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Bayview-Carling CDP, Claridge, condos, Dalhousie, design, Dows Lake, infill, intensificatioin
Charettes — or is it charades? — on the west side
The City of Ottawa's CDP on the Bayview-Carling area has long been an embarrassment. Not that its key worker bee has been lacking, but rather that the city has endlessly unfunded it, delayed it, postponed it, and frustrated it, while many of the prime lots have been spot rezoned, frequently from a two or four storey height to twenty, thirty, and now forty+ stories.
But there are many more sites yet to be rezoned, and the developers are lined up four deep for rezoning, so the City flew in its favourite swat team Urban Strategies, of Toronto.
Here are some impressions of the George Dark — direct from the Centre of the Universe — charette exercise. A charette is a fancy french word for a brainstorming exercise whereby a bunch of people gather around to discuss — and perhaps resolve — a design problem.
This was done by viewing overhead projections of some designs adopted by other cities that had similar problems. By hearing frequent anecdotes about how Toronto has already successfully solved our (much smaller) problems. And by gathering 'round a 6′ x 6′ printed out air photo of the neighborhood with styrofoam scale models of the approved high rises and a lifetime supply of generic apartment building models to be positioned around the map by George Dark or his colleague Eric. Although the lifetime supply ran out before the end of the first afternoon, and the model maker worked on for many hours over two days cranking out "another 18 storey" or "a six story plus two, set back", or "a fieldhouse, one loft with some two".
the base model, before the Helicopters started raining down new buildings onto the neighborhood. No one was hurt, though, as the new buildings were styrofoam and not brick.
I can't give a blow-by-blow account of the exercise, as it would be two days long. But here are some personal observations.
Mind your Wills and Mays
Mr Dark is a charming and eloquent person. He is likeable. And he has lots of experience in large scale development. Vocabulary is important. A lot could be gleaned by listening carefully. The area will get lots more highrises. There will be lots of intensification. We will have to adjust. There will be major changes. We — the residents — must change.
Developers may choose to provide this. They may include streetscaping. They may have underground parking. There may be landscaping behind the infills. The City may decide to add a park.
There's your opinion, and the right opinion
Several times during the presentation someone would say something along the lines that they liked what was here now, and why change, or that they didn't like something. Often, the moderator rolled with the comments and carried on smoothly. But more than once those comments elicted a sharp "well, that's your opinion, it's only one view, and others think differently". Someone playing along with the preferred dialogue of how many more buildings can we fit along the street, never got reprimanded, but did get elevated into the select club of "we think". A more than subtle nudge along the direction of correct thought according to Dark Vader.
Fortunately the Agenda 21 intervenor was ignored, and the Glebite who thought a stadium or Senators ice hockey rink would be perfect for Dows Lake got politely navigated by. It proved harder to avoid the lady who thought we should be discussing, in detail, all the possible options and their advantages for a Carling Avenue main LRT line from Kanata that would end at the corner of Carling and Preston.
I'll see you "four" and up it by "two"
Planning speak can be very curious. If a member of the public present said an area could accept be intensified from two stories to four (ie, stacked townhouses), Mr Dark would repeat out loud "four stories", thus informing the speaker that he or she had been heard. Within 30 seconds, George, warming up into the next paragraph, would summarize this as "four to six". About sixty to ninety seconds later he would pause in the middle of his new topic, and in a sotto voice, turn to his faithful assistant over by the big sheets of paper with coloured markers, wave his fingers, and say "six to eight". And thus the morning went by.
Planning is a sort of high stakes poker, with condo floors being the chips.
The first time I heard Mr Dark say "eight stories transitioning down to ten", I figured he had made a slip of the tongue. Obviously eight goes UP to ten. Or ten goes down to eight. But throughout the days, I heard this over and over again. Six transitioning down to eight. Sixteen down to eighteen. Words mean exactly what he means them to mean. Alice should have been a planner.
New Park Proposed
A lot of time was spent on the suggestion of a new major chunk of parkland along Beech Street, to occupy the entire block west of Champagne and north of the Emerald Tower, although at one time it was suggested that another building might be squeezed in between the Emerald and the Park. To acquire this park site would cost somewhere in the five to seven million dollar range, if we go by the selling price of similar lots in the area.
While the park idea was well received, it does create two park parcels bisected by Champagne. So another hour was spent speculating on how the City might have a closable street through there, or how one could possibly mitigate that, and what colour one might use to paint the bollards.
Note that there was no suggestion that a large development site be sacrificed to park land; that was specifically rule off the table. Can't be done, said George. However, the Beverley Apartments, modestly priced accommodation for the modestly waged, well that could go to create an urban playground for the better waged incomers who will live in those gleaming glass towers. As for those displaced residents — too bad, so sad.
The Great Wall of Carling grows a block deeper
Residents and observers of the rezoning applications along the Carling end of the neighborhood have frequently mentioned the proposed "wall" of high rise buildings along the street. Two twenty-something towers on the parking lot at Champagne. Three to five towers to replace Dow Motors. Soho Italia at 500 Preston (still somewhere around 30 floors), or Claridge's 505 Preston (42 stories), and a buncha unnamed ones continuing along Carling as one goes east.
Until recently, the CDP planning team had alluded to a single row of towers along Carling. Our concerns that they would merely be the first row of many more to come further north, were downplayed. Mr Dark had no such compunctions. Yup, build another row behind them. Or two. At least all the way to Adeline Street. And start to transition down from the thirty and forty floor towers on the south side of Adeline by putting more high rises on the north side (yup, twenty floors on the north side, in the "low rise" area, would be a nice transition down).
Rochester – the previously missed opportunity
All the residential streets running east meet Rochester along the edge of the NRCan properties. The abrupt change from mid and high rise office buildings to low rise residential creates and "uncertain" zone, ergo the houses have been converted to restaurants, or parking lots, and empty spaces, just waiting for a clever suggestion of what to build there. Domicile is first out of the gate, asking for 14 to 18 floors for a condo tower at Norman/Rochester. Dark's model maker promptly produced five more to fill up the end of every block ending at Rochester.
Once the 'low rise' central neighborhood area got bookended by a long line of high rises, it was pretty simply to toss in a few 20 story ones along Orange Street, adjacent to Ottawa's cute little airplane-sized-spirit-bottle Distillery Distict which would be fashioned out of the historic red brick Mineralogical Laboratory buildings (now vacant, condemned by gross contamination).
Once the row of Rochester high rises reached the current Preston Square development, three or more high rises were plopped onto the large parking lot between the successful Sakto development and the Prescott Tavern. Might as well throw in some six storey new buildings along Preston mainstreet too. And maybe behind them, throw in a few real high rises, sorta like the Adobe building lurking behind the successful row of shops immediately north. They simply won't be noticeable, we were informed.
Deja Vu 1950's, motor-centric Ottawa
I was very surprised by one of the urban strategies recommended. Not recommended, that's too passive a word. Maybe "earnestly sold" or promoted, over and over. I thought that catering to the car was passe, but it sprang up from its coffin, the wooden stake extracted, and the nightmare began: Dont build a pedestrian bridge over the OTrain at Hickory. Make it a road bridge. To "complete" the neighborhood grid (completeness, it seems is only visible thru the windshield of a car, but not perceptible by foot or bike). And the OTrain linear park, new home of the million dollar bikeway now under construction, is apparently unlike the Byron streetcar linear park in that this one will be improved by the addition for three to six new cross streets every 200′.
And that existing ped bridge at Young, get rid of it, put in a car bridge. And some new roads. Put one along the east side of the OTrain cut, to connect up those dead end streets to make it easier for motorists to circle the block looking for parking (actually said !). Can't we extend those other dead end streets over to join Railway Street on the west side of the cut? George wanted to extend almost all the streets over the cut. I say almost all, because he notably didn't want to extend those streets that would go through the high rise development sites along Champagne, only those that would deliver motorists to the low rise residential area.
Rentlentlessly criticized and hounded by residents, who continually came back to the undesirability of the Autowa plan, Mr Dark later conceded that the new north-south road might be more like a mews, a lane, cute, mixed use with kids playing on it. The east-west roads would be full size, though. I have no doubt that More Roads will be in the final report.
Why did he want that north-south road along the east side of the OTrain cut?…
Blockbusting revisited, and the Fonze jumps the tracks
Anyone experienced in urban planning exercises quickly learns the standard block busting methods used by cities and developers. Buy a property. Let it run down. Abandon it. Forget to turn off the water when winter comes. Declare it uninhabitable. Make sure it looks ugly. Someone sooner or later will report children nearby playing with matches. Soon the neighbors will applaud when some civic minded functionary suggests demolishing it.
I couldn't help but think of the analogy when dealing with the short dead end streets running west of Preston. They are short. Some with as few as six houses. More commonly, ten to fourteen houses, on 25′ lots. Most of the residents at the charette wanted these areas preserved for low rises — four floors or less. But the planners enthused about rebuilds along Preston going to six floors. And maybe a taller building behind, where they were be invisible to passers-by. And at the railway track end of the streets, why not intensify the block ends with some new apartments. Like 18 stories high. If you haven't done the math, the street is now left with very few low rises. And if someone in that short block should happen to apply for a higher building, why that's up to Council to decide in its wisdom whether that would be desirable. Calling Katherine Hobbs!
And those 18 story high rises, repeated at each dead end along the railway track, was why we need the new streets running along the OTrain corridor. And once Fonzie gets those Champagne high rises to "jump the tracks", the block busting is well underway.
Did I mention that major developer is suggesting an 18 storey high rise is appropriate for their site on Norman?
Leading the Charette, George Dark (at left) is flanked by Bob Fobert [Fotenn planning consultants], the head of Charlesfort the condo builders, and the head of Arnon corporation, the condo and office builders. In the foreground, a slightly discouraged-looking resident — hello Aline! — holds up her head.
Florida, Spike, and the Gang
Am I super-sensitive, or what? I was irritated each time we were told with some enthusiasm that Rod Lahey (architect of many of the glass towers) was moving into an older industrial building on Beech. This is definitely the stamp of approval, the Richard Florida creative -class blessing our previously obscure neighborhood. And he is following on the steps of Barry Hobin, also a landowner who has his offices here, and who was present but not captured in the photo above.
Lahey's office was represented at the meeting by a junior architect. Let's call him Spike. Who exuded confidence that his employer's new high rises would bless and elevate the neighborhood out of the dark ages. We would soon arrive at the gates of nirvana! You poor souls don't know how lucky you are. We do. We will refashion the neighborhood into a walkable live-work-play transit-oriented-utopia. He so looked forward to working in his new offices.
I got the impression at one point he was being paid to be at the meeting by the Dark crew itself, but surely after the city-planning-department-hiring-fotenn controversey, they couldn't have thought doing it through a subcontract would be less obvious. Could they?
Spike may change his mind in October, though, because I learned he actually lives in Greeley or some place exurban like that, and plans to drive to work everyday. Alas, the new Lahey premises don't seem to have any parking, but that's just a minor glitch for a site that is surely a retirement-nest-egg for the Lahey fortune. Another thirty story condo there would fund many a winter in Hawaii while the habitants slug through the snow on the five foot wide sidewalks.
Roderick Lahey, Architect's new offices, Florida North, come to Beech Street, in delightful proximity to the Prescott, such a quaint and cute place to observe the locals in their rapidly disappearing habitat
Of restrained smiles, grins of glee, and smirks
While observing George Dark work by the teams of architects and developers and city planners, I noticed that many of them were readily identified by their tight little smiles. Lips compressed. Often corners of the mouths turned down slightly. But still obviously happy, just not laughing out loud.
Whazzup? I wondered. Were they happy to be participating with the local peasantry, in a joint collaborate urban planning game of charette? Or were they grinning with glee at the positive snowstorm of styrofoam high rises scattering over every corner of the neighborhood? Or was it a smirk, of the I-know-something-you-don't school?
The "professionals" were readily separable from the locals whose most common posture was arms folded across their chests. Their frowns outnumbered smiles tenfold.
Of the city planners present, I thought they didn't share the smirk enthusiasm. More than once I saw frowns of dismay.
Big Cheeses don't smell when absent
The sessions were attended by the aforementioned residents and property owners and architects and developers and city planners and planners-for-hire.
Councillor Holmes dropped in three times. Her staff was present for the whole event. Of Councillor Hobbs and her staff — missing in action. Ditto Cherneschenko, and McCrae (the intersection of Carling and Preston is home to four wards, but most of the action is in Holmes and Hobbs' wards). The City's new policy planner chief boffinette came by to hear the opening remarks, but only a few weeks into the planning job, she didn't feel it was necessary to stay for long.
