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One joy of working within the World Bank Group is the access to great lectures from brilliant and creative thinkers on issues of relevance to the global economy and international development. Today, I had the opportunity to listen to Robert Skidelsky, acclaimed author of a three-volume biography of John Maynard Keynes, and, most recently, of Keynes: Return of the Master. He provided an interesting picture of how Keynes – one of the primary forces behind the creation of the World Bank – might have looked at the recent financial crisis, responses to it, and the perennial challenges of global development.
So far, so typical for a day in the World Bank's InfoShop.
But here's where things got interesting for denizens of MIGA. Skidelsky reminded us that Keynes's greatest insights came in understanding the behaviors underlying people's decisions to save and invest – in this sense, he could be said to have been a pioneer of behavioral economics. Keynes understood, said Skidelsky (and I'm doing my best to paraphrase accurately from memory), that these essential decisions in the macroeconomic life and development of nations were at root made by people assessing a political more than an economic landscape. It is as if people know instinctually that, all things being equal in the economic environment, development and growth come from investment. But when they see political instability creating too much risk, they channel their savings and investments accordingly. This retards growth and results in stagnation in their own economies if they and the rest of the world only feel comfortable investing elsewhere.
Keynes, Skidelsky said, might not be surprised to learn, for example, that despite the economic theory that the greatest opportunities for high-return investments would be in countries where capital is most scarce, more investment currently flows out of Africa than in. This is perhaps ultimately a reflection of the perceived political instability and risk of investing there. So a development challenge for an institution like the World Bank Group is to help establish a propitious political environment for investment as much as (or perhaps as a precursor to) establishing an economic one.
This is where MIGA truly shines – it's our raison d'être. I haven't checked Skidelsky's figures on the investment balance in Africa, but I know that we at MIGA have the will and the wherewithal to assure (by insuring) investors that they may productively, beneficially and confidently invest in emerging markets. Our dream scenario is the investor who comes to us because they have never done business in a particular country and are concerned about the stability of the investment environment. They take out a MIGA guarantee, launch the project and, three years later, cancel the policy when they realize the political risk was perceived but not real.
Of course, this is an ideal world. In some places where we've issued guarantees, there is no current risk, but, for example, a disorderly future change of régime cannot be ruled out. We're there for those investors, too.
Although the MIGA idea was not as far as I know a part of Keynes's original plan for the World Bank, I suspect he would see it as an excellent tool for mitigating the political concerns that can dampen the appetite for development-friendly investment in emerging economies. It is nice, in other words, to find that "the Master" would surely have seen MIGA's power to bring development…
The views expressed here are the author's alone, and should not be attributed to the World Bank Group, any unit within it, its affiliated organizations, members of its Board, or the countries they represent.


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Next Gallery
Manchester Road Race 2019Thousands of Connecticut runners participated in the 83rd annual Manchester Road Race, which takes place each Thanksgiving morning. Runners and spectators alike donned crazy costumes, as is tradition. The 4.748-mile race benefits the Muscular Dystrophy Association, as well as other local charities.
Featured Photos
- Hartford's Kwanzaa Celebration 2019The Hartford Public Library had its 11th annual Kwanzaa Festival on Dec. 28, 2019. Families celebrated community and culture through music and musical performances, dancing, drumming, and crafts, like African jewelry making.
- Plunge For Parks 2020The Elm City Parks Conservancy hosted its annual Plunge For Parks cold ocean dive at Lighthouse Point Park on New Year's Day. Money from the event goes towards supporting New Haven's parks while offering an exciting start to a new year.
- New Years Eve 2020 @ FoxwoodsFoxwoods Resort & Casino hosted several celebrations in its venues throughout New Years Eve 2020. Some venues offered a relaxing social atmosphere while others offered ballroom galas or intense techno dance club vibes.
- Ringing in 2020: First Night HartfordHartford rang in the New Year Tuesday night with celebrations and activities including concerts, arts and crafts, ice skating, carousel rides at the Bushnell Park Carousel and two fireworks displays over the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch.
- Photos: UConn men vs. NJITThe UConn men took on NJIT Sunday, Dec. 29, 2019, at the XL Center, winning 69-47.
- Santa-Conn(ecticut) 2019Partiers dressed as Santas, reindeer and elves, or wore ugly sweaters at the annual Santa-Conn(ecticut) celebration at 75 Center in Southington on Dec. 27.
- Peter and Lisa Marshall's journey to run all 169 towns in ConnecticutIt's been a goal of Peter Marshall's to run a race in all 169 Connecticut towns since before he was diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's in 2018. His wife, Lisa Marshall won't be running, but she plays a huge part in Peter's preparation, being his sole full-time caregiver. If Peter is ever unsure of what's going on around him, Lisa is there to guide him. "That's one thing he hasn't forgotten," longtime friend Kevin Fluke said, "is that love for Lisa." Read the full story here.

subset: commoncrawl


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Lawmakers, Regulators, Taxpayers Unbelievably Pissed At AIG
There's no shortage of outrage directed at AIG today as the fallout from the bailed-out insurer's announcement that they intend to use $165 million in taxpayer money to pay bonuses to the very executives that ruined the company continues.
From ABC News:
"It's ridiculous," U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., told "GMA," adding that he doesn't buy the notion that the government doesn't have enough control over taxpayer dollars to stop bonuses like these.
Sadly, most everyone else seems to be in agreement that the government has no power to stop AIG from going ahead with the bonuses — despite the fact that we are now its single largest shareholder. Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told CBS' 60 Minutes that of all this meltdown nonsense it's the AIG bailout that makes him the angriest — and ABC News says that the chairman was so livid after hearing about the bonuses that he slammed the phone down.
"Let me just first say that of all the events and all of the things we've done in the last 18 months, the single one that makes me the angriest, that gives me the most angst, is the intervention with AIG. Here was a company that made all kinds of unconscionable bets. Then, when those bets went wrong, we had a situation where the failure of that company would have brought down the financial system," Bernanke said.
"You say it makes you angry?" Pelley asked.
"It makes me angry. I slammed the phone more than a few times on discussing AIG. I understand why the American people are angry. It's absolutely unfair that taxpayer dollars are going to prop up a company that made these terrible bets, that was operating out of the sight of regulators, but which we have no choice but the stabilize, or else risk enormous impact, not just in the financial system, but on the whole U.S. economy," Bernanke explained.
Ben Bernanke's Greatest Challenge [CBS]
From Outrage to the Future: Learning From the AIG Bonuses [ABCNews]
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.


