text:
I'm sat upstairs at the Social in London's Little Portland Street, out in the corridor where the bargirl said it was quieter. Beer, depressingly at this time of day, in one hand and Dictaphone in the other, ears still straining to hear the blatherings of a DJ whose taste in shirts is let down only by the quality of his recent output. Cynicism, depressingly, is setting in, when The Futureheads merrily barge through the door, hauling baggage and amps and accents with their gear.
Drummer Dave Hyde already departed, it's a load they struggle to carry and it turns out they'll soon be following him on the trek back to more Northern climes, having filmed a couple of songs for the Album Chart Show last night (click for a report). Their new album is This is Not the World and it arrives through The Futureheads' own label, Nul Records, in May. The Futureheads may've been dropped by their old, major label, but as you'll find out later, they're more than willing to pick themselves up and hit back, harder.
Once we've shuffled the baggage downstairs, bassist David 'Jaff' Craig unzips a holdall and holds a boxfresh T-shirt up to the light, squinting his eyes and smiling as he tells how the band had just come from a Carnaby Street fashion shoot. They'd left with sackfuls of swag.
They're no immodest blaggards, though, The Futureheads – what they are is a band that've conducted themselves in a way that makes people want to do things for them, whether that's showering the quartet in free clothes or setting up an interview with adoring fans and fine rabble in their own right The Maccabees. Felix White and Orlando Weeks have arrived now, and they greet each other like the newest old friends.
N.B. We dropped in chapter links to help you navigate around this article. It's pretty long.
i) Pleasantries and identity theft
ii) Secret lives of the Les Savy fans
iii) "And I'd be listening to my Walkman lying in bed, singing me heart out, feeling amazing, y'know, like, god, this is just the best thing ever"
iv) Futureheads: the musical?
v) Dropped but defiant
The Futureheads: BH = Barry Hyde; RM = Ross Millard; J = Jaff
The Maccabees: OW = Orlando Weeks; FW = Felix White
Bold interjections = DrownedinSound
(From left: David 'Jaff' Craig, Ross Millard, Barry Hyde,
Orlando Weeks, Felix White
@ the Social, London; 13/02/08)
- - -
Pleasantries and identity theft
(return to contents)
- - -
OW: So are you going home now?
RM: Yeah, back up home... You live in London now, don't you?
OW: Yeah, I live just by Elephant and Castle.
BH: Have youse all moved to town like?
OW: No no, they're all still in Brighton.
BH: It's like what I was doing I suppose with Glasgow (1).
OW: It's quite good, 'cause I like the trains - you don't have to do anything, you can just sit there and no-one bothers you.
BH: Aye, there's no political bullshit involved in getting on a train.
J: Our tour manager's mate fell asleep on a train recently and someone stole two laptops and his passport, wallet and two of the band he was managing's passports.
RM: Was it Oasis?
BH: It wasn't Oasis, man.
J: He woke up on a train down to London from Glasgow and realised his bag had been nicked, so he got off the train at Peterborough to see if anyone had done it, and then the train pulled off.
(crueller laughter)
J: So basically he was stranded in Peterborough with no wallet, no passport, no nothing – he had to blag a taxi to London and go into the bank in person to wire some money to the taxi driver 'cause he had no ID, no credit cards, no cash.
RM: It's the digital age for you.
J: One snooze and it's all stolen.
I fell asleep once on the train back from London. Someone took my phone and my iPod out of my pocket while I was asleep…
BH: Scumbags. Scumbags. Infecting people with their own misery.
FW: (returning from the toilets) They've got those good hand driers…
(things desolve into enthusiastic chatter for a while)
- - -
Secret lives of the Les Savy fans
(return to contents)
- - -
FW: Did you enjoy Les Savy Fav (2)?
BH: Aye, yeah I did.
FW: It was fucking great. That guitar player (3) is amazing.
BH: Yeah, yeah. His sound… and the frontman (4)…
FW: He's ridiculous isn't he…
BH: Yeah… he's like a slimmer… balder… Brian Blessed.
J: But slightly more crazy…
RM: There's definitely a place for that in rock.
BH: Aye, a totally unlikely frontman but he's got the moves.
He was grinding up against some girl – this sweaty mountain of a man in his pants grinding this four-foot girl up a wall…
J: He kept on, like, going down on his knees and then all fours and sticking his arse in the air, like a porn star…
RM: I heard this one story where he just ran out into the street and was singing to passers by…
FW: What, was that at the Astoria?
RM: No Leeds Cockpit, that was a different tour.
FW: 'Cause they've all got jobs at home or something innit…
RM: Yeah for a long time, I don't know if they still have now…
BH: Yeah, they've done a lot of stuff but, y'know, a lot of American bands have to do that. Work your jobs and… 'cause that's how we started, we all had other commitments, but that doesn't mean the band can't exist…
BH: It's difficult to break even on tour, you need a bit of a tour manager wizard to balance the books.
OW: Like your mate…
J: You know American bands when they tour, they tour, like, states, do 15 gigs in the same area… like that Bruce Springsteen documentary (5) where they were like 'yeah, we just spent four, five years just touring New York and New Jersey, just touring all the bars' and it's like 'really? And youse lot are fucking crazy?!'
RM: I think in America it's a lot more common in the indie scene for bands to work around their day jobs…
BH: Yeah, 'cause they all have these jobs like working in supermarkets or PC World…
It's interesting with someone like Tim Harrington – obviously not in his case, but it's strange that he might go into work one day and the people he works with don't know about this secret life he has…
OW: Yeah, playing the Astoria man, how mint is that?
And he's worshipped by hundreds of people, Les Savy Fav are worshipped… secret lives.
Kate Bush - 'Hounds of Love'
- - -
"And I'd be listening to my Walkman lying in bed, singing me heart out, feeling amazing, y'know, like, god, this is just the best thing ever"
(return to contents)
- - -
FW: We saw you at the Astoria with Mystery Jets supporting…
RM: Oh yeah…
FW: For two nights…
RM: That was a while ago…
FW: That was amazing.
RM: For us, when we did that it's when we first felt like we were really doing it, y'know…
BH: It's a magical venue, but it's getting knocked down isn't it?
OW: Backstage has the worst facilities though…
All: Oh god, yeah…
J: That was one of the first things that people talk about when you're in a band, you have people saying 'can I come backstage?' and you're like 'you really don't wanna come to be honest'. We've got a small toilet as a dressing room – four bags of crisps and a six-pack of lager.
Where's the best backstage?
BH: The Henry Fonda's got a nice backstage.
RM: All the LA ones, basically.
RM: There's one in Southampton – the Guild Hall?
BH: It's like an old-fashioned, town hall kind of thing.
J: There's another one in Southampton though, remember the Joiners, it's like a rabbit hutch, the dressing room. Promoter's like, 'I wouldn't park your van outside.' 'Why, d'you get a parking ticket?' 'Er no, it'll get broken into.' '…It's not a particularly new one.' 'It'll get nicked. Shit area this. Park it somewhere else.' 'Great, can we come back!?'
BH: But y'know, why do people have to steal? Why doesn't everyone have some respect for themselves mainly, if you're gonna go out and break into someone's property and have absolutely no respect for yourself…
OW: But do you burn DVDs?
RM: Ah, exactly… property dispute going on over there.
OW: You fund terrorism.
RM: He's gonna go out and buy some pirate DVDs now, isn't he?
Knock-off Nigel…
BH: I don't burn DVDs because I haven't got the skills.
BH: I can tape things off the telly. If that's burning I can work it like a dream…
(Felix pulls out a dilapidated Discman)
FW: I can't get it to stop jumping. It jumps and you have to caress it…
OW: It's learning the knack of how to walk, it's got to be a gentle swing.
BH: You need a crutch…
OW: Or even a towel…
J: You need a Walkman man, Walkmans never used to jump did they? Get a tape in there.
BH: Ah, but they slow down. You're laying in bed and then suddenly you're like 'la la, la la laaaaa…' (mimics tape slowing and slurring as batteries run out) and you're like 'Ah, I'm dying!'
RM: 'What's happening here?'
(left: Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds; right: Public Enemy)
- - -
BH: I used to love that though – I got my first Walkman and me dad, rather than buying us loads of albums he'd copy us loads of albums, when I was 13, rather than buying us two albums that cost a lot of money. There was like, Public Enemy, The La's, Tyrannosaurus Rex and various other people would be in there somewhere, and I'd be listening to my Walkman lying in bed, singing me heart out, feeling amazing, y'know, like, God, this is just the best thing ever, y'know…
(enthusiastic laughter rises)
RM: Feeling amazing…
(Rises more, into two or three seconds of empathetic appreciation for the wonder the humble Walkman could bring to an adolescent bedroom)
J: Wow!
The best thing is when you wake up in the middle of the night and the music's still playing and it sounds even better, somehow…
J: I remember getting me first proper walkman and they had like that AVLS, and me mam would explain it to us, like 'Automatic Volume Limiting System'…
BH: 'You've got to get the AVLS, like David'…
J: Well that was the thing 'cause I was like 'that can really damage your ears' so I was like, 'get the AVLS on'. But it just makes it quieter so you can't really hear it. 'What's the point in this? What is the point in this?' if you're wandering around in the street and the cars are louder than it…
RM: I used to love listening to War of the Worlds, Jeff Wayne's musical version in me bed, with all the lights off just scaring meself.
BH: Aye, that's the best time to listen to a Walkman that.
Futureheads: the musical?
(return to contents)
- - -
Why don't you do a Futureheads musical?
RM: Could do. Ben-Hur (6), Jaff's been working on that for quite a long time.
J: Aye, a musical version of Ben-Hur was a little joke of mine for a while. 'Let Me Carry Your Cross'; the lead track from it.
