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Берик Айдарбекович Бекжанов (род. 18 июля 1967, Чимкент, Казахская ССР, СССР) — казахстанский политический и общественный деятель. Депутат Мажилиса Парламента Республики Казахстан (2007—2011), с 01.2021 года.

Биография
Родился в городе Шымкент.

Окончил Казахский государственный университет им. С. М. Кирова в 1992 году по специальности «юрист».

Депутат Мажилиса Парламента Республики Казахстан IV созыва (2007—2011). Депутат Мажилиса Парламента Республики Казахстан VII созыва (с 12.01.2021). Член Комитета по законодательству и судебно-правовой реформе Мажилиса Парламента Республики Казахстан.

Трудовая деятельность
· Слесарь АТП, бетонщик СМУ (1983);

· Стажер прокуратуры Алгабасского, Бугунского районов, помощник прокурора, следователь прокуратуры Ордабасынского района (1992—1996);

· Следователь отдела ГСК по Ордабасынскому району (1996);

· Главный специалист Южно-Казахстанского областного суда (1996—1999);

· Судья Сузакского райсуда (1999);

· Судья Абайского судебного участка Шымкентского городского суда (1999—2001);

· Судья суда № 2 города Шымкента (2001—2003);

· Председатель Туркестанского городского суда (2003—2005);

· Администратор судов Южно-Казахстанской области (2005—2007);

· Советник Председателя Агентства Республики Казахстан по делам государственной службы (02.2012-03.2012);

· Заместитель директора Департамента правового обеспечения Агентства Республики Казахстан по делам государственной службы (03.2012-07.2012);

· Заместитель заведующего отдела правового обеспечения Агентства Республики Казахстан по делам государственной службы (07.2012-03.2013);

· Руководитель — Председатель Дисциплинарного Совета Департамента Агентства Республики Казахстан по делам государственной службы по Южно-Казахстанской области (03.2013-18.11.2015);

· Заместитель руководителя департамента — Председатель Дисциплинарного Совета Департамента Агентства Республики Казахстан по делам государственной службы и противодействию коррупции по Южно-Казахстанской области (11.2015-14.01.2016);

· Руководитель Департамента Министерства по делам государственной службы Республики Казахстан по Южно-Казахстанской области, Председатель совета по этике (14.01.2016-10.2016);

· Руководитель, председатель Совета по этики Департамента Агентства Республики Казахстан по делам государственной службы и противодействию коррупции по Костанайской области (10.2016-05.2018);

· Руководитель Профсоюзного центра Туркестанской области и г. Шымкент (2018-01.2021)

Выборные должности, депутатство
• Кандидат в депутаты Мажилиса Парламента Республики Казахстан IV созыва по партийному списку Народно-Демократической партии «Нур Отан» (12.07.2007).

• Депутат Мажилиса Парламента Республики Казахстан IV созыва, Член комитета по законодательству и судебно-правовой реформе (27.08.2007-16.11.2011);

• Кандидат в депутаты Мажилиса Парламента Республики Казахстан VII созыва от Общественного объединения "Партия «Nur Otan» (с 04.12.2020),

• Депутат Мажилиса Парламента Республики Казахстан VII созыва (с 14.01.2021), Член комитета по законодательству и судебно-правовой реформе.

Партийная принадлежность
• Член политсовета НДП «Нур Отан».

Член партии Нур Отан, член фракции партии «Нур Отан».

Награды
• Орден «Парасат», «Құрмет» (2010);

• Медали: «Қазақстан Конституциясына 10 жыл», «10 жыл Астана», «Қазақстан Республикасының тәуелсіздігіне 20 жыл», «Қазақстан Конституциясына 20 жыл», «Қазақстан Республикасының тәуелсіздігіне 25 жыл», «Астана 20 жыл», «Қазақстан Конституциясына 25 жыл».

Примечания

Ссылки
 https://kapital.kz/amp/gosudarstvo/92650/tsik-zaregistriroval-izbrannykh-deputatov-mazhilisa.html
 https://nomad.su/?a=3-200708280238

Выпускники Казахского национального университета имени аль-Фараби
Депутаты Мажилиса Парламента Казахстана VII созыва

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


In 1924, he was already a well-known provincial actor and entered the Moscow Theater of the Revolution (now Mayakovsky Theatre). Millyar acted in many performances. But in 1941 he left the theater. Georgy met Alexander Rou, master of children's cinema. Director-storyteller and Millyar became friends and their friendship lasted more than three decades.
Their first film was By Pike, about Emelya the Fool, princess Nesmeyana and Pike, speaking in a human voice, and other miracles. In this film Millyar played the role of Tsar Pea, and the viewers saw absurd, evil fool, dressed in his tsar robes.
Millyar's unique voice suited for playing the roles of fabulous villains, primarily Baba Yaga, Koschei the Deathless, Marine Monsters, etc. To tell the truth, Millyar became the most fabulous of all the artists on the planet.
In 16 films directed by Rou the actor had played about 30 roles. Millyar jokingly said that he was the official representative of the evil forces in the cinema.
You know, Georgy played more than thirty big roles, took part in dubbing of seventy films and voiced hundred cartoons.
Actually, Millyar's wife became his neighbor Maria. He was 65 years old, and she was 60. The woman was very surprised: "Georgy Franzevich! I do not need a man!" Millyar joked: "I'm not a man. I am Baba Yaga".
Georgy Franzevich lived a long happy life. Yes, happy, despite the fact that for a long time he lived in a communal apartment and got his own flat only at the age of 80, despite the fact that he didn't save money to buy neither the cottage nor the car, despite the fact that he officially became People's Artist only at the age of 85. But the actor was surrounded by a huge love of people.
Shortly before his death, he wrote, "appeared at the beginning of the century and will leave at the end of it …" Millyar died on June 4, 1993 and was buried in Moscow.
In 2003 a documentary movie about Georgy was filmed – Millyar: In Fairy Tale And In Life.


'Penone Versailles 2013' is a high-concept exhibition that has opened at the breathtaking Palace of Versailles. Conceived for the warm and highly-trafficked summer months, this exhibit showcases the vision of the Italian sculptor Giuseppe Penone.
Penone created the pieces for this exhibition with goal of using the space of the gardens of Versailles in new and creative ways. To achieve this goal, Penone added to the existing sculptures as well as making entirely new ones. With Penone's vision in place, the gardens of Versailles are now more futuristic and incorporate a variety of different artistic materials.
For example, the artist has chosen to use wood, bronze, marble, stone and water to challenge visitors as they stroll through the paths of the gardens. Penone even uses trees that have been mangled by storms in order to give new life to something that was considered dead. In this way, he invites the spectator to reflect upon the both the power and the fragility of nature.
Approximately 20 sculptures have been installed throughout the gardens, and visitors can see them by taking an excursion from Paris to the Palace of Versailles, which is located in the nearby city of Versailles.


(ShareCast News) - In the Sunday Times' 'Inside the City' column this week, Aimee Donnellan focussed on embattled shopping centre owner Hammerson, whose shares had been out of favour for "some time" as investors watched the decline of malls globally - particularly across the pond.
She questioned whether the sell-off had gone too far, however, noting that Friday's closing price of 513.2p - a decline of 8% since the start of the year - represented trade at nine times earnings.
Hammerson's £4bn market cap also represented a discount of around 35% to the net asset value of its portfolio, which does include some prime locations including north London's Brent Cross and the Bullring in Birmingham.
The FTSE 100 stalwart also held a 46% share in lucrative outlet centres through a joint venture with Value Retail, which included the ever-popular destination for tourist shoppers, Bicester Village in Oxfordshire, and Dundrum near Dublin.
It had managed to secure record high lettings on its portfolio in the first half with a million square feet across 228 leases, Donnellan pointed out, adding that chief executive David Atkins was expected to deliver dividends in the 6%-8% range next year.
"Although many retailers are trimming their shop chains, they are gravitating towards bigger, destination centres," Aimee Donnellan quipped.
"Those sites belonging to Hammerson typically fit that bill."
It wasn't all plain sailing ahead, however, with concerns floating around the effect of Brexit, the continued boom in online shopping, and a campaign led by the Bank of England to reduce reliance on consumer debt.
Hammerson was also having to spend time and cash to ensure its estate remained appealing to consumers, giving up more retail space to leisure-focused tenants, including bowling alleys, cinemas and restaurants.
Still, the slump in the share price and its valuation was overcooked, Donnellan claimed, highlighting that the company's exposure to EU countries - in particular, France and Ireland - giving it a buffer to Brexit.
It was also keeping on top of its finance, carefully refinancing its more expensive loans, having secured a £360m line-of-credit in April with a group of 14 banks.
That move, Donnellan said, slashed its interest payments by 40%, and it followed a similar £420m credit deal struck in 2016.
"Maintaining prime sites such as Bicester, along with careful debt management, should shield Hammerson from any lumps and bumps in the economy," Donnellan concluded.
Over in the Mail on Sunday, Joanne Hart gave her attention in 'Midas' to beauty and cosmetics manufacturer and supplier Swallowfield, saying its current share price of 337.5p should make "strong progress" over the next few years.
It's a firm with a long history, having started as a high street chemist in 1876 and growing to become a supplier to some of the most well-known beauty brands, although it struggled through the financial crisis last decade when its management team was faced with serious pressure to cut costs.
That led to the resignation of its chairman and chief executive in 2013, followed by the hiring or Brendan Hynes from Nichols and Chris How - a Colgate-Palmolive and PZ Cussons veteran - into those roles, respectively.
Between them, Hart said Hynes and How focussed on the company's strongest areas - aerosols, cosmetic pencils and "hot pour" products, which include lipstick and roll-on deodorant.
Those three product areas are complex in their manufacture, which leads to "more resilient" profit margins, with customers less likely to shop around given the difficulty for competitors to move in the market.
At the same time, the AIM-traded firm started developing its own brands, as well as buying a number of already-successful UK-focussed marques, leading to it to now look overseas for expansion opportunities.
There was already a significant opportunity to move in France, according to Hart, where women traditionally would not dream of using non-native beauty products, while millennials saw British products as somewhat "hip" as they looked beyond the Parisian cosmetics houses.
Last month, Swallowfield reported that its pre-tax profits had more than doubled to £3.6m from £1.6m, and increased its dividend by 68% to 5.2p.
The professionals were keen on the number too, with Hart reporting that brokers were picking profit of £5.1m next year, with the dividend set to improve 19%.
One of its big British brand acquisitions was of the group Brand Architekts, which was financed in part by a share issue, bringing in a number of what Hart called "impressive" shareholders - including the now 11% chunk held by George Soros.
She said Soros and other big names were attracted by the growth prospects of Swallowfield, with the company maintaining strong relationships with global brands in a bid to increase sales with them and lure other customers.
On its own-brand side, Hart noted that the company was well-positioned to benefit from a number of trends, including increasing consumer concerns about the provenance and sustainability of their products, as well as trends towards smaller and "quirkier" brands.
"Swallowfield shares have done well since Hynes and How took the helm but, at 337.5p, there's still lots of potential and Soros's presence on the share register is reassuring," Hart concluded.