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[Page 525]
In the afternoon hours of the twelfth of May 1942, after the horrible slaughter, we, the 1,200 men and women left alive, were taken back to the market square near the shops, and there Vindish, the department head from the Lide commissariat, gave his well-known speech: "You are alive temporarily. Your fate is dependent on the success of the German Army at the front. You wanted the war, you have it!"
After the speech we were directed into the small streets of the ghetto. For the ghetto, the Germans had designated a row of houses located behind the shops along the market square, up to the beginning of Novoredke Street. The few remaining Jews went into the few limited houses, and searched out a place for themselves and their families. The brain had not yet comprehended the gruesome fact of the barbaric mass-murder: people went around stupefied, half mad. The Germans allowed us to carry out the shot, the old and the sick from the houses to the cemetery.
Soon after our going into the houses, Polish police ran through the ghetto and grabbed young men. There was a panic in the ghetto: I and my brother Fime may he rest in peace and 50 young men were grabbed and assembled near the building that housed the Polish police. We were arranged in rows, and the Polish police commandant delivered a speech: "Don't be afraid, nothing will happen to you. You are only going to fill in the pits." We were given shovels, and under the guard of ten or fifteen policemen we went off in the direction of the Stonevitsh forest. The road from the church to the pits presented a horrible sight: torn-up bank notes, various items of clothing, and collages of dried blood. We went along as though hypnotised, unable to believe our own eyes.
About 50 meters from the Stonevitsh forest and about 150 meters from the road to Stonevitsh, we saw two parallel pits, 30 meters long, 4 or 5 meters wide and about 2 or 3 meters deep. The pits were full of naked and half-naked bodies of women, men, children and elderly. Near the pits were piles of clothes, linens and shoes. We understood that the victims had been forced to undress before their deaths. The image of the pits will never disappear from my eyes. The innocent victims of the Nazi beasts were lying in various positions: one on another, in and near the pits. Some of the victims were still breathing...
Fifty or sixty Polish police and German gendarmes were going around the pits like wild animals, shooting those who still showed any signs of life. Fifteen or twenty meters from the pits a group of Lithuanian soldiers in green uniforms were disassembling a machine-gun position, from which they had earlier shot the victims...
Following an order, we laid into the pits the bodies that had been laying around them. A group of Jews went into the pits and took the bodies to lay in. Soon a heavy truck arrived with several barrels of chlorine. The department head, Vindish, who also arrived, told us to pour the chlorine over the bodies and then to cover them with earth. He cynically, unashamedly, ordered, "Cover up this crap."
I was standing near the first pit and pouring chlorine on the bodies...suddenly I heard a voice: "Friends, save me, I want to live!" I recognized the 18-year old Elke Kesler, she was only wounded. Her dramatic voice was also heard by a Polish policeman, and before we were able to figure out how to rescue her, he had shot her with two bullets.
A few minutes later I heard another voice: Khaye Nakhimovski from the little town Trab, was laying covered up by several other bodies. She was not even wounded: "Save me, save me!" she screamed to us. Her voice was like a voice that came from under the earth. Also Shayke Kozlovski from Trab was only wounded. We quickly consulted with the Trab rabbi's son, who worked with the gendarmes. Several friends and I threw a pair of pants and a shirt into the pit, because Mrs. Nakhimovski was completely naked. The Trab rabbi's son tried to pull her out and convince the Austrian gendarme Karol, who was standing not far from the place. But the gendarme saw that something was happening. He came up and said, "It will be better for her and for you if I shoot her." Before our very eyes he pulled out his revolver and bestially shot her. Such incidents occurred many times.
We heard voices and moaning from every side; the police and the gendarmes shot into the pits at the bodies that even trembled.
I recognized our neighbor's son, the 6-year old Meyshe Epshteyn, he moved and was quickly shot.
It was difficult to recognize the victims. They were covered with blood and brains. Some of them had dreadful holes in their heads (dum-dum bullets?). The greater part of them was naked or in their underwear. A few had, it appeared, categorically refused to undress before death and had been shot in their clothes. The slender, handsome Niomke Mailovitsh lay in his clothes with a great hole in his head. We worked as if in suspension, filling the pits with chlorine and earth, our eyes searching the victims for friends. From time to time we heard a heartrending, spasmodic wail from one of the workers who had recognized a family member among the victims...
The S.S. Men, who were already soaked with Jewish blood, left the place, leaving behind only the Polish police. Among the police were known underworld figures, such as Zshukovski, Sielski, Zshebrik, Mulitsie, and others. They told us about the last words that Gute Goldberg had said to the Germans before going into the pit: "The world will not be silent about you and this innocent blood will call forth a terrible revenge!" She warned them that when they returned home, they would find their own wives and children shot, too.
The police also told us about Rashke Gaskind (Margolin), who, before her death, had screamed at the Germans: "For the innocent blood poured out from these Jews, you will have to pay with your own blood and with your children's blood!" They told us that groups of Jews had tried to run away, but the bullets of the machine-guns and automatics had laid them down.
The sun of the lovely May day was already setting when we finished our work. The pits were filled in, there lay the bodies of about 2,500 Jews from Ivye and the neighboring townlets of Trab, Lipnishok, Borisovke, Baksht and other neighboring settlements. We were placed in rows and told to go back to the ghetto. Apathetic, broken down, and silent, we went as though coming from another world. It was quite dark when they brought us back to the unfortunates, the few orphans left alive in the Ivye ghetto.
[Page 530]
With broken-down feet, bloodied hearts, completely despondent, we spilled into the houses at the market, behind the row of shops and in a few streets nearby--the new ghetto for the barely 1,300 Jews who remained alive. After praying the afternoon prayers everyone without exception said kaddish. Of hundreds of families, not even one solitary remnant remained...no one cried. The source of tears had dried up...really, what was there to mourn? We were also "temporaries" according to the speech of the department head Vindish, and our fate was completely bound up with the victory of the murderers of our people...
The Polish police, who were at the pits during the "action", told us horrible and heartrending stories of how the photographer Leyb Kalmanovitsh kissed his wife and daughter in the pit, how Jewish girls would absolutely not undress naked and they had to be shot half-dressed; how boys made futile attempts to run away and were cut down by the bullets chasing after them; how Gute Goldberg, Rashke Gaskind and other women spoke to the Lithuanian murderers and threatened terrible revenge; how the nearly 2,500 Jews sat near the church and had a death sentence presented to them before they were taken in groups to the pits; how impoverished families went solemnly to death, how the victims tore up their money the whole way and destroyed every thing of value; how our good-hearted neighbors from generations back, the Stonevitsh peasants, threw themselves on the rings and ear-rings of the still-warm, bloody corpses...
A shudder gripped us, the blood froze in our veins hearing such horrible stories.
Those left to life (about thirty percent) were mostly young men capable of work, or as the Germans said "useful Jews". Big families with small children, the elderly and ordinary people with an unhealthy appearance, were sent off to the pits during the selection. Even the permits of the skilled workers did not help. All the families whose men had been killed in the slaughter of the intellectuals (tishebov 1941) were sent to death. Only a few of the Jewish police were left. Of the intellectuals, there remained only a few Jewish doctors (Melamed, Siniuk, Bernson--the son-in-law of Rov Shatskes, Kaplinski (from Baksht) and Volfovitsh (from Lide), and the Judenrat, whose lives the department head Vindish had guaranteed for a price in gold which was collected a day before the great slaughter and which was supposed to have been a redemption for the whole Ivye community.
As stated, about 2,500 people were murdered in the great slaughter (according to official German count from the Lide regional commission--2,482). They were united in their death as martyrs with the 224 (or 222) Jews who were shot during the slaughter of the intellectuals (2 August 1941) and found their rest as martyrs in the pit-graves at the edge of the Stonevitsh forest.
The Ivye Judenrat was designated by the Germans soon after the selection on the day of the slaughter of the intellectuals, and held its position until the full liquidation of the ghetto. The Judenrat members were: Meyshe Kopold, Khaym-Leyb Dvoretski, Bernard Mlinarski, Leybman (from Devenishke), Yudl Kabak, Fayve Albershteyn, Khone Malakhovski and Tsalke Milikovski. (Of these, only Khaym-Leyb Dvoretski, in Bielski's detachment; and Fayve Albershteyn, in hiding with a peasant, survived. He died in Cuba.)
Practically, the rulers were Kopold (chairman), Dvoretski and Mlinarski (labor office). The commander of the Jewish police was Yoel Girshovitsh and his representative, Leyb Kalmanovitsh (Trab). The Jewish police recruited especially from among the youth driven in [to Ivye] from other towns.
The regional commander of the Polish police was Mulitse. From the town police, Boleslav Zebrik. In the first months of the occupation--Shtshepanski.
The first mayor was a teacher of German language in "Povshekhne", Tribling. Later he was replaced by Yozef Lerokh, administrator of the Povshekhne school, and soon Bialkovski was nominated as mayor. During the time of Polish rule he was secretary of the court. He governed until the retreat of the Germans. The chief of the German gendarme was Bayer, an Austrian.
The Judenrat, whose assignment was in particular to carry out the Germans' policy of robbery and extermination in regard to the Jews, was not to be envied. The demands that flowed in from every side without let-up were hard to accommodate. Every minute they had to revoke decrees, shootings of individuals for not observing the Draconian German laws whose penalty for the smallest sin by Jews, was the death penalty. They had to assemble workers for the local military and civilian authority and also, according to the demands of external factors as well (the Lide regional commissioner, the Todt organization, etc).
The Judenrat newly organized the workshops that worked for the non-Jewish population. They continually repeated the words of the Lide regional commissioner, Hanveg, that we earned life with our work. With the help of the Jewish police they continually demanded gold and other valuables from a population that was approaching the last stages of extortion and want. It is superfluous to say that there were many complaints about them. The unfortunate Jews had exchanged their last clothes and furniture for foodstuffs. For a trifle the peasants carried off all kinds of furniture, clothing, bed linens and the hard-earned possessions of generations. Nothing was spared, one lived day to day, because no one believed that we had even a chance to survive the war. Despair and fatalism dominated the ghetto and led to full-blown apathy and loss of initiative.
In the first months of our ghetto life there were reports of a new wave of slaughters in the towns and settlements of White Russia. The reports were brought by peasants who were paid to travel around, and collect [information] for the Judenrat. The hopes that we were facing a long pause to catch our breath in partial ease were dashed, there was no more room for illusions as the Judenrat used to do, in order to quiet the spirits in the ghetto.
In that same time, Jewish workers who went outside the city to work, encountered Russian partisans who wore red stars on their caps. They themselves had not yet carried out any war operations and were satisfied with hiding out in the thick forests. Thus ties were already made.
At the same time, some Ivyers left the ghetto and went in the direction of the Baksht forests--Vele Blokh and Berman. Their guide was a young man from Baksht who knew the area well (after the war it became known that they were successful, with the help of Russian partisans, in getting through the front lines and arriving safely in Russia. Vele Blokh lives in Canada; Berman in Israel.) Their escape made a big stir in the Ivye ghetto and encouraged the youth, who sought a path for rescue.
We, a group of young people, began to think that we must not sit with our hands folded. I had a talk with Dr. Ayzik Melamed, with Meyshe Stotski, and we decided to establish an underground partisan organization. I found it necessary to include several people who I knew to be bold, who were not afraid of danger. I found an especially valuable member in Ali Kats (Khaykl's). We held the first meeting in his "maline" [hide-out], and a committee was voted in, composed of Meyshe Kaganovitsh (chairman), Shepsl Sheftl, Tuvie Ingel, Ali Kats, Dr. Melamed, M. Stotski, L. Kalmanovitsh, and others.
We encouraged the building of "malines" in every house, where people could hide in the event of an "action". The ghetto was very quickly full of underground, disguised hiding places. Others had some amazing ideas. There were "malines" whose entry was through the hen house, and so on.
We created a bond with the Jewish police. Every night, according to a line-up, we stood watch in the ghetto houses from which one could observe the movements of the Germans. (The gendarmes were in Osherovski's house, the Polish police in Kopshteyn's house near-by, the municipal authority was in Dovid Goldberg's house.) In the event that we would see that there was a dangerous concentration of German strength, we had to cut the wires and flee to the forest. For a long time the members of the organization did in fact sleep in the houses near the ghetto wire.
We decided to solicit weapons at any price, and to that end we carried out an action. Each of us gave a gold coin. Our appeal to the Judenrat for a large sum was dismissed. They maintained that our activity could cause a premature slaughter of the few Jews who were left. They warned my older brother Dovid may he rest in peace that my activity was liable to bring about the handing over my family to the gendarme. (My parents and the family of my younger brother Ruben may they rest in peace were killed in the great slaughter.)
We reacted to the death-penalty with alarm as compared to the leading members of the Judenrat and they calmed down.
Not having any weapons, we had to initiate some means of resistance. With the help of the Jewish veterinary doctor Zshitaner (later murdered by the White Poles), who was permitted free movement in the ghetto, we bought several bottles of vitriol. We distributed it among the members of the organization and among ordinary young people. In the event of an action we would pour it into the eyes and faces of the Germans and police. The Jewish ghetto police (especially Leyb Dalmanovitsh from Trab) worked closely with us. It is thanks to that tie and because the guarding of the ghetto gate was in their hands, that they helped with the realization of the plans prepared for action.
There was joy in the Ivye ghetto when the carpentry workshop received an order for 19 coffins. We quickly learned the details of the successful ambush that had been conducted by the partisan detachment "Stalin" near the town of Nalibok, on a punishment expedition of S.S, which was traveling from the slaughter in Ivienits to Lubtsh, where they were to carry out the slaughter of the remaining Jews, who were being held tied up in a stall. Nineteen executioners lay dead, among them too the head of the Baranovitsh S.D. (September 1942).
Gradually we were enriched by three rifles, bought from peasants with gold. The were in good condition, but the number of bullets for them was limited. We hid them in hollowed-out logs (later they were taken out to the Morine forest by the Ivye partisan group).
A group of young people headed by Ali Kats and Leyb Shmukler united with a partisan group, "Tshapayevtses", in the Ivie neighborhood, and sent little stoves and other necessary things out to them for the promise that they would be taken into the detachment.
The carpenters Tsirulnik and Savitski, who worked in the workshops, prepared the wooden part of rifles and looked outside the ghetto for the metal parts. In the ghetto people had started talking about escaping to the forest. The much-exaggerated stories of the peasants about the partisans also ignited a spark of hope that there was a way to revenge and rescue.
People began to sense in the air, that something else terrible was approaching. They began to take workers out of the ghetto more often, to work in Molodetshne, Strage and Krasne, and to take the skilled workers to the "Todt" camps in Lide. In autumn 1942 stubborn rumors spread that the Ivye ghetto would soon be liquidated and Ivye would be "Judenrein" [clean of Jews]. The Germans of course denied such rumors and assured us that the Ivye Jews were a useful element. The Judenrat after all tried to spread an optimistic mood, but the Jews already had no more trust. (They still remembered well their happy reports a day before the great slaughter, that the decree had been annulled and dozens of families, among them my brother Ruben's family, came out of their hiding places, to go the following morning to the pits...) Like black ravens, who sniff out dead bodies, the peasants now came into the ghetto in droves and sought how to trick the Jew out of his possessions, or to buy them for a piece of bread. The rich people in the ghetto were suddenly receiving propositions from the "good friends" to hide in their "malines".
Many began to spend the night outside the ghetto. Individual families disappeared from the ghetto and into malines (almost all were murdered). It also became suspicious how the gendarmes had recently let the Jews move around more freely, were hardly guarding the ghetto gate and pretended not to see crimes that before would have drawn the death penalty.
We did not have to wait long. On 31 December 1942, the first group was taken to Borislov. On 20 January 1943 the whole ghetto was taken to Borislov, in order to quickly find their deaths in the peat-swamps of Biala-Bolota (end of March 1943). Ivye had become "Judenrein" [and Russian.]
[Page 535]
On December 31st, 1942, out of a clear blue sky, the Ivye ghetto was surrounded by the gendarmes, police and people from "Todt" (German construction organization for military projects), who had come to take workers for the peat-fields in Biala Bolota (near Borisov, White Russia). A great panic broke out and many from the ghetto and from the work-places outside the ghetto fled into the near-by forests and settlements.
A group of youths that had been organized earlier and was prepared to flee into the forests to the partisans, gathered in an attic near the ghetto fence. They succeeded in breaking through the police cordon and getting away. In the region of the Khrapenive hamlets they were met by Tuvie Bielski, the commander of the big Jewish detachment who had planned to organize an Ivye partisan detachment. The following day at dawn, the Germans from the Shelibe garrison attacked the hamlets, and after a bitter and unfortunate battle, killed many partisans, among them the Ivye youths Eli Baksht and Leyb Shmukler.
Hearing the shooting, the group ran off and arrived in the Morin forest. In the group were: Shepsl Sheftel and his wife Sima, Leyzer Tsirulnik and his wife Khaye, Malke Sheftel, Eli Kats, Sender Bielavski, Yoel Savitski, Rokhl Slonimski, Mayer Romanovski; and from Trab, Yitsik, Khaym and Rokhl Mints, Merke Levkovitsh and her husband Leyb Kalmanovitsh, Hirshke Levkovitsh and Avrum Levin.
Khaye Tsirulnik went out of the forest into the Ivye ghetto and brought back the bricklayer Hirshl Goldshmidt and his work-tools. Despite the fact that the ground was frozen solid he dug out a "ziemlianke" in the Morin forest, between the settlements of Dziamunt and Morin (in the Ivye district) for the 20 members of the partisan group. The armaments of the group consisted of a total of 6 rifles, three brought from the ghetto and three bought from peasants for gold and valuables. During our flight from the ghetto it was not possible to take out the three rifles that were well masked in a "maline" in Eli Kats' (Khaykl's) house. They were taken out later at risk of death on a dark winter night, after the complete liquidation of the Ivye ghetto.
The underground bunker was disguised from above with brush and branches. Descent into it was by way of a ladder. One could only go out on nights with a heavy snowfall, and had to take care to obliterate all the foot-prints. The local population did not know the location of the hide-out. Food was procured in the surrounding settlements with the force of weapons. A reserve of food stuffs was kept for the days when no one could go out of the bunker.
At the head of the partisan group stood Shepsl Sheftel, a brave young man who breathed revenge and a desire to fight against the German murderers and their collaborators among the surrounding population. His assistant was Leybke Kalmanovitsh (from Trab).
The group knew that the peasant Lastun, from the settlement of Strizshenat, had turned Freydl Vismonski (Labata's) into the gendarme. Just before the liquidation of the Ivye ghetto (20 January 1943) she had run away to a peasant she knew, Lastun from Strizshenat, who had promised to hide her for the valuables that she gave him. He hid her for only three days. He dragged her by the hair to the Ivye gendarme (3 kilometers), where she was promptly shot.
On January 22 1943, the group went to Lastun at night and asked him the way to the trestle. He came outside in order to show the way. They took him about 300 meters from the settlement, near a wood and asked him why he had turned her in to the Germans. After he had confessed to the crime, they shot him and placed a note in his hat that anyone who turned Jews over to German hands could not avoid their proper revenge at the hands of the Jewish partisans. The news spread quickly in the entire region and threw fear into the peasants. Thanks to that act of revenge dozens of Jews who were hidden with peasants in that area survived the war.
One dark winter night they traveled to the house of the forest watchman Butshel, who had, it was said, appeared voluntarily on the day of the big slaughter (12 May 1942) near the pits at Stonevitsh, and asked the Germans to allow him to help kill the Jews. Butshel escaped through a window and they had to be satisfied with confiscating all his possessions.
They also carried off everything that they found in Shaliapke's house, he whose hut was near the Stonevitsh pit-graves. Shaliapke himself succeeded in fleeing. They gave the collected belongings to the Russian partisan detachment by the name of "Stalin", which promised to include the whole group in their detachment.
They confiscated the stolen Jewish possessions from the peasants and prepared for bigger acts of revenge, murder and robbery.
After such acts of revenge and re-taking of stolen Jewish possessions from the peasants, the existence of an Ivye Jewish partisan group could not remain a secret from the peasants, or from the German murderers of peoples. As the Spring was approaching, shepherds came near with their flocks. It was clear that they could not hide themselves there for long and that they must unite with the large, well-armed Russian partisan group in the Nalibok wasteland.
For that goal, four brave partisans went out: Shepsl Sheftel, Sender Bielavski (Ivye), Leyb Kalmanovitsh, Hirshke Levkovitsh (Trab). They succeeded in getting an assurance that the whole group would be taken into a new detachment, "Aleksander Nievski", which was being organized. Happily, they turned back to bring the group.
On the way, near the little town Olenieve, they encountered a Russian "wild" partisan group, "Antonovtses" (from the name of their leader, Anton), that did not conduct any war activities, but was only busy eating, drinking and robbing. They were incited by the peasants, who said that the Jewish partisans robbed them. They took the four rifles and everything that was on the wagons (food and supplies), and let them go free. But figuring that without the rifles the other detachment would not take them in, they went back and demanded the four rifles. They claimed, "Without rifles our lives are not lives. Better to shoot us..." The "Antonovtses" took them into a house, made them undress, tortured them and drove them out naked to the local cemetery and shot them there.
Not waiting for the return of the group, five men went out knowing what had happened. The Startshinate village magistrate had told them about the tragic death of the four partisans. According to their request the peasants buried them in the Olenovke village cemetery.
The whole "Antonovtses" group was later shot by the partisan leadership for not maintaining partisan discipline.
After the murder of the four brave members, left with one rifle and one wooden intimidation-rifle, the whole group fled to the Nalibok wasteland. A few (Hirshl Goldshmid and his child) went over to Bielski, a few couples (especially those from Trab) went off to a pit near Baksht where several dozen Ivye and Trab people had been hiding out since the liquidation of the Ivye ghetto (they were all killed in July 1943 during the great German raid on the partisans of Nalibok. The Germans uncovered the hide-out through an informer, and threw grenades into the dug-out).
The largest part went over to the "Aleksander Nievski" partisan detachment. At the end of 1943 the leader of the detachment sent the newly-arrived Ivye group out on a war-assignment: to blow up the German train near the Yuratshishok station. The group included: Leyzer Tsirulnik, Yoel Savitski (Ivye), Mayer Romanovski (Baksht), Avrum Levin (Trab) and a Christian.
They did not succeed in blowing up the train, and were lying in a forest resting, outside the partisan zone, not taking any security measures. Germans, who were by chance in a nearby village, surrounded them and shot them while they slept. The peasants buried them in the same place.
Later the names of the three goyim who had led the Germans to the partisans in the forest were discovered. They were brought to the detachment and shot. Their possessions were confiscated.
Eli Kats, who was chief of the detachment, died from a bout of typhus (January 1944). A month later his son Gershon fell, bravely in a big battle of the partisan detachment against a German garrison in the village Lugomovitsh (near Ivye).
Of the whole partisan group in the bunker in the Morin forest, the only ones to survive the war were: Hirshl Goldshmid (today in America), Sima Sheftel, Malke Sheftel, Rokhl Slonimski (Canada), Khaye Tsirulnik and Itshke Mints (Yisroel).
(According to the witness of Hirshl Goldshmid and Khaye Tsirulnik)
Tanfel, Frume fled to the forests from Ivye ghetto on January 1, 1943. She was a nurse in the "Suvorov" detachment ("Stalin" brigade). In addition to her duties she took part in several battles and distinguished herself thereby. After each battle the commanders would remark in the daily roll-call on her brave doings.
She fell when she had crept out to the front line of fire to pull back a wounded partisan, in a battle against the Germans near the village Novosiolek (Radoshkovitshe area) in April 1944. The detachment's commissioner wrote a love-song in honor of the brave young woman from Ivye.
The brothers Motke, Eli and Yankl Kagan. In the spring of 1943 they escaped from the Lide "death"-camp to join Bielski, and later went over to the "Nievski" detachment. All three were brave, disciplined partisans.
Motke fell after liberation, during a clash with retreating Germans. Eli and Yankl were mobilized in the Russian army. From there, their footprints disappear.
Betsalel (Tsalke) Ginzburg--the brave and distinguished partisan from the "Iskra" detachment. He blew up 17 German troop transports with soldiers, weapons and ammunition, that were on the way to the front.
In April 1943 he, together with his brother Motke and cousin Yude Mote, blew up the Parove mill, electrical station and saw mill in Ivye. He was murdered after liberation (July 1944) in the village Dokudove by White-Polish gangs. He was designated for the Order of Lenin and named "Hero of the Soviet Union".
Khaym-Leyb ("Lioke") Dvoretski from the Bielski detachment and Meyshe-Zalman Kinkulkin, a partisan from the "Aleksander Nievski" detachment, fell in the war of liberation for the state of Israel (1948).
Yosef Blokh (son of Khone "Mister") fell after going out of the forest, in the ranks of the Red Army during its advance into Poland.
Melamed, Fime (son of Dr. Melamed of blessed memory) was distinguished as "chief" in the "Zshukov" brigade. A loyal fighter, full of initiative.
He fell in the big raid (July 1943), pressing on in a German ambush.
Eli-Zalman Albershteyn (Kushke's youngest son). Was in the "Iskra" detachment. Fell in the village Litvitse, going with a group of partisans to mine a bridge on the Lide-Vilne train line (18 March 1943).
Aba Boyarski. A partisan in the "Lenin" detachment in the Rudniki forests. He was a diversion [specialist]. He blew himself up while planting a mine under the train lines (15 April 1943).
Yosef Kabak and Peysakh Bielski. Partisans in the "Aleksander Nievski" detachment in the Nalibok wastelands. Captured alive by the Germans going to buy weapons from Poles. They were tortured for information about the partisans. They remained stubbornly silent and were shot in Ivye (9 March 1943).
(More details and photographs, see the section "Children of Ivye...
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for verification.
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text:
Easy to see CU's struggles at the NFL combine
INDIANAPOLIS — It is just small snapshot, but look at the NFL's scouting combine and it's fairly easy to see CU's uphill battle in the Big 12 these days.
The top three players in this draft at the moment are likely defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and quarterback Sam Bradford.
That's Nebraska, Oklahoma and Oklahoma. Big 12, Big 12 and Big 12.
And while the draft boards around the NFL are not always an indication about the quality of a college football program, it is part of the measuring stick these days.
Colorado tight end Riar Geer is the only player from CU at this event this year.
"Unfortunately, no one else got invited," Geer said. "Hopefully that changes."
And when you see the number of players in Indianapolis this weekend from most of the other Big 12 schools, that difference is stark.
Oklahoma (nine), Texas (seven), Oklahoma State (six), Nebraska (four), Missouri (four), Kansas (three), Kansas St. (three) and Texas Tech (two) all had more players invited than CU.
"It's kind of weird being the only guy from your school," Geer said. "But I've tried to reach out to other people."


