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Weekly Digests Literature Database UCIR.org
Antibodies, targets, and Fcγ receptors: a three-way tango
Given that antibodies to 4-1BB (a member of the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily that is expressed on activated T cells and other activated immune cells) have demonstrated antitumor effects in preclinical cancer models, Buchan, Dou, and Remer et al. set out to delineate the ways in which these antibodies promote antitumor immunity...
Conference coverage: AACR Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy 2018
Last week, the ACIR team attended the AACR Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy conference in Miami, Florida. This week's extensive special feature covers select talks from the conference. Topics include: Keynote SpeakersTumor and Host FactorsT Cell AnalysisChimeric Antigen Receptors (CARs)Understanding ExhaustionActivating the Immune Response Keynote Speakers The Tumor Immunology and Immunotherapy conference, hosted by...
Obesity exhausts T cells and boosts anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy response
Although obesity, characterized by a chronic inflammatory state and multiple metabolic and hormonal effects, is a known risk factor for certain types of cancers, its specific impact on immune response during tumor progression and in the context of immunotherapy is unclear. In a paper recently published in Nature Medicine, Wang and Aguilar et...
The good (T cells), the bad (T cells), and the ugly (tumor)
A wide variety of factors are known to contribute to the success or failure of cancer immunotherapy. In an effort to identify specific factors, including cell states, Sade-Feldman and Yizhak et al. profiled the transcriptomes of immune cells isolated from 48 tumor samples from 32 patients with melanoma who had been treated with...
A new variety of CAR T cells comes with an on/off switch
In order to create CAR T cells capable of a long-term memory response without chronic depletion of B cells, Viaud et al. developed a switchable CAR (sCAR) T cell platform in which the sCAR T cells could be reversibly turned "on" or "off" with a dosage of an antibody-based switch. In the absence...
Stress and metabolism in the cancer-exposed T cell
Tumors create a hostile microenvironment that disrupts T cell metabolism and effector function and allows for tumor progression, but the specific pathways between the environmental stressors and the disruption of T cell metabolic function are not fully understood. In a letter recently published in Nature, Song et al. investigated this mechanism in the...
Macrophages swallow tumor cells to protect cancer from immune response
In a recent paper published in Cell, Su, Zhao, and Xing et al. explored the effect of antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis (ADCP) on tumors and unexpectedly discovered that following monoclonal antibody treatment, ADCP in macrophages led to suppression of natural killer (NK) and T cells as well as poor antitumor response in breast cancers...
Tumors that hide away their HLA
Understanding how and why tumors become resistant to immunotherapy is one of the key obstacles in expanding the portion of patients who achieve a durable benefit from treatment. While some cancers show obvious mutations or genetic loss of antigen presentation, most cases of cancer relapse lack a clear mechanism of resistance. In two...
When CAR T cell therapy crashes
In two recent papers published in Nature Medicine, researchers documented two mechanisms, one anticipated and one unexpected, for the relapse of B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) after CAR T cell treatment. Ruella, Xu, and Barrett et al. explored the unusual case of a 20-year-old male with B-ALL who enrolled in a clinical...
Tumors get cozy in the LAP of macrophages
In the early stages of tumor development, the process of autophagy (degradation of intracellular components) protects against the emergence of malignant cells; however, in more established cancers, autophagy can promote tumor progression by supplying the tumor cells with necessary nutrients. Inspired by this duality, Cunha et al. explored non-canonical roles of autophagy components...
Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy Conference: Translating Science into Survival
Last week, the ACIR team attended the Fourth CRI-CIMT-EATI-AACR International Cancer Immunotherapy conference in New York. This week's extensive special feature covers select talks from the conference, which are organized by topics below. Resistance Mechanisms and Combination StrategiesIdentifying Relevant Neoantigens and TCRsCAR T cells and Adoptive Cell TransferVaccinesMicrobiome Resistance Mechanisms and Combination Strategies...
NKILA: A matter of (T cell) life and (activation-induced cell) death
Activation-induced cell death (AICD) is part of the immune system's important checks and balances, but as with multiple other regulatory pathways, tumors can co-opt T cell AICD as a mechanism of immune escape. To better understand how tumors induce AICD and which immune cells are targeted, Huang et al. performed an in-depth discovery...
NK cells may be the secret ingredient in PD-1/PD-L1 blockade
Although PD-1/PD-L1 blockade has classically targeted T cells, some tumors with low MHC-I expression respond to this treatment, which suggests that other cell types are also inhibited by PD-1 and respond to PD-1 blockade. As PD-1 is expressed on natural killer (NK) cells in several cancers, and loss of MHC expression increases the...
Rebooting the cancer immunity cycle by inducing necroptosis
The cancer immunity cycle is the body's natural way of staving off cancer, but in instances when cancer has already escaped this cycle, inducing immunogenic tumor cell death may be an effective way to reboot the system. In a recent study published in Nature Communications, Van Hoecke et al. explored the use of...
Siglec-9: the newest checkpoint in town
Despite exciting clinical success, resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors remains a widespread problem, and researchers are always on the hunt for new treatment targets that might improve T cell functionality. In a recent paper published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation, Stanczak and Siddiqui et al. set out to address this problem by...
The TIDE is turning for checkpoint blockade biomarkers
Predicting whether a patient will respond to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) and identifying resistance regulators are key research goals in cancer immunotherapy. With current biomarkers still falling short of accurate prediction, Jiang, Gu, and Pan et al. developed a computational method called Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) that models mechanisms of tumor...
Exosomal PD-L1: the unsung villain of immune evasion
In a recent paper published in Nature, Chen et al. set out to elucidate the details of how PD-L1 upregulation by the tumor, and the subsequent immune evasion, predicts patient response, and how treatment efficacy could be improved. Building on prior data indicating that extracellular vesicles contain bioactive molecules, including PD-L1, the researchers...
Canceling out the consequences with combined PD-L1 and IL-6 blockade
Tumors have multiple mechanisms of immune escape, and while certain immunotherapies may help to overcome one pathway, they may have unintended consequences on another. In a study recently published in Cancer Research, Tsukamoto et al. show that both PD-1/PD-L1 blockade and IL-6 blockade have unintended consequences that might hinder their antitumor efficacy, but...
Anti-PD-L1 unleashes the power of the macrophage
In a paper recently published in Cancer Immunology Research, Hartley et al. set out to explore how PD-L1 signaling affects the function of tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs), and in the process they discovered that PD-L1 blockade and PD-1 blockade confer distinct immunological effects. To begin, the researchers examined bone marrow-derived mouse macrophages treated with...
The cell types behind the synergy in dual checkpoint blockade
Dual checkpoint blockade targeting PD-1 and CTLA-4 is one of the most effective immunotherapeutic strategies in the clinic, but while the mechanisms of action of each monotherapy have been studied in detail, the mechanism behind the synergy of this dynamic duo is not fully understood. In a recent study, published in Cancer Immunology...
T cell residency status affects prognosis in breast cancer
Inspired by the knowledge that the quantity of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) is prognostic for improved survival in breast cancer (BC) patients, particularly those with triple-negative (TNBC) and HER2-overexpressing (HER2+) subtypes, Savas and Virassamy et al., as described in Nature Medicine, set out to uncover whether specific T cell subpopulations affect prognosis in BC...
Rethinking the meaning of T cell exhaustion in non-small-cell lung cancer
Blockade of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis effectively reverses T cell exhaustion in some instances of cancer, but understanding what defines "exhaustion" and which cells have the potential for reinvigoration will be important in predicting responses, improving efficacy, and broadening the applications of PD-1 checkpoint blockade. To better understand T cell exhaustion in the context...
To maximize immune response, leave the lymph node alone
In clinical practice, radiation oncologists frequently perform elective nodal irradiation (ENI) to irradiate clinically uninvolved tumor-draining lymph nodes (TDLN) in addition to the localized tumor in order to preemptively treat potential nodal micrometastases. However, it is unclear how the irradiation of TDLN affects adaptive immune response and the efficacy of radiation therapy in...
Targeting Tregs for inhibition activates enhanced antitumor response
Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are frequently found in high quantities in cancers, where a high load of Tregs corresponds to a poor prognosis, but systemic depletion of Tregs can unleash severe autoimmunity. In the search for new ways to safely deplete Treg populations, Wang et al. in their paper published in Cell and...
Playing the blame game with cytokine release syndrome
CAR T cell therapy has proven to be an effective treatment for B cell malignancies, but treatment is often complicated by cytokine release syndrome (CRS), a severe side effect (particularly in patients with high tumor burden) that causes fever, hypotension, respiratory insufficiency, and potentially death due to spiking levels of serum cytokines. Moreover...
Neoepitope-reactive T cells achieve complete tumor regression in metastatic breast cancer
In a paper recently published in Nature Medicine, Zacharakis et al. report the case of a 49-year-old woman with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer, refractory to multiple lines of chemotherapy, who was enrolled in a phase II clinical trial that evaluated the efficacy of autologous tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in reducing tumor...
Liver cancer, immunity, and the microbiome: connecting the dots
The gut microbiome has recently emerged as a critical regulator of antitumor immunity. Nearby, the liver is supplied by blood largely from the intestines, meaning that it is directly exposed to the runoff of metabolites and other products of the microbiome. Noting this direct physical relationship, Ma et al. set out to determine...
The many faces of an exhausted T cell
Chronic diseases, such as HIV and cancer, are typically associated with an "exhausted" class of T cells characterized by poor function in disease control. Based on the hypothesis that a better understanding of the phenotypic variation among exhausted T cells may more effectively guide immunotherapy approaches, Bengsch et al. set out to systematically...
2:1 T cell bispecific antibody doubles down against hematological malignancies
Approved therapies for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, including the anti-CD20 antibody Rituximab, can be highly effective, but for patients who do not respond or who relapse, there are few options. In their paper published recently in Clinical Cancer Research, Bacac et al. describe their approach towards aggressive lymphomas by combining a high avidity CD20 T...
There's just something about them: predicting response to CAR T cell therapy
CD19-directed CAR T cell therapy is a revolutionary tool in the fight against leukemias, however, in patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia only a small subset benefits. In order to better predict which patients are likely to respond to therapy, and to explore strategies that might expand the portion of responding patients, Fraietta et...
Dendritic cells go viral to achieve immortality
Current methods for preparing dendritic cells (DCs) for cancer vaccine immunotherapy, utilizing antigen-loaded monocyte-derived DCs (MoDCs) that are activated via a complex process, result in DCs that are difficult to maintain in culture, have low growth potential, and require repeated preparations for several rounds of vaccine delivery. In a paper recently published in...
M2-like TAMs tamed by anti-CSF1R and anti-PD-1 combination therapy
To uncover why anti-PD-1 therapy fails in the majority of melanomas, Neubert et al. investigated the role of colony-stimulating factor 1 (CSF1) in creating a protumorigenic, macrophage-rich microenvironment. CSF1 is an important regulator of both monocytes and macrophages and controls proliferation and survival of macrophages from their precursors. The results of their experiments...
Go whole or go home: a DC vaccine clinical trial
Multiple whole tumor cell, tumor cell lysate, and tumor cell RNA vaccines, delivered with various adjuvants or via dendritic cells (DCs), have previously been tested in the clinic with moderate and sometimes interesting results. In a recent article published in Science Translational Medicine, Tanyi et al. report results from a pilot study with...
AACR Annual Meeting 2018: Driving Innovative Cancer Science to Patient Care
Last week, the ACIR team attended the AACR Annual Meeting 2018 in Chicago. This week's extensive special feature covers select sessions from the conference. We have organized the content by topics below. Immune Checkpoint BlockadeNeoantigen TargetingImmune Cell AgonismMetabolismImmune Cell BiologyAdoptive Cell Transfer Immune Checkpoint Blockade The AACR Annual Meeting 2018 opened with a...
Mast cells subvert immune response in prostate cancer
Motivated by the limited response to immunotherapy among prostate cancer patients, Jachetti et al. explored the potential immunosuppressive role of mast cells in a paper recently published in Cancer Immunology Research. Mast cells are innate immune cells that promote angiogenesis and tumorigenesis, and they are known to promote the development of adenocarcinoma in...
Unlocking OX40 agonism
Immunotherapies have achieved clinical success in a variety of cancers, but there is still much to be desired in terms of consistent and robust antitumor immunity. In their paper published recently in Molecular Cancer Therapeutics, Oberst et al. propose targeting the TNF receptor superfamily co-stimulatory receptor OX40. Their engineered OX40 ligand (OX40L) Fc...
Neoepitope-specific T cells come out of hiding in ovarian cancer
With broadening the application of personalized immunotherapy in mind, Bobisse et al. set out to identify neoepitope-specific CD8+ T cells in patients with recurrent advanced epithelial ovarian cancer, a type of tumor known to have a low mutational burden. The researchers analyzed peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs) and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) from 19 patients...
CAR-T Congress USA March 21-22, 2018, Boston, MA
This two-day conference brought together experts from academia and industry representing research, clinical development, and process development to examine and highlight the advances and challenges that come with the first regulatory approvals for CAR T cell therapy. The ACIR team attended several talks, highlighted below. Laurence Cooper MD PhD (Ziopharm) began the meeting...
Targeting antigen to dendritic cells - no adjuvant required
Targeting antigens to dendritic cells (DCs) seems like a logical strategy for cancer immunotherapy, but without co-administration of an adjuvant to activate target DCs, this strategy has shown little efficacy. In a recent paper, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Zeng et al. describe the self-adjuvanting effect of a nanoemulsion delivery system...
Resurrecting IL-2
IL-2 is a critical T cell cytokine that promotes effector T cell expansion and survival and improves antitumor functions, but as an immunotherapy, its use has been very limited due to induction of suppressive T cell responses and potentially severe toxicities. In an effort to circumvent IL-2's less desirable effects, Sultan et al...
Cancer immunity — can it stem from stem cells?
Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), lineage-specific adult cells that are reprogrammed to an earlier pluripotent state, bypass the ethical controversy associated with embryonic stem cell use. Because iPSCs and cancer cells overlap in the expression of many tumor-associated genes, iPSCs can prime the immune system for both known and potentially unknown tumor-associated antigens...
TGFβ spells trouble for cancer immunotherapy response
Trying to figure out why some patients respond to immune checkpoint blockade while others do not may sometimes feel as hopeless as repeatedly hitting one's head against a brick wall. However, the latest research by Mariathasan et al. and Tauriello et al., published in Nature, may tone down the headache. While the two...
It's a cytokine! It's an antibody! It's a new cancer immunotherapy!
Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric cytokine with potent antitumor efficacy based on its abilities to stimulate the proliferation and cytotoxicity of activated T and NK cells, induce IFNγ and other cytotoxic enzymes and cytokines, and promote differentiation into memory phenotypes. Its actual efficacy as an immunotherapy, however, is limited by its short...
Unleashing innate and adaptive immunity with in situ vaccination
In a continuing effort to cure cancer, Sagiv-Barfi et al. sought to develop a new, "practical" immunotherapy by using the in situ tumor in three ways: 1) as a source of antigen, 2) as a source of immunoreactive cells, and 3) as an injection site for immune modulators, as described in their study...
LXR agonism promotes macroscopic change in the tumor microenvironment
High activity of immunosuppressive cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) is frequently found in patients who are nonresponders to different forms of immunotherapy, treatments which can demonstrate long-term benefits in the subset of patients who do respond. In a recent paper published in Cell, Tavazoie et al. aimed to elucidate the mechanism by...
Local chemo and CTLA-4 blockade: Turning a limb into a cancer vaccine
Immune checkpoint blockade is a powerful weapon in the fight against cancer, but for most patients, checkpoint blockade alone is not enough, and standards of care like chemotherapy are still the norm. In a recent paper published in Cancer Immunology Research, Ariyan et al. sought to enhance the efficacy of CTLA-4 checkpoint blockade...
Host expression of PD-L1 is essential for success of PD-L1 blockade
With the success of immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapies, the search is on for an understanding of the mechanisms and biomarkers to predict patient response. Lin et al. and Tang et al. tackled this problem head on by examining the role of PD-L1 expression on tumors versus host cells during ICB therapy, and...
Classical monocytes may predict response to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy
Anti-PD-1 therapy has been clinically effective against a wide range of cancers, but still only a fraction of patients achieve a durable response. Researchers have been on the hunt for biomarkers that could predict which patients are likely to respond to this therapy, and Krieg et al. may have finally found their mark...
Vaccine and anti-CTLA-4 team up against glioma
Surgery, a common treatment option for high-grade glioma, is mostly ineffective long term, however, the resected tumor could serve as a source of antigens for the development of personalized vaccines that could improve long-term outcomes. Field et al. had previously created a vaccine comprised of irradiated glioma cells pulsed with the glycolipid α-galactoceramide...
Orphans no more: a new strategy for identifying the antigen targets of TCRs
The task of identifying the ligand that stimulates a specific T cell receptor (TCR) is one that has proven incredibly complex due to the vast diversity in the TCR, human leukocyte antigens (HLA), and peptide components. While powerful methods such as mass spectrometry or epitope prediction algorithms can narrow the list of possibilities...
Targeting glioma and sparing the brain: a transgenic TCR approach
For children with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), current treatment does not offer much hope – median survival is less than 10 months. Chheda et al. aspire to improve this outlook by targeting glioma with immunotherapy. In their paper, published in Journal of Experimental Medicine, the researchers developed a transgenic TCR T cell...
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NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Get ready for an out-of-this world burst of color.
Macy's annual flower show is set to blast off this Sunday.
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How to do an Invisible Stitch!
This is how to do a pretty basic hand stich. Hand stitching is a good skill to have for the future, it's also fun.
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Kristina Švédská (18. prosince 1626 Stockholm – 19. dubna 1689 Řím), druhá dcera švédského krále Gustava II. Adolfa (1594–1632) a jeho manželky Marie Eleonory Braniborské (1599–1655). Byla švédskou královnou v letech 1632 až 1654. Po své abdikaci odešla ze Švédska a konvertovala ke katolicismu.

