text:
News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (March 24-April 6, 2010)
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad
Izz al-Din al- Qassam Brigades website, March 28, 2010
Rocket and mortar shell fire into Israeli territory
Palestinian Authority-affiliated Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, April 2, 2010
Full document in PDF format
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad reiterates his plan to establish the institutions
and infrastructure for a Palestinian state (psp.org.lb, April 3, 2010
During the past two weeks rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into Israeli territory increased. There were two prominent incidents, one in which an IDF officer and soldier were killed (March 26) and one in which a Thai worker was killed in a village in the western Negev (March 18). Hamas continues its policy of restraint and attempts to impose it on the rogue organizations, not always successfully.
Violent demonstrations continued in Judea and Samaria, and Palestinians continued throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at Israeli vehicles. Spokesmen for the Palestinian Authority encourage such behavior as part of what they call the �popular resistance,� but proclaim their objection to turning it into an armed conflict like the second intifada. Even as Palestinians rioted, Salam Fayyad, Palestinian prime minister, repeated his plan to establish the institutions and infrastructure for a Palestinian state (from the bottom up), to be implemented by the middle of 2011.
Two IDF Soldiers Killed
On March 26 the worst incident since Operation Cast Lead occurred, during which an IDF officer and soldier were killed and four others were wounded, two seriously and two who sustained minor injuries. The incident occurred in the afternoon near the Kissufim crossing in the central Gaza Strip. An IDF force identified a terrorist squad placing an IED and entered the area to carry out a search.� During pursuit and exchanges of fire a grenade belonging to the officer exploded. The two casualties were Major Eliraz Peretz, 32 from the village of Eli, and First Sergeant Ilan Sviatkovsky, 21, from Rishon Letzion. Two armed Palestinians were killed in the clash.
The Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas� military-terrorist wing, claimed responsibility for the incident. Other terrorist organizations, including the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, also claimed responsibility. According to Abu Obeida, Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades spokesman, the action was carried out in response to the Israeli entrance into the Gaza Strip. He denied the participation of other organizations in the incident (Al-Jazeera TV, March 26, 2010).
Exchange of fire between IDF forces and Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades terrorist operatives
(Izz al-Din al- Qassam Brigades website, March 28, 2010).
Other Hamas spokesmen referred to the incident:
Taher al-Nunu, spokesman for the de facto Hamas administration, said that Hamas agreed to the so-called �right� of the �Palestinian resistance� [i.e., the terrorist organizations] to defend the Palestinian people (Al-Arabiya TV, March 26, 2010).
Ismail Radwan, senior Hamas figure, also stressed the �right� of the �resistance� to react to Israel�s entrance into the Gaza Strip (Hamas� Palestine-Info website, March 26, 2010).
Increase in Rocket Fire into the Western Negev
Rocket and mortar shell fire targeting the towns and villages of the western Negev continued during the past two weeks. A total of five rocket hits were identifed in Israeli territory, and four other rockets were fired but fell inside the Gaza Strip. Three mortar shells were also fired, two of them at an IDF force during the incident on March 26. There were no casualties. Responsibility for the rocket and mortar shell fire was claimed by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and Fatah�s Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades (from the organizations� official websites).
Rocket and mortar shell fired into Israeli territory 1
�Rocket Fire 2010, Monthly Distribution2
The Israeli Air Force Response to the Rocket Fire
On April 2,� in response to the rocket attacks, the Israeli Air Force struck a number of targets in the Gaza Strip: an armed squad near Beit Lahiya, a post in Rafah and a weapons factory in Gaza City. In addition, on April 4 the IAF struck an armed squad which was apparently placing an IED near the security fence near Kissufim (IDF Spokesman, April 4, 2010).
Palestinian sources reported that most of the attacks did not cause casualties. According to the reports, an attack on the Zeitoun quarter of Gaza City wounded a number of civilians, among them children (Hamas� Palestine-Info website, April 2, 2010).�
Hamas Continues its Policy of Restrained Rocket Fire
Hamas maintains its policy of restrained rocket fire and attempts to impose it on the rogue organizations to prevent an escalation. It was reported that Hamas had increased its presence near the Gaza Strip�s border with Israel, prevented rocket attacks and detained rocket launching squads (Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, April 5, 2010). After the recent incidents Hamas leaders denounced what they referred to as �the Israeli escalation,� but called for the situation to calm down:
Senior Hamas figure Musheir al-Masri said that Hamas was fully prepared to defend the Gaza Strip. He said the Palestinian organizations had agreed among themselves to maintain the lull despite the fact that Israel and Hamas had no formal lull agreement.
Ismail Haniya, head of the de facto Hamas administration, denounced the �Israeli escalation� and demanded that the international community put an end to it. He said Hamas was in contact with all the organizations in the Gaza Strip to preserve �national agreement� [i.e., to make them accept Hamas� policy of restraint] (Al-Jazeera TV, April 2 2010).
�Palestinian sources� said that on April 3 representatives of the four leading terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip had met: Hamas, the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine. They agreed to appoint committees which would supervise coordination on the ground between the various organizations. The representatives said that rocket fire was only one of the ways of struggling against Israeli, and that Hamas had not asked them to hold their fire but only �to have consideration for the situation in the Gaza Strip� (Al-Hayat, April 5, 2010). Senior sources in the PIJ denied that following the meeting it had agreed to stop its rocket fire and stressed that the organization would carry out attacks �in accordance with conditions on the ground� (Hamas� Paltoday website, April 4, 2010).
Judea and Samaria
�Land Day� Events in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip
�Land Day,� marked by Israeli Arabs every March 30, was exploited throughout Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip for demonstrations, rallies and protest meetings:
In Judea and Samaria a rally was held in Ramallah. Marches were organized in the village of Budrus, west of Ramallah, where demonstrators clashed with an IDF force. Rallies and marches were also held in Nablus and near Qalqiliya. Salam Fayyad participated in an event which took place near Salfit (in central Samaria, south of the Israeli city of Ariel) (Wafa News Agency, March 30, 2010).
In the Gaza Strip a number of marches were held. Demonstrators marched to the security fence and waved Palestinian flags and anti-Israel signs. The Palestinians claimed an IDF force opened fire on the demonstrators, wounding several of them (Hamas� Paltoday website, March 30, 2010).�
Criticism of Arab helplessness: Al-Aqsa mosque goes up in flames
and there is no one to pick up the fire extinguisher
(Palestinian Authority-affiliated Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, April 2, 2010).
Counterterrorism activities
Israeli security forces continued their preventive counterterrorism activities, confiscating weapons and detaining several dozen Palestinians suspected of involvement in terrorist attacks. Confrontations continued at riots in various locations in Judea and Samaria, during which several IDF soldiers were wounded by stones.
Stones and Molotov cocktails continued being thrown at Israeli vehicles. Several civilians sustained minor injuries. Among the more prominent incidents were the following:
April 3 � Stones were thrown at an Israeli bus west of Bethlehem. There were no casualties but the bus was damaged (IDF Spokesman, April 3, 2010).
April 2 � Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle northwest of Ramallah. An Israeli woman sustained minor injuries. Stones were thrown at Israeli vehicles south and southwest of Bethlehem. There were no casualties but the vehicles were damaged (IDF Spokesman, April 3, 2010).
April 1 � Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle near the Yizhar junction south of Nablus in Samaria. An Israeli civilian man sustained minor injuries. Two Molotov cocktails were thrown at an Israeli vehicle northeast of Ramallah. There were no casualties and no damage was done (IDF Spokesman, April 1, 2010).
March 31 � Stones were thrown at an IDF vehicle near the Jewish settlement in Hebron. An IDF soldier sustained minor injuries (IDF Spokesman, March 31, 2010).
March 30 � Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle west of Bethlehem. There were no casualties but the vehicle was damaged (IDF Spokesman, March 30, 2010).
March 28 � Two pipe bombs were thrown at an IDF force patrolling southwest of Bethlehem. The bombs exploded. There were no casualties and no damage was done (IDF Spokesman, March 29, 2010).
March 27 � A Molotov cocktail was thrown at an Israeli vehicle west of Ramallah. Stones were thrown at an Israeli bus southwest of Bethlehem. There were no casualties but the bus was damaged (IDF Spokesman, March 27, 2010).
March 23 � Stones were thrown at an Israeli vehicle south of Nablus. Two Israeli civilians sustained minor injuries (IDF Spokesman, March 23, 2010).
Developments in the Gaza Strip
Pro-Hamas European Organizations Plan to Sail Aid to the Gaza Strip
Free Gaza, the Turkish-based organization IHH and the European Campaign to End the Siege of the Gaza Strip joined other European pro-Hamas organizations planning to leave by ship for the Gaza Strip at the end of April or the beginning of May. There will be more than 500 participants from various countries. They are expected to bring the Gaza Strip 5,000 tons of aid, including concrete, pre-fabricated houses, building materials and medical equipment. The fleet will consist of at least eight ships and leave from European ports (Free Gaza website, April 4, 2010). Two more voyages are planned to set sail in June 2010.
According to Jamal al-Khudari, a Hamas activist, head of a committee to end the so-called �siege,� most of the participants in the first voyage will be Europeans and Turks, including members of various parliaments, activists in humanitarian assistance organizations and members of the media. The ships will set sail from Turkey, Greece, Ireland and Britain. They are planned to meet at an appointed site and enter the Gaza Strip together to exert pressure on Israel. Al-Khudari said that as opposed to previous ships which sailed to the Gaza Strip, this time a large number of ships would arrive at the same time. Their arrival will be covered by the media and they will be formally received by 100 boats which will leave from Gaza port (Hamas� Palestine-Info website, April 2, 2010; Al-Aqsa TV, April 5, 2010).
In our assessment, the planners of the voyages assumed the participants would confront Israel, and possibly even desire the confrontation. Note: Muhammad Kazem Sawalha, a leading Hamas activist in Britain who participated in organizing the Lifeline 3 convoy, has said that �next time there will be a direct confrontation with the Zionist enemy on the high seas�3� and not with �the Egyptian regime� as in the past (Al-Intiqad, January 17, 2010).
American Congressman Visits the Gaza Strip
Congressman Keith Ellison, a Democrat from Minnesota, entered the Gaza Strip through the Rafah crossing on April 3. According to Hamas governmental sources, he came with an American diplomatic delegation from the embassy in Cairo. According to Ellison, the objectives of his visit were to find out about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and to meet civilians (Ma�an News Agency and the Chinese News Agency Xinua, April 3, 2010). Note: All of the Hamas branches, including the governmental, are interconnected and� designated by the American administration as a terrorist organization.
The Egyptian Security Forces Find a Weapons Storehouse in Sinai
The Egyptian security forces located a storehouse full of weapons in a desert region in the center of the Sinai peninsula about 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) south of El-Arish. An Egyptian security force raided a storehouse located three meters (or 3.3 yards) underground. According to reports it contained 100 portable anti-aircraft missiles, 20 shells, 20 RPGs and 35 IEDs. It was also reported that the storehouse was used by arms smugglers in Sinai who planned to smuggle the weapons in the Gaza Strip through the tunnels (Al-Masrawy, Egypt, March 3, 2010).
Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, said he doubted the reliability of the information and denied that the weapons belonged to Hamas and the so-called �resistance factions� [i.e., terrorist organizations]. He said that the �resistance factions� could introduce weapons into the Gaza Strip far from the gaze of the Egyptian security forces (Al-Quds Al-Arabi, April 2, 2010).
The Political Struggle
Salam Fayyad: Declarations Regarding the Plan to Establish a Palestinian State
Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad was interviewed by the Israeli morning newspaper Haaretz on April 2, and reiterated his intention to establish an independent Palestinian state:
The decision made by the International Quartet to support the establishment of an independent Palestinian state turned it into an international project. According to Salam Fayyad, if the plan fails, �the situation on the ground will force itself on the political process.�
Support for the so-called �popular resistance:� He said that �oppressed peoples will never raise their heads against the occupation. It is not reasonable to expect the Palestinians to swallow the injustice of the occupation. We are doing everything that Martin Luther King and Gandhi did.�
The settlements: He rejected the claim that the Palestinian Authority regarded the settlements as an excuse not to negotiate with Israel. He added that in retrospect it was stupid of the Palestinians to agree to a situation in which they were unable to stop the expansion of the settlements.
Incitement: He claimed that the Palestinian Authority was dealing with incitement and believed in promoting dialogue.
Jerusalem: The Palestinian Authority, he said, would not agree to postpone the issue of Jerusalem to a later stage in the final status arrangement talks. He added that the talks had to deal with arrangements and accessibility and not with principles.
The refugees: He said the plan for a Palestinian state took into consideration the construction of an infrastructure for absorbing the refugees so that they would have the right to live in the state of Palestine.
On April 3 he was interviewed by the popular Arabic paper Al-Sharq Al-Awsat, and reiterated his plan to establish the institutions and infrastructure of an independent Palestinian state:
The date of the establishment of the Palestinian state: According to Salam Fayyad, there was no specific date involved and the Palestinian Authority would continue to create the new reality. The establishment of state institutions would be implemented in the middle of 2011. It was not a question of proclaiming a state but of establishing institutions and an infrastructure. The timeframe of two years was chosen to prevent a delay and negate Israel�s excuse that the Palestinians were not ready to run a state.
The �resistance:� He again spoke against an armed �resistance� and said that it only caused the unnecessary deaths of young Palestinians. He said that those who supported an intifada were ignoring the situation on the ground, because the Palestinians had risen up against the settlements and the fence quietly and without casualties.
Hamas Responds
Hamas� information office said in a statement that Salam Fayyad did not represent the Palestinians in any way and his intention was to destroy the Palestinian cause. Hamas complained that Salam Fayyad had wished Israel a happy Passover and in that way not only �recognized Israel as a Jewish state,� but waived the so-called �right of return� by agreeing that the refugees return [only] to the state he was planning to establish. Hamas also complained that Salam Fayyad was �an illegal figure who stole rule of the West Bank without any authority from the Palestinian Legislative Council� (Hamas� Palestine-Info website, April 5, 2010).
Nabil Shaath: the �Popular Resistance� Will Not Become an Armed Confrontation
Nabil Shaath, a member of Fatah�s Central Committee, stated that the �popular resistance� would not turn into an armed confrontation despite Israel�s continuing attempts to make it one. He said that Palestinian leaders in the West Bank were overseeing the situation and keeping it from turning into an intifada. He said that Palestinian strategy was based on four factors: the �popular struggle,� international political, legal and economic activities against Israel, achieving Palestinian unity, and building the political institutions of the future Palestinian state (Wafa News Agency, April 4, 2010) .
1 The statistics do not include the mortar shells fired at IDF soldiers patrolling the border fence which fell inside the Gaza Strip.
2 The statistics refer to rocket hits identified in Israeli territory. A similar number misfired and landed inside the Gaza Strip.
3 For further information see the February 21, 2010 bulletin �Britain as a Focus for Hamas� Political, Propaganda and Legal Activities in Europe� at http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_097.pdf
News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (January 4-11, 2022)
News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 31,2021 – January 4, 2022)
The military exercise held by the joint operations room of the terrorist organizations in the Gaza Strip: messages and threats for Israel
News of Terrorism and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (December 22-28, 2021)


