#Louis Abalos

[louisabalos]

These 3 Receivers Have the Most TDs in Seattle Seahawks History

Louis Abalos is a Puyallup, Washington-based Marine who works as a career planner. He's a former Navy League of the United States Seattle Council Recruiter of the Year and has won seven Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals. Outside of work, Louis Abalos is a fan of the National Football League's (NFL) Seattle Seahawks.

Nine receivers have scored at least 20 touchdowns with the Seahawks since the team's inception in 1976. Below is a look at the three all-time leaders in that category:

1. Steve Largent - A member of the Seahawks from its inaugural season in 1976 until 1989, Largent scored a franchise-best 100 touchdowns in 200 regular season games with Seattle. He is also the Seahawks' all-time leader in receiving yards with 13,089. Largent was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995.

2. Tyler Lockett - A one-time Pro Bowl receiver, Lockett has scored 54 touchdowns in 127 games since being selected by the Seahawks in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He scored a career-best 10 touchdowns in 2018 and 2020.

3. Doug Baldwin - Undrafted out of the University of Stanford, Baldwin signed with the Seahawks in July 2011 and spent eight seasons with the team, during which time he scored 49 touchdowns and recorded 6,563 receiving yards. He led the NFL in touchdowns with 14 in 2015.

[toweringfiction]

Tower-ing Fiction #16: High-Rise (2015)

by Shawn Gilmore

Ben Wheatley’s 2015 adaptation of JG Ballard’s High-Rise (1975) positions the novel’s titular building and protagonist, Robert Laing, as bound up together, drawing on Ballard’s language and selective aesthetic palette throughout. The promotional materials highlight both the figure of Laing (Tom Hiddleston) and the film’s iteration of the forty-story high-rise, a brutalist tiered concrete block-style building, with its upper floors cantilevered out precariously. Liang stares forward while a figure falls into space, recalling the 9/11 “Falling Man” photo. (The poster version of the high-rise and the film’s actually differ slightly—in the film itself, a band of concrete separates every section of ten or so floors and the lower lobby structure is less pronounced.)

The film version of Ballard’s novel reduces the character set somewhat, introducing the building’s architect, Royal (Jeremy Irons), social climber and film star, Charlotte (Sienna Miller) and her son Toby (Louis Suc), documentarian and rabble rouser, Wilder (Luke Evans) and his lower-class pregnant wife Helen (Elisabeth Moss), upper-class toadie Pangbourne (James Purefoy), and a motley crew of hangers-on, gadflies, and denizens of the high-rise block that we follow as it progressively descends into madness. The setup of both book and film is deceptively simple: a new, modern (in both, mid-1970s) set of high-rises are put up by a visionary architect outside London, catering to a range of economic classes (narrower in the novel than the film), with the more well-to-do at the top and lower classes below (a familiar setup from works like Snowpiercer (dir. Bong Joon Ho, 2013)).

Both works open with Laing, holed up in his apartment on the 25th floor, cooking a leg of dog, attempting to center himself in the aftermath of a series of calamities that the works then flash back through. Wheatley introduces visual motifs of mirroring, fracture, and specifically kaleidoscopic vision, layered on top of the novel’s thematic emphasis on the building as a constructed organism and its impact on its residents.

The high-rise complex, unnamed, is introduced early in the film still under construction, with five buildings, seemingly of differing heights between thirty and forty stories tall. In their center is wide, open plaza, some of which is used for parking, the rest for the ongoing construction on the still-to-be finished buildings. Introducing the titular high-rise, the camera pans up the newly-opened building as Laing arrives.

The novel’s high-rise differs from the film’s in some interesting ways, but is described in the introductory paragraph: “With its forty floors and thousand apartments, its supermarket and swimming-pools, bank and junior school – all in effect abandoned in the sky – the high-rise offered more than enough opportunities for violence and confrontation.” The complex is quickly outlined:

the high-rise, one of five identical units in the development project [was] the first to be completed and occupied. Together they were set in a mile-square area of abandoned dockland and warehousing along the north bank of the river. The five high-rises stood on the eastern perimeter of the project, looking out across an ornamental lake – at present an empty concrete basin surrounded by parking-lots and construction equipment. On the opposite shore stood the recently completed concert-hall, with Laing’s medical school and the new television studios on either side. The massive scale of the glass and concrete architecture, and its striking situation on a bend of the river, sharply separated the development project from the rundown areas around it, decaying nineteenth-century terraced houses and empty factories already zoned for reclamation.

Further, “the apartment block was a small vertical city, its two thousand inhabitants boxed up into the sky. The tenants corporately owned the building, which they administered themselves through a resident manager and his staff.”

Wheatley worked with production designer Mark Tildesley to create a building that “doesn’t care about the people inside it.” The Architecture Foundation describes the buildings as “jointly inspired by Abalos & Herreros’ Torre Woremann in Gran Canaria mixed with Neave Brown’s Alexandra Road Estate in Camden”

Wheatley’s watercolor storyboards establish the gestural profiles of the five buildings in the high-rise complex, which Royal, the architect likens to curved fingers.

