text:
The dollar and yen both continues to benefit from ongoing uncertainty over the perceived dangers to the growth outlook within the Eurozone. A weekend meeting of G7 ministers failed to deliver a stronger message than the European commission had delivered last week. Investors had been optimistic ahead of the weekend that a deeper resolution may have evolved from the meeting this weekend. Equity prices rose strongly in the final half hour of trading to deliver a positive close for an ugly week on Wall Street. Ahead of today's session equity index futures had earlier pointed to a five-point gain for the S&P 500 only to see prospects for a positive start erode after GM joined the recall craze for its Vibe model. The reason – sticky accelerator pedals. The same problem faces investors pushing on the gas pedal when it comes to buying dollars. However, there doesn't seem to be a reason in sight to expect a recall.
Click on link for updated table throughout the day at http://www.interactivebrokers.com/en/general/education/FX-View.php?ib_entity=llc
Euro – The euro continues to flounder reaching a one-year low against the Japanese yen at ¥120.75 and its weakest price in nine-months against the dollar at $1.3586. It did reach $1.3715 earlier in Europe as equity prices rebounded but the backdrop of the ghastly Greek situation just won't go away. The current situation means investors are placing less emphasis on domestic data and reacting instead to the flow of (plentiful) headlines on any changes to the Greek situation and how that might be overflowing into the Iberian peninsular.
Over the weekend an interview with Greek finance minister George Papaconstinou was published. The minister understands and expects the market and the European commission to pore over monthly government data for signs that the Greek government is sticking to its task of reducing the budget deficit equivalent to 12.7% of GDP to less than 3% by the end of 2012. Mr. Papaconstinou emphasized the critical nature of the first three months of this year. He wasn't wrong on that front and we can only hope that the situation doesn't deteriorate in the second quarter.
Investors fretful of the ability of the situation to worsen will scrutinize this week's expected new tax and wage policy measures to get a sense of how well the government is sticking to its plan. The minister has promised to tackle tax evasion and to end the flat rate taxation for some professional groups.
While civil servants have already called a 24-hour midweek strike and private sector unions will strike later in February, Mr. Papaconstinou appears to have the support of the majority of voters. Weekend polls show the majority backing the government's policy of austerity, saying that the measures are both necessary and fair. From the domestic perspective at least, there may yet be hope for the Greek rescue plan. The trickier aspect is to persuade the markets that the government means business.
British pound – The pound reached its weakest point in almost nine months against the dollar at $1.5535 to open the week as the sovereign risk contagion story continued to dominate. Later in the week the Bank of England is expected to announce in its quarterly inflation report lower growth and higher inflation for 2010.
Aussie dollar – The Aussie dollar's Friday low at 85.78 U.S. cents marked the cheapest it's been since the beginning of October against the U.S. dollar. It also reached its weakest point in seven months against the Japanese yen at ¥76.20. Despite the negative tone to start the week the Aussie has so far stayed above that low and is currently trading a penny above there at 86.80 cents. Later in the week the Australian employment report is expected to reveal a further gain of 15,000 domestic jobs.
U.S. dollar – The dollar index remained close to a seven-month high on Monday although is slightly down against the currency basket to start the week. The dollar continues to benefit from the weakness in European fundamentals and frustrations over the pace with which the domestic economy is recovering. Typically such frustration would undermine the dollar given the plausibility of no change in monetary policy along the foreseeable horizon. However, the dollar seems to have given over its crown of least appeal to the Eurozone for now and is faring better as a safe haven basis.
Japanese yen –Along with the dollar it's the yen that is also feeling the relative discomfort of safe haven flows. In response to continued yen strength and the sense of unfinished business in the Eurozone, the Nikkei shed 1.1% overnight as shares of exporting companies fell. The dollar today buys marginally less yen at ¥89.27, while the yen is stronger against the pound at ¥139.27.
Canadian dollar – The Canadian dollar is one of the few currencies that continues to stand up to dollar strength. We know that over recent months a couple of major central banks have indicated their willingness to explore the domestic currency as an alternative to the traditional U.S. currency. The local dollar is higher today at 93.44 U.S. cents despite a decline in the price of crude oil. The jump in gold over the weekend possibly accounts for some demand for the loonie.
Andrew Wilkinson is a Senior Market Analyst at Interactive Brokers. email@example.com
Note: The material presented in this commentary is provided for informational purposes only and is based upon information that is considered to be reliable. However, neither Interactive Brokers LLC nor its affiliates warrant its completeness, accuracy or adequacy and it should not be relied upon as such. Neither IB nor its affiliates are responsible for any errors or omissions or for results obtained from the use of this information. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.


text:
Health Insurance
USU offers 3 medical insurance plans: High Deductible Health Plan (HDHP), Wellness (White), and High Premium (Blue). The HDHP is a non-traditional plan with the option of a Health Savings Account. With the Wellness (White) and High Premium (Blue) plans you have the option to also enroll in Flex Spending. All 3 plans include Vision Care.
Medical Premiums
Monthly premiums vary by plan type and network selection
Does your Spouse or Domestic Partner also work at USU?
When both spouses or domestic partners work for USU they have the option of selecting a DUAL COVERAGE medical and dental plan
Two Medical Networks
Utah State University works diligently to provide you with the best possible medical insurance options at the lowest cost. USU and Regence BCBS offers 2 insurance network options to benefit eligible employees. The network options are:
Provides access to 40 Utah hospitals including Logan Regional Hospital, Cache Valley Hospital, University of Utah Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Institute and Primary Children's Hospital.
This is the broadest network offered. It currently provides access to 49 Utah hospitals including Logan Regional Hospital, Cache Valley Hospital, University of Utah Hospital, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Primary Children's Hospital and McKay-Dee Hospital.
Regence Health Insurance Tools
- Regence Telehealth - Doctor's appointment over the phone or internet
- Find a Doctor Online
- When looking for a provider and not logging in, look at either the Preferred ValueCare or Participating under: Utah Preferred, Bluepoint, Innova, Engage, Evolve, RealValue, HSA (2.0, 3.0)
- Download the Regence App
Regence Health Insurance Perks
- Regence Advantages - Health-related products and services available to those on the Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield medical insurance
- BlueCross Blueshield Global - Healthcare coverage when you are traveling or living abroad
Who is eligible to be on your insurance?
- Spouse or Domestic partner
- Children under age 26: Natural, Step, Legally adopted, Children for whom you have legal guardianship, Foster children, Children placed with you for adoption, Children of your domestic partner who depend on you for support and live with you in a regular parent/child relationship, Children to whom you are legally responsible to provide health coverage under the terms of a Qualified Medical Support Order (QMCSO)
- Unmarried children over the age limit if: Dependent on you for primary financial support and maintenance due to physical or mental disability. You may be asked to provide documentation or proof of disability. In most cases, coverage for a disabled child can continue for as long as the child is incapable of self-support, unmarried, and fully dependent on you for support.
Enroll in or Change Health Insurance
If you experience one of the qualifying life events; you, your spouse and any eligible children may enroll for coverage within 30 days of that event. Events include: marriage, divorce, birth, adoption, placement for adoption, and loss or gain of other insurance coverage. Complete the BCBS Enrollment/Change Form and return it to HR with document verifying relationship (such as birth or marriage certificate) and include dependent's social security numbers.
To change your address with Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield please call HR Benefits Helpdesk (435) 797-0122
Waiving Medical Coverage
If you gain medical coverage elsewhere, or as a new employee already have coverage, you may choose to waive coverage by filling out the BCBS Enrollment/Change Form and marking WAIVE Coverage section.
High Premium Blue Plan and Wellness White Plan: MagellanRx
- RxBIN: 017449
- RxPCN: 6792000
- Customer Service: (800) 424-0472
- MagellanRx Pharmacy Network List
- www.magellanrx.com
High Deductible Plan: Regence
- RxBIN: 610648
- RxPCN: 01890000
- Customer Service: (866) 240-9580
- Find A Pharmacy
Summary Plan Description
2018-2019 Summary Plan Description for Regence Health & Dental Insurance
Meet One on One with a Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield or MagellanRx Representative:
Where: Human Resources Office
When: 11 am to 2 pm (on a first come first serve basis)
Regence and Magellan
September: 5th
October: 3rd
November: 14th
December: 5th
January: 9th
Regence Only
September: 19th
October: 17th
November: 21st
January: 23rd
Contact Information
- USU Benefits Helpdesk: (435) 797-0122
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- Visit www.regence.com
- MagellanRx Customer Service: (800) 424-0472
- Visit www.magellanrx.com