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Keyword research is basically procedure of finding which keyword phase's public are using to search for the service or product you are offering. This process also includes finding which keywords are most suitable with your website. There is a huge difference between optimizing a website for keywords that are presently binging traffic to your website and optimizing for keywords that are most relevant to your website. The procedure of keyword analyze is quite complex. It requires multiple tools in order to provide quality keyword data and phase depending upon their popularity. Analyzing keyword research should be the primary element for anyone who is interested in SEO for their website. There are no guarantees that we will conduct effective keyword research. You must be wondering what we will do? Our first step includes analyzing the theme and growth of customer's business. We start with reviewing customer's existing website to understand better the customer's services and product. Secondly, we start with discovering new keywords. We come up with new keywords based on synonyms, related terms and phrases. Next step is evaluating the list of popular keywords. Using SEO tools and related data, we come across the strength of the popular keywords. Lastly, we prepare a final list of the keywords. We sort out the list of keywords based on their relevance, customer's specifications and important data which is relating to these words.
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text:
BUV737 Mouse Anti-Human CD1c
Clone F10/21A3 (RUO)
Alternative Name CD1; R7; M241; BDCA1
Immunogen GM-CSF- and IL-4-activated Human Monocytes
The F10/21A3 monoclonal antibody specifically binds to CD1c. The CD1 family of transmembrane glycoproteins are structurally related to the classical major histocompatibility complex (MHC) proteins. CD1c is a type I transmembrane glycoprotein that forms heterodimers with beta-2-microglobulin. CD1c presents lipids and glycolipids of self or microbial origin to T cells. CD1c is expressed by Langerhans cells, dendritic cells, monocytes, cortical thymocytes, T cells, and some B cells.
The antibody was conjugated to BD Horizon™ BUV737 which is part of the BD Horizon Brilliant™ Ultraviolet family of dyes. This dye is a tandem fluorochrome of BD Horizon BUV395 with an Ex Max of 348-nm and an acceptor dye with an Em Max at 737-nm. BD Horizon Brilliant BUV737 can be excited by the ultraviolet laser (355 nm) and detected with a 740/35 filter. Due to the excitation of the acceptor dye by other laser lines, there may be significant spillover into channels detecting Alexa Fluor® 700-like dyes (eg, 712/20-nm filter).
Due to spectral differences between labeled cells and beads, using BD™ CompBeads can result in incorrect spillover values when used with BD Horizon BUV737 reagents. Therefore, the use of BD CompBeads or BD CompBeads Plus to determine spillover values for these reagents is not recommended. Different BUV737 reagents (eg, CD4 vs. CD45) can have slightly different fluorescence spillover therefore, it may also be necessary to use clone specific compensation controls when using these reagents.
BUV737 is a tandem fluorochrome that combines BD Horizon BUV395 and an acceptor dye with an Em Max at 737 nm. Due to the excitation of the acceptor dye by other laser lines, there may be significant spillover in to channels detecting Alexa Fluor® 700 like dyes (for example, 712/20-nm filter). BUV737 has been exclusively developed by BD Biosciences for instruments equipped with a 355-nm UV laser.
Delia D, Cattoretti G, Polli N, et al. CD1c but neither CD1a nor CD1b molecules are expressed on normal, activated, and malignant human B cells: identification of a new B-cell subset. Blood. 1988; 72(1):241-247. (Biology: Flow cytometry). View reference
Grant EP, Degano M, Rosat JP, et al. Molecular recognition of lipid antigens by T cell receptors. J Exp Med. 1999; 189(1):195-205. (Clone-specific: Flow cytometry). View reference
Melian A, Geng YJ, Sukhova GK, Libby P, Porcelli SA. CD1 expression in human atherosclerosis. A potential mechanism for T cell activation by foam cells. Am J Pathol. 1999; 155(3):775-786. (Immunogen: Flow cytometry). View reference
Moody DB, Ulrichs T, Mühlecker W, et al. CD1c-mediated T-cell recognition of isoprenoid glycolipids in Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. Nature. 2000; 404(6780):884-888. (Clone-specific: Flow cytometry). View reference