Královna Kristina byla výstřední panovnice i žena. Je popisována jako nežensky vyhlížející, štíhlé postavy a poměrně malého vzrůstu, její výška je odhadována na 150 cm. Svůj malý vzrůst údajně nezakrývala, a ještě nosila boty s nízkou podrážkou. Následkem úrazu páteře v dětství měla deformaci trupu a vychýlení ramene. Mluvila hlubokým hlasem, potrpěla si na drsné žerty a měla zálibu v lovu, vojenské strategii, sběratelství uměleckých předmětů a dalších dobových oborech evropské kultury.

Snažila se o rozvoj Švédského království, měla mnoho plánů, které však nedovedla ke zdárnému konci. Plánovala například založení univerzity po vzoru francouzské univerzity kardinála Richelieu. Proto zvala do Švédska umělce (jako byl malíř Sébastien Bourdon, který ji dvakrát portrétoval) a vzdělance, jako byl René Descartes nebo Blaise Pascal. Objednala si uloupení a odvezení cenných částí uměleckých sbírek císaře Rudolfa II. z Pražského hradu a malostranských paláců v době krátkého obsazení Prahy švédskými vojsky v roce 1648, ale i z jiných českých měst.

Život

Dětství
Když královna Marie Eleonora čekala koncem roku 1626 svého čtvrtého potomka, doufala celá země stejně jako král Gustav II. Adolf, že se narodí syn (z předchozích tří dětí se dvě, děvče a chlapec narodily mrtvé a jedno děvče zemřelo v necelém roce věku). Protože se tak nestalo, dal si král roku 1627 potvrdit, že v případě jeho smrti a absence mužského potomka se jeho dědičkou stane Kristina. Od roku 1604 mohli ve Švédsku dědit trůn také potomci ženského pohlaví. Toto usnesení za své vlády Kristina opět zrušila.