Unfinishing Parity Initialization on smartarray P420/421, RAID 6 ADG after 2,5 weeks ?
I'm running a Proliant DL380p Gen8 performance model with 2 smartarray controllers. Each controller is configured with 8 x 300GB drives (15K rpm) in a RAID 6 ADG configuration. The drives are used as a datastore for VMware 5.1 (HP Branded) with the latest updates.
The parity initialization is not yet finished on one of the controllers. They are runnig for 2,5 weeks now, is this Normal or is ther something wrong ?
At first only one controller started an the other stayed in a Queued state, proberly VMWare doesn't wrote to this disk so I created a partition with diskpart and it took off. Changed it again to vmware datastore.
I do have 2 servers with the same config running now and both are showing the same behavour so I don't think it's a hardware problem. ( 2 servers for a VSA cluster).
I use the hpacucli tool but there isn't any progress indication, is there a tool that can show how far it has progressed ?
Re: Unfinishing Parity Initialization on smartarray P420/421, RAID 6 ADG after 2,5 weeks ?
What is the firmware version of the controller?
The server buildin update progam suggests the latest is 3.42 maybe I should downgrade and try again ? can you give me an indication how long it should take ?


text:
\section{Abstract}

This article presents a theoretical limit on the Brans-Dicke (BD) parameter using a neutron star (NS) revolving around a galactic central engine.The assumption that the orbital radius is large enough allows  to ignore strong curvature due to the central supermassive black hole (SMBH) and treat the problem with Newtonian dynamics. First, gravitational radiation polarizations are calculated in the BD theory. The scalar polarization, dominated by the dipole radiation, is then used to put a constraint on the BD parameter.The calculations are relatively simple and this makes it accessible to sophomore students.

\section{Introduction }

In 1961, Robert H. Dicke and Carl H. Brans proposed a scalar-tensor theory, known as Brans-Dicke (BD) theory \cite{Brans-Dicke}, to describe gravitation by incorporating Mach's principle. The foundation of this theory was built on the previous work of Pascual Jordan \cite{Jordan}  as well as Markus Fierz \cite{Fierz}, and sometimes it is also referred to as Jordan-Fierz-Brans-Dicke theory. There are three polarization states of gravitational radiation in BD theory: two tensor states (similar to general relativity GR) and one scalar polarization dominated by the dipole radiation \cite{Isi}.

The field equations of BD theory contain a parameter called the Brans-Dicke coupling constant $\omega_{BD}$.  The BD parameter  is obtained through experiments, and the Cassini \cite{Bertotti-Tartora} experiment in 2003 has imposed the constraint $ \omega_{BD} > 40,000 $. To simplify our further calculations, we define a parameter $\zeta$

 \begin{equation}\label{eq:0.0}
\zeta \equiv \frac{1}{2 \omega_{BD} + 4}
 \end{equation}

and  the gravitational coupling depends through the relation $G (1 - \zeta)$, where $G$ is the gravitational constant.

Since the last hundred years, there have been many attempts to modify or test GR  \cite{GR test GWTC3}, \cite{GR-test-GW170817}, \cite{Bertolami}, \cite{JBD-cosmo}, \cite{Sola}, \cite{BD-LVK} and it has successfully passed most of them. There are different regimes to test theories of gravity \cite{Wex}: Quasi-stationary weak-field regime (G1), Quasi-stationary strong-field regime (G2), Highly-dynamical strong-field regime (G3) and Radiation regime (GW). In this paper, we use the radiation regime to impose a constraint on the BD theory whereas the Cassini mission (mentioned above) tested gravity in the G1 regime.

We consider a simple case when a NS is revolving around a SMBH at a large distance with a speed v much less than the speed of light c. At such a distance, the curvature is small and we can treat the problem using Newtonian dynamics. Since the NS is too far away from the central engine, we can safely model it with a Dirac delta function in comparison to the size of a SMBH. For a time $t'$ much less than  the orbital period $T$, we can safely approximate the path of the motion to be linear as shown in the Figure \ref{SMBH}.

\begin{figure}[!t]
\caption{A neutron star (purple circle) revolves around a SMBH (black circle) at a very large distance and the path between points A and B can be approximated as motion in a straight line. The angle subtended from the center as NS moves from A to B is $\theta$.}\label{SMBH}

\centering
\includegraphics[width=6.5cm, height=6.5cm]{Smbh
\end{figure}

\section{Polarizations}

When the NS moves in its orbit, its acceleration can be decomposed into two components. The radial acceleration $a_r$ is due to the centripetal force whereas the tangential component $a_t$ is due the radiation reaction which takes away the kinetic energy. We ignore the contribution due to other celestial bodies in the vicinity that can accelerate or decelerate our target.

For a short distance in orbit, the position of the NS is given by

 \begin{equation}\label{eq:1}
x_p(t') = ut' + \frac{1}{2} a_t t'^2
 \end{equation}

where u is the initial velocity and $ a_t \in R^- $. Since, gravitational radiation is feeble, we can safely assume $a_t$ to be a constant for a short period of time.

To study the dynamics, we need to calculate the quadrupole moment and dipole moments of the NS. To compute these moments, we fix an inertial frame whose x-axis points along the direction of the motion of NS.

The symmetric trace free quadrupole moment tensor is given by

 \begin{equation}\label{eq:2}
Q^{ij} = \int \left[ x^i x^j - \frac{1}{3} r^2 \delta_{ij}    \right] dm
 \end{equation}

where $r^2 = x^2 + y^2 + z^2$ and dm is the infinitesimal mass element given by

 \begin{equation}\label{eq:3}
dm = \lambda dx
 \end{equation}

$\lambda$ is the linear mass density given by $\lambda = m \delta \left( x - x_p(t') \right)$ and $m$ is the mass of NS. The $Q^{xx}$ component in the inertial frame is

 \begin{equation}\label{eq:4}
Q^{xx}(t') = m \int \delta \left( x - x_p(t') \right) \left[ x^2 - \frac{1}{3} \left( x^2 + 0 + 0  \right) \delta_{xx}    \right] dx
 \end{equation}

or,

 \begin{equation}\label{eq:5}
Q^{xx}(t') = \frac{2}{3} m x_p^2(t')
 \end{equation}

