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MD1583 GLA management of 2014-20 ERDF and ESF programmes
Executive summary
The GLA is going to be designated an Intermediate Body by the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) and Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for the award, management and administration of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and European Social Fund (ESF) respectively, for the London 2014-20 European Structural and Investment Funds programme (subject to DCLG and DWP being designated as Managing Authorities (MAs) for ERDF and ESF by the European Commission (EC)). The responsibilities have been agreed via two letters of comfort, and will be formalised in two Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) once DWP and DCLG are formally designated as MAs.
The Mayor approves:
1. The designation of the GLA as an Intermediate Body for the 2014-20 European Social Funding and European Regional Development Funding programmes.
2. The delegation limits, detailed in Annex 1 for the administration and expenditure of the European Social Fund and European Regional Development Fund under the 2014-2020 programme.
Part 1: Non-confidential facts and advice
1. Introduction and background
1.1 The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) are 'Managing Authorities' (MAs) in England for the seven-year 2014-20 €450bn EU programmes managed by the EU's 28 member states, from the European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF). In 2015 , DWP and DCLG agreed 'Operational Programmes' with the EC for ERDF and ESF that set out the activities and targets (such as people into employment and businesses supported), in exchange for the funding. The ERDF and ESF programmes are delivered across England's 39 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas, each of which has an ESIF Strategy to support local delivery. The £6 billion funds within the programmes have been notionally allocated to LEP areas. LEP Area ESIF Committees, including the London ESIF Committee, provide advice to the Managing Authority (the GLA Intermediate Body in London), on the needs and opportunities in an area and on the strategic fit of applications for funding.
1.2 Article 123 of EC Regulation 1303/2013 states that a Member State may designate one or more 'Intermediate Bodies'(IB) to carry out certain tasks of the MA under the responsibility of DWP or DCLG.
1.3 DWP and DCLG intend to devolve responsibility for managing London's share of England's ERDF and ESF programmes to the GLA as a designated IB. The GLA's European Programmes Management Unit (EPMU) already holds this responsibility for the 2007-13 ERDF and ESF programmes, which are now closing. The relevant arrangements between DCLG, DWP and the GLA shall be formally recorded in two MOUs once DCLG and DWP have each been formally designated as a MA, which will permit DCLG and DWP to designate the GLA as an IB.
1.4 The IB role comprises day-to-day responsibility for the ESF and ERDF funds: developing calls for funding and tendering opportunities, appraising applications, signing contractually-binding funding agreements, performance monitoring and management, carrying out pre- and post-expenditure checks on projects and reclaiming ESF and ERDF funds where necessary. Funds are disbursed via three means:
• For ESF: via 'co-financing organisations ' which provide match funding and carry out their own procurement exercises on the basis of a skills and employment programme agreed by the LEP;
• For ERDF: financial instruments - investment vehicles that provide equity and loan finance for SMEs and low carbon activities, such as the London Green Fund; and
• For both: direct award of grants through a competitive bidding process where applicants source their own match funding.
1.5 As for 2007-13, DWP and DCLG have agreed to contribute to EPMU's staffing costs for 2014-20. This is matched by 'Technical Assistance' funding from the ERDF and ESF programmes, claimed in arrears by EPMU.
Designation of the GLA as an Intermediate Body for the 2014-20 ESF and ERDF programmes
1.6 The draft IB 'designation letters' from the MAs confirm the delegated responsibilities of the GLA (reflecting Article 125 of EC Regulation1303/2013) alongside accompanying MOUs. The roles set out are similar to those agreed for the 2007-13 programmes.
1.7 The MAs advise that the designation letters will be formally issued in spring 2016 once the MAs have cleared EC-regulatory audit and compliance checks. It is proposed that GLA Head of Paid Service signs the MOUs.
1.8 In the interim, DWP and DCLG have issued 'letters of comfort' to the GLA to cover actions in relation to 2014-20 programmes, currently being undertaken by EPMU prior to formal issue of the designation letters and MOUs.
2007-13 Programmes
1.9 EPMU continues to manage the 2007-13 ESF and ERDF programmes as an Ie B on behalf of DWP/DCLG undertaking the formal closure processes required by the MA. Two Mayoral Decisions were approved in respect of the 2007-13 programme (MD851 (1 July 2011) and MD1220 (24 July 2013)) through which EPMU continues to manage the programmes.
Governance arrangements: delegation
1.10 Approval is sought to delegate to GLA EPMU officers, authorisation to carry out financial transactions up to set levels (see Appendix 1). The officer delegations have been kept at the same levels as the 2007-13 ERDF programme (for ESF these were previously unlimited). Some job titles have been updated and the delegations now also apply to ESF, as per paragraph 1.9 above. EPMU delegation levels differ from wider GLA delegations; and this is recognised in the GLA's existing Decision Making Guidance. These different levels stem from the requirements laid down by the MAs via national rules, guidance and work instructions for managing ESF and ERDF funds. These delegation limits may be reviewed once the first tranche of projects are live to ensure it facilitates effective programme management.
1.11 Following EPMU's consideration of projects, programmes and advice from the London Enterprise Panel's ESIF Committee, Mayoral Decisions will be sought for the approval of specific projects.
1.12 Where an offer of ESF or ERDF is made to the GLA as final beneficiary, the offer of grant will be accepted by a different GLA senior officer from the officer who signed and awarded the Funding Agreement. Where EPMU applies for 'technical assistance' from the ERDF and ESF programmes to support its running costs, the initial application will be assessed by colleagues outside EPMU. If approved, an offer of funding will be made in the standard way, but the Funding arrangement will be signed and awarded and accepted by different GLA senior officers.
1.13 Following detailed discussions with both DCLG and DWP it was agreed that, unlike in the 2007-13 ERDF programme, the GLA would not physically make payments to projects as this would involve significant delay and/or expense; given (i) the amount of work still to be done in respect of Government's new IT system and (ii) the differences between DCLG and DWP payment systems. It has therefore been agreed with DWP/DCLG that the GLA will certify and authorise claims submitted by applicants but the physical payment will be made by the relevant M A. This arrangement is reflected in the MO Us.
2.1 Programme Level Targets
London's 2014-20 programme allocation is €745million, doubled once match-funding is included. The programmes support skills, employment, green infrastructure and business support projects across London;
The ESF programme will result in support for over 400,000 Londoners, of whom 100,000 are expected to progress into jobsearch, education, training or employment and a further 30% will gain qualifications;
The ERDF Programme will help over 9,000 small businesses and greenhouse gas reduction of over 37,000 tonnes per annum.
3.1 ESF and ERDF funds will be accessible to organisations and individuals across London. The EC,DCLG and DWP agreed ESF and ERDF Operational Programmes set out the requirements for ensuring adherence to a mandatory equalities 'cross-cutting' theme. Both ESF and ERDF will promote equality in accordance with European Union and national requirements. The 2010 Equality Act provides the framework to effectively tackle disadvantage and discrimination. The Public Sector Equality Duty applies in the delivery of ERDF and ESF and means that delivery of the Operational Programmes at local level, including in London, are required to consider the needs of all individuals and have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, advance equality of opportunity, and foster good relations between different people.
3.2 In particular, the ESF programme targets its support to individuals; and seeks to make positive contributions to: long-term unemployed people, inactive people, lone parents, disabled people, people from ethnic minorities, ex-offenders, young people and older people. DWP has set output targets to ensure the programme helps appropriate numbers of these people; the GLA will be required to contribute to these targets.
3.3 Programmes are required to record equality and diversity data on individuals receiving support to ensure there is no inherent bias in the provision of help and that it is accessible by all. This monitoring data will be submitted by Grant Recipients as part of the claims process. Where a project has a particular objective to work with people with specific protected characteristics, this will be inherent in the project application; Grant Recipients will be asked to capture this data as part of their project management.
a) Key Risks and Issues
Any systemic errors found by the DCLG/DWP 'Audit Authority' as part of its 'Annual Control Report' of the MA's management of ESF/ERDF programmes could contribute to higher error rates[1] across England (greater than 2% of annual expenditure), and subsequent payment interruption or suspension of the England programme. The MAs will monitor GLA's contribution to the error rate.
The GLA agrees in its MOU to follow the reasonable requirements of DCLG/ DWP procedures as far as it is able (which DCLG/DWP agrees to provide) with regard to pursuing Grant Recipients for debt recovery.
Where the error rate for the national ERDF/ESF programme is over 2%, GLA, DCLG and DWP have agreed to review the proportion of irregularities across the part of the programme managed by the IB to examine the extent to which these had pushed the error rate above 2% and discuss any appropriate action which should be taken.
Medium risk
Concurrent management of both the 2007-13 and 2014-20 programmes by EPMU prove challenging.
The 2007-13 programmes have entered the closure phase; no new commitments are being made. This neatly corresponds with the gradual increase in 2014-20 workload.
Low risk
London's notional allocation is reduced by the MAs.
As the programme is England-wide, Government-set targets are notional and can be switched between LEP areas (including in London) depending on under/over performance.
EPMU has historically met all expenditure targets; it has not previously been subject to outputs penalties.
Medium risk
Exchange-rate fluctuation: EU programmes are managed in Euros. Exchange-rate changes over the programme's lifetime affecting the overall value of commitments made by the GLA.
The GLA will comply with DWP and DCLG policy (not yet drafted) on allowing funds to be committed above the total Operational Programme allocation.
The MA is responsible for notifying the GLA of changes to the exchange rate. EPMU is currently on track for ensuring the 2007-13 programmes are not over-committed.
The notional value of the programmes provides flexibility to accommodate over-commitment.
Low risk
[1] The England Audit Authority produces an Annual Control Report. The Report includes 'error rates' calculated for the England programmes. This 'error rate' is the proportion of project expenditure that Government auditors have examined on their visits that they think might be ineligible. Error rates above 2% can be 'self-corrected' by the MAs down to 1.99% - this means the appropriate sum is deducted from the Government's next claim to the EC, but kept in the overall England programme; there is no overall loss of funds over programme's lifetime.
b) Links to strategies and Strategic Plan
EPMU delivers London's share of the national ESF and ERDF Operational Programmes, under which Calls for Proposals are launched, and decisions are made on which applications are funded. The programmes are aligned to the LEP's ESIF and support Mayoral economic objectives for a competitive and fairer London.
c) Impact assessments and Consultation
The LEP's European Structural and Investment Fund Strategy was developed through intensive consultation throughout 2013. A consultation summary document is available on the LEP website. The feedback received throughout this consultation process was fed into revised versions of the Strategy as appropriate and was used to inform discussion and planning for delivery plans to be developed throughout 2014/15.
The Department for Work and Pensions launched a public consultation on a draft version of the national ESF Operational Programme in April 2014 in order to ensure partners were provided with the opportunity to comment on and provide views on its contents. The consultation period lasted 4 weeks and the Government's response to the consultation was published on GOV.UK in September 2014. Overall the responses supplied to DWP were broadly supportive of the strategy and priorities of the draft programme. DWP revised certain sections of the Operational Programmes prior to submission to the EC.
The Department for Communities and Local Government launched their consultation on the national ERDF Operational Programme in May 2014. The public consultation lasted four weeks. A summary of the responses summited is available alongside the Government's response on the GOV.UK website. This was published in August 2014. The responses to the consultation informed the draft of the Operational Programme which was submitted to the European Commission in July 2014.
5.1 The GLA will continue to act as the 'Intermediate Body' for the Management of the 2014- 20 ESF & ERDF Programmes in London. The London 2014-20 programme allocation totals €745 million, and is doubled once match funding has been secured.
5.2 The European Programme Management Unit (EPMU) will be responsible for managing the programme on behalf of the GLA and as per the 2007-13 programme; the Government have agreed to contribute up to 50% towards staffing and overheads for the 2014-20 period. This is matched by Technical Assistance funding from the ERDF and ESF Programmes, which are claimed in arrears by the unit. For information the annual budgeted salary costs for the team in 2015-16 totals £1,089k (including on-costs).
6.1 The GLA's principal purposes, under section 30 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999, are promoting economic development and wealth creation, promoting social development, and promoting the improvement of the environment, all in Greater London. The GLA has power to do anything which it considers will further any one or more of its principal purposes.
6.2 Sections 1 to 4 of this report indicate that:
• the decision requested of the Mayor falls within the GLA's statutory powers to do things considered to further, or which are facilitative of, conducive or incidental to the discharge of, its general functions; and
• officers have had due regard to Article 123 (6) of EC Regulation 1303/2013 which permits DCLG and DWP to designate the GLA as an IB to undertake the management of ERDF and ESF in London, which designation should be recorded in writing. It should be noted that DCLG and DWP are required to be designated as MAs before the GLA can formally be designated an IB.
7.1 The proposal was presented at the Investment and Performance Board meeting on 30 October 2015. The Paper was titled: GLA management of 2014-20 ERDF and ESF programmes. The Board recommended that the IPB approved in principle the designation of the GLA as an IB for the 2014-20 ESF and ERDF programmes, and the entering into of two MOU's between the GLA and DCLG and DWP respectively along with the ESF and ERDF financial delegation limits.
8.1 Although the ESF and ERDF programmes run from 2014-20, the DCLG/DWP and European Commission only reached agreement on the programmes in summer 2015. Project/programme-level activity commenced in late 2015 with the launch of the first calls for Proposals and Co-Financing tendering rounds. Further Mayoral Decisions will be sought, as appropriate, for the award of funding to applicants. The ESF and ERDF programmes will run until at least 2023, taking into account the closure process that will follow towards the end of the period.
Appendix 1: 2014-20 FINANCIAL DELEGATIONS for ERDF and ESF (see signed decision form)