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Microsoft is buying Activision Blizzard: What this means for Xbox and gamers in general
By Jez Corden
Another huge gaming industry moment.
Header Jan18 1 1333x (Image credit: Microsoft Blog)
Microsoft announced plans to pick up ZeniMax and Bethesda in late 2020, in a deal worth $7.5 billion. Now, Microsoft has revealed another major gaming acquisition, worth almost ten times more. For almost $70 billion dollars, Microsoft is acquiring Activision Blizzard, onboarding franchises like Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Candy Crush Saga, Diablo, and many, many more.
The deal is a blockbuster moment in the gaming industry, as companies like Netflix, Disney, PlayStation, Tencent, and many more compete for our free time with subscription services. Microsoft's big subscription service is, of course, Xbox Game Pass, and this deal is no doubt inspired to bolster the content therein.
With the dust settling, there are dozens upon dozens of questions about what this actually means. Here's my take on what Xbox fans can expect, and what fans of games like Call of Duty, Overwatch, and so on, can expect from Microsoft too.
Why is Xbox doing this?
Source: Matt Brown | Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Matt Brown | Windows Central)
Microsoft is on a mission to reach all of the world's 2 billion gamers. If nothing else, this acquisition shows that they are deadly serious about it. Activision is a company built almost entirely around monthly active user engagement, and much like many of Microsoft's main competitors, such as Tencent, this deal is designed wholly around boosting the number of users engaged in its ecosystem.
Activision has declined in recent years (even before you mention the wide-reaching lawsuit into its workplace practices), with Call of Duty selling less, World of Warcraft struggling, and Overwatch 2 nowhere to be seen. Activision has a very poor reputation inside and outside the industry. Their involvement in Blizzard has only accentuated their decline in the public eye, and franchises like Call of Duty have unmistakably started to stagnate. Joining Microsoft, which generally enjoys a high workplace satisfaction rating, should breathe new life into a company that is struggling to reconcile Activision's shareholder greed with the desire to make high-quality games people actually want to play.
Indeed, this is ultimately all about Xbox Game Pass.
Xbox Game Pass potentially gives developers a bit more breathing room. As a platform holder, the dynamic is a bit different for game production. I can see a world where Microsoft would allow a Call of Duty to be delayed for polish reasons, whereas Activision wouldn't, to ensure it hits shareholder goals. As part of Microsoft, whose growth is driven largely by Azure cloud services to business, Xbox is somewhat shielded from the same kind of shareholder scrutiny. This should lead to better experiences for gamers since Microsoft's main goal is to keep Xbox Game Pass subscribers engaged and interested in the service, which recently crossed 25 million paying customers.
Indeed, this is ultimately all about Xbox Game Pass. Being able to include games like Call of Duty, Diablo, Overwatch, and even perks for those games on other platforms, will drive engagement and subscriptions in the service. I suspect we'll see monthly rewards for Call of Duty in Xbox Game Pass, much like we've seen with Halo Infinite. We may even see them for mobile games like Hearthstone and Candy Crush, giving Microsoft ways to deliver value to gamers who aren't traditionally interested in consoles or even PC gaming. This also gives Microsoft a much bigger footprint in mobile in general, which is something they've traditionally struggled to achieve.
Speaking of engagement, what does this mean for exclusivity?
Will Call of Duty, etc. go exclusive to Xbox?
Source: Activision (Image credit: Source: Activision)
While we don't know for certain what Microsoft plans to do, it has hinted that it intends to keep some games exclusive, while others will remain multiplatform, during a call to investors earlier today. If I had to guess, I could foresee single-player games like any potential Sekiro follow-up going exclusive to Xbox, but games like Call of Duty and Overwatch, I feel, are far more likely to remain multiplatform.
Much like Minecraft, Call of Duty is a franchise that is far bigger than any single platform potentially. Removing it from PlayStation is a sure-fire way to generate a mountain of ill will. Call of Duty is also driven by microtransactions, earning itself millions of dollars from the PlayStation platform on a consistent basis. The entire business model of Call of Duty revolves around access, with games on mobile phones, PC, and every platform possible. It's for that reason I highly, highly doubt we'll see Call of Duty yanked from PlayStation on that basis. What I do expect to see is Call of Duty and similar games go straight into Xbox Game Pass at launch, giving Xbox consoles a value proposition that won't exist on PlayStation. I also expect Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers to get special perks in Call of Duty, too, much like the exclusivity deals we've seen hit PlayStation in recent years.
However, I can see franchises like Diablo IV, which are cooperative, PvE-oriented, and less microtransaction driven, potentially go exclusive to Xbox.
Source: Blizzard Entertainment (Image credit: Source: Blizzard Entertainment)
These are games that may benefit Xbox the most driving engagement with Xbox Game Pass and the console ecosystem directly and don't necessarily depend on broad annualized appeal. I also suspect games that currently aren't on console, like World of Warcraft, potentially hit Xbox as exclusives too, especially given the fact PlayStation has Final Fantasy XIV as an exclusive on its platform. While, naturally, these online games would benefit from larger cross-platform audiences, Microsoft may seek to put the Xbox stamp on some games that have no footprint on PlayStation. This will create an association and elevate the Xbox platform's status as a place for high-quality exclusive games.
Ultimately, there's no way to know for sure which games will go exclusive or not. For now, I think it's best to work on the assumption that Call of Duty and Warzone will remain multiplatform for definite, while some of the smaller games could go fully Xbox and Windows exclusive. Either way, all of these games will definitely launch day one into Xbox Game Pass, which is currently exclusive to Xbox consoles, PC, the web, and Android.
Will regulators get mad?
Source: Windows Central (Image credit: Source: Windows Central)
Even with the acquisition, Xbox will still be third on the list for gaming revenue. Sony and Tencent are both far ahead of Microsoft, even with the combined revenues from Activision, Blizzard, and King. It's unlikely that regulators will step in to prevent Microsoft from being "third-placed," even if it seems like on the surface that this gives them a large share of the publisher output. They still don't have the largest gaming platform footprint by a longshot, especially when you factor in Apple's App Store and Google's Android Play Store, which boast truly absurd gaming revenues, which utterly dominate growth rates in the gaming sector.
Journalists and commentators who live inside the console industry bubble may be raising eyebrows, but Microsoft should find it fairly easy to argue that they still remain a fairly smaller part of the overall gaming pie. Regulators would be unlikely to stop Microsoft from competing with Apple and Google at the platform level, and Sony and Tencent at the publisher level, considering all of them remain far larger even after this acquisition. The fact Activision is a company arguably in decline will also help the argument, delivering an exit for shareholders who are probably happy to get rid of Activision from their portfolio, given the lawsuits the company is faced with, and the declining footprint of Call of Duty and World of Warcraft.
In a world where Disney was allowed to acquire basically everything this side of Warner Brothers, anti-trust arguments don't seem to hold any water — but anything can happen between now and 2023 when this deal is expected to close.
The deal isn't fully closed yet
Indeed, Microsoft and Activision expect the deal to finalize somewhere between June 2022 and July 2023, and many things can happen between now and then. Deals of this magnitude will undoubtedly rattle some politicians in the U.S. and EU, especially among those who are seeking to reign in "big tech." Microsoft's avoidance of social media and other more destructive and controversial forms of entertainment could help it here, given how Microsoft positions Xbox as a very sanitized and safe platform, devoid of the typical political discourse we often see across Facebook's services, for example. But indeed, until the deal is fully closed, we won't know for sure.
What I'm personally hoping above all else is that Microsoft can turn Activision around, not just for gamers, but for the employees that work there.
What I'm personally hoping above all else is that Microsoft can turn Activision around, not just for gamers, but for the employees that work there. Activision is notorious for treating its workers like garbage, with large and seemingly arbitrary layoff rounds to pad quarterly figures, unequal pay, and of course, widespread allegations of sexist workplace culture. Microsoft is by no means entirely innocent in this area either, but it seems to be in a far better place than Activision, and will likely move further, faster, to repair the damage and heal the issues Activision has faced in recent years.
We can also only hope this will lead to better games too. Activision has been notorious for shipping half-baked, low-quality titles in recent years. Call of Duty: Vanguard is one of the weakest entries in the series to date, seeing sales declines not seen for Call of Duty in years. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands has also been so ill-received by fans that it drove a mass player exodus to Final Fantasy 14 Realm Reborn, to the point where Square Enix had to shut down sales of the game.
Hopefully, Microsoft can give Activision's developers breathing space to focus on quality over quarterly earnings, like the Blizzard of old. There's a lot of speculation about how all of this may play out, and ultimately, we won't know how Microsoft's culture will impact Activision for years to come. For everybody involved, and gamers, I can only hope it all ends up being positive.
Jez Corden
Co-Managing Editor
Jez Corden a Managing Editor at Windows Central, focusing primarily on all things Xbox and gaming. Jez is known for breaking exclusive news and analysis as relates to the Microsoft ecosystem while being powered by caffeine. Follow on Twitter @JezCorden and listen to his Xbox Two podcast, all about, you guessed it, Xbox!
Excellent review Jez, and one of the few I've seen that isn't from within a bubble of either console or PC. I also noted that Phil got a new title. New for him and new for Microsoft. He is now CEO of Microsoft Gaming. None of the other big bosses at Microsoft, such as Panos at Windows or the Azure team lead have the CEO title. It may mean nothing, but corporations don't usually throw out titles without some thought about it. I suspect that they wanted to make sure everyone knows that Phil reports directly to Satya, which is another indicator of how serious they are about gaming.
Well, organizing gaming as a standalone operation makes it easier to argue there will be no competitive/antitrust issues in gaming because they're not dominant.
Also, it allows them to carry MSGAMING as a wholly owned "independent" company they can (if pressured) spinoff and IPO (keeping a controlling interest).
Could also contribute internal tactical and morale benefits that help with acquisitions: for the executive teams at acquired companies, it's more comfortable to report to the MS CEO of Gaming than being doubly demoted to having your whole team reporting to an EVP. This also shows just how important gaming is to MS, which is also a factor for acquired companies (if you're a game company, would you rather be bought by a company that you know understands gaming or by, say, CVS or Firestone Tires?). These are the subtle factors that contributes a positive perception during acquisition discussions, especially because it's often those senior executives who play a large role in the decision to endorse or fight the acquisition.