subset: commoncrawl


text:
In the chapter, "Seeing Around the Edge of the Frame" from his book IN THE BLINK OF A EYE film editor Walter Murch writes the following:
The film editor is one of the few people working on the production of a film who does not know the exact conditions under which it was shot (or has the ability not to know) and who at the same time has a tremendous influence on the film.
If you have been on and around the set most of the time…you can get caught up in the bloody practicalities of the gestation and delivery. And when you see the dailies, you can't help, in your mind's eye, seeing around the edges of the frame–you can imagine everything that was there, physically and emotionally, just beyond what was actually photographed.
"We worked like hell to get that shot, it has to be in the film." You (the director in this case) are convinced that what you got was what you wanted but there's a possibilities that you may be forcing yourself to see things that way because it cost so much–in money, time, angst–to get it.
By the same token, there are occasions when you shoot something that you dislike, when everyone is in a bad mood, and you say under protest, "all right, I'll do this, we'll get this close-up and then it's a wrap." Later on, when you look at the take, all you can remember was the hateful moment it was shot, and so you may be blind to the potentials it might have in a different context.
The editor, on the other hand, should try to see only what's on the screen, as the audience will. Only in this way can the images be freed from the context of their creation…
I guess I'm urging the preservation of a certain kind of virginity. Don't unnecessarily allow yourself to be impregnated by the conditions of shooting…the audience knows nothing about any of this–and you are the ombudsman for the audience.
I'm a big fan of Murch's ideas about art. Although I enjoyed and value my university art department education very much, one of my frustrations was that we spent an awful lot of time talking about "out of the frame information," and it sometimes seemed to me as if the fine arts world was more concerned with everything outside of the frame than with the artwork itself, and perhaps it was because of this frustration that after graduation I gravitated toward commercial work.
In commercial work there are no artist's statements, no quizzical listings of materials, no academic pedigrees; everything has to be inside the frame. Art directors don't care why you made the photograph, or what your motives and intentions were, they only care about what the photo looks like. This perfect "inside the frame world" was a comfortable place for me.
But to start making and marketing my own films, I had to leave this wonderfully Murchian world and begin to think about how I would manage and shape the "out of the frame information" that surrounded my films.
It's a simple fact that an audience rarely comes to a film with their "virginity" intact. "Based on a true story," "Filmed on location," "Did all of his own stunts," "Real People, Real Life, Real Sex," all of these are framing devices producers use to market our films, and to guide audiences toward seeing our films the way we want them to be seen. So is "By women, for women," or "feminist". So is "documentary." As producers we purposely let people "see outside the frame" to try to influence the way they respond to our work.
But when working with sexuality, a producer faces an added burden. Not only must you manage and shape the out of the frame information that helps sell your film to your audience, you must also shape the out of the frame information in a way that satisfies the state that the ideas you are expressing are not a criminal offense. You must create a narrative for your intentions in order to place the outcome of those intentions inside the boundaries of what the law permits.
For me, an artist whose highest aspiration is to make work that can be enjoyed as it stands, the obligation to explain myself sticks in my craw.
When I get questions at director's Q&A's like, "What did you want us to get out of your movie?" I find myself at a loss for words. (Answer: If you have to ask, I feel like a failure.) But on top of that, I've got to have the right intentions when I make my films, otherwise my films aren't art. If I don't make my films with the right intentions, then me and my work aren't entitled to the same basic protections and courtesies afforded anyone else tackling any other subject matter.
And the one intention I must not have under any circumstances is the intention to arouse my audience. All other human emotions I might hope to provoke are fair game, but the intent to arouse is, at best, the realm of the pornographer, and at worst, a criminal undertaking. As an artist hoping to explore sex as a fundamental and joyful part of the human experience with honesty and compassion, this puts me in an untenable position.
So where does this idea come from? Where is it written that the intent to arouse is the dividing line between art – expression that enjoys the full protection the First Amendment and a place in decent society, and obscenity – ideas about sex so beyond the pale that the mere expression of these ideas constitutes a crime?
Again, I'm not a legal scholar, but I am a filmmaker for whom this question is something more than an amusing academic diversion. This question drives the the heart of whether or not I can make my films, and so I've put more than a little effort into finding an answer, and that effort leads me to the 1934 court case US vs. One Book Called Ulysses.
James Joyce Ulysses was first published in 1922, and US vs. One Book Called Ulysses was a test case orchestrated by Random House to challenge prohibitions on the publication of Joyce's novel on the grounds that it was obscene; passages of the novel contained "four letter words" and described character's interior thoughts about sex with a candor that seemed to run afoul of the black letter of the law.
At the time Joyce was already a highly regarded author, and Justice John Woolsey was faced with the prospect of declaring a masterwork of the English language as unfit for publication in the United States. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Woolsey found his way out by divining the effect of Ulysses on its readers:
"[W]hilst in many places the effect of Ulysses on the reader undoubtedly is somewhat emetic, nowhere does it tend to be an aphrodisiac."
In other words, Ulysses was not arousing, and therefore it was not obscene. It is reported that within 10 minutes of hearing Justice Woolsey's Random House began typesetting the US edition.
The government appealed Woolsey's decision, and lost. But again the court's decision rested on whether or not Ulysses was arousing to its readers. Justice Augustus Hand writes the court's opinion:
"Art certainly cannot advance under compulsion to traditional forms, and nothing in such a field is more stifling to progress than limitation of the right to experiment with a new technique. The foolish judgments of Lord Eldon about one hundred years ago, proscribing the works of Byron and Southey, and the finding by the jury under a charge by Lord Denman that the publication of Shelley's "Queen Mab" was an indictable offense are a warning to all who have to determine the limits of the field within which authors may exercise themselves. We think that Ulysses is a book of originality and sincerity of treatment and that it has not the effect of promoting lust. Accordingly it does not fall within the statute, even though it justly may offend many."
70 years later, the language of the Ulysses decision still permeates our attitudes about what constitutes serious treatment of sexuality in cinema, and sends producers and censors both into paroxysm of explanation and denial.
Michael Winterbottom on his film 9 Songs:
[I]t isn't pornography, the truth is, you know, this was an attempt to show two people in a relationship, to show two people making love. It was not an attempt to excite the audience, or arouse the audience. You know, if you watch a porn movie, you watch a bunch of porn movies, and then watch '9 Songs' – however you define pornography, '9 Songs' just doesn't look like the porn movies, doesn't sound like them. It just doesn't have the same effect as them. It's just a completely different thing. That's not to say it's better than pornography, or worse, it's just different.
John Cameron Mitchell on his film Shortbus:
"[A]ll of the orgasms and all of the semen is real [but] no one got a hard-on watching this film… We have to keep reminding people it's not pornographic – it's not a film that's meant to arouse. We tried to de-eroticize the sex to see what kind of emotions and ideas are left over when the haze of eroticism is waved away…by the end if you're thinking only about the sex, then you have a problem."
The BBFC and the Tate Museum on the film Destricted:
"After considerable agonising, the British Board of Film Classification granted an 18 rating for Destricted this week, to be released uncut on DVD. But it said that it must carry a warning that it "contains strong, real sex".
"A source at the board described the film as "awful". Unusually, it was not approved until it had been seen by the board's president, Sir Quentin Thomas.
"The board had considered granting a Restricted 18 DVD classification, reserved for work intended to be arousing. That would have meant that a Destricted DVD could be sold only in sex shops and would have ruled out the possibility of its being put on sale in the shop at Tate Modern, where the film is to be given five screenings in September.
"Sir Quentin said that Destricted was so explicit that it would normally attract an R18 rating but he judged that it was a work of art not intended to arouse.
"He said: "In purpose and effect, this work is plainly a serious consideration of sex and pornography as aspects of the human experience.
"We think that there are no grounds for depriving adults of the ability to decide themselves whether they want to see it."
"Tate Modern said the film was art not pornography."
For myself, I feel hopelessly boxed in. I make films about couples who are in love with each other, enjoying that love in its most carnal and intimate expression. While I don't believe that arousal is a necessary condition for enjoying my films (I'm pleased that at least sometimes, my films are able to cross boundaries of sexual proclivity and taste,) I'm not the least bit ashamed that for many people the erotic aspect of my films, being aroused by watching them, is an important and enjoyable part of their experience.
But my unwillingness to deny this aspect of my films comes at a price. In countries like the UK or Australia, my films have been denied the chance to screen in front of audiences of fully informed adults. Here in the US, retailers that carry Shortbus or 9 Songs refuse to carry my films because they don't carry "pornography" or worse –because they fear prosecution. I have even had a university professor tell me that even though he would like to use my films in his classroom, he doesn't for fear of prosecution.
This conflations of "obscenity" (expression of ideas about sexuality that do not enjoy First Amendment protections) and "pornography" (a category with no legal meaning in the US) presents one of the greatest challenges to the serious exploration of sexuality in cinema.
To be regarded as a "serious effort" a director must forgo the depiction of sexual joy with any sort of candor. Under the tyrany of the "intent to arouse doctrine" trying to depict joyful adult sexual relations like like try depict war without having the option to show bullet wounds or broken bodies. It's not impossible, but it is stifling, and leaves important truths about this fundamental human experience unseen and uncelebrated.
And more than that, the director must also proclaim that his depictions of sexuality, no matter how joyless, are made without the intention to, or even have the capacity to provoke an erotic response in his audience. I can think of no other subject matter where a director would be so presumptuous as to dictate how the audience can and should respond to a film
In the next post we'll look at Roth vs US, and again we'll be looking at it, not for it's legal legacy, but for language from the decision that continues to shape people's attitudes towards the collision of sex and the moving image.
Tomorrow: Roth vs US: The question of "socially redeeming value."


