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Champion Impact Capital Launches Investment Platform to Match North Texas Tech Entrepreneurs with Potential Funders
The free investment platform—Spark North Texas—is funded by a $950K grant from the U.S. Economic Development Association. Its "matchmaking algorithm" will connect entrepreneurs with suggested innovative financing structures and capital. Investors—including several angel networks that have already committed—will peruse the founders' projects seeking opportunities that meet their criteria.
The goal: Spark new ideas that will help North Texas emerge from the pandemic, by bringing new tech solutions to market. Deadline for entrepreneurs to apply is November 24.
by David Seeley • Oct 28, 2021
Michelle Corson, founder of Champion Impact Capital [Photo: John B. Sutton; Jr.]
Dating apps have sparked countless unions by using an algorithm to bring people together. Since it works for singles seeking romance, why not try it for entrepreneurs seeking investors? That's the idea behind Spark North Texas—a new investment platform from Dallas-based Champion Impact Capital.
The free portal launched this week to stimulate economic development, particularly for underrepresented founders across North Texas. Its algorithm connects entrepreneurs with suggested innovative financing structures and capital resources, including several angel networks.
The platform has been funded with a $950,000 grant from the U.S Economic Development Association.
Several angel networks have already committed
Champion Impact Capital says several angel networks have already committed to funding potential investments, including the SWAN Impact Network, North Texas Angel Network, Ambassadors Impact Network, and Capital Factory family offices.
Aiming to improve North Texas' health, safety, and environment
Spark North Texas is now open to founders seeking capital to help scale businesses and tech-focused solutions that impact the region's health, safety, or the environment. By "sparking" economic opportunities in the region, the goal is to help grow the Dallas and North Texas economy post-pandemic—and to scale some of the ideas nationwide for an even greater economic impact.
"Champion's mission is to use various financial tools in a positive and creative way to solve challenges in our communities," said Michelle Corson, founder of Champion Impact Capital, in a statement.
"We created Spark North Texas to stimulate the region's recovery from the pandemic by connecting entrepreneurs to capital resources," Corson added. "Our new tech and investor matches coming out of the portal will continue fueling our state's growth including the region's start-up activity, one day matching Silicon Valley."
All-star team behind the platform
The Spark North Texas Team: Michelle Corson, Heather Gilker, Chris O'Brien, Nick Stanutz, Debby Hanson, Ryan Goodman, and Bruce (BJ) Cortis [Photos: Spark North Texas]
Corson, who founded Champion Impact Capital in 2011 to encourage impact investing in Texas, is well-versed in innovative ideation in financial tools. A car buff with a mission to help working families build prosperity, the social entrepreneur also founded On the Road Companies, a family of nonprofits and social enterprises.
Now Corson has assembled an all-star team for Spark North Texas that includes Heather Gilker, founder and principal of Tokalon Advisors LLC and executive director of North Texas angel network SWAN Impact: Chris O'Brien, director of economic development for the Irving Economic Development Partnership; Nick Stanutz and Debby Hanson, executives with On the Road Companies; Ryan Goodman, previously director of accounting for Fridays and Bruce (BJ) Cortis, founder of Craftsman Technology Group.
Projects go on the platform, then investors peruse
The free platform is designed to be a repository for projects that might appeal to a wide array of accredited investors and investor groups.
The platform's "matchmaking algorithm" will connect entrepreneurs with suggested innovative financing structures and capital to bring new tech to market.
Founder applications must be submitted by November 24
Entrepreneurs can upload submissions to the platform now through November 24. Only after all entrepreneur applications have been submitted will the portal open to investors, Champion Impact says.
Portal will open to investors on January 10, 2022
The portal will open to accredited investors, including family foundations, corporations, and individuals, on January 10, 2022.
Investors will be asked to submit criteria for investments of interest to them. The portal will then utilize this data for its matchmaking algorithm to pair entrepreneurs and investors based on the criteria investors have selected.
But investors won't have to rely only on the algorithm. They'll have the ability to search the entire database to seek out projects, or filter opportunities based on search parameters.
The team behind Spark North Texas will encourage investors to consider multiple projects. Each investor will decide on the amount of funding given to a project.
To submit your application or to learn more about Spark North Texas, visit here.
Symposium Highlights North Texas' Black Tech Talent, Potential
Nonprofit BUiLT is hosting the event to highlight the success and possibilities of Black tech talent in the region. "There is no talent pipeline problem," says Peter Beasley, co-founder of the Blacks United in Leading Technology International. "Black tech talent is widely available, especially in North Texas."
North Texas Innovation Alliance Teams Up to Supersize New Smart City Partnership
The NTXIA is a founding member of the new National Smart Coalitions Partnership, now one of the largest smart cities networks in the country. The organization unites more than 100 governments across seven regional smart cities consortiums. The goal? To accelerate sustainability and resilience in communities.
How North Texas Can Become a Top‑Ranked National Technology Innovation Hub
The U.S. Innovation and Competition Act, which passed in May, has the power to develop 20 tech hubs throughout the United States. According to Tech Titans' CEO Bill Sproull, Dallas-Fort Worth could be a strong contender for one of those spots.
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Honors 105 North Texas Graduates
"There's no one tougher and stronger than DFW small business owners," U.S. Representative Marc Veasey said at the event honoring the North Texas graduates. Here's the list of the 105 graduates and a rundown of the event. 10,000 Small Businesses also released insights from a recent research report. The survey says, among other findings, adaptation will be key to survival.
The Texas Blockchain Summit Will Feature Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Other Cryptocurrency Boosters
The inaugural October 8th Texas Blockchain Summit could be a watershed event for making Texas "the jurisdiction of choice" for Bitcoin and other digital currencies. Lee Bratcher, president of the Texas Blockchain Council, will host a wide array of speakers including Texas Senators John Cornyn and Ted Cruz and Wyoming Senator Cynthia Lummis.
Champion Impact Capital
Michelle Corson
spark North Texas
U.S Economic Development Association


New River Systems is a certified Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Minority Business Enterprise that delivers comprehensive information technology and business systems consulting services. Our mission is to provide the highest quality professional consulting services for the best value within a variety of commercial industries (Healthcare, Energy, Aerospace & Defense), and in public sector (Federal, State, Local, and Education). Whether in a leadership or advisory role we focus on delivering business results through collaborative relationships with our clients, staff and strategic alliance partners.


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Home Biotech Stocks Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIA) is Hot on Pfizer Inc.'s (NYSE:PFE) Heels in...
Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIA) is Hot on Pfizer Inc.'s (NYSE:PFE) Heels in the ALK Space
ME Contributor
Of all the medium cap biotechs that have had drug approvals at some point across the last half decade, Massachusetts based Ariad Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARIA) has had one of the toughest rides. Back in 2012, the company gained to trade just ahead of $25 a share on the back of the FDA approving its chronic myeloid leukemia drug, Iclusig. Less than twelve months later, however, in September of 2013, the agency temporarily suspended its approval, citing concerns of fatal blood clots in a subpopulation of patients. Ariad shares fell from a little over $20 to $2.67 overnight, and bottomed out a couple of days later at $2.32 – a 90% decline on the company's 2012 market capitalization high. The issue resolved, but not without a pretty stern boxed warning, and Ariad has limped along ever since. A combination of high R&D costs, high operational expenses and the limitations of a boxed warning on potential Iclusig sales has hindered any real recovery, and 2012 shareholders who have held their position remain 75% down on their initial exposure.
Click Here For More Market Exclusive Updates & Analysis
With a number of recent announcements, however, Ariad looks like it might finally be turning around. If so, it might make an attractive allocation ahead of a recovery, be it operationally driven, via the successful commercialization of its follow up to Iclusig, or a combination of the two. Here's how things could play out.
First, let's touch on the operational side of the equation. The company announced the hiring of a new CEO Paris Panayiotopoulos at the end of last year, and he took charge January 1, 2016. He's a prior Eli Lilly and Co (NYSE:LLY) and Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK) exec, and his primary remit looked set to be the reaching of a black bottom line. With a new CFO hire reported in March, and subsequent workforce trimming to the tune of 25% (with none coming from front line sales), he looks to be well on the way to achieving this remit. In all likelihood, staff cuts and the ramping up of Iclusig sales (target is $190 million during 2016) won't get him there though. He'll also need another drug to hit markets – and that's where the second element of the Ariad turnaround comes in to play.
On Monday, April 11, the company announced the initiation of a pivotal trial in its now lead development candidate, and the follow up to Iclusig, Brigatinib. The drug is a first line candidate with an ALK-positive non small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) indication, which picked up breakthrough designation back in October 2014. This is the latest expansion of an ongoing development profile for Brigatinib – it's also currently in a phase II in patients with NSCLC that have already received an ALK inhibitor (in this instance, crizotinib). If both trials run smoothly, we could see an NDA submission based on the latter mentioned phase II before the end of 2016, and a follow up NDA based on data from the former, the just announced ALTA phase III, early 2018.
ALK inhibitors are a relatively new wave of oncology drugs, which work through the inhibition of what's called anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) – an enzyme produced from a gene called the ALK gene, which is known to be responsible for certain fusions to other genes, and in turn, oncogenic cell production. There are two currently approved – the aforementioned crizotinib, which Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) markets as Xalkori, and Alectinib, which is marketed in Japan by Chugai, a subsidiary of Hoffmann-La Roche.
Xalkori generated just shy of $500 million revenues for Pfizer during full year 2015, so if Ariad can demonstrate a stat sig improvement, or even equivalency, in efficacy with the just kicked off phase III, the company cold be set to compete to what's expected to be a billion dollar market by the end of the decade.
To summarize, Ariad has had some modest success with its oncology drug Iclusig, but boxed warnings, adverse events, and overspending in the R&D department has meant the company has struggled to generate a net income over the last few years. This has impacted both its market capitalization and its cash position, which currently came in at $230 million at last count (end December, 2015). With cost cutting, the advancing of its lead development candidate into two pivotals, and the potential for one NDA before the year is out and a second to follow not long after, however, this could soon change. For current holders looking to recoup some of the hit taken on the 2014 decline, this could be a turnaround point. For those without an allocation, the company looks cheap given current factor and conditions. One to watch.
ALK Inhibition
ALK inhibitors
Ariad
lun cancer
ICC, AgraFlora to Bring Native Colombian Cannabis Strains to 39K Retail Outlets
Cannabis Stock News Daily Roundup April 8