Would be great to be able to play World of Warcraft using my gamepass subscription...
I'm here for Diablo 4 on game pass. Also, can someone please resurrect Lost Vikings. My all time favorite Blizzard game as a kid.
Seconded. Isn't it available nowadays?
This helps explain the timing of the third party audit of Microsofts sexual harassment policies
Yes, and the very interesting comments about how Xbox has had to rethink their relationship with Activision. By rethink they meant we can't do business with them any longer unless we own them, I guess.
I wonder if they were trying to put financial pressure on Activision as a negotiating tactic. They may have really meant it: we won't work with Activision like we did in the past, with preferred placement and terms. This would devalue Activision, raise their desperation, and improve Microsoft's hand in acquisition negotiations. And it could also be sincere, regardless of the negotiation outcome. If the acquisition had fallen through, maybe they really wouldn't have kept working like Activision like in the old days (what we call a BATNA in negotiation: the Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement, or more commonly called the "walkaway position"). Just speculation inspired by your comment, CunningPig, but pretty standard fare in corporate M&A.
Yes definitely. There's reports coming out now that Kotick didn't want to sell but felt pressure from shareholders and couldn't find a higher bidder. I'm sure that some of that pressure came from Phil Spencer's comments directed at Activision, which has to hold more weight than all the public outcry. If I've learned anything, it's that Phil Spencer doesn't say anything publicly without a purpose.
These deals don't happen overnight.
When Spencer made those comments, the deal was almost certainly already done; the likeliest reasoning was establishing up front that MS did not condone the behavior at issue but wasn't going to shame them for it. (After all, most of Activision employees are innocent bystanders.)
Then they let that measured statement spread out and sink in before adding, in effect, "we'll fix it." This deal is textbook opportunistic.
Last summer Activision wasn't for sale and a takeover would've cost over $100B.
By last week the stock had lost a third of its market price and MS "kindly" offered pre-scandal money. Activision stockholders were looking at bigger drops to come and s long road back to last summer's valuation. MS offered all cash, in small unmarked bills. Not much choice left.😏 Nadella presents as mild and reasonable and might actually be a kind pe rson in private life but he 's also CEO of a $2T+ company. If anybody doubted it, he can go for the jugular like the fiercest execs.
Very Gates-ian.
My very thought. They're a sneaky bunch. 😆
Also if you look at the MSG leadership under Spencer the top gaming brass checks off all the right diversity ratios. And if you look below the photos thdy even list prefered pronouns.
Microsoft will need to make a ton of concessions for this to happen, but it will be worth it.
What are activision strengths? WOW, Candy Crush, COD.
They overlap with Halo a bit. And that's about it. With no significant overlap, this isn't so much about absorbing a competitor (a horizontal merger) as it is a vertical alignment of a distributor securing content.
Instead of looking at MS as a content creator, the deal presents them as a distributor. And the courts don't see much problem with those. C.f., DISNEY/FOX, ATT/WB, COMCAST/NBCUniversal. Look at it as Gamepass buying content just as Amazon bought MGM.
Gamepass is nowhere near a monopoly distributor.
Neither is MS GAMING as a creator. Don't forget, MS hires good lawyers. 😏
Sony would make CoD exclusive if they did this same move. Just saying.
I'm honestly impressed with the thoughtful insight provided here, Jez. Well done.
wow, Phil meant it when he said they were dealing differently with A/B
BOOM! That is pretty much the big takeaway. After the Stalker 2 delay, ppl where talking about how Xbox was on the ropes for having nothing in early 2022, ROTFLOL! Oh ye of little faith...I'll continue to place my trust in Phil aka God Emperor of Gaming!
Why do I get the feeling of impending doom ... Like Nokia 2.0
My second thought was about the timing: for the next few months it is going to suck all the air out of most gaming conversations. As in, "Spartacus? What is that?" 😆
Jez, this was the single-best write-up I've seen on this. Brilliant piece. Thank you!
The Xbox Series S is now really in a strong position to lead console sales with the strong additions to the Game Pass catalogue. That is if the deal can close this calendar year 🤞. With Sony struggling to get PS5 hardware out to market, Microsoft needs to bulk up all their efforts to secure more console sales. Yes, even before the holiday season.
The deal is projected to close *during* FY23, which ends next March.
The Bethesda deal closed in 9 months and *they* could afford to walk away.
Activision stockholders can't.
Biggdst obstacle are the bureaucrats but they won't find much precedent to object to as the alternati e is dismembering Activision which would *reduce* competition.
(Smaller studios are selling out because development is getting pricier and riskier by the day.) As for Series S, MS will sell as many as they can build. All-access aside, they can alsaus bundle three months of Gamepass with it.
Well Said Jez, well said. Xbox Games Streaming via the Cloud will truly be a showcase of what Azure can do. The obvious caveat applies, it solely depends on the users upload/download speeds too but that's on the internet service providers not Microsoft.
I think you're dead wrong about CoD remaining multiplatform. I would bet seventy billion dollars CoD will be a Microsoft exclusive.
We should all probably get worried about all these game studios being consolidated under a single company. Microsoft is slowly but surely taking control of the gaming market and that will be bad news for everyone.
What about getting consolidated into ten competitive contenders? You do realize a lot of small and midsize studios are *asking* to be taken over? Consolidation isn't about hostile takeovers but about economics: development costs, do or die releases, meeting payroll. As OBSIDIAN's Urquhart said, it gets tiring living contract to contract, figuring out which of many projects to pursue, which good emp!oyees to kedp as temps and which to let go when you'd rather have them fulltime.
The days of coding a game saving in on a floppy and a baggie for mail order sales are long long gone. Gaming is BIG business.
Bigger than Hollywood.
It's evolving into a very different game but remaining as darwinian as ever.
Just remember how activision blizzard came to be, how EA, UBISOFT, TENCENT, Take2, and the rest came to be. Mergers have always been part of the landscape in *all* the content business, from books to comicx to movies to TV to gaming. This deal is big but nothing special once put into context.
If anything, it serves the public good by cleaning out a social mess. 😇
Well said. Spot on. One additional point in this same vein: acquisitions encourage new startups to form, because it tells investors (who fund the startups) that there is a likely exit strategy at the other end. Investors only put money behind an idea if they believe they will make a good profit on the other end. Acquisitions are the number 1 tool by which that happens. So when some star at the acquired company decides he or she doesn't want to be a cog in a big machine, it's that much easier to strike out on their own and start a new one. So indirectly, a hot acquisition market frequently increases innovation and competition at the entrepreneurial end of the market, even if the number of bigger players are shrinking. Some of those smaller players will remain independent and eventually some of those will become big competitors themselves.
After having some time to think about it, this deal seems monumental in the context of Sony Vs Xbox. But in the context of what Phil Spencer kept saying about their competition being Apple, Google, Amazon, it's like that other consideration of whether or not this hurts Sony is miniscule. It's an afterthought, or not even a consideration at all really. This is Microsoft saying "We are moving beyond the competition in the console space. We are now building a media empire to rival Disney, Amazon, Netflix etc etc." There is too much competition in movies/tv for Microsoft to even consider entering that market. It's already oversaturated with everyone wanting their own streaming service anyway. So they are just carving out their stake on the larger gaming market before those other mega corp media/tech companies can move in. If you look at it on that scale, it's another in a long line of giant acquisitions by these already giant corporations. Huge, but nothing special really. It's just a building block for Microsoft to create the essential core gaming platform for generations to come. Like Netflix, Amazon, HBO streaming, or Apple, Google, Tencent mobile gaming.
Exactly. 1000%.
In terms of what it means to the global gaming market it is nothing special.
This isn't a vulture capitalist buying a consortium to sell it off piecemeal (which is tbe real world alternative).
It is business as usual.
So much for 'xbox has no games'. Guest_aotf must have cried in his sleep last night. Same with his bff avatar.
Thing is, XBOX already had a lot of those games.
The big change is control of the back catalog.
But for the fanboys it'll be this: https://mobile.twitter.com/MeAloneInMyMind/status/1483437007221104641
Game Pass will be the best deal going for a while. I'm sure they will pick up more subscribers after this acquisition, they are already at 25M subscribers.
I think Microsoft next big acquisition should be UBISoft or EA. Buying EA would bring Mass Effect back home not to mention filling gaps in sports and shooter games. UBISoft would bring stealth and open world games like Assassins Creed and Splinter Cell.
I doubt they'll buy anybody else outright *in gaminv* any time soon.
But I expect tbey'll be VERY active doing second party deals, like with SEGA. I'm still watching to see what they do in video.
My preference is for them to wait until the WB-Discovery deal is sorted out and then buy out ATT's controlling interest because it gets them Music, Video, *and* IP galore, plus WB Gaming.
Alternately, if they want to cheap out, wait a year for CBSViacom to run out of cash and get them cheap.a One thing that gets overlooked is MS *net* profits are growing 40% a year and 2021 brought in $61B.
They *have* to spend big.
And the only legal choice is to move into new areas.
Hence my expectation they'll go into the capital hungry IP heavy video world.
I agree in part. Nothing on this scale in gaming maybe ever again. They work closely with a few smaller studios I could see them trying to add to Xbox Game Studios. Asobo, Avalanche, Crystal Dynamics, IOI, maybe Moon. But yeah probably nothing until this deal goes through for sure. They don't want to give regulators anything extra to think about until this deal is done.
I agree however I do not think Microsoft wants to leave too much money in reserves with inflation going on. However, on the other hand I think this could be their last big purchase until the deal is closed. WB Gaming would be a big win if they got that which would be awesome.
Activision was in trouble looking for a buyer. I don't believe EA or Ubisoft are in anywhere near a situation.
For context, consider this:
- in calendar 2021 MS netted $61B+
- Nintendo is valued at... $61B (even if it were for sale that is a direct competidor so not an option)
- MS net grew 38% from calendar 2020 to calendar 2021
- If MS net stayed flat and the Activision deal closed in December, they could pay for it solely out of 2022 profits without dipping into their cash stash. If only grow by $35% and buy nobody else they'll have $40B leftover to add to the $130B the had last sept. Not many places left to put the money to work and dropping prices would be deemed predatory.
Giving it away would be a breach of fiduciary duty to stockholders.
If Azure and Gamepass keep growing they'll need to buy something somewhere or go into banking. 😂
Windows Central Podcast #297: Edge Phoenix and the Razer Edge
How to fix second monitor not detected on Windows 10
Skype translation gains two major features in latest update
Ask Windows Central: Could Microsoft KILL Surface after recent layoffs?
Destiny 2 Lightfall prep guide: Bounties, patterns, materials, and more