text:
FLAT PANEL Lights and Kits
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Second novels are a notorious challenge for writers. Whether their first novel was a triumph or a flop, the pressure is always on the follow-up.
Vote Now!
Now is your chance to vote in the Royal Society of Literature's poll to find the nation's favourite second novel. They have come up with a list of 100 titles for you to choose from, why not get involved and join the discussion.
The vote is open until 31st March 2017


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Areas of Expertise
Topics that Dr. Wenderoth is available to address at adult forums and other congregational events
Christian Education
Gender Issues in Pastoral Ministry
Theological & Biblical Understandings of Food
Libraries of the 21st Century: How Publishing, Research and Libraries are Changing. And Aren't.
People of the Book in the Digital World: Christians as Readers
B.A., Oberlin College
M.S.L.S., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
M.A., Emory University
Ph.D., Emory University
SermonsView sermon list
Christine Wenderoth joined the faculty of the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago in 2004 as Director of the JKM Library. She also serves as associate professor of ministry. The JKM Library houses one of the largest theological collections in the United States and is owned and operated jointly by McCormick Theological Seminary and the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
Wenderoth graduated from Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio in 1971, and received her Master of Science in Library Science (M.S.L.S) from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1973. She completed her M.A. in Theological Studies at Emory University, Atlanta, in 1978, and received her Ph.D. in Theological Studies from that same university in 1982.
Following her ordination in 1994 as Minister of Word and Sacrament by the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta, Wenderoth served for ten years as Director of the Ambrose Swasey Library and assistant professor of ministry at the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, Rochester, NY. During that time, she also served as parish associate at New Life Presbyterian Church, and as an active member of several committees of the Genesee Valley Presbytery. Prior to this, she served on the faculty and staff of Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.
Wenderoth's teaching, administration and research interests include the role of gender in administration and leadership, disordered eating and its relation to gender and sacrament, the impact of technology on community, librarianship as ministry and instruction, and teaching, learning and research as it occurs outside the classroom. She has served as an advisor to the National Leadership Team for American Baptist Girls, and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Religious and Theological Information. She has twice served as a member of the Association of Theological Schools Accreditation Visiting Teams.
An active member of the American Theological Library Association since 1982, Wenderoth served as its vice-president in 2004-2005 and as president in 2005-2006. Her work has been published in a wide range of publications including The Clergy Journal, Currents in Theology and Mission, Religious Studies Review, Religious Education, Encounter, Pastoral Psychology, and the Dictionary of Pastoral Care and Counseling.
Published Works
"They Shall Become One Flesh: The Why's, How's and Wherefore's of Library Mergers, in Summary of Proceedings, Sixty-seventh Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association (2013).
"Good Reading by the People of the Book" in Currents in Theology and Mission, 40:4 (August 2013): 235-241.
"Revitalizing Teaching and Learning in the Church" in Currents in Theology and Mission, Vol. 40, No. 4 (August, 2013) 230-232 (with Kathleen "Kadi" Billman.)
"Theological Reading and Learning" Summary of Proceedings of the American Theological Library Association (June 2012), April 2013
Review of "The Child in the Bible" edited by Marcia J. Bunge, Terence E. Fretheim, and Beverly Roberts Gaventa in Currents in Theology and Mission Vol 40 no 1 (February, 2013) 64
"Reading Backward, Reading Forward: ATLA Panel on Theological Reading and Learning," in Summary of Proceedings, Sixty-sixth Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association (2012): in press.
Review of Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention will Transform the Way we Live, Work and Learn, by Cathy N. Davidson in Theological Librarianship, vol.5, no. 2 (2012): 99-100.
"Speed Weeding" in Summary of Proceedings, Sixty-fifth Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association (2011): 393.
In a Parallel Universe? A Response to Jeffrey Garrett's Wood, Flour, Journal: How the Electronic Turn Has Affected the Way Journals are Found, Used, and Read, in Theological Librarianship Vol.2, no.2, 2009
Review of Sharing Food: Christian Practices for Enjoyment by L. Shannon Jung, in Currents in Theology & Mission, vol. 35, no. 6 (December 2008): 448
"Research Behaviors of Theological Educators," Currents in Theology and Mission Vol. 35 No. 4 (August 2008): 287-292
Review of In the Midst of Chaos by Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, in Religious Education, vol. 103, no. 3 (May/June 2008).
"Books and Bytes", The Clergy Journal, vol. 84, no. 5 (March 2008): 39-42.
Paper, Research Behaviors of Theological Educators and Students: the Known and the Unknown, in Summary of Proceedings, Sixty-first Annual Conference of the American Theological Library Association (2007): 178-183.
Review of Engaging Technology in Theological Education, by Mary Hess, in Journal of Religious and Theological Information, vol. 7, no. 2 (2005): 111-114.
Review of Dimensions of Forgiveness, Ed. by Everett Worthington, in Religious Studies Review [in press].
Review of In Her Own Time, by Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, in Religious Studies Review, vol. 27, no. 2 (April 2001): 148-149.
Review of I Don't Want to Talk About It, by Terrence Real, in Rahab's Wall.
Review of Weaving the New Creation, by James W. Fowler, and Stages of Faith and Religious Development, by J. Fowler, K. Nipkow, and F. Schweitzer, in Religious Education, vol. 89, no.1 (Winter 1994).