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Discussant's Response to Some Historical Auditing Milestones; An Epistemology of an Inexact Art Horace G. Barden Ernst & Ernst, Retired My initial invitation to participate in this symposium asked if I would undertake to discuss a paper entitled, "Some Historical Auditing Milestones—How They Got There, What They Portend for the Future." (The authors of the paper subsequently proposed the revised title as it appears herein.) I wondered somewhat about how they happened to extend the invitation to me. I finally concluded they must believe that I am one of the few old practitioners still tottering around who was actually on hand as the profession encountered many of the events in the last forty-five years that are now considered milestones. The organizers of the symposium probably figured that if I had been there at the time these events occurred, I should at least be able to pass on the first part of the question, namely, "How They Got There," and if so, they would take a chance on my viewpoint when it came to distilling what the events portend for the future. My active interest in accounting began in 1924, and it has been my principal interest since 1927. Accordingly, I was on hand and watching most of the events that Gene Brown and Roger Salquist have listed as historical auditing milestones. I think I can answer some of their questions as to whether they have omitted any important events. I should also be able to clear up some of their uncertainties as to causes underlying certain of the milestone events, their importance at the time, and the resultant influences on the profession. I don't believe the combined efforts of the authors and myself are going to uncover any hitherto unknown facet of our heritage, or structure any new theory leading to a greater understanding of our present state of affairs. I do believe that our combined efforts might enhance understanding of the past, and give a wider perspective of today's moment in auditing history. The Problem I really doubt that I would have undertaken the authors' task by attempting the route of "an epistemological study." I shall admit that I quietly stalked that word "epistemology" for two or three days after my initial shock of finding it in the subtitle of their paper. I finally got up the courage to sneak into the library and pounce on it in an unabridged dictionary. According to the knowledge so recently obtained, I shall attempt to keep my discussion of their paper within a framework of interpreting the milestones in terms of the knowledge to be gained therefrom, its limits, and its validity. I turn first to the question of whether we are, in fact, dealing with an inexact 12
Object Description
Discussant's response to some historical auditing milestones
An epistemology of an inexact art
Barden, Horace G.
|Stettler, Howard, ed.
Auditing -- History
Auditing looks ahead: Proceedings of the Touche Ross/University of Kansas Symposium on Auditing Problems, pp. 012-022
|Published by: University of Kansas, School of Business
|Contents have not been copyrighted
|PDF page image with corrected OCR scanned at 400 dpi
|Deloitte Digital Collection
|Digital Publisher
|University of Mississippi Library. Accounting Collection
|Date-Digitally Created
|Auditing Looks Ahead 1972-p12-22