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Walking into the Los Angeles Convention Center last week, I listened to Cheryl Cecchetto enthusiastically reveal this year's "Golden Grandeur" design for the Emmy Awards Governors Ball. For 20 years, Cecchetto has produced the Governor's Ball. This year there are three balls back-to-back. The Creative Arts Governors Ball was on Saturday, Sept. 9 and Sunday, Sept. 10. On Sunday, Sept. 18, she will welcome the Emmy winners, nominees and entertainment luminaries after the televised Emmy Awards show at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
Focusing on elegance and environmental sustainability, the grand room is transformed with 5,000 paper cyclinders painted in a biodegradable gold coloring as the parties' signature overhead art installation. The piece will be recyled and reused after the event.
Rectangular tables are dressed with rich gold thread linens and set with 25,000 pieces of china with wine glasses in a space that is the length of one football field and double the width. The exquisite floral centerpieces by Kevin Lee, owner and floral designer for LA PREMIER adorn the tables. The flowers and greenery will be repurposed as mulch following the event.
This is the 22nd year that Executive Chef Joachim Splichal and his Patina Catering team including Executive Chef Gregg Wiele, Executive Chef of Patina Catering Alec Lestr and Executive Pastry Chef Frania Mendivil prepare an elegant "golden" three-course dinner incorporating seasonal ingredients. Over 250 cooks will be in the kitchen each night. Most of the main course (filet mignon) will be cooked on-site and given immediately to the 600 servers to deliver warm to the guests.The elegant menu includes heirloom tomato salads, pan roasted filet mignon and chocolate brownies.
Award-Winning Bartender Charles Joly of World Class Spirits made a signature Emmy cocktail with The Hilhaven Lodge Blended Whiskey for guests to sip before and during dinner.
Ferrari Trento will offer a variety of sparkling wines for celebratory toasts, with Jamie Alexander Stewart, the U.S. Brand Ambassador to help pour over 4,000 champagne flutes.
Tim Irwin the Global Brand Director of Sterling Vineyards will debut Iridium, a Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon in the Winner's Circle while Emmy winners have their statuettes personalized.
Phillip Ashley owner of Phillip Ashley Chocolates will satisfy everyones sweet tooth with his beautiful artisan chocolate treats.
Musical Director Scott Mayo and the Scott Mayo Collective will entertain guests with a special performance.
Contributing Television Academy corporate partners also highlighted include: Audi®, FIJI® Water, L'Oréal® Paris, and Splenda Naturals.
The 69th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards will air Sunday, September 17, 2017 at 8 p.m. ET and 5 p.m. PT on CBS.


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Bella Hadid Gets a Dress Sprayed on Her Nude Body for a Total Fashion Magic Trick – JP
Bella Hadid doesn't just slay the runway, she sprays.
During Paris Fashion Week, the supermodel made jaws drop at the Coperni fashion show on Sept. 30 when she strutted out on to the runway topless, covering her breasts with her hands, while wearing nude underwear and heels.
When she reached the center of the stage, Bella stood tall and still as a team of three technicians painted a white layer of latex on her bare body.
As they sprayed the coat of paint, the 25-year-old lifted her arms one-by-one as their work slowly transformed into a mid-length dress with a high-rise slit. Once the work of art was complete, Bella fiercely sashayed down the runway showing off her new custom-made ensemble.
The dress was made from Fabrican, a sprayable fabric invented in 2003 that hardens into clothing. According to the company's website, founder Manel Torres "imagined a material that would magically fit the body like a second skin yet have the appearance of clothing. With years of research and experimentation culminating in the realization of a sprayable fabric from an aerosol can, Fabrican was born."
Celebritiescelebrity newsCelebrity SplitsEntertainmentHollywoodmovie starnews
Gabriella Karefa-Johnson's New Target Collab Will Give You a Winter Wardrobe…
It's a Party! Find Out Rapper Bad Bunny's Net Worth


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Joe Wilson passes $2 million mark
CNN Political Producer Peter Hamby
South Carolina congressman Joe Wilson has raked in more than $2 million since he shouted at President Obama.
WASHINGTON (CNN) - South Carolina Republican congressman Joe Wilson has now raised over $2 million in campaign contributions since he shouted "You lie!" at the president earlier this month.
A campaign aide confirmed that Wilson surpassed the $2 million mark on Monday.
Wilson and his 2010 opponent, Democrat Rob Miller, each raised more than $1.5 million in the week after Wilson's outburst, which occurred during President Obama's address to a joint session of Congress on September 9.
The House voted to formally reprimand Wilson last week, amidst an aggressive online fundraising effort by the congressman's staff.
Miller is scheduled to visit Washington on Wednesday for a pair of fundraisers on Capitol Hill.
Filed under: Extra • Joe Wilson • Rob Miller • South Carolina
That's so classy that someone can show no respect for the highest office in the country, and the pathetic ignorants in America can seize on it to turn him into a hero and reward his disgraceful behavior. He sickens me, as do all the backwoods degenerates that claim they want what is best for this country and attempt to hault any change to the broken system.
September 21, 2009 08:32 pm at 8:32 pm |
Texas Doc
That would be great were it not for the pile of cash that flowed into the coffers of his opponent. Not a smart strategy dingbats.
Truth-Bomb Thrower
In this economy, Joe Wilson is probably the only person whose job is truly safe. 😉
You're a good man Joe. We need more like you in congress.
I just returned from Canada. The Canadians are positive we in the US are racist and that Mr. Wilson was making a racist statement. Unfortunately, that is probably the way it looks to most of the world.
The anger and hate that seem to be part of our political life today is a sad commentary on the country that was the hope of immigrants for 200 years. Let's debate not hate.
So making false statements and disgracing your state appears to pay off. What a pity.
G'er
Rude guy but lots of lies coming out of President Obamas mouth:
Illegal immigrants won't benefit from healthcare reform – – but then he says he wants them to have a path to citizenship so that they can benefit?
He tells George Stephenopolis that requiring health insurance or fines or tax on premium plans is not the equivalent of a tax increase to the people?
Guantanimo lies, Cap and trade lies, CIA investigation lies, Afghanistan troop decision lies.
WE ARE FED UP WITH OUR PRESIDENT LYING TO US!!!!
Amazing that the GOP has no money to invest in health care, minimum wages or any advance in making ordinary people's lives better ... can sure cough up the dough for a back-bencher with no self-control and who doesn't know if he is at a hockey game or a joint session of Congress. Wonder how much comes from SC – and what the real voters there will do come the next election...
charlie in Maine
Famous for being rude. I regretfully acccept that this is the way of talk radio but I don't want my congress run this way.
nick in sf
It is in him so deep that he could not contriol it or hold it in. This man did what he did because President Obama is Black and that is a fact. The old southern racist had to come out and he is now making money off of it just like Rush and Beck are doing. The snakes have banded together and are making money off of it too. In years to come they will be faded away and thank God for that.
John Starnes Tampa Florida
Wilson had not even read the bill, which EXCLUDED illegal immigrants from health care insurance coverage, making his "you lie!" heckle not only RUDE but based on a falsehood....a "lie". So once again we have a Conservative Republican kettle calling a pot black. Why in the world would any INFORMED citizen give him money?
www.robmillerforcongress.com
I've made a donation to Rob Miller for Congress already for September.
I'm planning to make another in October.
Rob Miller is a former marine and Iraq War veteran, and owns a small business in South Carolina.
Joe Wilson has been caught at least twice lying in public statements since his ridiculous spewing "You Lie" at the President of the United States at a joint session of Congress.
And I'm sure 1.75M of that came from the Medical Insurance Industry lobbyists, regular contributers.
i think mr. wilson was wrong. and all you stupid fools. this makes me feel ashame to be a resident of south carolina. i was born here and it's so bad to know racism still live in the hearts of cold harded people in this state.
FastEddie858
How sad is this? Just goes to show you who's fueling the Republican Party at the moment.
jules sand-perkins
So Joe Wilson is doing well–after all that!
Sometimes the truth really does set you free.
Dex Houston TX
Confederate Republicans have no intentions of giving up South Carolina to sane people.
I believe that it is an outcry that this man should be able to raise 2 million dollars for his outcry in congress. He disrespected the President and his fellow congressman and turned the whole cry into Jerry Springer. I ,again, have a feeling this will not be printed along with similiar coments.
September 21, 2009 10:56 pm at 10:56 pm |
Wow, how high is the price for racism?
pixiegod
you can tell the quality of people your dealing with when an act of disrespect is the source of large sums of donations.
being an independant voter, i was a little leery of obama winning due to his inexperience. at this point, i am glad a republican didnt win if the people supporting them are so low class as to give wilson cash after this complete lack of respect for the highest office in our nation.
Keith in Austin
Although the setting was inappropriate, a lot of folks obviously agree with his comments to NoBama!
September 22, 2009 01:36 am at 1:36 am |


Massive crowds celebrated as the Los Angeles Philharmonic marked its 100th anniversary with an eight-mile long street festival connecting both of its venues, the Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl.
Supervisor Ridley-Thomas marches with the Centennial High School Marching Band from Compton.
Dubbed Celebrate LA!, the unprecedented community event featured 1,800 musicians, dancers and visual artists — mostly from L.A. – as well as live shows, food, and family activities. Presented in partnership with CicLAvia and Community Arts Resources, the festival kicked off with a performance by a marching band from Centennial High School in Compton.
"This Centennial is a chance to rededicate ourselves to the transformative power of music and to the magnificent City of Angels, where we will continue to make magic happen," said LA Phil Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel.
Supervisor Ridley-Thomas with Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles.
The eight-mile route was transformed into an auto-free zone, with people walking, running, skating, scooting and biking on the streets instead. Major hubs along the route included Walt Disney Concert Hall, Koreatown, Melrose, and the Hollywood Bowl. Each featured performance stages, art installations, food trucks, screen-printing, kid-friendly activities, dancing, and live music from LA's best musicians.
The festivities culminated in LA Phil 100 at the Bowl, a free community concert featuring Gustavo Dudamel and the LA Phil, and special guests Kali Uchis, Herbie Hancock, and Youth Orchestra Los Angeles.
http://ridley-thomas.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/2MZ_1771.jpg 1640 2050 admin http://ridley-thomas.lacounty.gov/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/MRT-Banner_nonChairman.png admin2018-10-01 17:16:022018-10-12 10:43:38Celebrate LA!


