2006-06-14 Application filed by Poly-Med, Inc. filed Critical Poly-Med, Inc.
Bioswellable sutures are provided in the form of absorbable, compliant monofilaments of an amphiphilic copolyester, an absorbable multifilament braid, a non-absorbable monofilament with swellable outer layer, a non-absorbable multifilament braid with an absorbable monofilament core of an amphiphilic copolymer, and a non-absorbable, multifilament braid molecularly integrated with an outer sheath that is highly hydrophilic.
This invention relates to bioswellable surgical sutures that undergo swelling when placed in the biological environment, resulting in an increase in their cross-sectional area of at least 20 percent. Clinically, the bioswellable sutures minimize the traditional disparity between the needle and suture cross-sectional areas and subsequently, reduce the needle-hole leakage and associated blood loss, delay in hemostasis, and risk of infection. The bioswellable sutures, as described in this invention, are presented as preferred or superior alternatives to those commonly used in surgery, and specifically, in the case of colorectal, cardiovascular, laparoscopic, and microsurgical procedures.
Most mechanical ligations of living tissues using surgical sutures require a combination of a thread and needle. In most cases, the needle diameter far exceeds that of the suture and the needle-to-suture diameter can be as high as 2: 1 or 3 : 1. This can result in leakage of bodily fluids, including blood, through needle-created holes about implanted suture thread. Depending on the surgical site, this can lead to bleeding and infection. A few attempts have been made in earlier decades to minimize needle hole leakage without achieving a clinically optimum solution.
In a study by CM. Miller and coworkers [Surgery, 10(2), 156 (1987)] on reduced anastomotic bleeding and reduction of blood loss from a vascular anastomosis when one is using an expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) graft, two sutures were used, one made of ePTFE and the other of polypropylene, which were designed to have a needle-to-suture diameter ratio of about 1:1. Theoretically, this allows the suture to completely fill the graft needle hole and control bleeding. These sutures were evaluated in a heparin-treated, canine in vivo model to measure graft needle-hole bleeding. Results of the study, along with subjective evaluations of the sutures' handling qualities led to the conclusion that sutures produced with needle-to-suture ratios of 1:1 greatly reduce graft needle-hole bleeding and will be a useful addition to the vascular surgeon's armamentarium. In an approach to prevent needle-hole bleeding during vascular anastomosis using expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) grafts treated with sealants, investigators of the prior art noted that Fibrin Glue (FG) is more effective than a thrombin-soaked gelatin sponge for achieving hemostasis of needle- or suture-hole bleeding. However, the risk of infection associated with these naturally derived sealants was not ruled out. Fibrin glue is frequently used to seal and cover the anastomoses in many operations.
The above-noted accounts of the prior art dealing with different approaches to minimize suture- or needle-hole bleeding or leakage and associated undesirable outcomes illustrate the limited success of the prior art investigators in providing a clinically optimum solution to this problem. This prompted the pursuit of the present invention which deals with the development of a broad range of novel, bioswellable, absorbable and non-absorbable sutures, which can be used more effectively in minimizing or eliminating suture- or needle- hole leakage under the prevailing conditions of several surgical procedures.
20 percent increase in cross-sectional area and an at least 5 percent decrease in tensile modulus when placed in a biological environment, wherein the polyether-ester comprises a polyether glycol end-grafted with at least one cyclic monomer selected from the group consisting of /-lactide, glycolide, p-dioxanone, trimethylene carbonate, ε-caprolactone, 1,5- dioxepan-2-one and a morpholinedione, and wherein the polyether glycol is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, and block copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol. Preferably, the polyether glycol is a solid polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of greater than about 8 kDa and more preferably, the polyethylene glycol comprises at least about 10 weight percent of the total polyether-ester mass. It is also preferred that the bioswellable suture further comprising a surface coating on the monofilament, wherein the surface coating comprises at least about 0.01 weight percent of total mass of the suture, wherein the surface coating comprises an ε-caprolactone copolymer. Preferably, the surface coating contains at least one bioactive agent selected from the group consisting of antimicrobial agents, anti-inflammatory agents, and antineoplastic agents, the coated monofilament being capable of retaining at least about 40 percent of its initial breaking strength after placing in the biological environment for four days.
20 percent increase in cross-sectional area and an at least 5 percent decrease in tensile modulus when placed in a biological environment, wherein the suture comprising a braided non-absorbable multifilament encased in a molecularly integrated, highly swellable sheath, comprising a highly hydrophilic moieties derived from grafts of at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl methacrylate, maleic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, and methacrylic acid, itaconic anhydride.
Another key aspect of this invention deals with a bioswellable suture comprising an absorbable monofilament core and a non-absorbable multifilament braided sheath, the core comprising polyethylene glycol end-grafted with at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of /-lactide, glycolide, trimethylene carbonate, p-dioxanone, l,5-dioxepan-2- one, ε-caprolactone, and a morpholinedione, the sheath comprising a heterochain polymer selected from the group consisting of Nylon 6, Nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, segmented copolymers of polyalkylene terephthalate and polytetramethylene glycol, wherein the bioswellable suture further comprising a surface coating comprising a ε-caprolactone/glycolide copolymer or a polyethylene glycol end-grafted with a mixture of ε-caprolactone and glycolide.
A special aspect of this invention deals with a bioswellable braided multifilament suture comprising an absorbable polyether-ester, the individual filaments exhibiting at least 5% increase in cross-sectional area when placed in the biological environment, wherein the polyether-ester comprises a polyether glycol end-grafted with at least one cyclic monomer selected from the group consisting of /-lactide, glycolide, p-dioxanone, trimethylene carbonate, ε-caprolactone, l,5-dioxepan-2-one and a morpholinedione, and wherein the suture further comprises a surface coating comprising an ε-caprolactone copolymer.
Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments This invention deals with a broad range of new, absorbable and non-absorbable, compliant, bioswellable sutures that are designed to satisfy unmet clinical requirements associated with (1) minimizing or eliminating suture- or needle-hole bleeding and blood loss in surgical procedures involving highly vascularized tissues and particularly, in the case of vascular anastomosis where low tear strength and/or microporous synthetic vascular grafts or patches are used; and (2) minimizing or eliminating suture- or needle-hole leakage and risk of infection encountered during gastrointestinal and colorectal surgeries. The bioswellable sutures, subject of this invention, can be presented as preferred alternatives to more conventional sutures and particularly, those used in the area of (1) ophthalmic and/or plastic surgery; (2) laparoscopic surgery, and (3) tissue engineering. The bioswellable sutures can be in the form of (1) an absorbable, compliant monofilament comprising an amphiphilic copolyester; (2) a non-absorbable monofilament with swellable outer layer; (3) a non-absorbable multifilament braid with an absorbable monofilament core comprising an amphiphilic copolymer; and (4) a non-absorbable, multifilament braid molecularly integrated with an outer sheath that is highly hydrophilic. An important general aspect of this invention deals with two types of absorbable, bioswellable monofilament sutures having fast- and slow-absorption and breaking strength retention (BSR) profiles, not only as novel sutures for new applications, but also as preferred alternatives to several commercial sutures, including the only two available ones which were developed, specifically, to address the suture- or needle-hole bleeding. Clinical attributes of the bioswellable, absorbable monofilament sutures, subject of this invention, are discussed in P- C T / U S IDf B / B B *3f 7' :iL the following paragraphs and their advantages over competitive commercially available sutures are also noted.
Cited in the prior art is a study on reducing the incidence and managing the consequences of anastomotic leakage after rectal resection, the investigators noted that anastomotic dehiscence is a serious, life-threatening complication of any rectal anastomosis and may be associated with an increased risk of rectal cancer recurrence. In this respect, the coated, slow-absorbing, bioswellable sutures, capable of the controlled delivery of antimicrobial agents, subject of this invention, can be presented as superior alternatives to traditional sutures. The bioswellable sutures will be capable of preventing needle bleeding and leakage of potential infected intestinal contents while prophylactically managing infection at the suture line. Contrasting the bioswellable, absorbable, monofilament sutures, subject of this invention, with the commercial, non-absorbable sutures known in the trade as Gore-Tex® and HemoSeal®, as outlined below, justifies denoting the absorbable, bioswellable sutures as their preferred alternatives.
Although both the tapered polypropylene suture-needle combination (Hemo-seal®) and expanded polytetrafluoroethylene suture (Gore-Tex®) have been accepted by a number of vascular surgeons, these sutures do suffer from a number of limitations. These include (1) diminished breaking strength at the tapered segment of the Hemo-seal; (2) the compromised needle pull strength in Hemo-seal; (3) the surface porosity of Gore-Tex, which may harbor microorganisms leading to infection; (4) the poor tie-down characteristics of the Gore-Tex suture; (5) the breaking strength of an unknotted and knotted ePTFE suture is significantly less than most clinically accepted sutures; (6) the poor knot security of Gore-Tex® and the need to use at least seven throws; (7) tendency of Gore-Tex® to creep during suturing and lose its ability to recover its original uncompressed large diameter; (8) poor tear strength of Gore-Tex® and possible production of de laminated PTFE fragments; and (9) the high number of Gore-Tex throws and high inherent modulus and stiffness of PTFE as a polymer, can lead P'C t/ U B OB / iSi Ξ Q"71. to a high degree of biomechanical incompatibility, which, in turn, may increase tissue reaction and likelihood of infection.
The swellable, absorbable sutures, subject of this invention are designed to help minimize suture line bleeding, and the unique chemical structure of their polymers allows the needle attachment to its monofilament suture thread, which expands radially, immediately after application, to fill the needle hole. This is expected to reduce blood loss and shorten time to hemostasis.
Interest of the surgical community as well as patients in minimally invasive surgical procedures and subsequent reliance on laparoscopic techniques has grown significantly over the past two decades. A number of recent applications testifying to this trend have focused on the successful use of laparoscopy in a broad range of areas, including (1) treatment of morbid obesity; (2) surgery for colon cancer; (3) radical cystectomy with continent urinary diversion; (4) myomectomy for symptomatic uterine myomas; and (5) surgical management of invasive cervical cancer. Laparoscopic surgery has developed out of multiple technology innovations. In the treatment of morbid obesity, several surgical procedures are currently available, including gastric bypass, bilio-pancreatic diversion (BPD) with duodenal switch, and the adjustable gastric band. These operations may be performed using laparoscopic surgical techniques to minimize peri-operative morbidity and postoperative recovery time. Good evidence exists for the laparoscopic approach for colon cancer patients with outcomes comparable to open surgery. Laparoscopic radical cystectomy with urinary diversion has evolved rapidly throughout the past decade. Short-term data have shown that this is a feasible technique that respects the basic principles of surgical oncology. However, the possibility of decreased blood loss, improved visualization, shorter hospital stay, and less postoperative pain are balanced against technical difficulty, long operative times, and unproved long-term efficacy compared with the open gold standard. Laparoscopy has been a long-standing technique for PC T/ U S D ili ./' 5 B 97" .1 gynecologic surgery with increasing shifts toward total laparoscopic hysterectomies, myomectomies, and for staging of gynecologic cancers. As laparoscopic instrumentation becomes more advanced, there will be greater application in a wide range of procedures traditionally performed open. More importantly, historical sutures that are now being utilized in laparoscopic surgery are done in the absence of comparable data to verify efficacy. This would apply to the handling of suture with laparoscopic instruments which can fray monofilament sutures, less than optimal knot security in the setting of intra- and extracorporeal knot tying, memory and handling issues that may influence insertion through the trocars and ability to suture tissue. In short, the inherent loss of tactile capability and handling as compared to open surgery and the paradigm shift toward laparoscopy will inevitably increase the need to develop suture material which reproduce the handling and knot security that have historically been developed for open surgical procedures.
Contrasting the growing significance of laparoscopic surgery with the limitations associated with presently used sutures in common, open procedures makes a compelling case to explore the use of bioswellable absorbable sutures, subject of this invention, because of their many integrated attributes. These include (1) their expected ability to prevent needle hole bleeding; (2) having a broad range of tailored absorption and strength retention profiles to meet the requirements of specific surgical procedures; (3) being compliant and becoming more compliant in the biological environment; (4) having high breaking strength, while being easy-to-handle and providing exceptional knot security; and (5) being available in microsurgical sizes.
Interest in plastic surgery and microsurgical procedures has grown significantly over the past two decades and is expected to continue at a faster rate in the forthcoming years. For both areas, where absorbable sutures are most useful, suture line bleeding and interfering with hemostasis are major concerns. And limitation associated with the use of common sizes of absorbable monofilament sutures having limited range of absorption and strength profile P- C "I Vt. J S O G .Z iB 5 "SH 7* I. evokes the need to explore the use of the bioswellable, absorbable sutures having the unique properties outlined in the previous paragraph. More importantly is the fact that the bioswellable sutures can be and have been produced in our laboratory in sizes corresponding to about 70 micron in diameter. Additionally, these microsutures can undergo swelling in saline at room temperature to more than 70 percent of their original cross-sectional area. In his review of articular cartilage injuries of the knee, and specifically the use of autogenous cartilage implantation as a treatment option, A.F. LaPrade and colleagues [Physicians & Sports Medicine, 29, 53 (2001)] described the preparation of the patient's own chondrocytes for implantation at the site of the articular cartilage defect. Implantation of these cells requires an open incision, similar to the incision for a total knee replacement procedure, and arthrotomy. The articular cartilage lesion is isolated, and all degenerative cartilage debrided. Scar tissue is removed from the bed of the defect. The size of the articular cartilage defect is then templated, and a matching piece of periosteum is harvested from the distal femur or the proximal tibia. The free piece of periosteum is microsutured into the edges of the defect; it is essential to obtain a watertight seal. Then, fibrin glue is placed around the edges of the suture line to further insure that cells do not leak through the suture holes. The prepared implantation cells are then injected under the periosteal patch. The injection site is closed with a suture and fibrin glue.
This is a excellent illustration of the importance of minimizing suture hole leakage in the growing area of tissue engineering, which is beyond the traditional surgical procedure where sutures are routinely used.
This invention deals, in general, with bioswellable surgical sutures which undergo at least 20 percent increase in their cross-sectional area when placed in a biological environment. One specific aspect of this invention deals with a bioswellable suture comprising a compliant monofilament comprising an absorbable polyether-ester, the monofilament having a tensile modulus of less than about 400 Kpsi and exhibiting an at least P I!',: T ,-" 11 S Q S ./ B ≡ Φ T 1.
Further illustrations of the present invention are provided by the following examples: P C T/ U Si IO IS ./' Ξ: B *37* 1.
The first step of the two-step method entails end-grafting high molecular polyethylene glycol (PEG) with trimethylene carbonate (TMC) in the presence of stannous octanoate as the catalyst, at a selected temperature range until an almost complete consumption of TMC is achieved. In the second step, one or more cyclic monomer(s) are then mixed with the TMC- end-grafted PEG. The reaction is continued to completion at a selected temperature range. Thirteen typical polymers (PI-F-I to PI-F-4 and PI-S-I to PI-S-9) were prepared using this general protocol and following the experimental scheme outlined below for their synthesis and characterization.
NMR), thermal properties, namely Tm and ΔHf (DSC), molecular weight in terms of inherent viscosity (solution viscometry in CHCl3 or hexafluoroisopropyl alcohol), or number/weight average molecular weight (GPC), and melt viscosity (melt rheometer). The ΔHf is used as an indirect measure of percent crystallinity. Pertinent polymerization charge/conditions and analytical data are summarized in Tables I and II.
The copolymers were prepared using a one-step scheme. This entailed direct end- grafting of high molecular weight PEG with one or more monomer(s). the reaction conditions were similar to those used in the second-step of the two-step scheme of Example 1. Copolymer isolation and purification/drying were conducted as described in Example 1. Five typical polymers (PII-F-I to PII-F -4 and PII-S-I) were prepared using the general protocol. Pertinent reaction polymerization charge/conditions and analytical data are outlined in Tables III and IV.
For Orientation — The temperature and draw conditions noted in Section 5.1 will be applied using heated Godets.
For testing the properties of oriented monofilaments and then swelling behavior, (1) the initial tensile properties, breaking strength retention data of the monofilament sutures are determined using a MiniBionix MTS Universal Tester, Model 858; (2) the simulated bioswelling properties are evaluated using an optical micrometer on the sample incubated in a phosphate buffer at 37°C and pH 7.2; and (3) the in vitro BSR data were determined on sutures incubated in a phosphate buffer at 37°C and pH 7.2.
Polyether-esters PI-F-3, PI-F-4, PII-F-I, and PII-F-2 were converted to oriented monofilaments MI-F-3, MI-G-4, MII-F-I, and MII-F2 and polyether-esters PI-S-I, PI-S-5, PI-S-6, PI-S-7, PI-S-8, PI-S-9, and PII-S-I were converted to oriented monofilaments MI-S- 1, MI-S-5, MI-S-6, MI-S-7, MI-S-8, MI-S-9, and MII-S-I and tested for their in vitro properties using the experimental procedures outlined above. Pertinent tensile properties, in vitro breaking strength retention (BSR), and swelling data are summarized in Tables V and VI.
aUsing phosphate buffer at pH 7.2 and 37°C. Using isotonic saline at 25°C.
Detailed extrusion and orientation conditions of PI-S-6 (from Example 1, Table II), and tensile properties of oriented monofilaments are summarized in Table VII.
The individual polymers were melt-spun into multifilament yarn using a multi- hold die, under slightly higher thermal conditions as compared to those used in the production of the monofilaments in Example 4. Depending on the required yarn denier, the extruded multifilament yarns were oriented in two stages at a temperature range of 600C to 85°C. Polyether-esters PII-F-3 and PII-F-4 were converted to braided multifilaments, and tested for their tensile properties using a MiniBionix MTS Universal Tester, Model 858. Braided multifilaments of polyether-esters PII-F-3 and PII-F-4, with diameters of 0.27 and 0.40 mm respectively, exhibited tensile strengths of 61.2 and 40.0 Kpsi and elongations of 34% and 52% respectively. Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that modifications and variations may be utilized without departing from the principles and scope of the invention, as those skilled in the art will readily understand. Accordingly, such modifications may be practiced within the scope of the following claims. Moreover, Applicants hereby disclose all subranges of all ranges disclosed herein. These subranges are also useful in carrying out the present invention.
1. A bioswellable suture comprising a compliant monofilament comprising an absorbable polyether-ester, the monofilament having a tensile modulus of less than about 400 Kpsi and exhibiting an at least 20 percent increase in cross-sectional area and an at least 5 percent decrease in tensile modulus when placed in a biological environment.
2. A bioswellable suture as in claim 1 wherein the polyether-ester comprises a polyether glycol end-grafted with at least one cyclic monomer selected from the group consisting of /-lactide, glycolide, p-dioxanone, trimethylene carbonate, ε- caprolactone, l,5-dioxepan-2-one and a morpholinedione.
3. A bioswellable suture as in claim 2 wherein the polyether glycol is selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, and block copolymers of ethylene glycol and propylene glycol.
4. A bioswellable suture as in claim 3 wherein the polyether glycol is a solid polyethylene glycol having a molecular weight of greater than about 8 kDa.
5. A bioswellable suture as in claim 4 wherein the polyethylene glycol comprises at least about 10 weight percent of the total polyether-ester mass.
6. A bioswellable suture as in claim 5 further comprising a surface coating on the monofilament, wherein the surface coating comprises at least about 0.01 weight percent of total mass of the suture.
7. A bioswellable suture as in claim 6 wherein the surface coating comprises an ε- caprolactone copolymer.
8. A bioswellable suture as in claim 7 wherein the surface coating contains at least one bioactive agent selected from the group consisting of antimicrobial agents, antiinflammatory agents, and antineoplastic agents, the coated monofilament being capable of retaining at least about 40 percent of its initial breaking strength after placing in the biological environment for four days.
9. A bioswellable suture comprising a compliant monofilament comprising a core layer and an outer layer molecularly integrated with the core layer, the outer layer comprising highly hydrophilic moieties derived from grafts of at least one unsaturated monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl methacrylate, maleic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, and methacrylic acid, the monofilament having a tensile modulus of less than about 400 Kpsi and exhibiting an at least 20 percent increase in cross-sectional area and an at least 5 percent decrease in tensile modulus when placed in a biological environment.
11. A bioswellable suture as in claim 9 wherein the core layer comprises a nonabsorbable segmented copolyester comprising polytetramethylene terephthalate.
12. A bϊoswellable suture as in claim 9 wherein the core layer comprises an aliphatic polyamide.
13. A bioswellable suture as in claim 12 wherein the outer layer comprises a polyethylene oxide graft.
14. A bioswellable suture as in claim 1 comprising a braided non-absorbable multifilament encased in a molecularly integrated, highly swellable sheath.
15. A bioswellable suture as in claim 14 wherein the sheath comprises highly hydrophilic moieties derived from grafts of at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of hydroxyethyl methacrylate, maleic anhydride, itaconic anhydride, and methacrylic acid, itaconic anhydride.
16. A bioswellable suture as in claim 9 wherein the outer layer contains at least one bioactive agent selected from the group consisting of anti-inflammatory agents, antimicrobial agents, and antineoplastic agents.
17. A bioswellable suture comprising an absorbable monofilament core and a non- absorbable multifilament braided sheath, the core comprising polyethylene glycol end-grafted with at least one monomer selected from the group consisting of /-lactide, glycolide, trimethylene carbonate, p-dioxanone, l,5-dioxepan-2-one, ε-caprolactone, and a morpholinedione, the sheath comprising a heterochain polymer selected from the group consisting of Nylon 6, Nylon 66, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polytrimethylene terephthalate, segmented copolymers of polyalkylene terephthalate and polytetramethylene glycol.
18. A bioswellable suture as in claim 17 further comprising a surface coating comprising a ε-caprolactone/glycolide copolymer.
19. A bioswellable suture as in claim 17 comprising a surface coating comprising polyethylene glycol end-grafted with a mixture of ε-caprolactone and glycolide.
20. A bioswellable braided multifilament suture comprising an absorbable polyether- ester, the individual filaments exhibiting at least 5% increase in cross-sectional area when placed in a biological environment.
21. A bioswellable braided multifilament suture as in claim 20 wherein the polyether- ester comprises a polyether glycol end-grafted with at least one cyclic monomer selected from the group consisting of /-lactide, glycolide, p-dioxanone, trimethylene carbonate, ε-caprolactone, l,5-dioxepan-2-one and a morpholinedione.
22. A bioswellable braided multifilament suture as in claim 20 further comprising a surface coating comprising an ε-caprolactone copolymer.


