text
stringlengths 0
11M
| link
stringclasses 1
value | source
stringclasses 16
values |
|---|---|---|
Psychrobacillus
Psychrobacillus is a genus of bacteria from the family of Bacillaceae.
References
Further reading
Category:Bacillaceae
Category:Bacteria genera
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
Tag Archives: Lazy Town Xxx Comic
Hentai Picture: Uber-sexy Stephanie plowed from behind Robbie Rotten applies the arm for several Spurts Reynolds whereas her berk is repleted with a bauble! The Lazy Town pieces are anxious for some pussy plumbing action – they fuck wherever they can and stick long, hard cocks in their well lubed cunts! Wet Lazy Town babe craves for a huge ebony boner pushed al the way down into her butt snatch, and then gve it a blowjob till it dumps cream giving her a messy facial cumshot to savor on!
Hentai Picture: Stephanie’s soles got coated with pleasure button testicle tonic of Sportacus and Robbie Rotten Lazy Town harlots never lose a chance tearing down and swallowing some stout cock snot between their bojangles! Let’s get inspired by a slut from Lazy Town who is getting her cunt hammered on the side of the road after she’d been doing her shopping just a minute ago! Sportacus in lacey nylons gets her cootchie and dirty starfish plugged by a couple of hard schlongs!
Hentai Picture: Stephanie rail on Sportacus rod Wheresoever you overhaul in Lazy Town world you surely will sight lushy stern plummy tocks, rude gaunt legs, glabrous paunches, great boobies and spewing eyes prepared to tip! Let’s get inspired by a bitch from Lazy Town that is getting nailed on the pavement when she was shopping just the other moment! Stephanie gets fucked from behind and gets washed with cum dumped on her face and knockers…
Hentai Picture: Stephanie flashes her pretty culo This right here is your ticket to an excellent Lazy Town site both for hardcore fans of the show and the uninitiated as well. Errant Stephanie jabs bichos in her vulturous large-handed buccal orifice and do a rough wiry Double Penetration filmed on high-definition camera! Some Lazy Town pieces are eager for some hot sex – they gets screwed in all possible places and receive big pokers in their well lubed cunts.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
865 S.W.2d 957 (1993)
Dale Wayne SIGLER, Appellant,
v.
The STATE of Texas, Appellee.
No. 71263.
Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas, En Banc.
November 10, 1993.
Rehearing Denied December 8, 1993.
*958 Allan K. Butcher, David L. Richards, Fort Worth, for appellant.
Tim Curry, Dist. Atty., and Tanya S. Dohoney, Sylvia Mandel and Greg Miller, Asst. Dist. Attys., Fort Worth, Robert Huttash, State's Atty., Austin, for the State.
Before the court en banc:
OPINION
OVERSTREET, Judge.
Appellant was indicted for the offense of capital murder under Texas Penal Code § 19.03(a)(2) for murder during the course of a robbery alleged to have been committed on April 7, 1990. Appellant was convicted of capital murder on February 26, 1991. The jury returned affirmative answers to the two special issues submitted pursuant to Art. 37.071(b) of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure[1], and appellant was sentenced to death *959 under Art. 37.071(e).[2] Direct appeal to this Court is mandated by Art. 37.071(h).
Appellant raises twenty-five points of error. We will dispense with a recitation of any facts unnecessary to the resolution of three points: number two, challenging the sufficiency of evidence to establish appellant's future dangerousness; and numbers eleven and twelve, challenging the dismissal, on the State's motion for cause, of two veniremembers on the ground that the veniremembers could not answer affirmatively the second special issue based solely on the facts of the offense.
I. Sufficiency of the Evidence
In his second point of error, appellant alleges that the evidence is insufficient to support an affirmative finding to special issue two of Art. 37.071(b)(2).[3] Appellant complains that mitigating evidence, i.e. his youth, his susceptibility to the influence of others and consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs on the night of the offense, negates a rational jury's affirmative answer of future dangerousness.
When answering the special issue of future dangerousness required by Art. 37.071(b)(2), the jury may consider all of the evidence admitted at both the guilt-innocence and punishment stages of a trial; the facts of the offense itself may be sufficient to support a jury's affirmative answer to the punishment issue on future dangerousness. See Black v. State, 816 S.W.2d 350 (Tex.Cr.App. 1991); Alexander v. State, 740 S.W.2d 749 (Tex.Cr.App.1987). Special issue two requires a finding not only that the accused will likely commit violent crimes in the future but also that his violent conduct will pose a continuing threat to society. Art. 37.071(b)(2). Because appellant challenges the sufficiency of evidence to support the jury's answer to special issue two a summary of the facts is necessary.
Reviewing the record in the light most favorable to the verdict the following facts were established: Appellant was twenty-two years of age. On the afternoon of April 6, 1990 and into the early hours of April 7, 1990, appellant and some of his friends were "drinking beer, whiskey, smoking marijuana, smoking speed, and doing lines of speed." Appellant expressed a need for money and boasted that "he was drunk enough where he could rob some place." A friend suggested committing the offense of robbery at the friend's place of employment, a nearby sandwich shop. Appellant quizzed him for details of the shop's operations and layout. Appellant knew Mr. J. Z___, [hereafter the deceased], and that the deceased would be working at the sandwich shop that night. A second friend provided appellant with a .45 caliber handgun and informed him that the first cartridge was a specially adapted exploding bullet. Appellant departed to commit the offense, boasting that he would kill the deceased if necessary.
According to appellant's confession he entered the shop, visited with the deceased and pulled out the gun while making small talk. He then committed the robbery and followed the deceased to a back-room. Appellant shot the deceased twice to the back of the head while the deceased lay wounded on the floor. Appellant emptied the gun, shooting the deceased six times and then exited the shop careful to use his jacket to open the door so as not to leave fingerprints. Within fifteen minutes of the robbery, two unsuspecting customers discovered the body of the deceased in the back-room. The cash register indicated that the robbery occurred at 1:14 a.m. and that approximately $450 were missing.
Appellant returned to his friends, boasting that the deceased would appear in the next day's obituaries. In the days following, appellant boasted and bragged about the murder in great detail, without remorse, to several *960 friends. He told one friend that before killing the deceased, he apologized to him about having to kill him.
The punishment evidence established a record of escalating violence and crime. Appellant's California juvenile record established that he was placed on probation for two burglary (felony) arrests. His probation officer testified that while on probation, appellant committed three more burglaries, and was ultimately given additional incarceration in juvenile hall.
In Texas, appellant's only prior criminal incident on record was a shop-lifting charge at an Arlington K-mart. Appellant was tackled, and was kicking and hitting, and had to be subdued by several store employees. Evidence was also introduced that appellant participated and bragged about several other crimes. Appellant participated in a couple of violent shooting sprees inside an abandoned home in Arlington, breaking in and shooting up the walls of the house. On several occasions he bragged of having killed someone in California. Several friends testified that appellant liked for people to fear him and that he often threatened people with violence, and would carry out his threat when he thought it necessary.
Evidence was introduced that while incarcerated for the present offense, appellant bullied his cellmate, threatening him with violence, and acted like a "hot shot" who wanted to run the place. In a written request for a cell change, appellant wrote "Move me before I have to seriously hurt someone."
Dr. Coons, a psychiatrist, testified and opined, based on several factors, that appellant constituted a continuing threat to society. Appellant's lack of a conscience was, for Dr. Coons, a strong indicator of future dangerousness, since it is unlikely that one without a conscience at appellant's age would ever develop one. Appellant's bragging about the present murder and the California murder, even if fictitious, suggested an attempt by appellant to portray himself as a violent person. Dr. Coons stated that such a self-image in one so young and with a history of sociopathic behavior indicated a serious threat to society. Dr. Coons also testified that appellant did not act while under the domination of another or because of drug dependency.
Dr. James Grigson, a psychiatrist, after reviewing information relating to and background of appellant, testified that appellant posed a future danger to society. Dr. Grigson opined that the crime was not a result of drug addiction, but just another step-up in appellant's escalating tendency toward increasingly violent crimes.
We review the record in the light most favorable to the jury's finding and will not disturb its finding if any rational trier of fact could have found sufficient evidence upon which to affirmatively answer that appellant is a continuing threat to society. See Jackson v. Virginia, 443 U.S. 307, 319, 99 S.Ct. 2781, 2789, 61 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979); Cantu v. State, 842 S.W.2d 667, 674 (Tex.Cr.App.1992). The jurors determined, under the circumstances of this case, that Appellant would likely commit violent crimes in the future and that his violent conduct will pose a continuing threat to society. Considering the record as a whole, we cannot say that their conclusion was without sufficient evidentiary support.
Appellant's second point of error is overruled.
II. Voir Dire
Appellant contends in his eleventh and twelfth points of error that veniremembers Johnston and Smart were improperly dismissed for cause upon the State's motion. Appellant argues that the trial court erroneously applied an appellate standard for judging the sufficiency to sustain a jury verdict to whether a juror is qualified for capital jury service. The State may challenge a veniremember for cause if "he has a bias or prejudice against any phase of law upon which the state is entitled to rely for conviction or punishment." Article 35.16(b)(3).
During voir dire examination, veniremember Johnston indicated several times *961 that he could not answer the issue of future dangerousness in the affirmative based solely on the facts of the case. In language indistinguishable from that cited in Garrett v. State, 851 S.W.2d 853, 857 (Tex.Cr.App.1993), he was asked and asserted that without some other evidence, he would never be able to answer special issue two affirmatively based solely on the facts of the case. Veniremember Smart answered that she could under no circumstance answer affirmatively that appellant was a continuing danger to society based solely on the facts of the case. She answered that she would require other evidence, specifying that she would require a "prior criminal history."
The trial court sustained the State's motion to strike for cause on grounds that the veniremembers evidenced a prejudice or bias against the law. In Marras v. State, 741 S.W.2d 395 (Tex.Cr.App.1987), we held that a veniremember who repeatedly stated that he could not answer "yes" to future dangerousness based solely upon the evidence in the case was biased against the law upon which the State was entitled to rely. However, we overruled Marras to the extent that it conflicts with Garrett. The State concedes that under Garrett the trial court committed reversible error, but implores this Court to reconsider and overrule Garrett, and return to the holding of Marras. After careful consideration of the State's well reasoned and briefed arguments, we remain unconvinced that the holding of Garrett is flawed.
In Garrett, we held that it is reversible error for the trial court to grant a challenge for cause based on a veniremember's statement that he will require something more than the facts of the case to answer special issue two affirmatively. We adhered to case law which concluded that the facts of a capital crime, if "severe enough," will support a jury verdict of "yes" to special issue two. Id. at 859 (emphasis original). This is an appellate standard of review to determine the sufficiency of the evidence to support an affirmative answer to special issue two. It is not and should not be considered as a juror qualification standard. The law permits a particular jury or an individual juror to answer affirmatively special issue two based solely on the facts of a capital case but it does not require that any or all must do so. Id. (emphasis original).
The State's contention that the juror's inability to answer special issue two based solely on the facts of the offense increases the State's burden of proof is simply incorrect. This contention relies on a confusion of the role of the appellate court with the role of the jurya confusion we corrected in Garrett. The determination of whether the facts of the offense itself are sufficient to support an affirmative finding to special issue two is an appellate standard of review and is not a tool intended or designed to be used as a basis for a challenge for cause.
We also specifically stated in Garrett that if the State did not want a juror seated who would require more than the facts of the case to answer special issue two affirmatively, it should exercise a peremptory challenge against him during voir dire. Id. at 861. We further held that "[e]rror in granting a State's challenge for cause in a capital case is reversible notwithstanding that the State may have had peremptory challenges remaining at the conclusion of voir dire." Id., citing, Grijalva v. State, 614 S.W.2d 420, 423 (Tex.Cr.App.1981) (rejecting the notion that an erroneously granted challenge for cause on the State's motion is harmless if the State failed to exercise all of its peremptory challenges).
The State argues that we should revisit and overturn the holdings of Garrett and Grijalva. We uphold the correctness of the holdings and decline the State's invitation. Nor are we prepared to apply Garrett only prospectively. See Wilson v. State, 863 S.W.2d 59 (Tex.Cr.App. 1993).
The State concedes that Garrett is directly applicable and contrary to the holdings of the *962 trial judge in the present case. Appellant's eleventh and twelfth points of errors are, therefore, sustained.
Appellant's conviction is reversed and the cause is hereby remanded to the trial court.
McCORMICK, P.J., and WHITE, J., dissent.
NOTES
[1] At the time of appellant's trial, Article 37.071(b) provided in part:
(b) On conclusion of the presentation of evidence, the court shall submit the following three issues to the jury:
(1) Whether the conduct of the defendant that caused the death of the deceased was committed deliberately and with the reasonable expectation that the death of the deceased or another would result;
(2) whether there is a probability that the defendant would commit criminal acts of violence that would constitute a continuing threat to society.
[2] Hereinafter all article references are to the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure unless otherwise cited.
[3] Former Article 37.071(b)(2) V.A.C.C.P., has been recodified since appellant's trial, see Acts 1991, 72nd Leg., ch. 838, p. 2988, § 1, eff. Sept. 1, 1991, now Article 37.071 § 2(b)(1).
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
FreeLaw
|
Demian Maia vs. Ben Askren, Saturday, October 26, 2019 at 8:00am ET/ 5:00am PT, on ESPN+, Venue: Singapore Indoor Stadium, Singapore.
Main Card Fighter: Michael Johnson vs. Stevie Ray, Demian Maia vs. Ben Askren, Ciryl Gane vs. Don’tale Mayes, Muslim Salikhov vs. Laureano Staropoli, Frank Camacho vs. Beneil Dariush.
Under Card Fighter: Alex White vs. Rafael Fiziev, Randa Markos vs. Ashley Yoder, Enrique Barzola vs. Movsar Evloev, Loma Lookboonmee vs. Alexandra Albu, Raphael Pessoa Nunes vs. Jeff Hughes, Sergei Pavlovich vs. Maurice Greene.
UFC fight night: Demian Maia vs Ben Askren, October 26, 2019 at 8:00 am ET.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
King, the company behind popular iOS game Candy Crush, has abandoned its controversial pursuit of ownership of the term "candy" in the U.S., and has officially withdrawn its trademark application.
The pulling of the application was first revealed on Tuesday by Kotaku, which also received an official statement from King. The developer confirmed that the trademark filing was withdrawn after it obtained the rights to the name "Candy Crusher."
"Each market that King operates in is different with regard to IP," the company said. "We feel that having the rights to Candy Crusher is the best option for protecting Candy Crush in the U.S. market. This does not affect our E.U. trademark for Candy and we continue to take all appropriate steps to protect our IP."
The popularity of Candy Crush and the perceived genericness of King's pursuit of the trademark for word "candy" gained considerable attention earlier this year, with some expressing concern. King's filing sought ownership of the word "candy" as it would relate to digital puzzle games, and not necessarily other titles, such as the board game "Candy Land."
But following its purchase of the trademark for the word "candy" in Europe, King began sending cease-and-desist letters to smartphone game developers with apps using the word "candy," as well as the word "saga," which the company also own the rights to. Among those who received a letter was the developer of the game Banner Saga, a popular viking themed role playing game.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
By Tyler Silvy, The Associated Press
GREELEY, Colo. — The PVC pipe snaking alongside Joanne Maes’ house gives a little shudder, then two gurgles and a splash.
Every 20 minutes, water shoots out onto a patch of grass in her backyard for three seconds.
A sump pump is her only recourse against the groundwater, which now seeps into her basement continuously.
Maes is one of at least dozens of residents drowning in groundwater.
The problem stretches well beyond Gilcrest — from Denver to Julesberg near the Nebraska border, according to water level measurements available in various studies — but this Weld County town of about 1,000 people is the worst example of the issue, one that started about a decade ago. It’s getting worse each year.
“It’s so frustrating,” Maes said. “I’ve lived in this home for 30 years.”
Maes is a former trustee for the town, and she has spent considerable time in the past several years working with residents to deal with the groundwater problems that now plague her property. A couple blocks east of her house, Lee Roemmich has spent more than $20,000 repairing water damage in his basement and installing two sump pumps.
A few blocks west of Maes is the home of Mary Ann Perino, a retired nurse who also spent more than $20,000. Maes said it was Perino’s life savings. Perino said in a 2015 video recorded by a neighbor it was her “funeral money.”
Maes first noticed water in her basement a little more than a month ago. It was coming in through the south wall from the front of her house. She’d never dealt with basement flooding before, as her yard slopes enough toward the street to the south to carry even the worst rains away.
Maes and her husband took turns using a wet/dry vacuum.
“It was seeping, seeping, seeping, so we vacuumed it up, vacuumed it up,” Maes said.
After 12 hours, they had to do something else. They installed a sump pump almost immediately and joined the growing list of residents who’ve found themselves on what some call the vicious circle.
They pump water out of their basements, onto their yards. That water seeps back underground, and they pump it out again.
They can’t pump it into the street: that’s against the town of Gilcrest’s rules. After all, Gilcrest is dealing with the groundwater problem, too, thanks to a series of state statutes and water court decrees that limited well pumping for farmers in the area.
HISTORY
The Lorenz Farm east of U.S. 85 was farmed for generations, and Oliver Lorenz has said the farm never dealt with groundwater issues before this past decade.
There’s a good reason for that: Starting in the 1920s, then growing in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, farmers installed wells. Wells pump out groundwater, and lower the water table.
The South Platte River Basin went from zero wells to roughly 8,200 in just a few decades, according to a 2012 Colorado State University study.
“A lot of people put wells in as insurance,” said John Stult, the former state engineer and the governor’s adviser on all things water. “When the river dried up in July or August and they needed water to finish a crop, they could pump water from under the surface.”
But that water underground is supposed to make its way to the river, which would carry it east to other farmers. Those downstream farmers who had secured water rights decades before the first well was dug felt cheated, even robbed.
“They see the wells as a straw sticking into their water bank account,” Stult said.
By the late 1960s, it was well established that well pumping affected river flows, and in 1969, legislation came along forcing well owners to get a decreed water right. So, if your well was drilled in 1945, that’s what your water right says. And you can’t pump that 1945 well unless the farmer downstream with an 1870 water right is happy, or until that 1910 reservoir is filled.
In order to pump, farmers had to get approval from the state engineer for what’s called an augmentation plan, meaning they had to replace a portion of what they pumped.
This actually worked until a series of new state statutes and court decrees eventually limited the amount thousands of wells could pump. Many circle Jan. 1, 2006, as the day that drowned Gilcrest.
Groundwater always rose and fell throughout the year. Studies going back to the 1920s, by W.E. Code, who some call the Godfather of Groundwater, proved that. And after 2006, the area continued to see the rise and fall. But the falls didn’t fall as far, and the rises got worse each year, typically topping out in September or October.
Even groundwater at 10 feet below the surface will flood basements. But now the levels are less than 5 feet in some places, including the Lorenz Farm and the Gilcrest sewage treatment plant. At less than 5 feet, groundwater flows in storm water drains and in other low-lying areas, as it’s doing now around parts of Gilcrest.
A DROWNING TOWN
Along the east side of U.S. 85, Gilcrest maintains its sewage treatment plant. That’s the series of lined ponds where the town treats its waste before sending the water back to the South Platte River.
Several years ago, groundwater rose to meet those ponds, pushing up the linings and creating little bubble islands in the ponds. Residents called the bubbles whales, and the whales caused problems. It ruined the liners and made treatment far less efficient.
The town replaced the liners and added automated features to the plant, a total cost of $1.3 million, with $595,000 coming from the Department of Local Affairs. Gilcrest residents will pay off the rest for the next 20 years. Then, in August, it happened again. The groundwater levels came up quickly, to the highest levels ever recorded, pushing the liners back up.
“It’s as high as it’s ever been. It’s come as fast as it’s ever come, and it’s dissipating very slowly this year,” Gilcrest Town Manager Trudy Peterson said, adding she doesn’t think the new liners will need to be replaced.
Peterson would rather not get into why residents in her town are spending thousands of dollars dealing with flooded basements — or why $1.3 million has been poured into the Gilcrest treatment plant. The town still uses a series of clay pipes to bring sewage to the plant, and with those pipes sitting in groundwater, they’re susceptible to collapse. Some already have. But Peterson doesn’t want to blame anyone.
It’s a loaded question with a loaded answer, and it involves generations of fights over water rights throughout the South Platte Basin.
Peterson is just happy the town is getting help, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth from the Colorado Water Conservation Board, the Colorado Department of Local Affairs and the South Platte Basin Roundtable Groundwater Technical Committee. Some members of those organizations have come out against allowing more well pumping around Gilcrest, so it puts the town in a tricky spot.
Money from those groups has covered emergency dewatering east of U.S. 85, a dewatering study and the drilling of a dewatering well at the sewage treatment plant.
Dewatering involves pumping water out of the ground and getting it directly to the river. Workers began drilling the well at the sewage treatment plant Friday.
The plan now is to pump water out of the ground and stick it in an old, 6-inch pipeline that will take the water to the South Platte. The pipeline is probably too small, state officials agree, because it’s also used to drain storm water and sewage effluent. So the state may provide even more money to replace the pipeline.
But the town needs more money if it’s going to address flooding in residents’ basements. A study by JVA, a civil engineering consulting firm, was released this past fall, and it showed a couple options involving adding more dewatering wells — one for $7 million and one for $11 million. Add in hundreds of thousands of dollars in operating costs for the wells each year, and Peterson said she has no idea how the town will pay for that. Gilcrest is able to salt away only $75,000-$80,000 toward capital expenditures each year.
With money on the line and residents to take care of, Peterson doesn’t want to risk getting into a political fight.
“We’re walking a little bit of a fine line because we have gotten a tremendous amount of help,” Peterson said. “But we shouldn’t have to be even dealing with this.”
A CONSTANT PROBLEM
Most everyone knows of Glenn Durant, who lives east of U.S. 85 and had to install 13 sump pumps in his basement. His pumps run constantly, but he can’t allow the sound of running pumps to become background noise. He must be on constant alert.
So, he listens for the pumps. If one goes down — and they have — he has to replace it.
In 2015, Durant was interviewed by Glenn Fritzler of Fritzler Farms as Fritzler built his case for intervention in Gilcrest. In the video, Durant, who has spent more than $50,000, said his brain is fried from the stress.
“I have to keep track of all the motors every single day, every single second,” Durant said in the video. “It hasn’t been easy on the mental welfare.”
Residents like Durant are afraid to leave their houses or go on vacations. Perino said in the 2015 Fritzler video she felt the same way.
She showed The Tribune her sump pump setup — complete with a lush, green patch in her backyard from the constant pumping — a couple weeks ago. Perino’s neat house sits tucked into a cul-de-sac a few blocks west of Maes’ house. It’s decorated for Christmas. Perino dealt with basement flooding in 2014. Thanks to the sump pump, things are normal now. But residents here don’t want the threat of groundwater flooding to be a part of normal life.
Most here say water court is out of the question. Taking on high-powered attorneys representing municipalities and other senior water rights holders is a difficult and costly task with no guarantees.
So they took a different route. The Colorado Farm Bureau and corn growers commissioned a groundwater study in 2010. That study was released in 2011, and helped push the state Legislature to act in 2012, commissioning a CSU study on the same subject. Weld Commissioner Sean Conway called the CSU study a turning point.
It showed rising groundwater since well pumping was limited in the early 2000s.
Before that, many people wouldn’t even acknowledge the problem, Conway said.
“There was a lot of pressure on the governor to veto the bill,” Conway said. “That was a seminal moment; it sent a message to everybody. Now, from what I’ve seen on the technical committee, rather than denying the problem exists, people are working to address it.”
Residents want more than studies. They want solutions.
So Fritzler loaded up politicians on a trailer and gave them tours around the area in 2014 and 2015. State representatives, county commissioners and more saw the damage firsthand, and things started to happen. A technical committee was formed by the South Platte Roundtable in 2014, and money showed up for dewatering and more studies.
For Gilcrest residents, a solution, any kind of solution, can’t come soon enough.
Maes is fired up. She’s motivated. But she’s also, in a way many residents have become, resigned.
“We’re going to get through it, but it just takes time and money,” she said.
From her backyard in Gilcrest two weeks ago, Maes said it’s a matter of turning a positive into a negative. It beats dwelling on it.
She points to the green circle of grass, soggy from the sump pump’s constant deposits.
“Maybe I’ll put a garden here in the spring,” Maes said.
___
Information from: The Tribune of Greeley, Co, http://greeleytribune.com
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Influence of pH and temperature on the expression of sboA and ituD genes in Bacillus sp. P11.
Temperature and pH are key factors influencing the production of antimicrobial peptides. In this work, qRT-PCR methodology was used to demonstrate the effect of these two variables on sboA (subtilosin A) and ituD (iturin A) expression in Bacillus sp. P11, an isolate from aquatic environment of the Amazon. Bacillus sp. P11 was incubated in BHI broth for 36 h at 30, 37 and 42 °C, and the pH values were 6.0, 7.4 and 8.0. The production of subtilosin A and iturin A was confirmed by mass spectrometry. The sboA expression increased 200-fold when the initial pH was 8.0. In contrast, ituD expression was maximum at pH 6.0. Increased temperature (42 °C) was adverse for both genes, but ituD expression increased at 37 °C. Expression of sboA and ituD was strongly affected by pH and temperature and qRT-PCR proved to be a powerful tool to investigate the potential of Bacillus strains to produce subtilosin A and iturin A.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
Q:
Small CPU Emulator (LC3) in Python
I wrote a small emulator for fun. Full code @ bottom of post, available on GitHub here.
Design choices:
modeling 16 bit little endian memory — opted for ctypes and array-like access via __getitem__
Enum library
Opcodes - convenient to access: the order of the opcodes in the enum matches the opcode's numeric value when interpreted as an integer
Condition flags - convenient to access: named, so I can self.registers.cond = condition_flags.z
where the right hand side is the enum.
Some classes:
CPU (class lc3)
Registers
Memory
Questions:
How could I get started adding unit tests?
Is there a better choice than using an IntEnum for the opcodes?
How might I organize the code better? In particular, I dislike having dump_state (a diagnostic printing function), and all of my instruction implementations (eg op_and_impl) right next to each other in the lc3 class.
How else might I organize this mapping of opcodes to implementation functions?
# first attempt
if opcode == opcodes.op_add:
self.op_add_impl(instruction)
elif opcode == opcodes.op_and:
self.op_and_impl(instruction)
elif opcode == opcodes.op_not:
self.op_not_impl(instruction)
... truncated https://github.com/ianklatzco/lc3/blob/7bace0a30353d4b1d4c720eddca07c1828f7c3e0/lc3.py#L303
# second attempt
opcode_dict = {
opcodes.op_add: self.op_add_impl,
opcodes.op_and: self.op_and_impl,
opcodes.op_not: self.op_not_impl,
... truncated https://github.com/ianklatzco/lc3/blob/67353ebb50367430a7d2921d701ea92aa2f0968e/lc3.py#L304
try:
opcode_dict[opcode](instruction)
except KeyError:
raise UnimpError("invalid opcode")
How could I address this inconsistency between accessing GPRs (general purpose registers) and PC, condition register?
class registers():
def __init__(self):
self.gprs = (c_int16 * 8)()
self.pc = (c_uint16)()
self.cond = (c_uint16)()
# I instantiated the gprs as a ctypes "array" instead of a single c_uint16.
# To access:
# registers.gprs[0]
# This is convenient when I need to access a particular register, and I have the index handy from a decoded instruction.
# registers.pc.value
# The .value is annoying.
Full code
# usage: python3 lc3.py ./second.obj
# This project inspired by https://justinmeiners.github.io/lc3-vm/
# There was a lot of copy-pasting lines of code for things like
# pulling pcoffset9 out of an instruction.
# https://justinmeiners.github.io/lc3-vm/#1:14
# ^ talks about a nice compact way to encode instructions using bitfields and
# c++'s templates.
# i am curious if you could do it with python decorators.
# update: i tried this and it was mostly just an excuse to learn decorators, but it
# isn't the right tool. i am curious how else you might do it.
from ctypes import c_uint16, c_int16
from enum import IntEnum
from struct import unpack
from sys import exit, stdin, stdout, argv
from signal import signal, SIGINT
import lc3disas # in same dir
DEBUG = False
class UnimpError(Exception):
pass
def signal_handler(signal, frame):
print("\nbye!")
exit()
signal(SIGINT, signal_handler)
# https://stackoverflow.com/a/32031543/1234621
# you're modeling sign-extend behavior in python, since python has infinite
# bit width.
def sext(value, bits):
sign_bit = 1 << (bits - 1)
return (value & (sign_bit - 1)) - (value & sign_bit)
'''
iirc the arch is 16bit little endian.
options: ctypes or just emulate it in pure python.
chose: ctypes
'''
class memory():
def __init__(self):
# ctypes has an array type. this is one way to create instances of it.
self.memory = (c_uint16 * 65536)()
def __getitem__(self, arg):
if (arg > 65535) or (arg < 0):
raise MemoryError("Accessed out valid memory range.")
return self.memory[arg]
def __setitem__(self, location, thing_to_write):
if (location > 65536) or (location < 0):
raise MemoryError("Accessed out valid memory range.")
self.memory[int(location)] = thing_to_write
class registers():
def __init__(self):
self.gprs = (c_int16 * 8)()
self.pc = (c_uint16)()
self.cond = (c_uint16)()
# not actually a class but an enum.
class opcodes(IntEnum):
op_br = 0
op_add = 1
op_ld = 2
op_st = 3
op_jsr = 4
op_and = 5
op_ldr = 6
op_str = 7
op_rti = 8
op_not = 9
op_ldi = 10
op_sti = 11
op_jmp = 12
op_res = 13
op_lea = 14
op_trap = 15
class condition_flags(IntEnum):
p = 0
z = 1
n = 2
class lc3():
def __init__(self, filename):
self.memory = memory()
self.registers = registers()
self.registers.pc.value = 0x3000 # default program starting location
self.read_program_from_file(filename)
def read_program_from_file(self,filename):
with open(filename, 'rb') as f:
_ = f.read(2) # skip the first two byte which specify where code should be mapped
c = f.read() # todo support arbitrary load locations
for count in range(0,len(c), 2):
self.memory[0x3000+count/2] = unpack( '>H', c[count:count+2] )[0]
def update_flags(self, reg):
if self.registers.gprs[reg] == 0:
self.registers.cond = condition_flags.z
if self.registers.gprs[reg] < 0:
self.registers.cond = condition_flags.n
if self.registers.gprs[reg] > 0:
self.registers.cond = condition_flags.p
def dump_state(self):
print("\npc: {:04x}".format(self.registers.pc.value))
print("r0: {:05} ".format(self.registers.gprs[0]), end='')
print("r1: {:05} ".format(self.registers.gprs[1]), end='')
print("r2: {:05} ".format(self.registers.gprs[2]), end='')
print("r3: {:05} ".format(self.registers.gprs[3]), end='')
print("r4: {:05} ".format(self.registers.gprs[4]), end='')
print("r5: {:05} ".format(self.registers.gprs[5]), end='')
print("r6: {:05} ".format(self.registers.gprs[6]), end='')
print("r7: {:05} ".format(self.registers.gprs[7]))
print("r0: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[0]).value), end='')
print("r1: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[1]).value), end='')
print("r2: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[2]).value), end='')
print("r3: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[3]).value), end='')
print("r4: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[4]).value), end='')
print("r5: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[5]).value), end='')
print("r6: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[6]).value), end='')
print("r7: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[7]).value))
print("cond: {}".format(condition_flags(self.registers.cond.value).name))
def op_add_impl(self, instruction):
sr1 = (instruction >> 6) & 0b111
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
if ((instruction >> 5) & 0b1) == 0: # reg-reg
sr2 = instruction & 0b111
self.registers.gprs[dr] = self.registers.gprs[sr1] + self.registers.gprs[sr2]
else: # immediate
imm5 = instruction & 0b11111
self.registers.gprs[dr] = self.registers.gprs[sr1] + sext(imm5, 5)
self.update_flags(dr)
def op_and_impl(self, instruction):
sr1 = (instruction >> 6) & 0b111
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
if ((instruction >> 5) & 0b1) == 0: # reg-reg
sr2 = instruction & 0b111
self.registers.gprs[dr] = self.registers.gprs[sr1] & self.registers.gprs[sr2]
else: # immediate
imm5 = instruction & 0b11111
self.registers.gprs[dr] = self.registers.gprs[sr1] & sext(imm5, 5)
self.update_flags(dr)
def op_not_impl(self, instruction):
sr = (instruction >> 6) & 0b111
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
self.registers.gprs[dr] = ~ (self.registers.gprs[sr])
self.update_flags(dr)
def op_br_impl(self, instruction):
n = (instruction >> 11) & 1
z = (instruction >> 10) & 1
p = (instruction >> 9) & 1
pc_offset_9 = instruction & 0x1ff
if (n == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.n) or \
(z == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.z) or \
(p == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.p):
self.registers.pc.value = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_9, 9)
# also ret
def op_jmp_impl(self, instruction):
baser = (instruction >> 6) & 0b111
self.registers.pc.value = self.registers.gprs[baser]
def op_jsr_impl(self, instruction):
# no jsrr?
if 0x0400 & instruction == 1: raise UnimpError("JSRR is not implemented.")
pc_offset_11 = instruction & 0x7ff
self.registers.gprs[7] = self.registers.pc.value
self.registers.pc.value = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_11, 11)
def op_ld_impl(self, instruction):
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
pc_offset_9 = instruction & 0x1ff
addr = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_9, 9)
self.registers.gprs[dr] = self.memory[addr]
self.update_flags(dr)
def op_ldi_impl(self, instruction):
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
pc_offset_9 = instruction & 0x1ff
addr = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_9, 9)
self.registers.gprs[dr] = self.memory[ self.memory[addr] ]
self.update_flags(dr)
def op_ldr_impl(self, instruction):
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
baser = (instruction >> 6) & 0b111
pc_offset_6 = instruction & 0x3f
addr = self.registers.gprs[baser] + sext(pc_offset_6, 6)
self.registers.gprs[dr] = self.memory[addr]
self.update_flags(dr)
def op_lea_impl(self, instruction):
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
pc_offset_9 = instruction & 0x1ff
self.registers.gprs[dr] = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_9, 9)
self.update_flags(dr)
def op_st_impl(self, instruction):
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
pc_offset_9 = instruction & 0x1ff
addr = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_9, 9)
self.memory[addr] = self.registers.gprs[dr]
def op_sti_impl(self, instruction):
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
pc_offset_9 = instruction & 0x1ff
addr = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_9, 9)
self.memory[ self.memory[addr] ] = self.registers.gprs[dr]
def op_str_impl(self, instruction):
dr = (instruction >> 9) & 0b111
baser = (instruction >> 6) & 0b111
pc_offset_6 = instruction & 0x3f
addr = self.registers.gprs[baser] + sext(pc_offset_6, 6)
self.memory[addr] = self.registers.gprs[dr]
def op_trap_impl(self, instruction):
trap_vector = instruction & 0xff
if trap_vector == 0x20: # getc
c = stdin.buffer.read(1)[0]
self.registers.gprs[0] = c
return
if trap_vector == 0x21: # out
stdout.buffer.write( bytes( [(self.registers.gprs[0] & 0xff)] ) )
stdout.buffer.flush()
return
if trap_vector == 0x22: # puts
base_addr = self.registers.gprs[0]
index = 0
while (self.memory[base_addr + index]) != 0x00:
nextchar = self.memory[base_addr + index]
stdout.buffer.write( bytes( [nextchar] ) )
index = index + 1
return
if trap_vector == 0x25:
self.dump_state()
exit()
raise ValueError("undefined trap vector {}".format(hex(trap_vector)))
def op_res_impl(self, instruction):
raise UnimpError("unimplemented opcode")
def op_rti_impl(self, instruction):
raise UnimpError("unimplemented opcode")
def start(self):
while True:
# fetch instruction
instruction = self.memory[self.registers.pc.value]
# update PC
self.registers.pc.value = self.registers.pc.value + 1
# decode opcode
opcode = instruction >> 12
if DEBUG:
print("instruction: {}".format(hex(instruction)))
print("disassembly: {}".format(lc3disas.single_ins(self.registers.pc.value, instruction)))
self.dump_state()
input()
opcode_dict = \
{
opcodes.op_add: self.op_add_impl,
opcodes.op_and: self.op_and_impl,
opcodes.op_not: self.op_not_impl,
opcodes.op_br: self.op_br_impl,
opcodes.op_jmp: self.op_jmp_impl,
opcodes.op_jsr: self.op_jsr_impl,
opcodes.op_ld: self.op_ld_impl,
opcodes.op_ldi: self.op_ldi_impl,
opcodes.op_ldr: self.op_ldr_impl,
opcodes.op_lea: self.op_lea_impl,
opcodes.op_st: self.op_st_impl,
opcodes.op_sti: self.op_sti_impl,
opcodes.op_str: self.op_str_impl,
opcodes.op_trap:self.op_trap_impl,
opcodes.op_res: self.op_res_impl,
opcodes.op_rti: self.op_rti_impl
}
try:
opcode_dict[opcode](instruction)
except KeyError:
raise UnimpError("invalid opcode")
##############################################################################
if len(argv) < 2:
print ("usage: python3 lc3.py code.obj")
exit(255)
l = lc3(argv[1])
l.start()
A:
I'm not really good at Python here, but I'm sharing my ideas.
Code style
Do you know there's a coding style guide called PEP 8? It provides a set of guidelines for code styling. I'd like to note some of them here:
Use CapWords naming convention for your classes. Always begin your class name with a cap letter, so class opcodes(IntEnum) becomes class OpCodes(IntEnum) etc.
Put two blank lines between class definitions and module-level function definitions
Indentation: This is a bad indentation:
if (n == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.n) or \
(z == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.z) or \
(p == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.p):
self.registers.pc.value = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_9, 9)
This is the correct way to indent it:
if (n == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.n) or \
(z == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.z) or \
(p == 1 and self.registers.cond == condition_flags.p):
self.registers.pc.value = self.registers.pc.value + sext(pc_offset_9, 9)
You can use a tool called flake8 to find out PEP 8 violations in your code. You may not want all of them - for example, I almost always ignore the line length limit, but this is up to you and it's recommended that you follow all the guidelines unless you have a good reason not to.
Repeated and similar code
I'm talking about lines like this:
print("r0: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[0]).value), end='')
print("r1: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[1]).value), end='')
print("r2: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[2]).value), end='')
print("r3: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[3]).value), end='')
print("r4: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[4]).value), end='')
print("r5: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[5]).value), end='')
print("r6: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[6]).value), end='')
print("r7: {:04x} ".format(c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[7]).value))
This repetition is just unnecessary work. You can replace it with a nice loop:
for i in range(8):
print("r{}: {:04x} ".format(i, c_uint16(self.registers.gprs[i]).value), end='')
print()
And the same for your other code where this pattern occurs
Conditional style
Use elif if your conditions are intended not to overlap:
def update_flags(self, reg):
if self.registers.gprs[reg] == 0:
self.registers.cond = condition_flags.z
elif self.registers.gprs[reg] < 0:
self.registers.cond = condition_flags.n
elif self.registers.gprs[reg] > 0:
self.registers.cond = condition_flags.p
Using exceptions
I see you use MemoryError in your memory class for access violation. This is better replaced by ValueError or better, IndexError, because the one you're currently using is reserved for (host) memory issues, particularly memory allocation failures.
There's also another built-in exception for unimplemented stuff, NotImplementedError. You should consider replacing your own UnimpError with the built-in one.
A:
OpCodes
You are initializing your opcode dictionary inside the while loop for fetching instructions. It only needs to be initialized once; move it before the while loop.
Your opcodes are a set of numbers between 0 & 15. You index a dictionary based on these numbers to get the method to call. Why not use an array, instead of a dictionary; it would be faster and take less memory.
Consider building the opcode array (or dictionary) programmatically:
OPCODES = [ 'br', 'add', 'ld', 'st', 'jsr', 'and', 'ldr', 'str',
'rti', 'not', 'ldi', 'sti', 'jmp', 'res', 'lea', 'trap' ]
opcodes = [ getattr(self, f"op_{op}_impl") for op in OPCODES ]
Note: requires Python 3.6 for the f"strings". Use .format() or % with earlier versions.
Note: this eliminates the need for your class opcodes(IntEnum).
Since the op_XXX_impl functions are not meant to be called externally, they should named starting with an underscore.
Even better: move initialization of the opcodes array into your lc3 constructor, and store it in the object. It will help when it comes time to add in tests.
self._opcodes = [ getattr(self, f"op_{op}_impl") for op in OPCODES ]
Memory
You could use the array class for your 16-bit memory; you don’t need to create your own memory class:
self.memory = array.array('H', [0]*65536)
The 'H' is the type code for 16 bit unsigned values.
Similarly, you code create your registers without a registers class. 'h' is the type code for 16 bit signed values:
self.gprs = array.array('h', [0]*10)
This creates 10 register locations, 8 for the "general purpose" registers, and two additional registers: pc and cond, which you could access as self.gprs[8] and self.gprs[9]. We can improve on this, making them more accessible using @property:
@property
def pc(self):
return self.gprs[8]
@pc.setter
def pc(self, value):
self.gprs[8] = value
@property
def cond(self):
return self.gprs[9]
@cond.setter
def cond(self, value):
self.gprs[9] = value
Then you can use and set self.pc and self.cond directly.
Instruction Decoding
You repeat a lot of code for decoding instructions. You should write helper functions to extract the required values. Then you could write like:
def op_add_impl(self, instruction):
dr, src1, src2 = self.decode_dr_sr2imm(instruction)
self.gprs[dr] = src1 + src2
self.update_flags(dr)
def op_not_impl(self, instruction):
dr, src1, _ = self.decode_dr_sr2imm(instruction)
self.gprs[dr] = ~ src1
self.update_flags(dr)
Since not doesn’t use sr2 or an immediate value, the value returned for src2 can be ignored by saving it to the _ variable.
Debug output
Instead of printing to sys.stdout, you should learn and use the Python logging module, for adding (and removing) debug output from your program.
import logging
LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
LOG.debug("100 in hex is %x", 100)
In the main program, to enable debug output, use:
logging.basicConfig()
LOG.setLevel(logging.DEBUG)
Testability
The start() method does a lot. Too much, in fact. It loops endlessly, reading instructions from memory, advancing the program counter, and dispatching instructions.
Let's break this down a bit.
Dispatch
You want testability. How about executing just one instruction? In fact, you don't need to read the instruction from memory, either.
def _execute_instruction(self, instruction):
opcode = instruction >> 12
if LOG.isEnabledFor(logging.DEBUG):
LOG.debug("instruction: %04x", instruction)
LOG.debug("disassembly: %s", lc3disas.single_ins(self.pc, instruction))
self.dump_state()
try:
self._opcode[opcode](instruction)
except KeyError:
raise NotImplementedError("Invalid opcode")
Now you could write a test for an individual instruction.
def test_add():
cpu = lc3()
cpu.gprs[0] = 22
cpu._execute_instruction(0x0000) # gprs[0] = gprs[0] + gprs[0]
assert cpu.gprs[0] == 44
assert cpu.cond == condition_flags.p
Single Step
With dispatcher, above, we can now easily write a single stepper:
def single_step(self):
instruction = self.memory[self.pc]
self.pc += 1
self._execute_instruction(instruction)
And again, you can write tests using single stepping:
def test_single_step_add(self):
cpu = lc3()
# Setup
cpu.gprs[0] = -22
cpu.pc = 0x1234
cpu.memory[self.pc] = 0x0000
cpu.single_step()
assert cpu.gprs[0] == -44
assert cpu.cond == condition_flags.n
assert cpu.pc == 0x1235
Running
Using single_step(), it becomes easy to write the start() method. But lets make it a little better.
Trap #0x25 is a halt instruction, but it also exits the Python interpreter. That is a little too Draconian. If a program ever generates that trap, any test framework will come crashing down as the interpreter exits. Instead, you should use a flag to indicate whether the CPU is running normally, or if it has been halted.
def start(self):
LOG.debug("Starting")
self._running = True
while self._running:
self.single_step()
LOG.debug("Halted.")
The op_trap_impl() function would set self._running = False when the Trap #0x25 is executed.
You can now write a test program that runs, and halts, and check the state of memory when it has halted.
Input / Output
Your LC3 is tied to sys.stdin and sys.stdout. This makes it hard to test; you'd have to intercept the input and output streams when you write your tests. Or, you could have your LC3 cpu have custom in and out streams, which default to sys.stdin and sys.stdout, but can be replaced with StringIO, so your test can feed data to the program, and retrieve output for validation. The Trap #0x20, #0x21 and #0x22 would need to read/write to the requested io streams.
class LC3():
def __init__(self, *, input=sys.stdin, output=sys.stdout):
self._input = input
self._output = output
def test_io():
in = io.StringIO("7\n") # Input test data
out = io.StringIO() # Capture output to string buffer
lc3 = LC3(input=in, output=out)
lc3.read_program_from_file("fibonnaci.obj")
lc3.start()
assert out.getvalue() == "13\n" # 13 is the 7th Fibonacci number
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
the Pearl Jam way
Disclaimer: a lot of strong f words. I need to borrow a rock band energy;)
can a rock band inspire professionals, consultants, designers, and even corporate employees?
yes, it can.
Pearl Jam did to me and to many other people that I have been known for more than 15 years. If Steve Job was inspired by Bob Dylan, many of Pearl Jam fans influenced by this Seattle band not only musically but also professionally and philosophically (almost about to say religiously…)
I am quite expecting that the band itself or many fans might be saying “WTF?” with this kind of article, but I’ll write it anyway. Simply because it’s true to me.
Pic from Pearl Jam flickr
So, what’s the Pearl Jam way that inspires me?
1. Love your fans, love your customers, love your tribe
If you form a band, there will be some people who really like you, and many others hate you. That’s the fact. For your fans, love them a lot. For the ones who hate you, fuck them. I mean, fuck them. That’s what I learn from the band who has produced hundreds of live concert bootlegs. Don’t ever spend a minute trying convince the haters to love you…even Jesus, Muhammad, Gandhi, Buddha has group of haters. That’s just natural.
It’s no secret that PJ loves their fans. In the past we have read a lot about this band efforts to “fight” Ticketmaster to make the ticket price more affordable to teenager fans. Having heard/seen a lot of live shows on CD, DVD (only one live concert for me, unfortunately), I could feel the love of the band. It can be felt also when I received the christmas vinyl (don’t have any player to play it) but I just love the packaging and artwork.
If you are not artist, your customers are the one who love you. If you work in hospital, your patients are the ones who care about you. That’s why they COME to you. So, love them back…
love the ones who love you..the people who likes you, who care about you.
2. Love what you do
Pearl Jam as I know is a bunch of people who love to listen to music, love to see other good bands playing live and love to play some rock songs.If you love what you do, then for people who like you, your work becomes a gift.
If you love you do, your works seems effortless…or you don’t feel like it’s work at all..
If it’s true for artist, then it’s true for engineer, accountant, lawyer, janitor…Work can be fun and can make other people happy.
3. Perform as it is the last performance
There’s Pearl Jam’s collection when they were playing in State College around 2003; they play until past midnite just like there’s no tomorrow…There’s the Madison Square Garden DVD showing the arena bumps like an earthquake…Live at the Gorge where the collection is almost 3 CDs of live songs, the 100 songs when they play in Boston for couple days..it’s just like in every performance they try to rock like that would be the last show!
For us who is not an artist, we have our own stage. Our mundane work is our show. Play it like a fucking rock n roll band!
4. Take control your own destiny
When you are climbing the ladder of “success”, there will be a situation that your success will take you away from your original idea of why you are doing that job. And suddenly you don’t feel like it anymore.
A band like PJ, in their heydey will be asked to do interviews (which any rookie would be happy to do it), a lot of interviews (when they will need to answer a lo of repetitive questions, like hobby, or childhood memory), play in a movie, be a celebrity endorser for household products, fake performance on TV and lipsync, be a magazine covers, and many things which have nothing to do with the one that they love: musics.
But their label woud ask them to do it, their fans want them, and of course TV, Magazine, Newspaper, Tabloid wants them to do it. There will be money involved. Tons of money. Every successful band and artist do it! Even now..!
One of the thing I learn from one of the few band who’s still standing strong from the 90s era, they learn to say NO. Its simply because they want to focus on what they like, playing couple songs they like for their fans.
Saying NO is not easy, especially if saying YES means we will get a lot of money to do things that you don’t like. There’s always trade off, but I will choose the path that will keep us sane and sober. No suicide, no drugs drama, no bullshit.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
---
abstract: 'We provide asymptotics for the poly-Bernoulli numbers, a combinatorial array that enumerates lonesum matrices. We obtain these (bivariate) asymptotics as an application of ACSV (Analytic Combinatorics in Several Variables). For the diagonal asymptotic (i.e., for the special case of square lonesum matrices) we present an alternative proof based on Parseval’s identity. We also strengthen an existing result on asymptotic enumeration of permutations having a specified excedance set.'
author:
- 'Jessica Khera, Erik Lundberg, and Stephen Melczer'
bibliography:
- 'ref.bib'
title: Asymptotic Enumeration of Lonesum Matrices
---
Introduction
============
The poly-Bernoulli numbers $B_n^{(r)}$ were introduced by Kaneko [@Kaneko] in a number-theoretic setting related to the Riemann zeta function. Subsequently, the case $B_{n,k} := B_n^{(-k)}$, when the second index $r=-k$ is negative, has attracted attention due to several combinatorial interpretations. The first such observation, from Brewbaker [@Brewbaker], was that $B_{n,k}$ enumerates the number of $n \times k$ matrices with entries $0$ or $1$ that can be uniquely reconstructed from their row sums and column sums, known as *lonesum matrices*; other combinatorial interpretations of $B_{n,k}$ can be found in [@benyi] and [@benyihajnal].
Explicitly, we have $$B_{n,k} = B_n^{(-k)} = \sum_{m \geq 0} (m!)^2 \stirling{n+1}{m+1} \stirling{k+1}{m+1},$$ where $\stirling{r}{s}$ denotes the Stirling number of the second kind. This note provides asymptotics for $B_{n,k}$ as $n,k \rightarrow \infty$. Asymptotic enumeration of lonesum matrices is a natural problem to consider from a purely combinatorial point of view, but further motivation comes from applications in biology [@Cai] and algebraic statistics [@Sullivant] where the poly-Bernoulli numbers appear (the growth rate of the poly-Bernoulli numbers being of particular relevance in those studies).
As was pointed out in [@benyihajnal], asymptotic results have already been established for the “poly-Bernoulli relatives” $D_{n,k}$ and $C_{n,k},$ which enumerate lonesum matrices with restrictions on the appearance of all-$0$ rows or columns[^1]. The diagonal asymptotic[^2] $$\label{eq:corrected}
D_{k,k} \sim \frac{(k!)^2}{4\cdot(\log 2)^{2k+1}}\sqrt{\frac{1}{k\pi(1-\log 2)}} \quad \text{as } k \rightarrow \infty,$$ follows from bijections in [@benyihajnal] along with the asymptotic result in [@Lovasz], where the authors use a clever application of Parseval’s identity followed by Cauchy’s coefficient formula along with Laplace’s method for asymptotic analysis of integrals.
\[rmk:mistake\] There is a small mistake in the final step (applying Laplace’s method) of the proof of Theorem 1 in [@Lovasz], with the stated result of that source missing a factor of $$\frac{1}{4 \sqrt{2 k} \log 2}.$$ The corrected form of the asymptotic is stated above in .
Asymptotics for the poly-Bernoulli relative $C_{n,k}$ follow from the bijections in [@benyihajnal] along with the asymptotics of certain permutation statistics given in [@ALN], where the authors applied the general machinery of analytic combinatorics in several variables (ACSV) developed by Pemantle, Wilson, and Baryshnikov [@PemantleWilson].
Here we adapt these methods to determine asymptotics for the standard poly-Bernoulli numbers $B_{n,k}$. We first use the more classical techniques from [@Lovasz] to prove Theorem \[thm:diag\] in Section \[sec:diag\]; this method only applies to the diagonal case $n=k$ corresponding to square lonesum matrices. We then adapt the method from [@ALN] in order to establish a more general bivariate asymptotic when $n,k \rightarrow \infty$ with $n/k$ varying within an arbitrary compact subset of the positive real numbers, see Theorem \[thm:multivar\] in Section \[sec:multivar\].
Even though Theorem \[thm:diag\] is a special case of Theorem \[thm:multivar\], the proof of Theorem \[thm:diag\] given in Section \[sec:diag\] provides an alternative perspective viewing a sum of squares as a Parseval identity, and this method may extend to other counting sequences whose terms can be expressed as a sum of squares.
Asymptotics for k x k lonesum matrices {#sec:diag}
======================================
\[thm:diag\] The number $B(k)=B_{k,k}$ of $k \times k$ lonesum matrices is asymptotically given by $$B(k) \sim (k!)^2 \sqrt{\frac{1}{k\pi(1-\log 2)}}\left( \frac{1}{\log 2} \right) ^{2k+1}, \quad \text{as \, } k \rightarrow \infty.$$
As indicated in the introduction, our proof is inspired by the work of Lovasz and Vesztergombi [@Lovasz]. First, we interpret $$\label{eq:n=k}
B(k) = \sum_{m=0}^k (m!)^2 \stirling{k+1}{m+1}^2$$ as a Parseval formula[^3], $$\label{eq:parseval}
B(k)=\frac{1}{2\pi} \int_{-\pi}^{\pi} \vert u_k(e^{i \varphi} ) \vert ^2 d\varphi$$ where $$u_k(y)=\sum_{m=0}^k m! \stirling{k+1}{m+1}y^m .$$ Set $$\psi(x,y) = \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} u_k(y) \frac{x^k}{k!}.$$ Then $\psi$ can be expressed in closed form, $$\begin{aligned}
\psi(x,y) & = \sum_{k=0}^{\infty} \frac{x^k}{k!} \sum_{m=0}^k m!
\stirling{k+1}{m+1}y^m \\
& = \sum_{m=0}^{\infty} m!y^m \sum_{k=m}^{\infty} \stirling{k+1}{m+1} \frac{x^k}{k!} \\
& = \sum_{m=0}^{\infty} y^m e^x(e^x-1)^m \\
&= \frac{e^x}{1-y(e^x-1)},\end{aligned}$$ where we have used the identity $$\sum_{k=m}^{\infty} \stirling{k+1}{m+1} \frac{x^k}{k!} = \frac{e^x(e^x - 1)^m}{m!},$$ which follows from shifting the index and then differentiating the more basic identity [@Stanley Sec. 1.4] $$\sum_{k=m}^{\infty} \stirling{k}{m} \frac{x^{k}}{k!} = \frac{(e^x - 1)^m}{m!}.$$
Using the Cauchy Integral Formula, we have $$\label{eq:uk}
u_k(y) = \frac{k!}{2 \pi i } \oint_{C_{\varepsilon}} \frac{\psi(x,y)}{x^{k+1}} dx ,$$ where the contour $C_{\varepsilon}$ is a small circle $|x|={\varepsilon}$ traced counterclockwise. For any $y\in\mathbb{C}$ the pole of $\psi$ closest to the origin is $x=x_0=\log(1+1/y)$.
Let $\Gamma$ denote the contour consisting of the three segments $$\Gamma_- := [-\infty-\pi i,2-\pi i], \, \Gamma_0 := [2-\pi i, 2+ \pi i], \text{ and } \Gamma_+ := [2+\pi i , -\infty + \pi i].$$ For $|y|=1$, the contour $\Gamma$ surrounds $x_0$ and no other singularities of $\psi(x,y)$, and we have $$\label{eq:CauchyThm}
\oint_{\Gamma} \frac{\psi(x,y)}{x^{k+1}} dx
- \oint_{C_{\varepsilon}} \frac{\psi(x,y)}{x^{k+1}} dx = 2 \pi i \, {\text{Res}}_{x=x_0} \frac{\psi(x,y)}{x^{k+1}}.$$
(-3,0) – (3,0) node\[right\] [*Re*]{}; (0,-4) – (0,4) node\[above\] [*Im*]{}; (-3, -3.1415) – node\[below\][$\Gamma_{-}$]{} (2, -3.1415); (-3, 3.1415) – node\[above\][$\Gamma_{+}$]{} (2, 3.1415); (2, -3.1415) – node\[above right\][$\Gamma_0$]{} (2, 3.1415) ; plot (,1.57079); plot (,-1.57079);
plot \[smooth\] coordinates [ (-2.256924, -1.518436) (-2.034037, -1.505346) (-1.746911 , -1.483529) (-1.496426, -1.458596) (-1.256566, -1.427996) (-1.1619709, -1.413716) (-0.941145, -1.374446) (-0.809586, -1.346397) (-0.658478,-1.308997) (-0.267399, -1.178097) (0,-1.0471975) (0.34657,-0.785398) (0.549306, -0.523598) (0.6139735, -0.392699) (0.658478, -0.261799) (0.693147,0) (0.658478, 0.261799) (0.6139735, 0.392699) (0.549306, 0.523598) (0.34657, 0.785398) (0, 1.0471975) (-0.267399, 1.178097) (-0.658478, 1.308997) (-0.809586, 1.346397) (-0.941145, 1.374446) (-1.1619709, 1.413716) (-1.256566, 1.427996) (-1.496426, 1.458596) (-1.746911 , 1.483529) (-2.034037, 1.505346) (-2.256924, 1.518436) ]{};
(-8,0) – (8,0) node\[right\] [*Re*]{}; (0,-8) – (0,8) node\[above\] [*Im*]{}; (-7.35,0.13) – (-0.2,0.13); (-7.35,-0.13) – (-0.2,-0.13); (1,0) circle (1); (0,0) circle (7.389056) ;
This follows from the residue theorem, if in place of $\Gamma$ we use a finite rectangular contour $\Gamma_R$ obtained from truncating $\Gamma$ at $\Re \, x = -R$, with $R > - \Re x_0$, and inserting a left edge at $\Re \, x = -R$ to form a rectangle. In order to arrive at the statement using the contour $\Gamma$ we deform the contour $\Gamma_R$, letting $R \rightarrow \infty$. This requires an estimate; we notice that the integrand is $O(|x|^{-k-1})$ for $\Re x \rightarrow \infty$ with $|\Im x| \leq \pi$, and for $k \geq 1$ this is sufficient to justify deforming the contour $\Gamma_R$ to arrive at the infinite contour $\Gamma$.
We can thus rewrite as $$\begin{aligned}
\frac{u_k(y)}{k!} &= -{\text{Res}}_{x=x_0} \frac{\psi(x,y)}{x^{k+1}} + \frac{1}{2\pi i}\oint_{\Gamma} \frac{\psi(x,y)}{x^{k+1}} dx.\end{aligned}$$ For $y = e^{i\varphi}$ we have $x_0 = \log (1+e^{-i\varphi})$, and from the above we obtain $$\label{eq:res}
\frac{u_k(y)}{k!} = \frac{1}{e^{i \varphi}(\log (1+e^{-i \varphi}))^{k+1}} + O(2^{-k}),$$ where we have computed the residue by evaluating (see [@Ahlfors p. 151]) $$\lim_{x \rightarrow x_0} (x-x_0)\frac{\psi(x,e^{i \varphi})}{x^{k+1}}, \quad x_0 = \log(1+e^{-i\varphi}).$$ The above estimate $$\label{eq:est}
\oint_{\Gamma} \frac{\psi(x,y)}{x^{k+1}} dx = O(2^{-k})$$ can be seen as follows. For $|y|=1$, we have $$\begin{aligned}
|\psi(x,y)| &= \frac{|e^x|}{|y|\left| 1+\frac{1}{y}-e^x\right|} \\
&= \frac{|e^x|}{\left| 1+\frac{1}{y}-e^x\right|}.\end{aligned}$$ Along $\Gamma_{\pm}$ we then have (see Figure \[fig1\]) $$|\psi(x,y)| \leq \frac{|e^x|}{|e^x|} =1 ,$$ and along $\Gamma_0$ we have $$|\psi(x,y)| \leq
\frac{|e^x|}{|e^x|-\left|1+1/y\right|} \leq
\frac{e^2}{e^2-2},$$ so that the estimate is reduced to showing $$\label{eq:estred}
\oint_{\Gamma}
|x|^{-k-1} |dx| = O(2^{-k}).$$ We have $$\begin{aligned}
\oint_{\Gamma } |x|^{-k-1} |dx| &=
\oint_{\Gamma \cap \{ \Re \, x \geq -2 \}} |x|^{-k-1} |dx| + \oint_{\Gamma \cap \{ \Re \, x \leq -2 \}} |x|^{-k-1} |dx| \\
&\leq (2\pi+2 \cdot 4) 2^{-k-1} + 2 \int_{2}^\infty t^{-k-1} dt \\
&=(2\pi+8) 2^{-k-1} + \frac{2}{k}2^{-k} \\
&= O(2^{-k}).\end{aligned}$$
Substitution of into then gives $$B(k) \sim \frac{(k!)^2}{2 \pi} \int_{-\pi}^{\pi} \frac{d\varphi}{ \vert \log (1+e^{-i \varphi}) \vert ^{2k+2} } , \quad \text{as } k \rightarrow \infty .$$
In preparation for applying the Laplace method for asymptotic analysis of integrals, we rewrite the integrand: $$\frac{1}{ \vert \log (1+e^{-i \varphi}) \vert ^{2k+2} } = \exp \left\{ -(k+1) 2 \log \left| \log (1+e^{-i \varphi}) \right| \right\}.$$ Recall Laplace’s method for asymptotics of such integrals [@deBruijn Sec. 4.2]: if $f$ is a continuously differentiable function on $[a,b]$ and $\varphi_0 \in (a,b)$ is the unique point in $[a,b]$ where $f$ attains a global maximum, then $$\int_a^b e^{tf(\varphi)} d \varphi
\sim \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{tf(\varphi_0) + tf''(\varphi_0)\varphi/2} d \varphi
= \sqrt{\frac{2 \pi}{t \vert f''(\varphi_0) \vert}} e^{t f(\varphi_0)} \quad \text{as } t \rightarrow \infty .$$ Applying this to our situation, we notice that $f(\varphi) = -2 \log \left| \log (1+e^{-i \varphi}) \right| $ satisfies these conditions with $\varphi_0=0$, and setting $t=k+1$ we obtain $$\frac{1}{2\pi}\int_{-\pi}^{\pi} \frac{d\varphi}{ \vert \log (1+e^{-i \varphi}) \vert ^{2k+2} } \sim \sqrt{\frac{1}{k\pi(1-\log 2)}} \left( \frac{1}{\log 2} \right)^{2k+1} \quad \text{as } k \rightarrow \infty.$$ Multiplying by $(k!)^2$ we arrive at the desired result.
\[rmk:expansion\] The above readily yields additional terms in the asymptotic expansion for $B_{k,k}$ by using the extension of Laplace’s method provided in [@deBruijn Sec. 4.4]. To illustrate, we state the asymptotic with two orders of precision: $$B(k) = \frac{(k!)^2}{\sqrt{(k+1)\pi(1-\log 2)}} \left( \frac{1}{\log 2} \right) ^{2k+1} \left( 1 + \frac{C}{k} + O\left( k^{-2} \right) \right), \quad \text{as \, } k \rightarrow \infty,$$ where $C= \displaystyle \frac{2\log^3 2 + 3 \log^2 2 - 12\log 2 +6}{16 (1-\log 2)^2 }$.
Bivariate asymptotics for the number of n x k lonesum matrices {#sec:multivar}
==============================================================
In this section we determine bivariate asymptotics of $B_{n,k}$. To state our main result we define the function $$\label{eq:f}
f(t) = \frac{t}{(1-e^t)\ln(1-e^{-t})},$$ which has strictly positive derivative, goes to 0 as $t\rightarrow0$, and goes to infinity as $t\rightarrow\infty$ (see [@ALN Appendix]). Thus, $f$ is a bijection from the positive real line $(0,\infty)$ to itself.
\[thm:multivar\] If $n,k\rightarrow\infty$ such that $n/k$ approaches a positive constant, and $a=a(n,k)= f^{-1}(n/k)$ and $b=b(n,k) = f^{-1}(k/n)$, then $$\label{eq:bivarasymp}
B_{n,k} = \frac{a^{-n}b^{-k}}{\sqrt{k}} \, \frac{n! \, k!}{\sqrt{2\pi ae^{-a}\left[be^{-b} + a e^{-a} - ab \right]}}\left(1+O\left(k^{-1}\right)\right).$$ The implied constant in the big-O error term can be uniformly bounded as $n/k$ varies in any compact set of $\mathbb{R}_{>0}$.
When $n=k$ we obtain the explicit formula $$f^{-1}(k/n) = f^{-1}(n/k) = f^{-1}(1) = \log 2,$$ and we recover Theorem \[thm:diag\] from Theorem \[thm:multivar\].
Our argument begins with the bivariate exponential generating function $$F(x,y) := \sum_{n,k \geq 0} B_{n,k} \frac{x^n}{n!} \frac{y^k}{k!} = \frac{1}{e^{-x}+ e^{-y}-1},$$ whose derivation can be found, for instance, in B[é]{}nyi and Hajnal [@benyihajnal]. As in the univariate case the set of $F$’s singularities, here the set $${\mathcal{V}}= \{(x,y)\in{\mathbb{C}}^2 : H(x,y)=0 \},$$ is crucial to determining asymptotics. A singularity $(p,q) \in {\mathcal{V}}$ is called *minimal* if there does not exist $(x,y) \in {\mathbb{C}}^2$ such that $H(x,y)=0$ with $|x| \leq |p|$ and $|y| \leq |q|$, with one of the inequalities being strict. Equivalently, the minimal singularities are the elements of ${\mathcal{V}}$ on the closure of the power series domain of convergence ${\mathcal{D}}$ of $F(x,y)$. A singularity $(p,q) \in {\mathcal{V}}$ is *strictly minimal* if it is minimal and there are no other singularities with the same coordinate-wise modulus.
\[lem:min\] A singularity $(a,b) \in {\mathcal{V}}$ is minimal if and only if $a$ (and thus also $b$) is positive and real. In particular, every minimal singularity is strictly minimal.
This follows from application of results in [@PemWilTwenty Sec. 3], but the arguments are short and elementary so we provide a self-contained proof for the convenience of the reader.
Since the coefficients $B_{n,k}$ are non-negative, for $(x,y)$ in the power series domain of convergence ${\mathcal{D}}$ we have $$\left|F(x,y)\right| = \left|\sum_{n,k \geq 0} B_{n,k} \frac{x^n}{n!} \frac{y^k}{k!}\right| \leq \sum_{n,k \geq 0} B_{n,k} \frac{|x|^n}{n!} \frac{|y|^k}{k!} = F(|x|,|y|).$$ Because $F$ is the ratio of analytic functions, any singularity of $F$ is a polar singularity. In particular, if $(p,q) \in {\mathcal{V}}$ is minimal then there exist a sequence of points $(p_n,q_n) \in {\mathcal{D}}$ such that $|F(p_n,q_n)|\rightarrow\infty$. But then each $(|p_n|,|q_n|) \in {\mathcal{D}}$ and $F(|p_n|,|q_n|)\rightarrow\infty$, so $(p,q) \in {\mathcal{V}}$ is a minimal singularity only if $(|p|,|q|) \in {\mathcal{V}}$ is also a minimal singularity.
Suppose now that $(a e^{i\theta_1}, b e^{i \theta_2}) \in {\mathcal{V}}$ with $a,b>0$ is minimal, so that the last paragraph implies $(a,b) \in {\mathcal{V}}$. Since $F(x,y) = \frac{e^{x+y}}{1-P(x,y)}$ where $$P(x,y) = 1-e^x - e^y + e^{x+y} = \sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac{1}{k!}\sum_{j=1}^{k-1} \binom{k}{j}x^j y^{k-j},$$ we have $P(a,b)=1=P(ae^{i\theta_1},b e^{i \theta_2})$ and $$\sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac{1}{k!}\sum_{j=1}^{k-1} \binom{k}{j}a^j b^{k-j} = \left|\sum_{k=1}^\infty \frac{1}{k!}\sum_{j=1}^{k-1} \binom{k}{j}a^jb^{k-j}e^{ji\theta_1} e^{(k-j)i\theta_2} \right|.$$ Equality holds only if equality holds term by term, so $e^{i n\theta_1} e^{i k \theta_2} = 1$ for each $n,k>0$ and thus $\theta_1 = \theta_2=0$. In particular, the only minimal points lie in the positive quadrant.
Theorem \[thm:multivar\] is then an immediate consequence of standard results in the theory of analytic combinatorics in several variables.
\[thm:PW\] Let $F(x,y)$ be the ratio of entire functions $G,H$ and let ${\mathcal{V}}= \left\{(x, y) \in {\mathbb{C}}^2: H(x, y) = 0\right\}$. Suppose $F(x, y) = \sum_{r, s \geq 0} f_{r,s} x^ry^s$ is the power series expansion of $F$ at the origin and
1. for each $r,s>0$ there exists a unique minimal point $(x_{r,s},y_{r,s}) \in {\mathcal{V}}$ solving the system $$H(x,y) = sxH_x(x,y) - ryH_y(x,y) = 0, \label{eq:crit}$$ and this point is strictly minimal;
2. The point $(x_{r,s},y_{r,s})$ varies smoothly with $r,s$;
3. The point $(x_{r,s},y_{r,s})$ is not a root of the polynomial $G(x,y)$ nor a root of the polynomial $$Q(x,y):= -y^2H_y^2xH_x-yH_yx^2H_x^2-x^2y^2(H_y^2H_{xx}+H_x^2H_{yy}-2H_xH_yH_{xy}).$$
Then as $r, s \to \infty$ $$\label{eq:PW}
A_{r,s} = \left( G(x,y) + O(s^{-1}) \right) \frac{1}{\sqrt{2\pi}}x^{-r}y^{-s}\sqrt{\frac{-yH_y}{sQ(x,y)}},$$ where the constant in the error term $O(s^{-1})$ can be uniformly bounded as $r/s$ varies in any compact set.
Although Theorem \[thm:multivar\] is a direct application of Theorem \[thm:PW\], we sketch the argument for our situation as this seems a nice opportunity to illustrate the basic methods involved in analytic combinatorics in several variables. The starting point is a bivariate Cauchy integral representation $$B_{n,k} = \frac{n!k!}{(2\pi i)^2} \int_{|x|=u} \left(\int_{|y|=v} \frac{1}{e^{-x}+e^{-y}-1} \frac{dy}{y^{k+1}}\right)\frac{dx}{x^{n+1}}, \label{eq:mCIF}$$ where $T(u,v) = \{(x,y)\in{\mathbb{C}}^2 : |x|=u,|y|=v\}$ for any $(u,v) \in {\mathcal{D}}$. If $(a,b)$ is a minimal point then $(u,v)$ in Equation can be replaced by $(a,b-\epsilon)$ for any sufficiently small $\epsilon>0$. When $(a,b)$ is strictly minimal then the domain of integration $|x|=a$ can be replaced by any neighbourhood $\mathcal{N}$ of $a$ in the circle $|x|=a$ while introducing an exponentially negligible error. Furthermore, if $(a,b)$ satisfies Equation then replacing $|y|=b$ by $|y|=b+\epsilon$ results in an integral which is also exponentially smaller than $B_{n,k}$. Thus, up to an exponentially negligible error the sequence of interest is a difference of integrals $$\frac{n!k!}{(2\pi i)^2}\int_{x \in \mathcal{N}} \left(\int_{|y|=b-\epsilon} \frac{1}{e^{-x}+e^{-y}-1} \frac{dy}{y^{k+1}} - \int_{|y|=b+\epsilon} \frac{1}{e^{-x}+e^{-y}-1} \frac{dy}{y^{k+1}}\right)\frac{dx}{x^{n+1}}.$$ When $(a,b)$ is strictly minimal, the inner difference of integrals equals the residue of the integrand at the singularity $y=-\log(1-e^{-x})$, meaning the sequence of interest is asymptotically approximated by the integral $$I_{n,k} = \frac{n!k!}{2\pi i}\int_{x \in \mathcal{N}} \frac{1}{1-e^{-x}} \frac{dx}{x^{n+1}\left(-\log(1-e^{-x})\right)^{k+1}}.$$ Parameterizing $\mathcal{N} = \{ae^{i\theta} : -\tau \leq \theta \leq \tau \}$ for some $\tau>0$ we obtain $$I_{n,k} = \frac{n!k!}{2\pi a^n}\int_{-\tau}^{\tau} \frac{1}{1-e^{-ae^{i\theta}} } e^{-ni\theta - (k+1)\log\left(-\log\left(1-e^{-ae^{i\theta}}\right)\right)} d\theta. \label{eq:finalSaddle}$$ When $(a,b)$ satisfies Equation then is a saddle-point integral. Replacing these functions by their leading power series terms (up to second order) at the origin gives the asymptotic approximation (see [@deBruijn Ch. 5] for an exposition of the saddle-point method) $$\begin{aligned}
I_{n,k} &\sim \frac{n! k! e^b}{2\pi a^n b^{k+1}} \int_{-\tau}^{\tau} e^{-k\theta^2 \frac{ae^{-a}\left( -be^{-a}+ae^{-a}-ab+b \right)}{2e^{-2b} b^2}} d\theta \\
&\sim \frac{n! k! e^b}{2\pi a^n b^{k+1}} \int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-k\theta^2 \frac{ae^{-a}\left( -be^{-a}+ae^{-a}-ab+b \right)}{2e^{-2b} b^2}} d\theta \\
&=\frac{a^{-n}b^{-k}}{\sqrt{k}} \times \frac{n!k!}{\sqrt{2 \pi ae^{-a}(be^{-b}+ae^{-a}-ab)}}\end{aligned}$$ stated in Theorem \[thm:multivar\]. As in Remark \[rmk:expansion\] above, asymptotics of $B_{n,k}$ can be determined to larger order by using known formulas to compute additional terms in the asymptotic expansion of .
Asymptotic enumeration of permutations with a single run of excedances
======================================================================
Lemma \[lem:min\] also implies a strengthened version of [@ALN Thm. 1.3], which gives asymptotics for a multivariate generating function of a similar form.
Give a permutation $\pi$ on $\{1,2,...,n\}$, we say that $j$ is an *excedance* of $\pi$ if $\pi(j) > j$, and the *excedance word* $w(\pi) = w_1 w_2 \cdots w_{n-1} \in \{A,B \}^{n-1}$ of $\pi$ is defined by $w_j = B$ if $j$ is an excedance and $w_j = A$ otherwise. For an excedance word $w \in \{A,B\}^{n-1}$, the bracket $[w]$ denotes the number of permutations with excedance word $w$.
If $r,s\rightarrow\infty$ such that $r/s$ approaches a positive constant, and $x=x(r,s)= f^{-1}(r/s)$ and $y=y(r,s) = f^{-1}(s/r)$, then $$[B^{r-1}A^s] = \frac{x^{-r}y^{-s}}{\sqrt{2\pi s}} \, \frac{r! \, s! \, e^{-y}}{\sqrt{ xe^{-x}\left[ye^{-y} + x e^{-x} - xy \right]}}\left(1+O\left(s^{-1}\right)\right).$$ The implied constant in the big-O error term can be uniformly bounded as $r/s$ varies in any compact set of $\mathbb{R}_{>0}$.
This result is proved in [@ALN] under the additional assumption that $(r,s)$ stays within a certain sector-shaped neighborhood of the diagonal $r=s$.
The result follows from the proof given in [@ALN] while using the above Lemma \[lem:min\] in place of [@ALN Lemma 3.1].
[^1]: The number $C_{n,k}$ enumerates lonesum matrices of size $n \times k$ that have no column with all zeros, and $D_{n,k}$ enumerates lonesum matrices of size $n \times k$ that have no row or column with all zeros.
[^2]: Here and throughout this paper $\log t$ denotes the natural logarithm of $t$.
[^3]: Or perhaps “Pythagorean identity” is more apt since is a finite sum of squares.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
ArXiv
|
Identification of intimin alleles in pathogenic Escherichia coli by PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis.
A rapid two-step identification method based on PCR-RFLP analysis of the intimin gene was developed to differentiate specific alleles in pathogenic Escherichia coli. This technique, tested on isolates eae-positive, accurately detects eae and resolves alleles encoding the alpha1, alpha2, beta, gamma1, gamma2/theta, kappa, epsilon, zeta, and iota intimin variants.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
The Affordable Care Act has been a policy success. It has substantially reduced the number of uninsured, while slowing the growth in American health care spending. The people who have been newly insured under the ACA like it.
None of these things have made the law popular among the population as a whole. But if there's one thing that's less popular than the ACA, it's repealing the ACA. For this reason, Republicans opposed to ObamaCare have to at least pretend to have an alternative.
One of these alternatives was put forward last week by Ed Gillespie, former chairman of the Republican National Committee and more recently a failed candidate for Senate. The plan has been praised on the right for being a serious alternative to ObamaCare. However, it doesn't really solve the Republican health care problem. That's because as an alternative to the ACA it's far worse than nothing.
The core of Gillespie's plan is a proposal for tax credits to purchase insurance. Gillsepie's case for the credits is unintentionally revealing:
These tax credits would benefit everyone, whereas under the Affordable Care Act premium assistance almost exclusively benefits the near-poor and the near-elderly, at great cost to the middle class and the young. A household in Virginia of two 36-year-olds making $63,000 a year gets no subsidy under ObamaCare, but under my plan, they'd get a tax credit worth $4,200. And those with policies covering adult children up to their 26th birthday could keep them. [The New York Times]
Note that Gillespie carefully describes his model family as two people making $63,000 a year, rather than more honestly discussing a household with an income of $126,000 — well more than twice the national per capita household income. In other words, Gillespie is proposing an upper-class tax cut, the one Republican solution to every problem under the sun. (Except global warming, which doesn't exist.)
But it's worse than that. The credits will be inadequate for most people to purchase decent insurance. This is not necessarily a huge issue for Gillespie's model six-figure earners, but a bigger problem for the more typical household. And because Gillespie would eliminate the ACA's crucial provisions guaranteeing insurance regardless of pre-existing conditions, insurance will not be available at all for many people. (The high-risk pools Gillespie proposes as an alternative would have to be subsidized at unrealistically high levels or they would fail.)
Gillespie is proposing to make the individual insurance market worthless for most people, and offering only inadequate tax subsidies in exchange. But we haven't even touched upon the poor, whom the ACA sought to cover through a historic Medicaid expansion that would be covering more than 10 million people had it not been ineptly re-written by the Supreme Court.
This is Gillespie's answer to the poor newly covered by the ACA: drop dead. Under his plan, "Medicaid would revert to pre-ObamaCare eligibility levels." In other words, the millions of people already covered under the ACA's expansion would be out of luck, and those who would be covered if their states eventually decide to take the large amount of federal money on offer would be out of luck as well.
What we have here, then, is definitive Republican policy circa 2014: funding tax breaks that disproportionately benefit the wealthy on the backs of the most vulnerable people in society.
What could possibly justify such cruelty? Gillespie asserts that the Medicaid expansion would be "unsustainable," arguing that health care costs can only be controlled by market competition. But this argument is theoretically and empirically indefensible. As the Nobel Prize–winning economist Kenneth Arrow long ago explained, markets in health care don't work like markets for other consumer goods. And Arrow's theory has been proven right in practice again and again. Other liberal democracies have more state intervention in health care markets, and all of them cover more people for less money (and often much less money) than the United States. The fact that the ACA's provisions have bent the cost curve underlines this point.
Just to add to his total detachment from all known facts about health care policy, Gillespie also proposes that old Republican standby, tort reform to limit malpractice lawsuits. Alas, this approach has been a proven failure at either controlling costs or reducing the number of uninsured.
Gillespie's proposal, in other words, is a disaster. It would result in a huge spike in the ranks of the uninsured and medical bankruptcies, with horrible human consequences, without significantly addressing the horribly inefficient American health care system. As an alternative to the ACA, it represents what the de facto Republican alternative for the uninsured has always been: nothing.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Despite all of the truly horrible things I say to Vardy on a weekly basis, I’ve loved recording this show with him and look forward to the occasional guest spot on his new Productivityist podcast. It was also an honor to be a small part of both the 70Decibels and 5by5 podcast networks.
I’m extremely proud of the final episode and hope you decide to give it a listen. We talk a lot about why we decided to wrap up the show and why I wanted to get back to writing here on the site.
In addition to wrapping up the Workflowing podcast, I’ve also shut down the Workflowing website (essentially, I’ve rid myself of anything I ever did with Vardy). All of the Workflowing posts have been moved over to this very site. For those who were unaware of the project, you can find all of my Workflowing posts here.
For those of you who will miss my regular ramblings on productivity and self-improvement, keep an eye on this site. While I plan to focus on writing for the time being, I have a few audio experiements in mind for the future.
Who is this for? Those looking for a few takeaways from the recent NMX conference in Las Vegas.
I’m basking in the afterglow of an amazing few days at New Media Expo (or NMX as the kids like to call it) in Las Vegas. My notebook runneth over with nuggets of wisdom and truth. My panel with Chase Reeves, Justin Jackson and my podcasting partner-in-crime, Mike Vardy, was seemingly well received. My voice is gone but slowly recovering from a mixture of dry Vegas air and far too many conversations to count. And my liver … well, my liver isn’t very happy with me right now, but let’s not dwell.
I learned a lot over these past days, largely due to some of the best encounters and conversations in the halls and at the bar that I’ve had in a very long time. But if there’s one thing I’m going to remember, if there’s one thing I plan to take away, it’s this: I need to be more like Chase Reeves. In fact, I think we all do.
Now I’m not suggesting that I, or the rest of us for that matter, should try to start acting like him. We’d all fail miserably, and bartenders all over the world would struggle to keep up with the demand for Negroni and Fernet. I just noticed a few Chase-centric takeaways (they say you’re supposed to look for takeaways at conferences, after all) that I believe we could all benefit from.
Make Everyone Feel Amazing
The first thing you notice about Chase is how good he makes you feel. Then you realize that he makes everyone he comes into contact with feel exactly that good. You also realize that this isn’t about him wanting you to like him (no matter how many times tells you that this is why he does it). It’s about him actually wanting everyone and anyone around him to feel amazing. Good times follow good feelings, and Chase knows how to create them both.
I plan to start working a lot harder to make the people around me realize just how special they are. I plan on saying more of the things that I believe to be true about those people but feel far too self-conscious to say.
Work Hard, Get Good
Chase is a maker. He is a creator. A big part of his ability to make so many of the ideas in his head come to life are the skills he has painstakingly cultivated over the years. There’s no shortage of inherent talent and intelligence there, but it’s his drive to learn new skills that makes the man a force to be reckoned with.
I’ve spent so much time over the years trying to figure out what I really want to do with my life. I wish I had spent it all figuring out how to do things. Chase is the embodiment of what happens when someone continually takes the time to develop new skills. He’s a living reminder that building skills trumps chasing passions.
Don’t Know How Good You Are
The only thing more impressive than Chase’s skill is his humility. If I had half that man’s talent, I’d be insufferable. Even though Chase takes pride in his work, I’m not sure he knows just how magically delicious the fruits of his labor are to those of us who enjoy them. And even if he does know, he isn’t letting that fact get in the way of his strong desire to make whatever comes next even better and more meaningful.
This is a great and necessary reminder to stop worrying about how good I am all the time (because I literally worry about this all the time). I need to silence that inner voice and use that energy to work harder at getting better.
Create Memorable Moments
I dare you to forget meeting anyone who casually introduces himself as “Chase Wardman Reeves, from the Internet.” I dare you not to smile when you’re sitting at a bar and a group text goes out to inform everyone seated around you that, “We’re having a great time!” I dare you not to appreciate someone who—even though he’s as tired and has been as busy as the rest of us—acts as the event planner and camp counselor for an impromptu night out for 25 people. And I dare you not to love the guy who randomly asks if anyone is game to take a leisurely “Old Italian Man Walk” around the exterior of a casino just to think and talk about life.
I will never forget so many moments from the past few days, and this is largely due to Chase. It makes me want to put a lot more thought and effort into making more ordinary moments memorable.
Reach Over, Not Up
Chase has this great theory about building third-tier relationships. You should read his post (and this recent post-NMX follow up), but the short version is that those who embrace the third tier stop spending their time and energy trying to get the attention of heroes and potential mentors, and start spending it on the people doing, or aspiring to do, great work beside them.
I’ve been more than guilty of my fair share of shamelessly chasing the attention and approval of those who are more successful than I am. Heroes are great to have. I won’t be letting go of mine anytime soon, but I’ll be focusing my time and my energy on those doing kick-ass work right beside me.
Be Really Fucking Brave
For those of you us who know Chase, or follow his personal site, you know this hasn’t been an easy year. His family suffered a loss that no one should ever have to experience. And while the loss of a child is not something you ever get past, they’re getting through. This was the first time I’ve seen Chase since the passing of his son and he is handling an impossible experience with a grit and grace that I still cannot fathom.
There are a ton of obvious lessons here, but for the moment, I’m just going to admire a bravery I cannot imagine and hope I never need.
Chase Is My Big Takeaway
This past week I learned a few new things about marketing, about entrepreneurship, about podcasting, about the Internet, but other than several memories I’ll cherish, I plan to walk away from the experience with one clear desire: I want us all to be a whole lot more like my friend, Chase Reeves.
Chase Wardman Reeves, from the Internet, invests in himself, in others and in the moment like no one else I’ve ever met. And while there’s no way he could possibly be copied, I’m going to keep learning every damn thing I can from the man. And I strongly suggest that you do the same.
Who is this for? Those who worry that their dreams will never become a reality.
When we were little kids, my brother locked himself away in his room watching movies. He decided that one day he was going to make one of those. Sure, that’ll happen…
When he was 12, my mother—who totally didn’t bother to learn enough about the movie—took far too many of his far too young friends to see Pulp Fiction. He fell in love with Tarantino. He wanted to make a movie just like him one of these days. Sure, that’ll happen…
When we were teens, I suggested that my brother actually read a book for a change. I gave him a copy of Get Shorty. I figured his only shot at finishing a book was to get him to read a book based on a movie. Despite never really reading a book before, he was hooked. He started reading any Elmore Leonard book he could find. He wondered if he would ever get to turn one of them into a movie. Sure, that’ll happen…
When he was a young independent filmmaker with far too few films under his belt, my brother decided to adapt the prequel to Jackie Brown. It was based on a movie from his favorite filmmaker and a book from his favorite author. He sent it in hoping to one day hear back. Sure, that’ll happen…
After nearly giving up on his dream he convinced Leonard (and got permission from Tarantino) to let him make it. But only if he, a young director with two films under his belt, could get the project funded. Sure, that’ll happen…
When he found producers and financiers who saw the potential in the project—and, more importantly, the potential of a young director—he was told that he would need to convince A-list celebrities to sign on in order to get a green light. He’d have to get stars like Jennifer Anniston and Tim Robbins to come on board. Sure, that’ll happen…
For years my brother has had—and been encouraged to follow—impossible dream after impossible dream. For years, many (including himself at times) thought it might not happen. There were successes along the way, but there were most certainly lows. And now, after two decades of working towards and never letting go of his dreams, this happened:
(Stan Behal/QMI Agency)
Some will call him lucky. Some will say that he had every advantage. They may even have a point, but here’s the truth: for two-thirds of his life my brother took an unlikely dream and worked to make it real. For over twenty years he allowed himself to believe that sure, that’ll happen…
Who is this for? Anyone interested in the recent changes in my world, the impact they’ve had on my personal projects and the approach I’m considering getting those personal projects back on track.
Pausing a project is easy. There’s often a significant amount of thought that goes into deciding what you will and will not continue to do, but the actual final act itself couldn’t be simpler: decide to stop doing something and then stop doing it. If you use software for project management, hit pause or put the project on hold and—like magic—watch it drop off your list and off your mind.
Over the past few months, I’ve had to hit pause on more than a few projects. I even killed some. Since January, I’ve been working on projects for my job that took significant mental bandwidth. For months, I aided in the due diligence process as we sold our family business. Immediately after we closed, I transitioned myself out of the company in order to go work for our new parent company. I closed the book on a 13 year career and watched what has always been our family business no longer be our family business.
This is all good news. I’d been seriously thinking of making a professional change for some time, and I happen to really like the company that did the acquiring. But these are big, emotional changes, and when I added them to a significant increase in actual workload, something had to give.
For months, things I care about have gone by the wayside. This site hasn’t received the attention I would have liked. Relationships that mean the world to me have been malnourished. I haven’t worked on the second draft of my book. This might sound bad, or at least unproductive, but the decision to pause these things is paying off.
For the first time in a long time, I feel like I’m finding professional flow. The decision to focus on my career is helping me to make the most of my new opportunity. I’m challenged by the work. I like the team. And I’m interested to see where things go.
I’ve also benefited from the space I gave myself to emotionally settle the sale. This “exit” is something to celebrate, but I’d be lying—to you and to myself—if I didn’t need some time to accept the reality that what my grandfather created and my father built is not something I will ever be able to pass along to my children. I’m happy with how things turned out, but I’m also glad I’m not ignoring the significance of that truth.
Professionally and emotionally, I feel like things are on track. On the other hand, my personal projects are kind of a mess. When things were getting hectic I gave myself permission to take a step back, to ease off and give major life changes the attention they deserve. Now that the dust is starting to settle, I have to decide what to do about them. I have to figure out what to unpause and I have to decide if there’s any more that I have to kill.
I’ve tried to unpause it all as if no time had passed, the results have been poor and rife with procrastination. The reality is that I have to redevelop habits and muscles that have atrophied over the past few months. I don’t write as much as I used to. I don’t find my mind wandering to these personal projects as often as it used to. I could chalk that up to my being ready to move on, but that’s not really it. I’m just out of practice and these projects have been out of sight.
I really need to start revisiting these projects and will need to rebuild my habits. I need to prioritize the unpausing. I need to build back up some of my muscles. And once I’ve gained some momentum, I need to reassess what continues and what ends.
I’d love to make that decision now. I’d love to know exactly what I plan to unpause and accomplish over the next few months, but I’m just not there, yet. I have a good sense about what I’m doing professionally. Now I just need to dedicate some of the newfound time and emotional bandwidth towards figuring out what it is that I really want to do with my spare time. And then I need to dedicate myself to doing it.
In the meantime, things will continue to come a little slower than I’d like, here and on other personal projects. I need to get back on track, but I also need to be okay with the fact that it’s going to take some time to get back into a creative routine and to figure this all out. Pausing might be easy, but unpausing … it’s proving to be a lot harder than I imagined. That said, it’s time to start getting back to work. Acknowledging the hard time I’m having with that seemed as good a first step as any.
Who is this for? Those hoping to shift from creative struggle to creative success.
As readers of A Better Mess know all too well, I’m a big fan of both Yuvi Zalkow and his I’m A Failed Writer video series. It was the perfect mix of honesty and inspiration. Yuvi shared his struggles, but it also always felt as if the videos were helping him to overcome them.
When the series had run its course, I was sad to see it go, but excited to see where Yuvi would take his animated video concept next. After a few months of experimentation Yuvi has settled in on a new format. It’s one that I believe will prove to be extremely useful (and amusing) to those struggling with their own creative endeavors.
The Creative Turn – Yuvi’s new series – is an evolution of his own creative process. He will release one long-form interview as a podcast each month and then follow up with one of his short-form animated videos two weeks later. Each video will boil down the long-form conversation to its essence. I like to think of it as the podcast equivalent of CliffsNotes. The conversations will not be centered on the guests latest work. It looks to examine the time where their creative work went from floundering to flourishing.
As with many creative experiments, The Creative Turn started with a test. One night, Yuvi and I sat on Skype drinking and discussing the possibilities. The conversation started with a long list of things that Yuvi could do and we discussed them (and continued to drink) until they became one clear thing he would do. This conversation was never meant to be used – this will be clear from the audio quality – but as you will see from the abridged version of our discussion, it had a creative turn of its own.
Now, I’ve read Mike’s book on the subject. I’ve watched his videos. I’ve followed his work, and I’ve had him on a podcast to discuss his process. But nothing came close to watching the man work.
The experience did so much to enhance my understanding. I’d heard him share about capturing the essence. It made sense to me when I read it in his book, but the concept came to life when I saw what he captured and what he had to overlook. Reading his encouragements to not worry about mistakes helped, but it paled in comparison to watching the man fearlessly attack his own work. I’d heard about how he would get the bones of a sketchnote down, adding details and additional thoughts to it later, but I didn’t truly appreciate how he approached this until I sat beside him and watched him.
Instead of just enjoying the talk and then seeing his notes, I was able to observe—up close and personal—how they come together. I was fortunate to experience the process, rather than just enjoying the results.
Now I still can’t draw to save my life, but I learned so much from the experience. Observing Mike’s process will inform the way I take in conferences and is causing me to rethink many of the ways I approach my writing. Rather than obsessing over every detail, I want to obsess over the essence. Rather than fearing mistakes, I need to remember that I can always find ways to fix them later. Rather than worrying that I’ve missed a key fact, I’ll look to get my idea down and continue to improve upon it later. None of these ideas are new. I’d heard them all before—in fact I’d heard them directly from Mike—but didn’t fully understand them until I saw him in action.
I’m not certain that there’s a better way to learn from others how to improve our game than by watching as they play their own. All too often we’re obsessed with getting them to tell us their secrets. We want things spelled out and told to us. We want a three step process on how we can do as they do. While there’s a fair amount to be learned from someone sharing their process, those two uncomfortable hours were a great reminder of the power of just sitting back and watching someone with a gift use it.
It was a gift to hold the light. It was a gift to watch him work and to learn, but more than anything I was encouraged to go out and the get the man a better light, so I could get back to doing more of my own. Learning about others is one thing, but the last and most important thing I took away from watching Mike bring a conference to life in the pages of his Moleskine is that nothing helps you improve at your craft quite like doing it.
Follow The Mess
Things I Like
Read The Manifesto
Search Me!
Search
About
Hi, I'm Michael Schechter. I struggle with creativity and productivity (Read: I have ADHD). I tend to write about how we can improve at both pursuits through the use of technology. More often than not, I end up rambling on about how all kinds of Apple geekery are helping me get my life together...
I also steal and share your best ideas and quotes on my Tumblr blog, Smarter Than I Am.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
And Game of Thrones was from HBO. The explosion of quality dramatic television series coming out of the US post-The Sopranos is hardly news. I didn’t know the original George R.R. Martin novels, but a long-form fantasy series as good as Deadwood or The Wire? Sign me up.
Fantasy (like science fiction) is a genre in ongoing conversation with itself, where current stories take up elements and arguments from previous stories to expand upon or refute. It seemed fairly clear to me from the start that Game of Thrones wanted to take the clichés that had built up around the fantasy genre since Tolkien and rub their noses in the dirt.
In reality, ye olden times were muddy and bloody and full of brutality, where the ideas of honour and gallantry were honoured almost entirely in the breech and only the harsh and brutal – the bad guys in any other series – would have survived. Having drifted away from fantasy in part because of my disinterest in the clichés, the idea of a series that would expose them to the harsh light of reality cheered me no end.
Of course, Game of Thrones doesn’t really want to bring reality to a fantasy world. It slaps a bit of mud on it and piles on the nudity, but beneath it all, the clichés still tick over. The brave knight might be a woman, the cunning hero might be a dwarf, the wise ruler might be an ocean away waiting for her dragons to grow up, but deep down all that’s changed is the casting. Still, that’s hardly a fatal flaw.
What was more deadly to my enjoyment was the utter seriousness with which it took itself. Like the Batman films, which daren’t crack a smile lest we realise that hang on, we’re watching a movie about a guy who dresses up as a bat, Game of Thrones is a basically silly concept (Dragons? Giants? Snow zombies? Assassins made of smoke? How do all these poverty-stricken medieval types manage to make such fancy costumes? What good are all those castles doing on top of crags in the middle of nowhere?) that can’t acknowledge its silliness for fear the whole structure will collapse.
Fantasy (and science fiction for that matter) requires a lot of world-building, and if you don’t take world-building seriously, the whole thing falls in a heap. In a drama set in the real world, you can mine humour from the way the world is or the way that people act. In a fantasy, doing that only draws attention to the fact that the world isn’t like this, and people aren’t like that. So getting laughs out of dragons or the wacky uneven seasons or the way all the endless sex slaves are really hot is out: Game of Thrones does the best it can at wringing laughs out of character interaction and physical bungling, but most of the characters are too thinly drawn for even that. (Tyrion only gets to be witty because that’s his thing.)
Ah, the characters. Producers Dan Weiss and David Benioff are often praised for their casting; a less charitable reviewer than I would suggest that’s because the casting has to do almost all the work when it comes to making the characters live. Many only get a handful of lines per episode, when they even appear in every episode; in situations like that, a suitable face will take you a lot further than the ability to bring a character to life through words and gesture.
This dour sourness – this teenage idea that the only way to be taken seriously is to be serious – mistakes length for depth. We’re up to season three now and fans of the books are saying things like ’ooh, it’s about to get really good now‘ (okay, it’s more like ‘This season’s set to be disaster porn – book fans are especially excited about season three because they cannot wait to see terrible things happen to important characters.’ Deadwood, which for mine is one of the best television series of the current age, only had three seasons. The Wire, which is the best series of the current age, only had five; likewise with Breaking Bad. Mad Men is set to finish with its seventh season. Meanwhile, we’re told that Game of Thrones is probably going to cover the events of George R.R. Martin’s third book in its third and fourth seasons.
If the rest of the books (five have been published, with at least another two to come) take up that much television real estate, we’re talking about a twelve-season series. That’s a soap opera. Killing Ned Stark in season one when he looked like the main character and Game of Thrones looked like a fantasy version of The Sopranos wasn’t a shockingly bold narrative twist; it merely turned the series into an endless horror movie where anyone can die at any time. But you can’t sustain that tension over twelve years; you can’t sustain it over twelve episodes. Eventually you become numb to the horror, and what then? What is Game of Thrones actually about?
The fantasy elements are downplayed so as not to distract from the realism of the show; the realistic elements of the show are sketched in over-the-top fantasy clichés. Individual stories are interesting, but they’re only handed out in bite-sized portions, while the big picture feels like a vast novelisation of a fantasy war-gaming session, where armies clash to and fro across a landscape that’s just lines on a map. It’s a skinfest soap opera aimed at people who are really into costuming and swords.
I’ll keep watching though. I don’t want to miss the part where the snow zombies eat everyone.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Catching Up With Cam Stewart
This week I interviewed Cam Stewart. Cam is a veteran of over 200 NHL games and is the current Director of Player Development for KO sports. He was kind enough to share his views on his career, the expansion draft and advice for young players.
Josh Wahler: Is there any particular game or special moment from your career that stands out to you the most?
Cam Stewart: You know what, it wasn’t even the NHL. I got sent to the minors and kind of had to work my way back up to the NHL. I played for the Houston Aeros in the IHL and Dave Tippett was my coach who’s now with Phoenix. I was on a team with a bunch of guys that are coaching now and we won the Turner Cup. I really remember that as being one of the games that stands out because you don’t win too many championships in hockey and no matter at what level it is you really remember those games. And then the second one would be game 7, my first year, I was 22 years old and we played The Montreal Canadiens when I was playing for Boston. We were down 3-2 going back to the Forum and then we won there and then we won in game 7 in the old Boston Gardens.
JW: You played college hockey, what would say was the biggest change you noticed when you made the jump to the NHL?
CS: Number one, the strength of the players and number two the length in schedule. It was a big jump from college where you’re playing 35 to 45 games if you go all the way, to now all of the sudden you’re playing 70, 80 games. I felt after training camp my first year I had been through almost a college season because I played in nine exhibition games.
JW: You were taken by Minnesota in the 2000 expansion draft. What was going through your head when you got taken and what advice would you give to a current player that would be taken in the 2017 expansion draft?
CS: You know what, you can only protect so many players and if you’re one of the guys that’s not being protected there’s always a chance that you can get taken. It means because there’s a lot of guys that aren’t protected somebody really wants you or somebody likes what they saw or thinks you can be very good for a team they’re putting together from a character standpoint. It was almost a bit of an honour to be selected to be honest because there were a lot of people that were exposed for the draft. It was probably one of the best things for my career. That’s when I went into Minnesota and you never know what happens with an opportunity like that. In Minnesota I got some of the best coaching I got my whole career, although it was late with Jacques Lemaire, he taught me a lot. You don’t always look at the negative. You have to try to take the positive in those situations.
JW: How does an expansion team overcome the challenge of not having the benefit of spending years together and building chemistry and a system and coming together as a group of new players on a new team?
CS: It was almost like you built your own identity. All of us were obviously exposed so the team you were with didn’t want you, but someone else really wanted you. We were all third and fourth line guys, which I don’t think will happen with Vegas, they’re going to have a pretty good team pretty quickly. For us, we all stuck together, we were all on the same page, we were all in the same kind of boat on our other team and we just went with the view, let’s try to not get outworked, ever. That’s what Jacques Lemaire instilled in us and that’s how we went about it.
JW: How important was your education at Michigan in preparing you for life after pro hockey?
CS: I’m in the agency business and I think that education is a huge part of both preparing you for the NHL and then obviously after being a huge asset because you see all these different people not knowing what to do. They’re even talking about people in the Olympics coming back after two weeks and all these endorphins and being on such a high. Now some these kids are going back to high school, some of the kids are done their sport that they’ve trained for their whole life and you need from a mental standpoint an education because it matures you and prepares you for life after hockey. I’m not saying the courses you took in school did, but the fact that you went through the process, did it and have that on your resume I think is a huge asset. When I talk to the young kids now and I talk to the parents I tell them if you can use your sport that you love and you can do that to get an education, in my opinion you’ve won the cup and anything after that is gravy.
JW: Based on your current role as Director of Player Development at KO Sports, what advice would you give young prospects today based on your current role and your experience coming up as a young player?
CS: The biggest thing that I would tell everyone is don’t follow your neighbour. Everybody’s on a different path whether it be in life or in sport. Don’t think that you have to make a decision; don’t think that you have to do something because someone else did. This whole process, both in hockey and in life is a marathon not a sprint. I don’t like seeing when kids and parents try to make it a sprint because they kick themselves in the butt a little bit after. I tell them to just do your due diligence on every decision your going to make and every decision you have to go through, use your assets, talk to people, know everything about the OHL, know everything about NCAA hockey and make an educated family decision.
JW: That’s great advice for anyone I think.
CS: It’s funny because in the agency business, I relate it to life, my sister is a realtor, we talk all the time and it’s the exact same business. It’s relationships and selling yourself and telling them you’re the best person for them. There are a lot of the same lessons in life as there are in making a decision at a young age of where to play hockey.
-Josh Wahler
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
This is what I call a Shorty, around 50 pages and it was also a freebie. It takes place after Screwing the System, but can be very easily read on its own. And it should be because it's a fabulously fun little tale!
There's some BDSM, but it's happy BDSM and I love Jo for that. Cosmo is a very bratty, very lovable young sub and Alasdair is his older, experienced dom and most probably love of his life. :) Cosmo's birthday is coming up and thereby hangs the tale. It's a fun, funny, sexy, affectionate romp and just the thing when you're looking for something light-hearted and happy.
The title is a bit of a pun, but you may have to be from the UK or aware of UK slang to get it.
Anyway, the first book, which I've not read, is going on my To Acquire list!
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Last updated on .From the section Hibernian
Clevid Dikamona, left, is a Congo international
A 65-year-old Hibernian fan has been charged over the alleged racial abuse of Hearts' Clevid Dikamona during Saturday's Edinburgh derby.
Television pictures from the 1-0 Hearts win showed a home fan apparently shouting at the Congo international.
A Hibs spokesman described the alleged incident as "unacceptable".
"The 65-year-old man has been charged and is due to appear in court at a later date," said Police Scotland's Edinburgh account.
In the aftermath of the derby, match commander Superintendent Jim Royan confirmed the man had been arrested and thanked the public for their assistance.
"There is no place in Scotland for hate crime and I want to reassure the public that reports of such incidents will be treated seriously," he said.
"Fans have united in their condemnation of this behaviour and I want to thank the public for their assistance with our investigation so far."
A total of seven arrests were made at the match, including two people for attacks on police officers.
Clevid Dikamona tweeted after the game
"Over 20,000 fans were in attendance at Easter Road and I want to thank the vast majority, who were extremely supportive of officers and there to just support their team and enjoy the derby with friends or family," added Supt Royan.
"Despite this, and repeated warnings that anti-social and disruptive behaviour would not be tolerated, six arrests were made before and during the game.
"Three people were arrested prior to the match in connection with alleged possession of pyrotechnics. Two people were also arrested before the game following the assault of two officers who were, thankfully, uninjured.
"Another person was arrested within the stadium in connection with possession of alcohol."
A Hibernian statement, released prior to the arrest of the 65-year-old man, said: "The club will do everything we can to identify the individual concerned and we will take the appropriate action. It's unacceptable."
The previous meeting between the sides was mired in controversy after Hibernian manager Neil Lennon was struck with a coin in a bad-tempered night at Tynecastle.
A man was later charged with assaulting an assistant referee, while a punch was aimed at Hearts goalkeeper Zdenek Zlamal.
On the eve of Saturday's match, Hibs chief executive Leeann Dempster and Hearts owner Ann Budge told BBC Scotland they believed they were "winning" in the battle against anti-social behaviour.
"Despite what happened in the last game I do actually think we are winning," said Budge.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Q:
Does there exist a subset of substrings for reconstructing another string?
I am looking for a high performance algorithm to check whether I can reconstruct a given string using a given set of substrings. More details:
Let's say our strings are over the alphabet $\Sigma$.
Inputs:
A string $S \in \Sigma^*$
A finite set of strings $A = \{a_1, a_2, ..., a_n\} \subset \Sigma^*$.
Output:
Whether $\exists m: \exists b_1, b_2, \ldots, b_m \in A: b_1+b_2+\cdots+b_m = S$
where $+$ is string concatenation.
For example, if $S={}$"$abcd$" and $A = \{$"$ab$"$,$"$cd$"$,$"$ac$"$\}$, the answer is True.
For the purposes of this question, assume that strings in $A$ can be reused multiple times if necessary.
A:
If reusing strings in $A$ is allowed you can solve it with dynamic programming: First, store strings in $A$ in a prefix tree (just a reversed suffix tree link), and recursively detrmine if $S[i:end]$ can be constructed from $A$: Let $\ell$ be the length of the string, and wlog assume $S$ is appended by $\$$ and $A\gets A\cup \{\$\}$. Moroever, let $m[i]\in\{0,1\}$ indicate if $S[i:\ell]$ can be constructed by elements in $A$. Initialize $m[i]\gets \infty$ for $i=0,\dots, \ell-1$ and $m[\ell]=1$ (because $S[\ell]=\$$).
Now, suppose $f(i)$ is the function that recursively computes $m[i]$ if it hasn't been computed already. When $f(i)$ is called, start at the root of the suffix tree of $A$, and traverse $S[i], S[i+1], \dots$ on the suffix tree until index $j$ , such that the corresponding node is in $A$, and recursively call $f(j)$. If returns $1$, set $m[i]=1$ and return $1$. Otherwise, repeat the process with traversal of $S[j+1], S[j+2], \dots$ until another member in $A$, or a leaf is reached. If there was no success, set $m[i]=0$ and return $0$. To decide the problem, call $f(1)$. The worst case complexity is the complexity is $\ell d$, with $d$ being depth of the suffix tree (longest sequence in $A$), plus the cost of construction of the prefix tree.
The worst-case scenario in many cases will be avoided because the recursive call search stops as soon as one solution is found. So in practice, the $\ell d$ part might be much less. The construction of the suffix tree can be expensive depending on $A$. But if $A$ is used for several strings $S$, the cost is amortized. If $A$ is really big and $S$ is short, it might be better to just sort elements of $A$ and do a binary search instead of traversal.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
Honestly, I’ve always wanted to create something like the Airbnb map. It looks really great, when you drag and drop on it, it reloads the data and shows all available apartments on the map with prices. It’s a great example of using a front-end framework to build a map and creating a separate back-end app which returns only data passed to the front-end. In this tutorial, I’ll show how to create a map like the Airbnb map.
So once again, to sum it up – which features does it have? Well, when it initializes, it fetches all available apartments which are on a map from the back-end. Also, when you change the location of the map, like dragging, dropping, or zooming it, all places are reloaded from the back-end. Moreover, when you click on a marker on the map, it shows basic info about an apartment. It looks like:
Yeah, we will create the map which looks like the map above, with the same features. We won’t focus on the design, we will keep it simple.
We will build two applications, one will be responsible for the front-end part – React app. The second application – our API, back-end, will be written in Rails 5 API.
Everything will be connected together, so the front-end application will fetch data from the back-end application. It’s much easier to work on to different applications, everything is separated. Later there is not one huge application which you need to maintain. Back-end and front-end are independent, which is really great. You don’t need to care about their dependencies or install front-end libraries via bundler or rails-assets.
Back-end
We will separate our application to a back-end and front-end. The back-end will be responsible for providing data via API to the front-end, that’s all – nothing more, only one responsibility 🙂
One more important thing about the code snippets – when you notice the three dots (…), it means that there is a code from the previous snippet, which you don’t need to change, I’m not adding it to make a snippet clear.
Let’s generate new Rails 5 API application without views, we just need JSONs:
$ rails new airbnb_map_backend --api
Let’s update our Gemfile:
source 'https://rubygems.org' git_source(:github) do |repo_name| repo_name = "#{repo_name}/#{repo_name}" unless repo_name.include?("/") "https://github.com/#{repo_name}.git" end gem 'rails', '~> 5.1.3' gem 'sqlite3' gem 'puma', '~> 3.7' gem 'faker' group :development do gem 'listen', '>= 3.0.5', '< 3.2' gem 'spring' gem 'spring-watcher-listen', '~> 2.0.0' end
Now let’s install all gems via bundler:
$ bundle install
What do we need?
The first thing – do we know what we need? We need only a simple model which keeps data connected to a flat/apartment like on Airbnb, so price, home name, description and of course longitude and longitude (we need to visualize them on a map). Ok, so let’s create a model called a “place”.
$ rails g model Place longitude:decimal latitude:decimal description:text name:string price:decimal $ rake db:migrate
We have a model which is not complete yet. We also need routes and a controller! Let’s start with routes. We just need an index action, nothing more. Oh wait, we also need an api namespace inside our routes:
Rails.application.routes.draw do scope :api do resources :places, only: [:index] end end
The search method
Now let’s update our model, what we need here is a method which gets data when passed longitude and longitude. We won’t search by a place name or something like this. Google Maps provides in their API something like minimum and maximum longitude and latitude:
class Place < ApplicationRecord scope :by_longitude, -> (min, max) { min && max ? where('longitude >= :min AND longitude <= :max', min: min, max: max) : all } scope :by_latitude, -> (min, max) { min && max ? where('latitude >= :min AND latitude <= :max', min: min, max: max) : all } API_RESULTS_LIMIT = 100 def self.search(min_lat:, max_lat:, min_lng:, max_lng:) by_latitude(min_lat, max_lat). by_longitude(min_lng, max_lng). limit(API_RESULTS_LIMIT) end end
The search method returns all places between passed params, so between min_lat, max_lat, min_lng and max_lng.
We limit returned results to 100. Why do we limit them? Well, imagine a lot of records on a small piece of a map, it would be really unreadable. It’s not about performance, we can add indexes to these fields, cache them somehow or even use a tool designed and built for really efficient search engines, like Solr or ElasticSearch.
When we zoom the map, we will render all records located near a center point. Check out how it works on Airbnb, they use an algorithm to filter their apartments on a page load, later, when you zoom the map, they render the rest.
Now let’s add a controller (places_controller.rb) which will return a JSON file based on passed params:
class PlacesController < ApplicationController def index places = Place.search(search_params.to_h.symbolize_keys) render json: places end private def search_params params.permit(:min_lng, :max_lng, :min_lat, :max_lat) end end
Nothing complicated here, we use strong params to pass only these, which we really want to pass to the search method. Remember to use the symbolize_keys method in order to pass a formatted hash, like { a: 1, b: 2 }, not { “a” => 1, “b” => 2 } – with the second hash our method will have problems reading it.
Ok, we have everything ready but were missing data! Yeah, we need to return something to the front-end! Let’s add some records using Rails’ seeds. To generate random names we gonna use the faker gem. Also, all places will be created around one main point, +-5 degrees.
center_point = { lat: 50.0515918, lng: 19.9357531 } 1.upto(1000) do |i| Place.create!( name: Faker::Address.city, description: Faker::Lorem.paragraph(8), longitude: center_point[:lng] + rand(-10.00..10.00), latitude: center_point[:lat] + rand(-10.00..10.00), price: rand(1..500) ) end
Running Puma
Great, our back-end is ready. One more thing, please use Rails server on a different port than 3000, we will use it with React. You can use for example 4000 port. Remember, that we use Puma, so you need to add a PORT variable before the rails server command. Using the -p attribute in the rails server command won’t work.
$PORT=4000 rails server
You can find the full source code here.
Front-end
Let’s start with installing the create-react-app tool which creates a scaffold app for us, it already includes React and the folder structure:
$ npm install -g create-react-app
Ok, now generate a new, fresh app:
$ create-react-app airbnb_map_front-end $ cd airbnb_map_front-end
You can start it by running:
$ npm start
A new browser tab/window should be opened. It’s auto-reloading our app, so there is no need to rerun the server – only when you change something in the package.json file, I recommend you rerun it to reload everything once again.
First component
Let’s make some small cleanups to our app. We will remove unneeded code to make the start files thinner. Start with cleaning the App.js:
import React, { Component } from 'react' import './App.css' class App extends Component { render() { return ( <div> Map </div> ); } } export default App
Then remove App.test.js, index.css, logo.svg, registerServiceWorker.js and update index.js:
import React from 'react'; import ReactDOM from 'react-dom'; import App from './App'; ReactDOM.render(<App />, document.getElementById('root'));
Great, our file tree and files look much cleaner! Awesome!
Now let’s create our first, simple component called Map.js under src/components:
import React, { Component } from 'react' export class Map extends Component { render() { return( <div> Map </div> ); } } export default Map
As you probably noticed, we moved the content of the App component to the Map component. Now let’s update the App component. For now, it only wraps the main Map component inside the render method:
import React, { Component } from 'react' import { Map } from './components/Map' import './App.css' class App extends Component { render() { return ( <Map /> ); } } export default App
Google Map library
Our first component is ready, let’s modify it and display an empty Google Map.
First of all, we need to install the Google Maps library inside our project. How can we do it? Using npm, it’s called react-google-maps. One important thing here, please go with 7.3.0 version, in the newest one I had some problems with the custom marker.
$ npm install --save [email protected]
Great, we have already installed the library with customs components. Now, we need to include the official Google Maps source code.
Please add it to the public/index.html file:
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://maps.googleapis.com/maps/api/js?v=3.28&libraries=places,geometry"></script>
Awesome! As I mentioned in the beginning, we want to display a simple Google Map. Let’s do it! I’ll be using ES6 syntax, I hope that you’re familiar with it, if not, please check this site.
First of all, we need to include the library in our component. Then, we need to render it in the render method. We should define a center point (lng, lat) and a map zoom. There is the one really important thing – each time we update a component’s state, our map will be rerendered. We don’t want to re-render the map, only components on it. How can we achieve it? By defining a GoogleMap component (from the react-google-maps library) outside the Map component, wrapped in the withGoogleMap method provided by the library.
Ok, let’s do it!
import React, { Component } from 'react' import { withGoogleMap, GoogleMap } from 'react-google-maps' const AirbnbMap = withGoogleMap(props => ( <GoogleMap defaultCenter={props.center} defaultZoom={props.zoom} /> )); export class Map extends Component { constructor(props) { super(props) this.zoom = 7 this.state = { lat: 50.0515918, lng: 19.9357531 }; } render() { const {lat, lng} = this.state; return( <div style={{width: `750px`, height: `750px`}}> <AirbnbMap center={{ lat: lat, lng: lng }} zoom={this.zoom} containerElement={ <div style={{ height: `100%` }} /> } mapElement={ <div style={{ height: `100%` }} /> } /> </div> ); } }
As you can see, we set a state with a default lng and lat. We don’t need to do it with the zoom – we won’t change it, it’s only used for the initialization process. Yeah, as I mentioned before, we return in the render method the Airbnb map instance, defined outside the Map component.
Great, please visit your browser, you should be able to see an empty map!
Place Marker
We have our map, now let’s display something real, our first marker! Let’s add the PlaceMarker component. It’ll render only a simple Marker based on passed lng and lat via props:
import React, { Component } from 'react' import { Marker } from 'react-google-maps' export class PlaceMarker extends Component { render() { const {lat, lng} = this.props return( <Marker position={{ lat: parseFloat(lat), lng: parseFloat(lng) }} /> ); } } export default PlaceMarker
Now we need to include it in the Map component and render it in the GoogleMap:
... import { PlaceMarker } from './PlaceMarker' const AirbnbMap = withGoogleMap(props => ( <GoogleMap ...> {props.places} </GoogleMap> )); export class Map extends Component { ... render() { ... const places = [<PlaceMarker lat={lat} lng={lng} price={20} />] return( <div style={{width: `750px`, height: `750px`}}> <AirbnbMap ... places={places} ... /> </div> ); } }
If you did everything correctly, you should be able to see a marker!
If you’ve visited Airbnb or read this tutorial from the beginning, you probably know that when you click on one of their map’s markers it shows a window with an apartment’s info, like price, description, and name. Let’s add this feature now. When you click on a marker, we gonna open or close an info window.
Add in the PlaceInfoWindow component. It will display a basic info, nothing special. Also when you will click on the “x”, it will be closed.
import React, { Component } from 'react' import { InfoWindow } from 'react-google-maps' export class PlaceInfoWindow extends Component { render() { const {description, name, price} = this.props return( <InfoWindow onCloseClick={this.props.closeWindow}> <div> <h1>{name}</h1> <p>{description}</p> <span>${price}</span> </div> </InfoWindow> ); } } export default PlaceInfoWindow
Now we need to modify the PlaceMarker component a little bit. First of all, we need to include the PlaceWindowComponent, then initialize via state, if a window is opened or closed. Also, implement methods which will be responsible for opening or closing the info window and render it when it should be visible.
... import { PlaceInfoWindow } from './PlaceInfoWindow' export class PlaceMarker extends Component { constructor(props) { super(props) this.state = { showTooltip: false } } clickTooltip() { this.setState({ showTooltip: !this.state.showTooltip }) } closeWindow() { this.setState({ showTooltip: false }) } render() { const {showTooltip} = this.state const {lat, lng, name, price, description} = this.props return( <Marker ... onClick={this.clickTooltip.bind(this)}> {showTooltip && ( <PlaceInfoWindow description={description} name={name} price={price} closeWindow={this.closeWindow.bind(this)}/> )} </Marker> ); } } export default PlaceMarker
One more thing, we need to pass name and description too! Modify the places const in the Map component, to:
const places = [<PlaceMarker lat={lat} lng={lng} price={20} name={"Hotel"} description={"Hotel desc"} />]
Now, when you click on a marker, an info window should appear! You can also close it by clicking on it or on the ‘x’.
Zoom, drag and drop the map and save its coordinates
Ok, now let’s focus on drag and drop and map zoom. As I told at the beginning, when you drag and drop or zoom the Airbnb map, it gets data from the back-end and rerender markers on a map based on a lng and lat.
How can we do it? First of all, we need to get LngMin, LngMax, LatMin, LatMax and a map center point. Google Maps API allows us to get it by calling these methods:
Center point: map.getCenter().lat() / map.getCenter().lng()
map.getCenter().lat() / map.getCenter().lng() Boundaries: map.getBounds().b – x axis / map.getBounds().f – y axis
When should we do it? Well, there is one main problem. Our code runs faster than a map fully loads (map image), so unless it loads, we can’t run the getBounds() method – we don’t know boundaries yet!
How can we solve it? Google Maps API has a listener called onBoundsChanged. All possible actions, listeners and functions can be found in the official documentation.
Let’s go back to the onBoundsChanged function – when a map’s boundaries are changed, this function is called. So when the map fully loads for the first time, we can mark that the map has fully loaded and set boundaries and a center point. You should know one thing, every time when you move your map and even if a location is changed by one minute, this function is called. So we should prevent it from calling this function all the time and call it only when you move our map. We can set a flag which will notify that a map has fully loaded and that we don’t want to call this function.
We also need two other functions – onZoomChanged and onDragEnd.
onZoomChanged triggers an event when you click on ‘+’ or ‘-’ button on the map.
triggers an event when you click on ‘+’ or ‘-’ button on the map. onDragEnd triggers an event when you drag and drop the map but ends the moment you stop dragging it.
Ok, so what do we want to achieve?
When a map fully loads, mark that the map has loaded and store a map object somewhere in our class. When the map’s boundaries are changed (by zoom or drag and drop) store the center point and boundaries in our class so that we can make an API call with the coordinates. Make an API call. Render markers on the map.
Pretty easy, right?! So let’s implement these features!
... const AirbnbMap = withGoogleMap(props => ( <GoogleMap ref={props.onMapMounted} onZoomChanged={props.handleMapChanged} onDragEnd={props.handleMapChanged} onBoundsChanged={props.handleMapFullyLoaded} ... > { props.places.length > 0 && props.places.map(place => ( <PlaceMarker lat={50.0515918} lng={19.9357531} description={'Description'} name={'Hotel'} price={'10'} /> )) } </GoogleMap> )); export class Map extends Component { constructor(props) { ... this.xMapBounds = { min: null, max: null } this.yMapBounds = { min: null, max: null } this.mapFullyLoaded = false this.zoom = 7 this.state = { places: [], ... }; } handleMapChanged() { this.getMapBounds() this.setMapCenterPoint() this.fetchPlacesFromApi() } handleMapMounted(map) { this.map = map } handleMapFullyLoaded() { if (this.mapFullyLoaded) return this.mapFullyLoaded = true this.handleMapChanged() } setMapCenterPoint() { this.setState({ lat: this.map.getCenter().lat(), lng: this.map.getCenter().lng() }) } fetchPlacesFromApi() { const place = <PlaceMarker lat={50.0515918} lng={19.9357531} price={20} name={"Hotel"} description={"Hotel desc"} /> this.setState({ places: [place] }) } getMapBounds() { var mapBounds = this.map.getBounds() var xMapBounds = mapBounds.b var yMapBounds = mapBounds.f this.xMapBounds.min = xMapBounds.b this.xMapBounds.max = xMapBounds.f this.yMapBounds.min = yMapBounds.f this.yMapBounds.max = yMapBounds.b } render() { const {lat, lng, places} = this.state return( <div style={{width: `750px`, height: `750px`}}> <ul> <li>lng: {lng}</li> <li>lat: {lat}</li> <li>xMapBounds.min: {this.xMapBounds.min}</li> <li>xMapBounds.max: {this.xMapBounds.max}</li> <li>yMapBounds.min: {this.yMapBounds.min}</li> <li>yMapBounds.max: {this.yMapBounds.max}</li> </ul> <AirbnbMap onMapMounted={this.handleMapMounted.bind(this)} handleMapChanged={this.handleMapChanged.bind(this)} handleMapFullyLoaded={this.handleMapFullyLoaded.bind(this)} ... /> </div> ); } }
What have we added here? Let’s start from the Map class, we will come back later to the AirbnbMap class. In the constructor in the state we added an array called places, which will store all apartments/places/flats visible in a map area.
We added xMapBounds and yMapBounds params which stores the map boundaries coordinates. Also, there is a mapFullyLoaded flag, which informs if a map has fully loaded.
handleMapChanged function is called when the map boundaries have been changed and it calls three different functions:
getMapBounds – the function which gets and sets map boundaries
– the function which gets and sets map boundaries setMapCenterPoint – the function which gets and sets the center point
– the function which gets and sets the center point fetchPlacesFromApi – the function which every time, for now, creates a one marker
We also added the function called handleMapMounted – it assigns to the this.map value a map object during the map initialization.
The handleMapFullyLoaded function marks that the maps have fully loaded and calls the handleMapChanged function to get the latest data.
There is also a list rendered on the front end, which keeps all assigned coordinates in all variables, to show that when you change a map’s area, everything is updated.
We also need to pass these functions to the AirbnbMap class (handleMapMounted, handleMapChanged, handleMapFullyLoaded).
Let’s go back to the AirbnbMap. As you can see we pass the onMapMounted function as ref in order to save a map object somewhere in our class. Also, we call onZoomChanged, onDragEnd and onBoundsChanged functions from the Google Maps API to run passed functions via props to the AirbnbMap class from the Map class.
Inside the AirbnbMap, we render all passed places as markers on the map, when they exist.
If you did everything correctly, you should see something like:
Fetch data from the API
Everything is almost done but still, we don’t have real data rendered on our map. Let’s finally integrate our back-end with the front-end!
First of all, in order to make possible Xhr calls between front-end and back-end add to the package.json one line which allows accessing back-end:
"proxy": "http://localhost:4000"
Please restart your npm server to reload the config file!
We point our React app to the back-end endpoint. Remember to run the back-end on the same endpoint you added in the package.json file!
Ok, now let’s change the fetchPlacesFromApi function to get data from our back-end:
... const AirbnbMap = withGoogleMap(props => ( <GoogleMap ... > { props.places.length > 0 && props.places.map(place => ( <PlaceMarker key={`place${place.id}`} id={place.id} lat={place.latitude} lng={place.longitude} description={place.description} name={place.name} price={place.price} /> )) } </GoogleMap> )); export class Map extends Component { ... fetchPlacesFromApi() { this.setState({ places: [] }) fetch(`/api/places?min_lng=${this.xMapBounds.min}&max_lng=${this.xMapBounds.max}&min_lat=${this.yMapBounds.min}&max_lat=${this.yMapBounds.max}`, { method: 'GET' }) .then((response) => response.json()) .then((response) => this.setState({ places: response })) } ... }
As you can see, we make a simple HTTP GET call with all needed params to get a JSON. Then we convert a response to a JSON and set rendered data as places. At the beginning, I recommend cleaning our array, as I do before the HTTP call.
Moreover, we need to add more params which are passed to the PlaceMarker component in the AirbnbMap – the most important is unique key!
We need to also add new keys in the PlaceMarker and pass to the PlaceInfowIndow component. Let’s do it:
... export class PlaceMarker extends Component { ... render() { ... const {lat, lng, name, price, description, id} = this.props return( <Marker ... key={`marker${id}`}> {showTooltip && ( <PlaceInfoWindow key={`info${id}`} description={description} name={name} price={price} closeWindow={this.closeWindow.bind(this)}/> )} </Marker> ); } } export default PlaceMarker
Yeah, we finally have data rendered directly from the back-end! Try to drag and drop with the map in order to fetch different markers.
Style Map Markers
There is one more step – we need to add some styles to our markers, to make them similar to the Airbnb ones. In order to do it, we need to import an extra library.
Please add the following script tag to the public/index.html file, after the Google Maps script tag:
<script type="text/javascript" src="https://cdn.rawgit.com/googlemaps/v3-utility-library/master/markerwithlabel/src/markerwithlabel.js"></script>
Now styles…. Add them to the App.css:
.map-price-container { overflow: visible !important; } .map-price-marker { position: absolute; font-family: 'Helvetica'; left: -37px; top: -25px; width: 70px; height: 20px; border-radius: 3px; line-height: 22px; background-color: white; box-shadow: 0 2px 3px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.07); text-align: center; color: black; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; border: 1px solid gray; z-index: 1; } .map-price-marker:before, .map-price-marker:after { position: absolute; content: ""; border-style: solid; } .map-price-marker:after { left: 31px; top: 19px; border-width: 5px; border-color: white transparent transparent; } .map-price-marker:before { left: 30px; top: 20px; border-width: 6px; border-color: gray transparent transparent; } .map-price-marker.visited:hover { background-color: #7b8d93; color: #fff; border-color: #5b6a6f; } .map-price-marker.visited:hover:after { border-color: #7b8d93 transparent transparent; } .map-price-marker.visited:hover:before { border-color: #5b6a6f transparent transparent; } .map-price-marker:hover { background-color: #f2f2f2; color: black; border-color: gray; z-index: 3; } .map-price-marker:hover:after { border-color: #f2f2f2 transparent transparent; } .map-price-marker:hover:before { border-color: gray transparent transparent; }
We need to also add extra keys which we pass to the Marker component in the PlaceMarker. We must specify marker class, inform it that we want to display a custom marker, hide the default one (set capacity to 0) and add the marker’s content.
Please add the following keys:
... export class PlaceMarker extends Component { ... render() { ... return( <Marker ... markerWithLabel={window.MarkerWithLabel} opacity={0} labelClass='map-price-container' labelContent={`<div class="map-price-marker"><span>$${price}</span></div>`} ...> ... </Marker> ); } } export default PlaceMarker;
Great, you’re almost done! The last step is to remove the ul tag from the Map component, we don’t need it anymore! After this step, you should see markers like these:
The front-end part source code can be found here.
Summary
Yeah, you did it! We created the map which looks like this one from Airbnb. It wasn’t really hard with Rails 5 API on the back-end and React.js with React-Google-Maps on the front-end.
If you have any questions, suggestions please add comments below.
If you want to extend our map somehow and you’d like a follow up of this tutorial, feel free to post it below. I hope that you liked this tutorial and it will be useful to you!
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Parasitic community of Fransciscodoras marmoratus (Reinhardt, 1874) (Pisces: Siluriformes, Doradidae) from the upper São Francisco River, Brazil.
One hundred and thirteen specimens of Franciscodoras marmoratus (Reinhardt, 1874) were collected in the upper São Francisco River (18 degrees 12' 32" S, 45 degrees 15' 41" W, state of Minas Gerais) between September, 1999 and January, 2004 to investigate their parasite fauna. From this total, 45 (39.8%) were afflicted by at least one parasite species. The parasitic richness consisted of six species represented by Hirudinea (n = 20), Monogenoidea (n = 25), Eucestoda (n = 55), Nematoda (n = 1, n = 2) and Acanthocephala (n = 41) found in the dry and wet periods making a total of 144 specimens. Proteocephalus renaudi Chambrier & Vaucher, 1994 was the only species with prevalence higher than 10% and a typical aggregate distribution pattern. The prevalence, intensity and abundance of P. renaudi were not influenced by the total length or sex of the hosts or by the collection periods. The relative condition factor indicated that the health of the P. renaudi hosts was not significantly affected in relation to fish not infected by parasites. The fish stocked in tanks before necropsy were opportunistically infested by Lernaea cyprinacea Yashuv, 1959. The various parasites found indicate that F. marmoratus is omnivorous and a potential definitive host. The parasite species, except for Acanthocephala, have expanded their known geographic distribution to the São Francisco River Basin. The parasite community was considered isolationist because of the low endoparasite diversity, infrapopulations with low intensity, lack of evidence of parasite interactions and sparse signs of parasite aggression against their hosts.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
Q:
`git ls-files --others --exclude-standard` doesn't output files which not tracked by git,what's the problem?
My system is centos 7.4 with git 1.8.3
When I want to list all files not tracked by git:
[root@localhost www]# git ls-files --others --exclude-standard
[root@localhost www]# git status
# On branch test
nothing to commit, working directory clean
It seemed nothing is non_tracked.
Then I run git clean -fdxn,output as below:
[root@localhost www]# git clean -fdxn
Would remove cms/template/
Would remove cms/tool/feedback/temp/
Would remove cms/update/
Would remove html/
Would remove images/
Would remove index.html
Would remove nbproject/
Would remove admin/application/config/config.php
Would remove welcome.html
We can see lots of folders and files not_tracked.
That's right,because those folders and files are listed in .gitignore.
I am confused.
For example, welcome.html is output of git clean -fdxn,which means welcome.html is not tracked.
Why doesn't git ls-files --others --exclude-standard output welcome.html?
A:
git ls-files --others --exclude-standard outputs no files because there are no files that are untracked and not ignored. Add a file that doesn't correspond to any pattern in .gitignore and retry — the file will be in the output.
To see all untracked files including ignored run simple git ls-files --others.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
Q:
Unzip gz archives with zip extension
I have a number of gzip archives; however they have a zip extension not gz:
***.zip
When I try to unzip them with unzip, I get not a zip archive error, and with gunzip I get unknown suffix: zip
What is going on here really?
A:
By default, gzip will only decompress files with extensions from a limited list—rather than examining the file magic to determine if it is a gzip'd file. From a comment in gzip.c:get_suffix():
/* ========================================================================
* Return a pointer to the 'z' suffix of a file name, or NULL. For all
* systems, ".gz", ".z", ".Z", ".taz", ".tgz", "-gz", "-z" and "_z" are
* accepted suffixes, in addition to the value of the --suffix option.
To use input files which are in fact gzip'd but are not named following gzip's expected conventions, provide the suffix explicitly as per the gzip manual page:
-S .suf --suffix .suf
... When decompressing, add .suf to the beginning of the list of suffixes to try, when deriving an output file name from an input file name.
$ gunzip -S .zip foo.zip
or use redirection to prevent gzip from seeing the filename:
$ gunzip < foo.zip > foo.txt
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
The present invention relates to a component designed for use in a light water reactor and at least partly comprised of a metal and/or a metal alloy with at least one surface that presents a coating. The present invention also relates to a method of creating a coating resistant to hydration on at least one surface of a component, which is designed for use in a light water reactor and which is partly comprised of a metal and/or metal alloy by subjecting the component to a treatment with a gas mixture while heating.
Components in nuclear plants are often subjected to attacks caused by hydration, oxidation and/or wear, and it is often necessary to deposit a coating onto the surface of the components in order to protect the latter. Cladding tubes for nuclear fuel form an example of such components. In the worst scenario, attacks on a cladding tube for nuclear fuel result in a damage extending through the total thickness of the cladding tube in such a way that the radioactive nuclear fuel inside the cladding tube leaks out to the surroundings. This may be caused by primary as well as secondary damages on the cladding tube.
Primary damages are created by attacks on the outer surface of the cladding tube, the said attacks being caused by oxidation, due to the contact between the cladding tube and the cooling water, or due to wear. A primary damage extending through the total thickness of the cladding tube implies that water, water steam or a combination thereof flows through the damage, so that a space between the fuel and the inner surface of the cladding tube is filled by the water, water steam or the combination thereof. The presence of the water, water steam or the combination thereof in this space implies that the cladding tube runs the risk of being damaged by attacks from inside the tube. This attack often takes place through hydration. Such a damage is called a secondary damage and can only occur when a primary damage already has occurred. Secondary damages extending through the total thickness of the cladding tube result in a leakage of the nuclear fuel inside the cladding tube, and thereby of radioactivity, to the surroundings. Secondary damages can occur at relatively long distances from the primary damage and, therefore, often have the shape of long cracks, which make them a serious type of damage.
A lot of work has been done to develop a coating on such a cladding tube in order to make the coating more resistant to hydration, oxidation and/or wear and thereby able to prevent damages to the cladding tube. Particularly, it has been difficult to produce coatings at the inside of the cladding tube, where the coatings resulting in a good protection against secondary damages. At such a location, a coating which is particularly resistant to hydration is required.
In order to test the resistance to hydration and oxidation of a coating on a cladding tube, a method is normally used where the cladding tube is autoclaved by conditions similar to the ones that the cladding tube is subjected to during use thereof in a nuclear plant, whereafter the presence of hydration and oxidation, respectively by the coating and the cladding tube is examined. The autoclaving of the cladding tube by this method is not to be confused with an autoclaving that may be used for creating protective coatings on cladding tubes. The latter type of autoclaving will be described more in detail later in this text.
Until the seventies, contents of hydrogen in the shape of water in uranium dioxide in fuel pellets resulted in the cladding tube being subjected to hydration at its inside. These damages are called blisters and differ from secondary damages, even though both of them are caused by hydration at the inside of cladding tubes. These uranium is substantially free from hydrogen, and, thereby, the problem with blisters has disappeared.
During the sixties and seventies, a coating was produced in a cladding tube for nuclear fuel by autoclaving the cladding tube in substantially saturated water steam at a temperature of approximately 425xc2x0 C. and at a pressure of from 0.1 to 0.5 MPa for 24 hours. The result thereby was a coating comprised by zirconium dioxide (ZrO2), which normally had at thickness of from 0.5 to 1 xcexcm. This coating had a relatively low resistance to hydration and, therefore, it had no substantially protective effect with regard to secondary damages on the cladding tube.
German patent document DE-A-2 429 447 discloses a cladding tube made of zirconium or niobium alloy with a coating comprised by an oxide layer arranged at an inner surface as well as an outer surface of the cladding tube.
During the eighties, a liner layer preferably made of zirconium was applied to the inside of the cladding tube for protection against stress corrosion caused by iodine formed in the uranium dioxide during the fission.
In Japanese patent document JP-A-63 179 286, a liner layer of zirconium on an inner surface of a cladding tube made of zirconium alloy is combined with a subsequent autoclaving which produces a coating of zirconium dioxide on the outer surface of the cladding tube and on the surface of the liner layer. The autoclaving was performed at a pressure of 5 MPa and at a temperature of at least 400xc2x0 C. The difference between the autoclaving according to this Japanese patent document and the autoclaving according to the method used in the sixties and the seventies described herein is that the autoclaving according to the Japanese patent document takes place in the presence of at most 10% water steam, while the autoclaving according to the technique of the sixties and seventies was performed in the presence of generally 100% water steam. However, in the Japanese patent document, there is only one example of an embodiment with autoclaving in a dry atmosphere. A coating on the liner layer on the inner surface of the cladding tube had a thickness of least 0.2 xcexcm and preferably 0.5 to 1.0 xcexcm.
The inventors have experienced that the coating according to Japanese patent document JP-A-63 179 286, in comparison with a coating produced by means of autoclaving in the presence of substantially 100% water steam according to the above technique from the sixties and seventies, results in an improved protection against H2-absorption, but that it does not provide a sufficient barrier against H2-permeation to prevent secondary damages on the cladding tube.
By methods of producing a coating on a surface, where the methods are performed by autoclaving the component under pressure, the reaction speed between active constituents in the gas and the material in the surface of the component is regulated by, amongst other factors, varying the pressure. This is a very bad way of regulating the reaction speed. Relatively small pressure variations during the course of the treatment may cause large variations with regard to the reaction speed, which in turn might lead to the appearance of defects in the coating. Autoclaving according to prior art is therefore performed at a constant pressure, that is, at static conditions.
By a production of a cladding tube designed for use in a light water reactor, a series of annealings of the uncoated cladding tube is performed in order to provide good mechanical properties to the tube. By employing methods according to prior art the cladding tube is then moved to a special final annealing plant which permits treatment under pressure action, for execution of a final annealing and, thereby, a production of a coating. For economical reasons it is not acceptable to execute the annealings of the cladding tube for obtaining good mechanical properties in a plant which makes pressure treatment possible, as these annealings do not require the use of pressure. Therefore, the final annealing, and, thereby, the production of the coating, constitutes one step in the total treatment of the cladding tube, the step being separated from previous treatment steps.
Accordingly, prior art does not offer any coating at the inside of a cladding tube for fuel in a light water reactor, where the coating provides an effective protection against H2-permeation, such that secondary damages may be prevented. Moreover, by methods of prior art, the reaction speed is controlled in an unsatisfying way. Furthermore, prior art requires the use of a particular plant that permits pressure treatment.
The object of the present invention is to remedy the above problems. More precisely to provide a component which is designed for use in a light water reactor and that has surfaces with a coating that reduces the risk for damages on the component, particularly the risk for secondary damages. An object of the present invention is also to provide a method of producing such a component.
This object is obtained by means of the initially defined component, which is characterized in that the coating comprises at least one of a nitride and an oxide compound, and that the coating has such a thickness that hydration of the component is substantially prevented. The ability of the coating to protect the underlying component against hydration depends upon the resistance of the coating against hydration and of how well it covers the surface of the underlying component. The resistance of the coating against hydration, in its turn, depends on the structure, the composition and the thickness of the coating. Nitride and oxide compounds fulfill these requirements and, therefore, they are usable as a material of the coating, provided that it is of a sufficient thickness to be resistant against hydration.
