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MONTPELIER, Vt. >> The full measure of Hurricane Irene's fury came into focus Monday as the death toll jumped to 38, New England towns battled epic floods and millions faced the dispiriting prospect of several days without electricity.
From North Carolina to Maine, communities cleaned up and took stock of the uneven and hard-to-predict costs of a storm that spared the nation's biggest city a nightmare scenario, only to deliver a historic wallop to towns well inland.
In New York City, where people had braced for a disaster-movie scene of water swirling around skyscrapers, the subways and buses were up and running again in time for the Monday morning commute. And to the surprise of many New Yorkers, things went pretty smoothly.
But in New England, landlocked Vermont contended with what its governor called the worst flooding in a century. Streams also raged out of control in upstate New York.
In many cases, the moment of maximum danger arrived well after the storm had passed, as rainwater made its way into rivers and streams and turned them into torrents. Irene dumped up to 11 inches of rain on Vermont and more than 13 in parts of New York.
"We were expecting heavy rains," said Bobbi-Jean Jeun of Clarksville, a hamlet near Albany, N.Y. "We were expecting flooding. We weren't expecting devastation. It looks like somebody set a bomb off."
Meanwhile, the 11-state death toll, which had stood at 21 as of Sunday night, rose sharply as bodies were pulled from floodwaters and people were electrocuted by downed power lines.
The tally of Irene's destruction mounted, too. An apparently vacant home exploded in an evacuated, flooded area in Pompton Lakes, N.J., early Monday, and firefighters had to battle the flames from a boat. In the Albany, N.Y., suburb of Guilderland, police rescued two people Monday after their car was swept away. Rescuers found them three hours later, clinging to trees along the swollen creek.
"It's going to take time to recover from a storm of this magnitude," President Barack Obama warned as he promised the government would do everything in its power to help people get back on their feet.
For many people, the aftermath could prove more painful than the storm itself.
In North Carolina, where Irene blew ashore along the Outer Banks on Saturday before heading for New York and New England, 1,000 people were still in emergency shelters, awaiting word on their homes.
At the same time, nearly 5 million homes and businesses in a dozen states were still without electricity, and utilities warned it might be a week or more before some people got their power back.
"Once the refrigerator gets warm, my insulin goes bad. I could go into diabetic shock. It's kind of scary because we don't know how long it's going to be out for," said Patricia Dillon, a partially paralyzed resident of a home for the disabled in Milford, Conn., where the electricity was out and a generator failed. Her voice cracking, she added: "I'm very tired, stressed out, aggravated, scared."
Russ Furlong of Barrington, R.I., ruefully remembered the two weeks he went without power after Hurricane Bob 20 years ago.
"Hopefully, we won't have to wait that long this time," he said. "Last night we had candles. It was romantic. It was fun. But that feeling doesn't last too long."
Up and down the Eastern Seaboard, commuters and vacationers found their travel plans scrambled. Airlines warned it would be days before the thousands of passengers stranded by Irene find their way home. Some Amtrak service in the Northeast was suspended. Commuter trains between New Jersey and New York City were not running. Trains between the city and its northern suburbs were also disrupted.
Kris and Jennifer Sylvester of Brooklyn sat on a bench in the town center in Woodstock, N.Y., with luggage at their feet and their daughters, aged 4 and 9, holding signs reading, "Need a Ride 2 NYC" and "Help Us, No Bus, No Train." They rode Amtrak out for a long weekend in the country, but were unable to get home.
"We're hoping for anything," Jennifer Sylvester said.
In Vermont, the state's emergency management headquarters stood empty, evacuated because of river flooding from Irene's heavy rains. Rescuers used a boat and bucket loaders to pluck seven people from a swamped mobile home park in Lyndonville.
In upstate New York, authorities were closely watching major dams holding back drinking water reservoirs.
Throughout the region, hundreds of roads were impassable because of flooding or fallen trees, and some bridges had simply given way, including a 156-year-old hand-hewn, wooden, covered bridge across Schoharie Creek in Blenheim, N.Y. In all, more than a dozen towns in Vermont and at least three in New York remained cut off by flooded roads and bridges.
Still, there were glimmers of good news. In Pennsylvania, the Delaware River largely remained in its banks, cresting several feet lower than feared. The forecast for flooding on the Mohawk River in New York also eased at Schenectady, N.Y., where officials had worried that high water might threaten the city's drinking water and sewage treatment plant.
Early estimates put Irene's damage at $7 billion to $10 billion, much smaller than the impact of monster storms such as Hurricane Katrina, which did more than $100 billion in damage. Irene's effects are small compared to the overall U.S. economy, which produces about $14 trillion of goods and services every year.
While hard-hit regions, such as the North Carolina coast, will suffer from lost tourism, rebuilding homes, repairing cars, and fixing streets and bridges should provide a small boost to economy, experts said.
Irene was also good for business at Fantastic Kids Toys in New York City, where sales of board games and arts-and-crafts items surged on Friday and Saturday. "People were buying anything to keep their kids busy," owner Steve Reis said.
Many people were surprised by the destruction that Hurricane Irene wrought in communities far inland. But National Weather Service records show that 59 percent of the deaths attributed to hurricanes since the 1970s have been from freshwater flooding.
As for why the flooding was so bad this time, Shaun Tanner, a meteorologist with the forecasting service Weather Underground, noted that August had been unusually wet, and Irene's sheer size meant huge amounts of rain were dumped over a very large area.
"More attention should have been paid to the torrential rain that Irene was going to dump not only on coastal areas, but also inland. That was clear several days ahead of time," Tanner said.
Jennifer Peltz contributed to this story from New York City. Associated Press writers John Christoffersen in East Haven, Conn.; Kevin Begos in Pittsburgh; Michael Gormley in Albany, N.Y.; Michael Hill in Woodstock, N.Y.; David Porter in Pompton Lakes, N.J.; Michael Rubinkam in Easton, Pa.; Erika Niedowski in Providence, R.I.; Laura Crimaldi in Cranston, R.I.; Dave Gramm in Montpelier; and Jon Fahey, Samantha Bomkamp, Eileen A.J. Connelly, Anne D'Innocenzio, Verena Dobnik, Chris Kahn, Karen Matthews, Christina Rexrode and Karen Zraick in New York City contributed to this report.


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The Dictator may be the first fully scripted movie in which Sacha Baron Cohen has starred, but it's still essentially the same as his first two films, Borat and Bruno. He's still playing an outlandish foreigner with a weird hairstyle, he's still traveling to America to see how they react to that character, and he's still pushing every envelope he comes across, this time tackling terrorism, sexism, abortion, rape, and of course dictatorships. But just as Bruno felt a little hollower than Borat, The Dictator is worse than both of them, an uncomfortable mix of comic setpieces and a treacly plot about a dictator who just wants to be loved.
What's weird is that if often feels just a few steps away from succeeding. The script, written by a huge team of people including Baron Cohen, comes up with a number of good zingers, and throws the dictator Admiral General Aladeen into situations just ridiculous enough to be hilarious. The opening montage, in which we meet the General as the pampered ruler of Wadiya, shows him hosting his own Olympics in which he shoots the competition, or the palace with topiaries shaped like the General's head-- funny, silly stuff. And with Larry Charles reuniting with Baron Cohen for the third time after Bruno and Borat, he seems totally capable of bringing out Baron Cohen's best lines and impulses, and in the film's best scenes-- often montages set to pseudo-Arabic covers of pop songs like "9 to 5"-- he does just that.
But it quickly becomes clear that the team behind The Dictator have a lot more jokes in mind than an actual story, or even a concrete character to put in the center of it. Unlike Bruno and Borat, who felt really specific in their eccentricities and lovable obnoxious traits, General Aladeen is more like a collection of gags, prone to violence or outrageous statements not because they make sense for the character, but because they'll get a laugh. When he travels to New York to visit the United Nations only to be overthrown by his brother (Ben Kingsley) and replaced with a double, General Aladeen is adrift without his nation of sycophants, and winds up taken in by organic grocery store owner Zoe (Anna Faris), who sees him as a distressed political exile. Aladeen has paid beautiful women for sex all his life, and it makes sense for him to be disgusted by Zoe's overalls and hairy armpits, which he is… until the plot mechanics start up and he falls for her anyway.
It's the same thing when Aladeen teams up with Nadal (Jason Mantzoukas), the scientist he banned from Wadiya and tried to execute. Nadal has no reason to trust him, and the team-up makes no sense except that the plot needs to get there. Or when Aladeen and Nadal take a helicopter trip to scout out the hotel where he's planning to overthrow his stand-in, and despite the fact that we've only seen Aladeen and everyone in Wadiya speak English, they start chatting in a fake Arab-sounding language. The previous scene had Nadal insisting to Aladeen to seem as American as possible, to the point that he's wearing an American flag sweatsuit. But on the helicopter tour, which of course includes two stunned Midwesterners, Nadal and Aladeen happily chat about cars in their "native" tongue, which of course sounds like they're plotting the next 9/11.
That scene could have been so funny in the proper context, and the spirit of the joke-- paranoid Americans mistaking every brown-skinned man as a terrorist-- is both silly and politically relevant. But the lack of setup is just lazy, and it speaks to The Dictator's conflicting motives of telling a joke at every turn and actually telling a good story. Most scenes either go on too long-- Charles's comic timing in the edits seems badly off-- or takes the joke too far, and eventually The Dictator feels stuck spinning its wheels, with a character who can't really develop and a story that won't go anywhere surprising. There's enough good material in there to earn some laughs, but so many of them seem compromised or on the verge of something even better. Sacha Baron Cohen is at the point in his career where his every comedic whim can be realized, but in The Dictator he's still stuck in a vehicle where he can't quite reach his full potential.
Staff Writer at CinemaBlend
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This article is more than 1 year old
Directgov farms out web content across Europe
Putting public service oeufs in many baskets
Updated The UK government's internet portal that serves as a one-stop public services shop for British citizens caches its website at locations throughout the European Union, The Register has learned.
Directgov, whose content management system, hosting and managed service is maintained by NTT Europe Online, operates from "primary servers" in the UK where content for the site is initially created, modified and published.
However, it doesn't end there. The government's portal additionally has a number of "network caches" that bounce the web content back and forth between data centres in the EU.
"To enable Directgov to provide a robust, resilient and reliable service the infrastructure used to host the website makes use of a number of 'network caches', which hold the web content and send it to your browser without always having to access the 'Primary' servers," explained a Directgov spokesman.
"To ensure resilience in the event of any network or component not working, these 'caches' are located in several different data centres located throughout the European Union."
El Reg contacted Directgov after reader Neil alerted us to the fact that he couldn't resolve the website's IP address to a UK location, despite several attempts.
"I flushed all my local cache first too," said Neil who reasonably asked the question: "Why the heck would the UK government's portal be in France?"
Similar checks carried out at Vulture Central led us to server locations in Germany.
According to the Directgov spokesman, the addresses that resulted via various queries would have been the "network caches" used by NTT. And apparently - for Directgov at least - that is normal practice.
"It is entirely for the provider to decide how and where the service is delivered, in the case of hosting through NTT - provided that the government's stringent security measures are followed," he said.
NTT, in partnership with Xansa, won the £6m contract to provide a content management system, hosting and support for Directgov's managed service in June 2006.
The company, which is owned by NTT Communications Corporation, has data centres in London, Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt and Geneva.
We asked the Directgov spokesman why it was necessary for the web content to be farmed out to locations elsewhere in Europe.
"Directgov is responsible for securing best value for money for UK citizens," he said.
Switch maker Cisco describes network caching as a "technique of keeping frequently accessed information in a location close to the requester."
The cache stores web pages and content on a storage device that is either "physically or logically closer to the user", or is closer and faster than a web lookup.
Such a method can help reduce traffic on WAN links and on busy web servers, all of which is good for ISPs, big networks, and even end users, in helping to speed response times.
But the downside for some is that potentially sensitive government data could end up cached abroad. Meanwhile, Directgov prides itself on being a portal that puts "public services all in one place"... ®
Directgov's CTO David Matthewman contacted us to clarify what data is stored on its servers.
"We don't actually store any government data or personal data with one very small exception," he said.
"If someone emails our helpdesk with a question about the site then we store their email address for a couple of months until the question has been answered."
Matthewman added that the risk of government data getting into the wrong hands via the Directgov portal was therefore "incredibly negligible."