J: Release a double mini-album… ambient piano and ridiculous lyrics.
BH: Some of it's quite muscular…
J: Oh yeah, the Roman galleys, like "Row! – duh duh duh duh doo do – Row! – duh duh duh duh doo do – Row! Row!"
(laughter eventually subsides)
FW: My mate wanted to make a one-man musical adaptation of Saving Private Ryan.
(contemplative pause)
RM: That's a bit ambitious.
That's a ridiculous idea.
FW: He was bang on it as well.
So what, he'd have to run all the way down from the sniper tower to the tank… to blow himself up?
RM: That's pretty ambitious right there.
FW: All through the form of music he wanted to do it, too.
RM: I like that shit. Why not? That's a challenge.
The Futureheads - 'The Beginning of the Twist'
@ Carnaby Street, London
(in association with La Blogotheque)
- - -
Dropped but defiant
(return to contents)
- - -
[Talk turns from musicals to taste, and on to DJ sets and soon everyone's comparing lists. Felix asks those sat round the table if they like Rage Against the Machine, waxing lyrical on guitarist Tom Morello's playing. His question is met slightly hesitantly, until Orlando chimes in.]
OW: See, I don't really like Rage Against the Machine, but I really like watching Felix listen to Rage Against the Machine.
OW: It's great. I don't have a football team and it's like watching someone who really loves a football team watch football.
BH: Sit with Rossy when Man United are on!
FW:That's the thing with important bands, it is like supporting a football team and that's genuinely the way I felt about you guys, y'know you're just like fucking [slaps hand for emphasis] you're there and you're involved and you believe in them and you get so much out of that just from having that, that's the beauty of it…
You get out what you put in…
OW: And when you guys went down it was just…
BH: We've still got to fight, y'know fight the big four.
Do you mind if I ask a question?
BH: No, go on.
I'm not looking for an easy headline but when I first heard the new tracks it sounded really, like, fucking defiant… y'know considering the problems you had with the second record would you say that was definitely part of the recording sessions with Youth or…
RM: Yeah…
BH: I think everything that has happened to the band has directly influenced what happens next, and it's the same with every band – y'know when things go well, actually, you don't really learn anything from that – you enjoy it and you forget about it and it's the problems that actually teach you things – not just bands, people in life. Everyone, when something bad happens, in order to deal with it you've got to think about it, to suss it out to put it to bed. With good stuff, it's just 'this is great'.
OW: Sometimes I just want to write a song about feeling really happy.
BH: Yeah, definitely, 'cause you don't have to think about it.
RM: I think this whole thing is an ongoing process of defiance for us now – it started with writing the songs for it and putting the label together and it will not end until the whole thing's a total success on our terms – whatever that is, y'know a top ten or a sold-out tour, whatever – if we can do better on this record, in our eyes, than on any of the other two that'll be a total success and that'll be when we all celebrate it a bit more.
BH: Defiance is a very powerful motivator, it's a different mentality, it's semi-… not malicious, but it's positive and negative energy together rather than just wanting to do it for fun. If you've got something to prove…
FW: It'll be a struggle as well, innit…
BH: Yeah, that has fuelled many albums – even A Night at the Opera by Queen, y'know that album was a defiant album – they had a massive hit with 'Killer Queen', they made no money, they got ripped off by their management, they were in debt still and then because of these negative things, these disappointments, they went off and they made an album containing 'Bohemian Rhapsody' which is obviously maybe the…
RM: Probably the most recognised song of all time…
"If we didn't get dropped, I thought let's give them
a bit of white noise, shoot this up their arse. It's
a waste of time, y'know… Bugs Bunny's in charge"
- - -
BH: You know that was borne of defiance and disappointment and these are part of the experience that a creative person needs, in order to reground yourself – it takes away your confidence and then the challenge is to take your confidence back and you do that by proving yourself to each other, to ourselves, we proved that by staying together and not splitting up and the fact we made another album is as defiant as you can be.
RM: All the great musicians, they always say you need to be allowed to fail in order to succeed – you're gonna have patchy records, or records that cause a bit of a fuss with your fanbase, but Metal Machine Music didn't cost Lou Reed the rest of his career did it?
(conspiratorial laughter)
BH: But that's audacity isn't it – if we didn't get dropped, I thought let's give them a bit of white noise, shoot this up their arse. It's a waste of time, y'know… Bugs Bunny's in charge.
It's great as well… like these guys said it's like a football team and when you see yourselves… obviously everybody, all these writers, other bands all love your band, and it's great for us to see that defiance coming through and it's not just ignoring the problem, it's just 'you will be a band'.
RM: You just hope that people, y'know, [see that] getting dropped isn't the worst thing in the world, it's not the end.
BH: If Hendrix hadn't died at a tragically young age he would've had a life in music, he'd probably be dead now, but he probably would've made about ten albums and at various points in his career he would've been dropped. He would've got his shit together, signed to a different label, made new albums, some of them would've been successful, some of them would've failed, but it's not… anyone who has a long career goes through different record labels, Tom Waits…
OW: Tom Waits…
BH: …is someone who has been very prolific and had various successes and failures, but these things shouldn't affect a band because it's irrelevant how many people buy your record. If you make an album and you're really excited about it, and then no-one buys it, it doesn't change how it sounds, and it doesn't mean that certain qualities are taken away…
RM: It's just where you were when you made that record…
BH: It is and will always be that and how it does commercially is actually completely irrelevant to the artistic integrity and the artistic intention of the band. I've been listening to loads of classical music, they didn't give a fuck, there was no music industry then, 300 years ago. Do you think in 300 years time people are going to be listening to this industry-obsessive, shite indie music? No chance.
(1): Barry has recently moved to Glasgow from his native Sunderland
(2): the band attended Les Savy Fav's London Astoria show on 10/02/08
(3): Seth Jabour
(4): Tim Harrington
(5): Blood Brothers; 1996
(6): William Wyler's epic 1959 adaptation of the 1880 Lew Wallace novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ


text:
Welcome to Watch List, where we identify five things on TV to watch while you stay at home and become more conversant on the current immigration debate. You see, Arizona passed this law where… Oh man, this is giving me a headache. LET'S GO!
HAPPY TOWN – 10:01PM (ABC) Oh, loogit! It's a new show! Tonight, the series premiere of this show about murder that takes place in a seemingly idyllic little town where, say it with me now, NOTHING IS WHAT IT SEEMS. You listen to me, Hollywood people of the world. There are, shockingly enough, small towns and suburbs in America where people don't get murdered, and families don't keep gimps in the basement, and Dad isn't secretly a meth dealer. I know! Hard to believe! Who would have guessed that there are normal people out there who are, you know, NORMAL? I'm certain shows like this exist strictly to make the David Lynches of the universe feel better about their own freakish personalities. But hey, Sam Neill is in this. And really, you can't go wrong with Sam Neill. ANTICIPATION: THE TITLE IS IRONIC!
THE GREAT OUTDOORS – 9:00PM (CMT) There's nothing left on that plate but fat and gristle! ANTICIPATION: FINISH ALL 96 OZ. AND YOUR STEAK IS FREE!
GREAT PERFORMANCES – 8:00PM (PBS) Tonight, your great performance is the Royal Shakespeare Company's modern retelling of Hamlet, with Patrick Stewart popping up in a supporting role. Lot of people out there don't like the Shakespeare. And that's because people are lazy and dumb. It's just Shakespeare. In the olde tymes, this stuff was "Sopranos" for the masses. It's got tons of killings and betrayal and all the good stuff you like from your entertainment. Only with couplets. So sack up and get into it. ANTICIPATION: HAMMY!
AMERICA: THE HISTORY OF US – 8:00PM (History Channel) Not to be confused with "America: The Story Of Us" in which America and Michelle Pfeiffer star in a tepid romantic comedy about their turbulent marriage. Anyway, tonight… we win the Revolutionary War! Nice! YAY US! ANTICIPATION: USA! USA! USA!
TOP CHEF MASTERS – 10:00PM (Bravo – an NBC/Universal network) Tonight, the masters have to prep a meal for the entire cast and crew of "Modern Family." "Modern Family"? An ABC show, being pimped on an NBC/Universal network? WHO GREENLIT THIS? I'LL HAVE THEIR HEAD! This is not how synergy works! ANTICIPATION: COME ON, SAVE SOME FOR US
Wednesday Watch List: Hamlet! Weird Towns! America!
Welcome to Watch List, where we identify five things on TV to watch while you stay at home and become more conversant on the current immigration debate. You see, Arizona passed this law where… Oh man, this is giving me a headache. LET'S GO!

subset: commoncrawl


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William 'Mo' Cowan is Governor Deval Patrick's pick to serve as interim US senator
Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has picked William "Mo'' Cowan, his former chief of staff, to serve as the state's interim US senator until the successor to John F. Kerry is chosen by the voters in a June 25 special election.
"He has been a valued ally to me and our work on behalf of the people of the Commonwealth,'' Patrick said at a news conference. "In every step, he has brought preparation, perspective, wisdom, sound judgment, and clarity of purpose.''
Cowan said he was "honored and humbled'' to get the temporary post, which will make him the first African-American to represent Massachusetts in the Senate since Edward Brooke held the seat as a Republican from 1966 to 1978.
He said he would "go to work every day with the needs and aspirations'' of Massachusetts residents on his mind and would push for jobs, education, and affordable, high-quality health care.
Addressing the governor, he said, "You and the Commonwealth should be assured that I now go to the nation's capital ever mindful of what matters to the people of Massachusetts.''
He said he was not running for office and was not a "candidate today or any time in the future.'' The governor asked him to take the job Tuesday, he said.
