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African-Americans With Green, Grey, Hazel or Blue Eyes, Naturally Blonde or Red (Ginger) Hair, and Freckles
Kris Manley is a blogger, author, and speaker. She's a guest on radio in the U.S., Canada, and overseas, as well as a guest on network TV.
Black People with Blue, Green, Grey or Hazel Eyes - Really?
We, as a society, are so used to seeing black people with black or brown hair and with brown eyes, but when we see a black person with different color eyes and different color hair we see colored contacts and hair coloring. Nine out of ten times we would be correct in assuming just that, but there are black people who are out of the "norm" with naturally occurring blue, green, or hazel eye color and naturally occurring blonde or red hair color and have freckles. I know first hand because my Mom's brother was born with blonde hair and blue eyes and their parents were black people with brown hair and brown eyes. Pictures of him are quite surprising. My mom said she and her sister were shocked, but not more shocked than their Dad, who swore the kid was not his, but the doctor said he was. Ever heard of Mama's baby, Daddy's maybe? As time passed my uncle's eyes and hair changed to brown – WHEW! What a relief my Mom and her sister thought, and their Dad, my Grandfather, calmed down.
Genetics is a crazy thing and can reach way back in a bloodline and pull some tricks out of the proverbial hat. As our society moves on and interracial mingling continues, and it will continue, we will see more and more "different" individuals coming out of the woodwork which should not surprise us nor should we be offended. The world is a huge melting pot and there's bound to be various "vegetables" in the soup mix.
What Does the Research Say?
Research has suggested that there is some mutation in genes that causes black people to have blue, green or hazel eyes and blonde or red hair. This so-called mutation is seen mostly among pure Africans, and these Africans have no Caucasian ancestry. A black person does not have to be mulatto or light-skinned to have blue or green eyes, blonde or red hair or freckles. The black race is quite varied in skin color, hair texture, and eye color as with any other race of people. I wonder if this same mutation is seen in other races? This question will be answered in the video attached to this Hub – please watch, it will surprise you.
As mentioned above, there are black Africans with characteristics not mostly seen by the average person that have blue, green, grey or hazel eyes along with red or blonde hair. Individuals, especially, in the U.S., are not used to seeing dark-skinned people with these characteristics. We are used to seeing light-skinned people with these characteristics and of course the obvious is to assume that the light-skinned people have Caucasian ancestors or immediate family members. An African-American dark-skinned friend of mine married a Caucasian man and they had three children, and one of the children was born with kinky red hair. That did not take them by surprise. It is surprising to see a black dark-skinned individual without the traditional brown eyes, brown or black hair.
Melanesians - Blondes of the "Black Islands"
Let's take a look at a group of people who live in Melanesia, pronounced [mel- uh -nee-zhuh ,-shuh ], and of course they are called Melanesians, who live within a group of islands off the Pacific Ocean. Other Pacific islands include Micronesia, Polynesia, Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, the Bismarck Archipelago, and the Louisiade, pronounced [Lo-e-zi-odd], Solomon, Santa Cruz, and Loyalty Islands. The word Melanesia is taken from the Greek – melas meaning black or dark and nēsos meaning islands. References to the dark skins of the inhabitants of the islands. Melanesians are referred to as the blondes of the 'black islands' or naturally blonde blacks. Melanesians have frizzy hair and are dark-skinned. "Papuans," are what they are referred to which comes from the Malay word papua which means "frizzy haired." These frizzy haired people have characteristics that are not common to most dark-skinned people. You will see that some Melanesians have blonde hair and grey or green eyes. If we were to see these people on a daily basis we would think nothing of it, but that is not the case. Our minds can be so limited to just what we see in our own little world, but when we see things that are not usually in our own little world we think it odd or strange and want to reject what we see, when actually those "odd or strange" things have been there all the time. It's like Caucasians visiting a distant land where they are not normally seen, and native people gather to touch their skin because the shade of it is different. Some of you reading this Hub may have experienced this if you frequently travel overseas. You are sort of a "celebrity" because of your skin shade, eye, and hair color and even your hair texture.
Other Races with Blonde or Red Hair, Blue, Green, or Grey Eyes
There are other races of people that we may think should have a certain skin color, hair or eye color. Asians should have jet black hair and brown eyes, East Indians should have long brown hair and brown eyes, Middle Easterners should have black hair and brown eyes, Caucasians should have all the eye colors and hair colors, oh, and don't forget the freckles, but this is not true at all. Again, this is what we mainly see in our own little world.
Black people live all over the world and because of that they are not all going to look the same because of their migrating to other continents and intermingling with other races and/or simply genetics playing a part in a unique characteristic.
African-American Husband, Wife, and Sons. Yes, She Gave Birth to Both Boys.
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on January 16, 2019:
Hello Xxtra, thank you for reading and sharing. Yes! Genetics does through in some surprises. My family is quite diverse as well.
Xxtra on January 16, 2019:
Donna this is a great article. I was trying to figure out something I recently turned 45 y/o I'm Afro American so are my parents, grrand parents Ect ect ..... I've always had brown eyes and hair recently my eye coloring has started to change to grey I went to the Ophthalmologist he told me nothing is wrong just genetics wow right. I've never heard of healthy eyes changing color as an adult ! All in all great article super information thank you.
C. Parks on October 07, 2018:
After reading your article I don't feel so alienated about my "aqua" blue eyes. They tend to change depending on how I feel. Some days they are more gray others they are blue. But being a black person with light eyes that are characterized at Caucasian traits tend to get me more attention than I would like. I wore brown contacts for over 20 years to fit in. So thanks for posting this.
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on September 24, 2017:
Hello J. Craig, thanks for reading and commenting; you've provided some good information.
J. Craig on September 24, 2017:
My grandmother (Black U.S., Citizen) has blue eyes. I'm mixed, and have a pale complexion, and had blonde hair when I was younger. My skin colour paled over the years, and my hair is brown now. With that said, Caucasians came from Blacks thousands of years ago, and it still happens to this day. There are (black) families that give birth to blond hair, blue eyed children.
Dark melanin people are the original race, and due to climate structure, mutation et-al, it happens that Caucasians are born into Black families. Thousands of years ago, Caucasians were ostracized from their homes, or use your imagination as to what could have happened if you had a different skin coloured baby in an entire community with only one colour. These children were ostracized, and over the years migrated to other parts of the world, Asia, India, Europe, etc.
In lieu of environmental changes (such as ice ages), many regions of the world were impossible to travel to. Skip ahead to present times, it is now assumed that because, of the Euro-centric civilization we live in, that anyone with blond, and/ or blue eyes has a Caucasian ancestor in their family tree. This may be the case in some families; however, everyone came from dark melanin people. This can be proven through DNA traces.
Latoya Griffin on September 07, 2017:
I was born the oldiest of 6 born. With light hazel eyes no one else has in my family. I am african american
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on May 12, 2017:
Hi Ronnie, thanks for reading, and yes with all the things going on in America, I am blessed to live in this moment in history.
Ronnie on May 11, 2017:
I would have to agree with the AUTHOR genetics is a strange thing. In America people can be haunted by this FACT when the truth is no haunting should ever be. It's entirely to painful a thing that which shallow Americans (from which ever heritage they spring from) Cause this to develop into. My guess would be you are blessed to be alive at such a moment in history and to live in AMERICA another blessing.
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on February 12, 2017:
Hi Barbara,
Thanks for reading and posting. It's amazing how people are so intertwined.
Barbara on February 11, 2017:
It has been said by scientists that everyone on this planet began in Africa. That we all began from 1 common Mother. That being said, we have spent thousands of years isolating peoples so that certain genetic commonalities show up. These commonalities are like the look and skin color of an Asian, or Celts having pale skin and freckles. So, we all have genes from each parent, you don't know what you got many times because of recessive genes! My parents both had brown eyes. They had 5 girls, 2 with brown eyes and 3 with green. I think 3 of my grandparents had brown eyes!
One sister of mine was born with a negative blood type. Both my parents had positive blood types, and were told that was grounds for divorce!
Carol Baldwin on October 17, 2016:
Great article. Thanks!
Kg on August 14, 2015:
All I can God is the creator wow!
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on January 23, 2015:
Please be reminded that years ago during my Grandparents era, this information was not general knowledge, and for a child to be born any different from his or her parents was questioned. Thank you for your comments.
dot. dot. dot. on January 22, 2015:
Although this post is very informative and interesting. There was one part that really stuck out to me. Why was it a relief that your uncle's eyes and hair turned brown instead of staying blue and blonde. Why was that not a great unique part of him to be cherished instead of questioned. I don't understand that at all. Regardless of if he looked "normal" or not shouldn't they have excepted him the way he was born instead of hoping he'll look like everyone else eventually?
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on March 11, 2012:
Hi jainismus, thanks. Different color eyes and other attributes are in every race of people. Thanks for reading.
Mahaveer Sanglikar from Pune, India on March 11, 2012:
Thank you for sharing this great information. Here in India also there are some black people with hazel eyes.
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on March 11, 2012:
Hi prairieprincess, when I was researching to write this Hub I was surprised about some findings - I'll have to check the band of First Nations people in Ontario, Canada. Thanks for reading. Cheers!
Sharilee Swaity from Canada on March 11, 2012:
Wow, this is very interesting! I probably would assumed a Caucasian ancestor,too, as you mentioned in the article. This reminds me that there is a band of First Nations people in Ontario, Canada, that are blonde with blue eyes, and they always have been. Thank you for the education and it's nice to see an actual Hubpages video. It looks great!
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on March 08, 2012:
Hi maxoxam41, I agree that it is rarer to see an African with blue eyes and less probable to attach an explanation to the reason why.
Deforest from USA on March 08, 2012:
There's nothing extraordinary in finding blue-eyed African-American, the mix of races is the cause however, it is rarer to see an African with blue eyes and less probable to attach an explanation to the phenomenon!
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on March 08, 2012:
Hi gmwilliams, thank you.
Grace Marguerite Williams from the Greatest City In The World-New York City, New York on March 07, 2012:
Excellent hub which should be required reading regarding genetics for all. You did a great job with the presentation which included visuals. There are many people who do not have the concept of recessive genes in the non-Caucasoid races.
Kristine Manley (author) from Atlanta, GA on March 07, 2012:
Hi cclitgirl, yes, it is about genetics in every race of people. Thanks
Cynthia Calhoun from Western NC on March 07, 2012:
What a beautiful baby in that first picture and I LOVE the blue eyes! Informative hub - it's all about genetics, no matter how you look at it. :) Great information presented here!


