see -- there's this politic around waste.
RICK STEINER: And, you know, the more you waste, the more you need.
And that's part of this addiction modality that I think we need to break out of. Well, obviously we need to break out of it, so hopefully soon.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: So I'll - I'm going to conclude this I think with one -- RICK STEINER: Okay.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: With one last question -- RICK STEINER: Oh, we can talk for hours.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah, I know.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: I am going to ask this one last question.
RICK STEINER: Sort of the momentum of -- ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
RICK STEINER: -- of a particular policy path.
RICK STEINER: Absolutely. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Do you think we need something of an extreme scale to change this path that we’re on?
RICK STEINER: I think we've had it. And I think we’re in the middle of it. I mean the -- we've had Exxon Valdez. We’ve had Deepwater Horizon.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: We need something bigger than that.
RICK STEINER: Well we -- and then on the energy front we had Fukushima. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: You know, in Japan. And we’re getting this message that our energy production system is not working.
but it is perceptible for people in Newtok, Alaska or Kivalina or Shishmaref or the Arctic Slope, or even Interior Alaska they see it every day.
but whether that -- why that is not sufficient -- it's -- happens every day, every year for decades. And it's going to be going on, you know, for the next couple hundred years.
RICK STEINER: But it's not an overnight disaster, you know. We -- we’ve often thought that, you know, Exxon Valdez, Deepwater Horizon, like a forest fire or something or an earthquake, you get it overnight.
But it's those longer term chronic sort of threats and disturbances and degradation sources to the global environment that in total are probably more -- far more worrisome than these overnight disasters even like Exxon Valdez, Deepwater Horizon, and even Fukushima.
It’s the chronic degradation, loss of habitat, loss of species, everything that -- things that are mounting day by day by day, but you don’t see it because you can’t photograph it, and it's not an immediate overnight disaster.
A metaphor that's of -- that's burnt -- that's used to death is the boiling frog. You put a frog in room temperature water and turn -- you put a frog in hot water, it realizes the risk and it jumps out. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: You put a frog in room temperature water -- ALICIA ZORZETTO: It doesn't know.
RICK STEINER: And turn up the heat it doesn’t recognize it in time until it's dead. That’s kind of what we’re doing -- ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
RICK STEINER: -- environmentally, and so these events -- Exxon Valdez’s and Fukushima’s and such are sort of an overnight thing that we get.
But it's those long-term impacts of our energy consumption and material consumption that are gonna get us in the end unless we get better about it.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: I think just -- just hearing you -- you speak relative to, you know, some of the other interviews are a little bit more dystopian.
RICK STEINER: Well, thank you.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: -- because you provide this light into something that is really dark, you know. And there is something that each one of us can do even if it is just means, you know, being less wasteful.
RICK STEINER: But it's part of it. ALICIA ZORZETTO: It's part, you know.
RICK STEINER: And there -- there is going to be change and some -- to some extent it's inevitable.
Although, at some times I wonder is it inevitable? ALICIA ZORZETTO: Yeah.
RICK STEINER: I -- I -- that I'm not positive of, but, you know, Alaska's sort of locked in this oil fossil fuel mentality right now.
And if we're gonna be that way, we need to be honest about the consequences of it.
Not just from oil spills like this and risks of that, but also climate change that we’re contributing to that’s coming back to bite us in the future and presently in Alaska.
So, you know, everybody has a role to play here individually. Get right with how you use energy, you know, reduce it as much as possible.
But also we need the political structures. This is what government is for. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Right.
RICK STEINER: Is to help sustain us in the future -- in the present and the future and right now the state government and even the federal government -- the Congress, the administration are not pointing towards a sustainable future. They’re all looking to the next election cycle.
And just what will maximize their votes to get there, to stay there, rather than what is in the long-term best interests of the United States of America and the state of Alaska.
And we need some standup profiles in courage in the legislature, the Governor’s office, and the Congress and the White House to get us there.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Any -- any other thoughts?
RICK STEINER: I think that’s it.
ALICIA ZORZETTO: Awesome. Awesome, right. Thanks so much.
RICK STEINER: I’ll take it off now. ALICIA ZORZETTO: Thanks. | 2019-04-23T08:22:15Z | http://jukebox.uaf.edu/site7/interviews/2179 |
“Raising a real food generation in the real world” starts with getting little ones in the kitchen! Learn the 4 steps to mastering safe kitchen skills with kids age by age!
This post is so full circle for me. I literally have chills as I write these first few sentences, because other than writing about nourishing babies with real food and stopping the cycle of processed food, this topic is what I had envisioned writing about more as my kids get older.
Because this is where it all begins, yes? If we want to see the next generation of kids know where their food comes from, and “raise a real food generation in the real world,” it must start with the littles in the kitchen.
…We must stop the cycle of disconnect with our food, and be ok with messy hands, spilled milk, and egg shells in the batter.
…We have to be ok with dinner prep taking a few minutes longer so the toddler can be the one to wash up the potatoes, and 9 year old can be the one to do the chopping.
Maybe not every night, but making a commitment to include our kids in the kitchen will save them the years and years of relationship issues with food that the last few generations are still digging out from.
So here I am, 8 1/2 years after having my first baby, and having ZERO culinary background or schooling, to tell you that kids really can learn how to master kitchen skills. I’ve found that even with my 3 very different personality kids that there is a really concrete flow for teaching them how to master these skills without tears or frustration. Here is my method!
These steps are evergreen for any kitchen skill at any age. The process will look a little different between showing a 3 year old a new skill versus a 10 year old, but the concept is the same. The goal is to set the kids up to succeed and not fail.
Show Them. YOU do the task and explain what you are doing along the way. SLOW DOWN, so they can see what you are doing and process it. You may stay at this step for 1 run through, or for ages. For instance, washing up produce really just takes showing your 2 year old how you want the apples washed, how to do it with care so they don’t bruise, and where to set them when they are done washing. How to clean up their splashes and how to dry the apples. Easy peasy. But my toddlers watched me most of their toddler-hood before they used a sharp knife. Anytime they were up in their little helper stander watching me chop, I was telling them what I was doing. It all starts there.
Hand Over Hand. Get right up over their shoulders and help. Even with the washing example, a 2 year old will still need help along the way until they have done it a few times and know what to expect. You can hand over hand peeling carrots, chopping fruit, stirring a pot of soup or muffin batter, etc. This is really key to helping kids feel confident – because you can keep them safe at the same time. Slip ups and mistakes will still happen, but you are still there.
Supervised Independence. This is where the setting them up to to succeed comes in. Stick around until they feel confident on their own. Letting a 2 year old go to town on a sink full of produce will only end in a mess to clean up and an irritated mom if you are not right there next to them in the beginning to let them know it is not ok to pour a cup of water on the floor. When expectations are clear, they are set up to succeed. This step also is important with older children as well. My 8 1/2 year old is still not out of this step for chopping with a sharp chef’s knife. She mastered using a kid safe kitchen knife years ago, but last year we introduced a kid hand sized, regular sharp knife, and I’m still watching over her shoulder here and there as she goes along. It gives me a chance to correct a posture or holding technique so she doesn’t get hurt.
Mastery. When the child has demonstrated independence over a period of time, you can confidently let the know they have mastered that skill. Kids love this – they literally eat this kind of challenge up. I learned this terminology from watching my girls in their Montessori school – mastering certain skills or work stations gave them such pride.
So let’s talk about age appropriate tasks!
Here me on this first, and repeat after me…every kid is different. EVERY kid is different! This is not concrete, rather a general guideline. I remember thinking sometimes, there is no way my kid could do this or that, and then got gutsy and tried it, and they blew me away at their ability. Other times I would try something that one of the other children was responsible to do at a certain age, or caught onto fast, and was quickly reminded that not every kid is ready for everything at the same time!
“I Chop, You Dump!” :: Toddlers love putting things in and out of bowls, filling up cups, and just feeling like they are helping momma. Tell them you need some help getting those chopped veggies in a bowl and they will proudly puff their chests out to be the big helper. I’m telling you, give a toddler a board full of chopped carrot coins and they’ll put them from bowl to bowl or cup to cup for a good half hour of focused play! I used to start dinner early just for this great occupying play!
Washing Produce :: Hop those toddlers up on a Little Helper Stander and let them help scrub the potatoes up, wash up the apples, and rinse of whatever produce you are preparing. A bowl full of water and chopped leeks are great sensory play to get the sand out (and they will inhale this creamy potato leek soup after they rinse the leeks!).
Pre-Chopping Skills :: We purchased this toddler chopping toy for my oldest’s 1st birthday, and it has been passed down to each of the other girls – it is a GREAT way to introduce the process of chopping to little ones in a safe way and start building and coordinating their hand muscles for this task.
Other odds and ends :: Toddlers big puffy heart love buttons! Let them push the blender, mixer, or food processor on! They also just love being a part of whatever you are doing. Take the time to let them take a turn to stir the muffin batter, put the muffin cups in the muffin tin, put the veggie peel scraps in the garbage, hand over hand scoop the biscuits off the baking sheet, and butter the pan for the bread. You’ll be surprised not only at how much they really can do, but what this does to puff up their confidence in other life tasks.
Not only will these little guys transitioning into more preschool ages still thoroughly enjoy the tasks from their babyhood, ages 3-5 is a fun age because they are gaining more fine motor control and can reason about hot/cold, cause and effect of splashing, and some are even trustworthy to start some simple knife skills.
Same Kitchen Tasks from the Above Babyhood Section :: Just take it up a notch. Give them more responsibility such as counting out how many potatoes need to be washed and dried – and clean up the splashes that happen. Let them mix a bit more when you are making muffin batter.
Peeling :: One of my girls was peeling with a Y-Peeler by the age of 2, but she was extremely trustworthy and followed directions well. I usually like to start peelers around age 3, but again, follow your child’s lead. Follow the “4 Steps to Mastering a Kitchen Skill” from above, and you’ll probably never have to peel a carrot as long as they are around! Your older 4 and 5 year olds will also enjoy the Julienne Peeler to make strips of veggie “noodles” for stir frys – they are always a big hit here!
Cracking Eggs :: This is a good age to start this skill, though my experience has shown me every kid picks it up differently – one of mine took a good year to master this skill while another just a few tries. Just follow the “4 Steps To Mastering A Kitchen Skill” from above and they’ll catch on!
Measuring :: I typically start introducing this skill around this age by measuring it myself and letting them dump into the bowl. As they get closer to age 4 and 5, you can start with some independent measuring using smaller measuring spoons and work up to the bigger cups and liquids.
Pouring :: Don’t start with something you need poured precisely right away. Start with just a couple of simple tea cups or small pitchers with water only a quart of the way filled up and let them practice pouring from one pitcher to another. Back and forth. You can even start with something dry like rice or beans, and when they master pouring that, use a little bit of water.
Special Tools This Age Can Manipulate :: This age does well peelers, Julienne peelers, spirilizers, and little choppers for dicing onion or chopping nuts. Apple cutters work well if you get them started. Don’t try a full apple until they are a bit older – cut some rings of apple and let them do the rounds versus a full apple – full soft pears work well though! They also still love pushing buttons, so let them make the hummus in the food processor, or blend up the smoothie.
Pre-Chopping Skills :: At this preschooler age, I like to introduce a these kid safe knives and start hand over hand chopping practice with soft things like steamed veggies, bananas, strawberries, or soft pears. You will definitely find that chopping responsibility age varies from kid to kid. My first born was trustworthy with a small, paring knife (paring knifes are sharp) for strawberries and other soft veg around the age of 4, while my other 2 were not. My 6 ½ year old is just now starting to use a sharp knife (this chef’s knife is my favorite knife for older kids as they start needing sharper knives for real chopping) safely and I think this is probably more the norm.
Hot Food Prep :: Just like knife skills, trustworthy-ness for hot food prep will vary in age from kid to kid. My first born was standing next to me in her Little Helper Stander at the age of 2 and 3 helping me stir a pot of soup. Never leaving her side, but she was very trustworthy. I learned real quick that my second born was not the same way from the second I set her up there and she was going to test my warnings of “hot” herself. Simply let them know you are going to scoot their stander over to the other side of the counter where they can stir a bowl of pretend soup (water) until they are ready to be safe with hot food. It isn’t a big deal! They’ll catch on! She was safely stirring a pot of soup closer to 4 ½ and this is the same for my third born.
Refinement of Toddler Section Skills :: Now is when I’m going to start telling you to let go a little 🙂 Let them make a mess a bit while they learn how to measure flour precisely, let them get a little egg shell in the batter as they refine their egg cracking skills (just scoop it out before you mix!), and let them have a salad with roughly chopped versus neatly diced carrots. Their confidence and skill mastery will only sharpen with letting go!
Follow a Recipe :: While my toddlers and preschoolers watch me refer to my recipes while cooking all the time, when my Kinder age kiddos start reading, I start pointing out what I’m reading and why. Let the 8 and 9 year olds follow a simple recipe for making hummus, a salad dressing, or simple soup.
Measuring and Pouring :: Let it go momma, and let them try 🙂 Put the flour in an easy to scoop container (I actually find freezer bags are just as good for the little bags of gluten free flour). Instead of pouring milk from a large jug, let them measure it out from a smaller pitcher. Yes, more dishes to clean and a little extra time, but it is worth it every so often to let them practice this skill.
Blending, Mixing, Whisking, Folding :: Follow the “4 Steps to Mastering a Kitchen Skills” and show them the difference between stirring and folding. Show them the different tools and the why behind wanting to fold something versus blend it up with a mixer.
Hot Food Prep :: This age should be pretty good to go on helping stir a pot of soup, but this is also a great age to start teaching how to make a simple egg in a pan, flip a pancake, and sear some meat. It takes some time to supervise and help them learn the coordination of it all, but it is worth it when they can fix themselves an egg in the morning without your help! Again, I think it is best to keep them up and over the work area, so even my 8 year old still uses a step stool at the stove for safe hot food prep.
Pre-Meal Planning :: This is a good age to start testing all that you have taught them as little ones with regards to eating in a balanced way! Start having them help you plan out the breakfast menu, pack a balanced lunchbox, and prepare dinner. Every family’s eating style will be different even within this RGN real food community, so I won’t tell you what that should look like. As an example in our home, there is always a healthy fat, veggie, and protein at each meal. It will look differently from household to household, but my kiddos by this age know how to plan a meal and what might be missing.
So here’s were I’m going to make this post an ongoing work in progress! My oldest is 8 1/2! I don’t have older children yet, so I’m not going to pretend that I know what I’m doing here. I do have a few thoughts that I will share, but as my kids reach through these ages, I’m hopeful to update this section as we go!
I think these older kiddos, just like our little guys, are capable of much more than we think. I’m just now starting to work with my 8 1/2 year old on more refined cubing of potatoes and dicing of veg for soups. Following bigger recipes and taking things in and out of the oven. I think tweens and teens ought probably be helping plan and make most of one meal once or twice a week, and packing most or all of their lunchboxes. I would really love to hear what your tweens and teens are doing in the kitchen at home! Inspire us with little ones by using the comment section below to tell us all that your teens can do!
Here is a comprehensive list of the tools I love using with my kids – I have tried and tested SO many different kitchen tools with them. Some have been disasters, and so this list is truly all of my favorite tools to make working with my kids in the kitchen safe, easy, and fun!
One of the tricks I used to adding to my kitchen tool collection for the girls, was getting these tools on their gift lists for holidays, birthdays, etc. Wrap them up in a fun apron, or slide a great recipe in with the gift with the promise of some kitchen time together!
Cutting Boards – As far as cutting boards go, I find my heavy bamboo cutting boards work well for kids because they hold still. Though, I thought this looked like a good deal with the kid safe knives that came with the non slip grip cutting mats!
Crinkle cut hand chopper – this is a GREAT one for littles because their fingers are out of the way and it’s easy to use!
Eggs- We separate a lot of eggs, mostly for waffle morning, and I find this egg separator makes for less mess and accidents when dealing with kids and this task! Also, while it is totally do-able to cut hard boiled eggs with a knife, I’ve found my kids adore this egg cutter, and it’s the only way my youngest will eat one!
Cherry Pitter – since we live in Michigan, we have been through every cherry pitter known to man, and I thought I’d share with you our fav! We have found this one is best for little hands, although one of these is super nice too!
I love these hand scrubbers for your littles that want to scrub up produce!
How To Make Sprouted Candied Nuts & Seeds :: Sprouted For Better Digestion & Nourishment :: Made With Real Food Sweeteners & No Junk!
Yes, yes, yes! I adore this post and everything in it, especially all those beautiful photos of your little girlies! It is SO important to get our kids into the kitchen! I love how you’ve broken it down into doable, practical tips!
Wow Renee this is wonderful!!! Tiny Love is sitting here looking at all of these photos with me and she’s saying “I can do that!” or “I want to do that!” Thanks for the reminders about some of these, you know I get them in the kitchen with me, but I tend to forget how much they can do. I know I can give them some more tasks and especially with my oldest, I need to give her some more independence in the kitchen. Also, I’m getting those knives!
Awww sweet girl! I love that! Enjoy those knives!
These are great! Pics are so cute as well!
Renee, I love all those dated photos of your girls, doing their important tasks so early, like scooping seeds from the squash! How helpful to have the tasks separated by what’s age appropriate! I remember when my oldest was little I was uptight and wanted to prevent a mess, lol; I think I was sleep deprived. 🙂 Now I LOVE having them all help, and especially my oldest who’s 16 and just made our dinner last night, and my youngest who makes his own banana cookies. Such a sweet process and reward.
I love the real-ness of this reply Megan 🙂 Because there were times I did shoo them out of the kitchen because I just couldn’t bare another mess to clean! We are real people, right?! I am so inspired by your teens helping so much – I can’t wait!
I love this post! It’s so important to teach them how to cook at a young age.
This is such an awesome post, and I think it’s so great when kids learn how to make healthy food!
I appreciate your kind words Monique!
This post is amazing! As a newer mama I appreciate all of the tips and inspiration!
So many great tips! It’s so important to get little ones in the kitchen. I can’t wait to start cooking with my niece!
She will love that Corrine!
These are such lovely pictures! I agree, it really is an excellent education! My kids get a real kick out of helping in the kitchen, and I can usually get the fussy eaters to try new things simply by getting them to help make it!
Yes, Nicole, that is a great perk to getting those kids in the kitchen too! No more picky eaters! Thank you for your kind words!
Oh Renee, there is SO MUCH I love in this post. Thank you for taking the time to write it! I think it is so important to foster kids interest in the kitchen and connecting with food. I am thankful every day my Mom and Dad spent the time with us in the kitchen.
Good stuff! Sharing with my cousins!
I love the idea for this post. Getting kids to help in the kitchen is the best thing ever!
Renee, they are absolutely adorable ! You are a wonderful momma and they are learning a great lot from you. So happy they gain so many wonderful skills while young. Such an important gift !
This is amazing!!!!!! Truly inspiring, your littler helpers are so independent and proud of themselves. You are a goddess and queen of patience… I’m going to get Jack more in the kitchen with me! Thnk you for all the tips!
Thank you for your kind words Cristina!
This is perfect timing! Your little ones are adorable and so helpful in the kitchen! Great tips.
Renee – what a brilliant post! Sharing it as we all need to get this out there that kids being in the kitchen and off their devices is absolutely essential! In my day if I was watching tv whilst my Mum cooked I’d be in such trouble, now it’s where we will find most kids!
I appreciate your kind words Donna! Thank you!
I love each and everyone of these tips! I was scared to use a knife until I was 9 years old. I think it is the best thing ever when moms teach their kids safe knife skills and other cooking skills from a young age.
Thank you Katie! I was petrified of a knife as a kid too – and didn’t learn how to use one until I was in my 20’s! | 2019-04-20T12:57:03Z | https://www.raisinggenerationnourished.com/2017/11/4-steps-to-mastering-safe-kitchen-skills-with-kids/ |
One thing that is common among all my favorite cities is good street food. I love experiencing a city that is vibrant with life on the streets. I love the excitement of the people and the craziness of community that buys and sells everything on the roadside. In some special places in the world some of the best meals were served from a vendor on a flimsy plastic plate or napkin wrapped delight.
In La Paz we experienced a return of street markets. The street vendors were endless; little stalls stuffed with produce, meat, blankets and DVD’s filling up the hillside with everything imaginable to buy. Thousands of people scrambled from vendor to vendor weaving in and out of the sidewalk and street and carrying bags filled with the day’s purchases.
I could spend days and days wondering markets like these. I do not even buy anything. I enjoy meandering from stall to stall listening to one vendor describe the perfect mango, or another flaunt a superior winter coat and the buyers negotiating for a better price. There is so much culture fit into these streets and I like to roam and soak it in deep into my lungs. And my stomach too!
Quite often in these markets we find men and women selling local street side fresh food. There are doughnut-like things with a molasses syrup, roasted turkeys or pork loins to be made into sandwiches and an abundant array of herbal and thick drinks served out of buckets. Occasionally we are stopped by an intense aroma that causes us to swirl our head around looking for the source and occasionally this smell is linked to a vendor with a hoard of people huddled around grabbing for some of the delicious eats. This is how we found lunch one day. Two women had joined forces to cook up several pots of food and carry them to their sidewalk restaurant. We had a heaping bowl of soup, pasta with lentils, potatoes and a salsa that made our mouths tingle. And it cost $1.15 for the two of us! We sat on a step and slurped down our lunch watching the people flock to this sidewalk deliciousness.
Further on we explored the Iglesia San Francisco that was originally built in 1548. There was a beautiful gold altar and a rooftop terrace that offered views of the city. The plaza below the church is a central meeting point with a constant stream of people enjoying the sun and people watching.
Anyone who has been in Bolivia probably has been affected by or in some way has a story about a protest. The Bolivians seemingly protest constantly. Carmen and I were very fortunate to not have any of our regional bus trips impeded, but we did meet countless travelers that were delayed. The protests involve road blocks and fireworks. We watched from a nearby bridge in La Paz as hundreds of students marched along the main corridor. There was a steady booming of explosions as the students stuffed rockets into makeshift bamboo tubes held high in the air.
Protests are common to all social groups. Bolivia has one of the most complex populations in South America with the heritage and culture of the people originating from hundreds of different indigenous tribes. There is even a flag composed of a quilt pattern of vibrant colors to demonstrate the multitude and coming together of these people to create a nation.
Just as there is a patchwork of cultural traditions in Bolivia, there is also a patchwork of informal transit. No formal bus line exists. Instead private collective vans, called micros, roam the streets calling out their destinations from the window. Carmen and I crammed into several of these vans to maneuver our way around the city. The competition for passengers makes for some aggressive driving. Therefore there is a planning mascot (a happy little zebra) that attempts to restore order to the streets by designating specific passenger drop-off locations.
We could not visit La Paz without seeing San Pedro prison for ourselves. We read a great book called Marching Powder that described the life and experiences of one inmate named Thomas McFadden. Thomas lived in the prison following an arrest for drug trafficking. The prison is unique because it is in the center of La Paz and nothing is provided to the inmates by the government, not even a cell. Inmates rely on their families, friends and personal bank accounts to buy a cell and buy food in the prison. There are restaurants, stores and mini apartments all housed within the prison walls. Every prisoner gets a job in the prison, cooking, passing messages or even giving tours. Thomas started the tours of the prison, but they have since increased dramatically in price. The most amazing thing is that prisoners are allowed to bring their families into the prison. The wives and children are allowed to come and go freely throughout the day. Carmen and I showed up at the prison to watch the door and see the families and people living inside. Most of what we could see was this enormous trash truck parked tight against the doorway and prisoners carrying suspicious heavy sacks “trash” then covering them with loose debris. I would not doubt that they still make cocaine there.
La Paz streets are intense with colors. Brightly colored llama and alpaca wool fabrics hang from shop windows in the area that has been nicknamed gringo ghetto. I bought myself a soft alpaca sweater knowing how warm and life-saving they can be in the cold. Other streets contained buildings boldly painted in with blues, yellows and reds.
La Paz is unlike any city that we have visited. The biggest city in Bolivia is unlike lacks modern western influence; there is a rustic and rawness to the streets that is captivated and a history that is exciting. Thousands of white-washed buildings with clay roves sit perched on the mountains that overlook the city. The city is, in a way, shaped like a huge bowl and the culture and delights inside are just ready to be gobbled up.
Potosí is a city of contradictions. The contrasts of both riches and defeat are deeply rooted into the high mountains; the history of the city is glorified in majestic architecture and the poverty weathered into the faces of the people. At first we knew little about the city other than there was a silver mine and it had an altitude unmatched by any other city of the world. We discovered a place exploding in culture and experiences that we will never forget.
The city is breathtakingly high in the mountains. We avoided the taxi stand and trudged up the hillside with our backpacks on. After a six hour bus ride a thirty minute walk at 13,500ft (4100m) seemed doable. We are a little crazy sometimes. At each block we sucked in deep breaths of oxygenless air and held onto our chests as our throbbing hearts tried to escape. A little light-headed and we arrived at our hostel ready to explore the city.
Potosí has a history entwined with Spanish colonial dominance and the production of silver. Mid-sixteenth century a meandering llama shepherd on the mountainside discovered silver flowing from beneath his campfire. Within decades the Spanish had colonized and created the city of Potosí beneath the cerro rico (rich hill).
The Spanish forced indigenous and African slaves to work the mines months at a time without seeing light. The population of Potosí grew so much in the 17th century that over 15,000 men worked in the mines at one time and the city’s population exceeded that of Paris. Potosí quickly became the richest and most populous city in South America.
The mines are still a central part of Potosí. They are less productive than they once were, but nevertheless over 1,500 men continue to work in over 500 mines that have swiss-cheesed through the mountain. Carmen and I decided to see the mines for ourselves. The unique part of visiting the mines is that tourists are supposed to bring gifts for the miners within. With our coveralls, rubber boots and headlamps we tromped our way to the miners’ market. We purchased a stick of dynamite, a detonator and nitroglycerine as an explosive gift (only $3!) and a couple liters of soda for the other miners.
Another purchase was a bulbous bag of coca leaves. Coca has been used in these mountains for thousands of years and it is drastically different from the connotations associated with cocaine. The miners chew and macerate 50-200 stemless leaves and they keep the wad in a huge ball in the side of their mouths. Throughout long hours of work the coca leaves provide energy, alertness and they suppress the need to eat. An added benefit is that they help ease the effects of altitude sickness. It takes 1kg of coca leaves to make 1g of cocaine along with many nasty chemicals, so chastising coca is similar to relating a cup of coffee to methamphetamines.
The mines were hot, 95°F (35°C) and wet and dusty. We started in the candeleria mine and we worked our way 1000ft (300m) horizontally into the mountain. The caverns were created 300-400 years ago and unfortunately I am taller than the smaller natives that dug the mines. I hunched and squat-walked through the water and muck. Then there was only a seemingly solid section of rock and an obscured cavity just larger enough to crawl on our stomachs. The air was thick and the walls wet and the rock dark with an occasional sparkle of silver or pyrite or a stripe of yellow sulfur.
“Vamos, vamos vamos!” Our guide yelled at us. We rushed along the tunnel to an opening and he pushed us against the wall. The slow rumble of the mine became louder; suddenly a two ton cart full of rocks rushes passed us with one miner clinging onto the back. Our guide stuffs a bottle of Fanta in the cart and a drawn out “graciaaaas” reaches us from the depths of the darkness.
We climbed to the inner depths of the mine. We would poke our heads down a little hovel then scale the dark cliffs within. At first we were all cautious of the 300 year old pieces of wood that braced the openings, but when looking into the abyss all of us scratched and clung onto every foothold and support we could find. Finally we reached the bottom, level four and 275 ft (80m) down. We found a thirty-two year old miner that looked over fifty that spent all day hammering two holes for dynamite. At the end of each day he would set off the charges and carry out the rocks in a backpack.
The lives of the men are hard in the mines. The expected lifespan of a miner rarely exceeds fifty years and most die from silicosis, falling rocks or misplaced explosives. Children also work in the mines; boys as young as ten years work to support their families. One thing is for certain, they can earn four times more in the mines than in the city of Potosí. So the men work extremely hard for a few ounces of silver and their lives remain difficult.
The dichotomy of life in Potosí extends to religion as well. Outside in the light is a community passionate about the Catholic Church. Potosí has several beautiful colonial churches and the San Francisco was constructed in 1547 as a slightly smaller version of St. Peter’s Basilica. In the darkness of the mines the people pray to a different god, “Tio,” the devil of the mountain. Their daily offerings of 96% moonshine-like alcohol and coca leaves to clay statues in the caves are a way of satisfying the mountain so that they remain protected and the veins of silver remain plentiful. The miners live these two lives: hours of darkness and heat in the mountain and a life of family and church in the city. After four hours of clambering around in the mines the light at the end of the tunnel was thrilling. Squinting and sweating I finally straightened out and looked into the city of Potosí.
Potosí was also home to one of the strictest nunneries. The upper-class Spanish followed a regiment with the lives of their children. The first born married wealthy into the colonial upper class, the third born served the military and took care of the parents in old age. The second child was dedicated to the church. In the case of Potosí families paid an equivalent of $100,000 as a dowry for their daughter to become a Carmelite nun at St. Teresa’s. The rules of the nunnery were so strict that the nuns could only speak one hour per day and there was no communication to the outside world. Families could visit one hour per month and they were not allowed to see or touch their daughter.
We observed a trend in many of the religious paintings. The virgin Mary appears in many places as would be expected in a catholic country, but the shapeless mound that is typically meant to be non-seductive had been adapted in Potosí to be la sagrada virgin de cerro rico. During pre-colonial times each mountain was a god, with colonialism the traditions of the indigenous people merged with the icons of the catholic church.
Other paintings and figures show a bloody version of Jesus on the cross. This graphic imagery comes from the indigenous painters intertwining their own pain and suffering from the Spanish colonial rule into their faith in a new religion.
Walking the streets of Potosí we were constantly welcomed with a splash of history and tradition. A 400 year old church and a cobble-stoned path were all common sites. On one occasion we crossed a mother and children each wearing a traditional bowler hats. In the evening the brightly lit cathedral was a beacon of the city.
I too needed enlightenment and getting a haircut seemed to be the easiest way to lighten the weight on my shoulders. I had been scared to get a haircut for many months because Argentine men have notoriously horrible hair styles. Throughout our travels we saw multiple rat-tails, lobster-tails and mullets and I refused to pay for something so wrong. In Potosí I found a nice shop, but I still shook my head vehemently when the barber pointed at a poster of boys with mohawks, fauxhawks and bowl cuts.
With my ears lowered we were in search of some food. We found a great little restaurant with some local quechua favorites. Kala purca is a local stew of meat and potatoes that arrives with a scalding volcanic rock bubbling and gurgling in the bowl. Another night we found a street side snack of lomito and milanesa sandwiches cooked out of tiny stalls. Each sandwich was doused with an array of sauces, topped with fries and spicy salsa.
Potosí is a charming colonial city. Carmen and I loved the historic architecture and the rich culture throughout the city. From this one city, we were gaining an understanding of how Bolivia’s history affects its present.
The next morning was cold…real cold, but it was expected when sleeping at 4500m (14,800ft). We bundled into the jeep at sunrise and we were off to a whole new set of destinations and jaw-dropping sights. The name of the park that we have been exploring for the last few days is called Eduardo Avaroa Andean Fauna National Reserve. The park is one of the most visited sights in Bolivia and it contains some of the most beautiful, color-rich and grand natural earth formations on the planet. The laguna colorada was one of the most impressive thus far. This small lake contains all sorts of minerals, mostly borax, but it is the red algae that really flourishes here. The water was still and the air cold allowing for a hazy reflection of triangular mountains beyond.
Further along the drastic landscape was a bleak desert surrounded by colorful volcanic mountains. We stopped at a rock forest with hundreds of angular and twisted formations that are remnants from the last eruption many thousands of years ago. The most famous is the arbol de piedra, but we had great fun just climbing around all the enormous rocks.
We romped through the mountains climbing an occasional mountain and blazing our way through the highland deserts. The next stop was a series of five lagoons that the flamingos use a breeding sancuary. I never realized that these birds enjoyed high altitudes.
There were times that the terrain became pretty rough and it was nice to have a guide that had been driving these roads and trails for 15 years.
The landscape throughout the day was mesmerizing. Everywhere we looked was an beautiful snow-capped volcano, a colorful mountain, bright blue skies, multiple lagoons and thousands of llamas.
Our jeep caravan included an amazing Bolivian woman that cooked for us. While we played around at the valle de rocas she whipped together an delicious meal of chicken milanesa, noodles and salad. Of course it was served with the only drink that South Americans seem to know: coca cola.
Evening approached quickly, but we did have time to explore the cemetario de trenes just outside of Uyuni. There used to be reliable and functional train traffic in Bolivia. In the 1940′ hundreds of train cars and engines were abandoned due to rapidly depleting mining resources. Now it is just a heap of rusted metal, surrounded by fields of endless trash, nevertheless it made for a good photo opportunity with friends.
That night we prepped ourselves for what was going to be the saltiest day of our lives. | 2019-04-25T18:36:19Z | https://4feet2mouths.com/category/latin-america/bolivia/ |
Response from Apple Farm writer Marla Sarle who lives half the year in Michigan and the other half in Arizona.
Until I retired I rarely got enough sleep. My second grade teacher let me stay in and take naps during recess. The noise of a college dorm kept me awake with anxiety: Music theory class at 8:00 in the morning required rest. I occasionally cried myself to sleep. The exhaustion and anxiety of working years sometimes called for a little pill in the middle of the week so that I would have at least one good night’s sleep during the week.
Now retired, I live in Arizona for five months of the year. I go to bed late. 12:00? 1:00? I am a night owl. After so many years of being tired, I recognize that the world does not operate on my circadian rhythm.
I naturally wake up between 7:30 and 9:00. My husband puts coffee on my bedside table at 8:30. Sometimes it is cold before I realize it is there. An hour of thinking about and writing dreams, checking email, reading the news…I am ready to leave my warm cozy. I might put in a load of laundry, clean the bathroom, run Roomba in the bedroom--he vacuums under the bed!
Maybe by eleven I am ready to eat something. Is it breakfast or lunch? I do my daily 7 Little Words and the Washington Post Crossword Puzzle.
We play cards until happy hour or dinner time. We have fun and laugh a lot. But, I have had no reading time and have done no writing. I don’t function on their schedules.
I realize something else: I am a be-er. Many of my friends are do-ers. Their energy levels put mine to shame.
They love to go and do. I want to stay and be still.
And I also recognize: Two of my favorite people are ENFP’s on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. I am an INFP. I envy my extroverted friends’ energy, their eagerness, their accomplishments. I love conversations of depth with them, but I cannot keep up with their activity levels. They seem to have it all and do to all—and to have it all together.
Sometimes guilt slaps me up side of the head. What is wrong with me? Why can’t I live like others? Why can’t I do what others do?
Why can’t I be on the go like others? Why can’t I accomplish like others accomplish?
But then I read, “What does it mean to live at the speed of your own soul?
The world may expect me to live at its speed, but I realize that my soul has its own pace.
I work at understanding what that means for me and honoring the regulating voice within.
Response from Apple Farm Writer Barbra Goering who lives in Chicago, IL.
If there is frustration, let it go. If there is anger against people, let it go. If there is criticism for yourself, let it go. Life has so many frustrations, small and large, and so many frightening problems and crises. If I use this mantra, it becomes the starting point for action. The “let it go” is not passive or even, necessarily, pacific. It clears the way of the emotions of desire for revenge or hatred of oneself, emotions that can block my ability to deal effectively with a problem or person. I have listened to this voice when suiting up to face small or large challenges, whether they are personal, national, or worldwide.
When I let go of the feeling of frustration, a new feeling comes in: a peace that can allow contemplation of the source of the blockage. When I let go of my fury against another, I can step back, assess the other and what the other presents to me. When I let go of the criticism of myself—for feeling the frustration, for feeling the urge to exact revenge for a wrong, for my inadequate response to evil—then I can feel an opening for a new way of thinking and feeling to begin. I may be able to see the quarter-turn that Helen Luke writes about—the shift that opens the way to revelation.
The problems of this world, inner and outer, may remain knotty and difficult of resolution. But the way can be cleared to face them, to strategize, to feel my true response deeply. Then the hard work can begin.
in the fight for their lives.
crying over their dead children.
They walk across a field.
the people united, will never be divided!
cries out, fist raised, surrounded by her people.
my memory fills in the voice.
tells me stories of the strawberry, of Turtle Island.
and the land knows me, a colonizer.
how it pours and splashes.
white folks refuse to be a part of violence.
I hear the sound of dismantling.
The polar vortex and its brutally cold temperatures got my attention at the end of January. I’m not one to fuss too much over winter weather, growing up in Michigan and living in the Midwest my entire life. Now that I have my own counseling business, though, I had to tend to the practical matters of cancellations and attempting to reschedule some sessions by phone or video link. That whole week become one of feeling off-kilter on schedule – not doing what I would typically do on any given day; missing the time of one phone session by a few minutes and then not being able to get in touch with the client; being in bed much more than usual to stay warm; and so on. I wouldn’t have thought so deeply about being connected with the weather itself, except for how it disrupted my routine, had not another one of my clients helped me do so. She hails from a warmer part of the country and had been very frightened by the talk of the “polar vortex” on TV weathercasts. After our session, she called me excitedly at the end of the week after being home from work about several epiphanies she’d had regarding her history with bipolar disorder, finding that it occurred during the polar vortex highly ironic but also satisfying. It got me thinking not only about the meaning and significance of “polar vortex” specifically, but my/our bodily and psychic connection with major weather trends in general.
I found out, in researching the “polar vortex”, that it always exists as a low pressure area (a wide expanse of swirling cold air), but is generally stays near the North Pole, when it is working strongly to keep the jet stream further north. However, sometimes the polar vortex weakens and part of the system breaks off and comes much further south. So our experience with it several weeks ago meant the polar vortex had actually weakened, not strengthened. (https://scijinks.gov/polar-vortex/). I also think about the bipolar nature of things, like the Earth, and about a vortex – a swirling circle that pulls us into a center point.
So what does this mean for me? What about when the cold, frozen archetype of winter sinks down south enough that I must encounter it? That it stops me in my tracks and swirls me in its grip, and I can’t just keep going through winter trudging along, like my Michigan toughness encourages me to do? What synchronicities shock me into broadening my view of the polar vortex?
One of the things it asked of me was to explore death – the cold, barren, brutal, killing part of winter. A family member has Stage 4 cancer and is going through chemo. Needless to say, this has rippled winter very profoundly through my family as we all look death in the face, or try to look away. I’d been struggling with trying to talk about death and feeling no one else wanted to. During the polar vortex week, I felt very disconnected from my family, but also somehow came to the conclusion that we are doing the best we can; I let my expectations of “doing this death perfectly” die, and I also let die my hubris that I somehow knew best how to handle it. I made arrangements to visit several weeks later, which was lovely, and helped us all look at death and the importance of life and love together. Winter reminds us that snow, like grace, covers everything equally – there is no ego or individuality when a blanket of snow-grace descends.
I also had a friend several years younger than me who had a massive stroke during the polar vortex, and lay in the hospital through the brutal cold, having several surgeries and then family making difficult decisions about life and death. Those of us who loved her spent several agonizing but also powerfully loving weeks praying for her and her young adult son, who was her legal medical representative. I had profound questions and curiosity during this time about what she was experiencing in her semi-conscious state and wondering if it was a cold, barren, snowy place, or a place of immense awareness and spring-like wonder? Two days ago I attended her funeral on a bright, sunny day, and heard and felt so much love as people talked about her love for them, while also feeling so much grief, that I thought something in me would burst and break free . . . like the polar vortex . . . and like the clots that had caused her death.
One that’s harder to talk about, because I think it’s less conscious for me, is the Snow Queen archetype that accompanies the Polar Vortex . . . the story behind Disney’s film “Frozen.” The general idea is that the snow queen attempts to live in solitude to control her powers to create ice and snow and freeze everything. I find, as a therapist, I can get into “Frozen” space for several days sometimes, where I feel as though each relationship I’m in seems to be freezing, or that my capacity to be an effective therapist and business owner is as barren and frozen as those late January days. That client whose call I missed, I know is hurt by this and has canceled further sessions. I’ve had to chat with my internal Snow Queen who thought she should isolate herself for this as a bad therapist, when other parts of me know this was a crucial event in our relationship (that is much about the client’s own frozen ability to be safe in relationship) and invites some profound conversation to thaw things, if we are both willing. When people decided to cancel instead of talking on the phone or over video during this dangerously cold week, I often froze for a time wondering why. Had my personal ice frozen something in our relationship? Other spring and summer parts of me (that allow feelings to simply come without freezing them out) know that every client is a whole person capable of many things, including not seeing me for a week . . .
Then there was also the warm, cozy, snuggle-up-by-the fire part of me who was home all week with my wife – unlike a typical work week – and I enjoyed the relaxing stay at home without having to get up early, get dressed, and get out the door. There were memories of Midwest blizzards I’d experienced, that were defining moments in my childhood – 1967, as a young child – and 1978, as a high school student. I recall fondly as a 6-year-old walking down my driveway feeling like I was in a tunnel with impossibly high sides where my tall Dad had shoveled the snow higher and higher. Or walking to the grocery store with a sled in high school since driving wasn’t possible for several days. As with this year’s polar vortex, back then we hunkered down and worked together and all allowed ourselves to really surrender to the power of Nature, because we had to and because we agreed to. There is something powerfully binding about that experience.
I’m finishing up this piece on an evening with a high wind warning and concern all day about losing power. What will this wind blow in, clear out, or break down? How can I stay in good connection with “all my relations” (honoring the Lakota people), within and without? What is your inside weather report in this lingering wintertime?
“When we say Mitakuye Oyasin, ‘All Our Relations,’ many people don't understand the meaning of those words. The phrase Mitakuye Oyasin has a bigger meaning than just our blood relatives. Yes, it’s true; we are all one human race. But the word Mitakuye means relations and Oyasin means more than family, more than a Nation, more than all of humankind, everything that has a spirit. The Earth herself, Maka Unci, is our relation, and so is the sky, Grandfather Sky, and so is the Buffalo and so are each of the two-leggeds, the four-leggeds, those that swim, those that fly, the root nation and the crawling beings who share the world with us. Mitakuye Oyasin refers to the interconnectedness of all beings and all things. We are all interconnected. We are all One.” —Chief Arvol Looking Horse, Excerpt from his book White Buffalo Teachings.
What has my attention, and has for a while, is how to be in relationship to death. I tried several ways of steering myself away from this answer, but nothing else was as true. When I was diagnosed with cancer about four years ago, I began a rigorous course in the tension of opposites. How does one live committed to the ongoing ceremony of daily life, with its pleasures and dear relationships, and also open the psyche as much as possible to the inevitable that now seems much closer than expected? How does one metabolize and integrate this dilemma as part of the inner journey along with the outer facts? If there is fear, what does it want to say?
Some of the voices and experiences that have spoken to me: Reflections from people who are farther into this journey, which is different and the same for each person. The rise and fall of life in nature. Sometimes I sit in my garden and can feel perfectly at one with the just-so of what comes to life, blooms and dies, and can feel myself part of it. Helen Luke's essay on Suffering. Accompanying my husband in his dying, a year and a half ago. It becomes clear that the body has its own wisdom and prepares itself for death. An image told by Marie-Louise von Franz, from a dying woman who saw, in a dream, a candle burning on the windowsill, and then burning just outside the closed window. The flame endures, but beyond a boundary. My own dreams, which show me also how deeply in life I really am. They invite a playful, creative spirit and I am grateful when they come with their puzzles and story telling. Music, a deep thread in my life and one that also exists in time. Poetry that carries images one can hold, turn over in the hand, and befriend.
This is very much a “here's where I am now” bulletin from the journey. Some years ago, I asked a dear friend who was dying to send me a message if she could from the other side. A bit later I had a dream that she was telling me about a place we could stay, with “so much room, so many rooms, so much bigger than expected”. I'm glad to know that death, like life, is so much bigger than expected. In the meantime, I am living -with curiosity and as much patience as I can muster for the holy unknown.
I’m not talking about an actual murder.
You’re not talking about actual crows.
And one shape that will be murdered in six seconds.
La gente, unido, jamas sera vencido.
Response from Apple Farm Writer Mary Theis. Mary guides the Apple Farm Writing Group and lives near Chicago.
And I hear my poor body responding: “Don’t you love me? After all I have done for you? I have served you well.” (This is one oracle – wisdom source, the body itself).
I am listening for/to the voice that lies deep within. Sometimes, when I am able to clear the “dross” I can actually hear it, but mostly I feel it as an impulse to do a certain thing, or refrain from doing what I feel an urgency to do, or move in a certain direction. And I don’t understand why I am being guided in this way, but am at my best when I trust those impulses/voices.
There is an image that reflects how this trusting comes about in me. It is an image of large, black talons releasing my heart. I interpret the talons as representing the lifelong effort of something in me to control everything in order to protect me. Finally, as old age approaches, I can envision those talons releasing my heart so it can sing.
The response needed changes from day to day. Sometimes I feel called to express what I am learning as an image. I can allow it to unfold in this manner and understand it in a new way.
Sometimes it is a poem that shows the truth.
And sometimes, perhaps the most difficult, is by showing who I am; by trusting and acting on those impulses that I know are true. In this way, I may use my new-found understanding to deepen my work and relationships. Sometimes, for all of us, as we are true to ourselves in this way, those we touch are helped to discover their own Wisdom and Voice. | 2019-04-22T06:46:56Z | http://www.applefarmcommunity.org/apple-farm-blog/category/all |
Drug Development & Delivery recently spoke with several companies that are debunking that theory and developing innovative platform technologies for a range of therapeutics.
Argos Therapeutics is an immune-oncology company developing individualized immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer using its Arcelis® technology platform to capture mutated and variant antigens that are specific to each patient’s disease.
This precision immunotherapy technology is potentially applicable to a range of different cancers and is designed to overcome many of the manufacturing and commercialization challenges that have impeded other personalized, cell-based immunotherapies, says Dr. Nicolette. The Arcelis process uses only a small tumor or blood sample and the patient’s own dendritic cells, which are optimized from cells collected by a leukapheresis procedure. The activated, antigen-loaded dendritic cells are formulated with the patient’s plasma and administered via intradermal injection. A single production run makes enough product to continuously treat the patient for several years, and Argos has developed an automated manufacturing process to support post-launch commercial demand.
Argos’ most advanced Arcelis-based product candidate, AGS-003, is being evaluated in a pivotal Phase III ADAPT clinical trial for the treatment of metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC), and in ongoing investigator-initiated Phase II trials in neoadjuvant renal cell carcinoma and adjuvant non-small cell lung cancer.
Argos believes its Arcelis technology platform can also be used to create immunotherapies for other chronic infectious diseases that don’t respond to current treatments. The company has been awarded a National Institutes of Health (NIH) contract to develop AGS-004, an Arcelis-based product candidate currently being evaluated in an investigator-initiated Phase II clinical trial aimed at HIV eradication in adult patients.
Targeted drug delivery to the lower gastrointestinal (GI) tract is difficult to achieve. Assembly Biosciences’ GemicelTM is a patent-pending platform technology that allows for targeted delivery of a range of agents in an oral capsule to the GI tract, including the colon. Gemicel’s novel formulations, coating and encapsulation technology, and dual-release system are designed to enable oral targeted delivery of live biotherapeutics, such as vegetative bacteria and bacterial spores, vaccines, complex macromolecules, and genetic materials, as well as small molecules and other agents.
Recent human clinical scintigraphy studies performed by Assembly have confirmed that Gemicel can successfully deliver bolus doses to specific regions of the lower GI tract. Assembly believes scale-up and manufacture of the Gemicel delivery technology to be straightforward, efficient, and cost-effective. Gemicel capsules do not require refrigeration or special handling.
Gemicel achieves its targeting effects by leveraging parameters that vary in different parts of the GI tract, especially changes in pH. The Gemicel capsule is formulated to release its therapeutic payload in targeted sections of the GI tract based on their characteristic pH levels.
In addition, Gemicel capsules have inner and outer compartments that can be designed to dissolve at different pH levels, making it possible to deliver two doses of drug in two locations, or to deliver two different therapies to different parts of the GI tract using a single capsule.
Assembly conducted a proof-of-principle Gemicel clinical study in healthy volunteers. The study used radioisotope-based scintigraphy to precisely image the drug delivery properties of Gemicel.
“The scintigraphy study confirmed that Gemicel can effectively deliver a bolus payload to specific locations in the lower GI tract, and suggested that Gemicel can yield higher and more reproducible doses compared to conventional approaches, and that its capsule formulation process is scalable and affordable to produce,” says Assembly’s Mohan Kabadi, PhD, Vice President, Pharmaceutical Development.
Assembly intends to use the Gemicel technology to deliver its investigational microbiome therapy to treat recurrent C. difficile infections, which is expected to enter clinical trials later this year. The company is also using its microbiome platform to develop additional product candidates for use with Gemicel. “We are also interested in partnering with other companies to develop therapies that might benefit from Gemicel’s attributes,” says Micah Mackison, Vice President, Corporate Development & Strategy at Assembly.
Celsion is an oncology company dedicated to the development and commercialization of cancer drugs based on two clinical-stage technology platforms. The most advanced program is a heat-mediated, tumor-targeting drug delivery technology that employs a novel heat-sensitive liposome. The technology is engineered to address a range of difficult-to-treat cancers.
The first application of this platform is ThermoDox®, a lyso-thermosensitive liposomal doxorubicin (LTLD), whose novel mechanism of action delivers high concentrations of doxorubicin to a region targeted with the application of localized heat above 40°C, just above body temperature. In one of its most advanced applications, LTLD, when combined with radio frequency thermal ablation (RFA), has the potential to address a range of cancers. For example, RFA in combination with ThermoDox has been shown to expand the “treatment zone” with a margin of highly concentrated chemotherapy when treating individual primary liver cancer lesions, explains Michael Tardugno, Celsion’s Chairman and CEO. The goal of this application is to significantly improve efficacy.
Administered intravenously, LTLD is engineered with a half-life to allow significant accumulation of liposomes at the tumor site as these liposomes recirculate in the bloodstream. Drug concentration increases as a function of the accumulation of liposomes at the tumor site when activated by heat above 40°C. Once heated, the liposomes rapidly change structure when the liposomal membrane selectively dissolves, creating openings that quickly release a chemotherapeutic agent (doxorubicin) directly into the tumor and into the surrounding vasculature. This occurs only where the heat is present, supporting precise drug targeting.
“Our first drug utlilizing the platform, ThermoDox, is agnostic to the heating device and is designed to be used with a range of hyperthermic treatments, such as RFA, microwave hyperthermia, and high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU),” says Dr. Borys.
ThermoDox is currently in a Phase III clinical trial for the treatment of primary liver cancer, The OPTIMA Study; and a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of recurrent chest wall (RCW) breast cancer, The DIGNITY Study. Results from Celsion’s recently completed Phase I/II US Dignity study of ThermoDox, in combination with mild hyperthermia in patients with RCW breast cancer, showed patients treated with ThermoDox demonstrated a combined local response rate of 61.9%. The latest overall survival (OS) analysis for primary liver cancer demonstrated that in a large, well bounded, subgroup of patients, treatment with a combination of ThermoDox and optimized RFA provided an average 58% improvement in OS compared to optimized RFA alone. Median OS for the ThermoDox plus otpmized RFA translated into a 25.4-month survival benefit over optimized alone.
In addition to ThermoDox, Celsion is applying LTLD technology to develop liposomal formulations of docetaxel and carboplatin. Celsion also continues to invest in liposomal technology, developing proprietary formulations of other marketed chemotherapeutics.
PETization is the proprietary platform technology of veterinary therapeutic biologics company Nexvet. It rapidly converts monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) among species, with the end products being 100% species-specific. Nexvet has clinically validated PETization in dogs, cats, and horses with its portfolio of anti-nerve growth factor (NGF) mAbs.
PETization also has applications beyond pet biopharmaceuticals. The rapidity of the process (which does not use traditional time-consuming mAb design processes like CDR grafting or iterative affinity maturation) means that PETized mAbs can be created (and in vivo proof-of-concept studies entered) very quickly, explains Dr. Heffernan.
Nexvet is also interested in investigating how veterinary medicine can be used to inform (and benefit from) the development path of new and existing treatments in human health. Dogs, in particular, are susceptible to many of the same diseases and pathologies that afflict humans, such as diabetes, cancer, and inflammatory disease. Clinical studies in animals with disease, therefore, can be a useful intermediary between traditional preclinical models and human clinical trials. These proofs-of-concept are usually performed with mouse mAbs in engineered mouse models of disease with sometimes questionable validity for human disease, says Dr. Heffernan.
Thus, Nexvet is exploring research collaborations whereby human pharma partners can benefit from rapid entry to better proof-of-concept studies, and Nexvet can benefit by developing new mAbs for PETizing and clinical assessment, in the pursuit of new veterinary therapies.
In addition to its pivotal-phase portfolio of anti-NGF mAbs ranevetmab (NV-01) and frunevetmab (NV-02) for the treatment of chronic pain in dogs and cats, respectively, Nexvet is advancing PETized anti-PD-1 mAbs in collaboration with Japan-based Zenoaq, for the treatment of canine cancers. PD-1 is an immunooncology target, which in human development, has led to the approved human drugs nivolumab (Opdivo®) and pembrolizumab (Keytruda®). Nexvet is also advancing PETized dog and cat mAbs against tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF), the target of the approved human anti-inflammatory drugs infliximab (Remicade®) and adlimumab (Humira®), and is investigating mAbs for allergic conditions against undisclosed targets.
Marine organisms present potent compounds with potential to be the next blockbuster cancer drug, the newest weapon in humanity’s fight against antibiotic resistance or a novel non-opioid pain medicine. But identifying these unique compounds and understanding how they might work as a drug is a complex task requiring specialized training and equipment. After obtaining biological samples from remote marine environments, scientists must isolate and understand the chemistry of novel marine-derived compounds. Marine compounds tend to be more chemically unique and less amenable to lab synthesis or fermentation.
To significantly accelerate the process of marine-inspired drug development, biotechnology company Sirenas has developed the Atlantis™ platform, a data-driven approach to documenting, analyzing, and synthesizing compounds that show promise as a medicine. In the case of Sirenas’ lead antibody drug conjugate payload, SMD-5033, the company spent less than 9 months to isolate and characterize the marine-derived compound, analog it to see how it may be applied in a therapeutic setting, synthesize it, conjugate it with several antibodies, and then prepare it for in vivo trials.
At the heart of the Atlantis platform is an ultra-efficient database and software platform. Sirenas isolates and chemically analyzes compounds and tests the samples in a range of biological disease assays. The data is uploaded into the platform, which contains the digital fingerprint of Sirenas’ entire chemical library of more than 25,000 drug-like fractions of compounds.
Because the analytics software can combine the rich chemical data with High Throughput Screening (HTS) results and other biological and biomedical profiles, modern statistical, machine-learning, and metabolomics algorithms can be deployed to rapidly identify promising starting matter for nearly any disease system or biological assay.
Once a lead compound is identified, the marine-derived compounds are synthesized in the lab. Sirenas’ team replicate, iterate, and fine-tune the complex chemical structures of the molecules, creating new compounds to advance to the clinic.
In addition to developing its own drug candidates, Sirenas partners with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies who wish to leverage the Atlantis platform. Current partnerships include programs for discovering new ADC payloads, and discovering and developing novel small molecules for immune-oncology and infectious disease. Sirenas is actively seeking new partnerships.
Vical Incorporated develops biopharmaceutical products for the prevention and treatment of chronic and life-threatening infectious diseases. The company’s core technology platform is based on plasmid DNA vectors designed to express various proteins of interest after injection into muscle tissue. The plasmid DNA contains gene expression elements to regulate high-level expression of any gene sequence that is genetically engineered into the vector. Vical’s major focus has been in developing therapeutic and prophylactic vaccines for the treatment of infectious diseases.
There are key advantages to using plasmid DNA-based vaccines, says Larry R. Smith, PhD, Vical’s Vice President of Vaccine Research. First, plasmid DNA is manufactured by a relatively simple fermentation process in E. coli and doesn’t require handling any pathogen. A powerful manufacturing attribute is that only a single manufacturing process is required regardless of which gene sequence is encoded by a plasmid DNA.
Second, vaccine stability (a limitation with some live-attenuated vaccines) is not an issue with plasmid DNA vaccines as they can be stored frozen for long periods with minimal loss of potency.
Finally, plasmid DNA vaccines can elicit both arms of the adaptive immune response (T-cell- and antibody-mediated responses) in contrast to inactivated and protein subunit-based vaccines that generally elicit high levels of antibody responses.
To create a plasmid DNA encoding the gene of interest, standard genetic engineering/cloning techniques are used with a plasmid vector backbone that has been optimized by Vical scientists; the gene sequence is synthesized to create a codon-optimized version that is designed for maximum expression. The plasmid DNA is combined with specific excipients to create the final drug product for a given indication.
Dr. Smith states that two plasmid DNA products using this platform technology are undergoing advanced clinical testing. The lead program is a Cytomegalovirus (CMV) vaccine, ASP0113, being developed in partnership with Astellas Pharma. ASP0113 is being tested in a global Phase III trial in approximately 500 hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients who are at high risk of developing CMV-associated disease and complications. Phase II trial results found the vaccine significantly reduced CMV viremia. ASP0113 is also being tested in a global Phase II trial in 150 high-risk subjects undergoing kidney transplantation.
The second product is a therapeutic HSV-2 vaccine candidate that was tested in a first-in-human Phase I/II trial. The bivalent vaccine significantly reduced genital herpes lesion rates in this study, and a Phase II trial is planned for further evaluation.
In addition to these programs, Vical is under contract with the Pox-Protein Public-Private Partnership for the development of an HIV vaccine. Vical will manufacture HIV plasmid DNA vaccine to be evaluated as a priming component of a prime/boost vaccine regimen in a planned Phase I trial.
XBiotech is a fully integrated global biosciences company dedicated to pioneering the discovery, development, and commercialization of therapeutic antibodies based on its True Human™ proprietary technology.
XBiotech was founded on the belief that cutting-edge medicines should work in a targeted way to make patients feel better, not worse. With this guiding principle, XBiotech has created a new class of antibody therapies called True Human, which are derived without modification from individuals with natural immunity to specific diseases. This approach differs from previous generations of antibody therapies, even those referred to as “fully human,” which are created using gene sequence engineering technologies in the laboratory. According the company, because True Human antibodies are derived from naturally occurring antibodies, they have the potential to harness the body’s natural immunity and have been developed to fight disease with increased safety, efficacy, and tolerability.
XBiotech’s lead product, Xilonix™, which is in late-stage clinical development for the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer, has been fast tracked by the US Food and Drug Administration and is currently under accelerated review in Europe. Xilonix is a first-in-class True Human monoclonal (IgG1k) antibody that neutralizes the biological activity of interleukin-1alpha (IL-1α), a protein associated with the growth and spread of tumors as well as the metabolic changes that can cause muscle and weight loss, fatigue, and anxiety. Debilitating symptoms, including wasting, pain, fatigue, and anorexia, are prognosticators for overall survival in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. A pivotal Phase III study in Europe was developed to assess recovery from these symptoms to rapidly evaluate the ability of Xilonix in improving the health of patients while treating their cancer.
“Xilonix represents an important advancement in the treatment of advanced colorectal cancer and may be a therapy that could be used in treating a broad range of other malignancies,” says XBiotech Founder and Chief Executive Officer John Simard.
The company is also rapidly advancing a robust pipeline of True Human antibody therapies to redefine the standards of care in oncology, inflammatory conditions, and infectious diseases. Since its founding a decade ago, XBiotech has developed the capabilities to identify, isolate, and manufacture True Human antibodies, and currently has clinical trial programs underway in nine disease categories, including cancer, diabetes, restenosis, acne, psoriasis, and Staphylococcus aureus infections.
“We continue to see that our ability to rapidly and cost-effectively transition from discovery to potential breakthrough therapies is unprecedented,” says Mr. Simard.
Featured-Articles/37325-Implementation-of-a-Platform-Approachfor-Early-Biologics-Development/, accessed July 8, 2016.
2. Grainger, David, Industry Voices: Platform technologies — The foundations of Big Pharma or its nemesis? Fierce Biotech, Sept. 6, 2013, http://www.fiercebiotech.com/r-d/industry-voices-platformtechnologies-foundations-of-big-pharma-or-its-nemesis, accessed July 8, 2016. | 2019-04-23T20:07:02Z | https://drug-dev.com/special-feature-platform-technologies-not-just-for-big-pharma/ |
A sweet and tart pre-mixed cocktail from Aske Stephenson, inspired by the classic boiled sweet – Rhubarb and Custard. A modern take on a classic Negroni, this cocktail is presented in a sweet-shop inspired bottle.
Firewater Habanero bitters from Scrappy’s is perfect for adding clean spice and heat to any cocktail or food, without overpowering the flavour. The heat of the Habanero peppers is balanced by delicate floral notes and subtle sweetness, though it is recommended to use sparingly as this tincture is extremely spicy.
The ninth batch of East London Liquor Barrel Aged Gin uses its London Dry Gin as a base, which was then aged in ex-Moscatel casks. Juniper-led, but with a strong citrus edge.
This 1988-vintage Armagnac from Darroze was distilled from a single harvest of grapes at Domaine de Lahitte. It has a very fruity nose, filled with aromas of apricots, orange zest, quince and warm spices, while the palate offers notes of ripe fruits and spices, with a bold black pepper and clove finish.
Made at Domaine de la Poste in 1976, using Ugni Blanc grapes from a single harvest, this Darroze Armagnac has a rich, fruity character with warm, spicy notes.
Empirical Spirits aren't your average spirit maker, and Fallen Pony is not your average spirit. First they vacuum distil a koji and saison-yeast-fermented barley wash. Then they distil quince tea kombucha and blend that into the spirit, before adding in more undistilled kombucha to bring the strength down to 35%. The result is a tea-led spirit with balanced bitterness and astringency and a kick of kombucha acidity. An excellently crazy spirit from Denmark.
Produced using ripe damsons, this is a top-quality eau-de-vie from Gloucestershire's Capreolus. A fruity spirit that's given an extra layer by a bitter almond note from the stones of the fruit.
Produced using Victoria plums, this is a top-quality eau-de-vie from Gloucestershire's Capreolus. A fruity spirit that's given an extra layer by a bitter almond note from the stones of the plums.
This eau-de-vie is made from sweet Doyenné du Comice pears. Double distilled from perry created from the juice, this is fruity and sweet with a hint of blossom, too. Serve chilled as an aperitif or with a fruity dessert.
A blend of rums, from three of the oldest distilleries in the Caribbean, including Foursquare Distillery in Barbados, Diablesse Golden Caribbean is a sweet, spicy rum full of tropical fruit flavours.
Using the same recipe since 1920, Select Aperitivo is a Venetian aperitif made with juniper berries and rhubarb root amongst its 30 botanicals. The nose is full of complex, herbaceous aromas of eucalyptus, fresh herbs, citrus fruits and a hint of menthol. The palate offers notes of sharp rhubarb and juniper, citrus fruits, delicate floral notes and a strong, bitter centre.
A blend of Jamaican pot still and Trinidadian column still rums, bottled in Amsterdam, this rum is the creation of bartender and entrepreneur Andrew Nicholls, and is named to honour his grandfathers – William and George. The palate offers notes of tropical fruits, sweet almonds and macadamia nuts, as well as fresh grass, rich cherries, vanilla and cacao.
From Two Swallows come this citrus-and-salted-caramel-infused spiced rum, produced by the Diamond Distillery in Guyana. This sweet, salty and lively rum was created by Thomas Hurst as a tribute to the famous Captain Matthew Webb – the first man to swim the English Channel – and draws its name from the tattoo of two swallows, often chosen by experienced sailors, which legend has it carry the souls of the drowned to heaven.
Matured in a single cask for 10 years and finished in a Madeira cask, this 2008-vintage rum has been bottled by The 1423 for its Single Barrel Selection range. Made by Trinidad Distillers Limited, this rum has complex aromas of grapes, raisins and warm spices, while the palate offers notes of rich fruits and spices. The finish is long and dry with heavy Madeira notes.
This 2008-vintage Mauritian rum from The 1423’s Single Barrel Selection series has been matured for 10 years in a single cask, and finished in an ex-port cask. Made at Grays distillery on Mauritius, this rum has a strong port influence on the nose; ripe pears, red berries, rich fruitcake and sweet almonds mingling together. The palate offers notes of orchard fruits initially, developing into ripe grapes and dark berries.
This 2006-vintage Venezuelan rum from The 1423’s Single Barrel Selection series has been matured in a single cask for 12 years. Made at a mystery Venezuelan distillery, this rum has gentle, fruity aromas of ripe berries and floral honey. The palate offers notes of rich, spiced fruitcake and brown sugar, alongside a hint of toasted oak. Only 304 bottles were released worldwide.
Matured in a single cask for 12 years, this 2006-vintage Dominican rum has been bottled by The 1423 for its Single Barrel Selection range. Made at a mystery distillery in the Dominican Republic, this rum has gentle aromas of coconut cream, walnuts and delicate pineapple notes, with just a hint of warm spices. The palate offers notes of roasted walnuts and sandalwood, with dry, fruity notes developing into a long finish.
This 2014-vintage Jamaican rum from The 1423’s Single Barrel Selection series has been matured for 11 years in a single cask, and finished in a single Pedro Ximénez cask. Made at Moneymusk distillery in Jamaica, this rum has complex aromas of tropical fruits, ripe bananas and warm spices. The palate offers notes of vibrant red berries, raisins and caramel, alongside a funky, tropical-fruit edge.
Single Barrel Selection Panama 2006 is a single cask rum that was made using a column still and matured for 12 years. It is velvety smooth and thick, with subtle oak, vanilla, honeycomb and caramel aromas, alongside a fruity cherry edge. The palate offers notes of dried apricots, brown sugar and liquorice.
A blend of three aged rums from the three oldest distilleries in the Caribbean, including Diamond Distillery in Guyana, infused with fresh clementines and a blend of warm spices, including cinnamon, vanilla and ginger. Sweet and spicy, with a strong citrus edge, this Clementine Spiced Rum is perfect for sipping, or for making fruity cocktails.
Made using off-cuts from bunches of table grapes, HYKE gin from Foxhole Spirits is a sustainably-sourced spirit that counts Coriander, myrrh, rooibos and juniper among its botanicals. Delicate and refined, HYKE has a gentle background of fresh grapes alongside fresh, herbal notes of coriander.
This 35 Year Old Jamaican rum, from Hampden Estate distillery, has been bottled by Hunter Laing for its Kill Devil series. Made exclusively with a pot still and matured in a single cask, this rum has vibrant aromas of tropical fruits; mango and guava mingling with leather and liquorice on the nose. The palate offers notes of sweet pear-drops, ripe bananas and cloves before notes of overripe pineapple and toasted oak develop. The finish is long and dry with gentle waves of tobacco smoke.
This 2005-vintage rum from Habitation St Etienne has been aged for seven years in American oak barrels, before spending a further six months in Islay single malt casks. This has created a gently smoky rum with tropical fruit and caramel aromas. The palate offers notes of pineapple, passion fruit and gentle peat, before hints of warm spices and toasted oak build.
A large 2.5 litre bottle of Armagnac from Domaine Boingneres. A non vintage expression from the Bas Armagnac region, this will create a talking point at any party.
This 2008-vintage Karukera rum agricole was bottled in 2017 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Velier. Matured in a single, French oak cask in the Marquisat Sainte Marie warehouse in Guadeloupe, it has a rich, complex character.
This limited-edition 2008-vintage Karukera rum agricole was bottled in 2017 to celebrate the 70th anniversary of Velier. Matured in a single French oak cask in the Marquisat Sainte Marie warehouse in Guadeloupe, it has a rich, complex character.
This 15-year-old Armagnac from Domaine de Papolle has been made in the Bas-Armagnac region of France before being matured in French oak casks. It has a delicate, woody character with notes of apricots and peaches throughout the palate.
A zesty, chocolately gin with lashings of juniper, Sipsmith Orange & Cacao Gin is a modern take on the popular combination of chocolate and orange. Using plenty of juniper and liquorice amongst the botanicals, it has a light, citrus character with richer undertones of bitter chocolate and a hint of sweet spices.
Apple & Spice Gin Liqueur from Edinburgh Gin is made by blending its Classic Gin with autumn-harvest apples that have been macerated with cinnamon. This – alongside botanicals such as mulberries, lavender and lemongrass – creates a fruity liqueur with sweet apple, warm cinnamon and lively juniper aromas. The palate offers notes of crunchy green apples, delicate lavender and spices alongside a gentle citrus edge.
Maestro Dobel Silver is a double-distilled Tequila which, unusually, isn't rested and is bottled straight from the still with only water added to dilute it to drinking strength. A superb, complex, cocktail ingredient.
This 1988-vintage Armagnac from Domaine de Millet was made using Baco Blanc and Ugni Blanc grapes, creating a delicate, mineral flavour alongside honey, apricot and gentle oak notes.
From The Real Rum Company in Cornwall, Bombo 40 Caramel & Banana rum is a Caribbean rum blended with caramel and infused with ripe bananas. A sweet and fruity rum perfect for making tropical cocktails.
This artisanal gin is made in Jundiai, Brazil, using a secret blend of 21 botanicals, that include basil, rosemary, fennel seed, calamansi, star anise and acai, with a strong juniper core. The nose is full of orchard fruit and fresh grass aromas, with a rich, spicy undercurrent. The palate offers notes of fresh herbs, sharp berries and aromatic spices.
This boldly-flavoured over-proof gin from Ford’s is distilled at London’s Thames Distillers, before being rested in Amontillado sherry casks for three weeks. Using botanicals including juniper, jasmine, cassia and orris, Ford’s has created a gin with a citrus-led nose that is complimented by subtle spice, plum and caramel aromas. The palate initially offers notes of honey and citrus which develop slowly into aromatic coriander, juniper and orange, with a subtle ginger undercurrent.
This delicate, fruity eau de vie from Charles Baur is made from Williams pears, which creates a sweet, aromatic flavour. Best served chilled.
A premium Polish vodka from Krupnik, made using high quality grains and water exclusively drawn from Oligocene springs. A clean, fresh vodka with delicate notes of fresh grass.
Bumbu XO rum is distilled and matured in Panama in ex-bourbon barrels before being finished in ex-sherry casks. The nose is full of fruit, vanilla and toffee aromas, with an undercurrent of warm spices. The palate offers notes of rich raisins, citrusy orange and bitter coffee mingling with toffee, vanilla and roasted oak.
A gin for the adventurous souls, Expeditionary Gin, from the Golden Moon Distillery in Colorado USA, is a dry gin with a lively citrus and juniper character. Styled after the distillery’s classic Golden Moon gin, but re-imagined for the gin fans in the UK, it has a bold and exotic nose with leafy, green aromas. The palate offers notes of spicy fennel and floral lavender before juniper and sharp citrus take the lead.
A well rounded Calvados from Dupont, based in the heart of the Pays d'Auge region. It uses a standard recipe of 30% sweet apples, 30% bitter and 40% acidic to create an easy drinking and elegant spirit.
A large litre bottle of Grand Marnier's cognac based Cordon Rouge liqueur, the benchmark for top-shelf orange flavoured tipples.
Decadent, rich and sweet, Strawberry & Balsamico Gin from That Boutique-y Gin Company is infused with strawberries, black pepper and an aged balsamic vinegar – Aceto di Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena DOP. The balsamic has been aged for 12-15 years in a variety of casks, including chestnut, cherry, mulberry and juniper wood, to give it a rich, elegant character not found in younger balsamics.
A 20cl quarter bottle of Fine Champagne Cognac from AE Dor, a blend of eight-year-old eaux-de-vie from both Petite and Grande Champagne regions. Light and delicate on the palate, yet with impressive flavour intensity, this is a delightful drop.
The third rum in Diplomatico’s Distillery Collection, No. 3 is a full-bodied, complex spirit made using high quality sugar cane honey. Matured in ex-bourbon barrels, this limited-edition rum combines tropical fruit aromas with toffee and vanilla. The palate offers rich oak notes alongside dark chocolate and dried fruits, before a rich, lingering finish full of warm spices. This rum was made solely in the Copper Pot Still that was brought to Diplomatico’s La Miel distillery in 1959. This discontinuous distillation system was originally used in Scotland to produce whisky. The Distillery Collection showcases the individual distillates behind some of Diplomatico’s world-renowned rums, highlighting the distinct personalities created by using different stills.
A rich, creamy liqueur from Rumjava, made by blending its classic Mahtini’Mon Espresso rum with fresh cream. The palate is full of sweet vanilla, chocolate, hazelnut and rich coffee notes.
A modern take on a classic cocktail. The La Marga from Ely is inspired by the margarita, and is a mix of Tequila, Cointreau and lime juice, with added ginger and elderflower cordial, and Marie Brizard yuzu liqueur. Best served over ice.
This premium Japanese vodka is distilled from Hakumai – 100% pure Japanese white rice – to create ‘Jyunpaku’ – pure and brilliant vodka. Filtered through bamboo charcoal, this spirit has a soft, subtly sweet taste with richer, grain notes.
A limited edition Turkish raki as part of a new brand from Yeni Raki, one of the country's biggest producer, Yeni Seri is made with first harvest aniseed.
This artisanal mezcal from Gente de Mezcal was made using 100% Tobala agave from Oaxaca. The nose is lush and green, with a rich, mineral character, while the palate offers notes of fresh rosemary, freshly cut grass and a richer, meaty smoke.
This artisanal mezcal from Gente de Mezcal, made with 100% Tepestate agave, is a peppery, herbal spirit. The palate offers notes of fresh thyme, green chillies, cracked black pepper and an herbal, hoppy element.
An artisanal mezcal from Gente de Mezcal, made using 100% Espadin agave from Oaxaca, this has a gentle, floral character with notes of caramel, chilli and rich, earthy smoke filling the palate.
Made from Ugni Blanc grapes, of a single harvest, grown on the Ile de Oleron, this Cognac has a mineral character with a subtle, maritime edge. The nose is full of spiced, floral aromas with hints of tobacco and sea-salt, while the palate offers notes of ripe lemons, pink grapefruit and flowers, on top of a sea-salt and tobacco background.
This English gin has been infused with a secret mix of botanicals, including juniper and blood orange, to create a bold, citrus-led gin with a rich orange colour. It is presented in the iconic ceramic Fallen Angel bottle.
Inspired by the rolling hills of Hampshire, this limited-edition English Estate gin from Bombay Sapphire is infused with botanicals such as rosehip, mint and toasted hazelnut. A delicate, bright London dry gin, garnish with mint and lemon in a G&T or try it with ginger ale and apple juice, garnished with lemon and thyme.
This 1973-vintage Armagnac from Chateau de Lacquy was made using Baco and Ugni Blanc grapes from a single harvest, and matured in French oak casks until it was bottled in 2017.
This 1987-vintage Armagnac from Chateau de Lacquy was made using grapes from a single harvest and matured in French oak casks in the cellars of the Chateau until it was bottled in 2017.
This 1988-vintage Armagnac from Chateau de Lacquy was made using grapes from a single harvest, and matured in French oak casks until it was bottled in 2017.
This 2006-vintage Armagnac from oldest family-owned estate producing Armagnac – Chateau de Lacquy – was made using 100% Folle-Blanche grapes from a single harvest and matured in French oak casks until it was bottled in 2018. It has a spicy, floral character with notes of white flowers, citrus fruits, apricots and ginger.
This 2004-vintage Armagnac from 300-year-old producer Chateau de Lacquy was made using grapes from a single harvest and matured in French oak casks in the Chateau’s cellars until it was bottled in 2017.
This 1999-vintage Armagnac from Chateau de Lacquy was made with grapes from a single harvest and matured in French oak casks until it was bottled in 2018. In 2018 this Armagnac won gold at the IWSC with a score of 93+ points.
This 1992-vintage Armagnac from the 300-year-old Chateau de Lacquy was made using Baco and Ugni Blanc grapes from a single harvest and matured in French oak casks in the cellars of the Chateau before being bottled in 2016.
A delicious pre-mixed G&T from Sipsmith, made using its London Dry Gin. Perfect for picnics or summer garden parties.
A case of 12 pre-mixed cocktails from Sipsmith, made with its London Dry Gin and light tonic. With bold citrus notes and a lovely juniper edge, this light G&T is perfect for the summer.
A delightful pre-mixed cocktail from Sipsmith, made with its London Dry Gin and light tonic. With bold citrus notes and a lovely juniper edge, this light G&T is perfect for the summer.
A case of 12 Gin & Tonic cans, pre-made by Sipsmith with its London Dry Gin. Full of citrus, juniper and floral notes, this G&T is perfect for the summer.
A quite ludicrously potent rum from St. Vincent, Sunset Very Strong should never be taken neat, but heavily diluted with a mixer or as a float for cocktails. Please note this is a high-strength product and we recommend not drinking neat – please enjoy diluted or with a mixer of your choice.
This vintage Vermouth from Vreimuth is made with white wine from Veltliner, Sauvignon and Traminer grapes, before being infused with wormwood and a secret selection of local botanicals. This vermouth has a delicate, bitter palate with gentle notes of grapes alongside a subtle, floral edge.
This sweet, richly spiced rum from Fallen Angel has notes of creamy vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg. The rum is presented in the iconic devil’s head bottle.
A blend of Grande Champagne and Petite Champagne, this XO Cognac has been matured in French oak barrels, creating subtle fruity, floral and oaky aromas. The palate offers notes of black cherries, marmalade, vanilla and toffee with hints of almonds, black pepper and sweet spices.
This Cognac from A de Fussigny is a blend of eaux-de-vie from different growing areas within the Cognac region. Matured in Limousin and Troncais-oak casks, this VS Cognac has delicate aromas of honey, praline and dried fruit, with a hint of citrus. The palate offers notes of cream, sweet spices, white chocolate and cherries, alongside dried fruit and honey.
Fruity and floral, Ketel One Botanical Peach & Orange Blossom is a sweet, fragrant spirit with notes of juicy white peaches and fresh, lively orange blossom. Made by infusing Ketel One Vodka with natural fruit, flower and herb essences this has no artificial flavours or ingredients.
Clean and refreshing, Ketel One Botanical Cucumber & Mint has a classic character, perfect for summery cocktails. Made by infusing Ketel One Vodka with natural fruit, flower and herb essences, this has no artificial flavours or ingredients. The palate offers crisp cucumber notes and sweet, cooling mint notes. Try mixing with some soda water and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Zesty and elegant, Ketel One Botanical Grapefruit & Rose is made by infusing Ketel One Vodka with natural fruit, flower and herb essences, the palate offers zesty grapefruit, sweet citrus notes and delicate, floral rose petals. Ketel One Botanicals have no artificial flavours or ingredients and are lower in strength that traditional vodkas.
Matured in virgin Limousin-oak casks for at least six years, this Napoleon Cognac has a balanced, elegant nose with a strong floral element, aromas of jasmine and carnation are balanced by peaches, plums, vanilla and soft oak. The palate offers notes of soft fruits, ripe plums and delicate flowers.
