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Keeping up with Arts & Culture during COVID-19
Anchin Private Client CenterMay 28, 2020
"Bringing people together, inspiring, soothing and sharing: these are the powers of art, the importance of which has been made emphatically obvious during the COVID-19 pandemic."
–Audrey Azoulay, Director General of the U.N. Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
In a time of confusion and monotony, art and culture are where we turn to calm our nerves and learn more about the world. In many ways, COVID-19 has taken this option from us, but Anchin Private Client wants to help you explore several ways you can continue to enjoy art and culture while staying safe at home.
New York City is one of the epicenters of art and culture worldwide, and despite being one of the most impacted areas in the world, art and culture are still flourishing.
Our world-famous museums have largely converted to online collections and galleries, and many of them are also running at-home programs to get you involved in making art in your own home.
The Whitney is screening video works by emerging artists every Friday, offering online art history talks from their teaching fellows, and more.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art utilized 360-degree technology to make the at-home experience that much more realistic.
The performance arts are one of the most hard-hit sectors, unable to sell tickets to their shows. Nonetheless, they are still offering the opportunity to purchase tickets for their digital seasons, and more.
The Broadway Living Room Concerts series brings you live songs from Broadway stars straight to your device. You can also stream full-length Broadway productions on demand with BroadwayHD.
Live with Carnegie Hall features world-famous artists as they share behind-the-scenes stories, performance excerpts, and live music.
The NYC Ballet is not only offering a digital season, but is also creating a podcast and livestream movement classes for all ages.
Michelin Star restaurants and luxury food services have found ways to bring their unique culinary experiences to you.
Restaurants like L'Atelier, Carbone, Cosme, Cote, Di An Di, and more are offering delivery through services like Caviar and Grubhub
Food service programs like Culinistas bring luxury food preparation to you, allowing you to hire private chefs to cook fresh for you.
Luxury food providers like Regalis Foods are, for the first time, selling direct to consumers.
Companies like Perfect Picnic will set up beautiful picnics for you in beautiful areas around New York City- and clean up for you after you leave!
Travel may be restricted, but companies and institutions are working hard to bring your travel experiences to life on your screen.
Google Arts and Culture is a free program that allows you to experience the world at home. Through partnerships with thousands of cultural institutions, historical sights, and more, you can have virtual experiences ranging from visiting Anne Frank's home to going skydiving!
Other world-famous sights like the Great Wall of China, the Eiffel Tower, Stonehenge, La Sagrada Familia, and even Machu Picchu have create virtual reality experiences for digital visitors.
World-renowned museums like the Louvre in France and the Tate Modern in the U.K. have created online galleries and more.
The Mona Lisa VR Experience brings the story of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa to life.
For the Kids in your life
Homeschooling is hard enough, so you may want to use these resources to make the field tripping from home experience that much more seamless!
Disney World may be closed, but you can still have the Disney experience at home with the Disney Magic Moments website, which allows you to explore stories, videos, and activities. The Virtual Disney World YouTube channel features VR ride experiences to simulate the ones in their parks.
Lots of museums and performance art centers are creating kid-inspired content to help your children during these trying times.
The Whitney is sharing art projects for you and your children to complete together, while the Met has created programs for kids to tour the museum and create artwork of their own.
The Museum of Natural History even sponsors weekly art contests for kids called the Ology Challenge.
The Museum of Natural History and Carnegie Hall have created child-focused curriculums to help them learn more about history and music.
The New York Public Library hosts virtual story times where NYPL librarians read beloved books, sing songs, and even share early literacy tips.
While nothing will quite compare to a unique, in-person experience, there are digital resources available to you during these difficult times. We at Anchin Private Client hope that this inspires you to take a break for a quick escape, albeit virtually.


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Arthur "Art" Clokey (eredetileg: Arthur C. Farrington) (Detroit, Michigan, 1921. október 12. – Los Osos, Kalifornia, 2010. január 8.), amerikai animációs filmes, aki agyagból, plasztilinből készült figurákat mozgatott.

Élete
Szülei kilencéves korában elváltak, ő az apjánál maradt annak autóbalesetben bekövetkezett haláláig. Ekkor édesanyjához került Kaliforniába, de később a mostohaapja miatt árvaházba került. Aztán tizenkét éves korában örökbe fogadta Joseph W. Clokey zeneszerző, orgonista.

1955-ben az Észak-Kaliforniai Egyetem egyik professzora, Slavko Vorkapich hatására elkészítette első filmjét (Gumbasia). Ezzel a művel feleségével közösen megteremtették a Gumby nevű figurát és a Pokey nevű lovat, akik különböző televíziós sorozatműsorokban igen népszerűvé váltak.

A Gumbasia után sok más kísérleti animációs rövidfilmet készített pályafutása során. A legismertebbeké a Mandala és a The Clay Peacock váltak. A hatvanas-hetvenes években készített Davey and Goliath című sorozata készítését fia, Joe Clokey folytatta.

Születésnapja előtti tisztelgésből a Google 2011. október 12-i logóját Clokey animált figuráiból állították össze.

Jegyzetek

Források

További információk

Amerikai filmrendezők
1921-ben született személyek
2010-ben elhunyt személyek
Animátorok
Detroitiak

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Breitbart News Executive Chairman and former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon told the New York Times that President Trump will win re-election with 400 electoral votes, and weighed in on Republican Ed Gillespie's failed Virginia gubernatorial campaign.
"He's going to win re-election with 400 electoral votes and he'll be considered in the pantheon of Reagan and Lincoln and others as great presidents, but you have to stick with the program," he said in an interview with the Times.
Bannon was reacting to Gillespie's defeat Tuesday in Virginia to Democrat Ralph Northam. Gillespie, a former Bush aide and RNC chairman, had embraced Trump's "America First" agenda late in his campaign but it wasn't enough to make up his yawning polling deficit to Northam.
While some analysts have claimed that the defeat was a rejection of Trump's economic nationalist agenda, Bannon suggested it was instead that Gillespie was still too tied to the establishment.
Bannon also noted that the defeat in Virginia came almost a year after Trump won the presidential election, which he said shows that implementing Trump's agenda will have its ups and downs.
Bannon also responded to rumors that he was making deposing Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) his personal goal.
"It's not my personal mission but I have an objective that Mitch McConnell will not be majority leader and I believe it will be done before this time next year," he said.
The full interview will be published on Friday, according to the Times.


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Fear and Anarchy versus Law and Order: Are These our Choices?
September 2, 2020 September 1, 2020 Sherryl Perry Anarchy in America
If you watched the 2020 Democratic and Republican National Conventions, you would have seen and heard two entirely different messages. The Left condemned our country as being steeped in systemic racism. The Right highlighted how America is a land of opportunity and promise. While the left focused on the past, the Right focused on the future. While there was no-one lambasting the rioting during the Democratic convention, there were angry mobs waiting to intimidate and bully Republican attendees after their convention. There was a stark contrast between the two.
Black Democrat Vernon Jones Harassed by BLM Supporters
If you read my last post, "Did you Watch Either the Democrat and Republican National Conventions?", you saw the video clips of Senator Rand Paul (R) from Kentucky and Representative Vernon Jones (D) from Georgia both being brazenly confronted by an angry mob. Both Rand Paul, (a staunch conservative libertarian who challenged Trump during the 2016 Republican presidential primary) and Vernon Jones (a black Democrat member of the House of Representatives) support Donald Trump for president.
In the video below, you will a visibly upset Vernon Jones commenting on the fact that not only was the mob that attacked him mainly black but that no one from the Black Lives Matter Global Foundation has come out to stand up for his constitutional right.
Source: Justice with Judge Jeanine on Fox News Network 8/29/2020
Representative Matt Gaetz (R) and Leo Terrell, Civil Rights Attorney
After the clip, Judge Jeanine introduced her guests, Matt Gaetz, Republican Representative from Florida and Leo Terrell, a Civil Rights attorney and former Democrat turned Trump supporter. While Gaetz kept his usual cool demeanor, Terrell got animated as he called out the actions of the Black Lives Matter and the Democrat party:
"This extreme side of the Democrat party is a cancer. They hate anybody. It doesn't make a difference what your color is. If you are pro-America, pro-God, pro-Trump, you're going to be attacked. It doesn't make a difference if you are black, white, you're young or old. And what is amazing about this is Joe Biden has made a deal with this extremist group. You have the President talking about law and order. This group does not want law and order. They want chaos."
Civil Rights Attorney Leo Terrell on Justice with Judge Jeanine, August 29, 2020
After Terrell finished, Judge Jeanine Pirro turned to Matt Gaetz to ask him his thoughts on the idea of frightening people. Her take is that "where there's fear, there's control". Matt's reply was:
"Yes. The lockdowns and the riots are connected and Joe Biden just last week said that he would lock America down again. It would seem that could have the tendency to lead to even more civil discord. And maybe that's what Joe Biden really wants. Because you saw in the Republican convention, the desire to build America up not burn her down."
Republican Representative Matt Gaetz on Justice with Judge Jeanine, August 29, 2020
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Judge Jeanine Pirro that fear is control? Are you sickened by the sight of angry mobs intimidating innocent people who are simply exercising their constitutional rights? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments and visit us on Facebook.
Tagged Black Lives Matter Democratic National Convention DNC Judge Jeanine Pirro Justice with Judge Jeanine Leo Terrell Matt Gaetz Representative Vernon Jones Republican National Convention RNC
Did You Watch Either the Democratic or Republican National Conventions?
Universal Mail-In Voting is Goal of Nancy Pelosi & Mainstream Media