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When it comes to our children reading, we are hypocrites. We send children home with homework and stress to them the importance of reading at home. We put all this pressure on them, but then do we model that behavior? Parents and educators, are we reading in front of children? Parents, do your children see you reading at home? Educators, do your students see you reading at school? If the answer is no, then how can we expect to see them reading? Our children need us to model the behavior we desire. If we do not model the act of reading and reading consistently, then it is not something that students will pick up. Even if we do not enjoy reading, they will prioritize it if they see us prioritizing it. If we are going to encourage them to read genuinely, we must encourage ourselves first to be reading in their presence.
We have to create images in our children's mind of us reading. A great way to incorporate reading in the home is to set up a time to read as a family. It should become second nature just as the tradition of family dinner and family TV time. A simple 20-30 minutes of all family reading will create that image in your child's mind. Scheduling the time is half the battle. The second half and most important half is reading and being consistent. I would recommend doing this during the weekday, so it coincides with the time the children should also be doing their homework.
Schools must get back to those sacred reading times. With all the emphasis on state testing and teaching to the standards, there must be time for silent sustained reading (SSR). In many schools, SSR has been taken away. SSR was a time where an entire school building or grade level would stop and read. Another new great initiative for schools is the one school – one book model. In this model, a teacher or principal selects one book the entire school reads including the adults.
We must show our children that reading is valuable. We can begin the process at home by setting designated reading times and we can set up the process at school by creating reading initiatives or reading times throughout the day. I encourage parents and educators to take your children to the library, allow them to pick out a book, let them see you pick out a book and together get lost in the pages. The great Dr. Seuss once said, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go."

subset: commoncrawl


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McDonald's® to Celebrate National Coffee Day with Covenant House Donation and Partnership
McDonald's will donate all McCafé coffee proceeds to Covenant House on National Coffee Day and announce partnership supporting employment and education opportunities
Sep 23, 2016, 12:26 ET
PHILADELPHIA, Sept. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- McDonald's® Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region along with Covenant House Pennsylvania and Covenant House New Jersey, the region's largest shelter specializing in serving homeless youth, have announced a partnership to help serve the young men and women of Covenant House. The partnership will kick off on National Coffee Day, September 29, with McDonald's restaurants across Southeastern Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey donating 100 percent of all McCafé® drip coffee proceeds to Covenant House.
Covenant House assists 2,500 "invisible" homeless young people per year and provides safe housing for 500 youth. All coffee proceeds from participating Pennsylvania restaurants will be donated to the Covenant House Pennsylvania located in Philadelphia, while all proceeds from participating New Jersey restaurants will be donated to Covenant House New Jersey, located in Atlantic City.
In addition to the donation, McDonald's and Covenant House will work together to promote job opportunities for the young men and women at Covenant House. Beyond just gainful employment, the partnership will introduce Covenant House guests to the McDonald's Archways to Opportunity Program, an employee education initiative open to all McDonald's employees with nine months or more of service. The new Covenant House partnership, along with Delaware McDonald's year-long Coffee with a Cause program are all part of McDonald's larger commitment to giving back to their local communities.
"We are extremely humbled to partner with Covenant House," said John Durante, President, McDonald's of the Greater Philadelphia Region Owner/Operator Association. "Youth homelessness is an epidemic in our cities, and with this partnership, we are proud to give our local homeless youth the opportunity to succeed and thrive. McDonald's strives to be a good neighbor and support the local communities we serve. This partnership, along with our Delaware restaurants' Coffee with a Cause program, will help us make a lasting, positive impact in the community."
"Thanks to this donation and the partnership with McDonald's we are now able to provide more of our youth with great opportunities to succeed and thrive here in our community," said John Ducoff, Executive Director Covenant House Pennsylvania. "Many area youth are 'invisible' because they are couch surfing or riding the el end-to-end and not on street corners. Through the generosity of McDonald's, our youth will now have opportunities for gainful employment and benefits that will allow them to finish their degrees and support their families, and we are forever grateful."
"We are so proud and grateful for this amazing partnership with McDonald's," said Jim White, Executive Director of Covenant House New Jersey. "The funds raised will provide food, clothing, shelter, and counseling for homeless kids who have been robbed of the gifts of home and family. And the awareness raised will get more good people involved in helping homeless kids. McDonald's is helping to be a voice for a lot of kids who have no voice of their own and we're so grateful."
Coffee included in the promotion comes from McDonald's McCafé line, which includes regular and decaffeinated drip coffee made with sustainably sourced 100 percent Arabica beans, expertly roasted and freshly brewed in small batches at all McDonald's restaurants to ensure a consistently good cup of coffee at every visit.
For more information on the McDonald's and Covenant House Pennsylvania partnership, please contact Eddie Ravert at [email protected] or 215-790-4392
About McDonald's
McDonald's USA, LLC, serves a variety of menu options made with quality ingredients to more than 27 million customers every day. Nearly 90 percent of McDonald's 14,000 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by businessmen and women. Customers can now log online for free at approximately 11,500 participating Wi-Fi enabled McDonald's U.S. restaurants. For more information, visit www.mcdonalds.com, or follow us on Twitter and Instagram @McDPhilly and Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/McDonalds.
About Covenant House Pennsylvania
Established in Philadelphia in 1999, Covenant House Pennsylvania (CHPA) is the largest provider of services to homeless and runaway youth in the city. CHPA serves runaway, homeless, and trafficked youth, including mothers with children, through 21 years of age, working to help youth escape the streets and transition to a life with stable housing, a solid educational foundation, and sustained employment. CHPA also provides longer–term living accommodation and support for youth through 24 years of age. CHPA's primary goal is to create a relationship with their kids based upon unconditional love and absolute respect. CHPA is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. For more information, please visit www.covenanthousepa.org.
About Covenant House New Jersey
Covenant House New Jersey is a privately funded non-profit organization with centers in Atlantic City and Newark, NJ. Operating in New Jersey since 1989, it is the largest provider in the state of services to homeless, at-risk, and trafficked adolescents under 22. In addition to food, shelter, clothing, and crisis care, Covenant House provides health care, educational and vocational services, counseling, drug abuse treatment and prevention programs, legal services, mother/child programs, transitional living programs, street outreach, and aftercare services. Tonight alone, they will give 132 homeless adolescents and 19 of their babies throughout the state a safe and caring place to live in North and South Jersey. Another dozen will be found by the Outreach teams on the street or walk through the doors of our Crisis Centers for the first time. More information can be found at nj.covenanthouse.org
Eddie Ravert
[email protected]
SOURCE McDonald's Restaurants of the Greater Philadelphia Region


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Braving temperatures in the teens, Memorial Fund President and CEO Craig W. Floyd climbed down 65 feet into the construction site of the National Law Enforcement Museum. Strapped to his back as he climbed down several ladders on this December day, was a wooden box containing rubbings of names of fallen officers from the Memorial across the street.
The rubbings were part of a project from National Police Week in 2014. Visitors to the Memorial were asked to make extra rubbings of their loved one's names so they could be placed into a capsule and embedded into the Museum underneath the area which will contain the Museum's Hall of Remembrance. Hundreds of rubbings were collected and they waited for the day when they could be forever sealed into the foundation of the building designed to tell their profession's story. That day came on December 15, 2016.
Mr. Floyd carefully delivered the capsule to its final resting place. He gently placed the wooden box into the ground, and shoveled in the dirt on top. Concrete will soon be poured over the site as construction for the Museum continues.
The Museum is expected to be completed in 2018.