The building’s interiors are a mix of angular, ridged concrete walls and dividers (as in the lobby below), with other interior spaces, like hallways, that combine the bland look of mid-1970s schools, hotels, and apartment buildings.

Laing lives in apartment 2505 and his move-in provess gives a view of a typical floor plan and various interior shots of the open spaces, punctuated by concrete dividers

As Laing settles in, he visits the mid-building market and 30th floor gym and pool, each of which will be key locations in the plot, allowing viewers to track the chaos that will ensue. Note the almost parodic cleanliness and style of these locations, including a range of corporately-branded (presumably by the same company that owns the high-rise) products that appear throughout the film.

Though Laing’s apartment is on the 25th floor, his balcony seems to be on one of the off-set terraces that occupy the building’s upper ten floors (31st-40th), as evidenced by his first real meeting with Charlotte and Wilder. These balconies feature heavily in the plot, singalling both the upper-story remove that many prominent characters enjoy and the increasingly porous lives of the high-rise residents.

Laing’s early tour of the building wraps up with a trip to the 40th floor penthouse, occupied by Royal, his distant wife, and their upper-class hangers on (as well as some of the only regular staff we see).

The oppulent penthouse gives way to a surreal rooftop garden, complete with farm animals and rooftop vents.

The edge of the garden hangs precariously out over everything, opulence both above the lower-floor residents and the concrete blight that seems to surround the high-rise complex, with London some distance away.

The novel’s roof-top garden is Royal’s contribution to the building’s cohesion, designed as a children’s sculpture garden for residents to use regardless of class. However, its “concrete tunnels and geometric forms of the play-sculptures” are never used for this purpose: “Designing the garden had given him particular satisfaction, and he was sorry that the children no longer used the playground. At least it was open to the birds.“ By the end of the novel, Royal lives primarily by himself in the garden with his gulls.

Laing approaches Royal’s rooftop shack and architectural studio within.

Once they meet, Laing and Royal lay out (fairly bluntly) how we should think about the high-rise:

Laing: You built all this…

Royal: Dreamt. Conceived. I hardly rolled my sleaves up. Of course, the project’s far from finished. There were five towers in all, circling the lake. Something like an open hand. The lake is the palm and we stand on the distal phalanx of the index finger. There. I put all my energies into this tower. I’m its midwife, so to speak.

Laing: It looks like the unconscious diagram of some kind of psychic event.

Royal: Well, that’s good. Can I use that?

Laing: By all means.

Royal: Of course, I’m a Modernist by trade, but, you, a doctor will understand, one prescribes as required. […] My car was crushed by a reversing cement truck. […] Constant exercise is the only thing that keeps the pain at bay. So, you could say not only am I the building’s first road casualty, but I am the architect of my own accident. What do you think of that?

Their conversation is framed by various views of the high-rise complex, including a plastic model in the background and building plans.

At the center of the complex is a cryptic figure, what Laing called “the unconscious diagram of some kind of psychic event,” and which critic Elizabeth Sandifer likens to a “hypercubic prison.” (Interestingly, in the novel, Laing employs this line looking over the complex itself: “The cluster of auditorium roofs, curving roadway embankments and rectilinear curtain walling formed an intriguing medley of geometries – less a habitable architecture, he reflected, than the unconscious diagram of a mysterious psychic event.”)

Here, at the close of the first Act, the high-rise is presented flatly, with a profile of the upper half of the building well-detailed via Laing’s explorations. The catilevered upper floors veer out into space, carrying Roayl and his world beyond the lower floors, while also suggesting the precarity world established by Royal’s architecture.

Interestingly, Laing soon attempts to personalize his generic apartment, choosing a dull, gray color, only to discover that he’s chosen the same color as the midday sky. Hmm.

Things start to escalate as the top-floor residents throw an on-the-nose Regency-styled party, scored by a diegetic string quartet covering ABBA’s “SOS” (1975). Laing, out of place, enters the shag-carpeted passion pit (also a set up for later scenes), while his haughty betters emulate the class they truly aspire to. Laing is mocked for not dressing the part.

The subsequent exterior shots of the tower emphasize the downward glance of those above of the lessers below. Ballard’s novel repeatedly stresses the moderating force of the high-rise on the individual psyches and social organization of the building: “The underlying tensions among the residents were remarkably strong, damped down partly by the civilized tone of the building, and partly by the obvious need to make this huge apartment block a success.”

Laing, conflicted about his place in the hierarchy, strikes up with lower-floor Wilder, and while at one of Wilder’s parties that takes place during one of the rolling black-outs that plague the building, he witnesses and upper-floor resident, Munrow, leap to his death, crashing into the hood of Pangbourne’s convertible. (Though somewhat obscure in the film, Laing is the indirect cause of Munrow’s suicide, as out of spite Laing had misled him to think he had a brain tumor.)