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Kalmykia: Russia's Emerging Powder Keg?
By: Alla Hurska
August 11, 2021 06:00 PM Age: 1 year
(Source: Geographical Magazine)
On May 29, the third Chuulhn Congress convened in Elista, the capital of the Republic of Kalmykia, in southwestern Russia. Nearly two hundred ethnic Kalmyks from the republic, as well as Moscow and Mongolia, took part in the assembly of this highest representative body of the Oirat-Kalmyk nation, which is authorized to make decisions and statements on behalf of the entire people (Kavkazr.com, May 30).
The convocation of the Congress was sparked by numerous problems in Kalmykia, among them: the discrimination of the rights and interests of the local Oirat-Kalmyk people as well as the devastating social, economic and political situation in the republic (Prometheus.ngo, May 31). Kalmykia enjoys a strategically important geopolitical position in Russia, sitting astride both north-south and east-west transcontinental transport corridors; and the republic is a dynamic meeting place of Christian, Islamic and Buddhist civilizations. However, it lacks local energy-generating capacity and industry, while suffering from numerous environmental problems. Thus, in socio-economic terms, Kalmykia is one of the most backward regions of Russia and is regularly included among its top ten poorest federal subjects. With a total population of only 270,139 people, the republic additionally has one of the largest outflows of working-age adults in the country. According to Sangadji Tarbaev, a native of Elista who serves as the deputy chairperson of the republican government and as the permanent representative of the Republic of Kalmykia under the president of the Russian Federation, the situation in his region is quite alarming, and there is a real risk that the republic may soon cease to exist (YouTube, July 23).
Among the main reasons for the catastrophic quality of life in Kalmykia are protracted ecological and water scarcity problems. Batu Khasikov, the head of Kalmykia, noted that insufficient water "hinders the development of life in the republic" (TASS, February 2). More than 30 years ago, vast swathes of Kalmykia were declared an ecological disaster zone. But since that time, the political leadership of the republic appointed from Moscow has been unable to provide any solution to the problem. Today, Kalmykia is considered the Russian Federation's driest region, with the lowest availability of fresh water (TASS, April 25).
Almost all Kalmyk settlements, including Elista, experience this water scarcity. The average water consumption by households is estimated at 70 liters per day per urban inhabitant and 40 liters for rural residents; while the average consumption in Russia is 140 liters. This situation is aggravated by the fact that the available water in Kalmykia is often not suitable for drinking. Local underground sources often have a mineralization rate of up to 2,000–3,000 milligrams per liter—double or triple the legal permissible rate. Thus, additional purification is required. But due to the deterioration of Kalmykia's water supply systems and treatment facilities, such purification is not available. Moreover, this arid steppe republic has few surface water sources. In fact, only one river in Kalmykia carries relatively safe water and in sufficient volumes—the Volga River. Yet this long-term solution will require significant investments to build up the infrastructure necessary to tap the waters of the Volga. Fresh water from neighboring regions represents another possibility, but it must be transported either through special conduits, which still need to be built, or via a chain of reservoirs and canals, which would inherently reduce the quality of the water. Many residents of Kalmykia receive water from the Verkhneyashkul and Bayartinsky water intakes. The first has been in use since 1960s and the second since 1980s. Their present infrastructure, equipment, pipes, pumps and water lines have been operating since about the same time and require renovation. As a result, only 7.4 percent of the population of the drought-prone republic is provided with quality drinking water—the lowest proportion of any federal subject in Russia (Rossiyskaya Gazata, February 25).
The Iki–Burul water pipeline was to deliver reserve water for Elista and 29 other Kalmyk settlements. And the construction of 195 kilometers of pipe, costing over 4 billion rubles ($152 million back in 2006), was carried out between 2006 and 2015. However, in 2019, after the pipeline's formal completion, numerous technical issues came to light, preventing its full commissioning (TASS, February 2).
Prolonged droughts and the desertification of the region have also negatively affected local agriculture (livestock, rice and crop production), one of the most important sectors of Kalmykia's economy. In 2020 alone, drought led to the degradation of three million hectares of pasture. On July 21, 2020, the authorities announced a state of emergency in eight Kalmyk municipalities (Agroinvestor.ru, January 27). In February, Mikhail Mishustin, Russia's prime minister, visited Kalmykia to discuss the ongoing water scarcity problems (Vesti-kalmykia.ru, February 2).
The alarming situation led to the decision to urgently convene the latest Chuulhn Congress. According to the Chuulhn delegates, the catastrophic living standards in Kalmykia are pushing young working-age Kalmyks to leave the republic. But after departing their ancestral homes, they struggle to maintain their own ethno-national identity and lose an opportunity to preserve and pass on their unique culture, language and traditions to future generations. In other territories, Kalmyks are doomed to assimilation. The Kalmyk language was even included in the interactive "Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger" (Baylig.ru, April 12).
In their concluding resolution, the delegates of the May Chuulhn Congress stated that due to the federalism crisis in Russia (see Commentaries, April 4, 2017), the Republic of Kalmykia completely lost its independence. Furthermore, they accused the Russian authorities of a hidden ethnocide of Oirat-Kalmyks, numerous human rights violations, and the persecution of political opponents (several delegates and members of the Chuulhn were actually detained by police just after the Congress) (Ovdinfo.org, May 30). The gathered participants also demanded the end of Moscow's repressive policies against representatives of the Oirat-Kalmyk people, the protection of their rights, and the return to the Republic of Kalmykia of the status of a democratic law–bound state within the Russian Federation (Prometheus.ngo, May 31).
It is not yet clear how the federal center will attempt to solve the "Kalmykia riddle." What is increasingly apparent, however, is that even as the Kremlin remains enmeshed in its "foreign adventures" (Syria, Ukraine, South Caucasus, Central Asia), the ethnic "outskirts"—historically, the most rebellious and "incendiary" areas of the Russian empire—are turning into a powder keg. It remains to be seen when this discontent might again light the fuse.
What Next for Nord Stream Two? The Legal..Next
The Pallone Amendment and US Military As..


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What Has Been Achieved and What Has Still To Be Done?
The European Convention: What is at Stake in the Laeken Process and What Will Be the Outcome?
Fortress Europe? Will Schengen Create a Hard or an Open Border Regime in an Enlarged European Union?
Opening or Closing the Frontiers: What is the Impact of the New Anti-Terrorism Measures on the Refugee Policy of the Member States?
What Does it Mean for the European Citizens?
A Window of Opportunity for Britain?
What is NATO's Role in the ESDP?
How Can a More Integrated Foreign and Security Policy in Europe Be Achieved?


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09/06/2012 10:41 pm ET Updated Sep 07, 2012
Joe Biden Speech At 2012 Democratic National Convention: 'Conviction. Resolve. Barack Obama'
By PHILIP ELLIOTT, ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Joe Biden stepped forward Thursday as Barack Obama's chief character witness, link to middle class voters and potentially the most biting critic of Republican rival Mitt Romney.
Speaking candidly about his front-row seat to Obama's presidency, Biden used his speech to Democrats' convention to paint his friend as a gutsy leader who helped the nation turn the corner on its dour economy. He pointed to the decisions to bail out Detroit's auto industry and to dispatch Navy SEALs into Pakistan for a fatal raid on al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's compound.
"Conviction. Resolve. Barack Obama," Biden shouted to delegates watching in the convention hall and millions more watching at home.
Biden, the sometimes off-script but always fiery vice president, praised Obama's hardest decisions. He deviated from his prepared remarks at times to include some of his signature rhetorical flourishes but stayed focused on the arguments Obama needs him to make to white, working-class voters.
"This man has courage in his soul, compassion in his heart and steel in his spine," Biden said, drawing the crowd to its feet. "And because of all the actions he took, because of the calls he made, because of the grit and determination of American workers, and the unparalleled bravery of our special forces we can now proudly say what you've heard me say the last six months: Osama Bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive."
In the crowd, several delegates held up bumper stickers with versions of that slogan.
But with stubbornly high unemployment and the economy the driving factor in the presidential race, Biden acknowledged many Americans were not yet feeling things had improved since Obama won the White House in 2008. He asked for patience.
"Yes, the work of recovery is not yet complete, but we are on our way," Biden said. "The journey of hope is not yet finished, but we are on our way. The cause of change is not fully accomplished, but we are on our way. So I say to you tonight, with absolute confidence, America's best days are ahead, and, yes, we are on our way."
Biden also spoke plainly about the respect he has developed for Obama during the past 3 1/2 years, particularly the president's hands-on approach to foreign policy. The two sometimes have disagreed, but that has only increased Biden's standing with Obama, who appreciates discussion over dictating decisions. On days they are both on White House grounds, they spend some four hours together in meetings; Biden often is the last person Obama consults on major decisions.
"I want to take you inside the White House to see the president, as I see him every day," Biden said. "Because I don't see him in sound bites. I walk down the hall, 30 steps to into the Oval Office, and I see him, I watch him in action."
"He always has the courage to make the tough decisions," Biden added. Biden has been an occasional headache for Obama, though. On the day Obama signed the Democrats' health care overhaul into law, Biden stole headlines by using an expletive in range of a live microphone. He forced Obama's hand on gay rights during an interview that sped up the president's endorsement of gay marriage. And more recently, to an African-American audience in Virginia, he said of Republicans, "They're going to put y'all back in chains."
Yet Biden has a knack for connecting with blue-collar workers that Obama simply does not. He can deliver scathing criticism through clenched grins in a way that Obama cannot. He can promote Obama's accomplishments that would sound like bragging if the president talked in the same way.
"Day after day, night after night, I sat beside him as he made one gutsy decision after another," he said.
Born in Scranton, Pa., and raised as a member of the working class, Biden speaks with credibility to voters' frustrations with Washington, despite having first won election to the Senate in 1972. He can move an audience with stories about coping with the death of his first wife and daughter in a car accident or seeing his father forced to move to Delaware to find work.
"When I was a young kid in third grade, I remember my dad coming up the stairs in my grandpop's house where we were living, sitting on the end of my bed, and saying, 'Joey, I'm going to have to leave for a while. Go down to Wilmington, Del., with Uncle Frank. There are good jobs down there honey, and in a little while, I will be able to send for you and mom and Jimmy and Val, and everything is going to be fine,'" Biden said. "For the rest of our lives, my dad never failed to remind us that a job is about a lot more than a paycheck. It is about your dignity. It's about respect. It's about your place in the community."
Plus, Biden has demonstrated a certain glee in eviscerating his rivals' proposals, especially their plans for seniors' health care. He said Romney's business experience helped his companies make "highest profits. But it's not the way to lead our country from its highest office."
Obama Rocks Democratic Convention
Joe Biden Democratic National Convention Politics Speech
President Barack Obama laughs with his wife Michelle and his daughters Malia and Sasha after his speech to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., on Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)