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• HOME • WINSTAT • HELP DESK • STAT CONSULTING • KNOWLEDGE BASE •
ABOUT SSCC
SSCC NEWS
Welcome, New Members!
Two Significant Downtimes
Please Welcome Jason Struck and Amanda Todd
Update the Citrix Workspace for Windows
SSCC Lab Computers Now Available for Remote Use
New Tools for the COVID Age: Zoom and Camtasia
Introducing NVivo Server
Still Need to Learn Statistical Software?
Talk to Us Before You Take an SSCC-Managed PC Home
We want to extend a warm welcome to all the new members of the Social Science Computing Cooperative, whether you're a new faculty member, staff member, or graduate student who will use our resources for research, or an undergraduate taking a class that uses SSCC resources.
What is the SSCC?
The SSCC provides servers, software, training, and consulting to support researchers (and future researchers) who do statistical analysis. If you didn't attend an orientation session, feel free to email the SSCC Help Desk, tell us about yourself, and ask what we can do for you.
What is SSCC News?
SSCC News is one of our main ways of getting information to our members. It comes out about once every two months. Please look over the email when you get it and then read the articles that will affect you.
If you'd rather not receive SSCC News, email helpdesk@ssc.wisc.edu and they can take care of that for you. If you're no longer interested in SSCC News because you no longer use your SSCC account, they can close it for you.
On Saturday, October 17th, 6:00AM-3:00PM, SSCC staff will shut down all SSCC servers in order to replace the Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) in the SSCC datacenter. The UPS allows SSCC's servers to continue working through a brief power outage and shut down smoothly in the event of an extended power outage. Unfortunately, all the equipment that uses the UPS must be shut down during the transition. Thus the following services, and everything else SSCC provides, will be unavailable during this time:
All SSCC servers (Winstat, Linstat, Silo, Condor, etc.)
All network drives
All SSCC-hosted web sites
The network in the Sewell Social Sciences Building
Computers in the Sewell Social Sciences Building (including both office computers and those in SSCC's computer labs) will be running but inaccessible.
On Saturday October 10th at 9:00AM SSCC staff must take the Winstat and WinSilo clusters offline to prepare them for the datacenter outage on the 17th. This outage will last until 9:00AM on Sunday the 11th. During this time, Winstat and WinSilo will be unavailable, but other services will be unaffected. Because WinSilo manages connections to the other Silo servers it will not be possible to connect to LinSilo, LinSiloBig, and CondorSilo, but they will be up and continue working on any running jobs.
The computers in SSCC's labs have the same software as Winstat and are now available remotely using LabStats. They'll be a good alternative to Winstat during this downtime.
We're pleased to introduce our newest staff members, Jason Struck and Amanda Todd.
Jason Struck has joined the SSCC as a Statistical Consultant. He is finishing up a PhD in Second Language Acquisition at the University of Maryland, but earned a Graduate Certificate (equivalent to a Master's Degree) in Measurement, Statistics, and Evaluation along the way and decided to focus his career on statistics. Jason's an expert R programmer and is rapidly getting up to speed in Stata. He also has a working proficiency in Mandarin.
Amanda Todd will join the SSCC on October 12th as part of our Help Desk staff and will also take over SSCC's communications, like SSCC News. (We're grateful to our student help desk workers but look forward to getting back to an all-professional Help Desk.) Amanda received a bachelor's degree in Cyber-Crime & Project Management from the University of North Texas but grew up in central Illinois and is glad to be returning to the Midwest.
Jason is filling the position formerly held by Mark Banghart, but Amanda is the first of the new staff made possible by SMPH joining the Cooperative. We look forward to introducing the others in the near future.
A security problem was identified in the Citrix Workspace for Windows, used by SSCC members to connect to Winstat and Silo. Citrix has released a new version that corrects the problem, but it's very important that all SSCC members with Windows computers update to the latest version.
For personal computers, please download and install the latest version from our web site.
For SSCC-managed computers at home, if you connect to the SSCC network via VPN during a maintenance window (8:00PM-6:00AM or a weekend) the update will be installed automatically. You can also install it manually (after connecting via VPN) using Software Center.
For SSCC-managed computers in the Sewell Social Sciences Building the new version will be installed automatically.
SSCC's Computer Labs are closed, but the computers in them are now available for use via Remote Desktop. They have the same software as Winstat, and while they are much less powerful than Winstat you don't have to share the computer with anyone else. Thus the lab computers could be a great choice if you are doing non-statistical work, and are a good general-purpose backup for Winstat.
Remote access to the lab computers is managed by a program called LabStats (no relation to Winstat or Linstat, but we'll take it). To connect to a lab computer, go to the LabStats dashboard. Mac users may need to download and install a (free) Remote Desktop client. For more information, see Accessing SSCC Lab Computers Remotely.
In light of the ongoing pandemic, the University has purchased licenses for two new tools for online teaching, Zoom and Camtasia. Both are available in Software Center.
Zoom is an extremely popular video chat application. While some major security flaws in Zoom were identified early in the pandemic, they have been corrected sufficiently for the University to endorse it. SSCC's statistical consultants have taught classes using both Zoom and Blackboard Collaborate Ultra and, while we wouldn't say the difference is so compelling that everyone should switch right away, Zoom is the more refined product. If you've used a personal Zoom account, be sure to convert to a UW-Madison Zoom account. DoIT has instructions at https://kb.wisc.edu/105422.
Camtasia is a tool for recording and editing videos. SSCC's statistical consultants have used it both for minor editing of class videos (recorded using Zoom) and to create pre-recorded videos like those in Introduction to Stata. We've found it to be a substantial improvement over Kaltura.
QSR has introduced NVivo Server, a version of NVivo that stores projects in a database rather than in project files (without changing how you use them). This allows multiple people to work on the project at the same time without corrupting the project file, but it should also prevent project files from being corrupted just because they're stored on network drives. We strongly recommend anyone who uses NVivo on Winstat set up their project to use NVivo Server. Instructions are in NVivo Server - Creating and Managing Projects. If you are managing a collaborative NVivo project you should also read NVivo Server - Managing Collaborators.
Thanks to COVID-19, SSCC's training reached substantially fewer people than usual. Unfortunately, COVID-19 does not change the fact that most graduate students in the SSCC will need to learn basic data science skills and the software used to carry them out.
We will offer our core training workshops again in January during the break between semesters. We anticipate they will be taught online, so you can participate whether you'll be back in Madison or not.
Our current Stata curriculum, Introduction to Stata and Data Wrangling in Stata, is available online, with some video and more in production. Our older R (and Python) curriculum, Data Wrangling Essentials, is also available now and we're working on getting what we currently teach online as well. If you're working through these materials on your own we're happy to answer questions—just email them to the Help Desk.
If you're working from home, it may make sense for you take your office computer home. But be sure to talk to us first! The computers managed by the SSCC were set up to run on the SSCC network, and if you take them home unprepared you may run into a variety of problems—some immediate and obvious, and some not. We're happy to prepare your office computer for home use—just let the Help Desk know.
©2009-2019 UW Board of Regents, University of Wisconsin - Madison
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Ladies and Las Vegas private banking grows up
Finance : Private Banking
Article | 2 March, 2007 01:00 AM | By Karen Jones
There was a time when private bankers only looked after their clients' money. Today, as Karen Jones reports, not only are the clients themselves changing, but they also require their banker to act as confidant, find them a marriage partner and arrange the stag do.
Karen Jones is a freelance journalist based in the UK.
Private banking. The words bring to mind images of wood panelling, old master paintings and grey-haired men in pinstripe suits. It's a world not many have access to, and those that do all seem to come from the same bloodline, or at least the same tailor. But things are changing. Private banks, still "second homes" to the ultra-wealthy and their cash, are shedding some of their stuffiness. It's a move that seems to be prompted by their clients, many of whom are young, successful and even (gasp!) female.
Ladies man
Peter Ostacchini is head of banking at Duncan Lawrie. He joined the firm 23 years ago and has made a career with the bank. He looks after the relationship side of the business and also lending. Duncan Lawrie has overall assets under management of £600 million, with £150 million in deposits and around 300 clients in London. A traditional private bank and banker, Peter, like many others in the private banking
industry, is adapting to a new surge of female clients.
These are being introduced by family lawyers because of the recent favourable change in rulings by UK law courts on divorce settlements for women. Britain is now the top spot for women "forum shopping" for divorce. It is the only country that favours the wife, with British courts firmly refusing to take into account pre-nups. This means that even in a short marriage, if a party can prove finances have increased substantially because of their efforts in supporting the working member of the pair, 50% of the family fortune is now a likely payoff. Ostacchini says, "Some of the settlements are seven figure sums." Responding to this new client, Peter and Duncan Lawrie have developed a litigation loan service because "husbands may upkeep the house and children while divorcing, but they will rarely support a better lawyer to separate them from their money".
The Duncan Lawrie divorce loan service, developed after the first surprise rulings two to three years ago, enable women to support themselves when things turn nasty and to get what, according to UK law courts, is rightfully theirs. "Some husbands may even turn off all financial help to apply pressure. We support women for up to three years and understand that payoffs have to last a lifetime, so we invest money over the long-term," says Ostacchini. Is a different skill set needed for this new client? "I think the main skill needed is experience," he says, but adds that "hand holding" is also essential for wives going through divorce.
Ostacchini continues: "There is a great deal of disruption and people will suddenly be on their own, perhaps with children, needing to understand a great deal of financial advice. And then they have day-to-day dealings with things they aren't going to be used to. We think it's essential to meet the client and lawyer and help them to get through the awful position they are in."
Other clients hail from the entrepreneurial and publishing worlds. As many of these clients aren't salaried (but receive lump sums during their working lives), Duncan Lawrie supports authors and entrepreneurs through the lean times, paying tax bills as they await advances. "All banks want the rich when they are rich. We work with those on the way up the ladder so that authors or entrepreneurs can support themselves in the early days. We've had a few clients striking gold in IPOs worth multi-millions, but they've had substantially less money before this. We offer flexibility and instant decisions and are one of the few institutions who still offer this kind of banking," says Ostacchini.
He also believes a big sea change has come with pension reforms, which have meant clients having much more say in how their money is invested. To meet this increasing need for pensions information, Duncan Lawrie recently acquired Hill Martin, a financial planning company.
Divesh Makan, VP at Goldman Sachs in Los Angeles, could probably have a badge on his lapel saying "officially a new breed of private banker". At 35, he is a decade or so younger than the majority of his global, private banking peers and has seven years experience working with super-rich families. Makan says he doesn't have a typical client, but he often deals with the younger, ultra high net worths: "I'm finding that 'kids' (between 25–30 years-old) have a much higher interest in investments, particularly alternative ones. They want to know what the story is. They may not know about the allocation but are hungry for information."
"Kids also want information on generating more cash flow even when they don't need the money. They read the papers and watch TV so know names of companies to ask about," says Makan.
As well as demanding more information, Makan knows they also want trust. "They use me as a confidant to share personal problems that they don't want to speak to their parents about." In terms of the type of problems that younger clients have, Makan says, "They may want to rent a house or go to business school and ask how they fill in an application. It's not that they want to go against parents, more that they want to show that they can operate on their own initiative. Being taking advantage of by friends is also a big issue. Friends will set up hair-brained schemes and expect investment money. I take charge and will be the one to say, 'Sorry, no', so my younger family clients aren't in the firing line." Does he gets any unusual requests? "The wildest thing I've done so far is to arrange a stag party for twelve in Las Vegas," he says excitedly.
Another topic he is asked about by parents is help in finding a suitable marriage partner for children. (In the US, pre-nups are rock solid so there are no unpleasant financial surprises in divorce). Does he consider himself a marriage broker? He laughs, isn't quite sure how to respond, then finally agrees, "I guess I would."
But why would parents would ask a bank for that service? "They look at us not so much as a bank but as the only people they can talk to with complete openness, because we know so much about them personally. I think that culturally different people have different things on their minds. For instance, Asian parents may focus on getting kids married at 20 years old," says Makan.
Has he ever been set up? He laughs and says, "I'm taken, but I have introduced a couple of friends." And do partners need to be of specific race? "Sometimes they want race specific partners, but they usually prefer a 'good guy'."
Makan sees his clients often: "We see children more than the parents, probably once every two weeks." He has 40 key family groups under his and the Goldman Sachs' teams watchful eyes. He says of that group, 20 families will be seen around four times a year. And the others about twice a year.
Typically his family clients have around $20 million dollars, but they range up to $500 million. "Private equity is creating a lot more wealth. I spent six years in that industry previously, so my skills are useful now." He says clients can't understand why they are being offered so much money for their businesses, but explains, "If that's the case, then we should sell now." He says the main skills he needs are estate planning, financial markets, private equity and M&A.
Changing clients
So, it seems that clients and their needs have changed over the years, and private bankers need to adapt. Makan concurs: "Clients have changed a lot. It used to be about money management, but now this is a small part of running a family office. People care a lot more about us running their life. They want us to look after them these days."
Featured In Issue:
Families in Business No31 Mar/Apr 2007
Related terms: Alternatives, divesh makan, Duncan Lawrie, FB News, goldman sachs, peter ostacchini, pre-nups, UK law courts, Asset Management, Wealth, Family Business, FB Wealth, Investment
This Week's News
Sustainability helps Benetton, LVMH reputations as well as the planet
Global family office growth soars, manages $5.9 trillion
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Economic uncertainty shrinks world's ultra-wealth by $2 trillion
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Satyricon – Satyricon
by Jon Wild on September 26, 2013
What do musicians do when the drive to create has vanished?
When the label is clamoring for something new, does the band bow down and fulfill the request, or do they uphold standards? Black metal in particular has struggled with these questions for over a decade, with a myriad of responses. Some have chosen to retreat completely, seeking refuge in the wild.
Some have become exasperated with the genre, turning to electronic music before returning in glory. Others have waged war on modernity, risking well-being in pursuit of these goals. However, the greatest number have bowed to the wishes of the crowd and released a product that was quickly forgotten, which is where Satyricon's self-titled album falls.
Embodying all that is lazy and lethargic, Satyricon is an excellent example of modern black metal ethos. Black metal only on the surface, the album is musically a hard rock/heavy metal album designed for max promotional appeal. Simple riffs with obvious sequencing, simple implementation, and solid production produce a well-shaped package that undoubtedly will allow the band to increase its commercial influence.
Sounding like a tribute to Fallen-era Burzum's minor-chord noodling but lacking even what little sense of spirit that album possessed, the band chucks in references to pop and blues cliches as if the label funded a study aimed at producing the most cookie-cutter album conceivable, then shared the results to the band…and let's not delve into the collaboration with Sivert Høyem.
There is nothing here for readers of this site to enjoy, except for the more morbid members among us. This album goes nowhere. It has nothing to impart. And perhaps most damning, it's not even terrible. It is simply a non-entity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPXnnTUl48Q
Tags: Black Metal, hard rock, Heavy Metal, review, satyricon
18 thoughts on "Satyricon – Satyricon"
metalismybusiness says:
"Our new album is much more based on atmospheric and emotional structures that make room for young Satyricon fans and let them dictate how the songs turned out and besides make ourselves much more adaptable to BUSINESS."
At least they admit it. I doubt artistic expression was ever a goal for this band.
Bad News says:
http://www.rocking.gr/interviews/en/Satyricon-interview-Frost/17153/
fallot says:
I didnt think Satyricon could get worse, where do you go from rock bottom? Apparently the answer is; up your own ass.
MF says:
This band has been labelled as "black n roll" by the media for a decade now. I don't think anyone, even the band, see them as attempting to contribute to the black metal genre.
TIREHEB says:
Lol, does this link down here look familiar?
http://www.atmostfear-entertainment.com/blog/music/satyricon-seeks-refuge
EDS says:
Sure does. Wow but can't say I'm surprised. I have had at least two of my independant album reviews hijaked and re-worked in a half assesd manner for mainstream metal review sites.
Wild says:
Well, the goal is to push DMU into the mainstream consciousness…apparently it's working beyond expectations.
Tipper Bloody Gore says:
The first tune reminded me of REM for some reason, unless I'm deaf.
For some fans, late 70s Tangerine Dream was devoid of artistic merit. Yet, their music for the most part of their extensive catalogue, has always been tremendously enjoyable. Of the more rock oriented records, "Cyclone" and live bootleg set "Patrolling Space Borders" remain as winners. Those albums are like a hybrid of early Amon Dül mixed with Ash Ra Tempel and TD early cosmic style. Wonderful!
Tarbuz says:
I bought this album yesterday and was so pissed off after two tracks. That's thirteen dollars I'll never get back. I hate Nuclear Blast. It's where dead bands go to rot.
You actually forked up 13 bucks for a Satyricon album? Without giving it a listen first?
The comments section of those videos suggested a majority of people disliked the tracks and direction of this album. A few positive comments are later made by new accounts with no other activity, later voted up to be the top comments, and another one is responded to by Nuclear Blast. The same thing occurred on the recent Watain videos.
Look at this review Nuclear Blast made possible by taking advantage of this gullible oaf, and then look at the comments section.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8llSdNWAkM
The record companies are brainwashing the masses and using any channel possible to push their mundane ways into our lives.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OI2SkSTzXDM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O45tV9cAfiU
Eric Syre says:
I agree with you here. They probably have battalions of hired surfers commenting their owns posts and uploads. I guess this is how you milk the most out of your bands when you're a label in 2013.
I seriously doubt Satyricon tried to convince us this self-titled album was Black metal to begin with. It is in spirit, obviously, but it's also so much more. What's lacking the most here is catchier songwriting. Satyr has a tendency to drag down his riffs for too long and repeat them too many times in a song. Trim the fat off these and you could get a really solid album. "Phoenix" is the song with the most cohesive approach to catchiness and even it is a little too long for full effectiveness. This is the main critique I have as otherwise I applaud the production and the experimentation. As I mentionned elsewhere, this album won't appeal to angry teenagers but to people in their late 30s who were there since the beginning.
There since the beginning for what? Warmed over dad-rock?
N. says:
I must admit I enjoyed (similarly to Eric
some parts of this though I do not consider it black metal but maybe some dark pop rock with some black metal stylings. I find Phoenix enjoyable despite that it is really cheesy and drags for too long to be fully effective. Anyway, whatever positive feellings I have after listening to this material, they will be probably forgotten in two or three weeks. At least it is more honest than their last releases in the point that it is not trying to appear as black metal.
Flow says:
To this person in late 30s who was insane about the past four Satyricon releases, it won't appeal. The album is so unlistenably tedious, it is oppressive. It is something I want to throw in the garbage. And I bought the vinyls! At least the design fits with the colour of my walls.
kvlt attakker says:
Satyricon has always been 2nd rate.
A few decent songs in their catalog don't make up for the consisting hogwashthey lament upon metal listeners.
"…pop and blues cliches" – what about metal cliches? While blues music is rarely mundane, despite being ostensibly limited in the means of expression, metal cliches can drive me nuts. And 'Satyricon' is full of these. The album is a patchwork of metal quotations, the saddest part being the band quoting themselves. There's hardly one original idea there. (In fact, is there one?)


