text:
Litter: What, Where and How
Posted by Dave West on October 19, 2016
Litter in Sydney Harbour - Understanding litter and marine debris.
Litter and its associated social, financial and environmental costs, in particular marine/coastal ecological communities - are an important issue. However, they have been poorly analysed by past Commonwealth and state studies leading to inadequate policy responses.
For example, the 2014 Decision Regulatory Impact Statement (DRIS) on Packaging Impacts (the study to decide whether to adopt a national CDS and alternatives) failed to adequately scope out the full extent of the problem, and consequently produced a very poor analysis that resulted in no national action being taken to address beverage container litter. Our analysis of the RIS's prepared over more than a decade reveals 3 failed reviews to ban plastic bags, 4 failed reviews of CDS, 2 RIS to deal with waste tyres (which also failed) and another two for electronic waste (the final one passed but went outside accepted process).
This is a critical problem as supposed 'best practice regulation' frameworks insist that any proposed new policy must be fully costed and deliver a net benefit expressed in economic terms. On the litter front, quite unbelievably, these analyses conclude that there is no need for further intervention as the amount of litter is steadily reducing.
"The DRIS into Packaging Impacts claimed that based on historic trends the amount of packaging entering the litter stream in 2013 was some 75,981 tonnes p.a. and was projected to drop by 9.5% in 2025 to just 68,722 tonnes p.a. without any government intervention or new initiatives. Conservatively, Boomerang Alliance estimates that number is underestimated by some 300%!"
Australian estimates of litter per capita are far lower than those in most developed countries, including those with highly developed product stewardship schemes covering key packaging sectors like container deposits schemes; bans on plastic bags and polystyrene food containers. Considering Australia's climate and outdoor lifestyle, higher earnings per capita and high costs to manage litter across our rural communities, remote areas and extensive coastline - these estimates are most likely flawed. Based on more recent analysis undertaken by the NSW Government and ongoing failure to measure the amounts of litter managed across the private sector – we believe it is reasonable to conclude that the overall amount of litter incidence is underestimated by some 300-500% and consequently the cost is seriously underestimated.
As an example the 2014 Packaging Impacts DRIS cited above, placed a paltry benefit from the proposed litter reductions of just $7.81 million p.a. - $171.8million over the 22-year study period for a reduction of some 822,000 tonnes of litter (a value of $208.95 / tonne). By comparison it has been identified that in NSW, the average cost to recover litter across the state is some 10 times higher than estimated by the Commonwealth – with no estimates to assess the economic damage of litter or impact on biodiversity. If the Australian Government had accurately measured both the amount of litter generated and the costs already experienced, the economic savings identified in the DRIS would have increased from $171.8million over 22 years to a staggering $4.9billion dollar saving – and we would have a national Container Deposit System today.
Future Cost-Benefit and Cost Effectiveness studies undertaken for RIS processes should:
- Undertake a survey to identify the full costs to manage litter by the private sector, schools, councils, NGOs, private households and state government departments.
- Ensure they include a 'participation cost' based on the time each property expends to keep their property clean.
- Measure the impacts on marine environments and attribute a value to achieving Australian Government requirements to address marine debris (in particular plastics) as a key threatening process under the EPBC Act.
- Fully cost and factor indirect costs associated with litter and marine plastic pollution like the loss of amenity, impacts on property values and industry sectors like fisheries (contamination from ingestion of plastics), tourism (destruction of reefs and despoiling natural assets like beaches) and threats to biodiversity.
Litter Quantities
Put bluntly, government analyses of the litter stream consistently get it wrong. To illustrate the shoddy manner in which government analyses the litter stream when adopting waste policies we reviewed the Packaging Consultation RIS (2011) and Decision RIS (2014) – which used overly simplistic measures to calculate the incidence of litter without any solid backup data. The CRIS adopted a litter rate of 6% of all packaging consumed; the DRIS 27% of all packaging consumed 'away from home'. Both of these estimates are largely unsubstantiated and at best would be characterised as an 'educated guess' and both are undermined by a high degree of uncertainty including:
The amount of packaging consumed in Australia, which has recently been found to be underestimated (semi-finished and finished goods) by approx. 263,500t for plastic.[1] Consequently the reported recycling rate is too high. Further to this finding, the survey used to establish the consumption and recycling of plastics packaging also appears to exclude the amount of plastics packaging of imported finished, filled goods.
Continued debate that the proportion of packaging consumed away from home is significantly understated, as estimates of away from home consumption are based on a dated report undertaken by Hyder Consulting for the AFGC which is more accurately an analysis of the point of sale for beverages,[2] but does not factor in the proportion of snacks and drinks purchased at supermarkets which are consumed away from home (e.g. a juice 'popper' included in packed lunches for school children; consumption from family barbeques or picnics; and the trend for cafes to purchase their soft drinks and bottled water in discounted carton packs). More recent NSW data regarding the contents of material found in residential waste and recycling bins contradicts these studies – indicating that in key food and grocery sectors, as much as 50% of packaging consumption (e.g. water and soft drink bottles, beer cans, etc.) are disposed of away from home and which have high potential to be littered.
Litter per person
In an effort to validate Australian litter estimates, Boomerang Alliance examined reports of litter per person from the USA and Scotland.
Commonwealth studies estimate the average amount of packaging litter entering the Australian environment each year at 73,699 tonnes[3] p.a. which represents just 3.2kgs per capita. This is very low compared to international information. In 2009, Keep America Beautiful estimated that the amount of litter managed by municipal authorities was 6.9kgs per capita.[4] This is similar to that in Scotland (2013, 2015)[5] which estimated that 7.74kgs of litter was generated annually.
Further, both the Australian and Scottish studies are over simplified, in that they only study (at best) the litter recovered / present at the municipal level (although pay some attention to the large scale volunteer events like Clean up Australia Day). They fail to factor in the considerable volumes of rubbish recovered by the private sector, educational institutions or residential properties. Keep America Beautiful is the only report that quantifies litter on private sites (e.g. commercial building sites and educational institutions). When private sector litter recovery was factored in, the incidence of litter grows to 13.26kgs per capita – 5 times that estimated in Australia!
As a further point of comparison, a 1997 paper "Stormwater Gross Pollutants Industry Report" for the CRC for Catchment Hydrology indicated that over 12,000 tonnes of packaging litter entered Port Phillip each year – which only represents the Melbourne proportion of the litter stream that reaches its waterways – represents some 2.87kgs/person. This excludes terrestrial litter, and the amount of litter captured through gross pollutant traps, public bins, street sweeping, etc. but still indicates that the amount of packaging litter (i.e. nett of what is captured in traps or recovered through sweeping and clean ups) entering our waterways, just in our 15 largest coastal communities, represents some 47,000 tonnes per annum.
While dated, (since 1997 there has been a significant increase in plastic packaging consumption and huge growth in the sale and disposal of plastic water bottles) the following table illustrates the extent of the problem facing coastal communities and potential impact on their marine ecological communities:
While this review does not reflect the necessary rigour required for a formal cost-benefit analysis, it is clear that the amount of litter in Australia is being badly underestimated, which in turn distorts the nett impact of proposed policies such as a CDS.
International studies and localised studies into litter indicate it is likely that the overall level of annual litter generation is 3-5 times greater than previously thought.
Future litter studies should be expanded to capture total litter recovered (particularly that which is recovered via private sector cleaning) and the proportion of litter that is thought to remain in the litter stream.
Litter Costs
The Boomerang Alliance believes that significant omissions have been made in calculating the cost of litter. This is based both on the amount of litter and a range of, to date, unaccounted costs that have been considered in other assessments.
Commonwealth Government analysis has estimated that the cost of litter as $350mpa, the studies then attribute the direct expenditure to managing the packaging proportion of litter in Australia as being $38million p.a. at a cost of $501 per tonne[6], then later discounts the benefit of reducing this amount to around 40% of that figure. These estimates don't reflect the actual expenditure on litter reduction, but rather reflect a very limited and selective analysis that is restricted to:
- The cost of operating gross pollutant (litter) traps and street sweeping services and the cost of servicing municipal rubbish bins - but notably fails to capture the capital investment costs associated with traps, bins and equipment (which includes equipment replacement and the allocation of new bins and increased sweeping which would likely double the cost);
- The allocation of a value of $7.67 per hour to formalised community litter clean ups of some 15-17,000 tonnes p.a. but again notably excludes the significant costs to litter ENGOs like Clean up Australia and Keep Australia Beautiful - including the costs of volunteer recruitment, event promotion, provision of bags and gloves etc, and administration and fundraising which conservatively rival the volunteer labour costs identified in the Packaging DRIS. More typically volunteer labour is costed at over $20ph.
Other direct costs not captured by government analysis include:
- Informal clean up events by organisations such as Responsible Runners, Tangaroa Blue, Take 3, Two Hands Project, Project Aware etc. The volunteer hours these organisations mobilise are every bit as large as those captured within the DRIS.
- State and Commonwealth grants and programs for litter management and illegal dumping. In NSW alone, the state government spends some $15 million per annum in these areas.
- The state and local government costs to manage litter on beaches, national parks, crown and state lands, schools and colleges.