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Four reefs in the Capricorn-Bunker sector and seven reefs in the Swain sector of the Great Barrier Reef were surveyed using manta tows. Detailed SCUBA surveys for benthic organisms, reef fishes and agents of coral mortality (SCUBA searches) were completed on all reefs. Preliminary results of the manta tow surveys and SCUBA searches are presented in this report.
COTS were recorded at Lady Musgrave Island in the Capricorn-Bunker sector during SCUBA searches and at Chinaman Reef in the Swain sector during manta tows. In both cases COTS were in low numbers. No Active Outbreaks have been recorded in the Capricorn-Bunker sector since surveys began in 1985 or in the Swain sector since 2006. However, four of the seven Swain reefs remain listed as Recovering from past outbreaks.
Hard coral cover was moderate (10-30%) on all reefs in the Capricorn-Bunker sector and had remained stable on two reefs and decreased on the other two reefs since last surveyed one to two years previous. Major storm damage (as evidenced by overturned corals and rubble banks) had occurred on the exposed reef fronts on all four reefs in the Capricorn-Bunker sector. Hard coral cover in the Swain sector varied from very low (0-5%) to very high (>50%) but in all cases cover had remained stable since surveyed one to two years previous. The Swain reefs where hard coral cover was lowest were those recovering from COTS outbreaks that had persisted for up to 14 years prior to the mid 2000's.
SCUBA searches found relatively high incidences of "white syndrome" (a disease-like necrosis found particularly on tabulate Acropora spp.) on four reefs in the Swain sector. Incidences of "skeletal eroding band" coral disease had also increased on a few reefs in the Swain sector and one reef in the Capricorn-Bunker sector. Incidences of "brown band" coral disease and numbers of Drupella spp. (coral feeding snails) had increased on one reef in the Capricorn-Bunker sector since 2006.
Long-term Monitoring Status Report Number 8. Details of the monitoring program design, the sampling methods and a full explanation of the COTS outbreak terminology used in this report can be found on the AIMS reef monitoring website.
Four reefs were surveyed by both manta tow (Table 1) and SCUBA (Table 2). No COTS were recorded during manta tows and all reefs remain classified NO Outbreak. No active outbreaks have been recorded on these reefs since surveys began in the mid 1980's. Four adult COTS were recorded during intensive SCUBA searches at Lady Musgrave Reef, but low numbers of COTS have been observed at this reef on a number of occasions since surveys began.
Median reef-wide live coral cover on the four reefs was moderate (10-30%) based on manta tow surveys (Table 1). Coral cover had remained stable at One Tree Reef and Wreck Island Reef since last surveyed one to two years previous but had fallen considerably at Broomfield Reef (40-50% to 10-20%) and Lady Musgrave Island Reef (50-60% to 20-30%). These declines in coral cover are largely due to the effects of major storms (at all reefs, areas exposed to prevailing south-east swells were littered with overturned and broken corals). Based on the extent of algal overgrowth, observations from staff at One Tree Island Research Station and the fact that storm damage was not evident at Broomfield Reef when last manta towed in November 2007, we estimate that major storm swells damaged these coral communities sometime between December 2007 and June 2008. A similar event occurred in this sector in the late 1980's. Such cycles of disturbance and recovery are likely to be the norm on exposed reef faces in this sector as coral communities are dominated by relatively fragile plating and branching Acropora species making them particularly vulnerable to storm damage.
On all four reefs surveyed in the Capricorn-Bunker sector wave action due to major storms had broken, overturned and redistributed hard corals in exposed areas. Here on a reef slope at Wreck Island Reef coral skeletons had mostly been reduced to rubble. Contrast this plate with plate 2, photographed only 10m away but protected enough to be safe from storm damage.
SCUBA searches on the intensive survey sites showed that incidences of "white syndrome" (a disease-like necrosis found particularly on tabulate Acropora spp.), were relatively high compared to the GBR average (Table 2) but levels were generally within the range recorded over the past few surveys. Incidences of "skeletal eroding band" coral disease and "brown band" coral disease were generally low except on Lady Musgrave Island Reef and One Tree Island Reef, respectively. Numbers of Drupella spp. (coral feeding snails) were low to moderate except on One Tree Island Reef where numbers had increased considerably since last surveyed in 2006.
Table 2. Summary of results of SCUBA searches on reefs in the Capricorn-Bunker sector.
Seven reefs were surveyed by both manta tow (Table 3) and SCUBA (Table 4). COTS were recorded from one reef (Chinaman) in very low numbers. Three reefs (Reef 21-529, Snake and East Cay) were classified as No Outbreak and the other four remained classified as Recovering from long-term COTS outbreaks that ended in the mid 2000's. The outbreak at Gannet Cay lasted for 14 years (1989 to 2003) and this is the first time that COTS have not been recorded from Horseshoe Reef since surveys began in 1986.
Median reef-wide live coral cover in the Swain sector varied from very low (0-5%) to very high (>50%) but in all cases remained stable since surveyed one to two years previous. However, on those four reefs that suffered major coral losses due to past COTS outbreaks there are encouraging signs of coral recovery that is yet to be reflected in the broad manta tow coral cover categories.
SCUBA searches on the intensive survey sites showed that incidences of "white syndrome" (a disease-like necrosis found particularly on tabulate Acropora spp.), were relatively high compared to the GBR average and the Swain sector average (Table 4). Levels of "white syndrome" at Gannet Cay Reef, Horseshoe Reef and Turner Reef were clearly the highest recorded at each reef since surveys began. This result cannot be explained by seasonal differences in time of sampling or major changes in coral cover (incidence of disease increases with coral cover). Incidences of "skeletal eroding band" coral disease were slightly elevated at a few reefs and may partly reflect increased awareness of this particular disease by observers. Numbers of Drupella spp. (coral feeding snails) were low at all reefs.
On Chinaman Reef in the Swain sector a transect line (lower right) snakes it's way over the reef slope. Each year a series of 50m transect lines are laid between star pickets that had previously been hammered into the reef. Photographic and visual surveys of the benthos along with counts of reef fishes are then conducted along these transect lines. This technique allows valid comparisons of changes over time because it ensures that annual surveys are always conducted in the same area. Transect lines are retrieved after each dive.
The yellow boxfish (Ostracion cubicus) lives in close association with the reef matrix and feeds on a range of benthic mollusks, crustaceans, worms and fishes. The species occurs in tropical and temperate marine waters, extending south of Sydney on the east coast of Australia. This specimen was photographed in the Swain sector.
Here at Gannet Cay Reef in the Swain sector new coral growth is evident on the skeletons of branching corals. BranchingAcroporacorals dominated the reefscape at Gannet Cay prior to an outbreak of corallivorous crown-of-thorns starfishes (COTS,Acanthaster planci) that ran for 14 years and only finished in the mid 2000's. The COTS outbreak caused massive mortality of hard corals at this reef. The appearance of new coral colonies is the first sign of coral recovery on this reef for a long time although growth on the relatively fragile branching skeletons may turn out to be a risky strategy if major storm waves occur.
A juvenile brown booby (Sula leucogaster) stands on a coral cay in the Swain sector. These birds are commonly encountered on the southern GBR and are often very inquisitive towards humans. They feed with spectacular plunges into the sea to capture surface fishes.


