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Results of the Chordoma Genome Project reveal genetic changes that drive chordoma
Categories: Sanger Science17 October 20174.9 min read
By: Chordoma Foundation Team
Editor's Note: This blog is reproduced from The Chordoma Foundation blog, a charity that has funded and collaborated on recent research by Sanger Institute scientists. For more on The Chordoma Foundation, please visit: https://www.chordomafoundation.org/
Sacral bone chordoma
This month, a group of chordoma scientists led by Dr. Adrienne Flanagan of University College London (UCL), Dr Sam Behjati and Dr. Peter Campbell of the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute published results of the Chordoma Genome Project — the first major genetic sequencing study of sporadic (non-inherited) chordoma. Their findings, which appear in the leading research journal, Nature Communications, provide the most comprehensive insights to date about how chordoma forms, and important clues about how it could be treated.
This publication represents the culmination of a multi-year $215,000 investment by the Foundation which enabled the UCL and Sanger Institute teams to use advanced DNA sequencing technologies to analyze 104 chordoma tumor samples.
In recent years, new sequencing technologies have enabled a revolution in the understanding of cancer at a genetic level. This study represents the first time those techniques have been applied at a large scale to chordoma.
By comparing chordoma tumor DNA to normal DNA from the same individuals, the researchers were able to catalog the genetic changes that occur in chordoma tumors. This yielded several important findings, including:
Amplification of the brachyury gene is common in sporadic chordoma
Previous work supported by the Chordoma Foundation found that inheriting an extra copy of brachyury is responsible for familial (inherited) chordoma. The current study revealed that >20 per cent of sporadic (non-inherited) chordomas also acquire an extra copy of the brachyury gene during the development of the tumor. This discovery confirms a close relationship between familial and sporadic chordoma and provides further evidence that brachyury plays an essential role in driving the disease. It also highlights the importance of research to understand better how brachyury functions in chordoma and to develop therapies that target brachyury.
Mutations in the PI3K pathway
The PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway is activated in the majority of chordomas and this study found that 16 per cent of tumor samples had a mutation in the PI3K signaling pathway. These findings provide further rationale to investigate therapeutics targeting the PI3K pathway in chordoma patients.
Mutations in SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling genes
This publication is the first to implicate a specific subset of mutations affecting the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex in chordoma patients. Mutations in genes in this complex were identified in 17 per cent of chordoma patients, suggesting that epigenetic changes may play an important role in the development of chordoma. This finding may also point to a new therapeutic approach for some chordoma patients.
Mutations in the LYST gene
Novel mutations in lysosomal trafficking regulator gene, LYST, were identified in 10 per cent of chordoma patients – the first time the LYST gene has been implicated in cancer. These mutations are believed to prevent the LYST protein from functioning properly and cause cells to transform into chordoma. Further research will be needed to understand the full role of LYST in chordoma and determine if mutations in the gene can be used to help guide diagnosis or treatment.
Low mutational load
Compared to other tumor types, chordoma has a relatively small number of genetic changes. In total, potentially causative genetic mutations were found in only 45 per cent of tumors. This indicates that the key drivers of many chordoma tumors may be epigenetic changes or structural rearrangements within the genome that are not obvious with current analysis techniques.
Exploring new leads
These findings provide several important leads to pursue which could yield new therapeutic options for chordoma patients.
In the near term, there is now strong rationale for evaluating drugs that target the PI3K and SWI/SNF complex defects observed in this study. Several research groups have already begun work in this area, and are collaborating with the Foundation to test drugs through our Drug Screening Program.
Additionally, the results of this study underscore the urgency to develop therapies that target brachyury. As one of the Foundation's top research priorities, we plan to invest significantly in this area over the next several years.
Finally, building on this study, research is needed to characterize the epigenetic changes that contribute to chordoma development. By adding this additional layer of data on top of the genetic changes characterized by this study, we will likely gain a more complete picture of how chordoma forms and the key pathways responsible for driving it.
These important findings are the product of an impressive collaboration among a team comprising pathologists, surgeons, cancer biologists, and bioinformaticians from over a dozen institutions in North America and Europe. Our Co-Founder and Executive Director Josh Sommer and Manager of Research Patty Cogswell were also intimately involved in orchestrating the project and are co-authors on the paper.
The work was enabled by the generous contributions of many in the chordoma community in the US, Canada, and the UK. Special thanks go to Gerry and Susan Fitz-Gibbon whose organization, Chordoma UK provided vital support to Dr. Flanagan's lab.
"This critical addition to the scientific knowledge base about chordoma would not have been possible without the dedication and involvement of patients and family members around the world. Thanks to them, we now have a clearer roadmap for how to attack chordoma and improve treatment in the future."
– Professor Adrienne Flanagan, University College London and the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Trust
The Foundation is grateful to all the investigators and donors who by working together made this study possible. It represents a major step forward for patients, researchers, and clinicians in understanding the genetic basis of chordoma and paves the way for better and more personalized treatments to come.
2017-10-17T09:59:00+01:0017 October 2017|


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Home » Road Tests » Volvo » 2011 Volvo S60 | first drive
2011 Volvo S60 | first drive
Posted on Nov 18, 2010 by Phill Tromans
The S60 is Volvo's best looking car to date, we reckon
What? The UAE launch of the S60, the latest version of Volvo's mid-size executive sedan.
Where? A handful of laps around the Dubai Autodrome circuit in the 2.0T and a passenger lap in the T6, as well as a demonstration of the car's safety technology.
Any good? On the face of it yes, it seems very impressive. The S60 is certainly a sharp-looking and well-made machine and despite not being designed for the track at all, performed well when pushed.
The S60 aims to continue Volvo's move away from the boxy image that plagued it years ago
The latest model S60 is the second generation of the car, which was first introduced way back in 2000. It's well overdue then, but can it continue the task set of the first S60 – to rid Volvo of the boxy, boring image that it had during the 80s and 90s?
First shown off at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, the S60 strives to be more dynamic, both in its design and its driving experience. As well as the standard Comfort chassis, a Dynamic chassis model is available to sharpen up the S60s responses.
It's also crammed with technology, including Pedestrian Detection, a feature that uses a front mounted camera to detect if a pedestrian steps in front of the car when it's in motion and brakes automatically if the driver fails to respond to the subsequent alarm. Included as standard is City Safety, which brakes automatically to avoid rear end shunts in traffic.
The interior is simplistic but stylish and feels really well made
That's not to say that Volvo has abandoned its reputation as a carmaker with a knack for comfort and safety. The S60 seats five with more legroom than the previous model, and plenty of luxury features are available.
Safety wise, as well as the above features Volvo has fitted Advanced Stability Control to models equipped with the dynamic chassis option. Available features also include Driver Alert Control, which warns drivers if they're in danger of falling asleep at the wheel, and Blind Spot Information System, which uses wing mirror-mounted lights to alert drivers to vehicles hidden in the car's blind spots.
Read through Volvo's press literature and the word 'dynamic' comes up a lot, so it's fitting that the car looks really good. It's still recognisable as coming from the Swedish brand, but the cars we saw at the launch, with their silver body kits and bumper mounted air vents, succeed in making the S60 look sporty without being overtly aggressive – it's still a Volvo, after all.
Comfortable seats and room for five
The interior is really nice, penned with understated style and simplicity, premium materials and fine build quality. It's also very comfortable, with a great seating position and a decent amount of room in the back. We particularly like the 'floating' centre console, which has storage space behind it.
The seats are comfortable and supportive and adjust nice and low for taller drivers – not always the case in modern cars, we've found of late.
We'll give you more info when we have the car for longer, but judging by our short look around the car before we drove it, Volvo has done a fine job of creating an interior you would want to spend time in.
The S60's driving experience would seem to match its looks
Our excursion onto the track in the 2.0T model of the S60 was brief, but it gave us enough of an introduction to note that it's surprisingly nimble. Despite the body kit, it's not a sports car and no one apart from journalist will actually take an S60 to a track, but for a big, soft sedan it drives well.
Push too hard and the front wheels will complain as the weight makes itself known, but keep with its limits and it'll change direction quickly and the engine is strong and smooth.
After our drive we were given a passenger ride in the more powerful T6 AWD, which puts power to all four wheels from a six-cylinder, 3.0-litre turbocharged engine with 300bhp. It felt impressively quick and gripped well around the corner even without the sports suspension.
Our time with the S60 was far too short to give a definitive appraisal of it, but we were impressed by the taster session. The S60 seems to strike a great balance between dynamism, excitement, comfort and understated class, and we're really looking forward to trying it out for longer.
2011 Volvo S60 2.0T
Engine: Turbocharged two-litre, four-cylinder
Max power (bhp/rpm): 200/6,000
Max torque (Nm/rpm): 320/1,740-4,020
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Driven wheels: Front wheel drive
Weight: 1,570kg
Price (AED): 119,900
Tags: First Drive, Sedan / Saloon, Volvo, Volvo S60
2011 Volvo S60 T6 | road test 2016 Volvo S60 Polestar | First Drive 2007 Volvo S60 | new car review 2009 Volvo S60 | new car review
3 Responses to 2011 Volvo S60 | first drive
Ragadzar Reply
i like it , I agree with Ronman, it looks nic in dark colours
lucy Reply
Seriously waiting for the 2.0 to test drive; have already driven the T6 and it was the best out of all cars driven (on this hunt for a new car) BUT the gas mileage is an issue (16mpg in city). Also seriously waiting for a comparison review between the two. However have to commend Volvo for still let us use "Regular Gas" even with a 6.
Ronman Reply
in T6 form it's seriously quick, and the handling is way above what you need to have fun on the road. although it tends to under-steer a bit, the Volvo DSTC does a good job in bringing back in line without abruptly cutting on the fuel feed like other ESPs do, so it's geared for potential fun. however its design only looks great in some dark colors…I think in others it's a bit awkward