text:
Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing of Flexible Hybrid Electronics -- From Silicon Wafers to Thin Flexible Glass
Mark Poliks
Technical Director
S3IP-Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM)
Mark D. Poliks is a Professor of Systems Science and Industrial Engineering and Technical Director of the Center for Advanced Microelectronics Manufacturing (CAMM) at the State University of New York at Binghamton. He is an expert in electronics packaging, flexible electronics, materials, processing, roll-to-roll manufacturing, in-line quality control and reliability. He has authored numerous technical papers and invited presentations. He holds over forty US patents.
He is a member of the Flex-Tech Alliance technical council, an Associate Editor of the "Journal of Electronic Packaging," a member of the American Chemical Society, the Materials Research Society and the IEEE/CPMT. Poliks is active in the leadership of the IEEE/CPMT Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC) serving as chair of several technical program sub-committees. He chaired the 2010 ECTC plenary session on "The Evolution of Mobile Processing Architectures" and was a symposium organizer of "Roll-to-Roll Processing of Electronics and Advanced Functionalities" at the 2012 fall meeting of the Materials Research Society. He was invited to teach short courses on "Roll-to-Roll Manufacturing" at three international meetings of the Flex-Tech Alliance. Poliks received the Flex-Tech Alliance "FLEXI Award" for leadership in the technology and education of flexible electronics and the S3IP / STOC "Technology Leader of the Year" award.
He has held senior technical management positions at Endicott Interconnect Technologies, Inc. and IBM Microelectronics. He was a founding member of the IBM Materials Research Community and received an IBM award for "Excellence in Technical Management." Poliks received his Ph.D. in materials science and engineering from the University of Connecticut and held a McDonnell-Douglas postdoctoral fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis.
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Life in Space – Exobiology Summer University
'The Origins of Life and Life in Space' is an annual two-week summer course about exobiology open to students from all over Europe. The course usually takes place at the end of August/beginning of September at the Laboratoire Arago in Banyuls-sur-mer, France.
The programme is run by a consortium of top European universities and each year 35-50 students participate.
The main goal of the Life in Space course is to introduce the participants to the range of space-related biological disciplines in which research is being carried out in Europe.
Who organises Life in Space?
The course is run by a consortium of participating universities consisting of:
- Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Paris VI, France (lead university)
- Universität Bonn, Germany
- University of Firenze, Italy
- University of Sassari, Italy
- Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
- University of Valencia, Spain
- Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich (ETH), Switzerland
- University of Nottingham, UK
The course programme
The two-week course contains:
Lectures presented by European specialists on the origins of life, the space environment, the role of gravity in molecular, cellular, animal and plant behaviour, and the use of molecular tools in space biology.
Data analysis workshops which complement the lectures. The theory explained during the lectures is practised during the organised workshops.
- Experiment design projects; in multi-national teams and together with the teachers the students work on their own life science experiment design. At the end of the course the projects are presented to the other student teams.
The course concludes with the distribution of certificates to the participating students.
There is also time to socialize, and a trip is planned to places of interest within the Banyuls area.
ESA contribution to Life in Space
ESA's Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Operations supports the Life in Space course with the following contributions:
- ESA grants – grants for students and participating teachers. The selected students should be nationals from one of the ESA Member States* and they should not be eligible to receive financial support from the Socrates Programme.
- E-learning session – a live contact with the opportunity to talk to an ESA astronaut.
- ESA lectures – lectures presented by ESA staff on topics related to exobiology and/or human spaceflight and exploration.
* ESA Member States in 2012
Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Poland, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.
Cooperating States
Canada, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia.
Who can participate?
European students interested in exobiology with good study results can apply to take part in the Life in Space programme.
The course is taught in English, so a good command in English (both spoken and written) is recommended.
How to apply?
If you want to apply for the Life in Space programme, please send an application to Professor M. Maurel: maurel @ ijm.jussieu.fr
It should include personal contact details, a motivation letter and a CV.
More information
Origins of Life - Life in Space
Observatoire Océanologique, Laboratoire Arago
Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie, Paris VI
Contact persons
Life in Space:
Prof. Marie-Christine Maurel
Life in Space Coordinator
Université Pierre-et-Marie-Curie
Email: marie-christine.maurel @ upmc.fr
Education Team Coordinator:
Nigel Savage
Directorate of Human Spaceflight and Operations
Email: Nigel.Savage @ esa.int