The residents of the high-rise look on as Munrow falls to his death.

The next morning, the high-rise stands, passively.

Wheatley introduces visual fracture from this point on, particularly via Charlotte’s son, Toby. Spying on his mother and Laing flirting, Toby peers down.

Laing: What have you got there?

Toby: A kaleidoscope.

Laing: Ah, what can you see through that thing?

Toby: The future.

This motif will pop up, structuring Laing’s later journey through the plot, as when he shatters the control panel in the penthouse elevator, only to sink to the floor with endless repetitions of himself. Notably, kaleidoscopic vision is part of the music video for ABBA’s “SOS,” which exists in the world of the film, having been covered by the string players at the penthouse part earlier in the film

In the film, as in the novel, the social order of the high-rise begins to fracture as violence periodically breaks out, with “clans” of residents partying in the dark, commiting small acts of violence and sexual infidelity, as cohesion breaks down. Laing continues his brief trips to work, but eventually finds his life circumscribed by the high-rise complex. In a moment of crisis, he stands amidst the towers, which now enclose his known world.

Following a series of obscure conflicts—clearer in the novel—a number of characters are injured, including Wilder and Royal, the latter retreating with his upper-class party to the upper floors. Royal surveys his plans for the complex, puzzling over the impact of his choices (and giving us a good view of the complex).

As various locations in the high-rise are looted and vandalized, Laing attempts to maintain a normal routine, often to little success. The early establishing shots of the 30th floor gym and pool, as well as the supermarket and lobby, help us track the state of the building as things descend into madness.

Outwardly, of course, the building appears unchanged, seemingly a neutral container for the evolving social order inside.

Royal, dismayed by the orgies of sex and violence everywhere, searches for a solution, taking the mirrored elevator up to the penthouse, convening his cohort in the shag passion pit, where they plot. They decide to try to manipulate Laing into lobotomizing Wilder, who they paint as the singular antagonist they must stop to settle the agitation throughout the building. Tellingly, when Royal tries to dismiss his right-hand man, Simmons replies “I don’t work for you, I work for the building…”

This plan, hinging on Laing’s diagnosis of Wilder and willingness to lobotomize him, doesn’t come to fruition, and late in the film, Wilder is instead killed is a sort of ritual stabbing by a group of building residents, seen through Toby’s kaleidoscope, our view of the character’s death fractured like the coherence of the film’s plot.

When the sun rises once again, both Wilder and Royal are dead. Laing lays Royal to rest in the bloody waters of the 30th floor pool, and settles in to his new, somewhat feral life in the high-rise, including cooking the leg of dog the film opened with.

Juxtaposed against this is a conclave of the female residents who help deliver Helen’s baby (though Laing had taken up with Helen for part of the film, he is no part of this new social order) and Toby, who has built some kind of radio tower on the building’s roof, perhaps signaling a way to reconnect with the outside.

And still the high-rise stands stoicly in the morning sky. As Laing puts it in the novel, “these huge buildings had won their attempt to colonize the sky.”

[ac-explorations]

Kersten Geers, EPFL, 2014, Architecture Without Content 9: The difficult Double

https://www.learningforms.org/architecture-without-content-9-the-difficult-double/

Invitation de 20 architectes invités à parler d’un autre architecte.

Pour Jacques Lucan, cela montre chez cette génération d’architecte de la conciliation entre nécessité de la culture et nécessité de se déprendre. Une aporie / paradoxe.

1- Pier Paolo Tamburelli : McKim Mead and White

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UuU0mfkLl7M

2- Pascal Flammer : Kazuo Shinohara

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f1ehXlTjuYY

3- Jan de Vylder : Eric Owen Moss

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bl_15UGCCDY

4- Yoshiharu Tsukamoto (atelier Bow-Wow) : Robert Venturi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jmIW9Js9PA

5- Martino Tattara (DOGMA) : Giovanni Battista Piranesi

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4r5R7zANOI

6- Emanuel Christ (Christ & Gantenbein) : Hans Poelzig

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jmIW9Js9PA

7- Frida Escobedo : Alvaro Siza

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umSGsN5o2BU

8- Oliver Thill (Atelier Kempe Thill) x Heinrich Tessenow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obxV0JGh_RQ

9- Mark Lee (Johnston Marklee) x Frank O. Gehry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6nyUQwxw_c

10- Michael Meredith (MOS) x The New York Five

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2c9QLnIPM8

11- Go Hasegawa x Kazunari Sakamoto

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2c9QLnIPM8

12- Wilfried Kuehn (KuehnMalvezzi) x Carlo Molino

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oRAsgF9BqPc

13- Elli Mosayebi (EMI Architekten) x Luigi Caccia Dominioni

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdhRybvUW6A

14- Wonne Ickx (Productora) x Ricardo Legorreta

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeSSdTy53Xw&list=PLmNCkXSZPShoOakmzUL-o3KOAaVU6cXeo&index=7