Cowan succeeds Kerry, who this week formally resigned from the US Senate seat he held for 28 years and was also confirmed as the nation's secretary of state by his Senate colleagues in an 94-3 vote.
Patrick formally introduced Cowan as his choice in the chambers of the Governor's Council in the State House, saying that Cowan had earned respect and admiration of people throughout government for his work in helping the Patrick administration to manage through a bad economy.
Noting Cowan's humble roots, Patrick said he saw the appointment of Cowan as "the affirmation of the American dream.''
Cowan, 43, was first hired by Patrick as his legal counsel in 2009 and was then promoted to chief of staff in 2010. Last November, Cowan stepped down from the $144,000 a year job.
Cowan is a North Carolina native and Duke University graduate who came to Boston to attend Northeastern University Law School in the early 1990s – and never left the region. One of the city's leading African-American lawyers, Cowan is a former partner in the politically connected law firm of Mintz Levin.
Cowan's selection was quickly praised by Martin W. Healy, chief legal counsel for the Massachusetts Bar Association.
"Cowan has the wisdom and practicality to be a great steward for the state,'' Healy said in a statement. "He enjoys a great working relationship with federal and state office holders. The historic appointment of an African-American US senator could not have been handled better by the governor.''
Patrick and Cowan built up a strong friendship over the years, in part, because both men have risen from difficult childhoods to prominence in Boston and in the state. Patrick also served as a mentor to Cowan when both were practicing lawyers.
Cowan has also mentored many black professionals and has served as a talent scout frequently called upon to help diversify the city's institutions. He helped Governor Mitt Romney, who faced criticism for the lack of diversity in his judicial picks, identifying lawyers of color who would make good judges. He recruited black lawyers for the law firm Mintz Levin and for Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr.
Cowan is a native of Yadkinville, N.C., a town of 2,200 about 25 miles west of Winston-Salem, where he grew up on a street full of family. Cowan's father died when he was 16 years old, leaving his mother to raise him and his two sisters on little more than a minimum wage.
He was the first from his high school, Forbush High School, to attend Duke, one of the nation's premier colleges.
In choosing Cowan, Patrick rejected former US representative Barney Frank's request to be given the job.
"I know Mr. Cowan is committed to working hard and in socially-fair and economically-efficient manner toward resolving pending budget issues,'' Frank said in a statement.
A primary election for the seat is set for April 30 and US Representative Edward Markey is so far the only high-profile Democrat to formally enter the race. However, US Representative Stephen F. Lynch, the former president of an ironworkers union from South Boston, is expected to announce by Thursday whether he will run for the Senate, say his political associates.
Former US Senator Scott Brown, who lost to US Senator Elizabeth Warren last fall, is considering whether to enter the race for the Republicans.
"I am very pleased to welcome Mo Cowan to the Senate,'' Warren said in a statement. "As former chief of staff to Governor Patrick, Mo brings a deep knowledge of the issues facing the people of our Commonwealth to the Senate. He will be a committed, hardworking interim Senator, and I look forward to working closely with him to protect the interests of Massachusetts families.''
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The Best Single-Speed Bikes for Every Rider
Single-speed bikes have recently enjoyed a comeback in popularity due to their straightforward aesthetics, ease of use and relative lack of maintenance. Although not ideal for hilly areas, single speeds are excellent for urban riders because of their simplicity: they have no derailleur, no gears, and with fixed-gear bikes, no freewheel mechanism (the thing device allows riders to coast, leaving them to use their legs to slow down in tandem with a front brake -- some daring types run no brakes at all, using only their leg power to stop the bike). With the warm weather upon us and more people than ever hitting the streets for their commute to work -- or the bar -- it's about time you got in on the action. Here are our 10 favorites. We've left no gear unturned, including everything from the most hardcore, feature-laden commuter to the most bare-bones fixed-gear track bike.


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You are currently browsing the monthly archive for February 2018.
Initial beta release of my instant web wallet for Bitcoin Cash : moosh.io
I talked to a few people about getting started with BCH, but they had issues setting up a wallet to accept payments.
The first time you visit moosh.io, it creates a random wallet address for BCH, so you can receive funds and send them on.
The other problem is how to accept payments as a small business – a cafe, restaurant or food stall. Basically you need a simple way to know which order/product/sale matches up to which payment – who has paid for what. I achieve this by having a temporary BCH address to accept the payment for a given order, and then forward it on to the main vendors wallet as soon as payment is detected.
All the keys are kept on the client side, in localStorage on the local device, and transactions signed within the browser.
Ill be extending this to look nice and work well on mobile devices – now that money is purely digital, all those heavy point-of-sale hardware can be replaced by a nice web app running on your phone.


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About The Mattran Group
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- TMG Sales Consultants – contingency and retained executive search
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"This hindsight account suggests that the nation still has not achieved closure about the painful events at Little Rock. . . . Keenly observed and moving."—Kirkus Reviews
"This is a marvelous book. It is a personal account that describes a moving period in the transformative struggle for civil rights and social justice in America. Above all, this story is an inspiration. Through it all, Carlotta Lanier and her fellow students never gave up. They never gave in. They kept the faith and because of their dignity, their tenacity, and their sacrifice they helped to redeem the soul of America."—Congressman John Lewis
"Carlotta Walls LaNier's memoir, A Mighty Long Way, is a searing and emotionally gripping account of a young black girl growing up to become a strong black woman during the most difficult time of racial segregation in Little Rock, Arkansas. The book is a page-turner and a tear-jerker, discussing the struggle and progress of an individual, and reflecting the historic challenges African Americans face in overcoming racial segregation. This book is a must read and should be required reading for every child of every race who may be trying to appreciate the values of education and the challenges that they might present for people who are different. We learn more about the struggles of the students of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas than is imagined, and it will change the way we evaluate the courage and dignity of people like Carlotta Walls LaNier."—Professor Charles Ogletree, Harvard Law School
"A half-century later, other young Americans draw their inspiration from Carlotta Walls. I am proud that she continues to carry the torch in the struggle for civil rights and to share her story of individual and collective courage with America's young people. Through her experiences of fifty years ago until today, she continues to challenge Americans about the true meaning of equal access to education for all."—Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe
"Carlotta Walls LaNier was the youngest of the Little Rock 9 to cross the color lines, political barriers and cultural chasms that circumscribed her life. She, her family and friends paid a heavy price that burdened them even as it liberated all of us. Her memoir, which is really our memoir, provides a rare perspective on that history in the making."—Hank Klibanoff, Pulitzer Prize winning co-author of The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle, and the Awakening of the Nation
"In A Mighty Long Way, this revered American and special friend boldly tells how her high school days have evolved as the central experience of her life. I commend Carlotta for the legacy she has left and for the lessons she and her colleagues have taught us all with such nobility."—Nancy Rousseau, Principal, Little Rock Central High School
"Gripping . . . A moving, very personal account of the aftermath of the 1954 Brown decision that began the painful process of desegregation."—Booklist
"There is a quiet majesty to A Mighty Long Way. The telling of this journey is imbued with sweep, tenderness, and the sustained glory of memory."—Wil Haygood, author of In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis Jr.


