text:
Apple re-writing history by claiming exclusive rights to tech
Thread: Apple re-writing history by claiming exclusive rights to tech
6th September 2011, 10:22 #1
Bloodwych
For those who dare! ClassicWB dev
Apple are now getting too big for their boots I think - like Microsoft years ago. They are starting to make people believe they are the sole inventors of all the popular tech we use today - and have the money and lawyers to back it up. There brand awareness is now at brain washing levels.
They are a very successful company, make nice but overpriced products, my gripe however is they are trying to cut out competition. I'm talking about their recent blocking of Samsung's Galaxy pad, which is really annoying.
In the past, people made IBM PC clones and the market was better for it, more choice, cheaper prices - but now Apple think they own the tablet business and act like they single handedly invented the technology. It's been around for years, just they had the marketing clout to make it mainstream when technology got to a point to make them feasible for general use.
Also check out this link: http://www.expertreviews.co.uk/gadge...ctually-didn-t
Very true - OSX, mouse, dock launcher (good old Acorn Arch, people underestimate just how good RISC OS was - far ahead of Apple, Amiga and Microsoft in usability), GUI interface, tablet PC's, touch-screen etc all old ideas re-spun. Yet many people think Apple invented them all!
Has anyone looked at the "patent" Apple are using - it's silly they were permitted to hold this: http://www.netbooknews.com/32506/act...ding-a-tablet/
In the article above, Microsoft is shown a decade earlier pushing a tablet PC. The same look in that patent was in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek and countless other Sci-Fi programs. How can such a common concept be patented?
This is typical modern Apple - they try to protect the "look-and-feel" of the iPad, which is obviously inspired by historical and cultural influences (Sci-Fi programs for example have exactly the same tablets shown for decades). They did not invent on their own, just were rich enough to push the market once the tech had reached a usable level, so let customers decide whose product they want to buy.
Back off Apple - meet Samsung head on in the market, not in the court room. This should be a battle of brand awareness and marketing, as every computer or touchscreen essentially has to work in a similar intuative way. Just like all computer OS GUI's are similar, so will touchscreen pads. It's unavoidable. It's crazy to think you can copyright that without killing competition.
Apple, you copied other ideas and made money, so don't stop other companies doing the same. I'm so tired of court cases and lawyers!
Last edited by Bloodwych; 6th September 2011 at 13:46.
Live Long and Procrastinate
A500 Batman Pack
Classic Workbench
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Estoril/Lisbon
so so so true !!
You gave a very good example, IBM PC (5150) 30 years ago. They did a new base that opens a new standard. It was a huge step.
We must look at what is a tablet? Years and years ago, i remember to look at Palm devices, they were great, then other more sofisticated,
i had an HP with WIN CE, it was heavy and big, but it was cool. What has the ipad so differente? Is faster and more powerfull then Palms 10/15 years ago... so what ?? It is the same concept ! A portable mini-computer-that-fits-in-your-hand. It's just a more powerfull one.
It's like Commodore putting a patent back in 1985, saying they had invented multimedia....
Apple has good products, very beutifull one, but wtf ???? who the **** they think they are???????
A500 - A600 - A1200 - A4000 - CDTV
www.revistapushstart.com
Retro Addict Administrator
So true. We have all known this is how Apple conduct their business for many years. Great at taking existing off the shelf technology and repackaging it up into a well designed form factor, with a polished UI, and then claiming their invented the whole concept and idea.
All companies are guilty of this, with Microsoft being one of the worst a few years ago, but I don't think any company has taken it quite as far as Apple are currently, claiming the whole multi touch screen tech as their own, when they themselves bought out another company to obtain it! And from that article, the 2 that really annoy me since their release have to be the claims surrounding the iPad and Facetime. I've had smartphones capable of 3G video calling for years. Facetime might be higher quality, but it still can't do video calling over 3G, so in my view is a useless technology and I wonder how it is different to using the built in camera as a webcam? And if you look at facetime in that way then computers have had webcams for even longer than mobile video calls. Long before even 3G existed. As for the iPad, yes it saw Apple take all the existing ideas for tablet PCs and realise the technology had reached a point that allowed it to work well, but they invented none of the concepts or technology it uses.
As for the Apple vs Samsung court cases. Apple are only going after Samsung because they are pissed at them utilising shared R&D to release a competing product. Samsung have been Apple's main manufacturer of the key components of both the iPhone and the iPad until now. Making the touch screens and much of the internal components for both. So you can see why Apple are annoyed with them releasing products that compete against them. But really can you blame them? Why tether yourself solely to the manufacture of another companies products, when you could also utilise your own manufacturing plants and technology to make your own similar devices?
If you haven't played a classic game in years, it's never too late to start!
I see the point your making about why Apple have a grievance with Samsung - these are two massive companies in direct competition now just like Google and Microsoft! Apple feel they need to keep Samsung in check. Looking at Apples profits, I think they can take a little competition and hopefully we'll get some better prices.
Still, as you also highlight it has happened over and over again in the past, with Apple themselves doing similar practices so they should just live with it rather than inviting this bad press. Samsung have been in the electronics industry for a long time too, and they were always going to manufacture a similar product to the iPad. Like the IBM PC, it's not something you can guard against and gain sympathy. If their marketing department continues to perform well, people will still buy Apple anyway.
And I don't think Apple have much to worry about because the imminent iPhone 5 launch in November already has the Apple Fanboi's foaming at the mouth and selling their internal organs to be first in line to own the shiny minor update to the iPhone 4.
Biggest feature rumours to date about the iPhone 5's actual improvements over the iPhone 4? Gestures to replace all hardware buttons (I personally like some physical buttons), Larger screen (now dismissed, so new rumours are that it will actually be a 4S and not a 5 this fall), Facetime going 3G (also dismissed and stated to be a feature coming "later"), 4G LTE support (of little use in the UK as 4G still looks a long way off)... and that is about it. No word on CPU, camera or any other changes. For all we know the iPhone 5 could end up containing some revolutionary new features, but I doubt it.
Originally Posted by Tiago
Good old Commodore being first with a Multimedia computer. Also that CDTV was way ahead for the time! Too far ahead and expensive for the average users needs unfortunately.
Very true. Commodore's engineers had vision way ahead of the technology available to them at the time. Imagine if they had parented the whole multimedia concept. Commodore might still be here today... but I doubt it as their bosses would probably still have found a way to bankrupt the company.
More battles - this time a company firing back at Apple. At this rate, Apple will be spending its billion pound profits on legal expenses:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14832762
The lawyers must be rubbing their hands!
Looks like Google selling patents to HTC was a very interesting move. Maybe Google wanted to try and stay out of this round and let HTC take the credit. Apple definitely will have a problem if HTC, Samsung and Google join forced in a combined offensive against Apple. This has been building for some time and I wondered when all the Android phone makers would have enough of this.
Although this latest HTC round seems as bad as Apples claims. This patent sold to them by Google seems to be concerned with wireless network connectivity. Surely that is a standard that everyone uses? The madness continues!
Wouldn't it be funny for the Android companies to be able to block the sale of the iPhone 5!
21st September 2011, 22:41 #10
Shoonay
It's always caturday! My location
Now apple discovered cut&paste
http://www.macobserver.com/tmo/artic...paste_finally/
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Next up for Randolph Row: A rum bar
Ally Marotti
738 W. Randolph St.
A Chicago restaurant veteran is looking to run a little rum into Restaurant Row.
Nils Westlind, who has held managerial posts at River North's Parliament and West Loop's Nellcote, plans to open a Latin American restaurant and rum bar at 738 W. Randolph St. called Ronero.
"I'm doing a rum bar that is all about the South American aspect of living, and just kind of Little Havana, Miami, meets Cuba meets rum-runner era," Westlind said.
"Ronero" or "Maestro Ronero" refers to someone who has mastered the art of rum distilling. The restaurant is set to serve Latin American small plates that represent the foods of Cuba, the Caribbean, Central America and South America. The drink list will be centered around rum. Chefs and bartenders have yet to be hired, Westlind said.
The space will be divided—a restaurant in the front that opens around dinnertime, and a bar and lounge space in the back that opens later. Westlind plans for the back to have a more covert entrance involving rum barrels as doors, as a contrast to the brighter restaurant space.
The front will be "a bit more bright, loud, sexy," he said. "The back is going to be a little bit more dark with a speakeasy-style entrance."
Channeling these South American vibes comes naturally for Westlind, whose parents were social workers in Bogota, Colombia, among other places on the continent.
Ronero will be Westlind's first restaurant. He spent the past 10 years working in Chicago's restaurant industry, starting out as a host, then a bartender, then working up to managerial and partner positions. He helped open and develop Kensington Roof Garden on the Near North Side and Parliament nightclub, among others.
Westlind signed a 10-year lease for Ronero with two five-year renewal options.
The two-story, 4,800-square-foot building that used to house a bike shop called Mox is raw now, Westlind said. He is working with Chicago-based Lemley Architecture & Design and Jeff Wolff from Chicago-based Wolffhager Contracting & Development on renovation, with the restaurant expected to open in May. Westlind also plans to carve out a corporate dining space on the second floor.
"A lot of the places (in the West Loop) are more hipster-ish," he said. "We want to be able to cater to that corporate crowd that is now making its way over there."
Brian Laskov, managing director at West Loop-based Kudan Group, brokered the deal. With upcoming wine bar The Lunatic, The Lover & The Poet set to open next door at 736 W. Randolph St. next year and other plans for recently vacated space nearby, Laskov said he expects all eyes will be on that part of Restaurant Row.
"It's going to really draw some more attention and excitement to that intersection," he said.
Michael Wexler, a broker at Mid-America Real Estate, said it will be good to see some energy breathed back into that corner of Restaurant Row.
"It will be nice to see some tenants on the east side of Halsted again," he said. "It is certainly an epicenter for the area, so in terms of foot traffic and bodies, it doesn't get any better."

