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Étiquette : industries culturelles
Protégé : Istanbul et la production audiovisuelle turque : une approche territoriale (extrait)
Publié le 8 octobre 2012 Catégories Avancement, Travaux/ArticlesMots-clés article, avancement, cross média, EHESS, groupes medias, Histoire, industrie, industries culturelles, Istanbul, Julien Paris, production TV, réseau, territoire, thèse, Turquie
Reports : KEA
SOME QUOTES FROM KEA REPORTS
"Mapping the cultural and creative sectors in the EU and China"
A Working Paper in support to the development of an EU-China Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) platform
"Very few economic sectors have revealed as much economic potential in China and the EU as the cultural and creative industries (CCIs) have over the past few years. China is leading Asia in the development of a creative economy. Its cultural sector records € 50.32 billion of value added, contributes to 2.45% of Chinese GDP, registering growth 6.4% higher than growth of the general economy. European CCIs are worth 2.6% of the EU's GDP and generate a turnover of more than € 654 billion (2003), much more than that generated by the car manufacturing industry (€ 271 billion in 2001) and by ICT manufacturers (€ 541 billion in 2003).
The insufficient enforcement of IPR, the lack of IP understanding as a tool to foster trade transactions, together with the size of the cultural operators – SMEs with little access to foreign markets – as well as the lack of political awareness on the economic importance of the creative industries, are the main structural reasons for insufficient trade relationships between Europe and China in the cultural and creative sectors.
Nevertheless CCIs are important drivers of innovation in other industries and societies. They contribute to tourism and the development of the ICT sector, which is hungry for content. Culture also contributes to social cohesion. The development of cultural industries and creativity is intrinsically linked with brand strategies. Today, competitiveness rests on the ability to create emotional ties with consumers that go beyond the price or the functionality of products. Aesthetic, meaning, social significance are key aspects of the experience economy. Culture, creative industries and intellectual property are key drivers of this intangible economy." […]
"The impact of culture on creativity"
prepared for the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture)
"It therefore becomes an imperative for industry to meet and to create new kinds of demand that are not based merely on the functionality of a product but are instead rooted in individual and collective aspiration. In this new paradigm, marketing and services are as important as production. This requires creative skills and thoughts as productivity gains at manufacturing level are no longer sufficient to establish a competitive advantage. Culture-based creativity is a powerful means of overturning norms and conventions with a view to standing out amid intense economic competition. Creative people and artists are key because they develop ideas, metaphors and messages which help to drive social networking and experiences." […]
Creativity is a process continuously shaped and stimulated (or constrained) by human, social, cultural and institutional factors. It is proposed to establish a Creativity Index (with a set of 32 indicators) whose aim is to assess the creative environment in EU Member States and to enable the development of a creative ecology in Europe through art and culture." […]
"The study on the contribution of culture to creativity was prepared for the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture). It demonstrates the impact of culture and art on creativity, a major factor of economic growth and a vector of social and technological innovation.
The assignment lasted 11 months between May 2008 and April 2009. It was managed by KEA European Affairs (KEA) a Brussels based consultancy which specialises in the cultural, media and entertainment sectors. For this assignment KEA set up a consortium composed of Burns Owens Partnership (BOP) and Professor Roberto Travaglini."
"Towards a culture-based creativity index"
The European Creativity Index (ECI) is a new statistical framework for illustrating and measuring the interplay of various factors that contribute to the growth of creativity in the European Union. As other indicators it measures the performance of a phenomenon using a set of indicators which highlight some of the key features of that phenomenon. It is inspired by existing indexes concerning creativity, innovation and economic performance but introduces elements that are more specifically related to arts and culture.
A focus on the cultural dimension of creativity implies taking into consideration a number of factors, many of which are usually not included in other indexes. These include, but are not limited to: education in art schools, cultural employment, cultural offering, cultural participation, technology penetration, regulatory and financial support to creation, economic contribution of creative industries. We group these indicators in six pillars of creativity :
Openness and diversity ; Social environment ; Human capital ; Creative outputs ; Technology ; Institutional environment
"Economy of culture in Europe"
Study prepared for the European Commission (Directorate-General for Education and Culture)
[…] "The interdependence between the cultural & creative sector and ICT
Broadband penetration has grown exponentially over the last years and broadband uptake is continuing. The diffusion of wireless Internet connections and the mass adoption of 3G mobile phones have turned into a reality the promise of being connected "anywhere, anytime". The switch-over from analogue to digital broadcasting has already happened (for radio) or is foreseen for the years to come (for TV).[…]
The growth of creative content and the expansion of the ICT sector are the two sides of a same coin.
Technology and in particular the growing diffusion and importance of the Internet is the major driver for growth in the creative media and Internet industry (provided the issue of piracy is properly addressed). The impact on media consumption has been huge in recent years and it will be the major factor for the sector in the future. At the same time creative content is a key driver for ICT uptake. The consultancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers estimates that spending on ICT-related content will account for 12% of total increase in global entertainment and media spending until 2009.[…]
Creative hubs and the contribution of culture and creativity to local development
Firstly, the characteristics of cultural and creative goods are that they cater essentially for a local audience, its languages and cultures. This makes it difficult for the production of cultural goods and services to shift to other continents. Therefore off-shoring is less developed than in other sectors of the economy (even at manufacturing level). Job losses in the cultural & creative sector tend to be the result of restructuring, for example due to new forms of distribution and the emergence of new business models. Because of this characteristic (non-delocalisation), and given that Europe is a major producer of intellectual property assets in the world, it would be well advised to try and make the most out of this potential to boost its economy.
Secondly, there is a competitive race to attract talent and creators ("the creative class") to localised environments supporting the clustering of creativity and innovation skills. Europe risks experiencing a talent drain in sectors such as video games and cinema attracted abroad by better conditions, essentially financial.
Moreover, culture and innovation play a crucial role in helping regions attract investment, creative talents and tourism. Paradoxically, whereas we are living at a time where information technologies have abolished distance and time constraints, "physical location" and the "socialisation" factor remain decisive for economic success. The "location market" is a reality. Cities and regions are competing to attract foreign direct investment and creative talents. In order to succeed they need to attach several new strings to their bows: diversified cultural offerings, quality of life and life style. Culture has become an important soft location factor and a key factor for boosting local and regional attractiveness." […]
Publié le 5 février 2012 6 février 2012 Catégories RapportsMots-clés Europe, industries créatives, industries culturelles, KEA, rapportLaisser un commentaire sur Reports : KEA
"Gloomy Greeks forget woes with lavish Turk TV dramas" – Sabah
Source : Sabah
"When an Athens taxi driver learned his passenger was the boss of an Istanbul-based company that brings Turkish TV dramas to Greece he reached for his phone, called his wife and put her through to the man sitting in the back seat.
"She had to know what happens next," Global Agency chief executive Izzet Pinto said with a laugh. "I was expecting success but not like this."
It all began when crisis-stricken Greek TV channels realized soft that buying the glitzy tales of forbidden love, adultery, clan loyalties and betrayal from long-standing regional rival Turkey, was cheaper than filming their own.
The action-packed dramas quickly came to dominate the ratings despite the fact that they are broadcast in Turkish with only subtitles in Greek and have gained a devoted following among a Greek populace disheartened by the country's biggest financial crisis in decades.
Local commentators even talk of a Turkish invasion, pointing to the history of enmity between the two countries who have been on brink of war on several occasions in the past.
Relations have warmed and natural disasters in both countries have brought them closer. But Greeks know little about the daily lives of urban Turks.
Panoramic views of Istanbul neighborhoods which were once home to large and vibrant Greek communities have also awakened a sense of nostalgia in Greeks for a place they refer to as "The City" or Constantinople.
"They remind me of a different era, of Greece in the 1960s when people dominated in life, not material things," said 65-year-old Eleni Katsika, a dentist. "I watch them so I don't get depressed."
So fascinated are Greeks with the shows, that groups have started organizing trips to the island of Büyükada off the coast of Istanbul just to gawk at the set of one of the hit dramas, "Kismet."
Between stamping passports in a packed Athens police station, a young officer keeps an eye fixed on a tiny portable TV on the edge of her desk showing repeats of the latest prime-time hit, "Aşk ve Ceza" (Love and Punishment).
TV ratings for the shows in the small country of 11 million reached 40 percent in the summer, knocked off the top spot only by the occasional Champions League soccer match. Major channels ANT1 and Mega competed by showing a drama each at 9 p.m. and re-runs in the late afternoon.
"I realized hatred is manufactured by the guys at the top," said Angeliki Papathanasiou, a 21-year-old law student. "You don't see the bad enemy, you see the real Turk who falls in love, who gets hurt, who is like us," she said of the shows.
As a result, dozens of Greek fan pages on Facebook are peppered with Turkish words like "harika" (wonderful) and "guzel" (beautiful). Some Greek magazines have started giving away CDs for intensive Turkish lessons.
Some Turks find the Greek success of the shows difficult to fathom despite the proximity of the two countries, which in some areas are separated by just a few miles.
"It comes as a shock to me," said Asli Tunc, a media professor at Istanbul's Bilgi University. "Greeks need a new kind of entertainment to forget about their problems and these serials seem to meet that demand for now."
They are also a trip down memory lane to days when the economy was better, traditions were cherished, shoe polishers worked every corner and the local grocery store was a point of reference.
"'Ezel' and the other series portray a lost dimension of Greek society that has been buried in recent years," novelist Nikos Heiladakis wrote in a local newspaper article about the success of one crime drama. "It awakens in today's Greek a lost identity," he wrote.
BREAKING DOWN WALLS?
In a way, the dramas are exporting Turkish culture, Global Agency's Pinto said, even to a doubtful market like Greece.
"Greeks feel closer to Turks than they did," he told Reuters. "Sometimes soft power is more important than political power."
For the moment their grip on the audience remains strong and Pinto, whose company distributes three of the dramas to Greek TV and more than 30 other countries, expects to export about five or six dramas to Greece a year.