The NCC sent a representative, who talked rather freely and openly for a civil servant, although she strung so many four syllable abstract words together in each sentence there was a certain ambiguity to what she might have said. NRCan/Canada Lands Corp was represented by one of the hats worn by Mr Fobert-Fotenn, who was also present on behalf of several property owners, developers, and possibly the City planning department itself.
While planners worked inside, just outside City surveyor's were busy, giving the impression the City was acting promptly to implement the change.
Was the exercise worthwhile?
Well, yes. I learned something. That you could put an awful lot of high rises in a neighborhood if you really try. That what Ottawa really needs is a lot more of Toronto. That highrise condos selling for $450 a foot are the new definition of affordable housing. And that the people buying these new affordable homes will be delighted to pay yet more levies to improve the neighborhood, since the only way we may get local improvements is through the benevolence (or sec 37 extractions)of developers. There will be no real estate bust, esp. for condos.
The future is bright, and shiny, and made of glass. And is very very tall.
24 thoughts on "Charettes — or is it charades? — on the west side"
George Dark says:
Enjoyed reading this. Glad you mentioned the human society site application that was slated to be aquired by the city to expand the park in the secondary plan. If the city had aquired the site it would have been a single land base park expansion. Didn't happen for whatever reason and it was purcharsed by developers . The community and the plan needs a replacement idea for this , and the site worked on in the charette seems to make a lot of sense, and it needs a solid way to make sure it can be accomplished this time. The flex street is a design challenge i agree. But not an impossible one .
dh says:
As a members of the younger half of the generational split present at the drop-in, my wife and I think all of this is exciting. As long as there is good place-making, we don't car how tall buildings are. The more stuff in our neighbourhood will essential eliminate our already-little need for a car.
WJM says:
I don't own a car. Or a license. And I think extending the street grid for all modes – including automotive – is the way to go. Not just pedbridges.
Geoffrey Hall says:
Geoffrey Hall here, Planning Assistant in Councillor Hobbs' office. I was looking forward to attending both days in full, but I came down with a nasty cold on Tuesday and have been home sick since. Thanks for the post.
I only had time to drop in for a few hours yesterday, but they were disappointing. It felt like there was a lot of lecturing from the "experts" going on and not very much listening to what the community had to say. If that's what was going on the whole time, how can the report have any legitimacy?
So the north/south road east of the tracks wasn't something I misheard? Incredible. The short time I was at the charette I didn't hear the words "cycling," "walking" or "light rail" once — it was all about how the cars will get around, where to store the cars, etc. etc.
I feel that an amazing opportunity is being missed here, an opportunity to build a neighbourhood focused on walking, cycling and transit. We've got a traditional mainstreet, which with good planning could have all the amenities people need within a short walk. We've got light rail and excellent cycling connections for longer trips. Why be so car-centric?
I'm getting really tired of "experts" coming in to tell us how it's got to be in our neighbourhoods. I don't care how much education or experience someone has in the field of urban planning — that is not as important as the knowledge of someone who lives in the neighbourhood, who walks the streets everyday, who works in the restaurants and coffee shops, whose children play in the parks and attend the neighbourhood schools. These are the real experts. The point of a charette like this should be to draw out their knowledge, not to lecture them on how their neighourhood MUST change.
Charles A-M says:
How depressing. You've captured in great detail how 'urban planning' is used to take attractive, established, balanced communities and systematically gut them of anything that made them worthwhile in the first place, replacing well-aged housing stock with scores of high-rises that look just like any other high-rise 'neigbourhood' on the continent. Cars and condos, that's the name of the game—never dare to suggest that a developer doesn't have the right to squeeze every penny out of every square foot of the city!
This is exactly how I felt when I read this post. I also think it's a done deal. The developers come in and tell us all how it will go down and they will likely be right. And the condos will be snapped up by those who will think this is the new hip place to live in Ottawa. And given the proposed density it is going to be full of cars. So we have some people working hard at City Hall to make this a more bike-friendly city and we have developers who don't live here and who therefore couldn't care less about bikes or pedestrians. They really are running the show.
meganh says:
Heinous. I found the material advertising the charette to carry the message that the "professionals" would make the decisions during the day and the community could drop in after to see what was decided. To be fair, it did say that residents were welcome in the afternoon (so not the morning?), but the words 'community drop-in' for the evening slot inferred to me that they preferred I attend the evening review. And of course, doing this during the weekdays ensured that most residents were safe at work.
Marcus Quin says:
meghanh, over 100 people participated both days (morning, afternoon and evening) including residents who actually live in the study area and 'professionals'.
ZsO says:
Marcus, I would like to request that you deduct 2 from your list "over 100 people particiated". My husband and I went in the evening (locals dropping in), but did not participate because there was absolutely no way to participate. There were no comment sheets to fill in, absolutely no explanations why certain things were stuck on the wall, and all the pieces of the areal map and the foam buildings on it were moved around all the time.
This is my very first response to this blog that I read religiously, and I could say more about the charette, but will limit myself to this clarification of what it meant that "the community dropped in."
Who would pay to extend the roads across the O-train tracks? We *may* get some neighbourhood improvements through Sec 37 funds, but there *will* be another pile of money for helping cars cut through bike paths.
We've really been looking forward to both the bike path and the pedestrian bridge. We bike with our three year old to her daycare and have to get to Sherwood from Preston. The busy and narrow sidewalk along Carling to cross the OTrain tracks is no place for her wobbly biking, but that bridge would be.
A neighbourhood where kids can safely bike to daycare and to school? Sounds like a priority to me. Doubt that it was ever discussed (or, if it was, taken seriously) at the charette (I hope I'm wrong).
Don't worry all… they did a virtual walk around to understand the neighbourhood. Hmph.
David Chernushenko says:
Very interesting commentary Eric. Still, it's too bad that you were not there when I was. We could have talked. As for attendingmore of the sessions, when you have a more than full-time job dealing with Lansdowne Park, footbridges to be built and defended and committee and council meetings to attend, it doesn't leave much time to come to charettes that are not directly in your ward. Still, I explained to my family as I left for the fourth evening out of four away from my home that I simply had to attend. They tried to be understanding. You raise some excellent points, but you might do better to stay away from the personal shots. And my name is spelled Chernushenko – it can be Googled, it's on the city website and on several pages of the Citizen today. Yes, I am feeling a bit cranky . Coming down with a flu from working too hard. And tonight I will be at another public meeting on the proposed footbridge from Fifth to Clegg, aimed at better cycling and pedestrian linkages. That makes a 14-hour work day.
Good to see that you showed though it is mostly in another Councillor's ward. It's all our city after all. Take the weekend off!
fjf says:
Thanks for being the single vote on council against the pie-in-the-sky boondoggle toomfoolery that is the Lansdowne project. If only they valued the naming rights at $250 million they could have balanced everyone's books. My bet is that your objection will be vindicated in spades as the future unfolds.
I was going to critque you for taking a shot at Eric taking a shot at whomever but felt that to do so would be ungenerous, so I will avoid doing so. I would hope our urban area is big enough to contain both you and Eric – its a Florida thing if not a Jane Jacobs thing. And I am pretty sure Eric failed the test when he went for his bloggers license; if he had passed he would probably be working today as a columnist at the Globe and Mail.
Were there any photographs of the final Styrofoam diorama?
An demonstration of greed by developers and cold indifference towards the casualties next door.
A monument to the easy to slide one by city council of 2012 recorded for decades to come.
There are millions of dollars in view to sell. condo fees to follow. invest now! Pay later
Wallace says:
Maybe we should have asked this guy to run the charrette: http://blogs.ottawacitizen.com/2012/09/18/talking-tunneys-with-planning-guru-larry-beasely/. Better yet maybe the Planning Dept. could give him a contract to write the how-to manual on public engagement that they so desperately need.
Eric:
Thanks for the write up although I must admit it makes for depressing reading.
What really needs to happen here is for the citzenry, the taxpayers, the folks that foot the bill (financial and lifestyle impacts), get together over their own 6′ x 6′ photo map and put together a planning outline that actually works for them, not for the come-from-away carpetbaggers looking to make a lot of money out of imposing misery on the people who created the neighbourhood in the first place.
Poster Michelle speaks above of a neighbourhood where kids could safely bike to school. I was hoping that was the direction you were going to take with the tri-partite series on infill – an in depth examination of how to go about building a neighbourhood independent of the car, one where the primary means of transport is self-locomotion, one in which the design is implemented in such a way as to ensure the required amenities are within pedestrian/cycling range.
You had an image in one of the serial posts that showed european worker housing (the potato fields) that had been redeveloped into a compact ped-friendly urban area. I looked at that image and thought no cars, quiet, child safe streets, nearby food strores, nearby transit, and even better nearby occupational locations.
Since it is hard for folks to schedule real time attendence at a planning meeting how about conducting it online via your blog? Take your neighbourhood and set out some defintions and criteria and then see what the readership is able to contribute. My hunch is that your readership is likely to be far more creative and insightful than the Dark forces at work at the charette. With 8 transitioning down to 100 how much worse could it get?
Thank you for taking the time to attend the session and write up this post. It makes it easier for the rest of us to understand how our city works.
So much negativity on this thread! I can't believe how miserable some of you are. The City is going to grow and the only way to accommodate people's transportation needs without widening the Queensway to 16+ lanes and gobbling up more suburban land is to start putting LOTS and LOTS of people and jobs near high-quality transit. If you're so passionate then you should have taken a day off work and expressed your thoughts at the charette. Provide constructive criticism to the City and respectfully let them know what you like and what you don't like – that's all you can do. If you only provide negative comments with suggestions that don't make sense to the greater good of the city, you're not helping and you will probably be ignored. The City probably only ever hears the complaints and us people in support remain quiet thinking "it's fine with me, carry on". Myself and other friends in the neighborhood disagree with a few details for Carling station, such as a few misplaced high-rises and new roads, but overall we are very excited and open to the change because it will bring along loads of amenities we can walk to and enjoy. Gladstone station is next and will likely get a similar treatment. There's a lot more underused land around that [future] station. There are currently no high-rises there so some of you better change your diapers because I can totally see that area undergoing a massive transformation. Why not?
Eric B. says:
I completely disagree – any seized opportunity to reduce car usage and dependency is a step in the right direction, for more reasons than one!
Change is inevitable, plain and simple. That means taking brownfields, old housing stock, old buildings, etc., and turning them into dense housing or mixed-use buildings. We have exactly that happening in the Carling-Preston area. It means we're going to get tall condo towers, and there's little we can do about it. Unfortunately, Ottawans are afraid of heights, and I believe that City is tired of getting the usual NIMBY attitude from its citizens. So rather than consult residents, it has turned to informing, or lecturing, such as was the case at this Design Charette. It's a missed opportunity on both sides. What the City should have made clear is that density and height are coming to the area – now, how can we make it work? Then, residents could have avoided complaining about height and density, and instead, focused on how to keep cars to a mininum; preserve green space; make walking and cycling #1; make the proposed high-rises include mixed-use components (ie. offices and services), etc. Unfortunately, residents always focus on the wrong thing, and now, the City's heard enough… our own fault I suppose…
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Out of Options in Egypt
by Daniel Greenfield
Back during the early days of the Tahrir Square protests I wrote:
59 percent of Egyptian Muslims want democracy and 95 percent want Islam to play a large part in politics. 84 percent believe apostates should face the death penalty. That is what Egyptian democracy will look like. A unanimous majority that wants an Islamic state and a bare majority that wants democracy. Which one do you think will win out? A democratic majority of the country supports murdering people in the name of Islam. Mubarak's government does not execute apostates or adulterers. But a democratic Egypt will. Why? Because it's the will of the people.
Here we are almost a year later and we have gotten the democratic Egypt that anyone who understood the realities of the region should have expected. An Egyptian parliament divided between the Salafists and the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a country divided between the Islamists who want to chop off heads now and the Islamists who think that it's wiser to consolidate their power before chopping off heads.