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Aadavari Maatalaku Arthale Verule is a 2007 Indian Telugu film released on 2007. The film is directed by Sri. Raghava. Check out this page for more updates on Aadavari Maatalaku Arthale Verule.
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Director Biography – Nicolas Polixene, Sylvain Loubet dit Gajol (AMERICAN DREAM)
Nicolas POLIXENE.
Born on 04 March 1983 in the Paris region and originally from the West Indies.
Fascinated by the 7th art since childhood, Nicolas decided to stop his scientific studies and devote himself to cinema. He took his first steps at the EICAR (International School of Audiovisual Creation and Direction). There, he learns the basics of screenwriting, acting direction and film language.
His second student short film "Dreamed" won the Grand Prix Emotion at the first edition of the Fontainebleau Festival. At the end of his schooling, he gains experience by working on film shoots and participating in numerous competitions.
At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, he won the Oceans Prize for the best short film script for the "Papé" project. His film was selected in more than 60 festivals (Aspen, Palm Springs, Clermont-Ferrand…) and won many awards.
The short film is supported by France Télévisions, the CNC, the Guadeloupe Region, the Ministry of Overseas France and Unifrance Films. Produced by V.O. Films and Les Films du Cygne, the shooting will take place in January 2015 in Guadeloupe.
He wrote and directed the short film "American Dream" in 2018.
Sylvain Loubet dit Gajol.
Born September 02, 1983 in Toulouse.
In 2002, he joined the International School of Audiovisual Creation and Directing in Paris, where he learned the basics of writing and directing and made his first short films.
After these three years of study, he gained a little experience by working in multiple jobs on various shootings.
Then in 2010, he became creative producer for The Walt Disney Company France. His work: imagining and directing advertising campaigns for the brand with big ears and its subsidiaries (Lucas Film, Marvel, Pixar…).
But caught up by his first love, fiction, he decided at the beginning of 2018 to write "American Dream" with his lifelong friend Nicolas Polixene, whom he had met a few years earlier at film school. The short film, produced by Caviar, will be directed a few months later in Quebec.
His motto: "Logic will lead you from point A to point B. Imagination will take you everywhere."
Short Film: AMERICAN DREAM, 19min., France, Drama
Short Film: HONG KONG DIALOGUES, 40min., Hong Kong, Experimental Documentary


Back from RadCon and back to the daily grind (unfortunately I don't mean writing when I say that at the moment). I have stories and pics to share with you, and intend to do so later this week. For the time being, however, I must subjugate myself to the rigors of work all on two hours and forty-five minutes of sleep (had a little delay on my flight home). Rest assured, however, that sometime between now and Saturday I will catch up with that elusive sleep (hopefully not while driving) and can present you with a summary of the wonderful time I had at RadCon as a Guest of Honor.
In the meantime however, I'll be giving zombies a run for their money in moaning and slow walking.


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oDR: Opinion
In Ukraine, taking three pro-Russia channels off the air raises complex issues
Ukraine's recent sanctions against three TV channels raise difficult questions about pluralism and rule of law during wartime.
Philippe Dam Yulia Gorbunova
11 February 2021, 12.01am
On 3 February, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy introduced sanctions against three TV channels: 112 Ukraine, ZIK and NewsOne
(c) STR/NurPhoto/PA Images. All rights reserved
In times of armed conflict, governments will be routinely challenged on what limits on human rights they deem necessary and what standards they will preserve. Fighting disinformation can be one such challenge.
In Ukraine, which has been fighting a war with Russia for almost seven years, this was spotlighted last week when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a decree that resulted in three pro-Russia television channels with large viewership in Ukraine being taken off the air.
Zelenskyy's decree, issued on 2 February enacted sanctions, imposed by the decision of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, against a Ukrainian MP Taras Kozak and eight companies under a 2014 law. The law grants the government authority to sanction foreign individuals and entities that they deem have engaged in activities which could threaten Ukraine's national interests, national security, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. The law also allows it to sanction other persons and entities (presumably including Ukrainian citizens and companies), for allegedly engaging in terrorist activities, without going before a court. The three channels — 112, ZIK and NewsOne — are among the eight sanctioned companies and are widely believed to be part of the media empire of Viktor Medvedchuk, an oligarch with close ties to Russia.
Ukraine's government has every right to address disinformation and propaganda with serious measures. Yet there is no denying that in shutting down broadcasts, the sanctions decrease media pluralism and should be held up to close scrutiny.
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The sanctions, in effect for five years, include rescinding the companies' broadcast licenses, leading to the channels being taken off air on 3 February. The channels continue to stream on YouTube, but Ukraine's culture minister said that the ministry would petition YouTube to take them down.
Ukraine's authorities have not yet provided information on the alleged terrorist activities. Several authoritative media outlets have reported that Taras Kozak, the stated owner of the banned TV-channels, is alleged to have engaged in illegal coal trade with areas of eastern Ukraine, controlled by Russia-backed armed groups, and that this helps finance their operations.
The imposition of sanctions has stirred a fiery debate among Ukraine's civil society, human rights activists, and journalists. Many support the measures, arguing that imposing sanctions is the government's right, especially during an ongoing war and these are necessary and justified. Others suggest that the government will have to present proof of the terrorist activities, should the decree be appealed in courts. The head of Ukraine's National Union of Journalists strongly criticised the move's extrajudicial nature. The executive director of Kyiv-based Institute of Mass Information, which overall supports the sanctions, suggested they would welcome more information from the authorities.
President Zelenskyy said in a tweet that imposing sanctions was a "difficult decision" but a necessary part of the "information war for truth." Zelenskyy later also defended the move in a meeting with the heads of Ukraine's leading TV stations, stating that the sanctions were a tool used in the global fight against disinformation and that what the stations had been doing was nothing to do with freedom of expression.
The response of Ukraine's international counterparts also varied. The OSCE Representative for Freedom of Media expressed concern and requested more information from authorities while the US embassy in Kyiv supported the move. The spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, said that "while Ukraine's efforts to protect its territorial integrity and national security, as well as to defend itself from information manipulation are legitimate," this should not come at "the expense of freedom of media."
A free and pluralistic media landscape is essential for democracy. Ukraine's authorities do have other means available to counter harmful propaganda in ways that are less of a threat to media pluralism and diversity
The battle against Russia's elaborate, state-driven propaganda machine precedes the start of the war in 2014. From day one, Russia spewed out an incendiary mix of malicious disinformation, invented "facts," wild exaggerations, and outright lies, from Kyiv being overrun by "Nazis," to non-existent threats to ethnic Russians in the east. This has played a crucial role in escalating tensions in Ukraine and fanning the flames of the conflict.
There is plenty of evidence that the channels in question have engaged in similar, malicious discourse for years, as Ukraine's media watchdog, the National Broadcasting Council, and numerous independent media outlets have repeatedly pointed out.
Such propaganda and misinformation are dangerous, harmful, and need to be addressed. However, addressing them through an extrajudicial decree that restricts media pluralism can be a slippery slope.
Freedom of expression and the right to information are guaranteed by free, independent and diversified media. These rights are not absolute, which means they can be restricted – but only if the restrictions are set out clearly in law so that it is foreseeable how they will be imposed, and if they are necessary and proportionate for a legitimate purpose.
Some of the steps Ukraine has taken in recent years to combat propaganda do not pass this test. They include banning books; expelling or denying entry to journalists; proposing legislation against dissemination of "disinformation" that would have jeopardised freedom of expression and media independence (which thankfully did not advance in parliament). Some of these initiatives would not have been out of place in Orwell's novel - or in Putin's Russia.
In 2017, President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree banning public access to Russian social media platforms, news, and a major search engine used by millions of Ukrainians daily.
A study was commissioned by the Freedom House, which conducts research and advocacy on democracy, political freedom, and human rights, in 2019 to review the outcome of those measures, concluded that they "resulted in significant and unanticipated collateral damage to Ukraine's freedom of expression, informational space, and economic interests; moreover, they did not make meaningful progress in achieving the goals officials offered as their justification."
A free and pluralistic media landscape is essential for democracy. Ukraine's authorities do have other means available to counter harmful propaganda in ways that are less of a threat to media pluralism and diversity, by at least going through the courts where their measures and claims would be subject to independent judicial scrutiny.
So for example, the National Security and Defense Council or Ukraine's National Council for TV and Radio Broadcasting could file a lawsuit against these TV channels in an administrative court and request the court to annul their broadcasting licenses, for inciting hatred or infringing on people's rights. Similarly, the authorities could present the proof of terrorist activities in court and seek to have them held accountable directly for those activities.
This war has already claimed numerous casualties and led to untold losses. Freedoms of expression and media are among the most crucial freedoms in a democratic state. It would be a great loss for Ukraine to sacrifice them, even temporarily, to this conflict.
Ukrainian journalists share their stories of war
Hear Igor Burdyga and Kateryna Semchuk explain what it's like working in a homeland under threat. Plus British author Oliver Bullough and chair Daniel Trilling.
Published in: oDR
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LITTLE ROCK, Okla. (May 1)--The Best of the Best in dirt modified racing are back on the gas this weekend as the USMTS invades three race tracks in Arkansas and Oklahoma for a trio of blockbusters featuring both the USMTS Hunt for the Casey's Cup and Summit USMTS Southern Series.
This weekend's shows will be the final two-headed monster awarding points in both the national and southern campaigns. After Sunday, the Summit USMTS Southern Series will be silent until the series finale on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 1-3, for the inaugural Summit Racing Equipment USMTS Southern Nationals at the Kennedale Speedway Park in Kennedale, Texas.
Race fans can get coupons good for $2 off adult spectator admission on race day at the Casey's General Store location in Perryville.