According to one embodiment of the invention the coating has a thickness of at least 1 xcexcm and at most 25 xcexcm. Within this thickness range a coating which has a good resistance against hydration is obtained. By coatings with a thickness smaller than 1 xcexcm an inferior resistance against hydration is obtained, and by coatings with a thickness larger than 25 xcexcm the risk of scaling of the coating from the surface of the component is significant. As scaling implies, that significant defects occur in the coating and that the surface of the component becomes unprotected at these defects it is very important to avoid a coating that runs the risk of scaling. According to one application of the embodiment, the coating has a thickness of at least 3 xcexcm. A thickness of 3 xcexcm implies that the coating has a better resistance against hydration in comparison with a coating with a thickness of 1 xcexcm.
According to another embodiment of the invention the component comprises an inner space, and the coating is deposited onto at least one surface in the inner space of the component. Several components in light water reactors, for example tubes, comprise an inner space, and it is often required to protect the surface of this inner space.
According to another embodiment of the invention at least one of the surfaces of the component is comprised of zirconium or a zirconium alloy and the coating comprises at least one of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and zirconium nitride (ZrN). Several components in light water reactors are made of zirconium or a zirconium alloy as these materials have properties suitable for the purpose. However, the materials have too insignificant a resistance to hydration, oxidation, corrosion or wear to be used uncoated in light water reactors. Therefore, a coating presenting good such properties is often provided on the surface of the component.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the coating has properties such that oxidation of the component is generally prevented. Such a coating accordingly constitutes a protection against hydration as well as oxidation of the component, which is desirable as the component often is subjected to attacks by hydration as well as oxidation.
According to another embodiment of the invention the coating has properties such that wear of the component is substantially prevented. This is desirable as the component is often subjected to a combination of hydration and wear or hydration, oxidation and wear.
According to another embodiment of the invention the component is a cladding tube for nuclear fuel. According to one application of the embodiment the cladding tube presents a liner layer on the surface of the inner space, and the coating is located upon this liner layer.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the coating on the cladding tube has such a high resistance against hydration that the risk of having secondary damages on the cladding tube is substantially eliminated.
The provision of the coating defined above is obtained by means of the initially defined method, which is characterized in that the treatment is performed at a substantially atmospheric pressure and that the gas mixture comprises water steam and at least one of oxygen, nitrogen, an active gas containing oxygen and an active gas containing nitrogen. It is a significant advantage that the treatment may be performed at atmospheric pressure and, thus, does not require equipment for providing a pressure treatment. Therefore, the treatment at atmospheric pressure implies a saving of both time and money.
According to one embodiment of the method of the invention the coating is produced by making at least one of oxygen, nitrogen, an active gas containing oxygen and an active gas containing nitrogen react with at least one material located in the surface of the component. According to one application of the embodiment the coating comprises least one of an oxide or a nitride of at least one material located in the surface of the component. Such oxides and nitrides normally have a good resistance against hydration, oxidation and wear and the coating therefore provides a good protection for the component against this.
According to another embodiment of the method of the invention the treatment is controlled by adding one or more inert gases suitable in this context. These gases dilute the active gases in such a way that favorable reaction conditions are obtained. The addition of the inert gas or gases results in a reduced reaction speed between the gas and the surface material. If the reaction speed is too high the obtained coating will be full of defects and will not therefore constitute a good protection for the component. If, on the other hand, the reaction speed is too low a coating generally free from defects is obtained, but it takes a lot of time to produce this coating. By controlling the reaction speed at a suitable level it is possible to obtain a coating generally free from defects within a reasonable period of time. This embodiment of the method of the invention provides an effective way of precisely regulating the reaction speed between active constituents in the gas and the surface of the component. By the method according to this embodiment of the present invention it is possible to vary the addition of the inert gas or gases during the time of the treatment, thereby varying the reaction speed. By the method according to the present invention the treatment is thus performed under dynamic conditions, as a difference to autoclaving according to prior art which, as described earlier, is performed under static conditions. According to one application of the method according to this embodiment the inert gases advantageously comprise at least one of the noble gases argon, helium and neon.
According to another embodiment of the method of the invention the treatment is controlled by varying the amount of water steam in the gas mixture. Different surface materials require different amounts of water steam in the gas mixture in order to produce a coating on the component, through a reaction between active constituents in the gas mixture and in the material of the surface of the component, the coating is sufficiently thick for its purpose. According to one application of the embodiment the gas mixture comprises at least 10% water steam. The inventors have experienced that this is a minimum level of water steam required to accomplish coatings with suitable properties.
According to another embodiment of the invention the treatment is performed at such a temperature that an oxidation and a nitration respectively takes place, preferably at a temperature of at least 450xc2x0 C. and at most 650xc2x0 C.
According to one application of the method of the invention the gas mixture contains air. Air contains both oxygen and nitrogen in an easily accessible state and is also a cheap alternative which is perfect to use by the method of the invention.
According to another application of the method of the invention the gas mixture is free from nitrogen or active nitrogen compounds. This implies that the created coating definitely is comprised by oxides free from contaminations of nitrides or other nitrogen compounds.
According to another application of the method of the invention the gas mixture comprises carbon dioxide (CO2). According to another application of the embodiment the gas mixture comprises a mixture of carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2). These mixtures are added in order to control the oxidation potential.
According to another application of the method of the invention the gas mixture comprises dinitrogen oxide (N2O). Also oxygen and argon may exist together with the dinitrogen oxide in the mixture.
According to one application of the method of the invention the treatment is performed for a period of time of 1 to 10 hours.
According to one application of the method of the invention the surface or the surfaces of the component treated comprise zirconium or a zirconium alloy.
According to another application of the method of the invention the coating produced on the surface or surfaces of the component by the treatment comprises at least one of zirconium dioxide (ZrO2) and zirconium nitride (ZrN).
According to another application of the method of invention the treatment is performed by depositing the coating on at least one of a surface of an inner space and the outer surface of the component.
According to another application of the method of the invention the component treated is a cladding tube for nuclear fuel.
According to another application of the method of the invention the cladding tube is annealed a plurality of times in order to provide mechanical strength, and the treatment mentioned earlier represents a final annealing executed in the same plant as these annealings. During use of the method of the invention no move of the cladding tube to a special final annealing plant is thus required, as the final annealing, and thereby the production of the coating, is performed at atmospheric pressure. The final annealing may therefore be accomplished in the plant where the annealing to obtain a good mechanical strength is performed, and thereby provide an integrated part of the total annealing. The production of the coating accomplished in accordance with the method of the invention thus saves both time and money, compared with if the method according to prior art had been employed instead.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
USPTO Backgrounds
|
“Whoa,” said one fan, looking through a black chain-linked fence, tracking the ball as it arced, up and up some more, against the light-blue sky.
“I think that’s going 275 miles per hour,” suggested a young kid as it sailed well over the left field wall.
“Did that hit the roof?” asked Nationals outfielder Andrew Stevenson, squinting, waiting for his next turn in the batter’s box. “Man, that hit the roof.”
AD
“The wind helped a lot with that one,” Taylor said with a laugh, as if it wouldn’t still take a lot of strength to lift a ball 30 feet beyond the fence and onto the roof covering the Nationals’ batting cages. “We’ll see if I can do that another day.”
AD
A trying end to summer turned into an offseason of tinkering and now Taylor is here, back at spring training, with another chance to prove himself in a crowded outfield. Manager Dave Martinez and General Manager Mike Rizzo have stressed that there’s an open competition in center field, with Taylor going against 21-year-old Victor Robles. Taylor is used to this, often just outside looking in, always trying to earn more at-bats and more starts.
That effort fell limp toward the end of last season, as he hit .122 in August and .200 in just 15 at-bats in September as Robles and Bryce Harper clogged his way onto the field. So he instead started his winter work early, working with hitting coach Kevin Long, using his time out of the lineup to inch back in. He then took his swing tweaks to the Dominican Republic for winter ball, but a hip flexor and right oblique strain ended his time there before long. He has been full-go during full-squad workouts and, though he is monitoring the injury, is ready to translate changes against live pitching.
AD
Taylor will start in center field for the Nationals’ Grapefruit League opener against the Houston Astros on Saturday. On Thursday, he got a head start.
AD
“The power is going to be there. He’s just a strong kid,” said Martinez, who watched from behind Taylor as Taylor launched balls way out of the field. “For me it’s just getting him to put the ball in play. That’s the key for him. It’s just making contact, put the ball in play and use all his tools.”
Taylor’s swing was too long in the final months of 2018, and that especially showed against fastballs. Taylor struck out 17 times in 43 plate appearances in August and six times in 16 plate appearances in September. That led Long to take him aside for extra work outside normal game preparation, and the pair looked to shorten Taylor’s swing by simplifying it. They eliminated his stride. They cut steps out of his swing and, as Martinez observed, Taylor better understood that he could generate power naturally.
AD
Long and Taylor met twice during the offseason, once in Arizona and another time in Florida, to further smooth out Taylor’s mechanics. Taylor later decided that winter ball was a good idea, even if most established 27-year-olds don’t head that far south for the winter. He noticed a difference at the plate in just a small handful of at-bats there, even finding himself ahead of some fastballs. He missed that feeling. It was more familiar when he hit 19 home runs with a .271 average in 2017.
AD
“The biggest adjustment is the timing,” Taylor said. “When you have A, B, C and D you need to do before you’re ready to hit, and then you bring it down to just A and B, it gives you a lot more time.'
Now Taylor is looking to solidify his role for the coming season, whether it be as a full-time center fielder, a fourth option getting regular starts or a reserve who mostly pinch-hits or enters as a late-game defensive substitute. His glove and arm are useful for Martinez. So is his speed. Taylor hasn’t had discussions with Martinez or Rizzo about what’s ahead, but his bat will have to again catch up to his other tools if he wants back in the lineup.
AD
And even if Robles wins the job, it is likely that Taylor plays often so Robles isn’t taxed with a heavy workload in his first full season. Taylor will be important to an outfield that, without Harper, has 20-year-old Juan Soto in left and veteran Adam Eaton in right.
AD
A few pitches after Taylor hit the roof of the batting cages Thursday, he powered a ball to left-center that bounced off the top of another building. This one wasn’t quite as far but still drew some ooohs from those around home plate. Martinez kept his eyes on Taylor’s compact swing. Taylor ripped two line drives into the gap before laughing with Stevenson, who pointed to where each home run landed. It was just before noon on Feb. 21, still more than a month from Opening Day, just another round of batting practice that did not indicate what Taylor will be once an opponent takes the mound and the stakes raise.
But it still counted for something.
AD
Read more on the Nationals:
AD
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Introduction {#S1}
============
Gambling may be defined as placing monetary or material items at risk in hopes of gaining money or items of greater material value. Gambling may be viewed along a severity continuum with "Pathological Gambling" in DSM-IV and ICD-10 ([@B71]) and "Gambling Disorder" in DSM-5 referring to gambling behavior that leads to significant distress and interference with functioning in major life domains ([@B3]). Meanwhile, "Problem Gambling" refers to gambling that negatively affects functioning and relationships ([@B39]) but may not meet DSM or ICD criteria for pathological gambling/gambling disorder; that is, the term problem gambling is often used to describe subdiagnostic levels of gambling that are concerning. Recreational gambling has been operationalized in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC) as lifetime gambling of more than five times per year without meeting more than two DSM criteria ([@B19]). Other designations such as low-risk and at-risk gambling have been used and defined in the context of NESARC data, with designations relating to numbers of inclusionary criteria for pathological gambling acknowledged ([@B20]). These definitions will guide our discussion in this systematic review on gambling-related NESARC findings.
Nationally representative data provide important descriptive and inferential findings that assist in policy-making, industry compliance assessments, community development, and generation of improved treatment and prevention strategies. For example, data collected from the US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R), a nationally representative US household survey, assessed 9,282 English-speaking respondents aged 18 years and older and was conducted between February 2001 and April 2003 in a nationally representative multistage clustered area probability sample of the US household population. Specifically, the NCS-R found lifetime prevalence estimates of problem gambling (defined as having one or more criteria of pathological gambling) at 2.3% and pathological gambling at 0.6% ([@B100]). In other countries, the British Gambling Prevalence Survey in 2010 -- as a follow-up to the 1999 and 2007 surveys -- was conducted to allow comparisons pre- and post-implementation of the Gambling Act 2005 ([@B68]). Prior to this survey, the 2007 British Gambling Prevalence Survey aimed to examine the nature and extent of gambling in Great Britain before administering the Act. Similarly in Asia, the Singapore National Council on Problem Gambling has conducted gambling participation surveys every 3 years from 2005 to 2014 to guide development of systemic regulatory assessment, community engagement activities, prevention programs, and treatment provision ([@B40]). It is important that national follow-up surveys attempt to achieve maximal comparability with previous surveys by standardizing methodology and measurement instruments.
Comparing prevalence estimates between countries is often challenging as data-collection protocols, sampling procedures, and gambling assessments are often different, all of which may influence pathological gambling and problem gambling estimates. As such, prevalence estimates in this context may best be considered as an illustration of the range of worldwide approximations, and arguably not as definitive comparisons. Overall, national pathological gambling prevalence estimates in Western countries range from 0.3% in Sweden ([@B7]), 0.7% in Britain ([@B68]) to 0.8% in Denmark ([@B23]). In Australia and New Zealand, estimates range from 0.5% in New Zealand ([@B21]) to 2.1% in Australia ([@B53]). Meanwhile, pathological gambling prevalence estimates in Asia are generally higher with a range from 0.5% in Singapore ([@B40]), 2.5% in Macau ([@B24]; [@B73]), 4% in Hong Kong ([@B70]) to 4.4% in Malaysia ([@B34]). The prevalence rate observed in the US is like other Western countries, notably Sweden.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's NESARC is the largest (*N* = 43,093 adults) comorbidity survey conducted in the US that assessed DSM-IV pathological gambling and multiple substance-use, mood, anxiety, and personality disorders ([@B48]). The nationally representative sample with statistical weights has enabled multivariate investigations of prevalence estimates, gender-related associations, sociodemographic correlates, potential risk factors, and physical and psychiatric comorbidities. Furthermore, NESARC data collected from Wave 1 (2001--2002) and Wave 2 (2004--2005) provide for a unique opportunity to evaluate longitudinal and prospective research questions, although pathological gambling was only assessed in Wave 1. To date, although 51 articles have reported pathological-gambling-related findings based on NESARC data, there have been no systematic reviews synthesizing results from more than a decade of publications. Such a summary could shed light on lessons learned from NESARC as well as inform future research efforts aimed at understanding the correlates and impact of pathological gambling and subdiagnostic levels.
A review of the gambling-related investigations from the NESARC data will help synthesize information gleaned from this data set and lay the foundation for future investigations of these and other data. This systematic review seeks to collect, evaluate, and discuss gambling-related NESARC findings, as the NESARC-related findings are important in informing policy makers, governmental bodies, researchers, and treatment providers. In the following sections, we will provide details on the systematic review methodology, evaluate findings from selected studies, and discuss implications for future directions. These findings are described and partitioned into relevant sections such as psychometrics, model testing, symptom analysis, prevalence estimates, gambling subtypes, sociodemographic correlates, potential risk factors, and comorbidities. Finally, "Discussion" section will highlight key findings, research and practical implications, and future directions.
Methods {#S2}
=======
Search strategy {#S2a}
---------------
Protocols and strategies employed in this systematic review were in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines ([@B38]). Electronic Boolean searches of databases (PsycInfo, PubMed, and Web of Science) included all articles from inception to June 2019. The search strategy included a combination of keywords such as "National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions" or "NESARC" and "gambling," "pathological gambling," "problem gambling," or "gambling disorder." Only articles in English were selected in the three search engines. Reference lists of included articles were checked manually for additional relevant publications.
Inclusion criteria and review process {#S2b}
-------------------------------------
All citations were managed with Endnote reference management software. Each reference title and abstract was screened by the authors independently and discussed as a group for eligibility against the inclusion criteria: (a) original empirical publications in English, (b) studies included NESARC Wave 1 and/or Wave 2 data, and (c) studies reported data from the gambling component of the Alcohol Use Disorder and Associated Disabilities Interview Schedule (AUDADIS-IV). The resulting full-text copies of all articles considered to be relevant were retrieved and screened.
Data from included studies were extracted into MS Excel 2013 by the first author and independently checked by the other authors. Although the authors agreed upon the manuscripts to be included in the final analyses, data on independent evaluation for inclusion were not systematically collected. The following characteristics of each study were retrieved: (a) general information -- title, authors, and publication year; (b) sample size and other characteristics; (c) instrument and thresholding for pathological gambling; (d) other variables investigated in each study; (e) statistical analyses; (f) main findings or prevalence of pathological gambling; and (g) other findings.
Results {#S3}
=======
Study selection {#S3a}
---------------
Upon removal of duplicates, the searches identified 67 records that were screened, whereby 51 empirical papers met the inclusion criteria and were included in this systematic review (see Figure [1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"} for PRISMA flow diagram). Nine excluded articles were not written based on NESARC data, while one excluded record was a conference abstract that was eventually published as an article and included in this systematic review. Details extracted from articles (*n* = 43) that examined pathological gambling as one of the main variables within specified research questions are summarized in Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}. Information extracted from the remaining 8 articles (out of the 51 included) that investigated pathological gambling as a peripheral variable in the context of other psychopathology is summarized in Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"}.
######
Summary table of NESARC findings on gambling disorder as the main construct
Article Sample (*N* and other characteristics) Instrument and diagnostic/subdiagnostic assessments Other variables investigated Main findings
---------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Petry et al. ([@B48]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); 81% response rate. Aim: to present nationally representative prevalence rates for pathological gambling, gender differences and comorbid psychiatric disorders AUDADIS-IV; pathological gambling -- 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria (15 symptom items operationalized the 10 pathological-gambling criteria) Alcohol, drug use, mood, anxiety, and personality disorders Lifetime prevalence rates = 0.42% (0.64% men, 0.23% women). Higher prevalence linked with being male, Black, 45--64 years of age, and widowed/separated/ divorced. Pathological-gambling rates for substance-use disorder (0.61%--1.83%), mood disorder (0.85% hypomania and 2.92% mania), anxiety disorders (0.90% social phobia and 5.01% panic disorder), and personality disorders (1.53%--3.02%)
Blanco, Hasin, Petry, Stinson, and Grant ([@B11]) 43,093 from Wave 1; non-institutional population ≥18 years residing in households and group quarters; weighted data -- socioeconomic variables (2000 Decennial Census); non-response adjustment -- household and person level AUDADIS-IV; pathological gambling -- 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria; gatekeeping question: "Have you gambled ≥5 times in any 1 year of your life?"; Subclinical pathological gambling -- meet 1--4 pathological-gambling criteria Mental disability scores -- mental component summary (MCS) and social functioning (SF); pathological-gambling group only -- onset age, number of criteria met, gambling venues, recovery age, and treatment-seeking Lifetime prevalence rates = 0.64% men, 0.23% women; Subclinical pathological gambling = 6.79% men. 3.26% women. Past-year pathological-gambling prevalence among lifetime gamblers = 1.92% men, 1.05% women; past-year subclinical pathological gambling = 20.43% men, 15.09% women; past-year non-gambling = 77.65% men, 83.86% women. Men more likely than women to report past-year pathological gambling
Morasco et al. ([@B39]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); weighted data -- design characteristics, oversampling, non-response, demographics; mean age = 45.2 years (*SD* = 17.6) 52.1% female AUDADIS-IV and SF-12v2 (physical and emotional functioning); 4 gambling groups: (1) "low-risk" never gambled ≥5 times in 1 year (never gambled and may have gambled in lifetime), (2) "At-risk" ≤2 criteria met in DSM-IV, (3) "Problem gambling" met 3--4 criteria, (4) "Pathologic gambling" met ≥5 DSM-IV criteria Physical and mental health functioning, medical diagnoses, medical utilization, behavioral risk factors (body mass index, lifetime history of alcohol dependence, nicotine dependence, and diagnoses of mood/anxiety disorder) Lifetime prevalence of pathological gambling = 0.42%, 0.90% problem gambling, 25.84% at-risk gambling and 72.84% low-risk gambling individuals. Increased problem-gambling severity associated with current obesity status, alcohol abuse/dependence, nicotine dependence, and mood and anxiety disorders
Slutske ([@B63]) *n* = 185 Wave 1 NESARC (*N* = 43,093) and *n* = 21 Gambling Impact and Behavior Study (*N* = 2,417) who met criteria of lifetime DSM-IV pathological gambling AUDADIS-IV for NESARC and NORC DSM-IV for Gambling Problems (NODS) for Gambling Impact and Behavior Study. Assessment tool changes made to make Gambling Impact and Behavior Study and NESARC diagnoses comparable. Lifetime pathological gambling -- meet ≥5 of 10 DSM-IV criteria at any time in life. Problem gambling -- 3 or 4 DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria Treatment-seeking (sought professional help), recovery (lifetime history but did not endorse pathological gambling in the past 12 months), natural recovery (recovery but never sought treatment) Gambling Impact and Behavior Study -- 0.8% lifetime pathological-gambling prevalence (44.6% females), 1.3% lifetime problem-gambling prevalence (39.7% females). NESARC -- 0.4% lifetime pathological gambling (29.6% females), 0.8% lifetime problem gambling (29.8% females). 7% (Gambling Impact and Behavior Study) and 12% (NESARC) treatment-seeking rates among lifetime pathological gambling. 36% (Gambling Impact and Behavior Study) and 39% (NESARC) "recovery" rates. "Natural recovery" was seen among 33%--36% of individuals with lifetime pathological gambling. Pathological gambling may not necessarily follow a chronic and persistent course
Desai et al. ([@B19]) 25,485 Wave 1 NESARC participants age ≥40 years. Weights to adjust SEs for over-sampling, cluster sampling and non-response AUDADIS-IV- gambling problems in three groups: (a) Non-gamblers -- never gambled \>5 times in a year for their lifetime, (b) Recreational gamblers -- gambled \>5 times/year but ≤2 criteria of pathological gambling in previous year, and (c) Problem/pathological gamblers with ≥3 criteria of pathological gambling in previous year Health status -- obesity, body mass index, self-rated health; nicotine dependence and alcohol abuse/dependence; chronic medical conditions; sociodemographics; SF-12 score -- physical and mental Participants aged 40--64 years (younger group): weighted prevalence estimates were calculated for non-gambling (68.70%), recreational gambling (30.80%) and problem/pathological gambling (0.30%).Participants \>64 years (older group): prevalence estimates were 71.10% for non-gambling, 28.70% recreational gambling, and 0.30% problem/pathological gambling
Pietrzak, Morasco, Blanco, Grant, and Petry ([@B49]) 10,563 Wave 1 NESARC older adults age ≥60 years. Cronbach's α for symptom items and pathological gambling for full sample were .92 and .80, respectively. Cronbach's α for symptom items and pathological gambling for older adults sample were 0.85 and 0.71, respectively AUDADIS-IV to assess pathological gambling (meet at least 5 of 10 DSM-IV criteria). Gatekeeping question: "Have you gambled ≥5 times in any 1 year of your life?" -- Those who answered "NO": Non-gambling (70.41%). Recreational gambling: Those who answered YES and met 0--2 of the 10 DSM-IV criteria. Disordered gambling: ≥3 criteria, included those with problem gambling and pathological gambling Alcohol- and drug-use, mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. Medical diagnoses of past-year prevalence of 11 medical conditions 28.74% lifetime recreational gambling and 0.85% lifetime problem/pathological gambling with 0.29% meeting diagnostic criteria for pathological gambling and 0.56% reporting subdiagnostic symptoms. Recreational gambling relatively common among older adults (30% lifetime gambling ≥5 times in a year). Pathological gambling rare as 0.3% older adults met lifetime pathological-gambling diagnoses and 0.1% met past-year pathological-gambling criteria
Strong and Kahler ([@B64]) 11,153 Wave 1 participants (46.1% females) who answered "yes" to "Have you ever gambled at least 5 times in any one year of your life?" Aim: to assess unidimensionality, symptom severity and relative patterns AUDADIS-IV -- pathological gambling represents 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria; included 12-month clustering criterion -- whether multiple symptoms occurred within the past year Sociodemographics -- age, gender, race, and income level Gamblers were 76.8% White, 20.1% Black, 14.2% Hispanic. Mean age was 45.75 years (*SD* = 18.51). Gender and age differences: women more likely than men to report gambling to improve mood and forget problems, while younger gamblers reported chasing losses at lower levels of problem-gambling severity
Desai and Potenza ([@B20]) 43,093 from Wave 1; non-institutional population ≥18 years residing in households and group quarters; weighted data -- socioeconomic variables (2000 Decennial Census); non-response adjustment -- household and person level AUDADIS-IV to assess pathological gambling, used past-year diagnoses with illness and substance exclusions- primary/independent DSM diagnoses. Four groups: (1) Non-gambling/low frequency gambling -- never gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime, (2) Low-risk gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime but no pathological-gambling criteria in past year, (3) At-risk gambling -- reported 1--2 pathological-gambling criteria in past year, and (4) Problem/pathological gambling -- ≥3 pathological-gambling criteria in past year Substance abuse and 7 Axis II personality disorders (no time periods applied). Sociodemographics (covariates): age, race/ethnicity, education, employment, marital status, and household income Problem/pathological gambling rates: 0.7% in men and 0.4% in women. Both men and women may engage in low-frequency gambling without experiencing problem/pathological gambling. High rates of co-occurrence between Axis-I psychiatric disorders and problem/pathological gambling. Strong association between antisocial personality disorder and problem/pathological gambling. Males more likely than females to gamble and develop problem/pathological gambling, but stronger associations between at-risk or problem/pathological gambling and psychopathology among females than males
Alegria et al. ([@B1]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); 11,153 for subgroup -- prevalence of problem/pathological gambling among those who had engaged in gambling (lifetime conditional prevalence of disordered gambling) AUDADIS-IV; Combined problem gambling (problem gambling -- i.e., met 3 or 4 DSM-IV criteria for pathological gambling) with pathological gambling and labeled this group as "*disordered gambling*" Medical conditions, stressful life events (Social Readjustment Rating Scale), psychosocial functioning and disability Prevalence of problem/pathological gambling among black (2.2%), Native American/Asian (2.3%), and White (1.2%) groups. Lifetime conditional prevalence of problem/pathological gambling among black (9.0%), Native American/Asian (8.2%), and white (4.0%) groups. Potential risk factors for pathological gambling: socioeconomic status, alcohol-use disorders, psychiatric disorders
Boudreau, Labrie, and Shaffer ([@B12]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); 11,153 for gambling subgroup. Aim: to investigate shadow syndromes and co-occurring symptoms within individuals with pathological-gambling features and individuals who gamble but no evidence of pathological-gambling features AUDADIS-IV; selected 658 out of total 3,008 questions for testing prior 1-year symptom presence. 2 groups: past-year pathological gambling (*n* = 121) and gamblers without pathological-gambling features (*n* = 9,930). *Shadow syndromes* -- clinical symptoms that are insufficiently clustered to satisfy criteria for diagnoses 29 DSM diagnostic categories with gambling-relevant symptoms (alcohol, drug dependence, mood disorders, and personality disorder) 25% of individuals with pathological gambling reported enough symptoms to meet criteria for at least one of the four pathological-gambling-relevant symptom clusters (dysthymia, generalized anxiety, anxiety related to other factors, specific phobias). Factor analysis reduced symptoms to 13 clusters
Grant, Desai, and Potenza ([@B30]) 43,093 from Wave 1 multi-stage stratified sample; non-institutional population ≥18 years residing in households and group quarters; weighted data. Aim: to investigate associations between nicotine dependence, problem/pathological gambling and psychopathology AUDADIS-IV -- 4 groups: (1) Non-gambling/low-frequency gambling -- never gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime, (2) Low-risk gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime but no pathological-gambling criteria in past year, (3) At-risk gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime and reported 1--2 pathological-gambling criteria in past year, and (4) problem/pathological gambling -- reported ≥3 pathological-gambling criteria in past year Past-year measures for mood disorders, anxiety disorders, drug abuse and dependence, alcohol abuse and dependence, nicotine dependence; lifetime measures for Axis II personality disorders; sociodemographic variables Out of 43,093, 12.8% nicotine dependent and 71.7% non-gambling, 23.1% low-risk gambling, 2.2% at-risk gambling and 0.5% problem/pathological gambling. Among individuals who were nicotine dependent, prevalence estimates for 4 problem-gambling-severity groups were 59.7%, 31.6%, 4.9% and 1.9%, respectively
Nelson et al. ([@B41]) 11,153 (26% of 43,093) individuals who reported gambling ≥5 times/year in lifetime. Aim: to examine how specific pathological-gambling criteria relate to symptom patterns and stability (severity and course) AUDADIS-IV -- pathological gambling represents 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria Past-year pathological gambling and prior to past-year pathological gambling Preoccupation was the most endorsed symptom at 12.1%, followed by chasing (7.1%), tolerance (6.4%), escape (6%), lying (3.3%), loss of control (2.9%), reliance on others (1.3%), withdrawal (1.2%), jeopardizing other experiences (1%), and illegal acts (0.4%)
Brewer, Potenza, and Desai ([@B13]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); 81% response rate AUDADIS-IV -- 4 groups: (a) Non-gambling/low frequency gambling -- never gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime, (b) Low-risk gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime but no pathological-gambling diagnoses in past year, (c) At-risk gambling -- 1 or 2 pathological-gambling symptoms in past year, (d) problem/pathological gambling -- ≥3 pathological-gambling symptoms in past year Alcohol dependence and/or abuse; sociodemographics; Alcohol use groups (final): alcohol-use disorder and non-alcohol-use disorder 2.3% problem/pathological gambling among non-alcohol-use-disorder group and 8.3% problem/pathological gambling among alcohol-use-disorder group. Complex relationship between problem/pathological gambling, alcohol-use disorder and psychopathology. Among non-alcohol-use-disorder group, problem/pathological gambling was associated with elevated odds for most Axis I and II disorders. Among alcohol-use-disorder group, the same pattern was not evident. Data suggest that alcohol-use disorders account for some of the variance in the relationship between problem-gambling severity and psychopathology
Gebauer et al. ([@B25]) 43,093 from Wave 1; non-institutional population ≥18 years residing in households and group quarters. Aim: to develop a brief biosocial gambling screen for the general population AUDADIS-IV -- pathological gambling represents ≥5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria in past year and utilized the Mapped Lie/Bet scale Lie/Bet Questionnaires as a reference point Developed a psychometrically sound 3-item questionnaire as an alternative to the Lie/Bet Questionnaire. The questionnaire is consistent with the syndrome model of addiction
Barry et al. ([@B6]) 31,830 adults (13% Hispanic, 87% white), 48% men and 52% women. Aim: to examine associations between race/ethnicity, sociodemographics, psychopathology and problem/pathological gambling AUDADIS-IV -- 3 groups: (a) Non-gambling/low frequency gambling -- never gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime, (b) Low-risk or at-risk gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime with 0--2 inclusionary pathological-gambling criteria in previous year, and (c) problem/pathological gambling -- ≥3 past-year pathological-gambling criteria Past-year measures for mood disorders, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and dependence, nicotine dependence (as per [@B30]). Lifetime measures for Axis II personality disorders. Sociodemographic variables included White respondents (0.5%) more likely to exhibit problem/pathological gambling as compared to Hispanic respondents (0.4%). Rates of psychiatric disorders significantly related to past-year problem-gambling severity in both Hispanic and White participants
Barry et al. ([@B5]) 32,316 adults (12.98% Black, 87.12% White), 42% men and 58% women. Aim: to examine associations between sociodemographics, psychiatric disorders, and past-year problem-gambling severity among Black and White respondents AUDADIS-IV -- 3 groups: (a) Non-gambling/low frequency gambling -- never gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime, (b) Low-risk or at-risk gamblers- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime with 0--2 inclusionary pathological-gambling criteria in previous year, and (c) problem/pathological gambling -- ≥3 past-year pathological-gambling criteria Past-year measures for mood disorders, drug abuse, alcohol abuse and dependence, nicotine dependence. Lifetime measures for DSM-IV Axis II personality disorders. Sociodemographic variables included 65.7% Black and 63.9% White respondents had non-gambling/low-frequency gambling. Prevalence rates of problem/pathological gambling were higher for Black (0.96%) than White (0.45%). respondents. Rates of psychiatric disorders were associated with past-year problem-gambling severity for both Black and White participants
Carragher and McWilliams ([@B14]) 11,104 adults who reported having gambled ≥5 times in lifetime and provided complete data on 15 past-year DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria items. Aim: latent class analysis to derive and validate typology of gambling groups using epidemiological data AUDADIS-IV -- pathological gambling represents 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria. "Chasing" behavior is represented differently in DSM-IV (long-term chasing) and AUDADIS-IV (both short- and long-term chasing) Demographic variables, psychiatric, and substance use disorders. Included lifetime measures for mood disorders, anxiety disorders and personality disorders. Composite variables of past-year alcohol use and drug-use disorders 93.3% respondents grouped in the class, without gambling problems while 6.1% in the moderate- and 0.6% in the pervasive-gambling-problems classes, respectively. In the class without gambling problems, there were very low endorsement probabilities of all 10 DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria. Moderate-gambling-problems class endorsed primarily the preoccupation, tolerance and chasing criteria. Pervasive-gambling-problems class endorsed most criteria
Chou and Afifi ([@B15]) 33,231 Waves 1 and 2 NESARC reflecting follow-up completions and complete data (Respondents with missing items removed). Aim: to examine association between past-year problem/pathological gambling with Axis 1 psychiatric disorders 3 years later (longitudinal and prospective study design) AUDADIS-IV -- past-year problem/pathological gambling represents respondents having met ≥3 criteria in the past year. Non-disordered gambling -- all participants not classified under problem/pathological gambling, including lifetime non-gamblers Sociodemographics (covariate-1); Axis 1 disorders -- mood, anxiety and substance use; 11 medical conditions (covariate-2); SF-12 physical and mental health component summary scores (covariate-3); 12 stressful life events (covariate-4) Overall prevalence of problem/pathological gambling was 0.6% with 0.82% prevalence among males and 0.4% among females. Past-year problem/pathological gambling linked with increased odds of the incidence of some Axis 1 disorders at 3-year follow-up, and these relationships remained significant after adjusting for the effects of potential confounds
Oleski et al. ([@B44]) 43,093 from Wave 1. Aim: confirmatory factor analysis to investigate how pathological gambling loads on Krueger's (1999) 3-factor model of common mental disorders (internalizing, externalizing, and anxious-misery factors) AUDADIS-IV to assess pathological gambling (meet at least 5 of 10 DSM-IV criteria). Gatekeeping question: "Have you gambled ≥5 times in any 1 year of your life?" 10 mental disorders: major depression, dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, agoraphobia, social phobia, specific phobia, alcohol dependence, and antisocial personality disorder Confirmatory factor analysis showed Krueger's 3-factor model fitted NESARC data. DSM-IV pathological gambling shows highest loading onto externalizing factor comprised of pathological gambling, drug and alcohol dependence, and antisocial personality disorder for both men and women
Sacco et al. ([@B59]) 43,093 from Wave 1. Aim: to examine differential item functioning in DSM-IV pathological gambling criteria based on ethnicity, age and gender AUDADIS-IV -- pathological gambling represents 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria in any 1 year of their lives. Past-year and lifetime prevalence obtained. Sociodemographics -- age, gender, race, employment, and income level Differential item functioning evidenced for gender, ethnicity and age. Women and Asians individuals less likely to endorse preoccupation (Criterion 1) than reference groups (male, Caucasian and ages 25-59 years). Females more likely to endorse gambling to escape (Criterion 5), while young adults were less likely to endorse gambling to escape
Giddens et al. ([@B26]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). Aim: to investigate the impact of past-year anxiety disorders on the relationships between past-year problem/pathological gambling and non-anxiety psychopathology AUDADIS-IV -- four groups: (a) Non-gambling/low frequency gambling -- gambled \<5 times/year in lifetime, (b) Low-risk gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime but no pathological-gambling criteria in past year, (c) At-risk gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime and reported 1--2 pathological-gambling criteria in past year, and (d) problem/pathological gambling -- reported ≥3 pathological-gambling criteria in previous year Sample stratified into two groups: (a) individuals who met past-year anxiety-disorder criteria (personality disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social phobia, or simple phobia), and (b) individuals who did not meet past-year anxiety-disorder criteria Higher problem-gambling severity associated with Axis I and II psychiatric disorders in both anxiety-disorder and non-anxiety-disorder groups. Significant interactions (anxiety-by-gambling), especially for mood and personality disorders. Anxiety-by-gambling interactions indicate stronger associations between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders among individuals without anxiety disorder than those with anxiety disorders
Barry et al. ([@B4]) 41,987 adults (Wave 1) with complete information on pain interference and problem-gambling severity AUDADIS-IV -- 3 groups: (a) Non-gambling/low frequency gambling -- never gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime, (b) Low-risk or at-risk gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime with 0-2 inclusionary pathological-gambling criteria in past year, and (c) problem/pathological gambling -- ≥3 past-year pathological-gambling criteria Past-year measures for mood, anxiety, substance-use disorders and lifetime measures for DSM-IV Axis II personality disorders; socio-demographic variables. Pain interference -- measured by SF-12 subscale and divided into 2 groups: no/low pain interference and moderate/severe pain interference Prevalence of problem/pathological gambling higher for moderate/severe pain interference group (0.79%) than for no/low pain interference (0.48%). Associations between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders are largely not modified by pain interference. Pain interference moderates the relationships between problem-gambling severity and 4 psychiatric disorders: dysthymia, panic disorder, dependent personality disorder, specific phobia
Nower, Martins, Lin, and Blanco ([@B43]) 581 problem/pathological gambling participants from Wave 1 NESARC. Aim: to derive empirical subtypes relating to problem/pathological gambling based on etiological and clinical characteristics in the Pathways Model AUDADIS-IV; pathological gambling -- 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria; gatekeeping question: "Have you gambled ≥5 times in any 1 year of your life?"; Problem/pathological gambling -- ≥3 DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria Other psychiatric disorders; general health, physical functioning, bodily pain and mental health scores of the SF12v2; family history of drug/alcohol problems and antisocial personality disorder; current events (separation, divorce, death of loved ones, problems with the law); demographics 1.36% problem/pathological gambling out of 43,093 participants. Latent class analyses showed a 3-class solution as best-fitting model. 50.76% in Class 1 reported lowest overall psychiatric disorders including problem-gambling severity and mood disorders. 20.06% in Class 2 reported high probability of endorsing past-year substance-use disorders, moderate probability of having personality disorder and having parents with alcohol-/drug-use problems and highest probability for past-year mood disorders. 29% in Class 3 had the highest probabilities of personality and prior-to-past year mood disorders, substance-use disorders, separation/divorce, drinking-related physical fights, and parents with alcohol/drug problems and/or a history of antisocial personality disorder
Pilver, Libby, Hoff, and Potenza ([@B50]) 34,653 participants who completed both Wave 1 and Wave 2 data (87% response rate) AUDADIS-IV -- at-risk/problem/pathological gambling --gambled \>5 times a year and acknowledged one to ten inclusionary criteria for pathological gambling)-- Non-at-risk/problem/pathological gambling -- no inclusionary criteria for pathological gambling 3-year incidence (from Wave 1 to Wave 2) of alcohol-use disorders, nicotine dependence, drug-use disorders (both prescribed and non-prescribed) and illicit drug-use disorders At-risk/problem/pathological gambling (in comparison with non-at-risk/problem/pathological gambling) showed: (a) positive association with incident nicotine dependence among women, (b) negative association with incident prescription drug-use disorders among men, (c) positive association with incident alcohol-use disorders among men
Pilver, Libby, Hoff, and Potenza ([@B51]) 10,231 participants aged 55 years or older to examine incident cases of Axis 1 disorders. Aim: to evaluate past-year problem gambling severity at Wave 1 and incident Axis I psychopathology at Wave 2 AUDADIS-IV -- at-risk/problem/pathological gambling --gambled \>5 times a year and acknowledged one to ten inclusionary criteria for pathological gambling)-- Non-at-risk/problem/pathological gambling -- no inclusionary criteria for pathological gambling Binary (presence or absence); combined category of Axis 1, mood, anxiety and any substance-use disorder. Covariates -- assessed at Wave 1 67.3% non-gambling/low-frequency gambling, 29.9% low-risk gambling, and 2.8% at-risk/problem and pathological gambling (84.7% 1--2 features of pathological gambling, 13.3% 3--4 features of pathological gambling, 2.0% endorsed ≥5 features of pathological gambling). At-risk/problem/pathological-gambling group was more likely to report incidence of mental illness as compared to non-gambling/low-frequency-gambling group
Pilver and Potenza ([@B52]) 10,231 participants aged 55 years or older. Aim: to evaluate prospective associations between at-risk/problem/pathological gambling (Wave 1) and incident medical conditions among older adults (Wave 2) IV -- At-risk/problem/pathological gambling assessed at Wave 1.-- Only individuals without a lifetime history of outcome of interest in Wave 1 were included in each analytical sample Incident physical health conditions (binary outcomes) at Wave 2. Other variables -- socio-demographic covariates at Wave 1, baseline psychiatric comorbidity, substance use, body mass index 67.3% non-gambling/low-frequency gambling, 28.8% low-risk gambling, and 2.4% at-risk/problem /pathological gambling. At baseline (Wave 1), at-risk/problem/pathological-gambling group was younger, more likely to be male, have past-year history of mood disorder and Axis II disorder, and report using alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. At-risk/problem/pathological gambling was associated with incident arteriosclerosis and heart conditions
Parhami et al. ([@B45]) 34,653 Wave 1 (81% response rates) and Wave 2 (87% response rates) NESARC participants. Aim: to use longitudinal data to determine whether problem-gambling severity is related to the onset of psychiatric disorders AUDADIS-IV -- non-gambling/low-frequency-gambling comparison group (individuals who gambled \<5 times/year in lifetime) and 3 gambling groups: (1) Recreational gambling -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime without meeting any past-year gambling-disorder criteria, (2) Subthreshold gambling disorder -- gambled \>5 times/year in lifetime with 1--3 inclusionary past-year gambling-disorder criteria, and (3) Gambling disorder -- met 4-9 past-year gambling-disorder criteria DSM-IV Axis I disorders grouped into three categories: mood, anxiety and substance-use disorders. Posttraumatic stress disorder assessed in Wave 2 and sociodemographics Non-weighted baseline prevalence of recreational gambling (23%), subthreshold gambling disorder (2.6%) and gambling disorder (0.33%) with 73.2% non-gambling. At 3 years after initial intake interview, individuals with higher problem-gambling severity at baseline demonstrated greater odds of experiencing incident mood, anxiety or substance-use disorders, with a graded relationship observed
Vizcaino et al. ([@B67]) 43,093 from Wave 1. Aim: to investigate differences between early- vs. later-onset pathological gambling in sociodemographics, Axis I and II psychopathology, preferred gambling and treatment-seeking rates AUDADIS-IV to assess pathological gambling (meet at least 5 of 10 DSM-IV criteria). Gatekeeping question: "Have you gambled ≥5 times in any 1 year of your life?" Age of pathological-gambling onset was divided as ≤25 years (earlier onset) and ≥26 years (later-onset) Strategic (blackjack, poker, sports betting, etc) vs. non-strategic (keno, bingo, pull-tabs, slot machines) gambling; Aggregated alcohol-use disorders and drug-use disorders; mood and anxiety disorders; 7 DSM-IV personality disorders Early-onset pathological gambling was associated with being male, being never married, having incomes below \$70,000, belonging to younger cohorts and having Cluster B personality disorders and inversely associated with mood disorders. Gender differences may relate to telescoping effects
Blanco et al. ([@B10]) 43,093 from Wave1. Aim: to develop etiological model of pathological gambling for males and females based on Kendler's developmental model for major depression AUDADIS-IV -- stratified into three samples: (a) Lifetime gambling -- gambled at least 5 times per year in any one year, (b) Lifetime history of pathological gambling -- individuals who met DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria in any one year of their life, (c) Past-year pathological gambling -- individuals meeting 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria in the prior year Variables selected were related to five developmental periods: childhood, early adolescence, late adolescence, adulthood and past year 12-month pathological-gambling prevalence was 0.16%. Modified Kendler's model provides a foundation for a comprehensive developmental model of pathological gambling. Lifetime and 12-month pathological gambling can be statistically predicted by factors in several developmental levels with carry-over effects from preceding to subsequent levels
Cowlishaw and Hakes ([@B17]) 402 patients who reported past-year treatment of substance-use problems from Wave 1 and Wave 2 (*n* = 308). Aim: to estimate prevalence of pathological gambling and problem gambling across treatment settings and associations with constructs in mental and physical health, healthcare utilization and psychosocial problems AUDADIS-IV -- pathological gambling represents 5 out of 10 DSM-IV criteria in any 1 year. Past-year and lifetime prevalence obtained. Problem/pathological gambling represents meeting 3 or more DSM-IV criteria. 4 groups: recreational (0 criteria), at-risk gambling (1--2 criteria), problem gambling (3--4 criteria) and pathological gambling (≥5 criteria) Past-year Axis I and lifetime Axis II disorders, SF-12 measures of past-year mental and physical health, and past-year occurrences of life events (representing psychosocial problems) such as work relationships, termination of steady relationship, financial issues and legal difficulties 4.3% lifetime pathological-gambling prevalence (5+ DSM-IV criteria) and 7.2% problem/pathological gambling (3+ DSM-IV criteria).Lifetime pathological-gambling criteria associated with Axis II disorders but not Axis I diagnoses
Moghaddam et al. ([@B37]) 13,578 individuals who provided information on gambling behavior, lifetime suicidal ideation and/or attempts. Aim: to examine suicidal and gambling behavior with a derived subgroup of a nationally representative sample AUDADIS-IV -- 5 gambling groups: non-gambling (never gambled ≥5 times in any one year), low-risk gambling (gambled ≥5 times in any one year but have not met any DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria), at-risk gambling (met 12 pathological-gambling criteria), problem gambling (met 3--4 criteria), and pathological gambling (met 5--10 criteria) Lifetime suicidal behaviors, lifetime suicidal ideation, and lifetime suicidal attempts Non-gambling (25.8%), low-risk (24.5%) and at-risk gambling (28.4%) had similar prevalence rates of suicidal ideation. 36.7% rate of suicidal ideation among problem-gambling group and 49.2% among pathological-gambling group. For suicide attempts, rates were as follows: 7.9% non-gambling, 6.6% low-risk, and 7.9% at-risk gambling. Problem gambling (17.2%) and pathological gambling (18.3%) associated with higher rates of suicide attempts
Sharma and Sacco ([@B62]) 34,653 participants who completed both Wave 1 and Wave 2 data. Aim: to examine associations between pathological gambling and adverse childhood experiences AUDADIS-IV -- 4 groups: 0 = non-gambling, never gambled \>5 times per year in lifetime; 1 = non-problem gambling, endorsed \<2 pathological-gambling criteria; 2 = problem gambling, endorsed 2--4 DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria; 3 = pathological-gambling endorsed ≥5 pathological-gambling criteria Adverse childhood experiences: physical, sexual, emotional abuse, physical neglect and family violence. Covariates: sociodemographics, lifetime substance-use, and mood and anxiety disorders Adverse childhood experiences rates were higher among problem-gambling and pathological-gambling groups than non-gambling group. Physical abuse: 4.40% among non-gambling group, 4.84% among non- problem-gambling group, 6.95% among problem-gambling group, 12.21% among pathological-gambling group. Sexual abuse: 10.41% among non-gambling group, 9.56% among non-pathological-gambling group, 15.50% among problem-gambling group, 15.44% among pathological-gambling group
Wilson, Salas-Wright, Vaughn, and Maynard ([@B69]) 11,153 Wave 1 participants who answered "yes" to "Have you ever gambled at least 5 times in any one year of your life?" Aim: to utilize data from Wave 1 and 2 to examine gambling prevalence rates across gender and world regions AUDADIS-IV; Only items with prevalence of greater than 1.5% were included in statistical analyses -- Wave 2 Immigrant status: first-generation, second-generation, third-generation and non-immigrant-- Socio-demographic controls: age, gender, ethnicity/race, household income, education level, marital status, region of the U. S., urbanicity Gambling prevalence lower among first-generation immigrants (19.05%) relative to native-born Americans (29%), second-generation (29.93%) and third-generation (33.22%) immigrants. Pathological-gambling prevalence lower among first-generation immigrants (2.79%) relative to native-born Americans (4.73%), second-generation (4.71%) and third-generation (5.18 %) immigrants. Second-generation immigrants and non-immigrants with higher likelihood of meeting criteria for problem/pathological gambling
Kong, Smith, Pilver, Hoff, and Potenza ([@B32]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); Aim: to investigate association between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders among American-Indian/Alaska-Native individuals AUDADIS-IV -- 3 groups: Non-gambling/low frequency, low-risk gambling, and at-risk/problem/pathological gambling (see [@B6]) Sociodemographics -- age, gender, race, education level, marital status, employment status; Axis I and Axis II diagnoses American-Indian/Alaska-Native as compared with other respondents were least likely to report non-gambling/low-frequency gambling (American-Indian/Alaska-Native 66.5%, white 70.5%, black 72.8%, other race 72.3%) and most likely to report low-risk gambling (American-Indian/Alaska-Native 30.1%, white 26.5%, black 23.4%, other race 24.7%). Stronger associations between at-risk/problem/pathological gambling and past-year Axis I disorders among American-Indian/Alaska-Native than other groups
Cowlishaw, Hakes, and Dowling ([@B18]) 3,007 adults reporting treatment for mood/anxiety disorders. Predominantly female (73.2%), white/non-Hispanic (65.5%). Aim: to evaluate prevalence and clinical correlates of problem/pathological gambling among a sample of individuals seeking treatment for affective disorders AUDADIS-IV to derive estimates of at-risk gambling (1--2 criteria) and problem/pathological gambling (3+ criteria) Past-year substance usage (i.e., drinking frequency, heavy drinking, marijuana and other drugs use); mental and physical health (SF-12); health-service utilization; occurrences of psychosocial difficulties Among individuals seeking treatment for affective disorders, rates of lifetime and past-year problem/pathological gambling were 3.1% and 1.4%, respectively. Meanwhile, 8.9% showed at-risk gambling features. Lifetime pathological gambling statistically predicted higher interpersonal and financial difficulties, marijuana use (not alcohol use) and healthcare utilization; and poorer mental or physical health
Sanacora et al. ([@B60]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). Aim: to investigate potential moderation effect of income on relationship between pathological gambling and psychopathology AUDADIS-IV to derive 4 problem-gambling-severity groups -- Non-gambling/low frequency, low-risk gambling, at-risk gambling and problem/pathological gambling (see [@B20]) Independent or primary past-year psychopathology diagnoses ([@B20]). Annual income (moderator) in 2 groups -- lower (annual household income \<\$24,000) and middle/higher (\>\$24,000) income Greater problem-gambling severity statistically predicted increased odds of multiple psychiatric disorders for both income groups. Stronger association between problem/pathological gambling and alcohol abuse/dependence for middle/higher income than lower-income group
Ronzitti, Kraus, Hoff, Clerici, and Potenza ([@B57]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). Aim: to examine the extent to which stress moderated the relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychopathologies AUDADIS-IV; Problem-gambling gambling measured at Wave 1. The sample was divided into four problem-gambling severity groups with five episodes of gambling in a single year in their lifetime; low-risk gambling with \<5 episodes of gambling in a single year and no criteria for pathological gambling in the past year; at-risk gambling with one or two criteria for pathological gambling in the past year; and problem/pathological gambling with \> three criteria for pathological gambling in the past year AUDADIS-IV assessed gambling and other psychiatric disorders in the NESARC. From the 12 items on the AUDADIS-IV related to past-12-month stressful events, a median split was used to create two categories: a low past-year stress group (i.e., 0 or 1 event), and a high past-year stress group (i.e., two or more events) Stress moderated problem-gambling-severity relationships with Cluster B disorders. A stronger relationship was observed between problem-gambling severity and psychopathology in the low-stress versus high-stress groups
Ronzitti et al. ([@B57]) 13,543 from Wave 1 (2001--2002) with mood symptomatology. Aim: to examine relationships between problem-gambling severity and personality disorders among individuals with differing levels of suicidality AUDADIS-IV; Problem-gambling gambling measured at Wave 1. The sample was divided into four problem-gambling severity groups with five episodes of gambling in a single year in their lifetime; low-risk gambling with \< five episodes of gambling in a single year and no criteria for pathological gambling in the past year; at-risk gambling with one or two criteria for pathological gambling in the past year; and problem/pathological gambling with \> three criteria for pathological gambling in the past year NESARC wave-1 survey investigated features of antisocial, avoidant, dependent, histrionic, obsessive--compulsive, paranoid, and schizoid personality. Two questions were used to assess lifetime major depressive episode (yes/no). Based on three questions the sample was classified into three suicidality groups: (a) history of suicide attempt; (b) history of suicide ideation, without any history of suicide attempt; and (c) no history of suicidal behaviors At-risk or problem/pathological gambling groups showed higher rates of a wide range of personality disorders compared to non-gambling group. At-risk and problem/ pathological gambling groups had higher odds for any personality disorder than the group with no history of suicidality, particularly for cluster-B personality disorders
Nicholson, Mackenzie, Afifi, Keough, and Sareen ([@B42]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). 34,635 from Wave 2 (2004 and 2005). Aim: to examine whether changes in gambling-related diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV to DSM-5 correspond to changes in prevalence of comorbid psychiatric disorders AUDADIS-IV; Pathological gambling assessed at Wave 1 according to DSM-IV criteria in the past year AUDADIS-IV assessed gambling and other psychiatric disorders in the NESARC Prevalence for any comorbid disorder among gambling-related diagnoses was similar from DSM-IV (56.7%) to DSM-5 (53.7%). Comorbidity between gambling disorder using DSM-5 criteria and alcohol-use (25.3%) and cannabis-use (37.7%) disorders remained high
Roberts et al. ([@B56]) Waves 1 and 2 (*N* = 25,631) of the NESARC. Aim: to investigate the associations between intimate partner violence and gambling problems and Axis I and II disorders AUDADIS-IV; Pathological-gambling-related measures at Wave 1 according to DSM-IV criteria in the past year. Problem/pathological gambling was defined by having three or more DSM-IV criteria and at-risk gambling with 1--2 criteria of pathological gambling Physical intimate partner violence victimization and perpetration in the past 12 months were assessed at Wave 2 using items from the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS-R) Problem/pathological gambling was associated with increased odds of both intimate partner violence perpetration for males (OR = 2.62) and females (OR = 2.87), and with intimate partner violence victimization for females only (OR = 2.97)
Bernardi et al. ([@B101]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). Aim: to examine predictors of pathological gambling remission status during the past 12 months AUDADIS-IV; Pathological-gambling-related measures at Wave 1 according to DSM-IV criteria in the past year. Problem/pathological gambling was defined by having three or more DSM-IV symptoms. Gambling remission was defined as having a lifetime history of problematic gambling or pathological gambling but not endorsing any pathological gambling DSM-IV criteria AUDADIS-IV assessed psychiatric disorders in the NESARC. Family history of depression, substance-use disorders, and antisocial personality disorder were included Rates of past 12-month remission were 45.24% for problem gambling (3--4 DSM-IV criteria) and 36.72% for pathological gambling (\>5 DSM-IV criteria). Survival analyses estimated an 85.6% cumulative probability of remission from pathological gambling, with a median time of 19 years
Ronzitti, Kraus, Hoff, Clerici, and Potenza ([@B58]) 13,543 from Wave 1 (2001--2002) with mood symptomatology. Aim: to examine the relationship between different levels of problem-gambling severity and DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric disorders according to suicidality level AUDADIS-IV; Pathological-gambling-related measures at Wave 1 according to DSM-IV criteria in the past year.The sample was divided into four problem-gambling severity groups with five episodes of gambling in a single year in their lifetime; low-risk gambling with \< five episodes of gambling in a single year and no criteria for pathological gambling in the past year; at-risk gambling with one or two criteria for pathological gambling in the past year; and problem/pathological gambling with \> three criteria for pathological gambling in the past year AUDADIS-IV assessed psychiatric disorders in the NESARC.Two questions were used to assess lifetime major depressive episode (yes/no). Based on three questions the sample was classified into three suicidality history groups: (a) history of suicide attempt; (b) history of suicide ideation, without any history of suicide attempt; and (c) no history of suicidal behaviors The relationships between Axis I psychiatric disorders and problem-gambling severity were mostly not moderated by suicidal ideation or attempt except for panic disorder in which a stronger relationship was observed in the relationship between low-risk gambling (vs low-frequency/non-gambling) in the group with suicide attempts as compared with that without attempt or ideation
Hammond et al. ([@B31]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). Aim: to examine how cannabis use moderated associations between problem-gambling severity and psychopathology AUDADIS-IV; Pathological-gambling-related measures at Wave 1 according to DSM-IV criteria in the past year.The sample was divided into four problem-gambling severity groups with five episodes of gambling in a single year in their lifetime; low-risk gambling with \< five episodes of gambling in a single year and no criteria for pathological gambling in the past year; at-risk gambling with one or two criteria for pathological gambling in the past year; and problem/pathological gambling with \> three criteria for pathological gambling in the past year AUDADIS-IV assessed psychiatric disorders in the NESARC Among both the group with lifetime cannabis use and that which never used cannabis, greater problem-gambling severity was associated with more psychopathology across mood, anxiety, substance-use and Axis II disorders. Cannabis use moderated the relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders, with cannabis use appearing to account for some of the variance in the associations between greater problem-gambling severity and specific forms of mental illness
######
Summary table of (eight) studies that investigated problem-gambling severity in the context of other main psychopathology variables
Article Sample (*N* and other characteristics) Main variables investigated Main findings
--------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blanco et al. ([@B9]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); 81% response rate. Aim: to present nationally representative lifetime prevalence correlated and comorbidity of shoplifting among US adults Main variable: shoplifting (embedded in the section on antisocial personality disorder). Diagnoses of mood, anxiety, and disorders, and personality disorders 0.56% past-year pathological gambling prevalence among shoplifters and 0.11% pathological gambling prevalence among non-shoplifters. Strongest links with shoplifting behavior were deficits in impulse control such as pathological gambling, antisocial personality disorder, substance-use disorders, and bipolar disorder
Pulay et al. ([@B54]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); 81% response rate. Aim: to present lifetime prevalence and population estimates of violent behavior among individuals with psychopathology Information on violent behavior collected before age 15 and since age 15 years. Diagnoses of mood, anxiety, substance-use, and personality disorders 28.78% prevalence of violent behavior among pathological-gambling group with comorbid disorders, but 0% prevalence of violent behavior among individuals with solely pathological-gambling diagnoses. Odds of violent behavior increases with pathological gambling, substance-use disorders, major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, and personality disorders
Vaughn et al. ([@B66]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002); 81% response rate. Aim: to investigate sociodemographic, psychiatric, and behavioral correlates of cruelty to animals Cruelty to animals assessed as an embedded item in the section on antisocial personality disorder. Diagnoses of mood, anxiety, substance-use, and personality disorders 3.02% lifetime pathological gambling prevalence among individuals with history of cruelty to animals and 0.39% pathological-gambling prevalence among individuals without history of cruelty to animals. Strong associations between cruelty to animals and lifetime alcohol-use disorders, pathological gambling, conduct disorder, specific personality disorders and family history of antisocial behavior, and cruelty to animals
Blanco et al. ([@B8]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). Aim: to examine national prevalence, sociodemographic, psychiatric correlates and mental health service utilization rates of individuals with fire-setting behaviors Fire-setting behavior assessed in the section on antisocial personality disorder, mental health service utilization, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, substance-use disorders, and personality disorders 1.6% lifetime prevalence of pathological gambling among fire-setting individuals as compared to 0.1% prevalence of pathological gambling among non-fire-setting individuals. Strongest links with fire setting were disorders related to impulse-control deficits such as pathological gambling, antisocial personality disorder, drug dependence and bipolar disorder
Schneier et al. ([@B61]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). Aim: to estimate national prevalence and clinical impact of comorbid social anxiety disorder, and alcohol-use disorders (alcohol abuse and dependence) Diagnoses of social anxiety disorder, alcohol-use disorders, other psychiatric disorders, and sociodemographics 1.4% pathological-gambling prevalence among comorbid social anxiety disorder and alcohol-use disorder group as compared to 0.1% pathological-gambling prevalence among group with neither social anxiety disorder nor alcohol-use disorders. Among respondents with social anxiety disorder, alcohol-use disorder presence was strongly associated with more substance-use disorders, pathological gambling, and antisocial personality disorder
Wu et al. ([@B74]) 43,093 from Wave 1 (2001--2002). Aim: to investigate patterns of substance use and psychiatric correlates among individuals with prescription opioid, heroin and non-opioid drug use in a nationally representative sample Substance use (heroin, opioid analgesics), psychiatric disorders (mood, anxiety and personality disorders), substance abuse treatment utilization, quality of life, and sociodemographics Prevalence of pathological gambling was 5.4% among individuals with heroin-other-opioid use, 2.2% among those with other-opioid use only, 0% among those with heroin use only and 0.7% among those with non-opioid drug use. Non-opioid drug use associated with reduced odds of substance-use disorders and other psychopathology (mood, anxiety, pathological gambling, and personality disorder) as compared with those with other-opioid use only
Chou and Cheung ([@B16]) 8,205 respondents 65 years or older from Wave 1 NESARC data. Aim: to estimate prevalence of DSM-IV major depressive disorder, its clinical characteristics (onset, course and treatment) and evaluate comorbid psychopathology Diagnoses of major depressive disorder, anxiety disorders, substance-use disorders, and sociodemographics 0.12% pathological-gambling prevalence among respondents with past-year major depressive disorder within this sample of individuals aged 65 years or older. Pathological gambling, anxiety disorders and substance-use disorders were strongly associated with major depressive disorder
Moghaddam et al. ([@B36]) 701 American Indians and Alaska Natives from Wave 1 NESARC. Aim: to examine comorbidity of lifetime nicotine dependence with both current and lifetime psychiatric and substance-use disorders Lifetime presence/absence of nicotine dependence, substance-use disorders, mood disorders, anxiety disorders, personality disorders, and pathological gambling 0.6% lifetime pathological gambling prevalence rates overall and 1.9% pathological gambling prevalence among individuals with nicotine dependence but 0% prevalence among individuals without nicotine dependence
{#fig1}
Study characteristics {#S3b}
---------------------
All 51 included studies utilized either Wave 1 (Year 2001--2002) and/or Wave 2 (2005--2006) nationally representative NESARC data ([@B29]) and were published between years 2005 and 2019. Ten studies utilized both Wave 1 and 2 data sets for prospective evaluations of associations between pathological gambling at Wave 1 and medical/psychiatric disorders at Wave 2. Selection of sample İsizes varied from 185 to 43,093 individuals depending on specified sample selection built upon research objectives.
Instrument {#S3c}
----------
Assessment of pathological-gambling criteria based on the *Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders*, 4th edition (DSM-IV; [@B2]) was conducted at Wave 1 with the psychometrically validated AUDADIS-IV instrument, which is an extensive semi-structured diagnostic interview conducted by trained lay interviewers to assess lifetime and past-year psychiatric disorders and related measures ([@B27]). Other psychiatric disorders assessed in the AUDADIS-IV included: (a) five mood disorders/features -- major depressive disorder, bipolar I and II disorders, dysthymia, and hypomania; (b) four/five anxiety disorders -- panic disorder with and without agoraphobia, social phobia, specific phobia, and generalized anxiety; and (c) seven personality disorders -- avoidant, dependent, obsessive--compulsive, paranoid, schizoid, histrionic, and antisocial disorders.
There are several distinctions between Waves 1 and 2 estimates -- Wave 1 data captured respondents' lifetime and past-year experiences, whereas Wave 2 focused on prior-to-past-year (since Wave 1) and past-year psychopathology experiences. Additional assessments in Wave 2 included: (a) classifications for several psychiatric disorders -- posttraumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and narcissistic, borderline, and schizotypal personality disorders; (b) psychosocial indicators -- sexual orientation, adverse childhood events, childhood and partner abuse, social integration, and acculturation; and (c) perceived experiences of discrimination.
Definitions of problem-gambling-related behaviors have changed over time in accordance with empirical findings and progression of DSM and non-DSM efforts like the Research Domain Criteria movement -- with both categorical and continuum conceptualizations of problem-gambling severity (from non-gambling/low frequency gambling to pathological gambling). Although several different thresholds and definitions have been utilized (see Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}), pathological gambling in DSM-IV was defined by meeting 5 or more of 10 criteria, whereby 15 symptom items operationalized the 10 pathological-gambling criteria in the assessment used in the NESARC ([@B11]; [@B48]). Meanwhile, meeting three to four criteria has been termed by some authors as experiencing problem gambling -- defined by some as excessive gambling linked with impaired inter- and intra-personal functioning but not meeting the minimum threshold of pathological-gambling criteria in DSM-IV ([@B35]). The gatekeeping question in the AUDADIS-IV was "Have you gambled 5 or more times in any one year of your life?" and respondents who answered "No" to this question were classified as *low-frequency/non-gambling*, while past-year *recreational gambling* involved answering "Yes" but met no more than two pathological-gambling criteria in the previous year ([@B19]; [@B49]). Some authors have further separated recreational gambling into low-risk and at-risk groups, with the former meeting no criteria and the latter 1--2 criteria for pathological gambling ([@B20]; [@B30]). Some studies combined problem gambling and pathological gambling into a single group to increase statistical power and labeled it as problem/pathological gambling, where respondents met three or more pathological-gambling criteria ([@B4]; [@B5], [@B6]; [@B20]; [@B26]; [@B30]). Most studies distinguished between lifetime gambling and past-year pathological gambling, and presented weighted prevalence estimates for the population of interest.
Psychometric developments and measurement analyses with NESARC data {#S3d}
-------------------------------------------------------------------
There were five gambling-related NESARC studies that developed research questions on model testing, symptom patterns, differential item functioning, and/or scale development (i.e., [@B12]; [@B25]; [@B41]; [@B59]; [@B64]). Nationally representative data are an important resource from which symptom classifications and assessment perspectives can be reviewed in a reliable manner. Strong and Kahler ([@B64]) evaluated the DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria -- using 11,153 lifetime gambling Wave 1 data points -- for its unidimensionality and symptom patterns. Factor analysis results revealed that pathological gambling symptoms fit a unidimensional Rasch model, which confirms the validity of using a total pathological gambling score to represent symptom patterns variations in problem-gambling severity. Extending these findings, Sacco et al. ([@B59]) explored the presence of differential item functioning in DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria stratified by age, gender, and ethnicity/race using Multiple-Indicator Multiple-Cause modeling and found evidence for differential item functioning for these sociodemographic variables. Specifically, women and Asians were less likely than reference groups (male, Caucasian, ages 25--29 years) to endorse *preoccupation,* and women were more likely to report *gambling to escape*, while young adults were less likely to report *gambling to escape* (see Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"} for additional details).
Utilizing a similar sampling method and 658 out of 3,008 AUDADIS-IV questions, Boudreau et al. ([@B12]) investigated the presence of shadow symptoms (e.g., anxiety and phobias) among individuals with and without past-year pathological gambling behavior. Findings suggested that shadow symptoms were associated with pathological gambling diagnoses, providing support for a need to develop treatment around multi-faceted symptomology instead of categorical diagnostic classification (see Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"} for additional details). Following from this study, Nelson et al. ([@B41]) found that pathological gambling symptom patterns changed as symptom count increased and differed between timeframes. *Preoccupation, chasing losses, tolerance*, and *gambling to escape* were the top four most endorsed criteria, whereas *illegal acts* were both rare, unstable, and arguably the least useful discriminant criteria ([@B41]). As *preoccupation* is both prevalent and stable across timeframes, it is a useful gateway question in clinical settings. Building on this symptom analysis research, Gebauer et al. ([@B25]) validated a 3-item brief biosocial gambling screen applicable for use among community populations and treatment-seeking groups. The Brief Biosocial Gambling Screen, which is an alternative to the Lie/Bet Questionnaire, showed high sensitivity and specificity, with an item from each of the three theoretical addiction syndrome domains -- neuroadaptation, psychosocial characteristics, and negative social consequences of gambling.
Prevalence of pathological gambling {#S3e}
-----------------------------------
The lifetime pathological gambling prevalence estimate among NESARC Wave 1 respondents was 0.42% (0.64% men and 0.23% women), *N* = 43,093 ([@B48]). Past-year pathological gambling prevalence was 0.16% ([@B10]), but when restricted to sample of lifetime gamblers, past-year pathological gambling rates were 1.92% among men and 1.05% among women ([@B11]). Morasco et al. ([@B39]) reported lifetime prevalence rates of 0.42% for pathological gambling, with 25.84% exhibiting at-risk gambling and 72.84% exhibiting low-risk gambling among gamblers. Past-year problem/pathological gambling rates were reported to be 0.70% in men and 0.40% in women ([@B20]). Among 33,231 complete data from Waves 1 and 2, problem/pathological gambling rate was 0.60% with 0.82% prevalence among males and 0.40% among females ([@B15]). When categorized according to immigrant status, pathological gambling prevalence rate was highest for third-generation immigrants (5.18%), followed by native-born Americans (4.73%) and second-generation immigrants (4.71%), while pathological gambling prevalence was lowest for first-generation immigrants at 2.79% ([@B69]).
Adults aged 40--64 years reported weighted prevalence estimates of 0.30% for problem/pathological gambling and 30.80% for recreational gambling, while older individuals aged more than 64 years reported similar rates -- problem/pathological gambling (0.30%) and recreational gambling (28.70%; [@B19]). Comparable estimates were found in another study (Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}), which suggested that recreational gambling was relatively common among older adults ([@B49]). Further evaluations on Wave 1 pathological gambling and Wave 2 psychopathology revealed that baseline prevalence rates among older adults aged 55 years or more were 2.80% for at-risk/problem/pathological gambling and 29.90% for low-risk gambling ([@B51]). Respondents with past-year major depressive disorder aged 65 years or older reported a modest pathological gambling prevalence of 0.12% ([@B16]).
As pathological gambling rarely exists in isolation, prevalence estimates for gambling groups (non-gambling/low frequency, low-risk, at-risk, and problem/pathological gambling) among nicotine-dependent individuals were 59.70%, 31.60%, 4.90%, and 1.9%, respectively ([@B30]). In a sample of 701 American Indians, pathological gambling prevalence was higher among individuals with (1.90%) than without (0%) nicotine dependence ([@B36]). Meanwhile, problem/pathological gambling rate was higher at 8.30% among individuals with alcohol abuse and/or dependence, and lower at 2.30% among non-alcohol-use-disorder group ([@B13]). Analyses of 402 patients who reported past-year treatment of substance-use problems revealed prevalence estimates of 4.30% of lifetime pathological gambling and 7.20% of problem gambling ([@B17]). Hammond et al. ([@B31]) also found that cannabis use moderated the relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders, with cannabis use appearing to account for some of the variance in the associations between greater problem-gambling severity and specific forms of mental illness.
Meanwhile, data from 3,007 treatment-seeking individuals with affective disorders showed comparably lower rates -- 3.1% lifetime pathological gambling and 1.4% past-year problem gambling ([@B18]). Pathological gambling prevalence was higher among individuals (1.40%) with comorbid social anxiety disorder and an alcohol-use disorder, as compared with individuals (0.10%) who were diagnosed neither with social anxiety disorder nor an alcohol-use disorder ([@B61]). In another study on specific drug use, pathological gambling prevalence was highest among heroin-other-opioid-using individuals (5.40%) and other-opioid-only-using individuals (2.20%), as compared with heroin-using (0%) and non-opioid-using (0.70%) individuals ([@B74]). Nicholson et al. ([@B42]) recently reanalyzed Wave 1 data to examine whether changes in gambling-related diagnostic criteria from DSM-IV to DSM-5 would correspond to changes in prevalence of psychiatric disorders among those with pathological gambling versus gambling disorder. Prevalence rates for any comorbid disorders among individuals with pathological gambling versus gambling disorder remained similar (56.7% vs. 53.7%) and the highest co-occurring substance-use disorders were alcohol (25.3%) and cannabis (37.7%).
The AUDADIS-IV captured information on antisocial-personality disorder that provided an avenue to estimate pathological-gambling prevalence among individuals with the presence of specific antisocial-personality disorder behaviors. Past-year pathological-gambling prevalence was reportedly higher among shoplifters (0.56%), as compared with non-shoplifters at 0.11% ([@B9]). Similarly, lifetime pathological gambling prevalence was evident among individuals who reported animal cruelty behavior (3.02% with vs. 0.39% without) and fire-setting behavior (1.60% with vs. 0.10% without) ([@B8]; [@B66]). In addition, violent behavior was more prevalent among individuals with pathological gambling with comorbid disorders (28.78%), such as alcohol-use and mood disorders, than among those with solely pathological gambling (0%) ([@B54]). In addition, Ronzitti et al. ([@B57]) found that at-risk/problem/pathological gambling had a higher odds ratio for any personality disorder in the group with no history of suicidality, particularly for cluster-B personality disorders.
Prevalence for problem/pathological gambling was higher for a group with moderate/severe pain interference (0.79%) than for a group with no/low pain interference (0.48%), while similar prevalence patterns were observed for low-risk-gambling or at-risk-gambling groups ([@B4]). Both problem gambling and pathological gambling groups as compared with non-gambling or low-risk gambling groups had significantly higher prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation (36.70%, 49.20%) and attempts (17.20%, 18.30%), respectively ([@B37]). Furthermore, adverse childhood experiences rates were higher for problem-gambling and pathological-gambling groups than for a non-gambling group ([@B62]). Specifically, rates of physical and sexual abuse were 6.95% and 15.50% among individuals with problem gambling and 12.21% and 15.44% among those with pathological gambling, respectively.
Gambling subtypes and model testing {#S3f}
-----------------------------------
Six studies included in this systematic review utilized NESARC data to evaluate theoretical models of pathological gambling, identify gambling subtypes, or distinguish between individuals with early- versus later-onset pathological gambling. Individuals with early-onset pathological gambling were more likely than those with later-onset pathological gambling to be male, be never married, have incomes below \$70,000, belong to younger cohorts and have Cluster B personality disorders, and were less likely to have mood disorders ([@B67]). Bernardi et al. ([@B101]) examined predictors of pathological gambling remission during the past 12 months and found that an 85.6% cumulative probability of remission from pathological gambling with a median time of 19 years. Carragher and McWilliams ([@B14]), through latent class analysis on 11,104 lifetime gamblers, empirically derived three typology of gamblers -- groups with no, moderate, and pervasive gambling problems -- based on endorsements of past-year DSM-IV pathological-gambling criteria. While the first group (no gambling problems) showed very low endorsement probabilities across all criteria, the second group (moderate) endorsed primarily preoccupation, tolerance, and chasing criteria, and the third group (pervasive) endorsed most criteria. Also using latent class analysis, but this time with 581 individuals with problem/pathological gambling, Nower et al. ([@B43]) derived three problem-gambling subtypes/classes based on etiological and clinical characteristics in a Pathways Model. Individuals in Class 1 (50.76%) showed lowest overall psychiatric disorders, while those in Class 2 (20.06%) showed high probability of endorsing past-year substance-use disorders and mood disorders. Finally, those in Class 3 had the highest probability of personality disorders, substance-use disorders, and separation/divorce, among other concerns (see Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"} for additional details).
In the first attempt of examining model fit using NESARC Wave 1 data, findings from confirmatory factor analysis showed that pathological gambling loaded highest on the externalizing factor of Krueger's ([@B33]) three-factor model of common mental disorders ([@B44]). The externalizing factor composed of pathological gambling, substance dependence, and antisocial-personality disorder for both genders. Blanco et al. ([@B10]) developed a pathological gambling etiological model based on a modified Kendler's developmental model for major depression, and found it can be used to statistically predict lifetime and past-year pathological gambling through possible risk factors in several developmental levels. Factors statistically predictive of lifetime gambling included family history of substance-use disorders or depression, impulsivity, childhood-onset anxiety, and independent stressful life events. Meanwhile, lifetime history of pathological gambling, personality disorder, and past-year nicotine dependence statistically predicted past-year pathological gambling. Future model development and comparisons between national data sets will be interesting avenues for theoretical advancement.
Sociodemographics and potential risk factors {#S3g}
--------------------------------------------
Most articles examined elements of sociodemographics and potential risk factors among specified research questions. One of the earliest investigations on gender-related differences by ethnicity found that Black women were more likely than Black men to report pathological gambling, but Hispanic men were more likely than Hispanic women to report subclinical pathological gambling, while no gender differences were observed among White individuals ([@B11]). Further analyses by age among individuals with subclinical pathological gambling revealed that more men were in the 18- to 29-year age group, while more women were in the 65 years or more age group. Stronger associations between pathological gambling and psychiatric disorders -- mood, anxiety and personality disorders -- were evident among women as compared with men ([@B48]), and among American Indian/Alaskan Native adults ([@B32]). Problem/pathological gambling prevalence rates were 0.70% among men and 0.40% among women ([@B20]). The "telescoping" phenomenon, whereby women show a later onset but quicker duration for the development of gambling problems, was suggested in several studies ([@B50]; [@B67]). Longitudinal analyses of Wave 1 and 2 data revealed that pathological gambling was linked with an increased 3-year incidence of nicotine dependence among females and alcohol dependence among males ([@B50]). In general, men were more likely than women to engage in gambling activities ([@B69]).
The sample of lifetime gamblers was racially 76.8% White, 20.1% Black, and 14.2% Hispanic ([@B64]). In a sample of individuals who engaged in gambling (*n* = 11,153), Black (2.2%) and Native American/Asian (2.3%) individuals reported significantly higher percentages of problem/pathological gambling than White individuals (1.2%; [@B1]). Similarly, in this sample, lifetime conditional prevalence of problem/pathological gambling was higher among Black (9.0%) and Native Americans/Asian (8.2%) adults than White (4.0%) adults. However, in a sample selection of 31,830 white and Hispanic adults, White individuals (0.5%) were more likely to exhibit problem/pathological gambling as compared to Hispanic individuals (0.4%; [@B6]). Racial comparisons based on a sample of 32,316 White and Black adults revealed that problem/pathological gambling rates were higher for Black (0.96%) than White (0.45%) individuals ([@B5]). American Indian/Alaskan Native as compared with other Americans (using the total 43,093 Wave 1 sample) were least likely to report non-/low-frequency gambling (American Indian/Alaskan Native: 66.5%, White: 70.5%, Black: 72.8%, and other race: 72.3%) and most likely to report low-risk gambling (American Indian/Alaskan Native: 30.1%, White: 26.5%, Black: 23.4%, and other race: 24.7%; [@B32]). It is important to note that percentages vary according to specified sample parameters of each study based on the NESARC data.
Descriptive results were provided in most studies in relation to age, and a few focused on pathological gambling among older adults. Prevalence estimates based on a sample of 25,485 individuals 40 years and above revealed that problem/pathological gambling rates are similar (0.30%) for both the younger group (40--64 years) and older group (more than 64 years; [@B19]). Problem/pathological gambling in the younger group was linked to poorer subjective health, nicotine dependence, alcohol abuse/dependence, obesity, and one or more chronic conditions, while similar non-significant patterns were seen among the older group. Another study that sampled 10,563 older adults aged 60 or more years found that individuals with problem/pathological gambling as compared to those with recreational gambling (i.e., met 0-2 DSM-IV criteria) had higher rates of alcohol, nicotine, mood, anxiety, personality disorders and obesity, and lower rates of arteriosclerosis or cirrhosis ([@B49]). Recreational gambling was relatively common among older adults as 30% reported ever gambling more than 5 times per year, whereas pathological gambling was rare as 0.30% of older adults met lifetime pathological-gambling and 0.10% met past-year pathological-gambling diagnostic criteria. Younger gamblers demonstrate loss chasing at lower levels of problem-gambling severity than older gamblers ([@B64]).
Psychiatric comorbidities {#S3h}
-------------------------
Twelve articles provided results on psychiatric comorbidities with pathological gambling, while eight studies investigated comorbidities amid other central variables. Individuals with problem/pathological gambling were more likely to report lifetime psychiatric disorders ([@B49]), and this pattern was evident across racial/ethnic groups ([@B5], [@B6]). Furthermore, past-year problem/pathological gambling was linked to increased odds of the incidence of some Axis I disorders at 3-year follow-up, and these relationships remained significant after adjusting for the effects of covariates ([@B15]). Associations between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders are largely not modified by pain interference ([@B4]). Anxiety disorders accounted for some of the variance in the association between problem-gambling severity and psychopathology, particularly internalizing disorders, tobacco smoking, and multiple personality disorders ([@B26]). Anxiety-by-gambling interactions indicate stronger associations between problem-gambling severity and psychiatric disorders among individuals without anxiety disorders than with anxiety disorders, suggesting that some of the variance in the relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychopathology are accounted for by anxiety disorders. Among respondents with social-anxiety disorder, alcohol-use disorders were linked to substance-use disorders, pathological gambling, and antisocial-personality disorder ([@B61]).
Problem/pathological gambling was found to be associated with elevated odds for most Axis I and II disorders among a non-alcohol-use-disorder group, with alcohol-use disorders moderating the relationships between problem-gambling severity and psychopathologies ([@B13]). Longitudinal analyses at 3 years after initial intake interview indicated that individuals reporting any gambling behavior at baseline as compared to non-gamblers were at increased risk of mood, anxiety, or substance-use disorders ([@B45]). Income level moderated the relationship between problem/pathological gambling and alcohol-use disorders, as a middle/higher-income as compared to a lower-income group evidenced stronger associations between problem-gambling severity and alcohol-use disorders ([@B60]). Gender-related differences were evident in motivations for gambling and smoking, whereby psychosocial stress and negative mood states were identified to be potential triggers of substance-use disorders and problem/pathological gambling ([@B50]). Impulse-control deficits and increased odds of pathological gambling were linked to a spectrum of antisocial-personality disorder behaviors, such as shoplifting behavior ([@B9]), violent behavior ([@B54]), cruelty to animals ([@B66]), and fire-setting ([@B8]).
Findings from the NESARC on psychiatric comorbidities of pathological gambling have identified common links between pathological gambling and substance-use disorders, alcohol-use disorders, antisocial-personality disorders, and mood disorders. Differences between genders were reported in the etiology and presenting problems associated with problem/pathological-gambling. Future research and clinical practice would benefit from carefully identifying comorbid psychopathology and assessing cluster symptoms of related disorders.
Physical health and chronic medical conditions findings {#S3i}
-------------------------------------------------------
Four articles presented findings on physical health and medical conditions in relation to problem/pathological gambling. Higher problem-gambling severity was associated with current obesity status and poorer appraisal of physical health ([@B39]). In the same study, at-risk/problem/pathological gambling was associated with a greater likelihood of utilizing medical services such as the emergency department and being admitted for severe injuries. Another study reported significant associations between recreational gambling and health, with recreational gambling among older adults associated with both negative measures like obesity and positive measures like better physical and mental functioning ([@B19]).
Prevalence of problem/pathological gambling was higher for individuals with moderate/severe pain interference (0.79%) than for those with no/low pain interference (no/low pain interference; 0.48%; [@B4]). Prospective evaluations of Wave 1 and 2 NESARC data found that the at-risk/problem/pathological-gambling group had a 36% increased likelihood of developing arteriosclerosis as compared to the non-at-risk/problem/pathological-gambling group ([@B52]). In contrast, the incidence of any liver condition was higher in the non-at-risk/problem/pathological-gambling group than in the at-risk/problem/pathological-gambling group; however, this finding did not survive adjustment for covariates.
Discussion {#S4}
==========
This systematic review provides a comprehensive synthesis of gambling-related NESARC findings in 51 published articles. Although all studies utilized the same NESARC Wave 1 and/or Wave 2 data, there were variations in terminologies (e.g., pathological gambling, problem/pathological gambling, and at-risk/problem/pathological gambling), thresholds employed, and gambling groups used in describing the problem-gambling-severity continuum -- all of which contribute to challenges in comparative analyses between papers. The studies, however, provide important findings related to prevalence estimates of pathological gambling in subgroups and in the general population and information on psychiatric comorbidities, sociodemographic correlates, and gambling typologies. Lifetime rates of pathological gambling (0.42%) based on the US NESARC data resembled rates reported in other countries, specifically New Zealand and Sweden. The results from the US NCS-R study also yielded a similar prevalence rate of 0.6% for pathological gambling in the general population ([@B100]). Although rates of pathological gambling appear low, variability is noted across subgroups, and this comprehensive review of NESARC studies sheds light on some health and psychological correlates of pathological gambling and subdiagnostic at-risk/problem gambling found in the US population. Moreover, systematic review of all gambling-related NESARC publications permits comparative evaluation, reflection, and formulation of strategic areas for future directions, specifically public health campaigns aimed at reducing the occurrence of problem gambling among vulnerable groups.
A key strength of the NESARC studies is the utilization of the psychometrically valid and reliable AUDADIS-IV. Good reliability indicators for alcohol consumption and psychiatric disorders suggest that it is a useful measurement tool in varied research contexts, especially in population studies -- the target sample for which it was developed ([@B28]). With the passage of the DSM-5, pathological gambling was renamed gambling disorder and moved from an impulse-control disorder to addictive disorder and subsequently grouped with substance-use disorders. The diagnostic criteria of gambling disorder remained similar except for the elimination of the illegal-acts criterion and the lowering of the threshold from five to four diagnostic criteria ([@B47]). Because gambling disorder occurs at a low base rate in the general population and as one means of improving statistical power in some studies, problem gambling and pathological gambling have often been combined into one category -- problem/pathological gambling. Careful formulation of subsequent versions of the AUDADIS provides an additional benefit of allowing prospective longitudinal and comparative analyses between Wave 1 and Wave 2 data for most psychiatric disorders, with an exception of pathological gambling. Although there were other additional assessments in Wave 2 as compared with Wave 1, pathological gambling measurements were omitted from Wave 2 data collection, which limits the possibility of performing longitudinal prospective analyses on gambling constructs using NESARC data, particularly with respect to incident pathological gambling or documenting changes in rates of problem-gambling severity among specific groups over time. Longitudinal data examining both risk and protective factors associated with gambling disorder are needed, particularly given the expansion of gambling, particularly sports gambling but also casino and other forms, occurring in the USA. Given the wealth of knowledge gained from the NESARC specific to gambling disorder, a new longitudinal prospective study is needed to tackle many unanswered questions around the prevalence, severity, and course of gambling disorder in the USA.
The results reported from the NESARC on potential risk factors and sociodemographic correlates of pathological gambling resonate with prior findings. Elevated odds of pathological gambling was associated with being male, Black, aged between 45 and 64 years and widowed/separated/divorced. Gender-related differences varied when the sample was stratified into racial/ethnic groups, whereby higher prevalence of pathological gambling was reported among Hispanic men and Black women, while no differences were observed among White men/women ([@B11]). Positive associations were evident between pathological gambling and other psychopathology -- substance dependence, mood disorders, personality disorders (particularly antisocial-personality disorder), comorbid diagnoses (stronger among females), and suicidal attempts ([@B37]). Furthermore, higher income increases the positive association between problem-gambling severity and alcohol dependence. Wave 1 problem/pathological gambling prospectively increased likelihood of predicting Wave 2 incidence of mood disorders, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, and alcohol abuse/dependence ([@B15]).
Recreational gambling among older adults (\>65 years) was linked with better self-reported physical and mental health, despite increased odds of negative health measures such as obesity ([@B19]). Older adults with presenting at-risk/problem and pathological gambling should be closely observed for physical health conditions. Treatment-seeking rates among individuals with pathological gambling were low in the entire population with no differences reported between those with early- and later-onset pathological gambling. These findings were generally consistent with national data sets worldwide with specific variations (intricate to US demographics) in prospective analyses, ethnicity differences, and recreational gambling among older adults.
The US NESARC data structure has provided some avenues for testing theoretical models and analyzing symptom patterns, which were main aims of selected studies reported here. While investigations on prevalence, descriptive estimates, and behavioral correlates are important outputs from national data sets, it is beneficial to examine empirically and test theoretically driven models of pathological-gambling etiology using these nationally representative data. Analyses of NESARC data validated the use of a total pathological-gambling score to consider problem-gambling severity and revealed group differences in symptom endorsements (see [@B59]). Careful adaptation of observed data on latent structures of proposed models such as the pathways model ([@B43]; [@B65]) and cognitive-behavioral model of gambling behavior ([@B55]) provide further evidence that may help generate future evolutions of theoretical frameworks, which further guide treatment formulations and prevention initiatives for vulnerable subgroups. The results on potential risk factors for early- versus later-onset pathological gambling ([@B67]) and etiological or ecological determinants of gambling subtypes ([@B10]; [@B14]) may enable future identification of at-risk groups for early intervention, inform assessment of possible behavioral addictions at intake interviews, and highlight key areas of focus in population studies. Scientific prediction of future behavior based on potential risk factors should be used with caution to reduce occurrences of false positives or negatives in case assessments. Future research, not covered in NESARC, is needed to identify protective factors against the development of problem/pathological gambling. Since the NESARC study was initially conducted, additional research has been focused on identifying protective factors for youth and other vulnerable groups to reduce early onset of gambling disorder ([@B22]), yet our understanding of specific protective factors for vulnerable groups (e.g., youth, ethnic minorities, and military veterans) remains limited. In these efforts, not only should DSM-5 criteria for gambling disorder be considered, but also the criteria for gambling disorder and hazardous gambling or betting in the 11th edition of the International Classification of Diseases, with the latter perhaps particularly well suited for promoting public health through identification and targeting of potentially vulnerable groups ([@B72]).
The 51 NESARC studies published on problem/pathological gambling provide a wide array of empirical findings that may help guide future research. It would have been ideal if Wave 2 had included gambling-related measures. This would have allowed for longitudinal analyses of development and/or recovery, while answering questions in relation to telescoping effects, natural recovery, and pathway and other models of transitions. Although eight studies in this review provided some prospective analyses using both Wave 1 and 2 data sets, there were no comparative analyses on gambling-related outcomes, given the absence of gambling-related measures in Wave 2. In addition, oversampling of individuals of Black or Hispanic backgrounds and young adults at the design-phase of the survey may have provided an overrepresentation of these cohorts in outcome analyses. In studies employing the NESARC-generated weights, analyses could statistically adjust for oversampling to be representative of the US population, which presents itself as an important alternative to stratified random sampling of US households given important questions that could be addressed as the result of oversampling.
In conclusion, the first review of gambling-related NESARC findings revealed that pathological gambling rarely exists in isolation and is commonly associated with substance-use, mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. This confirms, in a nationally representative data set, past findings from other cross-sectional investigations. Gender, racial/ethnic, and sociodemographic variability were identified across comorbidities, which may facilitate early identification of at-risk groups for prevention efforts. As rates of adverse childhood experiences and suicidal attempts were higher among individuals with problem and pathological gambling, further investigations and assessments are important to clarify the underlying mechanisms of these associations. It is noteworthy that first-generation immigrants show better health outcomes and lower pathological-gambling prevalence as compared to second- and third-generation immigrants in the US population (i.e., the immigrant paradox), which is in contrast to past research that highlighted higher rates of pathological gambling among migrant populations ([@B46]). The finding highlights the importance of stratifying generational immigrant status in measuring prevalence or outcome indicators. Although recreational gambling among older adults is relatively common, lifetime and past-year diagnoses of pathological gambling were rare. Future research among older adults and treatment-seeking individuals are potential avenues for further investigation stemming from NESARC findings.
Authors' contribution {#S5}
=====================
JMYL and MNP designed the study and wrote the protocol. JMYL conducted the literature search, extracted the data, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. SWK and MNP reviewed the literature search, data extraction, and contributed to the manuscript. All authors contributed to and have approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict of interest {#S6}
====================
MNP has consulted for Rivermend Health, Opiant Therapeutics, Game Day Data, and the Addiction Policy Forum; has received research support from Mohegan Sun Casino and the National Center for Responsible Gaming; has participated in surveys, mailings, or telephone consultations related to drug addiction, impulse-control disorders or other health topics; has consulted for gambling and legal entities on issues related to impulse-control/addictive disorders; provides clinical care in a problem gambling services program; has performed grant reviews for the National Institutes of Health and other agencies; has edited journals and journal sections; has given academic lectures in grand rounds, CME events and other clinical or scientific venues; and has generated books or book chapters for publishers of mental health texts. The other authors have no conflict of interest.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Central
|
Nintendo's latest internal financial report came with a Tuesday presentation from company president Satoru Iwata, who took the opportunity to announce a new type of product being developed by the game maker: a touchless sleep sensor. (Wait, really?)
Though neither a design nor product name was announced, Iwata repeatedly described a forthcoming "Quality of Life Sensor" meant to sit next to a user's bed during sleep. Overnight, the product will visually record "movements of your body, breathing, and heartbeat," then upload resulting data to Nintendo's cloud servers so that a corresponding app can analyze your sleep and offer suggestions for better rest in the future.
"Fatigue and sleep are themes that are rather hard to visualize in more objective ways," Iwata said. "At Nintendo, we believe that if we could visualize them, there would be great potential for many people regardless of age, gender, language, or culture."
The presentation also explained why a similar Nintendo project, the Wii Vitality Sensor, never made it to market. Iwata stressed important aspects for a health-companion device, saying that such devices worked better when users didn't have to wear, touch, or operate them.
Iwata mentioned the American medical-device firm Resmed as a partner in this project. As it turns out, Resmed's latest product, the S+ Sleep Sensor, sounds nearly identical to the QOS Sensor, as it too performs touchless sleep analysis and syncs with a smartphone app. (The Resmed product, which launched this month, can be yours today for $149.99.) Still, Nintendo insisted that its own Japanese sleep experts, and its "video game know-how of 'hospitality,'" would be key in completing the project.
Other Nintendo news: Sales, pre-downloads
Iwata also cherry-picked a few sales figures, including 3.22 million units of Super Smash Bros. for 3DS sold as of the end of September and 234,000 combined, first-week sales of the redesigned Nintendo 3DS (in normal and "XL" sizes) in Japan earlier this month. Notably, Iwata failed to offer specific numbers for Nintendo Wii U hardware and software sales in his presentation.
However, he did describe a forthcoming change to the Nintendo eShop, which will soon enable shoppers to buy a game online and have it download immediately to a Spotpass-enabled 3DS or Wii U so that it would be ready to play when the shopper gets home. Interested Super Smash Bros. for Wii U shoppers will also soon be able to pre-download that game if they purchase it digitally before the launch date of November 21, while other Wii U and 3DS games can expect similar download functionality starting next year.
We knew after a January presentation that Nintendo had an interest in "non-wearable health monitoring," which sounded like a bold, if vague, declaration beyond the popular Wii Fit product line. Though the presentation repeatedly mentioned a "quality of life platform," Iwata neither mentioned nor implied that other similar devices were in development, and he gave no timetable for when users in Japan, or elsewhere, might expect Nintendo's sensor to reach store shelves.
Instead, he made specific references to the growing smartphone ecosystem around the world, one that Nintendo has long avoided becoming entrenched in. "If we can use [smartphones] to help visually represent sleep and fatigue status, it would be a waste not to make use of them to, for example, check the status or offer service to users," Iwata said. "As with the definition of entertainment, Nintendo is willing to expand the definition of 'platform' without being bound by traditional thinking."
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
At a glance of commentaryScientific background on the subjectTissue engineering is widely progressed from the field of biomaterials where combination of implants, cells, and biologically molecules gives rise to a 3D functional tissue constructs. These constructs restore and improve damaged tissues or whole organs. The success stories of artificial grafts hold the smaller skin and cartilage implants approved by the FDA; however, cures for complex, often chronic diseases is a distant goal to be achieved. One of the wide medical applications of bone tissue engineering is developing a successful bone grafts.What this study adds to the fieldTo the best of our knowledge, fluid flow effect on bone regeneration using larger scaffolds in perfusion system is not yet reported. This reactor model and studies could help in optimizing the mechanical micro environment for larger scale culture of tissue engineered bone.
The development of a successfully engineered bone graft achieved by culturing stem cells on an appropriate scaffold which should support cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation into osteoblast cells. Selection of suitable scaffold material and stem cell source are vital factors for engineered tissue synthesis including bone tissue [@bib1]. The ethical and social issues pertained to use the embryoinic stem cells in tissue engineering research has encouraged the application of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as an alternative. Along with this, the vast abundance and non-invasive procurement of MSCs from cord blood source potentially increased their use in bone tissue engineering [@bib2], [@bib3]. The chemical environment determines the MSCs differentiation lineage, especially the growth factors as they trigger the specific signalling events involved in the pathways [@bib4], [@bib5], [@bib6]. Many research studies confirmed the mechanical stimuli also play a significant role in enhancing osteogenic differentiation of MSCs [@bib7], [@bib8], [@bib9].
Thus, the dynamic cultures using bioreactors have gained more attention for engineered bone tissue development. Bioreactor culture provides mechanical stimulation, and adequate nutrient supply throughout the three dimensional (3D) construct to produce large bone tissue. Ideally, human cells are subjected to physical and chemical cues in the human body constantly to ensure their functional role in tissue regeneration [@bib10], [@bib11], [@bib12], [@bib13]. Various bioreactors such as rotating wall vessel (RWV), spinner flask, and perfusion bioreactors are developed for regenerative bone studies, the limitations of RWV and spinner flask bioreactors mitigated by using perfusion bioreactors [@bib14], [@bib15], [@bib16].
Generally, perfusion bioreactors generate shear stress which enhances the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, however, these reactors are restricted to the smaller sized scaffolds, though the huge bone defects demand the employment of bigger scaffolds. This problem underscores the importance of optimizing the culture conditions in a bioreactor for constructing larger tissues. To address this issue, we developed a customized, autoclavable, and cost-effective perfusion bioreactor which can be used with the PLA/PEG scaffolds of dimensions 30 mm diameter, 5 mm thickness. We hypothesized that the fluid flow could improve the osteogenic differentiation of MSCs. The results of the study will contribute in elucidating the significance of mechanical stimuli via fluid flow on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs on the larger scaffold.
Materials and methods {#sec2}
=====================
Polylactic acid (PLA) (Natureworks^®^, USA), Poly(ethylene glycol), Dichloromethane, DMEM-Dulbecco\'s Modified Eagle\'s medium, FBS-Fetal bovine serum (FBS), Porcine skin gelatin, Phosphate buffer saline (PBS), Penicillin, Glutaraldehyde, dexamethasone, [l]{.smallcaps}-Ascorbic acid and Dimethyl Sulphoxide were procured from Sigma--Aldrich.
Scaffold preparation {#sec2.1}
--------------------
Composite PLA/PEG scaffolds were fabricated using solvent casting-particulate leaching technique. NaCl (300--400 μm) used as porogen. Varied weight ratios 100:0, 90:10, and 75:25 of PLA and PEG were dissolved in 30 mL of dichloromethane. Porogen mixed with polymer blended solution in 1:9 ratio. Then, poured in a petri dish and vacuum dried for 48 h for solvent evaporation. In order to leach out the salt, scaffolds were immersed in deionized water for 2--3 days by changing the water for every six hours. The prepared scaffolds were cut into definite desired dimensions using a laser cutter (Mini 19 Laser, Epilog Laser). 0.1 w/v% porcine skin gelatin coated scaffolds were sterilized by immersing them in 70% ethanol. Then, scaffolds were washed with PBS three times and incubated in culture medium for 12 h prior cell seeding. 100/0-PLA/PEG, 90/10- PLA/PEG, and 75/25-PLA/PEG are denoted as PLA100, PLA90, and PLA75 respectively.
Cell culture and osteogenic differentiation {#sec2.2}
-------------------------------------------
Umbilical cord blood MSCs (5 × 10^4^ cells/mL) were seeded onto scaffolds and incubated for 2 h to facilitate cell adhesion to the scaffold in basal media (BM) (DMEM with 10% FBS and 1% penicillin). Then, cell-seeded scaffolds were immersed in BM and incubated for 2 days. Osteogenic induction media (OIM) (BM, 50 μg/mL of Ascorbic acid, 5 mM β-glycerol phosphate, and 100 nM dexamethasone) added to the scaffolds on day 3; cells were allowed to grow/differentiate for 21 days by changing the osteogenic induction media for 2--3 days.
Osteogenic differentiation under dynamic culture conditions {#sec2.3}
-----------------------------------------------------------
PLA90 scaffolds (size: diameter × thickness 30 mm × 5 mm) used for bioreactor culture. Bioreactor used in this study shown in [Fig. 1](#fig1){ref-type="fig"}. 5 × 10^5^ MSCs were seeded onto the scaffold and incubated for 2 h. BM was added to the scaffolds and incubated for 3 days. To investigate static and dynamic culture effect on osteogenic differentiation of MSCs, (n = 4) scaffolds were transferred to bioreactor chamber and (n = 4) scaffolds were kept in static condition. The media was supplied with a flow rate of 13.9 mL/min, resulting in a flow of 3.47 mL/min to each bioreactor. Whereas, the media was changed every 2--3 days for static scaffolds. At the end of incubation time, samples prepared for osteogenic assays and metabolic activity.Fig. 1Bioreactor used for dynamic culture. (A) Schematic representation of perfusion bioreactor (B) Custom made perfusion bioreactor.Fig. 1
Resazurin reduction (RR) assay {#sec2.4}
------------------------------
Resazurin reduction (RR) was employed to check the cell viability on scaffolds. The scaffolds were immersed in RR working solution (10 vol % of RR stock solution in BM, stock solution is prepared by dissolving 1 mM RR sodium salt in distilled water) in the new well plate. Then, well plates were wrapped in foil, incubated for 4 h. Reduced solution of 200 μl was taken into a 96-well plate in triplicate and readings were taken using a plate reader at an excitation wavelength of 540 nm and an emission wavelength of 630 nm.
Osteogenic assays {#sec2.5}
-----------------
Scaffolds were washed twice in PBS after removal of culture medium. Cell digestion buffer (10 v/v% cell assay buffer (1.5 M Tris--HCl, 1 mM ZnCl~2~, 1 mM MgCl~2~ in deionized water (diH~2~O)), 1% TritonX100, in diH~2~O) was added to each scaffold and incubated for 45 min. Scaffolds with cell lysate were vortexed, overnight stored at 4 °C. Three freeze--thaw cycles (80 °C 10 min, 37 °C 15 min) performed, then centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 5 min. 20 μL of the lysate and 180 μL of PNPP Phosphatase Substrate added to a 96 well plate. Then, incubated at room temperature until the slight yellowish color was observed [@bib17]. The readings recorded at a wavelength of 405 nm every minute for 30 min. This activity is normalized to the amount of DNA as determined using the DNA quantification assay.
Quant-iT^™^ dsDNA assay kit was used to calculate the amount of DNA (Thermo Fisher). 10 μL of the lysate added to 90 μL of working solution. The reading is taken at an excitation wavelength of 485 nm and an emission wavelength of 528 nm. A standard curve was used to convert the fluorescence to nano-gram (ng) of DNA.
Alizarin red S was used to measure the calcium deposition by the cells. Initially, samples were washed twice with PBS. 2 mL of ARS working solution (1 w/v% ARS dissolved in diH~2~O) was added to each scaffold and kept for 30 min. Then, washed with diH~2~O every 5 min after removal of ARS solution until the water remained clear. The samples were submerged in 5% of perchloric acid, left for 15 min with gentle orbital shaking to destain the samples. A destained solution of 150 μL was taken to measure the absorbance readings at a wavelength of 405 nm; standard curve was used to convert absorbance values to ARS concentration (μg/mL).
DR80 assay elucidates the total collagen content (based on Sirius red). After performing ARS, samples were washed thrice with water. DR80 working solution (1 w/v% direct red 80 in saturated picric acid) of known volume was added to each sample, then left for 18 h with orbital shaking at 100 rpm. 0.2 M NaOH: CH~3~OH (1:1) was added to each sample and left for 20 min over an orbital shaker at 100 rpm. The absorbance of 150 μL of destained solution was measured using plate reader at 405 nm. The DR80 concentration was (μg/mL) calculated using a standard curve.
Western blotting {#sec2.6}
----------------
Proteins from Differentiated osteoblasts were separated by SDS- polyacrylamide gels and electrotransferred to PVDF membrane. The membranes were blocked with 5% non-fat dry milk in TBS-Twin for 1 h at room temperature. The membranes were then incubated overnight at 4 °C with antisera raised against Runx2, osteonectin and beta-galactosidase in TBS-Twin containing 1% non-fat dry milk. The membranes were washed thrice for 5 min each with TBS-T and probed with appropriate near-Infrared Fluorescent Secondary Antibodies (LI-COR) in a 1% non-fat dry milk in TBS-T at room temperature for 1 h. After washing, the immune complexes comprising of the target proteins were detected using the Odyssey imaging system from LI-COR. The membranes then were stripped and reprobed with GAPDH controls. The band intensity was quantified and protein expression levels were calculated relative to GAPDH from the same membrane.
Fluorescent images {#sec2.7}
------------------
MSCs over the polymer scaffold surface were fixed using ice-cold ethanol for 10 min, and the fixative was allowed to evaporate at room temperature. These scaffolds were further washed in 1X PBS and allowed to rest in the 1X PBS buffer. ActinGreen^™^ 488 (ThermoFisher) reagent was added to the buffer solution (2 drops/mL) and incubated for 30 min before observing under a confocal microscope.
Statistical analysis {#sec2.8}
--------------------
GraphPad Prism 7 software was employed for statistical analysis. The data represented in Mean ± SD.
Results and discussion {#sec3}
======================
Cell viability on composite scaffolds {#sec3.1}
-------------------------------------
RR reduction assay elucidated the metabolic activity of the cells, and the results depicted in [Fig. 2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}. On first day, in comparison with PLA and PLA75 scaffolds PLA90 have shown improved cell adhesion. As the time pass by, cell proliferation improved over all the scaffold types \[[Fig. 2](#fig2){ref-type="fig"}B\]. However, no significant variation in the cell viability was found in all the composite scaffolds on day 4. The disparity in cell attachment on the scaffold was due to the varied composition of PLA and PEG, as it was reported earlier that cell adhesion is affected by PLA content in composite scaffolds [@bib18]. Cell adhesion could be higher on hydrophilic polymers, as PEG addition increases the hydrophilic nature resulted in cell adhesion in PLA90 scaffold [@bib19]. However, PLA75 showed lesser cell adhesion than PLA90, which could be due to larger pores presented in the scaffold. From day 7 onwards, there was a profound increase in cell number on PLA90 scaffold, which is statistically significant (*p* \< 0.0001) than other scaffolds. Cell viability was significantly higher in PEG contained scaffolds than 100% PLA scaffold. It was reported the higher cell viability on PEG/PLA electrospun fibrous scaffolds achieved, which is supported by enhanced cell attachment and also favoured for cell proliferation and penetration into the scaffold [@bib20]. Though hMSCs adhesion rate differs concerning the composition of the scaffold, cell viability on the scaffold is not in line with the cell adhesion trend. The hMSCs were well distributed over PLA-PEG scaffolds, PLA90 showed the greater distribution compared to PLA100 and PLA75 \[[Fig. 3](#fig3){ref-type="fig"}\].Fig. 2Cell viability on PLA-PEG composite scaffolds. (A) Cell adhesion/distribution over scaffold and control surface on day 1 (B) Fluorescent detection of reduced RR solution from MSCs cultured over assorted saffolds at different time periods. Cell viability significantly higher on scaffold PLA90 than other scaffolds (n = 6, Mean ± SD, *p* \< 0.0001).Fig. 2Fig. 3Fluorescence staining of hMSCs cultured on composite scaffolds PLA100, PLA90, and PLA75 on day 14.Fig. 3
Osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs on composite scaffolds {#sec3.2}
----------------------------------------------------------
Normalized ALP activity per DNA content is shown in [Fig. 4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}A. PLA90 scaffold exhibited higher ALP normalized activity than PLA100 and PLA75. The osteogenic response was varied on composite scaffolds; it could be due to the scaffold internal architectures [@bib21]. A significant higher ALP activity was earlier reported in PEG-containing PLA scaffold [@bib22], and the same trend was shown in the current study, which confirmed the early osteogenic differentiation of MSCs on composite scaffolds. Ni et al. confirmed that calcium mineralization was higher in PEG contained scaffolds, in the similar way calcium mineralization was found to be higher in PEG contained scaffolds compared to PLA only scaffold \[[Fig. 4](#fig4){ref-type="fig"}B\]. As like calcium mineralization, the similar trend observed in collagen formation. The results of this study confirmed that osteogenesis was higher in PLA90 scaffolds than PLA100 and PLA75. Thus, PLA90 scaffolds were chosen for further to elucidate the static and dynamic culture effect on the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs using perfusion bioreactor.Fig. 4Osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. (A) Normalized ALP activity per DNA content on composite scaffolds on day 14 (n = 6). (B) Calcium deposition (μg/mL) on scaffolds measured at day 21 (C) On day 21, collagen formation on composite scaffolds. All the data represented in Mean ± SD (n = 6, *p* \< 0.05). Statistical significance was represented by '\#'.Fig. 4
Dynamic fluid flow subjected to MSCs {#sec3.3}
------------------------------------
The metabolic activity of cells showed higher fluorescence values in the scaffolds with fluid flow than static culture \[[Fig. 5](#fig5){ref-type="fig"}\]. Fluorescent images of cells stained with "ActinGreen 488" under static and dynamic conditions depicted the better cell distribution over scaffolds cultured in dynamic culture conditions. In addition we also checked for cell survival efficiency in both static and dynamic culture conditions by quantifying the expression of beta-galactosidase (a senescence marker) and we observed a minimal beta-gal expression confirming that cell proliferation/survival in both the culture conditions was unaffected \[[Fig. 6](#fig6){ref-type="fig"}\]. A statistically significant ALP per DNA activity in PLA90 scaffold under dynamic culture noticed than static culture \[[Fig. 7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}A\]. The ALP activity and bone matrix deposition under perfusion culture showed higher [@bib23]. Western blotting of terminally differentiated MSCs further supported our observations seeded over PLGA scaffolds showed increased osteocalcin (OCN) and Runx2 expression \[[Fig. 8](#fig8){ref-type="fig"}\], and our observations confirmed that osteogenic differentiation enhanced by applied mechanical stimuli [@bib24]. Calcium mineralization on PLA90 scaffold under dynamic condition was significantly higher than static \[[Fig. 7](#fig7){ref-type="fig"}B\]. MSCs cultured on starch-based scaffolds subjected fluid flow showed increased bone-like matrix deposition, which elicits mechanical stimuli significantly affect the osteogenic potential of MSCs [@bib25]. Calcium mineralization and collagen formation were higher in reactor culture than static culture; this demonstrates mechanical stimuli directs osteogenesis [@bib26]. On day 21, the collagen formation is also in a similar trend in line with calcium mineralization under static and dynamic culture. Collagen formation is significantly higher in dynamic culture *p* \< 0.0017 than static culture. Fluid flow without osteogenic induction supplements in media showed higher matrix deposition by MSCs seeded on 3D macro-porous zirconium dioxide ceramic scaffold [@bib27]. Dynamic perfusion culture of MG-63 osteoblast cells cultured on chitosan scaffold results showed an increase in bone formation, which confirms with higher ALP activity, and collagen formation [@bib28]. The results of the current studies are also clearly confirming fluid flow enhancing osteogenesis of MSCs.Fig. 5Effect of static and dynamic conditions on cell viability on PLA90 scaffold at different time points. \# indicates statistical significance, *p* \< 0.0001, n = 3.Fig. 5Fig. 6Fluorescence images of cells on day 7. Cell distribution over scaffold under (A) static (B) bioreactor culture. (C) Western blots of MSC cultures, both from static and fluid flow cultures. We observed very faint β-galactosidase bands in both static and dynamic cultures showing minimal senescence in both the culture conditions.Fig. 6Fig. 7Osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs under static and dynamic culture is elucidated by using osteogenic assays. (A) ALP normalized activity, for the DNA content under static and fluid flow conditions on day 14. (B) Deposition of calcium on PLA90 scaffold under static and dynamic conditions at day 21. (C) Variation in collagen formation on scaffolds under static and dynamic culture at day 21. (n = 3, Mean ± SD).Fig. 7Fig. 8Western blots of MSC cultures, both from static and fluid flow cultures. We saw a significant increase of osteogenic marker "Runx2 and osteonectin" expression in dynamic fluid flow cultures.Fig. 8
The proposed reactor model is autoclavable; thus provides a sterile environment throughout the experimental study; the flow delivery to the scaffold can be made without any bubble formation and easy to operate. Though many perfusion bioreactors have been developed to date, they are restricted to smaller size scaffolds, the major disadvantage to fill the large bone defects. We developed a perfusion bioreactor for larger bone tissue engineering scaffolds; interestingly, this can be adapted to different size and shape of the scaffolds. The design aspects and significance of the model are discussed in detail in the previous work [@bib29]. Our earlier work using this bioreactor confirmed that this bioreactor can be operated smoothly and can be used for applying FF to stimulate the bone regeneration. However, it is very important to authenticate this reactor model by using different scaffold and cell combinations to confirm whether the FF applied in this reactor can support the bone formation. Thus, the present investigations have taken up to prove the role of FF in the bone formation using the developed in-house bioreactor. Starch-based PCL scaffolds with a dimension of 8 mm diameter and 1.5--2 mm height were used to culture cells in perfusion bioreactor and concluded that FF plays a vital role in engineered bone graft development [@bib25]. However, the perfusion bioreactor chosen in their study is not suitable for larger scaffolds, this can be addressed with our perfusion reactor which also provides uniform flow delivery to the scaffold through multi channel inlet system [@bib25] Meinel et al. reported that dynamic medium flow improved the bone mineralization which was confirmed by higher calcium deposition over silk scaffolds (6.4 mm diameter × 1.5 mm thick discs) [@bib30]. The up-regulation of osteogenic markers expression under perfusion regimen had been reported earlier [@bib9]. In our study also, we found that key osteogenic markers RunX2 and osteonectin, was higher (as known from the enhanced corresponding mRNA level) under applied FF. In this study, the higher ALP activity and mineralization showed by the MSCs under dynamic culture condition, the results are in agreement with Nguyen et al., where ALP activity showed higher by human mesenchymal progenitor cells (hMPCs) [@bib31]. In another study, MC3TC3 (pre-osteoblast) cells were cultured on chitosan-hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds (6 mm diameter × 4 mm thickness circular discs) using static method. The perfusion culture showed greater cell viability and osteogenic differentiation of MC3TC3 (pre-osteoblast cells) compared to static culture [@bib32]. Though, we investigated the osteogenic potential of MSCs under perfusion culture, proved that FF could enhance the osteogenesis. Interestingly, no reports have been noted so far on larger scaffolds, we had been previously reported the static seeding combined with perfusion culture improved osteogenic differentiation of hESMPs. Our reactor model can be used for a variety of scaffold/cell combinations to elucidate the significant role of FF shear stress on bone regeneration to address the challenges in tissue formation. Also, it can be used for other tissue engineering applications.
Conclusion {#sec4}
==========
After carrying out a series of experiments over PLA/PEG scaffolds under static culture conditions, greater cell viability found in PEG contained scaffold. PEG contained scaffolds showed the higher ALP, calcium, and collagen than pure PLA, and PLA90 showed the best among all scaffolds. Perfusion bioreactor culture results compared with static culture, we have found that enhanced osteogenic differentiation MSCs under dynamic conditions, which was confirmed by higher ALP, Ca^+2^, and collagen activities. Superior Runx2 and osteonectin expression in dynamic fluid flow suggests that FF has a significant role in enhanced bone formation. The developed perfusion reactor is cost-effective, easy to operate, and autoclavable bioreactor, which will have great potential application in bone tissue engineering to understand the physiological cues role in MSCs differentiation.
Ethical statement {#sec5}
=================
We declare that there are no ethical issues for human or animal rights in the work presented here.
Conflicts of interest {#sec6}
=====================
The authors have no financial conflicts of interest.
This work was supported by Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India; BT/PR8056/MED/31/215/2013. The partial funding was given by Newton-Bhabha Ph.D. Placement (Department of Biotechnology, Govt of India and British Council, UK, No: BT/IN/NBPP/BB/04/15--16). We also thankful to Dr. Gwendolen Reilly, The University of Sheffield, UK, Karthikeya Sharma, Mechanical Engineering, NIT A.P and Abhi Ram, Research Scholar, Mechanical Engineering, NIT Warangal for helpful discussions about the experimental design.
Peer review under responsibility of Chang Gung University.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Central
|
RECORD IMPOUNDED
NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court." Although it is posted on the
internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
DOCKET NO. A-3236-16T5
IN THE MATTER OF THE CIVIL
COMMITMENT OF N.W.,
SVP-279-02.
______________________
Argued August 29, 2018 – Decided October 16, 2018
Before Judges Alvarez and Gooden Brown.
On appeal from Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
Division, Essex County, Docket No. SVP-279-02.
Susan Remis Silver, Assistant Deputy Public Defender,
argued the cause for appellant N.W. (Joseph E.
Krakora, Public Defender, attorney; Susan Remis
Silver, of counsel and on the briefs).
Mark D. McNally, Deputy Attorney General, argued
the cause for respondent (Gurbir S. Grewal, Attorney
General, attorney; Melissa H. Raksa, Assistant
Attorney General, of counsel; Mark D. McNally, on the
brief).
PER CURIAM
N.W., born March 1982, appeals from the February 23, 2017 Law
Division order continuing his civil commitment to the Special Treatment Unit
(STU), the secure facility designated for the custody, care, and treatment of
sexually violent predators, pursuant to the Sexually Violent Predator Act
(SVPA), N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.24 to -27.38. We affirm.
An involuntary civil commitment can follow service of a sentence, or
other criminal disposition, when the offender "suffers from a mental abnormality
or personality disorder that makes the person likely to engage in acts of sexual
violence if not confined in a secure facility for control, care, and treatment."
N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.26. We need not recount N.W.'s past history of sexually
violent conduct and aberrational sexual behavior, the circumstances of his
original admission to the STU in 2002, or his record of infractions while
institutionalized. They are recounted at length in our prior opinions. See In re
Civil Commitment of N.W., No. A-2333-02 (App. Div. June 2, 2004), certif.
denied, 182 N.J. 429 (2005); In re Civil Commitment of N.W., No. A-4937-05
(App. Div. Jan. 22, 2007); In re Civil Commitment of N.M.W., No. A-4610-06
(App. Div. Nov. 15, 2007), certif. denied, 195 N.J. 418 (2008); In re Civil
Commitment of N.M.W., No. A-4434-07 (App. Div. Nov. 18, 2008); In re Civil
Commitment of N.M.W., No. A-4405-08 (App. Div. Jan. 8, 2010); In re Civil
Commitment of N.M.W., No. A-3882-09 (App. Div. Dec. 17, 2010); In re Civil
A-3236-16T5
2
Commitment of N.M.W., No. A-4102-11 (App. Div. Aug. 15, 2012); and In re
Civil Commitment of N.M.W., No. A-3516-12 (App. Div. Nov. 25, 2013).
Suffice it to say that we have already determined, as the law of the case,
that N.W.'s 2000 conviction falls within the statutory definition of a sexually
violent offense under N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.26. See State v. Reldan, 100 N.J. 187,
203 (1985) (reciting elements of the law of the case doctrine). To summarize,
that conviction stemmed from N.W. brutally beating and sexually assaulting a
thirty-four-year-old woman at gunpoint by forcible vaginal intercourse on
December 22, 1997, when he was fifteen-years-old. After waiver to adult
criminal court, N.W. pled guilty to the sexual assault and was sentenced to a
five-year prison term subject to the No Early Release Act, N.J.S.A. 2C:43-7.2.
As part of the plea agreement, the State dismissed the remaining counts of the
indictment, which included a charge that later that same day, N.W. robbed and
sexually assaulted a thirty-six-year-old woman at gunpoint by forcing her to
have vaginal intercourse and oral sex.
Prior to his incarceration, N.W. had an extensive juvenile history
beginning at age thirteen and consisting of at least twelve arrests for non-sexual
offenses, three arrests for sexual offenses involving two male and two female
A-3236-16T5
3
adolescent victims, 1 and three adjudications of delinquency. While incarcerated,
N.W. received numerous disciplinary infractions, several of which were violent
and sex related. In 2002, shortly before N.W.'s scheduled release date, the
State's petition for civil commitment under the SVPA was granted. N.W. has
been confined at the STU since that time and has been placed on "modified
activities program" (MAP) 2 status several times due to inappropriate sexual
behavior involving exhibitionism and masturbation. Since his initial
commitment, he has had multiple annual review hearings, all of which have
resulted in judicial findings, by clear and convincing evidence, that N.W.
remains afflicted with mental abnormalities that make it highly likely that he
will commit sexually violent offenses if released into the community.
The present appeal arises out of the review hearing conducted by Judge
James F. Mulvihill on February 23, 2017. At the hearing, the State presented
expert testimony from Indra Cidambi, M.D., a psychiatrist who conducted a
forensic psychiatric evaluation, including an interview of N.W. on February 7,
1
The sex offense charges were ultimately dismissed.
2
MAP, a component of the clinical treatment program at the STU that focuses
on stabilizing disruptive or dangerous behaviors, is a behavior-related treatment
modality. M.X.L. v. N.J. Dept. of Human Servs./N.J. Dept. of Corrs., 379 N.J.
Super. 37, 45 (App. Div. 2005).
A-3236-16T5
4
2017, and Zachary Yeoman, Psy.D., a psychologist and member of the STU's
Treatment Progress Review Committee (TPRC) that conducted N.W.'s annual
review. N.W. presented expert testimony from Christopher P. Lorah, Ph.D., a
psychologist who interviewed N.W. on February 8, 2017. The experts' reports
as well as various treatment notes relied upon by the experts in formulating their
opinions were also admitted into evidence.
Both Cidambi and Yeoman opined that N.W. suffered from a mental
abnormality or personality disorder, which predisposed him to sexually
reoffend. They diagnosed N.W. with other specified paraphilic disorder (non-
consent; provisional), exhibitionistic disorder, antisocial personality disorder,
cannabis use disorder, and alcohol use disorder. They testified that the
combination of antisocial personality disorder, sexual pathologies, and
substance abuse increased the risk of reoffending. They opined that these
conditions do not spontaneously remit but affect N.W. emotionally, cognitively,
and volitionally so as to predispose him to sexually reoffend.
Cidambi and Yeoman determined that N.W.'s Static-99R3 score was eight,
which indicated a high risk for reoffending. Yeoman also determined that
3
"The Static-99 is an actuarial test used to estimate the probability of sexually
violent recidivism in adult males previously convicted of sexually violent
A-3236-16T5
5
N.W.'s Stable 2007 score was fourteen, which "place[d] him in the high range
of dynamic risk." 4 Additionally, Yeoman reported that N.W. scored "a prorated
score of 24.4" on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, 2nd Edition (PCL-R),5
which was "at the upper threshold of the moderate range of psychopathy."
Yeoman explained that "while he [did] not officially meet the diagnostic criteria,
he[] [is] . . . on the border of the moderate or high range," which indicated "that
relative to other sexual offenders, [N.W.] appear[ed] to be a well above average
risk for recidivism."
In discussing N.W.'s sexual offending history, Cidambi acknowledged
that N.W. only admitted to his index offense against the thirty-four-year-old
offenses." In re Civil Commitment of R.F., 217 N.J. 152, 164 n.9 (2014) (citing
Andrew Harris et al., Static-99 Coding Rules Revised-2003 5 (2003)). Our
Supreme Court "has explained that actuarial information, including the Static -
99, is 'simply a factor to consider, weigh, or even reject, when engaging in the
necessary factfinding under the SVPA.'" Ibid. (quoting In re Commitment of
R.S., 173 N.J. 134, 137 (2002)).
4
The Stable-2007 is another risk assessment instrument developed to help
predict recidivism in sexual offenders.
5
The PCL-R provides a dimensional score that represents the extent to which a
given individual is judged to match the "prototypical psychopath." The cut -off
score on the PCL-R indicative of psychopathy is 30. Thus, an individual who
receives a score of 30 or above on the PCL-R meets the diagnostic criteria for
psychopathy.
A-3236-16T5
6
woman and denied the other sex offenses, which were all dismissed. On cross -
examination, she conceded the possibility that the charges were dismissed
because the incidents never occurred. She explained, however, that she
considered the dismissed charges because "the spectrum of victims . . . raise[d]
concern" and "the fact that he ha[d] been charged [was] important" in assessing
risk.6 Yeoman testified that during his interview with N.W., N.W. provided a
different account of his sexual offending history than he had historically
reported. According to Yeoman, while N.W. denied any sexual intent, he
acknowledged "some sort of inappropriate sexual acts."
Cidambi testified that additional significant factors in evaluating N.W.
included the fact that N.W.'s non-sexual offenses began at an early age, showing
that he did not have "a healthy . . . lifestyle," as well as the trauma N.W.
experienced at an early age in foster care when he was sexually abused by both
of his foster parents. Yeoman testified that N.W.'s history of abuse resulted in
him feeling that no one "cared about him," and, in turn, "he did[] [not] really
care about himself."
6
Notably, Lorah also testified that although "cases that are dismissed hold less
weight[,] [t]hey still hold weight . . . ."
A-3236-16T5
7
According to Cidambi and Yeoman, because N.W.'s disorders do not
spontaneously remit, the impulses caused by the disorders could only be
controlled through treatment. Cidambi testified that although N.W. had been at
the STU since 2002, he only "started engaging in treatment in a meaningful way"
in 2015 and "just got promoted to Phase 3A as of January of [2017]." 7 Yeoman
testified that the recommendation to advance N.W. to Phase 3 was based on
N.W. "restrain[ing] himself enough to meaningfully engage in the core aspects
of treatment[,] . . . restraining his sexual behavior, his impulsive behavior, and
taking a bit more responsibility for his own actions, and beginning to
meaningfully address the myriad of dynamic risk factors that he presents."
After recounting his institutional infractions for both sexual and non-
sexual offenses, which resulted in MAP placements over the years, Cidambi
testified that after N.W. was removed from MAP on December 7, 2015, he
started making progress in treatment by "gaining [an] understanding of his
arousal and behavioral controls . . . ." Nonetheless, according to Cidambi, as
recently as November 2016, his treatment notes indicated "that he still presented
7
According to Cidambi, N.W. had been "stagnant" in Phase 2 for over ten years.
Cidambi described Phase 2 as the early stage of treatment, requiring a minimal
level of commitment to treatment, as opposed to Phase 1, which was intended
for individuals who have no interest in or are refusing treatment.
A-3236-16T5
8
as emotionally disregulated, [and] quite impulsive" and "managed . . . stress by
using sexual behaviors." Specifically, N.W. admitted that he still had deviant
thoughts while staring at female staff members, and reported making numerous
obscene phone calls, and masturbating three times a day. Yeoman testified,
however, that "within the last . . . five months[,]" N.W.'s behavior abated
somewhat and he reported "masturbating one to two times a week."
Cidambi opined that, at this time, N.W. had not had sufficient treatment
to control the impulses caused by his disorders in order "to mitigate his risk
factor." According to Cidambi, N.W. was in the elementary stages of treatment
and had not yet presented his sexual assault cycle, explored his deviant arousal,
or demonstrated an understanding of the factors behind his sexual assaults or his
cognitive distortions. Cidambi testified that N.W. "has to learn [his] sexual
assault cycle and relapse prevention techniques" in order to be able to "mitigate
any of his risk factor[s]." Cidambi concluded that N.W. would have serious
difficulty controlling his sexual offending behavior if released at this time and
"would be highly likely to reoffend if he is not being monitored in a structured
environment such as [the] STU."
Likewise, Yeoman testified that "there [had] not been sufficient treatment
effect yet to reduce [N.W.] below the threshold of highly likely" and he
A-3236-16T5
9
"believe[d] [N.W.] would be highly likely to sexually reoffend" in the
foreseeable future if not committed to the STU for further treatment. In
formulating his opinion, Yeoman considered N.W.'s "static" and "dynamic risk,
and overall treatment effect." According to Yeoman, his static and dynamic
risks were both "in the high range" because he has "demonstrated a variety of
concerning behaviors in the community and since he[] [has] been incarcerated
and committed." Yeoman stated that "[w]hile those [behaviors] are beginning
to change, he[] [has] not done enough yet to . . . reduce his dynamic risk
sufficiently." Acknowledging that "his overall negative emotionality has
decreased somewhat," Yeoman testified that N.W. "need[ed] to continue to
adequately address his sexual offenses to better understand his dynamics, his
cycle, and the important relapse prevention strategies that will help him manage
that cycle and manage his risk."
In contrast, Lorah opined that N.W. was currently less than highly likely
to commit acts of sexual violence in the foreseeable future if released from the
STU. While Lorah disagreed with the State's experts' diagnosis of paraphilia
not otherwise specified, he agreed with the exhibitionistic disorder diagnosis.
However, he opined that the "disorder [was] a predisposing condition for sexual
crimes, not necessarily sexually violent crimes." He also diagnosed N.W. with
A-3236-16T5
10
post-traumatic stress disorder in relation to him "surviving sexual abuse as a
child."
Lorah agreed with the State's experts on N.W.'s Static-99 score, and
acknowledged that N.W.'s record of institutional infractions over the years
demonstrated that his adjustment to structural settings was "[v]ery poor."
However, Lorah explained that N.W. "made significant behavioral changes"
over "the past [twelve] to [eighteen] months" and believed that N.W.'s
"behavioral stability" was "noteworthy." According to Lorah, "the fact that
[N.W.] has engaged treatment to such a great degree, that . . . he was able to
discuss his offense cycle, . . . some risk factors, some relapse prevention
techniques, [and] victim empathy" demonstrated that "he [was] able to articulate
treatment goals," and "consume treatment concepts regardless of his level of
participation." Acknowledging that "there [was] more work to be done," Lorah
"believe[d] that [N.W.'s] needs [could] . . . be met adequately and sufficiently
in the community through a conditional discharge process, monitored heavily
by [t]he probation department and by the courts."
In an oral decision rendered immediately after the hearing, Judge
Mulvihill found by "clear and convincing evidence" that N.W. had been
convicted of a qualifying sexually violent offense under N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.26.
A-3236-16T5
11
The judge also found "by clear and convincing evidence" that N.W. "suffer[ed]
from a mental abnormality, personality disorder [that] does not spontaneously
remit[]" and "[a]ffects him emotionally, cognitively, [and] volitionally."
Further, the judge found by "clear and convincing evidence" that N.W. was
"predisposed to sexual violence," has "serious difficulty controlling his sexually
violent behavior," and was "highly likely to sexually reoffend" if released.
In rendering his decision, the judge found both of the State's experts
credible, describing them as "forthright" and "knowledgeable," and made
findings consistent with their testimony and reports. In contrast, Judge
Mulvihill did not find the defense expert's testimony to be "credible in any way,
shape, or form." The judge explained that it is "somewhat Pollyannaish to
believe that" N.W. was ready to be discharged when he was "just at the
beginning of the core phase of treatment," despite the fact that he has now
"expressed to Dr. Lorah that he understands all the dynamics of [his] sexual
offending and his relapse prevention . . . ." In rejecting Lorah's opinion that
N.W. was not highly likely to sexually reoffend and was "ready to be
conditionally discharged," Judge Mulvihill determined that Lorah's opinion was
"at variance with reality and at variance with the other experts." This appeal
followed.
A-3236-16T5
12
On appeal, N.W. raises the following points for our consideration:
POINT I
THIS COURT MUST REVERSE N.W[.]'S
RECOMMITMENT ORDER SINCE IT WAS BASED
ON INADMISSIBLE AND UNRELIABLE
HEARSAY.
POINT II
THE TRIAL JUDGE CLEARLY ERRED WHEN HE
ASSESSED N.W.'S RISK OF REOFFENDING
WITHOUT CONSIDERING THAT N.W. HAD
GAINED CONTROL OVER HIS SEXUALLY
ASSAULTIVE BEHAVIOR THROUGH
SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT AT THE STU.
"The scope of appellate review of a commitment determination is
extremely narrow." R.F., 217 N.J. at 174 (quoting In re D.C., 146 N.J. 31, 58
(1996)). "The judges who hear SVPA cases generally are 'specialists' and 'their
expertise in the subject' is entitled to 'special deference.'" Ibid. (quoting In re
Civil Commitment of T.J.N., 390 N.J. Super. 218, 226 (App. Div. 2007)).
"The SVPA authorizes the involuntary commitment of an individual
believed to be a 'sexually violent predator' as defined by the Act." In re
Commitment of W.Z., 173 N.J. 109, 127 (2002) (citing N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.28).
"The definition of 'sexually violent predator' requires proof of past sexually
violent behavior through its precondition of a 'sexually violent offense,'" which,
A-3236-16T5
13
in N.W.'s case, is undisputed. Ibid. It also requires that the person "suffer[]
from a mental abnormality or personality disorder that makes the person likely
to engage in acts of sexual violence if not confined in a secure facility for
control, care[,] and treatment." Ibid. (quoting N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.26).
The required "mental condition must affect [the] individual's ability to
control his or her sexually harmful conduct." Ibid. "Inherent in some diagnoses
will be sexual compulsivity (i.e., paraphilia)," but, "the diagnosis of each
sexually violent predator susceptible to civil commitment need not include a
diagnosis of 'sexual compulsion.'" Id. at 129.
The same standard that supports the initial involuntary commitment of a
sex offender under the SVPA applies to the annual review hearing. In re Civil
Commitment of E.D., 183 N.J. 536, 550-51 (2005). In either case, "the State
must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the individual has serious
difficulty controlling his or her harmful sexual behavior such that it is highly
likely that the person will not control his or her sexually violent behavior and
will reoffend." Id. at 551. (quoting W.Z., 173 N.J. at 133-34).
As the fact finder, a trial judge is "not required to accept all or any part of
[an] expert opinion[]." R.F., 217 N.J. at 174 (alterations in original) (quoting
D.C., 146 N.J. at 61). Furthermore, "an appellate court should not modify a trial
A-3236-16T5
14
court's determination either to commit or release an individual unless 'the record
reveals a clear mistake.'" Id. at 175 (quoting D.C., 146 N.J. at 58).
We find no clear mistake in this record and are satisfied that the record
amply supports Judge Mulvihill's findings. We reject N.W.'s argument that the
judge erred in overruling his objection to hearsay testimony offered by the
States' experts concerning "alleged sex offenses that were dismissed and that
N.W. never admitted to committing." An expert is permitted to rely on hearsay
information in forming an opinion concerning the committee's mental condition
for purposes of civil commitment under the SVPA, particularly where, as here,
the information was "of a type reasonably relied upon by experts in the particular
field" and defense counsel was permitted to cross-examine the expert on the
weight accorded to the dismissed offenses. In re Civil Commitment of J.H.M.,
367 N.J. Super. 599, 612 (App. Div. 2003) (quoting N.J.R.E. 703). While the
judge may not consider such hearsay information as substantive evidence unless
an exception to the hearsay rule applies, In re Commitment of G.G.N., 372 N.J.
Super. 42, 56 (App. Div. 2004), we are satisfied from our review of the record
that Judge Mulvihill adhered to these principles in rendering his decision and
reject N.W.'s contentions to the contrary.
A-3236-16T5
15
We also reject N.W.'s contention that the judge erred in re-committing
N.W. "without properly considering his current mental state" and "treatment"
effect. Based on credible expert testimony, the judge determined that N.W.'s
psychological and personality disorders, polysubstance abuse disorder, past
behavior, and treatment progress demonstrated that he was highly likely to
engage in acts of sexual violence unless confined. The judge's determination,
to which we owe the "utmost deference" and may modify only where there is a
clear abuse of discretion, In re J.P., 339 N.J. Super. 443, 459 (2001), was proper.
Affirmed.
A-3236-16T5
16
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
FreeLaw
|
Linkbucks vs Shorte.st | Comparison Review with Payment Proof 2018
Hello Readers, we all know earning money for URL shortener is very easy. In today’s date there are many Link Shortener are available. Linkbucks and Shorte.st is very popular url shortener available on internet. As many guys have doubt which is best among them, Do they pay at right time. And Many other Questions.
First let me tell you that Both Linkbucks and Shorte.st is legit advertising network for both publisher and advertiser. Both has good global advertisers.
Shorte.st vs LinkBucks
LinkBucks Signup Process
Linkbucks claim that their Signup process is fast and easy and they don’t share Persnonal information to third parties. Well That sounds good.
Let’s see the full process and what are the information asked by linkbucks during signup.
Linkbucks Signup Forum 1Linkbucks Signup Forum 2
As you can see Linkbucks.com asks are many information during signup which makes signup process difficult for some users. It asks almost all PID including Address, Payment Info etc.
In my Opinion Linkbucks must ask these information after signup.
Shorte.st Sign Up Process – Better than Linkbucks
Shorte.st Signup Forum
Shorte.st has a very fast signup process. It only asks for Email address and Password to complete the signup. You have another option to that allows you to login using facebook account. Its really fast and easy.
Conclusion (Shorte.st Wins)
So there is no doubt that Shorte.st has better signup process compared to linkbucks. So if you looking for a Link shortener with easy signup process then go with shorte-st.
User Interface & Analytics Comparison
When is comes to UI then shorte.st has modern and better UI. It looks crisp and easy to understand. As you can see statistics are shown in home screen, just after login. You can filter Income report and statistics month wise, On right side it shows eCPM as you can see it’s showing $0.78 and Money(Income) earned from shortening URL is $1.17591 on 1513 views. You are allowed to see report month wise, currently it’s showing May 2014 stats.
Linkbucks UI looks outdated, i mean it looks old. When coming to statistics then Linkbucks shows more detailed information compared to Shorte-st. Navigate to Earnings tab and on the top you can see your Quick stats, Showing Today’s Earning, Yesterday’s Earning, Earning this month, Unpaid balance, Performance(Month/Day) in Percentage.
Conclusion (Tie)
When it comes to UI and stats then it’s very difficult to choose a winner. Here Shorte.st has better UI but lacks in providing Detailed stats where as Linkbucks lacks in Modern UI but shows a detailed earning report.
Global Payout Rates
Shorte st vs linkbucks, which one is highest paying URL shortener among them. First lets take a look on short-st payout rates.
Shorte.st payout Rates
As you can clearly see that shortest pays highest for United States Traffic, you can earn upto 14$ for US traffic. UK, Canada, Australia are some top paying countries. Now lets check the rates of Linkbucks.
Linkbucks Payout Rates
Australia, UK and Brazil are some top paying countries for Linkbucks. You can earn Maximum 7$ per 1000 views from linkbucks.
Conclusion (Shorte st Wins)
We can clearly See that Shorte.st has really very high payout rates compared to linkbucks. So there is not doubt that you will earn more from shorte.st. Linkbucks is also good but not good as shorte-st.
Advertisement
Payment Options & Minimum Payout
Shorte.st Payment Options
Linkbucks Payment Options
Both has Good payment Options. Both supports Paypal and Payoneer, So you can easily withdraw your money. But here Shorte.st also supports WebMoney.
LinkBucks Publisher Payment Terms and Conditions
To Withdraw money from linkbucks you must need 10$ USD and all payment are processed Automatically.
Shorte.st Minimum Requirement to get Payout
Shorte-st is a bit different from linkbucks. The minimum amount available for a withdrawal is USD $5 for PayPal and WebMoney and USD $20 for Payoneer.
Advertisement
We can clearly see that both are good in terms to payment Options. But shorte-st wins again.
