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The Macroeconomic Management of Foreign Aid
- 1 Foreign Aid and Macroeconomic Management: Overview and Synopsis of Key Lessons
- toggleSession I Aid, Growth, and Poverty Reduction: What Should Aid Be Trying to Achieve? How Good Is the Record?
- toggleSESSION II Aid Absorption: Recognizing and Avoiding Macroeconomic Hazards
- toggleSession III Dutch Disease: Where Do We Stand?
- toggleSession IV Aid, Volatility, and Stabilization Policy. Does Aid Smooth Absorption or Exacerbate Shocks?: Reliability and Countercyclicality
- toggleSession V Aid, Debt, and Fiscal Policy
- toggleSession VI The Roles of Aid, Governance, and the Political Economy
3 Aid, Growth, and Poverty
- Boriana Yontcheva, Peter Isard, Leslie Lipschitz, and Alex Mourmouras
- Published Date:
- April 2006
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text:
The TENP pipeline system moving natural gas from the Netherlands to Switzerland and Italy will in future be reversible, i.e. the gas will be able to flow both from north to south and from south to north. The piping system at the Hügelheim compressor station, which controls gas flows along the TENP pipeline, will be modified as required for two-directional flow. The TENP flow reversal project is also part of the planned transition from L-gas to H-gas, which will help ensure the security of gas supply to Germany. This transition from L-gas to H-gas will allow the declining production of low-calorific L-gas to be replaced by new sources of supply and transmission routes for high-calorific H-gas. For TENP, these new sources of supply are located in southern Europe and north Africa.
The scope of work for this reversal project includes the installation of four additional DN 900 isolation valves complete with the connecting pipework on the premises of the Hügelheim compressor station. The project is part of Germany's Gas Network Development Plan 2015 and is also funded by the EU as a Project of Common Interest (PCI).*
TENP gas transmission system
The TENP (Trans-Europa-Naturgas-Pipeline) system is a major European north-to-south transmission axis linking the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland and Italy for cross-border gas transit.
The TENP system includes four compressor stations to maintain the pipeline pressure and enable the required throughput of natural gas. From north to south they are: Stolberg (North Rhine-Westphalia), Mittelbrunn (Rhineland-Palatinate), Schwarzach (Baden-Württemberg) and Hügelheim (Baden-Württemberg).
The Hügelheim compressor station will play a key role for two-directional gas flow, particularly for the volumes entering Germany from Switzerland, because it is the closest station to the Swiss border for increasing the pipeline pressure.
The project is managed by Trans Europa Naturgas Pipeline GmbH & Co. KG (TENP KG), the owner of the gas transmission system. The TENP KG shareholders are Open Grid Europe GmbH (51 %) and Fluxys TENP GmbH (49 %).
* for the European energy infrastructure (TEN-E Regulation). EU Regulation 347/2013 defines the planning requirements for Projects of Common Interest (PCI). The Regulation aims to fill existing gaps in the European energy network infrastructure through a common effort and ensure that the necessary projects can be implemented based on a planning concept that conforms to European law (BNetzA 2016). According to the publicly available list issued by the Federal Network Agency
Since 2012, a modernisation programme has been underway to upgrade many of the of the prime movers at the compressor stations along the TENP pipeline system. At Stolberg, Mittelbrunn, Schwarzach and Hügelheim a total of nine gas turbines are being replaced by new "Frame 3" units complete with all ancillary systems. The last upgraded compressor unit is scheduled to be restarted in December 2016.
The upgrade is aimed at significantly reducing exhaust gas emissions and complying with the emission limits specified by clean air legislation (13th BImSchV). The new gas turbines have a so-called Dry Low NOx (DLN) combustion system which allows nitrogen oxide to be reduced by as much as 90 per cent.
The biggest challenge of this major asset project has been to fully maintain gas transmission along the TENP pipeline system throughout the five years of work. This was achieved thanks to a specially devised "roll-over" concept, which has allowed three compressor units (i.e. one unit per station) to be modified every year without interrupting station operation. A total of nine gas engines have been replaced or modified.
However, this resource-saving approach has also required much more upfront planning.
Apart from the prime mover replacements, the units' ancillary systems have also been either rebuilt or replaced. The main focus here was on incorporating additional heat exchangers (recuperators) for the exhaust gas system. A total of seven of these recuperators were installed. They will increase process efficiency by using the turbine's exhaust gases to preheat the combustion air. Recuperators require large surfaces to ensure proper heat transfer between the exhaust gas and the combustion air, which is why they are equipped with tube bundles. The large heat exchangers weigh approximately 90 tonnes.
The Trans Europa Naturgas Pipeline (TENP) ships Norwegian natural gas from the Dutch-German border over a distance of some 500 km to Switzerland and Italy. The pipeline was built in the early 1970s. Today it is the most important North-South route of the integrated European natural gas transmission system. The operator of the pipeline is Trans Europa Naturgas Pipeline GmbH & Co. KG , a joint subsidiary of the two transmission system operators Open Grid Europe GmbH and Fluxys TENP GmbH.
[November 2016]
Open Grid Europe has been commissioned by MEGAL (Mittel-Europäische Gasleitungsgesellschaft mbH & Co. KG) to build a new natural gas compressor station in Rothenstadt (Weiden i. d. OPf.). The new station, which will have a total installed capacity of 45 MW, will be located right next to the company's existing compressor station.
The purpose of the new station is to increase the compressor capacity in line with the anticipated increase in gas transportation requirements. The additional capacity will be used to provide the storage facilities in the south (Haidach/7Fields) with additional capacity and improve the capability of the gas transmission system in the north-south and south-north directions.
The need for the new compressor station as currently planned was identified as part of the Gas Network Development Plan (NDP Gas) 2014 and subsequently confirmed by the NDP 2015. Since autumn 2016, the approval processes have been completed and the notice of approval under the Federal Emission Control Act (BImSchG) has been issued.
Construction started in March 2016. The engineering activities have largely been completed. The three compressor buildings, the two utility buildings and the building housing the meter runs have already been erected. Installation of the process components such as the natural gas coolers, the station inlet filters and the piping is on track. The three new gas turbines will be delivered in April 2017. The station will be tied into the natural gas transmission system during the course of 2017. Commissioning is scheduled to be completed in 2018.
Commissioning of the station is planned for 2018.Herbstein compressor station new build project
The 2014 gas network development plan (NDP) and the subsequent NDPs currently under discussion contain a number of agreed construction measures to optimise the natural gas infrastructure in Germany and at the border crossing points.
These expansion projects are based on the capacity calculations made as part of the 2013 and 2014 NDPs. The network expansion measures set out in these plans are to boost the capacity of the natural gas transmission system from the north to the south and vice versa.
The regional planning procedure (ROV) for the natural gas transmission pipeline from Epe to Werne was completed in February 2015 with a regional impact assessment by the district government of Münster which confirmed the new pipeline's compatibility with regional planning requirements.
The application to be submitted as part of the planning permission procedure (PFV) will now only be made for a shorter, roughly 16-kilometre route from Epe to Legden. With this change Open Grid Europe is responding to the new Gas Network Development Plan (Gas NDP 2014) which envisages a shorter route. The pipeline is intended to help prepare for the planned conversion from L-gas to H-gas.
Construction will start at the end of the planning permission procedure from mid-2017 onwards. The new pipeline is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018. It will have a diameter of roughly 1,100 millimetres (DN 1100) and a design pressure of 100 bar. Running in parallel to the existing natural gas pipeline from Rysum to Werne for most of its route, it will be operated as a loop line. The pipeline route will start near Epe at the branch line station where the line from the Epe gas storage facility connects to the gas transmission system, running through the district of Borken to end at Open Grid Europe's valve station in Legden. At the start and end points of the pipeline there will be pig traps that allow the pipeline to be inspected using an intelligent online inspection tool also known as 'pig'
Areas affected by the construction of the pipeline include the town of Gronau and the Heek, Schöppingen and Legden communities.
go to regional planning procedure (ROV)
The project is intended to allow new gas storage facilities and new gas-fired power plants to be connected to the network and help meet the capacity requirements of downstream network operators and cooperation partners in the NetConnect Germany (NCG) market area.
Under the 2012 and 2013 NDPs, Open Grid Europe will build a loop line from its Schwandorf station to the station in Arresting. The pipline will subsequently be extended to Frochheim to meet system requriements. The 62 km pipeline will have a diameter of 900 millimetres and a be designed for a pressure of 100 bar.
Following the completion of the regional planning procedure (ROV) in May 2015, the planning permission procedure (PFV) was completed in summer 2016. Initial construction activities including topsoil removal as well as explosive ordnance and archaeological investigations started in October 2016.
Commissioning of the 62 kilometre pipeline with a diameter of 1m is scheduled for December 2017.
Under the 2012 and 2013 NDPs, Open Grid Europe will build a loop line from the Open Grid Europe/bayernets station at Forchheim to the station in Finsing.
The new 74 km pipeline will have a diameter of 1,000 millimetres and be designed for a pressure of 100 bar.
The regional planning procedure (ROV) has been completed. The planning permission procedure (PFV) is well underway since Mai 2016.
Public consideration of the project is scheduled for February 2017. Planning permission is estimated for August 2017. Commissioning is scheduled for December 2018.

subset: commoncrawl


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For House Republicans, the debt ceiling debate has come down to a simple question: Do they trust Speaker John Boehner?
"You either trust the Speaker or not. I do," Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said of the Ohio Republican on Monday.
"This is a test for the Republican Conference, not the Speaker. Can we trust the guy we elected unanimously to lead us" to now cut the best possible agreement with Democrats, Cole added.
With one week left before the Treasury's Aug. 2 deadline to avert government default, lawmakers continued their game of political and procedural chess, with no clear path to the checkmate.