The $Q^{yy}$ component in the inertial frame is

 \begin{equation}\label{eq:6}
Q^{yy}(t') = m \int \delta \left( x - x_p(t') \right) \left[ 0 - \frac{1}{3} \left( x^2 + 0 + 0  \right) \delta_{yy}    \right] dx
 \end{equation}

or,

 \begin{equation}\label{eq:7}
Q^{yy}(t') = - \frac{1}{3} m x_p^2(t')
 \end{equation}

Similarly, we can compute other components and obtain

     \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:8}
Q^{ij} (t') =  Q_{0} (t') \begin{bmatrix} 2  & 0 & 0 \\ 0 & - 1  & 0 \\ 0 & 0 & - 1  \end{bmatrix}
 \end{equation}

where $Q_{0} (t')$ is defined as

\begin{equation}
 \label{eq:8.1}
  Q_{0}(t') \equiv    \frac{1}{3} m x_p(t')^2
 \end{equation}

The x-component of the dipole moment in the inertial frame is given by

     \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:9}
d(t') = m x_p (t')
 \end{equation}

The total dipole moment in the vector form is

    \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:10}
D(t')  =  \begin{bmatrix} d(t')   \\ 0  \\ 0  \end{bmatrix}
 \end{equation}

The y and z components of the dipole moment vanish in Eq. (\ref{eq:10}) because we approximate the NS by a point mass moving the x-direction. To calculate the polarizations of gravitational radiation, we need to move from the inertial frame to the wave frame. This is done by

\begin{eqnarray}
\label{eq:11}
Q_W^{ij} (t') &=& S \cdot Q^{ij}(t') \cdot S^T
\nonumber \\
D_W(t') &=& S \cdot D (t')
\end{eqnarray}

where $Q_W^{ij}(t')$ is the quadrupole moment tensor in the wave frame, $D_W(t')$ is the dipole moment in the wave frame, $S$ is the rotation matrix given by

    \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:12}
S  =  \begin{bmatrix} \cos \iota & 0 & - \sin \iota  \\ 0 & 1  & 0 \\ \sin \iota & 0 & \cos \iota  \end{bmatrix}
 \end{equation}

and $S^T$ is the transpose of $S$. $\iota$ is the angle between wave and z-axis of the inertial frame.

The polarizations in BD theory are given by \cite{Verma}

\begin{eqnarray}
\label{eq:13}
h_{+} (t) &=& \frac{G}{r c^{4}} (1 - \zeta)
(\ddot{Q}^{xx}_{W} (t^{\prime}) - \ddot{Q}^{yy}_{W} (t^{\prime}))
\nonumber \\
h_{\times} (t) &=& \frac{2 G}{r c^{4}} (1 - \zeta)  \ddot{Q}^{xy}_{W} (t^{\prime}) \nonumber \\
h_{S} (t) &=& \frac{2G}{r c^{2}}  \zeta \left[  M(t^{\prime})  +  \frac{1}{c} \dot{D}_{W}^{z} (t^{\prime})  - \frac{1}{2 c^2}  \ddot{Q}^{zz}_{W}  (t^{\prime}) \right]
\end{eqnarray}

where $h_{+} (t)$ is the plus polarization, $h_{\times} (t)$ is the cross polarization, $h_{S} (t)$ is the scalar polarization and $r$ is the distance of the source from the detector. In the above equations, $t$ is the time when polarizations are measured and $t'$ represents the retarded time. After some algebraic manipulations and ignoring the mass monopole term, we obtain

\begin{eqnarray}
\label{eq:14}
h_{+} (t) &=& \frac{G}{r c^{4}} (1 - \zeta) m  \left[ 2 u^2 + 3 a_t^2 t'^2 + 6 u a_t t'  \right] \cos^2 \iota \nonumber \\
h_{\times} (t) &=& 0 \nonumber \\
h_{S} (t) &=& \frac{2G}{r c^{2}}  \zeta \left[ \frac{m}{c} (u + a_t t') \sin \iota  - \frac{m}{c^2} \left( 3 \sin^2 \iota -1  \right)  \left ( \frac{1}{3} u^2 + \frac{1}{2} a_t^2 t'^2 + u a_t t'  \right) \right]
\end{eqnarray}

\section{Analysis}

To constrain the BD parameter, we use only the expression of scalar polarization. On the other hand, the quadrupole term in the scalar polarizations is much weaker than the dipole term  due to extra powers of c in the denominator. Hence, ignoring the quadrupole contribution, we obtain

    \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:15}
h_{S} (t) \approx \frac{2G}{r c^{2}}  \zeta \left[ \frac{m}{c} (u + a_t t) \sin \iota \right]
 \end{equation}

The power emitted $P^{(S)}$ in the scalar radiation is given by \cite{Will-1977}, \cite{Verma-rod-BD}

    \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:16}
 \frac{dP^{(S)}}{dA} = \frac{c^3}{16 \pi \zeta G  } <   \dot{h}^2_{s}(t) >
 \end{equation}

where $dA = r^2 \int _{\rho = 0}^{2 \pi} \int _{\iota = - \frac{\pi}{2}}^{  \frac{\pi}{2}}  \cos \iota d \iota d \rho  $ and $ < \cdot > $ implies the time average.

By substituting the first derivative square of Eq. (\ref{eq:15}) in Eq. (\ref{eq:16}) and performing the integration, we get

    \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:17}
 P^{(S)} = \frac{1}{3} \zeta \frac{G}{c^3} m^2 a_t^2
 \end{equation}

 Using the fact that power emitted is the rate of change of kinetic energy, we write

     \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:18}
\frac{d}{dt} \left( \frac{1}{2} m v^2  \right) = - \frac{1}{3} \zeta \frac{G}{c^3} m^2 a_t^2
 \end{equation}

 where minus sign on the right hand side of Eq. (\ref{eq:18}) implies that radiation takes away energy from the system. Using the fact that $\frac{dv}{dt} = v \frac{dv}{dx}$, we get

\begin{equation}
 \label{eq:19}
\int_{u}^{V} v^2 dv = - \int_{0}^{x} \frac{1}{3} \zeta \frac{G}{c^3} m a_t^2 dx
 \end{equation}

 where $u$ is the initial velocity (moment we start making observation), $V$ is the moment we stop making observation and $x$ represents the distance traveled by the NS during the observation starting from the origin of the inertial frame. A simple integration yields

 \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:20}
V = \left[ u^3 - \zeta \frac{G m a_t^2}{c^3} x \right]^{\frac{1}{3}}
 \end{equation}

 The velocity $V$ in Eq. (\ref{eq:20}) is the final theoretical value. But in reality, the observed final velocity $V_{obs}$ along the path should be less than the theoretical value for the following reason. We obtain the theoretical velocity $V$ by considering only the scalar wave. But LIGO and Virgo detectors have already confirmed the existence of tensor polarizations. So, the power carried away by the tensor polarizations further decreases the velocity along the path and we get

  \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:21}
V_{obs} < V
 \end{equation}

or,

  \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:22}
V_{obs} < \left[ u^3 - \zeta \frac{G m a_t^2}{c^3} x \right]^{\frac{1}{3}}
 \end{equation}

By rearranging the terms in the above inequality, we obtain

  \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:23}
\zeta < \frac{c^3}{G} \frac{\left( u^3 - V_{obs}^3  \right)}{ m a_t^2 x }
 \end{equation}