text:
Q: Endogeneity in Discrete Choice Models Suppose we are trying to estimate a model to predict failure of a company as a function of some firm-level and macroeconomic variables using a logistic regression
$Y_{it} =  X_{it} \beta + \epsilon_{it}$
where $Y_{it} = \lbrace 0,\,1\rbrace$ is the indicator variable with $Y_{it}=1$ meaning the firm is bankrupt and $X_{it}$ is a set of explanatory variables measured with say, a quarter/month lag. Furthermore, suppose firm leverage $L_{i,\,t-1}$ is one of the $X's$.
I'm interested in the following case. Suppose, creditors of a firm take into account the probability of bankruptcy at a point in time to decide how much money to lend, i.e, $L_{i,\,t-1}$ is a function of $P(Y_{it}=1\,|\,X_{it})$. Thus, there is "endogeneity" in the estimation. How is estimation affected if the problem is ignored? If this is indeed a problem, how should we account for it?
Thank you.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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Previous / Neal "dodged a bullet" in potential side-impact Oulton crash Next / BMW pegged back again for Snetterton BTCC round
BTCC Breaking news
Infiniti returns to BTCC with Laser Tools Racing
Laser Tools Racing will swap from a Mercedes-Benz A-Class to a newly developed Infiniti Q50 for the remainder of the 2019 BTCC season.
The team has bought two NGTC-specification Infiniti Q50s from the Support Our Paras Racing squad, which ran the saloon-shaped cars in the BTCC in 2015.
While the plan was to rework the cars for 2020, engineers have spotted some inherent advantages in the rear-wheel-drive chassis and want to make the swap as soon as possible.
The cars were last run in 2015 with original GPRM parts. The BTCC has since switched to RML-supplied kit, and the revamped Infiniti will be complete with all the latest parts.
Driver Aiden Moffat will sample the car for the first time in the upcoming Snetterton tyre test on July 16-17, before racing at the Norfolk track on August 4.
Team principal Bob Moffat said: "In the BTCC 2019, things have changed; newly developed cars are clearly demonstrating their superiority, and we really feel that the Mercedes has reached the pinnacle of its development.
"It's been a great car, indeed a multi-race winner for Aiden, but to go forward we need change.
"Therefore at Oulton Park we made the decision to accelerate our Infiniti programme and debut the car at Snetterton. It is a big ask I admit, but the experienced Laser Tools Racing team have pulled out all the stops and Aiden's new car is ready to race.
"Make no mistake, there's still some way to go, but I'm so proud of what we have achieved so far. We will be on a steep learning curve for the remaining races on the 2019 BTCC calendar, but we genuinely feel that we are onto a winner with this new car, and it will only improve with further development over the remaining 2019 season."
Moffat lies 18th in the 2019 BTCC standings and has a best finish of fourth place in the opening race of the year at Brands Hatch in August.
Aiden Moffat, Laser Tools Racing Mercedes A-Class
Photo by: JEP / LAT Images
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Aiden Moffat
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BTCC BTCC
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Ranking the top 10 BTCC drivers of 2021
A refresh in equipment and some returning faces helped contribute to a supremely competitive 2021 British Touring Car Championship campaign. Ash Sutton was crowned a three-time champion, successfully defending his 2020 title, but faced stiff competition in the final year before the switch to hybrid. Motorsport.com picks out the best performers.
Why the BTCC's ballast increase couldn't stop champion Sutton
Ballast will be gone from the BTCC next year as hybrid power enters the scene, but for its final season the maximum was increased from 60kg to 75kg. Despite having to carry that nearly all season, Ash Sutton was always the favourite to pocket a third title - the 27-year-old getting his reward for a season of speed tempered by savvy to nail his opportunities
The making of the BTCC's newest superstar
Ash Sutton is on the verge of being crowned a three-time British Touring Car Champion; he seems to have it all. But life hasn't always been straightforward for this superstar of touring cars, as Marcus Simmons has been finding out
Five key plotlines to follow in the 2021 BTCC
It's been a busy silly season in the BTCC since the chequered flag fell to end the 2020 campaign last November. While last year's top two have stayed put, there's been a lot of fat to chew elsewhere, which should result in another fascinating year of tin-top action.
Why a BTCC legend remains defiant at '97 not out'
By Tom Howard
After a year of enforced absence from the British Touring Car Championship grid, Jason Plato is back and hungrier than ever. Despite stellar opposition and some familiar challenges, the two-time champion still has his eyes focused on the biggest prizes.
The Top 10 BTCC drivers of 2020
The 2020 British Touring Car Championship will go down as a classic in which new winners graced the top step of the podium and an unloved chassis was resurrected into a champion. But who were the year's top performers?
The Villeneuve-esque 'engineer's dream' who lit up BTCC 2020
The Infiniti Q50 was completely redesigned, redeveloped and revamped by BMR and Laser Tools Racing for 2020. And the flamboyant brilliance of the driver behind the wheel was enough to snatch the title at the last gasp…


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AIDA Cruises places multi billion euro order with Meyer Werft in Papenburg
AIDA Cruises is continuing its long-standing strategic partnership with the shipbuilder Meyer Werft in Papenburg with an order for two new ships of the next AIDA ship generation. The ships, each exceeds180,000 gross tons and has a capacity of more than 2,500 staterooms, will join the AIDA fleet in 2019 and 2020, the company said in its press release.
Thereby the company, which will next put into service the new ships AIDAprima and its sister in 2015 and 2016, is further expanding its dynamic growth on the German cruise market.
As pioneer in the industry, AIDA Cruises is again setting an example for environmental protection with a revolutionary ship design: With the "Green Cruising" concept, AIDA will be the first cruise line in the world to operate its new ship generation to 100 percent with LNG (liquefied natural gas). This eliminates emissions of soot particles and sulfur oxides.
"It is particularly thanks to the steady growth of AIDA that Germany has become the second-largest cruise market in the world. We look forward to successfully continuing our long-standing partnership with Meyer Werft," says Michael Thamm, CEO of the Costa Group.
AIDA President Michael Ungerer says, "With our innovative strength and creativity we strive to offer our guests unparalleled vacation experiences on these extraordinary ships. Even more individuality, variety, personal space, and service will delight not only our AIDA fans but also innumerous new guests."
Further details on the shipbuilding contract will be announced by AIDA Cruises in upcoming months.
Bernard Meyer, CEO of Meyer Werft, remarks, "In past years, we have built seven highly successful ships for AIDA Cruises. We are honored that the company has entrusted us with the implementation of this ambitious shipbuilding program in Papenburg."
AIDA Cruises is one of Germany's fastest growing and most economically successful tourism businesses and currently employs around 7,000 people from 40 countries. Of these employees, 6,000 work on board and 1,000 work at the company headquarters in Rostock and Hamburg. The current AIDA fleet of 10 state-of-the-art cruise ships is operated in compliance with the highest international quality, environmental, and safety standards. By 2020, the AIDA fleet will expand to 14 ships.