Matured in virgin Limousin-oak casks for at least four years, this VSOP Cognac from Francois Voyer has an elegant, floral nose, with hints of apricot breaking through aromas of linden and dried flowers. The palate offers subtle notes of orange, dried flowers and vanilla mingling with soft apricot.
Matured in virgin Limousin-oak casks for at least two years, this VS Cognac from Francois Voyer has a sweet, floral nose bursting with vanilla, lime and white flower aromas. The palate is fruity and relaxed, notes of peaches and vanilla mingling with richer dried apricot. | 2019-04-24T15:47:27Z | https://www.thewhiskyexchange.com/new-products/spirits-and-liqueurs |
The New Orleans Middle East Film Festival continues through Sunday at 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. , New Orleans. The festival includes 72 acclaimed and award-winning new films from or about Afghanistan, Anatolia, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. Films are shown with food, music and visual art. Festival passes are $75 and include admission to all festival events. Tickets to individual events are $8 each for the general public, $7 for students and seniors, $6 for members and $3 for patrons. Day passes are $12 for the general public, $11 for students and seniors and $10 for members Mondays through Fridays. Day passes are $15 for the general public, $14 for students and seniors and $13 for members on Saturdays and Sundays. For information, visit www.nolamideastfilmfest.blogspot.com or call 504-827-5858 (recording) or 504-352-1150 (live person).
A free Diabetes Education Day featuring Chef John Wright, hosted by Ochsner St. Anne General Hospital, is set for 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the hospital, 4608 La. 1, Raceland. Diabetes Education Day is a community event offering nutritional tips, a cooking demonstration by Chef Wright and an hour-long question-and-answer session with registered nurses. Local residents are encouraged to attend. Admission is free, but registration is requested. To register, call 537-8350.
"Let's Paint" Beginners Oil Painting Class for adults, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday at the Chauvin Branch Library, 5500 La. 56. Admission is free, but registration is required.
Fall Craft Workshop for teens, 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Gibson Branch Library, 6363 Bayou Black Drive.
A New Orleans-based film company will hold auditions for its upcoming feature film, to be shot in Terrebonne Parish, from 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 1546 La. 665, Pointe-aux-Chenes. The company, Court 13, is seeking Pointe-aux-Chenes area residents 30 and up. The action-drama film centers on a girl and her relationship with her father as a storm approaches. For information or to schedule an audition, call Annie at 504-383-3409 or e-mail [email protected].
A SoLa Art Workshop for ages 11 to 14, presented by the Nicholls State University Art Department and South Louisiana Center for the Arts, is set for 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday. Nicholls students will be teaching under the direction of Jean Donegan, Nicholls Professor of Art who will observe during each 2-hour session. There is a $20 materials fee for each student. To register, call 876-2222.
Free Hispanic Film Night featuring "Madeinusa," 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the East Houma Branch Library, 778 Grand Caillou Road. Refreshments will be served.
The 2010 Independence Day Events Planning Group sponsored by the Regional Military Museum is scheduled to meet at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Terrebonne ParishMain Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma. The group is scheduled to meet the third Thursday of each month. For information, call the museum at 873-8200.
The Louisiana Chapter of the French-American Chamber of Commerce will hold its 13th annual Beaujolais Nouveau Festival, celebrating the worldwide release of the 2009 Beaujolais Nouveau, from 7 to 10 p.m. Thursday at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum, 1 Poydras St. No. 169, Riverwalk, New Orleans. By French tradition, on the third Thursday of November, the Beaujolais Nouveau wine is shipped immediately from vineyards and flown to cities across the world. The event includes food prepared by New Orleans chefs, accompanied by the Beaujolais Nouveau, and a selection of Beaujolais Crus. Tickets are $45 for members and $55 for non-members. The price includes wine and food. For ticket reservations, call Karen Martin at 504-523-5281 or e-mail [email protected].
Thanksgiving Craft Workshop for ages 2 to 8, 11 a.m. Friday at the Grand Caillou Branch Library, 200 Badou Drive, Dulac.
Teen Wii and Dream Catcher Workshop, 3:30 p.m. Friday at the Dularge Branch Library, 837 Bayou Dularge Road.
The Cajun comedy "The Great Big Doorstep" by Francis Goodrich and Albert Hackett opens Friday at Bayou Playhouse, 101 Main St., Lockport. The play runs through Dec. 13. Friday and Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. Sunday shows are at 2:30 p.m. The story centers on the Crochet family, who live in a one-room rent shack in the back bayous of 1940s South Louisiana. They dream of owning their own home after finding a grand plantation front doorstep floating down the Mississippi River. The play is based on the novel by Louisiana author E. P. O'Donnell. The Nov. 28 show includes a special event for the Ya-Ya Queenz, to help the group raise money for Relay For Life/The American Cancer Society, particularly for breast cancer research. The benefit begins at 6:30 p.m. with a reception on the back deck of the playhouse. Food and drinks will be served. The play begins at 7:30. Ticket price for the Ya-Ya Queenz Benefit is $55. For information, call 888-99-BAYOU (22968) ext. 1 or e-mail [email protected].
View more calendar online at dailycomet.com.
"The Kingfish," a play by Larry L. King and Ben Z. Grant and presented by the Bayou Playhouse of Lockport, runs now through the end of the year at the InterContinental New Orleans, 444 St. Charles Ave, New Orleans. Shows start at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and at 3 p.m. Sundays. The off-Broadway revival of "The Kingfish," a one-man show depicting the life and times of Huey P. Long, features New Orleans' own John "Spud" McConnell, actor and WWL Radio host, as the legendary Louisiana governor. McConnell has received national acclaim for his on-stage portrayals of Louisiana's most colorful characters including Huey P. Long, Earl K. Long and Ignatius J. Riley. The play is directed by Perry Martin. Tickets are $35. For tickets or information, call 888-946-HUEY (4839) or visit www.kingfishonstage.com.
The Thibodaux Main Street Farmers Market is open from 7 to 11 a.m. Saturdays at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve's Wetlands Acadian Cultural Center, 314 Saint Mary St., Thibodaux.
The 2nd Annual Atchafalaya Double Trouble Bridge Run 5K Run/Walk, presented by the Tri-City Track Club, is set for 8 a.m. Saturday in Morgan City. The 5K race begins at the corner of First and Greenwood streets in downtown Morgan City. Entry fees are $18 for members of the Tri-City Track Club, $20 for non-members registering in advance and $25 for same-day registration. Fees include a free T-shirt and admission to post-race festivities, including free food and drinks, music, a children's area and an awards ceremony. For registration forms, visit www.tricitytrackclub.com. For information, call Lisa Parsiola at 312-4864 or e-mail [email protected].
The Bayou Region START! Heart Walk is set for 9:30 a.m. Saturday at Southdown Plantation, 1208 Museum Drive, Houma. Registration is at 8:30 a.m. For information, call Kimberly Landry at 888-352-3824 extension 7722 or e-mail [email protected].
The Terrebonne Parish Tree Board and Acorns of Hope will sponsor "Trees Are Our Friends," an hour-long program for children and parents at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma. Following the program, children and parents can help plant trees at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Blvd., Houma. Admission is free and open to the public. For information, call Jennifer Robinson at 873-6567.
Free Family Movie featuring "Up" (rated PG), 3 p.m. Saturday at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma.
Bingo for adults, 4 p.m. Saturday at the East Houma Branch Library, 778 Grand Caillou Road. Refreshments will be served.
The monthly fais-do-do held by Holy Family Assembly 2215 is set for 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the KC Home on Shrimpers Row in Dulac. The event includes Cajun, French and country music and dancing with music provided by Delbert Dugas and The Red River Band. Meals will be sold for $5 a plate. Tickets are sold at the door. The event also includes door prizes and a 50-50 raffle. Raffle tickets are $1 each. For information, call Allen Trahan at 868-0377, Al Voisin at 872-6737 or 855-7008 or Ricky Boudwin at 851-4519.
A fundraiser lunch to benefit 2-year-old Hunter Babin, son of Paulette Griffin and Scott Babin, is set for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday in the St. Joseph Elementary School Cafeteria, 501 Cardinal Drive, Thibodaux. Hunter was born with three major heart defects. He is preparing for his second open-heart surgery at Boston Children's Hospital. Lunch plate tickets are $7 each. Donations will also be accepted. For information or to buy tickets, call Paulette at 859-3722 or visit Chinese Chef's Restaurant, 361 N. Canal Blvd., in the Rienzi Shopping Center in Thibodaux.
Santa Claus is scheduled to be at Southland Mall, 5953 W. Park Ave., Houma, at the following times and dates: 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, noon to 6 p.m. Sunday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday-Nov. 26, 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 27, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Nov. 28, noon to 6 p.m. Nov. 29, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nov. 30-Dec. 3, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 4-5, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 6, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 7-10, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 11-12, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 13, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 14-16, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 17-19, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 20, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dec. 21-23 and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 24.
A free Thanksgiving Dinner for Terrebonne Parish seniors and citizens in need is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at the East Houma Bingo Hall, 425 Grand Caillou Road, Houma. The meal is sponsored by the Krewe of Hercules, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office, Terrebonne Parish District Attorney's Office and the Terrebonne Council on Aging. For information, call 868-8411.
Guitar Hero Game Day for ages 9 to 12, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma.
Dance Dance Revolution and Guitar Hero for children and teens, 10 a.m. Nov. 23-25 at the Chauvin Branch Library, 5500 La. 56.
The Bayou Blue Branch Library, 198 Mazerac St., holds English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for Spanish speakers needing help learning English. Free ESL classes are held at 10:30 a.m. Mondays and Thursdays.
Wii Gaming Night for children and teens, 3 to 6 p.m. Mondays at the Bourg Branch Library, 4405 St. Andrews St.
Beeswax Candle Craft for children and teens, 2 p.m. Nov. 24 at the Grand Caillou Branch Library, 200 Badou Drive, Dulac.
Mexican Train Dominoes for fifth- through seventh-graders, 1 p.m. Nov. 25 at the Dularge Branch Library, 837 Bayou Dularge Road.
Donations are being accepted to help Sloudies "Keith" Jordan, a local man facing another round of chemotherapy treatments, following his third major surgery for colon cancer. Keith was diagnosed with colon cancer in 2006. He underwent radiation and chemotherapy, as well as his first major surgery. The cancer returned in 2008, leading to another major surgery plus radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Keith discovered in September that the cancer has returned again. He underwent his third major surgery, and had a kidney removed due to damage from extensive radiation and chemotherapy. Donations to help him continue fighting the disease can be made at any Regions Bank under the account "Sloudies Keith Jordan."
Local child-care providers can bring story time to children in their care through the Lafourche Parish Public Library's "Bringing Books to Life" outreach program, which works with daycares, preschools, Head Start programs and Even Start programs. The library system's youth-services assistants read stories and sing songs to and interact with children through action verse and finger plays. The library's Youth Services Department also loans and delivers library books to these locations to help promote early literacy. For information, call Youth Service Coordinator Trinna Holcomb at 438-3117.
Local veterans groups are seeking community donations to hold a Deployment Dinner for local soldiers deploying for Iraq in January, as well as to help the soldiers with supplies needed when stationed overseas. Any type of donation is welcome, including money and items that can be used for door prizes. The meal is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, 346 Civic Center Blvd., Houma. The event honors National Guard 256th Infantry Brigade of Houma and Thibodaux, companies Charlie and Delta, respectively. The dinner is being hosted by a number of local veterans groups. Those interested can donate at any branch of South Louisiana Bank in the account of American Legion-LA National Guard Deployment Fund or mail to the attention of Jack Croker, 134 Wayne Ave., Houma, LA 70360. Donations are tax-deductable. For information, call Jack Croker at 876-6598.
Peg Patterns Workshop for teens, 1 p.m. Nov. 27 at the Montegut Branch Library, 1135 La. 55.
Turkey Craft Workshop for fourth- through sixth-graders, 2 p.m. Nov. 28 at the East Houma Branch Library, 778 Grand Caillou Road.
Introduction to Spanish for adults, 4 p.m. Nov. 28 at the East Houma Branch Library, 778 Grand Caillou Road.
The Moscow Ballet presents its "Great Russian Nutcracker" at 8 p.m. Nov. 28 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater of the Performing Arts, 801 N. Rampart St., New Orleans. The classic holiday production features classical ballet dancing, hand-crafted backdrops and world-renowned life-sized puppets. This year's "Great Russian Nutcracker" includes several new characters, revived puppets and renewed hand-painted backdrops. Partial proceeds from the event benefit the Kingsley House. Tickets can be purchased at www.nutcracker.com or by calling Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000.
Guitar Hero Game Day for teens, 3 to 4:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma.
The Idlewild Plantation Christmas Lighting runs Nov. 29 through Dec. 31 at the plantation home in Patterson. Visitors can take a driving tour along a path through Kemper Williams Park, filled with displays of Christmas lights and Christmas music. Admission is $2 per car.
Historic homes in St. Mary Parish Parish will be decorated for the Christmas holidays throughout December. The Grevemberg House in Franklin will feature a traditional Victorian Christmas Tree, seasonal greenery and displays of traditional fruits and foods of the Victorian Period. Oaklawn Manor, the residence of Louisiana's former governor, Mike Foster, will be decorated with a different style of tree in every room. Admission is $10 per tour.
Winter Wonderland Storytime for pre-kindergartners through third-graders, 4 p.m. Nov. 30 at the Dularge Branch Library, 837 Bayou Dularge Road.
Tickets are on sale for the musical stage production of "The Color Purple," set to run Dec. 1-6 at the Mahalia Jackson Theater, 1419 Basin St., in Louis Armstrong Park in New Orleans. The show, which counts Oprah Winfrey and Quincy Jones among its producers, is part of the theater's Capital One Broadway Across America series. "The Color Purple" performance schedule is 8 p.m. Dec. 1-2, 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 3, 8 p.m. Dec. 4, 2 and 8 p.m. Dec. 5 and 2 p.m. Dec. 6. American Sign Language performance is 2 p.m. Dec. 6. The show, based on the classic Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Alice Walker and the film by Steven Spielberg, was nominated for 11 Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The Grammy-nominated score includes gospel, jazz, pop and the blues. Tickets start at $25. Tickets are available at the Mahalia Jackson Box Office, by phone at 800-982-ARTS (2787) or online at www.Ticketmaster.com and www.BroadwayAcrossAmerica.com. For groups of 15 or more, call 504-287-0398 or 800-941-7469.
The Nicholls State University Ceramics Club will hold a Pottery Sale from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Dec. 2, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 4 and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 5 in the Ceramic Studio at the rear entrance to Talbot Hall on the campus of Nicholls in Thibodaux.
The Bayou Chapter of the Louisiana State Poetry Society will hold its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. Dec. 3 in the boardroom on the second floor of the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma. The meetings are free and open to the public.
Nicole Dion-LeBlanc with Keller Williams Realty and Lynn T. Ramagost with Assurance Financial Group, are teaming with the USDA, Pat's Coat's for Kids and the Assumption Parish Food Bank to inform Assumption Parish residents about USDA programs that could help them and to collect coats and nonperishable food items to help residents in need. The informational event is set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dec. 4 at the Pierre Part Library, 2800 La. 70 S. A USDA seminar led by Wanda Holmes, a single-family housing specialist, is set for 10 a.m. to noon. Holmes will discuss USDA programs for homeowners and homebuyers. Kevin Boone, renewable energy coordinator for the USDA, will discuss programs available for Assumption residents, including the USDA Rural Development's Renewable Energy for America Program which offers grants, guaranteed loans and combination grant/guaranteed loans to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses buy and install renewable-energy systems and make energy-efficiency improvements. Also that day, residents can drop off coats or donate money to help locals stay warm. Most needed are children's sizes 6-14. Make checks payable to "Pat's Coats for Kids" or pay with a VISA or MasterCard by calling 225-248-1408. Assumption food-bank volunteers will collect nonperishable food that day. For information, call Nicole at 225-289-5055 or e-mail [email protected] or call Lynn at 225-717-7144 or e-mail [email protected].
The Plaquemines Parish Fair and Orange Festival is set for 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Dec. 5 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 6, with a preview of the carnival from 5 to 10 p.m. Dec. 4, all at Louisiana's Medal of Honor Park, 1292 Barriere Road, Belle Chasse. The festival includes local seafood and citrus, live music and dancing, helicopter and carnival rides, children's activities, the 5K Run/Walk for the Oranges and orange-eating and peeling, shrimp-peeling and de-heading, catfish-skinning, oyster-shucking and duck-calling contests. Music includes performances by Big River Band, Southern Cross, Rockin' Dopsie, Ernie Wilkinson and the Hot Sauce Band, Kayla Woodson and Bucktown All Stars. Entry fees are $4 for adults and $2 for ages of 3 to 12. Children under 3 get in free. For information, visit www.orangefestival.com.
The 20th Annual Bowl for Breath, a fundraiser to benefit the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, is set for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 5 at Creole Lanes, 1371 Tunnel Blvd., Houma. Minimum donations are $25 per bowler. Sponsorships are available. Bowlers can raise money to earn various prizes, including a Sony Blu-Ray Disk Player, a digital camera and others. For information, call event chairs Robbin and Jed Pitre at 632-3604.
The 3rd Annual Historic Church Christmas Musicale is set for 4 p.m. Dec. 6 in downtown Franklin. Guests visit three historical churches for musical entertainment, including: St. Mary's Episcopal Church with a performance by Pat Brown; Asbury Methodist Church for gospel music; and the Church of Assumption for a bell choir performance. The event begins at St. Mary's Episcopal Church, 805 1st St., Franklin. Guests walk from one church to the next, ending at First United Methodist Church for light refreshments. Each musical performance lasts about 20 minutes. Admission is free.
Pharr Chapel United Methodist Church, 517 Federal Ave., Morgan City, will hold its Christmas program, "Night in Bethlehem," featuring the music ministry of Pharr Chapel, at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 6. Admission is free and open to the public.
Professional actors and local elementary-school children will put on a Christmas play, "Frosty the Snowman," at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium, 705 Myrtle St., at 6 p.m. Dec. 7. Admission is $5 per person at the door or $4 in advance.
The 14th Annual Christmas Tree Festival is set for Dec. 10-Jan. 1 at the Louisiana State Museum in Patterson. Christmas trees decorated by area children will be on exhibit. The Christmas Tree Festival Open House will be held at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the museum. Visitors can view decorated Christmas trees and hear children from local schools sing holiday carols.
The 21st Annual Christmas by Candlelight is set for 5:30 p.m. Dec. 12 on Bernice Street in Morgan City. Residents of Bernice Street have decorated their homes and will light luminaries along the roadway to celebrate the beginning of the holiday season.
The Houma-Terrebonne Community Band will hold its annual Christmas Concert at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 12 in J.C. Penney Court inside Southland Mall in Houma. Admission is free and open to the public.
The St. Mary Arts and Humanities Council presents "Nutcracker La Louisianne" at 3 and 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Morgan City Municipal Auditorium, 705 Myrtle St.
A free Christmas Dinner for Terrebonne Parish seniors and citizens in need is set for 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 20 at the East Houma Bingo Hall, 425 Grand Caillou Road, Houma. The meal is sponsored by the Krewe of Hercules, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office, Terrebonne Parish District Attorney's Office and the Terrebonne Council on Aging. For information, call 868-8411.
The United Houma Nation Banquet, "Christmas avec les Indiens," is set for 6 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Houma Municipal Auditorium, 880 Verret St., Houma. Music by Reaux Sham Baux. Admission is $8 for ages 13 and up, $5 for ages 12 and under. No alcohol permitted. For information, call 772-1621 or 226-7664.
The Tuneweavers Christmas Concert featuring traditional Christmas music is set for 2 p.m. Dec. 21 at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 3217 2nd St., Berwick. Admission is free.
The South Lafourche Public Library, 16241 E. Main St., Cut Off, is looking for personal collections to display at the library, such as collections of Coca-Cola memorabilia or dolls. The library is seeking collections of small collectible items � both old and new � for display. All collections will be housed in locked display cases. If you have a collection you think others might want to see, call branch librarian Helen Brunet at 632-7140 or visit the library to discuss your collection with her.
Houma-based South Louisiana Center for the Arts is offering a Glee Club program, a choral music group for ages 6 to 16, with an emphasis on contemporary music. The club is named after the Fox television show "Glee." The glee club is accepting new members. Registration fees are $15. Members also buy a $10 Glee Club T-shirt. For information, call SoLa Center for the Arts at 876-2222.
Houma-based South Louisiana Center for the Arts is now offering a class for mothers and young children called "Mommie, Music, and Me." The class includes music and activities for very young children. For information, call SoLa Center for the Arts at 876-2222.
Talking globes to help people with learning disabilities and visual impairment, including blindness, will soon be available at the Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library, 314 St. Mary St., Thibodaux; the Lockport Public Library, 720 Crescent Ave.; and the South Lafourche Public Library, 16241 E. Main St., Cut Off. The globes were donated in recognition of National Disability Employee Awareness Month by the Lafourche Mayors' Committee, a group that works to increase awareness, provide support and advocate for people with disabilities. People without disabilities can also benefit from the globes.
Children ages 5 to 11 can receive free books on their birthdays as part of a new program at the Martha Sowell Utley Memorial Library, 314 St. Mary St., Thibodaux. The library received a $5,000 grant from Entergy to encourage children to read on their birthdays. Children who register their birthdays with library staff can return on their birthdays to pick up a free Newberry or Caldecott award-winning children's book. To register, children must have a valid library card.
The United Houma Nation will hold Tribal Council meetings at 10 a.m. Jan. 9 at the United Houma Nation's main office, 20986 La. 1, Golden Meadow. For information, call Charlene M. Soares at 537-8867 or e-mail [email protected].
On exhibit through Dec. 31: Handmade quilts by local artist Ann Hitt at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma.
On exhibit through Dec. 31: Thibodaux resident Emile Hebert's Panhandle Pete collection at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma. The collection includes Western paraphernalia of the Old West and Hollywood West, including an array of model antique and western guns.
On exhibit through Jan. 9: "Clementine Hunter: Plantation Life," a collection of more than 60 paintings and other objects decorated by Clementine Hunter, in the Louisiana State Museum at 118 Cotten Road (U.S. 90) in Kemper Williams Park in Patterson. The exhibit, one of the largest of Hunter's work in recent years, presents her intimate views of plantation life. Hunter was born in December 1886 in the Cane River region of Natchitoches Parish. From 1900 until her death in 1988, she lived at Melrose Plantation. The owners, John and Carmelita Henry, were passionate supporters of art and literature and encouraged Hunter to pursue her creative ability. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. For information, call 399-1268.
On exhibit through Feb. 13: "Of People and Places: Contemporary Art from the JP Morgan Chase Art Collection," an exhibit of 40 works, at the LSU Museum of Art, 100 Lafayette St., Baton Rouge. For information, visit www.lsumoa.com.
The 2010 Independence Day Events Planning Group, sponsored by the Regional Military Museum in Houma, begins meeting at 4 p.m. the third Thursday of each month in the boardroom on the second floor of the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma. All are welcome to help in planning for next year's Fourth of July festivities in Houma. Call the Regional Military Museum at 873-8200.
The Divorce/Separation Recovery Group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month, including Nov. 11, at the St. Bridget Church Annex Building, 2076 W. Main St., Schriever.
H.E.L.P. Corp. holds its general meetings at 6:30 p.m. the last Tuesday of each month at The City Club, 7861 Main St., Houma. This month's guest speaker is Alex Burke. For information, visit HELPcorp.org or call Kelli McNamara at 879-4485.
The Military Round Table Discussion Group sponsored by the Regional Military Museum meets at 5 p.m. the third Tuesday of the month at the Terrebonne Parish Main Library, 151 Library Drive, Houma. The event is free and open to the public. For information, call 873-8200. | 2019-04-19T17:04:39Z | https://www.dailycomet.com/entertainment/20091117/community-calendar |
Week 10 Lineup Ranks: Get Smarter!
Peyton Manning: He has completed 48 passes the week following a showdown with Tom Brady over the last two years, eight of which resulted in six points.
Aaron Rodgers: His last two games against the Bears (excluding 2013, a season in which he was injured in one game and just returning from a 1.5 month absence in the other) he has completed 83.3 percent of his passes for 593 yards, seven touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
Ben Roethlisberger: Since Week 3, he has fired 21 touchdowns while throwing just one interception. During that span, the Jets have intercepted just one pass and allowed 19 touchdown tosses.
Jay Cutler: He has entered Lambeau Field as a Bear three times in his career, totaling 571 passing yards while completing 48 percent of his passes for two touchdowns and 10 interceptions.
Drew Brees: He has averaged 331.2 passing yards (13.9 yards per completion) in his last five home games on extended rest. His 18 touchdowns and zero interceptions over that span aren’t too bad either.
Matthew Stafford: Just twice have the Dolphins allowed a quarterback to record multiple pass touchdowns in a game this season, and those two QBs combined for an underwhelming 450 passing yards.
Carson Palmer: Has thrown multiple touchdown passes in all five games this year and seven of his last eight November contests.
Colin Kaepernick: He has not had a 40-yard completion or a 10-yard rush in three of his last four games.
Joe Flacco: It may not be a huge sample size, but in four games against non-divisional opponents this season, he is completing 66 percent of his passes for 282 yards per game (13.9 yards per completion) with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions.
Cam Newton: Was on pace to obliterate his career-best completion percentage through two weeks, but has completed just 54 percent since then. His passing yardage total has increased just twice all season long.
Russell Wilson: What wins Fantasy matchups weeks and what wins the Seahawks matchups are two very different things. Despite his completion percentage rising by 5.6 percent, Wilson is averaging 6.7 percent fewer yards per pass attempt in wins than losses. They’ve also won back-to-back games with Wilson accounting for one score after losing a game to the Rams in which he reached paydirt three times.
Tony Romo: He is a good bet to play this weekend in London, but are the Jags as good a matchup as they sound? Well, they have given up a league-high 38 pass plays of at least 20 yards, but they also rank third in total sacks and are the second most run on defense in football. The deep ball hasn’t exactly been Romo’s forte this season (fewer 20-plus yards completions than the embattled Kirk Cousins and the “dink-and-dunk” Tom Brady) and he is averaging a mere 27.2 pass attempts in regulation victories this season.
Matt Ryan: He killed the Buccaneers on Thursday Night Football earlier this season, so he must be a lock to dominate this week, right? Well, over the last five seasons, Ryan has as many games with more touchdown passes than interceptions in Tampa Bay as you do (interestingly enough, he’s accounted for 10 passing scores and 0 interceptions at home against the Bucs over that stretch).
Ryan Tannehill: He has managed at least 240 passing yards, multiple passing touchdowns, and 45 rushing yards (including a single run of at least 20 yards) in three of his last four games.
Andy Dalton: Gun shy? He is completing just 51 percent of his passes following a multi-interception game since the beginning of last season.
Blake Bortles: His passing yardage and touchdown-to-interception ratio have improved in back-to-back weeks, not a bad trajectory considering that only two defenses have allowed more passing yards and a higher completion percentage against than the Cowboys.
Kyle Orton: The Chiefs are looking for a sweep of the AFC East (currently 3-0, outscoring the opponent by an average of 20 points) and have been limiting quarterbacks along the way to just 5.96 yards per pass attempt.
Alex Smith: He has nine touchdowns and zero interception to go along with a 74.8 completion rate in Kansas City’s five victories this season.
Josh McCown: Completed 67.9 percent of his passes in home games prior to being injured. Vincent Jackson (8 catches on 16 targets for 87 yards) and Mike Evans (9 catches on 14 targets for 86 yards) were essentially the exact same player in those two contests.
Derek Carr: Well, at least there is volume here: his 95 pass attempts over the last two weeks ranks second to none.
Eli Manning: His pass attempt total was greater than his completion percentage last week against a Colts defense that was licking their wounds from Ben Roethlisberger lighting them up for 522 yards and six touchdowns.
Brian Hoyer: It hasn’t always been pretty, but he is averaging 10.13 yards per pass attempt and has yet to through an interception this season in three divisional games.
Mark Sanchez: Nick Foles had completed a pass of at least 50 yards in eight of his last 16 regular season games.In Sanchez’s 2011 breakout campaign (can we even call it that?) the deep ball (passes thrown at least 20 yards down the field) was not in his repertoire. He tallied fewer yards on such passes than Tim Tebow (yea, that Tim Tebow) and completed a lower percentage of his bombs than Tavaris Jackson and Rex Grossman.
Michael Vick: His value last week was enhanced a bit from a 75 percent completion rate. The starting quarterback’s completion percentage against the Steelers at home has dropped with each passing week this season.
DeMarco Murray: He is averaging 4.08 yards per carry against the NFC West and 5.67 against the rest of the NFL.
Marshawn Lynch: He may not get much love for his explosive nature, but Beast Mode has quietly recorded a 25 yard rush OR a ten-plus yard reception AND a ten-plus yard rush in all eight games this season (did so just six times all of last season).
Demaryius Thomas: What exactly is the downside here? He’s tallied at least 17.2 PPR points in six of the last seven weeks, averaging 22.7 PPR points over that stretch.
LeSean McCoy: He has touched the ball at least 24 times in four straight contests, but he has not scored once. He had four 24-plus touch games with zero TDs all of last season. Trust the volume and the skill, the Fantasy production will follow.
Matt Forte: Since the beginning of last season, he is averaging 169 total yards and 1.33 touchdowns against the Packers, including a 28.9 PPR point performance following Chicago’s 2013 bye.
Antonio Brown: Running out of things to say about this guy. He has notched 114 catches for 1,690 yards and 13 touchdowns over his last 16 games.
Brandon Marshall: He is averaging just 4.15 receiving yards per target over his last two games, only 52.2 percent of his total from a year ago. The target count over that stretch has remained constant … be patient.
Jordy Nelson: Who does Rodgers trust when he needs a big play? Well, 60 percent of Nelson’s receptions this year have come when the Packers trail, a high rate when you consider that Green Bay owns a 5-3 record.
Julio Jones: Fun fact: while it is accepted that Matty Ice and this passing game struggles on the road, two-thirds of Jones’ touchdowns have come away from Atlanta over the past 2.5 seasons. Another fun fact? His real first name is Quintorres.
Le’Veon Bell: Did you know that he has run more pass routes than Mike Wallace this season? Or that he has caught more balls despite running 66 fewer routes than Jeremy Maclin? Yes, I think you can overlook a Week 9 performance with 10 carries and just 20 yards.
Jamaal Charles: He has scored a touchdown and recorded multiple catches in 16 of his last 21 games, including three straight.
Andre Ellington: For the first time since Week 2, he averaged more than 3.68 yards per carry last Sunday against a Dallas defense that ranks ahead of this week’s opponent (St. Louis) is all rushing metrics.
Calvin Johnson: Each team’s top wide receiver facing the Dolphins has been targeted at least nine times and an average of 11.3 times in games over the last month.
Randall Cobb: Five consecutive divisional wins with a touchdown when Aaron Rodgers is under center.
Dez Bryant: Has scored a touchdown or been targeted 10 times in eight straight and 14 of his last 15.
Alshon Jeffery: Nine different pass-catchers over their last three games have recorded at least one reception of 20-plus yards against the Packers and Jeffery has a 20-plus yard catch in 11 of his last 13 games.
Jeremy Maclin: Remember when he was an emerging star in 2012? He had seven touchdowns and zero receptions of at least 50 yards that year … he already has eight and four this season! The loss of Nick Foles is going to hurt him long-term, but it may not this week, as the Panthers rank below league average in pass rush and grade out as the third worst secondary in pass coverage.
Justin Forsett: Lorenzo Taliferro lost a costly fumble and Bernard Pierce recorded one look (targets-plus-carries) while Forsett led the team in receiving yards and was second in receptions/targets. There aren’t 10 backs in the league with as high a projected touch percentage as Forsett from this point forward, not a bad outlook when you consider that the Titans have allowed four versatile running backs to combine for six touchdowns this season.
Kelvin Benjamin: The rookie has scored in all four of his road games, a nice trend considering that the Eagles have not only allowed the opposing WR1 to lead his team in receiving yards, but also average seven catches for 95 yards and one touchdown in their last three home games.
Mark Ingram: We think of home field advantage as a big-plus for the Saints’ aerial attack, but it’s worth noting that their lead back is averaging 6.4 yards per carry in New Orleans since the beginning of last season. He is also averaging 117 yards and has scored seven touchdowns in games that he has recorded at least 14 touches over that span.
A.J. Green: Remember when another elite pass-catcher was coming back slowly from an injury, one that is his quarterback’s unquestioned top option? Rob Gronkowski saw a low snap count in the beginning, but was targeted in the red zone until he felt comfortable expanding his workload. Well, Green found paydirt in his first game back while playing in roughly 55 percent of the snaps he normally does.
Jeremy Hill: Why start Bernard if you’re the Bengals in this one? Hill looked great last week against a statistically better run defense in Jacksonville and gets a Browns defense that has given up 333 total yards to starting running backs over the last three weeks. That total isn’t overwhelming, but it has come against Denard Robinson, Darren McFadden, and Bobby Rainey.
Sammy Watkins: His aDOT (average depth of target) over the last four games is 18 percent greater than the first four games. The big play upside is nice, but a bit dangerous against a defense that is allowing fewer than 2.5 pass plays per game of at least 20 yards.
Mike Evans: Very quietly is averaging more targets per game than Randall Cobb. Despite having his bye, no receiver has a higher aDOT and more touchdowns since Week 4. He has opened his season (and career) with seven straight games of at least four receptions … matching the career best of one Calvin Johnson when it comes to beginning a campaign.
Ronnie Hillman: Four straight games with at least 115 total yards or multiple touchdowns, twice as many as Montee Ball (groin) has in his career.
Emmanuel Sanders: At least 100 yards receiving in five different games this season, the same number of games that the Packers have had a receiver reach triple-digits.
Denard Robinson: Not one running back in football has at least as many rushing touchdowns and rushing yards over the last three weeks. The opponents’ starting running back has totaled 44 touches for 219 yards and two scores against the Cowboys over the last two weeks.
Eddie Lacy: Subtract a game against the Dolphins in which Aaron Rodgers, James Starks, and John Kuhn combined for 19 carries, and Lacy is averaging 5.8 yards per carry and nearly five catches over his last three. The volume of carries may not be what it once was, but there are signs of life that should be taken seriously as the weather begins to turn.
Allen Robinson: Emmanuel Sanders and Jeremy Maclin are the only two more heavily targeted receivers with equal or fewer dropped passes this season.
Steve Smith Sr.: Has scored three touchdowns in his four home games this season, hauling in a pass of at least 49 yards on three separate occasions.
Steven Jackson: He recorded a season-high 18 carries in Week 8 despite facing an elite run defense. Over the past two seasons, the veteran has scored nine of his 10 rushing touchdowns in the second half of the season.
Marques Colston: Oddly enough, his snap percentage is trending upward in home games and downward in road games. He has also burned San Francisco for at least 13 PPR points in each of the last two meeting in New Orleans.
Golden Tate: Andre Holmes and Randall Cobb are the only WR2 to score against Miami this season. They boast an average size of 6’2” 201 pounds, not all that different than Tate’s 5’10” 195 pound frame.
Larry Fitzgerald: At least one 20 yard reception in five of his last six games and a 20 yard reception or a touchdown in seven straight home games. The Rams have allowed nearly 14 percent of completed passes go for at least 20 yards, including four different pass catches over the last two weeks against two of the least threatening down-the-field offenses in Kansas City and San Francisco (a total of two 40-plus yard pass plays this season).
Bobby Rainey: The Buccaneers may not want him to win the job, but they can’t deny their most productive back. With Doug Martin battling an ankle injury and Charles Sims still waiting in the wings, Rainey’s versatile skill set has thrived with volume (6.1 yards per touch in games with double digit touches).
Rueben Randle: There are four receivers averaging more targets per game and a higher aDOT since Week 3 than Randle, maybe you’ve heard of them: Jeremy Maclin, Julio Jones, Vincent Jackson, and Emmanuel Sanders.
Joique Bell: Detroit running backs have totaled 255 yards on 47 carries the last two seasons following the bye.
Percy Harvin: He has been looked at (targets in the passing game plus rushing attempts) 27 times in his two games as a member of the Jets (26 in his final month in Seattle). Harvin is averaging a shade under 20 PPR points following a 100 yard receiving effort.
Mike Wallace: Inner DeSean Jackson? His aDOT over the last two weeks is 23.6, a trend that has resulted in him catching just five of 15 balls thrown his direction by a quarterback who is playing well. He also has failed to score in back-to-back games and has yet to top the 81 receiving yards he had on opening day.
Eric Decker: He battled a hamstring injury early in the season, but since regaining health in Week 4, only Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and Antonio Brown have more targets and more touchdowns.
Anquan Boldin: He has led his team in receiving yards or targets in five straight games.
Roddy White: Not only did his first career DNP come against the Buccaneers, he has managed just 135 receiving yards against this franchise over the last 2.5 seasons.
Frank Gore: He has struggled of late (118 total yards in the last three weeks after back-to-back triple digit rushing efforts), but how much of that is the opponent? In games not against the Rams or Top 5 run defenses (in terms of yard per carry), the veteran is averaging 5.0 yards per carry.
Terrance West: The Browns rank in the top half of the league in run-blocking while the Bengals rank as a Bottom 5 defense in all metrics when it comes to defending the run. West has 100 rushing yards or a touchdown in all four games this season when he has been trusted with at least 10 touches.
Vincent Jackson: The inaccuracy of Buccaneer quarterbacks is destroying the veteran receiver’s typically consistent Fantasy production. He has caught 50 percent of fewer of the balls thrown his way six times this season, resulting in him having 22 fewer catches than Julian Edelman despite the same number of targets.
Odell Beckham Jr.: 2. That is the number of offensive plays (out of 145) the Giants have run over the last two weeks with ODB on the sideline.
Brandin Cooks: Owns the lowest aDOT of any player with at least 33 catches this season, a valuable role to possess against the defense that has allowed the fewest 20-yard pass plays and ranks third in yards allowed per pass attempt.
Martavis Bryant: I’m selling high on him … but maybe after this week. No defense in the league allows quarterbacks to record a higher rating than the Jets and, if you haven’t noticed, a red hot Ben Roethlisberger has helped Bryant have strong value.
Chris Ivory: He was on the field for a season-low 24.3 percent of the offensive snaps last week, but he should still be considered the short-yardage option in a very limited Jets’ offense. It’s possible the volume of attempts varies from week-to-week, but the goal line duty is what I’m targeting in Week 10 as only the Saints have allowed more rushing touchdowns on fewer carries.
Michael Crabtree: Despite his size, Crabtree continues to be used more as a short-yardage receiver, as his aDOT (8.3) once again reflects the Niners lack of trust down the field. That normally wouldn’t be an issue, but he plays alongside a receiver who is better at that in Anquan Boldin.
Andre Holmes: He is averaging 69 yards per game and has scored three of his four touchdowns at home this season (69 yards is his best road game this year).
Justin Hunter: Impossible to love him in any one game, but he is the Titans’ clear deep threat (his aDOT is 29.3 percent higher than any teammate) and the Ravens have given up the fourth most pass plays over 20 yards.
Dwayne Bowe: It blows my mind that no Chiefs WR has scored this season, but Bowe has the best chance, as he has caught at least five balls in three straight games, his longest streak since Weeks 2-5 in 2012.
Bishop Sankey: With 56.6 percent of his touches this season coming in his last three games, there is volume potential here, but even a heavy workload may not be enough to put him in anything but a desperate lineup, as the Ravens have allowed 166 yards over the last two weeks on 59 carries (2.8 yards per carry). The rookie is talented, but Le’Veon Bell and Giovani Bernard were shut down over those last two weeks, two players that are in another stratosphere in terms of ability at this point.
Andrew Hawkins: A risky play as he battles a few nagging injuries, plays on Thursday night, and has seen only one increase in target total all season long.
Mohamed Sanu: For the fourth consecutive week, his snap percentage dropped. His Fantasy owners have been bailed out, however, as he has caught a pass of at least 30 yards in five straight. That is a dangerous way to live with A.J. Green back and Andy Dalton ranking as the 21st most accurate deep ball thrower this season.
Lamar Miller: Five touchdowns in his last five games after scoring three times in his first 32 games.
Torrey Smith: He has found the endzone in three straight games in which he has recorded a target, but the downside is still steep, as he has as many games with 10 or fewer yards as he does games with more than 55 yards.
Terrance Williams: He has totaled just seven catches in his last four games that were not played on extended rest.
Darren McFadden: He has touched the ball 123 times this season but has just two plays of more than 17 yards (for reference, Blake Bortles has two carries of over 20 yards this season).
Jimmy Graham: His snap count rose for a third consecutive week. He managed to finish Week 9 as the third highest scoring tight end despite playing well below his normal snap percentage and opposing a defense that ranks above average in limiting tight end Fantasy production.
Martellus Bennett: His PPR Fantasy production has increased when having extended rest in all three instances since last season (he recorded 22.4 points in his last game with plus rest).
Greg Olsen: He is averaging 6.5 catches for 78 yards in the six games in which the Panthers have scored at least 17 points: the Eagles have allowed at least 17 points in seven of eight games this season.
Julius Thomas: Is he Vernon Davis? That’s not a bad thing, but he seems to be assuming a touchdown dependant niche (22.7 percent of his catches over the last 1.5 seasons), a role that comes with far greater downside than a player considered elite should have.
Delanie Walker: No Titan has led the team in receiving yardage more often than Walker this season, a positive trend when you consider that the leader in receiving yards has averaged 106.2 yards and scored three times in the last five games against the Ravens.
Vernon Davis: Rob Gronkowski totaled 25.5 PPR points last week. Another way to phrase that: “Rob Gronkowski totaled 1.8 more PPR points last week than Vernon Davis has since Week 3”.
Jason Witten: At least five targets and a 20-yard reception in four of his last five.
Owen Daniels: Returned to the field in Week 9 and ran the second most routes of the season, a role that resulted in his second consecutive six-catch performance.
Larry Donnell: Averaging 16.9 PPR points in games in which he is targeted at least three times.
Zach Ertz: Only the elite Jimmy Graham has been able to hurt this Panthers defense from the TE position. Ertz isn’t Graham and he hasn’t had more than 48 yards since Week 2.
Mychal Rivera: As mentioned, it is quantity not quality in Oakland these days. Rivera is tied with Gronkowski for the TE lead in targets over the last two weeks (19) and ranks behind only Gronk in receptions (15) and touchdowns (2).
Travis Kelce: Well defined role fits offense well: his 5.8 aDOT indicates that he is not running far down field, but Alex Smith (lowest aDOT among qualified quarterbacks) doesn’t need a gunner.
Scott Chandler: It hasn’t been exciting, but he averaged 9.4 PPR points per game in October.
Charles Clay: He was a targets play last year (six-plus targets in 13 games last season) and had eight on Sunday while running more routes than he did in any October game.
Heath Miller: Remember his 7-112-1 stat line against the Colts or his 10-85-1 against the Bucs? Try to forget it. He has just 18 catches for 204 yards and 0 touchdowns in the other seven games this season.
Eric Ebron: Only six tight ends have more catches and a higher aDOT than the Lions rookie. | 2019-04-18T21:49:30Z | https://www.sportsgrid.com/real-sports/nfl/week-10-flex-ranks-get-smarter/ |
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Faire le ménage régulièrement peut parfois nous sembler casse-pied et pas une priorité mais laisser la saleté s’accumuler dénature peu à peu l’esthétisme de sa déco et nous dévalorise intérieurement. Cela nous conforte dans un schéma de procrastination qui accentue le manque de confiance en soi. Veillez à garder vos affaires propres et rangées, comme si vous veillez à votre propre santé. Prêtez une attention particulière à vos vitres qui laissent entrer la lumière naturelle et participent à l’esthétisme générale de votre intérieur. N’oubliez pas de nettoyer de temps en temps vos radiateurs, poignées de portes, prises et interrupteurs.
Prendre le temps de bien organiser son chez soi permet souvent de gagner de l’espace, du temps et d’éviter les pertes d’objets. En créant plusieurs espaces de rangement en fonction des thématiques différentes (vêtements, produits de beautés, papiers, produits ménagers, accessoires, divers, etc…), vous saurez exactement où trouver n’importe quel objet même si vous êtes de nature désorganisée. Pensez à aménager chaque espace de rangement en fonction des objets qu’il reçoit. Par exemple, ajouter si nécessaire des étagères pour optimiser l’espace et gagner en rangement.
Différenciez par les couleurs, les matériaux, les volumes, la luminosité, les espaces différents de votre habitat en fonction de chaque utilité. Ainsi, les pièces telles que le salon et la salle à manger, dits « espaces de jour », seront plus dynamiques visuellement que les « espaces de nuit » comme les chambres et la salle de bain. Vous pouvez également jouer avec les contrastes pour mettre en valeur des éléments importants dans votre espace. Comme par exemple une commode de valeur en bois ancien sur un fond de matériaux aux couleurs neutres.
De nombreuses études ont prouvés que les plantes d’intérieur ont un impact considérable sur notre bien-être et permettent d’améliorer l’état psychologique des habitants. Les contempler nous relaxe et nous encourage en créant un environnement paisible. Cela a donc pour effet premier perceptible de réduire notre stress. Il a aussi été prouvé qu’elles augmentent notre niveau de concentration, de compréhension et qu’elles diminuent les sentiments négatifs comme la colère ou la peur.
Aussi, privilégiez une même thématique sur l’ensemble de votre habitat permettra de créer une unité cohérente et harmonieuse. Cela vous permettra également de donner du cachet à votre habitat en renforçant votre singularité et votre personnalité par le choix assumé d’une thématique qui vous est propre. Les nuances pourront alors être créées au sein de cette même thématique en modifiant légèrement les harmonies de couleurs par exemple.
Les éclairages peuvent être de type technique lorsque cela nous permet d’effectuer une tâche (exemple : lire un bouquin) ou d’ambiance lorsque qu’ils n’ont pas d’utilité première mais participent à notre bien-être en créant une harmonie lumineuse.
Les éclairages d’ambiance ne sont donc pas à bannir car ils peuvent avoir un impact fort sur notre mental, notamment dans le cas d’une ambiance intime et apaisante. Vous l’avez donc compris, l’intensité de l’éclairage influe sur notre bien-être. Veillez donc à respecter pour chaque espace l’intensité lumineuse adéquate afin de créer des conditionnements adaptés à la fonction de chaque espace : repos ou éveil du mental.
Afin de personnaliser au mieux sa décoration en fonction des changements d’humeur, de goût, de saison, etc…, la méthode la plus simple consiste à créer une base de couleur neutre au niveau des revêtements et des meubles (toujours dans une tonalité générale harmonieuse) et d’agrémenter sa décoration d’accessoires de couleur. Ainsi le changement des coussins, des tableaux, des rideaux et des objets de décoration peuvent vous permettre de modifier simplement la tonalité d’une pièce tout en conservant son ambiance et son harmonie principale.
La lumière naturelle doit toujours être privilégiée par rapport aux lumières artificielles qui n’ont pour but que de prendre le relais lorsque cette dernière vient à disparaître en fin de journée. diffuseur huile essentielle nature et découverte donc à ne pas obstruer cette lumière par des rideaux trop opaques ou des objets encombrants les fenêtres. Veillez également à nettoyer régulièrement vos fenêtres car cela a un impact conséquent sur votre luminosité intérieure générale.
En générale, on néglige trop souvent le pouvoir de nos sens sur l’impact de notre mental. Mais le sens du toucher a également, bien-entendu, son impact sur le bien-être dans l’habitat. Privilégiez ainsi les matières chaudes et douces, tels que les textiles épais et bois tendres, aux espaces dédiés à l’apaisement comme les espaces de nuit. Stickers muraux pour chambre enfant matières un peu plus froides et dures, tels que les métaux et pierres, seront réservés aux espaces de jour nécessitant éveil et concentration de l’esprit.
Dans une même approche, veuillez également à désencombrer visuellement vos espaces en privilégiant par exemple l’achat d’un gros meuble de rangement à l’accumulation de petits meubles différents. Pensez à regrouper par utilité précise et unifiez si possible l’ensemble de votre mobilier afin de désencombrer le regard à cause d’une accumulation de détails. Les petits espaces gagneront alors visuellement en superficie et les grands espaces en simplicité et en cohérence.
Le choix du mobilier est important pour améliorer son confort. Ne négligez pas le choix du canapé, du matelas et des chaises, par exemple. Veillez à ce que leurs dimensions soient ergonomiques, c’est-à-dire adaptées au mieux aux mesures de l’homme et de ses mouvements. Les différentes mesures et matériaux doivent s’adapter aux différentes postures du corps définis dans chaque espace, afin d’éviter fatigue, douleurs musculaires et articulaires.
L’isolation globale de votre habitat aura aussi pour bénéfice une diminution des déperditions thermiques, et donc une meilleure gestion de votre confort thermique. Vous pouvez aussi ajouter un chauffage d’appoint en hiver tel qu’un radiateur électrique. Mais pensez à homogénéiser la chaleur dans tout l’habitat afin d’éviter les courant d’air et les sensations de chaud/froid. La température idéale se situe entre 18° et 20°C afin d’éviter les sensations d’inconfort tel que la crispation ou la transpiration par le froid et le développement de maladie et de bactérie par le chaud.
Ainsi, une mauvaise isolation phonique entraîne la propagation des bruits provenant de l’extérieur et de l’intérieur de l’habitat. Cela peut causer à long terme des maux de têtes, abrutissements et stress. Augmentez, si possible, l’isolation de vos cloisons, planchers, fenêtres. Ou privilégiez des matériaux absorbants, c’est-à-dire les matériaux “moelleux” (tapis, rideaux, tableaux phoniques, bois tendres, etc…) pour votre l’aménagement. Attention cependant à ne pas confondre isolation acoustique et isolation thermique, qui sont souvent gérer différemment.
De plus, une mauvaise isolation thermique pourra aussi avoir comme conséquence une mauvaise circulation de l’air, entraînant l’accumulation d’humidité. La bonne gestion des systèmes de ventilation est également un élément important. Le taux d’humidité intérieur doit être compris entre 40% et 60% et être homogène dans tout l’habitat afin d’éviter les maladies, moisissures, allergies et douleurs articulaires. Aérez régulièrement votre habitat et vérifiez que les buses d’aérations, généralement situées en-haut des fenêtres, fonctionnent correctement.
Souvent négligé, celui-ci a pourtant un fort impact sur notre mental et notre inconscient. Certaines odeurs stimulent notre cerveaux alors que d’autres l’apaisent. Vous pouvez donc jouer sur les parfums d’intérieur, de manière discrète et en petite quantité, afin d’accentuer les contrastes des différents espaces de votre habitat. Les mauvaises odeurs doivent être éliminées de la manière la plus naturelle possible par une ventilation adéquate afin d’éviter l’utilisation de produits toxiques pour l’homme.
Après une dure journée de travail ou pendant une période un peu sensible, il est très important de pouvoir se ressourcer chez soi. Ce sentiment de ressourcement est indéniablement lié au bien-être que l’on ressent à passer du temps chez soi, mais aussi au sommeil qui doit être réparateur afin de recharger ses batteries convenablement. Veillez donc à faire de votre chambre un espace harmonieux propice à l’apaisement de l’esprit. Vous pouvez aussi créer à votre guise d’autres petits espaces dans votre habitat en fonctions de vos habitudes et goûts. Par exemple, créez une magnifique bibliothèque si cela est pour vous un excellent moyen de vous ressourcer et que vous aimez y passer du temps.
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For best results, ask a shoe store's associate to measure your foot. This measurement will help ensure that you get the correct size shoe when purchasing new shoes. You can also use this information to find out if you require a narrow or wide shoes. Many people do not realize how important this information is when buying shoes.
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Inspired by Westcliff's little Twix-eating contest when we were down there the other month, I'd like to do something similar on Wednesday. Ideally what I want to do is have several similar "games", all of which would be England vs Canada in some sort of way.
A (non-alcoholic for U18s) "boat race"
Basic criteria should be that they should be fun, amusing for spectators to watch, competitive, require no specific skill, if possible involving several people from each team, and have a potential for mild embarrasment for those taking part.
The official, limited edition, tour programme is now available from Mike Alcock. Only £2 buys you a unique full-colour guide to the tour.
Not only that but it is also a perfect souviener of the "historic" 2006/7 season. Something to keep forever and look back on, boring your children to tears with tales of "when I was your age we used to do proper, healthy, outdoor things"
Or "look at this - can you guess which one is me? No dear - that's one of the coaches...".
Or maybe "there I am - standing next to her. Of course that were years before she were famous/ infamous/ convicted for a major international banking fraud [delete as applicable]"
So buy one on Sunday - you'll never regret it!
I want everyone's views on this (including our many "visitors"). Should we take averts on this blog?
Google - who run the service on which it is based - offer a service whereby "relevent " adverts appear on the blog (in a descrete column or banner - no pop-ups), and from which we would derive some sort of income via click-through.
We can also put in specific ads of our own.
Now on the plus side this means money. Not much, but something. On the downside it means clutter and a lack of direct control over what is actually advertised (rugby- and sport-related links will dominate I expect, but I'd be slightly worried about what the advert engine might produce if it picked up on combinations of words like "girls" and "mud". For example).
Training at Letchworth for non-Regional people at 10.00 (U17s) and 10.30 (U14s).
I'll be picking up sleeping bags at c10.00 (before 10.30 anyway) if that is possible as I have leave to get Nim and layley up to Ely at 10.30.
This is kinda fun. Well, in a very geeky sort of way maybe. Basically I've just discovered that one of the sites that tracks this blog records the search terms that people have used in search engines to find us.
Of just over 12,000 hits about 1,800 have come via search engines, with 371 different search terms being used to find us, some of which are a bit bizarre (various combinations of "girls" and "mud" feature occasionally, for example). There are, however, some runaway winners in the search term popularity stakes - "Letchworth girls rugby", "Letchworth girls blogger", and "Letchworth rugby girls" accounting for about a third of all "hits" between them.
Even if you add up all the varients of "sasha" you only get barely half that (134 in fact).
Our other popular people on search engines (if you combine variations of search term) are Fern (85), Rachel (58), Randy (19), Jess (8), Joe (7), and Nim (6). Emily, Nichola, Hayley G, Katie, Nikki, Laura, Hayley A, and Carla have also featured in search terms at one time or another.
National Cup: U17 photos now available.
We know you really want to get out there on the pitch and show your daughters how to REALLY play the game!
Well - now you could have the chance! Ann-Marie Sand - captain of Barnet Elizabethans Women’s Rugby Club - is interested in promoting Women’s Touch Rugby this summer.
It is planned to hold an pilot event at Barnet Elizabethans on Sunday 17th June to be (if successful) followed by further events in July, August and September 2007 (with an eye of the men's Rugby World Cup in September and October 2007).
The festival would be run with groups of 4-5 teams playing games 7-10 minutes each way with a social activity to follow the event.
I E Weldon have published their full programme for their short (but packed!) tour of England (well, Hertfordshire really) next week.
Yes - that is NEXT WEEK so I'll be asking for those sleeping bags by Sunday, or ideally by this Wednesday.
Anyway - they will be getting on a coach next Monday at 5pm (10pm our time - so spare a thought for them before you sleep), will arrive at Gatwick about 12 hours later, and at Wymondley about 2-3 hours after that.
Following day is our "festival", after which they have a day in London before leaving Wymondley on Friday morning.
On Friday afternoon they play Welwyn (3pm if anyone wants to go and watch/support them) and on Saturday they play Hertford (3.30pm), before leaving for home on Monday.
I think the Alcocks have already said they'd show the visitors the sights of Letchworth, but if we could have a few more of you that would be a help. We can either walk them into town via the Greenway/Willian/Muddy Lane or - if there are sufficient parents and its raining - drive them in.
Let's guess a departure from Wymondley of about 5pm - so ideas for where to take them please. Game of touch in the Town Square? Or down to the new chippy for a battered mars bar? If it is raining swimming might be an option. What would interest you?
For those playing - or planning to go and watch - the U17 festival at Rugby School on Bank Holiday Monday the draw has been sneaked out on the RFU (but not RFUW) website (thank you Wimborne for spotting it).
Semi-finals (bowl, plate and cup) 2.15 and 2.50. Finals 3.45 and 4.15.
U14 fixtures are on the Herts blog.
News from our U14s (playing with the "Hertfordshire Barbarians") is a bit thin at the moment, but after a win in their opening fixture they lost the next two, finishing third overall. In actual fact this was an impressive performance considering that in the end they only had twelve players, thanks to illness, injury (including our own "small" Hayley's broken elbow),and so on - so those girls had to play all three games without a break. Which I gather they did - against some pretty tough opposition too.
Meanwhile "Letchbury" (or was it "Sudworth"? We really will have to agree out team names beforehand if we do this again!) U17s put in a truly "Legendary" performance at a pleasantly sunny Camberley.
Drawn first up against to play favourites Welwyn (who seemed to field a number of new faces, though Sasha said she knew a few from TDGs) our largely untried combination did extraordinarily well. Certainly it was impressive to see the first-half scrums where the Letchbury pack - many of whom do not even play county rugby - were more than match Welwyn's regional all-stars! Maybe if Joe hadn't switched the front rows at half time the result might have been narrower than the eventual 17-0 - Welwyn's second try certainly coming as a result of their pack capitalising on a now less powerful Sudworth front row. But the policy is always to play everyone fairly, and in the end even this pack was holding their multi-talented opposition - and by the players' reactions at the end of the game it was clear which team felt they had performed to their highest abilities.
Bouyed up by that - and now getting used to each other - Letchbury now took the other two-club combination "Ivelbridge" (Ivel Barbarians combined with Bridgewater), from Somerset. Very much your typical southern team with a fast back line but limited forward power, Ivelbridge had lost their opening game to Wimbourne 7-0 but came out of the blocks impressively. However the combination of Letchworth weight and Sudbury finesse really came into its own - the former stopping Ivels advance, and the latter shooting away to score. By half time Sudworth were 12-0 up, thanks to Sudbury's Jess using her "height" to sneak underneath the Ivelbridge defence and score under the posts. Well, it looked like that from the touchline because how she managed to get through other than by tunneling underneath is anyone's guess. Sasha added the extra two points, about which we will presumably hear for the next year or so.
Two more tries in the second half - including a Hayley special (scored despite her having been injured against Welwyn - thank you Iboprofen the wonder drug!) resulted in a famous 22-0 win over one of the best teams in the south-west.
News now filtered through that Welwyn had lost to Wimborne 7-5, which meant that a win over Dorset's finest would possibly see Letchbury into the final. In the end, though, Wimborne were staggeringly good and won comfortably 26-0. Sudworth could point to the smaller pitch, and could suggest that maybe if the game had come earlier and we'd been able to field a fit Hayley (who by now was asleep in the back of a car) and Stamerz it might have been different - like it might have only been about 20-0! Because Wimborne were just superb in all divisions of the game (even the forwards were pretty good, amazingly so for a southern side). Apparently many of the team are only 14 or 15, which is pretty scary!
And in the end it was also perhaps right to have a national club competition (all be it southern area final) won by the only team that seemed to come from just one club. Good luck to them in the final!
East region are now taking nominations for their third set of annual awards (listed below).
The awards are for anyone who has played or worked in women's or girls rugby in the region - not just those associated with the regional teams. And ANYONE can send in nominations.
Past winners have included Hayley (U14 player of the year 2005/6) and me (Volunteer of the Year 2006/7). Let's keep up the club's winning record!
You just need to give the persons name, club, award to be nominated for, and a few lines as to why they should win.
Awards are won by the most nominations so get voting!
COUNTY TEAM OF THE YEAR.
There is a level of "stuff" involved with the girls section that is out of all proportion to any other age group at the club because we play teams no-one else plays, in competitions no-one else enters, and under a governing body that is not the RFU. And next season it would help cover for the loss of Joe and Rachel if I had a few volunteers to help with it all.
Fixtures secretary. Could be a U18 player or parent this one. At the moment the club drafts this up to September, after which I take over. While it is good that the club are involved the girls fixtures are so radically different to everyone else's that if possible I think we should take this back "in house". The RFUW will be issuing a draft calendar with all the county and regional dates shortly, after which its a question of contacting clubs and filling in the gaps.
Basically the requirements are email, a phone, and a good deal of patience! You will need to liaise with club about home games, but as we always play in the afternoon this will rarely be a problem.
Treasurer/fund raiser. Probably a parent this one. We do not have our own funds (tours aside), but there are any number of grants out there that we could/should be applying for. If you enjoying filling in forms and have a certain degree of financial nous (ie. can add up) we really could do with your help. Again a degree of liaison with the wider club would help, but thus far the wider club has shown little interest in applying for these grants so most of the time its a question of our going it alone - and in many cases they are grants that only apply to girls as you are a "priority" group.
Team "rep". I really could do with someone to speak for each of the two teams - someone who could attend the occasional club or even county meetings so that I am not the lone voice for the girls/Letchworth at these affairs, someone speak up for their team and fight its corner. Could be a parent, could be (for the U18s) a player.
Two referee courses the new ELRAare being earmarked for women, though men (ie. Dads) can go too! There will be 50% Discount Entry Level Referee Course for women. i.e £20, and the course is open to antyone aged 16 or more.
The RFUW are subsidising women on the ELRA course as they are trying to get 200 new female refs, across the country.
The course is the standard RFU new Entry Level Referee Course and will qualify you to referee club and school games and step onto the refereeing ladder. At the end of the course it is hoped that you will join your local referee society and referee matches for men, women, girls and boys in your local community. Referee societies often have people who are prepared to act as mentors for new referees and will always allocate you to games you are comfortable covering.
Book online here - or possibly through Dave Roberts as the club might well pay.
If we can find at least 10 people all wanting to do a refs course special refs courses can be arranged.
Both the U14 and U17 National Cup semi finals will start at 1.30, with dressing rooms etc. open from 12.30. All players should bring their own refreshments, though it may be possible to buy food and drink on the day.
RFUW are hoping to be able to send officials to each venue, but this may not happen to to illness and clashes with other events.
Both U14s and U17s will face a "round-robin" tournament involving four teams with matches 15 minutes each way. The draw for the order that the games will take place will be made at around 12.30.
In both cases two hours journey time should be allowed for - though if the roads are reasonably clear it could be much less - so (for those meeting at the club) the departure time will be 11.00.
Nim debuts for region. Sky falls in.
Hopefully I'll get some pictures of this - Sasha's dad took some - but you had to be there to believe it.
East U17s took their entire squad up to Leicestershire on Sunday with virtually a different team playing each half. Hayley and Sasha played in the first half - on the wing and at flanker respectively (ie. not places they had played before this season!) and did okay - Hayley made some good tackles, had one good break, and Sasha did some Sasha-ing, which included her trademark practice of injuring her friends (in this case kicking Hayley in the head).
This all took place on a sunny, if windy, day.
Nim's turn came in the second half. After a few minutes whatever deity it is that Nim has upset noticed this and dark clouds began to gather in the west. The neighbouring hills then gradually disappeared, the wind picked up even more, and a few falkes of snow suddenly became a hailstorm that turned the ground white in a few seconds. With East now having to play into a gale force wind-driven hail the referee blew up early - and every ran for the clubhouse!
During her minutes on the field Nim did nothing wrong - but in both halves East's backs had precious little ball as posession was turned over at almost every ruck or maul so her opportunities to shine were limited. East Midlands were 19-5 up when the game ended (it has been 7-0 at half time), and probably deserved to win by at least that margin. Fern did not get ont the field for East Mids - but will therefore start in their next game against North West in Manchester on 1st April.
Nim, Hayley and Sasha have another go with a triangular against North East and Yorkshire at Ely on the same date.
The first game of the tour will now be on Saturday morning, instead of Friday evening, and will be against Liskeard-Looe RFC at Liskeard (Lux Park, Coldstyle Road, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 3HZ) in Cornwall. Kick-off 11.00.
After arriving in Exeter and unpacking we currently have nothing planned. Up to Joe this, but I suspect there will be a training session - possibly the beach one originally planned for Saturday.
Saturday afternoon now opens up a whole host of possibilities as after the game we will now have Plymouth and East Cornwall at our mercy instead of just Exeter and South Devon. Possibilities in this area are many as Emily knows the area and can give short, potted guides to most places of cultual interest. For example, the Eden Project ("lots of walking"), National Marine Aquarium ("A bit *****" ), and Plymouth's shopping centre ("Yeah, let's go shopping!").
Someone else in the back of the car also suggested relaxing on a beach somewhere. "Somewhere" other than Devon though as - before anyone thinks of packing buckets and spades - it is worth remembering that it will be mid-April and global warming hasn't improved the climate that much yet!
There is also the possibility (possibility? certainty more like!) of a visit to the Reddaways Cider Farm in Luton (that's Luton near Newton Abbot, Devon!). At least one person just over 18 thought this was a great idea but as we'll not get the coach into the village (never mind the farm) orders will be taken (from those aged 18+) by someone who has a car and can find it! £4.50 a gallon as I recall.
As you may have heard from Fern there are attempts to form a Bedfordshire county team now - ie. to "split" the East Midlands county team that ran last year (or at least see if that is feasible) - and some training has already started with this aim in mind.
But you would not believe how difficult getting any news about developments happening a dizzying two miles or less away is. I know more about the development of, and plans for, girls rugby in Cornwall or Co Durham than I do in a county that I can practically see from the bedroom window (or at least could if it "wasn't for the houses in between", as the song had it). However, by diligent digging I think I have discovered that these developments are not unrelated to East Midlands RFU's appointment of a new Rugby Development Officer (RDO) with specific responsibility for Bedfordshire.
The guy's name (well I assume its a bloke) is Sam Rouse, and if you think you qualify to play for Bedfordshire it would not do any harm to give him a ring. His office number is 01933 222218, his mobile is 07764 960389, and his email: [email protected].
Just trialling or practicing with "Bedfordshire" will not interfere with your Herts qualification, and even if it did that would only apply to this season anyway - and as there will be no more Herts games this season even that is academic, especially if you aren't in the Herts squad anyway. So if you are dual qualified you've really nothing to lose by picking up the phone. Go on - give him a ring!
Wet or dry next weekend? Check the blog!
A new service has now been added to the blog - weather forecasts!
So - will the ground still be like concrete next weekend? How cold will it be on Wednesday evening? Now you can find out.
As well as the BBC 5 day forecast there is also a 16 day weather forecast generator, provinding (with reasonable accuracy) the likely weather for not just next weekend, but the one after that. What is more, once you have checked the 16 day forecast you can also check likely weather patterns, based on past observations, over a month ahead.
Will you need t-shirts or winter woolies for Devon? Click on the link in the bar to the right to find out!
Bad news on the web awards. Not only did this blog and Nikkis site not make the shortlist today, but none of the websites put forward by rugby clubs go through - even Saracens site (which has won "proper" awards) was not selected.
Some rather... strange sites DID get shortlisted. Go here to see what the Hertfrodshire public reckon to be the best sites in the area!
Our blog is one year old today!
Yes its a year since we "broke the mold" and pioneered a whole new way of communicating between players, coaches and managers.
There hasn't been a huge rush to follow - which still surprises me a bit - There have been a few other clubs to follow our lead - but only thus far US teams, so far as I can judge. Everyone at Letchworth takes it for granted now that the information you need will always be only a mouseclick away - that ain't always the case elsewhere, you know!
But there has been a growing tidalwave of readers. By the end of today we will have had over 11,400 hits from around the world - which isn't bad, and this month looks like being the busiest ever possibly breaking 2,000 hits for the first time.
Its brought loads of complements, including from "real" writers and professional publishers (though none have yet backed it up by opening cheque books!) and the odd moment of complaint (unfortunate and something that I try to avid, but then I also want to make this informal, fun, interesting and readable - and people can sometimes read into things all sorts of sentiments that just aren't there). But overall its been a great addition to this club, and - it would seem - an unintended wider audience too.
Its also great to see that it has encouraged Nikki and Anna to launch their own sites for the U17 and U14 teams. Maybe when you go off and start playing for college, university or adult teams you can start your own blogs there too!
Major changes to regional programmes proposed.
National Sevens on the move? | 2019-04-25T12:02:40Z | http://letchworthgirls.blogspot.com/2007/03/ |
Debra will join Beacon Hill Nursery School following a seven-year tenure as Assistant Head of Chestnut Hill School, also in Massachusetts. Previously, she taught at Chestnut Hill School and directed the early childhood programs at Beaver Country Day School. Debra herself is a graduate of Beaver Country Day, and holds a BA from College of the Holy Cross, an MA from Boston College, and an MS in Early Childhood Education from Wheelock College.
Beacon Hill Nursery School’s primary mission is to nurture its students’ innate curiosity and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.
Gregory will join Belmont Hill School following an 11-year tenure as the Head of School at Berwick Academy in Maine. Prior to that appointment, he served for ten years as the Assistant Head of Rye Country Day School in New York. He has also taught and led in such schools as Hawaii Preparatory Academy and Phillips Exeter in New Hampshire. Additionally, Gregory completed an E.E. Ford NAIS Fellowship in New York in 2004. He holds an MEd from Harvard Graduate School of Education as well as a BA from Amherst College.
Belmont Hill School educates boys in mind, body, and spirit to develop men of good character. Its community encourages and challenges students to discover and pursue passions, seek excellence, and face adversity with resilience. Valuing differences and working together, the school embraces camaraderie, compassion, and service to others.
Charles Richard will assume the role of Director of Athletics at BB&N after serving as Interim Director of Athletics since February, 2017. He has also served as Associate Athletic Trainer and Associate Director of Athletics respectively. Prior to BB&N, Charles served an eight-year tenure as the Athletic Trainer for Harvard University. He has also work as Head Athletic Trainer for Belmont Hill School in Massachusetts, Event & Game Management Intern for Boston College, and continues to serve as Sole Proprietor for an orthotics fabrication business. He holds a BA and an MA from Boston College, as well as a BA in Athletic Training from Salem State University.
BB&N engages 995 boys and girls from Beginners (pre-K) through grade 12 in a rich and invigorating educational experience of the highest quality, opening their minds to new possibilities while providing outstanding preparation for the next steps of their lives. BB&N sits on three separate campuses within Cambridge, MA.
Deerfield Academy will welcome John Austin as its next Head of School in the fall of 2019. John leaves King's Academy in Jordan where he has served as Headmaster since 2010. Prior to that appointment he held a 23-year tenure at St. Andrew's School in Delaware where he served many roles including Coach, Teacher, Class Advisor, Department Chair, Associate Dean, Dean of Students and most recently Academic Dean. He has also held roles as an American Literature, Logic & Rhetoric Instructor at Columbia University and as a College Board Reader for the English Literature Advanced Placement Exam in San Antonio, Texas. A graduate of the Middlebury College Bread Loaf School of English, John holds a BA from Williams College and an MA and Ph.D from Columbia University.
Founded in 1797, Deerfield Academy is one of the premier independent schools in the country. As a co-educational boarding and day school, on a 280 acre campus in historic Deerfield, MA, Deerfield prepares talented students for highly selective colleges and lives of leadership and service. Deerfield is a school where the style, tone, and character of the Academy are shaped in large part by its traditions. The Academy’s 630 students live and learn in an atmosphere of warmth and support, which is to a great degree derived from the friendships among students and with the faculty.
Jadihel comes to Esperanza Academy after serving two years as Dean of Multicultural Education, teacher, coach and advisor at The Governors Academy in Byfield, MA. Previously, he served as the Associate Dean of Students at The Putney School in Vermont. There he also severed as an Advisor, Coach, Dorm Parent, and Seminar Instructor. Jadihel began his career as a Program Manager for the Foundation of Sustainable Development in Bolivia. Before transitioning to Independent Schools he designed and created a study abroad program based on social identity through music, religion and race in the contemporary Dominican Republic. He holds a BA in Political Science from Siena College in New York and an MA in Intercultural Service, Leadership and Management from SIT Graduate Institute in Vermont.
Esperanza Academy is a tuition free, independent middle school in the Episcopal tradition welcoming girls of diverse faiths, races and cultures from Lawrence, Massachusetts. The school is 100% privately funded and replies on the generosity of its donors. Students are admitted through a lottery to ensure all girls have an equal opportunity to access the exceptional education provided by the school. The four years that our girls spend on campus at Esperanza, from the ages of 10-14, are a time of tremendous physical, emotional, personal, and academic growth.
Christophe previously served a six-year tenure as Head of Austin International School in Texas. Prior to that appointment, he served as Lower School Head at French-American School of New York and French American School of Puget Sound. He began his career in education teaching in France's public schools, before relocating to Portland, OR where he served as teacher and Asst. Lower School Head. Christophe holds a BA in French Literature and French as a Second Language, and an MA in Mathematical Economics from the Toulouse School of Economics.
The French-American School of RI is accredited by the French Government and the Rhode Island Board of Education. Its French immersion program runs from Pre-school through Kindergarten, and the bilingual program from grades 1 through 8.
Micah will join King School following an eight-year tenure as Director of Athletics and Club Sports at Needham High School in Massachusetts. He began his independent school career as Director of Boys' Athletics, a health & wellness teacher, and basketball coach at Germantown Friends School in Pennsylvania. Micah holds a BBA in Sport Management from George Washington University, and n MS in Sport Management from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
King School is dedicated to preparing its students to thrive in a rapidly changing world. Using rich and innovative methods, teachers facilitate each student’s fullest academic and personal achievement and champion the development of character, self-confidence, and talent through challenging intellectual, creative, athletic, leadership, and service opportunities.
Todd Eveleth will join Nantucket New School after nearly 18 years at the Fessenden School in West Newton, MA. There, he began his career as a teacher and worked his way through several roles including Football, Hockey and Lacrosse Coach, English Department Chair, Dean of Students and Upper School Division Head. Before beginning at Fessenden he was a Faculty Member at Cardigan Mountain School in New Hampshire where he taught English and History, served as Director of Yearbook, Dormitory Head and Coach. Prior to entering the world of education Todd served as a Journalist and Freelance Writer for Messenger Wolfe Publishing in Rochester, NY. A recipient of the Wheeler Family Award for Teaching in 2010, Todd holds a MS in Journalism from Syracuse University and a BA in English from University of New Hampshire.
The Nantucket New School is a co-educational day school serving students in pre-school through grade eight. Within a family-centered school community, our program encourages academic excellence, respects the pace of childhood, and seeks to instill in our students curiosity, creativity, kindness and a lifelong love of learning. We believe that a small school is uniquely equipped to meet the individual needs of students and their families. A low student/teacher ratio provides opportunities for us consistently to recognize each student as a person and as a learner. Essential to our success are strong student/teacher relationships, as well as partnerships between teachers and parents, creating a family atmosphere where students of different ages are able to interact cooperatively on a regular basis. We believe in and are committed to purposeful involvement in the unique community that is Nantucket and seek to build a student body that reflects the changing diversity of the island.
Alex will join New Canaan Country School following a nine-year tenure at Greens Farms Academy, where he has served as a teacher, admissions officer, and grade dean since 2008. He began his career as a teacher at Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire. Alex is an alumnus of Providence Day School, and holds a BA in English and Spanish Literature as well as an MA in English Literature from Middlebury College.
New Canaan Country School, a private, coeducational, independent school for students PK-9, guides students to reach their intellectual, creative, moral, and physical potential. The school values the imagination and curiosity of children and respects childhood as an integral part of life.
New Canaan Country School is an independent, co-educational day school for students from Age 3 to Grade 9 from Fairfield and Westchester counties.
Brian will be NMH's new Head of School starting Summer 2019. He leaves Mercersburg Academy in PA where he has served as Assistant Head of School for Advancement, and Assistant Head of School for Advancement & Communications respectively since 2012. Previously, he served as Director of Development at St. Mark's School of Texas from 2004-2012 and Associate Director of Capital Giving at Gettysburg College from 1993 to 1999. Prior to entering the world of Independent Schools he held several roles in the private sector and for-profit world including Analyst for Wildgrove Incorporated, Vice President & Partner for Heyman Associates, Founder of Earth Yard Company and Account Executive for PCI Data Company. Brian holds a BA from Gettysburg College, an MBA from Texas State University, and an M.Ed from University of Pennsylvania.
Northfield Mount Hermon School, commonly referred to as NMH, is a co-educational college-preparatory school for 655 boarding and day students in grades 9–12 and postgraduates from 58 different countries. NMH is a selective school with an acceptance rate of 32%. The school is located on 215 acres the banks of the Connecticut River, with the majority of the campus being located within the towns of Bernardston, Northfield and Gill, Massachusetts.
Kathryn Barr will transition to Head of School at Notre Dame Academy after a year as the Interim Head. Prior to that appointment she served as Head of School at the Maine Girls Academy in Portland for four years. She began her career in education as a Founding Director of the First Presbyterian Church Children's Center in Tennessee. She then moved to Head of Lower School at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School in Tennessee. Katheryn has also been the Head of School at Highlands School in Birmingham, AL and an Educational and Leadership Coach in the UAE for the Abu Dhabi Education Council. She holds a BA in Business Administration from Rhodes College, and an MA in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Memphis.
Notre Dame Academy is a college preparatory school for young women grades 7-12, built on the belief that education should prepare students for their role as Christian women. We wish to provide Notre Dame students with the opportunity to become more aware of what is happening in their lives and to assume responsibility for themselves and their communities. In order to learn to make responsible choices, our students have the freedom to learn in a school dedicated to high academic standards, and to involve themselves in the community, both utilizing its resources and serving its people.
Annemarie will join Notre Dame Academy as their new President after serving as Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Treasurer at Archbishop Williams High School for the 2017-18 school year. Prior to that appointment she served a five-year tenure as Manager of Financial Practices and Compliance Services at the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. Annemarie began her career as a Corporate Internal Audit Supervisor at The Dun and Bradstreet Corporation in NY. She then transitioned to Audit Manager at Price Waterhouse in Boston. She has also served as Senior Analyst and Manager of Executive Compensation at The Boston Consulting Group. A graduate of Notre Dame Academy, Annemarie holds a BA in Economics & Accounting from The College of the Holy Cross.
Notre Dame Academy is an all girls, vibrant, Catholic, college-preparatory learning community, sponsored by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. The Academy guides young women in their personal faith formation, challenges students to pursue academic excellence, and encourages social responsibility on behalf of global justice. Notre Dame Academy has 600 young women in grades 9-12 on a 68-acre campus that includes three athletic fields, an eight-lane track with Lynx timing technology, and five tennis courts.
Renbrook School will welcome Matthew Sigrist in the summer of 2019 as its next Head of School. Sigrist leaves the Norfolk Academy (Norfolk, VA) where he has served as the Middle School Director since 2014. Sigrist began his career in education at Delbarton School (Morristown, NJ) where he taught Middle School Algebra and Economics before being appointed as the Head of Upper School at The Peck School (Morristown, NJ). Sigrist holds a Master of Arts degree in Education Leadership from Columbia University-Teachers College (New York, NY) and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Williams College (Williamstown, MA).
Renbrook School prepares your Preschool to Grade 8 child for success at secondary school and beyond. At Renbrook, your child’s education will be characterized by small classes and personal attention from faculty members. With about 200 students in each of our Lower and Upper Schools from over 40 towns and cities including Simsbury, Farmingoton, Avon and West Hartford, class sizes of 10–15 are typical.
