text:
Robert T. Sullivan
email@example.com 602-271-7738 vCard Print PDFOverview
Lisa Black
602-271-7786, email@example.com
Bobby has tried over fifty jury cases to verdict and is lead trial counsel for the insurance bad faith litigation group at the firm. Notably, he was trial counsel in a multi-million dollar bad faith case that was recognized as a top ten defense verdict and obtained a significant award of attorneys' fees and costs for the client. Bobby began his litigation practice in Texas. In 2003, Bobby, a native Phoenician, moved his family back to Arizona and joined Broening Oberg Woods & Wilson. Bobby has been recognized by Top Attorneys of the Southwest, The Best Lawyers in America, Arizona's Finest Lawyers, Arizona's Top Rated Lawyers, Southwest Super Lawyers, named the 2023 Insurance Litigator of the Year, and is AV Preeminent rated by Martindale Hubbell. Bobby's practice areas include insurance defense, bad faith, coverage, professional liability defense, and general litigation.
- The University of Texas School of Law, 1998, J.D.
- University of Dallas, M.B.A., 1995
- University of Dallas, B.A., 1994
Bar Admissions
- State Bar of Texas, 1998
- U.S. District Court, W.D. of Texas, 1998
- U.S. District Court, N.D. of Texas, 1998
- 5th Circuit Court of Appeals, 1999
- 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, 2003
- State Bar of Arizona, 2003
- U.S. District Court, Arizona, 2003
Professional Recognition:
- Selected for Top Attorneys of the Southwest, 2016, 2019, 2023
- Selected for Top Arizona Attorneys, 2019-2023
- Selected for The Best Lawyers in America, 2015-2023
- "Lawyer of the Year 2023" – Insurance Litigation
- Commercial Litigation
- Insurance Law
- Litigation – Insurance
- Personal Injury Litigation – Defendants
- Selected to Arizona's Finest Lawyers, 2013-2023
- Selected Arizona's Top Rated Lawyers, 2013-2023
- Southwest Super Lawyers, 2012, 2015-2023
- Super Lawyers, Southwest Rising Star Award, 2011
- Recipient of Arizona Significant Defense Verdict, 2008
- AV Preeminent Peer Review Rating – Martindale-Hubbell
- Member of Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel 2021-Present
Community Involvement:
- St. Mary's Advisory School Board President – 2015-2018
- Board of Directors St. Mary's High School Endowment and Scholarship – 2015-2018
- Participant in Mock Trials at Arizona State University
- Participant in St. Mary's Food Bank
- VP of St. Gregory's Dad's Club
- Breach of Contract Plaintiff Verdict (2020) – won a $1.1 million award for the firm's client, inclusive of damages, interest, attorneys' fees and costs. The lawsuit involved disputed commercial leases for construction equipment. The firm's client had alleged the defendant/lessor breached its contract and committed fraud by failing to pay rents and other charges owed under the lease, while the defendant/lessor contended its non-payment was consistent with the parties' course of dealing and that payment had been waived. This award is in addition to $450,000 the firm recovered for the client pre-trial.
- Breach of Contract/Fraud Defense Verdict (2019) – following a three-day bench trial, he obtained a defense verdict for the client in this commercial dispute. In addition, he prevailed on the client's own counterclaim for breach of contract, resulting in the client being awarded damages in the suit initially filed against him.
- Breach of Contract/Bad Faith Defense Verdict (2017) – Our insurance client was sued for breach of contract, first party bad-faith and punitive damages after denying a homeowners property claim for fraud. We obtained a dismissal of the bad faith and punitive damages claims on motion and obtained a unanimous defense verdict after a four day jury trial in federal court.
- Breach of Contract/Bad Faith Defense Verdict (2015) – We defended our insurance client against a home owners association claim for bad faith and breach of contract relating to the adjusting of hail damage allegedly sustained to approximately twenty (20) properties in the community. After the bad faith claim was dismissed through summary judgment, the case was tried to a jury. We obtained a defense verdict after a one week trial in federal court. After the verdict, we obtained an award of approximately $250,000 in attorneys' fees and costs.
- Plaintiff's Personal Injury (2015) – Four week personal injury trial (favorable jury verdict).
- Breach of Contract/Bad Faith Defense Verdict (2014) – In another multi-property bad faith claim brought by a home owners association, we obtained summary judgment on the bad faith claim and obtained a defense jury verdict at trial on the breach of contract claim. When Phoenix experienced an unprecedented catastrophic hail storm in 2010, our firm handled 108 property damage lawsuits. After trying the previously described two matters, we were able to negotiate a favorable global settlement, resolving the remainder of the claims against the client.
- Breach of Contract/Bad Faith Defense Arbitration (2014) – Our insurance client was sued for first-party bad faith and breach of contract after denying coverage for fraud. The matter was taken to arbitration where we secured a defense verdict and an award of $100,000 in defense fees and costs.
- Complex Commercial Case (2013) – Involved claims for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, patent infringement, fraud, trade secrets, conspiracy and legal malpractice (defense jury verdict and award of attorneys' fees).
- Breach of Contract/Bad Faith Defense Verdict (2009) – We obtained a defense verdict for our insurance carrier-client in a first-party bad faith and breach of contract claim. The insured's claim had been denied for fraud. After trial, we were awarded all of the attorneys' fees requested.
- Bad Faith Defense Verdict (2008) – In one of the State's top 10 defense verdicts in 2008, we defeated a multi-million dollar bad faith and breach of contract claim filed against our client based upon the denial of a homeowner's claim. After trial, we obtained an award of $3.16 million in fees and costs, which was upheld by the 9th Circuit.
- Bad Faith Defense Arbitration (2006) – Plaintiff stipulated to binding arbitration of a first-party breach of contract and bad faith lawsuit. We obtained a defense verdict at arbitration.
- Patent Litigation Defense (2005) – Patent case (dismissal of 23 out of 25 claims by motion, obtained a directed verdict at trial and obtained an award of fees and costs).
- Breach of Contract Defense (2005) – Allegations of defamation and breach of contract (bench trial defense verdict).
Professional Associations & Memberships
- American Bar Association
- Arizona Association of Defense Counsel
- Former Board of Directors, Defense Research Institute


text:
Rehearsal Studio, Recording Artists and other customers
(WAR, keyboardist, lead singer/songwriter)
barenaked ladies
(recorded michael ray trumpets for album fake nudes)
Pancho Tomaselli
(Tower of Power, WAR, Philm -bassist, composer, musical director)
Dave Lombardo
(Slayer, Philm)
(singer, Labelle, Keith Richards & the X-pensive Winos, The Rolling Stones)
(sax player, composer/arranger, musical director with Manhattan Transfer)
Lanny Meyers
(composer, orchestrator, principal arranger and musical director. 6x Tony award winner)
Steve Tirpack
(composer, arranger, trumpet/trombone player recorded with Jay-Z, Erykah Badu, Kirk Franklin, P. Diddy, The Roots, LL Cool J, Will Smith, Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Estelle, Luther Vandross, R. Kelly, Boyz II Men, Vivian Green, Notorious B.I.G, Kindred, Young Gunz, and many others. Horn section leader and arranger for the John Legend band, currently the Assistant Director for the Creative Music Program at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts)
Tex Nakamura
(WAR, Santana - harmonica)
Michael Ray
(Kool & the Gang, Phish, Sun Ra Arkestra - trumpet)
Wise Intelligent
(Poor Righteous Teachers, writer, singer, hip hop artist)
Cliff Adams
(Kool & the Gang - trombone)
Raymond Earl
(Instant Funk, TNJ's, Lou Rawls, The O'Jay's, Teddie Pendergrass,
The Staples Singers - bassist, Philly International Records session musician)
Bunny Sigler
(producer, singer, writer, arranger, composer, Philly International Records,
sang the #1 hits "Let the Good Times Roll and "Love Train")
Daniel Spalding
(conductor, Pro Musica orchestra, NJ Capital Philharmonic Orchestra)
(NJ Rock band, "best NJ bands 2016 NJ.com)
Esther Marrow
Gospel singer/composer/arranger and playwright - sang & recorded Duke Ellington's 2nd Spiritual Suite, singer at MLK's funeral)
Christine Lavin
(legendary Folk singer, guitarist, songwriter)
Yusef Kominyaka
(Pulitzer Prize-winning poet)
(sound design, sound tech & recordings)
(music appreciation classes for students, The Bonner Institute)
(live audio recording classes for students)