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Isn't it scary how many people don't know if Europe is a country or a continent? Wow…
What kind of expectations should we have from the poor, ignorant people if even the president called Europe a country?!
Now, let's give the man the benefit of the doubt. Maybe he wanted to say "countries like in Europe" and not "countries like Europe" 🙂
Enjoy reading the following top 10 ten interesting and fun facts about Europe.
10. Istanbul, the City of Two Continents
Since ancient times, Magical Istanbul has united Asia and Europe through the mighty Strait of Bosphorus. Without a doubt, this amazing city is one of the most beautiful places on earth. Istanbul is the only metropolis in the world bridging two continents. Istanbul was Europe's Capital of Culture in 2010, a program initiated by the European Union.
Throughout history, the city has been the capital of many empires. Napoleon Bonaparte once said: "If the earth was a single state, Istanbul would be its capital."
If you are considering breakfast in Asia and lunch in Europe, Istanbul is the place for you!
9. Europe's Most Famous and Active Volcanoes
Etna is Europe's largest active volcano. With a maximum elevation of about 3350 m, Mount Etna is a stratovolcano situated in Sicily, southern Italy.
The tallest European volcano is actually one of the most active volcanoes in the world. Etna erupted again this year and one of the most recent eruptions occurred at the end of July. You can look for updates on this topic browsing the website of Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia. An English version is available. The volcano's eruptions have been documented since ancient times, more exactly since 1500 BC. It's the longest period of documented eruptions in the world.
Stromboli is also one of the planet's most active volcanoes. It is one of the eight Aeolian Islands (Isole Eolie), a volcanic archipelago off the coast. According to specialists, Stromboli is the only active volcano on the European mainland.
Mount Vesuvius, best known for its eruption that completely destroyed Pompeii and Herculaneum, last erupted 67 years ago, in 1944.
Vatnajökull (Iceland) is the largest European glacier in volume and underneath its ice-cap are at least seven volcanoes located.
8. The Largest/Smallest Country in the World
Europe is home to both the smallest country in the world, Vatican City State
According to the CIA World Factbook, Russia's area compromises 17,098,242 sq km (land 16,377,742 sq km; water 720,500 sq km), while Vatican's area is only 0.44 sq km. The Vatican City State is a UNESCO world heritage centre, the only site to encompass an entire state.
7. The Merry Cemetery in Romania
Cemeteries are often sad places, but they can also be amusing and entertaining. Sapanta, in Northern Romania, is worldwide famous for its Merry Cemetery, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sapanta is a unique cemetery and a major touristic attraction. What is so unusual about it? The atypical design of the tombstones. The tombstones are big crosses sculpted from oak wood. They are painted by hand in vivid colors such as red, blue, green, yellow and engraved with funny epitaphs briefly describing the life or the circumstances in which these persons passed away.
The man behind this concept is Romanian craftsman Ioan Stan Patras, who started sculpting the crosses in 1935. The ancient culture of the Dacians, the Romanian's ancestors, viewed death as liberation and the soul as immortal. Sapanta preserves this positive attitude towards death and welcomes it with a smile.
6. The Statue of Liberty was Constructed in France
Unknown to many of us, the famous Statue of Liberty was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi. The colossal neoclassical sculpture was constructed in France and given as a gift of friendship to the United States of America. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the brilliant French engineer behind the Eiffel Tower in Paris, made the statue's steel framework.
The total overall height of the statue is 305 feet, 6 inches, and the seven rays on Lady's Liberty crown represent the seven continents.
Replicas of Lady Liberty have been created all over the world, the most famous being located in France.
5. Europe, the Meaning
According to ancient Greek mythology, Europa was a beautiful Phoenician princess. She was the daughter of Agenor, king of Tyre. Zeus felt in love with Europa, so he decided to appear in front of her as a magnificent white bull to gain her trust. Zeus's power of metamorphosis is a key element in Greek mythology.
The princess climbed on the bull's back and was immediately carried to Crete, where Zeus revealed himself to Europa in all his glory. The king of Gods and Europa had three children – Sarpedon, Minos and Rhadamanthys.
Etymologically speaking, the word Europe comes from ancient Greek and means broad, wide-gazing, broad of aspect.
4. The Mediterranean Was Once a Desert
In the last 40 years solid evidence has been found that the Mediterranean Sea frequently dried up completely in the past. The event is also known as the Messinian Salinity Crisis. The amazing story of the discovery is told in "The Mediterranean Was a Desert, Voyage of the Glomar Challenger" by Kenneth J. Hsu.
According to Rob Butler, "the 'Salinity Crisis' in the Mediterranean represents one of the most dramatic examples environmental change outside of glaciated areas in the relatively young geological record."
3. Greatest Empires
Many of the greatest empires in history were based in Europe. The British Empire was at one time the largest empire in the world. It covered more than 36 million square kilometers and had a population between 480 and 570 million people. At the peak of the Empire's power, it was said that the "sun never sets" on it, because the sun was always shining on at least one part of the Empire. It covered a quarter of the Earth's surface.
Other notable colonial empires were the Spanish Empire, the Russian Empire, the French Empire, the Portuguese Empire etc.
The Roman Empire, a pre-colonial empire, often described as the cradle of modern civilization, was one of the world's most successful empires.
2. The Longest Names
Prepare yourself for some of the longest names officially recognized. It is hard to beat Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu, the M?ori name for a hill in New Zealand, but let's give it a try.
A village in Wales, United Kingdom contains 58 letters and is the longest European one-word place-name. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch means "Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave." The shorter version of this name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyll.
Check out these other unusually long names: Äteritsiputeritsipuolilautatsijänkä, located in Finland, Siemieniakowszczyzna in Poland and Newtownmountkennedy in Ireland.
1. Age of Migrations
The "Age of Migrations" remains one of the most unknown facts about Europe. There was a period in history, also called the Migration Period, when various tribes flooded Europe.
The first phase of the migration movement came to an end around 500 AD, when the Germanic tribes (Franks, Goths, Saxons, Vandals, Lombards etc.) established their own kingdoms in Central, Western, Southern and SE Europe. This period was followed by the second phase of the Migration Period ((ca. 500-700 AD), the migration of the Slavic people.
The invasions of the Avars and Bulgarians, the Muslim Conquest of Sicily, the Hungarian Invasions and the invasion of the Vikings are other important moments in European history.
This is how the rich course of history has shaped and defined Europe's peoples and their intangible culture over the centuries.