text:
EnduraMASK High Tack Transfer Tape 14 in x 100 yds
Shipping Weight: 6.00 lbs.
Product Details: EnduraMASK High Tack Transfer Tape 14 in x 100 yds
- Overview
- Factory Cut Premask - Users agree that EnduraMASK is the best application tape ever! Your vinyl letters and graphics will release easier! EnduraMASK high tack is specially formulated for use with ORACAL 651 vinyl. No Slitting Available. This is not a clear tape.
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text:
Android Pay is being replaced with Google Pay. With Google Pay, you'll have everything you loved about Android Pay with a fresh look and new features. All of the information you've added and your Android Pay settings will be the same on Google Pay.
If you're already using Android Pay, you don't need to do anything to get started with Google Pay. The next time you update your Android Pay app, it'll become Google Pay. Learn how to update your app*.
You can enjoy all the benefits and security of your Arvest Bank debit card while using Google Pay. It's the simple, secure and private way to make purchases using compatible Android™ devices.** With the Google Pay app, you can snap a photo of your card and place your unlocked device near a contactless terminal to make purchases at more than a million stores*, online, and in apps.
Use Arvest Debit Cards on Google Pay
Google Pay provides privacy and security during and after each transaction by:
Arvest Google Pay Terms and Conditions (PDF)
** Google Pay is only compatible on Android devices that run KitKat 4.4 or later. Cardholders don't need to have NFC-enabled devices to use Google Pay for online transactions using virtual account numbers (e.g., network tokens).
Google Pay is a trademark of Google LLC. Android, Google Pay, and the Google Logo are trademarks of Google LLC.
Links marked with * go to a third-party site not operated or endorsed by Arvest Bank, an FDIC-insured institution.
Submitted questions will be answered by an Arvest banker and may appear on the Arvest Blog.
All Arvest banks are Equal Housing Lenders and Member FDIC.
Investment products and services are provided by Arvest Investments, Inc., doing business as Arvest Asset Management, member FINRA/SIPC, an SEC registered investment adviser and a subsidiary of Arvest Bank. Trust services are provided by Arvest Bank. Insurance products are made available through Arvest Insurance, Inc., which is registered as an insurance agency. Insurance products are marketed through Arvest Insurance, Inc., but are underwritten by insurance companies.
Securities and Insurance Products: Not Insured by FDIC or any Federal Government Agency, May Lose Value, Not a Deposit of or Guaranteed by a Bank or any Bank Affiliate.


text:
Riviera Stripe Indoor/Outdoor Rug, Plaza Taupe
Easy, hassle-free returns online and in-store for eligible items.Learn More
Earn 5% Back in rewards4 plus free standard shipping3every day when you shop with your Williams Sonoma credit card at Williams Sonoma.Apply Now Learn More
- Summary
Keep indoor and outdoor spaces looking stylish and complete with our carefree rug. Beach-worthy stripes give the flatweave its classic style, while thick, recycled-plastic yarns make it easy on the earth and exceptionally soft underfoot. Hand made on a vintage pit loom, the weave is reversible, easy to clean and durable enough for high-traffic areas.
- Hand woven of polyester yarns, recycled from PET plastic bottles.
- Stain-resistant yarns can be spot-cleaned or rinsed with a hose.
- Flat, tight weave works well over bare or carpeted floors alike.
- We recommend our Lightweight Rug Pad with this style; our latex-backed pad (sold separately) can be trimmed to fit exact rug dimensions.
- Due to the handmade nature of our rugs, all sizes are approximate.
- Dimensions & More Info
- 100% recycled PET polyester.
- Made in India.
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Please allow 4 to 5 days for delivery. Larger sizes are delivered by our White Glove Delivery Service and should be delivered within 2 to 4 weeks. For White Glove Delivery, items are brought into your home and placed in the room of your choice. Delivery is by appointment, Monday – Saturday; our delivery service will call to arrange a day. Available in the 48 contiguous states. Please call 888.922.4108 for additional assistance
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At Williams Sonoma, we take great pride in the quality and craftsmanship of our products. If, within 30 days, you are not completely satisfied with your purchase for any reason, please return the item for an exchange or refund of the merchandise value. Final Sale items ending in .97 or .99 are not returnable or cancellable. View Full Returns Policy.


text:
FarmCoast New England
Located within a one hour drive of Boston, Providence, Newport, and the towns of Southeastern Massachusetts, FarmCoast is a picturesque rural area of villages and farms with views of stone walls, salt marshes, church steeples, harbors, and fields that reflect the rural quality of 19th century New England.
New Tiverton Four Corners video from the Patch
Checkout our recent feature on Boston's Chronicle.
FarmCoast New England
This summer the Boston Globe featured two travel articles on Little Compton and Westport. In June, Tom Haines of the Globe Staff wrote a story about visiting Little Compton on a summer day and launching kayaks at the Sakonnet Point Club.
"Go with the Flow: Whether you are paddling or tasting pinot, water and wind play in this harbor, sun and soil make the landscape lush"
In August, Meredth Goldstein of the Golbe Staff spend a day in Westport writing of the charms of places to stay, dining, and visiting the wineries after dark: "There's a taste for all palates in the Bay State's Westport"
Last summer the Boston Globe also featured another article about Westport: "Sea of Tranquility: Quiet, welcoming town is rich in coastal beauty and pastoral beauty"
Travel and Leisure Magazine has also featured two articles this summer: One article about The Stone House Club opening in Little Compton and another article about Gray's Ice Cream at Tiverton Four Corners being chosen as one of the best ice cream stands in America!
"The Stone House Club Makes Waves in Little Compton" by Darrell Hartman


text:
This article was published in Ten Years After: Revisiting the Asian Financial Crisis (Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars: October 2007).
The article argues that the most important long-term impact of the East Asian financial crisis, a decade later, has been that it began a process that led to the collapse of the International Monetary Fund's (IMF's) influence over middle-income countries. This was partly a result of the Fund's role in the crisis, detailed in the article, which was widely seen as a major failure. Partly as a result of this experience, the middle-income Asian countries have accumulated large reserve holdings and largely removed themselves from IMF influence. The IMF's authority and credibility was further undermined in the Argentine crisis of 1998-2003. In recent years the availability of alternative sources of credit, especially in Latin America, have led to the collapse of the IMF's "creditors' cartel" in that region and among middle-income countries generally. The author argues that this is the most important change in the international financial system since the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system in 1973. For the foreseeable future, any positive financial reforms will be made at the national and regional level – e.g., with the extension of such arrangements of the Chiang Mai Initiative. This is because the high-income countries are not significantly closer to supporting reforms at the level of the international financial system or institutions than they were a decade ago. It will also be important for low-income countries, where the IMF still retains its role as "gatekeeper" for official credit, to become independent from the Fund so they can pursue more effective macroeconomic and development policies.


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For this single mum and teenage daughter, the opportunity to spend some quality time together is few and far between, so when we were offered the chance of a weekend break to Blackpool we jumped at it, and it was non-stop laughter and fun from start to finish.
The west coast seaside resort is best known for its Pleasure Beach - an old-school amusement park with vintage wooden roller coasters alongside state-of-the-art modern stomach churning rides - as well as its landmark tower built in 1894.
We set out to see what else was on offer and to discover just why Blackpool is one of Britain's most favourite family holiday destinations.
We opted for a spring weekend and, thankfully, the weather was on our side. However, we discovered that there are so many indoor attractions to visit that come rain or shine, Blackpool could not disappoint.
Our three day, two night, break was spent in the Hotel Sheraton - a short tram/bus ride from the bustle of the town centre and promenade amusements, pubs, cafes and gift shops.
We were lucky enough to get to try out one of the 20 newly refurbished rooms all with new bathrooms, décor beds and furnishings. Our room had all the mod cons including a large flat screen TV, tea and coffee making facilities, hairdryer, along with a double and two single beds. The cost of one of the new 'Beach House' rooms is £195 per night, including an evening meal and breakfast.
The family run hotel, situated opposite the sea on the cliffs at Queen's Promenade, has 108 en-suite rooms in total.
The venue has re-decorated its lounges and bar area, with new furniture provided for the dining room.
There is also a neighbouring sister hotel called Elgin Hotel
It was our intention to cram as much in as we could during our visit so we opted to get a Blackpool Resort Pass .
Offering a massive saving, the pass gave us access to the top attractions including Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Sandcastle Waterpark, Madame Tussaud's, Sea Life Centre, Blackpool Zoo, Blackpool Tower Eye and 4D Experience, {http://www.thedungeons.com/blackpool/en/The Blackpool Tower Dungeon|The Blackpool Tower Dungeon} and the model village and gardens.
Any family considering a couple of days at the seaside town really should consider this option, it really will save you money, and also invest in an unlimited tram and bus pass to transport you between each attraction - unless you REALLY like walking!
Our first stop was at Madame Tussaud's and I have to say I was very impressed. We had previously visited the London version but found it far too chaotic to be enjoyable. The Blackpool attraction was a much different experience. Although it was busy we got to see all the waxworks at a leisurely pace with plenty of opportunity for photographs, and the staff were really helpful and very informative.
An added bonus for me was getting to have a drink with Bet Lynch in a realistic version of Coronation Street's Rovers Return!
Next up, food!
You simply can't visit the seaside without sampling fish and chips. And if you're going to have fish and chips you might as well try the best.
We dined at the new Harry Ramsden's restaurant, situated at the base of the Tower.
I opted for the cod, chips and mushy peas, and my daughter the scampi. Simply delicious. Portion sizes were more than adequate, we certainly didn't have room for dessert!
As our dinner digested we took a walk along the Comedy Carpet - a brand new floor covering with a difference. The carpet' sits in the shadow of the Tower and it's one of the largest pieces of public art ever commissioned in the UK. It is a bit like a trip to the Hollywood Walk of Fame; but immortalising and celebrating the jokes, songs and comedy catchphrases of Britain's most well loved comedians and writers. It's been called the horizontal Angel of the North - a must visit spot.
From here we headed for the Pleasure Beach where we spent a good four hours riding on as many of the gravity-defying rides as we could.
The following day we opted to spend time at the Sandcastle Waterpark, directly opposite the Pleasure Beach. And at 45-years-old, I proved you're never too old for slides!
Sandcastle Waterpark is the UK's largest indoor waterpark. It features over 18 attractions including water slides, fun pools, a wave machine, water chutes, burger bars, snack bars, arcades, swim shop and much much more.
It was a very busy day but despite this the queues for the Hyperzone' slides - which are only available to anyone over eight-years-old - went down fairly quickly. We managed to get round them all in about two hours and thoroughly enjoyed every minute.
The facility caters for all ages and abilities and I would thoroughly recommend it - especially good if the British weather turns typically inclement.
All that activity meant we were soon ravenous so we decided to try the delights of the famous Notarianni Ices. One word. Wow!
Whether an ice cream fan or not you just HAVE TO visit.
I do not have a sweet tooth at all but I was blown away by the tasty treats on offer.
I opted for the choc nut sundae, my daughter chose Notties Mess - layers of ice cream, rspberries, meringue and raspberry sauce.
Both dishes were demolished. You can find Notarianni's just down from the Pleasure Beach, just off the promenade, behind McDonald's.
I think the highlight of the weekend for me was the visit to the Tower Eye, 4D Cinema and ballroom with afternoon tea.
The ascent to the Eye at the top of the tower was up there as a highlight of the adrenaline-fuelled few days. Between the metal struts of the Blackpool Tower was what appeared to be a 380ft drop down to the famous beach promenade below.
So my heart was in my mouth when my daughter jumped into the void. Thankfully, a plate of heavily reinforced glass supported her, she didn't seem in the slightest bit bothered by the dizzying perspective.
I was pretty glad the lift attendant revealed the glass floor is just under two inches thick only when we were safely on the way back down.
Blackpool provides more thrills and spills than a day as James Bond's stunt double, nothing demonstrates this better than the 4D cinema on the lower level of the tower. As we watched, we felt we were careering off the rails of some of the resort's legendary roller-coasters during the short film. In Blackpool, it's sometimes easy to forget it's not normal to be upside-down.
Far slower-paced was the famous Tower Ballroom below. We spent an hour and a half watching couples glide expertly in the stunningly ornate Victorian setting, whilst enjoying a luxurious traditional afternoon tea.
It was like going back in time.
Our evening meal was spent at Viva Vegas restaurant. This is an American style 50s diner, bar and grill. It was like sitting in a scene from Grease or Happy Days, and whilst burgers and fries aren't my thing, the food was extremely enjoyable. Try the pizza fries - delicious!
Our final visit of the weekend was to the circus which also takes place within the iconic Blackpool Tower.
Prepare to be amazed!
The Tower Circus is without doubt one of Blackpool's grandest spaces and the show was one of the most entertaining I have seen for quite some time.
Think old school slapstick with extreme stunts and you've just about got it.
The Endresz family has wowed audiences and delighted families for over two decades with astonishing jaw-dropping stunts and comedy capers in what can only be described as the must-see show of the season. Mooky and Mr Boo deliver belly-laughs aplenty with their hilarious antics teamed with edge of your seat death defying stunts from top class acts all over the world.
Afterwards it was with heavy hearts that we headed back to the car ready for the journey back to Yorkshire.
Blackpool cannot claim to be Britain's most picturesque seaside resort, but there cannot be anywhere that matches it for sheer fun.
For more visit Blackpool