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Commission Impossible?
Why some national security panels have worked better than others.
Debating the fate of the Iraq Study Group report has become, for now, Washington's favorite parlor game. Senator John Kerry has said the report will "change the debate in this country." Time has predicted President Bush will follow the commission's advice. But responding to earlier leaks of the report, Bush peevishly said its plan for a gradual withdrawal "has no realism to it whatsoever," while Rep. John Murtha, a leading opponent of the war, called it "unacceptable" because it would leave U.S. troops in Iraq.
A Turning Point
The Iraq Study Group may be remembered as the Walter Cronkite of this war. By James Fallows
Blind to Choice
Bing West comments on the military's reaction to the Iraq Study Group Report.
The Iraq Study Group
A reaction. By Robert D. Kaplan
Debating Iraq
A collection of articles and dispatches by Atlantic authors.
All of which raises an important question: when are commissions likely to induce policy change? History suggests that the success or failure of advisory panels hangs on several factors: political timing, the reputation and affiliations of commission members, whether the report is unanimous, and how much the panel lobbies for its proposals.
The federal government started employing commissions on economic and social issues as the regulatory state grew after the turn of the 20th century. National security commissions became a regular feature of the political landscape several decades later. Franklin Delano Roosevelt appointed one of the first such panels to investigate the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. (In 2000 Congress revisited that panel's report and voted to exonerate the military's top two officers in Hawaii at the time of the attack, Husband Kimmel and Walter Short.) Since 1980, the President, Congress, and Cabinet secretaries have often turned to national security panels, creating more than sixty commissions on issues such as the Iran-contra scandal, the assignment of women to combat units, and the intelligence community's post-Cold War mission.
In recent years, one of the more effective security panels was the President's Commission on Strategic Forces. Chaired by Brent Scowcroft, it helped change congressional attitudes on one of Ronald Reagan's top defense priorities: production and deployment of the MX intercontinental ballistic missile. In 1981 and 1982 the House of Representatives, under Democratic control, had refused to fund the missile's production. Reagan created the bipartisan panel because he recognized that his abrasive Secretary of Defense, Caspar Weinberger—the Donald Rumsfeld of his day—was not doing a good sales job on Capitol Hill. The commission unsurprisingly recommended funding the MX, but it did so after consulting key House Democrats during its deliberations and tying its MX recommendation to another proposal that they favored. Six weeks after the release of the commission's unanimous report, the House joined the Republican-controlled Senate in approving MX funding. Afterwards, the New York Times called the report "the critical factor" in the vote.
Another panel created by Reagan in 1983—the National Bipartisan Commission on Central America—illustrates what can go wrong. Reagan established this commission, chaired by Henry Kissinger, to prod Congress to increase military aid to El Salvador and provide covert assistance to the contra rebels in Nicaragua. Prominent Democrats criticized it from day one, arguing that Kissinger, unlike Scowcroft, was a polarizing figure. The commission's report, released in January 1984, largely endorsed the administration's proposals on El Salvador and Nicaragua, but several commission members wrote dissenting opinions on key points. Democratic congressional leaders, who had not been consulted as closely as they had been by the Scowcroft commission, rejected the report, and Congress did not approve its principal recommendations.
Two other recent commissions show the importance of political timing. The Hart-Rudman Commission, created by the Clinton administration and chaired by the former senators Gary Hart and Warren Rudman, called in March 2001 for the establishment of a homeland security agency to combat the growing threat of a mass-casualty terrorist attack on American soil. The prescient report received little media attention, though, before 9/11—largely because most Americans were not worried about large-scale terrorism. The commission's impact may also have suffered from the strained relationship between Rudman, who had supported John McCain's presidential bid, and Bush administration officials.
While the Hart-Rudman Commission's timing was premature, the 9/11 Commission exerted great influence in part because its report came out in the midst of the 2004 presidential campaign. Then-candidate Kerry and other Democrats immediately called for the implementation of all of its proposals, successfully pressuring Bush to support many of them, including the call for creating a Director of National Intelligence. (After winning control of Congress in the 2006 midterm elections, the Democrats have quietly backed away from their pledge to implement the recommendations in full.) But timing wasn't the only factor that accounted for adoption of some key 9/11 Commission recommendations. Thomas Kean and Lee Hamilton led the panel in a thoroughly bipartisan manner, even refusing to conduct TV interviews without the other man present. The commission also closely consulted Congress and the administration while formulating its proposals and lobbied vigorously, with help from the 9/11 families, on behalf of them.
A model for the Iraq Study Group to follow? Perhaps. But as the first government-sponsored commission to review the strategy of an ongoing military operation, the study group's recommendations may wind up as yet another casualty of war.


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Fund to help pay water bills gets boost from automakers, United Way
The Ford Motor Fund, the United Way and the General Motors Foundation have donated $200,000 to the newly created Detroit Water Fund designed to help residents pay their water bills, Mayor Mike Duggan announced Monday.
Duggan, with City Council President Brenda Jones and officials from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department and donating organizations, said the moratorium on water shutoffs will end Aug. 25, giving residents a chance to apply for assistance if needed.
"I don't agree with the way Detroit Water and Sewerage has handled the water situation," he said of the pattern in which nothing happened when customers failed to pay. "We're going to handle this. How we got here doesn't matter right now."
Jones announced a water fair from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at Cobo Hall for residents who need to sign up for water-affordability programs or just need to get current on their bills. A similar fair on the city's east side attracted about 400 people, city officials said. The department has extended customer service center hours (8 a.m.-6 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturdays).
This spring, the city's aggressive approach to collecting on delinquent water bills resulted in thousands of customers being disconnected each month and garnered national and international attention and attention from U.S. Judge Steven Rhodes, who is presiding over the city's bankruptcy case. The water department imposed a 15-day water shutoff moratorium on July 21; it was extended until Aug. 25.
The Detroit Water Fund, which began two weeks ago as part of Duggan's 10-point plan to assist Detroit residents to get current on their water bills, will be managed by the United Way for Southeastern Michigan. The United Way pledged $100,000 toward the fund and the Ford fund and the GM foundation each will contribute $50,000. Through the fund, eligible customers may receive 25% toward paying their bills.
Reconnection fees for people turned off before the moratorium are being waived as long as people come in and make payment arrangements. DWSD Director Sue McCormick said alternative collection methods are being explored for the 10,000 businesses in the city currently delinquent on their water bills. Many of them are accounts that are inactive where DWSD continues to collect for stormwater runoff charges.
The DWSD will begin processing applications for the residential assistance fund Tuesday. Customers deemed eligible can pay 10% of their past-due balance to receive assistance of up to 25% of their total bill. Funding will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Residents must have incomes at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. For example, a family of four must have an annual income below $35,775.
Duggan said he hoped to receive donations in the millions for the fund.
"We'll have a long-term solution shortly," he said this morning at the United Way's 211 call center at 660 Woodward. "Right now, we want to take care of the immediate problems."
Officials said starting Tuesday, door hangers will be placed at homes scheduled for shutoff after the moratorium ends next Monday reminding customers that their bills are past due.
Duggan also announced a new 10/30/50 payment option which would give residents 24 months to pay off the past-due portion of their bills if they put down 10% of their balance. If a customer misses a payment, he or she would have to pay 30% to re-enter the payment plan. After a second missed payment, customers would have to pay 50% of their past-due balance.
Contact Marlon A. Walker: 313-223-4531, firstname.lastname@example.com or on Twitter @marlonawalker
Who's eligible for help?
To be eligible for Detroit Water Fund assistance, customers must be Detroit residents who:
■ Have an outstanding balance of between $300 and $1,000.
■ Maintain average water usage for the household size.
■ Are enrolled in DTE's Low Income Self-Sufficiency Plan (LSP) or have income at or below 150% of the federal poverty level. That means a family of four must have an annual income below $35,775.
Source: City of Detroit