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I was in Orlando, Florida last week and got to stop by FamiLAB for a quick tour. They moved into their current location in 2015, and there was a full build-out, and they've got a space that appears to be what they wanted. I snapped a few photos along they way, so enjoy!
The lobby/lounge area had some couches and lots of video game systems, and this awesome set of LED lamps that a member made. They feature laser-cut wood and rice paper along with RGB LEDs and a microcontoller.
FamiLAB has a stained glass workbench, and this is a piece a member made (their first piece ever!) which features the FamiLAB logo. I had though it was just one big piece of glass cut to that shape, but I was told each individual section is a piece of glass, and they all get attached together. Impressive!
Hey, it's a 3D Printer! It looks like an older CubeX that is being ripped apart to install some open source electronics. (I'm speculating here…) There's also a local 3D Printer company called DeltaMaker that some of the members are involved with. (I did see some DeltaMaker machines while at the Orlando Science Center.)
This makerspace has an actual darkroom… for film, and it works, and it's functional. This is somewhat rare, from what I've seen.
There's a vending machine where you can buy electronic parts and other things. There was mention of trying to stock it with items some of the members make, including fine chocolates and some amazing jerky.
There's a Haas Milling Machine that took some time to get up and running, but cost almost nothing to acquire and repair.
An old lathe is a good lathe… Solid construction, heavy as hell. Supposedly there was talk of cleaning it up real nice but how can you disturb a machine with so much character and history?
There's a big CNC Router for cutting large sheets of wood or other materials…
The classroom, and the office-type rooms were all brightly lit and had white (well, very light grey) walls. It felt much different than so many of the Midwest makerspaces that are in dingy old industrial buildings. Granted, they did to a lot of the build-out of the space, and made conscious decisions about the way it should look.
When I looked up at the tall ceilings I asked about building a mezzanine or second floor, and that's when I was reminded that in Florida it probably gets to 120° F at the top of the building in the summer. They've got some big AC units, but not enough to combat that sort of heat! They also have no furnace, which again, sounds weird to me being a Wisconsin resident.
One more Florida thing, there's actually a swamp next to the building, which is handy, because that's where they vent their laser cutter exhaust. Oh, and their laser cutter & 3D printing room has a super-seal on the door to ensure all fumes get sucked out of the building, and none of them leak back into the rest of the space.
Overall, FamiLAB looks like a pretty cool space with some cool people. A bunch of them are also heavily involved in Maker Faire Orlando, which is also excellent.
Oh, I also made a very brief visit to Skycraft Parts & Surplus, which is pretty much the equivalent of American Science & Surplus if you live in Milwaukee, or Ax-Man Surplus if you live in Minneapolis. Does every city have these kinds of stores?


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Our comprehensive range includes Manual Sanitary Napkin Making Machine, Automatic Sanitary Pads Making Machine Model No: OS-ND80 Anion chip and Sanitary Pads Making Machine.
The thermal fogger is the polar opposite of the cold fogger. They're also known as ULV (ultra-low volume) foggers since they don't utilise heat to evaporate the fogging liquid, instead opting for the cold spraying approach, which in most cases employs air pressure to spray the liquid out in minute particles.
Pest control firms utilise portable thermal fogging devices outside to eliminate mosquitoes and other outdoor pests. Because they need gas or propane to operate, they are a fire danger and should not be used indoors.
Ash bricks are superior to clay bricks in every way. They are environmentally good because the majority of the constituent is ash, and fly ash bricks are stronger than red bricks. Fly ash brick, which is the best brick for home construction, is an option.


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Friday, December 21, 2012
Gary Gygax on Christmas and Christianity
Speaking as someone who is not particularly religious, but nonetheless celebrates Christmas with a tree, gift-giving and feasting, I also find in Gary's words here a welcome reminder that Christmas and Christianity are not as tightly coupled as one might think. Happy holidays!
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Gaming is Now 100 Years Old
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WASHINGTON — Russia's annexation of Crimea may have put the world economy on edge, but for the U.S. rocket industry, at least, the standoff over Ukraine hasn't been all bad.
Since the showdown began, NASA officials, along with industry groups and politicians such as U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, have renewed calls to speed up the creation of a U.S.-run "taxi service" to the International Space Station.
The goal is to free NASA from having to pay Russia to fly U.S. astronauts to the outpost. The service is costing NASA about $1.7 billion from 2012 to 2017.
In a Tuesday blog post, NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden blamed Congress for not giving NASA enough money to fund the taxi service, which would pay U.S. rocket companies to transport NASA astronauts to the station.
"Later today (Tuesday), NASA astronaut Steve Swanson will lift off towards the International Space Station, not from the Space Coast of Florida or some other American spaceport, but from Kazakhstan on a Russian spacecraft," Bolden wrote. "And unfortunately, the plan put forward by the Obama administration to address this situation has been stymied by some in Congress."
After a successful launch, Swanson and his Russian crew mates were supposed to reach the station Tuesday, but trouble with thrusters on their Soyuz spacecraft has delayed the rendezvous until today.
In making his case, Bolden did not suggest that the U.S.-Russia partnership in space was about to splinter because of Russia's annexation of Crimea, a former Ukrainian territory.
But he argued that if Congress had fully funded NASA's taxi service, the agency would have the option to pay U.S. companies, such as Boeing and SpaceX, for these flights much sooner instead of relying on Russia. NASA has paid Russia to transport its astronauts since the U.S. retired the space shuttle in 2011.
"Recognizing that this was unacceptable, President Obama has requested in NASA's budget more than $800 million each of the past five years to incentivize the American aerospace industry to build the spacecraft needed to launch our astronauts from American soil," Bolden wrote.
"Had this plan been fully funded, we would have returned American human spaceflight launches — and the jobs they support — back to the United States next year."
Instead, Bolden wrote, the first U.S. flight won't be until at 2017 at the earliest. The pressure on NASA to find a long-term solution has only grown this year, as the White House recently agreed to extend the life of the station by four years until 2024.
The Commercial Spaceflight Federation, which acts as a booster for the industry, echoed Bolden's urgency in a release earlier this month.
"Rapidly developing American spacecraft to fly NASA astronauts is crucial to end NASA's dependency on Russia," the group said.
A report issued last fall by NASA's inspector general, which acts as the agency's internal watchdog, estimated that the taxi service, known as the commercial crew program, has received about $1.1 billion less than what the White House has requested. Like Bolden, the inspector general expected a first flight no earlier than 2017.
But investigators also raised concerns about early contracts NASA has cut with U.S. rocket companies because the agreements restrict NASA's ability to control how the spacecraft are built.
"These limitations make it more difficult to ensure that the companies will ultimately produce spaceflight systems that meet agency requirements and that NASA can be confident they will safely carry its astronauts to and from the ISS," the authors noted.
Members of Congress have flagged similar concerns in years past, which is one reason they have not agreed to fund the commercial crew program at levels sought by the White House.
"We must continue to weigh whether potential cost savings come at the expense of overall capabilities, robustness or safety," said U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., chairman of the House space subcommittee, at a hearing last year that examined the U.S. spacecraft industry.
Bolden is scheduled to appear before the subcommittee Thursday, and the Russian standoff is almost certain to come up.
A tough budget environment also has contributed to reduced funding for the commercial crew program. Lawmakers have made it a priority to route federal dollars to the development of a new NASA rocket and space capsule, dubbed the Space Launch System and Orion, respectively, for missions beyond low Earth orbit.
"There are some people who don't like the commercial crew program, and they think it is taking away from the SLS and Orion," said Nelson, a Florida Democrat. "The fact is, we've got to do both."
Funding for the commercial crew program appears to be on the upswing. In the 2014 budget, the program was set at $696 million – a notch above the $525 million allocated for 2013. The White House is seeking $848 million in 2015, according to NASA budget documents.
Advocates say the recent success of cargo flights to the station, launched by U.S. companies such as SpaceX and Orbital Sciences, have helped make the case. Another such SpaceX flight is set to fly from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:49 p.m. Sunday.
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Sunday/Monday Fire Cluster Starts In Sunny Brae – June 20, 2012
Kevin L. Hoover
Eye Editor
SUNNY BRAE – A family of three is without a home after a Sunday morning blaze that engulfed their house at 46 Crescent Way in Sunny Brae.
William McLarin told Arcata Firefighters he awoke this morning to his sister, Sydney, 7, yelling "Fire! Fire!" The two quickly exited the burning home. Their mother, Melinda, wasn't home at the time. No one was harmed.
As firefighters attacked the flames, Melinda McLarin arrived home to behold the spectacle. "This isn't happening," she said in horror.
The family had lived in the home eight years, William said. Tears streamed down Sydney's face as she wailed, "Our house is on fire!"
Arcata Fire doused the blaze, but the house was all but destroyed.
The McLarins lost everything in the fire, leaving the house with just the clothes they had on. One major plus was that Sydney's cochlear implant, a $6,000 item, was recovered intact and returned to Melinda.
The first offering arrived even as smoke billowed from the home, when neighbor Darci Miranda brought shoes and clothing for the little girl.
Later that day, firefighters investigating the incident were able to salvage just a handful of severely scorched family photos.
Neighbor Katherine Lee at 1092 Buttermilk Lane, on the corner of Crescent Way, immediately agreed to accept relief donations. By Tuesday, Lee was overwhelmed with offerings of food, clothing and furniture. So much so that she and the McCarin family have asked donors to hold off on material items.
Most needed at this point are gift cards for food and housewares, which will allow the family to make choices once they have new living accommodations.
Those wishing to make cash gifts may donate to the McLarin Family Fund at North Valley Bank in McKinleyville.
The Sunny Brae fire was just one of three that the Arcata Fire Protection District had to deal with Sunday and Monday. The department issued this press release Monday:
Sunny Brae fire
Arcata Fire District personnel responded to three separate fires, two Sunday and one Monday.
The first, a house fire, started around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday morning inside a house at 46 Crescent Way.
There were two occupants at home at the time of the fire; a seven-year-old girl and her older brother.
After becoming aware of the fire, the 21 year-old brother attempted to extinguish the bedroom fire and then exited the house.
Firefighters arrived to find the house about 50 percent involved in fire and heavily charged with smoke. After determining that the house was unoccupied, they established a water supply from a nearby hydrant and used a large hose line to darken down the fire.
Once the fire was knocked down, they entered with a smaller hose line and completely extinguished the fire. There were no injuries to the residents or firefighters.
Damage to the house and contents is estimated at approximately $230,000. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Manila fire
At 4:05 p.m. Sunday, firefighters from Arcata Fire and Humboldt Bay Fire
responded to a report of a commercial fire on Vance Avenue in the Manila area. Humboldt Bay Engine 8114 arrived and reported a vehicle on fire inside the small, dilapidated building.
Arcata units arrived and firefighters worked to extinguish the fire before it spread to the building. Fifteen firefighters responded to the call and there were no injuries.
The vehicle, an older model Buick sedan which was reported stolen earlier in the day, was completely destroyed. The theft is being investigated by CHP. The fire is being considered an arson and remains under investigation.
McKinleyville fire
Monday morning at 9:12 a.m., units from Arcata Fire District and CalFire responded to a fire involving a feller buncher at a logging site on Green Diamond property off Murray Road in McKinleyville. They arrived on scene to find that the piece of equipment, valued at an estimated $450,000 had been severely damaged. Firefighters operating Engine 8217 out of the
McKinleyville Station completed the job of extinguishing the fire with CalFire also proving assistance. The loss to the equipment is estimated at $300,000. No one was injured in the fire. The fire started when a hydraulic line failed and the fluid ignited.
In all three of these fires, automatic aid agreements worked to provide the fastest response by the closest available units in order to protect the community.
HCSO Press Release
On 06-17-2012, approximately 3 p.m. the Humboldt County Sheriff's Office was notified of a residential burglary which occurred in the 2100 block of Meadow wood Lane, Eureka.
When deputies arrived they met with the owners of the residence. They told the deputies' unknown suspect (s) broke into their locked residence sometime during the last three hours while they were away and stole three rifles, two shotguns, two handguns, and numerous other items including electronics from the residence, along with their car a 1997 Buick LaSabre. The total loss is still being tallied by the victims but is estimated to be in excess of $10,000.
While the deputies were still on scene investigating the crime, they were advised the California Highway Patrol located the victim's stolen Buick LaSabre in Manila, and that it was on fire.
Anyone with information for the Sheriff's Office regarding this case or related criminal activity is encouraged to call the Sheriffs Office at (707) 445-7251 or the Sheriff's Office Crime Tip line at (707) 268-2539.