Next year will see the TV release of the controversial hit-series "Muhteşem Yüzyil" (Magnificent Century), based on 16th century sultan Suleiman the Magnificent, which so far has only been released as a DVD. Magazines selling DVDs of the episodes sell out within hours.
"I've not missed a single copy," said Yiannis Panagoulis, a 40-year-old handyman. "At this rate I'm going to be speaking Turkish very soon. Who would've thought?" "
Publié le 7 janvier 2012 25 juin 2012 Catégories Revue de presseMots-clés ANT1, Aşk ve Ceza, Asli Tunc, audience, export, Global Agency, Grèce, industries culturelles, Istanbul, Izzet Pinto, Mega, Muhteşem Yüzyil, revue de presse, Sabah, séries TV, soft powerLaisser un commentaire sur "Gloomy Greeks forget woes with lavish Turk TV dramas" – Sabah
Reports : DCMS
SOME QUOTES FROM DCMS REPORTS
"Creative Industries Economic Estimates – December 2011"
These are the most recent statistics for the Creative Industries, published December 2011:
creative industries contributed 2.9% of the UK's Gross Value Added in 2009, this is an increase from 2.8% in 2008
1.5 million people are employed in the creative industries or in creative roles in other industries, 5.1% of the UK's employment
exports of services by the creative industries accounted for 10.6% of the UK's exports of services
there were an estimated 106,700 businesses in the creative industries on the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR) in 2011, this represents 5.1% of all companies on the IDBR
"Creative Industries Mapping Document 2001"
Publié le 15 décembre 2011 15 décembre 2011 Catégories RapportsMots-clés Angleterre, DCMS, industries créatives, industries culturelles, rapport, rechercheLaisser un commentaire sur Reports : DCMS
Rapports : Union Européenne
SOME QUOTES FROM SEVERAL EU REPORTS
"Europe créative – Un nouveau programme-cadre pour les secteurs de la culture et de la création (2014-2020) "
EU programme dedicated to the cultural and creative sectors,
proposed by the European Commission on 23 November 2011
"«Europe créative», nouveau programme-cadre pour les secteurs de la culture et de la création relevant du cadre financier pluriannuel (CFP) 2014-2020, réunira les actuels programmes Culture, MEDIA et MEDIA Mundus dans un cadre commun et établira une toute nouvelle facilité visant à améliorer l'accès au financement. […]
"DRAFT REPORT on unlocking the potential of cultural and creative industries (2010/2156(INI)) (ici en français)
Committee on Culture and Education
Rapporteur: Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid
[…] "Les industries culturelles et créatives se caractérisent par une nature duale (qui les distingue de toute autre industrie), à la fois économique, par leur contribution en termes d'emploi, de croissance et de création de richesses, mais avant tout culturelle, par leurs activités qui contribuent à l'épanouissement et à l'intégration sociale et culturelle des citoyens. En encourageant la créativité et en innovant pour améliorer les processus de distribution et de production, ces industries jouent, dans l'Union européenne, un rôle majeur dans la promotion de la diversité culturelle et linguistique, du pluralisme, de la cohésion sociale et territoriale mais aussi dans la démocratisation de l'accès à la culture et la promotion du dialogue interculturel. À ce titre, rémunérer de manière juste la création grâce aux droits de propriété intellectuelle est une condition sine qua non à la préservation de la diversité culturelle européenne.
Aussi faut-il faciliter la mobilité et l'attractivité. En effet, promouvoir la mobilité des artistes, des praticiens de la culture et des œuvres est un moyen d'aider les industries culturelles et créatives européennes à passer notamment de l'échelon local à l'échelon national. Pour ce faire, il est nécessaire de s'employer à mettre en place des partenariats équilibrés avec les professionnels européens sur la base de mécanismes de concertation régulière pour suivre un secteur en évolution rapide, lever les freins à la mobilité et assurer une veille sur les outils développés à tous les niveaux." […]
Extrait d'une interview de Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid du 14 février 2011 :
[…] "Ces industries représentent plus de 600 milliards d'euros de chiffre d'affaire par an, soit 2,6% du PIB, explique Marie-Thérèse Sanchez-Schmid, "et elles ne sont pas en récession. Aujourd'hui en Europe, et malgré la crise, les industries culturelles sont en croissance, en particulier, les industries du luxe."
Ces industries très diverses jouissent d'un énorme potentiel, renforcé par les possibilités de diffusion qu'offre l'ère numérique. Mais ce potentiel n'est pas encore pleinement exploité, car ces industries "sont un peu trop cantonnées dans leurs états membres", estime la députée.
L'union européenne peut aider à surmonter ces obstacles, par exemple grâce aux programmes comme MEDIA (financement pour l'industrie audiovisuelle) ou le Prix Lux du Parlement européen." […]
"OMC – Expert Working Group on maximising the potential of Cultural and Creative Industries, in particular that of SMEs"
"Libérer le potentiel des industries culturelles et créatives"
Livre vert
"The economy of culture in Europe"
KEA agency
"TURKEY 2010 PROGRESS REPORT"
[…] "As regards audiovisual policy, the Radio and Television Supreme Council (RTÜK) adopted a regulation in November 2009 that lifted the time restrictions for private broadcasters and allowed 24-hour broadcasting in languages other than Turkish. The Regulation also removed the subtitle/consecutive translation requirement, thus opening the way for live broadcasts. Limitations as regards children's and language teaching programmes have also been lifted. As a consequence, the number of radio stations and TV channels broadcasting in languages other than Turkish has increased to 15 (5 TV channels and 10 radio stations), all of them broadcasting regionally.
The consultation forum with broadcasters continued, although on an irregular basis. RTÜK has reinforced its monitoring capacity by recruiting new staff who speak Kırmanji and Zaza. For the moment however, the monitoring of all local TV and radio broadcasts are carried out with the contributions of the monitoring units of the local police in line with a protocol that was first signed in 1998 and amended in 2006.
TRT became a shareholder in Euronews, whose Turkish service has been on air since January 2010, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Euronews in Turkish is distributed all over Turkey by TRT and is available on all distribution networks. In addition, TRT 2 is using Euronews programmes and the Turkish internet service also features Euronews programmes on demand.
In terms of alignment with the acquis, however, there has been no development. Media legislation is not yet aligned with the Audiovisual Media Services Directive. The draft law aiming to implement the directive was submitted to parliament in May 2010. RTÜK has not yet reallocated frequencies and the broadcasters have continued to use terrestrial frequencies on a de facto basis. The licensing deadlock continues to damage the broadcasting industry and also causes technical difficulties, such as significant interference, including cross-border, on both telecommunication systems and television and radio broadcasts. Switchover to digital would solve this problem, since Turkey adopted a roadmap on digital switchover in 2009, in line with the objective set by the European Commission for EU Member States.
The interpretation of certain articles of the broadcasting law and the sanctions imposed on broadcasters raised concerns. In June, RTÜK imposed a broadcasting ban on a channel for the words of a writer who spoke about the Armenian issue and which according to the regulator exceeded the limits of criticism." […]
"Cultural statistics"
voir aussi la page Eurostat dédiée aux questions culturelles
"Paysage audiovisuel et politiques publiques des pays candidats dans le secteur audiovisuel"
[…] "Proclamée en 1923, la République de Turquie, malgré une brève interruption entre 1960 et 1961, s'est apparentée à une démocratie parlementaire jusqu'en 1980, date à laquelle l'armée a pris le pouvoir. Le rétablissement d'un gouvernement civil en 1983 a permis le retour à la démocratie.
Depuis 1983 et la renaissance de la vie politique, plusieurs partis ou coalitions se sont succédé à la tête de l'exécutif.
En 1983, le Parti de la Mère Patrie (ANAP) remporte les premières élections libres depuis la prise de pouvoir par les militaires. Il s'agit d'un parti conservateur.
En octobre 1991, six mois après la fin de la guerre du Golfe à laquelle la Turquie a activement participé, le Parti de la Voie Juste (DYP) remporte les élections mais son leader, Soliman Demirel, est contraint de s'allier avec le Parti Populaire Social Démocrate (SHP). On a parlé là encore d'alliance conservatrice. Les bénéfices tirés de la guerre du Golfe ont permis d'intensifier pendant cette période la lutte contre le PKK (Parti des travailleurs kurdes) et de contrecarrer pour un temps les projets d'indépendance de la minorité kurde.
En juin 1993, le Premier ministre Soliman Demirel succède à Turgut Ozal à la présidence de la République de Turquie. Ce bouleversement à la tête de l'exécutif coïncide avec la montée en puissance du Parti Fondamentaliste Islamique (Refah) qui n'a de cesse de faire la preuve de sa crédibilité électorale entre 1993 et 1995, contraignant même le parti au pouvoir (DYP) à s'allier avec le parti de centre droit ANAP afin de barrer le passage aux islamistes lors des élections de décembre 1995.
Les mésententes entre les dirigeants des deux partis au pouvoir conduisent dès 1996 à la dissolution de l'alliance et à la constitution d'une nouvelle coalition entre le DYP et les islamistes du Refah. Necmettin Erbakan devient chef du gouvernement en juin 1996. Souffrant d'une relative méfiance de l'opinion et du manque d'appui des militaires du Conseil national de sécurité à l'influence politique et aux aspirations laïques affirmées, le Refah a eu le plus grand mal à mettre en application sa politique de repli vis-à-vis de l'OTAN et de l'Union européenne, en rupture avec les engagements pro-européens des gouvernements précédents.
Après trois années d'instabilité politique relative au cours desquelles six gouvernements se sont succédé et où tous les principaux partis, y compris le Refah, dissout malgré tout en 1998, ont eu l'occasion d'exercer le pouvoir, les élections anticipées d'avril 1999 consacrent le retour aux affaires du parti social démocrate de l'ex Premier ministre Bullent Ecevit qui met fin à des dizaines d'années d'hostilité entre son parti et le Parti Nationaliste, arrivé en deuxième place aux élections, en ouvrant la voie à une coalition entre les deux partis. L'arrestation du leader du PKK Abdullah Ocalan, vécue comme une grande victoire par l'opinion publique locale, a fait beaucoup pour la popularité du gouvernement Ecevit, qui a par ailleurs été confronté à la gestion des conséquences du terrible tremblement de terre de1999.
En mai 2000, après sept ans de présidence, Soliman Demirel cède sa place à l'ancien juge constitutionnel Ahmet Necdet Sezer, toujours Président à ce jour.
L'année 2002 consacre le retour en grâce des partis islamistes, Recep Erdogan (AK Parti) menant son mouvement à la victoire lors des élections du 3 novembre 2002. C'est la première fois qu'un parti islamiste gagne à la majorité absolue les élections depuis la création de la République de Turquie. Il n'a manqué que quatre voix au Parti AK pour obtenir la majorité des deux tiers qui permet de faire réviser la Constitution. Recep Erdogan s'est converti à l'Europe en cours de campagne.
Le 15 janvier 2003, la Turquie signe le protocole n°6 de la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme, interdisant la peine de mort en temps de paix, ouvrant ainsi la voie à une intégration à l'Union européenne, la question des droits de l'homme motivant, entre autres, les réserves des pays membres." […]
Sur le site de l'Union Européenne :
Groupe de travail sur les industries culturelles et créatives
"Les industries créatives et l'économie créative dans les rapports officiels européens".
Rapport pour le département des études, de la prospective et des statistiques du ministère de la Culture et de la Communication
Philippe Bouquillion Professeur de sciences de l'information et de la communication à l'Université Paris 8 Jean-Baptiste Le Corf Doctorant en sciences de l'information et de la communication à l'Université Paris 8
Centre d'étude des médias, des technologies et de l'internalisation Université Paris 8
"Rapport Industries culturelles & Ministère des Affaires étrangères et européennes".
"Creative and Cultural Industries"
Europe Innova, European Cluster Observatory
Site "Culture et création"
Publié le 28 novembre 2011 9 février 2012 Catégories RapportsMots-clés économie, gouvernement, industries créatives, industries culturelles, rapport, Union européenne