- Business expenditure to sweep car parks, malls, shopping centres and hard stand areas and retailer, hospitality and accommodation services to maintain a clean frontage around their premises.[7]
- The cost to every household to remove litter from their property and its boundaries. While small on a household to household basis the overall cost of home owners and occupiers cleaning up litter on the property and fence line is significant. Using a similar measure to the participation and volunteer costs ($7.67/hour) identified for a Packaging CRIS, the impact of each of the 5.86million free standing Australian homes spending just 10 minutes a month collecting litter would represent an annual cost of over $89.9million p.a.
By way of a comparison, the following table compares the cost to manage litter in the U.S.A. using the detailed study undertaken by Keep America Beautiful (KUSB) in 2009[8] to quantify the costs of collecting litter by those presented in government analysis:
While the USA has a much larger population than Australia and subsequently has a higher level of expenditure, it is important to recognise that the above comparison highlights that the Packaging RIS process has captured perhaps 10% of the true costs of litter in Australia. The Keep America Beautiful report concludes that the national cost of litter management in the USA (in 2008) was $US11.5billion p.a. These findings highlight the poorly structured assessment of the costs to manage/reduce litter and subsequent benefit used in Australia - which centre on the notion that local and state government bear the majority of the costs to reduce litter.
Extrapolating the KAB US study within an Australian perspective would indicate that a more realistic view of the amount of litter in Australia and the direct costs to manage the problem are likely to be:
Other Economic Impacts of Litter
Over and above the direct costs to recover litter there is also a significant economic impact ignored by our governments. The recent Scottish analysis conducted to consider whether Scotland should adopt a container deposit system[15], estimates the direct benefits of CDS in terms of reducing litter (by 17%) would also provide indirect savings through litter reductions:
"The indirect costs of litter are thought to be considerably higher than the direct (clean-up) costs. The study identified 5 key areas in which litter created a significant indirect cost along with an estimate of the potential loss;
(1) Property values – £100 million loss; (2) Mental health – £53 million loss; (3) Crime – £22.5 million loss; (4) Neighbourhood litter disamenity – £73 to 770 million loss; (5) Beach litter disamenity – £50 to 100 million loss"
While the relative values designated by the authors Eunomia, in these studies could be debated, it makes the point clearly that the impacts of litter on society represent far more than the direct costs of cleaning it up. Other indirect benefits associated with the reduction of litter identified by Eunomia and KAB include, indirect economic impacts of litter (like the potential spread of disease), litter injuries (particularly glass), and where high levels of litter are found – a loss of business revenue and falling property values for residences - as other significant impacts.
One good example of how litter impacts on the wider economy was developed in the USA by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), who built a hedonic pricing model[16] based on data from a large survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. The NAHB model deconstructed the price of a home into selected components, so that estimated factors were developed for each price-influencing variable while addressing problems of nonlinearity. Based on this model, NAHB determined that the presence of litter tended to reduce the value of property in that neighbourhood by about 7.4%. That's $74,000 on the average Sydney house price[17] - if just 5% of 1.6million homes in Greater Sydney neighbourhoods are adversely affected by litter the potential economic impact on housing in Sydney stands at $11.8million p.a.
To assess this data, in 2009, Keep America Beautiful tested the validity of the NAHB model by surveying 600 homeowners across 30 states and found that 93% of all homeowners believed that a littered neighbourhood would decrease their home's value and would also personally deter them from purchasing a home in an area that was considered 'unkempt'.
Finally with tourism a major driver of the Australian economy, along with a strong fisheries sector - it is vital that any future studies consider the destructive forces of litter on the Great Barrier Reef (and other reefs), beaches, fisheries, and marine mammals. We note that a 2009 study released by the APEC Marine Resources Conservation Group found that "the damage from marine debris on the fishing, shipping and marine tourism sectors has a damage value of US$1.265 billion per annum in the APEC region. The marine debris damage is estimated as US$364 million to the fishing industry, US$279 million to shipping and US$622 million to marine tourism."
With the recent announcements of container deposit schemes around Australia, there is an implicit agreement that the traditional assessment of costs and benefits have failed to meet community expectations. Our analysis here shows there are good grounds on the basis of significant data and evaluation errors by government and consultants. Our political leaders are continually claiming we have to do more to tackle litter and marine debris, yet it is clear that without a re-think on how to properly measure our rubbish problems and their associated costs they will fail to find the necessary economic justification.
Please complete Litter Poll here
[1] In July 2015 it was revealed that the Australian Packaging Covenant had received (and failed to disclose) that in at least the area of plastics packaging both the amount of packaging generated (consumed) and the subsequent recycling rates had been exaggerated by approx. 50% of the 527,100 tonnes reported as consumed. There is strong belief that there are similar errors in the calculation of glass, aluminium, steel, asceptics and composite packaging.
[2] All recent studies on the consumption and recovery of packaging have been based on a study commissioned by the AFGC in September 2008 "Australian Beverage Packaging Consumption, Recovery and Recycling Quantification Study" By Hyder consulting. See http://voodooserver.biz/doc-library/category/9-packaging-recycling.html
[3] The DRIS analysis of litter is that it suggests that some 73,699 tonnes of litter will be generated this year (2015)[1], yet later in the same analysis it is suggested that the recovery of litter is some 67,405 tonnes p.a.
[4] Keep America Beautiful, Inc. 2009 National Visible Litter Survey and Litter Cost Study
[5] Includes illegal dumping ranging in scale from small bags to vans and trucks. Zero Waste Scotland, "Scotland's Litter Problem, 2013; Eunomia Research & Consulting, "A Scottish Deposit Refund System; Final Report for Zero Waste Scotland", 2015
[6] DRIS attachment B, CBA assumptions – Market Failures. See page 2
[7] KAB, National Litter Index 2015 reports significant retail frontage litter.
[8] Section 4 - Keep America Beautiful 2009 Litter Study. See http://www.kab.org/site/DocServer/Final_KAB_Report_9-18-09.pdf?docID=4561
[9] The litter cost to state and federal govt at schools, tertiary institutions, national parks and other crown land
[10] Assumes there is a similar ration between litter on state land and municipal territories to that in the USA
[11] Adopts the lower cost estimate assumed within the CRIS
[12] Assumes cost/tonne to maintain car parks, outdoor areas etc is similar to that of the USA.
[13] Litter recovered by small groups and volunteers is at least equal to that recovered on Clean up Australia Day
[14] Based on 5.86million freestanding houses in Aust. Assumes a home owner spends 10 mins/pcm collecting rubbish that has accumulated at their home. Adopts the labour cost a RIS uses for participation costs ($7.67/hr).
[15] A Scottish Deposit Refund System; Final Report" Eunomia Research & Consulting, 2015
[16] NAHB House Price Estimator (www.nahb.org)
[17] Based on the June 2015 quarter average Sydney house price of $1,000,616
Latest blog Latest
Michael Peters commented 2016-11-03 13:58:42 +1100
Plastic waste is individual and personal – from choice of product purchase by its form of packaging and its disposal away from landfill to recycling – and therefore subject to habit forming behaviour.
Could you please comment on a primary suggestion that all plastics be divided into soft and hard?
Andrew Gray commented 2016-10-26 15:37:06 +1100
Thanks for your comments and feedback Aida. Indeed there is a need to visit schools to educate people particularly at a young age that littering behaviours are as you put it 'anti social behaviour'. We have taken steps to achieve this education leg via our Ocean Action Pod, which is a portable marine plastic pollution education trailer designed to educate school kids on the effects of plastic pollution to marine wildlife and the food chain. If you are interested in incorporating our Ocean Pod into your local school area please contact info@boomerangalliance.org.au.
Aida Tebbutt commented 2016-10-26 15:27:37 +1100
Cost of Litter In Australia.
Thank you for your amazing blog.
It is heartening that very informed others are attempting to bring about change in the face of indifference and ignorance.
It is imperative that a thorough investigation be carried out on the cost of litter in Australia. The amount of litter needs to be measured more scientifically and accurately.
Too many manufacturers are focused only on their profits and are not accepting responsibility for the 'end life' of their products packaging. Better material choices and less of it (throw away material) is required. Better recycling systems and opportunities need to be offered readily and conveniently.
Government legislation and manufacturing innovation and compliance need to be strengthened. These failings though galling, are only a part of the problem.
As you mentioned, the cost of cleaning up visible litter is considerable, as are the ongoing environmental costs to both the man- made and natural environments.
I would like to add the social cost of litter to our tolerance and understanding and respect of others when we are subjected to the visible result of anti social behaviour in the form of litter daily.
What price do you put on a negative psychological impact that results from a blatant lack of respect for others and for the environment?
Across Australia, schoolyards are the breeding ground for the takeaway and throw away society. You need only visit one of these centres of learning to see the losing battle with litter and littering and to hear how each school is struggling to deal with the issue. Why is this so? Clearly more needs to be done at a social/educational level, and done in a more significant and meaningful way.
What examples are we setting in our society? The prevention of littering in the first place is really the ideal. Apparently, reason that the majority of people litter is because they are lazy or ignorant or both. Litter and littering will never be prevented/ kept to an absolute minimum by single 'focus days'. The prevention of litter is a silent, life- long pledge that needs to be taken by the overwhelming majority of Australians at every stage of a products consumption and subsequent disposal.
Aida Tebbutt