House Republicans released a package that would raise the debt ceiling immediately by $1 trillion in exchange for $1.2 trillion in cuts, even though President Barack Obama has said he would not support a plan that does not extend the limit through 2013. Senate Democrats introduced an administration-backed plan with $2.7 trillion in savings, with no revenues and no entitlement reform.
Under pressure from tea party activists and other conservative organizations, Boehner and his top lieutenants cannot afford to pass a deal that does not have significant GOP support, and in the end, more Republicans than Democrats will have to vote for a debt and deficit package.
But Boehner has had to distance himself repeatedly from Obama, even as he attempts to craft a deal that can secure the president's signature and avert a potentially catastrophic default on the nation's debt obligations. After walking away from a deal with Obama for the second time Friday night, Boehner found himself still battling suspicion among his rank-and-file Members over whether he is crafting an agreement with the president and not them. During a conference call Sunday, Boehner said, "There are no secret negotiations going on, so don't worry," according to a source familiar with the call.
That call was intended as a plea for Conference unity, but reviews of the Boehner legislation were mixed coming out of a Monday afternoon meeting on the deal.
Like many of her GOP colleagues, Rep. Marsha Blackburn (Tenn.) praised Boehner's efforts. But, as was the case with most, Blackburn declined to specifically back the measure, saying she is "waiting to take a look at what it says. ... Let's read the bill. It's always good to read the bill."
House Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (Mich.), who said he would vote for the measure, praised Boehner's work.
"I think it's a plan that's true to our principles, having the cuts being larger than the increase in the debt limit ... [and it] has structural reform and no tax increases, so I think it's a solid plan that's true to the principles we've laid out for many weeks now."
Other Republicans, however, were already coming out against the bill.
In a statement, Republican Study Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (Ohio) rejected the plan outright.
"While I thank the Speaker for fighting for Republican principles, I cannot support the plan that was presented to House Republicans this afternoon," Jordan said.
"The Senate should resume debate on the Cut, Cap, and Balance Act, amend it if necessary, and pass it, so we can provide the American people a real solution," he added.
Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Kan.), a freshman conservative, also issued a statement in which he said he would not support the bill.
It is unclear how deep distrust of Boehner's plan goes. Only nine Republicans voted against the Cut, Cap and Balance bill last week, and only 39 Members have signed a pledge that commits them to supporting a debt limit increase only if a balanced budget amendment has first been passed. The chances of such a constitutional amendment clearing both chambers this year are dim.
Cole downplayed opposition to Boehner's plan, asserting, "This is a potentially career-defining vote ... so in those situations you always have to talk Members through" them.
Cole also said that unlike during the fight earlier this year over government funding and a continuing resolution, Boehner has "a united leadership behind him. It's very important that he has [Majority Leader] Eric Cantor [R-Va.] behind him; it's very important that he has [Majority Whip] Kevin McCarthy [R-Calif.] behind him."
Still, that sort of trust is not necessarily a given for Boehner. Unlike Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), who had a tight grip on her majority during her run as Speaker, Boehner has opted for a more open approach to leadership.
While some had thought a looser form of leadership would help the Conference mature quickly, it has instead given running room to conservatives who have proved to be a problem for Boehner's leadership style throughout the debt ceiling talks. In fact, outside organizations were already ramping up their opposition to Boehner's plan Monday afternoon.
In a statement, the Cut, Cap and Balance Coalition, which was instrumental in pushing the GOP to back its plan in the first place, rejected Boehner's proposal.
"To be clear, we are not criticizing the Speaker; however, we cannot support his framework, and we urge those who have signed the Pledge to oppose it and hold out for a better plan," the group said.
While Boehner attempts to sell his plan to stubborn conservatives, Senate Democrats introduced an administration-backed plan with $2.7 trillion in savings, with no revenues and no entitlement reform. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said Monday that he would start the time-consuming procedural processes to have a vote on the package this week.
But time constraints threatened Senate action, especially considering the Reid bill has already been declared a nonstarter in the House.
Because any one Senator can hold up legislation, staging a filibuster is "one possibility" and "something that's come up in conversation and is being considered," said a GOP aide to a conservative Senator. The aide added a caveat: "Considering things are so liquid now, until there's more hard information, I don't think it's fair to speak to whatever the tactics will be." A spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) would not say whether the leader was explicitly discouraging Members from filibustering.
Senate Republicans caucused Monday evening to review their budget options, sources said. Earlier in the day, McConnell took to the floor to express support for the Boehner plan. But he also did not explicitly dismiss the Reid plan.
Reid will need Senate Republicans to pass his proposal, which Democrats plan to attach as an amendment to a pending, nonbinding Sense of the Senate resolution. Democrats believe the $2.7 trillion plan should pass muster with Boehner, whose two major demands were that any lifting of the debt ceiling be matched dollar for dollar with spending cuts and that it not touch revenues. Both the Reid and Boehner plans include an outline for a joint committee to find further deficit savings in the future.
When asked whether he believed he would have the votes to send his plan to the House, Reid said: "I would hope so. I'm giving them what they want."
A Republican Senate aide indicated that even though there were two separate legislative tracks for a debt limit solution, ultimately, the path to averting default would start in the House and end in the Senate.
"The Reid approach cannot probably pass the House; therefore, it's a nonstarter," the aide said.
But for many conservatives and tea party loyalists on both sides of the Capitol, neither proposal hit the mark in reducing the deficit.
"The proposed deals being discussed today by House Republican and Senate Democrat Leaders do not make cuts to our debt. They do not solve our debt problems. They do not balance the budget, ever," Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said.


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One of my very favorite holidays next to Christmas. Time to be with family. Plenty of yummy food to be eaten. Long turkey-induced post-pig-out naps. Leftovers for dinner and Friday (typically there isn't much beyond that with my big family!)
I'm excited this year to spend thanksgiving in Greenwich, CT with my aunt and cousins. My mom and dad are making the trip too, as well as two brothers and my dear sister-in-law!
Each year we all have different tasks– things we claim or things we are assigned to cook. It's become a beloved tradition for me to be on sweet potato casserole duty. I tend to help out with pies or other things as well but you can always count on me making the sweet potato dish:)
I haven't changed much from when I first tried this recipe my mom had found for "Holiday Sweet Potatoes." There was one time I switched the topping to a pecan/brown sugar crumble instead of marshmallows, but given the reactions of the family, I will keep on with the ooey-gooey beloved Jet-Puffed topping. You can never have enough marshmallows, my siblings say as they try to fit a few more handfuls on top of the already-peaked marshmallow mountain.
This year I'll be doing it again in my aunt's kitchen. This recipe isn't really a secret so I'm happy to share… I tend to not measure the spices as much though and use these measurements as more of a suggestion. You won't know until you take a lick.
Holiday Sweet Potatoes
6 large sweet potatoes
3/4 cup Sugar
1tsp baking powder
A pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
3/4 cup Buttermilk
1/2 cup butter
Marshmallows for topping
After baking sweet potatoes until soft, peel when they're cool enough to handle and then combine with all other ingredients in large mixing bowl. Beat or mash together thoroughly, til sweet potatoes are smooth. Bake at 350 for 45 mins to an hour. During last 10 mins while they're in the oven, top with marshmallows.
I'm also bringing with me 2 apple pies and a new dessert I've had success with at 2 different occasions (it's so quick and easy) — I call it Pumpkin Pie cake. Hoping it's going to become a new Shepard Thanksgiving tradition!
For the apple pies, I'm using one recipe from the Joy of Cooking and one from Smitten Kitchen's delightful cookbook! We'll see which one wins… I have my bets on the Deepest Dish Apple Pie from Deb:)
I baked this one last night and threw together the other pie before we got in the car to make the trek to CT.
Also on our menu we have my husband's mashed potatoes, green bean casserole (which we always make following the recipe on the back of French's crunchy onion topping), some vegetarian dishes I don't yet know the details on (this is why we split up the work), turkey of course, Gorgozola Pear salad, and the you-can-never-not-have Pecan Pie. Probably other things I'm forgetting!
If you can't hear it from my use of punctuation in this post, I'm extremely excited! I think this might be my husband's first Thanksgiving with my clan (or some of my clan)… It's just worked out that the past 2 years have been at his house and Christmas was at mine even though we're supposed to switch off!
Gotta run…. there's more pie than we know what to do with here. 🙂
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!


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Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislators may seek to amend the Nationality Law (國籍法) to establish regulations regarding the foreign permanent resident status of government officials, after the loyalty of several Cabinet members was questioned because they hold US green cards.
Dual nationality is not permissible under the Civil Servants Work Act (公務人員服務法) and Nationality Law. However, green card status or other permanent resident status in a foreign country does not constitute dual nationality and is not covered under the law.
The amendment to the Nationality Law would set up regulations on conditions and limitations on government officials' possession of a US green card and permanent resident status in other countries, and establish a declaration system that requires civil servants to report their foreign permanent resident status, KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) said yesterday.
"Amending the law could clarify the issue of green-card holding officials and their loyalty to the country, and set up a regulation for civil servants to follow," he said.
Whether holding a foreign green card affects a civil servant's loyalty to the nation recently sparked debate after Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco Ou (歐鴻鍊) was found to have obtained a US green card in 2005, when he was the country's representative to Guatemala.
The issue snowballed when Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲) on Friday said that Jason Yuan (袁健生), representative-designate to the US, was still waiting for approval of his green card, and that two high-level Cabinet officials possess valid green cards.
Kuan also publicized the numbers of the two green cards without releasing the names of the officials, although they are rumored to be Executive Yuan Secretary-General Hsueh Hsiang-chuan (薛香川) and Minister without Portfolio Chu Yun-peng (朱雲鵬).
Assistants to Hsueh and Chu denied the allegations.
Seeking to end the controversy surrounding the green card issue, Wu yesterday said KMT legislators would soon present an amendment proposal to the legislature.