subset: commoncrawl


text:
We all know the satisfaction of running an analysis and seeing the results come back the way we want them to: 80% accuracy; 85%; 90%?
The temptation is strong just to turn to the Results section of the report we're writing, and put the numbers in. But wait: as always, it's not that straightforward.
Succumbing to this particular temptation could undermine the impact of otherwise completely valid analysis.
With most machine learning algorithms it's really important to think about how those results were generated: not just the algorithm, but the dataset and how it's used can have significant effects on the results obtained. Complex algorithms applied to too-small datasets can lead to overfitting, leading to misleadingly good results.
What is Overfitting?
Overfitting occurs when a machine learning algorithm, such as a classifier, identifies not only the signal in a dataset, but the noise as well. All datasets are noisy. The values recorded in an experiment can be affected by a host of issues:
- Mechanical issues, such as heat or humidity changing the characteristics of the recording device;
- Physical issues: some mice are larger than others;
- Or simply inherent noise in the system under investigation. The production of proteins from DNA, for example, is inherently noisy, occurring not in a steady stream as is usually visualized, but in a series of steps, each of which is stochastic, dependent upon the presence of appropriate molecules at appropriate times.
- Data gathered from human subjects is likewise affected by factors such as time of day, the subjects' state of health, and even their mood.
The situation worsens as the number of parameters in the dataset grows. A dataset with, for example, 100 records, each with 500 observations is very prone to overfitting, while 1000 records with 5 observations each will be far less of a problem.
When your model has too many parameters relative to the number of data points, you're prone to overestimate the utility of your model.
— Jessica Su in "What is an intuitive explanation of overfitting?"
Why is Overfitting a Problem?
The aim of most machine learning algorithms is to find a mapping from the signal in the data, the important values, to an output. Noise interferes with the establishment of this mapping.
The practical outcome of overfitting is that a classifier which appears to perform well on its training data may perform poorly, possibly very badly, on new data from the same problem. The signal in the data tends to be pretty much the same from dataset to dataset, but the noise can be very different.
If a classifier fits the noise as well as the signal, it will not be able to separate signal from noise on new data. And the aim of developing most classifiers is to have them generalise to new data in a predictable way.
A model that has been overfit will generally have poor predictive performance, as it can exaggerate minor fluctuations in the data
— Overfitting, Wikipedia.
Overcoming Overfitting
There are two main approaches to overcoming overfitting: three-set validation, and cross-validation.
Three-Set Validation
How can an ethical analyst overcome the problem of overfitting? The simplest, and hardest to achieve, solution is simply to have lots and lots of data. With enough data, an analyst can develop and algorithm on one set of data (the training set), and then test its performance on a completely new, unseen, dataset generated by the same means (the test set).
The problem with using only two datasets is that as soon as you use the test set, it becomes contaminated. The process of training on set 1, testing on set 2, and then using the results of these tests to modify the algorithm means that set 2 is really part of the training data.
To be completely objective, a third dataset (the validation set) is required. The validation set should be kept in glorious isolation until all of the training is complete. The results of the trained classifier on the validation set are the ones which should be reported.
One popular approach is to train the classifier on the training set and, every few iterations, test its performance on the test set. Initially, as the signal in the dataset is fitted, the error of both the training and test sets will go down.
Eventually, however, the classifier will start to fit the noise, and although the error rate on the training set still decreases, the error rate on the test set will start to increase. At this point training should be stopped, and the trained classifier applied to the validation set to estimate the real performance.
The process thus becomes:
- Develop an algorithm;
- Train on set 1 (training set);
- Test on set 2 (testing set);
- Modify the algorithm, or stop training, using the results of step 3;
- Iterate steps 1 – 4 until satisfied with the results of the algorithm;
- Run the algorithm on set 3 (validation set);
- Report the results of step 6.
Sadly, few projects generate enough data to enable the analyst to indulge in the luxury of the three-data-set approach. An alternative must be found where each result is generated by a classifier which has not used that data item in its training.
With cross-validation the entire available dataset is divided into more-or-less equal sized subsets. Say we have a dataset of 100 observations. We could divide it into three subsets of 33, 33, and 34 observations each. Let's call these three subsets set1, set2 and set3.
To develop our classifier, we use two-thirds of the data; say set1 and set2, to train the algorithm. We then run the classifier on set3, so far unseen, and record these results.
The process is then repeated, using another two-thirds, say set1 and set3, and the results on set2 are recorded. Similarly, a classifier trained on set2 and set3 produces the results for set1.
The three results sets are then combined, and become the results for the entire dataset.
The process described above is called three-fold cross-validation, because three datasets were used. Any number of subsets may be used; ten-fold cross-validation is widely used. The ultimate cross-validation scheme is, of course, to train each classifier on all of the data except one case, and then run it on the left out case. This practice is known as leave-one-out validation.
Cross-validation is important in guarding against testing hypotheses suggested by the data (called "Type III errors"), especially where further samples are hazardous, costly or impossible to collect.
— Overfitting, Wikipedia.
Advantages of Cross-Validation for Avoiding Overfitting
The major advantage of any form of cross-validation is that each result is generated using a classifier which was not trained on that result.
Also, because the training set for each classifier is made up of the majority of the data the classifiers, although probably slightly different, should be more-or-less the same. This is particularly true in the case of leave-one-out, where each classifier is trained on an almost identical dataset.
Disadvantages of Cross-Validation
There are two main disadvantages to the use of cross validation:
- The classifier used to generate the results is not a single classifier, but a suite of closely-related classifiers. As already mentioned, these classifiers should be pretty similar, and this drawback is generally not considered to be a major one.
- The test set can no longer be used to modify the classification algorithm. Because the algorithm is trained on the majority of the data and then tested on the smaller subset, these results can no longer be considered "unseen". Whatever the results are, they are the ones which should be reported. In theory, this is a significant drawback, but in practice this is rarely the case.
In summary, if data is plentiful the three-set validation approach should be used. When datasets are limited, however, cross-validation makes the best use of the data in a principled manner.
Statistical Approaches
Because overfitting is a widespread problem, there has been a lot of research into avoiding the issue using statistical approaches. Some standard textbooks with good coverage of these approaches include:
- Duda, R. O., Hart, P. E., & Stork, D. G. (2012). Pattern Classification: John Wiley & Sons.
- Bishop, C. M. (2006). Pattern Recognition and Machine Learning (Vol. 1): springer New York.
Tutorials on Avoiding Overfitting
For an example, with code, using the R statistical language see "Evaluating model performance – A practical example of the effects of overfitting and data size on prediction".
For a detailed tutorial using SPSS see the slides "Logistic Regression – Complete Problems" (PPT).
And coverage from the SAS User's Guide, see the "The GLMSELECT Procedure".
Further Reading
An interesting overview on the practical effects of overfitting can be found at the MIT Technology Review titled "The Emerging Pitfalls Of Nowcasting With Big Data".
An excellent introductory lecture from CalTech is available on YouTube titled "Overfitting":
A much more detailed article, from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam titled "What You See May Not Be What You Get: A Brief, Nontechnical Introduction to Overfitting in Regression-Type Models" (PDF).