text:
namespace AgileObjects.AgileMapper.Api.Configuration.Projection
{
    /// <summary>
    /// Provides options for configuring query projections from and to given source and result element Types, inline.
    /// </summary>
    /// <typeparam name="TSourceElement">The source element Type to which the configuration should apply.</typeparam>
    /// <typeparam name="TResultElement">The result element Type to which the configuration should apply.</typeparam>
    public interface IFullProjectionInlineConfigurator<TSourceElement, TResultElement> :
        IFullProjectionSettings<TSourceElement, TResultElement>,
        IFullMappingNamingSettings<IFullProjectionInlineConfigurator<TSourceElement, TResultElement>>
    {
        /// <summary>
        /// Configure how this mapper performs a projection, inline. Use this property to switch from
        /// configuration of the root Types on which the projection is being performed to configuration
        /// of any other Types.
        /// </summary>
        IProjectionConfigStartingPoint WhenMapping { get; }

        /// <summary>
        /// Throw an exception upon execution of this statement if the projection being configured has any result
        /// members which will not be mapped, projects from a source enum to a target enum which does not support
        /// all of its values, or includes complex Types which cannot be constructed. Use calls to this method to
        /// validate a mapping plan; remove them in production
        /// code.
        /// </summary>
        void ThrowNowIfMappingPlanIsIncomplete();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
OM Digital (formerly Olympus) has a 'Pro' 90mm macro in the works
This will be the brand's furthest reaching macro for Micro Four Thirds and the only one to carry the 'Pro' distinction.
By Dan Bracaglia | Published Sep 13, 2022 4:11 PM
OM Digital Solutions
Micro Four Thirds system users will soon have a new 180mm equivalent, image-stabilized macro lens to consider for their arsenal. The forthcoming OM Digital Solutions M.Zuiko 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS was just unveiled on the brand's lens roadmap. Part of OM Digital's prestigious"Pro" line, it joins other highly-capable, tough-built glass like the M. Zuiko 300mm f/4.0 IS Pro and the M. Zuiko 20mm f/1.4 Pro, to name two favorites.
Wait, what happened to Olympus?
Olympus Corporation still exists but its imaging division was sold off a few years back to the newly minted OM Digital Solutions, who seemingly got right to work (or rather, continued working) on new Micro Four Thirds products. This year alone, OM Digital has rolled out a new flagship camera in the OM System OM-1, along with the impressive new 20mm f/1.4 Pro lens.
Who's the 90mm macro for?
OM Digital Solutions recently released an updated lens roadmap featuring the new lens. OM Digital Solutions
According to OM Digital Solutions, the new 90mm features an 180mm equivalent field of view with an impressive 4x maximum image magnification. This will allow users to make tiny subjects appear larger than life. The 90mm is also the brand's furthest reaching and only Pro-series macro.
Rated IP53 against dust and moisture, the OM Digital 90mm macro should also be supremely well protected from the elements, potentially making it a fantastic option for close-up photographers working in the field. Insect and nature photographers in particular might benefit from its tough-built, image-stabilized design.
When can I buy an OM Digital's new lens & what will it cost?
The new OM Digital 90mm macro should be available "sometime" in 2023, for a yet-to-be-announced price. We will update this story as soon as we know more.
Dan Bracaglia
Dan Bracaglia, the News & Features editor at Popular Photography, has been covering imaging and camera technology for 13 years, with work appearing—both written and photographic—in publications including American Photo magazine, Digital Photography Review, Popular Science magazine, the Star-Ledger, Sound & Vision magazine, and of course, Popular Photography. Contact the author here.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Q: Get memeber from object using a string Let's say I have an object like this:
var object = {"a" : "1", "b" : "2"}

I want the member of the name "a" but using a string.
An example for what I am looking for would be the user asking for the output of a using an input box then it would return "1".
Sorry if this is confusion I just have no clue how to do this...
Thanks!

A: var object = { "a":"1", "b":"2"}
var userInput = "a" // or whatever they input
console.log(object[userInput]) // 1

This will be enough I think

A: You can pass a string into an object (using bracket notation) to extract the value of the property with the string name like this:

var array = {"a" : "1", "b" : "2"};

var input = document.getElementById("txtInput");
var btn = document.getElementById("btn");

btn.addEventListener("click", function(){
  // Just pass the string (using bracket notation) into the object
  // to extract that property value:
  console.log(array[input.value]);
});
<input type="text" id="txtInput">
<button id="btn">Get Data</button>

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I have been an ardent fan of choral and acapella music since my days in the school choir and the boys barbershop group. From Taverner to Tom Lehrer the music that I internalised through singing remains prominent in my musical personality. I continued singing after university with London Vocal Project (Bobby McFerrin, Norma Winstone, Jon Hendricks) contributing compositions and arrangements between 2008-2015. However my first commission to write for a church choir came from my old school, in need of a carol for their Christmas celebrations.
The parallels between the refugee crisis in North Africa and Europe that we see today and the Nativity story are too obvious to be set aside. The result is the Calais Carol. The lyric describes the journey of a pregnant refugee mother attempting to reach Calais in the hope of crossing into the UK. Hers, like the nativity story, has a happy ending.


text:
Jan. 5-29 2017
Caps Lock Theatre and Jack Sharkey
Baby Mama: One Woman's Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People
IN RESIDENCE: January 3- 30, 2017
Baby Mama: One Woman's Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People tracks one birth mother's true adoption journey, from conception to placement with the gay couple of her dreams—while still living her life, dating, and attending the occasional orgy. From adoption agencies to vaginal discharge, from burlesque to goodbyes, this intimate night of storytelling is up close and personal. Winner of The Dr. Robert J. Thierauf Producer's Pick Award of the Cincy Fringe. Bring hankies.
Written and performed by Mariah MacCarthy
Directed by Sara Lyons
PERFORMANCES: January 5-8, 12-15, 19-22, 25-29
TIME:7pm
LENGTH OF SHOW:70 Min.
Mariah MacCarthy (Writer/Performer) has had her work developed and presented at Ensemble Studio Theatre, Rattlestick, Primary Stages, Culture Project, New Dramatists, La MaMa, HERE, Dixon Place, The Brick, Atlantic Stage 2, Fringe NYC, various New York apartments, and Paris. Indie Theater Hall of Fame ("Person of the Year" 2012), PoNY nominee. Plays include Baby Mama: One Woman's Quest to Give Her Child to Gay People (winner of the Dr. Robert J. Thierauf Producer's Pick Award; viewed over 41,000 times on YouTube), Honors Students (Kilroys List Honorable Mention; EST/Youngblood Unfiltered), Safeword (Dixon Place), Magic Trick (FringeNYC and Theatre Row; winner of the Doric Wilson Independent Playwright Award and Lotos Foundation Prize in the Arts and Sciences), Mrs. Mayfield's Fifth-Grade Class of '93 20-Year Reunion ("sweet and boisterous…a lot of fun" -The New York Times), The Foreplay Play (two NYIT Award nominations), Ampersand: A Romeo & Juliet Story (twenty Looking Glass Forum Awards, FringeNYC "Outstanding Performance"), and The All-American Genderf*ck Cabaret ("f*cking brilliant" – Kate Bornstein; performed in Baltimore, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, and New York). Mariah is a Friend of Flux, a writer-in- residence of The Propulsion Lab, a member of Youngblood and Lather, Rinse, Repeat, Executive Artistic Director of Caps Lock Theatre, and Associate Artistic Director-at- Large of The Brick.
Sara Lyons (Director) is a director, queer and feminist performance-maker, and teaching artist creating new work across performance disciplines. Based in NYC and Pittsburgh, she seeks to explode convention in form and politic, creating work that is critically embodied around issues of gender, sexuality, and race, and engages with contemporary experiences of technology. As a director, performer, and writer her work has been presented at Ensemble Studio Theatre, HERE Arts Center, Fordham University, Culture Project, LaMaMa ETC, Dixon Place, and many more. She has taught performance and created new work with students of all ages across New York City as well as Mexico and South Africa. Sara holds a B.A. in Theatre and Gender Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison; is an alum of DirectorsLabChicago and the EMERGENYC program for political performance-makers at NYU's Hemispheric Institute; and is currently studying for her MFA as a John Wells Directing Fellow at Carnegie Mellon University.
"Sweet and boisterous…and a lot of fun, too." -The New York Times on MacCarthy's Mrs. Mayfield's Fifth-Grade Class of '93 20-Year Reunion
"Hilarious, gross, heartbreaking, courageous. All throughout, you can hear the love in her voice."-Upworthy
"Critic's Pick! Refreshingly bold, completely vulnerable. There's no pretense."-Cincinnati Citybeat
"Brutally truthful, but in ways both refreshing and educational. MacCarthy never at any point loses her intimate connection with the audience. Charming and touching: lighthearted at times, heart-wrenching at others, and not to be missed."– San Diego Reader
This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, New York State Council on the Arts, Office of Council Member Corey Johnson and The Nancy Quinn Fund, a project of ART-NY.