The rank of civil servants who are allowed to obtain a green card, along with a time limit for officials to renounce the status before assuming their position, would all be addressed in the amendment, he added.
At a separate setting yesterday, former DPP chairman Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) said that the problem with having high-level government officials holding US green cards is that the nation would be beholden to the US.
The Taiwanese public isn't comfortable about the US having personal information about Taiwan's high-level officials from their applications for permanent resident status in the US, he added.
Hsieh said the green card issue showed that Ma Ying-jeou's (馬英九) KMT government was questionable in terms of its honesty and intentions toward the nation.
"Even though the US is a country friendly to Taiwan, it is another country," Hsieh said.
Taiwan and the US nevertheless must address many problematic issues, such as the import of US beef, arms procurement, imports of US pork tainted with ractopamine, all of which affect the nation's interests, he said.
During the presidential campaign earlier this year, then DPP presidential candidate Hsieh accused Ma of holding a valid US green card.
Ma later admitted he had obtained the card in the 1970s, and claimed the card was invalidated automatically when he applied for a US visa in the 1980s. Ma never showed any documents as evidence.


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Brooklyn Brownstoners Tour
The highlight of the day was the house tour which historically draws thousands of visitors from all over offering the housing enthusiasts a sneak peek into some of New York's most lavishly restored brownstone homes.
[Business News]
The Brownstoners of Bedford Stuyvesant, one of the neighborhoods most active civic organizations, held its 30th annual House Tour and Bazaar Saturday, October 18.
Themed "Honoring Our Founders: The Legacy Continues," proud brownstoners used this years event to pay tribute to its founding members Brenda Fryson, Reginald Shell, Clarence Jones and Clara McDonald, widower of the late Bernard McDonald. Current President, Renee Turner Gregory thanked these visionaries for their leadership and commitment while borough President Marty Markowitz encouraged attending residence to continue to invest in Bedford Stuyvesant.
Prior to the kick off of the self guided house tour, visitors were able to participate in a Homeownership Workshop where they received professional advice and resources on surviving the current economy, how to maintain their current home and buying smart. The annual Bed Stuy Bazaar was also in full swing offering a variety of arts and crafts while showcasing various neighborhood goods and services.
The highlight of the day was the house tour which historically draws thousands of visitors from all over offering the housing enthusiasts a sneak peek into some of New York's most lavishly restored brownstone homes. This year participants were not disappointed as they took to the tree lined blocks to personally experience the luxury and sophistication of Bed Stuy living as expressed in 10 homes and garden featured in this year's house tour. The tour, which included traditional renovated and restored homes; modern décor, Victorian and African-infused designs and aesthetics, was an invaluable experience for homeowners and homebuyers alike as it provided the opportunity to speak directly to homeowners and learn more about restoration, landscaping, general maintenance and other practicalities of owning a brownstone.
The mission of The Brownstoners of Bedford Stuyvesant, Inc, which has been operating for 30 years, is to faithfully serve this Brooklyn community; Dedicated not only to instilling pride in Bed-Stuy residents, this non-profit, volunteer civic organization has performed a variety of community services which span from literacy programs to their annual Tax Lien Project. In fact, proceeds from the house tour will benefit the McDonald/Glee Memorial Scholarship Fund, which awards scholarships to college bound graduates of Boys and Girls High School. The Joan Maynard Scholarship is also benefited, which awards college bound graduates of the Historic Boys High School.
Keith L. Forest is a freelance publicist, writer and proud Bedford-Stuyvesant home owner who lives and works in the beloved community. His current blog space mybedstuy.blogspot.com seeks to celebrate the people and places that make up this great community while addressing issues such as gentrification, predatory lending and other ill norms that seek to exploit, discredit and harm the area and its people.
To comment or to subscribe to or advertise in New York's leading Pan Global weekly investigative newspaper, or to send us a news tip, please call (212) 481-7745 or send a note to email@example.com
"Speaking Truth To Empower."
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- Ann GarrisonFebruary 22,2018 @ 08:03 PM
I think you have "Filtered HTML" turned on here. If you switch to "Full HTML," it will probably...
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ABUJA, Nigeria, June 20 (UPI) -- Nigeria's Boko Haram Islamist militants have widened their insurgency with their first vehicle-borne suicide bombing in Abuja, heightening concerns they're being trained by al-Qaida's North African group or al-Shabaab in Somalia.
The apparent target of last Thursday's, Inspector General Hafiz Ringim of the Federal Police, was the highest ranking official the group has sought to assassinate since it launched its campaign of violence in Muslim-dominated northeastern Nigeria four years ago.
Until then, all of its attacks, including the killing of security officials, had been confined to that region, where the extremist group has clashed with rival Christians as well as the federal government.
Thousands of people were killed in periodic bouts of sectarian savagery, with Boko Haram showing none of the relative sophistication seen in their recent operations.
"The staging of this attack demonstrates an increased operational area and also could indicate some form of training from transnational jihadists," the U.S. global security consultancy Stratfor observed.
"The bombing … indicates that Boko Haram has had contact with more experienced militants as it has not displayed this level of capability in any of its previous attacks."
There have been unconfirmed reports that Boko Haram, which means "Western education is sacrilege" in the northern Hausa language, has been seeking ties with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, the jihadist affiliate in Algeria.
AQIM operates throughout North Africa, from Mauritania and Morocco in the west, across the vast ungoverned spaces of the Sahara Desert to Niger in the east.
Niger is oil-rich Nigeria's northern neighbor and thus forms a land bridge from AQIM's main bases in Algeria and Mali.
Boko Haram leaflets, printed in Hausa and circulated in northern Nigeria recently, warned that the group planned to launch a jihad against the Abuja government.
The leaflets claimed that Nigerian militants had returned from Somalia, far to the southeast in the Horn of Africa on the other side of the continent, where they had undergone military training at camps run by al-Shabaab, a jihadist group ideologically linked to al-Qaida.
That was the first intimation of a direct link between the Nigerian sect and al-Shabaab, which is fighting Somalia's Transitional Federal Government, installed and funded by the United States and the West.
A senior Boko Haram leader, Usman al-Zawahiri, said when claiming responsibility for the June 16 bombing that the Somali-trained militants were preparing to launch attacks.
These claims remain unconfirmed, but Stratfor noted "Zawahiri's claims the Somali jihadist group is attempting to train militants in other arenas to conduct attacks cannot be discounted."
The Boko Haram chief isn't apparently related to al-Qaida's new leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri of Egypt, who took over the terror network following the May 2 assassination of Osama bin Laden by U.S. forces in Pakistan.
If the jihadists are indeed driving to expand their operations into the heart of Africa, it would provide Ayman al-Zawahiri, a veteran of Egypt's war against Islamist radicals throughout much of the 1990s, with an opportunity to burnish his new command.
West Africa has the center of a new oil boom, which transforms the region into a strategic zone for the West and China. Big oil and gas strikes have recently been made in East Africa as well.
The upsurge in violence by Boko Haram over recent months followed Muslim-Christian clashes in the central region between the predominantly Muslim north and the overwhelmingly Christian south.
Nigeria's population of around 115 million is split roughly evenly between the two religions.
The most recent bloodletting has been widely attributed to tension stemming from highly divisive presidential, parliamentary and state elections.
The election of southern leader Goodluck Jonathan as president caused anger in the north. The region has few resources, unlike the south, where Nigeria's oil is located.
Analysts say Muslim political barons have instigated the current bloodshed to pressure Jonathan into meeting demands for patronage or face the destabilization of the entire country.
Jonathan is under pressure to crack down hard on Boko Haram. But, Stratfor says, "While this would lessen the violence in the short term, it will not alter the underlying conditions that led to the violence.
"Thus northern Nigeria can expect a long-term cycle of increased violence followed by harsh crackdowns by Nigerian security forces."


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Mohaqiq all praises for Iranian general, Afghans sent to Syrian war
Mohaqiq all praises for Iranian general, Afghans sent to Syrian war
KABUL (Pajhwok): Deputy Chief Executive Officer Haji Mohammad Mohaqiq visited Tehran where he praised the fighters, including Afghans for their victories in Syria's war.
Mohaqiq thanked the fighters, including Afghans, for their victories in the Syrian war, while addressing a gathering 'Moheban Ahlebait'.
"I thank all the warriors who cooperated in these wars from Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and other parts of the world who attended the wars. In fact it was the war of Islam against infidelity and against the conspiracies of the world arrogance."
The role of our dear brother Qasem Soleimani and Mr. Hassan Nasrullah was very prominent, he said at the gathering.
Soleimani is one of the founders of Fatimiyun Brigade in Syria and he has encouraged Afghan refugees in Iran to take part in this war. Mohaqiq meanwhile said over 10,000 Daesh fighters were in Afghanistan and that the militants are trying to destroy the country and other nations.
"The northern part of Afghanistan once a secure area has now become destabilise after the incursion of Daesh," Mohaqiq said."
Mohaqiq also said if the northern parts of Afghanistan become insecure, threats to Central Asia would increase, therefore, he said the regional countries should cooperate with each other to deal with the situation.
Mohaqiq's praises for Afghan who fought in Syria came at a time when Afghan government has in the past repeatedly criticised the government of Iran over sending Afghans to Syria for fight. Recently the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported to investigate the issue.
Mohaqiq's remarks sparked anger over social media.
Journalist Haroon Jajafizada tweeted "Wonder at what capacity deputy executive officer was speaking when he paid gratitude to Gen. Solaimani and tanked Fatimyun Brigade Afghan fighters involved in Syria's war.
Another social media user Qadir Sediqi tweeted as well "Mohaqqiq is deliberately inviting Daesh and brining another proxy war to Afghanistan."
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TORONTO - So, you finally ran your first marathon. Do you rush online to share the big news with friends and followers on your social networks? How much proud and enthusiastic gushing is endearing and how much is too much?