15- Sam Jacob (FAT Architecture) x John Soane

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5Cgm3kmoXA&list=PLmNCkXSZPShoOakmzUL-o3KOAaVU6cXeo&index=8

16- Bijoy Jain (Studio Mumbai) x Louis I. Kahn 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ax0mTBpAzEg&index=9&list=PLmNCkXSZPShoOakmzUL-o3KOAaVU6cXeo

17- Bas Princen x Luigi Ghirri

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQbYb0Dyexc&index=12&list=PLmNCkXSZPShoOakmzUL-o3KOAaVU6cXeo

18- Point Supreme x Elia Zenghelis 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HuhymR-X14&index=14&list=PLmNCkXSZPShoOakmzUL-o3KOAaVU6cXeo

19- Faiden x Abalos - Herreros

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HulpHm44Krg&list=PLmNCkXSZPShoOakmzUL-o3KOAaVU6cXeo&index=19

20- François Charbonnet (Made In Sarl) x Jean Nouvel

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wy5k5wltajM&list=PLmNCkXSZPShoOakmzUL-o3KOAaVU6cXeo&index=20

[mulheresemtodasascores-blog]

Elza Soares, consagrada cantora e compositora brasileira. Ilustrada por Carolina Abreu

 Elza da Conceição Soares nasceu em 23 de junho de 1930 na Favela da Moça Bonita (hoje Favela da Vila Vintém), no bairro de Padre Miguel, no Rio de Janeiro e ainda pequena mudou-se para o bairro da Água Santa, onde foi criada. Em sua infância vivia a brincar na rua, soltar pipa, piões de madeira, até brigar com os meninos. Era uma vida pobre, porém feliz para uma criança, apesar de ter que ajudar a mãe nos serviços domésticos, levando latas d'água na cabeça (e fazia isso cantando!).

 Aos onze anos de idade foi obrigada pelo pai a abandonar os estudos e casar-se com Alaúrdes Antônio Soares, um amigo de seu pai, que havia se interessado por ela. Elza sofreu muito neste matrimônio arranjado, por conta da violência doméstica a qual era submetida. Aos doze anos de idade deu à luz seu primeiro filho. Como tinha o sonho de cantar, e precisava comprar remédios para seu filho recém-nascido, participou do programa de Ary Barroso na Rádio Tupi, e fez sua primeira apresentação ao vivo no auditório da emissora, que era a maior de seu tempo. A princípio não foi levada a sério, por seu jeito bem humilde de falar e se vestir, o que levou Ary Barroso a perguntar ironicamente a ela: "De que planeta você veio?", ao que Elza respondeu: "Vim do mesmo planeta que o senhor". "E posso saber de que planeta eu sou?". "Do Planeta Fome". Apesar deste momento de chacota por parte do apresentador, Elza não se abalou e, ao cantar mostrou todo seu potencial. Assim impressionou Ary e a platéria e ganhou por sua participação.  Aos quinze anos de idade passou por outro grande trauma: Seu segundo filho faleceu, por fome. Com o marido doente, acometido por tuberculose, passou a trabalhar como encaixotadora e conferente na fábrica de sabão. Com a recuperação do marido um ano depois, ele a proibiu de trabalhar fora novamente, e Elza voltou a ser dona de casa. 

Aos 21 anos ficou viúva, e já estava com cinco filhos para criar, três meninos e duas meninas. Desempregada e passando necessidades, começou a trabalhar como faxineira e empregada doméstica, funções que exerceu por muitos anos. Mesmo nesta vida de batalhas, jamais desistiu do sonho de cantar, e sempre se inscrevia em seleções musicais e mandava suas letras de músicas para rádios. Algumas vezes conseguia participar de pequenas apresentações.  Ainda antes de trabalhar com música, ocorreu um grande abalo na sua vida: Sua filha Dilma foi sequestrada. Após muitos anos de buscas, a reencontrou, já adulta.