Shorte.st and Linkbucks Payment Proof
LinkBucks Payment Proofs
Linkbucks.com Payment Proof 1Linkbucks.com Payment Proof 2
Shorte.st Payment Proof
Who is best Shorte-st or LinkBucks ?
From above comparison we came to know that shorte.st is best and highest paying url shortener available. It has great World wide payout rates, allows user to earn upto 15$ per 1000 impressions. There is No doubt that Shorte-st is all rounder performer for both publisher and advertiser as well.
Advertisement
Final Words
For some reason if you don’t want to use shorte.st then you can go with linkbucks. Both has good amount of global advertisers. Anyways Shorte.st Rocks.
Follow Us On
Subscribe Via Email
TrustedTricksBlog focus on providing best tips and tricks. Our tricks are 100% working as we personally test before sharing. We share everything on this blog for free. We believe on 'Just Tricks, No Bullshit'. Follow us on social media to get latest update, Subscribe via email to get tricks update directly in your inbox. This trick blog is 100% safe, we use best security measures to prevent any security issues.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Why do you all care about medicine ( right you care about people and you want to help) but the truth is that these guys only care about themselves, once they get their MD/DOs they totally forget about those they once claimed they would care for and are after more prestige, honors, bonuses, and the like. They become arrogant and neglectful, and I have experienced this as a patient, and I honestly want you all to reconsider your aspiration for medicine and be true to yourself.....
For real why don't you guys become food servants or nannies or farmers? honestly cause once these premeds get in medical school they totally forget about the patients, one of my friends in med school once told me that the best residency is the one involving the least contact with patients,,,, Seriously? so why did you go to medical school?
So please, if you are among those who just want to get in medicine for honors, prestige, please, for the sake of patients, quit, because medicine requires sincere passion and compassion.
And what the heck, save yourself from stress, be a teacher, a nanny, a farmer, a food servant..... and be happy,
Why do you all care about medicine ( right you care about people and you want to help) but the truth is that these guys only care about themselves, once they get their MD/DOs they totally forget about those they once claimed they would care for and are after more prestige, honors, bonuses, and the like. They become arrogant and neglectful, and I have experienced this as a patient, and I honestly want you all to reconsider your aspiration for medicine and be true to yourself.....
For real why don't you guys become food servants or nannies or farmers? honestly cause once these premeds get in medical school they totally forget about the patients, one of my friends in med school once told me that the best residency is the one involving the least contact with patients,,,, Seriously? so why did you go to medical school?
So please, if you are among those who just want to get in medicine for honors, prestige, please, for the sake of patients, quit, because medicine requires sincere passion and compassion.
And what the heck, save yourself from stress, be a teacher, a nanny, a farmer, a food servant..... and be happy,
Click to expand...
Granted, these other things can make me perfectly happy, but not the way I want it to be. I see myself being most happy as a physician based on my experiences. That's what I want to do. (trollolol?)
Since your thread is pointless, let me take a moment to devote a post to a great football player who has passed before us today.
Junior Seau was a great football player. He was never arrogant during interviews and always seemed to care and devote 100% to the game. He was a true team player. You will be missed buddy, you will be missed.
Why do you all care about medicine ( right you care about people and you want to help) but the truth is that these guys only care about themselves, once they get their MD/DOs they totally forget about those they once claimed they would care for and are after more prestige, honors, bonuses, and the like. They become arrogant and neglectful, and I have experienced this as a patient, and I honestly want you all to reconsider your aspiration for medicine and be true to yourself.....
For real why don't you guys become food servants or nannies or farmers? honestly cause once these premeds get in medical school they totally forget about the patients, one of my friends in med school once told me that the best residency is the one involving the least contact with patients,,,, Seriously? so why did you go to medical school?
So please, if you are among those who just want to get in medicine for honors, prestige, please, for the sake of patients, quit, because medicine requires sincere passion and compassion.
And what the heck, save yourself from stress, be a teacher, a nanny, a farmer, a food servant..... and be happy,
You are coming into contact with the wrong physicians. This was not my experience AT ALL when shadowing. Also if theyre just in it for the money/bonuses/prestige how would your "solution" of being a nanny or a farmer make ANY sense...
Why do you all care about medicine ( right you care about people and you want to help) but the truth is that these guys only care about themselves, once they get their MD/DOs they totally forget about those they once claimed they would care for and are after more prestige, honors, bonuses, and the like. They become arrogant and neglectful, and I have experienced this as a patient, and I honestly want you all to reconsider your aspiration for medicine and be true to yourself.....For real why don't you guys become food servants or nannies or farmers? honestly cause once these premeds get in medical school they totally forget about the patients, one of my friends in med school once told me that the best residency is the one involving the least contact with patients,,,, Seriously? so why did you go to medical school?
So please, if you are among those who just want to get in medicine for honors, prestige, please, for the sake of patients, quit, because medicine requires sincere passion and compassion.
And what the heck, save yourself from stress, be a teacher, a nanny, a farmer, a food servant..... and be happy,
Why do you all care about medicine ( right you care about people and you want to help) but the truth is that these guys only care about themselves, once they get their MD/DOs they totally forget about those they once claimed they would care for and are after more prestige, honors, bonuses, and the like. They become arrogant and neglectful, and I have experienced this as a patient, and I honestly want you all to reconsider your aspiration for medicine and be true to yourself.....
For real why don't you guys become food servants or nannies or farmers? honestly cause once these premeds get in medical school they totally forget about the patients, one of my friends in med school once told me that the best residency is the one involving the least contact with patients,,,, Seriously? so why did you go to medical school?
So please, if you are among those who just want to get in medicine for honors, prestige, please, for the sake of patients, quit, because medicine requires sincere passion and compassion.
And what the heck, save yourself from stress, be a teacher, a nanny, a farmer, a food servant..... and be happy,
Click to expand...
I'm a bit offended.
Actually I'm a lot offended.
What about engineering? Engineers can work by themselves in the corner and live happy lives contributing to society.
Without engineers you wouldn't have bridges, or tunnels.
Without engineers you wouldn't have buildings or subways.
I really can't believe that you would come on this forum and mention teaching, nannism, farming, and food serving as good happy jobs and leave out engineering.
I'm a bit speechless now.
Anyway, sorry to digress but let's get back to the topic at hand. Isn't the best residency the one that deals least with patients? Maybe your friend is right. People aren't always appreciative about the hard work and time we all spend after you "patients". Maybe it's best to just stay away from patients. They sue you if you make a mistake, they yell at you, they expect u to be magicians that can cure cancer on the spot.
Well let me tell you a thing sweetie, we are not magicians, nor are we perfect but we have good intentions to help people. (I am crying as I type this) We want to help but sometimes we do get fed up and we are human beings (homo sapiens to be exact) and we have personalities and personal lives and we get affected too. Sometimes, patients are the best and worst part of our day.
I am deeply offended at your jumping to conclusions that all physicians dont like patients, this isn't true. Some do like patients. Some don't. Some who dont like patients do good work and some who are nice to you do poor work. As a layperson, layman, nonprofessional such as yourself, you have zero clue on who's good and who's on your side or just trying to score a few $$.
After reading my lengthy and emotional post, I expect a full written apology to me and all our other members on this forum who try and try to help others and have to deal with ignorance from individuals who do not know what it is like to do 70 hr residencies, having to study day night for step 1. Like the golden book of golden rules says: Without being in my shoes, you dont know where I have walked or going to work to.
Since your thread is pointless, let me take a moment to devote a post to a great football player who has passed before us today.
Junior Seau was a great football player. He was never arrogant during interviews and always seemed to care and devote 100% to the game. He was a true team player. You will be missed buddy, you will be missed.
Why do you all care about medicine ( right you care about people and you want to help) but the truth is that these guys only care about themselves, once they get their MD/DOs they totally forget about those they once claimed they would care for and are after more prestige, honors, bonuses, and the like. They become arrogant and neglectful, and I have experienced this as a patient, and I honestly want you all to reconsider your aspiration for medicine and be true to yourself.....
For real why don't you guys become food servants or nannies or farmers? honestly cause once these premeds get in medical school they totally forget about the patients, one of my friends in med school once told me that the best residency is the one involving the least contact with patients,,,, Seriously? so why did you go to medical school?
So please, if you are among those who just want to get in medicine for honors, prestige, please, for the sake of patients, quit, because medicine requires sincere passion and compassion.
And what the heck, save yourself from stress, be a teacher, a nanny, a farmer, a food servant..... and be happy,
Click to expand...
I'm not exactly sure why being a physician has been equated with all the touchy-feely crap lately.....
To be honest, I havent always bought the "because I care about people" or the "I want to help people" claim. Every instance of gainful employment "helps people". The local mechanic helps people.... "help" is not unique to medicine.... nor is this a requirement for being competent. I will accept that "caring" helps in being effective, but that is only because the current patient population somehow rationalizes ignoring a doctor's advice if they think the doctor is a jerk. I dont get it.... if you want medical advice/treatment go to a doctor. If you want to spurn the advice... it only hurts yourself.
I feel I have a desire to help people (who want to be helped) and the ability to help in a specific way (medicine). But if someone in need of help decides they do not like what I have to offer I am not going to lose any sleep over it...
You are coming into contact with the wrong physicians. This was not my experience AT ALL when shadowing. Also if theyre just in it for the money/bonuses/prestige how would your "solution" of being a nanny or a farmer make ANY sense...
Click to expand...
Because doctors have lives in their hands, LIVES. if they are not that passionate about medicine they should turn to another profession that does not involve so many responsibilities and that can be easily done without any passion for it. I named a few but there are many more. Nowadays patients don't even interact much with their doctors, they only rush for prescriptions, they don't care about you, and it seriously hurts me because you can screw up at any other job and get a second chance, but if you screw up in medicine, you can't get these lives back
Because doctors have lives in their hands, LIVES. if they are not that passionate about medicine they should turn to another profession that does not involve so many responsibilities and that can be easily done without any passion for it. I named a few but there are many more. Nowadays patients don't even interact much with their doctors, they only rush for prescriptions, they don't care about you, and it seriously hurts me because you can screw up at any other job and get a second chance, but if you screw up in medicine, you can't get these lives back
Click to expand...
do you mean to say "passion" or "compassion"? Two very different meanings.
What about engineering? Engineers can work by themselves in the corner and live happy lives contributing to society.
Without engineers you wouldn't have bridges, or tunnels.
Without engineers you wouldn't have buildings or subways.
I really can't believe that you would come on this forum and mention teaching, nannism, farming, and food serving as good happy jobs and leave out engineering.
I'm a bit speechless now.
Anyway, sorry to digress but let's get back to the topic at hand. Isn't the best residency the one that deals least with patients? Maybe your friend is right. People aren't always appreciative about the hard work and time we all spend after you "patients". Maybe it's best to just stay away from patients. They sue you if you make a mistake, they yell at you, they expect u to be magicians that can cure cancer on the spot.
Well let me tell you a thing sweetie, we are not magicians, nor are we perfect but we have good intentions to help people. (I am crying as I type this) We want to help but sometimes we do get fed up and we are human beings (homo sapiens to be exact) and we have personalities and personal lives and we get affected too. Sometimes, patients are the best and worst part of our day.
I am deeply offended at your jumping to conclusions that all physicians dont like patients, this isn't true. Some do like patients. Some don't. Some who dont like patients do good work and some who are nice to you do poor work. As a layperson, layman, nonprofessional such as yourself, you have zero clue on who's good and who's on your side or just trying to score a few $$.
After reading my lengthy and emotional post, I expect a full written apology to me and all our other members on this forum who try and try to help others and have to deal with ignorance from individuals who do not know what it is like to do 70 hr residencies, having to study day night for step 1. Like the golden book of golden rules says: Without being in my shoes, you dont know where I have walked or going to work to.
I cannot type anymore, my head hurts from crying so much.
Click to expand...
I just named a few professions that do not involve crucial responsibilities like medicine. It is LIVES that we will have in our hands. yes granted, am sure there are great doctors out there who do their very best to provide the best possible help, but you cannot ignore the fact that there are also many crappy doctors, whose negligence and arrogance have aggravated my pain. My appeal was to those who are not passionate and compassionate, and who only care about themselves and nothing more. I must apologize if I offended you, it was not my intention, but am sure that many docs and aspiring docs can identify and judge for themselves whether or not they are in for patients or prestige. As a patient, I have been very disappointed with a lot of doctors and that is actually what motivated me to become a physician.
Since your thread is pointless, let me take a moment to devote a post to a great football player who has passed before us today.
Junior Seau was a great football player. He was never arrogant during interviews and always seemed to care and devote 100% to the game. He was a true team player. You will be missed buddy, you will be missed.
For reals. Sad day for his family, the city of San Diego, football, and sports in general. Junior always came across as a genuine and loving person who wanted the best in the world for everyone. I'm shocked at his passing.
Preach on, brother. All SDN people talking about dermatology and wanting good lifestyles disgust me. You all need to quit immediately and become pig farmers, or American History teachers, or do both part-time. We are talking about LIVES and is clear that a life of a filthy animal such as pig can never be as important as a life of a human being. Pig farming also involves good amount of manual labor and outdoor activities.
I just named a few professions that do not involve crucial responsibilities like medicine. It is LIVES that we will have in our hands. yes granted, am sure there are great doctors out there who do their very best to provide the best possible help, but you cannot ignore the fact that there are also many crappy doctors, whose negligence and arrogance have aggravated my pain. My appeal was to those who are not passionate and compassionate, and who only care about themselves and nothing more. I must apologize if I offended you, it was not my intention, but am sure that many docs and aspiring docs can identify and judge for themselves whether or not they are in for patients or prestige. As a patient, I have been very disappointed with a lot of doctors and that is actually what motivated me to become a physician.
Click to expand...
Is there a specific example you'd like to cite here? You just keep saying how a lot of premeds and docs are arrogant, self-centered, and only in it for the "fame".
I'm pretty sure most of us realize that being a doctor isn't sunshines, rainbows, and having three-ways with starlets in Vegas on Saturday nights.
Most of us are genuinely interested in the pursuit of medicine. Where are you getting your information from?
Why do you all care about medicine ( right you care about people and you want to help) but the truth is that these guys only care about themselves, once they get their MD/DOs they totally forget about those they once claimed they would care for and are after more prestige, honors, bonuses, and the like. They become arrogant and neglectful, and I have experienced this as a patient, and I honestly want you all to reconsider your aspiration for medicine and be true to yourself.....
For real why don't you guys become food servants or nannies or farmers? honestly cause once these premeds get in medical school they totally forget about the patients, one of my friends in med school once told me that the best residency is the one involving the least contact with patients,,,, Seriously? so why did you go to medical school?
So please, if you are among those who just want to get in medicine for honors, prestige, please, for the sake of patients, quit, because medicine requires sincere passion and compassion.
And what the heck, save yourself from stress, be a teacher, a nanny, a farmer, a food servant..... and be happy,
Well if you are genuinely interested that s good am talking from my experience as a patient.
Click to expand...
there is a very good chance that your experience as a patient does not reflect at all the passions of those that treated you. You are mixing and matching terms and using poor measures to assess the intentions of others.
there is a very good chance that your experience as a patient does not reflect at all the passions of those that treated you. You are mixing and matching terms and using poor measures to assess the intentions of others.
Click to expand...
Am not mixing terms medicine requires both passion and compassion. And hey, i interact with these guys everyday, some of them have clearly revealed their intentions to me and it s very painful to hear. I have many friends in medical school that truly don't care at all.
Because doctors have lives in their hands, LIVES. if they are not that passionate about medicine they should turn to another profession that does not involve so many responsibilities and that can be easily done without any passion for it. I named a few but there are many more. Nowadays patients don't even interact much with their doctors, they only rush for prescriptions, they don't care about you, and it seriously hurts me because you can screw up at any other job and get a second chance, but if you screw up in medicine, you can't get these lives back
Click to expand...
Okay...so...you're saying that all of the current doctors suck and shouldn't be doctors. Then you're coming onto an online community for future doctors and telling us we shouldn't become doctors. So you would prefer that we have no doctors at all? This is horrible trolling, the point you're trying to make isn't even a point.
Am not mixing terms medicine requires both passion and compassion. And hey, i interact with these guys everyday, some of them have clearly revealed their intentions to me and it s very painful to hear. I have many friends in medical school that truly don't care at all.
Click to expand...
hypothetically, what are the negative outcomes you foresee from all of your friends who do not care? What will happen as a result of these people who don't feel compelled to capitalize "lives" constantly when they get their MDs?
hypothetically, what are the negative outcomes you foresee from all of your friends who do not care? What will happen as a result of these people who don't feel compelled to capitalize "lives" constantly when they get their MDs?
Click to expand...
Many people will suffer from poor medical assistance and negligence as I have already. Hey there are great doctors out there, I was very fortunate to have a good one once and truly wish all doctors could be as great, but many others are just very bad and have seriously hurt my feelings.
Patient contact is one of the main reason why I want to become a doctor: Meeting new people constantly and working with them to solve their problems. Meaningful interactions, and lots of them.
I foresee that one of the most challenging aspects of becoming a quality physician will be maintaining a framework of knowledge that applies to general populations while catering every application of this framework to individual circumstances. This challenge is much more dynamic than any engineering/science desk job I could get with all this "intellectual development" I've been torturing myself with.
The lack of patient contact makes me weary of applying to an MD/PhD program.
Many people will suffer from poor medical assistance and negligence as I have already. Hey there are great doctors out there, I was very fortunate to have a good one once and truly wish all doctors could be as great, but many others are just very bad and have seriously hurt my feelings.
Click to expand...
you make the assumption that your poor "medical assistance" is a result of apathy instead of incompetence. I don't think this is a valid assumption.
I would actually argue that many nurses do a better job at their level than physicians. But thank you for the recommendation am already on my way to becoming a passionate, compassionate and dedicated physician.
I would rather have a narcissistic, egocentric, god-complexed, and money-oriented physician who could perform his job well and provide good services, rather than a tree-hugging, humanitarian-martyr doctor who is not able to carry out his job. This has already been discussed before so there was not real point in bringing it up . . . but I think the best bet for you, on your glorious pursuit of truth, happiness, and compassion, is to simply become a CNA. Best of luck.
As a patient, I have been very disappointed with a lot of doctors and that is actually what motivated me to become a physician.
Click to expand...
Heaven help you when you get to your application process. No committee on earth will admit someone who puts this kind of negativism in a PS. I'm hoping if you truly want to get into medical school you will find a new motivation or light for wanting to get in. It may be a perfectly valid reason, but pursuing a medical degree because of your bad experience is IMO a mistake.
But anyway, to play devils advocate, I do some degree acknowledge your point. Unfortunately some things happen to you once you get into medical school and start dealing with real patients. For all of your idealism, some of it slips away to the reality of what medicine actually is. You can strive to help patients 100% of the time, but when a great deal of them reject your help, expect the impossible from you, and even tear you down it does change you. This is reflected in the behavior you see in some physicians I'm sure. I'll not deny it is our job to not get jaded, but as someone else pointed out we are only human beings. Which many of our patients forget.
There was an article in an AMA newsletter based on a New York Times column, which actually looked at the transformation medical students go through during 3rd year clerkships, and what schools are attempting to do to combat it. I'm not always that with the NYT, but it had some merit.
hypothetically, what are the negative outcomes you foresee from all of your friends who do not care? What will happen as a result of these people who don't feel compelled to capitalize "lives" constantly when they get their MDs?
By the way, I am not trying to come off offensive in any way. I am simply talking in your language, you are obsoletely correct that most people go in for prestige, money, respect and all the other "honors" associated with doctors, but you need to realize this is how the world works, the reality. If there was a compassion screening test, I feel that more than half pre-meds would fail.
I would actually argue that many nurses do a better job at their level than physicians. But thank you for the recommendation am already on my way to becoming a passionate, compassionate and dedicated physician.
Click to expand...
I'm sure there are plenty of things you would argue. However you have not demonstrated any actual knowledge on the subject. And how do you define "on your way"? being pre-med is about as far down the path to being a physician as window shopping makes one a porsche owner. You arent even in the door yet nor have you shown that you have what is necessary (money for this metaphor... keepin it ironic ) sure you may really really want one, but that doesnt exactly factor into the price.
and judging by your unreasonable idealism I suspect you are very very early into pre-med. Freshman or potentially even HS.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Charles de Gaulle (poet)
Charles Jules-Joseph de Gaulle (January 31, 1837 – January 1, 1880) was a French writer who was a pioneer of Pan-Celticism and the bardic revival. He is also known as Charlez Vro-C'hall, the Breton language version of his name. He was the uncle of General de Gaulle.
Life
Born in Valenciennes, Nord, de Gaulle was struck by a progressive paralyzing illness from his early youth. He turned to scholarship and began a study of the Celtic languages after reading Barzaz Breiz (Ballads of Brittany) at the age of sixteen. He learned Breton, Welsh and Gaelic, but never visited a Celtic-speaking country, being confined to his apartment in Paris. Having met Théodore Hersart de la Villemarqué, author of Barzaz Breiz, he became secretary of Breuriez Breiz, a society of Breton poets in Paris. From 1864 he started to publish articles on Celtic culture, especially Brittany, and poetry in the Breton language.
However, as his disease progressed, his publications became increasingly scarce. His literary activity gradually ceased, but he retained until the end his lucidity of mind and was able to follow the progress of his favourite studies. He died at the age of 42.
Pan-Celticism
De Gaulle was an early pan-Celticist with De Barra (2018) writing "the story of Pan-Celticism begins with....Charles de Gaulle"
De Gaulle dreamed of the resurrection of the Celtic languages as vehicles for high culture. A devout Catholic and monarchist, de Gaulle saw Celtic countries as guardians of tradition and proposed a restoration of Breton political autonomy, providing a model for later Breton nationalists. In 1864 he wrote an appeal to the current representatives of the "Celtic race", proposing Celtic festivals:
If I am allowed to express a wish - as yet most ambitious, doubtless difficult to accomplish - it would be to see a new religious order, or at least, a special division of a former religious order, to devote, under the invocation of old saints, wise men from both Britains [The British Isles and Brittany] to preaching and instruction of youth of all classes in the Celtic countries, and this mainly through indigenous languages...After the celebration of holy sacrifice, in open fields, on an old dolmen, surrounded by the people of neighbouring parishes, the solemnities open with a contest of popular bards... Shooting, wrestling, horse and foot races, regattas at the seaside, would provide a new and useful means of improving our agile and robust youth.
De Gaulle insisted that Celtic countries must retain their languages to avoid cultural extinction, asserting that "so long as a conquered people speaks another language than the conquerors, the best part of them is still free". He also proposed a Celtic Union that would establish and develop links between Celtic countries. There should also be a Celtic "Esperanto" to facilitate communication and which would be created from common elements in all Celtic languages and a Pan-Celtic festival.
De Gaulle wrote to cultural leaders in Wales, Scotland and Ireland to organise a Pan-Celtic congress in Saint-Brieuc, Britanny in 1867, which he succeeded in pushing through despite opposition from the French government. Unable to travel due to health issues, he wrote the poem Da Varsez Breiz (With Bards of Brittany) in Breton, including the lines:
(In Paris my body is held
But towards you my spirit flies,
Swiftly like a bird,
To meet his far away brothers.)
General de Gaulle's 1969 speech
In January 1969, General de Gaulle attempted to use his uncle's reputation in Brittany by declaiming the second quatrain of his uncle's poem Da Varsez Breiz (the lines above) during a speech at Quimper. The speech followed a series of crackdowns on Breton nationalist activists. De Gaulle's use of the poem led to a severe adverse reaction from his audience who drowned out much of the rest of his speech. He was later accused of double standards, having recently spoken in Canada in support of a "free" Quebec, because its French language tradition distinguished it from the English-dominated majority of Canada.
References
Category:1837 births
Category:1880 deaths
Category:French Catholic poets
Category:People from Valenciennes
Category:Breton nationalists
Category:Breton poets
Category:French poets
Category:Celtic studies scholars
Charles de Gaulle
Category:Breton-language poets
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
Democratic Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill sparked a fierce backlash from a Democratic legislator in her home state after listing her as an example of a “crazy Democrat.”
In a scathing series of tweets on Monday and Tuesday, Missouri Democratic state Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal referred to McCaskill as “Dixie Claire,” described her as a “piece of shit,” compared her to a slave owner and accused “McCaskill and her racist democratic friends” of alienating the party’s base voters.
McCaskill raised eyebrows in the final weeks of the midterm campaign by running a radio ad that described McCaskill as “not one of those crazy Democrats.”
When pressed on Monday for examples of “crazy Democrats,” McCaskill pointed to Chappelle-Nadal, who sparked outrage in 2017 by calling for President Donald Trump’s assassination.
“We have a state Senator here in Missouri that actually advocated for the assassination of President Trump. That’s a crazy Democrat,” McCaskill said in an interview with Fox News’s Bret Baier.
McCaskill’s swipe at Chappelle-Nadal provoked a sharp response.
“Claire McCaskill is desperate. She’s a piece of shit. Instead of knowing why people of color are angered by this administration, she chooses to put us [and] our families in harm’s way,” Chappelle-Nadal wrote in a tweet on Monday.
“If my family is harmed, blame it on Claire McCaskill. She deserves to lose. She is not a Democrat,” the state senator added.
“Claire McCaskill and her racist democratic friends continue to alienate the base,” Chappelle-Nadal wrote in a Tuesday morning tweet. In another she referred to McCaskill as “Dixie Claire.”
Chappelle-Nadal, who did not return an email seeking comment, also blamed McCaskill for multiple racist comments directed at her on social media.
“White Supremacy would place a person of color in physical danger. That’s what Claire McCaskill has done to my family. Shame on you, Dixie Claire. There are no more plantations. You are not Madam Massa,” Chappelle-Nadal added in another tweet.
The McCaskill campaign did not immediately return a request for comment.
The controversy comes as polls show McCaskill slipping behind Republican challenger Josh Hawley ahead of the Nov. 6 midterm elections.
Missouri’s term limits for state legislators prevent Chappelle-Nadal from running for re-election as a state senator, so she is running for the state’s House of Representatives. (RELATED: West Virginia Democratic Candidate Was Pagan Witchcraft Cult Leader)
She won her primary in August and is running unopposed in the general election.
Missouri limits state legislators to eight years in each the House and Senate. Chappelle-Nadal is in her eighth year in the Senate and has two more years of eligibility in the lower chamber.
Follow Hasson on Twitter @PeterJHasson
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Several weeks ago Kim Dotcom informed the world that Megaupload would be back, bigger and better than ever. Today, in a series of announcements he's provided more intriguing details about the new service. "We are building a massive global network," Dotcom revealed, while adding that hosters will all be able to connect to the network to add servers and bandwidth - providing they're not in the United States that is. "I am going to turn this world upside down," Dotcom warned.
In July, a little over six months since the January raids on Megaupload, Kim Dotcom told the world his now-infamous service would be back.
“MEGA will return. Bigger. Better. Faster. Free of charge & shielded from attacks. Evolution!” the Megaupload founder announced on Twitter.
Coming from most regular people in the online space, such claims might be considered fanciful, particularly given the precarious situation Dotcom and his associates find themselves in. But with enthusiasm, energy and positivity coming out of his every pore, there is something about the larger-than-life German that inspires confidence that these were not casual off-the-cuff remarks.
Today, in a series of announcements, Dotcom has added to his earlier promise that not only will Megaupload return, it will indeed be bigger, better and more secure than ever before.
“Developers get ready. The Mega API [application programming interface] will provide incredible powers. Our API and your Mega tools will change the world,” Dotcom said.
Knowing Dotcom’s history of never doing anything in half measures or on a modest scale, the Internet entrepreneur says he’s going large with the new Megaupload and is inviting almost everyone to join him in scaling the system.
With a shake of the head towards those who he claims preside over a corrupt administration, Dotcom implies he is excluding one nation from supplying infrastructure to the new Megaupload.
“We are building a massive global network. All non-US hosters will be able to connect servers & bandwidth,” he explained.
According to Dotcom we can expect a Megaupload with an even greater range of applications than just file-sharing. While developers of file managers are being encouraged to get in touch for early API access, Dotcom is also calling out to those involved in email and fax tools, VOIP and video apps.
And to those looking forward to a new Megaupload with more privacy, Dotcom says that the new service will offer one-click encryption of all data transfers, on the fly, and for free.
“They abused the wrong guy. I am going to turn this world upside down. Power to the people. Bye bye Echelon. Hello Freedom,” Dotcom concludes.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Inclusion in RPGs
First off, spreading the Kickstarter love: Heartbreak and Heroines, a fantasy RPG specifically designed (in the words of the author) to be much more inclusive:
Heartbreak & Heroines is first and foremost a fantasy adventure game. It’s not preachy and it isn’t a textbook about feminism, but it’s written from a feminist point of view. It challenges some of our assumptions about the role of gender in gaming but at the heart of H&H, it’s about being a heroine (or hero) and finding your way to happiness in a dangerous world.
I think that this is great, a laudable goal, and also pretty much exactly why Kickstarter exists. Come up with an artistic project concept, tell people about it, and get the project funded if enough people are interested.
So naturally, there is a 200+ message thread on RPGnet, bitching about it. Now, to be fair, most of those messages are in defense of the project (or at the very least “WTF”-ing the detractors) — but still. The “conserva-gamer-libertarian-anti-‘political-correctness’-warrior” stereotype is out in FULL BLOOM, kids. Because making an effort at inclusion? “Extreme.” “Silly.” “Insulting.” “Condescending.”
I pledged just because they pissed me off. I want to see this game funded because it will stick in their craw like the ashes of defeat.
When the thread started, I saw that the designer had only raised $300 or so. She’s asking for $3K. I’m pleased to report that it’s almost to $1K now, less than a day later — and the Kickstarter runs for another 29 days. So please, consider chucking a pledge their way.
Couple of things:
1st, it seems that the original poster also has a problem with what he calls “the Kickstarter Gold-Rush” — I’ve seen him bitch elsewhere, terming it “the money-grab”, etc. The less-socialized corners of the geek community has always had a problem with people obviously enjoying something that they don’t, and therefore railing against it with as much vitriol as they can muster. Kickstarter must really push that button even harder, because the enjoyment of others now has a visible dollar-value tagged to it, making it more of an incitement to rage to these folks.
To which I say: Fuck you, grow up.
People like things you don’t, and sometimes they ‘like’ with money. Nothing to bitch about here (without waving the “I have problems with mature interactions in public” flag wildly, at least).
Second: Inclusion? Important. Just as important to those of us who have chosen not to make it an explicitly-stated mission statement of a project, in fact. I draw your attention to the artwork that we’ve presented from Far West:
We didn’t come right out and say it. We were sneaky. But everything we’ve done, we’ve done for a reason.
(So I guess now the Usual Suspects will grouse about our ‘political correctness’ and give us an upward spike in pledges, too!)
15 Comments
Yeah, I remember just how much static Green Ronin took for publishing Blue Rose (another RPG that worked to be inclusive): how the game’s “obvious political agenda” detracted from it as a game, how elements of the genre it emulated (more romantic fantasy, often written by women) were “forced” onto the reader/player, etc. ad nauseum.
I tend to think when your creative work is making some people uncomfortable, you’re on to something. Best of luck to Ms. Snow; I hope Kickstarter helps her to make her game!
All you need to know about commentary on internet message boards can be informed by this series of events:
1. Something happens in the real world or online.
2. Penny Arcade has a comic making fun of the issue, making light of it, or pointing out what they perceive as flaws.
3. Every single reader cops the same opinion…and immediately regurgitates this opinion everywhere on the net.
I’m a reader of Penny Arcade. Their ‘Dickstarter’ comic was funny, but layered. So, instead of understanding the layers of that comic — Gabe would abuse Kickstarter in that way, Gabe’s a fake character in a comic, and Kickstarter doesn’t really work that way fail to penetrate layers of internet concrete around most people’s common sense brains.
[…] array of essays tonight. We start off with this blog on inclusivity in RPGs by Gareth-Michael Skarka, reacting to the Heartbreak and Heroines feminist RPG project. And on the headier side, The Mule […]
[…] Haters gonna hate, but if more chicks at your game table is something you can get behind, please contribute! They’ve already reached their goal after a scant 48 hours live, but they’ll be adding more H&H (specifics TBA) if they reach the next milestone of $4,000! And it’s the best way to pre-order the product itself! Tweet […]
I remember all the Blue Rose crap that stirred up about it’s release. Personally I was confused by it all, I’m still a big believer of ‘if you don’t want it don’t buy it’. It was like someone was going to force them to drop down money for the game.
I’ve read Blue Rose, still have my copy somewhere. While I didn’t think it was the best thing ever written it wasn’t bad either. But after I read it I sat it down and was still confused about what all the fighting about it was.
It’s been cancelled, unfortunately, for reasons that are (AFAI can tell) unrelated to the project itself. On the upside, this certainly shows that there is a market for inclusive projects, despite what the RPGNetters say.
[…] in RPGs is important, and why RPGnet is (as usual) a wretched hive of scum and privilege, but the fine folks over on The Designer Monologues already beat me to it with a very well reasoned and well articulated post which I hope you’ll go […]
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
CHANDIGARH: Haryana has been put on alert ahead of Friday's court verdict in a sexual exploitation case against Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh with the state government today saying it is not averse to seeking Army's help to maintain law and order.The Centre has also assured all possible help to the Punjab and Haryana governments to deal with any situation."We are in regular touch with the governments of Punjab and Haryana. Whatever help is required, will be provided," a home ministry spokesperson said in Delhi.In view of the verdict by the CBI court in Panchkula, the Haryana government has directed that Deputy Commissioners, Sub Divisional Officers (Civil) and other Haryana Civil Services officers would not avail leave till further orders.All district administrations need to be in full strength, a spokesperson of the Haryana personnel department said, adding, "The leave, if already sanctioned, stands cancelled."Haryana Health Department too has cancelled leave of all its medical and para-medical staff up to August 30.Chandigarh, the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, has been declared "sensitive" and prohibitory orders clamped in the wake of arrival of Dera followers in large numbers in neighbouring Panchkula, a top police officer said here.Leaves of all policemen have been cancelled.Asserting that nobody will be allowed to disturb law and order, Chandigarh DGP Tejinder Singh Luthra said elaborate security arrangements have been made with over 5,000 security personnel being deployed at sensitive and vulnerable points to maintain peace.One lakh 'premis' (dear followers) have already arrived in Panchkula, he said, adding, "In the wake of this, the sensitivity of Chandigarh goes up. That is why we have mobilised large scale deployment of forces to maintain law and order."To keep an eye on the situation, the police will conduct aerial surveillance with drones and conduct videography.The government has also ordered closure of schools and colleges in Panchkula district on August 24 and 25 as a precautionary measure, Panchkula Deputy Commissioner Gauri Parashar Joshi told PTI.While state-owned Punjab Roadways will not ply its buses towards Sirsa , where the headquarter of Dera is located, from tomorrow, the PRTC will stop plying Haryana-bound buses on August 25 as a precautionary measure."As a precautionary measure, we have decided not to run bus towards Haryana from our three depots in Bathinda, Budhlada and Barnala on August 25," a Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC) official said.This decision will impact almost 175 buses plying on different routes towards Haryana and some parts of Punjab, he said.Notably, there is a large presence of Dera followers in Bathinda and Barnala districts and most of them use bus service from Bathinda, Budhlada and Barnala bus depots."Our buses will not ply towards Sirsa from tomorrow till August 25. We have also asked the officials concerned to take decision (on stopping or continuing bus service) considering the prevailing law and order situation,"an official of Punjab Roadways said.Punjab Roadways will not ply Haryana bound buses from its Muktsar, Chandigarh, Ludhiana and Bathinda depots, the official said adding it will impact 50 per cent of bus services from these depots.Over 35,000 followers of the Dera are estimated to have already reached and many more are still arriving at the sect's Sector 23-based 'Naam Charcha Ghar' (congregation/prayer centre) in Panchkula to show their solidarity with Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, who has been asked to appear in person in the special CBI court on Friday.Panchkula Deputy Commissioner said the administration and police were keeping an eye on the situation to ensure that law and order is maintained.Responding to reporter's questions, Haryana Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Ram Niwas said, "The state government would also call in the Army, if necessary, impose curfew according to time and circumstances and initiate all steps required to maintain law and order in the state.""It is a dynamic situation," he said, adding Haryana has got eight additional Companies of paramilitary forces and an additional 2,500 police personnel from internal sources have also been mobilised for deployment in different parts of the state.Ten senior IPS officers would be deployed at critical and sensitive locations by the evening. Around 2,000 Home Guards have been called to to manage crowds and adequate arrangements have been made to deal with any situation in the state, he said.Exhorting the Dera followers to keep faith in the judiciary and assist the administration in maintaining and law and order, he said the situation at Dera's 'Naam Charcha Ghar' in Panchkula was being constantly monitored.Niwas said that carrying of any kind of stick or weapon has been prohibited at 'Naam Charcha Ghar' of Dera followers in the state.Reports said that there was a large build up Dera followers in Panchkula and many more were still arriving.In reply to a question, Niwas said directions had already been issued to all Deputy Commissioners and SPs to initiate preventive steps according to intelligence inputs being received.On converting government buildings as temporary jails, he said this had been conveyed to the Director General, Prisons, and it is hoped that it would be notified by tomorrow evening.Prabhjot Singh the Deputy Commissioner of Sirsa, where the sect is headquartered, at a meeting of Municipal Councillors asked them to ensure the safety and security of religious institutions and government and other property in their respective wards.He exhorted educational institutes, owners of shops, houses, petrol pumps and other commercial establishments in Sirsa district to ensure that CCTV cameras installed in their premises are in working order.In case, any petrol pump owner is found selling petrol in open cans and bottles, administration will take strict action, Prabhjot said, adding that people can contact the DC and Superintendent of Police if they see anyone spreading rumours on social media.There is heavy police and para forces deployment near the routes leading to the district court complex in Panchkula, where the lawyers have suspended work for three days from today to avoid inconvenience to the public visiting the courts.When asked if Dera chief will appear before the court in Panchkula on Friday, a spokesperson of Dera Sacha Sauda said the sect and its head has always followed the law and will do so in future also.When asked if Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh will appeal to his followers to help maintain law and order, he said, "During his Satsangs (in Sirsa) in mornings and evenings, Guru ji always talks about humanity and things which will benefit humanity."Security forces in Haryana and Punjab have been taking out flag marches at many sensitive places. Haryana government has already clamped prohibitory orders in all its districts as a precautionary measure.Police have set up barricades at several places in the two states, besides their common capital Chandigarh, where security has been further tightened ahead of the court verdict.Amid reports that the Dera followers could stock petrol, 'lathis' and other weapons at 'Naam Charcha Ghars', Punjab police has asked all its SSPs and other top ranking police officials to be alert against any such action.Authorities in Haryana are making every effort to ensure foolproof security arrangements, with a senior official firmly saying they will not allow a repeat of things as witnessed in November 2015 when there was a two-week tense standoff between the self-styled 'godman' Rampal's followers and the police in Hisar during which five women and a child had died.Rampal was later arrested and close to 15,000 of his followers were evacuated from his sprawling premises in Hisar.While Haryana DGP BS Sandhu has already toured sensitive districts in the state including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and other places during the past few days, his Punjab counterpart Suresh Arora yesterday took a whirlwind tour of Bathinda, Mansa, Moga, Patiala, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Mohali districts, and checked the preparedness.Heavy police forces have been deployed in Bathinda, which shares its border with Sirsa.The Dera head has had a run-in in the past with Sikh radicals who had accused him of having allegedly dressed-up as the tenth Sikh Guru Gobind Singh in 2007, following which Punjab had remained on boil for many days.Chandigarh's Home department has declared the cricket stadium in Sector-16 as 'temporary jail' on August 25.Officials said the 'temporary jail' can be used to confine people suspected of creating law and order problem on Friday.Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has also held parleys with top police and administrative brass. The state government has requested the Centre to provide 115 companies of paramilitary forces.Police along with paramilitary forces, SSB held flag marches at many places including Moga, Bathinda, Sangrur, Barnala, Patiala, Ludhaina, Panchkula, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Ambala and Hisar.Punjab has already received 75 companies of central forces and Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has warned against any attempts to disrupt the state's law and order situation in view of the upcoming judgement by a Panchkula court."All steps were being taken to ensure that law and order is not disturbed in any way in the wake of the court orders", Amarinder had said yesterday.The sexual exploitation case was registered against the Dera chief in 2002 by the CBI on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court after anonymous letters were circulated about the alleged sexual exploitation of two 'Sadhvis' (female followers) by Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
[Application of biomarkers in homologous clone identification of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli].
To study the application of multiple molecular biotechniques and multi-biomarkers in homologous clone identification of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC). On the basis of detection and typing for toxigenic genes, plasmid analysis combined with multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MEE) was used for the first time in the comprehensive research on ETEC homologous clone. Two hundred and six strains of ETEC could be classified into 93 plasmid types with plasmid profiling, and 140 strains with unique genotype. Those 206 strains of ETEC could be classified into 148 electrophoresis-types by MEE further, and altogether 190 strains with unique genotype, by combination of three methods. Multiple molecular biotechniques and multi-biomarkers can provide much more and more reliable information in homologous clone identification.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
Obviously, some leaders have emotional or sexual affairs with people to whom they are not married. As heartbreaking, future-altering and faith-shattering as those affairs can be, there’s another kind of affair you’re actually far more likely to have.
"Preaching the Word, training disciples and ministering to the community may or may not increase the number of people who sit in front of me from Sunday to Sunday. But it will produce a healthy church."
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Captain's Log: Every day I'm tribbleing
Hello, computer (and players)! For the past several weeks, Star Trek Online players have been checking out the latest F2P beta builds on the Tribble test server. While there have been a few patches on other days, more for stability fixes and minor tweaking, Thursdays seem to be the designated day for us to receive the largest pushes of new content. The latest round of updates has brought further economy changes, new events and ships, and even more heated debates. Since we seem to be a ways out from the seeing the updates ported to the Holodeck live server, there is still plenty of time to check it all out and provide your feedback to the devs.
I would like to dedicate this entry to those who are helping test the changes. This week's Captain's Log serves as a checklist of sorts on what new content you can test and where you can provide feedback about it. As you read through, I suggest that you read a particular section, jump into game to check out the particular change, formulate an opinion, and head to the linked forum where you can leave your feedback. No matter what you think, it's important to let the devs know -- they will make changes based upon a collective opinion.
Ensign, warp 10! It's time to create our own party rock anthem...
General
While the majority of the patch notes focus on the topics below, there have been some awesome updates that are classified as "general." The most notable update is the Klingon Academy, which has been delayed for a few months, but soon KDF players can enter and roam the grounds of the Klingon training area. This new map, like Starfleet Academy, provides an area where players can participate in lore missions and daily events. While the daily event, which is said to be "analogous to the Starfleet Academy event," will be available in a future content push, many players have found surveying the area gratifying.
Other notable "general" updates include the new interact effect, a few UI updates, and an update to the Tour the Galaxy daily event. After checking out these and the Klingon Academy, make sure to post your feedback.
Crafting
One of the most thought-provoking changes that came with the latest Tribble patch revolved around the crafting system. For a while on the test server, players could only craft odd-mark gear. The dev team told us that we were only seeing part of the change and that the even-mark gear would be returning. Well, it definitely has, and in a big way. While we can once again craft MkII, IV, VI, VIII, X and XI gear, it comes with an even larger price tag as Dilithium has been added to the recipes. We've been told that "the dilithium cost is a percentage of the cost to flat out buy the item from the dilithium store" and that "the dilithium cost percentage increases with the rank of the item you're crafting." Very rare (purple) gear is only available at the odd ranks and has had Dilithium added to its cost as well.
Now, in all honesty, this change has easily become one of the most debated topics on the forums ever. As we reported last week, Acting Executive Producer Stephen D'Angelo posted a dev blog about the changes; the forum post for that blog now stretches beyond 60 pages with over 600 replies. Since Dilithium is not tradable between players, many are upset that these changes are going to bring about the demise of fleet crafting systems. I know that within my own fleet, we would lose everything we have worked so hard to create; our fleet crafting group maintains an online store where fleeties can donate energy credits for items to be crafted. Your voice counts, so make sure to post your opinions.
Duty Officer (DOFF) system
The DOFF system has been further updated with more UI functions and infrastructure tweaks. In addition to the new icon art, an assignment risk meter, more assignments, more tooltips and multiple fixes have been added. One of the most noticeable changes is the introduction of a settings tab. While the tab is more of a placeholder and is not completely operational at this time, players can set which Bridge Officer (BO) is their First Officer and which BOs are the department heads. While more functionality will be added to this after the F2P launch, for now the First Officer will actually provide recommendations on which DOFFs should be sent on each particular assignment. Heretic, lead developer for the DOFF system, would love to hear what you have to say about it.
Special Task Forces (STFs)
STFs have been further tweaked. Gozer, content designer and STF architect, has been listening to feedback and making changes each week based on what the players are saying. One of the biggest changes that has affected the space portion of each STF is the more linear process to solving the puzzles. While details can be found in the patch notes, many players who have never been a fan of these pseudo-raids are actually enjoying teaming up with others to defeat the Borg threat. The current build only contains the normal versions of the STFs; we should expect to see the elite incarnations within the next couple of weeks. After checking them out for yourself, leave your feedback for the devs!
Ships
Another enormous update included in this most recent patch bolstered many of the in-game ships. Over a dozen new ships and skins have been added for testing, and over a dozen more existing ships have been updated. Since the introduction of new ships to the C-Store, each of them (sans a few exceptions) has come with a special ability or power that was unique and only available to that ship. In recent months, Cryptic has changed its philosophy in that these powers are now tied to an equippable console. While some consoles can be slotted on any ship, others are only available to particular classes. Read all about the changes in the patch notes and tell the devs what you think.
Well, Captains, we have come to the end of this week's log entry. Since crafting seems to be the hot topic this week and some forum posters don't believe the devs are listening to their cries, StormShade, Community Management Specialist for STO, stated, "Let us formulate a plan, implement it, show it to you, and then make changes based on your actual feedback." So keep posting that feedback -- it won't go unnoticed. Next week, I am going to be livestreaming STO on Thursday, November 3rd, at 10 p.m. EDT. Tune into our Livestream channel as I check out some of the updates listed above! Lastly, a "thank you" to Mike K. for submitting the header image.
Until next time, let me know your own thoughts on the latest round of updates by commenting below or sending an email to [email protected].
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
By submitting my information above, I acknowledge that I have reviewed and agreed to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and I agree to receive updates and marketing messages from time to time from Tom Petty and his record label.
Main menu
You are here
Instagram
My Comments
In the end, it's Tom Petty, and his history of being a really cool, stand-up guy, especially in the face of the "big record company." I thought that's what "The Last D.J." was all about. I'm letting this go. But it's hard. And a huge disappointment to have the your very favorite musician sell out to the "establishment" in such a big way. It's the principle of cancelling 10 shows vs. a later drop date. I believe someone mentioned "Highway Companion," which dropped after the tour began. That one did pretty well I think. The tour and the album. Once again, it's hard to let it go, but I will. Man Tom, this sucks. Why you?!
Tom's next generation of fans, ages 9, 7 and 7, were counting down the days to their first Petty show in Louisville, KY! This show (5th and 10th row seats) was our first as a family, plus I was bringing my best friend to see one of the best live bands ever. Being a Florida girl, U of F grad (GO GATORS) and self confirmed Petty-"groupie" (ever since I lost count of the number of shows I've been to) the children have been raised on the music, stories and STAND-UP-TO-THE-BIG-MUSIC-ESTABLISHMENT philosophy that Tom Petty has very publically made know as his core belief system and has often made statements professing in his pricing? (not sure about that lately), music, and by taking care of his fans. I am one of those die-hard fans who rarely complains, yet I can see both sides of most debates on this site. I was extremely disappointed, and a little mad, when the email arrived about the Louisville show cancellation. And even more so when I saw it was the only show not rescheduled. Not having time to investigate, I tried to move forward and figured there must be a good reason and even prayed no one in the band/families/etc. was sick or injured. I presented the news to my kids as a "blessing in disguise" as I'm Asst. Directing and my son is performing in the school's production of "Beauty in the Beast, Jr." the day after the now cancelled-and-not-re-scheduled show. AND THEN TO FIND OUT ITS BECAUSE OF THE CD DROP DATE! I am now praying for all of you who are out $$$ and time. And hoping we will have a show here at all. And yes, even if we do, if we will be able to attend. As a read just a few of the posts it really struck me how many fans are completely disillusioned with Tom Petty et al. at this point in the game. I think I'm joining ranks. One of my seven-year-old daughters, who has mild Cerebral Palsy, will be having a surgery in mid-June, to hopefully tweak the high tone in her legs just enough that she will no longer have to wear the leg braces she has worn since she was two. However, do to the complexity of the neurosurgery, she will be hospitalized and then will require several months to a year of daily physical therapy. Somehow I just don't see those awesome floor seats panning out for us! These are my twin girls who ask when they were four if I could call Tom and ask him to do a concert for them. I always refer to Tom Petty as just Tom and they figured I must know him, why not just call him up? And my son, who I took to see Petty when he was four, but was so excited he couldn't nap that day. Two songs into the show he fell asleep, (he claims it was because that was the music he always listened to at bedtime) and didn't wake up until they turned up the lights! These are three fans aren't out money, hotel rooms or plane tickets. Just broken dreams and broken promises. But I'm not the one who broke them, just the one who has to explain why. It doesn't make sense, after all these years, when the times are bad for so many people, that principles and core values just seem like something someone used to sing about in songs.
As a long time fan club member who has been pony up dues for several years now, I have yet to be disappointed! The first year had many glitches. In fact, I was never even notified of the presale in my own town. Even so, I managed to pull 10th row seats to that concert on the public on sale day. They set aside many great seats for each of the "on sale" days. And as one of those whose been here for quite some time, I was quite appreciative of being given some seniority. There are a lot of "fans" that buy into the club when a tour is announced just to get presale tickets. Petty makes sure to take care of his fans. This is just another way to thank those of us who have been here a while.
Also, I believe all of that was clearly stated in the FAQ link that was bolded and in red.
Sure the scalpers will always find ways around anything. But, there's many die-hard Petty fans that have learned how to pull great seats as well. Good Luck and try some positive thinking!!!
I scored excellent seats for the entire family, plus my best friend, in Louisville at Freedom Hall at yesterdays presale!
My kids have been raised on Petty and my son went to his first show in Tampa at 4. He's now 9 and our twin daughters are 7. The girls wanted to see Tom and the HB so bad they used to beg me to call him to do a show for them. As much as I talk about him, they figured I must know him:)
It seems the stars were alligning just right this time around. I passed on Hullabalu after reading in RS Tom and the band were working on a new album. Then he announced the tour! Louisville was left out, so we were planning on the Nashville show. Then, Tom poured on much love and added a Louisville show, and in May too! The sooner I get my fix the better!
Just got my RS the other day and read some great stuff about MOJO! With a May release there's little time to learn the songs before the show. But we'll swing it.
Tom, As long as your playing, I'm singing, dancing and smiling! Keep it coming. The Amaya Family (recent Florida tranplants - GO GATORS) graciously welcome you Louisville, KY.
My family will be ALL be there! I am really feeling the love today. The kids are going to go bonkers when I tell them this. They will get to see the show on a school night and then bop around their elementary school the next day singing TP songs. Life is good. Thank you so, so much!!!
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
[In copying this ancient manuscript we discovered various translations from different traditions. The reader can be comforted to know that they all agreed with one another in substance, however, some were easier to understand in places then others. In making this text available we worked hard to ensure that it would be comprehensible. In every case we selected the verse that we felt was easiest to understand. BIONA ED.]
Chapter One
The Benefit of the Spirit of Awakening
(The Benefit of the Bodhi Heart)
1. Reverently bowing to the Sugatas, who are endowed with the Dharmakaya, together with their children and all who are worthy of veneration, I shall concisely present a guide to the discipline of the children of the Sugatas in accordance with the scriptures.
2. There is nothing here that has not been said before, nor do I have any skill in composition. Thus, I have no concern for the welfare of others, and I have composed this solely to season my own mind.
3. Owing to this, the power of my faith increases to cultivate virtue. Moreover, if someone else with a disposition like my own examines this, it may be meaningful.
4. This leisure and endowment, which are so difficult to obtain have been acquired, and they bring about the welfare of the world. If one fails to take this favorable opportunity into consideration, how could this occasion occur again?
5. Just as lightning illuminates the darkness of a cloudy night for an instant, in the same way, by the power of the Buddha, occasionally people's minds are momentarily inclined toward merit.
6. Thus, virtue is perpetually ever so feeble, while the power of vice is great and extremely dreadful. If there were no spirit of perfect awakening, what other virtue would overcome it?
7. The Lords of Sages, who have been contemplating for many eons, have seen this alone as a blessing by which joy is easily increased and immeasurable multitudes of beings are rescued.
8. Those who long to overcome the abundant miseries of mundane existence, those who wish to dispel the adversities of sentient beings, and those who yearn to experience a myriad of joys should never forsake the spirit of awakening.
9. When the spirit of awakening has arisen, in an instant a wretch who is bound in the prison of the cycle of existence is called a child of the Sugatas and becomes worthy of reverence in the worlds of gods and humans.
10. Upon taking this impure form, it transmutes it into the priceless image of the gem of the Jina. So, firmly hold to the quicksilver elixir, called the spirit of awakening, which must be utterly transmuted.
11. The world's sole leaders, whose minds are fathomless, have well examined its great value. You, who are inclined to escape from the states of mundane existence, hold fast to the jewel of the spirit of awakening.
12. Just as a plantain tree decays upon losing its fruit, so does every other virtue wane. But the tree of the spirit of awakening perpetually bears fruit, does not decay, and only flourishes.
13. Owing to its protection, as due to the protection of a powerful man, even after committing horrendous vices, one immediately overcomes great fears. Why do ignorant beings not seek refuge in it?
14. Like the conflagration at the time of the destruction of the universe, it consumes great ices in an instant. The wise lord Maitreya taught its incalculable benefits to Sudhana.
15. In brief, this spirit of awakening is known to be of two kinds: the spirit of awakening, and the spirit of aspiring for awakening, and the spirit of venturing towards awakening.
16. Just as one perceives the difference between a person who yearns to travel and a traveler, so do the learned recognize the corresponding difference between those two.
17. Although the result of the spirit of aspiring for awakening is great within the cycle of existence, it is still not like the continual state of merit of the spirit of venturing.
18. From the time that one adopts that spirit with an irreversible attitude for the sake of liberating limitless sentient beings,
19. From that moment on, an uninterrupted stream of merit, equal to the sky, constantly arises even when one is asleep or distracted.
20. The Tath¨¢gata himself cogently asserted this in the Subahuprccha for the sake of beings who are inclined toward the lesser vehicle.
22. When then of a person who desires to remove the incomparable pain of every single being and endow them with immeasurable good qualities?
23. Who has even a mother or father with such altruism? Would the gods, sages, or Brahmas have it?
24. If those beings have never before had that wish for their own sake even in their dreams, how could they possibly have it for the sake of others?
25. How does this unprecedented and distinguished jewel, whose desire for the benefit of others does not arise in others even for their own self-interest, come into existence?
26. How can one measure the merit of the jewel of the mind, which is the seed of the worlds joy and is the remedy for the worlds suffering?
27. If reverence for the Buddhas is exceeded merely by an altruistic intention, how much more so by striving for the complete happiness of all sentient beings?
28. Those desiring to escape from suffering hasten right toward suffering. With the very desire for happiness, out of delusion they destroy their own happiness as if it were an enemy.
29. He satisfies with all joys those who are starving for happiness and eliminates all the sorrows of those who are afflicted in many ways.
30. He dispels delusion. Where else is there such a saint? Where else is there such a friend? Where else is there such merit?
31. Even one who repays a kind deed is praised somewhat, so what should be said of a bodhisattva whose good deed is unsolicited?
32. The world honors as virtuous one who makes a gift to a few people, even if it is merely a momentary and contemptuous donation of plain food and support for half a day.
33. What then of one who forever bestows to countless sentient beings the fulfillment of all yearnings, which is inexhaustible until the end of beings as limitless as space?
34. The Lord declared, "One who brings forth an impure thought in his heart against a benefactor, a child, of the Jina, will dwell in hells for as many eons as there were impure thoughts.
35. But if ones mind is kindly inclined, one will bring forth an even greater fruit. Even when a greatly violent crime is committed against the children of the Jinas, their virtue spontaneously arises.
36. I pay homage to the bodies of those whom this precious jewel of the mind has arisen. I go for refuge to those who are mines of joy, toward whom even an offence results in happiness.
Chapter Two
The Confession of Sin
1. In order to adopt that jewel of the mind, I make offerings to the Tath¨¢gatas, to the stainless jewel of the sublime Dharma, and to the children of the Buddhas, who are oceans of excellent qualities.
2. As many flowers, fruits, and medicinal herbs as there are, and as many jewels as there are in the world, and clear and pleasant waters,
3. Jeweled mountains, forested regions, and other delightful and solitary places, vines shining with the ornaments of lovely flowers, and trees with branches bowed with delicious fruit,
4. Fragrances and incenses, wish fulfilling trees, jeweled trees, lakes adorned with lotuses, enchanting calls of wild geese in the worlds of gods and other celestials,
5. Uncultivated crops, planted crops, and other things that ornament the venerable ones, all these that are un-owned and that extend throughout space,
6. I bring to mind and offer to the foremost of sages, together with their children. May those worthy of precious gifts, the greatly merciful ones, compassionate towards me, accept these from me.
7. Devoid of merit and destitute, I have nothing else to offer. Therefore, may the Protectors, whose concerns are for the welfare of others, accept this by their own power, for my sake.
11. I bathe the Tath¨¢gatas and their children with many vases studded with superb jewels and filled with pleasing, fragrant flowers, and water, to the accompaniment of songs and instrumental music.
12. I dry their bodies with scented, immaculate, exquisite clothes; then I offer them beautifully colored and sweetly fragrant garments.
13. I adorn Samantabhadra, Ajita, Manjughosa, Lokesvara, and others with those divine, soft, delicate, and colorful raiment's and with the most precious of jewels.
14. With perfumes permeating a thousand million worlds, I anoint the bodies of the lords of sages that are blazing with the luster well refined, well rubbed, and polished gold.
15. I worship the most glorious lords of sages with all wonderfully fragrant and pleasing blossoms-mandarava flowers, blue lotus's, and others-and with splendidly arranged garlands.
16. I perfume them with enchanting clouds of incenses having a pungent and pervasive aroma. I offer them feasts consisting of various foods and drinks.
17. I offer them jeweled lamps, mounted in row of golden lotuses; and I scatter lovely drifts of blossoms on the floor, anointed with perfume.
18. To those filled with love I also offer brilliant multitudes of palaces, delightful with songs of praise, radiant with garlands of pearls and jewels, and ornamented at the entrances in four directions.
20. Thereafter, may delightful clouds of offerings rise high, and clouds of instrumental music that enrapture all sentient beings.
21. May showers of flowers, jewels and the like continually fall on the images, reliquaries, and all the jewels of the sublime Dharma.
22. Just as Manjughosa and others worship the Jinas, so do I worship the Tath¨¢gatas, the protectors, together with their children.
23. With hymns that are seas of melodies, I praise the oceans of virtues. May the clouds of harmonies of praise ascend to them in the same way.
24. With prostrations as numerous as the atoms within all the Buddha-fields, I bow to the Buddha's present in all the three times, to the Dharma, and to the sublime assembly,
25. Likewise, I pay homage to all the shrines and resting places of the Bodhisattva. I prostrate to the preceptors and to the praiseworthy adepts as well.
26. I go for refuge to the Buddha as far as the quintessence of enlightenment; I go for refuge to the Dharma and the community of Bodhisattvas.
27. With folded hands I beseech the Fully Awaked Ones present in all directions and the greatly compassionate bodhisattvas.
28. Whatever sin, I, a brute, have committed or caused others to commit in this life and others throughout the beginning less cycle of existence,
29. And anything in which I have improperly rejoiced, thereby harming myself, that transgression I confess, overcome by remorse
30. Whatever offence I have committed, out of disrespect, with my body, speech, and mind against the Three Jewels, against mother and fathers, and against spiritual mentors and others,
31. And whatever terrible vices, I, a sinner, defiled with many faults, have done, O Guides, I confess them all.
32. How shall I escape it? Rescue me quickly! May death not soon creep up on me before my vices have vanished!
33. Death does not differentiate between tasks done and undone. This traitor is not to be trusted by the healthy or the ill, for it is like an unexpected, great thunderbolt.
34. I have committed various vices for the sake of friends and enemies. This I have not recognized: "Leaving everyone behind, I must pass away."
35. My enemies will not remain, nor will my friends remain. I shall not remain. Nothing will remain.
36. Whatever is experienced will fade to a memory. Like an experience in a dream, everything that has passed will not be seen again.
37. Even in this life, as I have stood by, many friends and enemies have passed away, but terrible sin induced by them remains ahead of me.
38. Thus, I have not considered that I am ephemeral. Due to delusion, attachment, and hatred, I have sinned in many ways.
39. Day and night, a life span unceasingly diminishes, and there is no adding to it. Shall I not die then?
40. Although lying here on a bed, and relying on relatives, I alone have to bear the feeling of being cut off from my vitality.
41. For a person seized by the messengers of death, what good is a relative, and what good is a friend? At that time merit alone is a protection, and I have not applied myself to it.
42. O Protectors, I, negligent, and unaware of this danger, have acquired many vices out of attachment to this transient life.
43. One completely languishes while being led today to have the limbs of ones body amputated. Parched with thirst, and with pitiable eyes, one sees the world differently.
44. How much more is one overpowered by the horrifying appearances of the Messengers of Death as one is consumed by the fevers of terror, and smeared with a mass of excrement?
45. With distressed glances, I seek protection in the four directions. Which good person will be my protection from this great fear?
46. Seeing the four directions devoid of protection, I return to confusion. What shall I do in that state of great fear?
47. Right now I go for refuge to the Protectors of the world whose power is great, to the Jinas, who strive to protect the world and who eliminate every fear.
48. Likewise, I earnestly go for refuge to the Dharma that is mastered by them and that annihilates the fear of the cycle of existence, and to the assembly of Bodhisattvas as well.
49. Trembling with fear, I offer myself to Samantabhadra, and of my own will I offer myself to Manjughosa.
50. Terrified, I utter a mournful cry to the Protector, Avalokita, whose conduct overflows with compassion, that he may protect me, a sinner.
52. I bow to Vajri, upon the sight of whom, the Messengers of Death and other malevolent beings flee in terror to the four directions.
53. After neglecting your council, in terror I go to you for refuge now as I face this fear. Swiftly remove my fear!
54. Even one frightened by a fleeting illness would not disregard the physicians advice; how much more so one afflicted by the four hundred and four diseases,
55. Of which just one can annihilate all people living Jambudvipa, and for which a medicine is not found in any region.
56. If I disregard the council of the Omniscient Physician who removes every pain, shame on me, extremely deluded one that I am!
57. If I stand very attentive, even on a smaller cliff, how much more so on an enduring chasm of a thousand leagues?
58. It is inappropriate for me to be as ease, thinking, "Just today death will not arrive." The time when I will not exist in inevitable.
59. Who can give me fearlessness? How can I escape? I shall certainly not exist. Why is my mind at ease?
60. What of value has remained with me from earlier experiences, which have disappeared, and engrossed in which, I have neglected the council of spiritual mentors?
61. Upon forsaking my relatives and friends, and this world of the living, alone I shall go elsewhere. What is the use of all my friends and enemies?
62. In that case, only this concern is appropriate for me day and night: how shall I surely escape suffering on account of that non-virtue?
64. Terrified of suffering, all this I confess, standing with folded hands in the presence of the Protectors and bowing repeatedly.
65. May the guides be aware of my transgressions, together with my inequity. O Protectors, may I not commit this evil again!
Chapter Three
Adopting the Spirit of Awakening
1. I happily rejoice in the virtue of all sentient beings, which relieves the suffering of the miserable states of existence. May those who suffer dwell in happiness!
2. I rejoice in sentient beings' liberation from the suffering of the cycle of existence, and I rejoice in the Protectors' Bodhisattva Hood and Buddhahood.
3. I rejoice in the teachers' oceanic expressions of the spirit of awakening, which delight and benefit all sentient beings.
4. With the folded hands I beseech the Fully Awakened Ones in all directions that they may kindle the light of Dharma for those who fall into suffering owing to confusion.
5. With folded hands I supplicate the Jinas who wish to leave for Nirvana that they may stay for countless eons, and that this world may not remain in darkness.
6. May the virtue that I have acquired by doing all this relieve every suffering of sentient beings!
7. May I be the medicine and the physician for the sick. May I be their nurse until their illness never recurs!
8. With showers of food and drink may I overcome the afflictions of hunger and thirst! May I become food and drink during times of famine.
9. May I be an inexhaustible treasury for the destitute! With various forms of assistance may I remain in their presence.
10. For the sake of accomplishing the welfare of all sentient beings, I freely give up my body, enjoyments, and all my virtues of the three times.
11. Surrendering everything is Nirvana, and my mind seeks Nirvana. If I must surrender everything, it is better that I give it to sentient beings.
12. For the sake of all beings I have made this body pleasure less. Let them continually beat it, revile it, and cover it with filth.
13. Let them play with my body. Let them laugh at it and ridicule it. What does it matter to me? I have given my body to them.
14. Let them have me perform deeds that are conductive to their happiness. Whoever resorts to me, may it never be in vain.
15. For those who have resorted to me and have an angry or unkind thought, may even that always become the cause for their accomplishing every goal.
16. May those who falsely accuse me, who harm me, and who ridicule me all partake of awakening!
17. May I be a protector for those who are without protectors, a guide for travelers, and a boat, a bridge, and a ship for those who wish to cross over!
18. May I be a lamp for those who seek light, a bed for those who seek rest, and may I be a servant for all beings who desire a servant.
19. To all sentient beings may I be a wish-fulfilling gem, a vase of good fortune, an efficacious mantra, a great medication, a wish-fulfilling tree, and a wish-granting cow.
20. Just as earth and other elements are useful in various ways to innumerable sentient beings dwelling throughout infinite space,
21. So may I be in various ways a source of life for the sentient beings present throughout space until they are liberated.
22. Just as the Sugatas of old adopted the spirit of awakening, and just as they properly conformed to the practice of the Bodhisattvas,
23. So I myself shall generate the spirit of awakening for the sake of the world; and so I myself shall properly engage in those practices.
24. Upon gladly adopting the spirit of awakening in this way, an intelligent person should thus nurture the spirit in order to fulfill his wish.
25. Now my life is fruitful. Human existence is well obtained. Today I have been born into the family of the Buddhas. Now I am a child of the Buddha.
26. Thus, whatever I do now should accord with the Bodhisattvas' family, and it should not be a stain on this pure family.
27. Just as a blind man might find a jewel amongst heaps of rubbish, so this spirit of Awakening has somehow arisen in me.
28. It is the elixir of life produced to vanquish death in the world. It is an inexhaustible treasure eliminating the poverty of the world.
29. It is the supreme medicine that alleviates the illness of the world. It is the tree of rest for beings exhausted from wondering on the pathways of mundane existence.
30. It is the universal bridge for all travelers on their crossing over miserable states of existence. It is the rising moon of the mind that soothes the mental afflictions of the world.
31. It is the great sun dispelling the darkness of the world's ignorance. It is the fresh butter formed from churning the milk of Dharma.
32. For the caravan of beings traveling on the path to mundane existence and starving for the meal of happiness, it is the feast of happiness that satisfies all sentient beings who have come as guests.
33. Today I invite the world to Sugata-hood and temporal happiness. May the gods, asuras, and other rejoice in the presence of all the Protectors!
Chapter Four
Attending to the Spirit of Awakening
1. Thus, upon firmly adopting the spirit of awakening, a child of the Jinas should always vigilantly strive not to neglect his training.
2. Although one has made a commitment, it is appropriate to reconsider whether or not to do that which has been rashly undertaken and has not been well considered.
3. But shall I discard that which has been examined by the sagacious Buddhas and their children, as well as by myself according to the best of my abilities?
4. If, upon making such a promise, I do not put it into action, then having deceived those sentient beings, what destiny shall I have?
5. It has been said that a person who intended to give away even a tiny thing but does not do so, becomes a preta.
6. Then all the more so, having deceived the entire world after loudly and sincerely inviting it to unsurpassable happiness, what state of existence shall I have?
7. Only the Omniscient One knows the inconceivable course of action of those people whom he liberates even when they forsake the spirit of awakening.
8. Therefore, for a Bodhisattva it is the heaviest downfall of all; for if he commits such a downfall, he impairs the welfare of all sentient beings.
9. If someone else hinders his virtue, even for a moment, there will be no end to his miserable states of existence, because he diminishes the welfare of sentient beings.
10. One would be destroyed, obliterating the well being of even one sentient being, how much more so of beings dwelling throughout all space?
11. Thus, due to the power of the downfalls and due to the power of the Spirit of Awakening, one revolving in the cycle of existence is slow in the attaining of bodhisattva grounds.
12. Therefore, I should respectfully act in accordance with my commitment. If I do not make an effort now, I shall go from lower to lower states.
13. Innumerable Buddhas have gone by, seeking out every sentient being, but through my own fault, I have not come into the domain of their cure.
14. If I remain like this, as I am now, I will repeatedly come to the miserable states of existence, illness, death, amputation, destruction and the like.
15. When shall I encounter the extremely rare appearance of the Tath¨¢gata, faith, human existence, and the ability to practice virtue,
16. Health, daily sustenance, and lack of adversity? Life is momentary and deceptive; and the body is as if on loan.
17. With such behavior on my part, a human state is certainly not obtained again. When a human state is not achieved there is only vice, and how could there be blessing?
18. If I do not perform virtue even when I am capable of it, what then shall I do when fully dazed by the sufferings of miserable states of existence?
19. For one does not perform virtue but accumulates sin, even the expression, "favorable state of existence" will be lost for a thousand million eons.
20. Therefore, the blessed one stated that human existence is extremely difficult to obtain, like a turtles head emerging into the ring of a yoke in a vast ocean.
21. One dwells in the Avichi Hell for an eon as a consequence of a vice committed in a single moment. What then can be said of a favorable state of existence, since sin has accumulated since beginning-less time?
22. Having experienced that alone, one is still not liberated. Therefore, while experiencing it, one begets more vices.
23. Upon obtaining such leisure, if I do not practice virtue, then there is no duplicity greater than this, and there is no delusion greater than this.
24. If I recognize this and, still deluded, fall into sloth, then when I am commanded by the messengers of Yama, I shall long remain in great anguish.
25. The unendurable fire of hell will scorch my body for ages, and afterward the fire of remorse will torment my undisciplined mind for a long time.
26. I have somehow obtained the advantageous state that is very difficult to achieve, and though aware of that, I am led back to those same hells.
27. I have no will in this matter, as if bewitched by spells. I do not know by whom I am bewitched or who dwells inside me.
28. Enemies such as craving and hatred are without arms, legs, and so on. They are neither courageous nor wise. How is it that they have enslaved me?
29. Stationed in my mind, they ruin me, while remaining well established themselves; and yet I do not get angry at my forbearance with this shameful and improper situation.
30. If all gods and humans were my enemies, even they would be unable to bring me to the fire of the Avichi Hell.
31. When encountered, it consumes even the ashes of Mount Meru. Mental afflictions, the mighty enemies, instantly throw me there.
32. For the longevity of all other enemies is not so enduring, beginning-less, and endless as that of my enemies, the mental afflictions.
33. Everyone becomes favorably disposed when tended with kindness, but when these mental afflictions are honored, they bring about suffering all the more.
34. How can I take delight in the cycle of existence when constant, long lasting enemies, who are the sole cause of the currents and floods of adversities, fearlessly dwell in my heart?
35. How can I be happy if the guardians of the prison of the cycle of existence, these murderers and slaughterers in hells and the like, remain in the cage of greed within the dwelling of my heart?
36. Therefore, as long as these enemies are not destroyed before my eyes, I shall not forsake my task. Those lofty with pride, who are enraged at someone who gives them even a minor insult, will not sleep until they kill him.
37. At the height of a battle, ready to slaughter those who are in darkness and who are naturally subject to suffering through death, those afflicted with injuries from countless spears and arrows do not turn back without accomplishing their goal.
38. What then when I am eager to destroy my natural enemies, which are the perpetual causes of all miseries? Today, even if I am beset with a hundred adversities, why am I weary and despondent?
39. If they wear scars from their enemies for no reason as if they were ornaments, then why do sufferings trouble me when I am set to accomplish a great goal?
40. If fishermen, outcasts, farmers, and others, whose minds are fixed merely on their own livelihoods, withstand the adversities of cold and heat, then why do I not endure for the sake the well being of the world?
41. While I have promised to liberate beings throughout space in the ten directions from their mental afflictions, I have not liberated even myself from the mental afflictions.
42. Without knowing my own limitations, I spoke at that time as if I were a bit insane. Therefore, I shall never turn back from vanquishing mental afflictions.
43. I shall be tenacious in this matter; and fixed on revenge, I shall wage war, except against those mental afflictions that are related to the elimination of mental afflictions.
44. Let my entrails ooze out and my head fall off, but by no means shall I bow down to my enemies, the mental afflictions.
45. Even if exiled, an enemy may acquire a residence and followers in another country whence he returns with his full strength. But there is no such course for my enemy, the mental afflictions.
46. Once the afflictions that dwell in my mind have been expelled, where could it go, and where would it go, and where would it rest and attempt to return and destroy me? Feeble in spirit, I am lacking in perseverance. Mental afflictions are frail and conquerable with the eye of wisdom.
47. Mental afflictions do not exist in sense objects, or in sense faculties, or in the space between, and not anywhere else. Then where do they exist and agitate the whole world? This is an illusion only. Liberate your fearing heart and cultivate perseverance for the sake of wisdom. Why would you torture yourself in hells for no reason?
48. After pondering in this way, I shall make an effort to apply the teachings as they have been explained. How can someone who could be cured by medicine be restored to health if he strays from the physician's advice?
Chapter Five
Guarding Introspection
1. Those who wish to protect their practice should zealously guard the mind. The practice cannot be protected without guarding the unsteady mind.
2. Untamed, mad elephants do not inflict as much harm in this world as does the unleashed elephant of the mind in the Avichi Hell and the like.
3. But if the elephant of the mind is completely restrained by the rope of mindfulness, then all perils vanish and complete well-being is obtained.
23. I appeal to those desiring to guard their minds: always diligently guard your mindfulness and introspection.
24. Just as a person smitten by disease is unfit for any work, so the mind lacking those two is not fit for any work.
25. What has been heard, pondered, and cultivated, like water in a cracked jar, does not remain in the memory of the mind that lacks introspection.
26. Even many people who have faith and extraordinary perseverance become defiled by vices on account of the fault of lacking introspection.
27. Even upon accumulating virtues, those who have been robbed by the thief of non-introspection, who come after the loss of mindfulness, enter miserable states of existence.
28. This band of thieves, the mental afflictions, looks for an entrance. Upon finding an entrance, it plunders and destroys life in fortunate realms of existence.
29. Therefore, mindfulness should never be displaced from the gate of the mind. If it is gone, it should be reinstated while recalling the anguish of hell.
30. Mindfulness easily arises for those of good fortune because of their association with a spiritual mentor, and for those who are reverent on account of the instruction of a preceptor and because of their fear.
31. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have unobstructed vision in all directions. Everything is in their presence; and I stand in front of them.
32. Meditating thus, one should remain filled with a sense of propriety, respect, and fear; and one should repeatedly think of the Buddhas in this way.
33. When mindfulness stands guard at the gate of the mind, introspection arrives, and once it has come, it does not depart again.
34. First, I should establish this mind in such a manner, and I should always remain still as if without sense faculties like a piece of wood.
35. One should never cast one's gaze around without purpose. One should always direct one's gaze downwards as if in meditation.
36. However, one should occasionally look around in order to relax the gaze; and if someone should appear in the field of ones vision, one should look up and give a greeting.
37. In order to detect danger on the road and so forth, one should look to the four directions for a moment. Pausing, one should look in the distance, looking behind only after turning around.
38. Upon looking forward or behind, one should go ahead or turn back. Likewise, in all situations one should proceed after realizing what needs to be done.
39. Thinking, "The body should remain like this," and resorting to action again, one should periodically look afresh to see how the body is positioned.
40. In this way the mad elephant of the mind should be watched diligently so that it is not loosed while tied to the great pillar of the thought of Dharma.
41. One should examine the mind in this way-where is mine engaged-so that it does not even for a moment leave the pole of concentration.
42. If one is unable to do so in the case of danger or a festive occasion, then one should be at ease. It is said that at the time of giving, ethical discipline may be held in abeyance.
43. Upon recognizing what needs to be undertaken, with a mind focused on that, one should attend to nothing else until one accomplishes it.
44. For in this way everything is well done. Otherwise neither will occur, and the mental affliction of non-introspection will increase as well.
45. One should eliminate yearning that arises for various idle conversations, which often take place, and for all kinds of entertainment.
46. If useless crushing of the earth, ripping of grass, or drawing in the dirt takes place, then fearfully recalling the teaching of the Tath¨¢gata, one should instantly stop it.
47. When one intends to move or when one intends to speak, one should first examine one's own mind and then act appropriately with composure.
48. When one sees one's own mind to be attached or repulsed, then one should neither act nor speak, but remain still like a piece of wood.
49. When my mind is haughty, sarcastic, full of conceit and arrogance, ridiculing, evasive, and deceitful,
50. When it is inclined to boast, or when it is contemptuous of others, abusive, and irritable, then I should remain still like a piece of wood.
51. When my mind seeks material gain, honor, and fame, or when it seeks attendance and service, then I will remain still like a piece of wood.
52. When my mind is averse to the interests of others and seeks my own self interest, or when it wishes to speak out of a desire for an audience, then I will remain still like a piece of wood.
53. When it is impatient, indolent, timid, impudent, garrulous, or biased in my own favor, then I will remain still like a piece of wood.
54. Perceiving in this way that the mind is afflicted or engaged in fruitless activities, the hero should always firmly control it by means of an antidote to that.
56. Un-distressed by the mutually incompatible desires of foolish people, endowed with compassion, knowing that they are like this as a consequence of the arising of their mental afflictions,
57. Always resorting to irreproachable things for the sake of myself and others, I will maintain my mind free of pride, like an apparition.
58. Remembering over and over again that after a long time the best of moments of leisure has been attained; I will keep this mind unshakable, like Sumeru.
59. One does not object when the body is dragged here and there by vultures coveting its flesh. Then why do so now?
60. Mind, why do you protect this body, appropriating it as your own? It is really separate from you, what good is it to you?
61. Oh fool, if you do not consider as your own a pure wooden statue, why are you guarding this foul machine composed of impurities?
62. First, with your own intellect, peel off this sheath of skin, and with the knife of wisdom loosen the flesh from the skeleton.
63. Breaking the bones, look inside at the marrow and examine for yourself, "where is the essence here?"
64. If searching carefully in this way, you do not see an essence here, then say why you are still protecting the body today.
65. If you would not eat it, as impure as it is, and if you would not drink the blood not suck out the entrails, then what will you do with the body?
66. However, it is proper to guard it for the sake of feeding the vultures and the jackets. This wretched body of humans is an instrument for action.
67. Even though you protect it so, merciless death will snatch the body away and give it to the vultures. What will you do then?
68. You do not give clothing and such to a servant if you think he will not stay. The body will eat and pass away. Then why do you waste yourself?
69. Therefore, mind, upon giving the body its wages, now serve your own needs, because not everything earned by a laborer should be given to him.
70. Consider the body as a ship because it is the basis of coming and going. Set the body in motion at your will in order to accomplish the welfare of sentient beings.
71. One who has become self-controlled in that way should always have a smiling face. One should give up frowning and grimacing, be the first to greet, and be a friend to the world.
72. One should not inconsiderately and noisily throw around chairs and the like. One should not pound on the door, and one should always delight in silence.
73. The crane, the cat, or the thief, moving silently and covertly, achieves its desired goal. A sage should always move in such a way.
74. One must respectfully accept the advice of those skilled in directing others and providing unsolicited aide. One should always be a pupil of everyone.
75. One should express one's appreciation for all good words. Having seen someone engaging in virtue, one should cheer him on with praises.
76. One should speak of other's good qualities in their absence and relate them again with satisfaction; and when one's own virtue is discussed, one should consider it as appreciation for good qualities.
77. All endeavors are for the sake of satisfaction, which is difficult to obtain, even by means of wealth. So I will enjoy the pleasure of satisfaction in good qualities diligently accomplished by others.
78. There will be no loss for me in this life, and there will be great happiness in the hereafter. But due to animosities, there is the suffering of aversion and great misery in the hereafter.
79. In a soft and gentle voice one should speak sincere, coherent words that have clear meaning and are agreeable, pleasant to the ear, and rooted in compassion.
80. One should always look straight at sentient beings as if drinking them in with the eyes, thinking, "relying on them alone, I shall attain Buddhahood."
81. Great blessing arises from continuous yearning for the fields of virtues and kindness, and from an antidote with regard to those who are suffering.
82. Skillful and vigorous one should always do the work oneself. With respect to all works, one should not leave the opportunity to someone else.
83. The perfections of generosity and so forth are progressively more and more lofty. One should not forsake a better one for the sake of a lesser, unless it is with accordance with the bridge of the Bodhisattva way of life.
84. Realizing this, one should always strive for the benefit of others. Even that which is prohibited has been permitted for the compassionate one who foresees benefit.
85. Sharing with those who have fallen into miserable states of existence, with those who have no protector, and with mendicants, one should eat moderately small proportions. Except for the three robes, one should give away everything.
86. For the sake of an insignificant benefit one should not harm the body that practices the sublime Dharma, for only in this way can one quickly fulfill the hopes of sentient beings.
87. Therefore, when the thought of compassion is impure, one should not sacrifice one's life, but it should be sacrificed when one's thought is unbiased. Thus, life must not be wasted.
88. One should not teach the profound and vast Dharma to the disrespectful, to a healthy person wearing a headdress, to a person with an umbrella, a stick, or a weapon, to one whose head is veiled,
89. To those who are inadequate (whose minds are unprepared), nor to women in the absence of a man. One should pay equal respect to inferior and superior Dharmas.
90. One should not expose a vessel of the vast Dharma to an inferior Dharma. Putting aside the Bodhisattva way of life one should not seduce them with Sutras and Mantras.
91. Flagrantly discarding a tooth-stick or spitting is undesirable and urinating or so forth in water or on land that is useable is contemptible.
92. One should not eat with a full mouth, noisily, or with the mouth wide open. One should not sit with ones legs outstretched, and one should not rub one's hands together.
93. One should not travel, lie, or sit alone with some one else's spouse. After observing and inquiring, one should forsake everything that does not please people.
94. One should not point out anything with one's finger but should respectfully show the way with one's whole right hand.
95. One should not call out to someone and wave one's arms when there is little urgency, instead should snap one's fingers or the like. Otherwise, one could lose composure.
96. One should lie down in the preferred direction in the lion's posture of the lords Nirvana. One should get up quickly with vigilance and a prior determination.
97. The conduct of Bodhisattvas is described as immeasurable. One should first surely engage in practices that purify the mind.
98. Three times by day and three times by night one should recite the Triskandha. By that means one alleviates the remaining downfalls because of ones reliance on the Jinas and the Spirit of Awakening.
99. One should diligently apply oneself to the trainings that pertain to those situations in which one finds oneself, either of one's own accord or under the influences of others.'
100. For there is nothing that the Children of the Jina should not learn. For the good person who behaves in this way, there is nothing that is non-virtuous.
101. One should do nothing other than benefit sentient beings either directly or indirectly; and for the sake of sentient beings alone, one should subordinate everything to Awakening.
102. Never, even at the cost of ones life, should one forsake the spiritual friend who observes the vows of the Bodhisattva and who is well versed in the matters of the Mahayana.
103. One should learn from the Srisambhavavimoksa respectful behavior towards mentors. This and other advice of the Buddha should be known through reciting the sutras.
104. The practices are found in the sutras; therefore one should recite them, and then one should study the primary downfalls in the akasagarbhasutra.
105. One should definitely study the Sikasamuccaya again and again, because good conduct is explained there in detail.
106. Alternatively, one should first look at it briefly, and then carefully read the Sutramuccaya composed by Arya Nargarjuna.
107. Seeing what is forbidden and what is prescribed, one should implement those teachings for the sake of protecting people's minds.
108. In brief, this alone is the definition of introspection: the repeated examination of the state of one's body and mind.
109. I shall practice it with my body. What is the use of merely reading the words? Will a sick person have any benefit merely by reading about medical treatments?
Chapter Six
The Perfection of Patience
1. Anger destroys all the good conduct, such as generosity and worshipping the Sugatas, which has been acquired over thousands of eons.
2. There is no vice like hatred, and there is no austerity like patience. Therefore, one should earnestly cultivate patience in various ways.
3. The mind does not find peace, nor does it enjoy pleasure and joy, nor does it find sleep or fortitude when the thorn of hatred dwells in the heart.
4. Even dependents whom one rewards with wealth and honors wish to harm the master who is repugnant due to his anger.
5. Even friends fear him. He saddens his friends. He attracts with generosity but is not served. In brief, there is nothing that can make an angry person happy.
6. One who recognized hatred as the enemy, knowing that it creates sufferings such as these, and persistently overcomes it, becomes happy in this world and in the other.
7. Finding its fuel in discontent originating from an undesired event and from an impediment to desired events, anger becomes inflamed and destroys me.
8. Therefore, I shall remove the fuel of that enemy, for that foe has no function other than to harm me.
9. Even if I fall into extreme adversity, I should not disrupt my happiness. When there is frustration, nothing is agreeable, and virtue is forsaken.
10. If there is a remedy, then what is the use of frustration? If there is no remedy, then what is the use of frustration?
11. For loved ones and for oneself, one does not desire suffering, contempt, verbal abuse, or disgrace; but for an enemy, it is the opposite.
12. Happiness is obtained with great difficulty, whereas suffering occurs easily. Only through suffering is there release from the cycle of existence. Therefore, O mind, be strong!
13. The devotees of Durga and the people of Karnata needlessly endure the pain of burns, cuts, and the like. Why then am I timid when my aim is liberation?
14. There is nothing whatsoever that remains difficult as one gets used to it. Thus, through habituation with slight pain, even great pain becomes bearable.
15. Do you not consider the pain of bugs, gadflies, and mosquitoes, of thirst and hunger, and the irritation of a serious rash and the like as insignificant?
54. Will the unkindness of others toward me devour me in this life or another, that I am so adverse to it?
55. If I am adverse to it because it hinders my material gain, my acquisitions will vanish in this life, but my sin will surely remain.
56. It is better that I die today, than have a long, corrupt life. For even after living a long time, I shall have the suffering of death.
57. One person wakes up after enjoying a hundred years of pleasure in sleep, and another person wakes up after being happy for a moment.
58. Does happiness return to either once they have awakened? It is the same at the moment of death for one who lives a long time and for one who lives a short time.
59. Even though I have acquired many possessions and have enjoyed pleasures for a long time, I shall depart empty handed and naked as if I had been robbed.
60. What if I destroy vice and perform virtue while living off my acquisitions? Do vice and the destruction of virtue not occur for one who gets angry on account of material gains?
61. If the meaning of my life vanishes, then what is the point of a life that creates only non-virtue?
62. If you think that your hatred toward one who disparages you is because he dries away sentient beings, why does your anger not arise also when others are defamed in the same way?
63. You have patience toward those who are unkind because their ungracious behavior is directed toward someone else, but you do not have patience toward one who disparages you when he is subject to the arising of mental afflictions.
64. My hatred toward those who revile and violate images, stupas, and the sublime Dharma is wrong, because the Buddhas and the like are free of distress.
65. As in the preceding case, one should ward off anger toward those who injure spiritual mentors, relatives, and friends, by seeing this as arising from conditions.
66. Harm is certainly inflicted on beings either by sentient beings or non-sentient things. This distress is felt in a sentient being, so endure that pain.
67. Some do wrong out of delusion, while others, being deluded, become angry. Among them, whom do we call innocent, and whom do we call guilty?
68. Why did I previously act in such a way that now I am harmed by others? All are subject to their actions. Who am I to alter this?
69. Realizing this, I shall strive for virtues in such a way that all will have loving thoughts toward each other.
70. When fire spreads from one burning house to another, one should bundle up the straw and the like, take it out, and discard it.
71. Likewise, when the mind burns with the fire of hatred due to attachment, one should immediately cast it aside because of the fear of burning the body of merit.
72. If one who is to be executed has his hand amputated and is released, is this unfortunate? If a person is freed from hell by human suffering, is this unfortunate?
73. If one who is unable to endure even this slight suffering of the present, then why does one not ward off anger, which is the cause of pain in hell?
74. Thus, solely due to anger I have brought myself into hells thousands of times, and I have not brought about benefit for myself or others.
75. But this suffering is not of that kind, and it will bring about great benefit. Only delight in suffering that eliminates the suffering of the world is appropriate here.
76. If others find pleasure and joy in praising the abundance of someone's good qualities, why, O mind, do you not praise it and delight in this way, too?
77. This joy from your rejoicing is a blameless source of happiness. It is not prohibited by the victorious ones, and it is the most excellent way to attract others.
78. If you do not like it, thinking that it is a pleasure for that person only, then if you were to stop giving wages and the like, your seen and unseen reward would be destroyed.
79. When your own good qualities are being praised, you want others to rejoice as well. When good qualities of someone else are being praised, you do not want happiness even for your self.
80. Upon generating the Spirit of Awakening out of the desire for the happiness of all sentient beings, why are you angry at sentient beings now that they have found happiness themselves?
81. If you desire sentient beings' Buddhahood, which is worshipped in the three worlds, then why are you burned up when you see them slightly honored.
82. One who nurtures a person who you should nurture is making you a gift. Upon finding a person who supports your family, are you not delighted, but angry?
83. What does one who wishes Awakening for sentient beings not wish for them? How can one who becomes angry at others' prosperity have the Spirit of Awakening?
84. If someone does not receive that gift and if it remains in the house of the benefactor, then you do not have it anyway. So what use is it to you, whether it is given away or not?
85. Why would you have him ward off merits, kind people, and his own good qualities? Let him not accept when he is being given something? Say, at what are you angry?
86. Not only do you not repent for sins you have committed, but you also wish to compete with others who have performed virtues.
87. If something unpleasant happens to your enemy, would your satisfaction make it happen again? It would not happen merely due to your desire, without a cause.
88. Even if that suffering were brought about by your desire, why would you take delight in that? If you say it brings you satisfaction, what is worse than that?
89. Once I am snagged by this horrible fishhook cast by the fishermen, the mental afflictions, I will certainly be stewed in infernal cauldrons by the guardians of hell.
90. Praise, fame, and honor are not conducive to my merit, long life, strength, health, or physical well-being.
91. If I recognize my own self-interest, what good is there in that for me? If I want only mental pleasure, I should devote myself to gambling, drinking, and so on.
92. For the sake of fame, some sacrifice their wealth, and even kill themselves. Yet what good are words? When one dies, who has that pleasure?
93. At the loss of praise and fame, my own mind appears to me just like a child who wails in distress when its sandcastle is destroyed.
94. Since a word is not sentient, it cannot praise me. But knowing that someone likes me is a cause of my delight.
95. Whether it is for someone else or for me, what good to me is the affection of another? That joy of affection belongs only to that person. Not even a tiny fraction of that belongs to me.
96. If I take pleasure in that person's pleasure, then I should take it in every single case. Why am I am unhappy when others are made happy through their favor for some one else?
97. Therefore, it is because I am being praised that pleasure arises in me. But due to such absurdity, this is nothing more than the behavior of a child.
98. Praise and so on distract me and remove my disillusionment with the cycle of existence. They stir up jealousy toward gifted people, and anger at their success.
99. Therefore, are those conspiring to destroy my reputation and so forth not protecting me from falling into hell?
100. The bondage of acquisition and honor is unfitting for me who seeks liberation. How can I hate those who are freeing me from bondage?
101. How can I hate those who, as if due to the Buddha's blessing, block the gate as I seek to enter suffering?
102. It is wrong to feel anger toward someone, thinking that person impedes my merit. As there is no austerity equal to patience, shall I not abide in that?
103. If on account of my own fault I do not practice patience here, then I myself have created an obstacle when grounds for merit have been presented.
104. If one thing does not exist without another, and does exist when the other is present, then that other thing is its cause. How can that be called a hindrance?
105. For a supplicant is not a hindrance to generosity at the time of alms giving; and when a person who bestows an ordination arrives, he is not called a hindrance to the ordination.
106. Beggars are easy to meet in the world, but malefactors are difficult to find, for no one will wrong me when I do no wrong.
107. Therefore, since my adversary assists me in my Bodhisattva way of life, I should long for him like a treasure discovered in the house and acquired without effort.
108. Thus, he and I have obtained the fruit of patience. It should be given to him first, for patience is caused by him.
109. If an adversary does not deserve respect because his intention was not that I accomplish patience, then why is the sublime Dharma honored? It too has no intention to be a cause of that achievement.
110. If an adversary is not respected because his intention is to cause harm, then for what other reason would I have patience toward him, if he is like a physician who is intent on my well-being!
111. Thus patience arises only in dependence on that evil intention, so he alone is the cause of my patience. I should respect him just like the sublime Dharma.
112. The sage has declared that the field of sentient beings is the field of the Jinas, because many have reached the highest fulfillment by honoring them.
113. As the attainment of the Buddhas qualities is equally due to sentient beings and the Jinas, how is it that I do not respect sentient beings as I do the Jinas?
114. Their greatness is not in terms of their intention but in terms of the result itself. The greatness of sentient beings is comparable to that, so they are equal.
115. A friendly disposition, which is honorable, is the very greatness of sentient beings. The merit due to faith in the Buddhas is the very greatness of the Buddhas.
116. Therefore, sentient beings are equal to the Jinas in their share in the acquisition of the qualities of the Buddha; but none of them are equal to the Buddhas, who are oceans of good qualities with endless portions.
117. If even a minute good quality of those who are a unique collection of the essence of good qualities is found in someone, not even the three worlds would be enough to honor that one.
118. Because sentient beings have some portion of the superb qualities of the Buddha, it is right to honor sentient beings for just that similarity.
119. Apart from respecting sentient beings, what other repayment to true friends, the immeasurable benefactors, is possible?
120. The kindness of the Bodhisattvas, who sacrifice their lives and enter Avichi, is repaid by service to sentient beings, so even if sentient beings harm one, they are to be treated with kindness.
121. Why do I generate pride and not act like a servant toward those masters for whose sake my Lords have no regard for their own selves?
122. The sages are delighted with their joy, and they are not pleased if they are harmed; by pleasing them, all the sages are overjoyed, and to injure them is to injure the sages.
123. Just as there is no mental pleasure in all sensual gratification whatsoever when ones body is on fire, likewise there is no way for the compassionate ones to be happy when sentient beings are in pain.
124. Therefore, whatever displeasure I have brought to all the great compassionate ones by harming sentient beings, I confess that sin today. Thus, may I be forgiven by the sages whom I have displeased!
125. In order to please the Tath¨¢gatas, today with my entire being, I place myself in the service of the world. Let streams of people step on my head and strike me down. May the Protector of the World be pleased!
126. There is no doubt whatsoever that those Compassionate Beings regard all beings as themselves. Are they not seen as the Protectors in the form of sentient beings? Why then is there disrespect for them?
127. This alone is pleasing to the Tath¨¢gatas. This alone is the accomplishment of one's goal. This alone removes the suffering of the world. Therefore, let this alone be my resolve.
128. When some king's man tyrannized the populace, the farsighted among them cannot retaliate.
129. Because that man is not alone, and his power is the kings power. So one should not disparage any weak person who has done wrong,
130. Since his power is the guardians of hell and the Compassionate Ones. Therefore, one should please sentient beings, just as a servant would a hot-tempered king.
131. What could an angry king do that would equal the anguish of hell, experienced as a result of inflicting mental pain on sentient beings?
132. What could a gratified king give that would equal Buddhahood, experienced as a result of delighting sentient beings?
133. Let alone future Buddhahood, do you not see that in this life, fortune, fame, and happiness ensue from pleasing sentient beings?
134. While transmigrating, a patient person, with beauty, health, charisma, and so forth, achieves longevity and the abundant joy of a Cakravati.
Chapter Seven
The Perfection of Zeal
1. Thus, one who has patience should cultivate zeal, because Awakening is established with zeal, and there is no merit without zeal, just as there is no movement without wind.
2. What is zeal? It is enthusiasm for virtue. What is said to be its antithesis? It is spiritual sloth, clinging to the reprehensible, apathy, and self-contempt.
3. Spiritual sloth arises from indolence, indulging in pleasures, sleep, and craving for lounging around due to ones apathy toward the miseries of the cycle of existence.
4. Scented out by the hunters, the mental afflictions, you have entered the snare of rebirth. Why do you not recognize even now that you are in the mouth of death?
5. You do not see that those of your own kind are gradually being killed. You even fall asleep like a buffalo among butchers.
6. When Yama watches you and your path is blocked on all sides, how can you enjoy eating, and how can you sleep and have sexual intercourse?
7. Since death will come swiftly, until it does, one should accumulate the collections of merit and knowledge. Even if one rejects spiritual sloth at the time of death, what will you do at this wrong time?
8. Thinking: "I have not achieved this. I have just started this, but it remains half done. Death has suddenly arrived, O I am wretched,"
9. Seeing despondent relatives with their eyes swollen and red, with tears on their faces from the impact of their grief, and the faces of the messengers of Yama,
10. Tormented by the recollection of your own vices, hearing the sounds of hell, and befouling your body with excrement out of fear, what will you do when you are so terrified?
11. Realizing, "I am like a live fish," (pulled from the water) your fear is appropriate now. How much more when you have committed vices and face the intense suffering of hell.
12. So, delicate one, you burn even when touched by hot water. Upon performing deeds leading to hell, how will you remain at ease?
13. You expect results with no effort. So delicate you are, and in so much pain! While in the clutches of death, you act like an immortal. Hey, miserable one, you are destroying yourself!
14. Upon finding the boat of human birth now, cross the great river of suffering. O fool, there is no time for sleep, for this boat is hard to catch again.
15. Forsaking the supreme joy of Dharma, which is an endless stream of joy, how can you delight in frivolity and jokes, which are two causes of suffering?
16. The absence of apathy, the array of abilities such as prudence, self-control, equality between oneself and others, and exchange of oneself for others
17. Should be practiced without the discouragement of thinking, "how can I possibly attain awakening?" For the truth speaking Tath¨¢gata proclaimed this truth:
18. "Even those who were gadflies, mosquitoes, bees, and worms attain supreme Awakening, which is difficult to attain, through the power of their effort."
19. Human by birth and capable of knowing what is beneficial and what is not, why could I not attain Awakening as long as I do not forsake the guidance of the Omniscient One?
20. If I fear, thinking, "I shall have to sacrifice my arms, legs, and the like," I may confuse the important with the insignificant due to my lack of discrimination.
21. For countless millions of eons I shall be cut, pierced, burned, and split open many times, but awakening will not occur.
22. However, this limited suffering of mine, which yields perfect Awakening, is like the suffering of extraction when removing the pain of an imbedded splinter.
23. All physicians cure with unpleasant treatments. Therefore, to destroy a multitude of pains, a slight one must be endured.
24. Although such treatment is customary, the Supreme Physician does not give it. He cures chronic diseases with gentle treatment.
25. At the beginning, the Guide prescribes giving vegetables and the like. One does it gradually so that later one can give away even one's own flesh.
26. When insight arises that ones own flesh is like the vegetable, then what difficulty is there in giving away one's own flesh and bone?
27. On account of abandoning vices, one does not suffer, and on account of being wise, one does not become troubled in mind; for mental pain is due to false conceptions, and bodily pain is due to sinful actions.
28. The body is well on account of merit; and the mind is joyful on account of wisdom. What can afflict a compassionate one who stays in the cycle of existence for the sake of others?
29. Extinguishing previous vices and accumulating oceans of merit, owing to the power of the Spirit of Awakening alone, one moves ahead of the Sravakas.
30. Upon mounting the chariot of the Spirit of Awakening, which carries away all despondency and weariness, what sensible person would despair at progressing in this way from joy to joy?
31. The powers of aspiration, steadfastness, delight, and letting go, are for the sake of accomplishing the benefit of sentient beings. Out of fear of suffering, one should generate that aspiration as one contemplates its blessings.
32. Uprooting its opposite in this way, one should strive to increase one's zeal with the powers of aspiration, self-confidence, delight, letting go, dedication, and determination.
33. I must eliminate immeasurable faults for myself and for others. While the eradication of every single fault may take myriads of eons,
34. I shall eliminate my own and others'
immeasurable faults. While it takes oceans of eons to eliminate each of those faults, if I do not see even a fraction of a beginning of the elimination of faults, why does my heart not burst, as I am a locus of immeasurable suffering?
35. I must acquire many good qualities for myself and for others; otherwise, the cultivation of every single good quality may not take place in myriads of eons.
36. I have never trained in even a small fraction of good qualities. It is astonishing that this life, which I have somehow obtained, has been spent in vain.
37. I have not found joy in great festivals and offerings to the Blessed One. I have not paid my respect to the teaching, nor have I fulfilled the hopes of the poor.
38. I have not granted fearlessness to the frightened, nor have I comforted the distressed. I became a spear in the womb just for my mother to suffer.
39. Due to my former lack of aspiration for Dharma, such a disaster has befallen me now. Who would forsake the aspiration for Dharma?
40. The sage declared that aspiration is a root of all virtues, and the root of that is constantly meditating on the results of the maturation of karma.
41. Miseries, depressions, various fears, and impediments to their desires befall those who do evil.
42. By performing an intended virtue, wherever one goes, one will be honored with the resultant benefits of one's merit.
43. But wherever the desire for happiness of the evildoers goes, their vices destroy it with weapons of sufferings.
44. On account of their virtues, the Children of the Sugata, who dwell in the hearts of spacious, fragrant, and cool lotuses, whose splendor is enhanced with the nourishment of the sweet voice of the Jina, and whose handsome bodies emerge from the Lotuses Blossomed by the rays of the Sage, are born in the presence of the Sugata.
45. On account of non virtues, one cries out in distress, one's entire skin is ripped away by the agents of Yama, one's body is immersed into copper melted by the heat of fire, pieces of one's flesh are cut off by hundreds of strokes of blazing spears and swords, and one repeatedly falls on intensely heated iron grounds.
46. Therefore, one should nurture an aspiration for virtue, cultivating it with reverence. Once one has begun, one should cultivate self confidence according to the method discussed in the Vajradhvaja Sutra.
47. After first examining one's means, one should either begin or not begin. Surely, it is better not to begin than to turn back once one has begun.
48. This habit continues even in another life; and due to that sin, suffering increases. Another opportunity for action is lost, and the task is not accomplished.
49. One should apply self-confidence to these three: actions, secondary mental afflictions, and ability. "I alone should do it" expresses self-confidence with regard to action.
50. This world overwhelmed by mental afflictions is incapable of accomplishing its own self-interest. Therefore, I must do it for them. I am not as incapable as the world is.
51. Why should someone else do inferior work while I stand by? If I do not do it out of pride, then it is better to let my pride be destroyed.
52. Even a crow behaves like a garuda when attacking a dead water snake. If my mind is weak, even a small adversity is troubling.
53. When one is made powerless by despondency, adversities are easily caused, but one who is uplifted and zealous is invincible even in the face of great adversities.
54. Therefore, with an unswerving mind, I shall bring disaster to adversity. For as long as I am conquered by adversities, my desire for victory over the three worlds is ludicrous.
55. I should overcome everything and not be overcome by anything. I should acquire this self-confidence, for I am a Child of Lions, the Jinas.
56. Beings who are overcome with pride are wretched and not self-confident; they are under the power of the enemy, pride. A self-confident person does not succumb to the power of the enemy.
57. Led by pride to miserable states of existence, they are devoid of joy even in human life. They are slaves who eat others' morsels, stupid, ugly, and feeble.
58. They are despised everywhere, puffed up with pride, and miserable. If they are included among the self confident, they are pitiable. Say, of what kind are they?
59. They are self confident and victorious heroes who bear their self-confidence in order to conquer the enemy, pride. Upon killing that growing enemy, pride, they demonstrate the fruit of their victory to the world as they please.
60. Abiding amidst a multitude of mental afflictions, one should be vigorous in a thousand and unconquerable by the hosts of mental afflictions, like a lion by a herd of deer.
61. Even in great troubles, the eye does not perceive flavor. Likewise, upon encountering difficulty, one should not be overcome by mental afflictions.
62. One should diligently apply oneself to the action in which one engages. Intoxicated by that action, one should be of an insatiable mind, like one striving for the satisfaction of the result of a game.
63. An action is performed for the sake of happiness, and yet happiness may or may not occur. But how can one who delights in action itself be happy when inactive?
64. In the cycle of existence, there is no satisfaction in sensual desires, which are like honey on a razors edge. How can there be satiation with the nectar of merits, which are sweet in their maturation and beneficial?
65. Therefore, even upon the completion of an action, one should immerse oneself in it again, just as an elephant, scorched by the midday sun, immediately approaches a lake.
66. And when one's strength begins to decline, one should quit so that one can re-engage later. When a task has been well completed, one should leave it with the desire for more and more.
67. One should ward off the blows of mental afflictions and severely attack them, as if engaged in a sword-combat with a trained enemy.
68. Just like one would quickly, fearfully pick up a dropped sword, so one should pick up the dropped sword of mindfulness, while bearing the hells in mind.
69. Just as a poison spreads throughout the body once it has reached the blood, so does a fault spread throughout the mind once it has reached a vulnerable spot!
70. A practitioner should be like someone carrying a jar of oil while under the scrutiny of swordsmen, careful of stumbling out of fear of death.
71. Therefore, just as one quickly jumps up when a snake creeps into one's lap, so should one swiftly counteract the advent of drowsiness and sloth!
72. At every single disgrace, one should burn with remorse and ponder: "How shall I act so that this does not happen to me again?
73. One should seek for companionship or for an appointed task with this motive: "how may I practice mindfulness in these circumstances?"
74. Bringing to mind the teaching on conscientiousness, one should arouse oneself so that one is always prepared before encountering a task.
75. Just as cotton is swayed in the direction of the winds coming and going, so should one surrender oneself to one's enthusiasm, and in this way one's supernormal powers will thrive.
Chapter Eight
The Perfection of Meditation
1. Upon developing zeal in that way, one should stabilize the mind in meditative concentration, since a person whose mind is distracted lives between the fangs of mental afflictions.
2. With bodily and mental seclusion, distraction does not arise. Therefore, upon renouncing the world, one should renounce discursive thoughts.
3. On account of attachment and craving for gain and the like, one does not renounce the world. Thus, upon forsaking them, the wise should contemplate in this way.
4. Realizing that one who is well endowed with insight through quiescence eradicates mental afflictions one should first seek quiescence. Quiescence is due to detachment toward the world and due to joy.
5. For what impermanent person, who will not see his loved ones again in thousands of births, is it appropriate to be attached to impermanent things?
6. Failing to see them, one does not find joy nor does one abide in meditative concentration. Even upon seeing them, one does not become satisfied but is tormented by strong desire, just as before.
7. One does not perceive reality and loses disillusionment with the cycle of existence. One is consumed by that grief-desire for the company of the beloved.
8. Because of thinking of that person, life ever so swiftly passes in vain. Due to a transient entity, the eternal Dharma is lost.
9. One who acts in the same manner as foolish people definitely goes to a miserable state of existence. They do like someone who is different. What is gained from association with fools?
10. One moment they are friends, and the next moment they are enemies. On an occasion for being pleased, they become angry. Ordinary people are difficult to gratify.
11. When given good advice, they become angry; and they turn me away from good advice. If they are not listened to, they become angry and go to a miserable state of existence.
12. They feel envy toward a superior, competitiveness with a peer, arrogance toward one who is inferior, conceit due to praise, and anger due to reproach. When could there be any benefit from a fool?
13. Between one fool and another, something non-virtuous is inevitable, such as glorification of one's own self, speaking ill of others, and conversation about the pleasures of the cycle of existence.
14. Thus, on account of one's association with someone else, one encounters adversity. I shall happily live alone with a non-afflicted mind.
15. One should flee far from a fool. One should gratify the encountered person with pleasantries, not with the intention of intimacy but in the manner of a kind and impartial person.
16. Taking only what benefits Dharma, like a bee taking nectar from a flower, I shall live everywhere without acquaintance, as if I had not existed before.
17. A mortal who thinks, "I am rich and respected, and many like me," experiences fear of approaching death.
18. Wherever the mind, infatuated by pleasures, finds enjoyment, there a thousand-fold suffering arises and falls to one's share.
19. Hence, the wise should not desire it. Fear arises from desire, yet it passes away by itself. Generate fortitude and look at it with indifference.
20. Many have become wealthy and many have become famous, but no one knows where they have gone with their wealth and fame.
21. If others despise me, why should I rejoice when praised? If others praise me, why should I be despondent when reviled?
22. If sentient beings of different dispositions have not been satisfied by the Jinas themselves, then how could they be like an ignorant person like myself? So, what is the point of attending to the world?
23. They revile a person without acquisitions, and despise a person with acquisitions. How can those whose company is by nature suffering bring forth joy?
24. The Tath¨¢gatas have said that a fool is no ones friend, because the affection of a fool does not arise without self-interest.
25. Love due to self-interest is love for one's own sake, just as distress at the loss of possessions is occasioned by the loss of pleasures.
26. Trees do not revile nor can they be pleased with effort. When might I dwell with those whose company is a delight?
27. When shall I dwell in a cave, an empty temple, or at the foot of a tree, without looking back, and without attachment?
28. When shall I dwell, living freely and without attachment, in unclaimed and naturally spacious regions?
29. When shall I dwell with a paltry alms bowl and so on in clothing wanted by no one, living fearlessly, even without concealing my body?
30. When shall I go to the local charnel grounds and compare my own body, which has the nature of decay, with other corpses?
31. For this body of mine will also become so putrid that even the jackals will not come near it because of the stench.
32. If the flesh and bone that have arisen together with this body will deteriorate and disperse, how much more is this the case for other friends?
33. A person is born alone and also dies alone. No one else has a share in one's agony. What is the use of loved ones who create hindrances?
34. Just as one who has undertaken a journey takes lodging, so does one who travels in the cycle of existence take lodging in a rebirth.
35. Until one his hoisted by four men and mourned by the world, one should retire to the forest.
36. Without intimacy and without conflict, one dwells in physical solitude, and when one is counted as if already dead no one grieves when one actually dies.
37. There is on one to inflict grief and harm, nor is there any one to distract one from the recollection of the Buddha and so forth.
38. Thus, I shall always dwell alone in the delightful forest, which creates few problems, good cheer, and the pacification of all distraction.
39. Free from all other concerns and having a single-pointed mind, I shall apply myself to meditative concentration and to the subjugation of the mind.
40. Casting off all other concerns, and with a single pointed mind, I shall strive to balance and subdue my mind. In this world and the next, sensuous desires create troubles, such as murder, imprisonment, and dismemberment in this life, and hell and so forth in the next.
41. She for whom you have supplicated male and female messengers many times and for whose sake you have not considered the cost of either vice nor disgrace,
42. Throwing yourself into danger and wasting your health, embracing her with the greatest pleasure-
43. She is nothing but bones, indifferent and impersonal. Why do you not resort to emancipation, fully embracing it to your hearts content?
44. Either you have seen that bashfully lowered face before as being lifted up with effort, or you have not seen it as it was covered by a veil.
45. Just as that face that torments you is perceived now, so you will see it unveiled by vultures. Why does it make you flee now?
46. Since you guarded her face from the gaze of others, why do you, O avaricious one, not guard it as it is being eaten?
47. Seeing this mass of flesh being eaten by vultures and others, should you worship others food with wreaths of flowers, sandalwood paste, and ornaments?
48. You fear a skeleton that has been seen like this, even though it does not move. Why do you fear it when it moves, as if set in motion like some ghost?
49. Their saliva and excrement arise from the same food. Why then do you dislike excrement, and like sucking saliva?
50. Taking no delight in cotton pillows that are soft to the touch, the lustful, who are deluded with respect to filth, say the body does not emit a foul odor?
52. If you say 'I do not lust after filth,' why do you embrace on your lap something else that is a skeleton tied together with sinews, and plastered over with a mire of flesh?
53. You have plenty of filth yourself, and you always have the use of it, yet out of craving, you desire the filth in another sack of muck.
54. Casting aside a fresh lotus opening, under the rays of the cloudless sun, why do you, with your filth-craving mind, take delight in a container of muck?
55. The mind that you desire cannot be seen or touched; and that which can be is not conscious. Why do you embrace in vain?
56. It is not surprising that you do not look at another persons body as composed of filth, but it is astonishing that you do not perceive your own body as composed of filth.
57. Thinking, "I like its flesh," you wish to touch it and look at it. Why do you not desire the flesh of a dead body, which, by nature, is not sentient?
58. If you do not desire to touch soil and the like because it is smeared with excrement, how can you wish to touch the body out of which it is excreted?
59. If you do not have passion for what is impure, why do you embrace someone else, who is a seed or arisen from a field of filth and nourished by it?
60. You do not desire a dirty worm originating from filth because it is small, but you desire a body that consists of much filth and also born from filth.
61. Not only do you not abhor your own filth, out of craving, you desire other filthy sacks of excrement.
62. Even the ground is considered impure when savory foods, such as camphor or boiled rice and condiments, are spat out or vomited from the mouth.
63. If you do not trust that this is filth even though it is obvious, look at other bodies too, repugnant and discarded in the charnel ground.
64. Knowing that great fear arises when the skin is torn off, how can you have attraction to that same thing again?
65. Although applied to the body, this fragrance is from sandalwood and not from anything else. Why are you attracted to someone by the fragrance that belongs to something else?
66. If attraction does not arise due to a naturally foul smell, is that not good? Why do people take pleasure in what is worthless and anoint it with fragrance?
67. If it is sandalwood that is sweet smelling, did it come from the body? Why is someone attracted to someone because of a fragrance that belongs to something else?
68. If the naked body, containing the slime of filth, is frightening in its natural condition, with its long hair and nails and stained yellowish teeth,
69. Why do you meticulously polish it like a weapon for suicide? This earth is crowded with the insane, so diligent in deluding themselves!
70. If you are repelled upon seeing just skeletons in a charnel ground, are you attracted to a village, which is a charnel ground crowded with animated skeletons?
71. Thus, that filth is not gained without a price. Due to accomplishing that end, one is afflicted with fatigue and tormented in hells.
72. A child cannot increase its wealth, so with what is one happy when one is a youth? When ones life is spent accumulating wealth, what good is sensual gratification once one is old?
73. Some debased sensualists exhaust themselves with work throughout the day; then upon coming home, their depleted bodies fall asleep like the dead.
74. Others are afflicted by traveling abroad and suffer as they are far from home; and though they long for their wives and children, they do not see them for years on end.
75. Deluded by sensual desires, they sell themselves for that which they never acquire. Instead, their life is uselessly spent in labor for others.
76. The wives of those who have sold themselves and who always carry out commissions give birth at the feet of trees in the jungles and other inappropriate places.
77. In order to make a livelihood they enter war that endangers their lives, and they become servants for the sake of their self-respect. They are fools ridiculed for their sensual desires.
78. Some other sensualists are mutilated, fixed on a stake. They are seen being burned, and slain with daggers.
79. Consider wealth as an unending misfortune because of the troubles of acquiring, protecting, and losing it. Those who are distracted by attachment to wealth have no opportunity for liberation from the suffering of mundane existence.
80. Thus, sensualists have much distress and little enjoyment, like a beast that has hold of a bit of grass while pulling a wagon.
81. For the sake of that bit of enjoyment, which is easily obtainable even for an animal, an ill-fated one has destroyed this leisure and endowment, which is very difficult to find.
82. Sensual gratification is definitely transient and it casts one down to hell and so forth, and for no great end, one is constantly weary.
83. With even a billionth part of that diligence, there can be Buddhahood. Sensualists have suffering greater than the suffering of the Path, but they have no Awakening.
84. If one considers the suffering of the hells and so on, weapons, poison, fire, precipices, and enemies do not compare to sensual desires.
85. Becoming disillusioned with sensual desires in that way, generate delight in solitude in the peaceful forest, devoid of strive and annoyances.
86. The fortunate, pondering on how to benefit others, roam about, caressed by silent, gentle forest breezes, and cooled by the sandalwood rays of the moon on the lovely mansions of vast boulders.
87. In an empty hut, at the foot of a tree, or in a cave, one remains as long as one desires, and casting off the suffering of guarding ones possessions, one lives light heartedly, without a care.
88. Living freely, without attachment, and not tied by anyone, one savors the joy of contentment that is difficult even for a king to find.
89. After meditating on the advantages of solitude in this and other ways, having one's discursive thoughts calmed, one should cultivate the spirit of awakening.
90. One should first earnestly meditate on the equality of oneself and others in this way: "All equally experience suffering and happiness, and I must protect them as I do myself."
91. Although it has many divisions, such as arms and so one, the body is protected as a whole. Likewise, different beings, with their joys and sorrows, are all equal, like my self, in their yearning for happiness.
92. Even though my agony does not hurt anyone else's body, that suffering of mine is unbearable because I cling to it as mine.
93. Likewise, although others' suffering does not descend upon me, that suffering of theirs is difficult to bear because they cling to it as 'theirs.'
94. I should eliminate the suffering of others because it is suffering, just like my own suffering. I should take care of others, just as I am a sentient being.
95. When happiness is equally dear to others and myself, then what is so special about me that I strive after happiness for myself alone?
96. When fear and suffering are equally abhorrent to others and myself, then what is so special about me that I protect myself but not others
97. If I do not protect them because I am not afflicted by their suffering, why do I protect my body from the suffering of a future body, which is not my pain?
98. The notion that I will experience that is mistaken, for the one who has died is born elsewhere and is someone else.
99. If one thinks a person's suffering should be warded off by himself, since pain of the foot is not of the hand, why should the one take care of the other?
100. If one argues that even though it is inappropriate, it happens because of a grasping onto a self, our response is: with all ones might, one should avoid that which is inappropriate, whether it belongs to oneself, or to another.
101. The continuum of consciousness, like a series, and the aggregation of constituents, like an army and such, are unreal. Since one who experiences suffering does not exist, to whom will that suffering belong?
102. All sufferings are without an owner, because they are not different, they should be warded off, simply because they are suffering. Why is any restriction made in this case?
103. Why should suffering be prevented? Because everyone agrees. If it must be warded off, then all of it must be warded off; and if not, then this goes for oneself as it does for everyone else.
104. Qualm: much suffering arises from compassion, so why should one force it to arise? Response: After seeing the suffering of the world, how can this suffering from compassion be considered great?
105. If the suffering of many disappears because of the suffering of one, then a compassionate person should induce that suffering for his own sake and for the sake of others.
106. Therefore, Supuspacandra, although knowing the king's animosity, did not avoid his own suffering as a sacrifice for many people in misery.
107. Thus, one whose mind stream is accustomed to meditation and who delights in calming the suffering of others enters into Avichi Hell like a swan into a pool of Lotuses.
108. When sentient beings are liberated, they have oceans of joy. Is that not enough? What is the point of desiring ones own liberation?
109. Thus, although working for the benefit of others, there is neither conceit nor dismay; and on account of the thirst for the single goal of benefiting others, there is no desire for the result of the maturation of ones Karma.
110. Therefore, to the extent that I protect myself from disparagement, so shall I generate a spirit of protection and a spirit of compassion toward others!
111. Due to habituation, there is a sense that "I" exists in the drops of blood and semen that belongs to others, even though the being in question does not exist.
112. Why do I not also consider another's body as myself in the same way, the otherness if my own body is not difficult to determine?
113. Acknowledging oneself as fault-ridden and others as oceans of virtues, one should contemplate renouncing one's self-identity and accepting others.
114. Just as the hands and the like are cherished because they are members of the body, why are the embodied beings not cherished in the same way, for they are the members of the world?
115. Just as the notion of a self with regard to one's own body, which has no personal existence, is due to habitation, will the identity of one's self with others not arise in the same way?
116. Although working for the benefit of others in this way, there is neither conceit nor dismay. Even upon feeding oneself, expectation of a reward does not arise.
117. Therefore, just as you protect yourself from even minor disparagement, cultivate a spirit of protection and a spirit of compassion toward the world.
118. Hence, out of great compassion Lord Avalokita (Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara) blessed his own name to dispel even the anxiety of being in a crowd.
119. One should not turn away from difficulty, since owing to the power of habituation, one may have no pleasure in the absence of something that one previously feared to hear mentioned.
120. One who wishes to protect oneself and others quickly should practice exchanging oneself for others, which is a great mystery.
121. If even at a small danger fear arises on account of great attachment to oneself, why should one not abhor that self like a terrifying enemy?
122. One who kills birds, fish, and deer, and sets up an ambush with the desire to quell illness, thirst, and hunger,
123. One, who kills one's parents and steals the property of The Three Jewels for the sake of profit and respect, will become fuel in the Avichi Hell.
124. What wise person would desire, protect, and venerate such a self? Who would not see it as an enemy, and who would respect it?
125. If, out of concern for oneself, one thinks: "if I give it away, what shall I enjoy?" This is a fiendish state. If out of concern for others one thinks: "if I enjoy it, what shall I give away?" This is a divine state.
126. Upon harming another for one's own sake, one is burnt in hells and the like; but upon afflicting oneself for the sake of others, one has success in everything.
127. The desire for self-aggrandizement leads to a miserable state of existence, low status, and stupidity. By transferring that same desire to someone else, one obtains a fortunate state of existence, respect, and wisdom.
128. By ordering another around for ones own sake, one experiences the position of a servant and the like; but by ordering oneself around for the sake of others, one experiences the position of a master and the like.
129. All those who are unhappy in the world are so as a result of their desire for their own happiness. All those who are happy in the world are so as a result of their desire for the happiness of others.
130. Enough of such talk! Note the difference between the fool who seeks his own benefit, and the sage who works for the benefit of others.
131. One, who does not exchange his own happiness for the suffering of others, surely does not achieve Buddhahood. How could one find happiness even in the cycle of existence?
132. Not to mention the next life, even in this life, a desired goal of a servant who does not do his work, and of a master who does not pay out the wages, cannot be accomplished.
133. Forsaking the generation of mutual happiness and the felicity of present and future happiness, deluded people take on tremendous suffering because of harming one another.
134. If all the harm, fear, and suffering in the world occur due to grasping onto the self, what use is that great demon to me?
135. Without forsaking one's own self, one cannot avoid suffering, just as without avoiding the fire one cannot avoid being burned.
136. Therefore, in order to alleviate my own suffering and to alleviate the suffering of others, I give myself up to others, and I accept others as my own self.
137. O mind, make this resolve: "I am bound to others." From now on you must not be concerned with anything but the welfare of all sentient beings.
138. It is inappropriate to seek one's own welfare with the eyes and so on that are dedicated to others. It is inappropriate to pour one's own benefit with hands that are dedicated to others.
139. Therefore, becoming subservient to sentient beings, and snatching away whatever you see on this body, use it for the well being of others.
140. Placing your own identity in inferior ones and placing the identity of others in your own self, cultivate envy and pride with the mind free of discursive thoughts.
141. He is respected, not I. I am not wealthy, as he is. He is praised, while I am despised. I am unhappy, while he is happy.
142. I do chores while he lives at ease. It seems he is great in the world, while I am debased, lacking in good qualities.
143. What can one do without good qualities? Every person is endowed with good qualities. There are those with regard to whom I am inferior, and there are those with regard to whom I am superior.
144. The degeneration of my ethical discipline, views, and so on is due to the power of mental afflictions and not my own free will. You must heal me as well as you can, and I shall accept the pain.
145. If he cannot cure me, why does he disdain me? What use are his good qualities to me when he is the one who has good qualities?
146. He has no compassion for beings who dwell in the jaws of the beast of prey of miserable states of existence. Moreover, out of pride in his qualities, he desires to surpass the wise.
147. Seeing himself as being equal to others in order to enhance his own superiority, he will obtain wealth and respect for himself even by means of discord.
148. Were my good qualities to become apparent to everyone in the world, then no one would ever even hear of his good qualities.
149. Were not my faults to be concealed, there would be honor for me and not for him. Today, I have easily acquired possessions. I am honored while he is not.
150. Delighted, we shall watch him, as he is finally being ill treated, ridiculed and reviled from all sides.
151. Also, it seems this wretched one is competing with me does he have this much learning, wisdom, beauty, noble ancestry, and wealth?
152. Hearing my own good qualities being praised everywhere in this way, thrilled, with my hair standing on end, I shall enjoy the delight of happiness.
153. Even though this one has possessions, they are to be taken over with my strength; and if he works for me, I will give him just enough to survive.
154. We should deprive him of happiness and always yoke him to our anguish. We all have been afflicted in the cycle of existence hundreds of times by him.
155. O mind, countless eons have passed as you have yearned to accomplish your own self-interest, but with such great toil you have gained only suffering.
156. Thus, definitely apply yourself in this way right now without hesitation. Later you will see the advantages of this, for the words of the Sage are true.
157. If you had carried out this task earlier, this state deprived of the perfection and bliss of the Buddha would not have occurred.
158. Therefore, just as you formed a sense of self-identity, with regard to the drops of blood and semen of others, contemplate others in the same way.
159. Living as one who belongs to others and snatching away whatever you see on this body, practice what is beneficial to others.
160. Arouse envy towards your own self in this way: I am well while the other is miserable; the other is lowly while I am exalted; the other works while I do not.
161. Deprive yourself of happiness and expose yourself to the suffering of others. Examine your own faults with the consideration, "what have I done, at what time?"
162. Take the mistake made by another on your head, and disclose even a trivial mistake of yours to the Great Sage.
163. Let your own reputation be outshone by exalting the reputation of others, and like the least of servants, commit yourself to everyone's welfare.
164. This one of defective nature should not be praised for adventitious good qualities. Act so that no one may know of this one's good qualities.
165. In brief, whatever offense you have committed toward others for your own benefit, let it descend on yourself for the benefit of sentient beings.
166. This one should not be encouraged to be abusive, but should be established in the behavior of a young bride, modest, meek, and restrained.
167. Act in this way! Remain in this way! You should not do this! You should be subjugated and subdued in this way if you disobey.
168. O mind, if you do not do this even when you are being told, then I shall subjugate you alone, for all faults dwell in you.
169. Where will you go? I can see you, and I shall annihilate all your vanities. That was another, earlier time when I was ruined by you.
170. Now give up this hope: "Still, I have my own self interest!" Unconcerned as you are with much distress, I have sold you to others.
171. If I do not joyfully offer you to sentient beings, you will undoubtedly deliver me to the guardians of hell.
172. Handing me over in that way many times, you have tormented me for a long time. Remembering those grudges, I shall destroy you, the servant of your own self interest.
173. If you are pleased with yourself, you should take no pleasure in yourself. If you need protection, it is inappropriate to protect yourself.
174. The more this body is pampered, the more fragile it becomes, and the more it degenerates.
175. When it has degenerated in this way, not even this earth can completely fulfill its desire. Who then will satisfy its desire?
176. For one who desires the impossible, mental affliction and disappointment arise; but for one who is free of expectations there is unblemished prosperity.
177. Therefore, free rein should not be given to the growth of bodily desires. It is truly good when one does not take something that ones wants.
178. This awful, impure form has its end in ashes and stillness, moved only by another. Why do I grasp onto it as mine?
179. Of what use is this contrivance to me, whether it is dead or alive? What difference is there between this and a clump of soil and the like? Alas, you are not eliminating the grasping onto the "I."
180. By favoring the body, one uselessly accumulates suffering. Of what use is anger or love to something equal to a piece of wood?
181. Whether it is nurtured by me, or eaten by vultures, it feels neither affection nor aversion, so why am I so fond of it?
182. If the body, which has no anger due to abuse, or satisfaction due to praise, is unconscious, then for whom am I exerting myself?
183. Those who like this body are said to be my friends. They all like their own bodies too, so why do I not like them?
184. Therefore, with indifference I have given up my body for the benefit of the world. Hence, although it has many faults, I keep it as an instrument for that task.
185. So enough of worldly conduct! Recalling the teaching on consciousness and warding off drowsiness and lethargy, I shall follow the wise.
186. Therefore, withdrawing the mind from evil ways, I shall always concentrate it on its own meditative object to eliminate obscurations.
Chapter Nine
Affection of Wisdom
1. The Sage taught this entire system for the sake of wisdom. Therefore, with the desire to ward off suffering, one should develop this wisdom.
2. This truth is recognized as being of two kinds: conventional and ultimate. Ultimate reality is beyond the scope of the intellect. The intellect is called conventional reality.
3. In the light of this, people are seen to be of two types: the contemplative and the ordinary person; the ordinary folks are superseded by the contemplatives. [The contemplative perceives the ordinary, worldly persons viewpoint to be incorrect. (Ed.)]
4. Due to the difference in their intelligence, even contemplatives are refuted by successfully higher ones by means of analogies accepted by both parties, regardless of what they aim to prove.
5. Ordinary people see and imagine things as real and not illusory. It is in this respect that there is disagreement between the contemplatives and the ordinary people.
6. Even the objects of direct perception, such as form and the like, are established by consensus and not by verifying cognition. That consensus is false, as is the general agreement that pure things are impure, for example.
7. The Protector taught things in order to bring people to understanding. Qualm: If these things are not ultimately, but only conventionally, momentary, this is inconsistent.
8. Madhyamika: There is no fault in the conventional truth of the contemplatives. In contrast to ordinary people, they see reality. Otherwise, ordinary people would invalidate the perception of women as impure.
9. Qualm: How can there possibly be merit due to the Jina who is like an illusion, as is the case if he is truly existent? If a sentient being is like an illusion, why is he reborn again after he dies?
10. Madhyamika: Even an illusion lasts for as long as the collection of its conditions. Why should a sentient being truly exist merely because its continuum lasts a long time?
11. Yogacarin: If consciousness does not exist, then there is no sin in killing an illusionary person. Madhyamika: On the contrary, when one is endowed with the illusion of consciousness, vice and merit do arise.
12. Yogacarin: an illusionary mind is not possible, since mantras and the like are unable to produce it. Madhyamika: Diverse illusions originate on account of diverse conditions. Nowhere does a single condition have the ability to produce everything.
13. Yogacarin: If one could be ultimately emancipated, and yet transmigrate conventionally, then even the Buddha would transmigrate. So what would be the point of the Bodhisattva way of life?
14. Madhyamika: When its conditions are not destroyed, an illusion does not cease either. Due to a discontinuity of its conditions, it does not originate even conventionally.
15. Yogacarin: When even a mistaken cognition does not exist, by what is an illusion ascertained?
16. Madhyamika: If, for you an illusion itself does not exist, what is apprehended? Even if it is an aspect of the mind itself, in reality it exists as something different.
17. Yogacarin: If the mind itself is an illusion, then what is perceived by what? Madhyamika: The Protector of the World stated that the mind does not perceive the mind. Just as a sword cannot cut itself, so it is with the mind.
18. Yogacarin: It illuminates itself, as does a lamp. Madhyamika: A lamp does not illuminate itself, for it is not concealed by darkness.
19. Yogacarin: A blue object does not require something else for its blueness, as does a crystal. So something may or may not occur in dependence on something else.
20. Madhyamika: As is the case of non-blueness, blue is not regarded as its own cause. What blue by itself could make itself blue?
21. Yogacarin: It is said; that a lamp illuminates once this is cognized with awareness. The mind is said to illuminate once this is cognized with what?
22. Madhyamika: If no one perceives whether the mind is luminous or not, then there is no point in discussing it, like the beauty of a barren woman's daughter.
23. Yogacarin: If self-cognizing awareness does not exist, how is consciousness recalled? Madhyamika: Recollection comes from its relation to something else that was experienced, like a rats poison.
24. Yogacarin: It illuminates itself, because the mind, endowed with other conditions, perceives. Madhyamika: A Jar seen due to the application of a magical ointment is not the ointment itself.
25. The Manner in which something is seen, heard, or cognized is not what is refuted here, but the conceptualization of its true appearance, which is the cause of suffering, is rejected here.
26. If you fancy that an illusion is neither different from the mind, nor non different, then if it is a really existing thing, how can it not be different? If it is not different, then it does not really exist.
27. Just as an illusion can be seen even though it does truly exist, so it is with the observer, the mind. Yogacarin: The cycle of existence has its basis in reality or else it would be like space.
28. Madhyamika: How can something that does not exist have any efficacy by being based on something real? You have approached the mind as being an isolated unity.
29. If the mind were free from any apprehended object, then all beings would be Tath¨¢gatas. Thus, what good is gained by speculating that only the mind exists?
30. Yogacarin: Even when the similarity to illusion is recognized, how does a mental affliction cease, since lust for an illusory woman arises even in the mind of the one who created her?
31. Madhyamika: Because her creator's imprints of mental afflictions toward objects of knowledge have not been eliminated, when seeing her, his imprint of emptiness is weak.
32. By building up the imprints of emptiness, the imprint of existence is diminished; and after accustoming oneself to the fact that nothing truly exists, even that diminishes.
33. Yogacarin: If it is conceived that a phenomenon that does not really exist cannot be perceived, then how can a non-entity, which is without basis, stand before the mind?
34. Madhyamika: When neither an entity nor a non-entity remains before the mind, then since there is no other possibility, having no objects, it becomes calm.
35. Just as a wish fulfilling gem, or a wish granting tree satisfies desires, so the image of the Jina is seen, because of his vow and his disciples.
36. When a charmer against poison dies, after completing a pillar, that pillar neutralizes poisons and the like, even for a long time after his death.
37. Likewise, the pillar of the Jina, completed with accordance with the Bodhisattva way of life, accomplishes all tasks, even when the bodhisattva has passed into Nirvana.
38. Hinayananist: How could worship offered to something that has no consciousness be fruitful? Madhyamika: Because it is taught that it is the same whether he is present or has passed into Nirvana.
39. According to the scriptures, effects of worship do exist, whether conventionally or ultimately, in the same way that worship offered to the true Buddha is said to be fruitful.
40. Hinayananist: Liberation comes from understanding the four noble truths, so what is the point of perceiving emptiness? Madhyamika: Because the scripture states that there is no awakening without this path.
41. Hinayananist: The Mahayana is certainly not authenticated. Madhyamika: How is your scripture authenticated? Hinayananist: Because it is authenticated by both of us. Madhyamika: Then it is not authenticated by you from the beginning.
42. Apply the same faith and respect to the Mahayana as you do to it. If something is true because it is accepted by two different parties, then the Vedas and the like would also be true.
43. If you object that the Mahayana is controversial, then reject your own scripture because it is contested by heterodox groups and because parts of your scriptures are contested by your own people and others.
44. The teaching has its root in the monk-hood and the monk-hood is not on a firm footing. For those whose minds are subject to grasping, Nirvana is not on a firm footing either.
45. If your objection is that liberation is due to the elimination of mental afflictions, then it should occur immediately afterward. Yet one can see the power of Karma over those people, even though they had no mental afflictions.
46. If you think that as long as there is no craving there is no grasping onto rebirth, why could their craving, even though free of mental afflictions, not exist as delusion?
47. Craving has its cause in feeling, and they have feeling. The mind that has mental objects has to dwell on one thing or another.
48. Without emptiness the mind is constrained and arises again, as in non-cognitive meditative equipoise. Therefore, one should meditate on emptiness.
49. If you acknowledge the utterances that correspond to the sutras as the words of the Buddha, why do you not respect the Mahayana, which for the most part is similar to your sutras?
50. If the whole is faulty because one part is not acceptable, why not consider the whole as taught by the Jina because one part is similar to the Sutras?
51. Who will not accept the teachings not fathomed by leaders such as Maha- Kassapa just because you failed to understand them?
52. Remaining in the cycle of existence for the sake of those suffering due to delusion is achieved through freedom from attachment and fear. That is a fruit of emptiness.
53. Thus, no refutation is possible with regard to emptiness, so one should meditate on emptiness without hesitation.
54. Since emptiness is the antidote to the darkness of afflictive and cognitive obstructions, how is it that one desiring omniscience does not promptly meditate on it?
58. Bodily oil is not I, nor are sweat, fat, or entrails, the cavity of the entrails is not "I," nor is excrement or urine.
59. Flesh is not "I," nor are sinews, heat, or wind. Bodily apertures are not "I," nor, in any way, are the six consciousnesses.
60. If the awareness of sound were "I," then sound would always be apprehended. But without an object of awareness, what does it cognize on account of which is called awareness?
61. If that which is not cognizant were awareness, a piece of wood would be awareness. Therefore, it is certain there is no awareness in the absence of its object.
62. Why does that which cognizes form not hear it as well? Samkhya: Because of the absence of sound, there is no awareness of it.
63. Madhyamika: How can something that is of the nature of the apprehension of sound be the apprehension of form? One person may be considered as a father and a son, but not in terms of ultimate reality,
64. Since Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas are neither a father nor a son. Moreover its nature is not seen as related to the apprehension of sound.
65. If it is the same thing taking another guise, like an actor, he too is not permanent. If he has different natures, then this unity of his is unprecedented.
66. If another guise is not the true one, then describe its natural appearance. If it were the nature of awareness, then it would follow that all people would be identical.
67. That which has volition and that which has no volition would be identical because their existence would be the same. If difference were false, then what would be the basis for similarity?
68. That which is not conscious is not "I", because it lacks consciousness, like a cloth and the like. If it were consciousness because it has consciousness, than it would follow that when it stops being conscious of anything, it would vanish.
69. If the self is not subject to change, what is the use of its consciousness? Thus, this implies that space, which lacks consciousness and activity, has a self.
70. Objection: Without the self, the relationship between an action and its result is not possible, for if the agent of an action has perished, who will have the result?
71. Madhyamika: When both of us have agreed that an action and its result have different bases and that the self has no influence in this matter, then there is no point in arguing about this.
72. One who has the cause cannot possibly be seen as being endowed with the result. It is pointed out that the existence of the agent and the experiencer (sic) of the consequences depends upon the unity of their continuum of consciousness.
73. The past or future mind is not "I", since it does not exist. If the mind were "I", then when it had vanished, the "I" would not exist anymore.
74. Just as the trunk of a plantain tree is nothing when cut into pieces, in the same way, the "I" is non-existence when sought analytically.
75. Qualm: If no sentient being exists, for whom is there compassion? Madhyamika: For one who is imagined through delusion, which is accepted for the sake of the task.
76. Qualm: If there is no sentient being, whose is the task? Madhyamika: True. The effort, too, is due to delusion. Nevertheless, in order to alleviate suffering, delusion with regard to one's task is not averted.
77. However, grasping onto the "I", which is a cause of suffering, increases because of the delusion with regard to the self. If this is the unavoidable result of that, meditation on identity-less-ness is the best.
78. The body is not the feet, the calves, nor the thighs. Nor is the body the hips, the abdomen. The back, the chest, or the arms.
79. It is not the hands, the sides of the torso, or the armpits, nor is it characterized by the shoulders. Nor is the body the neck or the head. Then what here is the body?
80. If this body partially exists in all of these, and its parts exist in their parts, where does it stand by itself?
81. If the body were located in its entirety in the hands and other limbs, there would be just as many bodies as there are hands and so forth.
82. The body is neither inside nor outside. How can the body be in the hands and other limbs? It is not separate from the hands and the like. How, then, can it be found at all?
83. Thus, the body does not exist. However, on account of delusion, there is the impression of the body with regard to the hands and the like, because of their specific configuration, just as there is the impression of a person with regard to a pillar.
84. As long as a collection of conditions lasts, the body appears like a person. Likewise, as long as it lasts with regard to the hands and the like, the body continues to be seen in them.