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WHAT: Marimacho's NY Fashion Week Debut Celebration
WHEN: Saturday, September 7th @ 8 PM
RSVP & TICKETS: https://www.facebook.com/events/373253526136450/LOCATION: The Space | 50 N 3rd Street, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Marimacho invites you to Atlantis 2050, as they make their New York Fashion Week debut. This future world serves as the backdrop to their 2014 Spring/ Summer Collection, a re-imagining of our identities and bodies. Building on the theme of identity, models on a wide spectrum of gender expressions will all walk the runway. The clothing itself will subvert classic menswear tropes with the use of non-traditional fabrics and modern cuts on varied bodies. Marimacho explores the full gamut of the ocean's moods, dangers, and its possibilities for renewal as we embark on our own journey of self-discovery.
Underground fashion, music, art and queer culture converge at the AFTER PARTY in a tidal wave of mythical proportions. Submerge your inner shark in the underwater city scapes of renowned queer, installation artist Diego Montoya. The siren calls of DJs Shomi Noise and Precolumbian will lull you into their sonic boom. From the warm waters of Haiti, The Salivation Army crashes down on Brooklyn by way of Montreal, pulling you into her musical maelstrom. Let the midnight current take you into darker waters with Brazilian Carioca Bass artist, Zuzuka Poderosa, and underground rap queenpin, Wavy Spice. These black pearls will conjure up musical spells with their lyrical brujeria.
The evening is designed by Marimacho in collaboration with Montreal-based fashion and art producers D.Y.D.H. Productions.
► Featuring a live performance by
(with DJ BURT FOX)
► DJ sets by
► Installation Art by
THE SPACE | 50 North Third Street Brooklyn
DOORS: 8pm
RUNWAY SHOW: 8:30pm
AFTER PARTY: 9pm-3am
Presale: $15
At the door: $20
*This event is 21+
MARIMACHO IS BEST DESCRIBED BY WHAT WE ARE NOT. We are not menswear. We are not womenswear. We are not all men. We are not all womyn. We are not expected. We exist in the negative space between identity and fashion.
FOUNDED IN 2010 BY CRYSTAL & IVETTE GONZÁLEZ-ALÉ, Marimacho spearheaded the current wave of androgynous fashion. While mainstream women's designers simply alluded to menswear, Marimacho unapologetically embraced masculine fashion without the euphemisms of feminine detail. They create masculine silhouettes adapted to fit those traditionally underserved by mainstream menswear – womyn, trans men, petite men, androgynous and genderqueer people.
INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY are at the heart of Marimacho. The company produces all their clothing in New York's Garment District, with a strong focus on ethical sourcing and sweat-free production. In a culture of fast fashion, Marimacho's mission is to produce cutting-edge pieces that will be staples of your wardrobe for years to come.
MARIMACHO is breaking the rigid categories of fashion by boldly exploring and challenging fashion's ultimate frontier – gender.
ZUZUKA PODEROSA drops Brazilian bred, BK-based swagger like no other. She is the queen warrior of her own special brand of Baile Funk: CARIOCA BASS!
Funk Carioca (another name for Baile Funk, which means "The Funk Ball") originated in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, borrowing heavily from the Miami Booty Bass movement of the 80s; it's just the starting place of the ZUZUKA POWER-sound.
Born in Vitoria, Brazil, ZUZUKA grew up in Rio and spent her formative years in the West Indies in the Caribbean. From her international vantage point she operates like a provocatively rhyming hurricane, sucking up global riddims from ghettotech to dancehall and flinging them back out at gale-force speeds.
ZUZUKA collaborates and releases singles with producers from all over the world who mix the past with the future in Sur America-cosmic new ways. She raps and sings in Portuguese, Spanish, English and she likes to say "Body Language", musing provocatively and sarcastically over boomy electric kick drums and Latin percussion.
She's been profiled in PRI's The World, MTV Iggy, and NPR Alt.Latino.
WAVY SPICE is one part sassy pop songstress and one part sharp-tongued Dominican rapper from Spanish Harlem. She first garnered attention with the infectious club banger 'Bitch, I'm Posh' and has since performed alongside Roc Nation's Bridget Kelly at the latest Red Bull Sound Select Presents showcase in New York City.
THE SALIVATION ARMY began spinning dancehall and hip-hop in Haiti under the name of XploZion, but after moving to Montreal in 2006, Sarah Bernard became The Salivation Army. She has been tearing up parties ever since, reigning as Montreal's dancefloor and dancehall queen with her unique mix of general bootybass (ragga/dancehall, soca, kuduro, afropop and more).
PRECOLUMBIAN is a Philadelphia-based genderqueer DJ, musician, artist, media activist, and popular educator. She transforms dance floors into block parties with a unique blend of tropical rhythms, indie anthems, dark crystals, and booty jams from all over the globe. Creating spaces that are positive, inclusive and safe; she works tirelessly to resist racism, misogyny and homophobia… in the club!
SHOMI NOISE is a DJ, musician, and zine writer. She is heavily influenced by Queercore sounds of the 90s and likes to creatively mix these genres with a variety of sounds ranging from Latin dance music to southern crunk, electrohouse to hip-hop. Known for her innovative mashups, Shomi Noise has DJed some of the best underground venues from New York to Mexico City. She is the resident DJ of Azucar, awarded Best Latin Dance Party in NYC by Go! Magazine.
DIEGO MONTOYA is a Peruvian born, Brooklyn based installation artist, costume designer, and urban merman. His installation work has been featured in MIXNYC Experimental Film Festival from 2010-2012, Brooklyn Fireproof, Greenpeace Pop-Up Restaurant, and underground spaces throughout NY. For more info visit DiegoLovesYou.
DIE YOUNG DIE HAPPPY PRODUCTIONS (DYDH) is a Montreal based production company specializing in the production and artistic direction of fashion shows and photo shoots while strengthening their clients' branding.
DYDH was founded in January 2012 by Danik Yopp and Dina Habib- enfants terribles of Montreal's Fashion scene. Their fusion of art, music, & design and their unconventional approach to styling, directing and producing has earned them fast recognition and many accolades among their peers.
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New Los Rakas Song Out Today!
Off the Heels Of Their South American Run Which Took Raka Rich & Raka Dun to Bogota, Colombia & Santiago, Chile (for the first time), Los Rakas Drop New Single, Camaleón
FREE DOWNLOAD: http://bit.ly/19yVE9B
[Check out photos from Los Rakas' South American run this weekend]
August 1st, 2013 – Oakland, CA: Los Rakas return from two sold-out shows in Colombia and Chile this past weekend. Newly inspired by the overwhelming welcome they received, the Panamanian-born duo decided to put out the track, Camaleón. The track was produced by Colombian producer Myztiko.
This isn't the first time the group has been inspired by Panamanian icon, Rubén Blades. 2011's 'Cueria' also sampled his 'Pedro Navaja' – you can watch the mini-film here. This time around, the topic turns to the special lizard which changes colors to adapt (or in this case, hide) from its surroundings – the Chameleon. Off Blades' 1991 album 'Caminando,' his song 'Cameleon' serves as both inspiration and warning:
Aunque te enseñe la cara, no te muestra el corazón.
Be careful with the Chameleon.
While it will show you its' face, it won't show you its' heart.
Los Rakas headline this Saturday's Art + Soul Festival in hometown Oakland, California and prepare for their upcoming release, Soy Raka presents 'El Negrito Dun Dun & Ricardo' while playing shows internationally and working on major collaborations before the end of the year. Stay tuned and always stay Raka!


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If you own a restaurant you will know that you are typically rushed off your feet, and because of this no matter how careful you are accidents can happen. There are also occasions where damages occur through no fault of your own, which is why investing in restaurant insurance is so important. So how does restaurant insurance protect you and your business?
Everyday Risks
Kitchens are known to be dangerous areas where a myriad of things can go wrong. The most obvious danger in a kitchen is fire, which can often spread quickly and cause thousands of pounds of damage in a matter of minutes. However, there are also dangers that you probably haven't even thought about, such as electrical wirings that can become worn down over time and can also cause a fire to start. As you never know what could happen, investing in more than the legally required amount of smoke and fire alarms is a wise decision; just don't forget to test them all every month!
Outside Influences
Unfortunately, most restaurant kitchens contain equipment that is expensive and therefore is often targeted by thieves. Furthermore, even if you have an alarm system fitted, this doesn't always deter vandals who may also damage your restaurant whilst it is closed for the evening. There is also the problem of bad weather that can damage your drains and ultimately force you to close until they are fixed, which is why having a comprehensive restaurant insurance policy can not only save you money but also get your business back on its feet as quickly as possible.
Human Error
What would you do if a member of staff forgot to put a 'wet floor' sign down whilst cleaning and a customer tripped and injured themselves? Well firstly, you would apologise, but unfortunately this is usually not the end of the matter as the customer could sue you for compensation. Restaurant insurance covers you for public liability, meaning that if you need to go to court or pay compensation you won't have to cover the potentially expensive costs on your own.
When owning a restaurant it sometimes seems that anything could go wrong at any minute, which is why restaurant insurance is so important, as it not only protects your business but also gives you peace of mind!


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Hello, everyone! It's been a while since I posted any of my cards. I was busy with appointments and household stuff that needed to be taken care of. I don't know where the time went. Tomorrow will be February 1 already and you'd never know it by looking outside. We have spring-like weather here in my neighborhood. It is currently 57 degrees. It should be in the teens or low twenties. I could learn to love this kind of winter weather,. But I'm sure we'll be paying for it sooner or later.
This is my first card of the year. I made it for one of my nephews who had a birthday this month. Please forgive the quality of the photo of the card. It was taken at night and the lighting was poor. I was planning to take another photo in daylight but I mailed the card out before remembering to snap a picture of it again.
Basically there were only 2 types of products used in creating the card front: card stock and dies. The sentiment was personally composed and computer generated.
Card stock: GKD black onyx, ivory and Stampin Up Crumbcake
Dies: IO Die 224-O
Thanks so much for stopping by. I'll be posting more on a regular basis now that I'll have some time. Please come back or sign up to follow my blog.
Make it a great day!