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Sticky Date Pudding
It's spring! Finally... after the freezing winter that has just passed we now enter spring. Only this weekend was cold, and wet. Spring will be here soon, I hope.
Last weekend when I cooked up my feast, I also cooked some sticky date puddings. A bit late considering winter's over, but I needed to make it just once this year. I like making dessert like this once a year – it makes them more special. As my brother said "I want to remember this taste so I look forward to it next year". That was his reasoning behind having one piece. I had three. Over a few days mind you. Yeah I need to go for a run.
This recipe itself is a special one too. I'm not sure who came up with it or the history behind it, only that about 6 or 7 years ago, a girl I used to work with bought this pudding in to work. We devoured it, it was amazing. I begged her to give me the recipe but she said her mum gave the recipe to no one. I eventually got it. It's hand written on a piece of paper title "Icky Stickly Licky Pudding".
Traditionally this is made in a cake tin, but as always, I prefer muffin tins because then I can freeze leftovers. This never happened because they all disappeared in a few days.
250g dates
1 cup water
½ teaspoon bicarbonate soda
75g butter, room temperature
220g caster sugar
2 eggs
220g self-raising flour
150g butter
250g dark brown sugar
150ml cream
Preheat the oven to 150°C. Grease well a 24cm round cake tin or 12-hole muffin tin.
In a small saucepan, add the dates and water and bring to the boil. Cook until the dates have absorbed the water and are soft and mushy. Using a food processor of whiz, process the dates until they are a smooth consistency (this is optional, some prefer to keep the texture of the dates). Return the mix to the saucepan, add the bicarb soda and stir – the mix will expand.
In a large bowl, add the butter and sugar and beat until pale and creamy. While beating, add the eggs one at a time,then slowly add the flour, continuing to beat until all ingredients come together. Add the date mixture and mix in with a spoon.
Pour the mix into the tin, and bake for 1 hour if using the cake tin, and 40 minutes if using the muffin tin, or until a skewer comes out clean when tested.
To make the sauce, heat the butter, sugar and cream in a small pot over a medium heat, until the sugar has dissolved. Note – this sauce is super rich so you only need a small amount.
Serve the cake warm with a drizzle of the sauce and a generous amount of ice-cream.


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WHY WE LIKE IT: Good hydration is essential for migraine sufferers, and this is the best go-everywhere bottle we've found. In migraine awareness purple.
The eddy now has a redesigned cap for greater durability and faster flow. The eddy .75L bottle is 100 percent BPA-free and built with CamelBak's patented flip-top bite valve that lets you sip without tipping or spilling — perfect for hydration on the go. The integrated loop handle can be hooked to a carabiner or carried in the crook of one finger. Dishwasher safe.
The bottle, bite valve, straw, and lid can be cleaned in the top rack of the dishwasher or by hand with warm, soapy water. Pull off the bite valve and straw from the cap. If you like to use a bottle brush, we don't recommend forcing a brush through the Bite Valve slit. If you have the brush kit, run the small brush through the straw.
For a deeper cleaning, add a drop of mild soap or tablespoon of bleach to a clean glass jar filled with water. Drop the bite valve, straw and cap into the solution, and tightly close the jar's lid. Shake the mixture around for 30 seconds, and then let the parts soak for about 15 minutes. Rinse and shake dry.
To re-assemble the lid, flip the stem collar (the component the bite valve attached to originally) to the open position. Orient the bite valve so the finger tab points towards the front of the cap. Push the bite valve firmly onto the stem collar. Press the straw back into place on the bottom of the lid. Ensure the straw covers the notches completely.
First-time use: What's the clear thing on top of the cap for? Do I remove it or cut it to drink?
The clear thing is the CamelBak Big Bite Valve. This feature provides easy drinking and spill-proof safety. Do not remove or cut this piece to drink. Simply bite it slightly and sip as you would out of a straw.
Can/how do I freeze the CamelBak eddy with bite valve?
You can freeze the bottle but make sure:
We also recommend that the bite valve stem not be flipped up or down if there is any frozen water in the tube. Wait until thawed.
Can I use the CamelBak eddy in high-altitude/low-pressure environments (i.e. airplanes, mountain altitudes, etc)?
Yes, but with special care because pressure can force liquid out through the straw. Keep the bottle right-side-up with the bite valve in the closed position. Remove the straw for additional protection. Expect a bit of "spurt" during the first sip. You may also twist the cap open to release any pressure and then close before your first sip.
Can I put hot liquids in it?
We do not recommend using with hot drinks because the experience will be similar to drinking hot liquid through a straw.
What happens if I put sports drinks/juice in the CamelBak eddy?
Use of any of these drinks in the bottle is fine, but thorough cleaning after each use is recommended.
Can I use with carbonated beverages?
You can use any beverage in the CamelBak eddy; however, we do not recommend the use of carbonated beverages with the straw configuration because pressure can force liquid out through the straw. To use with carbonated beverages, we recommend that you remove the straw and drink via "tip and sip."
What max temperature (freezing/boiling water) can the CamelBak eddy withstand?
The CamelBak eddy can withstand being filled with warm water up to 65 ºC/149 ºF or stored in below-freezing temperatures.
Is the CamelBak eddy microwave safe?
Feel free to use the CamelBak eddy to warm up liquids (ie. up to a minute), but we don't recommend cooking your dinner in it. Do not microwave with the cap in place as it contains metal screws that are not microwave safe.
Does the CamelBak eddy work with back-country purifier filters/microfilters?
The CamelBak eddy is compatible with filters that adapt to a 63 mm screw top opening (in other words, it's compatible with most filters on the market).
Does it hold residual taste?
No, there is no residual taste in the bottle materials, and it's also stain-resistant. Some sports drinks and other flavored beverages can leave behind residue of flavor oils that could require extra cleaning.
What happens if I take the straw off?
Removal of the straw allows a "tip and sip" mode of drinking.