text:
As I'd mentioned in a previous post, I recently decided to try my hand at building a PC. As a first-time builder, I found the whole process to be very cost-efficient and rewarding, so I wanted to share my experience.
Budget and Purpose
My budget for the system was around $900-$1000 – excluding the display. For this price, I wanted to put together a decent little mid-range gaming rig for my son that would serve him well for a couple of years before it needed upgrading. It took a lot of research on my part, but I think I assembled a pretty kick-ass little PC. It's small, it's fast, it looks great, and I was able to get all the parts for under $1000 (before tax).
Here's the list of parts used for the build…
The Ingredients
The Case: Corsair Air 240
The case was easily the toughest decision I had to make when planning the build. The case has a lot of influence over the types of components you can install, plus it's the most visual part of the build. Given that this would be my first attempt at building a PC, I also wanted to be sure I picked a case that would give me little hassle, i.e., be asy to work in and offer good cable management options.
I'd narrowed my choices down to about 5 different cases, and since the PC was going to be my son's anyway, I let him choose from my five finalists. He immediately picked the Corsair Air 240 and I'm so glad he did! The case is amazing and an absolute pleasure to build in.
I have to give Corsair credit for the expert care they take when packaging their cases. The Air 240 was carefully secured and protected in its shipping box, arriving to me in perfect order.
Processor: Intel Core i5 6500
At around $200, this Skylake processor seemed to sit right in the sweet spot in terms of price and performance. I didn't want to fuss with any sort of water-cooling, so I figured a locked processor would be ideal (and cheaper).
CPU Cooler: Cryorig C7
For a few extra bucks, I thought it'd be worth it to throw a more efficient and better looking cooler on the i5 6500, than use the ugly stock Intel cooler it comes packaged with. The Cryorig C7 looks very sharp, it keeps the CPU nice and cool, and it's very quiet. Totally worth the $30, in my opinion.
Motherboard: Asus B150i Pro Gaming Mini ITX w/ Wi-Fi
Even though the Air 240 can accommodate a Micro ATX board, I elected to go with a Mini ITX mobo. Mini ITX seemed like a good bet because of the built-in wi-fi, and I figured the tiny board would allow for a cleaner and easier build. I also didn't plan on going with an SLI setup in this rig, and I seriously doubted we'd need more than 32GB of ram anytime soon – both of which were limitations of Mini ITX that didn't concern me.
Another reason I like a Mini ITX config for the Corsair Air 240 is because it allows for more case fans. Due to the additional size of the Micro ATX board, there isn't enough space to mount case fans below the GPU. We went with a window-up orientation with the build, and having the six fans wrap around the front and sides of the case looks amazing.
I went with the Asus B150i Mini ITX mobo specifically because of the brand, the features, and the price. The majority of H170 and B150 (non-overclockable) boards with built-in wi-fi are in the $100-$120 range. This ASUS board is a little bit pricier – at about $125 – but considering the quality of the board and the nifty LEDs, I consider it totally worthy of the higher price tag. I also like the wi-fi antenna that comes with this board. The signal strength is excellent and reliable.
Graphics Card: EVGA GTX 960 4GB SSC
One downside of the Corsair Air 240 is its inability to accommodate wider graphics cards. The area between the motherboard and the side window is fairly shallow for a case this size, which means that many cards with larger cooling units and heat pipes will not fit nicely in the Air 240. After looking at several builds using the Air 240, I concluded that an EVGA card was the safest bet. EVGA cards fit in the Air 240 perfectly, with just enough room on the side of the card so the cables can connect comfortably without applying pressure to the plexiglass window.
My budget ceiling was about $200, so I settled on an EVGA GTX 960 SSC with 4GB video ram. The card fits nicely in this build, and being that it came with a backplate, it looks fantastic. I was really hoping to snag a GTX 970 at a deep down discount, but the cheapest I could find, at that time, was around $270. I saw some Zotacs and other B list brands for less, but I was pretty set on an EVGA GPU.
Although I haven't had any issues with scratching, some Corsair owners have complained about how easily the plastic windows scratch, so be careful when choosing a GPU to stick in this case. You'll likely want to avoid Asus Strix, MSI, and Sapphire cards, which is a bummer. Some builders have managed to get some wider cards in there, but it usually leaves the side window bowed out due to the pressure, and in time, can result in surface scratches. Apart from EVGA GPUs, I believe Gigabyte Windforce cards can also fit in the Air 240, as well as blower cards like the Asus Turbo.
Memory: 16GB (2x 8GB) HyperX Fury DDR4 2133
I wasn't too picky with the ram. I wanted sticks that would look good in the build (black or red), at a good price. I basically hovered around looking for deals and snatched these during a sale. I grabbed the pair of HyperX 8GB sticks for $59, plus they came with a free copy of Rainbow Six Siege. That deal was almost criminal.
Hard Drives: PNY CS2211 240GB SSD & PNY CS 1311 480GB SSD
I was going to go with one SSD for the primary drive, along with a 1 TB 3.5″ drive for extra storage, but I managed to steal the 480GB SSD from Best Buy for only $109. The CS2211 I nabbed on sale for $69, which was also an amazing deal. These drives are incredibly fast and I would say they're easily among the best bang-for-the-buck SSDs available right now.
Also worth noting…the Corsair Air 240 has 6 hard drive bays, so there's plenty of room to grow.
Case Fans: 6x Corsair AF120 w/ Red LEDs
As its name implies, the Air 240 is ideal for an air-cooled build, with the ability to house up to 9 case-mounted fans (7x120mm + 2x80mm). I figured 6x 120mm fans should be plenty for this moderately demanding little build.
The Corsair AF120s were a great value at around $8 each, they're quiet, and they really set the build off visually. You'll see what I mean in the build post.
Fan Hub: SilverStone PWM Fan Hub
For $12, this little beauty enabled me to run all of the fans off the one available fan header on the motherboard.
Power Supply: EVGA 650 GQ 80+ GOLD Semi-Modular PSU
I saw the 650W GQ on Amazon for a pretty good price ($68) and it had glowing reviews on Johnny Guru, so I went for it.
Display: BenQ RL2460HT 24 inch Gaming Monitor
Next to the case, choosing a monitor was the most difficult decision to make with this build. I put this purchase off until the very end – hoping that I'd get lucky and grab an amazing monitor on sale somewhere – but no such luck. Once all of the parts for the PC had arrived, I figured I'd better just go out and grab a monitor so I could put this thing together. If I didn't like it, I'd just return it and find another I did like.
Although I wasn't too keen on the shiny piano-black finish, I ended up buying an ASUS VG248QE at the local Best Buy. It was priced right, at $250, and being that it's an ultra-fast gaming monitor with a high refresh rate and quick response time, it seemed like a good choice for my son's setup.
After staring at the VG248QE for awhile, I started to get a headache. Now I'm not someone who is prone to headaches, and while it's possible it could have been coincidence, I'd read that the VG248QE uses PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) for its backlighting which is known to cause headaches for many users. This is a real thing, and if you have any doubts, just Google "asus vg248qe pwm" and you'll see many comments about it.
Disclaimer: The VG248QE is an extremely popular gaming monitor, which is not necessarily a bad product. The PWM issue is well-known, but it's also been shown that at least 50% of computer users are not affected by this backlighting technology. If you're among that 50%, and you want an ultra-fast gaming monitor at a good price, then the VG248QE may be a good choice.
Given that I'm among the users who are affected by the VG248QE's PWM, I wasn't going to risk subjecting my son to it, so I returned it the next day. Then it was back to the drawing board…
After experiencing the headache effects of the Asus monitor, I did a great deal of research on backlighting, blue light, eye strain and what not, and ended up deciding on BenQ because of the eye care technology used in their displays. Some of that could be fancy marketing mumbo jumbo, but all I can say is that the 2460HT is a pleasure to look at. The colors may not be as true as my iMac's 1440p IPS display, but the BenQ is sharp, fast and easy on the eyes.
The build quality is fantastic as well. The display is housed in all black matte plastic, with a subtle red border around the neck of the base. It's lightweight yet sturdy, and very simple in its design. It also has flexible height and tilt adjustments, plus it can swivel around in a portrait orientation.
At just over $200, I am very happy with this display and I've already bought a second one for myself. It's not as pretty as an IPS display, but what it lacks in color depth it makes up for in performance. Although subtle, it is noticeably more responsive than what I've been accustomed to using.
That's it for the parts. Next up…the assembly.