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Rick Ross Tour Dates 2019
Rick Ross Tour Dates 2019 : William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28th, 1976) is an American rapper, better known by his stage name, Rick Ross.
It's difficult to quite put your finger on how conventional Ross' pre-hip hop life was, by the genre's usual standards; he certainly didn't have the most comfortable of upbringings, but it's also fair to say that serving as a prison officer – as Ross did for a couple of years in the mid-nineties – is hardly something that's a common occurrence in a genre of music with a general lack of regard for law enforcement. After addressing that particular issue on his commercial breakthrough record "Deeper Than Rap" in 2009, though – he'd initially denied that the rumours were true – he's gone on to make himself one of the best-respected and most widely-revered rappers in the world, having been named Hottest MC in the Game by MTV in 2012. He's probably best-known in the hip hop community for having created his own label, Maybach Music Group; named after his favourite brand of luxury car, Ross has signed the likes of Meek Mill, French Montana and Wale to the imprint.
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In terms of his own solo career, Ross' lyricism has usually focused on the decadent lifestyle he enjoys, with money and material possessions clearly his primary motivation. He frequently offsets that kind of imagery, though, against his struggles as a youngster, both with the law and with his family; it's this dichotomy that makes him one of his genre's most compelling artists. 2014's "Mastermind" met with critical acclaim, even if it didn't have a single quite as big as his signature song, "Hustlin'" – it's testament to Ross' work ethic, though, that it's not the only new album he'll release this year, with "Hood Billionaire" being readied, too.


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Additional Insurance Services
Extra Coverage for Your Specific Needs.
At The Cornerstone Agency Inc., we're dedicated to delivering the quality products and services you deserve. In addition to covering all your primary insurance needs, we can offer other useful services and specialty insurance for your convenience. Contact us today and experience how we can go the extra mile for you with services such as:
- Wedding Insurance
- Special Event Insurance
- Notary Services
- License Services
- Permit Services
Convenience and trust: it's what you should expect from your insurance agency. At The Cornerstone Agency Inc., we think life should be easier, and we are proud to offer our extended services to our valued customers.
We proudly serve Tampico, Morrison, Erie, Freeport, Dekalb, and Princeton.
Related Products:
Our Locations
Tampico Office105 Main Street
Tampico, IL 61283
Toll free: 800-293-5128
Morrison Office102 W Main St
Morrison, IL 61270
Toll free: 888-772-2793
Dixon Office1684 Nachusa Rd.
Dixon, IL 61021


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Dr. Alicia C. Omaña is a Board Certified as Alternative Medical Practitioner, PhD in Natural Medicine, Traditional Naturopath, Nationally licensed by The American Council of Holistic Medicine, Natural Wellness and Nutrition Consultant, licensed as Texas Director for The Complete Health Improvement Program and Wellness Corporate, President/Owner of Omaña Natural Wellness and MedSpa Center, LLC, located in Spring, TX
Trained as a medical doctor, she became dissatisfied with allopathic medicine, Dr. Omaña furthered her education with a Master's in Public Health and worked for the US government in the field of medical epidemiology in transmissible reportable infectious conditions. After 20 years of service, she again felt the need to change and decided to pursue a career in natural medicine.
She strongly believes that holistic natural health care is the wave of the future and is dedicated to helping the public learn how to obtain vibrant health through drug-less and noninvasive means.
She was born in Corpus Christi, TX; she is a Medical Doctor trained and licensed in México. Her maternal grandfather was a Homeopath doctor specializing in nervous diseases in Guadalajara, México who practiced medicine for 72 years and died at the age of 100 years old. He was a great motivation for her in pursuing her allopathic medical degree first and integrative, alternative and natural medicine. She is the mother of two wonderful children and three grandchildren. She likes to cook, exercise, to spend time with her family, grandchildren and her mascot Afghan hound "Bonita".
Dr. Omaña is bilingual (English & Spanish) and bi-cultural practicing medicine in México and public health as a medical epidemiologist for over 30 years in the USA. She is a healthcare administrator with education institution experience at the Texas A&M Health Sciences Center and Oklahoma University Health Science Center School of Medicine. While serving the U.S. government as a medical epidemiologist officer, she oversaw departments serving populations of up to 4 million people. She successfully implemented programs, policies and systems as well as collaborated with colleagues, management and regulatory agencies. She utilized specialized experience in medical epidemiology, bio-terrorism, blood borne pathogens, infectious diseases, and infection control practices to manage vital programs. She conducted diabetic health education in federal community clinics with thousands of diabetic patients as well as managed diabetic patients in the private sector in Mexico.
Traditional Naturopathy/Lifestyle/Integrative/Holistic Natural Health Care Practitioner, Natural Wellness and Nutrition Consultant, Wellness Corporate Director, Healthcare Administration, Medical Epidemiology, Infection Control, Program Management, Budget Management, Cross-Functional Team Leadership, Training & Development, Process Improvements, Quality Assurance, Medical Investigations, Research & Analysis, Statistical Data Collection, Facility Inspections & Reporting, Regulatory Compliance, Policy Development & Implementation, Written & Oral Presentations.
Dr. Alicia C. Omaña, M.P.H., D.PSc., Ph.D Natural Medicine has earned numerous Awards and Certificates of Appreciation for outstanding achievements
Selected to "Outstanding Young Women of America" in recognition of Superior Achievement both Professionally as well as in Community Service
Nominated as the National Executive Director for the American Council of Holistic Medicine in 2013.
Interact with people of all backgrounds, jogging, judo, playing mandolin, reading and spending time with her family.
The American Council of Holistic Medicine is the certifying agency that recognizes differing levels of expertise, education, and specialty for the Natural Health Consultant in the field of alternative medicine.
If you are a Holistic Health Practitioner, Herbologist, Nutritional Consultant, Homeopath, Traditional Naturopath, Holistic Health Practitioner or Weight Loss Consultant, you want recognition for your hard-earned expertise and specialization.
The American Council of Holistic Medicine was originally founded in 2001 as the Guild of Holistic Practitioners.The ACHM represents professionals trained in the arts of natural healing.
We are dedicated to fostering excellence within the field of natural medicine and strive for the highest standards among our members. The founders of The Council are seasoned professionals who oversee the Board of Examiners. Check out the American Council of Holistic Medicine on their website.