The purpose of this article is not to berate the leftists and leftover neo-conservatives who supported the overthrow of Mubarak in the name of democracy. It's a waste of breath and time. Ideologues who are committed to an ideology that explains the world in a way that seems moral and right do not stop what they are doing just because the consequences are disastrous.
Now they want us to intervene in Syria. Who else wants us to intervene in Syria? The Emir of Qatar, better known as the man behind Al Jazeera, which pushed the whole Arab Spring lie into an international myth to overthrow non-Islamist regimes across the region. The Emir is tipping his hand a little transparently by calling for troops to invade Syria instead of sitting back and letting his Al-Jazeera propagandists do the hard work of selling the West on an independent democracy movement, but the pro-democracy crowd isn't paying attention.
They didn't pay attention no matter how many times they were told that the Muslim Brotherhood was the dominant force behind the "pro-democracy uprising" and that they would be the beneficiaries if Mubarak were overthrown. It was all just noise to them. Democracy would conquer all and the same Twitter activists they were so chummy with would write the new constitution.
So here we are down the long road and Egyptian democracy wears a sword and a burqa. "I've got to hand it to the MB. They have played this revolution like a fiddle. And still do. Brilliant work." That quote comes from Sandmonkey, one of the favorite activists of a lot of the bloggers and pundits endorsing the removal of Mubarak. There's no more room for illusions. Supporting the removal of Mubarak was a mistake and it's time to admit it and look at the available options.
Option 1. Pretend the Muslim Brotherhood or some wing of it is moderate. This is the approach on the left which is busy explaining that the Muslim Brotherhood is our best hope for restraining the Salafists and that the moderate Salafists are the best hope for restraining the extremist Salafists. These are the people who locked up with a tribe of cannibals would start dividing the cannibals into moderates and extremists, and feeding the moderates their own fingers to keep the extremists at bay.
Option 2. Pretend that the Brotherhood will comply with the democratic process long enough for Egyptian liberals to get their act together and start winning elections. Let's call this strategy reading Locke to the cannibal tribe. And it comes from the same people who thought El Baradei would be ushering in a new age of democracy in Egypt right about now.
Option 3. Back the Egyptian military and support their use of whatever means necessary to stay in power and exercise absolute power. Not a pretty sentence I know. It means backing the people behind the virginity tests and plenty of things uglier than that. It means doing what we were doing all along, backing Arab dictators who sneer at human rights and rob the country blind. It's also the only option on the table.
Now I don't just mean it's the only option on the table if you're worried about the rise of Islamists and the transformation of Egypt into another Iran. I mean it's the only option that actually exists.
You can support the Muslim Brotherhood, the Egyptian military, or El Baradei and a magic troop of dancing democracy gnomes, and the end result will still be another dictatorship backed by a secret police that terrorizes dissidents and robs the country blind. That's the only form of government that exists across the Muslim world.
There are minor variations in this form of government. In Iran the oligarchy that runs the country and robs it blind is explicitly Islamic. In Egypt it's military. In Turkey it's a group of Islamist tycoons. In Afghanistan it's a bunch of warlords. The details don't matter that much, except that the Islamists use some of that money they steal to finance terrorism against us and they're usually more repressive than the secular or semi-secular alternative.
There is no option on the list that turns Egypt into a secular state with respect for human rights. It was never going to happen. It's not going to happen now. If the Muslim Brotherhood does put the military in its place and takes complete control, then it will just be one oligarchy replacing another. And the oligarchy will have a short distance to go because it already exists. Either way protesters will be beaten bloody and the secret police, most of the same secret police, will be out there dealing with dissidents.
Option 3 is the only real option and it isn't a promising one. The Brotherhood genie is out of the bottle and the Egyptian military is not the secular force that the Turkish military was. It has no real interest in restraining the Brotherhood which is its leverage against us and any of our democracy projects. Nevertheless it's the only option on the table because the Obama alternative is to continue pushing for Egyptian democracy which feeds power directly to the Brotherhood, as opposed to backing the military which feeds power to the Brotherhood indirectly.
When things have been screwed up enough there are no longer any good options. There is only a list of lesser evils. To true believers in the universally salvific powers of democracy, allowing the Muslim Brotherhood to claim power is a lesser evil to admitting that maybe the ballot box reflects the will of the people, not some spiritual power that grants human rights and freedom for all. They are all for giving the process more time to work. Which it will. It will go on working the same way.
Whatever veneer of law and secularism that Egypt had was not innate, it was carried over from its colonial period. The Egyptian military and some of Cairo's wealthy families and intellectuals were somewhat more modern because they were Western influenced, not because they represented some indigenous wellspring of modernity. Democracy brought out the will of the people for Islam. More democracy means more Islam.
Given democracy the Palestinian Arabs chose Hamas. Given democracy the Tunisians chose the Islamist Ennahda thugs. Given democracy the Egyptians chose the Salafists and the Brotherhood. The pattern is not hard to make out. The process can continue with the same exact results over and over again until we get it. Not until they do. We will run out of skyscrapers and children before they realize that Islam isn't the answer to all their problems and ours.
As long as most Muslims go on believing that their rights and societies are best safeguarded by Islam rather than by a system that protects individual rights without prejudice than this process will repeat itself endlessly. And that is their problem, our problem is keeping ourselves safe while they experiment with using texts written by mass murdering bigoted rapists as the basis for a civil society.
The Bush era idea that doing what is best for them will also be best for us is wrong on multiple levels. Our first duty is to do what is best for us, which is truer than ever because there is nothing really that we can do which is best for them. Only they can make those choices which will uplift them. And until they make those choices and are ready to join the community of civilized peoples, then our only task is to do what is best for our peoples and our nations.
There is nothing wrong with supporting tyranny in Egypt, if the alternative is an even worse tyranny briefly sanctified by the ballot box. There is nothing wrong with shutting down a process which will see Egypt's remaining Christians purged and its women locked away. There is nothing wrong with slamming the door on those who would kill us because their holy book tells them it is their path to paradise. There is nothing wrong with supporting a regime that will not make war against us, no matter how undemocratic it might be. Our first duty is not to alien democracies of terror, it is to our own lives and freedoms.
Source: http://frontpagemag.com/2012/01/17/out-of-options-in-egypt/
Posted by Sally Zahav at 12:17 AM
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Mary Jane Johnston
Thomas James Johnston
1843 - before 1931 (< 88 years)
Birth 23 March 1843 County Donegal, Ireland
Died before 30 May 1931 probably, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Buried 30 May 1931 Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Family/Spouse Mary Jane Currall, b. before 26 June 1845, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Married 19 November 1864 Ipswich, Queensland, Australia
+ 1. Mary Jane Johnston, b. 21 December 1864, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
2. Fanny Johnston, b. 18 November 1866, Queensland, Australia
3. Harriet Elizabeth Johnston, b. 6 November 1868, Queensland, Australia
4. Josephine Johnston, b. 21 September 1872
5. Sarah Beatrice Johnston, b. 25 June 1879, Queensland, Australia
6. Thomas Henry Alexander Johnston, b. 21 May 1880, Queensland, Australia
7. Robert George Johnston, b. 16 August 1881, Queensland, Australia
8. William Albert Johnston, b. 30 August 1884, Queensland, Australia
9. Samuel Walker Johnston, b. 12 October 1887, Queensland, Australia
Mary Jane Currall
before 1845 - before 1916 (< 71 years)
Birth before 26 June 1845 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Died before 23 October 1916 probably, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Buried 23 October 1916 Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Family/Spouse Thomas James Johnston, b. 23 March 1843, County Donegal, Ireland
Birth 27 August 1863 Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Died before 5 July 1937 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Buried 5 July 1937 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Father George Philp or Phillips, b. before 17 December 1813, Carnock, Fife, Scotland
Mother Elizabeth Frazer, b. before 19 April 1818, Dollar, Clackmannanshire, Scotland
Family/Spouse 1 Sarah Ann Herdsman, b. 1 November 1866, of, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Married 24 October 1885 of, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. George Peter Phillips, b. 18 January 1887, of, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
+ 2. Eliza Winifred Phillips, b. 21 April 1889, of, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
3. Ilma Annie Phillips, b. 10 July 1891, of, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Family/Spouse 2 Mary Jane Johnston, b. 21 December 1864, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Married 30 December 1893 Paddington, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
1. Mary Olive Phillips, b. 5 March 1895, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
2. John Herbert Phillips, b. 3 May 1897, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
3. Clarice Margaret Evelyn Phillips, b. 31 August 1899, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
+ 4. Frank James Phillips, b. 29 August 1901, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
5. Leonard Thomas Phillips, b. 11 January 1906, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Mary Olive Phillips
1895 - Yes - date unknown
Birth 5 March 1895 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died Yes - date unknown
Father John Phillips, b. 27 August 1863, Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland
Mother Mary Jane Johnston, b. 21 December 1864, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Family/Spouse Francis Frederick Hill, b. 5 May 1894, Queensland, Australia
Married February 1922
John Herbert Phillips
Birth 3 May 1897 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died 17 October 1900 Queensland, Australia
Buried after 17 October 1900 Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Clarice Margaret Evelyn Phillips
Birth 31 August 1899 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died before 10 December 1973 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Buried 10 December 1973 Mount Gravatt Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Family/Spouse Eber Ezna Bathe, b. 25 May 1888, Queensland, Australia
Frank James Phillips
Died 5 July 1977 Camp Hill, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Buried 7 July 1977 Mount Thompson Crematorium, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Family/Spouse Violet May Pascoe, b. 21 December 1906, of, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Married 12 December 1929 of, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Leonard Thomas Phillips
Birth 11 January 1906 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died 19 February 1944 Burma
Family/Spouse Monica Josephine O'Brien, b. 19 November 1910, Queensland, Australia
Married 13 June 1936
Family/Spouse
Personal Information | Media | Sources | Event Map | All | PDF
Born 21 December 1864 Sydney, New South Wales, Australia [1, 2]
Died 9 February 1945 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia [1]
Buried 10 February 1945 Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia [1, 3, 4]
Person ID I6899 Roger
Last Modified 22 August 2006
Father Thomas James Johnston, b. 23 March 1843, County Donegal, Ireland , d. before 30 May 1931, probably, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Age < 88 years)
Mother Mary Jane Currall, b. before 26 June 1845, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia , d. before 23 October 1916, probably, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Age < 71 years)
Family/Spouse John Phillips, b. 27 August 1863, Stirling, Stirlingshire, Scotland , d. before 5 July 1937, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Age < 73 years)
Married 30 December 1893 Paddington, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia [2]
Alternate Wedding 31 December 1893 Paddington, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia [1]
1. Mary Olive Phillips, b. 5 March 1895, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia , d. Yes - date unknown
2. John Herbert Phillips, b. 3 May 1897, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia , d. 17 October 1900, Queensland, Australia (Age 3 years)
3. Clarice Margaret Evelyn Phillips, b. 31 August 1899, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia , d. before 10 December 1973, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Age < 74 years)
+ 4. Frank James Phillips, b. 29 August 1901, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia , d. 5 July 1977, Camp Hill, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia (Age 75 years)
5. Leonard Thomas Phillips, b. 11 January 1906, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia , d. 19 February 1944, Burma (Age 38 years)
Last Modified 15 March 2009
Born - 21 December 1864 - Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Married - 30 December 1893 - Paddington, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Alternate Wedding - 31 December 1893 - Paddington, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Died - 9 February 1945 - Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Buried - 10 February 1945 - Toowong Cemetery, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
Pin Legend
Picture of Mary Jane Johnston, wife of John Phillips
Picture of Mary Jane Johnston
Headstone of the Johnston Family
Headstone in the Toowong Cemetery with some of the Johnston family members listed on it.
[S15] GEDCOM File "Joan.ged", from Joan van't Wout.
[S892] Descendants of Thomas James Johnston, sent by Sue Madden.
[S899] Photo of Johnston Family Tombstone, supplied by Sue Madden.
[S900] eMail message titled "Mary Jane", from Sue Madden.