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[ Epub ] ➟ Scavenge the Stars Author Tara Sim – Electronic-foodcart.info
so in 2012 I watched Revenge, a reimagining of the count of monte christo, and ever since then apparently ive been awaiting this shit Many thanks to Disney Press for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest reviewThis is another one of those quite frequent times where it s not the book it s me I went into this expecting science fiction I don t know why The cover pretty clearly shouts fantasy and did not get that Scavenge the Stars is a steampunk fantasy which is fine for people who like that I just down In generally, fantasy and I just don t get along If it s too hard to understand or the world building takes too long, I get bored and stop caring and that is what happened with Scavenge the Stars Actually, no In this, the world building wasn t slow enough I felt confused from page one I think the author could have made the story better by slowing some things down At the same time, it didn t feel like anything interesting was happening I kept skimming page after page, waiting for something bad or exciting to happen but nothing ever did Overall, I still think readers should give this a try Maybe there will be someone out there who will enjoy this than I did DNF at 39% I am bored so bored so bored that I chose to stare at the wall rather than try to muddle my way through Sorry, Disney Books Sorry, Tara Sim My first 2020 ARC Buddy read with Chelsea Goodreads Blog Pinterest Reddit LinkedIn YouTube Disney Book Group You bless me ARC received in exchange for an honest review thank you This is the earliest I ve ever gotten an ARC it doesn t come out until next January so I was pretty excited to start reading it Plus, it was pitched as a diverse, gender bent retelling of Dumas s The Count of Monte Cristowhich I haven t read, but I know is all about revenge and justice A vengeful heroine I was SO HERE for that.Unfortunately, this book while good was missing the spark that would have raised it above three stars Most of that is down to its surprisingly shoddy worldbuilding Scavenge the Stars opens with Silverfish or, as she was known in her previous life, Amaya gutting fish on the Brackish, a debtor ship where children are sold to work off their parents debts She s very, very close to the seven year point at which the cruel Captain Zharo intends to set her free But when she rescues a man she sees drowning, Zharo does not react positively Amaya and the man a charming guy named Boon are forced to escape the ship once they re out, Boon offers her the chance to get revenge against Zharo as long as she brings down his personal enemy, a man named Kamon Mercado.Meanwhile, we get into the head of his son Cayo Mercado Cayo used to epitomise the stereotype of drunken playboy heir , but he s turned over a new leaf Unfortunately, he turned it a little too late His gambling addiction has emptied the family coffers, so when a mysterious and wealthy nobleman known as Countess Yamaa enters his city state of Moray, his father orders him to get closer to her This soon leads him to the discovery that his family is shattering apart.Okay, it does get a little complex and there s a huge cast, so I m going to break this down into only the most important characters Amaya Chandra one of our two protagonists, and my favourite character Her father committed suicide after the loss of his business but she can t believe he would go into debt She s angry and bitter, hardened by the cruelties she s been subjected to in her short life She doesn t even save Boon out of the goodness of her heart she was hoping he d be a rich nobleman Her trust is hard to win and easy to lose This made her a little frustrating at times, since she was ready to believe the worst of almost everyone, but I could see where she was coming fromRevenge It was a word of fire and blood, of a knife s whisper and the priming of a pistolCaptain Zharo of the Brackish is the slave master who doesn t care overmuch if his charges die under his care He s 1 on Amaya s hit list Boon is the mysterious middle aged man Amaya rescues Once they escape the Brackish, he offers her incredible wealth and the scope to exact her revenge There s something in it for him too he was made Landless, a man exiled from his home, and he s just as interested in vengeance as Amaya is Cayo Mercado, aged seventeen, is our second protagonist He was once a flirtatious wastrel addicted to gambling, but his sister Soria dragged him out of the gutter literally He s now sober and determined to help his family however he can I did appreciate Cayo s flaws, and objectively he s the kind of character I should have liked, but somehow I never fully connected with him Kamon Mercado is one of the most ruthless businessmen in Moray He s connected to Boon, and Amaya soon discovers that he s somehow connected to her past as well We don t really get to see much of him, but what we do see emphasises that he s basically evil By far my biggest problem with this book was the worldbuilding We get bombarded with a bunch of place names Moray, the Lede Islands, the Sun Empire, the Rain Empire, the Republic of Rehan with no knowledge of how these places differ from each other What s their culture What gods do those other places believe in What are their traditions How do they dress What s their history Why do the Rain Empire and Sun Empire hate each other, beyond the simplistic opposition of their names Who are the rulers of these places When and why did Rehan gain independence I could go on, but this is what I mean the world felt incredibly generic There were passing references to brown skin BUT THAT S IT The author would often describe something, e.g clothes, as in the style of the Rehanese Republic but I had no clue what that meant Or how it differed from the Moray style We didn t even learn much about the topography of Moray, where all the action takes place We know there s a jungle somewhere on its borders, and we know there s a Vice Sector in it where the gambling happens, but like Is there a Food Sector A Fashion Sector Is the weather there usually hot Sim was good at the small details but not the bigger ones For instance, we got lavish descriptions of food and tea houses, but we don t even learn the name of the Prince of Moray.Linked to this is the problem with jarring language The characters use modern terms like asshole , yeah , or hey, which once again pulled me out of immersion in the fantasy world It kept reminding me that the world felt in no way real to me and was difficult to visualise.It doesn t help that we don t even properly learn what the characters look like until well into the book And, one thing there was no nuance to the bad guys No Snape or Malfoy esque redemptive alternative viewpoints here all the bad guys were made out to be evil to the max Like, a guy who did business with debtors ship was also shown as being willing to let his own child die Maybe I m being na ve, but it seems to me that there s something of a gulf between those two What I did like The good guys were very flawed and nuanced Amaya is a vengeful would be killer, and Cayo s gambling is presented as a real problem Sexual diversity Cayo is bisexual, and another character is asexual Also the racial diversity Almost everyone seemed to be brown The romance Or rather, lack thereof Both Amaya and Cayo are emotionally wounded people, and that was reflected in the progression of their relationship, which is even slower than slow burn But, unexpectedly despite being a romance junkie I was fine with it It was well written and had a couple of cool twists OVERALL While I wasn t wowed to the extent I was hoping to be, it was a solid novel Blog Bookstagram I d love to hug this cover if I could for always, but I couldn t get into this one I m going to come back to it in the future and try once , though I might be biased.You see, since I was young, The Count of Monte Cristo has been one of my favorite stories That probably says a lot about me in ways that aren t all great, but the point is, I know this tale I know everything Tara Sim takes from it in this update, how she revamps it and how she uses it as a base.And as a Count of Monte Cristo storyit just doesn t really work.I don t think it works all that well as a standard YA, either.The thing I have realized about The Count of Monte Cristo is that it s not actually that easy of a tale to recreate It s complex, and there are several factors that are absolutely necessary to exploit if you want to pull off the same level of emotional depth and suspense.First of all, the revenge needs to be personal And when I say personal, I mean personal.Edmond Dantes is betrayed by close friends and associates, people who he truly believed, and had for many years, were his friends And they betrayed him from possibly the worst place their own greed, and jealousy You could say that Dantes was naive to trust them, that he should have been able to see their baser natures taking over But you can clearly also say that this sort of baser nature is one that should never in a good, true society take the place of loyalty and friendship You can easily see where each of these people turned to their worst selves when they had every opportunity not to, and therefore they can deserve what they get In Sim s book, yes, the men are terrible But what they ve done to Amaya isn t exactly personal She was a child sold to a debtor ship as a slave Yes, they ruined her life But they didn t ruin her life, specifically They ruined dozens, hundreds of people s lives She didn t even know their names before she was taken to her Chateau d If They deserve what they get, of course, but in such a generic way that really she might as well just become Dany, take down all the slaver nations, and be done with it.So, strike one Revenge is a good idea in this one, but not any than it is in really just about any standard YA girl takes back her kingdom city family life from a bad regime story Of which there are many.The second factor is, bizarrely, redeemability.Yeah you wouldn t think in a story about utter revenge and Yeah, F ING KILL HIM EDMOND YOU GREAT AVENGING ANGEL OF DEATH that the make them dead characters in question should be redeemable.But, they are And it s important.You see, in The Count of Monte Cristo, Dantes doesn t return to France until many, many years have passed He s aged enough to be unrecognizable, and every person on his hit list has had a long time to grow families and careers of their own They ve become in many ways new people, though their vices remain the same And most importantly, they ve become unquestionably important to and often loved by others They mean something to others, and often they themselves have grown enough to, if not fully realize their crimes, at least be capable of moving on from them It s truly possible in every case to question, by the end, whether these men truly should die, whether the crimes they committed, however awful, were really enough to damn them entirely so many years after the fact.Sim s book touches on this a little She involves the children of the main needs to die guy, and has her Countess feel badly about screwing things up for them if she does get her revenge But her villains are only that villains They have literally no redeeming characteristics at all And when Amaya becomes the Countess, it has only been about a year, perhaps two years at most, since she was on her debtor ship So everyone on her hit list committed many of their crimes recently, and in fact are still in the midst of committing them, and yet crimes on top of that There s no question as to whether these men should be taken out of commission the son even comes to the conclusion himself, before even meeting Amaya, that his dad is no good.So, strike two Where s the ethical drama If the villains are just villains, what makes this any different from any other YA story out there of girl gets back at evil men Third, and I could probably go on but this will be the last, the timeframe I have just mentioned It s really quite crucial.In The Count of Monte Cristo, Dantes has many, many years to perfect his visage as the Count He is proven, several times, to be a master actor, and has built and used his wealth very independently since gaining it initially from the island He does not attempt to strike until he knows, for certain, that he is capable of winning, and exactly how he will go about it He has ironclad plans We don t even see his perspective directly most of the time that s how important it is for the reader to believe he has it all in the bag It s only a matter of should, rarely ever could In Sim s book, as I ve mentioned earliernot so much.Amaya is still young She s being put up to everything by the Abbe Faria character, who pulls her strings at every turn We see from her perspective that she s afraid of failing, that she feels out of place, that she questions her own capabilities constantly She s been trained to be a Countess, rather briefly She hasn t come into it on her own, hasn t created her own character and owned it She doesn t know exactly how to leverage her own gained wealth and status.So, strike three How can Amaya be any different than a standard YA protagonist if she isn t given the chance to really flourish If she constantly needs to question herself, constantly feels like a failure, instead of being allowed to be the absolutely chilling badass that is the basis of the Count s character Ultimately, as a Count of Monte Cristo novel, Scavenge the Stars fails on every truly important level.And because it fails at being a true reboot of The Count of Monte Cristo, it also happens to fail at being a unique YA.There s nothing much new here, from any of the other girl gets revenge stories we ve had in the past 5 10 years or so Just the basic homage to Dumas s template And what little there is that s new isNot the most interesting.I m not sure if anyone here has ever heard of an anime light novel called Spice and Wolf But it s the best analog I can think of.In Spice and Wolf, we have a wolf deity hanging around with a merchant Fun But it rapidly devolves