text:
Anat R. Admati
Presentations and Policy Papers
The Parade of Bankers' New Clothes Continues: 34 Flawed Claims Debunked
Anat R. Admati, Martin F. Hellwig
The debate on banking regulation has been dominated by flawed and misleading claims. The title of our book The Bankers New Clothes: What's Wrong with Banking and What to Do about It (Princeton University Press, 2013, see bankersnewclothes.com) refers to flawed claims about banking and banking regulation, and the book discusses and debunks many of them.
Flawed claims continue to be made in the policy debate about banking and financial regulations, most recently in the context of proposals to weaken regulations meant reduce the excessive reliance of banks on debt funding. Because the financial system remains dangerous and distorted and because regulations to reduce indebtedness, if properly designed and enforced, would be highly beneficial for society, flawed claims about the issues must not win the policy debate.
This document provides a brief account of claims that we have come across since the book was published in February 2013. We provide brief responses, with references to more detailed discussions in the book and elsewhere. Many claims are asserted without any justification. Some are simply false or based on fallacious reasoning. Others are misleading or irrelevant, for example confusing costs and benefits to banks or bankers with costs and benefits to society, which must be the focus of policy. Still other claims are based on myths, i.e., implausible theories that ignore important parts of reality and are protected by the use of special jargon.
We first provide a list of the flawed claims that the rest of this document takes on. References to chapter numbers refer to our book. Nothing that we heard or read changes our conclusions or our strong policy recommendations.
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© Anat Admati. All rights reserved.