text:
Published: January 16, 2020
By: Chris Dyer and Associated Press
- Parent firm of Crystal Geyser admitted illegally storing and transporting waste
- Firm accused of discharging 23,000 gallons of wastewater containing arsenic
- Hazardous waste dumped by CG Roxane into man-made pond for about 15 years
- Company behind the bottled water producer has agreed to pay a $5 million fine
A California company that produces Crystal Geyser bottled water has pleaded guilty to illegally dumping wastewater containing arsenic.
Crystal Geyser's parent company, CG Roxane, along with two contracted firms, were charged in 2018 with failing to disclose details of arsenic in wastewater transported from the bottling plant in Olancha, California.
Following a court case last week, the firm agreed to a $5million fine for storing and transporting the hazardous waste, federal prosecutors said.
The waste was produced by filtering arsenic out of Sierra Nevada spring water at CG Roxane LLC's facility in Owens Valley, authorities said.
CG Roxane was accused of discharging the wastewater into a man-made pond for about 15 years.
According to court records, the company created an 'arsenic pond' in a remote part of eastern California between Death Valley and the Sequoia National Forest and did not disclose that water pumped out of the pond and delivered to water treatment plants contained the poisonous heavy metal.
|The Crystal Geyser water bottling plant in Olancha, California. The parent company, CG Roxane, was charged with failing to disclose details of arsenic in wastewater transported from the bottling plant
Pond sampling by local water quality officials in 2013 found arsenic concentrations above the hazardous waste limit, as did subsequent sampling by state authorities and the company, prosecutors said.
State officials instructed the CG Roxane to remove the pond but that was done by two hired companies without identifying the wastewater as hazardous material, resulting in 23,000 gallons (87,064 liters) being discharged into a sewer without proper treatment, prosecutors said.
The company entered the pleas last week to one count of unlawful storage of hazardous waste and one count of unlawful transportation of hazardous material, the US Attorney's Office said.
The office said the $5 million fine was included in a recently filed plea agreement.
The US Attorney's Office statement noted that the investigation focused on handling, storage and transportation of CG Roxane's wastewater, 'not the safety or quality of CG Roxane's bottled water'.
A call to a telephone listing for the company facility was not answered when called last week.
Prosecutors say the company used sand filters to reduce the concentration of naturally occurring arsenic in the spring water to meet federal drinking water standards.
'To maintain the effectiveness of the sand filters, CG Roxane back-flushed the filters with a sodium hydroxide solution, which generated thousands of gallons of arsenic-contaminated wastewater,' the office said.
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text:
How These 15 Countries Use Their Noodles
Who doesn't love a big bowl of noodles? There's something about that chewy and versatile food that makes it a staple the world over. Seemingly every country noodles have come into contact with have made them their own. Here's how 15 countries use their noodles in their cooking.
How These 15 Countries Use Their Noodles (Slideshow)
What exactly is a noodle? By definition, it's unleavened dough that's been either rolled, extruded, or stretched thin and cut into an infinite number of shapes. They're usually boiled, and then can be used in any number of applications, from simply being topped with sauce to being pan-fried, eaten in soup, or used in casseroles.
It's widely believed that noodles can trace their origins to China, where they may have been consumed as far back as 4,000 years ago. For this reason, Asian countries are the ones that consume the most noodles on Earth, and also have the most varieties of noodles. Whereas the vast majority of noodles on Earth are made from wheat, in Asia you'll find noodles made from everything from rice to buckwheat to mung beans.
Over the centuries, noodles have made their way around the world and back, and today the Western country best known for them is obviously Italy, which transformed it into hundreds of different shapes and varieties of pasta. But whether it's by inventing their own specific type of noodles or co-opting pre-existing ones to make them their own via creative and delicious dishes, nearly every country on Earth uses noodles in some form or another. Here are 15.


text:
When using Windows API functions such as SendMessage, it is often necessary to locate the HWND of an arbitrary control on an arbitrary window at runtime. HWND Hunter, designed to speed up this process, is a program that generates code to programmatically determine HWNDs using a Spy++ style window finding method. The following function, FindHWND_AIM(), was generated using HWND Hunter and locates the HWND of an open AOL Instant Messanger 5.9 window's text box:
HWND FindHWND_AIM()
// class type: Ate32Class
HWND base = FindWindowS("AIM_IMessage", "- Instant Message");
if ( base == NULL ) return NULL;
int scan2 = {8, 0};
return IterateHWNDs(base, 2, scan);
This function can then be used in code such as the following:
#include <windows.h>
int main()
HWND aim_hwnd = FindHWND_AIM();
SendMessage(aim_hwnd, WM_SETTEXT, NULL, (LPARAM)"Voodoo!");
return 0;
All FindHWND_*() functions use a custom function (provided within HWND Hunter) called FindWindowS, which works much like FindWindow, except searches for a substring match instead of the exact string. Thus, "- Instant Message" matches the window caption "thekrispykremlin: thekrispykremlin – Instant Message", which would be a window of me sending an IM myself. A parameter of NULL can be used for either (or both) class name and window caption, and will result in that parameter matching for any value, much like using an empty search string.
I wrote most of the code with a sinus headache, and thus it's not exactly the cleanest code I've ever written. If you plan to venture into the source, you have been warned.


text: Primary objective of this article is to describe attractive Business Productivity. productivity is a measure of the efficiency of any person, machine, manufacturing area, system, etc., with converting inputs straight into useful outputs. Business productivity will be computed by splitting average output per period through the total costs borne or resources, similar to: capital, energy, product, personnel etc., consumed for the reason that period. Productivity can be a critical determinant associated with cost efficiency. Business Productivity is usually an element from the success of virtually any business. However, it truly is truly surprising the way little emphasis is positioned on this vital aspect. Many people look at a focus on productivity as a task that will be undertaken in times of tough economy.