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Book 5 Page 5
EmeraldCity on Nov. 3, 2009
Phew, no more dreams (for now at least)just harsh reality.
We tune now to our favorite homicide detectives, Ai Yamamoto and Richard Head. They seem to be on the move to the last scene of book 4 (pages 25 - 28) and Richard seems a little too nosy about Ai's personal life…
I love these characters as well.. writing for them is fun and challenging and I hope I have captured very different voices for them..
Jason really set the mood for this scene. Another standard day, weather wise, for Seattle and the SPD


text:
FX 2 Women's is a versatile hybrid bike for fitness, commuting, or riding for the fun of it! It has a lightweight Alpha Gold Aluminum frame that's available in your choice of a standard or stepthrough geometry, 24 speeds and a wide range of gearing that's great in hilly terrain, touchpoints designed for women, and semi-skinny tires that are both fast on the road and stable on paths and loose terrain.
It's right for you if...
You want to get out and ride more, and you're looking for versatility and performance at a great value. You appreciate a lightweight frame, semi-skinny tires that are still stable in loose terrain, plenty of speeds to help you up hills, and endless options for accessories.
The tech you get
A lightweight Alpha Gold Aluminum frame available in a standard or stepthrough geometry that's easier to mount and dismount, a Shimano drivetrain with 24 speeds and a wide range of gearing so you're never pedaling too hard or too soft, and mounts for racks, fenders, lights, kickstand, and more!
The final word
FX 2 Women's is a versatile hybrid bike that's just as much at home on fitness rides as on neighborhood cruises and commutes. The lightweight frame and extra gears let you take on longer rides with bigger hills, and the endless accessory options make it a high-value companion you can personalize to fit your style.
Why you'll love it
- Choose the frame geometry that's right for you: standard or stepthrough, with a lower standover height for easier mounting and dismounting
- This bike brings families together, gets people away from screens, and lets you enjoy time outside
- It's versatile and does whatever you want it to do, whether that's riding for fitness, commuting, or cruising to the farmer's market to pick up groceries
- It's easy to accessorize with racks, a kickstand, fenders, lights, and more!
- Like every Trek hybrid, it's backed by a lifetime warranty and supported by a wide network of retail partners
FX: Fitness, Simplified
Part Numbers
|Store SKU
|Miami Green / 15-inch
|Miami Green / 17.5-inch
|Miami Green / 20-inch
|Solid Charcoal / 15-inch
|Solid Charcoal / 17.5-inch
|Solid Charcoal / 20-inch


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EFTA Council 6.11.2012
EFTA Council: Senior appointments for Brussels office On 6 November 2012, the EFTA Council discussed preparations for the meeting of EFTA Ministers that will take place in Geneva on 12 November under the chairmanship of Iceland. The Council appointed Ambassador Helge Skaara of Norway as Deputy Secretary-General for the Association's Brussels office. Read full news releaseRead More


text: The Gardai are clamping down on drivers who have faulty lights. It's a serious issue that causes many accidents so in an effort to help, we're offering all ŠKODA drivers free installation when they buy new bulbs. Get to your local authorised ŠKODA retailer (in the daytime) and we'll have you back on the road in no time.


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Name of Game: Blessing Fruits
Name of Cheat/Mod/Hack (credits: wendgames):
-The first cheat or exploit is to not skip the tutorial, even if you're an advanced player and this is your second, third or fourth alt account. The beginner's tutorial gives you lots of free stuff and rewards, which are some of the most valuable items in the game.
-Keep watching ads and collect more and more daily currency rewards.
-Play daily events for more chance to get better currency.
-Practising to get better time in PVE or offline mode. Don't skip any unleashed events.
-Use ad packs from the store to get currency . And free packs can be obtained every certain hours.
-Watch Youtube or Twitch videos: gamer's gameplay style and tutorials.
-Play against many different opponents with many different gameplay style.
Game description:
Collect three elements in the row and achieve new record.
Dive into stunning atmosphere with our game.
Blessing Fruits MOD APK VERSION: 1.0
Manual Steps:
1. Install MOD
2. Play
Download Now
"@context": "https://schema.org",
"@type": "MobileApplication",
"name": "Blessing Fruits",
"operatingSystem": "ANDROID",
"applicationCategory": "
Games, Hints, Tips, Tricks, Cheats and Cheat Codes",
"offers": {
"@type": "Offer",
"price": "0"


text:
Possible reason : You may have used your USB drive or Memory card on a device that doesn't support storages larger than 32GB or exFAT/NTFS format, or the device was automatically or manually formatted into 32GB or FAT32. Therefore the capacity only shows 32GB on your windows OS. How to recognize? Right click "This PC"-> "Manage"->"Disk Management" to check the partition of capacity. E.g. A 128GB USB flash drive only shows 32GB on WINDOWS. 116.13GB* online: Which means the drive is at normal 128GB capacity. * Part of the capacity of FLASH storage products will be used for formatting or other functions, therefore the displayed capacity in the operating system will be less than the actual storage capacity due to unit conversion. It is recommended to calculate the actual storage capacity based on this equation: total bytes/1024/1024/1024. Primary partition 32GB: Which means only 32GB was set. Unallocated capacity 84.12GB: Which means there is still 84.12GB unallocated. How to solve it? a. Right click to delete 32GB volume on "Disk Management" and reformat it. (Backing up your files is suggested.) b. Right click to create new volume and follow the default format and finish the format. c. Finish format. Check the capacity.
Please change another card reader to shoot machine trouble, if you still have questions please contact customer service for help. firstname.lastname@example.com
Please contact your camera manufacturer to find out the maximum capacity your camera supports.
All storage products will display a less memory capacity on a computer than stated. The discrepancy has resulted from the way flash memory and hard drive manufacturers calculate the megabyte of memory. Because the computer is calculated as binary algorithm, the computer 1GB = 1024 * 1024 * 1024 = 1,073,741,824 (1024 for two of the ten th, this is the way a computer's calculation); therefore, 128,000,000,000 (128GB) / 1,073,741,824 ≒ 119.2GB . In addition, TEAM retained products 3-10% of capacity available to the device firmware and data storage maintenance, to prolong the life of the use of the reliability of the product. Therefore, the actual available capacity for your product algorithm is as follows, the actual available capacity = marked capacity ÷1,073,741,824 × 95% ~ 97% (GB) If the capacity of your product within the scope of the results obtained by the above method of calculation, This is a normal phenomenon, please use the peace of mind.
When the CF card is accessed using IDE or SATA through an adapter if the CF card is displayed as local disk, it is in Fixed Disk Mode; if it is displayed as a removable disk, it is in Removable Disk Mode. (adaptor/adapter or extension board or conversion board)
Please identify that the lock of the card is off. The problem might own to the card itself or the card reader if deletion still fais. If so, please contact customer service personnel for assistance.
Please identify that the video recording time is set to limit, instead of fixed time. If card format is FAT32, the recording would be stopped as 4GB of recording is reached because a single file cannot exceed 4GB. This problem may be solved as long as card format is changed to NTFS or exFAT if the two formats are supported by the machine.
The commercial CF card of Team Group is in standard Removable Disk Mode, which does not support hard disk mode. The industrial CF card of Team Group is in Fixed Disk Mode, which supports hard disk mode.