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From FNAL: "The MiniBooNE search for dark matter"
FNAL Art Image by Angela Gonzales
Fermilab is an enduring source of strength for the US contribution to scientific research world wide.
July 18, 2017
Ranjan Dharmapalan
Tyler Thornton
This schematic shows the experimental setup for the dark matter search. Protons (blue arrow on the left) generated by the Fermilab accelerator chain strike a thick steel block. This interaction produces secondary particles, some of which are absorbed by the block. Others, including photons and perhaps dark-sector photons, symbolized by V, are unaffected. These dark photons decay into dark matter, shown as χ, and travel to the MiniBooNE detector, depicted as the sphere on the right.
Particle physicists are in a quandary. On one hand, the Standard Model accurately describes most of the known particles and forces of interaction between them.
On the other, we know that the Standard Model accounts for less than 5 percent of the universe. About 26 percent of the universe is composed of mysterious dark matter, and the remaining 68 percent of even more mysterious dark energy.
Some theorists speculate that dark matter particles could belong to a "hidden sector" and that there may be portals to this hidden sector from the Standard Model. The portals allow hidden-sector particles to trickle into Standard Model interactions. A large sensitive particle detector, placed in an intense particle beam and equipped with a mechanism to suppress the Standard Model interactions, could unveil these new particles.
Fermilab is home to a number of proton beams and large, extremely sensitive detectors, initially built to detect neutrinos. These devices, such as the MiniBooNE detector, are ideal places to search for hidden-sector particles.
In 2012, the MiniBooNE-DM collaboration teamed up with theorists who proposed new ways to search for dark matter particles. One of these proposals [FNAL PAC Oct 15 2012] involved the reconfiguration of the existing neutrino experiment. This was a pioneering effort that involved close coordination between the experimentalists, accelerator scientists, beam alignment experts and numerous technicians.
Results of this MiniBooNE-DM search for dark matter scattering off of nucleons. The plot shows the confidence limits and sensitivities with 1, 2σ errors resulting from this analysis compared to other experimental results, as a function of Y (a parameter describing the dark photon mass, dark matter mass and the couplings to the Standard Model) and Mχ (the dark matter mass). For details see the Physical Review Letters paper.
For the neutrino experiment, the 8-GeV proton beam from the Fermilab Booster hit a beryllium target to produce a secondary beam of charged particles that decayed further downstream, in a decay pipe, into neutrinos. MiniBooNE ran in this mode for about a decade to measure neutrino oscillations and interactions.
In the dark matter search mode, however, the proton beam was steered past the beryllium target. The beam instead struck a thick steel block at the end of the decay pipe. The resulting charged secondary particles (mostly particles called pions) are absorbed in the steel block, reducing the number of subsequent neutrinos, while the neutral secondary particles remained unaffected. The photons resulting from the decay of neutral pions may have transformed into hidden-sector photons that in turn might have decayed into dark matter, which would travel to the MiniBooNE detector 450 meters away. The experiment ran in this mode for nine months for a dedicated dark matter search.
Using the previous 10 years' worth of data as a baseline, MiniBooNE-DM looked for scattered protons and neutrons in the detector. If they found more scattered protons or neutrons than predicted, the excess could indicate a new particle, maybe dark matter, being produced in the steel block. Scientists analyzed multiple types of neutrino interactions at the same time, reducing the error on the signal data set by more than half.
Analysts concluded that the data was consistent with the Standard Model prediction, enabling the experimenters to set a limit on a specific model of dark matter, called vector portal dark matter. To set the limit, scientists developed a detailed simulation that estimated the predicted proton or neutron response in the detector from scattered dark matter particles. The new limit extends from the low-mass edge of direct-detection experiments down to masses about 1,000 times smaller. Additionally, the result rules out this particular model as a description of the anomalous behavior of the muon seen in the Muon g-2 experiment at Brookhaven, which was one of the goals of the MiniBooNE-DM proposal. Incidentally, researchers at Fermilab will make a more precise measurement of the muon — and verify the Brookhaven result — in an experiment that started up this year.
This result from MiniBooNE, a dedicated proton beam dump search for dark matter, was published in Physical Review Letters and was highlighted as an "Editor's suggestion."
What's next? The experiment will continue to analyze the collected data set. It is possible that the dark matter or hidden-sector particles may prefer to scatter off of the lepton family of particles, which includes electrons, rather than off of quarks, which are the constituent of protons and neutrons. Different interaction channels probe different possibilities.
If the portals to the hidden sector are narrow — that is, if they are weakly coupled — researchers will need to collect more data or implement new ideas to suppress the Standard Model interactions.
The first results from MiniBooNE-DM show that Fermilab could be at the forefront of searching for hidden-sector particles. Upcoming experiments in Fermilab's Short-Baseline Neutrino program will use higher-resolution detectors — specifically, liquid-argon time projection chamber technology — expanding the search regions and possibly leading to discovery.
Ranjan Dharmapalan is a postdoc at Argonne National Laboratory. Tyler Thornton is a graduate student at Indiana University Bloomington.
See the full article here .
Please help promote STEM in your local schools.
Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory (Fermilab), located just outside Batavia, Illinois, near Chicago, is a US Department of Energy national laboratory specializing in high-energy particle physics. Fermilab is America's premier laboratory for particle physics and accelerator research, funded by the U.S. Department of Energy. Thousands of scientists from universities and laboratories around the world
collaborate at Fermilab on experiments at the frontiers of discovery.


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"Kit, why are you still wearing 4th of July clothes!"
"Well, I am new here and I haven't have a chance to try this outfit on…"
"Go home and change into your swim suit. I have an idea!"
"Much better! Kit, I want to have a car wash to raise money for the eagles that are endangered," said Julie.
"Julie, you are not supposed to get your Dr Scholls' wet! I'll go fill the bucket while you get your shoes off," advised Kit.
"Julie, we don't even KNOW anyone with a car! I want to save the eagles, but we might have to change our business plan. How about a DOG WASH?"
Swimsuits are from Springfield (Michaels). Julie's car wash sign, bucket, and towels came from the Madison Children's Museum Benefit sale. More specifically, they came from a vendor who set up shop in the street outside the sale itself. This vendor has enormous clear tubs of extra pieces to various American Girl products, all wrapped in tiny, individual American Girl bags. Thousands of pieces.
In retrospect, I imagine that these folks do not pay a fee to be a part of the sale, and it feels like the American Girl Black Market. Then again, the vendors must be buying them direct from American Girl or the outlet, so what else would someone do with 100 individual chile ristras for Josafina but resell them?


text: Stupid and rude makes for a winning combination, and I can't believe they pulled that branch across the trail. I have never had this problem mountain or road biking, but have had it several times running. Last summer I was running with my dog on leash, and an off leash boxer ran across a stream and attacked my dog. I kicked the boxer hard enough to crack ribs in order to stop its attack (even though it was the owner who deserved to be kicked, I couldn't let her dog hurt my dog), and the lady who owned it had the audacity to say this had never happened before and that her dog was just playing. Needless to say, I was more than ugly in my response to her. My dog has been fear aggressive ever since. I always carry a cell phone when I run or ride, and if anything happens like this again I will not hesitate to cell the police, who in this area are very responsive in dealing with dog owners who don't follow leash laws.


