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Democratic Candidates for Governor Debate for Fifth Time Thursday
On Thursday, August 2, the Florida Press Association and WPBF 25 News will be hosting a Democratic gubernatorial debate. All five candidates will be attending, and this will mark the fifth and final time that they will debate before the August 28 primary. The debate will be carried live in every television market across the state and live online at wpbf.com.
"Our candidates have done an amazing job laying out their plans to fix the mess Governor Scott is leaving behind," said FDP Chair Terrie Rizzo. "While Democrats have debated five times and focused on policies and ideas that will help everyday Floridians, Republicans have debated only once, on Fox news, and focused on how they would help one person: President Trump. The contrast between Democrats and Republicans has never been more clear, and we are confident that come November, voters will see that."
Media credentials can be requested here.
Who: Andrew Gillum, Gwen Graham, Jeff Greene, Chris King, and Philip Levine
When: Thursday, August 2, at 7pm
Where: Watch on one of the stations below:
Miami-Ft. Lauderdale — WTVJ-NBC6
West Palm Beach — WPBF (ABC)
Orlando — WESH (NBC)
Jacksonville — First Coast News WJXX (ABC)
Gainesville — WCJB (ABC)
Tampa/St. Petersburg — WFLA (NBC)
Tallahassee — WCTV (CBS)
Pensacola — WEAR (ABC)
Panama City — WMBB (ABC)
Fort Myers — WZVN (ABC)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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mainArmor/AFVArtillery
BL 8-Inch Howitzer
BL 8-Inch Howitzer Mk. VI
by: Rick Taylor [ TAYLORRL ]
The BL 8-inch howitzer Mark VI was a heavy British howitzer on a mobile carriage used during World War I. It was designed by Vickers and entered production in March 1916. It was produced by four British suppliers and by Midvale Steel in the United States. It featured a 117.7-inch-long (2.972m) built-up tube on a conventional box trail with a fixed spade at the rear of the trail.
It used a hydro pneumatic recoil system and two pneumatic counter recoil cylinders. The breach was an interrupted screw type with an Ashbury style single motion opening breach block mechanism. The distinguishing feature on the piece are its large, open spoke, all steal "traction type" wheels. The box trail allowed it to elevate to 50 degrees; but, limited it's traverse to four degrees right and left. To overcome the limited traverse and limit displacement after firing, it employed a triangular steel and wooden firing platform which allowed the trails to be shifted 26 degrees right and left. The firing platform travelled with the piece on its own set of wheels. Like other designs up to this point it employed a limber for towing behind an artillery tractor. It weighted 8.74 tons and fired a 200-pound (91kg) high explosive projectile to a range of 10,745 yards (9,825m).
In World War I, it was used by the British, Canadian, Australian, United States, and Russian forces. At the time of the Armistice, the United States had four 24-gun coastal artillery regiments in action on the western front equipped with this weapon and an additional three regiments in training in the theatre. The Commonwealth forces had 40 6-gun batteries equipped with this weapon in action on the Western front.
Early in World War II, the United States transferred its remaining war reserve stock of howitzers to the United Kingdom under the Lend-Lease Act. Some of these were reconfigured to 7.2-inch howitzers and employed in combat by the British. The United States gave 32 American built howitzers to Finland when they were invaded by the Soviet Union. After the war, Finland put the remaining 8-inch howitzers into reserve stores until scrapped in the late 1960s.
This is the first offering of this subject in 1/35th scale. Roden, of the Ukraine, released a 1/72nd scale version in 2018. Resicast offers a 1/35 BL 8-Inch Mark II in resin which was a completely different howitzer.
The production kit is packaged in a sturdy two-part box. Inside are the instructions and a small photo-etch fret sealed in plastic, and all the sprues sealed in another plastic bag. No decals are included as artillery pieces rarely had markings.
The black and white instructions are eight pages in length. The first page gives a history and statistics in English, German, and Ukrainian. Next comes the color scheme based upon Vallejo paints and diagrams showing all the sprues and part locations. The instructions are clear and provide ten steps to assemble the howitzer and carriage. An additional four steps cover the assembly of the limber and firing platform which can be assembled in firing mode or travelling mode. The painting instructions show a dark green British Expeditionary Forces example, and a US Army Expeditionary Forces example in the three-color olive, brown, and black camouflage scheme. The black and white instructions make it difficult to differentiate between the black and brown. The box art is no help as it illustrates a British example. You will have to rely upon other references to determine where the black ends and the brown begins. Printing this page in color would have resolved the confusion.
The kit consists of six sprues and a separate box trail molded in grey styrene. The metal road surface of the wheels is molded in vinyl which must be wrapped around the four-part molded wheels. The small photo-etch fret contains four data plates for attachment to the carriage. The parts count is a modest 118. The molding is straight forward – none of the slide molding or tiny delicate parts that we see on artillery pieces from other manufacturers. The bolt and rivet details are crisply molded. There is a small amount of flash on a handful of pieces and noticeable mold parting lines that will have to be carefully scraped and sanded off. A handful of the parts, mostly on the optional firing platform and limber exhibit sink marks. Ejector pin marks are mostly hidden by assembly. The barrel and upper carriage are two-part assemblies and will require careful filling and sanding to eliminate the seams. The breach block is a very simple molding – only three parts compared to ten on another manufacturer's kit that uses the same style of breach block.
Sprue and part count break out:
A – 15 Barrel, lower carriage & spade
B – 31	Upper carriage, breach block, and trail details
C – 19	Limber and firing platform
D – 21 (x2) Wheels
E – 4	Firing platform and limber
F – 1	Box trail
G – 2	Wheel treads
P – 4 Photo-etch placards
This kit should be a fast, easy, and enjoyable build – no tiny flying parts, or parts so delicate that they break or bend when removing them from the sprue. Congratulations to Roden for tackling this overlooked yet important subject. It fills a hole in everyone's collection of World War I artillery pieces. This kit was purchased by the author.
Highs: Quick, easy built. One-of-a-kind subject.
Lows: Black and white painting guide.
Mfg. ID: 813
NATIONALITY: United Kingdom
About Rick Taylor (taylorrl)
FROM: WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES
I am a retired US Army Artillery Officer. I model 1:35 scale artillery and am focused on artillery used by US forces from 1900 to present.
Copyright ©2021 text by Rick Taylor [ TAYLORRL ]. All rights reserved.
vettejack
I have not begun work on the gun...probably moved off to the future now that I'm being made aware of the questionable orientation of the wheels. No matter however, the very subject intrigues me enough to keep hoping the aftermarket will catch up with this kit, no matter what needs to be corrected.[/quote] John, After thinking about it overnight, I found the wheels not to be as much of a problem as I thought they would be. It was pretty simple to wrap some strip styrene around them (cut to the right width with a Friskars circular wheel paper cutter!), then some appropriate thickness/width styrene strip for the treads. The patterns in the kit part diagrams made it fairly easy. I didn't worry about the exact length of the treads either, I just cut approximate length strips, glued them on, and nipped the overhanging ends off with a side cutter. Then turned the wheel on its side against a sheet of sandpaper. The wheels and spokes are complicated enough that it might be a long while before the aftermarket catches up. I have to compliment Roden on their engineering skills to mold the spokes and hubs the way they did. It took me no more that a couple of hours of building, gluing and sanding to get them into shape, perhaps less. I watched "Twelve O'Clock High (the movie) in the background while I was building, and was done by the time the credits rolled! (Of Course I haven't added the rivets yet, since I haven't begun the painting stage). VR, Russ[/quote] This is why this topic is in my "follow" list. I'll refer to the topic when the time arrives to build this beast. These nuggets of corrective action to this gun will be a lot easier...taking out the secondary guess work. Thanx for the inner look into this gun's accuracy.
Kevlar06
John, Rick, et. al., Carlos Martin (Varanusk) has asked me to do an article on my build of these two kits for Armorama, to which I've agreed. but I'd like to get some paint on it first. Hopefully, I can write the article and get it submitted by the end of the month. I'm just putting my first coat of primer on today, and thinking about those rivets on the wheels, and whether or not I want to go to that much trouble-- I'm thinking about keeping this build as close to "out of the box" as possible. Roden has a reputation for difficult builds (I've built several of their WWI aircraft kits, and know this first hand!), but this kit is not so much "difficult" as it is tiresome in cleaning up primarily the "round" parts-- but any modeler armed with a sharp knife and sandpaper (and elbow grease)won't have too much trouble! VR, Russ
taylorrl
Russ, I ordered 2 sets of rivets from Archer - one for the double row on the upper carriage cheeks, and one for the inside of the wheel rims. There appears to have been a bit of variation in the wheels. I have photos with 2 to 4 bolts placed between the pads and on some through the pads. The US technical manual describes the pads as metal vs rubber. I did find one WWI photo with the wheels NOT reversed. All of the others showed the tread pattern mirrored. In looking at all of the photos and drawings in the TM's, I agree the recoil oil reservoir on the right side of the barrel was a post-WWI addition. After spending a hour super-detailing it, I'm going to have to break it off and clean up the mess... The TM has a couple of drawings of the platform. The drawings clearly show wood grain on the beams and the cross beams at the spade. The part where the wheels rest appears to be iron plate as well as the curved guide for the spade. The drawings also show more fittings on the sides of the beams for staking them down. I'm going to try and have mine ready for the spring show in 11 days. It will require some dedicated bench time and curbing my tendency to add detail. Rick
Nice to know! Glad you 'volunteered' to this build for all to see. It will help my 'minds eye' actually see the changes take place. One request: mention the 'part number' of any/all aftermarket products used, i.e. Archer rivets (I think I have that sheet, but want to make sure it is the same as what you mention).
I'll do my best. As for Archer rivets, I realize now that Rick was asking about the bolts on the gun carriage, and what Archer rivets I used. The fact is I didn't use any! Roden has molded the gun "cheeks" in halves, with a twin row of prominent strapping bolts on each half. When each cheek is assembled, there is a big gap down the middle of each cheek, with a row of rivets on either side of the gap. Now, these "bolts" stand quite proud of the checks on the real thing, and Archer doesn't make bolts tall enough. A purist would assemble the cheeks, fill the gap, sand them down, and replace all the "rivets" with stretched sprue or other material. I did not do that. I took the "easy way out", assembled the cheeks, then, using Tamiya thin cement and Tamiya gray putty mixed together, filled the gap--carefully, avoiding the bolts. Then, using a specially shaped sanding stick, I sanded out the gap (well, at least to my satisfaction, as this was a "quick" build for me) right down the middle. You might note the "bolts" are mounted on an angle to each other too-- that's ok. I have a very fine tooth metal file that fit perfectly between the bolts on an angle to remove excess putty. So to answer Rick's original question, I didn't use Archer rivets for the bolts. My supply of Archer rivets has dwindled, and so I'm confining their use to the wheels of the carriage for now, and again since this is a "quick build", I'll probably be abbreviating that too-- I've found several photos of what appear to be Midvale guns with only two rivets between rubber pads so I think that's the route I'll take. As to the size of the rivets (for the wheels), they will be the large size Archer rivets as opposed to the small ones. VR, Russ
Rick, I'll see you there (At the Spring Show)! I'm not sure how I'll handle the trail platform, as Roden has made the curved rail and it's bottom part hollow-- which I already surmised was probably incorrect. I think for now I'll leave it as is, and fix it later with real wood parts. I'm displaying mine in the towed position behind the Holt 75 (I like to display my artillery with the prime mover). You managed to find a TM? Would it be possible to bring it to the show or a TNI sometime? VR, Russ
So, for anyone contemplating this build, hold off if you have the patience. Rick Taylor (who wrote the in-box review) and I have agreed to write an article together about this build for Armorama. Rick lives just a little way from me, and by happenstance we are in the same casual modeling group. Rick is building his Howitzer on the firing platform, I'm building mine in the travel position behind the Holt 75 tractor. Rick also managed to get a copy of the US Ordnance manual for the Howitzer, which is very revealing with some details about the Howitzer and it's firing platform, some of which Roden got right, some of which they got wrong (different types of wheels, the recoil slide oil reservoir, the trail spade, etc). So for any of you with this model in your stash, we're going to write up our builds in conjunction with each other with some added information. Hopefully, we'll get it done by the end of April. VR, Russ
Yummy...gimmee, gimmee, gimmee!!
Russ and I finished the build review. It is now available on Armorama at LINK Enjoy, Rick