85. In the same way, since it is an assemblage of toes, which one would be a foot? The same applies to a toe, since it is an assemblage of joints, and to a joint as well, because of its division into its own parts.
86. Even the parts can be divided into atoms, and an atom itself can be divided according to its cardinal directions. The section of a cardinal direction is space, because it is without parts. Therefore, an atom does not exist.
87. What discerning person would be attached to form, which is just like a dream? Since the body does not exist, then who is a woman and who is a man?
88. If suffering truly exists, why does it not oppress the joyful? If delicacies and the like are a pleasure, why do they not please someone struck by grief and so forth?
89. If it is not experienced because it is overpowered by something more intense, how can that which is not of the nature of experience be a feeling?
90. Objection: Surely there is suffering in its subtle state while its gross state is removed. Madhyamika: If it is simply another pleasure, then that subtle state is a subtle state of pleasure.
91. If suffering does not arise when the conditions for its opposite have arisen, does it not follow that a "feeling" is a false notion created by conceptual fabrication?
92. Therefore, this analysis is created as an antidote to that false notion. For the meditative stabilizations that arise from the field of investigations are the food of contemplatives.
93. If there is an interval between a sense faculty and its object, where is the contact between the two? If there is no interval, they would be identical. In that case, what would be in contact with what?
94. One Atom cannot penetrate another, because it is without empty space and is of the same size as the other. When there is no penetration, there is no mingling there is no contact.
95. How, indeed, can there be contact with something that has no parts? If part-less-ness can be observed when there is contact, demonstrate this.
96. It is impossible for consciousness, which has no form, to have contact; nor is it possible for a composite, because it is not a truly existent thing, as investigated earlier.
97. Thus, when there is no contact, how can feeling arise? What is the reason for this exertion? Who can be harmed by what?
98. If there is no one to experience feeling and if feeling does not exist, then after understanding this situation, why, oh craving, are you not shattered?
99. The mind that has a dream-like and illusion-like nature sees and touches. Since feeling arises together with the mind, it is not perceived by the mind.
100. What happen earlier is remembered but not experienced by what arises later. It does not experience itself, nor is it experienced by something else.
101. There is no one who experiences feeling. Hence, in reality, there is no feeling. Thus, in this identity-less bundle, who can be hurt by it?
102. The mind is not located in the sense facilities, or in form and other sense-objects, or in between them. The mind is also not found inside, or outside, or anywhere else.
103. That which is not in the body nor anywhere else, neither intermingled nor somewhere separate, is nothing. Therefore, sentient beings are by nature liberated.
104. If cognition is prior to the object of cognition, in dependence on what does it arise? If cognition is simultaneous with the object of cognition, in dependence on what does it arise?
105. If it arises after the object of cognition, from what would cognition arise? In this way it is ascertained that no phenomenon comes into existence.
106. Objection: If conventional truth does not exist, how can there be the two truths? If it does exist due to another conventional truth, how can there be a liberated sentient being?
107. Madhyamika: One is an ideation of someone else's mind, and one does not exist by one's own conventional truth. After something has been ascertained, it exists; if not, it does not exist as a conventional reality either.
108. The two, conception and the conceived, are mutually dependent; just as every analysis is expressed by referring to what is commonly known.
109. Objection: But if one analyzes by means of analysis which itself is analyzed, then there is an infinite regress, because that analysis can also be analyzed.
110. Madhyamika: When the object of analysis is analyzed, no basis for analysis is left. Since there is no basis, it does not arise, and that is called "nirvana."
111. A person for whom these two are truly existent is in an extremely shaky position. If an object exists because of the power of cognition, how does one arrive at the true existence of cognition?
112. If cognition exists because of the power of the object of cognition, how does one arrive at the true existence of cognition? If their existence is due to their mutual power, neither can exist.
113. Objection: If there is no father without a son, how can there be a son? Madhyamika: Just as in the absence of a son there is no father, in the same way these two do not exist.
114. Objection: A sprout arises from a seed. The seed is indicated by that sprout. Why does cognition that arises from the object of cognition not ascertain the true existence of that object of cognition?
115. Madhyamika: It is ascertained that a seed exists owing to a cognition that is not the same as a sprout. How is the existence of a cognition cognized, since the object of cognition is ascertained by that cognition?
116. People observe every cause through direct perception, since the components of a lotus, such as the stalk and so forth, are produced by a variety of causes.
117. Qualm: What makes the variety of causes? Madhyamika: a preceding variety of causes. Qualm: How can a cause give an effect? Madhyamika: Because of the power of the preceding causes.
118. Nyaya-Vaisesika: Isvara is the cause of the world. Madhyamika: Then explain who Isvara is. If he is the elements, so be it; but then why tussle over a mere name?
119. Moreover, the earth and other elements are not one; they are impermanent, inactive, and not divine. They can be stepped on and are impure. That is not Isvara.
120. Space is not the Lord because it is inactive. Nor is it the Self, because that has been refuted. How can the inconceivable creatorship of the Inconceivable One be describes?
121. What does he desire to create? If he desires to create a self, are not that self, the nature of the earth and other elements, and Isvara eternal? Cognition is due to the object of cognition and is without beginning.
122. Happiness and suffering are the result of action. Say then, what did he create? If the cause has no beginning, how can its effect have a beginning?
123. If he does not depend on anything else, why does he not always create? There is nothing whatsoever that is not created by him. So on what would he depend?
124. If Isvara depends on a collection of conditions, then again, he is not the cause. He cannot refrain from creating when there is a collection of conditions, nor can he create in their absence.
125. If Isvara creates without desiring to do so, it would follow that he is dependent on something other than himself. Even if he desires to create, he is dependent on that desire. Whence is the supremacy of the creator?
126. Those who claim the atoms are permanent have been refuted earlier. The Samkhyas consider a primal substance as the permanent cause of the world.
127. The universal constituents-sattva, rajas, and tamas-remaining in equilibrium, are called the primal substance. The universe is explained by their dis-equilibrium.
128. It is implausible that a single thing has three natures, so it does not exist. Likewise, he universal constituents do not exist, since they would each be comprised of three constituents.
129. In the absence of the three universal constituents, the existence of sound and other sense objects is far fetched. There is also no possibility of pleasure and the like in unconscious things such as cloth and so on.
130. If you argue that things have the nature of causes, have things not been analyzed away? For you, pleasure and the like are the cause, but cloth and the like are not the result of that cause.
131. Happiness and other feelings may be due to things such as a cloth, but in their absence, there would be no happiness and so on. The permanence of happiness and other feelings is never ascertained.
132. If the manifestation of happiness truly exists, why is the feeling not apprehended? If you see that it becomes subtle, how can it be gross and subtle?
133. Objection: It is subtle upon leaving its gross state. Its grossness and subtlety are impermanent. Madhyamika: Why do you not consider everything impermanent in that way?
134. If its gross state is not different from happiness, then the impermanence of happiness is obvious. If you think that something non-existent does not arise, because it has no existence whatsoever, then you have accepted, even against your will, the origination of something manifest that was non-existent.
135. If you accept that the effect is present in the cause, then one who eats food would be eating excrements, and a cotton tree seed would be bought at the price of a cloth and worn as a garment.
136. If you argue that ordinary people do not see this because of delusion, this is the case even for one who knows reality.
137. Even ordinary people know that. Why do they not see it? If you argue that ordinary people have no verifying cognition, then even their perception of something manifest is false.
138. Samkhya: If verifying cognition is not verifying cognition, then what is not verified falsely? In reality, the emptiness of phenomena is not ascertained through that verifying cognition.
139. Madhyamika: Without detecting an imagined thing, its non-existence is not apprehended. Therefore, if a thing is false, its non-existence is clearly false.
140. Thus, when in a dream a son has died, the thought 'he does not exist' prevents the arising of the thought of his existence; and that too is false.
141. Therefore, with this analysis, nothing exists without a cause, nor is it contained in its individual, or combined causal conditions.
142. Nothing comes from something else, nothing remains, and nothing departs. What is the difference between an illusion and that which is considered by fools as real?
143. Examine this: As for that which is created by illusion and that which is created by causes, where do they come from and where do they go?
144. How can there be true existence in something artificial, like a reflection, which is perceived only in conjunction with something else, and not in its absence?
145. For something that already exists, what need is there for a cause? If something does not exist, what is the need for a cause?
146. Something that does not exist will not be subject to change, even with millions of causes. How can something in that state be existent. What else can come into existence?
147. If there is no existent thing at the time of non-existent, when will an existent thing come into existence? For that non-existent thing will not disappear as long as the existent thing is not produced.
148. When a non-existent thing has not disappeared, there is no opportunity for the existent thing. An existent thing does not does not become non-existent; since it would follow that it would be of two natures.
149. Thus, there is neither cessation nor coming into existence at any time. Therefore, this entire world does not arise or cease.
150. States of existence are like dreams; upon analysis, they are similar to plantain trees. In reality, there is no difference between those who have attained Nirvana and those who have not.
151. When all phenomena are empty in this way, what can be gained and what can be lost? Who will be honored or despised by whom?
152. Whence comes happiness or suffering? What is pleasant and what is unpleasant? When investigated in its own nature, what is craving and for what is craving?
153. Upon investigation what is the world of living beings, and who will really die here? Who will come into existence, and who has come into existence, who is a relative, and who is a friend of whom?
154. May those who are like me apprehend everything as being like space. They rage and rejoice by means of dispute and jubilation.
155. Seeking their own happiness with evil deeds they live miserably with grief, troubles, despair, and cutting and stabbing each other.
156. After repeatedly entering the fortunate states of existence and becoming accustomed to pleasure again and again, they die and fall into the miserable states of existence in which there is long and intense anguish.
157. There are many pitfalls in mundane existence, but there is not this truth here. There is mutual incompatibility. Reality could not be like this.
158. There are incomparable, violent, boundless oceans of suffering. Strength is scanty there; and the life span is short there as well.
159. There, too, in practices for long life and health, in hunger, fatigue, and weariness, in sleep and calamities, and in unprofitable associations with fools,
160. Life passes by swiftly and in vain. Discrimination is difficult to obtain there. How could there be a way to prevent habitual distractions?
161. There, too, Mara tries to throw them into very wretched states. There, because of the abundance of wrong paths, doubt is difficult to overcome.
162. And leisure is hard to obtain again. The appearance of a Buddha is extremely rare. The flood of mental afflictions is difficult to impede. Alas, what a succession of suffering!
163. Ah, there should be a great pity for those adrift in the flood of suffering, who, although miserable in this way, do not recognize their wretched situation.
164. Just like one who repeatedly immerses himself in water but must enter fire again and again, so they consider themselves fortunate, although they are extremely miserable.
165. As they live like this, pretending that they are not subject to aging and death, terrible calamities come, with death the foremost of them.
166. Thus, when might I bring relief to those tormented by the fire of suffering, with the requisites of happiness springing forth from the clouds of my merit?
167. When shall I respectfully teach emptiness and the accumulation of merit-in terms of conventional truth and without reification-to those whose views are reified?
Chapter Ten
Dedication
1. May all sentient beings be graced with the bodhisattva way of life by the virtue I have obtained while reflecting on the "A Guide To The Bodhisattva Way of Life."
2. Through my merit, may all those in all directions who are afflicted by bodily and mental sufferings, obtain oceans of joy and contentment.
3. As long as the cycle of existence lasts, may their happiness never decline. May the world attain the constant joy of the Bodhisattvas.
4. As many hells as there are in the world, may beings in them delight in the joys of contentment in Sukhavati.
5. May those afflicted with cold, find warmth. May those oppressed by heat be cooled by oceans of water springing from the great clouds of the Bodhisattvas.
6. May the forest of sword leaves become for them the splendor of a pleasure grove; and may the sword-like Salmali trees grow as wish-fulfilling trees.
7. May the regions of hell become vast ponds of delight, fragrant with lotuses, beautiful and pleasing with the cries of white geese, wild ducks, ruddy geese, and swans.
8. May the heap of burning coal become a mound of jewels. May the burning ground become a crystal marble floor; and may the mountains of "The Crushing Hell" become temples of worship filled with Sugatas.
9. May the rain of burning coal, lava, and daggers from now on become a rain of flowers; and may mutual battling with weapons now become a playful flower fight.
10. By the power of my virtue, may those whose flesh has completely fallen off, whose skeletons are of the color of a white jasmine flower, and who are immersed in the river Vaitarani whose water is like fire, attain celestial bodies and dwell with goddesses by the river Manakini.
11. May the horrifying agents of Yama, crows, and vultures suddenly watch here in fear. Those looking upward behold blazing Vajrapani in the sky wonder: "Whose is this brilliant light that dispels darkness all around and generates the joy of contentment?" May they depart together with him, freed of vice through the power of their joy.
12. A rain of Lotuses falls mixed with fragrant waters. It is seen to extinguish the unceasing fires of the hells. May the beings of the hells, suddenly refreshed with joy, wonder, "What is this?" and may they see Padmapani.
13. Friends, come quickly! Cast away fear! We are alive! A radiant vanquisher of fear, a certain prince in a monastic robe, has come to us. By his power every adversity is removed, streams of delight flow, the Spirit of Awakening is born, as is compassion, the mother of protection of all beings.
14. Behold him whose Lotus-Feet are worshipped with tiaras of hundreds of gods, whose eyes are moist with compassion, on whose head a stream of diverse flowers rains down, with his delightful summer palaces celebrated by thousands of goddesses singing hymns of praise. Upon seeing Manjughosa before them, may the beings of the hells immediately cheer.
15. Through my virtues, may the beings of the hells rejoice upon seeing the un-obscured clouds of Bodhisattvas, headed by Samantabhadra and bearing pleasant, cool, and fragrant rains and breezes.
16. May the intense pains and fears of the beings of the hells be pacified. May the inhabitants of all miserable states of existence be liberated from their woeful states.
17. May the animal's risk of being eaten by each other disappear! May the Pretas be as happy as the people in Uttarakura!
18. May the Pretas always be satiated, bathed, and refreshed by streams of milk pouring from the hand of noble Avalokiteshvara.
19. May the blind always see forms, and may the deaf hear. May pregnant women give birth without pains, as did Mayadevi.
20. May they acquire everything that is beneficial and desired by the mind: clothing, food, drink, flower garlands, sandalwood-paste, and ornaments.
21. May the fearful become fearless and those struck with grief find joy. May the despondent become resolute and free of trepidation.
22. May the ill have good health. May they be freed from every bondage. May the weak become strong and have affectionate hearts for one another.
23. May all regions be advantageous to all those who travel on roads. May the purpose for which they set out be expediently accomplished.
24. May those who journey by boat succeed, as they desire. May they safely reach the shore and rejoice with their relatives.
25. May those who find themselves on wrong paths in dreary forests come upon the company of fellow travelers; and without fatigue, may they journey without fear of bandits, tigers, and the like.
26. May deities protect the dull, the insane, the deranged, the helpless, the young, and the elderly, and those in danger from sickness, the wilderness, and so on.
27. May they be free from all lack of leisure; may they be endowed with faith, wisdom, and compassion; may they be possessed of stature and good conduct; and may they always remember their former lives.
28. May they be inexhaustible treasuries just like Sky Treasure. Free of conflict or irritation, may they have an independent way of life.
29. May beings who have little splendor be endowed with great magnificence. May unattractive wretched be endowed with great beauty.
30. May the women in the world become men. May the lowly obtain grandeur and yet be free of arrogance.
31. Through this merit of mine, may all beings without exception abstain from every vice and always engage in virtue.
32. Not lacking the Spirit of Awakening, devoted to the Bodhisattva way of life, embraced by the Buddhas, and free of the deeds of Maras,
33. May all beings have immeasurable life spans. May they always live happily, and may even the word death disappear.
34. May all quarters of the world be delightful with gardens of wish fulfilling trees, filled with the Buddhas and the Children of the Buddhas, and be enchanting with the sound of Dharma.
35. May the ground everywhere be free from stones and rocks, smooth like the palm of the hand, soft, and made of Lapis Lazuli.
36. May the great assemblages of Bodhisattvas sit on all sides. May they beautify the earth with their own resplendence.
37. May all beings unceasingly hear the sound of Dharma from the birds, from every tree, from the rays of light, and from the sky.
38. May they always encounter the Buddhas and the Children of the Buddhas. May they worship the Spiritual Mentor of the world with endless clouds of offerings.
39. May a god send rain in time, and may there be an abundance of crops. May the populace be prosperous, and may the king be righteous.
40. May medicines be effective, and may the mantras of those who recite them be successful. May Dakinis, Rakasas, and other ghouls be filled with compassion.
41. May no sentient being be unhappy, sinful, ill, neglected, or despised; and may no one be despondent.
42. May monasteries be well established, full of chanting and study. May there always be harmony among the Sangha, and may the purpose of the Sangha be accomplished.
43. May monks who wish to practice find solitude. May they meditate with their minds agile and free of all distractions.
44. May nuns receive provisions and be free of quarrels and troubles. May all renunciations be of untarnished ethical discipline.
45. May those who are of poor ethical discipline be disgusted and become constantly intent on the extinction of their vices. May they reach a fortunate state of existence, and may their vows remain unbroken there.
46. May they be learned and cultured, receive alms, and have provisions. May their mind streams be pure and their fame be proclaimed in every direction.
47. Without experiencing the suffering of the miserable states of existence and without arduous practice, may the world attain Buddhahood in a single divine body.
48. May all sentient beings worship all the Buddhas in many ways. May they be exceedingly joyful with the inconceivable bliss of the Buddhas.
49. May the Bodhisattvas' wishes for the welfare of the world be fulfilled; and whatever the protectors intend for sentient beings, may that be accomplished.
50. May the Pratyekabuddhas and Sravakas be happy, always worshipped by the lofty gods, asuras, and humans.
51. Through the grace of Manjughosa, may I always achieve ordination and the recollection of the past lives until I reach the Joyous Ground.
52. May I live endowed with strength in whatever posture I am. In all my lives may I find plentiful places of solitude.
53. When I wish to see or ask something, may I see the Protector Manjunatha himself, without any impediment.
54. May my way of life be life be like that of Manjusri, who lives to accomplish the benefit of all sentient beings throughout the ten directions.
55. For as long as space endures and for as long as the world lasts, may I live dispelling the miseries of the world.
56. Whatever suffering there is for the world, may it all ripen upon me. May the world find happiness through all the virtues of the Bodhisattvas.
57. May teaching that is the sole medicine for the suffering of the world and the source of all prosperity and joy remain for a long time, accompanied by riches and honor!
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Lode Coen
Lode Coen (born 1952) is a Belgian artist, graphic designer, art director, entrepreneur and professor.
Early life and education
Lode Coen grew up in Heide-Kalmthout in the North of Antwerp in a very art-related family. A big influence in his life was his grandmother, Line Geysen (1908-2006), an actress and theatre director, at the time, widow of Lode Geysen who was also theatre director. He went to a Catholic school, Sint-Michielscollege in Brasschaat and he also took classes at an art academy. Later, he studied graphic design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Antwerp) (BFA summa cum laude) and at the National Higher Institute of Fine Arts in Antwerp (MFA). He also received a diploma to teach fine arts from the Royal Academy.
Career
Beginnings
Coen started teaching young children fine arts from 1976-1979. After fulfilling his military service in the Belgian Army as a film operator and aerial photographer at the School of Light Aviation, in 1980, he started teaching graphic design at Saint Lucas College of Art and Design in Antwerp. He founded the Illustration Department, now one of the most successful departments in the college.
Coen designed about 200 posters for theatre. His posters for the children’s theatre were well received. He also designed a lot of television graphics, which were shown to a large audience, specifically, for Panorama, a popular news program on television. His designs were very successful and both his posters and work for Panorama were shown in several exhibitions, among them the Lode Coen's Graphic Design and Illustration exhibition at the Stedelijke Tekenacademie Menen, in October 1987.
What was key in Lode's work is that he experimented with different techniques: painting, airbrush, photocopy, coloured foils, video, polaroid, etc. He purchased the first Apple Macintosh 128K computer in September 1984. Since he was such an early-adopter, he soon started to include computer graphics into his art and design.
Silicon Valley
In 1987, Coen started working in the heart of Silicon Valley in Palo Alto, for Hasbro Electronics (later called Isix, Inc.), a video-game ‘experiment’ of the giant toy company, Hasbro. They were working on a set-top box for VCR, that would allow for interactive movies and film. Lode was their art & design director and UI-designer. There, he had a chance to work with Milton Glaser. These video games/interactive movies pioneered a hybrid of Hollywood and Silicon Valley. However, the competition from Nintendo was strong, and the internal support at Hasbro for this video-game venture was faltering. In 1988 Hasbro pulled the plug.
Lode found another job as art director at HyperPro, a spin-off from Apple, working on a lot of custom software projects that later proved to be pioneering world wide web and internet. They also created interactive video, computer-based training, courseware, etc. They won an award for an interactive CD-ROM for Fleetwood Mac.
In 1991, Tom Zito launched a new interactive video game company under the name of Digital Pictures. This time the games were based on the much better and more promising technology CD-ROM. Finally, footage for titles that were shelved in 1988, after the demise of Hasbro Electronics were produced and published again, this time for Sega CD. Night Trap was the most notorious and most successful title.
Lode was co-founder and shareholder of Digital Pictures. As art director he led a team of about 10 people, and managed a multi-million-dollar annual budget, that included, marketing, packaging and advertising of the games. In 1996, Digital Pictures, because of the Hollywood connection, created titles which were too expensive to produce and went bankrupt. After a brief time working at the advanced microchip maker, MicroUnity Systems, Lode decided to move back to Europe.
Back to Europe
Coen started teaching multimedia, motion graphics, web design, UX design in 4 colleges at the same time. He taught at the Design Academy in the Netherlands (worked with Anthon Beeke and Li Edelkoort) (1996-2008), The Academy of Fine Arts in Maastricht (1996-2000), the Netherlands, the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Belgium (1996-2017) (where he started the multimedia department in 1999) and his former college, St Lucas Antwerp University College of Art & Design (1996-2017). In parallel, Lode had been teaching many workshops in Finland, at Lahti Institute of Design, Tampere University of Applied Sciences and Aalto University in Helsinki.
Design Company 1997-2014
Coen started his own digital design company, working for clients in Silicon Valley: e.g. Netscape, Yahoo, eBay, PayPal, etc. This was made possible through his business partners, Charlie Ogden and Kevin Welsh in California. They had started a digital marketing company called Antics Online. And Coen started his independent company in Belgium, called Antics Online Europe. They worked on many award-winning projects. This successful collaboration lasted for almost 18 years, until 2014 when Coen decided to stop his company.
Fine art
As an outlet for his creativity Coen also started painting in 2003, which led in 2006 to a big solo exhibition in Ghent, at Castle Claeys-Bouüart. His work is being sold and rented out by art dealer and gallery, Bernice. Anik Eggermont, managing director of Bernice, about his work: ‘Existing figurative images are completely dissected by the artist, after which they are rebuilt with precision and with digital brushstrokes.’
Head of St-Lucas University College of Art and Design
In 2010 Coen was selected and appointed Head of Saint Lucas College University of Art & Design, a college of more than 420 students, and about 100 employees, including faculty. In 2011, he stopped because of a burnout.
He healed by practicing Tai Chi and Qi Gong and receiving ‘tuina’ massage and acupuncture treatments. Because of the Chinese influence, he started to learn the language. He was fascinated by Chinese culture, especially the characters and calligraphy, which had a profound influence on him as an artist.
Coen started looking at a link between creativity and vitality, art and wellness, and art therapy. He studied different massage techniques. He taught an international workshop at the Tampere University of Applied Sciences, combining Qi Gong, massage, calligraphy and action painting.
China
His interest in China and learning the Chinese language led to being invited by ACG, Art & Creative Global to give lectures and teach workshops in China in 2016, at 20 top Art & Design Universities in 10 major cities. He lectured at e.g.: CAFA Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing, China Academy of Fine Arts in Shanghai, Chongqing Art Institute, ACG Art Centre in Guangzhou Opera House... In addition, he visited the highlights of China.
Recent activities
Coen mainly focuses on his art, inspired by his travels around the world. He is invited to participate in selected projects like the CIRRUS Urban Space Gaming Master Class. Co-tutoring international students from e.g. Aalto University, Helsinki, Vilnius Academy of Art & Design, Lithuania and the Iceland University of Art & Design, Reykjavik.
His work was selected for the Traveling Letters International exhibition in Vilnius Lithuania, from December 12, 2019 until January 17, 2020.
Since May 2019, he’s been working a sort of art commute between Belgium and Barcelona. Where he is working at Espai Vuit, a small but very artistic co-working space and art gallery in the middle of the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona.
Awards
Memberships
Coen has been a member of AIGA, American Institute of Graphic Arts since 1996. As the profession's oldest and largest professional membership organization for design, AIGA advances design as a professional craft and strategic advantage.
Bibliography
References
External links
behance.net/lodecoen7a3d
linkedin.com/in/lodecoen/
instagram.com/lodecoen/
instagram.com/lodecoen_drawings/
Category:Belgian artists
Category:Artists from Antwerp
Category:1952 births
Category:Living people
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
Two Lovers (2008 film)
Two Lovers is a 2008 American romantic drama film, taking its inspiration from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's short story "White Nights", which had already been turned into a film seven times, first by Luchino Visconti: Le Notti Bianche (1957). The movie is directed by James Gray and stars Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Vinessa Shaw. It is set in the largely Russian Jewish neighborhood Brighton Beach in New York City, as was Gray's first movie Little Odessa. Two Lovers premiered in competition at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in May. The movie is Gray's third to enter the competition at this festival. It was released on February 13, 2009.
Plot
Leonard (Phoenix) is walking along a bridge over a stream in Brooklyn, when suddenly he jumps into the water in an attempted suicide. He changes his mind and quickly walks home to his parents' apartment. His mother, seeing him dripping wet, tells her husband their son has tried it again and it becomes evident that Leonard has tried to kill himself before.
His parents tell him that a potential business partner and his family are invited for dinner that night and ask him to be present. When they arrive, Leonard finds that he had been set up with the other family's daughter, Sandra (Shaw). She inquires about his interest in photography and notices a photo of a girl above his headboard. He explains he had been engaged to the girl for several years, but the relationship was broken off when it turned out both he and his fiancée carried the gene for Tay–Sachs disease, which results in diseased children who generally don't live beyond age 12, so they would be unable to have healthy children.
Leonard meets a new neighbor, Michelle (Paltrow), and is immediately attracted to her, choosing to ignore that she is a drug addict. He learns that she is dating a married partner in her law firm, Ronald (Koteas). At her request, Leonard agrees to meet Ronald and Michelle for dinner at a restaurant. The couple leave him later that evening, as they have plans to attend the Metropolitan Opera. Leonard returns home dejected, but to his surprise, Sandra arrives, sent over by Leonard's parents. She is under the impression that Leonard wanted her to come by, but realizes by his shocked expression that she was set up. She apologizes for the misunderstanding and says that, if he isn't interested, a lot of other guys are. Leonard says that he likes her, and they kiss and eventually make love, and with time, his relationship with Sandra deepens.
Michelle calls Leonard and says she is sick. He takes her to the hospital, where she has a D&C for a miscarriage. She had not known she was pregnant and is even more angry that Ronald didn't respond to her calls. Leonard takes her home but Ronald arrives. Leonard hides while Ronald apologizes to Michelle for not having come to her aid. Michelle coldly asks Ronald to leave. She then asks Leonard to write something on her forearm with his finger while she falls asleep. Leonard writes "I love you".
Two weeks later, Michelle meets Leonard on the roof of their building and tells him that she has broken up with Ronald and is going to San Francisco. Leonard tells her not to leave and professes his love for her. They have sex and plan to leave together the next day for San Francisco.
On New Year's Eve, Leonard buys an engagement ring for Michelle. He is then summoned by Sandra's father and is offered a partnership in the family businesses, with the assumption that he is going to marry Sandra. Noticing the jeweler's gift bag Leonard is holding, the father assumes it is for Sandra; Leonard lies that it is.
During his parents' New Year's Eve party, Leonard hides in the courtyard to meet Michelle. Michelle arrives late and tells Leonard that she isn't going to San Francisco, because Ronald, having learned Michelle is leaving him for California, has decided to leave his wife and children for her. Disheartened, Leonard breaks things off with her for good.
Feeling depressed, Leonard heads to the beach, intending to kill himself. When he drops a glove that Sandra had bought for him, he realizes that, in Sandra, he has found someone who loves him and with whom he can build a happy life. He picks up the glove and sees the boxed engagement ring lying on the sand, where he had thrown it from the boardwalk earlier. He returns to the party, where he gives Sandra the ring and embraces her in a tearful passionate hug.
Cast
Joaquin Phoenix as Leonard Kraditor
Gwyneth Paltrow as Michelle Rausch
Vinessa Shaw as Sandra Cohen
Isabella Rossellini as Mrs. Ruth Kraditor
Moni Moshonov as Mr. Reuben Kraditor
Elias Koteas as Ronald Blatt
Bob Ari as Mr. Michael Cohen
Julie Budd as Mrs. Carol Cohen
Reception
The film has received largely positive reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reported that 82% of critics gave positive reviews based on 82 reviews. On another review aggregator, Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the film received a 75% approval rating based on 28 reviews. Ray Bennett from The Hollywood Reporter defined the film as "an old-fashioned love story in which the melodramatic trapdoors of shock and surprise never open" and added that the film "will please many and it may win awards", though "the acting is (...) restrained." He also lauded the film as "a throwback to the days when love in the movies involved the mind as well as the heart."
See also
Unrequited love
References
External links
Category:2008 films
Category:2000s romantic drama films
Category:English-language films
Category:American romantic drama films
Category:American films
Category:Films set in New York City
Category:Films set in Brooklyn
Category:Films directed by James Gray
Category:Films shot in New York City
Category:Films shot in New Jersey
Category:Films based on White Nights
Category:Films with screenplays by James Gray
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
WELCOME
VIRTUALIZATION, IN COMPUTING, REFERS TO THE ACT OF CREATING A VIRTUAL VERSION OF SOMETHING, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO A VIRTUAL COMPUTER HARDWARE PLATFORM, OPERATING SYSTEM (OS), STORAGE DEVICE, OR COMPUTER NETWORK RESOURCES.
Back in October of 2016, VMware announced vSphere 6.5. This introduced a lot of changes to their flagship hyper-visor; you can see an earlier blog I wrote about that here. Now it is that time again for a new vSphere to be announced. The announcement of vSphere 6.7 came with a lot of new features and I will go over each of them in this blog. Let's take a look at these new features:
vSphere Client (HTML-5) is about 95% feature complete
vCenter Appliance Improvements
Improved vCenter Backup Management
ESXi Single Reboot Upgrades
ESXi Quick Boot
4K Native Drive Support
Max Virtual Disks increase from 60 to 256
Max ESXi number of Devices from 512 to 1024
Max ESXi paths to Devices from 2048 to 4096
Support for RDMA
vSphere Persistent Memory
DRS initial placement improvements
Let's quickly discuss migration paths. The new version supports upgrades and migrations from vSphere 6.0 or 6.5 only and the current supported migration paths to version 6.7 are as follows:
vSphere 6.0 to 6.7
vSphere 6.5 to 6.7
vSphere 5.5 to 6.7 NOT supported and as we know support ends for 5.5 in September of 2018.
If your environment is running version 5.5, to successfully upgrade to 6.7 you have to migrate at least to version 6.0 then to 6.7.
Before upgrading the vCenter Server in a mixed environment with vCenter Server running 6.0 or 6.5 managing ESXi hosts 5.5, you have to upgrade the hosts to at least version 6.0.
vSphere Client (HTML-5)
This is the long awaited update that everyone has been waiting to be 100% complete and unfortunately VMware is only 90/95% feature complete. I have personally been using it in my home lab for the past 12 months and I am very pleased with how it has turned out. The performance has been improved and provides a more intuitive look and feel. The Web Client now has the Platform Services Controller integrated in for an easier management. In vSphere 6.5, VMware had a list of the functionalities not yet supported in the vSphere Client; hopefully the company will do the same for vSphere 6.7.
vCenter Appliance Improvements
I like the new vSphere Appliance Management Interface (VAMI) a lot and since it is functionally equivalent to the Windows-based vCenter Server, it would take a lot to convince me to use the Windows-based one instead.
The VAMI interface has been improved with new features and tabs focused on monitoring and troubleshooting. These changes in the monitoring tab are very useful along with the services tab. Now, on the monitoring tab you can see the disk partitions and available space so you can immediately see when a particular disk is running out of space and its utilization. You can also restart a particular service in the “Services” tab.
The update section has also been improved to provide for a more flexible patching and update option allowing you to stage or stage and install a patch or update from the VAMI. The changes include more information about what is included in each patch or update as well as type, severity, and if a reboot is required.
All of these new features bring better visibility to CPU, memory, network, database utilization, patching & updates, and are great improvements and resources for administrators.
Improved vCenter Backup Management
Introduced back in vSphere 6.5, was File-based backup. This has been improved in vSphere 6.7 with new native scheduler included in the UI with the retention option available. This was a huge lack in features when first introduced and left administrators having to write scripts to schedule these as reoccurring.
Now in the Appliance Management UI you can simply create a schedule for backup and the file-based restore is now provided with a browser that displays all your backups simplifying the restore process.
ESXi Single Reboot Upgrades
The vSphere upgrades can now be completed with one single reboot. With server reboots typically taking anywhere between 10-15 minutes each, this can add up in lost time. vSphere 6.7 now allows you to do a "quick boot" where it loads vSphere ESXi without restarting the hardware because it only restarts the kernel. This feature is only available with platforms and drivers that are on the Quick Boot whitelist, which is currently quite limited.
ESXi Quick Boot
The Quick Boot feature allows a system to reboot in less than two minutes as it does not re-initialize the physical server BIOS. Not just for reboots, but also for upgrades and updates too. You can create a second ESXi memory image and have it updated when rebooting by simply switching over, However, Quick Boot is only supported on certain systems and does not work with systems that have ESXi Secure Boot enabled.
Note that by default, Quick Boot is enabled if the system supports it.
4K Native Drive Support
Not a lot to write about other than vSphere now supports the larger 4K drives if you want to use them and so does vSAN. There is a nice FAQ talking about 512e and 4K native drives for VMware vSphere and vSAN (2091600) I recommend taking a look at.
Day 1 began with the general session, where VMware Executives presented to the partner community and reinforced the importance of the partner as the unsung heroes helping to drive the VMware business and most importantly driving value for their customers.
VMware's Brandon Sweeney, Senior Vice President , WW Commercial and Channel Sales took the stage to a packed room and began the day talking about the journey VMware has taken over the past 20 years. Founded in 1998 VMware has continued to innovate and be a disruptor in the industry. Introducing vMotion in 2001 to NSX and Airwatch, the leading mobility platform to-date, to vSAN being introduced in 2003 and now the VMware and AWS partnership which is leading the transformation for customers to a hybrid cloud infrastructure.
Brandon spoke about the tremendous growth of the product lines such as NSX up 50%, EUC up 30%, and vSAN up 130%. These products are the fastest growing portions of VMware's business making up for more than 65% of their business.
He spoke about how VMware has again transformed their business and this transformation involves deeper partner ecosystem. VMware is changing the way they do business within the partner community, with things like the Center for Advanced Learning.
Robin Gunn, Vice President of Global Education Sales and Delivery took the stage to discuss how VMware is investing in its partners through technical enablement which is where the Empower event came from, giving partners their own technical event.
The Center for Advanced Learning will allow partners to have access to the same training that VMware gives to its own employees. This also includes things like Live Fire events which are hands-on training for products like VMC, NSX, and SDDC. I have taken several of these and can state that these are of high quality. There are several of them at the Empower event.
Robin spoke about a new Learning Zone which is a social platform being launched where participants can earn points that can be used toward things like exam vouchers and passes to VMworld.
Matt Stepanski, Vice President of WW Professional Services, joined the stage after Robin to talk about how VMware is transforming their business to really focus with partners on "Solutions and Outcomes" to business challenges. Customers are transforming and VMware is transforming to better align with the business needs of its customers through better partnership within the building blocks to Partner-Led Service Delivery.
Matt spoke about one example in particular, the PS credit program, where VMware will transfer PS credits to its partner to deliver solutions such as EUC, NSX, and VMC. PS credits are part of the ELA sold to a customer with the expectation that those get transferred to a Partner to do the work.
VMware continued the general session, bringing Chris Wolf, Vice President & CTO on stage to talk with partners about the products driving transformation within the business.
Chris started by talking about Cloud-to-Edge principles for things like Native API access, Docker, Openstack, Service APIs, and embracing opensource, and Kubernetes.
VMware wants to deliver consistency across all these platforms in a safe and secure way to deliver the best value to the developer community while maintaining operational consistency and control for IT.
Workspace One is an example of this, delivering over 1.5 million applications, whether it be Windows, Virtual Apps, SaaS, Legacy, or Mobile applications across a unified platform while allowing for IT to maintain Identity, Security, and Compliance.
Connecting people to content, applications and each other through a combination of AirWatch, the market leader in mobility, and Horizon.
VMware Cloud is another example of how VMware is helping customers deliver consistency to Run, Manage, Connect, and Secure Any App on Any Cloud to Any Device. With VMware Cloud Services delivering the cloud management, allowing for Visibility, Operations, Automation, and Security to the cloud environments while allowing for choice in the cloud infrastructure with partnerships with AWS, IBM Cloud, OVH, Microsoft Azure and Google.
Chris spoke about the VMware Cloud Services offerings which cover things like Wavefront a metrics monitoring and analytics platform, NSX Cloud, Network Insight, Workspace One, Cost Insight, and Appdefense, and how these tools are helping customers transform their hybrid-cloud to gain better visibility into the costs associated with cloud, securing the infrastructure with NSX, and gaining better insight into how to best deliver a hybrid-cloud infrastructure with products like Network Insight and Wavefront.
Chris spoke to the complexities of making applications "Cloud Ready", and how costly that can be. With VMC on AWS customer's gain native a native platform running linked mode vCetners with further integration with native AWS services without the complexities and costs associated with re-architecting applications.
VMware is on a very aggressive roadmap to delivery more abilities faster and faster.
He then spoke about one of the latest acquisitions of VeloCloud and how this is solving a problem for customers around SD-WAN. This is a cloud-delivered SD-WAN which enables enterprises to securely support application growth, network agility, and simplified branch and end-point implementations while delivering high-performance, reliable access to cloud services, private data centers and SaaS-based enterprise applications.
Chris also spoke about containers and how they are helping to transform how customers build and service applications through Opensource Kubernetes, and Pivotal Container Services. He describes NSX as the fabric bringing full automation to these environments automating the network for Cloud-Native applications.
Chris ran through a demo of containers on VMware as you can see from the above video.
Chris ended with talking about Partner-Led Solutions and what VMware's vision is for this. He spoke about edge computing, where the digital and physical worlds collide, and how IoT is driving this along with the importance of data analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and augmented reality. He spoke about the drivers being time, data, network, privacy, and of course control in this new age of technology where products like VeloCloud and SD-WAN play an integral role bringing a consolidated solution for IoT which includes the management of IoT infrastructure itself, automation, and operational technologies.
Overall this was an excellent general session for the first Empower event, which is meant to empower VMware's partners to deliver the best solutions in the market to their customers.
The movement toward a hybrid cloud, software defined data center, has been on-going for years now. We have seen the virtualization of compute, storage, and now networking. In this blog, I will be discussing this journey: where we started, where we are going, and why you want to be on this journey.
Traditional data center models are still very prevalent and accepted by organizations as the defacto model for their data center(s). If you have ever managed a traditional data center model, then you know the surmounting challenges we face within this model.
What comprises the traditional data center model? A traditional data center model can be described as heterogeneous compute, physical storage, and networking managed by disperse teams all with a very unique set of skills. Applications are typically hosted in their own physical storage, networking, and compute. All these entities-physical storage, networking, and compute- increase with the growth in size and number of applications. With growth, complexity increases, agility decreases, security complexities increase, and assurance of a predictable and repeatable production environment, decrease.
Characterizations of a Traditional Data Center:
Heterogeneous hardware environment
Complex workloads
Uses different management and monitoring tools
The cost of running traditional data center is much higher since different application have different requirements
Increased costs and complexities for disaster recovery
80 percent of time spent on maintenance and keeping lights on
Requirements for specialized skill sets increased
Increase in power, heating, and cooling costs
Complex support matrix which can include multi-vendors
Life-cycle management concerns and upgrade complexities
Challenges around supporting these complex infrastructures can include things like slow time to resolution when an issue arises due to the complexities of a multi-vendor solution. Think about the last time you had to troubleshoot a production issue. In a typical scenario, you are opening multiple tickets with multiple vendors. A ticket with the network vendor, a ticket with the hyper-visor vendor, a ticket with the compute vendor, a ticket with the storage vendor, and so on and so on. Typically, all pointing fingers at each other when we all know that fault always lies with the database admins.
The challenges aren't just around the complexities of design, day to day support, or administration, but also include challenges around lifecycle management. When it comes to lifecycle management, we are looking at the complexities around publishing updates and patches. If you are doing your due diligence, then you are gathering and documenting all the firmware, bios, and software from all the hardware involved for the update/patch and comparing that information against Hardware Compatibility Lists and Interoperability Lists to ensure that they are in a supported matrix. If not, then you have to update before going any further. This can be extremely time consuming and we are typically tasked with testing in a lab that doesn't match our production environment(s) ensuring we don't bring any production systems down during the maintenance window.
The first attempt at reducing the complexities we face with the traditional model was when we witnessed the introduction of converged infrastructure. Converged introduced us to a pizza delivery model for infrastructure. Meaning, we gather our requirements, place an order, and have it delivered ready to be consumed on premise. This new model to infrastructure brought with it a reduction in complexities that are inherent with the traditional model.
What is converged infrastructure? Converged infrastructure is an approach to data center management that packages compute, storage, and virtualization on a pre-integrated, pre-tested, pre-validated, turnkey appliance. Converged systems include a central management software.
These pre-built appliances reduce concerns with support issues due to the fact that the vendor supports the entire stack. You gain that "one throat to choke" when issues arise. You are no longer required to open multiple tickets with multiple vendors. One call to the supporting vendor and they handle troubleshooting for the hyper-visor, compute, and storage. This can increase resolution time when issues present themselves.
You gain a reduction in data center footprint which, in turn, reduces power and cooling costs. I worked with a customer and reduced their multi-rack traditional data center to a single rack solution. The cost savings were tremendous, as they were able to reduce the costs of not only the power and cooling, but also the space they paid for at the collocation.
With converged, you also gain a reduction in lifecycle management. When an update comes out from the vendor, they have already pre-validated and pre-tested the update/patch and know how it will affect your production environment. This means that you can gain back all the time it takes for you to check the firmware, bios, and software against the HCL, etc. This can be a tremendous benefit allowing you to deploy new updates/patches with assurance.
VMware Validated Designs was also introduced to provide comprehensive and extensively-tested blueprints to build and operate a Software-Defined Data Center.
With the VMware Validated Designs, VMware also allows for more flexibility with a build your own solution. Think of Validated Design as a prescriptive method to SDDC. You follow the detailed guides and are ensured of a specific outcome. Unlike the vendor pre-validating and pre-testing the solution, then building it for you in an appliance approach, VMware handles everything but the build.
Accelerated Time to Market. Following a VMware Validated Design, streamlines and simplifies the usually complex design process of the SDDC, shortening the deployment and provisioning cycles.
Increased Efficiencies. A VMware Validated Design provides detailed, step-by-step operational guidance to greatly reduce time and effort spent on tasks. Such as setting up monitoring and alerts, developing backup and restore procedures, and ensuring compliance with industry standards.
De-risk Deployments and Operations. Rigorously tested and continuously validated, the VMware Validated Designs reduce uncertainty and potential risks associated with implementing and operating the SDDC by ensuring interoperability and compatibility of all software components included in the design.
Drive IT Agility. The VMware Validated Designs are designed for scalability and to support a broad set of use-cases and diverse types of applications, helping IT to respond faster to the needs of the business.
The converged model does still present some challenges. You may not be able to move to the latest hyper-visor software when it comes out but most don't like to be the guinea pig anyway.
Another challenge is with storage. Although storage is packaged and supported in this model, you still have to manage it as with traditional storage arrays. For example, if you need to build a new VM, typically we need to:
Request storage for the new VM. This can flow through a change control which can complicate things further.
Once approved, the storage administrator has to carve out the space on the array, while ensuring that this is provisioned to the correct tier of storage as to meet the required IOPs and space objectives.
This may or may not include masking or zoning so that this is presented correctly to the hosts that the new VM will reside on.
Once this has been completed, the administrator responsible for the hyper-visor environment now has to ensure:
The hosts see the newly provisioned LUN(s).
Format and associate any storage policies.
Then the VM can be created and placed on the newly provisioned storage.
As you can see, there is a lot of touch points and complexities in this model.
To further simplify the traditional model of infrastructure, VMware brought us the Software Defined Data Center (SDDC) vision with the hyper-converged model.
What is hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI)? Hyper-converged infrastructure allows the convergence of physical storage onto industry-standard x86 servers, enabling a building block approach with scale-out capabilities. All key data center functions run as software on the hyper-visor in a tightly integrated software layer, delivering services that were previously provided via hardware through software.
Reducing the complexities of traditional storage administration while taking the intelligence of the array and bringing it into the software layer. Take the previous example above. Now, when we provision a VM, the storage is provisioned along with it. There is no need to log into the storage array and provision the LUN, or zoning and masking, to present the newly created storage to the hyper-visor environment.
Management of the storage is performed through the vCenter server web interface that you use to manage the rest of the hyper-visor environment.
The hyper-converged environment further reduces the footprint at our data center(s) and the complexities we have in both traditional and converged environments. This new model of deploying an infrastructure gains us five benefits:
Cost efficiency: Optimizing infrastructure costs is a major appeal of HCI, which can drive better performance while at the same time reducing TCO.
Agility: HCI makes it easier to launch new cloud services, supporting enterprises that want to easily package and migrate new workloads. HCI helps cut deployment down to a matter of minutes.
With hyper-converged, we have moved compute and storage into software defined. This simplifies the environment while gaining all the benefits from a converged infrastructure.
To recap, we have talked about where we began with the traditional data center model and all the challenges listed above with administering a traditional environment. Along with all the added benefits of converged and now hyper-converged infrastructures. Remember, that at this point, we have software defined the compute and the storage, but what about the network?
In 2012, VMware acquired Nicira and one year later introduced network virtualization with NSX. To further the SDDC vision of an all software defined data center, VMware virtualized the network. We now have compute, storage, and networking in the software stack.
This year at VMworld 2017, VMware introduced the next logical iteration to the journey of SDDC with VMware Cloud Foundations.
VMware Cloud Foundations, encompasses the best of VMware Validated Design and all the benefits of hyper-converged. It brings the three software defined solutions, compute, storage, and networking into a single packaged managed by the SDDC Manager. I wrote a previous blog about VMware Cloud Foundations you can find here to gain more insight.
Why do we want to be on this journey? VMware Cloud Foundation provides the simplest way to build an integrated hybrid cloud. They do this by providing a complete set of software defined services for compute, storage, network, security and cloud management. Allowing the user to run enterprise apps- traditional or containerized- in private or public environments along with being easy to operate with built-in automated lifecycle management.
This new model has four use cases:
Cloud Infrastructure: Cloud Foundation is a fully virtualized infrastructure. Cloud administrators have the ability to expand and contract the underlying infrastructure to meet their changing business needs. Lines of business have the flexibility to deploy a wide variety of operating systems and applications.
Hybrid Cloud: Organizations can build a true hybrid cloud with common infrastructure and consistent operational model, connecting on-prem and off-prem data centers to make them compatible, stretched, and distributed.
Virtual Desktop: Cloud Foundation simplifies the design and implementation of a VDI environment based on VMware Horizon. Thus, making VDI deployments faster and more secure.
To begin your journey toward this new infrastructure model and future proofing your data center for cloud, you begin with upgrading your current vSphere 5.x environment to 6.5. By upgrading to vSphere 6.5, you put your current infrastructure in an optimal place to take advantage of the latest vSAN and NSX deployments along with the following benefits you gain from the new features in 6.5.
Benefits of vSphere 6.5:
ESXi Secure Boot: Secure Boot now leverages the capabilities of the UEFI firmware to ensure that ESXi not only boots with a signed bootloader validated by the host firmware but that it also ensures that unsigned code won’t run on the hyper-visor. UEFI, or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, is a replacement for the traditional BIOS firmware that has its roots in the original IBM PC.
Virtual Machine Secure Boot: SecureBoot for VM's is simple to enable. Your VM must be configured to use EFI firmware and then you enable Secure Boot with a checkbox.
Enhanced Logging: vSphere 6.5 introduces enhanced logging. Logs have traditionally been focused on troubleshooting and not security. Complete logs are now sent via the syslog stream for actions like "VM Reconfigure". Logs now contain more complete information, so notices of something changing you will now see what changed it changed from and what it changed to. You can then take actions against the information collected like rollback the change if it caused an issue.
VM Encryption/vMotion Encryption: VM encryption works by applying a new Storage policy to a VM. It is Policy driven. You’ll be able to encrypt the VMDK and the VM home files. There are no modification within the guest OS. You can run different OS's like Linux, Windows, etc. and can be run from different storage like NFS, block storage, and VSAN. The encryption is happening outside of the Guest OS and the guest does not have access to the keys. The encryption works also for vMotion but both the source and the destination hosts must support it.
vCenter High Availability: In vSphere 6.5 vCenter has a new native high availability solution that is available exclusively for the vCenter Server Appliance. This solution consists of Active, Passive, and Witness nodes which are cloned from the existing vCenter Server. The vCenter HA cluster can be enabled, disabled, or destroyed at any time. There is also a maintenance mode so planned maintenance does not cause an unwanted failover.
Native File-Based Backup / Restore: New in vCenter Server 6.5 is native backup and restore for the vCenter Server Appliance. This new out-of-the-box functionality enables customers to backup vCenter Server and Platform Services Controller appliances directly from the VAMI or API. The backup consists of a set of files that will be streamed to a storage device of the customer’s choosing using SCP, HTTP(s), or FTP(s) protocols. This backup fully supports vCenter Server Appliances with embedded and external Platform Services Controllers.
VUM is now included in the VCSA no longer requiring a separate Windows Server: VCSA 6.5 now includes Update Manager out of the box. It has all the features of Windows VUM but is much easier to manage and benefits from all of the new enhancements in the VCSA for performance and resiliency. Customers can also use the migration tool to move from a Windows-based vSphere management environment to the VCSA in order to benefit from these enhancements.
Predictive DRS: Predictive DRS is a new feature in vSphere 6.5 that leverages the predictive analytics of vRealize Operations Manager with the powerful resource scheduler algorithm of vSphere DRS. Together, these two products enable workload balancing for certain VMs before resource utilization spikes occur, potentially eliminating a great amount of resource contention that might have occurred in the past.
As you can see from the picture above the journey doesn't end with VMware Cloud Foundation but continues to progress toward the true hybrid-cloud solution that was announced this year out at VMworld 2017. The new announcement was a new partnership between VMware and Amazon.
This new offering is an on-demand service that will allow you extend your on-prem data center to the Amazon cloud, which is running VMware Cloud Foundation on physical hardware in Amazons cloud data center. This means no converting of workloads in order to take advantage of a cloud architecture because this is running the same SDDC applications you are running today.
VMware Cloud on AWS is ideal for customers looking to:
Migrate applications to the public cloud.
Develop entirely new applications.
Extend the capacity of their data centers for existing applications.
Consolidate on-premises data centers.
Quickly provision development and test environments.
VMware Cloud on AWS is delivered, sold, and supported by VMware as an on-demand, scalable cloud service.
This new model is the most flexible and agile model for future data centers. This will allow you to transform your business from hardware dictating where applications reside to applications driving the business in a hybrid cloud model and gaining the ability to easily migrate applications to where it makes most since in alignment with the business requirements and objectives.
It's that time again and I highly suggest joining in. Not only will you be a part of a great community learning new products but you'll get the chance to offer your input into the direction.
This beta program is different from the past programs in that it is not tied to a specific version or release. This is a new beta program that includes a new beta community. The beta program will continue through multiple releases of vSphere. Participants can expect to see new functionalities and capabilities added on as the program continues on. Participant are expect to:
Online acceptance of the Master Software Beta Test Agreement will be required prior to visiting the Private Beta Community
Install beta software within 3 days of receiving access to the beta product
Provide feedback within the first 4 weeks of the beta program
Submit Support Requests for bugs, issues and feature requests
Complete surveys and beta test assignments
Participate in the private beta discussion forum and conference calls
This program enables participants to help define the direction of the most widely adopted industry-leading virtualization platform. The vSphere team will grant access to the program to selected candidates in stages. This vSphere Beta Program leverages a private Beta community to download software and share information. VMware will provide discussion forums, webinars, and service requests to enable you to share your feedback.
You can expect to download, install, and test vSphere Beta software in your environment or get invited to try new features in a VMware hosted environment. All testing is free-form and you are encouraged to use the software in ways that interest you. This will provide VMware with valuable insight into how you use vSphere in real-world conditions and with real-world test cases, enabling them to better align with your business needs.
Some of the many reasons to participate in this beta opportunity:
Receive early access to the vSphere Beta products
Interact with the vSphere Beta team consisting of Product Managers, Engineers, Technical Support, and Technical Writers
Security these days can be more of that traditional, needle in a haystack approach, than a true centric security approach to include analytics and alerting. VMware is again shifting to a new paradigm, and that was evident from all the products and messaging that came out of VMworld 2017.
Security is on the forefront of all of our minds and VMware, as the leader in data center technologies, wants to lead the conversation and be the foundation that you are laying down to protect your data, along with adding significant value to you with their partnerships in the security space, like the new partnership announced with IBM around their security products like QRadar.
With increasing attacks on our data centers, take Equifax for example, we must first look at one of our most significant portions of our security foundation, ESXi and work to secure that. We typically start with securing the physical and the edge, throw in some anti-virus and call it secure, but are we secure?
When it comes to data center security, we must start with our foundation, ensure that we have designed it to follow recommended best practices, then evaluate the gaps, and add in products to get us the rest of the way there. This also includes following best practices for end-user access of the environments and not being "lazy" admins just to skip a few steps. We have to lean on trusted partners like Sirius that have developed a security practice that can help us navigate the waters of security because the landscape of security products is immense, as you can see from the picture below.
So where do we begin? I believe that we must start with VMware. VMware is no longer just a hyper-visor running your vms, but the most integral part of your data center security strategy and if you don't get that foundation right, then the rest will crumble too. We must secure the infrastructure, build and architect the data.
After we get the infrastructure secure we move into securing the entire ecosystem like controls, automation, validations and the security solutions.
Last we must get back to the basics and as VMware's CEO, Pat Gelsinger stated, "Learn from sport teams who follow the basic regimen over and over again. Every major breach in the last five years that made headlines happened because a simple cyber hygiene wasn’t followed somewhere.” VMware is working with the government to set cyber hygiene standards for the tech industry to simplify the security solutions, as Gelsinger stated that, “The role of the governments globally in making stronger cyber policies is equally important to ward off data breaches."
VMware has shifted to becoming a security centric company. With added features in their base product VMware ESXi 6.5 which represents a move toward "secure by default" and allows for a truly secure foundation to build the rest of the house. Let's take a look at these features.
ESXi Secure BootSecure Boot now leverages the capabilities of the UEFI firmware to ensure that ESXi not only boots with a signed bootloader validated by the host firmware but that it also ensures that unsigned code won’t run on the hypervisor. UEFI, or Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, is a replacement for the traditional BIOS firmware that has its roots in the original IBM PC.
ESXi is comprised of a number of components. There is the boot loader, the VM Kernel, Secure Boot Verifier and VIBs, or “vSphere Installation Bundles”. Each of these components is cryptographically signed.
Virtual Machine Secure BootSecureBoot for VM's is simple to enable. Your VM must be configured to use EFI firmware and then you enable Secure Boot with a checkbox. (Note that if you turn on secure boot for a virtual machine, you can load only signed drivers into that virtual machine.)Secure Boot for Virtual Machines works with Windows or Linux.
Enhanced LoggingvSphere 6.5 introduces enhanced logging. Logs have traditionally been focused on troubleshooting and not security.
Complete logs are now sent via the syslog stream for actions like "VM Reconfigure". Logs now contain more complete information, so notices of something changing you will now see what changed it changed from and what it changed to. You can then take actions against the information collected like rollback the change if it caused an issue.
You will now see logs for actions like adding more memory to a vm. The associated logs will show you what it was before and after the change. From a security perspective you can see much more information like who made the change and with integrations with VMware Log Insight you will be able to parse the data quicker bringing you to faster remediation.
VM Encryption/vMotion EncryptionVM encryption works by applying a new Storage policy to a VM. It is Policy driven. You’ll be able to encrypt the VMDK and the VM home files.
There are no modification within the guest OS. You can run different OS's like Linux, Windows, etc. and can be run from different storage like NFS, block storage, and VSAN. The encryption is happening outside of the Guest OS and the guest does not have access to the keys.The encryption works also for vMotion but both the source and the destination hosts must support it.
After you apply an encryption policy to a VM, the VM receives a randomly generated key for each VM, and that key is encrypted with a key from the key manager.When you power-on the VM which has the Encryption Storage policy applied to, vCenter retrieves the key from the Key Manager, sends that to the VM encryption Module and unlocks that key in the ESXi hyper-visor.
Encrypted vMotion works by having the randomly generated key added to the migration information, this is sent to each of the hosts participating in the vMotion process, the data going across the network is encrypted with the randomly generated key only for the migration process, and is one-time generated random key, which is generated by vCenter.vSphere Security Guide for vSphere 6.5The new security guidelines have changed to a subset of things to focus on. This is changing from the traditional "Hardening Guides," from VMware to a "Security" guide. I will not go into the entire guide in this post but you can read the post from VMware here.
Along with these new settings, government work, and a new security guide being introduced, I think its time to shift into the products that support VMware security model.
The first of these is NSX. With organizations spending more on security than ever before, see Gartner, NSX becomes the next integral step to securing your production data center. I have written several blogs now on NSX so I will just write a quick recap as to what NSX is.
VMware NSX provides a platform that allows automated provisioning and context-sharing across virtual and physical security platforms. Combined with traffic steering and policy enforcement at the virtual interface, partner services, traditionally deployed in a physical network environment, are easily provisioned and enforced in a virtual network environment, VMware NSX delivers customers a consistent model of visibility and security across applications residing on both physical or virtual workloads.
NSX prevents threats from moving freely throughout the network, while AppDefense detects anything that does make it to an endpoint and can automatically trigger responses through integrations with NSX and vSphere. The idea is to prevent, detect, and respond.
AppDefense uses machine learning technology, were it learns application behavior and if the application deviates from that behavior, it is quarantined. This is very different from the traditional approach with anti-virus solutions. Anti-virus solutions use definitions to secure the vm. If a new attack has been brought to the attention of your provider then they will create a new definition, once they have had time to analyze it, and then you are responsible for pushing the new definition out to all you vms. This can cause a gap in your protection.
See this video below to learn more about AppDefense.
VMware has a dedicated internal team responsible for developing and driving software security initiatives across all of VMware’s Research and Development organizations to reduce software security risks; The VMware Security Engineering, Communications & Response group (vSECR).
The vSECR group takes a full lifecycle approach to product security from product inception to product end of life. VMware, through vSECR, is committed to the ongoing security of their products and the safety of their customers data.
VMware is also active in the greater security community, and is a member of SAFECode (the Software Assurance Forum for Excellence in Code) and BSIMM (Building Security In Maturity Model). For more details about VMWare product security, please refer to the VMware Product Security White Paper.
Lastly, remember to reach out to your VMware Partner, like Sirius, who can help you with security health checks, education, and help you gain confidence in your production data center environment(s) is configured correctly.
Sirius can help you prevent, detect, and respond to security threats and secure your data.
I have been a VMUG Leader in Rochester NY for 5 years, and recently became a leader of two other groups, Syracuse, and Capital District which collectively covers a large portion of Upstate New York. Did I mention that I love being involved in my local communities?
At its basics, VMUG leaders coordinate the activities for their local VMUG communities and being a leader is an amazing opportunity to give back, build awareness of VMware products, while building your resume and sharing your knowledge. The requirement to become a VMUG leader is that you must be a VMUG member and serve in a technical role with a VMware Customer Company. VMUG is a global organization as you will see from this blog.
Being in this role for sometime now, I decided to reach out and talk with leaders from around the globe to get an idea of what they thought it means to be a VMUG leader and gain some insights into how they run their groups. If you are a current VMUG member looking to become a leader and are wondering what is involved, I hope to answer any questions you may have within this blog.
I have a passion for technology, and for VMware technologies to be more specific. Joining VMUG as a leader has been a great opportunity for me to take my love for VMware products, and have a platform to evangelize within my communities along with the social aspect of it.
I love bringing technologists together to build a strong technical community, and I always think about the collective knowledge we have as a community, and how we can utilize that to help us through the projects we find ourselves working on.
Think about it, you attend a VMUG on a subject like VDI, because you are working on a VDI initiative at work, and now have an opportunity to gain some knowledge along with making local connections with other technologists that are working on the same project or have completed their own project. That is what's great about attending local meetings, you can learn from others or step up to assist others within your community. Of course, this is only one aspect of the benefits of joining VMUG as a member or a local leader.
One of my colleagues at Rolta Advizex runs a very successful VMUG in Cleveland, Ohio. Patrick Stasko works as a Solutions Architect and like me has a passion for technology. I decided to reach out to him to discuss being a VMUG leader.
I started out asking him about why he became a VMUG leader and his response was similar to my own. Patrick said, "I wasn’t filling fulfilled or challenged in my current role at the time. I recently moved back to Cleveland for a new opportunity and I was trying to determine which way can I make an impact. In my quest to wrap my arms around the Cleveland’s IT Community, it lead me to the Cleveland VMUG community which was going through some troubles. I’m passionate about people and technology. This is a perfect platform for both of those."
That passion for technology and community seems to be a resounding theme that I found when talking with leaders for this interview and really hit home with my own experience too. This was also true for another leader I interviewed, Valdecir Carvalho from São Paulo, Brazil.
When I asked him the same question Valdecir responded, "First of all, VMUG it's all about community and I’m a community lover. I'm from São Paulo, Brazil and when I first heard about VMUG I've rushed to vmug.com to look for a São Paulo chapter and that place was dead. Then I start to talk to some other friends and vendors to find out why, but long story short I sent a mail to VMUG HQ and applied. And I'm really glad I did!"
There are some great benefits to becoming a VMUG leader and for me, one of those benefits is exposure to the communities I lead, as a thought leader within the industry.
I also spoke with the New Jersey VMUG Leader, Ben Liebowitz and he mentioned that, "It has gotten me many more contacts in the community, all over the world!" That is so true and I have also experienced this. As stated above, VMUG is a global community and because of that you can meet other technologists from around the globe.
VMUG has many opportunities to connect with and get to know other leaders from around the globe, like through the VMUG site. Each group has its own community page where we can come together to share knowledge and discuss VMUG, along with other opportunities. VMUG also has online event meet-ups and opportunities, along with events like the annual VMworld members party, and Leaders meet-ups at VMworld. VMworld is also a great place to gain knowledge and meet our local leaders at the VMUG booths located throughout VMworld.
As mentioned there are many benefits to becoming a VMUG leader. I asked Patrick what he thought was the benefit and he said, "The biggest impact is the rapid ability to connect and network within the local community and other VMUG circles across the world. I especially enjoy and look forward to the VMUG activities at VMworld. " As mentioned already, connecting at VMworld is another great benefit not only to leaders but to all members. Some other advantages or benefits are things like, receiving a VMUG Advantage subscription.
VMUG Advantage is the best way to gain the technical skills to accelerate your success with exclusive access to VMware applications and discounts on training, certifications, VMworld registration and more! You are also given access to the EVALExperience, which gives you exclusive access to 365-day evaluation licenses for a selection of VMware solutions, for personal use in a non-production environment and includes these products:
As a leader of a local group, typically you are not alone and have help with running the group. I had challenges around this when I started because it was difficult to find help with a group that had not be very active. I had to deal with getting the group active again before I could find and recruit other leaders to assist me with the group.
This leads me to how we run our local groups. I have found that most leaders run their groups in very similar fashions but that we all learn from each other. When I asked the leaders how they run their local groups, Valdecir replied, "I do not run it alone. I'm happy to have other leader who is a great partner and together we are doing our best to make VMUG more and more relevant to our members. VMUG São Paulo, is a new group, we have "revamped" the group 8 months ago, so we are still learning from others Leaders, from VMUG HQ and most of the time, discovery things by ourselves by trying and error. Also, our focus is our members, so we try to hear what they want, what they need and they feedback, so we can improve our chapter more and more."
Of course talking wth Patrick, he has taken is skills as a Solution Architect and really formalized how his group is run as you can see from the layout he created below.
One of the challenges we have as a leader is how we drive attendance to the meetings and grow our groups. I use things like social media sites, like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. I can setup my groups and send out information about events along with utilizing marketing features from Facebook to bring awareness to the communities I lead.
Every leader has their own challenges which can be things like location as Valdecir mentions, "It's difficult, mostly because VMUG and other technology groups are not so well deep in our culture. First of all, we are trying to get people understand what VMUG is, what are the VMUG values and benefits. We choose to start small and delivery only the best, so when people realize what VMUG is and start to talk about it things will be easy."
Another example from Patrick was, as he mentions utilizing VMware. Patrick mentions that "The local VMware TAMs and SEs have done a terrific job relaying meeting information to their customer base which has been a game changer." I have found this to be helpful too and always make it a point to invite VMware to our events.
Choosing topics for our events is arguably the most important thing you can drive as a leader. It is imperative to listen to what is happening in the industry and to your members and as Patrick mentions, "We encourage the community to provide topic ideas. We make our best attempt to listen and provide a platform for those topics. Our leadership and ambassador weigh the agenda, location, costs, potential attendance reach and sponsor into consideration determining whether that topic idea has the ability to convert to a formalized meeting."
Standing out from other technology groups within our communities is always a challenge. Technologists only have so much time to pick which events they can attend due to time restraints and time away from work. Patrick mentions that, "Within the VMUG circles, I believe we were one of the first groups to develop our own brand & logo. Secondly, we created software (http://github.com/tkrn/pivmugc) for all VMUG communities to use upon meetings to help track check ins, attendance, reporting and printing of name tag labels." As you can see Patrick has been busy and this is driven from his love for technology and community.
The last point I want to discuss is why you as a technologist should care about VMUG. The resounding response from the interviews was that VMUG is about community and as Valdecir mentioned, "VMUG is all about people. Be part of and care about VMUG is a great opportunity to learn and get connected with other people from the industry. It's a chance to meet new people, learn, teach, hire someone, find a new job, be promoted in your current job, make new friendships for life, and the list goes on."
If you are interested in becoming a VMUG Leader or a VMUG member I have posted some resources below. I highly recommend getting involved and if there isn't a VMUG in your local community, think about starting one.
vRealize Network Insight or vRNI is the newest addition to the range of products from VMware. vRealize Network Insight integrates with VMware's network virtualization platform, NSX. vRNI delivers intelligent operations for your software defined network environment. vRNI does for your virtualized network what vRealize Operations does for your virtualized environment, but only to the SDN environment. With the help of this product you can optimize network performance and availability with visibility and analytics across virtual and physical networks. Provide planning and recommendations for implementing micro-segmentation security, plus operational views to quickly and confidently manage and scale VMware NSX deployment.
Let's take a step back and discuss, briefly, what VMware NSX is and why you should, as a technologist, care about it.
NSX is an innovative approach to solving long-standing network provisioning bottlenecks within the data center, and it allows for the integration of switching, routing and upper-layer services into an integrated application and network orchestration platform. With an overlay solution that may not require hardware upgrades, NSX offers customers a potentially quicker way of taking advantage of SDN capabilities by decoupling the network from hardware into a software abstraction layer allowing the end-user to programmatically create, provision and manage networks.
Essentially, NSX is doing for your network what vSphere did for your compute environments and we have typically virtualized the compute and storage with vSAN, so adding network virtualization brings the full vision of SDDC giving you a lot of benefits like single pain of glass to manage your environments within vCenter, which a lot of us are already familiar with.
With NSX you gain visibility into your network that you may not have today while allowing for division of duties in a secure manner. NSX technology inception is on the rise and as of today, VMware has over 2,600 customers that have implemented NSX and over 50% increase in license bookings.
You might be familiar with vRealize Network Assessment (vNA) and be asking yourself, what is the difference between vRealize Network Insight (vRNI) and vRealize Network Assessment (vNA)? The difference is that vNA only gives you the report/preview portion of the product, which takes 30-minutes to install. It takes more time to install the full-product. vNA only needs to connect to the vCenter and can be ran with a Solutions Provider like Rotla Advizex. vRNI, in addition to the vCenter, you also need to connect it the hardware, firewalls, etc.
As mentioned above vRNI addresses the need for deeper, richer NSX operation and traffic analytics in the fast growing virtual networking market. vRNI transforms operations for NSX based on SDDC across your virtual, physical, and cloud.
vRNI ensures the health and availability of your NSX deployments, giving you confidence that your data center is protected on every level and giving you insight into how the environment is performing. With vRNI your organization can optimize network performance and availability with true visibility and analytics across both virtual and physical networks. Using vRNI and vNA, Rolta Advizex can help remove the guesswork from micro-segmentation deployments with a global net flow assessment, gain operational insights needed to quickly and confidentially manage and scale your NSX deployment with vRealize Network Insight.
What's New in 3.4VMware recently updated vRealize Network Insight on June 01, 2017. The new and enhanced features in this release are as follows:
I received some questions from VMware and thought that it would be fun to write this blog as a mock interview, but first let's begin with learning a little about VMware certification tracks.
VMware offers certifications in cloud management and automation, data center and network virtualization, and desktop and mobility. As a leader in the virtualization space, VMware certifications are a must-have for many IT professionals, especially those who work in data centers and/or support virtual environments.
VMware certifications are based on a version of the associated technology, which means VMware certifications change in response to technology changes. Be aware, though, that certification updates lag behind the release of new virtualization technology.
VMware Version certifications fall into four categories:
Cloud Management and Automation
Data Center Virtualization
Desktop and Mobility
Network Virtualization
Each category offers various certification levels, such as:
VMware Certified Associate (VCA)
VMware Certified Professional (VCP)
VMware Certified Advanced Professional (VCAP)
VMware Certified Implementation Expert (VCIX)
VMware Certified Design Expert (VCDX)
Associate certifications typically require passing a single exam to achieve certification. Candidates for Professional and Advanced Professional certifications must either take a training course or earn a prerequisite certification and pass an exam. To obtain a VCIX, candidates must earn two VCAP credentials.Achieving a VCDX certification is more involved. Candidates must first obtain multiple prerequisite certs, then create a production-ready VMware solution and defend it in front of a panel.
Now that we have discussed the certification tracks let's jump into the interview about certifications from VMware and AdvizeX.
This interview is held between VMware and AdvizeX employees Chris Miller who is a Principal Architect and Brandon Seymour, a Virtualization Architect, Patrick Stasko, a Solutions Architect, and Jamie Carlson a Principal Networking Lead. You can find out more information on Chris and Brandon from a previous blog on being a vExpert that I wrote.
VMware: Why did you decide to take your first test and what was your motivation?
Chris Miller, AdvizeX Principal Architect: The first certification test(s) I took was the MCSE NT 4.0. My motivation at the time was enhancing my resume, gaining knowledge from the associated training, and giving my early career a boost by obtaining a certification that was in high demand at the time.
Brandon Seymour, AdvizeX Virtualization Architect: I wanted a career in IT and so I pursued my MCSE in NT 4.0. This also included training and certifications in Novell, and A+ through a technology school after the military. My first VMware certification was VCP-DCV5.0 and was taken to enhance my career in virtualization while working as a Enterprise Systems Administrator for a local University.
Patrick Stasko, AdvizeX Solutions Architect: Career Advancement.
Jamie Carlson, AdvizeX Principal Networking Lead: In 1998, it seemed one of the best set certifications out there was a combination of having the Novell Certified Engineer and being a Cisco Certified Network Professional. It was a great combo. It opened a lot of doors as I was leaving the Navy in 2000. My first exam was a Certified Novell Administrator.
VMware: What was your journey for the first test?
Chris Miller, AdvizeX Principal Architect: My journey for all of the test, involved a 4 week boot camp in Atlanta, GA. It was very interesting to me because I had not traveled out of state much up until that point (I was only 21 years old at the time). My employer at the time, an Internet ASP (I think we call this SaaS now :) ), offered to pay for boot camp training since we had big plans and our application was built on Microsoft technologies. Having certified folks on staff also helped lend credibility when we attempted to secure funding for future growth. We had an opportunity to receive a big discount on the training and I took it.
Brandon Seymour, AdvizeX Virtualization Architect: My journey was similar to that of Chris in that I also attended a boot camp for my MCSE and for my VMware certification I started with my employer at the time sending me to a local VAR for a week of training.
Patrick Stasko, AdvizeX Solutions Architect: A lot of book studying. Cramming. Memorizing port numbers and other facts that you would normally reference anyways.
Jamie Carlson, AdvizeX Principal Networking Lead: I had a lot of experience managing a Novell network that ran on Cabletron and later Cisco switches. It didn’t take much for me to self-study and take the Novell exam to start me as a CNA.
VMware: Were you nervous, how did you study?
Chris Miller, AdvizeX Principal Architect: I wasn't nervous but mostly because I've been a good test taker throughout high school and college. In the boot camp, the format was 3 or 4 days of 10-hour-per-day training and taking an exam the morning of the 4th/5th day. I believe there were 5 total exams and most of the evenings were spent studying further, so I didn't get to enjoy my trip very much outside a day or so on the weekend. Throughout the boot camp training class, I focused very hard on the material and payed close attention to the instructor. Outside of class there were attempts to study, but the friends I made while there the first week and I moved our study sessions outside to the hotel pool and productivity took a dive w/ the rest of us.
Brandon Seymour, AdvizeX Virtualization Architect: I put in a lot of time studying in groups with others pursing the MCSE certification. My VMware certification journey was a bit different in that I utilized a lot on online communities like vBrown Bag.
Patrick Stasko, AdvizeX Solutions Architect: Read. Highlight. Write important facts/figures I needed to memorize down on a notebook to commit to my internal.
Jamie Carlson, AdvizeX Principal Networking Lead: I was really nervous. I was doing it all on my own. A test was like $65 at the time. No one reimbursed me for their cost, and if I failed I’d have to take it again. The funny thing was that Novell at the time used exams that gave weighted questions based on previous answers. So, if you could answer a couple of hard questions, you could breeze right through. The shortest Novell test was five minutes long and it consisted of eleven questions. The Microsoft test takers would be crying as the Novell test takers would come in and leave. The joke eventually was on the Novell folks. After all, “what’s Novell?”
VMware: How did it benefit your career as well as your community?
Chris Miller, AdvizeX Principal Architect: The impact on my career wasn't immediately obvious. I returned home to the same job, spent a year working until like many other dotcoms we went bankrupt, and began looking for another job in a saturated market. The certification played zero role in finding my next job as I took a position with a bank where I knew folks in the IT department based on a past business relationship w/ the bank's IT group (the dotcom hosted some services in their data center). However my personal knowledge swelled considering my background was mostly networking until I attended the boot camp. The training helped tremendously with my daily job responsibilities, especially troubleshooting, but since I spent 7 years at the bank and didn't keep the certification current, I don't feel the certification had much of an impact on my career. The lesson here is that training and knowledge is more valuable than the cert once you get the job, and for most people it would help you find a job provided the entire technology economy didn't just crash and burn 4 months earlier.
Brandon Seymour, AdvizeX Virtualization Architect: I was hired right out of school by a internet provider and it wasn't what I had imagined. I was responsible for troubleshooting internet connections issues for dial-up customers and also built websites for customers. I will always remember this one call in which the customer kept dropping calls whenever his wife used the bathroom, which shared a wall with the computer and modem on the other side. When she would run the hair dryer the modem would lose connection. My VMware certification help change the direction of my career which at that point was just enterprise systems administration. My journey into virtualization led to me becoming an evangelical for VMware in my community. I currently serve as the local Rochester VMUG Leader and of course I blog.
Patrick Stasko, AdvizeX Solutions Architect: It solidified knowledge as internal IT worker that I was the VMware guy. In a sales role now, it’s a required check box. I believe it had more benefit to me when I was internal IT than in pre-sales.
Jamie Carlson, AdvizeX Principal Networking Lead: I would never had been able to obtain my first position at UUNet in 2000 if I had not received my CCNA and CNE. I quickly moved up and received my CCDP and CCNP in 2001. I never re-certified any of my Novell certifications going heavily into Cisco Systems networking. I later moved out to Juniper Networks, Meru Networks wireless, HP Networking, and finely Aruba Networking. It became apparent that understanding a set of vendors in a focus area was much more advantageous than being a vendor expert.
VMware: Knowing what you know today, what are some of the pain points in this certification that you can share with your audience?Chris Miller, AdvizeX Principal Architect: The biggest pain point IMO with at least the MCSE (at the time), and my understand is this problem is greater now due to the algorithms involved with the test, is dealing with an adaptive test. It seems when you are doing well the test pulls questions from the deepest, darkest corners of the training material and can prove challenging. Also the sheer number of trick questions and questions that are worded such that multiple answers really would apply makes testing difficult. Be ready for anything and if you are testing for a technology you can obtain and practice with, do not hesitate to do so. Also never give up. Failing a certification test should be considered a $200 practice round, do not let it demotivate you. Later in my career my #1 testing strategy was to take a test without studying, see how well I do, try to remember what I struggled w/ the most, and to study in this context. It also gives you a good idea how "tricky" the creators of the exam are with respect to content.
Brandon Seymour, AdvizeX Virtualization Architect: I agree with Chris in that if you fail the first time don't be discouraged and remember that others have gone before you so reach out for support. A lot of these certification tests are progressive in that they change up depending on how well you are answering the questions so you need to know the information. Take advantage of communities like vBrown Bag because they put on study sessions to assist.
Patrick Stasko, AdvizeX Solutions Architect: You will need to memorize what I would normally consider reference-able material which is a pain in the butt.
Jamie Carlson, AdvizeX Principal Networking Lead: Know the exam and also know the job or technology. In the Cisco Systems world, and I assume there are many vendors like this, there are three answers to every test question. There is the wrong answer. There is the correct answer. But, most importantly, there is the correct Cisco Systems answer. Some vendors are worse than other. Instead of testing you on how to implement and manage the technology, they also want you to know how to increase their market share and lower others. Cisco Systems was always very good at that.
For more information on certifications with VMware please visit MyLearn.
In the world of IT there are not a lot of moments of recognition, unless something goes wrong and we have all been there. If those in IT are doing their job then things just run and for the most part no one really thinks about those supporting the infrastructure. The time and effort it takes to keep the lights on, the nights and weekends sacrificed for upgrades and patches, and the endless amounts of studying to stay on top of technology changes in the industry and the time you will never get back from on-call. IT can be a very thankless job.
VMware has built a program to honor those that go above and beyond and take their passion for virtualizing IT into the realm of evangelizing. Evangelizing about the products we work with on a daily basis through blogs, podcasts, and community involvement. The VMware vExpert program is an honorary title VMware grants to outstanding advocates of the company's products. VMware recognizes vExperts with a certificate. The certificate and title give vExperts special privileges such as access to private betas, free licenses and exclusive events.
After long hours on the job, these IT professionals engage in work on their blogs, podcasts, etc. to contribute to the virtualization IT community. They do this to demonstrate their passion for various areas of IT and expertise for the purpose of teaching and helping others grow as technologists.
In my spare time I write blogs on VMware technologies along with supporting my local community by serving as a local VMware User Group (VMUG) Leader. In my current role I am also privileged to help educate customers about VMware and related products through presentations, etc. along with architecting solutions for them. I am a vExpert because I have a passion for virtualization technology.
At Advizex, we are proud to have a number of individuals who continue to make the vExpert program and demonstrate their passion for technology, to their local communities and their customers.
Brandon Seymour - Virtualization Architect
vExpert 2014-2017Established track record with 12 plus years of hands-on experience in Microsoft technologies, VMware virtualization, storage design and network infrastructure. He bring an innovative and pragmatic approach to analyzing complex business needs, enabling me to conceptualize, design and implement cutting edge solutions based on the latest virtualization, storage, and cloud technologies. His community-focused involvement allows him to effectively share his passion for virtualization and cloud technologies with peers.
Nemtallah Daher - Principal Consultant
vExpert 2015-2017Bilingual (English and Arabic) Network Engineer offering in-depth understanding of IT infrastructure areas, particularly IT network integration. Detail-oriented self-starter with demonstrated success in initiating, tracking, reporting and closing projects. Over 20 years of experience in designing and managing data networks in large and complex environments.
Joe Clarke - Principal Consultant
vExpert 2013-2017Joe Clarke is a Principal Consultant in the AdvizeX Services Solutions Practice on the virtualization team. His primary focus is EUC with VMware based technologies and easily integrates with network and storage teams. His skills include the design, implementation, troubleshooting and ongoing administration of enterprise systems. Joe has facilitated numerous large scale implementations along with post implementation support and upgrades. Joe is a certified VCDX-DTM #138.
How to become a vExpert?
To become a vExpert you need to fill out an application which becomes available twice a year and there are several paths to becoming a vExpert. Once received applications are moved into voting and once voting is complete selected vExperts are notified. Applications open for each calendar year are opened in November and results are announced in early February. Applications are opened again in June with an August announcement.
Evangelist PathThe Evangelist Path includes book authors, bloggers, tool builders, public speakers, VMTN contributors, and other IT professionals who share their knowledge and passion with others with the leverage of a personal public platform to reach many people. Employees of VMware can also apply via the Evangelist path. A VMware employee reference is recommended if your activities weren’t all in public or were in a language other than English.
Customer PathThe Customer Path is for leaders from VMware customer organizations. They have been internal champions in their organizations, or worked with VMware to build success stories, act as customer references, given public interviews, spoken at conferences, or were VMUG leaders. A VMware employee reference is recommended if your activities weren’t all in public.VPN (VMware Partner Network) PathThe VPN Path is for employees of our partner companies who lead with passion and by example, who are committed to continuous learning through accreditations and certifications and to making their technical knowledge and expertise available to many. This can take shape of event participation, video, IP generation, as well as public speaking engagements. A VMware employee reference is required for VPN Path candidates.
Recommend a Colleague You can recommend a colleague that you believe should become part of the vExpert community due to their evangelizing, educating, etc. of fellow employees and local community.
You can find more information on the vExpert program from the vExpert community page here.
Back on February 2nd, VMware announced two new products, VMware NSX for vSphere 6.3 and VMware NSX-T 1.1, and the adoption rate has reached new heights for VMware, as Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger mentioned in the Q4 2016 earnings that NSX is on track to bring in $1 Billion in revenue this year. That is impressive especially if you take into account the initial slow adoption rate of NSX.
The customer focused demand for tighter security in the data center with NSX and Micro-Segmentation, Automating IT provisioning while increasing efficiency, and Application Continuity is helping to drive the success of NSX into corporate IT.
So what is NSX anyway? As I mentioned in a previous blog, NSX is an innovative approach to solving long-standing network provisioning bottlenecks within the data center, and it allows for the integration of switching, routing and upper-layer services into an integrated application and network orchestration platform. With an overlay solution that may not require hardware upgrades, NSX offers customers a potentially quicker way of taking advantage of SDN capabilities by decoupling the network from hardware into a software abstraction layer allowing the end-user to programmatically create, provision and manage networks.
Let's take a look at what's new in version 6.3. You can see the announcement from VMware here.
Security:VMware is bringing some new capabilities to security in NSX with Application Rule Manager, available in NSX Advanced and Enterprise editions. Application Rule Manager is responsible for the creation of security groups and firewalls for applications based on network traffic flows which is a sequence of packets from a source computer to a destination, which may be another host, a multicast group, or a broadcast domain. This along with Endpoint monitoring, available in NSX Enterprise, enables you to set profiles for applications inside the guest OS. This gives you end-to-end visibility into applications while simplifying the profile creations.
New Security Certifications around ICSA, FIPS, Common Criteria and STIG
Linux Guest VM Introspection
Increase performance in service chaining
Larger scalability of VDI up to 50K desktops
NSX IDFW for VDI
Active Directory Integration for VDI at scale
Automation:Software Defined Networking with NSX rounds off the Software Defined Data Center vision of VMware, bringing the ability to automate the provisioning of what once was, very manual physical networks, and the security of them. VMware continues to enhance the integration of NSX Load Balancers with vRealize Automation and offer support for third-party IP Address Management (IPAM) systems. VMware has also enhanced the integration with NSX for vSphere and vCloud Director. These new enhancements will enable new multi-tenant capabilities for our vCloud Air Network partners.
Some other new features found in Automation for 6.3:
Routing Enhancements
Centralized Dashboard for service and ops
Reduced Upgrade windows with rebootless upgrades
Integration with vRA 7.2 enhancing LB,NAT
vCloud Director 8.20 support with advanced routing, DFW, VPN
VIO Updates to include multi-vc deployments
vSphere Integrated Container Support
New Automation Frameworks for PowerNSX, PyNSXv, vRO
Application Continuity:As the adoption of NSX increases VMware is seeing more and more uses cases around Active-Active data center architectures utilizing the network overlay capabilities of NSX allowing for true workload mobility while maintaining ip addresses and consistent security policies across data centers. New enhancements in security tagging while simplifying security policy management across multiple data centers will help to ensure a consistent and reliable virtual network in a multi-vCenter deployment.
In NSX 6.3 there is also a new ROBO SKU introduced which allows you to take advantage of all these features in a ROBO solution allowing you to simplify the security and management across remote branch offices.
Here are a few other features introduced in NSX 6.3:
Multi-DC deployments with Cross VC NSX enhancements for security tags
Operations enhancements with improved availability
L2VPN performance enhancements for cross DC/Cloud Connectivity
Integration with vSphere Integrated Containers
NSX-TThe focus for NSX-T is around emerging application frameworks and architectures like private IaaS on OpenStack and multi-hypervisor support for development teams using dev clouds. NSX-T supports multiple KVM distributions, within the hypervisor kernel, while delivering security with the use of distribute firewalls, logical switches and distributed routers; This includes Red Hat Enterprise and Ubuntu. This means freedom of choice to technologists allowing them to choose what's best suited for their applications.
Integration with VMware Photon allows IT to deliver security and services to their developers that are building containerized and cloud native applications. NSX can automate the creation of networks and routers when a new namespace/project/organization is created and then secure it all with micro-segmentation policies for containers and pods.
PricingAs noted above you now have standard, advanced, and enterprise editions. According to CRN, NSX Enterprise is $6,995 per CPU socket; Advanced costs $4,495 per socket and Standard will cost $1,995 per socket.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
All relevant data are within the paper.
Introduction {#sec005}
============
Cirrhosis is often clinically silent until decompensation occurs. Once a patient progresses to the decompensated phase, complications tend to accumulate and survival is markedly reduced. Episodes of acute deterioration due to acute insults are common causes of hospitalization among patients with chronic liver disease (CLD). However, CLD is a heterogeneous entity with different clinical presentations and variable prognosis. Recently, the concept of acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) has emerged to identify those patients with CLD or cirrhosis who exhibit acute deterioration of liver function\[[@pone.0146745.ref001]\]. These patients are characterized by a short-term mortality rate higher than that expected for decompensated cirrhosis, with rapid progression to other end organ failure\[[@pone.0146745.ref002]\]. Even so, ACLF is thought to have a reversible component, with potential for full recovery\[[@pone.0146745.ref002]\].
Until now, ACLF has been defined variously in each study\[[@pone.0146745.ref003]\]. Moreover, current definitions of ACLF differ between Eastern (Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver \[APASL\] ACLF Research Consortium, AARC) and Western countries (European Association for the Study of the Liver \[EASL\]-Chronic Liver Failure Consortium, CLIF-C)\[[@pone.0146745.ref004]--[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. Although there are no universally accepted diagnostic criteria for ACLF, two representative definitions are commonly used. The first was proposed in 2009 by the APASL\[[@pone.0146745.ref004]\] and recently revised in 2014 by the AARC\[[@pone.0146745.ref005]\]. Later, the CLIF-C performed the EASL-CLIF acute-on-chronic liver failure in cirrhosis (CANONIC) study, which was designed to develop a definition of ACLF that is able to identify cirrhotic patients with a high risk of short-term mortality\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. The CLIF-C proposed diagnostic criteria of ACLF are based on CLIF-sequential organ failure assessment (CLIF-SOFA) score\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. In addition, CLIF-C developed two scoring systems, CLIF-C ACLFs (CLIF-C score for ACLF patients) and CLIF-C ADs (CLIF-C score for AD patients), to accurately predict mortality in patients with ACLF and without ACLF, respectively\[[@pone.0146745.ref007], [@pone.0146745.ref008]\].
The definitions of ACLF differ between Eastern (AARC) and Western countries (CLIF-C) in terms of CLD (confinement to liver cirrhosis only vs. encompassing liver cirrhosis and other CLD), prior AD (confinement to first AD vs. encompassing previous AD), and organ failure (liver failure as a prerequisite vs. encompassing extrahepatic organ failures)\[[@pone.0146745.ref002], [@pone.0146745.ref009], [@pone.0146745.ref010]\]. However, few studies have focused on the differences between the two definitions of ACLF and the resulting discrepancies in prevalence, mortality, and patient characteristics. The Korean Acute-on-Chronic Liver Failure (KACLiF) study was conducted to investigate the differences in prevalence, short-term mortality, and characteristics of ACLF patients according to the AARC and CLIF-C definitions. In addition, we investigated the impact of each definition component on short-term mortality.
Patients and Methods {#sec006}
====================
Patients {#sec007}
--------
A total of 1861 patients with CLD and acute deterioration who were admitted to 21 academic hospitals were consecutively screened between January 2013 and December 2013. In this study, acute deterioration was defined as: acute development of overt ascites, hepatic encephalopathy (HE), gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding, infection, or liver dysfunction. These definitions of acute deterioration except for liver dysfunction were adopted from the CANONIC study\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. We defined liver dysfunction as an acute increase in bilirubin level (≥3mg/dL)\[[@pone.0146745.ref011]\] to screen for ACLF in a larger number of admitted patients. Cirrhosis was diagnosed based on prior histological confirmation or clinical, imaging, and biochemical parameters\[[@pone.0146745.ref012]\]. Exclusion criteria were as follows: (1) age \< 18 years, (2) absence of any CLD, (3) presence of hepatocellular carcinoma, (4) presence of severe chronic extra-hepatic disease, (5) admission due to other chronic illness, (6) human immunodeficiency virus infection, (7) chronic decompensation of end-stage liver disease, (8) less than 28 days of follow-up, and (9) incomplete data. A total of 1470 patients were analyzed ([Fig 1](#pone.0146745.g001){ref-type="fig"}). Follow-up continued until June 30, 2014. This study was performed in accordance with the ethical guidelines of the Declaration of Helsinki. Informed consent was not obtained, because de-identified data were analyzed. This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of each participating hospital including Hanyang University Guri Hospital, St. Vincent's Hospital, Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital, Inje University Sanggye Paik Hospital, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Hallym University Chuncheon Sacred Heart Hospital, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Daegu Catholic University Medical Center, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Konkuk University Medical Center, Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Wonju Severance Christian Hospital, Chungnam National University Hospital, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Dongguk University Gyeongju Hospital, National Medical Center, Soonchunhyang University Bucheon Hospital, Chungbuk National University Hospital, Yeungnam University Medical Center, Inje University Haeundae Paik-Hospital, and Gosin University Gospel Hospital.
{#pone.0146745.g001}
Data collection and definition of clinical parameters {#sec008}
-----------------------------------------------------
Data were collected on patient demographics, etiology of liver disease, clinical and laboratory variables, types of acute deterioration events, presence of organ failure, and development of ACLF. Laboratory data within 24 hours of admission and at the time of ACLF were reviewed.
AD events were classified as acute development of overt ascites, hepatic encephalopathy, GI bleeding, or infection, based on the CANONIC study\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. Prior decompensation was defined based on the AARC definition: known previous jaundice, HE, or ascites\[[@pone.0146745.ref005]\]. Potential precipitating events included bacterial infection, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, active alcoholism, reactivation of underlying viral hepatitis, toxic liver injury, and others. Active alcoholism was defined as more than 21 drinks per week in men and more than 14 drinks per week in women within 3 months prior to admission\[[@pone.0146745.ref013]\]. If a patient was admitted with acute deterioration more than once during the observation period, data from the first admission were used in this study. Organ failure was defined according to the CLIF-SOFA score\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\].
Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) was evaluated according to the criteria of the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine\[[@pone.0146745.ref014]\]. The Child-Turcotte-Pugh (CTP) score, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, serum sodium (Na) to MELD score (MELD-Na)\[[@pone.0146745.ref015]\], and CLIF-SOFA score\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\] were calculated based on the clinical variables within 24 hours of admission.
The AARC definition of ACLF was acute hepatic insult manifesting as jaundice (serum bilirubin ≥ 5mg/dL) and coagulopathy (international normalized ratio ≥ 1.5 or prothrombin time≤40%) complicated within 4 weeks by ascites and/or encephalopathy in a patient with evidence of CLD and no prior decompensation\[[@pone.0146745.ref004], [@pone.0146745.ref005]\]. The CLIF-C diagnostic criteria of ACLF were from the CANONIC study\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. The patients with the occurrence of AD and organ failure as defined by the CLIF-SOFA score were classified as ACLF according to CLIF-C definition. ACLF development was defined as the occurrence of ACLF at or within 28 days of admission.
The primary endpoint of this study was to detect any differences in 28- and 90-day mortality according to the AARC and CLIF-C definitions. The secondary endpoints were to detect differences in mortality based on the discrepancies in the two definitions: confinement to liver cirrhosis only vs. encompassing non-cirrhotic CLD, confinement to first AD vs. encompassing previous AD, and liver failure as a prerequisite vs. encompassing extra-hepatic organ failures.
Statistical analysis {#sec009}
--------------------
Descriptive statistics were calculated for demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics. Quantitative and qualitative variables were expressed as mean±SD and number (%), respectively. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test, and continuous variables were compared using Student's *t*-test. The Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank test was used to calculate survival. The characteristics of discordance between the AARC and CLIF-C definitions were compared using the Chi-square test or a one-way ANOVA, and Scheffe's post-hoc test, when appropriate. *P* value less than 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS 18.0 (SPSS, Inc. an IBM Company, Chicago, IL, USA).
Results {#sec010}
=======
Baseline characteristics according to the definitions of AARC and CLIF-C {#sec011}
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline characteristics of the 1470 patients (1092 males, mean age 55±12 years) with acute deterioration and CLD were analyzed. The most common etiology of CLD was alcohol use (63.1%). The most common etiology of ACLF based on the definition by AARC or CLIF-C was also alcohol use (82.1% and 73.6%, respectively). Main forms of acute deterioration were gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) (40.7%) and ascites (33.0%). Differences in baseline characteristics are summarized in [Table 1](#pone.0146745.t001){ref-type="table"}.
10.1371/journal.pone.0146745.t001
###### Baseline Patients Characteristics at Enrollment.
ACLF was defined by the AARC or CLIF-C.
{#pone.0146745.t001g}
AARC CLIF-C
------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- ------------- -------------- --------- ------------- -------------- ---------
Age (y) 55 ± 12 56 ± 12 50 ± 8 \<0.001 55 ± 12 55 ± 11 0.632
Male sex 1092 (74.3) 1021 (74.3) 71 (74.7) 0.917 938 (73.7) 154 (78.2) 0.180
Presence of Cirrhosis 1352 (92.0) 1257 (91.4) 95 (100) 0.001 1155 (90.7) 197 (100.0) \<0.001
Etiology of CLD 0.009 0.068
HBV 214 (14.6) 209 (15.2) 5 (5.3) 195 (15.3) 19 (9.6)
HCV 75 (5.1) 74 (5.4) 1 (1.1) 66 (5.2) 9 (4.6)
HBV+HCV 2 (0.1) 2 (0.1) 0 (0.0) 2 (0.2) 0 (0.0)
Alcohol 928 (63.1) 850 (61.8) 78 (82.1) 783 (61.5) 145 (73.6)
HBV+alcohol 108 (7.3) 103 (7.5) 5 (5.3) 96 (7.5) 12 (6.1)
HCV+alcohol 25 (1.7) 24 (1.7) 1 (1.1) 23 (1.8) 2 (1.5)
Others 118 (8.0) 113 (8.2) 5 (5.3) 108 (8.5) 10 (5.1)
Acute Decompensation[^\#^](#t001fn001){ref-type="table-fn"}
Ascites 485 (33.0) 407 (29.6) 78 (82.1) \<0.001 421 (33.1) 64 (32.5) 0.871
Hepatic encephalopathy 244 (16.6) 215 (15.6) 29 (30.5) \<0.001 169 (13.3) 75 (38.1) \<0.001
GI Bleeding 599 (40.7) 591 (43.0) 8 (8.4) \<0.001 527 (41.4) 72 (36.5) 0.197
Infection 154 (10.5) 142 (10.3) 12 (12.6) 0.478 118 (9.3) 36 (18.3) \<0.001
More than one event 150 (10.2) 127 (9.2) 23 (24.2) \<0.001 107 (8.4) 43 (21.8) \<0.001
Precipitating events 1169 (79.5) 1089 (79.2) 80 (84.2) 0.242 998 (78.4) 171 (86.8) 0.007
Bacterial infection 133 (9.0) 125 (9.1) 8 (8.4) 0.826 94 (7.4) 39 (19.8) \<0.001
GI bleeding 458 (31.2) 449 (32.7) 9 (9.5) \<0.001 398 (31.3) 60 (30.5) 0.820
Active alcoholism 595 (40.5) 531 (38.6) 64 (67.4) \<0.001 509 (40.0) 86 (43.7) 0.329
Toxic material 37 (2.5) 32 (2.3) 5 (5.3) 0.085 34 (2.7) 3 (1.5) 0.338
Reactivation of viral infection 61 (4.1) 56 (4.1) 5 (5.3) 0.590 57 (4.4) 4 (2.0) 0.109
Others 47 (3.2) 45 (3.3) 2 (2.1) 0.765 38 (3.0) 9 (4.6) 0.240
SIRS 355 (24.1) 331 (24.1) 24 (25.3) 0.793 287 (22.5) 68 (34.5) 0.001
Mean Blood Pressure (mmHg) 86 ± 17 86 ± 16 90 ± 17 0.046 88 ± 21 83 ± 21 0.003
Laboratory findings
WBC (x10^9^/L) 8.09 ± 4.99 7.95 ± 4.91 10.08 ± 5.69 0.001 7.70 ± 4.68 10.63 ± 6.07 \<0.001
ANC (x10^9^/L) 5.79 ± 4.49 5.65 ± 4.40 7.76 ±5.30 \<0.001 5.39 ± 4.19 8.33 ± 5.49 \<0.001
Hemoglobin (g/dL) 10.2 ± 2.8 10.2 ±2.8 10.3 ± 2.3 0.585 10.3 ± 2.8 9.2 ± 2.7 \<0.001
Platelet count (x10^**9**^/L) 106 ± 63 106 ± 63 106 ± 61 0.953 108 ± 64 92 ± 53 0.001
Albumin (g/dL) 2.9 ± 0.6 2.9 ± 0.6 2.5 ± 0.5 \<0.001 2.9 ± 0.6 2.5 ± 0.6 \<0.001
Bilirubin (mg/dL) 5.2 ± 6.6 4.6 ± 6.1 14.2 ± 7.6 \<0.001 4.5 ± 5.8 9.5 ± 9.6 \<0.001
ALT (U/L) 105 ± 370 102 ± 369 144 ± 395 0.285 106 ± 382 96 ± 285 0.716
AST (U/L) 185 ± 635 164 ± 386 487 ± 2008 0.120 168 ± 393 292 ± 1418 0.226
GGT (U/L) 255 ± 368 255 ± 372 252 ± 309 0.942 267 ± 379 176 ± 274 \<0.001
INR 1.53 ± 0.58 1.49 ± 0.54 2.11 ± 0.75 \<0.001 1.45 ± 0.46 2.04 ± 0.93 \<0.001
CRP (mg/L) 3.4 ± 9.7 3.4 ± 9.9 4.1 ± 6.7 0.465 3.0 ± 9.2 6.0 ± 12.2 0.001
Creatinine (mg/dL) 1.2 ± 1.3 1.1 ± 1.0 1.8 ± 2.9 0.019 0.9 ± 0.4 2.8 ± 2.7 \<0.001
Sodium (mEq/L) 136 ± 6 136 ± 6 132 ± 7 \<0.001 136 ± 6 133 ± 7 \<0.001
Clinical scores
CTP score 9 ± 2 9 ± 2 11 ± 1 \<0.001 9± 2 11 ± 2 \<0.001
MELD score 17 ± 7 16 ± 6 27 ± 7 \<0.001 15 ± 5 27 ± 8 \<0.001
MELD-Na score 19 ± 8 18± 7 29 ± 7 \<0.001 17 ± 7 29 ± 7 \<0.001
CLIF-SOFA score 5 ± 3 5 ± 3 9 ± 4 \<0.001 4 ± 2 10 ± 4 \<0.001
Organ failure by CLIF-SOFA score
Liver 176 (12.0) 131 (9.5) 45 (47.4) \<0.001 108 (8.5) 68 (34.5) \<0.001
Kidney 137 (9.3) 114 (8.3) 23 (24.2) \<0.001 14 (1.1) 123 (62.4) \<0.001
Cerebral 104 (7.1) 87 (6.3) 17 (17.9) \<0.001 55 (4.3) 49 (24.9) \<0.001
Coagulation 78 (5.3) 58 (4.2) 20 (21.1) \<0.001 22 (1.7) 56 (28.4) \<0.001
Circulation 55 (3.7) 50 (3.6) 5 (5.3) 0.419 14 (1.1) 41 (20.8) \<0.001
Lungs 35 (2.4) 30 (2.2) 5 (5.3) 0.070 5 (0.4) 30 (15.2) \<0.001
^\#^ Decompensation by the CLIF-C definition
ACLF, Acute-on-chronic liver failure; AARC, Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver ACLF Research Consortium; CLIF-C, Chronic liver failure consortium; CLD, chronic liver disease; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; GI, gastrointestinal; SIRS, systemic inflammatory response syndrome; WBC, white blood cell count; ANC, absolute neutrophil count; AST, aspartate transaminase; ALT, alanine transaminase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl-transferase; INR, international normalization ratio; CRP, C-reactive protein; CTP, Child-Turcotte-Pugh; MELD, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease; CLIF-SOFA, Chronic Liver Failure---sequential organ failure assessment
Prevalence of ACLF according to the AARC and CLIF-C {#sec012}
---------------------------------------------------
Of the 1470 patients, 1021 patients (69.5%) had no prior decompensation and 140 patients (9.5%) developed ACLF by the AARC definition (95 patients at admission and 45 patients within 28 days of admission). In contrast, 1352 patients (92.0%) had cirrhosis and 274 patients (18.6%) developed ACLF by the CLIF-C definitions (197 patients at admission and 77 patients within 28 days of admission). Three hundred forty patients (23.1%) met the AARC and/or CLIF-C definitions (only the AARC definition: 66 patients; only the CLIF-C definition: 200 patients; both definitions: 74 patients). ACLF developed within 28 days of admission in 45 (32.1%) and in 77 (28.1%) patients according to the AARC and CLIF-C definitions, respectively (Figs [1](#pone.0146745.g001){ref-type="fig"} and [2](#pone.0146745.g002){ref-type="fig"}).
{#pone.0146745.g002}
Mortality of ACLF patients according to the AARC and/or CLIF-C definition {#sec013}
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Of the 1470 patients, 265 (18.0%) died during the follow-up period of 215±138 days. The 28-day and 90-day mortality in the study cohort were 7.6% (112/1470) and 13.2% (173/1307), respectively. The 28-day and 90-day mortality rates in patients with or without ACLF showed significant differences based on AARC and CLIF-C definition ([Fig 3](#pone.0146745.g003){ref-type="fig"}).
{#pone.0146745.g003}
In patients with ACLF, the patients who satisfied both definitions showed significantly lower 28-day survival rate than those who satisfied only AARC definition (55.4% vs. 93.9%, *P* \< 0.001), but not lower than those who satisfied only CLIF-C definition (55.4% vs. 68.0%, *P* = 0.081). The 90-day survival rate was significantly lower in patients who satisfied both definitions than in those who satisfied just one definition (either the AARC or the CLIF-C) (37.2% vs. 92.4% or 55.1%, *P* \< 0.001) ([Fig 4](#pone.0146745.g004){ref-type="fig"}). Patients who only met the CLIF-C definition had significantly lower 28-day and 90-day survival rates than those who only met the AARC definition (68.0% vs. 93.9%, *P* \< 0.001; 55.1% vs. 92.4%, *P* \< 0.001).
{#pone.0146745.g004}
Patients with ACLF at or within 28 days of admission showed a significantly lower 90-day cumulative survival rate compared to those without ACLF (according to the AARC definition: 67.8% or 55.4% vs. 90.5%, *P* \< 0.001; according to the CLIF-C definition: 58.8% or 29.1% vs. 96.5%, *P* \< 0.001) ([Fig 5](#pone.0146745.g005){ref-type="fig"}). The cumulative survival rate of those who developed ACLF after admission was significantly lower than that of those who had ACLF at admission according to the CLIF-C definition (*P* \< 0.001), but not according to the AARC definition (*P* = 0.154).
{#pone.0146745.g005}
Discordant baseline characteristics between patients with ACLF defined by the AARC and CLIF-C {#sec014}
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Baseline characteristics of patients with ACLF who met only the AARC definition, only the CLIF-C definition, or both definitions are shown in [Table 2](#pone.0146745.t002){ref-type="table"}. The CLIF-C only group were older, had HE and GIB more frequently compared to the AARC only group. In contrast, ascites was more frequent as a cause of acute deterioration in the AARC only group. The CLIF-C only group had more bacterial infections and GIB, but less active alcoholism and toxic material use as the precipitating event than the AARC only group. Mean blood pressure was lower in the CLIF-C only group. In laboratory findings, the CLIF-C only group showed higher creatinine level and lower hemoglobin, and gamma-glutamyl transferase levels than the AARC only group. Patients who only met the CLIF-C definition and both definitions had more organ failure, such as kidney, cerebral, coagulation, circulation and lung failure, than patients who only met the AARC definition. In contrast, hepatic failure was more frequent in the AARC only group. In terms of clinical scoring systems, MELD, MELD-Na and CLIF-SOFA scores were higher in the CLIF-C only group than in the AARC only group.
10.1371/journal.pone.0146745.t002
###### Discordant baseline characteristics between patients with ACLF defined by the AARC or CLIF-C.
{#pone.0146745.t002g}
Characteristics (N = 340) AARC only (N = 66) CLIF-C only (N = 200) Both Definitions (N = 74) *P* value
----------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------- ---------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------
**Age (y)** **50 ± 9** **56 ± 11**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **52 ± 9**[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
**Male sex** **50 (75.8)** **154 (77.0)** **57 (77.0)** **0.977**
**Cause of CLD** **0.640**
** HBV** **4 (6.1)** **23 (11.5)** **4 (5.4)**
** HCV** **1 (1.5)** **12 (6.0)** **2 (2.7)**
** Alcohol** **51 (77.3)** **136 (68.0)** **57 (77.0)**
** HBV+alcohol** **4 (6.1)** **15 (7.5)** **6 (8.1)**
** HCV+alcohol** **2 (3.0)** **3 (1.5)** **1 (1.4)**
** Others** **4 (6.1)** **11 (5.5)** **4 (5.4)**
**Acute Decompensation**
** Ascites** **50 (75.8)** **58 (29.0)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **44 (59.5)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"}[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** Hepatic encephalopathy** **6 (9.1)** **63 (31.5)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **29 (39.2)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** GI Bleeding** **8 (12.1)** **77 (38.5)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **12 (16.2)**[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** Infection** **8 (12.1)** **42 (21.0)** **16 (21.6)** **0.247**
** More than one event** **8 (12.1)** **42 (21.0)** **21 (28.4)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.061**
**Precipitating events**
** Bacterial infection** **5 (7.6)** **37 (18.5)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **15 (20.3)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.079**
** GI Bleeding** **5 (7.6)** **62 (31.0)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **13 (17.6)**[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** Active alcoholism** **43 (65.2)** **82 (41.0)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **44 (59.5)**[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.001**
** Toxic material** **3 (4.5)** **1 (0.5)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **2 (2.7)** **0.076**
** Reactivation of viral infection** **3 (4.5)** **5 (2.5)** **5 (6.8)** **0.249**
** Others** **2 (3.0)** **10 (5.0)** **1 (1.4)** **0.351**
**SIRS** **16 (24.2)** **65 (32.5)** **28 (37.8)** **0.223**
**Mean Blood Pressure (mmHg)** **94 ± 15** **83 ± 19**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **83 ± 22**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
**Laboratory findings**
** WBC (x10^9^/uL)** **9.63 ± 7.10** **10.25 ± 6.12** **11.88 ± 5.95** **0.079**
** ANC (x10^9^/uL)** **7.16 ± 6.67** **7.99 ± 5.55** **9.43 ± 5.31** **0.056**
** Hemoglobin (g/dL)** **10.8 ± 2.2** **9.3 ± 2.7**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **10.0 ± 2.6** **\<0.001**
** Platelet count (x10^9^/L)** **110 ± 60** **91 ± 54** **105 ± 68** **0.034**
** Albumin (g/dL)** **2.6 ± 0.4** **2.6 ± 0.6** **2.5 ± 0.6** **0.618**
** Bilirubin (mg/dL)** **10.5 ± 6.8** **8.1 ± 9.1** **15.0 ± 8.7**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** ALT (U/L)** **83 ± 144** **65 ± 121** **167 ± 447**[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.007**
** AST (U/L)** **191 ± 215** **164 ± 373** **578 ± 2270**[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.019**
** GGT (U/L)** **294 ± 305** **165 ± 237**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **293 ± 365**[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** INR** **1.71 ± 0.29** **1.91 ± 1.08** **2.23 ± 0.97**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.005**
** CRP (mg/L)** **3.76 ± 5.95** **5.78 ± 11.93** **4.69 ± 6.40** **0.330**
** Creatinine (mg/dL)** **0.9 ± 0.4** **2.4 ± 2.1**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **2.3 ± 3.3**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** Sodium (mEq/L)** **135 ± 6** **133 ± 8** **131 ± 7**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.006**
**Clinical scores**
** CTP score** **11 ± 1** **10 ± 2** **11 ± 2**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"}[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** MELD score** **21 ± 4** **24 ± 7**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **28 ± 8**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"}[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** MELD-Na score** **23 ± 5** **27 ± 7**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **31± 7**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"}[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** CLIF-SOFA score** **6 ± 1** **9 ± 4**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **10 ± 4**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"}[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
**Organ failure by CLIF-SOFA score**
** Liver** **16 (24.2)** **52 (26.0)** **40 (54.1)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"}[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** Kidney** **2 (3.0)** **98 (49.0)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **27 (36.5)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** Cerebral** **1 (1.5)** **35 (17.5)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **17 (23.0)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.001**
** Coagulation** **1 (1.5)** **42 (21.0)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **23 (31.1)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
** Circulation** **1 (1.5)** **34 (17.0)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **9 (12.2)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.005**
** Lungs** **0 (0.0)** **23 (11.5)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **8 (10.8)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **0.016**
**Hospital days** **22 ± 24** **20 ± 31** **26 ± 34** **0.331**
**28-day mortality** **4 (6.1)** **64(32.0)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **33 (44.6)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
**90-day mortality (N = 300)** [^§^](#t002fn003){ref-type="table-fn"} **5 (8.9)** **88 (48.4)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"} **45 (72.6)**[\*](#t002fn001){ref-type="table-fn"}[^\#^](#t002fn002){ref-type="table-fn"} **\<0.001**
\*, *P* \< 0.05 vs. only the AARC definition;
^\#^, *P* \<0.05 vs. only the CLIF-C definition.
^§^, Forty patients were lost to follow up at 90 days
ACLF, acute-on-chronic liver failure; AARC, Asian Pacific Association for the Study of the Liver ACLF Research Consortium; CLIF-C, Chronic Liver Failure Consortium; CLD, chronic liver disease; HBV, hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; GI, gastrointestinal; SIRS, systemic inflammatory response syndrome; WBC, white blood cell count; ANC, absolute neutrophil count; ALT, alanine transaminase; AST, aspartate transaminase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl-transferase; INR, international normalized ratio; CRP, C-reactive protein; CTP, Child-Turcotte-Pugh; MELD, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease; CLIF-SOFA, chronic liver failure---sequential organ failure assessment
Mortality according to the definition of underlying CLD (confinement to liver cirrhosis only vs. encompassing liver cirrhosis and other CLD) {#sec015}
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We investigated whether the presence of non-cirrhotic CLD influenced mortality in total enrolled patients with acute deterioration. Because the CLIF-C defines ACLF only in those patients with liver cirrhosis, we analyzed mortality difference according to the presence of ACLF as defined by the AARC ([Fig 6](#pone.0146745.g006){ref-type="fig"}).
{#pone.0146745.g006}
Among patients with liver cirrhosis, the 28-day and 90-day mortalities of patients with ACLF were higher than those without ACLF (28-day mortality: 27.0% vs. 5.8%, *P* \< 0.001; 90-day mortality: 42.6% vs. 10.7%, *P* \< 0.001). Among patients without liver cirrhosis, the 90-day mortality of patients with ACLF was, although not significant, higher than those without ACLF (33.3% vs. 6.0%, *P* = 0.192). However, there was no significant difference in the 28-day mortality (0% vs. 3.5%, *P* = 0.353) ([Fig 6A](#pone.0146745.g006){ref-type="fig"}).
On the other hand, there were no significant differences in the 28-day and 90-day mortality between patients without and with cirrhosis in patients without ACLF (28-day mortality: 3.5% vs. 5.8%, *P* = 0.205; 90-day mortality: 6.0% vs. 10.7%, *P* = 0.169) and with ACLF (28-day mortality: 0% vs. 27.0%, *P* = 0.566; 90-day mortality: 33.3% vs. 42.6%, *P* = 1.000) ([Fig 6B](#pone.0146745.g006){ref-type="fig"}).
Mortality according to the presence of previous AD (confinement to first AD without previous AD vs. encompassing previous AD) {#sec016}
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
We analyzed the survival difference in patients with or without previous history of AD. Of 1470 patients with acute deterioration of CLD, 733 patients (49.9%) had been hospitalized with previous AD based on the CLIF-C definition. There was no significant difference in the cumulative survival rate between the patients with and without previous AD (86.6% vs. 89.4%, *P* = 0.128) ([Fig 7A](#pone.0146745.g007){ref-type="fig"}). When we divided the patients with previous AD into two groups depending on the time of previous AD (more than 1 year prior vs. within 1 year), patients with AD within 1 year showed a significantly lower survival rate than those without AD (81.0% vs. 89.4%, *P* \< 0.001) and with AD more than 1 year prior (81.0% vs. 91.9%, *P* \< 0.001), although no significant difference was seen between patients with AD more than 1 year prior and without AD (91.9% vs. 89.4%, *P* = 0.185) ([Fig 7B](#pone.0146745.g007){ref-type="fig"}).
{#pone.0146745.g007}
Mortality of ACLF patients according to the definition of organ failure (liver failure as a prerequisite vs. extra-hepatic organ failures without liver failure) {#sec017}
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To clarify whether liver failure is a prerequisite for defining ACLF, we analyzed the characteristics of ACLF in patients with liver failure and patients with extra-hepatic organ failures. Of the 340 patients with ACLF according to either the AARC or CLIF-C definition, we compared the 160 patients who had liver failure according to the AARC definition (bilirubin ≥ 5mg/dL and INR ≥ 1.5) to the remaining 180 patients who had extra-hepatic organ failure but without liver failure ([Fig 8A and 8B](#pone.0146745.g008){ref-type="fig"}). Kaplan Meier analysis showed that the 28-day and 90-day cumulative survival rates of those who had extra-hepatic organ failure without liver failure were similar to those of patients who had liver failure as a prerequisite (28-day survival: 68.3% vs. 72.5%, *P* = 0.305; 90-day survival: 57.0% vs. 60.6%, *P* = 0.391). Because the CLIF-C criterion for liver failure is bilirubin ≥ 12 mg/dL, we performed survival analysis of 3 groups divided by serum bilirubin level (group 1: \< 5 mg/dL, group 2: 5--12 mg/dL, and group 3: ≥ 12 mg/dL). The 28-day and 90-day survival rates of group 3 were significantly lower than those of group 1 (50.0% vs. 77.2%, *P* = 0.001 and 31.1% vs. 71.8%, *P* \< 0.001) and group 2 (50.0% vs. 79.0%, *P* \< 0.001 and 31.1% vs. 67.8%, *P* \< 0.001), whereas there was no significant difference between the rates of groups 1 and 2 (*P* = 0.599 and *P =* 0.726) ([Fig 8C and 8D](#pone.0146745.g008){ref-type="fig"}).
{#pone.0146745.g008}
Discussion {#sec018}
==========
ACLF, which results in rapidly deteriorating liver function in patients with underlying CLD, is associated with poor prognosis. Eastern (AARC) and Western (CLIF-C) countries have proposed definitions of ACLF to identify these patients at a high risk of short-term mortality\[[@pone.0146745.ref005], [@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. However, the two definitions of ACLF differ from each other in many ways. This study demonstrated resultant differences in prevalence and mortality of ACLF patients according to the two definitions. In addition, we compared short-term mortality rates according to different criteria among the two definitions: predisposition (CLD vs. cirrhosis only, and first AD only vs. any previous AD) and organ dysfunction (liver failure as a prerequisite vs. extra-hepatic organ failure).
In this study, among 1470 acutely deteriorated CLD patients, the prevalence of ACLF was 9.5% vs. 18.6%, according to the AARC and CLIF-C definitions, respectively. Prevalence based on the CLIF-C definition is somewhat lower than that seen in the CANONIC study (22.6%)\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\] and the single center validation study by Silva et al. (24%)\[[@pone.0146745.ref016]\]. This might be because of the criterion of acute deterioration. This study included jaundice (bilirubin ≥ 3 mg/dL) as acute deterioration criterion, which might have enrolled more acutely deteriorated patients without ACLF. If we included only those patients who fulfilled the AD criteria of the CANONIC study (excluding patients with only jaundice \[bilirubin ≥ 3 mg/dL\]), the prevalence of ACLF was 20.1%, which is similar to that of the CANONIC study.
Patients with ACLF based on both definitions showed significantly higher short-term mortality than those without ACLF ([Fig 3](#pone.0146745.g003){ref-type="fig"}). These findings suggest that both ACLF definitions were able to independently identify the patients with a high risk of short-term mortality. However, there was a significant difference in short-term mortality between patients with ACLF according to the CLIF-C and AARC definitions ([Fig 4](#pone.0146745.g004){ref-type="fig"}). The CLIF-C predefined a 28-day mortality rate greater than 15% as a threshold, whereas the AARC has taken estimated 33% mortality at 28 days into account. In this study, the 28-day and 90-day mortality rates (35.4% and 54.5%, respectively) of ACLF patients based on the CLIF-C definition satisfied the predefined mortality rate threshold and were similar to the results of the CANONIC study\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. However, the 28-day mortality rate of ACLF patients based on the AARC definition (26.4%) did not satisfy the predefined mortality threshold, and the 28-day and 90-day mortality rates were lower than those in the AARC study\[[@pone.0146745.ref017]\]. In addition, even if the previous decompensation within 1 year and extrahepatic organ failure were included, the 28-day mortality rates were also lower than the predefined mortality threshold (previous decompensation within 1 year: 24.3%, extrahepatic organ failure: 26.7%) (data not shown). The low mortality rates seen in this study likely resulted from the differences in patients characteristics compared to the AARC study.
The CANONIC study showed that the mortality of patients with ACLF at admission (33.9%) was similar to that of patients who developed ACLF after admission (29.7%)\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. However, this study showed that patients who developed ACLF after admission had a worse 90-day survival compared to those with ACLF at admission. ACLF development after admission may result from a natural disease course, but some could result from new acute insults, such as nosocomial infection, GI bleeding, or hepatotoxic medication. Therefore, although some patients with acute deterioration may not have ACLF at admission, clinicians should make an effort to prevent patient exposure to new insults, and to detect the development of ACLF early.
Bacterial infection and GIB were more frequent in ACLF patients according to the CLIF-C definition, while active alcoholism and use of toxic material were more frequent in ACLF patients according to the AARC definition in this study. These findings may result from how an acute insult is defined. Active alcohol abuse and toxic material use are typical hepatic insults, and bacterial infections and GIB are typically non-hepatic insults. While CLIF-C definition include non-hepatic insults, whether variceal hemorrhage and sepsis is included is not clear in AARC definition\[[@pone.0146745.ref005], [@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. Duseja et al. reported that non-hepatic insults are common, accounting for 60% of ACLF according to the AARC definition except precipitating events\[[@pone.0146745.ref018]\]. Likewise, non-hepatic insults were common in this study, accounting for 43.9% of ACLF. A previous study had reported that patients with hepatic vs. non-hepatic insults had distinct clinical features, and the non-hepatic insult group had a higher 90-day mortality\[[@pone.0146745.ref019]\]. In addition, infection, typically a non-hepatic insult, is known to be an independent prognostic factor\[[@pone.0146745.ref020], [@pone.0146745.ref021]\]. Therefore, considering the large proportion and high mortality rate, non-hepatic insults should be considered as important precipitating events in ACLF.
The two ACLF definitions define underlying CLD differently. This difference might be due to differences in underlying CLDs and acute insults. More patients had viral infections as underlying CLD and viral superinfections or reactivation of HBV as acute insults in the East than the West\[[@pone.0146745.ref006], [@pone.0146745.ref017]\]. Cirrhosis is not necessary for the development of liver failure by reactivation of HBV or acute viral superinfection. Even without cirrhosis, acute viral superinfections in patients with CLD presented with a more severe course and higher mortality than those without CLD\[[@pone.0146745.ref022], [@pone.0146745.ref023]\]. In this study, non-cirrhotic CLD patients with ACLF according to the AARC definition showed a higher 90-day mortality, although not statistically significant ([Fig 6](#pone.0146745.g006){ref-type="fig"}). In addition, the short-term mortality rates (28-day and 90-day) did not differ between two groups, regardless of the presence of ACLF. This suggests that the presence of cirrhosis per se is not associated with increased mortality in ACLF patients. Although this study included small number of non-cirrhotic patients (118 patients), because of the high 90-day mortality of the non-cirrhotic ACLF patients, it would be better to consider non-cirrhotic CLD as an underlying CLD of ACLF.
The interesting finding is that the etiologies of ACLF was changed. In the 2000's, the main cause of underlying disease in ACLF was alcohol use in Europe\[[@pone.0146745.ref024]\], whereas in the Asia-Pacific region, it was hepatitis B virus\[[@pone.0146745.ref025], [@pone.0146745.ref026]\]. However, according to recent studies of Asia-Pacific region, alcohol use was the most common etiology of underlying CLD\[[@pone.0146745.ref017], [@pone.0146745.ref027]\]. Similarly, our multicenter study in Korea also found that the main cause of underlying liver disease in CLD with acute deterioration was alcohol use. These results may have come from the introduction of universal HBV vaccination program as well as the widespread application of oral antiviral therapy for HBV infection in Korea\[[@pone.0146745.ref028]\].
Another difference in underlying CLD between the two definitions is whether patients with previous decompensation are included or not. Patients with previous decompensation with jaundice, HE, and ascites are excluded in the AARC definition\[[@pone.0146745.ref005]\]. On the contrary, the CANONIC study included these patients, if it was a new AD episode\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. In this study, there was no difference between patients with and without previous AD according to the CLIF-C definition(*P* = 0.128). However, patients who had AD within 1 year showed a significantly lower survival rate than those with AD more than 1 year prior and those without previous AD. Therefore, considering the high mortality rate, it would be better to include the patients who developed AD within 1 year in the definition of ACLF. Interestingly, these results contradict the result of the CANONIC study, which reported that the patients without previous AD had higher mortality rate than those without previous AD owing to a lack of tolerance\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. High mortality of patients with previous AD in this study could be explained by reduced hepatic functional reserve. Patients with previous AD, especially within 1 year, are likely to have reduced hepatic functional reserve because of insufficient time for recovery. Additional acute insult may then lead to more rapid deterioration and higher mortality.
The CLIF-C places more emphasis on extrahepatic organ failure, especially kidney failure\[[@pone.0146745.ref006]\]. However, in the AARC definition, liver failure is mandatory regardless of extrahepatic organ failure\[[@pone.0146745.ref005]\]. When liver failure was defined by the AARC, there was no difference in short-term survival rate between patients who developed extrahepatic organ failure without liver failure and those who had liver failure as a prerequisite, regardless of extrahepatic organ failure. This result means that extrahepatic organ failure is important prognostic factor as much as the liver failure is. However, unlike the AARC, the CLIF-C defines liver failure as bilirubin ≥ 12 mg/dL. When liver failure was defined by the CLIF-C definition, patients with liver failure showed a lower survival rate than those without liver failure. Bilirubin ≥ 12 mg/dL was an independent predictor for short-term mortality (*P* \< 0.001) and was significantly associated with more frequent cerebral, coagulation, and circulation failure compared to bilirubin \< 12 mg/dL (all *P* \< 0.05)(data not shown). Interestingly, patients with a bilirubin 5--12 mg/dL seemed to have better short-term survival than patients with a bilirubin \< 5 mg/dL, even though not statistically significant ([Fig 8](#pone.0146745.g008){ref-type="fig"}). This result might be associated with other organ failure. In this study, patients with a bilirubin \< 5 mg/dL had significantly more frequent kidney failure than patients with a bilirubin 5--12 mg/dL (*P* \< 0.001). In other words, extra-hepatic organ failure may be important for short-term mortality as liver failure. Therefore, extrahepatic organ failure should be included as a diagnostic criterion for ACLF, and further studies are necessary to identify the optimal bilirubin cut-off level for diagnosing ACLF.
This study has several limitations. First, it was a retrospective study, which may have led to selection bias. To overcome this limitation, we consecutively enrolled subjects for the study and collected follow-up data for an average of 6 months. Second, alcohol use was the main etiology of CLD and acute insults. In addition, non-cirrhotic CLD patients accounted for only a small proportion (8.0%) of the study group. Thus, to define ACLF more accurately, prospective studies that include more diverse etiology and precipitating factors or studies individualized by etiology are necessary.
In conclusion, discrepant ACLF definitions between Eastern and Western countries resulted in differences in mortality and patient characteristics, which arise because underlying CLD, precipitating factors, and organ failures are defined differently. We suggest that non-cirrhotic CLD, previous AD within 1 year, and extrahepatic organ failure should be included in the diagnostic criteria for ACLF. Efforts are urgently needed to bridge the difference between the two definitions and to develop a universal definition of ACLF.
[^1]: **Competing Interests:**The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
[^2]: Conceived and designed the experiments: TYK DSS HYK DHS ELY CWK YKJ DJK. Performed the experiments: KTS SSL CHL THK JHK WHC HJY SEK SKB BSL JYJ JIS HSK SWN HCK YSK SGK HBC JMY JHS HJL SHP BHH. Analyzed the data: TYK DSS EHC DJK. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: CHK DJK. Wrote the paper: TYK DSS DJK.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Central
|
The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, is the latest to pile on to Democratic criticism of former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke, who is running for president and wants to institute a mandatory assault weapons buyback.
At last week's presidential debate, O'Rourke sparked outrage when he made the comment, “Hell, yes, we’re going to take your AR-15, your AK-47."
His policy plan includes a mandatory government buyback of "assault weapons and voluntary buyback for handguns."
Democrats and Republicans alike were swift in their condemnation of O'Rourke, arguing that it made it harder for both sides of the aisle to reach a compromise on gun control legislation.
Schumer weighed in on that conversation in a call with reporters on Wednesday, according to the local Times Union newspaper in Albany, N.Y.
"I don't know of any other Democrat who agrees with Beto O'Rourke, but it's no excuse not to go forward," Schumer said.
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons of Delaware has said of O'Rourke's statement, "I frankly think that that clip will be played for years at Second Amendment rallies with organizations that try to scare people by saying Democrats are coming for your guns."
In fact, a few Democratic presidential hopefuls have expressed support for similar assault weapon buyback proposals.
Asked if she supports a mandatory buyback of assault weapons earlier this month but before O'Rourke's remark, California Sen. Kamala Harris responded "I think it's a good idea," according to Bloomberg.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, too, told Vox in an interview last month that he supports "a buyback program and a mandatory turnover."
"Now, what the consequences are for that — I do not think we should be going out and arresting people for having guns," Booker said. "I think that is language that is being used by the right and by the gun lobbies to try to scare people away from an assault rifle ban."
Another Democrat running for president, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, supports mandatory buybacks.
"We cannot have assault weapons in our society. We've seen the devastating impact, they need to be banned. And that means, by definition, you don't leave millions and millions of them out there. The buyback is the obvious approach," he told Fox News' Tucker Carlson.
Recent national polls also show a solid contingent of Americans support mandatory buybacks of assault weapons. An ABC News/Washington Post survey conducted at the beginning of September found that 52% of respondents support it. A separate Quinnipiac University poll from late August had 46% of respondents in agreement, including 71% of Democratic respondents and 18% of Republicans.
O'Rourke's hometown of El Paso, Texas, was the site of a recent mass shooting, one of several that have prompted Democratic lawmakers to push for gun control reform legislation.
In the wake the El Paso shooting and another in Odessa, Texas, Schumer urged Senate Majority Leader Republican Mitch McConnell to bring background check legislation that was passed by the House early this year to the Senate floor.
President Donald Trump has also weighed in on O'Rourke's remarks, calling him "Dummy Beto," and accusing him of complicating a bipartisan deal.
Trump has wavered in his support for new gun control legislation, and the Senate majority leader has said he will defer to the president's decision on which measures to support before putting any legislation to a vote in the Senate.
Trump said in an interview with Fox News that aired Thursday that "we're not moving on anything."
"We're going very slowly in one way because we want to make sure it's right. We're doing a very careful job. We're working with the Democrats, we're working with Republicans," he continued.
"Part of the problem that we have is because of Beto O'Rourke's statement about taking away guns," Trump said.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Q:
Unescaped HTML and source code bleeding through CW links
Eeeeek, what happened there?
Seems that for CW posts, the linking is broken. Actually quite nice source code revealing here in the HTML:
2 revs<br><a href="/users/48078">slhck</a> # Models\PostNoticeType.cs
A:
A bit was left behind when refactoring to use our new Moonspeak.Complier ™ © ® ©
It should be fixed in the incoming deployment.
that fixed one bug, but apparently we've uncovered a deeper issue with the new compiler...
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
The present invention relates to a wavelength selective optical recording and reproducing method.
An example of a conventional wavelength selective recording and reproducing device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,976. FIG. 10 of this application shows the construction thereof schematically and FIGS. 11a, 11b and 11c correspond to FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 of the U.S. Patent, respectively.
In FIG. 10, the recording and reproducing device is constituted with a wavelength variable light source 10, a wavelength controller 11 for changing the wavelength of the light source 10, a collimator lens 12 for collimating light from the light source 10 into parallel beam, an optical deflector 13, an objective lens 14 for condensing light from the light source 10 to a minute spot and directing it onto a recording medium 15, a memory element 16 selected by the optical deflector 13 from memory elements of the recording medium 15 and an optical sensor 17 for detecting light passed through the selected memory element 16.
Light from the light source 10 is collimated by the collimator lens 12 to parallel light and after condensed by the objective lens 14 to a light spot directed onto the selected memory element 16 on the recording medium 15. The selection of the memory element is performed arbitrarily by the optical deflector 13. The principle of recording and reproducing of wavelength selective information on the selected memory element 16 will be described with reference to FIGS. 11a, 11b and 11c.
In FIG. 11a which shows an absorption spectrum of the recording medium prior to the wavelength selective recording, the spectrum is broadly spreaded. When such medium is irradiated with light having a light intensity spectrum such as shown by a dotted line in FIG. 11a, the absorption spectrum provides sharp negative spikes at wavelengths of the irradiating light as shown in FIG. 11b. The negative spike is called as "spectral hole". When such hole occurs, it is considered that a data "1" is stored at the corresponding wavelength and a data "0" is stored at any other wavelength at which no spectral hole occurs. In order to form a hole at any arbitrary wavelength, the wavelength of the light source 10 is regulated by the wavelength controller 11 to a value at the wavelength of the hole to be recorded and to increase the light intensity of the light source 10 to a value necessary to perform a recording. On the other hand, in order to readout signals from the medium on which information is recorded in wavelength selective mode such as shown in FIG. 11b, a wavelength scanning is performed from an upper limit A to a lower limit B of the memory wavelength range with the intensity of the light source 10 being constant. Since the absorptivity is reduced at the respective hole wavelength as shown in FIG. 11b, an optical intensity spectrum such as shown in FIG. 11c is obtained by detecting light that has passed through the medium 15 by using the optical detector 17. Although FIG. 11c shows the wavelength spectrum, it is possible to obtain a reproduced signal output at an output of the optical detector 17 by scanning the wavelength at a constant speed in time. The reproduced signal is in time-series, that is, a time series of signals forming information.
In the conventional wavelength selective optical recording and reproducing device constructed as above, a time series signal existing in a memory element which is wavelength-scanned to reproduce information contained therein will be lost completely if the memory element becomes inoperative for some reason.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
USPTO Backgrounds
|
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /media/www/hollywood/Web/releases/20150325105258/vendor/doctrine/common/lib/Doctrine/Common/Annotations/FileCacheReader.php on line 202
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /media/www/hollywood/Web/releases/20150325105258/vendor/doctrine/common/lib/Doctrine/Common/Annotations/FileCacheReader.php on line 202
Warning: Invalid argument supplied for foreach() in /media/www/hollywood/Web/releases/20150325105258/vendor/doctrine/common/lib/Doctrine/Common/Annotations/FileCacheReader.php on line 202
Review: 'The Legend of Hercules' Has No Brains Whatsoever (But Man, Those Shoulders!)
Summit via Everett Collection
You can imagine that Renny Harlin, director and one quadrant of the writing team for The Legend of Hercules, began his pitch as such: We'll start with a war, because lots of these things start with wars. It feels like this was the principal maxim behind a good deal of the creative choices in this latest update of the Ancient Greek myth. There are always horse riding scenes. There are generally arena battles. There are CGI lions, when you can afford 'em. Oh, and you've got to have a romantic couple canoodling at the base of a waterfall. Weaving them all together cohesively would be a waste of time — just let the common threads take form in a remarkably shouldered Kellan Lutz and action sequences that transubstantiate abjectly to and fro slow-motion.
But pervading through Lutz's shirtless smirks and accent continuity that calls envy from Johnny Depp's Alice in Wonderland performance is the obtrusive lack of thought that went into this picture. A proverbial grab bag of "the basics" of the classic epic genre, The Legend of Hercules boasts familiarity over originality. So much so that the filmmakers didn't stop at Hercules mythology... they barely started with it, in fact. There's more Jesus Christ in the character than there is the Ancient Greek demigod, with no lack of Gladiator to keep things moreover relevant. But even more outrageous than the void of imagination in the construct of Hercules' world is its script — a piece so comically dim, thin, and idiotic that you will laugh. So we can't exactly say this is a totally joyless time at the movies.
Summit via Everett Collection
Surrounding Hercules, a character whose arc takes him from being a nice enough strong dude to a nice enough strong dude who kills people and finally owns up to his fate — "Okay, fine, yes, I guess I'm a god" — are a legion of characters whose makeup and motivations are instituted in their opening scenes and never change thereafter. His de facto stepdad, the teeth-baring King Amphitryon (Scott Adkins), despises the boy for being a living tribute to his supernatural cuckolding; his half-brother Iphicles (Liam Garrigan) is the archetypical scheming, neutered, jealous brother figure right down to the facial scar. The dialogue this family of mongoloids tosses around is stunningly brainless, ditto their character beats. Hercules can't understand how a mystical stranger knows his identity, even though he just moments ago exited a packed coliseum chanting his name. Iphicles defies villainy and menace when he threatens his betrothed Hebe (Gaia Weiss), long in love with Hercules, with the terrible fate of "accepting [him] and loving [their] children equally!" And the dad... jeez, that guy must really be proud of his teeth.
With no artistic feat successfully accomplished (or even braved, really) by this movie, we can at the very least call it inoffensive. There is nothing in The Legend of Hercules with which to take issue beyond its dismal intellect, and in a genre especially prone to regressive activity, this is a noteworthy triumph. But you might not have enough energy by the end to award The Legend of Hercules with this superlative. Either because you'll have laughed yourself into a coma at the film's idiocy, or because you'll have lost all strength trying to fend it off.
1/5
Follow @Michael Arbeiter
//
| Follow @Hollywood_com
//
Country music star Randy Travis has been hospitalised in Texas with a heart ailment. The 54-year-old singer was admitted on Sunday (07Jul13) and is currently in critical condition, his spokesperson tells TheWrap.com.
The Honky Tonk Moon hitmaker is suffering from complications stemming from recently diagnosed viral cardiomyopathy, a heart condition caused by an infection.
The news comes almost a year after Travis was taken into custody under suspicion of driving while intoxicated, obstruction and retaliation after crashing his truck in August, 2012, and then allegedly verbally threatened officers who arrived at the scene.
Travis, who was naked at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to one count of DWI in January (13) and was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay a fine, serve 30 days in an alcohol treatment facility and perform 100 hours of community service.
Embattled country star Randy Travis has filed a lawsuit against two state agencies in Texas to prevent footage from his August (12) arrest from going public. The singer was taken into custody under suspicion of driving while intoxicated, obstruction and retaliation on 7 August (12), after crashing his truck in Tioga and then allegedly verbally threatening officers who arrived at the scene.
Travis, who was naked at the time of the incident, pleaded guilty to one count of DWI in January (13) and was sentenced to two years probation and ordered to pay a fine, serve 30 days in an alcohol treatment facility and perform 100 hours of community service.
Now he has taken legal action against Department of Public Safety and Office of the Attorney General chiefs in a bid to keep patrol car video and other evidence about the case under wraps after media groups requested the footage under the Public Information Act.
The 54 year old filed papers on Tuesday (14May13), seeking $100,000 (GBP64,516) and a judgement barring both departments from honouring the request, according to local publication the Austin America-Statesman.
Fallen producer Scott Storch has locked himself away in the studio to focus on his music comeback after overcoming a serious drug problem. The hip-hop hitmaker famously blew his $30 million (£18.75 million) fortune on drugs, girls and flash cars, but his party lifestyle came to an abrupt halt in 2009 when he realised he'd burned through all of his money.
He filed for bankruptcy that year (09) and checked into a rehabilitation facility in Florida in a bid to beat his substance abuse issues, and now Storch claims he's clean and sober and ready to rebuild his reputation.
The beatmaker, who previously collaborated with stars including 50 Cent, Beyonce and Pink, admits his love for music has been reignited once more and he's keeping himself out of trouble by throwing himself into his work.
He tells AllHipHop.com, "I think I'm finally falling in love with music again. I lost the passion for a while... due to public personal issues and stuff I went through...
"As time goes by, the clarity I'm gaining everyday, I feel like my music is getting better. More vivid and just effortless... I'm really focused in the studio, doing more production than ever. I'm like a studio junkie now...
"I'm doing just fine. I'm living a healthy life... I just (sic) been very secluded in the past few months and just in the studio focusing on that... I didn't forget how to make hits... I do this... I'm inspired and hungry. I got a big appetite for success right now."