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text:
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Ask an exec
Posted on April 28, 2007 by Rich Hammond
On Monday, I'll be putting in a call to Jeff Solomon, who handles the Kings' contract negotiations and salary-cap issues. Feel free to post or e-mail any questions you might have for him and I'll get answers, but please remember that it's hard for guys like Jeff to answer questions about specific negotiations if those negotiations are still taking place. I'll be talking to Jeff about Teddy Purcell, the kid the Kings just signed out of Maine, because, as a reader just pointed out below, Purcell seems to be a late bloomer who attracted a lot of attention. I know Scott Parse remains a topic of interest and there have been a couple questions about Brady Murray. Beyond that, feel free to offer any questions. I'll post the transcript of the call sometime Monday night.
Posted in Manchester Monarchs	| 20 Replies
Kings sign prospect
The Kings today signed forward Teddy Purcell, out of the University of Maine, to an entry-level contract. Purcell, 21, had 16 goals and 27 assists in 40 games as a freshman this season and ranked third on his team in both categories.
Posted in Manchester Monarchs	| 5 Replies
USA 6, Austria 2
Team USA opened the World Championships with an easy victory over Austria. Jack Johnson — wearing the No. 3 he sported at the University of Michigan — had one of Team USA's 47 shots on goal. Johnson had no goals, assists or penalties and it's not possible to tell, from the box score, how many minutes he played. USA plays Belarus on Sunday. Michael Cammalleri and Team Canada play tomorrow.
As a reminder, Manchester will try to end its first-round AHL series against Worcester tonight. The Monarchs lead the series 3-1 and play at home tonight.
Minors/juniors update
Manchester failed in its bid to sweep Worcester and will try to close out the series in Game 5 on Friday in Manchester. In Game 4, Worcester's Tom Walsh scored his second goal of the game 12 minutes into the third period to break a tie and give the Sharks a 3-2 victory. Jason LaBarbera made 34 saves and Matt Moulson and Patrick O'Sullivan scored for the Monarchs.
In the QMJHL, Lewiston has advanced to the championship series after a sweep of Rouyn-Noranda. In the other semifinal, Cape Breton leads Val-d'Or three games to one. Lewiston won Game 4 by a final of 4-3. Jonathan Bernier had 27 saves and Marc-Andre Cliche had one goal and one assist.
Once again, the IIHF World Championships begin tomorrow. Team USA (with Jack Johnson) plays Sweden at 8:15 a.m. Pacific Time. For those interested, it seems that you can pay $4.95 to watch all of the tournament games via webcast at http://web.wcsn.com. I've never tried the site, so I can't say how reliable it is, but it's an option. Canada (with Michael Cammalleri) plays Saturday.
Posted in Manchester Monarchs	| Leave a reply
Prospects report
Sorry folks, I know it's been a few days between updates here but I've been here in Phoenix covering the Lakers since Saturday night so life is a bit hectic. But for those who haven't found the info elsewhere, here's a bit of a recap of how some of the Kings' prospects are faring.
Manchester is up 3-0 in its first-round AHL series against Worcester and can wrap up the series Wednesday. In Game 3 on Saturday, Jason LaBarbera stopped 26 shots in a 5-0 victory. Brian Boyle scored his first goal, and the Monarchs also got goals from Noah Clarke, Marty Murray, Patrick O'Sullivan and Matt Ryan.
Here (link) is a story from NHL.com on Boyle.
Lewiston is up 2-0 in its quarterfinal QMJHL series against Rouyn-Noranda. Game 3 is today. In Game 2 on Saturday, Lewiston won 7-4. Jonathan Bernier stopped 26 of 30 shots and Marc-Andre Cliche had one assist.
Starting Friday, we'll be able to keep track of Michael Cammalleri (Canada) and Jack Johnson (USA) in the IIHF World Championships in Russia.
In addition, Anze Kopitar led Slovenia to a first-place finish in its pool at the Division I World Championships. Slovenia finished 5-0, scored 29 goals and allowed five. That means Slovenia will move up to the IIHF World Championships (the big show) next year.
Monarchs win
John Zeiler scored with 48 seconds left in the second overtime and Manchester beat Worcester 4-3 to a take a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven first-round series. Jason LaBarbera, in his first game back after a knee injury, made up for lost time as he saved 44 of 47 shots in 99 minutes, 12 seconds on the ice. The Monarchs also got goals from Tim Jackman, Patrick O'Sullivan and Matt Ryan. Oleg Tverdovsky had three assists, including one on the game winner. Game 3 is Saturday night in Worcester.
AHL/prospects update
As I type this, Manchester is in overtime, tied 3-3 with Worcester in Game 2 of the first-round AHL series. Jason LaBarbera is back in goal for the Monarchs.
Things are a bit hairy these days, as I've been drafted to cover the Lakers during the playoffs, but I got a very helpful e-mail today from reader Darren, who has tracked down the playoff progress of several Kings prospects. Thought you all would appreciate the update he provided:
For Lewiston in the QMJHL, through two rounds:
Marc-Andre Cliche: three goals and nine assists in eight games.
Jonathan Bernier: 8-1 record, 2.42 goals-against average, .917 save percentage
In the OHL, London is playing Plymouth in the second round.
David Meckler (2006 draft, fifth round): 14 goals and six assists in 12 games for London.
Ryan McGinnis (2005 draft, sixth round): Four assists and 33 penalty minutes in 10 games for Plymouth.
Thanks, Darren…in addition, Lewiston opened the QMJHL semifinalsFriday with a 4-1 victory over Rouyn-Noranda. Cliche had two assists and Bernier stopped 16 of 17 shots.
Posted in Manchester Monarchs	| 1 Reply
Manchester wins
Manchester won Game 1 over Worcester, 5-2. Oleg Tverdovsky had one goal and two assists (yes, really) and Peter Harrold, Petr Kanko, Marty Murray and John Zeiler had goals. Jeff Likens had two assists and Barry Brust stopped 27 of 29 shots. It was a messy game, with a combined 16 minor penalties. Game 2 is Friday in Manchester.
Monarchs underway
At the moment, Manchester leads 3-1 late in the first period behind goals by Peter Harrold, Oleg Tverdovsky and John Zeiler. To tie up a couple loose ends, Brian Boyle is indeed in the lineup tonight and Barry Brust is in goal, so Jason LaBarbera's knee is still an issue. As a side note, the game is being officiated by Jamie Koharski, son of NHL ref Don Koharski.
AHL playoffs
The American Hockey League playoffs get underway Wednesday, with the Manchester Monarchs playing in one of the three Wednesday games. Sixteen teams make the AHL playoffs and they're seeded in four divisional brackets. Manchester, which finished with the most points in the Atlantic Divison, will play fourth-seeded Worcester in the best-of-seven series. The Monarchs finished with the second-most points in the AHL this season, behind the defending champion Hershey Bears.
Here's a look at the playoffs, with the teams' affiliations added:
No. 1 Manchester (Kings) vs. No. 4 Worcester (Sharks)
No. 2 Hartford (Rangers) vs. No. 3 Providence (Bruins)
EAST DIVISION
No. 1 Hershey (Capitals) vs. No. 4 Albany (Hurricanes, Avalanche)
No. 2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (Penguins) vs. No. 3 Norfolk (Blackhawks)
No. 1 Manitoba (Canucks) vs. No. 4 Grand Rapids (Red Wings, Oilers)
No. 2 Rochester (Sabres, Panthers) vs. No. 3 Hamilton (Canadiens, Oilers)
WEST DIVISION
No. 1 Omaha (Flames) vs. No. 4 Iowa (Stars, Oilers)
No. 2 Chicago (Thrashers) vs. No. 3 Milwaukee (Predators, Oilers)
Manchester will be trying to win a first-round series for the first time in its six-season history. For those wondering, Brian Boyle has been playing center for the Monarchs, but that doesn't necessarily preclude him from playing defense next season, wherever he plays. You can bet Boyle will get a long look at the prospects camp.
Who is behind Inside the Kings blog?
Elliott Teaford is an award-winning hockey reporter based in Southern California and witnessed the L.A. Kings win the Stanley Cup in 2012 and in '14. He grew up playing outdoors on the streets of Philadelphia. He also watched the Flyers bully their way to consecutive Stanley Cups in the 1970s, and makes no excuses for their quasi-legal play.
Tweets by @ElliottTeaford
Kings coach Darryl Sutter tries to give a sports journalism lesson
Final: Kings 3, Sharks 2
Quick now out until at least mid-February, Kings GM Lombardi says
Kings coach Darryl Sutter's quote of the night
Kings are the NHL's ninth most-valuable team for 2016, according to Forbes' annual rankings
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Sergii lominov on Pregame reading: Los Angeles Kings at New Jersey Devils
Khi Hon on Mikus has arrived
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As we are an RAC approved used car dealer, all cars are prepared to the RAC "buysure" used vehicle program. This not only ensures quality of goods, it also meets code for Trading Standrds approval.
We've got some great news for you !
The Bedfordshire Car and Caravan Centre are now Trading Standards and RAC approved !!
At Mastercars Bedfordshire, we know that the Easter bank holiday can be difficult, especially when you have to find enough fun events to keep the kids amused. That's why we've assembled a list of some of the best events around.