into a story about, of all things, currency How it s spent The different kinds Trade.I stopped watching the thing at about episode 3, because it bored me to tears.Now a lot of people LOVE Spice and Wolf, partly because of that sort of granular detail, and partly for the characters, etc It just wasn t for me It wasn t exciting, the way a wolf deity tends to promise an anime will be Scavenge the Stars turns out to be mostly about counterfeit coin Who s making it, what it is, where it s going, how it s going to destabilize the relations between the three major countries, yadda yadda yadda.The Count of Monte Cristo stuff really seems to be here mostly to carry the dullness of that background plot But because all of the most crucial, dramatic parts of The Count of Monte Cristo aren t here, it s not able to do that So we re left with another Spice and Wolf situation, where maybe currency is your thing But if it s notBoy, are you not going to be interested in this at all.I ll give this one two stars because I didn t really hate it Maybe someone less acquainted with The Count of Monte Cristo wouldn t see what it s missing, and would like it But the main thing is, it made very little impression on me What wasn t dull was just okay I m pretty sure I will have forgotten I ever read this one in about a month.And I ll go back to enjoying my ethically questionable Angel of Death story in peace. I am so, so grateful to Disney Hyperion for sending me a free ARC of Scavenge the Stars Okay, I ll admit it I was drawn in by the cover. I knooooooow authors usually have no say in the cover and the story is written far before a cover is chosen, so it has nothing to do with the quality of the content, BUT LOOK HOW PRETTY Just look Honestly, I was incredibly excited and a little nervous to start this book YA fantasy and I have a long and complicated history We don t always get along.But I knew pretty early on that this book was one I could get behind I love a good, fast paced YA book full of plot twists in any subgenre, and that s exactly what this is When I say fast paced, I mean WHIRLWIND SWEEPING THROUGH fast paced Every single chapter moves the story along no sitting around demurely here It s a pretty complex setup for YA, but we don t have to wait to get to the interesting bits I was really impressed by how much of the unnecessary stuff Tara Sim cut out as a writer, I know it is HARD to do that.And the story itself Pure, unadulterated FUN Amaya and Cayo were both fantastic characters Both of their perspectives were enjoyable and they have a lot of chemistry I loved learning about their respective pasts and seeing them both trying so hard to do their best with the hands they were dealt I loved the plot twists, of which there are plenty And the setup for book two is quite promising This is the kind of book to read when you re in the mood for binging When you re feeling impatient and other books can t seem to keep your attention When you re in a slump and want something that ll pull you out It s the kind of book that ll so packed with plot, it ll keep you riveted Don t blink or you ll miss something.I can t wait for the next installment I want the girl on the cover of this to stab me When Amaya Rescues A Mysterious Stranger From Drowning, She Fears Her Rash Actions Have Earned Her A Longer Sentence On The Debtor Ship Where She S Been Held Captive For Years Instead, The Man She Saved Offers Her Unimaginable Riches And A New Identity, Setting Amaya On A Perilous Course Through The Coastal City State Of Moray, Where Old World Opulence And Desperate Gamblers CollideAmaya Wants One Thing Revenge Against The Man Who Ruined Her Family And Stole The Life She Once Had But The Entangled She Becomes In This Game Of Deception And As Her Path Intertwines With The Son Of The Man She S Plotting To Bring Down The She Uncovers About The Truth Of Her Past And The She Realizes She Must Trust No One Packed With High Stakes Adventure, Romance, And Dueling Identities, This Gender Swapped Retelling Of The Count Of Monte Cristo Is The First Novel In An Epic YA Fantasy Duology, Perfect For Fans Of Sarah J Maas, Sabaa Tahir, And Leigh Bardugo


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Capital Requirements Directive ('CRD IV') - public consultation28 February 2010
by eub2 -- last modified 28 February 2010
The European Commission has launched a public consultation on further possible changes to the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD) aimed at strengthening the resilience of the banking sector and the financial system as a whole. The proposed changes, known as 'CRD IV', following two earlier Commission proposals amending the CRD, relate to seven specific policy areas, most of which reflect commitments made by G20 leaders at summits in London and Pittsburgh during 2009. These commitments included building high-quality capital, strengthening risk coverage, mitigating pro-cyclicality and discouraging leverage, as well as strengthening liquidity risk requirements and forward-looking provisioning for credit losses. All interested stakeholders are invited to reply to the consultation by 16 April 2010, indicating what impact the potential changes would have on their activities. The results will feed into a legislative proposal scheduled for the second half of 2010.
How do the suggested measures fit with the ongoing work of the Commission to strengthen the regulatory framework for EU banks and investment firms to prevent the recurrence of financial crises?
The suggested measures, which form an integral part of the Commission's response to the financial crisis, will be the third set of amendments to the Capital Requirements Directive ('CRD IV'). They will supplement the two sets of revisions adopted by the Commission in October 2008 ('CRD II') and July 2009 ('CRD III'). CRD II, covering amendments related to own funds, large exposures, supervisory arrangements, qualitative standards for liquidity risk management and securitisation, was adopted by Member States and the European Parliament in September 2009 and will enter into force on 31 December 2010. CRD III, covering amendments addressing capital requirements for the trading book and re-securitisation, disclosure of securitisation exposures, and remuneration policies, is currently being negotiated in the European Parliament and the Council.
How do the suggested measures relate to the proposals currently being consulted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision?
In 2009, G-20 leaders committed in London and Pittsburgh to build high quality capital, strengthen liquidity risk requirements, mitigate pro-cyclicality, discourage excessive leverage as well as to strengthen liquidity risk requirements and forward-looking provisioning for credit losses. To respond to these commitments, the Commission and the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision have been working together on developing the respective amendments to the Basel II framework and the new global liquidity standards, including on assessing their impact. Consequently, the possible changes to the CRD set out in the Commission's consultation document are closely aligned with the expected amendments to the Basel II framework and the introduction of a global liquidity standard as suggested by the Basel Committee in its December 2009 consultation.
The Commission strongly supports the work of the Basel Committee in these areas. In order to achieve the dual objective of improving the resilience of the global financial system and ensuring a level playing field, it is imperative that the more robust set of prudential capital requirements be applied consistently across the world.
CRD IV will be the third amendment to the CRD in the space of two years, and if the proposals are adopted, banks and investment firms will be required to secure substantial amounts of additional capital and liquidity in difficult economic conditions. Is the Commission considering the cumulative impact of all these changes? Would the Commission consider delaying their application if the economic conditions do not improve quickly?
The Commission is well aware that the cumulative effect of the various contemplated measures might be substantial, and that this could have implications for the capacity of banks to provide lending to the real economy. So although tighter prudential rules are needed, as clearly demonstrated by the crisis, there is a risk that imposing higher capital requirements and new liquidity standards while the system is still weak could slow recovery in the real economy.
The Commission is therefore attaching the utmost importance to assessing both the micro- and macro-economic effects of the suggested measures, and their potential impact on economic and financial recovery. In this respect, the Commission has invited the Committee of the European Banking Supervisors (CEBS) to carry out a European Quantitative Impact Study to aid the assessment of the aggregate effect of the suggested measures. The feedback to the Commission's consultation paper will considerably facilitate this exercise.
Depending on the outcome of this study, it may need to be assessed whether the application of any of the new measures should be postponed until recovery is further advanced and assured. This would be consistent with Declaration by the G20 Leaders on Strengthening the Financial System made at the meeting in London on 2 nd April 2009 and in Pittsburgh on 24-25 th September 2009, which stated that the new prudential regulatory standards should be phased in " as financial conditions improve and economic recovery is assured, with the aim of implementation by end-2012 ".
Liquidity standards
Why liquidity standards for credit institutions and investments firms?
There is currently no harmonised approach to liquidity standards in Europe. It is not sufficient to rely on national approaches - where they exist - or to focus exclusively on a few large banks: the integration of the European banking system is already well advanced and even medium-sized banks have significant activities in other Member States.
Prior to the crisis, liquidity did not receive sufficient management and supervisory attention. The crisis illustrated how quickly and severely liquidity risks can materialise for credit institutions and investment firms of all sizes.
The impact of the proposed liquidity standards on all types of institutions (including specialised banks issuing covered bonds, small investment firms) will be thoroughly assessed by the Committee of European Banking Supervisors as part of a European-specific impact assessment that will be carried out in parallel with the Quantitative Impact Study currently being conducted by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.
Why does the Commission suggest that the liquidity standards should apply to all legal entities within the group while liquidity is increasingly managed centrally in most cross-border banking group?
Liquidity supervision is not currently harmonised. This means that each legal entity within a group may be subject to different and conflicting requirements. This has not prevented banking groups from centrally managing their liquidity. The consultation paper considers different options to take account of this practice, such as a waiver from the application of the standards to legal entities, while ensuring the resilience of legal entities to liquidity stress situations.
In the wake of the Icelandic crisis, some have advocated further powers to host authorities of branches. Why then does the Commission propose a shift of responsibilities for liquidity supervision from the host to the home supervisor?
According to the current rules of the Capital Requirements Directive (CRD), host supervisors retain responsibility for the liquidity of branches until further harmonisation is achieved. The liquidity standards will deliver that harmonisation. A branch as such cannot become illiquid: a branch does not have a distinct legal identity and, legally, all obligations of a branch are obligations of the credit institution itself.
The Commission recognises that host supervisors need to be better involved in the supervision of branches and have access to the necessary information. Directive 2009/111/EC ('CRD II') has recently amended the CRD to this end. In keeping with the home country principle underpinning the Single Market, branch supervision would benefit from a more effective home country control, in cooperation with the host supervisor. More broadly, issues of potential failures of branch supervision will also be addressed in the context of a better integrated supervision and the Commission's forthcoming work on a crisis management framework.
Definition of capital
How will the grandfathering requirements of CRD II, which come into force from 31 December 2010, relate to the new requirements suggested for CRD IV?
From 31 December 2010, amendments made by CRD II will come into force, including improvements to the definition of capital. The Commission aims to require implementation of amendments to the CRD covering the issues raised in this consultation from end-2012. The Commission will use the results of impact assessment to inform its approach to the phasing in of the new requirements on which the Commission is consulting; and to the interaction of this phasing in with the grandfathering provisions for recent changes to the CRD's definition of capital. In determining the appropriate approach, the Commission will consider the need to ensure economic and financial recovery.
Leverage ratio
How will the leverage ratio interact with the risk-based capital ratio?
A leverage ratio would be introduced as a supplementary measure. The precise nature and phasing in of the ratio would be determined in the light of the results of impact assessments. The leverage ratio will supplement rather than replace the risk-based minimum capital ratio.
Counterparty credit risk
How does the review of the treatment of counterparty credit risk in the Basel II capital framework and the CRD interact with the Commission's ongoing work to ensure efficient, safe and sound derivatives markets?