Protože se matka Kristiny zřekla, vyrůstala u své tety Kateřiny Švédské a jejího manžela Kazimíra Falcko-Zweibrückenského na hradě Stegeborgu, jižně od Stockholmu. Její otec se zatím snažil dohodnout pro ni sňatek s jejím bratrancem Fridrichem Vilémem Braniborským, aby tak podpořil svou vizi – Corpus Evangelicorum – vznik německo-švédského protestantského bloku proti katolickým Habsburkům.

Nejistá budoucnost švédské princezny
Když roku 1632 král Gustav II. Adolf padl v bitvě u Lützenu, přesídlila šestiletá Kristina ke své matce Marii Eleonoře do Nyköpingu a později do hradu Tre Kronor ve Stockholmu, kde královna truchlila pro svého manžela. Nad postelí měla ve zlaté truhličce zavěšené královo srdce, pod kterým musela Kristina s matkou spát, a celý hrad byl potažen černým suknem.

Ještě téhož roku přijala královna matka poselstvo dánského krále Kristiána IV. s žádostí o ruku princezny pro králova dvacetiletého syna Oldřicha. Dánský princ nebyl ale vhodný ženich, protože Švédové trpěli dlouhá léta pod dánskou nadvládou ("stockholmská krvavá lázeň").

V březnu 1633 se sešel Riksdag (švédský parlament skládající se ze čtyř stavů = zástupců církve, šlechty, měšťanů a sedláků), aby se zabýval otázkou následnictví. Švédský trůn si nárokovala polská větev dynastie Vasa, ti však nebyli žádoucí, protože polští králové byli katolíci a Švédové luteráni. Kromě Kristiny měl na trůn nárok ještě její bratranec, plánovaný manžel a později skutečný švédský král Karel X. Gustav, neboť jak Kristina, tak i Karel X. Gustav byli potomky švédského krále Karla IX. V parlamentu se proti přijetí Kristiny za švédskou královnu ozval zástupce sedláků, ale když byla sotva šestiletá plavá holčička předvedena před parlament, její podoba s královským otcem byla natolik zřejmá, že byla jednomyslně prohlášena dědičnou švédskou princeznou a zvolenou královnou.

Dědičná princezna

Kristina se tak stala v šesti letech věku královnou Švédů, Gótů a Vandalů, vévodkyní Finska, vévodkyní Estonska a Karélie a paní Ingrie (poslední titul na základě míru s carským Ruskem ve Stolbově roku 1617).

Po dobu princezniny nezletilosti byla určena regentská rada a dva opatrovníci, kteří byli přáteli zemřelého krále:
 Axel Banér (1594-1642) – voják: polní maršál, správce královských koníren
 Gustav Horn (1592-1657) – voják: polní maršál, dvořan a diplomat

Členové regentské rady:
 Axel Oxenstierna – kancléř
 Gabriel Bengtsson Oxenstierna – správce pokladu
 Gabriel Gustavsson Oxenstierna – říšský správce (Riksdrots)
 Jacob de la Gardie – velkomaršál
 Karel Karlsson Gyllenhjelm – velkoadmirál a nevlastní bratr krále Gustava Adolfa

Zesnulý král si přál, aby se na výchově jeho dcery nepodílela její matka Marie Eleonora. Princezna měla být vychována jako "korunní princ". Učila se jízdě na koni, lovu i šermu v oborách Djurgardenu, které se rozkládaly za jezerem u jejího domu. Z ženských dovedností se měla naučit pouze skromnosti a cudnosti.

Roku 1636 na popud kancléře přesídlila zpět ke své tetě Kateřině, kde vyrůstala spolu se svým bratrancem Karlem Gustavem (1622–1660) a sestřenicemi, starší Marii Eufrozýnou (1625–1687) a mladší Eleonorou Kateřinou (1626–1692). Bylo také dohodnuto, že se budoucí panovnice musí naučit základním dovednostem ("dobře hovořit o svých poddaných, o stavu země a regentství", naučit se jak cizím, tak domácím mravům a zvykům a správnému stolování).

Za jejího učitele byl vybrán mladý luteránský kněz Jan Matthiae, který princeznu vyučoval až do jejího šestnáctého roku života. Matthiae se narodil v dobré rodině, studoval na univerzitách v Německu, Anglii, Francii, Nizozemí a také na domácí univerzitě v Uppsale. Stal se teologem (liberálním), učitelem a také kaplanem krále. Jeho úkolem bylo princeznu zasvětit do historie, literatury, jazyků a filozofie. Knihovník Jan Freinsheim učil princeznu římské historii a řečtině. Kristina obdivovala starověké hrdiny Alexandra Velikého, měla v pokoji tapiserie s výjevy z jeho života a ze života Caesara či perského krále Kýra. Později o nich i sama psala. Kristina ovládala oba jazyky rodičů – švédštinu a němčinu. Naučila se také francouzsky, což byl její oblíbený jazyk. Od svých 11 let se s Matthiaem učila také latinsky, pro zdokonalení tohoto jazyka Matthiae vyžadoval, aby s ním princezna mluvila pouze latinsky. Úkolem hlavního regenta Axela Oxenstierny bylo zasvětit princeznu do praktické politiky, kterou Kristina přirovnávala ke hře v šachy, a vedení státu. Oxenstierna byl vynikajícím znalcem síly a slabosti každého státu Evropy.

Královna potřebuje krále
Roku 1641 se ze studií vrátil Kristinin bratranec Karel Gustav. Mladík smýšlel liberálně, rodina by takový sňatek uvítala. Jediným, kdo tomu mohl stát v cestě, byl kancléř Axel Oxenstierna, který měl jako předseda regentské rady právo sňatek zakázat. Slibného mladého muže navíc navrhli senátoři za nástupce po Gabrielu Oxenstiernovi na uvolněné místo správce pokladu. Kristina se však postavila proti této nominaci s odůvodněním, že by Karel Gustav byl regenty považován za špeha. Rozčarovaný Karel Gustav se přidal k vojsku v Evropě a jeho přítelem se stal alkohol. Království však potřebovalo následníka, a tak bylo nutné královnu přesvědčit, aby se vdala. Kristina označila Karla Gustava za svého vyvoleného, neměla ale v úmyslu se za něj opravdu vdát. Jejím cílem bylo prosadit, aby senátoři uznali jejího bratrance za následníka švédského trůnu i bez sňatku a to se jí nakonec podařilo.

V souvislosti se svým plánovaným sňatkem vyjádřila Kristina nesouhlas s vyjádřením církevního reformátora Martina Luthera o postavení žen, když prohlásila:

Vláda

Kristininým prvním politickým činem bylo uzavření míru s Dánským královstvím roku 1645. Válka o obchod v Baltském moři byla rozpoutána na popud kancléře Oxenstierny a jako záminka posloužil útěk královny matky Marie Eleonory z Gripsholmu za pomoci dánského krále. Kristina přijala francouzského vyslance kardinála Mazarina a nechala se přesvědčit, aby s Dánskem uzavřela příměří, bez porady s kancléřem Oxenstiernou.

Po vyřazení Dánska z války obrátil švédský velitel Torstenson pozornost na rakouskou císařskou armádu vedenou generálem Gallasem, kterou vytlačil z německých zemí do Čech a v březnu 1645 porazil v bitvě u Jankova. Na Moravě se Švédové spojili s vojskem sedmihradského knížete Rákocziho, ale švédský postup na Vídeň byl zastaven po neúspěšném obléhání Brna.

Roku 1648 zasedali vyjednavači ve vestfálském městě Münsteru, aby dojednali mír a ukončení třicetileté války. Tehdy se Švédové pustili do poslední epizody této pro značnou část Evropy katastrofální války, která začala v důsledku defenestrace královských místodržitelů v Praze, následného povstání proti násilné rekatolizaci zemí Českého království a proti snahám dosadit na český královský trůn opět katolíka z rodu Habsburků a nakonec také bitvy na Bílé hoře v roce 1620. Velký švédský vojenský kontingent vedený generálem Königsmarckem prošel nezastaven až do nitra Čech a obsadil Prahu. Po jednodenním ostřelování Prahy přišla tajná zpráva od královny Kristiny, aby vojsko obsadilo Pražský hrad a zaměřilo se na uloupení tehdy proslulé umělecké sbírky císaře Rudolfa II. jako válečné kořisti. Před Švédy již odvezl Maxmilián I. Bavorský do Mnichova 1500 vozů s předměty z Rudolfovy sbírky a protestantští Sasové 50 vozů. Švédské vojsko získalo rabováním pro Kristinu 500 obrazů, 70 bronzových soch, 370 vědeckých přístrojů, 400 indických kuriozit, stovky korálů, slonoviny, drahých kamenů, jantaru apod. To však královně Kristině nestačilo, napsala si ještě o Rudolfovu knihovnu. 24 hodin poté byl podepsán vestfálský mír o ukončení třicetileté války.

Zejména v období své vlády, ale i později v Římě, se Kristina obklopovala prospěchářskými muži, jimž poskytovala výhody, finance i úřady. Rozprodávala či rozdávala půdu a tituly, což mělo za následek mnoho nepříjemností se švédskou šlechtou a zadlužování země. K jejím favoritům patřil např. španělský vyslanec Don Antonio Pimentel de Prado (1604–1671/72).

Její korunovace na královnu se konala 20. října 1650 ve Stockholmu, což neodpovídalo tradici, protože králové byli vždy předtím korunováni ve městě Uppsala. Po zajištění nástupnictví pro svého bratrance Karla X. Gustava se Kristina v roce 1654 vzdala švédského trůnu a vydala se na cestu do Říma. V prosinci 1654 konvertovala v Innsbrucku s velkou slávou ke katolicismu a přijala jméno Marie Alexandra.

Odraz v kultuře
Kristina Švédská je hlavní postavou dramatické hry Královna Kristina, kterou sepsal v roce 1901 švédský spisovatel August Strindberg. V roce 1933 ji ve filmu Královna Kristýna ztvárnila Greta Garbo.

Vývod z předků

Odkazy

Reference

Literatura

Související články
 Decio Azzolino – kardinál, který zastupoval Kristinu v katolické církvi a s nímž ji pojil úzký vztah.