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Not only do doctors fail to monitor the effect of the drugs they prescribe, they ignore the horrible side effects of those drugs, especially the dugs containing fluorine/fluoride and others from the halogen group in the periodic table. Other halogens block Iodine from being utilized by the thyroid gland.
Now in many studies, schizophrenia has been helped naturally, once brain allergies are defined and re-balanced with appropriate health care and/or with vitamins B3 and C.
Halide, a component of Haldol, given to many elderly and people with schizophrenia, causes a devastating side effect called Tardive Dyskinesia. Some studies have shown that valerian root is helpful to offset the TD or even prevent it. Even some of the newer anti-psychotic pharmaceuticals, often used in combination because singly they do not seem to control behavior enough, can lead to the development of TD.
Are you asking the same question I am, or "is the rat escaping the mad scientist's lab yet?"
What about outcomes, and why aren't the shrinks reporting?
Maybe they don't have a billing code is the DSM that lets them get a check for it.
So much on how the insurance company plays the controller in health care, more on this sometime in the future.
The halogens are a chemical series. They are the elements in Group 7 (old-style: VII or VIIA) of the Periodic Table: fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine. The word comes from Greek roots meaning "salt" and "creator".
These elements are diatomic molecules in their natural form. They require one more electron to fill their outer electron shells, and so have a tendency to form a singly-charged negative ion. This negative ion is referred to as a halide ion; salts containing these ions are known as halides.
Many synthetic organic compounds, and a few natural ones, contain halogen atoms; these are known as halogenated compounds. Thyroid hormones contain iodide atoms. Chloride ions play a key role in brain function by mediating the action of the inhibitory transmitter GABA.
Every person accepting a prescription drug has the right to know the effects, risks and benefit (if any) of the drug. The prescriber is mandated by law to be diligent in this expected action.
APA: Drug Pairing Doesn't Control Aggression in Schizophrenia
WASHINGTON -- The aggression and violence associated with schizophrenia was essentially unabated by a combination of drugs commonly used to help control the behavior, according to a small randomized trial reported here. full story
APA: Drug Interactions a Common Risk for Schizophrenic Patients
WASHINGTON -- One-fifth of patients with schizophrenia receive prescriptions for drugs that can cause dangerous interactions when taken in combination, a researcher said here. full story
APA: Psychiatrists Shrink from Outcome Measures in Depression
WASHINGTON -- Only a small fraction of psychiatrists use validated outcome measures to assess how well depressed patients are doing, a researcher said here. full story

subset: commoncrawl


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Alison Wren
Alison is passionate about the Eurovision Song Contest and has travelled now to three ESCs, three JESCs and her National Final appearances are in double figures. She loves travelling and has been to almost every country in Europe (under ten to go!). For ESC Insight Alison works as our travel guide writer, giving all the hints and tips to Eurovision fans as they arrive in different cities each year.