Em 1958, viajou para a Argentina com a Companhia de Mercedes Batista, apresentando-se no Teatro Astral. No ano de 1959, ao regressar ao Brasil, foi contratada por Walter Silva para a Rádio Vera Cruz. Na emissora, conheceu o cantor Moreira da Silva, que a levou para cantar no Texas Bar, em Copacabana, onde Elza conheceu a cantora Sílvia Telles e seu marido, o compositor e produtor Aloísio de Oliveira, que a convidou para gravar. Ainda em 1959 gravou seu primeiro disco pela Odeon, um 78 RPM com as músicas "Mack the Knife" e "Se acaso você chegasse" (Lupicínio Rodrigues e Felisberto Martins), que se tornou seu primeiro sucesso e onde introduzia um "scat" similar ao de Louis Armstrong, injetando uma jazzificação no samba, divergente dos cânones da bossa nova, que era o movimento musical da moda nessa época. Em 1960, foi para São Paulo atuar no show "Festival Nacional de Bossa Nova", realizado em São Paulo, no Teatro Record e na Boate Oasis. Por essa época, lançou o primeiro LP, "Se acaso você chegasse", pela Odeon. Logo depois , em 1961, lançou "A bossa negra", seu segundo LP, que trazia o sucesso "Boato" (João Roberto Kelly), e depois "O Samba é Elza Soares", do mesmo ano. Em 1962, fez apresentações como representante do Brasil na Copa do Mundo no Chile, onde conheceu Louis Armstrong, que reconheceu em Elza uma seguidora de seu estilo de cantar, e lhe propôs fazer carreira nos EUA. Nessa época conheceu o jogador de futebol Mané Garrincha. Ela sofreu preconceito com esse relacionamento, por ser uma cantora de início de carreira se envolvendo com um jogador de futebol que havia se divorciado. Isso causou a fúria da sociedade, e Elza era xingada, ameaçada de morte, sua casa era alvejada por ovos e tomates, tudo porque seu namorado quis se separar da esposa e todos a acusavam de ter acabado com o casamento de Garrincha, mas antes de Elza, ele já havia tido três esposas, mas a acusavam por ela ser famosa. Após quatro anos de namoro, casaram-se oficialmente em 1968, após alguns meses morando juntos. Em 13 de abril de 1969 mais uma dura perda para Elza: sua mãe morreu num acidente de carro em que Garrincha, Elza e a filha Sara também saíram machucadas. Garrincha, que estava alcoolizado, dirigia um Galaxie pela Rodovia Presidente Dutra quando foi fechado por um caminhão que entrava em baixa velocidade na pista. Todos se machucaram sem gravidade, mas Dona Josefa morreu na hora (foi arremessada para fora do carro). Neste mesmo ano, a casa de Elza e Garrincha foi invadida e metralhada pela ditadura militar, que estava perseguindo artistas. Em 1983 o casamento de Elza e Garrincha chegou ao fim após quinze anos. O casal teve apenas um filho. O divórcio ocorreu devido às diversas crises conjugais marcadas pela violência doméstica que Elza sofria por causa do alcoolismo de Garrincha e de seus ciúmes exagerados. 

 Em 11 de janeiro de 1986, outra tragédia em sua vida: Seu filho Garinchinha morreu em um acidente de carro aos 9 anos de idade, ao voltar da primeira visita que fez à terra do pai, no distrito de Pau Grande, em Magé. Elza ficou derrotada com a perda desse filho, entrou em uma profunda depressão e tentou o suicídio, felizmente sem sucesso, e decidiu sair do Brasil, morando fora por alguns anos, fazendo turnês pela Europa e EUA. 

 Apesar de tantas atribulações, Elza é conhecida na mídia por sempre aparecer feliz e cantando, sorrindo, o que mostra um exemplo de vitória para quem passa por dificuldades como ela passou.

Em 2000, foi premiada como "Melhor Cantora do Milênio" pela BBC em Londres, quando se apresentou num concerto com Gal Costa, Chico Buarque, Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso e Virgínia Rodrigues. No mesmo ano, estreou uma série de shows de vanguarda, dirigidos por José Miguel Wisnik, no Rio de Janeiro. 

 Em 2002, o álbum Do Cóccix até o Pescoço garantiu-lhe uma indicação ao Grammy. O disco foi bem recebido pelos críticos musicais e divulgou uma espécie de quem é quem dos artistas brasileiros que com ela colaboraram: Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, Carlinhos Brown e Jorge Ben Jor, entre outros. O lançamento impulsionou numerosas e bem-sucedidas turnês pelo mundo.

Em 2007, nos Jogos Pan-americanos do Brasil, Elza interpretou o Hino Nacional Brasileiro, no início da cerimônia de abertura do evento, no Maracanã. E lançou o álbum Beba-me, onde gravou as músicas que marcaram sua carreira.

Em 2015 Elza grava o Cd "A Mulher Do Fim Do Mundo", um dos mais elogiados e premiados do ano, e primeiro álbum em sua carreira só com músicas inéditas. O Pitchfork, um dos sites de música mais importantes do mundo, o elegeu com o título de melhor novo álbum. No artigo, o site diz que Soares “desenvolveu uma das vozes mais distintas da Música Popular Brasileira”. 

Em 2018 lança "Deus É Mulher", também muito bem recebido pela crítica. 

Uma das cantoras brasileiras em atividade a mais tempo, Elza Soares lançou 34 discos, 6 coletâneas e nunca se deixou envelhecer artisticamente, procurando sempre estar antenada com as novidades, arrebanhando prestígio entre as gerações posteriores e mantendo uma vitalidade invejável não só nas gravações, mas também em suas apresentações ao vivo, sempre lotadas na sua maior parte por jovens.  Bibliografia: http://www.cantorasdobrasil.com.br/cantoras/elza_soares.htm

https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elza_Soares https://biografiaresumida.com.br/biografia-elza-soares/

[investmart007]

MADRID | Spain's Socialist Party reveals members of new Cabinet

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/Ydcyzz

MADRID | Spain's Socialist Party reveals members of new Cabinet

MADRID — A Socialist party official in Spain says European Parliament ex-president Josep Borrell will become foreign minister in the new government.