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Mob tortures Sri Lankan factory worker to death in Sialkot, burns his body – Pakistan
A mob in Sialkot on Friday tortured a man to death before burning his body, while a heavy contingent of police has been sent to the area to bring the situation under control.
The incident took place on Wazirabad Road in Sialkot, where reportedly the workers of private factories attacked the export manager of a factory and burnt his body after killing him.
Sialkot District Police Officer Umar Saeed Malik said the man, identified as Priyantha Kumara, was a Sri Lankan national.
Videos shared on social media showed hundreds of men and young boys gathered at the site.
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar took notice of the murder, terming it as a "very tragic incident", while the spokesperson for Sialkot police said details would be shared with the media after initial investigation.
Buzdar has summoned a report from the inspector general of police and ordered a high-level inquiry into the matter.
"Every aspect of the incident should be investigated and a report should be submitted. Action should be taken against those who take the law into their own hands," the chief minister said.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan also took notice of the incident and directed the Gujranwala regional police officer to reach the location immediately.
"The Sialkot DPO is present on the spot. All aspects of the incident should be investigated," the IGP said.
A similar incident in Sialkot in 2010 had shook the country when an angry mob had lynched two brothers in the presence of police, declaring them dacoits. The incident sparked shock and horror across the country as cellphone footage of the heinous murders was uploaded to video-sharing sites.
UP Assembly elections: BKU chief extends support to SP-RLD
Aam Admi Movement: Former general launches party aimed at ending 'feudal politics' – Pakistan
No, Kevin Durant was not injured on a Bruce Brown flop
Ulster maintain 100 per cent European start with Northampton win
Manchin and Sinema's love of the filibuster doesn't make them allies


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Young participants will be exposed to a variety of processes in ensemble-theatre-making, including adaption, group writing, found text, improvisation, working with counterpoint and creating solo performance, as well as methods of offering critical feedback on works-in-progress.
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Q: Sync/convert PostgreSQL tables from Foxpro (.dbf) databases We are using a business management system that is using Foxpro databases and we want to be able to sync some information from those tables to PostgreSQL for some other things that we are doing apart from the management system.
I am wondering what the best way is to sync data from Foxpro (.dbf) databases to PostgreSQL-9.4.
I tried to use the Foreign Data Wrapper inside of PostgreSQL to connect with an ODBC connection but I couldn't get it to work.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


We are a music school in southwest Edmonton that began in 2008. Our vision is to provide an environment for students of all ages to explore the world of music through exceptional music instruction. Our students range from young children who are just beginning their musical journey to those wishing to pursue music as a hobby while others desire to take a more formal route with music exams or preparing for musical auditions. Whatever your goal, Edmonton Academy of Music has a wide range of classes and private lessons to help you reach your potential.
Music gives a soul to the universe wings to the wind flight to the imagination and life to everything.
In addition to taking classes we give our students opportunities to share their talent in our yearly concerts and other musical events.