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Let's start w the most recent stuff: Vacation!!
D and I just got back from a week-long stint in the deep South. We flew into Myrtle Beach and spent the day walking around. Our fav spot was the Marsh Walk on Murrell's Inlet. PS - if you're ever there stop at the Salty Dog...er, what was the name? Saloon Dog? Dog something okay...Murrell's Inlet is a small area so find the "dog place," get some southwest egg rolls, a beverage, sit outside and enjoy the view.
Took us four tries to get the above pic btw. Curly hair + humidity + wind = D eating a hair sandwich for 3 out of 4 shots. :)
So after our day in Myrtle Beach we drove to Charleston where we stayed for the duration of our trip. We rented an AMAZING apartment in the carriage house of an antebellum mansion. They converted the old carriage house into 4 beautiful luxury apartments. And as I'm typing that I realize I should have included some pics...First day back and I'm already a blog failure. ;)
After 2 minutes of lengthy searching I decided I'm not patient enough to find the good photos we took of the place. So this is the best I got right now. You're welcome.
This was our living room/dining area. It had a gorgeous fully-equipped kitchen, antique 4-post bed, original brick walls, 1.5 baths, and washer/dryer. The property itself was quiet and private. They also provided gated parking for each room on the grounds (at no extra charge, which if you've ever been to Charleston you know is a big deal.) The location was perfect too. The manager, Thad, was the kindest, most helpful property manager I've ever met. (I'm actually getting a Thank You card ready to pop in the mail for him.) And, what's even better, the price we paid was the same (if not less) what we'd pay for a room at any generic hotel...and we got a whole luxury apartment. I mean we are talking major bang for your buck, folks.
Anyone notice what D is pointing at?
That's a GATOR. We saw about 6 of them on this particular plantation. D wanted to get close-ups but I respectfully saluted him and went on my way.
This might be my fav pic on the trip.
I know it's not healthy, like at all, but we ate a lot of fried chicken on vacation. We were in South Carolina for goodness sake, it was almost impossible to find a menu that wasn't covered in fried things (excuses). My absolute FAVORITE meal was from a little bubble-gum pink shack about two miles from our apartment. Oh Martha Lou, Martha Lou! The things she did to my taste buds.
As you can see I really rocked the hair that day. I got tired of fighting the humidity and poof but clearly it still won.
Martha Lou is a sweet 80-something woman who makes (you can watch from your table) the most tender, delicious fried chicken I've ever eaten. Her tiny restaurant is humble but friendly and warm. She and her daughters greet you with smiling faces and truly make you feel at home. We were shocked upon entering to see her walls lined with stories written by major food publications (Food & Wine, Saveur, NYTimes etc.) They all said her soul food was amazing and they weren't lying. No. They. Weren't.
Let's pause just a moment, mkay.
Listen ya'll...if you ever visit Charleston (which you should btw bc it's incredible) do yourself a favor and eat here. Trust me. Be like Nike and just do it.
So if anyone still reads this blog I'm sure it's by accident bc sister has been out of the loop for a while. But I'm back now, ready to get into the swing of things again, and I'm also ready to share a little bit about what's been going on the past 15 months.
The spring of last year brought a lot of heartache.
D and I separated, I moved out, and my world literally collapsed. The condensed version of events is that he had an affair and filed for divorce. I was devastated, confused, angry, and torn. It was a great season of loss. Life as I knew it was over: my spouse, home, friends, community, etc. were all gone. I also lost my grandpa to cancer during that time. I wondered if and where God was. I doubted his goodness. I bounced around living with friends and family while I tried to get the pieces of my life back together...and then, when all hope seemed lost something began to change.
Right before our divorce was to be final D asked to start dating me again. My first reaction was to tell him exactly where he could stick it (and I did) but over time I was put in situations where I had to see him. Slowly and over the course of many months we began to rebuild our marriage. He dropped the divorce and we have since recommitted our lives to one another.
It has not been easy. The last 15 months or so have been the most painful, exhausting months of my life...BUT I can say that despite it all - the loss, the pain, the broken relationships, etc - God is still good. I'm not about to get all preachy here so don't get uncomfortable, but this truth has absolutely never left my side. I am not strong enough to have endured what I've walked through. He has provided, encouraged, corrected, and transformed me. He alone carried me through the muck and slime of this past year...and it was a full-on carry. I did very little walking for a while. Although it's been a season of loss and pain, it's also been a season of humility, love, and restoration. The people who have stuck beside me during the worst times have been reminders of hope and light when all I could think about was crawling in bed and never coming out again.
There's so much more to the story and maybe I'll share more one day.
D and I aren't perfect. We still have work to do, but we are in it together. It would have been easier for us both to let this go, to give up and walk away, but we believe in the commitment we made. For better or worse (and we've been there.) Fighting for our marriage will be worth it in the end.
Despite all the crapola, I'm actually looking forward to our future. I have such peace and hope. And that's something I didn't know if I'd ever find again. These are good days. :)
Oh, and I'm pregnant too. BOOM!! lol
Let me answer the first question: No, we were not trying. In fact, we were in prevention mode, but we are overjoyed and see this little one as a blessing we never saw coming (even moreso when you consider we tried for a while several years ago and never conceived.) This miracle baby is such a blessing and I'm so excited to be his mommy. Yep, it's a boy!!!
PS - We are going nowhere w baby names so if you've got any cute ones feel free to pass them my way. I'm terrified of giving birth and not having a name picked out yet. That and about 1,034 other things (please don't tell me your terrible labor stories...why do we do that to one another ladies? Whyyyy??)
Missed y'all so much! I'm so glad to be back. Be looking for another post (and maybe a new recipe) soon!!!


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Stratford Festival of Motoring 2019For one weekend only, see Stratford-upon-AvonŌĆÖs streets play host to fantastic cars and activities for all the family. The 2019 Festival of Motoring on May Bank Holiday weekend features everything from classic cars to modern-day motors in two days of family-friendly fun.
This year, the Mini is taking centre-stage as it celebrates its 60th anniversary, and the festival could see one of StratfordŌĆÖs historic streets renamed ŌĆśIssigonis AlleyŌĆÖ in honour of the landmark creationŌĆÖs creator Alec Issigonis.
The festivalŌĆÖs Patron, award-winning motoring journalist and TV presenter Quentin Willson, said: ŌĆ£2019 will carry on the tradition of a friendly, all encompassing, and un-sniffy event in the heart of historic Stratford-upon-Avon. WeŌĆÖd love to see cars of all types ŌĆō from that 1970s Allegro through to Ferrari's and historic Jaguars. And weŌĆÖre certain to see a lot of minis as 2019 is the 60th anniversary of Alec IssigonisŌĆÖ landmark creation.ŌĆØ
As part of the celebrations, this year will also include extra prizes for entrants who don the national costume of their carŌĆÖs manufacturer or fancy dress matching the year of the carŌĆÖs production. Plenty of options to get creative!
And itŌĆÖs not just about the cars. The whole event takes place in the bustling streets of Stratford, complete with stunning scenery, history-packed venues, stunning shops and an array of restaurants, cafes and pubs.
If you would like to enter a vehicle in the Festival please register on the Stratford Registration page


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MGUMST Jaipur recruitment professor resident vacancies may 2014: Application are invited for the post of professor, Senior Resident and junior resident in Mahatma Gandhi University of medical Science and Technology.
Name of Post:- Professor, Assistant Professor, Resident, Junior Resident
Eligibility:- MD, MCH, MS, MBBS
Job Location:- Jaipur Rajasthan
Last Date:- 9th May 2014
Hiring Process:- Written Test
Total no. of Posts:- 71 Posts
Professor/ Assistant Professor:- 23 Posts
- Qualification:- DM/ MCH in the concerned superspecially Disciplines.
Senior Residents:- 21 Posts
- Qualification:- MD (General Medicine)/ MD (Paediartic Medicine)/ MS (General Surgery).
Junior Residents:- 27 Posts
- Qualification:- candidates should possess the MBBS.
Age Limit:- as per decided by the Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Science and Technology.
How to apply:- Interested and Eligible candidates should send their Bio – Data and supportive documents to registrar, mahatma Gandhi University of medical Science and Technology, Sitapura, Jaipur before 9th May 2014.
Click here to view the advertisement
LIKE InGovtJob.com on Facebook to get yourself updated towards latest Jobs.


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The Wise Women of Polyamory – Workshop – July 3rd – San Rafael, CA
Due to limited space, RSVP early!
We have only to look around us to see that this salvation hasn't happened yet. Why not? Is the whole idea of a politics of love just a flakey new age fantasy? Or have we not taken it far enough? Has the wisdom of love been forgotten, distorted, and misunderstood for so long we are only now starting to penetrate this mystery?
On July 3rd, three brilliant, passionate, and courageous avatars of polyamory will address the theory and practice of loving in freedom, consciousness, and compassion. We'll integrate the wisdom of our bodies, hearts, souls, and minds in guiding this fast moving experiential journey into love.
Elite Books, 2005.
of Love. North Atlantic Books, 2009.
Serena firstname.lastname@example.com after June 1st
Serena Anderlini-D'Onofrio, PhD, is a professor of humanities at the University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez. She is the author of Eros: A Journey of Multiple Loves, and the editor of numerous collections. Her latest book, Gaia and the New Politics of Love is Silver Winner in Cosmology and New Science for the 2010 Nautilus Book Awards. She teaches courses, workshops, and seminars on the practice of love and the science of Gaia. She blogs at http://polyplanet.blogspot.com
Dossie Easton is a licensed psychotherapist working with individuals, couples and moresomes in her private practice in San Francisco. She is co-author with Janet Hardy of The Ethical Slut, now in its second edition, and Radical Ecstasy, among others, and she lectures and leads workshops on polyamory and ecstatic spiritual practices at conferences and universities in the United States, Canada and Europe. Dossie has been an active sex radical since 1961. Website: www.dossieeaston.com. "Each relationship will seek its own level like water if you let it."


text: Subscribe to our newsletter This thingy has to be empti pwieshh Dec 6, 2016 Morning Mishegoss Minutes - Issue #36 Hello All and welcome to Tuesday. What are your plans for today and the rest of the week? Anything ex Morning Mishegoss Minutes - Issue #36 By Mark & Patti Clifford • Issue #36 • View online Hello All and welcome to Tuesday. What are your plans for today and the rest of the week? Anything exciting?As for me, I have news for you today that I hope you like and support.This newsletter as of next week will be going to once a week publication. At this time it seems to be the right decision after speaking to a few friends and mentors. I know as for me I enjoy when a newsletter is once a week so I thought others would like that also.This will also be the last week that I post the newsletter on the publication It's All Mishegoss on Medium. It seems counter productive to post here and cross post there. I could be wrong, but I want to see how it works out.These two ideas are trials. Nothing is ever in stone in the world of Mishegoss, but I hope you will support these current changes and go with the flow. I know I'm going to try.As for the newsletter today, it's all here in its glory ready for you to check out, click on the links and read. You're welcome to comment also on the publication page or to me personally at email@example.com for supporting me and my work, and have a great Tuesday. Science News Worth Sharing Brave bird wears goggles and flies through a laser for science - The Verge To the brave bird willing to wear goggles and fly through a laser sheet: we salute you. Thanks to you, we know a little more about how you and your kind fly. When birds lift off, their wings… www.theverge.com • Share Technology is making us feel more alone. Is a return to volunteerism the answer? | World Economic Forum Today, on International Volunteer Day, we face a paradox. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has made us more connected and globalized than ever before, yet it is also shaping an age of civic disengagement. www.weforum.org • Share Global Warming Meets Global Cooling Donald Trump Meets With Climate Advocate Al Gore - ABC News Gore also met with Ivanka Trump. abcnews.go.com • Share Holiday Life Holiday Movies With a Message You Must Watch This Season Watching holiday movies with the family is great entertainment, but movies with a lesson can be very meaningful and foster good family discussions. www.philzendia.com • Share Traveling? You'll Want To Read These! Newport, a City That Loves Its Mansions, Shudders at Its Newest One - The New York Times Residents of the Rhode Island community — home to some of the nation's grandest estates — are balking at the construction of a home with a futuristic design. www.nytimes.com • Share Find Free Wifi | Best Travel Hacks | TravelingMom Being on the road doesn't mean being disconnected. Read on to learn 25 great places where you can find free wifi. You may even eat a cake pop. www.travelingmom.com • Share Holiday Gift Ideas 10 Stylish Stocking Stuffers | A Listly List Looking for something small but mighty this holiday season? Check out this list of amazing stocking stuffers! | Pamper Yourself Now Women's Deer/Mo… list.ly • Share Your Christmas Song: Courtesy of Chicago Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, a song by Chicago on Spotify Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!, a song by Chicago on Spotify open.spotify.com • Share Treasure In The NEws This Makes All The Sense In The World Did you enjoy this issue? By Mark & Patti Clifford California Mishegoss is a newsletter delivering stories to readers who want to be in the know. Readers who want more than just news. Readers who wish for conversation starters. Three times a week, we publish those stories. Tweet Share If you don't want these updates anymore, please unsubscribe here. If you were forwarded this newsletter and you like it, you can subscribe here. Powered by Revue Share Share to Twitter Share to Facebook Subscribe to our newsletter This thingy has to be empti pwieshh