Storch also reveals he's been considering a new career as a DJ to subsidise his income and raise the profile of his new music: "The DJ is really making some serious paper (money) and it's a good venue (clubs) to solicit your own records. I'm trying to do something a little different, similar to the way Travis Barker and DJ AM did."
When Cougar Town was booted from ABC and moved to basic cable, we wept. When the sitcom bade farewell to showrunners Bill Lawrence and Kevin Biegel, we sobbed. And when we realized that it would be up against Robot Combat League, we bawled openly. But our fair underdog has proven itself resilient: Cougar Town has cranked out a gem of a fourth season, and is now officially slated to give us a fifth!
RELATED: 'Community' Is Doing a Puppet Episode — Will It Work?
TBS has announced that the Courteney Cox-com will officially be returning for a Season 5, set to air in 2014. The series, which focuses on the daily expositions of hedonism from divorced real estate agent Jules Cobb (Cox) and her friends and family members in her Florida residence, is presently gearing up to close its fourth season, which will broadcast its finale on Apr. 9.
RELATED: Debra Messing Graces CBS with Comedy Pilot
In Season 4, we've seen Jules adjust to her second marriage to bartender and neighbor Grayson (Josh Hopkins), and Jules' son Travis earn the affection of his longtime unrequited love Laurie (Busy Phillips). Season 5 can only expand the Cougar Town universe, introducing more storylines for the likes of stars Christa Miller, Ian Gomez, and scene-stealer Brian Van Holt.
Follow Michael Arbeiter on Twitter @MichaelArbeiter
[Photo Credit: TBS]
You Might Also Like:Topanga's Revealing Lingerie Shoot: Hello '90s! 25 Stars Before They Were Famous
What Open Water did for scuba diving with your spouse, Scenic Route should do for road trips in the desert with your best friend. Directors/siblings Kevin Goetz and Michael Goetz have made for one of the most intense, effective movie-going experiences of SXSW... and it's only day two.
RELATED: 'Evil Dead' Takes SXSW On a Grisly, Gory Ride
The premise is simple: two best friends Mitchell and Carter (Josh Duhamel and Dan Fogler, respectively) hit the road to catch up for old times sake. The two have drifted, as adults tend to do, with Mitchell in a stable, if not passion-free marriage and career, and Carter as the aimless slacker. On paper it seems like Duhamel and Fogler are simply playing into their usual archetypes, he the handsome leading man and he the wacky sidekick, but Scenic Road turns it on its head and lets the actors beat the ever-living s**t out of them. Literally.
In fact, that's exactly how Scenic Route begins. We see two men, one of whom is sporting a Travis Bickle-esque mohawk (Duhamel, in what marks his most daring, impressive performance to date), in the middle of the desert, bloodied and bruised, fighting as dirty as the tattered clothes they are wearing. We haven't yet learned that these two are lifelong friends who have let unkind words and the unforgiving elements get to them. One of them takes a crutch to the other one's temple and everything goes dark. Only, that's not the beginning of the story, or the end for that matter.
The movie starts, innocently enough, as almost a buddy road trip comedy, but it descends into something else entirely. It is part-jet black comedy, part-horror film, part-moral drama, part-human study, and completely and utterly f**ked up. When we meet Mitchell and Carter moments after that shocking opening sequence, they look completely fine. Even more confusing, Mitchell doesn't have a mohawk. So how do they get there exactly?
After Carter makes his old truck they're driving through the desert in break down intentionally to spend more quality time with Mitchell, the two not only have to battle the elements (with no food and no water in the desert, which is as unrelenting in the day as it is the night), but each other. With nowhere to go and increasingly mounting tension, the two friends begin to unravel on each other, saying things they can't quite take back.
RELATED: SXSW 2013: Our 5 Must-See Movies
High emotions, mixed with the delirium of being stranded in the vast desert — who knew wide open spaces could feel so claustrophobic? It sends the men into a tailspin, not only leading to that ill-advised mohawk (the free-spirited Carter somehow convinces the straight-laced Mitchell to get the haircut he always wanted... in the middle of the night, with a blade from a pocket knife) and eventually that vicious, violent fight.
What happens next, well, I don't want to spoil it for you. But whatever you think happens to these guys after their blood, sweat, and tear-soaked fight doesn't. The last 40 minutes of the movie, fittingly enough, takes a much different road than you thought it would. Somewhere at the intersection of 127 Hours and Buried, you might think you have finally figured out Scenic Route's path, but then it takes its own winding, twisted detour.
While there are some frustratingly distracting moments (including Carter's inane decision to turn down help when they first break down), the dialogue-heavy feature, which spends most of its running time on the side of a dirt road in the desert, never loses your attention. You hang on these men's every action, every word uttered, determined to find out if they make it out of this journey unscathed. Well, relatively speaking.
RELATED: The 2013 SXSW Film Lineup
A veritable case study in grown men, and their relationships with each other (a few visions of Fight Club danced through my head), Scenic Route will make you no less scared of what nature will do to you as compared to what the ones you love are capable of doing to you. Scenic Route is a movie that crawls under your skin and stays there for a while, thanks largely in part to its haunting ending.
Follow Aly on Twitter @AlySemigran
From Our Partners:Kim Kardashians Best Bikini Moments (PHOTOS) Brooke Mueller Overdose? Rep Speaks About New Drama For Charlie Sheen’s Ex
This is it. Way back in May, the day after American Idol ended, when we first met all of these hopefuls, we knew it would come down to this night: The Season 9 performance finale.
And here we are, with four left standing – Cyrus, Chehon, Eliana and Tiffany – and for once, they’re dancing for your votes. Live. This week’s performance correlates directly to next week’s results, for the first time all season.
No pressure or anything. But something told me these four were up for it, especially after the way they all gave it everything last week. They all danced like they really, really wanted it, and at this point, it’s anyone’s game.
Next week’s finale-finale will reveal two winners – a girl and a guy – who will hold the title of America’s Favorite Dancer(s) for the next nine or so months until the cycle begins again.
Joining Nigel and Mary on the judging panel for the performance finale was Rob Marshall (I was hoping for a Ben Millepied repeat, but alas, no dice). First up was an interesting spectacle: Cyrus doing the paso doble. With Eliana. Oh, boy. I was actually thinking earlier this week about the fact that Cyrus hasn’t really been given any challenging styles this season, so the producers really pulled out all the stops for Tuesday’s show.
Both Cyrus and Eliana were clad in red and black, and Cyrus was supposed to be dressed like a matador, but he really just looked like he was wearing a tube dress that he couldn’t pull up all the way. As usual, Eliana was excellent and she carried her partner by attracting all of the attention to herself, thereby masking the fact that Cyrus didn’t really have to do anything except lift her, spin her and wave his arms every once in a while.
At one point mid-routine, he actually attempted some kind of weird cartwheel that truly looked like that scene in Dumb and Dumber when Jim Carrey is getting ready to fight the cook at the restaurant.
Nigel told Eliana she has a magical combination of performance and technique. Instead of critiquing Cyrus, Nigel chose to remind all of us that Cyrus didn’t ever believe he could become a part of this show, that he could make it into the finale, that he could ever escape his apartment with 400 roommates, etc. Blah, blah, blah. Mary actually one-upped Nigel by using the word “conquered” to describe what Cyrus did to the paso doble.
Tiffany has been making huge strides over the last few weeks, but could she continue it in the finale? Hopefully. Her first performance of the night, with all-star Will’s help, once again showed off all of her strengths, of which she has many: Her lines are so clean, her extension is always so perfect (pay attention, Cyrus), and she has the ideal combination of technical skill and character. Plus, she’s so, so versatile—not that Eliana isn’t, but I’m always so impressed with how perfect Tiffany is, no matter what style they saddle her with.
Mary told Tiffany that she is the epitome of a fabulous dancer and a great partner. Rob complimented Sonya for her choreography. Nigel said Tiffany’s lines and stage presence were so strong that they hid the fact that she’s so tiny.
After a quick break, Eliana got right back onstage—this time, with Chehon, for a ballet number. Could there be anything more perfect for these two? What a great partnership. They’re both such excellent classical dancers that even before this started, you knew it was going to be one of the best performances of the season.
It really was magical: There was Nutcracker choreography, and there was a pink tutu for Eliana and a white baptism costume for Chehon, and there was one spectacular lift in the middle of the routine that was so perfectly timed to the track that the entire audience burst out into cheers. It was like the ending of Black Swan times a million. If the producers let Chehon dance like this all season (kind of how they let Cyrus do hip-hop all season), he’d be a shoo-in for the victory. Maybe this will get him there.
Obviously, this got a standing ovation from the panel. Rob couldn’t believe Chehon’s versatility, and he said Eliana’s extension was breathtaking. Nigel also raved about the difficulty level of this routine and said that Chehon made the lifts look easy. Mary said that Chehon and Eliana are a triumph for the show.
Next, it was time for Tiffany and Cyrus to pair up. Would Tiffany be able to mask Cyrus’ shortcomings as expertly as Eliana? Would he bring her down? No, they’d be just fine because they got a lyrical hip-hop routine. Of course they did. There could be nothing better suited to Cyrus, but I guess I can’t complain because Chehon got a wheelhouse routine, too.
The story was about a young couple that breaks up and makes up once a week (how creative!). Cyrus was okay, but once again, what really amazed me about this number was how seamlessly Tiffany shifted from the paso doble to hip-hop—and how perfect she was in both routines. She really outshined Cyrus, which is difficult to do in a hip-hop routine; she really is so natural and has so much rhythm, whereas Cyrus seemed a bit behind the beat, and his “acting” was a little garish.
Nigel began by congratulating both Tiffany and Cyrus for avoiding the bottom three for the entirety of the competition. Yay. Then, he gave Cyrus credit for being able to memorize the choreography. That’s kind of like giving an Idol contestant props for remembering the words, no? Mary said they both killed it, and that Cyrus continues to get stronger and stronger every week (‘kay). Rob said both Cyrus and Tiffany had abandon, which he loved, and their routine was his favorite of the night.
Eliana’s final solo of the competition was up next, and of course, it was classical because that is where she excels. But it didn’t disappoint. Like Tiffany, Eliana has the ability to be so delicate in a routine like this, and yet she becomes a completely different person in a hip-hop routine, or in a jazz routine, or in a Broadway routine. And plus, she has to be one of the most likeable contestants in the history of this show.
For his all-star routine, Chehon paired up with Allison for a contemporary number about a guy who lets go of his girl because he wants her to pursue her dreams. These concepts are just so groundbreaking. But all corniness aside, this was once again an excellent routine for Chehon (and one that required him to have a completely unbuttoned shirt, naturally).
These choreographers are so, so good at creating these classical routines that really allow Chehon to show off. He’s such a strong partner, but he’s also so technically impressive on his own. He did a one-handed lift in this routine. Hello. He can do so much that Cyrus cannot that it would be such a robbery if he lost.
Also, just for the record, the acting in this routine was excellent. That’s not always Chehon’s strong suit, but on Tuesday, he brought it. Like Tiffany, it’s so easy to see how much he’s grown throughout his competition, and he deserves mad props for that.
Mary said Chehon was loose and free throughout the number, maybe for the first time all season. Rob was impressed with the height Chehon managed to get, and he told Allison she was “fierce.” Nigel spent a little too much time lauding the praise on Allison’s acting skills, but he did add that Chehon came alive in this partnership. He said that in the past, Chehon has had a hard time showing emotion; I choose to blame that on his robot of a partner who got sent home last week.
Next up, it was time for Tiff and Eliana to do a Broadway burlesque number. I love it when the ladies dance together! I miss this. One of my favorite performances from this whole season was from the first top 20 show, when Tiffany and Audrey did a contemporary number together.
These two ladies are so great. They have so much personality, and when they dance together, they really just set the place on fire. The routine and the track were so perfect for them, too – “When You’re Good to Mama” from Chicago – and it really made me wish they didn’t save stuff like this for the finale.
It also made very eager to see what was in store for us when Chehon and Cyrus paired up.
Before that, though, it was time for Cyrus’ solo. I love watching him dance, but each week, it doesn’t seem like we see anything new from him. I feel like I’ve seen him do the same exact solo for four or five straight weeks—and it’s a great solo, because I love animation and I love hip-hop, but reality shows like this favor contestants who truly grow throughout the competition. At least, they’re supposed to.
But in the alternate universe of So You Think You Can Dance, this solo got a standing ovation. Naturally.
Tiffany’s solo was just as good as Eliana’s (and the track was “I Believe” by Fantasia! Holler). It really is going to be such a tough call between these two ladies. Once again, it was fascinating to see Tiffany go from the paso doble to grungy hip hop to classical, and she was so fluid and so natural in each. This one even had just enough of a Disney princess vibe to give me chills.
Next, Chehon and Cyrus performed a warrior routine about the challenges they’ve conquered in their SYTYCD journey. Sonya was the perfect choreographer for this. She forced Cyrus to step his game up so that he didn’t look like a fool dancing next to Chehon.
And somehow, against all odds, he didn’t look like a fool. Sonya had them doing lifts with each other, and karate-kicking each other, and throwing each other across the floor … It was intense. I’m not going to lie and say it wasn’t totally obvious that Chehon is much more capable and versatile than Cyrus – there were several little solo moments for Chehon, during which Cyrus pretty much just stood there and, like, crouched – but the fact that this wasn’t a train wreck kind of amazed me. So, props to Sonya for that.
Nigel, too, credited Sonya with helping the guys up the ante. He then rambled on for about 90 seconds about how much of an inspiration Cyrus is and called him his favorite person on this show and somehow avoided talking about his dancing at all. Nigel then told Chehon that he was his favorite dancer of the night. Not that it matters.
Mary commended the guys for fighting as hard as they could along this journey, and Rob complimented their camaraderie and selflessness with each other.
Chehon wore a shirt for his final solo, which began with him reading a letter, throwing it to the ground and then pacing backwards in slow motion. He’s so good. He’s not quite as versatile as either of the ladies – he still struggles with Latin styles and, naturally, with hip hop – but I find his technical skills so impressive that it doesn’t necessarily bother me that he can be a bit limited.
Eliana’s fifth and final routine with all-star Alex Wong was choreographed by Travis, and as expected, it was one of the toughest of the night. There was a lot of movement, a lot of lifts, a lot of choreography that required absolutely perfect lines and perfect extension. And to nobody’s surprise, Eliana saved her best for last. She was so assertive when she needed to be, and yet when the choreography called for Alex to literally drag her around the stage, she immediately switched modes. She makes something so difficult look so, so easy.
Rob told Eliana there’s nothing she can’t do and that the routine was poetry. Nigel said it was unquestionably his favorite routine of the night, and then he dropped a huge bomb by telling Eliana she is his favorite dancer ever, in the history of this show. I think he may have just solidified the win for her. Mary said Eliana’s feet and ankles were extraordinary and that she oozes passion.
For her personal finale, Tiffany teamed up with Chehon for a rumba. “It has to be so hot, the audience has to be uncomfortable,” the choreographer told us. This would be interesting for Chehon, who has been notoriously incapable of connecting with his partners in the past.
I just adore Tiffany. She’s so graceful and she, like Eliana, really does make everything look so easy. Chehon was good, too, but he was more of Tiffany’s partner in this routine than a competitor. He did prove his worth, though, with one spectacular lift mid-routine –he really is such a good partner – and while I wouldn’t say that the chemistry between these two was off the charts, I thought they were very sweet.
Mary said that Chehon has struggled with the Latin styles, but not with the rumba—this allowed him to be masculine and controlling. She did, however, say that the chemistry wasn’t really all there. Rob actually did feel that there was a connection between these two, which he found “sexy.” Nigel said that he was glad the accounting department finally found room in the budget to buy a shirt for Chehon, but unfortunately, they still didn’t have sufficient funds for buttons.
So. Just in case the producers weren’t being clear enough with their favoritism. Guess which all-star Cyrus got to perform with for his final number? Twitch. Guess which style they performed? Animation.
Seriously.
(Oh, and by the way, he always, always, always gets to perform near or at the end of the show.)
Of course, this routine was going to be spectacular. How could it not be? People have been saying Cyrus is this show’s next Twitch since Week 1, and watching them perform together was special. Christopher Scott choreographed the show’s FIRST EVER ANIMATION ROUTINE (as Cat reminded us no fewer than 400 times), about two guys who have been genetically altered and are experiencing their new bodies for the first time. I have to give him snaps for creativity; this was a new one.
This really was one of the best routines of the entire season. Cyrus excels at this (if only at this), and it was so cool to watch he and Twitch perform together, so perfectly in sync with each other. They were like robots. If you haven’t YouTubed it yet, do yourself a favor. This routine probably won Cyrus the competition. And if the routine didn’t, he and Twitch concluded the number with an adorably ecstatic man hug.
Once the applause died down – which honestly took about two minutes – Rob told Twitch and Cyrus they are two superstars. Mary could barely speak but managed to say that they stole the show. Nigel told them they are both “world class.”
And then things got weird.
Nigel said he loves Cyrus and has supported him all season, but that he wouldn’t be voting for him on Tuesday. The entire audience definitely thought it was a joke. Everyone thought Nigel was going to follow that up that statement with something Cowell-esque along the lines of, “… I’m going to vote for you a MILLION times tonight!” But instead, he embarked on a rambling explanation for why he would choose to support Chehon instead. He was serious.
To be totally honest, I wondered if this was a ploy to get sympathy votes for Cyrus. It was that bizarre.
I cannot even describe to you the death glare Cyrus gave him during this diatribe. Suffice to say, it was amazing.
And on that very odd note, whom are you voting for? Is Nigel right—does Chehon deserve it more because he’s allegedly worked longer and harder for it (or something)? Which lady will take the crown?
Hope you voted!
[Image Credit: FOX]
More: So You Think You Can Dance Recap: Finally, the Contestants Dance to Win! So You Think You Can Dance Recap: Judges’ Pet Lives to See Another Day So You Think You Can Dance Recap: Mia Michaels Redux
Last week, we endured the only shock-elimination of the season thus far. How would those vying for the titles of America’s Next Favorite Male and Female Dancers respond?
Ladies and gentlemen: This. Is So You Think You Can Dance.
Okay, so that was my best Ryan Seacrest.
This week’s show opened with a very strange number that featured Tyce Diorio for some unknown reason, and featured the dancers in sailors’ costumes, army costumes and a variety of other costumes that made little to no cohesive sense. Turns out, it was a tribute to Gene KellyCK, and Tyce was filling in for an injured Cole. This. Is So You Think You Can Dance.
It was almost as entertaining as the ad we saw for a movie called Oogieloves, which is rated G and yet boasts “Starships” by Nicki Minaj as its theme song.
Last week, we said goodbye to Amelia and Janelle, plus Matthew and Dareian (cue tears). That left us with just five – five! – pairs of dancers, and by the end of the episode, there would be a mere four. The finale is just three weeks away! Dun dun dun.
This week’s guest judge: Choreographer of Black Swan, Mr. Natalie Portman! Whaaaat? For serious, Benjamin Millepied finally gave us a relevant guest judge who had pertinent things to say. Man … they were pulling out all the stops this week.
Starting with—wait. Tiffany and Brandon? Oh, the top 10 teamed up with All-Stars for this episode! That would have been helpful to know ahead of time. And just to clear up the confusion that afflicted me the entirety of this routine, this is not the same Brandon that was eliminated earlier this season.
And Tiff didn’t do anything to help my confusion by dressing like J.Lo in a semi-sheer bodysuit and performing to Cobra Starship. Though releasing her inner J.Lo did allow her to show us a new, smoldering side of herself, her number (both the one she was wearing, and the one she was dancing) was unpleasantly seizure-inducing. Still, I had to hand it to her for bringing the energy. She has a future as a pop star’s backup dancer—and isn’t that the Holy Grail for the graduates of this show?
Nigel was excited that Tiffany was able to wear a castoff from Adam Shankman’s closet, and added that she brought the requisite amount of energy and excitement. Benji said they were a great pair, and he was also suitably impressed by their energy.
Personally, I worry that going first this week will be enough to banish Tiffany to SYTYCD purgatory next week.
Next up, Witney teamed up with Season 1 champ Nick Lazzarini to perform as ghosts in an abandoned lounge. Travis earnestly told the cameras that he choreographed the routine to enable our 18-year-old lady to be as sexy as possible. ‘Kay.
Wit cast off her inner ballroom dancer with gusto, alternating between partnering with Nick and her microphone stand. Admittedly, though, these two were so in rhythm—with the music, with each other—and the choreography was tailored so perfectly to each of them, that it was hard to believe they’d never danced together before. And as we’d learn throughout the duration of this episode: Chemistry was not something to be taken for granted.
My only complaint was that both Witney and Nick were inexplicably slathered in black makeup—on her lips, around his eyes—in a manner that made it seem as though they did their makeup in the dark.
Ben Portman started us off by telling Witney and Nick they did an excellent job seizing and then releasing the tension. Nigel told Witney she was even sexy while she was breathing, then added a “young lady” to make it sound less creepy. It didn’t work.
Mary: “Lord have mercy, you were smooooldering out there!”
To Witney’s credit, I’ll admit that although she’s never been my favorite, she’s been improving every single week. She’s not going anywhere any time soon. (Spoiler alert!...)
Cole and Anya took on the cha-cha next—and Cole’s mysterious injury, which we learned about during the intro, went mysteriously unmentioned. He tried to distract us from said injury by emerging onto the stage with his shirt fully unbuttoned. And then he and Anya cha-chaed to The Wanted, which was a strange marriage I’m not sure I ever wanted to see. Kind of like the marriage of Anya and Cole, who didn’t seem to have any chemistry at all.
It felt like both of them were just so focused on hitting the choreography and hitting their marks that they weren’t all too concerned with connecting with each another. And it didn’t seem like they were hitting all of their marks, either. Just saying.
Mary said the routine was amazing, then reminded us that Anya was the first-ever recipient of the Hot Tamale Train phrase. There was no need to remind me of that. I now hate Anya by association. In a more lucid moment, though, she pointed out that Cole’s footwork was off, and the connection between the two dancers was nonexistent.
Benny thought Cole was very engaging, but that his movement quality was just a tad off; he needed to think more about contrast. Nigel agreed with Mary: Normally, Cole has fantastic lines, but not this time. He was mugging for the audience too much, and his chemistry with his partner suffered, as a result.
For me for Cole, this was a big dropoff from last week, when he was so sinister and so creepy and put forth one of his best performances of the season. This week? A big old disappointment. I wonder why nobody tried to blame it on his phantom injury.
Lindsay, who just barely escaped the guillotine last week, paired up with Jacob to take on a Spencer Liff-masterminded Broadway routine. Here’s the catch: Jacob was behind a screen and was supposed to be Lindsay’s shadow, so above all, both of them had to be perfectly in perfect unison. Tricky, tricky.
Maybe I’m easily impressed, but I thought this little number was pretty spectacular. These two had more chemistry than Cole and Anya, and they couldn’t even see each other for most of the routine. Lindsay also seemed to be far more confident this week than I’ve ever seen her. I don’t know what it was; maybe she and Cole are just a bad pair. She really did flourish with Jacob; being forced to mimic his extension and lines—he was supposed to be her shadow, after all—really helped her thrive.
Nigel had to start off by pointing out Jacob’s magnificent feet (hope you’re not watching, Dareian), but he admitted that Lindsay was equally magnificent. Mary put Lindsay on the Hot Tamale Train, and Ben thought the lady executed the choreography perfectly and emphasized its natural crescendo.
Next up: How would Will fare without his personal quirky girl, Amelia? Just fine, apparently. He and Step Up: Revolution star Kathryn McCormick took on a Bollywood routine about a snake charmer trying to charm a snake-girl. ‘Kay. In the pre-routine package, Will called Kathryn the sexiest snake he’s ever seen and was excited to be all sensual and stuff with her.
The only criticism I have of this routine was that it revolved too heavily around Kathryn. She’s not the one who needs votes, y’all, and Will literally spent the first 20 seconds of this number prancing around in circles with a flute while she writhed in her snake cage. After that, though, things picked up. Again, Will displayed his unfortunate tendency to mug rather than let his dancing do the talking, but he was a really strong partner to Kathryn. Maybe his true strength is just that he’s a good partner, no matter whom he’s with.
Mary called Will an Energizer Bunny—but one with amazing control. Benny eyed Will suspiciously and then, in a dead monotone, told him he possesses a charming, unique style. Nigel told Will he struggles between wanting to tell Will to tone it down and wanting to tell himself to shut up. He’s right, though; Will does go overboard in a kind of obnoxious way sometimes, but he’s so darn likeable that you can’t really fault him.
Cyrus, paired with Jamie, was saddled with a routine that was, as Simon Cowell would put it, overindulgent and based upon the movie 2012. And by that I mean, based on the end of the world. A revolutionary concept! No matter the theme, though, this was bound to be a tough one for Cyrus to pull off; he’s always had trouble with anything outside of hip hop and animation, and for him, contemporary is always a big stretch.
Lucky for him, this routine seemed to be so centered on Jamie that it helped Cyrus disguise his weaknesses and shortcomings. I like Cyrus, so it didn’t really bother me, but he really just flat-out struggles when he’s not in his wheelhouse, and this show is all about pushing dancers beyond their comfort zones and finding out who’s excellent under pressure. There was one point where Cyrus leapt away from Jamie, and his extension was embarrassingly bad. Also, I didn’t really get “end of the world” from this rubbish.
Ben said he appreciated Cyrus’ raw energy and his ability to partner, thereby establishing that he had no plans to say anything critical of any dancer. Nigel, meanwhile, seems committed to overlooking the fact that Cyrus badly, badly struggles outside of hip hop and animation. Yes, he is passionate, and that’s admirable, but right now, he’s coasting on the fact that he’s a fan favorite. Even Mary said, “The feet, the legs, not the best right now”—but she reveled in his passion and his emotion.
To that, I say: WHY is The Exorcist not in the top 10. ANSWER ME THAT.
Next, ballet specialist Chehon took on hip hop for the first time with Season 3’s Lauren. This routine was based on Save The Last Dance. Or, “on two best friends who love to dance together.” Same difference.
The track was Maxwell. Blatantly Save the Last Dance.
I think the choreography may have even been borrowed from the movie (kidding), but really, I love Chehon and I’m glad he could pull this off. There is nobody remaining in this competition with better lines and better extension, and no, this wasn’t his best performance, but he can do smoldering! He can do sexy! He can do hip hop! Pick up the phone, people.
Nigel commended the choreographer for taking that stick … out of Chehon. (Nigel’s words, not mine.) He added that Chehon is too trained, but he’s finally starting to give himself into the music. (HELLO. He’s even stealing the Save the Last Dance SCRIPT.)
Benny sympathized with the fact that Chehon has dedicated his life to perfecting his technique, and he still felt the routine was spontaneous and exciting.
Next up, George—getting a break from Tiffany in order to join Allison for a Tyce-choreographed jazz routine—played a guy in Paris who risks missing a train because of a female distraction. A “raunchy night in Paris” then ensues. Oh, Tyce.
George is great, and so is Allison. They’re very similar in terms of style and demeanor, so this was a great pairing. His technique is spot-on, and he has some personality, but still, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to last much longer. Also, this track sounded like it came off The Jungle Book’s soundtrack. Not kidding.
Here’s the problem: George’s mechanics are spot-on and he’s clearly passionate, but it still feels like something’s missing when he’s dancing. That’s never a good sign. It’s like when a football team seems like it’s dominating, but it still is somehow losing. That always means a downfall is in store.
Mary was a big fan of George’s technique, and Ben agreed that he’s an amazing mover and communicator. He may have even thrown out the word “exceptional.”
Of course, Nigel had to rain on the parade a little: He, like everyone else, feels that George’s technique leaves nothing to be desired, but his character was just not believable at all. To Nigel, George was merely dancing and just didn’t get down. Sigh. The final dagger: “Allison wouldn’t have believed this was a raunchy night. Not with you.”
Eliana delivered the penultimate routine, partnering with All-Star Alex for a nice little number about an on-again, off-again couple that can’t just let go. Now this—this was a great partnership. Eliana can partner with anyone because she’s so talented and is very clearly willing to give herself over to her partner in order to make both of them look as good as possible. Unselfishness is not something we see a lot of in female dancers, and it takes a lot of confidence to be like her.
Hey, America: If you want someone who is believable in every character she plays, is excellent in every style she takes on and is mechanically perfect, this is your winner.
Nigel thinks so, too. He flat-out admitted that Eliana is proving to be his favorite girl this year. Hey, he’s here to judge, and that’s what he’s doing—and he’s chosen one of the very few ladies this season who is undeniably likeable. Wise choice. Mary called Eliana “delicious,” and Ben thought she had it all: passion and technique.
Those crafty producers then tried to save the best for last: Audrey, paired with … Twitch! WOO! As Aldous Snow would say, what an eccentric and confident young man!
There could not be a more random and strange pairing than this one, and honestly, it didn’t work as well as I wanted it to. Maybe it was the fact that theirs was a routine based on “a 400-year-old couple that loves to hate each other,” as choreographer Dave Scott explained. And by that, he clearly meant a routine based on True Blood. These two came out of a coffin to begin their routine.
As I feared, this routine starred Twitch a bit more than Audrey (and how could it not?), and Audrey seemed to get tripped up by her own insistence that she can’t do hip hop. The problem, though, isn’t that she can’t to hip hop; it’s that she isn’t Twitch, and there was no better way to emphasize that fact than by putting them side by side. It was the visual equivalent of any Glee duet featuring Lea Michele and Dianna Agron. One of these was not like the other.
Ben (of course) thought Audrey did very, very well, but it was unfair for her to have to dance with Twitch. Mary still felt that Audrey was engaging (what a generous lie), but Nigel wanted her to be more “Helena Bonham Carter in a Tim Burton movie,” and after that I stopped listening because I was thinking about how much better this routine would have been if Eliana had been Twitch’s partner. Sorry, Aud.
And then: Elimination time! Dim the lights.
Your Bottom Two Ladies:
Witney
Audrey
Your Bottom Three Dudes:
Chehon
George
My reaction to the ladies: Noooo! Mostly because I knew that this signaled Audrey’s demise. Nigel can insist all he wants that Eliana is his fave; we know it’s a lie.
My reaction to the dudes: Noooo!
Based on this week’s episode, Audrey deserved to be the one going home, as much as it pains me to say it. When you think about the fact that Witney has improved every week, it was impossible to believe the judges would send her home.
As far as the guys … George has been in the bottom for two straight weeks. That should lead to an insta-elimination. And I’m not just saying that because of Chehon’s abs.
The solos just affirmed what I already knew. Witney wore red and did a strip tease with her clothes on, complete with the requisite hairography. Meanwhile, Audrey chose to perform to one of my favorite songs ever (“And I Am Telling You”), just like my most recent favorite reality show contestant—right before getting the ax.
Chehon took off his shirt and balleted his way into another week of precious life. Meanwhile, George—whose facial expression was ridden with expletives from the moment Cat banished him to the bottom two—also took off his shirt and even attempted a back flip to save himself.
To no one’s surprise, Audrey was sent packing. Nigel tried to make it more palatable by saying that the decision wasn’t unanimous. I’m sorry; I’ll I heard was him calling Witney a sexy breather. Vom.
Nigel then stumbled through some convoluted explanation for keeping Chehon and sending home George; a simple, “We are allowing Witney to keep her partner” would have sufficed. Thank you, and goodnight.
So what did you think? Do you also believe that SYTYCD should be forced to ascribe to the unwritten rules of Project Runway, which state that if you’ve been in the bottom two before, you must be sent home before a first-time bottom-dweller? Or were you okay with this week’s eliminations?
[Photo Credit: Adam Rose]
MORE:
'So You Think You Can Dance' Recap: Mia Michaels Redux
'So You Think You Can Dance' Recap: Top 16 Perform
'SYTYCD' Recap: A Striptease, A Proposal, and Four Goodbyes
So, raise your hand if, during the entirety of the Olympics floor exercise finals, you kept comparing the Jordyn Wiebers and the Aly Raismans to our favorite contestants from this season of So You Think You Can Dance.
Fair? Not at all. There is no basis of comparison. But I couldn’t help it. I watched them prance around on those floor mats and all I could think about was that I couldn’t wait until it was once again time to see the final 14 contenders for the title of America’s (New) Favorite Dancer(s).
Wednesday’s episode was a special one because it was the first-ever episode dedicated to celebrating the work of one choreographer: Mia Michaels, ladies and gentlemen. This season’s best dancers all performed the most iconic routines from the Mia Michaels arsenal over the last eight seasons.
And another four(!) would go home by the end of the episode. Talk about two full weeks to really let the pressure sink in.
Who would crack and who would thrive? You’ll be surprised. Trust.
In fact, Wednesday’s episode was just full of surprises. The Mia Michaels tribute, the four eliminations, and, best of all, special guest judges Michael Nunn and Billy Trevett, otherwise known as the Ballet Boyz.
After the top 14 performed for the first and final time—and treated us to a very gothic and kind of terrifying performance (dubbed by Nigel as “The Fifty Shades of Grey routine”), in which all of the female contenders spent the entirety swinging on chains suspended from the ceiling—Ileana and Cyrus started us off by taking on Season 4’s door routine, performed by Katie and Twitch.
During rehearsals, both of them had trouble with the intimacy factor, but they had no problem emulating the Season 4 standouts once the cameras were rolling on Wednesday. From the costumes—a tattered Guns ‘N Roses T-shirt for Ileana, a cigarette and a fedora for Cyrus—to the attitude and the purpose they each showed with each and every tidbit of choreography, the routine certainly lived up to the original.
As such, Ileana and Cyrus received a standing ovation, and though Nigel admitted it was tough to disassociate from the original, he thought Cyrus and Ileana brought enough of themselves to the routine in order to hold their own. Mary called Ileana “swaggerocious” (I kind of like it. Yes, I’m embarrassed), and Michael and Billy loved the way they built such an intense story around one prop.
Next up, George and Tiffany kept the momentum rolling in taking on Katie and Joshua’s Season 4 hometown routine, which included the infamous assisted run. While I don’t know if there was a pair who could’ve done this routine more justice than these two, it was immediately apparent that it was going to take some digging deep—emotionally—in order for them to replicate what Katie and Josh did.
And for the most part, they pulled it off. These two are so fundamentally sound, it was hard to believe they wouldn’t be able to contend with the choreography; it would be about whether or not they could connect, and they did. Oh, and their version of the running step was pretty good, too.
Mary said George and Tiffany “murdered” one of the best routines in this show’s history, but in a good way (there was definitely some confusion on my part), and added that Tiffany needs to be wary of over-performing. Michael agreed that Tiffany had a tendency to do too much and said that watching this routine was more like watching two simultaneous solos. Nigel said this was the best George has ever looked. There couldn’t have been a better time for him (spoiler alert!).
Judges’ favorites (and fan favorites) Will and Amelia were up next, looking to continue a run of momentum that’s seen them catapult to the top of the heap over the first couple of weeks of live shows. Their project was the Season 5 “butt dance,” an Emmy-award winner that couldn’t be suited more perfectly to Amelia’s style. And yet, she spent the entire pre-routine package faux-complaining about it. And talking about whether or not she has enough junk in the trunk to pull it off.
That was the least of her problems on Wednesday night. Hint, hint.
For me, Will was a bit too shticky, but I guess that’s what these two are all about, and that’s why the audience loves them. Usually, their routines are far more character-driven than choreography-driven, which was why this was the ideal Mia Michaels fit for them.
Nigel had a hard time critiquing this routine because the original was such a show-stopper, particularly because Randy was so memorable in Amelia’s role. He didn’t believe that either of Will or Amelia brought enough character to this routine (how is that even possible for these two?), but Mary liked it—though she agreed with me that Will went a little overboard. Billy, with no basis for comparison, thought they were endearing, whimsical and in-character—though “a little subtlety wouldn’t have gone amiss” at some points.
Janelle and Dareian were next up in the hot seat, wearing pajamas in order to perform Kherington and Twitch’s bed routine. It seems like this pair has been in danger of elimination each week, and I had a hard time believing they’d get out of this one alive. Alas, they gave it their best effort—especially Janelle, who informed Mia during rehearsals that she hasn’t spoken to her significant other in, like, three days. So this waking-up-with-a-broken-heart routine hit home for her.
Throughout this season, these two have had trouble connecting—with each other, with the audience, with the material. That was the refrain once again on Wednesday. Earlier in the night, Nigel talked about feeling like he was watching two dancers perform simultaneous solos, and that’s kind of what it’s like to watch these two. Like everyone else still standing in this competition, their mechanics are fine—they, as dancers, just don’t resonate with the audience. And especially with a routine like this, so much of it rides on the emotion.
In order to stay alive, it was clear that these two need to knock it out of the park. They missed. Big.
Michael loved the choreography, but he complained about Dameian’s feet and how they break his line (a refrain we’ve heard from Nigel all season long), and he said Janelle relied on too much hairography. Nigel felt some personality emanating from Dameian, but he said the routine didn’t give Janelle enough room to shine. It sounded strangely like a farewell to her. (Hmm …) To Mary, the emotion Kherington and Twitch brought to the routine was conspicuously missing, and when there was any emotion, it was overwrought.
Basically, the verdict was: If these two are in the bottom, they’re not getting saved.
Audrey and Matthew, the other two fan faves, took on Lacey and Neil’s Season 3 routine about the loss of Mia’s father and reconnecting with lost loved ones in heaven. Audrey felt a lot of pressure trying to recreate something that was so good—and so emotional—the first time around, and her fears wound up being warranted.
It’s no surprise that Mia entrusted these two with such a personal and heartwrenching routine; they’ve been able to pull off anything they’ve been handed this season, and they were close again this week. They really worked together—which is something we didn’t see a lot of in this week’s episode. Maybe it was the nature of the routine itself, but this felt like a true duet, and the emotion felt genuine—also a relief.
The judges, however, weren’t so impressed, and that would really hurt Matthew at episode’s end. Mary said they both brought dignity to the routine, but Matthew didn’t bring enough passion to the stage. Nigel said neither of them brought enough characterization to the routine, and they made it too much about the dancing and not enough about the emotion.
You have to believe that was an intentional choice, though—they didn’t want to overdo it, so they erred on the side of caution and backed off a little. In my eyes, that was the right choice. Better to be understated than vulgar.
Witney and Chehon—another likely pair of candidates to be in danger on Wednesday—took on the Emmy-award winning bench routine, originally performed by Heidi and Travis. Would America fall in love with these two the same way they once fell in love with Travis and Heidi? Let’s hope so, for the sake of Witney’s and Chehon’s chances of making the tour.
I’ve never felt like these two have been totally connected—due in part, I think, to Witney’s age—and I know Nigel loves this chick and will never say anything bad about her, but she is the prime example of someone who can’t seem to emote genuinely during a routine. This entire performance felt sleepy and almost lazy; it just didn’t feel like there was enough choreography to show off either of their strengths.
Naturally, Nigel disagreed wholeheartedly. This, he said, was a routine about storytelling (the story of Mia trying to give her heart to someone who couldn’t reciprocate because he was gay, according to Nigel), and it was one of his favorite of the night. Mary agreed—they both adequately told the story, but she would’ve liked to see Chehon loosen up a bit more. Michael told Chehon that he will forever have a job with the Ballet Boyz whenever he wants one.
Lindsay and Cole wrapped things up (doesn’t it always seem like these two either go first or last?) with the Season 5 addiction routine—which immediately concerned me because this is Lindsay. She’s so young! And peppy! I wasn’t worried about Cole—he’s one of my favorite guys left, and he’s also one of the most technically-skilled—but this was a big project for the two of them.
Unsurprisngly, Cole was perfect. His stoicism, the way he just tossed Lindsay around like she weighed nothing, his semi-psychotic emotion, which felt so raw… It was hard to even focus on Lindsay at all. Cole has probably been the strongest dancer this season in terms of characterization and mechanics.
But what was truly surprising was how well Lindsay held her own. She had the luxury of a terrific partner, but the choreography was executed perfectly, and her emotion didn’t seem forced. She was really, really good—and she needed to be. This would end up being her dance for her life.
Billy was suitably impressed with their versatility, and Mary—who called this Mia’s best routine—said Lindsay and Cole were the best of the night. She loved the “demented” twist Cole put on his character, and she was just as impressed with Lindsay. Nigel, who admitted he’d been disappointed all night, said these two came out on top, and that Cole “scared the [expletive]” out of him.
And then—judgment! Which dancers would make the tour, and who would miss out when they were oh so close?
The results, which Cat read to each dancer, one by one, for the first time this season:
Bottom 3 Guys
—George
—Dareian
—Matthew
Bottom 3 Girls
—Amelia
—Janelle
—Lindsay
Some surprises here, for sure. The biggest shocker? The judges would have to part with one of their darlings—Amelia or Lindsay—by the end of the show. One of them wouldn’t make the tour! That’s a result even I wouldn’t have predicted when this top 20 was chosen.
Oh, and there was no point in even seeing Janelle or Dareian dance solos because we all knew they would be on the first flights home, but Nigel opted to see all six bottom-dwellers perform for their lives.
First up, Amelia—who probably had the most to gain from her solo, since this is truly where she could show off her quirkiness—wasn’t as spectacular as she needed to be. She needed to be mindblowing, and her routine seemed sad and a bit lethargic.
Janelle had a nice farewell performance. She belly-danced. She smiled like a Cowboys cheerleader the whole time. It ended.
Lindsay was fine—again, not outrageously good—but I was fearful the judges would decide she was too similar to Witney and opt to keep Amelia. There’s nobody else in this competition like Amelia, and there’s at least one other Lindsay.
On to the boys: When George first auditioned, the judges raved that he was one of the best contemporary dancers they’d seen in a long time, and he worked it out in his solo. The choice would definitely come down to him and Matthew, whose lines were so clean and who’s flexibility was so astounding in his solo that it would be hard to believe the judges would let him go.
Dareian—also in his farewell tour—is so good that it makes me sad the judges give him so much grief about his feet and his lines all season. He gets such amazing height on his leaps and his jumps! He’s like a gymnast! He also danced to Josh Ledet’s version of “It’s a Man’s World,” which, you know, makes him the man.
The judges saved Lindsay—a big surprise to me, and seemingly to Amelia, who had been riding so high throughout this whole competition until crashing a bit until this episode. Nobody thought Janelle was going to win this (sorry, Janelle), but I have to think that even Amelia started buying into her own hype for a while. She had to at least believe she was going to make the tour.
Nigel and Friends also saved George, after telling Matthew that he needed to find some way to connect with the audience. So true, but yet so tragic. And poor Audrey! What will she do without her all-star partner? What will she be like with Will—objectively the worst fit for her, among all the remaining guys?
What a disaster this episode was! Two front-runners headed home in one episode. I need a nap.
Did the judges send home the right four? Who are you most excited to see on tour? And who did the most dishonor to Mia Michaels on Wednesday night?
[Photo Credit: FOX]
MORE:
'So You Think You Can Dance' Recap: Top 16 Perform
'SYTYCD' Recap: A Striptease, A Proposal, and Four Goodbyes
'So You Think You Can Dance' Recap: The Top 20 Tango
Watching reality show competitions are a little bit like falling in love. At first, the initial attraction is purely based on what you see, but as time goes on, you become more and more invested in the relationship, and do everything you can (be it voting or never-ending praying) to keep your all-time favorites in your life and on your TV screens. Whether it be American Idol, Dancing With the Stars, or So You Think You Can Dance, we've all loved and lost in one form or another. And now that SYTYCD is in the midst of its ninth season, we here at Hollywood.com thought it would be fun to check in on our past favorite dancing alums and see what they've been up to since leaving the show.
From earning law degrees to becoming full-out dance instructors, these former contestants have gone on to accomplish quite a bit since we last saw them. Here's what we were able to find out after a whole lot of stalking some very extensive research.
Fox
Name: Chelsie Hightower
Season: 4
Where She Is Now: Chelsie is currently a Dancing With the Stars professional. She choreographs all the dance routines for her celebrity dance partners, which have consisted of Jake Pavelka, Michael Bolton, and most recently, Roshon Fegan.
Fox
Name: Dmitry Chaplin
Season: 2
Where He Is Now: Dmitry went on to become a Dancing With the Stars professional who has been partnered with the singer Mya and supermodel Petra Nemcova. Though he hasn't participated as a permanent DWTS partner in the past few seasons, he continues to appear in guest performances throughout the show. He is also a member of the DWTS Live in Las Vegas cast that performs at the Tropicana Theater.
Fox
Name: Lacey Schwimmer
Season: 3
Where She Is Now: Lacey is also a regular dancer and former dance pro on Dancing With the Stars. Currently, Lacey is also a cast member of the DWTS Live in Las Vegas show, showing fan-favorite dances from past seasons.
Fox
Name: Kupono Aweau
Season: 5
Where He Is Now: Not only did Kupono dance alongside Madonna at the Super Bowl Halftime show this year, but he was also featured in her "Girls Gone Wild" music video. Currently, Kupono is traveling all over the world as a dance member in Madonna's MDNA Tour 2012.
Fox
Name: Kamilah Barrett
Season: 1
Where She Is Now: Kamilah has since created her very own dance style called Heel Hop, which she now goes around teaching to the world. Heel Hop is a dance style inspired by hip-hop, modern, salsa, and ballroom dance styles. Kamilah's Heel Hop is based in LA, but she is hosting classes in the DC Area this summer.
Next: See who has their own clothing line.
Fox
Name: Jordan Casanova
Season: 8
Where She Is Now: Jordan currently has a clothing line site called KARflash.com, which sells dancewear clothes at great prices for both dance groups and individuals, allowing her to add modeling into her growing repertoire. She also continues to pursue and fulfill her dream of dancing by taking classes and performing in several different dance events like participating on The Voice or Napa Valley's Broadway Playhouse production of Cabaret.
Fox
Name: Sandra Colton
Season: 1
Where She Is Now: Sandra is now the Editor-in-Chief at a publishing company called Dance Track Magazine. She's also released a book called BOOK ME! which is about how to become a successful working dancer in Hollywood.
Fox
Name: Faina Savich
Season: 3
Where She Is Now: Faina is currently a Judicial Intern at the New York State Supreme Court and is expected to graduate from Fordham Law School in 2014. However, she still makes sure to keep dancing in her life and is a dance instructor at Arthur Murray Dance Center. She is also a regular dancer at McDonald Selznick Associates.
Fox
Name: Ashlé Dawson
Season: 1
Where She Is Now: Ashlé is now working in New York City as a guest faculty member at the well-known Broadway Dance Center — New York's most prestigious dance school. She is also the proud director of "Ashlé & Co.", a pre-professional dance company based in New Jersey.
Fox
Name: Courtney Galiano
Season: 4
Where She Is Now: Courtney revealed in April of this year that she's been diagnosed with MS, however she continues to dance professionally even to this day and has participated in a few episodes of Glee. She will also be shown in Stand Up Guys starring Al Pacino and Christopher Walken in 2013. Since her diagnosis, Courtney has funneled a portion of the registration fees for her dance workshop "The Beat" into a foundation that she and her brother have created called "Beat MS."
Fox
Name: Mark Kanemura
Season: 4
Where He Is Now: Mark is now one of Lady Gaga's professional male back up dancers. He is currently touring with the superstar singer on her Born This Way Ball tour. Let's all take a moment to be jealous.
Fox
Names: Evan Kasprzak, Thayne Jasperson, Jess LeProtto, and Alex Wong
Seasons: 5, 4, 8, and 7
Where The Are Now: Though these four former contestants were from completely different seasons on the show, they're all currently working together as part of the ensemble for the new Broadway musical Newsies, which also happened to win several Tony Awards this year. So, in a way, I guess you could say they're all Tony Award-winners now. Not a bad thing to be able to add onto their already impressive resumes.
Fox
Name: Melissa Sandvig
Season: 5
Where She Is Now: Melissa is currently a freelance dancer, performing with companies such as the Sacramento Ballet, the Helios Dance Theater, and the Los Angeles Chamber Ballet. She is also a certified Pilates instructor and a ballet teacher at the Long Beach Ballet. And if that wasn't enough on her plate already, Melissa additionally goes on tour with the Hollywood Vibe Dance Convention as a ballet teacher.
Fox
Name: Benji Schwimmer
Season: 2
Where He Is Now: Benji, brother of DWTS pro and former SYTYCD contestant Lacey Schwimmer, is the founder of his band called "The Weekend Forecast" who have an album out on iTunes called "Sun, Doubt & Scenic Routes." He also continues to be a dancer and choreographer in his spare time.
Name: Victor Smalley
Season: 6
Where He Is Now: Victor is now one of the main dance instructors on the popular reality show Dance Moms Miami, which goes behind the scenes at the Miami-based Stars Dance Studio.
Next: Find out who's having a Wicked good time.
Fox
Name: Ben Susak
Season: 2
Where He Is Now: Since his time in the spotlight on So You Think You Can Dance, Ben has set his sights to the Broadway theater and currently plays the character Chistery in the San Diego production of Wicked: The Musical.
Fox
Name: Will Wingfield
Season: 4
Where He Is Now: Will is now the President of a creative and artistic design company called The Mete Fizikel, which specializes in Dance 4 Film, Theater, Live Stage Performance, TV Commercial Work, and Artistic Development.
Fox
Name: Alexie Agdeppa
Season: 7
Where She Is Now: Currently, Alexie is traveling all over the United States, teaching on dance conventions and offering master classes at private studios and events including Dance RAW and Showstoppers Dance Convention. She also teaches Jazz, Ballet, Contemporary-modern, Jazz Funk, and Hip-hop at Dellos Dance and Performing Arts Academy. Aside from teaching, Alexie continues to audition and book dance/acting jobs while taking a master class at the Howard Fine Acting Studio.
Fox
Name: Jamie Bayard
Season: 4
Where He Is Now: Though he continues to be a dance coach and performer, Jamie is also an International Dance Department Professor at Orange County High School of the Arts. Additionally, Jamie offers coaching for dancers of all levels at a dance company called JB Dance.
Fox
Name: Billy Bell
Season: 7
Where He Is Now: Billy is a member and founder of the Lunge Dance Collective — a project-based dance company that was created to expose young artists to each other and create a stronger network for them to help start their careers.
FOX
Name: Ryan "Ryanimay" Conferido
Season: 1
Where He Is Now: Ryan is a member of the dance group Quest Crew. He was also recently part of LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," "Champagne Showers," and "Sexy And I Know It." But Ryan's talents extend further than just dancing — he's also an amateur hairstylist. In fact, the crew has coined him the official hair designer of the group as he often cuts and styles all of their hair.
Fox
Name: Hokuto "Hok" Konishi
Season: 3
Where He Is Now: Along with Ryan, Hok is also a lead member of the dance troupe Quest Crew, who won the third season of America's Best Dance Crew.
Fox
Names: Ashleigh Di Lello and Ryan Di Lello
Season: 6
Where They Are Now: Married dance couple Ashleigh and Ryan are currently exceptional choreographers whose routines have been used by Dancing With the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and several other professional dance/theater companies from all over. Though Ashleigh is currently recovering from hip surgery, Ryan was recently in What To Expect When You're Expecting and is currently dancing in DWTS Live in Las Vegas. They remain happily married even to this day.
Fox
Name: Natalie Fotopoulos
Season: 2
Where She Is Now: Much like many other SYTYCD contestants, Natalie has opted to turn her attention toward theater and is currently a member of the cast of the Broadway Musical "Wicked" on their U.S. Tour.
Name: Allan Frias
Season: 1
Where He Is Now: Allan is currently a Hip Hop teacher at the Dance Mission Theater, which just so happens to be the home of his group Mind Over Matter that performs all over the Bay Area. Allan also directs the Junior Jam youth performance program at the Golden State Warriors.
Next: See who performed in the on-screen adaption of Rock of Ages.Fox
Name: Susie Garcia
Season: 4
Where She Is Now: Besides continuing to dance for live audiences, Susie has also managed to dabble in film, including the major motion picture production of Rock of Ages, where she plays one of the dancers. Additionally, she is the owner of the Show Stopper Dance Studio.
Fox
Name: Jason Glover
Season: 5
Where He Is Now: Preferring to keep his dance talents mostly in the theater realm, Jason is now currently a member of the Festival Ballet Theatre company.
Fox
Name: Neil Haskell
Season: 3
Where He Is Now: Neil has most recently been on a United States tour as a cast member of Bring It On: The Musical, a production inspired by the Kirsten Dunst comedy of the same name.
Fox
Name: Donyelle Jones
Season: 2
Where She Is Now: Donyelle continues to keep dance and music a part of her every day life by teaching hip hop classes at the EDGE Performing Arts Center in Hollywood.
Fox
Name: Kourtni Lind
Season: 4
Where She Is Now: Like many other former So You Think You Can Dance contestants, Kourtni has decided to take her dance talents to the Great White Way and is currently an ensemble member of Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark.
Fox
Names: Nick Lazzarini and Travis Wall
Seasons: 1 and 2
Where They Are Now: Nick and Travis both belong to a contemporary dance company called Shaping Sound, which Travis himself created. They, along with 24 other talented dancers, have put on two very successful shows in L.A. and are also stars of the Oxygen network's All the Right Moves, — a reality docu-series premiering this summer that follows Nick, Travis, and others as they launch the company and live together in Hollywood.
Fox
Name: Sasha Mallory
Season: 8
Where She Is Now: Sasha's incredible dance moves eventually caught the eye of none other than the Queen of Pop herself: Madonna, who nabbed Sasha as one of her very own back up dancers. Sasha has also previously danced for the likes of Adam Lambert and Rihanna.
Fox
Name: Janette Manrara
Season: 5
Where She Is Now: Janette has been keeping herself very busy with her professional dancing career and is currently touring in Sydney Australia with the ballroom dancing extravaganza team called Burn the Floor.
Fox
Name: Ashlee Nino
Season: 2
Where She Is Now: Ashlee just got back from a South America tour with Selena Gomez and is also the newest member of the all girl Romones Tribute Band called "The Ramonas."
Fox
Name: Ricky Palomino
Season: 3
Where He Is Now: Ricky has made it his mission to pass on his knowledge and joy of a dance to others and is now the Artistic Director at the Poetry In Motion Dance Company in Minneapolis, Minn. It's a professional, youth and adult training facility designed to help dancers make their way into the professional dance industry.
Fox
Name: Kherington Payne
Season: 4
Where She Is Now: Kherington is currently participating in Cabaret at the Napa Valley Opera House. She is also involved in the interactive web series called Dance Showdown, in which famous YouTube personalities are paired together with professional dancers to compete against other teams. Kherington made her film debut in 2009, playing Alice Ellerton in the reinvention of Fame.
Follow Kelly on Twitter @KellyBean0415
SYTYCD Alum
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Lateralized sex differences in stress-induced dopamine release in the rat.
This study examined the possibility that hemispheric differences in stress-induced brain activation vary as a function of sex. Using in-vivo voltammetry, increases in extracellular dopamine release in response to predator odour and tail pinch stress were recorded bilaterally and simultaneously in either the infralimbic cortex or basolateral amygdala. In both stress-sensitive brain regions, significant sex x hemisphere interactions were observed, with males and females showing greater dopamine activation in right-brain and left-brain structures, respectively. Cortical asymmetries in dopamine release also showed sex-specific correlations with stress-induced neuroendocrine activation. Given the intriguing human parallels, we suggest that differential cerebral lateralization may be highly relevant to the disproportionately high incidence of stress-related disorders such as depression and anxiety seen in women.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
The use of an implicit standard for measuring discrimination thresholds.
We measured thresholds for comparing the separation between lines, using either the method of constant stimuli (MCS) or the method of single stimuli (MSS). In the MCS an explicit standard is presented on each trial, whereas in the MSS the standard is the mean of the set. The thresholds for the MSS procedure were nearly identical to those with the MCS procedure, whether or not feedback was used. A statistical model is presented showing how the threshold error estimated by MSS varies according to the number of past stimuli used by the observer to calculate the mean of the set. If the model is an accurate representation of human processing, our observers were averaging over the last 10-20 trials to estimate the implicit standard. Our results show that the explicit standard in the MCS procedure is generally superfluous. Provided that the test range is small, and that the observer is given some practice trials, thresholds measured with MSS procedure are just as precise as those measured with the traditional MCS procedure.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
Main menu
Pothead Princess Drinks Underage and Kills 2 Women
A self absorbed stoner in Florida named Kayla Mendoza tweeted “2 Drunk 2 Care” and then drove the wrong way on the Sawgrass Expressway in Florida. She had a head on with another vehicle, killing its 2 occupants. Kayla was too drunk to kill herself, unfortunately.
‘Pothead princess’ tweeted ‘2 drunk 2 care’ hours before ‘causing smash that killed 2 women’
Kayla Mendoza, from Hallandale Beach, Fla., crashed into Kaitlyn Nicole Ferrante and Marisa Caran Catronio when she drove east in the westbound lane on the Sawgrass Expressway. The crash resulted in the deaths of Maria Caran Catronio and Kaitlyn Nicole Ferrante. She tweeted “2 drunk 2 care” hours before the collision.
The pair, both 21, had been heading home to Coral Springs after a night on the town celebrating Catronio’s landmark birthday.
Catronio was pronounced dead at the scene, while Ferrante was rushed to Broward Health North hospital – but died from her injuries on Thursday morning.
T-Mobile sales associate Mendoza was also taken to the same ER, where she is said to remain in a serious condition.
Since the fatal crash, it has emerged that Mendoza has repeatedly boasted online about taking drugs and drinking alcohol.
Under the user name “Kaila Mendoza,” the Miami New Times revealed that the Broward College graduate had fired off dozens of tweets about getting high.
“Car permanently smells like weed,” she wrote in the days leading up to the incident.
“Rolling a blunt in the airport parking lot,” she added, also once saying: “Can’t sleep without my bedtime blunt,” and “I really am so baked right now.”
And, less than three hours before the crash, she wrote: “2 drunk 2 care.”
She also posted several pictures of marijuana and joints on her Twitter feed.
Cops have yet to charge Mendoza in connection with the accident.
What is taking the cops so long to charge this bitch with double manslaughter? If you want to see some great hateful tweets, check out Kayla’s Twitter timeline here and read all the responses she gets to all of her tweets that brag about getting high.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Q:
What is the ultimate postal code and zip regex?
I'm looking for the ultimate postal code and zip code regex. I'm looking for something that will cover most (hopefully all) of the world.
A:
The unicode CLDR contains the postal code regex for each country. (158 regex's in total!)
Download core.zip from http://unicode.org/Public/cldr/26.0.1/
unzip core.zip
Take a look at common/supplemental/postalCodeData.xml from the unzipped content (direct content: common/supplemental/postalCodeData.xml)
Google also has a web service with per-country address formatting information, including postal codes, here - http://i18napis.appspot.com/address
(I found that link via http://unicode.org/review/pri180/ )
Edit
Here a copy of postalCodeData.xml regex :
"GB", "GIR[ ]?0AA|((AB|AL|B|BA|BB|BD|BH|BL|BN|BR|BS|BT|CA|CB|CF|CH|CM|CO|CR|CT|CV|CW|DA|DD|DE|DG|DH|DL|DN|DT|DY|E|EC|EH|EN|EX|FK|FY|G|GL|GY|GU|HA|HD|HG|HP|HR|HS|HU|HX|IG|IM|IP|IV|JE|KA|KT|KW|KY|L|LA|LD|LE|LL|LN|LS|LU|M|ME|MK|ML|N|NE|NG|NN|NP|NR|NW|OL|OX|PA|PE|PH|PL|PO|PR|RG|RH|RM|S|SA|SE|SG|SK|SL|SM|SN|SO|SP|SR|SS|ST|SW|SY|TA|TD|TF|TN|TQ|TR|TS|TW|UB|W|WA|WC|WD|WF|WN|WR|WS|WV|YO|ZE)(\d[\dA-Z]?[ ]?\d[ABD-HJLN-UW-Z]{2}))|BFPO[ ]?\d{1,4}"
"JE", "JE\d[\dA-Z]?[ ]?\d[ABD-HJLN-UW-Z]{2}"
"GG", "GY\d[\dA-Z]?[ ]?\d[ABD-HJLN-UW-Z]{2}"
"IM", "IM\d[\dA-Z]?[ ]?\d[ABD-HJLN-UW-Z]{2}"
"US", "\d{5}([ \-]\d{4})?"
"CA", "[ABCEGHJKLMNPRSTVXY]\d[ABCEGHJ-NPRSTV-Z][ ]?\d[ABCEGHJ-NPRSTV-Z]\d"
"DE", "\d{5}"
"JP", "\d{3}-\d{4}"
"FR", "\d{2}[ ]?\d{3}"
"AU", "\d{4}"
"IT", "\d{5}"
"CH", "\d{4}"
"AT", "\d{4}"
"ES", "\d{5}"
"NL", "\d{4}[ ]?[A-Z]{2}"
"BE", "\d{4}"
"DK", "\d{4}"
"SE", "\d{3}[ ]?\d{2}"
"NO", "\d{4}"
"BR", "\d{5}[\-]?\d{3}"
"PT", "\d{4}([\-]\d{3})?"
"FI", "\d{5}"
"AX", "22\d{3}"
"KR", "\d{3}[\-]\d{3}"
"CN", "\d{6}"
"TW", "\d{3}(\d{2})?"
"SG", "\d{6}"
"DZ", "\d{5}"
"AD", "AD\d{3}"
"AR", "([A-HJ-NP-Z])?\d{4}([A-Z]{3})?"
"AM", "(37)?\d{4}"
"AZ", "\d{4}"
"BH", "((1[0-2]|[2-9])\d{2})?"
"BD", "\d{4}"
"BB", "(BB\d{5})?"
"BY", "\d{6}"
"BM", "[A-Z]{2}[ ]?[A-Z0-9]{2}"
"BA", "\d{5}"
"IO", "BBND 1ZZ"
"BN", "[A-Z]{2}[ ]?\d{4}"
"BG", "\d{4}"
"KH", "\d{5}"
"CV", "\d{4}"
"CL", "\d{7}"
"CR", "\d{4,5}|\d{3}-\d{4}"
"HR", "\d{5}"
"CY", "\d{4}"
"CZ", "\d{3}[ ]?\d{2}"
"DO", "\d{5}"
"EC", "([A-Z]\d{4}[A-Z]|(?:[A-Z]{2})?\d{6})?"
"EG", "\d{5}"
"EE", "\d{5}"
"FO", "\d{3}"
"GE", "\d{4}"
"GR", "\d{3}[ ]?\d{2}"
"GL", "39\d{2}"
"GT", "\d{5}"
"HT", "\d{4}"
"HN", "(?:\d{5})?"
"HU", "\d{4}"
"IS", "\d{3}"
"IN", "\d{6}"
"ID", "\d{5}"
"IL", "\d{5}"
"JO", "\d{5}"
"KZ", "\d{6}"
"KE", "\d{5}"
"KW", "\d{5}"
"LA", "\d{5}"
"LV", "\d{4}"
"LB", "(\d{4}([ ]?\d{4})?)?"
"LI", "(948[5-9])|(949[0-7])"
"LT", "\d{5}"
"LU", "\d{4}"
"MK", "\d{4}"
"MY", "\d{5}"
"MV", "\d{5}"
"MT", "[A-Z]{3}[ ]?\d{2,4}"
"MU", "(\d{3}[A-Z]{2}\d{3})?"
"MX", "\d{5}"
"MD", "\d{4}"
"MC", "980\d{2}"
"MA", "\d{5}"
"NP", "\d{5}"
"NZ", "\d{4}"
"NI", "((\d{4}-)?\d{3}-\d{3}(-\d{1})?)?"
"NG", "(\d{6})?"
"OM", "(PC )?\d{3}"
"PK", "\d{5}"
"PY", "\d{4}"
"PH", "\d{4}"
"PL", "\d{2}-\d{3}"
"PR", "00[679]\d{2}([ \-]\d{4})?"
"RO", "\d{6}"
"RU", "\d{6}"
"SM", "4789\d"
"SA", "\d{5}"
"SN", "\d{5}"
"SK", "\d{3}[ ]?\d{2}"
"SI", "\d{4}"
"ZA", "\d{4}"
"LK", "\d{5}"
"TJ", "\d{6}"
"TH", "\d{5}"
"TN", "\d{4}"
"TR", "\d{5}"
"TM", "\d{6}"
"UA", "\d{5}"
"UY", "\d{5}"
"UZ", "\d{6}"
"VA", "00120"
"VE", "\d{4}"
"ZM", "\d{5}"
"AS", "96799"
"CC", "6799"
"CK", "\d{4}"
"RS", "\d{6}"
"ME", "8\d{4}"
"CS", "\d{5}"
"YU", "\d{5}"
"CX", "6798"
"ET", "\d{4}"
"FK", "FIQQ 1ZZ"
"NF", "2899"
"FM", "(9694[1-4])([ \-]\d{4})?"
"GF", "9[78]3\d{2}"
"GN", "\d{3}"
"GP", "9[78][01]\d{2}"
"GS", "SIQQ 1ZZ"
"GU", "969[123]\d([ \-]\d{4})?"
"GW", "\d{4}"
"HM", "\d{4}"
"IQ", "\d{5}"
"KG", "\d{6}"
"LR", "\d{4}"
"LS", "\d{3}"
"MG", "\d{3}"
"MH", "969[67]\d([ \-]\d{4})?"
"MN", "\d{6}"
"MP", "9695[012]([ \-]\d{4})?"
"MQ", "9[78]2\d{2}"
"NC", "988\d{2}"
"NE", "\d{4}"
"VI", "008(([0-4]\d)|(5[01]))([ \-]\d{4})?"
"PF", "987\d{2}"
"PG", "\d{3}"
"PM", "9[78]5\d{2}"
"PN", "PCRN 1ZZ"
"PW", "96940"
"RE", "9[78]4\d{2}"
"SH", "(ASCN|STHL) 1ZZ"
"SJ", "\d{4}"
"SO", "\d{5}"
"SZ", "[HLMS]\d{3}"
"TC", "TKCA 1ZZ"
"WF", "986\d{2}"
"XK", "\d{5}"
"YT", "976\d{2}"
A:
There is none.
Postal/zip codes around the world don't follow a common pattern. In some countries they are made up by numbers, in others they can be combinations of numbers an letters, some can contain spaces, others dots, the number of characters can vary from two to at least six...
What you could do (theoretically) is create a seperate regex for every country in the world, not recommendable IMO. But you would still be missing on the validation part: Zip code 12345 may exist, but 12346 not, maybe 12344 doesn't exist either. How do you check for that with a regex?
You can't.
A:
use these regx
$ZIPREG=array(
"US"=>"^\d{5}([\-]?\d{4})?$",
"UK"=>"^(GIR|[A-Z]\d[A-Z\d]??|[A-Z]{2}\d[A-Z\d]??)[ ]??(\d[A-Z]{2})$",
"DE"=>"\b((?:0[1-46-9]\d{3})|(?:[1-357-9]\d{4})|(?:[4][0-24-9]\d{3})|(?:[6][013-9]\d{3}))\b",
"CA"=>"^([ABCEGHJKLMNPRSTVXY]\d[ABCEGHJKLMNPRSTVWXYZ])\ {0,1}(\d[ABCEGHJKLMNPRSTVWXYZ]\d)$",
"FR"=>"^(F-)?((2[A|B])|[0-9]{2})[0-9]{3}$",
"IT"=>"^(V-|I-)?[0-9]{5}$",
"AU"=>"^(0[289][0-9]{2})|([1345689][0-9]{3})|(2[0-8][0-9]{2})|(290[0-9])|(291[0-4])|(7[0-4][0-9]{2})|(7[8-9][0-9]{2})$",
"NL"=>"^[1-9][0-9]{3}\s?([a-zA-Z]{2})?$",
"ES"=>"^([1-9]{2}|[0-9][1-9]|[1-9][0-9])[0-9]{3}$",
"DK"=>"^([D|d][K|k]( |-))?[1-9]{1}[0-9]{3}$",
"SE"=>"^(s-|S-){0,1}[0-9]{3}\s?[0-9]{2}$",
"BE"=>"^[1-9]{1}[0-9]{3}$",
"IN"=>"^\d{6}$"
);
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
A Multidimensional Reappraisal of Language in Autism: Insights from a Discourse Analytic Study.
In this article, we leverage theoretical insights and methodological guidelines of discourse analytic scholarship to re-examine language phenomena typically associated with autism. Through empirical analysis of the verbal behavior of three children with autism, we engage the question of how prototypical features of autistic language-notably pronoun atypicality, pragmatic deficit, and echolalia-might conceal competencies and interactional processes that are largely invisible in mainstream research. Our findings offer a complex picture of children with autism in their use of language to communicate, interact and experience others. Such a picture also deepens our understanding of the interactional underpinnings of autistic children's speech. Finally, we describe how our findings offer fruitful suggestions for clinical intervention.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
Ronald Lewis (British politician)
Ronald Howard Lewis (16 July 1909 – 18 June 1990) was a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.
Lewis studied at Cliff Methodist College and became a Methodist local preacher. He served in the Middle East with the Royal Army Service Corps during World War II. He worked in the shops section of British Railways and served as a councillor on Derbyshire County Council from 1949 and on Blackwell Rural District Council from 1950.
Lewis contested Rugby in 1945, Crosby in 1950, West Derbyshire in 1951, Northamptonshire South in 1955 and Darlington in 1959. He was Member of Parliament for Carlisle from 1964 until he retired in 1987. In 1983, Carlisle was the most marginal Labour seat in the country - with Lewis finishing just 71 votes ahead of the Conservative candidate.
His successor was Eric Martlew.
References
The Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Ltd, 1950, 1955, 1966 & 1983
External links
Category:1909 births
Category:1990 deaths
Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:National Union of Railwaymen-sponsored MPs
Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Carlisle
Category:UK MPs 1964–1966
Category:UK MPs 1966–1970
Category:UK MPs 1970–1974
Category:UK MPs 1974
Category:UK MPs 1974–1979
Category:UK MPs 1979–1983
Category:UK MPs 1983–1987
Category:Councillors in Derbyshire
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
Bernard of Kilwinning
Bernard (died c. 1331) was a Tironensian abbot, administrator and bishop active in late 13th- and early 14th-century Scotland, during the First War of Scottish Independence. He first appears in the records already established as Abbot of Kilwinning in 1296, disappearing for a decade before re-emerging as Chancellor of Scotland then Abbot of Arbroath.
A senior figure in the administration of Scotland during the 1310s and 1320s, he is widely said by modern writers to have drafted the Declaration of Arbroath, and although there is no direct evidence for this, he nevertheless probably played a role. By early 1328, his service to the king had earned him a bishopric – the bishopric of the Isles – a position he held for three or four years before his death in 1331.
Abbot of Kilwinning
The name "Bernard abbe de Kilwynin" (abbot of Kilwinning) occurs on the Ragman Rolls, 28 August 1296, and he is recorded again in a document of Melrose Abbey on 25 December. Bernard is unrecorded as abbot of Kilwinning after this year, but it is possible that he was ejected from Kilwinning Abbey by the English king in one of the following years, probably retiring to another Tironensian monastery, Arbroath Abbey. A document dated 1296 x 1305, names one otherwise unknown Roger as Abbot of Kilwinning, meaning that Bernard had ceased to hold this position by 1305 at the latest.
Although once regarded as a historical dead-end, it is now established that this Bernard was the same Tironensian who was later Chancellor of Scotland, Abbot of Arbroath and Bishop of the Isles. Since 1726, Bernard had been erroneously identified with Bernard de Linton, parson of Mordington, a name which occurs only in the Ragman Rolls. Professor A. A. M. Duncan first argued that Bernard of Arbroath was the same as Bernard of Kilwinning, rather than Bernard de Linton, in 1988, and has since been accepted by other historians.
Chancellor of Scotland & Abbot of Arbroath
From 1308, Bernard appears in the charters of Robert I, King of the Scots, as "Dom Bernard the Chancellor". It was in 1308 that Robert finally got full control over the province of Angus, where Arbroath Abbey is located. The Abbot of Arbroath at the time, John de Angus, appears to have been an English appointee, and was subsequently ejected from office. On 1 November 1309, John de Angus was "released" from the responsibility of his office by the Bishop of St Andrews, though he retained Haltwhistle as rector, a parish church in Tynedale, Northumberland, which belonged to the abbey.
Bernard was elected as the new abbot sometime in 1310, probably by August. John de Angus continued to be styled "Abbot of Arbroath" in English sources, though he became a Scottish prisoner in 1312 and was holding Haltwhistle from the Bishop of Durham by 1313. After his blessing as abbot, Bernard traveled to the Kingdom of Norway to negotiate an agreement with the Norwegian king. He returned in February 1312, and on 29 October 1312 Norwegian ambassadors met King Robert at Inverness in royal Moray, and agreed to the Treaty of Inverness. The treaty involved a renewal of the Treaty of Perth, and resolution of earlier tit-for-tat acts of hostility against each other, like the seizing of goods from Scottish merchants in Norway and the kidnapping by the Scots of the Steward of Orkney.
The fifteenth-century Lowland Scottish chronicler Walter Bower attributed to Abbot Bernard a poem in Latin about the Battle of Bannockburn, from which Bower quoted many lines. It may however have come from another Arbroath monk, as Bower appears to hint elsewhere. Bernard has been widely credited since the eighteenth century as the author of the Declaration of Arbroath, a document from his period as Abbot of Arbroath. Professor A. A. M. Duncan doubts this however, arguing that "the skilled use of the papal cursus in that text points rather to a professional rhetorician". Professor G. W. S. Barrow thought that Alexander de Kininmund (Kinninmonth) was a more likely candidate, on similar reasoning to Duncan.
Bernard's name was certainly on the Declaration of Arbroath, and as chancellor he certainly had some role. He held this administrative office throughout his time as Abbot of Arbroath, until his election as Bishop of the Isles by 1328. He would have had a significant role in royal government and the issue of charters, and many royal acts are dated by Bernard's whereabouts. His role as chancellor appears to have been used for the benefit of his abbey with nine of the sixteen royal charters extant from the period 1312–3 having the abbey as the beneficiary.
Bishop of the Isles
The years of service offered by Bernard were rewarded in the winter of 1327/8, when he was advanced to the bishopric of the Isles, a bishopric King Robert had reserved for his own patronage back in 1324. This election likely occurred between 9 November 1327 and 14 January 1328. The office of chancellor, and the accompanying salary of 200 marks, was resigned by Bernard later in the year, probably on 3 April 1328. King Robert assigned Bernard £100 towards the expenses of his election, and was granted the grain tithes from the lands of the church of Abernethy, for seven years, to complement the meagre income of the diocese of the Isles.
He was consecrated between 26 June and 12 November 1328, perhaps in Norway, where the see's metropolitan, the Archbishop of Trondheim, resided. Bernard's election was not straightforward, as some the "canons of Snizort", the seat of the diocese, had elected a different successor, Cormac Cormacii. Cormac's representatives were in Bergen in July 1331, and persuaded the Archbishop of Trondheim to order an examination of the election. They were ultimately unsuccessful, as no confirmation is attested. Despite this success, Bernard's episcopate was not long-lasting, as he had died by 10 June 1331. Although the last notice of Bernard in any contemporary document dates to 1328, it is very likely he died in 1331, as the Chronicles of Mann said he was bishop during four different years. The Chronicles of Mann further notes that he was buried at Kilwinning Abbey, his original monastery and the location where he first rose through the ranks.
Notes
References
Further reading
Category:13th-century births
Category:1331 deaths
Category:Abbots of Arbroath
Category:Abbots of Kilwinning
Category:Bishops of the Isles
Category:Lord Chancellors of Scotland
Category:Scottish people of the Wars of Scottish Independence
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
James Mayberry appeals the district court's decision denying this second application for postconviction relief, stemming from his 1985 conviction for first-degree murder. Mayberry frames his claim in a creative manner—Iowa has an "actual innocence" exception to Iowa Code section 822.3 (2005), and he can therefore raise his constitutional claims over a decade beyond the normal statute of limitations period. Even if Mayberry's approach were to be an exception under Iowa law, he has failed to prove he is actually innocent, and all of his claims are without merit. We therefore affirm.
I.Background Facts and Proceedings
We adopt the district court's recitation of the facts and proceedings from its December 15, 2010 order:
The history of this case shows that on December 18, 1985, a judgment of guilt and sentence was entered on Applicant James L. Mayberry's conviction after jury trial of Murder in the First Degree. He was sentenced to a life term in prison and remains incarcerated. Mayberry was charged in the stabbing death of Julia Wise in her mobile home that allegedly occurred on or about July 2, 1985. Mayberry was convicted under the alternative theories of premeditated murder and/or murder while participating in the forcible felony of Assault with the Intent to Commit Sexual Abuse with Serious Injury. On appeal, Mayberry raised the following issues: (1) Sufficiency of the evidence as to his identity as the perpetrator; (2) Sufficiency of evidence of the elements of First Degree Murder; (3) Voluntariness of Statements made to police; (4) Failure to instruct on a favorable inference from failure to flee; (5) Admissibility of rebuttal evidence; (6) Failure to grant a mistrial due to a witness's reference to Mayberry refusing a polygraph examination; (7) Ineffective assistance of trial counsel with regard to failure to request certain jury instructions. On July 22, 1987, the Iowa Supreme Court affirmed Mayberry's conviction and rejected each of the above claims. [State v. Mayberry, 411 N.W.2d 677, 686 (Iowa 1987).]
Mayberry filed an application for postconviction relief on June 28, 1988. There, among others, he raised claims of ineffective assistance of trial counsel that included challenging trial counsel's failure to call two lay witnesses, a forensic pathologist and crime scene reconstruction expert or object to certain evidence. He also challenged counsel's failure to rebut the reference to the polygraph issue by showing that Mayberry has passed an examination while incarcerated. He also sought a new trial based on new evidence that trace blood had been found on a "rusty knife" located near the scene that was not detected by the State's investigation prior to trial and disclose that a witness that testified at trial was the confidential informant whose information was relied on in securing the search warrant. On May 6, 1992, the Honorable Larry Conmey overruled Mayberry's request for postconviction relief. Mayberry appealed that ruling and, on December 29, 1993, the Iowa Court of Appeals affirmed the ruling of Judge Conmey. [Mayberry v. Smith, No. 92-0847 (Iowa Ct. App. Dec. 29, 1993).] The Iowa Supreme Court denied further review.
Mayberry's current Application for Postconviction Relief, as amended and as developed by the record, seeks a new trial based on: (1) the retroactive application of State v. Heemstra, 721 N.W.2d 549 (Iowa 2006); (2) the State presenting false evidence as to the time of the victim's death especially in light of non-disclosure of evidence contradicting that false evidence; (3) use of false evidence involving the testimony of witness John Lee; (4) prosecutorial misconduct with regard to a statement made to Mayberry during cross-examination; (5) due process violation based on the police failing to seize a screwdriver found at the scene; (6) due process violation/prosecutorial misconduct based on admission of a buck knife at trial; (7) due process violation based on failure to grant a new trial because of new polygraph evidence; (8) use of false evidence as to the discovery of a towel and beer can under the victim's trailer.
One of the main issues Mayberry argues is the State presented false evidence as to the time of the victim's death, particularly in light of the nondisclosure of evidence allegedly contradicting what Mayberry asserts to be false evidence. Wise's body was found on July 4, 1985, and the autopsy was performed by a pathologist, William J. Powers, M.D., between 4:00 and 5:00 p.m. that day. The autopsy report estimated death occurred "more than 24 hours and less than 48 hours before the time of the autopsy."
V.G. Edwards, M.D., the acting medical examiner, estimated the time of death was in the late evening of July 2. At the first postconviction hearing, a third doctor retained as an expert for Mayberry, former Iowa State Medical Examiner and forensic pathologist Thomas Bennett, M.D., testified he concurred with Dr. Edwards's opinion the time of death was twenty-four to forty-eight hours before the autopsy. At this postconviction hearing, other pathology experts however, disagreed with Drs. Edwards, ...
Our website includes the first part of the main text of the court's opinion.
To read the entire case, you must purchase the decision for download. With purchase,
you also receive any available docket numbers, case citations or footnotes, dissents
and concurrences that accompany the decision.
Docket numbers and/or citations allow you to research a case further or to use a case in a
legal proceeding. Footnotes (if any) include details of the court's decision. If the document contains a simple affirmation or denial without discussion,
there may not be additional text.
Buy This Entire Record For
$7.95
Download the entire decision to receive the complete text, official citation,
docket number, dissents and concurrences, and footnotes for this case.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Q:
When is it appropriate to map a DTO back to its Entity counterpart
From what I've read and implemented, DTO is the object that hold a subset of value from a Data model, in most cases these are immutable objects.
What about the case where I need to pass either new value or changes back to the database?
Should I work directly with the data model/actual entity from my DAL in my Presentation layer?
Or should I create a DTO that can be passed from the presentation layer to the business layer then convert it to an entity, then be updated in the DB via an ORM call. Is this writing too much code? I'm assuming that this is needed if the presentation layer has no concept of the data model. If we are going with this approach, should I fetch the object again at the BLL layer before committing the change?
A:
If you have an entity as in a DDD-entity (not what is generally called an entity in frameworks such as entity framework) then the entity should protect its invariants. Thus using the entity as a DTO is most likely wrong. A DTO is unvalidated input data from the user and should be treated as such. An entity is validated data in one of the object types valid invariants. Thus you should have a conversion between a DTO and an entity that converts a validated DTO to a domain entity object.
In many cases people skimp on these by using anemic domain models (http://www.martinfowler.com/bliki/AnemicDomainModel.html) where the "entities" generally contain no logic and then they put all the invariant protection logic etc in external code (and thus need to check invariants all over the place). This can work, but imho it leads to bugs. But it's something that happens pretty much everywhere - especially since a lot of frameworks encourage this by making it super easy to write code this way. This is imho too bad since it leads to the easiest/fastest way of coding not being the one that leads to the best results (if you follow DDD that is)...
But it's also important to recognise that in many cases DDD might be overkill. If you are basically making a CRUD application (which in many cases you probably are) then DDD might be overkill for your domain. Of course this doesn't mean that you should throw away all the good ideas and just go into full-on "do-anything mode", but in some cases not caring about certain parts of DDD can be the correct choice to make. The hard trick here is, of course, to identify if your domain is complex enough to warrant DDD or if it's easy enough to not bite yourself in the ass by foregoing certain parts of it. :)
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
FRANKLIN TOWNSHIP -- A Somerset County man is accused of capturing women on video as they used the bathroom in a Franklin Township corporate office building.
Teodoro Martinez, 26, of Edgewood Terrace in South Bound Brook, is charged with third-degree invasion of privacy for allegedly filming people without their consent, according to the complaint signed today. Bail was set at $25,000.
On Monday at 1:38 p.m., police responded to 400 Atrium Drive on a report of suspicious activity. The assistant manager turned over a small device wrapped in black electrical tape with a USB port, and gave police permission to view the contents, according to the affidavit Franklin Township police Detective Ordel Taylor filed in Superior Court in Somerville.
The device contained audio-visual recordings of a restroom, including footage of a woman using the bathroom and the individual who installed the device in the ceiling, Taylor wrote.
The assistant manager identified the installer as Martinez, an employee. Martinez told police that he installed the camera to record his boss’ mistreatment and eventually started recording women using the restroom, Taylor wrote in court papers. Police confiscated cameras and computer equipment from the suspect’s home, court papers say.
Google Maps400 Atrium Drive in Franklin Township, where a South Bound Brook man was arrested for allegedly videotaping women using the bathroom.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Q:
How to disable and hide the pagination footer for react-table?
I'm new to react-table. Currently I have a 5 rows table to render on react-table, and I don't need the pagination function. I understand to turn pagination off, it can be done by "pagination={false}". However the pagination control still showing, is there a way to hide it?
A:
I just found prop showPagination={false}. Try that.
https://github.com/tannerlinsley/react-table/tree/v6#props
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
University of Tampa
Description
University of Tampa (also known as UT) is a private university located in Downtown Tampa. The school opened in 1931 and is accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. While UT offers nearly 100 programs, they are best known for their business programs.
Plug Updates
Recommended Ratings & Reviews
There is not a lot to complain about when it comes to the University of Tampa. Coming in, I was skeptical about the small school and having a true college experience. It was definitely a relief to see how great the college involved each student and really personalized my experience - I have no regrets!
The students, while from all over the world, are all super nice and welcoming and so are the professors. Not only do they make you have a great experience, but being located in the lovely Downtown Tampa is also a great part. Having the perfect Florida beaches near by and the fast-paced life of the city surrounding you there is no limits to your fun! Also being in Downtown provides each student tons of opportunities to gain first-hand experience in the working world and meet great people.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
When Sveta heads insane for hard-on cub needs it dangerous. Juvenile commences off by way of providing her beau an unbelievable blowage, deepthroating and gobbling his man rod and lovin the style and perceive. Then cub drills him supreme and rock-hard and he bashes that taut tiny teenager twat in each and every pose he ass call to mind ahead of gargling stud splooge over her backside and again.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
John Matrix (Commando) Bio on IMDB. - chrisdl
http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0011680/bio
======
chrisdl
In case it gets changed "John Matrix is the bastard son of Rambo and Chuck
Norris. He spent most of his youth killing small animals. he tried to become a
school teacher but was too much of a BAMF to not kill little kids. He may have
had his ups and downs but he is one of americas greateset presidents.m,"
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
HackerNews
|
November 12, 2008
Governor Paterson, assisted by Budget Director Laura Aglin, today gave broad outlines for the Deficit Reduction Plan he’ll put before the November 18 special session of the legislature. They involve education, health care, SUNY and CUNY tuition, and civil service. If enacted, the Governor says, they would save $2 billion this year, $3.2 the next.
This year’s rate of growth for school aid, originally projected at nine percent, Paterson proposes to cut to five percent. Health care/Medicaid growth would be cut from two to one percent.
The state would take $800 million from school districts on a case-by-case basis, with “high-needs” districts seeing lower reductions — three percent, as opposed to nine percent seen by “low-needs” districts.
Health care reductions would be seen in hospitals, nursing, home care, pharmaceuticals, and medicaid reimbursement rates.
SUNY and CUNY tuition would be raised $600 a year. And state civil service unions would be asked for givebacks — for example, to defer five days of salary in the fiscal year that employees would get back when they retire. Future retirement benefits may also be trimmed.
Paterson said layoffs aren’t being considered now, but if he can’t get sufficient movement on state employment costs, New York may lose more workers than previously planned “through attrition.”
The Governor and Anglin also proposed reductions in the legislature’s programs, closure of “vacant” youth facilities, and changes to the bottle bill.
The Governor says that as “New Yorkers are leaving the state” because of its tax burdens, he wants to avoid raising taxes if at all possible, though he did ay that, in the long term, he’d like to collect taxes from New York’s Indian reservations.
Paterson reminded reporters that during the fat years of the 1990s and the early part of this decade, “we never stopped spending” and ran up deficits which now necessitate these “difficult” cuts.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Jimmy Lusibaea
Jimmy Lusibaea (born 7 July 1970), also known as Jimmy "Rasta", is a Solomon Islands politician.
He was born in Malu'u, Malaita Province.
He became involved in the severe ethnic conflicts on Guadalcanal and Malaita in the early 2000s. He has been described as a "warlord", and was one of the leaders of the Malaita Eagle Force, an armed ethnic militia formed to fight for the interests of Malaitan migrants facing expulsion from Guadalcanal. He surrendered in 2003 when an international peacekeeping force, RAMSI, arrived in the Solomons. He was arrested, accused of several crimes, including having taken part in the attempted murder of bank manager Moses Garu; charges on that count were dropped when "witnesses failed to testify". He was convicted for a robbery committed in 2000, and given a five-year sentence. In 2006, he was "acquitted of the death of two special constables allegedly killed in his yard" in 2002.
Sent to prison after RAMSI's arrival, he "found religion on the inside and, on his release, set up a successful business". Having studied heavy plant mechanics at the Afutara Vocational School, he eventually became Managing Director of the Lion Heart Company, before going into politics in 2010.
He began his political career by standing in the North Malaita constituency in the August 2010 general election. He was elected, and appointed Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources in Prime Minister Danny Philip's government. In September, as Fisheries Minister, he warned that the government would crack down on foreign vessels illegally fishing in Solomon Islands waters.
In September 2010, he was charged with "attempted murder with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, assault on a police officer and discharging a firearm in a public place", for crimes allegedly committed in 2001. Specifically, he was accused of inflicting head injuries on police officer Sam Manekeha, and of shooting civilian Robert Solo in both knees, while a commander in the Malaita Eagle Force. In November, he pleaded guilty in court to the charges of assault causing grievous bodily harm and assaulting a police officer, and was remanded in custody to await his sentence.
While Lusibaea was awaiting his sentence, he received unexpected praise from the Leader of the Opposition, Steve Abana. Abana declared himself impressed with Lusibaea's work as Fisheries Minister, noting his achievement in negotiating with Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, earlier in November, to successfully double the access fee for foreign vessels wishing to fish in Solomon Islands waters. Abana stated:
"Mr Lusibaea's outstanding performance and his continued assistance to community groups touched many hearts and this speaks loud and clear of the totally changed person he is now to what he was during the ethnic tension. Solomon Islands needs enthusiastic leaders like Mr Lusibaea who are keen to learn and to carry out their official obligations to the best of their ability."
On 30 November, he was sentenced to two years and nine months in gaol for assault and grievous bodily harm. As his sentence exceeded six months in gaol, he lost his seat in Parliament, and thus his position in government. He was released from gaol on parole on 14 January, reportedly for good behaviour and for having undergone rehabilitation. His early release caused an "uproar" among the Opposition, with acting Leader of the Opposition Matthew Wale requesting further explanation, and suggesting that the government might have pressured the parole board into granting Lusibaea's release.
On 20 January, the Minister for Police, James Tora, reduced Lusibaea's sentence to one month, using his discretion as Minister under section 38 of the Correctional Service Act. Consequently, as it appeared Lusibaea was no longer barred from occupying his seat, he resumed his functions in Parliament. The Opposition announced it would "challenge the matter in court". Rodney Kingmele, President of the Solomon Islands Bar Association, also criticised the decision. Lusibaea's ability to sit in Parliament as a member of the government majority was viewed as crucial at a time when the government was struggling to maintain a viable majority, in the face of defections. It was initially unclear whether Lusibaea was set to resume his post in Cabinet, but a listing of ministers in April 2011 still had the position of Fisheries Minister "vacant".
On 17 October, the High Court ruled, in the case brought by the Opposition, that the Minister for Police and the Parole Board had lacked the authority to reduce the sentence, although they did have the authority to remit it. They could reduce the execution of the sentence, but that did not alter the fact that the sentence had indeed been passed. A sentence could only be overturned by a court of appeal, or by the monarch's use of her prerogative of mercy. Thus it remained the case that, having been sentenced to two years and nine months in gaol, Lusibaea was barred from sitting in Parliament. The ruling came just as the Prime Minister had announced he intended for Lusibaea to resume his functions as Fisheries Minister - a decision rendered impossible by his renewed exclusion from Parliament.
Days after being excluded from Parliament once more, Lusibaea donated SI$74,700 to meet the tuition fees of all twenty-six students from his erstwhile constituency who were currently studying at the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education. He explained that he wished to assist and "serve the future leaders of North Malaita".
He was returned to Parliament in the 2014 general election as an independent member, and was appointed Minister for Infrastructure Development by Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare in late October 2015. Thereupon he joined the People's Alliance Party. He was sacked from the government on 4 August 2017, and told he had not done enough to resolve the poor state of roads in the country. He remained a member of the party. Three weeks later, he was ordered by the Leadership Code Commission to pay a fine of SI$12,000 for misconduct in office. He had pleaded guilty to awarding his own company two government contracts, one to carry out road maintenance work and one to sell a side lifter truck to the Solomon Islands Ports Authority. The fine also covered the fact he had initially lied to the Commission, stating that he had no shares in any company.
References
Category:1970 births
Category:Living people
Category:Members of the National Parliament of the Solomon Islands
Category:People from Malaita Province
Category:Government ministers of the Solomon Islands
Category:Solomon Islands politicians convicted of crimes
Category:People convicted of assault
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
Q:
Renaming the Package Name inside an APK
I have created an AIR app that is currently on the market. To update the app, obviously I must keep the same package name. My first version's were packaged using Eclipse with the ADT plugin.
Now to use AIR 3.0 Native Extensions (ANE) which were not available when I first developed the app, I currently must create my APK using AIR's command line tools. Unfortunately, these command line tools force you to have a package name that starts with the word "air". For example, I need the package name "com.example". AIR creates the package name as "air.com.example".
So now, I cannot update my app in the market since the package name has changed. Adobe has this horrific article to help you rename and remove the "air" in the package. I'm not a great programmer so this has really stumped me.
http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/875/cpsid_87562.html
Apparently this info is out of date or incorrect in a few areas.
I have completely stumbled at step 12 which uses apkbuilder:
apkbuilder final.apk -u -z resources.arsc -f classes.dex
I am getting this error message:
THIS TOOL IS DEPRECATED. See --help for more information.
java.io.FileNotFoundException: resources.arsc does not exist
I have used step 10 to create the new resources.arsc file. It clearly DOES exist and in the correct location. I tried using apkbuilder with other resources.arsc files taken from other projects. I still get the same error message.
Is there a chance in hell of this working? If anyone is interested in this, I have a zip file with a sample AIR apk, windows bat files for all the command line work, and all the needed utilities so they don't need to be downloaded. To get started you just need to change my path.bat to fit your system. And you need notepad++ (or an equivalent) to batch automate renaming the package name across several files.
bradwallacedesign.com/dktimer/renameApkProject.zip
Thanks so much!
A:
this was done on a pc. i have no idea how to do this on a mac.
i don't recommend using this to remove the "air." from an air package name. If you do so, the user will not be prompted to download air on their device. the user will get an error message instead with no clue to the problem. of course you can use air captive runtime to solve this issue.
http://bradwallacedesign.com/share/renameAPK.zip
download and unzip my file (renameAPK.zip) to c:\renameAPK.
required files:
my file (renameAPK.zip) which contains the apkTool
java jdk/jre
android SDK
notepad++ (or an equivalent text editor that can rename across multiple files)
i made many bat files since i'm not sure how to combine them into one file. you will need to edit each one to change your path names and file names to work with your computer and your apk file.
i numbered all the bats in the order that i use them. once a command line is open, i type the number of the bat file i want then hit the tab key to automatically finish the name of the bat file then hit enter to run that bat file.
instructions:
double click `openCmd.bat to open a command line pointing to the directory with all your files.
0. run 0path.bat to set your path. (i can't remember now if the adobe air sdk is needed for this but i have it in my path. obviously, the JDK is needed and the android sdk for the jarsigner and zip align i think.)
1. run 1decompileAPK.bat to have apkTool decompile your app into a folder called UNZIPPEDapk
2. follow the instructions in 2editManifest & PackageName - Instructions (not a bat).txt to edit the manifest and package name using Notepad++ inside UNZIPPEDapk:
edit AndroidManifest.xml:
a. change package name from air.oldPackageName to newPackageName
b. edit other needed entries:
c. rename folder system inside "smali" folder so that it works with your new package name
for example:
if the old package name was: air/oldName then change the folders to match the new package name: air/newName
use notepad++ (or any editor that can find and replace text over many files)
d. ctrl+shift+f --- "Find in files"
find:
air/oldPackageName
replace with:
newPackageName
where:
all files in UNZIPPEDapk/smali
(i think there were over 200 replacements)
3. run 3buildDistFolder.bat to have apkTool build the new apk in the UNZIPPEDapk\Dist folder
4. follow the instructions in 4getMissingFiles - instructions.txt to reinstate the 2 missing files in the new build:
a. Two files were not built during 3buildDistFolder:
3buildDistFolder.bat built the new apk in the \UNZIPPEDapk\dist folder but it failed to copy 2 files:
(skipping hidden file 'C:\Users\computer\apkTool\UNZIPPEDapk\assets\META-INF
\AIR\extensions\com.adobe.mobile\META-INF\ANE\Android-ARM.classpath')
(skipping hidden file 'C:\Users\computer\apkTool\UNZIPPEDapk\assets\META-INF
\AIR\extensions\com.adobe.mobile\META-INF\ANE\Android-ARM.project')
grab these 2 files from your original apk and drop them into your new apk in the correct folder
b. copy yourApp.apk from DKTimer/Dist/ to root directory where your bat files are.
5. run 5signAPK.bat to sign the apk.
developer.android.com/guide/publishing/app-signing.html
6. run 6verifySigned.bat to verify the signing worked properly
7. run 7zipAlign.bat to align the apk file.
developer.android.com/guide/developing/tools/zipalign.html
You are finished at this point. Continue on if you want to test it on a device.
8. run 8installAPK.bat to install the apk on a usb connected device.
9. run 9remoteDebugger.bat if you want to use remote debugging.
i hope this helps someone. let me know if i forgot to include something.
also, if you know a better way to do this, please comment (such as how to combine this into 1 long pausing bat file...)
A:
There is a simple environment variable you can set to disable the air. prefix easily. The following code exists in the Adobe AIR packager:
String optOut = System.getenv("AIR_NOANDROIDFLAIR");
if ((optOut == null) || (optOut.indexOf("true") == -1)) {
packageName = "air." + packageName;
}
So, simply set the AIR_NOANDROIDFLAIR environment variable to true, repackage your application, and it won't have the air. prefix. Google how to set environment variables in windows or mac for your particular OS version.
For example, I use the command-line compiler on Mac/Linux, so I run:
> export AIR_NOANDROIDFLAIR=true
> java -jar $AIR_HOME/lib/adt.jar -package -target apk-captive-runtime -storetype pkcs12 -keystore cert.p12 -storepass *** Main.apk Main-app.xml Main.swf
Warning: I don't know what implications this has. Per someone's note above, this may only be a good idea with captive runtime (but that's the default going forward from AIR 3.8).
Update: Renaun Erickson said it shouldn't cause problems.
Cross-posted here (slightly different question, same answer).
A:
Having tried several apkRename tools, I found that they all failed for some app, such as com.android.browser on HTC device.
The reason is in apktool which does not correctly unpack apk file sometimes.
So, i create my own tool: https://github.com/sjitech/ApkRename
No need apktool, no need aapt, just java and jar utilities.
This utility directly modify AndroidManifest.xml so without recompile whole resource by apktool,
so it's clean.
Tested devices: 11 kinds (both android 4+, but 2.2+ should be no OK)
Tested OS: Mac OS X 10.9 and CentOS 6. (Cygwin with bash 4+ should be OK, but not tested yet)
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
King's Holly, otherwise known as Lomatia tasmanica, is believed to be at least 43,000 years old.
Only one cluster of the ancient plant remains in a secret southern Tasmanian location, surrounded by deadly root rot.
Tasmanian explorer, Denny King, discovered the plant in 1937.
It's believed there are fewer than 500 plants in the small secret location.
Greg Jordan, from the University of Tasmania, said King's Holly is probably the oldest living plant in the world.
"Definitely to date it's probably the best candidate for the oldest plant in the world," he said.
An intensive breeding program at Tasmania's Royal Botanical Gardens started in 2004.
The aim was to set up an insurance population of 50 plants in pots, but to date fewer than half have taken.
Mr Jordan said establishing an insurance population was a challenge.
"The King's Holly doesn't do sex," he said.
"That's because it has three sets of chromosomes instead of two."
The plant bears pink flowers but produces neither fruit nor seeds.
It only reproduces vegetatively, meaning a new plant only grows when a branch falls and develops its own roots establishing a separate, but genetically identical, plant.
Natalie Tapson, from Tasmania's Royal Botanical Gardens, has been working with King's Holly for around two decades.
In that time several different techniques of growing the plant have been tried, but all have had their setbacks.
Ms Tapson said that while cuttings generally took root, they were difficult to transfer to larger pots.
"One of the issues is you get this blackening off, so whenever you cut a stem it blackens and it dies, so it's very very touchy," she said.
King's Holly or King's Lomatia, was discovered by Tasmanian explorer, Denny King. ( Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service )
Ms Tapson now believes grafting King's Holly onto another plant could be the solution.
"By putting it on to a root stock, it's hoped that when you plant it out, or transfer it, you're not going to have that loss because the root stock is stronger," she said.
As well as root rot, scientists fear a fire could wipe the cluster out.
However, it's also feared a lack of fire could allow other plants to grow over the top of it.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Reported Missing
Reported Missing is a 1937 American thriller film directed by Milton Carruth and written by Jerome Chodorov and Joseph Fields. The film stars William Gargan, Jean Rogers, Dick Purcell, Hobart Cavanaugh, Michael Fitzmaurice, Joe Sawyer, Billy Wayne and Robert Spencer. The film was released on August 15, 1937, by Universal Pictures.
Plot
Cast
William Gargan as Steve Browning
Jean Rogers as Jean Clayton
Dick Purcell as Paul Wayne
Hobart Cavanaugh as 'Ab' Steele
Michael Fitzmaurice as Jack Clayton
Joe Sawyer as 'Brad' Martin
Billy Wayne as John Duffy
Robert Spencer as Bill Evans
References
External links
Category:1937 films
Category:American films
Category:English-language films
Category:American thriller films
Category:1930s thriller films
Category:Universal Pictures films
Category:American black-and-white films
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
The ‘How to Win the Class War’ satirist tells Claire Provost about the ‘shadowy plot’ to claw back working-class gains
In a discreet villa in Switzerland, carefully chosen experts have been assembled by a shadowy group of wealthy and powerful commissioners and tasked with answering a single big question: how, amid the global financial crisis, can a renaissance of western capitalism be best ensured?
ADVERTISEMENT
This is the Machiavellian scene that opens the latest book from Susan George, the prolific Franco-American political scientist and global justice activist. While perhaps best known for her work on world hunger, poverty and debt, George has turned to Europe and the US in How to Win the Class War, a satire of the 1%, or the “Davos class”, as she puts it, in reference to the elite annual gatherings of the World Economic Forum.
Tongue-in-cheek and at times bizarre, the book is likely to strike a chord with those involved in movements such as Occupy and others increasingly suspicious of political parties and elite institutions. “I don’t think preachy books work,” says George, who was in London this month. “I think sometimes people are more moved by [satire] and black humour … God knows there’s plenty to satirise out there.”
George, 79, has spent decades studying and critiquing mainstream economic policy and is a key figure in alter-globalisation circles. Born in Ohio during the Great Depression, she moved to France in the 1950s and never left, joining activist movements against France’s colonial war in Algeria and America’s war in Vietnam. Today, she is honorary president of Attac-France, a group founded to push for taxes on foreign exchange transactions but which now works on a range of issues, and heads the board of the Transnational Institute network of “scholar-activists”.
Satire is an ancient political tool and George has turned to it before; her latest book is a sequel to The Lugano Report, published in 1999 and sold as a secret report drafted by researchers hired to advise on whether global capitalism could survive the next millennium.
International in scope, The Lugano Report concluded that the four horsemen of the apocalypse (conquest, war, famine and pestilence) should be set loose to help rid the planet of its many “useless” people. Brutal enough to earn comparisons with the 18th-century satirical essay A Modest Proposal – in which Jonathan Swift suggested that the impoverished Irish should sell their children as food to rich people – The Lugano Report flew off the shelves in France and has since been published in more than a dozen languages.
ADVERTISEMENT
While she has spent much of her life thinking globally and writing about challenges facing developing countries, George says European governments’ commitments to push through austerity policies despite their social costs has given her a new focus. “We are very preoccupied with our own situation and that’s where the militant strength is going now, it’s not going into fighting hunger or debt,” she says.
George is quick to argue, however, that there are important links to be drawn between European austerity policies and the structural adjustment programmes that poor countries adopted in the 1970s and 1980s.
“Ordinary people in the [global] south from the late 1970s until today have had to pay for the crimes and the greed and the odious debts of the dictators of their own governments, of their own upper classes, and they know very well what this means for the population: it means deep cuts in housing, education, culture, health,” she says.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Now it’s our turn. Now it’s called austerity. Call it what you like, but it’s the same policy – it’s socialise losses, privatise profits … [and] this has been pushed to a point where, although we began richer than the countries of the south … we are really creating now a situation where there are desperately poor people in Europe, in Britain, in normally wealthy countries.”
The question for George is whether the austerity programmes pushed by European governments despite their social costs are mistakes, or deliberate policies. She is convinced of the latter and argues there is a class in Europe that has never accepted the gains working people have made since the second world war and has decided that this is the perfect moment to try to claw them back.
ADVERTISEMENT
In her latest book, George’s imagined working group of experts give their benefactors the good news first: that they (the 1%) are winning and are “even more firmly in control of economic, political and even social developments than was the case before the crisis struck”. The bad news is that the situation remains precarious.
Her tips for the rich include exploiting divisions among peoples’ movements and exercising restraint in public displays of wealth. Above all, the working group argues that “to persuade is to win”, and for the relentless repetition of lines such as: “the private sector will always outperform the public”; “a truly free society cannot exist without a free market”; “inequality is not a so-called problem but is intrinsic to society and could be genetic”.
If George can seem obsessed with secret cabals hatching grand plans for world domination, she’s quick to say she does not believe in conspiracies – only interests and well-thought-out strategies to further them. She also has retorts ready for anyone who suggests she’s pessimistic about the future. “I think that when things get to such a point, everyone is disgusted with how the politicians are behaving, that we can innovate and bring new ideas and policies to the fore.”
ADVERTISEMENT
guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2013
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Simulation games are often geared towards a very specific group of gamers. They are the ones who want to be in complete control over who and what they are simulating and really hate limitations, and this can be a casual or hardcore gamer. After the SimCity fiasco it appeared that the fans would go without a new opportunity to sit in the mayor’s chair and construct the next great city of the world. These woes were answered with the 2015 release of Cities: Skylines. Developer Colossal Order and publisher Paradox Interactive teamed up to create what many call the best of city sim games. It boasted amazing graphics, smooth game play and most importantly complete control over your city and it’s operations. When it was announced for release on the Xbox One, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it and see if this titan of city sims could hold its title with it’s console port – after many hours, traffic jams and zoning meetings I’ve come to find it absolutely does.
The layout of your city is key to citizen happiness. Keep them clean and noise free!
Upon first entering the game, you are given the option to name your city (Gotham, Zanarkand, King’s Landing, whatever you can imagine) and choose which map you play on. Each map has a different theme as well as resources and connection points to other cities which can really influence the type of city you build and how it prospers. Being no city managing genius, I struggled at first with how to get started. The game offers you a very brief tutorial on how to begin, a feature I both appreciate but wish were a bit longer – Not having to sit through the equivalent of a college course to play the game is nice, but a little extra guidance wouldn’t hurt either. This certainly doesn’t hinder the experience though, as after a few minutes in you start to grab the mechanics of the game well. After laying down a large main road and some side streets, you begin to layout your little hamlet. By designating different “zones” it allows for particular types of buildings to rise from the ground there. Residential is where your citizens will build homes and live, Commercial for all your shopping and business needs, Industrial zones to supply the stores and city with the products in needs and Office zones to allow companies to form and give your citizens more job opportunities. Initially, only Residential, Commercial and Industrial are given to you which offers you the chance to learn before being buried by all this game has to offer. Learning to zone properly is an important thing to learn early – if your residential zones are to close to your industrial ones, the pollution will upset them and the noise from the Commercial zones will keep them up at night. After some trial and error you’ll have your zones set and people moving in, but not before you handle the electricity and water shortage!
Facilities like water treatment plants and power lines are your life blood, keep them up and running!
Making sure your city is powered and fed with clean water will be one of your first challenges, and again the layout is very important. Every water pump needs a sewage drain, and if this is placed up-stream it can cause pollution of your drinking water. Power plants can be loud and costly, but if you don’t have enough to produce energy for your whole city, the lights go out. Whether you choose to build efficient but expensive wind turbines or go for coal plants, having enough of this resource is critical. Fortunately this is made less frightening by the great and east to read info panels provided in your start menu. Utilizing these will give you feedback on everything from power and water supply to education and graduate percentages. It’s a page you’ll check back on often, so it’s easy to read layout and design make you all the more thankful that this was made a focus point at some level. With enough attention to the needs of your city and it’s people, you will begin to grow and unlock new buildings and services such as schools, hospitals, police and fire and of course sanitation. All of these are needed to further your city’s growth and potential, and by this point any chance you had of putting down your controller and going outside are over – you’ve got a city to run! Educating your population will allow them to get better jobs an contribute more, not to mention boost their happiness. Your public safety buildings like hospitals, fire stations and police stations will allow you to protect and serve the people and give them a safe environment to work and live in. As you watch your unemployment rate drop and graduation rate skyrocket you’ll really start to feel a sense of accomplishment that makes these types of games so enjoyable to play.
You’ll lead your city from a small town to thriving metropolis and enjoy every second of it!
When the day eventually comes that your city has taken form, you’ll find that your policies and your money management become some of your biggest challenges. Polices can range from handing out smoke detectors as a city-wide crack down on fire safety to free public transportation to help free up some of the gridlock you’ve run into. These can be cast city wide or sectioned off to particular “districts” which you can create to micro manage your city a bit better. These options will weigh on your mind undoubtedly, and through your mixing and matching of them you will find a strategy that works for you and your sim people. Once your city has become the talk of the fictitious land it’s in, you’ll be given the chance to build unique buildings such as an opera house or aquarium that will not only make your citizens happy but will given you the golden ticket to financial success – Tourists. Ensuring that your city is attractive enough to bring in tourism dollars will help set you up for future projects, so building strong commercial zones and making sure they have a suitable way to get around the city is a must, and who knows they might enjoy it so much they decide to pick up and move to your city. All of this again will keep you gripping your controller as if it were your ball-point pen as you sign executive order after executive order leading your city to greatness. Will you be a loved and respected mayor, or will you struggle under the weight of such responsibility? Either way, you’re almost assured to fall in love with this title.
Review Overview
5/5
Both newcomers and veterans will find something to love in Cities: Skylines Xbox One Edition. It's incredible menu and HUD combined with smooth graphics and addictive game play will keep you coming back and back again and make you forgot all about the sim genre disappointments of the past - You've found the Key to the City of Awesome.
About Dustin Andrade
Dustin is from Massachusetts, south of Boston. He’s a comic book lover, Batman fan boy and loves all things video game- from NES to present! When he's not slaying monsters, he's writing reviews or comics.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
i have a serious brain disease. please bring me a cat.
Tag: nyc
(page 1 of 2)
Our flight was at 2pm so most brunch options would be cutting it too close. The Organic Grill‘s brunch started at 10 and was pretty close by so we decided to try that. It’s not a vegan restaurant, but there were plenty of options. I got the tofu rancheros. I was completely happy with this. Right amount of food. Very satisfying.
Okay, so we might have gotten 3 breakfasts between the two of us. *blort* Kevin wanted the blueberry slamcakes. And he was glad we’d ordered an extra thing. The pancakes were pretty small and he didn’t love the scramble. I liked the pancakes but if you’re starving it might not be enough food.
The other thing that intrigued us was their tofu omelette. They really hype it up on the menu. And what could be bad about tofu stuffed with vegan cheese and veggies. We’re pretty sure they’re using Daiya cheese too. It was huge, like almost burrito sized. They seem to shred the tofu and maybe mix it with little batter to make it into an omelette shape. The Daiya really made it though.
After this, we walked around the corner to get falafels from Mamoun’s since Kevin hadn’t had them yet. We ate them later on the plane. Kevin wasn’t impressed. I still think they’re pretty good but not necessarily the best I’ve ever had.
While eating brunch, Matt & Danielle sent out a tweet that they would be at Pala Pizza at 4pm and to come join them. Uh, sure, why not! It was kind of dark in there so photos were pretty sucky. The pizza was good. They used Daiya. We also split some gnocchi. Sadly, it was gummy and undercooked.
So after eating at Pala, we hopped in a cab with Ken & Leigh and headed to Veggie Conquest to eat some more! We were lucky enough to be in NYC during Veggie Conquest and to get tasting tickets through Ken & Leigh. Thanks guys! The secret ingredient for this event was cranberries and the course was dessert. Here’s the list of entries. I think #4 was a no show.
The tastes arrived in small bites. Definitely doable. My favorite was also the judges, #7 the rice crepe with cran-ginger sauce. What we didn’t know is that after the competition, there would be a huge buffet of delicious foods set up. Oh crap. Match Vegan Meats was one of the sponsors and provided volunteers with some of their vegan meats for the buffet dishes. My favorite was the swedish meatballs. Definitely comfort food. I think it’s the one in the middle of my plate. No, I didn’t clean this plate, but I sure as hell tried everything.
We also got to sample one of the creamiest vegan ice creams I’ve ever had from the Raw Ice Cream Company. That’s right, it’s also raw. Amazing!
All in all, this was an amazing event. A bunch of like minded people eating tasty food in a beautiful space (an art gallery exhibiting never seen before photographs of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones) for a bargain price of $20. We are totally going to have to start one of these in Atlanta.
Saturday after the wedding was another day of a ridiculous amount of eating. It started out innocently enough. We knew we were going to meet a bunch of folks for brunch at Counter around noon. But both of us are early risers and weren’t going to make it all the way ’til noon. So we went by Cafe Pedlar for coffee again and then got bagels.
Then later we headed over to Counter to meet up with a ton of people. We basically took over the back of the restaurant.
Now, I’ll give them a break on the service since we were such a huge group and arrived in waves. But again the food wasn’t worth the hype. I got the tofu scramble. It’s mostly up under the toast. I will say the potatoes were awesome. Nice crisp on them, soft inside. The tofu scramble was bland and uninteresting. How do you mess up tofu scramble? You can make it an infinite number of tasty ways. It’s inexcusable really.
Kevin thought his french toast was pretty good. But there should have been more of it.
Anyway, my overall impression from my two visits to Counter is that it isn’t worth the hype.
After brunch, we grabbed the rented evening clothes and headed downtown to return them. I’m glad I went with Kevin because I was able to see Trinity Church Cemetery.
Then I headed back to the apartment to rest and get ready for the wedding. Somehow I managed to pass by Babycakes. Hmm…I wonder how that happened? Chocolate crumb cake and cinnamon toast loaf. Yum!
I didn’t take any pictures at Danielle & Matt’s wedding. There were professionals handling that. I’m sure the pics will be up soon. Meanwhile, the smile booth photos will give you an idea… Also, Leigh grabbed some pictures of the food.
Thursday was somewhat less eventful. Wednesday was crazy, right? I don’t seem to have a pic of breakfast. It must have been a bagel. Oh, I know it was. Then we headed uptown to hang out with Kevin’s parents. Ended up having lunch at a terrible Mexican restaurant. Oh well. That’s what happens when you don’t want to walk around in the rain.
The rehearsal dinner was that night at Spring Street Natural. Although there was no rehearsal. It’s not a vegan restaurant, but has some vegan options. There were set choices for our dinner. I had the stuffed acorn squash. It was…okay. Cafe Sunflower’s is much better. I didn’t hear how people liked their stir fry so I’m not sure how that is. It was too dark in there so no pic.
What did we do afterward? Lula’s Sweet Apothecary, of course! This time I got a single scoop of peanut butter fudge with hot fudge on it. So fucking good!
Kevin is now in love with malts:
And we seriously packed the place out as they were about to close. Whoops! They were very good sports about it though.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Mahmoud Za'al
Baghdad TV
January 25, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq
Za'al, 35, a correspondent for Baghdad TV, was shot during clashes
between U.S. forces and Sunni rebels in Ramadi, an insurgent stronghold
70 miles (110 kilometers) west of Baghdad.
Reuters quoted witnesses as saying Za'al was covering an insurgent
attack on two U.S.-held buildings when he was wounded in the legs and
then killed moments later in a U.S. air strike. The U.S. military
denied it had launched an air strike in Ramadi that day and declined
comment on the clashes or Za'al's death, the agency reported.
Staff at Baghdad TV told CPJ that U.S. soldiers briefly questioned Za'al 15 minutes before he was shot.
Staff said several of the station's correspondents had been detained by
U.S. troops in the preceding few months. Baghdad TV is owned by the
Iraqi Islamic Party, the biggest Sunni political group. Za'al had
worked for the station for one year.
In another case involving combat reporting in Ramadi, Dhia Najim, a
freelance cameraman working for Reuters, was shot in the head by a U.S.
sniper on November 1, 2004, according to his colleagues.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
The Cougarette
by Eliza David
The Cougarette ©
Copyright: Eliza David
Published: 10th January 2015
Publisher: Hampton Estates Press
The right of Eliza David to be identified as author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in retrieval system, copied in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise transmitted without written permission from the publisher.
You must not circulate this book in any format.
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
To my family, who allowed me the space and time to make this happen. LUAAW
# Prologue
"Laney?? LANEY, WAKE UP! Holy shit! You gotta come scoop me...I really got myself in trouble now...no, he's fine, I think. Just listen - main lobby of the Hotel Merrimont in less than 25 minutes, please?! No time for explanation right now. I'll explain when you get here. I've ruined everything! Holy shit! Yeah, I know and I apologize, but just get moving, bitch! Bye!"
CeeCee ended the call and threw the phone back in her bag. She approached the elevator and hit the down button multiple times. The doors parted and CeeCee came face to face with the one person she was trying in vain to escape.
"Um...Hi..."
Holy shit, indeed.
She has to stop waking up in random hotel rooms.
# Chapter 1
Life wasn't always this action-packed for CeeCee Banks. For almost twenty years, she was known by a different name: CeeCee Carello. The Carellos were a picture perfect example of a family in post-racial America: black CeeCee and her Italian husband Tony – both a healthy 43 years old each, their genius teenage son Anthony (whom they lovingly called Junior) and her hot pink vibrator Mr. Jack - as in Rabbit. One big content and colorful family.
That all changed one evening when CeeCee and Tony sat in their matching recliners and broached a subject that should have been discussed between them years ago. CeeCee had tried to chalk up the nerve to bring it up for a while and the Women's Health magazine article she'd flipped to was a sign.
This was the time. Finally.
"Tony, is there anything you're missing from me in bed? Be honest - I can tell when you're lying. Your nose twitches."
Tony looked over the top of his wire-rimmed reading glasses at his wife.
"Not a thing, babe." He twitched his nose with a smirk.
CeeCee rolled up the magazine and playfully hit Tony across the arm.
"I mean it, goofball. What's missing for you? I seriously want to talk about this."
Tony put down the sports section of the Chicago Tribune and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.
"Ceese, c'mon! You know what your problem is? You start readin' these ladies' magazines and these rags get your mind thinkin' up all types of problems that don't even exist. Don't start."
CeeCee put the magazine down and shifted her five foot frame toward Tony, rubbing his arm gently.
"It's a simple question, Tony. Are you missing anything from our marriage sexually?"
"No. Got it. Nothing's missing. You're perfect. Nice ass. Nice tits. A little short, but perfect. Happy?"
"Okay. That's all I wanted to know. Continue reading about the White Sox."
Nope, not the time. CeeCee shrugged as they both continued reading in silence.
Sixty seconds passed before Tony turned to CeeCee.
"So...what are you missin' from me? Anything in particular?"
"No. Got it. Nothing's missing. You're perfect. Nice ass. Nice tits. A little tall but perfect. Happy?"
"Ha, ha, very funny. Come on. You asked me, I'm askin' you: What are ya missin', you little minx?"
CeeCee paused before answering.
How do I say it?
Give me head? No, too masculine.
Perform cunnilingus? Nah. Too anatomical.
Taste my flower? God no. He'd laugh himself to death and then I'd never get him to...
CeeCee took a breath, ready to answer.
"Well...um...I'd like for you to...to eat me out me every once in a while. I mean, it doesn't have to happen every time we have sex, but more often than just my birthday and our anniversary would be nice."
CeeCee glanced over at Tony's face. He looked as if she slapped him with each syllable she had spoken.
"Thanks a lot, Ceese. Just what I need from you, more complaints." He yanked off his glasses, threw them on the table and went upstairs to bed.
The beginning of the end of their marriage had been set into motion from that moment. The sex stopped. Conversation beyond common pleasantries became a rarity. The passion was gone. The spark that connected them so many years ago in college had all but fizzled out. Tony and CeeCee were broken from one simple chat that eventually opened the door to many realizations about their marriage. The most specific of these insights was Tony's affair.
The same man who was offended by his own wife's sexual requests was involved with his colleague Debbie Sawyer, another boring-as-beige accountant like himself. CeeCee always knew. She couldn't deny it - phone calls taken discreetly in the den, password protection on his cell phone, lots of Home late tonight, Ceese texts out of tax season. Who knew number crunchers kept such long hours in July?
Although she was somewhat aware of his transgressions, CeeCee was nonetheless livid when she found out. In an effort to reconnect, she asked Tony out on an evening movie date. CeeCee was putting on her makeup and jewelry when Tony's cell phone vibrated on the bathroom sink. She looked down as she put her left earring in to read: Call me later, love.
She picked up the device and read it over and over, hoping it would disappear and somehow not be real. Tony walked into the bathroom, interrupting her thoughts.
"So what's this movie you're draggin' me to? I hope it doesn't have Meryl Streep in it. You know I hate Meryl Streep."
When CeeCee didn't respond, Tony's eyes met hers in the double vanity mirror. He saw her holding his phone and knew.
"Ceese."
"She calls you 'love'? Really Tony?" CeeCee threw the phone at him, which he caught against his chest. She stormed into their adjoined bedroom with Tony following behind with a trail of classic cheater excuses.
"I know this looks bad. I didn't want you to find out like this. I'm sorry."
"Yeah, you're sorry all right. Well at least I know it's official: you're fucking her, right? Lord knows you aren't fucking me, you bastard. Wait..."
CeeCee turned to face him near their bed, the bed they hadn't made love on in the three months since their infamous discussion.
"Are you in love with her? Tony, do you love her?"
Tony ran his fingers through his hair. "No. I mean, I'm not sure...it's...I can't really explain—"
"You...you love her."
Tony stood in silence, confirming her statement. CeeCee had always thought that he and Debbie were just having a fling. She had no idea it was serious. That it was love.
Upon realizing the depth of his betrayal, CeeCee reacted like any wife would after learning that their husband was in love with another woman: she threw him out of their bedroom. Throwing him out of the house would have been preferred but it would have crushed Junior. A 17-year-old boy needs his father, even if his father is screwing someone on the side. Appearances were maintained for his sake - but the moment Junior fell asleep every night, Tony relocated himself to the basement's guest room.
One evening, Junior spent the night at a friend's house. With Tony exiled to the basement, CeeCee had become bored. She decided to treat herself to a Girls' Night Out. Her best friend Laney and her girlfriend Roxy picked her up and the trio went to a nearby piano lounge. After a night of martinis, music and much needed laughter, CeeCee didn't arrive back home until 2 am.
When she walked into the house, CeeCee realized she was absolutely drunk...and absolutely horny. She crept down the basement steps, where Tony snored away on the pullout bed. She peeled off her red minidress and slipped out of her black pumps. She climbed in bed and slithered her way down her husband's body. Tony began to stir.
"Ceese, what...what's goin' on?"
Her voice was slurred and muffled underneath the comforter. "I am giving you a blow job. Now shut up, you cheating bastard."
Tony's body surrendered to CeeCee's familiar touch. The two made love for the first time in months and fell asleep in the twisted bed sheets.
CeeCee awoke to an empty guest bed and a pounding headache the next morning. She went upstairs and found Tony cooking eggs and bacon in his robe. She took a seat at the kitchen bar and watched him. The scene was so familiar, so normal. But in the light of day, the reality rushed back to her. He cheated and was in love with another woman. Though she loved him, CeeCee realized that she couldn't remain married to Tony.
"I apologize for last night. I didn't mean for any of that to happen."
"Ceese, don't apologize. This past month has been hell without you. Last night, that revived us. I want us to try again. I'll break things off with—"
"No. No, I was wasted. That shouldn't have happened."
"What are you sayin'? That you didn't want me? You had to get drunk to fuck me? Is that where we're at now, Ceese?"
"Don't you raise your voice at me. You told me you loved Debbie."
"No, you assumed that—"
"Don't you dare play that card! You are fucking someone else. You are in love with someone else. That's on you, not me, buddy. Own your shit."
Tony slammed the spatula down on the counter. "Lemme ask you somethin', Ceese. Did you ever think about why I'm fucking someone else? Oh, maybe because I have a wife that cares more about her career and her dyke best friend's lady troubles than she does about me and my needs?"
CeeCee rose from her seat to face him. "Oh, fuck you, Tony! Don't you dare call Laney that, you asshole. She's the only person that convinced me to stay married to your ass all these years, even when I knew that you were boning that mousy bitch. And excuse me for not worshipping you every second of the day. Excuse me for wanting to have a life outside of stroking your ego. Poor fucking baby!"
Tony stomped upstairs as CeeCee followed.
"Debbie must think she's won a big prize in you, huh, Tony? Hell, she's been making googly eyes at you for years. Don't think I haven't noticed. The whole goddamned firm's seen it!"
Tony spun around at the top of the stairs. "Now if only you did the same, we'd still be together. Instead, all I get is complaints. I don't know how to fuck you. I don't fuck you enough. You are never satisfied, never have been! It's always more, more, more. You drove me into her arms – don't you get it?"
CeeCee nodded as she soaked in his words. "I need you to leave this house by tomorrow. I want a divorce."
Tony moved out the next day.
One year and several mediations later, CeeCee Carello became CeeCee Banks again.
# Chapter 2
As she sat in her driveway, CeeCee was preparing to enter her home as a divorcée for the first time. She had just wrapped up the final paperwork with her and Tony's family lawyer – yes, they shared a lawyer. Cheapskate Tony wouldn't have had it any other way. An 'amicable parting of assets'– that was the exact wording in the decree.
Along with monthly child support and shared custody of Junior, Tony gave her the house, the Lexus SUV and three years of alimony. He didn't have much of a choice in the matter. Cheating husbands typically don't have much to stand on when they have plans to shack up with their mistress before the ink dries.
CeeCee stepped out of the vehicle and walked up to her front door. As she unlocked it, she realized it was after 4pm and she was about to face her baby boy and share the news with him that his parents were officially divorced.
It was as awkward as CeeCee imagined it would be.
"So you guys are officially divorced? The end? That's all folks?"
"Yes. I want you to know - again - that NONE of this is your fault and that your father and I love you very—"
"—very much. You both love me so much, you couldn't stay married. Awesome. I'm working late with Professor Brown at the lab tonight. Don't wait up."
Junior pushed his thick black glasses up the bridge of his nose and that similarity to his dad in that very moment silently broke CeeCee's heart. He grabbed his worn black leather backpack off of the kitchen counter and bolted out of the front door, slamming it behind him.
She had been abandoned by two Tonys in one day. Slamming doors in what used to be such a happy home.
CeeCee walked out of her kitchen and entered the living room the three of them spent so much time in. She ran her hand across the back of the couch they cuddled on together to watch hundreds of movies. Her bare feet walked across the rug that recorded many family game nights within its' fibers. She studied the pictures that adorned the mantel as if she were seeing them for the first time in a stranger's house: the family portrait from 5 years ago (before Junior's tan frame shot up 6 inches and his face grew a faint mustache), the vacation to St. Maarten where father and son both caught food poisoning from bad seafood (CeeCee ate nothing but meatless salads the entire trip in a vain effort to avoid belly bulge and rock her two-piece), the picture of Junior winning his first science fair award when he was in 6th grade. She moved toward the two leather recliners. His and hers.
How did they get here? This life that they built together, born from a chance encounter.
In September 1992, Cecelia Banks was a twenty-year-old entering her sophomore year at DePaul University, a communications major. She was waiting with hundreds of other fellow Blue Demons, looking like the 90s personified - box braids pulled into a high ponytail, a tight purple bodysuit, baggy jeans and zero makeup.
Exhausted from a slew of 'welcome back' parties the night before, the last thing CeeCee wanted to do was spend hours in line to buy a stack of overpriced books. At the precise moment she decided to turn around and go back to her off-campus apartment, CeeCee ran smack dab into a wall of man. Books and papers went flying everywhere! He bent down to collect his items as CeeCee looked down at him.
She sighed. "Faaaaaantastic."
"Yeah, you should watch where you are goin'."
CeeCee scoffed down at him as her braids dangled in her face. "Yeah, YOU should watch the signs plastered all over this place that show you which direction YOU should be walking. It's only the busiest bookstore day of the year."
The Wall of Man stood up with his mess of papers, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, looked around and clearly saw all of the yellow signs pointing in the opposite direction he was headed.
"Oh...I see. Sorry, I'm from New York. New here. Name's Anthony. Tony. Call...call me Tony."
CeeCee saw his deep brown eyes, wavy black hair and five-o'clock shadow towering over her for the first time. Even though she was still slightly peeved, she couldn't deny that he was handsome in a slightly geeky way. She could tell by the way he looked back at her that he found her attractive as well.
"I'm Cecelia, but people call me CeeCee."
"CeeCee. Ceese. I like that. Were you leaving?"
"Yeah. I don't really feel like going through the whole book-buying experience today. Probably come back tomorrow. I'm a tad hungover."
"Wanna grab a bite to eat to soak up the liquor? My treat, since I knocked you over."
CeeCee smiled at his attempt to ask her out on a date. Her city girl instincts warned her not to go off with a total stranger, even a cute one. However, she was starving and he seemed like a harmless guy.
"Eh. Why not? There's a place on Van Buren where we can grab a bite. You down?"
Tony stared at CeeCee, a smile grew on his face. "Yeah, I'm down."
The two left the campus and headed to Mama's Deli, a legendary diner popular among the university crowd. They learned a lot about each other that day as they walked the campus after lunch. She was born and raised on the South Side of Chicago. He was from the bricks of the Bronx. Her parents dreamed that she'd be a pediatrician one day but she disappointed them by deciding to be a public relations extraordinaire instead. He came from a long line of pencil-pushing New York accountants so majoring in Finance was the only option for him.
Although he hailed from New York, Tony was a classic Jersey Boy when it came to music - Sinatra and Springsteen. CeeCee loved Prince and only Prince. She loved trendy pop culture. He loathed it.
One thing Tony didn't loathe was CeeCee's fun-filled nature and positive energy. He naturally smiled whenever he was around her. Strangely enough, CeeCee loved Tony's passion for numbers. She never met anyone that enjoyed talking about double taxation and account depreciation like he did - two subjects she couldn't care less about but it filled him with pride to discuss something as simple as arithmetic. Theirs was an imperfect but functional match: his practicality balanced out her vivaciousness.
After three years of dating and both fresh out of school with bachelor degrees, Anthony Carello and Cecelia Banks were married the day after the baccalaureate ceremony at the Justice of Peace. No rented tux. No wedding dress. They were both dressed in jeans and flannel shirts.
Junior was born three years later. Tony always wanted more children. He longed for a little princess with CeeCee's sass and his smarts. However, after barfing every day for nine months & enduring over thirty hours of natural labor with Junior, CeeCee did not want to endure pregnancy ever again - so that was that. The established family of three moved out of their tiny studio in Downtown Chicago into a modest 3-story townhouse in nearby suburb of Hampton Estates - where they continued living happily ever after...until now.
The familiar ding of CeeCee's cell phone brought her back from memory lane and she returned to the kitchen to rummage through her bottomless bag for the device. There was one new email from Jones & Waterstone Public Relations Management Inc., CeeCee's place of employment for the past two decades. Two decades of not being the "public relations extraordinaire" she ventured to be that day she spent walking the campus with her future ex-husband. CeeCee was still a mid-level events coordinator at the firm, which annoyed her BFF/Jones & Waterstone Vice President Elaine 'Laney' Towns to no end.
TO: All Corporate Events Staff, Jones & Waterstone PRM
FROM: The Desk of Fred Waterstone, CEO
SUBJECT: New Client Announcement
Colleagues, the firm is pleased to announce our multi-tiered agreement with Big Styles Entertainment, helmed by famed hip hop mogul Frank Richmond. One of the tasks that will fall under our Corporate Events banner will be the management of vocalist/rapper Billy BadAss (formerly of the Grammy Award-winning boy band RuffStuff). Selected to manage this venture will be our newest recruit, Smith Jensen. Please join me in congratulating Smith on his latest project.
"Smith Jensen? He's been with the firm less than a year and he's managing new talent?" CeeCee screeched to herself as she read the email. Smith was a public relations ingénue, 22 and fresh out of UCLA. He was also the apple of Waterstone's eye.
Unexperienced yet promoted so quickly. Ridiculous. CeeCee deleted the email with a jealous finger stroke across her phone screen and threw it back into her bag.
CeeCee knew she could have easily handled that project if she only put in the extra hours, but where exactly would she get that time from? Her schedule is packed with PTO, book club, getting divorced, working out...alcohol consumption. CeeCee climbed the steps to her bedroom to have a moment with Mr. Jack before her 6 pm spin class.
There's a detailed preparation process CeeCee underwent before masturbating: candles, soft music, perhaps a relaxing bath afterwards. Today, however, was a bitch. The entire day sucked. She just needed to get down to business.
CeeCee located Mr. Jack in the back of her bottom dresser drawer. She quickly undressed out of the stifling business suit she was forced to wear on a day off (divorce tends to be an event in which one needs to look professional) and laid her naked caramel body on her unmade bed. She hit the switch on the hot pink vibrator, closed her eyes with a soft smile on her face and slowly guided it down to her...BRRRRRRING! BRRRRRRRING!
CeeCee's fantasies of Idris lying on top of her are interrupted by the bedroom phone. She made a mental note to get rid of the landline ASAP. It was one of Tony's frustrating requests: Cell phones are OK, but every home needs a REAL phone, Ceese! The Caller ID read that it was Laney.
I'll call her back later. CeeCee closed her eyes again as the answering machine came on (another one of Tony's outdated ideas). Laney's raspy voice filled the room.
"Cee, pick up the goddamned phone! I called your cell and there was no answer. I know you are home - where else would your predictable ass be on D-Day? Certainly not out getting laid as you SHOULD be doing! I swear, if you are in there popping your puss on that damn pink stick, I'm gonna—"
CeeCee sighed and put the vibrator back in her drawer. No Mr. Jack for her today. She picked up the receiver while still lying naked in bed. "You're gonna what? Come and watch?"
Laney let loose a loud cackle. "Bitch, only if you beg me! I will never understand your fascination with those mechanical phallic symbols. Real dick is disgusting enough as it is!"
Laney was a tall Coke-bottle curvy blonde with a mouth that would make Dice Clay blush. She often referred to herself as a gold-star lesbian because she's never slept with a man and had zero intentions of ever doing so. She was always giving CeeCee a hard time about sex - especially about the fact that she hadn't had great sex in years.
"Wait - were you really in the middle of that? Ew! Please tell me Junior's not home. You know how loud you can be."
CeeCee got up with the cordless wedged in between her ear and shoulder. "Of course he's not here and I am going to spin class after I finish talking to you. After I told him the divorce was final, he stomped out of here to go work at the lab. He's pissed at me. I made Daddy go bye bye. Mommy sucks right now, but what else is new....what is all that noise in the background? Where are you?"
"Celebrating Smith's new gig with the firm at O'Malley's. I am officially his boss so I had to come. It's a drag, but the whole crew's here except you, Miss Banks. Wow. Are you ready to go back to that? Your maiden name? That is going to be weird."
CeeCee placed the receiver on the speakerphone base so she could get dressed. "Everything about this is weird. It's like, yes, I'm finally done with Tony. Lord knows living with him has been nothing short of a nightmare - especially after you and Roxy got me all liquored up and—"
"Don't even speak that twat's name! I'm done with her. For real, this time."
Laney exhaled over the phone. CeeCee knew immediately that she was off of the wagon and was smoking again. Laney and Roxy's on-again/off-again saga of a romance had been going on for over a year. Every time they are on the outs, Laney takes up smoking again - much to CeeCee's health nut chagrin. Laney convinced herself that they would be a great couple if Roxy could just give up dick, specifically the one attached to her ex-fiancée Paulo. Secretly, CeeCee felt the worst for Paulo out of the entire situation. After all, it was he who caught Laney in bed with Roxy when he arrived home from a business trip.
"No, seriously. Done. So, she tells me that Paulo is back in the picture. I go, Whaddya mean back in the picture? She goes, Paulo wants get back together and I owe it to myself to try it again. She owes it to herself. You know what I owe her? A kick in the cunt, that's what I owe her!"
CeeCee was fully dressed for spin class by the time Laney finished her rant. "Elaine, you and Roxy go through this damn near every two months—"
"Did you just call me 'Elaine'? Bitch..."
"Elaine. You two keep going around and around in this demented cycle. End it. I know she's like a Salma Hayek clone and you know I love Roxy, but I love you more. You are so much better than this. Find a new pussy to purr on."
"Fine. If you want me to find a new chick, you find some new dick. Meet me at O'Malley's after that godforsaken spin class of yours. All of the suits will be gone by then and this place will be brimming with hot college guys for you and bicurious coeds for me. 9 pm sharp...and don't flake, Cee. Bye!"
CeeCee pushed the End Call button, grabbed her gym bag and headed downstairs to the front door. She got divorced literally hours ago and now Laney wants her to act as if she's single again.
Brimming with hot college guys? Hell, I can still look. CeeCee backed the SUV out and headed to the gym so her ass could look great in skinny jeans at O'Malley's.
# Chapter 3
Laney was right: O'Malley's Pub was packed with people born after The Cosby Show went off of the air.
Babies. Infants. Really hot infants dressed in tight jeggings and muscle shirts.
CeeCee arrived a little past nine wearing something far more age appropriate: a black cap-sleeved wrap shirt and dark denim skinny jeans, paired with brown riding boots and a red caplet jacket. She looked around and spotted her friend's blonde pageboy haircut among the young crowd. Laney was whispering in the ear of a shapely brunette donning a DePaul sweatshirt and black leggings. They were sitting in CeeCee and Laney's usual spot - a dim corner booth behind rows of pool tables, reserved for women of a certain age seeking dark lighting and darker drinks.
"You're late, bitch, but your ass looks great. That class is good for something other than suburban refuge." CeeCee slid in the booth and gave Laney a hug. The Brunette frowned and left in a huff.
"Nice going, Carell—I mean, BANKS! I took the honor of ordering you one of those froufrou martinis you like. It should arrive soon, although you ruined it for me with that sweet piece that just left. God, what was her name?"
CeeCee laughed for the first time all day but Laney always did know how to make her smile though whatever bullshit life threw her way. Shortly after CeeCee started at Jones & Waterstone twenty years ago, Laney was hired a month later. The two became fast friends, bonding over water cooler recaps of Law & Order and Friends. This was back when Laney's sexuality was firmly entrenched in the closet. No one except CeeCee knew of her dating and sexual escapades with some of Chicago's finest lesbians. Compared to her dull suburban existence, she loved to hear Laney go on and on about the different women who came and went in her life.
Likewise, Laney was all ears whenever CeeCee complained about the sexual droughts she experienced throughout her marriage. She was there to talk her off of the ledge when CeeCee almost met up with her high school crush in person after they reconnected on MySpace. Up until he confessed his affair to CeeCee, Laney was a fan of Tony's. But now?
"Fuck Carello and his mistress! May he be impotent and may her boobs sag while yours remain upright and perky - Salut!" The pals toasted once CeeCee's French martini arrived.
CeeCee grimaced as tears sprang to her eyes. "Yep. Salut."
"Oh, Cee. I didn't mean to be—"
CeeCee waved her hands. "You're fine. You're a great, great friend as always. It's just...on one hand, I'm truly happy Tony and I have finally cut the cord on us. We were dying - I know this. It's just that...well, he has someone else and...and I'm just another divorced mom with an SUV in the garage and cobwebs in her panties! I know you don't really get it but..."
"Hold on, bitch! Let me assure you: being a single lesbian over 40 ain't as fun as it seems. All of my lezzie buddies are having civil ceremonies, adopting African babies and getting turkey basted. And here I am, hitting on 21-year-olds and drinking in the corner with a weepy divorcée I have zero chance of sympathy fucking!"