Maggie will join Saint John's High School following a four-year tenure as Asst. Head of School at Wardlaw-Hartridge School in NJ. Previously, she served as Head of Montclair Cooperative School. Prior to that appointment, she was also Lower School Head at Shipley School, and Admissions Director and Lower School Head at Berkeley Carroll School. Maggie holds a BA in Political Science from College of the Holy Cross, and an MA in Elementary Education from Columbia University.
Saint John’s High School is a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School. A Saint John’s Catholic education is rooted in the commitment of the Xaverian Brothers to bring Christ to life in young men.
Saint Patrick Academy will welcome James Melone in the summer of 2019 as its next Head of School. James leaves St. Gabriel’s Catholic School (Austin, TX) where he served as the Head of Middle School since 2012. Prior to his time at St. Gabriel’s, James began his career as a teacher working first at St. Gertrude School (Bell Gardens, CA) before moving on to St. Austin Catholic School (Austin, TX) and then to St. Mary’s Catholic School (Temple, TX) where he served as Principal for four years. James holds a Doctorate of Education in Leadership from Creighton University (Omaha, NE), a Master of Arts in Educational Leadership and a Master of Education in Elementary Education from University of Notre Dame (Notre Dame, IN), and a Bachelor of Arts in English from Saint Anselm College (Manchester, NH).
Saint Patrick Academy in Portsmouth, NH is a Catholic school that fosters a love for the good, the true, and the beautiful. Students in preschool through eighth grade receive a truly joyful, and holistic private education.
Amy joins The Maine Girls' Academy following a nine year tenure as Admissions Director at the Fenn School in Massachusetts. Previously, she served as Admissions Director at Oakcrest School in Virginia. Prior to her career in education, Amy worked in telecommunications for many years. Amy holds a BA in Political Science from The American University in Washington, D.C.
The Maine Girls’ Academy blends innovation with the best of tradition and bases its decisions on the current research about how girls learn, develop and thrive. As the state’s only all-girls’ school, The Academy educates girls to be confident thinkers, compassionate leaders and purposeful change makers.
Miles Bailey will join Westminster School after a 14-year tenure as Director of Financial Aid & Associate Director of Admissions at Milton Academy. Miles began his career at Milton in 2002 as a Gift and Data Entry Coordinator as well as a coach for Basketball and Lacrosse. Additionally at Milton, he has worked as a Teacher, Assistant to Athletic Director, House Parent and an Advisor Committee Member. Miles holds a BA in Political Science from Emory University in Atlanta, and he Graduated from Westminster School in 1994.
Westminster School enjoys a reputation as one of the finest college-preparatory schools in the country. The challenging academic program, grounded in the liberal arts tradition, prepares boys and girls in grades 9-12 and postgraduate for academic success and the rigors of college while cultivating in them a love of learning that becomes a lifelong habit. Westminster School is a diverse, close-knit community of 95 faculty and 390 students (70% boarding, 30% day students) from across the country and around the world. Nearly one third of the students receive financial aid from the $5.1 million awarded each year. On its 200-acre north-central Connecticut campus, the school is a place where scholarship, citizenship, sportsmanship and leadership thrive. Set in a small New England town north of Hartford, Westminster is walking distance from Simsbury’s vibrant town center, is convenient to both New York City and Boston, and is just twenty minutes from Bradley International Airport.
Jason Anklowitz will join Whitby School after a five year tenure as Associate Head at Carlthorp School in Santa Monica, CA. Prior to that appointment he spent seven years at the International School of Trieste in Italy where he began as a middle school teacher and then transitioned to Head of School. Jason has been a classroom teacher for grades Kindergarten to Grade 5 in public, private and independent schools both nation and world wide. Named UCLA Anderson Merit Fellow in 2016, he holds a BA from George Washington University, an Ed.M from Harvard University and a MBA from UCLA Anderson School of Management.
The Whitby School was founded in 1958 as a day school for children between the ages of three through fourteen. The founders, a group of Roman Catholic parents, sought to create a lay-directed, co-educational school “organized to teach and educated children, and to conduct and maintain a school for children utilizing the method of education know as the “Montessori Method.” This was at a time when Maria Montessori’s ideas about education were being re-examined in the United States. Whitby’s founding head, Nancy Rambusch, was the driving force behind the resurgence of interest in Montessori education. Through that interest Whitby was founded as the First American Montessori School in the United States. | 2019-04-25T04:49:25Z | https://www.carneysandoe.com/new-england-leadership-appointments |
Registration dates are published in the Academic Calendar in this Catalog, in the Registration Handbook published each semester, and in the Academic Calendar published on the Office of the Registrar website. Times and details of registration, and instructions on how to register for courses via the myUCCS Portal are published in the UCCS Registration Handbook each academic semester.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment requires that all students born on or after January 1, 1957 must provide a copy of documented proof of immunity to Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR). Housing students must provide proof of a meningococcal vaccination or booster vaccination within the past five years, or sign the Mandatory Meningococcal Disease Information waiver form prior to move-in. See the Wellness Center under the Student Life and Services section of this catalog for further information.
Census date is the last day to drop full semester length courses without penalty and receive a tuition refund for each course that is dropped. Full semester length courses are courses that meet the full 16 week term in the fall and spring and 8 weeks in the summer. Courses dropped prior to census date are not assigned an official grade. Courses dropped after census date are non-refundable and are assigned with an official grade of “W” (Withdrawn).
Short courses are defined as courses that meet in a nontraditional or condensed pattern within a semester. These courses are often called “intensive” courses. These types of courses have special academic and financial deadlines that differ from full semester course deadlines. Short course deadlines are published on the Office of the Registrar website.
Students are allowed to add full semester length courses without instructor permission/approval for the first seven days of the fall and spring semesters. In summer semesters, students are allowed to add full semester length courses without instructor permission/approval for the first three days of the semester. After the aforementioned deadlines, students must acquire approval from the instructor to enroll in a course. Only the instructor approval to add a course is required until census date. After census date, instructor and dean’s approval are required. Special deadlines apply to short courses.
Students may drop courses freely prior to the published census date for each semester and receive tuition refunds for each course dropped. Refer to the census date policy above.
After census date, students may drop full semester courses freely until the 10th week of the fall and spring semesters and the 5th week of the summer semester via the myUCCS Portal. A grade of “W” will be automatically assigned to courses dropped after census date.
After the 10th week of the fall and spring semesters and the 5th week of the summer semester, courses may not be dropped unless there are circumstances clearly beyond the student’s control (e.g., accident, illness, etc.). In addition to the instructor’s approval, the dean of the college offering the course must approve the drop. If approved, a Course Change Form or Complete Withdrawal form is required. If the instructor or dean judges that the situation does not meet the course policy for drops, he/she will not sign the form and the student will not be dropped from the course. Course Change Forms will not be accepted without required approval and signatures, and the drop is effective the date in which forms are received by the Office of the Registrar.
Students receiving financial aid or veterans benefits must also obtain the signature of the appropriate certifying official.
Tuition assessment for courses added after initial registration, which would result in additional tuition charges, will be added to the student’s bill. Full semester courses added by undergraduate students after each term’s census date are not eligible for the College Opportunity Fund stipend.
Nonregistered students: Individuals who wish to attend regular session main campus courses and are not currently registered students can contact the Online and Academic Outreach Office to audit courses on a space available basis. To qualify as an auditor, an individual must be 21 years of age or older. Individuals are not eligible to audit courses if they are under suspension from the University. No academic credit is earned.
Registered students: All students attending regular session classes who elect to participate in a class without receiving credit must register for the course and sign up for No Credit (NC grade). The tuition and fees for No Credit courses are the same as for courses taken for credit. In order to register for no credit, the student should complete a Credit Change Form indicating the course for which no credit is desired. Deadlines and rules for registering for and changing a No Credit course are the same as for Drop/Add. No Credit courses appear on the CU transcript with a grade of “NC” and no academic credit is earned. These courses are not eligible for financial aid. Also see Grading Policies and Drop/Add.
The University reserves the right to cancel, postpone, or combine scheduled classes and to change instructors.
A full-time undergraduate degree student is one who is enrolled for at least 12 credit hours each semester. Undergraduate degree students are considered part time when they are enrolled for fewer than 12 hours. These criteria also apply for unclassified students without a degree.
A full-time graduate student is one who is enrolled for 5 credit hours of graduate level coursework, or at least 8 credit hours in a combination of graduate and undergraduate coursework acceptable for graduate credit, or any number of thesis/dissertation hours.
Unclassified students with a degree-seeking student loan deferment must be enrolled for 12 credit hours to be considered full-time.
Withdrawal means that the student is dropping all courses for which they are registered for in a specific term/semester.
A student will be allowed to withdraw from full semester length courses during the first ten weeks of the fall or spring semester or the first five weeks of the summer term. After this time, a student may not withdraw unless the circumstances are clearly beyond the student’s control; this requires the approval of the instructors and dean of the student’s academic program.
A student receiving financial aid or veteran’s benefits must obtain the approval of the appropriate certifying official. Financial aid may have to be repaid.
The student must obtain approval from the Student Financial Services - Cashier’s office.
A withdrawal becomes effective on the date the withdrawal form, completed by the student and signed by the student’s dean and required certifying officials, is received by the Office of the Registrar. Eligibility for a rebate or refund of the total bill is determined by the date the form is receipted by the Office of the Registrar, NOT the date the student stops attending class.
Unless the student follows these procedures, the withdrawal is not effective and grades of “F” will be recorded for all courses not completed.
Note on short courses: Short courses are defined as courses that meet in a nontraditional or condensed pattern within a semester. These courses are often called “intensive” courses. These types of courses have special academic and financial deadlines that differ from full semester course deadlines. Short course deadlines are published on the Office of the Registrar website.
The University will discontinue a student’s program(s) if there is no enrollment activity for three consecutive semesters. A student must reapply with the Office of Admissions if they wish to enroll in courses after their program(s) have been discontinued due to no enrollment activity. Students who are admitted to the University and do not enroll for the semester they are admitted will be discontinued for no enrollment activity. A student must update their application status or reapply if they wish to attend the University for a future semester.
Degree students should refer to the appropriate school or college section of this Catalog for information regarding eligibility to return.
Non-degree seeking (unclassified) students’ (major code NDLD, NDUD, NDHS or NDDW) continuation is contingent upon maintaining an overall grade point average of 2.0 upon completion of 12 or more credit hours. Failure to maintain the required average will result in an unclassified student being suspended. The suspension is for an indefinite period of time and becomes part of the student’s permanent record at the University. While under suspension, enrollment at the University is restricted to summer semesters.
Unclassified students are not placed on academic probation prior to being suspended.
Master and Doctoral degree candidates who have finished all coursework must be enrolled in a zero-credit placeholder titled “Candidate for Degree.” Master or Doctoral degree candidates should register for this zero-credit placeholder the semester in which they will be taking a comprehensive examination, defending a thesis, dissertation, report, or project. Please see the Course and Program Fees webpage on Student Financial Services (Bursar) website for fees associated with this placeholder.
A student is initially classified as an in-state or out-of-state registrant for tuition purposes at the time an application and all supporting credentials have been received in the Office of Admissions. The classification is based upon information furnished by the student and from other relevant sources. The requirements for establishing residency for tuition purposes are defined by the law of the State of Colorado (Chapter 23, Article 7, Colorado Revised Statutes, 1973, as amended). After the student’s status is determined, it remains unchanged in the absence of satisfactory evidence to the contrary. Classification standards conform to state statutes and judicial decisions and are applicable to all of Colorado’s state-supported colleges and universities. The student who, due to subsequent events, becomes eligible for a change in tuition classification, whether from out-of-state to in-state or the reverse, has the responsibility of informing the Tuition Classification Officer in the Office of the Registrar after such change occurs, in writing within 15 days. If an adult student or emancipated minor establishes domicile outside of Colorado, this student must send written notification within 5 days to the Tuition Classification Officer.
Any student who is 23 years of age or older, or is an emancipated minor as defined by law, is qualified to change their domicile and their tuition classification status. Detailed instructions as to the procedure to follow and the necessary petition forms are available from the Tuition Classification Officer, Office of the Registrar. The deadline to submit a Petition for In-State Tuition is the first working day of the month of the semester for which the change is requested.
Petitions will not be acted upon until an application for admission to the University and complete supporting credentials have been received.
Changes in classification are made effective at the time of the student’s next registration semester.
A student who willfully gives wrong information to evade payment of the out-of-state tuition is subject to legal and disciplinary action.
Petitions and all required documents must be submitted no later than the following dates prior to the semester for which the change in status is sought.
Late or incomplete petitions will not be considered until the next semester.
Special rules for residency apply to active duty members of the U.S., Colorado National Guard, and Canadian armed forces permanently stationed in Colorado, as well as their dependents; and Olympic athletes in training. Strict deadlines of certification for each semester that one enrolls are enforced for these individuals. Members of the U.S. military, Canadian military, and Colorado National Guard, their family members, and Olympic athletes who are undergraduate students and qualify for a waiver of non-resident tuition ARE eligible for the College Opportunity Fund (COF) stipend. Please contact the Tuition Classification Officer in the Office of the Registrar for details.
Honorably discharged members of the armed forces and their dependents moving permanently to Colorado qualify for in-state tuition in certain circumstances. Contact the Office of the Registrar for additional information.
All credentials (high school and/or college transcripts, test reports, etc.) used for admission become the property of the University of Colorado. When a student has been out of school for five years, their file is destroyed.
The Permanent Record Card showing all academic work done at any of the University of Colorado campuses, including credit courses through Online and Academic Outreach, will be maintained in perpetuity.
Courses are grouped by the semester in which they were taken.
For students graduating from colleges and schools represented on two or more campuses, there may be no campus designation.
Emphases within a major, as well as academic minors (completed at time a degree is awarded) are recorded on the transcript.
General and departmental honors are recorded on the transcript.
University of Colorado transcripts of student academic records can be ordered through the transcript ordering portal at www.uccs.edu/registrar. Expedited processing (Electronic PDF, FedEx, Same Day Pick Up) and easy online payment are available. Additionally, standard paper transcripts are available and will be processed within 5-7 business days from the date the transcript was requested. Standard paper transcripts are sent via first class U.S. mail.
Currently enrolled Colorado Springs students can view/print their unofficial transcript by accessing their myUCCS portal. Unofficial transcripts are not available to former students or alumni. If you are a former student or alumnus, you will need to request an official transcript through the transcript ordering portal (www.uccs.edu/registrar).
Transcript orders must be requested using: the online transcript ordering system, an in-person written request, or written request through U.S. mail. The University of Colorado Colorado Springs does not accept transcript requests via fax, email, or telephone. Transcripts are prepared only at the student’s request. Copies of transcripts from other institutions cannot be furnished.
NOTE: Official transcripts will be withheld for students with any outstanding financial obligations to the University, or if any restrictive holds have been placed on their student record.
Please visit www.uccs.edu/registrar/transcripts.html or call 719-255-3361 if you need further assistance.
The word preceding the course number identifies the subject of the course. The first digit in the number indicates in a general way the class level of the course: 1000- level courses are primarily for freshmen, 2000-level courses for sophomores, 3000-level for juniors, 4000- level for seniors and 5000- and 6000-level for graduates.
The Catalog that governs a student’s graduation requirements is the one in effect at the time of the student’s most recent admission into the college or school of the student’s degree program. However, additional catalog year criteria will be applied based on the criteria below.
Compass Curriculum - The catalog year for the Compass Curriculum will be determined by the semester in which a student most recently matriculates to UCCS as a degree-seeking undergraduate student.
College - The catalog year for the College will be determined by the semester of the student’s most recent admission or declaration of intent to seek admittance to the College in which they will be seeking a degree.
Major/Minor - The catalog year for the Major/Minor will be determined by the semester of the student’s most recent declaration of a major or minor. Note that for the professional school programs, the Major and College catalog year may be the same.
Students always have the option of moving to a newer catalog year than the one in which they were initially declared. However, once a student moves to a newer catalog year, they cannot move back to an older catalog year.
Policy of the Board of Regents requires that students declare a major by the time they have 60 hours toward their current degree or by the start of their junior year.
It is the policy of UCCS to adhere to the final examination schedule as published online on the Course Information Center each semester. While it may be appropriate not to give a final in some cases, such as laboratory courses, seminars, and colloquia, final examinations should be given in all other undergraduate courses. Fall and spring semesters have a final exam schedule. Summer final exams are generally taken on the last day of the course.
Exceptions to this policy should be agreed upon by the faculty member and the chair of the department no later than the beginning of the semester in which an exception is requested. The resulting decision should be announced in writing to students in the class during the first week of classes.
The scheduled final examination period should be considered an important part of the course and used as a final examination period or for additional instruction.
The final examination in a course should be given as scheduled and not at other times even if the faculty member and all students in a course agree to such a change.
The week of classes preceding the scheduled final examination period should be used primarily for continued instruction and may include the introduction of new material. No hourly examinations are to be given during the week preceding final examinations.
b. such an exception for an early or late examination will not prejudice the interests of other students in the course.
When students have three or more examinations on the same day, they will be entitled to arrange an alternative examination time for the first exam or exams scheduled on that day. Such arrangements must be made no later than the end of the 10th week of the semester (i.e., at the end of the drop period). Students will be expected to provide evidence that they have three or more examinations in order to qualify for exceptions.
This policy applies to all undergraduate students, including seniors. Graduating seniors should not be exempted from final examinations. Such exemptions are inappropriate on both procedural and academic grounds.
Grades, when posted, are available on the myUCCS Portal at www.uccs.edu.
The instructor is responsible for whatever grade symbol (A, B, C, D, F, P, I, or IP) is to be assigned. Special symbols (NC and W) are indications of registration or grade status and are not assigned by the instructor but are automatically converted by the grade application system, explained under Pass/Fail Procedure.
Each College or School individually determines the use of +/- grading.
Beginning spring 2009, the University of Colorado discontinued the use of an IF or IW for an incomplete grade. Up through fall 2008, students who were assigned a grade of an IF/IW had one year to make up the grade or it would convert to an “F” or “W”. Students assigned an “I” have one academic year to earn a grade. After one year, the “I” will be converted to an “F” and recorded on the student record, without formal notification.
The student must ask for the incomplete grade. An incomplete grade is given only when students, for reasons beyond their control, have been unable to complete the course requirements. It is understood that a substantial amount of work must have been satisfactorily completed before approval for such a grade is given.
If an instructor decides to grant a request for an incomplete (“I”) grade, the instructor sets the conditions whereby the coursework will be completed. The coursework must be completed within a year, but the instructor may also set less time than one year for completion. The student is expected to complete the requirements within the established deadline.
The instructor, with approval of the department, determines if the course should be retaken. If a course is retaken, the student must register for the course and pay the appropriate tuition.
The final grade (earned either by completing the course requirements or by retaking the course) does not result in deletion of the “I” incomplete (or IF or IW grade prior to spring 2009) symbol from the transcript. A second entry is posted on the transcript to show the final grade for the course.
At the end of one year, an “I” grade that is not completed or repeated will be regraded as an “F” grade. Requests for an extension of time to complete the course beyond the one year deadline cannot be approved.
Students who wish to register for a course on a pass/fail basis must do so during regular registration.
Changes to or from a pass/fail basis for full semester length courses may be effected through census date for the semester. After this period it will not be possible to change registration unless it is approved by the dean as a specific exception. Special deadlines apply to short courses.
Only 6 hours of coursework may be taken as PF in any given semester.
Students should refer to the rules of their particular school, college, graduate program and/or department for additional information regarding the guidelines and limitations of pass/fail registration.
The record of pass/fail registration is maintained by the Office of the Registrar. Academic deans and faculty will not be aware of specific pass/fail registrations. All students who are registered on a pass/fail basis appear on the regular class roster and a normal letter grade is assigned on the final grade roster by the professor. Once grades are Posted in the Student Information System, the PF-designated classes are converted. Grades of D- and above convert to a grade of P Grades of F remain.
The grade point average is computed by multiplying the credit points per hour, (A=4.0, A-=3.7, B+=3.3, B=3.0, B-=2.7, C+=2.3, C=2.0, C-=1.7, D+=1.3, D=1.0, D-=0.7, F=0) by the number of hours for each course, totaling the hours and the credit points, and dividing the latter by the former.
The grade point average is therefore 47.2 divided by 15, i.e., 3.147.
The grade point received at another institution will not be used in computing the student’s grade point average at the University of Colorado. However, all University of Colorado coursework will factor into the cumulative CU GPA regardless of the campus at which the course was taken.
Grades of P, H, NC, Y,W, IP, I, (IW and IF prior to spring 2009) are not included in the grade point average. “I”s that are not completed within one year are calculated as “F” in the GPA at the end of the one-year grace period.
It is University of Colorado policy that the undergraduate GPA, the graduate non-degree (unclassified) GPA, and the graduate degree GPA are calculated separately as academic careers.
Students should refer to their academic dean’s office for individual grade point average calculations as they relate to academic progress and graduation from their college or school.
College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) provides undergraduate students the opportunity to earn credit for GT Pathways content areas or other degree requirements. A listing of CLEP exam titles, score requirements, UCCS course equivalencies, and GT Pathways categories are available on the Transfer website at http://www.uccs.edu/transfer/transfer-credit-advising/credit-by-exam/college-level-examination-program.html. Contact your academic advisor for additional information and course challenge policies.
Course Challenge Exams provide undergraduate students whose academic content knowledge for a specific course is sufficiently high the opportunity to pass a challenging subject matter examination to earn credit. Students who are interested in taking a course challenge exam should contact the college or department to determine if there is a challenge exam available. Contact your academic advisor for additional information and course challenge policies.
Completing their UCCS writing requirements through the transfer of equivalent written communication courses (with a C- or better), and upon transferring these courses to UCCS, passing the writing portfolio assessment.
Undergraduate students: No fewer than 90 days prior to the date of commencement, students are required to apply for graduation through the myUCCS Portal. Undergraduate students who have earned 90 credit hours should meet with their academic advisor and complete a senior audit prior to applying for graduation.
Participation in academic ceremonies that recognize or honor students for the completion of an academic program or specific academic accomplishment is based on the understanding that all requirements have been completed. Every effort will be made to determine eligibility in advance and only students who have met requirements will be permitted to participate.
Commencement exercises for graduates of the summer and fall semesters are held in December. Spring semester commencement is held in May. Graduates will receive diplomas approximately eight weeks after the end of the semester in which the degree is conferred.
Diplomas will carry the designation of the campus where the majority of the academic work was done at the upper division level.
General and departmental honors are shown on the diploma. The discipline is indicated in award of departmental honors.
The Bachelor of Science or Arts (BS or BA) will indicate the field of study, such as business, chemistry, electrical engineering, or physics. Diplomas do not display emphases within the field of study. Official transcript will display the emphasis within the field of study or program completed.
In the Graduate School, the degree designation is Master of Arts, Master of Science or Master of Sciences, Master of Engineering, Master of Public Administration, Master of Criminal Justice, Master of Business Administration, Doctorate of Philosophy, Doctorate of Nursing Practice. Transcripts will indicate specific program where appropriate.
Note: For all diplomas, emphases within a major, as well as academic minors (completed at time a degree is awarded) are not printed on the diploma. | 2019-04-24T07:25:21Z | http://catalog.uccs.edu/content.php?catoid=15&navoid=1114 |
Well, what an absolutely fantastic day Kitty and I have had! Firstly we were collected at the train station by a taxi to take us to the studio. We then learned that Elliot Kennedy may be a little late due to traffic so were gossiping away, having met Charlotte from Salisbury when Gareth Malone walked in! We were not expecting him at all and it took all our efforts (especially Kitty’s!) to remain composed and behave like we were in complete control. Obviously jumping up and down like maniacs when he left the room (sorry Charlotte for our behaviour!) Once Faye from Warminster, and Emma and Nicky from Chivenor arrived, after some more nattering, we went into the studio to warm up with Gareth until Elliot arrived. We then learned that we were not only to re-record parts of Sing for the new album but also to add to Stronger Together. And there began 4 hours of as much singing as we could fit in, with some very high notes! But we rose to the occasion and I have to say I loved singing with these ladies. What better way to spend a day??? Lovely ladies from the other choirs, beautiful voices and can’t wait to meet up with them all next week at the Classical Brit Awards along with Gareth Malone, Gary Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber!!!!!!!
Well being part of the WMWC continues to be a whirlwind! On Saturday 8th September we had our first concert at St Peter and St Mary’s church in Stowmarket in aid of the Royal British Legion.
We were told before we arrived that over 200 people had brought tickets to see us so we were all very excited, dressed in our new dresses, shoes and jewellery we all felt very fab indeed! (although I was rather nervous, this will become clear why later on!!) When we all got to the church there were people queuing out into the road and around the corner to get in (We did at this point ask if there were lots of other people performing too, as we couldnt believe that many people would come to see us!) All in all there were just over 300 people crammed into the church to see us that night, so we all thought we better put on a good show!
The song we opened with was Journeys ‘Don’t stop believing’ its a great one to start with as we can all never stop ourselves from dancing and smiling like loons when we sing it! After the first song was out of the way we all relaxed a bit into our next song ‘Hallelujah’ which I must say sounded magical in the accoustics of the church. Next was a new song to us that we have recently been learning which is Take Thats’ ‘Rule the World’ which is a great one to belt out! We then went into the song that started the whole Military Wives Choirs off, Paul Mealors ‘Wherever you are’ I must say alot of us get really emotional singing this song and on saturday was no exception, the lyrics to the song are so beautiful, we hope we did it justice! From there we went into our Queen Medley which I love and all of us dancing around and clapping was a great way to end for the interval.
During our break a local Soprano called Marie-Therese Cunningham performed a few of her faviourite songs, she was fab and had us all in fits of laughter with some of her songs!
We went back on after the interval and sang another of our new songs 9-5 by Dolly Parton, its a really quick song and gets us all back dancing about! Next was yet another new song (You get the idea, we are forever learning new songs!!) Perfect Day by Lou Reed, I must admit when we first started learning this one I never thought it would sound as good as it does, it really is beautiful. After that was the turn of an Abba classic, Mamma Mia, this was the first song we ever started learning, feels like we’ve been performing it forever!! At this point I started to feel very nervous as I had solo pieces in the next two songs, the first ‘I will Follow Him’ from sister act is such a great upbeat song and always feels like its over in a second, when we were waiting to do our final song ‘Sing’ I was really nervous and started to feel sick, being a tall soprano I always end up on an end, and at this concert I was behind alot of people. When I came to the microphone at the front it suddenly hit me how many people were in front of me! When I looked around me I realised I was surrounded by friends, and our fab choir master has given me so much confidence since we started, thank you MD, I was very pleased and proud of us all in the end.
Lastly we sang Land of Hope and Glory and the National Anthem and it was amazing to see so many people singing along and waving their flags, we left the stage to a Standing ovation, it was an incredible feeling and to know we were singing for such a great cause made it all the more special.
You can see us perform again this saturday (22nd Sept) in Thetford, were really excited for it!
I still can’t believe we all recorded the new album a few weeks ago, I am so excited to hear the final copy when it comes out! Since singing at the Council Dinner and opening Abbey Fest we had a bit of a party night at choir was so good just to sing our faviorite songs at the top of our lungs and have a good giggle! There wasn’t a dry eye in the house though when we said goodbye to one of our wonderful ladies Sarah who is leaving us as she’s moving to Portsmouth, she’s been such a part of our little choir family and we are all very sad to see her leave. She will be joining the MWC in Portsmouth, all I can say is our loss is very much their gain.
Since then we had two weeks off for summer leave which has been lovely but I am now itching to get back to choir tomorrow to see everyone and have a good sing song! I belive we will be looking at a new song tomorrow, so keep an ear out you could be hearing it at one of our performances soon!!
If you fancy joining our choir and have a connection to Wattisham Airfield get in touch with us at: [email protected] we are always delighted to see new members, so come along and join in the fun!
HELLO WORLD! Wattisham Military Wives Choir calling! Here we are on our brand new website! Everything is so very exciting at the moment. This week has been a very busy one. We’ve been rehearsing like CRAZY and I think it is fair to say we are all a bit pooped. Let me tell you all about it…..
On Thursday we recorded our songs for the second Military Wives Choir Album, due out in November. What an amazing day we had! I’m pretty sure it’s an experience we will all never forget. I can’t wait to hear the finished album. When doing the recording we sometimes heard a playback of what we had just sang and it sounded pretty fantastic. I couldn’t believe how good we did sound! We also sang with members of one of our sister choirs Marham Miltary Wives Choir and what a pleasure it was too. Such a fun bunch of girls headed up by Sharmane their Musical Director. It was great to meet the Marham girls, other wives living similar lives to our own. One of their girls is also a serving member of the forces. Through this album and other projects we have met so many different wives, partners and serving personnel. Something we would never have done otherwise, another big positive to being in the choir. I’m pretty sure none of the Military Wives Choirs can wait for the album launch in November…exciting times ahead!
Our next diary entry was on Friday night at a dinner for the Babergh Council at Wherstead Park. An absolutely beautiful setting and a wonderful audience too. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The cherry on top of the pretty amazing cake has been our final performance this week. On Sunday evening we opened Bury St. Edmunds’s festival, Abbeyfest, to an audience of around 650 people. Kerry Ellis, our patron, introduced us onto the stage. It was the first time we had met Kerry and what an honour it was, such a lovely lady. We sang our hearts out in the sunshine and enjoyed every minute of it. Tick…..another thing to add to our growing list of fantastic experiences.
What can I say….it’s been an amazing 6 months since the choir was formed. Everything seems to have snowballed. From our first performance in the Officer’s Mess at Wattisham to some of our girls recording “Sing” at Abbey Road Studios to other girls performing live in front of millions for the Queen on stage at Buckingham Palace. Some of whom met Gary Barlow, Gareth Malone, chatted with Kylie, were kissed by Robbie Williams and some even had fun with Tom Hanks in a portaloo, (read on our website about that…”We performed for the Queen” blog). And now we have recorded the second album for the Military Wives Choirs. We have had some serious fun. How on earth can we top all of that? I don’t know….but we are going to give it a damn good try!
On Sunday 22nd July, we’ll be opening Abbey Fest in Bury.
So here we are, standing on the most famous stage in the world – looking down an empty mall, trying to imagine what it will all be like tomorrow. The nerves are starting to kick in a little, bit like waiting for a hot date! Wonder how Liz is feeling? (she’s one of the soloists and I am proud to say she is from Wattisham).
It’s strangely quiet and surreal – we pinch each other – ouch – yes, we really are here. But hang on a minute..the dream continues, in walks Gary Barlow..ohhhh back to that hot date feeling..lol. Now, not mentioning any names, but to say it wasn’t just the rain pouring down, might give you an indication to how excited and emotional at least one of our girls was!! I am sure they are just the start of the tears that will be shed over the next few days.
Back in the hotel after a delicious meal, we gather in the reception to meet the other 90 or so singers, ready to watch the Gary Barlow documentary (did I mention we saw Gary Barlow ;0)) The programme was fantastic and as suspected, more tears, more hugging strangers and screams of joy when we saw fellow singers on the big screen. The atmosphere was electric. Strangers were becoming friends, tears were becoming the norm and this was just the night before…Us Military Wives had definitely arrived!
We performed for the Queen!
Singing at the Jubilee Concert with the girls from Wattisham Military Wives Choir was such an amazing opportunity and one that I shall remember forever. Singing the Jubilee song ‘Sing’, as part of the Commonwealth Band was a once in a lifetime moment and being a member of Wattisham Military Wives Choir has given the wives the chance to do something meaningful whilst our husbands are away. Being part of a choir has really fuelled my love of singing and hearing the fantastic sound we have all achieved, after only four months, is remarkable and I am very much looking forward to our upcoming choir performances.
When I joined Wattisham Military Wives Choir back in January I did not imagine for one minute that I would be performing for the Queen at the Diamond Jubilee concert! Performing with all the other choirs was amazing and we all felt like one big family. I am so proud to be a military wife and be recognised by the public for the job we do. I would not have it any other way.
It was such an honour to be part of such a huge celebration and something that will never again be repeated (certainly not in our lifetime I imagine!). To see that sea of faces and flags stretching out as far as the eye could see was a phenomenal experience, and although I was just a tiny part of it, the memories I have will always be so special.
After we had sung ‘Sing’ some of us were coming back from the stage, some were in the dressing room, and a few of us were standing outside our dressing room, wondering what the plan was! I was chatting to one of the other ladies when an unmistakeable Amercan voice drawled ‘Military Wiiiiives’! We looked around and Tom Hanks had stopped and looked like he was waiting to be mobbed!! However, as we were all over the place, it was just Cate, me and another lady from Portsmouth around – I couldn’t believe my luck – an actual Hollywood God was standing RIGHT NEXT TO ME!!!
I told him my phone had died (damn it!) and he told me it must be a pretty rubbish phone, which I obviously agreed with (iPhones, eh?!). Then the other lady from Portsmouth asked if he would record a message for the son of another choir member who needs a bone marrow transplant – on her phone with a battery that hadn’t died – grrrrr. I offered to film them both, to which Tom replied ‘great idea’ – I wilted!! SOOOO, it was quite dark, and all I could see was Tom’s silhouette, so I told him it was no good, he’d have to move. ‘ahhhh, you need more light, huh?, let’s go over here, how’s this?’ came his reply. So, eventually I found myself climbing up the steps to the men’s Portaloo’s (‘I can’t go in there’ said I, ‘sure you can’ came his reply’). I got into position, no more than a foot from his face, and when he was ready said ‘aaaaand go’ (should have said ‘action’!!!!). He recorded his message, then when he finished said it had been his pleasure. I couldn’t believe I had been directed by, and then I had directed, an Oscar winning actor/director – utterly bonkers!
As he wandered away, all I could think about (apart from what a nice man he was) was DAMN MY PHONE!!!!!
For me the experience started when I was standing in the church in Wattisham waiting to audition for the chance to do what I have dreamed of for years and that’s when the nerves set in. When I found out I was lucky enough to be chosen I had a new set of emotions to deal with, shock, pride, nerves and lots of excitement!!!
The morning of recording we had breakfast and a media awareness meeting then we made our way to Abbey Road!!! As I walked into the car park it dawned on me that we were about to record in a studio that so many legends of music had recorded and now we were there doing it too. Speaking of legends, what better experience than to have Gary Barlow singing in your ear (all you heard was 70 women swoon!). He was lovely, seemed so down to earth and even sat on the front row and sang with us while Gareth conducted, simply brilliant! I just could not take my eyes off the piano and microphones (I was dying to run down to the front and belt out a Beatles song!).
It was so interesting to see how they were getting us all to sing and you could see them chatting in the gallery as we sang and they were nodding as if to say ‘that’s what we want’ and to see that makes you smile with pride. When we finished recording some of us got the chance to have a photo with Gary and he was kind enough to sign our music (I did feel sorry for him as he was slightly mobbed!). As we left we felt happy, excited, tired and proud but also sad that our adventure had ended. I could not wait to see the choir girls and Michael who had been so supportive all the way through and tell them all about it. When we got to choir the Tuesday after the recording the girls had arranged champagne to toast us and they were all so excited to see the pictures and hear our stories.
All in all from start to finish it was a dream come true and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. I am looking forward to sharing all of this with my husband who went on exercise the day I was at Abbey Road, it seems so long ago now but I am armed with stories for him to listen to and photos for him to look at for a change!!
I had the most wonderful time at Abbey Road. I was in awe of the whole experience and I still cannot believe I was put forward for it! It was an absolute honour to be a part of such a fantastic song, the journey it took to make it and ultimately who it was recorded for. I will never ever forget it. I learned so much from working with Gareth Malone and being in the studio listening to Gary Barlow on the headset. I didn’t want the day to end! I am so proud that not only I, but our choir as a whole have been involved in this. I love being part of the Wattisham MWC, the fun we have and the support we give each other.
Being a part of the recording at Abbey Road and the Diamond Jubilee concert at Buckingham Palace was a mind blowing experience. I feel blessed to have been asked to sing on “Sing”. It’s been a great journey that I would go through again in a heartbeat. Everyone’s local & national support has been fantastic and very touching. A super time had by all.
From the moment I was told that I had been chosen to go to Abbey Road Studios and record the Queens Jubilee Single everything in my life at that moment seemed so surreal. I left the church that night full of emotion, picked up my daughter from creche and went home wanting to shout the news from the rooftops!! Unfortunately it was a huge secret and no one could know apart from immediate family! When I got home I fired up the laptop and sent off an ebluey straight away to my husband telling him the news. He was in Afghanistan at the time and took two days to get the news!
The day finally arrived and I set off on the train to London. We checked into the hotel and with a few hours to spare before we went and did our first practice with Gareth Malone, we went and found a pub to find some dutch courage! That evening we rehearsed the song with all of the ladies who were to sing on the single and of course Gareth Malone. It was a great experience and I learned so much about technique and gained so much confidence from singing with him. That night we all went to bed feeling like kids on Christmas Eve. Tomorrow we were going to sing in Abbey Road and were going to meet Gary Barlow!!
The next morning we were all up bright and early and our hotel room looked like a dressing room in a theatre! There were clothes, make up and hair equipment everywhere, as they were recording the video for the song that day we all wanted to look our best! When we arrived at Abbey Road we had to do a bit of filming for Gary Barlow’s documentary of the song which involved us all linking arms and crossing the famous ‘Beatles’ crossing behind Gary. This was awesome! We caused quite a crowd and we all took turns in coming up with the most elaborate excuse to tell the public why we were there!
When we went into the studios I was trying my best to remain cool and calm but my insides were screaming ‘You’re in Abbey Road, with Gary Barlow and Gareth Malone….. Singing… AGHHH!!!’ Firstly we recorded Land of Hope and Glory which went onto the album with us singing with Alfie Boe. When we heard it back through the headphones I felt so emotional, its such a patriotic song and at that moment I missed my husband so much. Later we started recording ‘Sing’. It was so much fun to sing with all the other military wives, to learn about the recording process and to hear how good we sounded. I loved every second!
I am so grateful for the whole Military Wives Choir movement, it has given military spouses a voice and has personally given me so much more confidence. Abbey Road was a day I will never forget, its up there with getting married and giving birth as one of the most amazing things I have done! I can’t wait for the next challenge!!
To ask about booking the choir to perform at your event, please email us and we will call you to discuss your requirements. | 2019-04-20T14:36:37Z | http://www.wattishamchoir.co.uk/our-blog/page/3/ |
Dr. Noah Chivian attended Franklin and Marshall College and received his dental degree from the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine. He was a Research-Teaching Fellow in Endodontics and received his certificate in Endodontics from Temple University School of Dentistry. He is a member of OKU, a Fellow of the American and International Colleges of Dentistry and the American Association of Endodontists (where he was the recipient of the Edgar D. Coolidge Award this year), and a Diplomate of the American Board of Endodontics. He is Past President of the American Association of Endodontists and the American Academy of Esthetic Dentistry. He recently completed a three-year term as President of the American Association of Endodontists Foundation. An internationally recognized speaker, Dr. Chivian has contributed to 13 dental textbooks, published papers in numerous professional journals, and contributed several teaching videos to the profession. In addition to maintaining a private practice limited to Endodontics in West Orange, he is an attending in Endodontics in the Department of Dentistry at the Newark Beth Israel Medical Center. He was formerly Director of Endodontics and Director of Dentistry at the same institution. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Endodontics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine (where he received the Alumni Award of Merit) and a Post Graduate Instructor at Indiana University and Loma Linda Schools of Dentistry plus UMDNJ.
Part of the success of esthetic dentistry depends on the dentist’s ability to utilize teeth that have pulps compromised by trauma, or injury. With proven and predictable success rates, dentists can include endodontically treated teeth in their esthetic restorative treatment plans with the utmost degree of confidence. The presentation will highlight preventive and treatment measures to insure maximum success in treating both moderate and extensive restorative challenges. Treatment choices will be presented that will enable the restorative dentist to make intelligent treatment planning decisions.
Don’t fear change. Look around the room at our next general meeting. There’s no longer a “typical” look to a dentist. This is best demonstrated by observing the freshman class at the New Jersey Dental School which has more women than men and includes a wide range of ethnic groups.
The New Jersey Dental Association is highly concerned with providing services that are valuable to both current and future members. Just last month, Jeff Rempell and Trish DeCotiis hosted a discussion with women dentists. According to this group, the biggest issue of concern to women is having limited “extra” time for dental society activities. Since family time is so precious, dental meetings should be minimized in length whenever possible. In addition, younger couples are more likely to be sharing parenting responsibilities, so time issues that have been preventing women dentists from participating in the past, may also affect male dentists in the future.
A continuing education course that will appeal to women dentists is in the works for next spring. NJDA will host the course in three locations to increase accessibility. The dental students and faculty at NJDS will be invited as well as nonmember dentists. The “captive” audience will be surveyed to gain any additional information that may help in planning for the future.
The Middlesex County Dental Society has been preparing for future changes for quite some time. Our Mentor Program led by Ethan Glickman has offered alternate days and times for CE programs to better serve our diverse group of members. Scott Galkin and the Membership Committee will be surveying nonmember dentists to discover what would interest this group in joining. We also need feedback from our current members to keep us heading in the right direction. Please share your thoughts with any one of our Executive Board members or our Executive Secretary, Marlene.
I want to thank Steve Lawson and Ira Rosen for spending numerous hours on the budget for the upcoming year. We have come up with a plan for reorganizing some of our expenses in order to create a more accurate budget. This will help us to decide how much to charge for courses, etc. We have also discussed the creation of a standing committee called the “Budget and Finance Committee”. This group would consist of the Treasurer, President-Elect and a Chairman. Ira Rosen would be willing to chair this committee.
• Scott Galkin, Mitch Weiner, Ethan Glickman and I had a Membership subcommittee meeting on 9/25 and discussed plans of improving our nonmember list with a phone survey (55 & younger).
• A letter of recommendation for Dan Krantz for Secretary of NJDA was written for distribution to BOT members, alternates, component presidents and NJDA officers.
• NJDA held a Leadership Conference on 10/8 and Mitch Wiener, Rich Kahn, Cavan Brunsden and I were in attendance. Eric Elmore was the MC and ran part of the program like a game show. The rest of the day included discussion of a problem-solving format, which was applicable to either running a board meeting or a staff meeting at our offices. Overall, the day was a lot of fun.
• The same evening, NJDS held their “White Coat Ceremony”. The officers of NJDA and Art Meisel were there to present the coats to the freshman students and Cavan Brunsden was the keynote speaker. The theme of the evening concentrated on the humanistic approach to treating patients.
• Bob Ashmen has agreed to represent MCDS on the Council on Dental Education. Arlene at NJDA will send him the recent minutes.
• NJDA is holding a focus group on women dentists on 10/15. I will attend to represent MCDS.
The budget for 2003 was voted on and accepted by the Executive Board.
• Dr. Richard Kraut will be presenting his lecture: Placing Implants, a lesson learned and lives changes at the October MCDS General Meeting.
• The Executive Board discussed the 2003-2004 Staff Night and different ideas were presented.
• Committee attempted to place PAC and Diamond Club Membership on dues notice, but there was not enough room. Therefore, you must send in the additional dollars and add it on dues notice or we will collect it at monthly meetings or mail to NJDA during the year.
• Individual contributions are welcome toward Assemblyman Michael Arnone and Senator Gerald Cardinale’s campaigns. Both are member dentists. Send checks payable to The Election Fund of Michael Arnone; The Election Fund of Senator Gerald Cardinale, respectively and mail to NJDA.
• New venues are also being explored for the Diamond Club Fund Raiser.
NJDA Annual Session will be held June 9, 10, 11, 2004 at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. Earn Continuing Education credits while discovering the latest products available from our vendor booths. Mark you calendars for the greatest educational and social event NJDA has to offer!
Three incumbent State Legislators are dentists and there are three more dentists that are currently running for State Assembly. Middlesex County Dental Society is doing whatever it can to support these candidates.
• The Membership Council met last month. The new dues policy was received and new plans for additional member benefits were introduced.
• Fabrication of a master NJDA speaker list for Continuing Education speakers was being finalized.
• A sub-committee met to discuss new ideas for increasing membership in our society and organized dentistry.
Dr. Robert Cowie presented his program “ A Simplified Methodology for Full Mouth Rehabilitation Altering Vertical Dimension ” and “ How Do You Select the Best Materials for Your Patient’s Crowns & Bridges ” on Wednesday, September 17,2003 at St. Peter’s Medical Center. 6 CEU credits were awarded to the 34 members who attended.
Dr. Cowie explained how to test an increase in vertical dimension without using a removable appliance and assess phonetics and esthetics in the mouth before prepping a tooth. He also discussed how to do a 28 tooth reconstruction in manageable sextants and avoid the 14 unit full arch impression. In addition, Dr. Cowie reviewed the advantages and disadvantages of various crown and bridge materials that are available for each clinical situation and how preparation design should limit our choice of materials. This program was truly appreciated by all those who attended and we certainly picked up several clinical pearls to take back to the office and use for the next day.
Dr. Steven Eisen presented his program “ Arestin: Systematic Approach: Management of Periodontal Disease ” Thursday, October 16,2003 at St. Peter’s Medical Center. 2 CEU credits were awarded to the 20 members who attended.
Dr. Eisen discussed the evolution of Locally Administrated Antibiotics [LAAs], with emphasis on the latest entrant to the LAA market (Arestin), as effective adjuncts to SRP in the management of perio disease. In addition, he presented the rationale and importance of establishing a Periodontal Treatment Protocol [PTP] to help optimize the treatment of perio disease from a patient care and practice management perspective.
After attending this presentation, we understood the limitations of scaling and root planning [SRP] as a sole therapy for periodontal disease and the improvement that adding an LAA to initial SRP offers over SRP alone. This seminar was very well presented and the information that was given to us about Arestin now gives us an opportunity to offer our patients the latest in clinical treatment therapies.
On April 14, 2004, we will be presenting a full day course featuring Dr. Vincent Kokich at the Pines Manor. The subject of Dr. Kokich’s course will be Interdisciplinary Management of Anterior Esthetic Dilemmas: When, Why, and How??? We are arranging for Corporate Sponsorship for the course.
There will be a House of Delegates meeting at the Pines Manor on Wednesday, November 12th.
Congratulation to Bruce Huberman, who ran the Chicago Marathon in 3hrs. 11mins.
-Top ten leading edge technologies that can revolutionize your dental practice.
This new law has among it’s features provisions that make it a second degree crime “if the person knowingly commits five or more acts of insurance (healthcare claims) fraud, …and if the aggregate value of (the benefit) obtained or sought to be obtained is at least $1000.” The amounts involved in attempted (unsuccessful) frauds are also includible.
Discussion covered scanned impressions being more accurate than poured impressions. The State Board determined that diagnostic casts were the standard of care and should be utilized. No resolution was passed.
It was reported that the nitrous oxide regulation regarding hygienists monitoring has been given the green light and will be published in the N. J. Register in October.
Currently working on Give Kids A Smile and the Children’s Dental Health Month.
The “Day at the Circus” will be March 7 but there will be no suite and no post party.
The speakers for this year have been finalized and the Annual Session dates for 2005 and 2006 have been secured.
The Board Retreat will be held November 15-16, 2003. The meeting on Sunday morning will discuss diversity in NJDA and a program has been set for the spouses to discuss preparation for Annual Session.
Had a successful meeting with the student leaders of all the classes at UMDNJ with over 30 students attended and she was pleased with the exchange of ideas and needs. She stressed what NJDA is and what we feel we can do for the students and asked what the students thought they needed from us.
The Council on Dental Education has money budgeted for scholarships for dental assistants . This year there will be four (4) recipients; 2 from Cumberland, 1 from Camden and 1 from the Institute of Dental Health in Fairfield.
There will be a Continuing Education course held on December 3rd at the Elizabeth Hilton on the paperless practice. It’s a half-day course, 4 hours and 4 credits, for both staff and doctors.
The Week End Study Club registrations are very good. Four have been scheduled. Dr. Michael Dzitzer, Trustee from Atlantic-Cape May, was the speaker at the first study club and he did an excellent job. The WeekEnd Study Clubs are attracting a new group of people which, in turn, will meet with other groups.
Distributed a resolution from the Council on Membership concerning the conversion of its software to the ADA tripartite system and assessing the accuracy of “previous balances”. In the past we have carried old balances forward, however, the system does not define for what membership year the money is owed. In addition, in the overwhelming majority of cases, no money is actually owed because the dentists elected to forego membership. There are members who come and go.
We will be following the ADA approach as of July 1st in that nothing will be mailed to members that have not paid their dues. If you have not paid your dues, you will be dropped from membership for the year. Members can always rejoin. However, those members that have not paid will affect life membership. To attain life membership, you must have 30 continuous years as well at reach the age of 65 or be a member for 40 years.
Membership audit is ongoing. It has been estimated that this membership comparison between NJDA membership records and the ADA tripartite system will take approximately seven (7) weeks with two people working seven hours a day and five days a week. This will only identify discrepancies between the two systems. We then have to identify which data is correct. The audit is a very time consuming job. Two temporary employees were hired to assist with this project.
She reported briefly on the Women’s Initiative. They have not been able to secure a definite leader but have invited 5 or 6 women to a one night dinner event to discuss specific needs of the female practitioner and just how NJDA can assist them.
ID Team has been temporarily put on the back burner in light of other pressing priorities. They have reached out to the attorney general’s office to get a contact person so that the NJDA ID Team will have one person to contact. At this point, the NJDA is looking into training, the identification of more members and the process by which that will occur. The purpose is to develop the New Jersey Identification Dental Team as an organization that the New Jersey State Government will call upon in time of need.
Developing a new program for both doctors and spouses on the purchase of non-dental items. He called it the “Members Edge” Program. This is a discount program of items at various locations at different percent discounts for families; i.e. Barnes & Noble, Brooks Brothers, auto service and restaurants. Members will receive a brochure listing names, addresses, phone numbers and percentage of discount. This program is anticipated to be available in January.
The Legislature remains on recess and is not expected to reconvene until after the November elections. Many races where dentists are running for election are very close and he encouraged all members to get out and vote.
CDT 4 Codes will be effective beginning in October. Moreover, the ADA has clarified the instructions for filling out claim forms. It is important to remember that claim forms will not be processed unless they are properly completed. The good news is that insurance companies cannot manipulate the codes on the forms.
However, it was reported that Horizon has recently sent out new EOB statements that use language making a determination that alternative treatments were available and should have been used. This is a serious problem and is being investigated thoroughly by both Ms. Moskal and Mr. Meisel.
Dr. Rempell and other NJDA members attended a recent dinner with representatives from Delta Dental. He expressed the NJDA desire to streamline the audit process so that it doesn’t take months.
He further reported that he will be attending a meeting tonight with the Commonwealth Dental Society to open lines of communication and to encourage cross membership.
Dr. Frank Graham pointed out that the conclusion in the ENVIRON Report on page 13 indicates that the amount of mercury in the form of amalgam entering surface waters in New Jersey is approximately 0.009 pounds per active dentist and that the annual cost of reduction through the use of amalgam separators in NJ would range from approximately $157 to $497 million per ton. Environ concluded that the estimated cost to reduce mercury discharges from New Jersey dental facilities was greater than costs relative to other industries that the USEPA has chosen not to regulate. However, Dr. Graham stressed the importance of members using the Best Management Practice (BMPs)for amalgam waste and requested that this information be published in the Capsule and the Journal.
An article appeared in the September issue of the ADA News concerning a new alumni group for dentists from Rutgers. They are looking to recognize Rutgers alumni who have become dentists. The group will hold its first meeting March 27, 2004 on the New Brunswick campus and Dr. Michael Alfano, Dean of New York University College of Dentists, will be the keynote speaker. If this applies to any member, or if you know of any Rutgers alumni, who are dentists, to please contact Dr. McCormick.
While serving on the Board of Trustees or any councils of the New Jersey Dental Association (“NJDA”) a person shall not express opposition to or espouse a position inconsistent with one set forth by the NJDA before any legislative or regulatory body or with the news media.
The subcommittee concluded that further discussion was unnecessary and that the resolution should remain as written, no changes needed.
Dr. Robert Hersh reported that the current numbers for Annual Session indicate there will be a surplus of approximately $15,000 - $20,000. Some additional monies are still coming in.
Dr. Hersh attended a meeting just prior to today’s Board meeting regarding healthcare employee benefits. Guardian HealthNet, the current staff healthcare provider, has increased the premium 15.2%. NJDA projected budget increase for 2004 was 15%. To continue continuity we will keep the current provider with unchanged benefits.
Dr. Walter Chinoy reminded the Board that the next Board meeting will be held after the House of Delegates meeting. The House meeting will be held November 12, 2003, at 9:30 a.m. in the Pines Manor, Edison, NJ. Dr. Bernie McDermott, 4th District Trustee, will address the House.
To date, there are two resolutions; the Budget and the Membership Jurisdiction on component membership.
Mr. Arthur Meisel reported that an application for specialty recognition for Craniofacial Pain has been filed and will be considered by the ADA House of Delegates in 2004.
Mr. Meisel reported that the FTC is conducting an inquiry into the South Carolina State Board of Dentistry as well as conducting inquiries into various state association’s codes of ethics. NJDA proudly provided our documents. He also reported that the California Supreme Court has agreed to review the dismissal of the amalgam suite. Mr. Meisel asked the Board if it had any objection to his filing an amicus brief, if requested by the California Dental Association or by the ADA. The sense of the Board was it had no objection to the filing of an amicus brief.
The sub-committee recommended bylaws change that deletes the requirement that a member must belong to the component society where their main office is registered with the State Board of Dentistry. This change will be voted upon at the House of Delegates meeting in November 2003.
Dr. Jeffrey Linfante, Director of Administration and Recruitment for the UMDNJ Dental School, provided a power point presentation on student admissions and recruitment programs. He discussed the reasons for students going into dentistry; i.e., self-employment and what amounts to a freedom of insurance industry stranglehold. There is clearly a changing diversity of students. He discussed some of the recruitment programs to aid students with tuition, mentoring and even going into high schools to establish new recruitment arenas. Also quality of applicants and quantity are up.
Dr. Cecile Feldman, Dean of the UMDNJ-Dental School, thanked NJDA for all the support we have given the school and especially for the financial support with the new construction. She announced some new administrative organizational changes. Drs. Tony Volpe and Cosmo DeSteno are co-chairs on the Campaign Leadership Committee. Dr. Cosmo DeSteno is the new Vice Dean of the Dental School, Dr. Michael Conti, the new Assistant Dean for Clinical Affairs and Dr. John Ricciani, the new Director of Patient Services.
Due to recent budget cuts from the State, the Dental School had an 11% decrease, which is approximately a 1.2 million-dollar cut for this year. GME Federal funding for residents has been put on hold, but residents prior to October 1st will be grandfathered in. She reported that the ADA has been very active in helping the school deal with lobbying.
Dr. Feldman was pleased to announce that appointments to all department chairs have been filled except the Department of Community Health. The search is still ongoing. | 2019-04-25T05:50:46Z | http://mcdsofnj.org/member/archives/2003/November/archives1103.html |
Shockingly hammering further the point that they had deviated drastically from the Haqq (truth), the document contained photos of Eidgahs all over the world, many of which are close-ups of women with no niqab and wearing tight-fitting clothes, intermingled with a few men here and there. Hizbul Ulama has had the official endorsement on their website from Darul Uloom Bury (the most famous and prestigious Madrasah) and Jamiatul Ulama Britiain, for as far back as I can remember. And all the Madrasahs in the UK appears to blindly follow the Saudi announcement without any questioning.
“Maulana, I would like to ask you whether or not you were able to personally see the new moon on Wednesday or you heard directly from someone else who did see it and whose adaalat you can personally vouch for?
The Saudi government consisting of fussaqs, fujjars, zaalims, who are all complicit in horrendous crimes against innocent Muslims have long ago forfeited all claims to adaalat. Thus, even more unreliable is their testimony regarding the adaalat of anonymous people with telescopic eyesights (and kashfi foresights) whom they seem to conjure up unfailingly every single year.
The fact that 40,000 brothers are languishing in Saudi’s torture chambers, many of whom are innocent Ulama guilty of not towing the line to the precise nanometer, is sufficient proof alone that the government are Zaalims of the highest order and that the Saudi scholars who have escaped incarceration thus far are uniquely adept at not ruffling any royal feathers, and thus completely subservient to their handlers.
This command of the Shariah stated by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is so mash-hoor (well-known) to even ignorant Muslims, that presenting evidence in substantiation is superfluous. This immutable law of the Shariah is the only criterion for determining the Islamic months. There is absolutely no other way permitted by the Shariah. All other man-invented methods are mardood (rejected by the Shariah).
The announcement made this year by Wifaaqul Ulama of U.K. is 100% in accord with the Shariah. Every Muslim in the United Kingdom was required by the Shariah to have accepted this announcement and to have fasted on Thursday 8 August 2013, for it was truly the 30th day of Ramadhaan. It was haraam to have celebrated Eid on Thursday 8 August 2013 in subservience to the Saudi pronouncement adopted by Hizbul Ulama of UK. All those who had celebrated Eid on the 30th Ramadhaan (Thursday 8th August), should make one Qadha fast, and in addition make Taubah for having omitted the Fast and having celebrated a mock ‘eid’ on the last day of Ramadhaan.
The brief, cryptic announcement made by Hizbul Ulama was unacceptable. It makes absolutely no mention of any hilaal-sighting in the UK nor of any sighting of any other country which had reached it by Tareeq-e-Moojib – absolutely reliable way of transmission to compel acceptance. The so-called ‘official’ announcement of Hizbul Ulama is devoid of official Shar’i sanction, hence it was supposed to have been rejected in favour of acceptance of the correct, Shar’i announcement made by Wifaaqul Ulama of UK.
The brief, wholly deficient announcement of Hizbul Ulama is a lamentably clear deviation from the more than 14 century Law of the Shariah pertaining to the hilaal and the determination of the Islamic month. In having consciously and intentionally rejected the immutable Law of the Shariah, Hizbul Ulama is playing with the Fire of Jahannum and hovering on the brink of Kufr. Side-stepping, in fact rejecting, any Hukm of the Shariah is not a trifling issue. The consequences and repercussions of such a satanic move are exceptionally grave.
It appears that Hizbul Ulama has made itself subservient to the pronouncements of the brutal Saudi regime which has degenerated from its level of fisq and fujoor to the level of Kufr. Also, Hizbul Ulama appears to have thrown in its lot with the ISNA modernist fussaaq of North America who had announced more than a month before Ramadhaan, the dates of Ramadhaan and Eidul Fitr. Such announcement was a blatant act of Kufr, for it brazenly rejected the immutable command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Ijmaa-ee Law of the Shariah of all Four Math-habs to search for the hilaal.
There was no sighting of the hilaal confirmed by any aadil entity in Saudi Arabia. In fact the need to sight the moon was dispensed by the Kufr regime of Saudi Arabia when it had already announced on the 28th of Ramadhaan that Eidul Fitr would be celebrated on Thursday 8 August which was actually the 30th Day of Ramadhaan even in Saudi Arabia.
The only motivation for the rash and haraam move by Hizbul Ulama appears to be nafsaaniyat. It has absolutely no Shar’i grounds nor any justification for having announced that Eid would be on a day which in reality was the 30th of Ramadhaan. When fear of Allah Ta’ala is lacking, then despicable nafsaani motives overshadow the intelligence, preventing it from understanding the disastrous consequences of trifling with the Deen.
Did Hizbul Ulama base its announcement on a physical sighting of the hilaal?
If yes, what are the details?
Who are the persons/entities who had sighted the moon?
Why did Hizbul Ulama opt for secrecy in this regard?
On what Shar’i basis did Hizbul Ulama announce that Ramadhaan this year had only 29 days?
In desperation to vindicate its baatil announcement, Hizbul Ulama resorted to the blatantly haraam act of displaying on its website haraam pictures of men and women participating in Eid Salaat in some places. One haraam spawns another haraam. Since Hizbul Ulama had no Shar’i basis for its baseless and haraam announcement, it felt itself constrained to adopt methods to present a façade of veracity for the mock ‘eid’ it had imposed on its flock.
The Muslim community in the UK should become alert to the vile trend of departing from the Shariah increasingly being adopted by modernists and deviate ulama of our times. Intelligent people should demand from Hizbul Ulama its Shar’i grounds, which in fact it lacks, for having departed from the 14 century Command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
Q. Is it permissible to end ramadhan on the basis of pronouncements of Saudi Arabia?
• Ramadhaan time-tables which are distributed in Makkah Mukarramah and Madinah Munawwara this year records Ramadhaan with 29 days.
• In previous years, the cleaners at Musjidun Nabawi in Madinah, before Maghrib informed those who were in I’tikaaf that they had to ‘pack up’ and leave because it was already decided that ‘tomorrow’ would be Eid.
The Saudi government has created a calendar (Umm ul Qura) for establishing the start of every new Islamic month, be it Ramadhan, Hajj or Eid. The basis of this calendar is upon the ‘birth of the new moon’ and not viewing the crescent moon with the naked eye (Ruyat Hilal) as is required by the Shariah and Sunnah. Due to this, the Saudi announcement for the new Islamic month occurs 1 day before the actual sighting of the new crescent moon. This has been witnessed for many years now.
This year (2011), the Umm ul Qura calendar has been published and they have already written that Monday, 29th August 2011 will be the last fast of Ramadhan. Tuesday, 30th August 2011 will be Eid ul Fitr even if there is no sighting of the moon according to the requirements of Shariah (Ruyat Hilal) in the Entire World.
The fast of Ramadhan is considered so great in Islam that if a person purposefully breaks a fast, he has to perform 60 fasts continuously as a retribution for this act. There is no other act of worship in which the retribution is so severe. For example, if one Salah is made Kadha, only that single Salah is to be performed.
Q. Is it permissible for Muslims in the UK to accept Ramadhaan and Eid announcements from Saudi Arabia for the sake of unity?
A. It is not permissible for Muslims of UK nor for Muslims anywhere in the world to follow the hilaal announcements of the current Saudi authorities. The Saudi authorities are extremely unreliable. It is haraam to discard the Shariah for the sake of ‘unity’, even if it would be a true unity. It is quite obvious that the present fussaaq authorities of Saudi Arabia are not adhering to the Shariah. Despite clear skies, the hilaal was not sighted in Saudi Arabia, neither by the hilaal committees nor the masses. Furthermore, even if the moon is sighted in Saudi Arabia, the present rulers are fussaaq and fujjaar. Their announcements should not be accepted.
Q. This year as well as last year there was difference among the Ulama regarding Eid. One group of Ulama follow Saudi announcements. What is the responsibility of the Ulama?
A. The responsibility of the Ulama in the UK is to follow the command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), and that is to physically sight the moon at the end of the 29th day, and if there is no sighting, then the month will be 30 days. It is highly irresponsible to terminate Ramadhaan and commence Eid on the basis of the extremely dubious rulings of Saudi Arabia. The simple and clear-cut method for avoiding these perennial moon controversies is to ignore the announcements of other countries and to go by local sightings. Those who had ended Ramadhaan on the basis of the Saudi announcement should keep one day Qadha fast. Once the Ulama decide to adhere to only local sightings, all controversies will cease. There is no need to encumber the community with the announcements of other countries. As long as the simple Sunnah method is not implemented, you will be plagued with these moon controversies.
Q. What is the solution for the moon controversy? Almost every year the same problem develops.
A. The only way to terminate the moon controversy is to revert to the simple Sunnah method commanded by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam). That method is: Search for the hilaal at the end of the 29th day. If it is not visible, then the month will be 30 days. Confound all the other arrangements and methods which are made to force the issue of Eid. All methods should be discarded, and only the simple Sunnah adopted. This is the simple and pure method devoid of problems and it will not give rise to conflict if all parties submit to this Sunnah. But, the problem is that in these days people are not contented with the simple practices of the Sunnah. They seek to supersede the Shariah. Some who lack confidence in the simple Sunnah method feel more comfortable relying on the ‘sunnah’ of Saudi Arabia. Others again who equally have no fervour for the Sunnah, desire the ‘sunnah’ of the astronomers. The logical conclusion is the perennial conflict.
Q. If we in England do not accept hilaal announcement from other countries, every Islamic month will be 30 days due to overcast skies.
A. It matters not if in England every month is a 30 day month if the moon is not sighted. It will be a 30 day month in terms of the Shariah, according to the command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
Q. (1) Should the people of UK continue the blindfollowing of Saudi for unity’s sake, as this is the excuse many people, even Ulama are using till today, despite the fact that according to many estimates, majority of the Muslims in UK are NOT following Saudi Arabia? (2) Many people are aware that they are doing wrong, yet cite ‘unity’ as an excuse to celebrate Eid on the 30th of Ramadhan, can this ever be correct? (3) What is the responsibility of the UK Ulama/committee members and Trustees on this issue to end the Fiasco? (4) Those who claimed to follow Chile, and announced well before the sunset of Chile, what is the condition of their fast? (5) In the event of no testimonies coming in accordance with the principles of our Holy Shariah, can such important dates like Ramadhan and Eidain be declared based on a claim advertised on moonsighting.com? (6) News from Saudi Arabia reaches the UK well before Asar time, and is relayed by the Media straightaway, this results in the abandonment of the Sunnah to sight the Hilal locally and ending of the Holy month of Ramadhan at ‘Asar time’ as people start preparing for Eid straightaway. This deprives people of benefitting from those last valuable minutes of the great month, what is Hadhrat’s opinion on this.
(1) It is not permissible for Muslims of UK nor for Muslims anywhere in the world to follow the hilaal announcements of the current Saudi authorities. Our attached pamphlet explains the reasons for this. It is haraam to discard the Shariah for the sake of ‘unity’, even if it would be a true unity. It is quite obvious that the present fussaaq authorities of Saudi Arabia are not adhering to the Shariah. Despite clear skies, the hilaal was not sighted in Saudi Arabia, neither by the hilaal committees nor the masses. Furthermore, even if the moon is sighted in Saudi Arabia, the present rulers are fussaaq and fujjaar. Their announcements should not be accepted.
(2) Those who violate the Shariah on the pretext of their imagined ‘unity’, are close to kufr because they are intentionally abandoning the Shariah for the sake of a hallucinated ‘unity’.
(3) The responsibility of the Ulama in the UK is to follow the command of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), and that is to physically sight the moon at the end of the 29th day, and if there is no sighting, then the month will be 30 days. It is highly irresponsible to terminate Ramadhaan and commence Eid on the basis of the extremely dubious rulings of Saudi Arabia. The simple and clear-cut method for avoiding these perennial moon controversies is to ignore the announcements of other countries and to go by local sightings.
(4) Those who now claim to follow Chile are in a worse condition than those who followed the baseless announcement of Saudi Arabia. Ulama whom we have spoken to in North America informed us that after making investigations with people in Chile by telephone, it was established that there was no sighting in Chile. Furthermore, those in UK who had suddenly decided to follow the misinformation from Chile, had no prior arrangement whereby a structure for accepting Shahaadat had been established. Chile had simply mushroomed in the aftermath of the Saudi debacle. The Chile misinformation should be dismissed with contempt.
(5) Since there were no testimonies based on Shar’i principles, it was not permissible for UK Muslims to have terminated Ramadhaan on the basis of Saudi announcements and the rumours from Chile. Information which in terms of the Shariah is reliable was not received from Chile, hence U.K. Muslims who had terminated Ramadhan on the basis of the Chile rumour are guilty of the heinous sin of not fasting on the last day of Ramadhaan. At the same time, they are gulty of the heinous sin of celebrating Eidul Fitr on the last day of Ramadhaan.They should make Taubah and keep qadha of one day.
(6) It is Waajib to search for the hilaal at the end of the 29th day of every Islamic month. This has greater importance and significance for the month of Ramadhaan. To start making preparations for Eidul Fitr on the basis of the Saudi announcement which reaches U.K.Muslims at the time of Asr, which results in the abandonment of the Sunnah of searching for the hilaal is another unacceptable evil. Any practice which leads to the abandonment of the Sunnah is mardood. Regarding the importance of searching for the hilaal, see attachment. Once the Ulama have decided to adhere to only local sightings, all controversies will cease. There is no need to encumber the community with the announcements of other countries. As long as the simple Sunnah method is not implemented, you will be plagued with these moon controversies.
Q. Why is there always such confusion over the moon-sighting issue?
A. More than 14 centuries after the advent of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), and after presenting the Ummah with a simple, clear system of establishing the beginnings and endings of the Islamic months, confusion reigns supreme in almost all countries on the issue of the Ramadhaan and Eid moons. It is surprising and lamentable that this simple issue has been made almost intractable by even Ulama. The current controversy on the hilaal issue in the United Kingdom is just one example of this ever-recurring problem.
“An A’raabi (a simple rustic/ village-dweller) came to the Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and said: “Verily, I saw the hilaal.’ He (Rasulullah –sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: ‘Do you testify that there is no deity but Allah?’ The A’raabi said: ‘Yes!’ Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: ‘Do you testify that Muhammad is the Rasool of Allah?’ The A’raabi said: ‘Yes!’ Rasulullah – sallallahu alayhi wasallam- (turning to Hadhrat Bilaal) said: “O Bilaal! Announce to the people that they should fast tomorrow.” (Abu Dawood, Tirmizi, etc.) Tirmizi added: “The amal (practice) according to the majority of the Ulama is on this Hadith. They say: The testimony of a single man will be accepted for Fasting (i.e. for the commencement of Ramadhaan). In fact, if the horizon is overcast, the testimony of even one woman will be accepted for the Ramadhaan hilaal.
Reflect on this simplicity! Two simple questions and just two simple words in response, and Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) proclaimed the beginning of Ramadhaan. The many questions which different groups have invented for establishing the hilaal sighting are uncalled for and in conflict with the Sunnah. The size of the hilaal, its angle, its position, etc., are all wasteful, divisive and unwarranted. Others again have introduced astronomical calculations, and base their conclusions on possibility or impossibility of sighting as dictated by these calculations. Valid Shar’i Shahaadat (testimony) is negated on the basis of astronomical data. Edicts of the Shariah may not be superseded by mundane methods and systems. If the sighting of the hilaal is confirmed by way of valid Shar’i testimony, it will be haraam to negate it with astronomical data.
Even if astronomy says that it is impossible to sight the moon, the sighting confirmed by Shar’i Shahaadat will override astronomy. Furthermore, some consider it necessary to make elaborate arrangements with other countries on the basis of the spurious concept of ‘unity’. Therefore some groups insist on having Ramadhaan and Eid with Saudi Arabia. Others again very justifiably reject Saudi sightings as unreliable. If every city/town adheres to the simple system of the Sunnah, there will be no dispute and no controversy. The baseless ideas of ‘unity’ should not be presented to mar the harmony in the community thereby creating greater disunity.
Q. Why is it not permissible to accept news of moon-sightings from Saudi Arabia?
A. The reason why news from Saudi Arabia is not acceptable, is because the Shariah has been made subservient to the rulers in that country. The authorities determine the months with astronomical calculations. They do not adhere strictly to Shar’i methods. The Shariah has become a pawn for the Saudi rulers who are increasingly walking the path of kufr. They have no regard and no respect for the Deen. The word of such fussaaq stands condemned in the Shariah.
Q. Why do the Ulama of South Africa refuse to unite with Saudi Arabia on the issue of Ramadhaan and Eid? What prevents us here in South Africa from uniting with Saudi Arabia? Having Eid on the same day all over the world is a beautiful spectre of Muslim unity? According to the Hanafi Math-hab, differences in horizons (Ikhtilaaf-e-Mataali') is not valid, hence there should be nothing to debar unity with Saudi Arabia.
A. It will also be a “beautiful spectre of Muslim unity” if the whole Ummah of the world could have the same times for Salaat. Unity on the basis of baatil is Satanism which culminates in greater disunity and whose consequence is Allah’s punishment. A valid and lawful unity is one based on the Shariah, not a superficial facade of unity forged in conflict with the Shariah. Further, why do you highlight Saudi Arabia? Why not Pakistan or Egypt or Indonesia or any of the myriad of Kufristans deceptively dubbed Muslim states?
Ikhtilaaf-e-Mataali’ is valid with regard to far away places and cannot be discounted in entirety. Although this factor does not prevent acceptance of hilaal information from Saudi Arabia and our neighbouring countries, there are other valid reasons for our rejection of hilaal news emanating from Saudi Arabia in particular.
If ARABIA had been a truly Islamic State under the governance of a pious Khalifah, then all the Muslims of the world would have proudly and happily submitted to every decree emanating from the Khalifah. Obedience to the Khalifah would have been deemed Waajib. A pious Khalifah is Allah’s Shadow on earth. No Muslim may oppose or disobey him. However, as far as the FAASIQ-FAAJIR, British-installed, American lackey Saudi regime is concerned, it is the shadow of Iblees on earth. Islamically and morally the Saudi regime is absolutely corrupt. Muslims all over the world have no respect for the announcements and decrees made by a faasiq-faajir regime whose policies and efforts are currently designed to eradicate Islam.
The palace scholars being the serfs of the Saudi fussaaq, fujjaar rulers, dance to the tune of their masters. It is their primary obligation to fabricate corrupt ‘fatwas’ to comply with the whimsical fancies and evil commands of the Saudi rulers. These palace ulama belong to the fraternity known as Ulama-e-Soo’ (Evil Ulama). They too are Islamically person’a non grata. This is the reason why the announcements of the Saudi regime are unacceptable.
Q. Is it permissible to use astronomical calculations to determine the beginning of the Islamic months? These calculations will eliminate all the confusion and disputes which generally occur on the occasions of Ramadhaan and Eid.
A. Astronomical calculations may not be utilized to negate an immutable principle of the Shariah. We are under obligation to abide by the commands of Allah Ta’ala. If there is a clash between a Shar’i command and a mundane issue, the Shariah has precedence. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) had commanded the commencement of the Islamic month with the sighting of the hilaal (crescent moon), and such sighting has to be established by the reports of reliable, uprighteous Muslims. When these Shar’i requisites have been complied with, then all other conflicting evidence will be set aside. It should be well understood that Deen is obedience to the commands of Allah Ta’ala. Deen is not the product of rationalism or the effects of our logic and understanding. We may not submit Mansoos Ahkaam to our reasoning and abrogate such laws when we believe that the product of Wahi is in conflict with reason.
Q. (1) Would the Qurbani’s done here in the UK according to the Saudi date be valid? (2) Is this stance of following Saudi, despite the open and clear mistake correct? (3) Is the silence of the influential Ulama on this matter acceptable? Many Masjid committees here in the UK normally are decision makers on this issue. In matters of Dunya, they seem very intelligent and up to date, not accepting a penny’s loss. Here due to this following of the Riyadh authorities, many a times the month of Ramadhan is being commenced on the 30th of Sha’baan, the Fardh fast of Ramadhan is being missed as Eid ul Fitr is being celebrated on the 30th of Ramadhan, and Qurbani’s are being performed on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah. (4) Are the Masjid committees absolved of their duties by saying ‘we follow the Ulama’? (5) Despite knowing the truth, is it permissible for the sake of unity (this is the argument that the many people give) to follow Saudi/ Riyadh announcements and fast on the 30th of Shabaan, or celebrate Eid on the 30th of Ramadhan? (6) Some Ulama claim that the majority Deobandi’s follow the Saudi Hilal announcement, hence acting upon the Hadith ‘follow the Al Siwaad Al Aazam’ everyone should follow suit, is this claim correct, even though it means we are compromising on Fardh Ibaadaat? (7) An Ulama body here went to the extent of announcing that as the majority of the countries in the World were celebrating their Eid Ul Adha according to the Saudi date (although this information is also wrong), the people of UK should follow suit and follow the Al Siwad Al Aazam, is this argument justified? (8) Some Ulama attach the Haramain Shareefain to this issue emotionally blackmailing people that the Imams of the Haramain Shareefain cannot be wrong, and all this opposition to the Saudi Sighting is a Yahood Conspiracy.
It is imperative for the Ulama at your end to resist the attempts to hoist Saudi hegemony on the Muslim community. It is better and safer for Muslims to rather have Eid on different days. They should not buckle under pressure to become the serfs of Saudi Arabia. It is incumbent to follow the directives of the Shariah, not the nafsaani desires of the Saudis who have their own political agenda to which they submit the Shariah.
Unity with baatil is never the teaching of Islam. The call to commence Ramadhaan on a day which is not Ramadhaan, and to celebrate Eid when it is not Eid according to the Shariah for the sake of ‘unity’ is baatil and haraam. Unity with falsehood is haraam. Unity on the basis of the Haqq is the only unity we understand and accept. Our advice is that if Ramadhaan and Eid are not established on the basis of Shar’i dalaa-il, never should you follow the Saudi pronouncements. The Muslims in the U.K. are not in the wilaayat of Saudi Arabia. There is absolutely no Shar’i imperative to compel the Muslims of your country to submit to Saudi dictates and hegemony, more so, when such dictates are flagrantly in violation of the Shariah.
(1) Since Eid in the U.K. was wrongfully and intentionally celebrated on 9th Zil Hajj, the Qur’baani on that day was not valid.
(2) Despite the conspicuous error of the Saudi pronouncement, it was a grievous error of the U.K. Muslims to submit to this gross error and celebrate Eid on the fallacious basis of ‘unity’.
(4) Intentionally beginning Ramadhaan and keeping Eid on the wrong days are haraam and grave sins. The contention that Qadha will be kept after Ramadhaan is despicable and haraam. Such qadha will never compensate for the fast which was knowingly and deliberately abandoned in order to celebrate ‘eid’ on 30 Ramadhaan. In fact, this calculated act of deviating from the Shariah is close to kufr. The element of Istikhfaaf with a Shar’i hukm is kufr. It is tantamount to saying: ‘I shall commit fornication and repent afterwards.’ Or, ‘I shall perform two raka’ts Fardh for Isha’, and make qadha afterwards’.The Musjid committees subscribing to this haraam concept of sinning are clearly in open conflict with the Shariah.
(5) The Musjid committees are not absolved of their Shar’i duties when they are aware that the Ulama are in error. It is haraam to follow the erroneous views and fatwas of the Ulama. Castigating the Ummah of Bani Israaeel for the very same crime of blindly following even the errors of their scholars, the Qur’aan Majeed states: “They take their Ulama and their Mashaaikh as gods besides Allah…” It is haraam to follow anyone in baatil. It is haraam to follow the Ulama when it is known that the Ulama are in error.
(6) It is not permissible to follow the erroneous pronouncement of the Saudi regime for the sake of ‘unity’. The same argument should be thrown into the face of the Saudi lackeys. It should be said to them: For the sake of unity abandon the Saudi pronouncements and follow the announcement of the Ulama who adhere to the original tenets of the Shariah. While the dissenters are prepared to create disunity with their subservience to the Saudis, they take umbrage when the disunity is the consequence of Ulama who refuse to accept the Saudi directives. Those who are so keen for unity, should not embark on something which will bring disunity in its wake, and that something is to follow the Saudi errors or political stunts.
(7) The ‘majority’ is not a principle of law in the Shariah. If the majority of present day Deobandi Ulama follow the Saudi pronouncements, it still remains haraam when we are convinced that the month of Ramadhaan has not commenced or ended. Nowadays the majority is plodding the path of baatil. The majority of the Ummah in this era indulges in riba, haraam and baatil. It never becomes permissible to follow this errant majority. Haqq may not be compromised to strike up an accord with baatil for the sake of a unity which in itself is baatil.