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- Home
- Band Management
- Home Recording
- Live Sound
- Best Instruments
- New Music
Jon Stickley Trio
Lost At Last
Asheville, NC
Jon Stickley Trio – "Point to Point" from Jon Stickley on Vimeo.▼ Article continues below ▼
Combining the sounds of an intricate, flat-picking guitar with powerful rhythms and a wailing fiddle, the Jon Stickley Trio brings an innovative new sound that is both eclectic and innovative. Blending elements of traditional, fast paced bluegrass with sultry backings in jazz and raging hip-hop beats, Lost At Last is an album not to be missed.
Stickley delivers lightning fast fingerpicking track-by -rack while fiddler Lyndsay Pruett is able to seamlessly wrap her instrumental melodies around each chord. What ties each track together are the various drum beats by percussionist Patrick Armitage, ranging from a hard rock sound on "Darth Radar" to the rock-steady beat heard in the beautiful "Pamlico Sound."
Follow on Twitter @StickleyMusic


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Dear Supporter,
Come make your voice heard this Friday, Feb. 19 from 10am-12pm at at the Statewide Hearing on Poverty and the Real Economy. The event will be held at SEIU at 1545 Wilshire Blvd in Los Angeles.
Elected officials from the state Assembly and Senate will be there, providing an important opportunity for those who can't go all the way up to Sacramento to speak out. The hearing will focus on the state budget and its impact on the benefits, programs, and services created to serve low-income residents and the key implications of the economy on our state. Campaigns to end homelessness and to raise SSI/SSP, two of the major policy initiatives of Hunger Action LA and numerous other organizations in the L.A. area, are on the agenda.
In addition, you can record a video testimony that can be used at different times during the legislative season (if you wish to record a testimony or know someone who does, please arrive at 9 am!)
RSVP to Aurora Garcia at email@example.com.


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Year Of The Ox – Chinese Zodiac
The year of the Rat is next followed by the Year of the Ox. Ox is in the second animal sign in the Chinese zodiac.
Following are the Ox years in conjunction with the Chinese elements. Each zodiac sign or animal repeats once in every 12 year cycle.
The Year of the Ox is one of the most dependable signs in Chinese astrology.
Year Of The Ox : Dates
Earth Ox:
29 January 1949 – 16 February 1950
26 January 2009 – 13 February 2010
Metal Ox:
15 February 1961 – 4 February 1962
12 February 2021 – 31 January 2022
Water Ox:
3 February 1973 – 22 January 1974
31 January 2033 – 18 February 2034
Wood Ox:
20 February 1985 – 8 February 1986
Fire Ox:
7 February 1997 – 27 January 1998
Year Of The Ox : Personality Traits
Year Of The Ox : Positive Traits
People born in the Year of the Ox are trustworthy, motivated, peaceful, meticulous, tolerant, powerful and obstinate. They love their country and are attached to family. They are frank and stick to their principles. Basically they are strict followers of age old conventions. Women born in this Chinese zodiac year are traditional housewives and are interested in imparting good education to their offspring.
Because of their motivation and tolerance, people born in Ox years pursue their objectives relentlessly. They overcome all obstacles by based on their capacity and morals. People belonging to the ox zodiac sign are great achievers in life. They put all their beliefs and muscle power backed by systematic planning and thoroughness in their execution of projects.
Year Of The Ox : Negative Traits
Year of the Ox people are highly obstinate, difficult to handle, inflexible and biased. They have the ox temperament of being stubborn and obstinate. They are very bad communicators and do not like to share information with others.
Influence of Elements
Ox years are influenced by the elements connected with it.
Metal Oxen
Metal Ox are sturdy and diligent. Hence people born in Metal Ox years are responsible and reliable.
Water Oxen
Water Ox are sympathetic to others, honest and tolerant. They are flexible and friendly with others.
Wood Ox
Wood Ox are very good as bosses as they are genial and get along with others in a group. They are sincere in their work.
Fire Ox
Fire Ox are impetuous and tend to ignore the view point of others. They occupy commanding positions many a time.
Earth Oxen
Earth Ox are hard working, humble and honest. Because of these personality traits they attract people and are normally successful.
Year Of The Ox : Health
Health astrology predictions for Year of the Ox people forecasts that they are normally in good physical shape with lot of vigor and toughness. They enjoy long life and are not prone to sickness. They tend to end up with problems of intestines as they are likely to ignore their regular intake of food because of their obstinacy and motivation to complete their work.
To improve their performance, the Ox personality should be more relaxed and have timely food. They can withstand a high degree of pressure and strain because of their obstinate temperament. Ox people should go on excursions and relax more in order to be more efficient.
Year Of The Ox : Career
In Chinese astrology, people born in the Year of the Ox are hard workers with a dependable and serious approach to accomplish their goals. They get into minute details and are innovative in their outlook. These attributes make them suitable for engineering, politics, quarrying, agriculture, real estate and craftsmanship.
Year Of The Ox : Love
Year of the OX people are not good at interacting with others in both love and professional relationships. This makes them shun the company of others. They prefer to be lonely than attending social gatherings. They are honest with their companions and value their friendship very much. In matters of love, they like to have long term relationships. They hardly change their sexual partners.
Lady oxen are more masculine and are guarded in matters of love and passion. If they can change this attitude, they can have very good romantic relationships.
Year Of The Ox : Luck & Compatibility
- Highly Compatible with Rat, Snake or Rooster
- Should Avoid Horse, Rabbit, Dragon, Dog, Sheep
- Lucky Colors: Green, Yellow, Blue
- Unlucky Colors: White
- Lucky Numbers: 9, 1
- Unlucky Numbers: 3, 4
- Lucky Flowers: Peach Blossom, Tulip
- Lucky Directions: South East, South or North
Year Of The Rat | Year Of The Ox | Year Of The Tiger | Year Of The Rabbit | Year Of The Dragon | Year Of The Snake | Year Of The Horse | Year Of The Sheep | Year Of The Monkey | Year Of The Rooster | Year Of The Dog | Year Of The Pig | Chinese Zodiac
See Corresponding Horoscopes:


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Stephen Colbert, currently sporting some post-hiatus stubble, may be the only person covering Sarah Palin the way she's meant to be covered: with mockery and flippancy. Now that the reality show star has embarked on a cross-country bus tour for some reason, the media only has one question: "Why?" And Colbert only has one question about the attention they're paying to her: "Why?"
After examining the purpose behind Palin's trip, which only is vaguely explained as a tour of America yet solicits donations from her supporters, Colbert then took aim at the folksiness-with-blinders that the Palins espouse. The half-term governor's daughter reverently spoke of her admiration for George Washington's work ethic in running his farm, which he obviously maintained singlehandedly.
We doubt that Palin will be stopping by Colbert's studios while she's in New York, though -- according to her Twitter, she'll be too busy visiting "the Statute of Liberty." The GOP frontrunner, ladies and gentlemen!
CORRECTION: This entry previously said Palin admired Washington's work ethic. It was actually her daughter who was admiring his work ethic. Palin just thought it would be a good idea to share that.