text:
5 things NJ drivers learn from Samuel DuBose shooting
Steph Solis
@stephmsolis
The body-camera video capturing the final moments of Samuel DuBose's life show that even a seemingly benign exchange between a civilian and a police officer can suddenly escalate into a deadly encounter.
"It went from a regular traffic stop (for a missing front license plate) to a death in a few seconds," said Manuel J. Almeida Jr., an attorney at Rudolph & Kayal law firm in Manasquan.
Legal experts and civilians across the country have watched the video, released by the Office of the Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney in Ohio, and questioned how else the traffic stop could have been handled. The video has prompted discussion on New Jersey law and motorists' encounters with police.
Ray Tensing, now an ex-officer at the University of Cincinnati, fatally shot DuBose as the motorist prepared to drive away during a motor vehicle stop. Tensing, who claimed he was about to be run over, is seen firing his weapon before the vehicle took off. He pleaded not guilty to charges of murder and voluntary manslaughter and was released from jail on a $1 million bond.
Almeida and others weighed in on the stop, the conduct of the officer and driver and discussed how how New Jersey drivers could avoid similar encounters.
1. Yes, an officer in New Jersey can stop you for a missing license plate.
It might seem frivolous, but in New Jersey, as in Ohio, a police officer can stop a driver whose vehicle does not have a license plate in the front.
New Jersey drivers have to display their license plates on the front and back of their vehicles. Drivers who fail to do that can get a fine of up to $100 or, if the driver cannot pay, up to 10 days in jail.
"At the very least, it (not displaying a front plate) would give an officer reasonable and articulable suspicion to make a traffic stop," said Christopher Campbell, a criminal lawyer with a firm based in Wall.
"There are cases where the absence of a license plate or obscured license plate has provided probable cause for stopping vehicles and has snowballed for at least a couple of people and caused big problems," Almeida said. "We have a lot of cases that turn out to be really serious criminal cases that start out as traffic offenses."
From an officer's perspective, there can be many reasons someone's missing a license plate, he added. The driver might have stolen the car or might be on the run from an outstanding warrant or other crimes.
"License plate discrepancies have led to a good number of arrests in terms of wanted individuals, fictitious plates, stolen vehicles—all type of unlawful activity," said Al Della Fave, spokesman for the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
Sometimes the easiest and safest way for an officer to address a traffic violation and check a driver's credentials is by conducting a motor vehicle stop, he added.
"People have the misconception that we have computers in our own car, and it's easy to simply run a check," he said. "This isn't so. There are times when the computers are down....Sometimes it's just easier to stop that individual and make the inquiry right there."
2. There is a difference between having a license and not producing one during a traffic stop.
Whether they're licensed or not, motorists can be ticketed for not producing a valid drivers license during a traffic stop. In the Cincinnati video, DuBose fails to produce a license when repeatedly asked to do so.
Under New Jersey law, "the driver or operator shall exhibit his driver's license and an insurance identification card...so that the officer may thereby determine the identity of the licensee and at the same time determine the correctness of the registration certificate, as it relates to the registration number and the number plates of the motor vehicle for which it was issued."
A driver who violates this law could get a fine of up to $150, with $25 going to the Uninsured Motorist Prevention Fund.
3. An officer can order you out of the vehicle in New Jersey.
An officer can legally order a driver out of the vehicle during a traffic stop.
That decision is based on a 1996 Supreme Court case, Wilson v. Maryland. In that case, Jerry Lee Wilson was stopped by a Maryland state trooper and, when ordered to step out of the vehicle, dropped cocaine on the ground. While his attorney argued the officer violated Wilson's Fourth Amendment rights by ordering him to step out of vehicle, the court sided with the state.
An officer faces different standards for passengers during a traffic stop, based on an earlier court ruling in New Jersey. The officer needs to "point to specific and articulable facts that would warrant heightened caution" to justify asking the passenger to step out.
Stepping out of the vehicle when asked is a way to protect the officer's safety, Almeida said. An officer can continue the traffic stop in a way that makes the driver more visible.
"To order somebody out of the car is not a serious intrusion for privacy and constitutional rights," Almeida said. "They weigh the minimal intrusion as far as the officer's safety."
4. Avoid confronting or resisting an officer's commands during a traffic stop.
Even if an officer breaks the law during a traffic stop, a driver cannot flee from an officer or physically confront him. The easiest and safest course of action is for drivers to comply with the officer as much as possible and address the misconduct afterward, experts say.
"Don't make quick movements," Almeida said. "You may know that you're up to nothing ill and don't intend any kind of harm to anybody, but the officer doesn't know that. A lot of officers are hurt and killed at traffic stops."
Campbell recommended that drivers take steps to show they're cooperating as soon as they see police lights behind them: pull over as soon as it's safe, turn off the car, place the keys on the dashboard, turn on the interior lights and sit there with hands on the steering wheel.
"Don't reach for any documents because that officer has no idea what you're reaching for," Campbell said. "It's better to keep them at ease."
5. In certain cases, fleeing the scene could justify use of deadly force.
The New Jersey Attorney General's guidelines state an officer may use deadly force to prevent a detainee from escaping when the officer believes that person has caused or will cause serious bodily harm or death.
In the Cincinnati case, Tensing initially claimed he shot DuBose because his hand was caught as DuBose was driving off and that the officer "almost got ran over by the car." The local prosecutor said the video contradicted that narrative.
Campbell said: "You have to comply with officers with an arrest, unless there's unreasonable force being used against you. Then at least you can try to break away and run."
Ultimately, it's up to the officer as well as the civilian to make sure a motor vehicle stop goes smoothly, Della Fave said.
"You're obliged by the law to cooperate with the law enforcement officer on a motor vehicle stop," Della Fave said. "If you provide the required documentation and give a good account of yourself, in 99.9 percent of the cases, there's going to be no issues."
Steph Solis: 732-643-4043; ssolis@gannettnj.com
What's your take on the DuBose traffic stop in Cincinnati? If you've been pulled over in New Jersey, what was your experience like? Answer in the comments.