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Google data centers to nearly double amount of wind, solar power
Google data centers look to have 3.6 gigawatts of renewable energy by 2025
SAN FRANCISCO _ Google is nearly doubling the amount of renewable energy feeding its massive data centers that enable more than 1 billion people to search for information, watch video clips and communicate virtually anytime they want.
The long-term commitments announced Thursday cover up to 842 megawatts of power that will flow from six different wind and solar power projects scheduled to be finished within the next two years in the U.S., Chile and Sweden. Google isn't disclosing how much it expects to pay for the power.
Some of the deals were signed several weeks ago, but Google timed its announcement to coincide with the U.N. conference in Paris that is exploring ways to reduce the volume of carbon emissions widely believed to be changing the Earth's climate.
"It's an opportune time to make a strong statement," said Gary Demasi, Google's director of data centre energy.
Google has now signed contracts covering 2 gigawatts of renewable energy, putting the company closer to its goal of having 3.6 gigawatts lined up by 2025. The 2 gigawatts currently under contract is enough to supply 2 million European homes annually, based on Google's estimate that the renewable energy projects will generate an average of about 7.4 billion kilowatt hours of power.
The Mountain View, California, company has pledged to have all of its 14 data centres worldwide running on renewable energy as part of its quest to minimize the pollution caused by the rising demand for its Internet search engine, YouTube video service, Gmail, digital maps and other services.
Google, part of a recently formed company called Alphabet Inc., still has a long way to reach that goal. By its latest estimates, renewable energy accounts for 37 per cent of the power needed to run its data centres.
Apple, Facebook and other technology companies also have been investing heavily in renewable energy in an effort to reduce the pollution caused by the popularity of their products. All of Apple's data centres, offices and stores in the U.S. already run on renewable energy, but the company is still trying to obtain cleaner power for the overseas factories that make its iPhones, iPads and other devices.
Besides signing long-term contracts with renewable energy providers, Google also has invested about $2.5 billion in companies and projects trying to produce more wind, solar and geothermal power.
The Canadian Press


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"I retired from banking aged 37. Now I'm 40. This is how I would have designed my life"
What does it take to achieve the perfect banking career arc - in at 20, out by 40? And is this still possible? We spoke to Adam Knight, who's done it. After graduating from Cambridge in 1996, Knight joined Goldman Sachs as a commodities trader. He spent six years as an MD in commodities at Goldman Sachs before becoming global head of commodities at Credit Suisse for four years. He left the City in 2011 and is now an angel investor, working from home, doing the school run, and building a 'portfolio career' of stimulating, saintly and smart investments. If you want to be like Adam, this is what you need to know....
What made you decide to go for a career change out of banking?
It was mostly about opportunity. I didn't make a conscious decision to leave, but the business I'd built –a partnership between Glencore and Credit Suisse – was dissolved as a joint venture and transferred to Credit Suisse and I suddenly had an opportunity to leave, which I decided to take.
Do you still trade?
Do you miss it (trading)?
Does that surprise you?
I loved trading while I did it and I was fortunate to work with great people at great organisations. At that time, trading fitted with my lifestyle, but now that I've got a young family being woken up in the night because I've got [trading] positions that have moved isn't something I'd want.
I still get the intellectual challenge of backing my ideas as an angel investor, but I don't have the 24 hour nature of trading and that suits me.
Before I left banking, I'd been transitioning away from being a trader anyway. – I'd been a trader and then a trader manager and then a manager with no direct trading responsibilities.
When you changed career, you set up Social and Sustainable Capital. Did you feel that you wanted to give something back?
I was very lucky in banking. I had a good career and rode the wave of the financial markets at a time when it was personally lucrative to do so. But I also saw how markets had been mismanaged by some in the lead up to the financial crisis and how this had damaged the reputation of financial services and the perception of markets. When I left, I wanted to show that capitalism and markets could be a powerful force for good that can generate specific beneficial social outcomes if they're directed in a particular way.
So, SSC was set up with a political and intellectual purpose in mind?
Political no, but intellectual yes. We wanted to show that markets can help solve some of the issues that charities are currently engaged with. Charities can then focus resources on some of the more intractable problems that cannot be addressed through an adapted business model. For me, therefore, it was a business and intellectual challenge, but it was also pragmatic – about the most sustainable way to solve some of the big social issues of our time.
Did you know that you wanted to go into sustainable investing when you changed career?
No. I had a year's non-compete, so I spent some time at home with my family. I also volunteered with some charities and realized that I couldn't actually help them that much. After a career in trading, I didn't really have the skills that a charity needs and I didn't want to go back and develop new skills from scratch.
Instead, I decided to try and find a way to use the financial skills I'd developed to have a positive impact, and that was when I discovered Impact Investing. It allows me to maintain the intellectual challenge of investing, but to do so whilst benefiting more than just myself and my family.
What's the long term plan with SCC?
Ultimately we'd like to deliver strong enough double bottom line returns (financial and social returns) to attract more investors to the sector to help social investment become a more established asset class and thus enable social enterprises to scale and deliver on their potential. At the moment we're in the process of making our first investment and have already involved our first bank (soon to be announced), which is providing debt to the funds.
I suspect a lot of other bankers would like to do what you've achieved. What's your advice to them?
I lucked out. I hit the jackpot early – I was 37 when I left the industry in 2011 and now I'm 40. I've just been incredibly lucky. It's much harder to make money in banking now than it used to be. It's a tougher industry – and that's probably a good thing. However, while people who worked in banking for the easier times will probably say things aren't so good, if you're coming in fresh now it's still a great career – particularly compared to many others. You're at the cutting edge of the world economy and you're working with some talented and interesting people and businesses.
You've also invested in Coinfloor, can you talk about that?
Coinfloor is a Bitcoin exchange. I think digital and crypto currencies offer a fascinating opportunity. I didn't want to simply buy Bitcoins, I wanted to be involved in the development of the currency. Coinfloor have a very good model, with a lot of emphasis on security and compliance, which is important if you are trying to build mass acceptance for a new payment method - particularly one that is mostly being driven by start-ups.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
I am trying to build a portfolio career where I have active business, social investment and charitable roles. In addition to Social and Sustainable Capital and Coinfloor, I am a trustee at the Roundhouse and on the board of a couple of other companies I have invested in. Between these I feel that I have a good balance between using my existing skills whilst also having to learn about new sectors and new business models.
It's very fulfilling. I'm busy, but I manage to keep a fairly flexible schedule. I take my children to school most days and then work from home and try to pick them up again as often as possible. If I could have designed my life, this is how I would have arranged it and I feel very privileged to be in such a position.
What advice would you offer to other bankers interested in angel investing?
There's a pretty good network of angel investors in London, but the skills are quite different from liquid markets trading. As such, I don't invest in companies unless I know someone who's involved and I like to piggy back on other people who have better investing skills than me – VCs like Passion Capital and Dawn Capital for example.
Angel investing isn't a short term way of supplementing your income – it's a long term investment strategy. I haven't had any exits from my investments yet. They mostly seem to be going well, but only time will tell whether I'm right about that…
Related articles:
Fear grips senior investment bankers, who refuse to budge
1 thing about the Lloyds LIBOR fine that should terrify traders everywhere