(8) The argument that the Muslims in U.K. should follow other Muslim countries even though the sighting of the hilaal has not been established on the basis of the Shariah, is utterly baseless. The criterion is the Shariah, not the majority of Muslim countries, especially in our day when the governments of all Muslim countries are irreligious and even anti-Islam. There is no Shar’i validity in this fallacious argument.
Q. This year there was a sharp conflict between two groups of Ulama in the U.K. regarding the moon issue. Both groups have written to The Majlis. Which group was right?
A. We are in disagreement with both groups of the UK Ulama. While the one group correctly refuses to consider astronomical calculations for determining the beginning of the month, they nevertheless err in accepting the unreliable announcement of Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, the other group while not accepting the Saudi announcement, does introduce the astronomical dimension. Both groups are therefore in error.
Q. Please comment on the difference between Hizbul Ulama and Wifaqul Ulama with regards to the moon-sighting issue.
A. Currently there prevails a controversy in the United Kingdom regarding the moon issue of last Ramadhaan. The controversy is between two Ulama groups, viz. Hizbul Ulama and Wifaaqul Ulama. Both Ulama organizations have written to the Mujlisul Ulama of S.A. presenting their respective sides of the episode. According to Hizbul Ulama, the hilaal (the crescent moon) for Ramadhaan was sighted by at least three persons at the end of the 29t h day of Sha’baan, hence they declared the following day to be the 1st of Ramadhaan. According to Wifaaqul Ulama, there was no reliable sighting of the hilaal as reported by Hizbul Ulama, hence they (Wifaaqul Ulama) rejected the announcement, and Sha’baan was kept 30 days. Wifaaqul Ulama found the witnesses to be unreliable. We have responded to both Ulama Organizations on the basis of the facts they have furnished in their respective letters. We did not and do not enter the fray in the capacity of a Hakam (Arbitrator). Our responses should, therefore not be construed as adjudication in the dispute of two parties. We have merely apprized the groups of the Shariah’s stance as we understand and believe it to be without deciding and resolving the dispute.
(1) The Shar ‘i Imkaan (Possibility) of sighting the hilaal is at the end of the 29th day of the Islamic month. This Possibility is established by Sareeh Nass of the Hadith. It is such a well-established Shar’i injunction which does not need elaboration. Only those ignorant of the Shariah will refute this injunction. What the observatories and astronomers say in conflict with this Shar’i principle is mardood (rejected and baseless). The Mansoos Ahkaam of the Shariah will remain inviolable until the Day of Qiyaamah, and the fate which had overtaken the Shariah of Nabi Musa (alayhis salaam) and Nabi Isaa (alayhis salaam) at the hands of their followers, the Yahood and Nasaara, will, Insha’Allah, not overtake the Final Shariah of Islam. Allah Ta’ala will in every age put in the arena Ulama- e-Haqq to defend the Deen against the predations of the Ahl-e-Baatil.
(2) There is no ‘exhaustive list’ of questions for the Shaahid (Witness) to answer in terms of the Shariah. The only requirement is that he must be aadil (just/pious), and if it happens to be the hilaal for Eid, and the horizon is clear and cloudless, then the sighting must be reported by jamm-e-ghafeer (a sufficiently large number of people). All other questions are nonsensical and devoid of Shar’i substance and basis. (3) According to the Shariah, the many questions pertaining to the position, shape, etc. of the hilaal are abath and laghw (futile and nonsensical). They have no Shar’i significance. Furthermore, if these questions are used to abrogate the Mansoos Alayh principle of Rooyat, then they (the nonsensical questions) will be haraam.
We had commented on the issue on the basis of the information provided by Hizbul Ulama.. Your explanation presents a different angle to the dispute. Our ruling was based on the adaalat of the witnesses. However, it appears that Wifaqul Ulama refutes the adaalat of the witnesses. We are not in position to adjudicate in the dispute. Our rulings should therefore not be construed as the effect of Tahkeem (Arbitration). We answer on the basis of the information furnished. Whose information is correct, incorrect, true or false is known to Allah Azza Wa Jal. In this response we shall content ourselves with only stating the view and the stance we have adopted on the issue of commencing and ending the Islamic months.
(1) We follow only the principle of Rooyat – the physical sighting.
(2) In the absence of local physical sighting, if news of a sighting of another place in South Africa reaches us by reliable and authentic transmission in which there is no doubt, we accept and Ramadhaan/Eid will be confirmed by us.
(3) To date we do not accept news of sightings from any country. News of Sightings from only within South Africa is accepted. This stance is not because of any belief that the sightings of other countries are not permissible. According to the Ahnaaf the sighting of the East is valid for the West and vice versa. The reason for us not accepting information from outside the country is the lack of a proper arrangement with reliable Shar’i sources. We lack confidence in outside information, hence we limit information of sightings to within the boundaries of South Africa.
(4) We never accept Saudi reports on the hilaal issue. We believe that Saudi Arabia is most unreliable in this regard. Although there have been attempts in South Africa to establish Saudi hegemony here via the moon issue, we are resisting such attempts. There have also been attempts to establish Saudi hegemony by forming a Hilaal Committee of Southern African States. But we have resisted this move too and we are not prepared to compromise our rigid stand for the sake of overtures which are tainted with political and nafsaani agendas. Due to Saudi funding for certain Islamic institutions in Southern African countries, the plan for a united Hilaal Committee here appears unholy to us.
(5) We reject in entirety the slightest intrusion into the hilaal domain by astronomy. We come within the scope of the Hadith in which Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said: “We are an Ummi nation. We neither count nor calculate…..” We are ‘illiterates’ of this calibre, hence we do not have the slightest inclination towards astronomical calculation and even astronomical guidelines regarding feasibility and possibility or impossibility of sighting the hilaal.
(6) Our only criterion for Imkaan-e-Rooyat is the ending of the 29th day of the Islamic month. Possibility of sighting the hilaal at the expiry of the 29th day of the Islamic month is a Shar’i possibility even if in terms of astronomy it may be impossible. The Nass in this regard overrides astronomy.
(7) If the hilaal is not sighted after 29 days have passed, the month will obviously be 30 days in terms of the Shariah.
(8) Confirmation of the sighting must be on the basis of the reporting by aadil witnesses. The number will vary from one such witness, male or female, for confirmation of the Ramadhaan hilaal, if the horizon is overcast, to Jamm-e-Ghafeer if the sky is clear. Regarding the number of witnesses, the various factors such as clear or overcast sky, the moon for Ramadhaan and the moon for Eid, are taken into consideration.
(9) If all Shar’i factors are fulfilled and the witnesses are aadil, we shall confirm the sighting regardless of the view of the astronomers. Even if a sighting is ‘impossible’ in terms of astronomical calculations, but if criteria of the Shariah – the Mansoos Ahkaam – have been satisfied, we accept the sighting and confirm the commencement of the Islamic month. The Shariah overrides all other considerations. Never, is it permissible to cite astronomical calculations for overriding the Shariah or for casting doubt.
(10) We do not take into account the size, position, shape, etc. of the hilaal for accepting news of a sighting. The only criterion for accepting a sighting is the adaalat of the witnesses. Rasulullah’s personal practice in this regard is sufficient and categorical direction for the procedure of accepting reports of sightings. We are averse to the astronomical paraphernalia which appear in questionnaires to which Aadil witnesses are subjected to. It is quite possible for a person to sight the hilaal without applying his mind to the various aspects of the moon such as shape, position, etc. A person who has genuinely sighted the hilaal may forget within minutes the actual physical attributes which had accompanied the hilaal.
Furthermore, the Ahaadith testify that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahaabah had not ventured into such details pertaining to the hilaal. The procedure adopted by Nabi-e-Kareem (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) was extremely simple. The sole criterion was the adaalat of the Shaahid. If there is valid doubt in the adaalat of the witnesses, the correctness of his answering the variety of questions will be in vain. Even if he answers all the questions correctly, his testimony will be rejected if he is not aadil. On the other hand, if his adaalat is confirmed in Shar’i terms, then his report of sighting will be accepted regardless of his inability to answer the questionnaire. This is our stance.
(11) We shall reject the report if the person appears on the scene a few days after the reported sighting such as in your case where the ‘sighters’ testified 8 days after their alleged sighting.
(12) If Hizbul Ulama had declared Ramadhaan on the basis of Saudi Arabia’s announcement, then we are of the opinion that this was incorrect as the Saudis are unreliable in this regard. The Brother who had asked his question on behalf of Hizbul Ulama did not mention that the three persons had testified only 8 days after their sighting. We had under- stood from the question that the three ‘aadil’ witnesses had testified the very same night soon after having sighted the hilaal, that is during Maghrib time of the very first night. In our opinion the report made 8 days after the event should have been dismissed without the need to listen to their testimony and without bothering to establish the integrity of the witnesses.
(13) Our advice is that witnesses should not come forward to ‘prove the correctness of Saudi announcements’ as you have mentioned. Saudi Arabia should be expunged from the hilaal equation. The Zaalim government of Saudi Arabia has a direct hand in hilaal announcements, and for them political or other expediencies are adequate for tampering with the masaa-il of the Shariah.
(14) We note that Wifaaqul Ulama does use astronomical calculations as a guideline, not for confirming the commencement of the month. As long as the actual confirmation of the hilaal is based on actual Rooyat, you are entitled to your methodology and guide lines. The absolute principle of Rooyat should never be compromised. We need to clarify the meaning of not compromising this Mansoos Alayh principle. If aadil witnesses testify to their personal sighting and all Shar’i conditions regarding numbers of sighters for different occasions are fulfilled, then it will be Waajib to accept their testimony even if astronomy says that the sighting is impossible and even if the sighters are unable to answer the astronomical paraphernalia related to the hilaal.
(15) From the explanation furnished by Batley Moon Sighting Committee, it appears that the basis for having rejected the CMC’s announcement was the ‘integrity’ factor. According to BMSC the witnesses were not aadil. Their adaalat was rejected. We are not in position to adjudicate between CMC and BMSC on this issue. We can only say that if they were confident that the witnesses were not aadil, then they were within their right for having rejected the testimony especially in view of it coming 8 days later.
(16) We are in disagreement with BMSC regarding their criteria for establishing adaalat. The duration of visibility of the hilaal, visibility conditions, position/shape of the hilaal, location of the hilaal, moonset, ‘logical’ impossibility of sighting, astronomical impossibility of sighting, etc. are irrelevant for establishing adaalat of the witnesses. These factors have no basis in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. At most they are products of opinion and could act as guidelines. Never could these factors be utilized to negate adaalat. The uprighteousness of a person is not reliant on these factors. The adaalat of a Buzrug of known and confirmed Taqwa may not be negated on the basis of these factors which are all extraneous to the Shar’i concept of adaalat. Factors such as donning un-Islamic dress, strutting around with a bare-head, deficiency in performing Salaat with Jamaa’t, indulgence in futility, sport, and many other factors related to the moral domain are relevant for establishing or negating adaalat.
(17) Paragraph No.7 of BMSC’s explanation reads as follows: “Hazrat Mufti Taqi Usmani Sahib states: ‘for when according to calculation it is impossible to sight the moon then according to the majority of the Ulama of today when logically it’s impossible to sight the moon such a testimony will be ‘muttahum’ discredited and due to being discredited the testimony will be void, and you must not decide on such a testimony.” We respectfully differ with this view which is devoid of Shar’i substance. It is a view based on opinion and unsubstantiated by Shar’i facts. Logic and astronomy may not be used to refute, negate or discredit the testimony of an aadil man on the issue of Rooyat-e-Hilaal. Since this is a Mansoos rule, there is no scope for its abrogation nor for rejection on the basis of opinion, logic and astronomy. This is especially so when the simplicity of the procedure to confirm a sighting by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) is borne in mind. The opinion expressed by Hadhrat Mufti Taqi Sahib is incorrect since it lacks Shar’i daleel.
(18) We also disagree with the fatwa of Jamiatur Rashid for the same reasons stated above in No.17.
We respectfully differ with the most senior Mufti of UK. The honourable Mufti Sahib did not apply his mind to the issue – the mas’alah pertaining to the commencement of the Islamic month. The fundamental principle of the Rooyat being established in terms of the Shariah by the testimony of aadil witnesses had escaped his mind. Moonset and moonrise timetables are irrelevant in this regard. These timetables cannot override the Nass of the Shariah which unequivocally confirms the Rooyat of aadil witnesses.
The analogy of Salaat timetables is baseless in the context of hilaal confirmation. The Mansoos Alayh principle for establishing the hilaal is actual Rooyat. The confirmation of the natural phenomena for establishing the times of Namaaz is not reliant on Rooyat. To commence Maghrib Salaat, physical sighting of sunset is not conditional, nor is physical sighting of the length of the shadow necessary for Zuhr and Asr Salaat. Even the information of a non-Muslim regarding sunset, the direction of East, West, etc, is valid and may be utilized for initiating acts of ibaadat. Maghrib Salaat time commences immediately after sunset.
If sunset is confirmed by any means whatsoever, Maghrib Salaat will be valid. It is not necessary to confirm sunset only by means of Rooyat. There is no such principle in the Shariah. The Shariah simply states that Maghrib is after sunset. As far as the commencement of the Islamic month is concerned, the Shariah categor ical ly ordains Rooyat of the Hilaal. There is no other phenomenon commanded by the Shariah for commencing the Islamic month. Birth of the moon, moonrise, moonset or presence of the moon in its orbit or any other phenomenon have not been fixed by the Shariah for beginning the Islamic months. The only valid act for this purpose is Rooyat of the Hilaal. Thus the analogy presented by the venerable Mufti Sahib is not valid.
Q. According to some Muftis it is permissible to use the determinations of astronomy to negate false sightings. It is maintained that in this age of fitnah and mischief and questionable testimonies of sighting, it is permissible to use astronomy to refute testimonies of moon sightings. Is this view correct?
A. There is no scope for re-interpretation of the Ahkaam in Islam. The Yahood and Nasaara had mangled beyond recognition the Shariats of Nabi Musa (alayhis salaam) and Nabi Isa (alayhis salaam) with their processes of re-interpretation, distortion and personal opinion. Thus, there does not remain a semblance of the original Shariats of the Ambiya (alayhimus salaam). In this regard Islam is unique. The Deen has been finalized at the termination of Nubuwwat. The ahkaam are immutable and will remain in their pure form until the Day of Qiyaamah.
The view of negating Shar’i evidence/testimony on the basis of the determinations of astronomy is incorrect and abhorrent in the extreme because it in effect abrogates a Mansoos Alayh usool (principle) of the Shariah. The principle is that the testimony of Aadil (just and uprighteous) witnesses is Shar’i daleel. Such shahaadat is binding. It is haraam to set aside a Shar’i daleel – a Mansoos Hukm – on the basis of astronomical determinations. How can it ever be Islamically possible and permissible to cancel a Shar’i principle on the basis of a man-made determination?
Whilst the same Muftis maintain that astronomical determinations are not valid for commencing the Islamic month, they illogically aver that such determinations are valid for negating Shar’i Shahaadat. Both principles are Shar’i, and of equal weight and importance. The argument that this is an age of fitnah and mischief, hence false testimony is made, is baseless. In terms of the Shariah a sighting is not false. The testimony can be false. The Shar’i command is to reject testimony which does not conform to the requisites of the Shariah. Eid, Ramadhaan and the Islamic months in general are never determined on the basis of such testimony which does not conform to Shar’i standards. The Shariah stipulates the requisite of adaalat for those who testify.
Aadil persons are generally known in a community. A total stranger who testifies will be majhoolul halaal. His testimony shall not be accepted. However, when Aadil persons testify that they have sighted the hilaal, then confound what the astronomers say. Irrespective of the determinations of astronomy, it is haraam to reject the shahaadat of Aadil persons. Astronomy cannever override the Shariah. On the contrary, the Shariah overrides and rejects man-made determinations when these are in conflict with the Law of Allah Azza Wa Jal.
Let us momentarily assume that the Aadil persons who are testifying had made a genuine error in sighting. There was no hilaal, but according to their sightings, the hilaal was seen. Now it matters not whether the hilaal had been sighted or not. Of vital importance is that Aadil persons had testified to having seen the hilaal. On the basis of their shahaadat Ramadhaan and Eid shall be declared.
The issue is not the hilaal. The issue is the Hukm of the Shariah. The Shariah commands that Ramadhaan will commence on the basis of the testimony of even one Aadil person, male or female, if the sky is overcast, for example. It matters not what the astronomers say. The fitnah of dishonest people have no role in the determination of the Islamic months, because everyone knows them to be ghair-aadil (not uprighteous).
The Shariah prohibits acceptance of the shahaadat of fussaaq. Thus, the argument of ‘mischief’ due to the testimony of fussaaq is a figment of the imagination. The requisite of aadalat precludes false testimony. The Shariah nips in the bud such mischief by simply not entertaining the testimony of fussaaq. Valid Shahaadat is only by pious and aadil persons.
Q. The hilaal was not sighted anywhere in South Africa for Rabiuth Thaani, due it being overcast. However, the age of the moon was about 34 hours. In neighbouring countries the moon was sighted and today is the 2nd Rabiuth Thaani in Zimbabwe, etc. whereas it is the 1st for us in South Africa. At the end of the 30th day, the 34 hour hilaal was quite big. Does this not indicate that today is the 2nd of the new month. Should we not accept the news from neighbouring countries to have uniformity in our Islamic calendar?
A. The Shariah’s principle for determining the new month is the actual/physical sighting of the hilaal. The principle is not the birth of the moon or the number of hours lapsing since its birth or of the size of the hilaal. This principle is inviolable and was established by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) himself, and on which there exists Ijma’ (Consensus) of the Ummah – of all Four Math-habs. This has been the Shariah’s way since the time of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam).
Due to the large size of the hilaal, there will be no need to search for it as is the case at the end of the 29th night. People will then comment, as they do nowadays when they see a large hilaal, that it is the 2nd. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) and the Sahaabah rejected such conclusions, and affirmed that it is the first moon. Thus, if at the end of the 30th day the moon appears large and bright, it will be in conflict with the Shariah to create a controversy based on the large size of the hilaal.
The issue of unity or uniformity is drivel. Just as Muslims perform Salaat at different times all over the world, without this constituting an interference in unity and uniformity, so too is it with the sighting of the hilaal. If it is the 1st in Zimbabwe, there is no Shar’i adversity or problem if it is still the 30th here in South Africa. The problems develop when people attempt to supersede the Shariah by endeavouring to transform a non-Shar’i issue into a Shar’i issue. The Deen is simple. Rasulullah’s command was: “If you see the hilaal (at the end of the 29th) then begin the fast. If the hilaal is not visible due to it being overcast, then complete the month 30 days.” The problem is that people are not satisfied with this simple Ruling of the Shariah. They seek to override Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) with their whimsical ideas such as ‘unity’ which has no relationship with sighting the hilaal and commencing the new month.
(1) There is no absolutely reliable connection in Shar’i terms between us and those in neighbouring countries or countries further abroad. Most of the Muslim organizations elsewhere, especially in our neighbouring countries are Salafi dominated. They rely on Saudi funding, and the Saudi regime utilizes its funding to assert its hegemony globally over Muslims.
(2) Half or perhaps more than 50% of the Muslim community consists of followers of the Shaafi’ Math-hab. Far-off sightings are not valid according to the Shaafi’ Math-hab. It is unreasonable and not permissible to capitalize on the ignorance of the local Shaafi’ sheikhs by imposing on the Shaafi’ community the Hanafi Fatwa which is not valid in terms of their Math-hab. The acquiescence of outfits such as the MJC is of no significance. The MJC is not a valid spokesman or voice of the Shaafi’ Math-hab. In fact, due to the acute dearth of Knowledge in the ranks of the MJC sheikhs, the Hanafi Ulama are better poised to advise the Shaafi’ community in terms of their Math-hab. In this age of anti-Taqleedi’ism, it is imperative that all Muqallideen adhere with tenacity to their respective Math-habs.
Another very important consideration is that the desired superficial ‘unity’ which is sought by forging unification of Ramadhaan and Eid with neighbouring countries, will never be achieved. On the contrary, it will culminate in greater disunity in South Africa for the simple reason that there is no single group of Ulama who can claim to represent the entire Muslim community of South Africa.
Different segments of the Muslim community have their own allegiances. Thus, the Mujlisul Ulama of South Africa, Jamiatul Ulama Gauteng, The Original Jamiatul Ulama Transvaal (Waterval Islamic Institute), Jamiatul Ulama Eastern Cape, Jamiatul Ulama Western Cape and many other organizations will not accept any decision by any Ulama outfit who enters into any hilaal agreement with neighbouring countries.
In view of this scenario, what does intelligence dictate? Eid on two different days in South Africa, with one segment of the community celebrating with Zimbabwe, etc., and another segment on a different day. Thus, whilst there will be a farcical ‘unity’ of a segment of the South African community with Zimbabwe for example, there will be real disunity and friction in the Muslim community of South Africa. Hence, the coveted ‘unity’ is a pipedream.
In addition, the Shariah does not demand this type of phantom unity. It is not part of the Ta’leem of the Shariah to forge Eid with other countries. Eid in all Muslim countries on the same day would be a valid demand if the Islamic World was governed by an Ameerul Mu’mineen whose decree would be valid and enforceable in all the lands under his jurisdiction. In the absence of Khilaafat, it is every man for himself. We are all swirling rudderless in a cesspool of iniquity which has effaced even the Imaan of innumerable so-called scholars and learned men, leave alone the masses.
For ensuring peace on hilaal issues, forget about forging ‘calendar unity’ with other countries. Adopt the simple principle which Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) had formulated and which the Ummah had adhered to for the past fourteen centuries. There is much barakat in the simplicity if Islam. When people introduce complexity into Islamic simplicity, shaitaan becomes snugly juxtaposed for spreading his mischief in the community.
Q. I am from Cape Town currently living in Durban. The rest of my family is still living in Cape Town. According to my family, the moon was not sighted anywhere in Cape Town, but the MJC accepted the sighting of Johannesburg. We follow the Shaafi’ Math-hab, and according to what I have learnt is that Shaafis are not allowed to accept moon-news from further than 48 miles. Kindly inform us on this issue. My family is concerned about the Fast. Jazaakallah, Was-salaam.
A. The MJC is a redundant, flotsam group whose primary profession is halaalization of carrion. They have no Deeni pedestal. They have no genuine relationship with the Deen. They hypocritically pose as Shaafis, but in reality are juhala dwelling in jahl muraqqab (compound ignorance). Their Shaafi’ism is restricted to Raf’ul Yadain (lifting the hands in Salaat). They are bereft of Deeni bearings. They are unable to distinguish between right and left, darkness and light, truth and falsehood for the simple reason that they are a conglomerate of Baatil. The Shariah has no meaning for them. Their jaahil counterpart in Johannesburg is the NNB Jamiat (No Name Brand Jamiat of Fordsburg) whose miserable chief is the Reverend Bham. These two entities are in an unholy alliance. By degrees they are nibbling at the framework of the Shariah. They are decidedly evil in the extreme.
MONDAY 28TH JULY, 2014 WAS NOT EID FOR SHAAFIS IN CAPETOWN OR ANYWHERE IN THE CAPE.
Your understanding of 48 miles is correct. According to the Shaafi’ Math-hab, the sighting of Johannesburg, even if reliably confirmed, is not valid for Cape Town. It was haraam for Shaafi’s in Cape Town to abandon Ramadhaan, and celebrate Eid on what was the 30th Ramadhaan in terms of the Shaafi’ Math-hab.
But for these vile ulama-e-soo’ who betray the Deen, of primary importance is the fulfilment of their nafsaani and ulterior motives. They are not concerned with the Shariah. If they had any respect for the Deen and if they had possessed genuine Knowledge, they would not have committed the haraam blunder of accepting the announcement of the stupid NNB Jamiat’s Reverend who is crazy about hubb-e-jah (love for cheap name and fame).
SHAAFIS IN CAPE TOWN SHOULD MAKE QADHA OF ONE FAST – THE FAST OF 30th RAMADHAAN WHICH THEY HAD MISSED DUE TO THE SHAITAANIYAT OF THE MJC.
The Shaafi’ community in the Cape should not betray the Deen and act flagrantly in conflict with the Shaafi’ Math-hab which does NOT permit acceptance of moon-sighting from Johannesburg, Durban, Port Elizabeth, etc. The Shariah is not up for mockery and for meddling and peddling to satisfy whim, desire and ulterior motive. There is absolutely no need for the Shaafi’ community to abandon the Shaafi’ Math-hab for the sake of a satanically inspired false ‘unity’. Islam does not advocate unity with baatil (falsehood). The MJC must be given the boot for all the baatil and haraam they are hoisting on to the Shaafi’ community in the Cape.
(1) Ikhtilaaful Mataali’ or difference in the risings and settings of the sun and stars should not exist. In other words, the horizons of the places should be the same. This means that the places must be located on the same lines of longitude.
(2) Masaafatul Qasr should not apply. In other words, the place from where the news of the sighting emanates should not be at a distance which according to the Shaafi’ Madh-hab permits Qasr Salaat. There exists difference of opinion on this condition among the Shaafi’ Fuqaha.
(3) East-West sightings, i.e. the news of a reliable sighting is acceptable to places lying west of the place where the hilaal was sighted.
On the basis of these essential conditions stipulated by the Shaafi’ Madh-hab it will not be permissible for Shaafis west of Cape Town beyond the Masaafatul Qasr limit to accept the sighting of Cape Town. Thus, Worcester, for example, cannot commence Ramadhaan nor celebrate Eid on the strength of a Cape Town sighting if the hilaal was not sighted in Worcester itself. On the other hand, Worcester can accept sightings of Port Elizabeth, Durban and Johannesburg, if the news is transmitted reliably (due to the close distance).
Hanafis on the other hand, are permitted to accept reliable news of sightings from anywhere, whether east, west, north or south. However, the news must be conveyed by Tareeq-e-Moojib (in a way which the Shariah considers reliable). In this matter, every centre is within its rights to decide the reliability and authenticity of the information of sightings which are reported. Once centre cannot compel its decision on another centre. Every Ulama body is free to accept or reject news of sightings which reaches them. It is, however, obvious that only Shar’i factors should influence either acceptance or rejection of the news.
“…Verily, for every city is its ruling regarding risings and settings, e.g. the rising and setting of the sun, as Mawaardi has said as well as others. This is categorically stated in Al-Kifaayah as well…. Thus, it is proper to relate the time fasting with the risings of Fajr.
Q. Please comment on a group of astronomers who recently proclaimed that there are three valid ways of determining the start or end of an Islamic month.
(2) “To accept the possibility of sighting (imkan-al-ruyah) of the crescent in Southern Africa or South America, whether one waits for that sighting to be confirmed or not, and decree Eid-ul-Fitr for Tuesday 30th; this is what the European Council for Fatwa and Research decided.
(3) To insist on local or regional sightings and testimonies (as countries such as Oman and Morocco do), and in this case Eid could only be on Wed.Aug.31; this is what Oman did with its highly civilized announcement a week before and what Morocco did after receiving testimonies on the 30th.
There is no need to cite the Hadith references for this narration which is of the Tawaatur category. There is consensus on the authenticity and meaning of this Hadith. The new principle, wujood (the presence of the moon in the sky), mentioned in the first option above, is in diametric conflict with the Shariah’s immutable principle of Ruyah (physical sighting), hence it (the principle of the moon’s presence in the sky) is mardood (rejected) and haraam.
Everyone is aware that the moon is always present in the sky at some place or the other. To relate the termination and commencement of the Islamic months to ‘presence’ is to follow in the footsteps of non-Muslim civilizations who also have their own principles for their lunar months. But such principles are at variance with the Islamic principle. The moon’s presence, movement and position in its orbit at any point are absolutely of no significance relative to the Islamic months.
The commencement of the Chinese lunar month was with the sunrise immediately before the new moon. Months of 29 or 30 days begin on the days the new moons are astronomically calculated, not by means of actual sighting. In the Hindu system, the month begins with the full moon. Islam has rejected all systems and has adopted only the principle of Ruyah. While the presence, position and movements of the moon could be accurately determined with the instruments of astronomy, there is absolutely no way to astronomically determine Ruyah, for this is the function of only the physical eyes. Possibility and impossibility of sighting is not Ruyah.
The eyes are wonderful bounties of Allah Azza Wa Jal. They are capable of competing with even telescopes. Confirming this fact, the group of astronomers avers: “….the all-time world record for a crescent seen by naked eyes is 29 minutes, and by telescopes 20 minutes.” The difference in the abilities of the two media (eyes and telescopes) is a mere 9 minutes. The astronomers have confirmed that a sighting with the eyes had taken place in just 29 minutes.
The other new principle stated in the second option above, is imkan al-ruyah or the possibility of sighting the hilaal. This principle too is in flagrant conflict with the immutable principle of the Shariah. Allah Ta’ala has ordained that the principle is Ruyatul Hilaal, not imkaanur ruyah (the possibility of sighting the hilaal). The fabrication of this new principle is a haraam interpolation and abrogation of the divine command. Such interference with the Shariah is tantamount to kufr. Since Allah Ta’ala has ordained Ruyah, no one is then entitled to arrogate to himself the right to scuttle this principle and substitute it with wujood (presence) or imkaan (possibility).
The astronomers have therefore transgressed the limits of the Shariah by pronouncing ‘religious coherence’ for these two haraam principles fabricated in this belated era, fourteen centuries down the line. Their attempt to supersede the Shariah is mardood (rejected). Neither is the theory of wujood nor imkaan denied in relation to astronomical calculations and predictions which are all zanniyaat (conjectural regardless of the high degree of accuracy) as opposed to the Qat’iyyat (Absolute Certitude) of the Ruyah principle of the Shariah.
The third option, namely, Ruyah or actual physical sighting is the only valid Shar’i principle. Those countries – and they are the vast majority – which had celebrated Eid on the basis of this principle acted correctly within the bounds of the Shariah.
It is salubrious that in countries where the only principle employed was Ruyah such as South Africa, there was absolutely no controversy. This year, there was no moon controversy in South Africa since the principle of Ruyah was followed. However, where the Ruyah principle was abandoned, controversy prevailed. In all matters, whenever the limits of the Shariah are transgressed, the consequence is controversy and fitnah.
At the outset let us make it quite clear that we hold no brief for Saudi announcements even if they adopt the principle of Ruyah. The rejection of Saudi pronouncements is based on other factors which are unrelated to this discussion. Shar’i facts may not be denied regardless of the source of their emanation. Therefore, we shall corroborate and support the Saudi system which they claim is the principle of Ruyah notwithstanding our rejection of Saudi pronouncements, not the refutation by the astronomers of the Saudi claim of the possibility of Ruyah even if moonset is one minute after sunset.
The Saudi ‘one minute’ claim is acceptable to the Shariah in view of the fact that it is linked to Rasulullah’s command to search for the hilaal at the end of the 29th day of the Islamic month. However, Saudi Arabia has weakened its Shar’i position with the stipulation of moonset after sunset. The Shariah’s principle is Mutlaq (unrestricted by any condition). Regardless of moonset being before or after sunset, the Shariah commands the search for the hilaal at the end of the 29th day. There would have been greater credibility and Shar’i force in the Saudi system if the moonset business had been discarded. It is imperative for the correct operation of the Shariah’s command to isolate astronomy in entirety for the purposes of determining the termination and commencement of the Islamic months. Regardless of the accuracy of astronomical calculations, and without contesting their validity, astronomy does not feature anywhere in the Islamic system for determining the months.
The Saudi state Ulama vehemently claim that they are following the Shariah’s command, viz., searching for the hilaal at the end of the 29th day. Whether this is factual or not, we do not know. Nevertheless, this claim is 100% correct. If the requisites of the Shariah pertaining to Shahaadat (testimony) are complied with, and on this basis if Eid, etc. are proclaimed, it will be valid and binding regardless of the noises made by the astronomers. Even if all the astronomers of the world unite to say that it is a total impossibility to sight the moon, the Shariah’s command to search for the hilaal at the end of the 29th day may not be abandoned. Regardless of astronomical impossibility, if a sighting satisfies the requisites of the Shariah, the new month will be incumbently declared.
If the hilaal can be sighted 29 minutes after sunset as is confirmed by the astronomers, there is nothing to prevent Allah Ta’ala to make the hilaal visible to the naked eye even one minute after sunset as the Saudi’s assert. The determinant is not moonset and minutes. The determinant is the Sunnah system of establishing the commencement of the months. However, since the Saudi regime is an oppressive, brutal appendage of the U.S.A., the announcements made by Saudi state agencies lack credibility. The announcers are bereft of the Shar’i requirement of adaalat.
The Saudi stance, if it is true that they physically sight the hilaal at the end of the 29th day, does not “trespass into astronomers’ expertise and prerogatives” as the group of astronomers claims. The claim of the Saudi Ulama regardless of it emanating from the state Ulama, merely confirms the position of the Shariah. It does not concern itself with astronomy.
If this stance refutes the expertise of the astronomers, it matters not. The astronomers simply have to digest it and understand that they have no right of intrusion into the domains of the Shariah. For the sake of respecting the theories, observations and findings of the astronomers, it is haraam to render the Shariah subservient to astronomy or any other science. When there is a clash between the Shariah and astronomy, the latter will be dumped in the waste, and the Shariah will prevail regardless of how irrational the Shar’i stance may appear.
Furthermore, the view of the astronomers that it is humanly impossible to sight the hilaal after a few minutes after sunset is not based on any scientific or rational evidence. At most, ‘thousands of observations’ are presented as the grounds for their averment. But ‘thousands of observations’ are not conclusive and absolute evidence for substantiating the claim that the hilaal cannot be visible after one minute. Despite all the thousands of observations, only one case of a 29 minute sighting has been recorded.
Let us assume that this one case was not recorded, or it was never reported, then the astronomers would have claimed that the hilaal cannever be sighted with the naked eyes after 29 minutes simply because the feat accomplished by powerful telescopes is 20 minutes. Such a claim would not be scientific regardless of the number of observations. If a fact lacks the absolute certitude with which an irrefutable logical, rational or scientific principle cloaks it, it cannot be termed scientific. According to the Shariah, the impossibility of Ruyah in terms of astronomy is a Zanni issue.
Q. Please comment on the obligation to search for the new moon.
A. Waajib alal Kifaayah is an obligation of the Shariah which devolves on the entire Muslim community of a locality. If a few persons in a particular community fulfil the obligation, the duty is discharged on behalf of the entire community. The fulfilment by a few absolves the whole community of the Waajib duty. On the other hand, if no one in the community upholds the obligation, the entire community is guilty of the sin of abandoning the Waajib obligation. Everyone in that particular community is then deemed to be sinful. The search for the Hilaal (the Crescent moon of the first of the new Islamic month) is such a compulsory obligation which has to be discharged by the Muslim community.
Regarding this Search, Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) commanded that Muslims should search for the new moon at the end of the 29th day of the Islamic month. If the Hilaal is not sighted at the end of the 29th day (i.e. after sunset), for whatever reason, the month will then automatically be a 30 day month. There is no other way whatsoever for determining the ending of the current Islamic month and the commencement of the next Islamic month. Resorting to any other method such as astronomical calculation and birth of the moon, etc. is absolutely not permissible. It is a haraam bid’ah (evil innovation).
On the 29th day of Ramadhaan. it is therefore Waajib on Muslims to search for the hilal immediately after Maghrib Salaat. Some brothers should in fact perform their Maghrib Salaat at the location from where they will be sighting the moon. Regardless of how ‘young’ the moon may be, and regardless of the calculations and predictions of the astronomers who claim that visibility will be impossible, it remains the Waajib obligation of Muslims to search for the hilaal.
Q. What should one do in Saudi Arabia when it is certain that the day declared Eidul Fitr is still Ramadhaan? When it is known for a fact that the moon was not sighted anywhere in Saudi Arabia or any where in the world, should one celebrate Eid because the government has announced that it is Eid? It may also be unsafe to violate the order of the Saudi government.
A. When there is absolute certitude that the hilaal was not sighted anywhere and that it is still Ramadhaan, then you should fast, and not join the mock ‘eid’ salaat ordered by the Saudi government. You cannot be forced to abstain from fasting. Fasting is a private act which is known only to you and Allah Ta’ala. The tyrants of the Saudi ruling entity will not know that you are fasting. As for abstaining from their mock eid salaat, you will not be arrested for this. The tyrants will not know because the eid salaat is not restricted to the Haramain Musjids. You are therefore not exposing yourself to any danger by practically rejecting the haraam order of the Saudi government. The position will, however, differ on the occasion of Hajj. Even if it is not the Day of Arafaat, you have no choice. Your Hajj and Qur’baani will be valid even if the government orders erroneously. You cannot have your own day of Arafaat in Hajj. The Shariah therefore allows participation in this ‘error’. The oppressors will bear the burden of their sins.
Q. From my cell in which I have been secluded for 23 hours of the day, I am unable to see outside to establish whether Ramadhaan will be commencing. What do I do in this case? I was told that Ramadhaan will begin on 1st August.
A. If a person is unable to correctly establish the date when Ramadhaan begins, then he should accept the information he receives from the most reliable source. This year Ramadhaan did begin on 1st August. In all cases of ibaadat when it is impossible to establish accuracy, act according to the fatwa of your heart. The acquisition of the heart’s fatwa is termed Taharri. If you are not aware of the Qiblah, for example, and there is no one to show you, then employ the principle of Taharri.
Q. Some senior Muftis are of the view that global moon sighting is valid. Therefore, Eid could be on the same day all over the world. They quote Shaami in support of their view. Please comment.
A. They are quoting Shaami incorrectly. According to only the Hanafi Math-hab, the sighting of the halaal in the west is valid for regions in the east and vice versa. This mas’alah does not at all mean that it is incumbent on the people in the west to accept the information transmitted by the people in the east and vice versa nor does it mean that we should establish hilaal committees for ‘global sighting’. There never existed any such structure or even attempt in the 14 century history of Islam. Practically in our era in which there is no Ameerul Mu’mineen ruling all the lands of Islam, it is not possible to have a unified Eid based on global sighting. Hitherto there has been nothing but confusion and greater controversy stemming from these ‘global sighting’ endeavours. Reliance cannot be reposed on the corrupt, unjust, tyrannical regime of Saudi Arabia. The Saudis are hopelessly unfit to lead the Ummah in any matter of the Deen. No one and no country has the right to impose its sighting on the inhabitants of another country. Infact, the elders of one town cannot impose their sighting on the inhabitants of another town 10 miles away in the same country. Those harping and barking about ‘global sighting’ and a ‘unified Eid’, don’t have serious work, hence they employ their brains and squander their time in futility, dreaming and hallucinating unattainable goals.Don’t pay attention to their drivel.
Q. What is the validity of the use of astronomical calculations in determining moon-sightings in places such as North America?
A. A deviant body, dubbing itself FIQH COUNCIL OF NORTH AMERICA, has resolved to ‘abrogate’ the fourteen century Rooyah (Physical Sighting) principle of the Shariah. Since the time of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam)—from the very inception of Islam—to the present day, the sacred principle on the basis of which the Islamic dates are determined was and shall perpetually be Rooyah (physical sighting) of the crescent moon. The miscreant so-called ‘fiqh council of North America’ is now attempting to abrogate the Shariah by claiming that the inviolable principle of the Shariah is outdated and that it applied to o¬nly illiterate people living in the desert, mountains, villages and the like. But for the ignoramus liberals who are bereft of Deeni insight and extremely deficient in Islamic knowledge, the deviant fiqh council, claim that the new principle of this belated 21st century is ‘astronomical calculations’.
Astronomical calculations have no validity in regard to the determination of the Islamic dates. The Fuqaha (Jurists of Islam) have abundantly and adequately ruled on the impermissibility of this method in so far as it concerns Ramadhaan, the Eids and the Islamic months in general. The errant fiqh council of North America has strayed from the Straight Path of the Ahlus Sunnah Wal Jama’ah in its conspiracy to abrogate the sacred principles of the Shariah. This Deen was perfected fourteen centuries ago. It is not in need of the mutations which the aberrant fiqh council seeks to hook onto the Shariah.
Muslim communities in America should reject the new plot of the fiqh council and continue to determine the Islamic dates in the method shown and commanded to the Ummah by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) more than fourteen hundred years ago. The determination of the Islamic months by the act of Rooyah is an ibaadat which cannot be compromised. The liberals of the fiqh council are attempting to scuttle this sacred principle with their bid’ah of astronomical calculations which the Muslim communities in America should incumbently reject.
Q. In our Musjid we perform Taraaweeh even if the sighting of the moon has not yet been confirmed. The argument is that we should perform Taraaweeh just in case the moon is sighted for Ramadhaan. If the moon is not sighted, there is no harm in having performed the Salaat which would then become Nafl. Performing it early is convenient for the people. Sometimes the news of the sighting reaches us very late. Is our argument valid?
A. Your argument is utterly baseless. Your ‘taraaweeh’ is bid’ah. It is not permissible to commence an ibaadat before its time. The validity of Taraaweeh is dependent on the sighting of the Ramadhaan hilaal (crescent moon). Performance of 20 raka’ts in jamaat as your community is doing is a bid’ah. If the moon is sighted, then although your Taraaweeh will be valid, its commencement without having received confirmation of the sighting is bid’ah. People should exercise some Sabr.
Q. Does sighting of the moon apply to only Ramadhaan and the Eid occasions? Is sighting of the moon during the daytime of the 29th day valid?
A. Sighting of the moon pertains to sighting it only after sunset at the end of the 29th day of the Islamic month. Sighting during the daytime has no relevance in the determination of the Islamic months. Sighting of the moon applies to all the months. If at the end of the 29th day of the Islamic the moon is not sighted nor is there reliable information of a sighting from another place, then the month will have 30 days. After the 30th day, will begin the new month even if the moon is not seen at the end of the 30th day. An Islamic month never has 31 days.
Q. Does Eidul Adha have to be celebrated all over the world when it is the 10th Zil Hajj in Makkah?
A. No, there is no Shar’i incumbency to have Eid all over the world on the same day as in Makkah. Eid is on 10th Zil Hajj. Whenever it is the 10th in a country, it will be Eid for them regardless of what the date is in Saudi Arabia.
Q. In our community I am the only one who follows actual sighting of the moon for determining the Islamic months. The whole community follows the Saudi announcement. What should I do in such a scenario regarding Ramadhaan, Eid, and also 15th Sha'baan and Ashura in Muharram?
A. As far as Eid is concerned, one or two persons cannot celebrate it alone in isolation of the community. The Shariah has guidelines and rules for all situations.
(1) If you alone in the whole community see the hilaal of Ramadhaan, but your testimony is not accepted by the Jamaat of your place, hence officially for the community the next day will not be Ramadhaan. Nevertheless, you should fast the next day.
(2) In the scenario mentioned in No.1 above, there is the probability that you will have to fast 31 days because it is possible that at the end of the community’s 29th day (which is your 30th day of fasting) the moon is not sighted. Hence, the next day will be the community’s 30th day while it will be yours 31st Day. You are required by the Shariah to fast this 31st day. You cannot celebrate Eid alone.
(3) Assuming that you alone saw the hilaal of Shawwaal, but your testimony was rejected and the community regards the next day as the last day of Ramadhaan. Then too you have to fast and believe that there was an error in your sighting.
(4) As far as Muharram is concerned, fasting on the Day of Aashura is not a communal act of Ibaadat. If you saw the hilaal of Muharram, but not the others, then you may act according to your sighting, and fast when it is the 10th according to your calculation.
(5) The same explanation as No. 4 applies for Sha’baan.
Q. My friend who lives in another country started fasting a day earlier than us. Towards the end of Ramadhaan he came to our country. When it was our 29th day of Ramadhaan, it was his 30th fast. The next day when it was our 30th, he did not fast, saying that there is no 31 day month in Islam. Since he had fasted a full 30 days, he did not fast when it was the 30th of Ramadhaan for us. The next day which was Eid for us, he fasted for Shawwaal. Was he correct in his decision?
A. Your friend was supposed to have celebrated Eid together with the community in your country where he had arrived. Eid cannot be celebrated by one person. Since it was still Ramadhaan in your country, your friend was supposed to have fasted. The fast for him too was Fardh. The Islamic month does not have 31 days. Even if fasting on the 30th in your country would mean that your friend would have fasted 31 days, it does not matter. Of significance is the fact that he was present in a country when it was the 30th of Ramadhaan, hence he was supposed to have fasted on that day. It was not Eid for him despite it having been Eid in his country. In matters of Eid and Ramdhaan, the individual has to follow the community. He had sinned for not fasting. He has to make qadha of one fast. He was not supposed to fast for Shawwaal when it was Eid in the country where he was.
Q. I would be grateful if you can advise me on what to do with regards to the fast of Yaumul Arafat this year whose real date is on Tuesday. All my family, relatives, and local community will be doing Eid on Tuesday (following Saudi), while I will be doing it on Wednesday inshaa-Allah. Should I abandon the fast on Tuesday just to make my family and relatives less upset with me, or is it better to stand firm on this important Sunnah?
A. If you will be joining a community who will be celebrating Eid on Wednesday when they will also be having Eid Salaat, then do fast on Tuesday. However, if you are the only one in your community who regard Wednesday as Eid, and there is no Musjid in your locality which will be having Eid Salaat on Wednesday, then you should follow the community and abstain from fasting on Tuesday. This you should do not to please your relatives, but because you have to follow a community in a matter of this nature. An individual may not celebrate Eid alone. But, as mentioned above, if you will be performing Eid Salaat at a place where Eid will be on Wednesday, then fast on Tuesday and make it known to your relatives regardless of their baatil feelings.
Q. My family has been celebrating Eid according to the local Salafi masjid which follows Saudi Arabia for about 10 years, even though we don't follow them in anything else, because almost everyone in our area follows Saudi Arabia for moonsightings unless we drive about 45 minutes away (where we used to live before 10 years ago). I have only recently found out that they are wrong. Should Qadaa fasts be made for the amount of Islamic years that have passed since 10 years ago while I was baaligh? Is it necessary to fast these Qadaa before the next coming Ramadaan? Also, what should I do in the future for Ramadaan and Eid if I currently don't have a car but may have one next time? It seems that I will be in Jamaat with my grandfather when Ramadaan begins.
A. Fast and celebrate Eid with the community. If the community as a whole follows the Saudi sightings, then follow the community. There is no need for Qadha of any past fasts.
Q. Where I am living the entire community will be having Eid on Tuesday 15 October 2013 although the hilaal was not sighted here. They follow the Saudi announcement. What should I do regarding Eid Salaat?
A. You should join the community for Eid Salaat on Tuesday since there is no other community at your end having Eid on Wednesday. However, if there is a community nearby who will be celebrating Eid on Wednesday, then join that community for Eid Salaat.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged answer, fataawa, fatwa, fatwas, question, ruling, rulings on Islam on July 14, 2015 by admin. | 2019-04-20T06:29:14Z | http://reliablefatwas.com/sun-and-moon-issues/ |
Current treatments for AIDS are ineffective at eradicating the virus because; they are unable to detect mutant forms of the HIV virus. At the moment, HIV AIDS has afflicted 60 million people worldwide and a staggering 16,000 new infections occur each day. The current treatment options use antiretroviral drugs consisting of protease inhibitors and reverse transcriptase inhibitors, but these current treatments are unable to permanently destroy the virus. We first performed research to understand how HIV viruses infect human cells using information obtained from sources like the Cell Digest Journal. We then investigated the current treatment drugs for HIV AIDS patients using information obtained from the Database AIDS and Cancer Research Abstract, and from molecular genetics textbooks.
We concluded that currently used drugs are ineffective at suppressing mutant viruses from replicating over a lengthy time frame. To understand the principles, the promises and, the challenges behind the use of RNAi, we investigated articles in PubMed, the Nature Journal, and the Cell Research Journal. From our findings, we concluded that although the siRNAs potential as a potent future treatment lies in its ability to directly cleave RNAs for viral genes rather than proteins, nevertheless, the technology needed to create vectors that effectively deliver the antiviral RNA to host cells has not yet been fully developed. Based on the results and conclusions from our research we cautiously recommend the use of RNAi specifically siRNA as a more effective treatment alternative for AIDS. They are effective because even when the viral genes mutates, siRNAs can be constructed to complementarily bind to specific conserved regions of the HIV’s genome. Using RNAi designed to effectively target these conserved genes means that conserved viral genes will more likely be deactivated thus, inhibiting HIV replication irrespective of its mutant form.
Key words: mutant, protease inhibitor, reverse transcriptase inhibitor, RNAi, genes, nucleotides, conserved, siRNA.
On March 29, 2007, we received approval of our proposal to research whether the use of RNAi, specifically siRNA is a better alternative therapy for HIV treatment. This report presents the findings of our study. We proceeded to first describe how HIV virus infects the human cell and why current treatment options are ineffective at providing a cure. We researched the current treatments available and concluded that it is best to look for an alternative. We then identified and examined the principles behind the use of RNAi to inhibit viral replication, their possible limitations, and the use of siRNA in AIDS treatment.
The HIV virus arose from mutation of a similar virus called the Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV), which is found in primates. It emerged in the human population of Africa in approximately 1930 (Bauman 718). The virus infects the cell by first attaching to membrane receptors of the host cell before it immediately penetrates the host cell. Once in the cell, it makes a copy of its genetic material and inserts it into the host cell DNA. Once inserted the viral DNA directs the host cell to synthesize many HIV viruses, these viruses destroy the host cell when through lysis and are released into the blood stream.
Currently, HIV has infected approximately 60 million people world wide and in fact a staggering 16,000 new infections are reported daily (Bauman 721). Several factors have significantly contributed in increasing the rate of HIV infection around the world, most notably, unprotected heterosexual contact. In addition, male homosexual contact, the use of contaminated injected needles, sharing razors and tooth brushes, and even mouth-to-mouth kissing to a lesser degree have been vital to its rapid spread.
It is estimated that infection through male homosexual contact accounted for 48% of new AIDS cases in the United States in 2002. Even with the use of condom the individual's risk of being infected is only reduced to about 70%; moreover, leading a reckless sexual lifestyle can drastically reduce the protection provided by condom use (Bauman 718).
Current treatment involves the use of highly active antiretroviral therapy (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease 1-6). It contains a mixture of antiviral drugs that target the proteins produced or found in HIV virus. However, these drugs cannot eradicate the virus because the HIV genes coding for the proteins the drugs target either mutates to avoid detection, or undergo transition to a latent phase and stop producing those target proteins (Cohen par 4). As a result, HIV infected individuals currently have no hope for a possible cure. A new drug therapy is desperately needed to directly target the genes and deactivate the gene products coded for by HIV's genetic material; it is believed that use of RNAi could be very effective for this purpose (Yeung et al par 4).
Using secondary sources like the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease website, microbiology and molecular genetics textbooks, and the Science Now online journal, we obtained in-depth analysis on the principles behind RNAi treatment, their efficacy and, their limitations.
We concluded that although more research on RNAi is still needed, however, compared to current treatments it seems more effective at preventing viral replication. Its ability to directly target and complementary bind to sequence specific HIV target RNA rather than viral proteins, makes siRNA better able to overcome HIV viruses that use mutant proteins to evade detection. Furthermore, siRNAs are easy to construct and test.
Despite being a better alternative to current treatments like reverse transcriptase inhibitors and, protease inhibitors, there are still challenges that need to be overcome if the full potential for this new treatment therapy is to be realized. Currently, the technology to create effective transport systems crucial to delivering the antiviral RNAs to target cells is not yet fully developed; furthermore, it is not yet known if using RNAi could inadvertently lead to the unwanted silencing of other genes vital to the cell (Rana, 2007). Nevertheless, we recommend the use of siRNA as a better alternative for HIV treatment.
In the following sections, we provide additional details about our research methods, the results we obtained, the conclusion we drew from our results, and our recommendations.
We investigated the mechanism and process of HIV infection cycle . We conduct ed an interview with an immunology expert Dr. Frauwirth to obtain current understanding of the virus and insight to future studies. We also researched recently published texts such as Kuby’s Immunology and online database from NCBI website. We were able to figure out the detailed process of HIV infection and the viral lifecycle.
We identified the current treatment options for AIDS and their flaws: Using reverse transcriptase inhibitors . By researching the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease website, we identified examples of drugs that fall under the class of reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and analyzed the biochemical pathway used by such drugs to target and prevent HIV viruses from replicating in the human cell. In addition, using information obtained from the Microbiology With Diseases by Taxonomy textbook, we identified the exact mechanism that makes reverse transcriptase inhibitors effectively attack HIV virus. Furthermore, we also researched the major flaw in using reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs, and how the HIV virus takes advantage of this flaw to avoid being killed by drugs.
Using HIV protease inhibitors. By obtaining information on the types of drugs that fall under the class of HIV protease inhibitors using information obtained from secondary sources like Science Now Online Journal and molecular genetics textbooks, we were able to specifically analyze the reaction mechanism used by such drugs to inhibit the HIV virus from replicating. Also, we looked at the effectiveness of HIV protease inhibitors at eradicating the HIV virus and the main flaw in using such a treatment alternative. Furthermore, we examined how the HIV virus takes advantage of the limitations of using protease inhibitors to avoid being detected and destroyed.
We researched the principles behind RNAi therapy and its use for HIV treatment. We obtained information from various journals such as the Nature Journal, and the Database for AIDS and Cancer Research, and we created a detailed outline of the pathway used during RNA interference. We also examined how such a pathway can be triggered and applied to a HIV infected cell to inhibit viral replication. We then examined the advantages and disadvantages of using RNAi.
We determined the limitations to using RNAi. W e researched several articles from the Journal of Biotechnology and reviewed various research data from the National Institute of Health online database. In addition, I conducted an interview with an expert at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Dr. Frosso V oulgaropoulou to further analyze the application of RNAi to inhibiting HIV replication. We were able to identify and investigate several factors that limit the effectiveness of this technique.
In this section, we present the results of our research. We cover the mechanism of HIV infection, the current treatment options, the principle behind microRNA therapy, and the limitations of microRNA as a drug for HIV treatment. The following results correspond to the tasks described in the research methods section.
Primary binding of HIV. HIV binds to specific cells in the body that express certain surface protein. The specific cells include T-cells and monocytes, which serves very important immunological roles. The primary binding of HIV occurs between CD4 and gp120. CD4 is specific surface protein that is expressed in both T-cells and monocytes, and gp120 is specific surface glycoprotein on HIV that can bind to CD4 (Frauwirth, Interview) .
Secondary binding of HIV. The primary binding between gp120 and CD4 induce secondary binding. The secondary binding occurs differently in T-cells and monocytes. T-cells have specific receptor called CCR5 on the surface, and on the other hand monocytes have another receptor called CXCR4. These two specific receptors can bind to gp41, glycoprotein embedded in the membrane connected to gp120 (Frauwirth, Interview) .
Fusion of host and HIV. The primary and secondary binding of HIV induces fusion of HIV membrane with host membrane. The fusion is mediated mostly by secondary binding causing the fusion mechanism, but primary binding is necessary for secondary binding to occur. The fusion mechanism is triggered when the CCR5 or CXCR4 is activated by gp41 and lead to serious of events in the host to allow HIV to fuse (Frauwirth, Interview) .
Insertion of HIV genome into the host genome. The fusion of host and HIV membrane releases the viral genome and viral proteins into the host. The most important viral protein called reverse transcriptase can make viral RNA into RNA-DNA hybrids, and converted to normal double stranded DNA. Double stranded DNA is required to infect the host, because in order to reproduce and expend, it require the host to make viral protein and more copies of viral RNA, and only double stranded DNA is capable to fulfill the task. After producing double stranded DNA, another type of viral protein called integrase insert the viral double stranded DNA into the host genome at random location and become provirus (Kuby et al 2007) . The figure 2 illustrates all the components described and indicate the anatomical locations of the components to clarify some of the explanation. The term provirus refers to the state of virus infection, which has no significant activity in the host.
Activation of provirus and reproduction. The provirus gets activated when the environmental or internal signal cause the transcription factors stimulate transcription of proviral DNA. The transcription factors promote the process that allows DNA to pass the contained information to produce messenger RNA, which can ultimately produce proteins. The whole process is done by using host cellular machinery (Frauwirth, Interview) . The final outcome of this process is mass production of viral proteins and viral RNA. The products then assembles itself to form immature HIV, then buds out from the host and released HIV complete maturation and infect other cells. The term bud refers to the process of which HIV uses the host membrane containing all the necessary viral proteins such as gp120 and gp41 to form viral membrane and separate itself from the host (Kuby et al 2007) .
Treating AIDS using reverse transcriptase inhibitors drugs . There are two subclasses of drugs that fall under reverse transcriptase inhibitors, nucleotide reverse transcriptase analogs, and non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors (Bauman, 2007).
Reverse transcriptase inhibitors act by interfering with a critical step in the HIV viral cycle called reverse transcription. During reverse transcription, an enzyme called reverse transcriptase converts HIV RNA (ribonucleic acid) to HIV DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). Examples of drugs that are nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors are AZT (Azidothymidine), Retrovir and Zidovudine.
a) Nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors drugs. These drugs are made up of primarily faulty nucleotide (DNA) sequences, when these faulty DNA sequences are embedded into the newly synthesized viral DNA by the reverse transcriptase enzyme, synthesis of the nascent viral DNA is stopped thus preventing the virus from completely replicating its genes (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, 2006).
b) Non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitors . These types of drugs can be proteins that attach directly to the active site of the reverse transcriptase enzyme. When bound to the active site, the inhibitor induces a conformational change in the reverse transcriptase that prevents the enzyme from being able to convert the HIV RNA to DNA. Without the HIV’s genetic information being in a DNA format it can’t be integrated into the host cell’s chromosome, thus, the virus cannot direct the human cells to synthesize HIV virions, therefore the virus is unable to replicate. An example of a non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor drug is Nevirapine (Hartwell et al., 2004).
Although reverse transcriptase inhibitors effectively inhibit the HIV cycle of growth and replication, nevertheless, these drugs are unable to cure AIDS because they do not completely eliminate the HIV virus from the body (Cohen, 2002). For the nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs, their major flaw comes from the fact that when administered to the patient at high doses it is extremely toxic. As a result, doctors only administer the drugs at low doses that do not destroy all the viral particles (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease, 2006).
For non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs, their major flaw is that they are unable to keep up with the high mutation rate of the HIV virus. Because the viral genes coding for the reverse transcriptase enzyme mutates frequently, the HIV virus can produce alternate forms of the same enzyme that are structurally altered in such a way that their active sites cannot be recognized and attached to the inhibitor drugs. Consequently, the non-nucleotide reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs cannot identify and inactivate these mutant enzymes and so the HIV virus can go on replicating even in the presence of the antiviral drugs.
Treating AIDS using protease inhibitor drugs. These inhibitors act by interfering with the protease enzyme that the HIV uses to produce infectious viral particles, examples of protease inhibitor drugs include, Norvir, Crixivan, Viracept and, Lexiva. During HIV replication, the virus produces two inactive proteins called gag and pol proteins, these proteins need to be cleaved in order to become activated. The cleavage of gag by HIV protease generates the viral coat used by HIV to attach to the human cells, and cleavage of pol generates key HIV components such as reverse transcriptase, capsid, and matrix proteins. The HIV protease inhibitor drugs disrupt HIV viral replication by binding to inactive gag and blocking its active site so that it cannot be activated by protease (Bauman, 2007). Consequently, the inactive gag is unable to generate viral components needed to form a truly functional virus as a result, HIV virus is unable to produce viable new viruses; therefore, it cannot replicate and destroy the human cells.
The major flaw of protease inhibitors results from their inability to keep up with the high rate of mutation of the HIV genes encoding the protease enzymes (Cohen, 2002). As a result, the virus is able to synthesize so many variant forms of the protease enzymes each having slightly altered active sites that are unrecognizable to the protease inhibitors. When drugs like Norvir are administered to patients they are unable to attach to these modified active sites and deactivate the mutant gag proteins (Hartwell et al., 2004), consequently the virus is able to successfully multiply within the patient even though they are on a rigorous treatment regimen.
RNAi (RNA interference) is basically the process of inhibiting a genes expression by using double stranded RNA to cleave the genes RNA transcript or preventing the RNA from being translated to a protein. RNAi is quite ubiquitous in nature and can be found in fungi, animals and, plants (Engels and Hutvagner, 2006). The process of using double stranded RNA was first observed in worms (Caenorhabditis elegans). In plant cells, RNA interference is used to inhibit adenoviral attack; it is a tool used by plants analogous to an animal’s use of immune cells to fight viral infections (Yeung, et.al 2005).
For our research analysis we describe the two major RNAi mechanisms: the use of siRNA (small interference RNA) and, miRNA (microRNA). siRNA are 21 to 23 nucleotides long double stranded RNA that deactivates a target messenger RNA (mRNA) by binding and directly cleaving it (Strachan and Read, 2004). To understand the efficacy of siRNA and the RNAi pathway it induces, it is imperative we first provide a description of how siRNA is generated.
A small interfering RNA as shown in Appendix C originates from a linear double stranded RNA (dsRNA). This double stranded RNA is made up of two strands: an antisense strand (guide strand) and a sense strand (passenger strand). The antisense strand contains nucleotide sequences complementary to the target RNA, while the sense strand contains sequences complementary to the guide strand. Once the linear double stranded RNA is formed, it binds to an RNAse II enzyme called DICER (Rana, 2007). The DICER cleaves the dsRNA into a 21 to 23 nucleotide long RNA known as siRNA. Now that the siRNA has been formed, we proceed to examine how it triggers gene silencing. siRNA acts by complementarily binding to a complex called RISC (RNA-Inducing Silencing Complex) through its guide strand to form an siRNA-RISC complex. This complex now binds specifically to the target RNA and cleaves the target RNA thus, preventing the gene product coded by the RNA to be produced, as shown in Appendix C.
MicroRNA on the other hand is generated from a markedly different process. miRNA as seen in figure 2 are 22 nucleotide long RNA molecules coded for within the genome that lead to gene silencing (Strachan and Read, 2004). Unlike siRNA, microRNAs are actually coded for by genes in the cell. The miRNA genes are transcribed by RNA polymerase II in the nucleus, to form a primary miRNA transcript. Just like normal messenger RNAs, the primary miRNA formed has a 5’ cap and a poly-A-tail. Like siRNA, it is double stranded with guide and passenger strands, in addition, it is also looped (Rana, 2007).
The primary miRNA are shortened by a nuclear RNaseII called DROSHA into what is called a premiRNA. The premiRNA are then carried from the nucleus of the cell to the cytoplasm. While in the cytoplasm the premiRNA is cleaved by DICER into the 22 nucleotide mature microRNA. Once formed the microRNA now initiates its RNA interference pathway. It does so by binding the RISC via its guide strand to form a complex. It is this complex that binds to the target RNA albeit with a lower degree of complementarity.
A current view is that miRNAs function to silence gene expression through imperfect base-pairing with transcripts. Due to this imperfect binding by the guide strand, it does not cleave the RNA but rather the loop created as a result prevents translation from occurring. Since RNA silencing mediated by miRNA does not require complete sequence complementarity, one miRNA can target multiply different miRNAs (Engels and Hutvagner, 2006). Thus, miRNA prevents the gene product coded for by the target RNA from forming (Rana, 2007).
Based on our research results from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease and also from the Nature Journal, current findings support such a notion since several viruses have been found to encode RNAi suppressors, which could function to influence the cell's overall miRNA environment. RNAi, apart from providing an indispensable reverse genetic tool and promising therapeutic approach, regulates gene expression on both transcriptional and post-transcriptional level and it is used to fight against viruses and bacteria (Engels and Hutvagner, 2006).
Now that we have an idea of the gene silencing pathways used by both siRNA and microRNA, let us see how our knowledge of the RNAi process can be specifically applied to inhibit HIV viral replication using siRNA. Studies on the use of siRNA to inhibit HIV-1 replication have shown promise. As seen in figure 3 the HIV viral core consists of several proteins such as reverse transcriptase, capsid and, protease. Scientists have used siRNAs to specifically target RNA transcripts coding for key HIV-1 protein components such as tat protein, reverse transcriptase, and the HIV-1 CD4 co-receptors. Although such studies showed that siRNA was able to significantly suppress HIV-1, nevertheless certain issues remain of concern (Rana, 2007).
NOTE : HIV is a retrovirus with an outer envelope containing proteins, some of which are spikes consisting of gp20 and gp41 proteins. The core of the virus contains RNA genes and copies of reverse transcriptase, the enzyme that makes a DNA copy of RNA. During the reproductive cycle, the DNA copy first becomes integrated into a host chromosome and then is transcribed back into viral RNA.
One of the major concerns about the use of siRNA based therapy is the question of how to effectively deliver the siRNA to the target cells without it being degraded. Recent approaches aimed at tackling this question have not only yielded novel strategies for RNA delivery to cells in vivo, but they have also provided fantastic new strategies to suppress HIV-1. Among strategies used to deliver siRNA to HIV-1 infected cells is the use of lentiviral vectors, and also RNA packaged in micelles (Morris and Rossi, 2006). We found the use of certain lentiviral vectors to be absolutely fascinating especially when you consider how it could also contribute to preventing HIV virions from being produced and released from the infected cell.
For instance, let us consider the use of conditionally replicating HIV vectors (crHIV vectors). In crHIV vectors the antiviral siRNA in addition to the vector RNA are packaged together, unlike a normal HIV virus the crHIV vector lacks the gene and protein for the tat and other structural polyproteins necessary for the formation of nascient viruses in the host cell. Once created, the crHIV vector is targeted to an already infected HIV cell. Like a normal HIV virus it penetrates the host cell and releases its vector RNA along with the antiviral siRNA. The vector RNA is converted to DNA and integrated into the infected cells genome.
However, because the vector RNA lacks the gene for the structural polyproteins necessary for the production of its vector virions, it competes for the tat protein used by the HIV-1 virus already in the host cell for replication. In the mean time, the antiviral RNA introduced into the host cell targets the HIV-1 RNA and cleaves it, consequently reducing the amount of HIV-1 virions that are produced and thus fewer “demand” for the tat polyprotein by the HIV-1(Morris and Rossi, 2006).
As a result, the crHIV vector gains the advantage and out competes the HIV-1 virus for the tat protein therefore the vector virions are predominantly produced and released from the infected cell compared to HIV-1 virions. The use of RNAi to inhibit HIV-1 replication provides significant advantages that make them a very appealing therapeutic strategy. RNA interference using siRNA are easy to construct and test in cells, furthermore, they cost less to create and it takes them less time to elicit their antiviral effects against the HIV-1 virus (Morris and Rossi, 2006).
One of the current major obstacles in the treatment of AIDS has been the fact that the HIV virus is able to evade antiviral drugs such as protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitors through varied mutations on their respective genes (Cassol et al, 2006). The virus also avoids being destroyed by using alternative splicing to try to avoid being targeted via RNAi. To try to overcome this problem, scientists are currently attempting to create siRNAs targeting conserved regions such as the promoters of the HIV-1 that are much less susceptible to mutations. The principle to this strategy is that because the fidelity of such regions of the viral RNA is absolutely crucial to the virus’s ability to code information needed for replication, the HIV-1 virus ensures that very little mutation is permitted in those regions (Morris and Rossi, 2006).
From our research, we found three main limitations of the microRNA techniques in treating HIV: Although RNAi therapy holds great promise nevertheless, like all other drug therapies for HIV treatment it does have some limitations.
Potential for off targeted gene silencing, siRNAs constructed to cleave RNA for a specific gene could lead to the silencing of genes not meant to be targeted. The effect of such inadvertent silencing could lead to unforeseen effects in the host organism (Morris and Rossi, 2006).
Inefficient RNA delivery to host cells. Scientists have made great strides in creating systems especially in the case of HIV treatment, capable of carrying the siRNA in the blood to the target cell. One of the key strategies employed is the use of lentiviral vectors packaged with the antiviral siRNA and delivered to the host cell. As mentioned earlier, the use of conditionally replicating HIV vectors have also been used. However, efficient delivery systems are still sought after in the treatment of other viral-related diseases.
Viral Resistance via Mutations. Point mutations and alternate splicing by the virus within the regions targeted by the siRNA can lead to the virus developing nucleotide sequences that are not specific to the siRNA. Thus, the virus might develop resistance to the therapeutic strategy. (Morris and Rossi, 2006).
The conducted interview with Dr. Kenneth Frauwirth and subsequent research revealed several unique characteristics of HIV infection. The results described the process of infection, reproduction and involved proteins that might be potential target for treatment. The first unique characteristic was binding of HIV to host. The host surface protein CD4 serves unique and important roles in host, but CCR5 and CXCR4 has less important role in the host, which indicate blockage of CCR5 and CXCR4 can reduce the infection by HIV. Another unique characteristic is reverse transcriptase, which is only found on the sub class of virus called retrovirus, which include HIV. It is currently the most used target for the HIV treatment, but still needs improvement. The process of HIV infection reveals more characteristics that can be used as target for treatment.
The major current treatment options of HIV infected patients involve the use of two major classes of drugs, reverse transcriptase inhibitors, and HIV protease inhibitors. When these treatment options are used they are initially successful at inhibiting viral replication. However, the HIV virus eventually develops resistance by altering its genes and changing the structure of the proteins targeted by these drugs so that they won’t be recognized. Consequently, we conclude that both current treatment options are not effective at totally stopping the HIV virus from replicating within the human body.
The use of RNA interference especially via siRNA to inhibit HIV replication is based on the idea of targeting viral RNA with complementary RNA that ultimately inhibits the viral gene product from being made. Using siRNA based therapy for AIDS treatment holds certain advantages that make it a promising treatment option. siRNAs are easy to construct and relatively cost efficient. They can be packaged in lentiviral vectors and delivered into the target cell. In addition, the use of siRNA unlike protease inhibitor drugs can employ strategies designed to overcome a key obstacle to the efficacy of protease and reverse transcriptase inhibitor drugs. To overcome the resistance inferred by HIV-1 viruses through their ability to mutate target sites, scientists believe siRNAs can be constructed that target conserved regions such as, promoter regions. A key disadvantage to using RNAi as a treatment is the possibility of inadvertent off targeted gene silencing in vivo.
Ultimately, even though siRNA treatment seems to be an effective tool to fighting the HIV-1 virus it is likely to be used in the future in conjunction with other treatment options to create a very powerful highly active antiretroviral treatment cocktail.
Current research shows that people with mutations on CCR5 and CXCR4 receptors allowed the HIV positive patient to live without getting AIDS. These mutations alter the receptor binding mechanism thereby prevent HIV from entering the host. Due to the inability of reverse transcriptase and protease inhibitor drugs to totally destroy the HIV virus and stop the progression of AIDS, it is possible that RNA interference pathways triggered via siRNA can be used to cleave the host RNA coding for these receptors in stem cells for primary T cell lines, thereby preventing expression of the genes for these receptors. Information obtained from ongoing and future experimental studies using RNAi will give us a much greater insight on how to utilize this rapidly developing genetic tool to effectively fight viral related diseases such as AIDS. Until we find ways to resolve some of the risks associated with RNAi use especially with siRNA, it is best to remain cautious rather than overly optimistic in our assessment of this therapeutic approach.
Bauman, Robert. Microbiology With Disease by Taxonomy. 2 nd ed. Pearson: Benjamin Cummings, 2007.
Hartwell, H., Hood, L., Goldberg, M., Reynolds, A., Silver, L., & Veres, R. (2004). Genetics: From Genes To Genomes. New York: McGraw- Hill.
Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection”. Human Gene Therapy. 17 (2006) 479-486.
Rana, M. Tariq.” Illuminating the silence: understanding the structure and function of small RNAs.” Nature Reviews. Molecular Cell Biology 8, (January 2007): 23-36.
Strachan, Tom., and Read P. Andrew.” Genetic Manipulation of Cells and animals”. Human Molecular Genetics 3. Ed. Fran Kingston and Michael Morales. Garland Publishing, 2004. 592-595.
Yeung Man Lung, “Changes in microRNA expression profiles in HIV-transfected human cells.” BioMed Central Ltd. 2005 December 28. doi: 10.1186/1742-4690-2-81.
Conserved Sequences: A DNA sequence that is very similar in different species or organisms. It has very few mutations.
DICER: A member of RNase III class of ribonucleases used in the RNA interference pathway to cleave double stranded RNA to 21 base pairs.
Gag: Lentiviral packaging element that codes for a structural protein.
Genes: Region of DNA coding information used to form either a functional RNA or an actual protein.
microRNA: Small RNA molecules encoded in genomes of plants and animals. They regulate gene expression by binding to 3’ untranslated region of the target RNA.
mRNA: The RNA produced directly from DNA transcription. It carries the transcribed information from the nucleus to the cytoplasm, to be used for translation.
Mutation: A change in DNA sequence between generations.
Nucleotides: Monomers of nucleic acids. They are made of ribose or deoxyribose, phosphate groups, nitrogenous bases.
Pol: Lentiviral packaging element that codes for proteins.
Reverse Transcriptase: Enzyme that converts RNA to DNA.
RISC: An siRNA directed endonuclease that catalyzes the cleavage of a single phosphodiester bond on the mRNA target.
RNAi: A technique where double stranded RNA slice specific RNA transcripts.
siRNA: 21 – 23 nucleotide double stranded RNA molecules that cause the cleavage and degrading of a target RNA.
Tat: A lentiviral element needed for the elongation of nascent viral transcripts.
Vector: A molecule used to propagate a nucleic acid or even a protein.
The following interview took place on May 2, 2007. A transcript of the interview follows.
D – Thank you Dr. Frauwirth for agreeing to have an interview with me today.
K – It is my pleasure to inform students on their curiosity in the field.
D – So, for the first question. Could you explain the infection mechanism of HIV?
K – As you know HIV binds to CD4+ T- lymphocytes and monocytes through CD4+ and gp120 interaction. This binding cause the confirmation change in gp120 to allow gp41 to bind to certain chemokine receptors such as CCR5 on T-cells and CXCR4 on monocytes, and this binding cause G-protein linked cascade and ultimately fusion occurs between HIV and host membrane.
D – Then is it possible to block the second interaction to prevent HIV from infecting the host?
K – It is not entirely sure, but the current studies show that complete state of latency in HIV+ patience with mutations in those receptors, so it is certainly possible approach for treatment.
D – One more question, so after the infection and integration of viral genome. What happens to the inserted viral gene?
K – The state of viral gene in host genome is called provirus stage and it is not entirely sure if it is in state of latency or has minimal activity. But after certain stress triggers the transcription factor to start transcription which is much rapid than regular gene transcription due to LTR on both side of viral gene. Then it follows the regular gene expression mechanism to form viral RNA and viral proteins using host machinery.
D – Thanks again for the interview Dr. Frauwirth. I’ve learned much from the interview.
K – You’re welcome. If you have any more questions feel free to email me.
This interview took place on August 7, 2007. A transcript of the interview follows.
(F) – Frosso Voulgaropoulou, PhD. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease.
O – Thank you Dr. Frosso for agreeing to have an interview with me today.
F – No problem at all, I am quite impressed that you chose to research on such a complex topic.
O – First let me clarify my understanding of siRNA, miRNA and how it is applied to HIV infection. siRNAs are basically 21 to 23 nt long RNA sequences that bind with high level of complementarity to a target RNA strand. They prevent a gene from being expressed by directing enzymes that cleave the target strand. microRNAs on the other hand are 22-23nt long sequences coded by genes in the cell. microRNAs act by preventing translation rather then cleaving the target RNA.
F – Exactly, microRNAs are broad acting; they don’t have to be perfectly complementary to the target RNA unlike siRNAs that need to be almost perfect. Thus, microRNAs can lead to inadvertent gene silencing due to their lack of specificity. As a result, they would not be the ideal therapeutic tool in fighting HIV replication in a cell. Unlike siRNAs that actually cleave the mRNA, microRNAs form loops due to non-complementary base pairing, and these loops prevent the proteins needed for translation from being able to properly attach to the mRNA.
O – I was reading the article on RNA silencing you gave me, and it says a single mutation between the antisense strand and the RNA transcript drastically reduces the ability of siRNA to target genes.
F – Yes, otherwise it won’t cleave the RNA transcript. Remember when you took biochemistry and you learned about how proteins have primary, secondary, tertiary and, quaternary structures. The same applies to the principles behind the use of siRNA to cleave a target. The siRNA- directed enzymes that cleave the RNA transcript need to be in a specific secondary conformation in order to be able to act on their target. A single mutation in the anti sense strand affects this secondary structure. When you have non perfect complementarity between the target and the siRNA, the siRNA can behave as microRNA by forming a loop and triggering the microRNA interference pathway.
O – In a molecular genetics class I took, we talked about the idea of methylation of genes in order to make them inaccessible. Is targeted methylation possible? Can it be induced in receptors such as CD4 receptors targeted by HIV so that they won’t be expressed. (Use of RNA dependent DNA methylation)?
F – Targeted methylation is possible but it is an extremely difficult approach. Methylation is a mechanism that an organism uses to prevent gene accessibility. Applying directed methylation in HIV infected cells can lead to unforeseen inadvertent physiological effects. I am not that familiar with the use of methylation to silence genes.
O – siRNA resistant viruses can come about by single nucleotide changes.
Must the region targeted by siRNA be approximately 21 to 25 nucleotides long? If not, then why not build much shorter siRNA strands that target shorter regions on the target RNA. By doing so, the smaller the target region the less alternate mutant forms that the virus can employ within that region.
F – First let us consider what happens if the siRNA is too long. If their size were too big they could cause the body to trigger its interferon response. Thus, all the host cells containing siRNAs are recognized and destroyed and this would be catastrophic for the organism. Amazingly, it is thought that RNAi evolved in congruence with the body’s immune system so that their length would be such that they would not trigger an immune response. If the siRNAs were too small it will make it very difficult to properly anneal to the target RNA transcript. Thus, the siRNAs would only weakly bind to the target and would not produce sufficient interaction needed to activate cleavage due to random interaction.
O – All HIV viruses no matter how variant still share certain fundamental physical (structural and functional protein) characteristics. Thus, they all have conserved genes. Since these genes are probably least likely to mutate why not target siRNAs to them.
F – Your idea makes perfect sense. But the problem with these conserved regions is that they are located inside the virus (beyond the viral coats). Because these genes are encapsulated in the virus and surrounded by a highly variable viral coat, it is difficult to attach and penetrate the viral coat to get at these conserved regions due to the fact that the genes coding for the receptors on the viral surface are constantly changing. The only time that these conserved regions can be freely accessible is when the viral genes have been released inside the host cell during infection.
As a side note, when the HIV virus develops resistance to drugs their replication slows down. The state of a virus in the host cell in response to treatment is determined by its cost fitness. This is the ability of a virus to successfully replicate and be virulent. Each time the virus mutates in response to the treatment regimen, its replication rate slows down while its virulence increases. A good strategy to treating AIDS might be to target many of its different conserved genes thus, making it extremely difficult for the virus to mutate at all these target sites simultaneously. Yet, HIV still manages to evade targeted treatment.
O – Have any field tests been done on animals, humans?
F – Not yet, although a clinical trial is about to be underway!
O – Thank you so much for sharing your time to answering my questions. I am taking a virology course next semester and I hope to apply the knowledge gained from the course into better understanding how HIV replication can be more effectively controlled.