Jose Luis Abalos, the party’s organizational secretary, on Tuesday confirmed a handful of names in Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s Cabinet, which replaces the conservative government that fell last week after a corruption scandal.

The choice of Borrell, a 71-year-old Catalan, was criticized by separatists in Catalonia and praised by pro-Spain lawmakers in the politically divided region. Borrell has been outspoken against Catalan independence.

Abalos told broadcaster TVE that party official Carmen Calvo would serve as deputy premier and head of the resurrected Equality Ministry, in a nod to Spain’s feminist movement. He said Maria Jesus Montero would become finance minister.

Abalos would serve as development minister, according to his office.

__

By Associated Press – published on STL.News by St. Louis Media, LLC (Z.S)

___

[11asuncion-blog]

Diviventure

Bryan C. Abalos II

Ano ba ang sikat na puntahan sa Manila? Saan ka ba makakakita ng mga kagamitang nakakaagaw pansin sa ating mga mata? At saan ka lang ba makakakita ng Louis Vuitton na halagang 500 pesos?!?!? Dito lang yan sa Divisoria! Pinili kong libutin ang Divisoria kasama si Alessandra dahil tulad niya, mahal ko ang Divisoria dahil pag nandito ako marami akong pwedeng malibot at hindi ako napapagod. Dito sa Divisoria, walang katapusan ang kasiyahan dahil bawat lingon ng aking ulo, iba’t ibang gamit ang aking mga nakikita. Hindi lang mga nakakaibang gamit ang makikita dito, marami ring mga pagkain! Pagkain talaga ang habol ko sa lugar na ito. Di baleng marumi, basta masarap. Bago kami makarating sa Divisoria, nang galing muna kami sa Cubao. Sumakay kami sa ng LRT mula Anonas papuntang Recto, Sa halagang 50 pesos nasa Recto na kami. 2:00pm kami umalis ng Cubao, at nakarating kami sa Recto sa loob lang ng mga 20mins. Habang nililibot namin ang Divisoria, hindi maalis sa isip ko na ito ang dating Manila, Maraming nangyari sa lugar na kung saan kami nakatapak ngayon. Karamihan sa lugar ay hindi parin nagbabago, isa rin yun sa mga gusto ko sa lugar, pag nandoon ako ramdam ko ang dating panahon. Hindi nawawala ang kasiyahan sa lugar na ito, bawat tingin mo, mga naka ngiti lahat ang mga tao. Alam nating lahat ang Divisoria ay kilala sa mga kagamitang mga mura lang dahil ito ay mga Peke o gawa sa China. Para sakin, kung pag papapiliin ako, Branded o sa Divisoria, sa Divisoria ako, dahil branded na nga, mura pa. At wala yan sa kung gaano kamahal ang isang bagay,kung paano mo gamitin at pahalagahan ito. Inaamin kong karamihan sa aking gamit ay peke at biling Divi lang. Dahil hindi naman importante saakin ang presyo ng isang bagay, ang pag halaga ng isang tao ang talagang mag papakita na mahalaga ang isang bagay. Babalik pa ako ulit dito sa Divisoria at lilibutin ko pa ang buong Manila, marami pa akong gustong makita at mapuntahan. Sa uulitin.

[louisabalos]

The Concussion Crisis in American Football

In American football, concussions have remained a significant worry for the sport and the national football league. With its reputation for brutality and intensity, the sport has a darker side of recurrent head traumas that can cause serious long-term health problems.

The possibility of concussions and the ensuing brain injury rises with high-impact crashes, which highlights the need for continued improved safety precautions and medical procedures. When a hit to the head or body forces the brain to move quickly back and forth within the skull, chemical changes and occasionally damage to brain cells follow a concussion. Symptoms include headaches, light-headedness, memory loss, and trouble focusing. Most concussions have resulted in minor traumatic brain injuries. However, a history of recurrent brain trauma can result in chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a progressive degenerative brain disease.

Studies have indicated that former NFL players had a greater chance of developing CTE. Years following the initial brain damage, the illness shows itself as memory loss, disorientation, poor judgment, hostility, sadness, and finally, progressive dementia. A 2017 Boston University study brought the association between football and CTE to light when researchers confirmed that 110 out of 111 deceased NFL players had CTE. This startling number emphasizes the possible risks connected to the activity.

Attempts to resolve this issue have resulted in game regulation changes and protective gear improvements. Under its tighter concussion guidelines, the NFL requires immediate evaluation of players exhibiting symptoms of a head injury. The league has also pushed for better helmet technology to absorb and disperse impact forces.