We are so pleased to have Merseytravel joining Social Value UK. They are trailblazers being the first organisational member we have who are responsible for travel from any of the devolved regions, to step up and demonstrate their commitment to social value in this way.
co-ordination of transport operations across the Liverpool City Region.
What are your intentions and ambitions now that you are a member of Social Value UK?
Social Value measurement is novel for our organisation and we are happy to announce, that we are at the start of an inspirational journey, to embed social value in our delivery, to achieve high value impacts, that will hopefully enrich the lives of others and create a fairer society. We are hoping for improved evaluation of our social outcomes, ability to measure our social return on investment and an opportunity for effective partnership working through our membership. We are currently developing a Social Supplier List, which will allow us to work more collaboratively with grass root organisations, to help us respond better to societal needs and address the social determinants of travel.
Would you like to talk to Merseytravel about their social value journey?


Interiors, design/build, equipment, security & branding solutions for the financial industry.
I've worked very closely with Steve Hanrahan and his team at 16 Points for many years. They have been a true partner to Kemba Credit Union with their comprehensive solutions for financial institutions. They have done everything from designing, building and remodeling buildings, to security equipment. They even handle facility upkeep and repairs.
I have worked with 16 Points Solutions for several years. They are very responsive to our credit union's needs, particularly in the areas of branch equipment, alarm security and monitoring and branch construction and design. I am very satisfied with their level of experience and the top notch customer service.
They came up with a great design and provided quality workers as well as hitting the primary milestones in their timeline. We still get comments about how amazing the transformation has been.
We found that for a few of the sub-components of the project, using local vendors is significantly cheaper.


text:
Posted on December 14, 2019 by jewelryadmin
My Husband Cheated On Me But I Still Love Him
Have you ever ever met someone and once you found out there identify, you thought either a, that it sounds perfect for them, or b, that the name didn't seem to match them in any respect? They can not assembly an excellent line-up recently, but celebrations we do very very well, and final night was completely good. Jamie was told by his sister to talk to his dad because that they had all been worry about him forgetting his ethical compass and so Jamie turned the proper listening board. You can tell by Sister Hilda's face that she needs she have been higher at teamwork and focus, and she'll resolve to do higher. You possibly can sign up for a free 7-day trial, and then you possibly can watch the show in your laptop by way of the CBS website, or by way of your cellphone, tablet or streaming gadget by way of the CBS app. But we should especially recollect those who died to determine the nation and the concept of a free and unbiased individuals. The problem is we had 6-7 guys in the road-up who should have been batting at the underside on the road-up.
Gardner also went 0-28 from the lead-off spot right around the identical time, and nobody was yelling about him hurting the group, Midnight Texas show and that he ought to be benched or put lower within the batting order. Yes, how many Seasons of Yankee he most likely ought to have been batting seventh or so. But the explanation I deliver this up is as a result of I haven't got a proof of why enemies get stronger after every cycle. But no less than now the inquiry can find out what happened and why. And speaking of Gehrig, what happened when Wally Pipp took himself out of one game? On September 21, 2008, Blue Bloods Seasons the new York Yankees played their final game in historic Yankee Stadium. He's a competitor, and he has mentioned and continues to say that he thinks he is the best person to be out there, Seasons 1-10 Blue Bloods that he brings more to the sport than whoever would change him. The stat could say it, but I know that every GM within the league would have taken them if they could have them.
RBI single by Mike Ford, who started the season alongside Urshela in Scranton
Deer Park: A winning season begins with an incredible spring
Trained Feats
2 Season 2 (2011-12)
Coming Attraction: Reading- the A-C Yankees present Family DAY (September 1)
People are always shocked once i say this, but no one is born a Christian. Next week we will cover the nature of God and conclude with what typically is seen as one thing that Christian can't have, Call The Midwife Season 9 dvd which is joy. Shetland Drama has already began to movie and there appears a great likelihood it will likely be again on Tv before the top of the year. He will appear in the subsequent Ghostbusters movie and the extremely anticipated, Seasons 1-3 Midnight Texas IT: Chapter Two. There are solely two common starters on your entire crew who batted over .280 for the season. When Jeter went 0-28 and everybody was bashing him, no one else on the group was hitting both. The first is who Jeter is. Rivera was then his common environment friendly self in retiring his first four batters. What is totally different is Eddie is now attending weekly family dinners—and she's the primary addition to the table within the history of Blue Bloods. Our associates and family know that we are not available on Sunday because we're focusing on each other.
Bill White was born in 1969, Season 9 Call The Midwife and adopted by the people who grew to become his household in that same yr. 6. Tom Tresh, 1961-69. He had a cup of espresso with the M&M Boys' Yankees, then was the AL Rookie of the Year in 1962, how many Seasons of Stranger Things enjoying shortstop while Tony Kubek was spending most of the season within the Army. Now in listening to people talk about how much Jeter is hurting the Yankees, Stranger Things episodes you may think that considered one of the bottom two traces could be Jeter. Should Jeter have been moved out of the quantity two spot? Should Jeter have retired last year? Names have meanings and we associate sure things with a name, including such issues as ethnicity or nationality, or age, as identify recognition comes and goes, watch Call The Midwife and sometimes just intangible issues. Netflix hit pay dirt in 2016 when a collection referred to as Stranger Things debuted on the platform. And people are Ichiro, who batted .284, and Cervelli, who is our again-up catcher, list of The Code episodes who hit .285. But who would have batted in his place?
Oblivion dark brotherhood walkthroughs have a posted a disclaimer geared toward players who try to join the Dark Brotherhood. They be part of a roster that features "Wonder Woman" director Patty Jenkins, "Game of Thrones" show creators David Benioff and D.B. Eventually, they've discovered a extra fitting title, the Yankees. Now these should not regular Jeter numbers, but they are a lot more impressive then his replacements. In 2009 Jeter made his tenth All-Star Team. Jeter and Ramirez the 2 worst players within the league? Royster had a total of 33 probabilities in these positions combined and dedicated only two errors. Defensively, Joel dedicated four errors in 254 whole possibilities for a .984 fielding share and had just one passed ball. Dave had a .989 fielding share. Second, the manager will get paid tons of money to make these choices, so it must be up to Girardi to do what needs to be finished "for the nice of the team" not the participant. But right now we look at the problem of money and our possessions. It is from Matthew that we are told he is young, and Luke tells us that he is a ruler, however Mark solely says that he's a man with many possessions.
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TagsBlack Mirror series, list of The Code episodes, Medal of Honor Seasons, the The Code, Yankee episodes
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Your own political movement is best represented by its shining stars, its deep thinkers, its models of class and civility, while the opposing political movement is best represented by its dreck, its extremists, its unhinged monsters who commit unspeakable acts of evil.
A lot of people get burned out on politics. And that's because they don't have the proper level of passionate hatred for the other side. This lack of zeal can often be traced to the fact that they see their political foes as human, rather than as the scum of the earth they really are. It's really important to demonize your enemies, so you can get worked up into a frenzy every time they do something.
So any time an unhinged extremist on the other side does something despicable, point at that act of evil as a broad-brush representation of everyone in their political party. Say things like "See? This is the natural result of liberalism" or "Oh, this evil guy was a conservative? What a surprise." Allow acts of terror and evil committed by the other political party to reaffirm your preconceived notions about "those other people" across the aisle.
Meanwhile, if someone aligned with you politically does something awful, do the opposite. Claim the person is "not an actual conservative" or "not a true liberal," and demand that the other side treats him or her as an extremist. Never allow these moments to cause you to examine your demonizing rhetoric. Never rethink your approach of painting everyone who disagrees with you as a Hitler-worshiping Nazi or a Stalin-loving commie.
Because if you do that—if you allow tragedy to affect you as you begin to think of the other side as God's image-bearers—political discourse in this country will be lost forever. Don't let it happen. It depends on you.