text:
Q: How to fix my USB? I formated my USB drive on a ubuntu computer, after that my USB wont work on any computer. How can i fix it?. I already tried formating it on a Windows computer and it said that it was unable to do it.

A: Most likely you formatted to a Linux-specific file system (such as ext2, ext3, or ext4) or partition table type, and the Windows systems you're trying to use it on don't have the extension installed to read/write that format.  Try reformatting (after backing up any data on the drive, of course) to FAT32 -- and make sure you create a new MS-DOS type partition table when you do so.  The resulting format should be readable on any DOS/Windows computer since the early 1990s (DOS 6.0 had FAT32, and came out in 1989), and any Linux machine since at least 2010 (likely much earlier -- but I'm not sure when vfat support was added to the Linux kernel).
As a general rule, any storage device you'll want/need to take to multiple systems needs to have an MS-DOS type partition table and FAT16 or FAT32 file system, since FAT is the most universally supported format.
If the USB stick won't write on the Ubuntu machine it was formatted on, it's probably gone to read-only mode due to a damaged file-system; you may still be able to create a new partition table using fdisk manually -- be very careful, as this program has no safety net built in; it will happily erase your system hard disk volume if you choose the wrong device.
If it won't read or write on the machine that formatted it, just replace the stick.  They're cheap enough these days not to spend much time on, and that failure indicates a hardware problem.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
BOC chair delivers State of County address
Lumpkin Campground turning lanes, TSPLOST among next projects
BOC Chairman Billy Thurmond discusses current SPLOST initiatives during his State of Dawson County address at the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce luncheon Oct. 11. - photo by Jessica Taylor
Jessica Taylor Follow @@dawsonnews
jtaylor@dawsonnews.com
Updated: Oct. 15, 2018, 9:50 a.m.
Dawson County Board of Commissioners Chairman Billy Thurmond delivered his State of Dawson County presentation at the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce luncheon Oct. 11, where he discussed the 2019 budget, the upcoming March TSPLOST vote and current projects in the county, including the much-anticipated creation of turn lanes at Lumpkin Campground Road and Hwy. 53.
"One of the big things that a lot of people have been interested in is the county and state joint project…Lumpkin Campground turn lanes," Thurmond said.
Dawson County has been working with the Georgia Department of Transportation to add turn lanes and a signal on Lumpkin Campground Road and Hwy. 53 to help increase the flow of traffic.
"The latter part of this year, first part of next year we hope to get that project completed. It's one we've been talking about for over a year," Thurmond said. "If you have to travel that road and get to sit there for two or three lights to get to turn you understand the need to make this project a reality."
GDOT will provide material while the county will provide labor for the project that is expected to be completed in late 2018 to early 2019, according to Thurmond.
The new turn lanes will help the county prepare for future residential and commercial growth, which was also a big focus of Thurmond's presentation.
Thurmond said Dawson County has seen 177 new businesses come to the area in the first nine months of 2018 and has seen a tremendous increase in residential building permits, more than doubling from 2017.
New developments along Red Rider Road, Lumpkin Campground Road, Dawson Forest Road and Sosebee Road will bring 683 new single family developments. Ongoing projects also include 300 apartments behind Publix and 60 townhomes at Riley Place.
"I don't want to overrun the county with apartments, no one does I believe," Thurmond said. "But… we've got to have a mix of affordable housing as well as the more different homes that we have in this community as well."
Two senior developments are also in the works on Lumpkin Campground Road with the construction of Dawson Ridge, a community of 190 senior homes, and Magnolia Assisted Senior Living.
"You have to have a mix of different availability for citizens," Thurmond said. "Not everybody can live or afford to purchase a $250,000 to $300,000 home. You got to have a place for people to live if they want to live in this community and work in this community."
Commercial growth continues to rise, with an Olive Garden planned where Huck's Apple Barn was located on Dawson Forest and the five parcels surrounding the property up for grabs.
"We're very proud of the businesses that we have," Thurmond said. "We're very proud of what we have on the 400 corridor, but as you all know we're a retail based community. We want to diversify that a little bit and try to find some businesses that have higher paying jobs."
Early this year the board of commission approved to reinstate impact fees, which are one-time fees charged to new development to help offset the cost of services. Thurmond said the fees are something the board continues to look at on a continuous basis.
"We will as a board continue to look and see what kind of impact the impact fees has on our community. One thing we don't want to do is we do not to lose the businesses, especially in that area where we're trying to diversify," Thurmond said. "It's very important that we diversify our economy in this county and in this community. We will take a constant look at that to make sure that we're not causing an issue with that."
Something the county is also considering is the Transportation Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax, or TSPLOST, as the board prepares a final list of potential transportation projects that should be up for discussion sometime this month.
There will be a referendum in March as to whether TSPLOST will be implemented.
Thurmond also discussed his proposed 2019 general fund budget, which is approximately $700,000 more than the previous year. After going line item by line item with the finance department, almost $1 million in funds could be reallocated to make the budget more efficient, Thurmond said.
"One of the things that I wanted to make sure of as we looked at the 2019 budget was that that budget was efficient," he said. "It also meets the needs of our elected officials and our departments. It'll increase productivity. It gives our elected officials and staff and personnel and equipment to better perform the services they provide for you."
Thurmond encouraged the attendees of the luncheon to come to the remainder of the public hearings on the proposed budget, the third and final of which is at 6 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Dawson County Government Center.
"It's your money. I like to hear from you so I know what you're thinking," said Thurmond. "I do want to hear from you if you have thoughts or concerns in reference to that."


Prince boss, virgin secretary… unexpected heir!
The prince with a provocative past has returned to claim Niroli's crown….
Nico Fierezza has never relied on his royal name. But now the king has summoned him. Niroli is ready to welcome its new ruler!
Carrie Evans has been in love with Nico, her boss, for years. But he ruthlessly discarded her after one night of loving and now she's pregnant!
Carrie will do anything to protect her baby's future. Does anything include marrying Nico?


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text:
Gardiner's Proposed Sidewalks
By Carleton Mabee
From Issue 6: Spring 2010
As Gardiner plans to build new sidewalks in its hamlet, few Gardinerites seem to know that the hamlet at one time already had a substantial sidewalk system. In the early 1900s, in the central hamlet, services were available which are not now available, such as a garage, drug store, a newspaper office, lawyer's office, doctor's office, hotel and railroad station. At that time, when Main Street was surfaced only with gravel, and its traffic was a mix of automobiles, carriages and wagons, old photographs show sidewalks.
In the center of the hamlet, photos show sidewalks on both sides of Main Street. Farther west, opposite the Reformed Church, sidewalks show only on the south side of the street. Old postcards seem to show the sidewalks as made of varied materials, including concrete and gravel. In at least one low, wet place, where Main Street intersects with Arch Street, more than one postcard―one of them postmarked 1907―shows a section of sidewalk made of planks. In the 1940s, Kathleen Conner, who grew up in the Gardiner hamlet, particularly recalls riding her bicycle on the south side of Main Street where it curves toward Sand Hill Road (a wine shop is on that corner now). She recalls the sidewalk there as consisting of ashes.
The current plan to rebuild the hamlet's sidewalks has been before the town since at least 2004. According to that plan, Main Street sidewalks would extend farther than they once did, reaching from the Reformed Church east through the central hamlet to the new Town Hall. Besides this there would be a branch reaching down the rail trail to cross Farmer's Turnpike and then connecting to the new Gardiner Library's existing sidewalk.
For years the plan has faced questions. Some people advocated sidewalks for the safety they provide, others tended to doubt the need for them. By 2006 a grant had been secured from federal sources and by 2009 grants from state sources had also been secured. Uncertainty remains, however, about what share of costs will fall to the town to pay. Some advocated that if the town were to pay any share of the cost, the town should create a special sidewalk district for the area where the sidewalks are to be, and require that the property owners there, rather than the taxpayers of the whole town, pay the cost. Former Town Board member Paul Colucci concurred, saying that the hamlet should pay for its new sidewalks because sidewalks would raise the value of hamlet real estate. Town Supervisor Joe Katz and Town Board member Nadine Lemmon, however, worried that this could stress hamlet businesses and retired residents on fixed incomes, and also argued that the whole town benefits from sidewalks. By early 2009, however, the Town Board had rejected the idea of forming a sidewalk district and though there is some possibility this decision could be overturned, Supervisor Katz now sees the town as paying very little for the sidewalks, making the question of a sidewalk district seem less relevant.
The sidewalks can be built whenever grant funds are made available. This could still take some time since the DOT, having approved the grant, must now approve the plans, and at present is overwhelmed with work.
According to Katz and Lemmon, phase one is to reach from the Town Hall on Main Street to the Rail Trail crossing. This phase is to be paid for mostly by federal grants and partly by state grants, with only 5% coming from the town. The town has a reserve fund available for this amount. Phase two, which will be paid for entirely by Federal Stimulus funds, will reach from the Reformed Church to the Rail Trail crossing, with a branch to pass south on the rail trail.
While it remains possible that building sidewalks will squeeze out some parking opportunities in the central hamlet, the project is not expected to prevent continued parking on both sides of the street. Nevertheless, the town hopes to improve parking by paving the town parking site on Farmer's Turnpike in front of the library entrance pillars. There is also a proposal to add parallel parking on the east side of Second Street, a side road adjacent to HiHo Home Market.


text:
Frequency of feeling wonder about the universe among adults who attend prayer groups once or twice a month by frequency of prayer
Frequency of feeling wonder about the universe among adults who attend prayer groups once or twice a month by frequency of prayer (2014) Switch to: Frequency of prayer among adults who attend prayer groups once or twice a month by frequency feeling a sense of wonder about the universe
% of adults who attend prayer groups once or twice a month who feel a sense of wonder about the universe…
Learn More: At least once a week, Once or twice a month, Several times a year, Seldom/never


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The 1994 Cleveland Browns season was the team's 45th season with the National Football League. It was the only season that the Browns qualified for the playoffs under head coach Bill Belichick. The Browns finished as the NFL's number one defense in terms of points surrendered per game (12.8 points per game). In the playoffs, Belichick got his first playoff victory as a head coach in the AFC Wild Card Game against the New England Patriots.
As of October 2016, this is the Browns' most recent home playoff game and their most recent playoff victory.
↑ "1994 Cleveland Browns draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
↑ "All-Time Assistant Coaches". ClevelandBrowns.com. Archived from the original on May 22, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2009.


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Originally, we had just "popped in" to talk about jumping options and book a slot in the coming days. We found ourselves quickly suited up, in the last few spaces on a plane before we could change our minds!
We chose to go from 15,000 feet to get more free fall time, and chose a freefall camera package so we could really get the perspective of our jump over any wrist mounted footage. This option was pricey but gave us some pretty wicked photos and a nice video too.
We were suited up in jump suits, and then the next roster was called out with our names on. Whilst crew members packed up parachutes in the background, eager jump masters bounded forward to introduce themselves. Putting any nerves well and truly to rest, we were ushered forward the plane. We sat squashed, one behind each other, knees touching the row across from us. We climbed steadily to 12,000 feet, where the first victims were thrown out the plane, and we were handed oxygen masks for the final ascent to 15,000.
With time up and no chance to back out, we inched one by one toward the door. This is no easy feat when clipped together by your harnesses. The crazy photographers perched, bird like above the plane door, getting an eagles eye view of us sat on the precipice and then followed as we plummeted toward the ground, the earth spread out beneath us.
Ian putting on a brave face!
The first ten to fifteen seconds are taken up by a plummeting sensation as you reach terminal velocity. The instructors, no doubt used to this feeling calmly orientated their own and thus our bodies into position, whilst we were allowed a few moments of sheer panic. The severity of your decision slowly dawns – jumped out of a perfectly good, serviceable plane with only a parachute to prevent you turning into a lump of jam a few thousand feet below. You quickly hit terminal velocity however, and from here on down, the ride is quite enjoyable. You have a few moments in which you experience what a bird must feel as it soars through the air, then parachute is deployed and you float serenely back to earth. Unless that is the instructor feels the time is right to pull a few stunts on the way down!