Using gold or silver bars on furnace doesn't do anything with the smithing/mining update. How are we supposed to make jewelry now? I can't find anything that doesn't say use a bar on furnace with mould and gem in inventory.
Can you not use the furnaces/ovens at locations such as the Crafting Guild for that purpose?
Make sure you're using a furnace, and not a forge. People keep confusing the 2 and tbh idk why they dont function the same anyway.
Didn't see the row with the gold/silver bars before. Thanks for that. The update isn't all that intuitive, and nowhere did they explain this is how you do the jewelry now.
They're at the bottom, alongside things like cannonballs and ingots (summoning reagent for titans) Headcanon Haven, where everything is made up and the points don't matter.
I've updated the wiki's Crafting and Mining & Smithing Rework pages to include information about this.
So now, jewelry can be done only by members because of the quest Family Crest (reserved to members). right ?
No, you can still craft gold and silver. You just can't store them in the metal bank.
You have to do it directly from your inventory.


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WBB: Iowa State to play in 2022 Phil Knight Invitational
Jared Stansbury, Feb 15 • 0 Comments
The following is a press release from Iowa State Athletic Communications.
AMES, Iowa – The Cyclones are headed to the Rose City next season. Iowa State women's basketball has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2022 Phil Knight Invitational as part of its 2022-23 schedule, ESPN announced on Tuesday.
The Cyclones will play two games in Portland, Oregon, with the women's field also including Michigan State, North Carolina and Oregon. The first games will take place on Nov. 24, with the second game on Nov. 27.
Hosted by ESPN Events, 12 of the nation's top Nike/Jordan Brand men's and women's basketball teams will be making the trip to the Rose City during Thanksgiving Weekend 2022 for tournaments named after Phil Knight, the founder of Nike.
Full tournament information, including matchups, venues, television schedule and ticket information will be announced after the conclusion of the 2021-22 season.
Previous Cyclones to play in loaded PK85 Invitational in 2022
Next Iowa State wins first in Fort Worth since 2016 to halt four-game skid
Iowa State to play Villanova in Phil Knight Invitational
Cyclones to play in loaded PK85 Invitational in 2022
Iowa State announces 2022-23 women's basketball non-conference schedule


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Red Rock #007 (January 1, 1976 – June 8, 1994) was an American bucking bull. He competed in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA). Bull riders attempted to ride Red Rock 309 times and not one was able to stay on him until the eight-second whistle required for a scored ride. He was also chosen as the PRCA 1987 Bucking Bull of the Year. However, Red Rock is most famous for his association with 1987 PRCA World Champion bull rider Lane Frost and their famous matchup called the Challenge of the Champions. In 1990, both Frost and Red Rock were inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame. In 1994,  Hollywood released 8 Seconds, a biopic based on Lane Frost's life, which includes his duel with Red Rock. He was the first livestock inducted into the St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2017.

Background

Red Rock was born in 1976 at the Burnt River Ranch in Burns, Oregon. When he was a small calf, his mother died. Red Rock was introduced to the family milk cow along with another orphan calf. She raised them together in the backyard of the family's home. He was a red, tiger striped brindle Brahma-Hereford crossbred. This is also known as a Braford. "He was named after a rock formation near the ranch." He weighed  at his prime. Red Rock was the grandfather of a historic bull named Wolfman. Wolfman's father was the great ProRodeo Hall of Fame bull Oscar. Wolfman is known for being ridden   by Wade Leslie for a perfect 100 point score, the only one in history in any rodeo circuit. This happened in 1991 and it greatly enhanced owner Growney Brothers with most of the credit going to Don Kish.

Bucking career

Early Days
When Red Rock was two years old, Mert Hunking from Sisters, Oregon, bought him. Mert was a local stock contractor in the International Professional Rodeo Association, and he bucked Red Rock in the rodeos in the region. Mert ran a local stock contractor company called Sombrero Rodeo Company. Mert could see that Red Rock was smarter than the typical bull: "somehow, he could sense just what a bullrider was going to do, and he would go the opposite way, throwing cowboys off, usually on the first turn out of the chute. And, unlike the other bulls, Red Rock wouldn't go after the bullrider, he would just turn around and head for the stripping chute". Red Rock spent his time bucking all of the riders off.

"Nobody knew the bull then." Kish said. When he was 18 years old, Don Kish drew Red Rock at a rodeo in Silver Lake, Oregon. He only lasted a couple jumps before being bucked off so hard he needed help finding his way back towards the chute. Mert took Red Rock to the World's Toughest Rodeo in Tacoma, Washington, in 1982. Jody Tatone drew him which started the cowboys talking about him. Red Rock won many awards in this time and was named Bucking Bull of the Finals in the IPRA in 1983. In 1983, Mert was allowed to put Red Rock in the draw for a PRCA rodeo. Two top PRCA riders drew him and Red Rock bucked them both off. After that, Mert knew Red Rock could buck at the PRCA level. When Mert developed terminal cancer in 1984, he contacted John Growney of Growney Brothers Rodeo Company in Red Bluff, California. He was looking for someone special to take care of Red Rock. Mert had received many offers for Red Rock. However, he had heard that Growney and his partner, Don Kish, had a reputation for taking outstanding care of their livestock. Mert even financed the bull so that the guys could afford to buy him. Growney said Mert would never had sold Red Rock if he hadn't been dying. When Kish and Growney were looking over the stock Mert was selling, they "recognized Red Rock immediately [and] bought him that day in early 1984 for $10,000".

PRCA

At eight years old, in 1984, Red Rock started his career in the PRCA. Usually, bulls are starting to retire at this age. At this time, the PRCA was the highest level of bull riding in the world. Every year from 1984 to 1987 Red Rock bucked his way into the National Finals Rodeo (NFR), where the cowboys won their world championships. Even though he threw every rider before the whistle, the bull riders liked to draw him because he never tried to "hook" them with his horn and he avoided stepping on them. The bull riders thought if they did get a ride on him, it would be a very high score. Sometimes he took victory laps around the arena after he threw off a rider.

From 1984 to 1987, Red Rock bucked off the best riders at the NFR every year. At the 1984 NFR, he bucked off 1982 World Champion Charles Sampson and 1983 World Champion Cody Snyder. At the 1985 NFR he bucked off both Gary Toole and 1987 World Champion Lane Frost. At the 1986 NFR he bucked off Lane Frost again as well as 1985 World Champion Ted Nuce. At the 1986 NFR, Lane would have been the first cowboy to ride all 10 of his finals bulls—except that Red Rock bucked him off. This also kept Frost from winning the 1986 World Championship. Instead, Tuff Hedeman won the championship; Hedeman also won in 1989 and 1991. At the 1987 NFR, Red Rock bucked off Gary Toole again. And also in 1987, for his last competitive ride, he bucked off Cody Custer. In 1987 Red Rock became the Bucking Bull of the Year. Lane Frost happened to become the 1987 World Champion Bull Rider at the same NFR.

"Every bull rider wanted a chance to try Red Rock because he was a great bucking bull and because they knew he wouldn't come after them," Growney said in a 1987 interview with the Las Vegas-Review-Journal, "He won't step on bull riders or hook them once they're off, like most bulls...He has so much character in him. He has all the character of well-mannered person. At the ranch, we put kids on his back. He's a friend, a good soul." "A phenomenal bull!" Ted Nuce was quoted as saying in 1987. "Loves to buck cowboys off. He's smart. Know's what hand a guy's got down on his back. More than likely he won't turn back into a guy's hand. He's gonna set you up and get you loose before he goes to spinning."

Prior to the 1987 NFR, the best cowboys were talking about Red Rock, who had just been announced as the 1987 PRCA Bull of the Year. The bull had 307 outs (trips out of the bucking chute) with no qualified rides by anyone. Red Rock was to be drawn only two more times in Las Vegas at his final NFR in December 1987. Red Rock was age 11, considered old for a bull to still be bucking, and was likely to go down in history as the only undefeated bull in the PRCA. Lane Frost said he didn't want to draw him if he would be in a slot that could keep him from winning the World Champion title again, but otherwise he would have loved to draw him. Cody Lambert said he would have liked one more time "unconditionally". "If they'd let me get on him today for nothing, I'd get on him," said Lambert, who had lasted six seconds on his last attempt. "But I got too excited. I've had two fair chances at him, and I needed help getting up both times." Kish says "He's strong, he's fast, and he's smart. There are stronger, faster, smarter bulls than Red Rock, but he has the combination." "Lane and I have had him twice and Tuff has had him once," Lambert said. "All three of us had to tape our wrists for a month after we rode him, and he bucked a different pattern every time. Red Rock intimidates a guy because he's so ready. He gets hard as a rock in that chute. It's like sitting on a brick. Then he throws people off so hard they break bones when they land." Frost had been bucked off by Red Rock at the 1985 NFR and the 1986 NFR.

John said he and Don felt Red Rock deserved to retire and enjoy himself after the 1987 NFR after so many years bucking and because of his age. They also decided it was time to breed Red Rock, which had been what they had in mind when they bought him. John Growney said "We had no idea that he was quite this caliber a bull when we bought him." "Of course I'd like another shot at him," Lambert said. "But I also think he'll never get the recognition he deserves unless someone does ride him. As of now, no one knows his limits." Lane, also, would also love to "ride the invincible bull". "It'd be the thrill of anyone's bull riding career," he said. "Like when Freckles Brown rode Tornado."

Gary Toole drew Red Rock first at the 1987 NFR and got bucked off. Cody Custer drew him for the second and final ride at the NFR, was bucked off hard and had to be helped up. And those were Red Rock's final two rides in his PRCA rodeo career, retiring unridden after 309 attempts in professional rodeos, bucking first with Mert Hunking and then in the PRCA. At that time, Red Rock was 11 years old.

Challenge of the Champions

The Challenge of the Champions hadn't even been dreamed up at the time of Red Rock's retirement. Sometime in 1988, John Growney thought of a special match-up between the two 1987 Champions. It was decided that Lane and Red Rock would have 7 showdowns at different rodeos in states across the West. The event was titled the "Challenge of the Champions." Red Rock was brought out of retirement and Lane Frost finally rode him to the eight-second whistle for a scoring ride for 4 of the 7 matches.