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text:
2018 budget of sports ministry unrealistic – NGO
Solomon Dalung, the Minister of Youth and Sports
By EricJames Ochigbo
YIAGA Africa-Centre for Legislative Engagement (YIAGA-CLE) an NGO, has said the 2018 budget for the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports Development is "unrealistic."
The Executive Director of the NGO, Mr Samson Itodo made the statement during an advocacy visit to the Chairman, House Committee on Youths and Development, Rep. Segun Adekola (Ekiti-PDP) in Abuja.
Represented by the Senior Programme Manager of the NGO, Ms Yetunde Bakare, Itodo stressed the need to review the budget for the benefits of the youths in the country.
Itodo explained that YIAGA-CLE with support from the European Union undertook an analysis of the 2018 budget of the ministry.
He said that the aim was to ascertain the position of youth development on the priority list of the Federal Government based on the budget proposal and its responsiveness to the needs young people.
Itodo explained that the analysis also looked at the budget of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, the Ministry Agriculture and Rural Development.
He said that the budget of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, the budget for the Social Investment Program (SIP) and the budget for the National Directorate of Employment were equally analysed.
He said the youth ministry had been allocated the sum of N16.2 billion which represents 1.4 per cent of the N8.612 trillion proposal of the Federal Government.
Itodo said a breakdown of the budget indicated that the recurrent budget consisting Salaries and Overheads takes a larger share of 95 per cent while the capital budget which funds projects and programmes was only 5 per cent.
He said that the budget failed to meet the government's policy of 30 to 70 per cent allocation for recurrent and capital expenditures respectively.
The executive director said that the ministry's budget was very lean when compared to the role it is expected to perform.
He said that too many new underfunded projects were introduced and were likely to result to incomplete projects.
According to him, details of the budget were not explicit to ensure transparency and fiscal responsibility.
Itodo recommended an adjustment in the budget to increase the allocation for capital expenditures.
He recommended that projects on entrepreneurship, vocational skill acquisition training should be adequately funded.
Responding, the committee chairman blamed the situation on the merging of the Ministry of Youth Development and the Federal Ministry of Sports.
Adekola said that the merger had really affected youth development as the focus is now mainly on sports.
He said that the mandate of youth development had been relegated to the background.
Adekola said that during the budget defence, the committee was vehement that there was nothing in the budget to take care of youth development.
The Chairman said most youths are not gainfully employed and that the thousands of youths roaming the streets was responsible for the unabated spate of militancy, terrorism, prostitution and the menace of herdsmen.
"So I agree with you that the budget did not take adequate care of youths, it is unfortunate that we have already passed the budget defence stage.
"However, we will make sure a holistic investigation and forensic auditing is carried out in the ministry," he said.
The Chairman said that the committee had made a case for the establishment of a youth commission to take care of the welfare of young people.
S/African to die by hanging for spying in South Sudan
Pakistan back on terrorism list


text:
Aristocrat FY2022 revenue to grow 20pct y-o-y: JP Morgan
Jun 27, 2022 Newsdesk Industry Talk, Latest News, Top of the deck
Slot-machine maker and game-content provider Aristocrat Leisure Ltd's business performance in the Americas land-based segment has "recovered beyond pre-Covid-19 levels", said a Monday note from JP Morgan Securities Australia Ltd.
The institution expects Aristocrat Leisure's group-wide revenue to grow 19.8 percent year-on-year in financial year 2022, to nearly AUD5.68 billion (US$4.0 billion).
The financial year for the gaming supplier begins on October 1, and ends on September 30 the following calendar year.
JP Morgan expects Aristocrat Leisure's financial year 2022 earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) to expand by 20.5 percent, to just under AUD1.84 billion.
The institution anticipates Aristocrat Leisure's actual 2022 net profit after tax will rise 18.3 percent year-on-year, to AUD970 million, from AUD820 million last financial year.
In May, Aristocrat Leisure announced that another measure of profit – normalised net profit after tax, to take account of the fluctuations of currency values relative to the Australian dollar in the markets where it operates – had risen 40.9 percent for first half ending March 31.
Aristocrat's products include so-called Class III slot machines for the commercial-casino sector – as well as digital social games content – for markets in the Americas, Australia and New Zealand, and "international" markets, the latter encompassing for the land-based product range, the Asia Pacific region including Macau and Singapore.
Aristocrat Leisure had "extremely strong free cash flow generation and a multi-year growth pipeline across multiple avenues," noted analyst Donald Carducci.
Real-money iGaming betting products "should be live across two United States jurisdictions by year end," he added.
Mr Carducci had a note of caution regarding Australian Securities Exchange-listed Aristocrat Leisure's traditional segment, casino- and clubs-based electronic gaming machines, and in particular, the group's home market for those products, Australia.
There had been "consistent decline of electronic gaming machine expenditure," noted the JP Morgan memo.
"Australian per-capita gaming expenditure has declined 0.7 percent on average since 2007-2008, which could indicate a shift of preference within the gaming sector," the analyst wrote.
"This shift, coupled with technological advances, may favour emerging industries such as virtual reality or skills-based gaming," he observed.
Nonetheless, JP Morgan noted Aristocrat Leisure had net cash amounting to AUD524 million, and had flagged at the time of the financial-year first half results it had authorised a share buy-back programme worth up to AUD500 million.
Macau CNY mass GGR maybe 60pct plus of...
CNY may deliver 50pct pre-Covid mass...


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PM: More measures needed to deal with natural disaster consequences
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 2 ordered more efficient measures to overcome consequences caused by natural disasters and help affected residents return to their normal lives.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc speaks at the meeting. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc on December 2 ordered more efficient measures to overcome consequences caused by natural disasters and help affected residents return to their normal lives.
Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, PM Phuc said it is a must to improve the capacity of monitoring and responding to natural disasters, adding a detailed landslide map in the central region should be made.
Given the latest COVID-19 infections in Ho Chi Minh City, he stressed the need to stay vigilant and closely control the situation, especially in Hanoi, HCM City and other big cities.
Regarding economic recovery, the PM urged stepping up the export of products to key markets, accelerating the disbursement of official development assistance (ODA), promoting private investment, and further reforming the domestic investment environment so as to optimise opportunities to attract foreign capital.
Greater efforts are needed to speed up the development of the digital economy, the building of the e-Government and cashless payment, the leader requested.
He called for new initiatives to stimulate domestic consumption, increase production output, create more jobs and promote growth in rural areas.
The PM said, thanks to synchronous, drastic measures adopted by the Government last month, the country is expected to grow 2.5 percent, even reaching 3 percent this year.
The consumer price index (CPI) in the January-November period inched up only 3.51 percent as compared with the same period last year, he said, noting that the target of containing the inflation rate at 3.4-3.5 percent in 2020 is feasible.
Highlighting the record trade surplus of 20 billion USD in the 11 months, PM Phuc said the export-import outcomes reflect the effect of free trade agreements signed recently.
The EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA), effective since August 1, has contributed to reviving the country's exports to Europe, he said, adding that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, which is expected to be put into place in the time ahead, will also bring in many opportunities for exports, investment and tourism.
On this occasion, the leader assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to join hands with the Ministry of Finance in implementing an aid package to support the aviation and tourism sectors which have been badly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc COVID-19 cpi ODA
The return of China: mostly positive news for Vietnam
Vietnam should act now to avoid pandemic resurgence
Pre-pandemic rise felt with interest rate movements
PM directs intensifying efforts to prevent COVID-19 during Tet Festival
Thailand reports first case of XAY.2 variant
Thailand says no Covid test needed for travellers from China
Latest News ⁄ Society
Severe cold continues to blanket northern, north central regions
Initiatives lift rural female development
Vietnam Beverage presents donations to central region schools
NA approves resolution on relieving Nguyen Xuan Phuc from posts
Unilever Vietnam launches For a Loving Tet Season programme (January 18, 2023 | 10:12)
Barriers broken down in vocational training (January 16, 2023 | 16:10)
Nestlé Vietnam supports 8,000 disadvantaged people for Lunar New Year (January 16, 2023 | 11:37)
US funds schools, medical station in Quang Binh (January 13, 2023 | 15:47)
Sabeco's 'Together We Make Tet' campaign delivers gifts to workers (January 10, 2023 | 17:15)
Cold weather to blanket northern Vietnam in Lunar New Year holidays (January 10, 2023 | 12:15)
PM directs intensifying efforts to prevent COVID-19 during Tet Festival (January 09, 2023 | 15:46)
Resolution gives nod to DPM switch (January 08, 2023 | 20:13)
Cold weather continues in northern, north central provinces (January 06, 2023 | 15:04)
Former director of AIC sentenced to 30 years of imprisonment for bribery (January 05, 2023 | 17:02)
Society CSR Swing for the Kids