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Phil Schiller just got done revealing Apple's new line up of MacBook Pros that promise bigger performance in a smaller package. One thing Schiller didn't mention though is that Apple has decided to kill the 15-inch MacBook Pros with optical drives that the company has continued to offer to customers.
Over the last few years Apple has stripped optical drives from the MacBook Pro and iMac to allow for smaller device profiles, but continued to offer the 15-inch MacBook Pro with an optical drive for professionals who still need to burn DVDs and CDs. If you still want a machine with a DVD drive, Apple hasn't done away with all of your options just yet. The Apple Store Online still offers the 13-inch MacBook Pro with a SuperDrive starting at $1,199.00.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


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Vaccination to contain severe measles outbreak underway in the Democratic Republic of the Congo amidst Ebola and mass displacement
from UN Children's Fund
ITURI, Democratic Republic of the Congo/DAKAR/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 11 July 2019 – Health workers are urgently rolling out a complex measles vaccination campaign targeting 67,000 children in Ituri, northeast Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), a region ravaged by armed conflict that is now also the hub of the second-deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.
At least 1,981 deaths due to measles have been reported across the DRC this year, over two-thirds of them among children below 5 years old. As of 23 June, nearly 115,000 cases of suspected measles had been reported, far more than the 65,000 recorded in all of 2018.
Ituri, one of the two provinces (the other is North Kivu) struck by Ebola since the outbreak began nearly a year ago, has recorded over 5,400 cases and 50 deaths.
"The combined threat of Ebola and measles for the thousands of families living in overcrowded and unsanitary displacement camps is unprecedented," said UNICEF DRC Representative Edouard Beigbeder. "We have a small window to prevent a potentially massive loss of life."
The first sites targeted for measles vaccinations are four displacement camps in Bunia, Ituri, that have seen a huge influx of families forcibly uprooted by fighting in recent weeks. The boundary of one camp, located alongside Bunia's General Hospital, is less than 100 metres away from an Ebola treatment center. It is also less than 3 kilometres away from parts of Bunia that have seen 5 Ebola cases since the start of the outbreak, 2 of them in the past three weeks.
The Ebola outbreak means the measles vaccination campaign must incorporate extra measures to protect against infection and meticulous triage. Health workers will need to wear gowns to prevent contact with blood or other body fluids. Teams will include an additional health worker who will evaluate and refer suspected Ebola cases, check temperatures and oversee handwashing and other safety measures.
An additional layer of complexity is that some of the early symptoms of Ebola – fever, redness around the eyes, diarrhoea – are virtually indistinguishable from those of measles, malaria or cholera – all of which are prevalent, especially in severely congested displacement sites.
Up to 400,000 people are thought to be internally displaced across Ituri, the vast majority of them women and children. Many live in about 35 camps scattered throughout the province, in territory that is virtually inaccessible due to insecurity. Fighting among various armed groups has damaged or destroyed up to half the health facilities and schools in the province.
"The northeastern part of DRC is home to one of the worst humanitarian crises today. Whether it is from measles, Ebola, or the reality of living in a displacement camp, children are at grave risk. We must do everything we can to protect them," Beigbeder said.
Measles campaigns are also being planned for Tchomia and Nyankunde health zones.
As of 8 July, there were 2,428 cases of Ebola, with 1,641 deaths. Almost 30 per cent of cases are among children.
Sylvie Sona
UNICEF DRC
Email: nssona@unicef.org
DR Congo: Ebola Outbreak - Aug 2018
DR Congo: Cholera and Measles Outbreaks - Jan 2013
Disaster type:
Related reports filtered by disaster and theme
Americares: Americares Sends More Aid for Ebola Outbreak 18 Jul 2019
WHO: Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo: Disease outbreak news, 18 July 2019 18 Jul 2019
USAID: South Sudan - Crisis Fact Sheet #8, Fiscal Year (FY) 2019 18 Jul 2019
DFID: Ebola Virus Disease Outbreak: Update on UK Response 18 Jul 2019
Medair: Ebola in DR Congo declared a 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern' – an opportunity to raise awareness and prevent the virus from spreading any further 18 Jul 2019


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text:
Developers, investors hustle for bulk condo deals
Niche market alive with interest as condo developers scramble to shed units
New York Archive /
By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan and Erin Hudson | Research By Yoryi DeLaRosa
New York City developers and investors are seeing an uptick in bulk condo deals, thanks to an already soft market and coronavirus-related distress. (iStock)
Danny Fishman cannot keep up with the demand.
Danny Fishman, Gaia Real Estate
The investor, who leads Gaia Real Estate, is contending with a deluge of pitches from developers hoping to sell him condo units in bulk. He said the missives began picking up last year but recently have been coming in at such velocity that he hardly has time to look at them.
"I would easily say at least 50 percent of new [condo] construction in the city is talking about bulk [sales]," Fishman said.
Gaia is in advanced talks to buy five condo packages ranging from 12 units to more than 100 at projects in Manhattan and Brooklyn. All are new deals that appeared since March, when the coronavirus shutdown halted apartment showings and slowed sales to a trickle.
Ankit Duggal, RockFarmer Properties
"Any time you see a crisis point is usually when you see an opportunity for some kind of bulk buying," said Ankit Duggal, vice president of acquisition and debt investments at RockFarmer Properties.
The total value of 2,295 units sold in bulk deals in NYC between January 2015 and May 2020, according to a TRD analysis
The luxury market was already in strife when the pandemic hit, with $5.7 billion in existing condo inventory at the beginning of the year and another $33 billion worth in the shadows. But now, with sales stalled and financing harder to come by, developers and their partners are looking at any way to move units. Some investors, however, still feel prices aren't low enough to justify a big bet on New York City's beleaguered condo market, particularly in light of added stress from a global pandemic and new regulations affecting the rental market, a key part of many bulk buyers' business models.
"It's almost the same as [if] they're just surrendering property. If you're a bulk buyer, you're trolling around to find the most desperate sponsor."
Dan Hollander, DHA Capital
"Right now, everything is a guessing game, which isn't great when you're running numbers for these," said Corey Dyer of Sotheby's International Realty, whose team has been analyzing deals based on comparisons to other periods of economic uncertainty.
"It's too soon to tell, and I think anybody that tells you otherwise … I don't know if I can trust them."
The developer's calculus
Interest in bulk deals is out there, but making them happen can be difficult.
Sponsors generally forgo the profits they stood to earn from final units sales because bulk deals only happen at below-retail prices.
"It's almost the same as [if] they're just surrendering property," said developer Dan Hollander. "If you're a bulk buyer, you're trolling around to find the most desperate sponsor."
But there are reasons sponsors may go that route.
One, said Josh Winefsky of Kramer Levin, is if a loan maturity date were looming and sales were slow. In that case, selling the remaining units might be more appealing than kicking more equity into the project, finding a new partner or refinancing at a potentially higher rate, Winefsky said.
Ceruzzi president Art Hooper said he's been getting calls from bulk buyers interested in the developer's Upper East Side condominium, the Hayworth, where just two units are in contract. A planned deal for an inventory loan at the site recently stalled because of the pandemic.
"There's no question that the condo market is not robust in New York," Hooper said in an earlier interview.
Vickram Jambu, Lee & Associates
Vickram Jambu of Lee & Associates, who is marketing a bulk package at the Chamberlain condo at 269 West 87th Street, said a common misconception is that bulk offers arise only when a project is in distress. He argues that such deals can be a useful way for a developer to change business strategy. (Jambu declined to comment on the Chamberlain condo specifically. Its developers, Simon Baron and Quadrum Global, also declined to comment.)
Winefsky characterized bulk trades as a "deviation" from the sponsor's business plan, usually because of slow sales.
"It's unlikely that someone goes in thinking, 'I'm going to sell in bulk,'" he said. "I don't know that I would say it's an act of desperation … but it's in all likelihood not a sign of a very healthy project."
Josh Winefsky of Kramer Levin
Another developer, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said he mostly didn't take bulk offers too seriously because even though it would be great to move a huge haul of units at once, there is usually a catch.
"In a market where there isn't movement and nothing is sold, most bulk buyers are looking for a significant discount and that sits below the lender's release price," the developer said. "So unless you have a lender aligned with a bulk sale, they tend not to happen."
A growing niche
Bulk buying has never been a huge driver of New York City's sales market. An analysis of property records by The Real Deal showed 2,295 units were sold in bulk deals across the five boroughs for $1.6 billion between January 2015 and May 2020.
Still, there have been a slew of notable trades in recent years, including Gaia's 144-unit buy at the Corinthian condo in 2014 for $147 million and Moinian Group's $27 million sale of 32 apartments at the W Downtown. Last year, Gaia closed on 90 units at the Brodsky Organization's Bridge Tower Place Condominium for $52 million.
Mark Zborovsky, a broker who specializes in selling blocks of converted sponsor units, said the market has been steady for many years. The main change he's seen since he started out in the 1970s is growth: The market has increased, and prices have gone up.
"People were buying blocks for 10, 15 cents on the dollar," he said of his early days. Now, investors pay between 30 percent and 40 percent of the units' market value.
Contending with Manhattan's condo crunch
Residential contract signings in NYC plummet
HFZ's the XI has considered wholesale deals
"We're considering everything": Ceruzzi's UES condo under pressure
When bulk deals first gained traction in the 1980s, they were driven by the banks. At the beginning of the decade, a rush of developers came into the condo market. But a change to the tax law in 1986 altered the deductibility of certain investments, depressing real estate values. By the end of the decade, the country was facing a major banking crisis.
Andy Gerringer of the Marketing Directors
"That's when the banks took back, for the first time, many, many projects," said Andy Gerringer of the Marketing Directors. "There were so many condos on the market at that time, and the banks had to get them off their books."
But investors were in short supply. Hedge funds and the private-equity firms weren't as prevalent in real estate as they are today, Gerringer said. Most of the investors with both the money and appetite for bulk deals came from overseas.
That has since changed: Over the years a handful of New York investors and developers such as Myles Horn have teamed up with larger players to buy units cheaply, renovate the apartments and sometimes common spaces and then sell at a markup.
Myles Horn
Horn, who has bought and sold more than 5,000 units in bulk deals over about 40 years, is also seeing more interest in what had been a niche market. The developer and investor is in talks to close on 250 units across multiple co-operative buildings owned by one sponsor. Those negotiations pre-date Covid, but Horn said he has since begun working on another bulk deal, this one at a new condo.
"It's a very, very small business," he said. "Now everyone and their mother is looking for these deals."
Condo distress
It's easy to see why Manhattan's luxury market is ripe for bulk deals. Though it showed signs of life in the early part of this year, Covid-19 quickly scuttled that momentum.
"The problem, as I see it, is there has not yet been a realization on the owners or lenders' part as to how deeply underwater these projects are. I think [buyers] may get burned."
Myles Horn, developer
Despite virtual tours and other platforms geared toward contactless deals being rapidly adopted by agents and consumers, the number of new deals has plummeted. In May, Manhattan's co-op and condo markets saw respective year-over-year drops in contract volume of 80 percent and 83 percent, according to a report from Douglas Elliman and appraisal firm Miller Samuel. Brooklyn's co-op and condo markets fell 76 percent and 44 percent, respectively.
Faced with any combination of those headwinds, exposed lenders and institutional equity investors will often push for bulk sales.
Ran Eliasaf of Northwind Group
"They are very welcome," said Ran Eliasaf, managing partner of Northwind Group, an investor-turned-lender that recently launched a $220 million debt fund to originate condo inventory loans for New York City–based projects.
"It all depends on the price," he said, acknowledging that while bulk deals trade at discounts, it's worth it if the final price matches what the lender underwrote or significantly contributes to paying down a loan.
For bulk buyers, price is a major stumbling block too. Historically, the rule of thumb for a bulk discount is 30 percent to 40 percent below retail asking prices, according to Horn. But most bulk offers he's reviewed have a 10 percent to 15 percent markdown, which he calls "nonsense."
"That's not the price. It's in fact their wish list," he said.
Active deals in the market offer some insight into where developers are.
Marketing materials for the Chamberlain show the developers are offering an additional 10 percent discount on all 26 remaining apartments at the 38-unit condo.
At HFZ Capital's XI condominium, the Douglas Elliman sales team has held talks about a 10-unit package with a blended discount of 20 percent.
"The problem, as I see it, is there has not yet been a realization on the owners or lenders' part as to how deeply underwater these projects are," Horn said. "I think [buyers] may get burned … Most of these deals have not yet reached the appropriate discount."
Fishman agreed, noting that Gaia is buying "only on discount." He said he expects lean years ahead and isn't counting on the residential market bouncing back anytime soon.
"We don't believe in buying market price and hoping everything will grow with the city," he said. "We don't think there will be growth."
Hunting for a bargain
As the country settles into a recession, many in the industry are watching to see if a new wave of bulk deals emerges.
"We're seeing opportunities being offered on the condominiums that have maybe 10, 20 percent sellout and now they're stuck," said RockFarmer's Duggal. "We're also seeing, on the other side of the trade, distressed debt being sold off on that structure as well."
Duggal said his firm had been looking at deals before the pandemic, including a portfolio of Bronx co-op deals that was marketed last year. But in recent months, more have started to come across their desks.
When they underwrite bulk deals, Duggal said his firm considers the debt position of the building and whether there's a strong market for the product. If the buyer sentiment is negative, he said, they work on the assumption that the units would not sell for a long time, instead focusing on what rents they can achieve.
"The upside for us is the condominium sellout," he said. Renting, though, is always the fallback.
In New York City's notoriously tight rental market, the idea of struggling to find tenants may seem laughable. But these aren't ordinary times. More than 40 million Americans are unemployed because of the pandemic, and many well-heeled city dwellers have been renting vacation homes.
In April, at the height of the pandemic, new rental activity dropped by more than 70 percent to the lowest level since 2009. That means any rental figures bulk buyers are relying on to forecast their income are out-of-date at best.
Attorney Mark Hakim also noted that the changes to the rent laws last year, in addition to the specter of the "good cause" eviction bill, which would effectively cap rent increases on market-rate units statewide, may have likewise prompted some investors to think twice about bulk buying in Manhattan.
That's the case for Gaia's Fishman, who said New York's eviction moratorium and lack of landlord relief in light of the pandemic has been particularly hard to absorb.
"There's a political risk," he said. "I will invest in New York only if I'm getting a discount to account for the added risk."
Jambu of Lee & Associates said high-end bulk deals don't make sense without the sales component.
"Typically speaking, the discount is not heavy enough to have the entire business plan predicated on purely rental," he said. The model, particularly now, is "buy and hold and sell."
But how long can an investor hold a vacant unit to sell it at a profit?
"If an investor can come in and carry them for five, 10 years, [these bulk deals] are great buys," Dyer said.
Horn, however, cautioned that bulk buyers should prepare for the worst-case scenario: not being able to sell units.
"Nobody knows how long this is going to last … We all think we're geniuses until we screw up," said Horn. "The market makes you a bum or a hero."
Write to Sylvia Varnham O'Regan at [email protected] and Erin Hudson at [email protected]
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Germany tightens mortgage lending to reel in soaring housing prices
Tsunami advisory for entire West Coast after underwater volcano erupts near Tonga


text:
using System;
using System.Reflection;
using CSharpFunctionalExtensions;

namespace Stratis.SmartContracts.CLR.Loader
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Loads assemblies from bytecode.
    /// </summary>
    /// <para>
    /// TODO this may return cached assemblies in the future.
    /// </para>
    public class ContractAssemblyLoader : ILoader
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Loads a contract from a raw byte array into an anonymous <see cref="AssemblyLoadContext"/>.
        /// </summary>
        public Result<IContractAssembly> Load(ContractByteCode bytes)
        {
            // Assembly.Load(byte[]) loads the assembly into a new anonymous AssemblyLoadContext
            // TODO in the future, we will use a custom AssemblyLoadContext
            try
            {
                Assembly assembly = Assembly.Load(bytes.Value);

                return Result.Ok<IContractAssembly>(new ContractAssembly(assembly));
            }
            catch (BadImageFormatException e)
            {
                return Result.Fail<IContractAssembly>(e.Message);
            }
        }
    }
}


text:
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1836 was unanimously adopted on 29 September 2008.

Resolution
The Security Council today decided to extend the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for one more year, until 30 September 2009, while adjusting its authorized deployment.

Through its unanimous adoption of resolution 1836 (2008), the body endorsed the Secretary-General's recommendation of a reduction of 1,460 military personnel and the streamlining of the current four sectors into two, to be carried out between October 2008 and March 2009.

It also endorsed the immediate increase of 240 police, in order to provide expertise in specialized fields, operational support to regular policing and reaction to urgent incidents.  Within the overall ceiling, it agreed with the Secretary-General's plans for internal adjustments in the composition of police components, including an increase in the number of formed police units.

The Council requested the Secretary-General to continue to monitor progress in the peacebuilding benchmarks detailed in his last reports.  On the basis of that progress, it asked him to recommend by 15 February 2009 any further adjustments in UNMIL's deployment, and to include in his report, in consultation with the Government of Liberia, long-range scenarios for a phased drawdown and withdrawal of the Mission's troops.

In his reports, the Secretary-General was asked to pay particular attention to the building of the Liberian security sector and to make recommendations on adjustments needed to UNMIL's operations and training in that regard.

Prior to the adoption of the resolution, the President of the Council welcomed the new Permanent Representative of China, who pledged his cooperation with other members and looked forward to China's presidency next month.

See also
List of United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1801 to 1900 (2008–2009)

References

External links

Text of the Resolution at undocs.org

 1836
 1836
September 2008 events
2008 in Liberia
 1836

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Sensible Dancehall was founded in the UK in 2009 and moved to Australia and bondi Beach radio in 2013. Sensible Dancehall played all over the UK festival circuit and alongside some dancehall legends like David Rodigan, the heatwave as well as hosting two monthlies. In Sydney phatmatt throws down global bass, jungle, Balkan music, and of course the latest up to the time Dancehall and Caribbean music. Hosted by phat matt, with regular guest support from sensible family.
Phat Matt hosts Sensible Dancehall where he throws down global bass, jungle, Balkan music, and of course the latest up to the time Dancehall and Caribbean music.


text:
Inquiry, play, and problem solving in a process learning environment
by Thwaits, Anne Y., Ph.D., The University of Arizona, 2016, 322; 10113886
What is the nature of art/science collaborations in museums? How do art objects and activities contribute to the successes of science centers? Based on the premise that art exhibitions and art-based activities engage museum visitors in different ways than do strictly factual, information-based displays, I address these questions in a case study that examines the roles of visual art and artists in the Exploratorium, a museum that has influenced exhibit design and professional practice in many of the hands-on science centers in the United States and around the world.
The marriage of art and science in education is not a new idea—Leonardo da Vinci and other early polymaths surely understood how their various endeavors informed one another, and some 20th century educators understood the value of the arts and creativity in the learning and practice of other disciplines. When, in 2010, the National Science Teachers Association added an A to the federal government's ubiquitous STEM initiative and turned it into STEAM, art educators nationwide took notice. With a heightened interest in the integration of and collaboration between disciplines comes an increased need for models of best practice for educators and educational institutions. With the intention to understand the nature of such collaborations and the potential they hold, I undertook this study.
I made three site visits to the Exploratorium, where I took photos, recorded notes in a journal, interacted with exhibits, and observed museum visitors. I collected other data by examining the institution's website, press releases, annual reports, and fact sheets; and by reading popular and scholarly articles written by museum staff members and by independent journalists. I quickly realized that the Exploratorium was not created in the way than most museums are, and the history of its founding and the ideals of its founder illuminate what was then and continues now to be different about this museum from most others in the United States. This dissertation presents an account of the history of the institution and the continuing legacy of the early Exploratorium and its founder, Frank Oppenheimer. I argue that the institution is an early example of a constructivist learning museum. I then describe how art encourages learning in the museum. It provides means of presenting information that engage all of the senses and encourage emotional involvement. It reframes familiar sights so that viewers look more closely in search of recognition, and it presents intangible or dematerialized things in a tangible way. It facilitates play, with its many benefits. It brings fresh perspectives and processes to problem solving and the acquisition of new knowledge.
This project is the study of an institution where art and science have always coexisted with equal importance, setting it apart from more traditional museums where art was added as a secondary focus to the original disciplinary concentration of the institution. Many of the exhibits were created by artists, but the real value the visual arts bring to the museum is in its contributions to processes such as inquiry, play, problem-solving, and innovation.
Advisor: Garber, Elizabeth
Commitee: Reid, Natasha, Shin, Ryan
School: The University of Arizona
Department: Art History & Education
School Location: United States -- Arizona
Source: DAI-A 77/10(E), Dissertation Abstracts International
Subjects: Art education, Science education, Museum studies
Keywords: Collaboration, Exhibit design, Problem solving, Process learning
Publication Number: 10113886


Through "Hot Connections," our entrepreneurs, C.E.O.'s and business owners have been vetted to provide you the highest quality of service. They are able to provide the business solutions you need. Below, you will find videos of our business owners introducing themselves and telling you a little bit about their company. They are also clients of FPY so if there's a product or service you need, chances are, you'll find one here that you can trust!
WANT THE BEST AC & HEATING COMPANY?
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NEED AN INSURANCE AGENCY YOU CAN TRUST?
Connect with our client and friend Jay! He specializes in cost effective insurance policies from individual to small businesses as well as military veterans.


text:
Hethersett one of country's best - minister
Hethersett Academy has been named one of the country's top secondary schools.
Sports facilities boost to community
Hethersett Academy has teamed up with South Norfolk Council to give the local community access to its sports facilities outside of school hours.
Norwich students row to medal success
A team of Norwich students has won bronze medals for indoor rowing at the Norfolk Winter School Games.
Students scoop awards at model UN conference
Four students from Hethersett Academy have won awards for their political awareness and public speaking at Norwich's first ever Model United Nations Conference.
Dancers put best foot forward for competition
Dance students from three schools have come together for a contest hosted by Jane Austen College in Norwich.


text:
Mollie Tibbetts' father speaks out: Don't use my daughter's murder for your 'profoundly racist' agenda
By Sky Palma
If there's one thing Mollie Tibbetts' family wants to make clear, it's that they don't want Trump and his minions using her death to further their anti-immigrant agenda.
After the arrest of the suspect in Mollie Tibbetts' killing, right-wing media jumped on the revelation that her alleged killer was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. The tragic story was quickly used as propaganda in the ever-growing rhetoric seeking to demonize Latin American immigrants.
But as that narrative was under way, members of Tibettts' family spoke out on social media and rebuked attempts to use her murder to paint all immigrants in the same light. In a Facebook post late last month, Tibbetts' aunt Bille Jo Calderwood reminded people that evil "comes in EVERY color." Calderwood also shared a Facebook post from another apparent family member, Kasie Schultz Taylor, who wrote: "What happened to Mollie was an awful, heinous act. But please do not compound the atrocity of what happened to her by adding racism and hate to the equation."
Now her father is speaking out. His message is simple: Don't exploit my daughter's death to promote a racist agenda.
"I encourage the debate on immigration; there is great merit in its reasonable outcome," Rob Tibbetts wrote in an op-ed for the Des Moines Register on Saturday. "But do not appropriate Mollie's soul in advancing views she believed were profoundly racist."
Tibbetts, the 20-year-old Iowa college student who was reported missing more than a month ago, was found dead in an Iowa cornfield on August 22. On the same day, authorities charged 24-year-old Cristhian Bahena Rivera with her murder. Rivera's lawyer said he was in the country legally at the time of Tibbetts' murder.
"Sadly, others have ignored our request," he wrote. "They have instead chosen to callously distort and corrupt Mollie's tragic death to advance a cause she vehemently opposed."
"She may not be able to speak for herself, but I can and will," he continued. "Please leave us out of your debate. Allow us to grieve in privacy and with dignity. At long last, show some decency. On behalf of my family and Mollie's memory, I'm imploring you to stop."
He also also took aim at Donald Trump Jr., who wrote in an op-ed published Friday that Democrats' reaction to Mollie's death was "despicable," adding that "open borders" and other liberal policies were responsible for her killing, Trump said.
Using Trump Jr.'s own words, Tibbetts wrote that using his daughter's death for political reasons "grievously extends the crime that stole Mollie from our family and is, to quote Donald Trump Jr., 'heartless' and 'despicable.'"
Read Rob Tibbetts' full op-ed here.
Featured image via Facebook
Related Items:Mollie Tibbetts, op-ed, Rob Tibbetts, Trump
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In May 2015, I went to a tribal area, about 4hrs drive from Mumbai. Since then, I have been working on a series of water projects there. Along with my friend Malathi, we have been building checkdams, ponds, wells, and rainwater harvesting structures. This is our latest project in the village of Aptale. It is a Thakar village. This area get a lot of rainfall in the monsoons, but goes dry after the rains. Already you can see how the countryside has turned brown.


In Legends of Al-Andalus you might encounter Mujahidun.
A mujahid (plural mujāhidūn anglicized to mujahideen) is a Muslim who proclaims themselves a warrior for the faith. Originally in North African a murabit (plural murabitun) was a member of a Muslim religious community living in a fortified monastery (Ribat), serving both religious and military functions. Murabitun were, fairly obviously, also mujahidun.
The Moroccan movement called the Al-Murabitun or Almoravids were originally religious warriors based in a Ribat but built an empire that eventually incorporated large chunks of Spain. To avoid confusion I've opted to use the term mujahid for the local chaps based in a Ribat.
Swept of feet Will offer you a place in the Ribat. If you accept you'll join them on the next expedition (or more if you want) and gain a hideout. If not they become Belligerent.
Favourable If you accept you'll join them on the next expedition (or more if you want). If not they become Belligerent.
Ask a Favour Will ask you for a voluntary gift of supplies for the cause (2 x Rep). If you don't cough up they become Belligerent.
Belligerent Mujahidun take an instant dislike to you and attack. Open Battle encounter.
Characters can join the Mujahidun.
No encounter this month (1-4) or encounter (5-6).
A raid against Bandits means the unit must march to the Sierra. Against another state means the unit marches across the border into that state.
Mujahidun are unpaid, however they get to keep any Loot & Booty collected.
If you are an irregular you can leave at the end of any time whilst at base. If you leave whilst on an expedition you are counted as a deserter.


text:
FATE, News & Reviews, Non-RPG, Other Systems, Reviews & First Looks, RPG
Review: Mindjammer
March 29, 2012 Stargazer	2 Comments
A while ago Sarah Newton contacted me and asked me if I was interested in reviewing her debut novel "Mindjammer". I have to admit I was hesitant at first, because I usually don't do novel reviews, but then I agreed because I love her previous work.
Mindjammer is set into the Starblazer Adventures campaign setting of the same name. The humanity has reached the stars millenia ago and the New Commonality of Worlds has united almost all humans. Ultra-advanced technology is commonplace. Intelligent spaceship called Mindjammers roam the stars, humanity is connected by some kind of "thought internet" called the Mindspace.
Sending thoughts to another persons is as easy – even easier – as sending an email today. Thanograms, the sum of the skills, knowledge and memories of a dead person, cast into the Mindscape at the moment of death, can be used as the controlling intelligence of synthetic beings called eidolons, spaceships and even personal equipment. But that doesn't mean that immortality can be achieved. The belief that an eidolon is actually the dead person is called Transmigration Heresy and is often encountered in colonies that have recently been reintegrated into the Commonality.
The novel starts in medias res on the main planet of the so-called Solenine Cluster, a sector of space that has just recently been rediscovered by the Commonality. In Mindjammer FTL travel is a pretty new technology but mankind has sent out slower-than-light colony ships for ages. The Solenine Cluster is controlled by the Solenine Corporacy which had almost achieved Old Earth's level of technology when it was rediscovered.
The story focuses on Thaddeus Clay, Jackson Stark, Max Proffitt and Lyra Da Luz, agents of SCI Force, who are investigating rumors of Transmigration Heresy on Solenine. But soon they realize that much more is involved than a few eidolons who believe they are the persons whose memories they carry. In the end the existence of the whole Commonality is in peril.
When I began reading is was more than once pretty much overwhelmed. The Commonality era is very different from our world and a lot of terms used are not explained immediately. I also found that some of the characters are not as detailed as I would have liked. But these are only minor quibbles and after a while you feel right at home in the Commonality era. The action scenes in the book are very well written and are almost cinematic. There was never a dull moment in the book and after a couple of pages I was totally hooked.
What I also enjoyed tremendously was that Mindjammer is a science fiction story that really deserves the name. The technology described sounds plausible and the Commonality era feels "real". And even though Mindjammer is highly entertaining it also makes the reader ponder a couple of philosophical questions like what makes us human and is there a way to cheat death? In my opinion good SF should not only entertain but make us ask questions. Mindjammer does that all the time.
So who would I recommend Mindjammer to? I would recommend it to everyone who likes science fiction especially if you are into the Transhumanism subgenre. The novel is also a great introduction to the Mindjammer campaign setting. If you plan to run or play a game in this setting, you definitely should read this novel. Mindjammer is a very exiting and intelligently-written novel that should be on the reading list of every SF fan!
Mindjammer is available in print directly from Cubicle 7 or digitally from RPGNow or the Amazon Kindle store. This review was based on the ePub version available on RPGNow and was kindly provided by the author. Thanks again, Sarah!
Mindjammer Kickstarter final 48 hours! Please Help Mindjammer Press What about Mindjammer for Traveller? A Review… First Look: Mindjammer The Roleplaying game by Sarah Newton Mindjammer finds a new home
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2 thoughts on "Review: Mindjammer"
Neat review!
I'm honestly very poorly read in terms of sci-fi stuff, but the concepts you mentioned are pretty neat, and sounds like a fun romp through neat space opera setting that stands out from the usual.
L. J. Shepherd says:
Sounds fantastic! I've been reading through C.J. Cherryh's works in chronological order, and the relative lack of transhuman concepts (being from the '70s and '80s) sometimes strikes me as silly, much as I enjoy them otherwise. ^*^ Would definitely like to give this a look sometime.


text:
Poll Finds 92% of Spanish Expats Satisfied with Life
InterNations recently conducted their Expat Insider survey and found that practically every expat living in Spain says they are satisfied with their life in the country.
The annual poll was released this week and also includes what the main attractions of Spain are; people love the warmth, the landscape, the family-friendly atmosphere, and the accessibility of the country. These were the reasons most expats gave for why they choose to live inSpain.
Spain ranked 14th out of 67 countries polled. While it performed well in a number of metrics the country was let down by the lack of employment opportunities. Only 42% of those polled said that they felt positive about their career prospects in Spain. This category has a global average of 55% but, as many expats end up moving to Spain in order to work, this figure of 42% could be misleading.
When Spain was ranked on just why it attracts expats then it scored quite well. Over ¾ of the people who were polled said that Spain was just easy to settle down in, which was well above the global average of 59%. 86% of those polled said that the Spanish people are also friendly and welcoming.
84% of those polled also praised the Spanish weather and said that it was another positive factor of Spanish life. Only 1% of those polled said that they were dissatisfied with the Spanish weather after moving to the country.
The poll was conducted on over 14,000 people across 174 nationalities living in over 191 countries globally. Only the countries that saw more than 50 responses were ranked which is why it only goes to 67. This leaderboard of 67 countries was topped by Taiwan, Malta, Ecuador, Mexico and then New Zealand.
Spain was one of the most favoured European countries after Malta, Austria, Luxembourg and the Czech Republic. Spain was certainly one of the most popular ones. Given how many people responded about Spain it's almost a miracle that the numbers were so high.
Then again perhaps it isn't all that surprising. Just look around and see the beaches, mountains, cities in Spain, people, infrastructure and economy of the country and you'll soon see it really is one of the best places to live.
Labels: 92%, Expats, Finds, Life, Poll, Satisfied, Spanish
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Thinking about a visit and wondering what to expect?
When you come to Woodland, you can expect to be welcomed and comfortable. Just like when a new neighbor comes to our house for the first time, we are genuinely excited to have new friends join us. We'll show you around and help you get some coffee and donuts. We'll invite you to sit with us for the service. And if you say you're fine on your own, we'll be happy to give you the space you prefer.
We're serious about our faith, and serious about making it fun. We don't think those things are mutually exclusive. We want everyone to be able to engage with the music and the sermon. Jokes abound, although how funny they are admittedly varies….
Services generally run from 10:00-11:20, and if they go longer, you have our permission to get up and walk out!
What is our style of worship?
We aim to incorporate variety in our worship time--from leaders to song styles to themes for any given morning. Generally, we're upbeat and current, some might even say post-contemporary (but we don't know what that means any more than you!).
What is the message like?
We try to keep our messages (relatively!) short and very applicable to life. We believe the Bible is as relevant to us today just as it was when it was written. We just need to be able to listen to what God is saying, and the sermons are meant to aid us in this way.
Come as you are (dressed, please…)! We're a pretty informal group, so you'll find a lot of jeans and related attire. But whatever works for you, works for us.


N'Damus London - emphasis on quality craftsmanship and the production of classic leather goods for women and men.
N'Damus London is a British accessories brand with an emphasis on quality craftsmanship and the production of classic leather goods for women and men.
The N'Damus London brand was founded by our designer in 2006. Her previous career in the biomedical science industry fueled her decision to passionately engage in learning the skills to develop practical and stylish accessory designs.
From her London home, she began creating bags to match her vast collection of shoes. Overtime, the brand has built a following of UK and international clients impressed by the brand's range of styles and colour palette.
Our classic pieces are given names such as 'Victoria', 'Regency' and 'Moorgate' in reference to London's heritage and infrastructure.
We focus on selecting quality materials for our elegant and enduring designs.
All leathers used are sourced from well respected Italian and Spanish tanneries.
All of our designs are produced in London. We continue to champion & support the handcrafting skills of our family run factory, who consistently maintain impeccable construction and precision with their work.
N'Damus London press coverage includes, GQ, Vogue, The Guardian, The Times, Elle, Harpers Bazaar and Marie-Claire.


Bay Lake is located 10 minutes South of Bancroft in Faraday township. This lake is about 215 acres in size and the maximum depth is approximately 22 meters. Fish species include Lake Trout, Smallmouth Bass, and Perch. Bay Lake has a limestone base and has excellent water quality. It is a very desirable lake with 50% of the properties permanent residences.
Grail Springs Spa is located on Bay Lake at 2004 Bay Lake Road.


hpjv solicitors is one of South Wales' leading law firms and is always on the lookout for experienced legal professionals to join our rapidly growing team. We will consider all applicants who can show that they are committed to providing their clients with the highest standards of excellence in everything they do.
Please note that we do not have any vacancies for Training Contracts.


Members and Associate Members are invited to join our book club. You do not have to register to attend, just show up. For more information, please contact Bill Korstad at bkorstad@mac.com or 303-887-7116.
Time: 1:30 - 2:30 PM unless otherwise posted.
Location: Stratford, 5601 Turtle Bay Drive, Naples, FL 34108 (Map View), Mezzanine level club room (stairs are to the right of the entrance). To gain access to the building, press 000# and you will be buzzed in; as a backup, call Bill's cell phone 303-887-7116.
In 2015, Russian hackers tunneled deep into the computer systems of the Democratic National Committee, and the subsequent leaks of the emails they stole may have changed the course of American democracy. But to see the DNC hacks as Trump-centric is to miss the bigger, more important story: Within that same year, the Russians not only had broken into networks at the White House, the State Department, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but had placed implants in American electrical and nuclear plants that could give them the power to switch off vast swaths of the country. This was the culmination of a decade of escalating digital sabotage among the world's powers, in which Americans became the collateral damage as China, Iran, North Korea, and Russia battled in cyberspace to undercut one another in daily just-short-of-war conflict. The Perfect Weapon is the startling inside story of how the rise of cyberweapons transformed geopolitics like nothing since the invention of the atomic bomb. Cheap to acquire, easy to deny, and usable for a variety of malicious purposes—from crippling infrastructure to sowing discord and doubt—cyber is now the weapon of choice for democracies, dictators, and terrorists. Two presidents—Bush and Obama—drew first blood with Operation Olympic Games, which used malicious code to blow up Iran's nuclear centrifuges, and yet America proved remarkably unprepared when its own weapons were stolen from its arsenal and, during President Trump's first year, turned back on the US and its allies. The government was often paralyzed, unable to threaten the use of cyberweapons because America was so vulnerable to crippling attacks on its own networks of banks, utilities, and government agencies.
In an astonishing journey from the corridors of power in Washington, DC, to some of the most remote and dangerous places on earth_Afghanistan, Somalia, and North Korea among them_acclaimed investigative journalist Ronan Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history. His firsthand experience as a former State Department official affords a personal look at some of the last standard bearers of traditional statecraft, including Richard Holbrooke, who made peace in Bosnia and died while trying to do so in Afghanistan. Drawing on newly unearthed documents, and richly informed by rare interviews with warlords, whistle-blowers, and policymakers_including every living former secretary of state from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton to Rex Tillerson_War on Peace makes a powerful case for an endangered profession. Diplomacy, Farrow argues, has declined after decades of political cowardice, shortsightedness, and outright malice_but it may just offer America a way out of a world at war.
For more than forty years, the United States has played an indispensable role helping the Chinese government build a booming economy, develop its scientific and military capabilities, and take its place on the world stage, in the belief that China's rise will bring us cooperation, diplomacy, and free trade. But what if the "China Dream" is to replace us, just as America replaced the British Empire, without firing a shot? Based on interviews with Chinese defectors and newly declassified, previously undisclosed national security documents, The Hundred-Year Marathon reveals China's secret strategy to supplant the United States as the world's dominant power, and to do so by 2049, the one-hundredth anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic. Michael Pillsbury, a fluent Mandarin speaker who has served in senior national security positions in the U.S. government since the days of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, draws on his decades of contact with the "hawks" in China's military and intelligence agencies and translates their documents, speeches, and books to show how the teachings of traditional Chinese statecraft underpin their actions. He offers an inside look at how the Chinese really view America and its leaders – as barbarians who will be the architects of their own demise.
Prisoners of Geography by Tim Marshall- In this New York Times bestseller, an award-winning journalist uses ten maps of crucial regions to explain the geo-political strategies of the world powers—"fans of geography, history, and politics (and maps) will be enthralled" (Fort Worth Star-Telegram). Maps have a mysterious hold over us. Whether ancient, crumbling parchments or generated by Google, maps tell us things we want to know, not only about our current location or where we are going but about the world in general. And yet, when it comes to geo-politics, much of what we are told is generated by analysts and other experts who have neglected to refer to a map of the place in question. All leaders of nations are constrained by geography. In "one of the best books about geopolitics" (The Evening Standard), now updated to include 2016 geopolitical developments, journalist Tim Marshall examines Russia, China, the US, Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, Japan, Korea, and Greenland and the Arctic—their weather, seas, mountains, rivers, deserts, and borders—to provide a context often missing from our political reportage: how the physical characteristics of these countries affect their strengths and vulnerabilities and the decisions made by their leaders. Offering "a fresh way of looking at maps" (The New York Times Book Review), Marshall explains the complex geo-political strategies that shape the globe. Why is Putin so obsessed with Crimea? Why was the US destined to become a global superpower? Why does China's power base continue to expand? Why is Tibet destined to lose its autonomy? Why will Europe never be united? The answers are geographical. "In an ever more complex, chaotic, and interlinked world, Prisoners of Geography is a concise and useful primer on geopolitics" (Newsweek) and a critical guide to one of the major determining factors in world affairs.
Like War: The Weaponization of Social Media by Peter W. Singer and Emerson T Brookings. Through the weaponization of social media, the internet is changing war and politics, just as war and politics are changing the internet. Terrorists livestream their attacks, "Twitter wars" produce real‑world casualties, and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles, but the very fate of nations. The result is that war, tech, and politics have blurred into a new kind of battle-space that plays out on our smartphones. P. W. Singer and Emerson Brooking tackle the mind‑bending questions that arise when war goes online and the online world goes to war. They explore how ISIS copies the Instagram tactics of Taylor Swift, a former World of Warcraft addict foils war crimes thousands of miles away, internet trolls shape elections, and China uses a smartphone app to police the thoughts of 1.4 billion citizens. What can be kept secret in a world of networks? Does social media expose the truth or bury it? And what role do ordinary people now play in international conflicts? Delving into the web's darkest corners, we meet the unexpected warriors of social media, such as the rapper turned jihadist PR czar and the Russian hipsters who wage unceasing infowars against the West. Finally, looking to the crucial years ahead, LikeWar outlines a radical new paradigm for understanding and defending against the unprecedented threats of our networked world.
'Brilliant, bold and beautifully told ... A profound piece of political thinking' Ben Judah, author of This Is London In this original and timely book, Bruno Maçães argues that the best word for the emerging global order is 'Eurasian', and shows why we need to begin thinking on a super-continental scale. While China and Russia have been quicker to recognise the increasing strategic significance of Eurasia, even Europeans are realizing that their political project is intimately linked to the rest of the supercontinent - and as Maçães shows, they will be stronger for it. Weaving together history, diplomacy and vivid reports from his six-month overland journey across Eurasia from Baku to Samarkand, Vladivostock to Beijing, Maçães provides a fascinating portrait of this shifting geopolitical landscape. As he demonstrates, we can already see the coming Eurasianism in China's bold infrastructure project reopening the historic Silk Road, in the success of cities like Hong Kong and Singapore, in Turkey's increasing global role and in the fact that, revealingly, the United States is redefining its place as between Europe and Asia. An insightful and clarifying book for our turbulent times, The Dawn of Eurasia argues that the artificial separation of the world's largest island cannot hold, and the sooner we realise it, the better.
Our current climate of partisan fury is not new, and in The Soul of America Meacham shows us how what Abraham Lincoln called the "better angels of our nature" have repeatedly won the day. Painting surprising portraits of Lincoln and other presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant, Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, and Lyndon B. Johnson, and illuminating the courage of such influential citizen activists as Martin Luther King, Jr., early suffragettes Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt, civil rights pioneers Rosa Parks and John Lewis, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and Army-McCarthy hearings lawyer Joseph N. Welch, Meacham brings vividly to life turning points in American history.
In the wake of World War II, with Britain's empire collapsing and Stalin's on the rise, US officials under new secretary of state George C. Marshall set out to reconstruct western Europe as a bulwark against communist authoritarianism. Their massive, costly, and ambitious undertaking would confront Europeans and Americans alike with a vision at odds with their history and self-conceptions. In the process, they would drive the creation of NATO, the European Union, and a Western identity that continues to shape world events. Focusing on the critical years 1947 to 1949, Benn Steil's thrilling account brings to life the seminal episodes marking the collapse of postwar US-Soviet relations—the Prague coup, the Berlin blockade, and the division of Germany. In each case, we see and understand like never before Stalin's determination to crush the Marshall Plan and undermine American power in Europe.
In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, the Osage rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. The family of an Osage woman, Mollie Burkhart, became a prime target. One of her relatives was shot. Another was poisoned. And it was just the beginning, as more and more Osage were dying under mysterious circumstances, and many of those who dared to investigate the killings were themselves murdered. As the death toll rose, the newly created FBI took up the case, and the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to try to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including a Native American agent who infiltrated the region, and together with the Osage began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history. This is outside the type of books we usually read.
IMPORTANT NOTE: UPDATED PAPERBACK EDITION PUBLISHED JULY 7, 2017. Make sure it has the exact title shown above.
The breakup of the Soviet Union was a time of optimism around the world, but Russia today is actively involved in subversive information warfare, manipulating the media to destabilize its enemies. How did a country that embraced freedom and market reform 25 years ago end up as an autocratic police state bent once again on confrontation with America? A winner of the Orwell Prize, The Invention of Russia reaches back to the darkest days of the cold war to tell the story of Russia's stealthy and largely unchronicled counter revolution.
A highly regarded Moscow correspondent for the Economist, Arkady Ostrovsky comes to this story both as a participant and a foreign correspondent. His knowledge of many of the key players allows him to explain the phenomenon of Valdimir Putin - his rise and astonishing longevity, his use of hybrid warfare and the alarming crescendo of his military interventions. One of Putin's first acts was to reverse Gorbachev's decision to end media censorship and Ostrovsky argues that the Russian media has done more to shape the fate of the country than its politicians. Putin pioneered a new form of demagogic populism --oblivious to facts and aggressively nationalistic - that has now been embraced by Donald Trump. In his new paperback preface, Ostrovsky will explore how Putin influenced the US election, the Trump Putin access, and will consider how Putin's methods - weaponizing the media and serving up fake news - came to enter American politics.. Amazon 4½ stars, 400 pages, published July 7, 2017. Winner of the Orwell Prize, Winner of the Cornelious Award, Finalist for the Lionel Gelber Prize, Financial Times Book of the Year. Recommended by David Walker.
In his widely acclaimed book Time to Start Thinking, Financial Times chief US columnist and commentator Edward Luce charted the course of America's relative decline, proving to be a prescient voice on our current social and political turmoil. In The Retreat of Western Liberalism, Luce makes a larger statement about the weakening of western hegemony and the crisis of liberal democracy―of which Donald Trump and his European counterparts are not the cause, but a terrifying symptom. Luce argues that we are on a menacing trajectory brought about by ignorance of what it took to build the West, arrogance towards society's economic losers, and complacency about our system's durability―attitudes that have been emerging since the fall of the Berlin Wall. We cannot move forward without a clear diagnosis of what has gone wrong. Unless the West can rekindle an economy that produces gains for the majority of its people, its political liberties may be doomed. The West's faith in history teaches us to take democracy for granted. Reality tells us something troublingly different. Combining on-the-ground reporting with intelligent synthesis of the literature and economic analysis, Luce offers a detailed projection of the consequences of the Trump administration, the rise of European populism, and a forward-thinking analysis of what those who believe in enlightenment values must do to defend them from the multiple onslaughts they face in the coming years. Amazon 4½ stars, 226 pages, published June 6, 2017. Amazon Best History Book of the year so far. Recommended by Bill Korstad.
The first serious book to examine what happens when the ancient boundary between war and peace is erased. Once, war was a temporary state of affairs—a violent but brief interlude between times of peace. Today, America's wars are everywhere and forever: our enemies change constantly and rarely wear uniforms, and virtually anything can become a weapon. As war expands, so does the role of the US military. Today, military personnel don't just "kill people and break stuff." Instead, they analyze computer code, train Afghan judges, build Ebola isolation wards, eavesdrop on electronic communications, develop soap operas, and patrol for pirates. You name it, the military does it. Rosa Brooks traces this seismic shift in how America wages war from an unconventional perspective—that of a former top Pentagon official who is the daughter of two anti-war protesters and a human rights activist married to an Army Green Beret. Her experiences lead her to an urgent warning: When the boundaries around war disappear, we risk destroying America's founding values and the laws and institutions we've built—and undermining the international rules and organizations that keep our world from sliding towards chaos. If Russia and China have recently grown bolder in their foreign adventures, it's no accident; US precedents have paved the way for the increasingly unconstrained use of military power by states around the globe. Meanwhile, we continue to pile new tasks onto the military, making it increasingly ill-prepared for the threats America will face in the years to come. By turns a memoir, a work of journalism, a scholarly exploration into history, anthropology and law, and a rallying cry, How Everything Became War and the Military Became Everything transforms the familiar into the alien, showing us that the culture we inhabit is reshaping us in ways we may suspect, but don't really understand. It's the kind of book that will leave you moved, astonished, and profoundly disturbed, for the world around us is quietly changing beyond recognition—and time is running out to make things right. Amazon 4 stars, 480 pages, published April 6, 2016. Long listed for the National Book Award. Recommended by Richard Newton.
The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century by Walter Scheidel.


text:
Karen Prange
Karen Prange has been an Advisor to EQT since 2020.
Until 2018, Karen was CEO Global Animal Health, Medical and Dental Surgical Group at Henry Schein and a member of the Executive Committee. Previously, she was SVP of Boston Scientific and President of its Urology and Pelvic Health business and served as General Manager of the Micrus Endovascular and Codman Neurovascular business at Johnson & Johnson. In addition to general management roles, Karen has extensive experience in commercial and operational roles, including managing innovation pipelines and acquiring and integrating companies. Today, Karen serves on the boards of Nevro, Atricure, Cantel Medical and Nuvo Group.
Karen earned her B.S. in Business Administration with honors from the University of Florida and has completed executive education coursework at UCLA Anderson School of Business and Smith College.
EQT Board Memberships
Board member of WS Audiology


text:
Philip Wolfhagen
Author: Deborah Malor
Currents I
Issue 24:3 | September 2004
David Keeling: Stranger
Seán Kelly
Opening remarks: Ann Newmarch Survey
Newmarch Gallery
Janet Maughan
Bryan Foong: The ladder is now a ...
ANCA Gallery, Canberra
Shaune Lakin
Video art during and after the pandemic: 2020 Limestone Coast Video Art Festival
The Riddoch Arts and Cultural Centre, Mount Gambier
Eve Sullivan
I want a world
Tara McDowell
In review: The Partnershipping Project
Burnie Regional Art Gallery
Pat Hoffie interviews Greg Lehman
Unfinished Business: The Art of Gordon Bennett
Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art
Wes Hill
Tarnanthi: Open Hands
Ali Cobby Eckermann
The Inner Edge Academy Gallery, University of Tasmania, Inveresk 14 June - 9 July 2004
In his latest body of work, Philip Wolfhagen has come in from the cold of the Bass Strait islands that produced the immense, forbidding, archipelago (2002) and is back in his studio in northern Tasmania. The outcome is The Inner Edge, a series of works that partner those shown recently in Noctiluca at the Bett Gallery in Hobart. Travelling the Midland Highway from Hobart to Launceston, on a late afternoon in early winter, is to travel from Noctiluca to The Inner Edge, from pastoral to Earth. Past Campbell Town the great shallow dish of the Midlands spreads out, part rimmed by the strata of the Great Western Tiers, holding the immense sheet of sky above the grasslands and rough belts of trees. Gradually the landscape detail mists away, the atmosphere refracted and modulated as the light retreats and dims, leaving only a trace of the Tiers, The Inner Edge, to divide heaven and earth, human from void.
In Noctiluca, which finished at Bett's in mid-June, Wolfhagen assured his audience that the landscape, although somewhat reduced in detail was still present, not only describable but legible. It was almost a relief to read in that catalogue Wolfhagen recognizing his debt to Constable: in more than one of the paintings in the series – for example, Evening Light No 4 (2004), the proportions of foreground and ridge to sky in Constable's Hampstead Heath works were mirrored almost perfectly, as were the almost pitch-like quality of some of the darker areas of paint. There is less recognizable historicizing in The Inner Edge.
In the cool white box of the Academy Gallery, the sixteen large works that make up one series within The Inner Edge are hung to form a tonal narrative of the changing light across the land. Together the images form a tripartite ribbon of information along which the viewer can travel. Within every image, a strong tonal relationship exists between each strip. A series of twelve smaller images have their story interrupted in that their arrangement is less obviously sequential, becoming moments of first thoughts rather than the longer contemplations offered by the group of larger canvases. The works are numbered, and share the title Semaphore. Certainly they are flag-like, all having three equal bands of colour running across the surface, but what they might signal is no longer wholly indebted to the language of landscape, but has become paint. The line of semaphores follows the tonal observations of the Midlands landscape made by Wolfhagen on daily trips to his studio. The works are a narrative of this trip and others, of the delirium of childhood carsickness and the adult fall into aestheticisation, linked together, as Wolfhagen indicates in his catalogue statement, by 'the metaphysical escarpment the Tiers cast in my psyche.'
Reading along The Inner Edge, even the proportions of what might be read as earth/ Tiers/sky are not reliant on an update of Constable's meteorological obsessions. The big sky is no longer a subject, but is complexified in a changing relationship to the earth, a band of visual experience. Here is Noctiluca reduced but not diminished. The rough-painted edges of the canvases that had made their appearance in that series has now been joined by a far more concentrated build up and abrasion of paint that pulls the groups of works together while it creates ambiguities and tensions within each individual canvas. The paint pulls towards the centre of interest, resisting the smooth narrative of hue and tone. Freed from the ritual representation of the landscape, the paint itself has become of interest. There is no other way of getting into these works individually, but there is the constant invitation to travel around the gallery space, both visually and physically. To travel the space is to run an eye around a rim, an Inner Edge that has the potentiality, the potency, of a further unknown space beyond. For the viewer, then, it is a choice of one long almost grounded moment or diaries of momentary experiences of a named but not defined space.
What is it about Tasmania that has induced artists to produce works with such adherence to the circularity of form of both earth and island? From Henry Hellyer's sketch of the view from Mt Valentine's Peak made on 15 February 1827, though to Bea Maddock's Terra Spiritus (1993-98), artists working in Tasmania have led their audiences on circumnavigations both physical and of the mind. Philip Wolfhagen, in this exhibition, circles the land as it circles him, content to be captured by its resonance that is one of his own experience.
The Inner Edge forms the basis of a solo exhibition at Sherman Galleries, Sydney, in July 2004.
More from this Issue Full Issue Contents
The Sea Is In Them: Narelle Autio and Trent Parke
Virginia Baxter
Narelle Autio and her partner in life and work, Trent Parke, completed a 16-month journey around Australias coastline in 2004. The two set out to document the culture of Australian coastal dwellers with an exhibition lined up at the Australian Centre for Photography the following year. Baxter speaks of her first encounter with the works of these remarkable photographers and goes on to offer some insight into the profundity encapsulated by these images.
Three Colours: Gordon Bennett and Peter Robinson
Juliette Peers
Heide Museum of Modern Art, Melbourne
8 April - 4 July
Travelling to Victoria, Tasmanaia, Queensland, NZ
July 2004 - July 2006
That Strange Quivering of Substance: The Recent Paintings of Catherine Woo
Peter Timms
Many years ago the Chinese writer Lin Yutang expressed that, from an Oriental perspective, Western artists always seem to depict objects from the outside, whereas those from China and Japan express their experience of them from within. This Eastern approach is inherent in the culture, not a position able to be merely adopted, and springs in part from religious inheritance, but also from the pictorial nature of Asian written languages. This inherent approach can be found in the recent work of Catherine Woo, expressing some sort of biological affinity. If the paintings can be said to be about anything, it is a the fine balance between energy and rest rather than the apparent subject matter.
Raw and Cooked Margins
Stephanie Radok
A series of journeys and pilgrimages characterise Paul Hobans life, his account of which is spotted with significant exhibitions, readings, people, music and events. It wasnt until 1993, when he was 39, that Hoban first had a one man exhibition at Greenaway Art Gallery. Radok here paints a clear picture of his work - A sense of surfaces and layers; words - intelligible, unintelligible, back-to-front, upside-down; wrinkles and transparency; colour and pattern; modernism and archaism, and so on. A myriad of conceptual and stylistic devises that exist largely within the margins of art conventions.
Penelope Richardson
Raafat Ishak, Horst Kiechle, Kaji Ryui, Grant Stevens.
Curator: Nicholas Chambers
Gertrude Street Contemporary Art Spaces
9 July - 21 August 2004
Sue Richter. On Colour: Whiteblack Red
Anne Mosey
24HRArt, Darwin
9 July - 7 August 2004
Araleun Arts Centre, Alice Springs
3 April - 9 May 2004
On Your (Motor)bike - REVIEW: Reason and Emotion, Biennale of Sydney, 2004, and 2004: Australian Culture Now, Melbourne
Ian North
Sydney Biennale bad, 2004 in Melbourne good. The artworlds consensus locked in quick and hard. Fair? Of course not.
Why compare the two, anyway? Because the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) and the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) seemed to set it up that way, by the timing of their show. They certainly took as 2004s model the nationally bound Whitney Biennial and, in particular, the Art Gallery of New South Waless Perspecta exhibitions (last one 1999) - in turn established to counter the perceived internationalism of the Sydney Biennale.
Michael Jagamara Nelson Gives It A Go
Vivien Johnson
Michael Jagamara Nelson is an artist who love - maybe even needs - a challenge. As Johnson examines, he has had his fair share. With his first painting, a piece he did for his uncle Jack Wayuta (a senior custodian for the Flying Ant Dreaming for Yuwinji) going unrecognised as one of his own for fifteen years, Michael Nelson made his mark in the indigenous art scene after his big break from Daphne Williams of Papunya Tula Arts.
Su Baker: Serious Pleasure
Simon Blond
John Curtin Gallery, Perth
25 June - 8 August 2004
That was Then, This is Now: New Work by David Wadelton
Ted Gott
David Wadeltons artistic career took a dramatic turn in the years 1997-98 after he purchase an iMac computer. Prior to this time he had been painting hybrid canvases and creating refined pencil and silverpoint drawings that displayed a unique quirckiness that was informed by the artists affection for the culture and language of Pop art. Gott explores the apparent shift in Wadeltons work, from the assemblages of the everyday objects that he first exhibited to his new works; mesmerising, hypnotic, dizzying.
On Being Fair
Stephanie Britton
Peter Timms' What's Wrong With Contemporary Art?
Pat Hoffie
Blak Insights
3 July  30 October 2004
Contemporary art and ideas from Australia and the Asia-Pacific
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How to flash stock firmware on Huawei phones? Yeah it's pretty simple to flash stock firmware's to Huawei devices. Unlike Sony & Samsung no tools required to flash stock to huawei models, but it feels more tricky. In this tutorial i will share the complete guide on How to install Huawei Stock firmware on your smartphone. The whole process is simple and easy. All you need is to follow the steps properly. Read this Full Guide on How to Install Stock Firmware on Huawei phones. see all the benefits for installing Firmware of your phone.
Before flashing firmware to your phone you should have a minimal idea about stock and custom rom's. Understanding this will help you to choose the correct rom for your phone according to your needs. The stock rom's or firmware's are operating system files that comes with the phone from it's initial state. Every manufacturer have their own customized stock rom files. Likely huawei also have one and they call it as EMUI.
Custom rom's are also operating system files but not developed by your phone's manufacturer. Since Android is a open source project any developer can make changes to the codes and make their own custom rom. You might heard about Lineage OS aka Cyanogenmod who are developing custom rom's for new and older Android devices. If you want to try other custom rom in your device you can download the available roms or recoveries for your phone flash it using guides provided in this website. In-order to install any roms other than stock you have to root your phone and flash custom recoveries like CWM (clock work mode) or TWRP on your phone.
So, in this guide you will be able to either downgrade or upgrade your Huawei smartphone. This guide will be helpful for people who are looking to fix/unbrick their smartphone or you can also return to stock ROM from custom ROM.
This guide is only for Huawei users.
You need MicroSD Card (minimum 8gb) or Internal memory space.
Be sure that the power of the battery is at least 30%. If less, charge it first.
It is recommended that you should backup your device before any upgrade operations as it may erase all your user data.
What is Normal Upgrade and Force Upgrade ?
Normal upgrade needs to start the handset and enter the System Update module. Force upgrade is just used when the handset can't boot up or can't enter the idle screen.
So lets move into upgradation process.
Now Copy UPDATE.APP and paste it to the dload folder on your Micro SD card.
Once update process is completed your device will reboot automatically and ready to use.
Now Power Off your Huawei smartphone.
Now press Volume Up, Volume Down & Power Button at the same time for 5-8 seconds to enter into Software Upgrade Mode.
The update process will now automatically start and it may take 5-10 minutes to complete.
Fix your Huawei Device if it's giving you force closes errors and restarts randomly.
Unbrick your Huawei Phone if it's bootlooping and stuck at logo when restarting.
Go Back to Stock on your phone — helps when looking to sell the device, or fix installing OTA updates if broken.
Restore phone to factory state.
Upgrade your Huawei Firmware to newer Android version.
Downgrade yourHuawei phone to lower build no. at same Android version.