Laney snorted in amusement. CeeCee followed with giggles. Their raucous laughter attracted the attention of a man playing pool at the table over.
"Damn, what's so funny, ladies?"
"Dykes. They are hilarious, trust me!" Laney yelled as CeeCee continued to dissolve into another fit of cackles. He walked closer to their darkened corner. When his face came into view, CeeCee stopped laughing immediately.
He was sex on a stick - 6"2, chocolate brown skin, muscular build, Caesar crop haircut and a dazzling smile. It was easy to tell that he wore braces as a kid, which probably wasn't that long ago. 22, 23 max, CeeCee thought as she undressed him with her eyes.
On the other hand, Laney was just thrilled to have an audience. "This is the elderly table. Shoo – save yourself! Go talk to that drunk sorority chick over there. Nothing but wrinkled pussy over here!"
He looked into CeeCee's eyes. "That's all right. I don't mind a few wrinkles. Name's Jay Weston and you are..." He reached out his hand to CeeCee, who gave hers in return.
"Cecelia Banks...and despite what my dear but drunk best friend says, my pussy is wrinkle free, FYI."
Jay smiled as he raised CeeCee's hand to his soft full lips. "I don't mind that either."
CeeCee swore she felt her wrinkle-free pussy twitch when he kissed her hand. Laney reached over CeeCee's lap and patted the seat next to her.
"Jay, why don't you join us or is that pool game really all that important?"
"It's not important anymore. I'll be happy to join you ladies." Jay sat next to CeeCee.
"Good, because according to my dear but drunk best friend's body language, you might be getting laid tonight!"
CeeCee whipped her head toward Laney, her mouth agape. "Excuse me! First of all, I've had one drink," She turned to face Jay. "And you won't be getting laid tonight. At least, not by me."
Jay smiled. "Aw see. Y'all on that bait and hook stuff. Not cool!"
The trio laughed. Jay stuck around for a half-hour before returning to his friends who were preparing to leave. Another pretty coed had come over to keep Laney occupied at the other end of the booth. Jay leaned in closer to CeeCee.
"You are a beautiful woman."
"Is that so?" CeeCee took a sip of her second martini.
"It is. I want to see you again. I mean, I dig Laney and all, but I want to get to know you one-on-one. Pull out your cell."
She placed her glass down and looked at him. "Excuse me? Is this how you ask me out on a date?"
"No. That comes later. For now, save my number in your phone. You will be using it in the near future. Trust."
Without taking her eyes off of his, CeeCee reached into her bag and pulled out her phone. Jay nodded his head toward the device.
"Seven, seven, three, five, five, five, zero, eight, six, three."
CeeCee followed his gaze down into her phone screen, typed in each number and saved it in her contacts. She wasn't sure what had taken over her to do something so submissive, but it turned her on. Jay kissed her hand.
"We'll talk soon, Cecelia Banks."
Yes, the fuck we will, thought CeeCee as she watched him leave with his friends.
"No, the fuck you won't!" Laney said the following day at work, blowing Camel Lights' smoke into an air filter machine at her desk. The two buddies nursed slight hangovers with large cups of coffee, finding refuge in Laney's massive 5th floor office, Mad Men-style.
"Wait. Aren't you the one who said I needed to get laid? C'mon Cee! Have some fun! Live a little!"
Laney took a final puff and put out the glowing cigarette butt in her ashtray. "Yes, absolutely - with a fellow forty-something, not Black Justin Bieber! Jay is a child. Probably only a handful of years older than Junior."
"You were flanked by a child yourself, whom you ended up taking home with you."
"True, but that's just sex. You aren't ready for that type of arrangement yet." Laney gulped mouthful of Scope from a trial sized bottle at her desk.
"For your information, I remember casual sex and I had quite a bit of it before I met Tony, thank you very much. And anyway, who is talking about sex? I'm talking about a phone call and a dinner date. That's it."
Laney bent down into the nearby sink and spat out the mouthwash. "If you really think I believe this bullshit you're spewing about a call and dinner with that chocolate thang, you must have forgotten who the hell I am. I've known you forever - you can't wait to fuck him. Probably planning on playing with that pink stick tonight with thoughts of him."
CeeCee's subsequent silence was all the confirmation Laney needed. She grabbed her portfolio & coffee off of her desk and opened her office door. "We have a meeting in five minutes. Let's go."
CeeCee grabbed her notepad & coffee. As they walked to the conference room together, Laney edged closer to CeeCee's ear.
"Mrs. Robinson, here's a nickel's worth of free advice: No sex with a young tender. Your first fuck out of the gate should be your age. You give that fine specimen of man child some, you'll get dickmatized - and you are too old to get dickmatized."
# Chapter 4
The arduous commute from downtown to Hampton Estates always provided CeeCee with an opportunity to reflect behind the wheel. She waited along with hundreds of fellow hardworking suburbanites who were all returning to their homes after a long work day in the bustling city. It had been a month since her divorce has been declared final and a lot had transpired at work since that fateful day.
Two weeks into managing Jones & Waterstone's newest client, the firm's golden boy Smith Jensen resigned without notice after he received an offer from a marketing firm in Los Angeles. As a result, the Billy BadAss project needed a new Corporate Events Manager. Laney and CeeCee gossiped about it over lunch at Oasis Café.
"Son of a bitch got a fifty thou raise and a complete relocation package, including his choice of beachside home. Lucky bastard!" Laney bit into her falafel wrap.
CeeCee stuck a fork into her chickpea salad. "Wow. Wonder who Waterstone will pick to replace him."
"Well, actually, that's why I invited you out to lunch. I think you should go for it."
CeeCee stuttered. "M-m-m-me? I don't think so."
"Cee, this is the perfect opportunity for mobility. You've been in the same position for—"
"Twenty years. Yes, I know this. I am happy with my job."
"Happy, maybe – but are you fulfilled? No offense, but you need to stop approaching your career the way you approached your marriage."
CeeCee scoffed. "That's rude."
"Perhaps, but that's why you love me. I'm always gonna tell you the truth about yourself and the truth is you are more than qualified for this gig. You are a vet at the firm. You are a mother. You are a hard worker and a supreme multi-tasker. Give yourself some goddamn credit for once."
CeeCee paused and took in Laney's words. Just two weeks ago, she was kicking herself for not getting the promotion. Now the opportunity had presented itself again. She knew she should apply, but where would she start?
As if reading her mind, Laney continued, "Besides, I already sent Waterstone an email recommending you for the position."
"And what makes you think he'll even consider me?"
"He won't. We have to make him consider you. I'll tell you now – it's going to be hard work. I am going to help you every step of the way but you gotta want it. Do you want it, Cee?"
CeeCee smiled in response.
Laney nodded. "Then let's get to work."
The two had spent the past week turning Cecelia Banks into an event planning powerhouse that would knock the socks off of the Board of Directors during her two-day interview process. It was no secret between the two of them that CeeCee was climbing an uphill battle; half of the Directors had mommy-tracked her years ago and the other half had no idea who she was. All of them thought CeeCee was Laney's secret lover, hence her leverage of snagging a spot in the first round of interviews. After all of the training, insider information about the client and resume revisions, CeeCee gave what she thought was a pretty decent representation of her professional self. The past two mornings were filled with questions, which exhausted her by this afternoon.
As CeeCee took the Hampton Estates exit ramp, she knew her fate was currently being decided in Waterstone's office. Laney promised to text her as soon as the decision meeting was over. Since she and Roxy were back on again since reconciling last week, Laney had been trying to avoid after work meetings as much as possible. She was making an exception to vouch for her bestie. What would CeeCee ever do without her?
She pulled into the driveway and saw the light on in Junior's upstairs bedroom window. His attitude had improved since the divorce. He and Tony spoke almost daily and saw each other twice a week. They were planning a father/son camping trip before the first frost arrived; it was October and the temps had already dropped into the forties some evenings. CeeCee walked through the foyer of their home, grateful that Tony and Junior's relationship survived above all.
"Junior! Come downstairs please!" CeeCee hung up her brown swing coat in the hallway as Junior's 6'1" lanky body trampled down the steps.
"Hey Mom! How was your day?" He kissed CeeCee on the cheek before going into the kitchen.
"Don't ruin your dinner now! I have no idea what dinner is yet, but don't ruin it."
Junior opened the fridge. "From the looks of this, I'm guessing Domino's is for dinner, Ma!" He grabbed a can of Coke and sat at the kitchen bar.
CeeCee frowned to herself as she picked up the cordless to order pizza for an unprecedented third time this week. Late nights preparing for the interview resulted in a neglect in grocery shopping. Her mommy guilt grew by the minute but Junior seemed happy. In fact, he was smiling wide as he drank his pop. She hadn't seen him smile that much in months.
"What are you so jazzed about?"
"Dad called this afternoon. I think he wants to take you out to dinner. He asked if you were busy tomorrow night and I took the liberty of telling him you were free."
CeeCee hung up the phone after ordering a large pepperoni pizza. "Excuse me, young man. How do you know I'm free tomorrow night?"
"I told him to call back later to confirm but if you must know, when Auntie Laney was over last night helping you with interview prep, I overheard her say she was going out with Roxy on Saturday night and let's face it, Mom: she's your only friend."
CeeCee slid a wine glass off of the overhead holder and took the cork out of an unfinished bottle of Malbec. "Oh, so you were eavesdropping on grown folks' conversations, huh? Then tell me why does your father want to have dinner with me? Trouble in accountant-loving paradise?"
"Let's hope so! Well, I gotta jet."
"And where are you going - without permission?"
Junior grabbed his jacket and leather backpack by the front door. "Remember? Max and I are going to the Halloween sci-fi film festival at Hampton Theatre. I asked you about this on Wednesday? I'm crashing at his place for the night - Hello??"
CeeCee recalled it now – first no groceries, then forgetting her only child's social schedule. She was certainly vying for Mom of The Year.
"Oh...yeah. Well, be careful walking over to Max's."
"Yes, I'll try not to get killed walking across the street and then driving in Max's car two miles to the theater. Jeez, this isn't exactly the hood!"
"Watch it, buddy! Your mother was raised in the hood. Be careful!"
"Call Dad!" Junior closed the door behind him.
The child was growing into a man right before CeeCee's very eyes. A year from now, he'll be in college. As CeeCee took another long sip at that thought, she wondered why on Earth Tony wanted to speak to her. Besides passing the phone to Junior when he called, she hadn't had a conversation with Tony since the divorce proceedings. I'll call him in another glass of wine...or two.
CeeCee slid herself into her recliner and placed her refilled wine glass on the end table. She turned on the TV and caught a Will & Grace marathon on LOGO.
Three glasses and multiple 'Just Jack' exclamations later, the cordless rang. CeeCee wavered over to the phone and looked at the caller ID screen: Tony. She took a deep breath and grabbed the receiver out of its' cradle. At the precise moment she slurred a Malbec-soaked 'Hello', CeeCee regretted that last glass of wine. For some reason, being tipsy on the phone with her ex-husband seemed like a bad idea now.
"Ceese. It's Tony. I would ask how you're doin' but from the sound of your voice, it sounds like you're doin' just fine."
"Tony, how can I help you this fine Friday evening?"
"Listen. I've been thinkin' about some things and I wanted to share them with you. Are you free for dinner tomorrow night? 7 at Ricardo's?"
Their favorite Spanish restaurant. The restaurant where Tony proposed.
"Well, yeah...yeah, 7 at Ricardo's works for me. I'll meet you there."
"Great. Thanks Ceese. I....uh, have a good night." Click.
As CeeCee eased back into the recliner, her cell vibrated in her work bag. She sighed and got back up to dig it out. A text from Laney:
U GOT THE JOB! Announcement on Mon. so keep it on the DL til then.
Date w Roxy tonight. Call you tomm. Love ya and CONGRATS BITCH!
CeeCee couldn't believe the fluctuation in emotions she had just experienced in less than 5 minutes - from drunken glee (courtesy of Jack McFarland) to drunken irritation (courtesy of her ex) to the sober realization that she has been promoted. Holding her cell phone, CeeCee jumped up and down.
"Cecelia Banks, you are on the come up," She hiccupped and covered her mouth. "...and so is your wine." she said as she ran to the kitchen sink and barfed the happiest barf ever.
# Chapter 5
When she awoke from her wine-induced slumber the next morning, CeeCee decided that if there was even the remote possibility of Tony asking for a reconciliation, she had to look stunning when she turned him down. As much as Junior wanted them back together, she knew that what they had was past tense. Still, that didn't mean she couldn't look like a million bucks when he saw her for the first time post-divorce.
Junior was so pleased to hear that they were going out to dinner when he arrived home from Max's in the afternoon: "Mom, make sure you dress nicely. No work clothes tonight!"
Laney had a different suggestion altogether: "Toss a drink in the bastard's face...no, that's a waste of alcohol. Water. Ice cold water."
As CeeCee got dressed, she fantasized about how the conversation would go over dinner:
Stay with Debbie, dahling...
But Ceese, I love YOU! I've come to my senses. I can't live without ya!
Oh Tony. What about Debbie?
It was a fling, a complete miscalculation. Forgive me, my little minx.
Tony, dear sweet boring Tony. We're over. Feel free to cry in your sangria.
CeeCee smiled to herself in the mirror as she smoothed out her updo of curls. After the hell he'd put her through with his affair and the divorce, she deserved to torment him a little. This is going to be fun – twisted and a tad passive-aggressive, but fun, she thought as she walked out of the front door.
She arrived at Ricardo's looking - in a word - fierce. Donning a black strapless satin dress and red Rachel Zoe stilettos, she handed the valet her keys. CeeCee spotted Tony at the bar. He was wearing his standard date night attire - a button down with khakis. However, she had to be honest: divorce looked great on him.
CeeCee felt her ego deflate a little when she noticed that he had dropped at least twenty pounds. The same twenty pounds she tried in vain to get him to lose when they were together. While CeeCee was a workout devotee, Tony much rather preferred the couch to Crunch classes.
Looks like he's doing something with himself these days. Hmph. Interesting.
"Ceese. God, you look amazing!" Tony stood up from the bar and embraced her.
"Me? You are half the man you used to be. What have you been doing?"
"Yeah, well, Debbie's got me on this gluten-free diet but I'm cheatin' tonight!" He paused, realizing the unfortunate play on words.
As they both sat at the bar, CeeCee could tell he was nervous. Sweat beads formed at his hairline and he didn't quite know what to do with his hands. After spending almost half of your life with a person, one comes to know these habits. She decided then to drop her plans to be bitchy and just have dinner with the man. CeeCee would still turn him down once he brought up getting back together but there was no longer a need to be cruel in her response.
"Tony, let's not make this uncomfortable. I mean, we have known each other forever. We have a child so we're always going to be a part of each other's lives. Let's just use tonight as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and be friends. Just friends. Deal?"
Tony breathed a sigh of relief. "God, Ceese. I am so happy to hear you say that! I mean...I was so nervous about telling you about the engagement but now..."
Time froze for CeeCee as she stared at him in disbelief. Engagement?
"...I didn't think this was a good idea to meet at first but Debbie convinced me to tell you in person. Ceese...I'm getting married!"
As her mind raced a mile a minute, CeeCee realized that the best reaction would be one of grace, strength and maturity.
"You're getting married?"
"Yeah. I know it seems a little fast but—"
"To Debbie? Your mistress?"
"Ceese. I know—"
"I poured myself into this dress, put on Come Fuck Me heels and you invite me, of all places, to the restaurant where you proposed to me to tell me you proposed to your mistress one month after we divorced?!"
Tony looked around the restaurant. Heads turned as CeeCee's voice began to gain volume.
"Not to mention the fact that you're Mister Health Nut now. I begged you – pleaded with you - to get off of your ass for ten years to work out and your mistress—"
Tony stood up and spoke through clenched teeth. "Ceese, you are making a scene. People are staring."
"I don't give a shit about these people or your embarrassment. You should be embarrassed, you two-timing prick!"
Her blood was boiling and she could feel the tears coming to her eyes. She wouldn't dare give Tony the satisfaction. She stood up and grabbed her clutch.
"You know what? Fuck friendship, fuck your engagement and FUCK YOU!"
CeeCee stomped out and handed her ticket to the valet.
Tony was marrying Debbie. Junior would have a stepmother.
This was not at all how she envisioned her night.
She didn't truly expect Tony and Debbie not to marry eventually. She just had no idea it would happen so soon. Things were changing for Tony and CeeCee's life was still as stagnant as ever. She didn't dare to look back into the restaurant's window because the tears she had held back began to fall. As CeeCee stood there, wiping her eyes and waiting for her car, she heard a familiar voice: "Well, if it isn't wrinkle-free Cecelia Banks."
CeeCee slowly turned to her right and saw Jay Weston, his chocolate frame dressed in a tailored black suit and flashing that beautiful smile. He walked over and pointed to the restaurant.
"Are you okay? I was just finishing up a drink with a frat brother of mine and I heard you all the way from the other end of the bar. You sure put on a show in there. I was almost waiting for you to throw a drink in his face."
"Laney suggested that." CeeCee forced a smile as she tried to hide her embarrassment.
"Laney...oh yeah. I remember her. I mean, it has been a month since I gave you my number and I ain't heard hide nor hair from you since,"
He looked back through the window at Tony sitting at the bar alone. "But I guess you've been busy breaking hearts. You sure broke mine."
At that, CeeCee burst out a laugh.
"Come on now. Enough with the cheesy pick-up lines. Oooh, there's my ride. Jay Weston, a pleasure as always."
"One last question before you leave: Is my number still in your phone?"
CeeCee handed a tip to the driver. "Only because I forgot to delete it."
"If you wanted to delete it, you would have done it the minute I walked away from the table."
CeeCee stepped one foot into the SUV and looked back at Jay. He certainly had her there. Even though she didn't have plans to contact him, she never intended to erase his number. Everything that has happened in the past 24 hours - the promotion, Tony's engagement, the reappearance of Jay Weston. Was this the universe's way of reenergizing her listless life?
CeeCee walked over to Jay. She leaned toward him, smelling the luscious mix of cologne and soap on his skin.
"Seven, seven, three, five, five, five, six, five, nine, two. Good evening, Jay Weston."
CeeCee climbed into her ride. She noticed that Jay never made a move for his cell as she recited her phone number. As she pulled off from the curb, CeeCee saw him in her rearview, hands stuffed in his pockets, smiling and staring.
When she pulled into her driveway, CeeCee heard a buzz from her phone. She took the phone out of her clutch and the message simply read: Good evening, Cecelia Banks.
# Chapter 6
After the evening she had endured, CeeCee decided the following day that enough was enough. It was time to put her big girl panties on and get used to her new life as a divorcee. She sat in her recliner with her iPad and Googled 'life after divorce for women'. Hundreds of weblinks appeared. She clicked on the first link entitled Embrace Divorce! The web page was filled with anecdotal quotes, a list of motivational goals (called ED! Tips) and chat forums.
While CeeCee had no intention of chatting with virtual strangers about the dissolution of her marriage and found the whole idea of a divorce support group rather cheesy, there were two tips on the list that caught her eye:
ED! Tip #14 – Attempt to make amends with your former partner.
ED! Tip #32 – Go on a date.
She acted on both, beginning with a call to Tony. After she cooled off last night, she realized that she and Tony would never reconcile so why shouldn't he be free to remarry? Tony picked up his cell on the first ring.
"Ceese. About last night..."
"Yeah, last night. I'm sorry, Tony. I reacted out of shock and anger."
"I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn't have sprung the news on you like that. And the restaurant selection? It hadn't even crossed my mind that I proposed to you there when I placed the reservation. I feel like such a dunce."
CeeCee smiled. "I accept your apology. Things are still pretty raw between us, you know. But I'm sure that in time, our friendship will mend."
"God, I hope so, Ceese. In my mind, you and I - we're still family, no matter what."
Her second phone call was to Jay. CeeCee listened to the phone ring in her ear as she waited for him to pick up. When she heard his cool voice, she became unexpectedly turned on yet cautious. Am I really ready to start dating again?
"Cecelia Banks. What a pleasant surprise."
"Jay Weston. And please, call me CeeCee."
"Okay. So...CeeCee,"
The way my name rolls off of his tongue. If warm honey had a sound...
"Did you get my text last night?"
"I did. You have an excellent memory."
"You are hard to forget."
CeeCee giggled. "Where do you get these comebacks from? That line's older than you."
A beat of silence. "And just how old do you think I am?"
"Less than 43, which is how old I am."
"You're 43? No way." He sounded genuinely surprised.
"Yes way. Your turn."
Jay cleared his throat. "25."
CeeCee paused as Jay continued. "That's not going to be a problem, is it?"
"Is 43 a problem for you?"
"As fine as you are, you could be 73."
As their conversation progressed, CeeCee learned that Jay was an artist who specialized in poster design. When he wasn't working on freelance projects, he served as a teacher's assistant in the Arts Management department at his alma mater, Columbia College. He enjoyed hip-hop, watching football and considered Jean-Michel Basquiat one of his heroes before it was cool to wear the late artist's face on a t-shirt.
Their exchange bordered between an interview process and playful banter. CeeCee found it surprisingly easy to speak with Jay. He was intelligent, ambitious and funny. His maturity was a turn-on. Even over a phone line, the sexual tension between them was palpable.
"I'm glad you called, CeeCee. In fact, I think it was fate that we saw each other last night."
"Oh really? Fate, you say."
"Yes. Otherwise, my precious phone number would still be in your cell, just rotting away."
"I'm sure I would have gotten around to calling you eventually."
"I'm so happy you did...because I need to see you again."
TO: All Staff, Jones & Waterstone PRM
FROM: The Desk of Fred Waterstone, CEO
SUBJECT: New Staff Appointment
Colleagues, the firm is pleased to announce that Cecelia Banks has graciously accepted the position of Senior Corporate Events Manager. Cecelia has been a member of the Jones & Waterstone family for almost twenty years, most recently serving as a Senior Corporate Events Coordinator. Her first project in her new role will involve implementing the regional media rollout of Big Styles Entertainment artist Billy BadAss. Please join us in congratulating Cecelia on her latest endeavor.
It was the end of a long Monday. CeeCee and Laney were settled in their darkened corner booth at O'Malley's for congratulatory drinks. Laney cleared her throat, holding up a bourbon on the rocks.
"So, in an official capacity, I am supposed to congratulate you on this promotion and remind you of the priority these tasks will need to have in your new role. I am also supposed to give you a rundown of my expectations of you. Blah, blah, blah."
"Ms. Towns, I am thrilled for this new opportunity and am eager to get started with the managing of a reckless womanizing hip hop artist who is old enough to be my son."
"Very good, Ms. Banks. Congratulations and welcome to the Senior Management team. Now, in an unofficial capacity – let's get a little shitfaced." CeeCee clinked her martini glass against Laney's highball tumbler.
During the cocktail hour, CeeCee recapped her weekend for Laney. She went into convulsions of laughter as she listened to CeeCee describe her dramatic exit from Ricardo's and raised an eyebrow at her conversation with Jay.
"So Jay's 25, huh? Well, that's older than I thought. Not much older, but at least he's not in college, Grandma."
CeeCee furrowed her eyebrows. "Don't make me toss this martini at you."
"Easy, Tiger. That's alcohol abuse. So when's the big date and where are you going?"
"Friday night. His place. He offered to cook for me."
The friends stared at each other before Laney broke the silence between them.
Laney raised her glass to her lips for a sip. "Oh really? Sounds like someone's cougar hunting."
"Oh God - don't start with that cougar talk! This is dinner and conversation only. I've made this very clear to him. No coochie whatsoever."
"Yeah okay. He's cooking for you, Cee. He'll be expecting coochie in return. I know you haven't been single in twenty years, but times haven't changed that much. Don't be so gullible."
CeeCee frowned. "Okay, subject change - how are things with Roxy?"
Laney picked up her glass and spun the melting ice around. "Actually, it's going pretty well. She's moving in this weekend." She gulped down the last of her bourbon.
CeeCee's eyes widened. "Excuse me? And when exactly was this decision made - without my BFF Stamp of Approval?"
"I know, I know. I meant to run it by you but...this is the first time in a year that Roxy ever mentioned living together and I had to carpe diem the moment. Besides, you know how my people can be. Lesbians dating for over a year and not shacking up is against queer religion."
"Queer religion? She's in love with Paulo, at least on a part-time basis. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Laney exhaled. "Cee...I think I'm in love with her. For real, this time. I want this. I'm sure."
This was the first time Laney had been vulnerable with her about a relationship in years. CeeCee reached over and hugged her pal with all of her might.
"Oh Laney. I wish you two all the best. Truly. I love you, babe." She held Laney at arm's length. "But I'm not helping y'all move."
Laney laughed with tears in her eyes. "You will bring coffee, bitch. And as for dinner on Friday, just...just be careful. M'kay?" They embraced again as CeeCee began to wonder just how sold she was on the whole dinner-and-conversation-only idea. CeeCee was all about embracing her divorce. She could embrace something else, too...right?
# Chapter 7
Between learning the ropes of senior management, moving into her new corner office and assisting Junior with his college applications ("My top three are Yale, MIT and Stanford. Nowhere else is an option." he said at least once daily.), CeeCee had barely thought about her date with Jay. Lo and behold, Friday arrived quickly and she hadn't a thing to wear.
CeeCee left the office early and dipped into Nordstrom's on Michigan Avenue. She snagged a pale pink wrap blouse and a pair of maroon cigarette pants. Casual yet fabulous - perfect first date attire. She beat the after-five traffic and stopped by a wine shop near her house, placing a bottle of red in a decorative bag for an added touch.
She arrived home with more than enough time to shower, shave and get dressed. As CeeCee called for a taxi & checked herself out in her floor length mirror, Junior appeared in the entrance of her bedroom door.
"Hot date tonight? What's his name? Why haven't I been introduced? I have questions."
"Yes. Jay. Because it's nothing serious. See? I have answers."
Junior smirked. "This is so weird. You're going on a date. Dad's marrying Debbie. Why am I the only single person in this family? I mean, Professor Brown offered to introduce me to his niece, but..."
That grabbed CeeCee's attention. Junior's life is biotechnology, Science Club and video games. She's never heard him even remotely mention a girl. CeeCee picked up her black clutch and wine bag off of the bed and walked with her son downstairs.
"That sounds promising. Tell me about this young lady."
"Calm down, Ma. You aren't marrying me off yet. Girls are absolutely low priority in my life until I get The Letter from one or all of my Top Three. However,"
He pulled his phone out of his pocket and logged into his Instagram account. He showed his mother a picture of a pretty young lady with shoulder length dark brown hair and huge hazel eyes.
"...she is kinda cute. Name's Candace. 17. Senior at St. Mary's."
Junior slid his phone back in his pocket. CeeCee was super excited but contained it as to not embarrass her son.
"She's cute. Why don't you ask her out? Oh...that's right: low priority. You are your father's child, that's for sure." CeeCee slipped on her silver flats by the door as Junior resumed his inquisition.
"So where's this Jay character taking you tonight?"
CeeCee paused. She did not want him to know that she was going to a virtual stranger's house for dinner. That was a can of worms she was not interested in opening at that very moment, but she didn't want to lie just in case something happened. CeeCee decided to tell him a version of the truth.
"I'm meeting him near a Chinese restaurant downtown. Don't wait up...and call Candace. She looked cute on that Instabook." A honking taxi beckoned CeeCee. She got on her tiptoes & kissed Junior on his forehead.
"Instagram and what time will you be home, young lady?"
"I said don't wait up. Hit the cell if you need me. Bye Dad!" CeeCee grabbed her coat and spun out of the front door.
Downtown Chicago at night was a sight to behold. The skyline shimmered in the pitch black sky. The epitome of bright lights, big city \- the perfect backdrop for the perfect (indoor) date night.
Highland Towers was a new apartment complex perched right in the heart of The Loop and located next to a swanky Chinese fusion restaurant. It housed the millennial and hipster types – grad students, artists, the young & childfree upper-middle class. She paid the driver and walked up to the front desk of the lobby. Asking for Mr. Weston, she was directed toward an elevator sending her to the 34th floor.
CeeCee did a last minute check in the mirrored elevator car: Makeup good, hair curly and frizz free, boobs perky, ass poking, tummy sucked in. CeeCee Banks was on her first first date in over twenty years.
She looked for the door marked 3407. She exhaled, shook off her remaining nerves and knocked on the door. When Jay opened the door, CeeCee almost fainted. He looked incredibly sexy in a red and grey striped sweater and fashionably-torn dark denim jeans. The smell of his cologne mixed in with the sautéed chicken so well.
"CeeCee Banks. You look exquisite."
"Thank you. Here's a bottle of Pinot Noir. Thought that would go well with your Chicken Marsala. You look very handsome yourself."
He flashed a smile as he took the wine bag from CeeCee, brushing her hand softly in the exchange. "Please come in so I can give you the grand tour."
The living room of Jay's apartment was adorned with a variety of framed movie posters. He mentioned during their phone call that he majored in Graphic Design and fell in love with the creation of film illustrations.
"It's a mix of some of my favorite movie posters - Trainspotting, The Social Network, West Side Story \- and a few of the creations I've worked on with some local independent films."
One of the posters caught CeeCee's eye. It was an abstract painting of a pool that blended into an image of a river. The artistry was so seamless, so symbolic. Jay noticed as CeeCee stared in awe.
"That's a poster I did for a local film called The Deep End. The movie is about—"
"—two high school swim champs battling a meth addiction. One of the characters drowns in a river. My son and I went to see a screening of it at the Hampton Theatre last summer and the poster absolutely intrigued me. Wow."
CeeCee turned away from the poster. "You are truly talented. Seriously."
Jay nodded once. "Thank you kindly. I really appreciate it. Are you hungry?"
CeeCee ignored the innuendo that swam in her head. "Starving."
Jay's kitchen was a slice of culinary heaven. CeeCee marveled at the variety of cooking gadgets and gizmos sprawled all over.
"You really like cooking, huh?"
Jay placed the wine bag on a cutting board & went to the stove to continue stirring.
"Love it. Always have. Only problem, as you can see, is that I am a product junkie in the worst way. No man needs three Panini makers."
CeeCee chuckled as she picked up the electric corkscrew on the counter and opened the bottle of red. She grabbed two wine glasses from an overhead rack.
"See now, I could never have enough of these wine racks. I have two in my kitchen. Hell, I need one in my bedroom!"
Jay turned off the burners and set the stove to warm. He walked over to the counter as CeeCee handed him a poured glass. They toasted and took a sip.
"Speaking of bedrooms...would you like to see mine?"
CeeCee raised an eyebrow. "Again with the pickup lines. You cannot be serious."
Jay put his glass down with his hands raised in surrender. "Only because I promised you a grand tour of my apartment. I never go back on a promise." He flashed That Smile again.
"Sure. Show me your bedroom."
Jay's boudoir was an intoxicating sight: dark red walls, soft chocolate brown silk sheets draped over a king sized bed and the smell of Nag Champa enveloped the room. Jay stood behind CeeCee in the doorway. CeeCee could feel the heat emanating from his body. It was a magnetism that was turning all of her first-date rules into distant memories.
"Wow. This is quite the bedroom, Jay Weston."
He turned her around to face him, lifted up her chin and looked into her eyes.
"You are quite the woman, Wrinkle Free Cecelia Banks."
CeeCee let out a soft chuckle before Jay engulfed her mouth with a kiss. Her mind was thinking a thousand things at once as they moved toward the edge of his bed. What the hell am I doing?
After he released her from his kiss, she sat on the bed. Jay removed his sweater, revealing his bare chest. He had the swollen pecs and washboard abs of a man who had yet to see the age of thirty and had spent a fair amount of time in the gym.
CeeCee found her hands moving their way slowly up his rippling torso. As she explored his body, there was little doubt about what the hell she was doing. He let out a deep exhale as she stood up and wrapped her hands over his shoulders. She pulled his neck down and returned his kiss with twice as much abandon.
Their hands furiously found each other's zippers and their pants fell to the floor. Jay stood massively at attention through his tight black boxer briefs. CeeCee was taken aback. She wasn't used to such girth in her former life. She looked down at him poking through. It was impossible for her to take her eyes off of it.
That is supposed to go inside of little ol' me?
Jay panted as CeeCee stared at his erection. "Everything OK? We can stop if you—"
Without response, she took off her shirt in one swoop over her head, took his mouth again and slipped her hands inside his briefs. Jay moaned through their kiss as she caressed him. CeeCee felt him grow even longer in her hands as Jay stepped out of his briefs and slid her onto his inviting bed.
They climbed each other's bodies, feasting on every inch in a fervor. His touch, so unfamiliar yet it was as if he'd known CeeCee's every curve for years. She responded to him instinctively, positioning herself underneath Jay's naked lithe body. He pressed himself up over her, his muscular arms holding up his Adonis-like frame. He looked succulent in the candlelight.
As she rubbed his chest, Jay stared at her for a second before slowly he moved himself down in between her legs. His expert mouth explored her as he lightly flicked her pearl and swam waves inside of her. She could feel the heat building in her center, her hips rising to meet his mouth with every motion of his tongue. His fingers began to probe her wetness as he continued to feast on her. CeeCee's body trembled as she climaxed for the first time without the assistance of battery-operated machinery in a year. She shivered with delight as Jay continued tasting her throughout her orgasm, rubbing his head as he went deeper into her essence.
Her legs shook as he raised himself over her and reached for a condom on his nightstand. Jay bent over her, sucking her neck as he pressed against her tightness. CeeCee winced, feeling the pressure as his immense shaft entered her. Jay slowly moved over her as she moaned his name. He grabbed the brass headboard, giving himself the leverage to move faster and right against her G spot. His hips slammed into her as she held onto his broad shoulders. CeeCee's second wave came hard as she scratched his chest, her breasts bobbing against his movement. The sensation of her nails on his body combined with CeeCee swelling around him made Jay call out her name in sensual agony.
He laid down as CeeCee straddled his beautiful body. Jay cupped both of her caramel breasts, took her left nipple into his mouth while he circled his thumb around the right one, sending CeeCee into a frenzy. As he suckled her breasts, she positioned herself over him. Once he was firmly inside her, CeeCee rotated her supple hips in smooth figure-8 swirls. Jay lowered himself down on the bed, his head rolling back. He clutched her trim waist, bouncing her up and down on top of him as he groaned like a savage. She felt his tension grow inside of her. Together, they moved in cadence with the heat pulsating from their bodies. CeeCee hadn't felt a sexual connection like that in years. Something so raw, so animalistic.
As she continued riding Jay, CeeCee forgot all about her age-gap ambivalence. She forgot that she was a divorcee. She forgot about all of the aspects of her life that kept her bound in the past. In that moment - as she finally reached climax for a third time - CeeCee's body and mind simultaneously let go of her inhibitions and insecurities. Jay rose up, flipped her onto her back and pounded her as he pinned her legs back with his shoulders. He commanded her body like no one had before, his rough gyrations controlling her every urge. It was awakening every dormant cell of CeeCee's sensuality. As his movements speed up, Jay exploded with a primal growl. They kissed while he remained pulsating inside of her.
Jay looked into her eyes as he panted. "So...you like my bedroom?"
She nodded slowly in response. CeeCee the Cougar was officially hunted.
# Chapter 8
Since they were both too exhausted to sit upright after their hour-long session, dinner was moved into the bedroom. Jay turned on the electric fireplace and served CeeCee reheated chicken and roasted potatoes. CeeCee wore Jay's oversized Atlanta Falcons football jersey while he wore a terrycloth robe that matched the ruby-colored walls. The two continued getting to know each other as they dined in bed. Jay began.
"Although I'm from Atlanta, I was born in Chicago. I was two when I moved to the ATL after I was adopted by my parents. My birth mother was a heroin addict, died from an overdose."
"And your birth dad?"
"Wasn't in the picture. When I moved back to Chicago, I tracked him down. We've talked a couple of times and aren't as close as I'd like us to be but...it's a work in progress, ya dig?"
From a young age, Jay's parents encouraged his passion for art. He attended a top notch fine arts academy during his high school years and had all of the latest technology at home to pursue his passion for graphic design. Both in their late 70s by the time Jay graduated high school, the couple died of natural causes within months of one another.
"They sacrificed so much for me. Invested in my talent. Wish they were here to see what I've accomplished, but I know they are up there watching." He smiled to himself.
After his parents passed away, he sold their family home and used that money and a scholarship award to move to Chicago and attend Columbia College. Upon graduation, he used the college's alumni mentor program to get referrals for artwork.
"Started by designing posters for local theater companies in the city – Steppenwolf, Victory Gardens, Lookingglass. One of my Columbia mentors told me about a movie poster contest. I entered it and won first place. My artistic path was set from then on."
After finishing dinner, they laid on the floor next to the fireplace with glasses of Pinot as they discussed that inevitable topic: past relationships.
CeeCee took a sip. "I don't even know where to start with my marriage."
"Let's play Questions."
CeeCee raised an eyebrow. "Questions? Like the game in high school?"
Jay nodded. "I'll start – how long were you married?"
CeeCee bit her lip. "Twenty years. My turn – how long was your longest relationship?"
"Three years with my high school sweetheart Tiana back in Atlanta. My turn – why did you get divorced?"
"He was sleeping with his mistress, and now they are engaged." CeeCee took a long gulp of wine, finishing the glass.
"Damn! No wonder you were giving him the business at Ricardo's that night."
"I gave him the business in divorce court, too. Got the check stubs to prove it but anyway, my turn – why did you and Tiana break up?"
Jay exhaled. "Tried to make it work once I came back to the Chi for college. Needless to say, we didn't make it. Distance is the ultimate relationship killer. My turn – what's the chances of you ever getting back with your ex-husband?"
CeeCee looked into Jay's eyes. "We are over. O-V-E-R. Period."
Jay smiled as he placed his glass down. "Good. Game over." He leaned over and the two kissed sensually, which led to another hungry session of lovemaking.
After spending another hour wrapped in each other, CeeCee decided she needed to leave and got dressed. It was almost midnight - Junior would freak out!
Jay walked CeeCee to the door. She leaned against the entryway and felt the need to say the most clichéd sentence anyone would say after engaging in first date sex.
"I've never had sex on the first date."
"Honestly, me neither. I just had to have you. I had to have you from the moment I saw your face."
"You are my first date and my first sexual encounter since my divorce. I'm not all that familiar with one night stand etiquette these days, but I'm guessing we're done here, right? Wham bam."
Jay shook his head as he pulled her into his embrace. "Mmmmmm, this ain't no one night stand, Cecelia Banks. It may not be the case right now or next week...but you will be my woman. Trust." He lowered his head and gave her a slow and deep kiss that almost made CeeCee's knees buckle.
"You do remember how old I am, right?"
"43. And I'm 25. Your point?"
"That doesn't scare you? I mean, mind blowing sex is one thing. But could you honestly be in a relationship with an older woman? A divorced older woman with a teenage son, no less? You need to give that some serious thought."
Jay looked down at CeeCee, biting his lip with a nod. "You're right. I'll give it some thought if you'll meet me here again tomorrow night."
"Tomorrow night? Sure." She reclaimed his mouth with a sensual kiss.
"You need cab fare?" Jay whispered after she released his mouth.
"No, I'm a big girl," CeeCee brushed his full damp lips with her thumb. "Plus, it would be a little prostitute-ish to take money from you after what we did." Giving him a final kiss, she left his apartment.
As she walked down the hall, CeeCee heard him yell, "GOOD NIGHT, WRINKLE FREE CECELIA BANKS!" as the elevator doors parted. She laughed all the way down thirty-four floors.
*****
"So, CeeCee, here are the stats: Billy BadAss, formerly of the R&B/hip hop trio RuffStuff, is launching a full multi-media campaign focused on his first solo effort. It will target all of the urban markets in the Midwest – Cleveland, Detroit, Milwaukee, Gary and Chicago,"
"Controversy surrounds the 22-year-old: multiple DUI arrests, a fight last year with one of his former group members at Toxic nightclub in South Beach - for which he was subsequently jailed for 2 months because it was a violation of his DUI probation, as well as a rehab stint at Promises in Malibu. He makes Chris Brown look like Steve Urkel,"
"Your job is to put together a drama-free, violence-free event at downtown's Club Bangers that includes a meet-and-greet and a listening party that features tracks from his soon-to-be-released album The Bad Boy Chronicles: Volume One. Any questions?"
CeeCee was seated across from Laney's desk, typing notes on her laptop. This was her first one-on-one meeting with Laney in her new role.
"Yes - when do I get to meet this young man? If I am going to try to sell his album and rehaul his image, I think I should have a conversation with him."
Laney walked over to her whiteboard, filled with scribbles only she could decipher.
"Let's see...he's scheduled to come to Chicago for the Club Bangers party in early December. He wants to get it done before Christmas in order to catch the holiday shoppers fresh and top of mind. So, yep. That's when you'll meet - about four hours before the party."
CeeCee's shoulders fell. "Seriously? I know nothing about this kid."
"Bitch, I just told you his police record. Start with that."
CeeCee frowned as Laney continued. "See, that's the thing about being Senior Management. You have to make something out of nothing most times, especially when it comes to event planning. At least I gave you some gossip - some Managers just get a budget and a venue. Use this information and other resources in your planning."
"Resources?"
"You have a teenage son in Billy's demo. Ask him his thoughts about his image."
CeeCee straightened up in the chair. "You're right. I think I know where I'm going with this. I'll have a draft of the event order done and in to you within two weeks."
Laney unbuttoned her suit jacket as she sat back down. "Fantastic. Now can we get to a far more interesting topic: Mr. Weston. Did you fuck him? This is a yes or no question."
CeeCee sat with a smirk on her face. "Several times."
Laney gasped. "Whaaaat?"
CeeCee nodded as her smirk grew into a full blown toothy smile.
"You slut! Was it good? Of course it was good. He's a fucking stallion!"
"It was amazing. He did things to me that, that—"
"That Mr. Jack can't do? Or Mr. Tony, for that matter. No wonder you didn't call me all weekend. You were boo'd up!"
"I was not boo'd up. I technically spent one evening with him. I went home after the first date on Friday like a good girl, but yes. I spent the night with him on Saturday. Didn't leave his bed until Sunday afternoon."
"Sweet Jesus."
After reviewing the finer details of her weekend, CeeCee awaited her BFF's final word.
"Well, bitch - spill it. I know you have opinions."
Laney leaned back in her desk chair. "Where do you see this going? Would you ever introduce him to Junior?"
"God no! I am so not thinking that far ahead."
"Well, I think you should. Jay's made it pretty clear that he plans on sticking around. The question is, do you want him sticking around?"
Winter arrived in Chicago and the holidays were fast approaching. With the help of CeeCee and Tony's constant edits and advice, Junior submitted his college applications right before the December early admission deadline, yet his mind raced with anxiety. He shared his worries after dinner almost every night since mailing them off.
"When should I expect acceptance letters? What if I get rejected by all three? Jeez. I'll have to go to...DePaul."
"And what's wrong with your parents' alma mater?"
"Nothing but I was made for Ivy League. It's my destiny."
CeeCee laughed as she emptied the dishwasher. "You'll get in all three, baby. Mama knows."
At Jones & Waterstone, CeeCee was hard at work preparing for Billy BadAss' coming out party (her secret nickname for the event). Laney was impressed with her initial draft of the event order, as was Frank Richmond - the CEO of Big Styles Entertainment. Unfortunately, Billy got arrested for reckless driving two days before the party and CeeCee's event got pushed back until after the New Year. She was relieved. This gave her more free time to spend with Jay.
Once she was certain that things between she and Jay were getting serious, CeeCee took a huge step and introduced him to Junior over dinner out one night. The two hit it off immediately, much to CeeCee's delightful surprise. Junior went on about him as they drove home.
"I think it's awesome that Jay's an artist. He told me he met the programmer of Revenge at an art show once."
CeeCee smiled. "Really? Your favorite video game."
Junior nodded. "Yeah. He's pretty cool. I like him."
Silence. "Ma, did you know that he's only eight years older than me?"
"Yes. Is that a problem?"
"No. I think it's hilarious." He laughed as CeeCee blushed all the way home.
The couple were seeing each other frequently, speaking or texting daily and CeeCee spending at least one night a week with Jay. The sex got more and more incredible every time. Between CeeCee's curiosity and Jay's skillful touch, neither of them could get enough of each other.
She was hesitant about using the L word with him. While they got along well, had a lot in common and were sexually compatible, the eighteen years between them was a yellow light blinking in her head, urging her to proceed with caution. She was always worried that Jay would eventually see this as a fling, his MILF phase.
Jay was the first to say it on New Year's Eve. They chose to avoid the party crowds and stayed in, making love for hours. They were naked in his bed, spent and wrapped in his sheets as the fireplace roared and candlelight flickered shadows on the walls.
"Be my lady, CeeCee. Now I know you are scared. You have a lot going on with Junior, your career. I know I'm the first guy you've dated since your divorce. I get that. I want you to know that this is new for me, too."
"Jay, you don't have to—"
"Baby, let me finish, please. You make me feel like the person I didn't even know I could be. I remember on our first date when you stood there, gazing at The Deep End poster in admiration. That was the moment that I fell in love with you. I'm in love with you and I love you, CeeCee."
They kissed as she whispered against his lips, "I love you too, Jay". The clock struck midnight as they rolled over and made love again before daybreak.
She was his woman and it made her feel alive for the first time in years. Cecelia Banks felt like she was on top of the world. If only she had foreseen the shitstorm that awaited her in the New Year. Things in her life were about to go from fantastic to fucked up in a single click of a camera lens.
# Chapter 9
"Happy Valentine's Day, sweetness."
CeeCee raised her champagne flute to meet Jay's. "Happy Valentine's Day to you, baby."
They clinked glasses, ending a delicious four-course dinner at Yuzu, a five-star sushi restaurant in The Loop. CeeCee took a sip of bubbly. "The sashimi here was divine, but I'd like some dessert."
"I already bought you a high class meal. What more do you want from a Brotha?"
"Hmmmm, you know what I want, but for now I'll take a latte and a scone. My treat."
"Oh, best believe you'll be getting what you truly want, but I'm up for some coffee first. There's a café on Jackson we can go to. About a five minute walk. Let's bounce." He paid the check and the two left the restaurant, stepping out into the brisk winter air.
Dressed in a black wool coat, Jay held CeeCee's hand as they walked down the block. CeeCee pulled her thin red trench coat tightly to her body. He pulled her closer to him.
"You need to have on a warmer coat, tryin' to look cute."
"I'm not cold, but I would like to get to the warm café. Can't you move those big feet any faster?"
"Enjoy the walk. Patience, Daniel-Sun."
CeeCee looked up at him. "Were you even born when that movie came out?"
Jay chuckled. "For your information, yes I was. Karate Kid Three, anyway."
"Lord have mercy."
The two laughed as another couple walked toward them. CeeCee looked up to see their faces: Tony and Debbie. For some reason, she became nervous. She felt as if she had been busted by her parents with a boy they disliked.
"Ceese. What are you doing out here?"
"Hi Tony. We're on our way to get coffee. How are you?"
Debbie looked even more nervous than CeeCee felt. "Debbie."
"Cecelia."
CeeCee fought back a scowl as Jay cleared his throat.
"Oh, Tony, Debbie. This is my boyfriend Jay."
Jay stuck out a leather gloved hand which Tony took in a manly shake. "Nice to meet you, Tony."
"Same here, Jay. Junior's told me all about you."
"Yeah, he's a great kid. Super smart. He's waiting on those acceptance letters. Watching the mail like a hawk."
CeeCee froze. Jay had been spending several nights at her house lately. She was afraid this would be revealed from his comment about the mail. Tony's face registered that he assumed as much.
"So, what are you two doing out in this cold? Debbie and I are on our way to the theater on the corner to see that Cusack movie, Drifter."
Debbie chimed in. "Yes, we hear it's a great film."
CeeCee smiled as she pointed her clutch at Jay's chest. "We went to a private screening of it last month. Jay did the artwork for the poster. Shadow of a man holding a rifle?"
Tony's eyes widened. "Really? Wow, that's...wow. That flick's been nominated for a bunch of awards. Cusack's up for Best Actor at the Oscars. You are kind of a celebrity."
CeeCee was surprised Tony even knew what the Oscars were.
"Oh, I wouldn't say I'm a celebrity but work has definitely picked up for me."
After a beat of uncomfortable silence, CeeCee spoke up. "Well, Tony, Debbie. Great seeing you. Enjoy the movie."
"Yeah, see ya Ceese. Jay, pleasure to meet you."
"Same here."
The couples set off in opposite directions. As soon as Tony and Debbie were out of earshot, Jay said, "So, that was interesting."
"Wasn't expecting to see those two out."
"Well, it is Valentine's Day. Tony's pretty much what I expected. Reminds me a little of Ray Liotta."
"You know who Ray Liotta is?"
"Of course. I create movie posters and I'm a film buff. He starred in one of the greatest mob movies of all time."
CeeCee chuckled. "Tony's no Goodfella, let me assure you."
Jay looked over at her. "I could tell by the way he looked at you that he misses you."
"Well, I don't miss him." She stopped walking and touched Jay's cheek. "You are all the man that I need."
Jay smiled. "Isn't that a Whitney Houston song?"
"Please tell me you were around when that came out."
Jay nodded as he pressed his forehead to CeeCee's. "I think I was in preschool."
CeeCee sighed. "Jesus. Kiss me, you child."
*****
The Bradley High School gymnasium was bustling with action. It was the annual - and Junior's final - high school science fair. Model planets and colorful project poster board displays surrounded the attendees as they waited for the award ceremony to begin. Tony and CeeCee walked side-by-side, taking in all of the exhibits and reminiscing about their son's experiments over the years.
"Remember his very first fair? His project was extracting—"
CeeCee snapped her fingers in remembrance. "DNA from an onion!"
The two laughed, tears welling in their eyes.
"Damn kid had the house smelling like Old Italy for two weeks afterwards."
"No, but the worst - hands down - was when he combined salt and sugar and then he created a device to separate the grains. Remember that? To this day, I test taste whatever comes out of the salt shaker when I cook!"
CeeCee looked around at the student creations with a sad smile.
"His last one, Tony. I just, I can't believe our baby is going off to college."
"Yeah. Just four months until graduation."
Junior spent a month in the school lab planning and building his senior project: transforming a run-of-the-mill houseplant into biofuel.
"Ma, this has First Place written all over it - trust me!" he had pleaded when he asked CeeCee for $200 to fund the project. She had no worries and gladly invested in his enthusiasm - while praying he wouldn't blow himself and the school up in the process. Thankfully, Professor Brown was supervising the whole time with a helping hand.
CeeCee and Tony spotted Junior at his booth conversing with his mentor while he set up his display. Tony waved over at the duo.
"Ceese, listen. I know you and I didn't work out but we did get one thing right. That kid right there."
"Yep, that made it all worth it for me."
She was proud of the healthier place she and Tony were in these days. Although last week's encounter with him and Debbie caught her off guard, CeeCee would always consider Tony as one of her closest and dearest friends. She hugged his arm as they walked toward Junior's booth.
CeeCee's cell rang. She immediately knew it was Jay. Finding her phone in her bag, she excused herself from Tony, found a vacant booth to sit in.
"Hey baby. I'm still at Junior's science fair. What are you—"
"Oh, with Tony?" His voice was laced with jealousy...and cognac, if she had to guess. She could practically smell it through the phone.
Ever since Drifter had become an Oscar contender, Jay had been under increased pressure from his agent to produce artwork drafts for several upcoming movies, thus his increased Courvoisier consumption.
"I see you're starting the night off right."
Ice tinkled in the background. "I'm sitting on this couch, hard as a rock, waiting for you. And where are you? Out with your ex-husband—"
"—at our son's science fair. You know, his kid. He sorta needs to be here, too. Jay, put the yak down and have a cup of coffee. You don't sound well at all."
She heard the glass land on a table with a thud.
"Damn woman! Why so serious? I'm just playin'. Come through when you get done with...Tony."
"Must you say his name like that? Why are you so jealous? I already told you once – he and I are over. Dunzo."
"Fine, fine. Come see me."
"And why should I come see your drunk ass?"
He grumbled. "Because I wanna taste you."
CeeCee looked around the gym as if someone passing by the empty booth could hear his advances over the phone.
"You won't be tasting shit until you get that attitude together."
She heard him take another gulp. "I apologize. Now get your fine ass over here."
"Give me an hour but be warned. I can't spend the night because I'm running the Billy BadAss event tomorrow. Is your parking space open for me? I'm driving."
"Absolutely."
CeeCee stepped out of the booth. "I'll be there."
"I'll be naked."
CeeCee pushed the End button with a smile and put the phone back into her purse. She had to admit: Jay's passion was a turn on, even when it was alcohol-induced. He was the polar opposite of Tony in that respect. Had that been her ex-husband, he would have called to ask her to pick up a six-pack on the way home.
She made her way back to Junior's booth as a voice boomed over the loudspeaker.
"Parents and students! We are ready to announce the Senior Class winner of the Bradley High School Annual Science Fair. The winner is.... Anthony Carello, Jr. with his entry, Power Plants: Transforming Greens into Gas. Congratulations, Anthony! Let's give him a hand!"
The crowd cheered and the foursome inside Junior's booth jumped for joy. Junior's face lit with glee as the finality of the moment dawned on CeeCee. Her baby had grown into a handsome and extremely intelligent young man. Her eyes welled with bittersweet tears as Junior went onstage to accept his trophy and certificate.
She reached over to touch Professor Brown's arm.
"Stanley, thank you so much for everything you've done for our son over the past four years. Tony and I cannot thank you enough for the guidance you've provided."
Stanley Brown was every inch the adorable middle-aged geek with slightly graying hair, black-rimmed glasses and, yes, a real-life pocket protector.
"Cecelia, Tony, I thank you both. It's easy when you have a student of Anthony's intellectual ability and such a wide capacity to learn. He's a sponge for knowledge and, not to mention, he's got a helluva sense of humor. That is required yet rare in my field!"
The three laughed as Tony said, "Yeah, he definitely gets the wisecracking from Ceese!" Stanley chuckled, pausing for a minute as he looked at CeeCee as if seeing her for the first time.
"An amazing mother...and father. Anthony's very fortunate to have you both in his corner."
He looked down at his shoes with what looked like an air of sadness to CeeCee. Junior bounded over with complete elation.
"First Place! Told ya, Ma!"
CeeCee hugged her son tightly. "Never doubted you for a minute, baby!"
After breaking down Junior's booth and hauling his display into the SUV, Tony and CeeCee shook hands with Stanley and left with Junior. He walked ahead of his parents to chat with a group of friends. Tony leaned toward CeeCee.
"You know that Stanley's always had a thing for you."
"No way."
"Yes way. Look at yourself. Who wouldn't? Dah well. Too bad you're with Jay now."
CeeCee rolled her eyes as they left the gymnasium.
Since father and son planned to spend the weekend together so CeeCee could dedicate hers to the event, she dropped them both off at Tony's condo and hustled over to Jay's apartment. She parked the SUV in his spot, buzzed in the back entrance and found herself at his front door in what seemed like seconds. Even though their conversation had turned her off initially, her body was hungry for him. She couldn't deny it.
Jay opened the door in his robe, eyes lowered and holding a cognac on the rocks for CeeCee. He smelled amazing - a mix of soap, brandy and sex. Handing her the drink, Jay silently opened the door wider for her to enter.
CeeCee walked into the dim living room as she took a sip and licked her lips.
"Thank you. I'm surprised that you saved me some. Did you get your atti—"
She paused as she turned and saw Jay standing by the closed door, his robe opened & exposing his magnificent body, his sizable manhood protruding.
CeeCee smirked. "Naked as promised."
Jay walked over to her and took the glass out of her hand. Dropping his robe to the floor, he pulled her close with an arm around her waist as he captured her mouth. CeeCee could taste the cognac on his tongue and it turned her on even more.
He released her from his embrace and took a sip from her glass before putting it on the coffee table beside them.
"Get on your knees," he growled.
CeeCee bit her lip. She trailed his firm chest and stomach with kisses as she slid to the floor. She licked him from shaft to tip, consuming him whole as he moaned roughly. She suckled him slowly, then faster as Jay entangled his hands in her hair and caught her rhythm with his hips. Once she knew he was close, CeeCee released him from her mouth and worked his soaked hardness with her hand.
"You still mad?" She looked into his drunken dark eyes as she massaged the head with her thumb.
Jay picked her up and pushed her up against the wall right next to his framed The Dark Knight movie poster. He hiked up her slate grey dress and he moved his hands up her thighs.
He began kissing her neck as he whispered in her ear. "No panties, huh?"
"Left them in the car. Didn't think I'd need them." CeeCee moaned as she grabbed his shoulders.
He reached two fingers inside of her as he massaged her bud with his thumb. She wailed as she felt the heat rise in her center. Jay kept his eyes locked on her hers as she came on his hand. He took his fingers out and sucked them while still looking deep into CeeCee's eyes.
Jay went to his knees and placed her legs on his shoulders. He devoured her as CeeCee rubbed his head, grinding her hips against his face. He dug his fingers into her thighs as he plunged his tongue into her flesh, bringing CeeCee to her second climax. No one made CeeCee reach her peak faster than Jay - ever.
He placed her feet back on the ground, spun her around and entered her hard and fast. Grasping her hips, Jay grunted with every thrust. He fucked her with an animalistic passion he hadn't shown before.
CeeCee clawed the wall as she whimpered his name. Jay began to speed up as CeeCee reached her third wave. He grabbed her hair as she arched her back in ecstasy. He posted his other hand against the wall, pumping CeeCee as he growled at the top of his orgasm.
Breathing heavily, they both slid down the wall and came to rest on the floor. After a pause, Jay raised himself up.
"You needed that reminder. I'm your man. Not Tony."
Jay left CeeCee on the floor in her disheveled dress as he retrieved his robe and put it back on. He picked up her glass, drank the rest of the cognac in one swallow and slammed it back on the table.
"A reminder? Are you fucking insane?"
CeeCee walked up to him where he was standing by the couch. When he refused to turn around to face her, she yanked his arm to turn him around.
"What the hell is going on with you? You call me completely wasted, you fuck me and then leave me on the floor like a tramp. What happened to you today?"
He stared at her with immense hurt in his eyes.
"Junior is so lucky to have a father that cares about him. Does he realize that?"
Jay released his arm from CeeCee's grasp and walked to the brown bottle on his coffee table, taking a long swig.
"Shit...mine won't even see me." He chuckled to himself as he stared off into space & plopped down on his couch, holding the bottle.
CeeCee walked over to the couch and gently took the bottle out of his hands. She placed it on the table and sat with him.
"Babe, I don't know what happened between you and your father today. My day got away from me and I wanted to touch base but now, I wish I had reached out to you earlier."
"Wouldn't have changed a damn thing. He's avoiding me but what else is new? He never wanted me in the first place."
CeeCee was in new emotional territory with Jay. This was the most he'd ever spoken about his biological father in the months they'd been dating. She reached out to touch his knee but he moved it away.
"Go home. I'm drunk as hell and I'm just gonna crash. You have a big day tomorrow. Good night, CeeCee." He leaned over and gently placed a lingering kiss on her neck before walking to his bedroom down the hall.
After she was certain he was asleep and snoring, CeeCee replaced the cap on the nearly empty bottle and quietly left with tears in her eyes.
# Chapter 10
Three missed calls. Three voicemails. All deleted. The only evidence of Jay's attempt to contact CeeCee was the lone text message, which she refused to read.
While she was relieved that Jay managed to wake up the following morning, CeeCee couldn't risk speaking to him.
Hearing his voice. Reading his words. Not today, she thought. Today needs to be dedicated to Billy BadAss, period.
To clear her mind as much as she could, she started her early morning with a five-mile run on the treadmill before picking Laney up for a hot yoga session at OM Studio.
"But why does it have to be hot? That I don't get. How hot is hot?" Laney got into CeeCee's SUV.
"Oh, about 90, 100."
"Degrees?" Without saying another word, Laney opened the door. CeeCee grabbed her arm before she could get out of the seat.
"Be supportive! I had a bad night last night. Just...seriously, please. I'll owe you one."
Laney begrudgingly sat back down and buckled up as CeeCee put the car in drive. "I'll put it on your tab. Now what happened?"
She gave Laney the abridged version: the drunken phone call, the hot but angry sex, the absent dad, the falling asleep, the deleted voicemails. Laney sat wide-eyed before speaking.
"That's a lot for my brain before 10am on a Saturday so I can only imagine what's going on in yours. Are you going to reach out to him?"
"I don't know. Do you think he's an alcoholic? He drank an entire bottle of yak in a matter of hours."
Laney shrugged. "If that was the first time you've ever seen him that bad, maybe he was just self-medicating in that moment. I mean, you remember years ago, when I first came out? Whenever I got into it with my bible-thumping mama, I would call you, come over for a drink, end up completely plastered and crashing in your guest room."
CeeCee nodded, remembering those nights. "Junior was about 6 or 7. He would bring you a barf bucket in the morning."
"Between the two of us, it's a wonder that child's not in therapy. That was the lowest point of my life. I felt like I couldn't accept myself until my mother accepted me. She never did and it wasn't until she died that I learned to let go. After lots of counseling, I finally forgave her. I wish I could have been on better terms with her before she died but I eventually understood that that was her shit. So when it comes to Jay and whatever is going on with his bio dad, I feel his pain. Rejection in any form from a parent can fuck you up but good."
CeeCee tapped the steering wheel. "Even though I deleted the voicemails, I saved one text. Didn't read it yet. I want to respond but today...today is just way too important. I want everything to go just right at the event."
Laney chuckled. "Honey, this is public relations and your client is an oft-inebriated rap star. Expect a hiccup or two,"
She took CeeCee's hand. "My advice? Give yourself some space from Jay and use tonight as a way to keep your mind off of him. You can always call him tomorrow. Sound good?"
CeeCee nodded as they pulled into the gym's parking lot. "Yep. Today is Billy. Tomorrow is Jay."
Laney squeezed her pal's hand. "Sounds like a plan. Now, back to this foolishness. There better be some hot bitches in hot yoga, that's all I'm sayin'."
After 90 minutes of sweating and posing, CeeCee dropped Laney off and the two agreed to meet at the pre-event briefing in an hour. This would be CeeCee's first time meeting her client so she wanted to look her professional best. She went with a gold silk blouse and a dark green pencil skirt, topped off with bronze pumps. Her big curls cascaded right past her shoulders. She looked in the mirror. Cecelia Nicole, you can do this! She grabbed her bag and headed out to Club Bangers.
The club owner gave CeeCee and Laney a walkthrough of the building layout, including an introduction to the service personnel and a review of the security detail. As the three reviewed the itinerary and event order, a large group noisily paraded through the front door of the club.
Laney leaned into CeeCee's ear. "Slap on a crash helmet. Here comes your client."
Among the sea of about fifteen juvenile-looking men in white tees, baggy jeans and various sports jerseys, Billy BadAss emerged. Dressed in a crisp red button down shirt and cuffed designer jeans, Billy swayed over with Cartier solid gold sunglasses perched on his face.
"Ladies, I'm Billy. Looking forward to working wit' ya and turnin' up in the Chi tonight. Stay blessed."
He shook both of their hands, turned on the heels of his crisp white Jordans and walked right out, leaving a mixed aroma of cologne and marijuana smoke in his wake. The gaggle of hangers-on followed close behind.
Laney smiled at CeeCee. "Oh, honey! You didn't expect him to sit down and have a conversation with us, did you? Darling, we're the help. We make this shit happen so he can sell records. The end. Welcome to event planning! Back to work, babe."
Laney patted her on the back and walked to the table to continue the document review with the owner. CeeCee remained staring at the door from which her client just exited after a ten second introduction. This was going to be a long night.
After returning home and taking a short nap, CeeCee began prep for her evening. Per the event order, '...any agents in attendance at the event are required to blend in with club patrons.' The last time CeeCee went to a nightclub, acid wash jeans were in and Queen Latifah was still a rapper. Junior's fashion-conscious girlfriend Candace was happy to accompany her on a shopping trip. CeeCee settled on a form fitting black mini dress with leopard print along its' sides. She had her usually curly hair set in a fresh blow-out and wore the tallest black stilettos in her closet.
Despite the promise she made to herself, CeeCee decided to scratch the itch. She reached into her clutch, took out her phone and read the text:
Baby, I know you are busy today so I don't expect to hear from you, especially after my behavior last night. I am truly sorry that I hurt you. You mean everything to me. I need you. Please call or text me when you get in tonight so that I know you are safe. I hear dude runs with a wild bunch. Be careful. I love you. J.
CeeCee fought every urge to text him back with an I love you, too, but space was what was needed. She placed her phone back in her clutch and looked at this new version of herself in the bedroom mirror. CeeCee was ready to turn up. (Goodness, she loathed that phrase.)
Club Bangers looked like an entirely different venue at 8 pm than it did at noon. The club didn't open for another hour and at least a hundred people were waiting outside in the falling snow to get in. CeeCee stepped out of her SUV, handed her keys to the valet and - armed with her almighty press pass hanging on her neck - walked right in to the chagrin of the freezing line dwellers.
The sound of music she didn't recognize bumped against the walls. Along with the club manager and the head of security, CeeCee did a once-over of the main floor, the back of the house, the DJ booth and – most importantly – the VIP section.
The area was set apart from the rest of the club with the standard red ropes, complete with a ceiling-to-floor solid black curtain. Bottles were placed in a large standing ice bucket at each of the six tables, plush pillows were sprawled on a long L-shaped couch and an illuminated dance floor with a stripper's pole glowed in the center of the room.
Everything looked exactly to Billy's specifications. CeeCee breathed a sigh of relief. A security guard flanked at the main entrance yelled, "Doors open in 5 minutes. It's almost show time, kids." CeeCee was more than ready.
By 10:30 pm, the club was packed with wall-to-wall twenty-somethings and CeeCee surprisingly felt herself fitting right in. As she squeezed herself through the crowd to monitor each station of the venue, she remembered two mental notes that Laney told her to keep top of mind when running an event: No dancing and no drinking.
Dancing wouldn't be a problem; embarrassing herself by breaking out the Running Man was not on CeeCee's to-do list tonight. Drinking was out of the question. Her nerves killed her appetite and she hadn't had a bite to eat in several hours. One drink would have her on her ass for sure. All in all, CeeCee was doing well so far.
Now if only her client would show up.
At 11:15 on the nose, Billy BadAss and his band of merry men entered. Exposed cleavage and ass cheeks were sprinkled among the entourage this time around. Compared to those young ladies, CeeCee's simple LBD might as well have been a nun's habit. Billy and his entire crew were wearing all white and already clearly intoxicated.
Billy met CeeCee at the entrance of the VIP section, lowering his sunglasses to look her up and down.
"Yo, you was the same chick that was here earlier? Damn, ma. You a dime for an old bird!"
The rest of the crew moved their greedy selves into the VIP area with little acknowledgment for CeeCee - or Billy.
CeeCee understood the dynamics she was facing and decided to make the dynamic work for her - another gem from Laney's wealth of PR knowledge. She smiled and guided Billy into the VIP area with a hand on his lower back.
"Billy, I hope you'll find the amenities of the private section to your expectations. Your meet and greet is slated to begin in 10 minutes. The two winners from your Facebook fan page contest have been given temporary VIP passes that expire at midnight,"
"From there, you will be prepped to take the stage on the main floor to perform your hit songs Yo' Girl Wanna and M.I.L.F. Afterwards, you'll sign a few autographs, take pictures with the club owner and DJ for the Gram and then you'll be free to go at 1 - although I would encourage you to stick around for at least another half hour for good press. Any questions?"
Billy paused and slowly removed his sunglasses. "Well, shit! I ain't got no questions since it sounds like you got all the answers, Ma."
CeeCee gently pushed Billy into his preferred seat - left of the red ropes, crowd facing – and picked up the bottle of champagne out of the ice bucket.
"Please. Call me CeeCee. Cristal?"
# Chapter 11
The clock struck one. CeeCee had handled her first major event with zero hiccups. Bottle service flowed smoothly. The performances went off without a hitch. Most importantly, her client managed to not get arrested or in a fight. Cecelia Banks, Senior Corporate Events Manager, was a success!
CeeCee began texting Laney from VIP to give her the good news. Billy sat next to her on the lush couch, holding a bottle of Cristal.
"Miss CeeCee. I gotta say, you did a fantastic job tonight. Me and my boys had a good time. You slayed!"
"Billy, it was mine and the firm's pleasure. You did a great job onstage. I really liked the M.I.L.F. song. It's catchy: I need a MILF down for meeeee, a grown mama fits my steeeeeze..."
Billy took off his sunglasses for the first time all night.
"Tell the truth, now: Have you ever heard my music before tonight? I ain't gon' tell nobody if you haven't."
"Okay...no, but in my defense, I am almost twice your age. However, from what I heard tonight, you have a bright future in front of you. I can't wait to hear more."
Billy downed the last of the champagne and placed the empty bottle on the table in front of them. "You ain't gotta wait much longer. Afterparty at The Vincent Hotel down the street. You should come through to hear some of my new tracks."
CeeCee continued texting without looking at Billy. "Oh no no no! One, I am here in an official capacity, not to party. Two, I am pretty sure I'll be the oldest person there."
"Miss CeeCee - one, your 'official capacity' ended at 1am. That's in the contract. And number two, old birds are always invited to my parties, as long as they fine. Vivica's supposed to fall through tonight."
CeeCee looked at Billy. "As in the actress? She's older than me."
"Exactly. Besides, you don't look old. My mama's 40 and you look way younger than her!"
CeeCee put her phone in her bag and pointed a finger at him. "Right there! I'm older than your mother. Number three and case closed. Go have fun! We'll chat at the debrief on Monday morning. Good night." She tucked her clutch underneath her arm and got up from the couch.
"Speaking of that debrief, I'm sure your bosses ain't gon' be pleased to hear you ditched your client's afterparty. C'mon now, Miss CeeCee. Roll wit' us tonight. I promise you, on my grandmama's soul, you will be in good hands. Besides, we got hella food and I know yo' skinny ass is hungry. Fried chicken, greens, ham hocks, black eyed peas, peach cobbler - all catered by Niecy's, the best Southern food in Chicago, or so I've heard."
CeeCee stopped at the red ropes of the VIP entrance. If she rejected Billy's invite, it might reflect poorly on her performance. This could mean sidestepping a shining post-event review from her first client. Also, her skinny ass was hungry and her diet hadn't allowed her to have Niecy's in years. She'd stay for a half hour tops and pull the old 'I have a kid' card. Being a working mom has that privilege - even if said kid is damn near grown and spending the weekend with his dad.
CeeCee turned on her heels and walked back to Billy. "Fine. I'll meet you and your crew at The Vincent in fifteen minutes. I cannot stay for more than a half hour - I have a child to get home to."
"Damn, you got a baby, too? I swear you one of the best lookin' old birds I done seen in a minute!"
CeeCee rolled her eyes. "You have got to stop calling me an 'old bird'. Not only is it extremely unprofessional, it's also a little insulting."
Billy raised both hands in the air with a sly smile. "My bad, Miss CeeCee! I'm a country boy, I can't help it. Look, let me get my boys up outta here and we'll see you on the 54th floor. Leave that dress on."
CeeCee buttoned her trench coat. "Which room?"
Billy laughed. "Miss CeeCee, we got the whole muthafuckin' floor. Penthouse, ya heard?" He tossed a silver keycard her way, which CeeCee caught with one hand.
"There better be more than one person at this afterparty."
CeeCee slid the keycard into the slot marked 54th FLOOR - PENTHOUSE - Access Required. When the elevator doors opened, she was hit in the face with a thick cloud of marijuana smoke. Loud music boomed through the entryway, which was lined by various partygoers talking, drinking, kissing, smoking and taking hits of cocaine. When CeeCee reached the end of the main hallway, an energetic Billy appeared. He held a lit blunt between his teeth and was flanked by a naked woman on either side of his short muscular body.
"Welcome to the suite, Miss CeeCee. Ladies, won't you two please excuse me while I give my event planner a quick tour?"
Both ladies gave CeeCee the stink eye as they were dismissed. CeeCee pointed to them as they slithered away. "I take it they realize they are butt naked while everyone else is clothed. Why exactly?"
Billy ignored her question and helped her take her coat off, handing it to a nearby bodyguard. "Four bedrooms, two baths. This living room is, like, the central area of the party. We got Niecy's in the kitchen and, of course, lots of liquor and other party favors spread all over. Turn up!"
He took another hit of the blunt and passed it to CeeCee. "No, thank you. I haven't had weed since I was about your age."
Billy gave her the side eye and waved the blunt in her face. "Post event review. One hit ain't gon' hurt you none. C'mon, for me."
CeeCee sighed. "This is blackmail, pure and simple." Billy smiled as she snatched the blunt out of his grasp & took a generous inhale.
She coughed her lungs out, handing it back to Billy. "What the fuck are they putting in weed these days? Bug spray?"
Billy patted her on the back as she regained proper breathing. "This that hydro shit. Ain't like it was in the 80s, huh?" He laughed and walked away as CeeCee yelled, "The NINETIES!"
CeeCee realized she was definitely high and ravenous after her first hit of weed since college. She made a beeline through the crowd to the kitchen and noticed all of the famous faces sprinkled throughout the suite.
A video vixen and her rapper boyfriend were arguing in the far left corner.
A reality show celebrity was on the couch doing lines with a former Disney child star.
A member of a 90s boy band was on his cell phone, standing in line to use the restroom.
CeeCee grabbed a plate and stacked it full of fatty foods she would have never touched with a ten foot pole under normal circumstances, but when in Rome - and as high as a kite - do as.
She finished the food quicker than she remembered eating it. Damn, I am thirsty, she said to herself in what sounded like slow motion in her ears. She noticed a young lady in a tight fuchsia wrap dress drinking liquid of a similar color out of a martini glass. CeeCee smiled wide. Cosmopolitans!
CeeCee asked her where she got the drink from and Fuchsia pointed to a waiter carrying a tray full of them. Salivating at the sight of them, she took two off of the tray and thanked the server as if he'd offered her the breath of life. She sipped one and it was really sweet. Sweeter than a typical cosmo, but she assumed that the barkeep probably went heavy on the cranberry juice.
An hour later, CeeCee found herself on the couch next to a snoring Sports Illustrated cover girl, feeling very intoxicated. She continued drinking her second pink drink when Billy came over with a smile.
"How you doin', Miss CeeCee! You look like you turnin' up too much. See I'mma have to keep an eye on you."
CeeCee took another gulp, leaving just a swallow in the glass. "Excuse me - I've been drinking cosmos since you were in diapers. Actually, these are more cranberry juice than alcohol but I'll have a third anyway."
She toddled to her feet to get another when Billy grabbed her shoulders and turned her to face him.
"A third?!" He took the glass out of her hand and sniffed it. CeeCee frowned.
"Miss CeeCee, this ain't no damn cosmo! What you think this is, ma? Sex and the City? This is a sizzurup cocktail! Codeine, ya heard?"
That was the last thing Miss CeeCee remembered before fainting in Billy BadAss' arms.
# Chapter 12
The pounding served as her internal alarm clock. CeeCee awoke face down on the bed with her once-blown out hair matted to her aching head. She slowly opened her eyes, rubbing them with a yawn. She turned her body to face front and saw an unfamiliar sight: a 350-pound man standing all of his 6'5" frame over the side of the bed.
"Who the hell are you and where the—" Every syllable she yelled caused her head to pulse in agony. She held her scalp in her hands. The giant spoke in a deep but slightly nervous voice.
"Um, ma'am. I'm Brutus, Mr. Thomas' bodyguard. I was the man that hung up your coat last night. Mr. Thomas placed you in his master bedroom here and asked that I watch over you throughout the night. You know, to keep the riff raff from taking advantage of you while you slept. I promise you, nothing happened. Well...you did fall out last night and Mr. Thomas caught—"
CeeCee put her hand up to stop his rambling, her other hand cradling her head. She sat on the edge of the bed, still in the same dress she wore last night.
"Who is Mr. Thomas? Where's Billy? Why I did I fall out? What time is it?"
"Ma'am, Mr. Thomas is Billy. Francis Thomas is his government name. As far as why you fell out...well, ma'am...I'm almost positive you drank sizzurup. Also, it is around 10 am."
CeeCee stared at him in disbelief. She began pacing.
"What? 10 am?? And why would I ever drink something called sizzurup? I am a forty-thr—the cosmos. THE COSMOS!"
CeeCee grabbed her clutch off of the nightstand and searched for her phone. Dead. She took out her compact mirror. Her mascara was smudged, giving her raccoon eyes. Panic began to set in for CeeCee.
"My phone has no power. My phone is always fully charged in the morning. I fell asleep with a face of makeup. Oh, my poor skin! What in the fuck is going on in my life?"
Wide eyed, she ran her fingers through her hair in a vain attempt to tame her frizzy curls. "I...I have to get home. I have a child, a career! I live in the goddamn suburbs! Suburbanites don't drink sizzurup!"
CeeCee hadn't realized she was screaming until she noticed that Brutus looked genuinely frightened. A man easily thrice CeeCee's size was cowering to her hysterical ranting.
"Um, ma'am. Would you like me to call someone for you? Your husband? A boyfriend? A medical professional?"
CeeCee raised her hands to her mouth with a gasp when she remembered that she hadn't texted Jay back. He was probably worried sick or - even worse - thought that she was done with him.
At that moment, a wide awake Billy came in. He was dressed in an oversized white tee and leather sweatpants with his signature sunglasses on his face.
"Miss CeeCee! You got it in last night, sweetheart! How you feeling?"
"I feel like I look - like shit. What happened to me last night? How did I end up here?"
"Lookit here, hotel management cleared the party out about an hour after you fainted, but you were safe and sound in here with Bru. He was a perfect gentleman, as you've probably already gathered. He slept on that couch over there the whole time. Room service just arrived with a boatload of food. Ain't no extra eyeballs around - the coast is clear. It's just me, you and ol' Bru." He slapped Brutus on the back twice.
CeeCee found her stilettos by the end of the bed and slipped her feet in them. "Thank you so much for the offer and the protection last night, but I have got to go home."
"Lady, you gotta calm the fuck down. Now listen, I made sure you were safe all night. The least you can do is break bread with the homie. C'mon, now."
Billy took her hand, leading her out of the bedroom and into the kitchen as Brutus followed.
The food was arranged buffet style across the 5-foot long dining table: scrambled eggs with Asiago cheese, rye toast, thick cut bacon, French toast slices, hash browns with diced ham, mixed fruit and that sweet elixir - coffee. CeeCee's hungover tummy was in no mood for food but she downed two cups of dark roast, sitting in between the guys as they ate.
"So, Francis Thomas, huh? Learn something new every day."
Billy took his sunglasses off and pointed them at CeeCee. "Hey! Only the homies call me Francis and all my homies are down south - except Brut over there,"
He put his shades back on. "Yeah. That's my buddy there. Since first grade, ain't that right, homie?" Brutus nodded as he continued ravaging his second plate.
CeeCee took a sip. "But what about all of those people that were here last night? No homies among that crowd? Not even the fair Vivica?"
Billy grunted. "Shit. You know more about me than those people do. That was the industry here last night. Folks that's been getting money, fame and a good time off of me since I was 15 with RuffStuff. Including Frankie Rich, quiet as it's kept. He has made a fortune riding my coattails, ya heard?"
He stabbed his fork into a slice of French toast. "But yeah. Last night? That's not real life. This. This moment right here..." He nodded. "This is real."
The trio continued dining in silence as Billy's words hung in the air. CeeCee always saw him as a one-dimensional person: a client, another bad boy entertainer with a growing rap sheet. For the first time, she didn't see Billy BadAss, Rap Star. She saw Francis Thomas, a rich & lonely kid from the South.
Billy interrupted her thoughts by scooting away from the table. "All right, y'all. I got a gang of press interviews this afternoon starting at 1. Limo will be here in less than an hour."
CeeCee took that as her cue. "Well, I need to get going myself. Thank you for keeping an eye on me, Brutus."
He nodded. "My pleasure, ma'am, and I apologize for scaring you this morning."
She stood up to Billy and gave him a hug. "This was all very kind of you, Billy. Again, phenomenal job at Club Bangers last night. I did remember that much. Speaking of things I don't remember...what floor are we on again?"
Billy shook his head as he helped CeeCee with her coat. "Miss CeeCee, you crack me up! C'mon, I'll walk you down." CeeCee waved goodbye to Brutus and followed Billy into the elevator.
The two walked outside to retrieve CeeCee's keys from the valet station. As they waited for her SUV to arrive, CeeCee broke the silence.
"Billy, I have to ask you a favor. If the firm knew what occurred with me last night..."
He waved his hand in CeeCee's direction. "You ain't got nothing to worry about there. As far as I know, you left Bangers at 1 and that's the last time I saw you." Billy winked at her.
CeeCee was overcome with relief and hugged him. "Thank you oh so much!" She gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek as Billy joked, "Well, if you really wanna thank me..."
The two cackled as the SUV pulled up. CeeCee stepped foot into the vehicle and said, "Again, thanks for everything, Billy."
He lowered his sunglasses. "You one of the homies now. Call me Francis." CeeCee smiled and drove off.
As Billy walked back into the hotel, a man in a backwards baseball cap appeared from the bushes near the valet station. He packed away his digital camera and pulled out his cell phone. He walked toward the parking lot with the phone to his ear.
"Yeah. Finally got a shot of Billy BadAss at the Vincent. He walked out to valet with his new fling. I'm guessing she spent the night with him after his party. But listen...the good part: She's a little long in the tooth. Well...I'd put her at about 38, 40 tops. She definitely has at least 15 years on him. Good body, though. Had on a tight black dress, fuck me heels, hair was a wreck. Must've had a wild romp with the kid. Typical Billy groupie, except she's old enough to be his mother. She pulled off in a black Lexus SUV with an honor roll bumper sticker on the back, for Christ's sake. Perfect headline: The M.I.L.F. Rapper Wraps Up a MILF. Yeah. Emailing you the pics now. Let's prep them for online release this afternoon while I shake down my hotel connects for more details on this mystery lady."
# Chapter 13
When CeeCee arrived home, all she could think about was sleeping in her own bed. Tony wasn't dropping Junior off until the early evening so that meant blissful and uninterrupted hangover sleep in an empty house. CeeCee placed her dead phone on a charger near the kitchen counter. She zombie-walked upstairs, peeled the LBD and stilettos off of her body and fell face first into her bed, where she slept and snored for five hours.
The front door slammed, waking CeeCee up with a start.
"Ma! You home?"
"Hey babe. I'm upstairs. I'll be down in a sec." She went into the master bathroom and splashed cold water on her face. She was well rested and sober, happy to put whatever happened last night behind her. She would never be that foolish and irresponsible again, especially on the clock.
On the bright side, the event was a blazing success and she even managed make friends with her client. Waterstone would be impressed. CeeCee smiled to herself as she put her hair in a messy bun, slipped on her robe and walked downstairs to greet her son.
CeeCee noticed Junior talking on his cell phone when she reached the bottom of the steps. He had a disturbed look on his face.
"When did this happen? Are you sure? Candace, please make sure because this is no joke. Bye."
CeeCee stared at him after he hung up. "What's wrong? Is she pregnant? Anthony Michael Carello, I am going to KILL you!"
"You are going to wish I was having a kid after you see this." Moving closer to his mother so she could see his phone, Junior opened his Twitter app and typed Billy BadAss in the search bar. In an instant, several pictures of CeeCee giving the rapper a kiss on the cheek earlier that day appeared. She slapped her hand against her gaping mouth as she read the comments and captions:
Ugh, who is that old lady molestin my man #TeamBBA #BillyBabies #WannabeMILF
#ThatMoment when ya mama kisses u b4 the school bus picks u up...lol
Daaamn, Billy bagged a dime but she old, doe. LBVS
"ZMT posted the picture on their site and since Candace follows them on Twitter, she saw it and called me," Junior turned to his embarrassed mother.
"I cannot believe I am about to ask my own mother this question, but here goes: Did you sleep with Billy BadAss? The famous rapper? The former boy bander? Seriously, Mom?!"
CeeCee tugged at the collar of her robe. "Of course I didn't sleep with him! He is my client. That was an innocent kiss on the cheek that—"
"—that took place the morning after one of his notorious parties! I mean, of course I believe you but this is about to get huge if ZMT's reporting it. Candace said it's spreading like wildfire online. I asked her to DM me any links she comes across. She thinks it's cool. I'm guessing you don't."
His cell phone dinged. "Speaking of, here's what she just sent me from the Gram." He pulled up his Instagram feed, shrugged and handed his mother the phone. "And the memes have begun. It's official. You are famous. Congratulations!"
CeeCee stuttered as she scrolled through post after post. "I...this is just...a BIG mistake, I never...how can people just say things like..." The sound of her own cell phone ringing took her attention away from her son's. She handed him his phone and picked up hers.
"What the HELL happened last night? Have you seen ZMT? Twitter? You are all over the internet, just an FYI. Jesus, I told you to show the kid a good time, not spend the night with him!"
Laney.
"I swear to you, nothing happened. Well..." CeeCee looked over at Junior at the refrigerator, helping himself to a can of Coke and playing on his phone. Deciding that confessing to getting drunk off of codeine-based drinks in front of him would be a parenting fail, CeeCee went upstairs to give Laney the recap (or what she could remember) behind the closed door of her bedroom.
Laney sighed after CeeCee finished. "Cee, this is bad, babe. BAD. I'm combing all of the popular blogs as we speak."
CeeCee laid in her bed. "What are paparazzi doing in Chicago anyway? This isn't LA or New York."
"Since labels and studios are slashing budgets, stars are more often working in smaller metro markets like Chicago. Aniston owns a condo in Wicker Park that she uses whenever she's in town. Clooney just wrapped his latest movie near the Gold Coast area last month. Billy may not be as famous as them, but he is A-list among the 18-24 market sector – ZMT's biggest viewership. Wherever the A-listers are, ZMT paps follow. Oh my..."
CeeCee sat up in her bed. "What? What's wrong now?"
"ZMT is calling you The Cougarette. You have an official nickname. Like Cher's Bagel Boy. This is baaaaaaad."
CeeCee grabbed her iPad off of her nightstand and found ZMT's site:
INFAMOUS jailbird rapper Billy BadAss made a top ten hit singing about MILFs but it looks like his wild life is imitating his art. Here he is receiving a morning-after smooch from an older mystery woman. Sources say that Chicago's Vincent Hotel was the base for Billy's rowdy afterparty and that this not-so-young lady spent Saturday evening with him - even enjoying room service brunch with him this morning. No official ID yet on this foxy pint-sized pixie but she's not big enough to be a Cougar, in our opinion. Until further notice, Billy's brunch babe will be known as The Cougarette.
CeeCee laid back onto her bed, utterly defeated. "Oh Laney. What if Jay sees this? He'll be done with me."
"Jay? What if Waterstone sees this? Luckily for you, straight white men in their 60s aren't regularly reading gossip blogs so we have a small window of time to hatch a proactive game plan,"
"Step One: You are taking a sick day tomorrow. I guarantee you that some intern is reading about you on the internet right now and when that gossip makes its' way up the food chain, the last place you'll want to be is at work,"
"Step Two: I'll contact Billy's manager and convince him to make the kid draft a statement to ZMT denouncing any and all rumors that you two have something going on,"
"Step Three: You are going to give a mea culpa to Waterstone, but we'll figure that out later. For now, take the day off and prepare for the shit that's about to go down. This is the calm before the storm. Buckle up, bitch. It's gonna be a bumpy 15 minutes of fame."
After hanging up with Laney, CeeCee called Jay, not knowing what awaited her on the other end. He didn't follow celebrity gossip and he didn't have time to maintain the social media accounts he had, but he was a casual fan of Billy's music. Her anxiety grew until she heard his sexy voice.
"Baby. God I missed you! I thought you'd never speak to me again after the way I treated you that night. Again, baby, I'm—"
CeeCee stopped him, relieved that he obviously had no idea about the ZMT bombshell.
"Honey, I'm fine. We're fine. Listen, I am taking a mental health day tomorrow and I want to spend it with you. The entire day - hugging, kissing, making love, the whole nine. How does that sound?"
"Oh word? I like that, babe. How was the event? Did Billy bust somebody upside the head with a champagne bottle again?"
"It went well...but I do want to talk with you about something that may—"
"Baby, that's my agent Marty on my other line. I gotta take this but babe, but I can't wait to have you all to myself tomorrow. Mmmm...all right, lemme talk to this man before I get all hot and bothered. I love you, Cecelia Banks."
CeeCee sighed. "I love you, too."
When she hung up, CeeCee felt mentally and emotionally depleted. While she realized that her 20-year career hung in the balance, CeeCee couldn't get her mind off of Jay and his potential reaction to this mess. He seemed so fragile that night and she still hadn't gotten the whole story about his biological father. Would this Billy BadAss tabloid story push Jay over the edge? How would she even broach the subject with him? Would he find out before she could get to him tomorrow morning?
CeeCee climbed out of her bed and went downstairs to spend some time with Junior. She needed to get as far away from all internet sources as possible.
# Chapter 14
CeeCee and Junior did everything they could to avoid the Internet; they shut their phones down, focusing their attention on watching movies and playing board games. They awoke the next morning and got ready to start their day, hopeful that the hoopla had died down. They couldn't have been more wrong.
ZMT UPDATE: The Cougarette has a name - Cecelia Banks. According to sources, she's recently divorced with a kid and not only is she Billy's personal conquest...she's affiliated with him in a professional manner as well. Get this - she's his event planner! The Cougarette had her claws in him from the moment they met, says our source. "Since her divorce, she's been on the hunt for young guys. Billy was the perfect target!" This story's getting hotter by the minute - stay tuned!
CeeCee closed her iPad case on the kitchen bar as Junior held his head in his hands. "Mom. This is getting crazier by the minute."
CeeCee sat speechless. Who was sharing all of this information, both true and false about her life? She walked to the front door and put on her coat.
"It's time for school, babe. Let's get going." Junior grabbed his coat and backpack, following his mother out of the door.
He walked ahead. CeeCee reached out for him and he flinched under her touch.
"Just...please take me to school." Junior opened the passenger door, climbed in and slammed it shut. CeeCee held back tears as she got into the SUV and began a silent five minute drive to drop off.
They pulled up to the rear entrance of Bradley High. CeeCee took a breath and put the car in park.
"I am so sorry that this is happening. If I could turn back time, I would have never gone to that party. I would have come home right after the event. I could sit here and give you every excuse in the book for my actions. Instead all I can say is I'm truly sorry for putting you through this and not being the mother you deserve."
Junior stared out of the passenger side window. "Do you have any idea what it's going to be like for me at school today? I'm the Cougarette's son. Perfect. It seems like ever since you and Dad got divorced, you are becoming this entirely different person. Some of it is good: the new job, Jay - whom I really like for you, by the way. But then, stuff like this makes me think that maybe, maybe you are trying to be young again or something. Like you missed so much when you got married and had me."
CeeCee reached over and turned her son's face toward her. "Oh, my sweet baby. I didn't miss out on anything when I had you. You may be right about my getting married so young. Your dad and I were both kids fresh out of college when we got hitched. But you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. Don't you ever doubt that. Ever, baby."
She hugged her son, who hugged her tightly back. CeeCee understood at that moment that her son needed that reassurance and she hadn't been giving it to him. As independent as Junior had always been, he still needed his mother.
CeeCee wiped her tears away with a single swipe under each eye. "Okay, off to school before you are later than you already are. I love you very, very much, Junior."
"I love you, too, Ma." Junior kissed his mother's forehead and got out of the car.
CeeCee drove down Michigan Avenue, headed to Jay's. She was a ball of nerves as she drew closer to his apartment. What would she say to him about this fiasco? How would he react? Would he believe her when she told him the truth?
Her thoughts were interrupted when she saw a black sedan on her tail in her rearview mirror. How I loathe city drivers, she groaned to herself as the vehicle continued to ride her bumper until she arrived at the complex.
CeeCee turned into the parking garage and the sedan sped off. "Crazy!" she yelled out of her window with a long car horn honk. She parked the SUV in Jay's spot and took the elevator to his floor.
She knocked on the door. No answer. She knocked again. The door flew open with Jay staring holes into her.
"Did you fuck him?"
He knows. Great.
"Can I please come in and ex—"
"Did. You. Fuck. Him."
"No. I never touched him."
"Only kissed him, right?"
"On the cheek! I've given Junior more passionate kisses. Okay, that sounded really bad."
Jay walked away, leaving the door open. "Not in the mood for your little jokes today. It's all over the fuckin' internet, you kissin' this dude. I've been getting texts from my boys all morning. What the hell, Cee? Were you even gonna tell me?"
CeeCee walked in behind him and closed the door. "I was going to tell you last night but you had to talk to Marty. Nothing happened."
"Something happened! You clearly spent the night! You spent the night with one of the most famous people in hip-hop - a known ladies' man - and I'm supposed to believe you didn't sleep with him, especially after what went down between us?"
He walked over to CeeCee, towering over her. "Besides, we both know you like 'em young. You fuck him like you fuck me? Huh? Throw them hips on him? Had your legs all up in the air for him?"
CeeCee raised a hand to slap him but he caught her by the wrist. "Come on, Jay. I know you're mad but don't be an asshole. I would never cheat on you...let me go!"
Jay released her wrist. "How would I know that? I'm still not convinced that things are over between you and Tony." He walked away, his body tensing by the minute.
"For the last time, Tony and I are done. I don't know how this is going to work between us if that's still an issue."
"No, the issue right now is your name all over ZMT claiming to be Billy BadAss's groupie. That's my fuckin' issue!"
He took a deep breath before lowering his voice. "I can't do this with you anymore, CeeCee. I'm so in love with you that I can't think straight. I don't know how to love you without being a wreck. I believe you, but all I can see in my mind is you fuckin' Tony. You in bed with Billy. I can't help it."
CeeCee walked up to him and rubbed his back. "Please, please. Don't do this. I'm sorry about this, all of this." She turned him around to face her. "Don't leave me. I love you so much. Just, please...stand by me through this."
She gently pulled his face down to hers and willed him to kiss her. "I need you, baby." she whispered against his lips. He grabbed her by the waist and picked her up as she wrapped her legs around him. His kisses trailed from the curve her neck down to the exposed cleavage of her V-neck sweater as she moaned.
Jay suddenly stopped and put her down. "No, no, CeeCee. I can't. I want nothing more than to throw you on that couch and make love to you like I have countless times before but nah. Not like this. Not now."
CeeCee's tears began to flow. "Jay, please. Don't do this."
Jay walked to the door and opened it. "Goodbye Cecelia."
She could see him holding back tears as he stared at the ceiling. She took the elevator to the parking garage, slid into her SUV and drove off in a weepy mess.
A man dressed in a black track suit was hidden behind a large concrete beam next to Jay's parking space. He emerged with a digital camera when his cell phone rang.
"Yep. Got pics of her crying. She almost caught me tailing her here. Remember, I want 50% of whatever ZMT is paying you as their source. They'll spin these pics into something juicy so I'm guessing these'll net you about $5K. Yeah, I'll email them to you now so ZMT can drop 'em on the site today. Sounds good. Bye."
# Chapter 15
A despondent CeeCee arrived home from Jay's and went up to her bedroom. She drew the curtains and remained in the darkened place for the rest of the day. She slept and cried in aching intervals. Several times, she dialed Jay's number and hung up before it could ring. Calls and texts from Laney went unanswered. She turned off the upstairs ringer on the house phone. She avoided her iPad like the plague.
CeeCee managed to make one phone call in her bleak moment. She asked Tony to pick up Junior after school. She knew that she would have to get out of this emotional rut eventually. But until then, CeeCee did something that she never did: she wallowed.
There was a soft knock on her bedroom door that slowly awakened CeeCee. She looked at her digital on the nightstand: 6:32. She had slept for almost seven hours and was still exhausted.
"Come in." She turned on the lamp on her nightstand. When the door opened, there stood someone she didn't expect to ever see in her bedroom again: Tony.
"Ceese. How ya doin'?"
CeeCee tried in vain to smooth out her bed head but it was no use - she looked how she felt.
"Not so hot. I'm sure you have heard about the craziness my life has become within the past 48 hours." She sat up in bed as Tony had a seat on her vanity bench.
"Yeah. You are quite the celebrity these days. Junior's down in the den working on his thesis but before I left, I wanted to come and see how you were holding up. Laney called me and said you weren't returning her calls or texts. That's definitely a first in twenty years of friendship so I knew things were kinda bad."
CeeCee tightened the tie on her terrycloth robe. "I just needed some rest. Today was a rough day and I only participated in about three hours of it. Jay broke up with me. Because of...of all of this. I didn't answer Laney's calls because I'm pretty sure I'm as good as fired. And now, to top off a shitty day with a shitty cherry, my ex-husband has come to visit me and I look like hell warmed over. So yeah - things are kinda bad." She walked into the bathroom to wash the dried tears and fatigue off of her face. Tony followed.
"I'm here because I love you. Even though we aren't together, you are still very important to me. You will always be my family and I know that what they are saying in the press isn't you, Ceese. I know it, Laney knows it, Junior knows it, and - once he's done being angry - Jay will know it, too,"
He stood behind CeeCee as she dried her face with a towel in the bathroom mirror, rubbing her shoulders. "Ceese, you will survive this. You are the strongest person I know. It's gonna take more than ZMT to take you out. Hell, you put up with me for almost twenty-five years. You can handle anything."
CeeCee sniffled a chuckle out. "Ah, you weren't so bad. We just...I don't know. What did happen with us?" She walked out of the bathroom and sat at her vanity with the towel around her neck.
"I don't know, Ceese. Time. Age. We were so young when we started up. I think you just outgrew me. You know, I'm an average Joe, always have been. I was happy with the status quo: marriage, job, car, kid. Done. You always wanted more for us, though. You wanted exotic family vacations, five-star restaurant date nights...hotter sex," A sense of awkwardness filled CeeCee as she applied moisturizer in the mirror.
"I realized after our divorce that you...you were just too much woman for me." CeeCee turned to face him with an open mouth smile. Tony put his hand over his mouth in jest.
"Did I just say that out loud? C'mon. You know it's true. Ceese...you are one helluva woman."
"Thanks, Tony. That means a lot coming from you considering the year we've had."
"I mean, that takes nothin' away from Debbie. She's great, too. But...you are special. I know that Jay sees that in you but you gotta give a man time to digest all of this. Give yourself time to digest it. He'll come around."
Tony looked at his watch and bent down to kiss CeeCee on the cheek. "I gotta get home for dinner but hang in there, Ceese. Call Laney. Take a shower. Get back to being the gorgeous woman you are, got it?"
CeeCee stood up and hugged her ex-husband. "Thank you for coming up to see me. I really, really appreciate it. You are a helluva man, Anthony Carello."
After she walked Tony out of the front door, CeeCee grabbed an apple from the kitchen and checked in on Junior in the den.
"Auntie Laney called the house phone for you. She said - and she asked that I say this verbatim so pardon the language in advance: 'Tell your mother to stop being a pussy and call me back. It's fucking urgent.'" Junior didn't look up once from the computer. His senior thesis about Richard Dawkins had taken over his life for the past two weeks. CeeCee volunteered to proofread it for him once the first draft was complete but even the draft hadn't met Junior's expectations yet.
CeeCee sighed. "Fine, I'll call this child back. I've avoided her long enough, I suppose. Email me the draft when you're done tonight so I can get a start on the edits. I don't care if it's not perfect - just send me what you have anyway. Got it?"
Junior's eyes remained on the screen. "Yeah. Sure thing, Ma." CeeCee shook her head and headed back to her room to get an earful from her best friend.
"For fuck's sake! I thought you were dead! You made me call that bastard ex-husband of yours. This should be solid proof that I love you. I've been trying to fill you in on the latest about Cougargate."
"Cougargate? Must be an epidemic. It has a name."
"Yep. New term I saw on Perez Hilton today. That's how you know you've got a juicy scandal on your hands. Excited to hear all about it?"
CeeCee took a bite of her apple. "Thrilled. Do fill me in on my life, according to the internet."
Pictures of CeeCee leaving Jay's apartment in tears were posted on ZMT at noon with the caption, Cougarette Breaks up with Younger BF for Billy. Meanwhile at Jones & Waterstone, the firm had been buzzing about it all day. Laney had to reprimand two press interns for reading Cougarette stories on the blogs during business hours. To make matters worse, Laney's conference call with Frank Richmond, Billy's manager, was fruitless. He refused to make Billy release a statement to the media to diffuse the rumors.
"If he allows this story to get legs and the Board of Directors catch wind of it...sweetie, I hate to be the one to say it but..."
"...but I'll be fired."
"This is a cutthroat business, honey. The Board will gladly walk out a twenty-year employee to keep a client happy for twenty minutes. What I'm trying to figure out is who is releasing all of this information about you. This ZMT article with the pics knew where Jay lived, knew you were dating him. The photos were taken in the parking garage so the paparazzo must have known you were going to see him and coming right back down. Strange. Just...strange."
CeeCee knew where Laney was going. "Are you suggesting that Jay is leaking info to ZMT?"
Laney gasped. "Now I would never suggest such a thing...but who else would know all of this information and be willing to sell it for personal gain? In today's article, Jay is described as "the artist behind the poster for the Oscar-nommed thriller Drifter". He is about to blow up. This is great publicity for him. I'm just saying - let's try to keep an open mind about this."
CeeCee didn't want to entertain the possibility of Jay doing something so underhanded, even though it was weird that he hadn't found out about the scandal at the same time other people his age would have. He said himself that his friends were the ones that told him.
As if reading her mind (which she often did), Laney continued. "...and how did he not find out about this when everyone else did? If Junior and his girlfriend knew about it, he should have, in my opinion. He's practically a teenager himself. Yeah, he's officially on the Laney Shit List until further notice. Do not contact him until we can figure out who the mole is. Got it, Cee?"
CeeCee sighed. "Got it. So back to the firm: I'm hoping this will all blow over by next week so I am respectfully requesting to take the rest of this week off for vacation. Can I, please, Miss Boss Lady?"
"Quite frankly, I was going to suggest it myself. I know you and I don't think you can handle the colleagues right now. The stares, the whispers, the side eyes. I won't sugarcoat it - you are THE talk of the office! Even though he hasn't mentioned it to me, I'm certain Waterstone knows by now,"
"While I'm on board with this leave of absence, I think it's important to show up sooner than later; the longer you hide, the guiltier you look. In the meantime, treat yourself: get a mani/pedi/massage, go shopping, spend time with Junior. Above all, stay off of the Internet! In fact, you need to finally get that landline cut off. I know the number's unlisted but it won't take long for media to find the digits anyway. Then you'll be barraged with calls,"
"Come next Monday morning, you need to walk in the place looking your typical fierce self with your head held high, like it's just another day in the office. You know where to go if you need to vent, cry or scream if needed. I got you, babe."
CeeCee let a tear fall as she smiled. Laney, Tony, Junior - where would she be without these anchors in her life? This scandal had the potential to tear her apart but now she felt empowered to dust herself off and move forward...after another six days off, of course.
As far as Jay was concerned, their space apart would serve a twofold purpose: it would allow CeeCee the time to devote to saving her fledgling career and it would give her time to snuff out the real mole...because it couldn't be Jay, right?
# Chapter 16
After spending one last day vegging out in the house and watching nothing but court television and Martin reruns, CeeCee left the house determined to breathe new life into her existence during her remaining vacation days. She hated who she was becoming in the shadow of this media creation known as The Cougarette: sad, wilted, an overall bummer. CeeCee was beginning to let this persona break her so she decided to devote the rest of her sabbatical to renewing herself.
That Wednesday, she got her hair done in shoulder-length braided extensions; she looked just like she did in college, except for the very faint crow's feet that greeted her reflection these days. On Friday, Roxy managed to fit CeeCee in for a hot stone massage at her salon. She even got in a session of retail therapy with Laney on Saturday afternoon.
Each day had gotten easier, but the week was not without its' moments.
CeeCee honored the space she had from Jay, although she missed him terribly. Since she was avoiding the internet, she was getting her Jay updates secondhand. Junior was the first to tell her that he'd read online that Jay's artwork had been optioned for a poster for The Machine Men, a post-apocalyptic action movie coming out the following summer. This was on the heels of Drifter winning three Oscars, giving Jay added exposure. CeeCee was so excited for him that she broke her promise to Laney and reached out to give Jay a call. When he didn't pick up, she couldn't help but wonder if he was screening her calls. She hung up before the voicemail greeting began.
Billy BadAss appeared on all of the major network talk shows throughout the week promoting his new album. Though CeeCee managed to avoid all of the daytime gabfests, she couldn't help herself and watched Jimmy Kimmel on Thursday night. Even with being included in the funnyman's monologue (yes, she was an official late night punchline, a future Jeopardy! answer), CeeCee braced herself while watching the interview in bed.
While Billy gave a classic tongue-in-cheek "no comment" response to Jimmy's questions about The Cougarette scandal, his performance later in the show did all the commenting for him. He began the familiar chorus of his hit M.I.L.F., pausing the track to introduce a guest rap verse from a famous hip hop legend.
"A remix? Fantastic." CeeCee huffed to herself. It was clear to her that Billy was determined to ride out this false publicity with no regard to how she might feel about it. It was at that moment the legend rapped, "...the homie Billy bagged a bad MILF in the Chi/Lil' Mama 45 but she still look fly..."
She screamed at the screen. "Forty-three, you bastard!"
CeeCee turned off the television and pulled her comforter over her head. She went to sleep, vowing to never turn on a television again until she was certain this frenzy was over.
*****
As CeeCee stepped off of the elevator on the fourth floor of Jones & Waterstone on Monday morning, she gave her colleagues her best and boldest Naomi catwalk. Wearing a slick eggshell white skirt suit and blood red stilettos, she beelined toward her office door with her braids in a regal upsweep. CeeCee gave good morning nods to each of the gaping and murmuring coworkers as she strode by. She vowed to herself that if she couldn't accomplish anything else on her first day back, she would at least make a fearless entrance. If she collapsed in tears once she was behind the closed door of her office, so be it – but she had to stick the entrance.
CeeCee made it to her office and closed her door with an exhale of relief. Against her better judgment, she had to admit to herself that having her colleagues stare at her as if she were a real-life celebrity was a little exhilarating. Granted, CeeCee recognized she was in the middle of a media nightmare. 'Cougargate' and 'Cougarette' were still trending topics on Twitter and Billy's promo tour kept the scandal sensational. Yet moments like this made her pleasantly smug. Interns, secretaries, even the custodian! They all stopped what they were doing once they saw her step off of the elevator. Two weeks ago, none of them looked in her direction. One innocent kiss on the cheek changed that.
CeeCee learned a lot about herself during her week off. She realized that come what may from this shitstorm, she will persevere. She was going to find the silver lining in this grey cloud, snatch it out of the sky and jump rope with it!
Laney opened the door while CeeCee sat and waited for her computer to boot up. "Welcome back. Sheesh, I knew the office would be chatty when you came in but damn! They are acting like a Kardashian just walked into the building. They were literally pointing and staring at your office until I came around the corner. I know this sucks, but I hope you are enjoying at least a tiny part of this fleeting fame."
CeeCee got up from her desk and hugged Laney. "You know what? I am. I spent way too much time in my feelings about this all week. But now, what the hell? The story is bound to die off eventually and I'll go back to being plain ol' CeeCee Banks. For now, I am going to enjoy this whole Cougarette thing for a minute."
"That's the spirit! Now, I don't want to rain on your paparazzi parade but Waterstone wants us both in his office in 15 minutes."
CeeCee's temporary high came crashing down. "Tell me the truth - am I going to get fired?"
Laney walked over to CeeCee's Keurig near her desk and spun the K-Cup carousel. "I'm telling you the truth: I have no fucking clue. This meeting will be the first time I've had to speak with Waterstone since the scandal broke. I'm guessing Frank Richmond did good on his threat to request a public mea culpa from the firm."
CeeCee sighed. "Well, it is what it is. I can't stop Waterstone from firing me. At least I'll get a good package, right?"
Laney filled her mug with piping hot java as she grabbed CeeCee's mug off of her desk to do the same. "Oh, hell yes! I'll see to that personally. Remember when Bob Ringer in Finance got fired for threatening his secretary-slash-mistress last year? They gave the son of a bitch three years pension!" Laney's shoulders dropped as she looked at CeeCee with sad eyes. "I don't want you to go. Oh Cee."
CeeCee walked over to give her dear friend a hug. "Come on, we'll still see each other all the time. Lunches, drinks at O'Malley's..."
Laney sniffled. "But how are we gonna find office time to plan the wedding if you aren't here?"
CeeCee released her friend from her embrace and stared at her. "Whose wedding?"
Laney flashed her left hand, which was adorned with a diamond-encrusted platinum ring. "Mine. Roxy proposed last night!"
The two of them screamed like schoolgirls. CeeCee examined Laney's new bling. "I mean, I knew you two were doing better but I didn't know y'all were talking marriage. Roxy mentioned nothing during my massage on Friday. Holy shit, Laney! You're getting...civilly unionized!"
"It was a complete surprise. Ever since we moved in together, things have just clicked. I am so excited - I want you to be my matron of honor."
"Of course! I cannot wait to start helping you plan. Please tell me you are wearing a dress for once in your life."
Laney grabbed her coffee, smoothing down her blonde pixie cut in CeeCee's full length mirror near the door. "Girl, let's not get carried away. Okay - deep breaths. Let's get to Waterstone's. Either way it goes, remember this - you are fabulous and people love you, okay?"
CeeCee closed her eyes for a second, took a deep breath and had a last gulp of her coffee. "Okay. Let's do this."
The two held their heads high as Laney opened the door. They clicked their heels in unison upstairs to Waterstone's office.
Fred Waterstone was a 40-year veteran in the international public relations arena. He was every -ist in the book: racist, sexist, ageist. With a syrupy Texan drawl, he was full of Southern charm so he disguised his less than savory attributes well. In short, he was your typical old rich asshole.
Six-feet-five and tipping the scale at almost 300 pounds, Waterstone was a physical as well as a manipulative force to reckon with at the firm. He rarely left his ivory tower of an office and certainly didn't lower himself to meet with middle managers and VPs. CeeCee and Laney both understood the magnitude of this meeting and knew that the only way they'd get out unscathed was to be genteel ladies - something neither of them were.
"No complaining. No swearing. No back talk." Laney whispered to CeeCee as they walked toward the secretary's desk.
"No raised voices, legs crossed at the ankle, and of course, put on your great big smile!" CeeCee finished, baring all of her shiny white teeth at Laney. It's a list many women at the firm were very familiar with when it came to meeting with Waterstone. It was demeaning, chauvinistic and set women back a half a century, but it also meant job security at the only Fortune 500 public relations firm in Chicago.
Once the two were escorted into Waterstone's huge office by his very young and very busty secretary, they saw the big man standing by his window, looking down on the activity of the firm's busy bees.
Laney got his attention. "Mr. Waterstone. Good morning."
Waterstone's oversized belly turned around before the rest of him did. "Ladies. Have a seat. You both look simply lovely today." He glanced at a slip of paper on his desk. "Elaine Towns and Cecelia...Banks? Didn't your last name used to be foreign?"
Laney cleared her throat to send a signal of patience to CeeCee before she answered.
"Yes. Carello was my married name. My former husband is Italian."
Waterstone smiled as he sat in his leather reclining desk chair. "Knew an eye-talian fella back in my hometown of Stanton. Nice guy. Made a killin' in the rare coin business. He truly did, ladies - had a bustlin' chain of antique stores out in Fort Worth. That's not code for bein' a mafia thug or anything like that, know what I mean?"
He gave a wink to a smiling CeeCee as she fought every internal urge not to walk out of the room. Laney decided to move the conversation forward.
"We understand you are a busy man so we are thrilled to have found some time in your schedule today."
Waterstone cleared his throat as he leaned back into his chair. "Yes, so, as you are both aware, the firm has been very pleased with Cecelia's work on the Big Styles Entertainment account. I had an opportunity to speak with Mr. Richmond this weekend during a conference call and he had nothing but splendid compliments for Miss Banks."
Laney nodded. CeeCee grimaced.
"Mr. Waterstone, I am happy to hear that the client was pleased with my work."
Waterstone chuckled as he slowly rose up from his chair. "Well now, hold your horses, sweetheart. It's no secret that your recent tryst with the client has left a foul mark on the firm."
CeeCee felt a tug of war brewing in her psyche. While she sought to clear up the blatant misconception, she also wanted to use that energy to brace herself for whatever was coming next.
Waterstone walked around to the front of his desk to face the two women seated in front of him. "On the other hand, this rush of press has resulted in two number one hit singles and the album being released tomorrow has already exceeded pre-sale projections of over 250,000 physical units. That's unheard of for a debut release in this electronic era."
When Laney and CeeCee looked at him blank faced, he continued. "Therefore, I have asked you both to meet with me today so that I could formally offer Cecelia - with Elaine's approval, of course - a 10% raise effective immediately."
The two stared at Waterstone as he walked back to his desk.
"I absolutely approve. Mr. Waterstone, thank you. This is a very generous offer and I'll ask your secretary to forward the necessary paperwork to me. You'll have to forgive our collective shock because—"
"—because you thought Cecelia was being fired today. Quite the contrary, missy. Now, do not misunderstand. Staff canoodlin' with clients is prohibitive behavior under normal circumstances. Had this resulted in that boy's record droppin' on the charts like a boulder in the Bee Tree Swamp, Miss Banks here would be out on her pretty little ass."
He zeroed in on CeeCee with a sultry stare. "Darlin', you are officially my good luck charm. Just try to keep those knees together in the future, will ya?"
He winked and turned his recliner toward the window, effectively dismissing the ladies. Laney and CeeCee left his office without another word.
"What a pompous asshole!" Laney drummed her pen on her desk as CeeCee paced the floor.
"He's paying me off. He truly believes that I had sex with a client. But he's okay with it because the client has a number one album in the making. This is wrong. I can't accept the raise."
Laney got up from her desk to block CeeCee's walking. "Hold up. Let's not be foolish."
CeeCee frowned. "Laney. He's treating me like a whore! You would never stand for this."
"I also only have myself to take care of and my future wife owns a spa. You are divorced with temporary alimony. You have a son that's about to go to an Ivy League college. You need this paycheck! My advice - and please take it very seriously: Ignore Waterstone and get paid."
CeeCee finished out her work day and thought about what Laney had to say on her way home in the gridlock traffic. On one hand, Laney was right - Yale was expensive. CeeCee and Tony had done the math when they were still married and Junior was a high school freshman. Even with the academic scholarships Junior was sure to be awarded, Tony calculated that they would still have to pay in excess of $40,000 annually - and that was three years ago. On the other hand, this was the first time in her career where her morals were forced to come into play. Was maintaining this facade really worth it? Who was CeeCee becoming?
# Chapter 17
In April, something glorious happened: The mistress of Governor Bill Sampson spilled her guts to ZMT about their three-year affair. Besides admitting to having sex with the horny politico in the Executive Mansion on multiple occasions, Playboy pinup Penny Simmons also confessed to participating in a threesome and enduring an abortion - both at Governor Sampson's request.
Just like that, The Cougarette was literally yesterday's news.
Laney raised her pint of Budweiser. "Here's to Penny Simmons and her big mouth!"
CeeCee raised her French martini. "Hear, Hear!"
The two gleefully toasted from their usual back booth in O'Malley's after work. They were celebrating not only the end of a nightmare, but the beginning of a dream - Laney's engagement.
CeeCee took a sip and pulled a thick glossy magazine out of her tote. "Okay. I know you don't want to wear a dress but," She flipped to a page tabbed with a blue Post-It note.
"This has you written all over it. Good straight lines, no frills, not at all girly but hella fierce. I made a phone call to a shop on Wabash that has it off the rack and in your size. After drinks, let's—"
Laney slapped her hand over the page as CeeCee began tearing it out. "Listen, dammit. No dresses! I don't give a..." Her pause made CeeCee look up from the page. She followed Laney's gaze to the front entrance, where Jay stood looking back at her.
This was her first time seeing him in over a month - at least, in person. CeeCee stopped at the newsstand for a bottled water during one of her runs and saw him on the cover of Chicago. She purchased a copy of the magazine and spent the rest of her morning soaking in the article and photo shoot when she arrived home, even postponing her shower.
Jay had become a local celebrity overnight since the success of the Oscar-winning movie Drifter. Standing in the entrance, he still looked like the same Jay Weston: brooding and handsome, wearing Clark Kent-style spectacles.
As he walked over, Laney gathered her purse and coat. CeeCee grabbed her arm. "Bitch, where are you going? Don't leave me here with him."
"Cut the shit. You're hopeless without him. That and I can get out of this wedding dress hunt on Wabash with you. Here he comes."
Jay approached the booth, looking even sexier up close. He wore a fitted black tee underneath a leather bomber jacket and ripped jeans. CeeCee felt that familiar tingle and hated herself for it.
"Cecelia Banks. It's been a minute. Hey Laney. How you been?"
Laney stood up. "Great. Leaving. Sit. Talk. Make up, for fuck's sake." She winked at her friend and silently mouthed Call Me as she left the bar.
Jay sat next to CeeCee and looked at his hands folded on the table. He was so close to her, she could smell his honey musk-scented soap – an aroma she missed like crazy.
He cleared his throat before breaking the silence. "I came here every day for a week, hoping to see you."
"You'll have to forgive me. I was busy hiding from paparazzi planted in your garage. I called you once and you couldn't bring yourself to return my call."
Jay moved his hand to brush hers with his index finger. "I'm sorry. I wasn't ready to call you. Baby, I...I just needed—"
CeeCee moved her hand away. "You needed? I was being dragged through the media for over a month and you never called me back. You never reached out." She paused before she asked the burning question. "Did you leak info about me to ZMT? Is that why you avoided me?"
Jay turned to face her. "Wow. Seriously, Cee? Of course not! I would never do something so dirty. I love you. I never stopped loving you."
CeeCee downed the rest of her martini in one gulp and put on her shawl. "Hmph. You certainly stopped calling me. I gotta go." She grabbed her tote and got up to leave.
Jay followed behind her. "CeeCee, wait! Stop!"
As the two ran out into the spring night, Jay grabbed CeeCee's arm, spun her around and gave her a thunderous kiss. CeeCee's body warmed up instantly.
Jay whispered against her lips. "I was jealous. I was a fool to let you walk out of my life. You needed me and I wasn't man enough to stand by you. I'm sorry."
He looped his arms around her waist as he looked into her eyes. "Come home with me. Let me make it up to you."
CeeCee's body screamed for him but she fought the urge. "I can't. Not tonight,"
She released herself from his embrace. "We still have a lot to discuss. A lot."
Jay looked down. "I know, I know. There is just so much I have to explain to you. Everything has been popping off: the movies, the interviews, reconnecting with my biological father. I even quit drinking."
That last sentence immediately got CeeCee's attention. "Really? Wow. That's...that's great, Jay."
He moved closer to her. "I mean, it wasn't like a twelve-step type of situation. I couldn't get over the way I treated you that night. I haven't had a drink since."
CeeCee smiled. "I read your profile in Chicago. One quote you said stuck with me: I hope that my craft inspires the next generation of graffiti artists to keep tagging. You never told me about your graffiti artist past."
Jay inched toward CeeCee and reached for her hand. "There's a lot I haven't told you about me. That's why I want you to come home with me tonight."
CeeCee folded into his strong embrace. Jay gently pushed her braids over her right shoulder, leaned into the crook of her neck and punctuated the end of each short sentence with a kiss.
"I'll cook. We'll talk. We'll eat in front of the fireplace. You'll have Merlot. I'll have milk." CeeCee giggled as Jay continued with kisses on her earlobe.
"We'll make sweet, slow love. Taste each other. I miss being inside of you."
"I miss you inside of me, too...but not tonight."
Jay raised his head up from her neck. "Hardball, huh?"
"Not at all. I said that we have to talk. No booty until that happens."
He nodded. "Cool. Tell you what. I have to be in New York to discuss this project I'm—"
"The Machine Men?"
Jay's eyebrows jumped in surprise. "Yes. How did you know?"
CeeCee smiled. "I have my sources."
"Been keepin' tabs on me, huh? That's cute. Anyway, I'm leaving Thursday, back on a red eye Saturday morning. Dinner that night. My place. Nine. That work for you?"
"I'll pencil you in."
Jay chuckled. "You'll pencil me in? Again, cute. Come here."
He captured her lips again, sparking an internal debate within CeeCee. She wanted to stop playing hardball and start playing with Jay. Her better judgment weighed out.
She released herself from him. "Go home. Now."
Jay backed away, never taking his eyes off of hers. "Fine. You win. Don't bother wearing panties Saturday. They'll just be as soaked as the ones you have on right now."
He winked and hailed a taxi as CeeCee watched the sexiest man she'd ever met coast down Fullerton Avenue in a yellow cab.
As much as CeeCee lusted for the man, the mystery behind him kept her at an emotional distance. What else was he hiding about his past? What was the deal with his biological father? She vowed to get the answers to those questions and more before laying with Jay's beautiful body again.
*****
"Here's to one helluva son, who is gonna drive his old man and old lady here into the poorhouse, but it's totally worth it. To Anthony Carello, Jr., future Bulldog!" Tony toasted loudly with proud papa bravado.
CeeCee and the boys were having lunch the next day at Junior's favorite pizza joint. It was the site for many Carello family events: birthdays, end-of-school-year celebrations, promotions and today - Junior's acceptance into Yale University.
He received his letter via certified mail earlier that morning and his screams of joy woke up CeeCee. As a reward, she agreed that they would both play hooky so they could celebrate at Mariano's.
"Cheers! I cannot believe it - my baby is going to Yale. So, so proud of you!"
"Thanks guys. I couldn't have done it without you two."
Tony bellowed. "You can say that again! I'm sure Professor Brown is thrilled for you as well. He's been a huge help over the years."
Junior took a bite of his pepperoni slice. "Oh, I forgot to tell you guys. Professor Brown's mother passed away last week. I guess she had been pretty sick for a while so he took time off at the beginning of this semester to take care of her. He's back at Bradley now but the whole thing seems pretty sad."
CeeCee nodded. "Yeah, that is terrible. I'll drop a card and some flowers off at the school tomorrow for him."
Tony cleared his throat. "Ceese - Debbie and I have set a date for the wedding and I would like Junior to serve as my best man."
CeeCee considered it as she sprinkled Parmesan cheese on her slice of veggie pizza. "Well, as long as Junior wants to, I'm okay with it."
Both Tonys smiled. "Thanks Ceese. Hey, you are invited to come if you want. Debbie wasn't crazy about that idea at first, but she came around."
CeeCee almost replied that she wasn't too crazy about the idea of Debbie fucking her husband behind her back for months but she came around. Instead, she chose to take the mature route.
Growth, Cecelia Nicole. Growth.
"I appreciate the invitation. When's the wedding?"
Tony wiped his mouth with a napkin. "May 29th."
CeeCee could hardly contain the sarcasm in her voice. "Oh shoot! That's the same date as Laney and Roxy's wedding. I'm the Matron of Honor so I have to be there instead. Darn."
Tony and Junior stared at each other before laughing.
"Real slick, Mom."
Tony took a sip of his Bud Light. "Yeah, Ceese. You seem pretty broken up about it."
She touched Tony's hand. "Tony, we will always be friends. However, we will never be that friendly, m'kay? A wedding between two accountants sounds exciting. What are the wedding colors? Beige and beige?"
Junior and Tony let out a collective "Burn!" as they collapsed in laughter.
Letting go of the drama of the past month had done CeeCee a world of good. Her relationship with Tony had reached a good place, her son was going to an Ivy League university in the fall, her newest client was Elizabeth May Brandon aka Betty the Vampire Slayer - a 75-year-old bestselling local author of Southern vampire chick lit (hardly a paparazzi magnet, thank goodness!). Best of all, her identity of being The Cougarette was finally behind her.
CeeCee hoped that she and Jay could find their way back to each other. She needed many answers first.
# Chapter 18
CeeCee knocked on Professor Brown's office door. "Stanley, I hope I'm not interrupting."
Stanley looked up, annoyed at first. When he laid eyes on CeeCee, his face softened. "Cecelia, what a pleasant surprise. Do come in."
She placed the potted orchids she was carrying on his polished wooden desk and sat in the chair across from him. "I was running some errands over my lunch hour and wanted to drop this off. I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your mother."
Stanley looked at the plant as a bittersweet smile grew on his face. "Why...thank you for thinking of me. This is lovely. I'm actually glad you stopped by. I'm arranging a college tour in June for some of my tenth and eleventh grade biology students. We'll hit the East Coast, including Connecticut. I thought Anthony would like to come along as a role model to the younger kids, maybe get a look at the Yale campus early."
CeeCee was taken aback and then realized he was talking about her son.
"Oh, Junior." she chuckled. "My ex-husband sometimes goes by his full name instead of Tony so I wondered for a minute there why a middle-aged accountant needed to go on a college tour."
Stanley laughed along with CeeCee. "Now, I don't mean to pry but you two seem to get along pretty well for a divorced couple. I've come across many parents that demand separate conferences with me because they cannot stand being in the same room together."
CeeCee shrugged. "Not to overshare, because I tend to do so, but my marriage was one of those situations where after the yelling, the fighting and all that in between, we both realized it just wasn't working anymore. Our main concern was and remains to be the welfare of Junior."
"Well, no worries there, as far as I can tell. Antho-, I mean, Junior has blossomed this year as a lab assistant and a tutor to his peers. I can understand the woes of marriage quite well. I was married for twenty-five years before my divorce. She passed away shortly after that. Car accident. Needless to say, we were nowhere near the good terms you and Tony are at the time of her death. We had...lots of stuff from the past that are still loose ends today. Still a regret for me but it makes me happy to see someone succeed where I failed."
"Thank you. Divorce is never easy. I'm grateful that Junior has managed to stay sane through it all. He and Candace seem to be getting along very well. Thank you for introducing them. She's a lovely girl."
Stanley smiled. "I adore her. My sister told me that she is busy with prom details. How's Junior coming along with getting ready?"
The prom. Junior hadn't mentioned it to her. The only four-letter word she'd heard out of him lately was Yale. That child and his one track mind! "Well, you know, boys are easy. Rent a tux. Buy a corsage. Find transportation. Done."
CeeCee noticed the time on Stanley's desk clock. "Well, I know you are busy and I have to get going before I'm late getting back to the office."
They rose at the same time. "Thank you for stopping by, Cecelia. I know I am about to break every rule in the book but I cannot let you walk out of my office without asking. Are you seeing anyone?"
Tony's voice instantly rang in CeeCee's head: You know he's always had a thing for you.
She cleared her throat with a smile. "I'm actually in limbo with a situation right now, but if that changes, I'll let you know...after Junior graduates in one and a half months, of course!"
Stanley nodded. "Right, right. Forgive me for being so forward."
CeeCee reached out and touched Stanley's arm. "No apology necessary, Stanley. I'm flattered. It's not every day a biologist tries to hit on me."
Stanley gave her a bashful smile. "Have a wonderful rest of the day, Cecelia."
She turned to him as she walked out of his office. "Please, call me CeeCee. Bye Stanley."
*****
CeeCee could smell the spicy cuisine permeating from Jay's apartment before she knocked on the door. When Jay appeared, he looked handsome dressed in a green silk button-down shirt with creased jeans.
"Spanish. My favorite. Pulling out all of the stops, I see. How was New York?" She slowly walked in, sporting a black silk tank and snug off-white jeans. CeeCee felt Jay's eyes on every corner of her petite frame but she wasn't falling for his charms until they had a very fruitful conversation.
Jay took her jacket out of her arms and hung it on the rack. "New York was cool. I'll fill you in over dinner. I tried my very best to replicate Ricardo's shrimp quesadillas and their signature sangria - sans alcohol, of course." He gently took her hand, leading her into the kitchen.
"And the rice pilaf? No one can replicate that deliciousness."
He grabbed a wine goblet from the overhead holder and poured CeeCee a glass of sangria. "Oh word? That's okay. My Spanish rice is the bomb and I am almost certain that you will agree. By the way, you look sexy as hell tonight."
CeeCee ignored his blatant attempt at flirting. "Thank you. Is dinner almost done cooking?"
Jay chuckled to himself. "It's done...just like any chances of me making love to you until we talk, right?"
"Damn straight - so start talking."
While they dined by candlelight, Jay gave CeeCee an update on every aspect of his life –
His biological father: "He reached out to me right after you and I split. We met for lunch and had what I thought was a good exchange. Promised we would keep in touch and all of that and then POOF. He stopped returning my calls again. It's frustrating but I'm not going to stop reaching out, ya know? I plan to keep communication open on my end, no matter what."
His decision to stop drinking: "That night, I was so jealous. Lonely. I went out with one of my frat brothers and had a few. When I got home, I cracked open a bottle of yak and called you. I was angry that you didn't immediately leave the science fair and come see me. I know that sounds ridiculous and it was. I saw that as another rejection in my life. So, when you came over, I wanted to show you how furious I was through sex. When I woke up the next morning alone, I knew I had hurt you and made you bear the brunt of my anger. I realized that alcohol was the main influence."
His newfound success: "After Drifter won at the Oscars, Marty called me. Said the director of The Machine Men wanted to see what I could come up with. The next day, I did nothing but sketch and watch post-apocalyptic movies – Mad Max, Waterworld, I Am Legend. After working for a solid week on the design, the director was thrilled with my second draft and here we are. During my trip to New York, it was settled: 5,000 billboards across 40 states next spring and summer. It's been crazy but I'm living my dream."
CeeCee soaked in all of Jay's words, not interrupting one syllable. This was the most that Jay had opened up to her since they started dating. She reached out for his hand over the table.
"Thank you, baby. Thank you for being so open and honest with me. I love you and I am here for you as long as you keep letting me in."
Jay lifted her hand and kissed her palm. "I love you, baby. I'll never shut you out again."
CeeCee leaned over and gave him a long deep kiss. When she felt Jay almost climb the table, she stopped him with a laugh. "Wait! Let's clear the dishes before we get to the lovin', baby."
He looked down at the table with a groan. "Okay, but let's hurry up, though!"
She helped him clear the plates and silverware. "I have to say - your career is taking off, baby. Your agent sounds like a godsend. Trust me, most of the agents we work with at the firm don't care about their clients half as much. You are lucky to have Marty."
Jay rinsed dishes and loaded them into the dishwasher. "My guy Frankie Rich introduced me to Marty at an artist showcase a few years back. It's been smooth sailing ever since. Can't say the same for Frankie and I. Haven't talked to him in a while. He started his own music label and now he's too big time..."
The name Frankie Rich instantly reminded CeeCee of her brunch conversation and fateful kiss with Billy BadAss.
"Frank Richmond is your friend?" CeeCee glared at Jay.
"Oh, you know him?"
CeeCee angrily tossed the dirty dish she was holding into the sink. "Do I know him? He manages Billy BadAss."
Jay's face registered the connection. "Damn. I never even thought about that. What...you have bad blood with him?"
"Are you seriously asking if I have bad blood with a man who tried to destroy my character? He refused to let Billy make a statement denouncing the rumors. He allowed Billy to ride this drama into a number one album."
She moved closer to him and squinted. "You are the mole! I cannot fucking believe you! You used your relationship with Frank to advance your career and almost derail mine!" CeeCee stomped out of the kitchen with Jay not too far behind.
"I haven't spoken to Frankie in almost three years, I swear to you. Cee, you have to believe me!"
CeeCee turned to face Jay as she grabbed her jacket from the rack. "You are a liar! Plain and simple - I don't believe anything you have to say."
She opened the door. "I should have never gotten involved with you so soon after my divorce. I let a pretty smile and good dick overrule my common sense."
"So that's all this was? Great sex, huh? Look, I know you are pissed but don't you dare devalue what we have. What about what we just said to each other over dinner? This is real. This is love, baby."
"You're a fucking kid. What the hell do you know about love? Besides, you are clearly manipulative and self-serving. Your career is skyrocketing while I'm being slut-shamed in my office on a daily basis. Congratulations – your plan worked. Go to hell and never EVER contact me again!" CeeCee slammed the door behind her and prayed that Jay wouldn't follow her - and he didn't.
*****
CeeCee threw herself headfirst into other projects to prevent herself from thinking of Jay.
First on her To Do List: College Prep for Junior.
She created a four-page checklist of everything Junior would need in the fall at Yale.
"You know they have pre made lists online. It's called Google, Mom." Junior huffed as his mother stood over him in the den as he played Halo on the computer.
"Google is not a mother. You are my only child and I am not shipping you 870 miles away without all of the proper equipment. I also took it upon myself to research the dorms. I read that the Silliman dormitory is the best rated among freshmen. I have a weblink to a virtual tour of one of their rooms. If you'll pause the game for just a second, I can..."
Junior slammed his hands on the computer desk. "Mom! Enough! You have got to chill out with all of this planning! Can I graduate first? Jeez!"
CeeCee walked up to her son and rubbed his back. "Junior...I'm sorry for the pressure. I truly am. I had no idea you were feeling this way. It's completely understandable to feel anxious about going away to college, especially somewhere as prestigious as Yale. I know you will succeed, baby. You are greatness."
Junior stood up. "I know this. I'm not worried about Yale. It's the only thing I've ever wanted."
"So, why are you—"
"I can't dance!" His shoulders slumped.
CeeCee furrowed her brows. "You...can't dance?"
"Prom's in a week and I know Candace is going to want to slow dance. You know I've never been to a school dance before. They are pedantic. I didn't think I'd even go to prom. Definitely didn't think I'd have a girlfriend. What am I going to do?"
CeeCee smiled. He was so cute. "Junior, I could teach you how to slow dance. I have been to a prom or two in my life."
Junior turned to face his mother. "Thank you. Sorry for blowing up at you. Can I see your list?"
"Sure." She handed it to Junior and he glanced through the pages. "Yale charges an arm and a leg for fridge rental. We'll buy our own. Keep your list. I know how much you love them."
A smile grew wide on CeeCee's face as she reached up on her tiptoes and kissed her son on the cheek. "I will add it to the list - and I will also back off...a little. Very little."
Junior smirked down at his mother and kissed her forehead. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Ma."
Second on her To Do List: Finding a wedding day ensemble for Laney.
"No. No. Hell no. No. Do you even know me?"
Laney quickly vetoed four of CeeCee's picks while she sipped champagne in one of the private salon rooms in Holtman's Bridal Couture. CeeCee and the shop associate continued looking through two pre-selected racks for ideas.
"I do know you - you are stubborn and dead set on wearing a black suit. I've seen Roxy's dress. A black suit will not work. It's your wedding, not a business meeting. Loosen up! Now....how about...this?" She held up a flowing Lazaro white strapless jumpsuit with a floral lace appliqué jacket. CeeCee and the eager associate beamed in anticipation of Laney's verdict.
Laney downed the last of her champagne. "Okay, yes."
CeeCee squealed. "Thank you! We have a yes." She handed the associate the pantsuit, which she hung on the back hook of a dressing room door. The associate left to find similar ensembles for Laney's review.
CeeCee grabbed the bottle of Moët out of the ice bucket. "An hour to pick out one outfit? I deserve all of the bubbly!"
Laney chuckled as her friend poured herself a glass and refilled her own. "How long did it take Roxy when you two were here yesterday?"
"In and out in exactly 30 minutes. But Roxy knows fashion - which is more than I can say for her fiancée."
"Fashion, my ass. I know exactly how that conversation went: Yes, we want something that looks like the top of a wedding cake. The fluffier, the better. SOLD!"
CeeCee elbowed her friend when she sat on the couch. "I won't give too much away but Roxy's dress is beautiful and not at all the confectionary dessert you think it is. You will be very pleased."
Laney pushed herself up off of the couch and thumbed through the rack. "So, while you girls were here sorting through clouds of taffeta and tulle, I saw Jay at O'Malley's - sipping ginger ale on the rocks, FYI,"
She turned to face CeeCee. "He's miserable without you, Cee. It's been a week. He said that you haven't returned any of his calls. I know he's sent a garden of roses to your office, and frankly - he looks like shit. It takes a lot for a man that fine to look like shit. Will you even consider—"
CeeCee raised her hand. "Don't. We are here for your wedding planning, not to discuss Jay."
"Exactly - my wedding planning. That means I choose the topic of conversation."
She sat down to face CeeCee. "One phone call. At least consider it. I know I was the first one that even put the thought of him being the mole into your brain. Heaven knows I regret it now. After talking with him yesterday, I'm convinced he had nothing to do with the media leak - especially after what you and I have learned about the label."
Two days prior, Rolling Stone published a tell-all expose about Big Styles Entertainment, which alleged that Frank Richmond had maintained a financial relationship with several media outlets for years, including ZMT. While there was a small reference to the Cougarette scandal, most of the article focused on the CEO's shady business practices and contained snippets of interviews with former label artists claiming to have been swindled out of millions by Richmond. The day after the article was published, Billy BadAss fired Richmond and lawyered up in an effort to be released from his contract.
"ZMT didn't need Jay - Richmond's been bankrolling them for years. Jay wasn't involved. He had no clue. He truly loves you, honey."
CeeCee stood up with her black leather clutch tucked firmly under her arm. "First, you convince me that he's the bad guy and now you are all Team Jay. Ridiculous! I'm NOT calling him. Period. In fact, I need to leave."
Laney followed CeeCee to the entrance of the boutique. "Cee, just please...when you cool off, call him." CeeCee got into her SUV and drove off as Laney watched while sipping Moët.
# Chapter 19
The next day at work, CeeCee apologized to Laney.
"I overreacted. I shouldn't have stormed out on you. I'm sorry. Do you forgive me?"
Laney tapped her manicured nails on her desk. "Leaving me in that wretched place, surrounded by tacky white dresses. Hell no, I don't forgive you."
"Oh, you looked just fine sipping champagne as I left. Don't think I didn't see you."
"I wasn't going to let the bubbly go flat chasing after your emotional ass. Did you call Jay as I instructed?"
CeeCee scoffed. "No. Now that I'm not apologizing for. He and I are done."
Laney sighed. "You like to learn things the hard way. Love is crazy, Cee. Just six months ago, I was on the phone with you threatening to kick Roxy in the cunt. Now we are getting married. You cannot give up on him so quickly."
"Okay, okay. I just need to do this at my own pace. I'll call him eventually."
Laney opened her wallet. "Good enough, but I'd pick up the pace if I were you. Someone like Jay won't be alone for long. Successful and gorgeous? Mark my words. Now, on to happier topics..." She waved a slip of paper at CeeCee.
CeeCee grabbed it out of her hand and read it with a smile. "A receipt from Holtman's? You bought the jumpsuit!"
Laney shrugged. "I got just drunk enough to follow your advice."
The two reviewed wedding plans for another hour. Thanks to CeeCee, they were full speed ahead: the open field in Shepard's Park had been leased for the ceremony, the sous de chef at the restaurant where Laney and Roxy had their first date agreed to cater the event and the small bridal party had been fitted for their formalwear.
Laney's phone buzzed shortly before 10am. She looked at the Caller ID screen and put a finger over her lips as she pressed the speakerphone button. "Good morning, Mr. Waterstone."
"You and Miss Banks in my office in five minutes. Billy BadAss is leaving Big Styles Entertainment." The line clicked off.
Rolling Stone's feature exposing Frank Richmond as a con artist had taken on a life of its' own. After Billy's legal team was able to find an escape clause in his contract, Billy scheduled a press conference hosted by his newly hired management team, Platinum Noize Entertainment. During the press conference, Billy not only announced his departure from the Big Styles imprint, but also revealed Richmond's role behind the Cougarette scandal. He read his crafted statement to an audience of reporters and press staff:
My team has gathered irrefutable proof that Mr. Richmond leaked photographs of me in a seemingly compromising position with Ms. Cecelia Banks, a woman with whom I held only a professional business relationship. Because of Mr. Richmond's illicit business practices, I could not continue serving as an artist for his label. I am looking forward to many years of success with my new team at Platinum Noize and I thank all of my fans for their undying support.