Ah yes, the Droid Razr HD we've seen leaked over and over again over the last few months. Today an XDA forum user posted some pics of the device and said "A friend sent these pictures of the new Droid HD. His friend is an engineer for Motorola and gave him the phone to try out. didn't know where to post these but just wanted to share.". I wonder if that Motorola engineer will be getting in trouble now? Since you can see a unique number at the top of the device near the Motorola logo.
We also saw this device pass through the FCC last week with Verizon branding, which means it will definitely be a Droid something since big red has exclusivity on the Droid brand. But if you look closely in the picture you can tell that the device was made for Vodafone. Even the model numbers are pretty close to the same, XT925 and XT926. In the past we've seen Motorola release Droid's on Verizon then release a GSM version in its' European markets shortly after, but without tache Droid name. This has been the case with phones such as the original Droid (internationally called the milestone), Droid X, Droid 2, Droid Razr/Razr Maxx, and a few others.
This International Razr HD appears to be running Ice Cream sandwich, Android 4.0.4. We are hoping that changes to Android 4.1.1 before release. Other than that we don't know too much about this Razr HD. We're expecting relatively the same specs as in AT&T's Atrix HD, and Sprint's Photon Q.
So what about a release date? Well that's nowhere in sight. Both Verizon and Motorola has yet to confirm the specs of this device yet, or said anything about a release date, so all we can do is speculate. But the device has passed through the FCC already, so the next steps before release is a Press Release from Verizon about the device and shortly after (normally) a release date is confirmed. But with Verizon release dates change constantly. We all remember the Galaxy Nexus launch last December right?
For pricing on Verizon it'll probably cost you $299 on contract as most other flagship devices on Verizon now. If we hear anything else about the Droid Razr HD we'll be sure to keep our readers updated with the latest. So who's interested in the Droid Razr HD?


My aunt is working for a well known filter company, she has been working their for 27 years, she is an hourly employee.
her company is doing mass lay off as they are moving the manufacturing to another state.
but they are offering all salaried employees 1 week per year worked.
I'm sure the answer is yes, but its just sad.
is there any laws governing severance pays at all or is it strictly a company policy type thing?
thank you in advance fo your response.
There are only three states where severance is ever required by law. California is not one of the three. Even in the three states where it is sometimes required, it is only required in specific circumstances and not universally.
Yes, sorry, they are completely within their rights to structure it however they want, or to not offer severance at all.
The only exception would be if the WARN Act (or state equivalent) is triggered as this is a layoff/plant closure. If certain notice is not given, there may be a period of pay required in lieu of that notice.
WARN also sometimes applies if a large portion of the workforce if affected. There is a CA version of the WARN (CA-EDD) in addition to the federal version (DOL).


text:
Q: How am I able to insert an ArrayList into a constructor that accepts List? I have this class:
public class TestSubject {
    public TestSubject(List<Integer> list) {
    }
}

I'm instantiating it like this and somehow it's working, even though I'm inserting an ArrayList<String> into a constructor that accepts List<Integer>:
List<String> strings = new ArrayList<>();
strings.add("foo");
Constructor<TestSubject> constructor = TestSubject.class.getConstructor(List.class);
TestSubject test = constructor.newInstance(strings);

This is what I see after instantiation:

How can this be possible?
Also, how can I make sure from the instantiation code that the correct type of list is being used?

A: This is happening due to type erasure. As <Integer> will be erased and it will be List only. However you are creating the instance with reflection and at runtime it will not check the type of the List.
Here type of the list is checked during compile time if you create it with new but in this case you skipped the compile time check and during runtime it is valid because of type erasure.
In your case there is no direct way other than checking the type of elements manually in the constructor.

A: Answering to a last part of question. Actually you may check if there is a correct type passed. You can obtain generic type parameter for constructor argument like this
// in your case that will give you parametrized type
// java.util.List<java.lang.Integer>
Type type = constructor.getGenericParameterTypes()[0];

ParameterizedType argumentType = (ParameterizedType) type;
// that will give you List type parameter - java.lang.Integer
Type argumentType = type[0];

That also works for fields unless list parameter not generic itself.
There is another trick. You can store generic parameter using type reference using anonymous class:
public abstract class TypeReference<T> {
    private final Type type;

    public TypeReference() {
        if (!getClass().isAnonymousClass()) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException(getClass() + " should be anonymous");
        }

        final Type superClass = getClass().getGenericSuperclass();
        if (!(superClass instanceof ParameterizedType)) {
            throw new IllegalArgumentException("missing type parameter due to type erasure");
        }

        this.type = ((ParameterizedType) superClass).getActualTypeArguments()[0];
    }

    public final Type getType() {
        return this.type;
    }
}

So here is very basic idea how you can achieve your goal. You may preserve generic parameter using type reference and check argument like this:
public class ObjectBuilder<T> {
    List<Object> validatedArguments = new ArrayList<>();
    Constructor<T> ctor = /*... */;

    public void <A> addArgument(A argument
                                TypeReference<A> argumentType) {
         int currentArgument = validatedArguments.size();
         Type ctorArgumentType =
             ctor.getGenericParameterTypes()[currentArgument]/* */;
         Type argumentType = argumentType.getType();
         // compare it carefully!

         validatedArguments.add(argument);
    }

    public T build() {
       // new instance creating ...
    }
}

ObjectBuilder<TestSubject> subject = new ObjectBuilder<>();
subject.addArgument(list, new TypeReference<List<Integer>>() {})
TestSubject obj = subject.build();

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


January 30, 2019 - the London Market Group (LMG) today announced that John Neal, CEO of Lloyd's will chair the TOM Steering Board with immediate effect. Inga Beale had previously chaired it since its establishment in 2016.
John Neal commented "There can be no doubt that the London market has achieved some great results through the work of the LM TOM. Its original vision was ambitious, but the work has been delivered in manageable segments so that the market now has many of the component parts to help it to achieve its goals of being simpler to access, cheaper to deal with and easier to understand.


← Just how important IS blogging?
Leap day…and a leap of faith…and more.
Last night someone I know asked for leaping suggestions.
Here are a few…they're not my own. They come from others.
Since this is primary season, and we're all reacting to last night's news from the Arizona and Michigan Republican primaries, how about this advice from Otto von Bismarck?
Our statesmen this season have heard steps sounding through our current economic doldrums, our health care policies, our foreign policy and the conflicts of the Middle East. Judging from their rhetoric we can only surmise that God must have been walking on tiptoe through a succession of tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other natural disasters; the BP oil spill and other pollution episodes; and emerging shortfalls in worldwide supplies of food, water, and other vital resources.
But now…don't you leave this to the statesmen today…this is not a spectator sport…ask yourself…what steps of God do you hear sounding through events? Hear them? If you don't leap and grasp the hem of His garment…that opportunity is lost to all of humankind. Because it was only you who heard it. The rest of us? We heard something else.
So maybe we should be asking ourselves…which of our leaders have made the leap?
But those individual leaps, however grand…are only the lowest level of life's game. The bigger leaps, the ones that truly matter, especially for those of us living on the real world, are the ones we take together. Remember this quote?
"This is one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind." – Neil Armstrong.
He had it right, didn't he? Think of the vision, the planning, the innovation, the teamwork, the determination, the cooperation for over a decade that made possible that last step onto the surface of the moon. We can recapture that spirit. We can address those food and water resource problems, by working together. We can protect the environment, and protect ourselves from the environment, by working together.
But forging a sustainable 21st century won't be easy, and we'll get only so far on logic and thought and planning. Eventually…in fact repeatedly…we'll have to take risks.
6 Responses to Leap day…and a leap of faith…and more.
I agree that there is something important about taking a leap – of faith, into the unknown, and in the face of fear. But I think there are leaps that we need to take that are somewhat in a different direction from the ones you suggest.
This struck me because there seems to me to be a dissonance between the forging and the sustainability. I think much of the emotion behind the ubiquitous use of 'sustainable' in our current age is not the kind of emotion we use to make leaps. I think that if we understand nature and life and the way the Universe actually is, what we need courage to do is let go. I suspect that it is lack of courage that leads us to impose sustainability on our endeavours. Our most persistent fears are those concerning losing things, of things changing and passing away. We worry that ecosystems are "fragile" when in fact they are like water, or clouds which continuously change shape and barely have boundaries. They are never the same one day to the next, and it is surely our fear that makes us imagine them like bone china and our guilt and timidity that makes us worry about our footprints and our effect on the world.
Perhaps there's only a subtle difference of emphasis, but I like the title of the book "Love is letting go of fear". I think for most of us that fear is of change, and of 'letting go' itself – it is by accepting impermanence and change that allows us to be a genuine part of the ever-changing universe.
I don't think huddling together will make the fears go away, but if we let go of our fears, then there will be no need to huddle, or to act like a hive or a colony – we can meet and greet each other as fellow grown-ups living and letting live. Co-operation is a wonderful thing, but I think it only works well when there isn't any coercion involved, which makes me somewhat sceptical of planet-wide ambitions. However, I applaud and support everybody's endeavours to encourage co-operation in particular directions, but my personal endeavour would for myself and others to 'let go' of fear, to enable enjoyment of the ephemeral.
I was tempted to leave a comment slanted in a similar manner, but abandoned it because it kept coming out too shrill. Am I ever glad I didn't! A beautiful comment.
But let me take up just one of the many threads in Anteros' well-woven fabric. As implied, the desire for "sustainability" for far too many is essentially a negation – let's avoid change, or at least not let change happen too quickly. The news this morning of tornadoes in IL and MO and … show us – yet again – how impossible that dream really is.
So what if we set our goal in the opposite direction? Rather than avoiding change, we live our lives as if change is inevitable – our (me, my community, my nation) goal then becomes to develop the ability to cope, to adjust, to adapt. Since change is inevitable, this goal would demand that I must Hamlet-like understand what changes may come ("What dreams may come must give us pause"), and then be ready for them. That doesn't mean I have to prevent them (even if I can), but it should mean that I have thought out how I will respond to those changes that will affect me ("The readiness is all." – I'm feeling Shakespearean this AM.).
Of course, this is resilience. In terms of the descriptions above, resilience is much more life-affirming, because it is consistent with the most basic fact of our existence: the inevitability of change.
I suppose I would be slightly wary of the desire to know every coming change, or even the belief that we can know what we are about to face. I think of resilience as a kind of being prepared for change….whatever it may be.
If we come back from our happy analogies 🙂 I think resilience is what we have in our modern lives – if we are not too ashamed to say we are doing many things right. I tend not to see people in the world that are vulnerable to climate change per se but people who are simply vulnerable to climate. And of course, that vulnerability correlates almost perfectly with poverty. In my Goretex world I am waterproof, wind-proof, centrally heated, air-conditioned and whatever happens to the climate where I live, my local supermarket will be full to the brim with food – and I will have sufficient money to buy what I need. In a way, the developed world has become largely climate-invulnerable. Every year we even get better at predicting, tracking and preparing for hurricanes – more resilience as time goes by.
If I have a fall and break a leg walking in the mountains of Wales, I can use my mobile phone to summon a helicopter – what is this but resilience! I think we forget just how far that resilience (in all its myriad forms) is from the lack-of-resilience endured by subsistence farmers in very many parts of the world. To me, the difference between the climate today and the likely climate of 50 years hence is nothing compared to the differences in resilience/vulnerability of people across the world today. And that difference we can change.
I agree that it is in our nature to peer into the future -as best we can – but I think history tells us both that we're not very good at it, and that we tend to use our imagination to conjure up the very worst that we can. We can look ahead – because we have time and security to do so – but I think it also important for us to look around. If we do, we'll see things that are genuinely important.