Externí odkazy

Vasovci
Vládnoucí královny
Švédské královny
Vládci Finska
Panovníci, kteří abdikovali
Švédští sběratelé umění
Pohřbení v bazilice sv. Petra
Narození v roce 1626
Úmrtí v roce 1689
Ženy
Úmrtí 19. dubna
Narození 18. prosince
Narození ve Stockholmu
LGBT panovníci

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Hunt Valley, Maryland (7 September 2012)—EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. (EA), a leading provider of interdisciplinary environmental services, announced today that it has been awarded a contract to provide engineering and construction-phase services to cap existing landfill cells and construct a new cell at the Harford Waste Disposal Center (HWDC), located in Harford County, Maryland. This work will include the evaluation and design of improvements to the stormwater management system and erosion and sediment control system for the entire site.
Earlier this year, EA was selected by Harford County as one of three firms qualified to perform planning, design, permitting, closure, and construction support services for the County's solid waste management facilities.
HWDC is the County's only active municipal solid waste landfill. Operations at HWDC include municipal solid waste landfilling, compost and mulch production, recyclable material collection and transfer, a homeowner's drop-off facility, and related support activities.


text:
Nagina (1986)
Nagina (1986) | The film revolves around Rajni, a shape-shifting cobra who marries a civilian to avenge the death of her spouse at the hands of an evil saint.
Genre: 1986, Action, Fantasy, Horror, India, Mystery, Requested, Romance
Hindi 18+
[18+] Blue Velvet (1986) Hindi
The discovery of a severed human ear found in a field leads a young man on an investigation related to a beautiful, mysterious nightclub singer and a group of psychopathic…
Genre: 1986, Crime, Drama, Hollywood Dubbed, Hot, Mystery, Thriller, Usa
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer
Based on the true life serial killer, Henry Lee Lucas, who murders scores of people, men, women and children, as he travels through the country. The film is actually one…
Genre: 1986, Biography, Crime, Drama, Fulltube, Horror, Thriller, Usa
Witchboard (1986)
Witchboard (1986) | When a woman decide to throw a party, her ex-boyfriend brings out a Ouija board to contact a pleasant, childish spirit with whom he communicates often. And…
Genre: 1986, Fulltube, Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Uk, Usa
Legacy of Rage (1986)
Legacy of Rage (1986) | Brandon Ma is an average Joe but his best friend, Michael, is a sinister drug dealer with a crush on Brandon's girlfriend, May. When Michael…
Genre: 1986, Action, Hong Kong, Thriller

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
default['salt']['version'] = nil # default: latest
default['salt']['setup']['configure_repo'] = true

default['salt']['role']['master'] = 'salt_master'
default['salt']['role']['minion'] = 'salt_minion'

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


I knew Billy Bob Thornton and I were going to hit it off. I had been a fan of his movies and his music for many a year, and I had read many accounts of his love for good ol' Southern fried music. Of course, the deal was sealed during our very first phone conversation when, five minutes into our interview, Billy Bob asked me, "Do you know who you sound like?" I said no, I didn't. He replied "Johnny Sandlin." I laughed and told him I took that as a major compliment, and just wish i could produce like "The Duck." Sandlin is of course one of my true heroes and a man I consider a real friend. As is Billy Bob.
Another thing he said during our first conversation really got my attention too.
Like I said though, Billy Bob was a player first. The guy has serious street cred. He played in various bands, including one of the most successful ZZ Top cover bands ever.
He grew up loving all sorts of music, but none more than Southern Rock. Maybe that's what led to Capricorn's Phil Walden becoming his manager for a while. His all time favorite band is The Allman Brothers Band, and he has spoken many times about his love of Bonnie Bramlett, The Marshall Tucker Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Grinderswitch, Cowboy and so many others.
I loved all of his solo albums. He has worked with everyone from Marty Stuart on down the line and has appeared on tribute records for Johnny Cash and Warren Zevon, among others. During one of our conversations Billy told me about how excited he was one night when Dickey Betts invited him to sit in with Great Southern.
A couple of years ago Billy Bob introduced us to a new musical endeavor called The Boxmasters, a project he put together with world class producer/musician J.D. Andrew and guitar wizard Mike Butler. The resulting band defied classification. They were a cross between country, or as Billy says, "hillbilly," and '60's British invasion. They became a melting pot of Billy Bob, J.D. and Mike's influences. Everything from The Dave Clark Five to The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Mel Tillis to Mott The Hoople, Willie Nelson to The Beatles.
The Boxmasters are currently on tour with Willie Nelson, and the summer will find them sharing the stage with Billy Bob Thornton and his solo band, who look a lot like The Boxmasters, well, except for the suits and ties. I saw them in both 2007 and 2008, and it is more fun than barrel full of tap dancing monkeys. And don't forget, their new CD comes out this month!
Enter our Boxmasters contest and meet Billy Bob and the band!
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BTW, If the Boxmasters haven't yet -- they've just gotta play the Cain's Ballroom sometime. Perfect for it.
This may sound a little crazy, but having grown up partly in Oklahoma -- Does anyone else hear just a twinge of Leon Russell influence in this? Not the full-out Russell sound, just the Okie hint of it. Whatever it is, it's GREAT stuff.
Great article! Billy Bob is an awesome musician. Some people just don'y get it. Their loss. We love him!


Magic lantern slide No 12 illustrating Cinderella fairy tale. Hand coloured glass slide held in wooden mount by metal frame made by unknown maker, 1870s. Happily ever after, Cinderella and the Prince walk arm in arm.


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Convert traditional 20-degree factory edges of European and American household knives into high-performance Trizor 15-degree edges with this professional electric knife sharpener. It quickly sharpens all brands and types of knives, including straightedge and serrated and contemporary double-bevel or single-bevel traditional Asian-style knives. The three-stage unit combines ultra-sharp 15-degree edge technology with the strength and durability of the triple-bevel arch-shaped Trizor edge, which resists dulling longer than conventionally sharpened hollow-ground or V-shaped edges. Simply pull the blade through the slots to obtain the desired level of sharpness-the machine accommodates the thickest and thinnest knife blades and adjusts for the proper angle automatically thanks to its flexible spring guides. The first stage features conical disks with diamond abrasives that create extremely fine micro-grooves and the first major bevel of the arch-shaped edge. The second stage uses even finer diamond abrasives on conical disks to shape the second, smaller bevel with finer microgrooves. The third stage uses patented, flexible, abrasive stropping disks that create a microscopically smooth, sharp edge with minimal metal removal, helping to extend the life of fine knives. Even more, it produces the third and final bevel while polishing the micro-grooves formed in the first two stages. Stage three can also be used to straighten and sharpen each tooth of serrated knives. Use the three stages in different combinations to create a custom edge. Other highlights include a simple front-access on/off switch, four stabilizing feet for secure operation, and durable construction for long-lasting performance. Assembled in the USA, the knife-sharpening station measures approximately 6-1/5 by 12 by 6-2/5-inch and carries a three-year limited warranty.


Credit card-sized computer was originally intended as a computer science learning tool for kids, but technology hobbyists have also been scooping them up.
March 1, 2012, 12:32 p.m.
A tiny, single-board computer costing just $35 sold out within 10 minutes of going on sale in the United Kingdom, PC Magazine reports.
The credit card-sized Raspberry Pi computer comes with 256MB of RAM, a Broadcom 700 Mhz chip, a USB port, an SD card reader, and not much else. It's just a system on a chip without a case, keyboard, monitor, mouse or even a hard drive.
The $35 Raspberry Pi Model B (the $25 Model A goes on sale in the near future) runs on the free Fedora Linux operating system, which boots onto the device from an SD memory card. Developed by the Raspberry Pi Foundation along the same model as the inexpensive One Laptop, One Child program, the computers are aimed at kids who are learning about computer science, but it was quickly snapped up by hobbyists interested in exploiting its cheap computer power. An official launch into the educational market is planned for later this year.
"The primary goal was to build a low-cost computer that every child could own, and one where programming was the natural thing to do with it," foundation co-founder Robert Mullins told CNN.
The incredibly high demand for the Raspberry Pi devices crashed the servers of the companies offering them for sale, Premier Farnell and RS Components. The foundation's own website was also changed to a static, one-page site due to heavy server demand.
The concept for the Raspberry Pi was first developed in 2006. The foundation was founded in 2009 to bring the concept into reality. The first 10 computers went on sale on eBay on January, each fetching thousands of dollars. That first sale helped raise enough money to produce the first 10,000 commercial Raspberry Pi computers, which were manufactured in China.
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text:
Health›
Tucker Carlson says men should try 'testicle tanning' to boost testosterone levels, but the science behind red-light therapy is flawed
Allana Akhtar
Apr 18, 2022, 22:46 IST
Fox News host Tucker CarlsonFox News host Tucker Carlson discusses 'Populism and the Right' during the National Review Institute's Ideas Summit at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel March 29, 2019 in Washington, DC.
Tucker Carlson hosted a personal trainer who said red light therapy could increase testosterone levels in men.
Few human studies have shown a link between red light and testosterone, and the studies that do exist have small sample sizes.
Fox News pundit Tucker Carlson went viral on Sunday after interviewing a personal trainer who claims red light therapy can raise testosterone levels in men, despite little evidence backing his statement.
Andrew McGovern, a certified personal trainer at LifeTime Fitness in Columbus, Ohio, appeared on Carlson's show on Sunday to claim exposure to red light therapy can raise testosterone levels in men.
"I was recently exposed to a term called 'bromeopathy' and I think there's a lot of people out there that don't trust the mainstream information," McGovern said.
—Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) April 17, 2022
Earlier in the show, Carlson promoted a trailer for his new documentary "The End of Men" which covers what he described as the "total collapse" of testosterone levels in men.
Concerns about potentially decreasing testosterone levels have been around for years. However, some experts have cast doubts on that science, and the fears that sperm counts are plummeting, threatening male fertility.
Carlson told his guest he believes testosterone levels are dropping, and supports people trying red light therapy on their testicles. "Why wouldn't open-minded people seek new solutions?" Carlson asked Kid Rock, who appeared on the show after McGovern.
According to one urologist, the answer to that question is: there are many reasons.
Scant research exists showing a relationship between red light and increased testosterone
Some animal studies have found an increase in testosterone after using low-level laser therapy.
Low-level laser therapy using a 670-nm diode laser appeared to increase testosterone in rats, according to a 2013 study performed in Korea and published in Journal of Biomedical Research. This study suggests red light therapy could influence leydig cells found in the testes that release a class of hormones called androgens, which includes tesosterone. However, rat and human hormone levels do not act the same.
Few human studies demonstrate this relationship. A 2013 study in Lasers in Medical Science found semen specimen taken from patients with low sperm mobility could improve progressive motility using a low-level 830-nm diode laser, but the results depend on the laser density and post-exposure time.
"You know how many men's health formulas are out there that purport to increase testosterone levels, increase your energy levels, and increase erections?" Dr. Marc Goldstein, a urologist at Weill Cornell and the Director of Male Reproductive Medicine and Fertility, told Inverse. "There's absolutely no controlled study that proves that."
"And almost all the studies that purport to improvement — whether it's light therapy or the multitude of men's products out there — not a single one has any convincing scientific evidence or properly done studies."
The lack of evidence has not stopped the wellness industry on cashing in on red light therapy, with spas offering red-light therapy sessions for around $30 to $60 per session, and at-home devices selling for hundreds (and sometimes even thousands) of dollars.
Next StoryIf you have an 'outie' vulva, you're not alone — here's what it looks like and other vulva variations
If you have an 'outie' vulva, you're not alone — here's what it looks like and other vulva variations
Omicron increases the risk of upper airway infections and cardiac arrest in children, shows study
What's the new Omicron XE variant and should I be worried?