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With snow beginning to fall here in Boston, and camping season ended, it's a
good time to reflect on and share what we have seen our clients buying over the last year. With the
majority of video being edited on non-linear systems, recording formats are not as important as in
the past. Older, tape-based edit systems required three VTR decks, video switcher, effects
generators and audio console just to start. Now a properly equipped PC and a single VTR is all
that's needed.
It seems, for many, the determining factor in new purchases is cost and value,
with the realization that this may just be a temporary solution until the industry shakes out. The
DVCAM format seems to have really taken hold because it's so cost effective and has near Betacam
quality. These camcorders range from three thousand to twelve thousand dollars (w/o lens). That's
less than one-third the cost of a new broadcast Betacamcorder. For Macie Video, with new business
about fifty percent camera set-ups and fifty percent maintenance and repairs, we get to see a lot
of new cameras. The Ikegami HL-DV7 DVCAM camcorder, which I wrote about a year ago, has become the
favorite of our clients and far outsells the competition.
Another hot SD (standard definition) camcorder, introduced into the market just
six months ago, is the Panasonic AJ-SDX900 camcorder, with a street price in the low twenties. What
has made this so popular is that it's not just another camcorder that records NTSC video, but one
that records in normal 60i (60 field /sec), 24P (24 frames/sec) and 30P (30 frames/ sec). In its
DVCPRO50 recording mode you not only get great quality, but a great format to up convert to HD
broadcast or HD Cinema. Video is not just for broadcast anymore. Both DVCAM and DVCRO25 are very
similar formats. A DVCAM tape will playback in a DVCPRO deck and visa-versa. Tamberelli Digital
Video in New York City has five of these cameras that rent like crazy as well as dozens of Ikegami
HL-DV7s. In the New England market there are at least fifteen AJ-SDX900s that I know of in rental
houses, freelancer's hands and production facilities.
As far as HD formats go, I am seeing camcorder sales take off. On the East
Coast, it seems the most purchased camcorder is the Panasonic AJ-HDC27 720P Varicam, which records
on the DVCPROHD format. This is partially due to the 720P HD requirements of most sports
organizations, and of course the value of its sixty thousand-dollar street price. Sports is
definitely the driving force for HD production around here. The other big feature is the ability to
dial frame rates from 4fps to 60fps in single frame increments. Its market not only includes
broadcast TV, but also digital cinematography as well. On the West Coast, the Sony HDCAM format
CiniAlta seems to be the most popular. The bigger budgets can afford this more expensive
The most popular camcorders with our prosumer clients are the Sony DSR-PD150 and
the Panasonic AG-DVX100, which is also capable of 24frame operation. One thing seems certain, the
days of the single format are over. There are just too many applications (cinema, broadcasting,
cable, DVD, tape distribution, and even web streaming), for a one size fits all. The good news is
that equipment costs are down from what most of us are used to. When you factor inflation,
recording HD with the Panasonic Varicam really doesn't cost a lot more than the broadcast
betacamcorders in the early nineties.
We at Macie Video are determined to keep up with the changing needs of our
clients. While Betacam service is still the bulk of our every day service, we have been recently
authorized by Panasonic for its DVCPRO25 & 50 product service, and will begin to service these
products in early 2004. As far as HD goes, we have recently invested in a HD waveform monitor /
vectorscope and shall soon be extending are camera set-ups to both Sony and Panasonic DVCPRO HD
Camcorders. In the Prosumer division, about 25% of our business over the last two months has been
with prosumer DV and DVCAM products. We are beginning to service both Panasonic and JVC DV
camcorders and decks as well. JVC has also recently authorized us for warrantee service. (We want
to be there when the new JVC HDV format takes off.)
So, while many of us had hoped to retire either shooting or maintaining Betacam,
I guess that's out of the question.
As another year comes to a close, I'd like to express my deepest gratitude to
each and every one of our loyal clients for trusting us with the care and maintenance of your gear.
May the good Lord richly bless every one of you with health and prosperity in the New
Take care,
2002 2003
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Maggie's Farm
We are a commune of inquiring, skeptical, politically centrist, capitalist, anglophile, traditionalist New England Yankee humans, humanoids, and animals with many interests beyond and above politics. Each of us has had a high-school education (or GED), but all had ADD so didn't pay attention very well, especially the dogs. Each one of us does "try my best to be just like I am," and none of us enjoys working for others, including for Maggie, from whom we receive neither a nickel nor a dime. Freedom from nags, cranks, government, do-gooders, control-freaks and idiots is all that we ask for.
Our Recent Essays Behind the Front Page
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Saturday, May 28. 2016
Middle-age fitness update, one year out
The experts say it takes a year of training for a middle-aged person to wake the body up and get into half-decent Beginner's shape, and two years to be "fit for life" for your age and build (ie "fit" for a regular person, not for a serious athlete, lifter, or body-builder).
By training, that means two hours/week of steadily increasing weights, one hour of heavy calisthenics, and 1 to 2 hours of interval cardio/endurance with some calisthenics. Plus fat loss if needed via a food plan. That's not maintenance, it's training.
It is a mental and physical adventure. At my one year point, I understand what the experts mean by two years. Functionally, and looking in the mirror like Narcissus, I know exactly what they are talking about. At first, I lost almost 15 lbs of blubber that I did not know I had. After 6 months, I began adding a bit of that back in muscle and sinew so my old cadaver has a different shape. Started at 172, now 162.
Thus, at one year out, I am now prepped to begin to work my hardest. Mysteriously, slowly, my brain and will have engaged my musculature and my physical determination, discovering resources I did not know that I had. A cool experience to fully engage with, and conquer, Mr. Fatigue and Mr. Give Up.
More details below the fold -
My boss says I am his only client who says "Make it harder", but I think it's flattery. Good stuff for a guy with a lithe runner's build which went to pot who never could have, and does not aspire to have, a ripped physique. Optimizing functioning is the goal. I do not wear guinea-Ts, only beach it on Cape Cod, and very few people get to admire my naked bod anyway. Just my doc, my wife... and my Maggie's Farm groupies.
Posted by Bird Dog in Physical Fitness at 13:53 | Comments (7) | Trackbacks (0)
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Just wondering about your incline presses. I used to work the entire chest but soon found myself developing moobs. My numbers were going way up but I forced myself to stop bc I just didn't like my new cleavage. I only do incline presses and incline flyes in addition to push-ups when working chest. The chest looks more appropriate despite the fact that I lost strength. The new problem I have with that is I can't seem to increase 10 reps above 180 on inclines. I do not have that problem with flat bench presses. My numbers can keep climbing even though I won't do them anymore because of vanity. At almost 50 I don't want boobs. Anything you do to keep your chest reasonably sized while increasing strength?
I am an amateur.
Inclined is for upper chest strength.
Perhaps you are over-doing it all....
Is there a consensus among personal trainers about how to train up middle aged and senior people?
I do a basic 5x5 and have for years. One of the mistakes people make when "getting into shape" is they try to make weight training more complicated than it needs to be. The squat, dead lift and bench press are going to work all the muscle groups the regular guy/gal is every going to need to work. You can throw in some form of curls, military press, kettle bells, etc. to fill out your routine.
A good place to start: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/
The thing to remember is you can't run off a beer belly or bubble butt. That's diet and that means eating less. Some people respond to low-carb, others to the old fashion rabbit diets. The end result is always the same. Eat less and you lose weight.
Exercise is about improving and maintaining cardio-vascular capacity, increasing strength and maintaining muscle mass. Weight training is great because you can do it your whole life. It's cheap to get weights and a bench and there are tons of resources on-line to learn each lift. If you want to go to a gym, get a gym buddy so you stay motivated. For cardio, find something where you get the heart beating for 20 minutes in the peak range. Do that once a week and you're golden.
The only thing easier for a middle-aged person than getting in decent shape is making excuses why you can't do it.
I've lost 69 lbs. in the last 6-7 months with myfitnesspal.com, which basically is logging food and counting calories. The exercise front has been strictly moderate, but obviously I can do a lot more now than I could when I was so much fatter. (Now merely "fat," not "obese.") My upper-body strength is still laughable, but it takes much harder work to get my heart-rate up these days. The difference is general vigor and well-being is indescribable. Also, it was a lot of fun throwing away every stitch of clothing I owned and buying new.
More happy news: quite a handful of neighbors have joined me now, some at myfitnesspal.com and others either at the gym or in local walks.
My primary recreation for 30 years has been hiking, mostly here in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. I have watched three middle aged people take up the sport seriously, meaning 30 or more hikes a year, with the intention of completing the NH 48 or the ADK 46. I agree it seems to take two years to reach full proficiency. In hiking, the limitation is more in down climbing for which one needs judgement and agility as well as muscle to move at top speed in rough terrain with a 30 lb pack on.
1. Plan and stay consistent, don't miss sessions;
2. Diet vital, proteins esp within 40 mins after;
3. Creatine is inoffensive;
4. Push day, pull day is a good rotation;
5. Key - on last rep, can do no more - do one more;
6. Then squeeze out just the one more;
7. Try to use a spotter;
8. Increments, not huge gains quickly;
9. When the plateau comes, go to Plan B, say pyramiding;
10. One year/ two year time frame is right.


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Objective: SL1 is a nationally recognized qualification that enables successful learners to assist in leading purposeful and enjoyable sport/physical activity, under direct supervision.
Key content: Leadership skills including organization, planning, communication and teamwork through the medium of sport.
Sports leaders is delivered within the school programmes for young women ages between 12 and 16. The course takes approximately 18 weeks to complete and is fun filled with practical activities and minimal theory. This allows time for personal development, reflection and delivery whilst being active throughout the course. We encourage our students to gain work experience in primary schools within their final weeks on the course, where they will deliver their practical sessions and will be assessed on their delivery and understanding of what it is to become a successful sports leader


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New Classes in 2018!
The start of a new year (nearly upon us) brings with it the perfect opportunity to re-start or freshen-up a fitness routine. Try one or more of the new classes we're adding in 2018. (New classes begin the week of Monday, January 8th, 2018, unless otherwise stated.)
Included in Membership:
POUND – Mondays, 9am-9:45am
Introducing a unique and energizing class inspired by playing the drums. Using lightly-weighted drumsticks specifically designed for exercise, POUND is an incredibly effective workout. This class will involve a combination of standing and seated activity. Try it for yourself and improve your endurance!
Sunrise Yoga – Tuesdays/Thursdays 5:45-6:45am
Flow into your day with an hour of breath-incorporated movements to help wake up the mind and body. A powerful flow will be offered as well as modifications for those who wish to take the morning a bit slower.


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Why physical and information security working together might give a Hollywood spy a headache
Everyone has a favorite spy movie. I admit to a particular fondness for the Bond franchise, even though most people can probably forecast the storyline without ever actually seeing any specific movie. There is a specific piece of that trope that completely speaks to the relationship between cybersecurity and physical security. In all spy movies, someone knows something that can make, or break "the world as we know it". The entire movie is usually about the efforts of someone to acquire that secret and get it into their team's hands; and while they're at it, a few explosions, some high speed car chases, and people living the flashy high life are standard fare. Somehow, there really isn't any computer that causes the invading team to even need a coffee break. In fact, the hardest part of the movie is usually how they get physical access to the building.
That particular bit of Hollywood fun mirrors an aspect of real life. If the bad guys can get their hands on your computers; they will (eventually) own everything on them. This means that to some degree, the success of your information security department is dependent on the success of your physical security department.
Some of this is pretty obvious. If you have a ton of loose laptops lying around your office; and you neither prohibit random people from wandering around your facilities, nor your employees from securing those laptops in some sort of physical way; the odds of theft are much higher. The next layer is something like if the laptop has a biometric scanner on it; which is supposed to slow down casual information security theft as well. How much of that theft is for Intellectual Property is something you'll never know. The same is true for your servers – if you don't prevent people from wandering in with USB sticks or other portable media and physically interfacing with your data; you probably have cybersecurity issues.
Other elements of the relationship between physical and cyber security are less obvious. A specific example is that physical security / facilities teams are more likely to know local law enforcement, both people and processes. They may have better case tracking than your logical security teams. If you do have some sort of access control to your facility; odds are good that you are using a badge / or swipe card – which ties to the employee ID that is used when they work on the computers in your organization. When you think about my random laptop theft scenario, the case would have required the inputs and support of both departments – you might have video of the person who did the theft entering the building, and accessing the laptop; and a log of what data was accessed either on the laptop or on a server in your organization.
This interrelationship is not a new thing; and over 2011 and the first quarter of 2012 it's been in the news that companies are evaluating or pursuing organizational shifts to support those teams sharing a common org structure. Depending on the scale of the company; and it's vertical this can be convergence of fraud departments, physical security departments, information and logical security departments. The specific benefits being identified start with the ability to cross train; across departments that in many cases were previously unable to have backfill capacity. In addition, once the cross training takes effect, there is an increase in effectiveness for investigations; and ultimately it's a cost savings as well.