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The main event of the day is the gathering of all the faithful to pray. They assemble in droves in a huge field while nassaras and non-believers hang out and watch. I arrived early at the field, and perched myself on a rock under some trees, from which I watched the passers-by. Dark clouds were sweeping across Mokolo. Falling through the trees, small drops of rain slowly darkened my green pagne, and made me wonder why I'd bothered to slather myself in sunscreen. Floating in from somewhere far across the field, a hypnotic voice chanted Alllahhhhh al-ahkbarrrr, Alllahhhhh al ahkbarrrr, Godddd is greeeaaat, God is greeeaaat, soothingly and rhythmically.
Before the prayers, people roam the streets, greet friends, take pictures with the local nassaras… Thanks to Thea and Fleur, who took many of the pictures below! These are my neighbors: Garga, Issoufa, and some little piece of bubble gum I don't know who jumped in the picture.
A Cameroonian boy band, or the inverse of a harem? You decide. I'd never even met them before!
No Ramadan fête is complete without a pair of designer sunglasses.
I think little guy on the right might be jealous of little boy on the left's turban!
Hey Sisters, remember when Mom used to dress us up in those little matching red dresses?!
The prayers, solemn and timeless, mark the official end of a month of fasting during daylight hours. That fast includes not drinking any beverages, even water. I found my Muslim co-workers loved to ask me "How's the fast going?" when I'd pull out my water bottle to take a few glugs in front of them. So finally, in attempted solidarity, I tried to fast a few times. On about the third day, I finally got it right (I still drink water though. I figure, Allah, Mohammed, and all those other guys can cut me a bit of slack as I'm new to all this.) This means you get up at about 4:30 to have breakfast before dawn. I got up and pulled out my cooking pans to heat up some leftovers. Through the dark, it was comforting to hear the clangs of my neighbors doing the same thing, as a reminder that I am not, in fact, crazy. Fleur however, smart girl that she is, had bouie (the typical breakfast beverage) in a thermos and a couple of beignets on her bedside table. At 4:30am, she sat up in bed, swallowed it down, and plopped back down to sleep. Why didn't I think of that?! When I asked my counterpart Bouba about fasting, he told me that it's done for three main reasons:
1) To feel hunger, and know what hunger feels like for those who are too poor to eat their fill.
2) It's good for the body to fast, to clean it out from time to time.
3) To practice discipline and think of Allah.
I always think of Easter dresses when I see the men's beautiful flowing boubous! I wish American men could show up at Easter morning service in a boubou :)
This fête de Ramadan, however, reminded me, the non-believer, of Mardi Gras. (Is that irreverent?!) The excesses of food and the fasting, the parade of vehicles across town to visit the traditional chiefs, hoards of sociable people ambling in the streets.
Once the prayers were done the road through town was packed!
You can go on a truck,
On a moto, (there's room for at least two more on there!)
Or if that's how you like to roll, on a horse.
The excitement was palpable. A caravan formed to cross town, to visit a traditional chief. It must have included every van in Mokolo! Fleur, Thea and I ended up running across a field to try and catch up with it, chasing the cars as though running after floats in a parade, frantically looking for beads! (We just wanted pictures.) Here, instead of wearing tacky plastic beads you think are cool, you dress up in full pagne (I think it's flattering, but I've been gone from the States for a while… you judge!) and you paint your hands funny colors!
The men are decked out in their best boubous, complete with the gondora, a huge sail of fabric they loop over their shoulders on top of the boubou. Thea and I found our friend Ibrahim. I was marveling at the sheer quantity of fabric that Ibrahim was wearing and I think our conversation went something like this:
Me: Hey Ibrahim, can I do bat wings with your boubou??!! Come onnnn, it'll be fun!
Ibrahim: Hmmm, Not so sure about that, weird little American girl.
Ibrahim: Alrighhhhht.
Me: See, this is so cool!! You look like a big blue bat!!
Ibrahim: Yeahhh, I am pretty cool.
Me: Told you!
Ibrahim: OK, give me back my boubou now, that's enough. OK, give me back my boubou!!
Then we ran into Bouba, my counterpart at the MC2. He was a little more willing to indulge my Batman fetish.
In between terrorizing my friends in boubous, I'm fond of contemplating my hands. The henna is supposed to render them black, but I'm too impatient and didn't want to walk around with henna and plastic bags on my hands for hours while it dried, so I came out with a semi-ridiculous carrot look. Woops :) What's a couple months of orange fingers?!
We proceeded to shuffle all over town, eating loads and greeting people. Instead of the excesses of King Cake, I happily dined on endless croquettes, sweet fried dough balls that I like far too much. The visits are my favorite part of Ramadan, what I look forward to the most. I honestly can't think of an American equivalent. If we attempted the same thing, would it just lead to traffic jams, and twitchy kids sitting in cars trying to behave? Here, we walk, eat, walk, eat, amble about some more. No one is really rushed, and it seems that somehow no one really has an agenda, but they always seem to know when to find their friends at home.
I stopped by my neighbor Aïssatou's house. She's my accomplice in the henna hands, which many of the neighborhood women did in preparation for the fête. Since Cameroonians refuse to smile for a posed photo, it was so hard to get this picture! I had to beg Aïssatou and her husband for one photo, American style, with a smile. At least the begging apparently amused them, which led to the desired result!
In an interesting turn of events, all the Protestants were likewise having a huge celebration, a joint service of all the different denominations at the local stadium marking the beginning of the school year. On top of that, the Catholic bishop was in town, performing Confirmations. Only the Atheists weren't celebrating. (They/we just ran around crashing everybody else's parties.) I couldn't help but notice the stark contrasts between the faiths as Thea, Fleur, and I paused at the Protestant gathering. Whereas the Muslim prayers require strict male-female segregation, the Protestants mingled freely. The Muslim prayer was neat, orderly, efficient, with something reverent and sacred about it. The Christians sang and clapped in excitement, rambling on in informal and uncalculated prayers. Half-naked children romped through the Christian crowd. While the Muslims were dressed in their best pastel-colored boubous on men, and full pagne on women, the Christians were comfortably clad in t-shirts, pants, occasional sprinklings of pagne. The Muslim prayer reminded me of what old-school Catholicism must have resembled—steeped in unquestionable tradition and inaccessibility, yet beautiful, a bit magical, and surreal.
I think celebrating another's most sacred holiday has helped me better appreciate the celebrations chez moi. It's true I've remarked at times past that I've thought the
Alas, my fête de Ramadan finally ended as I headed to my house to rest and digest. Here's a view of Mokolo late in the afternoon, in all its festive glory. (My house is in a neighborhood to the left side of the photo; the mountains are my view from the kitchen window.)
Overall, a satisfying fête de Ramadan, just the way I like them. :) Til, next time amigos, say your prayers, and until I'm back in the States to fête with you personally, know that I am thinking of you!


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Aaron Dufour Selected for the 2011/12 Stephen K. Park Undergraduate Scholarship Award
The Stephen K. Park Undergraduate Scholarship Award is presented annually at the Department of Computer Science Diploma Ceremony & Reception to at least one student earning a B.S. in Computer Science at William & Mary. Aaron Dufour, a double major in Computer Science and Physics, is this year's recipient.
The specific terms of the award are:
At least one award, of at least $1000, presented annually at the end of the spring semester to a graduating Computer Science undergraduate student who during his or her undergraduate career "established a record of academic excellence and, equally important, demonstrated a continuing interest in computer science research and development, as judged by the joint faculty of the Computer Science department."
Aaron graduates with majors in both Computer Science and Physics, maintaining a record of academic excellence in each. In his senior Physics research project, Aaron combined his expertise in both disciplines, bringing the insights he gained in his GPU Programming course to bear on his Physics project. In addition, Aaron is a member of Team Gold, one of only 110 teams invited from around the world to participate in the World Finals of the Association for Computing Machinery's International Collegiate Programming Contest in Warsaw, Poland — another significant investment of his time and energy, as the story Competitive programming team prepares for World Finals makes clear. After Aaron's return from Warsaw, he joins Fog Creek Software in New York City as a Member of Technical Staff.
To learn more about Steve Park, a former faculty member and chair of the department whose bequest endowed this award, visit the commemoration on our Facebook page.


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|easy greek frittata
|10 eggs
|whisk whisk whisk - dont add that salt!
|spinach, tomatoes, feta and onion ready to go
|cut the tomatoes and toss them in
|throw in some onion - it calls for scallions and i can't always get those
|crumble and add feta (and eat a piece)
|throw in the spinach
|mix it a bit
|dump it into your hot olive oily casserole dish
|and bake
greek frittata from real simple
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt (no way! maybe 1/2 tsp.)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 5-ounce bag baby spinach
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
- 4 scallions (white and green parts), thinly sliced (or any oniony substance)
- 8 ounces feta, crumbled
- Heat oven to 350° F.
- Add the oil to a 2-quart casserole and transfer to oven for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the eggs, salt, and pepper. Add the spinach, tomatoes, and scallions and combine. Gently stir in the feta.
- Remove casserole from oven. Pour the egg mixture into casserole. Bake until the frittata is browned around the edges and slightly puffed and a knife comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.