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We Are All Dave Lister
Since the COVID-19 pandemic came crashing through every part of society pretty much everywhere in the world last winter/spring, I've had a growing thought: We are all Dave Lister.
While mainstream culture wrings its hands, the science fiction and fantasy community has been desperately grabbing at plots and sub-plots and world building backstories from books, comics, TV and movies to find the perfect metaphor for the strangely lazy yet fright-weighted times of the ongoing pandemic. But they all seem to fall short. The disease apocalypses that have infected sf&f culture over the decades (I'm surprised no-one has tried before now to stuff them all under one unifying sub-genre tent of "disease punk" or "germ punk" or "infection dark" something pretentious and overwrought like that) are all too extreme, cutting down the populace like machine-gun fire and leaving an empty, potentially burning world, where the few survivors battle desperately against zombies or mutants or packs of feral goats or whatever. As others have noted, the pandemic stories of the past never considered that aside from a large number of tragic deaths that were, none-the-less, a tiny fraction of the total human population, most of us have survived this scourge by doing nothing except sitting around at home walking the razor's edge between boredom and existential anxiety; wanting to be close to our loved ones but getting really, really, really tired of them if we've been stuck with them in close quarters for too long; and worrying about where the next square of toilet paper was going to come from.
And that's why I think to get the best handle on all of this madness, we need to look to a completely different corner of science fiction. An entirely silly corner that is dead serious in its relevance to our times. We need to look to Red Dwarf.
In 1988, the titular Jupiter Mining Corporation ship Red Dwarf lumbered in its delightfully clenched-fist-ugliness across TV screens for the first time, initially in the UK, but later around the world. The show revolves around the afore-mentioned character Dave Lister, a loveable loser who's wound up, through a series of drunken misadventures, on a colony on one of the moons of Jupiter with no money to get home. He takes a job aboard the gigantic Red Dwarf as a junior-grade janitor/unskilled maintenance worker/chicken-soup-dispensing-machine-repairman as a means to get back to Earth for free. But the 'Dwarf isn't heading straight home, rather, it's departing on a mining expedition around the solar system set to last a couple of years before it returns to Earth. Depending on which version of the story you like best, the show or the novel, Lister's either using this as a chance to earn money to buy a hot-dog stand on Fiji someday, even foregoing buying deodorant and socks in order to save his cash (as he states in the TV series), or he sees it all as work he doesn't want to deal with and concocts a scheme to get himself arrested and thrown into the ship's stasis brig, sleeping the years away without aging, and getting tossed off once the ship gets home (as in the novel).
Either way, he smuggles aboard his pet black female cat named Frankenstein. Unauthorized pets are against the rules, and while Lister doesn't parade her around the corridors, he does take photos of himself with the little fuzzball and leaves them lying around. When he's ultimately arrested, the captain tells him he'll have to turn over the cat for dissection to ensure she isn't carrying any diseases. Lister can't stand the thought of his pet being killed and refuses to reveal that he's hidden Frankenstein in one of the ship's immense cargo holds where she'll be able to scavenge food. Lister is thrown into a stasis tube and goes to sleep, protected by its energies from everything else happening in the universe. That's when the real trouble starts: shortly thereafter, an accident with the ship's drive (caused by the bumbling of Lister's roommate and superior officer, the pretentious Arnold Judas Rimmer) causes a pulse of radiation to be released, killing everyone aboard instantly. Except for Lister, who's in stasis, and Frankenstein, who's shielded by the cargo hold. The ship's AI, Holly, sends out a distress signal warning all other vessels to stay away, turns the 'Dwarf around, and heads out into interstellar space at top speed to prevent the ship from being a hazard to in-system traffic and settlements. Three million years pass. And life goes on: little Frankenstein is pregnant and gives birth to her litter. The kittens mature and interbreed, and over the long millennia, her offspring continue to multiply and evolve, eventually becoming a race of anthropomorphic cats (they look exactly like humans, except for longer canine teeth and an outrageous sense of fashion). The cats divide into factions and a holy war breaks out (their religion centring on poorly-remembered legends of Lister's whispered plans to Frankenstein about the hot dog stand), eventually ending when they construct their own spaceships and abandon the 'Dwarf on a quest to find their mythic promised land, leaving behind the sick, the disabled, and the stupid. Eventually, the radiation subsides to safe levels, and Holly awakens Lister. To prevent him from going insane with loneliness, Holly revives Rimmer as a holographic companion (think of the Doctor in Star Trek: Voyager, but years before that show was even conceived). Problem is, Lister and Rimmer hate each other, and the 'Dwarf only has the capability to run one holographic crew member at a time. Knowing that Lister will insist on a switch, and refusing to let himself die again, Rimmer hides the personality record discs of the other crew members so Lister can't shut him down. Meanwhile, Lister stumbles across Cat, the last of the feline species aboard the ship, and they become friends. Eventually, the group also takes in Kryten, a servant android they find aboard a wrecked human starship. Over the next 13 series spanning more than two decades (the latest hitting screens this year), the "Boys from the Dwarf" get into all kinds of misadventures as they knock about the galaxy, occasionally travelling through time and into alternate dimensions, sometimes running afoul of killer cyborgs and GELFs (Genetically Engineered Life Forms), and eating a lot of curries. A. Lot. Of. Curries.
Along the way, the writers, Rob Grant and Doug Naylor, have penned a few Red Dwarf novels that aren't tie-ins for the TV show so much as alternate and expanded versions of some its stories or elements, rather like the different takes on Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy that were expressed as radio plays, novels, TV series, and movies. Attempts have been made to copy Red Dwarf in the US, but they've failed, and fans (myself included) remain devoted to the original.
So why is Red Dwarf the science fiction story that best encapsulates the current pandemic? Because, at its heart, it's a story about normal (if incredibly lazy and annoying) people who are isolated and facing extraordinary and potentially deadly situations, but who mostly do nothing. They get into arguments with an AI-equipped toaster. They orbit a moon several times because it looks like the bum of one of their favourite actresses. They shoot their own music video. It's best summed-up in an exchange in the first episode of series V, "Holoship," where the boys try to recruit the holographic crew member of another ship when it looks like Rimmer is going to leave:
Harrison: "Basically you spend your time salvaging derelict spaceships, playing poker, and eating curries."
Lister: "Well we don't do that much salvaging."
The quests to find lemons so they can power their time-travelling remote control to escape from Roman-era Earth, the fleeing from resurrected tyrannosaurs in the cargo holds of the 'Dwarf, and the battles with assassin cyborgs and all very much secondary to the pointless minutia of playing video games and trying to keep the ship from falling apart.
And that's relevant to most of us. Yes, some people are putting themselves at risk of infection on the front lines of hospital emergency rooms, some people are legitimately worried about the health of imuno-compromised loved ones, and some people have been trapped overseas with no way to get home. But most of us have been sitting around the house, making an effort at work or studies (assuming you haven't been laid-off), and just trying to avoid going crazy with boredom. Rimmer and Lister take courses and tests for promotions that don't matter anymore, and all of us probably know several people who've become obsessed with learning to make the perfect sourdough bread, which. let's face it, isn't going to matter when bakeries reopen (if they haven't in your area already) and you can just walk down the street and buy one faster, and maybe at a lower cost than it would take to make yourself, and let's be honest, one that probably tastes better than yours. Lister gets upset when Cat eats the last sparerib in the universe (a shortage that's echoed in another episode where Holly warns they're out of cow's milk and goat's milk, and down to dog's milk, which they won't be able to tell whether it's spoiled or not), and we've all had the same feeling when the last square of toilet paper has been used, and we know the shelves at the store are frighteningly, continuously empty.
And Lister is profoundly lonely. Some people have come through this pandemic with spouses/partners and/or children (some couples have worked hard at producing children, leading to speculation early on about the pandemic-related baby boom that's sure to go down in history), or roommates, and so they've had the benefit of company (though some have admitted that too much of a good thing becomes a curse at times). But the rest of us have faced this crisis very much alone. Regardless of whether you've been feeling anxiety over your own safety or that of loved ones, or whether you've been calm in the knowledge of your own health and faith in your local medical staff and global researchers, if you went into this crisis without anyone at your side like I have, if you've trudged through it day in and day out without anyone to be physically present with when sharing your feelings and thoughts, without anyone to hold or make love with, this experience has highlighted in the grimmest possible terms your total isolation. For a lot of us, being single isn't easy to begin with, and in a situation where a pandemic eliminates, or at least severely curtails, the possibility of finding and being with someone, it becomes a much more difficult state of being, and one that leaves you questioning your value as a person more than ever. And even for those who do have someone with them, if there were cracks in the relationship before (never mind the horrific possibility of being trapped in a home with an abusive partner), then this pandemic has likely widened them significantly, leaving that person feeling isolated even when they're not physically alone.
And we can see our pandemic experience reflected in Lister's relationships with the other Boys from the Dwarf.
Rimmer is that annoying coworker or relative you have to deal with in Zoom/Skype/MS Teams/whatever meetings, emails, text messages, and phone calls every day (or nearly every day). The one you'd just rather didn't exist at all, but they're there, part of your life — virtually — and there's no ignoring them. They may not have a metallic "H" (for hologram) emblazoned on their foreheads, but these people are our Rimmers. And the worst thing is, just like over the years of the show, you may find that as time goes on, as annoying as this person remains, you grow to accept them, to consider them a part of your team who you're not prepared to abandon in a crunch, and maybe, just maybe, in a way that you'd never publicly admit, you actually kind of like them on some level. Fans will note that Rimmer actually becomes a physical presence at some point too — first gaining a new "hard light" holo emitter, and then actually having his body reconstructed by nanorobots — and so we might allow that your Rimmer might even be someone who you've been encountering physically during the pandemic. Maybe even someone in your home. Has Lister's hunt for Rimmer's hidden stash of the other crew members' personality discs become a metaphor for your secret or not-so-secret desire to get rid of your roomie or partner for someone else?
Cat is straightforward: Cat is your pet. Your cat, your dog, your fish, your bird, your tarantula, whatever. You talk to your pet, and your cat, dog or bird will talk back to you, after its own fashion. These conversations, especially if you're without the companionship of other human beings, may be the only thing maintaining your sense of self-worth and sanity in the face of the crushing loneliness of the long days of the pandemic. In its own mind, your pet is probably speciesist and likely calls you "monkey" the way Cat refers to Lister, and though it likes or loves you, it would probably have no qualms about eating the last sparerib in the universe rather than save it for you. I know my cat loves me, but she wouldn't hesitate for a second to scarf down the last sparerib. She would probably then meow at me to demand more. But Cat is, ultimately, there for the rest of the Dwarfers, and, for some of us anyway, our pets are there for us. My fuzzball isn't blasting away at marauding GELFs with a bazookoid, but she knows when I'm not happy, and jumps up, purring, for a cuddle to try to help.
Kryten is your vacuum cleaner. Or your washing machine. Or your computer/tablet/phone/whatever. Admit it: you've talked to it at least once while socially distanced from other human beings. Yeah, you have. And when it comes to communications and entertainment electronics equipped with Siri or its analogues, sometimes those gadgets talk back. Kryten is more real than we would have imagined back in '88, if less humanoid.
On the video screen, Holly is your friend or friendly coworker who you communicate with every once in a while and who provides information, perspective, and the odd sweetly lame joke. Holly isn't so much a guide as someone who's stumbling along with you at arm's length who may know slightly more than you — sometimes — but doesn't especially know what to do about things any better than you do. This person will comes in and out of your life for extended periods, maybe even with an identity change. We all have a Holly.
Along the way, you've probably encountered your share of GELFs and killer cyborgs: the managers who drive you hard for product, insisting on hours of voluntary, unpaid overtime, even as they remind you that you're lucky to have a job, no matter how much they treat you like shit, because they've already downsized and they're thinking of doing it again, and in this day and age, there are a lot of people who will never be going back to their pre-pandemic jobs. The GELFs and cyborgs also represent what's happened to everybody in general in this weird, new, post-pandemic world: people have been anxiety-ridden and depressed and paranoid, isolated, possibly deprived of income, maybe grieving for lost family or friends, and very likely looking at life as something scary and fundamentally changed forever. The people that you meet at work, your old social circles, when you're out and about, and maybe even your close friends and family, may not be the same people that you knew before all this. And they may not be likeable anymore. You've also got scutters in your life: those weird little maintenance droids with three fingers on their faces who putter about in the background. These are probably other people in your apartment building/condo, townhouse complex, or neighbourhood going about their business that you largely ignore but sometimes say "hi" to from a distance. And, in the place of the abandoned relics of human civilization, you might find things around your home or neighbourhood that remind you of stuff you like to do out in the world but haven't been able to do for a while because of social distancing, and which may now be potentially dangerous.
And let's not forget Kochanski. The love of Dave Lister's life: Navigation Officer Kristine Kochanski. At the opening of the series, we learn that Lister's had a crush on Kochanski ever since he first saw her when he boarded the 'Dwarf. Kochanski knew who Lister was, but he'd never had the guts to tell her how he felt (though retconning in a later episode claims they did date for a short period before she dumped him). She was killed with the rest of the crew, but, years later, her doppelgänger from another universe joined the 'Boys for a while. Unfortunately, Lister was never able to join with Kochanski in a lasting relationship, and she eventually leaves the ship to go off on her own (although an early episode with a time jump indicates that the two will eventually reunite and marry). If you're single, Kochanski might represent someone specific that you can't be with because of social distancing or travel restrictions. Or maybe, in a more general sense, she represents the idea of being able to have a relationship — something that now might be unlikely because of social distancing rules that may exist in your area, and personal health concerns that some people may have. Kochanski is the love you want but can't have.
And so the pandemic has made us all into Dave Lister. Maybe the Red Dwarf will make it back to Earth someday, maybe our lives will eventually return to something close to what they were like before, or maybe not. There isn't a lot we can do about it. Grab a curry and a lager, kick back, and make the best of it you can. Just like the Boys from the Dwarf.
Labels: apocalypse, pandemic, post-apocalypse, Red Dwarf, science fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 54 - Kelly Robson's Top 10
This is it: the final episode of the special bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3! I hope you've enjoyed hearing these mini interviews with some of our previous guests over the past few months as we've shuffled through the strange days of the pandemic.
I'm going to be taking a little break, but stay tuned for a regular season of full-length episodes in a few months with a new batch of guests. And, by all means, go back and re-listen to some of our classic episodes.
But for now, author Kelly Robson closes the season with a previously-unaired feature where she shares her Top 10 favourite works of science fiction by other writers. Keep in mind, it's been a few years since we had this conversation, so her favourites may have changed. But you should still check them out at your local bookstore or library. And be sure to look for Kelly's books, and anthologies and magazines with her stories, while you're there!
To learn more about Kelly Robson and her work, visit her website:
https://kellyrobson.com
To listen to Invaders From Planet 3, or to subscribe, visit Libsyn, iTunes, or your other favourite podcatching service. Be sure to rate and review us while you're there!
Labels: interview, Invaders From Planet 3, Kelly Robson, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction, writing
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 53 - Joe Haldeman's Favourites
It's been a while, but now that my B.Ed program has wrapped up, Invaders From Planet 3 is back on the air! (Congratulations to all of my fellow rookie teachers from the UBC B.Ed program of 2020!)
We're down the second-last episode of the show's bonus season, and this time, I've unearthed a mini interview I did with author Joe Haldeman a few years ago at VCon. He shares some of his favourite works of sf by other writers from over the years, with a special emphasis on comics.
Bear in mind that it's been a couple of years since we spoke, so his favourites may have changed since then. That said, be sure to check out the backissues bins of your local comic store to see what kinds of treasures you can find. Meanwhile, hit your local bookstore or library and ask for copies of Joe's books.
To learn more about Joe and his stories, check out his website:
http://www.joehaldeman.com
Labels: comics, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, Joe Haldeman, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 52 - Sebastien de Castell's Top 5
We're counting down towards the end of our special bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3 with just three mini episodes to go — this time with the return of author Sebastien de Castell!
An extensive search of the archives in the Lair of bloginhood (currently located beneath a concession stand in an abandoned Japanese theme park) has yielded a previously-unaired interview where Sebastien shares his Top 5 list of some of his favourite speculative fiction stories by other writers.
This conversation took place a couple of years ago, so his favourites may have changed. But they're all still worth reading, and you should contact your local bookstore or library about finding copies.
And while you're there, be sure to pick up copies of Sebastien's books as well!
To learn more about Sebastien or his stories, check out his website:
https://decastell.com
Labels: fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, science fiction, Sebastien De Castell, speculative fiction, Top 5
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 51 - Kristi Charish's Top 5
It's been a while, but we're back! The Invaders From Planet 3 bonus season continues with the return of author Kristi Charish!
In this previously-unaired mini interview, Kristi shares her list of her Top 5 favourite speculative fiction movies.
Keep in mind, it's been a couple of years since we had this conversation, so Kristi's favourites may have changed since then. But they're certainly worth searching for on your favourite streaming service.
Meantime, be sure to visit your local bookstore or library and ask how you can get copies of Kristi's books!
For more information on Kristi or her stories, visit her website:
www.kristicharish.com
Labels: author, books, fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, Kristi Charish, movies, podcast, science fiction, short stories, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 50 - Robert Charles Wilson's Top 5
Author Robert Charles Wilson returns to the show as our bonus season continues!
I've recovered a previously-unaired mini interview with Bob that was lying around in the archives of the Lair of bloginhood (currently located aboard a houseboat adrift on a methane lake on Saturn's moon Titan). In it, he shares his Top 5 list of his favourite speculative fiction stories by other writers.
Keep in mind, our conversation took place a couple of years ago, so his favourites may have changed. But you should still contact your local bookstore or library to find out how you can get your hands on them. And pick up a couple of Bob's books while you're there.
To find out more about Bob or his stories, visit his website:
https://www.robert-charles-wilson.com
Labels: interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, Robert Charles Wilson, science fiction, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 49 - Minister Faust's Top 5