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Living Faith: Southern sojourn stirs up Grandpa Joe's ghost
My recent trip to the South initially had a twofold intent: the 2019 National Federation of Press Women conference in Baton Rouge, and a redo with my mother and sister.
In June 2011, Mom planned a trip with her two daughters to Louisiana to celebrate her cousin Patsy's 50th wedding anniversary. It'd been 30 years since we'd seen our southern cousins, and more since Mom, at 19, had stood as one of Charlie's and Pat's bridesmaids.
But hours before departure, Dad fell ill, and Mom stayed behind. Though we sisters made the most of our time in the steamy South, cajoling gratefully with our southern kin, this second chance seemed too perfect to pass.
And so, last week, we arrived in the land of crepe myrtles and magnolias, welcomed by the outstretched arms of oak trees and serenaded by cicadas. Crossing burgeoning bridges over swollen waterways, we convened first in Vacherie near the Mighty Mississippi, where we enjoyed juicy jambalaya and sipped sweet tea while reminiscing.
Day trips brought us to a history-haunting sugar-cane plantation, and New Orleans, where we feasted on fried catfish and binged on beignets in "The Quarter" as a calliope crooned. With flourishing Fleur de Lis and church bells leading, we stopped at the inspiring St. Louis Cathedral midday to pray.
But the most soul-stirring moment for me happened after the touring and tasting. During a mid-conference pause, I checked my phone to find a video sent by my sister, who, with Mom, was continuing the relative-visiting rounds.
The clip showed our cousin Linda seated at a brown Steinway parlor grand piano, performing a piece as soulfully as had Grandpa Joe all those years ago, and, before him, his mother, Belle "Dolly" Byrne. She'd dreamed of being a concert pianist, but instead, met and married my great-grandpa, Patrick, in Bismarck.
Steinway parlor grand piano is pictured June 30, 2019, in Salonen's cousin Linda's home in Baton Rouge, La. Submitted photo
After Grandpa's death in 1979, the piano, a wedding gift to Dolly, acquired in Chicago in 1907, was tenderly transported southward, and in 2016, it narrowly escaped, through sacrifice, a major flood.
I was 9 when I'd last seen that magnificent instrument, and not at all prepared for the emotions that quickly deluged while peering into my phone. Seeing Linda's fingers flying flawlessly, tears trickled; it was as if Grandpa himself were there, producing those hypnotic, heartfelt harmonies, guided only by his fine-tuned ear and passion for playing.
The Steinway parlor grand piano sits in the background of this photo taken Christmas of 1970 at Salonen's grandparent's home in Bismarck. Salonen, left, and her sister Camille, right, are looking at a top their father, Robert, was spinning. Salonen's grandfather, Joe, is seated next to him and her mother, Jane, is seated on the couch.
Grandpa Joe is pictured with his youngest daughter, Betsy, at the piano in 1956.
I couldn't have guessed that of all the wonderful things I'd experience in the South, my Grandpa Joe's glorious gift of music would be what would seize my spirit most, reminding me that love is eternal and beyond time or space. It can even be relayed, in some mysterious way, by a long-deceased grandfather through a modern-day device he couldn't have imagined existing.
My cousin Linda was the living embodiment of a gift long gone but alive in every way, and I left the South with a smile, nostalgic notes lingering in my mind as my most treasured memento.
[For the sake of having a repository for my newspaper columns and articles, I reprint them here, with permission, a week after their run date. The preceding ran in The Forum newspaper on July 6, 2019.]
Filed Under: Family, Family history, Forum Columns, Outings, Second-chance Sundays Tagged With: Louisiana, Memories, Parlor grand piano, Southern adventure, Trips Leave a Comment
Living Faith: Birds in the nest the perfect anniversary gift
The day before Thanksgiving, our family assembled with our two college girls and two youngest sons to enjoy dinner together for the first time in a while.
As I cleared dishes and disappeared into the kitchen, I paused momentarily. Leaning against the counter, I basked in the warm bantering of our youngest four and their father, their voices of laughter and chiding blending into a chorus of love.
Yes, I've become that sappy mother whose heart dances in the rare moments our family fluffs its feathers in the same landing spot, birdies chirping in tandem from the sanctuary of the nest.
Each time another underling leaves home, the force these homecomings have on my heart grows in strength.
Knowing the reunion would extend into the next day with our full brood, not so uncharacteristically, I set about texting everyone that our Thanksgiving would include a quick family-photo session.
Our clan has come to know that with food and family comes "film." And so they agreed, mostly compliantly, to find appropriate attire for a somewhat blended scheme.
I won't say it happened without a hitch; we had two dogs to accommodate as well. But in the end, I got my picture. Not perfect in every way, but good enough.
The next day, looking at the photo again the morning of our 27th wedding anniversary, my heart swelled. Nothing could have meant more to me just then than holding the visual of us with our five children; eternal beings whose lives sprang forth from God's hand, from our marriage nearly three decades earlier.
Glancing again at the seven of us aligned on a bench – my husband and I in the middle, flanked by our two oldest on one side and three youngest on the other – the many challenges we've experienced through the years seemed to me as nothing. The sleepless nights, the strain and stress, faded into this manifestation of love.
Love, not as in the short-lived, Western-romantic type, but enduring, true love which wills the good of the other.
Most of the time, we haven't had a clue what we're doing. Our selfish tendencies, left unchecked and unchanged, could well have prevented this Thanksgiving snapshot on a back-yard deck from ever becoming. Yet, here it is.
Only God's grace can explain it – the abundant, beautiful grace that held us together against the odds, and holds us together every moment still. In this visual, I see not just this one instance, but a multitude of small successes that have defeated despair.
It's a glimpse into the eternal plan of God, made possible by God alone.
Someday, after I'm gone, perhaps our kids will look at this photo, which demanded a little something of them, and understand why their mother risked creating a moment or two of tension, all because her heart wished to hold them close to savor a moment of love.
[For the sake of having a repository for my newspaper columns and articles, I reprint them here, with permission, a week after their run date. The preceding ran in The Forum newspaper on Dec. 1, 2018.]
Filed Under: Faith, Family, Forum Columns, Marriage, Outings, Pro-life, Seasons, Second-chance Sundays Leave a Comment
Living Faith: Westra's 'All shall be well' a lasting gift to all
"All shall be well." These were the last words my friend Vicky Westra typed into her blog, The Westra World, before her death on Oct. 13.
At her funeral, her cousin Rob reminded us how intentionally Vicky had always chosen her words. Undoubtedly, this was her parting, and lasting, gift to us all.
And while I'm counting on these words being true, right now, I'm struggling. Vicky had asked Bridget Cullen and me to read Scripture at her funeral.
"Who could say No to Vicky?" Bridget remarked. Vicky had drawn many to her, and we felt honored to be chosen to share God's life-giving words and some reflections.
The day of the service, I worked hard to stay composed. But grief doesn't ask permission to show up, and by evening, the familiar thump to body and soul hit hard. More than mere fatigue, I realized, it was loss.
Curling up into bed early, I fell into a long, restless night trying to confront that this beautiful friend with the gentle voice and accommodating presence is no longer physically here.
Fellow bloggers just a river apart, Vicky and I met online in 2010, not long before her terminal diagnosis. Soon thereafter, while planning a visit to the Carmel of Mary Monastery in Wahpeton to tend to a writing project, I had a thought. Could the peace I'd found at the monastery bring Vicky restoration? The sisters kindly agreed to an extra guest.
That visit turned into the first of many gatherings for the two of us. Over the next seven years, Vicky became my Carmel Companion.
At the convent, we happily captured God's beauty of earth and sky through our camera lenses; giggled gratefully over the mystery of sharing space with a cloistered community; and delightedly inhaled the sacred sights, smells and sounds together.
The sisters came to love Vicky as much as I did. And though I initially instigated these rendezvous, Vicky eventually tapped me about going. It had become a need, a way to calm her soul in the difficult journey.
I miss her so much and know this longing will only grow in the coming months. But I'm gratified, too, for the very gift of knowing her, and the lessons she taught me, and so many, about living fully even in dying.
Having become conformed to Christ through her suffering and will, Vicky is now stepping into the bliss that awaits those who love him. Watching her forge this path with such grace has brought comfort, for as she said in an article I wrote in 2011, "If I can, you can."
Dear Vicky, please pray for us from your new home, and if you would, fluff the pillows for the slumber party to come. I trust our adventures have not ended, but only just begun.
"All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well." – Saint Juliana of Norwich
To share in Roxane's and Vicky's adventures at the monastery, visit Roxane's blog at http://roxanesalonen.com/2018/10/me-and-my-carmel-companion/.
[For the sake of having a repository for my newspaper columns and articles, I reprint them here, with permission, a week after their run date. The preceding ran in The Forum newspaper on Nov. 3, 2018.]
Filed Under: Celebrations, Forum Columns, Grief, Outings, Seasons, Second-chance Sundays Tagged With: cancer, Carmel of Mary Monastery, Carmelite monastery, friendship, Vicky Westra, Wahpeton, Westra World Leave a Comment
Living Faith: I met Dorothy Day through her grandchild
Roxane Salonen and Kate Hennessy, youngest granddaughter of Dorothy Day, meet at the Presentation Prayer Center in Fargo, ND, April 2018
I've long admired Dorothy Day, ever since my college spiritual mentor, Father Bill Mehrkens, introduced her through his homilies and the Dorothy Day "Home of Hospitality" House he helped found in Moorhead.
But until recently, Dorothy was mostly just an icon to me.
I knew of her as someone with a great heart for the downtrodden, who was regretfully post-abortive but later had a daughter whom she dearly loved, and one who came to faith at a difficult time, then clung with tenacity to God.
I knew, too, of the controversy surrounding her, how some called her a communist, and that she'd spent time in jail for protesting for civil-rights causes.
But until recently, I'd only skimmed the surface, and now, I feel I know her as well as one can the dead, thanks to Kate Hennessy, who fashioned a beautiful tribute to her "Granny" through her book, "Dorothy Day: The World Will Be Saved by Beauty: An Intimate Portrait of My Grandmother." The book, my summer indulgence, accompanied me to Mexico, Itasca State Park and other summer destinations. Within its exquisitely-woven passages, I rediscovered my love of book-reading, and the edification of traveling alongside another soul yearning for God.
The space I have here won't do Dorothy justice, but I'll share generally what Hennessy did — that this book is as much about her mother, Tamar, as her grandmother. More than anything, it's about complicated relationships, and how love can emerge in the most miraculous ways through them.
Through Hennessy's laboring, I met Dorothy as a mother who sacrificed other pursuits to spend time with her family, and who, even after they'd all left the church, kept attending Mass and stayed grounded in the Psalms, which she took almost like one does sweetener with her coffee every morning.
As Hennessy put it, "The church was the community, (Dorothy) felt, and Mass became a time to stop and take note of the sunlight and of her fellow human, to take a breath and feel God touching the heart and the mind."
I met a fellow writer who called writing prayer, work and a form of activism. "We write what we suffer," Dorothy once said.
Hennessy observed: "Dorothy's meandering voice…lulls you into a sense of listening to a story as comforting as a lazy river, running through a hot summer's day — until she wallops you with the realization that you need to change your life and you need to do it now."
Isn't that something we should all feel as people of God — an urgency to change?
Dorothy's family squirms at the notion of her possibly being canonized — a process currently underway — but I hope it comes to pass. For if Dorothy Day, in all her moods and imperfections, can become a saint, perhaps I can, too.
[For the sake of having a repository for my newspaper columns and articles, I reprint them here, with permission, a week after their run date. The preceding ran in The Forum newspaper on Sept. 29, 2018.]
Filed Under: Abortion, Books, Catholicism, Faith, Forum Columns, Outings, Second-chance Sundays Tagged With: beauty, Dorothy Day, Kate Hennessy Leave a Comment
'Unplanned' movie's Abby Johnson shares how motherhood moved her to leave Planned Parenthood
The name "Grace" came to Abby Johnson out of the blue one day while drying her hair during her pregnancy with her first child.
She recalled thinking, simply, "I like the name Grace!"
Though a Christian, Johnson had not yet come to fully recognize the conflicts her job presented regarding her faith. Nor had she realized what a fitting name Grace would come to be for her daughter, whose first months of her life played out with her mother as a Planned Parenthood manager.
"I look at how much my life was shaped because of my pregnancy with her, because of who she was," Johnson says of Grace. "Being a mom…softened my heart to be able to listen to that whisper of God saying, 'You can't do this anymore.'"
Her revelation led eventually to a decision to leave the abortion giant, where she was steadily rising within the ranks, to dedicate her life to warning others of the organization's deceptive aims and leading other workers away from the industry through her organization, "And Then There Were None."
A group of faith-based journalists takes part in a round-table discussion in Oklahoma City May 14 with Abby Johnson, whose life story, "Unplanned," will be shown in theaters this spring. Copyright 2018 Roxane Salonen. All rights reserved.
In May, Johnson talked about her journey with a group of faith-based reporters at a coffee shop in Oklahoma City during a break of the filming of "Unplanned," the movie based on her memoir of the same title, which details her conversion and will be shown in theaters this spring.
Johnson said being on set of the film of her life story was interesting. The first scene she saw brought her face to face with a moment just after co-workers had given her a baby shower at the clinic. "Watching (the actress) walk out of the set and seeing her get in her car, and have a conversation with the person at the fence, it was very emotional for me," Johnson says. "I'm watching…this confused person that I was, this person who was constantly trying to justify what she did…it was hard watching someone play the worst version of yourself."
Ashley Bratcher shares, in an evening round-table discussion May 14 in Oklahoma City with journalists during the filming of the movie "Unplanned," how she discovered her mother had nearly aborted her while pregnant at age 19. Copyright 2018 Roxane Salonen. All rights reserved.
Ashley Bratcher ("War Room") plays Johnson, and joined the discussion that evening, sharing a riveting discovery linking her to Johnson's story. She'd only been on set four days when, in a phone discussion with her mother, she learned she'd almost been aborted.
"She said, 'I was actually at the clinic,'" Bratcher said, recounting the story her mother told her of hearing her name being called, being led to the exam table, and deciding right there on the table that she couldn't go through with it, and "got up and walked out."
Later, when Bratcher asked her father about the near-abortion, he shared that he'd pawned his shotgun to pay for the procedure. "I thought, 'Man, the price of a life is a shotgun?'" she said in recalling the conversation. "That, for me, was so clearly (evidence of) the hand of God, who planted me here to tell this story."
Bratcher said some friends and even mentors warned her against playing the lead in such a controversial story, saying, "Don't touch that role, you'll never work again," but she resisted, noting that she'd given her career to the Lord in 2012. "I came into this fearlessly…so I'm not scared of what's to come."
When asked the most challenging scene to film, Bratcher said, mentally and physically, it was the one showing Johnson experiencing an abortion of her own child through the abortion pill.
"It was almost like torture, hours of reliving this moment in her life….allowing myself to be emotional in every take to the point where I literally threw up in one of the takes," she said.
Abby Johnson speaks with a journalist during a round-table discussion on the upcoming film, "Unplanned," which details her life as a former abortion worker and exit from Planned Parenthood, where she worked as a manager for before having a conversion. Copyright 2018 Roxane Salonen. All rights reserved.
That scene was also very hard for Johnson to watch, she admitted. "I went through that alone, and it was such a lonely time," she said. "Seeing what I went through from a different lens…that's going to be a hard scene (for others to watch)."
Nevertheless, Bratcher said she appreciated being part of the cast, and helping relay the overarching message of redemption. "The love that God has for us, this deep, personal love…is so much better than anything we could want for ourselves."
Johnson also emphasized the positive message, sharing that most people working in the abortion industry have good intentions.
"I know what it is to have misguided passion, to be complicit in horrible things and still be loved and forgiven," Johnson said. "We're all broken, we can all do terrible things and fall away from our faith…but our minds can't even fathom the mercy (God) has for us."
Johnson recalled the alienation she felt after realizing her friends at Planned Parenthood had turned their backs on her, and how the people she'd once believed were the intolerant ones — the pro-life people — embraced her and "loved me just as I was."
Bratcher said it was an honor to play a real person, though also daunting. "You have to be dedicated to honoring the authenticity of the story," she said, noting that she came to realize how much like Johnson she is. "I've been called feisty a few times myself."
Abby Johnson (left) shares a lighthearted moment with her husband, Doug Johnson, and Ashley Bratcher ("War Room"), who plays her in the forthcoming film, "Unplanned." Copyright 2018 Roxane Salonen. All rights reserved.
"I watched her and I'm like, 'That's just like me,'" Johnson agreed. "She's been able to channel (me) well."
In a few scenes, Bratcher said, she used improvisation, only to learn Johnson had really said those same words. She credits the Holy Spirit with these moments of synchronicity. "I think because we've allowed the Holy Spirit to take over, there comes this peaceful hush over the set where this magic is happening before our eyes."
Johnson says she hopes the film will be one that resonates with viewers — especially those who "maybe have a checkered past — a little bit of tarnish in their past." She wants, most of all, for people to understand that "no one is too far gone from redemption, and healing is available to everyone. I hope that is the message this movie will most convey."
Q4U: Have you read the book "Unplanned?" What insights did you come away with? What do you hope the movie will add to that?
Filed Under: Abortion, Outings, Pro-life Tagged With: Abby Johnson, Ashley Bratcher, Planned Parenthood, Unplanned, War Room Leave a Comment