Retirement and death

In 1989, Lane Frost was competing in Cheyenne Frontier Days in July, the oldest and biggest outdoor rodeo in the world. He had just dismounted after a successful ride on the bull SO Takin' Care of Business. He landed down on his hands and knees in the mud. The bull turned and knocked him prone. Then the bull hit him with his right horn in the back as he lay on the ground. It broke some ribs and "it is assumed that the broken ribs severed a main artery". He died in the arena. After Lane's death, John decided that no other bull rider would ever sit astride Red Rock. Red Rock would stay retired from the PRCA. However, John continued to let people visit Red Rock since he was so friendly and gentle, and even more famous after the Challenge of the Champions. John also took Red Rock to Lane's memorial service during the 1989 NFR in Las Vegas.

The ProRodeo Hall of Fame simultaneously inducted both Lane and Red Rock the same year, in 1990, and John brought Red Rock to the induction ceremonies. At the time, Red Rock was only the third bull inducted since the hall opened in 1979. As of 2018, there were only seven bulls inducted.

On June 8, 1994, Red Rock suffered a stroke while living out his retirement on the Growney ranch in Red Bluff, California. He "died while the vet was attending to him". He was 18 years old. John buried him under an oak tree on the ranch in Red Bluff. Clyde Frost, Lane's father, commented "He was a great bull and he had a great life. I know he's in a better place now...but he had it pretty good here too."

Honors and recognition

Years selected to the NFR 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987
Placed in the Bucking Bull of the Finals every year
 NFR- 2nd Place Bucking Bull of the Finals 1984
 NFR- 3rd Place Bucking Bull of the Finals 1985
 NFR- 1st Place Bucking Bull of the Finals 1986
 NFR- 2nd Place Bucking Bull of the Finals 1987
 Voted the Reserve Bucking Bull of the Year in 1984, 1985, and 1986 by the stock contractors at the NFR -Reserve=2nd place
 1987 PRCA Bucking Bull of the Year
Unridden in 309 rides, only bucking bull to remain unridden in his career in the PRCA
Faced Lane Frost in the Challenge of the Champions
Inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in 1990
In 1994, Hollywood made a feature film entitled 8 Seconds based on Lane Frost's life, which included the Challenge of the Champions with Red Rock.
Bronze statue of Lane Frost riding Red Rock during the Challenge of the Champions held at the Clovis Rodeo. Installed April 2014.
First livestock inducted into the St. Paul Rodeo Hall of Fame in 2017
 In 2021 inducted into the Bull Riding Hall of Fame

Tributes
 DVD of the Challenge of the Champions True story documentary made in 2009
 1:20 scale version collectible figures of Lane and Red Rock by Farm and Ranch Toys
 Tehama Oaks - Our Wild West Blend honors World Champion Bucking Bull "Red Rock"
 "Red Rock" Video - by the Smokin' Armadillos Tribute to Lane Frost & Red Rock includes real footage of them
 "Red Rock" lyrics Tribute Song by the Smokin' Armadillos

References

External links
 American Bucking Bull, Inc.
 Red Rock's Facebook page
 Growney Brothers Rodeo Company Facebook page
 Lane Frost vs Red Rock - 88 Challenge - YouTube'
 Red Rock, Bucking Bull - NFR 1987. - YouTube
 Red Rock Video - Smokin' Armadillos - YouTube

1976 animal births
1994 animal deaths
Bucking bulls
Individual bulls in sport
ProRodeo Hall of Fame inductees