It's a pretty terrible weekend with all that's going on in the world, but I've given it a lot of thought, and I think it's valid that the bonus season continue. The people who make the speculative fiction stories we love show us new perspectives, through their own work, as well as when they share their recommendations for stories by others. It seems that the world is seriously in need of different perspectives and understanding right now, so the show's going on. If nothing else, some listeners may just need a break from all of the awfulness out there.
So, with that in mind, this episode welcomes author Minister Faust back to the show! I've uncovered a previously-unaired mini interview where he shares his list of his Top 5 favourite works of speculative fiction by other writers.
Keep in mind, his his opinions may have changed in the past couple of years since we had our conversation. But these are all good stories anyway, and you should ask your local bookstore or library how you can find them.
While you're at it, be sure to ask them for copies of Minister's books too, or look for them online.
Find out more about Minister Faust and his works at:
ministerfaust.com
Be sure to listen to his podcast, MF GALAXY, on iTunes!
Labels: Afro-futurism, author, comics, fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, Minister Faust, podcast, podcaster, science fiction, speculative fiction, writer
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 48 - Alyx Dellamonica's Top 5
The bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3 continues, this time with the return of author Alyx Dellamonica!
My excavations of the archives in the Lair of bloginhood (currently located in a porch swing converted to a blanket fort, somewhere in Waterloo) have uncovered a previously-unaired mini interview with Alyx, where she shares her Top 5 list (and more!) of her favourite speculative fiction stories by other writers.
Keep in mind, this conversation took place a couple of years ago, so her favourites may have changed.
That said, contact your local bookstore or library to find out how you can get your hands on these stories. And be sure to ask them for copies of Alyx's books while you're there!
To learn more about Alyx or her writing, visit her website:
alyxdellamonica.com
Labels: Alyx Dellamonica, books, fantasy, horror, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction, TV, writing
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 47 - David Nickle's Top 5
Author David Nickle returns to Invaders From Planet 3 as our bonus season continues!
I've recently returned from an expedition into the vaults beneath the Lair of bloginhood (finally able to cautiously skip across dimensions to its new current location beneath the ruins of an old cannery pier in the Fraser River near Steveston), where I've uncovered a previously-unaired mini interview with David where he shares a Top 5 list of speculative fiction stories worthy of attention.
Keep in mind that our conversation took place a few years ago, so a few of his choices might be different now.
That said, it's worth contacting your local bookstore or library to find these stories. And be sure to ask them for copies of David's books while you're there!
To learn more about David and his stories, check out his blog, The Devil's Exercise Yard:
http://davidnickle.blogspot.com
Labels: David Nickle, horror, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 46 - Matt Ruff's Top 5
Our special bonus season of the show continues! Even though the coronavirus restrictions are slowly starting to ease in some places, life still isn't back to normal, and the lockdown continues for some people, so I'm continuing to post mini episodes.
This time, I've combed through the archives in the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space as it normally does) and discovered this previously-unaired conversation with author Matt Ruff. In it, Matt shares his list of his Top 5 favourite works of speculative fiction by other writers.
Bear in mind that it's been a couple of years since we chatted, so his favourites may have changed.
That said, contact your local bookstore or library to find these stories. And be sure to pick up Matt's novels while you're there!
To learn more about Matt and his books, visit his website:
www.bymattruff.com
Labels: horror, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, Matt Ruff, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction, Top 5
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 45 - Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Top 5
The bonus season of the Invaders From Planet 3 podcast continues with another mini episode.
This time, I've returned from the vaults deep beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space as it normally does) with a previously-unaired conversation with author Silvia Moreno-Garcia. In it, Sylvia shares her Top 5 list of her favourite works of speculative fiction by other writers.
Keep in mind, our conversation took place a couple of years ago, so Silvia's favourites may have changed since then.
That said, contact your local bookstore or library and ask how you can get your hands on these stories. And be sure to ask them for copies of Silvia's books while you're at it!
To learn more about Silvia or her stories, check out her website:
www.silviamoreno-garcia.com/blog/
Labels: fantasy, horror, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, science fiction, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 44 - John Jantunen's Top 5
After a two-week hiatus, the bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3 is back! Miss me? Probably not — you were probably too busy 3-D printing your own custom-made set of The Starlost action figures. But we're back anyway!
This time, I've returned from the vaults deep beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space as it normally does) with a previously-unaired interview segment with author John Jantunen.
In this mini episode, John shares his Top 5 list of his favourite works of science fiction by other writers... well, all by one writer in this case! Bear in mind that it's been a couple of years since John and I had this chat, so his favourites might have changed.
In any case, be sure to contact your local bookstore or library to find out how you can get your hands on these stories. And be sure to ask for John's novels while you're at it.
Labels: interview, Invaders From Planet 3, John Jantunen, Philip K Dick, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 43 - Melinda Snodgrass' Top 5
Our special bonus season of the Invaders From Planet 3 podcast continues, this time with author Melinda Snodgrass as our guest. I've journeyed deep into the catacombs beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space as it normally does) and discovered a previously unaired mini interview with Melinda where she shares her list of her Top 5 favourite works of speculative fiction by other writers.
Bear in mind, it's been a couple of years since we chatted, so some of her favourites may have changed.
Be sure to contact your local bookstore or library to find out how you can get copies of the stories on her list (or check your favourite video streaming service to find the movie Aliens), and pick up a couple of Melinda's novels while you're there!
To learn more about Melinda or her stories, check out her website:
melindasnodgrass.com
Labels: interview, Invaders From Planet 3, Melinda Snodgrass, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 42 - Robert J Sawyer's Top 5
It's time for another episode of the bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3! This time, I've uncovered an interview with author Robert J. Sawyer in the stockpile of previously-unaired extra audio buried deep in the vaults beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space as it normally does).
Rob shares his Top 5 list of his favourite science fiction stories by other writers. Bear in mind, it's been a couple of years since Rob and I had our chat, so his favourites may have changed.
Be sure to get in touch with your local bookstore or library to find the stories on his list. And while you're there, ask them about Rob's own novels.
To find out more about Rob's stories, visit his website:
www.sfwriter.com
Labels: interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, Robert J Sawyer, science fiction, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 41 - Alex Renwick's Top 5
Another deep dive into the vaults beneath the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space as it normally does) has yielded more buried treasure for our bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3.
This time, we have a previously unaired short interview with author Alex Renwick (a.k.a. Alexandra Renwick, a.k.a. Zandra Renwick, a.k.a. Camille Alexa), where she shares her Top 5 favourite works of speculative fiction by other writers. At least, her Top 5 from a couple of years ago when we had our interview — her choices may have changed since then.
Be sure to talk to your local bookstore owner or librarian about finding books by the authors on her list. And look for Alex's own stories while you're there.
To find out more about Alex's work, visit her website:
alexcrenwick.com
Labels: Alex Renwick, author, fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction, Top 5, writing
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 40 - Claude Lalumiere's Top 5
Once again I've been digging through the Invaders From Planet 3 archives deep beneath the lowest cellars of the Lair of bloginhood (still currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet because social distancing lockdown rules prevent the Lair from shifting across space as it normally does) to find another previously unaired interview for our special bonus season.
This time, author Claude Lalumiere (our first guest on the show!) shares his Top 5 favourite speculative fiction works by other authors. Of course, that was a couple of years ago, so his Top 5 list may (or may not) have changed since then.
Be sure to look for the stories he mentions in your local bookstore or library, and, by all means, find Claude's books while you're there too!
To learn more about Claude Lalumiere and his works, visit his website:
claudepages.info
Labels: Claude Lalumiere, fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 39 - Bonus Season - The Top 5 of Kit Reed
It's the springtime of coronavirus and everyone's got the quarantine doldrums. What to do?
I recently recalled that I've got a bunch of unused interview material that I've been sitting on for a couple of years, buried deep in the archives here in the Lair of bloginhood (currently located in a fort made of old, half-used rolls of Christmas wrapping paper in your great-aunt Tilly's basement closet). So, to give you something to listen to during the lockdown — and to give me something to do — I've decided to use these previously-unheard clips to post a special bonus season of Invaders From Planet 3!
Over the next little while, I'll be posting mini episodes — just a few minutes long — a couple of times per week, featuring past guests from the show's first two seasons. Each guest will share their Top 5 list of their favourite works of speculative fiction from other creators.
And we'll start things off in this episode with a Top 5 from author Kit Reed, who sadly passed in 2017. Kit's work often touched on themes of personal and group isolation — something that probably hits home for many of us these days. Be sure to look up her novels and short story collections in your local bookstore or library.
Labels: fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, Kit Reed, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 38 - Naomi Novik
Author Naomi Novik joins us for the season 4 finale of Invaders From Planet 3!
Naomi tells us how her love of fantasy and science fiction was born when her mother read Polish fairy tales to her, such as Agnieszka "Piece of the Sky". At the same time, her parents were reading the Disney picture book version of Peter Pan to her, along with Tolkien's The Hobbit, and other works. She tells us how the Polish stories helped create a bond between her and her mother's past, and how her love of Disney's version of Peter Pan got her started down the road to creating her own stories... or, at least commissioning them at that point.
We also talk about the evolution of Naomi's relationship with fan fiction, from reading it in university, to her early days as a writer when she began creating it, to her eventual decision that it was too constraining for a story she wanted to tell: the story of Lawrence and the dragon Temeraire in her breakout Temeraire series of novels. And she talks about how, even after building a career around her own unique stories, she still enjoys writing fanfic.
Naomi also tells us about feeling liberated when the Temeraire series came to an end. And she discusses the importance of having control over a story's ending, right from the start.
Our conversation took place in the impromptu studio of bloginhood in the Dublin convention centre last summer at Worldcon.
To learn more about Naomi and her stories, visit her website:
www.naominovik.com
Labels: dragon, fairytales, fanfic, fantasy, history, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, Naomi Novik, podcast, Polish fairytales, science fiction, speculative fiction, Star Trek, Temeraire, Transformers, writing
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 37 - Dublin Worldcon Voice of the Fans 3
Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, it's this season's third and final Voice of the Fans episode, recorded at the 2019 Worldcon in Dublin, Ireland!
The quartet of commentators in this episode includes:
Author Daniel Bensen
www.thekingdomsofevil.com
Reviewer Carien Ubink
www.mcpigpearls.blogspot.com
Academic and author Dr. Tiffani Angus
www.tiffani-angus.com
And aspiring writer and Glasgow Worldcon bid volunteer Robin Duncan
Stay tuned for more regular-length interviews with authors, editors, artists, performers and others involved in science fiction, fantasy, comics, and all points in between.
Labels: academic, author, comics, convention, Dublin, fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction, Worldcon, writer
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 36 - Walter Jon Williams
Author Walter Jon Williams joins us in this episode! We talk about his first loves in science fiction, including Heinlein's Have Spacesuit — Will Travel and John Schealer's Zip-Zip Goes to Venus. And Walter tells us about his evolution as a writer: from feeling the compulsion to write at age 3, to getting a rejection letter from the editor of The New Yorker, to writing historical fiction novels, to getting into sf. He also reflects on the nature of his compulsion to write, including finding a balance between the business needs of writing and the compulsion, and eventually watching the compulsion die.
We also talk about the universe of science fiction publishing, and the change from the days of limited selection to today's huge output of stories, and the challenges of maintaining a sense of what the community is talking about. We discuss Walter's time in the spotlight in the 1980s when his cyberpunk novel Hardwired garnered love and hate. And he shares the story of his involvement in the Wild Cards mosaic superhero novels, including his coining of "toaster" as a derogatory term for androids.
And Walter shares some details from his two newest novels, Quillifer the Knight (published in late 2019), and the latest, as-yet-untitled Praxis novel, due later this year.
Our conversation took place in the impromptu studio of bloginhood in the Dublin convention centre last summer at Worldcon 2019.
To learn more about Walter and his novels, visit his website:
www.walterjonwilliams.net
Labels: author, cyberpunk, fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, podcast, science fiction, speculative fiction, superheroes, Walter Jon Williams, writing
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 35 - Diane Walton
On Spec Magazine Managing Editor and Sunburst Award Board of Directors Chairperson Diane Walton joins us for this episode. She talks about her first love in science fiction, Andre Norton's novel The Stars Are Ours!, and reading everything in the genre she could get her hands on, including the works of Clifford Simak and James Blish.
Diane also shares the story of how an Alberta writers' group gave rise to On Spec Magazine (one of Canada's major speculative fiction magazines), and how she eventually ended up in the Editor's chair. She tells us about the challenges of finding funding for the publication, navigating a publishing universe where print and electronic versions of the magazine are available, what this means in terms of garnering a global readership, what it's like running the operation off the side of her desk, and the kinds of stories that get her excited.
And we learn about how the Sunburst Award (Canada's juried award for literature of the fantastic) ignited. Diane talks about what's involved in running the award, and why Canada even needs two awards for speculative fiction. Lastly, she reflects on how Canada's sf&f scene has changed over the years.
Our conversation took place in the impromptu bloginhood studio in the Dublin convention centre at the 2019 Worldcon last summer.
Find out more about On Spec Magazine on its website:
https://onspecmag.wpcomstaging.com
And you can discover which novels and short stories have won the Sunburst Award on its page:
http://sunburstaward.org
*Note: In the interests of disclosure, at the time of this interview, and as of the time of the posting of this episode, I have served as a member of the Sunburst Award board of directors. This in no way influenced my line of questioning during the interview, or the editing of this episode.
Labels: Diane Walton, editor, fantasy, interview, Invaders From Planet 3, On Spec Magazine, podcast, publishing, science fiction, speculative fiction, Sunburst Award
Farewell to Mike Resnick
Another of the giants has passed. The new year has started with a sad note for the science fiction community: a few days ago, Laura Resnick announced her father, legendary author Mike Resnick, died after a battle with cancer (and the family is still raising money through GoFundMe to pay for medical expenses, so consider following this link and helping out).
Resnick was one of those voices in the genre that was around as long as I can recall. I can't remember my first encounter with his work, but it might have been his short story "Balance" in the 1989 anthology Foundation's Friends — Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov, edited by Martin H Greenberg. I enjoyed his Old West science fiction novel The Doctor and the Kid, about Doc Holliday, but my favourite was Resnick's contribution to George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois' Old Mars anthology, "In the Tombs of the Martian Kings".
But to really do him justice, we need to hear from a serious fan of Resnick's work. That's why I've brought in my friend Geordie Howe (a guest on one of the first Invaders From Planet 3 "Voice of the Fans" episodes, and the bloginhood.com stringer photographer) to write the following editorial on what Mike Resnick meant to him:
Mike Resnick, who, at his zenith, was one of the most popular figures in the science fiction fan and pro community, died January 9. He was nominated for the Hugo Award 37 times, winning 5, and 11 Nebula nominations, with 1 win. He was a Guest of Honor at Chicon 7 in 2012.
His daughter, Laura Resnick, announced his passing in an update to the GoFundMe created for his medical expenses.
For me, he was one of my favourite SF authors. He was a writer, editor, anthologist, and always a fan.
I first remember encountering his writing in his series on the space brothel, the Velvet Comet, including Eros Ascending (1984), Eros At Zenith (1984), Eros Descending (1985) and Eros At Nadir (1986), some of which were first published by the small press, Phantasia Press.
I came to his non-fiction writings as a subscriber to the SF fanzine, Lan's Lantern, where Mike's travel stories were always a highlight.
Then there was his Lucifer Jones series, those about Santiago, his award-winning Kirinyaga series, the Widowmaker series, several other series, and a long list of novels, including Ivory (1988) — a spin on Richard F. Burton — and many others.
Then there was his non-fiction. Again, many, many books, but particular to me are Stalking the Wild Resnick (1991), Unauthorized Autobiographies (1981), Through Darkest Resnick with Gun and Camera (1990), Once a Fan…(2002), …Always a Fan (2009), Resnick Abroad (2012), Resnick on the Loose (2012) and The Business of Science Fiction with Barry N. Malzberg (some of their writing created a bit of sf controversy – but that seems to be standard in today's social media).
He also edited dozens of anthologies, giving a boost to many, many new writers. There is a lot out there. Check out https://www.fantasticfiction.com/r/mike-resnick/ to see what I mean.
I have numerous stories about encountering Mike. Here are a few:
He was guest of honor at Chicon 7 in Chicago in 2012. My wife, Marianne, and I were there and having dinner in the hotel restaurant the night before the con started. Mike came into the restaurant and did not notice the step drop down to the eating area. I saw what was about to happen and as Mike stumbled, I managed to grab him and support him before he would have completely fallen down. We had a good laugh at that incident with him telling me that it would have been interesting for the con if he had broken something. Later in the con, he presented a slide show entitled "Resnick Family Photos" where he asked the audience to guess the people in the shots. I was getting quite a few when he told me jokingly that I couldn't play anymore.
Then, in Kansas City in 2016, I was talking to Mike in one of the [Worldcon] convention corridors and Robert Silverberg came up to us to ask directions. Mike went to respond but Silverberg cut him off, stating he had no faith in Mike's sense of direction and trusted me. However, as it turned out, neither of us knew where the room was that Silverberg needed to be in.
At one kaffeeklatsch at an LA Worldcon, I asked Mike how he managed to write so much. He replied that if you wrote one page a day (as way of example), in a year you'd have a novel. Just write a little each and every day.
Over the years I managed to get Mike to sign most, but not all, of my books by him and attended numerous readings. He had this wonderful old-school habit of reading from paper copies and when the reading was over would give these stories out to audience members. Proudly, I have two of those paper copies in my collection.
His presence (and his wife Carol) have been absent for the last few Worldcons (due to his health) and he was sadly missed. There was then always the potential that I'd meet up with him again at some sf con. Now that is not to be. He will be missed.
Labels: Invaders From Planet 3, Mike Resnick, RIP, science fiction, Worldcon
Invaders From Planet 3 - Ep 54 - Kelly Robson's To...
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IMMFA provides regular updates on regulatory developments, policy matters and business issues to its members and industry participants.
Money market fund reform in Europe has arrived. We explain the main features of the reform and its impact on investors in money funds.
Money market funds are mutual funds that invest in short-term money market instruments. Their primary aims are the preservation of capital and the provision of liquidity whilst offering a level of return consistent with money market investment.