If you have a Pop-up Canopy, then one of the things you want to figure out is how to weigh it down. While installing it can be quite the chore, weighing it down can actually be even really challenging for some people. That's why learning how to weigh down the Pop-up Canopy can be quite helpful.
The thing you want to figure out is how to use the tent weights in a proper manner. These tent weights are accessories designed to weigh down the tent. You will find many types of weights on the market, some have around 40 pounds, but as you can imagine they can change based on what type of Pop-up Canopy you own.
As you most probably imagine here, these are pretty heavy. As a result, setting them up is extremely hard most of the time. They can also require a lot of space within your tent, which is something to take into consideration.
Yet these are still very popular, and the reason is that they keep your tent in one place. Not having to worry about your tent crashing down or being affected by wind is amazing, and that on its own shows the power of these weights.
Most of the tent weights will have a variety of options for you to choose from. But the best part is that they are incredibly distinct and the visuals on their own are more than ok.
These are attached directly to the base of your tent's leg in order to hold it down. The best part here is that the weights are hanging from your tent's critical sides to keep it in place.
There are situations where the organizers actually recommend you to use the tent weights like these in order to not waste space. It works really well, and it definitely brings in front some great options for you.
These can be filled with water or sand. The idea here is that you can easily store them anywhere you want, and when you need to use them, you just add sand or water.
It makes a lot of sense actually, and the experience will be quite an astonishing one, which is exactly what you may need from something like this.
Some of these weights are designed for specific models. As a result, if you have a specific Pop-up Canopy, you may need to see whether it has its own type of weights.
It's not ideal, true, and it can be quite expensive too. But it's certainly worth it, and it's something that you do want to take into consideration the best way you can.
You don't have to buy tent weights if you don't want to. The homemade models are still more than ok. You can use PVC pipe weights, large buckets, large jugs filled with stones and so on. These are quite interesting to use and the value you can receive as a whole is pretty impressive in its own right.
It all comes down to where you want to place the tent, the overall costs and other features. But most of the time you won't have to use the very best tent. As long as your tent doesn't have to deal with extremely climate changes, you will notice that weighing down the Pop-up Canopy will be quite easy even with the homemade solutions.
But those are not ideal and many times they can break if you're not careful. This is why the best option is to weigh this down and using it can be very well worth it.
Just try to use that to your own advantage, and the experience will definitely be a great one in the end. The idea here is that you don't want to overspend on tent weights, so finding a good option is certainly going to help!