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text:
Isam Bachiri (født 1. august 1977 på Nørrebro i København, ) er en dansk sanger. Han var medlem af Outlandish i 20 år, indtil gruppen opløste sig selv i 2017. Siden har han selv udgivet sange og optrådt ved koncerter. I 2019 blev han vært på Radio4's ugentlige program "Tro på det!".

Baggrund

Isams forældre stammer fra Marokko. Faderen kom til Danmark som fabriksarbejder i 1960'erne. Bedstefaderen var berbisk landsbyimam.

Musikalsk karriere

Isam Bachiri er medlem af hiphoptrioen Outlandish sammen med Lenny Martinez og Waqas Qadri. Som ung var han stærkt inspireret af Michael Jackson, og han begyndte at synge allerede som 10-årig på Islands Brygge Skolen, hvor han gik. Han blev stærkt opfordret til at følge musikken af sin klasselærer, da læreren syntes, at han havde en fantastisk sangstemme. Bachiri blev derfor tilbudt en plads på Peder Lykke Musikskole, men fodbold havde større indflydelse end musikken, så musikken måtte vente. Han mødte sine to venner og med-spillere, Lenny og Waqas som 14-årig i Ungdomsklubben Søholt i Brøndby Strand. Da turen kom til gymnasiet, gik de alle hver til sit, og Isam blev sproglig student fra Vester Borgerdyd Gymnasium. Da han fik sin studentereksamen som 20-årig i 1997, genfandt han gutterne, og efterfølgende etablerede de hiphopgruppen Young, Gifted and Brown (som senere blev til Outlandish). Gruppen optrådte til forårskoncerter, fester og andre arrangementer.

Han har gennem hele karrieren kun rappet på engelsk, hvorimod de andre har holdt rytmen på spansk, urdu og arabisk. Isam arbejder ofte sammen med bl.a. Majid og Burhan G.

I august 2007 udgav han sit første fuldblods dansk-sprogede album Institution på Sony BMG, et album der fik fantastiske anmeldelser fra den danske presse. Isam B beskriver selv albummet som "en dagbog over hverdagen", og albummet berører da også mange dagligdags emner som nationalfølelse og det at være dansk, kærlighed, opvækst og krig. Der er en del politiske budskaber i Institution, især i nummeret "Vejen går til Malmø" som omhandler 24-års-reglen, en regel Isam B selv har haft inde på livet idet flere af hans nærmeste har været påvirket af denne regel. Fra albummet gjorde fortolkningen af H.C. Andersen og Poul Schierbecks "I Danmark er jeg født" sig især bemærket. Fem år efter udgivelsen modtog sangen i 2012 guld for 15.000 solgte downloads.

I 2017 valgte Outlandish at stoppe og opløse sig selv, og medlemmerne fortsatte i stedet med forskellige soloprojekter. Isam B. har blandt andet købt en kaffebar sammen med sine tre søskende.

I 2020 deltog han i finalen i det danske Melodi Grand Prix med sangen "Bølger". Senere samme år blev sangen Ramadan i København, som han havde skrevet sammen med Özcan Ajrulovski, Anders Greis og Nana Jacobi, optaget i den 19. udgave af Højskolesangbogen. Begge sange blev annonceret at indgå i Isam B's kommende album "Til Danmark er jeg kommet", som i øvrigt i høj grad skulle handle om Isams fars oplevelser som indvandrer til Danmark.

Radiovært

Da radiostationen Radio4 gik i luften i november 2019 fik Isam Bachiri sit eget ugentlige radioprogram "Tro på det!", hvor han inviterer gæster i studiet til en snak om religion og at tro.

Privatliv

Privat er Isam Bachiri gift og har to sønner. Han er troende muslim. I 2015 indtalte han Koranen som lydbog på dansk ("Den Klare Koran") og forenede dermed efter eget udsagn sin egen "identitets to hovedsøjler": det danske sprog og islam. Ifølge Isam B. er kernen i islam taknemmelighed og en etik om at være til gavn for andre end sig selv.

Diskografi

Album
 Institution (2007)
 Lost for Words (2018)

Singler
 "Guld & Platin" (Karen og Isam B)
 "I Danmark er jeg født" (2007)
 "Institution" (2007)
 "Hver sin vej" (2007)
 "Mad World" (Michael Parsberg featuring Safri Duo og Isam B) (2010)
 "Undone (Change Will Come)" (2014)
 "Faking a Smile" (2015)
 "Smile and Pretend" (2017)
 "Life" (2018)
 "Man with a Plan" (2018)
 "Peace Hymn" (2018)
 "Ramadan i København" (2019)
 "Bølger" (2020)

Referencer

Eksterne henvisninger

 Outlandish' officielle hjemmeside

Hiphoppere fra Danmark
Danske muslimer
Studenter fra Københavns Åbne Gymnasium
Personer fra Nørrebro
Deltagere ved Dansk Melodi Grand Prix 2020