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The mission of the Caring Hands Foundation is to bring hope to children in need by improving access to nutrition, sanitation, and education. Since its inception in 2010, Caring Hands has worked to offer hope to those who need it most, and to improve the lives of others throughout the world. While operating independently of Kyäni, Caring Hands is supported by Kyäni Employees, Business Partners, and Customers who are working together to fulfill the Caring Hands mission.
Caring Hands has performed service throughout the world, rendering aid in the event of disasters, coordinating service within our own communities, and organizing annual Caring Hands trips to perform hands-on service in areas that need it the most.
Kyäni has used its expertise in both nutrition and agriculture to develop Potato Pak–life-sustaining nutrition packs, which are donated by Caring Hands to those who lack the means to feed themselves. Each serving of Potato Pak is fortified with over 10 grams of protein and 34 grams of carbohydrates, along with essential vitamins and minerals, to deliver life-sustaining nutrition to people who have no means to feed themselves. It also meets all the nutritional requirements set forth by the World Food Program as a complete meal.
With the help of donors all over the world, Caring Hands has provided more than three million meals of Potato Pak for children and others in need across the globe.
Kyäni is also fulfilling its mission to improve access to education by upgrading and constructing schools in regions that are too poor to support the educational needs of local children. In the Chiapas region of Mexico, Kyäni has also constructed several remote university hubs that enable people in these areas to complete their university education online. Over 150 students are participating in these university programs, and those who have graduated are bringing both hope and prosperity to their communities by starting businesses, employing local people, and supporting their hometowns.
As Caring Hands has grown and sought to expand its reach throughout the world, it has developed relationships with other charitable organizations with the expertise and infrastructure to help fulfill its goal to bring hope to children in need by improving access to nutrition, sanitation, and education.
In 2017, Caring Hands entered into a partnership with Convoy of Hope, a humanitarian organization that serves the needy in a variety of ways. Convoy of Hope delivers food, water, and medical supplies to areas suffering from natural disasters as well as long-term poverty, and they have partnered with the Caring Hands Foundation and Kyäni to deliver hundreds of thousands of servings of Potato Pak donated by our Business Partners and Customers. With the Convoy of Hope, Caring Hands has been able to meet emergency needs and fight ongoing poverty around the world.
Caring Hands has partnered with the Red Cross in different countries around the world to help ensure the delivery of Potato Pak where it is needed most, as well as other emergency supplies including hygiene kits. In 2016, Caring Hands donated 7,200 servings to the Red Cross of Hungary. Previously, several volunteers had served in a local Red Cross center as well. The Red Cross presented Kyäni with an award for these humanitarian efforts.
Kyäni and Caring Hands have partnered with Idahoan to produce Potato Pak, a highly nutritious and delicious meal packed in ready-to-serve pouches that can be delivered in large quantities wherever there is need throughout the world. Idahoan has been creating dehydrated potato products with a stable shelf life since 1951. The innovative process preserves the natural flavor and texture, producing a high-quality product that's satisfying and easy to store.
Every year, Caring Hands encourages Kyäni Business Partners and Employees to set aside one day to find a need in the local community and do something to serve. As a result, nearly a thousand projects have been organized and completed across the globe over the past several years.
Dedicated Partners and Kyäni Employees have done everything from feeding the homeless to visiting the elderly, to painting homes, to organizing hygiene kits. Together, we have cleaned up parks, supported school improvements, and delivered meals and Kyäni products to people in dozens of countries. These acts of service help us give back to our communities and help demonstrate Kyäni's commitment to making the world a better place.
Idaho Falls, Idaho is home to Kyäni's corporate headquarters. Every year, Kyäni's Employees go to work serving their local community in various ways. One year, Employees collected household goods including kitchen materials, bicycles, toys, and cleaning supplies to donate to a local center that houses refugees and helps them transition to new productive lives.
The Corporate Office also spent time doing work for a local humanitarian center. The humanitarian center gave all their resources to helping the less fortunate and did not have the time to take care of some of the items that would improve their facility. Employees put a new roof on the storage building that houses many of the goods they provide to the less fortunate, repainting it as well as the exterior of the main office.
Kyäni Employees recently celebrated six years of Caring Hands Day events by participating in a company-wide challenge to round up food for the Community Food Basket in Idaho Falls, Idaho. Dozens of Employees helped restock the food bank's depleted supplies by collecting over 8,000 pounds of food from neighbors, friends, and their families over the course of two weeks.
Kyäni teams in Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan, Germany, Scandinavia, Italy, and other international areas commit to projects on Caring Hands Day that benefit underprivileged children in their communities. Whether it's assembling bicycles, upgrading school facilities, or collecting donations for orphanages, our Business Partners work to ensure those around them receive the support they need.
Kyäni Business Partners around the world regularly participate in group projects that benefit children and families in need. They have worked on construction projects, gathered donations of clothing, household goods, and food, as well as provided warm meals. Many projects benefit homeless communities and children who lack access to proper nutrition and care. Donations to local food banks have helped keep food supplies stocked for families and individuals.
Caring Hands dedicates time and resources to making a long-term difference for entire communities in need of help and hope. Caring Hands regularly sponsors trips where Business Partners and Customers can donate their time, energy, and talents to improving lives. Caring Hands Service Trips have been held around the world, in South and Central America, Europe, Africa, and Asia. Caring Hands continues to impact the lives of people in communities in need today as well as the future. Check out our trips below!
Kyäni organized two Caring Hands Service Trips in 2019. A group of Business Partners visited Chiapas, Mexico again to work on expanding the building that houses the growing Kyäni University, an online school that enables students to work remotely on college degrees. Later in the year Partners visited Tanzania, where they helped prepare a one-acre field for planting, assembled a drip irrigation system, funded a new well, and planted vegetables to help in the nearby school's nutritional program. Volunteers fed children Potato Pak at multiple schools, which is now part of their regular lunch program.
Following the 2015 construction of a high school in Chiapas, two dozen Caring Hands volunteers returned to Mexico to expand and renovate the school to support rapid attendance increases following an enthusiastic response by the community. While there, they also helped renovate another school in a nearby area. The work included structural improvements, bathroom and kitchen installations, landscaping, and recreation improvements. During the project week, the volunteers performed finishing work including painting and window installation. They also evaluated a new nutrition program that Kyäni started earlier in the year in which hundreds of children are fed Potato Pak every day to help them worry less about food and focus on their studies.
Kyäni Founders, employees, and members gathered in Budapest, then drove to Miskolc to serve the elderly and intellectually disabled in a local government-run homeless shelter that was once a military facility. Volunteers worked with the Red Cross to distribute hygiene kits prepared by Kyäni employees. While there, volunteers were also able to prepare and serve meals with Potato Pak for those living in and visiting the shelter. During this time, elderly residents of the shelter were also given the opportunity to talk, laugh, and play games with the volunteers, making it a fantastic experience for everyone involved.
In 2017, several Kyäni staff members and executives, including Founder Carl Taylor, visited the Houston area following the devastating storm and flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey. Dozens of Partners joined them in performing whatever service was needed to help people rebuild their lives. Joining with Convoy of Hope, they organized and distributed supplies to those affected by the devastation, and helped clear homes of damaged materials to help begin the process of rebuilding.
Kyäni representatives visited Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere. While there they met with an organization that provides meals to the needy in cases of disaster as well as to meet long-term needs, to discuss a potential partnership in helping to feed children. They also toured locations where charity work is providing for the needs of local children.Later Kyäni visited a remote village near the border and visited with the residents, to assess the possibility of providing assistance in a place where aid does not usually reach due to limited access and poor infrastructure. They also stopped to deliver dental supplies to another impoverished area.Finally, the Caring Hands representatives had the opportunity to prepare Potato Pak and serve it to local children, also leaving a supply with the cook for a local school along with preparation instructions. Volunteers also visited an albergue or shelter in the Dominican Republic that year that housed kids with physical and mental disabilities. While there, they worked on improvements at an orphanage and donated Potato Pak.
Kyäni gathered volunteers from throughout Asia, Europe, and the Americas to work with the Red Cross setting up feeding stations for children in some of the most impoverished areas around Manila. During the trip, volunteers fed thousands of children and arranged the donation of Potato Paks that will continue to feed these children every day throughout the year.
In the town of Chiapas, Caring Hands volunteers constructed a 12-room high school that would serve three communities that, before Kyäni's visit, send their children to school in makeshift rooms with no electricity or running water. While there, Kyäni provided Potato Pak for the impoverished community, as well as free dental exams and treatments. Volunteers also brought with them hygiene kits, and taught classes in health and hygiene. Kyäni Founders also offered educational scholarships to several children, many of whom have now graduated and are attending college.
Along with volunteers from around the world, Kyäni Caring Hands constructed schools in two different villages where children did not have ready access to education. These buildings included electricity and running water, giving the children a clean, safe, and comfortable learning environment. In addition to the schools, Caring Hands also constructed a playground for the children and a football field. During the 2014 trip, volunteers brought with them the newly introduced Potato Pak, and were able to provide much-needed nourishment for the impoverished region.
Kyäni Founders saw a community in need in Ecuador and brought people together to construct a school in a region where children were walking up to two hours just to attend classes. With the aid of volunteers, and working with local government and community leaders, Kyäni Caring Hands donated the time and materials to build a school and a playground where children can benefit from an education in a comfortable facility near them. Many local residents turned out to help and to celebrate this life-changing service to their community.
Kyäni offers world-class health products, a supportive community, and a rewarding compensation plan to help you achieve hope – the promise of a better life through wellness and opportunity. Connect with us on social to keep up with all things Kyäni.
*DISCLAIMER: This information relies upon scientific research on certain ingredients in Kyäni products. None of the studies examined Kyäni products specifically, and there is not necessarily a relationship between the results of these studies and any Kyäni product. Neither the studies nor the statements and products referenced here have been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration. Kyäni products are not intended to, and do not, diagnose, treat, cure, prevent, or mitigate any disease or condition.


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Sumo Wrestling
The Bigger They Are…
The two opponents are kitted out in a huge padded sumo wrestling suits. The idea is to grapple with your opponent whilst pushing and pulling until he or she is moved to outside of the ring. If you are searching for action and fun with a touch of madness then this is the one for you.
It's a physical activity, but also requires good co-ordination to stay upright in such a large suit. It protects you from harm, but it also makes moving difficult!
The first step is to put on your padded sumo wrestling suits. These protect you from any bumps, but are also restrictive to your movement. It will take skill to master wearing one.
With your sumo wrestling suit on, it's time to go head-to-head with you opponent. The ring might look big, when you're both in it then it suddenly seems a lot smaller!
When the activity begins, it's time to bish, bash, bosh, pull and push your opponent until they're moved outside of the ring. It's a battle of strength and skill, with a bit of luck thrown in!
Please note: All bookings must be confirmed by Morfa Bay Adventure. Following the submission of this activity booking we will contact you to confirm the number of persons or to arrange a new date if the activity is unavailable on the chosen day.