 Since $a_t$ can be considered as a constant for a short distance, we can write it as

   \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:24}
a_t = \frac{V_{obs} - u}{t}
 \end{equation}

By substituting Eq. (\ref{eq:24}) in Eq. (\ref{eq:23}), we get

  \begin{equation}
 \label{eq:25}
\boxed{  \zeta < \frac{c^3}{G} \frac{\left( u^3 - V_{obs}^3  \right)}{ \left( u - V_{obs}    \right)^2 }  \frac{t^2}{mx}}
 \end{equation}

  In the Eq. (\ref{eq:25}), the parameters $u$ is the initial observational velocity when we start making the observation, $V_{obs}$ is the final observed velocity (when we stop making the observation), $t$ is the time duration of the observation, $m$ is the mass of the NS orbiting around the SMBH and $x$ is the distance traveled by the NS perpendicular to the line of sight. For a short distance along the orbit, we can write $x \approx R \theta$ using the small angle approximation. Here, R is the radius of the orbit and $\theta$ is the angle subtended by the short parth from the center of the SMBH. The above calculations give a constraint on the BD parameter using a compact object revolving around a SMBH whereas  the constraint on the BD parameter from the Cassini mission is $ \zeta < 0.0000125$ which corresponds to testing in the theory in the Solar system.

\section*{Conclusions}

We study the case when a NS revolved around a galactic central engine. We start by using the theory of gravitational radiation and express the BD parameter in terms of parameters which can be observed through astronomical observations. This formula can be used to put a constraint on the BD parameter in the radiation regime. Although we started with the theory of gravitational radiation, we don't need any gravitational wave detection to impose this constraint. The dynamics of a NS star around a SMBH can be observed by astronomical telescopes.

\section*{Acknowledgement}

I cordially thank Prof. Andrzej Królak for his valuable guidance during my PhD studies and for providing me with enough room and motivation for independent thinking. I express my deep gratitude to the LIGO-Virgo-Kagra collaboration which has offered me a precious opportunity to work with eminent physicists around the world. This work was supported by the Polish National Science Centre Grant No. 2017/26/M/ ST9/0097.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaArXiv


text:
K. Kozak: Drazhna Village — a common example, many of these highly
14.05.2014 Category: BelarusAuthor: admin
Father Leonid Akalovich Tribunal Darohi Minsk region punished by a fine of 30 basic units for the consecration of the cross in the village Drazhna. Cross established volunteer members of the Belarusian Society for Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments in memory of 25 villagers killed by guerrillas in 1943. Local authorities dismantled the cross, also lured to justice activist Vyacheslav Siuchyk public organization and the creator of the book "Blood and ashes Drazhna" Victor Hursika.
German losses on the terrain of Belarus during the Russian war majestically 1941-1944: analysis and outcome "- the so-called book in which explores little-known facts about the partisan movement in Belarus during the last war. Creator prepared for print publication — historian, head of Historical workshops Kuzma Kozak.
Cossack"We have written books about the war, for example, the loss of the German fascist invaders. Well, of course, we all thought it was the Germans. As it turned out, most of the — local people. And I show that when the dying and German soldiers, then immediately killed under the guise of German and ours. example, as in the case with the village Drazhna. And this figure, of which I speak, has always been such a constant: 500 000 — is half destroyed on the ground during the Belarusian partisans majestically Russian War. From these half a million, which destroyed a large part accounts for the local people. They destroyed specifically partisans, it's not front-line history. Because the Germans were always asked: how is it? How could you so much to execute? There were so many Germans here. Nobody did not try to answer these questions. Word war a long time and was portrayed portrayed not those colors. "
Correspondent"Either you had to meet, making the book, with examples such as the village Drazhna?"
Cossack"Of course, someone may seem unusual. And someone thought that, say, per se can not be. Example, in the village of Garrison — and imagine for themselves such a figure, which the Germans themselves have documented 575 attacks on villages in March 1944. How did this happen? And shoot and throw grenades, and set on fire. Later comes the Germans believe that it destroyed the guerrillas and the guerrillas believe that it is they destroyed assistants. And this fire was very extensive and significant. Later if you look further on this dilemma, we were very strong confrontation between Polish and Ukrainian partisans, Russian and Polish partisans. "
Correspondent"Means we can talk about the fact that there were different groups of partisans?"
Cossack"Naturally, there were different groups, and how. If you take the Russian partisan movement, then in 1941 he was very weak. Formation it occurs exclusively in 1942, and he became a mass in 1943. But so far were very strong the south of Belarus Ukrainian forces. Also on the ground Belarus had representatives of the Russian Liberation Army, popularly called Vlasov. Also here, in Belarus, intensely acted so called Kaminski Brigade — Russian state is the people's army. Several of these groups, particularly in the eastern part of Belarus, were acceptable state. But later, in 1943, begins the confrontation between Russian and Polish partisans — the activities of the Home Army. Well, certainly, these actions were very many fierce. Very, very many. "
Correspondent"There could be a situation like the villagers Drazhna testified that if it was not possible to kill the same German garrison, when there was no tribute to the report, the same guerrillas blew up people indiscriminately, as the guerrillas were not local?"
Cossack"Probably was all. After more than were killed by the statistics, the greater the likelihood that a person will get some increase or merit. Guerrillas And, incidentally, it is very often used. When you read the documents of the Belarusian partisan movement headquarters, it is clear that this regarded positively. because each character in wanting to see this war. Statistics potraflyali In laymen, as in the example of the village. This is a very common example, and very many of these materials, even worse there. A command guerrilla units, only they themselves, in their sentences, shot or hanged over 2-thousand guerrillas. Each such case certainly pulls the facts of violence against other people. And these pages, little-known or unknown, we have very many in Belarus. Indeed, there was more of the partisan movement in one country as we have, in Belarus. "
T-64E has a tank of the XXI century
Spices SOE "Kharkiv Armoured Repair Plant" offered the option of deep modernization of tanks
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Winter weather will result in abnormalities
November 3. Meteorologists predict that the coming winter will be typical for Russia, but,
Brest newsletters fall into fake boxes
They relied on the facts of using boxes an old standard and the ability
Planets and comets in the SOHO. Video
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Nearly 1,300 flats built in the Arkhangelsk region since the beginning of the year
For six months in 2013 in the Arkhangelsk region at the expense of all
Japanese frantically cooled reactor, there is no information — the result is obvious
Emergency situation around the nuclear power plant "Fukushima-1" in Japan over the past day