Understanding the causes and long-term consequences of concussions will need ongoing study. Preventing and treating concussions may also require teaching athletes, coaches, and medical personnel about their signs and symptoms.

[louisabalos]

Fantasy Football Has Changed How Fans Watch and Understand the Game

The unique nature of fantasy football has revolutionized fans' interactions with and perceptions of the sport. Its immersive gameplay compels individuals to delve into the game in ways they never imagined.

In fantasy football, participants pick players from real-life teams and compete based on their in-game performance. For some, this has elevated fan engagement, and analyzing player performance broadens their understanding of the game.

The impact of fantasy football on fans' viewing habits is evident. Some fans follow multiple games to track the success of their fantasy team's players. It has increased viewership, benefiting the leagues and broadcasters. Fantasy football has also given football viewing a strategic and statistical component. Fans research player statistics, injury reports, and matchup analyses to help with their fantasy teams, valuing the game's nuances.

Moreover, fantasy football has a social component. Some family, friends, and coworkers participate, adding a layer of rivalry and camaraderie. Even in cases where the play of their favorite club is subpar, these exchanges frequently keep supporters interested over the season. The ongoing need to oversee and plan for their fantasy teams maintains weekly involvement in the sport.

As participation and viewing have grown, so has advertising income and the market for fantasy sports goods and services. The economic increases highlight how fantasy football has permeated the sports world.

Finally, fantasy football has expanded its audience. Where fans used to watch the competition on the field, fantasy football participants watch for the statistics.

[louisabalos]

NFL Looking at Dublin and Paris for Regular Season Games

In the past two decades, the National Football League (NFL) has relentlessly worked to bring American football to an international audience. Currently, the league is considering Dublin and Paris as potential future hosts of regular season games.

According to Henry Hodgson, general manager of the NFL’s UK Office, who spoke to the Irish Star, the organization continually conducts feasibility studies in multiple European cities. The NFL evaluates whether a potential city has a stadium suitable for NFL games and measures the local audience interest and engagement.

International games have consistently been attracting large audiences willing to pay high ticket prices. Additionally, the time difference allows the NFL to open new broadcast windows for games, which, despite being at unusual hours, still enjoy high ratings in the States.

The NFL International Series history traces back to the 2005 game between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Two years later, the series officially launched with the New York Giants pitted against the Miami Dolphins at Wembley Stadium in London. Since then, the NFL International Series has expanded to playing at least four regular season games abroad. In 2023, five games took place: one at Wembley, two at London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and two at Frankfurt, Germany’s Deutsche Bank Park. For the 2024 season, five NFL regular games are to be played abroad: three in London, one in Munich, and one in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

[louisabalos]

Strategies for Effective Human Resource Management

Human resources are the lifeline of any business. Effective human resource management is essential for business success. Various strategies can ensure effective human resource management.

One of the foremost human resource management strategies is hiring the right candidates. The type of employees a company hires can significantly impact business growth. A strong recruitment strategy that includes accurate job descriptions and an effective interview process is essential in hiring the right candidates.

Another key strategy for effective human resource management is to communicate respectfully. Issuing orders in a condescending manner will only result in an unhappy, disgruntled, and demotivated team. It is essential to choose the right communication strategy for the team. While some may prefer a firm and professional approach, others may respond better to a softer and more informal communication style.

Furthermore, genuine recognition and appreciation for hard work are effective ways to foster optimal human resource management. HR managers should try to acknowledge employees’ extra contributions and appreciate them openly. This boosts morale and helps employees stay motivated. Additionally, managers should consider incentivizing employees who have gone above and beyond to complete tasks.

[louisabalos]

Types of Hiking Boots

Hiking requires the use of hiking boots, without exception. Modern hiking boots use advanced, lightweight materials that maintain support and traction while significantly reducing weight and enhancing overall comfort.

A day hiking boot is a type of hiking boot. These mid- to high-rise designs are crafted for day hikes or brief backpacking excursions with minimal weight. They are usually flexible and require minimal wear time, yet they do not possess the stability and long-lasting quality of sturdy backpacking boots.

The mid-weight hiking boots provide ample support for hiking with a substantial load, yet they don't make you feel as though you're carrying concrete blocks on your feet. Firmer than the lightweights, their substantial underfoot support greatly enhances stability without becoming overly rigid.

Meanwhile, backpacking boots are specifically made to transport heavier burdens during extended journeys into remote wilderness areas. Most of them feature a tall design extending beyond the ankles to provide strong support.

[louisabalos]

Some Basic Rules of Football

Football is one of the most popular sports in the United States. It culminates in the Super Bowl, a renowned annual event that showcases football to millions of fans worldwide. The sport follows basic rules, such as the playing field and how to win.

Like other sports, football teams must score more points than their opponents. Players run with the ball or throw it to teammates to move it down the field until it reaches the end zone. Football fields measure 120 yards in length and 53.3 yards in width, a standard for professionals and youth. The playing field measures 100 yards from one goal line to the other.