This review is fully in line with the objectives of the Commission's Communications on derivatives of July and October 2009. The latest Communication of October 2009 set out a number of future policy actions the Commission intends to propose to increase transparency in the derivatives markets, reduce counterparty and operational risk in trading and enhance market integrity and oversight. The suggested amendments to the Capital Requirements Directive in the area of counterparty credit risk form an integral part of the Commission's efforts on this front.
Countercyclical measures, including dynamic provisioning
Will the Commission's attempts to develop dynamic provisioning inhibit international convergence of accounting standards? Would it not be better to feed into the work of the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB)?
The Commission views dynamic provisioning as a potentially useful countercyclical measure that merits further exploration. It is appropriate to have a clear view of the options and their relative effect, which is the purpose of this consultation. To this end, the Commission is keen to develop its thinking on dynamic provisioning. All avenues need to be explored. At the same time, the Commission continues to work with the IASB and the Basel Committee to promote forward-looking provisioning and accounting convergence.
Dynamic provisioning addresses financial stability concerns, while the accounting framework aims to provide a true and fair view of the financial position. To what extent is it possible to use the accounting framework to address the financial stability concerns, while ensuring that investors receive the appropriate information?
During the crisis it has become clear that banks had not set aside sufficient levels of provisions for credit risks on loans originated during the 'good' economic years. Dynamic provisioning aims to mitigate this by requiring banks to build up adequate provisions for expected credit losses during economic upturns and use these during downturns. Dynamic provisioning therefore addresses a broader financial stability concern. The fundamental question is to what extent the overall objective of accounting standards to provide useful information to investors should be complemented with objectives related to financial stability. According to the Commission's current thinking, it would appear appropriate to show expected credit losses "above the line", impacting the reported net income. Reducing net profits during good times will properly influence bank management behavior, limit bank bonuses and prevent an imprudent distribution of profits. Moreover, presentation of expected credit losses "above the line" better reflects the risks related to the bank's earnings and would therefore enhance the true and fair view of the bank's financial position and performance.
Can the respective prudential concerns not be resolved through regulatory capital requirements rather than dynamic provisioning?
Regulatory capital covers unexpected losses whereas dynamic provisioning is intended to address expected losses. Nevertheless, the consultation looks at different options in this regard.
Single rule book
What is the purpose of achieving a single rule book in banking?
The establishment of the European Banking Authority should be accompanied by the development of a single set of harmonised rules so as to ensure their uniform application and thus contribute to a more effective functioning of the Internal Market. The Commission suggests removing national options and discretions from the CRD, and achieving full harmonisation by no longer allowing Member States to apply stricter rules, unless compelling evidence is brought that stricter rules in specific areas are needed on financial stability grounds.
Source: European Commission


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text:
The wireless access issue has escalated, with the addition of a few more employees to our apartment building. Before it was a back-burner, minor option that would be nice if it worked. Now, with this many people in close proximity, it's almost a must-have.
A signal booster seemed like a good idea, but there was a problem getting my router to connect, physically, to the router antenna mount. Apparently the antenna isn't meant to detach, so this model is more or less un-magnifiable.
Next stop: Look for a new router — something more powerful.
In the mean time I switched my local machines off the wireless network (which was strangely disappointing, to be honest), and put the Thinkpad back on a wired connection, using the USB-to-ethernet adapter I originally bought for the OLPC machine. I added the asix and usb-net modules, rebooted and changed rc.conf to use the eth0 connection. All was good … but the Thinkpad's USB ports are 1.1-speed, so I was wondering where the connection would top out.
And it seems like the highest speed I get for a USB wired connection through a 1.1 port is around 630Kbps. Not bad, considering the old Linksys WPC11 card I was using to mesh with the wireless router was getting around 580Kbps on a consistent download.
So just for the record, if anyone is ever debating a USB 1.1 network connection or a 11Mbps PCMCIA card, you'll get probably the same download speeds from one as the other. Change those variables at all though, and the whole analogy crumbles. 😉


text:
First a summary of what is out there:
- Groupon is probably one of the pioneers of this industry, having launched the service in 2008. Today it is available in a hundred markets and have 35 million registered subscribers.
- Living Social is a similar company based in Washington and has close ties with Amazon.
- Google Offer was recently launched and is growing into new regions on the Google brand.
- Of course there are many-many more similar examples. Companies with names like LevelUp, Scoutmob, zozi, etc.
- It strikes me that the process of offer, accept and pay will change. This may require a new way to pay.
- Many existing payment features (like refunds, discounts, fees and commissions), may not be suitable for this world. Payment schemes offering more suitable features will work better.
- The existing payment domain (so called four party model), may not map onto this world, with much more intermediaries that will participate in the payment process.


text:
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The No. 4 Penn State field hockey team captured its first Big Ten Title since 2008 and sixth in program history on Sunday afternoon, clinching the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten Tournament. The Nittany Lions (15-3, 5-1) secure an automatic spot in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 2, with the first round beginning on Thursday, Nov. 1. The 2012 conference tournament will be hosted by the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The tournament winner will earn the Big Ten's automatic berth to the NCAA Championship.
With the Lions' 6-1 win over No. 21 Michigan State, and No. 12 Iowa's 3-2 overtime defeat of No. 8 Northwestern on Sunday, the squad became outright Big Ten Champions for the first time in four years.
With Iowa, Michigan and Northwestern tied at 4-2 in conference standings, the Wildcats will be seeded at No. 2 as they defeated the Lions earlier in the 2012 season. Northwestern will take on No. 7 Indiana on Nov. 1, while No. 3 Michigan will face No. 6 Ohio State and the No. 4 Hawkeyes will battle the No. 5 Spartans.
Top-seeded Penn State will face Iowa at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 2. The second semifinal, at approximately 5 p.m., will pit the winners of the Northwestern-Indiana and Michigan-Ohio State games. The final will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 4.
The Big Ten Network will provide coverage of the entire tournament, as the quarterfinals will be streamed live on the Big Ten Digital Network. The semifinals and the championship game will be available both on BTN and BTN2Go.
Check back to GoPSUSports.com for continued updates during the 2012 season. Follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/PennStateFH and like us on Facebook at facebook.com/pennstatefieldhockey.


text:
American Gas Logs 18" Golden Oak Vented Gas Log Set
Lifetime Warranty on Logs
Lifetime Warranty on Logs
- Richly Detailed, Hand-Painted and Molded from Real Logs
- Efficient Burner System: Pennies Per Hour to Operate
- Three Choices of Ignition: Match, Pilot, Remote Control
- Included: Grate, Burner, Sand, Embers, Lava Rock & Fittings
- Available in 18", 24", and 30" sizes
- Made in the USA
- Ships in 2-4 weeks
- These vented gas log sets will Fit the Majority of Fireplaces such as: Heatilator | Superior | Lennox | Majestic | Martin| Temco | Preway | FMI | Heat N Glo | Marco
How to measure for Gas Logs
Three choices for ignition: Match light, Pilot, Remote Control
Match Light: This method of lighting is only for Natural Gas systems. There is no pilot, just open your flue damper in the full open position. Light your match, turn your key valve to the open position, put match on the side the gas enters, burner will ignite. If burner does not ignite, turn gas off and repeat the process. If it fails to light again, turn gas off and contact your gas supplier.
Standing Pilot: This system is available with both Natural and LP Gas systems. Always check the tag attached to the valve indicating what type of gas your system has. To light, make sure gas safety valve is turned on. Next, Turn the knob on the control valve from the OFF position to PILOT Depress the PILOT, PUSH THE IGNITOR TO LIGHT PILOT, HOLD PILOT DOWN 45 SECONDS,SLOWLY RELEASE PILOT ,FLAME SHOULD STAY ON, TURN TO ON POSITION. If burner does not ignite, turn gas off and repeat the process. If it fails to light again, turn gas off and contact your gas supplier.
Remote Control: Follow everything needed for Standing Pilot with the exception, the Standing Pilot must be remote ready. Follow the instructions on the remote for wiring the terminals to the receiver (put batteries in) , then position the receiver behind the screen. Now install batteries which will activate transmitter. Follow instructions on how to operate transmitter (remote)
All burners that have either a standing pilot or remote with pilot, will be 3" shorter than the gas logs. This will accommodate the pilot assembly. Example if you order the 24" gas log kit with a remote ready pilot, this will come with 24" logs and a 21" burner assembly.


text:
Metadata Report for BODC Series Reference Number 1070474
Metadata Summary
Problem Reports
Data Access Policy
Narrative Documents
Project Information
Data Activity or Cruise Information
Fixed Station Information
BODC Quality Flags
SeaDataNet Quality Flags
Metadata Summary
Data Description
Data Identifiers
Time Co-ordinates(UT)
Spatial Co-ordinates
Problem Reports
No Problem Report Found in the Database
RSS Discovery Cruise AMT7 CTD Data Quality Document
Downwelling sub-surface PAR irradiance
For downwelling PAR, some data points were beyond the maximum range of the parameter and so were flagged as suspect. There are no irradiance data for casts AMT7023 and AMT7029 to AMT7033.
Data Access Policy
Open Data supplied by Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
You must always use the following attribution statement to acknowledge the source of the information: "Contains data supplied by Natural Environment Research Council."
Narrative Documents
James Clark Ross Cruise AMT7 CTD Instrumentation
Sea-Bird Electronics 911plus CTD (with SBE9 CTD and SBE11 deck unit)
Fitted with secondary conductivity cell and temperature sensor
Rosette fitted with 12 30-litre Niskin water bottles
Wet Labs WETstar miniature fluorometer model 9707005, SN WS3S-303P
Wet Labs Cstar transmissometer model 9706011, SN CST-153R
Biospherical Instruments Inc. spherical PAR sensor model QSP-200L, SN4499
Sea-Bird Electronics SBE 911 and SBE 917 series CTD profilers
The SBE 911 and SBE 917 series of conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD) units are used to collect hydrographic profiles, including temperature, conductivity and pressure as standard. Each profiler consists of an underwater unit and deck unit or SEARAM. Auxiliary sensors, such as fluorometers, dissolved oxygen sensors and transmissometers, and carousel water samplers are commonly added to the underwater unit.