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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text:
Avengers 4 gets a trailer and a title
Posted on December 7, 2018 by The Spy Commander
Marvel Studios's fourth Avenger film got a teaser trailer and an announced title (Avengers: Endgame) today.
In the trailer, things look bleak for Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. He's traveling in outer space having run out of food and water and about to use up the last of his oxygen.
Meanwhile, Captain America (Chris Evans) moves to rally the surviving Marvel characters after Thanos had wiped out half of all living beings at the end of last year's Avengers: Infinity War.
Avengers: Endgame wraps up story threads that began with the first Marvel-produced film, 2008's Iron Man. Avengers: Infinity War had a global box office of $2.05 billion. We'll see next spring whether the next installment draws the same kind of business. You can view the trailer below.
Filed under: Comic book movies | Tagged: Avengers: Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, Chris Evans, Iron Man, Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr. |	Leave a comment »
Avengers: Nothing exceeds like excess
Posted on April 27, 2018 by The Spy Commander
Avengers: Infinity War poster
Avengers: Infinity War is too much of a good thing, even if you're a fan of Marvel Studios films.
There are more fights, more action…more everything. (To quote a James Bond trailer from the 1960s.)
Well, not quite more everything. Not enough drama. What humor is present mostly works. But it gets overwhelmed by the action set pieces.
Avengers: Infinity War is the beginning of the end (or so we've been led to believe) for the first decade of the studio's inter-connected movies.
The movie brings together not only the Avengers-related characters but also the Guardians of the Galaxy and Dr. Strange. They're up against Thanos, a villain who wants to commit genocide on a cosmic scale.
The character has been teased for years but here he's the main attraction. As a result, the movie changes scenes not only between Earth locales but ones in deep space.
Spoiler follows.
Initially, this movie was announced the title was going to be Avengers: Infinity War Part I, with a 2019 film titled Avengers: Infinity War Part II. They would be filmed back to back.
Somewhere along the way we were told the movies really would be different. So next year's installment is simply known as Avengers 4 for the moment.
However, it would have been absolutely appropriate if Avengers: Infinity War ended with, "TO BE CONTINUED," not unlike the original serialized Marvel Comics stories. But in the 1960s, you only had to wait a month to see how things turned out. Here, the audience will have to bide its time for a year.
That said, Avengers: Infinity War isn't a lost cause. The likes of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man and Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America and many other cast members are pros. But the movie is more exhausting than thrilling. GRADE: C.
Filed under: Comic book movies | Tagged: Avengers: Infinity War, Chris Evans, Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr. |	1 Comment »
How Black Panther may be the future of Marvel films
Posted on February 18, 2018 by The Spy Commander
Black Panther poster
UPDATE (Feb. 19): Black Panther's U.S. box office for Friday-Sunday ended up at $201 million, Exhibitors Relations said on Twitter.
ORIGINAL POST (Feb. 18): Black Panther, the newest Marvel Studios film, is being celebrated as a huge moment for black America. Examples include The New York Times Magazine ("a vivid re-imagination of something black Americans have cherished for centuries") and The Guardian ("The film is already being regarded in the US as a positive force for social change"),
It may also be a sign of Marvel's future.
Black Panther's estimated Friday-Sunday U.S. box office is $192 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
That figure would be (unadjusted for inflation or higher ticket prices), the No. 2 U.S. opening for Marvel. Here are the other movies in Marvel's top five (all of which eventually topped $1 billion at the worldwide box office):
Marvel's The Avengers (2012): $207.4 million.
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): $191.3 million.
Captain America: Civil War (2016): $179.1 million.
Iron Man 3 (2013): $174.1 million.
Of the Marvel top five, Black Panther (starring Chadwick Boseman) is the only one not to include Robert Downey Jr. playing Tony Stark/Iron Man.
It was 2008's Iron Man where Marvel began making its own films, instead of licensing the rights to others. The movie became the building block upon which Marvel built is movie universe. Four years later, with Marvel's The Avengers, the notion of a "shared universe" became big business.
Some have wondered whether Marvel could withstand Downey's eventual departure. The actor turns 53 in April and it's not the kind of thing you can keep doing forever. Other major Marvel actors such as Chris Evans (Captain America) and Chris Hemsworth (Thor) have reached the end of their contracts.
What's more, the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War and an unnamed Avengers film in 2019 is intended as a kind of finale for Marvel films up to now. So, a decade after its first movie, Marvel Studios has reached a transition point.
Black Panther already is a popular and critical (a 97 percent "fresh" score on the Rotten Tomatoes website) success.
Beyond that, Black Panther shows that Marvel is capable of extending itself beyond its first decade of making movies. Black Panther seems destined to join Marvel's billion-dollar club (it's at $361 million globally as of this weekend). The movie also is broadening Marvel's appeal. We'll see what happens.
Filed under: Comic book movies | Tagged: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Black Panther, Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Iron Man, Iron Man Three, Marvel Studios, Marvel's The Avengers, Robert Downey Jr. |	Leave a comment »
Civil War is like You Only Live Twice, the book and film
Posted on May 5, 2016 by The Spy Commander
Spectacle phase of Captain America: Civil War
No real spoilers, but your mileage may vary.
To use a James Bond reference, imagine a movie that had both the sprawling spectacle of You Only Live Twice, the movie, plus the personal elements of Ian Fleming's You Only Live Twice novel.
That's what you get with Captain America: Civil War.
The film, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo and scripted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, goes through a progression:
–More or less standard super heroics with serious undertones.
–Expansion to a spectacle phase, fueled by the introduction of Spider-Man into the proceedings.
–A surprisingly personal climax, which ties up plot threads dating back to when Marvel started producing its own movies eight years ago.
With You Only Live Twice, there has been a half-century fan debate whether Fleming's 1964 novel could actually be filmed versus a disappointment of fans of the novel there wasn't an actual attempt.
Civil War walks a similar tightrope with style. Marvel is drawing upon multiple stories (but especially a 2006-2007 story line that crossed over various titles), rather than a single novel. So perhaps it's not the fairest comparison.
Regardless, Civil War traverses that tightrope in style. Truth be told, the Spy Commander was wondering whether Marvel could maintain its momentum heading into its "Phase III."
As it turns out, Civil War launches Phase III into new territory.
Civil War has the equivalent of two 007 pre-title sequences, one a short period piece, the other a more elaborate one set in the present day. In the latter, there have been some collateral casualties, spurring a move among United Nations members to rein in the Avengers, the team led by Cap (Chris Evans).
Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is in favor but Cap isn't convinced.
So far, so good. Along the way, the audience meets a new character, T'Challa, the Black Panther, who becomes the ruler of the advanced African nation of Wakanda after his father his killed during a terrorist attack during a U.N. ceremony.
As a result, a big conflict breaks out, with the two heroes recruiting allies. It's here where the latest Spider-Man (Tom Holland) makes an appearance and he immediately ramps things up. The scene where Tony Stark recruits a teenage Peter Parker is one of the highlights of the film.
The major fight, as impressive as it is, only sets up the climax, where we get into intense personal conflict (albeit with super heroics) delivered with a wallop.
One criticism of the movie (from Los Angeles Times and NPR reviewer Kenneth Turan) is that it's harder for viewers who aren't hard-core Marvel fans to get up to speed. Perhaps so.
Still, the Russo brothers get the audience's attention from the beginning. By the end of the two-and-a-half hour movie, Marvel fans will be especially pleased but there's something for everyone. To again use a 007 reference, it's like seeing Thunderball or You Only Live Twice (or later film) as your first James Bond film. It's easy enough to get up to speed.
One more thing: There are *two* scenes in the end titles. The first wraps up things from Civil War, the latter sets up a future Marvel production. The very last image of the end titles utilizes a page from the playbook of the early Bond films, something the 2011 Thor and Captain America movies did as well.
Filed under: Comic book movies, James Bond Books, James Bond Films | Tagged: Captain America: Civil War, Chris Evans, Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr., You Only Live Twice |	1 Comment »
REVIEW: The sequel that doesn't seem like a sequel
Concept art of Iron Man's Hulkbuster armor vs. the Hulk, a highlight of Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director Joss Whedon, in his farewell to Marvel movies, has come up with a rarity: a sequel that doesn't seem like a sequel.
Avengers: Age of Ultron, while not a perfect film, achieves something unusual. It's a sequel that's more introspective (at least for a time) than the 2012 original Marvel's The Avengers, that Whedon directed and co-wrote. There's a substantial attempt at demonstrating what makes its main characters tick that's deeper than what came before.
It's rare these days where there's a "written and directed by" credit, but that's what Whedon has here. It's even more rare in genre movies not to mention a studio (Walt Disney Co.'s Marvel) that isn't known as a haven for "auteur" filmmakers.
Still, the movie is all that and more. Whedon successfully walks a tightrope. He successfully balances commercial concerns (the 2012 movie had worldwide ticket sales of $1.5 billion), throws more than a few bones to the hard-core Marvel Comics fan base (including Tony Stark's "Hulkbuster" armor, a popular bit from late 1970s comic books) to giving his main actors plenty of material to work with.