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After listeria deaths, Blue Bell is taking slow road
Local // Houston
Mark Collette
Dec. 19, 2015 Updated: Dec. 29, 2015 11:39 a.m.
1of412/28/06--Paul Kruse is CEO and President of Blue Bell Creameries. Behind him is the 18 wheel trailer truck that will tour next year as part of the 100th anniversary of Blue Bell. Blue Bell Ice Cream will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year. Included in the celebration will be a "Days in the Country" sculpture garden at the Washington County Fairgrounds, a "Name That Flavor" contest, an anniversary book about the history of Blue Bell, and an anniversary cookbook. There will also be an 18 wheel truck with Blue Bell exhibits that will tour 66 cities in the Blue Bell market area, Starting with Phoenix and Tucson, AZ. Photo by Steve Campbell, Chronicle StaffSteve Campbell/Staff PhotographerShow MoreShow Less
2of4Robert Maldonado restocks Blue Bell containers last week at an Albertsons store in El Paso. Seven more Blue Bell flavors returned to grocery shelves Monday.Mark Sterkel|Odessa American/MBOShow MoreShow Less
3of4After closing in April, Blue Bell's Brenham plant reopened on Nov. 18.Smiley N. Pool/MBRShow MoreShow Less
4of4Listeria first was found in Blue Bell Country Cookie sandwiches last March.Uncredited/HONSShow MoreShow Less
Paul Kruse's father had warned him about the perils of family-run businesses, but he couldn't escape his place as the obvious heir of a dawning ice cream empire.
After ascending to the corner office in 2004, Kruse delivered Blue Bell Creameries to its greatest height, becoming the No. 1 U.S. brand.
This year, it took barely two months to undo everything.
Ironically, Blue Bell's food-poisoning crisis could give it a one-up on competitors, because it already has been forced to make expensive changes to equipment and safety protocols that other ice cream makers soon will have to emulate under new federal regulations. It took most of the year to upgrade while other brands gobbled up market share.
Blue Bell, for most of its history, moved at a measured pace.
That strategy won ardent followers as Blue Bell went into rural markets where competitors wouldn't or couldn't reach. With Kruse still in the driver's seat, the company's future may hinge on his ability to return to a course charted by his forebears.
Listeria was unknown to science when his grandfather took over the business 96 years ago.
Inside Blue Bell: Grime and discontent
The Chron's top investigative stories of 2015
In those days, E.F. Kruse and his employees churned out a few gallons of ice cream a day in wooden tubs, blissfully unaware of the microscopic, pill-shaped bacteria, its affinity for cold, wet places, its penchant for ravaging susceptible immune systems. Foregoing a school superintendent's job to save the struggling Brenham creamery, he didn't pay himself for those first six months, according to family lore.
Mindful of his own financial struggle and the misfortunes of others, he routinely warned his sons, Ed and Howard, about the tendency for family outfits to start poor, grow steadily and plunge fast in successive generations.
"Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves," it's called in America. "Stars to stables," in Italy.
Ed Kruse passed on his own version of the mantra, repeatedly telling his sons and daughters to "get your own business." They listened.
Groomed for family business
After he earned a law degree at Baylor University and opened his own firm in Brenham, Paul Kruse three times rejected his father's entreaties to come on as general counsel.
But his father and uncle had, consciously or not, groomed him to take over. There was a standing expectation to pitch in when you could, Paul Kruse recounted in a 2004 column for the Baylor Business Review. At age 8, he had to go door to door asking neighbors for old newspapers to help fulfill the packing requirements for a military contract with Fort Hood.
At 18, he had a paying job putting sticks into frozen novelties and packing half gallons into cardboard sleeves.
Kruse worked in sales, made store deliveries, hauled ice cream cabinets and garnered two sets of stitches before setting off for Texas A&M University and an accounting degree.
When he capitulated to his father in 1986, Jack in the Box hadn't killed any kids with undercooked hamburgers. A national database for tracking food poisoning outbreaks by DNA was still 10 years away. Listeria had only recently been confirmed as a foodborne pathogen, in a batch of Canadian coleslaw tainted by sheep manure in 1981. It was something you might get from raw food. No one was thinking about listeria in a frozen product made with pasteurized milk.
Those were halcyon days, the beginning of Blue Bell's modern era, when Ed and Howard Kruse charted the course for what, in hindsight, seems like a kind of corporate manifest destiny. The American South was theirs to be had.
Other brands headed straight for the big markets, said Steven Young, former director of research and development for Dreyer's Grand Ice Cream. That company expanded from the West Coast in the 1980s by acquiring other producers in the Midwest and East, ignoring much of rural America.
Blue Bell grew into contiguous markets and didn't even venture beyond Texas until 1989.
"They go through the hinterland, they pick up this wonderful loyalty, and people get married to it," Young said. "They've got to have it."
Taking the 'straight road'
Not buying its way across America had a second advantage: Blue Bell could closely guard production and distribution, using its own factories, trucks, procedures and personnel. It could keep sourcing most of its milk from the freshest supplies, farms within a few hundred miles of Brenham. Then, when the product entered a new market, it still had the creamy, homespun quality conveyed by the groundbreaking ad campaigns that depicted a little country churn - even as the original plant mechanized and expanded, sugar yielded to high fructose corn syrup, and artificial flavors joined the mix.
Being purposefully slow was thus a matter of pride.
"If I wanted to go into California tomorrow," Ed Kruse told the Chronicle in 1994, "I could go into California. But that's not the plan." His father used to say, "No one ever got lost on a straight road."
As general counsel, Paul Kruse continued assuming new roles, including a stint reading and responding to customer letters. Before he moved to the top job, a steady eastward creep had turned into rocket growth. It still looked slow on paper - opening just a few distribution centers a year - but Blue Bell was now at the forefront of the U.S. ice cream industry, topping several major brands in sales and closing in on labels made by Nestle and Unilever, both multinational conglomerates with sales in 50 states.
It sped up even more under Paul Kruse. From 2006 to 2014, Blue Bell's annual sales grew by 70 percent, versus just 8 percent for the entire U.S. industry, according to figures from the market intelligence firm Euromonitor. It rose from fifth to third in U.S. market share. Relative to its own past, it abandoned any notion that slow was better, roughly doubling the geographical reach it had attained in the previous century. In 2014, for the first time, Blue Bell stole the No. 1 spot in brand sales from Dreyer's, the longtime U.S. favorite.
Before the listeria crisis struck in March, it sold more than $333 million, according to Euromonitor figures updated in August. As a privately held company, Blue Bell doesn't publicly disclose sales. But by that reckoning, it had, in one quarter, sold more than half of what it did in all of 2010 - and peak summer sales hadn't even set in yet.
Production with a price
All that production came with a price. Brenham plant workers said sanitation was hurried. Hot water ran low. And federal records showed that problems reached to plants in Oklahoma and Alabama, negating the possibility that the listeria outbreak was a failure of one supplier, one machine or one employee. Somewhere amid all that growth, reality couldn't keep up with the clean country image. Worse, it hadn't been keeping up for years. Epidemiologists this year determined that illnesses from as early as 2010 were caused by Blue Bell - retroactive medical sleuthing made possible by the DNA database.
Production workers said they didn't see Paul Kruse as often as they had his uncle Howard, who was known to stop and help clean up messes, chat with lower-rung employees and keep tabs on fine details. Howard retired in 2004, Ed in 1993.
Through a spokesman, Paul Kruse and other top Blue Bell officials declined interview requests. But if he missed the failures happening under his watch, it wasn't because Kruse was indifferent to them, associates said.
Jerry Strawser, former dean of A&M's Mays Business School, who watched Kruse mentor his students, said the way the company responded after its April shutdown illustrates that point.
"It would have been easy to try to race back into business," he said. "He knew he could take a shortcut, save a month or two here or there. But his goal and thought process was that as painful as this was; they can't get back into stores until they make sure nothing like this would ever happen again."
Some of Kruse's most difficult moments this year came in a somber meeting in May with Brenham employees. Some of them were hopeful they might be returning to work. Instead, they were given paper slips of one of three colors. They filed into three corresponding rooms to learn their fates from Kruse. Companywide, 1,450 of 3,900 employees lost jobs.
Years earlier, after he took charge, Kruse had written about his responsibility to them.
"The only time I really think about being the 'big boss' is when it occurs to me that (thousands) of employees and their families are dependent on how the company performs," he wrote for the Baylor publication. "That knowledge can be a bit sobering. And really, they are why I come to work each morning. Employees are the key to what we do at Blue Bell and the primary reason for our success."
'Cousin generation'
Had Blue Bell folded, it would have joined the majority of third-generation businesses, only a small percentage of which survive into the fourth, according to various consulting firms.
Unlike public companies, which send CEOs packing after six years on average, family bosses are entrenched, raising a host of challenges, said Andrew Hier, senior partner of the Cambridge Family Enterprise Group. They may have more difficulty coping with shifts in technology over time. Decision-making becomes more complicated in the so-called "cousin generation," with more personalities at the table. Though privately held, Blue Bell now has hundreds of shareholders. Kruse's cousin, Greg Bridges, is the vice president of operations.
"Was there a demand to take profit out instead of reinvesting it for good systems?" Hier asks. "We don't know, but it tends to be one of the issues that arises in the cousin generation."
Former executive vice president John Barnhill, who led the enormously risky push into the Houston market in 1960, told the Chronicle in 1996 that the company was constantly facing the challenge of indoctrinating new personnel with the Blue Bell story.
"There are some that would just as soon we be the most modern ice cream company and perhaps forego our past," he said. "Our view is that we were not always where we are today, and truly we started as a little creamery and we kind of cherish our heritage, and we also don't take it for granted."
After 10 illnesses and three deaths linked to Blue Bell, it now has been forced to modernize. It faces a task like Odwalla, the homegrown juice brand roiled by E.coli poisonings in 1996, and, more recently, Chipotle, the fast-food burrito chain plunged into crisis from at least four separate disease outbreaks in a span of months. Odwalla had to abandon its raw-is-better philosophy and start pasteurizing its juices as it revolutionized its industry. Similarly, Chipotle is instituting pathogen testing standards unlike any others in fast food.
And so the question now for Paul Kruse and Blue Bell - for its shareholders and Sid Bass, the Fort Worth billionaire who this summer bailed out the South's favorite ice cream to the tune of $125 million - is whether its bucolic values will remain part of its future as it now produces ice cream under the most sophisticated hazard controls in the industry. There is no obvious successor for Kruse, 61. Odwalla ultimately sold out to Coca-Cola.
Blue Bell recently announced an unexpected additional phase of its gradual return to market, which has reached most of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and parts beyond. But the ramp-up in production says nothing about sales.
Pressure mounting
The company is muscling to recover precious, finite freezer space that had been subsumed by store brands. That battle will continue into the spring, when Blue Bell may fall to a disadvantage as brands engage in seasonal jockeying by releasing new flavors, said Young, the former Dreyer's official. The Blue Bell freezer case used to be a rainbow; now, only a few varieties line the shelves.
But the industry is talking about Blue Bell with a newfound respect, said Young, who puts on technical workshops for ice cream makers across the country. Quality assurance reps from other companies look at Blue Bell, imagine the same crisis happening to them, and question whether they would have survived, Young said.
The pressure is mounting for all under newly tightened food safety laws. Indeed, Blue Bell and Chipotle may have motivated Congress, which has nearly matched the Obama administration's funding request for the Food Safety Modernization Act, the first wholesale reform of U.S. food policy in decades. Other ice cream manufacturers "know they've got to do something," Young said. "Some of them don't have the foggiest idea what to do."
Blue Bell already has made the investments that its competitors may have to make in the next year. With that in place, it can turn its attention to scrabbling back, like the first-generation Kruse who saved it from bankruptcy a century gone.
There's a reward for the kind of patience and persistence the company showed for so many decades before it went headlong into crisis, Young said.
"Historically, they've gone little town, to little town, to little town," he said, "and there's a lot of America left to be had."
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Mark Collette is a business and investigative reporter for the Houston Chronicle, where he has won national awards for coverage of Hurricane Harvey and Houston's floodplain problems; uncovering secrets of the region's chemical stockpiles and its penchant for leaks and explosions; and probing a deadly leak at DuPont and a food safety meltdown at Blue Bell Creameries. He's been a Texan for more than three decades, has a strong dad joke game, and quotes "The Big Lebowski" like gospel.