text:
Copyright Shouldn't Be Free Speech's Blind Spot
By Mitch Stoltz
In the week leading up the two-year anniversary of the SOPA blackout protests, EFF and others are talking about key principles that should guide copyright policy. Every day, we'll take on a different piece, exploring what's at stake and and what we need to do to make sure the law promotes creativity and innovation. We've put together a page where you can read and endorse the principles yourself. Let's send a message to DC, Hollywood, Silicon Valley, Brussels, and wherever else folks are making new copyright rules: We're from the Internet, and we're here to help.
Defenders of the arts and media have long been some of the staunchest defenders of free speech. That's partly why media executives and lobbyists reacted so bitterly to the millions of people who stood up two years ago to say that the SOPA and PIPA bills would have created a new form of censorship. What was probably going through their heads was, how could the heirs of the Hollywood Ten, who faced persecution from the U.S. government for expressing themselves in film, ever become the censors?
It's hard to look in the mirror and see what you fear. It's easier to deny it or try to explain it away. That's why many supporters of ever-more-restrictive copyright law insist so emphatically that copyright never suppresses speech. Copyright rewards and enables speech, they say, therefore it cannot be a tool of censorship.
This is a little like saying that because X-rays are used to treat cancer, they can never cause cancer. Of course, X-rays can both treat cancer and cause it, depending on the dose and accurate targeting. Copyright is likewise: well-crafted, appropriately limited, it may reward and strengthen creativity. Applied carelessly and indiscriminately, it punishes and suppresses creativity.
In the American legal tradition, there are only a few narrow categories of self-expression that are not protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech, and those categories are not permitted to grow. Yet when the mouthpieces of Big Media insist that our guarantees of free speech do not limit the scope of copyright law, they are inviting the creep of censorship that so many creative people have fought against. It's dangerous to treat copyright as a special exception to free speech, no matter how passionate and heartfelt the cries of "piracy!" Those who would use the law to silence speech that they call libel, sedition, blasphemy, hateful, hurtful, disquieting all make passionate cases for why they need special treatment. They argue that suppressing "bad" speech promotes harmony, order, happiness, and even prevents violence, arguably the most important function of any government (not that censorship actually prevents violence, but that's the argument and it's appealing to many). Copyright is no different. The Russian government has used claims of copyright infringement to silence the independent press. People the world over misuse the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act to make others' political viewpoints disappear.
Big Media wants to claim the power to say what can be on the Internet and what can't, whether through SOPA, domain seizures, or "voluntary" arrangements with Internet gatekeepers. That's the power of censorship whether you call it copyright or not. Censorship is about deciding who can speak, and what people can hear. Government shouldn't have that power, and large corporations with the ear of governments shouldn't have it either. Claiming special privileges to control what people see and hear is what dictators do.
Copyright is, and must be, constrained by free speech. The Supreme Court has said that fair use is a vital safeguard for the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech. That means that when the protection of fair use is taken away, through abuse of DMCA takedowns, by litigation costs, the threat of ruinous legal penalties, or through the use of digital locks (DRM) backed by still more penalties, our freedom of speech suffers. People are threatened with lawsuits or even locked up for speaking about their academic work. Political commentaries are made to disappear in the midst of election season. Artists whose work challenges the messages of popular media are commanded to advertise the very companies they criticize. All of these are violations of the freedom of speech, enabled and perpetuated by copyright.
The only way for Big Media and its apologists to maintain their insistence that copyright is never an instrument of censorship is to deny or trivialize these abuses. Often it takes the form of implying that amateur artwork, work shared with the world on platforms like YouTube, and works of remix are inferior, and that only music from an established label, books with a major publisher, movies in wide cinematic release - or other works by a self-crowned elite class of "creators" - is worth the full protection of the law. The defense of free speech, by the historic champions of the First Amendment, devolves into crass artistic snobbery. Thus the MPAA defends the right to make fair use of a copyrighted Baltimore Ravens emblem in movies by the major studios, while TV studios try to sue the Internet video platforms used by tomorrow's filmmakers out of existence. Free speech for me, but not for thee.
But these free speech elitists can't deny the powerful visual commentary of video remixers like Jonathan McIntosh, the cultural influence of "unauthorized" music blogs like dajaz1.com, or the way that fan fiction gives marginalized communities a way to "talk back" to mainstream culture. And the protections of the First Amendment (and of copyright) don't vary based on artistic merit to begin with.
It really can't be denied: while copyright may encourage and reward some speech, overbroad and abusive copyright law tramples on the freedom of speech—for everyone.
Major media companies, large and powerful Hollywood studios and their legions of lobbyists, venerable publishing houses, and major-label musicians should be the natural allies of all people who fight for freedom of speech, as this fight has been part of their historic role since long before there was an Internet. But copyright remains the blind spot in their commitment to free speech, turning the enemies of censorship into the censors. And that's a truth we need to remind our politicians and policymakers about whenever copyright is on the agenda.
Press Release | January 13, 2020
EFF Asks Supreme Court To Reverse Dangerous Rulings About API Copyrightability and Fair Use
Washington D.C.—The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today asked the U.S. Supreme Court to rule that functional aspects of Oracle's Java programming language are not copyrightable, and even if they were, employing them to create new computer code falls under fair use protections.The court is reviewing a long-running lawsuit...
Deeplinks Blog by Katharine Trendacosta | December 22, 2019
Yet Another Year of Fighting a Bad Copyright Bill: 2019 Year in Review
There is certainly more than enough room in this world for new copyright laws that would improve the lives of artists and their audiences. And then there's the Copyright Alternatives in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act), a proposal which doesn't help the artists it claims to be for and would...
Deeplinks Blog by Elliot Harmon | November 22, 2019
Nonprofit Community Stands Together to Protect .ORG
EFF and 26 other organizations just sent a letter to the Internet Society (ISOC) urging it to stop the sale of the Public Interest Registry (PIR)—the organization that manages the .ORG top-level domain—to private equity firm Ethos Capital. Our message is clear: .ORG is extremely important to the non-governmental...
Deeplinks Blog by Cara Gagliano | November 15, 2019
EFF to Court: Don't Let Private Organizations Control Access to the Law
Public.Resource.Org has one simple mission: to improve public access to government documents, including our laws. Public Resource believes—and EFF agrees—that everyone should be able to read, analyze, and share the laws that govern us, without having to pay a gatekeeper or sign a contract. Sounds uncontroversial, right? Not for...
Deeplinks Blog by Katharine Trendacosta | October 29, 2019
Nickelback's Record Label Abuses Copyright to Silence Political Speech
EFF legal intern Samantha Hamilton co-wrote this blog post Nickelback never asked to become a meme. And yet, after the Internet decided it hated the Canadian alternative rock band and due to the lead singer's unique voice, users have shared their image millions of times. But their record label decided...
Deeplinks Blog by Elliot Harmon | October 25, 2019
What if "Sesame Street" Were Open Access?
The news of iconic children's television show "Sesame Street"'s new arrangement with the HBO MAX streaming service has sent ripples around the Internet. Starting this year, episodes of "Sesame Street" will debut on HBO and on the HBO MAX service, with new episodes being made available to PBS "at...
The House Votes in Favor of Disastrous Copyright Bill
It's Not Too Late: The Senate Can Still Stop the CASE Act The House of Representatives has just voted in favor of the Copyright Alternative in Small-Claims Enforcement Act (CASE Act) by 410-6 (with 16 members not voting), moving forward a bill that Congress has had no hearings and no...


text:
Guinness Book of World Records of Pakistan
Zaid Ijaz
This book of world records contains conquests, resilient people. Although Pakistan is in headlines of International headlines for its problems like illiteracy, patriarchy, and terrorism, it also continues to mark its name in the Guinness book of world records. This article contains the moments when Pakistanis showed that Pakistan is more than criminal narratives and issues.
Type: Reference book
Publication date: November 10, 1951–present
Published in English: 1955–present
Media type : Book, Television
Subject: World Records
Publisher: Jim Pattison Group
Editor : Craig Glenday (ed.)
Cover artist : Simon Jones
2017 edition: 63rd year of publication
Countries: Published in 100 countries
Languages: 23 languages
Languages Names: English, Arabic, Bulgarian, Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dutch, Estonian, Filipino, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latvian, Norwegian, Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovak, Slovene, Spanish, Swedish, Scottish and Turkish
Name in English: Guinness Book of World Records
In Urdu: گینیس بک آف ورلڈ ریکارڈز
Number of Pakistan World's Records: Pakistan has 100 + World Records
Website: http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com
Guinness Book of World Record
World's Largest Ambulance Service
Great philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi, launched his ambulance service to serve his people. This service is available 24/7 without any discrimination of caste, creed, and religion. Edhi started this initiative in 1948, and at present, there are 500 ambulances in the country and has set up a record for the largest ambulance service.
Youngest MCP
Arfa Kareem earned fame in 2004 by having the title of youngest MCO (Microsoft Certified Professional). She was only nine at that time. She maintained that title till 2008 and represented her country at several international podiums. The president gave her the title 'Pride of Pakistan.' This computer expert passed away in 2012 by a heart attack.
23 A's in A Levels
Pakistani talent Ali Moin Nawazish astonished everyone with his A levels result having 22 A, 1 B, and 1 C grade. The world applauded him because A level requires more hard work, in-depth study, and intelligence; that's why many students of A-Levels take only three subjects at this level. But his achievements in both academic and extra-curricular gave new goals to students.
Arrangement of a Chess Set in the least time
Meher Gul arranged the chess set in the least time at the age of twelve. At such a young age, children can't even tie laces of their shoes in the shortest time in which Meher sets a world record by setting a chess set.
Removal of the World's Longest Gall Bladder
Talented and competent Pakistani Dr. Naeem Taj made his name in the Guinness Book by surgery of a 70-year-old patient to remove the longest gall bladder via a 1cm incision. Before him, an Indian surgeon had his name in this category for removal of 24 cm long bladder via open surgery, but Dr. Naeem surpassed the Indian surgeon's record.
Biggest Cookie Montage
Biscuit brand 'Peek Freans Sooper' made the world's biggest ever cookie montage in Pakistan flag's shape. One hundred fifty thousand biscuits with a size of 226.51 m2 were used to form a montage to celebrate Pakistan's 70th Independence Day. After 6.5 hours of this celebrity-studded occasion, the cookies were given to different charity organizations.
Youngest Gamer
Parents consider gaming only as time wastage activity. But talented Pakistani child Sumail Hassan proved this thinking wrong and emerged as the winner of 1 million dollars from game competitions.
Youngest Nobel Laureate
Malala Yousafzai, a Pakistani activist from KPK, won Nobel Prize for her efforts to inspire females to receive an education. She also struggled against terrorism.
Fastest Cricket Bowler
Shoaib Akhter earned the title of 'Rawalpindi Express' by delivering the ball at 161.3km/h speed in World Cup against England in 2003 at Cape Town, South Africa.
Youngest Judge
Muhammad Ilyas, at the age of 20, cleared the exam for civil judge in 1952. He gave this exam with the condition that before turning 23, he would not join service. But when he topped in the exam, he was allowed to join the service, and he began his law métier after eight months and became the youngest civil judge of the world.
Youngest Talented International Cricketer
Hassan Raza played against Zimbabwe at the age of 14 in 1996 at Faisalabad. It was his debut match which raised controversies about the lawfulness of his age. Despite being a cricket champion at the domestic level, he failed to do the same at the International level.
Due to massive pressure from PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board), he left Pakistani cricket to join Indian Cricket.
Record of Heaviest Object Lifting
Zafar Grill set up a new record of weight lifting by carrying a weight of 65 kg via a rope attached to his ear. He lifted this heavyweight for seven seconds about ten centimetres off the ground; although this stunt was only for a few seconds, he wore unique head to protect his ear and temple from damage.
Unparalleled Squash Streak
Jahangir Khan made unmatchable provision to squash in the shape of a long winning streak. He has won five hundred and fifty-five matches continuously for five years and has 'youngest winner title' since 1981.
Enormous Number of Qawwali Albums
Shenshah E Qawwali Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan holds the record of producing the most significant number, i.e., 125 of qawwali albums.
Publication of Miniature Quran
Dr. Muhammad Saeed published the smallest size Quran in 1982 in Cairo. Its size is 1.7 cm×1.28cm×0.72 cm. He managed to fit the complete Quran Pak in 571 pages.
Urdu(National Language)
Embassy of South Korea in Pakistan
Belgium Embassy In Pakistan
UK Embassy In Pakistan
Australian Embassy in Pakistan
Bahrain Embassy In Pakistan


Prior to June 2014, it was an offence under the Act to communicate election results from a part of the country where polls were closed, to an area where voting was still ongoing. However, the series of amendments that came into force in June 2014, repealed the ban on the transmission of election results prior to the closing of polling stations. Consequently individuals or organizations who transmit results before the polls have closed in other areas, are no longer considered to be contravening the Act.