Question:My RV is a 1983 Ford Jamboree. I began boondocking for about 6 weeks now.
There are two water inlet holes next to each other on the driver side of my vehicle does this mean i have two separate fresh water tanks and if so when one runs dry how do i switch to the other one.
I added a photo to make things a bit clearer.


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text:
Bill Jenkinson Speaks to Babe's Humanity
Home → The Humanitarian → Bill Jenkinson Speaks to Babe's Humanity
In June of 2010, Babe Ruth was inducted into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame in Boise, ID. On the night of the event, Babe Ruth was introduced by long-time Ruth and Baseball historian and author, Bill Jenkinson. Bill was kind enough to share that speech with our Babe Ruth fans. Thanks Bill!
Tribute To Babe Ruth's Humanity:
Renowned sportswriter Tommy Holmes of the Brooklyn Eagle and New York Herald-Tribune once wrote:
"Some 20 years ago, I stopped talking about the Babe for the simple reason that I realized that those who had never seen him didn't believe me."
Wow, can I relate to that!
Whether talking about Babe's nearly superhuman athletic ability, his legendary showmanship, his extraordinary charisma or his seemingly endless charitable and humanitarian activities, the tale indeed sounds like fiction. Upon Ruth's death in 1948, famed New York Times columnist Arthur Dailey expressed a similar sentiment:
"Writing about Babe Ruth is akin to trying to paint a landscape on a postage stamp. The man was so vast, so complex and so totally incredible that he makes mere words so puny and insignificant. They say that truth is stranger than fiction. So was Ruth. No Hollywood scenarist would dare borrow fragments of the Babe's life for use in a plot. They would seem much too fantastic for belief."
So, here we are sixty-two years later, engaging in the joyous ritual of honoring Babe Ruth as a humanitarian. We start by acknowledging that George Herman Ruth was a naturally nice person. Yes, he was a tough kid, growing up wild and reckless on the waterfront streets of Baltimore, resulting in behavior that placed him in a reform school at age seven. Yet, where some boys might have become embittered, not so with young George. He established a demonstrable record of kindness and gentleness for fellow residents, especially with the younger boys as he personally grew into his teenage years.
When he became a professional ball player at age nineteen, Ruth was coarse and crude, but what else could be expected from a youth with such an emotionally crippling background? In those early years, he did struggle to balance his newfound freedom and notoriety, but was never known to be hurtful or mean-spirited. It just wasn't in Babe's nature to cause sadness to other human beings. As he matured, Babe Ruth evolved into one of the most charitable and generous souls that anyone could ever meet.
Babe Ruth became actively involved with at least 42 different charities and organizations whose purpose was to serve their fellow man. He regularly visited hospitals, orphanages, prisons, schools, sanitariums and other similar institutions. During a visit to Hawaii In 1933, he spent time at a leper colony despite warnings from local authorities.
In fact, Babe was the first prominent American athlete to regularly participate in philanthropic activities. Certainly, there were kind-hearted athletes prior to Ruth, but, for whatever reasons, they just didn't do the things that the Babe did. Essentially, every socially active athlete since Babe Ruth has followed in his footsteps. And please do not indulge in the myth that these activities were performed for notoriety. Dozens of Ruth's associates have gone on record saying that for every such publicized event, there were, at least, twenty that went unnoticed except to the beneficiaries.
Babe Ruth made it a habit to champion any worthy cause. Although of German descent, he spoke out against Nazi Germany long before it became fashionable. He sold war bonds throughout World War II, and, when he became terminally ill soon after that great conflict, he volunteered to receive experimental treatment which put his life at risk for even earlier death. Even in his passing, Babe found a way to help mankind. And, even though most modern Americans are unaware of Ruth's contribution to race relations, it was a very important part of his life.
As early as 1918, at age 23, Ruth began his long journey to integrate Major League Baseball. Men of color from Ruth's day were well aware of Babe's efforts on their behalf, and, to a man, told me in numerous interviews of their heartfelt appreciation. In fact, the historical evidence strongly suggests that Babe Ruth did not achieve his lifelong dream of managing a Big League team because of his advocacy of integration.
Some of Ruth's biographers have implied that he was not hired due to his lack of personal discipline. After years of research, I can lay that fiction to rest. First, when on the ball field, nobody played with more discipline and courage than Babe Ruth. Second, although the Babe liked to party, I can state unequivocally that most stories of Ruth's rowdiness are vastly exaggerated. Most importantly, I have confirmed that at least half of the franchise owners of Ruth's day, including Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert, extolled Babe's qualifications to manage. I am convinced that it never happened because Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis knew that Babe Ruth would have advocated the inclusion of African-American players on any team that he managed.
In the matter of race, Babe Ruth was simply color blind. Wherever he went around the world, including Latin America and the
Far East, the Babe loved everybody and everybody loved him. He had the extraordinary capacity to make people of every background and ethnicity feel good about themselves, and this reminds us of Babe Ruth's greatest legacy. Somehow, this unlikely fellow imbued his fellow man with hope.
Everybody knew his story, and understood his flaws. They saw a man who regularly experienced adversity. He battled weight problems, he became ill, he suffered injuries. Early in his career, Ruth was suspended for different reasons, and, during his entire career, he frequently struck out. But, no matter what happened, he always picked himself up and swung for the fences. People loved him for that. Despite the fame and fortune that he eventually earned, everybody related to Babe Ruth. They were one with him. Folks who were sick or "down and out" would look at Babe, and say to themselves: "If that poor kid from the streets of
Baltimore can overcome his problems, so can I." But when they couldn't quite get the job done themselves, it was Babe Ruth who they often turned to when help was needed most.
Many folks, even today, have heard the story of young Johnny Sylvester of
New Jersey. In 1926, he was very ill, and, desperate for hope, his family reached out to Babe Ruth who was playing in St. Louis during the World Series. After hearing about Johnny's dire condition, Ruth recorded three prodigious home runs, thereby infusing Sylvester with such positive energy that he immediately began to rally. Upon returning to New York, Babe delayed the start of his first barnstorming game to personally visit Johnny at his bedside. He eventually made a complete recovery. But doesn't that all sound rather fantastic?
Well, it really happened that way, and it is amazing that this scenario occurred over and over again. In that same year, young Billy Kennedy of
Massachusetts was pinned against a gasoline pump during an auto accident. According to the Boston Globe: "Little hope was entertained for the recovery of the boy." However, Billy's dad contacted Babe Ruth, and requested an autographed ball. Babe complied, and upon receipt of the gift, the little fellow quickly began to recover. Naturally, Ruth met with Billy at their first opportunity. These requests from the very ill were a regular part of Babe Ruth's life. When he arrived at Forbes Field on May 25, 1935, where he hit the final three home runs of his fabulous career, Ruth had a message waiting for him from a frantic mother. Once more, there was a dangerously sick child who needed him. Babe's fortunes were slipping downhill at that moment, but, before taking the field, he made careful arrangements to insure the child's well-being.
It is difficult to imagine how stressful it would be to carry such a burden: knowing each day that someone was likely to reach out to you in the hope that you could either save them or someone that they held dear. But this was the life that Babe Ruth willingly embraced. In 1928, when traveling by train through the Mid-West on a barnstorming tour, a man suffered a heart attack. Babe was not trained to deal with such medical crises, but, when professional help boarded the train at the next stop, they discovered that Ruth had struggled valiantly for thirty minutes to save the man's life.
That leads directly to the oddest incident in Major League history. On May 19, 1929, a violent thunderstorm roared past Yankee Stadium, causing the players to run for cover and the game to be delayed. Tragically, there was a stampede for an exit in the right field bleachers, whereupon hundreds of fans were injured, two mortally. Seventeen-year-old Eleanor Price was one of them, and she was carried unconscious across the playing field by a policeman. Babe Ruth saw their approach, and immediately shouted into the stands for a doctor. One gallant physician stepped forward, but he had no equipment with which to help.
So, young Eleanor was carried into the Yankee clubhouse, and when the emergency personnel entered, they found her in Babe Ruth's arms as he rubbed her head, imploring her to live. When medical intervention was not possible, it had been decided that her best chance was for someone to raise her spirits. Who better than Babe Ruth to do that? It was an impossible task; Eleanor's injuries were so massive that she never had a chance. Babe probably sensed that, but he tried anyway. And when he failed, he couldn't overcome his sense of loss. Within a fortnight, Ruth suffered a nervous breakdown which forced him out of the lineup for three weeks.
As always, he resumed carrying his burdens, and continued being Babe Ruth. But, isn't it difficult to truly comprehend all this? Even though we know by way of careful research that these things actually happened, they still seem implausible. Like Tommy Holmes and Arthur Dailey, whose quotes we heard at the outset, I have given up trying to explain Babe Ruth. Unlike them, I haven't stopped talking about him. I know that many folks won't believe what they hear, but I still enjoy trying.
Babe Ruth is an American original. He belongs to all of us. If someone chooses not to invite him into their heart, it is their loss. If Babe Ruth had not existed, we would almost certainly have invented him, just like other fictional heroes who make us feel good…characters like Paul Bunyan and Superman.
But, thankfully, Babe Ruth did exist. His elegant daughter Julia is with us tonight as proof. Despite his imperfections, Babe left us a legacy of extraordinary kindness, courage, hope and almost unbelievable optimism. Okay, he wasn't a choir boy, but he didn't have to be. Ruth left the entire world significantly happier as a result of his all-too-brief time on earth. He instilled us with joy and wonder about just being ourselves. We will never see his like again, and very few others who embody true humanitarianism as did Babe Ruth.
Bill Jenkinson, Baseball Historian
Speaking at the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame
On January 14, 2012 / The Humanitarian / Leave a comment
Tags: Babe Ruth, Babe Ruth and Kids, Babe Ruth Humanitarian, Babe Ruth Love of Fans