text:
by Steven Koprince | Jan 18, 2018
VA Proposes Expanded "Good Character" SDVOSB Exclusions
Tools/Guidance
The VA has proposed expanding its definition of the "good character" required to own or control an SDVOSB or VOSB.
The VA's proposed rule would exclude many people convicted of felonies (including felonies unrelated to business integrity), which may raise questions about the rule's fairness. And I have to wonder–is the VA's proposal consistent with the Congressional directive requiring the VA to use the SBA's SDVOSB eligibility rules?
As I wrote earlier this week, the VA recently issued a proposed rule to eliminate its SDVOSB and VOSB ownership and control rules. Instead, as directed by Congress in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, the VA would defer to the SBA's regulatory criteria when it comes to small business size, ownership, and control.
Well, mostly.
The VA's proposed rule doesn't seem to eliminate every SDVOSB and VOSB eligibility requirement. Instead, when it comes to two unique VA requirements, regarding "good character" and federal financial obligations, the VA's proposed rule would actually expand the list of veterans ineligible for VA SDVOSB/VOSB verification, even though many of those same veterans would be able to self-certify their SDVOSBs under the SBA's rules. Today, I want to focus on the good character piece of the proposal.
Under current VA law, SDVOSB and VOSB owners must have good character. The regulation, 38 C.F.R. 74.2(b), says:
(b) Good character. Veterans, service-disabled veterans, and surviving spouses with ownership interests in VetBiz verified businesses must have good character. Debarred or suspended concerns or concerns owned or controlled by debarred or suspended persons are ineligible for VetBiz VIP Verification.
Clearly, the existing rule prohibits debarred or suspended individuals from owning or controlling verified SDVOSBs and VOSBs. Fair enough. The existing rule doesn't provide any additional guidance on what "good character" means.
The VA's proposed rule, though, would significantly expand the current definition of good character. Here's what the VA proposes:
(b) Good character and exclusions in System for Award Management (SAM). Individuals having an ownership or control interest in verified businesses must have good character. Debarred or suspended concerns or concerns owned or controlled by debarred or suspended persons are ineligible for VIP Verification. Concerns owned or controlled by a person(s) who is currently incarcerated, or on parole or probation (pursuant to a pre-trial diversion or following conviction for a felony or any crime involving business integrity) are ineligible for VIP Verification. Concerns owned or controlled by a person(s) who is formally convicted of a crime set forth in 48 C.F.R. 9.406-2(b)(3) are ineligible for VIP Verification during the pendency of any subsequent legal proceedings. If, after verifying a participant's eligibility, the person(s) controlling the participant is found to lack good character, CVE will immediately remove the participant from the VIP database, notwithstanding the provisions of § 74.22 of this part.
It's worth noting that the VA's proposal goes beyond the FAR's responsibility-related certifications. FAR 52.209-5 (Certification Regarding Responsibility Matters) and FAR 52.209-7 (Information Regarding Responsibility Matters) don't require a contractor's "principal" to disclose all crimes, but rather those directly related to government contracts, or those that are directly relevant to business integrity–such as embezzlement, theft, forgery, bribery, and tax evasion. In contrast, the VA's proposal would seem to apply to all felonies, regardless of the nature or circumstances.
The SBA also has a "good character" component in the 8(a) Program. But the SBA doesn't apply a one-size-fits-all test. Instead, the SBA's regulations say that the SBA will "consider the nature and severity of the violation in making an eligibility determination." The VA's proposal doesn't seem to allow for consideration of the nature and severity of the violation (other than considering whether it was a felony).
Speaking of the SBA, I also wonder whether the VA's proposal complies with the 2017 NDAA, which says that the VA must apply the SBA's SDVOSB/VOSB eligibility rules. Specifically, the 2017 NDAA says that the VA must verify SDVOSBs and VOSBs using Sections 632(q)(2) and (3) of the Small Business Act, which don't say a darn thing about good character (and still won't following the ultimate insertion of the 2017 NDAA's amended language into the statute). The 2017 NDAA directs the VA to apply the SBA's regulations implementing the Small Business Act, and then says that the VA "may not issue regulations related to the status of a concern as a small business concern and the ownership and control of such small business concern."
Now, it's true that this prohibition isn't supposed to take effect until the VA and SBA issue their consolidated regulation, which of course hasn't happened yet. But as I read the VA's proposal, it intends its new good character restriction to apply after the joint rule is issued. After all, the main point of the VA's proposed rule is to pave the way for the consolidation of the two programs' eligibility requirements by deleting most of the VA's language relating to SDVOSB ownership and control. It appears, then, that the VA doesn't think that its new good character proposal is contrary to the Small Business Act's definitions or the restrictions placed on the VA in the 2017 NDAA.
I'm curious to see how the VA supports its restriction in light of the Small Business Act's definitions of SDVOSB and VOSB. Beyond that, I'll be interested to see how the VA explains its power to issue the regulation. In its decisions, the Supreme Court has written that "the key phrase 'related to' expresses a 'broad pre-emptive purpose.'" Here, the VA is proposing a rule to restrict who can own or control a verified SDVOSB or VOSB. From my vantage point, it certainly seems like the VA is proposing a rule "related to . . . the ownership and control" of SDVOSBs and VOSBs, which would be contrary to the "broad pre-emptive purpose" set forth in the 2017 NDAA.
Congress's goal was to require the VA and SBA to apply uniform, government-wide SDVOSB/VOSB eligibility criteria. (I'm not making a wild guess here–Section 1832 of the 2017 NDAA is titled "Uniformity in Service-Disabled Veteran Definitions.") But if the VA proposal becomes law, we could be right back in a world of "separate programs, separate requirements." Under the VA's proposal, a veteran with (for example) a felony DUI on his or her record couldn't own or control a VA-verified SDVOSB. However, because the current SBA SDVOSB rules don't impose a good character requirement, that same individual would be able to self-certify the company as SDVOSB for non-VA purposes. Such a result doesn't seem to reflect Congress's intent.
No one wants unscrupulous felons to take advantage of government contracting set-aside programs. That said, it's an open question in my mind whether the VA has legal authority to adopt the restriction it's proposing. Moving forward, I hope the VA takes a close look at whether its proposed rule complies with the 2017 NDAA. And if it decides that the proposal is compliant, I hope the VA will consider a more nuanced, case-by-case approach to evaluating good character, like the one that's been used in the 8(a) program for many years.
This content originally appeared on SmallGovCon.


text:
Schulek János (1774–1837) evangélikus lelkész
 Schulek János (1872–1948) építészmérnök

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
import config from './config.js';
import validator from 'validator';
import showInfo from './showInfo.js';

let userDefine = config.userDefine

/*
** parse params from validate-rule
 */
function parseParams (ruleParams) {
  let pattern = new RegExp('^\{.*\}$');
  if (pattern.test(ruleParams)) {
    let paramsList = ruleParams.replace(/\{|\}/g, '').split(',');
    let result = {};
    for(let item of paramsList) {
      if (item.indexOf(':') >0) {
        let paramsKey = item.split(':')[0].trim();
        let paramsValue = item.split(':')[1].trim();
        if ((paramsKey === 'min' || paramsKey === 'max') && validator.isInt(paramsValue)) {
          result[paramsKey] = parseInt(paramsValue);
        } else {
          result[paramsKey] = paramsValue
        }
      } else {
        throw new Error(ruleParams + ' error');
      }
    }
    return result
  } else {
    return ruleParams
  }
}

/*
** validate the input type with validate-group: just for radio or checkbox
 */
function validateGroup(eventTarget){
  let groupName = eventTarget.getAttribute('validate-group');
  if(['radio', 'checkbox'].indexOf(eventTarget.type) <0 ) {
    throw new Error('validate-group only support for radio or checkbox');
  };
  // find all the elements with the same validate-group
  let groupList = document.querySelectorAll('[validate-group=' + groupName +']');
  // find the one with validate-rule and just only one should has the rule
  let groupListLength = groupList.length;
  let value = [];
  let elementWithRule = [];
  let successInfo = [];
  let failInfo = [];
  for (let item=0; item < groupList.length; item++) {
    groupList[item].checked && value.push(groupList[item].value);
    groupList[item].getAttribute('validate-rule') && elementWithRule.push(groupList[item]);
    groupList[item].getAttribute('validate-success') && successInfo.push(groupList[item]);
    groupList[item].getAttribute('validate-fail') && failInfo.push(groupList[item]);
  }
  if (elementWithRule.length > 1 || successInfo.length > 1 || failInfo.length >1) {
    throw new Error(`validate-group: ${groupName} only with one success or fail info`);
  }
  // no rule defined, use default required rule
  let validateResult;
  if(elementWithRule.length === 0) {
    validateResult = value.length === 0 ? false : true;
  } else {
    let rule = elementWithRule[0].getAttribute('validate-rule');
    let ruleName, ruleParams;
    let spliteIndex = rule.indexOf(':');
    ruleName = spliteIndex > 0 ? rule.substr(0, spliteIndex) : rule;
    ruleParams = spliteIndex > 0 ? parseParams(rule.substr(spliteIndex+1, rule.length)) : false;