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Hormone, aldosterone: A hormone made by the outer portion (cortex) of the adrenal gland that regulates the balance of salt and water in the body. Pronounced AL·do·ste·rone.
Aldosterone is secreted in response to low salt levels. Aldosterone then activates the MR (for mineralocorticoid receptor) gene. (Aldosterone is classified as a mineralocorticoid hormone.) The product of the MR gene, in turn, stimulates the kidney to reabsorb and retain salt, thereby retaining water.
An MR gene mutation leads to salt retention and high blood pressure early in life which becomes much worse with pregnancy.
QUESTIONSee Answer
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We protect whistleblowers who protect the public. Our clients have protected school children from potential harm by unfit teachers, made life difficult for crooked cops and politicians, and made health clinics safer for the low-income people they serve.
Last year we won a $3.1 million jury verdict for whistleblower Kathleen Carroll against the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing which fired her for reporting huge backlogs of potential teacher misconduct cases, nepotism, and favoritism to the Bureau of State Audits. The auditor later assigned to the agency called it one of the "worst-run" state agencies she had ever investigated. News about this case
In 2015 we successfully represented whistleblower Lawanna Preston, resulting in a $613,302 jury verdict against the City of Oakland. Ms. Preston was fired in retaliation for objecting to a City official's request that she falsify documents and for complaining that officials improperly negotiated and willfully violated union contracts. News About this case


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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald VFX Breakdown
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald is recent movie from Warner Bros. Pictures. DNEG, Framestore, Image Engine Design & Rodeo FX worked on Visual Effects.
Framestore delivered 490 shots of VFX and animation across their sites in London and Montréal. The studio was creatively involved from the outset, with Framestore Creative Director, Christian Manz, joining Tim Burke as the film's Joint Overall VFX Supervisors. Framestore worked on huge London and Paris environment builds, the French 'Ministere des Affaires Magiques' as well as 15 separate beasts; including the standout 'Zouwu' as well as old friends the Niffler and Pickett.
Animation Supervisor Nathan McConnel joined from pre-production, overseeing a small team of animators on-site at Leavesden Studios to develop the film's creatures through pre-vis and post-vis animation vignettes; playing a key role in shaping the creatures' personalities and performances. As with the first film, the team worked from concepts developed by Framestore's Art Department amongst others, animating over 100 beasts to showcase personality and behaviour variations. This gave Director David Yates the ability to visualise the beasts and work out how they would fit into the scenes.
Among those to find their way into Newt's menagerie is standout beast the 'Zouwu' – feline-like, elephant-sized, with a scraggly lion's mane, long sharp claws, and a disproportionately long, ruffled tail. 'Our remit for this film was to create even more spectacular and nuanced, visually-striking creatures', says McConnel, 'this was embodied by the Zouwu.' The team referenced lizards for her body movement, in direct contrast to the cat-like facial performance. They also took reference for her head and tail movements from Chinese Dragon parade performances.
The Crimes of Grindelwald also challenged the team with several show-stopping environment builds. The team recreated the Great Hall faithfully using references of the set used in the Harry Potter films, preserved for the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Leavesden. We meet a young Professor Dumbledore (Jude Law) who conducts a conversation with Newt in a series of apparations around different iconic London locations, including the roof of St Paul's cathedral, Trafalgar Square and Lambeth Bridge. The team painstakingly rebuilt these period locations in CG, adding dirt and soot to the buildings to age them. In the scene, Dumbledore has conjured a fog, quite the compositing and lighting challenge. 'When dealing with fog it's hard to get that feeling of space and density, ' says Kind, 'as well as the cinematic quality to the light filtering through.'
The story moves to Paris, France. Plates were captured in the city, overseen by Framestore VFX Supervisor Rob Duncan, who was 2nd Unit Supervisor on the film. The team still had to extend the city within a complex CG build. Says VFX Supervisor Nicolas Chevallier: 'It was a huge challenge, especially since we had shots in both daylight and in the night. We used Stuart Craig's production design, original drawings of the city, references of the period architecture and LIDAR scans of Paris itself to make sure that we captured a close match.'
Framestore was delighted to bring to life the French equivalent to the Ministry of Magic, the 'Ministere des Affaires Magiques'; a huge build which took around a year to complete. The design was based on the Art Nouveau architecture of the time, and features an ornate sequence of domes intersected with columns and animated shelves. 'It has a cathedral scale,' says Kind. 'We ended up creating a lot of full-CG shots to work with the animation and camera.' The environment hosts one of the biggest action pieces of the film. Newt attempts to escape when set upon by the guardians of the Ministere des Affaires Magiques; the Matagot. Painfully-thin spectral sphynx-like cats, the Matagots are distinctive; the team built underlining muscular anatomy to allow the audience to sense their inner skeleton using proprietary tool Flesh and Flex. The whole sequence took around a year to complete, 'It was a huge environment build encompassing a lot of action with the Matagots and the Zouwu appearing too,' adds Kind, 'We also had to add intricate engravings on the glass walls of the domes, and there were lots of magical elements inside the building to create.'
A spellbinding sequence in Paris takes place at the Circus Arcanus' freak bestiary. A complex, action-packed scene, the team was required to stitch several plates together seamlessly and add multiple tents and carts to the circus environment. Fifteen magical CG beasts were built and animated for the scene; including mischievous Fire Drakes, an Oni and a Kappa. 'This was definitely my favourite sequence' says Chevallier. 'It was hugely complex with so many creatures in the shot flying around in complete chaos, but it was really fun to make happen.
The Niffler also makes a return from the first film, as Newt's scene-stealing sidekick. 'We get to see the connection Newt has with the Niffler in this film', says Chevallier, 'and our artists were able to work on showing this relationship develop.' Newt conjures golden dust to help the Niffler trace footprints, helping Newt to understand what happened at the Circus; 'The Niffler acts as a kind of Watson to Newt's Holmes, a bit like a cute sniffer dog,' adds McConnel.
Framestore's expanse of work also included the challenge of the complex Nagini transformation; where artists used reference of a contortionist to see how she wrapped her limbs to fold into herself. The sequence was a tough challenge not only because of the long length of the single shot, meaning that there was nowhere to hide, but also for the compositing and creature FX teams, who worked with seven separate snakes rigged to create the illusion of the character turning into one large snake. 'We didn't want it to look disturbing, as though the character's limbs were being broken', says Kind. 'We created a look where the limbs would break at the elbow to look softer and more like a coil instead of a hard joint; but it was done very subtly.'
A heady mix of creatures, FX and environments proved to be an exciting challenge for the team used to working within the Wizarding World. 'These films are fun to work on because there's always a great creature that can be designed and conjured up' says Kind. 'It was also really nice to see the flurry of excitement when the Nagini snake reveal ended up in the trailer.'
Method Studios created 12 new fully CG fantastic beasts including the Kelpie, Augurey, Leucrocotta, and baby Nifflers; and also handled a complex underwater sequence inside Newt's magical creature hospital where he tames the unpredictable Kelpie for the movie.
"Method creature work on this film was particularly special because these sequences show Newt in his element, doing what he loves most, which is caring for these magical creatures. It was fun to have that in mind as an anchor for our work, and really for the film as a whole," said Nordin Rahhali, who led Method's team as VFX Supervisor.
Rodeo FX delivered close to 200 shots in 15 sequences for the movie. For environment work, including the monumental Ministry of Magic, Rodeo team was inspired by and based on Harry Potter Artistic Director Stuart Craig's archive set drawings and scans from the Harry Potter Studio Tour. The action-packed film was also a fun challenge for FX team, who created an incredible range of effects and destruction.
Behind the Scenes
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them VFX
Related Post: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them VFX


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Legacy Development With Pow
Pow is a zero-config Rack server that makes developing Rack apps (include Rails apps) a snap on Mac OS X.
You install Pow:
You create a symlink to your app:
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You point your browser to http://myapp.dev/ and there's you app! Awesome!
However, there is a downside: Pow doesn't play nicely with Apache (or any server listening on port 80). Life isn't all greenfield, if in the course of the day you need to work on PHP or CGI legacy apps Pow is not so simple. Pow creates a firewall rule that redirects port 80 to its port; to access Apache you need to either toggle the firewall rule on and off or move Apache to a different port all together. And now you're running two web servers. There has to be a better way.
The Win And there is, make your legacy app a Rack App. Thanks to the rack-legacy gem, this is actually quite simple.
First, install the rack-legacy and rack-rewrite gems:
(To sudo or not to sudo, that's up to you).
Next, in the top level of your legacy app create this config.ru file:
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The Details Rack::Legacy::Php runs any requested file with the extension .php. Rack::Legacy::Cgi runs any requested file that is set executable (which means you'll need to make sure your .html files are not). Files that don't end in .php and aren't executable are served as static content by Rack::File.
The INDEXES array contains a list of files to check for if a directory is requested (just like Apache's DirectoryIndex directive). You can change the order or use different names (default.htm anyone?).
The Catch rack-legacy uses the php-cgi command line program to run scripts and while PHP ships with current versions of OS X, php-cgi is not included. You'll need to install PHP using MacPort/Homebrew/Fink/etc. That's beyond the scope of this post but, if you're doing this kind of development, it's probably not beyond you.
The Caveat This is probably not a fast as running PHP using the Apache module and it's certainly not as fast as something like FastCGI. If you are primarily developing legacy apps you probably should stick to Apache. However, if you mostly work with Rack apps and just occasionally need legacy support, this is a great way to go.