Since digital communication is notoriously open to misinterpretation, should you use some kind of social media cue to suggest you're trying to be modest, even as you tell the world you've done something really, really great?
For many social media users, it's an all too familiar internal monologue that's made the Twitter hashtag #humblebrag commonplace.
Originally coined by comedian and TV writer Harris Wittels in 2010 as a way to sarcastically call out some of the most obnoxious Twitter braggarts, the hashtag evolved into a tool for social media users to broadcast their accomplishments while signalling that they feel a little awkward doing so.
"I love the humblebrag, it strikes me as a kind of quintessentially Canadian manoeuvre," says Aimee Morrison, a University of Waterloo associate professor who researches digital culture.
"In this social media era we are having to create and adjust to new social norms around self disclosure and how we talk about ourselves, because although we think of social media as being interactive and conversational, it's actually a series of interwoven monologues by individual users.
"So we've developed mechanisms by which to get out information we need to share with others — some of which sounds like bragging — and we had to find a way to do that that is still socially acceptable."
If you ask Mitch Joel, president of the Twist Image marketing agency and an influential social media user and commentator, there's a good kind of humblebrag and a bad kind — whether users actually use the hashtag or not in their personal tweets.
"I think there's part of it where we're publishing things in the hopes that people will think our lives are more interesting than theirs and I think that's the sort of negative one," Joel says.
"I think the positive one is where we're publishing things in the hopes that people will connect and find value in the things we're creating."
He's struggled in the past with trying to figure out how the act of promoting his work on social media can come off as the wrong kind of humblebrag, or too overtly promotional, which may not connect with his followers.
He admitted a recent tweet about pre-orders of his new book, "CTRL ALT Delete — Reboot Your Business. Reboot Your Life. Your Future Depends On It," fell into the less desirable category.
"When I tweet out (something like), 'Pretty amazed that my book cracked No. 1 in a couple of categories on Amazon and it's only coming out May 21,' that's like the sort of thing I sort of get throwing up in my own mouth about. But you gotta do it because we live in this world where everybody's a media outlet and producing content — text, images, audio, video — if you don't talk about yourself it's somewhat hard to get others to, because they're talking about themselves."
Even those without a business interest online or something to promote shouldn't be afraid to share their good news with others, he adds.
"For the average person, I think these (social media) channels are really good because it gives them that valve, that place of release, to talk about their lives and share with whoever it is that wants to connect," Joel says.
Joe Ginese, who recently wrote a rant about the #humblebrag concept on his blog, says he'd rather see people just be proud of their accomplishments without thinking twice about how others might take it.
"It's almost like you're ashamed of celebrating something and you downplay it by attaching that hashtag," Ginese says.
"Some of it is a confidence problem, I don't know if it's people don't want to come off as conceited or come off as, 'Look at me, I'm bragging,' but there comes a point that if you're not advocating enough for yourself and what you're doing, you're selling yourself short. You're kind of downplaying how great you are to the point that you want to be so humble that people are just going to step all over you.
"I think earlier in my online development I did have (self-confidence issues) but now I'm like, 'Screw it, if I ran a good race I'm going to let you know I ran a good race and be excited about it.'"
Morrison says social media users have probably developed their online voice when they can boast a bit online without the #humblebrag hashtag, using enough humility in their writing that no overt wink-wink, nudge-nudge signal to readers is needed.
"I think people who hashtag their own stuff as a #humblebrag are aware they're not doing it correctly yet. They can't stop themselves from (using the hashtag) because they feel awkward about it and want to flag that awkwardness as part of the conversation," Morrison says, adding that using 140 character tweets doesn't make the task easy.
"It's so short that people don't have the luxury of crafting those convoluted sentences that we use in real life to sort of disguise our brags in a kind of humble wrapping. On Twitter you have to pretty much come right out and say it."
Of course, there's one way to never use #humblebrag. Those who regularly lean on the hashtag as a phoney excuse to overtly gloat about this or that should be prepared to lose some followers. It's usually transparent and just comes off as crass.
"There's nothing humble about that, right?" says Morrison.
"It's just a straight out brag ... the person is really just trying to wrap with a hashtag some humility around what is really a bald brag."


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Consensus Report
Marine Mammal Populations and Ocean Noise: Determining When Noise Causes Biologically Significant Effects (2005)Ocean Studies Board
Each report is produced by a committee of experts selected by the Academy to address a particular statement of task and is subject to a rigorous, independent peer review; while the reports represent views of the committee, they also are endorsed by the Academy. Learn more on our expert consensus reports.
Due to a series of marine mammal strandings, lawsuits, and legislative hearings, and most recently, the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy report, attention has been drawn to the subject of how ocean noise affects marine mammals. One way to assess the impact of ocean noise is to consider whether it causes changes in animal behavior that are "biologically significant"--those that affect an animal's ability to grow, survive, or reproduce. This report offers a conceptual model designed to clarify which marine mammal behaviors are biologically significant for conservation purposes. This report is also intended to help scientists and policymakers interpret provisions of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act.
Key Messages
- A conceptual model can assist in the understanding of acoustic disturbance of marine mammals and possible effects on populations of them. However, the paucity of data prevents such a model from having a predictive role now.
- A conceptual model, such as the PCAD model, is useful for clarifying the complex problem of acoustic-disturbance effects on marine mammal populations. Such a model can be used as a framework for identifying the cause-effect relationships necessary for determining consequences of disturbances. Data to complete this exercise are lacking and must be pursued from every available source.
- A wealth of data on marine mammals is collected in compliance with federal regulatory requirements. Such data are not collected in a manner that allows easy access or use beyond the original intent of their collection (such as permit issuance).
- As opposed to the definition of biologically significant activities, whose disruption can constitute harassment, the crucial determination is of when behavioral or physiological responses result in deleterious effects on the individual animals and the population.
- Continued development of more-sophisticated data logger tags is necessary to advance the study of marine mammal responses to anthropogenic sounds. Data logging packages should be modified to incorporate blood sampling during controlled-exposure experiments (CEEs).
- Current knowledge is insufficient to predict which behavioral changes in response to anthropogenic sounds will result in significant population consequences for marine mammals.
- Development of a model, such as the PCAD model, to inform regulatory decisions is critical for a full understanding of the biological significance of anthropogenic noise on marine mammal populations, but a more immediate solution is necessary.
- During the last decade, the PBR mechanism has proved to be a successful model to account for the cumulative effects of lethal takes and serious injuries in commercial fisheries. However, as currently implemented, the PBR mechanism cannot adequately protect marine mammals from all sources of human-induced mortality until all such mortality is included in a revised and expanded PBR regime.
- Focused effort is needed on a modeling exercise that should include demographic models, IBMs, and categorical modeling.
- Measurements of glucocorticoids and other steroid hormone metabolites in terrestrial vertebrates have proved to be good indicators of pregnancy, allostatic overload, and mortality risk posed by current and new stressors.
- Prior National Research Council reports (NRC, 1994, 2000, 2003b) identified high-priority subjects of research. The model proposed here requires the data and understanding that will become available on the fulfillment of the earlier National Research Council high-priority research recommendations.


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For this week's cover story, I profiled one particular homebrewer — my husband — on his quest to DIY kegerator glory. But there's more to this story — hundreds more, in fact. And the homebrewers of San Francisco congregate in the virtual San Francisco Homebrewers Guild (cute motto: "A mashing good time!). I chatted with the friendly and knowledgeable Kevin Inglin, who is the group's VP (Chris Cohen is the group founder and president) about rising membership, local homebrewing trends, and helping people brew better beer:
SF Bay Guardian How many active members are there in the San Francisco Homebrewers Guild?
Kevin Inglin We have about 140 dues-paying members in the SFHG ($45 annual membership gets them into monthly meetings for free — $5 for non-members — and allows them to enter our quarterly competitions for free, attend members-only events, and gets them discounts at local homebrew supply shops).
Our emailing list and Meetup group numbers are nearing 500. We have more than 130 people who are regularly "active" on our Meetup page (meaning they access the page for information at least bi-weekly), and we usually have 40-80 members who attend our monthly meetings and events.
SFBG How long has the group/guild been active? It combined with another group late last year, correct?
KI That's correct. The current formation of the SFHG is really a combination of two groups. In October 2012 I took over as organizer of a Meetup group (of which I had been a member for about a year) called the SF Homebrew Club, which had formed online in December 2010. Chris Cohen started the SFHG in February 2012 and had held a couple of events throughout 2012. Upon taking over the Meetup group, I was pondering what type of homebrew club I thought we needed to be what my role would be as organizer and I came across what Chris was doing with SFHG.
I thought we had a lot of similar goals with regard to uniting and promoting the homebrewing community in the city, so I reached out to him and very quickly thereafter cross-promoted the November 2012 "SFHG Presidential Honey Ale Competition" — an event he already had in the works — to members of the Meetup group. In December of that same year, Chris then cross-promoted a Meetup group event — a North Bay Craft Brewery Tour I had been working on – to the members of the SFHG.
After those two very successful joint endeavors, we made it official in January 2013 when we merged the two groups, changed the Meetup group name to SFHG to ensure common branding, began having our regular monthly meetings, and proceeded to carry out numerous events throughout the year. We haven't looked back since!
SFBG Any common homebrewing trends you've noticed among the group lately? Any ongoing trends or common issues that always arise among members?
KI I think the common trend in the homebrewing community is that every homebrewer at one time or another secretly desires to "go pro" — if they say they haven't after someone has told them "that's really great beer!" they're probably lying!
Joking aside, I think the trend among homebrewers is creativity and reviving often "forgotten" styles or bringing a new twist to old classics. This creativity inevitably then emerges in the craft brewing scene as many craft brewers do indeed have homebrewing roots. People new to homebrewing then see what is happening in the craft brewing world and work to replicate those beers, so it's somewhat of a circuitous path, but the two communities (homebrewing and craft brewing) tend to feed off one another.