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Delco parishes face uncertain futures
St. Gabriel Catholic Church in Norwood. (Times Staff / JULIA WILKINSON)
St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Church in Essington. (Times Staff / JULIA WILKINSON)
By Delco Times | delcotimes@delcotimes.com |
PUBLISHED: March 8, 2014 at 8:50 p.m. | UPDATED: August 19, 2021 at 3:48 a.m.
As the Lenten season began Wednesday with Roman Catholics receiving ashes on their foreheads to remind them of their mortality, members of several Delaware County churches were also contemplating the impending mortality of their parishes.
'We're all upset about it,' said Jackie Badey who was baptized and grew-up in St. Margaret Mary Alacoque parish in the Essington section of Tinicum where she is still an active member.
St. Margaret Mary's is one of 13 Delaware County parishes that are the latest in a series of Roman Catholic parishes directed by officials in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia to engage in 'self-studies' that will determine their futures. Last year's round resulted in the closure of five Delaware County parishes whose members were directed to attend nearby parishes.
'No final decisions for any parishes have yet been made,' said archdiocesan spokesman Kenneth Gavin late Tuesday afternoon.
He noted that Philadelphia Archbishop Charles Chaput will most likely announce his decision on which parishes will close, merge or remain open in late May or early June.
Delaware County parishes currently under study in 'Parish Planning Area 310' as part of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's Parish Planning Initiative are Holy Spirit in Sharon Hill, Sacred Heart in Clifton Heights, St. Eugene in the Primos section of Upper Darby and St. Joseph in Collingdale. In addition to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, those being studied in 'Parish Planning Area 300' are St. Gabriel in Norwood, St. Madeline in Ridley Park, St. George in Glenolden, St. Rose of Lima in Eddystone, and Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Peace, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and Notre Dame de Lourdes, all in Ridley Township.
While no final decision has been made by the archbishop, some local Roman Catholics say they feel the die has already been cast as to the fate of their parishes.
'People up here don't know what to do. We think it's a done deal,' said Badey who is a choir member, teaches Confraternity of Christian Doctrine classes and helps clean the church among many other activities at St. Margaret Mary.
The 72-year-old Tinicum resident noted that in the Feb. 23 St. Margaret Mary Alacoque Sunday church bulletin the pastor reported the results of the Feb. 12 final meeting of pastors and parish representatives in his planning area with the Most Rev. John J. McIntyre, the auxiliary bishop who oversees Delaware County.
The Rev. Anthony F. Orth wrote that because St. Margaret Mary is the smallest parish, it was recommended to merge with St. Gabriel parish in Norwood while St. Rose of Lima in Eddystone was recommended to merge with St. Madeline in Ridley Park and Our Lady of Peace in Ridley Township was recommended to merge with Notre Dame de Lourdes parish, also in Ridley Township.
'The Diocesan Parish Planning Committee and the Council of Priests will review the recommendations but I don't think anything will change for us,' wrote the St. Margaret Mary pastor to his parishioners.
Badey said she has endured a parish closure before when she was a member of St. Clement's in southwest Philadelphia from 1973 to 2004.
'I've been through this before. I know how the archdiocese works. I think it's a darn shame,' said Badey who believes Chaput or McIntyre should meet with all the parishioners before making a decision about the parish's fate.
Founded in 1921, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had 1,471 parishioners in 2012, an increase of 7 percent since 2008 according to the archdiocese's 'Report to Pastor'. In 2012, St. Gabriel Church, which was founded in 1891, had 6,117 parishioners, a 20 percent decrease from 2008. St. Gabriel parish is 1.5 miles away from St. Margaret Mary.
Badey said there are many senior citizens at St. Margaret Mary Alacoque including her 96-year-old mother, Rose Smythe, who made her First Holy Communion at the Tinicum church.
'A lot of people are upset, especially the ones who don't drive. To go from Tinicum to Norwood is a big difference,' said Badey who noted that some parishioners have told her that they simply will no longer go to church.
Badey said that at another threatened parish, St. Rose of Lima parish, 2.2 miles away from St. Margaret Mary's, so many people attend Mass, they sit in the church basement and watch it on TV monitors.
Founded in 1890, St. Rose of Lima had 4,158 parishioners in 2012, a 20 percent increase from 2008. St. Madeline's, which was founded in 1908, had 4,720 parishioners in 2012, a 20 percent decrease from 2008. St. Madeline parish is 1.6 miles away from St. Rose of Lima. If St. Margaret Mary Alacoque and St. Rose of Lima parishes are closed, Delaware County will then be left with no Roman Catholic parishes in its riverfront communities.
Delaware County, with nearly 208,600 registered Roman Catholics, underwent its first round of parish reviews starting in fall 2012, which reduced local parishes from 46 to 41.
Parishes that Chaput directed to close as of last July 1 were 99-year-old Holy Saviour parish in Lower Chichester, 96-year-old Immaculate Conception of Lourdes Church in Marcus Hook, 85-year-old St. Louis Church in Yeadon, 91-year-old St. Alice Church in Upper Darby and 85-year-old St. Cyril of Alexandria Church in East Lansdowne.
For now Chaput is allowing the church buildings to be used as worship sites, but the former parishes' assets, debts,property and sacramental records are being managed by the parishes with which they have merged.
Thirty out of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia's 266 parishes in its five-county region have closed in the three years since the parish sustainability self-studies began as a result of a 2010 proposal by former Philadelphia Archbishop Cardinal Justin Rigali.
The studies are led by the pastors in conjunction with parish leaders, parishioners, and the Archdiocesan Strategic Planning Committee.
Factors considered include shifts in Catholic populations, concentrated density of parishes in a limited geographic area, history of declining Mass attendance and receiving of the sacraments,economic challenges , facilities and availability of clergy.
'It is hoped that the end result will be the strongest possible parishes that are poised for stability, growth and service to God's people now and far into the future throughout the archdiocese,' said archdiocesan officials.
In the majority of cases, the regional bishop and the priest designated as 'dean' meet with the pastors as well as their pastoral and finance councils to hear their concerns and receive their recommendations, according to archdiocesan officials. The Archdiocesan Strategic Planning Committee shares all final proposals with the Council of Priests and the College of Consultors for their review before final approval by the archbishop.
Last June Chaput directed St. Louis to merge with 100-year-old Blessed Virgin Mary Parish in Darby 1.5 miles away, St. Alice with 96-year-old St. Laurence Parish in Upper Darby 1.5 miles away, St Cyril of Alexandria with 115-year-old St. Philomena Parish in Lansdowne .86 of a mile away and Holy Saviour and Immaculate Conception with 42-year-old St. John Fisher Parish in Upper Chichester, 2.88 miles away.
The closures of Holy Saviour and Immaculate Conception at the end of June eliminated the remaining industrial riverfront parishes between Chester and the Delaware state line.
'As much as we need to evangelize, when we pull-up stakes in perceived low socio-economic areas, it doesn't help the Church,' said Immaculate Conception parishioner Michael Petrillo last June.
Members of both Immaculate Conception and Holy Saviour appealed to Chaput to keep their parishes open, but he stood by his decision that they should close and merge with St. John Fisher.
Friends of Holy Saviour and Friends of Immaculate Conception, with the assistance of a canon lawyer, have appealed the archbishop's decision to the Vatican via Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the U.S. liaison to the Holy See based at the Apostolic Nunciature in Washington, D.C.
Changing demographics have been blamed for the closure or merger of 25 Delaware County parish grade schools in the last 40 years, with five regional Catholic elementary schools established in 2012 as a result of sustainability recommendations from an archdiocesan Blue Ribbon Commission. Archdiocesan high schools have also been affected.
Notre Dame Catholic Girls High School in the Moylan section of Nether Providence closed in 1981 and St. James Catholic Boys High School in Chester closed in 1993.
Delco Times