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Eight students and their mentors filed into the small yellow classroom, greeted by the woman in a high-collared white shirt, brown laced boots, cameo brooch and earrings. The students took their place at wooden benches, some sitting at plain desks, to prepare for the day's lesson.
To remind the young African American men the importance of the educational opportunity available to them, their mentors, members of Beta Nu Boule, had arranged for a trip back in time, to visit the Laurel Grove school and see what life was like for their ancestors in a one room schoolhouse.
On Saturday, Feb. 18, Helen Latten, one of the docents at the Laurel Grove School, dressed the part of a "school mother" from the era of the school, which operated between 1882 and 1932. She started the day as it would have more than 100 years ago, with a devotion, the Lord's Prayer and the Pledge of Allegiance.
The school, built on a half-acre of land once owned by freed slaves William and Georgiana Jasper, was one of the first schools for African American children in Fairfax County, said Phyllis Walker Ford, the great granddaughter of the Jaspers.
"They knew, in order for their children to be successful, they had to be able to read and write," Ford said.
IN 1881, another freed slave, George Carol, cut down trees on the land and used them to help William Jasper build the school, which served the black community until 1932, she said.
"Students who went to school here were from plantations in the area," Ford said. Pointing to white index cards on several desks, she said the names belonged to some of the students who attended the school and had been interviewed by historians a few years before, to obtain first-hand accounts of life at Laurel Grove following the Civil War, emancipation and the early years of the 20th century.
At the beginning of each morning, boys would have to bring in wood for a small pipe stove in the middle of the school to keep warm, and bring in buckets of water from a nearby spring, before the school day began at 8 a.m., Ford said. Their teacher came in from Washington every day by train and had to walk several miles between the train station and the school, located on what is now Beulah Street near Franconia Parkway.
"For most students, they stopped going to school after seventh grade, because there was no high school in the area for them to go to," Ford said. "If they wanted to go to high school, they'd have to go into D.C. But they couldn't tell anyone there they lived in Virginia because you had to live in D.C. to go to school there," she said.
Geneva and Winnie Walker were the only two students to complete high school in Washington, Ford said, because their father worked for the railroad company and was able to get them train passes to go into the city every day.
THE STUDENTS at Laurel Grove have been labeled the "first generation born to freedom" by the docents at the school, Ford said, because they were the children of emancipated slaves. Their importance to the eight young men who sat in the school on Saturday was more than just serving as a reminder of how far things have come in the past 70 years.
"You have an opportunity that people who went to Laurel Grove didn't have," she said.
The hour at Laurel Grove was the midpoint of a day focusing on the young men's education, which started and ended by meeting with representatives from colleges at the Alfred Street Baptist Church.
Eight men from high schools around Fairfax County are two years into a mentoring program by members of Beta Nu Boule, the Northern Virginia chapter of Sigma Pi Phi fraternity which was started in 1904 to serve African American men in Philadelphia.
"Our foundation took on this project two and a half years ago to select a group of eight young men who, at the time, were in eighth grade," said Robert Warren, co-founder of Beta Nu Boule. "We decided we would mentor these men, keep an eye on them and keep them focused on their education through high school and college."
The mentors are committed not only to making sure their mentees earn the grades to go to college, but that five of the students will receive $20,000 scholarships to attend a college in Virginia, Warren said.
"I am responsible to make sure my student is doing well in school. If he goes to school in Virginia, I can get to him anywhere in the state within four hours," he said of the stipulation.
MEN IN BETA Nu Boule are all professional in some degree, whether they are doctors, lawyers or in other roles that can seen as role models for the young men. As the mentees go through high school and college, their relationships with their mentors change. If their mentor is a lawyer, but the mentee wants to study to be a doctor, other men in the group will be able to take over and the mentor will become more of a "trusted friend," Warren said.
Halfway through the high school portion of the project, measures of success are being realized.
"When we started this, my guy was failing," Warren said. "Now he's got a solid C average and he's improving every day. The question for him is no longer if he's going to college, but when and where. "
The mentors hope their students realize their good fortune.
"To have an education laid out for you and not take advantage of it is criminal," said Larry Gillespie, a member of Beta Nu Boule. "Our ancestors worked so hard and valued their education so much. We hope this will show the contrast, when we look at this from the historic point of view of the freed slaves."
The men in Beta Nu Boule are trying to fill a larger void in the community, by "putting ourselves into the community to create a positive situation," said Fred Leigh, co-founder of the organization. "There was a time when all socio-economic classes lived in the same place, but in Northern Virginia it's hard to find that anymore. How do you create the environment that used to nurture the next generation?" he asked.
By bringing together the young men who need a "positive male role model" with professionals who can be a strong influence on their futures, Leigh said the benefits will be felt by the entire community.
"If, at the end of the four years, two-thirds of the men in our program have had the experience of a caring community, those men will go to college with a sense of responsibility for the ones coming up behind them," Leigh said.


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Judge Chooses Pi Day To Reject Lawsuit Over Attempt To Copyright Pi As A Song
from the can't-copyright-facts deptLast year, we wrote about a dispute between two guys who had both recorded songs based on the number pi. A guy named Lars Erickson had recorded The Pi Symphony back in 1992 and registered a copyright on the output. It was based on assigning notes to the numbers 0 to 9, then playing them according to the sequence of pi. On March 14th, 2011 -- also known as Pi Day, since the 3/14 date matches the 3.14 beginning of pi -- musician Michael Blake came up with a similar idea. According to NPR's report on the song:
He decided the song would be in C, then assigned each note a number: C=1, D=2 and so on up through 9. Using those assignments, he played the sequence of pi: 3.14159 through 31 decimal places. He assigned numbers to chords, too, but could only play the chords every other note and still make it sound vaguely musical.Apparently Erickson got upset about this -- though he admits he was mainly upset that his own comments on the YouTube video of Blake's song were deleted. So he filed a lawsuit claiming copyright infringement.
Finally, he used pi as the basis for the tempo — it's 157 beats per minute, which is half of 314. He played this part on several instruments, as you can see in the video above, and layered them to make a song. The result isn't exactly catchy, but it's certainly melodic.
Blake successfully had the lawsuit transferred from Nebraska to Portland, Oregon, and has now succeeded in having the case dismissed, with the ruling itself issued on March 14 -- Pi Day once again. The ruling is embedded below, and it's a worthwhile read, highlighting the limitations of copyright. It actually goes into a fairly detailed description of the separation between ideas and expression, as well as questions about "substantial similarity." The conclusion:
The primary similarity between Pi Symphony and "What Pi Sounds Like" is the musical pattern formed by transposing the digits of pi to a set of musical notes. That pattern is not protected by Mr. Erickson's copyright for Pi Symphony. Pi is a non-copyrightable fact, and the transcription of pi to music is a non-copyrightable idea. The resulting pattern of notes is an expression that merges with the non-copyrightable idea of putting pi to music: assigning digits to musical notes and playing those notes in the sequence of pi is an idea that can only be expressed in a finite number of ways. This does not mean that Mr. Erickson's copyright is invalid, only that Mr. Erickson may not use his copyright to stop others from employing this particular pattern of musical notes.The court also dismisses Erickson's claim of "unfair competition," noting that what appeared to be straight up jealousy is no reason for a legal claim:
What may be protected by copyright is the combination of that pattern with other musical elements: the choice of scale, rhythm, harmony, and embellishments or variation, for example.... Pi Symphony and "What Pi Sounds Like" employ different rhythms, different phrasing, different harmonies, and different tempos. The court does not agree with Mr. Erickson that the melodies of Pi Symphony and "What Pi Sounds Like" are sufficiently similar in their cadence or tempo to raise a question of substantial similarity. If there are additional similarities that relate to protectable elements of Mr. Erickson's musical work, those similarities are minor and scattered throughout the work. For one work to be substantially similar to another, more than incidental and occasional similarities are required....
Thus, after the similarities based on unprotected elements of Pi Symphony are set aside, very few--if any--similarities remain. Mr. Erickson's copyright is therefore "thin" and protects his work only from virtually identical copying...
Copyright protects against the copying of original elements of an author's work. It does not protect the copyright holder's goodwill, market status, or artistic success. It does not even protect the author's hard work in being the first to create a compilation of information otherwise available in the public domain. See Feist, 499 U.S. at 359-360 (rejecting the "sweat of the brow" theory of copyright protection). These limitations derive from the constitutional basis of copyright, which is "To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries." U.S. Const. art. 1, sec. 8, cl. 8. Copyright is thus intended to protect the original work of authors without granting monopolies over facts or ideas that would hinder further progress.... Given statutory law, the Constitution, and Supreme Court precedent, Mr. Erickson cannot use his copyright to stop Mr. Blake from employing the same idea—the transcription of the digits of pi to musical notes.Nice to see the court lay out the reasoning so clearly. It's unclear if the court recognized the symbolic nature of issuing the ruling on Pi Day, but either way, it was a nice move.
Filed Under: copyright, facts, lars erickson, michael blake, pi, pi song, pi symphony


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Nov. 7, 2014 -- As waterfowl hunters prepare for the start of waterfowl hunting season in November, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) is reminding all hunters to be alert for whooping cranes in marshes and fields that contain legally hunted game birds.
LDWF's whooping crane reintroduction program has released cranes into the wild from White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area each year since 2011. The birds have dispersed over time to locations that include east Texas, but there are whooping cranes situated in Acadia, Avoyelles, Rapides, Vermilion, Jefferson Davis, Calcasieu and Cameron parishes.
Anyone encountering whooping cranes in the wild is advised to observe them from a distance and minimize any disturbance. Hunters are cautioned to positively identify their targets as game birds before shooting. Although whooping cranes in Louisiana are considered an "experimental, non-essential population" under the Endangered Species Act, they cannot be pursued, harassed, captured or killed and are fully protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act.
Waterfowl hunters should be accustomed to seeing large-bodied, white birds with black wing-tips, such as white ibis, white pelicans, and wood storks, which must be distinguished from the legally-hunted snow geese. Whooping cranes are equally identifiable as they stand an impressive 5 feet tall and have a wingspan of 7-8 feet. Easily identifiable characteristics of whooping cranes in flight include fully extended neck and legs, and black wing tips.
Hunters are encouraged to report whooping crane sightings to assist the department in tracking their movements. Location information can be reported to the White Lake WCA office at 337-536-9400, ext. 4 or email@example.com [4] .
LDWF also asks experienced hunters to take the time in the field to educate young hunters and improve their target identification skills to distinguish game birds from non-game birds. A whooping crane sighting can add to the outdoor experience for outdoorsmen and women of all ages and hunter vigilance can assist the department's efforts to restore this unique species in southwestern Louisiana.
Anyone witnessing whooping cranes being pursued, harassed, captured or killed is urged to call the LDWF Enforcement Division's Game Thief hotline at 1-800-442-2511 to report what they've seen.


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Chocolate Malt Pudding Cake
When I make this warm, comforting cake, I "chop" the malted milk balls by putting them in a plastic bag and pounding it with a rubber mallet. It completely eliminates the mess.
Total TimePrep: 25 min. Cook: 2 hours + standing
Makes8 servings
- 1/2 cup 2% milk
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons baking cocoa
- 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped malted milk balls
- 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup malted milk powder
- 1-1/4 cups boiling water
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
- Vanilla ice cream and sliced almonds, optional
- In a large bowl, combine milk, oil and extract. Combine flour, brown sugar, cocoa and baking powder; gradually beat into milk mixture until blended. Stir in milk balls and chocolate chips.
- Spoon into a greased 3-qt. slow cooker. In a small bowl, combine sugar and milk powder; stir in water and cream cheese. Pour over batter (do not stir).
- Cover and cook on high for 2-3 hours or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Turn off heat. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve warm. If desired serve with ice cream and sprinkle with almonds.


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Terramundi Money Pots are hand thrown in Italy and hand painted in London. We stock many designs and colors!!
Terramundi Money Pots
Once the first coin is dropped the money pot must be fed until full...then it is smashed, while making a wish. It is customary to replace the pot and spend the money on 'good things'. Once broken, the pieces can be used to house a plant, sweets, candles, Product Details...