F – It has been my pleasure. Keep in touch if you have any more questions. | 2019-04-19T00:20:43Z | http://www.kon.org/urc/v6/moghalu.html |
2010-06-09 Assigned to ASANTE SOLUTIONS, INC. reassignment ASANTE SOLUTIONS, INC. CHANGE OF NAME (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: M2 GROUP HOLDINGS, INC.
2015-07-02 Assigned to ASANTE LLC reassignment ASANTE LLC ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: ASANTE SOLUTIONS, INC.
Some embodiments of a medical infusion pump system include a pump device and a removable controller device. When the pump device and the removable controller device are removably attached to one another, the components may provide a portable infusion pump unit to dispense medicine to a user. In particular embodiments, the removable controller device includes a user interface to readily provide information, for example, about the operation of the pump.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/522,603 filed on Sep. 18, 2006 by Mark Estes et al., which claims priority to: (1) U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/720,411 filed on Sep. 26, 2005 by Mernoe et al. and entitled “Precision Drive Mechanism,” (2) U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/720,405 filed on Sep. 26, 2005 by Mernoe et al. and entitled “Flexible Pushrod Mechanism,” and (3) U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/721,267 filed on Sep. 28, 2005 by Estes et al. and entitled “Infusion Pump with Removable Controller.” The contents of these earlier applications are fully incorporated by reference herein.
This document relates to an infusion pump system, such as a medical infusion pump system.
Pump devices are commonly used to deliver one or more fluids to a targeted individual. For example, a medical infusion pump device may be used to deliver a medicine to a patient as part of a medical treatment. The medicine that is delivered by the infusion pump device can depend on the condition of the patient and the desired treatment plan. For example, infusion pump devices have been used to deliver insulin to the vasculature of diabetes patients so as to regulate blood-glucose levels.
A number of factors may affect the design of infusion pump devices. One such factor is the size of the device. The pump device may be sized to house the various pump components, yet a large device may reduce the portability for the user. Another factor that may affect the design of an infusion pump device is the convenience to the user. For example, if the pump device is designed to be controlled via a user interface on a large wireless module that must be separately carried, the user may not be able to monitor the operation of the infusion pump during use without first locating, handling, and interfacing with the separate wireless module. A number of infusion pump components can impact the overall size and portability of an infusion pump system and the convenience to the user.
In some embodiments, a medical infusion pump system may include a pump device having a drive system to dispense a medicine from the pump device. At least a portion of the drive system may be in electrical communication with one or more electrical contacts of the pump device. The system may also include a removable controller device having a user interface. The removable controller device may be removably attachable to the pump device in a fixed relationship. The controller device may include one or more electrical contacts that engage the electrical contacts of the pump device when removably attached.
Particular embodiments of a medical infusion pump system may include a pump device having a drive system to dispense a medicine from the pump device. The system may also include a first removable controller device having a first user interface. The first removable controller device may be mechanically attachable to the pump device and may be electrically connected to the pump device when mechanically attached. The system may further include a second removable controller device having a second user interface that is different from the first user interface. The second removable controller device may be mechanically attachable to the pump device and may electrically connected to the pump device when mechanically attached. In certain aspects, the pump device may be mechanically attachable to only one of the first and second removable controller devices at a time.
Some embodiments of a medical infusion pump system may include a pump device having a drive system to dispense a medicine from the pump device. The pump device may include a first battery. The system may also include a removable controller device mechanically attachable to the pump device. The removable controller device may be electrically connected to the pump device when mechanically attached. The controller device may include a second battery. The first battery may have a greater energy density than the second battery and may provide energy to charge the second battery over a period of time. The second battery may provide energy to at least a portion of the drive system of the pump device.
In certain embodiments, a medical infusion pump system includes a pump device and a removable controller device. The pump device may include a pump housing that defines a space to receive a medicine and a drive system to dispense the medicine when received by the pump housing. The drive system may include a piston rod that is incrementally movable to apply a dispensing force. The pump device may also include one or more electrical contacts disposed on the pump housing. At least a portion of the drive system may be in electrical communication with the one or more of the electrical contacts. The removable controller device may include a controller housing that is removably attachable to the pump housing in a fixed relationship. The removable controller device may also include one or more electrical contacts disposed on the controller housing. The electrical contacts of the controller device may be engageable with the electrical contacts of the pump device when removably attached. The removable controller device may further include a user interface arranged on the controller housing. The user interface may include a display and one or more user-selectable buttons. The pump device and the controller device, when removably attached, may provide a hand-graspable portable unit.
Some embodiments described herein may include a method for operating a medical infusion pump system. The method may include transmitting electrical energy, from a first battery in a pump device to a second battery in a removable controller device. The pump device may include a drive system to dispense a medicine from the pump device, and the removable controller device may be removably attached to and electrically connected to the pump device. The method may also include intermittently transmitting electrical energy from the second battery in the removable controller device to at least a portion of the drive system of the pump device. The first battery may have a greater energy density than the second battery and may provide energy to charge the second battery over a period of time.
These and other embodiments may provide one or more of the following advantages. First, the infusion pump system may be portable so that a user can wear the pump device (e.g., adhered to the user's skin or carried in a user's pocket or portion of clothing) and receive the infused medicine throughout the day or night. Second, the pump device of the infusion pump system may include a drive system that controllably dispenses medicine in a reliable manner. Third, the pump device of the infusion pump system can be removably attached to a controller device having a user interface. As such, the user can readily monitor the operation of the pump device without the need for carrying and operating an separate wireless module. Fourth, the infusion pump system may comprise two or more removable controller devices having different user interfaces. In these circumstances, a first controller device having a first user interface can be selected for use with the pump device, or a second controller device having a second user interface can be selected for use with the pump device. Fifth, the pump device may be capable of dispensing a first medicine when connected with a first controller device and may be capable of dispensing a second medicine when connected with a second controller device. Sixth, the pump device may include a first battery that recharges a second battery in the controller device, which in turn provides power to the drive system of the pump. Thus, each time a new pump device is connected to the controller device, the second battery in the reusable controller device is recharged, thereby reducing or possibly eliminating the need for separate recharging of the controller device.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an infusion pump system, in accordance with some embodiments.
FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the infusion pump system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is another perspective view of the infusion pump system of FIG. 1.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view of an infusion pump system, in accordance with some embodiments.
FIGS. 5A-D are examples of a user interface of a first controller device in the infusion pump system of FIG. 4.
FIGS. 6A-D are examples of a user interface of a second controller device in the infusion pump system of FIG. 4.
FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a pump device of the infusion pump system of FIG. 4.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a controller device of the infusion pump system of FIG. 4.
FIG. 9 is a perspective view of one controller device of the infusion pump system of FIG. 4.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view of another controller device of the infusion pump system of FIG. 4.
FIG. 11 is an exploded view of a portion of the pump device of the infusion pump system of FIG. 4.
FIGS. 12A-C are perspective views of a portion of the pump device of FIG. 9.
FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a portion of a pump device for an infusion pump system, in accordance with some embodiments.
Referring to FIGS. 1-2, some embodiments of an infusion pump system 10 include a pump device 100 that can communicate with a controller device 200. The pump device 100 includes a housing structure 110 that defines a cavity 116 in which a fluid cartridge 120 is received. In this embodiment, the pump system 10 in a medical infusion pump system that is configured to controllably dispense a medicine from the cartridge 120. As such, the fluid cartridge 120 may contain a medicine to be infused into the tissue or vasculature of a targeted individual, such as a human or animal patient. For example, the pump device 100 can be adapted to receive a medicine cartridge 120 in the form of carpule that is preloaded with insulin or another medicine for use in the treatment of Diabetes (e.g., Byetta®, Symlin®, or others). Such a cartridge 120 may be supplied, for example, by Eli Lilly and Co. of Indianapolis, Ind. Other examples of medicines contained in the fluid cartridge 120 include: pain relief drugs, hormone therapy, blood pressure treatments, anti-emetics, osteoporosis treatments, or other injectable medicines.
In some embodiments, the controller device 200 may be removably attached to pump device 100 so that the two components are mechanically mounted to one another in a fixed relationship. Such a mechanical mounting can releasably secure an electrical connection between the removable controller device 200 and the pump device 100. For example, the controller device 200 may be in electrical communication with a portion of a drive system (not shown in FIGS. 1-2) of the pump device 100. As described in more detail below, the pump device 100 includes a drive system that causes controlled dispensation of the medicine or other fluid from the cartridge 120. In some embodiments, the drive system incrementally advances a piston rod (not shown in FIGS. 1-2) longitudinally into the cartridge 120 so that the fluid is force out of the output end 122. In this embodiment, the septum at the output end 122 can be pierced to permit fluid outflow when a cap member 115 is connected to the pump housing structure 110 (described in more detail below, for example, in connection with FIG. 5). Thus, when the pump device 100 and the controller device 200 are removably attached and thereby electrically connected, the controller device 200 communicates electronic control signals via hard-wire-connection to the drive system or other components of the pump device 100. In response to the electrical control signals from the controller device 200, the drive system of the pump device 100 causes medicine to incrementally dispense from the medicine cartridge 120.
Still referring to FIGS. 1-2, The controller device 200 can include a controller housing structure 210 that is configured to mate with a complementary portion of the pump housing structure 110 so as to form a releasable mechanical connection. For example, the controller housing structure 210 may define a cavity (refer, for example, to FIG. 6) that mates with a portion of the pump housing structure 110 for a snap fit engagement. Also, the controller housing structure 210 may include a finger 212 that engages a mating surface 117 of the pump housing structure 110 when the controller device 200 is removably attached to the pump device 100. As described in more detail below in connection with FIGS. 5-6, a magnetic attachment may be employed to releasably secure the pump device 100. For example, the magnetic attachment can serve to retain the pump housing structure 110 in the cavity defined by the controller housing structure 210. In alternative embodiments, one or more releasable connector devices (e.g., mating tongues and grooves, mounting protrusions friction fit into mating cavities, or the like) can be used to further implement the releasable securement of the controller device 200 to the pump device 100.
As described in more detail below in connection with FIGS. 5-6, the pump device 100 may include one or more electrical contacts (e.g., conductive pads, pins, and the like) that are exposed to the controller device 200 and that mate with complementary electrical contacts on the adjacent face of the controller device 200. The electrical contacts provide the electrical communication between the control circuitry of the controller device 200 and at least a portion of the drive system or other components of the pump device 100. For example, in some embodiments, the electrical contacts permit the transmission of electrical control signals to the pump device 100 and the reception of feedback signals (e.g., sensor signals) from particular components within the pump device 100.
Still referring to FIGS. 1-2, the controller device 200 includes a user interface 220 that permits a user to monitor the operation of the pump device 100. In some embodiments, the user interface includes a display 222 and one or more user-selectable buttons (e.g., two buttons 224 a and 224 b in this embodiment). The display 222 may include an active area 223 in which numerals, text, symbols, images, or combination thereof can be displayed. For example, the display 222 may be used to communicate a number of settings or menu options for the infusion pump system 10. In this embodiment, the user may press one or more of the buttons 224 a and 224 b to shuffle through a number of menus or program screens that show particular settings and data (e.g., review data that shows the medicine dispensing rate, the total amount of medicine dispensed in a given time period, the amount of medicine scheduled to be dispensed at a particular time or date, the approximate amount of medicine remaining the cartridge 120, or the like). As described in more detail below, in some embodiments, the user can adjust the settings or otherwise program the controller device 200 by pressing one or more buttons 224 a and 224 b of the user interface 220. In embodiments of the infusion pump system 10 configured to dispense insulin, the user may press one or more of the buttons 224 a and 224 b to change the dispensation rate of insulin or to request that a bolus of insulin be dispensed immediately or at a scheduled, later time.
As shown in FIG. 1, the display 222 of the user interface 220 may be configured to display quick reference information when no buttons 24 a and 224 b have been pressed.
In this example, the active area 223 of the display 222 can display the time and the date for a period of time after no button 224 a or 224 b has been actuated (e.g., five seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or the like). Thereafter, the display 222 may enter sleep mode in which the active area 223 is blank, thereby conserving battery power. In addition or in the alternative, the active area can display particular device settings, such as the current dispensation rate or the total medicine dispensed, for a period of time after no button 224 a or 224 b has been actuated (e.g., five seconds, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or the like). Again, thereafter the display 222 may enter sleep mode to conserve battery power. In certain embodiments, the display 222 can dim after a first period of time in which no button 224 a or 224 b has been actuated (e.g., after 15 seconds or the like), and then the display 22 can enter sleep mode and become blank after a second period of time in which no button 224 a or 224 b has been actuated (e.g., after 30 seconds or the like). Thus, the dimming of the display device 222 can alert a user viewing the display device 222 when the active area 223 of the display device will soon become blank.
Accordingly, when the controller device 200 is connected to the pump device 100, the user is provided with the opportunity to readily monitor infusion pump operation by simply viewing the user interface 220 connected to the pump device 100. Such monitoring capabilities may provide comfort to a user who may have urgent questions about the current operation of the pump device 100 (e.g., the user may be unable to receive immediate answers if wearing an infusion pump device having no user interface attached thereto).
Also, there is no need for the user to carry and operate a separate module to monitor the operation of the infusion pump device 100, thereby simplifying the monitoring process and reducing the number of devices that must be carried by the user. If a need arises in which the user desires to monitor the operation of the pump device 100 or to adjust settings of the pump system 10 (e.g., to request a bolus amount of medicine), the user can readily operate the user interface 220 removably attached to the pump device 100, without the requirement of locating and operating a separate monitoring module.
It should be understood from the description herein that the user interface 200 is not limited to the display and buttons depicted in FIG. 1. For example, in some embodiments, the user interface 220 may include only one button or may include a greater numbers of buttons, such as three buttons, four buttons, five buttons, or more. In another example, the user interface of the controller device 200 may include touch screen so that a user may select buttons defined by the active area of the touch screen display. Alternatively, the user interface may comprise audio inputs or outputs so that a user can monitor the operation of the pump device. Previously incorporated U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/721,267 also describes a number of configurations for a removable controller device and a user interface for the device in addition to the configuration illustrated in FIGS. 1-2 herein.
Referring to FIG. 3, the infusion pump system 10 may be configured to be portable and can be wearable and concealable. For example, a user can conveniently wear the infusion pump system 10 on the user's skin (e.g., skin adhesive) underneath the user's clothing or carry the pump device 100 in the user's pocket (or other portable location) while receiving the medicine dispensed from the pump device 100. As described in more detail below, the drive system may be housed in the housing structure 110 of the pump device 100 in a compact manner so that the pump device 100 has a reduced length. For example, in the circumstances in which the medicine cartridge 120 has a length of about 6 cm to about 7 cm (about 6.4 cm in this embodiment), the overall length of the pump housing structure 110 (which contains medicine cartridge and the drive system) can be about 7 cm to about 9 cm (about 8.3 cm or less in this embodiment).
In addition, the pump housing structure 110 may have an overall height of about 1.5 cm to about 4 cm (about 2.9 cm or less in this embodiment) and an overall thickness of about 8 mm to about 20 mm (about 14.5 mm or less in this embodiment). In such circumstances, the controller device 200 can be figured to mate with the compact pump housing 110 so that, when removably attached to one another, the components define a portable infusion pump unit that stores a relatively large quantity of medicine compared to the overall size of the unit. For example, in this embodiment, the infusion pump system 10 (including the pump device 100 attached to the removable controller device 200) may have an overall length of about 7 cm to about 9 cm (about 8.5 cm or less in this embodiment), an overall height of about 1.5 cm to about 4 cm (about 3.5 cm or less in this embodiment),and an overall thickness of about 8 mm to about 20 mm (about 15 mm or less in this embodiment).
As shown in FIG. 3, this embodiment of the infusion pump system 10 is pocket-sized so that the pump device 100 and controller device 200 can be worn in the user's pocket or in another portion of the user's clothing. In such embodiments, the cap member 115 of the pump device 100 may be configured to connect with a flexible tube 119 of an infusion set. The infusion set may include the tube 119 that extends toward a skin adhesive patch and connects with an infusion cannula (not shown in FIG. 3). The skin adhesive patch can retain the infusion cannula in fluid communication with the tissue or vasculature of the patient so that the medicine dispensed through the tube 119 passes through the cannula and into the user's body. As described below in connection with FIG. 5, the cap member 115 may provide fluid communication between the output end 122 (FIG. 1) of the medicine cartridge 120 and the tube 119 of the infusion set. In these embodiments, the user can carry the portable infusion pump system 10 (e.g., in the user's pocket, connected to a belt clip, or adhered to the user's skin) while the tube 119 extends to the location in which the skin is penetrated for infusion. If the user desires to monitor the operation of the pump device 100 or to adjust the settings of the infusion pump system 10, the user can readily access the user interface 220 of the controller device 200 without the need for carrying and operating a separate module.
In other embodiments, the infusion pump system 10 may be configured to adhere to the user's skin directly at the location in which the skin is penetrated for medicine infusion. For example, a rear surface 102 of the pump device 100 (refer, for example, to FIG. 2) may include a skin adhesive patch so that the pump device 100 is physically adhered to the skin of the user at a particular location. In these embodiments, the cap member 115 may have a configuration in which medicine passes directly from the cap member 115 into an infusion cannula that is penetrated into the user's skin. Again, if the user desires to monitor the operation of the pump device 100 or to adjust the settings of the infusion pump system 10, the user can readily access the user interface 220 of the controller device 200 without the need for carrying and operating a second, separate device. For example, the user may look toward the pump device 100 to view the user interface 220 of the controller device 220 that is removably attached thereto.
Referring to FIG. 4, some embodiments of an infusion pump system 20 may include a pump device 100 that is configured to mate with any one of two or more controller devices (e.g., controller device 200 and controller device 300 in this embodiment) that are different from one another. The controller devices 200 and 300 may have different user interfaces 220 and 320, respectively, so as to provide different control options to the user. For example, some users may select the first controller device 200 for use in combination with the pump device 100 for a simplified input comprising two buttons 224 a and 224 b in the user interface 220. In another example, some users may select the second controller device 300 for use in combination with the pump device 100 for a larger size display 322 and increased button options (e.g., four buttons 324 a, 324 b, 324 c, and 324 d) in the user interface 320.
The pump device 100 can be releasably secured to any one of the controller devices 200 and 300 in the infusion pump system 20. As previously described, the pump device 100 includes a pump housing structure 110, and at least a portion of the pump housing structure 110 is configured to be received in a complementary cavity 215 or 315 (FIGS. 8-10) defined in the controller housing structure 210 or 310. When the pump device 100 is received by the controller device 200 or 300, a retainer finger 217 or 317, respectively, may engage a mating surface of the pump housing structure 110. In addition, a magnetic attachment can be used to releasably secure the pump device 100 to any of the controller housing structures 210 and 310. In such circumstances, the pump device 100 includes one or more magnetically attractable devices 118 a and 118 b (e.g., permanent magnets in this embodiment) exhibited on the front surface 104 of the pump housing structure 110 which magnetically engage complementary devices (refer, for example to FIG. 8) arranged on the controller housing structure 210 or 310. As such, when the pump device 100 is received in the cavity defined by the controller housing structure 210, the magnetically attractable devices 118 a and 118 b form a magnetic attachment to retain the pump device 100 therein. Also as described in more detail below, the pump device 100 may include one or more electrical contacts 149 arranged to engage complementary electrical contacts 249 (refer, for example to FIG. 8) arranged on the controller housing structure 210 or 310.
In some embodiments of the infusion pump system 20, the first and second controller devices 200 and 300 may be configured to control the dispensation of the same type of medicine when the pump device 100 is removably attached thereto. For example, a medicine cartridge containing insulin may be received in the pump device 100, and the user may select (e.g., based upon the user's preference, based upon an expert's recommendation, or a combination thereof) either the first controller device 200 or the second controller device 300 for attachment to the pump device 100. Because the first controller device 200 includes a user interface 220 that is different from the user interface 320 of the second controller device 300, the user may prefer the operation, appearance, or functionality of one controller device (200 or 300) over the other (300 or 200). For example, some users may select the first controller device 200 to provide a simplified input comprising two buttons 224 a and 224 b in the user interface 220 (e.g., lower complexity of input options may be preferable to child users). In another example, some users may select the second controller device 300 to provide a larger size display 322 and increased button options 324 a, 324 b, 324 c, and 324 d in the user interface 320 (e.g., increased input options may be preferably to users who frequently monitor a number of pump settings and summary screens). Alternatively, the controller devices 200 and 300 may include the same user interface option, but may have different appearances so as to provide the user with a variety of styles. For example, the controller device 200 may have a different outer shape or a different color than that of the second controller device 300, thereby permitting the user to select one of the controller devices 200 or 300 depending upon the desired appearance of the infusion pump system 20.
Still referring to FIG. 4, in some embodiments of the infusion pump system 20, the first and second controller devices 200 and 300 may be configured to control the dispensation of the different types of medicine when the pump device 100 is removably attached thereto. For example, a first medicine cartridge 230 containing a first type of medicine 231 can be received in the pump device 100. In these circumstances, the first controller device 200 may be removably attached to the pump device 100 (having the first medicine container 230 received therein) so as to control the dispensation of the first type of medicine 231. In another example, a second medicine cartridge 330 containing a second type of medicine 331 can be received in the pump device 100. Here, the second controller device 300 may be removably attached to the pump device 100 (having the second medicine container 330 received therein) so as to control the dispensation of the second type of medicine 331. Accordingly, the infusion pump system 20 can employ a single pump device 100 that is capable of dispensing any one of two or more medicines (e.g., medicines 231 and 331 in this embodiment) when connected to any one of two or more controller devices (e.g., controller devices 200 and 330, respectively, in this embodiment).
Such embodiments of the infusion pump device 20 permit a user to transition from the infusion of one type of medicine to a second type of medicine without learning to operate a new type of pump device. In one embodiment, the pump device 100 may be used in combination with the first controller device 200 so as to deliver a medicine 231 for the treatment of Type 2 Diabetes. Examples of such medicines 231 include Exenatide, which is commercially available under the name BYETTA™, or others in a class of medicines for Type 2 Diabetes called incretin mimetics. These medicines may improve control of Type 2 Diabetes by aiding the user's pancreas produce an appropriate amount of insulin. As described in more detail below in connection with FIGS. 5A-D, the second controller device 200 may include a user interface 220 configured to provide information and monitoring options for the infusion of Exenatide.
If the user's Diabetes progresses over time to become Type 1 Diabetes, the user may continue to use the same type of pump device 100 but with a different controller device 300 (e.g., a controller device for use in the infusion of insulin or other medicines to treat Type 1 Diabetes). Thus, the user is not required to obtain and learn about a new type of pump device 100. Instead, the user may conveniently attach the same type of pump device 100 (this time including a cartridge 330 with insulin 331) to a second controller device 300. As described in more detail below in connection with FIGS. 6A-D, the second controller device 300 may include a user interface 320 configured to provide information and monitoring options for the infusion of insulin. In some circumstances, the dispensation rate, dosage amount, and other parameters of insulin infusion may be different from other infused medicines (e.g., Exenatide), so the user interface 320 may provide different monitoring options or different textual information compared to the user interface 220 of the first controller device 200.
Moreover, such embodiments of the infusion pump system 20 may provide manufacturing benefits. For example, the manufacturer may not be required to manufacture a different type of pump device 100 for each of the different types of controllers. Instead, the pump device 100 can be mass produced in high quantities for use in conjunction with any one of a plurality of controller devices (e.g., controller devices 200 and 300 in this embodiment).
Optionally, the first controller device 200 may include an indicia 225 that identifies the particular type of medicine cartridge 230 or medicine 231 with which it is to be employed. The medicine cartridge 230 may include a similar indicia 235. As such, the user can verify that the appropriate type of medicine 231 is received in the pump device 100 for controlled dispensation by the controller device 200. For example, the indicia 225 may include a label, marking, etching, or the like disposed on the controller housing structure 210 that indicates a particular name, code, or other identifier corresponding to a particular medicine 231 (e.g., “EXENATIDE” or “BYETTA” or another identifier). The indicia 235 disposed on the medicine cartridge 230 may include a similar label, marking, etching, or the like disposed on an outer surface of the cartridge 230 so as to indicate a particular name, code, or other identifier corresponding to the particular medicine 231. The second controller device 300 may also include an indicia 325 that identifies the particular type of medicine cartridge 330 or medicine 331 with which it is to be employed (e.g., “INSULIN” or another identifier). The indicia 325 may match a corresponding indicia 335 arranged on the medicine cartridge 330. Thus, a person or machine will be able to interpret the indicia 235 on the first cartridge 230 and the indicia 225 on the first controller device 220 to know that the first cartridge 230 is used in conjunction with the first controller device 200. Similarly, a person or machine will be able to interpret the indicia 335 on the second cartridge 230 and the indicia 325 on the second controller device 320 to know that the second cartridge 330 is used in conjunction with the second controller device 300.
Referring to FIGS. 5A-D, in some embodiments, the user interface 220 of the first controller device 200 may be configured to provide information and monitoring options for the infusion of a first type of medicine, such as Exenatide. In this embodiment, the user interface 220 comprises a display and two buttons as previously described in connection with FIGS. 1-4. The user may press one or more buttons of the user interface 220 to toggle through a number of monitoring screens that provide information regarding the dispensation of the Exenatide medicine or regarding the operation of the pump device. For example, as shown in FIGS. 5A-D, the user interface 220 may provide information regarding the average amount of Exenatide infused per day (FIG. 5A), regarding the total amount of Exenatide infused on the current day and the average dispensation rate of the pump device on the current day (FIG. 5B), regarding the amount of Exenatide remaining in the medicine cartridge received in the pump device 100 (FIG. 5C), and regarding the amount of time since the pump device 100 started dispensing Exenatide (FIG. 5D). In some circumstances, the user may be able to press one or more buttons of the user interface 220 (e.g., press both buttons at the same time, press and hold one button for a period of time, or the like) so as to adjust particular settings of the infusion pump system. For example, the user may press and hold both buttons when a particular screen is displayed so as to adjust the dispensation rate, to adjust the time or date, or to reset the average dispensation calculation.
Referring to FIGS. 6A-D, in some embodiments, the user interface 320 of the second controller device 300 may be configured to provide information and monitoring options for the infusion of a second type of medicine, such as insulin. In this embodiment, the user interface 320 comprises a display and four buttons as previously described in connection with FIG. 4. The user may press one or more buttons of the user interface 320 to toggle through a number of monitoring screens that provide information regarding the dispensation of the insulin medicine or regarding the operation of the pump device 100. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6A-D, the user interface 320 may provide information regarding the average amount of insulin infused per day (FIG. 6A), regarding the total amount of insulin infused on the current day and the average dispensation rate of the pump device on the current day (FIG. 6B), regarding the amount of insulin remaining in the medicine cartridge received in the pump device 100 (FIG. 6C), and regarding the amount of time since the pump device 100 started dispensing insulin (FIG. 6D). In some circumstances, the user may be able to press the menu and select buttons button of the user interface 320 so as to toggle to a parameter adjustment screen, in which the “−” or “+” buttons may be used to adjust the values. For example, the user may adjust the dispensation rate, to adjust the time or date, or to reset the average dispensation calculation.
Referring now to FIG. 7, the pump device 100 of the infusion pump system 10 or 20 may include a drive system 105 that is controlled by the removable controller device 200 or 300. Accordingly, the drive system 105 can accurately and incrementally dispense fluid from the pump device 100 in a controlled manner. In this embodiment, the pump housing structure 110 includes a detachable shell 112 that covers at least a portion of the drive system 105 and includes a frame portion 113 to which at least a portion of the drive system 105 is mounted. The detachable shell 112 may include an inner curved surface against which a curved section of a piston rod 170 rests. The detachable shell 112 can be part of the pump housing structure 110 that engages with the controller device 200 (or 300) as previously described in connection with FIGS. 1-4. As such, the detachable shell portion 112 may include the magnetically attractable devices 118 a and 118 b that releasably secure the pump device 100 to the controller device 200 (or 300). In addition, the detachable shell 112 may provide access to the electrical contacts 149 a of the pump device 100. In this embodiment, the electrical contacts 149 a are configured to align with the contact circuit device 149 b arranged in the pump device 100. In other embodiments, the electrical contacts of the pump device 100 can be arranged directly on the contact circuit device 149 b, and the detachable shell 112 may include a slot (in the location shown as numeral 149 a) so as to permit electrical engagement with the controller device 200 (or 300).
One or both of the detachable shell 112 and the frame portion 114 can be molded from polymer material, such as Polycarbonate, Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene, or Acrylic. In this embodiment, the detachable shell portion 112 comprises a generally opaque, moldable material so that the drive system 105 and other components of the pump device are concealed from view. The frame portion 113 may include a cylindrical receiver 114 that defines the space 116 to receive the medicine cartridge 120 (FIG. 2). In some circumstances, at least a portion of the cylindrical receiver 114 is transparent or translucent so that the user may view the medicine cartridge 120 therein. Such a configuration provides the user with visual verification of when the medicine cartridge is empty or near empty (e.g., the plunger in the medicine cartridge has been fully advanced).
The receiver 114 may also include a connector to mate with the cap member 115. In this embodiment, the connector comprises an external thread pattern formed on the receiver 113 that mates with an internal thread pattern of the cap member 115. Accordingly, the cap member 115 can be secured to the frame portion 113 after the medicine cartridge 120 (FIG. 2) has been received therein. As shown in FIG. 7, the cap member may include a cartridge penetrator 115 a that pierces the output end 122 (FIG. 2) of the medicine cartridge 120 when the cap member 115 is mounted to the frame portion 113. The cartridge penetrator 115 a is in fluid communication with an tube connector 115 b, which is connected to a tube 119 of an infusion set device (as previously described in connection with FIG. 3). As previously described, in some embodiments, the fluid cartridge 120 may occupy a majority of the length of the pump housing structure 110 (with the drive system 105 being arranged in a compact manner) so that the pump device 100 is wearable and portable.
Still referring to FIG. 7, some embodiments of the pump device 100 include a first battery 145 that is capable of transmitting electrical energy to the controller device 200 (or 300) when the pump device 100 is attached to the controller device 200 (or 300). Such energy transmission is described in more detail below in connection with FIG. 8. The first battery 145 may be arranged in a first circuit 140 that includes the contact circuit device 149 b. The first circuit 140 may be simple and inexpensive so as to facilitate a low-cost pump device 100 that is disposable. The first circuit 140 may comprise a printed circuit board or a flexible circuit that is arranged in the frame portion 113 of the pump device 100. Optionally, the first circuit 140 may include a gateway circuit device 146 that permits the transmission of electrical energy from the first battery 145 to the controller device 200 (or 300). In some circumstances, the gateway circuit device 146 may be under the control of and directed by the control circuit in the controller device 200 (or 300). In some embodiments, the gateway circuit device 146 of the first circuit 140 may be in electrical communication (e.g., via one or more electrical wires or electrically conductive traces) with a force sensor 148 (refer to FIG. 11) arranged between the plunger connector 178 that the plunger 121. The force sensor 148 may comprise a force transducer or load cell that is capable of electrically communicating an applied force. As such, the force sensor 148 can provide feedback signals to the local pump circuit 140 (or to the control device 200 via the electrical contacts) so as to monitor the force transmitted to the plunger 121 of the medicine cartridge 120. Such information can be used, for example, to detect if an occlusion exists in the medicine flow path. Other sensors (e.g., a pressure sensor, a flow sensor, a rotation sensor, a displacement sensor, or the like) may be electrically connected to the first circuit 140 to provide feedback signals to the control device 200 via the electrical contacts. It should be understood that, in other embodiments, the first circuit 140 may be configured to operate without the gateway circuit device 146. For example, the control circuit in the removable controller device 200 may communicate via the electrical contacts directly with a portion of the drive system 105 (e.g., direct electrical communication with the motor 130), with one or more sensors disposed in the pump device 100 (e.g., with the force sensor 148), and with the first battery 145.
In this embodiment, the first battery 145 can be maintained in a storage mode and then switched to an activation mode when the pump device 100 used to dispense medicine. The storage mode can provide a long shelf life of storage life for the first battery 145. For example, when in storage mode, the first battery may retain a substantial portion of its charge for a period of more than six months, more than one year, or more than two years. As shown in FIG. 7, the first battery 145 may be equipped with a removable tab 147 that seals the first battery 145 to maintain it in the storage mode. Thus, when the pump device 100 is prepared for usage, the removable tab 147 can be pulled away from the first battery 145, which switches the first battery into the activation mode. When the first battery 145 is switched to the activation mode, the first battery 145 may dispense electrical energy for usage period in which the pump device is used. For example, in some embodiments, the first battery 145 may provide electrical energy to other components over a usage period of about one week to about one month, and about two weeks in this embodiment.
As shown in FIG. 7, some embodiments of the drive system 105 may include a rotational motor 130 that is coupled to a string member 135, which is used to adjust a ratchet mechanism 150. The operation of the drive system 105 is described in more detail below in connection with FIGS. 12A-C. The drive system 105 can provide a reliable and compact configuration for accurately dispensing the desired volume of fluid from the pump device 100. Moreover, the drive system 105 may comprise few, if any, high-cost actuator components or electronics, thereby facilitating the relatively low-cost production of a disposable and reliable pump device 100.
Referring to FIG. 8, the controller device 200 can be attached to the pump device 100 in a removable manner. In this embodiment, the housing structure 210 of the controller device 200 defines a cavity 215 in which at least a portion of the pump device 100 can be received (refer, for example, to FIG. 2). When the pump device 100 is received in the cavity 215, the finger 212 of the controller housing structure 212 may engage a mating surface 117 (FIG. 2) of the pump device 100. In addition, the controller device 200 can include magnetically attractable devices 218 a-b that align with the magnetically attractable devices 118 a-b (FIG. 7) of the pump device 100. As such, the magnetically attractable devices 118 a-b and 218 a-b releasably secure the pump device 100 in the cavity 215 of the controller device 200. In some embodiments, both the devices 118 a-b and 218 a-b may comprise permanent magnets. In other embodiments, one set of the devices 118 a-b or 218 a-b may comprise permanent magnets while the opposing set of the devices 218 a-b or 118 a-b comprise a metallic material that is attractable to the permanent magnets.
The controller device 200 can also include one or more electrical contacts 249 that provide electrical communication to a controller circuit 240. In this embodiment, the electrical contacts 249 are arranged on the controller housing structure 210 so as to align with the electrical contacts 149 a (or the electrical contact device 149 b) of the pump device 100 (refer, for example, to FIG. 7). Accordingly, when the pump device 100 is removably attached to the controller device 200, the controller device 200 becomes electrically connected to the pump device 100 to provide for the communication of electrical control signals.
Still referring to FIG. 8, the controller circuit 240 of the controller device 200 may include a second battery 245 that can receive electrical energy from the first battery 145 (FIG. 7) disposed in the pump device 100. The hard-wired transmission of the electrical energy can occur through the electrical contacts 249 of the controller device 200. In such circumstances, the first battery 145 may include a high density battery that is capable providing a relatively large amount of electrical energy for its package size. Accordingly, the first battery 145 disposed in the pump device 100 can be used to deliver electrical energy over time (e.g., “trickle charge”) to the second battery 245 when the controller device 200 is removably attached to the pump device 100. For example, the first battery 145 may comprise a zinc-air cell battery. The zinc-air cell battery 145 may have a large volumetric energy density compared to some other battery types. For example, the zinc-air cell battery 145 may have a volumetric energy density of greater than about 900 Watt-hours/Liter (Wh/L), about 1000 Wh/L to about 1700 Wh/L, and about 1200 Wh/L to about 1600 Wh/L. Also, the zinc-air cell battery may have long storage lives, especially in those embodiments in which the battery is sealed (e.g., by the removable tab 147 or the like) during storage and before activation. One exemplary a zinc-air cell battery is available from Duracell Corporation of Bethel, Conn., which provides a potential voltage of about 1.1V to about 1.6V (about 1.2V to about 1.4 V, and about 1.3 V in this embodiment), a current output of about 8 mA to about 12 mA (about 10 mA in this embodiment), and a storage capacity of greater than about 600 mA·h (about 650 mA·h in this embodiment).
The second battery 245 may include a high current output device that is capable discharging a brief current burst to power the drive system 105 of the pump device 100. Accordingly, the second battery 245 can be charged over a period of time by the first battery 145 and then intermittently deliver high-current bursts to the drive system 105 over a brief moment of time. For example, the second battery 245 may comprise a lithium polymer battery. The lithium polymer battery disposed in the controller device 200 may have an initial current output that is greater than the zinc-air cell battery disposed in the pump device 100, but zinc-air cell battery may have an energy density that is greater than the lithium polymer battery (e.g., the lithium polymer battery disposed in the controller device 200 may have a volumetric energy density of less than about 600 Wh/L). In addition, the lithium polymer battery is rechargeable, which permits the zinc-air battery disposed in the pump device 100 to provide electrical energy to the lithium polymer battery 245 for purposes of recharging. One exemplary lithium polymer battery is available from Sanyo Corporation of Japan, which provides a initial current output of about greater than 80 mA (about 90 mA to about 110 mA, and about 100 mA in this embodiment) and a maximum potential voltage of about 4.0V to and 4.4V (about 4.2 V in this embodiment). In other embodiments, it should be understood that the second battery 245 may comprise a capacitor device capable of recharging over time and intermittently discharging a current burst to activate the drive system 105.
Because the controller device 200 can be reusable with a number of pump devices 100 (e.g., attach a new pump device 100 after the previous pump device 100 is expended and disposed), the second battery 245 in the controller device can be recharged over a period of time each time a new pump device 100 is connected thereto. Such a configuration can be advantageous in those embodiments in which the pump device 100 is configured to be a disposable, one-time-use device that attaches to a reusable controller device 200. For example, in those embodiments, the “disposable” pump devices 100 recharge the second battery 245 in the “reusable” controller device 200, thereby reducing or possibly eliminating the need for separate recharging of the controller device 200 via a power cord plugged into a wall outlet.
The controller circuit 240 of the control device 200 includes a microcontroller device 246 that coordinates the electrical communication to and from the controller device 200. At least a portion of the controller circuit 240 can be embodied on a printed circuit board (or a flexible circuit substrate). The second battery 245 and the microcontroller 246 can be mounted to such a printed circuit board (or connect to such a flexible circuit substrate). Electrical connections from the electrical contacts 249 and the user interface 220 (FIG. 9) may extend along the printed circuit board to the microcontroller device 246. In this embodiment, the controller circuit 240 is disposed in a hollow space of the controller housing structure 210. For example, the controller housing structure can be formed from two molded portions that are welded or adhered to one another after the controller circuit 240 is assembled therein.
As shown in FIG. 8, some embodiments of the controller circuit 240 may include a cable connector 243 (e.g., a USB connection port or another data cable port). As such, a cable may be connected to the controller circuit 240 to upload data or program settings to the controller circuit or to download data from the controller circuit 240. For example, historical data of medicine delivery can be downloaded from the controller circuit 240 (via the cable connector 243) to a computer system of a physician or a user for purposes of analysis and program adjustments. Optionally, the data cable may also provide recharging power to the controller circuit 240.
Referring to FIG. 9, the user interface 220 of the controller device 200 can include input components, output components, or both that are electrically connected to the controller circuit 240 (FIG. 8). For example, in this embodiment, the user interface includes a display device 222 having an active area 223 that outputs information to a user and two buttons 224 a and 224 b that receive input from the user. Here, the display 222 may be used to communicate a number of settings or menu options for the infusion pump system 10. In this embodiment, the controller circuit 240 may receive the input commands from the user's button selection and thereby cause the display device 222 to output a number of menus or program screens that show particular settings and data (e.g., review data that shows the medicine dispensing rate, the total amount of medicine dispensed in a given time period, the amount of medicine scheduled to be dispensed at a particular time or date, the approximate amount of medicine remaining the cartridge 120, or the like). As previously described, the controller circuit 240 can be programmable in that the input commands from the button selections can cause the controller circuit 240 to change any one of a number of settings for the infusion pump system 100.
Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, the first controller device 200 has a user interface 220 that is different from the user interface 320 of the second controller device 300 so as to provide different control options. In the depicted embodiments, the first controller device 200 provides a simplified input comprising two buttons 224 a and 224 b in the user interface 220, and the second controller device 300 provides a larger size display 322 and increased button options (e.g., four buttons 324 a, 324 b, 324 c, and 324 d). As previously described, both controller devices 200 and 300 can be used to control the dispensation of medicine from the pump device 100. It should be understood from the description herein that the second controller device 300 can include a controller circuit that is similar to the controller circuit 240 (FIG. 8) of the first controller device 200. Accordingly, some embodiments of the second controller device 300 may include a second battery (to provide bursts of current to power the drive system 105 of the pump device 100), electrical contacts (to align with the contacts 149 a or the contact device 149 b of the pump device 100), and a microcontroller device. In addition, it should be understood from the description herein that the second controller device 300 can include a cavity 315 that is similarly shaped to the cavity 215 (FIG. 8) of the first controller device 200. Also, the second controller device 300 may include a finger 312, magnetically attractable devices, or both similar to the finger 212 and devices 218 a-b depicted in FIG. 8.
Referring to FIG. 11, the pump device 100 includes a drive system 105 that is capable of accurately and incrementally dispensing fluid from the fluid cartridge 120 in a controlled manner. The drive system 105 may include a rotational motor 130 that is coupled to a string member 135. Briefly, the rotational motor 130 can be used to act upon the string member 135, thereby causing the string member 135 to adjust a pawl member 152 relative to a ratchet body 155 (e.g., a ratchet wheel integrally formed on the worm gear 156 in this embodiment). In some embodiments, the string member 135 is configured in a loop arrangement (e.g., looped around pin structures 136, 137, 138, and 139 in this embodiment). In these circumstances, the motion path of the string member 140 and the orientation of the string member 140 can be configured to provide an efficient mechanical advantage orientation during the desired motion of the adjustable pawl member 152. One of the pin structures 138 may be coupled to the adjustable pawl member 152 while the remaining pin structures 136, 137, and 139 are coupled to the frame portion 114 of the pump device 100. The spring device 154 can drive the pawl member from a reset position to a forward position, which incrementally rotates the ratchet wheel 155. As previously described, incremental rotation of the ratchet wheel 155 causes rotation of a drive wheel 160, which causes the incremental longitudinal advancement of a flexible piston rod 170. As the piston rod 170 is advanced into plunger chamber 126 (e.g., defined in this embodiment by the circumferential wall 124 of the fluid cartridge 120), the fluid in the cartridge 120 is forced from septum at the output end 122. Previously incorporated U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/720,411 also describes a number of configurations for the drive system in addition to the illustrative example depicted in FIG. 11 herein.
As shown in FIG. 11, some components of the drive system 105 can be retained by the frame portion 114, a cover mount 111 that is assembled to the frame portion 114, or a combination thereof. For example, the rotational motor 130, the string member 135, and the spring device 154 can be assembled into the frame portion 114 and then retained by the cover mount 111. The adjustable pawl member 152, the ratchet wheel 155, and the worm gear 156 can be assembled onto and axle 151 that is integrally formed with the frame portion 114 and then retained by the cover mount 111. A locking pawl 159 can be integrally formed with the frame portion 114 so as to align with the ratchet wheel 155 when the ratchet wheel 155 is assembled onto the axle 151. Also, the drive wheel 160 and an adjacent bearing 165 (to facilitate rotation of the drive wheel 160 relative to the frame portion 114) can be received in annular channels 163 and 167, respectively, of the frame portion 114. When the cover mount 111 is assembled to the frame portion 114, the cover mount 111 can restrict the radial or axial movement of the drive wheel 160 while permitting forward rotation of the drive wheel 160. In another example, the “unused” or retracted portion of the piston rod 170 may rest in a channel 113 defined in the top of the cover mount 111. In such a construction, the cover mount 111 and the frame portion 114 can collectively permit the desired motion of the components of the drive system 105 while reducing the likelihood of “backlash” movement or component dislodgement (which might otherwise occur, for example, when the pump device 100 is dropped to the ground).
The rotational motor 130 may comprise an electrically power actuator having a rotatable output shaft 132. In this embodiment, the rotational motor 130 can receive signals that cause the output shaft to rotate in a first rotational direction or in a second, opposite rotational direction. One example of a suitable rotational motor 130 is a coreless DC motor supplied by Jinlong Machinery of China. As previously described, the operation of the rotational motor 130 can be controlled by a controller device (e.g., removable controller device 200 or 300 as described in connection with FIGS. 1-10 or the like) via electrical signals communicated through one or more electrical contacts.
The string member 135 may be coupled to the rotational motor 130 so that actuation by the motor 130 causes the string member 135 to act upon the ratchet mechanism 150. One or more full rotations of the motor 130 can be translated into a tension force in the string member 135 that is applied to a pawl member 152, which (in this embodiment) is pivoted to a reset position by the tension force from the string member 135. As such, the string member 135 is coupled between the rotational motor 130 and the ratchet mechanism 150 so as to provide a reliable and consistent adjustment of the ratchet mechanism. In this embodiment, the string member 135 is coupled to the motor shaft 132 using a mechanical connector 133.
Still referring to FIG. 11, the ratchet mechanism 150 includes the pawl member 152 and the ratchet body 155, which in this embodiment is a ratchet wheel having a number of teeth along its circumferential surface. The pawl member 152 is adjustable between a reset position (refer, for example, to FIG. 12A) and a forward position (refer, for example, to FIG. 12B). In this embodiment, the adjustable pawl member 152 is pivotably coupled to about the axis of the axle 151 that receives the ratchet wheel 155 and the worm gear 156. A spring device 154 is also coupled to the pawl member 152 so as to urge the pawl member 152 toward the forward position. In this embodiment, the spring device 154 is in the form of a leaf spring that is fixed to the frame portion 114 at a first end portion and that is engaged with an abutment protrusion 157 (FIGS. 12A-C) of the pawl member 152 at a second end portion. Thus, when the pawl member 152 is adjusted to the reset position, the spring device 154 is flexed and stores potential energy that urges the pawl member 152 to return to the forward position and thereby drive the ratchet wheel 155 in a forward rotational direction. The locking pawl 159 coupled to the frame portion 114 prevents the ratchet wheel 155 from reverse motion. As such, the adjustable pawl member 152 can adjust from the forward position to the reset position to engage a new tooth of the ratchet wheel 155 while the ratchet wheel 155 remains in position due to the locking pawl 159.
It should be understood that the drive system 105 can employ one or more sensors to indicate when the pawl member 152 has reach the reset position or the forward position. For example, these sensors can be optical, magnetic, or contact type sensors. The sensors may be capable of transmitting signals that indicate when the location of the pin structure 138 or the pawl member 152 is detected. Such sensor signals may be transmitted to the first circuit 140, to the controller device 200 or 300, or a combination thereof.
Still referring to FIG. 11, in some embodiments the ratchet wheel 155 can be integrally formed with the worm gear 156 so that the incremental rotation of the ratchet wheel 155 is translated to the worm gear 156. Such rotation of the worm gear 156 causes a rotation of a drive wheel 160, which is rotatably mounted to the frame portion 114 of the pump device 100. The drive wheel 160 includes a central aperture having an internal thread pattern therein (not shown in FIG. 11), which mates is an external thread pattern on the flexible piston rod 170. Thus, the incremental motion provided by the ratchet mechanism 150, the string member 135, and the motor 130 causes the drive wheel 160 to incrementally rotate, which in turn translates to a linear advancement of the flexible piston rod 170.
Accordingly, in some embodiments, the piston rod 170 may undergo only forward or positive displacement as a result of drive system 105. For example, the drive system 105 substantially hinders the piston rod 170 from retracting or “backing up” in response to fluid pressure in the medicine cartridge 120 or other reversal forces. In such circumstances, the flexible piston rod 170 can be retracted only upon disassembly of the pump device 100 (e.g., to disengage the gears or the ratchet mechanism). In those embodiments in which the pump device 100 is intended to be disposable, the non-intended piston rod configuration (due to the drive system 105) may facilitate a “one time use” disposable pump device, thereby reducing the likelihood of failure due to non-intended repeated use of the disposable pump device.
The flexible piston rod 170 comprises a plurality of segments 172 serially connected by hinge portions so that the flexible piston rod 170 is adjustable from a curved shape to a noncurved shape. As previously described, the plurality of segments 172 and the interconnecting hinge portions can be integrally formed in one piece from a moldable material, including one or more polymer materials such as Nylon or POM. In this embodiment, the plurality of segments 172 comprise generally cylindrical segments that each include an exterior thread pattern along at least one cylindrical surface portion. The flexible piston rod 170 can include an anti-rotation structure that hinders the piston rod 170 from rotating with drive wheel 160 (thereby allowing the rotation of the drive wheel 160 to translate into a longitudinal motion of the piston rod 170). For example, in this embodiment, the flexible piston 170 includes a longitudinal channel 173 extending through each of the segments 172. The longitudinal channel 173 can engage a complementary protrusion on the frame portion 114 proximate the drive wheel 160 so that the flexible piston rod 170 is hindered from rotating when the drive wheel 160 turns relative to the frame portion 114. Accordingly, the longitudinal channel in each segment 172 aligns to form a keyway that receives a mating key (e.g., a protrusion) on the frame portion 114. In other embodiments, the anti-rotation structure may include a plurality of longitudinal channels 173 (with each channel capable of engaging an associated protrusion that acts as a key to hinder rotation while permitting longitudinal motion), one or more flat surfaces along each segment 172 (with the flat surface slidably engaging a complementary flat surface on the frame portion 114), or the like. A plunger connector 178 may be coupled to the leading end of the flexible piston rod 170 so as to abut against or connect with the plunger 121 in the plunger chamber 126 of the fluid cartridge 120. Previously incorporated U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/720,405 also describes a number of configurations for the flexible piston rod 170 in addition to the configuration illustrated in FIG. 11 herein.
Referring now to FIGS. 12A-C, the incremental motion cycle of the drive system 105 may include rotation of the motor 130 so that the string member 135 transitions from a twisted state, to an untwisted state, and then again to a twisted state. Such a transition of the string member 135 can cause the pawl member 330 to adjust from the reset position (refer to FIG. 12A), to the forward position (refer to FIG. 12B), and back to the reset position (refer to FIG. 12C). The adjustment of the pawl member 152 from the reset position to the forward position drives the ratchet wheel 155 and worm gear 156, which incrementally rotates the drive wheel 160 and thereby advances the flexible piston rod 170 a longitudinal increment distance 179 (refer to FIG. 12B). In one example, the drive system 105 can advance the piston rod 170 a longitudinal increment distance 179 of about 16 microns or less (about 4 microns to about 12 microns, and preferably about 7 microns to about 8 microns) for each incremental motion cycle of the motor 130, string member 135, and ratchet mechanism 150 as previously described herein.
Referring to FIG. 12A, in this embodiment of the incremental motion cycle, the pawl member 352 begins at the reset position with the string member 135 in a twisted configuration at string portion 134. When the adjustable pawl member 152 is in the reset position as shown in FIG. 12A, it is capable of engaging a tooth of the ratchet wheel 155. In this embodiment, the string member 135 is arranged in a loop configuration around pin structures 136, 137, 138, and 139. One of the pin structures 138 is coupled to the adjustable pawl member 152 while the remaining pin structures 136, 137, and 139 are integrally formed with the frame portion 114 of the pump device 100 (pin structures 136, 137, and 139 are shown in dotted lines to represent their location on the frame portion 114 (not shown in FIGS. 12A-C)). Also, the pin structure 136 exemplifies how a single pin structure can have two sliding surfaces that oppose one another, thereby functioning similar to a configuration having two different pins. As shown in FIG. 12A, when the motor 130 rotates, a portion 134 the string member 135 twists upon itself, thus drawing the pin structure 138 toward the stationary pin structures 137 and 139. The orientation of the stationary pin structures 137 and 139 relative to the pin structure 138 (connected to the pawl member 152) can be configured to provide an efficient mechanical advantage for the tension force applied by the string member 140 during the desired motion of the adjustable pawl member 152.
Referring to FIG. 12B, in response to the controller device 200 or 300 transmitting one or more control signals to initiate the cycle, the rotational motor 130 may begin to rotate in a first rotational direction that unwinds the string member 140, thereby permitting the spring device 154 to drive the pawl member 152 toward the forward position (refer to FIG. 12B). When the adjustable pawl 152 is driving the ratchet wheel 155 in the forward rotational direction, the potential energy of the spring device 154 is being translated to kinetic energy for the motion of the pawl member 152 and the ratchet wheel 155. Such an adjustment of the pawl member 152 from the reset position to the forward position drives the ratchet wheel 155 and the integrally formed worm gear 156. The incremental rotation of the worm gear 156 results in an incremental rotation by the drive wheel 160, which advances the flexible piston rod 170 the longitudinal increment distance 179. Such an incremental advancement of the flexible piston rod 170 may cause a predetermined volume of fluid to be dispensed from the cartridge 120 (FIG. 11).
Referring to FIG. 12C, the rotational motor 130 continues to rotate in the first rotational direction so that after the pawl member 152 reaches the forward position, the string member 135 begins to twist in the opposite orientation. Such twisting of the string member 135 causes a tension force that overcomes the bias of the spring device 154 and adjusts the pawl member 152 toward the reset position. When the adjustable pawl member 152 reaches the reset position, as shown in FIG. 12C, the pawl member 152 is capable of engaging a new tooth of the ratchet wheel 155. The locking pawl 159 (shown in FIG. 11) prevents the ratchet wheel 155 from rotating in a reverse (non-forward) rotational direction while the adjustable pawl member 152 is shifting back to the reset position. Such an adjustment of the pawl member 152 back to the reset position causes the spring device 154 to flex (as shown in FIG. 12C), thereby storing potential energy to drive the adjustable pawl member 152 and ratchet wheel 155 in a subsequent cycle. After the pawl member 152 reaches the reset position, the rotational motor 130 stops rotating in the first rotational direction and the pawl member 152 remains at rest in the reset position (refer to FIG. 12C). In the event of a subsequent cycle, the rotational motor 130 would begin the cycle by rotating in a second rotational direction (opposite the first rotational direction) so as to unwind the string member 135 yet again. This pattern of cycles may continue until the piston rod 170 has reached the limit of its longitudinal travel.
It should be understood, that in other embodiments, the incremental motion cycle may begin with the pawl member 152 starting at the forward position (refer to FIG. 12B). In such circumstances, the rotation motor 130 would rotate in a first rotational direction to twist the string 135 until the pawl member 152 is moved to the reset position (refer to FIG. 12C), and then the rotational motor 130 would rotate in a second, opposite rotational direction to unwind the string member 135 until the pawl member 152 returns to the forward position (refer again to FIG. 12B).
The string member 135 may comprise braided filaments that are capable of enduring repeated twisting sequences of the string member 135. For example, the braided filaments may comprise one or more polymer materials, such as PET (e.g., DTex Dyneema material available from Honeywell, Inc.). Such braided filament string members are capable of enduring the torsion and frictional forces associated with undergoing thousands of cycles of twisting as described above in connection with FIGS. 12A-C. The string member 135 can be formed to have an outer diameter of about 0.02 mm to about 0.07 mm, and preferably about 0.05 mm. Also, in some embodiments, the string member 135 may comprise braided filaments that are arranged around a centrally disposed thin wire filament (e.g., comprising a polymer material or a metallic material) having a diameter of about 0.02 mm or less, which is also capable of enduring the repeated twisting sequences of the string member 135. Such a construction may permit the outer filament surfaces to frictionally engage one another during the twisting process while the filament surfaces contacting the centrally disposed thin wire are exposed to a reduced friction load.
Referring now to FIG. 13, some embodiments of drive system 405 for the pump device can include a string member and a rotational motor like the previously described embodiments, except that the string member 435 is configured to wind (or unwind or both) around a spindle device 434. Such a configuration may reduce the torsion and friction loads upon the string member material while providing a tension force to adjust the ratchet mechanism. Moreover, the spindle configuration may further reduce the space requirements for drive system 405 in the pump housing, thereby providing a reliable and compact infusion pump system that is portable and wearable by the user.
As shown in FIG. 10, the spindle device 434 can be coupled to a rotational motor 430 so that the spindle device 434 rotates with the motor shaft. A string member 435 can be attached to the spindle device 434 so that the string member 435 winds or unwinds around the spindle device 434 in response to the rotation of the motor 430. It should be understood from the description herein that the string member 435 may comprise braided filaments that are capable of enduring repeated winding sequences of the string member 435. The string member 435 is also coupled to the ratchet mechanism 450, which provides incremental motion to thereby advance the piston rod 470. The ratchet mechanism 450 includes the pawl member 452 and the ratchet body 455, which in this embodiment is a ratchet wheel having a number of teeth along its circumferential surface. The pawl member 452 is adjustable between a reset position and a forward position. For example, the rotational motor 430 may be activated to rotate the spindle device 434 and thereby wind the string member 435 (as previously described), and the string member 435 then applies a tension force that adjusts the pawl member 452 to the reset position. In the reset position, the pawl member 452 can engage one or more new teeth of the ratchet wheel 455. A spring device 454 is also coupled to the pawl member 452 so as to urge the pawl member 452 toward the forward position. This spring force causes the pawl member 452 to drive the ratchet wheel 455 an incremental amount in a forward rotational direction. Similar to the embodiments previously described in connection with FIG. 12A, a locking pawl prevents the ratchet wheel 455 from reverse motion. As such, the adjustable pawl member 452 can adjust from the forward position to the reset position to engage a new tooth of the ratchet wheel 455 while the ratchet wheel 455 remains in position due to the locking pawl 459.
Accordingly, in one incremental motion cycle, the pawl member 452 may start at the reset position with the string member 435 wound around the spindle device 434. In response to the controller device 200 or 300 (FIG. 4) transmitting one or more control signals to initiate the cycle, the rotational motor 430 may begin to rotate in a first rotational direction that unwinds the string member 435 from the spindle device 434, thereby permitting the spring device 454 to force the pawl member 452 toward the forward position. The rotational motor 430 continues to rotate in the first rotational direction so that after the pawl member 452 reaches the forward position, the string member 435 begins to wind around the spindle device 434 in the opposite orientation. Such winding of the string member 435 causes a tension force that overcomes the bias of the spring device 454 and adjusts the pawl member 452 toward the reset position. After the pawl member 452 reaches the reset position, the rotational motor 430 stops rotating in the first rotational direction and the pawl member 452 remains at rest in the reset position. In the event of a second cycle, the rotational motor 430 would begin the cycle by rotating in a second rotational direction (opposite the first rotational direction) so as to unwind the string member 440 from the spindle device 442 yet again.
In other embodiments, the incremental motion cycle may begin with the pawl member 452 starting at the forward position. In such circumstances, the rotational motor 430 would rotate in a first rotational direction to wind the string member 435 around the spindle device 434 until the pawl member 452 is moved to the reset position (as shown in FIG. 10), and then the rotational motor 430 would rotate in a second, opposite rotational direction to unwind the string member 435 from the spindle device 434 until the pawl member 452 returns to the forward position.
It should be understood that the drive system 405 can be contained in the housing structure 110 of the pump device 100 in a compact manner so that the pump device 100 is portable, wearable, concealable, or a combination thereof. Similar to previously described embodiments, the pump device 100 can be part of an infusion pump system 10 or 20 in which the pump device 100 communicates with a controller device, including but not limited to the removable controller device 200 or 300 described in connection with FIGS. 1-10. The controller device 200 or 300 can communicate control signals to the drive system 405 or other components of the pump device so as to initiate or end the incremental motion cycle of the drive system 405.
a controller to generate the displacement control signal when the second housing is attached to the first housing.
2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module further comprises a second energy storage module to receive energy from the first energy storage module in the fluid delivery module when the first housing is attached to the second housing.
3. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid delivery module further comprises a fluid output port through which fluid flows when displaced by operation of the actuator module.
4. The system of claim 1, wherein the actuator module comprises a push rod actuated by a motor.
5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller generates the displacement control signal based on a time schedule.
6. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid container comprises a pre-filled carpule.
7. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid container comprises a plunger member slidably disposed within a barrel.
8. The system of claim 1, wherein the medicinal fluid comprises insulin.
9. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises an input control for receiving a user input to initiate dispensing of a bolus of the fluid.
10. The system of claim 1, wherein the control module comprises a user interface.
11. The system of claim 1, wherein the fluid container and the first housing form a disposable, one-time-use assembly.
12. The system of claim 1, wherein the actuator module operates to displace a bolus of the fluid in response to the displacement control signal.
(d) operating the actuator module to dispense a medicinal fluid from the fluid container in response to a signal from the control module.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising initiating step (b) before initiating step (a).
15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first energy storage module comprises a capacitive energy storage element.
16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first energy storage module comprises a battery.
17. The method of claim 16, wherein the battery is rechargeable.
18. The method of claim 13, wherein the second energy storage module comprises a capacitive energy storage element.
19. The method of claim 13, wherein the second energy storage module comprises a battery.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the battery is rechargeable.
US1025743A (en) * 1911-09-22 1912-05-07 Eli A Guthman Shoe-buckle. | 2019-04-25T19:19:06Z | https://patents.google.com/patent/US20070173762A1/en |
When in 1946, Konrad Adenauer stated that “Asia stands on the Elbe”, he just rephrased, consciously or unconsciously, the nineteen-century joke of his Austrian colleague, chancellor Metternich, who used to say that the very place where Asia began was just behind the fence of his Vienaise garden. For both of them, “Asia” was just another word for something hostile, barbarous and threatening the very existence of their (Western) civilisation. For Metternich, implicitly, all the space east to Vienna was culturally inferior and suspicious; as many Westerners of the time, he believed that “the frontiers of civilisation did not extend beyond the territorial aspirations of the more timorous Carolingian monarchs”.
But Adenauer hardly shared this view; in any case, he knew that there was Eastern Germany east to Elbe and that eastern Germans did not differ too much from their western compatriots, at least at that time. What he meant by “Asia standing on the Elbe” was certain political reality brought as far as to his own country by the Soviet troops and imposed on Eastern Europeans by brutal force, blackmail and political trickery. “Asia” meant for him not just another civilisation – however inferior and alien it might be, as in Metternich’s view, – but rather lack of civilisation, “anti-civilisation” which threatened the most fundamental values of Western world.
The Western perception of Eastern Europe, after 1946, had consisted of various combinations of both feelings, the “Adenauer’s” and the “Metternich’s”. On the one hand, the Westerners recognised that to the east from the Elbe and to the Metternich’s garden there was also Europe, even though poorer and despised. They knew that this Europe did not accept its “Asian” status voluntarily and that she tried desperately to get rid of it – by all possible means. But, on the other hand, they felt that something was wrong with this part of Europe since she allowed to be swallowed up and since she had been victimised so often and heavily throughout her history. Probably, she was guilty herself; she was predisposed and, in fact, doomed to be raped permanently because she was not European enough, she was not “like we”, lucky and happy, she was inferior. As under-Europe, or semi-Europe, she had equal chances to grow up to the true Europeanness or to dissolve into the entropic Asiaticness. She has lost the first chance that was gifted her after WWI, and now she must pay for it. There are nobody to blame except herself.
A guilty conscience is extremely inventive. The Metternich’s approach provides Westerners with a good rationale for their behind-the-fence status, it perfectly reconcile them with Munich and Yalta, with “non-interference” in the Soviet “internal affairs” – whether it was destruction of Ukrainian, Georgian, Armenian independence in the early 1920s, or invasion of Budapest and Prague in 50s and 60s. This approach was reflected in Lloyd George’s remark on trading even with cannibals, as well as in Roosevelt’s decision to establish diplomatic relations with Russia in 1933, exactly when six to eight million Ukrainians had been starving to death by some Kremlin cannibals, willing to trade.
But still there is another side of the problem. Eastern Europe is not as remote territory as Chechnia, or Georgia, or Armenia, or Kurdistan. Its appearance had been troublesome, its complete disappearance may have been disastrous. The common enemy, threatening from the East, had united Western and Eastern Europeans much more than any common cultural heritage; “Asia”, the powerful “other”, to a large extent determined the common identity of the Westerners and the Easterners. Even though the Westerners knew that the “true” Europe began somewhere at the Elbe and Vienna, they saw clearly that “Asia” was coming and that the not-so-true Europe, under these circumstances, should be preserved as a more preferable neighbour. Yeah, after Yalta it had been ceded to Stalin but it still could be maintained somehow as, at least, not-so-true Asia.
Hence, the Western attitude towards the Easterners had always been ambivalent if not ambiguous. On the one hand, the Westerners firmly believed that the Easterners, to a different degree, deserved their destiny (any people, finally, have the government they deserve!); but on the other hand, the Westerners felt that the Easterners who resisted the “Asia’s” advance, did deserve (to a different degree) their sympathy and support. And indeed, the Easterners had enjoyed this support – to the extent described above by the statement of the British Foreign Office: not to iritate the Soviet government and not to deteriorate the relations with them. In other words, not to mar the trade with cannibals completely.
Of course, there have always been some intellectuals in the West who perceived Eastern Europe as a true Europe, and even more of it. They demonstrated at Soviet embassies and organised various committees to defend eastern dissidents with non-pronounceable names; they signed petitions and published articles; they visited East European capitals and smuggled subversive literature; sometimes they became more native than the natives themselves; they were involved, engaged, and enchanted. Many of them enthusiastically believed that “this part of the Continent was once a near-paradise of cultural, ethnic, and linguistic multiplicity and compatibility, producing untold cultural and intellectual riches,” and that despite totalitarianism or, even, because of it (in response to its pressure) Eastern Europe was a country of “wonderful spiritual tension.” This view, however reasonable it might be, had never spreaded beyond the narrow circle of specialists on the area and members of East European Diaspora.
In general, Western ambiguous attitude toward Eastern Europe has been largely determined by the geopolitics, i.e., by cold calculations and age-old principle “charity begins at home.” It is quite reasonable and hardly blameworthy. What is really reprehensible, is a kind of “liberal-democratic” hypocrisy on the Western side and double standards usually applied to different countries and to themselves. It looks as if a Western gauge has had various calibrations in various cases. Unfortunately, many Easterners have been seduced and deluded by these tricks; they have always expected more than the Westerners could and wanted to offer them, and have been often aggrieved as deserted lovers.
Not so rarely, this disappointment resulted in zealous anti-Westernism, nationalism, xenophobia, isolationism and autarky. Indeed, the question whether the Western civilisation is superior to any other civilisation, is not so simple, and the apostles of post-colonialism have debated it very seriously. But I would like to avoid this discussion, at least here. Eastern Europe is a part of Europe and, moreover, it is a part of the modern world. My major assumption is that modernity is unavoidable since the humankind entered it. One may regret, and complain, and condemn it, but there is no way back. It is like the Fall, the lost innocence, the bygone childhood. We may dislike our adult life but it is the only life to live. We may find the Western civilisation ugly and arrogant but any other civilisation today is much worse, and any attempt to alter modernity with some kind of pre-modern or anti-modern utopia proves funny at best, or bloody and exhaustive at worst – as we might see elsewhere in the world.
Our attitude to the West, therefore, should be neither hyper-positive nor hyper-negative. The West bears relative, rather than absolute goodness. For East Europeans, who are sandwiched between the West and Russia, it means that the West is a lesser, much lesser, evil. This ambiguous attitude, I feel, is an appropriate answer to the Western ambiguity. There are no permanent friends in the international relations but there are permanent interests. The East Europeans’ interest is to survive, the Western Europeans’ interest is to survive either. Of course, it is not the same for each of them. East Europeans are closer to “Asia”; their democracies, economies, military forces are weaker; their escape from the “Asia’s” sphere of influence still is questionable, and their independence is vulnerable in all possible terms. Hardly surprising then, that they want to remove the fence of Metternich’s garden as far to the east as possible. And hardly surprising that the Westerners do not understand this haste and nervousness. For the Westerners, “Asia’s” return is neither so plausible nor so dangerous. They have more time to prepare themselves for any surprise, and they have more means to encounter it.
Thus, the East Europeans can really rely on their Western neighbours but only to the extent to which their interests coincide. Sometimes they coincide significantly, sometimes not. But in no time, the Easterners should rely on their Western “allies” completely. At any time, the Western attitude may suddenly change because of some higher reasons, some whimsical calculations – or misreasons and miscalculations, it does not matter. What really matters is that any moment the East Europeans may be betrayed again, and sacrificed, as it has happened not once in the history.
All their advantages notwithstanding, they have neither military nor economic resources of Russia. And they will never be as attractive, promising, disappointing, concerning, disturbing, menacing as their Eurasian neighbour. In these terms, the Western approach towards Eastern Europe will always remain as it has always been, utilitarian and instrumental. Charity begins at home, keep it in mind.
So what can Eastern Europe offer to the West? Geopolitical stability? Yes, to a certain degree, but the major concern still is Russia, and world’s security and stability depends mostly on developments there. Of course, Eastern Europe may assume again the role of cordon sanitaire, if it was stable itself (the Balkans are major yet not only problem), and if this role (a “linchpin of the new post-Cold War Europe,” in S. Talbott’s words) has not shifted eastward, to Ukraine. Then, maybe Eastern Europe can attract the West economically? Hardly so. There are no important natural resources there, and there no goods which may compete on the Western markets. And the cheap labour force from the East is even less needed in the West than the cheap Eastern goods. Perhaps only some problems of economic as well as political transition may draw attention of Western specialists — as a material for esoteric books, articles and Ph.D. dissertations.
In the West, however, ignorance is quite compatible with the best libraries, full of whatever works. I have met a lot of university students in the U.S., who had never heard names like Goethe, Faust, or Gogol, so I was not surprised that only a few of them knew who was Milosz, Brodsky, or Kundera (Havel proved to be better known because he had one more occupation beside a playwright). But even this, very dubious, “success of the Easterners” in the West will probably fade in the nearest future, since on the one hand the Russian tanks are not coming so there is nothing to be discussed in op-eds, and on the other hand no new celebrities have emerged in the East since 1989 (Zhirinovsky, Ziuganov, and Lukashenko are hardly applicable). Manchester capitalism seems to be less supportive for the liberal arts in Eastern Europe than over-aged and senile communism.
Apparently, it is not just a Polish but East European problem; the tremendous endeavour of East European intellectuals to withstand totalitarianism and to preserve inner freedom had passed out and became a history. Today, the region enters a new, non-heroic era when the old habits of resistance and fighting are obsolete while the new habits of mundane work are not yet acquired. The combatants of the long anticommunist struggle may feel disappointed and dissatisfied; they still employ their outdated discourse (and the harped Central East European myth is just a part of it), but East European societies are clearly fed up with it, and the people’s return to the reformed, and even unreformed, communists in some countries is the first sign that new ideas and slogans are needed.
Here, we cannot and, actually, do not need to, go deeper into the problem of European identity as based on a common religion and culture (“the supreme values by which European humanity understood itself, defined itself, identified itself as European”). The major vulnerability of Kundera’s arguments does not lie in his hypothesis that there was a moment when European identity changed and culture bowed out, giving way to the marketplace, to technical feats, to the mass media, to politics. Maybe he is right, maybe not. What seems to be really questionable in his theory, however, is a non-proved assumption that, before that very moment, Eastern Europe had been perceived in Europe as its integral part. History gives little evidence to this argument. To the contrary, the well-known Shakespeare’s words (“Bohemia. A desert country near the sea”) could serve a good motto to the entire history of Western-Eastern relations. “A desert country near the sea” is just another term for the black hole behind the fence of Metternich’s garden.
Today, Eastern Europeans have a good chance to remove the fence to the east – somewhere to the western or eastern Ukrainian borders (this depends on many circumstances, but also on the honesty of the removers). And then, Eastern Europe may have become just a Europe, without additional qualifications and humiliating discussions about who is “more” Central and “more” European. (Exactly, as nobody in Benelux cares whether they are Western or Central Western Europeans).
As any myth, the concept of Central Eastern Europe would not dissipate immediately. It would exist until there is Eastern Europe as a certain post-communist reality, and until unpredictable “Asia” stands on the Bug, or the Dniper, or elsewhere eastward. As any myth, it has its own power, since was created as a rephrase of classical myths — those of the lost paradise and the promised land. The paradise was the Habsburg Empire and “cultural unity”, while the promised land was EC, NATO and, again, “cultural unity.” In the internal sphere, this myth facilitated popular anti-Soviet and anticommunist mobilisation; in the international sphere, it substantiated demands to the West for further recognition and support.
Yet, from the very beginning, this myth proved to be extremely exclusivist and, thereby, harmful; its side effect was not only mystification of “central” Easterners with too pinkly visions of their pasts and futures, but also establishment of a very distasteful hierarchy of “more” and “less European” nations in Eastern Europe. Since “European belonging”, under peculiar political circumstances, had been far more than just a cultural/geographical notion, the detachment of some “Central” European nations from Eastern Europe implicitly meant that the non-members of this privileged club did deserve less, if any, Western attention and help. In practical terms, it looked as a quarrel among the prisoners over who of them used to love freedom more and deserved to be released first.
Today, as some “central” Easterners elbow their way to EC and NATO, the bored Westerners may find another amusement in watching beggars who still want to be choosers. The most regrettable thing in this competition is that the Easterners prove to be as exclusivist as the Westerners, as soon as they manage to jump over the Metternich’s fence. And now, not only Westerners, but also Easterners come to believe that “Asia” begins somewhere to the east from Poland and to the south from Hungary, and that Macedonia, Belarus, Armenia are but another “desert countries near the sea.” The Westerners have had to pay their price for their exclusiveness, but for the Easterners, the price may be much higher.
All our talks about cultural unity are worthless as long as we neglect Albanians because they are poor, we neglect Belorussians because they are Russified, we neglect Lusatian Sorbs because they are too small, we neglect Georgians and Armenians because they are too remote from our gardens (even though they had found their Christian kingdoms and evolved their unique literacy much earlier than any East European tribe was mentioned wherever).
Who cares about all that? Who cares about wonderful Georgian cinema, which certainly was the best in the former Soviet Union and, perhaps, one of the best in the world? Who cares about excellent Georgian theatre, painting, about the bright philosophers and translators (the first and only translation of Joyce’s Ullises in the USSR was Georgian!). Who cares about great Georgian literature which has at least two modern writers, Otar Chiladze and Chabua Amiredjibi, who would have honoured the long list of Nobel Prize winners if anybody managed to read them, at least in Russian translations!.. Again, the “tremendous intensity of spirit,” the “wild hunger for Europe,” demonstrated by a small East European nation who never lost its cultural longing for Europe, have not been noticed anywhere. But how can we complain, after this, about Western ignorance, being ourselves no less ignorant and selfish?!
I have deliberately said nothing about Ukraine since any my view may seem too particular and partisan. I may claim, as many Ukrainians do, that Ukrainian poetry is better and “more European” than that of Europe – but who would care? I may remind that Western Ukraine is no less “Central European” than Poland or Slovakia – but who would admit it to the privileged club of the “true” Central Europeans, to the club where not only Ukrainians but also Slovenians, Croats and Transylvanians look rather suspicious candidates? I may argue that the Central European, “Habsburgian”, myth is alive in Ukrainian Lviv even more than in Czech Prague, and that not accidentally the first issue of respectable cultural journal “I” (the unique letter of Ukrainian alphabet) was dedicated a few years ago to that very problem – with the featured Kundera’s “Tragedy of Eastern Europe,” short stories of Bruno Schulz, Sacher-Mazoch’s essays, and the portrait of emperor Franz Joseph on the cover sheet.
Of course, Western Ukraine is only small part of the country, and most Ukrainians are certainly not preoccupied with their “Europeanness” or “Eastern Centralness.” In 1994, only 15% of the participants of the opinion poll claimed that Ukraine should mainly establish ties with Western countries (in Western Ukraine, the number of “Westerners” mounted 30%, but in the Crimea it proved ten times smaller). Meanwhile, 17% of the respondents said to develop relations mainly with Russia (this is rather high and disturbing figure but it is still smaller than the number of Russians – 22%, and much smaller than the total number of Russophones in Ukraine – up to 50% of the population). Some 14% of the respondents held that Ukraine should mainly rely on its own resources to strengthen independence, while the vast majority (40%) suggested that Ukraine should mainly broaden ties within the CIS, i.e., to preserve the existing status-quo.
Sincerely, I do not think that Ukraine can teach the West whatever. Neither East Europeans can. Nor the West is going to be taught by anybody. Of course, both the Western and Eastern intellectuals may speculate on this topic – in the style of Karl Jung who had published an article “What does India teach us?” many decades ago, perfectly explaining “what” but never pondering over “us”. Like Jung, I believe in “what” but I have serious doubts about “us”.
The process which Eastern Europe is undergoing now, can be called normalisation. It is interesting but hardly attractive. It promises little room for any “uniqueness” and would certainly dissatisfy East European intellectuals who want their countries to be at the forefront of world attention. But the combatant consciousness must have gone, and exhibitionist complexes vanished. At the best scenario – unless “Asia” returns, and new dictatorships remerge, and a new Bosnia flares up – Eastern Europe would be successfully marginalized and would certainly draw no more attention than Greece, Portugal, Finland, or Iceland. Is it so bad? For old combatants – probably yes, but for most people – no. Most people don’t care about the fence, whether it’s eastern, or central, or south eastern. They care about a garden. I feel, it’s a good time to roll up the sleeves and to till it. | 2019-04-18T20:57:09Z | http://ji.lviv.ua/n13texts/riabchuk-en.htm |
Insight is the clear understanding of a complex situation. From the course, I developed three insights that represented important things that I learnt. These insights are personally important to me and they will help me in future as a project manager. These insights were the importance of psychic prison metaphor in project and organizational management, importance of imaginization in management and the importance of creating value to an organization. This essay describes what these insights were, why they were personally important to me and how I may act on them in future.
From the course, I learnt the concept of psychic prison metaphor. This concept argues that human beings have a knack for being trapped in webs of their own creation. Since people’s ideas run and manage organizations, it is hard for them to find new ways of running the organization. This leads them to be prisoners of their own old ideas. Morgan described how this concept works by using an allegory known as The Republic, where people found themselves chained in a cave and they could not move or see what was outside their cave (Morgan, 1997). The reality of the people who were in the cave were the shadows in front of them and the sounds that they heard from outside. Thus, they ended up constructing the reality of the outside world based on what they experience inside the cave. If someone from outside world happened to come in the cave and tell the dwellers of the cave what the outside world was like, the dwellers would not believe and they would prefer sticking to what they think the outside world is like (Schabenland, 2006). Considering this concept, managers are able to understand why most workers find it hard to accept organizational change. It is important for workers to learn this concept since it would help them know of ways that they may be caught in a self-sealing work-place environment. Furthermore, some managers find it hard to change their leadership styles since they still trust their old styles even if they are not profitable.