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Ranking the 50 most valuable shooting guards in the NBA from 2017-18
Where does Gary Harris rank statistically compared to other top shooting guards?
By Ryan Blackburn@NBABlackburn Aug 13, 2018, 8:00am MDT
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Thomas B. Shea-USA TODAY Sports
Everyone loves player rankings, so let's rank shooting guards, home of the most variety of player types in the NBA.
Click here for the top 50 most valuable point guards of 2017-18.
In order to remove bias from my own ranking, I have decided to put together a formula to generate a new ranking. The list below isn't my personal opinion on who's better than who. Rather, it shapes my opinion on who provided the most value last season. For example, I know that Devin Booker is better than Buddy Hield and Jeremy Lamb, but for a variety of reasons, Booker will rank lower than the latter two.
First, let me explain my logic and reasoning in crafting this list:
Methodology and Criteria
Going into the exercise, I knew I wanted to rank the most valuable players from last season, rather than the best players. I decided to rank the following six components of a shooting guard's game to varying degrees:
Scoring and facilitating, i.e. how effective the player was at generating points with the ball in hand.
Number Production, i.e. how many points, assists, rebounds, steals, and blocks the player accumulated.
Offensive Efficiency and Role, i.e. how frequently did a player score, and what level of volume did the player score with.
Defensive efficiency and role, i.e. how frequently was the player tasked with defending opposing shot takers, and how frequently did they force a player to miss.
Team Impact, i.e. how well did the team perform when the player was on and off the floor.
Advanced Metrics, i.e. how effective do the advanced metrics say the player is in the moment and over the course of the season.
In order to turn each of these categories into a single number, I acquired per 100 possession data, point creation data, efficiency and usage data, defensive numbers, net ratings, and advanced numbers for all shooting guards to appear in 30 or more games. A giant thanks to Jacob Goldstein of The BBall Index, Adam Fromal of NBA Math, and Jeremias Engelmann of ESPN for their metric data.
The ranking is entirely statistical, but it doesn't rely on just advanced metrics or basic points and assists numbers. It blends the above concepts into a composite ranking and adjusts for a player's role and minutes played.
Let's get into it.
Notable Omissions:
Zach LaVine, Terrence Ross, Iman Shumpert, Tony Allen, Rodney McGruder, and Ron Baker all had a chance to crack the top 50, but none of them met the 30 game minimum requirement.
Last week, Jrue Holiday, Delon Wright, Marcus Smart, Jordan Clarkson, Malcolm Brogdon, Rajon Rondo, and George Hill were all ranked as point guards, so none of them will show up in the shooting guard section.
Here's the list of players I have as borderline small forwards rather than shooting guards: Khris Middleton, Josh Richardson, Andrew Wiggins, C.J. Miles, Dillon Brooks, Evan Turner, and Royce O'Neale.
Will Barton will be ranked as a shooting guard because he spent the majority of his time last season at the position.
Just Missed the Cut:
Dion Waiters continues to think higher of himself than the numbers suggest. He, Avery Bradley, Jamal Crawford, and Lance Stephenson all missed the cut. All four were inefficient on moderate to high volume, and there were no good defenders among this group, Bradley included.
Former Golden State Warriors backups Nick Young and Ian Clark were both poor this year.
Bryn Forbes and Damyean Dotson were two low minute reserves who just didn't have enough floor time to crack the top 50.
Two young players I enjoyed watching, Tyrone Wallace and Pat Connaughton, were right on the border, and they should crack the top 50 soon enough.
Average Backups (player - 2017-18 team)
50. Garrett Temple - Sacramento Kings
49. Wesley Matthews - Dallas Mavericks
48. Rodney Hood - Utah Jazz and Cleveland Cavaliers
47. Josh Hart - Los Angeles Lakers
46. Andrew Harrison - Memphis Grizzlies
45. Wayne Selden - Memphis Grizzlies
44. Langston Galloway - Detroit Pistons
43. Courtney Lee - New York Knicks
42. Danny Green - San Antonio Spurs
41. Nicolas Batum - Charlotte Hornets
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
This tier involves a variety of current NBA shooting guard talent, from scorers to facilitators to shooters to defensive talent. Garrett Temple will join Andrew Harrison and Wayne Selden in the backcourt in Memphis this year. With Mike Conley returning, the Grizzlies have a decent backcourt rotation (I have Dillon Brooks at small forward). Selden is the best shooter of the three. Harrison is the best defender and facilitator. Temple is the most versatile. None are starter quality.
There are two younger guards here in Josh Hart and Rodney Hood. Hart will be extremely valuable going forward as a versatile playmaker, shooter, and defender. Hood is a solid scorer and produces points, but as one of the worst defenders on this list, he's not a valuable player right now.
Lastly, there are a number of veterans with quality reputations that have fallen off a ton: Courtney Lee remains steady, but Wesley Matthews has struggled to remain efficient and competent defensively, Danny Green is too low volume offensively, and Batum, while an excellent playmaker, struggles everywhere else.
Above Average Backups
40. Justin Holiday - Chicago Bulls
39. Andre Roberson - Oklahoma City Thunder
38. Luke Kennard - Detroit Pistons
37. Bogdan Bogdanovic - Sacramento Kings
35t. Joe Harris - Brooklyn Nets
35t. Reggie Bullock - Detroit Pistons
34. Caris LeVert - Brooklyn Nets
33. Austin Rivers - Los Angeles Clippers
32. E'Twaun Moore - New Orleans Pelicans
31. Wayne Ellington - Miami Heat
29t. Allen Crabbe - Brooklyn Nets
29t. Marco Belinelli - Atlanta Hawks and Philadelphia 76ers
28. Gerald Green - Houston Rockets
This tier of players is very large, but it goes to show just how many quality shooting guards there are that aren't quite starter caliber. The most common player type here is the bench shooter. Justin Holiday: 35.9% from three. Luke Kennard: 41.5%. Bogdan Bogdanovic: 39.2%. Joe Harris: 41.9%. And so on.
The one non-shooter in this tier is Andre Roberson, and frankly, it's amazing he came in so high. After playing only 39 games, Roberson achieved the ninth highest defensive score, defending the fifth most field goals per 36 minutes, accumulating the ninth most steals per 100 possessions, the second most blocks per 100, and the fifth most rebounds per 100. Ultimately though, the biggest factor was his second best Team Impact score, posting a +10.6 Net Rating when on the floor and a +9.9 Net Difference. That means when Roberson was off the floor, the Oklahoma City Thunder were a slightly above average basketball team. With him, they were a contender.
Only the best role players join star shooting guards to have the highest Team Impact score.
Below Average Starters
27. Manu Ginobili - San Antonio Spurs
26. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - Los Angeles Lakers
25. Tyler Johnson - Miami Heat
24. Dwyane Wade - Cleveland Cavaliers and Miami Heat
23. Tomas Satoransky - Washington Wizards
22. Kyle Korver - Cleveland Cavaliers
21. Kent Bazemore - Atlanta Hawks
20. Evan Fournier - Orlando Magic
19. Tim Hardaway Jr. - New York Knicks
In this tier, starters and bench players alike performed at the level of a below average starter. This is an intriguing group. Most of the players can handle the ball, and a number of them combine those skills with good enough defense. Manu Ginobili, Tyler Johnson, Tomas Satoransky, and Dwyane Wade fit this player type, each with top 30 defensive scores and top 35 assist marks. Satoransky in particular is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. He posted top 25 marks in every category except scoring, including the second best passing mark among SGs.
It's always difficult to quantify the true effect of players. For Dwayne Wade and his stints in Cleveland and Miami, the efficiency certainly wasn't there, and that was a big deal.
However, Wade did serve both teams well as a secondary (and sometimes primary) ball handler. His production as a passer helped both squads, both of which lacked creation for others (save for LeBron James of course). I don't think Wade is accurately ranked though. His production made up for major flaws defensively, and the degree to which is passing production actually helped the offense is questionable.
Kyle Korver is basically the opposite of Wade. While both are veterans of the 2003 draft class, one plays with the ball in his hands, and other was one of the most efficient/effective shooters and had the advanced metrics of a solid starter. His minute count dragged him down, but playing with LeBron James helped prolong Korver's career. We will see how effective he is without an elite facilitator.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kent Bazemore, Evan Fournier, and Tim Hardaway Jr. all started on bad teams but were productive in a variety of ways. By all advanced metrics, KCP deserves to be in this tier, possibly even the one above it; however, his relatively average impact across all other categories left something to be desired. Bazemore posted the third most steals and fifth most blocks per 100 while shooting 39.4% from three. Evan Fournier posted the 7th highest efficiency score based on his effective field goal percentage, true shooting percentage, and usage rate combination. THJR simply had few weaknesses in his game, and while he will have a tough time justifying the contract the Knicks gave him last offseason, he can at least say he's on the border of being a solid starter.
Solid Starters
18. Devin Booker - Phoenix Suns
17. Will Barton - Denver Nuggets
16. Jeremy Lamb - Charlotte Hornets
15. Buddy Hield - Sacramento Kings
14. J.J. Redick - Philadelphia 76ers
13. Jaylen Brown - Boston Celtics
12. C.J. McCollum - Portland Trail Blazers
11. Eric Gordon - Houston Rockets
10. DeMar DeRozan - Toronto Raptors
9. Gary Harris - Denver Nuggets
Let's be clear: Devin Booker isn't the 18th best shooting guard in the NBA. He's squarely in the top 10.
That's not to say he was among the ten most valuable shooting guards in the NBA though. He played for a terrible Phoenix Suns team, which certainly hurt his advanced metrics. That being said, his team impact score should be higher than 61st where it stands after 2017-18, and it's because there was no difference in Phoenix's performance with Booker on the floor versus off.
The Suns were a slightly better team statistically with Devin Booker off the floor.
That's not encouraging. Generally, the best offensive player on the team elevates the teams offensive rating higher than a measly 1.3 points per 100 possessions. It could be because the Suns didn't have a point guard, and that simply upgrading the roster around Booker will make him better. Still, that's a thought for another time. Despite being the second most productive scorer, Booker's efficiency profile was just "good" rather than elite. He's elite for a 21-year-old season, but that's a different conversation. He's still a horrid defender. Hopefully starting next to Trevor Ariza and DeAndre Ayton will elevate him there.
As for the rest of the group, it's primarily formed by the most valuable reserves and other rock solid starters. The bench group of Will Barton, Jeremy Lamb, Buddy Hield, and Eric Gordon is intriguing. Barton and Gordon were Sixth Man of the Year candidates last year, while Hield was quite possibly the best player on the Kings last year. Lamb went relatively unnoticed In Charlotte once again, but he was in Charlotte's three best two-man lineups with each of Kemba Walker, Marvin Williams, and Dwight Howard. He deserves to be a starter there.
Then, there are five starting guards, all completely different: Redick, Brown, McCollum, DeRozan, and Harris. Redick and Harris were the most efficient shooters by far. Brown was the best defender. McCollum and DeRozan were the best volume scorers handling the ball.
It's tough to differentiate by skill set, but this the clear break in the tier between solid and All-Star caliber. DeRozan gets a ton of hype for his scoring and creation prowess, and maybe that helps in the fourth quarter of a game more than Brown's two-way contributions or Harris' spacing and burgeoning offensive game. DeRozan's stellar teammates also hurt his individual team impact score, simply because the team doesn't miss a beat when he exits the game. He's in a similar situation to Booker, except Booker's team is awful regardless of whether he's in or not.
Donovan Mitchell, Gary Harris, Jaylen Brown, and Devin Booker are the top four shooting guard prospects in the NBA.
All-Star Caliber
8. Klay Thompson - Golden State Warriors
7. Lou Williams - Los Angeles Clippers
6. Donovan Mitchell - Utah Jazz
5. Tyreke Evans - Memphis Grizzlies
4. Bradley Beal - Washington Wizards
The All-Star caliber tier features five players, and only two of them made the All-Star teams last year, primarily because of the talent in the Western Conference. Two of the players primarily come off the bench, but don't let that fool you: Lou Williams and Tyreke Evans were each amazing last year. Williams averaged 22.6 points and 5.3 assists on 35.9% from three. The eight players to match those numbers all made the All-Star game. Evans averaged 19 points, five rebounds, and five assists on just under 40% from three. Of the other seven players to accomplish that, six made the All-Star game, the lone exception being Blake Griffin.
Klay Thompson is in all likelihood the fourth or fifth best shooting guard in the NBA, but playing for the Golden State Warriors has altered his numbers. Not just his per game totals, but the team impact factor. As great of a defender as Thompson is, especially in playoff situations, he defended just an average number of shots per 36 minutes and stole the ball at an extremely low rate. Combined with his role in Golden State's offense limiting his ability to facilitate for others, and it's hard for Thompson to make up ground. He had the second efficiency mark though.
Donovan Mitchell and Bradley Beal are very similar players. Both can handle the basketball and facilitate for others. Mitchell still has much to learn and some extra efficiency to achieve, but as his offensive abilities continue to blossom, he has a chance of being the best shooting guard in the NBA throughout his prime. Beal, in my opinion, remains extremely underrated. John Wall isn't the ideal point guard to play next to him, and it wouldn't surprise me if those two separated some time soon. Surround Beal with better shooters and an elite rim runner (Dwight Howard is closer than Marcin Gortat, I guess) and he could be the best shooting guard in the NBA very shortly.
All-NBA Candidates
3. Jimmy Butler - Minnesota Timberwolves
2. Victor Oladipo - Indiana Pacers
1. James Harden - Houston Rockets
This is the cream of the crop, and order is sure to confuse some.
Butler missed some precious time this season. Playing 59 games compared to Victor Oladipo's 75 already puts him behind the 8-ball. Let's examine the facts though:
Victor Oladipo was the second most valuable shooting guard in the NBA last season.
Harden's abilities on offense completely separate him from the pack. He didn't have as large of an individual impact on the Houston Rockets as Jimmy Butler had on the Minnesota Timberwolves, but that's because the Rockets have Chris Paul, Clint Capela, and Eric Gordon. His combination of effectiveness and volume just completely overwhelmed opponents, and it's why he won MVP.
Butler faced off against Harden and the Rockets in the first round and were trounced. Unfortunately for the T'Wolves, that was an unfair fight. The Rockets did everything they could to get the ball out of Butler's hands, and it caused Butler's scoring to drop, even though his efficiency remained intact. He's a willing passer, but it's not the best part of his game in my opinion. Butler is best when he's playing a primary scoring role off of a facilitating big man. He performed well with Joakim Noah and Pau Gasol. Maybe he performs well with Nikola Jokic in the future.
Surprisingly though, Butler isn't the runaway second best shooting guard. Victor Oladipo was first team All-Defense for a reason, and his ability to be a pest on that end, picking up steals and blocks at a prolific rate, helped improve his productivity as well. Both were incredible on the offensive end, but Oladipo made a big difference for Indiana defensively, the 12th best defense that performed like the fourth best defense with Oladipo on the floor.
This level of impact cannot be understated. He shouldered the load on both ends, making the second best shooting guard conversation at least something worth discussing.
There's my 2,700 words on shooting guards this year. Gary Harris comes in at 9. Will Barton, ranked as a shooting guard, comes in at 17. Both will be extremely vital to Denver's upcoming season, so hopefully, they don't overlap positions too much and can coexist with Jamal Murray, Paul Millsap, and Jokic this year.
Here's how I see the top 10 rankings playing out next season:
Oladipo
DeRozan
Harris is squarely in the top 10 here. Murray was in the top 10 last week among point guards. If both of those can occur, Denver will have an argument for top five backcourt in the NBA behind Paul/Harden and Curry/Thompson, with Wall/Beal, Teague/Butler, Irving/Brown, and Lillard/McCollum.
One must remember that these rankings are about total value, not total skill or highest potential. If there are any questions on the formulation, please comment below or start the conversation on Twitter (@NBABlackburn).
Small forwards next week.
Will Gary Harris ever be an elite shooting guard, or he destined to just be "really good"?
No, this is his ceiling.
He can still improve, but he won't be elite.
He will become an All-Star caliber player.
He will become an All-NBA caliber player.