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You can not change people and you should not try. Either you accept who they are or you choose to live without them. It's might sound harsh, but it's not. When you try to change people, they often remain the same, but when you do not try to change them – when you support them and allow them the freedom to be they are – they gradually change in the most beautiful way. Because what really changes is the way you see them.
You deserve to be happy. You deserve to live a life you are excited about. Do not let the opinions of others make you forget that. You are not in this world to live up to the expectations of others, nor should you feel that others are here to live up to yours. In fact, the more you approve of your own decisions in life, the less approval you need from everyone else.
You have to do it yourself, and follow your own intuition, however frightening or strange that may feel or prove to be. Do not compare yourself to others. Do not get discouraged by their progress or success. Follow your own path and stay true to your own purpose. Success is ultimately about spending your life happily in your own way.
True strength is in the soul and spirit, not in muscles. It's about having faith and trust in who you are, and a willingness to act upon it. Decide this minute to never again beg anyone for the love, respect, and attention that you should be showing yourself.
Today, look at yourself in the mirror and say, "I love you, and from now on I'm going to act like it." It's important to be nice to others, but it's even more important to be nice to yourself. When you practice self-love and self-respect, you give yourself the opportunity to be happy. When you are happy, you become a better friend, a better family member, and a better YOU.
You might feel unwanted and unworthy to one person, but you are priceless to another. Do not ever forget your worth. Spend time with those who value you. No matter how good you are to people, there will always be one negative person who criticizes you. Smile, ignore them, and carry on.
In this crazy world that's trying to make you like everyone else, the toughest battle you'll ever have to fight is the battle to be yourself. And as you're fighting back, not everyone will like you. Sometimes people will call you names because you're "different." But that's perfectly OK. The things that make you different are the things that make YOU, and the right people will love you for it.
Loving and respecting others means allowing them to be themselves. When you stop expecting people to be in a certain way, you can begin to appreciate THEM.
Pay close attention, and respect people for who they are and not for who you want them to be. We do not know most people half as well as we believe we do; and truly knowing someone is a big part of what makes them wonderful. Every human being is remarkable and beautiful; it just takes a patient set of eyes to see it. The more you get to know someone, the more you will be able to look beyond their appearance and see the beauty of who they truly are.
People can not read minds. They will never know how you feel unless you tell them. Your boss? Yeah, he does not know you're hoping for a promotion because you have not told him yet. That cute guy you have not talked to because you're too shy? Yeah, you guessed it, I have not given you the time of day simply because you have not given him the time of day either.
In life, you have to communicate with others regularly and effectively. And often, you have to open your vocal cords and speak the first words. You have to tell people what you're thinking. It's as simple as that.


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A mom named Melody was desperate for help. She asked, "how do I night wean my baby?" Here's what she had to say:
"My 11 month old son doesn't have a problem falling asleep, it's staying asleep. He still wakes at night… sometimes 3-4 times a night! He wakes up crying and wants me to put him back to sleep. In order to fall back asleep I need to either carry him or nurse him to pacify him. He's not nursing out of hunger. He often falls back asleep within a minute or two. I'm just his sleep soother. Will he eventually just sleep through the night? Do I just wait till he does? Or should I just let him cry it out to fall back asleep (can take up to 20 minutes & by then will be in a full blown cry). Also if I don't pick him up out of the crib, he'll roll around in the crib often times banging his head. Can you help with our baby sleep issues? Please, I'm desperate and wanting to stop nursing by the time he is 1 years old. How do I night wean my baby?
Rule Out Underlying Medical Issues
First things first, make sure you have spoken with your pediatrician and have ruled out any underlying medical conditions. Second, make sure you are following an age-appropriate sleep schedule and that your son is getting enough sleep at naptime and has an early enough bedtime. Average sleep at his age is 11-11.25 hrs of sleep at night and a total of 2.5-3 hrs during the day.
RELATED: How to End Night Feedings: Gentle Night Weaning After Six Months
Put Baby to Bed Drowsy But Awake
Third, I would put your son down more AWAKE at bedtime. This is one of the MOST critical steps you need to take in order to teach your son how to sleep through the night.
I have a hard time convincing parents of this critical step and its importance. They say "But Kim, bedtime is so easy, I just nurse him and put him in the crib and he goes right to sleep…it's the night wakings that are driving us crazy!"
RELATED: Drowsy But Awake – The Cornerstone of Successful Sleep Training
Remember, bedtime is the easiest time to learn to fall asleep. If you do most of the work for your child at bedtime then he won't be able to apply the skill in the middle of the night or at naps when it is much harder.
Your child should be awake enough to know that he is going in to his crib. When you start to put him down more awake than he is used to, he will probably protest and fuss more than he has in the past. Don't worry—but don't get him out and start the whole routine over again. (Remind yourself that this is confirmation that you were putting him down too drowsy in the past.) Instead, stay nearby and start the Sleep Lady Shuffle.
Follow the guidelines outlined in the 9-12 month old chapter in The Sleep Lady's Good Night, Sleep Tight for addressing night wakings and night weaning. He is a great age to do the Sleep Lady Shuffle!
Did you find this article helpful? Please share it with your friends by clicking below, or ask a question on The Sleep Lady Facebook page.


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Swoon are Simon Balthazar (Fanfarlo) and King Knut, two Scandinavian musicians that conceived their latest project as an "anything-goes studio" duo – according to the press release. For Swoon, "anything-goes" has manifested as dance-driven krautrock with plenty of disco sensibilities. They sit near the intersection of art rock, disco, and post-punk, and they sound like the hypothetical lovechild of James Murphy and David Byrne.
The band released their first single, "Heatwave," on February 19, and today EARMILK is premiering its accompanying video. The seven-minute clip features redirected footage from 1984 film, The Philadelphia Experiment—which is based on an alleged invisibility experiment conducted by the US Navy in the '40s. Essentially, the invisibility mechanism goes haywire, two guys get sent 40 years in the future, and there are a bunch of dance sequences and colorful vortexes—all in the crispest video effects that 1984 had to offer. Check it out below and Swoon yrself clean:


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St Molings Millrace is a stream leading to a historic mill, which according to local tradition and folklore was dug by the saint by his own hands. Today, the remains of this are heavily overgrown. The St Mullins Amenity and Recreational Tourism Group Ltd want to develop an understanding of the archaeology, pilgrimage traditions and folklore related to the monument, and to ensure the protection of the monument for future generations.
St Molings Millrace
Undoubtedly one of Ireland's most important religious and heritage sites, the ecclesiastical complex at St Mullins is of great significance. St Moling is believed to have founded a monastery here in around the seventh century. Since the early medieval period, St Mullins has been an important place of veneration and pilgrimage. The large ditch-like earthwork known as St Moling's Millrace (CW026-006) may represent the remains of an early medieval mill system. Legend states that the millrace was dug by St Moling's own hand. It is believed that it became part of the later medieval pilgrimage tradition. The monument itself is rather mysterious, and one of the chief aims of the community is to gain a better understanding of what exactly the large earthwork represents, and what period it dates from. We hope to carry out a detailed survey to answer some of these questions.
The Community: St Mullins Amenity and Recreational Tourism Group (SMART) Ltd
St Mullins Amenity and Recreational Tourism Group Ltd (SMART) have carried out a large number of projects, schemes and events to help to promote and present the lovely village of St Mullins and its fantastic heritage. In recent years, the group have carried out a wide variety of projects such as a Public Area Enhancement Projects, Local Diaspora Engagement Project and more, and the group have achieved joint 1st place in County Carlow's Tidy Towns Competition, and they have also been accredited with the Annual Carlow Pride of Place Award, the Barrow Awards Competition (1st Place), along with a number of commemorations and events such as that for 1916, the 1400th Anniversary of the birth of St Moling, and very popular annual Heritage Week events. The group have researched and produced a number of articles, brochures and pamphlets on the story of St Mullins, and these are available in the locality.
For the latest news and updates, please follow St Mullins Amenity and Recreational Tourism Group Ltd on Facebook.