Concerning the latter point, the introspection occurs relatively early in the movie, something even more surprising. The super hero group encounters a set of brother-sister twins, who've been experimented upon by the evil organization Hydra. Wanda (Elizabeth Olsen) can mess with the minds of people.
Whedon uses that as a device to explore the personalities of his main cast (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo and Jeremy Renner).
Tony Stark and Bruce Banner (Downey Jr. and Ruffalo) have been working on something they believe can result in good. As it turns out, they've crossed into Dr. Frankenstein territory (and Whedon provides a couple of references for those not familiar with that story). As a result, Ultron (James Spader) is born, a robot with artificial intelligence who decides humans should be exterminated.
Since 2008, Marvel Studios has been on an amazing run of movies that have been highly successful (and then some) at the box office. At the same time, those movies haven't been paint-by-the-numbers. That's especially true with Whedon's second Avengers movie. He shakes things up (though not too much).
Whedon has indicated that after five-plus years of living with the Avengers he wants to movie on to developing projects featuring his own characters. That's very understandable. Nevertheless, he has set a high bar for his successors.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo will helm a two-part Avengers movie due for release in 2018 and 2019. They've already directed one Captain America movie and are about to begin filming another featuring a Cap/Iron Man clash.
Yet, Whedon has demonstrated what can be accomplished in a genre film. Sam Mendes, director of the 007 film Skyfall and the currently filming SPECTRE, has been using Christopher Nolan's Batman films as a guide to making James Bond movies. It's too bad he didn't get a chance check out Whedon's work on the two Avengers movies as well.
Avengers: Age of Ultron has flaws. It's a bit long and gets exhausting at times. For all that, it's worth a look. GRADE: A-Minus.
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: Avengers: Age of Ultron, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Christopher Nolan, Jeremy Renner, Joss Whedon, Mark Ruffalo, Marvel Studios, Robert Downey Jr., Sam Mendes, Scarlett Johansson, The Other Spies |	Leave a comment »
Captain America and spies prove to be big box office
Posted on April 6, 2014 by Bill Koenig
Captain America: The Winter Soldier's poster
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which mixed superheroes and spies, generated an estimated $96.2 million in U.S. ticket sales, according to the Box Office Mojo website.
The movie, starring Chris Evans as Cap, set a record for an April movie opening, according to The Wrap entertainment news site.
The film concerns Cap becoming increasingly wary of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Marvel Comics spy agency. The movie addresses various plot threads going back to 2008's Iron Man, the first production from Marvel Studios. One of two epilogues in the end titles provides a teaser for next year's sequel to 2012's Marvel's The Avengers. A third Captain America movie has been scheduled for May 2016.
Meanwhile, the storyline of Captain America: The Winter Soldier will affect the ABC series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. USA Today has a story that details how in a story you can view BY CLICKING HERE. Both Marvel Studios and ABC are owned by Walt Disney Co.
Also, BusinessWeek has a story about Kevin Feige, Marvel Studios boss and producer of its movies. You can read it by CLICKING HERE.
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. TV show, Box Office Mojo, BusinessWeek, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Chris Evans, Kevin Feige, The Other Spies, The Wrap, USA Today |	Leave a comment »
REVIEW: Captain America in a 1970s spy movie
Minor spoilers
Captain America: The Winter Soldier is Marvel Studio's take on a 1970s-style spy movie: dark and more than a little paranoid.
For the most part, it works. Put another way: It's probably not a coincidence that Robert Redford, star of Three Days of The Condor, plays a prominent role in the film.
In this case, Redford has traded in his role of the semi-naïve lead (held down here by Chris Evans's Cap) for the Max Von Sydow part.
For the uninitiated, 1970s spy movies had a much darker take the bulk of their 1960s counterparts, which tended to be escapist, led by the James Bond series produced by Eon Productions.
The '70s were a time of real-life scandals involving the CIA and FBI and a U.S. president (Richard Nixon) forced to resign from office. Lest anybody miss this connection, the new Captain America film includes a long shot of SHIELD's Washington headquarters where the Watergate apartments can be seen in the background.
To get a flavor of 1970s spy/political thrillers, consider this: Another of the era's movies of note was 1974's The Parallax View. It featured Warren Beatty as a reporter who investigates a conspiracy to assassinate political candidates. As a reviewer wrote at the time, Parallax is like having Cary Grant fall off Mount Rushmore at the end of 1959's North By Northwest.
In translating '70s style spy movies for the 21st century, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo offers a bit of something for everyone. For those who've watched the Marvel-produced films that began with 2008's Iron Man, a lot of what you thought you knew has been turned on its head. But for newcomers, you don't need to know all the background.
Suffice to say that Cap, the living legend of World War II (as he was billed during a 1960s comic book revival), has a lot of trouble figuring out who his friends and enemies are. Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury keeps things from him as does Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow. Meanwhile, Redford's Alexander Pierce hovers, much like Van Sydow did in 1975's Condor movie.
Fans of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. television series particularly may appreciate the 2014 movie's main plot. Without giving too much away (except for hard core U.N.C.L.E. fans), it's as if the villain's plot in the first episode of the dark fourth season had succeeded, except it occurred a long time ago.
Put yet another way: this Cap movie realizes the potential of the notion the Bond movies had with the villainous organization Quantum in Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace.
The Russos clearly like shaky cam, but viewers can keep track of what's going on. At 136 minutes, the movie is a trifle long, but generally satisfying, except for those who hate comic book-based movies under any circumstances.
Be warned: there are *two* epilogue scenes that take place during the end titles. The first is a teaser for 2015's The Avengers 2. The other is a teaser for Cap 3, which currently is scheduled for May 2016, opposite Warner Bros.'s Superman-Batman movie.
If Cap 3 is as good as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Warner Bros. executives may want to reconsider that Superman-Batman release date. GRADE: B-Plus.
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: Anthony Russo, Captain America, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Chris Evans, Joe Russo, Marvel Studios, Robert Redford, Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, The Man From U.N.C.L.E, The Other Spies |	3 Comments »
Ode to the original Nick Fury
Less than two weeks from now, the "summer" film season gets started with The Avengers, a super hero epic that has been building since 2008's Iron Man. One of the major characters is Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, who heads up SHIELD, the organization responsible for assembling the super hero team.
Jim Steranko's cover for Strange Tales No. 167
The movie, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, will probably be a big hit. We thought we'd pause now to bring up the subject of the original Nick Fury, who won't be seen in The Avengers.
HMSS did a more extended look at Nick Fury IN THIS ARTICLE IN 2000. Wikipedia has an even more detailed look at the character you can view by CLICKING HERE.
Quick summary: Nick was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1963 as the title character of the World War II comic Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos. Shortly thereafter, Nick showed up in "the present day" in the Fantastic Four as a CIA agent, establishing that he survived his wartime adventures. With the '60s spy boom, Lee and Kirby started Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. in 1965 as part of the Strange Tales comic book. To use a James Bond reference, Fury was a combination of Bond *and* M — he ran the organization and he was its best operative.
The SHIELD version of Nick hit his stride in the late '60s in stories written and drawn by Jim Steranko. Steranko more than once made a tip of the cap to 007. In Strange Tales No. 164, for example, the Sean Connery version of Bond has a one-panel cameo trying to enter a SHIELD entrance disguised as a barber shop. "Take it easy, chum!" Connery/Bond says. "You act like I'm an enemy spy!"
The Steranko tales were particularly fantastic, with Steranko's intricate art being one of the attractions. But the spy boom ran its course and so did Nick Fury (who got his own title in 1968). He's hung around in the Marvel universe and there were periodic attempts to revive the character.
At one point, Marvel started its "Ultimate" line of titles, featuring, in effect, an alternate universe version of familar Marvel characters. The Nick Fury in this universe was based on, well, Samuel L. Jackson. Wikipedia has a separate entry on this version of Nick Fury, which you can view by CLICKING HERE.
Thus, in 2008, when Iron Man came out, the "Ultimate" version of Nick Fury (played by, well, Samuel L. Jackson) made a surprise appearance in a short epilogue that appeared after the movie's end titles. Thus it's the "Ultimate" version of Fury, rather than the Lee-Kirby original (who enjoyed his peak popularity with Steranko) who's in The Avengers.
It's understandable how this came about. Samuel L. Jackson is a big star and, truth be told, much of the general population never heard of Nick Fury before the Jackson version of Nick showed up in Iron Man (not to mention Iron Man 2, Thor and Captain America). The original Fury's one moment in the sun was a 1998 TV movie with David Hasselhoff as Nick. Such is life. But we wanted to make note of the original version of Fury ahead of the big blockbuster movie.
Filed under: The Other Spies | Tagged: Chris Evans, David Hasselhoff, Jack Kirby, Jim Steranko, Marvel Comics, Nick Fury, Robert Downey Jr., Samuel L. Jackson, SHIELD, Stan Lee, The Avengers (2012), The Other Spies |	3 Comments »