text:
HERSHEY FELDER REVIVING ROYAL GEORGE THEATRE'S MAINSTAGE WITH FULL SEASON OF SHOWS
Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin
Hershey Felder is setting up camp on Royal George Theatre's mainstage for a full season of shows starting September 8. The season includes the record-breaking production of Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin; a new production of the award-winning, internationally-acclaimed play Jamaica, Farewell,and the Midwest premieres of London import I Found My Horn and audience favorite Baritones Unbound.
"Chicago and The Royal George have long been theatrical homes for me," says Felder. "My experience since arriving in Chicago with George Gershwin Alone in 2004 and continuing with many other productions, is that Chicago audiences are the savviest and warmest in the country. I am committed to breathing new life into the theatre and bringing high-quality, thought-provoking shows to the stage."
Tickets for all four productions are on sale now at the Royal George Theatre, 1641 N. Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60614. Want to see them all? Season subscriptions are available using the following discount codes at the Royal George box office only:
Buy any two shows "Duet" Save $5 per ticket on the 2nd show
Buy any three shows "Trio" Save $10 per ticket on the 2nd and 3rd shows
Buy all four shows "Quartet" Save $15 per ticket on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th shows
The season opens with Jamaica, Farewell, directed by Joel Zwick (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) and written and performed by Debra Ehrhardt. The play chronicles Ehrhardt's escape from revolution-torn Jamaica to fulfill her lifelong dream of coming to America. When she was an 18-year-old secretary in Kingston, Jamaica, she and her passion for America bumped into a handsome CIA agent on her lunch break. She began a dangerous adventure that only the single-minded passion of a teenage girl would chance. Performances of Jamaica, Farewell begin Tuesday, September 8 at 7:30 p.m. and run through October 11th. All tickets are $50.
From London's West End, I Found My Horn, written by Jasper Rees and Jonathan Guy Lewis and directed by Harry Burton, opens October 30. Based on British journalist Jasper Rees' autobiographical book A Devil to Play, I Found My Horn, is both a wildly funny and deeply touching musical look at a man encountering a mid-life crisis. Waking up at 40 to a broken marriage and a studio apartment, along with the realization that he's done nothing to make himself memorable, a man climbs to his attic to clean out his things at his soon-to-be ex-wife's demand. It is there that he finds his old French horn. After having abandoned it 25 years earlier, he seeks redemption via the sixteen feet of treacherous tubing that he never mastered in his youth. The show runs through December 6. Tickets are $55.
A special holiday engagement of Baritones Unbound opens December 11 and runs through January 3, 2016, starring Broadway great Marc Kudisch and international opera greats Mark Delavan ("The Voice of God") and Nathan Gunn (amusingly referred to as the Barihunk or the Hunkitone). Written by Kudisch, Merwin Foard, Jeff Mattsey, and Timothy Splain and directed by David Downer, Baritones Unbound explores "the uncommon voice of the common man." Using theatrical and musical mechanisms, world-renowned voices but, above all, a lot of comedy, Kudisch, Gunn and Delavan give an unforgettable, laugh-filled, thoughtful and ultimately moving musical theatrical evening.
All tickets are $60 with the exception of a special New Year's Eve performance which will include a champagne and dessert reception with the artists. Tickets for the New Year's Eve show are $150.
Finally, Hershey Felder brings to life the remarkable story of Irving Berlin, "America's Composer," in the Chicago premiere of Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin, directed by Trevor Hay. From the depths of anti-Semitism in Czarist Russia, to New York's Lower East Side, and ultimately all of America and the world, Berlin's story epitomizes capturing the American dream. Featuring the composer's most popular and enduring songs from "God Bless America" to "White Christmas" and beyond, Felder's masterful creation of character and musical performance makes this evening with Irving Berlin an unforgettable journey. Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin runs April 7- May 22, 2016. Tickets are $60.
Tickets for all four productions are on sale at the Royal George Theatre and may be purchased by calling 312.988.9000. Box office hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. Tickets may also be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com.
ROYAL GEORGE SEASON PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
Wednesdays, Thursdays 7:30 p.m.
Fridays 8 p.m.
Saturdays 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Sundays 2 p.m. (All shows except Baritones Unbound- 3 p.m.)
« AMERICAN THEATER COMPANY PRESENTS CO-WORLD PREMIERE OF THOMAS BRADSHAW'S "FULFILLMENT" NOV 6 – DEC 13
THE JOFFREY BALLET WELCOMES TEN NEW DANCERS TO THE COMPANY »


Nama has invested €350 million to date in refurbishing, finishing and buying properties to be used for social housing.
Builders funded by the National Asset Management Agency hope to get permission to build a further 8,500 new homes this year, according to its annual review.
The State assets agency, which took over the Irish banks' property debts in 2010 following their collapse two years earlier, funded the construction of 7,200 houses and apartments between 2014 and the end of 2017.
Its annual review, published on Thursday, states that its client have either sought planning permission, or will in 2018, for a further 8,500 new homes.
Overall, Nama says it has the capacity to pay for the construction of 20,000 new homes by the end of 2020.
The agency is lending cash to developer clients, or receivers appointed over some of their businesses, to build the homes. They will then repay Nama once the properties are sold.
Along with the 7,200 already completed, work has begun on a further 2,500, while local councils have granted planning permission to Nama-backed builders for another 7,000 new houses and apartments.
Planning laws require that a portion of the homes that Nama funds to be ringfenced for social housing.
Separate to this, the review also shows Nama has invested €350 million to date in refurbishing, finishing and buying properties to be used for social housing.
The organisation provides the funding needed to carry out and work needed to make properties habitable so that they can be used for social housing.
It has established a special subsidiary, National Asset Residential Property Services, which buys suitable buildings and leases them to councils and other approved social housing bodies.
Nama says it has provided 2,456 houses and apartments for social housing since the start of 2012.
The Government's proposed Home Building Finance Ireland, which will have €750 million to fund commercially viable housing developments, will draw on Nama's skills, once it is up and running later this year.
Nama has an 80 per cent stake in the Dublin docklands strategic development zone, where work is under way on 180,000sq m of offices and 480 apartments.
The development zone covers the Grand Canal area on the south side of the river Liffey and the North Lotts on the opposite bank.
Nama is working with various private sector developers on several projects there, including Boland's Mills on the Grand Canal Basin and Capital Dock, close to the East Link Bridge.
Over the course of 2017, Dublin City Council gave planning permission for a further 90,000sq m of offices and 900 apartments in the zone.
During 2017, Nama repaid the last €2.6 billion of the total €30.2 billion in Government-guaranteed debt that it borrowed to buy property loans from the bank in 2010 and 2011.
The repayment cleared the State of a contingent liability and was made three years ahead of originally scheduled.
Nama expects to generate a €3 billion surplus for the State once it has finished its work.