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Articles tagged "Tallinn"
Better Know A Holiday: St. John's Day (And Eve)
by Adam Hodge on Jun 24, 2013
AKA: Fete Nationale du Quebec (Canada), Kupala Day (Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Poland), Festa Junina (Brazil), Foguera de San Xuan (Brazil), Jaanilaupaev (Estonia), Saint Jonas' Festival (Lithuania), Jani (Latvia), Dia de Sao Joao (Portugal), Sant Joan (Spain), Johnsmas Foy (Scotland)
When? June 23 (Eve) and 24 (Day)
Public holiday in: Quebec, Canada; Turin, Italy; Catalonia, Spain; Estonia; Latvia; Lithuania; Porto, Portugal
Who died? St. John the Baptist. June 24 is his feast day.
What's a feast day? Certain Christian traditions, notably Roman Catholic, keep track of which liturgies are given when by way of something called the General Roman Calendar, or Universal Calendar of Saints. Around 60 percent of the days of the Gregorian calendar year are associated with one or more saints, martyrs or holy figures. Even some relics have feast days. The feast day for St. Peter's chair is on February 22. St. John the Baptist's feast day falls on June 24.
Interestingly, St. Christopher, the patron saint of travelers, lost his feast day back in 1969. A lot of people think St. Christopher was "desanctified," or lost his sainthood, but in fact he was just stripped of his feast day because there's no proof he actually existed.
Also interestingly, the patron saint of travelers is also the patron saint of bachelors and bookbinders, among other things.
You were saying about St. John the Baptist… Right.
So why June 24 of all days? That's when John the Baptist is said to have been born. But more than that, Christianity has a long tradition of co-opting pagan rituals into Christian holidays. It's a good way to gain converts. Pagan celebrations generally aligned with the turning of the seasons – equinoxes and solstices. And so Christians have major holidays around these dates: Easter near the vernal equinox, Christmas near the winter solstice and Michaelmas, which celebrates Lucifer being cast out from heaven, near the autumnal equinox.That June 24 is close to the summer solstice is certainly not a coincidence. Even if the summer solstice used to be celebrated on a different date (which it was when we used the Julian calendar), the church would have had a significant feast day to coincide with such a major celebration in the northern hemisphere.
Is that why it's particularly popular in northern Europe? Bingo, mysterious person. St. John's Day is celebrated all over the world, but the biggest celebrations occur in traditionally Christian nations well above the equator. In strongly Christian countries like Ecuador, where there is little change in sunrise and sunset throughout the year, it's not such a big deal. But in Tallinn, Estonia, the sun sets at about 10:45 p.m. on the summer solstice and 3:30 p.m. on the winter solstice. St. John's Day is just an extension of the reverence these places have for the summer solstice.
But isn't it celebrated in Brazil? Yes, and other places where colonial powers instilled their traditions. Joao Fernandes, an early Portuguese explorer, was particularly devoted to the holiday and took John the Baptist as the patron saint of his exploits at Pernambuco, which is where St. John's day is celebrated most in Brazil today. Fernandes had canons fire salutes around the camp all day long in celebration. This was in no small part because he shared the same name with the saint.
John the Baptist is also the patron saint of French Canada. And Turin, Italy and Porto, Portugal and numerous other places as well. That's why Quebec celebrates June 24 as its national day.
Is it celebrated the same everywhere? Not quite, though most celebrations share one thing in common: fire. If there's one thing everyone does on St. John's Eve, it's get rid of their old furniture and spare kindling in a giant bonfire. Or if you're in Shetland, Scotland, where wood is in short supply, your excess heather and peat.
The city of Poznan in Poland had a unique take on the fire tradition in 2012, when they released 8,000 Chinese lanterns into the sky on St. John's Night, setting a world record in the process.
Bonfires are more typical and are found everywhere, from prominent mountain peaks to valleys and plains. If you're a traditional fisherman from Brittany, France…
I'm not. Well, if you were, you'd even light a fire on top of your ship's mainmast to celebrate with your fishing fleet. Curiously, Breton fisherman are said to have a fear of tailors, another group that John the Baptist patronizes.
Elsewhere, the celebrations have unique local flavor. In Scandinavia, figures of witches are added to the flames because, as on Halloween, demons and evil spirits are said to be able to roam freely this day. Up until the 1700s, the French would incinerate cats by the sackful and chase a flaming cat through the streets, evil incarnate as they were (the cats, not the French… ostensibly).
Latvians eat a special cheese flavored with caraway seeds. Ukrainians eat eggs, dumplings and liquor for dinner. Ukrainians will also symbolically wash themselves with the morning dew after watching the sun rise, as do the Lithuanians.
The Irish and others will set a wagon wheel on fire and roll it down a hill to symbolize the sun's decline. With any luck, there's nothing flammable at the bottom. Many cultures will dress in traditional costumes. Russians douse each other with water in one of the few actual nods to John the Baptist. The Swedes, celebrating their Midsommar festival a few days before St. John's Day, raise a giant pole that is supposed to imbue the earth with fertile soil.
Sounds phallic. Indeed. In fact, most rites and rituals surrounding the summer solstice have to do with fertility. Many of the cultures celebrating St. John's incorporate dancing and singing erotic songs into the celebrations, much to the consternation of the Church, I expect. It's said to be a good time to predict who will be your future spouse, as well.
No need. Well, another common activity is jumping through the flames. It's said to cleanse and purify the soul. Or you could wear a garland of flowers.
Not really for me, either. Can I just see some photos? Sure. Check out a slideshow of St. John's Day (and Night) celebrations from around the world below.
Check out more holidays around the world here.
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5 Countries That Are Great Alternatives To Their Crowded Neighbors
by Adam Hodge on Mar 30, 2013
It's the great hypocrisy in the mind of every traveler that they want to tour a place free from other tourists. Grumbling that a place is overcrowded isn't without grounds, though. Who hasn't wanted to pull a Dr. Manhattan on the tour groups that take group photos with every single person's camera? And boy, what we wouldn't give to disappear the backpackers pretending to make out with statues of the Buddha.
We can overlook these indignities as necessary evils most of the time. In reality, tourists are going to be present at the big attractions everywhere, and the penalty of avoiding tourists would basically be staying at home permanently.
That being said, for those who just can't take it anymore, we've compiled a list of some less infested options. These five countries offer up similar attractions to their neighbors, but see far fewer visitors to the nooks and crannies, which will make any tourist-weary tourist breathe a little easier.
Montenegro (Crowded Neighbor: Croatia)
Croatia's attractive coastline is a magnet for tourists. The attendant income from droves of foreigners was one of the reasons Serbs attempted to include it in their "Greater Serbia." The subsequent Croatian War of Independence ended in 1995, and the current crowds milling about Dubrovnik are the spoils of victory. Little Montenegro, which declared independence from Serbia only in 2006, shares the same coastline and a lot of history with its more famous neighbor. The country currently sees far fewer tourists (1.2 million vs. 9.9 million) visiting its excellent beaches, like the superb spits of sand at Sveti Stefan and Petrovac. Nor do many tourists hike and cycle around Montenegro's untouched forests at Biogradska Gora and Skadar Lake National Parks. Montenegro's comparative anonymity provides an experience that can't be matched in Croatia.
Cambodia (Crowded Neighbor: Thailand)
Cambodia's main attraction, Angkor Wat, certainly doesn't dwell in obscurity. This single attraction saw over a million visitors last year, which accounts for more than a third of all visitors to the country. Some of Thailand's other neighbors, like Laos and Myanmar, can barely achieve those numbers on a national level. However, when it comes to pretenders to Thailand's tourism throne, Cambodia is the only one in the region that can offer attractions that go tit for tat with Thailand's best. Beaches? The empty white sands of Koh Rong and Ream National Park beckon, as does the party-centric seaside town of Sihanoukville. Ruins? Cambodia rolls deep; Angkor Wat is backed up by Koh Ker, the former capital of the Khmer Empire now overgrown in the jungle, and Sambor Prei Kuk, a pre-Angkorian temple complex. Interesting capital? Phnom Penh, the "Pearl of Asia," boasts French colonial architecture and a park-strewn riverfront. Food? A taste of amok trey or lok lak will make you forget all about pad thai.
Estonia (Crowded Neighbor: Sweden)
Sweden is a huge Scandinavian tourism juggernaut. Estonia? Just a scrappy little Baltic state. What's the appeal then? A lot, actually. Estonia, like Sweden, is a nature-lover's paradise. Soomaa National Park, the "land of bogs," is one of the best canoeing destinations in Europe and is home to wolves, bears, elk and other wildlife. Estonia's crumpled Baltic coastline contains a mind-boggling number of shallow soft-sand beaches, especially in the summer capital of Pärnu. Estonia's past is also worth a look. While its Soviet experience is visible in some of the less adventurous architecture, the medieval castles are well preserved and atmospheric. Tallinn, the capital, is flooded with tourists, but island life on Saaremaa is quiet and isolated. Saaremaa boasts a 13th-century castle fortress and other curios like the 100-year-old Angla windmills and a Gothic church bearing symbols of the occult.
Mozambique (Crowded Neighbor: South Africa)
South Africa is head and shoulders above its Sub-Saharan neighbors when it comes to tourist numbers. Its famous game reserves, coastline and unique heritage attract almost 10 million visitors a year. Mozambique can't match the tourist infrastructure that its neighbor to the south has meticulously erected, but it can offer other competitive attractions. Before its large mammal population was decimated by the civil war, Gorongosa Park was considered to be Africa's Eden. Efforts to revive the park are underway, and all of Africa's Big 5, save the rhino, can be seen here. Maputo, the capital, is small and friendly and features Portuguese colonial architecture and an extremely laid-back vibe. Mozambique's true attraction, though, is its coast, where surfers (of the kite and wind variety) enjoy the unspoiled beaches at Vilanculos and divers explore pristine coral without the crowds at Pemba and Tofo Beach.
Iran (Crowded Neighbor: Turkey)
Turkey sees some 27 million tourists a year and Iran, well … not nearly as many. Official mouthpieces assert some 3 million tourists visited Iran in 2011, though less than 1 percent of those were traveling for nonreligious reasons. Those few tourists had historical sites like Persepolis and Imam Square all to themselves. They experienced Iran's outstanding natural attractions – lush forests and beaches on the Caspian Sea in the north and deadly deserts and sunny Persian Gulf coastlines in the south – without the crowds that bog down these landscapes in Turkey. Those travelers were also some of the only foreign tourists in Tehran, enjoying its multitude of parks and museums, and were alone again in Yazd, a city of compacted sand reminiscent of Tatooine. Then they joined Iranians on the empty slopes of Dizin, one of the best value-for-money ski resorts in the world, and one of the few spots where Iranians are able to pull back the veil and let loose.
[Photo Credits: Kumukulanui, ecl1ght, (flicts), VilleHoo, F H Mira, Adam Hodge]
Gifts From Estonia
by Sean McLachlan on Mar 6, 2013
When you ditch your wife and kid for a week to go off to Estonia in the middle of the winter, you better bring some cool stuff back. Luckily, it's pretty easy to find interesting gifts from Estonia. I managed to get a variety of low-cost presents that gave them a taste of what the country is like.