ASH Ireland has called for a ban on smoking in all motor vehicles. Would you support such a ban?
Final Encore!!! I'm sure we'll cross paths again!! lol .. Toodleoo!!!!
Very good points Lisann (though its a pity they are laced with sarcasm) but yes it is true that MY CAR = MY RIGHT TO SMOKE IN IT and YES there ARE far too many obese people today. Goodbye Ange or will you be back????????
Hi Ange I do not wish to get into a stupid argument here and the answer to your question is if I had a child in my car I would not smoke, regardless of whose child it was be it my own or someone else's, I would not smoke in front of a child in a confined space. If there was someone else in my car it would depend on the circumstances. For example if it was a colleague or friend and they also smoked then I would smoke. If it was my parents or Grandparent then I would not smoke out of RESPECT for them. If it was someone I was just giving a lift to and doing a favour for then I would try not to but if I really had a craving I would ask them if it is ok and smoke. All of the above would be done with open windows.
The POINT IS that it should be MY CHOICE. If someone decides not to smoke when they have passengers thats fine. If somebody smokes when they have passengers that is fine too (except children of course).
Whether or not I smoke in my own car does not change the fact that the CHOICE to do so should be available to anyone who does own a car.
"an excuse is not the reason for saying why"
Buzz, Point taken! Just wondering though do you smoke if you have passengers in your car?
Buzz, would you smoke if you had passengers in your car?
Certainly OTHERS ie non -smokers benefit as they are not subjected to passive smoking but we are talking about smoking in our own PRIVATELY OWNED vehicles, not pubs. If I own a car and I want to smoke in it I will.
"the least places these people can smoke the better for them" - these people are still smoking, despite the ban. I was not aware this comment expaned to include non-smokers.
The workplace smoking ban in Ireland has reduced air pollution in pubs by 83 per cent and airborne carcinogens by 80 per cent for both patrons and staff since the ban was introduced three years ago.
Saying the least places people can smoke the better for them is not actually 100% true. Smoking rates have not dropped at all since the workplace ban.
Yes I would, The least places people can smoke the better for them and others..
Hi ExPat I agree with you to a certain extent. I mean it feels wrong to smoke in front of a child, and I think thats just because I KNOW its bad for me so it has to be abd for them. Then again who is to say that I haven't been affected by propaganda...the whole point is to make you THINK you are making these decisions for yourself when in fact you're not. I ahve to say the anti-smoking ads really annoy me. They actually make me want a cigarette to combat the annoyance...hmm maybe these are actually designed by tobacco companies to stress out the smokers and make then reach for the box of fags.....?!
It is a well established fact in the medical world that smoking causes the majority of lung cancer plus countless other ill health affects. This is not brain washing, this is medical fact. In addition there are absolutely zero benefits to smoking.
You said 'for years and years no mother would ever consider blowing smoke in the direction of a child.
What planet were you living on? Whoever brainwashed you made a great job of it.
Whose direction do you think the smoke goes in a car containing children?
What sensible discussions am I not getting involved in? Those where all agree with you. Do you honestly think smoke is good for the human lung?
You made an interesting comment that even if it was proved that passive smoking was harmless, you would not FEEL right smoking in front of a child.
The whole point of the millions spent on propaganda is to make you FEEL bad about smoking, especially in front of children (who are misused as a form of emotional pressure).
This is brainwashing and it is very effective and very deliberate.
Just consider the fact that for years and years no mother would ever consider blowing smoke in the direction of a child but TV commercials were made to show exactly that with an actress impersonating a mother. Many people saw this as "reality" and felt justified in demonising mothers who smoke. Their emotions were deliberately tampered with.
BTW, just because Wit spouts a lot of rubbish he is is not stupid. He prefers not to get involved in any sensible discussion as he would lose. By just spouting ASH propaganda he can avoid this. He aims for the emotional level not the intellectual and this is, of course, quite deliberate.
Yes I am aware of that and may I thank you for judging me by your standards and feeling the need to poitn out the obvious. My point of course (had you read the post properly) was that your post was laced with sarcasm and cynicism. Of COURSE I believe my points to be valid - whats wrong with you?! Are you here for a discussion on a smoking ban or the last word???
Have you forgotten your previous post so soon? Those were your points!
Witofire it is not about making ME happy (believe it or not these arguments are simply amusement - my HAPPINESS is determined by more important issues such as health, financial stability, fulfilling work, family, friends) In actual fact, despite your attempt at sarcasm, it would seem that it is the anti smokers who are the most unhappy lot! Regarding your other points if they were not laced with cyncism and sarcasm then they would actually be quite valid. Why persecute ONE group and not another?
We must stop persecuting smokers and other addicts! Let smokers huddle at the doorways and do not ask them to move a few yards away to prevent smoke entering premises or to avoid contaminating other citizens.
Make it illegal for SUVs to stop at traffic lights and belch out fumes. Make farmers reduce their dairy stock numbers to avoid damage to the ozone layer. Demolish houses built too close together in the countryside to somehow thus reduce the effects of burning smoky fuel but this type of law must not apply to Dublin as everybody there burns only smokeless fuel. Fit blinkers when approaching smokers so as not to see them. Make buzz happy or you're a smoking Nazi.
Joeyjoejoe, Maybe us smokers should wear bells around our necks????
There are far more 'vile' things going on in society nowadays. Grow up.
Cheap shot. Yes a lot of smokers DO think about you, and are not concerned with taking away your right to do what you want to do, as you are of theirs. Of course it is easy to pretend that other pollutants do not affect you when in actual fact they do, if you think a little further than just what is before your eyes. The fact remains that smokers are huddled outside because they are not allowed inside (quite rightly too) but they should not have to bend to the very whim and will of every smoking nazi who choses to have a go at them when in fact, they are keeping within the law.
Buzz if you could sort that out for me that would be great thanks!LOL!yeah i do only see the smokers because they are the ones that I am affected by, a lot of them don't think about the non smokers! If they want to smoke that's fine but I shouldn't have to suffer!
The only reason people are congregated outside in the FIRST place is because they are not allowed INSIDE. The smoking nazis really irritate me they are NEVER happy perhaps you would like all smokers shipped to the moon to save smelling out your partners hair? I am in support of the smoking ban, but outside is outside and you cannot dictate where smokers are allowed to huddle if they are outdoors. Can I dictate where SUV's belching out fumes can stop in traffic? can I tell the farmer across the road not to place quite so many cows in his field because collectively they are contributing to holes in our ozone through the volumes of methane they produce? What about houses outside of Dublin who do not burn smokeless fuel? Shoudl they be built x miles apart? The problem with smoking nazis is that they ONLY see the smokers. They do not see anyone else.
I hate cigarette smoke, it makes me gag! It should be banned except in designated places i.e. not outside the shopping centre where I have to hold my breath until I can make it past all the smokers huddled outside! It's disgusting! My husband recently went into a pub/off licence and had to walk past a group of smokers on his way in and out. When he came home i could smell the smoke off his clothes and hair! It's vile!
Less than 10 cm away from such labels one will also find a label which quite clearly tells them the milligram content of tobacc, tar and nicoteine. For Gods sake what kind of ridiculous claim culture do we have here now? Where will it all end? I think anyone who smokes and then tries to sue is just a blatant hypocrite to be honest, akin to throwing yourself in front of a bus and suing because the bus was deceptively heavy and did more damage than you anticipated. GET REAL PEOPLE. SMOKING CAUSES HARM.
There is nothing more annoying than people who smoke and then sue for damages. Anyone who started smoking since the 70's has been fully aware of the dangers posed.
Agree with everything you said in your posts.....also....regarding the pollution re water that some have mentioned.....what is the explanation for the fact that councils in Galway and it's environs have reduced thousands to 'buying' water even to wash etc.; this has been going on for decades....just ask hoteliers in the region etc etc...!!. If anyone doubts this...investigate !
When we talk of pollution...and it's effects....let´s be accurate and ask the right questions of those who are supposed to protect us! Lisann....thank you.
A US federal appeals court today agreed with the major elements of a 2006 landmark ruling that found the nation's top tobacco companies guilty of racketeering and fraud for deceiving the public about the dangers of smoking. The US Court of Appeals in Washington upheld requirements that manufacturers change the way they market cigarettes, which have been on hold pending appeal. The ruling bans labels such as low tar, light, ultra light or mild, since such cigarettes have been found to be no safer than others because of how people smoke them. It also says the companies must publish "corrective statements" in newspapers and on their websites on the adverse health effects and addictiveness of smoking and nicotine.
Yes I am aware of the scandalous incident of the introduction of toxins into some water supplies in Monaghan and Cavan. I am also aware of the normal introduction of toxins such as chlorine, fluoride, alum and lime in the treatment of water for human consumption. While this important treatment of water is essential to public heath, many people, me included, are not happy with the final product. Some people use bottled water – often more polluted than tap water. I use filter jugs. I would not subject children to bottled or unfiltered tap water - just as I would not subject them to toxic tobacco smoke.
WITOFIRE, did you see Philip-Boucher Hayes investigation into water supplies re toxins put in them without people knowing about it? thats what I mean by children drinking contaminated water.
Agreed. I dont think I could smoke in front of a child, even in the unlikely event that I was provided with unrefutable evidence that it caused them no harm, I think it just FEELS wrong at this point, goes against the grain. I do still think people should be allowed to smoke in their cars if they wish. People buy their cars and pay tax and insurance, not to mention fuel, so if these cars are their property then people should not be able to commandeer what one does in their own car.
Of course we should not force children to drink contaminated water. Who does?
Maybe not, lisann, but that is not a reason to subject anyone, especially children, to the dangers.


text:
Posted on 07-6-2012 | tagged Brendan Gleeson, British, Colin Farrell, Martin McDonagh, dark comedy, indie film | Post a Comment | Email Article | Share Article
Note: Considering the tumult of summer and with the allowance I've given myself to write about "related matters," I've decided to post my review of In Bruges, from a few years ago.
"They're filming midgets," announces Ray (Colin Farrell) to Glen (Brendan Gleeson) at one point in the juicily macabre comedy In Bruges. He is referring to a film whose set the two had earlier come upon while "nightseeing" in Bruges.
Not Really. No more than is Martin McDonagh, the first time feature director of In Bruges, making a film about midgets. And he certainly isn't making a film about little people.
But there is a little person in both films, and not simply by the syllogism that a little person appearing in a film being shot within a film would appear in the latter!
In In Bruges, he's mostly referred to as a midget, a term many of us know is rejected by those who bear dwarfism. "Midget" is not the only politically incorrect term or reference that the film employs to generate laughs; the film assaults black people, obese people, women, priests, Americans, and Bruges itself—sometimes literally!
Do I forgive its doing this? Yes. Do I applaud it for doing this? No. Do I applaud it for getting away with this? Yes.
Oh, so then I must not stand firmly on the side of respect and compassion? Maybe not, but I think that a creative work must be permitted to transgress, assuming it accomplishes at least one of two things: First, it must earn such transgression. And this is a gauge that cannot unfortunately be anything but subjective. In Bruges, I qualify, earns its transgression because its script is so well written. The humour is so incisive that it's as if the actors' lines are hacking at us; it is so testing that our guts twist as we second-guess our urge to laugh.
Secondly, a transgressive creative work must, and this strikes me as a necessarily dichotomous mode of assessment, deliver redemption or let us in on its interest in agitating us or do both. In In Bruges, a member of each of two of the assaulted groups of people turns out heroic, one by way of steely determination, the other by way of sheer misfortune. (Spoiler alert: Move on to the next paragraph to avoid it.) As for the killers, they get got.
Moreover, In Bruges certainly lets us in on the artifice that is its very construction. Beside its incorporating a film shoot in its plot, a film that is being shot in Bruges (and in In Bruges) that is referred to by one character as "an homage to Don't Look Now," the marvelous Venice-bound psychological thriller, there is a scene wherein Glen is watching Touch of Evil, whose story unfolds near the Mexican-American border. Such references to two noir classics, in which, like in In Bruges, location is as prominent a character as any of the plot populating humans, wryly prod the audience to position In Bruges in the very camp of exotic noir that its mentioned antecedents have come to exemplify.
Colin Farrel's eyebrows are also a character—the most animated eyebrows I've ever witnessed in film. Not that this comes off as a gimmick. It does not because the film regards its characters attentively. There is a scene in which Ray disconcertedly regards himself in the mirror. He then pokes himself in the cheek. What plot related purpose does such a shot serve? None. Why include it then? Because it offers a unique view into a primary character's mindset. The film feels intimate throughout, though it never feels realistic, in part due to the earlier noted self-exposure in relation to films and filmmaking, and in greater part due to the film's inexplicable, outlandish ending.
I doubt that the hired assassins in In Bruges speak the way assassins do in real life, but who says that they should? Realism is not a fair standard of excellence, not when realism is not among a film's operative objectives. I further doubt that director and writer McDonagh would have set the film's story in Bruges, if he'd been after realism.
"It's a fairytale town isn't it?" postulates one of the characters in admiration of the mediaeval city. Indeed, it is. And In Bruges is a fairytale, a grim fairytale.
Comment Approval
« Article for Al-Monitor: Little Film Festival That Could: Beirut Beats the Odds | Main | Black Gold (2011): More Like Feculent Brown »