text:
FAMOUS ACTORS IN CURRENT LONDON PLAYS
famous is the general word for a person or thing that receives wide public notice, usu. favorable: a famous lighthouse. celebrated refers to a famous person or thing that enjoys wide public praise or honor for merit, services, etc.: a celebrated poet. renowned usu. implies wider, greater, and more enduring fame and glory: a renowned hospital. WebLearn the life stories of your favorite famous figures with our extensive collection of biographies. WebDec 9, · Quotes from Famous People Some quotes are well-known simply because they were first said by famous people. These are famous quotes from historical figures, influential thinkers, and celebrities whose words have influenced others. Historical Figures A successful man is one who can lay a firm foundation with the bricks others have thrown .
London International Mime Festival: Famous Puppet Deaths This UK début by rising stars of Belgium's acclaimed contemporary theatre scene forces us to. 1 Abraham Lincoln 2 Adolf Hitler 3 Al Gore 4 Albert Einstein ADVERTISEMENT 5 Alexander the Great 6 Alfred Hitchcock 7 Amelia Earhart 8 Angelina Jolie 9 Anne Frank 10 Audrey Hepburn 11 Babe Ruth 12 Barak Obama ADVERTISEMENT 13 Benjamin Franklin 14 Beyonce 15 Bill Gates 16 Brad Pitt 17 C.S. Lewis 18 Carl Lewis 19 Charles Darwin 20 Charles De Gaulle. Here's where to find the famous actors: London theatre is aglow with stars including Paul Mescal, Juliette Stevenson and Emma Corrin. Discover things to do and watch from Shakespeare's Globe in London. Accessible plays, performances, guided tours, family events, talks and courses all take. Webadj. legendary, notable to many synonyms for famous Compare Synonyms acclaimed brilliant distinguished eminent excellent glorious grand great honored illustrious important influential leading memorable noted notorious outstanding powerful preeminent prominent recognized remarkable renowned splendid well-known applauded august celebrated . Dublin's Gaiety Theatre, Theatre in the heart of Dublin city center. Webfamous is the general word for a person or thing that receives wide public notice, usu. favorable: a famous lighthouse. celebrated refers to a famous person or thing that enjoys wide public praise or honor for merit, services, etc.: a celebrated poet. renowned usu. implies wider, greater, and more enduring fame and glory: a renowned hospital. Learn the life stories of your favorite famous figures with our extensive collection of biographies.
The best entertainment in Toronto. Bringing musicals, dramas, comedies and more to the theatre stage for over 50 years. adj. legendary, notable to many synonyms for famous Compare Synonyms acclaimed brilliant distinguished eminent excellent glorious grand great honored illustrious important influential leading memorable noted notorious outstanding powerful preeminent prominent recognized remarkable renowned splendid well-known applauded august celebrated conspicuous. Webfa· mous ˈfā-məs 1 a: widely known a restaurant famous for its French cuisine b: honored for achievement a famous explorer 2: excellent, first-rate famous weather for a walk . A1 known and recognized by many people: a famous actress / building Marie Curie is famous for her contribution to science. a city famous for its nightlife Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, . Theatre includes: swing and Assistant Dance Captain in The King and I (London Palladium, UK & international tour); ' Ching Ho' in Thoroughly Modern Millie. From British TV favourites and Hollywood movie stars, to Broadway and West End acting legends – don't miss your chance to see these famous faces up close and. W · Ashley Walters (actor) · Steven Webb · Honeysuckle Weeks · Danniella Westbrook · Sydney Rae White · Kedar Williams-Stirling · Jade Williams (actress) · Layton. Jim Carnahan, CSA (Casting) is Roundabout Theatre Company's Artistic Producer, and he has cast over Roundabout productions and over 50 non-Roundabout.
bethan davies hastings twitter|mavis beacon the man
famous is the general word for a person or thing that receives wide public notice, usu. favorable: a famous lighthouse. celebrated refers to a famous person or thing that enjoys wide public praise or honor for merit, services, etc.: a celebrated poet. renowned usu. implies wider, greater, and more enduring fame and glory: a renowned hospital. Along with the West End of London, Broadway theatre is widely considered to is an established convention of modern realistic theatre, where the actors. The current revival, playing now at the Ambassador Theatre, opened in and in the criminal justice system and the concept of "celebrity" criminals. Visit the School Join us at one of our Open House events to learn more about Method Acting and our campuses. NY Open House LA Class Audit Apply Now for. WebLearn the life stories of your favorite famous figures with our extensive collection of biographies. WebFamous is the general word: a famous lighthouse. Celebrated originally referred to something commemorated, but now usually refers to someone or something widely .
WebFamous Birthdays: celebrity bios and today's birthdays Today's Birthdays Alejandro Rosario, 20 ZHC, 24 Grant Gustin, 33 Mackenzie Turner, 24 Legendary Rella, Dan Schneider, 57 Dave Grohl, 54 Oli London, 33 Fatherkels, 24 More Jan 14 Tomorrow's Birthdays Dove Cameron, 26 Martin Luther King Jr. () More Jan 15 Trending . If it's too late to achieve the level of success current A-listers have? Or possibly you've been acting long enough already and it troubles you that your career. Famous is the general word: a famous lighthouse. Celebrated originally referred to something commemorated, but now usually refers to someone or something widely known for . Located in the heart of London's West End and theatre district, it has a capacity of Many famous British actors have passed through the St. Martin's. Everything you want to know about famous actors and actresses - Chris Evans, Date of Birth: November 12, |; Birth Place: London, Ontario, Canada. We perform plays by Shakespeare, his contemporaries and by today's writers in Stratford-upon-Avon, London and on tour. Get last-minute theatre tickets for San Francisco Shows at the best prices, and get exclusive access to our Lottery and Rush tickets.


text:
First Winner for Reliable Man
Belle Du Nord
Tara Madgwick - Saturday, 18 March 2017
Reliable Man was a multiple Group One winner during his illustrious racing career and he could be in line for early top-flight stallion honours following a stylish victory from a first crop daughter at Trentham.
The Westbury Stud stallion, who was successful at the elite level in France and in Australia, has only had a handful of representatives and Belle du Nord opened the handsome grey's account on Saturday.
The youngster made a highly favourable impression on rider Lisa Allpress when they combined for a hollow win in the Richardson Racing 2YO Premier.
"She's a lovely, big type and one of nicest types I've sat on for a while," she said. "She gave me a really good feel and she just powered through them."
Belle du Nord came from off the pace with a sizzling finish to distance her rivals and put her in line for a crack at the Gr.1 Courtesy Ford Manawatu Sires' Produce Stakes at Awapuni on April 1.
The filly, who is a half-sister to the Group performer What Choux Want, had finished runner-up on debut at Te Aroha last month before she disappointed when finishing among the tail-enders in the Gr.2 Matamata Breeders' Stakes.
"She's always showed a lot of ability and it was a mystery what happened in the Breeders' Stakes," said David Browne, who trains Belle du Nord with his wife Emma-Lee at Cambridge.
"It's nice to see her back and we may head on to the Sires' Produce Stakes now."
Belle du Nord waltzed home by three and three-quarter lengths from Aloisia, who hit the line well, and the resuming Hard Merchandize. – NZ Racing Desk.


text:
Renewable Energy eBooks
Once the world's fourth largest lake, the mighty Aral Sea is now in it's death throws. Starved of it's lifeblood of the waters of the Syr Darya and the Amu Darya rivers, the sea has been shrinking for the last 40 years.
The name "Aral Sea" originates from the word "aral" which means island. The sea's name reflected the fact that it was a vast lake lying as an island amongst the surrounding waterless deserts. The destruction of the Aral began in Moscow in the 1950s, when Soviet economic planners decided, with the confidence of people wielding absolute power, to order the transformation of Central Asia's dry lands into the world's largest cotton belt.
The development of irrigation in the Soviet part of the Aral Sea basin was spectacular: from about 4.5 million hectares in 1960, it rose to almost 7 million in 1980. The population increased from 14 million inhabitants in 1960 to about 27 million inhabitants in 1980. The total water withdrawal through canals increased from 64.7 km³ in 1960 to 120 km³ in 1980, of which more than 90% for agricultural purposes. It resulted in the disruption of the prevailing water balance in the basin and naturally enough, the shoreline began to recede.
It wasn't just the water for cotton and rice that was draining the inland sea but the irrigation canals themselves were poorly built. This let water leak out or evaporate and from the Qaraqum Canal, the largest in Central Asia, perhaps 30–70% of the water went to waste. The mean sea level dropped 20cm (8″) per year for 10 years, then the drop rate accelerated to 60cm/year in the 70s, then to almost a metre per year in the 80s.
By 1990, as a result of the continuing water diversion and evaporation, the shrinking Aral divided in two and it's salinity increased from 10 grams per litre to 45. In some parts of the south Aral, salinity tops out at 98 g/litre (2001). Average seawater salinity is 33 g/litre. The once thriving fishing industry employing roughly 60,000 people in the early 1960s has been destroyed along with the fish and most of the flora and fauna. Salt pans and contaminated runoff lakes have appeared, and winters have become harsher and longer, summers hotter and shorter.
In a desperate attempt to keep their vessels in the shrinking Aral, channels were dredged to the open sea. it was a futile exercise, as the sea receded faster than the channels could be built. The fishing industry was effectively gone by 1982, and the canning plant processing frozen fish brought in from other areas to keep fishermen employed, folded in 1991. Of the region's 73 species of birds, 70 of mammals and 24 of fish, most have either perished or moved on.
An effect of the reduction in the Aral Sea's size is the exposure of the lake bed. Today, strong winds blow the exposed land picking up and depositing tens of thousands of tons soil every year. This process has not only contributed to significant reduction in breathable air quality for nearby residents, but has also appreciably affected crop yields due to those heavily salt-laden particles falling on arable land.
© 2020 Global Greenhouse Warming. All Rights Reserved.
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text:
The Chessboard of Coronavirus.
"If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present."
My mind is a constant fuss of next steps and to-do lists. A game of chess. I am forever focused on how to protect my king piece, how to reign supreme over the dream I've kept embedded beneath my skin like a Cholla cactus spike. I will forever play opposition with my queen, putting her on the battle's edge, offering her up to almost anything, always with the end goal in mind.
Now? The gears of time have come to a screeching halt like someone took a hammer to the clappers. A petulant child swept her tiny fists in tantrum and wreaked havoc upon the board — all the pawns trampled by horses, and castles blown apart. I don't know who held the king in checkmate, but we are at a stalemate. I cannot see a move that would prove me victorious.
The news speaking of a return to normalcy means reopening the economy, which means the rich just want to know when they can line their pockets again with our coins.
I, the lone soldier whose battalion abandoned her, waiting for the smoke to clear, see no signs of normal. How can the bloodstains on this battlefield ever truly be erased? How can the bludgeoned bodies ever really leave? Their ghosts will forever haunt the hospital halls, and I hate horror movies.
I am afraid. I am afraid. I am afraid. Like the Catholic crossing herself superstitious about the devil and possession. Holding my breath as I passed a graveyard, with our backyards becoming graveyards.
The only test feels like a rape.
No cure and no reprieve. The cavity of lungs becomes a hell no bible could portend. Do you know what it is to stop breathing? That momentary bulge of eye and the hopeless clutching like the faithless to a rosary, the holy moment the windpipe finally tunnels open?
I clasp my hands through a tunnel and pray until the bus moves through the end, and don't release my breath through the subway until I arrive above ground, and that is not because of the stench. It is like the moth's feathered wing that disintegrates in the porch light's heat that everything is a kiss with chance and a peppering of luck for good measure.
I fear of such chance that runs out. How a tree seems sturdy through time, still the wind will sever its branch just the same. How a bone like a boulder can still break in the quaking of the earth.
I am afraid I will never sit at a bar and curse the sticky top. Will never feel the crowd rise up like a wave in the ocean of music's velocity and break upon the Tennessee grass charred in the splintering sun. That the older I become, the more I have to be afraid of.
The guns and the hurricanes and the humanity tossed like the pieces in a chess game, my queen grown tired of fighting for a 2 x 2.5 inch square — the only space she's ever been allotted to exist in.
How are we supposed to set our pieces straight and continue on with the game? If my queen falls in anarchy, who will resuscitate her? Will I ever look at old men playing chess in the park the same? I look at the board and see battle plans, but our general has abandoned the company. What happens to an army when there's no one to lead?
It is said all this anxiety is because one is living in the future, but the scholars don't teach you how to make peace with now.
If my pawn is all that remains to protect my king in the middle of an open field in a lightning-striking storm, then I will inch on square by square to whatever light shivers behind the clouds up there.
Once I make it to the other side of the board, the queen can be retrieved, the smallest piece… the bigger the need to win.
My mind is a constant fuss, and I am worried and afraid, like I am stuck on the bus in Lincoln Tunnel traffic and cannot see the opening. But the present is about preparing, a chess game is calculating as many as six moves ahead, and I have always known where I am going and how I am going to win.
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Alise Versella
Alise Versella is a poet living at the Jersey Shore. She has published three volumes of poetry which can be found at her website, Barnes and Noble, and Amazon. Her work has been featured on Elephant Journal, Women's Spiritual Poetry blog, ultraviolettribe.com, The Tattooed Buddha, and of course here. She considers herself a coffee enthusiast and self-proclaimed dessert whore, who believes with every fiber of her being that poetry, beautiful poetry, can come from the ugliest of pain. Poetry can be the salve for all the broken parts, and it can make us whole.
Latest posts by Alise Versella (see all)
I Need the Highway Like Kerouac Needed His Road. - July 7, 2020
I Peel the Bark off the Trees and See My Skin. - July 1, 2020
I Read Books While Time Burrows Into Me. - June 19, 2020
afraid Alise Versella anxiety chess coronavirus COVID-19 graveyard pawn petulant queen
http://www.rebellesociety.com/2020/04/30/aliseversella-afraid/