text:
The Congressional Progressive Caucus Believes in War
by David Swanson
Each year the Congressional Progressive Caucus releases a weaker and weaker budget proposal. This year they asked for input first. I sent them this and communicated with them about it, so I know they read it. An excerpt:
"Last year's Congressional Progressive Caucus budget proposed to cut military spending by, in my calculation, 1%. In fact, no statement from the Progressive Caucus even mentioned the existence of military spending; you had to hunt through the numbers to find the 1% cut. This was not the case in other recent years, when the CPC prominently proposed to end wars and cut particular weapons. With all due respect, how is this censoring of any mention of the military evidence of progressing, rather than regressing?"
I should clarify that when the Progressive Caucus prominently proposed serious cuts to militarism, George W. Bush was president, and that the CPC will no doubt discover a distaste for mass murder if Trump is inaugurated.
But what about now?
This year's initial press release and email from the CPC again pretends that the majority of the budget (which goes to militarism) just doesn't exist. Its slightly longer summary includes, near the bottom:
"Sustainable Defense: Promoting peace And Security
Modernizes our defense system to create sustainable Pentagon spending
Ends funding for unsustainable wars
Increases funding for diplomacy and strategic humanitarian aid
Adds robust funding for refugee resettlement programs"
That's (relative) progress. But what does it mean exactly? What does a budget pie chart look like? Does 50 to 60 percent still go into war preparations? The "full budget" tells us this:
"Pentagon spending has doubled over the last decade at the expense of investments in working families. But as the war in Afghanistan draws to a close, we need a leaner, more agile force to combat realistic twenty-first century threats."
[Note that the latest plan is to keep the war on Afghanistan going for decades, and that the CPC has not lifted a finger to end it. So, if that war doesn't "draw to a close," do we still get the "leaner force"? And what does "agile" mean? And who gets killed in the "realistic" "agile" wars? The same war in Afghanistan was "drawing to a close" in identical language in last year's CPC budget.]
"The People's Budget responsibly [is there some other way?] ends operations in Afghanistan, brings our troops home, focuses Pentagon spending on modern security threats instead of Cold War - era weapons and contracts, and invests in a massive job creation program that will help workers transition into civilian jobs."
[In fact, Congress has to actually end that war, but it's right for a decent budget proposal to assume it's ended. However, what about the war in Iraq and Syria? The drone wars in several nations? The bases spreading like a virus across the globe? The U.S. role in the Saudi slaughter in Yemen? The new war in Libya? Why only end the one war that people are already pretending has "ended"? That said, transition to a peace economy is exactly the right idea, which is why it's a shame that, despite there supposedly being a progressive caucus, only three Congress members have signed onto this bill. And where are the numbers in this budget? How much is "massive"?]
"The People's Budget also increases investments in diplomacy, sustainable development, and humanitarian assistance to address the ongoing crises in Syria and Iraq. The Congressional Progressive Caucus does not support Pentagon cuts mandated by sequestration and believes there are more responsible savings achievable that will not harm service members and veterans."
[Whoa. If you have actually thought through the advantages to the so-called "service members" of the "massive" job creation program, what can you possibly mean by suggesting that cutting the military would "harm" them? Clearly, the CPC has not actually thought that through or given any moral reflection at all to its proposal to fund the most expensive military in the history of the earth in order to benefit its troops. This comes naturally to Congress members, of course, as they've been conditioned to think of military spending as justified by the jobs it provides in their districts. They should pause for a moment, though, and think about how they would explain that benefit to children whose parents were killed by a missile from a U.S. drone.]
"End Emergency War Funding Beginning in FY2017 – Our budget limits Overseas Contingency (OCO) funding to redeployment out of Afghanistan in FY2017 and zeroes out OCO thereafter, saving $761 billion compared to current law."
[This is clearly following the misleading practice of multiplying everything by 10 and then hiding in some footnote that all "savings" will be "over 10 years." So let's say this is actually $76.1 billion. That's still (relative) progress and a good beginning. Now, surely we'll hear about the serious cuts....]
"It is time to swiftly and safely end the war in Afghanistan and end the policy of funding endless war. An expedited withdrawal from Afghanistan would save billions. Further, the use of emergency funding via the OCO account masks the true impact of war spending and should be discontinued."
[True enough.]
"Reduce Base Pentagon Spending – We reduce baseline military spending to ensure Pentagon spending does not continue to contribute significantly to our fiscal burden, and establishes a responsible targeted approach towards a sustainable defense budget."
[Hey, pick your favorite reasons. But where did the numbers go, all of a sudden? How much do you reduce it?]
"The People's Budget would repeal the damaging across-the-board cuts and caps proposed by the Budget Control Act, while providing significant savings through the enactment of reforms, endorsed in bipartisan fiscal reform proposals. It redirects funding to priorities such as caring for our veterans, Congressional Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP), smart diplomacy, and environmental cleanup and climate change mitigation programs within the DOD Strategic Sustainability Performance Plan."
[This is where one has to start worrying. The numbers have disappeared. The cuts currently required by law are "damaging" (and too large?). The CPC wants people who are trained and armed to kill and destroy to work on programs that help us better survive climate change. Is the CPC aware that the military is our top creator of climate change, that significant military cuts would not just "mitigate" climate change but actually reduce it?]
"Adjusting to Pentagon Downsizing and Investing in Non-Defense Manufacturing – The People's Budget increases investments in DOD's Office of Economic Adjustment to assist state and local governments to respond to major defense program shifts by helping communities adjust to defense contract losses.
"Fully funding initiatives like the DOT's Federal Ship Financing Program and significantly increasing federal agency procurement of sustainable technology from communities impacted by Pentagon cuts will help provide a just transition for defense manufacturing workers and ensure that the U.S. manufacturing base remains vibrant."
[Great! How much is "fully"?]
"Modernizing our Defense Posture – Our budget achieves a smaller force structure with fewer personnel through attrition. A modern defense strategy must focus our armed forces on their strengths of crisis response, smart security, and deterrence. Our military needs to adapt to current threats and challenges, particularly cyberwarfare, nuclear proliferation, and combatting non-state actors. No savings are obtained by reducing military personnel wages or benefits, including TRICARE and pensions. The proportion of private contractor personnel would be significantly reduced and their work transitioned to civilian personnel, curbing needles "outsourcing" that creates excessive cost overruns. Additional reforms include the decommissioning of our Cold War-era nuclear weapons infrastructure, as outlined by the Smarter Approach to Nuclear Expenditures (SANE) Act, and reducing procurement and research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) spending by making smarter procurement choices."
Attrition? Do they, then, defund recruitment? They don't say. Cyberwarfare? Combatting non-state actors? Aren't these jobs for police? Not reducing personnel except through attrition, in order to not "harm" the personnel? Yet an investment in a "massive" non-military jobs program that none of the military personnel will have time to find employment in? The SANE Act does not, in fact, "decommission ... nuclear weapons infrastructure." It blocks the creation of certain types of insane new additions to the "nuclear weapons infrastructure," presumably allowing the existing "infrastructure" to phase out through the "attrition" of either being shut down as too old or killing us all.
"Audit the Pentagon – As the only federal agency that cannot be audited, the Pentagon loses tens of billions of dollars annually to waste, fraud, and abuse. It is past time to check the wasteful practices with little oversight that weaken our financial outlook and ultimately, our national security."
[Get it? When the Pentagon wastes money instead of buying more weapons, our national security is weakened. So, any money saved by eliminating the waste will have to go into more weapons. Putting it into education or housing would endanger us. Or are we willing to run that risk? In that case, if we know that the Pentagon wastes tens of billions, why not back at least a cut of $20 billion now?]
"Diplomacy and Development – The People's Budget increases investment in diplomacy and development to stabilize key regions of the world through supporting the United States' leadership in the United Nations, smart security, providing vital governance, development and humanitarian assistance, and increasing the tools to combat the horrors of drug and human trafficking and nuclear proliferation. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the number of people forcibly displaced throughout the world has reached the highest level ever recorded at a staggering 59.5 million people. The People's Budget recognizes this and provides robust funding for refugee resettlement programs. Our plan rebalances goals and risks to achieve a more effective mix of defense, diplomacy, and development aid. By adopting this new global security posture, investing in domestic priorities and creating a cost-effective military aligned with 21st century threats, the U.S. can achieve significant deficit reduction goals while simultaneously enhancing global security."
[Never mind what created the refugees! O.K., yes, this is needed, but where are the numbers?]
At the end of the CPC budget, just like last year's, are a few pages of actual numbers, where you can find, just like last year, a $6 billion, or roughly 1%, cut to the "base" spending of the Department of so-called Defense. You also find $104 billion investment in infrastructure, and $68 billion in additional job creation, plus $94 billion to make college, not free, but "affordable." There's no single-payer healthcare here, but the godforsaken "public option." There's also $1 billion for public financing of election campaigns.
The vast difference between the modest expenditures on public goods and the tiny military cuts is made up by taxing financial transactions, carbon, capital gains, etc. All such taxes are goods in and of themselves. But the sort of investment in transition to sustainable energy that we actually need, plus the restraint in murdering large numbers of people that those large numbers of people need, can only come from serious cuts to the military. The $76.1 billion cut to the slush fund is a good start. But much more serious cuts are needed to so-called Defense, to Energy, to so-called Homeland Security, to the CIA and NSA and so on. The habit of refusing to imagine serious change didn't begin with Hillary Clinton for President. It's deeply ingrained in Washington.
Original By David Swanson
http://warisacrime.org/content/congressional-progressive-caucus-believes-war