text:
Amazon, Buffett, JPMorgan Pick Gawande To Lead Health Firm
June 21, 2018 By Tom Murphy, AP Health Writer
Three corporate giants seeking to attack rising health care costs have turned to a Harvard professor who has written books about the system's many flaws.
Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway have named Dr. Atul Gawande CEO of a venture the companies announced earlier this year: an independent company focused on improving the care delivered to their employees while doing a better job of managing the expense.
Health care researchers have said any solutions produced by this new undertaking will spread well beyond the estimated 1 million workers the three companies employ in the United States. Businesses that provide employee health coverage are eager to find solutions for costs that have been squeezing their budgets for years.
Berkshire Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett has described health costs as a "hungry tapeworm on the American economy." And the leaders of the three companies see a lot they want to fix, even though they have said little yet about how that will be done.
"We said at the outset that the degree of difficulty is high and success is going to require an expert's knowledge, a beginner's mind, and a long-term orientation," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in a statement Wednesday. "(Gawande) embodies all three, and we're starting strong as we move forward in this challenging and worthwhile endeavor."
In this Oct. 13, 2016, file photo, Dr. Atul Gawande, left, listens as President Barack Obama speaks during a panel discussion at the White House Frontiers Conference at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway are turning to well-known author and Harvard professor Gawande to transform the health care they give their employees. The three corporate titans said Wednesday, June 20, 2018, that Gawande will lead an independent company that focuses on a mission they announced earlier this year: figure out ways to provide high-quality, affordable care. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
JPMorgan Chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon outlined several priorities for the new venture in an April letter to shareholders. He said it will look for ways to help employees make better choices for their care and give them the best options available. It will develop better wellness programs, particularly focused on obesity and smoking, which account for chronic diseases like cancer, heart disease and depression.
Dimon said the new company also will study why some costly and specialized medicines are often over- or under-utilized and the "extraordinary" amount of money spent on often unwanted care at the end of a patient's life.
Gawande wrote a 2014 book, "Being Mortal," that focused on aging and death. In it, he noted that people "live longer and better than at any time in history."
"But scientific advances have turned the process of aging and dying into medical experiences, matters to be managed by health care professionals," he wrote. "And we in the medical world have proved alarmingly unprepared for it."
Gawande is surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a professor at both Harvard's medical school and its school of public health. He said in a statement Wednesday that he has devoted his career in public health to building solutions for better care delivery, and that while the current system is broken, "better is possible."
Employer-sponsored insurance covers about 157 million people, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. That's nearly half the total U.S. population and the biggest slice of the country's patchwork health insurance market.
Neither the companies that offer health coverage nor many of the employees that use it are happy with how the system currently works. Rising costs have pushed employers to hike deductibles and other costs for their workers. Companies are asking them to pay more of their care bills and to shop around for better deals. Many patients, especially the sickest, struggle with that.
Amazon, JPMorgan and Berkshire said in late January that the initial focus of their new company will be on technology that provides simplified, high-quality and transparent care "at a reasonable cost."
Amazon's participation and customer-first focus will be crucial, according to Brian Marcotte, CEO of the National Business Group on Health, a nonprofit that represents large employers.
He noted that employers already offer ways to help patients shop for care or see a doctor remotely through telemedicine. But people don't use this technology unless they need it, so they haven't grown comfortable with it.
That could change if they go through a well-known platform like Amazon, which could then reach into its vast trove of customer data to personalize the shopping, Marcotte said. If, for instance, you are a runner considering knee surgery, Amazon could lay out the best or common practices for your condition and maybe show that surgery isn't your only option.
"It's not only reaching people in the moment, it's the possibility to reach people with relevant personalized messaging that will engage them," Marcotte said.
Gawande starts his new role July 9. His company will be based in Boston.
AP writers Joseph Pisani and Josh Funk contributed to this report from New York and Omaha, Nebraska, respectively. Murphy reported from Indianapolis.