    if (value.length <= 0) {
      validateResult = false;
    } else if (ruleName in userDefine) {
      // call user define function
      value = value.join(',');
      validateResult = ruleParams ? userDefine[ruleName].apply(this, [value, ruleParams]) :
                          userDefine[ruleName].apply(this, [value]);
    } else if (ruleName in config.ruleNames){
      value = value.join(',');
      validateResult = ruleParams ? validator[config.ruleNames[ruleName]].apply(this, [value,ruleParams]) :
                          validator[config.ruleNames[ruleName]].apply(this, [value]);
    } else {
      // no this validate name
      validateResult = false;
      throw new Error('no these validate rule: ' + ruleName)
    }
  }
  if (validateResult) {
    successInfo.length === 1 && showInfo(successInfo[0], true);
    successInfo.length === 0 && showInfo(groupList[groupListLength -1], true);
  } else {
    failInfo.length === 1 && showInfo(failInfo[0], false);
    failInfo.length === 0 && showInfo(groupList[groupListLength -1], false);
  }
  return validateResult;
}

function getValue(eventTarget) {
  if (eventTarget.type === 'radio' || eventTarget.type === 'checkbox') {
    if (eventTarget.checked) return eventTarget.value;
  } else if (eventTarget.type === 'file') {
    return eventTarget.files;
  } else {
    return eventTarget.value
  }
}

function doValidate(eventTarget) {
  if (eventTarget.getAttribute('validate-group')) return validateGroup(eventTarget);
  let validateRule = eventTarget.getAttribute('validate-rule');
  let validateResult = true;
  let value = getValue(eventTarget);
  if (!validateRule) {
    // default use required rule
    if (Object.prototype.toString.call(value).indexOf('FileList') > 0) {
      validateResult = value.length > 0
    } else {
      value = validator.trim(value);
      validateResult = !validator.isEmpty(value);
    }
  } else {
    let validateFunctions = validateRule.split('|');
    for (let item of validateFunctions) {
      let ruleName, ruleParams;
      let spliteIndex = item.indexOf(':');
      ruleName = spliteIndex > 0 ? item.substr(0, spliteIndex) : item;
      ruleParams = spliteIndex > 0 ? parseParams(item.substr(spliteIndex+1, item.length)) : false;
      if (ruleName in config.ruleNames) {
        // call the validator function
        validateResult = ruleParams ?
                          validator[config.ruleNames[ruleName]].apply(this, [value,ruleParams]) :
                          validator[config.ruleNames[ruleName]].apply(this, [value]);
        let pattern = new RegExp('^do.*');
        if (pattern.test(ruleName)) {
          // after do some filter function, need to set new value
          value = validateResult
          eventTarget.value = value;
        }
      } else if (ruleName in userDefine) {
        // call user define function
        validateResult = ruleParams ?  userDefine[ruleName].apply(this, [value,ruleParams]) :
                          userDefine[ruleName].apply(this, [value]);
      } else {
        // no this validate name
        validateResult = false;
        console.error('no these validate rule: ' + ruleName);
        break;
      }
      if (!validateResult) {
        break;
      }
    }
  }
  showInfo(eventTarget, validateResult);
  return validateResult;
}

export default doValidate

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Animal fats under attack
June 12, 2019 March 11, 2019 by Afifah Hamilton
Hi everyone, it's time for coffee with Afifah! And today I'm focusing on the ongoing attack on dietary fats — especially those associated with animal products such as meat, dairy and eggs. These real foods continue to be demonised by public health authorities, despite hundreds of scientific studies demonstrating the naivety of the "fat makes you fat" dogma.
So, this month I'm calling on you, dear reader, to grab your coffee (preferably with a large splash of cream or full-fat milk) and come with me for a quick trip into Crazy…
• Carbs, not fat, linked to CVD
• Sadiq Kahn bans butter, eggs and bacon from transport adverts
• Zero fat marketing
• Victorian diseases return
• Keir interviewed in French news
One of our posts goes viral
Our 2017 post, Carbohydrates, not Animal Fats, Linked to Heart Disease Across 42 European Countries, is making waves across the world having been viewed more than 22,000 times in the last two months as well as shared innumerabl on social media. If you have not read it yet, take a look: It is an important study which has received little media attention.
The researchers found that in contrast to the mainstream message, countries that ate more animal fats had less heart disease, while those consuming more carbohydrates had more heart disease. Why does this matter so much? Because (1) we are all being told to eat less fat — and especially animal fat — even though the science is increasingly pointing the other way, and (2) 'Healthy eating' policies based on these flawed ideas are now contributing directly to malnutrition and cronic disease.
You would think that after 50 years of pushing the low-fat message governments would pause in the face of such research and wonder if the soaring rates of diabetes, obesity and heart disease might not be due to animal fats after all. But no, instead, they have dug in their heels and doubled down on the low-fat message, unaware, apparently, that the definition of stupid is to keep doing the same thing in the hope of achieving a different outcome.
So here they go again…
Sadiq bans junk food adverts on the underground — including ones showing eggs, bacon and butter
Playing his part in this misguided dogma, Sadiq Kahn announced earlier this week a ban on junk food advertising across Transport for London. Writing in The Mirror, the London Mayor explained: "This means that no adverts that promote food or drinks high in fat, sugar or salt will be accepted unless there's evidence the product would not contribute to childhood obesity."
Banning junk food advertising might sound wonderful until you realise that by including all foods "high in fat" this ban has led to posters containing images of bacon, eggs and butter being rejected by Transport for London.
Farmdrop, an organic food home-delivery firm, said they were advised to crop the photo to chop out foodstuffs which breach the new rules, because it contains 'unhealthy high fat' foods such as bacon, butter and eggs [Source: Evening Standard]
Meanwhile, closer to home, the low-fat nonsense was getting in my way more directly…
"Zero-fat" dairy products are not health foods
There I was in the supermarket, though not my usual one, searching for some food basics: plain yoghurt, cottage cheese, crème fraîche, clotted creme… Frustratingly, the shelves were packed with "low-fat", "0%", "lite-" and "fat-free" varieties that I wouldn't touch with a barge pole. I nearly gave up searching for the full-fat varieties I wanted — you know, the ones that for centuries have been the norm: unprocessed butter, eggs, cream, cheese and gold-top milk. Is that too much to ask? It seems that anyone wanting these timeless foods is now the outsider: a savage, like Mr Savage in Aldous Huxley's novel, ridiculed and outcast for wanting to eat real food and live a real life in his Brave New World of state-sponsored mind control.
Somehow, the public has allowed itself to fall for the ridiculous idea that traditional, wholesome foods are bad for their health and they ought to switch to unnatural, fat-free industrial-processed varieties if they want to avoid diabetes, heart disease and obesity. So the producers and supermarkets are doing their part and filling the shelves with "lite" products: lower in fat, but, inevitably, higher in carbs. But they have been woefully misled…
Selected studies that challenge the low-fat mantra… (click to see dropdown list)
• "Diets with cheese and meat as primary sources of saturated fats… appear to be less atherogenic than low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet." (Lorning, 2015)
• Low-fat dairy associated with increased risk of Parkinson's
• Full-fat milk less fattening than skimmed
• Antioxidant properties of Milk and dairy products: a comprehensive review of the current knowledge; 2019
• Dairy Foods and Body Mass Index over 10-Year: Evidence from the Caerphilly Prospective Cohort Study; 2018
• Have Dietary Fats Been Needlessly Vilified?, 2013 (pdf)
• Dietary Fats and Health: Dietary Recommendations… 2013
Inflammation, not Cholesterol, Is a Cause of Chronic Disease, 2018
• A 12-week low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet improves metabolic health outcomes…
• Harvard Scientist supports U-Turn on dietary fats (video); 2015
A paper published last year, Dairy Fats and Cardiovascular Disease: Do We Really Need to be Concerned? puts the case well:
The negative perception of dairy fats stems from the effort to reduce dietary saturated fatty acid intake due to their association with increased cholesterol levels upon consumption and the increased risk of CVD development. Institutions that set dietary guidelines have approached dairy products with negative bias and used poor scientific data in the past. As a result, the consumption of dairy products was considered detrimental to our cardiovascular health. In western societies, dietary trends indicate that generally there is a reduction of full-fat dairy product consumption and increased low-fat dairy consumption. However, recent research and meta-analyses have demonstrated the benefits of full-fat dairy consumption, based on higher bioavailability of high-value nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties. In this review, the relationship between dairy consumption, cardiometabolic risk factors and the incidence of cardiovascular diseases are discussed. Functional dairy foods and the health implications of dairy alternatives are also considered. In general, evidence suggests that milk has a neutral effect on cardiovascular outcomes but fermented dairy products, such as yoghurt, kefir and cheese may have a positive or neutral effect. Particular focus is placed on the effects of the lipid content on cardiovascular health. [my emphases]
Lordan et al. 2018 (Full Text)
Another from 2016, Comprehensive Review of the Impact of Dairy Foods and Dairy Fat on Cardiometabolic Risk, explains:
This comprehensive assessment of evidence from RCTs suggests that there is no apparent risk of potential harmful effects of dairy consumption, irrespective of the content of dairy fat, on a large array of cardiometabolic variables, including lipid-related risk factors, blood pressure, inflammation, insulin resistance, and vascular function. This suggests that the purported detrimental effects of (Saturated Fats) on cardiometabolic health may, in fact, be nullified when they are consumed as part of complex food matrices such as those in cheese and other dairy foods. Thus, the focus on low-fat dairy products in current guidelines apparently is not entirely supported by the existing literature and may need to be revisited on the basis of this evidence.
Drouin-Chartier et al, 2016 (Full Text)
Not only is there plenty of evidence that dairy fat is not harmful to health, but it is quite possible that a low-fat diet may actually be harmful. People who reduce animal products generally are at heightened risk of being deficient in vitamin B12, DHA, creatine, zinc and iron. According to the BMJ B12 deficiency "is a common but serious condition"
Furthermore, eating low-fat products inevitably pushes up the ratio of carbohydrates, which may in itself be problematic — especially in the case of metabolic conditions — but in my opinion one of the important problems with low-fat diets is the inevitable reduction in the fat-soluble vitamins, A, D, E and K2, which have critical roles in bone health and immunity.
Along with full-fat dairy, eggs and meat are similarly vilified — as we have seen in their banning from London Underground advertising. Could the move away from these traditional, nutrient-dense foods be contributing to the decline in the health of the nation? I think the answer is a resounding "yes!"…
Malnutrition is estimated to affect 3 million people in the UK (4.5%). Hospitals have a particularly poor record of adequately addressing this with 1 in 4 patients leaving more malnourished than when they were admitted! When I had a family member in hospital recently, I had to ferry them home-cooked meals, sausages, bacon, cooked chicken legs, cheese, cream and chocolate omelettes because the meals provided were very low in animal products and always served with a low-fat sugary dessert (which was wisely declined). There is no way they would not have deteriorated nutritionally if I had not done that! A 2010 study of German hospitals found that on average patients were fed between 200 and 1300 kCal per day — the lower end is shocking, whilst the upper end is still woefully inadequate AND this would have been low-nutrient, low-fat, minimal animal product crap. And, let me remind you, dear reader, tax payers foot the bill for this harmful set up.
I believe that all of this can be laid fairly and squarely at the feet of governments and policymakers who have pushed the public away from traditional nutrient-dense animal products in a misguided attempt to reduce heart disease and obesity. What we are witnessing, as a result, is the law of unintended consequences, including the following…
Victorian diseases making a comeback
The data also show huge numbers of people – both young and old – being admitted to hospital with malnutrition.
In 2017/18, there were 9,307 admissions where malnutrition was a main or secondary factor, up on the 8,417 the previous year – with 739 having malnutrition as the primary cause.
The data include cases in which the illnesses were the primary cause of illness as well those in which they were secondary, meaning the patient had initially been hospitalised for something else.
Rising numbers of people with vitamin D deficiency has prompted experts to call for action to protect public health.
Mail Online, 25th Jan 2019
So here we finish our little tour of Crazy: 50 years of demonising traditional nutrient-dense foods, banning images of bacon, butter, cream and eggs, pushing everyone towards low-fat industrialised foods, and the result? A population increasingly malnourished, sick and metabolically degraded. We can't rely on the authorities to sort out this mess. It's down to each and every one of us to come to our senses and get back to eating real foods, even if we have to fight the system to get the foods we need.
"Bring me my eggs, beef and cheese!"
Finishing on something lighter…
French Newspaper publishes interview with Keir about the politics of meat (with unexpected cartoon!)
Keir was interview just before Christmas by Le Point — a French Newspaper/Magazine a bit like New Statesman — about meat and why the bad press it attracts is far too black and white, often failing to distinguish between best and worst practice. When the article came out we were surprised to see that they had made a cartoon of Keir in a leek costume (presumably because he used to be a vegetarian), gnawing on a steak, with a gustatory Sherlock Holmes based pun beneath which translates quite well as "Alimentary my dear Watson"
The full article, in French, is here, but, unfortunately, most of it is behind a paywall.
Categories Nutrition Tags animal fats, Coffee with Afifah, full-fat dairy, low fat diets, Sadiq Kahn Post navigation
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NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. — Armed Pasco County deputies have handed out hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines for county code violations, such as tall grass, trash and broken down cars on the lawn.
The sheriff says the controversial new program is cleaning up neighborhood crime, but critics blast the initiative as a way for police to conduct illegal searches.
"It's overreach and it's harassment," said Darlene Deegan.
Pasco County Sheriff's deputies recently went to Deegan's Hudson home on a tip that her son might be hiding in a camper in her backyard.
When they arrived, he wasn't there, but deputies reported evidence of other offenses. They issued Deegan $2,750 in code violation citations, including fines for debris, no house numbers and a camper set up in her yard.
But deputies didn't have a warrant to search the property and Deegan wasn't there at the time.
"I have got no trespassing, keep out signs all over the property," said Deegan.
Deegan said her son, who has prior felony convictions, has not lived with her for several years.
She says the Sheriff's Office should have been aware he was staying in a homeless shelter at the time of the search and that Deegan had forbidden him from coming onto her property.
Bodycam footage of their search of Deegan's property shows deputies using a plastic lawn chair to climb over a four-foot fence.
"We got a ton of violations here," said one deputy took photos of the county code violations on his cell phone.
The deputies can also be heard discussing whether photos taken in the backyard would be allowed in court.
"If it gets dismissed, it gets dismissed," said a deputy in the footage.
Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said he started his Enhanced Code Enforcement Program in 2014 to target drug dealers, slumlords and absentee landlords.
"We're going after areas where we know there's crime going on, there's been complaints, the neighbors are upset," said Nocco.
Pasco's two code enforcement officers, corporals Mark Celeste and Pedro Ojeda, recently took ABC Action News I-Team Reporter Adam Walser on one of their patrols.
People scattered from a mobile home in Holiday when deputies arrived. One man rode off on a bicycle. Another pushed a shopping cart containing his belongings.
"Whatever's happening here, it needs to stop," said Celeste.
The I-Team observed from the street as deputies handed out citations for trash and tall grass.
"If you don't show up to court, you're going to have a warrant," Celeste warned the homeowner as she shouted profanities at him.
A few blocks away, deputies stopped at another home they have fined three times already. Homeowner Crystal Barrow was hit with $17,000 in fines last month.
"It doesn't look that bad compared to other people's stuff," said Barrow.
Barrow says she believes she's being singled out, because deputies aren't ticketing her neighbors for their code violations.
"I think it's harassment because it's becoming so much when I'm trying to fix the problem," she said.
Deputies say her neighbors reported her home to the sheriff's office because of suspicious activity.
Since 2014, deputies have issued more than 4,500 code enforcement citations. That's three times the number handed out by regular county code enforcement officers in Pasco County. It also resulted in more than $600,000 in fines collected by the Pasco County Clerk of Courts.
Nocco said none of that money directly goes to his office.
"Eventually the fines will reach a point where they exceed the value of the property," said former judge and law professor Jeff Swartz.
The fines can become liens if violators don't correct them, which can result in the seizure of troubled properties.
Swartz says deputies can legally enforce county codes on property without search warrants, since code enforcement doesn't directly involve criminal charges.
But he says it can often be a fine line.
"If what they're doing is really intended as a law enforcement issue as opposed to a property issue, that's when it goes too far," said Swartz.
Unlike the county code enforcers, the code violations citations deputies hand out require a court appearance – even if the homeowner has never been previously cited for violating county codes.
And a judge can issue criminal arrest warrants for violators who don't show up to court.
"One of the best tools in a law enforcement officer's toolbox is using code enforcement," said retired Pinellas Park Police Officer Donna Saxer, who won a national community policing award in 1996.
"This is a way community policing used to be done years ago and I am seeing more and more that this is what they're turning back to," said Saxer.
But she warns it can backfire.
"They say we don't have signs on front door. We have sign here. We have a sign on that door also," a store clerk told ABC Action News.
Deputies seized the questionable items and issued citations – a $500 fine for each of the 236 items.
All that adds up to more than $118,000 – a fine which deputies acknowledge could put the store out of business.
Darlene Deegan said she's not destroying her community and plans to fight her citations in court.
"I've never been arrested in my life and for them to do this to me, I think it's got to stop," said Deegan.
Nocco defended his program and denied criticism that code enforcement could lead to warrantless searches.
Nocco vowed to continue cleaning up neighborhoods through code enforcement.
"If you don't take care of your property, if you're selling drug paraphernalia, if you're ruining our community, those code enforcement deputies are going to arrive at your house," said Nocco.
If you have a story you'd like the I-Team to investigate, email adam@abcactionnews.com .