Underwater unit
The CTD underwater unit (SBE 9 or SBE 9 plus) comprises a protective cage (usually with a carousel water sampler), including a main pressure housing containing power supplies, acquisition electronics, telemetry circuitry, and a suite of modular sensors. The original SBE 9 incorporated Sea-Bird's standard modular SBE 3 temperature sensor and SBE 4 conductivity sensor, and a Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor. The conductivity cell was connected to a pump-fed plastic tubing circuit that could include auxiliary sensors. Each SBE 9 unit was custom built to individual specification. The SBE 9 was replaced in 1997 by an off-the-shelf version, termed the SBE 9 plus, that incorporated the SBE 3 plus (or SBE 3P) temperature sensor, SBE 4C conductivity sensor and a Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor. Sensors could be connected to a pump-fed plastic tubing circuit or stand-alone.
Temperature, conductivity and pressure sensors
The conductivity, temperature, and pressure sensors supplied with Sea-Bird CTD systems have outputs in the form of variable frequencies, which are measured using high-speed parallel counters. The resulting count totals are converted to numeric representations of the original frequencies, which bear a direct relationship to temperature, conductivity or pressure. Sampling frequencies for these sensors are typically set at 24 Hz.
The temperature sensing element is a glass-coated thermistor bead, pressure-protected inside a stainless steel tube, while the conductivity sensing element is a cylindrical, flow-through, borosilicate glass cell with three internal platinum electrodes. Thermistor resistance or conductivity cell resistance, respectively, is the controlling element in an optimized Wien Bridge oscillator circuit, which produces a frequency output that can be converted to a temperature or conductivity reading. These sensors are available with depth ratings of 6800 m (aluminium housing) or 10500 m (titanium housing). The Paroscientific Digiquartz pressure sensor comprises a quartz crystal resonator that responds to pressure-induced stress, and temperature is measured for thermal compensation of the calculated pressure.
Additional sensors
Optional sensors for dissolved oxygen, pH, light transmission, fluorescence and others do not require the very high levels of resolution needed in the primary CTD channels, nor do these sensors generally offer variable frequency outputs. Accordingly, signals from the auxiliary sensors are acquired using a conventional voltage-input multiplexed A/D converter (optional). Some Sea-Bird CTDs use a strain gauge pressure sensor (Senso-Metrics) in which case their pressure output data is in the same form as that from the auxiliary sensors as described above.
Deck unit or SEARAM
Each underwater unit is connected to a power supply and data logging system: the SBE 11 (or SBE 11 plus) deck unit allows real-time interfacing between the deck and the underwater unit via a conductive wire, while the submersible SBE 17 (or SBE 17 plus) SEARAM plugs directly into the underwater unit and data are downloaded on recovery of the CTD. The combination of SBE 9 and SBE 17 or SBE 11 are termed SBE 917 or SBE 911, respectively, while the combinations of SBE 9 plus and SBE 17 plus or SBE 11 plus are termed SBE 917 plus or SBE 911 plus.
Specifications for the SBE 9 plus underwater unit are listed below:
|Initial accuracy
|Resolution at 24 Hz
|Response time
|-5 to 35°C
|0.065 sec
|0 to 7 S m-1
|0.0003 S m-1
|0.00004 S m-1
|0.065 sec (pumped)
|0 to full scale (1400, 2000, 4200, 6800 or 10500 m)
|0.015% of full scale
|0.001% of full scale
|0.015 sec
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
WET Labs WETStar Fluorometers
WET Labs WETStar fluorometers are miniature flow-through fluorometers, designed to measure relative concentrations of chlorophyll, CDOM, uranine, rhodamineWT dye, or phycoerythrin pigment in a sample of water. The sample is pumped through a quartz tube, and excited by a light source tuned to the fluorescence characteristics of the object substance. A photodiode detector measures the portion of the excitation energy that is emitted as fluorescence.
By model:
|Chlorophyll WETStar
|CDOM WETStar
|Uranine WETStar
|Rhodamine WETStar
|Phycoerythrin WETStar
|Excitation wavelength
|460 nm
|370 nm
|485 nm
|470 nm
|525 nm
|Emission wavelength
|695 nm
|460 nm
|530 nm
|590 nm
|575 nm
|0.03 µg l-1
|0.100 ppb QSD
|1 µg l-1
|0.03-75 µg l-1
|0-100 ppb; 0-250 ppb
|0-4000 µg l-1
All models:
|Temperature range
|Depth rating
|600 m
|Response time
|0.17 s analogue; 0.125 s digital
|0-5 VDC analogue; 0-4095 counts digital
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet, and in the instrument manual.
Biospherical Instruments Quantum Scalar Irradiance Profiling Sensor QSP-200
The QSP-200 is a submersible spherical radiance collector designed to ensure a uniform directional response over 3.7-pi steradians. The aluminium-encased optical light pipe funnels flux from the collector to a silicon photodetector that has a flat quantum response over the Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR) spectrum (400 - 700 nm).
The sensor can be coupled with other instruments and accessories, allowing for automatic data acquisition and digital display. The standard version has a depth rating of 1000 m and the QSP-200D includes the option of a 200 m depth transducer. The logarithmic output version (QSP-200L4S) is available for integration with CTD or STD and uses a shielded underwater cable. The QSP-200 has been superseded by the QSP-2300.
|400 to 700 nm
|PAR Spectral Response
|better than ± 8% within the specified wavelength
|Directional response
|± 6% for 0 to 110°
|PAR Dynamic Range
|1.4 x 10-5 to 0.5 µE cm-2 s-1
|Nominal sensitivity
|1 V = 1 x 1017 quanta cm-2 sec-1
|Noise level
|< 1 mV
|Maximum Noise Sensor Dark
|< 100 µV RMS
|Response Temperature Coefficient
|Temperature Range
|-2 to 35°C
|Temperature coefficient of the dark signal
|< 10 µV °C-1
|Depth rating
|1000 m
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
Paroscientific Absolute Pressure Transducers Series 3000 and 4000
Paroscientific Series 3000 and 4000 pressure transducers use a Digiquartz pressure sensor to provide high accuracy and precision data. The sensor comprises a quartz crystal resonator that responds to pressure-induced stress, and temperature is measured for thermal compensation of the calculated pressure.
The 3000 series of transducers includes one model, the 31K-101, whereas the 4000 series includes several models, listed in the table below. All transducers exhibit repeatability of better than ±0.01% full pressure scale, hysteresis of better than ±0.02% full scale and acceleration sensitivity of ±0.008% full scale /g (three axis average). Pressure resolution is better than 0.0001% and accuracy is typically 0.01% over a broad range of temperatures.
Differences between the models lie in their pressure and operating temperature ranges, as detailed below:
|Max. pressure (psia)
|Max. pressure (MPa)
|Temperature range (°C)
|-54 to 107
|0 to 125
|0 to 125
|0 to 125
|0 to 125
|0 to 50
|0 to 50
|0 to 50
|0 to 50
Further details can be found in the manufacturer's specification sheet.
WETLabs C-Star transmissometer
This instrument is designed to measure beam transmittance by submersion or with an optional flow tube for pumped applications. It can be used in profiles, moorings or as part of an underway system.
Two models are available, a 25 cm pathlength, which can be built in aluminum or co-polymer, and a 10 cm pathlength with a plastic housing. Both have an analog output, but a digital model is also available.
This instrument has been updated to provide a high resolution RS232 data output, while maintaining the same design and characteristics.
|10 or 25 cm
|370, 470, 530 or 660 nm
~ 20 nm for wavelengths of 470, 530 and 660 nm
~ 10 to 12 nm for a wavelength of 370 nm
|Temperature error
|0.02 % full scale °C-1
|Temperature range
|0 to 30°C
|Rated depth
600 m (plastic housing)
6000 m (aluminum housing)
Further details are available in the manufacturer's specification sheet or user guide.
James Clark Ross Cruise AMT7 CTD Processing
Originator's Processing
The CTD profiles were processed onboard using Sea-Bird's data processing software.
BODC data processing
The data files were sent to BODC in Sea-Bird's data processing software output. All available channels were listed into ASCII format. Non-null channels were then converted to PXF, a BODC internal format. The data were processed from 1Hz averaged down- and upcast data. Sigma-theta was calculated and output from the raw data during the conversion to PXF format.
Originator's Parameter Originator's Units Description BODC code BODC Units Comments Depth m Pressure PRESPR01 decibars Converted from depth to pressure during transfer to PXF Temperature °C Temperature TEMPCU01 °C - Temperature, 2 °C Temperature TEMPCU02 °C - Salinity - Salinity PSALCU01 - - Salinity, 2 - Salinity PSALCU02 - - Voltage 0 V Beam attenuation ATTNMS01 m-1 Calibrated to zero in clear water Voltage 1 V Fluorometer voltage FVLTWS01 V - Voltage 2 V 2 pi-PAR meter voltage LVLTBD01 V - - - Calibrated fluorescence CPHLPS01 mg m-3 Calibrated against bottle extracted chl-a data - - Downwelling PAR irradiance IRRDPP01 µE m-2 s-1 Calculated from PAR meter voltage using manufacturer's coefficients - - Potential temperature POTMCV01 °C Computed using UNESCO POTEMP function (using primary T and S) - - Sigma-theta SIGTPR01 kg m-3 Computed using UNESCO SVAN function
The PXF data were compared with the original data files to ensure that no errors had been introduced during the conversion process. The data channels were then screened on a graphics workstation using in-house visualisation software. This allows multiple channels to be viewed simultaneously. The start and end-points of the downcast were marked. The pressure ranges over which bottles were fired were also marked. The bottle firing events were identified by disturbances in CTD parameters on the upcast profiles. All spurious and null data were flagged with appropriate BODC quality control flags.The secondary temperature and salinity channels were used to aid screening of the primary channels only. The primary channels should be used in preference to the secondary channel as they have been quality controlled.