The insight of organization as a psychic prison was important to me due to several reasons. By understanding this concept, I came to learn of ways that I may happen to find myself caught in the psychic prison. Furthermore, I learnt the importance of changing my personal beliefs if I find that they are not helping the organization achieve its goals and profitability. I also learnt the importance of trying to fit with the organization culture by changing my personal attitudes. Organization culture is important since it helps maintaining a good working environment in any organization (Cameron, 2006). From the concept of psychic prison, I came to learn why I might find it difficult to accept change in the organization that I work in. Most people in an organization do not accept change since they fear that they may lose power on the individual level. This is because most managers feel that when they accept change, they may end up giving their subordinates more power. Furthermore, workers may feel that organizational changes may end up threatening their job security. This is because after an organization undergoes transformation, some departments may be eliminated and thus causing lay-offs in the organization (Palmer, Dunford and Akin, 2008). In addition to this, workers may not be willing to undergo new forms of training in order to understand the organizational changes. Due to these factors, I came to learn why workers prefer to remain in their psychic prisons and fight for their old values and beliefs. Moreover, the concept of psychic prison helped me understand the importance of finding ways of achieving integration and balance in an organization. Integration and balance of employees and activities in an organization helps the employees work in their environment more efficiently and communicate more effectively and thus they share their own ideas more freely. Due to this, a worker would not be trapped in his own ideas and imaginations that may create conflict and disagreements in the organization.
In future, I might act on the insight of organization as a psychic prison in several ways. I may use ideas generated by the brain to increase the understanding of how to co-ordinate activities in an organization and not stick to old ideas that the brain generated before. Furthermore, this insight would help me understand the need of changing from the rationality of bureaucracy, a concept that most organizations adopt in their management structure. This is because bureaucracy discourages innovation and creativity of workers and thus workers would stick to old production methods even though they cause the organization to suffer massive losses (Bilton, 2007). In addition to this, this management structure leads to dissatisfaction of employees and thus an organization may end up suffering high rates of employee turnover. I also learnt of ways of reducing the effect of organization as a psychic prison. In future, if I have an organization and I want to avoid employees being trapped in a web of their own ideas, I would first train them on benefits accepting change. Through the training, the employees would learn of ways of successfully accepting change. Furthermore, I would allow employees to give their own personal contributions on how to improve organization management. By contributing their own ideas, the employees would feel that the organization values them and thus they would not be trapped in their own psychic prison (Delbridge, Gratton and Johnson, 2006). From this insight, I came to learn on benefits of changing my ideas and welcoming organizational change. This is because new ideas on management may lead to cost savings in an organization. This is because new production methods that a worker may suggest may reduce wastages and shortages of production. Furthermore, it may improve corporate relationships due to th better relations with suppliers and customers. Due to this, the corporate image of the firm may improve thus boosting its sales and revenues.
From the course, I learnt the insight of imaginization in project management. This concept allows managers to use creativity and critical thinking to find new ways of solving tasks facing them (Morgan, 1997). If a manager faces the problem of poor and ineffective communication between all his workers that leads to wastages in production process, he needs to find out the root cause of the problem. He needs to find out whether the noise that production machines produce causes the communication breakdown or whether poor selection of a communication channel causes it. This concept stresses on the importance of all employees creating a shared understanding for its success. It argues that if all the employees in an organization share a common understanding, then it is likely that the organization would have a sense of shared vision and values and thus the organization will be able to achieve all its goals and objectives (Owen, 2009). Furthermore, this insight concentrates on personal empowerment as one of its pillars for success. It acknowledges that when a person thinks that his role is being challenged by any factor, he may fail to find a way of responding to this challenge. Imagination helps people grasp new perspectives on the situation facing them and find new possibility for development. This insight also concentrates on developing capacities for continuous self-organization. By using this idea, a manager would be able to anticipate the challenges that may face a particular project and find ways of preparing himself for the challenges that may face him (Chong, 2010). Moreover, this insight concentrates on finding new images for new ways of organizing a project. It argues that although organization charts are an important tool in defining management, they are a limiting tool since they imply an organization is a structure that people can freely engineer and re-engineer for success of a particular project.
The insight on the importance of imaginization to project management was important to me due to several reasons. From this insight, I came to learn on the importance of a manager using creativity in order to change his management styles. Most managers view employees as machines and thus they design wage systems based on piece rate compensation. A manager could use creativity in order to develop other models of compensation such as based on the quality of work or level of customer satisfaction (Cicmili, 2006). Through this, the quality of products that an organization produces would improve and at the same time improving employee satisfaction. Furthermore, imaginization stresses on the importance of observing the cultural differences of all employees in order to manage them successfully. If a manager concentrates on understanding the cultural diversity of all his employees, then he would manage them better since he would avoid doing things that are not in accordance to the beliefs or culture of a particular employee (Schwabenland, 2006). Furthermore, imaginization helped me identify new ways of designing an organization structure instead of concentrating on the traditional organization structures that encouraged bureaucracy. Through this insight, I learnt of the importance of managers involving employees in major management decisions. If he involves the employees in these decisions, employees would become more motivated since they would know that management values their personal views. The employee turnover would thus reduce and thus the organization would not incur additional costs on hiring and training new employees . This insight also stresses on the importance of a manager anticipating challenges that may face his project and looking for creative ways of finding solutions for these challenges. Due to this, I learnt of the importance of an organization b preparing itself for any uncertainties or risks that may face it. These risks include financial and operational risks.
In future, I may act on this insight in several ways. This insight would help me use creativity to solve organizational problems that may be facing me. For example, if sales in a project that I am managing continue dropping due to intense competition in the market that I may be operating in, I will use creativity to find new ways of shifting my target market to a group that other companies are not concentrating on. Furthermore, if my company incurs high supply chain costs, I may use creativity to try to reduce the supply chain network in order to cut down the distribution costs hence improving profitability. Furthermore, I would use this insight to encourage employee participation in critical tasks that my company engages in. Through employee participation, I would be able to increase democracy in the organization and thus improving employee retention and satisfaction (Palmer, Dunford and Akin, 2008). Furthermore, if I get assistance from my employees in formulating organization goals and plans, then the employees would be more comfortable in executing tasks that they formulated in the organizational plan. This insight would also help me anticipate challenges that may face the project that I manage. By anticipating the challenges and losses, I would be setting aside provisions that would cover these uncertainities thus avoiding huge financial losses.
From the course, I came to learn on the insight of organizations concentrating on the importance of creating value rather than concentrating on product creation. By concentrating on this insight, organizations would focus on the benefits a particular project brings to the organization. If an organization successfully adopts this concept, then it would consider concentrating on the satisfaction of all its customers and increasing the shareholders wealth by investing in viable projects (Cameron, 2006). According to research conducted by varioous scholars, this concept moves from the traditional perspective that customer’s offering is an output of the production process to the perspective that customer’s offering is an input in value creation of customer’s processes. Due to this fact, a company would be concentrating on looking at customer’s requirements and specification before producing any good or offering any service (Delbridge, Gratton and Johnson, 2006). This would help in reducing complaints from customers due to increased customer satisfaction. Value creation lies on the principle of concentrating on the benefit of a particular program rather than the product of the project. Furthermore, it concentrates on improving second level relationship between the company and its customers. When companies adopt this concept, they should consider understanding the context of a business first and use this concept as the guiding framework of developing a project. This concept also emphasizes on the importance of long-term profitability of a company rather than short-term profitability. This would also ensure that the organization maintains its going concern. Furthermore, value creation helps an organization attain maximum efficiency in its processes of production thus eliminating wastages and delays.
The insight on the importance of organizations concentrating on creating value was important to me due to several reasons. From this insight, I was able to know why companies such as DuPoint and Coca-Cola have succeeded in obtaining a large market share worldwide after adopting this insight. I also leant that it was not easy to incorporate value creation in an organization since in some situations it may fail to integrate well with the culture of an organization. It was also important to me since I came to learn that when management adopts this concept, it needs to concentrate on budgeting its funds to avoid wastages, strategic planning in order to define future goals and performance measurement in order to identify departments in an organization that fail to achieve the set targets. I also learnt on the importance of training all the employees in an organization so that they become aware on the importance of creating value in an organization and how they could help in value creation. From this insight, I learnt of the benefits of an organization concentrating on its long-term profitability and thus it does everything in order to create value to the customer operations (Winter, Andersen, Elvin and Luvene, 2006). This insight was also important to me since I learnt the criteria that financial managers and project managers use to select projects that would help in creating value to an organization. I learnt that managers have to determine first how much money to invest in a particular project. The managers then calculate the returns that they earn from that project and determine whether they are sufficient to cover the risks. If the returns are not sufficient to cover risks, then the investment opportunity is not creating value to the organization or customers and thus the managers should consider abandoning the project (Holman and Thorpe, 2002). Furthermore, this insight was important to me since it gave me the urge of researching further on the process that a project manager should follow in order to implement value creation in his organization. I learnt that the project manager should first consider gaining commitment from the senior management about his proposal. He should then develop a customized value creation framework for the organization. Lastly, he should concentrate on ensuring that all employees accept value creation in their organization.
In future, I might act on the insight of value creation in several ways. I would ensure all the projects that I manage concentrate on creating value to customers. I would achieve this by ensuring I follow customer specifications in all the projects that I engage in. Furthermore, I would ensure that I listen to customer’s complaints at all the times and change my production methods so that they correspond to what the consumers want (Palmer, Dunford and Akin, 2008). Furthermore, I would concentrate in carrying a market research first before I launch a new product in the market so that I include customer requirements in all my products thus creating value in the organization. Furthermore, this insight taught me on the importance of project appraisal before investing in any given project. In future, I would first calculate the long-term profitability of projects that my company proposes to invest. I would then consider the risks that I may face when I invest in that particular project and if the risks are more than the returns, I would advice my company to abandon the project. From this insight, I learnt on the importance of educating all the employees before introducing a concept of value creation if it was not present in an organization. In future, before I implement value creation in my organization, I would first train all my employees on the importance of accepting change in an organization. Furthermore, I would then advice them on how to easily incorporate value creation in their organization.
To conclude, from the course I learnt many things. I learnt on the benefits of concentrating on organization and political culture from the case study of Multicom and Media 2000. Furthermore, I came to learn how managers could use imaginization in order to manage an organization better. Furthermore, I learnt how the blueprint of London’s Olympic had included emerging trends in project management such as integrated business solutions, organizational change and delivery of long-term public services. From the course, I developed the insight on the importance of the concept of psychic prison, imaginizition and value creation. In future, I may use these insights to improve customer satisfaction in all the projects that I engage in, change management styles and implement organization change more effectively. | 2019-04-25T10:35:14Z | https://supreme-essay.com/samples/management-/the-reflective-project-manager.html |
Disclosed is a roof spoiler that effectively disrupts the attached flow of wind upon a roof surface. This spoiler has a stowed position, whereby it is almost completely out of the view of passersby. It also has a deployed position, wherein a barrier is projected vertically, or substantially vertically, so as to disrupt the flow of air over the roof surface. This spoiler utilizes a hinged design to move between these two positions. The spoiler is specially designed to operate in conjunction with a gutter mounted along the leading edge of the roof. In the stowed position, a portion of the spoiler covers the open gutter. In one embodiment, the spoiler is L-shaped to facilitate its stability in the deployed position.
20070113489 Wind spoiler for roofs 2007-05-24 Kaiser et al.
6601348 Structures for mitigating wind suction atop a flat or slightly inclined roof 2003-08-05 Banks et al.
This is a continuation of Provisional Patent Application, Serial No. 61/176,026, filed May 6, 2009, entitled “Roof Spoiler” the disclosure of which is herby incorporated by reference herein.
1. A method of reducing wind damage to a roof, comprising: providing a wind spoiler device; said wind spoiler device comprising a wind spoiler having a first member and a second member, said first member having a first length and a first width and said second member having a second length and a second width, wherein said first width is approximately coextensive with said second width, said first member being affixed to said second member along their respective widths such that said second member extends from said first member at an angle of about 60° to 120°; and a bracket adapted to attach to the fascia of a roof; said wind spoiler first member being pivotally connected to said bracket by a freely pivotal mechanical hinge such that said wind spoiler may freely rotate from a stowed position, wherein said second member extends outwardly from said bracket at an angle of about 60° to about 90°, to a deployed position and then returns from said deployed position to said stowed position by the force of gravity, wherein said second member extends upwardly from said bracket at an angle of about 140° to about 180°; and mounting said bracket of said wind spoiler device to the fascia of said roof; wherein said fascia includes a gutter affixed thereto and wherein said bracket is affixed to said fascia through said gutter.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first member is configured to extend into said gutter when said wind spoiler is in said stowed position.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein said second member is configured to extend over said gutter when said wind spoiler is in said stowed position.
4. The method of claim 1,wherein said bracket includes a stop to limit the rotation of said wind spoiler in one direction.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said fascia limits the rotation of said wind spoiler in one direction.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the length of said first member is less than the length of said second member.
7. The method of claim 2, wherein said first member is pivotally connected to said bracket via a hinge.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising installing a cover adapted to conceal said bracket.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein said second member is configured so that a portion of said second member contacts said roof when said wind spoiler is in said deployed position.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein said first member and said second member are orthogonal to one another.
11. A combination to redirect the flow of air over a roof, comprising: a roof; a fascia located at the edge of said roof; a wind spoiler device attached to said fascia, said wind spoiler device comprising a wind spoiler having a first member and a second member, said first member having a first length and a first width and said second member having a second length and a second width, wherein said first width is approximately coextensive with said second width, said first member being affixed to said second member along their respective widths such that said second member extends from said first member at an angle of about 60° to 120°; and a bracket adapted to attach to the fascia of a roof; said wind spoiler first member being pivotally connected to said bracket by a freely pivotal mechanical hinge such that said wind spoiler may freely rotate from a stowed position, wherein said second member extends outwardly from said bracket at an angle of about 60° to about 90°, to a deployed position and then returns from said deployed position to said stowed position by the force of gravity, wherein said second member extends upwardly from said bracket at an angle of about 140° to about 180°; wherein said bracket is attached to said fascia through a gutter affixed to said fascia.
12. The combination of claim 11, wherein said first member extends into said gutter when said wind spoiler is in said stowed position.
13. The combination of claim 11, wherein said second member extends over said gutter when said wind spoiler is in said stowed position.
14. The combination of claim 11, wherein said bracket includes a stop to limit the rotation of said wind spoiler in one direction.
15. The combination of claim 11, wherein the length of said first member is less than the length of said second member.
16. The combination of claim 11, wherein said fascia limits the rotation of said wind spoiler in one direction.
17. The combination of claim 11, further comprising a cover adapted to conceal said bracket.
18. The combination of claim 11, wherein a portion of said second member contacts said roof when said wind spoiler is in said deployed position.
19. The combination of claim 11, wherein said first member and said second member are orthogonal to one another.
20. The combination of claim 11, wherein said fascia limits the rotation of said spoiler is limited in one direction.
The present invention relates to roofing systems. More particularly, it relates to an apparatus and a method for reducing wind damage to a roof.
One of the worst types of structural damage that can befall a building is roof damage. The devastation caused by high winds, hurricanes, tornados and the like is depicted by the media, often by focusing on the damage done to homes, especially to the roofs of those homes. In these cases, damage to the roof often leads to tremendous damage to the rest of the building, as a result of structural damage, and damage caused by the elements, such as rain or snow.
The roof of a building serves a number of purposes. First, it protects the interior of the building from the elements, such as rain, snow and hail. It also serves as an important structural component of the building, often linking the walls together, and adding strength to the building.
Wind causes several different types of damage to a roof. First, the wind, when blowing in a certain direction, can flow between the roof shingles and the underlying substrate. This air flow can cause the roof shingles to peel up and lift themselves off the roof. The removal of these shingles leaves the exposed roof susceptible to water, which can now enter through the area that is no longer protected by the missing shingles. A second type of damage is caused by the effect of high speed attached flow over the surface of the roof. The deflection of the flow over the roof line squeezes the streamlines closer together, accelerating the speed and lowering the static pressure in accordance with Bernoulli's principle. This causes uplift on part or all of the roof structure, thereby exerting an upward force on the roof. This force not only causes the shingles to lift from the roof, but can also cause the roof to pull away from the joists to which it is attached.
Various attempts have been made to reduce the destructive effect of hurricane force winds on a roof, including various types of roof spoilers or wind deflectors. For example, various types of roof wind spoilers have been disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,206,040, 2,270,537, 2,270,538, 6,601,348, and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2006/0248810. Most of these spoilers are attached directly onto the roof surface. To achieve their goal, most employ a member that, when deployed, is orthogonally disposed to the roof surface. This member may be either permanently disposed, or manually or automatically disposed only when needed. Other publications, for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,601,348, and U.S. Patent Application Publication 2007/0113489, disclose a spoiler that can be attached to the fascia, rather than the roof surface. As the air flow travels along the surface of the roof, this vertical barrier presents an obstacle to its continued flow. As a result, the wind must travel over the barrier, which causes the air flow to become turbulent. In fact, the air flow directly at the roof may reverse directions, thereby pushing the shingles down. The turbulent nature of the air flow created by these spoilers significantly decreases the negative pressure area described above. FIG. 1a shows the flow of air over a typical roof. Note the attached flow as the wind moves over the roof surface. FIG. 1b shows the resulting air flow when a roof spoiler is installed on the roof. Note the turbulence created downwind of the spoiler. Also of interest is the change in the direction of the wind along the roof surface.
Up to now, no roof spoilers have enjoyed commercial success or gained widespread use. This lack of success is probably due to a number of reasons, including unattractive appearance (e.g., due to poor aesthetic design or location on roof surface), poor performance (e.g., due to product design, operation or location), costs, complexity of installation, etc.
Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a roof spoiler device that creates a turbulent air flow on the roof surface to prevent wind damage. It is an additional object to provide a device that reduces the flow of air under the shingles. It is a further object to provide a roof spoiler device that has an acceptable aesthetic appearance. It is also an object to provide a roof spoiler device that may be used in conjunction with a roof gutter.
The present invention embraces a roof spoiler that effectively disrupts the attached flow of wind on a roof surface. Preferably, the spoiler is specially designed for installation at or near the roof fascia and, more preferably, will operate in conjunction with a gutter mounted on the roof fascia or along the leading edge of the roof. This spoiler utilizes a hinged design to move between two operating positions. The first position is a stowed position, whereby the spoiler is almost completely out of the view of passersby. In the stowed position, a portion of the spoiler covers the open gutter (if present), thereby creating a guard to help keep out leaves and other debris. A second portion of the spoiler may extend into the gutter.
The second position is a deployed position, wherein a barrier is projected vertically, or substantially vertically, so as to disrupt the flow of air over the roof surface. In one embodiment, the spoiler rests upon the first row of shingles when in the deployed position. In another embodiment, the spoiler rests near or against the fascia.
In one embodiment, the spoiler is L-shaped to facilitate its stability in the deployed position. The two members that comprise the L-shape may be of equal length, or may be of different lengths, as required.
FIG. 2 depicts a cross-section of a first embodiment of a roof spoiler of the present invention, in the stowed position.
FIG. 6 depicts a cross-section of a second embodiment of a roof spoiler of the present invention, in the stowed position.
FIG. 21a-b show the spoilers of FIG. 20a-b in the deployed position.
A roof spoiler is intended to present an obstacle to attached flow during high (e.g., hurricane-force) winds. One way to present such an obstacle is to introduce a vertical, or substantially vertical member that interrupts that air flow. In other embodiments, the obstacle may not be vertical, but rather orthogonal to the roof surface, as shown in FIG. 1b. However, as mentioned above, a vertical member attached to the roof surface is unsightly and not likely to be adopted.
To improve the aesthetics of a roof spoiler, it is preferable that the spoiler has at least two operating positions; a deployed position, where it acts as an obstruction as described above, and a stowed position, where the spoiler should be relatively non-intrusive and barely visible to passersby.
One embodiment of such a roof spoiler is depicted in FIG. 2, which shows a cross-section of a first embodiment of the roof spoiler in the stowed position. The roof spoiler 100 is preferably L-shaped, with two roughly orthogonal members; a first member 110 and a second member 120. Each member has a length (i.e., the short dimension that extends away from the roof edge) and a width (i.e., the long dimension parallel to the roof edge) and preferably is substantially planar. In the stowed position, the first member 110 is disposed in an approximately vertical orientation, extending downwardly toward the inside of the gutter 130 (if a gutter is desired and present). In some embodiments, the first member may be disposed orthogonal (i.e., at approximately a 90° angle) to the roof surface. This first member 110 can be any suitable length, such as 5 cm to 30 cm, preferably about 10 cm to 23 cm. However, it is preferably shorter than the depth of the gutter. In addition, it is preferably shorter than the width of the gutter opening, as will be explained later.
The second member 120 is disposed in an approximately horizontal orientation, extending away from the edge of roof 10. In some embodiments, such as the one shown in FIG. 2, the second member may be parallel to the roof surface (i.e., the plane of the roof). The second member may also be coplanar with the roof surface, such that it appears to be an extension of the roof. In these embodiments, the second member may extend from the vertical direction at an angle from about 60° to about 90°, depending on the slope of the roof. In the stowed position, the second member 120 covers a portion, and in some embodiments, all, of the gutter opening 131 (if a gutter is desired and present). In this way, the gutter 130 is protected from leaves and other debris that can enter the gutter 130 and subsequently clog it, thereby preventing proper operation. The second member 120 can be of any suitable length, such as 10 cm to 46 cm, preferably about 15 cm to 30 cm, and that length is not constrained by the depth or width of the gutter 130. In other words, the width and depth of the gutter opening have no effect on the length of the second member 120. This flexibility is critical in that the length of the second member 120 determines the height of the spoiler in the deployed position. Thus, the spoiler can be made arbitrarily long without impacting its operation in the stowed position. Furthermore, the length of the second member 120 is not apparent to passersby. Therefore, it is possible to implement a tall obstacle (when in the deployed position), without creating an unsightly apparatus on the roof.
The members 110, 120 are constructed from a durable material, such as metal, alloys, composites, plastics (such as PVC and ABS), polymers, polymer composites, and building materials, such as wood or wood composites, cement, or cemtitious boards. Factors such as strength, durability, ultraviolet and corrosion resistance, manufacturability and cost may be used to select an appropriate material. In some embodiments, the two members are formed as a unitary piece, which is preferably extruded to reduce cost. In some embodiments, the two members are the same thickness, while in other embodiments, the thicknesses of the two members differ. The thickness of each member is determined based on the material used and the desired durability and rigidity of that member.
The roof spoiler 100 is in communication with a pivoting mechanism 140, such as a hinge. The roof spoiler 100 is configured to operate with the pivoting mechanism 140 such that it rotates from about 75° to about 125°, preferably about 80° to about 110°, more preferably about ninety degrees) (90°, between its stowed position and its deployed position. In some embodiments, the pivoting mechanism is a simple hinge, such as shown in FIG. 2. In this embodiment, the pivoting mechanism has a first portion, or bracket 141, which is affixed to the roof fascia 160, using fasteners 143, such as nails or screws. In general, the bracket 141 is oriented in the vertical direction, as shown in FIG. 2. If necessary, standoffs may be used to insure that the bracket 141 is sufficiently spaced apart from the gutter and fascia 160. As will be described in more detail below, stops may be used to limit the rotation of the pivoting mechanism. The pivoting mechanism 140 also has a second slanted portion 145, at an angle relative to the bracket 141, so as to move the axis of rotation (i.e. pivoting connection 142) a distance away from the fascia 160. In some embodiments, the distance from the axis of rotation (pivoting connection 142) to the edge of the roof is less than the length of the first member 110. In some embodiments, the pivoting mechanism 140 is connected to the first member 110 at a location between its two ends. By moving the axis of rotation, or pivoting connection 142 away from the fascia 160, the first member 110 may be disposed in an orientation that allows the second member 120 to be parallel to the roof surface. In other words, the first member 110 can move past vertical in the stowed position. For example, the first member 110 shown in FIG. 2 rotates past the vertical direction. In some embodiments, the first and second members are orthogonal to one another, and the first member 110 is disposed at such an angle so that the second member 120 is coplanar with the surface of the roof. Therefore, if the surface of the roof has an angle of θ° with respect to the horizontal plane, second member 120 may also have this angle. If the two members are orthogonal, the first member 110 must move past vertical by θ° as well. In this case, the second member 120 extends at an angle of (90-θ)° from the bracket. In these embodiments, the second member 120 extend outwardly from the bracket 141 at an angle of about 60° to about 90° in the stowed position, depending on the slope of the roof surface. Therefore, pivoting connection 142 must be placed at a location so as to allow the first member 110 this degree of rotation. Note that if the axis of rotation (pivoting connection 142) remains at the fascia, the first member 110 cannot rotate past vertical. However, in some embodiments, the axis of rotation or pivoting connection 142 may be located near the fascia 160, recognizing that the rotation of the spoiler may be limited in this configuration. FIG. 20a shows a spoiler in which the axis of rotation or pivoting connection 142 is at or near the fascia 160. In this embodiment, the second member 120 is roughly orthogonal to the fascia 160, due to the inability of the first member 110 to move past the vertical orientation. In FIG. 20b, the first and second members are configured at an angle less than 90 degrees, to allow the second member 120 to be parallel to the roof surface when in the stowed position. In these embodiments, the angle between the first and second members may be from about 60° to 90°, depending on the slope of the roof. In other embodiments, the first and second members are configured at an angle greater than 90°, such as between 90° and 120°. Thus, the first and second members may meet at an angle between 60° and 120°, preferably between 80° and 100°, more preferably at 90°.
FIG. 3 shows the spoiler of FIG. 2 in the deployed position. In the presence of high speed winds, the wind will force the spoiler to rotate from its stowed position (shown in FIG. 2) to its deployed position. The constant air flow will force the spoiler to remain in its deployed position. When the wind has stopped, or sufficiently slowed, gravity will then urge the spoiler 100 back to its stowed position.
In the deployed position, the second member 120 is disposed in a vertical, or substantially vertical orientation. In some embodiments, the second member is not vertical, but rather is orthogonal (i.e., at approximately a 90° angle) to the plane of the roof surface, as shown in FIG. 3. In other words, the second member 120 may be at an 180° angle with respect to the bracket 141, if it is disposed in a vertical orientation. However, if the second member 120 is oriented to be orthogonal to the roof surface, the angle between the bracket 141 and the second member 120 will be less than 180°, such as between 140° and 180°, depending on the slope of the roof. In some embodiments, the rotation of the spoiler 100 is stopped when the second member 120 comes into contact with the edge of roof 10. In other embodiments, the second member 120 may contact the fascia 160 in the deployed position. In other embodiments, a stop may be used to limit the rotation of the spoiler 100.
FIG. 21a shows the spoiler of FIG. 20a in the deployed position. FIG. 21b shows the spoiler of FIG. 20b in the deployed position.
These embodiments are advantageous in that they function with roofs of varying thicknesses. For example, FIG. 4 shows the roof spoiler of FIG. 2, in its stowed position, used with a tile roof 20, where the thickness of the tile roof is many times greater than that of a typical shingled roof. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the second member 120 of the spoiler 100 in the stowed position does not lie in the same plane as the top of the tile roof. However, this is not necessarily a limitation of this design, as the spoiler can be modified so that the second member 120 lies in the same plane as the tile roof 20. If desired, this can be done by varying the height of the bracket 141 or the second slanted portion 145, changing the angle between the bracket 141 of the hinge and the second slanted portion 145 of the pivoting mechanism 140, or changing the point on the first member 110 where it contacts the pivoting connection 142. Each of these modifications will be apparent to a skilled engineer and need not be described further.
FIG. 5 shows the spoiler in the deployed position with a tile roof 20. In this figure, the spoiler 100 does not extend as far above the roof 20, as the previous embodiment, shown in FIG. 3, due to the increased thickness of the roof. However, this can also be modified, if desired, such as by raising the height of the bracket 141, or second slanted portion 145. Additionally, this can be compensated for by extending the length of the second member 120 such that it extends a sufficient height above the tile.
In some embodiments, such as those shown in FIG. 2-5, the range of motion of the roof spoiler 100 is limited in one direction by the gutter 130, and by the edge of the roof in the opposite direction. FIG. 4 shows a stop, or standoff, 115, which can be used to limit the rotation of the spoiler 100 in the stowed position. In the illustrated embodiment, the stop 115 is used to keep the second member 120 from contacting the gutter 130. Furthermore, the stop 115 can be used to create a stowed position, wherein the second member 120 lies in the same plane as the roof surface. This provides visual continuity, such that the second member 120 appears as an extension of the roof surface. In other embodiments, the stop 115 may use a different mechanism. For example, the pivoting mechanism 140 may be designed to have limited rotation, thereby creating the required stop.
Another advantage of this embodiment is its ability to stop the flow of wind into the tile roof 20. In many tile roofs, the tile is constructed in a wavy or sinusoidal type pattern. When the tile is applied to the roof, there are gaps between the tile and the underlying roof, as a result of the tile's shape. During hurricanes, wind can enter these gaps, and force the tile away from the roof. In the deployed position shown in FIG. 5, the roof spoiler 100, and particularly second member 120, also serves to block the open ends of tile from incoming wind, thereby eliminating another cause of roof damage.
In another embodiment, shown in FIG. 6, the pivoting mechanism 200 includes several components. A bracket 210 is affixed to the fascia 160, such as by fasteners 211, such as screws or nails. One or more of the fasteners 211 may pass through the gutter 130 (if present), further securing it to the fascia 160. Near the upper end of the bracket 210 is a first pivot 220. Attached to this pivot 220 is an extension rod 230, the opposite end of which connects to the spoiler holder 240. In some embodiments, the extension rod 230 is joined to the spoiler holder 240 via a second pivot 250. However, in other embodiments, this joint 250 is fixed and cannot rotate. In other embodiments, the extension rod 230 is attached directly to the first member 110. Extension rod 230 may be any suitable shape. In some embodiments, it is a bracket, which connects first pivot 220 to second pivot 250 (see FIG. 14). In other embodiments, it may be a solid material, extending the length of the spoiler 100. For example, the extension rod 230 may be constructed from the same material as the spoiler 100.
This embodiment also shows spoiler holder 240 being used to hold first member 110. However, other embodiments are possible as well. For example, the second pivot 250 may be affixed directly to the first member 110. The spoiler holder 240 allows the manufacture of the spoiler to be simplified, but is not required in the present invention.
In other embodiments, extension rod 230 is an integral part of spoiler 100. FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of the spoiler in which the extension rod is a part of first member 110. In this embodiment, first pivot 220 connects to the base of extension rod 230. In some embodiments, first member 110, second member 120 and extension rod 230 are formed (e.g., extruded or molded) as a single part.
Additionally, the bracket 210 may also include a stop 260, which contacts the first member 110 or the spoiler holder 240, when the spoiler 100 is in the stowed position. The stop 260 determines the extent of the rotation of the pivoting mechanism 200 in the stowed position. As can be seen in FIG. 6, the stop 260 may be set so that the second member 120 is substantially parallel to the surface of the roof 10 in the stowed position. It may also be necessary to set the stop 260 so that the second member 120 does not touch the outer edge of the gutter 130. In some embodiments, the pivoting mechanism 200 is configured such that the second member 120 is parallel to the roof 10 in the stowed position. In other embodiments, a stop is not used, and the rotation of the spoiler is limited by the gutter 130.
FIG. 7 shows the spoiler of FIG. 6 in the deployed position. The extension rod 230 is preferably sized such that a portion of first member 110 rests on top of a portion of the roof 10 when deployed. This configuration has several benefits. First, the roof provides a stop in the deployed direction for the pivoting mechanism. Second, the spoiler 100 serves to urge the front row of shingles downward due to the pressure exerted by the wind. The configuration of the extension rod 230 and the first member 110 may determine the size of the portion of the first member 110 that sits upon the roof 10. In some embodiments, such as is shown in FIG. 7, only a small portion of the first member 110 is on the roof 10. However, in other embodiments, the parts can be configured such that a larger portion of the first member 110 rests on the roof 10.
When the wind ceases, the spoiler 100 returns to its stowed position, through the force of gravity. If desired, the spoiler can be urged toward the stowed position, through the use of a biasing element, such as a spring in first pivot 220.
FIG. 9 shows the spoiler of FIG. 8 in the deployed position. As with FIG. 7, a portion of the spoiler 100 preferably sits on top of a portion of the roof 10. In some embodiments, extension rod 230 is integral with first member 110 and extends the entire length of the spoiler. In such embodiments, the extension rod 230 may also serve as a wind guard, blocking the flow of air between the roof and the shingle.
FIG. 10 depicts the spoiler of FIG. 6 used in conjunction with a taller roof, such as one made of tiles. In this embodiment, bracket 210 has been lengthened or adjusted so as to move the pivot 220 closer to the top of the roof 20. Alternatively, extension rod 230 may be lengthened to provide a similar effect.
FIG. 11 shows the spoiler of FIG. 10 in the deployed position. Note that in this embodiment, in contrast to the embodiment of FIG. 5, the spoiler 100 does not block the gaps under the tiles. Rather the extension rod 230 is positioned in this area. If the extension rod 230 is a solid piece, as described above with respect to FIG. 9, the extension rod 230 may serve as a wind guard. However, in other embodiments, the extension rod 230 may be a smaller piece, used to join the first pivot 220 to second pivot 250. In these embodiments, wind may blow between the shingle and the roof, especially in the case of tile.
To prevent wind from blowing under the shingle, a wind guard 270, as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, may be included. The wind guard 270 is rotatably attached to pivot 250, such that it is free to rotate. In the stowed position, the wind guard 270 is pressed between the first member 110 and the stop 260. In the deployed position, the wind guard 270 hangs down, such that it blocks the gap between the roof and the shingle or tile, as shown in FIG. 13. Wind would tend to push the wind guard 270 toward the roof, where it would serve to block wind from entering under the tiles. The wind guard 270 also serves to insure that air does not pass between the spoiler 100 and the roof. A gap between the spoiler 100 and the roof serves as a path for wind, which accelerates through the gap. This may significantly degrade the performance of the spoiler. Wind guard 270 may be used to improve the performance of the spoiler 100 by eliminating the gap between the spoiler 100 and the roof.
Other embodiments of the pivoting mechanism that allow roof spoiler 100 to pivot are possible and are within the scope of this invention. In all embodiments, the roof spoiler preferably rotates approximately ninety degrees from its stowed position to its deployed position, although other angles of rotation advantageously may be used in some configurations.
FIG. 14 shows an exploded view of a complex hinge that can be used with the present invention. This hinge can be used to perform the functions described above. In this hinge, a wall mounted portion, or bracket 300 is affixed to the fascia, such as by screws or other fasteners, through mounting holes 301. The wall mounted portion, or bracket 300 also has one or more screw holes 302. Adjustable mounted portion 310 may have a slot 311. A screw or bolt 305, having a head larger than the slot, is placed through the slot and into the screw hole 302 in the wall mounted portion, or bracket 300. In this way, adjustable portion 310 may be moved relative to wall mounted portion 300 to accommodate roofs of various thicknesses. When properly positioned, the bolt 305 is then tightened to hold the adjustable mounted portion 310 in place. This combination of wall mounted portion 300, adjustable mounted portion, and bolt 305 may constitute bracket 210, described above.
Adjustable mounted portion 310 may also have a receptacle 317 to hold stop 320. As described above, the stop 320 is used to limit the rotation of the spoiler in one direction (i.e., the rest or stowed position). One end of extension rod 330 is rotatably connected to adjustable mounted portion 310, such as by a hinge pin 335, thereby allowing it freedom of motion. The opposite end of extension rod 330 may be attached to spoiler holder 340 using a second hinge pin 345. Extension rod 330 may be urged toward its stowed position through the use of a biasing element, such as spring 347, which can be used with one or both of the hinge pins 335, 345. Hinge pins 335, 345 may be used to create first pivot 220 and second pivot 250, described above.
The spoiler is connected to the spoiler holder 340, and may be fastened using one or more fasteners 355.
In other embodiments, extension rod 330 and spoiler holder 340 are one unitary part, without a pivoting connection or hinge pin.
The width of the spoiler 100 is preferably equal to, or substantially equal to, the width of the roof. In other words, if the roof is 30 feet wide, the spoiler 100 is preferably also 30 feet wide. In some embodiments, the spoiler is prefabricated in predetermined lengths, such as 4, 8 and 10 foot sections. The widths of the first member and second member are preferably the same, such that the two members are approximately coextensive.
While the above embodiments have been shown in conjunction with a gutter, the invention is not so limited. The present invention can be used without a gutter in the same manner as described above. In embodiments without a gutter, it may be aesthetically pleasing to cover the exposed mounting hardware. FIG. 15 shows the spoiler of FIG. 12 in the stowed position. Cover 295 is shown covering the fasteners 211 and bracket 210, thereby improving the appearance of the spoiler. The cover 295 may be constructed from any suitable material, including metal or plastic. In some embodiments, it can be a prefabricated colored plastic, made to match the color of the fascia.
The cover of FIG. 15 can be used in conjunction with any embodiment. It is preferably used in those embodiments in which there is no gutter, as the gutter hides the hardware in those embodiments. However, the cover 295 may be used in those embodiments as well if desired.
As a further aesthetic embodiment, a feature, such as decorative molding, may be incorporated in the spoiler. In one embodiment, a decorative molding is added at the intersection of the first and second members of the spoiler, so as to improve the appearance of the spoiler. Such an embodiment is typically used in embodiments that do not include a gutter, but the invention is not limited to only these embodiments.
The embodiments shown above describe spoilers in which two orthogonal members join together to form an L shape. However, other embodiments are also possible. As described earlier, FIGS. 20b and 21b show an embodiment where the two members are not orthogonal to one another. FIG. 16 shows an embodiment of a spoiler 400 with a single member 410. The pivoting mechanism 140 can be as described in reference to FIG. 2. Since there are no longer two members, the stop used in conjunction with FIG. 4 must be modified. For example, a hinge having limited rotation may be used. As described above, the presence of strong wind may cause the member 410 to rotate about the axis of rotation or pivoting connection 142, to a deployed position, shown in FIG. 17. In this embodiment, the rotation is limited by the contact of the single member 410 against the roof edge. In other embodiments, the single member 410 may contact the fascia 160. Since the member 410 begins below the roof line, this configuration also serves as a wind guard as described earlier. However, this configuration does not exert downward force on the roof shingles, as was done with the device depicted in FIG. 13.
FIG. 18 shows a modification to the embodiment of FIG. 16. In this embodiment, a small support 420 is added to the back side of the single member 410. This support 420 is located such that when the spoiler is in the deployed position, as shown in FIG. 19, the support 420 rests on the roof shingles. In some embodiments, the small support 420 is an integral part of the single member 410. For example, the support 420 may be formed (e.g., extruded or molded) as part of member 410. In other embodiments, the support 420 can be affixed to the member 410, such as by fasteners. This allows the support 420 to be positioned specifically for a particular roof thickness. For example, member 410 may have a connection mechanism, wherein the support 420 can be movably affixed to the member 410, thereby allowing easy adjustment during installation. In embodiments where the member 410 is orthogonal to the roof surface, support 420 may extend orthogonally from member 410. In embodiments where the member 410 is not orthogonal to the roof surface, such as when it is in a vertical position, the support may extend at an angle between 60° and 90°.
The support 420 shown in FIG. 18 can also be applied to the embodiments shown in FIGS. 2-5 and FIG. 20-21 if desired so as to allow the spoiler to exert a downward force on the shingles. | 2019-04-22T16:45:08Z | http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8650809.html |
So,... with all due respect.... what happened to the free energy guy? (https://ubuntuplanet.org/profi…). He came on strong, wanted to start a global free energy movement, and then disappeared.
One of the things I respect about the Farmbot development (farmbot.io) is that it is very transparent and easy to see what is going on. Just try logging on and ask to receive updates about the software development. Transparency leads to trust and also helps with accountability. Hubstaff (https://hubstaff.com/) also employs transparent accounting. They tell how much they make. That is kind of cool.
Michael T asked (and still asks on the front page of this site) for donations. On the Ubuntu Vermont website (http://www.ubuntuvt.org/), when I checked last year, it explained what they were doing and were also asking for donations, yet now that website is inactive. What is going on here? I log on regularly, see new people coming on this site, all excited, yet also see people drop out. Where is SkyDancer? I communicated with her before the American Thanksgiving, she said she was going to visit her family, ... and then nothing. Is she o.k.? Did something happen? I don't know.
That is the advantage of staying for the long haul. One gets to see trends. For example, there are a lot of total members on this website. But how many are active? Do the people on the management team log on regularly? I see that some don't. Is that a commitment that ought to be made? That is what this website is here for.
Also, what are the demographics on this site? I am guessing the mean age to be somewhere around 30. It would be great to have more people who are older, and therefore have more experience. They would bring a different perspective.
Anyways, just some observations. Let me know what you think (some of you old timers), if I am on the right track or not.
Mat Dowle Totally agree... having observed from the beginning (of this website) I see people come with great ideas and enthusiasm and then disappear again a few months later. Any ideas how we can keep people engaged on here would be very welcome.
cbos Thanks Mat! Didn't expect that response. List active members only, with an option to display all? That has to do with human behaviour, not programming, though. It has to come from the person and there has to be an incentive to stay with a project for the long haul. Money is typically an incentive, but we are discouraging the use of that. Not much of an answer, sorry.
[deleted user] Lee Walsh set this up specifically to address this aspect of commitment & consistency, https://ubuntuplanet.org/circl… It's UK orientated, but it could be global.
Michael E. V. Knight Like many things a lot of people may be INTERESTED in something, few are COMMITTED to achieving it. As a child my friend said he wanted to learn to play the drums, his parents bought him a drum set for xmas. He took a few lessons, played for a few weeks then quit. He thought he was just going to do that a few times and become a rock star. Not willing to COMMIT to 2-4 hours a day of lessons and practice he quit playing.
There is no straight line to success. People see Michael Tellinger videos, like the idea, join here, look around, do not see any Ubuntu communities actually up and running, so they say to themselves this will never happen and go away.
US President John Kennedy once said - ask not what your country can do for you, ask what can I DO for my country? Same with Ubuntu Contributionism. People should not come here asking when is Michael Tellinger going to start a Ubuntu Community i can move to, they need to ask how can I start a local Ubuntu Contributionism group so we can start the domino effect and develop Ubuntu Contributionism all over the world?
The foundation of Ubuntu Contributionism is working TOGETHER and SHARING. We do not even need to talk about a no money world, politics, illuminati etc., we can just ask people if they would like to save money and eventually only need to work/help out the local community 3 hours a week and have ALL their needs met. If they say yes, start working TOGETHER and SHARING.
The Ubuntu Contributionism plan is SIMPLE to do, we just need to DO it. The first part of the DO is finding other local people to actually work TOGETHER and SHARE with. This means we need to talk to people about the idea constantly, and sharing videos/posts about Ubuntu on all our social media outlets. Follow me on FaceBook, this is pretty much all i post about. Share the posts i write so others will start to get the MINDSET change needed to both WANT and DO the Ubuntu Contributionism lifestyle.
Even this does not guaranty success, but with enough of us DOING this, eventually one or more small towns will have people working TOGETHER and SHARING towards an UBUNTU world.
It would be great if just 50 like minded, serious about Ubuntu people were able to move to just one small town in each country to start this. Like Michael Tellinger has said the money BEAST has it's claws and chains so tight on us it is hard to do this. In order to do this the people moving there would need an income to pay living expenses until the Ubuntu co-ops are profitable enough for them not to need a job.
Finding jobs in small towns is not always easy. This would be great for active, healthy seniors with retirement income coming in from either social security or a pension, or investment income. Would also be possible for someone that works from their computer and can live anywhere and still make enough money to pay their bills.
The other chain is not wanting or able to leave family and friends to get a small town started.
But for people ready, willing and able to move, we/they need to start talking with each other. Here in the US a couple of my FB friends have a tiny group started in SouthWest Colorado. They would love to have serious, like minded, ready, willing and financially able people move there to help them grow their group.
They just bought a small apartment house that needs rehab that some members could eventually live in (still needing to pay rent since they have a loan that needs to be repaid).
One member about 3 hours from them has some land for greenhouses. He is in a small town of around 500 people so 49 more adults moving there or nearby would be 10% of the towns population. Ubuntu could grow quickly there.
My niece said to me a few months ago it's hard to find a good person to date. i said to her in order to find a good person YOU need to first be a good person. Same with Ubuntu. i hear many stories of people moving somewhere saying they want to help, they get there, work a few weeks, then stop helping and sit around and drink and smoke all day, eventually having the host ask them to leave.
To have UBUNTU we need to LIVE UBUNTU every day in every way. We need to change our mindsets from ME ME ME to WE WE WE. From COMPETITION to COOPERATION. It may sound like i am preaching to the choir here but like i just mentioned above, those people that moved and eventually stopped helping said they were members of the choir. Obviously in the wrong church.
ONE SMALL TOWN, that's all it takes to get the dominoes starting to fall in surrounding towns, causing them to need then follow the Ubuntu Contributionism Lifestyle. Causing towns further out to then need then follow... until the whole human population is living the Ubuntu Contributionism lifestyle.
[deleted user] "In order to do this the people moving there would need an income to pay living expenses until the Ubuntu co-ops are profitable enough for them not to need a job". . . . . . . .got that covered.
Meanwhile Ubuntu, according to Mr. Tellinger, is no more about we we we than it is me me me. It needs to be workable everywhere, slowly hollowing out that which it seeks to replace. It should not be necessary to relocate to an Ubuntu community.
cbos Wow! What a response! But, practically, according to the book, we are all ... free and equal. If one can ask for funds, that means all should be able to, right? And if we ask and receive (and are a charitable organization in Canada), then we should also report, should we not? The Vermont group raised $500,000! That's not chump change. What happened there. Why is their site defunct after less than half a year, and how can a group move on to a town of 4,000 to 7,000 if it can't handle a site of 150 acres. The spiritual principle is to graduate from the small to the big. That isn't happening here.
'a quality that includes the essential human virtues; compassion and humanity'.
It's a philosophy. No one person can own that, Michael Tellinger owns a logo.
Drea Greetings cbos, nice to meet u. I understand & witness ur concerns. I’m Drea the new UK national coordinator and as I just mentioned to Michael E V Knight we are at the very beginnings of this movements latest evolutionary leap & we are in the process of putting in the groundwork to address the issues u have mentioned.
I am currently designing a global system of support, training & communication which will be tied into our new global website & database. This system will give everyone guidance and support on how to start meet up circles & start various types of community projects & promotional events and will really help to grow our family & keep everyone engaged & communicating with each other.
I cant answer ur questions re funding & the Vermont site but what I can say is, hopefully this week, we will be launching the new global website & then all countries will have their own website feeding from this, that will share the same layout and general information with country specific data, so soon we will all be singing from the same song sheet & things will become a lot clearer all round.
I look forward to watching UBUNTU’s coming accelerated evolution with u.
Deleted User Im guessing the new website will be easy to edit electronically and existing members will be further alienated because they know too much ... Drea be careful of becoming part of the problem. I have put in a lot of hard work and been excluded the same could happen to you ... and I'm not the only one.
Michael E. V. Knight "It should not be necessary to relocate to an Ubuntu community." - i agree, but in the last 7+ years i have been promoting a no money world, including the last 3 with Ubuntu, there has yet to be one small town started because it is hard for supporters to find others that actually want to do this in their town. In the last 7+ years i have easily spoken to over 700 people locally about this, every one of them said sounds good but will never work. Of course if WE do NOT work on something it will never happen. If i say i want to start a business, a restaurant, but never do anything towards opening that restaurant, that restaurant will never get off the ground. Same with Ubuntu.
cbos Just for the record, I was a little confused when I saw the word "UBUNTU" appearing in all capital letters. Doesn't he also in his book talk about the evils of corporations and how we also are created as mini corporations at birth by having are names spelled in all caps? Then Ubuntu is spelled in all caps. Confusing.
cbos ok, now I am starting to get a little peeved and worried. This link (https://ubuntuplanet.org/wp/…) show that the wp account where all the news has been is "suspended". Hello! That is a WordPress site and the screensplash doesn't get there like that unless it has been specifically put there. That is not default WordPress.
So... let's go back a little to this post (https://followingworldchange.wordpress.com/…) which I assume was the same text, different site. It mentions two names. Michael Sunseri and Lisa Hays. They conveniently show up at just the right moment to help Michael T. out. All is fine and dandy. You can read the glowing comments. Except for one thing. Michael Sunseri was an infiltrator. Perhaps Lisa Hays should be checked out as well.
They passed by Michael Ts. background check with flying colors. Micheal Sunseri resigned last April, according to a message from another member from this site.
What does that show you?
Money may be the least of our worries.
The deception is subtle and multi-layered. I am almost ready to argue that it was the "twist" that changed the good reasons for using money and took them all away. Interest free money was taken away. Interest was added. The use of the word "silver" was taken away (check the Old Testament), the word "money" was added.
So... the challenge, or perhaps the first level is not even the community. It is recognizing the sublety of the "twist". Taking something that is good and making it into something it isn't.
When people make a decision to go into leadership and set a direction, they are expected to stay at the helm. This "boat", in part at least, was built because of and for him. And now the captain is absent.
Mat Dowle For the record, the "suspended" message on the WordPress content is because the WordPress installation was taking all the server resources (either because of a targeted attack or a problem with the WordPress installation). I had to suspend the hosting account in order to prevent it taking down the whole server... still trying to resolve the problem.
cbos Thank you Mat. Here is a story that was just brought to my attention. I post it here in it's entirety, from this link (https://facebook.com/notes/…). This person states she is a first hand witness, mentions a gag order and provides a phone number. Please feel free to check for yourself and contradict this if it is wrong. Thank you.
Dear Sirs and Madams, please feel free to be advised that the following is the Truth, The whole Truth and nothing but the Truth, so help me God. After watching videos on Ubuntu and Contributionism, I joined the Ubuntu Liberation Movement in 2015 and moved up to Waterval Boven to become a volunteer for Ubuntu in January 2016. As a volunteer at the Ubuntu Village with Michael Tellinger I very quickly found out that the property is actually called "The Stone Circle" and it is a PRIVATE PROPERTY, which belongs to Michael Tellinger. In very short order it became clear to me that there is NO UBUNTU VILLAGE, there is NO Self-Sustaining systems, No Bakery, giving away daily bread, No Fish Farm delivering free fish nor any terraced and landscaped gardens. For the last plus/minus 5 years MJT has been collecting Donations under the pretense of feeding the masses and uplifting the world. Sadly he is only uplifting himself and his ego-driven appetite for consumption. Where have the millions of Rands worth of donations gone? Last year Millions of Rands were raised but less than R9000.00 was spent on Soup Kitchens, I paid for almost all of them myself.
The following is a list of new purchases Mr. Micheal Tellinger has made, which I personally witnessed, within the last year: A Gold coloured Jeep 4x4, a white Toyota Rav 4x4(they were purchased to promote his Stone Circle buisness), new driveway at Michaels house, newly refurbished cottage at Michaels house, 6x Ensuite Cottages being built at Stone Circle Bistro, new Museum being built at Stone Circle Bistro, New furniture(complete) at Stone Circle Bistro, Stone Circle Bistro completely repainted(entire property all around), New JoJo Water Tanks at Stone Circle Bistro and I could go on until nauseam. The vast majority of ALL Ubuntu Donations collected, for the entire year of 2016, where spent on Stone Circle Bistro(his private property) and his Private House.
The remainder of the World's Donations to Ubuntu and the Ubuntu Liberation Movement were consumed by Michael Tellinger, in his personally capacity, with the funds being used to pay for his 4 - 5 Star accommodation and various other Luxuries. He has already spent thousands of Rands at Woolworths(just in January 2017) this month and it is only the 13th today of the month. While the local people suffer and go to bed hungry this fat old white jerk(who was not even born in South Afrika) is "Eating The Money!" Fat old white foreign jerks have been stealing from Afrika for years so this is nothing new. However, these monies are being collected under false pretenses and the MONIES ARE NOT GOING TO CHARITY! They are being consumed by his ego-driven, greed and lust fueled appetite for self-aggrandizement. This is a Cult and it is a Crime. I still live in Waterval Boven and I still feed the children here at my gate. They come here because for a about a year I was the one funding the Soup Kitchens (which Michael Tellinger cancelled after the elections, August 3rd – 4th. Why? Unless feeding people was never the goal here). I also personally sponsored various other charities.
cbos May I remind people that there may be a legal case here. First, the SpacePhone site indicates some had not received their phone. Second, the above post indicates misappropriated funds, obtained globally. No report of funds received has been issued, to my knowledge. Screenshots have been taken. This will be watched.
Deleted User He is being investigated for the fundraising fraud.
Deleted User LOL Nic G - yes well if you think he changes it all the time so people don't twig on quickly. First its campaign, then its a phone, then its a youth movement. He has blocked me from commenting so I'm slowing the list of people who have been gagged. Im in the process of a complaint now with the fundraising OMBUDSMAN here in RSA because he has blocked from commenting on FBook so I have to go to the next level. Only way I can protect others.
Nic G I hope the ideal doesn't get killed in this mess.
Deleted User Its pretty much dead in the water anyway due to his activities so ... I'm taking legal action.
Nic G doesn't look that way, people are doing different projects in ubuntu style, with little funds raised by them or locally achieved, kind of like you are doing. I don't think it is dead. He is not the founder of UBUNTU, the ideal already existed and hopefully will go on with some scars.
Nic G It's normal to be down, this is terrible! I don't believe you don't have strength, most farmers are fighters, always having to adjust their moves with the weather, the soil, the water, plagues, (you name it...) and always coming back with something to put on the table. If that's not fighting, than what is?
Deleted User I know Nic G you are right but I just want a peaceful life and grow things and love other people. Im not meant for this world we live in.
Drea I know Michael well & have watched his tireless efforts to create this movement in the hope of empowering us all... he has spent all his personal funds on this and projects in his own home town & has to push to sell books & get paid for talks to try and survive... he is on the front line giving everything he has... this much I and the many management team members around the globe that visit & speak with him regularly are 100% sure off. There is however a real effort by others, it would seem that includes you Janet (if that’s ur name) to discredit him & weaken our movement…I can personally vouch that Michael is the compassionate, caring & altruistic individual he seems to be in his videos and he was very upset to hear these false allegations being made about him after all his tireless hard work. I know personally of his struggles to keep old broken down vehicles on the road so I’m not sure where this high life is being seen… its absolute BS to bring down a light worker - Janet ur energy does not come from service to others & I believe u are here with ill intent & shall report u as such, & I am happy to reveal ur energy by posting the dark toned P.M u just sent me accusing me of being complicit in fraud & actually threatening me with legal action...please be reminded that libel is also a crime… a crime u are now guilty of as witnessed by a large family of people who love & support Michael & this movement….wishing u love light & the healing you obviously need.
Deleted User Technically the False light law protects my freedom of speech. Andrea see your aggressive attitude is generally indicative of a someone who it actually knows they are wrong. Did you check Michael car break down via Skype in the UK? He spends all his personal funds on Woolies by the looks of things. Where is the love and UBUNTU sister. All I asked as that you confirm your full real name.
Nic G I don't really know if he is or not a fraud, but I will not put my hands on fire for someone who I don't know just because he says something that seems good; he is a man, so he can be lured by corruption, as anyone of us can. Just looking a nice guy isn't enough to prove their good will, look at all the reports on serial killers and pedophiles, their neighbors always say "he was such a nice man, I would never tell". If he is being investigated and he has nothing to hide, than he has nothing to fear.
Deleted User Take it away NicG well said mate. Its supposed to be free fair and transparent. Otherwise its not UBUNTU.
cbos Please no flame wars. I have checked out Ubuntu Vermont, Bolton, with screenshots. Where is the Ubuntu owned property? Both the ski resort and Lotus Lodge sites appear to be fully functional with no mention of anything Ubuntu. This can be checked out online with Google Maps, satellite view, even a web cam.
cbos Drea, You said above: "I am currently designing a global system of support, training & communication which will be tied into our new global website & database. This system will give everyone guidance and support on how to start meet up circles & start various types of community projects & promotional events and will really help to grow our family & keep everyone engaged & communicating with each other." What you describe is this site. How will the one you propose be different?
cbos Part of... the ski resort and lodge? or the global system.
Deleted User I don't know she is on my FBook I will ask her.
Deleted User Ashville UBUNTU village. Do you remember there was a banner post for a wee while that had his face and Bolton Vermont on it. Then NOTHING. They had a website gone.
cbos perhaps it is time to start a new thread?
cbos Janet, I will message you with a link to a document I am working on. It is over 150 pages. I also made a list of every possible thing I could think of that a person would need while living in community. That is there as well.
"We therefore reconstructed the Profit and Loss statement, taking into account the adjusted sales figures (calculated at the retail price) as well as the agreed or adjusted expenses. According to our calculations, as reflected in the Profit and Loss statement, the net income should be R221 778.80. Engelbrecht is therefore entitled to R110 889.40."
"According to Zulu Planet the sales of the award winning book Kaffertjie only generated a net income of R10 924.19 after a three year period. According to the agreement, Engelbrecht is entitled to 50% thereof, ie R5 462.09."
That is a difference of: R110,427.31.
This information supports the information provided earlier in this thread by a person claiming they were a first hand witness.
cbos Finally, here is some work I did from last night. Please feel free to verify these facts. Also, a review I did from a search using this link (https://ubuntuplanet.org/searc…), reveals quite a bit of excitement about this project. It is very odd that it would disappear off the radar, only to be replaced by the "One Small Town" initiative.
Both Lotus Lodge (http://www.lotuslodgevt.com) at 4010 Bolton Valley Access Rd. and the Ski Resort just down the road at 4302 Bolton Valley Access Rd. appear to be fully functional. Here is a webcam for the ski resort (http://boltonvalley.com/webcam…). Nice site. No mention of Ubuntu. The Ubuntu Vermont Bolton Circle (https://ubuntuplanet.org/circl…) has the latest post dated four months ago (screenshot taken). The link pointing to the generosity.com site (https://generosity.com/communi…) indicates $15,325 USD was raised in 8 months (screenshot taken). The campaign is still open. As I clearly recall the amount was raised, the campaign should be closed. It is not.
Many of the donors are for small amounts and have nonsensical names. Is the money received if the campaign is not closed? I don't know. What does Indiegogo (a major site) do if a claim is made the funds were not used as specified? I don't know. Perhaps someone would like to look into this.
Oh, yes, and for a modest gift of $333 the donor can stay one night free at the beautiful Lotus Lodge in Bolton Valley, VT (screenshot taken).
Is that enough information? Please feel free to verify these facts. This appears to be a global phenomena.
Please also feel free to check out the activity status of those who had posted or responded to this. Not all of them are still active and posting on this site (i.e. they appeared to be quite excited about this, posted a lot, and then haven't posted for quite some time).
This will be the last post I will make in this thread. I feel this is sufficient information for anyone wishing to look into this for themselves.
cbos I have confirmed that the Zulu Planet Publishers address (mentioned above and the publishers of the two books I checked, Blueprint and Slave Species), and Michael Tellinger's address point to the same location. This means, essentially, that Michael Tellinger "self published" these two books. That is not quite accurate. It would be more accurate to say that, in addition to all of his other activities, he also has the same mailing address for both himself and a publishing company. Both of these addresses are publically available.
The strange thing is, I don't recall that distinction being made clear. How well is this publishing company doing, and if the checks are mailed there, does he really need all the extra funds provided by donations, etc.?
For further information, please see: https://ubuntucontributionismreview.wordpress.com/….
Rebecca G Thanks cbos... Bolton Valley is on the back burner and as such we don't talk about it much... as with almost everything else in life, Ubuntu is an evolutionary journey... we do get really excited about things and think they are going to unfold in a particular way... and then they don't.
What we are learning from all of this is to speak in more fluid terms... we are following the energy of this movement and when we are listening fully, the Universe is guiding.
Thanks for paying attention and keeping us on track. And thank you for your support of Ubuntu philosophies.
Deleted User O wow thanks Rebecca G for getting back to us. We started to think the project was a scam. Like everything else.
Rebecca G Hi Janet, not sure what you mean by "Like everything else." I can assure you, that everyone on the USA team is not working on a giant scam... unless by scam you mean changing the paradigm... I will cop to that in heartbeat. Shifting consciousness and changing how we are in the world is why I am here. Everything else is just distraction.
Michael E. V. Knight Michael has no control over what happens locally. Whatever happens/is happening/doesn't happen in Vermont (or anywhere else) is up to the people there that raised there hands and said we are going to start an Ubuntu town here.
From what i know the Vermont people want to buy land and build sort of an eco village there, living the Ubuntu lifestyle. This is the hardest way to get Ubutnu going. MT has said over and over start right where you are (if you can). If you can't find other local people interested in joining you, then all you can do is keep talking to people and sharing the Ubuntu idea on the net, hopefully someone in another area will see your posts, like the idea, and be able to move it forward like Frank in Walsenburg, Colorado (US) is doing.
Not controlling growth like corporations do, has it's negative side effects. If a local ubuntu project starts then fizzles out, that does not make MT or the Ubuntu idea wrong/bad, just means the people locally were not able to get it done.
Michael Tellinger "backs" a lot of horses (people raising there hands saying i am starting a local ubuntu community) , not every horse will finish the race or win.
We can't let startups that are not successful make us give up on the dream. Jacque Fresco of the Venus Project has been at this type of work over 70 years and we still don't have a no money world, BUT we are a lot closer than we were 70 years ago thanks to the internet.
i do not know nor have i heard anything about Vermont since i went there to meet MT last October.
Don't let this stop you/us from moving forward where we are. We are planting a lot of thought seeds globally, some are slowly starting to sprout like Frank in Colorado. Once we have that one small town up and running the world WILL start to change quickly. It always seems IMPOSSIBLE until it's DONE. Then others will believe it's possible and work harder to achieve it locally. Just like they said no human could run a 4 minute mile, once the first person did it, others were also able to do it.
As long as we are ENSLAVED in this fake, fraud, lie, scam, con job, free range economic SLAVE control money system, we will need to use some money to get things done. To start locally we can start without money, just talk to others, share the videos etc.. This is how Frank in Colorado got started. Now he has a small boarding house that needs repairs, this requires money for materials, if he can't find people with building skills to join him he will have to pay workers to get the work done. Utilities will have to be paid for. This is the reality we live in. Pretty much every one of us is paying a mortgage/rent, property taxes, heat, electric bills etc.. None of the providers are doing this for free, they all want MONEY.
It's also the reason we need to sell 2/3 of what we make/grow, to raise money to pay bills, just like any other business does. Once we no longer are ENSLAVED by the money system, we can cut back to just the 1/3 we need for our local community, with maybe a little extra from EVERY town growing food, in case something happens in another town(s) like a massive storm that destroys their crops etc..
Deleted User Well you can justify it anyway you want to. I just see it as stealing from the poor. Its disgusting.
Nic G Sorry Michael E. V. Knight, I just don't believe in putting money in something I can't see a result. When I gave money to buy mattresses for some kids, the person took a picture in the house with all the beds, so I know they used it for what it was intended. In this case, somebody says it's for management of the site, etc, I can never tell, I just have to rely on the word of people I don't know and in good faith. On the other way, and more important, you don't even have pictures of a "wanna be" Ubuntu town in South Africa after all this years, everything was spent on the Ubuntu party and the site? You have projects in Brazil, in the UK, now in America, with people starting with very little, and you have nothing to show in South Africa, where it all started?
Deleted User Thank you Nic G. I gave Tshepo the UBUNTU guy from Soweto a laptop and I'm helping him to get government funding for his project to help other people. His life was disrupted by the elections while he was a candidate and we have lost all hope of UBUNTU in RSA. He was just a photo prop for MT in his funding for UBUNTU - so disgusted wasting poor peoples time and getting there hopes up - all just for some pictures for funding.
Michael E. V. Knight Remember the town Michael lives in has huge unemployment. Let's say 4,000 people there need to eat 3 - $1 meals a day. It would cost $12,000 a day to feed them while trying to get the projects going. Then who locally could afford to buy the products? Even local towns are mostly poor people. Getting out/off of the money system chains is not an easy thing to do.
The money he spent on politics has little to show other than seeds planted in peoples minds. He showed pictures of flyer/signs on poles.
In my area in the last 7 years i have easily spoken to over 700 people about this, they all say sounds good but will never work. Of course NOTHING works if WE don't WORK to make it happen. Does this stop me from promoting this way of life constantly and gifting to groups working on it, no. Frank in Colorado has been reading my posts for a while, they and other posts helped keep him motivated. He had to move to find a small town with friendly people that help each other. He found that in Walsenburg, Colorado. Listen to the Feb. USA Ubuntu call replay to hear how happy Frank is that he found that town.
Had he been depressed about it not happening where he was, then quitting, this Ubuntu town may have never been started. Someone already offered his group 15 acres of land to grow food on. There are 200 vacant homes there, he is in talks with the local govt about getting some of them for free or very little cost, to have ubuntu member families move there and for shared housing for single ubuntu members.
Find the horses (people) that resonate with YOU and back/support them any way you can. Even if it's a start up eco village that has nothing to do with Ubuntu. At least they will be working TOGETHER and SHARING, spending LITTLE money, helping to starve the money beast. | 2019-04-20T02:53:08Z | https://www.fullcircleproject.net/status/23873/ |
“air+electricity” examines these two effective media that form the essence of digital and new media art. The undeniable physicality and immediacy of light and sound amplification is realized in this performance – exploring the relation between the physical and immersive nature of light and sound. The technology over technique argument is examined as old and “obsolete” technologies are informed and enlightened by the concepts of the digital age. The mutability of forms, the transformation and filtering of content – the sensibilities of new media, expanded cinema, virtual/digital art are reapplied to the surfaces and spaces from which they came – reactivating existing spaces by moving from the screen and the soundcard to the very room itself through the direct and unmediated deployment of the elements constituting the projection and sound: space, time, texture and form.
Overhead projectionist Katrin Bethge works directly upon the surface of the projector: from still images and overlaid objects, to using substances such as sand, food-materials, oil and water applied to these surfaces in glass basins upon the surface of combinations of projectors .The realtime development of the visual material is paired with the work of sound artist Robert Curgenven who explores the harmonics of the performance space via custom dubplates, turntables, fans and contact mics to manipulate the roomtone in realtime via harmonic feedback. This is underscored by minutely detailed field recordings from Australia’s remotest regions, employing an emphasis on real sounds suffused within a surreal post-architectural expansion of space.
Robert Curgenven (1974) suffuses immense fields of constantly shifting sound with an elegant tactility and mesmerizing detail. His compelling work spans immersive resonances created with turntables and custom-made vinyl, instrumental harmonics and guitar feedback to carefully detailed field recordings from remote areas in which he lived for many years.
Curgenven has performed throughout Australia and Europe, including Club Transmediale , Ultrahang Festival (Budapest), Gallery for Contemporary Art (Leipzig), Feste dell Acqua (Vicenza), C/O Pop (Koln), Alice Springs Desert Festival and Darwin Festival. He has presented sound installations at Transmediale (Berlin), 10 Years of Microsound (Diapason Gallery, New York), galleries throughout Australia, Italy, France, Poland, UK and Germany. His 2010 album, “Oltre”, a documentation of two months of live concerts across Europe in 2009, was announced by Boomkat as “The best LINE/12K release in ages”.
air+electricity has performed widely across Europe, including Laznia Centre for Contemporary Art (Gdansk), Nachtstrom (Basel), Mikro_Makro festival (Slupsk), Radial System V (Berlin), Die Remise Sommercamp (Maria am Ostbahnhof, Berlin), Skam Gallery and Kultwerk (Hamburg) and Lothringer (Munich).
Takahashi’s Shellfish Concern combines abstract expressionist visual art with experimental electronic-acoustic music to accentuate the similarities of both during improvised exchanges. We hope to facilitate an event in which the audience is prompted to consider this merger of music and art as a single expression.
The visual information functions in the space sound has traditionally functioned during instrumental exchanges. Further reinforcing the aural/visual relationship, the canvas is miked, and its sounds are the sole sound source that the musicians may utilize [/manipulate]. This effectively transforms the canvas surface into an instrument, as well as a sound gateway.
Angela Guyton is a Colombian-American artist from Miami now living in Manchester, England. She explores mark-making and sound in combination, within the context of live improvised performance, and performs regularly in her performance art group, Takahashi’s Shellfish Concern. TSC is comprised of herself and two other musicians: Rodrigo Constanzo and Anton Hunter.
Angela and Rodrigo have been performing together, exploring interdisciplinary performance, since late 2004. Anton Hunter joined the duo when they moved to the UK in 2007.
Angela is currently pursuing a MA in Contemporary Fine Art from the University of Salford, and Rodrigo is currently pursing a MA in Electro-Acoustic Composition at The University of Manchester.
This generative, audiovisual work is based on a modified Lorenz attractor, a three-dimensional dynamical system and a model of atmospheric convection. It is implemented in the programming environment Max/MSP/Jitter and during performance, parameters are modified in real-time.
The work as a virtuality, describable through its differential equations alone, is a model of natural-world phenomena that is completely deterministic. In theory, the same performance can be re-actualised by reproducing the same parameters and adjustments unlike many works based on genetic algorithms or stochastics.
However, it is sensitive to initial conditions and seemingly insignificant deviations produce widely and unpredictably differing results; after all, it was through this attractor that the phrase the “butterfly effect” was coined where a butterfly beating its wings may eventually result in a hurricane, but also due to the attractor’s lemniscate-shape. These parameters form a non-linear, multi-dimensional plane, or a manifold in itself, and as such, possibilities of controlling or learning to “play” the piece can be limited and illusory.
A diverse variety of behaviours are observed, ranging from periodicity to chaos. These yield interesting results as audio, either as signal data in nonstandard synthesis or control data such as rhythm, pitch and panning (no pre-recorded samples or conventional oscillators are used apart from sine waves), and as 3D-visuals. Nonetheless, the two domains do not remain mere mirror images of each other due to independent emergent phenomena arising from the system’s inherent complexity.
Ryo Ikeshiro is an electronic and acoustic musician working in the fields of audiovisual composition, improvisation, interactive installations and soundtracks. He gained a 1st Class in BMus (Hons) from Kings College London, and later a MPhil in composition at Cambridge. He is currently studying for a PhD in studio composition at Goldsmiths College. Research interests include the use of chaotic systems in generative, emergent structures and nonstandard synthesis, punk aesthetics in electronic music and new forms of interaction and presentation of works.
Recent projects include: presentation of the paper “GENDYN and Merzbow” at Xenakis International Symposium 2011, London; performance of the generative work Construction in Self and presentation of the accompanying paper “Generative, Emergent, Self-Similar Structures: Construction in Self” at ICMC10, New York; PulseCubes, an interactive sound installation at re:new 2010, Copenhagen; and David Tudor’s Rainforest IV, London. He is a member of ry-om, whose tracks have been featured on Resonance FM; their recent studio project was for Creative Sources Recordings. His orchestral works have been performed by the Britten Sinfonia. As an events organiser, he has started a series entitled ABA where a performance of a work is proceeded by a talk and a discussion with the composer, followed by a second performance of the same piece.
Hydro-Acoustic Study is a live cinematic exploration of sonically activated hydrological events, specifically evolving waveforms, proto-cellular bubbles, and meniscus’s that grow and exhibit behaviour in direct response to sound. Within this simulated rheological environment a hydro-graphic narrative unfolds orchestrated by sound as an organising principle and nourishing substance. The work takes inspiration from a number of scientific studies in the cymatic properties of water. It attempts a speculative inquiry into future possibilities in the study of the effects of sonic frequencies on water.
This piece was originally commissioned by Optofonica Lab, Amsterdam as a collaborative piece with the sound artist Francisco Lopez. It has subsequently been developed as a standalone.
Hydro-Acoustic Study uses a variety of techniques to translate sound directly into visual material – from real-time algorithmic sound analysis methods, such as beat detection and frequency analysis, to direct translation of generative sound mapping to the visual output via OSC (Open Sound Control) and MIDI data transmission.
Paul Prudence is a audio-visual performer and installation artist working with computational, algorithmic and generative environments. His work, which had been shown internationally, focuses on the ways in which sound, space and form can be cross wired to create live-cinematic visual-music experiences. He is also interested in data visualisation techniques, process-based environments and emergent systems.
Paul maintains the research weblog Dataisnature in which he writes about the interrelationships between natural processes, computational systems and procedural-based art practices. Dataisnature has been used on a number of academic course syllabus’s worldwide. Paul has given lectures and workshops to a wide range of audiences and venues – from BA and MFA students to art-science conferences and through to digital arts festivals. He has presented his personal work and his inter-media research at venues such as The Royal Institution and The Science Museum in London, The School of Visual Arts in New York City, and a number of academic institutions in the UK and Holland.
The art of Piet Mondrian (1872-1944) is known for its pure abstraction and ultimate simplicity. It seems so close to music that the artist himself described it with such terms as counterpoint, rhythm, syncopation or harmony. Inspired by musical variation form the video transforms, deconstructs and reconstructs five of Mondrian’s paintings in three movements: Moderato, Lento and Boogie-Woogie.
Fruits and music have a lot in common. Both can be geometric and bright-colored but even when arranged in formal compositions they are never truly abstract. Anchored in visceral sensations, they can evoke emotions or associations of taste and smell. Even the simplest melodies or commonest of berries can make strong impressions. At times, both can be sensuous and juicy.
The installation/performance is a search for traces of Chopin’s music in minds and faces of people from around the world. To carry it out Kapuscinski performed personal concerts for nearly 150 volunteers in places where Chopin is very popular but where he never set foot: Tokyo, San Francisco, Wellington, Sydney, Seoul, Beijing, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Helsinki, Buenos Aires, Santiago and Mexico City. The work is a re-composition of video documentations from these encounters and of Chopin’s Preludes op.28.
Jaroslaw Kapuscinski is an intermedia composer and pianist whose work has been presented at New York’s MOMA, ZKM in Karlsruhe, Museums of Modern Art Palais de Tokyo and Centre Pompidou in Paris, National Reina Sofia Museum in Madrid and many other venues. He has received awards among others at the UNESCO Film sur l’art Festival in Paris (1992), VideoArt Festival in Locarno (1993, 1994) and Festival of New Cinema and New Media in Montréal (2000). Kapuscinski graduated from Academy of Music in Warsaw and University of California, San Diego. Currently he is Assistant Professor of composition at Stanford University.
John Edmark teaches design, color theory, and animation in the Department of Art & Art History at Stanford University. His creative investigations range from organically inspired kinetic works and transformable objects, to products for storage, kitchen, and creative play. Previously, he researched 3-D virtual environments at Bell Laboratories. He has a Masters degrees in Product Design (Stanford), and Computer Science (Columbia). He is named inventor on nine U.S. utility patents. Other interests include hyper-stereo landscape photography, ultra-light backpacking, English country dancing, and throat singing.
Chasing Waves is an audio visual performance based on analog recordings made in the Experimental Television Studio. Simple tones, buzzes and glitches were made visual using voltage controlled video synthesis and commited to miniDV.
Using a proprietary program written in Max/Msp three to four video files, drawn from over 30 hours of recordings, are remixed live into a 30/40 minute performance, with each video played back on a separate part of the screen. When a number of these recordings are juxtaposed, complete with audio, new rhythmic and harmonic, audio visual complexities emerge.
The program allows the playback of any file, in any screen position at variable tempo/ pitch. Material can be looped, pitched dynamically, triggered from any playback position, offering a wide range of performance possibilities and variation.
Paul O Donoghue aka Ocusonic is an Irish composer/ audio visual artist based in Dublin, Ireland. He has released music under a number of pseudonyms for a variety of labels and produced music for television and radio. To date his audio visual work has screened internationally in more than 140 festivals and galleries in over 40 countries.
His current work is entirely audio visual and explores a disparate collection of methods and techniques for the creation of visual music. Underpinning all of these disciplines is Ocusonics, the real-time generation of synchronous audio and visual material.
The work as a virtuality, describable through its differential equations alone, is a model of natural-world phenomena that is completely deterministic. In theory, the same performance can be re-actualised by reproducing the same parameters and adjustments unlike many works based on genetic algorithms or stochastics/probabilities.
However, it is sensitive to initial conditions and seemingly insignificant deviations produce widely and unpredictably differing results; after all, it was through this attractor that the phrase the “butterfly effect” was coined where a butterfly beating its wings may eventually result in a hurricane, but also due to the attractor’s lemniscate-shape. These parameters form a non-linear, multi-dimensional plane or a manifold, and as such, possibilities of controlling or learning to “play” the piece can be limited and illusory.
A diverse variety of behaviours are observed, ranging from periodicity to chaos. These yield interesting results as audio, either as signal data in nonstandard synthesis or control data such as rhythm, pitch and panning (no pre-recorded samples or conventional oscillators are used apart from sine waves), and as 3D visuals. Nonetheless, the two domains do not remain mere mirror images of each other due to independent emergent phenomena arising from the system’s inherent complexity and audiovisualisation methods.
Recent projects include: presentation of the paper “GENDYN and Merzbow” at Xenakis International Symposium 2011, London; performance of the generative work Construction in Self at “Japan 2011” at CONTEMPORANEA 2011 Festival di Nuova Musica, Udine and at ICMC10, New York along with presentation of the accompanying paper “Generative, Emergent, Self-Similar Structures: Construction in Self”; PulseCubes, an interactive sound installation at re:new 2010, Copenhagen; and David Tudor?s Rainforest IV, London. He is a member of ry-om, whose tracks have been featured on Resonance FM; their recent studio project was for Creative Sources Recordings. His orchestral works have been performed by the Britten Sinfonia. As an events organiser, he runs a series entitled ABA. He is also a visiting tutor and runs workshops challenging preconceptions about music.
Katrin Bethge (1970) is a freelance illustrator and projection artist, working since 1999 with the staging virtual spaces of light and projection. Her overhead projections have accompanied projects in the fields of dance, theatre, music, photo exhibitions and actions in urban space. She has worked internationally including with dance performances at Kunsthaus and Kampnagel in Hamburg as well as on the HafenSafari in the port of Hamburg and produced audiovisual concerts with music by electro-acoustics and classical instrumentation. | 2019-04-22T04:39:24Z | http://www.seeingsound.co.uk/programme-2/performances/ |
Logic of processing SIP calls in StarTrinity VoIP software is defined by scripts written in high-level scripting programming language "CallXML". Incoming and outgoing SIP calls are processed by an engine which reads and executes CallXML elements in sequence. The CallXML elements define basic operations with the SIP call.
accept Sends "200 OK" or "1xx" provisional response to incoming SIP call. Is not applicable for outgoing calls.
headers (optional) - list of custom SIP headers to be included into the response.
sdpAttributes (optional) - list of custom SDP attributes to be included into the response.
rtpDscp (optional, default is "0") - sets IP ToS (DSCP) field for transmitted RTP packets. Note: this parameter turns on "WinPCAP RTP sender" operation mode for the SIP call, in this mode you can only play one WAV audio file in loop. Example: "46"
debugMediaRx (optional, "true" or "false", default is "system settings") - enables recording of received (RX) RTP audio stream to WAV file, directory path is configured by system settings "DebugMediaPath", "DebugMediaFileNamePattern"
debugMediaTx (optional, "true" or "false", default is "system settings") - enables recording of transmitted (TX) RTP audio stream to WAV file, directory path is configured by system settings "DebugMediaPath", "DebugMediaFileNamePattern"
debugMediaMixed (optional, "true" or "false", default is "system settings") - enables recording of mixed (received+transmitted, RX+TX) RTP audio stream to WAV file, directory path is configured by system settings "DebugMediaPath", "DebugMediaFileNamePattern"
videoRtpmapEncodingName (optional) - specifies video encoding name in SDP for audio+video SIP calls. Example: "H263-1998", "H264", "VP8"
videoSdpLines (optional) - additional SDP lines for video stream in SDP. Example: "b=TIAS:1920000|a=fmtp:99 profile-level-id=64001F; sar=13; packetization-mode=1"
assign Sets new value to a variable. Variables are used to store intermediate data and to build complex logic in CallXML scripts. Variables can be accessed later in script using substitutions.
pattern (optional) - pattern for the variable. Character "?" means a random digit. Example: "18???????"
block Groups CallXML elements into single block. Is used for many purposes: "if" statements, matching strings with regular expressions, loops, simulation of random behaviour.
test (optional) - boolean expression, specifies condition of executing internal CallXML elements repeat (optional, default is "1") - number of times to execute nested CallXML elements. If equals to "infinite", it will run until SIP call is destroyed. The "repeat" and "minInterval" parameters can not be set at the same time.