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


OMOI is the acronym for Oran Machine Tooling Insulation. Beyond these activities, our company continues its development and continuously completes its product range.
Today, the breadth and depth of our range in the field of industry is among the largest in the industry.
Beyond the stored goods that you will find in our "products" section, we are able to make specific imports of any equipment or spare parts. A team of sales engineers has the ability to cover almost all requests from our customers. This in sectors as varied as that of cathodic protection, electrical equipment or instrumentation.


Greetings fans, cast members, and the simply curious! I would like to announce that, as of tomorrow, Chapter Nine of Shadows From The Past: A Black Blood Brothers Fan Fiction will be available for your listening pleasure!
I would also like to remind everyone that The Manga Project will be hosting a panel on amateur voice acting at Anime Fest in downtown Dallas, TX at the end of August, over the Labor Day weekend. Unless they change things, our panel will be that Monday at one pm in panel room one. IF it does change, we'll let you know!
We also look forward to presenting again at Anime Vegas over the Veterans' Day weekend in November, adding in a panel for amateur mixing and editing using Audacity. More specifics on that will come the closer we get to it.
Shadows Chpt 6 now available!
I would like to announce that Chapter Six of Shadows From the Past is now available for your listening pleasure!
Please feel free to give it a listen, download it if you like from the youtube page, share it with friends, and let us know what you think!
The next episode of Fruits Basket is scheduled to be released at the end of the month.


Microsoft Corp. Chairman Bill Gates sketched out a vision for the future in which a cell phone will become a "digital wallet," able to get e-mail and even scan business cards, while computers and TVs will merge.
Microsoft, the world's largest computer software maker, also wants to "redefine the way that citizens think about how they work with government and how efficient communication takes place," Gates told about 300 political, business and academic leaders from Canada, Latin America and the United States at the company's Government Leaders Forum.
The two-day event is intended to explore ways to improve government use of computers, as well as the transition to what Gates called the "knowledge economy."
Gates, the keynote speaker, pledged to continue Microsoft's commitment to Latin America. "I'm very optimistic about the countries in Latin America. It's a market that we've invested in, and the growth opportunities that come out of that have been great for us," he said.
Gates and other Microsoft officials cited a "Partnerships for Technology Access" initiative, in which the company aims to help governments and local industries in underserved countries and regions.
In Mexico, for instance, Microsoft is working with hardware vendors, local Internet service providers and government agencies to help families buy so-called "smart homes" equipped with computers, said Gerri Elliott, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Worldwide Public Sector.
She and Gates called such programs critical to bridging the "digital divide" between developed and less-developed countries.
Debbie Karcher, executive officer of information technology services at the Miami-Dade County School District in Florida, called the forum impressive. "It was great to see the three Americas -- from Canada to South America -- all in one room, in spite of our economic differences," she said.


text:
Across Time and Space
By Tony Cross
An Unofficial Doctor Who Companion with an introduction from Daniel Hardcastle
Who fancies a Classic Doctor Who watchalong?
-An update from Tony Cross-
Hello, thanks everyone who has already signed up to support 'Across Time and Space'. There's a long way to go yet, but it is lovely to see how much interest there is out there.
I've been thinking of re-watching all of Classic Doctor Who between 23rd November 2021 and 22nd November 2023. Even though I have done it before - hence the book. That sets us all up nicely for the 60th Anniversary. The question, of course, is practicalities. There are 102 weeks between the 23rd November 2021 and 22nd November 2023 and there are 159 stories.* That, of course, means watching more than one story in a week. However, to add complication upon complication, watching the longer stories in a single sitting is only possible if you do it on weekends. If you split the longer stories into two (or in the case of The Daleks' Master Plan and The War Games into 4 and 3 respectively) you end up needing 168 watching sessions. So...how to do it? I'd like some of these to be watchalongs, starting with "An Unearthly Child". So, I'm working on a timetable.
Would anyone be interested in joining in?
Do you have any suggestions as to which stories you'd like to join as part of a watchalong?
And thanks again for all your support. Please help spread the word.
*I've counted "Mission to the Unknown" as 1 and "Trial of a Time Lord" as 4 separate stories for ease of counting.
Melanie Peake says:
Hi Tony!
I would be interested in joining in with this. Really hope you get the full funding, can't wait to read it when you do!
posted 16th September 2021
Will Harding says:
Would love a watch along, only issue is how we would watch along! Count me in though while you work out logistics!
Tony Cross says:
I will give it some thought. There are two issues really. One time. How and when do we schedule the watchalongs? The second is practical. My feeling is we sit down at the same time, watch the story and then gather afterwards for a Zoom Call (or equivalent.) Rather than you poor people endure watching me watching Doctor Who. But I'm open to other ideas.
Bonnie Russell says:
Being in the US I'm wondering if it would be a "watch this" and then get everyone together to talk about it at a time when people from both sides of the Atlantic might be able to join? Time zones will likely be an issue here. When the watchalongs were happening during the shutdowns I would sometimes take my lunch and watch, so that's a possibility here too.
Jack Roscoe says:
If that can be sorted, would be up for something like this. Be nice to watch some classic Who with some like-minded people, if it's possible to do so.
Please sign in to join in the conversation.
Top rewards
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SIGNED BY DANIEL HARDCASTLE AND TONY CROSS
Daniel Hardcastle and Tony Cross signed bookplate
800 page first edition paperback
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2 My hair is grey Cyclical Sales Cycle Sales impacted by things I couldn't control (staff departure, weather) Stressful Vendor Relationships Dialing for Dollars Stress everywhere (work, staff, home) No long term value, exit plan. WHAT AM I DOING ??
14 Other thoughts - AAS is the basis for a deeper customer relationship. - Can start with AAS opportunities other than the POS System.
15 Every $1 that you sell on a residual model becomes a dollar you can count on month after month, and may return $30 - $40 later.
Download ppt "POS As A Service HUNTER ALLEN – SEPTEMBER 2014. My hair is grey Cyclical Sales Cycle Sales impacted by things I couldn't control (staff departure, weather)"
PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS Lease/Purchase Products for Governmental Agencies Bob Chapple/Karen McManus Caterpillar Financial Services Corporation.
McGraw-Hill/Irwin ©2008 The McGraw-Hill Companies, All Rights Reserved CHAPTER3CHAPTER3 CHAPTER3CHAPTER3 The Interest Factor in Financing.
Chapter 03: Mortgage Loan Foundations: The Time Value of Money McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2011 by the McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
Finance Engineering is $$$. Finance A dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow: Compound Interest P 0 = principal 0 time units.
Jill H. Jones, J.D. Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. EDA Contract Manager Logo Area for Speaker Pros and Cons of Licensing/Pricing.
CHAPTER Section 22.1 Franchising & Licensing Section 22.2 Exit Strategies Franchising & Exit Strategies.
Hal Janke. 'The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create It' Hal Janke, Pres., Certified Business Intermediary, specialist in selling automotive businesses.
Cindy Grimes Area Manager December 8, 2005 FUNDING SOLUTIONS CAN ASSIST YOU IN ACQUIRING EQUIPMENT TODAY.
© 2008 Cisco Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.Cisco ConfidentialPresentation_ID 1 Cisco Capital TelePresence Financing & Messaging European Theatre February.
Part V SALES FORCE LEADERSHIP Chapter 12: Compensating Salespeople.


Summary. This machine is an indirect heating type of rotary kiln using electricity, heavy oil, or gas as the heat source. The shell, due to its equilateral hexagonal cross section, minimizes the quot;shearquot; of the material layer to provide a sharp distribution of residence time, enabling you to get stable and high quality products of uneven firing.


text:
Q: Range of $f(x)=\left[\frac{[x]}{x}\right]$
What is the range of $$f(x)=\left[\frac{[x]}{x}\right]?$$

My textbook says the answer is the two-point set $\{0,1\}$, which I think means that the range is either $0$ or $1$. When I graph the function on my TI-nspire CX, I get a graph that has points on it whose $y$ values are indeed $0$ and $1$, but the graph also has points whose $y$ values are neither $0$ nor $1$. An example of this is the point $(-0.5,2)$. I don't understand this

A: I guess the textbook says that for $\,x \gt 0\,$, in which case it holds because:
$$
0 \le \lfloor x \rfloor \le x \quad\implies\quad 0 \le \frac{\lfloor x \rfloor}{x} \le 1 \quad\implies\quad \left\lfloor \frac{\lfloor x \rfloor}{x} \right\rfloor \in \{0,1\}
$$
For negative numbers, however, all positive integers are included in the range, since for $\,\forall n \in \mathbb{N}\,$:
$$\;\displaystyle\left\lfloor \frac{\lfloor −1/n \rfloor}{−1/n} \right\rfloor = \left\lfloor \frac{-1}{−1/n}\right\rfloor = \lfloor n \rfloor = n $$

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


A US teen who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer has organised a party to celebrate her life.
High school graduate Morgan Long, 19, was diagnosed with brain cancer when she was just 17 months old.
A month ago, doctors told her there was no longer anything they could to do stop the 11 tumours growing in her brain, the Duluth News Tribune reports.
Ms Long then decided to throw a party, so everyone she loved could along and celebrate her life.
"Why in the heck do I want people to come and see me when I'm dead?" her mother Molly said, quoting her daughter.
"I want to see people when I'm alive. Can we have a party? Let's have fun."
The party is being held at the Shriners Temple in Ms Long's hometown of Hermantown.
She has also planned for every guest to release endangered monarch butterflies into the woods.
Ms Long collects butterfly-related items, and has a tattoo of a butterfly on her foot.
Her love for them was motivated by her grandmother, who would always say to her "Whenever you see a butterfly, something good is going to happen".
Ms Long plans to play 'Something Beautiful' by Jacob Banks at the event.
Her mother said she feels blessed her daughter's life has been so long.
"We never thought she'd be 19 years old, still here and releasing butterflies before she goes to heaven," Mrs Long said.
The family was told that due to Ms Long's ependymoma brain tumor, their daughter was unlikely to live past the age of five.
After a series of dangerous operations, Miss Long has graduated high school, and even obtained her driver's licence.
"I've watched her fight for 18 years," her brother Steve Long Jr said.
However, Ms Long's condition is now deteriorating. She can no longer walk and uses a wheelchair.
"My words get mixed up a lot," she also admitted.
"(But) I just always try to stay positive. I don't think about the negative."
Her mother said she has promised her daughter the family will also stay positive for her.
"Now we have to promise her that we're going to continue to be strong," Mrs Long said.