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The Meade 10 inch ACF f/8 OTA w/UHTC Optical Tube builds on Meade's award-winning Advanced Coma-Free™ (ACF™) optics. This 10" OTA employs a fast f/8 optical system with high-contrast baffling that insures crisp, pinpoint imaging to the very edge of the field. Features an internal zero image shift Crayford-style focusing system with a two-speed 7:1 reduction control that provides smooth, precise focusing at any magnification. Also features Meade's Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC) for maximum brightness and contrast, an oversized low-expansion primary mirror for extra aperture and to prevent thermal expansion of the mirror, and diffraction-limited optics.
Includes precision machined Losmandy-style dovetail rail mated to the tube with wide-stance radius blocks for rock-steady mounting and front and rear dust covers. Focal length 2032mm.
Product carries full one year Meade factory limited warranty.
10" f/8 Advanced Coma Free Optics - 2032mm focal length
Meade Ultra-High Transmission Coatings (UHTC)
Oversized Low-Expansion Borosilicate Primary Mirror
Losmandy style mounting rail
Please note package now does NOT Include 8x50 viewfinder, 2" Enhanced 99% Diagonal, and a 25mm Series 5000 HD-60 eyepiece - these are now optional extras and do not come with the telescope OTA


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California Film and Photography Rental Location
California Film Location Rental – Holmby House:
Los Angeles, California Film Location Rental. This beautiful Mansion is offered as a film and photography location. The Holmby House sits on 2 acre estate in Holmby Hills (on the westside of Los Angeles) on the finest street in the country across from the Playboy Mansion. Contact them for details on how to reserve this magnificant location for your next project.
Cerritos, California Production Rental Facility
Facility Location Los Angeles – Perfect Film locations commercial-productions, special events or other productions
We offer 32,000 sq ft of warehouse space, and over 3 acres of secured parking. Additionally, a 2,500 sq ft house for offices or for location scenes is available. Our total size is 217, 000 sq ft. This facility is available for Film locations, music videos, commercial-productions, special events or other productions.


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Tag Archives: present
To Be
I am reposting this quote that I posted back in June 2016. There has been so much negative energy floating around lately resulting from the Presidential election and Inauguration. If we are to make this world a better place, we have to come together and unite as one, because we are one human race. Everyone needs to step up and do their part. We need to start acting the way we're supposed "to be," by loving and respecting each other no matter what. Your beliefs don't make you a better person, but your behavior does.
Learn How To Be
Children are Amazing
As we grow up, we seem to lose that child-like spirit within us. But children can definitely bring us back to where we once were before the world took hold of us. We can learn a lot from children. They are always in the present moment. When I am with my four-year grandson, he reminds me that life is lots of fun and not to be so serious. ❤
Eckhart Tolle
What's Meant To Be
Destiny is a predetermined course of events usually powered by an irresistible life force. We can intentionally control what happens in the future (to a certain extent). Sometimes, things turn out better than what we could ever imagine. As long as we stay conscious and alert in the present moment; be positive with our mind, thoughts, and actions (even during the bumps along the road); and go with the natural flow; we will fulfill our destiny.
Do you expect to do many great things? Are you destined to be with a certain person and perhaps meant to live somewhere else? When you have the desire and can feel it and believe it, you can make it happen!
Marianne Williamson
Here are some great quotes by American spiritual teacher, author, and lecturer, Marianne Williamson:
We think we need to understand people to know whether or not they're lovable, but in fact until we love them we can never understand them.


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Reuben feeds himself with a spoon for the first time!
Posted on
Reuben feeds himself with a spoon for the first time!
For a few days Reuben has been grabbing the spoon off us and scooping at his empty high chair tray then putting it to his mouth! He did it again at lunch today so I thought I'd see if he could feed himself! We were eating runny soup (no chance!) so I gave him a bowl of natural yoghurt & he managed the lot, be it very messy!
I'm sure Bella was much older when she did this and we encouraged it, whereas Reuben has decided himself that he will do it! We had a great bowl that stuck to the high chair for Bella so I must get Reuben one to save bowls of upturned food on the floor!
My little baby really is growing up now!