Laney and CeeCee watched an online stream of the press conference in Waterstone's office. Waterstone clicked on the lights in his office as the 180-inch elevated screen slowly rolled up and disappeared into the ceiling. CeeCee was relieved that Billy had finally told the truth about the nature of their relationship, but something told her Waterstone wasn't as happy about that revelation and the potential aftermath of its' effects.
"Ladies. We have a problem. A big problem." Waterstone's voice boomed as he reclined into his squeaking desk chair.
Laney responded first. "Mr. Waterstone, I understand this presents a challenge for the firm but I also think we should bear in mind that the client has all but confirmed Mr. Richmond's undoing is his own - not that of—"
Waterstone raised his patronizing hand to interrupt Laney. "Former client. We should also keep in mind, Miss Towns, that this undoing wouldn't have been sparked if not for the unprofessional and untoward behavior of Miss Banks."
He stared at CeeCee, clearly waiting for an apology. A mea culpa. He wanted CeeCee to grovel at his at fat feet.
That's when Cecelia Nicole Banks decided that enough was enough.
CeeCee couldn't take it anymore. She was sick and tired of second-guessing herself at every turn. Second-guessing herself as a wife. Second-guessing herself as a divorcee. Second-guessing herself as a mother. Second-guessing herself as a capable lover of a much younger man. And now, Waterstone wanted her to second-guess herself as a professional. Not today. Not. Today.
She felt herself standing up, opening her mouth and the words rushing out like vomit.
"With all due respect - no, actually, with ZERO respect, because respect is reciprocal and you've yet to show absolutely any respect for me. I've worked hard for this company for twenty years, coordinating hundreds of events and handling each and every one of my clients with the courtesy and esteem they deserved. I put everything I had into interviewing for my current position and by all accounts, the client and his management were happy with my work. And you were very pleased with my alleged unprofessionalism and untowardness so much that you advanced my salary. Quite frankly, I should have rejected it. I should have walked the hell out of here but I didn't. You know why? Because I love what I do and I deserved that raise. Every goddamn penny. Now, I will readily admit that I shouldn't have attended my client's afterparty but that was a single blemish on an otherwise untarnished two decades of service. I would never sleep with a client to enhance my professional reputation. You, on the other hand, were willing to pretend that I would in order to enhance yours. THAT is unprofessional and untoward, sir. Good day, Mr. Waterstone."
The sound of her stilettos clicking on the tile as she exited splashed the proverbial cold water of reality on CeeCee. She just went ballistic on the CEO of the company.
The rest of her morning was spent hidden in her office - replying to emails, answering voicemails, fine-tuning an events schedule for her client's book signing next week. CeeCee would continue with her day's work until she was told otherwise. At 1pm sharp, Laney knocked on CeeCee's office door. She sat across from her best friend in silence for 20 slow seconds before speaking in a dry measured tone.
"I've just finished meeting with Mr. Waterstone and the Associate Director of Human Resources. Effective immediately, you have been relieved of your post at Jones & Waterstone Public Relations Management. I asked that you be spared the traditional HR escort from the building with me serving as your escort instead. I have insured that you will receive a full compensatory package, the terms of which have been sent in an electronic format to your personal email. I will make arrangements for your office to be cleaned this weekend. All of your personal effects will be shipped to your home. They will make the official announcement of your departure on Friday before the close of business."
Laney turned off her official voice. "I'm so sorry, Cee."
CeeCee got up from her desk and reached for her coat on the rack. Laney remained seated. "I want you to know how very proud I am of you. In the twenty years we've worked together, I never thought I'd see the day you'd stand up for yourself in this building, especially to that man. I hate to see you leave but I know this is best for you."
CeeCee stood behind Laney and hugged her friend over her shoulders. "Thank you for everything you've done for me. I know this is best for me, too." She kissed a crying Laney on her cheek. "Let's take that walk, bitch."
As the two friends left the office, CeeCee realized that she was freed from the firm. She also freed from a steady income. Laney wiped her tears as the two hugged outside of the firm's building.
"So what are you going to do for the rest of the day?"
CeeCee took a deep breath. "I think I'm going to have a drink and read all about my severance package on my iPad." Laney watched her former employee - and permanent best friend - walk to her parking space and drive out of the Jones & Waterstone Public Relations lot for the last time.
# Chapter 20
CeeCee pulled into her driveway. For the first time in twenty years, she was unemployed. Not only was she unemployed, CeeCee had been let go. She had never been fired before. Ever.
Not from her teenage babysitting gig: Little Jacob Anderson had gotten ahold of his mother's hot pink nail polish and pulled a Picasso on his parents' bedroom wall while CeeCee zoned out on the couch watching The Love Boat. She was welcomed back to sit the following weekend.
Not from the pizza joint where she waited tables as a college coed: Often late and reeking of marijuana, she ditched a shift without notice when an impromptu Lenny Kravitz concert ticket became available. She still managed to keep the gig.
Today was definitely a first for her. What do freshly fired people do?
Another round of wallowing was not an option. CeeCee went upstairs to her room, changed out of her work clothes and tucked her iPad in her Coach tote bag. Dressed in a tank top and relaxed fit jeans, she headed downstairs to her car. Reviewing her package required peace, quiet, and top shelf tequila - none of which she would get at he always-busy dive bar O'Malley's. She also did not want to run the chance of seeing anyone from the firm at the popular after-five spot.
Somewhere quiet with an unlimited supply of Don Julio...hmmm. The Merrimont, it is.
She put the key into the ignition. The SUV made a whirring sound and came to rest. Dead battery. No surprise - the display light had been on for a week while CeeCee ignored it. She hit the steering wheel with her fists in defeat. She took her cell phone out and called a cab. Nothing was going to keep her home, which would have only led to a low key depression and excessive caloric intake.
The Hotel Merrimont was the only high end lodging in Hampton Estates. Their bar had a great reputation for serving strong drinks but the overall atmosphere was a snooze fest. Whenever CeeCee and Laney didn't feel like the hustle and bustle of O'Malley's, they occasionally had a drink there. Occasionally. CeeCee couldn't remember the last time she'd been there but it was still the same drab place. The lounge was your typical pleather-covered slice of hell but the bar was a sight to behold. The back wall was lined with hundreds of premium liquor bottles, including the infamous Louis XIII - valued at $350 per one-ounce shot.
She found a circular booth with good lighting, took a deep breath and pulled her iPad out of her tote. The waitress took her drink order as CeeCee logged into the free WiFi and scrolled through the documents. At a glance, she could see that Laney played quite a bit of hardball with Waterstone to make this happen: sixty weeks of severance with complete health benefits retained, 2% company profit sharing for life and unused vacation days would be paid out in a separate check, tax free.
The final attachment in the email was a non-disclosure agreement. The severance package was dependent on CeeCee's electronic signature on the document. Waterstone was no Frank Richmond – he was going to make sure that his own shady business practices would never be exposed.
"There goes the plans for my tell-all." she muttered to herself as she used her stylus to sign her name and hit Send. The waitress brought her Don Julio margarita martini to the table. As she signed out of her email, CeeCee heard a familiar voice. "CeeCee, we meet again." Professor Stanley Brown stood next to the booth.
"Stanley! What are you doing here?" CeeCee said a little too cheerfully.
Stanley was dressed in a very sharp grey three-piece suit, not in the usual lab coat, pocket protector and jeans ensemble he wore during school hours. He even had contacts. CeeCee noticed how handsome he looked without his glasses. Really handsome.
"I'm here for a teacher's workshop in the main ballroom. We are done for the day so I thought I'd come down for a drink. I see you are already ahead of me."
CeeCee blushed as she packed her tablet away. "Please have a seat. I don't typically daytime drink but today absolutely called for it. I got fired."
A look of alarm came over his face as he sat in the booth across from her. "My goodness, CeeCee. I am really sorry to hear that. Do you mind sharing what happened?"
CeeCee and Stanley spent an hour talking about the rise and fall of her career. They spent another hour talking as they ate dinner from the hotel's budget buffet. They found themselves really enjoying each other's company. CeeCee thought that things might be a little shaky after their slight flirtation in his office, but she found Stanley to be much more than a smarty pants in a starched lab coat.
He was 46, born & raised in Chicago just like CeeCee. He had two grown children, enjoyed reading John Grisham novels, ran a minimum of 20 miles weekly and was a die-hard Bears fan. They shared a lot of common interests. However, he did have one major flaw CeeCee could not ignore.
"I think Prince is completely overrated."
CeeCee choked on a mouthful of her third martini, feeling a bit freer with her language. "Are you fucking serious? Prince is a god! He is the human personification of music. He IS music!"
Stanley took a sip of his scotch. "Give me a break! Name one song he's made since Purple Rain that anyone cared about."
"I'll name albums, sir. Around the World in a Day was classic. Sign O' the Times? The hits on that album alone - If I Was Your Girlfriend, I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man. You have heard these songs before, correct?"
Stanley laughed and slapped the table. "Okay, okay. Point taken. I gotta say, CeeCee - you are one funny lady. It's a wonder no man has scooped you up yet. In fact, whatever happened to that...limbo situation you were in?"
CeeCee sucked her teeth. "Yeah, that limbo became a no go. He wasn't the man for me. Hell, he was barely a man." She giggled, covering her face.
"What?" Stanley asked as CeeCee began to double over in drunken laughter.
"Oh God - he was twenty five. A child! I mean, granted, he was very much a man in the biblical sense, if you catch my drift, but still. What the hell did I ever think I'd have in common with someone who was born when I was in high school? In some parts of the country, I'm old enough to be his mother!"
"Listen, you aren't alone. I dated a few twenty-somethings myself after my divorce. About a year ago, I dated this one young lady I met through a colleague. Twenty-eight, intelligent, beautiful. During our first date, she told me she was a fan of the old school rapper LL Cool J. Uncle L is old school? Since when?"
"Right! Insane! I definitely appreciate our generation much more now."
Stanley agreed. "Same here. There is nothing like a mature woman. One that has wisdom, experience, and an unwavering beauty that never ages."
He locked eyes with her. "CeeCee, I don't know if this is the Red Label talking but here goes. I've always had an attraction to you. I'd be lying if I said it wasn't a small reason why I was always willing to help Junior over the years – not that I didn't want to mentor him. He is a brilliant young man. Yale will be lucky to have him. I just, I always thought you were stunning. Intelligent, classy, witty. All of those things."
CeeCee blushed as he continued. "Ever since you paid me a visit in my office, I haven't been able to get you off of my mind. You know, I still have that potted plant on my desk."
CeeCee was flustered, unsure of how to respond to Stanley's declaration. "Is it still alive?"
Stanley paused before taking a sip. "Damn thing's as dead as a doornail."
They collapsed into laughter again. CeeCee couldn't remember being this amused by a man, not even with Tony or Jay during their happiest times. She found herself getting turned on quite a bit.
CeeCee lingered her gaze on him. "Stanley, I didn't drive here and—"
"I can get us a room."
She scooted over to his end of the booth. Her tequila soaked breath cooed in his ear. "Let's go."
Stanley paid the tab as quickly as possible and the two rushed to the front desk. He took the keycard and the two hopped inside an open elevator car. As soon as the doors closed, Stanley pulled CeeCee to him and kissed her with urgency as she began taking off his suit jacket.
"CeeCee, I have wanted you for so, so long."
CeeCee felt the need to respond. "And...I've wanted you for exactly fifteen minutes."
Stanley chuckled in between kisses. "I'll take it."
The elevator dinged. The two got off and headed to the door. As Stanley fiddled with the key card, CeeCee wedged herself between his tall frame and the door, hungrily kissing his neck. Once they entered the room, he picked her up and placed her on the bed. CeeCee threw her tote bag on the hotel couch, splayed herself on the bed and began to disrobe. Stanley unbuttoned his dress shirt, displaying his toned arms and slight paunch. Down to her bra and panties, CeeCee whispered, "Come here."
As Stanley began to slide himself on top of her, his cell phone beeped in his pocket. He sighed as he looked at the screen. "I have to take this. Sorry. Stay right there, baby." He leaned down and gave her a passionate kiss. CeeCee flashed him a sexy smile as he took the call in the bathroom.
CeeCee laid down on the soft pillows as the tequila swirled in her brain. She closed her eyes for just a second as she allowed the haze of drunkenness lull her to sleep.
# Chapter 21
As the early morning's sunshine peeked through the curtains, CeeCee shifted underneath the 500-thread-count sheets. The smell of steam and soap filled the room, the presence of which jolted her upright in the bed. She spun her head around to check out where she was: plush pillows, couch, sleek black phone with multiple lights. She turned to the nightstand on her right and saw a pen and pad. CeeCee pulled the pen up to her still-groggy eyes, which read Hotel Merrimont. Her memory came flooding back to her - getting fired, Don Julio martinis, Stanley.
CeeCee unraveled the sheets that mummified her body, realizing she was in only a bra and panties. She was in a hotel room in nothing but her underwear and Stanley was in the shower, presumably washing off last night's sex.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
As she continued combing her tequila-soaked memory, a loud beeping ringtone filled the room. CeeCee's eyes whipped from the nightstand to the bathroom door; it was closed and the shower was still going. She quickly scooted herself over to the matching nightstand on her left. When she picked up the phone and pushed the top button, she read the text message:
"I'll be at the hotel in 30 minutes. Can't wait to see you."
When she read the name and phone number of its' sender, CeeCee gasped. She scrambled out of the bed, picked up her tote and her clothes on the couch and quietly tiptoed out of the door. CeeCee would rather be caught in nothing but her bra and panties by the entire housekeeping staff than to face the situation that would await her in 30 short minutes.
As she stood in the middle of the hall, CeeCee threw her tank top over her head and pulled her jeans up. She fumbled through her tote slung on her shoulder for her phone, frantically scrolling through her contacts until she found the one person that could help her.
"Laney?? LANEY, WAKE UP! Holy shit! You gotta come scoop me...I really got myself in trouble now...no, he's fine, I think. Just listen - main lobby of the Hotel Merrimont in less than 25 minutes, please?! No time for explanation right now. I'll explain when you get here. I've ruined everything! Holy shit! Yeah, I know and I apologize, but just get moving, bitch! Bye!"
CeeCee ended the call and threw the phone back in her bag. She approached the elevator and hit the down button multiple times. The doors parted and CeeCee came face to face with the one person she was trying in vain to escape: Jay Weston.
"Um...hi." CeeCee stammered.
"CeeCee. What are you doing here?"
"I...I...was visiting a friend. What about you?" She nervously ran her fingers through her braids.
Jay looked at his cell as he stepped out of the elevator car. "A friend at 8am? Sure. Anyway, I'm on my way to meet up with my dad. Nice seeing you." He slipped his phone back into his pocket as he brushed past her.
"Your...dad?"
Jay spun around. "Yeah, my dad, like you care. Maybe if you had picked up the phone when I called or replied to just one of the emails I've sent you over the past month, you would know that he and I reconnected again. I guess you were too busy visiting your friend that you didn't have time for that,"
He walked up to CeeCee, his face so close that she could feel the heat of his breath.
"I loved you, you know that? With every fiber of my being, I loved you. You were the only woman that ever made me think that I could actually do something with my art. The only woman I ever thought about being with forever. And now you fuckin' somebody else, just like that, huh?"
CeeCee stood as tall as her five-foot frame would allow. "Excuse me. First of all, not that it is any of your business, but I am not fucking anyone else. I don't expect you to believe that, though. You never trusted me in the first place."
"So what the hell are you doing leaving a hotel with your jeans unzipped?" He tugged at CeeCee's waistband.
She pushed his hand away and zipped up her jeans. "I had...you know what? I don't have to explain a goddamn thing to you. Goodbye Jay."
CeeCee turned to press the elevator button. Jay stood behind her as she waited. "Do you still love me?"
He embraced her from behind, weaving his arms around her waist. "Tell me you don't love me and I'll let you go forever."
CeeCee closed her eyes. She still loved him, of course. She wanted to tell him as much but after what she'd done last night, how could she face him? She had to be honest with him before they could move forward – that is, if he wanted to move forward after she told him the truth.
She turned around, prepared to face the music, when a room door opened. Stanley charged down the hall in a terrycloth robe. CeeCee's heart pounded out of her chest.
"What the hell is going on out here? CeeCee, are you...Jay? Do you know CeeCee?"
As Stanley processed the sight of his crush and his son in an embrace, CeeCee looked back and forth between the two men. Same nose, same hairline, same smile. At that moment, she realized the gravity of the mistake she had made. A mistake due to alcohol and thoughtlessness, yet again.
Who is the person that she had become? Not even in her single days would she have acted so hastily, so carelessly. She was becoming everything the image of the Cougarette represented. It had to stop. She had to stop.
CeeCee released herself from Jay's embrace as the three stood in the hallway. Both men looked squarely at her. She understood that all of the dots had been connected then. She had caused this damage. The elevator ding interrupted the silence. The doors parted and a couple stepped off as CeeCee ran into the elevator car without as much as a goodbye to the father and son.
When the doors opened at the lobby level, she stepped off and saw Laney sitting on a couch. As CeeCee walked toward the couch, Laney looked up.
"What happened? Are you OK? You look terrible. CeeCee? Cee, answer me."
She couldn't speak. Nothing she could say could undo this one. For once in her life, Cecelia Banks had no words. She fell into her best friend's embrace and heaved sobs into her chest.
# Chapter 22
They drove in silence during the short ride to CeeCee's house. Laney pulled into the driveway and put her black Jetta in park. She turned to CeeCee, who stared straight ahead.
"I don't know what happened to you last night but can you at least confirm that you were not raped or otherwise assaulted? A head nod will suffice. Up and down for yes; left and right for no."
CeeCee looked down at her hands and cleared her throat. "I think I slept with Jay's father last night." She reached for the door handle as Laney pushed the automatic lock button on her driver's side console.
"If you think for one second that you are going to drop that juicy bombshell on me and then get out, you must be out of your fucking mind."
CeeCee huffed. "It's not juicy, Laney. This is my real life, not a soap opera."
"Okay, okay. I get that. I'm sorry. Look, this is Tony's weekend with Junior so we have the house to ourselves. Let's go in, have some strong coffee and discuss this. I haven't seen you this down since before the divorce."
CeeCee held her tote tightly to her chest. She should have called a cab but she called Laney. She thought this morning would have a crazy, 'Girl, wait 'til you hear this...' ending. She and Laney would have a laugh over coffee in her kitchen as CeeCee recounted the funny tale of having a drunken fling with Junior's teacher and fleeing the scene before her ex caught her.
The thought of sweet and harmless Stanley being an absent father, the one that had caused so much pain in Jay's life, never occurred to her when she saw the text. Now that it was clear that was the case, the tale was dramatically different. It wasn't crazy. It wasn't funny. It was an ending that CeeCee didn't feel like rehashing or remembering.
"Yeah, I need to be alone right now. Thank you for coming to get me. I have so much to wrap my head around. It's just..."
Laney hugged her friend. "I completely understand. This sounds heavy but know that I am here to help with the weight." Tears sprang to CeeCee's eyes again as she hugged her friend back and got out of the car.
She drew herself a bath, soaking until every bubble popped and the water was ice cold. As she cleansed herself, CeeCee imagined the conversation that occurred between Jay and Stanley once she left the hotel floor. Theirs was already a fragile relationship and CeeCee had become yet another source of dysfunction. How did she get here? A year ago, she was a suburban wife working at one of the top public relations firms in the country. Today, she was a drunken divorcée with no career.
After her bath, CeeCee wrapped herself in her fluffy robe and sat on the bed to lotion herself. It was clear that she needed to make some significant changes in her life. She needed to refocus her energies on something other than men and martinis.
Curbing her drinking was Goal Number One. Going cold turkey a la Jay wasn't something she would consider, but CeeCee thought of an alternative. One drink per day, weekends included. It wasn't an Alcoholics Anonymous-approved game plan but it was the best she could do for now.
Goal Number Two: Find a job. Granted, the severance package would allow CeeCee to sit pretty for a year, but she wanted - she needed \- to work. She grabbed her tablet, which was recharging on her nightstand after last night. She typed 'public relations headhunters' into the Google search bar; why do the job hunt by herself when she could use the parachute money to hire a recruiter to do some of the dirty work for her? The search pulled up dozens of results. CeeCee spent the rest of the day in bed, looking at employer services webpages, revising her resume and combing online employment sites.
By the time the sun set, CeeCee had emailed twenty recruiting agencies and sent her resume off to as many companies. She went down to the kitchen to prepare a quick salad for herself and heard her cell beeping as she climbed back upstairs. She pulled the cell out of her tote and looked at the screen. Laney: Hope you are feeling better. Call me later if you are up to it. XOXO.
That was the only correspondence she had received. She hadn't gotten one call or text from Jay, not that she expected him to reach out to her after this morning. While that realization made CeeCee a little sad, she also knew this would fall right in line with Goal Number Three: No men.
*****
"It's been three weeks and not one viable lead," CeeCee sighed over lunch at Ricardo's with Laney. "I worked for two decades and all I am getting are offers to sell insurance and write copy for entertainment blogs."
Laney poked her fork into her taco salad. "I know - it sucks. The PR field is only looking for hot young ingénues. The old guard isn't needed anymore." She paused before adding, "And then, there's the minor issue that when an employer Googles your name, the word Cougarette more than likely appears. No wonder the blogs want you."
CeeCee rolled her eyes. "Jesus. Didn't even think of that. I am never going to escape it. I hate the Internet. Anyway, how are things at Jones?"
"Firm's fine. Busy. They decided not to hire out your position for the time being so your former clients have been dispersed among my team. Betty the Vampire Slayer misses you a lot. Your replacement, God love her - she actually asked Betty if she'd ever met Stephanie Meyer and began telling her all the best parts about the Twilight book series."
CeeCee laughed. "You are kidding! I can just imagine the look on Betty's face. Why would she ever praise the client's competitor in front of the client?"
Laney shrugged. "That's the thing about this younger crop. They've been gassed up by senior management to believe that they can skate by on being cool and hip. So by mentioning what's cool and hip, she thought she was helping. Wrong! Betty called me ranting about it. She was pissed and has been begging for you to come back ever since."
After their lunch, CeeCee drove back home, suddenly missing the familiar commute. It was bittersweet being downtown among the working. However, she felt renewed after hearing from Laney that her former client was pining for her. That was proof that she was good at what she did. She wasn't going to give up hope on her job search. Somewhere out there was a firm that wanted her. By the time she arrived home and checked her email, CeeCee found out exactly which firm it was:
TO: Cecelia N. Banks
FROM: Tad Hirschbaum, Platinum Noize Entertainment
SUBJECT: Employment Opportunity
Ms. Banks,
We were contacted by Professional Edge Recruiters on your behalf and understand that you are currently in the market for a career opportunity in corporate events planning and management in the metro Chicagoland area. We reviewed your CV, resume and array of recommendations. In a word, we were impressed. I would like to speak with you about an employment opportunity as a Senior Artist Manager. I think you would be the perfect candidate. Please give me a call at (312) 555-9603 to hear more details. I look forward to hearing from you soon.
CeeCee was thrilled! An actual entertainment firm was interested in her – not a snarky gossip website or a fly-by-night insurance agency. The job title sounded like something right up her alley as well. Her new positive outlook was working.
She opened the browser to Google the name of the firm. "Platinum Noize. Where have I heard that before?" she said to herself. The first result that popped up was an MTV weblink:
Controversial Rapper Billy BadAss Signs with Platinum Noize.
It was then that CeeCee decided to have her one drink for the day.
# Chapter 23
CeeCee reread the email from Platinum Noize several times as the night grew on. She could think of no rational reason not to call Tad back and arrange a meeting.
Irrational reasons? She had a list of those, with Mr. Francis Thomas perched right at the top.
When CeeCee called her BFF with the news, she responded in true-Laney fashion: "Are you fucking nuts? Take the interview, bitch!"
CeeCee knew she was right. This was the only real bite she'd gotten in weeks. Besides, Yale University's registrar office had come a-knocking. CeeCee received the first year's registration costs in the mail. A total of $9,457 was required by the first of June. That meant that she had to come up with almost five grand to cover her half shortly after graduation. Tony graciously offered to pay the entire fee but she refused:
"Ceese, it's really not a problem. Let me help you out." He pleaded on the phone last week.
"Thank you Tony, but you have a wedding to pay for. Besides, I'll be working again soon!"
At the time, she was trying to prove that she did not need her ex-husband to come to her rescue any longer. Now, she realized that this was no time to prove a point. CeeCee needed to get a job.
She also needed to find a way to keep tabs on Jay without actually contacting him. She missed him terribly but was too scared to call him after the hotel encounter. He hadn't reached out to her, either. CeeCee met up with Laney at O'Malley's a few times in hopes of catching him there, but he never showed up. This left her no choice – it was time to cyberstalk.
Before catching a movie with Junior that night, Candace sat with CeeCee and helped her set up her very own Facebook and Instagram accounts, under the guise that CeeCee was using these as a way to learn more about her potential new employer, of course.
"Okay, Ms. Banks. Here's Platinum Noize's page. I just Liked it for you by clicking this thumb icon here on the left. So now, every time they post something about the label, it'll show in your Feed on your homepage. You can Like all types of stuff. You read Runner Magazine, right? You can Like them, too. Check it out."
CeeCee watched as Candace navigated the site's pages, her fingers moving so fast on the tablet's touch screen that CeeCee could hardly keep up. She was amazing but CeeCee wanted to get to the nitty gritty.
"Okay, that's nice. Now how do I find people?"
Candace pointed out the search options as Junior finished a Coke and threw the can in the recycling bin. "Okay, time to go, Candace. We're going to miss the opening credits. Mom, use the tutorials for anything else you can't figure out and don't cyberstalk Jay all night."
"Excuse me, young man. This is for business use only...and curfew is midnight, you two."
Candace and Junior gave each other knowing smiles as they walked out of the door. When she was sure she'd heard Candace's Accord zoom off, CeeCee sat in her recliner with a glass of Pinot Noir and the TV on the Bravo channel.
She spent an entire episode of Million Dollar Listing perusing Jay's online profiles. His Instagram was of particular fascination to her. There were lots of pictures of his artwork, his frat brothers and of him at Drifter press events. She was so proud of all that he had accomplished.
As she scrolled through his feed with a wistful grin, one picture made CeeCee stop smiling instantly: Jay with his arm around another woman's waist.
A much younger woman – in fact, she looked younger than Jay!
She read the caption: Artist Jay Weston and his date, model Felicity Hunter. CeeCee opened a new window in the browser for a quick Google search. After sifting through a few news items, she found out that Felicity Hunter was relatively famous. A 21-year-old model originally from Atlanta, she has been featured in at least three films and several hip-hop videos. She was also an aspiring singer, planning to release her first album next month.
CeeCee grimaced. "How ambitious. Hmph."
She took a tiny sip of wine as she clicked open the link to Felicity's webpage. Heavily auto-tuned music startled CeeCee as the page opened. The final sentence of the starlet's bio made CeeCee choke on her wine: Felicity Hunter is represented by Platinum Noize Entertainment.
The next morning, CeeCee replied to Tad's email, accepting his request for a meeting. Tad set up an interview for her on Monday. Not only did she need a paycheck, but CeeCee had to get down to the bottom of this Felicity Hunter-dating-her-ex business.
*****
"Cecelia Banks to see Tad Hirschbaum. Thank you."
She arrived ten minutes before her scheduled time and had a seat in the plush waiting lobby. In stark contrast of the old-school angular and mechanical look of Jones & Waterstone, the offices of Platinum Noize Entertainment boasted bold colors and ultra-modern design. Not one person she saw within the ten minutes of her arrival had to be over the age of 35. It looked like the inside of a hip nightclub - definitely too hip for CeeCee.
She was glad that she followed Laney's advice and passed over her typical stuffy black business suit. She purchased a navy skirt suit with a gold tank shimmering underneath. Her resume boasted twenty years of experience. Clearly, her age was not a deterrent, but a younger-looking wardrobe couldn't hurt.
"Cecelia? Hey. I'm Tad Hirschbaum. Fantastic to meet you!" An energetic young man bounded toward CeeCee dressed in skinny jeans with a bright green button down plaid shirt and a red bowtie. His slicked-back black pompadour glistened as he stuck out his hand. As she shook it, CeeCee couldn't believe that this was the person who was interviewing her. Here she had been worried about her choice in clothing and he looked like a character from the television show Glee.
"Nice...to meet you, Mr. Hirschbaum." she said carefully, still taking in Tad's overwhelming presence and personality.
"Psssh! Mr. Hirschbaum's my father. Call me Tad. Or T. Doesn't matter. Anyways, I am SO happy we were able to get you in today. Come on back!" He sauntered back, CeeCee's short legs barely keeping up with his long strides to his office.
Once they were both seated, Tad began typing away on his desktop. "Sooooo....Cecelia. You have a ton of experience. Twenty years at Jones & Waterstone? Epic! They were, like, my dream gig during my undergrad at DePaul. Oh, and I see you are a fellow alum. Go Blue Demons!"
He stopped typing and faced CeeCee. "So, tell me about yourself."
CeeCee launched into her typical professional speech and began a basic regurgitation of her resume. Less than ten seconds in, Tad raised his hand up.
"No. Tell me about you. I know all about your job experience. I have that on my computer." He tapped the monitor with his finger. "I want to hear about you."
"Well, um...I'm from Chicago. Born and raised here. I have a son. He's seventeen. He's going to Yale next fall and I am very pr..."
Tad's hand came up again. "Cecelia...can I call you Cee? Cee, I'm sure your son is an uber genius and everything on paper says that you are a very competent worker. Anyone with a kid going to Yale while working at the same place for two decades obviously has her shiz together. But I don't want to hear about any of that. I don't want to hear about your kid, your resume...tell me about you. For example, what's your favorite childhood memory?"
CeeCee looked around the office because she was certain she was being filmed for a prank reality show and that Ashton Kutcher was going to pop out of the wall at any minute. What the hell was going on? Was this how interviews were conducted these days? A childhood memory? She thought for a second before she answered.
"Okay...well, I suppose my favorite childhood memory would be about my granddad. Since both of my parents worked, I spent my afternoons at my grandparents' house after school until one of my parents picked me up. My granddad was a warehouse worker out in Wheaton for forty years and he got paid every other Thursday. He would come home to the South Side from work with his paycheck - back then, there was no direct deposit, just a standard paper check - and he'd yell up to me, 'CeeCee Nicole, Papa got paid. Let's go to the bank!'"
She smiled to herself. "I'd run downstairs, hop into his old rusty baby blue Cadillac and we'd go to Pullman Bank. He'd let me fill out the payout slip and when the teller gave him his cash, he'd give me a crisp $5 bill. I know five bucks is tooth fairy money these days, but that was big money for an 8-year-old back in the 70s. He'd then drive us to the corner store by our house. He'd get himself a six pack of Budweiser. I'd get myself a 50-cent Suzy-Q snack cake and save the rest of the money. On the way home, he would tell me every week, 'CeeCee Nicole, save that change and stay in school so you won't have to work so hard like your Papa. Okay, sweetie?' He took me on that car ride every other week until the day he died when I was 15. Those car rides taught me the value of a dollar and how hard work is its' own reward."
Tad sat silently, forcing CeeCee to guess that her recollection didn't meet his expectations either. She began thinking up another memory when he suddenly slapped his hand on his desk.
"You are totally hired. I'll have Carmen in HR follow up with you on the typical new hire paperwork: compensation, taxes, benefits, and etcetera."
CeeCee stared at him in disbelief as he walked around to the front of his desk, typing away on his cell phone.
He continued, "So, you'll start orientation and training tomorrow at nine. Your first event is an album release party on Saturday for one of your clients. I am emailing you invites for both right now. Press passes for you and a guest will be on your desk in the AM. Dress is semi-formal for the party but make those colors pop, girl. None of this basic black shiz you got going on here, m'kay?"
CeeCee shook her head slowly, completely flabbergasted. "It's...navy. Wait. What...what just happened here? I don't understand. We literally met for the first time less than five minutes ago, you asked me one question and now you are hiring me?"
Tad sat down next to CeeCee, grabbing her hands. "Cee, two things: One, you were hired before you walked in the door. Have you read your resume, lady? Two, that story about your grandfather just about made me boo-hoo. The look on your face as you remembered him in that simple memory told me everything I needed to know about who you are on the inside. You are not only professionally competent, but you have heart. I need my Artist Managers to have heart because trust me, you are gonna need it. Especially you - your client is quite the diva."
Tad's office phone beeped and his secretary's voice rang through the speaker. "Mr. Hirschbaum, Miss Hunter on Line One."
He rolled his eyes and leaned closer to CeeCee. "Speaking of, there she is right now. Felicity Hunter. I swear, bitch thinks she's Beyoncé, Rihanna and Gaga all wrapped into one size four package. I gotta take this but fortunately for me, you'll be taking these calls moving forward. Yay. I'll see you bright and early at 9am."
Tad hugged CeeCee and walked back behind his desk. "And no worries - you'll get to meet this one tomorrow. You two will be spending a LOT of time together." He winked at CeeCee as he picked up the line.
CeeCee got up and left the office, her head swimming. She wasn't quite sure how to feel about what had transpired. In just ten minutes, she had interviewed for a position, was hired on the spot after answering one non work-related question and learned that her client is the same model-slash-singer who may or may not be fucking her ex-boyfriend.
Instead of dwelling on those details, CeeCee focused on one she knew to be true as she drove home: She was gainfully employed again.
# Chapter 24
"So, you've seen the lobby, the break room, the copy room, the internet lounge, the meeting rooms and the fitness facility. All that's left to show you is your office, which is right down this hall."
Tad led CeeCee toward her new office, walking with his signature long, quick strides. CeeCee figured that following her new boss around for the past hour had to count as a part of her cardio for today. He opened the door to a drafty room with no windows and beige walls with cracking paint. A plastic fern plant stood in the corner. The computer on the wooden desk looked to be at least a decade old. He glanced back at CeeCee's shocked face with a forced smile.
"I know. Ew. Not the cutest and your cell phone reception is going to blow, but at least you aren't in cubicle hell, right?"
CeeCee shifted the box of personal effects she held in her hands. "Um, yes. This is fine. I'll just plan on having any face-to-face meetings with my clients in one of the bigger meeting rooms."
Tad sighed with relief. "Thank you for understanding. The regional offices spend a ton of money to make the main portions of the building look all pretty but then the middle management offices look like shit. Speaking of client meetings, Felicity will be here at 11 so you'll need to check in with the front desk to reserve Meeting Room A12. It's the only room she'll have a meeting in when she travels from her home in Atlanta and comes to the Chicago office. So make a mental note,"
Tad pointed to a folder on her desk. "There are your two press passes for Saturday night, so feel free to invite a buddy for moral support. It helps to have a friendly face around when you are managing an event. Bios on each of your clients are also in the folder. You'll have six clients total, but Felicity is by and large the VIP of that list,"
CeeCee began unpacking her box. Tad closed the door behind him and took a seat across from her. "I want to be completely honest with you. I didn't share this during the interview because I didn't want you to run off screaming," He leaned in.
"You are the third Artist Manager we've hired in less than a year for Felicity. She scared the other two off. Simply put, she is a monster! She's always late, never apologetic and will contact you any time she damn well pleases. I wish I could find something nice to say about her...well, she is beautiful. Mesmerizing. Think Vanessa Williams, circa 1989. There's the one positive. Everything is downhill from there."
CeeCee swallowed hard as she sat down at her desk. "Is there anything I can do to at least forge a positive relationship with her? Any interests?"
Tad got up from the seat and looked up as he thought. "She loves talking about herself. You can always start there. Also, anything you can tell her about art would be helpful. She's dating this artsy-fartsy dude and she is really trying to impress him. Last week, I Googled some information about Banksy and emailed it to her. She actually replied with a thank you...and Felicity Hunter doesn't do emails or thank yous. Hope that helps."
At the mention of 'artsy-fartsy', CeeCee knew Tad was referring to Jay. Not only was this mesmerizing woman a pain to manage, but it was confirmed that Felicity and Jay were an item.
Tad looked at his cell phone. "I have a meeting in five minutes and you have a room to reserve. Good luck on your first day...and good luck with Felicity!"
As soon as Tad left, CeeCee looked around her depressing office space. This was a far cry from even her cubicle years at Jones & Waterstone. She had taken a significant pay cut with no forecast of a raise in the near future. Her first client of the day was a raging bitch. But if there was one thing CeeCee had learned about herself in the past year, it was that she was never someone to back away from one of life's challenges.
She picked up the office phone. "Good morning. This is Cecelia Banks. I'll need to reserve A12 for an hour at 11am today."
When Felicity hadn't arrived by 11:30, CeeCee found herself getting more pissed as the minutes ticked by. She was about to come face to face with her ex's new girlfriend. Her nerves were already jumping but she found anger brimming to the surface because of the blatant tardiness.
At ten to noon, the doors of the meeting room whisked opened and two burly men entered, quickly surveying the area. They didn't so much as look in CeeCee's startled direction. Once they finished their inspection, one of them opened the doors and it was as if time stood still.
Felicity Hunter walked in. She was just as breathtaking as Tad said. She sported what had to amount to at least a thousand dollars' worth of wavy black hair weave atop of her tiny head. Her golden face was flawless, a single dimple in each cheek and zero blemishes. She was rail-thin with a great boob job and stood at about 5'10" in a flowing red dress and matching stilettos. In short, Felicity Hunter was a force.
CeeCee fought back the mental image of Felicity in Jay's embrace as she stood to introduce herself, her hand extended. "Ms. Hunter. I am Cecelia Banks. I will be serving as—".
Felicity snatched off her black sunglasses and looked down at the petite CeeCee. "Fresh meat. Tad told me he'd hired someone else after that hideous woman ran out crying a month ago. I loathe weak people. Let's hope you aren't one."
CeeCee lowered her hand. Apparently, exhibiting proper manners was another thing Felicity didn't do. "I'm sorry to hear about that exchange but I can assure you that I am no weakling and I am looking forward to us working together. Please have a seat. Would you like something to drink? Coffee?"
Felicity curled her upper lip in disgust. "Me drink office coffee? I'd rather drink from the toilet. I'll stand. I have other places to be so let's make this quick, shall we?"
CeeCee decided to remain standing with her; it would only make her look as weak as Felicity was hoping she was if she had sat down. She pulled out her folder of event notes.
"So, your album release party on Saturday will take place at the Remington Supper Club at eight. We are expecting approximately 525 guests. We'll plan on you arriving by 9pm. The food will be—"
"Okay, you are new so let me be the first to tell you that I don't arrive at events until at least the second hour. Have car service pick up my boyfriend and I at the Lake Shore Hotel at 9:30 sharp - not a minute later or sooner. Also, I'm Paleo this week so the menu needs to be as well. I want the entryway completely cleared upon our arrival. Photographers and press on the red carpet only. Who is the DJ?"
CeeCee flipped through the pages of the contract. "Um...we've hired DJ Ram for the event."
"No, you've fired DJ Ram for the event. He's known for selling stories to the media and doesn't even have the decency to give the celebs a cut. Asshole. Hire DJ OneLove."
CeeCee's blood began to boil. She had worked with difficult clients in her day, but Felicity had found something wrong with almost every aspect of the event. She took a silent breath and continued reviewing the contract before responding.
"According to the contract notes, DJ OneLove was initially contacted but unfortunately was not available for the event. I will be sure to contact him in advance of your next Chicago event in two months. I will also make sure that DJ Ram relinquishes his phone and any other technological devices not related to his contracted work duties before the event and signs off on a non-disclosure agreement. Both Platinum Noize and your management team in Atlanta will have copies of the signed agreement for your reference."
CeeCee put the paper back in the file, closed the folder and looked up into Felicity's hazel eyes with a slightly condescending smile. "I hope you'll find that sufficient."
Felicity let a soft huff escape her lips. "I suppose. Okay, I'm bored. Leaving. Are you going to be there?"
"Yes, I plan to be in attendance."
"I'll have my stylist email you some wardrobe ideas. You'll need them."
Felicity pushed her sunglasses up onto her face, turned on her heels and walked out. The two huge men left behind her. As soon as the three were out of sight, CeeCee collapsed into her seat. She picked up the folder and the two press passes fell onto her lap.
Saturday was going to be hell and CeeCee knew the perfect person to brave the flames with her.
# Chapter 25
Laney touched up her mascara in the pulldown mirror in the back of the chauffeured Town Car, en route to the Remington Supper Club.
"CeeCee, CeeCee, CeeCee! You never cease to amaze me. Let me get this straight: Your new client is your old boyfriend's new girlfriend. I told you he wouldn't stay single for long."
CeeCee sipped the complimentary champagne. "But she's a complete bitch! What could Jay ever see in her?"
Laney looked at her friend while still holding the mascara wand. "Um, mile high legs, huge tits and she's half your age?"
CeeCee mockingly made an angry face. "So? Don't make me kick you out of this ride and snatch that press pass from around your neck."
Laney laughed as she started on her lipstick. "No ma'am - a possible catfight between the Starlet and the Cougarette over the Artist? Wild horses, baby. I wouldn't miss this for the world!"
"I am not fighting anyone and please do not call me that. I was hoping Tad didn't make the connection when he hired me. So far, so good. The last thing I need is for that saga to rear its' ugly head again." CeeCee took a final sip as the car came to a slow stop in front of the club.
The two flashed their press passes at the bouncer and walked the red carpet. They stopped for a few pics for the bored photographers who were waiting behind the red ropes for real stars to arrive.
Laney smiled for the cameras. "So, what does this Felicity Hunter do anyway?"
CeeCee posed. "She's a video vixen turned pop singer. This is her debut album release party. She has some song out called Kitten."
Laney gasped. "'I'm a sex kitten/So baby, get ta lickin'...'? That's your new client? Jay's new girlfriend? Good luck turning his head away from that. She's hot!" Laney laughed, bending over as they walked toward the club entrance.
CeeCee frowned. "So glad you are finding humor in this. And how on Earth do you even know that song? What are you, 15?"
Laney composed herself. "Roxy loves it. Plays it around the house all of the time. You can imagine it's a hit among my lezzy kinfolk. And no 15-year-old should be listening to that song."
"That's her target demo – 15 to 24s. Can you imagine? There is a teen girl somewhere right now twerking to those lyrics in her iPod and her parents are none the wiser."
Laney shrugged. "Weren't we around the same age when I Want Your Sex was a big hit?"
CeeCee turned to Laney. "Are you really comparing the legend that is George Michael to a girl who got her start grinding on Lil' Wayne in a rap video?"
Laney smiled. "Awww. You look so cute when you get jealous, but I'm gonna need a drink or three if I am going to be subjected to your Mean Girl behavior all night. C'mon, you little slut shamer." She walked to the bar as CeeCee huffed behind her.
It was a quarter to eight and the event was slated to start soon. While Laney kept herself busy at the bar, CeeCee strutted over to the backstage area to greet Tad, who was dressed in a blinding sky blue blazer and indigo skinny jeans.
"Cee! You look amazeballs! Damn girl, did anyone ever tell you that you look like Nia Long?" he gasped as he greeted her with a hug and handed her an earpiece.
She looked surprised. "You know who Nia Long is?"
"Duh. Friday is one of my favorite old school movies. Ice Cube, Chris Tucker. Classic!"
Friday is old school now, CeeCee thought. It reminded her of her conversation with Stanley, which made her then think of Jay. Great.
CeeCee had to admit, though: she looked damn good tonight. Where she would have gone for a basic LBD during her Jones & Waterstone events, CeeCee knew she had to up the fashion ante at Platinum Noize.
As promised, Felicity's stylist sent her weblinks with preferred dresses for tonight. Much to her chagrin, CeeCee actually found one to her liking and went to Nordstrom's to purchase it. It was a bright purple tank dress with a skinny silver belt snug at her waist. She had her hair coiffed into a curly twist out and her face was beat with bronzed makeup, both professionally done at Roxy's spa. Nia Long, eat your heart out!
CeeCee slung the earpiece cord around her neck and attached the battery pack to the back of her belt. "Thank you, Tad! How are things going so far? Anything I need to jump in on?"
"Not right now but I must tell you. Felicity called me this afternoon while you were here tending to setup. Long story short, she no likey you, but that's a good thing."
"Yeah, I am definitely not one of her favorite people but why is this a good thing?"
"Because that means that somehow, you conveyed to her during your meeting that you will not bow to her every whim. This is GREAT, especially where the label is concerned. What you have to do now is make sure she doesn't break you. She's hella manipulative. Now that she realizes that you won't be a Yes Woman, Felicity will find whatever fault she can in you and use it as a tool to work you until you have no choice but to quit. That's where the other two failed, but you are a tough cookie. Don't let her pull you down to her level. Don't let this break you. Remember that tonight especially."
He winked at her and walked to the front stage, leaving CeeCee to take in his words. It was just the pep talk she needed. Her first event was going to be a success, even if her client hated her guts. CeeCee met up with Laney at the bar, who was on her second drink.
"I think it's time to abandon this whole one drink a day business. It's ruining our friendship." Laney took in a gulp of her Budweiser pint.
"I had my bubbly in the car on the way over. That's it for me – one and done. It's weird. I haven't been drunk in almost a month, I lost ten pounds and I feel...I don't know. Lighter. Less bloated. I think I'm gonna do this for the long haul."
"Bitch."
They both laughed. "Seriously, good for you. You are looking slimmer these days. You are gonna rock that Matron of Honor dress in a few weeks!"
CeeCee smirked as she sat on the barstool. "Now if I could only get my bed rocking again. I've conquered Goals One and Two but I'm ready to break Goal Three. I'm starting to get horny again and Mr. Jack ain't cuttin' it."
The bartender placed a ginger ale on the bar. Laney pointed at the glass of bubbles.
"See? I'm supportive of the goals you intend to keep, quitter. What about the professor?"
CeeCee took a sip. "Um, yeah. Fucking my ex's dad is not an option. It's bad enough that I am going to see him at Junior's graduation next week. It'll be my first time facing him since The Incident."
Laney winced. "Eek. Well, at least you remembered that you didn't have sex with him that night. No harm, no foul, right?"
CeeCee shook her head. "Afraid not, my friend. There was plenty harm and plenty foul."
Laney waved her hand at CeeCee. "Nope. Cee, we discussed this before we left. No moping. You have to toughen up before Beyoncé and Basquiat get here. Buck up!"
CeeCee straightened her body upright in the chair. "You're right. I am going to need you to keep me in line tonight so try not to get too wasted."
"I make no promises."
Their chat was cut short by an announcement from the club manager. "Felicity Hunter has arrived!"
CeeCee looked at Laney's phone sitting on the bar. "It's only 8:30! Car service wasn't supposed to arrive at her condo for another hour. Goddammit! She's gonna kill me!"
She hopped off of the barstool and fastened the earpiece on as she went to meet her surely angry client on the carpet. "Tell Jay I said hey!" Laney yelled as CeeCee discreetly flipped her the bird.
She could still hear Laney's half-drunken cackle as she walked out of the club. CeeCee took a deep breath and hurried to the carpet. The limo door flung open as Felicity's long legs stretched out of the vehicle. When she stood up, her gold knee-length wrap dress shimmered under the flashing bulbs. As she walked the carpet with her hair waving in the distance, CeeCee silently prayed the bitchy beauty wouldn't make a scene once they arrived face to face.
Just then, he stepped out of the limo. Jay Weston. He was wearing a gold sweater and black jeans. CeeCee's heart jumped into her throat. Even though those clothes weren't his style, he still looked unbelievably handsome, his smile gleaming for the cameras. He walked up to Felicity and put his arm around her waist. When he kissed her temple, CeeCee almost lost it but she remembered what Tad said: Don't let this break you. She straightened her posture and smoothed her hair as the couple approached.
"Well, Celie. As you can see, I am an hour earlier than expected. I specifically asked that you schedule car service to arrive at 9:30. Did you forget?"
Jay turned his head from the throng of photographers and his eyes locked on CeeCee's.
"CeeCee, what are you..."
Felicity's mane of hair almost whipped CeeCee in the face as she turned toward Jay.
"You KNOW Celie?"
CeeCee cleared her throat. "It's CeeCee, not Celie. I scheduled the car service to pick you up at 9:30 as you requested. Obviously, there was a miscommunication that I will clear up with the business first thing Monday morning."
Felicity's lip curled. "Obviously, the business isn't taking direction from you well. No need to call them. Try asserting yourself in the future and this won't happen again. Let's go, baby."
Jay's eyes never left CeeCee's as he walked passed her with Felicity. Once the couple disappeared into the club, CeeCee turned on her earpiece to listen for directives from Tad and the club staff throughout the night. She couldn't stop thinking about Jay's face when he realized she worked for his new girlfriend. Sure, her client was less than pleased with her and the fear of being fired a second time should have cast a shadow of doom over her evening. All of that didn't matter because she saw him again.
CeeCee knew then that she still loved him and his face said that he still loved her. She wasn't sure how she was going to do it and still get her job done, but CeeCee was going to find out just exactly what the deal was with Felicity and Jay before the end of the evening.
# Chapter 26
"All good on first floor front. Approximately 400 peeps seated. We ready for Felicity to take the stage in 10?" CeeCee spoke into her earpiece mic as she shuffled through the crowded club. It was half past 11pm and Felicity was scheduled to perform Kitten over an hour ago. CeeCee began to realize that the woman not only wreaked havoc in her personal life, but managing her was also proving to be an arduous task.
Tad responded in her ear. "Yep, Miss Thang's ready to go in less than 5. Go give her a good luck shove. Wink, wink."
CeeCee grinned as she marched up the steps of the stage area to make sure Felicity was ready to go. She spotted the starlet, who was changed into a super tight minidress covered in silver sequins, having her hair and makeup touched up by her glam squad.
"All right - you all ready?" CeeCee said with the calmest voice through the fakest smile she could muster.
Felicity looked straight ahead at the closed curtain as her mascara and blush were reapplied. "Nothing has gone right tonight. My car service arrived too early - no thanks to you! This dress is not the right size and my Jaybird is mad at me."
CeeCee felt the vomit rise into her mouth. "Your Jaybird?"
Felicity swung her gaze to her. "Oh, don't play dumb. You know exactly who I'm talking about. In fact, you're the reason we're fighting in the first place. He refuses to tell me how he would know the likes of you." She waved a hot pink manicured fingernail at CeeCee. "I am going to find out how you know my man and it better not be in the same way I know him."
She gave CeeCee another once over before the stage manager yelled "SHOWTIME!" Felicity snorted. "Wait. Who am I kidding? You're old enough to be his mother!"
CeeCee watched as Felicity flung her weave and ran out to the stage as the first auto tuned chord of Kitten began. As she walked back down to the main floor and muted her earpiece, CeeCee muttered to herself, "And young enough to still fuck his brains out, bitch."
She was headed back toward the front entrance when she felt a tug on her arm.
"Hey you." Jay looked down at her. "How you been?"
CeeCee jerked away from him, still simmering from her confrontation with Felicity. "I'm working. Go watch your girlfriend lip synch."
Jay followed her as she stomped off. "She's not my girlfriend."
CeeCee turned around when they both reached the front entrance, away from the club noise. "So you aren't sleeping Felicity?"
Jay tilted his head. "I said she's not my girlfriend."
CeeCee's breath caught in her throat. She wanted to foolishly believe that Jay was the only straight man in the universe that could resist the allure of Felicity Hunter.
"Oh, that's classy. What do you want?"
Jay inched closer to her. "I want you."
CeeCee felt her pulse quicken but her jealousy had gotten the best of her. "You're fucking the gorgeous Felicity Hunter. Why would you want me?"
"Let's not do this. If you have a question...ask." He wiggled his eyebrows, signaling their special game.
CeeCee steeled herself. "Fine. Are you in love with her?"
Jay scoffed. "Of course not. My turn – did you have sex with my father?"
"No. My turn – is she better in bed than me?"
Jay chuckled. "Wow. Are you serious?"
CeeCee stood up straighter. "Dead serious. Answer the question."
Jay rolled his eyes. "It's different."
"'Different'? Different as in..."
"Different as in I'd rather make love to you than fuck her."
CeeCee shook her head with a slight smile. "Typical male bullshit answer."
Jay waved his hand. "Whatever. My turn. Did you want to sleep with my father?"
CeeCee exhaled. "Honestly, at the time, yes. I had just gotten fired, I was drunk and quite frankly, I was horny. I had no clue that he was your father until you arrived that morning. You never told me anything about him. You were so secretive throughout our relationship. I tried to get through to you - Lord knows I did."
Jay looked down. CeeCee realized that the humor of the moment had passed.
"Jay, look at you. You are an up and coming artist dating a pop star! A bonafide celebrity and I'm...I'm the help." She cupped his chin and rubbed his cheek with her thumb. "Goodbye Jay."
He reached for her wrist before her hand fell away from his face. "Do you still love me?" He gently kissed the palm of her hand - the same way he had that night after he opened himself up to her at dinner. "Because I still love you."
CeeCee's eyes filled with tears. She was giving up. Too much had happened. She was convinced that they could never get back to the way it was. They couldn't go back to the romantic dates, the nights spent in each other's arms, the laughs they shared. Things had changed.
"Be with Felicity. She's your age. You have more in common with her. I'm better off alone anyway." She slowly released her wrist from Jay's soft grasp and continued down the carpet.
*****
CeeCee arrived at work Monday to a flurry of congratulatory emails from Tad and the rest of the team for pulling off her first successful event for the label. Over 500 people were in attendance throughout the evening and CeeCee did a great job of keeping the event running smoothly. Laney was a testament to that. She had a fantastic time. So great, that CeeCee requested that car service send her plastered BFF home to Roxy before midnight.
That memory triggered CeeCee's reminder to call the car service to give them a piece of her mind.
"Good morning. I am Cecelia Banks with Platinum Noize Entertainment. I asked for car service to pick up my client Felicity Hunter at 9:30pm on Saturday evening and they arrived an hour early."
CeeCee listened as the representative typed in the background. "According to the call log, we received a call at 5 pm on Saturday asking for the service to arrive at 8:30 pm."
"May I ask who called to reschedule the pickup?"
"Let's see...Miss Felicity Hunter."
CeeCee felt her temper rising. This was the manipulative behavior Tad warned her about before the event. She thanked the woman for her time and slammed the phone down. That little bitch! CeeCee got up and started to march upstairs to Tad's office to vent when her desk phone beeped.
"Miss Felicity Hunter on line one for you, Ms. Banks."
CeeCee snatched the phone receiver and pushed the flashing button.
"Felicity. Could you please explain why—"
"Okay, I have a headache and you are very loud. I need to meet with you this afternoon. Reserve A12 for my arrival at 2pm." Felicity hung up as CeeCee was left staring at the receiver. She was visibly fuming as Tad walked in. "Let me guess. Felicity?" he said with a small smile.
CeeCee's eyes bugged out as she invited her manager in and explained to him the car service sham. Tad shook his head in an all-knowing way when she finished.
"Wow, she's getting all Cruella on you fairly quickly compared to the others. Just stay focused, Cee. You did a kick ass job last night and everyone that's important in this building knows it. Remember that when you meet with Felicity today. Hang in there and if you need to take off after meeting with her, shoot me an email. I totally understand."
As he walked out of her office, Tad turned. "Stay strong, Sista!" He lifted a fist in the air, which made CeeCee giggle through her frustration.
"No. Not the Black Power fist. Just...no."
Tad shrugged. "Hey, I'm a gay Jew. I sympathize with the struggle." He winked and walked out as CeeCee smiled. She needed to steady herself for her meeting with Felicity in a few hours.
The clock struck two in A12 as CeeCee paced the room. Then the unprecedented happened: Felicity not only arrived on time but she was dressed down in a black tunic and jeans with very little makeup and her hair in a ponytail. Felicity didn't look like the diva she typically portrays in the limelight, yet she was still stunning. It drove CeeCee insane!
Felicity placed her red clutch bag on the table. "Yes, I look like shit and no, you don't need to comment on it. I came here to talk to you about a personal matter."
CeeCee knew what this was about so she decided to clear it up for once and for all.
She walked up to Felicity. "Listen, Jay and I dated briefly months ago. The night of the release party was the first time I'd seen him in weeks. Trust me, there is nothing going on between him and me. We aren't even friends. He's all yours, sweetheart. Knock yourself out."
CeeCee walked back to have a seat. She poured herself a glass of ice water from a pitcher on the table, feeling vindicated. "I really hope that clears up any tension that may have arisen from our encounter on Saturday night. I want you to rest assured that I will always maintain professionalism."
Felicity chuckled to herself. "Oh, I've read all about your brand of professionalism...Ms. Cougarette."
CeeCee froze in her seat as Felicity walked and leaned over her.
"You know, CeeCee. That's the amazing thing about the internet. It never forgets. After the party, I decided to Google your name and Jaybird's and poof! Up pops a picture of you are kissing my ex."
CeeCee stammered. "You...you dated Billy, too?"
Felicity shrugged. "I wouldn't say 'dated' as much as 'fucked him for publicity'. You see, unlike you, I'm a go-getter. I want to be super famous - not like you, some lowly office servant cleaning up after celebrities. Men are just springboards toward that goal. I'm interested in what being with them does for me. I was never in love with Jay or Billy or any of the other men I've...dated, as you put it. Dating – how antiquated. Sorta like you."
CeeCee scooted her seat back and stood up to face Felicity. "What are you getting at? What does your casting couch history have to do with me? The short answer is nothing, yet you insist on boring me with the whorish details."
Felicity let out a loud laugh as she began to pace the room, her voice rising.
"Au contraire, Cecelia. You have everything to do with it. You think I believe that lie that things are 100% dunzo with you and Jay? I saw the way you two looked at each other. He's never looked at me in the past month the way he looked at you in those seconds on the carpet. He practically shut me out after he saw you. Hell, he didn't even spend the night with me after the party!"
She caught her emotions getting the best of her and dialed back her volume as she approached CeeCee. "Here's the deal: I don't want you near Jay. His attention needs to be on me and only me until I go platinum and he's old news again - whichever comes first. Once that happens, you can have his low rent ass back. Until then, keep your geriatric pussy away from him or I'll tell that fag Tad and anyone else who will listen in this building about your Cougarette past. You already got fired from one firm because of it. Don't make me get you fired from this label, too."
CeeCee locked eyes with her official nemesis. Felicity turned away, picked up her clutch from the table and opened the door.
"Oh, and in case you're wondering: sex with Jay is still fantastic. Whenever I'm in town, he's in me. You'll recall that his appetite is quite voracious. Of course, he's with a much younger woman now so he puts in a lot more work these days. The way he moves that ass when he's about to...well, you know. And that body of his? Goodness. I'll be sure to teach him a few new tricks before I send him back your way, girl. Have a great afternoon, Celie."
Felicity sauntered out as CeeCee fought back tears of anger. Images of Jay in bed with Felicity filled her brain. The thought of Jay doing things to Felicity that he used to do to her was too much to bear. Once she got back to her office, CeeCee emailed Tad and took him up on his offer to take the rest of the afternoon off. CeeCee stepped out of the building and took her cell phone out of her purse to text Laney: O'Malley's. 15 mins. One drink won't cut it tonight.
# Chapter 27
Laney sat in silence as she soaked in everything CeeCee told her about her meeting with Felicity. "Wow. That's....that's...wow."
CeeCee shook her head up and down slowly, the effects of her second martini taking hold rather quickly. "I thought I had it bad with old Waterstone. At least he wasn't fucking my ex. Felicity wants to destroy me. And what's worse is there's not a damn thing I can do about it except play ball."
Laney waved her hand. "No, you've got to tell Tad. Your manager needs to know about this. If I were still your manager, I would want to know this."
"If you were still my manager, you'd drop Felicity on the spot, forcing her to go back to dropping it low in rap videos." CeeCee leaned back in the booth. "Besides, I can't. If he finds out that I am the Cougarette, I'll be fired. Do you know how nervous I get whenever I hear that Billy might be coming into the Chicago office for a visit? That day is coming and when it does, I'll be finished at the label. Nope, I have to keep this Cougarette business under lock and key."
She drank the final drop of her drink and waved the empty glass in the air to signal to the bartender that she needed another.
"And this is exactly why you have to tell Tad now. You don't want this to be the carrot Felicity dangles over your head. Besides, from what I gathered from talking with him at the party, Tad seems like a...lively character and above all, very understanding and definitely Team CeeCee. He won't fire you. I'm about 80% sure of that."
She gave her friend a light shove. "Just think about it, okay. Now - quick subject change..." Laney dug into her oversized hobo bag and pulled out a small booklet. "Roxy and I chose a honeymoon locale. Yay!"
CeeCee picked it up, a travel guide with a picture of a beach covered in white sand on the cover. "Rio de Janeiro! How exciting!"
After the two flipped through the travel book, CeeCee placed it on the table and looked at her friend. "I am so, so, so happy for you, Laney. I mean, really and truly. You're getting married!"
Laney smiled the widest grin. "I know. I'm pretty excited and I'm super proud of you, too. You've been through some crazy job drama and relationship woes. On top of all of that, you are preparing to send your only baby off to college and you have still been around to help me plan this whole event. Thank you, sis."
They hugged each other tightly. Throughout everything that had happened to CeeCee over the past year, the bond between the two friends was still standing. She felt very lucky to have a sounding board in Laney. She often referred to her as her "life coach" and frankly, it wasn't far from the truth.
Laney and CeeCee released from the hug and wiped away their happy tears. "So Junior's graduation is this weekend? And do I have a ticket?"
CeeCee took her third martini from the waitress. "Girl, of course. Not to mention that the weekend after that, Tony is getting married on the same day as you and Roxy. I don't know who wrote the script to my life but they have a very good sense of humor. Since Junior is going to be the Best Man in his wedding, you can take him off of your invite list."
Laney took a sip. "I'll miss Junior but the good news is that it frees up some space on my list...because I'm thinking of inviting someone else: Jay."
CeeCee stopped mid-sip. "So you just hate me now? Is that it?"
Laney put her pint down. "Dammit, I like Jay. He's a sweetheart and most importantly, he loves my best friend to pieces...even if he is banging whatsherface right now."
CeeCee slouched in the booth as Laney continued. "Besides, I kinda already invited him at the party on Saturday. I told him no plus one, if that's any consolation."
CeeCee sat back up with a jolt. "What??? Are you fucking crazy? Why?"
Laney straightened her posture, signaling to CeeCee that she was about to deliver one of her world famous Laney Lectures.
"First of all, please lower your voice. Second of all, you two love each other - point blank. Now I may have been as drunk as a skunk, but I do remember the ten minutes he and I talked. All the man could do was stare at you while you were working the event and whine to me about how much he needs you. Sounded like a goddamn puppy,"
She gulped down the rest of her Stella Artois. "He wants you back, CeeCee. The new fame just has him all confused right now. Besides, he bumped into you leaving his father's hotel room. And yes, everybody and their mama knows you didn't sleep with him, but it's going to take some time for him to get over it. Now he's with this Felicity bitch, but who cares? He talked to you throughout her entire performance – think about that. That is not a real relationship. What you two had - what you have \- is real. Don't let him get away and fall any further into that tramp's clutches. Tell Tad about the Cougarette debacle, cut Felicity's blackmail attempt off at the knees, expose her to Jay and get him back, goddammit!"
CeeCee stared at her martini, chin in her hands, while Laney's words hung in the air.
"Because that fine motherfucker is coming to my wedding and you wouldn't miss him in a black tux for the world." CeeCee smiled as Laney cackled.
*****
Junior walked into the entryway of his mother's bedroom and spun in a circle, his navy blue graduation gown parachuting at his feet. "So, how do I look?"
CeeCee smiled as she put her diamond studded earrings in. "You look like my baby. Come here."
Junior rolled his eyes as his mother reached up to hug him. "Mom, it's time you know: I'm a man now."
CeeCee looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"
Junior laughed. "Don't worry. If I ever decide to 'become a man', I'll never tell you."
CeeCee playfully hit him on the chest. "Good! Besides, you came home at 11 on prom night. That's a sure sign you didn't get laid."
"Really Mom? Way to make me feel like a baby for real!"
CeeCee smiled wide as she wrapped her shawl around her blue floral wrap dress. "Let's get moving. The ceremony starts in an hour."
She couldn't believe this day was finally here. The next time her son came back home, he would officially be a high school graduate, headed for Yale. "I want you to know that I am so, so very honored to be your mother. You have exceeded all of my expectations as a son. So proud of you, baby."
They hugged as CeeCee sniffled. "Mom! Don't start crying again!"
CeeCee took deep breaths. "Okay, I'm going to get it together. Let's go before I start bawling again."
The two-hour ceremony ended just before noon and the atmosphere couldn't be happier. All of the people Junior loved were there: his parents, Laney, Candace and Debbie. In fact, this was the first time CeeCee had come face to face with her ex-husband's fiancée since their brief run-in on Valentine's Day. She surprised herself - and everyone else - when she hugged Debbie and congratulated her on her and Tony's upcoming nuptials.
"I don't know how you prevented yourself from socking that home-wrecking slut square in the jaw." Laney said as the two walked around the expansive football field where the ceremony was held.
CeeCee shrugged. "I'm done being angry about that. It took me a while to figure it out, but I fell out of love with Tony long before she was in the picture. I mean, I'll always love him as family because he's the father of my child but those two belong together."
Laney shook her head. "Lady, you constantly amaze me. I guess it helps that you are madly in love with Jay. By the way, his RSVP arrived in the mail yesterday."
CeeCee stopped walking. "You were serious about that? Dammit Laney! Why are you trying to force this? He has a girlfriend. A famous girlfriend."
Laney looked back at her. "Wrong. He has a famous fuck buddy. You know what really amazes me about you?"
She walked toward her friend and grabbed her hands. "You have the most rational attitude about a past love like Tony, yet you are fine with letting love in the present slip right between your fingers. Why are you doing this to yourself? You love Jay with every fiber of your being. Fight for him." CeeCee sighed as Stanley approached the two of them.
"CeeCee. Good to see you." He turned to Laney. "Hi, I'm Stanley Brown. I'm—"
"Oh, I know exactly who you are. I am going to give you two some much needed privacy. Nice to meet you, Stanley. Cee, I'll meet you back with the family."
As Laney left the two alone, CeeCee took a deep breath. Before she could talk, Stanley started. "CeeCee, I was hoping we would see each other before the graduation so that I could apologize for our...encounter. After speaking with Jay, I could only imagine how uncomfortable that scene was for you. Had I known...goodness, had I known, I wouldn't have pursued you. I hope you'll accept my sincerest apology."
CeeCee put a hand to her chest. "Stanley, please – I'm the one who should be apologizing! I should have been more forthcoming with you about the nature of my relationship with Jay. In any case, what's done is done. He's clearly moved on."
Stanley chuckled and shoved his hands in his pants' pockets. "Oh, with the great Felicity Hunter, you mean? She doesn't hold a candle to you, CeeCee. He and I both know that."
His eyes lingered on CeeCee before he quickly looked down. "He loves you, CeeCee. He's just a young man experimenting with the perks of his newfound fame, is all."
CeeCee looked back at Laney at the other end of the field. "So I've been told. How are you two getting along these days? When we were together, he never really opened up to me about you."
Stanley looked up with a nod. "It's improving. When Jay's mother told me she was pregnant, I was a twenty year old junior at Harvard. I let my parents convince me that it would be better for me to stay in school than to come back to Chicago to raise a family with my high school sweetheart. By the time I graduated the following year, she had died of an overdose. I tried to track down Jay's whereabouts but he had been already been taken in by his adoptive parents in Atlanta, unbeknownst to me. I married my wife shortly after graduation and started our family. She knew about Jay and begged me to reach out throughout our marriage, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. The older he got, the more I convinced myself that he didn't need me,"
"Once Jay and I touched bases about a year ago, I admit that my contact with him was still sketchy. I was scared. My own mother was dying of cancer, wasting away. I couldn't deal with anymore reality outside of that. I don't mean to make excuses because I gave up on him and there's no excuse for that. I will repent for that for the rest of my days,"
"Today, we still have a challenging relationship. In fact, after you left the hotel that morning, we had it out. Screaming. Yelling. I could tell then that you were special to him. He was ready to fight me for you."
CeeCee's eyes widened. "Jay fighting?"
He softly chuckled as he continued. "Yep. Once he calmed down, I told him the truth. I told him that I never laid a finger on you. You had one too many and no ride home. You fell asleep there and that was that."
CeeCee smirked. "Well now, I recall there were some fingers laid on each other in the elevator but I thank you for omitting that part."
They stood in an awkward silence until CeeCee decided to wrap up their conversation before her family got too nosy. "Well, if you talk to Jay, tell him...tell him I said hello."
Stanley nodded. "Will do."
Laney came running up to them, holding her phone. Her face of alarm made CeeCee catch her breath. "What's wrong?"
Laney looked at the both of them. "Sorry to interrupt but I was scrolling through the ZMT app on my phone. I just wanted to tell you before you found out on your own."
CeeCee's heart began to pound in her chest as she took the phone out of Laney's hand. She read the news link: Singer/Model Felicity Hunter Reportedly Engaged to Artist Jay Weston.
# Chapter 28
She made it through the graduation brunch at Frankie's Restaurant after the ceremony. She even managed to turn her tears of sadness into those of joy during the toasts and speeches. Now, CeeCee sat at the bar of Frankie's while Laney tried to smooth over the news of Jay's impending nuptials.
"Reportedly, CeeCee. Please keep that in mind. You've written press copy before. You know that's code for 'We don't know for sure.' Besides, no one has released a statement. She was just snapped with a ring on and then someone – probably her – sold the pic to ZMT. I call bullshit." Laney sipped her scotch and soda.
CeeCee stared at her glass of Merlot. "I know, I know. What if it is true, though? He's been going around, talking about how much he supposedly loves me, told me Of course not when I point-blank asked him if he was in love with her...and now this? I'm just tired of all of these ups and downs with Jay."
Laney rubbed CeeCee's knee. "I understand, but we don't know the whole story yet. I know this is hard for you. So sorry this is happening to you, babe."
CeeCee hopped off the barstool. "I have to go to the bathroom. Watch my purse."
She walked into the nearest empty stall and fell into a pool of tears behind the locked door. CeeCee cried for all of the lost time she spent being stubborn. Time she should have spent mending her relationship with Jay. Now, the tears came because of one simple fact: The man she loved was marrying someone else.
When she and Junior got home, he decided to take a nap before going out for the evening. Junior looked at his mother with pity before he trekked upstairs. "Mom, I'm sorry."
CeeCee looked surprised. "How did you know?"
"While we were at brunch, Candace texted me the weblink and asked if it were true. Is it? Is Jay really getting married to Felicity Hunter?"
CeeCee shrugged sadly. "I don't know, baby."
Junior hugged his mother. "His loss. Plus, Felicity Hunter's a slut."
CeeCee smiled. "Junior! Language!"
He raised his hands up. "That's what Candace told me! She said she could send you weblinks of all of the nasty gossip about her to make you feel better."
CeeCee shook her head. "Tell Candace thanks for the support but that won't help." She kissed her son on the cheek before he trekked upstairs. The minute he got to his room and closed the door, CeeCee laid on the couch and cried herself to sleep.
CeeCee woke up two hours later - groggy, depressed and hungry. She went into the kitchen to search the pantry for her secret stash of junk food. While alcohol was CeeCee's main bad caloric indulgence, she kept a small box of sweets that she vowed to only touch once a month during her period. She decided that after the day she'd had, she deserved trans fats.
CeeCee settled back down on the couch, equipped with a long stack of Oreos on the end table. Junior had left for a graduation party at Max's house, letting his mother sleep. Laney was away in Lake Geneva with Roxy. CeeCee was all alone - again.
She was two episodes into a Friends marathon when the doorbell rang.
Probably Candace looking for Junior. He couldn't wait to get out of here to start partying, CeeCee thought as she got up from the sofa and headed to the door.
She opened the door and found Jay staring back at her.
"I didn't propose to her." he said before CeeCee could react. "I know you've heard about it. It's all over the internet. Believe me when I tell you that I did not propose to that girl. She is in LA this weekend. She bought that ring somewhere in Beverly Hills and walked around with it on, knowing the paps would snap her. After the pic came out, I called and dumped her."
CeeCee began to talk as Jay walked up to her, placing a finger on her lips before they made a sound.
"No, just...just let me get this out. Cecelia, I love you and only you. I want to be with you. I want you forever. I want to make love to you forever. I want to be the only one that makes you moan. I want to be the only one that puts a smile on your beautiful face. Please. I'm fucking begging you. Don't believe that hype. You are the only woman for me."
He walked closer and wrapped his arms around her waist. "I need you. Come back to me, baby." CeeCee looked into his eyes. She was done pretending she didn't need him. She crashed her lips unto his. Jay kicked the front door closed as they made their way onto the floor. CeeCee wore nothing but her panties beneath her robe, which Jay opened and began suckling her breasts. He slowly took off her panties and moved down to taste her. CeeCee moaned underneath him, as she had ached for his touch for far too long. She came within seconds as he grabbed her thighs and lifted her hips as he feasted. As he raised his body over hers, Jay kneeled before her and took off his shirt. She rubbed his massive bare chest as he leaned over her, their tongues continued finding their way into each other's" mouths. Jay raised his hips up as she unbuttoned and pushed his jeans and briefs off with her feet. He entered her wetness with a smooth stroke. They both yearned for each other as Jay moved his hips in his sweet and satisfying motion.
Her body longed for him and she hadn't realized how much she wanted Jay until he was inside of her. He groaned as he delved deeper into her with each thrust. CeeCee arched her back in response, taking him in as she cried out his name. When they found a sensual rhythm, Jay began to speed up.
CeeCee climbed onto him, forcing him on his back. "Not yet..." she breathed as she maneuvered her body over his as Jay's eyes rolled back in ecstasy. He grabbed her ass, lifting her with each deep stroke. Their moans filled the hallway, calling each other's names. Jay sat up to cup her breasts with his mouth and hands. CeeCee held onto his wide shoulders as she bounced faster and harder. They both reached climax together in a chorus of passionate screams. He stayed inside of her and folded in her embrace for a few moments after, his essence trickling out of her. He felt her teardrops on his shoulder, rolling down his back.
"I'm sorry I put you through this, CeeCee."
She raised her face to meet his. "I'm sorry, too. I love you, Jay Weston."
He smiled as he wiped away her tears. "And I love you, Wrinkle Free Cecelia Banks. And I'm happy to see it's still wrinkle free, by the way."
They fell into a heap of laughter as they lay naked in the hallway. They eventually made their way into CeeCee's bedroom, where they made slow sweet love a second time.
Wrapped in her sheets, CeeCee laid her head on Jay.
"So..." she asked as she trailed her fingers across his pecs.
He weaved his fingers through her curls. "So..."
She propped her chin on his chest. "I have a question and no, I'm not playing that game with you."
Jay smiled. "Okay. Go ahead."
"How did you meet Felicity?"
Jay sighed. "She is the last person I am thinking about right now. Why are you so fixated on her?"
"Because I have the pleasure of working with her. It would be different if she was a complete stranger. Since I know how much of a bitch she is I must know what attracted you to her – besides the obvious."
"And what's the obvious?"
CeeCee scoffed. "Do I really need to go into details?"
Jay hugged her closer. "I'm just playing. You want the truth?"
"Always."
"A month ago, Marty introduced me to her at an industry party. At the time, I was still reeling from catching you at the hotel. I was devastated. Angry. I needed a release and yeah, she was fine as hell. She was thirsty for me and at the end of the party, we hooked up in her hotel room and I went home."
CeeCee bit her lip to stop herself from asking more questions but failed. "Did you have sex with her a lot?"
Jay looked at her. "Define 'a lot'."
"She said that whenever she was in town, you were in her – and she's been in the Chi a lot this past month."
Jay propped himself up in bed. "Right hand to God, I had sex with that girl three times in the month I was with her. Three! You and I just had sex twice in less than three hours, in case you needed further comparison."
"Did you use protection all three times?"
"Of course."
"Did you give her head?"
"Damn! Do you want a play by play of everything I did with this girl?"
"No. I don't even want to know the answer to that last one."
"Are you done, Prosecutor?"
CeeCee smirked. "Yes, I'm done. But you should have seen the way she rubbed her relationship with you in my face during our last meeting. Talking all this smack about how you move in bed. I wanted to rip that horse hair right out of her head!" She clawed her hand in the air for emphasis.
Jay laughed. "Damn, you look so cute when you're jealous. And why was she talking about me with you?"
CeeCee rehashed her drama with Felicity to Jay, including her Cougarette blackmail attempt.
"Laney says I should tell Tad, my boss."
Jay nodded. "I agree. Just nip it in the bud. Damn, baby. I hate that she's doing this to you but yeah. Tad needs to know."
CeeCee took a deep breath as she settled back into Jay's arms. "Okay, I will. First thing Monday."
Jay held her. "Good. Now back to the lovin'..." He eased himself on top of CeeCee, pausing to look into her eyes.
"And by the way, the answer to that last question is no. That's only for you."
CeeCee smiled. "Thank you."
Jay eased his way down underneath the sheets as CeeCee giggled.
While Jay slept after their third sex session, CeeCee stayed awake in his arms. She was so thankful that she had another chance. She truly loved him. He was hers once again and she wasn't letting him get away again. Once she heard Junior come into the house shortly after midnight, she fell asleep in Jay's strong embrace.
# Chapter 29
CeeCee awoke the next morning in an empty bed. She sat up and looked around. Was that all a figment of her imagination? She heard commotion downstairs - Jay and Junior were yelling. CeeCee hopped out of bed, put on her robe and raced down to the living room. She found them playing Madden - loudly.
"You two scared the hell out of me!" CeeCee said holding her chest. Without either of them looking away from the TV screen, Junior said "Sorry, mom" followed by a "Good morning, baby" from Jay.
CeeCee smiled to herself and went into the kitchen to make herself a cup of coffee. After a raucous "TOUCHDOWN!" from Junior, he came into the kitchen to grab a can of Coke. CeeCee paused before speaking.
"Sweetie, come here."
High off of his video game victory, Junior sauntered over as CeeCee whispered, "Is Jay's being here...weird for you? If it is, I'll ask him to leave."
Junior laughed as he cracked open the can. "C'mon Mom. I'm an adult now. I know how these things work."
"Oh really? And how do these things work, young man?"
Junior looked up and then back down at CeeCee. "Well, when I got home, I saw a Jag parked in the driveway. I thought to myself, there is only one person I know that could afford that type of ride and would be at our house at midnight."
CeeCee nodded. "Point taken."
"Besides, I like Jay. He's cool. I also like that he makes you smile. You haven't been doing a lot of that lately. After seeing how down you looked at brunch, I was this close to calling him myself but Auntie Laney said she'd take care of it. Looks like she did."
CeeCee paused as she watched hot coffee fill her mug. "Auntie Laney said what?"
Junior slowly backed out of the kitchen. "I think I hear Jay calling me for another game. Bye!"
CeeCee grabbed her cell off of the counter and was ready to send a text to Laney when she saw her friend had already beat her to it:
How was the hot makeup sex last night? LOL!! No need 2 thank me.
CeeCee looked up and shook her head, laughing. "That little bitch!"
Jay walked into the kitchen and wrapped his arms around CeeCee's waist from the back.
"What you in here laughing about, sweetness?" He traced small kisses up CeeCee's neck.
"Did you talk to Laney yesterday?"
Jay nuzzled her ear. "Yeah, she hit me up around half past noon - right after the pics of Felicity dropped. I don't know how she got my cell number but she texted me, asking me if it was true. I said no and she said that I needed to convince you that is was a bogus story in person....at night."
CeeCee felt his smile spread against her neck, which made her smile.
"She was holding my clutch when I came back from the bathroom during the graduation brunch, talking about she needed a piece of gum. She must have scrolled through my phone, found your number and texted you from her cell. Damn her."
Jay turned CeeCee around to face him. "Yeah, she needs to mind her business."
They fell into a deep sensual kiss against the kitchen counter as CeeCee's coffee went cold.
*****
CeeCee entered her boss' office early Monday morning. After spending the entire weekend with Jay and mulling over it, she was prepared to tell Tad the truth about her Cougarette past and accept whatever came her way. No matter the consequences, they couldn't be half as bad as being blackmailed by Felicity.
"Tad, do you have a moment?"
"Sure, Cee. I actually wanted to chat with you later on today, but now is good. What's up?"
"I am afraid I haven't been completely honest with—"
A loud slam of Tad's door interrupted her as Felicity came storming into the office. Her hair was a nest and her face was a makeup-smeared mess. Her angry eyes bore into CeeCee.
"You! It was YOU! Tad, I want her fired immediately!"
CeeCee stood up. "What could I have possibly done to you in the twenty minutes since I arrived to work this morning?"
Felicity stomped toward her and came within inches of her face. "You leaked my breakup with Jay to ZMT. It's all over the internet that he dumped me over the phone because I faked our engagement. I know you did it! You've wanted him from the very beginning! He would've proposed to me for real if it weren't for you! I had him wrapped around my goddamned finger!" She waved said finger at CeeCee as she stepped around her and slammed a folder filled with papers on Tad's desk.
"I have some information I'd like to share with you about your star employee here."
CeeCee's heart began to beat out of her chest. Well, this is it, she thought as Felicity raged on.
"This woman is destructive and hazardous to the label. As you'll read here, she was fired from Jones & Waterstone PR for sleeping with the talent, namely my ex-boyfriend Billy BadAss. You'll probably know her by her tabloid name The-"
Tad finished her sentence. "...Cougarette?"
Both CeeCee and Felicity stared at Tad in silence as he continued with a shit-eating grin on his face.
"Yes, Felicity, I'm well aware of the story. In fact, you'd be surprised at how much I know - especially when it comes to you."
He leaned over to his computer keyboard and pushed a button. The surround sound speakers in his office filled with CeeCee and Felicity's voices.
...I wouldn't say "dated" as much as "fucked him for publicity"...
....What are you getting at?...
...keep your geriatric pussy away from him or I'll tell that fag Tad and anyone else who will listen in this building about your Cougarette past...
...You already got fired from one firm because of it. Don't make me get you fired from this label, too...
Tad stopped the recording as Felicity shivered.
"You...recorded me? That...that's illegal!"
Tad stood up with a stapled stack of papers in his hand, walking to the front of his desk to meet Felicity's shocked face.
"You mentioned on the recording that it's amazing how the Internet works. Well, you know, it's amazing how your contract works. Page 4, Paragraph 8, Clause 2: Any audio, video and/or in-person meeting with Platinum Noize Entertainment staff and personnel is subject to recording for training purposes. CeeCee is still within her 90-day training period. Ergo, you done fucked up, girl,"
He continued as Felicity's mouth dropped. "You should really take up more reading comprehension and less fucking for publicity. Let's see - blackmail, ageism and good old-fashioned gay bashing? ZMT would love to hear this recording, I'm sure."
Felicity begged, "Please, no Tad. I'll do anything! This cannot leak! I'll be ruined!"
Tad shrugged. "Very well then. In that case, here's the alternative." Felicity stood in horror as Tad tore the contract in two. "You are done at Platinum Noize Entertainment. Your ATL management team has a copy of the recording and will probably be dumping you over the phone, too. See yourself out, Miss Hunter."
He threw the pieces of paper in Felicity's face and calmly sat back at his desk. Felicity whimpered and ran out in tears. CeeCee was at an utter loss for words. She had never witnessed such a dramatic display that wasn't on a Real Housewives episode.
Tad looked in her direction. "Did you really think that a hip, gay man in his early thirties wouldn't know who the Cougarette was? You were an icon among the gays in Boystown for about a week and a half."
CeeCee's eyes widened. "Wait, you knew it before the recording?"
Tad laughed. "Honey, I knew when I read your resume. I never mentioned it because you never said anything. Granted, the recording was for training purposes but I figured Felicity would give me a nugget of bitchiness that I could use to finally get her kicked off the label. Boy, did she ever! Look, Cee - I didn't care when I hired you and I don't care now. You are a hard worker with a great personality and you deliver results. That's all I care about."
CeeCee smiled as Tad continued. "Now that said, the departure of Felicity Hunter from the Platinum Noize banner leaves some room on your client roster. This is what I was planning on speaking with you about later - but life has a funny way of working itself out sometimes, huh? I'd like you to meet your new client. Well, not new, I suppose. You two have a little bit of history." Tad motioned toward the door as CeeCee followed his gaze.
"Miss CeeCee! We meet again!" Billy BadAss walked in with his signature sunglasses and bling on.
CeeCee stood up and faced Tad. "Oh no! He almost dissolved my career. Tad, please - I'm begging you. Anyone but this kid!"
Billy removed his glasses. "Look, I never got a chance to apologize to you. By the time I left that crook Frank Richmond, I got signed here and tried to find you at Jones & Waterstone, but you were already ghost. Miss CeeCee, believe me when I tell ya: I had nothin' to do with those pictures leaking to ZMT or the paparazzi stalking you. That was all Frank - his way of makin' sure the added publicity kept linin' his pockets. He was the one that hooked up that remix with Snoop. When we performed it live on Kimmel, that was the first time I'd ever even heard that verse. For real, for real."
CeeCee looked back when Tad spoke. "He's telling the truth. Billy and I had a long conversation after I reviewed the recording last week. I would have never suggested you manage him again if I thought he was lying."
CeeCee looked back at Billy. "If we work together again, I need to trust you. I need to know the real you. I will promote Billy BadAss...but I manage Francis Thomas. Is that clear?"
Billy slowly shook his head with a smirk. "Crystal clear, Miss CeeCee."
She stuck her hand out for a shake but Billy went in for a hug. "Don't play me like that, Miss CeeCee!"
Tad got up from his desk, patting both of them on the back. "Hugs are fine. But for goodness sake, just don't kiss him again."
# Chapter 30
"Looks like we have approximately 150 guests seated. Musicians are all tuned up. Every member of the party is lined up and ready to proceed." CeeCee muted her earpiece and walked through a set of giant doors. She looked at Laney dressed in creamy white and smiled wide at the bride to be.
"You ready for this, bitch?"
She winked at her Matron of Honor. "Since birth, bitch."
CeeCee smoothed out Laney's long lace appliqué jacket. "Let's take that walk then."
The ceremony music started, a soft harp instrumental of Sade's No Ordinary Love. The ushers opened the door and CeeCee watched her best friend of over twenty years assume her position at the outdoor gazebo in Shepard's Park. CeeCee followed, arm-in-arm with Roxy's older brother Ramon serving as Best Man.
The sunshine and the warm breeze served as a perfect backdrop for a small outdoor wedding. As CeeCee walked, she couldn't help but to remember her own May wedding at the Justice of Peace all those years ago. She was so young, so naive - but very much in love at the time. She gazed over to the right side to see Jay gazing right back. CeeCee was so happy that he was back in her life. This time, they vowed to take it slow and get to really know each other on a deeper level - while still having amazing sex. They were both in their sexual primes - it only made sense.
CeeCee wondered how Junior was faring as Best Man at Tony's wedding. In a few short months, he would be going away to Yale. Little did Junior know, CeeCee had asked Tad to add her to the event planning detail for the New Haven stop on the Billy BadAss Bad Boy Chronicles tour this fall - just so she could stop by the campus for a surprise visit.
Once the three of them were posted at the gazebo, the guests all stood up as Roxy walked with her father. She was stunning in a satin A-line dress with an asymmetrical neckline. When CeeCee looked back at Laney, she saw the tears spring from her eyes. She felt pride for her friend, who had come full circle in her relationship with Roxy.
She looked at Jay, who couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He and Stanley were communicating almost weekly now and were planning a father/son trip to Vegas before the end of the summer. It made CeeCee happy that their relationship was growing and she thanked the Drunk Gods daily that she fell asleep that fateful night in Stanley's hotel room.
After the ceremony, the guests went inside and dined on vegetarian cuisine catered by the brides' favorite restaurant, Nourish on Michigan. After the feast, toasts and cake cutting, everyone danced the night away. By ten o'clock, CeeCee's feet were Chicken Danced, Celebrationed and Macarena'd out. She plopped herself down in her black strapless dress next to Jay, scooting down into his arms.
"Mmmm, baby. How come you won't dance with me?"
Jay took a swig of his Heineken. "This is the only night I am allowing myself to drink. I don't need to dance." He winked at his woman and kissed her forehead.
Laney strutted over, free of the jacket and wearing just the strapless jumpsuit. She waved her bouquet of white roses over the couple's heads. "I still haven't gotten my Thank You card for making this happen."
Jay and CeeCee looked at each other and said in unison, "Thanks bitch."
Laney laughed loudly. "Don't let her influence you, Jay!"
She sat down. "So I know this is probably the last person you both want to hear about...but guess what I just read about Felicity Hunter on ZMT?"
CeeCee sighed. "Come on! This is a joyous event. Must we bring her up...and is it juicy?"
Laney handed her cell to CeeCee, who held it up for her and Jay to read the tagline as she laid in his arms:
ZMT EXCLUSIVE: Felicity Hunter Nudes Leaked!
"I can say with certainty that they didn't come from me." Jay said with a smile.
CeeCee lightly elbowed him in the ribs. "Sure the hell better not! It's always something with that child. I'm still trying to figure out who leaked the news that she and Jay broke up because of the fake engagement."
Laney stopped a waiter carrying cake slices on a tray and took one. She laid it on the table in front of CeeCee.
"Here. Have some ZMT cake."
CeeCee looked at the cake and back at Laney. "No you didn't!"
Jay took a sip of his beer. "We'll just call it my wedding gift to the brides."
CeeCee sat up, looking at Jay and Laney in disbelief. "Okay, that's it. You two are officially cut off from each other! No more co-conspirating!"
Jay put his hands up. "To be fair, it was Laney's idea but I did execute it. We had to do something to get her back for tormenting you. Don't act like you aren't happy things turned out the way they did, baby."
CeeCee leaned over and gave Jay a lingering kiss.
Laney grimaced. "Jeez, get a room!"
As Laney walked back to her bride for a dance, Jay looked down at CeeCee. "I have a question."
CeeCee rolled her eyes. "Not this game again. Go ahead."
"Are you in love with me?"
"Absolutely. My turn – are you in love with me?"
Jay paused in mock consideration. "I guess. My turn – will you marry me?"
CeeCee smirked. "Do you have a ring?"
Jay laughed. "Cheater – answer my question first."
"Maybe. Not today. Someday, I hope. My turn – do you have a ring?"
"Maybe. Not today. Someday, I hope. Me and you – we have a lot of work to do."
CeeCee shrugged. "We do. But I don't mind working for you. Your ex? Yes."
Jay frowned. "I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"
"If I can survive being The Cougarette, you can survive anything."
Jay smiled as she settled back into his arms. For all the madness she had to endure to get there, Cecelia Nicole Banks was finally right where she wanted to be.
THE END
###
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
BookCorpus2
|
Relaparotomies after cesarean sections: risk factors, indications, and management.
To establish the frequency of post-cesarean relaparotomy, identify its risk factors, indications, and operative management. This study was a retrospective matched case control study. Records of all women who underwent a cesarean section (CS) from July 2006 to March 2012 were reviewed. We identified all women who had a relaparotomy within 1 month from their CS. For each woman, two women were matched. We analyzed data regarding obstetrical history, current gestation, surgical parameters, and outcome. A total of 14,637 CS were performed during this period, of these, 58 cases required a relaparotomy (0.4%). In univariate analysis, female sex and duration of CS were associated with an increased risk for relaparotomy. In multivariate analysis, multiple pregnancies, general anesthesia, duration of operation, and female sex, independently increased the risk for relaparotomy. The leading indications for relaparotomy were hemodynamic shock and subcutaneous hematoma. The most common interventions during relaparotomy were cauterization of subcutaneous vessels, and ligation of large vessels. Overall, women requiring relaparotomy received, on average, 16 units of blood products. This study highlights risk factors associated with post-cesarean relaparotomy. Surgeons might use this important data to identify women at risk beforehand, and thus, reduce the morbidity associated with relaparotomy.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Andrew Wheeler Andrew WheelerOVERNIGHT ENERGY: California seeks to sell only electric cars by 2035 | EPA threatens to close New York City office after Trump threats to 'anarchist' cities | House energy package sparks criticism from left and right EPA threatens to close New York City office after Trump threats to 'anarchist' cities The conservative case for phasing out hydrofluorocarbons MORE is being asked to back up recent claims that climate change consequences are still “50 to 75 years out.”
In a freedom of information request filed by the Sierra Club late Monday, the conservation group requested the EPA turn over any documents that support Wheeler’s assertion.
ADVERTISEMENT
Wheeler’s comments
came in an interview with CBS, when he told the network's Major Garrett that he would be focused on pressing issues like access to clean water since “most of the threats from climate change are 50 to 75 years out.”
Climate scientists armed with government research, however, are finding that climate change is having a much more immediate impact. The Sierra Club argues the dangers from climate change are fast-approaching and that Wheeler's remark to Garrett has no basis.
“We are confident that EPA’s response to this request will reveal that Wheeler’s assertion was unsupported by science and is inconsistent with the research and conclusions of the U.S. government’s career scientists,” Matthew Miller, a Sierra Club attorney, said in a release.
The group points to a number of ways the planet is currently impacted by global warming, ranging from wildfires to ailing coral reefs to record-breaking weather events.
EPA spokesman Michael Abboud said government experts often measure climate change over decades, rather than year-by-year, adding: "Administrator Wheeler has continued to emphasize the Trump EPA’s commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions."
Similar information requests proved successful during former Administrator Scott Pruitt Edward (Scott) Scott PruittJuan Williams: Swamp creature at the White House Science protections must be enforceable Conspicuous by their absence from the Republican Convention MORE’s tenure.
Pruitt, in a television appearance in March of 2017, disagreed that humans were a "primary contributor to the global warming that we see."
He did not back his reasoning with science, according to internal documents provided following a lawsuit won by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER) in June of last year.
Instead, the agency provided 12 pages of supporting internal EPA emails to PEER that showed how Pruitt prepared for questions on the Waters of the United States rule, the withdrawal of the Obama-era methane rule and EPA's proposed changes to vehicle emissions standards.
Updated at 2:03 p.m.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates generally to the field of medical devices used for the transport of both gaseous and liquid fluids and more specifically, to a male bayonet connector for creating a releasable air and fluid seal connection between one or more sections of tubing and a female latch connector.
2. Description of Related Art
Tubing sections, for example, medical tubing, must often be joined together to provide for gas and/or liquid fluid flow from one component to another. It is further often desirable to connect and disconnect tubing sections from one another. For example, when a patient's blood pressure is taken with an automatic blood pressure monitor, tubing from the blood pressure cuff (which is generally wrapped around the patient's arm) is connected to the tubing that is connected to the blood pressure monitor. To disconnect the cuff from the blood pressure monitor, it is desirable to merely detach the tubing section connected to the cuff from the tubing connected to the blood pressure monitor. Similarly, when providing intravenous fluids, it is often required to replace an empty fluid bag with a full fluid bag without removing the intravenous needle or stent from the patient. In order to switch between the first fluid bag and the second fluid bag, it is desirable to merely detach a tubing section connected with the fluid bag to the tubing section connected with the needle or stent placed intravenously in the patient, which can then be easily connected with a tubing section connected with the new fluid bag.
Existing tubing connectors are prone to leakage and unwanted disconnection when the patient is still receiving treatment via the connected tubes due to side-loads caused by the weight of the connected tubes and components, as well as accidental pulling of the tubes by the patient or medical personnel.
Furthermore, certain medical devices require the use of multiple tubes for supplying air or fluid between the patient and the device. For example, certain models of blood pressure monitors, such as the Dinamap Procare series, manufactured by General Electric, employ dual tubes for connecting the blood pressure cuff to the monitor. As such, a connector including multiple air passages for directing airflow between the tube segments is desirable, so as to avoid having to individually connect and disconnect multiple connectors when hooking or unhooking a patient to the monitor.
The information included in this Background section of the specification, including any references cited herein and any description or discussion thereof, is included for technical reference purposes only and is not to be regarded subject matter by which the scope of the invention is to be bound.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
USPTO Backgrounds
|
Today I took the front wheel apart by unscrewing all the spokes then I disassembled the axle and bearings. A heat gun is your best ally when taking pressed together assemblies apart. I will do the rear wheel and send the hubs off to Matt at Speed and Sport for new Sun rims and spokes. Why not send it straight to Buchanan wheel and spoke? Well Matt does a great job and he will refinish the hubs to my specification. Besides Matt sponsors the AHRMA trials series on the west coast and he is a great guy.
Pay close attention to the wheel bearings and the spacers. And the bearing in the rear brake drum.The inner spacers are often not correct length, and often are not cut square on the ends, which leads to the bearings being partly askew when installed. Also, we have found that the ceramic bearings available at fairly low cost are great in this wheel bearing application. I think they are 6203, if I remember correctly. Reduces rolling resistance tremendously. It has worked out very well for us.
I will definitely look the spacers over. The biggest problem for a trials bike is that moisture tends to kill wheel bearings and brake shoes. Generally after a trials itís a good idea to disassemble the wheels and clean out the hubs of dirt and moisture but thatís not always possible. Do the ceramic bearings come sealed on both sides?
I will definitely look the spacers over. The biggest problem for a trials bike is that moisture tends to kill wheel bearings and brake shoes. Generally after a trials itís a good idea to disassemble the wheels and clean out the hubs of dirt and moisture but thatís not always possible. Do the ceramic bearings come sealed on both sides?
You can get them sealed or unsealed, or just one side sealed. And the shields/seals are typically rubber, and can be removed or re-fitted at will.Normally the affordable ceramic bearings just have ceramic balls, and the races are still steel, so the races can still rust. But the balls won't. I guess that's half the battle, anyway.
UPS arrived today with a package from Speed and Sport. It contained a set of weld on foot pegs, new trials bend handlebars and a side stand kit. The side stand is a major pain in the ass and having built one from scratch I know how hard it is to make the thing work correctly and so to me well worth the $130 for the kit. It mounts to the right hand side of the swing arm (or swinging arm) and comes with instructions on how to weld the thing together. The foot pegs look slightly short. I will have to offer them up to the frame and see.
Beautifully made English chromed steel control levers, an English built Wassell trials seat and new Enfield front forks from India arrived today. Also I cut out the spokes and disassembled the rear wheel down to the hub. Whoever greased the wheel bearings used enough grease for 10 or 12 sets of wheel bearings and I am not kidding! Both hubs were completely filled with grease. What a mess! The grease had contaminated the rear brake shoes and fortunately I have a new set in the box of stuff I got with the bike. The hubs are going to Speed and Sport hopefully tomorrow.
You can get them sealed or unsealed, or just one side sealed. And the shields/seals are typically rubber, and can be removed or re-fitted at will.Normally the affordable ceramic bearings just have ceramic balls, and the races are still steel, so the races can still rust. But the balls won't. I guess that's half the battle, anyway.
This I do with all sealed bearings. Gently wiggle a tiny flat tool tip in and pop the seals out, flush away the sneeze of shipping grease the factory's are so fond of putting in and re pack the bearing almost completely full with a grease more suited to the environment the bearing will be operating in and then with only thump pressure reinstall the seal.
Logged
I can break it better,,,,at night, in the rain, on the trail,, 20 miles from nowhere.
REA #136
"TIMEX", the '06 Iron Barrel Military that takes me everywhere I want to go... and some places I shouldn't.
This I do with all sealed bearings. Gently wiggle a tiny flat tool tip in and pop the seals out, flush away the sneeze of shipping grease the factory's are so fond of putting in and re pack the bearing almost completely full with a grease more suited to the environment the bearing will be operating in and then with only thump pressure reinstall the seal.
Hi Ice,Are you sure more grease is better? I would be interested to know from an engineering standpoint.Dave
Well after reinstalling all the spacers and bearings axles etc. back into bare hubs then installing forks into the lower triple clamp and carefully lining everything up it became readily apparent the offset of the rims is the inner edge of the brake drum for both the front and the rear. A pain in the ass. The bearings are a bitch. I am sure there is a special tool to reinstall bearings and I donít have it. After talking with Matt at Speed and Sport I am going to send the swing arm with the hubs as it needs to be modified so the bigger trials tire will fit. This involves cutting out the inside walls of the round swing arm and welding in flat plates creating more room.
Hi Ice,Are you sure more grease is better? I would be interested to know from an engineering standpoint.Dave
Sorry mate, no engineering degree here. Am I sure more grease is better? for road racing no, for year round riding and jeeping in western WA. and industrial food machinery in sanitizer wash down environments, oh yah It might be overkill for most folks in America but it sure does rain a lot around Puget Sound. I think boaters are in agreement with the principal as they have those nifty spring and plunger loaded axle hub caps on their trailers that keep the bearings full of grease.
Your forks are bent ? I have a pair of Yamaha forks and triple clamps that have been modded to fit a Bullet. If you want 'em you can have 'em for the cost of shipping. PM me an e mail address or phone number that I can send pics to so you can take a look before deciding.
Logged
I can break it better,,,,at night, in the rain, on the trail,, 20 miles from nowhere.
REA #136
"TIMEX", the '06 Iron Barrel Military that takes me everywhere I want to go... and some places I shouldn't.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
“I am the light of the world. He that followeth me, walketh not in darkness” (Jn.VIII, 12)
Since faith is one, it must be professed in all its purity and integrity". Pope Francis/Pope Benedict
email:[email protected]
Sunday, 21 July 2013
Pope John Paul II was a Prophet (Part 1)
In 1994, Pope John Paul II wrote a "Letter to Families". How many of us, read, studied and even more importantly, put into action in our lives his words? The Holy Father seemed to a "voice crying in the wilderness". When was the last time you received a pastoral letter from your bishops, or heard your parish priest preach and teach on the "great crisis"? May God forgive those in authority who betrayed the Holy Father and the Church.
Reading the following words, one can see that not only was John Paul II a prophet, but that - sadly - the monstrous horrors he warned about are alive and well: consider - the recent triumphalist homosexualist "parade" in Toronto (attended by "Catholics"; including a so-called "religious service"), the promotion and growing acceptance of the concept on GSAs in our Catholic schools, the ongoing revolt of the Catholic teachers union (OECTA) against faith and morals... Catholic families in meltdown with abortion, contraception and sexual deviancy...
Who can deny that our age is one marked by a great crisis, which appears above all as a profound "crisis of truth"? A crisis of truth means, in the first place, a crisis of concepts. Do the words "love", "freedom", "sincere gift", and even "person" and "rights of the person", really convey their essential meaning? This is why the Encyclical on the "splendour of truth" (Veritatis Splendor) has proved so meaningful and important for the Church and for the world—especially in the West. Only if the truth about freedom and the communion of persons in marriage and in the family can regain its splendour, will the building of the civilization of love truly begin and will it then be possible to speak concretely—as the Council did—about "promoting the dignity of marriage and the family".
Why is the "splendour of truth" so important? First of all, by way of contrast: the development of contemporary civilization is linked to a scientific and technological progress which is often achieved in a one-sided way, and thus appears purely positivistic. Positivism, as we know, results in agnosticism in theory and utilitarianism in practice and in ethics. In our own day, history is in a way repeating itself. Utilitarianism is a civilization of production and of use, a civilization of "things" and not of "persons", a civilization in which persons are used in the same way as things are used. In the context of a civilization of use, woman can become an object for man, children a hindrance to parents, the family an institution obstructing the freedom of its members.
To be convinced that this is the case, one need only look at certain sexual education programmes introduced into the schools, often notwithstanding the disagreement and even the protests of many parents; or pro-abortion tendencies which vainly try to hide behind the so-called "right to choose" ("pro-choice") on the part of both spouses, and in particular on the part of the woman. These are only two examples; many more could be mentioned.
It is evident that in this sort of a cultural situation the family cannot fail to feel threatened, since it is endangered at its very foundations. Everything contrary to the civilization of love is contrary to the whole truth about man and becomes a threat to him: it does not allow him to find himself and to feel secure, as spouse, parent, or child.
So-called "safe sex", which is touted by the "civilization of technology", is actually, in view of the overall requirements of the person, radically not safe, indeed it is extremely dangerous. It endangers both the person and the family. And what is this danger? It is the loss of the truth about one's own self and about the family,together with the risk of a loss of freedom and consequently of a loss of love itself. "You will know the truth", Jesus says, "and the truth will make you free" (Jn 8:32): the truth, and only the truth, will prepare you for a love which can be called "fairest love" (cf. Sir 24:24, Vulg.).
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Eight states hold primary elections tonight, but all eyes will be on California, where Democrats could get shut out in key House races in the Golden State because of California’s top-two jungle primary system.
Alabama, New Jersey, Iowa, Mississippi, New Mexico, Montana, and South Dakota will also hold primaries.
Breitbart’s Sean Moran is on the ground in the Big Sky state, covering the GOP Senate primary. Moran will be sending in updates from Matt Rosendale’s campaign headquarters.
Read Breitbart California’s Joel Pollak’s preview of the most important California House primaries here.
Stay tuned to Breitbart News for live updates of all of the key results. All times eastern.
—
2:00 AM: CA state senator Josh Newman (D-Fullerton) looks like he will be recalled for supporting the gas tax and replaced by Republican Ling Ling Chang, which means Democrats will lose their supermajority in the state senate.
1:50 AM: Persky (Stanford rape case judge) likely will be first CA judge to be recalled since 1932
Michele Dauber who led #recall aimed at Judge #AaronPersky speaks out w voter approval winning w wide margin: uses victim’s words to cap recall movement. pic.twitter.com/pphT6fLxbo — Robert Handa (@RHandaNBC) June 6, 2018
1:45 AM: Rosendale now giving victory speech in Helena:
“We’re here to slaughter the hog of big government,” he said.
(Sean Moran/Breitbart News)
1:35 AM: AP Calls Montana GOP Senate Primary for Matt Rosendale.
1:25 AM:
California Primary: Big Night for Republicans as John Cox Qualifies for November Ballot | Breitbart https://t.co/jGINEI9tGx — Joel B. Pollak (@joelpollak) June 6, 2018
1:20 AM: Breitbart’s Sean Moran in Montana:
Rosendale continues to lead at 33.7 percent of the vote, while Fagg has 29.2 percent, with 48 percent of precincts reporting.
Rosendale looks to have won #mtsen GOP primary, as he slowly pulls away from Fagg. But, still votes to be counted. #mtpol #mtnews — Mike Dennison (@mikedennison) June 6, 2018
1:15 AM: Ummmm….
12:35 AM: Rosendale in good shape in Montana:
It’s going to be Rosendale in Montana. He’s up by about 2,000 votes and while only 1/3 of the precincts are in about 60% of the expected vote is in. Fagg just not winning outside of Yellowstone and nearby counties while Rosendale winning most everywhere else. — Henry Olsen (@henryolsenEPPC) June 6, 2018
12: 23 AM: NBC and CNN project Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox will get the second spot in the gubernatorial race and face off against Newsom. Cox surged after Trump endorsed his candidacy.
JUST IN: Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox will be one of the top two finishers in California’s jungle primary and will advance to the November election to face off against Democrat @GavinNewsom. pic.twitter.com/QgqHakcWmy — Fox News (@FoxNews) June 6, 2018
Cox is already slamming Newsom; says CA state income tax would double if Newsom gets his way — Rob McMillan (@abc7robmcmillan) June 6, 2018
Cox: “Newsom loves San Francisco with homeless in the streets… and a housing crisis… I don’t think Newsom deserves a promotion.” — Rob McMillan (@abc7robmcmillan) June 6, 2018
JUST IN: Republican John Cox will face Democrat Gavin Newsom in California Governor's race in November #CaliforniaPrimary2018 pic.twitter.com/60ZO4gIwqN — NBC Politics (@NBCPolitics) June 6, 2018
12:21 AM: Villaraigosa:
Antonio Villaraigosa expected to speak soon … his staff just hand delivered a press release saying he’s calling for polls to remain open until Friday due to printing glitch that left thousands of LA County voters off the rolls by mistake pic.twitter.com/JQllepwj1Q — Mary Plummer (@maryplummer) June 6, 2018
12:17 AM:
Cox tells @FoxNews he likes the early polling returns, he’s hitting back at “experts” who predicted Newsom/Villaraigosa in the top 2. He says California has been beaten down by the Democrats, and they they keep reaching their hands in other peoples pockets. He’s fired up! @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/Zso8pK2IdA — Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) June 6, 2018
12:15 AM: Left-wing CA “Resistance” AG Becerra celebrating election night at Planned Parenthood party:
AG @XavierBecerra celebrating election night at Planned Parenthood party in Sacramento pic.twitter.com/FYgW8Vs0aR — Laurel Rosenhall (@LaurelRosenhall) June 6, 2018
12:07 AM: Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom projected to secure one of the two spots for November’s gubernatorial race.
12:05 AM: From Breitbart’s Sean Moran in Montana:
At 12:04 PM ET Matt Rosendale took first place in the Montana Republican primary, 31.9 percent of the vote and Russ Fagg with 31.7 percent of the vote. The Rosendale headquarters erupted in applause and cheers as the state auditor took the lead… 28 percent of the polls are reporting.
11:55 PM: Good news so far for Californians opposed to the gas tax increase (measure to repeal gas tax could be a big turnout booster in the fall):
In CA-39, R's talked up this recall election of a Dem state senator who voted for the gas tax hike as a tool to boost GOP energy. Results so far: pic.twitter.com/Z2XcBtc5t1 — Steve Kornacki (@SteveKornacki) June 6, 2018
11:50 PM: In California, Breitbart’s Joel Pollak notes that “early results in California look favorable for Republican John Cox in his quest to qualify for the November ballot against Democrat Gavin Newsom. There are very few results in from Southern California, however.” Exit polls had Cox in second behind Newsom and Villaraigosa fourth behind Republican Travis Allen.
11:42 PM: Noem wins GOP gubernatorial primary in South Dakota:
11:35 PM: In a given, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) secures one of the two spots for CA’s Senate race. State Senator Kevin de Leon, the left-wing author of the state’s “sanctuary state” law, not guaranteed to get the second spot.
Tonight's victory was because of you. Thanks so much for your support and for your faith in me. Now it's on to November! #CaliforniaPrimary2018 pic.twitter.com/RnnTOEQ9dp — Dianne Feinstein (@DianneFeinstein) June 6, 2018
11: 30 PM: Another Montana update from Boyle:
As of 11:28 p.m. ET, some discrepancies in still early Montana Senate primary results. CNN has Matt Rosendale in the lead, while the New York Times and Politico have Russell Fagg in the lead. Still 80 percent out there. It’s going to be a long night in Montana.
11:10 PM: Montana update from Breitbart’s Matt Boyle:
Early returns in Montana’s Senate primary show a razor thin race for now on the GOP side as conservative Matt Rosendale is within a couple hundred votes of establishment-backed Russell Fagg. Fagg was out to an early lead of nearly 10,000 votes but Rosendale has closed in on him quick, making this race one to watch with just over 16 percent of precincts reporting so far. Whoever wins this nomination will face off against Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT) in November, a top GOP pick-up opportunity in a state President Donald Trump crushed Hillary Rodham Clinton in in November 2016.
UPDATE: 32.1% — Russell Fagg — 20,503
31.7% — Matt Rosendale — 20,235
11:06 PM: Rep. Kristi Noem (R-SD) leading in gubernatorial primary. Could become first female governor in South Dakota.
Some cheers from Noem camp as early results show her leading Jackley with 62 percent of precincts reporting pic.twitter.com/BVs3tjBvKU — Dana Ferguson (@bydanaferguson) June 6, 2018
11:02 PM: Early exit poll has GOP gubernatorial candidate John Cox in second behind Dem. Lieutenant Governor Gavin Newsom.
11:00 PM: Polls now closed in California.
10: 55 PM: CA Dem. gubernatorial candidate Antonio Villaraigosa wants polls to be kept open longer because roughly 118,000 voters were left off the rolls in Los Angeles County.
I'm calling on @LACountyRRCC to keep the polls open longer because of the unprecedented number of voters left off the voter rolls. You have the right to vote. If you were turned away, return to your polling place & exercise your right to vote by requesting a provisional ballot. pic.twitter.com/hLxVPaa9ML — Antonio Villaraigosa (@antonio4ca) June 6, 2018
10:43 PM: Breitbart’s Sean Moran in Montana:
10:26 PM: Montana update from Breitbart’s Sean Moran:
With 5 percent of the polls reporting, Fagg leads at 53 percent to Rosendale’s 22.7 percent. Fagg has a stronghold in Yellowstone county, where Rosendale’s support is more dispersed throughout the state.
10:25 PM: Roby in Alabama looks like she’ll be in a runoff:
50% reporting from AL2, and Rep Martha Roby R-AL is at 39%; still looks like she's heading for a GOP runoff — Jamie Dupree (@jamiedupree) June 6, 2018
10:09 PM: From Breitbart’s Sean Moran in Montana: With 4,206 votes in, Matt Rosendale leads with 46 percent of the vote, Russell Fagg 27 percent, and Albert Olszewski has 16 percent of the vote
9:45 PM: Error left 118,000 voters off roster in Los Angeles County. Could impact retiring GOP Rep. Ed Royce’s District (CA-39), which includes a small part of Los Angeles County.
According to CNN:
A random printing error on the voter roster in Los Angeles County caused widespread confusion in the midst of voting in the California primary on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder said that the names of 118,522 voters were omitted from the roster that poll workers use to check in voters at their polling place. In an interview, a spokesman with the county registrar said the office did not know what parts of the county were affected, but some 1,530 precincts of the 4,357 Los Angeles County voting locations were impacted.
9:25 PM: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) projected to win Dem. nomination in NJ by a margin that is hardly overwhelming despite not having a serious challenger from the left. May mean he’ll be in some trouble in the fall against Hugin. Menendez’s opponent, Lisa McCormick, got nearly 40% of the vote despite getting no funding. Even Dem. voters in New Jersey may be sending Menendez a message.
9:00 PM: Bob Hugin wins GOP Senate nomination in New Jersey, and his race is called before Menendez’s. He will face Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) in the fall.
8:55 PM: Establishment GOP Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) cruises to win without serious primary challenge in Mississippi:
8:50 PM: Breitbart’s Joel Pollak in California:
8:40 PM: Voter turnout update from Orange County, California. Resistance Democrats hoping to avoid a catastrophic night in three O.C. Congressional Districts.
Here's the latest turnout update: The same time period in 2016 (3pm) we had a 9.93% in-person turnout. In 2014 it was 3.16% and today it is 4.28%. Another update after 6pm. #VoteOC2018 pic.twitter.com/T3F5Ir7lfp — OC Registrar (@OCRegistrar) June 6, 2018
8:30 PM: Something to look out for in tight California races:
https://twitter.com/kathrynw5/status/1004155867950960640
8:20 PM: New Jersey Republican Senate candidate Bob Hugin getting ready to take on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ). Read Breitbart’s Matt Boyle’s piece on the very slim lead Menendez has over Hugin in the polls.
Candidate Bob Hugin is already mingling with party faithful-first time I’ve ever seen any candidate emerge at 8:02pm pic.twitter.com/LGZRzCtB1m — Brenda Flanagan (@FlanaganNJTV) June 6, 2018
8:10 PM: Polls are now closed in Alabama. Will anti-Trump Congresswoman Martha Roby prevail tonight? Trump, using a “loyalty test,” is reportedly not going to endorse candidates who have slammed him, which could mean trouble for Roby if there is a runoff after tonight.
Polls close in California at 11 p.m. ET. Can Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox, who has surged after President Donald Trump’s endorsement, make it on the November ballot? In Montana, will Matt Rosendale prevail?
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Hannes Bok
Hannes Bok, pseudonym for Wayne Francis Woodard (July 2, 1914 – April 11, 1964), was an American artist and illustrator, as well as an amateur astrologer and writer of fantasy fiction and poetry. He painted nearly 150 covers for various science fiction, fantasy, and detective fiction magazines, as well as contributing hundreds of black and white interior illustrations. Bok's work graced the pages of calendars and early fanzines, as well as dust jackets from specialty book publishers like Arkham House, Llewellyn, Shasta Publishers, and Fantasy Press. His paintings achieved a luminous quality through the use of an arduous glazing process, which was learned from his mentor, Maxfield Parrish. Bok shared one of the inaugural 1953 Hugo Awards for science fiction achievement (best Cover Artist).
Today, Bok is best known for his cover art which appeared on various pulp and science fiction magazines, such as Weird Tales, Famous Fantastic Mysteries, Other Worlds, Super Science Stories, Imagination, Fantasy Fiction, Planet Stories, If, Castle of Frankenstein and The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction.
Life and career
Wayne Woodard (the name is sometimes mistakenly rendered as "Woodward") was born in Kansas City, Missouri. His parents divorced when he was five; and his father and stepmother, strict disciplinarians, discouraged his artistic efforts. Once he graduated high school, in Duluth, Minnesota, Bok cut off contact with his father and moved to Seattle to live with his mother. There he became active in SF fandom, including the publication and illustration of fanzines. It was in connection with these activities that he originated his pseudonym, first "Hans", then "Hannes", Bok. The pseudonym derives from Johann Sebastian Bach (whose name can be rendered both as "Johann S. Bach" and "Johannes Bach").
In 1937, Bok moved to Los Angeles, where he met Ray Bradbury. In 1938, he relocated to Seattle – where he worked for the W.P.A. and became acquainted with artists like Mark Tobey and Morris Graves. Late in 1939, Bok moved to New York City in order to be closer to the editors and magazines which would publish his work, and where he became a member of the influential Futurians science fiction fans. Bok had corresponded with and had met Maxfield Parrish (ca. 1939?), and the influence of Parrish's art on Bok's is evident in his choice of subject matter, use of color, and application of glazes. Bok was also homosexual, according to friends Forrest J Ackerman and Emil Petaja; the erotic fantasy elements of his artwork, especially his male nude subjects, display homoerotic overtones unusual for the time.
Like his contemporary Virgil Finlay, Hannes Bok broke into commercial art and achieved initial career success as a Weird Tales artist – though he did so through one of the stranger events in the history of science fiction and fantasy. In the summer of 1939, Ray Bradbury carried samples of Bok's art eastward to introduce his friend's work to magazine editors at the first World Science Fiction Convention. This was a bold move, since Bradbury was a neophyte with no connections to commercial art or the magazine industry; but it reflects the close ties within the fan and professional community. Bradbury was, at the time, a 19-year-old newspaper seller, and he borrowed funds for the trip from fellow science fiction fan Forrest J Ackerman. Bradbury succeeded; Farnsworth Wright, editor of Weird Tales, accepted Bok's art, which debuted in the December 1939 issue of Weird Tales. More than 50 issues of the magazine featured Bok's pen-and-ink work until March 1954. Bok also executed six color covers for Weird Tales between March 1940 and March 1942. Weird Tales also published five of Bok's stories and two of his poems between 1942 and 1951. Once he broke through into professional publications, Bok moved to New York City and lived there the rest of his life.
Throughout his life, Bok was deeply interested in astrology, as well as in the music of the Finnish composer Jean Sibelius, with whom Bok had a correspondence. (Bok's copy of Karl Ekman's Jean Sibelius: His Life and Personality [Knopf, 1938], for example, is annotated with Bok's comments and astrological charts.) As the years passed, Bok became prone to disagreements with editors over money and artistic issues; he grew reclusive and mystical, and preoccupied with the occult. He eked out a living, often in near poverty, until his death in 1964. He died, apparently of a heart attack (he "starved to death" according to Ackerman), at the age of 49. ISFDB catalogs only a few 1956 interior illustrations after March 1954, his last for Weird Tales, and only two cover illustrations after January 1957.
Bok as an author
As an author, Bok is best known for his novels The Sorcerer's Ship, originally published in the December 1942 issue of John W. Campell's fantasy magazine Unknown; and The Blue Flamingo/Beyond the Golden Stair. The Blue Flamingo first appeared in the January 1948 issue of Startling Stories. Bok later performed an extensive revision and expansion of this work, published posthumously as Beyond the Golden Stair (1970). Both novels have been re-issued in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series. Bok also was allowed to complete two novellas left unfinished by A. Merritt at the time of his death in 1943. These were published as The Blue Pagoda (1946) and The Black Wheel (1947). (Bok's commitment to fantasy and science fiction had occurred in 1927 in connection with Merritt's The Moon Pool in Amazing Stories – one of those conversion experiences common among young SF fans.) Also published posthumously was a collection of Bok's poetry, Spinner of Silver and Thistle (1972).
Bok as an artist
Bok is better known for his art than for his fiction. His style could alternate between, or combine, lush romanticism and humorous grotesquery. His use of time-consuming glazing techniques for his paintings impeded his productivity and limited his output, and therefore his commercial success. He also spent time carving figures in wood and making masks in papier mache. In the 1950s he was able to do more book-jacket illustrations, which he found less irksome than magazine work; though he could never have abandoned the latter. His striking wraparound cover for the November 1963 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, illustrating Roger Zelazny's "A Rose for Ecclesiastes", was published in the last months of his life.
Bok and Ed Emshwiller shared one of the inaugural Hugo Awards for science fiction achievement in 1953, as the previous year's best "Cover Artist" (a tie); Virgil Finlay was recognized as the best "Interior Illustrator". Cover and interior illustration were not thereafter distinguished by the Hugo Award for Best Artist under various names.
Bok and Emil Petaja
The science fiction and fantasy author Emil Petaja (1915–2000) was lifelong friend of Bok and collector of his work. After Bok's death, Petaja did as much as anyone to keep the artist's work before the public eye.
Bok and Petaja first met in the summer of 1936. According to Petaja, Bok and his friend Harold Taves were hitch-hiking from Seattle to New York City when they stopped off in Montana, USA, to see the aspiring writer. At first correspondents, Bok and Petaja soon became close friends. The two had much in common – including an interest in fantasy fiction, the Kalevala (the Finnish verse epic), and the music of Sibelius.
Petaja's first book, Brief Candle (1936), contained twelve poems by Petaja and twelve illustrations by Bok. Petaja printed this now rare chapbook by running-off copies on the mimeograph machines at Bozeman Campus, Montana State University, where he was a student in creative writing. According to Petaja, approximately 40 to 50 copies were printed with many "given to friends and well wishers."
Bok and Petaja's friendship continued in Los Angeles, where each had relocated in 1937. Throughout 1937 and 1938, Petaja and Bok shared an apartment, and together they attended fan meetings, haunted second-hand book and magazine shops, went to the movies, and helped each other with their poems and stories. They also immersed themselves in the primordial Los Angeles science fiction scene. Bok and Petaja befriended Ray Bradbury – then still a teenager – as well as Forrest J. Ackerman, Henry Kuttner and others.
In And Flights of Angels, Petaja recounts: "Perhaps when all is washed down over the dam, my major claim to fame will rest in the fact that it was I who got Hannes down to Los Angeles and I who dragged him, reluctantly, to the meetings of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society. Where we met Ray Bradbury. . . . It was at Clifton's Cafeteria on Broadway. We couldn't afford to eat there, usually, but we took advantage of the free lime sherbet. In that fabled back room where so many of the s-f elite have sat around the long table chewing the fat, fanwize, Hannes first met Forrie Ackerman, Henry Kuttner, et al. But it was Ray Bradbury who took to Hannes instanter and proved to be such a rare and wonderful friend to him a little later on."
"Besides introducing Hannes to Ray Bradbury, I take pride in the fact that this brief Los Angeles period of Bok's life was one of the most productive of his life. He produced a dozen color paintings based on Peer Gynt, as samples to show book publishers what he could do. He painted "The Mermaid" and several Enchanted City themes. He wrote scads of poetry. All of which does indicate that, for all his beefs, he was happy then. He might lash out cruelly about this or that, but nobody I have known had as great a capacity for enjoying and sensating all there was around him."
In 1967, three years after Bok's death, Petaja founded the Bokanalia Memorial Foundation. The foundation was set up "with the help and encouragement of Harold Taves of Seattle and Ray Bradbury of Los Angeles and the Golden Gate Futurians of San Francisco . . . . The avowed intention of Bokanalia is simply to keep the great imaginative art of Hannes Bok from slipping into oblivion, and to make new (better than pulp) prints available to his many admirers all over the world".
Between 1967 and 1970, Petaja published five portfolios of Bok's art. Those portfolios include Variations on Bok Theme, (black & white portfolio, 1967); The Famous Power Series, (black & white portfolio, with text by Bok, 1969); and A Memorial Portfolio, (color portfolio, with booklet with text by Petaja, 1970). Petaja also authored a commemorative volume, And Flights of Angels: The Life and Legend of Hannes Bok (Bokanalia Memorial Foundation, 1968). Along with brief contributions from Roger Zelazny, Jack Gaughan, Donald Wollheim and others, And Flights of Angels contains Petaja's long biographical essay on the artist, a checklist of Bok's published artwork and writings, and reproductions of a substantial number of the artist's drawings, prints and illustrations. Later, under the SISU imprint (and on behalf of the Bokanalia Foundation), Petaja published an illustrated volume of Bok's poetry, Spinner of Silver and Thistle (1972), as well as editing The Hannes Bok Memorial Showcase of Fantasy Art (1974).
Much of the Bok material included in the portfolios and books published and authored by Petaja came from Petaja's personal collection. Petaja owned at least a dozen paintings, as well as dozens of sketches, drawings, prints and three-dimensional objects. Among Petaja's most beloved possessions was the first sketch Bok ever drew for him, a piece from 1936 called "Gleef," which hung on the wall of Petaja's San Francisco home. Petaja also collected examples of Bok's published work – such as magazine covers, interior illustrations, dust jackets, book covers, and more. Additionally, Petaja amassed Bok manuscripts (both published and unpublished fiction and poetry), as well as letters, books, other printed matter and unique, one-of-a-kind objects.
See also
References
External links
Cuyler W. Brooks Jr.'s "Hannes Bok Illustration Index"
Spacelight: Hannes Bok
Hannes Bok gallery at American Art Archives
Category:1914 births
Category:1964 deaths
Category:20th-century astrologers
Category:20th-century American male writers
Category:20th-century American novelists
Category:American astrologers
Category:American fantasy writers
Category:American illustrators
Category:American male novelists
Category:American science fiction writers
Category:American speculative fiction artists
Category:Futurians
Category:Hugo Award-winning artists
Category:Science fiction artists
Category:Science fiction fans
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
Background
==========
Over the last decades waiting lists for elective surgery have become a common feature of health care systems that are centrally organized and publicly funded. Although waiting lists can serve a purpose in rationing scarce resources, overly long delays of necessary treatment can have widespread negative consequences \[[@B1]\] and threaten the principles of providing timely and equitable access to care. Consequently, responsible health authorities have attached high importance to addressing problematic waiting times, amongst others in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Key initiatives that have been issued include the prioritisation of the patients on waiting lists \[[@B2]-[@B4]\] and the setting of maximal waiting time guarantees \[[@B5]-[@B10]\]. Despite the clear and shared purpose of these measures, it is unclear whether they adequately secure equity and timeliness in care provision, as empirical evidence to guide policy decisions in this area is often scarce or lacking.
The prioritisation of patients on the waiting list is intended to diminish the burden of waiting lists \[[@B11]\]. The far-reaching and diverse consequences of waiting lists, however, provide various medical, social, financial, and legal arguments to prioritise a patient. Several reports accordingly indicate that priority is assigned on the basis of a variety of clinical and non-clinical factors including personal preferences \[[@B12]-[@B19]\]. While uniform criteria for prioritisation are supported and adopted in some countries \[[@B4],[@B5]\], there is still little evidence on the acceptance and equity of explicit prioritisation and on the ethical basis and the criteria that are considered appropriate for assigning priority.
Maximal waiting time guarantees for clinical treatment are a pragmatic means to secure timely care provision and to keep the consequences of waiting acceptable. The thresholds that are currently used, however, show a wide range and seem to be set rather arbitrarily. Whilst waiting time guarantees range between 3 and 6 months in the UK \[[@B5]\], Sweden \[[@B6]\], and New Zealand \[[@B8]\], the Dutch government, following a joint proposal of several medical organisations, set the maximum waiting time target for hospital treatment to 7 weeks, whereas 80% of the patients should be treated within 5 weeks \[[@B10]\]. These apparent differences in waiting time cut-off point, signify that most cut-off points are set fairly arbitrarily and it raises the question which waiting time thresholds would signify timely access to care and could from that viewpoint be deemed acceptable.
As the adequacy and acceptability of current waiting list policies is unclear, our study aims to outline the views and preferences of different stakeholders on various closely related aspects of prioritising patients and acceptable waiting times in care provision. We specifically studied the views of groups directly involved in care delivery and receipt in the area of elective surgery: patients, surgeons, occupational physicians (OPs), and general practitioners (GPs). Our study aims to assess their opinions on the following four aspects:
\(1\) the general acceptability of waiting lists for hospital care;
\(2\) the fairness of clinical prioritisation, and the appropriate ethical basis and methods for it;
\(3\) the acceptability of priority care based on non-clinical factors; and
\(4\) the maximally acceptable waiting times and their determinants for patients on elective surgical waiting lists.
Concerning the latter aspect our study focuses on waiting times for elective surgery for varicose veins, inguinal hernia, and gallstones. These three procedures were selected as they are known for lengthy waiting times within general surgery which comprises approximately 20% of the patients on hospital waiting lists \[[@B19]-[@B21]\].
While surgeons, OPs and GPs are all directly involved in the care delivery for surgical patients they clearly have different roles in it. Their specialties make them encounter slightly different patient populations on a daily basis. It can be expected these factors result in differences in their views on the appropriateness of criteria for prioritisation and on the acceptability of waiting times. With regard to prioritisation criteria it can therefore be hypothesised that the surgeons\' primary role of restoring the patient\'s physical function will make them focus relatively more on these medical aspects. OPs, being responsible for the patient\'s return to work, may attach more importance to interferences with work when prioritising. For GPs, as generalists, and patients themselves a less distinct preference might be expected.
The patient populations seen by the different groups of doctors are likely to provide a frame of reference regarding judgements concerning the urgency of patients and the subsequent maximally acceptable waiting times. Accordingly, surgeons, who encounter proportionally more patients with more severe conditions than GPs and OPs, could find somewhat longer waiting times acceptable for the elective patient groups in the study. On a similar note, the patient groups, most directly affected by waiting, may be expected to be the least willing to find waiting acceptable.
Methods
=======
Study sample
------------
Postal questionnaires were sent out in May 2003 to the following groups:
\- Three samples of 132 former patients who had been on a waiting list for surgical treatment of varicose veins, inguinal hernia, and gallstones respectively. These were randomly drawn from the participants in an earlier cross-sectional study on the consequences of waiting for surgery which started in mid 2001 and continued throughout 2002 \[[@B23]\]. The participants in that study were recruited from the waiting lists of 27 Dutch hospitals and appeared to be representative for the population of patients on hospital waiting lists for the 3 conditions of concern. Median waiting times these patients encountered were: 24 weeks for varicose vein surgery, 16 weeks for inguinal hernia surgery and 16 weeks for surgery for gallstones \[[@B23]\].
\- A random sample of 200 surgeons (including trainees) derived from the registration of practising members of the Association of Surgeons of the Netherlands. Membership is held by the vast majority (\> 90%) of surgeons practising in the Netherlands.
\- Random samples of respectively 200 practising GPs, and 200 practising OPs derived from the registration and information division of the Royal Dutch Medical Association. These registrations contain all GPs and OPs practising in the Netherlands.
Sample sizes were determined on the basis of population size for the different groups of doctors (between 1000 and 2000) which were taken to require 80 to 100 persons per group to ensure a sufficient precision level for the purposes of our survey \[[@B24]\]. Based on previous experiences, response rates among patients were expected to be slightly higher.
Study design and questionnaires
-------------------------------
The questionnaire comprised two parts in addition to questions pertaining to sociodemographic details (e.g. age, sex, profession, and practice form (for doctors)). The first part of the questionnaire consisted of a list of statements that addressed ethical and practical aspects that emerged as important from literature and the public debate on waiting lists of the following topics: the general acceptability of waiting lists for hospital care (4 statements, see Results, Table [4](#T4){ref-type="table"}); the fairness of clinical prioritisation (1 statement, see Results, Table [5](#T5){ref-type="table"}) and the appropriate ethical basis (2 statements, see Results, Table [5](#T5){ref-type="table"}) and methods for it (2 statements, see Results, Table [5](#T5){ref-type="table"}); and the acceptability of priority care based on non-clinical factors (6 statements, see Results, Table [6](#T6){ref-type="table"}). Participants were asked to indicate the degree to which they agreed with each statement on a 5-point scale: fully disagree/disagree to some extent/neutral/agree to some extent/fully agree. We computed mean scale scores from the participants\' responses to assess their general attitude on two of the topics: the acceptability of waiting lists for hospital care (Cronbach\'s α = 0.74) and the acceptability of priority care based on non-clinical factors (Cronbach\'s α = 0.78). Deleting any of the items did not result in improvements of Cronbach\'s α of either scale. With \'neutral\' coded as zero, the mean scale scores can range between -2 and 2.
The second part of the questionnaire addressed the participants\' views on maximally acceptable waiting times for different patients on surgical waiting lists for varicose veins, inguinal hernia, and gallstones. For this part we constructed a series of different paper vignettes of patients for each disorder. These vignettes were designed according to conjoint analysis methodology which is used to analyse judgements on multi-attribute goods \[[@B25]\]. Each vignette described a patient by four characteristics: the physical symptoms, the psychological distress, the social limitations, and impairments in work. These characteristics were selected on the basis of interviews with experts on the consequences of waiting \[[@B1]\] and existing literature on generic priority criteria for waiting lists \[[@B16]\]. Three possible levels were defined for each characteristic, based on the range in outcomes of an earlier study on the consequences of waiting for surgery among patients with the three disorders \[[@B23]\]. The characteristics and their levels are shown in Table [1](#T1){ref-type="table"}. Using a fractional factorial design (Orthoplan, SPSS 10.1) we selected the nine out of 81 (3^4^) possible vignettes per disorder that allowed regression analysis of the judgements on acceptable waiting times. Table [2](#T2){ref-type="table"} shows the composition of these nine vignettes. The participants had to consider each vignette independently and indicate their views on the maximum acceptable waiting time. A sample of the vignettes and the response categories as presented in the questionnaire is shown in Appendix A.
######
The characteristics and their levels used to construct the vignettes of patients.
Characteristic Level Content
------------------------ ------------------- ------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------
*Varicose veins* 1 dislikes cosmetic appearance of varicose veins
2 suffers occasionally from a feeling of heaviness in the leg
3 suffers often from a feeling of heaviness and pain in the leg
Physical symptoms\* *Inguinal hernia* 1 a visible swelling during straining activities but no pain
2 a nagging pain, occasionally
3 continuous nagging sensations but also often severe pain
*Gallstones* 1 less than 1 colic attack per month
2 1 to 2 colic attacks per month
3 2 colic attacks per week
Psychological distress 1 not worried
2 somewhat worried about the symptoms and what might happen while waiting
3 highly worried about the symptoms and what might happen while waiting
Social limitations 1 no limitations during usual social activities
2 some limitations during usual social activities
3 not able to perform usual social activities
Impairments in work 1 still able to work fully
2 has to skip work partially (partially on sick leave)
3 not able to perform job anymore
\*Only the levels for the physical symptoms were different for each disorder.
######
The composition of the nine vignettes by the levels of each characteristic\*.
Vign. \#1 Vign. \#2 Vign. \#3 Vign. \#4 Vign. \#5 Vign. \#6 Vign. \#7 Vign. \#8 Vign. \#9
------------------------ ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- -----------
Physical symptoms 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 1
Psychological distress 2 3 1 3 2 3 1 1 2
Social limitations 3 1 3 2 1 3 1 2 2
Impairments in work 1 2 2 1 3 3 1 3 2
Vign. = Vignette
\* The contents of the levels corresponding with numbers 1,2, and 3 are shown in Table 1)
Procedure
---------
To keep the number of appraisals manageable, each participant was presented with a randomly selected set of vignettes concerning two of the three studied disorders. Questionnaires for patients always included the vignettes on the disorder for which they had been on a waiting list. When patients appraised the vignettes concerning the other disorder, they were deemed to be laypersons. The order in which the disorders were presented in the questionnaire was varied randomly among participants. Variation was also applied to the order in which the vignettes of each disorder were presented.
The two parts of the questionnaire were presented to the participants as follows: firstly 9 vignettes of one disorder, then the list of statements, and finally the 9 vignettes of the second disorder.
Draft versions of the questionnaire were piloted among members of the general public and surgeons to test for completeness and comprehensibility.
The study was approved by the medical ethics committee of the VU University Medical Centre
Analysis
--------
To assess differences between the responses of groups to each statement and between the two mean scale scores we used Mann-Whitney tests and t-tests respectively. SPSS 10.1 was used for these analyses.
The judgements on acceptable waiting times for the vignettes of patients were analysed in two ways. Firstly, descriptive statistics were used to assess the minimum and maximum waiting times from the set of nine responses each participant provided per disorder. In the results section, these minimum and maximum responses are reported as the maximally acceptable waiting times for the vignettes to which the participant ascribed the highest urgency (shortest waiting time) and lowest urgency (longest waiting time) respectively.
Secondly, we performed multilevel ordered proportional odds regression analysis \[[@B26]\] of all responses to assess which factors influenced the participants\' judgements on maximally acceptable waiting times for the vignettes (MLWiN 2.0 \[[@B27]\], estimation procedure: Markov chain Monte Carlo). For this analysis we recoded the responses into 6 categories: 2/5/7/10/15--20/and \> 20 weeks. To address both the possible intra- and the interindividual variation in analysing the responses we used the following independent (explanatory) variables: the disorder and the levels of the 4 characteristics in the vignettes, the response group, and the participant\'s mean score for the scale reflecting the general attitude on the acceptability of waiting lists in health care. The latter variable was included in the analysis to see whether the judgements on a patient\'s urgency might go beyond a judgement of clinical severity and instead reflect the individuals\' personal opinions towards the existence of waiting lists in themselves. This was deemed relevant given the highly elective nature of surgery for the conditions in our study. Possible effects arising from the study design (e.g. the order in which the disorders were presented) were corrected for if significant. Wald χ^2^tests were used to assess whether the effect of independent variables on the judgements on maximally acceptable waiting times was statistically significant (p \< 0.05).
Results
=======
Response
--------
Altogether 518 of 996 (52%) mailed questionnaires were completed. The completed questionnaires of five doctors (1 surgeon, 2 OPs, and 2 GPs) were excluded as they were not practising anymore at the time of the study. Nine patients had also been on a waiting list for the disorder they were supposed to judge as a layperson. Their judgements concerning that disorder were excluded from the results. Final response rates and demographic details are shown in Table [3](#T3){ref-type="table"}. The response rates among GPs and OPs raised some concerns about representativeness. Whilst anonymity of the respondents prevented from a formal non-response analysis among non responders, the representativeness of the participants was assessed by comparing their background variables with overall national statistics \[[@B28],[@B29]\] which are given as a footnote to Table [3](#T3){ref-type="table"}. The respondents\' age largely matched those of the entire groups of GPs and OPs. For GPs response was relatively higher among women, whereas for OPs proportionally more men participated. In addition to these sociodemographics, the distribution of the type of practice among participating GPs matched the national distribution \[[@B28]\]: 27% worked in a single handed practice (vs. 27% nationally), 30.2% worked in a duo-practice (31% nationally) and the remainder worked in practices comprising \> 2 GPs.
######
Response numbers and demographic details of the participants.
Response Sex Age
-------------------------- ------------------- ---------- ------ ------ ------- --------
Patients *Varicose veins* 82 64.6 29.3 54.0 (10.8)
*Inguinal hernia* 86 65.6 94.0 64.4 (12.2)
*Gallstones* 89 68.5 33.7 56.1 (13.1)
Surgeons (30.3% trainee) 100 50.0 91.0 43.5 (9.8)
OPs\* 93 46.7 79.8 47.9 (6.8)
GPs\*\* 63 31.5 64.6 46.5 (7.7)
Note: Eight patients of the original sample were left out when calculating the response rates as their questionnaires were returned undeliverable (moved house or deceased).