We deliver flowers from 9am to 4pm, Monday to Friday and 9am to 11:30am Saturday. Unfortunately we do not deliver on Sundays. If an order is received for a Sunday it will be delivered the next working day.
Same day deliveries are available when ordering before 1pm available on a product, orders received after this time will be delivered the next working day.


text:
Emily's Bridge
New England covered bridge where a jilted lover is said to have hung herself before haunting it.
Left: Emily's Bridge in Stowe, VT http://www.OddThingsIveSeen.com (J.W. Ocker)
Right: intrepidfox (Atlas Obscura User)
intrepidfox (Atlas Obscura User)
Most of the covered bridges in New England are known for their picturesque qualities, but Emily's Bridge in Stowe, VT, has a more infamous reputation. Built in 1844 to carry what came to be known as Covered Bridge Road over Gold Brook, "Emily's Bridge" is a single-lane, 50-foot-long bridge. Its wooden frame is dark and weathered, and it was here, if legend is to be believed, that a girl with a broken heart committed suicide.
Middlebury, Vermont
Grave of Amum-Her-Khepesh-Ef
Vermont grave of a 4,000-year-old mummy prince.
Tallest Filing Cabinet on Earth
This 38-drawer structure claims the superlative title, but it isn't the world's only giant filing cabinet.
In the mid-1800s, Emily was supposed to meet her paramour at what was then called Gold Brook Bridge to elope. When he never showed, Emily killed herself in a savage fit of desperation, hanging herself from the rafters of the covered bridge. In the ghost story that followed, Emily is apparently an angry specter. Tales of claw-like gouges down the sides of cars passing through the bridge and bloody scratches down the backs of pedestrian crossers are bandied about just as much as the sound of loosely dragging feet on the roofs of cars or the noise of a strange voice emanating from inside the short tunnel.
Interestingly enough, it's not just called Emily's Bridge by supernatural enthusiasts. The name has carried over into the tourist products of Stowe, whose shops sell quaint little postcards and souvenirs featuring the bridge against the cozy backdrops of fall and winter and labeled in pretty script, "Emily's Bridge."
Adapted with Permission from: The New England Grimpendium by J.W. Ocker
hoaxes and pseudosciencememento moriarchitectural oddities
JWOcker
The New England Grimpendium: http://www.amazon.com/New-England-Grimpendium-J-Ocker/dp/0881509191/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1279457058&sr=8-1
Covered Bridge Road and Gold Brook Road
Stowe, Vermont, 05672
Waterbury, Vermont
Ricker Basin
The remains of a deserted 1800s farming community can be found in Little River State Park.
Added by Entropical Paradise
Ben & Jerry's Flavor Graveyard
The sweetest graveyard in the world is filled with headstones for dearly de-pinted ice cream flavors.
Added by SoaringRaven
The highest peak in the state of Vermont has some interesting features.
Added by thomasharper
Green Mount Cemetery
Beautiful hillside Vermont cemetery with amazing funerary art.
Matera, Italy
Chiesa del Purgatorio
Skulls and skeletons are omnipresent in this church dedicated to souls trapped in purgatory.
East Sussex, England
The Quarter Boys
Two gilded cherubs perched on a church bell tower have been reminding visitors of the finitude of life since 1760.
Added by Monsieur Mictlan
Kościuszko Mound
This man-made mound monument was built out of soil from all across the Polish empire.
Samarkand, Uzbekistan
Shah-i-Zinda Necropolis
The Avenue of Mausolea is a series of grand palatial tombs.
Added by Tawsam


Porsha Williams has been flaunting her fabulous natural hair since forever, and now she's promoting an event called Natural Hair Show where she'll be present. If you want to meet the cute RHOA lady, you should also go. Here's her post on her social media account.
'#Atlanta – Come see your girl @NaturalHairShow this weekend kicking it with the all-new vegan beauty brand @Shedavi in (Booth 808) on Saturday from 1 pm – 2:30 pm. They will be debuting their all-new #ShedaviCROWNED Collection for the VERY FIRST TIME!' Porsha began the caption of her post.
'These products are full of the good stuff! Vegan botanicals, B-vitamins, agave nectar, hibiscus and I love their packaging! I'll be in (Booth 808) taking pictures with some of my faves and fans that purchase their products! They'll also be doing complimentary scalp analysis all day every day with a licensed trichologist! See you there! #CherishONESELF' Porsha continued and got her fans really excited.
don't understand why our women are addicted to weaves when God blessed us with beautiful hair that reaches toward the heavens! ??' one of her followers wrote.
'Do you know that people who wear weaves take care of their natural hair as well?' someone inquired.
'You look beautiful! Glad to see you standing up to the ladies! Awesome NeNe had your back! You made a mistake and apologized. Let's move on! ' another commenter wrote next to Porsha's photo, bringing up a bit of RHOA as well.
If you want to get a chance to meet Porsha, head over to booth 808 at the Natural Hair Show today!
You did a great job on the Reunion. I been listening to your song Flatline. You have a gorgeous voice. I hope you get back in the studio soon.
Keep being positive it's the best beauty secret n the world.
You have some serious dedicated fans.