Is the Role of an Architect Different in Today's Residential Complexes?
"It is about creating buildings and spaces that inspire us, that help us do our jobs, that bring us together, and that become, at their best, works of art that we can move through and live in. And in the end, that is why architecture can be considered the most democratic of art forms." — Barack Obama, in his ceremony speech at the 2011 Pritzker Architecture Prize.
Today, as the whole world transforms into a vast, unified marketplace, its impacts can be felt strongly in the property development industry, especially when it comes to the role of modern architects. With globalization, architects of modern times can no longer stay anchored to a particular culture or geographical location. They are facing a unique set of opportunities as well as challenges, which is completely transforming their role in the present real estate landscape.
For instance, today's architects must be constantly up on their toes to meet the emerging new design standards, such as planning and designing facilities that are environment-friendly, energy-efficient, and sustainable. With the rapidly shifting geographical, cultural, and environmental implications, they are also being encouraged to implement innovative, cross-cultural building designs.
All of these factors are dramatically changing the role of an architect, and also expanding the scope of collaboration in the property development space.
The demand for collaboration in the real estate space is ever increasing. This is playing an important part in reshaping the role of an architect like never before. For example, the emergence of multi-disciplinary design teams—a term that was unheard of even a decade ago—is today a must-have for productive project outcomes. With the advent of multi-disciplinary teams, architects now have to directly collaborate with project stakeholders to finalize the project design.
From technologies like AR/VR to startups like Airbnb, rapid innovation is disrupting the entire industrial spectrum, including the way present generation architects design buildings and solve problems. Technological advancements are dynamically transforming the business module of property developers, making architects adapt to a new working style that focuses on delivering unique design outcomes across diverse projects throughout the globe.
Speaking of technology, master architect Mr. Raj Agarwal shared with us his views on how software is redefining architectural designs as compared to drawings of yesteryears. The implementation of software in architectural design, according to Mr. Agarwal, is helping to accelerate the creation of final drawings significantly, while enabling the scope for easier rectifications.
He points out that new-age architects are more inclined towards software applications, but architecture involves human design sense, engineering ability, decision-making capabilities, and familiarity with many regulations. Hence, architects must equip themselves with basic architectural skills. They should focus on practical learning, as software can aid the design, but it cannot do everything.
Educational institutions have a significant role to play in enabling new architects to learn the skills of architecture. The institutions should give budding architects the scope for ample hands-on-experience and upgrade their curriculum in sync with evolving developments.
An interesting aspect that Mr. Raj Agarwal highlights is how the ever-increasing development of urban units, such as apartment-style buildings and complexes, is driving a paradigm shift in the role of architects. Meeting the demands and criteria of modern-day buildings in terms of rules and regulations related to heightened safety provisions, as well as optimization of space and resource utilization, is a huge challenge for today's architects, he says. The role of architects today differs from what used to be in the past, Mr. Agarwal observed. These days, the role of an architect is not limited to creating beautiful architecture, rather, it is about creating responsible architecture.
Mr. Raj Agarwal also brings to light some emerging trends that are dominating modern design perspectives.
For example, sustainability and sufficiency, and how practical luxury in India is increasingly gaining importance over flamboyant luxury. Sustainability is vital, as the world we live in is facing a severe resource crunch in recent times. The need for sustainability, according to Mr. Agarwal, is radically changing the role of architects in this day and age.
The growing popularity of green buildings among consumers is making new generation architects consider a range of design factors, including energy-efficient lighting, effective sewage treatment, and rainwater harvesting, which are prime requisites for green building certification by the Indian Green Building Council (IGBC).
While keeping abreast of global trends is increasingly important for new-age architects, they should find out ways to adapt those trends to meet the needs of the Indian real estate environment. Getting inspired by the designs from the West is good, but its application should be workable. Architects must keep in mind differences in climatic and socio-economic conditions. It is the responsibility of architects to make developers aware of climate-saving architectures. Designing bodies should include qualified architects in city/town planning, who have prior experience in designing responsible architectures.
Be it commercial or residential complexes, it is a fact that buildings emit a considerable amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that directly contributes to global warming and climate changes. Thus, combating these environmental challenges is now at the forefront of design applications, as consumers around the world are straightaway rejecting building practices that are not eco-friendly and energy efficient. This, in turn, is bringing a mega-shift in the role of architects.
Realizing the need to save our environment, designers and architects across the globe are rising to the occasion in order to create climate-saving structures that lower the levels of carbon dioxide emissions. New technologies and collaborations are in fact playing a key role in assisting architects to implement crucial changes in structural designs, which help produce green buildings that don't add to the concerns of global warming and climate change through optimized utilization of renewable resources.
The good thing is, most of the architects today have tailored their work pattern according to the emerging trends. They are performing their part in developing architectural structures with sustainable designs that have a positive impact on the environment, communities, and future generations. Though the entire property development industry is being swept by large-scale transformations, there are some core values like quality standards, transparency, and ethical practices, which will never change.
Home Decor, Residential, Uncategorized. permalink.
Awesome Blogging! Need to cultivate eminent talent and gather the team of highly professional and skilled members that always busy in creating something exquisite for clients.


text:
package com.oic.game.ailatrieuphu.util;

/**
 * Created by kienht on 8/16/16.
 */

import android.content.Context;
import android.graphics.Bitmap;
import android.graphics.BitmapFactory;
import android.util.Base64;
import android.webkit.MimeTypeMap;
import android.webkit.WebView;

import com.loopj.android.http.AsyncHttpClient;
import com.loopj.android.http.AsyncHttpResponseHandler;
import com.loopj.android.http.RequestParams;

import java.io.ByteArrayOutputStream;

import cz.msebera.android.httpclient.util.TextUtils;

/**
 * Created by kienht on 8/15/16.
 */
public class UploadPhotoUtils {

    public static final String HOST = "http://www.ailatrieuphu.esy.es/imgupload/upload_image.php";

    String imgPath = "";
    public static boolean isUploading = false;

    RequestParams params = new RequestParams();

    /**
     * @return true if start upload, false: not available
     * */
    public boolean isUploadAvailable(String imgPath) {
        if (imgPath != null && !imgPath.isEmpty()) {
            if (isUploading) {
                return false;
            }
            this.imgPath = imgPath;
            isUploading = true;
            return true;
        } else {
            isUploading = false;
        }
        return false;
    }

    public String encodeImage(){
        CameraUtils.autoRotateImage(imgPath);

        BitmapFactory.Options options = null;
        options = new BitmapFactory.Options();
        options.inSampleSize = 8;

        String type = getMimeType(imgPath);
        boolean isPngImage = false;
        if (TextUtils.isEmpty(type) || type.contains("png") || type.contains("PNG")) {
            isPngImage = true;
        }

        Bitmap bitmap = BitmapFactory.decodeFile(imgPath, options);
        ByteArrayOutputStream stream = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
        // Must compress the Image to reduce image size to make upload easy
        bitmap.compress(isPngImage ? Bitmap.CompressFormat.PNG : Bitmap.CompressFormat.JPEG, 80, stream);
        byte[] byte_arr = stream.toByteArray();
        // Encode Image to String
        String encodedString = Base64.encodeToString(byte_arr, 0);
        return encodedString;
    }

    public static String getMimeType(String url) {
        String type = null;
        String extension = MimeTypeMap.getFileExtensionFromUrl(url);
        if (extension != null) {
            type = MimeTypeMap.getSingleton().getMimeTypeFromExtension(extension);
        }
        return type;
    }

    public void startUploadImage(Context context,String fileName,String encodeImage, AsyncHttpResponseHandler handler) {
        params.put("filename", fileName);
        params.put("image", encodeImage);
        AsyncHttpClient client = new AsyncHttpClient();
        client.setTimeout(20*1000);
        client.addHeader("User-Agent",new WebView(context).getSettings().getUserAgentString());
        client.post(HOST, params, handler);
    }
}


Carnegie: Magic Detective: Houdini's First Straitjacket Escape in Washington D.C.
Houdini's First Straitjacket Escape in Washington D.C.
I was going through some old files today and came across an image I had set aside 'for the right time'. As I looked at the date on the image, April 19th, 1916 (98 years ago today) I figured THIS must be the time for this article...except, I apparently already wrote that article a year ago. So, this is a follow up to what I wrote then.
First, let's begin with this little blurb to my right, from the Washington Times, April 18th, 1916. It describes the escape that Houdini has planned for the following day and invites people out to cheer him on. For historical accuracy they mention that the escape will take place in front of the Munsey Building.
I remember the first time I found out about this detail. I had no idea where the Munsey Building was and it took a fair amount of time to figure it out. As fate would have it, even after I found out where it was, I still made some minor errors in my assumptions.
The Munsey Building was in the 1300 block of Pennsylvania Avenue. The Munsey Building was where The Washington Times Newspaper had their offices. That would explain the extra special coverage Houdini was getting from their paper.
The photo above is pretty much what the Munsey Building looked like when Houdini did his escape. The smaller building to the left is the old Washington Post Newspaper building. And hidden by the trees on the right is where the National Theatre resides. The Munsey Building was torn down in the early 1980s, the Washington Post building was torn down long before that. In place of the Munsey building is a Marriot Hotel.
More than 15,000 Persons Cheer as "Handcuff King"
More than 15,000 persons saw Harry Houdini hanged today in front of the Times Building. In just 2 minutes and 30 seconds from the time he was swung into mid-air, trussed up in a strait-jacket from which there is said to be no escape, Houdini wiggled himself free, waved his arm and was lowered to the ground.
As Houdini freed himself from the jacket, the crowd sent up a cheer which could be heard for blocks. As a moment later, Houdini waved his arm to the yelling, applauding throng, and while the cameras and motion picture machines clicked, the men who held the ropes let him down.
Persons who saw the great throng from windows of nearby buildings said it was the biggest crowd ever assembled in Washington at one place, except for the inauguration of a President. Pennsylvania Avenue and E Street from Thirteenth to Fourteenth Streets were literally jammed. Human beings were packed as tight and close as sardines in a can.
There came near being no Houdini hanging. There were too many spectators. The "handcuff king" and Manager Robbins, of Keith's Theater found it necessary to call for police aid to get through the mob that assembled in front of the Munsey building. Robbins was left behind in the automobile, and Captain Peck conducted the star performer of the day to the platform that had been built for him by main strength.