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Interview: 'Iron Man 3' Director Shane Black and Producer Kevin Feige Talk Expectations, Phase 2, Post Credit Sequences and More Marvel Movies
Posted on Wednesday, March 6th, 2013 by Germain Lussier
Both Shane Black and Kevin Feige know how important Iron Man 3 is. Not only is it a sequel to two successful Iron Man films, it's a sequel to one of the biggest movies of all time, The Avengers, and the first prequel to a slew of other films, such as The Avengers 2 and Guardians of the Galaxy. That meant lots and lots of care was taken in preparing not only the script, but the connections within the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well as balancing the action in regards to the other films.
A few months ago, we were among a group of journalists who sat down with Black and Feige to discuss all those things related to Iron Man 3, and more. Below, you can read quotes about the development, filming and context of Iron Man 3 as well as the mystery of post-credits sequences, Black Panther, Runaways, the S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show and PG-13 vs. R-ratings.
Did Shane Black have an influence on Iron Man movies before this one?
Black: Only insofar as I knew Robert from a previous movie. Jon and he would come over kind of grumpy, sort of groping for ways to fix the script and they asked me a couple questions. I don't think that I contributed anything too terribly important, although Robert's been kind enough to cite it as having been helpful. I don't remember that very well, frankly. I just remember they came over, we ate some food and I think one of the things Jon's done since then, however, has been very helpful to me on this one. As an actor coming in he had every opportunity to be kind of weird or resentful, like "I did these picture for four years and now you're doing them?" But instead he was the nicest guy in the world and was extremely beneficial in helping like, "What would you do here Jon?" And that kind of thing; he's great.
How early did Shane Black come into the process and what story elements was he interested in?
Feige: Well we first started meeting with Shane in spring of 2011 maybe because you came in on the mix day, I think we were mixing Captain America at Fox and we were having meetings with him there. We knew a few of the elements that have remained. We had pillars: we want it to be a Tony Stark-centric story, we want to blow up his life and see how he deals with a nemesis without his suits working- get him back metaphorically to the cave with box of scraps, like the first movie. That has remained and carried on through, and it was one of the reasons we connected with Shane.
Because if we wanted to do a big "It connects to The Avengers and then Nick Fury comes in and stuff", I don't think Shane would have been interested in that and I don't I don't think he would have been the right guy for it. But to take a Tony Stark journey and explore his character deeper than we had since the first act of the first film, he was the man. It evolved over the next 8 or 9 months after that into basically what it is now.
On how Shane Black's love of comic books influenced The Mandarin:
Black: I consider the fanbase to basically be Marvel's job. Mine is to be a fan and I am one and I have been from a young age, of Iron Man. So for me, I just please me and I hope that pleases the rest of the fans. It should. For instance, one of the joys for me has always been seeing how you take a villain from the comic book and realize him in a slightly more realistic way for the movie, render him for movies in a way that's recognizable, but different. And that's fun.
Like the Joker in The Dark Knight is not the Joker from the comic book, but there's just enough of him that you recognize him and go, "Wow, what a creative way of interpreting the Joker for motion pictures." So that was our task here too. The fans love this character The Mandarin and we just said, "Well, what we don't want is this potentially racist, stereotype of a Fu Manchu villain just waving his fist." But we found a way, I think, to get an iteration of The Mandarin that we like. We got very excited about bout having cracked this story when we found out that we could include The Mandarin and give him a character that would be a perfect match, the ultimate Iron Man villain, but without relying too heavily on what the comic book stereotype was.
Talk about the idea of grounding the Mandarin as a 21st century, media-terrorist:
Black: From the very beginning we were all about the idea of just a real world interpretation of this guy who, I hate to break it to you, but he's not from space in this. The rings are rings. They're showmanship. They're accouterments. They're paraphernalia of warfare that he sort of drapes himself with. He studies Sun Tzu. He studies insurgency tactics. he surrounds himself with dragons and symbols of warlords and Chinese iconography because he wants to represent this sort of prototypical terrorist who- we use as the example Colonel Kurtz from Apocalypse Now, this guys who may have been an American, may have been a British National, someone who is out there doing field work, supervising atrocities for the intelligence community who went nuts in the field and became this sort of devotee of war tactics, and now has surrounded himself with a group of people over which he presides, and the only thing that unifies them is this hatred of America. So he's the ultimate terrorist, but he's also savvy. He's been in the intelligence world. He knows how to use the media. And taking it to a real world level like that was a lot fun for us.
Have the fantastic elements introduce in previous Marvel films, specifically The Avengers, changed Tony Stark?
Feige: Yes, and it sort of answers your other question, which is that the only real connective tissue we wanted from Avengers in this movie was Avengers effect on Tony's psyche. This man who comes from this grounded universe- I always say it's grounded enough although he builds an iron suit and flies around. the notion that Tony Stark, who is the shit and always thought of himself as top dog, now has been to outer space, nearly got killed by freaking aliens, has encountered a god that can smash him across the forest with a hammer, has encountered a guy that his father used to talk about from the 1945. It's no mistake that we meet Tony at the beginning of this movie and he's just building suits, putting himself in the suit, and he's much more comfortable when he's in the suit. And a lot of this movie is about Tony learning to become Tony Stark again outside the armor, and he has a little help in that his house is completely destroyed.
Black: He's in a world where all of the sudden, without this armor, there's elements with which he cannot hope to compete. So his comfort in his own skin has diminished at the start of this movie by the fact that he feels like, unless he can build the perfect man, he's going to be outdone and outshone by these people who are literally gods. So how he can then have those suits taken away from him until he's just a man and he can't possibly compete, that was the impetus for this movie, rip everything off him and say "Yes, you're alone with these incredible forces aligned against you, and you don't even have your armor."
It's almost like a subgenre in a way of taking a comic book movie and then imposing on it what would happen in the real world if this happened. And people have done that with "Damage Control" or whatever, so this is just more about trying to maintain the sense of reality form the first Iron Man given that there's a god from space. Because if in the middle of Iron Man, when he was in the cave with Yinsen and Thor came in you would say, "What the hell is this movie? That doesn't make any sense?" But now Thor is there so what does that mean for our character?
How early did Marvel map what Iron Man 3 was going to be and how wary were you of the scope of The Avengers?
Black: The touchstone of the first meeting was that we can't go bigger than we've just gone.
Feige: Well it would be a fool's errand to do that. There's no reason to do that. Shane was in early days. Again we wanted to get Tony, we were sort of internally talking about, back to basics, metaphorically blow him up on a convoy, put him back in a cave and see what he can do with a box of scraps. That was about as far as we had- and it was not an Avengers centric story outside of just the effect that all of it has had on him. So no Nick Fury, no Black Widow; those were really the only parameters. And we did want him to have a mystery to uncover and solve that he would on his own for. That was about it and then Shane and Drew brought it to life. And we certainly are looking over their shoulders and giving them input every step along the way, but it was a collaboration form that point.
New suits are so important to the Iron Man movies. Talk about the suits in this film such as the Mark 47 and Iron Patriot?
Feige: Yeah, you know we've seen, through Avengers, 7 or 8 suits and we wanted to progress that in this one. It's part of, again, the effect Avengers had on him is that he's tinkering even more than he did before and he's building much more than he ever did before. The Iron Patriot is also kind of a response to Avengers. It's a government rebrand of War Machine, frankly because the US government felt that they were slightly embarrassed by the events of Avengers. These crazy heroes known as The Avengers were the ones that saved the day, saved New York City, saved United States; not the government. The government felt they needed a hero of their own, they have a military officer that has one of these suits, and they paint it red, white, and blue. They pose it next to the president and Tony sort of rolls his eyes you saw a little bit of that today. They want a hero of their own. And Tony's like, "What do you mean, I'm a hero?" And they say "Well you've been spending a lot of time in your work shop. We want somebody we can rely on." So that's sort of how the Iron Patriot came about. And, again, it's a thing from the comics, we just thought the Iron Patriot suit looked equal parts cool and slightly goofy in the comics, it's not Norman Osborne or any of that stuff obviously, but it gave us a place to go with Rhodey. We wanted to take Rhodey and his sort of split loyalties between his friend and his duty and keep carrying that storyline through.
Jumping off that, can you comment on the Deep Space Suit photos that have leaked?
Feige: Well I would say that I've owned a number of "Jungle Attack" Batmans in my time and I don't remember any jungle attack batman sequences, so.
How did the Air Force One action scene develop and get shot?
Black: Well the filming of it was interesting. We decided early on, Drew and I, that I wanted to- I like hijack stuff and I wanted to have people in the sky, just falling, and Iron Man is confronted with that image and he's got to get them out of it somehow. The challenge was on the days we said, "Well we'd really love to do this, but we don't want to do just green screen, can we just toss people out of a plane?" and they said, "Well that would probably be unethical." But we found the Redbull Skydiving team that was willing to jump out of a plane and have their backpacks erased digitally. It's kind of compelling, the first images you see of people falling in clothes, because people are always in jumpsuits, orange or yellow jumpsuits, and when you just see some girl in a skirt and a guy in a business suit falling it's pretty scary.
Feige: Over the course of almost a week, we did 8 to 10 jumps a day, for a week. It was amazing, amazing footage.
Since the post-credits tease was almost necessary in Phase 1, now that we're in Phase 2, do you feel obligated to link the films together in that way?
Feige: It's sort of case by case. I don't want to be in that theater for the first time when even 2 people stay behind and nothing happens, frankly. I like that we've trained at least some people to stay behind and get a little reward, but you're absolutely right it served a different purpose. It was a part of the, "Hey surprise, these are connected. We're building towards something here." Shawarma, which everyone knows famously was an idea we came up with much, much later and shot after the premiere just because we thought it would be fun. There was not going to be a tag until that point. So it's a little faster and looser now because people know, and frankly the whole purpose of Iron Man 3 is to say that these characters can exist just as successfully on their own again. But, as I said I don't want to be there when nothing happens after people sit through 8 minutes of credits.
How did the working relationship between screenwriter Drew Pierce and Black work?
Feige: We hired Drew before we hired Shane. We didn't have a director yet. Drew Pearce had done an amazing draft of a script called Runaways for us, which is a movie we ended up not making.
Black: It sounds amazing.
Feige: It's so amazing we didn't make it, but we hired him to do Iron Man 3 because we were meeting with various directors and most of them were not writer-directors. When we were meeting with Shane we realized he was the best guy for the job and knew obviously he was also a writer. We didn't want to just toss Drew aside; we didn't think that was fair.
Black: I kind of did.
Feige: He did. We said, "Shane this is great, why don't you have the job? By the way we have a writer." "What do you mean?" He thought all these things; he was political enough not to say them. I think he grumbled a lot and to his credit and to Drew's credit they now seem to be two peas in a pod.
Black: Yeah, we got together and I said, "Okay, basically, I don't know why you're here." And he said, "I guess we're supposed to write together," and this is not usually how great teams start [laughs]. But we said, "Alright, let's see." And pretty soon I realized very quickly that this guy had an affinity for this and he and I became friends and rode back and forth to work every day talking about it.
Feige: About four weeks into it we were in a meeting and they, together, were kind of pitching us some ideas and directions and Shane kind of kicked it off and said, "You know, I initially thought that Drew Pearce was the devil, the demon that you hired, and now I think he's great. I really do." And Drew was not in the room when he said that, which is how I knew it was true.
How do you come up for excuses that The Avengers can't help Tony in the film?
Feige: It's a good question, and it's sort of half and half. I am betting that like the comics you don't have to keep- if you are reading a standalone "Iron Man" comic, they don't spend every page explaining where every other Marvel hero is. The audience kind of accepts that there are times when they're on their own and there are times when they are together. I'm betting that movie audiences will feel the same way. That being said, there is a little bit of lip service here and there to that. There is also just the very nature of Tony wants to, once he barely survives that house attack you saw today, and even you saw it in the message he left for Pepper, he's basically saying "I'm going off the grid to try to figure something out."
Does he know that Phil Coulson is alive and on S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Feige: Does Tony know that? No.
Shane Black on setting yet another movie at Christmas and how much leeway he had to make it his own:
Black: [Christmas] just evolved oddly enough, it just seemed to organically come out of planning a story that took him to a different place and left him stranded in the snow. I don't know if I have the keys, I have the keys but, you know, at some point there's a course you have to run, which is to say, you can't take it anywhere you want. You can't open it up on Main Street and then go 150 miles an hour, but what can happen is you find ways without going back to my old bag of tricks. I'm saying it's like a comic doing- they say, "You can't do the midnight show, you're doing this for the local church group, its 8 o'clock and were serving stew. So can you please tone it down and just leave out the blue material?" So I had to find innovative ways to be less of "They fuck you at the drive through."
Feige: I don't think Shane knew the difference between a PG-13 and an R, frankly. We would say, "Shane, you can't really do that." "You can't?" "No."
Well, you do call a little kid a pussy.
Feige: Well, it's not like we're completely backing off that tone. And, by the way, in maybe I think the first assembly I was like "Shane, we're not going to be able to say that." There was another insult that he has later in the movie and I said, "You keep that one, we're not going to be able to say pussy." Shane, to his credit, said "Let's leave it in the test screening." It was the first test screening we did, the audience, as you guys did today, went crazy for the curse word, crazy for it, and nearly burned down the theater on the second one, which I had not predicted. So we took out the second one and left that one in.
What other characters does Shane Black have an affinity for:
Black: I don't know I always thought that certain characters could be adapted in a cool way. I wanted to do- Quentin Tarantino kind of poisoned the well with Django, but I always thought there was a 1970's version of "Black Panther", which was period that could be really cool and involved a lot of the racial tensions of that time. That's not going to happen. Other Marvel movies that I really loved, or marvel comics growing up, God, mostly just the typical ones. "Nick Fury Agent of Shield" the Strenko years. But you can't do them because Sam Jackson is 60 years old and he plays this sort of patriarchal figure now, but Nick Fury was what I adored growing up. If you ever read the ones [Jim] Sterenko did for "Tales of Suspense" followed by "Nick Fury" standalone 1-8, some of the best comics ever made.
What was the most physically challenging thing about the shoot?
Black: The most physically challenging thing is that everything involving these suits flying is either on wires where you've got to take forever to rig somebody or it's invisible. So there's a guy on wires and he turns and gets hit by an invisible thing that throws him backwards and you have to match everything and nothings there. So in the editing room it's constantly vexing to me. On Kiss Kiss Bang Bang we'd show up on the day and we would say, "Alright, we're doing an action scene, the car crashes, where do we go?" You couldn't do that. You can't show up on the day and say "Okay he jumps of the tower and the building explodes, let's begin." You have to have it so meticulously planned in advance. The invisibility factor was for me the daunting thing of not knowing where anything is because it's all just going to be there later.