text:
Release date: July 8, 2013
Rev. Ralph Peterson has had a lifelong passion for incorporating the arts into his ministry. He speaks with MOCRA Director Terrence Dempsey, SJ, about his role in commissioning the Erol Beker Chapel of the Good Shepherd, designed by artist Louise Nevelson, and located in St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Manhattan. They are also joined by art historian Dr. Jane Daggett Dillenberger, who consulted on the chapel project.
Dempsey and Peterson recorded their interview at the studios of WFUV (90.7 FM) at Fordham University in the Bronx, New York, and Dillenberger spoke over telephone from her home in Berkeley, California.
The Conversation
Listening Guide for the conversation
Audio Extra: Taking the Narrative Seriously
Listening Guide for the Audio Extra
MOCRA Voices on Stitcher MOCRA Voices on iTunes MOCRA Voices on Spotify
Related Episode
Episode 14: MOCRA Memories - Berkeley
Producer: David Brinker
Recording Engineer: Joe Grimaldi
Editor: Mike Schrand
Listening Guide: David Brinker
Rev. Ralph E. Peterson is Senior Pastor Builder Emeritus of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Manhattan. Born in Cambridge, Minnesota, he completed undergraduate studies at the University of Minnesota and a Master's degree in the Philosophy of Education at Harvard University. Subsequently he studied at the Episcopal Theological School and the Augustana Theological Seminary in Rock Island, Illinois, graduating in 1960. He worked at the National Council of Churches for four years beginning in 1962, where he served as Executive Director of the Department of Ministry, Vocation and Pastoral Services. He became senior pastor of St. Peter's Lutheran Church in 1966.
During his tenure at St. Peter's, he was instrumental in keeping the church in midtown Manhattan. His shrewd negotiations with National City Bank resulted in a bold new church building located beneath what is now the Citicorp Tower. Under his guidance, St. Peter's became famous for its embrace of the arts, including weekly jazz masses. Most significantly, he spearheaded the commissioning of the Erol Beker Chapel of the Good Shepherd, designed by artist Louise Nevelson. After leaving St. Peter's in 1980, Peterson undertook research on health apostolates and became involved with opening congregations for people who were disabled. In 1990 he was received as a priest in the Episcopal Church.
Dr. Jane Daggett Dillenberger (1916-2014) was one of the pioneers in the dialogue between modern art and religion. Dr. Dillenberger began her work in the field of art history in 1942. As Professor Emerita in Art and Religion at the Graduate Theological Union, in Berkeley, California, she remained actively involved in the "religion and the arts" program at the Graduate Theological Union until her death. In addition to her teaching, she was a curator and a scholar. Her most important exhibitions were the 1972-73 The Hand and the Spirit: Religious Art in America, 1700-1900, which she co-curated with art historian and museum director Joshua Taylor, and its sequel, Perceptions of the Spirit in 20th Century American Art, which she co-curated with her then-husband, theologian John Dillenberger. Her books include Image and Spirit in Sacred and Secular Art, Style and Content in Christian Art, and The Religious Art of Andy Warhol. Her final book, The Religious Art of Pablo Picasso, co-authored with art historian John Handley, was published in 2014. Dr. Dillenberger recorded this phone interview for MOCRA Voices from her home in Berkeley in June 2012.
Listening Guide
Audio Extra: Taking the Narrative Seriously
Lake Wobegon is a fictional Minnesota town populated by memorable characters whose quotidian foibles are recounted by author Garrison Keillor both in print and orally on the public radio program A Prairie Home Companion. Visit the Prairie Home Companion website.
Established in 1950, the National Council of Churches (formally the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA) is an ecumenical partnership of 37 Christian faith groups in the United States. Its membership comprises a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches. The Council seeks to identify areas of common belief and study areas of division. Its members also cooperate in joint programs of education, advocacy and service. Visit the National Council of Churches website.
Robert Warren Spike was born in 1923 and was an American clergyman, theologian, and civil rights leader. As pastor of the Judson Memorial Church on Washington Square in Greenwich Village in the late 1940s he promoted social activism. Among other projects, the basement rooms of Judson House, a student residence on Thompson Street, were made into a gallery where local artists like Claes Oldenburg and Jim Dine had their first one-man shows. In 1963 Spike was appointed the Executive Director of the National Council of Churches' Commission on Religion and Race. Under his leadership the commission became an important arm of the civil rights movement; as a result, Protestant churches significantly participated in the March on Washington in August 1965. In 1966 Spike became a professor in the Divinity School at the University of Chicago, but shortly thereafter he was murdered, on October 17, 1966. The murder remains unsolved. Learn more on Wikipedia.
Joseph A. Sittler (1904-87) was a Lutheran pastor and professor of theology with a long tenure at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago. He served on the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC). He brought together with his theological thought wide-ranging interests including literature, architecture, classical and jazz music, science, ecology, and feminism. He was featured in a 1950s text-decoration: underline;">Life magazine article as one of America's "Ten Most Influential Theologians." Explore the Sittler Archives here.
Alfred H. Barr, Jr. (1902-81) was an American art historian and the first director of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. He wielded tremendous influence over the development of popular attitudes toward modern art. Ample resources about Barr, the exhibitions he curated, and his art historical writing can be found online (for instance, in the MoMA archives and in this biographical sketch).From 1954 Barr headed the Commission on Art of the National Council of Churches' Department of Worship and the Arts. In this role, Barr actively sought to define a new aesthetic standard for American Protestantism, one that promoted abstract expression over the representational. This dimension of Barr's work is documented in a number of books and essays, including Icons of American Protestantism: The Art of Warner Sallman, edited by David Morgan, and God in the Gallery (Cultural Exegesis): A Christian Embrace of Modern Art, by Daniel A. Siedell.
One of the theologians whose thought Barr promoted was Paul Tillich (1886-1965). Widely regarded as one of the most influential Protestant theologians and existential philosophers of the 20th century, Tillich wrote extensively for both popular and scholarly audiences. Among his key contributions were his method of correlation and his understanding of God as "Ground of Being." Tillich frequently and extensively engaged with the arts in his writings, and in many ways his work forms the theoretical basis of Christian theology's engagement with modern and contemporary art. He was highly critical of what he labeled "kitsch" in religious art, that is, mass produced, "pre-digested," sentimental works that do not engage or reveal what is of "ultimate importance" (i.e., the divine). Tillich's interaction with art was not purely theoretical; for instance, he organized a 1954 exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago called Masterpieces of Religious Art.
Information about Tillich and his writings is widely available online. Helpful starting points are this Wikipedia article, this list of Tillich resources, and these articles by and about Tillich. Here are two articles specifically discussing Tillich's contributions to art and theology. Jane Dillenberger co-edited a collection of writings by Tillich titled On Art and Architecture. Or, watch this brief introduction to Tillich's thought by Russell Re Manning:
See a bird's eye view of the location of St. Peter's Lutheran Church at 54th and Lexington in New York City.
Rev. John G. Gensel , honored by Duke Ellington in a 1968 composition titled "The Shepherd Who Watches Over the Night Flock," died at age 80 in 1998. He combined his love of jazz with his pastoral skills, and in 1965 he received special designation as Pastor to the Jazz Community in New York City. He led the jazz ministry at St. Peter's for over 30 years, including weekly Sunday evening jazz vespers. Along the way he counseled jazz musicians and their families, performed marriages, and officiated at funeral services for jazz luminaries including Duke Ellington, Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis and John Coltrane. The jazz ministry continues today at St. Peter's.
Read Gensel's obituary in The New York Times, or watch the trailer for The Shepherd of the Night Flock, a documentary movie about Gensel and his ministry:
Graham Greene (1904-91) was an English author, playwright, and literary critic, best known for works that explore the ambivalent moral and political challenges of contemporary culture. The Living Room, his first play, debuted in 1953. Read about the critical response to the play in this Guardian article. Read more about Greene in this Wikipedia article.
Bernard Pomerance's 1977 critically acclaimed and award-winning play The Elephant Man debuted on Broadway in 1979 but had an Off-Broadway production at the Theatre at Saint Peter's Church earlier that year. Based on the life of Joseph Merrick, a Victorian man whose extremely deformed body made him the object of both curiosity and scorn, the play was notable for the fact that the actor portrays Merrick's deformity through physicality rather than prosthetics (the image at left shows Jay Sullivan in the title role in a 2013 production at the Alley Theatre in Houston) . Learn more about the play here.
A movie directed by David Lynch and based on the life of Merrick (but not on Pomerance's play) was released in 1980.
Flannery O'Connor (1925-64) was an American author and essayist whose work is marked by a "Southern Gothic style" with regional settings, grotesque characters, and a blend of the comic and tragic. Her writing also reflects her Roman Catholic faith, and frequently examines questions of morality and ethics such as southern racial issues. She suffered from the autoimmune disease lupus and died at the young age of 39. Learn more about O'Connor in this Wikipedia entry.
Jeremy Begbie is on the faculty at Duke Divinity School . Ralph Peterson makes reference to ideas developed in Begbie's book Theology, Music and Time. Begbie sketches out his thesis in this brief video:
Duke Ellington (1899-1974) and John Coltrane (1926-67) were both pivotal figures in the development of jazz. Both also had notable compositions and recordings expressing the religious and spiritual dimensions, such as Ellington's "Sacred Concerts" and Coltrane's A Love Supreme.
Other jazz composers who explored sacred and liturgical themes and structures include Dave Brubeck (1920-2012) and Mary Lou Williams (1910-81).
Citicorp Center is among the tallest skyscrapers in New York City. Located at 53rd Street between Lexington Avenue and Third Avenue in midtown Manhattan, the 915-foot high building has 59 floors and a striking stilt-like base. It was designed by architect Hugh Stubbins and structural engineer William LeMessurier.
Read a history of the complex on Wikipedia. Here's a LEGO model of the complex.
This episode of the podcast 99% Invisible investigates a startling episode in the building's history: the discovery by an undergraduate engineering student that certain types of strong winds could topple the building.
Here is St. Peter's (lower left) in relation to the tower (Image by Jeff Goldberg/Esto).
In this image, the overhang of the Citicorp Tower is visible to the right about St. Peter's Church.
A view from the interior of St. Peter's looking up to a street-level window. Read more about the architecture of St. Peter's on the church website. Also, the City Guide to Sacred Spaces in New York City has information about St. Peter's, beginning on page 14.
For more about Paul Tillich, see above at 3:10.
Here are the former plaza entrance to the church, and current entrance.
Here are some views of the main worship space.
Alberto Giacometti (1901-66), was a Swiss-born sculptor, painter, draughtsman and printmaker. Learn about Giacometti and his 1948 sculpture City Square in this interactive presentation from the MoMA website.
Alberto Giacometti, City Square, 1948. Bronze. Collection of MoMA.
Louise Nevelson (1899-1988) was born in Czarist Russia but emigrated with her family to the United States in 1905. She attended classes at the Art Students League of New York in the 1930s and by 1941 had her first solo exhibition. She is best known for large puzzle-like sculptural works made of cast-off wood parts (collected from the streets) transformed with monochromatic spray paint. Nevelson cultivated a distinctive public persona that has contributed to her legacy, expressed in dramatic dresses, scarves and large false eyelashes, as well as a sexually liberated lifestyle.
Read more about Nevelson in this Wikipedia article, or in this interactive feature from The Jewish Museum. Visit the Louise Nevelson Foundation website here.
Louise Nevelson. Photo by Pedro E. Guerrero.
Dawn's Wedding Feast was a sculptural installation created by Nevelson for a 1959 exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art titled Sixteen Americans (the other artists included Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Jay DeFeo, Ellsworth Kelly, and Robert Rauschenberg). The white-painted, abstracted wooden components (including four wedding chapels, a cake, chest, mirror, pillow, several attendants in the form of stationary and hanging columns, and a bride and groom) were dispersed as individual works, but were reassembled for exhibition at The Jewish Museum in New York in 2007, and at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in 2008.
Dawn's Wedding Feast was an immediate sensation and advanced Nevelson's career (she was 60 at the time). Read more about the installation and its reconstruction here.
Louise Nevelson, Dawn's Wedding Chapel II, 1959. Painted wood. Collection of the Whitney Museum of American Art.
Arnold Glimcher is the founder of the Pace Gallery and is considered one of the art world's most powerful dealers. Glimcher has also produced and directed several films, including The Mambo Kings and Just Cause. Read a New York Magazine interview with Glimcher here.
See above for a biographical sketch of Jane Daggett Dillenberger .
Annalee Newman (1909-2000) was married to Abstract Expressionist painter Barnett Newman . She was an active partner in her husband's artistic endeavors. In the early 1980's she established the Barnett Newman Foundation, which holds his archive and library. Read her New York Times obituary here. Barnett Newmann painted one of the major works of religious-themed art of the twentieth century, his Stations of the Cross. Explore this series of paintings on the National Gallery of Art website.
Eloise Spaeth (1902-98) was an art collector, author, and booster of American art. She was active in the American Federation of Art, where she served as traveling exhibitions chairwoman, and was deputy commissioner of the American Pavilion at the 1952 Venice Biennale. She formed a significant art collection with her husband, Otto, who served as vice president of the Whitney Museum of American Art. Of note for this conversation, Spaeth helped review Thomas Merton's manuscript for a proposed book entitled, Art and Worship, although (in part due to her advice) Merton ultimately did not publish the book. Read Eloise Spaeth's New York Times obituary here. Read excerpts from an account of the writing of Art and Worship here.
See the discussion about Alfred Barr and Paul Tillich above at 3:10.
Louise Nevelson created a sanctuary installation including a bema wall, ark and eternal light for Temple Beth-El in Great Neck, New York. Dedicated in 1970, it is titled The White Flame of The Six Million and serves as a memorial to Jews who suffered and died in the Holocaust. Visit the Temple Beth-El website .
Jaroslav Pelikan (1923-2006) was a scholar in the history of Christianity, Christian theology and medieval intellectual history. He authored more than 30 books; the quote Ralph Peterson references comes from The Vindication of Tradition, which was based on his 1983 Jefferson Lecture in the Humanities (the highest honor conferred by the federal government for outstanding achievement in the humanities). Pelikan expanded on his observation in a 1989 interview with U.S. News & World Report:
Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living. Tradition lives in conversation with the past, while remembering where we are and when we are and that it is we who have to decide. Traditionalism supposes that nothing should ever be done for the first time, so all that is needed to solve any problem is to arrive at the supposedly unanimous testimony of this homogenized tradition.
Read more about Pelikan on Wikipedia.
Peterson makes reference to a number of well-known twentieth-century instances of artists designing sacred spaces.
Late in his life, French artist Henri Matisse (1869-1954) designed the Chapelle du Rosaire de Vence (Chapel of the Rosary)—better known as the Matisse Chapel or the Vence Chapel--for Dominican sisters in the town of Vence on the French Riviera. Built and decorated between 1949 and 1951, it houses a number of Matisse originals and was regarded by Matisse himself as his "masterpiece."
Read more about the chapel on Wikipedia, or read this ARTnews article about the circumstances of the commission.
The chapel of Notre Dame du Haut in Ronchamp, designed by Franco-Swiss architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965) was completed in 1954 and is considered one of the most significant and controversial examples of twentieth-century religious architecture.
Read an assessment of the chapel on ArchDaily, or explore the chapel through interactive 360-degree photography.
In 1964 American artist Mark Rothko (1903-70) was commissioned by art collectors John and Dominique de Menil to create in Houston, Texas, a meditative space filled with his paintings. The resultant Rothko Chapel, with fourteen site-specific paintings, was dedicated in 1971 as an intimate non-denominational sanctuary. A Barnett Newman sculpture titled Broken Obelisk, dedicated to the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., stands in the plaza outside.
Visit the Rothko Chapel website.
New Harmony, Indiana, located on the Wabash River, was established in 1814 and was the site of two utopian communities during the nineteenth century. The town experienced a renewal in the second half of the twentieth century, through preservation of historic structures and the commissioning of new structures from leading architects. Among the latter is the Roofless Church, designed by architect Philip Johnson (1906-2005) and completed in 1960. This open-air structure houses sculptures by noted artists including Jacques Lipchitz and Stephen De Staebler. Watch this video to get a sense of the environment, as well as a look at the Richard Meier-designed Atheneum visitors center:
The revitalization of New Harmony was achieved in large measure through the efforts of Jane Blaffer Owen (1915-2010). Like her friends the de Menils, she was passionate about contemporary art and connecting it to the religious and spiritual. She befriended Paul Tillich (see above at 3:10), whose ashes are interred in Paul Tillich Park in New Harmony. Read a brief biography of Jane Owen here, and this appreciation of her by MOCRA Director Terrence Demspey, SJ.
42 :50
Following are images of the interior of the Erol Beker Chapel of the Good Shepherd.
The entrance to the chapel.
The view from the entrance facing north, toward the altar.
A closer view of the Cross of the Good Shepherd and Trinity (the suspended columns).
The view on the left (west): Sky Vestment - Trinity.
The view on the right (east): Frieze of the Apostles.
The view behind and to the right (southeast corner): Cross of the Resurrection.
Looking back toward the entrance (south).
A closer view of the Grapes and Wheat lintel.
John W. Cook served for 27 years on the faculty of Yale University, where he administered the Religion and Arts Program and taught the history of art and architecture in the area of religious studies. In 1992 he became president of The Henry Luce Foundation, which "seeks to bring important ideas to the center of American life, strengthen international understanding, and foster innovation and leadership in academic, policy, religious and art communities." Read more about the Luce Foundation in this 75th anniversary book.
In the sense that Peterson is using the term, an icon is a religious work of art, most commonly a painting, and generally associated with Orthodox Christianity and certain Eastern Catholic churches. Such icons generally depict a holy being or object such as Jesus, Mary, saints, angels, or the cross. Distinctive painting and compositional techniques set icons apart from other depictions of the same subject, including the use of gold leaf or paint as the ground of the painting--landscapes, buildings, and other objects are either absent or highly stylized. Icons function on multiple levels simultaneously, including the communication of essential doctrines of Christianity, and as a point of contact between the mundane world and the realm of the divine. Learn more about the history of icons here and here, and about their theology here. Explore examples of icons here.
Louise Nevelson worked with a limited color palette; nearly all of her works through the 1950s were painted black. In the 1960s she began incorporating white and gold into her works. Nevelson said that white was the color that "summoned the early morning and emotional promise," while her gold phase was inspired by the idea being told as a child that America's streets would be "paved with gold", the materialism and hedonism of the color, the sun, and the moon.
The Christian doctrine of the Incarnation refers to the belief that God was embodied in the person of Jesus ("incarnate" comes from Latin meaning "in the flesh." While there has been much debate over the centuries about how to understand this doctrine, the most widely-accepted definition of the Incarnation and the nature of Jesus were made at early Church councils in Nicaea (in 325 CE), Ephesus (in 431), and Chalcedon (in 451). Essentially, these councils declared that Jesus was both fully God and fully human; these two natures, divine and human, were united in the one personhood of Jesus Christ. Learn more in this Wikipedia article.
John Dillenberger (1918-2008) was a theologian who wrote on historical theology, as well as the relationship between theology and the natural sciences, and between theology and art history. He taught at Harvard, Princeton and Columbia, but was also instrumental in the formation of the Graduate Theological Union (GTU) in Berkeley, California. Dillenberger served as Dean of the GTU from 1963 to 1971, and twice as its President, from 1967 to 1971 and from 1999 to 2000; he held the title of Professor Emeritus of Historical Theology. His books include A Theology of Artistic Sensibilities: The Visual Arts and the Church. Read Dillenberger's obituary in the San Francisco Chronicle.
Trinity is another central Christian doctrine: the understanding of God, holding that there is one God in three divine persons, traditionally named the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. Each person is God, whole and entire, distinct, but of one "substance, essence or nature" (in this terminology, "nature" is what one is, while "person" is who one is). Learn more on Wikipedia.
The Habit of Being is a collection of Flannery O'Connor's letters. Learn more about the book on Amazon. See above at 15:30 for more about O'Connor.
The Entertainer is a 1957 play by English playwright John Osborne (1929-94), about Archie Rice, an angry middle-aged music-hall performer with a failing career. The original production starred famed actor Laurence Olivier (1907-89), who also starred in a 1960 movie adaptation. Learn more about The Entertainer here. Read about John Osborne here, and Sir Laurence Olivier here.
Audio Extra: Taking the Narrative Seriously
See above at 47:45 for more about John Dillenberger.
Robert Jenson (born 1930) is a Lutheran systematic theologian. He is Professor Emeritus of Religion at St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN, and professor of religion at the Center for Theological Inquiry at Princeton Theological Seminary. He has been active in the field of ecumenical theology (that is, concerning the beliefs and practices of different Christian denominations). Read an article in which Jenson discusses his thoughts on the "loss of narrative" in contemporary Christianity.
A chasuble is a poncho-like vestment worn by clergy in some Western Christian traditions (such as the the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Lutheran churches) during liturgical celebrations. Learn more and see examples of the chasuble as it has evolved over time in this Wikipedia article.
Dutch American abstract expressionist artist Willem de Kooning (1904-97) was invited in 1984 by the Art and Architecture Review Committee of St. Peter's Lutheran Church to create a triptych (three-paneled altarpiece) for the main sanctuary. It would be displayed temporarily, and if the response from the congregation was positive, a donor would be sought to purchase the work. The resultant Hallelujah triptych (pictured here), as well as the process that led to its creation, provoked controversy and tension within the congregation, and ultimately it was returned to the artist's estate. One of the figures involved in the debate about the work was John Cook (see above at 44:10), who published several articles on the controversy. Read about the incident in this 1986 New York Times article. Learn more about de Kooning through the website for a major retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in 2011.