text:
layout: post

title: "Sandboxing JavaScript Execution in Java"

author:
  name: Martin Laporte
  bio: Team Lead, JS UI
  twitter: martinlaporte
  image: mlaporte.jpg
---

The [Query Pipeline](https://developers.coveo.com/display/SearchREST/Managing+the+Query+Execution+Pipeline) on a Coveo index can be extended using JavaScript code running on the server. This has many benefits, but allowing arbitrary code to run in a server process opens the possibility for an admin to bring the server down in many creative ways. To protect against this we added functionality to the JS interpreter we're using ([DynJS](https://github.com/dynjs/dynjs)) to prevent Bad Things from happening.

<!-- more -->

There are three ways external code running in a process can cause harm:

* Using APIs to damage the server process or underlying server
* Using an excessive amount of CPU
* Allocating an excessive amount of memory

## Blocking Access to APIs

At the core, JavaScript doesn't provide any API that might be used for nefarious purposes. For example, there is no way to access the filesystem, or perform network requests. Still, JS interpreters in the Java world typically allow JS code to access any Java class present in the class path, and DynJS is no exception.

For example, JS code can use a Java object like this:

{% highlight javascript %}
var foo = new java.util.ArrayList();
{% endhighlight %}

What we did is add a configuration option for DynJS to prevent it from exposing any Java package or object except the ones standard in JavaScript, plus any API that is explicitly exposed by the hosting application (which we assume are "safe").

This shows how to set the option when creating a `DynJS` runtime object:

{% highlight java %}
Config config = new Config(getClass.getClassLoader());
config.setSandbox(true);
DynJS dynJs = new DynJS(config);
{% endhighlight %}

Pretty simple, right? It was simple to implement too. Here's how it works:

{% highlight java %}
if (!runtime.getConfig().isSandbox()) {
    defineGlobalProperty("Packages", new JavaPackage(this, null), true );
    defineGlobalProperty("java",     new JavaPackage(this, "java"), true);
    defineGlobalProperty("javax",    new JavaPackage(this, "javax"), true);
    defineGlobalProperty("org",      new JavaPackage(this, "org"), true);
    defineGlobalProperty("com",      new JavaPackage(this, "com"), true);
    defineGlobalProperty("io",       new JavaPackage(this, "io"), true);

    defineGlobalProperty("System",   System.class, true);
}
{% endhighlight %}

We simply prevent any public symbol from being registered that would allow code to "escape" the sandbox. Without those, it can only reference stock JavaScript APIs.

## Restricting CPU and Memory Usage

Calling JavaScript code from a server process is done in a blocking manner, which means that the call only returns when the code has finished executing. If that code decides to loop forever... well it helps with the heating bill, I guess.

To address that we need a way to stop script execution if it takes too long. But even that is not enough: the JS code might sometimes block on long-running network calls, for example, so strictly checking the time taken might block legitimate operations. What we want is a way to monitor the actual CPU time used.

Turns out this is pretty easy to do. The `ThreadMXBean` object exposed by the JVM provides methods to check the total amount of CPU time used by a thread. By reading the value just before script execution starts and then periodically checking the value during execution, it's possible to detect when the script code has exceeded a pre-determined CPU quota. When this happens, an exception is thrown to inform the caller of the situation.

So, how do we arrange to periodically check the CPU quota? We need to have this check performed at some place where the JavaScript interpreter must pass no matter what kind of infinite loop it's in. In this case I've chosen to do that in the `interpret` method of `BlockStatement`, which is essentially when any scope like a loop or condition or function body is entered. There we call `checkResourceUsage` from `ExecutionContext`, which will relay the call if resource quotas are being enforced.

Here is how we check that the CPU quota hasn't been exceeded:

{% highlight java %}
private void checkCpuTime() {
    long current = readCpuTime(threadId);
    long delta = current - lastCpuTime;
    lastCpuTime = current;

    if (cpuTime.addAndGet(-delta) < 0) {
        throw new ExceededResourcesException("CPU usage has exceeded the allowed quota");
    }
}
{% endhighlight %}

A similar technique is used to monitor heap allocations. The same `ThreadMXBean` object also exposes metrics about how many bytes were allocated by the current thread (including memory that is no longer referenced, but's that OK). By checking this metric in the exact same way as for CPU, we can detect whenever the thread has exceeded the allowed memory quota and put an end to its processing.

NOTE: The call reporting memory allocation for a thread is not available on all JVMs, but works well enough on Hotspot and I expect others are implementing it as well. Trying to use memory quota on a JVM without the proper support would result in an `UnsupportedOperationException`.

To run JS code with quota checks, you need to run the code using the `ExecutionContext` returned by `createResourceQuotaExecutionObject` on an existing `ExecutionContext`. It is possible to invoke several blocks of code using the same quotas. The total consumed resources by all script executions will be used to check the quotas.

{% highlight java %}
context.createResourceQuotaExecutionObject(new ResourceQuota(cpuQuota, memoryQuota));
{% endhighlight %}

## What about Nashorn?

[Nashorn](http://openjdk.java.net/projects/nashorn/) is the new JS interpreter bundled with Java 8. It has good performance and is certainly more robust, but I still haven't figured out a way to implement proper CPU and memory quotas in that engine, mainly because I haven't yet found a place where I can regularly check if quotas have been exceeded (I haven't tried very hard though). I might write a new post when/if I succeed in that endeavour.

## Trying it out

The changes we've made to DynJS are available [publicly on GitHub](https://github.com/Coveo/dynjs/tree/resource-quotas). We also submitted a [pull request](https://github.com/dynjs/dynjs/pull/154) but it hasn't been merged yet.

## Update - February 2016

As of now, DynJS is no longer being maintained, and no official version has ever been released with the changes described in this post (in fact the PR is still opened).


text:
USS Yorktown Association
Yorktown Stories
Cruisebooks
Submit a Sea V Ten Article
Come to a Reunion
The following is from "ALL HANDS" of January 1967 and is reprinted with permission from that magazine.
Paddle Landings Took Skill For nearly six decades, Navy pilots have progressed through various stages of carrier landings ranging from the seat-of-the-pants methods to the fully automatic landings now becoming operational. (Remember this article was written in 1967.)
Antisubmarine Squadron 22 claims for herself (and other units of her air group) the distinction of being the last group of Navy fliers to make paddle landings – a skill which became archaic when USS Lake Champlain (CVS 39), the last of the straight-deck carriers, was decommissioned.
The paddle method of landing has played an important role in aviation history, and the squadron's pride in the skill it required is indeed justified. Paddle landings under the guidance of the Landing Signal Officer – patron saint of all naval aviators – were characteristic of straight-deck carriers. Aircraft landing aboard them touched down on the aftermost part of the flight deck and headed straight down the ship's centerline.
During landing operations, other aircraft were parked on the forward end of the flight deck. The two areas were separated by barriers of large steel cables, hopefully strong enough to catch any aircraft not stopped by the arresting wires. Should a plane hit the barrier, it sometimes meant minor damage to the plane, but this was, at least, the lesser of the two evils.
Since the deck space forward of the landing area was occupied with parked aircraft, pilots wre committed to a full-stop landing earlier in the approach. There was no opportunity for a touch-and-go. No margin for error of any kind. Precision flying, honed by constant practice, was essential.
The landing signal officer with his paddles signaled an incoming aircraft whether it was too high, too low, or just right. Some LSOs would judge within a knot or so the speed of the approaching plane.
To present-day viewers of World War II movies, the LSO with his paddles held in outstretched hands, appears to be merely picturesque. Quaint. To present-day aviators, it seems almost incredible that all our carrier-based aircraft were recovered in this manner during World War II.
Now, of course, newer angled-deck carriers use mechanical/ optical systems to give their pilots needed assistance. The LSO is still there to mentor the approach, but rarely uses paddles to give signals.
Although carrier flying still requires an immense amount of skill and still has its thrills, modern techniques have largely eliminated the type of cliff-hanging carrier landings favored by scenario writers but which were by no means fictitious.
We Were Sailors
Stranded in Rotterdam
Memories of The Wife of A Yorktown Sailor
The Roll