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Sunday, October 26, 2014
.thirty-one days of minimalism: shopping.
I talked about the pitfalls of clearance and sales already, but I wanted to spend a bit of time talking about shopping with kids. Or spouses. Or siblings. Or whomever you shop with that might add impulse items to your cart.
It is easy to start to accumulate lots of unnecessary "treasures" especially when shopping at stores that have toys, movies, clothes, and groceries.
When I write my grocery list, I plan on a few extra food items. It's inevitable for my family to find something extra on sale, or to spot a treat that looks too tasty to pass up. So I leave a little wiggle room in my budget for that sort of thing.
Before we enter the store, I mentally decide what my plan is for the trip. Is it a no-toy trip? (My kiddos aren't allowed anymore new toys until Christmas, so that's an easy one now!). Is it a no-clothes trip? No movies?
If at all possible, I try to avoid those areas of the store. If I don't see it, it's much easier for me to pass up and not add that extra thing to my cart!
Unfortunately, my kiddos know where the toy sections are, so they can see through that trick.
This is where the courage of my convictions comes in. Sometimes it is as simple as saying, "we're not going to get any toys today, so we don't need to go down that aisle." Sometimes, it's not that simple. This is where it's helpful to have already decided; no letting the kids sway you! Tantrums can be embarrassing, but if you've ever been to Target, you know that you aren't the only parent with a kid having a meltdown. It happens. As my mom says, "Sometimes you are entertained, sometimes you are the entertainment."
While I try not to have food be a reward, the reality is that sometimes the budget only allows for a consumable treat, and not a toy treat (which is great for minimalism!), and sometimes I just tell me kiddos that.
Anytime I enter a store, I have to fight the impulse to add to my possessions, so I know that the struggle is real! But take heart, you can do it with a plan and some conviction!
9 comments:
I love it! Your blog has actually encouraged me to begin my journey towards minimalism, and I wrote about the start of it, today. Thank you for giving me that little push I needed.ReplyDelete
Anastasia Rose
This is so true for me when I have our kids with us. (and at Target I need to just stay away from the $1 bin.....)ReplyDelete
Such helpful advice! Stopping by from the #31 days FB page!ReplyDelete
Hubby is always bugging me to be more minimalist... Maybe I should ☺ReplyDelete
I find that humming the VeggieTales Stuffmart Song always helps ;).ReplyDelete
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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A Phase I And Pharmacogenetic Study Of CPT-11, Oxaliplatin, And Capecitabine In Patients With Solid Tumors
I. To define the maximally tolerated dose of the combination of CPT-11 (irinotecan
hydrochloride), oxaliplatin, and capecitabine in three different populations, based on UDP
glucuronosyltransferase 1 family, polypeptide A1 (UGT1A1) genotype (6/6, 6/7, and 7/7).
II. To identify any activity of this treatment combination in patients with metastatic
III. To examine the differences in the toxicity profile, especially pertaining to
hematologic and gastrointestinal (GI), and the maximally tolerated dose of the combination
of CPT-11, oxaliplatin and capecitabine with respect to the UGT1A1 haplotypes.
IV. Examine the effect of the UGT1A1 genotype on the pharmacokinetics of CPT-11 and its
OUTLINE: This is a dose-escalation study. Patients are stratified according to UGT1A1
genotype (6/6 vs 6/7 [closed to accrual as of 8/24/06] vs 7/7).
Patients receive irinotecan hydrochloride intravenously (IV) over 90 minutes and oxaliplatin
IV over 2 hours on day 1 and capecitabine orally (PO) twice daily (QD) on days 2-15. Courses
repeat every 3 weeks in the absence of disease progression or unacceptable toxicity.
Cohorts of 3-6 patients receive escalating doses of irinotecan hydrochloride, oxaliplatin,
and capecitabine until the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) is determined. The MTD is defined as
the dose preceding that at which 2 of 3 or 2 of 6 patients experience dose-limiting
toxicity. Once the MTD is determined, an additional 6-10 patients (for a total of 12
patients) receive treatment at that dose.
After completion of study treatment, patients are followed up at 3 months.
PROJECTED ACCRUAL: A total of 54-84 patients (12-22 for stratum I, 18-28 for stratum II
[closed to accrual as of 8/24/06], and 24-34 for stratum III) will be accrued for this study
within approximately 4.4 years.
Endpoint Classification: Safety/Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment
MTD defined as one dose level below the lowest dose that induces dose-limiting toxicity in at least one-third of patients (at least 2 of a maximum of 6 new patients) assessed using NCI CTCAE v3.0
3 weeks
Matthew Goetz
Principal Investigator
Mayo Clinic
United States: Food and Drug Administration
November 2003
|Mayo Clinic
|Rochester, Minnesota 55905


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WJLA in Washington, D.C. is reporting CBS/Turner NBA analyst Greg Anthony was arrested tonight in a prostitution sting.
ABC 7 says Anthony is "currently in lockup." He's scheduled to broadcast tomorrow's Michigan State-Maryland game on CBS, not far from where he was reportedly arrested.
We'll update as we get more information.
Update (8:54 a.m.): The AP has added some details:
Lt. Kelvin Cusick tells The Associated Press that Anthony was arrested at 5:46 p.m. on Friday. He said Saturday that Anthony faces a misdemeanor solicitation charge that's punishable by up to 180 days in jail.
Cusick says the 47-year-old Anthony was released Friday evening. No further details were available.
To contact the author of this post, write to email@example.com or find him on Twitter @bubbaprog.


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Planning a vacation trip is expensive. It can cost you thousands of dollars depending on the destination and the season you choose to travel. Mostly when the number of travelers increases, the ticket fare increases due to high demand for seats. However, travel agents offer different discounts and reductions on airfare, car rentals, and hotel […]Read More
Consumer behavior changed a lot. The moment you want to search or find something, you look for your mobile phone. It can provide an abrupt answer to doubt or suggestion you need to know. Mobile has put forward an everlasting change in the lives of the consumers. It could also change the way a consumer, […]Read More
Travel agents around the world are more and more using global distribution systems (GDS), rather than other booking channels. During the past years, using phone, direct mail, hotel websites, and hotel directories have dwindled considerably. Instead, travel technologies from Amadeus, Galileo, Sabre, and Worldspan have become popular among the travel service providers. Among these, Amadeus […]Read More


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Group Exhibition
Murat Durusoy, Neslihan Başer, Yusuf Aygeç, Merve Denizci, Furkan "Nuka" Birgün, Merve Akyel, Kenneth Rivero, Peter Hristoff, Zeynep Solakoğlu, Jennifer İpekel, Ayşe Öykü
START 'Art within Reach' vol. 2
June 5 - July 19, 2014
START "Art within Reach", which we organized the initial one same time last year and received great reactions, aims to make art more reachable through the works of young artists from various disciplines. Works, selected between a certain price range, strive to break the taboos on how art is 'unreachable' and 'niche'. We wish to organize START every year since it is a great way to welcome summer with dynamic and impressive works.


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Get the Link to This Publication
You can copy and paste this link into any site, or bookmark it online or offline with any service.
- Done
- Details
- Description
- Published by:
- Some Publishing Group
- Published:
- 11/15/2012
- Specs:
Digest / 5.25" x 8.25"24 pages Saddle-stitched
- Category:
- Art
- Tags:
TANGLED WILDERNESS is a collaboration between UK-based artist Ewa Mos and Joshua Cabezas, founder of Some Publishing Group. It is a collection of tangled drawings and wild photographs made by the self-proclaimed skull lover also known as Moscva. TANGLED WILDERNESS is published by Some Publishing Group as part of the collaborative project "A Number That Is One More Than Thirteen". The objective of the project is to put together a 24-page fanzine in a fourteen-day period. Every month, a different artist will be invited to participate.