A non-silicate rock, with chemical composition of CaCO3, calcite possesses doubled refractive properties. It's two refractive indices make it form two images. Being a ubiquitous mineral, it constitutes material of several rocks like sedimentary rocks, igneous rocks, and even the transmuting metamorphic ones. This white crystal forms an essential part of limestone as well. Hydrothermal environment favors calcite occurrence.
This phosphorescent stone has a Mohs hardness score of 3. With white streaks running through its substance, it has fluorescent, triboluminescent as well as thermoluminescent properties. With a luster ranging from vitreous to resinous, it has a white color while it may have no color at all. Some shades of orange, pink, brown, blue, red, yellow and gray tinge this crystal. These rhombohedral crystals have morphological forms as prismatic, massive and granular. With all 3 cleavage planes, this stone has a conchoidal fracture tendency. Calcite shows effervescence in diluted hydrochloric acid and forms essential component of many sedimentary rocks. Furthermore, it has a specific gravity of about 2.7.
Blue calcite soothes the crammed nerves and makes the wearer aware of his bodily and mental needs for rest. Students can get great benefits from this stone's possession for it boosts learning abilities and promotes memory retrieval apart from storage. Blue calcite also improves creativity and writers can make use of it to get their unblocked flow of words. Regarded by many as a stone of communication, this vitreous stone is associated with throat chakra, hence should be worn closer to the throat. Enlightened communication and tactful discussion especially amongst people of different views reflect the magical impact of blue calcite in throat chakra.
Blue calcite envisions its bearer of his path and amplifies decision-making abilities. Medically, the stone heals tonsillitis, lung diseases, thyroid anomalies, throat infections, arthritis and relieves high blood pressure. It helps remember channeling experiences as well. It is either placed between two purple candles or is worn by the patient for its medicinal effects.
Telepathic instincts vibrate in the head of the stone's possessor. The person becomes able to realize thoughts of other people without even speaking their motive on a subject. An exchange of thoughts with nil word spoken, the bearer understands the unexpressed.
Many psychic gifts reveal themselves on the wearer of this stone with stimulation of third eye chakra. When kept beneath the pillow, it will help you remember your ambitions and will guide your pathway for an achievement of your life goals.


drachenfells wrote: If it`s a movie moment, I would like to see Han shooting at Vader.
I dont care too much for movie moments but if they are going to do one...this.
Han and Leia movie moment in the carbon freeze chamber!
Well, perhaps a Han in frozen carbonite pop would also be totally awesome.
Is getting this boxes worth the money you pay for 'em?
Ilurvfunko wrote: Is getting this boxes worth the money you pay for 'em?
It really depends on your point of view, but I have been happy with every box I have gotten.
Some are much better value than others but I think that you get your moneys worth out of pretty much all of them.
Thank you for responding. I have been contemplating if I should start with these.
If you are going for the Star Wars box, be aware that the last few have had movie moments or rides. So its not always Pops.
thank you so much for this! I appreciate it.
Are you still able to order the box after the reveal?
I'm telling ya they're really keeping a tight seal on Spoilers with these Amazon boxes, i mean even on the Venom box contents were spoiled no one is 100% sure what they all are.
I wish they would do a teaser. Not sure why but I need some kind of boost to be inspired to order this one.
methodsmadness wrote: Are you still able to order the box after the reveal?
Unfortunately the Deadpool box was no longer available once the Venom theme was revealed. Thinking it'll be the same with Smuggler's Bounty.
That's a little alarming when you go to search for the box on Amazon you get, "Page not Found" but the order is still in their system. I don't know if it's sold out or just a big bug.
GuruGuy128 wrote: That's a little alarming when you go to search for the box on Amazon you get, "Page not Found" but the order is still in their system. I don't know if it's sold out or just a big bug.
Yes I also just noticed this today, when checking my Amazon order page. I thought I had ordered one, but now there is no record of that or the box in general LOL!!!
Just letting everyone know it's back up and there's about a month left to order.
Has there been any spoilers or sneak peeks? I hesitate to pick this one up without some sort of a clue in regards to the possible changes to the box since it moved to Amazon.
Celesdragon wrote: Has there been any spoilers or sneak peeks? I hesitate to pick this one up without some sort of a clue in regards to the possible changes to the box since it moved to Amazon.
Unfortunately I haven't heard of anything yet... with a little over 3 weeks left, we might not get a sneak peek for this You'll have to take the risk if you're kinda on the fence with this box.
Eh, I'm not going to take that risk. The last three SB boxes I picked up have either had less items in general or lesser value of items, for the same cost they had in the beginning. I've felt a general decline in the effort & content of the SB boxes have been occurring over the past year and I've regretted buying every single one of them after taking the risk on them. I want a sign that the boxes will see a bounce back in quality & value while under new management before I'm willing to jump back on board with them.
As you just saw I've changed the heading to give a warning about how much time you have left to order 3 weeks will turn into 3 days fast so make sure you don't wait around.
From the looks of the posts on this thread, there's no leak yet. I too will not take the risk. I was really let down by the previous box. It was great that they brought back the patch but I just can't seem to like movie moments.
OffTheCHENG wrote: From the looks of the posts on this thread, there's no leak yet. I too will not take the risk. I was really let down by the previous box. It was great that they brought back the patch but I just can't seem to like movie moments.
My problem with the movie moments is they're huuuuuge and I'm critically low on space.
2 Weeks remain for order time.
Amazon just teased the possible pop in the box in the latest e-mail. If this is true, then I'm very excited for this box!
I really hope the pop is the spoiler in the email.
Where did they show a spoiler? Was it an email from today or last week?
GuruGuy128 wrote: Where did they show a spoiler? Was it an email from today or last week?


After being sliced, a regular Granny Smith apple (left) and GM Granny Smith (right). Credit: Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc.
The US government has approved the commercial planting of a new variety of genetically engineered (GM) apples that are resistant to going brown - either when cut or bruised.
Developed over almost two decades by Canada-based agriculture and biotechnology company, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, the so-called 'non-browning Arctic apples' were first planted in test orchards back in 2003 and 2005, and have been tested and refined over the past decade.
The new apples have been genetically altered to ensure that the production of an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase - which is responsible for the browning effect - is slowed down within the fibres of the fruit. The developers achieved this by adding copies of the gene that produces this enzyme into the apples, which sounds a little counterintuitive, but it works because the apples respond to the overproduction of the enzyme by shutting it all down.
Last November, the US government also approved the commercial sale of GM potatoes that have had their browning slowed down using a similar technique.
While the apples will still go brown and rot eventually, they'll do it at a much slower rate, and ideally, they would have already been eaten by then.
The US Department of Agriculture approved the apples - which will come in Granny Smith and Golden Delicious varieties - for commercial growing, based on two main criteria, as Lizzie Plaugic writes for The Verge. "During its assessment of the fruit, the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service found Arctic apples posed little to no "plant pest risk" to animals or other agriculture," she writes. "It also determined the farming of the apples posed no significant risk to the environment. (Note: these U.S. Department of Agriculture pages are currently down for maintenance).
That said, their release will no doubt be mired in controversy, even if they avoid one of the most criticised aspects of genetic modification - inserting the genes of one type of organism into another. Carter told Andrew Pollack at The New York Times that the company had sought government approval back in 2010, and was met with tens of thousands of comments from the public over the perceived risks of GM food.
"A spokesman for the Agriculture Department said it took time to analyse the issues and all the comments received," Pollack reports. "There were two public comment periods that together drew more than 175,000 comments, the overwhelming majority opposed to approval."
On the other hand, Carter told Pollack that the apple had "a lot of silent supporters", particularly in the food service business. "I can't believe how many requests we've had just this morning to our website from people who want to buy trees," he said.
Because Okanagan Specialty Fruits is too small an operation to grow and distribute the Arctic apples on its own, they're planning to sell commercial licenses for a one-time fee of $1,500 per acre of trees, according to The Verge. Carter told The New York Times that he expects between 2,200 kg (5,000 pounds) and 4,500 kg (10,000 pounds) of the apples to be ready for the food service market by mid-2016, and stores - in very small quantities - the following year.
The question now is if the apples will have to be labelled as 'genetically modified' when they hit the market. Carter, understandably, would like to avoid this, but it will be up to the government to ultimately decide what's required of the company. "Okanagan is engaged in a voluntary consultation with the FDA regarding the safety of Arctic apples for consumption," Lizzie Plaugic reports for The Verge. "Although the FDA currently supports voluntary labelling of GMO foods, it's possible the agency could require Okanagan to disclose its fruits' genetically modified traits to consumers."