And I mean "taste" literally. As you can see, I mostly brought back food. Estonian cuisine has its own distinct twist. One thing that really stands out is that the Estonians like to confuse their taste buds. That bottle on the left is Vana Tallinn, a rum-based drink mixed with various contrasting flavors to creature a sweet, syrupy drink with a taste I've never experienced before. That honey is mixed with pollen, the chocolate is mixed with locally gathered berries and that cheese is some of the smokiest I've ever had.
Two gifts were specifically for my kid. One is a book called "The Retribution of Jack Frost," which includes two Estonian folk tales of the familiar theme of the poor stranger being refused help by a rich person and aided by a poor one. Guess who gets punished and who gets rewarded at the end! I didn't see much of a choice in English-language titles, but he liked this one and the drawings really catch the Estonian countryside in winter.
He also wanted a cup with a castle on it, so here it is, complete with a picture of Toompea Castle and Pikk Hermann Tower in Tallinn's medieval Old Town.
Last but not least is an odd wooden refrigerator magnet I found in a retro vinyl shop. Some weird Tom Waits-like figure dancing with crows. It isn't actually from Estonia but rather handmade by a Lithuanian artist. Hey, you can never have enough refrigerator magnets.
Not going to Estonia? Check out what ended up in our home from Japan and Greece.
Read the rest of my series: "Exploring Estonia: The Northern Baltics In Wintertime."
[Photo by Sean McLachlan]
A Medieval Monastery In Estonia
Estonia had an interesting time in the Middle Ages. Along with the other Baltic States of Lithuania and Latvia, they were the last bastion of paganism in a continent that had become entirely Christian.
Various Christian kingdoms decided this was a good excuse for conquest and launched the Northern Crusades. From 1208 to 1224, the Germans, Danes, and Swedes attacked Estonia and eventually conquered it.
Once the knights had finished their work, it was time for the clergy to step in. Prominent among these were the Cistercians, one of the most powerful monastic orders of their time. In 1220 they were rewarded with lands at Padise near the important port of Tallinn. They built a small stone chapel there and began expanding it into a large fortified monastery in 1317.
In 1343 the Estonians rose up against their occupiers and burned down Padise Monastery, killing 28 monks. The uprising was crushed and the Cistercians rebuilt the monastery better and stronger than before. It continued being a monastery until 1558, when it became a fortress protecting the landward approach to Tallinn. The building changed hands several times during the region's many wars. It was besieged twice, the siege in 1580 lasting 13 weeks, during which the defenders (Russians at that moment) got hammered with Swedish artillery and eventually were starved into submission.
%Gallery-180500%In 1622, King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden gave the monastery and lands to Thomas Ramm, Burgermeister of Riga, in exchange for Ramm giving up the city to the king's army. I suppose the Ramm family wasn't very welcome in Riga after that.
I visited on a quiet, gloomy winter afternoon as part of a day trip with Tallinn Traveller Tours, after a morning spent chasing the Estonian Army. Mart, my guide, led me up some slick icy steps to the top of the tower to look out over the snowy countryside. Somehow I managed not to slip and fall to my death. Writing for you people always seems to send me up unsafe heights. At least it wasn't as bad as the minaret in Samarra.
After we made it down safely, Mart took me around the castle grounds.
"Imagine being a kid here," he said. "We all played like we were knights in castles, but the kids around here get the real thing."
Lots of Estonian kids are lucky that way. Forts, manor houses, and monasteries abound in the Estonian countryside. This area was fought over for centuries yet the Estonians managed to keep their distinct language and national character. Eventually they managed to get independence too.
We entered the great hall, once used for meals and services, and admired the fine arches and carved columns. From there we explored the dark, chilly cellar, where a centuries-old oven was still black from baking bread for the monks.
"Look at this," Mart said, shining is mobile phone light on the wall.
A mosquito was perched on the cold stone.
"I'm surprised it's still alive," I said.
"I should kill it," Mart said. "I hate those things. They swarm around you all summer."
He left it alone. I was glad. I've always respected survivors.
Coming Up Next: Gifts from Estonia!
[Photos by Sean McLachlan]
Chasing The Estonian Army – And Finding A Different One
Machine gun fire thudded through the snowy woods. Mart looked up from the missile shelter we were inspecting; an excited look appeared on his face.
"It came from that way, let's go!"
He started running through snow up to his calves. I followed. The snow immediately trickled down the tops of my hiking boots, melted and gave my feet a cold bath. I kept running. At least I wasn't wearing regular shoes like Mart.
We heard another burst from the machine gun. It sounded closer and a bit to the left. We changed course.
"Maybe it's the APC that left those tracks we saw on the road," Mart said.
I hoped so. I've ridden on an APC but never seen one in action.
Mart was my guide from Tallinn Traveller Tours. He was supposed to be showing me the west coast of Estonia and the old Soviet military town of Paldiski. Instead, we'd been chasing scattered gunfire through some lonely winter woods for the past hour. Mart is an Estonian college kid half my age, but we share something in common – our natural reaction to gunfire is to run towards it instead of away from it.
Not that we really had anything to fear. We were chasing the Estonian Army on their winter maneuvers, and they didn't usually use live ammo. Technically they could arrest us if we got in the way, but chances are all they'd do was tell us to beat it. That's what the Bulgarian Army did when I pulled the same stunt with them.
%Gallery-180122%The snow hampered our movements and we had to weave our way through the half-buried remains of abandoned Soviet military installations. The missile shelter we'd been inspecting was one of many in the area, basically a big tubular garage from which a short-range nuclear missile could be wheeled out and prepared for launch. Mart says that the Soviets built far more than they needed and moved the missiles around so NATO would never know where they were.
Eventually we gave up crunching through the snow and got back in the car. We drove around for a time and saw more tracks, but never caught up with the Estonian Army. Too bad. Back in 1918-20, the previous Estonian army managed to beat the Bolsheviks and establish Estonian independence. Estonia got swamped in World War II but became independent again in 1991. Since then they've joined NATO and served in Afghanistan. They currently have 150 troops there making them a small country punching way above its weight.
While the Estonian Army was nowhere to be found, detritus from the Soviet army was everywhere. One of the most disturbing stood just outside of Paldiski. This town was used by the Soviet Navy for nuclear submarine training. In one building they had an entire mockup of a sub for the cadets to work with.
In another building – a grim looking, windowless place that we studied from outside a chain-link fence – were two nuclear submarine reactors. The first was installed in 1964 and the second in 1982. The reactors were shut down in 1989 but they're still in there. We didn't see any guards, but I bet they were watching us through a hidden camera somewhere.
This made me think of all the military trash spread across the planet. In an earlier post, I talked about how my kid loves using Google Maps and discovered the remote Johnston Atoll. He's obsessed with going there. I'm not. The United States used it for aboveground nuclear tests in the 1950s and '60s, and later as a chemical weapons dump. A landfill on the atoll contained plutonium dust, sarin nerve gas, Agent Orange and various other nasties. I'm not taking my son there anytime soon. I want my grandkids to have ten fingers.
I wonder how many places like this exist in the former Soviet territories, places that Moscow never bothered to mention as the Soviet Union fell apart. I also wonder about the planet's carrying capacity for heaps of radioactive and toxic waste.
Not all trash from the Cold War is harming the planet. Some of it has been recycled to better uses. After giving up on the Estonian Army, Mart drove me down a country lane for a surprise. Sitting on some private property was an old Antonov 12 cargo plane. Introduced in 1959, these planes did the heavy lifting for the Red Army for many years. This particular one was left behind when the last Russian troops left Estonia in 1994.
Somehow a local guy was able to buy it. He's an avid model airplane hobbyist and he and his friends turned it into their clubhouse – a boy's dream come true. We were greeted by the owner, a quiet man whose entire conversation with me consisted of "hello," followed by half an hour's silence as Mart and I explored his plane, and ended with "goodbye."
The Antonov is in remarkably good shape. The cargo area is stuffed with model planes, a worktable and files of modeling magazines. The cockpit is still as it was. I got in the pilot's seat and Mart acted as copilot as we fiddled with the switches, talked about what it would be like to fly this thing and basically acted like two overgrown kids with a wonderful toy. After that we headed to the rear of the plane where I squeezed into the gunner's turret. My only disappointment was that the machine gun had been removed. I wonder where it ended up.
Mart also took me to see more peaceful sights such as the frozen waterfall pictured below and a stretch of coastline where swans fished in the chilly water.
"They're taking a risk," he said. "Usually they migrate away from the sea in winter because it freezes and they can't fish. They've stayed this year because it's so mild. But if it freezes, they won't be able to eat."
We talked about Estonia's natural beauty for a time, and visited an old lighthouse that was on the verge of teetering into the sea because of erosion. Time and again, our mutual enthusiasm brought the conversation back to the Cold War. The Soviets didn't just leave behind material and hazardous waste; they left behind people too. During the old days the central government tried to "Russify" outlying areas by sending Russians to live there. About a quarter of Estonia's population speaks Russian as their native language.
These folks got caught in the middle during the independence movement in the 1990s. During the transition people were asked to get an unofficial Estonian identity card – unofficial because Estonia wasn't a country yet. Many Russians didn't, either because of loyalty to the homeland or fear that Estonia wouldn't become a nation and anyone with a card would get in trouble.
When independence became official, the identity cards were used to establish citizenship. Many Russians in the nation were left without a state. They got "gray passports" that designate them as resident aliens. They don't get to vote in national elections, hold government jobs, or enjoy many advantages of the European Union. Now the public schools are switching to teaching mostly in Estonian. Sounds like a good way to create a disaffected underclass.
Reactions from Estonians vary. Mart is sympathetic. Others are less so. One Estonian woman said of the Russians in her country, "We hate them." Steps have been taken to give more Russian Estonians their citizenship, but official figures still show about 8 percent of the national population to lack citizenship.
It's a messy business and while I see the problem, I don't see an easy answer. What is surprising about the collapse of the Soviet Union is that many areas managed to get through it relatively unscathed. Back in the early 1990s, a guy I know in college who everyone called "Stalin" because of his hardcore Communism predicted that, "These countries will be lucky if they survive with half their populations." At the time I thought he might be right.
For Estonia at least, they survived with a lingering social problem, some dodgy nuclear sites and one really, really cool clubhouse. If only every former Soviet republic had been so lucky.
Coming up next: A Medieval Abbey In Estonia!
[Top photo by Mart the Psychotic Yet Well-Informed Tour Guide. Bottom photo by Sean McLachlan]
Definitive History of Online Travel