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Moving people and goods by rail a focus of new OCC report
A project near and dear to Peterborough in the form of VIA Rail's High Frequency Rail proposal, has been mentioned in a new report from the Ontario Chamber of Commerce on transportation needs in Ontario. The report is the first in a series on the transportation needs of the province and highlights three areas of opportunity that will help improve the movement of goods and mobility of Ontarians. One of those three areas is moving people by rail.
The report points to short- and long-term opportunities for using rail, including VIA Rail's High Frequency Rail proposal, CN Rail's Milton Logistics Hub, the use of advanced signalling technology to increase capacity on subways, bringing two-way all-day GO Train service to the Innovation Corridor, developing 'Union Station West', and the return of passenger rail to Northern Ontario.
"Transportation is the backbone of our economy, affecting the movement of people and goods and the everyday lives of residents and businesses," says Stuart Harrison, President & CEO, Peterborough Chamber of Commerce. "We have long maintained that the return of passenger rail, as well as improved freight capacity for then Peterborough region is highly desirable to our economic well-being into the future."
The other two areas of this report are:
Transit planning governance (with an initial focus on the GTHA)
Ontario was the first province in Canada to implement a pilot regulatory framework to allow for the testing of autonomous vehicles and driverless technology. The report calls attention to the readiness of the province for the reality of autonomous vehicles in the near future, recommending Ontario capitalize on its first-mover status in this space. The Peterborough Chamber and the OCC urge all levels of government to work together with industry to attract future investments, innovation, and jobs, as well as ensure Ontario is the first province to reap the benefits associated with this technology.
"There are many challenges for communities from relative congestion, limited transit connectivity, population growth, aging assets, unique regional needs, and a historic under-investment in infrastructure leading to a significant gap between the actual and needed infrastructure in Ontario," adds Harrison.
In a recent OCC survey, 58 percent of Ontario businesses rated existing transportation infrastructure as fair or poor. With much of the existing infrastructure in Ontario built in the 1950s and 1960s and nearing the end of its useful life, the OCC recognizes that the costs of investment are high, and Ontario is far behind when it comes to building new and maintaining old infrastructure.
The Peterborough Chamber and the OCC have developed an initial thirteen strategic and pertinent transportation recommendations for a stronger Ontario. Although not an exhaustive review of all
transportation modes and regional needs across the province, this approach will help to address the current and future transportation needs of the province.
Transit Planning Governance
Unlock Metrolinx's potential to improve integration between regional transit services in the GTHA.
Develop a multi-modal transit hub at Toronto Pearson International Airport.
Conduct a review of transportation assets and limitations in Northern Ontario to determine how mobility in this region can be immediately improved.
Support municipal governments as they develop innovative solutions to address transit challenges.
Establish Transportation Ontario, an independent, province-wide transportation planning authority that would advise the Ministry of Transportation and support regional transit agencies.
Develop a 30 to 50-year Long-Range Transportation Plan.
Moving People and Goods by Rail
Develop a goods movement convenor framework that engages municipalities, the freight industry, relevant provincial Ministries, and the federal government where appropriate.
Invest in state-of-the-art technology such as CBTC to address immediate capacity concerns on the TTC subway network.
Prioritize investments with the greatest potential to provide a strong return on investment via economic growth.
Partner with the Canada Infrastructure Bank to secure funding for critical rail projects in both Northern and Southern Ontario.
Regularly review and update the existing AV pilot regulatory framework and evaluate existing legislation to determine if AV-relevant modernization is required.
Anticipate Ontario's AV future within the province's upcoming Long-Term Infrastructure Plan. As the current Canadian leader in this space, the Government of Ontario should encourage the federal government to act on AV readiness.
"50% of Ontario businesses view transportation infrastructure as critical to their competitiveness. The province needs a plan that is strategic, provides value for public dollars, optimizes existing assets, leverages the private sector and technology, and takes into account the unique needs of our province," added Rocco Rossi, President and CEO of the OCC." Moving forward, we will continue to consult our members on the province's vast and diverse transportation needs."
The transportation file is extremely important to the Chamber Network. We will continue to provide thought leadership on other modalities as part of our advocacy.


THE British point-to-point season comes to a close on Saturday (17 June) after six and a half months with the traditional Torrington Farmers meeting at Umberleigh, North Devon.
The final six point-to-point races of the season are followed by three well-filled pony race area finals sponsored by Hatchmoor Vets and R & S Ware Butchers.
This fixture attracts enthusiasts from far and wide against the background of a real auld lang syne party atmosphere. The course is located at Chapelton Barton off the A377 about 2 miles from Umberleigh and 5 miles SE of Barnstaple EX37 9 EB. Hot food and refreshments together with a bar, bookies and many trade stands make it a real family day out.


Intel told UploadVR the first VR headset built on its Project Alloy reference design will be available to purchase this holiday season from a third party manufacturer.
There will be a "product in market based off of the alloy headset by holiday of this year," according to Nicole Smith, the head of communications for VR at Intel.
Project Alloy is the term for a wireless self-contained VR headset powered by Intel's technology with inside-out positional tracking. This essentially means that Alloy can find its precise location in a room without requiring a separate PC and external sensors — a key feature that would make VR more convenient. Google, Facebook and Microsoft are joining Intel in racing to deliver this feature in affordable packages. To be clear, Intel has no interest in manufacturing and selling Alloy as a consumer product. Instead, they are giving other companies access to its design and letting them put out headsets of their own. The upshot for Intel is a new product category powered by internal hardware provided by Intel.
According to Smith, the full reference design for Alloy includes a suite of Intel's latest technology including "two of our RealSense" modules "and will incorporate new components from our recent acquisition of Movidius." Movidius is a computer vision company that Intel officially acquired late last year. Its technology could play a key role in the functionality of headsets powered by Intel's tech, which heavily emphasizes the ability to see and understand a physical environment.
Intel also plans to distribute Project Alloy development kits to software studios this year. According to Smith, this will happen in Q2 2017. Even in the most optimistic of circumstances, however, this might not provide enough time for any meaningful software to be created for this holiday-release headset. Oculus Rift and HTC Vive both went through multiple development kit cycles before finally going consumer. We asked Smith to address a potential lack of compelling content for the partner Alloy HMD at launch.
We also asked if there was a chance this Alloy-powered headset could work with pre-existing VR experiences on a platform like Steam. According to Smith, compatibility could be an issue due to the design's unique input methods, tracking and more limited processor compared to a high-specification PC needed to run a Rift or Vive.


Findings like these are important because many people still believe that exercise has to be excruciating in order to provide big benefits. Not only is that untrue, but it's also harmful, says Michelle Segar, director of the University of Michigan's Sport, Health, and Activity Research and Policy Center. This sort of thinking leads people who can't stick with regular rigorous workouts to think of themselves as failures, and in some cases to give up on exercise altogether, she says.


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Brave Clara Barton (Step into Reading) (Paperback)
By Frank Murphy, Sarah Green (Illustrator)
(Early Readers)
A Step 3 beginning-reader biography of Civil War nurse and founder of the American Red Cross Clara Barton!
Meet a woman who outgrew her girhood shyness to became a fearless "Angel of the Battlefield"! This Step 3 biography follows Clara as she helps her brother recover from a terrible injury, overcomes her timidity and works as a teacher, and finally fights her way to the front lines of the Civil War, where she helps soldiers wounded in battle. Clara's story is a testament to the strength and grit of women, and is a role model who trancends history. Sarah Green's lovely and delicate illustrations render Clara's life in an appropriate and approachable way for young readers.
Step 3 Readers feature engaging characters in easy-to-follow plots about popular topics. For children who are ready to read on their own.
FRANK MURPHY has taught a wide variety grades at the elementary and middle school level. A history buff, baseball fan, and popular speaker, Frank is the author of many fun historical fiction books for young readers. including several popular Random House Step into Reading History Readers.
SARAH GREEN is a RISD-educated designer and illustrator based in California. Her work has been featured in 3x3 Magazine, and she has received several awards from the Society of Illustrators.
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Series: Step into Reading
Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Women
Juvenile Nonfiction / Biography & Autobiography / Historical
Juvenile Nonfiction / History / United States / 19th Century
Kobo eBook (February 27th, 2018): $4.99
Library Binding (February 27th, 2018): $14.94