text:
Die Fulton County Railway (FCR) ist eine von Omnitrax betriebene US-amerikanische Shortline-Eisenbahngesellschaft im Fulton County im Bundesstaat Georgia.

Die Gesellschaft betreibt eine rund 90 km lange, gepachtete Strecke der CSX im Fulton County Industrial Park. In Fulco Junction besteht Anschluss ans Streckennetz der CSX. Jährlich werden etwa 8000 Wagenladungen transportiert.

Die Strecke wurde 1956 von der Atlantic Coast Line Railroad als Fulco Branch erbaut. Am 23. Oktober 2004 wurde der Betrieb von Omnitrax übernommen.

Weblinks
Infos auf der Omnitrax Website

Bahngesellschaft (Georgia)
Unternehmen (Fulton County, Georgia)


text:
Science Fiction and Communist Reality
Each week, Mr. Reed will relate the stories of people whose choices and actions make them heroes. See the table of contents for previous installments.
Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem (1921–2006) "skillfully dissected the 20th century's foolhardy efforts to create utopias by stifling individuality and economic freedoms." So said cultural critic Bruce Edward Walker. Lem was best known internationally as author of the classic Solaris — twice adapted for the silver screen — but the majority of his fiction featured damning allegories against the suppression of the human spirit.
Lem ranks high in the Polish pantheon of independent thinkers and dissidents, any list of which would be long and distinguished. Poland's role in the historic unraveling of the Soviet empire was pivotal by any measure. And while world leaders from Pope John Paul II to Ronald Reagan to Margaret Thatcher played a part, the audacity of the homegrown resistance is a story that is still underemphasized to this day.
What Lem did with a wrench to German vehicles, he later did with pen and ink to the communist state.
In November 1986, I spent nearly two weeks in Poland with the anticommunist underground. This was five years after the Warsaw government declared martial law and threw many pro-freedom activists in jail. It was still many months before the big changes of 1989 that would liberate Eastern Europe from the communist yoke. One night during my visit, I met in a private home with a half-dozen underground printers. They were eager to impress me with examples of many great pro-freedom books they had illegally translated, printed, and distributed througho…
Nobody can hurt me without my permission.
Only a life lived for others is worth living