text:
Ironic eight-figure deal marks more Euro-registrar consolidation
Kevin Murphy, February 11, 2019, Domain Registrars
Slovakian registrar WebSupport, which is run by a local politician, has been acquired in a reported eight-figure deal.
The acquirer is Loopia, a Swedish registrar backed by Danish private equity firm Axcel.
The deal seems to have closed around the same time as Loopia's acquisition of .SE Direkt from Swedish registry IIS, though news only broke today.
WebSupport reportedly hosts around 173,000 domains, though it's not clear whether it acts as registrar for all. It's not ICANN-accredited, but it does resell domains in a wide range of gTLDs.
It reportedly has annual revenue approaching €4 million and sold for "a two-digit figure in millions of euros".
According to Vladimir Vano, Slovakian comms chief at CentralNic, which acquired .sk registry SK-NIC last year, WebSupport is the largest .sk registrar.
There's a certain irony with WebSupport being sold into foreign hands.
The co-founder and majority owner of the company is Michel Truban, an entrepreneur-turned-politician who was closely associated with a campaign to have UK-based CentralNic's acquisition of .sk blocked.
It was alleged (and denied) at the time that the campaign was party-political, though its main concern appeared to be that CentralNic would bastardize .sk into some kind of horrible domain hack.
Today, Truban wrote on his blog "I'm selling WebSupport and I'm going into politics". In 2017, he co-founded the liberal Progressive Slovakia party.
He said the money from the deal would free him from inappropriate influence by "oligarchs and patrons".
Google Translate says Truban wrote: "I had an offer that was about a million euros higher, but I declined it. Because it was from people with bad history and at the same time I wanted WS to get an international story."
CentralNic now owns .sk after $30m deal closes
Kevin Murphy, December 12, 2017, Domain Registries
CentralNic has just closed its acquisition of SK-NIC, the ccTLD operator for Slovakia, the company announced today.
The London-based firm announced the deal back in August, when it was to be worth €21.27 million up front, with a deferred performance-related cash payout of €4.85 million cash over three years.
But the deal, originally intended to close in September, was delayed by legal "complexities" and restructured from an asset purchase to a purchase of SK-NIC, including its liabilities, in its entirety.
The purchase price is now €20.27 million in advance, with €5.85 million deferred. That's still a total of €26.12 million ($30.67 million).
The acquisition is unusual in that it sees a ccTLD transferring to control of a foreign entity, and was opposed by many in the Slovakian internet community.
A petition was organized calling for the transfer of .sk to a new independent body with more community and government oversight.
There had been fears that CentralNic would do to .sk what it has to Laos' .la — repurpose it to mean something other than "Slovakia" — but CentralNic told DI that it will no do so.
The deal means .sk will move from its outdated old registry infrastructure to CentralNic's standards-based EPP platform, which should make it easier for registrars to integrate.
It's also likely to mean it's going to be much easier for non-Slovaks to be able to register .sk domains.
SK-NIC currently has about 360,000 domains under management.
CentralNic promises $30 million .sk will only ever mean "Slovakia"
CentralNic has committed that it will not repurpose Slovakian ccTLD .sk to mean anything other than "Slovakia", following its purchase of SK-NIC this week.
The acquisition of the Bratislava-based registry, which will cost between €21 million and €26 million ($25 million to $31 million) depending on performance, has been controversial in Slovakia, with many leading registrars campaigning against the sale.
One of the charges leveled against CentralNic was that its modus operandi has been to market ccTLDs as if they have other meanings. It markets Laos' .la as a TLD for Los Angeles, and acts as the back-end for Palau's .pw, which is marketed as an acronym for "Professional Web".
"From a technical point of view, it's definitely a good acquisition. CentralNic has a good system that is stable and working well, but we don't agree with their sales and marketing policies," Ondrej Jombik of Slovak registrar Platon told DI today.
Jombik is the person who organized a petition against the sale that attracted almost 10,000 signatures.
"We don't agree with how they manage national TLD registries," he said. "What they do in Palau is not acceptable. What they do in Laos is not acceptable. We're kind of scared what they plan to do with our domain, how they plan to market it."
But CentralNic CEO Ben Crawford said in an email interview that these concerns are misplaced. He said:
CentralNic has never had plans to repurpose .sk, and CentralNic commits not to market it with any other meaning than as the Slovak country code. Moreover, while some of the ccTLDs we work with welcome the export revenues from repurposing their TLDs, such practices are specifically restricted under recent contractual requirements put in place by the Slovak Government in response to this concern being raised by SK-NIC's policy committee.
Jombik's petition, which claimed to be supported by 13 of the top 15 .sk registrars covering 73% of .sk's 360,000 domains, called for the ccTLD to be handed over to a "new independent non-profit organization" that more fairly represented the Slovak internet community.
But Crawford said that .sk already has strong community representation, which is guaranteed by the registry's contract with the Slovak government.
"I am honestly unaware of any ccTLD where the Government, the internet community in general and the registrars all have such a defined and important role," he said, adding:
There will be changes under our management: The Government contract has recently been beefed up placing further stability and disclosure responsibilities on SK-NIC, including escrowing the registry data to the Government cloud, a formalised Service Level Agreement, giving the Government the right to audit SK-NIC's performance, etc., all of which we will abide by. We have other ideas too on contributing to the Slovak internet, and we are planning to hold discussions with not for profits, industry associations, Universities and other such entities in Slovakia, to seek their guidance on the best ways to do this.
Whether these promises and actions will be enough to assuage critics of the deal, who are also motivated by a sense of national pride and aggrieved that what is arguably a national resource is falling into foreign hands, remains to be seen.
Having a ccTLD manager acquired outright by a foreign entity without a redelegation by ICANN/IANA is an unusual occurrence. Only the $109 million acquisition of .CO Internet by US-based Neustar back in 2014 springs to mind.


Tiffany & Co., which has struggled with online competition and lost its luster with younger shoppers, reported a quarterly profit Wednesday that beat Wall Street's expectations as shoppers in China snapped up its luxury goods.
The high-end jewelry company's strength in its third quarter mostly came from the Asia-Pacific region, where sales surged 15 percent to $283 million. This was mainly due to strong demand in China. Sales were up 5 percent in Europe to $110 million.
But other places didn't fare as well. In Japan, sales dropped 8 percent to $139 million. While Tiffany managed to squeeze out a 1 percent sales increase in the Americas, that was considered a disappointment. The company said that a downturn in spending by foreign tourists was part of the reason for the soft sales.
Sales at stores open at least a year, a key gauge of a retailer's health, dipped 1 percent.
Under new Chief Executive Alessandro Bogliolo, Tiffany has been trying to lure millennials who are shopping elsewhere online. The company said e-commerce sales increased at a slightly faster pace than overall sales growth.
The New York-based company has stepped up its marketing, using celebrities like Janelle Monae and Zoe Kravitz in advertising. It's also focusing more on design, and adding more lower-price pieces such as $95 bone china cups that look like paper cups.
Tiffany's flagship Manhattan store on Fifth Avenue, playing off Audrey Hepburn's classic 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's," also recently opened a restaurant that features chairs and tables in the company's signature blue. Tiffany cited long lines for the cafe every day, and the upcoming block of reservations are full.
But the company still has a way to go.
"For as much as Tiffany has made strides, it has not yet regained that full youthful vigor that so many of its peers exhibit," said Neil Saunders, managing director at GlobalData Retail. He also took a swipe at the holiday lights at Tiffany's Manhattan store, saying in a note that they look like lights that "Las Vegas discarded in the 1970s."
"The gaudy, old-fashioned lights on its New York store underscore that there is much more thinking, and much more work, to do in the reinvention of this heritage brand," Saunders said.
Tiffany's profit for the quarter rose 5.3 percent to $100.2 million, or 80 cents per share, as revenue climbed 2.8 percent to $976.2 million. That was better than what analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research expected. They were looking for earnings of 76 cents per share on revenue of $960 million.
Shares were down less than 1 percent, or 78 cents, to $93.26.


text:
See a Sneak Peek of "The Grand Tour" Season 2
By Javon Johnson | October 15, 2017
THEY'RE BACK!
Yes! Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May are back for a second season of "The Grand Tour!"
That's right! Clarkson, Hammond, and May are back at it with their latest shenanigans. While this preview was short and a bit vague, it gives a glimpse into what to expect when the new season lands sometime in November.
Only a few bits were presented in the preview, which showcased the sort of content you'd expect from Clarkson, Hammond, and May, such as an old Jag driving on the side of a mountain, or a tank taking on some sand dunes. Toward the end, you see Hammond at the wheel of the Rimac that he infamously crashed earlier this year.
While this teaser was quite vague, it has me looking forward to the new season of the show. It looks like I'll be buying an Amazon Prime membership, exclusively so I can watch this show. I'm sure it'll be worth it, though.
NEXT: THE ABSOLUTE BEST STATES TO BUY A NEW CAR IN


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Абенова — женская форма фамилии .
 Абенова, Знура (1915—1973) — одна из организаторов колхозного движения в Казахской ССР.
 Абенова, Майшай (1923—1987) — заслуженный механизатор Казахской ССР, Герой Социалистического Труда.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


I very recently made a new friend in Wendy. She's an absolutely amazing woman that I met through twitter and instantly clicked with! And to my surprise, she decided to spoil me with a couple of gifts from my Wishlist! Thank you so so much Wendy! I am so lucky to have you as a friend and so incredibly grateful for the kindness you've shown me. I absolutely love this harness so you'll be seeing a lot more of it in the future ;] stay tuned!