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Tag: Phasma
Star Wars: Phasma – Review
Star Wars: Phasma by Delilah S. Dawson
Narrated by: January LaVoy
Published: September 1st 2017 by Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group. (Also available in hardback and paperback, this review however is for the audio book but most points will also apply to the written text as well.)
"That's the problem with following all the rules—somebody else is eventually going to get ahead by breaking them, and then where will you be?"
One of the most cunning and merciless officers of the First Order, Captain Phasma commands the favor of her superiors, the respect of her peers, and the terror of her enemies. But for all her renown, Phasma remains as virtually unknown as the impassive expression on her gleaming chrome helmet. Now, an adversary is bent on unearthing her mysterious origins—and exposing a secret she guards as zealously and ruthlessly as she serves her masters.
Deep inside the Battlecruiser Absolution, a captured Resistance spy endures brutal interrogation at the hands of a crimson-armoured stormtrooper—Cardinal. But the information he desires has nothing to do with the Resistance or its covert operations against the First Order.
What the mysterious stormtrooper wants is Phasma's past—and with it whatever long-buried scandal, treachery, or private demons he can wield against the hated rival who threatens his own power and privilege in the ranks of the First Order. His prisoner has what Cardinal so desperately seeks, but she won't surrender it easily. As she wages a painstaking war of wills with her captor, bargaining for her life in exchange for every precious revelation, the spellbinding chronicle of the inscrutable Phasma unfolds. But this knowledge may prove more than just dangerous once Cardinal possesses it—and once his adversary unleashes the full measure of her fury.
I wish I had found this book sooner. This was my first real foray into the world of Star Wars books and I wasn't sure what to expect. For years and years I'd seen all the different books and comics mounting up about one of my favourite film franchises and I did read a good few of the comics when I was much younger but there seemed to be so many books I had no idea where to start. In April 2014 the expanded universe became non cannon and gave way to a new set of novels and comics which I kept meaning to get back to and last year while waiting impatiently for "The Last Jedi" to release I had a spare audible credit and after seeing it crop up on social media and in my local bookstore I decided to spend it on Phasma. I was not disappointed.
If you've ever heard a Star Wars Audio Book before you'll know how immersive they can be, they feature sound affects and music along with the narration and I was shocked at how much difference those details really make. As soon as I listened to a sample of this and heard ships firing, doors opening and closing, droids beeping and the background noise aboard "The Absolution" I knew this Audio book experience would be a completely new one for me and I couldn't get enough. I've since brought other Star Wars audio books, much preferring to listen to them because of these extra details, each month I get a new audible credit means I get a new Star Wars books at the moment.
The plot in Phasma is two fold, we have the present plot of Vi Mordai, the captured rebellion spy being interrogated and the story she tells of Phasma's past. I was worried switching between these two plots would be annoying but somehow it works and the interrogation frames Phasma's story well as they weave together quite organically, although I'm not sure either story could completely hold it's own (Phasma's story comes fairly close) they support each other and makes the plot feel whole as the plots merge together in a way that is only partially satisfying. I wasn't sure how I wanted this to end but it was only partially the way it did, something felt missing but as it was a precursor novel to "The Last Jedi" I feel I should have expected that. (Don't get me started on Phasma's story in TLJ though…) On the whole though I enjoyed both plot lines and the separate feels each had to them.
Before this book was released the way the story would be told was a cause for debate, would this just be a current story about Phasma or would we really get inside that Chrome helmet at last and see her inner workings. What we ended up with was a mixed result but that kind of works. I was expecting to get a back story from her point of view and we'd find out that she was misunderstood or there was a part of her to feel for but neither parts of this book are told from Phasma's point of view and that just makes her feel more formidable and somehow even more of a mystery despite learning how she got to be where she is today. I'm surprisingly okay with this as it is kind of refreshing to find a villainous character today who is pretty much completely villainous. We do however find some possible redemption of a First Order character here with Cardinal, the high ranking storm trooper interrogating Vi and the trainer and mentor of the young children set to become storm troopers themselves.
The setting of Phasma's story is her planet of origin, Parnassos and I feel like the planet was almost a character all of it's own with a threatening presence to match Phasma herself and so many stories to tell about it's past shown to us by the different trials our characters go through along the way giving the whole planet a very dangerous feel. As for our more humanoid characters I enjoyed meeting our current General (Armitage) Hux's father Brendol and I'm honestly not sure if he's better or worse than his son because they're both such weasels. Other's from Phasma's clan join her journey across this deadly planet and a few of them are slightly memorable, Siv being the most developed as the story is from her point of view. Siv is a very likeable character, she does what she needs to do for her people and is brave and compassionate if not the most original character.
I think if I had just read this book I might have only given it XXX as it is an enjoyable book but nothing completely blew me away and I have a hard time imagining liking it as much without the added atmospheric sound effects etc. Nether the less I'm glad I read it and it's certainly opened me up to reading (and listening to) more of the Star Wars books which can only be a good thing.
You can buy Star Wars: Phasma in print here with free shipping, or here on audible.co.uk, (you can listen to a sample too!) If you've never signed up before your first audio book is free! You can also add it to your goodreads here.
Don't forget I'll be posting Star Wars content all week! Tomorrow I'll be reviewing Bloodline by Claudia Gray.
Tagged a long time ago in a galaxy far far away, audio book, bibliophile, book, book blog, book blogger, book review, book talk, bookish, booknerd, bookworm, Captain Phasma, Chrome dome, Delilah S Dawson, January LaVoy, non spoiler, Phasma, spoiler free, star wars, star wars books, star wars cannon, star wars celebration, star wars films, star wars novelalisastion, star wars novelaziation, star wars tie ins, stormtrooper, the first order, the force awakens, the last jediLeave a comment


Advanced Training Course for Postgraduates and Technicians working in the field of animal research and in scientific experiments. Basic knowledge of Felasa level B or experience in laboratory animal care / use is required for participation.
The course consists of a two parts: theory and a practical hands-on training component.
The aim of this course is to offer theoretical background information to students with hands-on practical training of techniques required for successful assisted reproduction and Cryopreservation in laboratory mice.
The maximum number of participants is limited to 8 persons.
In the event that less than 6 participants register we will postpone the course until further notice.
Please follow the Link to the online registration form. A fully completed form is required for registration.
After receiving your registration we will contact you within 1 or 2 weeks. We request your patience until we contact you personally with further details via Email.
PLEASE NOTE: At the moment the course group is full!
Incoming registrations will be placed on a waiting list. In case of a cancellation, we will contact the person in the first position of the list and offer her/him the seat that has become available.


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'Warehouse 13': Why, Syfy, why?
By Ken Tucker
Well, I guess it was only fitting that a cable channel with a goofy new re-branding should premiere a goofy new series: Syfy's Warehouse 13 is not, I think it's safe to say, the series that is going to replace Battlestar Galactica in the hearts and minds of us old Sci Fi network fans.
Did you watch this thing? Some unholy cross between The X-Files, Bones, and Raiders of the Lost Ark, Warehouse 13 gave us a couple of supposedly-mismatched, but we knew made-for-each-other, federal agents (Eddie McClintock and Joanne Kelly, looking at each other as if to say, "How many episodes of this did you sign up for?"). These two were teamed up with the caretaker of a storehouse of supernatural objects, played by the usually-fine actor Saul Rubinek.
There's a lot of talent here, both on and behind the camera. CCH Pounder, so great in The Shield, is an officious officer of some sort; she huffs and puffs without much effect. And the series was co-created by writer Jane Espenson, who's done such terrific work on BSG and Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Warehouse 13 lacks both chemistry between its stars and a clearly-defined "hook" beyond its vast acres of secret, fantasical items.
I suppose Syfy is hoping Warehouse will tap into the soft-sci-fi audience that enjoys Eureka — which returns July 10 with new episodes — but so far, Warehouse doesn't possess anything like Eureka's often-witty whimsy.
Emmys 2019: Consider Ramy Youssef for writing, directing, and starring in Ramy
Doctor Sleep director explains why he cast Ewan McGregor as the grown-up Danny Torrance
EW's Best of Shows podcast: Why Handmaid's Tale needs help
Why Colson Whitehead continues to plunge into American history's dark heart
Timothy Olyphant discusses Deadwood return: 'Why did this ever go off the air?'
Sasha Pieterse on why she's ready to share her Good Taste
Why the MCU's Benedict Wong said yes to Syfy's Deadly Class
'Why am I saying 'Who's ready?' three times?': An oral history of SpongeBob SquarePants
Why It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and star Rob McElhenney deserve Emmys
Why Crawl is a better reptile monster movie than Godzilla: King of the Monsters
Outlander: Why Jamie and Claire weren't present for their grandson's birth in season 4
13 of the most scandalous teen moments in film and TV history
The Bachelorette sneak peek: Even Luke's family doesn't understand why Hannah kept him around
The reason you're hearing 'Crimson and Clover' over and over
The Awardist podcast: Why Killing Eve's Sandra Oh and Jodie Comer shouldn't share a category
13 Reasons Why star goes Arthurian in Netflix's Cursed first look
John Waters on his new book, Brad Pitt, and why he hates MDMA
Syfy cancels Happy! and Deadly Class


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Laochra Gael returns to TG4 next week for a 17th series. The series follows last year's new hour-long format, bringing each player's personal stories to screen. The series features six Laochra with genuine star quality and provides a real sense of getting to know the characters behind the kits.
"I warmly welcome the latest instalment of Laochra Gael, which has long been a mainstay in the compendium of compulsive viewing for GAA members and followers of our games," said GAA president John Horan in Dublin yesterday at the launch of the new series.
"Part of TG4's mission since our inception has been to give the credit that is due to our incredible Gaelic Games heroes," added TG4's Director General, Alan Esslemont.
It was also announced yesterday that Nemeton have won a 'substantial' contract to produce TG4's Live streaming coverage on YouTube.
"We will produce 12 games for streaming this year and we are delighted to have been given the opportunity by our long standing partners in TG4," said Nemeton CEO Irial MacMurchú.