text:
Eleanor d'Aquitaine, Duchess of Aquitaine[1, 2, 3]
Name Eleanor d'Aquitaine
Eleanor d'Aquitaine
Suffix Duchess of Aquitaine
Born Abt 1124 Château de Belin, Guienne, France [4]
Political 1 Aug 1137 - 21 Mar 1152
Queen Consort of France
Military 1173 - 1174 Limoges, Haute-Vienne, Limousin, France
The War without Love
In February 1273, Henry II pledged three castles to seal the marriage contract of five-year-old John to the daughter of Humber, Count of Maurienne. Henry the Young King found this the sort of paternal wire-pulling that, though crowned, kept him sidelined. Angry and frustrated, the Young King moved to sack his father. The King of France was all too happy to encourage his son-in-law when he came calling in Paris. Louis gathered a consortium of allies including Philip of Flanders, Matthew of Bolougne, and members of the Angevin household, the Queen and Richard and Geoffrey. But the Capetian war effort was half-hearted and disorganized and the Old King was practiced in the art of war, politics and especially travel. An invasion of England and investment of Rouen were frustrated by the Old King's peripatetics. By July of 1174 the rebellion had fizzled. Henry II was gracious with his recalcitrant sons but not so with his wife: Eleanor spent the better part of a decade in England, closely confined. [5]
"So why did Elanor decide that this was the moment to precipitate a family crisis and begin 'la guerre senz amur'? It may be that there is a clue to this in something else that happened at Limoges. The homage sworn by Raymond of Toulouse was a great triumph for Henry II, but did Eleanor see it in that light? As duchess of Aquitaine she had inherited the ducal claim to Toulouse, but at Limoges Raymond had not only done homage to the dukes of Aquitaine, he had also done homage to the Young King. Did this mean that Aquitaine was going to be permanently subordinated to the ruler of the Anglo-Norman realm? The possibility must have made Eleanor's ancestors turn in their graves. Nor can it have been pleasing to Poitevin nobles. One of them, Hugh of Chauvigny, is reported to have hated all Englishmen. The death of Earl Patrick of Salisbury was still an episode which aroused harsh feelings on both sides." [6]
Political 25 Oct 1154 - 6 Jul 1189
Queen Consort of England
House Poitiers
Died 1 Apr 1204 Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France [7, 8]
Buried Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France
Effigy of Eleanor of Aquitaine
Fontevraud Abbey
ELEANOR, ALIENOR, or ÆNOR, Duchess of Aquitaine, Queen of France and Queen Of England (1122?-1204), is said to have been born in 1122. Her father was William X, duke of Aquitaine; her mother, Ænor de Châtelleraut, died before her husband. Eleanor's grandfather, William IX, the famous troubadour and crusader, had married Philippa, daughter of William, count of Toulouse, and their son, William X, was thus able to bequeath a somewhat shadowy claim over this lordship to his daughter's second husband, Henry II of England (Geoffrey of Vigeois, pp. 304, 299; Chron. Malleacense, p. 403). Through the above-mentioned Philippa, whose mother was the daughter of William the Conqueror's brother, Robert, earl of Montaign, Eleanor was distantly related to her future husband Henry II (Rob. de Monte, p. 509).
William X, duke of Aquitaine, died at Compostella on Good Friday 1137. Before starting on his pilgrimage he had made arrangements for the marriage of his eldest daughter Eleanor to Louis, afterwards Louis VII, eldest son of Louis VI, king of France. By his will, which is preserved in an old chronicle, he bequeathed Aquitaine and Poitou to his prospective son-in-law. The younger Louis assumed the inheritance at Limoges (29 June 1137), and a few days later, probably on Sunday, 4 July, the marriage was celebrated at Bordeaux in presence of the nobles of Gascony, Poitou, and Saintonge (Chron, ap. Bouquet, xii. 115-16; Chron. of Tours, p. 1153; Geoffrey of Vigeois, pp. 304-5; Suger, p. 62). By this alliance the whole of south-west Gaul, from the borders of Brittany and Anjou to the Pyrenees, was added to the domams of the new French king (Will, of Newb. p. 102), who his father about 1 Aug. 1137 (Will. of Jumièges, p. 585).
On Easter aay 1146 Louis and Eleanor, moved by the eloquence of St. Bernard, took the cross and started on the crusade, after receiving the pope's blessing at St. Denys, on 8 June 1147 (Suger, pp. 126-7; Ono de Diogilo, 1205-10). The story that Eleanor raised a troop of armed ladies and rode at their head as an Amazonian queen (Strickland, pp. 298-9; Larrey, p. 59; for the origin of this myth, see Nicetas, De Manuele Comneno. p. 80, ed. Bekker, Bonn, 1835) seems to be as purely fabulous as the tales which relate her amours in the Holy Land with Saladin, who was at this time a mere boy of thirteen. It is, however, certain that during this expedition her character was compromised by an intrigue of some kind or other with her uncle, Raymond I, prince of Antioch. This may possibly be no more than the scandal attaching itself to a close intimacy with her kinsman, who was eager to divert the efforts of the crusading host to his own aggrandisement; nor does Suger's letter to the king, in which he commends him for concealing his anger against his wife till after their return to France, enumerate any definite charge. In the latter half of 1149 Eleanor joined her husband in Calabria, whence they returned to their own kingdom by way of Rome(Will, of Tyre, xiv. c. 27; Epp. Sugerii, pp. 518-19).
For more than two years Eleanor continued to live with her husband, and in this period bore him a daughter, Alice, afterwards married to Theobald, count of Blois (Vita Ludov. vii. 126). In 1151 or 1152 they established order in Aquitaine, on the return from which expedition the question of divorce was raised, perhaps for the second time (Chron. of Tours, pp. 1015-16). A church council held at Beaugency under the presidency of Samson, archbishop of Rheims, dissolved the marriage on the plea of consanguinity (21 March 1152), and some contemporary historians declare this action to have been taken with the approval of St. Bernard and Pope Eugenius (Vita Ludov. p. 127; Richard OF Poitiers, p. 101). Although long before the twelfth century came to a close it was currently reported that Louis repudiated his wife for adultery, it seems impossible to admit that such a charge was ever proved against her. The proceedings may perhaps have been due to Louis' disappointment in not having a son to succeed him. If we may trust an early chronicle of the next century, there was no lack of princes ready to espouse the divorced queen. At Blois a nasty night voyage saved her from falling into the hands of Count Theobald; at Tours, whither she fled from Blois, she narrowly escaped being seized by Geoffrey, the brother of her future husband (Chron. of Tours, 1616; cf. Will. of Newburgh,i. 171, and Walter Map, De Nug. Cur, p. 226). There is nothing improbable in these tales, but they probably belong to the same class as Brompton*s legend of her intrigue with Henry II's father, Geoffrey, which Walter Map accepts, although Geoffrey seems to have died m 1152 (Brompton, pp. 1044-5; Hist. Gaufredi, p. 292; Hen. Hunt. p. 283). All, however, that is certain is that she made her way to Poitiers, whence she sent an embassy to Henry, who had just succeeded his father as Count of Anjou and Duke of Normandy. Dazzled by the prospect of so brilliant an alliance, he accepted ner overtures and married her about Whitsuntide (Gervase of Cant. ii. 149; Rob. de Monte, p. 500).
Louis, who had hoped that his daughters would inherit the principality of their mother, now made war upon the young duke. A fever soon brought this contest to a close, and next year (1153) Henry was able to invade England. In 1154 he became king of England, and was crowned with his wife (17 Dec.) by Archbishop Theobald (Gervase of Cant. ii. 147-8, 159-60; Rob. de Monte).
Eleanor's second son, Henry, was born at London in March 1155, Matilda at London in 1156, Richard at Oxford in September 1157. Towards the end of 1158 she crossed over to Cherbourg, after Geoffrey's birth in September, to spend Christmas there with her husband. Eleanor was born at Falaise in 1161, Joan at Angers in October 1165, John in 1166 (Rob. de Monte, sub ann.)
In 1159 Henry attacked Toulouse under shelter of his wife's claims; and sixteen years later these claims were to some extent admitted, when Raymond V did homage to the king and his two elder sons at Limoges in February 1173 (Roger of Hoveden,i. 217, ii. 47; Brompton, p. 1051). During the long years of the Becket controversy Eleanor does not appear prominently; but a letter from John of Salisbury warns the archbishop that he must not look to the queen for help (1165). Five years later she seems to have been privy to the whole course of events relating to the coronation of the young Henry, and indeed to have had the business of detaining the young wife at Caen while her eldest son was being crowned in England laid upon her (Epp. Joh. Sarieb, ap. Bouquet, xvi. 242,431.)
The peculiar position in which Eleanor stood with regard to Aquitaine may have influenced Henry II when in 1168, after the revolt of the Counts of March and Aquitane , he left her in the disturbed district under the care of Count Patrick of Salisbury (Rob. de Monte, p. 517). Two years later it was at her intercession that the king invested his son Richard with the duchy (about August 1170) (Geoffrey of Vigeois, p. 318; Roger of Hoveden, ii. 5, 6). Her affection for her children induced her to abet them in the great rebellion of 1173, if indeed she was not, as some contemporary accounts assert, the prime mover of the revolt. Eleanor had prepared to follow her three elder sons in their flight, and had even put on man's attire to facilitate her escape, when she was seized by the king's orders and put under strict guard, from which she was not fully released till her husband's death sixteen years later (Gery. of Cant. i. 242; Rob. de Monte, p. 521). A letter is still preserved that must have been written about the spring of 1173, when she was already contemplating this step, in which the Archbishop of Rouen urges her to return to 'her lord and husband before things get worse,' and warns her that it is really herself and her sons that she is injuring by her conduct (Epp, Petri Bles. ap. Bouquet, xv. 630). For the next sixteen years the chroniclers are almost silent as regards the queen. Somewhere about Easter 1174 she was led into England along with her daughter-in-law. According to Geoffrey of Vigeois her place of confinement was Salisbury; another account makes it Winchester. Probably she was not treated with great severity, for though we find Henry negotiating with the papal legate (c. October 1175) about a divorce from his 'hated queen,' she was apparently still produced in public for occasions of ceremony. Thus she was present at the concord between Henry and his sons in December 1184; and in the following spring Richard restored Poitou to her at his fathers command. According to one writer she was released from prison in this year (1185) at the request of Baldwin, the newly elected archbishop of Canterbury. Possibly, too, the dying petition of the young king Henry (d. 11 June 1183), in which he entreated his father on behalf of his captive mother, may have softened the old king's heart; added to which, since the death of Rosamond (about 1176), he had perhaps no longer the same inducements to seek a divorce (Geoff, of Vig. p. 331; Rob. de Monte, p. 523; Gervase of Cant. i. 256; Roger of Hoveden, ii. 288, 304; De Morte &c, Henrici Jun. ap. Stevenson, Ralph of Coggeshall, pp. 267, 273).