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September 10, 2015 Mobile Phones
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus Release: What You Need To Know
Unless you've been living on Mars for the past few weeks, you'll no doubt have been aware that Apple announced a slew of of shiny new gadgets at a massive event in San Francisco last night.
Every time an Apple launch event comes around there's an awful lot of hype and this one was no different. Thousands packed in to the 7,000-seat Bill Graham Civic Auditorium to hear Apple CEO Tim Cook and co give the lowdown.
So, after all the hype, here's what we know. Apple is launching:
The iPhone 6s and the iPhone 6s Plus
A bigger iPad Pro
An Apple TV with its own app store
An update to the Apple Watch
The iPhone 6s and the 6s Plus will be available in gold, silver, grey and rose gold and will come in 16, 64 and 128GB versions.
Perhaps the biggest announcement for the new iPhones is 3D Touch – a pressure-sensitive screen which will recognise the strength of your touch and do different things accordingly. So, lightly press to look at a website, press harder to go into the content itself.
There's a better camera, too. The 12-megapixel camera will be able to film 4K video, allow you to FaceTime in 5 megapixels and comes with Live Photos – a feature which allows you to "reveal the moments immediately before and after a shot was taken", Apple said.
And the devices will be fitted with Apple's A9 chip, a third-generation chip with 70% faster CPU, so better battery life.
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus: release date and pricing
Both models will be released on September 25th in the UK, with pre-orders starting Saturday 12th.
iPhone 6s 16GB – £539
iPhone 6s 128GB – £699
For the iPhone 6s Plus, add £80 on top for each version.
The iPad Pro, Apple TV and Apple Watch upgrade
The new iPad Pro will come with a bigger 12.9-inch display with 5.6 million megapixels – the most ever in an Apple device. The firm also announced Apple Pencil for the Pro – a stylus-type device through which users can draw and sketch.
The revamped Apple TV will come with voice search and an App Store – meaning you can "choose what to watch and when you want to watch it".
As for the Apple Watch, the company announced that WatchOS 2 will be released on September 16, as well as an assortment of new cases and strap-bands.
"The only thing that has changed with iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus is everything — 3D Touch lets users interact with iPhone in entirely new and fun ways, and the innovative Live Photos brings your pictures to life." Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing
"It's easy to scoff at Apple making a crowd cheer and whoop at a "pencil", but it's a big step forward for the most popular tablet on the market." Dave Lee, BBC North America technology reporter
"I would say this was the most action-packed Apple event since the iPhone introduction in 2007, with three hardware upgrades — iPhone, iPad and Apple TV. Lots of significant updates in one well-paced two-hour event." Brian X. Chen, New York Times
What do you think about the new iPhone? Let us know!
If you want to sell your old iPhone for a new iPhone 6s or 6s Plus, do it today. The prices of old phones tend to drop when new models are released, so don't delay!
Where to watch the iPhone 6s / iPhone 7 launch event
Can I Sell My Broken Phone?


In spite of all the optimism and hope driving the 1960s space race, much of what remains is useless junk. For every lunar module preserved at the Smithsonian, there is an equal weight of scored metal fittings, decaying sheets of Mylar, torn bits of insulation and past use-by space sticks. It is not glamorous stuff (though it has the whiff of celebrity) and mostly looks so anonymous and shabby that each piece requires a backstory before any viewer can take it seriously. In the interceding fifty years, this trash has increased and is now added to by a larger assembly of similar objects made for the film industry following their own interstellar projects from 2001 and Star Wars through to Gravity, Moon – and Star Wars again.
When an interviewer asked the director David Cronenberg how he managed to make banal items such as a telephone or carpet seem so sinister, he replied 'No object is innocent and the audience understands this.' Richard Blackwell also understands. The sculptures he presents here at Flinders Lane Gallery are space-world discards, the clunky progeny of an exhausted Utopia laden with history but unable to perform their original function. It is as if they have been reverse engineered from pristine robot titanium and poly-carbon back to modest timber simulacra notched by the marks of machines (ironically, the artists uses hi-tech procedures to create this lo-fi result). En route, they have been imbued with a sculptural aesthetic that has elevated the trash anonymity of the template back to their former position of regard, consideration, and even usage via their new existence as art. This is a transmutation many artists aspire to but rarely attain and in their fabrication, Blackwell has neatly side-stepped the dilemmas outlined in 1939 when Clement Greenberg argued that such processes normally lead to kitsch, that hollow reminder of former utility, a dumbing down of culture caused by consumerism(1). The sculptures in New Hope are able to express this new-found resonance because they have already been mediated through a series of transitions by Blackwell, exhibited first as photographs in Chicago(2) before their translation into wood and, further, into their steel shadow-cousins hanging on the nearby walls. It is presumed inevitable that their mutant journeys will not end here.
Counter-balancing the 3D is another on-going project, Modular Reflective Surface, a grid of framed prints which have as their source an arrangement of 12 small relief plates. According to Blackwell, there are 1,150,976 possible variations and this multiplicity may be understood as a metaphor for contemporary life 'being the result of countless phenomenological interactions and relationships that are mediated by technology, ideology and the concrete structure of the built environment.'(3) The subtle tones and shades in each print are like fingerprints, unique to each yet confounding in their diversity not unlike William Blake's revelation of whole worlds contained within a single grain of sand.
1:See: Clement Greenberg, The Avant Garde and Kitsch, 1939. Original published in The Partisan Review.
Join contemporary multi-disciplinary artist Richard Blackwell as he discusses the motivations behind his unique practice, his passion for Star Wars and the new influences seen in his latest sculptures derived from his recent relocation to Doha, Qatar, in the Middle east. Recorded on the 12th December 2015 as part of the FLG Public Artist Engagement Program.


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US Researchers Design Compact Fusion Power Plant
March 29, 2021 15:04 ET | Source: General Atomics
San Diego, March 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fusion energy is heating up. In the past few months, both the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) and...
DIII-D Researchers Leverage Videogaming App for Remote Operation During COVID-19
San Diego, March 02, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The COVID-19 pandemic has forced dramatic changes in how nearly everyone does their jobs. For many people, the transition to remote work has meant...
General Atomics Expresses Support for NASEM Report on Fusion Energy
February 23, 2021 12:56 ET | Source: General Atomics
San Diego, Feb. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Atomics (GA) expresses its support for a new report released last week by the Board on Physics and Astronomy of the National Academies of...
General Atomics Completes Fabrication and Testing of First ITER Central Solenoid Module
San Diego, Feb. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- After nearly five years of fabrication and a battery of rigorous testing and troubleshooting, General Atomics (GA) has completed the first major...
General Atomics Expresses Support for DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee Report
December 15, 2020 16:49 ET | Source: General Atomics
San Diego, Dec. 15, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Fusion Energy Sciences Advisory Committee (FESAC) has adopted and endorsed a new report that lays out a strategic...
General Atomics Awarded Contract to Develop Key Component for ITER
November 06, 2020 13:23 ET | Source: General Atomics
San Diego, Nov. 06, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Atomics (GA) has been awarded a contract by US ITER, based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, to develop the manufacturing process for components...
General Atomics Names Dr. Anantha Krishnan to Head Energy Group
San Diego, Nov. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Atomics (GA) announced today that it has selected Dr. Anantha Krishnan as Senior Vice President of its Energy Group. Dr. Krishnan has worked at...
DIII-D Scientists to Work with PPPL to Find a Path to Sustained Fusion Energy
October 22, 2020 13:30 ET | Source: General Atomics
San Diego, Oct. 22, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Researchers from the DIII-D National Fusion Facility are preparing to support their colleagues at the National Spherical Tokamak Experiment-Upgrade...
General Atomics Congratulates ITER on the Start of Machine Assembly
July 28, 2020 11:00 ET | Source: General Atomics
San Diego, July 28, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Atomics (GA) congratulates the ITER Organization for the start of ITER machine assembly. ITER is the largest science project in history....
General Atomics and Framatome Join Forces on Nuclear Reactor Channel Boxes
San Diego, Feb. 20, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- General Atomics (GA) and Framatome are working together to develop nuclear reactor channel boxes fabricated from GA's SiGA™ silicon-carbide composite....