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Friday, June 06, 2008
English As A Second Language
Immediately, the reviewers of the protocol were concerned that excluding patients based on their language of origin might suggest enrollees were discriminated upon based on their ability to speak English. This was, after all, an NIH-sponsored trial. It is true that, historically, women and minorities have been underrepresented in national trial designs – the desire to adequately represent these groups seems appropriate. But I found it difficult not to require enrollees to be fluent in English for such a complicated trial involving over 2 years of follow-up – it is, after all, our national language. More importantly, I argued, the very reason we were sitting before the IRB was because the investigation was felt to pose "less than minimal risk" for our patients. If a problem arose during the course of the trial, and a non-English-speaking patient calls our center, would they be able to communicate their concerns? More importantly, would we have the capabilities to communicate with them? Would this potentially increase the risk to the patient if communication were compromised? In to how many languages should our consents be translated? Spanish? Hindi? Urdu? Mandarin? Russian? Polish? The list seems endless.
Are we discriminating against a sect of the population that is non-English-speaking by not offering them these trials or just playing it safe by excluding those not fluent in our language?
The answer seems obvious to me, but then, I speak English. Any one else have thoughts on this? Suggestions?
4 comments:
- Ian Furst said...
If you dont' have the funds or resources to have a translator on the trial then it seems reasonable. I remember seeing a family that came from another country under a charity program and was asked to participate in a study. It raised the question of whether they felt pressure to participate in the study in order to retain funding. Obviously it was not the intent but it was the perception by the patient that creates the ethical issues. What is the perception of a non-english speaking patient who is explained anything about the trial in english? Will they feel a greater obligation to agree due to self-conciousness?
- Fri Jun 06, 05:59:00 PM CDT
I chaired a busy academic IRB for almost 10 years, and this question often came up. My view was that the purpose of the IRB was to assure that the rights and welfare of the research subjects were appropriately honored. By "rights" of the research subject, I always focused primarily on the right to be fully and completely informed as to the nuances of the research, specifically, on the obligations the patient was accepting, and on the risks the patient was agreeing to. Unless the patient completely understands their obligations under the research, and all the possible risks their participation in the research entails, then they will be unable to make a fully informed and autonomous decision as to whether or not to participate. In my mind, this consideration far outweighs the consideration of the patient's ostensible "right" to be invited to participate.
Accordingly, the more complicated or the more potentially risky the research study, the more important it was to assure that direct investigator-to-subject communication could take place, that is, the more reasonable it was to limit research subjects to English language speakers. In my experience, these kinds of studies (the more complex ones with at least some risk involved) were the only studies where the investigators commonly asked for the study to be so limited. If an investigator asked to limit a simple, risk-free study to English speakers (which always seemed to me to be for the convenience of the researchers rather than for potential safety or autonomy of the research subject), we would ask them to make a reasonable attempt to find translators for at least Spanish-speaking patients (since such translators were widely available and would often volunteer to help for free).
To summarize, I always placed the issue of patient safety and patient autonomy ahead of the issue of diversity. This was not politically correct even in the 1990s, and today may constitute heretical thinking that may mandate a visit by the inquisitors.
- Sat Jun 07, 10:24:00 AM CDT
- DrWes said...
Thank you. I suspect we're taking your approach - perhaps not PC, but hey, I think the priorities, in this case, are aligned correctly...
- Sat Jun 07, 05:30:00 PM CDT
- Rogue Medic said...
If you have predominantly English speaking researchers using translators to provide information to people, who are not predominantly English speaking, don't you introduce another variable into a study that obtains validity from its ability to control for as many variables as possible?
Is there a culturally different approach to the same information? Is there a problem with compliance or with inclusion of herbal "remedies" that the researchers have not been made aware of?
I think that the treatment of non-English speaking patients does affect the study and should be addressed in the discussion.
- Sun Jun 08, 07:10:00 PM CDT