The death of her husband (6 July 1189) freed Eleanor even from the semblance of restraint. In the days that elapsed before the coronation of Richard it was her efforts that secured the recognition of her son in England and the peace of the country. She made a royal progress through the land; she released the county prisoners from the gaols; and received oaths in her son's name. In earlier days men had seen the fulfilment of Merlin's prophecies when the 'eagle of the broken treaty' urged her sons to their revolt against her husband; now they found a more generous application of the prophecy, and imagined that in thus preparing for the coronation of her third-born son the same eagle 'was rejoicing in her third nesting' (Rog. of Hoveden, iii. 4; Ralph de Dic. ii. 67; cf. Rich, of Poitiers, ap. Bouquet, xii. 420; Epp, Joh. Sarisb. ap. Bouquet, p. 534).
In the spring of 1190 Eleanor accompanied her son and his betrothed bride, Alice of France, to Normandy. On 30 March 1191 she brought Richard's future wife, Berengaria of Navarre, to Sicily; and three days later started back home by way of Rome, where she had an interview with Pope Celestine III on the matter of Geoffrey's election to the see of York. The Christmas of this year she spent in Normandy at Bonneville. She reached Portsmouth 11 Feb. 1192 (Rich, of Devizes, p. 55). A little later in the same spring she prevented John from crossing to France, as she suspected he was meditating some treachery towards his brother. In the same spirit she exacted an oath of fealty from all the lords of the realm to the same king (Lent 1192). When the news of Richard's captivity arrived, she was the very soul of the resistance offered to the contemplated invasion of Philip and John. Her commands brought all the English, noble and ignoble, knights and rustics alike, to guard the south-eastern coast (Easter 1193). She assumed the custody of Wallingford Castle and Windsor from the doubtful fidelity of John, who had now returned to England (April). It was to her that Richard wrote his orders about the collection of his ransom, and it was with her seal that the money-bags were stamped for protection when it was raised. In December the king called her to his presence; at Mayence, on 2 Feb. 1194, she was present when the emperor displayed the fatal evidence of her youngest son's complicity in the plot against his brother; and lastly, it was into her keeping that the captive king was delivered two days later (Rog. of Hoveden, iii. 4, 5, 32, 95, 100, 179, &c.; Ralph de Dic.. ii. 67, &c.; Gervase of Cant. i. 515; Rich, of Devizes, p. 557).
In the same year she attended the great council of Nottingham (30 March 1194), and on 17 April was present at Richard's solemn recoronation in St. Swithin's Church, Winchestor. In 1198 she was accused of being privy to the attempted escape of Philip, bishop of Beauvais, Philip Augustus's cousin (Rog. of Hoveden, iii. 231, iv. 40-1).
It was owing to Eleanor's influence that Richard had consented to pardon his brother John; and on the death of this king (6 April 1199) the aged mother at once exerted herself to secure the succession of her youngest son. When the barons of Anjou declared for her grandson Arthur, she joined Richard's mercenary leader Marchadeus, and laid waste the district. Early in the next year, though now almost eighty years old, she started for Castile, to make arrangements for the marriage of Alfonso's daughter Blanche, her own grandchild, with Philip Augustus's son Louis, afterwards Louis VIII. On her return she spent Easter at Bordeaux (9 April), and soon alter, 'worn out with the toils of her journey and old age,' betook herself to the abbey of Fontevraud, which already sheltered the bodies of her husband and two of her children. From this seclusion she was called once more by the outbreak of war between John and Philip in 1202. She was staying at Mirabeau, with only a scanty guard, when her grandson Arthur, accompanied by Geoffrey de Lusignan and Hugh Brown, laid siege to the castle, and would have had to surrender had not the king, hearing of her position, made a night march to her assistance, and taken her assailants captive (about 30 July 1202). Two years later Eleanor died (1 April 1204), and was buried at Fontevraud (Will. of Newburgh, ii.424; Rog. of Hoveden, iii. 367, iv. 84, 89, 96, 107; Matt. Paris, ii. 488; Rigord, ap. Bouquet, xvii. 55; Ralph of Coggeshall, p. 135; Annals of Waverley, p. 256).
Eleanor had two children by her first husband, Louis VII: Mary (d. 1198), who married Henry, count of Champagne; and Alice, who married Theobald, count of Blois. Her sons by Henry II have been mentioned above, except her first-born, William (1153-1156). Her daughters by Henry were Matilda (1156-1189), who married Henry of Saxony; Eleanor (1162-1214), who married Alfonso III of Castile; and Joan (1165-99), who married first William II of Sicily, and secondly Raymond of Toulouse.
[Authorities quoted above. They are nearly all to be found in the great collections of Bouquet and Migne. William of Newburgh and the English historians are quoted from the Rolls Ser. edition; Geoffrey of Vigeois from Labbé, Bibliotheca MSS.; Robert de Monte from Perte, vol. vi. The Chronicle of Tours is printed in Martène and Dorand's Amplissima Collectio. Walter Map's De Nugis Curialium has been edited for the Camden Society by T. Wright. For Brompton see Twysden's Decem Scriptores. For the Historia Gaufredi in Marchegay's Comtes d'Anjou; Richard of Devizes for the English Historical Society.] [9]
Person ID I10826 Dickinson
Father Guillaume X d'Aquitaine, Duke of Aquitaine, Count of Poitou (VIII), b. 1099, d. 9 Apr 1137, Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain (Age 38 years)
Mother Eleonore de Châtellerault, Dss of Aquitaine, b. ca. 1100, Châtellerault, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France , d. After Mar 1130, Talmont, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France (Age ~ 30 years)
Family 1 Louis VII, King of the Franks, b. 1120, Paris, Île-de-France, France , d. 18 Sep 1180, Saint-Pont, Allier (Age 60 years)
Married 25 Jul 1137 Bordeaux Cathedral, Bordeaux, France [10, 11, 12, 13, 14]
Divorced 21 Mar 1152 Château de Beaugency, Beaugency, Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire, France [15, 16, 17, 18]
The marriage was annulled on grounds of consanguinity within the fourth degree. The synod of bishops convened at Beaugency Castle on 11 Mar 1152. The annulment was granted with papal approval on 21 March.
+ 1. Marie de France, Countess of Champagne, b. 1145, Paris, Île-de-France, France , d. 11 Mar 1198 (Age 53 years) [Birth]
+ 2. Alix de France, Countess of Blois, b. 1150, France , d. ca. 1197, France (Age 47 years) [Birth]
Family 2 Henry II, King of England, b. 5 Mar 1133, Palais de Comtes du Maine, Le Mans, Sarthe, France , d. 6 Jul 1189, Chinon Castle, Chinon, Indre-et-Loire, France (Age 56 years)
Married 18 May 1152 Poitiers Cathedral, Poitiers, Poitou-Charentes, France [4, 19, 20]
1. William of Poitiers, Comte de Poitiers, b. 17 Aug 1153, Poitiers, Poitou-Charentes, France , d. Apr 1156, Wallingford Castle, Wallingford, Oxfordshire (Age 2 years) [Birth]
+ 2. Henry the Young King, Duke of Normandy, b. 28 Feb 1155, Bermondsey Palace, Bermondsey, London, England , d. 11 Jun 1183, Martel Castle, Martel, Lot, Occitanie, France (Age 28 years) [Birth]
+ 3. Matilda of England, Duchess of Saxony, b. Jun 1156, London, England , d. 28 Jun 1189, Brunswick, Lower Saxony, Germany (Age ~ 33 years) [Birth]
4. Richard I, King of England, b. 8 Sep 1157, Beaumont Palace, Oxford, Oxfordshire, England , d. 6 Apr 1199, Châlus, Haute-Vienne, Limousin, France (Age 41 years) [Birth]
+ 5. Geoffrey II, Earl of Richmond, b. 23 Sep 1158, d. 19 Aug 1186, Paris, Île-de-France, France (Age 27 years) [Birth]
+ 6. Eleanor of England, Queen consort of Castile, b. Sep 1161, Domfront Castle, Domfront, Normandie, France , d. 31 Oct 1214, Burgos, Burgos, Castilla-Leon, Spain (Age ~ 53 years) [Birth]
+ 7. Joan of England, Queen of Sicily, b. Oct 1165, Château d'Angers, Angers, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France , d. 4 Sep 1199, Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France (Age ~ 33 years) [Birth]
+ 8. John I, King of England, b. 24 Dec 1166, The Tower of London, Tower Hamlets, London, Greater London, England , d. 19 Oct 1216, Newark Castle, Newark, Nottinghamshire, England (Age 49 years) [Birth]
Born - Abt 1124 - Château de Belin, Guienne, France
Married - 25 Jul 1137 - Bordeaux Cathedral, Bordeaux, France
Divorced - 21 Mar 1152 - Château de Beaugency, Beaugency, Loiret, Centre-Val de Loire, France
Married - 18 May 1152 - Poitiers Cathedral, Poitiers, Poitou-Charentes, France
Military - The War without Love - 1173 - 1174 - Limoges, Haute-Vienne, Limousin, France
Died - 1 Apr 1204 - Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France
Buried - - Fontevraud Abbey, Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, Maine-et-Loire, Pays de la Loire, France
[S336463] Medieval Lands: A prosopography of medieval European noble and royal families, Charles Cawley, (Online: The Foundation for Medieval Genealogy at http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/, 20XX), http://fmg.ac/Projects/MedLands/AQUITAINE.htm#Eleonoredied1204.
[S336466] Medieval France: An Encyclopedia, John Bell Henneman, Jr., Lawrence Earp, William W. Kibler, Grover A. Zinn, (New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1995).
[S336465] Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life, Alison Weir, (New York: Ballantine iBook, 2008).
[S23] The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England, Dan Jones, (New York: Viking, 2012), 30.
[S422] Richard I (English Monarchs Series), John Gillingham, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999), 41ff.
[S422] Richard I (English Monarchs Series), John Gillingham, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999), 47.
[S336465] Eleanor of Aquitaine: A Life, Alison Weir, (New York: Ballantine iBook, 2008), 635.
"On 1 April 1204,34 Eleanor 'passed from the world as a candle in the sconce goeth out when the wind striketh it.' She was eighty-two and her death went virtually unremarked in the chaos surrounding the collapse of the Angevin empire.'"
[S421] The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones, Thomas Asbridge, (New York: HarperCollins, 2014), 280.
[S336351] Dictionary of National Biography, 63 volumes, Sir Sidney Lee, ed., (New York: McMillan and Company, 1885-1900), Public Domain., vol. 17, 175-178.
[S336429] Britain's Royal Families: A Complete Genealogy, Alison Weir, (London: Vintage Books, 2008), 60.
[S420] The Crusades: The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land, Thomas Asbridge, (New York: HarperCollins, 2010), 206.
[S421] The Greatest Knight: The Remarkable Life of William Marshal, the Power Behind Five English Thrones, Thomas Asbridge, (New York: HarperCollins, 2014), 75.
[S422] Richard I (English Monarchs Series), John Gillingham, (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1999), 25-26.
"They had been married in 1137 when her father, Duke William X of Aquitaine, had died suddenly, and without sons, while on pilgrimage to Compestella. Eleanor's uncle Raymond, count of Tripoli, was ruler of one of the crusader states and too far away either to help her or to threaten to take her inheritance for himself. It was a sensible alliance for a fifteen-year-old old heiress deprived of her father's or an uncle's protection. Moreover contemporaries believed that, as a husband, Louis VII gave her love as well as protection. But as time went by the marriage turned sour."
[S20] The Knight Who Saved England: William Marshal and the French Invasion, 1217, Richard Brooks, (Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 2014), 42.
Year only.
[S436] Chroniques des Églises d'Anjou, Marchegay & Mabille, eds., (Paris: 1869).
Chronicæ Sanct Albini Andegavensis