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shesaid.so – sssoLA Radio
Saturday, June 15 2019
shesaid.so is a global community of womxn who work in the music industry. Formed by members of the Los Angeles chapter, the shesaid.so Radio LA team aims to motivate, connect, and showcase the work of inspiring womxn worldwide. The monthly show will feature interviews and themed discussions exploring industry news, trends and womxn's ever evolving forms of influence within the music ecosystem. Our conversations will cover the artist/manager relationship, interviews with top talent, tips on how breakout as a femme womxn promoter, and more. The second half of the show will include an exclusive mix or performance from some of shesaid.so LA's favorite artists. Join us every third Saturday of every month from 12-2pm to get inspired by personal stories and tunes from womxn in music like you.
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The electric car that charges itself while driving
Delft, Netherlands - The age of the electric car is just about upon us; this much is made clear by the stands at this week's Frankfurt motor show being littered with battery-powered production cars and concepts.
But replacing the internal combustion engine with cars that get charged at wall sockets is, according to some, itself just a stepping stone to a future of self-powered cars that require neither combustible fuel nor electricity from pollution-generating power stations.
They believe the real end game is to have a solar electric car that's charged by nothing more than the rays of the sun, and to kickstart this idea of a fume-free utopia the inaugural Energy Independent Electric Vehicles conference is being held in the Netherlands on September 27-28.
"Energy independent electric vehicles (EIVs) are propelled entirely by electricity produced on-board from ambient energy," says a conference spokesman.
One such car being developed is by Solar Team Eindhoven, a group of engineering students from the Technical University of Eindhoven in the Netherlands. After winning World Solar Challenge races with its Stella and Stella Lux energy positive solar cars the team has launched a new start-up called Lightyear to build a street-legal version of the racing car.
Using the sun as a free and abundant source of energy is nothing new; making it practical is the trick, but the team believes it can build a car that people will be happy to drive to work every day.
To achieve positive energy output - meaning cars that can produce more energy than they consume - Solar Team Eindhoven designed the Stella Lux to be extremely aerodynamic and employed lightweight materials such as carbon fibre and aluminium. However, it was built for competition and making a street-legal vehicle that can be sold to the public is somewhat more demanding. Nevertheless Lightyear thinks it's getting there and claims it's created "the electric car that charges itself".
"The Lightyear One charges itself with clean solar power," says a Lightyear spokesman. "In sunny conditions it can drive for months without charging, a truly unique capability. The battery stores energy to ensure you can drive at night. It offers great peace of mind."
The student engineers claim that the car will be able to generate enough energy to travel 10 000 to 20 000 km per year depending on the climate.
They're already taking reservations, with a refundable deposit of €19 000 (R346 000) for an expected final price of €119 000 (R1.9-million). It's a pricetag that will scare off anyone but the most devoted and well-heeled greenies but, as with most things, ongoing development and economies of scale could eventually push the price down into something the masses can afford.
For now things are happening on a very small scale. Lightyear is planning to start with a first production run of ten cars in 2019 and then build 100 more in 2020. But you have to start somewhere, and many a great idea (the horseless carriage itself, for instance) was ridiculed at the concept stage only to become the norm. Perhaps solar-powered cars will be commonplace amongst our great-grandchildren.
The breeding ground for solar cars
The World Solar Challenge in Australia and the Sasol Solar Challenge in South Africa are biennial international competitions for teams to design, build and drive solar-powered vehicles as far as they can.
The Dutch Nuon team from Delft University of Technology achieved 4 717km in winning last year's eight-day Sasol Solar Challenge from Pretoria to Cape Town, breaking the world record of most kilometers driven in a solar race with their single-seater Nuna 8 car (below).
Solar Team Eindhoven's Stella Lux won the Cruiser Class (for more practical solar cars with 2–4 occupants) of 2015 World Solar Challenge in Australia by driving 3 022 km through the Australian Outback at an average speed of of 76.73 km/h.


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After wasting a week or so, the Senate has agreed to debate 73 amendments to its farm bill, S 3240, that will spend nearly $1 trillion, about 80 percent of it on food stamps, over the next decade.
While hailed by the Senate Agriculture Committee as a major reform, the bill shifts most of its savings from ending several traditional supports for corn and other commodities to heavily subsidized crop insurance, leaving a net gain for taxpayers of about $23 billion, or 2.3 percent of its total cost. Food activists, environmental groups and fiscal conservatives have turned to the amendments in an effort to shift money away from corn, wheat, soybeans, cotton, rice and peanuts to fresh foods, sustainable farming, nutrition and conservation, most of which would benefit California farmers.
The bill cuts conservation programs by $6.5 billion or 10 percent. These programs provide farmers with incentives to improve farming practices to improve air, water and soil quality, and conserve grasslands and wetlands. The farm bill is one of the biggest pieces of environmental legislation Congress votes on, because it affects practices on the 40 percent of the United States, and one quarter of California, that is farmed.
An amendment by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to codify an agreement between big egg producers and the Humane Society of the United States was dropped under heavy pressure from farm groups. It would have imposed California's humane treatment standards, which include larger cages, for egg-laying hens nationwide. The egg industry wants uniform national standards, but big farm groups fear that the amendment would set a precedent for animal rights groups to impose humane treatment standards on other livestock.
The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is backing a series of amendments that would trim crop insurance subsidies, now expected to cost $95 billion, link crop insurance to conservation efforts, and help beginning or socially disadvantaged farmers, many of whom are concentrated in California's immigrant Latino and Hmong in the San Joaquin Valley and African farmers near San Diego. Many of these amendments are forged from bipartisan alliance between fiscally conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats. Environmental Working Group is backing an amendment by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-NY, that would restore $4.5 billion in food stamp cuts by paring crop insurance.
Michael Dimock, president of San Francisco based Roots of Change, which is trying to make all California agriculture sustainable by 2030, noted two important cracks in the farm lobby. One is the split between Midwest corn and soybean growers and Southern rice and peanut farmers, who are complaining that their subsidies won't be as lofty as before. Another split is between old-line hunger groups that have supported a calorie-based approach to aid and groups that want to shift nutrition aid to healthier food.
Find a list of amendments here.


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I have enjoyed working with Wanda and Brittany on many occasions. I fine their concern and attention for detail very refreshing. It is always a pleasure to work with a professional.
Wanda has a unique ability to work with a broad range of client preferences and to deliver to that client exactly what they envisioned…and more!
Wanda S. Morgan Designs has a very "professional manner" and is a tremendous amount of "help" when we need it.
Our company likes "the professional way you are prepared to present to a customer. Your company does a great job.
Wanda has a plethora of professionals to assist her in carrying out her vision for your home. In our makeover she utilized carpenters, painters, and an organizer. All were very good, but the organizer went above and beyond. Wanda and Brittany have a great eye for the potential of a room/house in taking it from humdrum to WOW!
Wanda S. Morgan Designs finishes and adds the special touches to a person's home in areas the average homeowner never even thinks about." Wanda S. Morgan Designs has a "hands-on approach, creative resolution, in depth design and interior decorating knowledge.
Wanda did a fantastic job of capturing our style and I never felt as if anything was forced on us. It is also refreshing that Wanda was aware of our budget and did a fabulous job of keeping us in it!
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Wanda S. Morgan Designs, Inc. team was very responsive to our remodeling needs. They were insightful and creative in design. They were efficient and our project was completed on time. The team took pride in performing quality work. They were trustworthy and dependable. I believe that Wanda S. Morgan Designs, Inc. is excited about their work, and enjoys helping customers accomplish their renovation goals.
Your company was very professional and helpful. She gave me choices rather than pushing one idea. It was great for me not to have to locate the service men. I was pleased with the promptness of the service. The painter, electrician, and tile installer were all professional and neat.
I enjoyed the availability of Ms. Morgan. She had flexible times and was able to meet with me at my convenience. She would reply to an email almost instantly. I had a very pleasant experience. The color scheme was great! Everyone loved it!
Wanda has a very relaxed method of giving good ideas and is clear in her understanding. She made certain everything was taken care of without my needing to follow-up. She would roll up her sleeves and get to work herself to make sure all the details were seen to. I felt very comfortable with Wanda and Brittany. I have already recommended Wanda to others. Her ideas are very, very good!
We were particularly impressed with three aspects of Wanda S. Morgan Designs, Inc.: the skill and knowledge of the people involved, the supervision, and coordination provided by Wanda guaranteed that all work was perfect and done in a timely manner, and Wanda willingly listened to and incorporated our ideas or gave us viable alternatives. We particularly appreciated that all of the employees arrived on time, used their efficiently, cleaned up behind themselves daily, and were communicative and courteous. We have no complaints. Everything was done to our satisfaction. All of the employees were craftsman, competent, and work was done in a timely friendly manner.
We always like your selections; very talented in color and design. We trust Wanda's judgment so much, we really would not have to see it beforehand.
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Professionalism; quality of work; details in the interior of the house; everything just comes together and the finished product is great! We were very pleased with Wanda S. Morgan Designs services; this is the second time we used Wanda Morgan (1st remodel & 2nd new construction). Working with Wanda and Brittany was a pleasure. They made building our house much easier. They worked with us from the beginning to the end and made our home exactly what we wanted.