Games begin with a coin toss, represented by the team captains. The toss determines what team will receive the ball first. Each game lasts four quarters consisting of 15 minutes each. Teams receive a break after quarter two during halftime.

Unlike other sports, American football also involves physicality. The defense attempts to stop the offense by tackling the player with the ball.

[louisabalos]

Benefits of Human Resource Management

Companies often face the challenge of effectively managing their human resources. Human resource management is a methodology that improves the hiring and management of employees to meet company goals.

One of the benefits of human resource management is streamlining HR processes. Conventional methods of managing human resource tasks, such as recruiting, onboarding, and attendance tracking, are time-consuming and prone to errors. However, a human resource management system can easily automate these processes, improving efficiency and eliminating errors.

Human resource management also aids in data management. Most human resource management systems have a centralized database for improved storage and management of employee information. The database ensures easy access to essential employee data and eliminates the need for manual record-keeping and the risk of data duplication.

Lastly, human resources helps improve employee turnover. High employee turnover can negatively affect an organization's reputation and efficiency. Therefore, the HR department can improve it and reduce extra talent acquisition costs incurred by frequent turnover. They carefully prepare employment contracts that define the terms and conditions. Human resource managers also ensure that all employees have the company's best interests.

[louisabalos]

Seahawks Acquire QB Sam Howell from the Commanders

In a move to bolster its depth at the quarterback position for the 2024 season, the Seattle Seahawks acquired Sam Howell from the Washington Commanders on March 14. In exchange for the former fifth-round pick, Seattle sent Washington the 78th and 152nd overall selections in the 2024 NFL draft. Washington also sent the Seahawks the 102nd and 179th picks in the draft.

Howell, who will provide insurance behind Seahawks' Pro Bowl starting quarterback Geno Smith, started all 17 games last season with the Commanders and led all quarterbacks with 612 pass attempts. He threw 21 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, while recording a 63.4 completion percentage and 78.9 passer rating. In addition, he scored five rushing touchdowns and ran for 263 yards on 48 carries.

The Seahawks made the deal after losing Drew Lock, last year's backup quarterback, to the New York Giants in free agency. Lock signed a one-year, $5 million contract with New York. Howell is a more cost-effective alternative as he will earn less than $1 million in base salary in 2024 and $1.1 million in 2025. The Seahawks reportedly outbid the Denver Broncos in their pursuit of Howell.

[louisabalos]

Seattle Seahawks Re-Sign Leonard Williams

The Seattle Seahawks retained a core part of their defensive line in the 2024 offseason, re-signing veteran Leonard Williams to a three-year, $64.5 million contract on March 11. The 29-year-old defensive lineman was among the top 20 National Football League (NFL) free agents, according to NFL.com analyst Gregg Rosenthal.

A 6-foot-5, 300-pound native of Bakersfield, California, Williams played at USC and was drafted sixth overall by the New York Jets in the 2015 NFL draft. The Seahawks acquired him from the New York Giants on October 30, 2023, in exchange for a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft and a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft. He had 41 tackles and four sacks through 10 games last season with Seattle.

Through 142 regular season games, Williams has 511 tackles, 43.5 sacks, six forced fumbles, and one interception. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2016 and registered a career-best 11.5 sacks in 2020 with the Giants. He's expected to anchor Seattle's defensive line in 2024 under first-year head coach Mike Macdonald. He coached another defensive lineman, Justin Madubuike, to a career year in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens.

[louisabalos]

How HR Consulting Has Evolved

Louis Abalos, a human resource management professional, has over a decade of experience in employee training, counseling, and mentoring. He is well-versed in applicant onboarding and talent acquisition and proficient in operational management and team building. Louis Abalos is an HR consultant with the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services.

HR consulting is a specialized area of human resource management practice wherein external consultants help organizations maximize their HR operations efficiency and implement appropriate policies and procedures. During the early stages of this practice, people viewed HR consulting as administrative support. As the practice evolved, it is now focused primarily on building business strategies that add value to an organization.

Here’s how HR consulting revolved over time.

In the 1960s and 1970s - Organizations recognized that having a separate unit of trained professionals who focus on HR issues is critical. This led to the emergence of HR consulting as a specialized area of practice.

In the 1980s and 1990s - There was significant growth in HR consulting with the introduction of HR information systems. Computers were widely used in HR practice, which made data integration and management easier and compliance with labor laws more convenient.

In the late 1990s to early 2000s - The focus of HR consulting shifted from doing transaction-based tasks to building business strategies. Organizations started to align their HR plans with the overall organizational goals and objectives under the guidance of HR consultants.

Beyond the early 2000s to the present - HR consultants became more dedicated to developing innovations and services focused on diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Businesses started to embrace inclusivity in the workplace. Also, HR consulting focused on innovations such as workforce analytics and talent management with the introduction of new HR technologies, such as the use of cloud-based HR information systems.