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Coworking space can seem cool and fully-functional when you're starting up a business, but what happens when you're ready to move on? Picture this … your firm has received seed money or a surge of investment funding, and as a founder, you have staffed up operations, and the company is growing by leaps and bounds. With this new manpower, your once well thought out office space is now feeling a bit crammed.
Growing pains are real at this stage in a start up's life. And while it may feel "okay" to put a few more people into your existing coworking space, proper office space utilization is not something to be ignored. For your employee's sake. For your sake. For the other companies or entrepreneurs who may share your coworking space. For the future profitability of your business.
The message your company sends to staff at this transitional stage signals your seriousness about the future of your business. Wouldn't you like to build a space that is unique to your company? A layout that optimizes a floor plan which anticipates and accounts for future growth? A place that establishes your brand? And how fantastic would it be to have a space that allows employees to utilize their office environment in productive and fruitful ways?
Flexibility pertaining to lease term is one of the many advantages of utilizing coworking space, and at TOTUS, our center affords members an even greater level of flexibility due to our unique relationship with the building's landlord. Having a professional presence while your business is growing, and then the flexibility to easily move into traditional office space, is a luxury not afforded to many other business centers. However, at TOTUS, we have transitioned numerous members into long-term traditional office space over the years, oftentimes within the same building that we operate out of!
Earlier this year one of our members, Medicare One moved from five TOTUS offices into 1,588 square feet at 105 Maxess Road. And last year, two of our TOTUS members, The Law Office of John D. Dello-Iacono and Dr. B. Allyn Behling transitioned into larger spaces within the same building as well. Prior to this, we have helped even more companies as their business needs have changed and grown.
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"Xue Nai, what happened to the powerhouse who opened 81 Saint Veins? Were there any other rumors about him on Dao Martial Saint Land?" Duan Ling Tian was quite curious about the powerhouse that Han Xue Nai mentioned.
In Wang Ba's words, people like him were legendary Martial Cultivators!
"Yes." Han Xue Nai nodded, her usually relaxed face tensed. "After the powerhouse grew, he was unbeatable in Dao Martial Saint Land!
"In his era, he was ranked No. 1 on the Supreme Saint Ranking of Dao Martial Saint Land! He once fought against the No. 2 to No. 10 of the Supreme Saint Ranking at once. That was one against nine other powerhouses.
"That timeless battle became a legend in Dao Martial Saint Land!" As Han Xue Nai spoke, admiration flashed in her eyes.
"Supreme Saint Ranking?" Duan Ling Tian was stunned.
"The Supreme Saint Ranking lists the top Saint Stage powerhouses in Dao Martial Saint Land. It represents the strongest people on Dao Martial Saint Land!"


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LAVA Sunday Salon
LAVA Sunday Salon February 2017
ABOUT THE FEBRUARY 2017 SALON & WALKING TOUR:
The LAVA Sunday Salon is delighted to welcome back the esteemed poet and educator Suzanne Lummis as she curates a second series of Poem Noir readings.
Starting in the basement of Grand Central Market, Suzanne will describe the defining characteristics of this poetry, whose dark themes, atmosphere, and voice of cool detachment are inspired by the low budget black-and-white crime movies of the 1940s and 1950s. Then we'll move across the street to the Bradbury Building for the Poem Noir readings, presented by a star-studded lineup of poets.
ABOUT THE SALON: On the last Sunday of the month starting at 2pm, LAVA welcomes interested individuals to gather in downtown Los Angeles for the Sunday Salon, featuring a presentation by a LAVA Visionary and opportunities to meet and connect with one another. Immediately after the Salon, a walking tour expands on the Salon theme. If you're interested in joining LAVA as a creative contributor or an attendee, we recommend Salon attendance as an introduction to this growing community.
Tony Forsmark, a Nevada, Iowa native, graduated from Iowa State University with a major in Performing Arts and is a longtime member of the master class at the Beverly Hills Playhouse. The veteran actor has appeared in multiple theatrical, commercial and television roles, including recent roles in such shows as Criminal Minds, Documentary Now, Speechless and American Crime. Forsmark is repped by Rex Talent Management (Manager) and RPM Talent (Agent).
Strawn Bovee is known for work in Theater, Film, TV, Video, Galleries, Commercials and Interactive Games. Selected works: THEATER: Richard III, Macbeth, Cherry Orchard, The Seagull, Iphigenia at Aulis, The Heiress, Sister Cities, Daddyo Dies Well, Vagina Monologues, The Balcony, Antigone, The Possibilites, The Shawl, Tartuffe. PERFORMANCE ART: Double Play, I like to Sit, Astral Tea Party, Woman at The Well, The Dance Crazy Kid. FILM & TV: Gilmore Girls, The Guardian, Judging Amy, General Hospital, The Others, Just My Luck, All the Ships at Sea, Brewster's Millions, Fourteen (in production).
Fanny Daubigny is a French-born, Los Angeles–based writer. She teaches at CSUF and is the author of numerous articles on Marcel Proust. She is currently working on a translation of Suzanne Lummis' poems.
Suzanne Lummis, one of the region's best-known poets, wrote a defining essay on the "poem noir," published in New Mexico's Malpais Review: "The Poem Noir, Too Dark to Be Depressed." As director of The Los Angeles Poetry Festival she produced the 2011 citywide series, Night and the City: L.A. Noir in Poetry, Fiction and Film. Her poems have appeared in many publications including The New Ohio Review, The Antioch Review, Ploughshares, American Journal of Poetry, and The New Yorker. Poems with a specifically noir mood and theme were included in"Noir Riot," an anthology of poetry and detective stories, and in the Vers Noir section of the Knoph "Everyman's anthology," Killer Verse: Poems of Murder and Mayhem. She has a strong performance background and appeared in numerous plays around Los Angeles in the 80s and 90s. In Los Angeles Magazine, theater critic Dick Lochte, himself a writer of detective novels, called her a "new wave Gracie Allen."
RESERVATIONS: The LAVA Sunday Salon and walking tour are free, but reservations are required. There are no "plus ones," so tell your friends to sign up individually. Please don't reserve unless you plan to attend. To reserve your spot for this free event, click on the "Buy Tickets" button above.
On the last Sunday of each month during the hours of noon-2pm, LAVA welcomes interested individuals to gather in downtown Los Angeles for a loosely structured conversational Salon featuring short presentations and opportunities to meet and connect with one another. If you're interested in joining LAVA as a creative contributor or an attendee, we recommend Salon attendance as an introduction to this growing community.
For a special LAVA Sunday Salon that includes a walking tour, you are invited to join architect and historian Alan Hess and Esotouric's Richard Schave for a program dedicated to the nearby and endangered Times Mirror Square (1973).
This is the third event in the Pereira In Peril series—earlier talks were on the Metropolitan Water District (1963) and LACMA campus (1965) — and will focus on the redevelopment threat facing the recently sold Times Mirror Square and its effect on the legacy of mid-century architect and city planner William L. Pereira, whose corporate and civic work helped define Los Angeles.
The first half of the event will be a LAVA Sunday Salon discussion in the basement of Grand Central Market. Then the group will walk two blocks north to Times Mirror Square, where we will continue to refine the discussion of Pereira's legacy and significance while viewing the 1973 black glass corporate headquarters. This widely misunderstood structure at the northwest corner of the historic Los Angeles Times compound reveals fascinating layers of change in the city's architectural style, the Chandler family's relationship with their newspaper and Pereira's evolution as an architect. With its future uncertain, there has never been a better time to get to know Times Mirror Square.
Youtube Channel link for LAVA Sunday Feb 2017
« LAVA Sunday Salon January 2017	» LAVA Sunday Salon March 2017