Hast & Company has both organizational depth and a great deal of collective experience in the property management field. We have managed a large number of properties over the years, including apartment complexes, office buildings, retail centers, R&D and industrial properties, condominium, townhome, single-family home, commercial and mixed-use owner's associations, a hotel, several mobile home parks, a RV storage yard, an amusement park and airport hangars. Our experience ranges from new properties which we helped design from the ground up, to older properties which required complete renovation.
During the past thirty-one years, we have performed a number of property management related services for a variety of private and institutional clients, government agencies including the FSLIC, the FADA, the FDIC, the RTC, the City of Boulder, and numerous federally insured banks and S&L's. These services have included asset management, management of REO properties, management of properties in workout positions, Receiverships, financial audits of properties with problem loans, operational audits and analysis of properties with problem loans, highest and best use analysis, disposition recommendations, sales and marketing, interfacing with local government bodies regarding zoning and regulations, insurance consulting, construction and maintenance management, value-added studies, and preparation of long range business plans and proformas for properties. We have also assisted developers of multi-family, condominium, and mixed use projects with input on design, marketing and development of governance documents including Association Declarations and Bylaws.


The sheer glamour factor would be enough to recommend this restaurant, Alain Ducasse's most lofty Paris undertaking. The dining room ceiling drips with 10,000 crystals. An amuse-bouche of a single langoustine in a lemon cream with a touch of Iranian caviar starts the meal off beautifully, but other dishes can be inconsistent: a part-raw/part-cooked salad of autumn fruit and veg in a red, Chinese-style sweet-and-sour dressing, or Breton lobster in an overwhelming sauce of apple, quince and spiced wine. Cheese is predictably delicious, as is the rum baba comme à Monte-Carlo.
Assuming you can swallow an exceptionally high bill – it's €42 for a potato starter, for example – chances are you'll have a spectacular time at chef Alain Passard's Left Bank establishment. His attempt to plane down and simplify the haute experience – the chrome-armed chairs look like something from the former DDR – seems a misstep; but then something edible comes to the table, such as tiny smoked potatoes served with a horseradish mousseline. A main course of sautéed free-range chicken with a roasted shallot, an onion, potato mousseline and pan juices is the apotheosis of comfort food. Desserts are elegant.
With its extravagant Louis XVI decor, mosaic tiled floors and modish restyling by Philippe Starck, Le Meurice is looking grander than ever. All 160 rooms (kitted out with iPod-ready radio alarms) are done up in distinct historical styles; the Belle Etoile suite on the seventh floor provides panoramic views of Paris from its terrace and you can relax in the Winter Garden to the strains of regular jazz performances. For more intensive intervention, head over to the lavishly appointed spa with treatments by Valmont; or give your taste buds a whirl on chef Yannick Alléno's refined 3-star Michelin cuisine.
Set on the exclusive rue du Faubourg St-Honoré, near luxury boutiques such as Christian Lacroix, Azzaro, Salvatore Ferragamo, Givenchy and Dolce & Gabbana, the Bristol is a supremely luxurious 'palace' hotel with a loyal following of fashionistas and millionaires drawn by the location, impeccable service, larger than average rooms and a three Michelin-starred restaurant with Eric Fréchon at the helm. The Bristol's new seven-storey wing opened in late 2009, with 22 new rooms and four suites, all with views of the Eiffel Tower.
At Pierre Gagnaire most starters alone cost over €90, which seems to be the price of culinary experimentation. The €90 lunch menu is far from the experience of the carte: the former is presented in three courses, whereas the latter involves four or five plates for each course. Even the amuse-bouches fill the table: an egg 'raviole', ricotta with apple, fish in a cauliflower jelly, and glazed monkfish. The best thing about the lunch menu is that it includes four very indulgent desserts: clementine, raspberry and vanilla, chocolate, and passion fruit.