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Four people were killed and eight were injured after a fire broke out at a motel on the Jersey Shore where some residents still displaced by Sandy have been staying, authorities and witnesses tell NBC 4 New York.
The flames erupted at the Mariner's Cove Motor Inn on Broadway in Point Pleasant Beach shortly before 6 a.m. Friday. The critically injured victims were taken to a hospital.
The flames erupted at the Mariner's Cove Motor Inn on Broadway in Point Pleasant Beach shortly before 6 a.m. Friday. The critically injured victims were taken to a hospital.
Authorities said the four people killed were all adult males found on the second floor; they have not been positively identified. Several people believed to have been missing have all been accounted for.
Some of the injured were critically hurt, according to Ocean County Prosecutor Joseph Coronato.
The hotel has a capacity of about 100 people, and was believed to have been occupied by about 40 guests at the time. Firefighters rescued one woman who became trapped in her shower on the second floor, helping her out the window and down a ladder.
"We had to break the window, there was fire overhead," said Fire Chief A.J. Fox.
The motel, which is about two blocks from the beach, was destroyed and the roof collapsed. The cause of the fire is not known.
Residents gave conflicting accounts of whether they heard smoke detectors or fire alarms sounding. Some said they heard nothing, while others said a fire alarm was blaring as the flames were sweeping eastward across the top of the building.
Coronato described the injuries as burns, smoke inhalation and broken bones, including a deputy sheriff who was hurt.
Survivors described a chaotic scene of flames, smoke and screaming.
Peter Kuch said he smelled smoke and opened his door to find a lounge area engulfed in flames. He dialed 911 to seek help, and by the time the call was completed, the flames were at his door and licking at the windows of his second-floor unit.
He decided to jump.
"I had to, there was no other way out," he said. "My window was only open an inch and flames were already starting to come through it. There just was no other choice."
He suffered a sprained ankle but said he was otherwise OK.
Joe Frystock was one of the Sandy victims who was staying at the motel, which like many others in this resort, relies on people seeking low-cost rentals during the slow winter season. His home in nearby Brick Township took on 6 feet of water during the October 2012 storm, and the motel was the latest in a series of temporary homes for him.
Frystock, who is diabetic, said he frequently has to use the bathroom at night. He woke up to popping sounds, which he initially thought were gunshots.
"It was the sound of timbers burning upstairs," he said. "I looked out and saw that orange glow, and there was no mistaking what it was. People were yelling: 'Help me! Help me!' There was lots of screaming. A woman in the unit next to me, they pulled her from a bathtub, but I don't know how anyone could have survived those flames. The entire second floor was engulfed, from one end to another."
Building inspectors have cited the motel for smoke alarm deficiencies in the past, the I-Team has learned. In the last complete building inspection, completed in 2009, defective smoke detectors were found in units 106, 114, 120 and 121.
New Jersey's Bureau of Housing Inspection said those smoke detector violations were corrected within a year.
There was a more recent visit to the motel by inspectors, when someone complained of bed bugs last year. But state regulators said fire prevention systems wouldn't have been tested at that time: hotels and motels are on five-year inspection cycles, so the Mariner's Cove Motel was not due for another complete inspection until this October.
The Ocean County prosecutor says it's too early to determine whether fire prevention systems were operative before the fire Friday.
Copyright AP - Associated Press


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I am an associate professor and chair of the Mass Communications and Journalism Department at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia. Over the past 30 years, I have taught courses at universities in Ohio, Washington, DC, New Mexico, New Jersey, Virginia and in the People's Republic of China. As for research, in the past, I have published on the following topics: international sojourning, intercultural relations, agenda-setting, international communication, development communication and media criticism. Currently, I'm working on a variety of research projects. My current research areas topics include transmedia narratology (adaptation), media argumentation, video games, interactive fiction, social media and race in film and television (read more about my research).
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Spiegel asks:
"Is The World Going Bankrupt?"
That is an odd question.
If some people are losing money, others must be gaining money, right?
But where is all the money going?
Bloomberg's Jonathan Weil hints at the answer in a post entitled "Is There Enough Money on Earth to Save the Banks?"
Two years ago the central planners convinced investors that the biggest surviving financial institutions would be able to earn their way back to health, in part through low interest rates and taxpayer support. The pressing question soon may be whether there is enough money on the planet to save the system as we know it, and if so, how much longer it will be before a crisis comes along that finally swamps the ability of governments to contain it.
One-hit wonders such as Fed-induced stock-market rallies can induce euphoria momentarily. They don't fix the big problem.
As I've previously noted, the giant banks are drawing the American and world economy down into a black hole. If we don't break up the giant banks now, they'll be bailed out again and again, and virtually all independent economists and financial experts say that will drag the world economy down with them.
Indeed, many economists and financial experts say that we'll have a never-ending depression or perpetual zombification unless the banks and bondholders are forced to write down their debt.
But the question remains: if all of the world's money (of the Western world, anyway) is draining out, where's it going to?
Economists note:
A substantial portion of the profits of the largest banks is essentially a redistribution from taxpayers to the banks, rather than the outcome of market transactions.
Indeed, all of the monetary and economic policy of the last 3 years has helped the wealthiest and penalized everyone else. See this, this and this.
A "jobless recovery" is basically a redistribution of wealth from the little guy to the big boys.
The Bush tax cuts and failure to enforce corporate taxes also redistribute wealth to the top 1%. See this and this.
Economist Steve Keen says:
"This is the biggest transfer of wealth in history", as the giant banks have handed their toxic debts from fraudulent activities to the countries and their people.
Nobel economist Joseph Stiglitz said in 2009 that Geithner's toxic asset plan "amounts to robbery of the American people".
And economist Dean Baker said in 2009 that the true purpose of the bank rescue plans is "a massive redistribution of wealth to the bank shareholders and their top executives".
The money of individuals, businesses, cities, states and entire nations are disappearing into the abyss …
… and ending up in the pockets of the top .1% richest people.


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About Us
The publishing house Ut Orpheus Edizioni was founded in 1993 by Roberto De Caro, Antonello Lombardi and Valeria Tarsetti. Its catalogue currently numbers more than 2000 books and scores of early, classical and contemporary music.
Ut Orpheus is the exclusive publisher for the project entitled Scuola napoletana, conceived by Maestro Riccardo Muti in his capacity as conductor of the Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini and produced in collaboration with Ravenna Festival and Salzburg Festival.
Among other high profile projects in progress at Ut Orpheus are the critical editions of the Opera Omnia of both Luigi Boccherini and Muzio Clementi (since 2006 and 2008 bearing the hallmark of Italian National Editions), the critical edition of the complete works of Francesco Geminiani (series founded by Christopher Hogwood) and the complete Urtext edition of Claudio Monteverdi's Madrigals.
A large part of the catalogue is devoted to contemporary music and music education; for the latter, in particular a number of manuals for historical instruments (harpsichord, viola da gamba, lute, theorbo) and series catering for those taking their first steps on an instrument (Fare Musica, 10 vols - Ciao Chitarra!!!, 15 vols).
The books sector features important works of musicology together with a number of monographs dealing with composers, performers, instruments, singing and music teaching. Ut Orpheus is also the publisher of the prestigious musicological quarterly Ad Parnassum. A Journal of Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Instrumental Music.
Ut Orpheus carries out an intensive activity of promotion in Italy and abroad, participating with a stand of its own in some of the major music fairs (Frankfurt (Musikmesse), Cremona (Mondomusica), Paris, Vienna and other prominent venues).
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