\* National statistics for all OPs \[29\]: Age: 47.4 years (est. mean); Sex: 72.5% Male
\*\* National statistics for all GPs \[28\]: Age: 47.8 years (est. mean); Sex: 70% Male
The acceptability of waiting lists in health care (Table [4](#T4){ref-type="table"})
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The positive mean scores on the scale indicate that most GPs and surgeons can accept the existence of waiting lists in health care. Oppositely, the patients responded on average slightly negatively to the statements on the acceptability of waiting lists in health care. Especially the statement that patients should not wait for care as they finance it found agreement by a majority of the patients. The mean scale score for the OPs did not differ significantly from zero (t~92~= 1.23; p = 0.2) indicating on average a neutral attitude towards waiting lists. However, the relatively large standard deviation indicates that opinions were divided in this group. The distribution of the scores showed that 60% of the OPs had a positive scale score and 34% had negative scores.
######
Grouped responses on the statements on the acceptability of waiting lists in health care (%, and mean scale scores).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patients\ Surgeons\ OPs\ GPs\
n = 255 n = 99 n = 93 n = 63
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- ---------------- --------------- --------------- ---------------
Waiting lists are an accepted part of an affordable health care service that is accessible for everyone. Agree 50^ab^ 59^a^ 40^b^ 59^a^
Disagree 36 31 52 33
Since patients pay premiums for care, they should be given that care without having to wait. Agree 64^a^ 37^b^ 47^c^ 33^d^
Disagree 21 51 37 60
Having to wait longer than two weeks for treatment is never acceptable. Agree 43^a^ 13^b^ 22^c^ 16^bc^
Disagree 40 81 68 76
It is acceptable to have waiting lists even in a country as prosperous as the Netherlands. Agree 44^a^ 63^bc^ 57^c^ 71^b^
Disagree 41 25 36 14
Scale scores for attitude towards the acceptability of waiting lists in health care Mean\* (SD) -0.18^a^(0.90) 0.50^b^(0.97) 0.13^c^(1.04) 0.65^b^(0.81)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Percentages do not add to 100 as response category \"neutral\" is not shown; the response categories \"fully disagree\" and \"disagree to some extent\" are combined into \"disagree\", and \"agree to some extent\" and \"fully agree\" are combined into \"agree\".
Note 2: The numbers of patients and surgeons do not correspond fully with overall response numbers. This difference is due to missing values on some statements (the number of missing values per statement never exceeded 3).
^a,b,c^: Non-corresponding superscripts between groups, indicate a significant difference in the responses (p \< 0.05).
\*Mean scale scores can range between -2 and 2 with zero indicating a neutral attitude; positive scores indicate a mean positive attitude.
The fairness of clinical prioritisation and the appropriate ethical basis and methods for it (Table [5](#T5){ref-type="table"})
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The majority in each group (51%--84%) found that prioritising patients on the waiting list would not be inequitable. Most participants (75%--94%) especially agreed to the prioritisation of patients based on the degree of suffering from symptoms. Less approval was found for the anticipated ability to benefit from treatment as a basis for prioritisation. However, a small majority of OPs (53%) agreed with this statement.
######
Grouped responses (%) on the statements on the fairness of prioritisation, and the appropriate ethical basis and methods for it.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patients\ Surgeons\ OPs\ GPs\
n = 255 n = 99 n = 93 n = 63
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------- ----------- ----------- -------- --------
Assigning priority to certain groups of patients on the waiting list is always unjustifiable. Agree 34^a^ 12^b^ 12^b^ 24^b^
Disagree 51 84 79 71
If a patient has demonstrably more complaints as a result of an illness, he/she must be given priority. Agree 82^a^ 91^b^ 75^a^ 94^b^
Disagree 11 5 11 0
A patient should be given priority if it is expected that he/she will benefit more from the treatment than another patient. Agree 28^a^ 41^a^ 53^b^ 33^a^
Disagree 48 43 27 51
If certain patients are given priority, this can only be done in compliance with a nationally agreed system. Agree 55^a^ 30^b^ 59^a^ 62^a^
Disagree 23 55 20 19
If it is allowed to prioritise patients, this works best if the physician can determine by him/herself which patients are given priority Agree 43^a^ 73^b^ 42^a^ 46^a^
Disagree 41 16 37 33
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Percentages do not add to 100 as response category \"neutral\" is not shown; the response categories \"fully disagree\" and \"disagree to some extent\" are combined into \"disagree\", and \"agree to some extent\" and \"fully agree\" are combined into \"agree\".
Note 2: The numbers of patients and surgeons do not correspond fully with overall response numbers. This difference is due to missing values on some statements (the number of missing values per statement never exceeded 3).
^a,b^: Non-corresponding superscripts between groups, indicate a significant difference in the responses (p \< 0.05).
The opinions about the possible methods of prioritisation showed that the surgeons had a different view on this than the other three groups. While most surgeons (73%) considered it best to leave the decisions on priority to the individual doctor, the patients (55%), the OPs (59%), and the GPs (62%) favoured a nationally agreed system for prioritising patients.
Priority care on the basis of non-clinical factors (Table [6](#T6){ref-type="table"})
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The mean scores on the scale for the acceptability of priority care based on non-clinical factors differed significantly between the response groups. A negative score was found particularly among patients (90%) and to a lesser extent among GPs (70%). The mean scores for the surgeons and OPs did not differ from zero (t~98~= -0.75, p = 0.4; and t~92~= 0.89, p = 0.4) indicating a neutral attitude. Among the surgeons, however, a majority (55%) agreed to assigning priority to hospital employees or personal acquaintances. The OPs particularly agreed with possibilities for priority care for employed patients.
######
Grouped responses on the statements on the acceptability of priority care based on non-clinical factors (%, and mean scale scores).
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patients\ Surgeons\ OPs\ GPs\
n = 255 n = 99 n = 93 n = 63
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------- ---------------- ---------------- --------------- ----------------
If a patient is given priority, this can only be done for medical reasons. Agree 86^a^ 42^b^ 42^b^ 67^c^
Disagree 9 37 44 27
It must be possible to be operated earlier by paying extra (for example, in a private clinic) Agree 28^a^ 50^b^ 62^b^ 35^a^
Disagree 63 35 27 51
Patients who occupy a high social position may be treated with priority. Agree 7^a^ 22^b^ 19^b^ 16^b^
Disagree 89 64 58 74
A physician is allowed to give priority to personal friends and acquaintances or hospital staff on the waiting list. Agree 6^a^ 55^c^ 19^b^ 24^b^
Disagree 89 27 52 60
Patients who are employed should be allowed to be given priority over patients who are not in paid employment. Agree 29^a^ 45^b^ 65^c^ 33^b^
Disagree 62 41 26 44
An employer should be allowed to negotiate a financial agreement enabling an employee to be operated earlier. Agree 27^a^ 56^b^ 82^c^ 37^b^
Disagree 57 34 12 46
Scale score for attitude towards priority care based on non-clinical factors Mean\* (SD) -1.10^a^(0.72) -0.07^c^(0.88) 0.07^c^(0.78) -0.55^b^(0.82)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note: Percentages do not add to 100 as response category \"neutral\" is not shown; the response categories \"fully disagree\" and \"disagree to some extent\" are combined into \"disagree\", and \"agree to some extent\" and \"fully agree\" are combined into \"agree\".
Note 2: The numbers of patients and surgeons do not correspond fully with overall response numbers. This difference is due to missing values on some statements (the number of missing values per statement never exceeded 3).
^a,b,c^: Non-corresponding superscripts between groups, indicate a significant difference in responses (p \< 0.05).
\*Mean scale scores can range between -2 and 2 with zero indicating a neutral attitude; positive scores indicate a mean positive attitude.
Maximally acceptable waiting times
----------------------------------
Figure [1](#F1){ref-type="fig"}, A to C show the distributions of the minimum and maximum of the responses that the participants of each group provided for the nine patient vignettes per disorder. For varicose veins, group means (medians) for the minimum responses on maximally acceptable waiting times ranged from 8.0 to 11.8 (5--10) weeks, whereas the mean maximum responses ranged from 22.1 to 26.3 (median 25) weeks. Similarly, for the vignettes for inguinal hernia the group means (medians) for the minimum responses ranged from 4.1 to 5.7 (2--5) weeks, and for the maximum responses from 15.8 to 20.1 (15--20) weeks. For gallstones, respective group means were 3.9 to 4.7 (2--5) weeks, and 14.4 to 16.9 (10--15) weeks.
{#F1}
The multilevel ordered proportional odds regression analysis showed that the waiting times that were judged maximally acceptable for the different vignettes were not related with the group which the participants belonged to (Table [7](#T7){ref-type="table"}). The participants\' individual score on the attitude scale on the acceptability of waiting lists in health care did have a significant effect on the responses. In concordance with the differences between the minimum and maximum responses, the participants\' judgements on acceptable waiting times also depended significantly on the type of disorder in the vignettes, and the levels of the characteristics that described the vignettes of each disorder. While each characteristic affected the judgements on acceptable waiting times significantly, the largest impact was found for the degree of the physical symptoms and the impairments in work.
######
Results from multilevel proportional odds regression analysis of the judgements on maximal waiting times for the vignettes of patients.
**Independent variables** **Wald χ**^**2**^ **OR\*** **95%CI**
-------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------- ---------- ---------------
Response group 5.1 (df = 4, p = 0.281)
*Patients (reference category)* \- \-
*Laypersons* 1.10 0.99 -- 1.23
*Surgeons* 1.11 0.77 -- 1.61
*Ops* 2.00 1.25 -- 3.22
*GPs* 1.32 0.72 -- 2.41
Disorder 1539.3 (df = 2, p \< 0.001)
Varicose veins (reference category) *-* *-*
*Inguinal hernia* 5.56 4.98 -- 6.21
*Gallstones* 10.17 9.01 -- 11.46
Physical symptoms 1275.9 (df = 2, p \< 0.001)
*Level = 1 (reference category)* \- \-
*Level = 2* 1.93 1.77 -- 2.09
*Level = 3* 6.27 5.73 -- 6.86
Psychological distress 114.9 (df = 2, p \< 0.001)
*Level = 1 (reference category)* \- \-
*Level = 2* 1.53 1.39 -- 1.69
*Level = 3* 1.65 1.50 -- 1.82
Social limitations 276.0 (df = 2, p \< 0.001)
*Level = 1 (reference category)* \- \-
*Level = 2* 1.54 1.40 -- 1.70
*Level = 3* 2.31 2.08 -- 2.56
Impairments in work 1532.8 (df = 2, p \< 0.001)
*Level = 1 (reference category)* \- \-
*Level = 2* 3.79 3.47 -- 4.15
*Level = 3* 7.67 6.97 -- 8.44
Attitude towards the acceptability of waiting lists in health care 34.4 (df = 1, p \< 0.001)
Scale score\*\* 0.54 0.45 -- 0.66
**Maximally acceptable waiting time** Threshold
*≤ 2 weeks* *-7.71*
*≤ 5 weeks* *-5.59*
*≤ 7 weeks* *-4.18*
*≤ 10 weeks* *-2.65*
*≤ 20 weeks* *-0.53*
*\> 20 weeks (reference category)* *-*
\*Cumulative odds ratios; odds ratios \> 1 indicate a higher probability of assigning a response category involving shorter maximal acceptable waiting times for a vignette.
\*\*A scale score of zero indicates a neutral attitude; positive scores indicate a positive attitude towards waiting lists in health care.
Discussion
==========
Long waiting lists for public health care services conflict with securing the principles of providing equitable and timely access to needed care. Most doctors in our study indicate that waiting lists could be an acceptable part of health care. The doctors especially agreed that waiting lists would not be irreconcilable with timely care. Responses on the other statements were more disparate. Patients seem on average less inclined to accept waiting lists in health care. On most statements the responses of patients show that opinions are divided about whether waiting lists are an acceptable entity in health care, indicating that on average waiting lists might certainly not be completely unacceptable. Only the statement that swift access to care should be provided because care is funded by their money did receive some more agreement among patients. This being an important argument against the acceptability of waiting lists clearly fits with the patients\' consumer role in health care.
The prioritisation of patients on the waiting list is often advocated as a means to diminish the net burden from waiting lists \[[@B11]\]. In accordance with this, large majorities of each group in our study endorse the prioritisation of patients on the basis of clinical need. Conversely, only a small majority of OPs approve of prioritising patients based on ability to benefit, while patients, surgeons, and GPs show ambivalence or disapproval in this regard. This result contrasts with studies by Edwards et al. and Ridderstolpe et al. who found that the anticipated benefit should influence patient priority according to GPs, consultants, the general public, and health authority commissioners \[[@B30]\] and according to the opinions of physicians on priority setting in cardiac surgery \[[@B31]\]. These conflicting findings may be illustrative as the explicit use of ability to benefit for determining priority has also caused debate in New Zealand for it allegedly would contravene a just distribution of resources \[[@B16]\]. This controversy indicates that policy decisions on prioritisation require an explicit outline of the purpose and principles it should serve.
Regarding the practical implementation of prioritisation, patients, GPs, and OPs show a strong preference for explicitness and clarity on the process by favouring a system based on nationally agreed criteria. Surgeons on the other hand seem to prefer individual ownership over the process of prioritisation. This preference for individual responsibility may arise from concern about fallacies in the accuracy and sensitivity of systematic priority scoring tools in clinical practice which have been shown to exist \[[@B32],[@B33]\]. Disapproval of imposed uniform criteria which have not proved to meet their purpose will likely provide a basis for gaming. It is therefore important that consensus need to be sought over which method for prioritisation is both deemed appropriate and can meet the desire for explicitness and transparency.
Preferential treatment for non-clinical reasons is controversial for it may conflict with fairness in care provision \[[@B19]\]. However, it has been shown to occur in practice and it can for instance contribute to reducing the costs of waiting times \[[@B34]\]. This ambiguousness may be reflected in our finding that surgeons and OPs show acceptance towards certain forms of preferential care, whereas patients and GPs generally disapprove of it. The found approval of preferential treatment among the surgeons and OPs is strongest for the aspects that either match their role or fall within a domain they control. This approval might thus either come from their expertise and experience or it might reflect the desire for individual ownership over prioritisation issues. Whereas the latter would likely entail arbitrariness in prioritisation, it seems necessary for health authorities to set clear guidelines on which non-clinical factors may and which may not be used for assigning priority.
In concordance with the approval of prioritisation based on clinical need, the waiting times that were deemed maximally acceptable differed widely depending on the disorder and the severity of the problems described in the patient vignettes. The average waiting times for the three disorders ranged from 2 to 7 weeks in case of severe symptoms and from 15 to 25 weeks for patients with few symptoms. Whereas other studies looking at the opinions of patients and doctors on acceptable waiting times for the patient groups in our study are lacking, studies on the patients\' and doctors\' views on maximum waits for hip and knee arthroplasty \[[@B35]\] and cataract surgery \[[@B36]\] show similar distinctions in the acceptable waiting times for patients with different symptom status. This diversity in acceptable waiting times obviously challenges the sufficiency of a single waiting time threshold to guarantee high quality health care.
Strikingly, the survey groups in our study had overall similar opinions on which waiting times would be maximally acceptable, regardless of their role in care delivery. This consensus indicates that a solid ground exists for defining timeliness of care between the different parties in the health care setting. Within each group, however, there was considerable variation in responses, especially when patient vignettes were deemed non-urgent. This inter-individual variation seems to be related to different opinions on the general acceptability of waiting lists in health care. Maximal waiting time guarantees may therefore need to reflect a gradient of appropriate waiting times which start at existing evidence on the clinical consequences of waiting and end at consensus over the timeliness of care according to local socio-medical culture.
Limitations
-----------
In general, we consider the response numbers in our study to be acceptable, yet the response rate among GPs and OPs raises concern. The relatively long questionnaire and the fact that GPs and OPs will deal with surgical waiting lists less often than the surgeons themselves are factors that might have contributed to this lower response rate. The comparison with national statistics on basic demographics did not suggest that response was skewed in any particular direction. Also the diversity in opinions among GPs and OPs do not suggest that respondents represented a specific subgroup with a view on waiting lists. Yet it is unclear whether other differences between responders and non-responders were present. Some caution may thus be justified when drawing conclusions for these two groups.
The statements we used in our study reflected issues that emerged as important from the debate on waiting lists. Some statements may have addressed issues that apply to the Dutch health care setting but are less important elsewhere. Especially views on the acceptability of avoiding long waiting times in return for extra payment may be different in countries where private health care is common and such options hence already exist. In addition there is a possibility that some statements might have been open to differences in interpretation. Especially the question on prioritising acquaintances referred to both private friends and hospital personal. Although the principal behind this form of prioritisation might be the same, respondents may view these as distinctively different groups.
We used patient vignettes to be able to study the opinions on acceptable waiting times among a substantial number of persons of different backgrounds. We designed these vignettes on the basis of the outcomes of a study on the consequences of waiting among patients. Still, the vignettes are a simplified and abstract representation of real patients, which may have influenced the appraisals on acceptable waiting times.
Conclusion
==========
Patients, surgeons, OPs, and GPs support the prioritisation of patients based on clinical need and agree that it would not violate equity in care provision. Their views are, however, less univocal on the best method for determining priority and the acceptability of preferential treatment on non-clinical grounds. On both issues there seems to be a group who prefer individual responsibility and autonomy in care provision which can be accurate but may involve arbitrariness, while others desire uniformity and explicitness to secure equity in prioritisation. The implementation of prioritisation will therefore require either consensus on where these two diverse preferences can meet or decisions on which preference is deemed appropriate and valued highest.
Patients and doctors generally have similar opinions on which waiting times are maximally acceptable for elective surgical patients. Decisions on acceptable waiting times depend on the individual\'s acceptance of waiting lists in health care and the consequences of waiting for a patient. Timeliness in care provision may therefore need maximal waiting time guarantees that reflect socio-medical culture and account for the differences between patients.
Competing interests
===================
The author(s) declare that they have no competing interests.
Authors\' contributions
=======================
JO contributed to data collection, analysis and interpretation of the data and drafted the manuscript. DT contributed to study design, and analysis and interpretation of the results helped to draft the manuscript. MR contributed to study design, and the interpretation of the data helped to draft the manuscript. DK contributed to analysis and interpretation of data helped to draft the manuscript. GvdW contributed to the study design and the interpretation of the data helped to draft the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Appendix A
==========
Example of a vignette and the response categories in the questionnaire. See Tables [8](#T8){ref-type="table"} and [9](#T9){ref-type="table"}.
######
Example of a vignette.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Miss Anchor, 48 years of age, consults the surgeon. She recently visited the GP for varicose veins. Miss Anchor:
Miss Anchor **suffers occasionally from a feeling of heaviness in the leg**especially after standing for a while. • **suffers occasionally from a feeling of heaviness in the leg**
She is **highly worried**that the symptoms will increase or that the varicose veins will enlarge during the wait and that surgery will not be effective than. • **is highly worried about the symptoms and what might happen while waiting**
Miss Anchor encounters **some limitations during social activities**. She normally is a highly active member of a choral group, but she now has to cancel that regularly. She also visits her friends and family less frequently than normal. • **has some limitations during usual social activities**
Miss Anchor is **still able to work fully**. The varicose veins do not interfere with her job in an employment agency. • **is still able to work fully**
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below you find several possible waiting times.
Which waiting time do you consider maximally acceptable for miss Anchor?
######
Waiting times questionnaire
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ ------------
Below you find several possible waiting times. Which waiting time do you consider maximally acceptable for miss Anchor?
O unlimited waiting time O 30 weeks O 10 weeks
O 52 weeks O 25 weeks O 7 weeks
O 40 weeks O 20 weeks O 5 weeks
O 35 weeks O 15 weeks O 2 weeks
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ ------------
Pre-publication history
=======================
The pre-publication history for this paper can be accessed here:
<http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/7/32/prepub>
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Central
|
74 F.Supp.2d 409 (1999)
Monica KOPPENAL, Plaintiff,
v.
NEPERA, INC. and Richard J. Seidel, Defendants.
No. 98 Civ. 1029 (WCC).
United States District Court, S.D. New York.
December 1, 1999.
*410 Stern & Rindner, Goshen, NY, Mark D. Stern, of counsel, for plaintiff.
Clifton Budd & DeMaria, LLP, New York City, Eric S. Lamm, George F. Brenlla, of counsel, for defendants.
OPINION AND ORDER
WILLIAM C. CONNER, Senior District Judge.
Plaintiff, Monica Koppenal has brought this action against her former employer Nepera, Inc. ("Nepera") and its president, Richard J. Seidel, claiming that her employment was unlawfully terminated in violation of Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, as amended ("Title VII"), and in violation of New York Executive Law § 296. Defendants now move for summary judgment. For the reasons stated below, the motion is denied.
BACKGROUND
Plaintiff was hired as an administrative assistant for Seidel, the president of Nepera, on October 6, 1992. Plaintiff's duties included: serving as secretary for Seidel, administrator of the phone system and the company car, MIS backup, oversight of operation of non-computer office equipment, and sorting mail. (Pl.Ex.G.)
In April 1996, plaintiff took a five-week leave of absence to undergo surgery to enable her to get pregnant. Seidel knew the reason for plaintiff's leave. While plaintiff was out, Anita Halstead performed plaintiff's duties. Halstead became a full-time Nepera employee in 1982, and was administrative assistant to the president from 1988 to 1992. From 1995 to 1997, Halstead was a community relations and training specialist.
On January 27, 1997, plaintiff informed Seidel that she was pregnant. Seidel congratulated her and asked if she would return to work after having the baby. Plaintiff assured Seidel that she would return to work because she had to pay for a new house and provide for a baby. Seidel commented that many women say that they plan to return to work but, after having their child, decide to stay home. Plaintiff alleges that defendant asked who would do his work, but defendant denies having asked this question. (Seidel Dep. at 85.) David Bona, Director of Human Resources at Nepera, testified that Seidel spoke with him after learning of plaintiff's pregnancy and was concerned about who was going to do his work while plaintiff was out. (Bona Dep. at 27-28.)
Reduced profitability during the second half of 1996 caused Nepera to implement cost reduction measures, including a reduction in its workforce. Seidel worked with the managers at Nepera to determine how to reduce the workforce in each department. In evaluating each employee for lay-off, Seidel and the managers considered skills, job performance and years of service. In April and May 1997, Nepera laid off plaintiff and three other salaried employees and two hourly employees. Of all the administrative workforce at Nepera, plaintiff had the shortest tenure and the second lowest performance evaluation. The employee with the lowest performance evaluation was also laid off.
Halstead, a single employee who was not pregnant, took over plaintiff's duties as administrative assistant to the president in May 1997. Halstead testified that she continued to perform her duties as a community relations specialist while also performing plaintiff's duties. (Halstead Dep. at 31.) Halstead continued to work forty hours per week, as she had before taking on plaintiff's duties. No one was hired to perform Halstead's community relations duties, although Halstead's former training duties are now conducted by the Human Resources Department. Halstead testified *411 that about 50% of her time from May through December 1997 was spent acting as administrative assistant to the president. (Id. at 30.) Halstead answered the telephone as administrative assistant to the president and community relations specialist, but in her voice mail greeting she identifies herself as the administrative assistant to the president.
Plaintiff contends that Seidel told her that her position had been eliminated. (Pl. Aff. ¶ 22.) Defendants dispute whether anyone ever told plaintiff that her position had been eliminated. The other administrative assistant that was laid off, Betty Torrance, had provided administrative assistance to Nepera's manager of environmental services and director of regulatory affairs. After Torrance's lay-off, these two employees handled their own secretarial services or utilized another member of the administrative staff on an "as needed" basis. (Seidel Aff. ¶ 12.)
After making the decision to lay-off plaintiff, Seidel asked the Human Resources Department about Nepera's pregnancy leave policy, in an effort to ensure that plaintiff's severance package would include benefits equal to what plaintiff would have received on a pregnancy leave.
DISCUSSION
I. Summary Judgment Standard
A district court may grant summary judgment only if the evidence, viewed in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion, presents no genuine issue of material fact, and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986). The court must resolve all ambiguities and draw all reasonable inferences in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion. See Quaratino v. Tiffany & Co., 71 F.3d 58, 64 (2d Cir.1995), vacated and remanded on other grounds, 166 F.3d 422 (1999). "If, as to the issue on which summary judgment is sought, there is any evidence in the record from which a reasonable inference could be drawn in favor of the nonmoving party, summary judgment is improper." Vann v. City of New York, 72 F.3d 1040, 1049 (2d Cir.1995). The party seeking summary judgment has the burden of showing that no genuine factual dispute exists. See Adickes v. S.H. Kress & Co., 398 U.S. 144, 157, 90 S.Ct. 1598, 26 L.Ed.2d 142 (1970).
II. Pregnancy Discrimination Act
Plaintiff brings this action under the Pregnancy Discrimination Act ("PDA"), 42 U.S.C. § 2000e(k), and New York Executive Law § 296. The PDA is a definitional amendment to Title VII enacted to include pregnancy-based discrimination in Title VII's prohibition of gender-based employment discrimination.[1] The elements of an employment discrimination claim are "virtually identical" under the New York Executive Law and Title VII. Lacoparra v. Pergament Home Centers, Inc., 982 F.Supp. 213, 225 (S.D.N.Y.1997). Therefore, our analysis of plaintiff's Title VII claim is equally applicable to plaintiff's claim under New York Executive Law § 296.
A claim for employment discrimination is governed by the three-step burden shifting analysis of McDonnell Douglas Corp. v. Green, 411 U.S. 792, 802-04, 93 S.Ct. 1817, 36 L.Ed.2d 668 (1973). Under this analysis, plaintiff must first establish, by a preponderance of the evidence, a prima facie case of discrimination. If the plaintiff makes out a prima facie case, a presumption that the employer unlawfully discriminated against the employee is raised and the burden of production then shifts to the employer to "articulate a legitimate, *412 clear, specific and non-discriminatory reason for discharging the employee." Quaratino, 71 F.3d at 64. If the employer does so, the presumption of discrimination disappears and the plaintiff has the burden of proof by a preponderance of the evidence that the employer's stated reason was merely a pretext for discrimination. See St. Mary's Honor Center v. Hicks, 509 U.S. 502, 515, 113 S.Ct. 2742, 125 L.Ed.2d 407 (1993).
A. Plaintiff's Prima Facie Case
A plaintiff can establish a prima facie case of pregnancy discrimination by showing that: (1) she is a member of a protected class; (2) she satisfactorily performed the duties required by the position; (3) she was discharged; and (4) her position remained open and was ultimately filled by a non-pregnant employee. See Quaratino, 71 F.3d at 64. In the alternative, a plaintiff may satisfy the fourth element by showing that the discharge "occurred in circumstances giving rise to an inference of unlawful discrimination." Id. It is undisputed in this case that plaintiff was a member of the protected class because she was pregnant, that she satisfactorily performed her duties as administrative assistant, and that she was discharged. Defendants dispute, however, that plaintiff put forth sufficient evidence to satisfy the fourth element of the prima facie case.
Plaintiff contends that Seidel told her that her position was eliminated. Defendants dispute that Seidel made this statement, but admit that the functions of the assistant to the president were not eliminated. However, defendants argue that plaintiff's position did not remain open, but was combined with the position of community relations specialist as part of a "normal redistribution of duties following a force reduction." It is undisputed that plaintiff's duties were assumed by a nonpregnant employee, Halstead. Because there exists a disputed material fact, namely whether plaintiff's position remained open, this Court will not grant summary judgment for defendants on the ground that plaintiff failed to establish a prima facie case. Even if defendants are correct that plaintiff's position did not remain open, this Court must consider the alternate grounds for the fourth element of the prima facie case.
As mentioned above, plaintiff may alternatively establish a prima facie case of discrimination by showing that she was laid off in circumstances giving rise to an inference of unlawful discrimination. Plaintiff's burden to establish a prima facie case "is not onerous." Texas Dep't of Community Affairs v. Burdine, 450 U.S. 248, 253, 101 S.Ct. 1089, 67 L.Ed.2d 207 (1981).[2] As evidence of unlawful discrimination, plaintiff points to Seidel's comments when he learned that she was pregnant. Considering the facts in the light most favorable to plaintiff, Seidel asked plaintiff "who would do his work" and commented that many women say that they are going to return to work, but decide, after giving birth, to stay at home. In Quaratino, the plaintiff established a prima facie case by showing that the defendant had uttered an expletive when she told him that she was pregnant and expressed his opinion that mothers should stay at home with their children. 71 F.3d at 65. In Balut v. Loral Electronic Sys., there was no prima facie case of age discrimination even though the defendant referred to another laid-off employee as "an older engineer with health problems." 988 F.Supp. 339, 348 (S.D.N.Y.1997) (Conner, Senior J.), aff'd 166 F.3d 1199 (2d Cir.1998). In Balut, the employer's comments did not refer directly to the plaintiff or his age. Id. In the present case, unlike Balut, the employer's *413 comments were directed at and referred personally to plaintiff. Considering the light burden on plaintiff, Seidel's comments are sufficient to establish the fourth element of the prima facie case. Therefore, plaintiff has put forth sufficient evidence to prove a prima facie case of pregnancy discrimination.
B. Defendant's Non-Discriminatory Reasons for Discharging Plaintiff
Once plaintiff has established a prima facie case of discrimination, the burden of production passes to defendants to offer a legitimate, non-discriminatory reason for laying off plaintiff. Defendants offer undisputed evidence that, as the result of reduced profitability during 1996, Nepera implemented cost reduction measures, including a reduction in its workforce. Courts have uniformly found that a reduction in workforce because of financial difficulties is sufficient to fulfill a defendant employer's burden of production. See Viola v. Philips Med. Sys. of North Am., 42 F.3d 712, 717 (2d Cir.1994) (company wide reduction in work-force); Woroski v. Nashua Corp., 31 F.3d 105, 109 (2d Cir. 1994) (business-justified company-wide reduction in force); Gallo v. Prudential Residential Servs., 22 F.3d 1219, 1226 (2d Cir.1994) (business down-turn and reduction in force); Dister v. Continental Group, Inc., 859 F.2d 1108, 1115 (2d Cir. 1988) (corporate reorganization); Gordon v. Fenniman, No. 94 Civ. 6972, 1998 WL 126062, at *3 (S.D.N.Y. March 19, 1998) (severe economic difficulties required elimination of plaintiff's department); Balut, 988 F.Supp. at 349-50 (general reduction in force). Therefore, defendants' undisputed evidence of a reduction in workforce as the result of financial difficulties is sufficient to satisfy their burden of articulating a legitimate, nondiscriminatory reason for laying off plaintiff.
C. Pretext
If the employer satisfies its burden of production, the presumption of discrimination "simply drops out of the picture." Hicks, 509 U.S. at 510, 113 S.Ct. 2742. A plaintiff can avoid summary judgment for the defendant only by proving both that the defendant's asserted non-discriminatory reason is false and that its real reason was unlawful discrimination. See id. at 515-16, 113 S.Ct. 2742. Plaintiff's evidence of pretext is the same evidence put forth to establish her prima facie case: Seidel's comments to plaintiff when he learned of her pregnancy and the filling of plaintiff's position by a non-pregnant employee.
Plaintiff argues that Seidel's comments in response to learning that she was pregnant are evidence of defendants' discriminatory motivation for terminating plaintiff. However, "stray remarks in the workplace, by themselves ... will not defeat the employer's summary judgment motion...." Bern v. United Mercantile Agencies, 942 F.Supp. 217, 220 (S.D.N.Y.1996) (quoting O'Connor v. Viacom, Inc., No. 93 Civ. 2399, 1996 WL 194299, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Apr. 23, 1996), aff'd 104 F.3d 356 (2d Cir. 1996)). In Bern, the plaintiff's evidence of age discrimination, consisting of three age-related comments made by his employer, was insufficient to show that the defendant's non-discriminatory reason for terminating the plaintiff was pretextual. 942 F.Supp. at 220; see also Woroski, 31 F.3d at 109-10 (granting summary judgment in age discrimination case despite comments by employers that older employees lack an aggressive and competitive disposition).
Although offensive remarks in the work-place are insufficient by themselves to prove discrimination, if there is a nexus between the remarks and the plaintiff's termination, there may be sufficient evidence of pretext to survive a motion for summary judgment. In Treuting v. Massachusetts Mutual Life Ins. Co., the plaintiff was not selected for a new position when employees had to apply for new positions within the company because of a corporate transformation. No. 3:96CV1542, 1999 WL 200701, at *2 *414 (D.Conn. March 7, 1999). The plaintiff in Treuting was pregnant during her interview for a new position, and the court found the defendant's expressions of concern about her pregnancy and her impending maternity leave during the interview were sufficient to raise a genuine issue of material fact in regard to the employer's intent. Id. at *5. In this case, Seidel's concern about who would do his work while plaintiff was gone and whether plaintiff would return to work after her maternity leave were similar to the employer's questions in Treuting.
Where offensive remarks are combined with other evidence of discriminatory intent, courts are reluctant to grant summary judgment for the defendant. In Kerzer v. Kingly Manufacturing, the defendant made offensive remarks such as "an employer can easily get away with discharging a pregnant employee" and pregnancy was "a sign that [the plaintiff] was lazy." 156 F.3d 396, 399 (2d Cir.1998). In addition to these remarks, the defendant asked the plaintiff to move up her date of return from maternity leave and hired another employee shortly after the plaintiff's discharge that performed the plaintiff's duties, despite claiming that the plaintiff's position was no longer necessary. See id. Similarly, plaintiff here argues that in addition to Seidel's remarks about women not wanting to return from maternity leave, defendants did not eliminate her position but merely transferred her duties to a non-pregnant employee.
Hiring replacement employees or giving an open position to another employee following a workforce reduction may create an inference of improper motive. See Viola, 42 F.3d at 718. In Valenti v. Carten Controls Inc., despite the defendants' argument that the plaintiff's position was eliminated, the court denied the defendants' motion for summary judgment because the plaintiff's job duties were not eliminated, but transferred to another employee. No. 3:94CV1769, 1997 WL 766854, at *7 (D.Conn.1997). Similarly in Shafrir, the plaintiff was dismissed after returning from maternity leave and replaced by a colleague who was neither pregnant nor a mother. 998 F.Supp. at 362 (denying defendants' motion for summary judgment on the plaintiff's discrimination claim).
In the present case, defendants admit that plaintiff's position was not eliminated, and her duties were transferred to a nonpregnant and single female colleague, Halstead. Defendants' argue that Halstead continued to do her duties as community relations specialist in addition to taking on plaintiff's duties, so that costs were reduced by having one employee doing the work previously done by two. Plaintiff argues that because Halstead testified that she worked forty hours a week as community specialist and continued to do so after taking on plaintiff's position, it would be impossible for her to complete the duties of both positions. As in Valenti and Shafrir, the fact that plaintiff's position was not eliminated creates a material issue of fact as to whether defendants' claim that plaintiff was fired as part of a reduction in force is a pretext for pregnancy discrimination.
Although it is a close case, considering that defendants gave plaintiff a five-week leave of absence in order to have surgery to assist her in getting pregnant and that Seidel tried to ensure that plaintiff received sufficient benefits in her severance package, a reasonable juror nonetheless could find that plaintiff's termination was illegally discriminatory. In light of the Second Circuit's indications that "a trial court must be cautious about granting summary judgment to an employer when ... its intent is at issue," Gallo, 22 F.3d at 1224, defendants' motion for summary judgment must be denied.
CONCLUSION
For the reasons stated above, defendants' motion for summary judgment is denied.
SO ORDERED.
NOTES
[1] The PDA provides, in relevant part:
The terms "because of sex" or "on the basis of sex" include, but are not limited to, because of or on the basis of pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions; and women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the same for all employment-related purposes....
[2] In fact, some courts within this Circuit assume the existence of a prima facie case and move to the "ultimate issue" of "whether the plaintiff has proven that it is more likely than not that the employer's decision was motivated at least in part by an `impermissible,' or discriminatory, reason." Shafrir v. Association of Reform Zionists of Am., 998 F.Supp. 355, 360 (S.D.N.Y.1998) (Chin, J.).
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
FreeLaw
|
The Elastomerics Blog
Stockwell Elastomericshave a number of gasket applications for R10490-M closed cell fluorosilicone sponge that are used in very harsh environments. These conditions include exposure to engine oil, hydraulic fluid, Coolanol,… read more
My background is primarily in mechanical design and manufacturing. One of the main reasons I took the Applications Engineering position with Stockwell Elastomerics was to move toward the front end… read more
RoHS Compliant Gaskets You have likely heard by now that the European Union adopted a directive called Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS). It eliminates or significantly reduces the use of… read more
August 2005 My great-grandfather founded Stockwell Rubber Company, Inc. 86 years ago as a distributor of mechanical rubber products such as hose, belting and packings made from natural rubber and… read more
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Housekeeper To Be Tortured 2016 HDRip J-Movie
Download / Watch Online Streaming Japanese Adult Erotic Hot 18+ Movie Full HD Film Housekeeper To Be Tortured 2016 HDRip J-Movie 720p / 480p (Synopsis / Review) Film Story: Because of her husband who ran away alone with her debt
Nanako was caught and lived by the lenders. The borrower is not enough to call her a housekeeper. I sell my body to pay my husband’s debt instead. On the other hand, Kenichi next door young man has a relationship with Nanako, Nanako is also attracted to him who is affectionate. The charterer, who discovered between the two, crammed Nanako into handcuffs, She is being held in custody every day. Then one day Kenichi sneaks in to rescue Nanako
She wants to let her go and run away together. Nanako tries to follow him, but right away he gets another guest, Waiting outside and seeing the scene, Kenichi turns away with disappointment.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Everyone has been waiting for me to jump in the pool of blawgs who are ‘spilling’ tea on the season 9 reunion of The Real Housewives of Atlanta and I apologize for the delay. I’ve got a lot going on personally right now but wanted to share what I know thus far.
As you know, the season 9 reunion taped last Thursday and the net has been buzzing with droplets of tea. I’ve had my ear to the street Of course the lesbian rumors sparked by Phaedra Parks and Porsha Williams took center stage this season.
[READ: Kandi Burruss Calls Porsha Williams A Liar + Admits She Had No Idea About Phaedra Park’s Involvement in Lesbian Rumors… ]
Needless to say, it’s only fair that the brunt of the heat lies on these two as it seems that their friendship took a beating during the season 9 reunion show taping! Other tidbits include Bob & Sheree’s ‘make up’, Peter & Cynthia’s ‘break up’ and Kandi & Todd’s personal beef with executive producer Carlos King.
Details below…
Here’s a copy of the seating chart that’s been floating around. As you can see, Kandi and Porsha Phaedra are in the seat’s that are reserved for battle.
So here’s what I know thus far…
Bob & Sheree – Fake Makeup to Fake Break Up…
I don’t know if it’s been reported elsewhere but I have received confirmation that Bob Whitfield attended the reunion show to discuss his relationship with Sheree.
It’s been evident all season long that Bob and Sheree were a farce and one of Bob’s girlfriend’s even spilled tea about it all in a lengthy open letter about a week ago (click HERE if you missed that), but despite all of that, both Bob and Sheree were in agreement about appearing together and pretending.
During the reunion, the two address Bob’s callous joke about choking Sheree.? Apparently, quite a few of the men on show even try to help him but word on the curb is that the former ball player made quite a few antagonistic statements towards his ex that had many giving the side eye.
Whatever the case… Bob apologized.? Kinda…
[READ: Bob Whitfield Wants You To Know… He’s Sorry! EXCLUSIVE OPEN LETTER ]
Moving on…
Peter & Cynthia – Divorce Update…
The couple proclaims their divorce is final during the reunion and it’s been rumored that Peter had an emotional breakdown and had to be escorted off the stage.
The true tea is that Peter & Cynthia’s divorce was JUST FILED a few weeks ago on February 21, 2017 (just in time for the reunion) and it is no where near final.
A source close to the couple claims that they waited to file the divorce “for tax purposes” and I guess that’s a plausible explanation for the timing.
I’ve always surmised that these two were pulling a “Nene & Gregg” i.e. breaking up for the cameras and I’m still of that mindset since they (like Phaedra) seem to be making statements about their divorce being ‘final’ that aren’t quite true.
As for Peter’s rumored ’emotional breakdown’ he’s responded with the following response…
For the record, there’s a smidgen of truth to the report but only a drop.? There wasn’t a nervous breakdown but Peter did leave early.
I’ve been told that Mr. Thomas apparently got so upset over the line of questioning about his pending divorce that he abruptly walked off the set. But he wasn’t crying and shaking and escorted out like what’s being reported… he simply got up and walked out.
Porsha Has Been Around the Block (quite A few times)
Both Kandi and Kenya are gunning for Porsha during the reunion and apparently a major bomb was revealed as Porsha’s ‘freak ho’ past is dissected for the masses.
Kandi apparently pulls receipts about Porsha having slept with her baby daddy Russell “Block” Spencer, as well as quite a few rappers in the Atlanta area.
Todd Tucker also supports Kandi’s claims and reportedly shares his own personal recollection about Porsha and her BFF’s husband, Apollo Nida, having shared a lot of time together hanging out around town just prior to his lock down.
Apparently there could be a bit of truth to that “if” this is a real post:
For the record, someone sent me that over via DM but if Porsha posted it, it’s apparently been deleted.
The rumor mill is buzzing about a scandalous accusation that Porsha also slept with Apollo but I’m not sure how true that is.? Whatever the case, if Todd said it, he would know as he was often in the club right beside Mr. Nida.
But I digress.
Phaedra & Porsha – The end of a friendship?
Meanwhile, everyone is buzzing about the demise of Freak & Fraud Frick and Frack, apparently Phaedra got the same legendary ‘bad edit’ during the final scenes of the reunion that Sheree got right before she was fired at the end of season 4.
[FLASHBACK: I Refuse to Believe This Man Is Sheree Whitfield + Proof She Got The Boot (PHOTOS)]
Kandi was reportedly gunning for Phaedra during the reunion and towards the end, Phaedra gets called out on the many lies she’s told throughout the seasons.
Oddly enough, Porsha even throws her “bff” under the bus by revealing a bunch of the underhanded shenanigans that Phaedra was involved in.
Rumor has it that Porsha is the one who dropped the “explosive bomb” and not Kandi as she allegedly reveals that Phaedra was the sole source of the rumor about Kandi and Todd scheming to “drug Porsha and take her to their sex dungeon”.
Phaedra also gets called out about her divorce shenanigans where she claimed for months that her divorce was final but had used fake names and now has to do it all over again.
[READ: Phaedra Parks Divorce Shenanigans Revealed… ]
It was all the Phaedra and Porsha news that rattled Andy Cohen during day 1 of filming.
#PressPlay: #AndyCohen looks shook after leaving #TheRealHousewivesOfAtlanta reunion taping 👀 A post shared by The Shade Room (@theshaderoom) on Mar 16, 2017 at 9:13pm PDT
My source says that they don’t think Phaedra and Porsha’s friendship can recover from the devastating blow of the reunion.? They also made a point of saying that the two may be ‘strategically’ playing this all up to keep their jobs.
As previously stated, Phaedra got the same treatment that Sheree Whitfield got before her peach was snatched.? If you recall, it was almost like a grand goodbye, complete with a montage of clips from years past.
Now I don’t know if that means Phaedra’s outta there, but apparently that’s the overall consensus.
FREE TEA: Kandi, Todd & Carlos King Beef…
I don’t know if they are going to air this tidbit and if not, you can just consider this “free tea”…
Apparently Todd and Kandi fell out with Executive Producer Carlos King over several business matters and my sources believe that it’s been King’s personal issues with Todd that had Kandi on the hot seat this season.
Fortunately, she held her own but this is one of the major reasons why Todd came with guns blazing at the reunion show.
As you know, Todd and Carlos used to be partners in Kindom Reign Production Company but that relationship was severed during a disagreement about Hollywood Divas.??
Several sources say that at one point, Carlos and Todd weren’t even on speaking terms because they couldn’t see eye to eye about how to handle production of the failed reality show, in addition to a huge legal issue that ended up costing them a lot of money.
On a related note, I was told that Kandi and Carlos are also at odds because King has been working on an Xscape documentary with Jermaine Dupri… unbeknownst to Kandi!
Apparently Kandi doesn’t own any rights to Xscape or their music but Jermaine does and Dupri has been working with King to produce it. Word on the curb is that Kandi had no clue about the project and was actually planning one of her own prior to finding out.
I was also told that Carlos interviewed Mama Joyce for information about Xscape but at the time he did, Kandi had no idea that it was for the project with Jermaine.
Needless to say, Kandi was apparently livid about the news and felt that Carlos intentionally deceived her. The trio have been at odds ever since.
The GAG is… Kandi and her reunited girl group Xscape have been working with Mona Scott Young (Carlos King’s former boss who fired him from LHHATL).
It seems that Carlos was trying to get the jump on Mona and he succeeded by going straight to Jermaine! But I digress…
That’s the bulk of what I have for now… at least what I can remember from what was told to me. I had a very long conversation about the reunion Friday but I lost my grandmother Saturday and the world has pretty much stood still since then.
I’ll be back with more soon tho…
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Q:
PDF checkboxes with iTextsharp
I've an Android app that needs to generate a PDF document with various data fetched from a database. Everything is working fine, included tables and checkboxes, that I generate with this snipped of code :
private PdfFormField WriteCheckbox(ref PdfContentByte pcb, float xPos, float yPos, string fldName, bool cbState)
{
yPos = yPos - 2f;
float cbDist = 1f;
Rectangle cbRect = new Rectangle(xPos, yPos, xPos + DEFAULT_CHECKBOX_SIZE, yPos + DEFAULT_CHECKBOX_SIZE);
RadioCheckField checkbox = new RadioCheckField(pcb.PdfWriter, cbRect, "", "");
checkbox.CheckType = RadioCheckField.TYPE_SQUARE;
checkbox.BorderColor = BaseColor.BLACK;
checkbox.BorderStyle = PdfBorderDictionary.STYLE_SOLID;
checkbox.BorderWidth = 0.5f;
checkbox.FieldName = fldName;
if(cbState)
{
pcb.SetLineWidth(1.2f);
pcb.MoveTo(xPos + DEFAULT_CHECKBOX_DISTANCE, yPos + cbDist);
pcb.LineTo(xPos + DEFAULT_CHECKBOX_SIZE - cbDist - 1, yPos + DEFAULT_CHECKBOX_SIZE - cbDist - 1);
pcb.MoveTo(xPos + DEFAULT_CHECKBOX_SIZE - cbDist - 1, yPos + cbDist);
pcb.LineTo(xPos + DEFAULT_CHECKBOX_DISTANCE, yPos + DEFAULT_CHECKBOX_SIZE - cbDist - 1);
}
pcb.Stroke();
return(checkbox.RadioField);
}
The resulting PDF is visualize correctly on the tablet (Nexus 7), but when I copy it con my PC and open if with Acrobat Reader all is at the correct place except the squares I draw to show the checkboxes. I can se the cross I draw inside the squares, but not the surrounding square. What is happening ?
This is the link to the pdf generated :
https://www.dropbox.com/s/p388bw7egjsbi80/curit_2015_2.pdf?dl=0
This is the link to the Nexus 7 screenshot showing the very same file :
Any hint would be very appreciated.
A:
the squares I draw to show the checkboxes
Your code doesn't draw any squares.
What your code does, actually is surprising,
it creates numerous checkbox AcroForm form fields, none of them checked, none of them named, with a square visualization selection, and
it draws a cross in the page content in positions you seem to want to have appear checked.
So even if the created PDF was valid, it could irritate people, as they apparently could not de-select the pre-selected entries, merely select them a second time resulting in two overlapping crosses.
The reason why your checkbox borders only appear on some PDF viewers and not on others, is the same as explained in this answer to the question "iText - Java Android - Adding fields to existing pdf":
AcroForm form fields need to have a non-empty name. AcroForm forms contents are meant to be sent to some service for automatic evaluation, so they must be named and they must be distinguishable by their respective names.
Some PDF viewers recognize early that they couldn't properly handle fields with empty names and, therefore, don't even show them while other viewers recognize that later when trying to save or post the form, or don't recognize it at all, producing broken outputs.
But even after naming the boxes individually, you should decide whether you want to have AcroForm form fields or not. In the former case you would merely add properly named form fields and set them selected or not, and in the latter case you would draw complete checkbox appearances (not merely the check marks) in the page content and not use form fields at all.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
---
abstract: 'The 3D shapes of faces are well known to be discriminative. Yet despite this, they are rarely used for face recognition and always under controlled viewing conditions. We claim that this is a symptom of a serious but often overlooked problem with existing methods for single view 3D face reconstruction: when applied “in the wild”, their 3D estimates are either unstable and change for different photos of the same subject or they are over-regularized and generic. In response, we describe a robust method for regressing discriminative 3D morphable face models (3DMM). We use a convolutional neural network (CNN) to regress 3DMM shape and texture parameters directly from an input photo. We overcome the shortage of training data required for this purpose by offering a method for generating huge numbers of labeled examples. The 3D estimates produced by our CNN surpass state of the art accuracy on the MICC data set. Coupled with a 3D-3D face matching pipeline, we show the first competitive face recognition results on the LFW, YTF and IJB-A benchmarks using 3D face shapes as representations, rather than the opaque deep feature vectors used by other modern systems.'
author:
- |
Anh Tuãn Trãn$^1$, Tal Hassner$^{2,3}$, Iacopo Masi$^1$, and Gérard Medioni$^1$\
[$^{1}$ Institute for Robotics and Intelligent Systems, USC, CA, USA]{}\
[$^{2}$ Information Sciences Institute, USC, CA, USA]{}\
[$^{3}$ The Open University of Israel, Israel]{}
title: |
Regressing Robust and Discriminative 3D Morphable Models\
with a very Deep Neural Network
---
Introduction
============
Single view 3D face shape estimation methods originally proposed using their 3D shapes for recognition [@blanz2002face; @blanz2003face; @paysan09basel]. This makes sense because 3D shapes are discriminative – different people have different face shapes – yet invariant to lighting, texture changes and more. Indeed, previous work showed that when available, high resolution 3D face scans are excellent face representations which can even be used to distinguish between the faces of identical twins [@bronstein2005three].
Curiously, however, despite their widespread use, single view face reconstruction methods are rarely employed by modern face recognition systems. The highly successful 3D Morphable Models (3DMM), for example, were only ever used for recognition in limited, controlled viewing conditions [@blanz2002face; @blanz2003face; @chu2014; @hu2016face; @paysan09basel]. To our knowledge, there are no reports of successfully using single view face shape estimation – 3DMM or any other method – to recognize faces in challenging unconstrained, [*in the wild*]{} settings.
An important reason why this maybe so, is that these methods can be unstable in unconstrained viewing conditions. We later verify this quantitatively but it can also be seen in Fig. \[fig:teaser\] which presents 3D shapes estimated from three unconstrained photos by three different methods (Fig. \[fig:teaser\] (b-d)). Clearly, though the same subject appears in all photos, [*shapes produced by the same method are either very different (b,c) or highly regularized and generic (d)*]{}. It is therefore unsurprising that these shapes are poor representations for recognition. It also explains why some recently proposed using coarse, simple 3D shape approximations only as proxies when rendering faces to new views rather than as face representations [@hassner2013viewing; @hassner2015effective; @masi16dowe; @taigman2014deepface].
![[*Unconstrained, single view, 3D face shape reconstruction*]{}. (a) Input images of the same subject with disruptive poses and occlusions. (b-e) 3D reconstructions using (b) single-view 3DMM [@romdhani2005estimating], (c) flow based method [@hassner2013viewing] (d) 3DDFA [@Zhu2016Face], (e) Our proposed approach. (b-c) Present different 3D shapes for the same subject and (d) appears generic, whereas our method (e) is robust, producing similar discriminative 3D shapes for different views.[]{data-label="fig:teaser"}](figure/teaser_Comparison_7-raster.png){width="\columnwidth"}
Contrary to previous work, we show that robust and discriminative 3D face shapes can, in fact, be estimated from single, unconstrained images (Fig. \[fig:teaser\] (e)). We propose estimating 3D facial shapes using a very deep convolutional neural network (CNN) to regress 3DMM shape and texture parameters directly from single face photos. We identify shortage of labeled training data as an obstacle to using data-hungry CNNs for this purpose. We address this problem with a novel means for generating a huge labeled training set of unconstrained faces and their 3DMM representations. Coupled with additional technical novelties, we obtain a method which is fast, robust and accurate.
The accuracy of our estimated shapes is verified on the MICC data set [@bagdanov11micc] and [*quantitatively shown to surpass the accuracy of other 3D reconstruction methods*]{}. We further show that our estimated shapes are robust and discriminative by presenting face recognition results on the Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW) [@LFWTech], YouTube Faces (YTF) [@wolf:YTF] and IJB-A [@Klare_2015_CVPR] benchmarks. To our knowledge, [*this is the first time single image 3D face shapes are successfully used to represent faces from modern, unconstrained face recognition benchmarks*]{}. Finally, to promote reproduction of our results, we publicly release our code and models.[^1].
Related work {#sec:related}
============
Over the years, many attempts were made to estimate the 3D surface of a face appearing in a single view. Before listing them, it is important to mention recent [*multi image*]{} methods which use image sets for reconstruction (e.g., [@liang2016head; @Piotraschke_2016_CVPR; @Roth_2015_CVPR; @Roth_2016_CVPR; @suwajanakorn2014total]). Although these methods produce accurate 3D reconstructions, they require many images from multiple sources to produce a single 3D face shape whereas we reconstruct faces from single images.
Methods for [*single view*]{} 3D face reconstructions can broadly be categorized into the following types.
[[**Statistical shape representations**]{}]{}, such as the widely popular 3DMM [@blanz2004exchanging; @blanz1999morphable; @chu2014; @paysan09basel; @romdhani2003efficient; @tang2008real; @yang2011expression], use many aligned 3D face shapes to learn a distribution of 3D faces, represented as a high dimensional subspace. Each point on this subspace is a parameter vector representing facial geometry and sometimes expression and texture. Reconstruction is performed by searching for a point on this subspace that represents a face similar to the one in the input image. These methods do not attempt to produce discriminative facial geometries and indeed, as mentioned earlier, were only used for face recognition under controlled settings.
The very recent method of [@richardson20163d] also uses a CNN to regress 3DMM parameters for face photos. They too recognize absence of training data as a major concern. Contrary to us, they propose synthesizing training faces with known geometry by sampling from the 3DMM distribution. This approach produces synthetic looking photos which can easily cause overfitting problems when training large networks [@masi16dowe]. They were therefore able to train only a shallow residual network (seven layers compared to our 101) and their estimated shapes were not shown to be more robust or discriminative than other methods.
[[**Scene assumption methods.**]{}]{} In order to obtain [*correct*]{} reconstructions, some make strong assumptions on the scene and the viewing conditions in the input image. Shape from shading methods [@kemelmacher20113d], for example, make assumptions on the light sources, facial reflectance and more. Others instead use facial symmetry [@dovgard2004statistical]. The assumptions they and others make often do not hold in practice, limiting the application of these methods to controlled settings.
[[**Example based methods**]{}]{}, beginning from the work of [@hassner2006example] and more recently [@hassner2013viewing; @taigman2014deepface], modify the 3D surface of example face shapes, fitting them to the face appearing in input photo. These methods favor robustness to challenging viewing conditions over detailed reconstructions. They were thus only used for face recognition to synthesize new views from unseen poses.
[[**Landmark fitting methods.**]{}]{} Finally, some reconstruction techniques fit a 3D surface to detected facial landmarks rather than to face intensities directly. These include methods designed for videos (e.g., [@huber:3dmm; @saito2016]) and the CNN based approaches of [@jourabloo2016large; @Zhu2016Face]. These focus more on landmark detection than 3D shape estimation and so do not attempt to produce detailed and discriminative facial geometries.
Regressing 3DMM parameters with a CNN
=====================================
We propose to regress 3DMM face shape parameters directly from an input photo using a very deep CNN. Ostensibly, CNNs are ideal for this task: After all, they are being successfully applied to many related computer vision tasks. But despite their success, apart from [@richardson20163d], we are unaware of published reports of using CNNs for 3DMM parameter regression.
We believe CNNs were not used here because this is a regression problem where both the input photo and the output 3DMM shape parameters are high dimensional. Solving such problems requires deep networks and these need massive amounts of training data. Unfortunately, existing unconstrained face sets with ground truth 3D shapes are far too small for this purpose and obtaining large quantities of 3D face scans is labor intensive and impractical.
We therefore instead leverage three key observations.
1. As discussed in Sec. \[sec:related\], accurate 3D estimates can be obtained by using [*multiple images*]{} of the same face.
2. Unlike the limited availability of ground truth 3D face shapes, there is certainly no shortage of challenging face sets containing multiple photos per subject.
3. Highly effective deep networks are available for the related task of extracting robust and discriminative face representations for face recognition.
From (1), we have a reasonable way of producing 3D face shape estimates for training, as surrogates for ground truth shapes: by using a robust method for multi-view 3DMM estimation. Getting multiple photos for enough subjects is very easy (2). This abundance of examples further allows balancing any reconstruction errors with potentially limitless subjects to train on. Finally, (3), a state of the art CNN for face recognition may be fine-tuned to this problem. It should already be tuned for unconstrained facial appearance variations and trained to produce similar, discriminative outputs for different images of the same face.
{width=".93\textwidth"}
Generating training data {#sec:gendata}
------------------------
To generate training data, we use a simple yet effective [*multi image*]{} 3DMM estimation method, loosely based on the one recently proposed by [@Piotraschke_2016_CVPR]. We run it on the unconstrained faces in the CASIA WebFace dataset [@yi2014learning]. These multi image 3DMM estimates are then used as ground truth 3D face shapes when training our CNN 3DMM regressor.
Multi image 3DMM reconstruction is performed by first estimating 3DMM parameters from the 500k single images in CASIA. 3DMM estimates for images of the same subject are then aggregated into a single 3DMM per subject ($\sim$10k subjects). This process is described next (see also, Fig. \[fig:system\]).
[[**The 3DMM representation.**]{}]{} Our system uses the popular Basel Face Model (BFM) [@paysan09basel]. It is a publicly available 3DMM representation and one of the state of the art methods for single view 3D face modeling.
A face is modeled by decoupling its shape and texture giving the following two independent generative models. $$\mbf{S}^{\prime} = \widehat{\mbf{s}} + \mbf{W}_S~\boldsymbol{\alpha} \quad, \quad
\mbf{T}^{\prime} = \widehat{\mbf{t}} + \mbf{W}_T~\boldsymbol{\beta}.
\label{eq:3DMM}$$ Here, the vectors $\widehat{\mbf{s}}$ and $\widehat{\mbf{t}}$ are the mean face shape and texture, computed over the aligned facial 3D scans in the Basel Faces collection and represented by the concatenated 3D coordinates of the 3D point clouds and the concatenated RGB values of their textures. Matrices $\mbf{W}_S$ and $\mbf{W}_T$ are the principle components, computed from the same aligned facial scans. Finally, $\boldsymbol{\alpha}$ and $\boldsymbol{\beta}$ are each 99D parameter vectors, representing shape and texture respectively.
[[**Single image 3DMM fitting.**]{}]{} Fitting a 3DMM to each training image is performed with a slightly modified version of the two standard methods of [@blanz:tpami:03] and [@romdhani2005estimating]. Given an image $\mbf{I}$, we estimate parameter vectors $\boldsymbol{\alpha}^\star$ and $\boldsymbol{\beta}^\star$ which represent a face similar to the one in $\mbf{I}$ (Eq. (\[eq:3DMM\])). Unlike previous work, we begin processing by applying the CLNF [@Kanggeon:bmvc16] state of the art facial landmark detector. It provides $K=68$ facial landmarks $\mbf{p}_k \in \mathbb{R}^{2}$, $k\in 1..K$, and a confidence score value $w$ (which we use later on).
Landmarks are used to obtain an initial estimate for the pose of the input face, in the reference 3DMM coordinate system. Pose is represented by six degrees of freedom for rotation, $\mbf{r}=[r_\alpha, r_\beta, r_\gamma]$, and translation, $\mbf{t}=[t_X, t_Y, t_Z]$, and estimated similar to [@hassner2013viewing]. 3DMM fitting then proceeds by optimizing over the shape, texture, pose, illumination, and color model following [@blanz:tpami:03]. We found that CLNF makes occasional localization errors. To introduce more stability, our optimization also uses the edge-based cost of [@romdhani2005estimating]. For more details on this optimization, we refer to [@blanz:tpami:03] and [@romdhani2005estimating].
Once the optimization converges, we take the shape and texture parameters, $\boldsymbol{\alpha}^\star$ and $\boldsymbol{\beta}^\star$, from the last iteration as our single image 3DMM estimate for the input image $\mbf{I}$. Importantly, though this process is known to be computationally expensive, it is applied in our pipeline only in preprocessing and once for every training image. We later show our CNN regressor to be much faster.
[[**Multi image 3DMM fitting.**]{}]{} Although a number of multi image 3D face shape estimation methods were proposed in the past, we found the following simple approach, inspired by the very recent work of [@Piotraschke_2016_CVPR], to be particularly effective.
Specifically, we pool the shape and texture 3DMM parameters $\boldsymbol{\gamma}_i=[\boldsymbol{\alpha}_i,\boldsymbol{\beta}_i], i\in 1..N$ across all the $N$ single view estimates belonging to the same subject. Pooling is performed by element wise weighted averaging of the $N$ 3DMM vectors, resulting in a single 3DMM estimate for that subject, $\widehat{\boldsymbol{\gamma}}$. That is, $$\widehat{\boldsymbol{\gamma}} = \sum_{i=1}^N w_i\cdot\boldsymbol{\gamma}_i \quad \textnormal{and} \quad \sum_{i=1}^N w_i=1,
\label{eq:pooling}$$ where $w_i$ are normalized per-image confidences provided by the CLNF facial landmark detector.
Note that unlike [@Piotraschke_2016_CVPR], we do not use a rank-list based on distances of normals as a quality measure to pool 3DMM parameters, instead taking the landmark detection confidence measure for these weights. Following this process, each CASIA subject is associated with a single, pooled 3DMM parameter vector $\widehat{\boldsymbol{\gamma}}$. For ease of notation, henceforth we will drop the [*hat*]{} when denoting pooled features, assuming all training set 3DMM parameters were pooled.
Learning to regress pooled 3DMM {#sec:learning}
-------------------------------
Following the process described in Sec. \[sec:gendata\], each subject in our data set is associated with a number of images and a single, pooled 3DMM. We now use this data to learn a function which, ideally, regresses the *same* pooled 3DMM feature vector for different photos of the same subject.
To this end, we use a state of the art CNN, trained for face recognition. We use the very deep ResNet architecture [@He_2016_CVPR] with 101 layers, recently trained for face recognition by [@masi16dowe]. We modify its last fully-connected layer to output the 198D 3DMM feature vector $\boldsymbol{\gamma}$. The network is then fine-tuned on CASIA images using the pooled 3DMM estimates as target values; different images of the same subject presented to the CNN using the same target 3DMM shape. We note that we also tried using the VGG-Face CNN of [@parkhi2015deep] with 16 layers. Its results were similar to those obtained by the ResNet architecture, though somewhat lower.
[[**The asymmetric Euclidean loss.**]{}]{} Training our network requires some care when defining its loss function. 3DMM vectors, by construction, belong to a multivariate Gaussian distribution with its mean on the origin, representing the mean face (Sec. \[sec:gendata\]). Consequently, during training, using the standard Euclidean loss to minimize distances between estimated and target 3DMM vectors will favor estimates closer to the origin: these will have a higher probability of being closer to their target values than those further away. In practice, we found that a network trained with the Euclidean loss tends to output less detailed faces (Fig. \[fig:qual\_loss\]).
To counter this bias towards a mean face shape, we introduce an [*asymmetric Euclidean loss*]{}. It is designed to encourage the network to favor estimates further away from the origin by decoupling under-estimation errors (errors on the side of the 3DMM target closer to the origin) from over-estimation errors (where the estimate is further out from the origin than the target). It is defined by:
$$\mathcal{L}(\boldsymbol{\gamma}_p,\boldsymbol{\gamma}) = \lambda_1 \cdot \underbrace{\vert\vert \boldsymbol{\gamma}^+ - \boldsymbol{\gamma}_{\textnormal{max}}\vert\vert_2^2}_{\text{over-estimate}}+ \lambda_2 \cdot \underbrace{\vert\vert \boldsymbol{\gamma}^+_p - \boldsymbol{\gamma}_{\textnormal{max}}\vert\vert_2^2}_{\text{under-estimate}},
\label{eq:loss}$$
using the element-wise operators: $$\begin{aligned}
\vspace{-2mm}
\boldsymbol{\gamma}^+\doteq \textnormal{abs}(\boldsymbol{\gamma}) \doteq \textnormal{sign}(\boldsymbol{\gamma}) \cdot \boldsymbol{\gamma};\quad \boldsymbol{\gamma}_p^+\doteq \textnormal{sign}(\boldsymbol{\gamma}) \cdot \boldsymbol{\gamma}_p,\\
\boldsymbol{\gamma}_{\textnormal{max}} \doteq \max(\boldsymbol{\gamma}^+,\boldsymbol{\gamma}^+_p).\end{aligned}$$ Here, $\boldsymbol{\gamma}$ is the target pooled 3DMM value, $\boldsymbol{\gamma}_p$ is the output, regressed 3DMM and $\lambda_{1,2}$ control the trade-off between the over and under estimation errors. When both equal 1, this reduces to the traditional Euclidean loss. In practice, we set $\lambda_{1}=1$, $\lambda_{2}=3$, thus changing the behavior of the training process, allowing it to escape under-fitting faster and encouraging the network to produce more detailed, realistic 3D face models (Fig. \[fig:qual\_loss\]).
![[*Effect of our loss function:*]{} (left) Input image, (a) generic model, (b) regressed shape and texture with a regular $\ell_2$ loss and (c) our proposed asymmetric $\ell_2$ loss.[]{data-label="fig:qual_loss"}](figure/qual_loss3_raster.png){width="\columnwidth"}
[[**Network hyperparameters.**]{}]{} Eq. (\[eq:loss\]) is solved using Stochastic Gradient Descent (SGD) with a mini-batch of size 144, momentum set to 0.9 and with regularization over the weights provided by $\ell_2$ with a weight decay of 0.0005. When performing back-propagation, we learn the inner product layer (fc) after pool5 faster, setting the learning rate to $0.01$, since it is trained from scratch for the regression problem. Other network weights are updated with a learning rate an order of magnitude lower. When the validation loss saturates, we decrease learning rates by an order of magnitude, until the validation loss stops decreasing.
[[**Discussion: Render-free 3DMM estimator.**]{}]{} It is important to note that by choosing to use a CNN to regress 3DMM parameters, we obtain a function that is [*render-free*]{}. That is, 3DMM parameters are regressed directly from the input image, without an optimization process which renders the face and compares it to the photo, as do existing methods for 3DMM estimation (including our method for generating training data in Sec. \[sec:gendata\]). By using a CNN, we therefore hope to gain not only improved accuracy, but also much faster 3DMM estimation speeds.
Parameter based 3D-3D recognition {#sec:matching}
---------------------------------
The CNN we train in Sec. \[sec:learning\] represents a function $f:\mbf{I} \mapsto \boldsymbol{\gamma}_p$, giving us 3DMM parameters $\boldsymbol{\gamma}_p$ for an input image $\mbf{I}$. We later use our 3DMM estimates in face recognition benchmarks, to test how robust and discriminative they are. We next describe the method used for that purpose to evaluate the similarity of two face shapes and textures to determine if they represent the same subject.
[[**3D-3D recognition with a single image.**]{}]{} We perform face recognition using the 3DMM parameters regressed by our network: By using the 3DMM parameters $\boldsymbol{\gamma}_p$ as face descriptors. Because different benchmarks often exhibit specific appearance biases, we apply Principal Component Analysis (PCA), learned from the training splits of the test benchmark, to adapt our estimated parameter vectors to the benchmark. Signed, element wise square rooting of these vectors is then used to further improve representation power [@perronnin2010improving]. Finally, the similarity of two faces, $s(\boldsymbol{\gamma}_{p1},\boldsymbol{\gamma}_{p2})$, is evaluated by computing their cosine score:
$$s(\boldsymbol{\gamma}_1,\boldsymbol{\gamma}_2) = \frac{\boldsymbol{\gamma}_{p1} \cdot \boldsymbol{\gamma}_{p2}^T}{\vert\vert
\boldsymbol{\gamma}_{p1}\vert\vert \cdot \vert\vert\boldsymbol{\gamma}_{p2}\vert\vert}.
\label{eq:sim}$$
[[**3D-3D recognition with multiple-images.**]{}]{} In some scenarios, a subject is represented by a set of images, rather than just one. This is the case in the YTF benchmark [@wolf:YTF] where videos are used, each containing multiple frames, and in the recent IJB-A [@Klare_2015_CVPR], which uses [*templates*]{} containing heterogeneous visual data (images, videos and possibly more).
We use the same pipeline for single images also for image sets. Here, however, 3DMM parameters for different images or frames are first pooled using Eq. (\[eq:pooling\]). Unlike the process applied in Sec. \[sec:gendata\], all images here have equal weights, as we do not run landmark detection prior to 3DMM fitting with our CNN (see below). When using templates with both videos and images, following [@masi16dowe], we first pool the 3DMM estimates for frames in each video separately, obtaining one 3DMM per video. We then pool these 3DMMs with those of other images in the same template.
[[**Face alignment.**]{}]{} Facial landmark detection and face alignment are known to improve recognition accuracy (e.g., [@WHT:ECCVW08:DBMW; @hassner2015effective]). In fact, the recent, related work of [@hu2016face] manually assigned landmarks before using their 3DMM fitting method for recognition on controlled images. We, however, [*did not align faces*]{} beyond using the bounding boxes provided in their data sets. We found our method robust to misalignments and so spared the runtime this required.
Experimental results {#sec:results}
====================
We test our proposed method, comparing the accuracy of its estimated 3D shapes, its speed and its ability to represent faces for recognition with existing methods. Importantly, [*we are unaware of any previous work on single view 3D face shape estimation which reported as many quantitative tests as we do*]{}, in terms of the number of benchmarks used, the number of baseline methods compared with and the level of difficulty of the photos used in these tests.
Specifically, we evaluate the accuracy of our estimated 3D shapes using videos and photos and their corresponding scanned, ground truth 3D shapes from the MICC Florence Faces dataset [@bagdanov11micc] (Sec. \[sec:exp:acc\]). To test how discriminative and robust our shapes are when estimated from unconstrained images, we perform single image and multi image face recognition using the LFW [@LFWTech], YTF [@wolf:YTF] and the new IARPA JANUS Benchmark-A (IJB-A) [@Klare_2015_CVPR] (Sec. \[sec:exp:rec\]). Finally we also provide qualitative results in Sec. \[sec:exp:qual\].
As baseline 3D reconstruction methods we used standard 3DMM fitting [@romdhani2005estimating], which we implemented ourselves, the flow-based method of [@hassner2013viewing], the edge based method of [@Bas:accvw16], the multi resolution, multi-view approach of [@huber:3dmm] and the recent 3DDFA [@Zhu2016Face], were all tested with their authors’ implementations.
3D shape reconstruction accuracy {#sec:exp:acc}
--------------------------------
The MICC dataset [@bagdanov11micc] contains challenging face videos of 53 subjects. The videos span the range of controlled to challenging unconstrained outdoor settings. For each of the subjects in these videos, the data set contains also a ground-truth 3D model acquired using a structured-light scanning system with high precision. This allows comparing our 3D face shape estimates with the ground truth shapes.
\[tab:micc\]
\[tab:lfw-ytf\]
[lccl\*[4]{}[Y]{}]{} Method & 3D & Text. & TAR-10% & TAR-1% & Rank-1 & Rank-5 & Rank-10\
(r)[1-1]{} (l)[2-8]{} AugNet & & – & 88.6$\pm$1.6 & 90.6$\pm$1.2 & 96.2$\pm$0.6 & 97.7$\pm$0.4\
(r)[1-1]{} (l)[2-8]{} & & & 60.7$\pm$2.0 & 30.6$\pm$3.2 & 34.3$\pm$2.2 & 55.1$\pm$2.1 & 65.1$\pm$2.0\
& & & 71.1$\pm$1.8 & 39.5$\pm$4.8 & 49.8$\pm$2.5 & 69.5$\pm$1.4 & 76.8$\pm$1.0\
& & & 75.4$\pm$1.6 & 46.6$\pm$5.1 & 57.2$\pm$1.9 & 74.4$\pm$1.3 & 80.5$\pm$1.1\
(r)[1-1]{} 3DDFA*+p.*& & & 43.3$\pm$2.5 & 12.5$\pm$1.9 & 16.7$\pm$1.9 & 38.3$\pm$2.7 & 51.3$\pm$3.0\
(r)[1-1]{} & & & 86.0$\pm$1.7 & 55.9$\pm$5.5 & 72.3$\pm$1.4 & 88.0$\pm$1.4 & 91.8$\pm$1.1\
& & & 83.5$\pm$2.2 & 50.3$\pm$5.8 & 70.9$\pm$1.5 & 87.3$\pm$1.1 & 91.5$\pm$1.0\
& & & & & & &\
\[tab:ijba\]
These videos were used for single image and multi frame 3D reconstructions, comparing our method to existing alternatives. In these tests, estimated and ground truth shape parameters were converted to 3D using Eq. (\[eq:3DMM\]), cropped at a radius of 95$mm$ around the tip of the nose and globally aligned using the standard, rigid iterative closest point (ICP) method [@besl1992method], obtaining $X, X^*\subseteq \mathbb{R}^3$, respectively. They were additionally projected to a frontal view, obtaining depth maps $D_Q$ and $D_Q^*$. Estimation accuracy was then computed with standard error measures [@hassner2013viewing; @saxena08dist]:
- [**3D Root Mean Square Error**]{} (3DRMSE):\
$\sqrt{ \sum_i (X - X^*)^2} /N_v$
- [**Root Mean Square Error**]{} (RMSE):\
$\sqrt{ \sum_i (D_{Q_i} - D_{Q_i}^*)^2} /N_p$
- $\mathbf{log_{10}}$: $|\log_{10}(D_Q)-\log_{10}(D_Q^*)|$
- [**Relative error**]{} (Rel): $|D_Q-D_Q^*|/|D_Q^*|$
Here, $N_v$ is the number of 3D vertices and $N_p$ the number of pixels in these representations.
Single view estimation was performed on the most frontal frame. Multi frame reconstructions were given the entire videos. Our multi frame results were produced by pooling 3DMM estimates from different frames, using Eq. (\[eq:pooling\]), with equal weights used for all frames. For all 3DMM fitting baselines [@Bas:accvw16; @huber:3dmm; @romdhani2005estimating; @Zhu2016Face], we found that estimating shape, texture [*and expression*]{} parameters but using only shape and texture for comparisons, gave the best results. This approach was therefore used in all our tests.
Results are reported in Tab. \[tab:micc\]. Error rates are averaged across all videos and provided $\pm$ standard deviation. Our method is clearly the most accurate. Remarkably, both its single view and multiple frame versions outperform the method used to produce the training set target 3DMM labels (3DMM*+pool*). This may be due to our use of such a large dataset to train the CNN and their known robustness to training label errors and noise [@xie2016disturblabel].
Our estimates are more accurate than the very recent state-of-the-art. This includes 3DDFA [@Zhu2016Face] which fits 3DMM parameters by using a CNN to deal with large pose variations as well as [@huber:3dmm] and [@Bas:accvw16]. To better appreciate these numbers, note that our improvement over standard 3DMM fitting is comparable to their improvement over using a unmodified, generic Basel face shape [@paysan09basel].
3DMM regression speed
---------------------
Tab. \[tab:micc\] (rightmost column) also reports the average, per image runtime in seconds, required by the various methods to predict 3D face shapes. We compared our approach with iterative methods such as classic 3DMM implementations [@Bas:accvw16; @huber:3dmm; @romdhani2005estimating], the flow-based method of [@hassner2013viewing] and also with a recent CNN based method [@Zhu2016Face].
As mentioned earlier, our method is render-free, without optimization loops which render the estimated parameters and compare them to the input photo. Unsurprisingly, at 0.088s ($\sim$11Hz), our CNN is [*several orders of magnitude faster*]{} predicting 3DMM parameters than most of the methods we tested. The second fastest method, by a wide gap, is the 3DDFA of [@Zhu2016Face], requiring 0.146s ($\sim$7Hz) for prediction.
Runtime was measured on two different systems. All our baselines required MS-Windows to run and were tested on an Intel Core i7-4820K CPU @ 3.7GHz with 16GB RAM and a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770. Our method requires Linux and so was tested on an Intel Xeon CPU @ 3.60GHz, with 12 GB of RAM and GeForce GTX 590. Importantly, the system used to measure our runtime is the slower of the two. Our runtimes may therefore be exaggerated.
Face recognition in the wild {#sec:exp:rec}
----------------------------
We next consider the robustness of our 3DMM estimates and how discriminative they are. We aim to see if our 3DMM estimates for different unconstrained photos of the same person are more similar to each other than to those of other subjects. An effective way of doing this is by testing our 3DMM estimates on face recognition benchmarks. We emphasize that our goal is [*not*]{} to set new face recognition records. Doing so would require competing with state of the art systems designed exclusively for that problem. We provide performances of relevant (though not necessarily state of the art) recognition systems only as a reference. Nevertheless, our results below are the highest we know of that were obtained with meaningful features (here, shape and texture parameters) rather than opaque representations.
Our tests use the pipeline described in Sec. \[sec:matching\] and report multiple recognition metrics for verification (in LFW and YTF) and identification metrics (in IJB-A). These metrics are verification accuracy, 100%-EER (Equal Error Rate), Area Under the Curve (AUC), and recall (True Acceptance Rate) at two cut-off points of the False Alarm Rate (TAR-{10%,1%}). For identification we report the recognition rates at various ranks from the CMC (Cumulative Matching Characteristic). For each tested method we also indicate its use of estimated 3D shape and/or texture. Finally, bold values indicate best scoring 3D reconstruction methods.
[[**Labeled Faces in the Wild (LFW)**]{}]{} [@LFWTech] results are provided in Tab. \[tab:lfw-ytf\] (top) and Fig. \[fig:allcurves\] (left). Evidently, the shapes estimated by 3DDFA [@Zhu2016Face] are only slightly more robust and discriminative than the classical eigenfaces [@turk:eigface]. Fitting 3DMMs using [@romdhani2005estimating] does better, but falls behind the Hybrid method of [@WHT:ECCVW08:DBMW], one of the first results on LFW, now nearly a decade old. Both results suggest that the shapes estimated by these methods are unstable in unconstrained settings and/or are too generic. By comparison, recognition performances with our estimated 3DMM parameters is not far behind those recently reported by Facebook, using their multi-CNN approach trained on four million images [@taigman2014deepface].
[[**YouTube Faces (YTF)**]{}]{} [@wolf:YTF] Accuracy on YTF videos is reported in Tab. \[tab:lfw-ytf\] (bottom) and Fig. \[fig:allcurves\] (mid-left). Though video frames in this set are often low in quality and resolution, our method performs well. It is outperformed by the Facebook CNN ensemble system [@taigman2014deepface], explicitly designed for face recognition, by an AUC gap of only $\sim$1%. The 3DMM shapes and textures estimated by other methods perform far worst, with [@romdhani2005estimating] doing only slightly better than the MBGS face recognition system [@wolf:YTF], which is the oldest result on that benchmark and [@Zhu2016Face] falling far behind.
[[**IARPA Janus Benchmark A. (IJB-A)**]{}]{} [@Klare_2015_CVPR] Released recently, IJB-A was designed to offer elevated challenges compared to other face recognition benchmarks. In particular, it presents faces in near profile poses, almost nonexistent in previous face sets. It further contains faces in extremely low resolution and often strongly affected by noise.
We evaluated both the face verification (1:1) and recognition (1:N) protocols and report results in Tab. \[tab:ijba\] and Fig. \[fig:allcurves\] (mid-right, right). Here too, performances adopt the same pattern as in the previous two benchmarks, with 3D shapes estimated by 3DDFA [@Zhu2016Face] performing far worst than other methods. Our own method performs quite well, though it is outperformed by a wide margin by the very recent face recognition system of [@masi16dowe], which was designed for this set.
![[*Qualitative comparison of surface errors,*]{} visualized as heat maps with real world $mm$ errors on faces from MICC videos and their ground truth 3D shapes. Left to right, top to bottom: frame from input and 3D ground-truth shape; the generic face; estimates for flow-based method [@hassner2013viewing], Huber et al. [@huber:3dmm], 3DDFA [@Zhu2016Face], Bas et al. [@Bas:accvw16], 3DMM *+pool* [@romdhani2005estimating], our method *+pool*. []{data-label="fig:heatmap"}](figure/heatmap_singlCol3-raster.png){width=".98\columnwidth"}
![ [*Qualitative results*]{}, produced by 3DMM [@romdhani2005estimating], 3DDFA [@Zhu2016Face] and our method on still-images from LFW and single frames from YTF. Bottom: Two failure examples.[]{data-label="fig:lfwquall"}](figure/qual_fig_2k-raster.png){width=".92\columnwidth"}
Qualitative Results {#sec:exp:qual}
-------------------
Fig. \[fig:heatmap\] provides a qualitative comparison of the surface errors in $mm$ for different methods for a subject in the MICC dataset. Our method produces visually smaller errors compared to ground-truth. The areas around the nose and mouth in particular have very low errors, while other methods are more sensitive in these regions (e.g 3DDFA [@Zhu2016Face]). We provide also qualitative 3D reconstructions of faces in the wild, using images from LFW and single frames from YTF videos. Fig. \[fig:lfwquall\] presents these results showing both rendered 3D shapes and (when available) also its estimated texture. These results show that our method generates more visually plausible 3D and texture estimates compared with those produced by other methods. Fig. \[fig:heatmap\] also shows a few failure cases, here due to facial hair which was missing from the original 3DMM representation and extreme out-of-plane rotation which produced a thin, unrealistic 3D shape.
Conclusions
===========
We show that existing methods for estimating 3D face shapes may either be sensitive to changing viewing conditions, particularly in unconstrained settings, or too generic. Their estimated shapes therefore do not capture identity very well, despite the fact that true 3D face shapes are known to be highly discriminative.
We propose instead to use a very deep CNN architecture to regress 3DMM parameters directly from input images. We provide a solution to the problem of obtaining sufficient labeled data to train this network. We show our regressed 3D shapes to be more accurate than those of alternative methods. We further run extensive face recognition tests showing these shapes to be robust to unconstrained viewing conditions and discriminative. Our results are furthermore the highest recognition results we know of, obtained with interpretable representations rather than opaque features. We leave it to future work to regress more 3DMM parameters (e.g., expressions) and design state of the art recognition systems using these shapes instead of the abstract features used by others.
Acknowledgments {#acknowledgments .unnumbered}
===============
This research is based upon work supported in part by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), via IARPA 2014-14071600011. The views and conclusions contained herein are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies or endorsements, either expressed or implied, of ODNI, IARPA, or the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government is authorized to reproduce and distribute reprints for Governmental purpose notwithstanding any copyright annotation thereon.
[10]{}=-1pt
A. Bagdanov, A. D. Bimbo, and I. Masi. The florence [2D/3D]{} hybrid face dataset. In [*ACM Multimedia Conf. Workshops*]{}, 2011. Available: [www.micc.unifi.it/masi/research/ffd](www.micc.unifi.it/masi/research/ffd).
A. Bas, W. A. P. Smith, T. Bolkart, and S. Wuhrer. Fitting a [3D]{} morphable model to edges: [A]{} comparison between hard and soft correspondences. , abs/1602.01125, 2016.
P. J. Besl and N. McKay. A method for registration of [3-D]{} shapes. , 14(2):239–256, 1992.
V. Blanz, S. Romdhani, and T. Vetter. Face identification across different poses and illuminations with a 3d morphable model. In [*Int. Conf. on Automatic Face and Gesture Recognition*]{}, pages 192–197, 2002.
V. Blanz, K. Scherbaum, T. Vetter, and H. Seidel. Exchanging faces in images. , 23(3), 2004.
V. Blanz and T. Vetter. Morphable model for the synthesis of [3D]{} faces. In [*Proc. ACM SIGGRAPH Conf. Comput. Graphics*]{}, 1999.
V. Blanz and T. Vetter. Face recognition based on fitting a 3d morphable model. , 25(9):1063–1074, 2003.
V. Blanz and T. Vetter. Face recognition based on fitting a 3d morphable model. , 25(9):1063–1074, Sept 2003.
A. M. Bronstein, M. M. Bronstein, and R. Kimmel. Three-dimensional face recognition. , 64(1):5–30, 2005.
B. Chu, S. Romdhani, and L. Chen. -aided face recognition robust to expression and pose variations. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, 2014.
R. Dovgard and R. Basri. Statistical symmetric shape from shading for [3D]{} structure recovery of faces. , pages 99–113, 2004.
T. Hassner. Viewing real-world faces in [3D]{}. In [*Proc. Int. Conf. Comput. Vision*]{}, pages 3607–3614. IEEE, 2013. Available: [www.openu.ac.il/home/hassner/projects/poses](www.openu.ac.il/home/hassner/projects/poses).
T. Hassner and R. Basri. Example based [3D]{} reconstruction from single [2D]{} images. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition Workshops*]{}. IEEE, 2006.
T. Hassner, S. Harel, E. Paz, and R. Enbar. Effective face frontalization in unconstrained images. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, 2015.
K. He, X. Zhang, S. Ren, and J. Sun. Deep residual learning for image recognition. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, June 2016.
G. Hu, F. Yan, C.-H. Chan, W. Deng, W. Christmas, J. Kittler, and N. M. Robertson. Face recognition using a unified [3D]{} morphable model. In [*European Conf. Comput. Vision*]{}, pages 73–89. Springer, 2016.
G. B. Huang, M. Ramesh, T. Berg, and E. Learned-Miller. Labeled faces in the wild: A database for studying face recognition in unconstrained environments. Technical Report 07-49, UMass, Amherst, October 2007.
P. Huber, G. Hu, R. Tena, P. Mortazavian, W. Koppen, W. Christmas, M. Rätsch, and J. Kittler. A multiresolution [3D]{} morphable face model and fitting framework. In [*Int. Conf. on Computer Vision Theory and Applications*]{}, 2016.
A. Jourabloo and X. Liu. Large-pose face alignment via cnn-based dense [3D]{} model fitting. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, 2016.
I. Kemelmacher-Shlizerman and R. Basri. face reconstruction from a single image using a single reference face shape. , 33(2):394–405, 2011.
K. Kim, T. Baltrušaitis, A. Zadeh, L.-P. Morency, and G. Medioni. Holistically constrained local model: Going beyond frontal poses for facial landmark detection. In [*Proc. British Mach. Vision Conf.*]{}, 2016.
B. F. Klare, B. Klein, E. Taborsky, A. Blanton, J. Cheney, K. Allen, P. Grother, A. Mah, M. Burge, and A. K. Jain. Pushing the frontiers of unconstrained face detection and recognition: [IARPA]{} [J]{}anus [B]{}enchmark-[A]{}. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, 2015.
S. Liang, L. G. Shapiro, and I. Kemelmacher-Shlizerman. Head reconstruction from internet photos. In [*European Conf. Comput. Vision*]{}, pages 360–374. Springer, 2016.
I. Masi, A. Tran, T. Hassner, J. T. Leksut, and G. Medioni. Do [W]{}e [R]{}eally [N]{}eed to [C]{}ollect [M]{}illions of [F]{}aces for [E]{}ffective [F]{}ace [R]{}ecognition? In [*European Conf. Comput. Vision*]{}, 2016. Available [www.openu.ac.il/home/hassner/projects/augmented\_faces](www.openu.ac.il/home/hassner/projects/augmented_faces).
O. M. Parkhi, A. Vedaldi, and A. Zisserman. Deep face recognition. In [*Proc. British Mach. Vision Conf.*]{}, 2015.
P. Paysan, R. Knothe, B. Amberg, S. Romhani, and T. Vetter. A [3D]{} face model for pose and illumination invariant face recognition. In [*Int. Conf. on Advanced Video and Signal based Surveillance*]{}, 2009.
F. Perronnin, J. S[á]{}nchez, and T. Mensink. Improving the fisher kernel for large-scale image classification. In [*European Conf. Comput. Vision*]{}, pages 143–156. Springer, 2010.
M. Piotraschke and V. Blanz. Automated [3D]{} face reconstruction from multiple images using quality measures. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, June 2016.
E. Richardson, M. Sela, and R. Kimmel. 3d face reconstruction by learning from synthetic data. In [*Int. Conf. on 3D Vision*]{}, 2016.
S. Romdhani and T. Vetter. Efficient, robust and accurate fitting of a [3D]{} morphable model. In [*Proc. Int. Conf. Comput. Vision*]{}, 2003.
S. Romdhani and T. Vetter. Estimating [3D]{} shape and texture using pixel intensity, edges, specular highlights, texture constraints and a prior. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, volume 2, pages 986–993, 2005.
J. Roth, Y. Tong, and X. Liu. Unconstrained [3D]{} face reconstruction. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, June 2015.
J. Roth, Y. Tong, and X. Liu. Adaptive [3D]{} face reconstruction from unconstrained photo collections. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, June 2016.
S. Saito, T. Li, and H. Li. Real-time facial segmentation and performance capture from [RGB]{} input. In [*European Conf. Comput. Vision*]{}, 2016.
A. Saxena, M. Sun, and A. Ng. : Learning 3d scene structure from a single still image. In [*Trans. Pattern Anal. Mach. Intell.*]{}, volume 31, page 824–840, 2008.
S. Suwajanakorn, I. Kemelmacher-Shlizerman, and S. M. Seitz. Total moving face reconstruction. In [*European Conf. Comput. Vision*]{}, pages 796–812. Springer, 2014.
Y. Taigman, M. Yang, M. Ranzato, and L. Wolf. Deepface: Closing the gap to human-level performance in face verification. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}. IEEE, 2014.
H. Tang, Y. Hu, Y. Fu, M. Hasegawa-Johnson, and T. S. Huang. Real-time conversion from a single 2d face image to a [3D]{} text-driven emotive audio-visual avatar. In [*Int. Conf. on Multimedia and Expo*]{}, pages 1205–1208. IEEE, 2008.
M. A. Turk and A. P. Pentland. Face recognition using eigenfaces. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, 1991.
L. Wolf, T. Hassner, and I. Maoz. Face recognition in unconstrained videos with matched background similarity. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, 2011.
L. Wolf, T. Hassner, and Y. Taigman. Descriptor based methods in the wild. In [*Real-Life Images workshop at the European Conference on Computer Vision (ECCV)*]{}, October 2008.
L. Xie, J. Wang, Z. Wei, M. Wang, and Q. Tian. : Regularizing [CNN]{} on the loss layer. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, 2016.
F. Yang, J. Wang, E. Shechtman, L. Bourdev, and D. Metaxas. Expression flow for [3D]{}-aware face component transfer. , 30(4):60, 2011.
D. Yi, Z. Lei, S. Liao, and S. Z. Li. Learning face representation from scratch. , 2014. Available: <http://www.cbsr.ia.ac.cn/english/CASIA-WebFace-Database.html>.
X. Zhu, Z. Lei, X. Liu, H. Shi, and S. Z. Li. Face alignment across large poses: A [3D]{} solution. In [*Proc. Conf. Comput. Vision Pattern Recognition*]{}, 2016.
[^1]: Please see [www.openu.ac.il/home/hassner/projects/CNN3DMM](www.openu.ac.il/home/hassner/projects/CNN3DMM) for updates.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
ArXiv
|
Factors affecting intravenous analgesic requirements after colectomy.
The purpose of this study was to determine factors that influence postoperative IV analgesic use after colectomy. We retrospectively evaluated patients who underwent colectomy between January 1997 and December 2000 at our medical center and calculated the amount of postoperative IV narcotics needed in morphine equivalents. Statistical differences (p < 0.05 considered significant) were measured using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Correlations were performed using Spearman correlation coefficients, and linear regression analysis was also performed. Four hundred eighty-one patients (235 men, 246 women) underwent colectomy; patients had a mean age of 60.6 years (range, 17 to 96 years). Procedures performed included total/subtotal colectomy (10%, n = 49), right colectomy (42%, n = 200), transverse colectomy (3%, n = 12), left/sigmoid colectomy (40%, n = 195), and low anterior resection (4%, n = 17). Laparoscopic colectomy was performed in 53 (11%) patients. Mean postoperative morphine equivalent use was 160.2 mg. Narcotic analgesic use was significantly less for women (p = 0.02), diagnosis of cancer (p = 0.02), and laparoscopic colectomy (p = 0.0001). Patients undergoing a right colectomy required less postoperative narcotics than patients having other types of colectomies (p < 0.02). There was a positive correlation between postoperative narcotic use and operative time (r = 0.14, p = 0.007) and a negative correlation with patient age (r = -0.37, p = 0.0001). Linear regression analysis demonstrated that age (p = 0.0001), female gender (p = 0.04), and laparoscopy (p = 0.001) were independent predictors for decreased narcotic use. Postoperative IV narcotic analgesic use is affected by gender, patient age, indication for colectomy, operative time, type of procedure, and operative technique.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
Sanders: Spend stadium money on stadiums
The Kansas City Royals are five years into the expected seven-year life of their high-tech scoreboard, one of the many features of the recently renovated Kauffman Stadium that last month hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
By Jeff Fox - [email protected]
Examiner
By Jeff Fox - [email protected]
Posted Aug. 17, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 17, 2012 at 4:06 PM
By Jeff Fox - [email protected]
Posted Aug. 17, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Aug 17, 2012 at 4:06 PM
Blue Springs, MO
The Kansas City Royals are five years into the expected seven-year life of their high-tech scoreboard, one of the many features of the recently renovated Kauffman Stadium that last month hosted the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.
Jackson County Executive Mike Sanders says he wants to see a plan for when that and other ongoing maintenance issues are addressed. For now, he contends, tax money meant for maintenance of Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums has been diverted for team operations.
The teams are within their rights, as laid out in their stadiums leases, but Sanders wants the Jackson County Sports Authority to take a tougher line on team requests for how the millions of local and state dollars are spent.
“The point is that isn’t what we should be doing with the money,” Sanders said at Thursday’s Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce monthly luncheon.
Here’s how the money works. Jackson County voters in 2006 approved a 25-year, three-eighth-cent sales tax to renovate both stadiums, raising more than $400 million. The state of Missouri and the teams also contributed to the $700 million in renovations. In exchange, the teams extended their leases by 16 years, through 2030. The Royals got an All-Star Game, though the National Football League backed off an initial promise of Super Bowl at Arrowhead. Also, the teams were responsible for any cost overruns with the renovations, which were completed in 2011.
That, Sanders says, has given taxpayers the impression that their obligations to the stadiums have been capped.
The dispute is over a second pool of money, one that existed even before renovations. Each year, the county and state each contribute $3 million and Kansas City contributes $2 million a year to a fund for ongoing maintenance. The Sports Authority says yes or no to the teams’ requests on how that’s spent, and Sanders points out that he doesn’t control the five-member authority. When a seat on the board is open, the County Legislature nominates three people, and the governor names one of them.
In a recent four-year period, Sanders says, the Royals had $16.9 million from the maintenance fund at their disposal and spent $15.4 million of it on what he called “game-day operations.”
“So it’s the first time publicly we’ve been saying, ‘That’s not the way to do business,’” he said, adding that his comments have generated a good deal of animosity. He stresses that his problem is not so much with the teams as it is with the Sports Authority not drawing a hard enough line on the spending.
“Those stadiums you see out there today aren’t going to look like that in the future,” he said. Instead, he’d like to see a list and a plan for what will get replaced or upgraded.
Sanders said he sees hope in last week’s appointment of a new member of the Sports Authority, Kansas City attorney Stephen Bough – an appointment Gov. Jay Nixon made less than 24 hours after getting the nominations.
Page 2 of 2 - “I think this is a new direction for the Sports Authority,” Sanders said.
Public attention also helps, he said, pointing out that the authority meets at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Arrowhead – a meeting open to the public.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
The Commercial Satellite Imagery Business Model Is Broken - jofer
https://medium.com/@joemorrison/the-commercial-satellite-imagery-business-model-is-broken-6f0e437ec29d
======
aurizon
Cube sats are about to shake this business up. In the past the cost of entry
was very high = few entrants, that went to fewer by predatory pricing against
any new entrants. The old birds are complex beasts that operate across many
spectral bands and are task commanded. The Cubes will be single band small
units with large lenses and larger sensors. They will accumulate and send data
to a ground based cloud and as time goes by will cover the earth in all bands
and in all seasons - all of which will be saleable at a price that will make
the old commercial monopolists to crap their pants. I am sure they will lobby
to limit these cubes, but many are immune to pressure. They might well agree
to no military base imagery. A trip to the planetlabs web site does show that
a huge acquisitive beurocracy lurks therein as there is zero mention of any
sort of fee structure = high fees IMHO, it is not the solution for all mankind
that cube sats might bring. Their videos seem to be staffed by summer
students??
~~~
campchase
Planet has hundreds of cube sats in orbit already. Low and medium resolution
data is not suitable for most commercial use cases. The only way to get high
res data is from big lenses = big satellites = big costs. I agree that cubes
sats are exciting especially for non-optical use cases like blanketing the
earth with internet or GPS-RO or Synthetic Aperture Radar. But they are not a
game-changer for visible-spectrum earth observation data in my opinion.
~~~
aurizon
Yes, but a crack in the monopoly edifice has appeared. It is true - the large
lenses rule - for now. I anticipate larger sensors, coupled with Cassegrain
reflectors(which are far lighter than glass and fold to shrink the path and
can fold even more for launch - unfolding on cue) will soon be flying and will
begin the cube sat's climb towards parity with the big boys as the weight
saving will enable their implementation in cube sats. This will make the big
boys fight back via access and price relaxations. I hope the cube sats people
stay independant and do not make common cause with the big boys? Better and
lower power SARs and control electronics are emerging to run within the
smaller power budget of the cubes.
~~~
campchase
Interesting, I’m unfamiliar with Cassegrain reflectors.
~~~
aurizon
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassegrain_reflector](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cassegrain_reflector)
------
randyzwitch
The selling model sounds strangely like the car buying model. Pre-COVID, even
the suggestion that the total price of a car be listed on the car was viewed
as idealistic nonsense. Only until a pandemic broke out, did car dealers admit
"you're right, we could always sell you a car online"
~~~
campchase
I sympathize. I sell stuff without a price tag all the time--it's the trap of
having large, high-paying customers and trying to lean down to serve small
customers. They're incompatible sales motions, and the effort to set up an
entirely independent, second distribution model is very expensive and time
consuming so it doesn't seem worth investing in.
------
PaulHoule
So many problems with this post.
It's on Medium (not sure if Medium was broken but I wish it was -- if you are
posting on Medium everybody knows you are a dog.)
Scatological language: there are better words than "shitty" to describe your
experience.
Missing the point: to many users the value of satellite imagery is that they
have it and that 'competitors' do not. In the case of the US Govt they don't
want unfriendly military organizations to have it, if it is somebody like the
Bridgewater hedge fund they might want to know the occupancy of the parking
lot at every Wal-Mart in America, but it's only valuable to them if nobody
else knows it.
~~~
campchase
Thanks for your feedback, Paul! To your points:
1\. Medium is crappy, agreed. I would prefer to use Ghost and might do that in
the future. They say on the internet, no one knows you're a dog, but I guess
you are the exception to the rule.
2\. Use of scatological language is kind of my specialty. I mean, shit!
3\. You say I'm missing the point and then go on to make two points that don't
really address the argument I made. Maybe you are the the one that missed the
point. But what do I know, I'm just a dog that likes shit.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
HackerNews
|
Cop who mocked rape victim shifted
Lucknow: The Deoria ASP, who was caught on camera humiliating a 35-year-old Dalit rape victim, was today transfered by the Uttar Pradesh government.
The SHO of Bankata police station, who had allegedly refused to file rape complaint of the woman, was also sent to police lines today, a home department spokesman said. According to the spokes-man, Additional Superintendent of Police Keshav Chandra Goswami has been transferred to CB-CID, Kanpur while Devendra Nath Dwivedi who was posted in Kanpur goes to Deoria in his place. The government today transferred eight PPS officers including Goswami, the spokesman added. Goswami’s remark had yesterday left the state police red faced.
The officer was caught on camera humiliating the woman, who had approached him for lodging a rape case. The ASP allegedly told the woman,”who would rape an elderly woman who is a mother of four”.
Later, the UP Police came into a fire fighting mode and top officials apologised for Goswami’s behaviour.
Director General of UP Police AC Sharma offered an apology and assured that strict action will be taken against the ASP. The DGP has sought explanation from the officer.
According to sources, the woman belonging to Karan Chapra was allegedly raped by one Santosh Kumar of neighbouring village on Wednesday night. When the woman and her husband went to the Bankata police station on Thursday for lodging an FIR, the police station in-charge registered a case of eve-teasing. Dissatisfied with the Bankata police, the couple came to the ASP seeking his intervention. — PTI
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
'Project Runway' recap: It's All About Me
It's the make-your-own textile challenge, everyone! Don't you love this challenge? It's just the thing for times when I want to feel seasick or pretend I'm playing a game of "Where's Waldo?" after dropping acid. I realize designing a textile isn't easy, but at this point in the challenge the designers are so overwhelmed and sleep-deprived that most of them seem to take this as an opportunity to vomit up whatever craziness is floating around in the back of their brain pan, and it's not always easy to look at. More importantly, it's not usually something you want to wear unless you're a model or, say, a paranoid schizophrenic.
Anyway, let's get to it. Or, rather, let's make sure we fluff up the episode with some pointless chatter and take a moment to let the designers share their emotions. Christopher is scared about the future, or rather his future, on the show. In other news, Dmitry wants Elena to die. Elena wants Dmitry to stay away from her, but has not apparently considered killing Dmitry as a way to make that happen.
Finally, it's time for the final eight to visit Heidi and for us to see a snippet from Gunnar's interview. He would just love to win "Project Runway," because he needs a new pair of boots and he'd like to buy his mom a boob job. Yes, that's exactly what he said -- he wants to buy his mom a boob job. He's either a very good son or a very messed up son, but either way, I think Gunnar is oversharing. Heidi, who clearly insists on doing this pointless segment so she has an opportunity to flounce around in an extra outfit, drops a hint ("each of you will have a different and individual inspiration!) and then sends the poor, weary hamsters off to see Tim Gunn, who actually tells us what the challenge is.
But wait! Mondo Guerra from season 8 (and the winner of the All-Stars season) is in the workroom! It's the HP and Intel Challenge! Plug, plug! The designers must create a fabric and a modern runway look inspired by their cultural heritage. Mondo tells them that winning this particular challenge changed his life, which isn't really overstating it, because his design was inspired by his HIV status and he told that little nugget of info to the world and his mom and made an awesome print, too. Mondo suggests they not be too literal, as a national costume will get them sent home. He may also want to tell them not to do pink ribbons or Livestrong bracelets or any disease-of-the-week patterns, because he totally used up the whole illness print angle, yo.
Anyway, Mondo also created a carrying bag for the HP laptop. It's available on HP.com. Plug, plug!
So, if it's the textile challenge it's also the week everyone gets a buddy! Mommies, wives, boyfriends and assorted loved ones swarm into the work room. Elena is so glad, because she needed her mommy! Ven does not need people, but he is mostly pleased to see his sister. There is much hugging and crying and general happiness.
Gunnar is so glad to see his mom! Who does not appear to be in need of a boob job, but then, I feel too embarrassed for her to really look. Gunnar's mom shows him pictures from his childhood and helps him doodle around to come up with a textile pattern. He wants it to be inspired by how he was bullied as a teenager, and what he comes up with is a hand and a bird and… well, it's a hand and a bird. An unhappy hand and a black bird. I feel bullied just looking at it.
Elena is so happy when her mom shows her pictures of little Elena growing up in Ukraine. She was so happy then! She's not usually a bitch, in case you were wondering! I appreciate that Elena is able to step outside herself and realize that she's not only perceived as a bitch, but has actually been one. Unfortunately, Elena gets in touch with her happy, childlike self by designing a vomity looking print that seems to be what happens when you put two graffiti artists together, given them neon spray paint, and say, whoever punches a hole in the ozone first gets a cookie!
Christopher is troubled. He can't decide on a print! His mom tells him he has to make it work. Tim Gunn, quick! Someone's manhandling your motto!
At the end of the day, the designers go back to Atlas and are treated to a meal cooked by their collected loved ones! I'm guessing this is really all about take out pizza, because putting that many people into a New York kitchen and telling them to cook something is just mean.
Though Christopher isn't truly in love with his own print, he thinks everyone else's prints are crazy. Elena's is a doodle, Melissa's is tropical, Dmitry's looks like a cowboy "handkerchief" (I think he means bandana). Oh, and Fabio's print? Fabio freely admits it's penises and vaginas, which causes Christopher to clap a hand over his mouth in giddy horror.
Gunnar tells everyone the story behind his ugly print. Christopher feels so close to Gunnar after this. He was bullied, too! You guys, just go make out already.
Everyone slaps together their designs, and soon it's Tim time! Tim helps Christopher decide between the two looks he's pondering. He tells Sonjia her pants have to fit perfectly, to which we say, duh. He tells Dmitry he needs to sex it up.
But then, things get REALLY fun. Tim thinks Ven's dress is an homage to a menstrual cycle. "It looks like cloths that have soaked up blood," he adds. He asks the other designers if they see the maxi-pad thing he sees, and Dmitry admits, well, kinda. Tim shakes his head in horror. He just hopes no one's offended by it. Ven is stunned. He loved his stinky maxi-pad dress!
Fabio is next. Fabio does not tell Tim about the penis and vagina thing, and it passes Tim right on by. He can see maxi-pads at twenty paces, but boy-girl sex stuff? Not a clue. Tim thinks Melissa's print is beautiful but she needs a more wow design. Elena tells Tim she's not really making hospital scrubs, despite appearances to the contrary. He's so glad she said that, because he was totally thinking it! Tim tells Gunnar his jacket looks heavy, and Dmitry thinks it's horribly put together. Dmitry and Tim are not wrong.
Ven, feeling hurt and crampy, is changing his design and possibly taking a Midol. He has to to get the maxi-pad imagery out of his head, so what does he do? He makes a ROSE DESIGN. Because we haven't seen the fan effect before!
Anyway, soon enough it's time for hair and make-up and then it's runway time! Each designer gets to sit with a loved one for a little while.
The judges are Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and All-Star winner Mondo Guerra and Anya Ayoung-Chee, winner of season nine. Anya!
Sonjia
These pants absolute remind me of that Art Nouveau/'70s Biba aesthetic. Don't dig the side stripes, but the back of the shirt, with the low-cut drapey thing? Love.
Elena
Yeah, still looks like hospital scrubs or a really weird track suit.
Christopher
Yikes. It sort of looks like he got bored and just wadded up the leftover fabric in the center of the dress.
Ven
Ugh. I hate this. The print is just so bad, and it looks like a toga ran into a lei and had an unfortunate incident with a rose design from another dress. This is baaaad. Like time to go home bad.
Fabio
I actually like this, but it reads a little blah on the runway.
Melissa
It's a well-made dress, but it looks like something you could find in a department store. Still, it isn't black, I guess.
Gunnar
Woof. What's with the black piping? And the cut of the jacket is just kind of Holly Hobbie. Still hate the print. Skirt is blah blah blah. This is like what Amish teens would wear for Rumspringa because, from their perspective, it's sorta sexy.
Dmitry
I think this is so clever. The cutouts are just great. The jacket looks like it's floating over the skirt. This is a winner, most definitely.
Elena, Fabio are on to the next round. Everyone else is the top and bottom. I am relieved to notice all of the family members have been ushered out of the room, probably to keep anyone from attacking Michael Kors for tossing one of his pithy descriptions at their little lumpkin.
Melissa is up first. Michael thinks it's uptown girl. Heidi thinks it's a little uncool, and honestly I'm with Heidi. Nina thinks it looks chic and smart and sexy. Mondo thinks it's pretty good, but both he and Anya think it could have been turned up a little. Honestly, I think this is pretty underwhelming, especially from Melissa. It's like she went over to the Chiffonies' side.
Ven is next. Heidi thinks she looks like a Hawaiian Airlines hostess. Yes! The rose and hibiscus together looks weird. Michael says Ven has to go to the next thing. He's a fabric florist. What this says to Nina is that Ven didn't know how to deal with the print. Mondo knows he's really good but it's three dresses mushed up together, and it's visually confusing. Even Mondo can't save you now, Ven!
Dmitry is next. Michael thinks he did everything they wanted. Mondo thinks the jacket is a showstopper, but we can't see the print. But we can see it's designed well, but maybe over designed. Heidi thinks it's great. She would buy it because it's crazy good. Anya thinks it's really powerful. Nina thinks the jacket is phenomenal. But he has to tone down the styling.
Gunnar talks about his bullying print. Heidi thinks it's bizarre. Michael thinks the print looks like bird postage stamps. She looks like a twirler. Nina thinks the print is sad. Anya thought it was non-fashion in every way. Mondo thought the print was ugly and the whole thing look crafty.
Christopher thinks his print is pretty. Heidi thinks his dress is fine, but that won't help him win. Anya thinks it's prom dress. Nina thinks it's the most disappointing execution she's seen from him. Mondo thinks it's over designed. Michael thinks it's kitchen-y.
The judges talk. They are very unhappy with Ven. Heidi is ready to send him and Gunnar home together, really. Heidi is so thoroughly bugged by Ven's reliance on the rose theme she calls Tim Gunn to come in and discuss the issue. Tim explains that he didn't veto the rose this time because he didn't see it -- and then he tells them the menstrual cycle story. So, yes, this was bad, but the one before it was WORSE. And Tim adds that he's had concerns about Ven for a while.
Oh my goodness, is Ven going home? We can only hope. I know, I know, I loved him at the beginning -- but that was before I saw those damn fan roses every week AND before he hated on that poor size 14 woman who came in. Go home, Ven! Go home!
Melissa is… in. Dmitry… is the winner. I don't think Mondo is happy about this, but I love it. Sonjia is in.
Christopher is… in. Gunnar is… out. Ven is in. Ven tells them he's going to take the critique and just move forward. Heidi tells him if she sees one more rose from him he's gone. I love Heidi sometimes.
Christopher and Gunnar bond, which is easy to do when one of you is leaving.
Gunnar committed to the show, so he won. In his own way. Bye, Gunnar.
I knew Gunnar would be cut simply because he was almost out the door before, and his skill set is not up to Ven's level. That being said, Ven is becoming a hacky wedding designer with a mean streak. If he makes the final three, I think it will only be to make the finale must-see TV -- sort of the way Mila was the villain of her season and gave everyone someone to root against. But who knows? Maybe he'll sneak in one more stupid rose and Heidi will cut him like a knockwurst.
Do you think Gunnar should have gone home? Whose print did you like best? And are you sick of Ven, too?
Liane Bonin Starr is an author, screenwriter and former writer for EW.com. Her byline has appeared in the Los Angeles Times, Variety and a lot of other places. Her last book was called "a scandalously catty, guilty pleasure" by Jane magazine. Expect the same from Starr Raving.
Ven made the mistake of not only making his model cry, but putting Runway in a very bad light. Then the whole 'female designers do practical.' Oh that will win you brownie points. No, they are going to torture Ven until the end and then he will lose in the final three. Just. Like. Santino.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
91%Rating
Property Information:
Home Sweet Home... Tropic Days is a charming little guest house set in tropical landscaped gardens and a relaxed environment.
Offering free Internet, 24h unlimited free WiFi and free tea & coffee, with all linen and towels provided and extremely clean facilities, we are the perfect choice for the budget conscious traveller.
Tropic Days has been recognised by the Lonely Planet as 'Cairns' Best Hostel' 4th Edition of their East Coast Australia Guide Book.
Located in a quiet area, our guests can relax in our sparkling pool, or lie back in our hammocks and chill out to the music in the beautiful landscaped gardens.
With our two well equipped kitchens, TV lounge and laundry, it is a real cosy and very comfortable place to stay.
With comfort in mind we at Tropic Days offer various accommodation options such as Doubles, Deluxe Doubles (complete with a T.V. and DVD player), Twins, Singles, 3 and 4 bed dorms (no bunk beds!), as well as camping options.
All Rooms are air conditioned and equipped with ceiling fans.
We supply full linen, towels, a safety deposit box in all rooms, plus free tea and coffee. There is also a fridge in every private room.
Our staff have excellent local knowledge too, so any transport needs, walks to do, or local conservation parks to see, you can just pop in and ask us.
All amenities are ideally located just a short walk to Cairns Central Shopping Mall. Here you can find two supermarkets, post office, banks, food outlets, cinemas and many shops. The Mall is also used as quick access through to the city centre - check Google maps for our location. We also have a courtesy bus that runs to and from town throughout the day.
All in all, with great attention to cleanliness and personal service we guarantee you will have a fantastic stay here at Tropic Days backpackers.
Our Tour & Information desk is here to help you.
We have great advice and fantastic specials & standby prices for tours to the Great Barrier Reef, Cape Tribulation, Whitsunday Sailing, Fraser Island 4WD Safaris, and many, many more thrilling activities.
Policies
Credit Cards Accepted
No Curfew
Cancellation Policy
This property has a 1 day cancellation policy.
Failure to cancel within this time will result in a cancellation charge equal to the first night of your stay, unless otherwise stated below (see 'Things to Note' information).
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Essi Leppänen
Elinkautisen loppumetrejä juoksevalle Juha Heinoselle teatteri on instrumentti, jolla tutkia yhteiskunnan ongelmia, puolustaa sorrettua ja vähäosaista.
Tampereen Nekalassa syksy raapii puita ja kadulla kulkevien sieluja.
Legioonateatterin Toinen valinta -näytelmä päättyy neljän näyttelijän riipivään yhteislaulukohtaukseen ja sanoihin: ”Aion kuolla vapaana!”
Toinen valinta on elinkautisvanki Juha Heinosen (s. 1966) kirjoittama kahden miehen kasvukertomus hiekkalaatikolta rikolliseksi, pakkaus mustinta huumoria, periytyvää huono-osaisuutta ja mahdollisuutta muutokseen.
Vankila oli täydellinen luottamuksen menetys ihmisiin.
Jostain hyvin syvältä näihin aiheisiin on tultu. Mennään ajassa taaksepäin.
Juha Heinonen aloitti kirjoittamisen 23-vuotiaana. Kirjoittamisen kannuksia Heinonen hankki työskentelemällä viisi vuotta raskaan kaluston ammattilehdissä.
ILMOITUS
– Hemingwayn mukaan jokaisen kirjoittajan tulee olla viisi vuotta lehtitoimittajana jotta oppii tiivistämään. Mutta ei yhtään enempää, muuten kieli kuolee, Heinonen kertoo työhuoneellaan KRIS-Tampere ry:n tiloissa.
Vuonna 1995 Heinonen lähti Oriveden opistoon etsimään sanataiteen työkaluja. Risto Ahdin ja Liisa Endwallin opissa karisi luulot runoilijuudesta. Opiston neuvo oli lopettaa ”hölynpöly” ja keskittyä joko esseistiikkaan tai teatteriin, jotka olivat Heinosen vahvuuksia. Opistoaikana hän kirjoitti Pyhä toimitus -näytelmän, jota esitettiin Lahden Pikkuteatterissa punaviinin ja harrastajien voimin.
– Siitä näytelmästä ei kukaan ymmärtänyt yhtään mitään, Heinonen hymähtää.
Opisto aiheutti kuitenkin vakavan kirjoitusblokin. Kirjoittamisesta katosi hauskuus, siitä tuli työtä.
– Vuonna 1997 jouduin palaamaan freelancer-toimittajan hommiin ja se oli takapakkia kaikkeen. Kyllä sillä vuokran ja laskut maksoi, mutta sanataide kuoli mun kohdalla pitkäksi aikaa.
Pettymys synnytti näytelmän
Vuonna 2001 Heinonen tuomittiin elinkautiseen vankeusrangaistukseen murhasta. Alkoi kaksitoista ja puoli vuotta suljetussa vankilassa. Heinonen ja lukuisat asianajajat tappelivat kolme vuotta tuomiosta eri oikeusasteissa.
Mitä vankila opetti?
– Ihmisvihan. Vankila oli täydellinen luottamuksen menetys ihmisiin. Ja siinä onkin poisoppimista, Heinonen toteaa rauhallisesti.
– Rutiini on selviytymisen keino. Ja se, oppiiko rutiinista rehellisin nahoin pois, on ihmiskohtaista.
Lähes koko tuomionsa ajan Heinonen työskenteli vankilan keramiikkapajalla. Keramiikkaa tuli tehtyä 10 000 kiloa.
– Onnekseni Olli Vasa tuli opettamaan dreijaamista. Jos tekstimaailman kuninkuusluokka on runous, niin dreijaaminen on sitä keramiikassa. Se on kaikkein vaativin laji.
Vuonna 2007 Kylmäkosken vankilassa aloitettiin pienimuotoinen kirjoittajapiiri, jonka vetäjäksi astui Juha Hurme. Kirjoittaminen hiipi takaisin Heinosen elämään. Kirjoittajapiiri synnytti kaksi näytelmää: Jere Niemisen Antti Kristian Hautamäki -monologin ja Heinosen Kuningaskahle-näytelmän. Nälkäteatterin voimin vuonna 2010 toteutettu Kuningaskahle sai odottamattoman paljon huomiota ja suitsutusta mediassa.
Heinoselle Kuningaskahle oli kostonäytelmä.
– Siihen kulminoitui melkein kymmenen vuoden katkeruus tuomareita, poliisia, kaikkea kohtaan. Oikein vapauttava kokemus, Heinonen hymyilee.
Hurmeen ohjaama Kuningaskahle on Heinosen sanojen mukaan verbaliikkaleikki, mustinta huumoria, teemanaan vankilan hierarkia ja törkeä vallankäyttö.
– Se toimii yleispätevänä kuvana mihin tahansa autoritäärisesti johdettuun laitokseen, on se sitten valtiollinen tai yksityinen yhtiö, kirjoittaja toteaa.
Miltä kirjoittaminen tuntui pitkän tauon jälkeen?
– Ihan samaa kuraa kuin aina ennenkin. Kirjoittamisympäristö oli järkyttävä. Tietokoneet on käytävällä, yksi istuu sylissä ja yksi vieressä kysymässä jatkuvasti neuvoa, Heinonen huokaa.
– Ihan hyvä näytelmä siitä kuitenkin syntyi.
Ja niin syntyi myös yhteistyö Juha Hurmeen kanssa. 2012 Hurme ohjasi Heinosen kirjoittaman Ääniä kiven sisästä -kuunnelman Radioteatterille. Heinosen debyyttikuunnelma käsittelee niin ikään vangin ajatuksia, vankilaa ympäristönä ja ihmisen oikeutta eutanasiaan.
Vapaudesta ja vankeinhoidosta
Lain mukaan Heinonen olisi vapautunut kesällä 2013, mutta tyytymättömyys Vankeinhoitolaitoksen toimintaan piti miehen muurien sisällä.
– Vankeinhoidon vastuu lain mukaan on kuntouttaa vanki vankeuden aikana. Puhutaan kyllä kauniita, mutta todellisuudessa vankilassa tuhotaan ihmisiä, mikä näkyy esimerkiksi terveydenmenetyksinä, psyykeongelmina ja huumeidenkäyttönä. Ihmiset tulee hyvin vihaisina takaisin maailmaan, Heinonen toteaa.
– Se ei ole lainkaan hyvä juttu.
Epäselvän tuomion aiheuttama pettymys oli polttoaine, jonka voimalla jaksoi vääntää periaatteista. Vankeuden aikana perhe ja kaikki ympärillä oleva oli hajonnut.
– Aleksandr Solženitsyn kiteyttää sen ajatuksen, mitä toteutin: Jos aidan kummallakaan puolella ei ole mitään, on aivan sama kummalla puolella seisoo.
Syksyllä 2013 Heinonen kyllästyi pattitilanteeseen ja päätti aloittaa ilmaisutaidon kurssin Legioonateatterissa siirtymällä tammikuussa avovankilaan. Tuomio on nyt loppusuoralla. Kahdentoista ja puolen vuoden aikana Heinonen oli soittanut seitsemän puhelua ja poistunut talosta vain muutaman pakollisen kerran. Moni asia oli yli kymmenen vuoden aikana muuttunut.
– Olo on välillä kuin Liisa Ihmemaassa. Aika useinkin olen kuin Liisa Ihmemaassa, Heinonen nauraa.
KRIS on maanlaajuinen vertaistukijärjestö, jonka tavoitteena on rikos- ja päihdetaustaisten uuteen elämään opastaminen. KRISin neljä periaatetta ovat päihteettömyys, rehellisyys, yhteisvastuullisuus ja toveruus. Heinonen tekee kirjoittamisen ohella työtä sekä Legioonateatterissa että KRISissä: varainhankintaprojektia, korupajan ja näytelmäkerhon käynnistystä, tiedottamista, näytelmän myyntityötä. Viime keväänä Heinonen kirjoitti Toinen valinta -näytelmän tilaustyönä 10 vuotta täyttävän KRIS-Tampere ry:n kunniaksi.
Juha Heinosen ajatuksia laajemmin perjantaina 24. lokakuuta ilmestyneessä Kansan Uutisten Viikkolehdessä. Osta näköislehti.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
I was going nowhere, twenty-one, no job, no girlfriend, no car. I suppose everybody has their methods of measuring success, not me though. I live to my means, I do what I can, and if I can’t, then I’m not your fucking teacher.
My father told me that I should find myself a wife. I found myself a wife, on her wedding night. I wasn’t even invited. The groom was half-cut and his blushing bride was a blossoming whore, hoping for some prick in a suit to sort her out and fill that empty hole inside. But there was really only one hole anybody could fill, and emotion had fuck all to do with it. It’s amazing what authority a suit can command.
People are so fucking stupid.
Running around in circles, making the same mistakes over and over again until they run out of energy and crash wearily into apathy, forming a happy life from the smashed ruins of over-indulgence and lack of fulfilment.
Well fuck ‘em all. I’m not the one to sort them out.
Some people think I’m insane, but what do they know? They’re just buying into the illusion of sanity. They consider themselves normal, because so far, they haven’t had a man in a white coat inform them of the name of cognitive ailment which afflicts them, complete with a recipe of symptoms, and a menu of pills for their ills. The truth is, the brain changes throughout life, growing and shrinking in different areas, dependent on the stimuli applied to their cognitive makeup. Perfect sanity, would be an entirely proportional brain makeup, the likes of which can only be possessed by those we would call paranoid schizophrenics. It is beyond me why we must twist reality to fit our own perceptions and definitions into it, without regard for anything real. I do not possess the courage of Achilles, the wisdom of Ulysses or the strength of Hercules, nor do I possess the prophetic vision of a clairvoyant. I am a Stanford County prison guard. I am the man at the back of the Clapham omnibus, sitting like everybody else, isolated and quiet, staring at a plane in the sky and wishing I was somewhere else. I’m sat directly behind you, but you don’t even know I’m there.
Now let me tell you what I cannot stand; a manner lacking in politesse. I truly cannot stand the impolite, which seems hypocritical, as I myself have no regard for the feelings of others. Sometimes, if a person I meet is particularly discourteous, I have a tendency to get quite enraged. I could not tell you why. I, like many others, am enslaved by the shackles of tradition, routine, and the concept of civility. Why is there such variety in our choice of virtue and vice? Perhaps it is the result of evolutionary hardwiring, manifested after years of sociological conditioning. Perhaps the human psyche has grown to be adaptable, and yet ever so corruptible. Who knows? Who the fuck actually cares?
So perhaps I am not at fault for what I have just done, or maybe I am wholly responsible. Some may even doubt the existence of free-will, and so how can I be held responsible for the scarlet trickles running down my fingers? All I asked for was a lighter, nothing more, just a lighter for my cigarette. I saw that he had one, but as I approached, he slid it into the pocket of his waistcoat and began to turn away. Upon asking, at first he ignored me. A second inquisition resulted in him hastily turning his head and refuting my request. Against my better judgement, I decided to give him one last chance at redemption, merely requesting this time that he let me light off the cherry-end of the cigarette he was smoking. Once again, I was ignored. My feelings were hurt, and I reached into my pocket, clasping my Victorinox, as a child clings to a teddy bear, in lieu of maternal comfort. As I released the blade and took the knife from my pocket, I took three hasty steps forward, raising the blade in the air, I drove it down into his neck.
I never lit my cigarette.
© JC Axe 2014
Like’ JC Axe on Facebook
Hire JC Axe for a project.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
Share
Some come for the music, some for the picnic. But for many Angelenos, Summer at the Hollywood Bowl is all about the fireworks. Setting off fireworks to live music is a performance in itself — helmed by pyrotechnician Eric Elias and score reader Sara Hiner.
On a weekday night in Hollywood, Eric Elias and Sara Hiner rehearse their score: Aaron Copland's "Hoedown." Elias counts out loud, as each number signals when he'll push a button that fires off the fireworks with the music.
While Hiner marks the score, Elias works out the cues to go with the fireworks display he has in his head.
Eric's remote firing device is about the size of a desk phone. It’s linked to a bigger, refrigerator-sized box backstage that blasts the fireworks skyward. It's all controlled by a red button, of course.
Hiner, a classically trained bassoonist, both reads the score and watches the conductor in order to call out the cues. But with live music, there can always be surprises.
"I've sort of jokingly had this argument with a few conductors over the years," says Elias. "No matter what they tell you, if he has one cup of coffee for rehearsal and two cups of coffee before the show, they play faster."
That's where Hiner comes in.
"I can follow the conductor. Where it gets interesting is where we bring in collaboration concerts. When rock and roll bands come in, and somebody decides to take an extra solo, or forgets a line, or completely changes what they're doing midstream," says Hiner, "then we have to get a little creative."
Hiner's debut as a score reader was like a scene from a movie. It was during a 2008 Bowl show. Hiner was backstage, managing the musicians for the Los Angeles Philharmonic when Elias came in, panicking. The original score reader had just gotten sick and Elias scrambled for a replacement.
In a hurry, Hiner started learning the entire score to "Not the Messiah," a musical by comedian Eric Idle.
"It's not something that's in the standard repertoire for musicians, so I was pretty much sight-reading," Hiner says. "And I guess the closest thing you can describe is stage fright."
Hiner and Elias have been working side by side ever since. "The score reader I work with is invaluable to us being able to get the job done that we do," says Elias. "There are no computers involved — it's my score reader and I, and she keeps me on track."
Because fireworks only get deployed once, Elias designs every program completely in his head. And he looks forward to watching the show as much as anyone else.
"For most of the concerts, other than "1812," that night, the entire audience, along with me are seeing that fireworks show to that music for the very first time in the world anywhere — except in my head," he says. "So our work literally goes up in smoke."
Recently on Off-Ramp
About Off-Ramp
Off-Ramp is a lively weekly look at Southern California through the eyes and ears of radio veteran John Rabe. News, arts, home, life... covering everything that makes life here exciting, enjoyable, and interesting.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
2004 Grand National
The 2004 Grand National (known as the Martell Grand National for sponsorship reasons) was the 157th official annual running of the world-famous Grand National steeplechase which took place at Aintree near Liverpool, England, on 3 April 2004 and attracted the maximum permitted field of 40 competitors for total prize money of £600,000 including £348,000 to the winner.
39 of the 40 original entrants took part in the race – Tyneandthyneagain was withdrawn. On the run-in after the final fence (where Hedgehunter fell when in close contention), any one of three horses looked capable of clinching victory, but it was 16–1 shot Amberleigh House who finished first, three lengths ahead of Clan Royal, who in turn was two lengths from Lord Atterbury. The winning horse was trained by Ginger McCain, who secured his fourth Grand National win, 31 years after his first with Red Rum. 11 of the 39 starters completed the course, with all of the fallers returning safely to the stables.
Leading contenders
The public gambled an estimated £200 million on the outcome of the race but no clear favourite emerged as four horses started off as joint-favourites.
2002 National winner Bindaree was one of the 10–1 joint-favourites after winning the Welsh National at Chepstow in the last December. He had also run well to finish second over one circuit of the Aintree course in the Becher Chase in November where he had been beaten another joint-favourite, Clan Royal. The inexperienced Jurancon II also attracted public attention after being chosen as the ride of champion jockey Tony McCoy having won the Red Square Vodka Gold Cup in February, and Joss Naylor completed the quartet after finishing second in the Hennessy Cognac Gold Cup in November. Hedgehunter was 11–1, the 2001 Irish Grand National winner David's Lad was 12/1, and 2003 National winner Monty's Pass was also among the leading fancies at 20/1.
Finishing order
Non-finishers
Coverage
The race was covered live on television and radio by the BBC, in accordance with the Ofcom Code on Sports and Other Listed and Designated Events, for the 46th consecutive year. The coverage was also syndicated globally and broadcast on the Internet for the first time to UK subscribers on the BBC website. The television coverage was presented by Claire Balding and Sue Barker. The race commentary team consisted of Ian Bartlett, Tony O'Hehir, Darren Owen and lead commentator Jim McGrath, who called the runners home for the seventh year.
Both Bartlett and Owen were covering their first Grand National on television after the retirement of John Hanmer; Bartlett had previously been part of the radio commentary team. This was also the first time since 1967 that the race was commentated on by a team of four rather than three.
Racing UK provided its own coverage of the race to bookmakers' outlets across the country. The BBC also broadcast radio commentary of the race on national radio for the 74th year as part of its Radio Five Saturday sports show.
All of the leading daily newspapers in the United Kingdom ran centre spread pullouts of various sizes with colour guides and profiles of all the runners, while office sweepstake kits were printed by three major dailys during the week prior to the race.
Jockeys
Carl Llewellyn was the most experienced rider in the race, being only the twelfth man to weigh out for the fourteenth time for a Grand National.
Six riders made their debut in the race with Andrew Tinkler and Ross Geraghty completing the course. James Barry, Bobby McNally, James Davies and Joey Elliott failed to reach the finishing post.
References
2004
Grand National, 2004
Grand National
Category:21st century in Merseyside
Grand National
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Wikipedia (en)
|
Q:
How to show multiple columns values from db in a single row android
This is my code :
@Override
protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) {
super.onCreate(savedInstanceState);
setContentView(R.layout.activity_main);
//populateListView();
mydb = new DBHelper(this);
ArrayList<String> array_list = mydb.getAllCotacts();
ArrayAdapter<String> arrayAdapter = new ArrayAdapter<>(this, android.R.layout.simple_list_item_1, array_list);
ListView obj = (ListView) findViewById(R.id.listView);
obj.setAdapter(arrayAdapter);
obj.setOnItemClickListener(new AdapterView.OnItemClickListener() {
@Override
public void onItemClick(AdapterView<?> arg0, View arg1, int arg2, long arg3) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
int id_To_Search = arg2 + 1;
Bundle dataBundle = new Bundle();
dataBundle.putInt("id", id_To_Search);
Intent intent = new Intent(getApplicationContext(), DisplayContact.class);
intent.putExtras(dataBundle);
startActivity(intent);
}
});
b1=(Button)findViewById(R.id.button);
b1.setOnClickListener(new View.OnClickListener() {
@Override
public void onClick(View v) {
// TODO Auto-generated method stub
Intent i = new Intent(getApplicationContext(),DisplayContact.class);
startActivity(i);
}
});
}
This is my getallcontact code.....
public ArrayList<String> getAllCotacts()
{
ArrayList<String> array_list = new ArrayList<>();
//hp = new HashMap();
SQLiteDatabase db = this.getReadableDatabase();
Cursor res = db.rawQuery( "select * from contacts", null );
res.moveToFirst();
while(!res.isAfterLast()){
array_list.add(res.getString(res.getColumnIndex(CONTACTS_COLUMN_NAME)));
array_list.add(res.getString(res.getColumnIndex(CONTACTS_COLUMN_EMAIL)));
res.moveToNext();
}
return array_list;
}
And the output is..
output
How can i show both name and email in a single row?
A:
You are adding both name and email as separate listitems in your list so combine them as a single entry.
do this in your while loop
array_list.add(res.getString(res.getColumnIndex(CONTACTS_COLUMN_NAME)) +" "+res.getString(res.getColumnIndex(CONTACTS_COLUMN_EMAIL)));
instead of this
array_list.add(res.getString(res.getColumnIndex(CONTACTS_COLUMN_NAME)));
array_list.add(res.getString(res.getColumnIndex(CONTACTS_COLUMN_EMAIL)));
Plus for little better formatting you can use new line escape sequence "\n"
array_list.add(res.getString(res.getColumnIndex(CONTACTS_COLUMN_NAME)) +"\n"+res.getString(res.getColumnIndex(CONTACTS_COLUMN_EMAIL)));
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
StackExchange
|
The effect that cryptocurrency mining has had on the graphics card market has been so extreme, very few people could have predicted it. GPUs that were as easy to purchase as a gallon of milk became as hard to find as the hottest deal at Best Buy on Black Friday.
In addition to the rarity, inflated pricing has been a real issue as well, with many GPUs costing twice as much (or more) than their intended MSRP. A $649 GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, for example, can currently be had as "cheap" as $900, and that's a relative bargain compared to some of the other pricing we've seen. It's not hard to find the same GPU going for $1,300+ at virtually any e-tailer. One of the saving graces for gamers has been companies selling pre-built systems, like MAINGEAR, where adding a high-end GPU to a build doesn't inflate the price by the same degree, but not everyone is in the market for an entirely new rig.
It's been rumored that AMD and NVIDIA are considering releasing mining-specific GPUs, although some third-parties have already gotten started. That includes BITNAND, which is now taking orders for a GeForce GTX 1060 optimized for mining. There are no video outputs on the card, and for that matter there's no PCIe bracket either, though like their gamer-centric counterparts a 6-pin PCIe power connector is required.
The card is also passively cooled. That's ideal for those wanting to run a fleet of them, especially in a climate controlled room, because there's no need to worry about fans failing. BITNAND is charging $389 for this card, and says it will begin shipping at the end of the month.
Compared to standard GeForce GTX 1060s, $389 isn't the best deal. Amazon lists a handful at $349 or under, so miners plucking these passive GPUs up would be doing so for reduced noise, possible optimized performance, and power savings. As with any GTX 1060, this one can be overclocked to further tune performance, although your mileage will vary -- especially with passive cooling.
BITNAND says that this card hits about 22MH/s for ETH mining and 500H/s for XMR mining. And the company claims a power draw of 70W, which contrasts sharply with a reference GeForce GTX 1060's 120W specification. A 50W difference could help justify the card's premium price, because it would ultimately cost less to run over time.
If rumors prove true and AMD and NVIDIA do have mining cards en route, then maybe there will be enough gamer cards left for the rest us and pricing will fall back down to expected levels. It seems like a pipe dream given the current crypto craze, but we are optimistic something will be done to help the situation moving forward.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
OpenWebText2
|
[Burkitt's type ALL with numb chin syndrome as an initial manifestation].
A case of Burkitt's type ALL with numb chin syndrome as the initial manifestation is described. A 57-year-old Japanese male was admitted to our hospital in November 14, 1989 because of paresthesia at the chin and lower lip with diplopia and ptosis. Neurological examination revealed oculomotor paralysis of the right side and hypesthesia on the chin, lower lip and buccal mucous membrane. Laboratory findings showed increased leukocyte count. Bone marrow aspirate revealed hypercellular marrow with 92.3% leukemic cells which had vacuoles in the cytoplasm and surface marker of IgM, kappa type. The abnormalities of karyotype included t(8;14). He was treated with chemotherapy and radiation. His conditions were temporarily improved, but relapsed later and died in March 6, 1990. Leukemic infiltrations to the trigeminal nerve were found in autopsy. The relationship between lymphoid malignancies and numb chin syndrome was discussed.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
PubMed Abstracts
|
Tag: feral
The most successful animal on earth is the human being. The second most successful animal is the human’s best friend, the dog.
Cuddly, loyal, loving, playful, enthusiastic, forgiving: those are usually the richly intense terms that people use for dogs. There’s no companion animal like the dog — the domestic dog has co-evolved with people and considers humans to be part of its pack. If treated as pets, dogs will love and protect “their pack” — their human family. Pet dogs have given their lives for their owners, and will stick by their pack through thick and thin. Unlike any other animal, people talk about dogs like they are people — for most, the loss of a dog is the loss of a family member.
Yet, dogs also hit the headlines for much more gruesome reasons — 14 children have been killed by dogs in Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh. Some others have been injured. This is not an isolated incident: dogs are increasingly chasing down both people and livestock. Dogs are also the third biggest mammalian predator of wildlife — they chase, hunt, disturb and transmit disease to wildlife, eating up birds, antelopes, hares, turtles, deer, eggs, and anything else they can find.
There are two questions here: one, how do “cuddly” dogs become predators, and two, what do we do about it? These two questions need to be looked at together, because the answer for both is the same. In clear words: people are wholly responsible for the dangers that dogs pose today.
A dog with a Blackbuck kill in Haryana. [Photo credit: Neha Sinha]
The first question first. Do dogs kill? While one may find it hard to believe that dogs can hunt down people or other animals–similar questions have been asked on the Sitapur incidents, blaming “mysterious animals” for the killing — the biological fact is that the dog is both a predator and a carnivore. If not taken responsibility for, a dog can and will hunt, with increasingly lurid consequences. Biology does not point fingers — animals are what they are, and predators will predate — that does not make them any worse than say, a vegetarian bunny that munches on grass and flowers.
A follow-up thought would be: many animals kill people, how does that make dogs any different? The answer is enmeshed with the question of what we must do. The domestic dog was created by people, domesticated from the wolf. The edge the dog has over other predators is the familiarity it feels with people, honed over thousands of years of co-evolution. A dog can hunt at nearly any time, and regardless of the physical closeness of human beings. It often has a lack of fear of man. Compare this to any other wild animal which does not have the benefit of familiarity — even a tiger known to kill people will stay away from groups of people.
Dogs that hunt people and wildlife need complete removal from site. Sterilisation does not help in such cases. Sterilisation of dogs proven to hunt may lessen the numbers, but not the threat.
This leads us to an associated issue — what of free-ranging dogs that are partially fed by people? If you tell someone her friendly Browny or Tommy is hunting birds, you may face complete incredulousness. It’s like telling a parent their kid does drugs on weekends. But free-ranging dogs do often hunt, even if they are fed. Having dogs on the road, given food but not a home or hearth, also leads to puppies getting run over and exposure to temperature extremes and disease. For those who love dogs with passion — this author included — the answer lies in taking responsibility for dogs.
“The goal of any policy for the management and welfare of dogs — for that matter any domestic animals — should be to ensure that the only dogs that exist should be those owned by people. We cannot have ownerless dogs. There should be a piece of paper linking each owned dog to a person to hold that person accountable for the actions of the dog. We need to take responsibility for the dogs we feed. These dogs need to be confined. If they are hunting, they must be immediately captured and confined,” says wildlife conservationist Aditya Panda.
Some would say not all dogs hunt. This may be true. But enough dogs are hunting.
Dogs hunting on a beach in Mangalore. [Photo credit: Neha Sinha]
Dogs that hunt will need to be put down or confined. For some others, people can adopt and take responsibility, individually or with the help of a community. For the rest, the humane solution would be to open nationwide shelters and give dogs lifetime care, post sterilisation. This will require huge investment, but can be accomplished through crowdfunding, individual and government-led investment. On priority should be problem dogs.
Mark Twain famously said: “If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man.”
This is true. Dogs are incredible creatures. The fact that they hunt does not mean the entire species needs to be demonised and clubbed to death in acts of revenge. It does mean though, that we need to find solutions to a problem we have created. Not taking responsibility for Canis lupus familiaris is shunning tens of thousands of years of shared history. It is also an act of immense cruelty — to both dog and man.
|
tomekkorbak/pile-curse-small
|
Pile-CC
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.