text:
Happy Anniversary! A Decade of Cubesats and U.S. Launches
Today, December 16th marks the 10 year anniversary of a significant event in the smallsat industry: the first launch of a Cubesat from a U.S.-based expendable launch vehicle.
GeneSat-1 was launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia – the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS). It was the secondary payload on a four-stage Minotaur 1 rocket that was sending the primary payload, an Air Force TacSat-2 experimental satellite. (As an interesting aside, TacSat-2 was launched under the auspices of the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) office, which at that time was run by Dr. Peter Wegner who is now Spaceflight's CTO.)
Weighing in at only 11 pounds, GeneSat-1 was built by NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, CA as a miniature laboratory in space. It was a groundbreaker in the field of astrobionics – technologies that support safe and effective human exploration in space. It carried bacteria that could be studied, to look at genetic changes due to prolonged exposure to radiation and zero gravity.
More importantly, GeneSat-1 represented the concept that a very small satellite could conduct significant science at a fraction of the cost of traditional missions, and in a much quicker timeframe. It proved the utility of smallsats and set the stage for many more U.S. launches.
Launch video of the Minotaur I launch of TacSat-2 and GeneSat-1:
https://youtu.be/CaM_NewUg2Q.
(The airborne video was provided by a RocketCam™ system built by Ecliptic Enterprises, a vendor and partner of Spacelflight.)
In the last 10 years, more than 400 CubeSats have launched and there seems to be no end in sight. We're looking forward to see the changes the next 10 years will bring!
Photo credit: Ben Cooper


Since most of us grew up in India we may have missed this small piece of information. "India is an Islamic Country":http://www.sulekha.com/redirectnh.asp?cid=312732 . This comes up from the fact that India has 85% Hindu population, 12-14% Muslim population. Hence.. I don't know how I missed this.
That piece of enlightenment came to you from C Raja Mohan, strategic affairs editor of The Hindu.


LOUISVILLE, Ky.— Dec. 17, 2013 — (NYSE:GE) — GE unveiled its first Monogram® French door built-in refrigerator today. With a design unique from any other French door refrigerator in the category, this product will surpass a customer's desire from the outside in.
The French door configuration is growing by a larger percentage than any other refrigerator configuration today*. With such rapid growth, GE launched the Monogram French door built-in refrigerator as part of a $20 million investment in its Selmer, Tenn., manufacturing facility.
The GE Monogram® French door built-in refrigerators, built in Selmer, Tenn., are crafted to create an authentic experience in today's luxury kitchen.
Craftsmanship is the hallmark of the Monogram brand. GE's Industrial Design Operation utilized unique, premium materials to create artisan-style quality. Tempered glass, fabricated steel and anodized aluminum emphasize the authentic luxury within each hand-built unit.
"Our designers worked with our customers to create our first Monogram French door built-in model—one that authentically combines superior craftsmanship and performance as only Monogram can," remarked Michael Mahan, product manager for Monogram Refrigeration.
Two, 18-inch-wide doors open at the center to reveal 14.49 cubic feet of space for fresh food and the bottom freezer drawer pulls out to reveal 6.06 cubic feet of freezer space.
Four adjustable fresh-food shelves provide greater storage flexibility.
Six adjustable door bins, including two gallon-size bins, make room for milk and large containers.
A full-extension freezer drawer provides easy access to frozen foods.
An icemaker in the bottom drawer provides a ready supply of clean, fresh-tasting ice using GE's advanced water filtration system.
The digital control panel frees up space on the top shelf and provides precise temperature management, maintaining ideal conditions for fresh and frozen foods.
The new GE Monogram French door built-in refrigerator will be available at select retailers in January of 2014, with full availability in September of 2014.
*Source: Association of Household Appliance Manufacturers (AHAM), October 2013.
**Retailers set their own pricing.
The GE Monogram® French door built-in refrigerators are crafted to create an authentic experience in today's luxury kitchen.
Unique, premium materials are crafted and honed to create artisan-style experience in GE's newest Monogram® refrigerator.
Chilling artistry is present in the full-extension freezer drawer, which provides easy access to frozen foods.
The new GE Monogram® dishwasher (870 series) and GE Monogram® French door built-in refrigerators exude style and function inside and out.
Unique, premium materials are crafted and honed to create artisan-style experience in GE's first Monogram® French door built-in refrigerator.