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From the GAO: Critical Infrastructure Protection, Key Cyber-related Risks Facing the Financial Sector; Treasury Needs to Improve Tracking of Financial Sector Cybersecurity Risk Mitigation Efforts
Altogether, the sector holds about $108 trillion in assets and faces a variety of cybersecurity-related risks. Key risks include (1) an increase in access to financial data through information technology service providers and supply chain partners; (2) a growth in sophistication of malware — software meant to do harm — and (3) an increase in interconnectivity via networks, the cloud, and mobile applications. Cyberattacks that exploit risks can occur against either public or private components of the sector. For example, in February 2016, hackers were able to install malware on the Bangladesh Central Bank's system through a service provider, which then directed the Federal Reserve Bank of New York to transfer money to accounts in other Asian countries. This attack resulted in the theft of approximately $81 million. more »
Covid 19 Hearing Sept 16th: CDC Director Dr. Redfield Testified on the Latest Coronavirus Response Efforts
Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified on the latest coronavirus response efforts. CDC Director on Availability Coronavirus Vaccine by "Late Second Quarter, Third Quarter 2021". CDC Director Redfield on Face Masks: "More guaranteed to protect me against COVID than when I take a COVID vaccine." more »
Scientific American Endorses Joe Biden We've never backed a presidential candidate in our 175-year history — until now
'It wasn't just a testing problem: if almost everyone in the U.S. wore masks in public, it could save about 66,000 lives by the beginning of December, according to projections from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Such a strategy would hurt no one. It would close no business. It would cost next to nothing. But Trump and his vice president flouted local mask rules, making it a point not to wear masks themselves in public appearances. Trump has openly supported people who ignored governors in Michigan and California and elsewhere as they tried to impose social distancing and restrict public activities to control the virus. He encouraged governors in Florida, Arizona and Texas who resisted these public health measures, saying in April — again, falsely — that "the worst days of the pandemic are behind us" and ignoring infectious disease experts who warned at the time of a dangerous rebound if safety measures were loosened." more »
Archeologists Unearth Cookware That May Reveal Evidence of Meals from Centuries Ago
If you happen to dig up an ancient ceramic cooking pot, don't clean it. Chances are, it contains the culinary secrets of the past. A research team led by UC Berkeley archaeologists has discovered that unglazed ceramic cookware can retain the residue of not just the last supper cooked, but, potentially, earlier dishes cooked across a pot's lifetime, opening a window onto the past. The findings, reported in the journal Scientific Reports, suggest that gastronomic practices going back millennia — say, to cook Aztec turkey, hominy pozole or the bean stew likely served at the Last Supper — can be reconstructed by analyzing the chemical compounds adhering to and absorbed by the earthenware in which they were prepared. more »


The Hologic Fluoroscan Premier C-arm is completely refurbished to include all the very latest software updates. The unit is meticulously refurbished both operationally and cosmetically. The C-arm undergoes a comprehensive multi-point inspection followed by a thorough test and calibration process. Visually, the unit is completely restored to newly new condition so the unit not only looks but operates like new.


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"Building one space station for everyone was and is insane: we should have built a dozen."
- Larry Niven
Inorganic Evolution
A process by which robots could alter their own structure, or the ways that they interact with other robots, to adapt to a changing world.
Lem is not suggesting that robots could create themselves from metal and other materials spontaneously. In the novel, he hypothesizes how an adaptable swarm of very simple machines could have evolved from the homeostatic robots of a highly advanced society.
He begins by hypothesizing that the original ancestors of the swarm of nanomachines were various robots from a Lyre scout ship.
"The robots were unharmed and left the ship. They were highly specialized homeostatic mechanisms, capable of withstanding the most difficult environmental conditions...
We'd have to assume, of course, that these machines were capable of producing other machines according to their specific needs of the moment. ...the robots would have perfectly adapted to life on the continents of the planet.
...Hundreds of generations later the 'offspring' of the first mechanisms were no longer anything like the first products created by the Lyre civilization. Do you follow me? It was the beginning of an evolution of nonliving things, an evolution of machines."
From The Invincible, by Stanislaw Lem.
Published by Poland in 1954
Lem also argues that, in the event of machine evolution, the larger and more complex robots created by organic beings (like ourselves) would fare poorly against simpler machine forms, at least partly because of energy requirements:
"In this battle, the 'intellectually' superior mechanisms, which needed considerable amounts of energy (not least, because of their size), were no match for the more economical and more productive machines -"
More Ideas and Technology from The Invincible
More Ideas and Technology by Stanislaw Lem
Tech news articles related to The Invincible
Tech news articles related to works by Stanislaw Lem
Inorganic Evolution-related news articles:
- SYMBRION - Symbiotic Evolutionary Robot Organisms
Articles related to Robotics


Nishat College of Science has taken vibrant steps to launch an Entry Test Department to ensure the brilliant success of the students. The department comprises highly qualified, high‐profiled, devoted, committed and experienced faculty, whose entire intention is towards the preparation of Entry Test. Entry Test System will continue parallel to the traditional test system of Intermediate.
These books include pre‐tests, skill exams, module exams and final exams. Nishat publications are being practiced at Lahore and highly acknowledged, recommended and endorsed by an educational sector throughout. Moreover, Entry Test preparations will be sustained under the observation of highly professional Faculty Members who will counsel students' minds to choose for them a better pathway.
Entry Test System will continue parallel to the traditional test system of the Intermediate. Preparation of researched based item bank of every subject is a regular phenomenon of Entry Test Department. Through the philosophical involvement of the faculty, the students will be enabled to inculcate the profound concepts relating to subjects during their regular academic session.
Through the research oriented material, the students will be provided with short cut methods, clues and tactics to consolidate their concepts about the concerned subjects and to attempt 100% MCQs within the allowed time in the Entry Test.


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Heat in the Kitchen from globally recognised Producer Juliano Creator & legendary MC duo Mobb Deep.
Track Title: Heat in the Kitchen ft. Mobb Deep Genre: Hip-Hop Launch Date: 6th August 2021 ISRC Code: GBKQU2181610
South London, UK (PRUnderground) August 31st, 2021
Heat in the Kitchen is more than a record, it's a unique combination of New York's finest MC duo Mobb Deep with one of Hip Hop's most globally recognized record collectors and Producers, Juliano Creator based out of London, UK and signed to the infamous Kronik Records.
Juliano's story is so deeply ingrained into the history of Hip Hop, it needs to be written down to be believed. Hip Hop music was founded on turntables, mixing and looping beats and samples from records that had elements of magic. Mixing that magic together made history. Juliano Creator had found his calling. From his teenage years he collected, chopped and made beats from the wildest array of records that he searched the globe to find.
His treasure trove of gems, from rare funk, prog rock, tv and library music through to rare Bollywood grooves, eastern European gems and Japanese kung fu soundtracks drew the attention of many of the world's most successful Producers, mostly form the US, looking for that unique break or sample.
Whenever any of Hip Hop's royalty landed in London, you could be sure the Producers they rolled with came looking. Juliano created friendships with the likes of G-Unit, Eminem's crew D12, Just Blaze (Jay Z), Mos Def and Talib Kweli, Alkaholiks (Xzibit), Dilated Peoples and Alchemist (Mobb Deep) to name just a few.
This friendship with Alchemist led to a call the minute Al landed in London whilst on tour with Mobb Deep, asking Juliano to head straight to the show with his Manager and then back to the hotel afterwards with a bag of records for both Havoc and Al to dig through. After a long night, the conversation of getting Havoc and Prodigy (Mobb Deep) on one of his beats for his new project turned into a plan. The next the day the tour was heading to Paris and Juliano and the Kronik team joined them to record Heat in the Kitchen before their next show…
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