In the past several years, we've seen the craft beer scene follow the homebrewing lead of running through big, high-alcohol "extreme" beers (e.g., big stouts and barleywines), and who can make the hoppiest IPA known to man. Now we see sour beers trending quite a bit in the craft brewing industry, which is at least in part due, in my opinion, to a trend of homebrewers seeking to make these challenging and very tasty beers for the past several years.
Our club is about to embark on a sour beer project with GigaYeast, a local, up-and-coming yeast provider that is gaining an increased market presence – we're very excited about helping them gather data to tweak their sour yeasts and agents they'll ultimately bring to market for use by other home and craft brewers.
SFBG Are most members brewing all-grain or extract? What is the experience level of most of the members?
KI We really run the gamut. We have several brewers who have been at it for a decade or more and a large group of people new to the hobby. With that mix of experience level, we have a corresponding mix of brewers who are all-grain and those using extracts. Being in an urban environment, some of our brewers are challenged with space and continue to use extracts for this reason, others have found ways to move to all-grain, but do so on a much smaller scale (1 to 3 gallon batches) than is most-often found in the hobby, where brewing 5 gallons at a time is the most common volume.
SFBG Have you noticed any uptick in membership in the past six months-few years?
KI Absolutely! Before we merged the SF Homebrew Club with SFHG, there were 287 members in the Meetup group, of which, just more than 30 were "active" members regularly using the site to gather and share information. We now have more than 460 members in the Meetup group, of which more than 130 are regularly "active" so that has definitely been very positive and consistent growth for the group over the past 11 months.
With the merger of the Meetup group into the SFHG proper, we've also seen a significant increase in paid memberships for SFHG (nearly double from last year), which has been essentially to the vitality of the group and allowing us to host so many events for members in the past year.
SFBG When did you personally start homebrewing?
KI I started in 1996 with an equipment and ingredient kit I bought from a display set up in the corner of a German bar. I had no group or resources to really tell me what to do, so I just read what I could and went for it. Those first batches weren't too great, but I'd like to think now after all these years I'm able to produce beers a bit more palatable!
SFBG Anything else you would like to add about yourself or the group?
KI Running the SFHG has been a truly rewarding experience – it's always great to help someone "get it" and see their joy when they make a beer far better than they ever thought they could based on information and tips they gathered from other club members. Having struggled somewhat on my own when I got started, it's very enjoyable to help others avoid that isolation and be able to improve their brewing much more quickly based on the help and advice from others. That's really the crux of our existence — help people brew better beer!
As for me personally, as an Army officer, I've moved around quite a bit over the years and homebrewed in Tennessee, Alabama (not realizing it wasn't legal there at the time – thankfully it is now!), Hawaii, Virginia, Texas, Germany, and of course here in California.
It's been a very enjoyable hobby and now that I'm set to retire from the Army in 2014, my wife and I have indeed decided to venture into the ranks of the professionals and open our own Nano Brewery here in the city. I'll be attending a professional brewing course next year to augment my homebrewing experience and we're in the throws of getting the business off the ground in the coming months. Wish us luck!


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On Friday 31st January, the contract to implement the third year of the European BEST Preparatory Action was launched at the European Commission. This crucial phase of the initiative focuses on developing measures for sustaining the European BEST Initiative for conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity and ecosystem services in EU outermost regions and overseas countries and territories.
The consortium of organisations involved in the project include IUCN - who will be acting as the project coordinator - Conservation International (CI), the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), the French IUCN Committee, the WWF France, The UNEP SPAW Regional Activity Center (SPAW RAC), the Fundo Regional para a Ciência (FRC), the South Atlantic Environment Research Institute (SAERI), the French Antarctic and Sub Antarctic Territories, De Visu and One Agency-Ausy Belgium.
The four year project will develop a platform that shall profile BEST projects and facilitate information sharing on funding availability from a range of different sources. A lot of information will be available on the platform including description of current and BEST projects to come. The platform will serve as a clearing house for local actors and donors. It is envisaged that potential funders might include the European Commission, Member States and other possible partners, such as international financial institutions, NGOs and the private sector.
Crucially, the project will also see the development of required support mechanisms including regional ecosystem profiles and BEST strategies including investment plans. These tools are essential in order to ensure that long term funding for projects for biodiversity in European overseas entities is dedicated to the most pressing conservation challenges and to support priority sustainable development needs and climate change adaptation.
Karin Zaunberger, European Commission Policy Officer following the BEST Initiative said: "It has been quite a journey since the Conference in La Reunion in 2008. Thanks to the BEST Preparatory Action the initiative has gained visibility and momentum and I sincerely hope that together we will manage to transform the initiative into a sustainable scheme. The participation of representatives of several DGs of the European Commission, of Member States, of local and regional governments, and of other concerned organisations in the BEST III launch event is very encouraging. During these years I have learned a lot about the biodiversity in EU outermost regions and overseas countries and territories and it strikes me as a treasure which must not be lost. I find that this is a challenge as well as an opportunity not only for the Member States with outermost regions and overseas countries and territories, but for the EU as a whole".
Carole Martinez, Programme Coordinator for IUCN's EU Outermost Regions & Overseas Countries & Territories programme said: "This final phase of the BEST preparatory Action is a major opportunity for implementing the two core recommendations of the Message from La Reunion calling for a voluntary scheme and a dedicated mechanism for Europe's overseas biodiversity and ecosystem services. We call on all organisations across Europe and its overseas entities, and global players to get involved in the project and ensure that Europe's incredible overseas biodiversity is well managed for future generations to come. To quote the European Biodiversity strategy: 'We are all in this together', so let's team up with the EU Overseas actors!"
EU Outermost Regions (ORs) and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) are home to exceptional biodiversity. The 34 political entities include more than 150 islands and one Outermost Region in South America; French Guyana. Together they cover a total land area equivalent to the EU area, and a marine territory, which is the largest of the world.
In 2008 representatives of ORs, OCTs, EU Member States, the European Parliament and the European Commission came together for the Conference "The European Union and its Overseas Entities: Strategies to counter Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss". The Conference led to the "Message from Reunion Island" which called for EU Member States and the European Commission, together with the ORs and OCTs, to establish a voluntary scheme for the protection of species and habitats. The BEST Preparatory Action, initiated by the European Parliament and implemented by the European Commission, provided funding for 16 projects in 2011 and 2012, and in 2013 thanks to a partnership with the French Aid Agency 2 further projects were supported and the BEST facilitating project was extended.
For more information contact firstname.lastname@example.com


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The first effective low-risk turf weed killer available in the United States. Now, a greener lawn can be even greener. As homeowners become more focused on eco-friendly practices both for the betterment of the environment and for their family, they are looking for alternative products and services to traditional herbicides. That's why we formulated Fiesta with a commonly used mineral as its active ingredient. In most cases, your clients, homeowners, kids, and pets can use the yard in a matter of hours, instead of days of restriction necessary with a traditional herbicide. Plus, Fiesta Turf Weed Killer is easy to apply, doesn't require any special handling, and is effective in a wide range of temperatures (50°F-85°F/10°C-29°C). Now you don't have to choose between effectiveness and the environment. Choose both.
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BP published a new advertisement Thursday in The New York Times and Wall Street Journal suggesting it's a victim of trial lawyers seeking a big windfall — an unfair one, in the company's view.
The headline at the top of the ad states, "Business Leaders Agree: What's Happening to BP is Bad for American Business."
The British oil giant is continuing its aggressive challenge to how business claims are being handled as part of the multibillion dollar Gulf oil spill civil settlement that it reached last year with thousands of victims of the disaster.
BP chief: Oil spill settlement has been 'hijacked'
The ad compiles recent public statements from some business leaders who offer support for BP's position.
A federal appeals court in New Orleans is weighing BP's appeal of a lower court's decision to accept the way claims administrator Patrick Juneau is calculating business economic loss claims. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier has denied BP's requests to halt payments from the settlement.


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The Tops is one of the casinos on the New Vegas Strip in 2281 controlled by the Chairmen, one of the three tribes that were allowed into New Vegas after the war at Mr. House's invitation.
The Tops offers a classic Vegas experience, with cool, hip, fun, and macho posturing to entice those with a sense of style. This is a place for manly men with a dame on each arm; here to see the Rad Pack as they perform their routine "The Four Taps" over at the Ace Theater. Choose a fine wine, order the Brahmin steak rare, and have a good time, baby! The place is run by The Chairmen, who talk tough, but most of them don't take things too seriously; they're just too cool and laid back to let anything get to them (with the exception of Benny).[1]
The Tops is a casino right out of Vegas's rat-pack era. Frank Sinatra's music plays softly in the background to the clinks of slot machines. Security is tight, with Chairmen out front to collect patrons' weapons before they step inside. The weapons will be automatically returned to the player character's inventory when they leave and the player character the option to hide holdout weapons if they can pass the required Sneak check.
There are six main areas with loading screens between them: the casino, restaurant, Aces theater, Presidential suite, 13th floor and the courtyard.
Lobby and casinoEdit
There is a circular desk in the lobby where Swank can usually be found. Beyond it is the casino proper, with a main hall to the right as one enters and a smaller section just behind the main staircase. Beyond the stairs and the smaller casino section is the elevator bank, which has a single working elevator that leads to the 13th floor, and a door to the courtyard. In the large hall is the entrance to the restaurant and an express elevator to the Presidential suite, which requires a key.
On the second level, just up the main staircase on the left, is a cashier where the player character can change chips for cash and vice-versa. Right next to the cashier is the entrance to the Aces theater.
A bartender sells an assortment of drinks. There's a kitchen behind an Average locked door, which has food and alcohol including 5 Nuka-Cola Quartz. A door leads to the courtyard from here.