There are two compelling reasons to carve out some of your valuable time and learn analytics.
Using analytics moves website improvement past opinions into hard data. No longer will site design and architecture be based on subjective viewpoints — not even on HiPPOs — the Highest Paid Person's Opinions.
It bridges the communication gap between senior management and web professionals. It speaks to what's happening on your website and what can happen in terms that are much more familiar to management, e.g. data to back up the ROI (return on investment).


The New York Botanical Garden Holiday Ticket Giveaway!!
Leave a comment with what entries you have submitted, so I know how many chances you have to win this holiday giveaway at this amazing garden !!
Details: This giveaway is open to Continental US Residents and will remain open until DECEMBER 2, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. EST. Any comments left after this time will not be counted. The winner will be selected randomly and will be notified via email and will have 24 hours to claim their prize.
The tickets will be mailed to you as soon as the winners are chosen by me so that you can attend early December if you wish, or the first 2 weeks in January 2014.
I have not received any monetary compensation for posting this content and I have no material connection to the brands, topics and/or products that are mentioned herein. NYBG has provided the tickets for this giveaway. My opinions are 100% my own.
Thank you kindly for the chance. I heard about their train show and it sounds lovely! I follow your blog through google friend connect. I also follow NYBG on Twitter with the same username as my email. Happy Holidays!


» Blog Archive » Wir erwarten Kitten!
This entry was posted on Mittwoch, Oktober 19th, 2011 at 19:21	and is filed under Allgemein. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
je désire acquérir un chaton seal sépia ou chocolat point femelle.
en avez vous. Je veux ce chaton pour 2012 ou 2013.


Business at the bottom, party on top? I think that's always been a motto in the back of my head but lately I cannot get enough of the high-waist. Maybe it gives me an excuse to wear an even shorter crop? Finding the right tummy-hugging skirt can often be a challenge (how many of them end up backwards by the time you walk to your car?) and, though I very rarely wear a skirt that hits just above the ankles, I do LOVE this fit and pleat from Bless'd are the Meek so I decided to try something a bit different. It's the kind of outfit that, with your favorite leather or fitted blazer over it, can easily transition from LA business meeting to a fun dinner out with the girls.
What's your go-to transition piece?


text:
Category: Pediatrics | Reproductive Medicine | Fertility | News
Back to Health News
Unvaccinated Boys at Risk of Mumps-Linked Testicular Problem
Last Updated: April 02, 2010.
Testicles can swell or atrophy as a result, researchers say.
Testicles can swell or atrophy as a result, researchers say
FRIDAY, April 2 (HealthDay News) -- A new study reports a significant increase in the number of young males with a mumps-related testicle condition called mumps orchitis, which causes one or both testicles to swell and can lead to fertility problems.
The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine should be offered to all unvaccinated males aged 15-24, and they should be educated about mumps orchitis, said Irish urologists who reviewed five decades worth of research and statistics.
After the MMR vaccine was introduced in 1968, the number of cases of mumps orchitis decreased dramatically worldwide. But vaccination rates started to decline about 15 years ago because of a global shortage of the MMR vaccine and media reports that it was linked to autism, inflammatory bowel disease and Crohn's disease.
Even though subsequent research found no such links, there's still widespread public concern about the MMR vaccine.
"Boys that did not receive the [MMR vaccine] during the mid-1990s are now collecting in large numbers in secondary schools and colleges, and this provides a perfect breeding ground for the [mumps] virus," Niall Davis, a urology research registrar, said in a news release. "It's estimated that as many as 40 percent of males who develop mumps after puberty can suffer from orchitis. This is of considerable concern as epidemics of mumps orchitis are now being reported more frequently in countries worldwide."
In their review, Davis and colleagues found that:
Up to 50 percent of mumps orchitis patients experience testicular atrophy, a reduction in the size of one or both testicles.
Infertility is rare, but reduced fertility occurs in about 13 percent of patients.
Three years after recovery, 24 percent of adults and 38 percent of adolescents can still have abnormal sperm counts.
The association between mumps orchitis and testicular cancer is weak, with an incidence rate of 0.5 percent.
The paper appears in the April issue of the urology journal BJUI.
The Medlineplus Encyclopedia has more about orchitis.
SOURCE: BJUI, news release, March 30, 2010
Previous: Gender Gaps Persist in Pay at Academic Medical Centers Next: Working Wives Still Expected to Do It All, Study Finds


TSB has reduced interest rates by up to 0.35 per cent on mortgages for residential, home purchase and remortgage borrowers.
Changes applied include reductions of up to 0.35 per cent on five-year fixed deals up to 95 per cent LTV in its house purchase range; reductions of up to 0.25 per cent on two-year fixes up to 90 per cent LTV; and up to 0.30 per cent on five-year fixes up to 90 per cent LTV for remortgage borrowers.
Reductions of up to 0.20 per cent have also been made on two-year fixed (0-95 per cent LTV) on its house purchase range.
TSB head of mortgages Nick Smith says: "The interest rate reduction on our fixed rate house purchase and remortgage products is a welcome step for those looking to fix their monthly payments for a longer period of time.
The Bank is also reintroducing its three-year fixed house purchase and remortgage ranges for intermediary only.


It's weeks like this–when there's a veritable explosion of lawsuits, investigations, regulatory demands and accusations–that you begin to wonder how industry leaders and just plain old practitioners deal with the fact that the insurance business is a multi-billion dollar punching bag.
Or perhaps a pi?ata is a more apt description since, after being smashed in the courts or at the hands of state and/or federal regulators, a pile of money usually comes gushing out.
All you have to do is go to pages 6, 7 and 10 of this week's issue to see that regulators of every stripe are on the industry's case. Some of these are long-continuing sagas, such as unsuitable sales of investment products like annuities to senior citizens.
Similarly, there have been widespread reports of agents misrepresenting private Medicare Advantage plans to seniors because the commissions on those plans are fatter. Congress is taking note and you can bet that tighter supervision of sales is in the forecast, since both the House and Senate have held hearings on the issue.
This is not to mention the lambasting that companies that market Medicare Advantage plans have come in for, especially from Rep. Pete Stark of California. This is because, according to the Congressional Budget Office, the MA program costs about 12% more on average than the cost to Medicare of traditional fee-for-service providers.
I'd also guess that the investigation New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo launched with a great deal of fanfare is not going to blow over quickly. First of all it's going to have a lot of resonance with the public, which feels at the mercy of health insurance companies and, therefore, hates them. Mr. Cuomo, being the politician he is, knows a good thing when he sees it, so he's not going to back off. Just look where media-splashing investigations got the man who was the former New York AG and is now governor of the state, Eliot Spitzer.
Out in Minnesota that state's AG has been busy filing serial lawsuits against index annuity companies because their agents allegedly misrepresented or otherwise sold products inappropriate for seniors.
That's hardly the end of it, but my head's getting tired. Now, for a few thoughts.
First and obviously, if bad sales have occurred the perpetrators should be punished and consumers made whole. But there needs to be some balance on the part of regulators and politicians. The vast majority of agents and advisors are honorable and do business with honorable intentions. It does not do to besmirch an entire profession because of some bad specimens. Politicians above all should know that and get off their self-righteous stands.
Second, the issue of whether seniors need special protection is something that is debatable. One would think from the stories trotted out at congressional hearings that most seniors (and what age are we talking about here? Over 55, 62, 65, 70, 80?) are sitting there like chickens just waiting to be plucked. That they have little or no understanding of how the world works. Somehow, most seniors I know don't quite fit that description and as boomers (reluctantly) move into seniorhood, you can expect seniors' savviness to increase.
Third, if regulators and politicians were really so interested in tracking down malefactors, then how about going big time after some of those execs at investment banks that gambled billions of other people's money as if it were their own and then when the losses piled up, left with big fat bonuses.
And finally, if investors need to be protected, let's start arming them early with financial education they can use. How about it, Congress? Can you put your money where your mouth is?