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Eli Lilly jumps into a $473M hunt with Sigilon for the Holy Grail in diabetes cell therapies
Stem cell therapies have gone through every stage of the long and painful hype cycle for emerging drug technologies: Starting with wildly inflated early expectations through bitter disillusionment, a trough of despair and on to a slow and patient recovery brought about by years of diligent research work in the lab.
Paul Wotton, who's seen it all, believes he can now see the off-the-shelf cell products of the future — encapsulated in what they've dubbed Afibromer platform tech — taking shape at the end of the newly rising curve.
As the founding CEO at Flagship-seeded Sigilon, a startup launched last year in Cambridge, MA with a $23.5 million round, he's now unveiling one of the final remaining pieces necessary for a comeback: An alliance with a Big Pharma partner.
Today Sigilon is announcing a $473 million pact with Eli Lilly — which is stepping out under a bolder R&D chief in Dan Skovronsky — to drive their stem cell work on Type 1 diabetes into the clinic, with $63 million of that in an upfront and the rest divvied up with a goal of fully funding the development of a durable new therapy for the disease. Eli Lilly is also making an undisclosed equity investment in the company.
"I think we've kind of discovered the Holy Grail to make cell therapy a reality," says Wotton.
While researchers figured out a long time ago how to get stem cells to transform into insulin producing pancreatic beta cells for diabetics, getting them into the body to do their work without triggering a severe immune reaction has been an insurmountable obstacle.
But after testing new tech out of the labs of MIT's Bob Langer and Daniel Anderson in rodents as well as non-human primates, Sigilon believes it's within a couple of years of starting work on a human clinical trial — a major step toward obtaining clear proof-of-concept data. They believe they can deliver islet cells to the body, and keep it hidden from the immune system, preventing fibrosis that can choke cells of nutrition and oxygen. And while they are now pioneering a groundbreaking field, there are solid preclinical reasons to believe that they can make the hurdle in humans.
"Bob Langer's team screened 600 molecules that could evade the immune system," says Wotton. And they believe they are on to the kind of encapsulated cell-based therapies that can be delivered in water soluble polymers — Langer's sweet spot in the lab — necessary for devising a therapy that could create a reliable supply of insulin for patients.
They're not alone here. Harvard spinout Semma recently garnered a $114 million megaround to see if their "tea bag" tech for producing insulin can do the same thing.
It won't be quick. There's no hard timeline on the diabetes side, but Sigilon is within a couple of years of moving a program into the clinic using the same tech platform to spawn factor VIII and IX for hemophilia patients. And that could help pave the way to a clinical study in diabetes soon after.
"What we have is platform technology that you can apply to any allogeneic (off the shelf) cell line," says Wotton, "program cells to manufacture factor VIII or IX, or manufacture antibodies, with an ability to avoid detection of the immune system."
One way to think of it, he says, is as a kind of "gene therapy in a box," able to express two proteins with an option of topping up the dose if needed later.
How long will that kind of therapy last? Wotton doesn't know the answer to that yet, but he's gambling that it's years rather than months. And Eli Lilly, which is increasing their bet on bold research gambles, wants to come along for the ride.
This is a big deal for the cell therapy field in regenerative medicine, as the big players largely bowed out of the arena years ago, satisfied that they were far, far away from any commercial programs. Eli Lilly's return, alongside a same-day move by Roche we are reporting now, could be another sign that the hype cycle is finally entering the beginning of the end.


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Local artist Vivian Antonini donated one of her recent works to the City of Sugar Hill. The beautiful piece represents Antonini's idea of Sugar Hill and was painted live during Sugar Rush and will be on display in a city building in the near future.
Artist Vivian Antonini Donates Art Work


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Jichang Garden
Jichang Garden (Chinese:寄畅园) is located beside Hui Mountain Temple in Xi Hui Park of Hui Mountain, to the west of Wuxi, Jiangsu Province. As a classical southern garden, Jichang Garden was listed as an important protected national heritage site in 1988. The site was originally the monks' dormitories, and from 1527, it is gradually built into a garden by Qin family.
With an area about 2.5 acres, Jichang Garden is proud of its natural hills, elegant waters, concise structure, ancient trees and ingenious scenes. The great emperors Kangxi and Qianlong of Qing Dynasty had visited here for times and left inscriptions and poems; now the steles are still well-preserved and displayed in the garden. It is said that the Garden of Harmonious Interests in Summer Palace and the Double Crane Pavilion in Yumingyuan (the Old Summer Palace) are both the imitations of Jichang Garden.
What to see in Jichang Garden?
Feng Gu Xing Wo – The first visible architecture after entering the garden. Across three ancient halls of this house, a "garden in garden" is revealed with a pond surrounded by corridors and ancient pine trees.
Beauty Stone – A standing lake stone in the center of the water just like a beauty makeup in the mirror, and a pavilion beside was inscribed poem and painting for the stone by Emperor Qianlong.
Jin Hui Yi (A assembling of beautiful scenes) – It is the central scene in Jichang Garden, assembling all the beauties of the garden; the peaceful pond water just clearly reflects the hills, pavilions, trees, flowers and birds.
Yu Pan (Depressed Chessboard) – It is a pavilion within a stone table and four stone piers which was left from Ming Dynasty. As the story goes, Emperor Qianlong once played chess here with a monk from Hui Mountain Temple; though he won the game, he knew it was the highly skilled monk who lost intentionally. Therefore, the emperor renamed the pavilion as Yu pan, which means a depressed chessboard.
Brick-caving Pavilion – It is a reproduction of Ming architecture with little stone lions at the gate. Through the rockery in the front, the natural hill can be seen indistinctly, which make it hard to tell if it is the hill in the garden or it is the garden in the hill.
Bingli Hall – It is another "garden in garden" in Jichang Garden. With an area of not more than 700 square meters, all the parts of a garden are included in it. The neat and elegant halls and corridors, natural and exquisite pond and flowers, trees and peaks compose this beautiful picture of Chinese garden for your enjoyment.
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Fully Staged World Premiere
Listings that fall under "Fully Staged World Premiere" typically means the show is fully formed and ready for the stage, to include design and technical support (light, sound, set, costumes, props), so that audience members will have world premiere theatrical experience. However, for some in this category fully formed means the producer/creator has developed a new show that they are ready to share with the public.
Dance and theatre performance share common (fertile) ground in their development process and often in their form and presentation. Although founded in the theatre arts, Fertile Ground is an opportunity for audiences to experience a diversity in the Arts. This year, we are delighted to offer once again the wide variety of companies and choreographers who make up the Polaris Dance Theatre's Groovin Greenhouse, as well as The Allegro Dance Company.
These projects are not quite ready to premiere, but are straining to be on their feet in front of an audience in a big way. These workshop productions are a wonderful opportunity to see a piece that is on the road to completion and perhaps have an opportunity to lend your thoughts to its end product. Workshop performances are striving to get ready for the next step in the process toward a world premiere.
Staged Reading
Most works of theatre have a multi-stage journey before they hit the stage as a world premiere; a staged reading is one point in that trajectory. More than a script reading, a staged reading involves actors bringing a script to life with stage movement (blocking) and sometimes working through some design and technical ideas.
Take chance! Come listen in as a playwright, with professional actors, shares the dialogue of a script with an audience – often for the first time, sometimes with fresh revisions, and always seeking input. This is your opportunity to participate in the development of a play. These readings often feature some of Portland's best playwrights and actors, and will give you a unique glimpse into the plays that will grace our stages of the future.