The Aces theaterEdit
The player character can buy a drink or watch one of the shows and acts that are going on. Here the player character can find Tommy Torini, who gives the side quest Talent Pool.
Presidential suiteEdit
This is only accessible with a key obtained from Benny or the Chairman bodyguards.
CourtyardEditgamblers milling around along with a few Chairmen.
13th floorEdit
The 13th floor contains a variety of nondescript rooms with Average locks, Benny's suite and the High Roller's suite. There are at least five Average locked doors on this floor.
The High Roller's suite is a slightly larger room than the rest and contains some minor loot. Entering requires the High Roller's suite key, which can be obtained by winning enough chips in the casino (see the "gambling" section). This is not a good place to use as character housing, as the guards on the floor will enter the suite once the door is unlocked and take any consumables that are in the room.
Benny's suite is in the center of the hallway, through the double doors. Benny's suite door has an Average lock, which may be picked or opened using a key obtained from Benny or one of his henchmen. The room itself has minor loot; the big attraction is a rough hole in the wall that connects to Benny's secret workshop, where the player can find Yes Man and begin the Wild Card quest.
At the end of the main hallway, the very last locked door leads to the High Roller's suite. This lock cannot be picked. The key is obtained from the floor manager by winning a minimum of 7,500 chips in the casino.
The sub-basementEdit
Beyond Benny's workshop is a hallway with an elevator used by Benny as an emergency escape route. The elevator requires a key to access, but there is no key that opens it in the game.
However, a script unlocks the elevator when Benny begins to flee The Tops (such as if the player attacks him in the lobby), and a different script locks it again if he succeeds in reaching it (verified with GECK). The behavior of this script can be exploited to gain access to the sub-basement by causing Benny to flee, and killing him before he can reach the sub-basement elevator. This is most easily accomplished during Ring-a-Ding-Ding! by convincing Benny to meet you in the Presidential suite, telling him that you forgive him, and then killing him as he tries to leave. Any other trigger for him to flee will work, however if he makes it to the 13th floor elevator he may outrun the player. Once Benny is dead, the sub-basement elevator will then be unlocked. With Benny unable to reach it to trigger the re-locking portion of the script, the courier can go down and explore. Tricking the script in this way is the only way to gain access to the sub-basement on a console; on the PC version players can simply use the "Unlock" console command to unlock the door.
The sub-basement itself is a small room with a breached wall leading into a sealed-off section of Vault 21. This section is presumably part of the reactor maintenance section for the vault. It does however contain some minor loot in lockers and several explosives crates that Benny may have used in excavating the section.
If one explores the unfinished vault, they will find several inaccessible doors, but there is one door at the end of a corridor that, if opened with the console command "unlock," will lead to a void. If one jumps inside the void they will be teleported to the real Vault 21. Then they can simply turn around and leave to New Vegas or explore the vault.
- Games
- The Tops offers Blackjack, Roulette, and Slots.
- The Tops pays 3:2 on blackjack, and the dealer must stand on all 17's.
- Rewards and ban
As the player character earns chips, the floor manager will offer increasingly valuable gifts, culminating in a complimentary suite.
- 2,500+ chips = Vodka
- 5,000+ chips = Brahmin steak and wine
- 7,500+ chips = High Roller's suite key
After the player character earns 10,000+ chips, they will be banned from playing games in The Tops. They can still use its other functions, such as the restaurant, the theater and cashing out their chips, but they cannot win any more money in the Tops; the ban is permanent.
Notable lootEdit
Main floor & restaurantEdit
- 5x Nuka-Cola Quartz - In the kitchen of the restaurant.
- Benny's suit and Maria - Worn/carried by Benny.
Presidential suiteEdit
Related questsEdit
- Talent Pool
- Ring-a-Ding-Ding!
- The Courier Who Broke the Bank (achievement)
- As each act in the Talent Pool quest is recruited, their name and talent appear on the marquee outside of the casino.
- In the main floor, there is a framed picture of Tenpenny Tower and what appears to be a person dressed in cowboy-like attire. The figure is standing on the east side of the Tower holding out a rifle.
- There are some posters of "Dean Domino and His Great Orchestra" in the building, referring to Dean Domino from the Dead Money add-on.
- The Tops Courtyard seems to have an architectural anomaly in relation to the casino's exterior Strip view. You'll notice a huge brick wall, used to block the view of the Gomorrah, which spans around the side of the casino. Yet when on the Strip, such a wall is not even present. This wall may be left over from the Strip's beta design.
- Certain unused tables in the gambling halls suggest that at one time the casino used to offer the gambling game Craps as well.
- Strangely, there is a poster advertising the Gomorrah near the front door.
- According to a newspaper seen in the Gomorrah, it was called "TOPS" before the War.
- The framed newspaper clipped to the right of the entrance doors in the lobby contains an error, refers to The Ultra-Luxe as "The Ultra Lux".
- If patch 1.06 is installed, there will be a wall separating the reception area and the casino floor.
- Even though Mr. New Vegas says that The Tops is "Fully-renovated by the Chairmen", a big piece of the tower is gone.
- Compared to the other casinos, The Tops can be seen as low quality as the reception building from the outside has many cracks across it, there is a huge chunk of tower that is missing from the main building and the windows from the outside appear to have cracks as well.
- The Tops casino floor appears to have broken picture frames and torn wallpaper.
The piped-in music consists of the following tracks:
- "Ain't That a Kick in the Head?"
- "Blue Moon"
- "Hallo Mister X"
- "Jingle, Jangle, Jingle"
- "Manhattan"
- "Something's Gotta Give"
- "Slow Bounce"
- "Why Don't You Do Right?"
For music used in the show performances, see The Aces.
The Tops appears only in Fallout: New Vegas.
Behind the scenesEdit
- In The Aces theater, there are 3 entertainers called The RAD Pack. This is a reference to the famous Vegas group of Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, Joey Bishop, and Dean Martin. This quintet was called The Rat Pack during its years of fame in the early 1960s.
- The Tops is based on the real world location Sands Hotel and Casino that operated from 1952 to 1996. The Sands was notable for hosting the real world Rat Pack. In the mid 1960s, the Sands was purchased by Howard Hughes, the in game inspiration for Robert House. In 1996, the location was demolished and The Venetian was built in its place.
- Benny's suite is on the thirteenth floor. This floor number is considered unlucky, and many hotels and apartment buildings deliberately do not assign a floor this number.
- James Garcia created the 3D model of The Tops neon sign.[2]
- PC The locked (Average) door in the restaurant can become bugged, and no lock is shown. The lockpick mini game can still be played, however you will not be able to see the lock nor the bobby pin.[verified]
- PC Playstation 3 Xbox 360 The player sometimes doesn't get their stashed weapons back when exiting.[verified]
- Xbox 360 If the player dismisses companions while inside The Tops and tells them to return to the Lucky 38, they may walk toward the front doors but never exit. Instead, they remain waiting in The Tops lobby. To fix get the companion to re-join you, exit The Tops, then dismiss them again once you are both outside of the casino. They will then walk to the Lucky 38.[verified]
- Playstation 3 Xbox 360 When exchanging chips into caps, the messages "added X caps" and "removed X chips" are displayed, but no chips are removed and no caps are added. To fix exchange chips into Legion/NCR money, then exchange Legion/NCR money into caps at another casino.[verified]
- Playstation 3 Sometimes one of the Chairmen will have no head, but his mouth, eyes, and hair will be floating above his suit.[verified]
- Playstation 3 On the 13th floor, If you drag a corpse into the corridor behind Yes Man's room it will become invisible.[verified]
- Xbox 360 Taking the elevator to and from the 13th floor sometimes causes the screen to go black after loading.[verified]
- PC Sometimes when entering The Tops there will be a glitch where almost every door in The Tops has an Average lock on it and some random places in the wasteland will too (e.g. ovens, random containers etc.) Also, they will sometimes lock again as soon as you unlock them.[verified]
- PC Xbox 360 Sometimes when entering The Tops there will be a glitch where you will get stuck entering the main floor.[verified]
- PC Playstation 3 Xbox 360 If you obtain 32764 The Tops Chips and then drop them, it will appear as -32764 The Tops Chips. Upon turning in your chips, you will still have the option to turn in your chips, effectively allowing for infinite caps.[verified]


text:
GO TO JEFF HUDSON'S Director's Reel
GO TO JEFF HUDSON'S Paintings
GO TO HUDSON ART, in Williamstown, MA
Showing Outer Space Paintings at IMAGES CINEMA in Williamstown, MA
Here are a few of Jane's recent paintings:
Jeff Hudson TOXIC, digital painting, 2017
Jeff Hudson LAMPIN', digital painting, 2017
Jeff Hudson, Help Me, digital painting, 2017
JANE HUDSON, Works on Paper
HUDSON ART is pleased to announce an exhibition of recent works on paper by Jane Hudson.
This is a return to painting after years in video, music and antiques. The sensibility is abstract and colorful, sometimes almost allegorical. The imagery recollects early modernism but is within a contemporary re-visioning of abstraction. The medium is gouache on Arches paper.
The show will hang on the walls of the antique shop. Part of the space serves as a studio as well. An eclectic context!
Contact: email@example.com
Combining their synth chops with blazing guitars, the couple evolve their style, while remaining true
to their Punk/NewWave roots!