If value equals to "$rand_from_options;" - call is made to one of randomly selected destinations in "option" children XML elements (see example), and it sets CallXML variable "destinationResourceId". It is possible to limit number of concurrent calls per each "option" in list ("destination resource") and to build different call scenarios for different "destination resource".
If value equals to "$seq_sip_uri_from_csv(CSV_file_name[, optional csvLineStartIndex]);" - destination is read from CSV file, starting from specified zero-based line index (zero line index by default).
If value equals to "$random_least_busy_uac_registration();" - call is made using UAC registrations (used when simulating calls via extensions of tested IP PBX). If value equals to "$ext(100);" - call is made to a registered extension (UAS registration) with SIP ID = "100".
callerId (optional, default is "unknown") -"From" header or "SIP ID" for "From" header in INVITE message. Example: "123456", "sip:[email protected]"
sipCallId (optional) - SIP "Call-ID" header in INVITE message. Example: "StarTrinity$id;@yourdomain.com"
sendSdpInInitialInvite (optional, "true" or "false", default is "true") - specifies whether to send SDP in SIP INVITE message. If no SDP is sent in request, and if destination also does not send SDP in response, the SIP call will be established without RTP media. If the destination sends late SDP offer in 200 OK, the caller will respond with SDP answer in ACK.
headers (optional) - list of custom SIP headers to be included into the INVITE message.
sdpAttributes (optional) - list of custom SDP attributes to be included into the INVITE message.
localSipPort (optional) - explicitly set local SIP/UDP transport port. Is used with global settings "LocalSipPort", "LocalSipPortRange"
localSipAddress (optional) - explicitly set local SIP IP address, is used to select network interface. Is used with global setting "LocalSipAddresses"
<call maxringtime="10000ms" callerId="" value="sip:100@localhost:5070" sendSdpInInitialInvite="true"
callgroup Initiates call to group of SIP phones. "parallel", "sequential", "queue" modes of calling phones are available.
direction (optional, "SendOnly"/"ReceiveOnly"/"None"/"Both", default is "Both") - audio direction between SIP call and conference room.
syncDestroyDelay (optional, default is "0ms") - specifies delay before destroying other calls in conference if "syncDestroy" is "true"
maxTimeToWaitForOtherCalls (optional, default is "infinite") - specifies a timeout of waiting for other calls to join the conference. If calls are joined, a "callsJoinedInConference" event is raised. If the timeout expires, "maxTimeToWaitForOtherCallsInConference" event is raised. The attribute and events are used to build a logic of billing calls only when there are 2 or more calls in conference (see example script).
disconnect Terminates SIP call if it is created and not terminated yet. Sends BYE or CANCEL SIP message.
Does not terminate execution of CallXML script.
value0, value1, ... (multiple) - element's values to add into the queue. An element in the queue is an array of values: "value0" .. "valueN"
exit Terminates SIP call if it is created and not terminated yet. Sends BYE or CANCEL SIP message.
Terminates execution of CallXML script.
function Defines a function or subroutine. Is executed with "runfunction".
var (required) - name of CallXML variable where to save audio length in milliseconds.
getcallgeneratorparams Saves call generator parameters into CallXML variables.
getcallinfo Saves call information into CallXML variables.
getcdrcallscount Queries CDR with specified query expression and saves number of returned records into a variable. Is used in StarTrinity Softswitch for advanced filtering.
getdblcallscount Queries RAM-based dynamic black list and saves number of returned records into a variable. Is used in StarTrinity softswitch for advanced filtering.
goto Performs one-way transfer of control to another CallXML element with specified "label".
foundCallSessionIdVar (optional) - name of CallXML variable where to put CallXML session ID of matched call, if call exists. Is used to send an event to the matched call.
include Reads and executes another CallXML file. Returns control to current file after the execution. Imports functions from included file.
maxsilence (optional, default is "infinite") - time interval of waiting for DTMF digits after end of playing audio file. Is set in milliseconds ("ms" suffix), seconds ("s" suffix) or minutes ("m" suffix).
maxtime (required) - time of initial recording before sending the recorded audio to API. Example: "5s"
log Writes a message to GUI or CLI and to file log. Is used for debugging and reporting.
level (optional, "debug"/"error", default "debug") - if "error", writes output to "stderr" stream instead of "stdout"
loopbackaudio Plays received (RX stream) RTP audio back to SIP call (TX stream). Is used to verify audio path.
maxtime (optional, default is "infinite") - time of playing. Is set in milliseconds ("ms" suffix), seconds ("s" suffix) or minutes ("m" suffix).
measuresignal Measures min and max audio level of RX RTP stream. Saves result to variables.
id (required) - identifies the "moving average"
size (required) - specifies number of samples to store in the "moving average"
on Handles CallXML events. Sets variable "eventType" and "eventSubType"
idleMedia - detection of idle media event (not receiving RTP stream from remote side) - see global setting "IdleMediaTimeToEndSession"
The "event" may contain multiple event types separated by ";". Example: "maxringtime;callfailure"
performAAA Performs authentication, authorization and accounting for an incoming SIP call. Sets CallXML variables "originatorId", "tenantId", "language"
playaudio Plays audio file from specified WAV/MP3 file/URL. Exits on end of file or end of silence (if "maxsilence" is specified), unless "dontwait" is set to "true"
The files are pre-cached into memory before playback, at startup time. If file name is dynamic and the audio file does not exist in the cache, it is cached at runtime. The caching includes reading audio file from disk and encoding it into RTP payload using appropriate codec. When transferring (in Softswitch), the audio is played to both call legs: A and B (if available).
maxtime (optional, default is "unlimited") - max time of playing. Is set in milliseconds ("ms" suffix), seconds ("s" suffix) or minutes ("m" suffix).
valuePatternRandomSeed (optional) - any string data used to initialize random generator for "valuePattern"
dontwait (optional, "true"/"false", default is "false") - if set to "true", control is returned immediately, before ending of audio file. In this case audio is still played during execution of next CallXML elements. It can be stopped using "stopaudio"
signaldelayvar (optional) - name of variable where to save audio response delay value in milliseconds. If set, the "playdtmf" waits for audio response with signal level "DefaultSignalDetectorThresholdDb" (set in settings).
var[columnIndex] (required) - names of variables to store fields from row. Zero-based [columnIndex] identifies column.
countsColumnIndex (optional) - zero-based index of column which contains count of reads for each row. Is used to read some rows more than one time.
rowIndex (optional) - zero-based row index. If not set, global pointer is used. The global counter is incremented with every read.
separate CSV files (one CSV file per country). CSV files contain 2 columns: B number (called ID) in 1st column and A number (caller ID) in 2nd column.
var[columnIndex] (required) - names of variables to store data fields. Zero-based [columnIndex] identifies column.
receivefax Initiates RE-INVITE with T.38 fax SDP offer, receives T.38 fax to file.
recordcall Switches on/off recording for current SIP call or conference.
mode (optional, "rx", "tx", default "mix") - source of audio data for recording. "rx" - audio received from remote side, "tx" - audio transmitted to remote side, "mix" - mix of "rx" and "tx"
redirect Redirects incoming SIP call to new destination. Sends "302 Moved Temporarily" response with new contact.
<regexsearch value="ABCD 123 456 789"
headers (optional) - list of custom SIP headers to be included into the REGISTER request.
contactHeaderFormat (optional) - custom Contact header format. Example: "Eran%20Younger" <sip:[userId]@[localIp]:[localPort];transport=TLS;ob>;reg-id=1;+sip.instance="<urn:uuid:2c72cde9-c1d4-321d-8727-9bb0e165519f>"
sendSdp (optional, "true"/"false", default "true") - send SDP in the RE-INVITE packet. "false" is used to test case of SDP offer in "200 OK" and SDP answer in "ACK"
reject Rejects incoming SIP call before answering. Sends response with custom SIP status code.
qualityIsAscending (optional, "true"/"false") - indicates whether call quality increases or decreases with increasing of the indicator. Is used to calculate percentiles and list of worst quality calls.
column1var (required) - name of CallXML variable where to save result. If key was not found - an empty value is saved as result. If multiple values found for same key - random value is returned.
<requestdb command="exec SaveCallerId '$callerId;', 'Test', 'Test'"
connection="Data Source=(local);User ID=sa;Password=123456;Initial Catalog=DtmfTest;Asynchronous Processing=true"
<requestdb command="select InfoMessage from Table1 where PinCode = '$enteredNumber;'"
connection="Data Source=(local)\SQLEXPRESS;User ID=sa;Password=123;Initial Catalog=db1;Asynchronous Processing=true"
run Generates a new CallXML session. Copies all variables from current session to the new session. The "run" XML element should contain child XML elements to be executed by new session.
exitcode (optional) - name of variable to store exit code. Normal exit code is "0"
sendevent Sends external event to another (destination) session. Sets "eventsenderId" variable to the destination session. The external event should be handled with <on event="externalevent:[subType]"> handler or "waitforevent" element.
Does not return control untile fax operation is complete. If the fax operation fails, raises an "error" event, it could be handled in CallXML script.
transport (optional) - explicitly set SIP transport: "udp", "tcp" or "tls", default is "udp"
TEST PACKET WITH SPOOFED (FAKE) SOURCE IP ADDRESS!!!
NOT TO BE USED BY HACKERS!!!
FOR PENETRATION SIP TESTS ONLY!!!!!
wg67_pttType (optional) - PTT-type field, defined in INTEROPERABILITY STANDARDS FOR VOIP ATM COMPONENTS VOLUME 1: RADIO. If wg67_pttType is set to "rxptt", it gets PTT-type from received RTP stream, in other words it creates PTT-type RX-TX loopback connection. This loopback connection is used to measure round-trip RTP audio delay for ED-137 performance testing of air traffic management (ATM) VoIP networks.
setwebapiresult Passes key-value result to web API "CreateCall_Post"
value (required) - type and (optionally) subtype of event, separated by ":"
If value equals to "$ext(100);" - call is forwarded to a registered extension (UAS registration) with SIP ID = "100".
terminators (required if 'value' attribute is not set) - identifiers of terminators, separated by semicolons, used for Softswitch scripts. Terminators are configured via web interface. If 'terminators' is set to 'all', all available terminators are used; if set to 'routed' - the terminators are taken from settings of originator and routing group. If attribute 'dontProxyCallfailure' is set, CallXML flow goes to next element after "transfer" in case of call failure or unavailable terminators.
mode (optional, default is "bridged") - list of call transfer modes, separated by semicolon. If "terminators" attribute is set, default mode is taken from the terminator.
sendSdpInInitialInvite (optional, "true" or "false", default is "true") - specifies whether to send SDP in SIP INVITE message. If no SDP is sent in request, and if destination also does not send SDP in response, the SIP call will be established without RTP media.
codec (optional, "G711A"/"G711U"/"G723"/"G729", default is "any of supported") - RTP media codec (SDP media stream payload type) to be used for the SIP call.
simulateFasAfterConnection (optional, "true" or "false", default is "false") - is used in combination with element "wait" after "transfer". When the attribute is set, the "transfer" continues to next CallXML element after successful call. In this way you can simulate FAS / extra billing after connection. The attribute must be used for testing purposes only, not for live traffic to generate fraud.
verifyaudio Verifies RTP audio stream of current SIP call, compares it with one or many reference audio files. Identifies matched reference file along with either a confidence score, or audio quality measurement (PESQ MOS). Also, measures the delay between the start of audio verification and the occurrence of the matched audio file.
For offline mode: records audio signal into memory during "maxtime" regardless of reference file length. After that, passes the recording to audio verification threads and returns control after verification.
For real-time mode: verifies audio immediately, returns control when "waitConfidenceThreshold" is exceeded or when timeout is expired.
The known ("reference") audio fragment could be located in middle of a longer IVR prompt.
reference (required) - absolute or relative reference audio file names or URLs, separated by ";"
waitConfidenceThreshold (optional, 1-100) - Setting this value enables real-time audio verification. To enable real-time audio verification set this value to a number between 1 and 100. In real-time audio verification mode, the audio stream is verified for a match to any portion of the audio file (or files) specified in by the "reference" parameter. As soon as a partial match is made, the "maxtime" timer is cancelled. The audio stream continues to be monitored until either the confidence reaches the specified value, or for number of seconds equal to the longest reference audio file has occurred, whichever comes first. In the real-time mode audio verification is performed by media threads. It is recommended to set setting "MediaThreadsCount" greater than 64. The real-time mode works for G.711 codec only. By default, the algorithm searches for matches by testing delays equal to multiples of RTP frame duration (N*10ms), in this way saving CPU time. If there are partial-frame delays in your environment (e.g. if voice goes over non-RTP channels like TDM), set setting "EnablePartialFrameOffsetInRealtimeAudioVerifier" to "1"
ravParameters (optional, default is "mode=exact") - only for real-time audio verification mode, configures mode of real-time audio verification: "mode=fuzzy" or "mode=exact"
debugRecordingThreshold (optional, 0-100) - for real-time audio verification: "verifyaudio" saves debug recordings of observed audio, if confidence is less than the "debugRecordingThreshold". Recorded file names are built from settings "DebugMediaPath" and "DebugMediaFileNamePattern"
mosvar (optional) - name of variable to store PESQ MOS. If "mosvar" attribute exists, PESQ algorithm is used to calculate MOS. If recorded duration and reference duration are not equal, minimum duration is selected for PESQ.
Note: If waitConfidenceThreshold is specified, this value has no effect.
recognizedreferencevar (optional) - name of variable to store matched reference audio file. If more than one file is passed in the reference value, the file with the highest match is returned.
probability (optional) - probability of audio verification being executed. Is used to verify audio for only part of calls, in this way reducing CPU load. Valid range is a decimal value from 0-1.
var (optional) - name of variable to store measured delay in milliseconds. If the "maxtime" timeout expires, it receives a value of "maxtime"
minTimeBelowLevel (optional, default is "500ms") - minimal duration of audio below the "level" before exiting the "waitforsilence"
signaldelayvar (optional) - name of variable to store measured delay in milliseconds. If the "maxtime" timeout expires, it receives a value of "maxtime"
minTimeAboveLevel (optional, default is "0ms") - minimal duration of exceeding the "level" before exiting the "waitforsignal"
If you use CDR CSV files, and if your code contains conditional branches (i.e. "writecdr" is not always executed), you should put a "writecdr" with empty value in the beginning of your script, so it will be always executed.
enabled ("true"/"false", default "true") - is used to turn off a CallXML element.
Attributes in script may contain substitutions. A substitution starts with '$' and ends with ';'. It is replaced in runtime with another string depending on type of substitution.
label - is used to identify the destination CallXML element in "goto" | 2019-04-20T16:35:49Z | https://startrinity.com/VoIP/CallXml/CallXmlDocumentation.aspx |
Harald Gaptooth would eventually be grateful for having known nothing of what was to happen that night in Lanark town, but even as he began to recover from his injuries he was aware that his own laziness and ignorance had saved his life. He knew, too, that had his friend Bernard of Boothby not been sergeant of the guard that night, he would have been flogged for reporting drunk for duty and being openly mutinous. But he had had no slightest idea, before the world went mad, that anything significant was about to occur; no suspicion that the scene he was witnessing would be seared into his eyes so that he would see it over and over again in the years to come whenever someone mentioned certain things or named certain names. Gaptooth knew none of that. Looking back on the events afterwards, all he would recall was his anger that night, unusual this time because it had a focus, as opposed to the dull, constantly burning anger that consumed him at other times.
He had been angry about being stuck on guard duty when he ought to have been out carousing somewhere on a well-earned leave, safe by a tavern fire on a night that was cold enough for the dead of winter when it ought to have been bright and balmy with the breath of spring. No one had expected snow so late in May. And no one was ready for it, after two months of sunshine and soft weather. Daffodils and crocuses had been blooming for weeks, many of them withered and gone already, and new leaves were bursting their buds on trees everywhere.
And then God, with a malice that denied all logic, had decreed not only that it should snow but that the temperature should plunge within hours and the snow should be blown everywhere by shrieking winds that cut a man to the bone, chilling the marrow at the centre of him.
His commander, the sheriff Hazelrig, a strutting, pride-filled cockerel, had gone off somewhere four days earlier and had not returned by the time the start of Gaptooth’s promised furlough came around two days later. That meant that Gaptooth’s release had been delayed—that was how Bernard of Boothby, the sergeant, had put it—until the sheriff’s reappearance, because the hot-headed fool had taken almost the entire garrison with him and Lanark town was now seriously undermanned at a time when reports of local rebellions and unrest were coming in daily. Two more days had passed since then with no word from Hazelrig, and the sheriff’s acting lieutenant, Sir Roger de Vries, was visibly worried.
Then, the night before, a fitful wind had sprung up, blowing out of the northwest, and by dawn a heavy, blustering snowstorm had changed the world. By sunrise, visibility had shrunk to less than a longbow shot, and the sight of snow-shrouded, impenetrable masses of trees looming just beyond the town walls was giving rise to thoughts of being attacked while most of the garrison was absent. De Vries had issued orders that all watches were to be double-manned and changed to a four-hours-on, four-off frequency, replacing the standard six-and-six format. No one was permitted to go outside the gates for any reason, and all leave was cancelled until such time as the sheriff returned and garrison life was restored to normal.
Even before word of these new restrictions was passed, Gaptooth’s anger had begun to bubble sufficiently to send him to the nearest alehouse. He set about drinking determinedly as soon as he got there, before noon, and by the time his shift came around, four hours later, he was thoroughly soused, barely able to walk back to his barracks. His friend Bernard, the sergeant of the guard that afternoon, snatched him by the arm as soon as he set eyes on him and dragged him quickly into the lee of a storehouse and out of sight. There he threatened him with hellfire and damnation for being drunk on duty and reminded him of the penalty for being found unfit for guard duty in times of emergency. He sent Harald off with a flea in his ear and a dire warning to wash himself and be sober by the time he showed his face on the parapet walk, lest he find himself arrested and thrown into the cells, where he would, beyond a doubt, be hanged once things returned to normal. De Vries was rattled, Bernard said, probably afraid and certainly unsure of himself, and he would not think twice about reinforcing his authority at the expense of anyone who crossed him.
And so Harald Gaptooth washed his face and head in icy water from a barrel outside the latrines, cursing the weather all the time and shivering like a man with ague as he scrubbed at his cropped, wet hair with a rough towel. Then, wrapped in a heavy sheepskin coat, and with a long muffler made of joined strips of the same fleece wrapped several times around his neck and lower face, he presented himself for guard duty on the tower walk above the castle’s main gate.
Sergeant Bernard eyed him with surly hostility but made no reference to what his friend was wearing. He himself wore a heavy, ankle-length cloak of wax-smeared wool that was completely waterproof. Gaptooth had once owned its twin, but he had long since sold it for money with which to drink, whore, and gamble.
Gaptooth cursed his friend, because the bridgewalk was the most public guard post in the garrison, exposed at all times to watching eyes, so the sentries up there never had the slightest chance of slacking off for a few quiet minutes. They were on parade constantly, even in the dead of night, trudging incessantly between the man-thick end posts of the great gallows that towered above them, their every move illuminated by the beacons that blazed on either end of the bridge over the town gates that gave the post its name. That night, Gaptooth knew he would be glad of the beacons’ heat once they were lit, but two hours of daylight yet remained. All he could do in the meantime was brace himself and keep moving, hoping that the constant pacing back and forth would keep the blood flowing through his veins and stave off frostbite.
There were no bodies hanging from the gallows that day, and Gaptooth was grateful, for even though the chill of the snowy air would have killed any smell of death, Harald, like all his garrison mates, had deep-dyed memories of pacing the bridgewalk beneath a frieze of ripe and rotting corpses in the heat of summer days, and he felt his belly tightening even at the passing thought of it. He had cared nothing, ever, for the people hanged there. They were all Scotch, and merited being hanged for that alone, but he bitterly resented the summer-rotted stench of them, and resented, too, that he and his companions were forced to do duty directly beneath their decaying hulks, breathing in the filth of their stink and walking through the swarms of flies they attracted. Yet where better to place a gallows than directly above the town’s main gates, where everyone coming and going would see the dangling bodies and reflect upon the folly of incurring the wrath of English justice? It made perfect sense. Still, every garrison trooper who had ever spent a summer guard watch parading beneath the stinking carrion detested the bridgewalk and the duty of manning it.
The wind grew stronger towards the end of his watch, shrieking with malice and increasing the noise of the two great beacon fires to a deafening roar. He tightened his fleece coat about him and rewrapped his thick muffler more snugly around his neck before marching over to the right side of his post, to stand as close as he could get to the fire in the great brazier, bracing his back against the pillar of the gallows, his spear cradled in the crook of his elbow as he clapped his hands and stamped his near-frozen feet. When he looked up again, his vision distorted by the dazzling firelight, he saw the shapes of Bernard and someone else coming towards him from the far end of the bridge, moving eerily through the whirling snow until they walked into the light from the hissing brazier on that side. They had already seen him marching, knew he was awake and alert at his post, and he felt a surge of gratitude that the wind had roused him when it had, for the man walking alongside Bernard of Boothby was Sir Roger de Vries himself. Harald drew himself fully upright, taking a firm grip on his spear shaft and squaring his shoulders, stooping forward slightly to increase the few inches of distance between his shoulder blades and the pillar at his back. He didn’t think de Vries would accuse him of lounging, but he had long since stopped being surprised by the behaviour of any knight.
But the newcomers did manage to surprise him, albeit without intending to. Just as he raised a hand to address the guardsman, Bernard of Boothby leapt silently into the air and spun away to Harald’s left, a short, twisting convulsion that sent him over the edge of the parapet and down to the cobbles beneath. A moment later something blasted the spear out of Harald’s hand and hurled him backwards into darkness.
When he opened his eyes again Sir Roger de Vries was kneeling on the causeway in front of him, looking up at him from no more than ten paces away, and Harald felt a panic-stricken urge to laugh and look away from the sight of a knight kneeling to him. Then sanity returned and his stomach heaved, for he had no wish to see what he was seeing. Although everything in front of him was blurred by swirling snow and flickering firelight from the braziers, and his eyes felt strange, he had no doubt that de Vries was dying there, on his knees on the bridge, gaping up at Harald with his mouth dripping blood down over his curled beard and onto the rich fabric of his winter cloak, reflecting red and black flickers from the brazier flames. And then as Harald watched, appalled, the knight pitched slowly forward to reveal two long, lethal arrows in his back—unmistakably yard-long broadheads from an English longbow—and Harald felt fear claw suddenly at his bowels. The word treason stamped itself into his mind and he turned to spring away to safety and raise the alarm. Except that he did neither, for he could not move.
Fear flared up in him like the beacon at his back. Gasping in panic, he felt his gorge rise in a surge of nausea. He fought it down and forced himself to remain still, keeping his eyes closed and breathing as deeply as he could. He counted to ten, willing his breath to slow towards normal, then did it again, and felt calmer. By the end of his fourth count of ten, he permitted himself to open his eyes.
The knight De Vries lay face down on the bridge in front of him, clearly dead and already dusted with a coating of snow that appeared black around the base of the two arrows. Apart from the swirling snow, nothing else moved anywhere within sight—and it was then that Gaptooth realized his sight was limited. Something was hampering him, stopping him from moving; now he felt pain and an intense pressure beneath his chin. Fighting off another flare of terror, he willed himself to stay calm, and then he peered downward.
It took him several moments to understand what he was looking at, but then he recognized the finger-thick shaft of another English broadhead. It was lodged hard beneath his chin, tilting his head up and backwards and pressing his skull hard against the curving surface of the gallows frame at his back. He could see along the entire length of the angled shaft to the fletching and the deep bowstring notch at the end. He tried turning his head to the right, to pull his chin clear of the arrow’s shaft, and an explosion of agony seared the entire left side of his head. He remembered the massive blow that had thrown him back. It had hit his spear! The damn thing must have glanced off and angled upward to pierce his throat, and he marvelled that he was still alive. A moment later, though, he knew he must be wrong. He could not have lived had the arrow really pierced his throat. Gaptooth was familiar with broadhead war arrows and their wide, triple-barbed, razor-sharp edges, and so he knew that if the warhead had struck him, he would not be capable of moving at all. He would already have bled to death. The lethal arrowhead had missed his throat, and he realized that it had penetrated the thick strips of fleece wound about his neck, piercing them firmly enough to nail him to the gallows post at his back. The pain told him an edge of the broadhead had cut him, somewhere along the jawline, but he felt no strength draining from him and so a clear-thinking part of him recognized that the wound must be a minor one.
And then he heard sounds close by him and he froze just as two men ran by, stooping low and ignoring him completely as they went to examine the snow-covered body of de Vries. One of them pulled the two arrows from the dead man’s back, using the full thrust of his thighs to rip them free, then gripped the corpse by the shoulder and heaved it over onto its back. Then he turned and looked over his shoulder. The fellow’s eyes swept Gaptooth up and down before he turned back to his companion.
As soon as the man spoke, Gaptooth became aware of the clamour of voices from the street below the gateway tower, voices he had not noticed until that moment. He narrowed his eyes slowly until they were mere slits and watched as the second man went obediently to the side of the ramp and raised his voice in a shout.
“Will! Up here on top o’ the gate,” he shouted with a sweep of his arm. “It’s me, Scrymgeour. There’s a dead knight up here might be the one you’re lookin’ for.” As he moved back to where his companion still knelt over the body of Sir Roger de Vries, he jerked his thumb towards Gaptooth. “Was it you shot that one?” he asked.
Harald Gaptooth found himself marvelling at the ways of God. The trick now, he knew, was to keep these men thinking he was dead, and that meant making no movement that might be seen by anyone. Luckily, he knew now how to achieve that, for the Scot had told him how he looked: pinned at the neck to the gallows post by a single hard-shot arrow that was supporting his entire weight, his head and body twisted sideways in different directions and one leg thrown over the other. He inhaled slowly, with great care, and willed himself to remain motionless, his unfocused eyes gazing into the blowing snow beyond the stone parapet.
The Will fellow, clearly their leader, was now standing between his two men, all three of them gazing down at the corpse at their feet. Seeing that they were ignoring him, Harald dared to open his eyes completely and take careful note of the newcomer. The fellow wore a rough tunic, belted at the waist and covered with a thick woollen shawl that was pinned at his shoulder, and his long, sturdy-looking legs were encased in trews of heavy cloth, their lower ends wrapped in the leather cross-bindings of heavy, thick-soled boots with iron-studded soles that left clear imprints in the snow. He was tall and bearded, with an enormous breadth of shoulder and depth of chest coupled with long, heavily muscled arms that would have marked him unmistakably as an archer, had he been English. But he was not English, and clearly he was no archer, for he was carrying a huge sword, the longest sword that Harald Gaptooth had ever seen. He had been holding it reversed at his side as he approached, the elongated hilt pointing downward, the tapered blade stretching upward over his right breast, but now he leaned on it as he looked down at the dead man, his elbow hooked over the weapon’s wide, down-curving cross-guard.
“Ye’re sure he’s a knight?” The question was an idle one, Gaptooth knew, for the tone of the man’s voice indicated that his thoughts were elsewhere.
The leader turned his back on the dead knight and looked around him, and Gaptooth quickly closed his eyes, not daring to breathe, but the other had no interest in him, for a moment later he spoke again, his voice coming this time from the far end of the bridgewalk parapet. Harald opened one eye with great care and saw the fellow standing there looking down, then turning back to gaze up at the crossbeam of the great gallows overhead. He stood there for a moment and then bent over the bridge, looking down into the street below.
“Aye, Will.” The response from below was immediate.
They all turned away and Gaptooth snatched a cautious breath that was suddenly full of the odour of smoke. The man Scrymgeour cocked his head.
There followed a brief period wherein the wind sprang up with renewed ferocity, forcing Harald to concentrate hard on not shivering and betraying himself. Scrymgeour and his companion worked hard in the meantime, finding and raising a long ladder to rest against the gallows crossbar and separating heavy coils of rope while their leader stood silent, lost in his own thoughts and seemingly oblivious to the wind. Then a small knot of well-dressed, unarmed men appeared from Harald’s right, eyeing him nervously as they shuffled by him. The man called Will saw them but made no move to acknowledge them until one of them raised a hand timorously to attract his attention.
The leader drew himself to his full height and frowned as he closed his fingers tightly on the cross-hilt of his sword so that his knuckles showed white against the darkness of his skin. He looked the speaker up and down, then scanned the small group with him before glancing at Scrymgeour and his companion, who had stopped working and now stood watching. He glared at them until they registered his look and turned away to busy themselves again.
He spun on his heel and stalked away, leaving the delegation of townsfolk to make their own way back whence they had come, and Scrymgeour and the other man were soon joined by a large group carrying the bodies of the seven dead Englishmen from below. By the time the beacons were replenished by the raiders, sometime close to midnight, eight corpses swung from the bar above the gates in the freezing wind, and Harald Gaptooth, ignored and untouched, had come to believe that he would, in fact, die there, nailed to the gallows post. But though he was stiff and sore and bruised and chilled to the bone, he was close enough to the beacon brazier for its heat to keep him alive.
By dawn the storm had passed. The snow had stopped, the screams of maimed and wounded men had been silenced, and as far as Gaptooth could tell from where he was, the flames of the burning houses were dying down. Drifting in and out of awareness as he was, though, he could not have said afterwards when it was that he became aware that the Scots raiders had moved on. There came a time when he noticed that he appeared to be alone on the bridgewalk. The creak of ropes above his head told him the English bodies hung up there still, twisting in the little wind that remained, but he could see or hear nothing to indicate that any other living being shared the walk with him, and as the sun began to crest above the trees in the distance beyond the gates he finally dared to rouse himself.
He straightened his legs and pushed the small of his back against the gallows post, and then, braced for the first time in hours, he raised his right hand and grasped the arrow that had saved his life and pushed it sharply up and away from him. The shaft snapped, his bracing leg gave way, and as he fell, the fleece wrappings slid free, spilling him to the ground with fresh, warm blood gushing down from his neck and into his clothing. He landed hard and heard himself cry out at the agony that seared his left side from neck to ankle and he knew that something in him was broken. But he was alive, and for a while he writhed on the snow-covered bridgewalk, trying without success to move his left arm and shoulder. Then, weary and chilled and sweating with pain despite the cold, he managed to crawl, on his right side, as far as the centre of the bridgewalk before he lost consciousness.
He was found there by the first searchers from the town, and for the rest of his life he would tell anyone who would listen how he witnessed the fury of the outlawed felon William Wallace on the night the Scotch Ogre had first raised his head to ravage Lanark town after killing its sheriff and slaughtering its garrison. | 2019-04-22T00:39:13Z | http://www.jackwhyte.com/the-guardians-series-introduction/an-introduction-to-the-guardian/the-guardian-sample/ |
Best Trolling Reels Review For 2019 | Should You buy this?
Uncertainty and risk are not always fun. Sometimes fun comes with the calm. You might want fewer challenges when you get away from the challenges of your work. Inshore fishing is something that offers you just the required amount of challenge to keep you entertained and busy yet relaxed. You might it find it fun to wait for your prey to come to you and easily catching it without as much aggression as you would have to in offshore. While you will have to different rods to do each kind of fishing, you will also need different kinds of reels for each. It’s like choosing the engine to operate cars of various sizes.
When you are looking for the best inshore spinning reel for fishing, you do not need the powerful ones needed for offshore fishing. Again, less power does not mean no power. You should, in fact, choose a reel with specifications to meet your inshore fishing demands. You can already guess that choosing a reel is not an easy task. Apparently, you will be able to buy the best inshore spinning reel for yourself only when you go the extra mile to know everything you need to know and consider reels accordingly. Our buyer's guide will provide you with a list of things to keep in mind and our reviews will provide you with a list of reels to keep in mind while reel shopping.
No one who fishes with a reel wants to give extra effort to bring the prey in. Apparently, no one should and the Sougayilang does not force anyone to. If you are looking for a reel that will provide you with the smoothest actions while casting then this is the one unless you get a faulty one. Inshore fishing requires your reel to not just be smooth but also durable as it has to handle the rough obstacles often. Apparently, the S-curve oscillation system takes the credit for efficient and fast winding. Moreover, you do not just cast smoothly but do it quite fast as well. Because the gear ratio of this reel is 5.2:1. You can, in fact, fully adjust the cast control as well.
The reel has an ultra-thin streamline designed body with a carbon drag system which makes it very smooth yet strong. Apparently, the spool is made of aluminum and it can cast really long lines. The drag knob is also very durable while being anti-water and anti-dust. In fact, this reel is quite suitable for saltwater fishing thanks to its high-quality builds. You won’t have to sacrifice your control either. In fact, you can use both your hands alternately to operate the reel for longer hours as it lets you. The handle adds a traditional touch to the reel as it made of wood. Furthermore, you can store it easily by just collapsing the. The main issues customers faced with this reel were malfunction or flaw but the reel itself has really durable parts holding it up.
The good quality build of aluminum.
The handle is both for left and right-handed.
Great value for the price.
Internal smaller parts are of high-quality and durable.
Most people complained that the handle is not very durable or is not attached well as it often falls while in use.
A few complained that it is squeaky.
If you are the kind whose day brightens up when you get a bonus or something extra with what you buy, this reel might make your week. Well, almost everyone is like that so this reel is good for everyone for that reason as it comes with a spare spool which is as good as the ones you would have to buy. Apart from that, the Blisswill reel is as smooth as the first one we mentioned. It has a front drag which has been upgraded to a sealed system that helps to make it function smoothly. Furthermore, with high-speed rotating bearings at work inside it, the reel delivers results to you very fast. It apparently has a super efficient sliding bearing system with a one-way reaction system.
You do not have to worry about tangled lines or them tearing either. Because, with a smart high-tech design, this reel keeps the lines fatigue and tangle-free. Furthermore, it has an aircraft-grade aluminum honeycomb design spool which is durable. The other parts that make it are also of high quality and corrosion resistant which makes it a great option for fishing within saltwater as well. You can fish species weighing up to 25 kg as the reel can take this weight on easily. Furthermore, you will feel comfortable as you can exchange your left and right hand on the handle which is comfortable in itself. This lightweight yet efficient reel provides you great value for the money and is also very comfortable to use.
Comes with a spare ABS spool.
Aircraft grade aluminum spool builds that is both functional and durable.
Good for both saltwater and freshwater.
Prevents the lines from twisting or any other kind of harm.
Comfortable to use with the EVA knob and right and left-hand exchange-ability.
Great buy for the price.
The open end on the aluminum spool makes it lightweight but makes it more vulnerable to dust attacks.
The handle sometimes hits the bail.
It’s only saltwater that you have to fish in and you are worried about how much maintenance your reel will require after each session, aren’t you? Well, Entsport takes away your worries with it's low-maintenance yet high-performing inshore reel. Apparently, the reel has a high-strength nylon build which not only increases its strength but makes it more durable. Furthermore, you can cast long lines with this machine as the CNC machined aluminum has a large line capacity and also great strength. The drag system also enables you to bring in big fish putting up a great winning fight. You will find handling and fishing with this reel very smooth as it has eight stainless steel ball bearings among which one is a super stopper anti-reverse roller.
In fact, all these might make you think that the reel is going to be so heavy! But, it’s the exact opposite. This reel is apparently very light yet very strong. You will be able to catch fishes with weights ranging from 4.5 to 10lb without trouble. Apparently, this reel comes in various sizes so you can select the one that fits the species you are targeting. It’s not just the lightweight that makes your experience more comfortable but also the soft PVC foam grip. You can also swap between your two hands when holding this reel. So, spend hours with this reel and don’t feel a thing other than excitement.
Smooth action and reliable drag system.
Eight ball bearings with super stopper anti-reverse roller.
Heavier lines might not be suitable for the spool.
A few customers found it too big or small for them.
Are you reluctant to fish the big species due to lack of faith in your reels and rod? Do you think your reel won’t be strong enough to handle the big fishes? Then, you are looking in the right place to help yourself. The One Bass reel is renowned for its ability to deal with big fishes and bring them home. Apparently, it has such a quality build that you will keep touching it to be sure that it’s that strong. In fact, it has a CNC machined aluminum spool which works well and is super lightweight. Then, you get the anti-corrosion superior drag system that helps you stop instantly without issues. Moreover, it comes with a rigid carbon-fiber rotor that is also lightweight and highly efficient. Finally, all these toppers are guided by the 12 ball bearings that make them perform smoothly.
Apparently, the reel has a magnesium frame which keeps it durable and also lightweight. You will be able to cast long lines with this reel and also be carefree as it won’t let the lines tangle or slip. If you think fighting with the big fishes will take away your comfort, you are wrong. You will, in fact, be able to fight comfortably thanks to the oversized ergonomic EVA handle knob. However, you have to choose the sizes (1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000) carefully based on your needs or else you will be disappointed.
A very strong and capable reel.
Performs smooth with its various high-quality parts.
Durable, lightweight and strong overall builds.
Good line and weight capacity.
The number of sizes you can choose from.
Comfortable with an ergonomic handle.
Issues with the handle might occur.
Difficult to choose and get exactly what you need from the various sizes.
The bail hinge might fall apart.
Are you bored with the speed that most reels offer? Here is a good deal for you that will offer you the speed you need while you do not have to break your bank to get it. The Deukio reel has a gear rating of 7.1:1 while most fishing reels come with a 5.2:1 ratio. Now, what does that do? That speeds you up! You might expect there to be other shortcomings with the higher speed but there is barely any. Apparently, you might even get a smoother performance than you expect. This reel features six bearings that are placed effectively and thus smooth up your path. However, you cannot attach lines that are too long or too heavy on this reel. One reason is it won’t be capable to take it on and another is that the line will probably break or get tangled.
Now, if you are alright with that, that being fishing more in the bail casting style, then you can consider this reel. Apparently, the rotor is ultralight and u-shaped for keeping it all balanced. The metal shallow spool is sealed and fat so you can expect it to fasten things up. With the anti-corrosion body of the reel, you can expect it to last long with low maintenance. However, if you want to use it in saltwater, you have to take care of its well after each session. You can spend hours catching big fish without any fatigue thanks to the comfortable EVA grip handle this reel features. If speed and big are your keywords in this search for reels, the Deukio is up for you.
The high gear ratio of 7.1:1 makes it perform really fast.
Perfectly placed bearings make it perform smooth.
Similar to bail casting style of fishing.
Suitable for both fresh and saltwater.
Great value for the price.
Is the portability of your reel of importance to you? If it is, no reel can satisfy you as much as this one. Apparently, you can fold the reel handle easily by just pressing a certain button. Then, you can carry it and store it anywhere easily. However, it’s not just the portability that’s a wow factor; in this case, a lot of other things are too. With a gear ratio of 5.5:1, this reel offers you a moderate amount of speed for your fishing strolls. It does not stop there; you also have ten ball bearings with another roller bearing to thank for the smoothness you will be chilling with. Moreover, you do not have to worry about feeding the bail as it features an auto trip bait feeding system. Now, you might be concerned about the quality. But, it’s nothing to be concerned about here.
Apparently, you get an anodized aluminum spool so you do not have to worry about reactions. Furthermore, more or less all the parts are of high-quality and the bail wire is also stainless steel and corrosion resistant. You also get Multi-disk Japanese oiled felt drag washers and a drag with a Hydro Water Block Seal. Moreover, you do not have to worry about the line tangling either as it features an S-curve oscillation system. The machined aluminum handle knob will keep you comfortable as well.
Easy to fold with just the click of a button.
Great quality builds with aluminum and stainless steel.
Not capable of accommodating too long, thick or heavy lines.
The bail trip mechanism may not be efficient.
If tolerating broken lines is a big issue for you then the Abu Garcia Revo should be your go-to reel. Because it will provide you with the least number of broken lines in its lifetime. Another highlight of this reel is its high gear rating. Like Deukio reel, this reel also has a rating of 7.1:1 which makes it super high-speed. Therefore, you will be able to spread long casts without any worry of line breakage and also retrieve the line fast. Furthermore, this reel is famous for its great drag system. The Carbon Matrix drag system in it keeps it under consistent pressure to keep it going smoothly. Furthermore, the smooth performance is enhanced by the six ball bearings that come instilled in this reel. You also get a roller bearing to deal with threats when a fish fights bag too aggressively.
The quality and build of this reel will not disappoint you either. Apparently, it has an alloy frame with corrosion resistance which makes it suitable for both fresh and saltwater fishing. Furthermore, it has a compact and sturdy design while it feels really light in your hands. You can expect both performance and comfort from this reel. However, one drawback is its price. While it has great features and quality, many better reels are available at the same price range. So, it’s up to you if you like the combination of pros and cons that this reel offers for the price.
Smooth performance and retrieve due to six ball bearings.
Quality material that is corrosion-resistant.
Features a few sharp edges probably as a style which might make it uncomfortable to hold.
Not the best value for the price.
The bail may create issues.
If other materials than metal make you insecure about the quality of the reel, here is a reel that is made completely of metal parts for you. Yes, Each and every part of this reel is apparently, metal. You have the aluminum body, the aluminum die-castings, and even the spool is anodized aluminum! So, you do not have to worry about the parts falling apart. Moreover, they do not leave the line alone either. The line is coated with titanium-nitride and has an anti-twist system. Apparently, the line is twisted throughout to avoid tangles. The drag system is another part that will amaze you with its smoothness, strength, and efficiency. It is made of carbon fiber and nothing else would have been so perfect for it. With a gear ratio of 5.2:1, it will provide you with just enough speed for every fight.
The reel has 10+1 bearing that keeps it moving smoothly and you in peace. You will get different mono and braid line capacity to choose from and you will be satisfied with it. The techno-balanced rotor will ease up all the process for you as well. With all these features and the metal body, you would expect it to weight a ton but it does not. In fact, it weighs only 6.8 oz. Furthermore, you will feel comfortable as you will have some flexibility of shifting between your two hands on the reel.
All metal durable and strong builds.
Twisted anti-tangle line system coated with titanium nitride.
Moderate gear ratio offering moderate speed.
Good for both saltwater and freshwater.
Smooth and efficient drag system.
The smaller sizes may prove to be too small.
No matter how hard you will occasionally come across the adjectives- cheap, heavy-duty, and comfortable together at one place. And, this is such a case. If you want to enjoy everything there is to the fishing world with a reel at its best, this is a great reel for you at a low price. In fact, it is a size bigger than the previous model we reviewed. With the bigger size, you can expect to deal with harder resistance from bigger fishes well. The aluminum body with aluminum dies castings and a stainless steel shaft will keep you going smoothly for quite a long time without trouble. Moreover, the techno-balanced rotor will also make things not just smoother but stronger for you.
You do not even have to worry about the line tangling as they are already twisted throughout to avoid further twisting yay. The gear ratio of 5.2:1 also provides a decent speed. You will get maximum efficiency from the PTFE carbon drag system thanks to its consistency. If you are worried about comfort, don’t worry. Because the handle will accept both your hands so you can save yourself from fatigue over and over again. You can attach monolines of 170/4 or 135/5 and braid lines of 160/25 or 130/30. Lastly, with all these features and quality materials, the reel does not weigh a ton but 6.8 oz.
Handles bigger species really well.
Sturdy, good-quality build that makes the reel of high-quality.
Comfortable to use as the handle can be used by both hands.
Apparently, it might feel too light.
Do you love innovation and to try them out? The Zebco Smoke S3 will offer you a whole new design that does not have two separate parts but one main part that works harbors everything. Apparently, this enhances a reel’s ability to perform consistently, smoothly and be more durable. You get an asymmetric body of high-strength aluminum with a one-piece aluminum frame. The carbon fiber-ceramic- carbon drag system has only earned praises for its efficiency everywhere. You get 11+1 bearing with a continuous anti-reverse clutch that keeps you going smoothly. Furthermore, with a gear ratio of 6.0:1, you can go for aggressive currents without any worries thanks to the speed it will have.
It also has a super-smooth oscillation system and a good line management system as well. You get the braid capacity of 220/20 and mono capacity of 150/10 which are fairly decent limits. As the bearing is anti-corrosion as well, you do not have to think twice before going into saltwater. Furthermore, the reel has a handle that you can use with both the left and right hand. So, it is quite comfortable for long sessions of fishing. While the design and everything else is top-notch, the reel still costs a bit too much compared to what others offer at the same price.
Innovative, smart and unique design.
Fewer chances of different parts malfunctioning as they are linked to one.
Good speed with a high gear ratio.
11+1 bearings make it quite smooth.
High-quality materials used in the builds that makes it very durable.
If you skip learning and knowing more about the various types of reels with different specifications, you will just lose a game that you never even tried to win, so, it’s on you. Our buying guides on best inshore spinning reel help to a newbie to take a right decision for purchasing an inshore fishing reel.
1. What Species Do You Usually Catch And Where Do You Fish?
Does not matter if you are looking for a rod or a reel, this is something you must determine for any kind of shopping-related to fishing. You have to consider this even when you buy a basket to hold your fish. By species, we actually mean the size of the fishes you will be catching. With bigger species, you definitely need more powerful reels and with smaller species, moderate reels.
Since you are looking for an inshore reel, you probably fish in water with the highest depth of thirty meters. Another consideration is, however, the kind of water you are fishing in. Is it saltwater or fresh? Determine all these factors and then consider the reel features so that you can tackle each of these considerations with the highest score.
2. How Much Should Your Budget Be?
When it comes to reel shopping, it is best to determine your budget first. In order to determine your budget, it is important that you consider your skill level and also your goals. With higher skills and goals, your budget demands to be high as well. Because a beginner level reel won’t satisfy your needs well. On the other hand, if you are a beginner, you should not spend too much as you can damage a too expensive reel with by mishandling. Furthermore, you do not even know if you will continue fishing. However, make sure your budget is not too low as a reel of such low-quality will force you to give up fishing with its performance. It is suggested you buy a reel at around 120 dollars.
3. What Should Be The Material Of The Reel?
You will usually come across reels made either of graphite or aluminum. Now, which should you choose? If you are looking for lightweight reels which are resistant to corrosion than graphite is the one. You will find it really useful for saltwater fishing as it won’t corrode easily. However, the power and durability of the reel are something you need to compromise in this case. Similarly, if you want durability and strength from the reels, aluminum is what you should consider. However, as aluminum is a metal it is not naturally corrosion-resistant. So, you have to look for aluminum reels that have some kind of coating of bronze or have an anodized finish.
But, these are more expensive and heavier than graphite ones. So, depending on your budget and the type of water you fish in, also the required power of the reel, the decision about the material is made.
4. High Or Low Gear Ratio?
Do you want your catch to be in your hand immediately after it responds or do you want to slowly but certainly bring it to yourself? Depending on the answer to this question, you have to choose between a high gear ratio and a low one. Apparently, high gear ratio allows you to bring your prey in faster. This reduces the chances of it escaping when it struggles. Most people usually opt for the higher gear ratio because why not. However, the low gear ratio is also useful when your prey is extra strong and puts up a good fight. Because low gear ratio gives you more power while compromising speed. Even if you lose against your target, you will lose like a hero after putting up a good strong but slow fight with a low gear ratio.
However, you get the options to switch between the two gear ratios in some of the reels. If you cannot decide between the two, it’s best if you look for one that provides both.
5. Do You Want Higher Bearing Count Or Lower?
You might prefer bringing in your prey slowly but you will never in eternity prefer being stuck mid-way. What will help you to avoid such situations is a high bearing count. The bearing is basically ball-like things keeping your reel operating smoothly. The higher they are in number, the more smoothly your reel will rotate and perform. However, there is the higher chance of one malfunctioning when you have too many bearing balls. Therefore, opt for a higher bearing count but make sure they are of high quality or else you will suffer.
6. What Should The Overall Build And Material Combinations Be Like?
Apparently, lower costs come with lower weights. While you may feel comfortable holding the rod for hours, it won’t really be for years because it won’t be durable. The lower weight and price comes from cheap plastic pieces attached as various parts. However, not all plastic parts are of low-quality. Some parts function best when made with plastic.
The expensive reels will usually come with higher weights because of more durable materials used. Their powers will also be higher. Apparently, expensive reels often use metal alloys in their builds instead of just metals.
7. Which Drag System Do You Need?
If you are a beginner, it is best to choose the rear drag as it is easier to handle. However, if you are targeting big fishes, the front drag system will be the best option. While it is not easy to handle you can still learn it through practice as it will stay with you through challenging times. Apparently, the front drag system has the strength and technique to deal with the challenges that come with fishing big fishes better.
8. What Is The Weight And Length Of The Line The Reel Can Bear?
With longer lines come longer weights. If you need to cast long lines or short, make sure the reel’s line capacity allows it to bear the weight and length of the line you plan to attach to it. The line is spiraled on the reel so if it exceeds the reel’s length, it won’t function properly as it will get tangled. Again, if it exceeds the line weight limit, you won’t be able to balance it when you fish. Therefore, determine the length and weight of the line you need to use and check that the reel allows is compatible with it.
For inshore fishing, heavier lines are suggested as the lines have to deal with rough and rocky surfaces. So, it is best if you choose a reel with high line capacity.
9. What Kind Of Bail Do You Need?
Apparently, the line does not magically wrap around the spool of the reel, the bail does that for you. There are basically two mechanisms that bails work in. The one is the traditional method where you have to do everything quite manually, by opening the bail and then pushing a trigger to release the line. Another is the latest Quantum Hypercast Ultra that performs efficiently and accurately without even considering the bail position. So, less pressure on you provide greater performance. However, the second mechanism will definitely cost more and might propose more mechanical challenges.
Yes, apparently, it’s not only the handles that help make the rod comfortable. The reel does too. The main comfort issue related to reels is the ability to switch hands when using it. You won’t be fishing for seconds on water but staying for hours. It is natural to get tired when you continuously keep your hands in the same position. So, you can look for reels that allow you to use it by switching hands for added comfort.
What do you need for fishing? Not much really. Just a few buckets maybe and your fishing gear. When you have a reel with you, you can easily pack it up and escape to your escape in a matter of minutes. Seconds, if the lake or sea is nearby.
With traditional methods, there was a lot of manual labor involved like perfectly placing things and then using strength and strategy simultaneously to catch a fish. But, when a spinning reel is involved you get to relax a bit. Most often you just have to sit there and wait until a fish pecks. All you have to do next is guide the reel and rod to bring the fish in.
Since spinning reels do not have various parts to which you have to attend to manually, it is much easier to learn by using a spinning reel. Most often, people who are beginning and are more prone to give it up, start with a spinning reel and get stuck in the fishing world permanently.
With time you may have noticed that the more the humans advance the more stable and less physical they become. So, in order to earn that innovative smartness to show off a bit of a strategic game, it is necessary you reduce your physical input (which might prove to be too much of strain on your health) in this fishing field. And, spinning reels help you do that.
Spend a day in the water, trying to catch fish with your hands. Even if you touch some, I will be surprised if you bring any up. Spinning reels will help you retrieve fishes efficiently and fast. So, you will end up with more fishes than you expected in your basket.
When it comes to inshore fishing, your line has to face a number of obstacles that come with shallow waters. Like, the ground and the plants themselves, accompanied by rocks. In these cases, for the best durability and performance, you should buy an inshore reel that can deal with these obstacles with its strength.
Q. Is There Anything Extra To Be Taken Care Of For Fishing In Saltwater Inshore?
Answer: You do not exactly have to go too far when you care for your reel after a day in saltwater. Apparently, you just need to cleanse more frequently. Saltwater can harm your reel if it stays and dries up on your reel too many times. So, it is necessary that you do not let that happen. The extra care is basically that you have to clean and dry it after each use. It is best to clean with mild soapy water as that will take care of any other germ.
Remember those times when you ordered something online and were completely disappointed in what you received? Apparently, that does not just happen online. You could check the product with your hands and still be disappointed when you use it. Unless defects are involved, such cases most often arise when you do not know what to consider. In our buying guides section, we have discussed thoroughly different factors for purchasing the best inshore spinning reel.
Since you have to be dependent on fishing reels while fishing, the wrong one will inhibit your gains. Therefore, you have to check each specification out carefully and also check your requirements. Or else you will never end up with the best inshore spinning reel.
So, buy with your brain and a good experience will follow.
Best Trolling Reels Review For 2019 | Should You buy this?
FishingTask is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. | 2019-04-19T14:36:14Z | https://fishingtask.com/best-inshore-spinning-reel/ |
This and the following three letters are all addressed to one person rather than a church. Paul delegates authority to Timothy, his personal representative in Ephesus, effectively the minister or pastor of the church there. He instructs Timothy about life and ministry and about the organization, function, and edification of the church.
Timothy is encouraged to counter with sound doctrine any false teaching particularly in regards to the Mosaic Law, to develop Church leaders and encourage godly Christian living.
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“What about him?” asked Peter, referring to his close friend ‘the disciple that Jesus loved’, probably John, the writer of this gospel. His question will have been of but small interest when Peter asked it but had become of much greater significance over fifty years later when John had died or it became clear he could not live much longer. (That there was this interest behind the reported question suggests someone else was working with John on this chapter.) Several things Jesus had said had seemed to suggest that he would return before all the disciples had died. One of them is quoted here, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.” Earlier he had said in Mark 9: 1 “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” They had failed to realise that the Kingdom had come quietly when the King, Jesus, came and more openly at his death and resurrection. Unfortunately the idea is still around that we can work out when the kingdom will come in its full splendour even although Jesus warned that “about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Don’t be one of those misled by folk with more concern for their own apparent cleverness in working out the details of his return than their ability to hear what he actually said.
There is another important point to be learned from this passage. Jesus had just told Peter in verses 18, 19 “Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God.” That is a strong hint that Peter would die by crucifixion as Jesus had done, and as he in fact did about 30 years later. Peter wanted to know whether John would suffer the same fate. Whether that was from concern for his much younger friend or from a sense of wanting to protect him or from a hope that he would not share such a singular privilege (as Peter saw it) is not clear.
This is significant for us, as is the reply of Jesus. In all probability some few of those who read or hear this will live in a country where you are in danger of martyrdom because you hold to a faith that the majority do not agree with. Most of you will not be in such a dangerous situation but can expect to die a natural death when your days are done. For us of the second sort the interesting question is: will we be in some sense second class citizens of the kingdom to come behind those who have been martyred? The clear implication of the reply of Jesus in verse 23 “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you,” is ‘no’ I simply have something different for you to do.
I always feel a bit uncomfortable singing hymns like the one that says ‘All to Jesus I surrender … ‘ when I know perfectly well that I am surrounded by folk who have no real intention of surrendering anything if they can possibly help it, and I am not at all sure about myself either! It seems to me that the really important thing is when I receive a direct challenge from the Lord to do something - how do I respond? I do not have to concentrate on the big things in life that may never come my way, but how do I respond to the small things: what will I not do; what work promotion will I not seek; where will I actually go in the here and now; rather than some grand gesture.
What about you? Do you agree with that attitude? Or how else will you confront the challenges of life for the sake of your Lord and Master?
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We pray together and when Christians pray together, including across the internet and from different times, different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity!
May the name of Christ be praised, now and forever.
he sits enthroned between the cherubim, let the earth shake.
3 Let them praise your great and awesome name- he is holy.
in Jacob you have done what is just and right.
5 Exalt the LORD our God and worship at his footstool; he is holy.
they called on the LORD and he answered them.
they kept his statutes and the decrees he gave them.
a forgiving God, though you punished their misdeeds.
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
See how Jesus exhibited his loveliness to those two men, through an act of compassion and mercy. Jesus gave those two men great joy in receiving their sight and enabled them to overcome the rejection by the crowd. Those two men could testify that Jesus is altogether lovely and lovely altogether. Jesus is beyond compare for the things He has done and the things He will do.
Jesus Christ is altogether lovely in regard to his divinity, humanity, birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, ascension, exultation, glorification, grace, protection, tenderness, power, wisdom, vengeance, judgment, majesty, redemption and pardon. Jesus’ loveliness means I can have His incomparable inner joy when I feel defeated, dejected and discouraged. Jesus oozes loveliness.
As you go into this week, remember that when you are feeling defeated, dejected or discouraged, that Jesus joy is inside you. Joy is not necessarily loud and obtrusive but also quiet and peaceful. Allow that joy of Jesus to carry you through. Let His loveliness embrace you and allow Him control over your circumstances.
Father, we thank you for sending Jesus. We thank you Jesus that you are altogether lovely and lovely altogether. We thank you that you are with us when everybody else rejects, despises, defeats or discourages us.
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Timothy is struggling with his ministry in the face of bitter opposition, suffering and troubles. Paul writes this, his last letter, to encourage, and strengthen Timothy. He wants him to remind others that they are all to be diligent workers for the Lord.
Paul exhorts Timothy regarding the sure foundation of the Word of God, which serves as a means to gain wisdom and equipment for service. Paul also uses this letter to express his confidence at the end of his life of how glorious his future with the Lord will be.
The second point worth a study in this verse is: what is the special work that the importance of love is for? Jesus spoke of taking care of, and feeding lambs and sheep. The shepherd’s work of looking after sheep has two main components: making sure they have enough to eat by taking them to fresh pasture when the present one is cropped too short for them to get much nourishment from it, and making sure they are not attacked by either things too small to see, or by lions or by any of all the other things in between that can harm an animal. You will have noticed that I didn’t use any of John’s words in the title of this study but the word ‘discipling’.
That is, of course, the one that Matthew used in his great Commission statement. Discipling is basically teaching, but a bit more than just teaching in a classroom. A disciple is taught both by classroom type instruction and by close observation of the behaviour and manner of the discipler. The process will continue even when the discipler is not physically present – from the Word of God. Even the straightforward teaching bit is not easy - as I know too well having spent nearly all my work life as a teacher of one sort or another. It always seems to me that in church we make it more difficult that it naturally is by our habit of putting everyone in rows to listen and then elevating someone to a higher position to do all the talking. That is lecturing, not teaching, and most professional teachers only do it that way at university where you can be sure that all your hearers are of above average intelligence. In the average congregation half the hearers are of above average intelligence and half are below - that is what average means! Good discipling involves much fewer people at a time, indeed probably just one at a time. And that is a far more difficult thing to set up and do, hence our love of preaching.
Why is that? I think the reason is buried deep in the culture of the Western world to which I, and probably many of you, belong. And even if you don’t the influence of our culture is now so worldwide that it may still be having an effect. Our culture says that we are all individuals and interprets that in a very isolationist way. We are not to tell anybody what they are to think or do. If we do we are trying to control them, manipulate them, and those are very naughty things to do. So we are even told that parents should not tell their children how to think and behave. That, apparently, is something they should be allowed to work out for themselves.
So although almost nobody will be aware of this and the reasons behind it many folk in our culture will be reluctant to open themselves to be discipled or to disciple.
“Feed my sheep” said Jesus to Peter and to all of us. We have to obey him and not the dictates of our local, temporary culture. We have to do all we can to increase the number of deep, properly discipled believers.
We pray together and when Christians pray together, from different nations, different churches and different denominations - that reveals Church unity! Come! Let us pray together!
the darkness of my understanding.
an obscurity of sin and ignorance.
and help in the completion.
I ask this through Christ our Lord.
1 Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
2 Who can proclaim the mighty acts of the LORD or fully declare his praise?
3 Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right.
5 that I may enjoy the prosperity of your chosen ones, that I may share in the joy of your nation and join your inheritance in giving praise.
6 We have sinned, even as our fathers did; we have done wrong and acted wickedly.
7 When our fathers were in Egypt, they gave no thought to your miracles; they did not remember your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.
8 Yet he saved them for his name's sake, to make his mighty power known.
9 He rebuked the Red Sea, and it dried up; he led them through the depths as through a desert.
10 He saved them from the hand of the foe; from the hand of the enemy he redeemed them.
11 The waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived.
12 Then they believed his promises and sang his praise.
13 But they soon forgot what he had done and did not wait for his counsel.
14 In the desert they gave in to their craving; in the wasteland they put God to the test.
15 So he gave them what they asked for, but sent a wasting disease upon them.
16 In the camp they grew envious of Moses and of Aaron, who was consecrated to the LORD.
17 The earth opened up and swallowed Dathan; it buried the company of Abiram.
18 Fire blazed among their followers; a flame consumed the wicked.
19 At Horeb they made a calf and worshiped an idol cast from metal.
20 They exchanged their Glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass.
22 miracles in the land of Ham and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.
23 So he said he would destroy them- had not Moses, his chosen one, stood in the breach before him to keep his wrath from destroying them.
24 Then they despised the pleasant land; they did not believe his promise.
25 They grumbled in their tents and did not obey the LORD.
27 make their descendants fall among the nations and scatter them throughout the lands.
29 they provoked the LORD to anger by their wicked deeds, and a plague broke out among them.
30 But Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was checked.
31 This was credited to him as righteousness for endless generations to come.
33 for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses' lips.
35 but they mingled with the nations and adopted their customs.
36 They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them.
37 They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons.
38 They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood.
39 They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.
40 Therefore the LORD was angry with his people and abhorred his inheritance.
41 He handed them over to the nations, and their foes ruled over them.
42 Their enemies oppressed them and subjected them to their power.
43 Many times he delivered them, but they were bent on rebellion and they wasted away in their sin.
45 for their sake he remembered his covenant and out of his great love he relented.
46 He caused them to be pitied by all who held them captive.
47 Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name and glory in your praise.
48 Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, "Amen!" Praise the LORD.
Jesus’ resurrection is the catalyst for the mission of the church, beginning with the disciples and throughout history. Jesus’ mission to earth is coming to an end and shortly he will be returning to the right hand of the Father. Before he does so though, he has some more words to say to his disciples.
Throughout the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ authority is a major theme. Where Matthew records Jesus doing miracles, this is to highlight Jesus authority in action and not just merely in words. Matthew records Jesus’ authority to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6) and he imparted authority to his disciples for a short time when they went on a mission in Matthew 10.
In some of Jesus’ final words before ascending back to the right-hand side of God the Father, Jesus gave specific instructions to his followers. His disciples.
Jesus has authority (Matthew 28:18) over all things, all people, all circumstances and happenings including authority over all spiritual beings, whether angels or demons. Jesus has authority over all nations, governments and rulers. Jesus has authority over all earthly and spiritual authorities. Jesus has the authority. This means regardless of whatever the Christian Disciple faces; Jesus is in control.
Therefore, as Christian Disciples, we can obey Him without fear of retribution from those who would seek to harm us. We can obey Him regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in. It is a great comfort to know, that he is in control of everything. Through his death on the cross and his rising from the dead, Jesus has conquered all enemies. People often confuse authority with authoritarian. Authoritarian means severe, rigidity and a dictator.
None of these applies to Jesus. We have been given a free will, but as his Disciples, His followers today in the 21st century, we should choose to exercise our free will to obey Him in every facet of our life and live a life worthy of Him. That is part of how we take up our own cross and follow Him – as Jesus commanded. As the Christian depends on Jesus’ authority, the Christian Disciple gains wisdom, guidance, and power.
If Jesus had not risen from the dead, then the Disciples would not have had a story to tell. But Jesus had indeed risen from the dead, and the early church exploded numerically as the twelve Disciples exercised Jesus’ authority and his power.
We read about the growth of the early church in the Book of Acts in the Bible. Christianity is a faith whereby all Christian Disciples – all followers of Jesus - are to tell others of the goodness of God. Indeed, God Himself is a missionary God. Ever since Genesis 3 and the fall of man, God has been on a mission to bring and call people back to Himself.
That was the purpose of the nation of Israel, to be a light to all nations of the goodness and glory of God. That was the purpose when God, who is outside of time and space, entered human history taking on human flesh and restricted Himself in a human body as the man we know as Jesus Christ. Jesus’ whole mission was one of calling people back to life in God.
As followers of Jesus Christ, all Christian Disciples are to evangelize. Evangelism is showing and telling others of God’s message of reconciliation to all people of all time. It is not forcing people to adopt Church standards (1 Corinthians 5:12) and nor is it simply a message of join the church as a symbol of good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). If people know you are a Christian, they will be watching how you behave, conduct yourself in your life and your words. You are a witness for God – whether you want to be or not. Let’s be good witnesses. Sow seeds, somebody else may come along and water those seeds and yet another be God’s assistant in reaping those seeds so that the person you sowed seeds of the Gospel into, becomes a follower of Jesus Christ.
The prime motivation for evangelism is out of gratitude for what God has done, in that we love because he loved us first.
We are all to do the work of an evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5) even though not everybody has the specific gift of being an evangelist. But we are not just to evangelise but also we are to disciple. We are to intentionally make disciples of Jesus Christ. If there are 2 words which scare a lot of the modern Church, they are evangelism and discipleship. Yet, if we are to be obedient to Jesus, there is no other way. In the last words of Matthew’s Gospel, all Christian Disciples are to make disciples throughout the whole earth. Making disciples is not just evangelism but ensuring that guidance and care is given to new Christian disciples. So we are to evangelize and disciple.
“And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws”, (Ezekiel 36:27).
This prediction from centuries before, ascertained that Almighty and All-powerful God will indwell those who follow Him. Throughout his ministry, Jesus had talked about how after he was to depart, and that the Holy Spirit would come (John 15:26). We know from the other writings in the New Testament who the Holy Spirit is and what his ministry is. Further details can be found on this website.
But, as we have seen, the good news is that Jesus is still living. The rest of the four Gospels and the beginning of the book of Acts tell us a little more of what Jesus did before He ascended into the heavens. But Jesus still meets with people at the present time. How does He do this?
Jesus walks with us, where ever we go and in particular in the darkest periods of our life. Just as he did with the two people on the road to Emmaus, he walks with those who proclaim to follow Him (Mark 16:12-13, Luke 24:13-32). Jesus speaks whenever the Bible is faithfully preached and read from, just as He opened the eyes of those on the Emmaus road when He explained the Scriptures (Luke 24:27). Jesus meets us in the Communion or Lord’s Supper, with the bread and wine, which symbolise His flesh and blood as an act of remembrance of what He did for humanity.
But that is not the end, because Jesus has promised that He is coming again. Not as a baby next time, but as an all-conquering Son of God in judgment to gather those who follow Him. Are you ready?
Sunday – Risen and Firstborn from the Dead!
1 Corinthians 15:1-8: Now I declare to you, brothers, the Good News which I preached to you, which also you received, in which you also stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold firmly the word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers at once, most of whom remain until now, but some have also fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all, as to the child born at the wrong time, he appeared to me also.
That was the Apostle Paul, writing to the Corinthian church about the Jesus having been raised from the dead – physically! All four Gospels, Matthew, Mark Luke and John, tell us that Jesus was crucified, died and was buried in a tomb. What do these four Gospels say about the Jesus’ resurrection or rising from the dead?
Let us first look at the sequence of events over the period of time after Jesus death till He ascended. Now remember, the Gospels are documents which have recorded historical events.
These facts remain for the resurrection. Look at them and study them.
Notice the changed attitude of the disciples after seeing the risen Jesus. They changed from defeated, cowardly people to victorious, brave people. Nobody who could have produced the dead body of Jesus, did so. Their silence is as significant as the preaching of the Apostles. Or take the multiple appearances of Jesus to various numbers of individuals and groups of people at, various times of the day and in differing circumstances. This shows that Jesus’ resurrection was physical in nature! Some people say Jesus’ resurrection was spiritual in nature but not physical. But the amount of people that saw Him physically afterwards dispels that particular myth. What about the current tangible evidence - the survival and inordinate growth and impact of the early church and that the church is still growing 2000 years later. If there was no bodily resurrection of Jesus’ would people really have risked persecution and death for knowing a lie? One or two people maybe, but not hundreds and thousands!
Yet people still doubt. Let us say Jesus didn’t rise from the dead. Surely the authorities, both Jewish and Roman, would have produced his dead body in order to quench this new movement! But they didn’t, and the reason they didn’t is because there was no body to produce! Would the disciples have really risked death for telling and maintaining a lie about the risen Jesus? They were beaten, confused, defeated and dispersed men until they saw Jesus truly did rise from the dead. After seeing Him, they were transformed and victorious people.
Then we have the swoon theory. Jesus didn’t die but merely fainted and recovered consciousness in the tomb. Even the sceptics disagree with this theory, one of whom said “It is impossible that a being who had stolen half-dead out of the sepulchre, who crept about weak and ill, wanting medical treatment, who required bandaging, strengthening and indulgence, and who still at last yielded to His sufferings, could have given to the disciples the impression that He was a Conqueror over death and the grave, the Prince of Life”.
Or perhaps, they all went to the wrong tomb. That’s it – they went to the wrong tomb. Whilst one person may have gone to a wrong tomb, not everyone would have done. Besides, the gospel accounts tell us that people were waiting outside the tomb where Jesus was buried! Surely Joseph would know which tomb Jesus was buried in, seeing as Joseph owned it!
Lastly, Jesus didn’t die on the cross but somebody was substituted for him. This is certainly untenable, given the rigidity and strict record keeping of Roman rule and with the eyes of the Jewish hierarchy watching. This conjecture is a lie of satan, because he knows the significance of Jesus having risen physically from the dead.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ provided the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1:22; Acts 4:33, Acts 17:18) and certainly within Paul-ine theology. But what significance is there in Jesus’ resurrection?
The resurrection proved and vindicated all Jesus’ teaching and claims as the suffering Servant and attested to His being fully God and the last Judge of all mankind (Isaiah 53:10-12; Acts 2:36; Acts 3:13-15; Romans 1:4). The resurrection, declared God’s approval of Jesus obedient service and the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises, resulting in forgiveness of sins and salvation being only found in and through Jesus Christ, which was the prime motive for evangelism in the early church (Acts 2:32, Romans 4:24-25).
Jesus’ resurrection is a sign of the bodily resurrection for all believers in Him, giving a new attitude to death and transforming hopes (1 Corinthians 15:12-58, Romans 8:10, 2 Corinthians 4:14; 1 Peter 1:3 & 21). As the resurrected King, Jesus now intercedes for us and has perfected the redemption of all those who choose to follow Him (Romans 5:10; Hebrews 6:20; 1 Peter 1:21).
Finally the resurrection of Jesus’ physical body is a sure victory over satan, sin and death. All three are conquered and squashed. Satan is a defeated creature and will do anything to drag people into defeat with him. The power of sin is conquered, and sin’s grip is overcome if you are a believer in Jesus Christ. Finally, as I said earlier, death has been beaten, because those who believe and trust in Jesus Christ will live forever with him – death is not the end but a beginning.
Or let me put it in my own words - if Jesus Christ did not physically rise from the dead, we as Christians are the product of the greatest delusional lie and are the most foolish of all people.
Jesus is dead. His disciples have dispersed, probably in hiding, thinking they are next. Jesus’ body has been placed in a new tomb and the women are waiting to ceremonially deal with His body. As we have seen, the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, is God’s solution to the suffering and sin of the world. Only by Jesus Christ going to cross have sin, suffering and satan been dealt mortal blows. The cross provides the solution as it provides a substitution, propitiation, redemption and a victory. The cross is not a symbol to be merely placed around the neck on a chain, to be worn as a lapel pin, or as a item statement of fashion. The cross is not meant to portray Jesus as some form of sadomasochistic ‘tragi-hero’ as some people try to make it out to be. The cross is God’s solution to the problem of sin, suffering and pain, as much as the wise of this world would love to think that it is not.
The cross is a choice. You can choose to deny the cross and say it doesn’t matter. You can say that it is an irrelevance and that is your right. God will not force you to accept the cross and love him. If He did, He would have created Adam so that Adam would automatically love him and not given him free will to rebel. That way the cross would not have been needed. But such is the enormity of the love of God, that each person, including you and I, have a choice to make – follow Jesus and take up your own cross and be an overcomer for Him. God will not force you to accept it, but he will keep on calling you back to the cross. Calling sometimes in quiet ways and at other times, much more loudly. You can deny the cross and its meaning and when Jesus Christ comes again in judgment, you will find that He denies you entrance into His glorious kingdom. When Jesus comes again, everyone will know who He is and bow down to Him. But only those whom He knows, will be granted access into everlasting life.
How you think of the cross, ultimately has relevance to you and affects your reality. You can accept the cross as your personal substitution, personal propitiation and personal redemption. That way you have peace with God. The cross of Jesus Christ thoroughly epitomises God’s glory, and if there were any other way that God the Father could restore people into relationship with Himself, then surely He would have done it that way. But there was no other way – Jesus Christ, as the Son of God who was simultaneously fully God and fully human, died on a Roman cross. He took on the sins of the world, paying the greatest price, so that you can be restored into a peaceful relationship with God the Father. That is for all people, of all nations, ages, generations, statuses and gender. The cross is amazing love in action and is ignored at great peril. Let us go forward in hope and faith, choosing deliberately not to boast in anything else, save only of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The wisdom of God as exhibited on and in the Cross of Jesus Christ, is foolishness but only to those who don’t accept it.
What is our response to that to be? It must be just about the hardest, toughest, most difficult thing Jesus ever said to his followers. We are being commanded to count the cost of following Him. That is how we carry our own cross for the sake of Jesus Christ. Jesus wants to be number one in the life of all those who choose to follow him. Jesus wants supremacy over everything in our lives, including family, friends, and possessions. Alas, that’s a cost too high for some.
What have you given up as a result of your decision to follow Jesus? Making sacrifices to follow Jesus is all part of the WOW factor of Jesus. Jesus demands that He be number one and supreme over everything else in your life - yourself, family, others and material goods including money and possessions.
How is this to be done? By constantly ensuring that your works and words match your lifestyle and that no hypocrisy can be found, or will be found in your life. It means standing up for God in the face of adversity. It means loving others even though they hate you.
Just a couple of examples: In the UK, we aren’t systematically persecuted; we are marginalized, ridiculed and ignored. In some other parts of the world members of our Christian family daily face death simply because they chose to follow Jesus. They are carrying their cross for Jesus.
What about us in the UK? For example, if we as Christians were known by our self-sacrificial love of all others, then Jesus whom we claim to love, follow, worship, and adore would be seen. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote "When Jesus Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die. ... Discipleship is not an offer that man makes to Jesus Christ, nor is it hero worship, but intimacy with Christ." (The Cost of Discipleship). Bonhoeffer knew that as a Christian, a person has to take up their own cross in following Jesus and count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus Christ. Dietrich was to die as a martyr for Christ at the hands of the Nazis.
Jesus told us to take up our own cross if we are to follow Him as His Disciple. How is that possible? If we try to do that in our own strength and wisdom, we will fail. If we do it using the power and strength of the Holy Spirit within us, then we will succeed at following Jesus’ command. Are you as a Disciple of Jesus Christ, if you are one, willing to take up your cross and follow him? What a difference that would make to the community where you live. | 2019-04-21T04:36:47Z | https://davegroberts.podbean.com/2017/04/ |
This morning I just learned from a friend that our Rainbow Warrior Ryan Dale Smith had passed away this mid- December. How sad.
I never had the chance to meet him personally, but I did follow his Jon Doe Youtube videos, which I found quite interesting. I used to enjoy talking to him and looked forward to meeting him someday in Tokyo.
He had reported on Fukushima from inside Japan very courageously since day one during the past years. One of the very few to do it with quality and no nonsense.
Ryan Dale Smith was a rough uncut diamond shining by his wits and his sincerity. His deeply-felt loyalty to the working class shined out.
We will miss you Ryan. Peace to your soul on your journey.
My condolences to his wife and daughter, and mother.
During the early hours of Tuesday, Dec. 12, Tozen Union member Ryan Smith (aka Jon Doe) passed away. He was 37.
He is survived by his wife, Makiko Kono, his 1-year-old daughter, Kayla, and his mother, Carrie Lester Plaster.
From Athens, West Virginia, Ryan studied journalism at Concord University. He moved to Japan in 2008 and taught English to adults and children.
Ryan loved to talk politics and never missed a chance to declare his commitment to Marxist revolution and his pride in his rural, working-class roots. His YouTube channel has over 1,800 subscribers.
But he loved nothing as much as his tiny daughter, Kayla. Since her birth, nearly every Facebook entry he posted included photos or video of her.
“I don’t believe in God, but I believe that humans have a special spark in them. I don’t believe humans have a soul, but I know there is a common feeling which binds all of humanity.
“I don’t believe in heaven or hell, but I know those who stomp on their fellow human beings have to hide from the rest of us to avoid being hung by a rope in the streets.
SAN DIEGO (CN) – Former Senator John Edwards and his co-counsel on Thursday asked a federal judge not to transfer to Japan a class action by hundreds of U.S. sailors exposed to radiation in the Fukushima nuclear disaster.
An initial group of sailors sued Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TepCo) and General Electric in 2012. A second class action from sailors sent to render aid after the earthquake and tsunami was filed in San Diego Federal Court last August.
The March 11, 2011 tsunami caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant to shut down, but loss of circulation water coolant led to meltdowns and explosions whose radioactive releases may not be completely cleaned up for centuries.
More than 420 U.S. service members in the two cases seek compensation and medical monitoring, testing and health care costs for exposure to radiation. Some sailors have died from complications of radiation exposure since the cases were filed, and more than 20 are living with cancer, according to the lawsuits.
U.S. District Judge Janis Sammartino on Thursday considered motions to dismiss from TepCo and GE. They claim that California courts have no jurisdiction over events in Japan. Sammartino also considered a choice-of-law motion from General Electric, which wants to apply Japanese law to the case or have it transferred to Japan.
TepCo operated the Fukushima nuclear plant; GE designed its nuclear reactors.
TepCo attorney Gregory Stone, with Munger, Tolles & Olson in Los Angeles, said all claims brought in the United States could be brought in Japan and that the statute of limitations has not run out in Japan’s court system.
GE attorney Michael Schissel, with Arnold & Porter in New York, said the case belongs in Japan, where the facts originated and the witnesses are. Schissel said the Japanese government declared the nuclear meltdown was not a natural disaster, so TepCo could be held liable for damages.
But Edwards, whose firm Edwards Kirby is based in North Carolina, said it’s important to look at the situation “from altitude,” to see things from the sailors’ perspective.
“These are American sailors, American employees serving their country, who were sent on American ships on international waters at the request of the Japanese government … their ally, which owns the majority of stock in defendant TepCo,” Edwards said.
Edwards said that since the vast majority of the sailor-plaintiffs were stationed in San Diego and GE designed the nuclear reactors at its San Jose headquarters, the case belongs in California.
“They want the case in Japan because they know it goes away; that’s clearly their strategy,” Edwards said.
Bonner added that California has a vested interest in applying its own laws, including strict liability for defective products, and punitive damages to deter companies from selling defective products. He pointed out that one-sixth of the U.S. Navy is based in San Diego, with 69 Navy ships in San Diego Harbor.
“(Japan’s) compensation act has not been applied to their own citizens, only businesses. Why should we speculate their compensation act will help our sailors? It will not,” Bonner said.