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Customer Reviews
Filter Reviews:
05/29/2021Michele L.
United States
EMS Replacement Pads
These EMS Pads are the best! The continue to stick to the skin after multi uses and I must have used them 20 times. They are as adhesive today as they were from day one. Exceptional product!
Tricia Grace
Michelle, Thank you for writing me this excellent review on my EMS pads! It was quite important to me that I find exceptional EMS pads that lasted multiple uses. I'm dancing so happily after reading that they've lasted for you over 20 times! OH YESSS! Hugs and blessings, Tricia Grace


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Recently Erin and I visited New York City for a bit of a vacation. With so much to see and do, it was hard to decide what we were going to pack into 10, oh so short, days. Visiting the High Line, was near the top of both our lists.
I first learned about the High Line watching a documentary on sustainability and urban design. I felt compelled to experience it myself. As it turns out, visiting this unique feature of New York was certainly one of the highlights of our trip.
What is the High Line?
In short, the High Line is an old abandoned elevated-rail line that runs from Gansevoort Street, three blocks below 14th Street in the Meatpacking District, through Chelsea, to the northern edge of the West Side Yard on 34th Street (just over 2km). The line has been reclaimed and turned into an active transportation right-of-way/park.
The History of the High Line
The High Line was originally constructed as part of the West Side Improvement Project. The project was developed by Robert Moses, infamous or legendary (depending on which school of urban design you subscribe to) planner for the City of New York. This new viaduct connected the shipping yards with factories and warehouses by going over the centre of blocks rather than avenues. The line was literally built through buildings or directly adjacent to them so that train cars could easily be loaded with goods for shipping.
As trucking began to displace rail in the 1950s, the line's traffic reduced. The dwindling manufacturing sector in New York City continued to reduce the line's traffic until in 1980 when the last train traveled the line caring three cars of frozen turkeys.
Following its abandonment, owners of the property under the High Line called for it's demolition. Peter Obletz, a Chelsea resident, activist, and railroad enthusiast, fought the demolition efforts in court attempting to preserve this piece of New York's past.
The line continued to sit unused into the 90s. Nature, doing its thing, began to reclaim the space, and local residents noticed the mixture of hardy grasses and woody plants that sprung up from the gravel between the tracks. Despite being structurally sound, the Giuliani administration sought the removal of the line. Area residents resisted this effort.
The Fight to Save the High Line
In 1999, neighbourhood residents Joshua David and Robert Hammond started the Friends of the High Line not-for-profit group to advocate for the line's preservation and use as a trail and linear park similar to the Promenade Plantée in Paris. Public meetings were held and fundraising efforts got underway. Even CSX Transportation, the official owners of the line, got behind the effort.
In 2004, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other city council members got behind the effort and committed $50 million dollars to the project. Soon, $150 million was raised, and the conversion of rail to trail began.
Walking the High Line
Walking the High Line was an amazing experience. After spending days walking the streets of New York at street level, being on the High Line offered a very different perspective of this mega-city. The mixture of natural grasses, trees and wild flowers juxtaposed against the brick, steel, glass and cement jungle seemed almost natural, comforting. Despite the traffic noise from below, the High Line was alive with the sound of the conversations of passers-by, the footsteps of joggers, the laughter of children, the musical stylings of street performers and even the sound of bees.
The trail itself is art. The changing mixture of plants, pressed and sealed gravel walk ways, interesting rest areas and overlooks that provide one-of-a-kind street views, is an expression of Big Apple urban life re-imagined. There are a number of art installations along the way and even a rest stop where water is flowed across a section of sidewalk for people to take their shoes off and let the water rush over their feet on a hot day. Just like the streets below, a number of vendors along the trail offered beverages and interesting foods. My camera in hand, I wandered the line, stopping every few meters to capture another amazing view or interested feature.
The Power of Vision and Leadership
As it did many times during our trip to New York, my attention wandered to the organizational, financial and political complexities that laid at the foundation of this amazing element of public life. My time on council, as board member on countless organizations and now as a city manager has given me an appreciation for what it takes to make "big things" happen. My experience being limited to projects at the scale of a small city (microscopic in comparison to New York) I stood in awe of the work that went into making the High Line a reality.
Upon my return home, I did a bit of searching online to learn more about the organized effort that created the High Line. David and Hammond's Friends of the High Line non-profit organization continue to play an instrumental role in overseeing the operation of the trail and driving its continuing development and evolution. Even a brief review of the Friends of the High Line website leaves you with an appreciation of the skilled community development and mobilization that has been key to the organization's success. Many projects and initiatives start on the basis of the founder's passion and vision – but "big things" need more. They need the organization and leadership required to cultivate an army of people with the same passion and vision as the founders.
My nerdist tendencies, as they relate to understanding the "how" of public organizations, where in full force during our trip. I have a stack of brochures and membership applications for the various museums, parks and galleries we visited, not to mention photos of the various monuments erected to recognize the people behind these great places. Below are some photos from the monument from the High Line:
Thank you to everyone listed here, and for the hundreds of others who are not, but still contributed in some way, to the creation of the High Line; local leaders, every one of you.
Visit the High Line in New York
If you're placemaking geek, a fanatic about naturalized urban spaces, or just a connaisseur of cool sights to see, then the High Line has to be on your list of things to do in New York City. It's free and offers a generous portion of the best "urban space" that New York has to offer. Until you get there, I offer the following photos to tempt you:
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Dr. Agnieszka Golec de Zavala is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Psychology. Her research interests and expertise lie in the areas of social and political psychology. She is interested in how prejudice is embodied. For example – why do we use a metaphor of cleansing when we mean exterminating others (e.g. ´ethnic cleansing´). She has examined how intergroup attitudes are shaped by the interaction of ideological orientations – such as political conservatism, nationalism or religious fundamentalism – and epistemic motivations (need for cognitive closure, death anxiety, uncertainty avoidance). She is also particularly interested in predictors of political radicalisation, violence and prejudice, and in in collective and individual narcissism and their social consequences. It is to this interest that her post speaks.
Our ongoing research showed that people who agreed with statements like 'My national group deserves special treatment'; 'Not many people seem to fully understand the importance of my group.' or 'I will never be satisfied until my group gets the recognition it deserves.' voted to Leave the European Union in the referendum in the UK in June 2016. They elected ultraconservative, isolationist government in Poland. They voted for Donald Trump in the US presidential election. These people can be described as collective narcissists and we will face the consequences of their getting to power in the years to come. Thus, we should understand how they think and act.
Collective narcissism is analogous to individual narcissism: emotional dependence on admiration by others (Rodthewald & Morf, 2001) but collective narcissists seek admiration for groups they belong to. In general, people relate to important groups in similar ways they relate to the self (Scheepers, et al., 2013). Insightfully, Jean-Jacques Rousseau differentiated two types of self-love. Amour propre (self-love) is a preoccupation to amount to something in the eyes of others. It can be compared to individual narcissism, self-esteem contingent on recognition by others. Amour de soi-même (love for the self) is a need to care for and nourish oneself. It can be compared to self-acceptance or self-compassion.
Similarly, attachment to groups can take two distinct forms. Collective narcissism is an emotional investment in an exaggerated image of an(y) important group contingent on recognition and admiration of others (analogous to image-cautious self-love). It is characterized by an unrealistic belief in group's grandiosity and demands for privileged treatment (Golec de Zavala, et al., 2009). Collective narcissism may be contrasted with attachment to a highly valued group expressed as feeling responsible for the group's welfare (analogous to love for the self). The two forms of group love have distinct consequences for inter-group relations. Collective narcissists are hostile towards groups that they see as a threat to their group's image. People satisfied with their group but not narcissistic about it hold positive attitudes towards other groups (Golec de Zavala, et al., 2013).
Collective narcissists believe their group is unique but not sufficiently recognized by others. In fact, they themselves unconsciously doubt their group: They do not automatically associate group symbols with positive stimuli. People who are attached to a group believe in its good qualities (Golec de Zavala, et al., 2009). For example, in our ongoing studies collective narcissists voted to Leave the European Union because they feared and rejected immigrants. Those who were proud but not narcissistic about being British, voted to Remain because they saw their country as indispensable in defining the European Union's identity.
Collective narcissists are determined to get the recognition of others. When they think their group is not sufficiently recognized, they advocate hostile revenge. They attack not only the 'offenders' but the whole groups they represent. In our studies, when their group was criticized by one person, collective narcissists responded with aggressive intentions and behaviours towards the whole group (Golec de Zavala, et al., 2016). Collective narcissists are also indirectly hostile. They rejoice in misfortunes of groups or people they hold accountable for offending their group.
Worryingly, collective narcissists can construe almost anything as offence to their group. For example, Polish collective narcissists felt offended by a movie about one of the least laudable aspects of Polish modern history: post-war anti-Semitism. In response, they attacked a celebrity actor who played the protagonist in this movie. They expressed intentions of harming and offending him. They rejoiced in his personal hardships (Golec de Zavala, et al., 2016).
Since they constantly monitor their group image, collective narcissists are prone to conspiracy thinking to explain anything that may undermine their group (Golec de Zavala & Cichocka, 2012; Cichocka, et al., 2015). Consider the catastrophic plane crash in 2010 that killed 96 members of the Polish ruling elite including the President and his wife. Collective narcissists could not believe such monumental national loss might have been caused by something as mundane as human mistake. Especially, not one made by the president himself who ordered the plane to land despite averse atmospheric conditions. Thus, they spread and believed in conspiracy theories about a secretive Russian attack. Our ongoing research shows that national collective narcissism predicts support for political parties that most actively promoted such theories.
So what can we expect from collective narcissism being now in power and on the rise? Collective narcissistic rulers are likely to make unrealistic demands on other countries. This will result either in increased international tensions or international marginalization, depending on the country's actual economic and political power. Their alliances are likely to be short-lived. Collective narcissists look for allies but they quickly get used to their support and make further demands. Conspiracy theories are likely to become more prominent in political rhetoric. In internal affairs, the divide between ruling parties and opposition is likely to increase. Active opposition undermines the image of the governors. Internal intergroup tensions are likely to increase because collective narcissists rely on a narrow definition of what constitutes a nation. They do not like it when their group is comparable to other groups. We are likely to witness efforts to marginalize minority groups and limit the rights of immigrants and foreign workers. The more immigrants are presented as economically successful (and comparable to hosting nationals), the more threatening they would seem to national collective narcissists. There will be less help for refugees. Refugees who can successfully settle in a host country become comparable to the hosting group. Such prospects are likely to be threatening to national collective narcissists. In short, we will also see more efforts to secure, legitimize, and further legalize group-based privileges.
There is a chance that collective narcissists' hostile sentiments may become 'tamed' by participation in democratic processes and institutions based on transparency and equal rights. However, there is a real danger that democratic institutions and processes may become compromised by collective narcissistic sentiments.