text:
The Future Is Sexy
When I ask if there were any obscure references that inspired her debut album, SOPHIE goes off on a series of tangents.
"I've always liked Willy Wonka, but people already know that," she tells me, motioning to her signature wavy ginger bob.
"I was just reading a lot of books about octopus brains, like, the consciousness of octopi...the other book was Sapiens, do you know about that? And also books by this author Martine Rothblatt who writes about artificial intelligence, transhumanism and stuff like that."
Interview by Ivan Guzman
Photogrpahy by Max Hirschberger
Styling by Caitlan Hickey
Makeup by Katie Mellinger
Hair by Sean Bennett
As a visual, I tell the pop producer, 'octopus brains' reminds me of the album's title—Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides—and I ask her to unpack the name a bit more. Suddenly, she goes from describing her work as a multifaceted referential project to something more off-the-cuff. "I was just stoned and thought it sounded cool," she says. "Then I told it to other people and they were like, 'That's annoying and really pretentious sounding,' and I thought, everyone hates it. I'll use it." SOPHIE knows how to push our buttons.
But sometimes, she tells me, her point gets lost in translation. Having emerged alongside London-based label PC Music, whose roster of artists and producers have become known for their progressive play on pop tropes against glossy, futuristic, often dense instrumentals, SOPHIE soon spearheaded a fresh pop sound of her own, unlike anything music listeners and critics had ever heard before. Whether the "PC" in PC music stood for "pop culture," "politically correct," or referenced the personal computer was unclear, and wasn't the only vague aspect of the producer's aura.
Her early music, like 2013's "Hard" and the 2014 hit "Lemonade", felt more like plastic toys—bent and sculpted versions of mainstream pop's most pleasurable elements— than songs. Back then she never fully revealed her face in public, remaining only partly illuminated by the dim stage lights that reached behind the DJ booth during live shows. Her first compilation of singles, entitled PRODUCT, was sold in "silicon bubble cases" and coincided with the launch of a naughty-looking black rubbery device, like some sort of gift set from a high-end sex shop. In 2015, "Lemonade" was used in a nationwide McDonald's commercial pushing the restaurant's new iterations of the beverage—"Get together with the refreshing real lemonades from McCafé, made with no artificial flavors." It all seemed too perfect.
In response to the high-profile sync, a headline in The Guardian wondered aloud: "SOPHIE's Lemonade ad for McDonald's: flagrant consumerism or the future of pop?" Other articles, in Vice and elsewhere, went so far as to propose the potential abandonment of PC Music and its associated acts, arguing that the whole movement, SOPHIE's corporate partnership included, could be an elaborate ruse, intended only to instigate, and might not be worth fans' time. Post-internet and mystery-fueled, SOPHIE and the PC Music collective— the producer is not actually in PC Music, merely a friend whose work runs parallel—ruffled feathers by making people question what was real, and what was advertising. But the artist is no contrarian, she assures me—she's simply putting out work that expresses her truth, without much heed for how many critics can relate.
Musically and philosophically, SOPHIE's brand of pop is strikingly similar, in that she's pushing it into the mind- boggling, ultra-saccharine, once-distant future that NSYNC advertised. She never set out to make a pretentious art-school statement, only to utilize the genre's universality to inject her twisted musical creations into the public consciousness and see what sticks. "Basically, the most fun I can have is being with a synthesizer with my brother, smoke some weed and literally just go deep into sound." She seems to light up when describing the wonderment of sonic exploration.
"We'll just sit there designing little music instruments, essentially. And we'll just listen. We'll just use our ears and be like, whoa, that's making me feel something new. What happens if we do this now? Or, let's try to make this more clicky. It's like if you're with your best friend, and there's a bunch of clay there in the middle. And you're like, oh, imagine if we twist it a bit here, imagine if we put this edge on it, imagine if we colored it this color. It's not related to the real world, you know? You're just using your ears, and the sounds are directly speaking to your emotions."
The past isn't sexy, the future is sexy.
On Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides she shares this intimate, corporeal experience with us, navigating surreal, often hard-hitting soundscapes like some sort of industrial imp. Contrasting frenetic bass lines with a schoolgirlish vocal, SOPHIE dips her toes in waters not often touched by her contemporaries on "Faceshopping", an ear-blast of a song that questions identity in the Instagram age. "Immaterial" is the high-frequency anthem that meets somewhere between Blues Clues sing-along and a Red Bull-fueled underground UK voguing house. An obvious nod to Madonna's "Material Girl", the track is an album highlight that bounces around with a pointed pep in its step, calling listeners to chant along: "I can be anything I want / Anyhow, anywhere, any place, anyone that I want!" On "Is It Cold In The Water?", SOPHIE overwhelms you with a grand synth buildup that never quite drops—but the exaggerated sounds make you feel that perhaps they represent those deep, swirling thoughts in SOPHIE's brain, ones that gain traction with each new idea and that finally come to the forefront when she's behind the studio deck.
I ask her how she first got into music production. "Basically, something unfortunate and traumatic happened to me when I was young," she remembers, candidly yet cautiously. "Then my dad played me a rave tape and I was like, that's what I wanna do. I filtered a lot of my energy into music to process stuff, and to have a place where I could be alone with my thoughts—whether that's anger, disappointment..." In listening to her body of work, this energy can be felt, but sometimes hard to pinpoint—does it come from a happy place? Sad? Hopeful?
"Confused," she tells me. "The main feeling for me is just being overwhelmed at the ridiculousness and complexity of the world we live in and how difficult it is to comprehend. The amount of knowledge available to us, and the fact that we don't know what the fuck we're doing here as beings... That's confusing. We're all walking around like everything is amazing and normal. So that was the main feeling." For SOPHIE, making music is more than just a day job. It's necessity, a personal commitment to exalt her feelings through sound and to move pop intrepidly into the future.
This devotion is reflected in her fanbase. In a private Facebook group called PC Music Shitposting, fans subject SOPHIE and other similar musical wunderkinder to the meme treatment to satiate the collective anticipation between releases. They compare her music to pots and pans clinking and clanking and gush over news like they've discovered hidden treasure. SOPHIE's fans make this new musical movement feel exciting and cult-like, and at her DJ set the night after our shoot in Brooklyn, the audience seemed thirsty to surrender their eardrums to their queen's turntable surprises. At one point, the speakers shook so furiously that you couldn't help but find solace within the chaos, her commanding bass pushing you to the limits of what is natural versus manufactured. The crowd was a collective of forward-thinking young people, many of them queer, eager to hop on the spaceship SOPHIE and launch to the moon.
Although she's wary to clock her own impact, it's no doubt that SOPHIE is one of the most influential pop trailblazers in recent memory. The proof is in the pudding—she splits her time half-and-half between making her own music and producing for other artists, and with a roster including Madonna, Vince Staples, Charli XCX, and MØ—and, she reveals, soon to include Lady Gaga—there's plenty of proof. She plans to release three more albums this year, she says, a feat that seems difficult especially considering the nature of record labels in today's day-and-age. What if the label doesn't let her? "If it's not possible for any reason, then I'll just leak them." It's not like SOPHIE hasn't broken boundaries before.
When I first heard "Lemonade" in high school, I felt the same sensation as when I was a kid being exposed to the pop wonder of NSYNC. It was a new wave of sound for me, a sort of hyperkinetic ASMR that took a couple listens to fully appreciate. SOPHIE's music helps make sense of the world's overwhelming complexity, streamlining a contagious "poptimism" for its listeners with a sort of bubblegum, childlike playfulness. Curious, I ask her what she was like as a student in primary school. Eager to learn? Class clown? Perfectionist? "The past isn't sexy, the future is sexy," she tells me. "That's all I have to say about that."
office Issue 09 is out now. Buy it here.
Photo assistant: Danny Lim; Fashion assistant: Shay Gallagher; Production interns: Derek Koffi-Ziter & Grace Lee.
Pretty Sick "Warm Hands"
A new single from Sicky Sab's grunge-girl band.
Help Out Vince Staples
#GTFOMD
Premiere: Brian Hill and the Noh Starrs - "Sarah's Alright"
A stunning visual meditation on life in the big city.
New York based alt-pop crooner Liam Benzvi is back today with a brand new single/self-directed music video for "Opal," coinciding with his signing to Terrible Records.
The video is a surreal dream-like journey into Benzvi's day-to-day performance of self, a one-take narrative in which the singer shows up late to a theatre performance and must urgently figure things out.
"It's a nightmare that's willed into a good dream," he tells us. "Being late, out of your element, someone shoving you on stage, and then you're left to your own devices. Many parallels to real life."
Photo by Luca Venter
"Opal" is a personal song, an introspective look into how Benzvi interacts with different types of people and how he tends to feel people out for a long time before fully offering himself up. "It's a kind of scientific safety," he explains. "'Opal' is the stone of October, and it changes color depending on the light. You could make an assumption about it and find out you're dead wrong! It's a great metaphor for the way I interact with many people I care about." An observer's anthem.
Check out the video below.
Premiere: ginla - "LOMO"
A breezy, lo-fi reminder of understanding, and embracing, your singularity.
Princess Nokia: Hitting New Notes
Princess Nokia's latest video bears proof (yet again) she's the queen of versatility.
Matty Releases His Inner Demons
Set free through his first solo album.
Last time we hung out with 070 Shake, the artist was riding the high of her newly released EP, Glitter.
Since then, Shake has been keeping herself beyond busy, getting features on Kanye West's Ye, Pusha T's Daytona, and Nas's Nasir, just to name a few. Now, the rapper feeds her fans yet again with the recent drop the music video for the new single "Nice to Have" off of her forthcoming LP, Modus Vivendi.
Text by Marley Shelby
Throughout the video, the rapper delivers the sick and dark vocals that the industry and fans love her for all while being … wait for it … dead. Shake reflects on the rollercoaster of love as a somber scene comes to life. An accident at the end of a dimly-lit tunnel leaves cars at a standstill, but each one tells its own story. And Shake, the victim of the accident, bleeds in bouquets as paparazzi get one last shot of her.
Check out the emotion-packed video below.
Tove Styrke's Got The Vibe
The singer talks about her new single and album, 'Sway.'
Kenzie: Step Into My Office
The London-based singer tells office about her spirit animal and latest EP, 'Dark July.'
Meet Leaf, the rapper who wants you to be a "magnet bitch"
The musician on her message to young black girls and protest music in the Trump era.
Pussy Riot Loves Us, Not Putin
The last time we checked in with Pussy Riot, they'd just released xxx, a three-track call to arms in which they foretold Trump's win in the 2016 election. At the time the prospect of his victory, for a lot of people, seemed like a dystopian impossibility. And alas.
We caught up with the group at LadyLand, ahead of their "Black Snow" release. The punk prophets dropped the scathing song––sampling the tune of "London Bridge is Falling Down"––accompanied by a haunting video that calls out the Russian government for excessive pollution in their country, earlier this week. The group released a letter addressed to Putin alongside the visual to ensure they made their point very fucking clear.
Photos by Jesper D. Lund
"You might remember me for that 2-year prison sentence you slapped me with back in 2012, when [I] performed a 40-second act of protest and beseeched the Virgin Mary to chase you away," Nadya Tolokonnikova writes, "but right now I'm not interested in talking about church or prison – I want to talk about a different issue. I want to talk about rivers of blood, black snow, toxic waste, and acid rain."
She's not overstating the environmental distress. The video sees the group alongside MARA 37 in gas masks with a backdrop of bloody snow and black fog––an image inspired by Tolokonnikova's childhood growing up among smokestacks, mountains of slag, and a river that periodically turns red from acid rain and chemical interference in Norilsk. In typical Pussy Riot fashion, they're rising with a healthy dose of arrogance against the powerful people responsible for the devastation.
"The rule of law doesn't apply to corporations," Tolokonnikova writes, "But what we can do is take power into our own hands – this takes a certain level of arrogance. We need to act like we have already won – we need to act like we live in a clean Russia of the future, where we elect and be elected, where the media is free and independent, where we can create autonomous environmental watchdogs, where we can support Greta Thunberg and 'Fridays for Future,' where we can go outside and be organic kittens.
I love you – but I don't love Putin."
Be an organic kitten and read the full letter, here. And check out our photos of the group, below.
Caught in a Dream
London-based singer Lafawndah brings us into her fantasy. After all, she's not "interested in realism or replicating real life."
Exclusive premiere: HESS IS MORE - "Everytime You Go Away (Emergency Mix)"
Ahead of their two-night residency at Nublu Jazz club.
office magazine issue 5 - Peaches
Keep The Love Up