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Hooks, Phil and Norma Music Lessons Scholarship Fund
The purpose of this Fund shall be to honor the lives of Phil and Norma Hooks for a lifetime of devotion to music making by providing the children of Carroll County Maryland with the opportunity to learn and love music. The Fund will provide budding French Horn and Bassoon players in Carroll County with music lessons they might not be able to afford. The Fund may also provide scholarship(s) for students pursuing a degree in music.
Phillip Edward Hooks, 83, of Finksburg died Tuesday Aug. 7, at Carroll Lutheran Village in Westminster.
The only son of Julius Henry and Edith Lucille Hooks, he was born July 13, 1936, in Charlotte, North Carolina and moved to Baltimore at age 7. Phil attended Southern High School, played French horn in the band and studied privately under a scholarship at the Peabody Institute of Music in Baltimore. He earned a B.S. degree in Music Education from the University of Maryland in 1959.
In his professional life, Hooks was employed by the Penn National Insurance Company from 1959 to 1968, the last five years serving as supervisor of the Workmen's Compensation Department. In 1968, he began working for the federal government as a Disability Examiner with the Social Security Administration. In 1971, he transferred to the Medicare program and retired as a senior contract specialist in 2000. He was the recipient of multiple Bureau Director and Administrator Awards.
Norma Regina Hooks, age 73, of Finksburg passed away Monday, July 16, 2018 at Carroll Lutheran Village in Westminster. Born December 1, 1944 in Baltimore, she was the daughter of Morris and Fannie Harber.
A lifelong musician, she began her musical career in the 3rd grade by playing clarinet. In the 8th grade at Pimlico Jr. High, under the direction of Sidney Jensen, Norma began her love affair with the bassoon. She went on to study privately with Ed Gobrecht, a member of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She performed with the Maryland All-State Band, and under scholarship, went on to study with Homer Pence at Ball State Teacher's College in Muncie, Indiana.
Phillip and Norma played music together in several organizations, including the Baltimore Park Band, Carroll Concert Band, September Song Orchestra and Western Maryland College Orchestra. Playing with the Veterans Affairs National Musical Medical Orchestra, they played in various venues across the continental United States and Hawaii, most notably Symphony Hall in Chicago, the Kennedy Center and WWII Memorial and the House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. They also performed internationally in Australia, New Zealand, Germany, the Czech Republic and Hungary.
Phillip and Norma served as trustees of Allied Medical Ministries, a nonprofit organization which provided medicines and supplies to medical clinics outside the U.S. They made personal deliveries to hard-to-reach facilities in Kenya and Zambia. In Belarus they supplied cancer treatment medicine to children who were victims of the Chernobyl nuclear explosion.