The following notes were made during the screening of AMT7 CTD data.
For AMT7027, there was no downcast, so the data from the upcast were screened and processed instead.
For AMT7023, the tranmissometer, fluorometer and PAR voltage signals were all 0.0, so flagged as suspect.
For AMT7029-33, the PAR profile was all 0.00, so flagged as suspect.
For AMT7023, the primary salinity channel was suspect and the whole profile had been flagged. On binning, this channel will result in a null profile, and computed channels such as sigma-theta and potential temperature will also be null. The secondary channel has been quality controlled and should be used in any further work.
Loading into the BODC database
After the data had been screened and quality controlled, the data were loaded into the BODC database under the Oracle RDBMS.
The data from all 33 casts were loaded into the data tables. However, the PAR profile was deleted from the database for AMT7023 and AMT7029-33, and the PAR, beam attenuation and fluorescence profiles were deleted for AMT7023.
The pressure sensor had a mean reading of -0.6 decibar while the CTD was logging in air - this was identified during BODC processing. A pressure correction was, therefore, applied to the data when they were listed from the BODC database.
PRESPR01(corr) = PRESPR01(raw) + 0.6 decibar (BODC calibration 1597).
No reversing thermometer data were available for AMT7, so the CTD sensor data have not been calibrated against another data set. However, the Sea-Bird sensors were tested and calibrated before and after the cruise, and manufacturer's calibrations were applied during Sea-Bird processing. No further correction has been applied to the data at BODC.
No bench salinometer data are available for AMT7, so no further calibration of the salinity channel is possible. Users should be aware that the data are uncalibrated and may not be accurate.
Chlorophyll-a sample data were available from different analysis techniques. At this stage, the CTD fluorometer has been calibrated against fluorometric assays carried out on acetone extracts. This ensures that calibration of all fluorometers, whether CTD or underway, has been carried out using the same technique throughout all AMT cruises to AMT11.
There were 266 samples which were compared with fluorometer voltage at bottle-firing pressures. Samples were removed from the calibration data set where the standard deviation of the CTD voltage over the bottle firing pressures was <0.01V. Some additional outlying samples were also removed. In general, there was a large degree of scatter in the relationship between fluorometer voltage and chlorophyll-a. The relationship also appeared to vary with time throughout the cruise. It was possible to identify 5 groups of casts for which the relationship was good.
CPHLPS01 = 9.44 * FVLTWS01 - 0.717 (BODC calibration 2585; r2 = 0.987; N = 7)
AMT7002 to AMT7007
CPHLPS01 = 3.83 * FVLTWS01 - 0.156 (BODC calibration 2586; r2 = 0.749; N = 30)
AMT7008 to AMT7017
CPHLPS01 = 5.35 * FVLTWS01 - 0.307 (BODC calibration 2587; r2 = 0.702; N = 87)
AMT7018 to AMT7027
CPHLPS01 = 5.12 * FVLTWS01 - 0.242 (BODC calibration 2588; r2 = 0.791; N = 73)
AMT7028 to AMT7033
CPHLPS01 = 2.71 * FVLTWS01 - 0.0528 (BODC calibration 2589; r2 = 0.840; N = 41)
Beam attenuation coefficient
The Sea-Bird data files contained a transmissometer voltage channel. These data were converted to beam attenuation using the manufacturer's calibration information.
Beam attenuation = -1 / x * ln ((Vsig - Vd) / (Vref - Vd)),
where x is the pathlength (0.25m), Vsig is the output voltage, Vd is the blocked path reading (0.059), Vref is the output in clean water (4.678).
No transmissometer air readings were available from the cruise, so the data have not been corrected for possible source decay during the course of the cruise.
Irradiance = 10 lightmeter voltage * (104 * calibration factor), where the wet calibration factor = 2.53 * 10-4 µEinsteins cm-2sec-1.
Project Information
The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) - Phase 1 (1995-2000)
Who was involved in the project?
The Atlantic Meridional Transect (AMT) programme was designed by and implemented as a collaboration between Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML) and Southampton Oceanography Centre (SOC). The programme was hosted by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and involved additional researchers from UK and international universities throughout its duration.
What was the project about?
When AMT began in 1995 the programme provided a platform for international scientific collaboration, including the calibration and validation of SeaWiFs measurements and products. The programme provided an exceptional opportunity for nationally and internationally driven collaborative research and provided a platform for excellent multi-disciplinary oceanographic research. As an in situ observation system, the data collected by the AMT consortium informed on changes in biodiversity and function of the Atlantic ecosystem during this period of rapid change to our climate and biosphere.
The scientific aims were to assess:
- mesoscale to basin scale phytoplankton processes
- the functional interpretation of bio-optical signatures
- the seasonal, regional and latitudinal variations in mesozooplankton dynamics
When was the project active?
The first phase of the AMT programme ran from 1995 to 2000 and consisted of a total of 12 cruises. A second phase of funding allowed the project to continue for the period 2002 to 2006 with a further 6 cruises.
Brief summary of the project fieldwork/data
The AMT programme undertook biological, chemical and physical oceanographic research during the annual return passage of the RRS James Clark Ross between the UK and the Falkland Islands or the RRS Discovery between the UK and Cape Town, a distance of up to 13,500 km. This transect crossed a range of ecosystems from sub-polar to tropical and from euphotic shelf seas and upwelling systems to oligotrophic mid-ocean gyres. The transect route was covered north-south in September/October and south-north in April/May of each year.
The measurements of hydrographic and bio-optical properties, plankton community structure and primary production completed on the first 12 transects (1995-2000) represent the most coherent set of repeated biogeochemical observations over ocean basin scales. This unique dataset has led to several important discoveries concerning the identification of oceanic provinces, validation of ocean colour algorithms, distributions of picoplankton, identifying new regional sinks of pCO2 and variability in rates of primary production and respiration.
Who funded the project?
The programme was funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) and further support was received from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with equipment and funding from the Sea-viewing Wild Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS) project.
Data Activity or Cruise Information
|Cruise Name
|Departure Date
|Arrival Date
|Principal Scientist(s)
|James Aiken (Plymouth Marine Laboratory)
|RRS James Clark Ross
Complete Cruise Metadata Report is available here
Fixed Station Information
No Fixed Station Information held for the Series
BODC Quality Control Flags
The following single character qualifying flags may be associated with one or more individual parameters with a data cycle:
|Below detection limit
|In excess of quoted value
|Taxonomic flag for affinis (aff.)
|Beginning of CTD Down/Up Cast
|Taxonomic flag for confer (cf.)
|Thermometric depth
|End of CTD Down/Up Cast
|Non-taxonomic biological characteristic uncertainty
|Extrapolated value
|Taxonomic flag for single species (sp.)
|Improbable value - unknown quality control source
|Improbable value - originator's quality control
|Improbable value - BODC quality control
|Null value
|Improbable value - user quality control
|Replacement value
|Estimated value
|Interpolated value
|Control value
|Excessive difference
SeaDataNet Quality Control Flags
The following single character qualifying flags may be associated with one or more individual parameters with a data cycle:
|no quality control
|good value
|probably good value
|probably bad value
|bad value
|changed value
|value below detection
|value in excess
|interpolated value
|missing value
|value phenomenon uncertain
|value below limit of quantification


text:
Sean Kingston Tour In Africa Pt. 2 [Takes Us To A Safari Ride]
If video cuts off. refresh the page a couple of times.
SEAN KINGSTON IN AFRICA PART 2. Sean Kingston's 2nd Album "Tomorrow" in stores soon
Please click the "Report" button below if the video on this page is not working properly.
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text:
Major Disaster Declaration declared on January 02, 2018
Individual Assistance Applications
Approved: 737
Total Individual & Households Program
Dollars Approved: $5,087,697.22
Total Public Assistance Grants
Dollars Obligated: $260,737,207.74
Designated Counties (Individual Assistance):Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Ventura
Financial Assistance
Individual Assistance - Dollars Approved
Total Individual & Households Program (IHP) - Dollars Approved*
Total Housing Assistance (HA) - Dollars Approved*
Total Other Needs Assistance (ONA) - Dollars Approved*
Total Individual Assistance (IA) - Applications Approved*
Public Assistance - Dollars Approved
Total Public Assistance Grants (PA) - Dollars Obligated✝
Emergency Work (Categories A-B) - Dollars Obligated✝
Permanent Work (Categories C-G) - Dollars Obligated✝
* Dollars Approved: Assistance dollars approved but not necessarily disbursed.
✝ Dollars Obligated: Funds made available to the State via electronic transfer following FEMA's final review and approval of Public Assistance projects.
Learn more about FEMA Disaster definitions. Information is updated every 24 hours.


text:
confuse about
confuse about (something)
To puzzle or make uncertain about something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "confuse" and "about." I wasn't trying to confuse my students about sine and cosine, but it seems that I have. I'm sorry I'm so early—I must have been confused about the party's start time.
See also: confuse
confuse someone about something
to cause someone to be puzzled or bewildered about something. She confused me about the time of the concert. I wish you wouldn't confuse me about those things.
See also: confuse