text:
Where Pigeons Go To Die is a Sentimental drama about an aging man's fond reminiscences of his relationship with his grandfather in 1950 Midwest and the time they spent together raising racing pigeons. Click the play button below to watch it now (Run Time 1:31:56)
Where Pigeons Go to Die is a 1990 made-for-television film written and directed by Michael Landon based on the novel by R. Wright Campbell. The film score was composed by Leonard Rosenman..The film stars Art Carney and was nominated for two Emmy awards: Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Special (Haskell B. Boggs) Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special (Art Carney)
Most of the crew was taken from Landon's three previous television shows.. The film was shot in and around Lawrence, Kansas and Overland Park, Kansas, and was the last Michael Landon production for NBC.
Tagged: Michael Landonwhere pigeons go to die
Previous Article Pigeon Racing Taking Flight in China
Next Article "American Pigeon Racing" Documentary
Breeding, Pairing, pigeon racing, racing pigeons August 12, 2015 December 19, 2016
How to Pair Racing Pigeons for Breeding, Simple Guidelines to Follow.
Natural System, pigeon racing, racing pigeons, Training & Conditioning June 25, 2014 December 19, 2016
The Natural Flying Mated Method- part II
Menu, Supplements & Vitamins, What's New April 12, 2010 August 6, 2012
Antioxidants & B Vitamins in Pigeons
Loft, What's New, Year in The Loft February 28, 2010 April 16, 2011
March in the Loft
General Thoughts, Racing, Stock, What's New March 22, 2010 September 3, 2013
The Secret of the Champions
Breeding, Heredity and Genetics, What's New September 7, 2011 September 7, 2011
Understanding Breeding and Genetics Part 1
6 thoughts on "Where Pigeons Go To Die"
mitchell johnson says:
Well done .. very good movie.
Steve Vollstedt says:
Great movie!!! Thank you.
Joe sepeda says:
A very very good movie thanks Chris!! I really enjoyed it!!
Eddie Szatkowski says:
This is a fantastic movie full of emotion and love between a grandfather and grandson. Equally as important it shows the great bond that exists between a flyer and his pigeons. How wonderful to see that passed down to the next generation even though it did skip one. I recommend everyone to watch this movie and be prepared to tear up through most of it.
Larry Holmquist says:
Denis Mactagone says:
the best so far. well put together. like it very much.


text:
Dream Season: Clarion Volleyball One Win Away from State Title
CLARION, Pa. – The Clarion Area volleyball team has become a perennial state playoff contender, and after a dominant regular season and playoff campaign, the Bobcats are set to contend for their second title in program history.
(Photo by Kirkland Photography.)
Clarion will face Marian Catholic for the top prize, with the game taking place at Cumberland Valley High School at 10:30am on Saturday, November 21. Explore Clarion and D9 Sports reached out to Clarion head coach Shari Campbell to get her take on Clarion's phenomenal season, as well as their upcoming title match.
All season long, the Bobcats have executed at a high level, dropping only one set all season on their path to the state finals. Clarion's success hasn't surprised Coach Campbell, who expected her team to play at a high level this season. "I really think it's something I expect of them," said Campbell. "There are a lot of kids with [good] ball control, and there are a lot of kids on the court who have been around the game for so long that their ability to read the game is outstanding." Clarion's organized and controlled attack has paid dividends for the Bobcats, who are constantly able to set up their skilled hitters for kills.
Campbell believes that an emphasis on setter and passing training makes enables her complicated offense to run smoothly. "We tutor skill a ton, and I always work with my setters individually for about 15 minutes a day. Our setter training is specific, and I think that's what sets our program apart. Our passers train very specific techniques in platform and footwork, and [our practice focuses] make everything possible."
Campbell gives her setters and hitters, including all-state setter Brenna Campbell, control over the team's shot selection and play calling. Coach Campbell encourages her team to be "intuitive" players and to "think and solve problems on their own," which helps the team pick the best offensive option as frequently as possible, especially during long rallies.
Clarion's skilled ball control has enabled Clarion's two star hitters, Korrin Burns and Erica Selfridge, to tear through opposing defenses. With the pair each presenting dangerous scoring opportunities, it is a challenge for other teams to stop Clarion's offense. "There's no rest for the opposing defense," said Campbell. "It's not like you find that hitter finally rotating to the back row and get some relief. When one [of Burns and Selfridge] rotates to the back row, the other comes to the front row, and they both have aggressive back row attacks too." The impressive versatility of Burns and Selfridge has accounted for 547 kills in 66 sets this season, with Selfridge leading the state in hitting percentage.
Campbell has focused on a bold and aggressive style of play all season, with her mantra to "handle problems up high, instead of down low" resonating well with her team. "Sometimes air is time," said Campbell, referring to her team's defensive work. "If you set the ball high enough as a non-setter, it gives the hitter some time to get their feet to the ball and they can be aggressive." By consistently creating aggressive shot opportunities, Campbell's squad can put pressure on their opponents, something that Campbell wants to emphasize in Clarion's upcoming match against Marian Catholic.
Marian Catholic defeated Sacred Heart Academy in a close five set match to advance to the state finals. Campbell described Marion Catholic as a "solid team" that is "very well-rounded and serve[s] tough," presenting a tough opponent for the Bobcats. Campbell believes that playing Clarion's signature brand of aggressive volleyball will set the Bobcats up for success. "[To win] we are going to need to be bold, put the pressure on, make their passing break down, and take them out of their system [while] staying in our own system," said Campbell, who trusts her team's game plan and their ability to execute.
In practice this week, Campbell is focusing on execution and skill work. "We are just going to hone in on our game plan and tutor skill work so that everyone feels confident. We are also going to work on specific hitting scenarios that I think will put pressure on Marian Catholic." Both emphases should serve the Bobcats well as they look to capture the state title.