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You're considering permanently retiring in Spain. The idea of taking your pension overseas is fantastic. Life in Spain is easy, sunshine all year round, the Spanish way of life is enjoyable, and the low cost of living is affordable, especially on pensions income.
The five tips given in this article will help you relocating and settling into your new life as an expatriate.
1. Rent a property before buying
You have decided on the best places to retire, Costa del sol, Barcelona, Valencia. You're excited about it, and you're already looking at buying a place to live that fits your desires. It's all terrific, and buying property in Spain is always a good investment as the median home price is cheap.
What if a few days after moving to your place, you realize that you don't like the city. Maybe you don't like Spanish people's way to live, perhaps there are not enough English speaking expats, maybe your spouse gets homesick and wants to go back home.
The safest way to avoid those situations is to try first by renting your new home.
Also, as you are planning to rent for a few months and especially during winters' season, you can get a cheap deal, particularly in tourist destinations.
2. NIE is the Grail of retiring in Spain
Within three months of your arrival, you should apply for an NIE (Numero de Identification de Extranjero). This number is imperative because it identifies you as an expat in Spain. Furthermore, you need it for most administrative stuff, like residency, opening a bank account, getting connected to electricity, and also to take advantage of your retirement benefits.
You can apply for this number at the locals' police precincts, the Spanish embassy, or consulate in your home country.
3. Sort out your health insurance
The free public healthcare and social security benefits in Spain are excellent, so you will want to check if you have access to it.
If you're an EU national, you need to do some paperwork to get an international health insurance card and access low health care costs.
If you have got non-EU citizenship, the chances are that your country doesn't have an agreement with Spain. In this case, you will need to get private medical insurance giving you access to the private health sector. The private sector offers the advantage of shorter waiting times, and English is better than it does in the public sector.
4. Choose the law of which country apply to your inheritance
If you want your country's law to apply to your inheritance, you need to specify it in your will; otherwise, the Spanish legislation will apply.
On the topic of legislation, living in Spain and choosing Spain as your taxation country might be financially attractive as the tax burden is lower than in many countries.
5. Choose your friends carefully
Surely you'll meet new peoples and make new friends in the expat community. Still, you should be careful. Spain has a low crime rate, but tourist areas are full of professional crooks targeting seniors. They're more interested in the Euro in your wallet than by your friendship. But don't worry, common sense and advice from your real friends and family should stir you away from them.
You are ready for retiring in Spain
If you follow those easy steps, you should have no problem to start your new life as a retiree. A smile and a few Spanish words can take you a long way.


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Poker Is My Game T-Shirt
$12.99#365 PW# A10352C Mens-1
Poker Is My Game T-Shirt. Exclusively from Bewild.com, these new tee's feature hard-core sayings that say it all. From "Trust Me I'm A Doctor" to "Thats Mr. Asshole To You". How about a t-shirt that says "I Scored High On My Drug Test" Our short sleeve t-shirts are made from a 100% fully machine washable cotton/poly blend for a cool and comfortable fit every time. On the front of this shirt it says "Poker Is My Game, Winning Is My Aim".


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This year, three judges will name a shortlist of three to five stories on September 15 and a winner on October 15. They are:
Nariman Youssef is author of Tahrir – 18 Days of Grace (Summer of Unrest series). Her translations include Inaam Kachachi's The American Granddaughter, Donia Kamal's Cigarette No. 7, and lyrics for Palestine Underground, a Boiler Room documentary. She manages a translation team at the British Library.
Jana Elhassan is a novelist and journalist. Her first novel, Forbidden Desires, was published in 2009 and won the Simon Hayek Prize. Her second novel Me, She and the Other Women was shortlisted for the International Prize for Arabic Fiction, as was her third, The 99th Floor. The latter was translated to English by Michelle Hartman.
Adam Talib is the translator of Fadi Azzam's Sarmada, Khairy Shalaby's The Hashish Waiter, and Mekkawi Said's Cairo Swan Song. He also co-translated (with Katharine Halls) Raja Alem's The Dove's Necklace, for which he was a co-winner of the 2017 Sheikh Hamad Award for Translation. He teaches Arabic literature at Durham University.


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Cold Comfort
My particular version of creative block is the certainty that I am crap at everything.
This particular run started at the last photoshoot for the book. I would take photograph after photograph and HATE them. I couldn't stand to look at them afterwards and wanted to run, quit, hide...you name it.
Then, it started creeping into other areas - designs I previously loved were not good enough. Photographs I was once proud of became ugly. I can hardly open up my etsy shop without cringing...and I sink a little... Its my form of creative block - the voice in my head that tells me that I suck and everyone else is better.
No matter how many times it happens, and how much I know that it will pass and that its not true, it really pisses me off. I simply do not have time for silly doubts or blockages. I run business, I need to work to literally put food on our table.
And with that thought, I can not wallow or sulk. I can not stop producing or photographing or designing. It is simply not an option.
I can only do one thing: Fake it until I become it.
So I put as much work aside as I can and just pick up yarn and hook or needles and make. Not for work, no gauging, no deadline, just to keep my hands busy and feel like I am achieving something, even if it is small.
Plus there is the great truth that it is essentially impossible to mope with hot cocoa and marshmallows around.
Pattern is available here: