Let's first look at BKS Iyengar' expression of trikonasana, as presented in Light on Yoga. Of course, the way that this posture is currently practiced in the Iyengar tradition might vary somewhat, but in the image of Mr. Iyengar to the right we can make some observations and discuss the benefits and challenges of the alignment choices as they are being expressed.
With such a long stride, there is a significant amount of plantar flexion required in the front foot, so if the ankle dorsiflexors are tight then it will be difficult to press the ball of the foot down. In addition, because adductor magnus and the medial hamstrings of the front leg are significantly more lengthened it could be difficult for some students to laterally tilt the pelvis over the front leg. And if the pelvis cannot laterally tilt over the front leg, there will be considerably more stretch on the adductors of the back inner thigh... which could pull the inner thigh/knee toward the floor and stress the medial collateral ligament. With a longer stride, balance will also be more of a challenge for less experienced students.
Swami Satchidananda is the founder of The Integral Yoga Institute (the IYI), where I first began my study and practice of yoga back in the early 90s. The image of him on the right is from the book that I received in the Hatha I teacher training, entitled Integral Yoga Hatha. Trikonasana is practiced very differently today at the IYI, with a longer stride, the foot pointing forward, and generally with more "Iyengar-like" alignment cues. But this variation is probably still out there being practiced by old-school yogis within the Integral and Sivananda styles, where students might be cued to "square the hips toward the side wall" in order to emphasize the stretch along the side body.
When I first learned this variation at the IYI, I think I got caught in a transition between the way Satchidananda is shown practicing this posture and the evolution of the posture to be more "Iyengar-like." We were still taught a shorter stride and there was an emphasis on "squaring the pelvis to the side," however, we also received the cue to point the front foot straight forward. This is problematic, because if you attempt to square the pelvis to the side while at the same time pointing the foot straight forward, you will either create compression in the front hip between the neck of the femur and the posterior aspect of the acetabular labrum, or you'll create excessive torque in the front knee. Try this and see for yourself, but make sure that you don't work it too hard! By allowing the front foot to turn inward slightly, as Satchidananda does, you avoid these biomechanical stressors and can more safely work to square the hips to the side... which lends to a greater stretch along the outer hip and side waist.
When all is said and done, I think that there is a lot of value in practicing several different variations of trikonasana in order to diversify the practice and receive more benefit from the posture. I also think it's good to know what benefits that you're going for when you practice, so that you can tweak the posture in a way that allows you to more fully attain those benefits.
As usual, your comments, observations and contributions to the conversation are welcome. And if you enjoyed this post please consider sharing using the social links below.
I really appreciate this exploration!! It's interesting how when a pose feels more contained there are more subltle discoveries you can make within the body. Thank you!
You're welcome, Catherine... thanks for stopping by!
very interesting, thank you. I have been exploring triangle pose a lot lately and found so many different ways to approach it, I could almost do a whole class on it. Great to lead onto half moon too. It's a tricky one but a goodun.
I think you probably could do a whole class on it, or maybe a workshop, and it would be fun ;-) Thanks for stopping by.
This is perfect! I remember Jason telling this story about Yee in ASFYT (and also in our IYI Teacher Training as Anatomy Teacher). Yee's response to the "What is right...?" question could be our guide any time a right vs.wrong scenario arises in life.This blog entry is also perfect for me because I am just starting to teach trikonasana in my IYI classes where it's considered an "optional pose" in the Hatha Level I classes. I'd been afraid to include it because of all the complexity and uncertainty of alignment, instruction, etc. I have basically gone with Satchdananda's variation and simply cue Not to try to square the hips and to lift the upper hip as you hinge sideways from the hips trying to keep the torso long on both sides. The pose could be an entire anatomy course in itself, as Jason's deconstruction of the two versions shows. I look forward to fine tuning my instruction of the pose as I continue to teach.
I would like to add that this is my first ever comment on a blog posting ever anywhere. I remember Jason saying that a blog comment was a Course Requirement for completing the ASFYT 1-3 program. I can't find that in writing anywhere, but I do remember it being stated.
So those are my 3 reasons why this Trikonasana blog is perfect for me right now! THANKS!
Hey Paula! Congratulations on writing your first comment on a blog post! Happy that you found the discussion of Trikonasana so helpful. I think during your ASFYT class I was thinking about requiring all of the students to comment on a blog post, as I felt like the blog posts really compliment what we discuss in the ASFYT classes, but I never followed through on that requirement or held anyone accountable to it. But I'm happy that you read the blog and commented none-the-less! Hope that you're doing well, and that the seeds planted during your time in the ASFYT Series are continuing to grow.


An exhibition featuring ceramics artist Maja Pardov's latest work opened at Shane Norrie Contemporary Gallery in Stratford Friday evening.
Unlike most artists, Maja Padrov's ceramics are meant to be explored through both sight and touch.
Born in Serbia and living in New Brunswick, Padrov was in Stratford at the Shane Norrie Contemporary Gallery Friday evening for the opening of her first exhibition in the city, featuring a vast selection of her latest work.
Recently, Padrov's art has centred around the exploration of the sculptural possibilities of functional pottery. On display at Shane Norrie Contemporary are a whole host of teapots and covered jars in all manner of shapes, sizes, and colours.
"Everything is vessel ceramics based on the teapot or covered jar shape. I just like to push it a little bit further. Those are my roots – from functional pottery – and I still use it as an inspiration," Padrov said at the exhibition opening.
Having mastered the art of functional pottery, Padrov said she likes to take the basic structures and components of teapots and jars and put them together in a way that, in most cases, maintains functionality but also plays with positive and negative space, colour, and form.
Though it can be risky, she also considers herself an experimental chemist when it comes to the glazes she uses in the firing process.
"I think they're tactile. If you take a look, there are (removable) pieces like the lid and the spout," Padrov said.
And when it comes to the inspiration for each piece, Padrov said she starts with a very basic shape and reflects that shape across the piece, whether it be in the lid or spout, or even in the negative space within the handle.
For more information on Padrov's work or to learn more about Shane Norrie Contemporary's other upcoming exhibitions, visit www.sncgallery.com.


Jeffrey Koffler joined Vanguard Construction & Development Co. Inc. in 1994. Prior to that, he worked for fifteen years at Construction Management Associates and Nucor Construction in the capacity of Senior Project Manager and Construction Manager. At CMA, Jeffrey managed and directed all phases of operations including estimating, budget development, scheduling and planning and construction administration.
Among his clients were firms such as NBC, Chemical Bank, Equitable Life Assurance Society, Showtime, Young & Rubicam and Gitano. Jeffrey's wealth of experience affords him the ability to provide project budget analysis, value engineering, direct course of action and the ability to implement cost efficiencies. He has extensive experience in estimating, conceptual budgeting, administration, negotiations and purchasing. Since 1999, Jeffrey has acted as Director of Construction, supervising Quality Control on all of Vanguard's projects.
He is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the company from accounts payable to accounts receivable, management of field operations, supervision of project staffing and on-site progress. Jeffrey holds a BA degree from Miami University.


text:
Jamie Lee Curtis, Jada Pinket Smith & Wallow Smith Dream Of Halloween At The Children Affected By Aids Foundation's Annual Dream Halloween
Jay Cochran - October 20, 2008
Honorary event chairs Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow Smith join Host Jamie Lee Curtis to support children affected by AIDS at the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation's 15th Annual Dream Halloween Los Angeles. Celebrities and families will join Joe Cristina, Founder and Board Chair of the Children Affected by AIDS Foundation (www.CAAF4kids.org), in Holly-Weird, Mali-Boo, 9021-Uh-Oh and Bel-Scare Estates for a "The LA Scene"-themed Halloween celebration dedicated to children in the U.S., Latin America and the Caribbean who are affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Wilmer Valderrama, Jason Priestley, Melina Kanakaredes, Marlee Matlin and Doris Roberts will serve as honorary vice co-chairs for the event.
This year's Dream Halloween Los Angeles takes place at the Barker Hangar in the Santa Monica Air Center from 5:00 pm – 8:30 pm on Saturday, October 25, 2008. One-of-a-kind dolls created in the likeness of Jada Pinkett Smith and Willow Smith will be presented to them by Bob Eckert, Chairman and CEO, Mattel, Inc. and Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys"R"Us, Inc. A one-of-a-kind Hot Wheels® will be made with actor Wilmer Valderrama and presented by Tim Kilpin, Mattel General Manager and Senior Vice President Boys/Entertainment and Jason Priestley, last year's recipient. All three celebrities have agreed to auction these unique items during the event with the proceeds benefiting the foundation.
In addition, Jerry Storch, Chairman and CEO, Toys"R"Us, Inc. will receive the foundation's Ribbon of Dreams ® Award in the Children's Advocate Award Category and Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, LLP will be honored in the Industry Award Category for their work in helping the organization achieve its mission.
"World-wide there are more than two million children living with HIV and an additional 15 million who have been orphaned due to AIDS. Events like Dream Halloween® Los Angeles allow us to raise critical funds to support these children in need," said Cristina. "Our gracious sponsors, event attendees, performers and volunteers have helped us to raise more than $30 million since our inception in 1993."
The LA Scene-themed Los Angeles landmark towns will feature trick-or-treating for toys, costume characters, games, arts and crafts and delicious food from Blue Velvet, Chaya, Citrus at Social, Dessert Alert, Drago Ristorante, Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, Roy's of Woodland Hills, Global Cuisine by Gary Arabia, Law Firm of Keesal, Young & Logan, Lucky Strike Lanes, New Zealand Natural Premium Ice Cream, Pastries by Edie, Roy's Woodland Hills, Sashi Sushi & Sake Lounge, Tanino Ristorante and Universal Studios Hollywood.
Mattel, Inc. and Toys"R"Us, Inc. are Founding and Presenting sponsors of Dream Halloween® Los Angeles. Other event sponsors include American Airlines, Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker, Besser Design Group, Jill and Tom Barad, Freeman Companies, and Latham & Watkins. American Baby and Parenting Magazines are Media partners.. These generous businesses provide the underwriting, travel, décor, toys and other children's activities that make Dream Halloween® an incredible success each year.
For tickets and information, call (310) 201-5033.
About CAAF
Worldwide there are more than 33 million people infected with HIV and more than 15 million children orphaned by AIDS. The number of children affected by AIDS in the U.S. alone is currently estimated at nearly 125,000.
The Children Affected by AIDS Foundation was founded in Los Angeles in 1993 by Joe Cristina, a Mattel, Inc. executive whose desire to help children was inspired by the outpouring of support he received when he disclosed his own HIV-positive status. It is the only organization devoted to providing social, educational, recreational and other critical support for children impacted by HIV/AIDS in the U.S. and other countries. CAAF accomplishes its mission domestically and abroad through four programs including domestic grant making, domestic initiatives, international grant making and international initiatives.
khamla - 2008-05-01 @ 1:29 pm
No I think they are just rehashing old real life angles. The whole Batista thing was a different take on the "You Screwed Bret" angle, on how he stepped on people screwed people etc. Ok not exactly you screwed Bret but it talked about how arrogant he was. But remember what Shawn said, "I was told to do it. I had a job to do." Refering to ending the career of Ric...but it's also the words he used on screwing Bret. "I have a lot of blood on my hands" Refering to Bret too. Anyways, a different spin on the Bret angle without using the "Ending of the Match" as an spot which we've seen so many times in other matches.
The whole knee thing was the retake on how he "Allegidly" fake his knee injury b4 WrestleMania 13 so he wouldn't job to Bret and forfet the title. It's a different take on that.
Anyways, thats my assumption on the angle.
hamsterboy - 2008-05-01 @ 5:11 am
I think the point the writers are trying to make and I could be way off base here,is that if HBK would do something like that,how believable is his saying I'm sorry to Ric Flair at WM?

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Features: Carfax Clean Title! Equipped With Leather Interior Sunroof CD Player Power Windows/Locks and Much More!******We are located about 20 miles east of downtown Raleigh!****** This Volkswagen runs great and this vehicle has passed NC Safety & Emissions inspection. If you have any questions please call for more details. We accept cash and certified/bank checks we do not offer in house financing. Visit East Wake Auto Sales LLC online at www.eastwakecars.com to see more pictures of this vehicle or call us at 919-404-4949 today to schedule your test drive.


text:
by TortureCast | August 9, 2020 · 1:26 PM
Episode #202: Sometimes You Don't See It
Hunter Pence shared this meme on social media after last night's gaffe ended Johnny Cueto's no-hit bid.
Somehow the baseball season is still pushing forward, despite the Cardinals are now the "infected" team. In fact, although the Giants have played 16 games, which is more than a quarter of the way through the season, the Cards have only played 5 games….FIVE.
The Giants went 3-5 since our last recording, but the main hurdle was Colorado, where they lost three of four, despite having late inning leads in two of those losses. They've split so far in LA, but Donnie Barrels (aka Donovan Solano) leads the league in hitting, and Yaz leads the majors in wins above replacement. The veterans of Pence, Pablo, and Crawford have not played well at all, and their pitching staff has a 5th worst ERA at 5.05. Surprisingly, their batting average is fifth. At 7-9, the Giants are barely out of the expanded playoff picture, and if they can survive the last 4 games of this hellacious 10 game roadie, they may not be in horrible shape. Eric and Chad chat about all of this and more in a brief episode 202.
Tagged as Brandon Crawford, Colorado Rockies, covid-19, Evan Longoria, hunter pence, Johnny Cueto, Los Angeles Dodgers, Major League Baseball, pablo sandoval, San Francisco Giants, texas rangers
by TortureCast | May 20, 2020 · 2:08 PM
Episode #194: Baseball in San Francisco…in July?
Oracle Park may not have fans in July, but could it have baseball? (AFP Photo/JUSTIN SULLIVAN)
Do we think this is likely? Not really. But, that is the latest bit of news coming out of the baseball world. Last week, MLB owners sent the players association a proposal that would start an 82 game season in July. Some of the main points of how the season would work include the DH for the NL, an expanded 14-team playoff, games restricted to mainly geographic opponents to reduce travel, and a myriad of COVID-19 related guidelines for on-field play (no spitting, chewing tobacco, fist bumps, etc.). They also proposed a 50/50 revenue split with the players, but that would result in lower salaries than the players already agreed to on March 26, when they agreed to a pro-rated salary based on the number of games played. Additionally, California Governor Newsom indicated that pro sports may be able to return by June, without spectators.
All of these issues are massive hurdles, which makes the prospect of a season starting in July seem unlikely. However, baseball fans around the nation would be ecstatic to see their team playing on their home field (on TV) sometime this year.
We also talk about Blake Snell's unwillingness to play for less, the Giants are paying their non-baseball staff through September, and the OOTP Baseball dream bracket #2 will send in the 1954 and 2012 Giants as part of the field of 64 historic teams.
@ chadk21, @ 2outhits, @torturecast
Show links:
MLB Owners Proposal Highlights: https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-2020-season-plan-owners-approve-proposal-for-july-start-talks-reportedly-begin-without-salary-discussion/
Blog by Craig Calcaterra: https://craigcalcaterra.com/blog/the-pandemic-diary-may-16/
Blake Snell: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/29174318/rays-ace-blake-snell-says-refuses-play-reduced-salary
OOTP Dream Bracket #2: https://www.mlb.com/dream-bracket
Tagged as Blake Snell, covid-19, Major League Baseball, MLBPA, OOTP, Oracle Park, owners, podcast, proposal, San Francisco Giants
by TortureCast | April 7, 2020 · 9:41 PM
Which SF Giants Player or Personality do you want to hang out with during a pandemic?
Oracle Park / Photo: Eric Nathanson
As you know, sports are canceled. The San Francisco Giants should be playing week 2 of their season right now. Check that, week 3. The home opener was supposed to be last Friday. So, I guess we're in week 3. Sigh.
Sports are the distraction from everyday life, and right now they are not filling that hole. Everyday life has stopped as we know it. Quarantine has become the new normal and most people are taking refuge in their homes.
We here at TortureCast are staying home and staying safe and urge all of you to do the same. It's a good time to catch up on books, music, movies, and podcasts that we may have missed. Continue reading →
Tagged as Brandon Crawford, corona virus, coronavirus, covid-19, Duane Kuiper, Johnny Cueto, Kruk & Kuip, Mike Krukow, San Francisco Giants, SF giants, TortureCast, willie mays
by TortureCast | March 13, 2020 · 9:54 AM
Episode #191: Corona Virus, Astros, and MLB Season Delayed: a Twitch Special
The corona virus has upended the world, and this includes the sports world with the suspension of MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS as well as the cancelation of March Madness and all D1 winter championships.
Check out the video stream on Twitch here! https://www.twitch.tv/videos/566341797
The founder of this podcast, Willie Gregory (@williedills) invited Eric and I to join himself and his friend and Astros fan Ty (@tyberius_asher) on a special Twitch streamed episode to talk about the Astros cheating scandal. However, in the days that passed, the corona virus had taken over the headlines and canceled or suspended sporting events around the world, including Major League Baseball.
In this special episode, we chat with Ty about how he has dealt with the Astros cheating scandal as an Astros fan, and then we dive in to discuss this brave new world that we are in. Covid-19 has forced the suspension of the NBA, NHL, MLS and MLB and canceled March Madness. Even Disneyland closed! My son's school closed, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, and the list goes on. Even Tom Hanks and his wife have it.
Join us for a long, interesting, fun, and inebriated episode of the TortureCast!
Check out the video of our stream below!
Tagged as cheating, corona virus, covid-19, Houston Astros, Major League Baseball, San Francisco Giants, suspension


text:
It's a three-free-game week on the Epic Games Store
The Escapists 2, Lifeless Planet, and Killing Floor 2
The stars have aligned and this week, the Epic Games Store is giving out three PC games. If you show up before 8:00 a.m. PT on July 16, you can claim The Escapists 2, Lifeless Planet, and Killing Floor 2.
The Escapists 2 is a top-down sandbox-style simulation game about surviving in – and eventually breaking out of – prisons. You can get creative with your exit strategies, and there's a lot of potential for multiplayer hijinks. It might look unassuming, but the series has done shockingly well for itself.
Lifeless Planet looks more interesting than fun to me, if I'm being blunt. It's a sci-fi adventure about an astronaut who inexplicably finds a "deserted Soviet-era Russian town" on a far-off planet. I'm down for that premise, and sometimes I prefer these under-the-radar titles when it comes to giveaways.
You probably know Killing Floor 2 by now. If you don't, it's kind of a lot upfront – but don't let that scare you away. KF2 is a co-op shooter about making horrible freakos explode into nasty little bits, and while I'm not really into its grime-covered aesthetic, there's no denying its cathartic appeal. It feels great.
Next week, Torchlight II will be free to claim on the Epic Games Store from July 16 to July 23.
I've spent a bit of time with Torchlight III's newly-added third story act (the game is in Early Access), and so far, even with this significant update, it's an overall step back. If you're in an ARPG sorta mood and you never tried Torchlight II (or you just own it elsewhere), it's worth experiencing fashionably late.
Filed under... #Deals#Epic Games Store#Freebies#Killing Floor
10 best Final Fantasy games, ranked
By Timothy Monbleau


I completed a mini Walter Lemonface tour with the 154 Collective in the first three months of this year, performing at Hull Truck Theatre, Luton Hat Factory, and Bradford's Mind the Gap studios. With more in the pipeline for later this year, Walter is as popular as ever!
The Chorões played at the Royal Albert Hall's Friday lunchtime recital programme in March which was a lot of fun. Watch this space for more public gigs planned for the summer.
C O M M I S S I O N S . . .
I have been busy working on ukulele music since the start of the year, after being commissioned by Mosaic Music Education to compose original pieces for their new ukulele programme. I'm having a great time composing in many different styles to fit their syllabus.
I also had time to release an EP of original music from my new side project Dxncer. It is available on most streaming services, iTunes and Bandcamp.
And I have plenty more new and exciting projects are coming up in the next few months!
Hi Nicolas, I listened to your 'improvisational' playing at Batley library this morning whilst working on my laptop and found your playing quite hypnotic and at the same time very soothing, a perfect meditation soundtrack. I wasn't surprised when you mentioned your classical training, it was apparent from your playing. I still have a Julian Bream vinyl LP somewhere where he's playing Spanish tunes. I've just listen to your version of Los Caujaritos, absolutely gorgeous Nicolas. I've listen to a few versions of this but yours is exquisite, almost feels like you have harp accompaniment, it has no words yet you made it sing. This is very high quality dude! Wonder if you could post some more Spanish pieces, Magualena perhaps or Entre Dos Aguas? Maybe I should have got your autograph!!! Good luck with the Project.


Bakerish is a baking website dedicated to all thing sweet! If you'd like to get in touch with me, send me an email at bakerishblog(at)gmail(dot)com. I will respond to all emails and requests at my earliest convenience!


text:
Venezuelan TV channel turns to Web after exile
PUBLISHED: June 2, 2007 at 4:05 a.m. | UPDATED: August 15, 2016 at 7:41 p.m.
CARACAS, Venezuela — Forced off the air by President Hugo Chavez, an opposition-aligned Venezuelan TV channel has begun taking its news shows to the Web through the popular video-sharing site YouTube.
Since it went off the airwaves Sunday, Radio Caracas Television has kept taping programs and is uploading its news show "The Observer" each day to YouTube, RCTV vice president Maribel Morales said Friday. YouTube listed the Venezuelan program as its most-subscribed feed of the week.
In one segment Thursday, announcer Isnardo Bravo pledged that "RCTV will continue to keep people informed in defense of free speech."
Chavez refused to renew the channel's license, accusing it of inciting a failed coup in 2002 and violating various broadcast laws. The decision has been condemned by several foreign governments, press freedom groups and international organizations.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Venezuela on Friday to return the station to the air and "cease these attacks on the free press."
Meanwhile, thousands of Venezuelan university students returned to the streets to protest what they call an abuse of power by Chavez, facing off with riot police in the streets while waving flags, blowing whistles and chanting, "We are students, not coup-plotters!"
"If nobody listens to us, if the government doesn't listen to us, the only option is to be on the street," said 19-year-old Clemys Rivas, who was dressed in black — the color student protesters have taken on to reflect their view of the country's state of affairs.
Riot police blocked thousands of students inside the campus of Andres Bello Catholic University, where protesters shook the fences and shouted "freedom!" After four hours, the police retreated and cheering students poured out.
Jonas Calaforra, 27, said the protesters wanted to send the message that "democracy is not a dictatorship of the majority," and that although Chavez won elections in December, "he has to govern for 100 percent" of Venezuelans.
www.youtube.com/elobservadorenlinea


text:
By: Natalie Wilson January 20, 2021
The career of the late and great Satoshi Kon is one of the anime industry's best. From his films Perfect Blue to Tokyo Godfathers, Kon's masterful work champions a love of the gritty, humanistic and surreal. His first and only television show Paranoia Agent is no different. Paranoia Agent is a 13 episode mini-series released […]
By: Robert Prentice December 14, 2020
Funimation to Launch As Only Anime App on Nintendo Switch
Culver City, California (December 14, 2020) Funimation, the leading distributor of anime globally, will be available on Nintendo Switch beginning Tuesday, December 15. With Funimation now on Nintendo Switch, it's no longer necessary to put down the gaming console to enjoy your favorite anime. Simply click on the Funimation App, browse and enjoy hundreds of […]
By: Robert Prentice December 9, 2020
Funimation To Buy Crunchyroll From AT&T
2020 has been an interesting year and this news just adds to it. After previously short-lived partnerships and the recent buy-out of Funimation by Sony, Sony now has its eyes set on bringing Crunchyroll into the newly formed Funimation Global Group which includes Funimation (Sony Pictures) and Aniplex (Sony Music Japan). The Aniplex and Funimation […]
By: Robert Prentice November 29, 2020
Review: Demon Slayer Season 1 Part 1 Blu-ray
It's the Taisho period in Japan. Tanjiro, a kindhearted boy who sells charcoal for a living, finds his family slaughtered by a demon. To make matters worse, his younger sister,Nezuko, the sole survivor, has been transformed into a demon. Though devastated by this grim reality, Tanjiro resolves to become a demon slayer to turn his sister back and kill the demon that massacred his […]
By: Robert Prentice October 16, 2020
My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising Movie Blu-Ray Release & Review
Class 1-A visits Nabu Island where they finally get to do some real hero work. The place is so peaceful that it's more like a vacation … until they're attacked by a villain with an unfathomable Quirk! His power is eerily familiar, and it looks like Shigaraki had a hand in the plan. But with […]
By: Robert Prentice October 3, 2020
My Hero Academia Season 5 Goes Plus Ultra Spring 2021
Alright, heroes, its time to get yourself caught up on the anime and prepare yourself for an all-new season of My Hero Academia. The new season is set to air in Japan in Spring 2021. The official twitter account for the show dropped our first look at the new season coming out of Hero Fes […]
Attack On Titan Final Season to Air in 2020 on Funimation
Culver City, California, United States (September 28, 2020) Funimation, the leading global anime content provider, today announced service details of its expansion into Latin America this December 2020. Funimation, which is currently available in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand, will expand to Mexico and Brazil offering anime series subtitled in Portuguese […]
By: Robert Prentice September 22, 2020
Fire Force Season 1 Part 2 Blu-ray Release & Review
A unique take on firefighters, Fire Force comes from the creators behind Soul Eater. So right off the bat, the art design is amazing. So what is Fire Force about? In the year 198 of the Solar Era in Tokyo, special fire brigades called the Fire Force fight increasing incidents of spontaneous human combustion where […]
Attack On Titan Season 3 Part 2 – Review and Limited Edition Release
Attack On Titan returns and the Titans are far from the biggest threat the scouts have to face. The battle to retake Wall Maria begins now! With Eren's new hardening ability, the Scouts are confident they can seal the wall and take back Shiganshina District. If they succeed, Eren can finally unlock the secrets of […]
Human Lost – Review and Blu-Ray Release
Human Lost, From the chief director of PSYCHO-PASS, director of Afro Samurai, and the studio that brought you Godzilla: Planet of the Monsters. The year is 2036. A revolution in medical treatment has conquered death by means of internal nanomachines and the "Shell System", yet only the richest can afford to partake. Yozo Oba isn't the richest. Troubled […]
His Dark Materials - SDCC String Bag $15.00
Nightmare Before Christmas Oogie Boogie FiGPiN Classic Enamel Pin $14.99
DC Comics Imperial Palace Robin Pop! Vinyl Figure $14.99 $11.99
My Hero Academia Enamel Pin – Shoto Todoroki Hero Pose #277 FiGPiN $14.99
Neon Genesis Evangelion Rei Ayanami Pop! Vinyl Figure $10.99 $9.89
Falling Skies Collectors Pin - 2nd Mass Logo $5.00


text:
Banana Bunchy Top Virus: A Century Old Killer
By Sterling Ericsson
Crop diseases have always been one of the main combatants in the war between farmers and nature. Regardless of the source, whether viral, bacterial, fungal, or other, diseases that affect plant health, growth, and production have devastated every type of crop ever grown. It has only been through strenuous effort that farmers have fought back and kept their crops growing, boosted in the past century by new scientific advances that make more options available. But, even with that, many diseases continue to lower yields and damage subsistence farmers the worst of all. Every once in a while, these diseases even manage to wipe out an entire breed of a crop permanently.
This was almost the case with the banana. In a prior generation, the most popular exported banana breed was the Gros Michel found in Southeast Asia and later grown extensively in Central America. It was greedily consumed by European nations and the United States, creating a huge market boom that pushed out most other banana breeds. However, in the 1950s, a new fungal growth called Panama disease whipped through the Central countries, wiping out vast fields of banana trees and completely hampering the export of the breed. For a time, the banana market as a whole was on the verge of collapse until the commercialization of a resistant cultivar named Cavendish, which ultimately took over the market as the new dominant breed.
A New Challenger
If only Panama disease was the single menace that bananas had to contend with. Alas, there is far more to consider. In the current year of 2016, there are two main diseases that serve as the largest threats to the worldwide market. One of these, banana Xanthomonas wilt, has only recently become an up and comer in the hazardous to bananas scene. Though there are already methods underway to hopefully deal with it and all of its cousin diseases that affect other crops, as previously discussed. The other does not have recency as its claim to fame, but has instead resisted attempts to eradicate its destructive involvement with banana crops ever since its first recorded emergence in 1879. Similar to Xanthomonas wilt, banana bunchy top virus (BBTV) does not exist in isolation, though it does have more specificity in that its cousin species focus on infecting the banana's Musa genus as a whole.[1]
In its long history, BBTV has been responsible for more than one disaster in the banana industry, one of the most severe being in the 1920s that almost wiped out the entire banana crop in Australia. BBTV continues to be a major production hazard around the world for banana growers, though some regions inexplicably remain untouched by the spread of the virus, likely though some combination of chance and security protocols.[1] Most research on how to deal with the virus has focused on properly understanding its genetic structure and its method of infection of bananas and other Musa crops, as both sides are more complicated than expected.
Starting With Understanding
A study from 1997 was able to identify two RNA strands encoded by the virus, in addition to one replication protein, named Rep, that had been previously discovered. These two mRNA transcripts related to the Rep protein and were also found in tobacco plants that were modified by Agrobacterium. While this was a modest step in understanding, it helped to identify potential areas of attack in order to disable the functions of the virus.[2]
Another study from 2000 took the five promoter genes found in BBTV, labeled BT1-5, and used the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and uidA genes to measure the amount of expression each promoter provided and in what type of banana cells they expressed the strongest. The promoters themselves were found to be highly variable in their expression, depending on the type of cell and what type of gene follower they were promoting, with BT4 and BT5 expressing GFP the strongest and the first three expressing GUS, also added via the ubi1 intron from maize plants, the most. They were discovered, however, to directly affect the banana cells responsible for vascular-associated expression for transferring nutrients through the plant's tissues.[3]
The following year, a similar study looked at two other promoter regions, named S1 and S2, and had their genetic sequence combined with the β-glucuronidase reporter gene in order to record their activity. Both tobacco and bananas were used to see if there was any difference in gene activation and, indeed, the two regions were found to be more active in tobacco plants. The focus of their activity was on root systems and vascular tissues, confirming previous knowledge.[4]
Rolling Out The Interference
The time for the prior research on the Rep protein to come to fruition took more than a decade, but scientists were finally able to utilize the knowledge on it to create the first draft of a banana resistant to BBTV. Discussed in a 2012 study, intron-hairpin-RNA (ihpRNA) transcripts were used that related to that replication initiation protein, Rep. After insertion into selected banana plants, the resulting test subjects were found to be completely immune to BBTV, even after being covered for six months in aphids that are the natural carriers for the virus. Tissue samples from the plants found no evidence of viral proteins at all and the ihpRNA transcripts were shown to have been integrated into the banana genome stably and in a manner that could be passed on to further banana generations. This testing also confirmed that the transcripts acted as expected, by using RNA interference to block the virus from properly activating their own Rep proteins to start replication.[5]
Due to this success, research on RNA interference methods became the norm in transgenic banana research, with different ways to achieve BBTV resistance being looked into. A 2013 study that looked into making a breed of banana tree known as the Grand Nain that is itself the source of the aforementioned Cavendish banana used four different BBTV gene vectors. These were transferred via Agrobacterium and had added viral primers to help the plant develop specific resistance against infection. Overall, the process saw a fair amount of success with the virus being staved off for even up to 24 weeks, though it did not achieve full resistance.[6]
Research using RNA interference and ihpRNA transcripts continues to this day, though the process has expanded significantly. In July of 2015, testing in Mumbai attempted to induce resistance in a banana breed not just to BBTV, but also to Fusarium wilt by silencing multiple genes at once from being allowed to produce RNA. Only two of the five produced lines were ultimately successful, although they were able to enact a high level of resistance to both infections. The conclusion of this study recommended that the most economical approach with RNA interference is to essentially go for broke and try to enact gene silencing against as many banana disease types as possible. While only a small proportion of the produced lines will be successful, only one is needed to crush the threat of banana diseases once and for all.[7]
Banana viral experimentation has taken a separate road from most of the other crop research fields. Sure, some have dabbled in RNA interference before, but rarely have they exclusively targeted it as a method as banana research has in the past two decades. This may have to do with the particular intractability of banana diseases, that have largely evaded attempts to deal with them for over a century and have only seen particular inoculation progress in recent years. Regardless of the reason, it is a simple fact that the days of banana diseases, banana bunchy top virus principally, are numbered.
Dale J, Burns T, Oehlschlager S, Karan M, Harding R. 1992. Banana Bunchy Top Virus: prospects for control through biotechnology. In: Biotechnology Applications for Banana and Plantain Improvement. Bioversity International. [accessed June 26, 2016]. https://books.google.com/books?id=IDLuFcGDt60C
Beetham PR, Hafner GJ, Harding RM, Dale JL. 1997. Two mRNAs are transcribed from banana bunchy top virus DNA-1. The Journal of General Virology [accessed 2016 Jun 26]; 78:229–236. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9010308
Dugdale B, Becker DK, Beetham PR, Harding RM, Dale JL. 2000. Promoters derived from banana bunchy top virus DNA-1 to −5 direct vascular-associated expression in transgenic banana (Musa spp.). Plant Cell Reports [accessed 2016 Jun 26]; 19:810–814. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s002999900185
Hermann S, Becker D, Harding R, Dale J. 2001. Promoters derived from banana bunchy top virus-associated components S1 and S2 drive transgene expression in both tobacco and banana. Plant Cell Reports [accessed 2016 Jun 26]; 20:642–646. http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs002990100348
Shekhawat UK, Ganapathi TR, Hadapad AB. 2012. Transgenic banana plants expressing small interfering RNAs targeted against viral replication initiation gene display high-level resistance to banana bunchy top virus infection. The Journal of General Virology [accessed 2016 Jun 26]; 93:1804–1813. http://jgv.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.041871-0
Krishna B, Kadu AA, Vyavhare SN, Chaudhary RS, Joshi SS, Patil AB, Subramaniam VR, Sane PV. 2013. RNAI-Mediated Resistance Against Banana Bunchy Top Virus (BBTV) In "Grand Nain" Banana. Acta horticulturae [accessed 2016 Jun 26]; 974:157–164. http://www.actahort.org/books/974/974_18.htm
Ghag SB, Shekhawat UK, Hadapad AB, Ganapathi TR. 2015. Stacking of Host-induced Gene Silencing Mediated Resistance to Banana Bunchy Top Virus and Fusarium Wilt disease in Transgenic Banana Plants. Current Trends in Biotechnology and Pharmacy [accessed 2016 Jun 26]; 9:212–221. http://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:ctbp&volume=9&issue=3&article=002
Written by: Sterling Ericsson
Type: News Byte
Photo CC: Banana Field by zolakoma https://www.flickr.com/photos/zolakoma/2796408270/
About Sterling Ericsson
Sterling Ericsson
Agrobacterium, Banana bunchy top virus, Bananas, Fusarium wilt, GFP, RNA interference, Transgenics, ubi1, uidA
Previous Post Book Review: Pandora's Picnic Basket
Next Post Motor protein involvement in cancer formation in GMO mice
05/09/20204 Min Read
Bound Chromatin Blocking CRISPR Genetic Engineering Broken Open


text:
# Contents

Cover

Title Page

Foreword

The Petrified Ants

Epilogue

About the Author

Copyright

# FOREWORD

_by Sidney Offit_

As I read this anthology of Kurt Vonnegut's previously unpublished short stories, I was reminded of the paradoxical aspects of his personality. Few writers in the history of literature have achieved such a fusion of the human comedy with the tragedies of human folly in their fiction—and, I suspect, fewer still have had the grace to so candidly acknowledge them in their presentation of self.

During the years of our friendship, though I was aware that he might be suffering private misery, Kurt scuttled his demons with élan as we played tennis and Ping-Pong, skipped off to afternoon movies and jaunts around town, feasted at steak houses and French restaurants, watched football games on television, and twice sat as guests in a box at Madison Square Garden to root for the Knicks.

With his signature gentle but mordant wit, Kurt participated in family celebrations, meetings of writers' organizations, and our gab and laugh sessions with Morley Safer and Don Farber, George Plimpton and Dan Wakefield, Walter Miller and Truman Capote, Kevin Buckley and Betty Friedan. I don't think it an exaggeration to suggest that I, as well as Kurt's other friends, felt that time with Kurt was a momentous gift no matter how light our conversation. We often found ourselves imitating his amused reserve about his own foibles and those of the world.

Along with the fun and warm support he so graciously expressed to his friends, Kurt Vonnegut treated me to intimate glimpses of the master storyteller whose ironic and frequently startling observations of people emphasized the moral complexities of life. Walking uptown after a memorial service for an unmarried female author who had devoted her life to literary criticism, Kurt said to me, "No children. No books. Few friends." His voice expressed empathic pain. Then he added, "She seemed to know what she was doing."

At Kurt's eightieth birthday party, John Leonard, a former editor of _The New York Times Book Review_ , reflected on the experience of knowing and reading Kurt: "Vonnegut, like Abe Lincoln and Mark Twain, is always being funny when he's not being depressed," Leonard observed. "His is a weird jujitsu that throws us for a loop."

The Vonnegut acrobatics are off to a fast start in this circus of good and evil, fantasy and reality, tears and laughter. The first story, "Confido," is about a magical device that provides instant conversation, advice, and therapy to the lonely. But—and here comes the flip side—Confido, the ingenious mind reader, eagerly reveals to its listeners their worse dissatisfactions, leading to painful discomfort with life. This story suggests not only the risks of psychiatry, where the patient may learn too much about himself/herself, but also the drastic spiritual consequences of biting the knowledge-bearing apple.

Although I recall Kurt as being appreciative of his brief adventure with psychotherapy, misgivings about the practice of psychiatry are a recurring theme in this collection. "Look at the Birdie" begins with the narrator sitting at a bar, talking about a person he hates. "Let me help you to think about it clearly," the man in a black mohair suit with a black string tie says to him. "What you need are the calm, wise services of a murder counselor..."

This bizarre tale is resolved with a version of the old-fashioned O. Henry surprise ending that requires the reader's suspension of disbelief. But who can resist the enchantments of a storyteller who has a mad character tell us that a paranoiac is "a person who has gone crazy in the most intelligent, well-informed way, the world being what it is"? That's not just jujitsu. It's martial art.

Other gems of Kurt's wit and verbal play, his dour but just about always humorous commentaries, punctuate these tales. "F U B A R," a story title as well as theme, is defined for the reader by the bemused and sometimes mocking narrator as _"fouled up beyond all recognition."_ Then we are asked to consider that "it is a particularly useful and interesting word in that it describes a misfortune brought about not by malice but by administrative accidents in some large and complex organization."

With one brief sentence, the weather in Indianapolis, Kurt's hometown, which is the scene for the story "Hall of Mirrors," is vividly described. Although the first words of the sentence lead us to expect a lovely nature ramble, the balance surprisingly allows the reader to see, feel, and hear the ugly chill. "Autumn winds, experimenting with the idea of a hard winter, made little twists of soot and paper, made the plastic propellers over the used car lot go _frrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr_." Twenty-eight _r_ s by my count. How's that for sound effects in prose that says it all, courtesy of Kurt Vonnegut!

One of the few stories with an unhappy ending, "The Nice Little People" provides a preview of the coming attractions of Kurt's later career as a novelist. We are engaged by a reversal of the familiar image of larger than life space aliens: In Kurt's tale, a platoon of sweet, tiny, insectlike folk descend in a spaceship the size and shape of a paper knife. They turn out to be frightened creatures whom Lowell Swift, a linoleum salesman, befriends. But on guard! The role the aliens play in the resolution of Swift's deteriorating marriage is as harrowing as it is unpredictable. Unpredictable! Hmm. I should have suspected that! Especially with a hero named Swift and a hollow knife handle full of highly sensitive Lilliputian characters.

When I asked Kurt what he thought was the most important aspect of the craft of fiction that he taught his students during his years on the faculty of the University of Iowa's graduate writing program, as well as Columbia and Harvard, he told me, "Development. Every scene, every dialogue should advance the narrative and then if possible there should be a surprise ending." The element of surprise serves, too, to express the paradox of Kurt's viewpoint. When all is said and written, the resolution, the surprise, turns the story around and gives it meaning.

_Unpublished_ is not a word we identify with a Kurt Vonnegut short story. It may well be that these stories didn't appear in print because for one reason or another they didn't satisfy Kurt. He rewrote and rewrote, as his son, Mark, as well as agents and editors testify. Although Kurt's style may seem casual and spontaneous, he was a master craftsman, demanding of himself perfection of the story, the sentence, the word. I remember the rolled up balls of paper in the wastebaskets of his workrooms in Bridgehampton and on East Forty-eighth Street.

The closest Kurt ever came to confessing an ambition for his writing was when he recited to me one of his rules for fictional composition: "Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted."

To Kurt Vonnegut writing was kind of a spiritual mission, and these stories with all their humor seem most often to be inspired by his moral and political outrage. They are evidence, too, of the volume of Kurt's prodigious imagination, a talent that enabled him, after World War II and into the fifties and early sixties, to help support his growing family by contributing short stories to the popular ("slick") magazines.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.'s bylines appeared routinely in _The Saturday Evening Post, Collier's, Cosmopolitan, Argosy_. He later reminded his readers of the satisfactions of this association when he wrote in his introduction to _Bagombo Snuff Box_ , "I was in such good company.... Hemingway had written for _Esquire_ , F. Scott Fitzgerald for _The Saturday Evening Post_ , William Faulkner for _Collier's_ , John Steinbeck for _The Woman's Home Companion_!"

Hemingway! Fitzgerald! Faulkner! Steinbeck! Vonnegut! Their literary legacies survived the demise of so many of the magazines that provided them with generous fees, per word or per line, and introduced them to hundreds of thousands, even millions of readers.

Kurt's stories selected for this collection are reminiscent of the entertainments of that era—so easy to read, so straightforward as to seem simplistic in narrative technique, until the reader thinks about what the author is saying. They are Kurt's magic verbal lantern, the Confido that projects so relentlessly the vagaries and mysteries of human behavior, but with a leavening of humor and forgiveness.

The discovery of this sampling of vintage Vonnegut confirms the accessibility that is the trademark of his style and the durability of his talents, a gift to all of us—friends and readers who celebrate the enlightenments and fun of Kurt Vonnegut's jujitsus and his art.

# I

"This _is_ quite a hole you have here," said Josef Broznik enthusiastically, gripping the guard rail and peering into the echoing blackness below. He was panting from the long climb up the mountain slope, and his bald head glistened with perspiration.

"A remarkable hole," said Josef's twenty-five-year-old brother, Peter, his long, big-jointed frame uncomfortable in fog-dampened clothes. He searched his thoughts for a more profound comment, but found nothing. It was a perfectly amazing hole—no question about it. The officious mine supervisor, Borgorov, had said it had been sunk a half mile deep on the site of a radioactive mineral water spring. Borgorov's enthusiasm for the hole didn't seem in the least diminished by the fact that it had produced no uranium worth mining.

Peter studied Borgorov with interest. He seemed a pompous ass of a young man, yet his name merited fear and respect whenever it was mentioned in a gathering of miners. It was said, not without awe, that he was the favorite third cousin of Stalin himself, and that he was merely serving an apprenticeship for much bigger things.

Peter and his brother, Russia's leading myrmecologists, had been summoned from the University of Dnipropetrovsk to see the hole—or, rather, to see the fossils that had come out of it. Myrmecology, they had explained to the hundred-odd guards who had stopped them on their way into the area, was that branch of science devoted to the study of ants. Apparently, the hole had struck a rich vein of petrified ants.

Peter nudged a rock the size of his head and rolled it into the hole. He shrugged and walked away from it, whistling tunelessly. He was remembering again the humiliation of a month ago, when he had been forced to apologize publicly for his paper on _Raptiformica sanguinea_ , the warlike, slave-raiding ants found under hedges. Peter had presented it to the world as a masterpiece of scholarship and scientific method, only to be rewarded by a stinging rebuke from Moscow. Men who couldn't tell _Raptiformica sanguinea_ from centipedes had branded him an ideological backslider with dangerous tendencies toward Western decadence. Peter clenched and unclenched his fists, angry, frustrated. In effect, he had had to apologize because the ants he had studied would not behave the way the top Communist scientific brass wanted them to.

"Properly led," said Borgorov, "people can accomplish anything they set their minds to. This hole was completed within a month from the time orders came down from Moscow. Someone very high dreamed we would find uranium on this very spot," he added mysteriously.

"You will be decorated," said Peter absently, testing a point on the barbed wire around the opening. His reputation had preceded him into the area, he supposed. At any rate, Borgorov avoided his eyes, and addressed his remarks always to Josef—Josef the rock, the dependable, the ideologically impeccable. It was Josef who had advised against publishing the controversial paper, Josef who had written his apology. Now, Josef was loudly comparing the hole to the Pyramids, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Colossus of Rhodes.

Borgorov rambled on tiresomely, Josef agreed warmly, and Peter allowed his gaze and thoughts to wander over the strange new countryside. Beneath his feet were the _Erzgebirge—_ the Ore Mountains, dividing Russian-occupied Germany from Czechoslovakia. Gray rivers of men streamed to and from pits and caverns gouged in the green mountain slopes—a dirty, red-eyed horde burrowing for uranium...

"When would you like to see the fossil ants we found?" said Borgorov, cutting into his thoughts. "They're locked up now, but we can get at them anytime tomorrow. I've got them all arranged in the order of the levels we found them in."

"Well," said Josef, "the best part of the day was used up getting cleared to come up here, so we couldn't get much done until tomorrow morning anyway."

"And yesterday, and the day before, and the day before that, sitting on a hard bench, waiting for clearance," said Peter wearily. Instantly he realized that he had said something wrong again. Borgorov's black eyebrows were raised, and Josef was glaring. He had absentmindedly violated one of Josef's basic maxims—"Never complain in public about anything." Peter sighed. On the battlefield he had proved a thousand times that he was a fiercely patriotic Russian. Yet, he now found his countrymen eager to read into his every word and gesture the symptoms of treason. He looked at Josef unhappily, and saw in his eyes the same old message: Grin and agree with everything.

"The security measures are marvelous," said Peter, grinning. "It's remarkable that they were able to clear us in only three days, when you realize how thorough a job they do." He snapped his fingers. "Efficiency."

"How far down did you find the fossils?" said Josef briskly, changing the subject.

Borgorov's eyebrows were still arched. Plainly, Peter had only succeeded in making himself even more suspicious. "We hit them going through the lower part of the limestone, before we came to the sandstone and granite," he said flatly, addressing himself to Josef.

"Middle Mesozoic period, probably," said Josef. "We were hoping you'd found fossil ants deeper than that." He held up his hands. "Don't get us wrong. We're delighted that you found these ants, it's only that middle Mesozoic ants aren't as interesting as something earlier would be."

"Nobody's ever seen a fossil ant from an earlier period," said Peter, trying halfheartedly to get back into things. Borgorov ignored him.

"Mesozoic ants are just about indistinguishable from modern ants," said Josef, surreptitiously signaling for Peter to keep his mouth shut. "They lived in big colonies, were specialized as soldiers and workers and all that. My myrmecologist would give his right arm to know how ants lived before they formed colonies—how they got to be the way they are now. That _would_ be something."

"Another first for Russia," said Peter. Again no response. He stared moodily at a pair of live ants who pulled tirelessly and in opposite directions at the legs of an expiring dung beetle.

"Have you _seen_ the ants we found?" said Borgorov defensively. He waved a small tin box under Josef's nose. He popped off the lid with his thumbnail. "Is this old stuff, eh?"

"Good heavens," murmured Josef. He took the box tenderly, held it at arm's length so that Peter could see the ant embedded in the chip of limestone.

The thrill of discovery shattered Peter's depression. "An inch long! Look at that noble head, Josef! I never thought I would see the day when I would say an ant was handsome. Maybe it's the big mandibles that make ants homely." He pointed to where the pincers ordinarily were. "This one has almost none, Josef. It _is_ a pre-Mesozoic ant!"

Borgorov assumed a heroic stance, his feet apart, his thick arms folded. He beamed. This wonder had come out of _his_ hole.

"Look, look," said Peter excitedly. "What is that splinter next to him?" He took a magnifying glass from his breast pocket and squinted through the lens. He swallowed. "Josef," he said hoarsely, "you look and tell me what you see."

Josef shrugged. "Some interesting little parasite maybe, or a plant, perhaps." He moved the chip up under the magnifying glass. "Maybe a crystal or—" He turned pale. Trembling, he passed the glass and fossil to Borgorov. "Comrade, you tell us what you see."

"I see," said Borgorov, screwing up his face in florid, panting concentration. He cleared his throat and began afresh. "I see what looks like a fat stick."

"Look closer," said Peter and Josef together.

"Well, come to think of it," said Borgorov, "it does look something like a—for goodness sake—like a—" He left the sentence unfinished, and looked up at Josef perplexedly.

"Like a bass fiddle, Comrade?" said Josef.

"Like a bass fiddle," said Borgorov, awed...

# II

A drunken, bad-tempered card game was in progress at the far end of the miners' barracks where Peter and Josef were quartered. A thunderstorm boomed and slashed outside. The brother myrmecologists sat facing each other on their bunks, passing their amazing fossil back and forth and speculating as to what Borgorov would bring from the storage shed in the morning.

Peter probed his mattress with his hand—straw, a thin layer of straw stuffed into a dirty white bag and laid on planks. Peter breathed through his mouth to avoid drawing the room's dense stench through his long, sensitive nose. "Could it be a child's toy bass fiddle that got washed into that layer with the ant somehow?" he said. "You know this place was once a toy factory."

"Did you ever hear of a toy bass fiddle, let alone one that size? It'd take the greatest jeweler in the world to turn out a job like that. And Borgorov swears there wasn't any way for it to get down that deep—not in the past million years, anyway."

"Which leaves us one conclusion," said Peter.

"One." Josef sponged his forehead with a huge red handkerchief.

"Something could be worse than _this_ pigpen?" said Peter. Josef kicked him savagely as a few heads raised up from the card games across the room. "Pigpen," laughed a small man as he threw his cards down and walked to his cot. He dug beneath his mattress and produced a bottle of cognac. "Drink, Comrade?"

"Peter!" said Josef firmly. "We left some of our things in the village. We'd better get them right away."

Gloomily, Peter followed his brother out into the thunderstorm. The moment they were outside, Josef seized him by the arm and steered him into the slim shelter of the eaves. "Peter, my boy, Peter—when are you going to grow up?" He sighed heavily, implored with upturned palms. "When? That man is from the police." He ran his stubby fingers over the polished surface where hair had once been.

"Well, it _is_ a pigpen," said Peter stubbornly.

Josef threw up his hands with exasperation. "Of course it is. But you don't have to tell the police you think so." He laid his hand on Peter's shoulder. "Since your reprimand, anything you say can get you into terrible trouble. It can get us both into terrible trouble." He shuddered. "Terrible."

Lightning blazed across the countryside. In the dazzling instant, Peter saw that the slopes still seethed with the digging horde. "Perhaps I should give up speaking altogether, Josef."

"I ask only that you think out what you say. For your own good, Peter. Please, just stop and think."

"Everything you've called me down for saying has been the truth. The paper I had to apologize for was the truth." Peter waited for a rolling barrage of thunder to subside. "I mustn't speak the truth?"

Josef peered apprehensively around the corner, squinted into the darkness beneath the eaves. "You mustn't speak certain kinds of truth," he whispered, "not if you want to go on living." He dug his hands deep in his pockets, hunched his shoulders. "Give in a little, Peter. Learn to overlook certain things. It's the only way."

Together, without exchanging another word, the brothers returned to the glare and suffocation of the barracks, their feet making sucking noises in their drenched shoes and socks.

"Too bad all our things are locked up until morning, Peter," said Josef loudly.

Peter hung his coat on a nail to dry, dropped heavily on his hard bunk, and pulled his shoes off. His movements were clumsy, his nerves dulled by a vast aching sensation of pity, of loss. Just as the lightning had revealed for a split second the gray men and gouged mountainsides—so had this talk suddenly revealed in a merciless flash the naked, frightened soul of his brother. Now Peter saw Josef as a frail figure in a whirlpool, clinging desperately to a raft of compromises. Peter looked down at his unsteady hands. "It's the only way," Josef had said, and Josef was right.

Josef pulled a thin blanket over his head to screen out the light. Peter tried to lose himself in contemplation of the fossil ant again. Involuntarily, his powerful fingers clamped down on the white chip. The chip and priceless ant snapped in two. Ruefully, Peter examined the faces of the break, hoping to glue them together again. On one of the faces he saw a tiny gray spot, possibly a mineral deposit. Idly, he focused his magnifying glass on it.

"Josef!"

Sleepily, Josef pushed the blanket away from his face. "Yes, Peter?"

"Josef, look."

Josef stared through the lens for fully a minute without speaking. When he spoke, his tone was high, uneven. "I don't know whether to laugh or cry or wind my watch."

"It looks like what I think it looks like?"

Josef nodded. "A book, Peter—a book."

# III

Josef and Peter yawned again and again, and shivered in the cold twilight of the mountain dawn. Neither had slept, but their bloodshot eyes were quick and bright-looking, impatient, excited. Borgorov teetered back and forth on his thick boot soles, berating a soldier who was fumbling with the lock on a long toolshed.

"Did you sleep well in your quarters?" Borgorov asked Josef solicitously.

"Perfectly. It was like sleeping on a cloud," said Josef.

"I slept like a rock," said Peter brightly.

"Oh?" said Borgorov quizzically. "Then you don't think it was a pigpen after all, eh?" He didn't smile when he said it.

The door swung open, and two nondescript German laborers began dragging boxes of broken limestone from the shed. Each box, Peter saw, was marked with a number, and the laborers arranged them in order along a line Borgorov scratched in the dirt with his iron-shod heel.

"There," said Borgorov. "That's the lot." He pointed with a blunt finger. "One, two, and three. Number one is from the deepest layer—just inside the limestone—and the rest were above it in the order of their numbers." He dusted his hands and sighed with satisfaction, as though he himself had moved the boxes. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll leave you to work." He snapped his fingers, and the soldier marched the two Germans down the mountainside. Borgorov followed, hopping twice to get in step.

Feverishly, Peter and Josef dug into box number one, the one containing the oldest fossils, piling rock fragments on the ground. Each built a white cairn, sat beside it, tailor-fashion, and happily began to sort. The dismal talk of the night before, Peter's fall from political grace, the damp cold, the breakfast of tepid barley mush and cold tea—all were forgotten. For the moment, their consciousnesses were reduced to the lowest common denominator of scientists everywhere—overwhelming curiosity, blind and deaf to everything but the facts that could satisfy it.

Some sort of catastrophe had apparently caught the big, pincerless ants in their life routine, leaving them to be locked in rock just as they were until Borgorov's diggers broke into their tomb millions of years later. Josef and Peter now stared incredulously at evidence that ants had once lived as individuals—individuals with a culture to rival that of the cocky new masters of Earth, men.

"Any luck?" asked Peter.

"I've found several more of our handsome, big ants," replied Josef. "They don't seem to be very sociable. They're always by themselves. The largest group is three. Have you broken any rocks open?"

"No, I've just been examining the surfaces." Peter rolled over a rock the size of a good watermelon, and scanned its underside with his magnifying glass. "Well, wait, here's something, maybe." He ran his finger over a dome-shaped projection of a hue slightly different than that of the stone. He tapped around it gently with a hammer, painstakingly jarring chips loose. The whole dome emerged at last, bigger than his fist, free and clean—windows, doors, chimney, and all. "Josef," said Peter. His voice cracked several times before he could finish the sentence. "Josef—they lived in houses." He stood, with the rock cradled in his arms, an unconscious act of reverence.

Josef now peered over Peter's shoulder, breathing down his neck. "A lovely house."

"Better than ours," said Peter.

"Peter!" warned Josef. He looked around apprehensively.

The hideous present burst upon Peter again. His arms went limp with renewed anxiety and disgust. The rock crashed down on the others. The dome-shaped house, its interior solid with limestone deposits, shattered into a dozen wedges.

Again the brothers' irresistible curiosities took command. They sank to their knees to pick over the fragments. The more durable contents of the house had been locked in rock for eons, only now to meet air and sunlight. The perishable furnishings had left their impressions.

"Books—dozens of them," said Peter, turning a fragment this way and that to count the now-familiar rectangular specks.

"And here's a painting. I swear it is!" cried Josef.

"They'd discovered the wheel! Look at this wagon, Josef!" A fit of triumphant laughing burst from Peter. "Josef," he gasped, "do you realize that we have made the most sensational discovery in history? Ants once had a culture as rich and brilliant as ours. Music! Painting! Literature! Think of it!"

"And lived in houses—aboveground, with plenty of room, and lots of air and sunshine," said Josef raptly. "And they had fire and cooked. What could this be but a stove?"

"Millions of years before the first man—before the first gorilla, chimp, or orangutan, or even the first monkey, Josef—the ants had everything, _everything."_ Peter stared ecstatically into the distance, shrinking in his imagination down to the size of a finger joint and living a full, rich life in a stately pleasure dome all his own.

It was high noon when Peter and Josef had completed a cursory examination of the rocks in box number one. In all, they found fifty-three of the houses, each different—some large, some small, varying from domes to cubes, each one a work of individuality and imagination. The houses seemed to have been spaced far apart, and rarely were they occupied by more than a male and a female and young.

Josef grinned foolishly, incredulously. "Peter, are we drunk or crazy?" He sat in silence, smoking a cigarette and periodically shaking his head. "Do you realize it's lunchtime? It seems as though we've been here about ten minutes. Hungry?"

Peter shook his head impatiently, and began digging through the second box—fossils from the next layer up, eager to solve the puzzle of how the magnificent ant civilization had declined to the dismal, instinctive ant way of life of the present.

"Here's a piece of luck, Josef—ten ants so close together I can cover them with my thumb." Peter picked up rock after rock, and, wherever he found one ant, he found at least a half dozen close by. "They're starting to get gregarious."

"Any physical changes?"

Peter frowned through his magnifying glass. "Same species, all right. No, now, wait—there _is_ a difference, the pincers are more developed, considerably more developed. They're starting to look like modern workers and soldiers." He handed a rock to Josef.

"Mmmm, no books here," said Josef. "You find any?"

Peter shook his head, and found that he was deeply distressed by the lack of books, searching for them passionately. "They've still got houses, but now they're jammed with people." He cleared his throat. "I mean ants." Suddenly a cry of joy escaped him. "Josef! Here's one without the big pincers, just like the ones in the lower level!" He turned the specimen this way and that in the sunlight. "By himself, Josef. In his house, with his family and books and everything! Some of the ants are differentiating into workers and soldiers—some aren't!"

Josef had been reexamining some of the gatherings of the ants with pincers. "The gregarious ones may not have been interested in books," he announced. "But everywhere that you find them, you find pictures." He frowned perplexedly. "There's a bizarre twist, Peter; the picture lovers evolving away from the book lovers."

"The crowd lovers away from the privacy lovers," said Peter thoughtfully. "Those with big pincers away from those without." To rest his eyes, he let his gaze wander to the toolshed and a weathered poster from which the eyes of Stalin twinkled. Again he let his gaze roam, this time into the distance—to the teeming mouth of the nearest mine shaft, where a portrait of Stalin beamed paternally on all as they shambled in and out; to a cluster of tar-paper barracks below, where a portrait of Stalin stared shrewdly, protected from the weather by glass, at the abominable sanitary facilities.

"Josef," Peter began uncertainly, "I'll bet tomorrow's tobacco ration that those works of art the pincered ants like so well are political posters."

"If so, our wonderful ants are bound for an even higher civilization," said Josef enigmatically. He shook rock dust from his clothing. "Shall we see what is in box number three?"

Peter found himself looking at the third box with fear and loathing. _"You_ look, Josef," he said at last.

Josef shrugged. "All right." He studied the rocks in silence for several minutes. "Well, as you might expect, the pincers are even more pronounced, and—"

"And the gatherings are bigger and more crowded, and there are no books, and the posters are as numerous as the ants!" Peter blurted suddenly.

"You're quite right," said Josef.

"And the wonderful ants without pincers are gone, aren't they, Josef?" said Peter huskily.

"Calm down," said Josef. "You're losing your head over something that happened a thousand thousand years ago—or more." He tugged thoughtfully at his earlobe. "As a matter of fact, the pincerless ants do seem extinct." He raised his eyebrows. "As far as I know, it's without precedent in paleontology. Perhaps those without pincers were susceptible to some sort of disease that those with pincers were immune to. At any rate, they certainly disappeared in a hurry. Natural selection at its ruggedest—survival of the fittest."

"Survival of the somethingest," said Peter balefully.

"No! Wait, Peter. We're both wrong. Here is one of the old type ants. And another and another! It looks like they were beginning to congregate, too. They're all packed together in one house, like matchsticks in a box."

Peter took the rock fragment from him, unwilling to believe what Josef said. The rock had been split by Borgorov's diggers so as to give a clean cross section through the ant-packed house. He chipped away at the rock enclosing the other side of the house. The rock shell fell away. "Oh," he said softly, "I see." His chippings had revealed the doorway of the little building, and guarding it were seven ants with pincers like scythes. "A camp," he said, "a reeducation camp."

Josef blanched at the word, as any good Russian might, but regained his composure after several hard swallows. "What is that starlike object over there?" he said, steering away from the unpleasant subject.

Peter chiseled the chip in which the object was embedded free from the rest of the rock, and held it out for Josef to contemplate. It was a sort of rosette. In the center was a pincerless ant, and the petals looked like warriors and workers with their weapons buried and locked in the flesh of the lone survivor of the ancient race. "There's your quick evolution, Josef." He watched his brother's face intently, yearning for a sign that his brother was sharing his hectic thoughts, his sudden insight into their own lives.

"A great curiosity," said Josef evenly.

Peter looked about himself quickly. Borgorov was struggling up the path from far below. "It's no curiosity, and you know it, Josef," said Peter. "What happened to those ants is happening to us."

"Hush!" said Josef desperately.

"We're the ones without pincers, Josef. We're done. We aren't made to work and fight in huge hordes, to live by instinct and nothing more, perpetuating a dark, damp anthill without the wits even to wonder why!"

They both fell into red-faced silence as Borgorov navigated the last hundred yards. "Come now," said Borgorov, rounding the corner of the toolshed, "our samples couldn't have been as disappointing as all that."

"It's just that we're tired," said Josef, giving his ingratiating grin. "The fossils are so sensational we're stunned."

Peter gently laid the chip with the murdered ant and its attackers embedded in it on the last pile. "We have the most significant samples from each layer arranged in these piles," he said, pointing to the row of rock mounds. He was curious to see what Borgorov's reaction might be. Over Josef's objections, he explained about two kinds of ants evolving within the species, showed him the houses and books and pictures in the lower levels, the crowded gatherings in the upper ones. Then, without offering the slightest interpretation, he gave Borgorov his magnifying glass, and stepped back.

Borgorov strolled up and down the row several times, picking up samples and clucking his tongue. "It couldn't be more graphic, could it?" he said at last.

Peter and Josef shook their heads.

"Obviously," said Borgorov, "what happened was this." He picked up the chip that showed the bas-relief of the pincerless ant's death struggle with countless warriors. "There were these lawless ants, such as the one in the center, capitalists who attacked and exploited the workers—ruthlessly killing, as we can see here, scores at a time." He set down the melancholy exhibit, and picked up the house into which the pincerless ants were crammed. "And here we have a conspiratorial meeting of the lawless ants, plotting against the workers. Fortunately"—and he pointed to the soldier ants outside the door—"their plot was overheard by vigilant workers.

"So," he continued brightly, holding up samples from the next layer, a meeting of the pincered ants and the home of a solitary ant, "the workers held democratic indignation meetings, and drove their oppressors out of their community. The capitalists, overthrown, but with their lives spared by the merciful common people, were soft and spoiled, unable to survive without the masses to slave for them. They could only dillydally with the arts. Hence, put on their own mettle, they soon became extinct." He folded his arms with an air of finality and satisfaction.

"But the order was just the reverse," objected Peter. "The ant civilization was wrecked when some of the ants started growing pincers and going around in mobs. You can't argue with geology."

"Then an inversion has taken place in the limestone layer—some kind of upheaval turned it upside down. Obviously." Borzorov sounded like sheathed ice. "We have the most conclusive evidence of all—the evidence of logic. The sequence could only have been as I described it. Hence, there _was_ an inversion. Isn't that so?" he said, looking pointedly at Josef.

"Exactly, an inversion," said Josef.

"Isn't that so?" Borgorov wheeled to face Peter.

Peter exhaled explosively, slouched in an attitude of utter resignation. "Obviously, Comrade." Then he smiled, apologetically. "Obviously, Comrade," he repeated...

# Epilogue

"Good Lord, but it's cold!" said Peter, letting go of his end of the saw and turning his back to the Siberian wind.

"To work! To work!" shouted a guard, so muffled against the cold as to look like a bundle of laundry with a submachine gun sticking out of it.

"Oh, it could be worse, much worse," said Josef, holding the other end of the saw. He rubbed his frosted eyebrows against his sleeve.

"I'm sorry you're here, too, Josef," said Peter sadly. "I'm the one who raised his voice to Borgorov." He blew on his hands. "I guess that's why we're here."

"Oh, that's all right," sighed Josef. "One stops thinking about such things. One stops thinking. It's the only way. If we didn't belong here, we wouldn't be here."

Peter fingered a limestone chip in his pocket. Embedded in it was the last of the pincerless ants, ringed by his murderers. It was the only fossil from Borgorov's hole that remained above the surface of the earth. Borgorov had made the brothers write a report on the ants as he saw them, had had every last fossil shoveled back into the bottomless cavity, and had shipped Josef and Peter to Siberia. It was a thorough piece of work, not likely to be criticized.

Josef had pushed aside a pile of brush, and was now staring with fascination at the bared patch of earth. An ant emerged furtively from a hole, carrying an egg. It ran around in crazy circles, then scurried back into the darkness of the tiny earth womb. "A marvelous adjustment ants have made, isn't it, Peter?" said Josef enviously. "The good life—efficient, uncomplicated. Instinct makes all the decisions." He sneezed. "When I die, I think I'd like to be reincarnated as an ant. A modern ant, not a capitalist ant," he added quickly.

"What makes you so sure you aren't one?" said Peter.

Josef shrugged off the jibe. "Men could learn a lot from ants, Peter, my boy."

"They have, Josef, they have," said Peter wearily. "More than they know."
KURT VONNEGUT was a master of contemporary American literature. His black humor, satiric voice, and incomparable imagination first captured America's attention in _The Sirens of Titan_ in 1959 and established him, in the words of _The New York Times_ , as "a true artist" with the publication of _Cat's Cradle_ in 1963. He was, as Graham Greene declared, "one of the best living American writers." Mr. Vonnegut passed away in April 2007.

SIDNEY OFFIT has written two novels, two memoirs, and ten books for young readers. He was a senior editor of _Intellectual Digest_ and a book editor of _Politics Today_ , and for three decades he has served on the boards of the Authors Guild and PEN American Center. Currently, Mr. Offit is the curator emeritus of the George Polk Awards in Journalism. He lives in New York City with his wife, Avodah.
Early, unpublished short stories by America's
"unimitative and inimitable social satirist"*
Kurt Vonnegut

**LOOK AT THE BIRDIE
UNPUBLISHED SHORT FICTION**

Available in hardcover and eBook editions
October 20, 2009

Frequently startlingly perceptive, at points ruefully sinister, always vintage Vonnegut, the fourteen never-before-published short stories featured in _Look at the Birdie_ date from the years before this American master began his ascent to international stardom and provide an unparalleled look into the early mind of the man who would go on to change the literary landscape forever.

* _Harper's_

#

CLASSIC VONNEGUT
AVAILABLE NOW FROM
THE RANDOM HOUSE PUBLISHING GROUP

_A Man Without a Country_
 _Bluebeard_
 _Breakfast of Champions_
 _Cat's Cradle_
 _Deadeye Dick_
 _Galápagos_
 _God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater_
 _Jailbird_
 _Mother Night_
 _Palm Sunday_
 _Player Piano_
 _The Sirens of Titan_
 _Slapstick_
 _Slaughterhouse-Five_
 _Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons_
 _Welcome to the Monkey House_
_The Petrified Ants_ is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2009 by The Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Trust
Foreword © 2009 by Sidney Offit

All rights reserved.

Published in the United States by Delacorte Press, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.

DELACORTE PRESS is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc., and the colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.

The story "The Petrified Ants" will appear in _Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction_ by Kurt Vonnegut, forthcoming from Delacorte Press.

eISBN: 978-0-440-33939-7

_Good News_ , copyright © 1994 Kurt Vonnegut/Origami Express, LLC

www.vonnegut.com

www.bantamdell.com

v3.0

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaBook


Scroll down to view some brilliant bargains for handmade christmas cards from our selection of UK shops in UnCategorised and Gifts including these related brands: NYOKI HANDMADE LONDON, QUIRKLES, ENGLISH STAMP, AURA QUE, LUCY SHEERAN.
To enhance your handmade christmas cards results you can use the list of Refined Categories on the right, or even by changing your criteria in the search interface at the top. Once you have used all the options for your UnCategorised search, you should find the best deal.


text:
Muzaffarnagar riots: BJP and Samajwadi Party play blame game
Two years after the UP riots, many victims are still in camps. But 'instigators' are busy playing petty politics.
editorials Updated: Sep 25, 2015 09:06 IST
Security personnel keep vigil in the violence-hit areas of Muzaffarnagar. ((HT file photo))
The inquiry panel that the Uttar Pradesh government had set up after a string of riots singed the state in 2013, starting with Muzaffarnagar, submitted its report on Wednesday, and the reaction of the two political parties mentioned in it — the ruling Samajwadi Party and the BJP, which is eyeing to win in the next assembly elections — has been on expected lines.
Both parties have junked the report and accused each other of starting the riots. But according to the report submitted by the retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, Vishnu Sahai, both parties are to be blamed for the violence. The same holds true for senior police officials and administrative officers — the steel frame the public often falls back on for their safety and security — for not taking timely action.
The riots left about 60 dead and over 40,000 homeless. Uttar Pradesh governor Ram Naik is expected to send the report to chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who will then decide on its fate. The detailed 775-page report has recorded the accounts of 487 people.
The state government had also formed a special investigating team (SIT) in 2013, and in the last two years, a total of 567 cases related to the riots had been lodged. The SIT has already submitted its investigation report in all the cases barring nine. By all accounts, the material in Justice Sahai's report, which is yet to be made public, will be explosive and politically damaging for both parties and there is little hope that it will ever be made public.
But by not doing so — and it is not difficult to understand why — the government would do a great disservice to the people and also keep the gates open for such conflagrations in the future.
The victims of the riots, mostly Muslims, are already agitated about the state of affairs: According to a report in HT on September 21, rape victims are struggling to get justice, and several thousands are still homeless. Scared of being attacked again, they are refusing to return to their villages.
Uttar Pradesh remains communally sensitive while politicians are busy settling scores, and saving their skin.
more from editorials


text:
Centres & Teams
How to watch a swim meet
The following is a brief summary of competitive swimming strokes.
The Racing Course
The length of a long course racing pool is 50 metres. The pool has eight lanes and each lane is 2.5 metres wide. The water temperature must be kept at 26 degrees Celsius.
There are normally 13 individual events and three relays for men and women in a swim meet.
Freestyle Events
In the freestyle, the competitor may swim any stroke he or she wishes. The usual stroke used is the front crawl. This stroke is characterized by the alternate overhand motion of the arms. The freestyle is swum over 50, 100, 200, 400, 800 and 1500 metre distances.
Backstroke Events
In the backstroke, the swimmer must stay on his or her back at all times. The stroke is an alternating motion of the arms. At each turn a swimmer must touch the wall with some part of the body.
Swimmers must surface within 15 metres after the start and each turn. Backstroke race distances are 100 and 200 metres.
Breaststroke Events
Perhaps one of the most difficult strokes to master, the breaststroke requires simultaneous movements of the arms on the same horizontal plane. The hands are pushed forward from the breast on or under the surface of the water and brought backward in the propulsive stage of the stroke simultaneously.
The kick is a simultaneous thrust of the legs called a frog or breaststroke kick. No flutter or dolphin kicking is allowed. At each turn a swimmer must touch with both hands at the same time. Breaststroke races are distances of 100 and 200 metres.
Butterfly Events
The most physically demanding stroke, the butterfly features the simultaneous overhead stroke of the arms combined with the dolphin kick. The dolphin kick features both legs moving up and down together. No flutter kicking is allowed.
The butterfly was born in the early 1950s due to a loophole in the breaststroke rules and became an Olympic event in Melbourne, Australia in 1965. Butterfly races are swum in 100 and 200 metre distances.
Individual Medley
The individual medley, commonly referred to as the I.M., features all four competitive strokes. In the I.M., a swimmer begins with the butterfly, changes to the backstroke after one-fourth of the race, then the breaststroke for another quarter and finally finishes with the freestyle. The I.M. is swum in 200 and 400 metre distances.
Medley Relay
In the medley relay all four strokes are swum by four different swimmers. No swimmer may swim more than one leg of the relay, which is swum in backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle order. The medley relay is 400 metres -or four by 100 metres.
Starts and Turns
Many races are won or lost in starts and turns. In the start, the swimmer is called to the starting position by the starter who visually checks that all swimmers are still. Then, once the starter is satisfied, the race is started by either a gun or electronic tone.
Quick turns are essential to a good race. In all events the swimmer must touch the wall, but in the freestyle and backstroke the swimmer may somersault as he or she reaches the wall, touching only with the feet. In the other two competitive strokes, the swimmer must touch the wall with both hands before executing the turn.
The sprint races (50 and 100 metres) are an all-out burst of speed from start to finish. The slightest mistake can cost precious hundredths of seconds -and the race.
The 200 metre events require the swimmer to have a sense of pace as well as the ability to swim in a controlled speed.
The 400, 800 and 1500 metre freestyle require the swimmer to constantly be aware of where they are in the water and how tired they are becoming. Swimming the first portion of the race at too fast of a pace can sap a swimmers strength and cause a poor finish. Swimming the first portion of the race too slowly can separate the swimmer from the pack and make catching up impossible.
There are two ways to swim a distance race. Swimmers may elect to swim the race evenly (holding the same pace throughout the race) or they may negative split the race. A negative split occurs when the swimmer covers the second half of a race faster than the first half.
Teams, Selection & Policies
"On Track Times"
Athlete Assistance Program Criteria
Development Teams Selection Criteria
National Development Team Information
National Preliminary Meet Information
National Team Planner 2019 to 2027
National Time Standards 2019-2020
NDTP ID Teams
Para-swimming Teams Selection Criteria
Senior National Team Protocols
Senior Teams Selection Criteria
What is Para-swimming?
Para-swimming Information
Canadian Para-swimming Records
Para-swimming Selection Policies
Para-swimming Athlete Assistance Program Criteria (AAP)
Para-swimming AAP Approved Cards
Para-swimming Select Coaches Group
Points Calculator Para-Swimming
World Para-swimming Rankings
Dr. Jeno Tihanyi Memorial Bursary
Past National Teams
Past Para-swimming National Teams
Swim News Archive
Victor Davis Memorial Fund & Awards
Long Term Athlete Development
Select Coaches Group
Certification & Clinics
OCRC
Officiating Videos
Rules and Forms
Officials Bulletin
Swimming Canada Overview
RBC Who's Next Challenge
Swim-a-Thon Online
Governance- Terms of reference
Swimming Canada Policies
Swimming Canada © 2020
Data provided by SwimRankings.net
Developed by Locomotive.ca


text:
var async = require('async');
var mongoose = require('mongoose');
var User = require('../src/server/models/user').model;
var Level = require('../src/server/models/level').model;
var config = require('../src/server/lib/config');
var fs = require('fs');
var path = require('path');

mongoose.connect(config.mongo.url);

var email = 'tatsunami.qrostar@gmail.com';

function createLevels(user, callback) {
  var author = user.id.toString();
  var dir = path.join('tools', 'levels');
  fs.readdir(dir, function(err, levels) {
    if (err) {
      return callback(err);
    }
    var levelNames = {};
    async.forEachSeries(levels, function(level, asyncCallback) {
      var levelData = JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(path.join(dir, level)));

      if (levelNames.hasOwnProperty(levelData.name)) {
        throw new Error('Duplicate level: ' + levelData.name);
      }
      levelNames[levelData.name] = true;

      var moves = levelData.solution.length;
      levelData.author = author;
      if (levelData.layout.length !== 30) {
        throw new Error('Bad level: ' + levelData.name);
      }
      levelData.layout.forEach(function(row) {
        if (row.length !== 42) {
          throw new Error('Bad level: ' + levelData.name);
        }
      });
      levelData.layout = JSON.stringify(levelData.layout);
      levelData.solution = JSON.stringify(levelData.solution);
      levelData.moves = moves;

      Level.findOne({
        author: author,
        name: levelData.name
      }, function(err, level) {
        if (err) {
          return asyncCallback(err);
        }
        if (!level) {
          level = new Level({
            moves: 0,
            solution: JSON.stringify([])
          });
        }
        if ((levelData.moves === 0) || ((level.moves > 0) && (level.moves < levelData.moves))) {
          delete levelData.solution;
          delete levelData.moves;
        }
        for (var key in levelData) {
          if (levelData.hasOwnProperty(key)) {
            level[key] = levelData[key];
          }
        }
        level.save(asyncCallback);
      });
    }, callback);

  });
}

function createUser(callback) {
  User.findOne({
    email: email
  }, function(err, user) {
    if (err || user) {
      return callback(err, user);
    }
    user = new User({
      email: email
    });
    user.save(function(err) {
      callback(err, user);
    });
  });
}

createUser(function(err, user) {
  if (err) {
    throw err;
  }
  createLevels(user, function(err) {
    if (err) {
      throw err;
    }
    process.exit(0);
  });
});

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Coast Mountains School District 82 released highlights from a self-report questionnaire of students in various grades. (Ben Bogstie/Terrace Standard)
Northwest B.C. public school students report lack of well-being: Survey
Grade 8 students lag behind average well-being for B.C. school districts
Michael Bramadat-Willcock
Coast Mountain School District 82 (SD82) in northwest B.C. will need to pay extra attention to Grade 9 students next year after a recent survey shed light on well-being issues according to outgoing superintendent Janet Meyer.
"It seems we have fewer kids thriving than the rest of the province and more kids on the low end," Meyer said. "Those are some things that the school district's educators need to discuss."
Sixty-four per cent of Grade 8 students at coast mountain reported 'low well-being' and only 17 per cent are 'thriving' according to highlights from a Middle Year Development Instrument (MDI) study.
Of grade 8 students across B.C., half reported low well-being while almost one quarter were thriving.
The study used a self-report questionnaire asking children about their thoughts, feelings and experiences in school and the community.
In her last superintendent's report of the year, Meyer highlighted the well-being index – which measures optimism, happiness, self-esteem, absence of sadness and general health.
Well-being index for Grade 8. (SD82 superintendent report June 15, 2022)
The assets index measures the number of children reporting the presence of relationships with adults and peers, after-school activities, nutrition and sleep. Only 39 per cent of students who finished Grade 8 at coast mountain schools reported getting enough nutrition and sleep to be considered an asset. That's a full 10 points below the B.C. average.
"I'm very concerned about this year's Grade 8s, and as they move into Grade 9 we need to be aware of this information about how they're feeling, and their behaviours and see if we can't intervene to make improvements for them," Mayer told Black Press Media in an interview.
"I think conversations need to be had with Grade 9s next year about healthy living, which would encompass nutrition and sleep, like specific targeted conversations and lessons around well-being and specifically that of eating and sleeping habits."
She said nutrition is also a concern for Grade 6 students going into Grade 7. Half of Grade 6 students reported getting enough nutrition and sleep. Half of students reported low well-being, with a quarter of them thriving. That's 9 percentage points lower well-being than the average across B.C.
Meyer said while Grade 5 students are doing "quite well" they still need to be supported as they move into Grade 6. Almost one third of Grade 5 students are thriving, which is comparable to other districts.
"Sleep and nutrition is still the lowest one for Grade 5. So that's a consistent theme across the district in our middle years."
Meyer said there isn't enough data to determine specific causes for the low Grade 8 numbers. Since this is the first time SD82 has used the MDI they can't compare to previous years.
"I can't tell you how much the pandemic has impacted this because I can't track these Grade 8s, who were in Grade 7 last year, because we didn't do it last year," Meyer said. "So my answer to you would be to ask that question in a year."
She said the long-term value of these studies is to be able to monitor groups of students as they progress through the grades.
"I don't have the data to compare it to from last year. But next year at this time they will. This is not a free service from where we get it. It's not cheap and we wanted to try it one year," Meyer said.
"I'm very impressed with the information that it's given us about students in Coast Mountain School District, and it would be my recommendation that it continues and expands into Grade 7."
Mayer said the MDI is especially useful when compared with information from the Student Learning Survey that includes other questions in the area of wellness. She said the outlook is better for next year.
Do you have a comment about this story? email:
michael.willcock@terracestandard.com
Health and wellnessSchool DistrictSchools
Police vehicle crashes in Abbotsford on way to shots-fired call
Feds deliver $870M of promised $5B disaster recovery fund to B.C.