Stone countered that Bonner was “simply wrong” in claiming that the Japanese nuclear damage compensation act had not benefited individual Japanese citizens. He said it is the conduct of defendants TepCo and GE – which occurred in Japan – and not the plaintiffs’ place of residence that should determine jurisdiction over the case.
Sammartino indicated she will want further briefing from the attorneys before ruling on the motion to dismiss.
Absorbed doses of ionising radiation are defined as an average of the energy that is transferred into large volumes of body tissue. This approach is valid for considering external exposures, like X-rays or natural gamma (cosmic rays) but not for situations where radioactive substances inside the body irradiate microscopic volume of tissue selectively. Particles of Uranium and Plutonium are examples; the range of their alpha emissions is so tiny that all the energy is concentrated into a few hundred cells. Some call this kind of situation “pinpoint radiation”. Using absorbed dose to assess the potential health damage is like a doctor examining a child whose skin is covered with small red marks.
Now look, Mrs. Smith, I’m a doctor and I’m telling you even if your lodger does stub out his cigarette on little Nelly’s tummy there’s no problem because she absorbs very little energy from it. You give her a far bigger dose when you put in her a nice warm bath.
The trick was pulled in the depths of World War 2, subverting the science of radiation protection in order to protect the Manhattan Project and the A-bomb; it has served to protect the nuclear industry ever since.
Until the 1920s the main focus of radiation protection was external X-rays, but the Radium dial painters’ scandal made it obvious that internal effects needed specific investigation. This led to new standards determined by looking at the actual effects of radium in the dissected tissues of people.
Radium is produced by the radioactive decay of natural Uranium. Its own radioactive decay emits alpha particles. Unlike X-rays and gamma rays, alphas have very little penetrating power so they are only hazardous once they’re inside the body. Even then they don’t travel far but the downside is that all their energy is deposited in a very small volume of cells.
From the earliest years of the 20th century luminous Radium paint was applied to the faces of clocks, watches and compasses to make them glow in the dark. World War 1 boosted demand and through the following decades hundreds of girls and women were employed to paint dials and pointers with various brands of paint – Undark, Luna and Marvelite. They would routinely put the tips of their paint brushes between their lips to obtain a fine point for the trickier numerals. By 1923 it was clear that the Radium they thus ingested was causing dreadful, agonising and frequently fatal illnesses.
Radium mostly lodges in bone, so the diseases affected the blood-forming function of the women’s bone marrow, leading to anaemia. Those with higher body burdens had ulcers and their bones were weakened to the point where vertebrae collapsed and legs would break spontaneously. The first deaths directly attributed to Radium Necrosis came in 1925. The inventor of the Undark brand died like his workers, his bone marrow destroyed and his hands, mouth and jaw bones eaten away. Court cases, compensation payments and improved workplace practices followed (a ban on licking brushes was the first) but for a decade and a half there were no mandatory exposure limits.
By 1941 America was once more tooling up for industrialised warfare and the government was ordering large numbers of luminized instruments. By that time the global total of Radium extracted from the earth’s crust was only 1.5 kilograms but, already, the deaths of more than a hundred people were attributable to its processing and use. Officials insisted that safety standards be devised, including a tolerance limit for internal Radium. A committee of the National Bureau of Standards looked to a post mortem study of Radium dial painters and people who had been exposed to Radium through medical treatments. They saw that there were detectable injuries in all the bodies which contained a total of 1.2 micrograms of Radium but no injuries were discernible in those containing 0.5 micrograms or less. The committee settled on 0.1 micrograms as a cut-off. The history books show they knew this was a highly subjective stab in the dark.
Since Radium decays to Radon gas officials were able to use Radon as an indicator for metering. From then on, Radium workers were required to breathe into an ion chamber which detected the radioactive decays of Radon and its own daughter, Polonium. An immediate change of occupation was recommended as soon as the level indicated that a worker’s body contained more than 0.1 micrograms of Radium.
World War 2 was midwife to the principle of nuclear fission, a completely novel substance – Plutonium – and the possibility of a Plutonium-powered bomb. The Manhattan Project was set up to make Plutonium for the bomb in secret and in near total ignorance of its effects on health. It was known to be an alpha emitter so, for expediency, the standards for Radium were extended to Plutonium, modified by animal experiments comparing the effects of the two substances.
All this – both the Radium standard and the Plutonium standard derived from it – was primitive science which had no way of detecting subtle lesions and cancers which may take decades to appear. The discovery of the double helix structure of DNA was still a decade away and for another 50 years no-one suspected the existence of epigenetic effects (genomic instability and the bystander effect). So the safety standards were unlikely to reflect long-term health effects but they did have the huge philosophical advantage of being rooted in reality; the Radium researchers had followed the essentially scientific principle of looking for a relationship between cause and effect. Maybe this was because they were medical practitioners, campaigners for workers’ rights and newspapers eager for the human interest angle on any story. Maybe their investigation enjoyed some liberty because the dial painting industry was owned privately, rather than by any government, and because at that time the fate of the “free” world did not seem to hang on the outcome.
By 1944 everything had changed. Plutonium was being produced in significant amounts and any potential it might have to kill its own workforce now affected a top-level policy funded by a bottomless budget with the imperative of building the bomb before Stalin could. More crucially for the scientific principles of radiological safety, physicians were no longer in charge, but physicists.
The agent of change was a British physicist, Herbert Parker, head of radiation protection at the Manhattan Project. His earlier career in British hospitals had made him familiar with X-rays and a kind of therapy that used Radium as an external source, confining it in tubes and placing it carefully to irradiate cancerous tissues. (This medical application had been tried as early as 1904, only six years after Radium was discovered. In marked contrast to the dial painters’ problems, it didn’t involve Radium becoming inextricably mingled with a patient’s bones.) Parker had a physics-based view; radiation was a single phenomenon, whether it came from an X-ray machine or a speck of Plutonium. As with light, where the physicist isn’t too interested in whether the source is a light bulb or the sun, Parker was concerned with how much energy the radiation delivered to the tissue of interest. The language here is of ergs, from the Greek for work. It is defined in dynes, the Greek for force; the units are physical – movement, velocity, grammes of mass, centimetres of length, seconds of time.
Parker was one of the first to call himself a Health Physicist. In his world there was no call for a bedside manner.
Using his physicist’s approach, Parker shifted the focus from direct investigation of the effects of specific substances onto a new concept – radiation dose – which he could apply to radiation from any source and all sources, providing a way to assess workers’ total exposure to all the novel nuclides the Manhattan Project was now creating. He defined a unit of dose in ergs per gramme of tissue and called it the Roentgen Equivalent Physical, or rep. Its very name betrays the mindset; Wilhelm Roentgen was the discoverer of X-rays (for a long time they were called Roentgen rays). The source of X-rays is always outside the body, so we can see the understanding of dose, and hence risk, was now to be based on an external paradigm.
The first limit for Plutonium in the body based on Parker’s dose model was set at 0.01 reps per day, a quantity which exactly matched the energy deposition from the old tolerance limit of 0.1 microgramme of Radium. No change there then. What did change was that instead of the empirical scientific inquiry based on actual tissue damage and instead of the tentative subjectivity of the 1941 Standards Bureau Committee’s decision on a Radium level, the new model gave an impression of mathematical precision, certainty and universal applicability. This was the new, square-jawed and confident nuclear era where bombs of unimaginable power would biff the Red Menace into oblivion and unlimited atomic energy would fuel everything in a world of peace and plenty.
Any risk model needs two types of data – for exposure and for effect. Unfortunately, there were no reliable data even for X-rays despite 50 years’ experience. There was too much variability in the machines and the conditions in which they were used; doses were largely unknowable and many of the long-term effects had yet to emerge. But after 1945 the surviving people of Hiroshima and Nagasaki provided the authorities with a fresh opportunity. Funded and controlled by America, data on the survivors’ health was gathered (as it still is) in what have become known as the Life Span Studies or LSS.
A full analysis of the flaws in the LSS is beyond me. As far as studying internal radioactivity is concerned the flaw is fatal; the control population providing the base-line of expected rates of disease, to be compared with disease in the exposed population, was recruited from the bombed cities themselves – they had either been outside the city when the bomb fell, or in some other way were shielded from the flash of the explosion. The “exposed” population consisted of people who had been in the open and so received a large dose of external gamma rays. But both groups ingested and inhaled just as much fallout as each other, so the LSS are totally silent on internal radiation. The only difference between them was the external irradiation. LSS nevertheless is the basis of radiation protection standards all over the world to this day for both external and internal.
I feel like a father who is ashamed of his children.
In 1950, American influence revived the International X-ray and Radium Protection Committee (IXRPC), which had been dormant during the war. In fact only two of its members were still alive and one of those was an American who was Chairman of the American NCRP. But needs must, and an international body would probably look more credible than a unilateral American one, so IXRPC was reborn as the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). In reality ICRP was just an overseas branch of the NCRP and in 1953 it adopted the NCRP report wholesale.
An epilogue is a short speech at the end of a play. In the case of this drama it’s hard to be brief. I’ll give two snapshots – one is global, the other is a family tragedy.
In 1986 the accident at Chernobyl spread fallout round the whole planet and millions of people inhaled and ingested it. Thousands of published reports from Russia, Belarus, the Ukraine, Greece, Germany, Britain, and even as far west as the Californian coast show a wide range of post-accident health effects not predicted by ICRP’s model. In 2007 ICRP adopted new Recommendations in which there is a single reference to one study of Chernobyl. It’s a paper on thyroid cancer. They cite it for the sole purpose of establishing that it’s so hard to be sure what doses the patients had got from the fallout that the accident can tell us nothing useful. ICRP clings so hard to the dogma of dose that they are willing to rob the human race of the chance to learn about the results of the worst ever reactor accident (I wrote this before Fukushima).
This is one among millions of similar stories, but enough detailed information has leaked out to let us learn from it.
In May 2007 The Guardian (linked here or here) and The Times carried reports of a Cumbrian woman’s shock at finding out what had happened to her father 36 years earlier.
Angela Christie’s father, Malcolm Pattinson, died of leukaemia in 1971. He was 36 years old and he worked at Sellafield. Or he had worked there; the Times reported that by the time he died he had been off work for 18 months because his wife feared for his health. As soon as he was dead his employers made frantic efforts to obtain organs and bones from his body. The local coroner, doctors and solicitors were involved but the family was neither consulted nor informed. In 1979, after a long battle during which the employers admitted liability, an out-of-court settlement brought Mr. Pattinson’s widow and daughters compensation payments variously reported as £52000 and £67000.
All this happened when Malcolm’s daughter Angela was in her teens. She grew up and went to work at Sellafield like her father. She married and had three children of her own. Then she read in a newspaper that her father had been one of many men in the industry whose organs had been harvested for radiological research. She asked for the legal papers and received several boxes full.
They’re quite shocking, which may indicate why Mr Pattinson’s employers were so interested in snatching his body parts. His liver contained 673 times as much Plutonium as the average for a sample of Cumbrians who had not worked in the nuclear industry and his lungs had well over 7000 times as much. His liver had 53 times the amount of Plutonium found in the most contaminated of the nuclear workers in other reports and his lungs had 42 times as much. Mr. Pattinson’s body burden was far greater than any other worker data I have seen. I conclude that he had either been involved in an accident or had been working in an unacceptably dirty environment. Either would be a scandal, but the far wider scandal is that the industry and the government would not see even those monstrous levels as a likely cause of his death.
From the data published in the Guardian I calculated the radiation dose Mr. Pattinson received from his body burden of Plutonium. Using the same methods as the ICRP I worked out the annual dose at 26 milliSieverts. That’s about ten times the usual (bogus) yardstick of natural background but it would have been nothing very remarkable in the early 1970s. Even today, when standards are more cautious, employers would still not be breaking the law by exposing a worker to such a dose so long as it wasn’t for more than one year in five.
ICRP’s risk estimates would not predict that a 26mSv dose would cause Mr. Pattinson’s leukaemia, in just the same way as they do not predict the cluster of childhood leukaemia at Seascale, next door to Sellafield — the doses are far too low. According to ICRP, if Mr. Pattinson was going to die of any cancer, the chance that it would be caused by the Plutonium in his body was only 1.3 in a 1000.
To the person in the street the idea that fatal leukaemia in a young man is 770 times more likely to be caused by bad luck, bad genes, bad diet, smoking, a virus or an act of God than by the acts of an employer who contaminated him heavily with a bone-seeking, alpha-emitting radionuclide may seem insane. It is insane. It is insane in the way Dr. Strangelove was insane; the logic is impeccable but the theoretical premises are wrong. The good news is that growing numbers of scientists are recognising that ICRP is in error. These include Jack Valentin, the man who recently retired as ICRP’s Scientific Secretary.
The 2005 Recommendations of the International Commission on Radiological Protection: Draft for Consultation were published in late 2004. The final version has not been published at the date of writing (early November 2006) and ICRP tells us publication has in fact been set back by the IRSN’s report on the European Committee on Radiation Risk (ECRR).
The ICRP 2004 draft contains many statements revealing the incomplete state of knowledge of radiation risk. Many of them have been watered down in the 2006 draft or have disappeared altogether.
Here we reproduce extracts from the 2004 draft which confirm the validity of our long-standing concerns about heterogeneity of energy distribution. The ICRP’s response to heterogeneity is to employ assumptions. Most are individually questionable and when taken together, as they must be, they are simply not acceptable as a system of radiation protection. The upshot is that “dose” is an effectively meaningless term yet the industry’s regulators have no other terms with which to assess and quantify risks. Reassurances about “trivial doses” are revealed as empty.
(37) The relationship between radiation exposures and health effects is complex. The physical processes linking exposure and doses in human tissues involve energy transport at the molecular level. The biological links between this energy deposition and the resulting health effects involve molecular changes in cells. In Publication 60 (ICRP, 1991) , the Commission recognised that the gross (macroscopic) quantities used in radiological protection omitted consideration of the discontinuous nature of the physical and biological processes of ionisation. However, it concluded that their use was justified empirically by the observation that the gross quantities (with adjustments for different types of radiation) correlate reasonably well with the resulting biological effects. It further recognised that more use might eventually be made of other quantities based on the statistical distribution of events in a small volume of material, corresponding to the dimensions of biological entities such as the nucleus of the cell or its DNA. Meanwhile, for practical reasons, the Commission continues to use the macroscopic quantities.
(42) […] At the low doses generally of concern in radiological protection, the fluctuation of energy imparted can be substantial between individual cells and within a single hit cell. This is the case particularly for densely ionising radiations such as alpha-particles and charged particles from neutron interactions.
(44) Absorbed dose is defined based on the expectation value of the stochastic quantity e, energy imparted, and therefore does not consider the random fluctuation of the interaction events. It is defined at any point in matter and, in principle, is a measurable quantity, i.e. it can be determined experimentally and by computation. The definition of absorbed dose has the scientific rigour required for a fundamental quantity. It takes implicitly account of the radiation field as well as of all of its interactions inside and outside the specified volume. It does not, however, consider the atomic structure of matter and the stochastic nature of the interactions.
(46) For densely ionising radiation (charged particles from neutrons and alpha-particles) and low doses of low LET radiation, the frequency of events in most cells is zero, in a few it is one and extremely exceptionally more than one. The value of energy imparted in most individual cells is then zero but in the hit cells it will exceed the mean value by orders of magnitude. These large differences in the energy deposition distribution in microscopic regions for different types (and energies) of radiation have been related to observed differences in biological effectiveness or radiation quality.
(47) In the definition of radiological protection quantities no attempts are made to specify these stochastic distributions at a microscopic level. Even the quality factor used in the definition of operational quantities is dependent on LET only which also is a non stochastic quantity. Instead a pragmatic and empirical approach has been adopted to take account of radiation quality differences – and therefore implicitly also of the differences in distributions of energy imparted in microscopic regions – by defining radiation weighting factors. The selection of these factors is mainly a judgement based on the results of radiobiological experiments.
(48) While absorbed dose is defined to give a specific value (averaged in time) at any point in matter, averaging of doses over larger tissue volumes is often performed when using the quantity absorbed dose in practical applications, as in radiological protection. It is especially assumed for stochastic effects at low doses that such a mean value can be correlated with the risk of a detriment to this tissue with sufficient accuracy. The averaging of absorbed dose and the summing of mean doses in different organs and tissues of the human body, as given in the definition of all the protection quantities, is only possible under the assumption of a linear dose-response relationship with no threshold (LNT). All protection quantities rely on these hypotheses.
(49) Protection quantities are based on the averaging of absorbed dose over the volume of a specified organ or tissue. The extent to which the average absorbed dose in an organ is representative of the absorbed dose in all regions of the organ depends on a number of factors. For external radiation exposure, this depends on the degree of penetration of the radiation incident on the body. For penetrating radiation (photons, neutrons) , the absorbed dose distribution within a specified organ may be sufficiently homogeneous and thus the average absorbed dose is a meaningful measure of the absorbed dose throughout the organ or tissue. For radiation with low penetration or limited range (low-energy photons, charged particles) as well as for widely distributed organs (e.g. bone marrow) exposed to non-uniform radiation flux, the absorbed dose distribution within the specified organ may be very heterogeneous.
(50) For radiations emitted by radionuclides residing within the organ or tissue, so-called internal emitters, the absorbed dose distribution in the organ depends on the penetration and range of the radiations and the homogeneity of the activity distribution within the organs or tissues. The absorbed dose distribution for radionuclides emitting alpha particles, soft beta particles, low-energy photons, and Auger electrons may be highly heterogeneous. This heterogeneity is especially significant if radionuclides emitting low-range radiation are deposited in particular parts of organs or tissues, e.g. plutonium on bone surface or radon daughters in bronchial mucosa and epithelia. In such situations the organ-averaged absorbed dose may not be a good dose quantity for estimating the stochastic damage. The applicability of the concept of average organ dose and effective dose may, therefore, need to be examined critically in such cases and sometimes empirical and pragmatic procedures must be applied. ICRP has developed dosimetric models for the lungs, the gastrointestinal tract and the skeleton that take account of the distribution of radionuclides and the location of sensitive cells in the calculation of average absorbed dose to these tissues.
It seems perverse that having admitted so many flaws in the concept of absorbed dose ICRP simply continues to use it.
“Various questions raised by the ECRR are quite pertinent and led IRSN to analyze this document with a pluralistic approach.
a. Besides natural and medical exposures, populations are basically undergoing low dose and low dose rate prolonged internal exposures. But the possible health consequences under such exposure conditions are ill-known. Failing statistically significant observations, the health consequences of low dose exposures are extrapolated from data concerning exposures that involve higher dose rates and doses. Also, few epidemiologic data could be analyzed for assessing inner exposure effects. The risks were thus assessed from health consequences observed after external exposure, considering that effects were identical, whether the exposure source is located outside or inside the human body. However, the intensity, or even the type of effects might be different.
b. The pertinence of dosimetric values used for quantifying doses may be questioned. Indeed, the factors applied for risk management values are basically relying on the results from the Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors’ monitoring. It is thus not ensured that the numerical values of these factors translate the actual risk, regardless of exposure conditions, and especially after low dose internal exposure.
“The phenomena concerning internal contamination by radionuclides are complex because they involve numerous physico-chemical, biochemical and physiological mechanisms, still ill-known and thus difficult to model. Due to this complexity, the behaviour of radionuclides in the organism is often ill described and it is difficult to accurately define a relationship between the dose delivered by radionuclides and the observed consequences on health. This led the radioprotection specialists to mostly use the dose/risk relationships derived from the study of the Hiroshima/Nagasaki survivors, exposed in conditions very different from those met in the cases of internal contaminations.
This fact raises numerous questions, which should be considered with caution because a wide part of the public exposure in some areas of the world is due to chronic internal contaminations and very few data concern these situations.
IRSN’s statements are a bizarre double standard; they have agreed with ECRR’s criticisms of the ICRP system, which on that basis can itself be described as “not meet[ing] the criteria of a strict and consistent scientific approach” (as IRSN demands of ECRR). IRSN’s subsequent call for more research may be only what is expected of scientists, but such research would take years. Policy makers and stakeholders engaged in decommissioning have to make decisions now.
… There are important concerns with respect to the heterogeneity of dose delivery within tissues and cells from short-range charged particle emissions, the extent to which current models adequately represent such interactions with biological targets, and the specification of target cells at risk. Indeed, the actual concepts of absorbed dose become questionable, and sometimes meaningless, when considering interactions at the cellular and molecular levels.
from CERRIE (Government’s Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters) Majority Report Chapter 2 Risks from Internal Emitters Part 2 paragraph 11. See http://www.cerrie.org for full report.
The next day, Deputy Director of Strålsäkerhetsmyndigheten, Carl-Magnus Larsson also said the ICRP model could not be used to predict the health consequences of accidents. He added that for elements like Strontium and Uranium which bind to DNA national authorities would have the responsibility to assess the risks. Another SRM member said that the Secondary Photoelectron Effect was well recognised, also that in 1977 the ICRP had considered a weighting factor ”n” for elements which bind to DNA but had not implemented it.
The Greenpeace supporters then filmed themselves while setting off fireworks at the plant to protest France’s heavy dependence on nuclear energy. Greenpeace spokesman Yannick Rousselet said the activists had managed to get within 100 meters (109 yards) of open pools of nuclear waste.
The group said it staged the divisive stunt in order to highlight to highlight the facility’s vulnerability to attacks in addition to calls for better protection against nuclear waste.
France’s state-owned energy giant EDF, which operates the Cattenom nuclear power station, said that the Greenpeace effort had failed to flag any shortcomings in safety issues, stressing that the environmental activists had been detained eight minutes after entering the site, ensuring the security of the power station as well as their own.
Olivier Lamarre, deputy head of EDF’s French nuclear division, said that the Greenpeace activists were cooperative and did not resist arrest.
In a tweet, EDF also highlighted that the activists had failed to reach Cattenom’s so-called “nuclear zone,” located behind a third barrier.
Greenpeace had published a report ahead of the stunt saying the spent-fuel pools of EDF’s nuclear reactors were highly vulnerable as their confinement walls were not designed with malicious attacks in mind. EDF, however, denied that there were any such risks, stressing that the pools with nuclear waste had been designed to withstand earthquakes and flooding as well as terror attacks.
The arrests and potential legal consequences after the security breach at Cattenom did not deter Greenpeace from staging a similar publicity stunt just weeks later: police arrested 22 activists on November 28 after entering the Cruas-Meysse nuclear plant in France’s southeastern Ardeche region, which is also operated by EDF. Greenpeace said that the activists were once again trying to point out a lack of safety precautions around spent nuclear fuel pools.
France is one of the world’s most nuclear-dependent country, with 58 reactors providing 75 percent of the country’s electricity. The country hosts a total of 63 spent-fuel pools. Environmentalists have long questioned the safety of France’s vast nuclear network, but around a third of all reactors in the country are set to be closed by 2025 under current government plans.
Public support of nuclear power has fallen in line with other European countries the nuclear disaster at Japan’s Fukushima plant in 2011.
…..For the UK to fulfill international standards on nuclear safeguards and non-proliferation once it leaves the EU, the existing legislative framework must be amended, with a new regime set out in new secondary legislation, it says. In the absence of amending frameworks and work to implement new safeguards measures, the UK would be without an effective nuclear safeguards regime, it adds.
“This scenario is the relevant counter-factual for policy appraisal given the decision to leave Euratom has already been taken and domestic safeguards appraised here are not dependent on the future relationship with the EU. However, we have also included a counter-factual of ’current Euratom regime’ to compare impacts relative to the current regime under Euratom. The UK’s withdrawal from Euratom has already been triggered so this is only included as baseline for consistency with other EU exit related measures where legislation may be dependent on the negotiated outcomes on future relationship with the EU,” it says.
Two core options have been considered.
The first is to adopt domestic standards of nuclear safeguards of broad equivalence to those adopted by Euratom, which BEIS says would ensure that sites to which safeguards apply remain subject to detailed oversight and that the UK continues to maintain the highest standards of nuclear safeguards.
On the second option, which fulfils nuclear safeguards standards, without replicating Euratom’s standards, BEIS says that all civil nuclear facilities to which safeguards apply would remain subject to a robust safeguards regime.
“This option would however entail a reduction in the frequency and intensity of inspection at UK nuclear facilities, while still maintaining compatibility with IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] standards,” it says.
David Wagstaff, deputy director of the Euratom exit at BEIS, told a conference last month that the “parliamentary balance” on the Bill’s passage through Parliament is “quite a delicate one at the moment”. If all goes to plan, however, the Bill will receive Royal Assent early this year, he added.
The ONR and BEIS are working “hand-in-hand” and this project is “going at pace”, with recruitment and IT procurement in process…..
Not since the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 has the United States threatened a nuclear attack against a nuclear-armed country as flatly as Donald Trump is doing now, says Daniel Ellsberg, the man who orchestrated the release of the the Pentagon Papers in 1971.
This prognostication from the long-time peace activist and long-ago military analyst comes a few minutes into a wide-ranging conversation about The Post, a film about the Pentagon Papers and The Doomsday Machine, his most recent book, about America’s nuclear arsenal.
“We may very well be in the first … two-sided nuclear war any day: Tomorrow, or next week,” Mr. Ellsberg tells The Globe and Mail over the phone from his Berkeley, Calif., home.
While the particularly bellicose temperaments of Mr. Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un are popularly blamed for this bleak state of affairs, Mr. Ellsberg sees a historic context for them. The policies of Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim may be mad, but they are no more so than NATO’s approach to the Cold War – which would have seen nuclear attacks on the Soviet Union and China rather than let Europe fall to the communist hordes – or Fidel Castro’s approach during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when he told his Soviet patrons a pre-emptive attack on the United States would be a good idea.
It’s the coincidence of timing that makes The Doomsday Machine so prescient: As Mr. Ellsberg reveals in the book, the Pentagon Papers on the Vietnam War were not the only documents he copied and secreted out of the U.S. Department of Defense.
He also took a massive cache of information related to the U.S. nuclear program but opted not to leak it immediately so as not to distract from the Vietnam revelations. Mr. Ellsberg gave the nuclear documents to his brother, Harry, who hid them in an upstate New York garbage dump, whence they were washed away by a tropical storm.
Only decades later – following a trial, years of anti-nuclear activism and a memoir about the Pentagon Papers – did Mr. Ellsberg return to the project that would become The Doomsday Machine.
As chance would have it, The Post, too, lands at a time when its decades-old story about a newspaper battling a press-hating White House to publish leaked inside information is as relevant as ever. He particularly fears that the Trump administration will start indicting reporters. Mr. Ellsberg also sees an ever-relevant theme in Katharine Graham, The Washington Post’s then-publisher, battling sexism as she stares down the Nixon administration.
As its Dr. Strangelove-inspired title suggests, The Doomsday Machine‘s premise is that the United States’ nuclear arsenal is so extensive and so quickly launchable that using much of it would guarantee the end of life on Earth. Even a “limited” nuclear confrontation with North Korea would still leave millions dead within days, a level of carnage without precedent.
More alarming still, Mr. Ellsberg discovered while a Pentagon contractor in the 1960s that the ability to order a nuclear strike was delegated to a surprisingly large number of military personnel – on the theory that someone would have to be able to retaliate in the event Washington was obliterated by America’s enemies. The Soviets had a similar system, known as “the Dead Hand.” Ellsberg contends this state of affairs hasn’t changed, and must be the same in Pyongyang.
The way out of the impasse, he contends, is what it has always been: Negotiations with Pyongyang that would offer trade and normalized relations for a freeze on the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles and hydrogen bombs. If that doesn’t work, the United States would have to live with Mr. Kim as it lived with previous nuclear-armed dictators.
“To think that Kim Jong-un is crazier or more ruthless than Stalin or Mao, there’s no basis for that. … There’s no indication he can’t be deterred from using [the bomb] unless he’s about to be attacked,” he says.
In his book, Mr. Ellsberg documents how – from Robert McNamara, the defense secretary under whom Mr. Ellsberg worked, to Mr. Obama – generations of politicians have tried and largely failed to decrease the risk posed by the country’s nuclear arsenal. Among the problems, he argues, is that the military is so tightly enmeshed with the economy that any attempt to dial it back faces resistance from Congress.
While the topicality of book and film make Mr. Ellsberg, at 86, as relevant a figure as ever, surely it must be aggravating that the battles he fought more than 40 years ago remain unresolved.
The head of the Ecolo-Groen faction in the House of Representatives of the Belgian Parliament, Jean-Marc Nollé, claims that Belgium holds the world record for the time of inactivity of nuclear reactors at its nuclear power plants, newspaper Le Soir reports.
The parliamentarian reacted very emotionally to the halt during the whole winter of one of the reactors of the Dul nuclear power plant. According to him, Belgium has a sad world record for unscheduled stops of nuclear power plants – 25%.
According to Nolle, Belgium is ahead of this indicator by Iran and the Czech Republic, where the figures are respectively 13.5% and 8.8%.
He accused the operator of Belgian nuclear power plants, Electrabel company in disregard for the security of citizens and adherence to outdated and dangerous technologies.
He got rid of him and local politicians who shy away from answering these questions.
The leader of the Greens urged to quickly get rid of Belgium from nuclear power plants, noting that the problem with the Dul nuclear power plant could drag on for a long time.
The third reactor of the Belgian nuclear power plant “Dul” was stopped from September 2017 – first for preventive works.
Then it turned out that the concrete of the bunker located in the non-nuclear zone of the nuclear power plant is crumbling, where emergency pumps and diesel generators are located.
After the nuclear accident in 2011, Daisuke Shimizu began documenting scenes in Fukushima Prefecture, the place where he was born, using time-lapse photography. Shimizu visits locations on the coast, including communities to which evacuated residents have recently been given permission to return and rebuild their lives. In short videos that combine many photographs, Shimizu documents change in a unique way. What glimmers of hope does he reveal in the poignant beauty of the Fukushima landscape?
……Edward White in Taipei January 2, 2018 6 Taiwan is forging ahead with an ambitious plan to revamp its electricity mix despite fears about energy security, as pressure builds on the government to tackle worsening air pollution. The government has faced growing calls to tackle the toxic smog that blights many parts of Taiwan — thousands took to the streets last month to protest against coal-fired power.
The government aims to lift renewables’ share of Taiwan’s power mix from 6 per cent to 20 per cent over the next seven years via construction of offshore wind farms and solar installations, and to reduce carbon emissions to 20 per cent of 2005 levels by 2030…..
The Japanese government is poised to guarantee the full amount of loans that three megabanks will extend for a nuclear plant construction project in Britain by Hitachi Ltd., sources familiar with the project said.
A group of banks, including the three megabanks and the government-affiliated Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), will extend approximately 1.5 trillion yen in loans to Hitachi’s atomic power station project.
Of the amount, the government will fully guarantee loans to be extended by the megabanks, while the governmental Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) will support the project by making capital investments. Chubu Electric Power Co. and other utilities are also considering investing in the project.
The state will thus join hands with the private sector in extending all-out support for the project to export a nuclear plant worth some 3 trillion yen.
However, concerns have been raised that if the project were to run into the red, taxpayers could be forced to shoulder the burden.
The project to be covered with loans and investments is an atomic power station that a Hitachi subsidiary in Britain is aiming to build in Anglesey, Britain. The firm hopes to start operations at the plant in the mid-2020s.
Hitachi Ltd. is poised to make a final decision on whether to invest in the project by the end of fiscal 2019. However, Hitachi is consulting with the Japanese and British governments and financial institutions over loans, their guarantees and investment on the grounds that the electronics giant alone cannot take risks.
Japanese financial institutions and the governmental Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) offered in December last year to extend financial assistance for the project.
According to the sources, Hitachi estimates the total cost of the project at about 3 trillion yen. Hitachi aims to obtain about 1.5 trillion yen in loans to cover half of the amount while raising another 1.5 trillion yen through investments.
Each of the three megabanks — the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd., Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corp. and Mizuho Bank, Ltd. — intend to extend loans of more than 100 billion yen, totaling some 500 billion yen. NEXI will guarantee the loans. Hitachi intends to obtain the reminder of the loans from the JBIC and commercial financial institutions in Britain.
The DBJ has notified Hitachi of its intention to make capital investments in the atomic power station project, while Chubu Electric Power and Japan Atomic Power Co. are also considering investing in the venture.
Hitachi has also asked other utilities including Tokyo Electric Power Co. and trading houses to invest in the project in a bid to disperse risks involving the project.
The British government, which is speeding up the construction of nuclear plants, also intends to invest in the project, and Japanese and British Cabinet ministers in charge of energy policy exchanged a memorandum on cooperation in December last year.
The profitability of nuclear plant construction has been worsening all over the world due to an increase in the costs of ensuring safety since the outbreak of the Fukushima nuclear crisis in March 2011, contributing to the financial crisis of Toshiba Corp., another electronics giant.
Nevertheless, the government intends to extend all-out support for the project.
“It’s essential to win a contract on the British project in order to maintain Japan’s nuclear technology,” said a high-ranking official of the Economy, Trade and Industry.
While a nuclear detonation is unlikely, it would have devastating results and there would be limited time to take critical protection steps. Despite the fear surrounding such an event, planning and preparation can lessen deaths and illness. For instance, most people don’t realize that sheltering in place for at least 24 hours is crucial to saving lives and reducing exposure to radiation. While federal, state, and local agencies will lead the immediate response efforts, public health will play a key role in responding.
Join us for this session of Grand Rounds to learn what public health programs have done on a federal, state, and local level to prepare for a nuclear detonation. Learn how planning and preparation efforts for a nuclear detonation are similar and different from other emergency response planning efforts.
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Grand Rounds is available for continuing education.
All continuing education credit for Public Health Grand Rounds (PHGR) is issued online through the CDC/ATSDR Training and Continuing Education Online system. If you have questions, you can email Learner Support or call them at 1-800-41-TRAIN (1-800-418-7246). Those who view PHGR and wish to receive continuing education must complete the online seminar evaluation. Continuing education will be available for up to 2 years and 1 month after the initial offering. The course code for all PHGR sessions is PHGR10.
PLYMOUTH — Operators manually shut down Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station shortly at 2 p.m. after one of the two main 345-volt lines that provide off site power to the plant “became unavailable,” according to Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesman Neil Sheehan.
“There have been no complications with the shutdown thus far,” Sheehan wrote in an email to the Times.
The emergency generators were fired up to power cooling and other emergency systems functioning, even though the second 345-volt line, along with a smaller line, from offsite have remained in service.
Patrick O’Brien, a spokesman for Entergy Corp., Pilgrim’s owner and operator, said plant managers decided to use the diesel generators for safety systems because of their reliability.
Plant watchdogs had been calling on federal regulators to order Pilgrim’s reactor shut down since yesterday, when strong winds and flooding were forecast.
The NRC left it to Pilgrim’s management, along with three federal inspectors onsite at the plant, to make the call. O’Brien had said late yesterday there were no plans to power down the reactor in anticipation of storm-related problems.
Mary Lampert, president of Pilgrim Watch, said her group had asked federal regulators to order the reactor shut down as a pre-emptive measure.
“My concern was flooding, the high winds, the water, everything,” Lampert said shortly after the reactor was manually powered down.
A January blizzard in 2015 resulted in an emergency shutdown that was accompanied by a number of system problems. Those storm-related difficulties pushed Pilgrim into Column 4, as one of the country’s worst performing reactors.
CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa.–Westinghouse Electric, the U.S. nuclear unit of embattled Japanese electronics giant Toshiba, has been acquired in a deal valued at about out $4.6 billion.
Westinghouse Electric Co. declared bankruptcy protection early last year, leaving a number of nuclear projects in limbo.
The acquisition by Brookfield Business Partners LP on Thursday comes one day after an agreement tying up loose ends from two failed nuclear reactors in South Carolina.
South Carolina Electric & Gas Co. abandoned construction reactors at the V.C. Summer Nuclear Station. Thousands were left jobless in the wake of the $9 billion failure, which was blamed by owners on the plight of Westinghouse, the lead contractor. A deal proposed Wednesday could mean $1.3 billion in refunds for utility customers affected by the failed project.
The nuclear industry has struggled both because of the tremendous cost of building massive reactors and the accelerating shift to other forms of energy like natural gas and alternative energy, like solar. The industry, and Toshiba in particular, has been subjected tighter regulatory control following the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster in northeastern Japan.
Toshiba has been dumping assets to cover for its disastrous immersion into nuclear power, a play it saw once as a safe infrastructure investment, free of the seasonal fluctuations of the power generation industry.
Technology in both fracking, a form of drilling, and alternative energy, has upended the power sector.
Westinghouse said Thursday that the deal with Brookfield doesn’t involve cash, but includes the assumption of a number of pension, environmental and operating obligations.
The agreement, pending the approval of bankruptcy court, is expected to close in the third quarter.
Former IOP Executive Director Steve Edwards will moderateThe threat of nuclear war is once again in the news. Fears about the potential use of nuclear weapons have reanimated public debate in ways not seen since the Cold War.
To further understand how decisions about nuclear weapons are made by world leaders and institutions, the Division of the Social Sciences, the Chicago Project on Security and Threats (CPOST), and the Institute of Politics (IOP) are cosponsoring a January 29 panel titled “A Safer or a More Dangerous World? Nuclear Weapons in Today’s Global Community.” The event, to be held in Regenstein Library Room 122 from 5:30-7:00 PM, is an extension of the University-wide Nuclear Reactions series commemorating the 75th anniversary of the first controlled atomic chain reaction.
the event joins UChicago international relations scholars to offer different viewpoints on military decisions, the role of nuclear arms in the formation of alliances, and aids and obstacles to non-proliferation efforts. “It’s important to think systematically about the international system, about how countries interact with each other, and what would lead them to think that nuclear weapons are a useful thing to have,” Poast says.
In addition to Poast, panelists will include Austin Carson, Assistant Professor of Political Science; Paige P. Cone, CPOST’s Nuclear Proliferation Fellow; Robert Pape, Professor of Political Science and Director of CPOST; and Paul Staniland, Associate Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Committee on International Relations (CIR). Steve Edwards, Chief Content Officer of WBEZ and former executive director of the Institute of Politics (IOP), will moderate.
Poast stresses that despite the daunting scale of the nuclear weapons threat and the global problems it presents, the work of researchers like those on the panel can help people better understand the implications for society today and in the future. “The goal is to give people a new way to think about things,” he says.
In a paper published early in his career, Robert Pape challenged the conventional wisdom that dropping the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki was the key to the Japanese surrender that ended World War II. He suggested instead that Japan’s ability to continue fighting was most threatened by the Soviet Union’s declaration of war (on August 9, the same day as the bombing of Nagasaki), and by the United States’ sea blockade and capture of Okinawa. Pape argued further that while the nuclear bombs’ devastation was massive, the Japanese had already suffered intense conventional bombing and had not surrendered.
Cone’s research extends beyond sanctions to include other forms of economic or military coercion as well. A recent item she published in the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists explained her finding that previous uses of so-called “negative inducements” have not produced good results. “If the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over while expecting different results, insanity is an apt description of US sanctions policy against North Korea,” Cone wrote.
According to Cone, 39 states have pursued nuclear weapons. Of those, Cone determined that offering positive inducements was a more reliable method of intervening to prevent a country from becoming a nuclear power, and was successful in reversing at least 11 countries’ nuclear ambitions. Today, nine countries are considered nuclear states, including North Korea.
Part of Poast’s research centers around one of those inducements — membership in international security alliances like the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Although a key function of NATO was to limit the Soviet Union’s influence in Europe during the Cold War, Poast’s research suggests that the alliance also thrived as a way for the United States to enforce nuclear non-proliferation.
“You can’t avoid the fact that nuclear politics provide the rationale for NATO,” Poast says. “Once you view NATO’s role in the context of nuclear weapons, you realize that the end of the Cold War did not in any way make NATO obsolete.” In fact, Poast believes NATO became even more important as a tool of non-proliferation in the 1990s, when the Iron Curtain fell and Eastern European states might have pursued nuclear weapons.
Austin Carson also examines the influence of international organizations in nuclear politics. The 1968 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and its enforcement arm, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), have played an increasingly important role in combatting nuclear programs, particularly since the first Gulf war in Iraq.
Carson’s work looks at secrecy and transparency between states and international organizations. He has previously studied covert military and intelligence operations as a kind of face-saving communication among states. His current project examines why decisions are made not to communicate secret information, particularly when countries have intelligence that could cause an acceleration of nuclear programs.
“We’ve known that…if you tell everyone about [a state’s attempts to develop nuclear weapons], you marshal international pressure that’s going to make that proliferating country or that violator more likely to come come back from the brink and reverse what they’re doing,” Carson says. But examining newly declassified documents from US intelligence archives, he found that there are often situations in which government and military officials did not think publicity would produce a positive outcome.
Poast says Paul Staniland’s perspective will help the panel address the regional impacts of nuclear weapons programs. Staniland, whose work has been on insurgencies and violence in South and Southeast Asia, has recently shed light on broader South Asian foreign policy questions, including the way nuclear weapons factor into smaller-scale conflicts between Pakistan and India like the resurgent violence in Kashmir last year. Staniland recently coauthored a paper that considers the domestic political implications of India’s nuclear policy and the role played by other regional nuclear powers like Pakistan and China. | 2019-04-20T16:39:26Z | https://nuclear-news.net/2018/01/05/ |
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Major Data – Is a terrific way to meet up with colleagues inside the very same business?
There are a variety of varied alternatives for a company to think about with regards to their personnel generating enter touches within the exact same sector. Possessing got in details with and co-workers in the very same sector can present several advantages inside a company. The phone calls may be from contending firms, from distributors, suppliers, as well as other professionals linked to the industry. These people offer information and facts to individuals associated with the sector and in addition permit your organization to expand and become successful through the use of these connections for your benefit.
One more alternative is always to employ a consultant that may be quite regarded in the industry to make intros as well as to organize gatherings with other people in the industry. This can provide skilled customers to assist steer you by getting you in touch with other folks in your sector that are aware of the nuances connected with contending in this particular market. The unfavorable is the fact that working with a expert inside your market might be pricy and the buying price of doing so should be taken into account before opting to take this action. Yet another alternative to have workers gratify peers within the very same market is by way of going to a seminar focusing on the market. One form of seminar, an enormous data conference, is specifically valuable.
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From the ancient times, information is one of the most needed possessions of a company. As the electronic storage space approaches were adopted, the information loss was the troublesome area for the companies. Several IT tools and also companies like Oracle, SQL, became famous for handling data sources. Moving from the electronic old approaches to manage big information centers have actually not designed any technique in which we can have no information loss throughout the data healing procedure. The innovative innovations like cloud storage, virtual storage space, data mining and warehousing techniques are developed by the IT specialists. But none of the techniques can satisfy the requirement of the companies to save the information for the long time with no loss.
The IT specialists and also the Financial Analysts have decided that a big storage space cart and also a huge team can not be the solution. It is seen that several companies have actually closed their local web server storeroom, personal information facilities, and so on. Rather, a hybrid information collection model is taken on which enables organizations to keep the information on the remote sources by preserving personal cloud or public cloud infrastructure. In accessing, preserving and recovering the data, safety has ended up being a significant issue which has compelled the IT professionals to develop new methods of data storage and data recovery. Several companies are implementing the idea of usual storage space. This has minimized capital expenditures CAPEX and procedure expenditures OPEX with the ability to quickly scale and recoup the data from an old resource.
A complicated, high-end software defined storage SDS systems was the leading pattern which has actually changed the point of view of information recuperation. The trends consist of the need for better data privacy and also safety together with the boosted legacy of the information management innovations.
New aligned applications for the DBA and application heads will be presented in 2016.
Price of intrigue is digital send off sheets that individuals experience to stick images on. Customers can share contrasted photos attaching from twisting footwear, to a cover for their most revitalizing videogame, to a notification of a to a fantastic level totally seen workmanship movie. They can share truly anything of power with others to see, as what is even more stick. Of the way in which that late resolved 11.7 million well while in traveling to in multi month throughout February, after proper around 3 years important. It has actually in actuality been articulated the snappiest production without expense website. While simply a certain Fourth of the whole internet people sees this website, 3% usage it, no matter the ones that do utilize it, uses it regularly. Fifty percent Interest customers see every day, while 60% prepare for using it in a basic feeling completely extra from time to time later. 41% consumers stick association practical point.
Gain followers on hack IG account system are actually basic. Idea concerning that it started as a phone application, it guarantees clients to have a vast celebration of bring in systems to their images handed down with thingamajigs and also what is even more products to collaborate a little percentage of a 2nd on fitting associations a possibility to such as Twitter and also what’s even more Facebook. Instagram has actually substantially proceeded being evident in its fundamental reflections in like path winning to being managed Facebook for 1 billion. No matter, it currently strategies individuals to produce online documents instead basically like Interest is sheets. Instagram has about 15 million customers with 400 million images considered that starting late. As opposed to Interest, generally 31% Instagram most likely to basic, 40% demand to encourage future usage as well as additionally merely 35% strategy business-related point.
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For as long as the web has actually existed, there has actually been a requirement for procedures to keep data personal and protected. The background of VPN virtual private network technology goes back to 1996, when a Microsoft employee established the peer-to-peer tunneling procedure, or PPTP. Properly the forerunner to modern-day VPNs, PPTP creates a much more safe and secure and exclusive connection in between a computer and the net.
As the internet removed, demand for extra advanced protection systems emerged. Anti-virus and related software could be effective at avoiding damages at the end-user degree, yet what was actually needed was to improve the safety of the link itself. That is where VPNs came in.
A VPN is a personal link over the internet. It is a wide term that includes numerous different procedures, which will be clarified thoroughly later on. What they all have in common is the capability to connect remotely to a personal network over a public connection.
VPNs were used virtually solely in service. However, the rash of high-profile safety and security violations happening in the early 2000s was an essential moment in the history of VPN modern technology. With this, everyday web users familiarized truth threats of working online, and began to try to find more safe means of doing so.
Today, VPNs are made use of to protect internet links, protect against malware and hacking, make sure digital personal privacy, unlock geo-restricted web content and hide customers’ physical areas. Less complicated to make use of and much more cost effective than ever, a VPN is an essential device for staying risk-free and safe and secure online.
The VPN function is to develop a personal link between numerous people and devices across the Net. Basically it is an Internet within a Net, secure private and encrypted from prying eyes, malware, cyberpunks and any individual else who might want to know where you surf, or where you are surfing from.
Express VPN Technology has actually been around for years. They needed to make connections that were far more safe than the average so that remote customers, satellite offices and field operatives might access and utilize business documents without enabling their keys to escape. The service they acquired is VPN.
VPN resembles having a regional network, a network in which tools are directly linked per without any demand for the internet, except making use of the net to make the links. Aside from tunneling methods which establish safe connections concealing the originating resource high level file encryption standards ensure that even if data is lost, it will never ever be used by anyone not intended to have it. The benefits of VPN for private net users became clear right from the beginning and that generated the modern rush to supply the best VPN technology. Throughout the years VPN advancement has been spurred by the encroachment of censors around the world, and the never ever finishing allure for hackers to get into whatever devices and connections they can.
Censorship and geo-restriction is just one of numerous problems tormenting the Net and driving innovation in VPN modern technology. The history of censorship differs from situation to instance yet consists of points like obstructions of social networks, insufficient access to on-line media catalogs note Netflix United States brochure versus what is offered to the remainder of the world, tracking user task, monitoring emails or straight-out denial of access to the Web. The background of VPN has actually advanced right alongside it, getting rid of each problem as it develops and producing demand from the web-surfing public.
A chitchat server is software program that is usually installed on a server computer in order to allow consumers to utilize consumer computers to communicate by way of text, video clip, and sound. The software program might be set up on a different machine aside from one which operates the world wide web server computer software, or it might operate on the same server device.
Being an internet marketer, it’s essential that you get the application inside your computer to really make it easier for men and women to reach you.
The web server assists the net pages of your respective web site and if you wish to include a live chitchat place in your internet site, you might have the chat hosted by an additional company or hold it oneself. To host it yourself, you will end up necessary to add a given Web-page coding rule to your site.
Once you accomplish this, an online site online server that contains the talk applet will open up any time a end user accesses the site. The net browser will open up the webpage by fetching the applet.
When the may chu server begins, it listens to the requests that you make. It can do this by means of immediate outlet connections. In addition, it listens through HTTP tunneling connections specifically if you are right behind a firewall.
You should keep in mind that even though primary plug connections are speedier than HTTP tunneling ones, they generally don’t work when you are operating from behind the firewall.
A chat group or perhaps a online chitchat server team is a set of chat rooms that are placed in just a individual place. The bedrooms are positioned to ensure that all the people in your room can easily view the information published in the room.
As an operator of your internet marketing organization, it’s important that you have this feature specifically when you are working with some companies that are utilizing the same server machine.
A lot of people normally don’t differentiate from a conversation server and fast online messaging server. Even though the two usually are meant to be set up on your server device, they may be rather different.
Although a conversation server assists you to variety talk spaces, the quick text messaging server makes it easy for you to produce personal quick text messaging group thus supplying you with a list of managing providers.
Motorcycle GPS units – What you need to know?
The use of bike GPS devices is a reasonably new trend, largely because bikes are normally made use of for much shorter distance traveling on familiar paths. However, the raised use bikes in travelling or on longer trip has actually made the motorbike GPS a gizmo with high market possibility. A bike GPS combines a general practitioner receiver with a navigational user interface that requires maps of the appropriate cities or regions in order to operate. A motorcyclist who wants to get to a particular destination could input that place right into his/her GPS system, which then calculates the shortest course using the maps posted by the individual. It after that alerts the motorcyclist of where and when making turns, or assists the cyclist locates numerous waypoints, such as dining establishments or gasoline station, along the road. Automobile GPS devices have actually remained in use for numerous years; however they are not well suited for usage in bikes as a result of the problems in placing and also running such a device on a bike.
A general practitioner system for bikes is specifically valuable for motorcyclists that enjoy taking long pleasure rides on weekends. It is constantly extra enjoyable to seek new, beautiful country roads instead of sticking to the routine highways. With a Best Motorcycle GPS 2018 on your dashboard, you could pay for to seek these remote trails, knowing that your GPS will certainly constantly steer you in the right direction. Paper maps are tough to read and also you should stop every single time you intend to check your existing area. With a GPS you can merely eye the device’s easy-to-read monitor to reassure on your own that you are going the proper way. Numerous devices supply a suitable bluetooth helmet headset that allows you to clearly hear your instructions, also on the noisiest of bikes. Such versions additionally have a built-in MP3 player, so you can listen to your preferred songs without having to carry about a lot of various tools.
Before buying a bike GPS you are mosting likely to wish to make certain the unit you are taking into consideration has a glare-resistant monitor that you will have the ability to check out, even in bright sunlight. Also, be sure that the device has a touch-screen that is glove-friendly. A GPS meant for use in automobiles will certainly not have this attribute due to the fact that couple of individuals uses gloves when driving an auto. Additionally, you are mosting likely to want a unit that comes geared up with the most up to date mapping software program. If the system has an older version of the mapping software program, explore the expense of updating to extra current maps. Motorcycle GPS devices have actually assisted countless riders have extra fun discovering the alleyways and also routes of their area and past. Whether you are a day-to-day cyclist or a person that hits the road a pair times a month, a bike general practitioner is a product that is well worth taking into consideration. | 2019-04-25T03:14:24Z | http://www.internetmarketingbuch.com/category/technology |
How do we make contact with the Great Invisible One?
We have seen that words are spirit; they are invisible, and they are powerful. We have seen that God is Spirit; He is an invisible Spirit-Entity that manifests Himself in human beings as He sees fit.
We are admonished by Yahshua the Master to worship this Invisible One. In fact, the Father is seeking people to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23). He said that we should worship the Father, not just in spirit, but in spirit and in truth. So how do we worship the Father in spirit and in truth? How do we enter into His invisible spirit world? How do we make contact with the Great Invisible One? We communicate with Him through words. It is called prayer.
“Prayer” is a word itself that carries a lot of baggage. Every religion and every denomination in Churchianity has a different concept of prayer as to what, when, and how to do it. But stripped of all of its negative connotations, simply put, “prayer” is communication to the Invisible Spirit God. Prayer is made up of invisible words spoken from the heart, either audibly or silently. These words are offered up to the Eternal Spirit and are likened to a kind of incense that smells sweet to Yahweh in His spirit domain.
Prayer demands first that we humans believe. Prayer exercises belief. We find it difficult to communicate to an invisible Spirit if we don’t believe that He is there or that He is listening. One-sided conversations are always limited. Messages left on answering machines rarely shine like live feedback conversations.
Nevertheless, we are shut up to worshiping God through word communications. This helps our faith to grow, for when we speak to Him, we must believe that He exists and that He listens, and that He will reward us with answers to our prayers. Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Mt. 7:7. What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. Mark 11:24.
And what are we to ask for? “One thing is needful,” and there is no better thing that we could ask for than His Spirit. How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? Luke 11:13. We should ask Him for His Spirit. He expects us to. He understands that we know how to give good gifts unto our own children when they ask of us. And He loves us more than we love our own children. So He wants to give us His Spirit, which is the greatest gift that could ever be given to us.
In other words, when we communicate with our invisible Spirit Father, we thank Him for His blessings to us; we praise Him and praise His name; we ask Him to grant desires that we have; we then believe that we are receiving those things we ask in prayer; then we receive them.
It is through prayer, then, that we enter into the Spirit World of Yah. We make contact with our invisible Father. We start the spiritual processes in motion; we touch eternity.
This all sounds so simple and good, but why is it so difficult to put prayer into practice? He has promised us His very nature and Spirit. But we find it hard to receive. We either lack enough belief, or we do not want to make the sacrifices needed in order to effect it. You mean that we can partake of His very nature, His divine nature? That is what the scriptures say. Passages about prayer are a key part of the knowledge we need in order to receive the Spirit.
The Messiah was praying. The disciples saw Him and asked Him to teach them to pray. It was at this time that He gave them a pattern prayer, whose components outline how we all should approach the Creator.
First, we are to address Him as “Father.” This was clearly before the life-changing experience they would have several months later after the Messiah’s death, burial, and resurrection. Our Father which art in heaven. Luke 11:2.
Second, we learn in this special prayer that the Father’s name is “holy,” which means “set apart.” The Father’s name is very special. Something in that name holds great significance. His name is not of this sinful world system; it is separate from the fleshly clamoring of this present world. Carnal man in his death throes comes short of the glory of what the Creator wanted him to be. Man seethes in his own lusts for himself—desires that can never be fulfilled. And we are reminded by the Messiah in this special prayer that our Creator, who is our Father, has a name that is above this strife here on earth. It is hallowed, holy, and set apart from the insanity of mortal man…hallowed be thy name.
Third, our Father has a kingdom. A kingdom is a form of government with a king as the ruling executive. It is a political or territorial unit ruled by a sovereign. The Father is that King. He has His own kingdom that shall come to this earth. The Messiah models this in the prayer, expressing the longing for it…Thy kingdom come.
Fourth, the King has deliberately chosen and decided upon an exact course of action that will take place here on this earth. Things are going His way in heaven, and they will go His way here on earth. Nothing takes place by accident. He is totally in control. The Messiah is praying here, showing us how to get into one mind, one accord with the Father’s “pre-determinate counsel of his own will.” What the Father has determined, that is what shall come to pass…Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
We are to ask Him for our daily spiritual food. He said for us to not think about the physical necessities that we must have to sustain our lives here on earth. But we are to ask Him for the spiritual sustenance. Give us day by day our daily bread…Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. And we are to forgive, and we will be forgiven by Him [For much more in depth study on prayer as the portal, read this series of articles https://immortalityroad.wordpress.com/?s=lord%27s+prayer ].
Right after this prayer, in Luke 11:5-13, the Master shows in a parable just what we should ask the Father for. One thing is needful, and that is what we should be asking for. The physical, earthly things—He already knows that we need those things to survive. He knows our temporal fleshly needs, for He put us here in the flesh and has no need that any of us tell Him how it is being human. For He partook of flesh and blood.
The story: Your friend next door comes over around midnight, after you have gone to bed. He pounds on your door. “What do you want?” you ask, rather perturbed.
But he keeps on pounding on the door. And keeps on. And because of the constant knocking, because of the bold and shameless, repeated and urgent requests, you will get up finally and give him what he asks for.
And so it is with us. We must keep asking. We must ask like this friend. We must keep banging boldly, not fearing what the owner of the house, God, thinks. Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened…Your heavenly Father shall give the Holy Spirit to them that asks Him. Luke 11:9-10. The Master is saying that the Father will give us the Spirit because of our importunity, our urgent and repeated requests, desiring His Spirit in our lives in order to help others.
We must not be discouraged by delayed answers. Daniel prayed 21 straight days, expecting an answer. And finally, Gabriel came and said that he had been hindered and delayed by Satan. God allows delays to test us, to try us. So we must persevere and never give up, and He will give us His Spirit.
Why Settle for a Part of the Creation When You Can Have All of the Creator?
“For that which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3: 6). Brothers and sisters, as born again Christians, we are now spirit because we have been born of the Spirit of God. Each seed bears its own kind.
We are new creatures—spirit-creatures now. We are no longer of the earth, although we do dwell in these clay earthen bodies. Now that we are changed into a spirit, He calls us the “last Adam.” Since we are new spiritual creatures, we simply must stop speaking as the first Adam did, as we used to. But someone will say, “Well, it is all I know.” True, but that is why we must study the written word and dig deep and get it into our new hearts. For the word of God is spirit. Christ said, “The words I speak unto you are spirit and they are life.” And He has told us to study His words, and study we must in order to do Him justice. We owe our King that (II Cor. 5: 17-19; John 6: 63).
We now may enter into true worship of our Father, for only a spirit being, born of the Spirit, can worship the Spirit of Truth, which is our Father. “God is a Spirit,” a Spirit-Being that gives life to the dead. We know this because we were once dead in our sins, but now we are made “alive unto God” through Christ’s resurrection of the dead. Engendered by the Supreme Spirit-Being, we now have His life-giving seed within our hearts. And this seed is the word that the Father has spoken and now written down in our hearts. We now are a part of His heart, born of His Spirit, and now able to give life like He did for us. We do this by sharing His word with others. This is the bread of life, broken for you and others. His seed becomes bread that will sustain others unto eternal life. His word is the seed, now ground into unleavened flour through our shared sufferings and baked into the bread of life. This is the partaking of the bread; this is communion—the spiritual sharing of His word, plan and purpose. Everything else is window dressing, if it is done without true knowledge in true worship (John 4: 24; Rom. 6: 4-11; I Pet. 1: 23; John 6: 33-35).
We now are a spirit that can make others alive. When we relate the truth of Christ to the lost, and they respond, we are being used by God to raise the dead, for they are dead in their sins. As we share our testimony of how God gave us new life in Him, we are giving new life to others. This is how we are a “life-giving spirit.” This is part of the 30 fold “resurrection of the dead,” the fifth apostles’ doctrine. If we are faithful in giving others a new spiritual life, then the Father will grant us more power to perform Lazarus-like miracles. It is coming for those who can receive it.
Those who have ears that can hear what the Spirit is saying to us—they will stand in reverential awe of this mighty Spirit of Love, who shares Himself. And as our hearts bow before Him, stupefied beyond mere human words at His majestic mercy, a brokenness comes over us as we begin to worship our humble Father and King. For He seeks such who are like Him, who have a broken spirit and a contrite heart. For they are the only ones who may enter into this rareified court. For God’s love has melted our hearts from which gratefulness pours forth. And this gratitude is expressed in communication back to the Father in the form of prayer.
Prayer—What Do We Say after “Thank You”?
We cannot but pray, for it is the foundation of a spirit’s worship of the Great Spirit Yahweh. Prayer is invisible; it ushers forth from the spiritual heart with waves of thanks splashing on heaven’s shores.
No wonder we are told to “pray always.” I could not understand that as a young Christian. It sounded impossible. How many times can we say thank you to God? What else should we express to Him? What other things should we discuss with Him?
In essence the disciples asked these same questions. After seeing Christ pray, they said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” First He told them how not to pray. Don’t pray in public to be seen of men like the hypocrites do. Go into a secret place. Don’t use “vain repetitions, as the heathen do.” Then He taught them what to say by giving them a model prayer.
And then He gives them the key. “After this manner therefore pray ye…” He then gives them the example prayer. Just mouthing the words of it does nothing. He wants our hearts full of His ideas that are contained in the phrases of the prayer communicated back to Him. When we earnestly speak to Him about the things that are on His heart—wow! We make contact with the Power of the universe, the Power that created it all, the Power whose thoughts and ideas will come to pass. When we get on His page, speaking to Him with details of His plan to carry out His will and purpose—then we will have effective communication, then our prayers will touch His heart and take on a gravity in His heart and mind.
The so-called Lord’s Prayer shows us exactly what to pray for. It lines out His plan. But natural man does not perceive the things of God; he has misused the prayer and cheapened it. He has used it as penance and a good luck spiritual charm to be chanted. Satan has made it so common that many reading this now will not be able at first to see just how important it is, for it has lost its original meaning.
Christ gave us the model prayer as a blueprint to show us what to pray for. Each phrase has deep meaning pertinent to our one-on-one relationship with our Father. God wants to hear the meaning of the phrases of the prayer come forth out of our mouths. This is a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savor to Him. He wants us to be able to elaborate upon His plan and purpose, and share with Him our desire to accomplish His plan for mankind. All this is contained in the model prayer. God wants us on board with what He is doing, which is establishing the Kingdom of God right here on this planet. For He told us, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” He is saying, Don’t ask for material things for you and your family. He already knows all about your wants and needs. What He wants to know is this: Are you in or out? If you are in then speak to Him about His plan and purpose; speak to Him of the spiritual. Show Him that you care for what He cares for. In a word, He wants us to be like Him.
His vision of His plan to fulfill His purpose of multiplying Himself in human beings—it is all there in the concepts and thoughts of His example prayer.
Take the phrase: “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” May the Father’s government come to this earth. Let the Father’s will make it happen here. His plan encompasses His kingdom and government. We should be seeking it first.
So much more can be said about His kingdom—the who, the what, the where, the when, the how, and the why. We’ve only just begun. I have written specifically about the model prayer, which gives more information about the meaning of each of its phrases. [Check out these articles: https://immortalityroad.wordpress.com/?s=Lord%27s+prayer ].
The bottom line for the future manifested sons and daughters is that we must begin to pray the way He wants us to. His example prayer shows us what to pray for. It reveals the mind of Christ, which we are to have. It shows God that we are serious about His plan. Praying with the mind of Christ forming the words is worshiping in spirit and in truth.
It’s like when Christ asked, If your son asked you for bread, would you give Him a stone? If we ask Him for the spiritual tools to bring in His kingdom, He will have our back.
We come together as Christians to worship God, to get closer to Him, to touch Eternity and be touched, in turn, by His eternal Hand. We feel a need to worship God, but “worship” is one of those scriptural words that means different things to different people. In fact, true worship and “vain worship” exist. Our worship will fall into one of these categories.
Moreover, He likens us to an invisible wind that blows across the earth. We are free like the wind is free, for we are a spirit born out of the loins of our Father, who is the Spirit of truth. We are like the wind, free to love others, not bound by the physical restraints imposed by worldly tradition peddlers. We are free to love with the soft breezes of compassion and mercy, free as the wind to soothe those who sweat in turmoil, who now writhe in the darkness of this cruel world’s overseer. And there is no law against this wind of love that now inhabits our frail bodies, that now is exhaled through us, His lungs and mouth.
“So is every one that is born of the Spirit.” And because each seed bears its own kind, we as new spiritual creatures in Christ have an “earnest” of His Spirit within, and He now breathes out of our mouths the word of God. That is part of true “worship.” It is submitting our bodies to be used by the Spirit of God within us to utter His words of life to others. It is allowing the Spirit to minister through us. And His word through His children’s mouth “will not return unto [Him] void, but it shall accomplish that which [He pleases]” (Isa. 55: 11).
Some are saying, Wayneman, now you have lost it. No! Al contrario. I believe that I have found it and that I am sharing it now. At our new birth, He has transformed us into spiritual entities that no longer need anything material or physical to worship our God. The Spirit that now resides in us was before buildings, before wood and metal, before the earth was ever formed. And now we as a quickening spirit are uniquely qualified to worship Him in spirit—because we are a spirit. Why do we then insist on trying to worship God in an earthly manner?
Since we are an invisible spirit in His eyes, dwelling in an earthen vessel, let us not try to worship Him with visible, tangible, physical things. Worship of the Father must be done, first, in spirit. True worship comes from believing in this invisible Hebrew God, who is a Spirit. He is not material, physical, nor temporal, but rather an Eternal Spirit. Therefore, He is not impressed with physical things that man uses to worship Him. We are part and parcel of Him. Therefore, we are not under all of man’s vain and perhaps sincere attempts to worship Him, traditions that fall like cardboard dwellings in a summer rain.
Approaching Him with any material object, idol, icon, or picture is not worshiping Him in spirit; the Spirit is beyond the realm of our five senses. Consequently, we must believe that He will not be found in temples and church houses and buildings with religious names. Nor will God be impressed with physical things used in those buildings. Why? Because they are all of the material and physical realm, and He is of the invisible, spiritual realm. And He has translated us into His spiritual realm, calling us a spirit with the ability to give life to others. “And so it is written, ‘The first man Adam became a living being.’ The last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (I Cor. 15: 45). Christ in us is the last Adam. And we now can give life to others through His Spirit and word within–when we share.
Knowing this frees us from believing that “going to church” is necessarily the way to worship Him. For His body of true believers is the church. We are the church, the habitation of God. Our corporate bodies are the temple of God. God does not dwell in buildings made with man’s hands (Acts 7: 48-50). If we say, “I am going to church,” our words betray us, for we are saying that the building is the church. It is a pretty simple statement, but it is very revealing, for it shows that the thinking is in error. If we are serious about becoming like the apostles and prophets of old, then we must purge out the old leaven of false concepts of worship.
The woman of Samaria believed that the site of Jacob’s well was a special place of worship. She thought that the well was a holy place because the patriarch Jacob once drew water there. But Christ explained that true worship does not hinge on a physical place like a temple or church house or a geographical location. He told her, “The hour comes, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, worship the Father…the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth” (John 4: 20-24). People still make pilgrimages to Jerusalem thinking that being in Jerusalem is holier worship. | 2019-04-22T20:30:24Z | https://immortalityroad.wordpress.com/2018/01/ |
Rather than rely on established designs, Audio-Technica have used some genuinely innovative thinking to come up with this unusual, multi-diaphragm vocal mic. How does it perform?
However, I've been fortunate enough to have been loaned a review model, with a rather unusual serial number: SN0000! By the time this review hits the printing presses the news will be out, but at the moment I feel rather honoured to be among the few that have seen and heard the real thing.
So what is the AT5040? Well, for starters, it is a relatively large and heavy vocal microphone, its all-aluminium body measuring 165.3mm (6.5 inches) in length by 57mm (2.5 inches) in diameter, and weighing in at 582g (20.5oz). It has a fixed cardioid polar pattern, derived from a very unusual 'large diaphragm' back-electret capsule — of which more in a moment. The top 85mm of the mic comprises a large dual-layer, fused-mesh brass grille, while the bottom 65mm of the body is painted in a low-reflectivity matte-grey finish, with the Audio-Technica logo identifying the front of the cardioid pattern. The usual XLR output connector is recessed into the base of the mic, and the brand new and ingenious AT8480 shockmount, supplied with the AT5040, clips around the base (see 'Shockmount' box). The mic ships in a custom hard-shell carrying case, padded with die-cut foam compartments for the microphone and shockmount, and apparently every AT5040 is hand-assembled and fully tested and inspected for quality control.
What's so unusual about the diaphragm, then? Well, despite the popular myth that the technology of capacitor microphones was perfected in the 1960s, there are, in fact, still many areas in which their performance can be improved, starting with the capsule itself!
In this respect, the AT5040 differs from most conventional capacitor microphones by employing four small, closely mounted rectangular diaphragms instead of a single, large circular one. This kind of arrangement is not entirely new: I've come across a few microphones that combine multiple capsules, such as the Line Audio Design ST, SM and QM mics, which use three small, circular diaphragms in a triangular configuration. However, this multi-capsule approach is fairly rare, because of the inherent cost and complexity.
Thankfully, the boffins at AT relish a challenge and thrive on coming up with clever and innovative solutions. For the AT5040 they wanted to combine the familiar benefits associated with a large-diaphragm design — which include high sensitivity and very low self-noise — with those of a small-diaphragm mic, such as the better high-frequency extension and precision, greater ruggedness, and better temperature stability. Moreover, by using small rectangular diaphragms, the relatively low single resonant frequency of a large circular diaphragm is replaced with two higher and weaker resonant frequencies, thanks to the dissimilar length and width dimensions of a rectangle.
The innovative quad-element capsule employed in the AT5040 is actually the largest the company has ever made, being roughly 60mm high and about 35mm wide. Since each diaphragm has a surface area of 254.4 square millimetres, the combination produces a total surface area of 1017.6 square millimetres. To achieve the same diaphragm area with a conventional circular design would require a capsule nearly 1.5 inches across, which would be completely impractical, if not impossible, to build! The clever A-T arrangement solves that problem very elegantly, and Audio-Technica claim that this configuration of rectangular elements also provides a smoother 5kHz to 20kHz off-axis frequency response than would be possible using a conventional circular capsule.
Each capsule's diaphragm is two microns thick, with a vapour-deposited gold conductive layer. They are all 'pre-aged', so that their characteristics remain consistent over the mic's lifetime. The diaphragm is also moulded with a patented double-wave 'honeycomb' surface pattern, which increases the effective diaphragm area slightly while enhancing its stability and rigidity. These are electret capsules, of course, which store a static electric charge on the inside of the backplate, and their manufacture involves another pre-ageing process to ensure that the charge remains stable and linear. The four individual electret elements used to construct each complete capsule are precisely matched to one another, and the entire assembly is supported on a floating internal shockmount.
The AT8480 shockmount, as viewed from above and in the 'open' position. When the mic is pushed into the mount, the C-shaped brackets close around it and are held in place with magnets.
Many people assume that traditional DC-biased capsules are inherently better than electret designs, but that's a long outdated fallacy. Many manufacturers produce world-class electret microphones now (DPA being one of the more familiar standard-bearers, of course), and in recent years, several companies have developed large-diaphragm electret microphones that outperform traditional DC-biased designs quite comprehensively.
Audio-Technica have considerable experience in manufacturing extremely high-quality and consistent electret capsules, and this design approach offers some very worthwhile benefits that might not be immediately obvious. Traditional DC-biased capsules need a DC bias voltage — usually something in excess of 60V — and that requires some form of DC-DC converter to raise the phantom-power voltage to the required level. However, DC-DC converters consume power to work, and can generate unwanted electronic noise and other artifacts. Since an electret capsule doesn't require the DC-DC converter, more power is available from the phantom supply to drive the microphone's output circuitry, which allows a greater maximum SPL capability. There is no risk of unwanted noise and other artifacts from the DC-DC converter to degrade the signal quality.
The impedance-converter electronics in the AT5040 are also supported on a floating shockmount, and are constructed entirely from discrete components. The relatively minimalist design, without filter or pad switches, is as advanced as the capsule, with the four elements' outputs being combined in a most ingenious (patent-pending) arrangement that delivers a fully balanced output with minimal noise. In simple terms, the four capsules are wired as two pairs, with the elements in each pair being connected in series. One pair is used to provide the 'hot' side of the balanced output, while the other pair provides the 'cold' side of the output — a configuration that quadruples the microphone's sensitivity but only doubles the self-noise. Genius!
The AT5040 is, first and foremost, loud. Recording relatively gentle vocals at a distance of about eight inches, with peaks to around -10dBFS in the DAW, required no more than 35dB of gain from the preamp — I'd normally expect 40-45 dB with other common capacitor vocal mics, and more with dynamics.
Moving on to the quality of the vocal sound when the mic is used as intended, the AT5040 has a very clearly defined sweet spot, and the vocalist has to remain well centred to achieve the excellent sound quality of which this mic is capable. This isn't a mic that would easily cope with a pair of vocalists in close proximity — they'd both sound off-axis before you started! The AT5040 is definitely a one-customer-at-a-time model, but there's nothing wrong with that as long as you know!
As you might expect with such a tall capsule, vertical displacement of the microphone relative to the source produces a very rapid and obvious reduction in high-frequency response, as does moving off-axis laterally. So if the mic is mounted low, for example, and the singer moves in and out, they could easily end up, in effect, singing over the top of the capsule and sounding well off-axis. I would suggest a vocalist would have to exhibit a fair bit of discipline to maintain their position in the sweet spot to sound good all the time.
However, with the vocalist centred on-axis, the sound from the AT5040 certainly grabs the attention. It is full-bodied at the bottom, but also very clean and airy at the top, with a superbly detailed mid-range and an effortless sense of presence and vitality. There is a pretty strong proximity effect that becomes very obvious if you move closer than about eight inches, but even with this enhanced low end the sound never loses its focus and clarity.
The AT5040 sounded great on a couple of different male vocalists I placed before it — but then, most vocal mics cope well with male vocals anyway. The real test is female vocals, since some capacitor mics sound fantastic and others utterly horrible with one voice, and the complete reverse with another! It's all about the way in which the mic's presence peaks and resonances lie in relation to the formants and harmonics of individual voices. The AT5040 has an almost negligible presence boost and, as a result, I found it worked nicely on most female voices. That makes this a more versatile vocal mic than many, which helps to justify its pretty high price.
In addition to its very high output level (which could easily overdrive preamps without a pad, given a singer who likes to belt it out!), I was astonished by the huge subsonic output that occurs when any mechanical vibration reaches the mic, or air blasts hit the diaphragms. As part of my initial tests I was hand-holding the mic so that I could easily hear how it sounded on- and off-axis, but even quite gentle movement and handling generated a massive output level below about 25Hz. This was so large that it completely overwhelmed, let alone overloaded, several different preamps I tried with the microphone.
Unfortunately, the high-pass filters of most studio preamps come after the initial input gain stage, and so are of no help in preventing LF input overload. This issue is well known in film and TV audio circles, where waving microphones about on the ends of long 'fishpoles' can also generate fearsome levels of unwanted subsonics. So, I rummaged about in my old sound recordist's box of useful gizmos and found an in-line high-pass filter, which cured the problem nicely, as did using a 20dB in-line attenuator — both proving that it is the mic's inherently high output level, combined with very large amounts of untamed capsule LF, that was causing the problem.
To be fair to the AT5040, when mounted in its bespoke shockmount from an isolated stand, and with a protective pop-screen in front of the capsule, I had no further ultra-low frequency overload problems during conventional recordings (although the some careful high-pass filtering applied in the DAW was always helpful). In light of that, I wonder if perhaps Audio-Technica should look at tailoring the mic's low-frequency response a little more, or maybe even revisit the idea of having a high-pass filter switch on the mic. In the meantime, the shockmount supplied with the AT5040 is brillantly designed, and with the mic stand is positioned well away from tapping feet there shouldn't really be any problems.
Given the mic's very neutral tonality when placed outside the proximity effect zone, the AT5040 would potentially make a useful all-rounder of a microphone if you always worked with solo sources located perfectly on axis. However, the heavy off-axis high-frequency attenuation of the mic makes it rather less useful in more practical situations where off-axis spill is likely to be an issue.
Aside from my reservations about the extreme LF response of the microphone and its ability to overload mic-preamp input stages, the AT5040 is an impressive microphone, both in terms of its innovative design and its gloriously smooth and detailed sound character. I look forward to further spin-offs of this exciting technology in more affordable models in future.
The UK list price enters the AT5040 into the same playground as mics like Brauner's VMX and VM1 models, Josephson's C715, and Neumann's M149 — all seriously high-end mics frequently employed for vocal duties.
Rather less typical, however, is the very low equivalent self-noise figure of just 5dB(A) SPL, which, when combined with the maximum sound pressure level of 142dB SPL (for one percent THD), suggests a dynamic range of 137dB. That is a very impressive and quite unusual achievement, theoretically requiring a full 23 bits to convert faithfully — which would be a challenge for most A-D converters! The mic's sensitivity is also unusually high, at 56.2mV/Pa — almost high enough to forego a mic preamp altogether if you have a powerful vocalist!
The review microphone's frequency plot indicates a pretty flat response, lying within about 2dB across the full bandwidth. There is a slight +2dB bass bloom below 80Hz, quite possibly due to the proximity effect (although the plot was measured at a distance of 12 inches, apparently), and a presence lift of a similar amount between 1-5 kHz, along with a second, smaller peak centred around 10kHz.
Looking at the polar pattern plot reveals a rather less uniform response, although perhaps that is to be expected. Fundamentally, the AT5040 has the familiar traits associated with all large-diaphragm capsules, in that the polar pattern is a tidy, standard cardioid at 1kHz, but narrows considerably as the frequency rises, tending towards a hyper-cardioid pattern by 5kHz, and a narrow super-cardioid by 8kHz. Conversely, the polar response opens out considerably at low frequencies, reaching a sub-cardioid pattern at 200Hz and becoming progressively more omnidirectional below that. In practice, this means that off-axis sources will tend to sound relatively dull and coloured compared to on-axis sources — but that's nothing new with large-diaphragm mics, and is probably of little significance in a microphone specifically designed as a studio vocal mic.
The way the outputs of the diaphragms are summed together yields a quadrupling of output level, while only doubling the capsule's self-noise.
Audio-Technica's innovations haven't been restricted to the AT5040 microphone: the brand new AT8480 purpose-designed shockmount is an engineering joy to behold, too. The basic design is a variation on the familiar 'cat's cradle' idea, in which the inner mount (which holds the mic) is suspended from one very large elastic loop that zig-zags between three posts above and below the inner cradle, and four corresponding anchor points on the top and bottom of the outer cradle.
It's a very nicely engineered accessory, with the elastic cord tension in each suspension link being fixed by locking screws in each of the inner cradle mounting posts, to stop the elastic from slipping back and forth. However, I imagine this arrangement also means a return to the dealer when a new elastic loop is required, as it is threaded through the posts rather than just hooking into them, and thus has to be 'installed' rather than simply replaced!
One very neat part of the design is the use of a magnetically latched inner clamp arrangement. The inner cradle incorporates two semi-circular 'cup' brackets, each pivoted from the outer edge of the inner cradle and fitted with rubber 'O' rings to cushion the microphone and prevent any body resonances. The 'inside' ends of these two rotating cups are fitted with strong embedded magnets that mate with corresponding magnets in the static frame.
As the microphone is introduced into these cup brackets, they rotate with the pressure so that the outside edges close around the sides of the mic just forward of the half-way point. This grips the microphone very securely, and the inside edges simultaneously move back into the inner cradle until the magnets snap everything into position. In this condition, the mic can be pulled out and removed, if required, but it needs a reasonable effort and the mic is very unlikely to fall out accidentally even if inverted and shaken. For complete security, though, there is a manually operated and spring-loaded locking pin that fixes the cups in the closed position.
The whole design is very elegant and attractive, works well in providing vibration isolation, and still allows the mic to be installed and removed quickly and easily.
Huge subsonic output from vibration.
An innovative microphone that combines the best attributes of both large- and small-diaphragm capsules, offered complete with an ingenious shockmount that helps to justify the cost! | 2019-04-19T20:25:03Z | https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/audio-technica-at5040 |
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