text:
Q: Why do some hand dryers blow hot air? I am not sure why some hand dryers are blowing hot air and not just air at room temperature.
To me, hair dryers are just a way to dry one's hands using the same principle as when we shake our hands in the air, or when we blow some air over a hot drink.
Given that the blown air temperature's is not enough (is it ?) to vaporize water, why is hot air used?

A: Fact:
By increasing the air's temperature, one also increases the amount of water vapor it can hold before saturating.
Speculation:
Therefore, the osmotic pressure on water molecules in your hair increases and the water vaporizes more quickly than with room temperature air.

A: To take an extreme case, suppose your hand dryer is located in a room without climate control, such as in an isolated restroom in the middle of a park. Occasionally the temperature in the room will fall to the dew point. In that case a room-temperature hand dryer would blow saturated air and have zero drying effect. However, warming the air brings it above the dew point and allows it to hold moisture from your hands.
There's probably also a comfort issue. Evaporation absorbs heat. Blowing unwarmed air on wet hands might dry them, but would make them feel cool. By blowing warmed air, the heat of vaporization can come from the air rather than from your hands.


Checked it in both Chrome and Firefox and it's there even though the only report on the page was closed months ago.
I don't see it (also on Chrome). You try clearing your caches?
It's gone now, but I saw it earlier today.
So, is it safe to deploy the new year range feature on the main site domain, you think?
1982-1984, 1988-1993, 1993-1996 (as Band B), 1996-present (as Band C).
I guess not, but but the additional notes can clarify ambiguous situations like that. How would pipes make any difference in your scenario?
... well, shouldn't it be "1994-1998, 2005-present (as Vahrzaw)" instead of showing two groups...?
I think I get the point Alhadis is trying to make. Without the pipes, there's no way to tell whether the second year range applies to band A or band B - i.e., was band A active from 1982-1984 and 1988-1993, or was band B active from 1988-1993 and 1993-1996?
...which leaves no ambiguity as to which band has multiple year ranges, as opposed to the all-commas approach.
Last edited by MalignantThrone on Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
I like that idea, too. Anything to help clarity can't hurt to add, and that would definitely help clarity.
So in addition, I'd need even more convoluted code to magically tell if I need to display (as ____).... and all that for a few minor insignificant cases?
Yeah, if it's not worth the effort, then don't bother. Otherwise, I think it's ready for publication.
Although minor, the autocomplete capitalizes "YouTube" as "Youtube," which is incorrect. Other than that, .
EDIT: SoundCloud is listed as "Soundcloud" and Big Cartel is "BigCartel."
Last edited by Obscurum on Fri Nov 30, 2012 7:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Should we delete the "Now known as" or "Previously known as" in the additional notes, such as this band? It would seem to be a bit redundant to see the link twice.
If there is really no additional info that isn't covered by the year ranges in there, then yes.
So with this new 'Years active' section of the band pages, wouldn't that make the 'Formed in' area relatively useless for the bands that have been updated to now use the years active? On these bands updated thus far it generally seems to phase out the 'formed in' bit when the 'years active' serves the same purpose and exceeds it. Of course it's still vital to bands who haven't been updated or the info is too obscure, but for the ones that are updated, formed in seems removable. That's just my thoughts though. I do really like the years active addition, it's a nice touch.
Read the full post on the main page, Morri explains it.
Oh pfft. It was right in front of my face and I missed the notice completely haha. And yeah that makes perfect sense. Thanks!
Probably this is already suggested in the past, but after Labels by Country why not Artists by Country? It would be great!
If we're having an artists by country feature, can we have an advanced search for artists too? That'd also be great.
... uhm. Is there any way I can see the code generating this? XD Because I'm having a hard time believing it'd be that complex... I don't care if I have to be the one who writes the convoluted code.
An advanced search for artists would be grand.
More of an aesthetic issue than anything, but I've noticed there's a rather quirky space before the comma in line-ups now... See Other Staff here.
"Tip: your report will be given greater attention if you can cite a source!"
the picture has also to change"
As Zorg said, I really think having a little more there for users unfamiliar with the site would be helpful. Something along the lines of "We need a way of verifying the information you provide or it can't be added - scans of booklets, news posts, or band contact info."
Maybe something like this up front to help keep reports more effective from the start (rather than simply saying a source is recommended).
When an unlisted band is added to a split, I can't edit that band's info - the edit icon simply isn't there. I could remove the artist and re-add, but it seems a bit odd that the icon isn't there.
I'm not sure if it was fixed, but I can see it just fine.
But aside from that, I have a question about the year range thing. In the case of Exhumator, they changed their name to Five Iron Frenzy and picked up a ska style. Obviously, FIF is not featured on the site. However, when I try to add FIF, i have issues reflecting that band's reunions. It either shows FIF as two entries, or shows the FIF for the first time frame, and shows the second time frame as applying to Exhumator.
See, this is why we would need the pipes... In the meantime I just added "as Five Iron Frenzy" to the third date range - yeah, it looks redundant and awkward, but I'll take that over ambiguous.
I forget if I have mentioned this before: On band pages, the logo appears above the band picture, but on the editing page, the "band pic" field is above the "logo" field. It's a bit confusing that way, seems like it should be the other way around.
Yep, I remember you bringing it up on #metal once.
I tried fixing some typos on Track 5 of this album page but I couldn't do it. Here's a screenshot of what happened when I tried editing it.
As you can see, the release type had already been chosen, a valid label had already been selected and the release date and tracks had already been entered.
I'm not sure exactly what causes that but it's a pretty minor glitch. Just refresh the page and redo the edits you were intending to make.
Just refresh the page and redo the edits you were intending to make.
I've just tried that quite a few times and I'm still getting the same messages.
You were able to fix it? I thought only HellBlazer or Morrigan would be able to, but thanks anyway! I've managed to fix those typos now.
I just let Morri know and she swiftly took care of it.
Well I actually just found a whole load more typos to fix on that page and I tried doing it... but the problem's back!
Sorry if I'm being a nuisance here (which I know I most probably am). I was able to write "test" at the end of one of the song's lyrics just like you were and I was also able to remove it afterwards, but I'm still unable to fix those typos that are on almost every song. Could it be that only small modifications are possible on that page?
What typos? Do you have an example?
Okay, I corrected a few of those... no issues.
Not sure if this is the proper place to report it (if not, I apologize), but when attempting to post my review for Children of Technology's latest EP, the data isn't going through and I'm getting the orange warning prompts to enter the title, score, and text. There was a report open which I resolved the other day, and all other reviews have been going through normally. Attempts to 'save draft' and 'preview' this one are also hanging up while loading. Anyway thanks for your time.
Plenty! I also tried fixing them again today, and still didn't manage.
"A leaping fom a den" should be "A leaping from a den".
"Unable to defend thmeselves" should be "Unable to defend themselves".
"Frou long years" should be "Four long years".
"It's not clear fom history" should be "It's not clear from history".
"Wlad the Impaler" should be "Vlad the Impaler".
"Suited Vald III's tastes" should be "Suited Vlad III's tastes".
"for his defeat fow what Vlad..." should be "for his defeat for what Vlad...".
"between the Turks Vlad was dea" should be "between the Turks Vlad was dead".
"Snuffing ou the homeless" should be "Snuffing out the homeless".
"They hung Burke in the airr" should be "They hung Burke in the air".
"Mary Ann was looking for a mand" should be "Mary Ann was looking for a man".
"Mary Ann achived her family plan" should be "Mary Ann achieved her family plan".
"Labette County KAnsa" should be Labette County Kansas.
"The traverlers were ushered in" should be "The travelers were ushered in".
"Foun the victims buried" should be "Found the victims buried".
"for sure wat happened" should be "for sure what happened".
"As Lizzie yelled to the maide" should be "As Lizzie yelled to the maid".
"Gaver her stepmother twenty whacks" should be Gave her stepmother twenty whacks".
"Lizzie Borden was acquited" should be "Lizzie Borden was acquitted".
"Thre ripper tramp from France" should be "The ripper tramp from France".
"about three hundred punds" should be "about three hundred pounds".
"He didnät last as long" should be "He didn't last as long".
"the soldiers nex they found" should be "the soldiers next they found".
"Kisses bureau owerflowed" should be "Kisses bureau overflowed".
"Theu thought that he was dead" should be "They thought that he was dead".
"With one legimate vocation, he learned to btucher meat" should be "With one legitimate vocation, he learned to butcher meat".
"with no suspicions fom tenants" should be "with no suspicions from tenants".