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[cnn-photo-caption image=http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2010/images/02/05/art.tparty.file.gi.jpg caption="The National Tea Party Convention kicked off Thursday night."]Nashville, Tennessee (CNN) – The organizer of the Tea Party Convention says he agrees with Tom Tancredo's description of President Barack Obama as a socialist.
The former congressman from Colorado and 2008 Republican presidential candidate blasted President Obama, saying "people who could not even spell the word 'vote', or say it in English, put a committed socialist ideologue in the White House. His name is Barack Hussein Obama."
Tancredo made his comments Thursday night as he gave the kickoff speech for the convention, which is being held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel and Convention Center in Nashville.
Judson Phillips, a Tennessee lawyer who formed Tea Party Nation and who organized what's being billed as the first national Tea Party Convention, told reporters Friday that "Tom Tancredo gave a fantastic speech last night. I think he is an amazing politician."
Asked if he agrees with Tancredo's description of Obama, Phillips said "the word socialist is a word you don't want to be labeled with in the American Political system. It's got a lot of negative connotations, but it also has a very specific political meaning. It refers to a specific political ideology. I think it is very clear that that is the political ideology of Barack Obama."
Phillips added that he thinks "Tancredo doesn't feel like a lot of people who supported Barack Obama understand the basics of this country."
In his speech, Tancredo also slammed the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, saying "thank God John McCain lost the election.
Phillips agreed, adding, "I think a McCain presidency would have been far worse that Bush one or Bush two. I think it would have been a total disaster. I think we would have gotten the worst of what we are getting in the Obama administration and really nothing positive from what would have been allegedly be a conservative party, or allegedly be a conservative leader."
Phillips also announced that he will hold another Tea Party convention in July. He declined to name a location for the event.
The other major news to come out of Friday's news conference: some of the organizers are forming a tax-exempt non-profit corporation called the Ensuring Liberty Corporation and a soon to be established affiliated political action committee.
Mark Skoda, a businessman and founder of the Memphis Tea Party, who is also serving as spokesman for the convention, says the formation of the corporation and the PAC is a way that the Tea Party movement can participate in politics and termed it "a conservative effort in support of candidates."
Skoda predicted this would be an outlet for people who took part in Tea Party protests to get involved in campaign politics. He listed six congressional races in the Southeast where endorsements may be made.
Along with the corporation and PAC, Skoda announced that candidates seeking backing would need to agree with a list of "First Principles": fiscal responsibility, lower taxes, less government, states' rights and national security. He said he did not consider the "First Principles" a litmus test for candidates.
Skoda also said he does not support a third party movement.
- Follow Paul Steinhauser on Twitter: @psteinhausercnn
Pathetic bunch of radicals
Tea baggers are the new lunatic fringe......
Once upon a time in Germany, there was an angry group of people, led by a man who also gave a "fantastic" speech. They loved their country more than anyone, they questioned their neighbors patriotism. And believed that only PURE Germans had the right to live! They hated Gays, and rounded them up, put them in concentration camps. They told LIES about the Jews, over and over, until the people of Germany believed the lies. And they killed 6 million Jews. They burned books that they did not agree with, silenced music unless it was state sanctioned by their leader.
Beware of small angry groups, that want a "purity test" America!
Beware of any group that claims to love America more than you do!
only 600 people showed up to this crock.....these people are so out of touch with America it is pathetic..they are totally racist and a disgrace to all races who fought for our country
and I am from colorado like tancrado and NOONE in my area agrees with this guy
Those most hilarious part of Tancredo's ridiculous rant is the hypocrisy of his statements (as is the case with many of these fringe right blowhards) . Tancredo's grandparents are Italian immigrants. So under Mr. Tancredo's rationale his grandparents should not have been allowed to vote. What a clown.
CNN, why is what a bunch of mentally imbalanced, ignorant racists say such big news warranting constant coverage?
Hey look... a bunch of angry, ignorant white folks stirred into a frenzy of mindless fear and denial by Tancredo, Dick Armee and FOX NEWS. And to think, they're only getting fleeced $500 a pop to act like sheep.
Tea Party Convention organizer says Tancredo gave fantastic speech
These are the same fools that said
" I don't know her, but she's the best"
Remember that.
I believe they gather each morning to practice their lines.
These people are a threat and a danger to our country.
no president raped the country more than bush and his cronies...Obama has spent government money on America...bush gave it to cheney...wake up people and realize that Obama is doing what he can with the mess bush left...give it time and come together as Americans..the more the GOP says no ...the worse they look
In the 1920's there was another so called "populist"movement made up of real Americans who wanted to take their country back and have it run with their set of American values. They had rallies with thousands of supporters in Washington. They marched down Pennsylvania Ave proudly waving their signs and wearing their sheets. That's right the good old KKK was quite popular in the early 1920's until people came to their senses and saw them for what they really were. So it will be with this bunch of extremists.
This article makes me sick. As long as the media reports these events, they will continue and grow. STOP reporting on these events and STOP reporting every move that ignorant Sarah Palin makes. The media is making her rich.
Tea Party Members > Socialist Liberal DUMocRATS
Don't agree with all the TEA platform, but a lot of it is GOOD.
At a recent Tea Party here in San Antonio I decided to wade into the crowd with my notebook in hand and get some opinions, but I specifically targetted people that I felt were already retired. And I did it for a reason.
I interviewed 27 people, all retired, and asked for their opinions on the health care plan, etc. My purpose was to ferret out the misguided beliefs and I wasn't disappointed. All 27 stated that they wanted no part of socialized "anything" for themselves.
All are on medicare/medicaid in one form or another and collecting social security checks every month – both of which are socialized programs. When I mentioned this to each and every one of them, they couldn't believe it or were speechless, except for one man who stated that this was diferent because it was going to be Muslim, socialized medicine from Nigeria, where Obama was born.
Enough said?
One should read a variety of foreign newservice sites or papers and you will specifically read something to the effect that as great as America is, we are clearly the most uninformed electorate on the planet and easily maneuvered by the powers that be that have an agenda. It's truly sad.
Tea Partiers ... the latest in a long line of American whack jobs.
LacrosseMom(the real one) – I make mine your words.
Sue is probably the dumbest person that ever posted here.
Back up ONE of those claims, honey. You are truly sad.
Sue, you're ignorant and you show it. You're a disgrace to women with the name Susan (unless you're the eponymous "Boy named Sue", which would explain a lot). You're very good at assertions, but you offer ZERO evidence of any of your contentions, just like the rest of the teabaggers. Believing in something fervently doesn't make it true. Didn't you learn that in regards to Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy?
To Sue, and all of you who think like she does, where is you proof? What data do you have to substantiate your claims that millions of people who voted for President Obama were illegal aliens? Don't any of you realize how foolish you appear to be? All I can say is Tancredo and the whole bunch of Tea Party people are sick.
what a pack of lunatics.... does even ONE of them understand what socialism means??? NOPE
Personal to Sue:
Congratulations for giving us a great example of uneducated!
Cnn is just as SICK for even giving the ATTENTION to this MORON RACIIST, and these NOTHINGS ,the Tea Baggers are the most IDIOTS .The President just Cleaned the CLOCKS of the GOP in Baltimore, a few days ago. Those BAGGERS should take a CLOSE LOOK ,at that CLOWN PARTY OF NO, and see THEMSELVES, and that WORD is DUMB,and another word is STUPID. Cnn is the CRUSADER of the GOP, RNC, and should know one thing for SURE, the SMART AMERICAN PEOPLE, are very AWARE ,what CNN is up to, and that is try to take down President Obama, and i got news for the Tea baggera and CNN, America will wake up,and 2010 will see a WAVE OF POWER, even more so ,than 2008.This Tom Tan Weirdo, is a CLOWN, and Dangereous to talk like that about President Obama.This so called grass roots movement is RACIST, with NO AGENDA ,but HATE. And CNN has no class ,even Showing this Nonsense. Cnn is so Palin ,Gop, Rnc, it a SHAMEFULL News Network, like the TEA BAGGERS. More Power to President Obama ,and for the American People, Change is Still on the WAY,but not the TEA BAG WAY.
Given the comments of their first speaker, I would think one of the tea-bagger's "first principles" must include: "I am a proud gun-wielding racist reactionary who deplores anything to do with people of color, people holding other cultural values, people who speak a different language (even though english may be their first language), people who strive to understand another's point of view and compromise for the benefit of all, people who think for themselves, people who believe that the Bill of Rights bolsters the creditbility of the Constitution to the rest of the world, people who believe the strength of our country comes from the rich blend of all it's peoples and values." Notice Sarah, I didn't say, 'retarded' anywhere in my rant.
Anybody who complains about socialism needs to stop smoking my pot!! Without it we would not have the great society that we do!! No matter how bad it gets here in the US its better than any other country in the world!!! Without the "socialist" agenda the citizens of this great country would not have PUBLIC SCHOOLS, or a FIRE DEPARTMENT, POLICE DEPARTMENT.. and even evil MEDICARE!!! These teabags are some of the people receiving MEDICARE!!! Who do you think receives government assistance to all these tea bags who just lost their jobs!!!! We the people create jobs.. not the government! So if you want the government out of your lives so bad don't rely on it to shape the future for you!
I strive to be articulate and not engage in name calling, but this time I can't resist: Tom Tancredo is SHORT.
The tea baggers have no clue what socialism is, because if they did it would be very obvious that Barack Obama is nowhere close to a socialist.
Unfortunately it is easier to hate then it is to love.