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Creating an energised and positive working environment for employees to feel motivated is very crucial. However one off outings to specific trainings alone will not provide the necessary encouragement or motivation. Therefore a continuous environment or organisational culture has to be created for teams to succeed in their tasks. Some trending suggestions are discussed below;
Visit other departments – this is an activity that can foster cross departmental interaction and communication. In practice an employee is sent to another department for a visit to see firsthand how things are done and what employees in that particular division do. This enables group team building, open communication and understanding to foster.
Lunch interactions – a routine lunch discussion can be set up, where the whole company or a particular division is provided lunch courtesy of the company and discussion takes place within a stipulated time frame. Within these sessions employees are to be grouped based on work or tasks and asked to openly discuss issues and provide thoughtful solutions. This has to be a regular activity if it is to work and bear results.
Cooking team building Singapore – this is a fast trending activity in which a company reserves a restaurant or such facility with all gear available for cooking a simple meal to a five star restaurant meal. The fully paid activity allows employees to interact with each other while cooking and enjoying a meal. This fun filled activity is said to be very popular among organisations and employees alike
Charity event sponsorship – organisations are known for supporting employees that take interest and involvement in charity events such as running for cancer research or SOS animals. Such sponsorships encourage many more employees to volunteer as well as to show up and build support for their fellow employees. This is considered a great way to encourage employee interaction and communication.
Get families involved – organisations are encouraged to organise events such as movie days or Christmas lunches which will include employee families as well. While these informal events are real fun, they can foster and strengthen families to get to know each other, which will strengthen the employee groups even more.
Mentoring – while ongoing training is important, mentoring new employees or team members can increase the bonding factor of the members. It will allow senior members to refresh their knowledge while it will be a good opportunity for new members to learn from experience.
Focus on employee health – bonding sessions over employee health is another great way to create a healthy working environment. Yoga sessions or zumba classes paid for by the company can go a long way to get employees involved in a healthy activity, while increasing interaction and communication between them.
These are all relatively low cost methods that can be used to foster better working relationships with employees at all levels. The interactions and communication will no doubt increase motivation and team spirit within an organisation or a department.


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LAGOS, Nigeria (Reuters) - A military crackdown across Nigeria has hobbled Boko Haram for now, but as the army campaign intensifies it is likely to fan popular anger in the impoverished north that could ultimately make the Islamist sect's 3-year-old rebellion stronger.
The group, which wants to carve an Islamic state out of Nigeria, remains the top security threat to Africa's leading oil producer, and Western powers are worried about its growing links to more fiercely anti-Western jihadist groups in the region.
At least 2,800 people have died in fighting since the insurrection began, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday.
Nigerian soldiers and police have swept through the largely Muslim north in past weeks, raiding suspected Islamist hideouts, seizing weapons and killing or arresting scores of suspects.
Last month they intercepted a vehicle carrying the sect's spokesman and ideologue, Abu Qaqa, whom they said they killed in a shootout, although its leader Abubakar Shekau said Qaqa was captured alive.
Better policing of roads and around targets such as churches has reduced the number of deadly bomb attacks, and there has been no repeat of anything as coordinated as the strike on the north's main city of Kano in January that killed 186 people.
"A series of tactical setbacks against Boko Haram have helped to contain the militancy," said Roddy Barclay, Africa analyst at Control Risks. "But they won't bring an end to it, since they still don't address the core drivers."
Those drivers include a deep-rooted feeling of alienation among northerners, who have watched their semi-arid region stagnate while the oil-rich south enjoys relative prosperity.
They also include a burning sense of injustice among Boko Haram's members, who say their Salafist clerical movement was wrongly persecuted by the authorities in 2009. Then, Nigerian troops killed hundreds during an uprising, including sect founder Mohammed Yusuf, who died in police custody.
Jonathan's administration, seen by northerners as the most southern-Christian dominated in decades, is no less an obstacle. Boko Haram are fighting to revive an ancient Islamic caliphate in modern Nigeria, but many of their supporters might settle for a greater share of power for Muslim northerners in office.
The United States, worried that Boko Haram's fraternizing with other jihadist groups like al Qaeda could lead it to shift its focus to Western targets, has heaped pressure on Nigeria to tackle the root causes of the rebellion, with limited results.
A security raid on Monday gave a taste of how Nigeria's pursuit of a military solution to the conflict could backfire.
After a bomb blast struck an army convoy passing through Maiduguri — a dusty, bullet-ridden northeastern city on the threshold of the Sahara and the sect's official headquarters — soldiers raided homes, shot people and burned down buildings in revenge attacks that left at least 35 dead.
"The soldiers are causing more harm than Boko Haram," said Hajiya Amina Tole, furious after seeing her house razed. "By the time they leave, our daughters will have no husbands to marry: most young men would have been killed by the military."
Yusuf Ahmed said he watched four of his friends executed in the raid and saw his family home destroyed. "If I join Boko Haram now, won't I be justified?" he asked.
Lieutenant-Colonel Sagir Musa, spokesman for joint army and police forces in the northeast, denied extrajudicial killings, and said security efforts had brought relative peace.
But analysts say they may be counterproductive longer term.
"With the government's extremely heavy-handed approach ... you have to wonder what the consequences will be in terms of acquiescence or support for Boko Haram," said John Campbell, who was U.S. ambassador to Nigeria from 2004 to 2007.
"It may have a temporary impact, but without any kind of political process, the lull won't be anything more than a lull."
Concentrated mainly in northern Nigerian, Boko Haram became active in about 2003 and is loosely modeled on the Taliban movement in Afghanistan. It considers all who do not follow its strict ideology as infidels, whether Christian or Muslim, and its followers wear bushy beards and red or black headscarves.
Nigerian authorities assumed it was finished after the 2009 crackdown. Instead, it morphed from a radical clerical movement opposed to Western culture into a fully-fledged armed rebellion.
"You're dealing with a guerrilla force that withdraws when the odds are against it but then resurfaces when the pressure eases off," said Shehu Sani, president of the Civil Rights Congress, a group calling for dialogue to resolve the crisis.
"They've been written off before, only to come back."
If a military solution to the conflict is well nigh impossible, a political one is still a tall order.
Shekau's published demands include full implementation of Sharia or Islamic law in the north and a release of Boko Haram prisoners, things to which the government is unlikely to agree.
"That type of amnesty deal doesn't seem like it's even close to happening," said Jacob Zenn of the Washington-based Jamestown Foundation. "And it doesn't even seem like the religious figures are willing to implement the greater Sharia that he wants."
He suggested it might take until the next election in 2015, in which if a Muslim northerner became president, it could address some of the militants' political grievances.
Security sources believe Shekau's faction is the most hardline, but there may be others even more extreme, including smaller cells with links with global jihadists like al-Qaeda's north African wing, currently spread over the Sahara.
Boko Haram militants periodically turn up in Mali and Niger — sometimes after being pushed out of Nigeria by the army — then return home with more sophisticated bomb-making technology.
That underlines another of the crackdown's unintended effects, Zenn says: the militants are spreading over a wider geographical area, across the center, east, northwest, and in neighboring nations, facilitating their split into factions.
Despite Shekau's so far undisputed claim to lead it, Campbell says Boko Haram has become "extremely diffuse, highly uncoordinated, not at all centrally controlled."
This makes ending the insurgency by political means — as the government claims to be trying to do via 'back channels' — hugely complicated. And the more military pressure breaks them up into smaller groups, the more complicated it will get.
"Boko Haram is behaving like an amoeba," Sani said. "Slice it up and you just get more of them."
Additional reporting by Ibrahim Mshelizza in Maiduguri; editing by Philippa Fletcher