In this page you can download PNG image - Snowflakes PNG image.
This image has format transparent PNG with resolution 2624x3496.
Snowflakes PNG image with transparent background you can download for free, just click on it and save.
A snowflake is either a single ice crystal or an aggregation of ice crystals which falls through the Earth's atmosphere as snow. Each flake nucleates around a dust particle in supersaturated air masses by attracting supercooled cloud water droplets, which freeze and accrete in crystal form. Complex shapes emerge as the flake moves through differing temperature and humidity zones in the atmosphere, such that individual snowflakes differ in detail from one another, but may be categorized in eight broad classifications and at least 80 individual variants. The main constituent shapes for ice crystals, from which combinations may occur, are needle, column, plate and rime. Snowflakes appear white in color despite being made of clear ice. This is due to diffuse reflection of the whole spectrum of light by the small crystal facets.
Once snowflakes land and accumulate, they undergo metamorphosis with changes in temperature and coalesce into a snowpack. The characteristics of the snowpack reflect the changed nature of the constituent snow crystals.
Snowflakes nucleate around mineral or organic particles in moisture-saturated, subfreezing air masses. They grow by net accretion to the incipient crystals in hexagonal formations. The cohesive forces are primarily electrostatic.


Violence that has left 50 people dead over past week puts strain on major international commodity contracts.
The UN has commended Guinea's government for trying to restore calm in the west African nation. More than 50 people have been killed in fighting between tribes over the last week.
Guinea is the world's biggest exporter of Bauxite, the main source of Aluminium. But the increase in tensions could threaten multi-million dollar contracts with a number of international mining companies.
Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri reports from N'Zerekoure.


Excellent, thanks for the quick reply and info. I'll dive right in then, and post here if I find anything's off.
Hi there, I'm just wondering if it's safe to upgrade to High Sierra. I'm currently running the SoftStep editors on Sierra with no issues... but has anyone upgraded yet?
Hi, can you tell me how did you programm your SS to use Loopy? Which pad have you adjusted to which binding?
have you checked out the Loopy forum yet? Lots of discussion about that there.


by kvillemom at Citysearch Jul 27 .
We have visited this restaurant many times and were very happy with the food and service. We also liked the memorabilia on the walls. But when we went there for dinner in Sept. 2007, we found the building locked up and closed (permanently). The Applebee's sign was gone. We did not see any directions about the restaurant moving to another location.
Cons: Closed permanently? moved to another location?
April S. Oct 13 .
It is usually not too crowded at lunch time, and the wait staff is usually quick. Sometimes it has seemed a little too loud, but other than that it was always a good dining experience. I would go again.


text:
CO/NC/UT
See Ya 2021, Hello 2022
by Mike Ferrell
Click here to sign up to get our monthly newsletters in your inbox.
Well well well, we made it through 2021. I think we all owe ourselves a pat on the back. This year was a rollercoaster of emotions. Super fun, scary at times and thrilling to the end. We've been fortunate to have worked on some fun projects this year and with some incredibly talented and kind folks. This newsletter is dedicated to our extended TopTop crew. Thank you for your partnership, collaboration and creativity.
We're going to highlight a couple of our favorite projects and people from this year. To all that have supported us on our journey to the top, thank you. Have a safe, party-filled or chilled-out, NYE. Happy New Year from TopTop!
Last winter, Vasu Sojitra and his two friends Emilé Zynobia and Zahan Billimoria set out to ski Mt. Moran—in the process, reshaped the conversation around disability in the outdoors. The film that transpired from this adventure launched in October.
ASCEND: Reframing Disability in the Outdoors was directed by Faith E. Briggs. Faith is a creative producer and director based in Portland, Oregon. She's passionate about sharing contemporary stories that widen the spectrum of representation and help us all see our own possibilities.
We're grateful to have had the opportunity to not only work on this project with Faith and team but also to learn so much along the way. Language and representation are important.
A big thank you to Kaki Orr and Rob Wassmer from The North Face for your support.
In June 2021 we were fortunate to tackle the Idaho Backcountry Discovery Route on the new Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 with the REV'IT! Women's Adventure Team. We had a blast getting dirty, camping and enduring one hell of a thunderstorm our second night at camp with motorcycle riders Jenna West, Amelia Nunn and Erika Tango Bean.
The three-part series, Off the Grid, was directed by Brooklyn-based, director, cinematographer and editor, Niki Murphy. Her hard work ethic, positive attitude and unique style was a great addition to the team.
The River Runner is a story of resilience that follows kayaker Scott Lindgren's quest to become the first person to paddle the four great rivers of Tibet's Mt. Kailash. Through his struggles, Lindgren learns the only way to achieve his goals is to open his heart.
The film is directed by Rush Sturges and our friend Corinna Halloran is an associate producer and writer on this project. Congratulations on a beautiful film team!
Let's Connect in 2022!
We're always looking to partner with good people and creative minds. So if you're an athlete on a mission, a creative with a concept, or a marketer with an audience – we would love to partner with you. Join us on our journey to the top!
Email hey@toptopstudio.com
A Lot Can Change In 7 Months
It's Earth Day and we're going to Peru 🌎
The pursuit of passion 💓
GRAB AHOLD™
© 2022 TOPTOP LLC
hello@toptopostudio.com


Quietly located on the prettiest street in the old town of Antibes, this one bedroom apartment with beamed ceilings is on the first floor of an old fisherman's cottage. Guests can enjoy the beaches, Provençal market, & the Picasso museum, all nearby. dream location, in the heart of the old town of Antibes, on a pedestrian street full of flowers and hidden gardens. The Commune Libre du Safranier is known for artists and writers, for it's peace and quiet, and proximity to both the sea, beaches, the ancient remparts, museums and Provençal market.


text:
Stadion Awangard (kaz., ros. Авангард) – wielofunkcyjny stadion w Pietropawłowsku, w Kazachstanie. Został otwarty w 1967 roku. Nazywał się wtedy "Awangard". Swoje mecze rozgrywa na nim drużyna Kyzyłżar Petropawł. Obiekt może pomieścić 12 000 widzów.

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Stadiony lekkoatletyczne w Kazachstanie
Stadiony piłkarskie w Kazachstanie
Stadion Awangard

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


This best-selling collection of four chunky board books has especially thick flaps for baby to grasp and lift. See and say first words and the names of animals and their babies. Learn about colors and things that go. Simple sentences reinforce future language structure. Illustrations include patterns and details to hold baby's attention.


Rogue One is the first instalment in the planned Star Wars: Anthology trilogy.
Sisters, Rooney Mara and Kate Mara both auditioned for the role of Jyn Erso, which went to Felicity Jones.
This is the first Star Wars film that does not feature C-3PO.
Despite being released at the end of the year, Rogue One is the seventh highest grossing movie of 2016, earning over $800 million against its $200 million budget.
Filming began at Elstree Studios, Hertfordshire, UK before being moved around the world to Maldives, Iceland and Jordan. A chase scene was also filmed at London's Canary Wharf tube station over a night shoot when the station was closed to the public.


text:
Shutting Down The Machine - Army: Desertion up 80 percent since start of Iraq War
This article, by Christian Hill, was originally published in The Olympian, April 23, 2008
Army: Desertion up 80 percent since start of Iraq War
A Fort Lewis soldier who reportedly deserted his unit in July returned to the Army post this week following his arrest at a skating rink in his hometown in Louisiana.
Pfc. Steven J. Arceneaux, 28, is back on duty with his unit as his chain of command decides whether to punish him. Possible sanctions include loss of pay, a demotion, a dishonorable discharge or jail time.
His arrest comes as the number of active-duty soldiers who have deserted the Army has increased 80 percent since the start of the Iraq War five years ago, according to the Army. The figure represents less than 1 percent of its active-duty force.
Immediately following his arrest, Arceneaux told a Louisiana television reporter that he had his reasons for leaving but could not discuss them.
"There are things that happened that no one really knows about, but I'm just going to leave it at that," he said, according to the report posted on the Web site of KTBS-TV in Shreveport, La.
Arceneaux was a noted speed skater and a former Shreveport radio disc jockey known as "Scuba Steve," according to news reports.
He enlisted in the Army on July 5, 2005, in Shreveport and arrived at Fort Lewis a year later after completing training at Fort Benning, Ga., according to the Army. He was an infantryman trained to fire mortars and other large ordnance.
Arceneaux was assigned to an infantry battalion of the 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division (Stryker Brigade Combat Team). Shortly before the brigade deployed for a 15-month tour in Iraq, however, Arceneaux was transferred to the brigade's rear detachment, according to the Army. The reasons for the transfer are unclear. Family members couldn't be reached for comment.
He was reported absent without leave on July 10, 2007, and the Army cut off his pay and issued a warrant for his arrest the following month, according to the Army.
An anonymous tip led to Arceneaux's arrest at the skating rink in Bossier City, La., on April 5.
Desertion is punishable under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.
"They (commanders) have broad authority to take a range of actions, or no action at all, but it really depends on the circumstances," Fort Lewis spokeswoman Catherine Caruso said.
The number of active-duty soldiers who has deserted their units increased from 2,610 in 2003 to 4,698 in 2007, Army statistics show. That's a tiny fraction of the half-million soldiers serving in the Army and well below the number of deserters during the Vietnam War when the draft was in effect. In 1971, for instance, the Army reported 33,094 deserters.
At Fort Lewis, there are 239 open cases of soldiers who have abandoned their units, Caruso said. The tally consists of soldiers assigned to Fort Lewis and soldiers from the Northwest region who left their units while attending basic or advanced training. Of those cases, 220 have been absent for more than 90 days, she said.
Thirteen Fort Lewis soldiers who abandoned their units have returned to military control since Jan. 1, she added.
The Army post has deployed more than 30,000 soldiers since the United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001.
In the news report, Arceneaux said he did have regrets. But asked if he would do it over again, Arceneaux simply replied, "Yes."
Posted at 04:11 PM in GI Resistance - AWOL, GI Resistance - Combat Refusal, GI Resistance - Desertion, Iraq - Iraq War, Military Injustice - Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), Refusenik [US - Iraq War] - Steven Arcenaux | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


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Here is my Twitter, so feel free to follow and chat to me there! I have a youtube (booktube) channel here too.
I should mention my studies, because I feel that feeds into my writing capabilities! I've completed two degrees at university, one at bachelor level and one at honours level: Professional and Creative Writing and Literary Studies, Honours.
Please note: I generally do not accept ebooks for review. Thank you for understanding.