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Evwind, News Menu, offshore, Uncategorized, Wind Energy
Prime Minister Boris Johnson: UK can be 'Saudi Arabia of wind power'
September 24, 2020 reve
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says he wants to make a "big bet" on renewables, turning the UK into the "Saudi Arabia" of wind power.
Speaking via video link to a climate roundtable discussion at the UN in New York, Mr Johnson said the country held "extraordinary potential for wind".
He said the UK should embrace a range of new technologies to achieve its goal of net zero emissions by 2050.
The UK holds the presidency of the UN climate conference, known as the COP.
But because of the coronavirus crisis, the annual gathering will not take place this year. It has instead been postponed until November 2021.
The Prime Minister said the UK had an ambitious agenda for the meeting and called on other countries to be "similarly ambitious". He praised the recent pledge by China to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.
Mr Johnson reiterated his government's pledge to "build back greener" after the Covid-19 pandemic, through a green industrial revolution. He promised to deliver thousands of new jobs in the process.
As regards wind power, Mr Johnson said: "We've got huge, huge gusts of wind going around the north of our country – Scotland. Quite extraordinary potential we have for wind."
On the question of new technologies, the Prime Minister also said he wanted the UK to take the lead in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, in which greenhouse gas emissions are captured from sources such as power stations and then stored underground.
Mr Johnson said this was a technology he "barely believed was possible, but I am now a complete evangelist for".
He said the country would also be investing in renewable hydrogen fuel technology "for trucks, for trains, even perhaps for planes – for vehicles that aren't readily capable of being moved by electric batteries".
Like many other countries, he said the UK government was also thinking of bringing forward the date for phasing out new petrol and diesel cars. It's thought that date will be 2030, with 2035 for plug-in hybrids – but this has not yet been confirmed. This would help accelerate the take-up of electric vehicles (EVs).
The government would be continuing its ongoing investments in solar power and nuclear energy: "I do think nuclear has to be part of the mix," the Prime Minister said.
Something that might have got a bit lost amongst Mr Johnsons references to the UK not "lagging on lagging" or the need to get hydrogen "grunt" to power the nation's trucks was just how important the Glasgow conference is.
It was only at the UN climate conference in Paris in 2015 that the world actually agreed that all nations needed to do their bit to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Even as the Paris conference closed, the participants knew the commitments made were not sufficient to meet the UN's stated goal of keeping temperature rises well below 2C.
That is why they agreed to review their ambitions every five years. The idea is that they will keep raising the bar, doubling down on the efforts to moderate climate change.
Mr Johnson's goal today was to urge them to bring the boldest possible carbon cuts at a new meeting marking the anniversary of the Paris agreement on 12 December.
What they bring to that meeting will kick off a year of negotiations designed to get them to go even further eleven months later at Glasgow.
So Mr Johnson was beginning a process that will determine how successful the conference will be and – much more important – will also determine the future direction of global climate.
In addition, homes would have to be improved so that they emit far fewer emissions. "Putting in lagging, changing the way the windows are configured, all kinds of things – changing the boilers. You can do so much to make a home less carbon-emitting.
"The UK may sometimes be accused of lagging in some things my friends, but we will never be lagging in lagging."
Mr Johnson said the UK's greenhouse gases were 8-10% down in 2020 on previous years. But added: "The bad news is we've achieved that by sustaining an appalling economic shock in the form of coronavirus.
"The only way we've done – or we're going to do it – is as you can imagine because our planes aren't flying, our people aren't moving, our cars aren't travelling and our industry isn't producing emissions in the way that it normally would."
At the roundtable, Ursula Van der Leyen, president of the European Commission, said that keeping global temperature rise under 1.5C – considered the gateway to dangerous global warming – was still possible "if we act quickly and if we act together".
Paul Rincon Science editor, BBC News website
offshoreUKwind energy
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Bandaid Brigade
I'm Separate
Bandaid Brigade, the musical project of Zach Quinn (PEARS), Brian Wahlstrom (Scorpios, Gods of Mount Olympus) and friends Paul Rucker (Armchair Martian, Street Dogs, Drag The River) and Chris Fogal (The Gamits), will release their debut album 'I'm Separate' on January 21, 2020.
Recorded at Black in Bluhm Studios in Denver, CO, and co-produced with Fogal, the album finds the members of Bandaid Brigade stretching beyond their collective punk roots with ambitious songwriting, polished arrangements, and a throwback sound that draws some detectable influences from early progressive rock, a heady mix of Springsteen's attitude, Elton John's artistic balladry, and classic pop-rock disco grooves echoing ABBA and Earth Wind & Fire.
Bandaid Brigade says: "It's quite possible that this is the best album ever made. We hope you like it as much as we think you think we think we do."
Stay Busy
Treat Me Like A Christmas Tree
Losing Light
I Think it's Going to Rain Today
Holding Steady
Break the Grid
Nothing Matters


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