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"SINGAPURA" is the Malaysian name for the 225-square-mile island of Singapore where this breed originated. It is a natural breed from a gene pool native to Southeast Asia. Three original Singapura cats were found on the streets of Singapore in 1974 and were imported to the United States by my husband and myself in 1975. An additional import entered the United States in 1980 after it was found at the SPCA by another cat breeder vacationing in Singapore.
The Singapura is a small cat with a pattern similar to that of the Abyssinian except that barring is required on the inner front legs and back knees. Every other characteristic of the Singapura is different from that of the Abyssinian. The coat is very short, silky and close-lying. Both the eyes and ears should be strikingly large.
The muzzle should be medium length and square. The head should be rounded and of medium length with outer width at the eye. The feet should be small for the size of the cat.
The coloring is distinctive: dark brown ticking on an old or yellowed ivory ground color and tummies the color of unbleached muslin. Eye color can be hazel, green or yellow.
Singapuras can presently be registered in any American association, and are routinely registered and shown in championship competition in ACFA, CFF, TICA and the United Cat Federation. At this point, they are registered in the Cat Fanciers' Association, but are not eligible for championship competition. They are being shown in CFA nonchampionship classes until the necessary requirements are filled to apply for championship status.
Singapuras are pesky people cats. If you want a cat that stays off the kitchen counter, don't get a Singapura. They have a habit of getting in the middle of whatever you are doing. A very curious cat, yet tuned to people's moods, they are friendly, don't know the meaning of the word "stranger" and want to investigate everyone coming into your home. They are gentle, almost too intelligent, playful even when grown and like to stay glued to their people. The females make excellent mamas— almost too good since they will nurse almost anything and have strong maternal instincts for their babies well past the age when the kittens should be entirely on their own.
It may take time to get a Singapura into your household, but they are not hard to find. This minority breed has only about 70 cats in the breeding program across the country. Of the 300 or so Singapuras in the United States, most have been sold as pets, leaving only the very best breeding stock for the future of the breed. The result has been uniformly excellent cats for show or breeding, but a limited supply of cats to breed.
Since there is more demand for Singapura kittens than there are kittens available, the United Singapura Society keeps a waiting list of potential buyers and puts them in touch with the breeder of the first available cat or kitten when the buyer's name comes to the top of the list. Kittens are allowed to go to their new homes at about 4 months of age after having had their first two FVR-CV (3-way) kitten shots.
The least expensive kittens are sold as pets with no registration papers ever to be issued. The most common features that make a kitten pet quality are that the head may be too long, there are too many markings on the legs, or a tail fault of some sort exists. These are characteristics that we don't care to perpetuate in the breed, but that don't matter to a pet owner looking for a beautiful, loving kitten.
More expensive than kittens without papers are pets sold with papers to be issued after a letter is received from the buyer's veterinarian showing that the cat has been altered. These kittens can be shown in alter classes, but for some reason have been taken out of the breeding program. The reason may be only that there are too many male kittens. Most breeders can keep only a limited number of males, so these boys make excellent pets plus do well in the show ring in the alter class.
Breeder-quality cats may achieve championship but are not top quality. They usually have excellent backgrounds, but are frequently the "poorest" kittens in otherwise outstanding litters. Still, they have no faults that would cull them from the breeding program.
Show-quality kittens are those expected (by educated guess) to do well in the show ring and to be good for breeding. There is no guarantee that a cat will win at shows because there is no way to assure the care, grooming and feeding that the cat will get after it leaves the breeder's care.


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White House Says It's Working With 9/11 Families After They Ask Biden to Skip Memorials
By Elizabeth Crisp On 8/6/21 at 4:08 PM EDT
U.S. White House Joe Biden 9/11 World Trade Center
As the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, the White House is defending its handling of classified federal evidence that victims' families have been seeking on the role that Saudi Arabia possibly played—even as some of those family members say President Joe Biden should skip memorial events this year if the documents aren't released before then.
"Our hearts are with the families who lost loved ones on 9/11—especially in these days preceding the 20th anniversary of the attacks coming up just next month," White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday. "The White House Office of Public Engagement and the National Security Council staff have had several meetings with groups representing the families of those who perished on 9/11 regarding their document requests and to hear their thoughts on policy priorities that will continue to be a priority."
Nearly 1,800 people directly affected by the attacks signed onto the letter saying they won't welcome Biden to events honoring the victims.
"We cannot in good faith, and with veneration to those lost, sick, and injured, welcome the president to our hallowed grounds until he fulfills his commitment," they wrote in their letter, as reported by NBC News.
Big Tech Is Still Profiting From 9/11 Conspiracy Theories, 20 Years on
GOP Rep. Greg Murphy Slammed for Invoking 9/11 While Tagging Ilhan Omar
Honoring the Former College Football Players Who Lost Their Lives on 9/11
5 Ways September 11 Changed Airports Forever
50 Ways Air Travel Has Changed Over the Last 100 Years
During his campaign for president, Biden promised to urge the Department of Justice to work with the 9/11 families if elected. The Trump administration had used the state secrets privilege to keep the documents private.
Psaki said Biden's kept his pledge "that the invocation of such a privilege be narrowly tailored and not be undertaken to prevent embarrassment to a personal organization."
"He remains committed to that pledge he made during the campaign," she said. "Of course, any steps would be taken by the Department of Justice."
Psaki didn't directly address whether Biden plans to attend any memorial events, as presidents have done each year in the past two decades since the attacks.
Events typically are held at the locations of the attacks—the site of the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the spot near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed after passengers and crew overpowered hijackers.
Nearly 3,000 victims died in the attacks.
"Twenty years later, there is simply no reason—unmerited claims of 'national security' or otherwise—to keep this information secret," the families wrote in their letter on Friday. "But if President Biden reneges on his commitment and sides with the Saudi government, we would be compelled to publicly stand in objection to any participation by his administration in any memorial ceremony of 9/11."
In a letter to an attorney representing many of the families, Biden wrote last fall that, if elected, he would direct his Department of Justice "to err on the side of disclosure in cases where, as here, the events in question occurred two decades or longer ago."
Some family members of September 11 victims say President Joe Biden should skip memorial events this year if the documents on the role that Saudi Arabia possibly played in the attacks aren't released before the anniversary. People who lost loved ones in the September 11, 2001, attack listen during a press conference about the September 11th Transparency Act on Capitol Hill August 5. Brendan Smialowski / AFP/Getty Images


Dr. Francene Steinberg is a Professor of Nutrition and Chair of the Department of Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. She is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and directs the Didactic Program in Dietetics at UC Davis. Dr. Steinberg's research program focuses on foods, food components and food choices which impact health outcomes. She has over 20 years of research expertise in conducting human randomized clinical trials to study endothelial function, inflammation, markers of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism, and metabolic homeostasis. Her particular areas of interest are the physiologic effects of bioactive food components on health, including skin health, and on decreasing chronic disease risk markers.


FORTUNE — When traders want to know if the sky is falling, they look to the VIX index. It's Wall Street's greatest fear gauge. Technically the index tracks stock options to gauge the market's expected swings both up and down. But mostly it grabs the attention of investors wondering if stocks are headed for a rout.
The VIX spiked to all time highs in the fall of 2008, then it calmed down as the market steadily recovered, and now it's back to making crazy swings. On Monday, as stocks crashed, the VIX shot up to a two-year high of 48 before falling 27% the next day and rising 13% on Wednesday.
Traders can make fistfuls of money buying and selling options and futures based on the VIX, or the CBOE Volatility Index (VIX). But the ultimate fear profiteer is its owner, the Chicago Board Options Exchange.
The VIX story goes back to 1992 when the CBOE, the largest U.S. options exchange, was looking to introduce the first public index to track volatility. It reached out to Whaley, an expert in derivatives then at Duke University. While on sabbatical in France, Whaley started to compile options contracts tracking stocks in the S&P 100 Index and measuring their range of prices.
These forward-looking contracts were a kind of measure of the volatility investors expected to see over the next 30 calendar days. Volatility goes both ways — you can win when stocks jump but you can lose your shirt when they quickly crash. The VIX is often called the fear gauge because investors looking for protection from falling stocks dominate the S&P 500 Index options market, on which the VIX is now based, says Whaley.
After Whaley finished creating the index, the CBOE's head of research suggested naming its ticker with Whaley's initials — REW. Whaley laughs at the idea now. Thankfully another stock was already using the ticker, so Whaley picked VIX out of a dozen options.
Whaley now sounds slightly rueful when asked about ownership of the VIX. Even though he created its brains, CBOE retains all the ownership rights, which have likely yielded tens of millions of dollars in license agreements and revenue since it was introduced.
Now the CBOE is taking volatility one step further. A few years ago it started offering options and futures tied to the fear index. "What is the "volatility of volatility"? CBOE asks. Not only can you buy options on the VIX, which itself is made from options, but traders can trade futures on the index. CBOE offers a bevy of other volatility indexes tracking oil, the euro, and other stock indexes like the Russell 2000 and NASDAQ 100.
The VIX has traded between 12 and 29 for much of its history. Its all-time average level is around 19. On Thursday it had plummeted 8% midday to 40 as traders no doubt wondered if the worst of the recent market swoon, and the VIX, was behind them.


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Very Foodie is a blog on food that discusses the health benefits of organic food, natural ways to keep food fresh, and tips for choosing healthy food choices, etc. For more details, visit http://veryfoodie.
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Aluminum is the third most common element in the earth's crust. "Normal" dietary intake of aluminum is about 3 to 5 mg per day, of which only a very small amount is absorbed by the body's tissues. Aluminum, on the other hand, not only has no recognized function in the body, but is toxic.
The aluminum to which we are exposed comes from many sources, and most of these are under our control. Dust, water, commercial baking powder, (IRumsford is a non-aluminum alternative) and even unprocessed foods contain aluminum.
Aluminum in deoderants, cosmetics, aerosol air fresheners, many medicines, food additives, including the highly absorbable aluminum maltol (used in instant chocolate mixes), cans, kitchenware, and utensils can be easily avoided. A very popular antacid, Amphojel, consists of aluminum hydroxide.
Aluminum is unfortunately injected directly into the body through immunizations (virtually every immunization uses aluminum as a preservative).
Using non-aluminum based cookware is important. Glass,porcelain, and do not contain aluminum and do not react with the aluminum naturally occuring in foods. Metal cookware often contains aluminum (either in the entire pot or in the composite metal base) and does react with the acids in foods and the metal ions thereby released gain access to your body. In the case of copper, iron, and stainless steel cookware the metals are actually essential trace elements, and therefore make a valuable nutritional contribution if they are not absorbed in excess.
Recommendations: Based on present information prudent action would be to avoid all sources of ingestable and inhaled aluminum. Those who fail to heed this advice will serve as "guinea pigs" for the human experiments that may eventually prove the presence or absence of serious health effects of aluminum.
Two years of investigation were reported in the Lancet in 1991 using an aluminum chelating agent, desferrioxamine, to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease. Between 1979 and 1987 there has been a thirteen-fold increase in the number of deaths from Alzheimer's disease in the United States. This may represent the increase in exposure to aluminum that has happened to people in our society.
McLachlan D. Intramuscular desferioxamine in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Lancet 337:1304, 1991.
Increase in incidence of Alzheimer's disease. JAMA 265:313, 1991.