(release date July 1, 2016)
THE MIDDLE at Bandcamp
at iTunes
at CD Baby
Nice review from The Noise:
The Middle
11 tracks
Living proof that the old adage "the family that plays together stays together" is a truism, husband and wife artists Jeff and Jane Hudson started out in late '70s punk/ new wave band The Rentals, and today this electronic duo combines synth pop with guitar driven post-punk, and produces a Devo inspired almost European industrial sound. And it's a good mix. Jane is a great poet with a good ear for melody and Jeff provides the rhythms. The music is driven by a drum machine surrounded by melodic riffs and artsy arrangements. There's a lot going on in these songs and in a sense it's almost like Jeff is taming about two hundred tracks. Check out the uptempo opening cut "The Middle," Jane's sultry vocals in "Innocent," and the electronic funk of my favorite song "Gertrude Stein," with it's cool clavinet. I also dig the Devo-ish "Los Alamos," and the punk "Friday." Jeff's good guitar work in all the songs sounds like it was done in one or two takes which also gives a punk feel to the release. Listen to the spacey and cold mechanics of the closing cut "Sleet Blues" to hear what I mean. In the middle of a tune, all of a sudden you'll hear something unexpected and you'll grin and think "that's cool." I like this latest release, The Middle, from this synthwave couple and so will you. (A.J. Wachtel)
DJ JEFF HUDSON will be spinning on Friday, March 21, 201, 9:30 PM at HOPS AND VINES
Williamstown's hot eating and dancing scene!
Jeff is available for DJ events at firstname.lastname@example.com
JANE HUDSON performed in Williamstown, MA at BILLSTOCK IV (billstock.wordpress.com)last weekend (March 7, 2014) .
Small town music festival with lots of heart and some terrific music. Songs from her new CD LINKS AND BRIDGES.
Most can be heard on SOUNDCLOUD
NEW CD's from Jeff Hudson and Jane Hudson, solo projects!!! (Summer, 2013)
Jeff's project is comprised of nine EDM tunes!! Jane's project includes eleven songs, all original!!
Check out SoundCloud to hear some examples.
CD's available for $20.00 to PayPal under email@example.com
Link for tickets online: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/237170
Jeff and Jane will be performing in Boston at the Magic Room Gallery in Brighton, MA on March 10, at 8:00PM. This gig celebrates the 30 year anniversary of the release of FLESH, their synth wave album using synths and home reel to reel recording. Known on the Boston scene for their Punk band The Rentals, and for opening for the CLASH at the Harvard Square theater in 1979, the couple turned to synths after moving to New York and produced the 20 songs on the new FLESH expanded double album (available through Dark Entries Records or on iTune)s. The set at th4e Magic Room will include 11 songs from the original material plus two new songs, IN MY CAR (released on 12" vinyl from Electric Voice Records, 2011) and THE STAND (Electric Voice Compilation, 2012)
Buy tickets for Jeff and Jane Hudson">
IMAGES FROM THE MASS MOCA show, January 14, 2012
Jeff and Jane Hudson, Mass MoCA, 2012
aurora halal, video backing
J&J, Operating Instructions
aurora halal photo
J & J, Cat Scan
stephanie borns photo
J&J w/ Karl Mullen, Abadan
stephanie borns photo
Jeff and Jane Hudson return to the stage on January 14, 2012 to play their first live show in years!
The Massachusetts husband/wife duo will be celebrating the 30 year anniversary of their debut album "Flesh" originally recorded in 1982 and reissued on Dark Entries/Captured Tracks in 2011 as an expanded 2xLP.
(Which just made Other Music's Top 25 New Releases & Reissues of 2011)
This is what "Berkshire On Stage" had to say:
There are few lovers of arts and antiques in North Adams who don't know and love Jane and Jeff Hudson (seen in photo above) from their innovative retail emporiums, first on Main Street, and after a vacancy opened up, smack dab in the middle of Mass MoCA. That's a good thing, since they have what can only be described as an enormous circle of friends and colleagues both locally and from around the country. When they travel to the Berkshires, the Hudson's are at the top of their "must-see" list. In fact, keeping up with the Hudsons is fun, since the duo is always experimenting, trying new things, and more than happy to talk about all things creative. And with Jane you never know where she has been pointing her camera lately. Her images are as popular as his fun ephemera finds.
Bringing back their ever popular "Flesh"
Even with this following, what many who know them might not realize is that Jeff and Jane had a long history as musicians before settling down in North Adams. Influenced by the growing wave scene that was permeating record stores and airwaves in the 1980s they built their musical career on the new stream of technology-entering music. Celebrating the re-release of their album Flesh, they perform at MASS MoCA in Club B-10 on Saturday, January 14, 2012, at 8 PM.
Called "the synth wave couple of the U.S." Jeff and Jane Hudson jump across styles and sounds. Their album Flesh featured industrial echoes and absorbing vocals but also had electro pop energy combining traditional sounds of post-punk alongside the gleaming new ideas of factory music. Jane's sultry vocals mix beautifully with cold mechanical sounds. Othermusic.com said, "Jeff and Jane Hudson in their early sounds take cues from traditional sounds, with elements of rock and folk coming through. Yet, soon it is the synthesizer and drum machine that are at the core of their sound. Melding analog drum machines, dreary synth lines, detached vocal delivery from both Jeff and Jane, a killer DIY ethos, and tight, artful sonic arrangements, the duo successfully blurred the line between pure synth pop and more guitar-driven post-punk, while retaining a playfulness seldom seen in the realm of arty, dark synth music."
But wait, there's more!
Jeff and Jane Hudson will be joined by Aurora Halal, a young video artist from New York specializing in retro late- night dance video extravaganzas, and Irish singer/songwriter/guitarist and local hero Karl Mullen who has formed a band with Jeff called Space Bar. Space Bar will perform an electronic laptop music performance. A talented painter in addition to being a musician, Williamstown resident Mullen has released many albums, and is an accomplished guitarist.
Originally from Boston and former members of the late-'70s new wave group the Rentals, visual artists Jeff and Jane Hudson moved to NYC at the beginning of the '80s, opened for Suicide, the Clash, PIL and Duran Duran among others, and released a single and the World Trade EP on famed label Lust/Unlust Music, home to downtown no wave luminaries DNA, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, impLOG, and others. They relocated full-time to the Berkshires in 2005.
The performance is part of MASS MoCA's Alt Cabaret series which presents emerging and established artists in different disciplines in the club-like B-10 with drinks from the MASS MoCA Bar and dinner from Lickety Split available before and during the show. The next live event in the series is Darrah Carr Dance on January 21, 2012.
Tickets for The Hudsons are $12 in advance, $16 the day of the performance, and $10 for students. Members are eligible for a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office located on Marshall Street in North Adams, open from 11AM to 5PM every day but Tuesdays. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or online at www.massmoca.org at any time.
About Mass MoCA
MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located off Marshall Street in North Adams on a 13-acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA is an independent 501c(3) whose operations and programming are funded through admissions and commercial lease revenue, corporate and foundation grants, and individual philanthropy. Except for an initial construction grant from the Commonwealth, and competitive program and operations grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Massachusetts Cultural Council, MASS MoCA is privately funded: 90% of annual operating revenues are from earned revenues, membership support, and private gifts and grants.
RE-RELEASE OF JEFF AND JANE's FLESH (Extended) FROM CAPTURED TRACKS (Brooklyn)/DARK ENTRIES (San Francisco)
Dark Entries and Captured Tracks have teamed up to re-issue the debut album Flesh by Jeff & Jane Hudson expanded with an extra LP of singles and EP material. Jeff & Jane Hudson are a husband/wife duo from Boston who got their start in the art punk band The Rentals in 1977. The Rentals broke up in 1980 and Jeff & Jane relocated to Manhattan where they opened for Suicide and quickly signed with No Wave label Lust/Unlust. Their first single No Clubs was released in late 1980 and showcased a lo-fi avant garde all synthesizer band. The World Trade EP came next in 1981, expanding their brand of post-nuclear electronic pop. Their vocals qualities were distinct; Jeff quivery and drug-addled while Jane more detached and icy.
The duo reached their pinnacle with 1982?s seminal Flesh. Perhaps one of the United States biggest achievements in the entire "synth" movement of the 80s. The music was electro-pop employing early Roland synths and the TR-808 drum machine. Jeff's lyrics flirted with technology and politics, while Jane wrote about cultural and psychological situations. Completely self produced by the band, the record has since been oft-cited as a groundbreaking and pivotal LP of the post-punk era, who's original copies are now heavily coveted by collectors. Completing the discography is the Special World 7? released in 1983 before the band emigrated back to Boston and stopped recording and performing.
This deluxe edition has been remastered for vinyl by George Horn at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley directly from the original master tapes. LP 1 is the Flesh LP and LP 2 features theNo Clubs and Special World singles plus the World Trade EP. Each double LP set comes in a gatefold sleeve with unreleased photos, original artwork and a lyrics sheet. The front cover is a photo by Mark Morrisroe, downtown NY 80s punk and art photographer. This the first time since the original issue that Flesh is reappearing on vinyl format and the first wide-scale digital and CD release these recordings have yet to see. All LPs come with a free digital download card!
(Captured Tracks / Dark Entries)
(reveiwed by Other Music)
The Dark Entries imprint and their friends over at Captured Tracks bring us one hell of a reissue with Flesh (Expanded), the complete discography of the US minimal synth husband and wife duo Jeff & Jane Hudson, available for the first time in its entirety on vinyl and CD. I, for one, couldn't be more excited; this material is hands down some of the best of the genre from any continent (not to mention an all time personal favorite) and marks a pinnacle achievement for the two labels already known for their stellar releases. Melding analog drum machines, dreary synth lines, detached vocal delivery from both Jeff and Jane, a killer DIY ethos, and tight, artful sonic arrangements, the duo successfully blurred the line between pure synth pop and more guitar-driven post-punk, while retaining a playfulness seldom seen in the realm of arty, dark synth music. The terms "essential," "classic," and "holy grail" are thrown around a lot in this field of reissues (and I'm sure I've been guilty of it a few times myself), but in the case of Flesh (Expanded), I'd add a "stop what you're doing immediately" and big "hell yes!"