The Casa Pacifica Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival has steadily grown since 1994 to become the premier wine and food event in Ventura County. It began at the Ventura Pierpont Inn, continued from 2001 to 2006 at the Mandalay Beach Resort in Oxnard, and has flourished since 2007 at California State University's Channel Islands in Camarillo. In fact, it was voted both "Best Charity Event" and "Best Food & Drink Festival" of Ventura County in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017!
Create your own pairings. The Festival offers many options to taste gourmet foods and sip special beverages. The festival is all-inclusive: patrons may sample and sip as many delightful foods and beverages as they desire as often as they wish. The finest restaurants, caterers, bakeries and specialty shops from Santa Barbara to the Conejo Valley will offer delectable treats.
in two main categories–Sweet and Savory. You won't want to miss this action-packed showdown! A panel of celebrity judges has the difficult job of selecting the winning dishes.
Winemakers from a cross-section of California's famous wine regions will pour their award-winning wines and a wide range of craft beers from local breweries will offer an alternative beverage to quench your thirst.
The sounds of continuous live music, in both the VIP Lounge and on the center stage, will complement the festive atmosphere! And for those who enjoy a shopping experience with their tasting, the largest silent auction in Ventura County will provide an opportunity to bid on travel, entertainment, fashion items, and sports memorabilia.
There's never enough time! Early access for an additional hour of the festival experience is available with VIP tickets. VIP parking and admission through a special VIP entrance will also be included. VIP ticket-holders and Sponsors may enjoy the VIP Lounge which showcases specialty foods using fresh concepts to plate unique dishes as well as specialty cocktails, wines & beers. The gourmet fare will be complemented with music. There are still some opportunities to sponsor the event available and the highest-level sponsors may enjoy the festival experience from the privacy of their very own VIP Cabana.
Join us at our kick-off dinner! The 6th Annual Yummie Top Chef Dinner will be held on Friday, May 31st. Ventura County's top chefs will be brought together once again for one unforgettable evening. Past Yummies culinary competition winners will create a special seven-course dinner paired with award-winning wines and our "Best in Fest" brew!
The Festival hosted a sold-out crowd of wine, food and brew enthusiasts last year and this year is expected to be just as popular. Special offers on tickets are available on our website now.
All proceeds from the Wine, Food & Brew Festival benefit Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families, which provides hope and help for abused, neglected, or at-risk children and their families in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. Each year, as part of its public/private partnership, Casa Pacifica must raise 10-12% of its budget to fill the gap between what it receives from government service contracts and the actual cost of providing its wide variety of high-quality programs and services to the most vulnerable children in our communities and their families.


Yesterday, I panicked. After I posted about the toffee, I decided to take a few minutes and see what was happening in the wonderful world of food on the internet- read a few of my favorite blogs, check out what was new on epicurious, etc. As I was bookmarking sites and saving recipes to try to later, and they were piling up, as they inevitably do, the panic began to set in. Here I am, overdue with my first baby, and I realized that I NEED MORE TIME! When I saw a recipe for a lovely lemon layer cake on one of my favorite blogs, I realized I still haven't found my ultimate birthday cake recipe. And despite my best efforts, I still can't get into the habit of baking my own bread every week, much less finding extra time to give this lovely little number a whirl.
See, what I'm trying to get at is… I kind of thought that by the time I became a mother, I'd have some of these things sorted out. For as long as I remember, I've been sure that I'd be the kind of mom that makes loaves of white bread for her kids sandwiches and is able to prepare Brussels sprouts in ways that even the pickiest toddler will eat. I envisioned every Saturday morning as an endless parade of homemade cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip pancakes, and fruit cut up into little heart shapes, perfect for my darling's cherubic little fingers. I'm pretty sure at some point I made the bold statement that I would never feed my child one of those frozen dinners with the cartoon characters on the front.
I don't know where I got this from. This kind of crazy doesn't run in my family. Other kinds of crazy, sure, but not this kind. And the really bananas part is… the thought of all that is completely overwhelming to me at this point. I kind of thought that by the time I had a baby, I'd be ready to get my act together and being a pulled-together-mother-type would come easily to me. I didn't anticipate the fact that at 40 weeks and 2 days pregnant, I'd still be wondering to myself if some lil' smokies and cucumber slices could be considered dinner in a pinch. (Side note: It would, right? You've got a protein and a veg!) Yep, I definitely need more time.
In the end, I settled on making… lunch. Just plain old lunch for me and my hubby, who was home from work today (for Presidents' Day? I think?) Actually it wasn't just plain old lunch, it was this delicious Cheeseburger Salad that I found on the Pioneer Woman blog. I'd made it a while back for dinner and I've been getting the itch to make it again for a while. I'm really into the whole hot and cold salad combo thing (like steak salad, for example), so this is right up my alley. And who doesn't love cheeseburgers?? And then, of course, there is my favorite reason for eating things like this: If it has the word "salad" in the recipe, it's pretty much a health food. Whatever my reasoning for making Cheeseburger Salad this afternoon, it boils down to the fact that it's just downright tasty. It didn't make me feel better about impending motherhood or give me any kind of considerable confidence boost or anything like that. But it sure did taste really darn good. And I think that's good enough for now.
So yeah, maybe I would reconsider giving my kid a frozen dinner. And my guess is that most of the fruit consumed in this house will be conspicuously un-heart-shaped. But you never know, I might just get this little one to eat some of these delicious Brussels sprouts someday. A girl can dream, can't she?
Keep in mind that most of these quantities of ingredients are more like guidelines. Pretty much anything can (and should!) be adjusted to suit your taste. I upped all the original quantities of ketchup, mustards, and BBQ sauce, because I liked my meat mixture a little saucier. The same goes for the quantities of all the other elements of the salad… better to go by feel.
Brown the meat in a large skillet over medium heat. Then remove it from the heat and drain off the fat. Add ketchup, mustards and barbecue sauce to the meat and stir to combine. Taste and add more of whatever you think it needs. Keep warm.
To assemble each salad, pile torn lettuce on a plate. Add the tomato, red onion, and pickles on top of the lettuce. Pile on a good quantity of the meat mixture, then top with plenty of grated cheddar. Then sprinkle warm croutons all around the plate.
I also love the hot-and-cold salad combo, and considering I want a cheeseburger every day, this is a GREAT idea. Love this!


David is a former Senior Research Fellow in Retirement Security and Financial Institutions.
As political leaders debate how best to fix Social Security, many policymakers are focusing on the wrong issue. Their sole concern seems to be the date when the Social Security retirement and survivors trust fund will run out of its paper assets. This mistaken emphasis misses the fundamental point about Social Security's problems: There is no cash in the Social Security trust fund, and there never has been any.
The Social Security trust fund is merely an accounting device filled with IOUs that future taxpayers must repay. Far too soon, payroll taxes will be insufficient to pay all of the promised benefits. Unless Congress promptly takes action, taxpayers will have to pump hundreds of billions of additional tax dollars into Social Security to pay the promised benefits.
How the Trust Fund Operates.Workers pay their Social Security taxes through their employers. Each employer periodically sends a lump sum payment to the U.S. Treasury that includes all of the income taxes and Social Security and Medicare payroll taxes paid by both the employer and its employees.
The Treasury both receives the payroll taxes (and income taxes that higher-income retirees pay on their Social Security benefits) and pays monthly benefits on behalf of the Social Security Administration (SSA). The money stays in the Treasury's hands until it is either paid out as Social Security benefits or otherwise spent by the government. In fact, no money ever goes into the trust fund. Instead, the trust fund balance is the result of two accounting entries by the Treasury.
First, the Treasury estimates how much of the aggregate tax receipts are Social Security taxes and "credits" the Social Security trust fund with that amount. Then the Treasury "subtracts" the total amount paid in monthly Social Security benefits from the trust fund balance. No money actually changes hands; these are strictly accounting entries.
Any "money" remaining in the trust fund is converted into special-issue Treasury bonds, which are really nothing more than IOUs. In addition, the Treasury pays interest on the trust fund's balance by crediting the trust fund with additional IOUs. These are also strictly accounting entries, and again no money changes hands. After crediting the trust fund with the proper amount in IOUs, the government spends the extra Social Security tax collections just like any other tax revenue--to finance anything from aircraft carriers to education research.
At the end of 2002, the Social Security trust fund had a balance of $1.22 trillion. During 2003, the Treasury received $544 billion in Social Security taxes and paid out $406 billion in Social Security benefits. Therefore, the trust fund received $138 billion in these special-issue Treasury bonds, resulting in a trust fund balance of $1.36 trillion at the end of 2003.
When the government issues a bond to one of its own accounts, it hasn't purchased anything or established a claim against another entity or person. It is simply creating a form of IOU from one of its accounts to another.
In short, the Social Security trust fund is really only an accounting mechanism. The trust fund shows how much the government has borrowed from Social Security, but it does not provide any way to finance future benefits. The money to repay the IOUs will have to come from taxes that are being used today to pay for other government programs. For that reason, the most important date for Social Security is 2018, when taxpayers must begin to repay the IOUs, not 2042, when the trust fund is exhausted.
Conclusion. Social Security's financial crisis will begin far sooner than many politicians claim. In less than three years, the first baby boomer will reach retirement age. Once that happens, Social Security (and Medicare) will be on a slippery slope toward insolvency. While Social Security can continue to use its tax receipts to pay full retirement benefits until 2018, Congress cannot wait that long to act. Misleading the public into believing that Social Security is secure until 2042 or beyond will only make the impending crisis more difficult to avoid.
Furthermore, huge impending deficits are only one of the problems facing Social Security. The sad reality is that millions of workers receive a dismal rate of return on their Social Security retirement taxes. Making matters worse, the current program does not enable workers to build up investments and cash savings to supplement their monthly Social Security checks.
The debate about Social Security's future should be about how to improve each American's personal retirement security and how to enable each American to build a nest egg for the future. Otherwise, Americans will lose a real opportunity to improve the lives of future retirees. The best way to fix Social Security is to provide younger workers with the opportunity to invest part of their Social Security taxes in personal retirement accounts.
David C. John is Research Fellow in Social Security and Financial Institutions in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.