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The message from the SEC to the NCAA is now perfectly clear. It wants to remain under the NCAA umbrella, but if it does not gain the autonomy it is seeking, it will break away with the four other major conferences and form a separate division.
DESTIN — The message from the SEC to the NCAA is now perfectly clear. It wants to remain under the NCAA umbrella, but if it does not gain the autonomy it is seeking, it will break away with the four other major conferences and form a separate division.
"We don't want to pull out," Florida president Bernie Machen said Friday at the conclusion of the SEC Spring Meetings. "We would love to be part of the NCAA Division I, but we're in a squeeze here. There are now six lawsuits that name our conference in them specifically that have to do with the whole cost of attendance and stuff like that.
"We would like to make changes, but we can't because the NCAA doesn't allow us to. We're really caught between a rock and a hard place. We desperately would like some flexibility."
An NCAA steering committee has proposed a model for a revision of governance that will be voted on in August.
Machen, SEC commissioner Mike Slive and other league presidents and chancellors say they're supportive of the steering committee's proposal, but are demanding that it be changed so it would be easier for the SEC (and ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and Pac-12) to pass legislation that would help schools better provide for their athletes.
"We are supportive of the model, with the exception of the threshold," Slive said. "We'll make recommendations with regards to the voting threshold."
Machen said under the steering committee's current proposal, the requirements to pass legislation are so high that making changes in legislation would be next to impossible.
"The proposal that the NCAA steering committee put together is very good, with two exceptions. One, the thresholds they're proposing are way too high," Machen said. "All the things that are being listed in the press now about cost of attendance, health care and graduation, none of them are going to be approved until we have a process where they can go through at least one at a time.
"The process has a threshold of approval that is so high. The NCAA's proposal is two-thirds of the 65 schools (in the five major conferences) and the 15 students and four conferences out of five. What we fear is that nothing will change because the threshold is so high.
"We're asking them to lower the threshold, which we propose be 60 percent and three conferences. With three conferences out of five and 60 percent of the 65 and 15, you can make those kind of changes. It's about the process. We're concerned we're not going to get that."
Slive said he is "somewhat optimistic" that the NCAA will accept the SEC's proposed threshold in August, but that the conference is ready to bolt if it does not.
"I think if it doesn't pass, I think the next move would be to go to the Division IV," Slive said. "It's not something we want to do."
"But within that structure, we want the ability to have autonomy in areas that has a nexus to the well-being of student athletes. I am somewhat optimistic it will pass, but if it doesn't our league would certainly want to move to a Division IV. My colleagues, I can't speak for anybody else, but I'd be surprised if they didn't feel the same way."
Machen does not sound as optimistic.
When asked if he is confident the NCAA would accept the SEC's proposal, Machen said, "No."
"This is the NCAA we're dealing with, guys," he said. "What's happening right now is you guys are saying we've won, you're all reporting we got autonomy and all this stuff. The public is pretty much in favor of it. We're working on welfare, yet we've got these lawsuits coming down the pike at us.
"If we don't get it, I think there will be a real — I don't want to use the 'C' word (crisis) — but there will be some real difficult times ahead for the NCAA and for the five conferences. The thing that's interesting about it is the NCAA needs this to work as much as we do because they're on the point as well.
"But I'm not convinced (it will happen). This has to be approved. First, the steering committee has to submit their final proposal, the board has to vote on it in August, then the membership has to vote on it in January. So we have quite a long ways to go before this gets approved."
NOTES: The league announced that a record $309.6 million will be divided among its 14 schools as part of its revenue sharing plan for the 2013-14 fiscal year which ends Aug. 31. The average amount, excluding bowl money retain by participants, is slightly more than $20.9 million per school. … The league passed a rule approving the use of sound systems and artificial noisemakers at any time in football except from the time the center is over the ball until the play is whistled dead. … Also, the league amended its graduate transfer rule, putting the waiver process in the hands of each institution.
Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or email@example.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.


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- ITV Report
Checks on petrol pumps
Trading Standards in Cumbria are helping motorists to feel certain they are getting a full measure of fuel when they fill up their vehicle.
*Officers have launched a new scheme involving 40 independent petrol retailers. *
*Regular and unannounced accuracy checks on fuel pumps have been taking place across the county to make sure they are delivering the correct volume and charging the right price. *
*Recent months have seen the cost of fuel reach record levels and in certain rural areas of Cumbria petrol and diesel prices are higher than the national average. *
Motoring costs make up a significant proportion of household expenditure and along with rising prices for other consumer goods and services, trading standards say it is more important than ever that consumers receive a fair deal.
One person who has been hit is Lynette McKone who **is disabled and lives in rural Shap in Cumbria.**
She has had to cut back on many of her other expenditures to pay for her car, which she considers essential.
So far Trading Standards have tested pumps at 38 sites and discrepancies have been found at four sites. **
Pumps that are inaccurate are taken out of use until repaired and verified.**
Those that pass get stickers placed next to the fuel counter so that motorists can easily see it.**


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After quite a long hiatus, I am now able to resume blogging my way through Earl Doherty's book Jesus: Neither God Nor Man. The main focus of chapter 8 is the idea that Paul's Gospel and the Jesus at its center was revealed in Scripture rather than in historical events such as the life of an actual historical human person named Jesus.
The chapter gets several things right and mentions important information about the context of earliest Christianity – and yet consistently manages to interpret those details as leading to mythicism. For instance, Doherty rightly emphasizes the importance and indeed centrality of Scripture for many Jews in this period, and that there were groups that interpreted prophetic texts as referring to themselves and their own experiences (p.84). The Qumran community are presumably the example par excellence of this phenomenon. Doherty somehow never seems to realize that, if the earliest Christians were similar, this would naturally fit a scenario in which they interpreted prophetic texts as referring to their own historical experiences, including of a historical Jesus. Part of the problem is presumably that Doherty has bought hook, line and sinker the Christian apologists' claim that Jesus is predicted precisely in prophecy (p.86). Were this in fact the case, then it would be natural to suspect that Jesus was invented or at least radically rewritten to accomplish this precise agreement. But in fact, the agreement is far less precise than apologists would have you believe, and while critical scholarship has highlighted this time and again, mythicism shows itself to be uncritical and naive at this particular point.
A case in point is Isaiah 53. Doherty does not appear to have investigated the text in any detail, or even to have read it in a more careful manner than Christian apologists do. He sees, as they do, a precise prefigurement of Jesus, never mentioning that the servant in the "Servant Songs" of Deutero-Isaiah is explicitly said to be Israel, nor ever noticing that Isaiah 53 fits Christian interpretation of the significance of Jesus' death, rather than the details narrated about that death itself, whether in epistles or Gospels. While Doherty reads Paul through the lens of Christian interpreters and thinks that he may have derived from Isaiah 53 the key elements of his Gospel, a critical reader would note the lack of explicit citations from or unambiguous allusions to Isaiah 53 in Paul's letters.
Once again, mythicism is engaging the Jesus of Christian faith and apologetics, and thinking that it is dealing with the subject of the historical figure of Jesus.
Doherty also notes in this chapter that the Messiah was, in terms of the origin of the concept at least, a human figure. While Doherty rightly notes that some (most famously the Similitudes of Enoch) came to think of this figure as kept in heaven, prepared for the day of salvation, he wrongly assumes that this was at odds with or in contradiction to the expectation that the figure would appear in human history.A more natural connection to draw between the background texts Doherty cites and early Christian texts would have been to understand the early Christians to have looked back and found their experiences and expectations for the future prefigured and predicted in Scripture.
Doherty repeats the common misunderstanding of Midrash as a firm of Jewish literature that combined Scriptural texts into a new narrative. I am going to venture a guess that Doherty has never read an actual work of Jewish Midrash. The ongoing perpetuation of this misunderstanding is unfortunate. If Doherty had wanted to find a parallel to the "discovery" of celestial rather than historical "realities" in Scriptures, he would have done better to spend less time discussing prophecies and misunderstanding Midrash, and instead focused more time on the Platonic allegorizing approach of Philo. The latter is a poorer fit with most of the New Testament, but at least Doherty would have chosen a cookie-cutter mould that was in the shape he was trying to force the New Testament evidence to take.
It is perhaps worth mentioning that the issues of whether Paul believed Jesus to have been a human figure who appeared in history, and whether he derived them from Scripture, are at any rate separable. Paul could presumably have derived belief in a human terrestrial Messiah from Scripture in the same manner that Doherty posits that he derived a purely celestial one.
There are many other problematic points that could be mentioned, including the claim that Jesus can be of the Davidic line in the celestial realm, but since Doherty once again inexplicably postpones his treatment of this key claim until later, I will do the same. So let me close by mentioning once again the dubious character of Doherty's claim that "Jesus" was "an ideal and natural name for a savior deity" because it means "Yahweh saves" (p.85). This ignores (1) the fact that most Hebrew names had some such religious meaning and would have served equally well, (2) that this is a common human name and such names were not normally given to celestial beings, and (3) those who were most likely to care about the meaning "Yahweh saves" were those least likely to invent a "savior deity" other than Yahweh himself.
And so, once again, the only points that are accurate and/or of value in this chapter can be found in mainstream scholarship, not so unhelpfully obscured by being intermingled with error, misuse of terminology, and unpersuasive arguments as they are here.
[UPDATE: I decided to delete the original conclusion to this post and end it here instead]