Originally from Boston and former members of the late-'70s new wave group the Rentals, visual artists Jeff and Jane Hudson moved to NYC at the beginning of the '80s, opened for Suicide and released a single and the World Trade EP on famed label Lust/Unlust Music, home to downtown no wave luminaries DNA, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks, impLOG, and others. Those early recordings from 1981, included here at the end of the CD and on LP-2, find Jeff and Jane at their most stripped down and languid, with simple synth lines buried beneath cheap rhythm boxes and blasé vocals, as on the excellent "P.C.P." or their cover of "The Girl from Ipanema," where syrupy synths and Jane's lazy delivery come off like a big "yeah, so what?" in the most perfect way.
As much as I love these early releases, the highlight for me is Jeff and Jane's sole, self-released LP from 1983, Flesh. The best point of reference would be Chris & Cosey's mid-'80s LPs Songs of Love and Lust or Techno-Primitiv, as both husband and wife teams explore the more ghostly and sensual qualities of synthetic pop, maintaining an eerie, claustrophobic sound while keeping things almost open and airy. This dichotomy keeps Flesh, much like the work of Chris & Cosey, both dreamy and dark, beautiful and strange. The tracks onFlesh range in style from spectral lamentations ("Mystery Chant") and pure synth pop ("Pound, Pound" and "Up from Hell"), on to the minimal banger "Los Alamos" and the supremely evil "Operating Instructions" (where Jane disinterestedly recites the instructions to a mechanical "unit" in English, French, and German against a hard, dark industrial rhythm -- so good!). Jeff and Jane take Flesh to a whole new level, though, on "Help Me," quite possibly the most perfect and undeniably gorgeous minimal synth track ever put to tape -- it's a slow, haunting burner, repeating the same elegiac synth line over and over, as spacey flourishes move in and out of the mix until the song fades into the ether; if I had to choose just one track as representative of the entire minimal wave genre, "Help Me" would be it, no question.
> Obviously, I'm a huge Jeff & Jane Hudson fan, but for as much time as I've spent delving into the crevices of minimal music, few bands have come close to releasing as much solid work as they have. Fans of minimal synth, post-punk, and early electro and industrial are truly going to flip for this reissue. Highest recommendation!
RE-RELEASES OF JEFF AND JANE FROM CAPTURED TRACKS (Brooklyn)/DARK ENTRIES (San Francisco)
RENTALS/JEFF AND JANE Discography
GERTRUDE STEIN b/w LOW RENT, RENT RECORDS, 1978 (RENTALS)
I GOT A CRUSH ON YOU, Beggars Banquet Records, 1979 (RENTALS)
WORLD TRADE EP, Lust/Unlust Records, 1980
NO CLUBS b/w DREAM, Lust/Unlust Records, 1980
ATTACK UNDER ATTCK b/w OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS, J&J RECORDS, 1982
FLESH, J&J Records, 1983
SPECIAL WORLD b/w MY MOTHER TOLD ME. J&J RECORDS. 1984
CHRISTMAS COMPILATION, Newbury Comics, 1984
ELEPHANTS (Rentals), Homework CD Compilation, 2000
FLESH CD (re-issue), Daft Records, 2004
FLESH EXPANDED (vinyl double album, cd and iTunes release) Captured Tracks and Dark Entries Records, 2011
IN MY CAR b/w COMPUTER JUNGLE (w/ dance mixes), Electric Voice Records, 2011
THE STAND, Electric Voice Records Compilation, 2012
Clubbing in Boston
Photos: Richie Parsons
photo: Charles Giuliano
JEFF AND JANE: THE MUSIC HISTORY Jeff and Jane Hudson were two of the three original RENTALS, Pseudo Carol was the third member. The RENTALS formed in the fall of 1977 in Boston, and released their first single 'Gertrude Stein' b/w 'Low Rent' which were produced by Oedipus (former program director at WBCN, Boston). MP3's of RENTALS SONGS
The RENTALS opened for The Clash at the Harvard Sq. Theater on Feb. 16, 1979 (on the same bill with Bo Diddley[RIP]). Billy Bacon, keyboards; Jane Hudson, bass; Pseudo Carol, drums; Jeff Hudson, guitar After moving to New York, they signed to Beggars'Banquet Records at Max's Kansas City in 1979 at four in the morning in their dressing room. They released the cult single, 'I Got A Crush On You', that charted in NME London 1980. I GOT A CRUSH ON YOU, Beggars' Banquet, 1978 (Pseudo Carol) The RENTALS broke up in 1980. Jeff Hudson and Marc Thor at Cantones, 1979 (photo, Malcolm Travis) FOR MORE ABOUT THE RENTALS CHECK OUT JOE HARVARD'S BOSTON ROCK STORYBOOK The MANHATTAN PROJECT was formed in NYC in 1981. They opened for Suicide in a number of New York night spots. Members of that band included Jeff on guitar, Jane on keyboard and guitar, Nic Naylor-Leyland on bass, Winston Robinson on synair and trumpet, and Rob Key on Korg synth. They never recorded. MANHATTAN PROJECT, 1980, NYC photo: Charles Giuliano Later in 1981, JEFF AND JANE were formed and released one EP 'World Trade' on Lust/Unlust records, and in '83 they released the album 'Flesh'(self-produced). The band performed in venues in Boston, New York and Philadephia. The music was electro-pop employing early Roland synths and the TR808 drum machine. For some performances, Wally Gagel appeared on drums with Russ Smith on bass. In 1985 the band stopped performing and recording. In 1986, Jeff started to direct music videos and Jane produced video art. Both were teaching at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. In 1995, JEFF AND JANE reformed and performed for a couple of years and recorded again (ZETA BREW). The new music was more guitar-based and psychedelic. Jeff's project for 1998 was GIGANTOR, a trip-hop techno 3D video multimedia show. This show was performed at The Bank in New York and the Middle East in Cambridge. ****************************************************************************************************** NEWS!!!!!! INTRODUCING OUR CD,"BURN", COMPLETED SUMMER, 2002, AND AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE HERE!!!!!!!! WE HAVE COVERED SOME OF OUR CLASSIC HITS SUCH AS "LOS ALAMOS" AND "POUND POUND" WITH A COMBINATION OF PUNK CHUNCK AND NEW WAVE ATMOSPHERE. IT'S EVERYTHING THE MUSIC SHOULD BE. DOWNLOAD MP3 of "LOW RENT"
PayPal or IMO $20.00 incl. postage worldwide.
We've played the Paradise Front Room (3/30/02) and the Milky Way again (4/1/02)! The crowds have been great, lots of screaming and dancing and general carrying on. O'Brien's in Allston, Thursday, 5/9/02, and T.T. the Bear's Place, Cambridge, Thursday, 5/23/02
.JEFF AND JANE performing at the Paradise (photo: Sethanimal)
Raw power and the adventure that punk has always offered: Jeff and Jane Hudson blast the real stuff from Boston stages this winter. Since their first band, The Rentals, defined the Boston art punk sound in 1977, Jeff and Jane have been ripping out anthems with an energy that has awakened a new generation of rockers to the sound that made Beantown famous.' In their late 70's - early 80's heyday, The Rentals played with The Clash, The Mutants, The Contortions and the B-52's. Rentals hits include "Gertrude Stein", "New York" and a snarl of babysitter temptation, "Crush on You". All were produced by Oedipus, who has been the station manager of Boston's WBCN-FM radio station until recently. In the early 80's, Jeff and Jane regrouped as an all-synthesizer band. Trailblazers of the early Electronica movement, they appeared with PIL, Duran Duran, Alan Vega and Ministry. Recordings from this period have been recently re-released on "Flesh", a CD from Daft Records - Belgium. Zillo Magazine called "Flesh" the 'Missing Link of American Electro-Avant Garde'. When they aren't bending ears, Jeff and Jane blow young minds as legendary video and art teachers at Boston's School of the Museum of Fine Arts. Jane's recent video works include "Stones" and "Tale". Jeff has directed music videos for artists including O Positive, The Neighborhoods, The Strangemen, Pat Metheny Group and The Bentmen. Jeff also directed the B-movie "Black and Chrome". Forever the tastemakers, Jeff and Jane have seized the perfect moment to bring back the classic punk sounds they created. Now with drummer Chris Botelho, Jeff's guitar and Jane's bass are proving that punk knows no age barrier. JEFF AND JANE will be recording a new album in the Spring of '02 for Fall release. This album will contain songs currently on their setlist. The music is a reprieve of the sensibility of the RENTALS, tough, arty, minimal and loud! Contact: Jane Hudson for all inquiries. ****************************************************** "FLESH" is the ultimate '80's electro-wave CD. 15 tracks including: "Special World", "Operating Instructions", "Pound Pound", and many more. $25.00, includes shipping world-wide. LIMITED SUPPLY!!!!! (email email@example.com to order, pay by cash, check, money order or PayPal) DOWNLOAD MP3 (844K) of "Help Me" "FLESH" CD (with bonus tracks), from Daft Records, Belgium, 2001 Go to the Daft site for more details under "new releases".
|JEFF AND JANE, ZETA BREW, 1997, 11-song CD, includes "Green","Gertrude Stein"
|FLESH, 1983, 11-song vinyl LP, inclu. "Operating Instructions", "Los Alamos", "Pound,Pound" (original issue...not many left!!!!!)
|WORLD TRADE, 1980, 6-song EP, includes "Abadan","Information","Catscan"
"Los Alamos"/"Operating Instructions", 7"-single, 1982
"Special World"/'My Mother Told Me" 7" single 1982
|JANE AND JEFF cassette, 8-songs, 1996
|FLESH, CD, Daft records...reissue of 15 tracks from FLESH LP and WORLD TRADE EP
|BURN CD, re-recording of our favorite punk songs with a new wave edge. 'Los Alamos', 'Pound Pound', 'Abadan', 'Low Rent', 'Gertrude Stein' etc.
e-mail JANE
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