Reward yourself with a truly memorable experience you'll live to tell. Whether it's gliding across the beautiful Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary or cruising towards the spectacular world of the whales in the Pacific Ocean, there's always something special out of any activity found on the Gold Coast.
If you are planning on sighting a whale this year, then look no further than Sea World Whale Watch Gold Coast Australia for an absolutely amazing encounter with the whales. Sail across the Pacific Ocean with the help of the famous Spirit of Migaloo. Experience a first-class vibe the moment you take your first step aboard this vessel. Besides its sophisticated and environment-friendly features, you will also be greeted by captains, tour guides, and whale watching experts. There are four-level open viewing decks, air-conditioned interiors and comfortable seats for every guest. Learn a thing or two about these gigantic sea creatures with the help of the vessel's impressive Whale Theatre, which has a colourful mix of real-time tour map technology and 3D animation. An underwater microphone will also help guests hear the whale sing.
What are you waiting for? Time to book Sea World's Whale Watching Packages by visiting http://www.seaworldwhalewatch.com.au. Additionally, Sea World is the only tour agency that guarantees guests of a full refund when no whales are sighted on tours between June and October.
Partner your whale watching experience with a comfortable stay at Raffles Royale, where you can choose from our wide array of modern and sophisticated rooms complimented with excellent guest amenities.
Here you can start your mornings right by taking refreshing dips in our heated outdoor pool or spa, relax and unwind with our hot tub and jacuzzi, lounge at our spacious barbecue and entertainment area, rely on our convenient vending machines for your favourite refreshments and snacks, and stay connected through our fast and reliable Internet connectivity. Additionally, you may freely consult our friendly tour desk to get great Gold Coast Sunday sesh ideas, and family-friendly destinations, such as the 7D Cinema, Dracula's Haunted House, or the popular Jet Boat Extreme.
Reserve your preferred Affordable Surfers Paradise Accommodation deals by visiting http://rafflesroyale.etourism.net.au today.