text:
Bangalore, India, and Aachen, Germany, June 16, 2020 – Utimaco, a leading provider of professional IT security solutions, and eMudhra, a global digital enabler and a premier provider of PKI and Cybersecurity solutions, will work together and jointly offer products in a wide range of specific areas including Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), Authentication, Blockchain, Document Signing, Database Encryption, Identity & Access Management (IAM), Transaction Security and so on. With digitization being accelerated across industries since the beginning of the global coronavirus pandemic, these security applications are only gaining in importance as they are key elements of any security infrastructure to protect and secure data, identities and transactions.
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Utimaco U-Trust is a program designed to combine Utimaco's solutions with those of innovative technology partners. This will help joint customers to prepare for the cyber security challenges that will arise from an increasing threat situation in the future. Technology integration is an elementary component of the Utimaco partner program. The objective is to seamlessly link partners' products to Utimaco solutions. Utimaco and its partners offer a wide range of security solutions to protect data and transactions for various industries, from banks and financial service providers to the automotive industry, public administrations and cloud providers.
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text:
I live my life in a state of constant anticipation.
I know each week what I have to look forward to – which new albums and new movies will hit, which TV shows I'll be watching with which group of friends. Every day I have something to yearn for, something to get me through. When I liked my life a lot less than I do now, that sort of lifestyle came in very handy. It warded off despair. But now, it's just fun.
I keep a running calendar of new album releases, which I add to nearly every day. (Just today, I penciled in the new Travis album, Where You Stand, under August 20.) There are 39 albums between now and the end of August that I have deemed important enough to write down on this calendar, and of those, I'm really looking forward to about a dozen. These are the ones I'm counting the days for, the ones I'm out-of-my-skin excited to hear.
Yes, I know, it can all go wrong. (See this week's review.) But this is how I live. I'm eternally hopeful that the next album I buy, the next song I hear will change my life. It could be any of the 39 I have listed on my calendar. (Or it could be a record that takes me by surprise.) I do have realistic expectations, but I like to remain as optimistic as I can.
So, as part of my ongoing attempt to show you what it's like to be me, here's a quick look at a few new albums I'm anticipating, and whether I honestly think they'll be any good.
The Boxer Rebellion, Promises.
Release date: May 14.
Hopes and fears: I can't claim to be a longtime fan of this glorious London band. I picked up their third album, 2011's The Cold Still, on a whim. But its simple, effective songs and commitment to atmosphere blew me away. The Boxer Rebellion is the band the National wishes they could be. Their fourth album promises (heh) more of the same, but when the same is this good, I don't mind.
The odds: Probably pretty good. This is a band with a fine track record and a superb style. Even if they don't change much, this ought to satisfy.
Vampire Weekend, Modern Vampires of the City.
Release date: May 14.
Hopes and fears: Here's a classic case of a band with a unique sound, a smashing debut, and a rushed, mediocre follow-up. Some really liked Contra, but I'm glad this band took a few years to craft the unfortunately-titled follow-up. I like their Paul Simon goes Ivy League sound well enough that I can forgive a misstep. But probably not a second one in a row.
The odds: Meh. The songs I have heard from this album have underwhelmed me, and while I'm still interested, I'm not banking on this being excellent. Plus, it's called Modern Vampires of the City, which is strike one already.
Daft Punk, Random Access Memories.
Release date: May 21.
Hopes and fears: It's been eight years since Human After All, this French duo's mediocre third record. In that time, they wrote a pretty awesome score for Tron: Legacy, and as far as I can tell, spent the rest of their days and nights writing and recording this new album. It supposedly makes greater use of live musicians, as the first single ("Get Lucky," with Pharrell Williams on vocals) definitely bears out. I expect a late-'70s dance party.
The odds: Quite good, actually. The list of collaborators is strong, including the great Nile Rodgers, and early reviews have been sparkling. Plus, it's called Random Access Memories, which is an amazing title.
The Polyphonic Spree, Yes, It's True.
Release date: May 28.
Hopes and fears: Tim DeLaughter's absolutely gargantuan peace-and-love collective stumbled with their third album, the somewhat harsh The Fragile Army, back in 2007. But they've had plenty of time to give birth to this new effort, and they raised $100,000 on Kickstarter to make it happen. There really isn't another band like the Spree, so I'm glad to see them return.
The odds: Not bad. The 11 tracks are reportedly separate affairs, instead of blending into one long listening experience. Still, what I've heard has been very Spree-like, which fills me with joy.
Black Sabbath, 13.
Release date: June 11.
Hopes and fears: Reunion records are always problematic. Despite Black Sabbath's pedigree as one of the most important metal bands in the world, you'd be forgiven for not expecting much from their first album with Ozzy Osbourne since 1978. I wasn't thrilled either, until I heard the first leaked song, "God Is Dead?" And well, damn. It's nine minutes of classic Sabbath, and even ol' batbiter himself sounds pretty good. So this goes on the "most anticipated" list.
The odds: Have you heard "God is Dead?" Because, damn. If they can keep that up over all eight tracks, this should be one for the ages.
Hanson, Anthem.
Release date: June 18.
Hopes and fears: Laugh if you must, but Hanson has evolved into a really good soul-pop band. Their sixth album will hopefully build on the musical leaps they took on 2010's Shout It Out. Plus, I get a little charge out of playing new Hanson tracks for people, and watching their jaws drop. I'm very much looking forward to resuming that practice.
The odds: Very good. The first single, "Get the Girl Back," is a ton of fun, and it feels like the Hanson brothers have kept on growing.
Sigur Ros, Kveikur.
Release date: June 18.
Hopes and fears: Sigur Ros might be the most singular band on the planet. They have a very specific style, all pianos and high vocals and crashing dynamics. So when they shake up that style, as they seem to have on the reportedly dark Kveikur, it's always worrying. The first single was proto-metal, the second a kind of pure pop. Both songs are unfailingly interesting, but quite different.
The odds: Well, Sigur Ros has never disappointed me, and given how much I like what I've heard here, I doubt they're about to start. A different-sounding Sigur Ros album is likely still a Sigur Ros album, and I'm very excited to hear this one.
Gogol Bordello, Pura Vida Conspiracy.
Release date: July 23.
Hopes and fears: The world's greatest gypsy punk band smoothed themselves out somewhat for 2010's Trans-Continental Hustle, but they still sounded great. Nobody could really smooth out Ukranian madman Eugene Hutz, but Rick Rubin gave it his best shot. I'm glad to see them move away from his care, and I hope Andrew Scheps kept the fire burning on this new album. First single "Malandrino" is pretty awesome, once it gets going.
The odds: Not bad. Even if they're kinder and gentler, I think I'm going to enjoy this.
Travis, Where You Stand.
Release date: August 20.
Hopes and fears: Travis is one of the most inconsistent bands I know. They seem to lead two lives – the fragile acoustic pop band who made The Invisible Band and The Man Who, and the raucous rockers who slammed out 12 Memories and Ode to J. Smith. This reunion album comes after Fran Healy's attempt to launch a solo career, so I'm on the lookout for signs of resignation.
The odds: 50/50. The title track has been released, and it sounds like Travis is in acoustic pop mode again. It isn't bad, but I'm reserving judgment (and optimism) until I hear the whole thing.
Daniel Amos, Dig Here, Said the Angel.
Release date: Summer.
Hopes and fears: This is the pioneering band's first album together since 2001, and while it may seem redundant to say so, it's been a long time coming. I gladly gave to the Kickstarter drive for this album, just for the possibility of hearing another 10 or 12 Terry Scott Taylor songs. Daniel Amos is a national treasure, and I'm positively giddy at the notion of spending another hour in their company.
The odds: Pretty awesome. The band released a rough mix of a song called "Love, Grace and Mercy," and it's great – it's got that '60s vibe and that inspired melodicism that I adore. I physically cannot wait until this thing lands in my mailbox.
There are plenty more, of course, but these 10 are the ones I'm most ready to hear right freaking now. I'll keep you updated. Feel free to send me your lists as well.
* * * * *
Of course, as I mentioned earlier, it can all go wrong. The problem with anticipation is that when an eagerly expected album disappoints, I have to determine whether I was hoping for too much from it, or if it really does fall short. That usually requires half a dozen more painful listens and a whole bunch of mental slate-cleansing.
If you'd asked me a month ago for a similar list, there's no doubt that Bankrupt, the fifth album by French synth-poppers Phoenix, would have been on it. Like most of you, I loved their fourth, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix. The one-two punch of "Lisztomania" and "1901" knocked me out, but the album as a whole, mashing up glittering dance tunes with more progressive moments, was one of 2009's best. Most importantly, it was one of 2009's hookiest – the songs were gyrating wonders, bursting with melodies you remembered for weeks.
All of which makes Bankrupt so much harder to understand. If you're going to call your album Bankrupt, you had better make sure it doesn't sound like a tired effort by a band out of ideas. Unfortunately, this one does. None of these 10 songs sports a killer hook, none of them displays the lightness of touch that previously defined this band. It's a ponderous, and ultimately boring effort that wastes the voice of Thomas Mars on meandering, leaden tunes.
The first single and leadoff track, "Entertainment," is a middling Phoenix song, its Eastern-sounding keyboard riff the best thing about it. Sadly, it's the album's best track. The thick-as-bricks synth sounds remain throughout, all but suffocating what melodies are here, so when the band hits upon something promising, like the slight but fun "Trying to Be Cool," it's dragged down into the muck. It doesn't help that this album has been mastered by ramming everything into the red. It's almost abrasive.
But I could deal with misguided production choices if the songs were good. They're simply not. A song like "Chloroform" may feel to the band like an evolution, but evolving away from strong hooks into plodding, endless repetition isn't change for the better. The seven-minute title track may be the most infuriating thing Phoenix has ever done. It's meant to be a slow build, like Wolfgang's "Love Like a Sunset," but it doesn't actually build. It just sprinkles random synth noises on you for an eternity.
The deluxe edition of Bankrupt comes with a bonus disc containing 71 sketches from the writing sessions, which I guess is so you can hear the lack of ideas forming before your ears. That it's more enjoyable than the bulk of the main album is just sad. I've been trying to enjoy this for weeks, and that particular thrill has eluded me. It saddens me to report that Bankrupt lives up to its title. It's a cautionary tale about what happens when we expect and pressure a band to perform miracles every time out, and a good reminder to keep our anticipation in check.
* * * * *
Next week, two of the records on this list: Vampire Weekend and the Boxer Rebellion. Leave a comment on my blog at tm3am.blogspot.com. Follow me on Facebook and Twitter to stay up to date.
See you in line Tuesday morning.