Thank you very much Tony it's a great pleasure to be here today and I want to start by thanking Fin Tarp who convinced us to have this panel today it is going to be a preview of what's to come because what I'm going to be discussing as well as my co-panelist is a project that we have in the Journal of Economic Inequality to produce a special issue which is going to be devoting devoted to appraising assessing existing databases on inequality and let's see here they told me I have to do something different because it's alright so this is my my co-conspirator who couldn't be here today because he has to deal with more important things as chief economist for Sub-Saharan Africa at the World Bank is Shiko Ferreira many know him very well and I also want to refer to our research assistant who's a PhD student at Tulane University and the databases that we included in this in this project are nine they're not all in fact we did not include two of the ones that are be presented tomorrow I think so it's going to be interesting because hopefully this will be the beginning of a process rather than the end of doing this kind of work we hope to have it published online by the end of 2014 early 2015 and today's presentation is a preview you get the press rehearsal so to speak so let me start by telling you why I think that this kind of assessment is not only desirable but necessary and I want to tell you sort of some anecdotal evidence how this the idea of having this special issue came about I mean I over the years have been very very always very concerned with the fact that we have inconsistent data depending on the sources on what's happening to poverty and inequality and not just that many other fronts but in particular it has always worried me the fact that you can come up with very different narratives especially you know if you ask the question what's going to have what happened to countries during a crisis you often can come up with different narratives if you use different sources and I think that's very dangerous both from the point of view of just knowledge creation but even from the policy implications of what you learn from that information the anecdote is that they know the idea started Chico and I were at a panel at Yale University organized by former president sedillo who from Mexico who is now the director of a center there it was on Latin America and we were just having a panel with you were not there and there but we were talking about the same things that you talked about today but the declining inequality in Latin America how great it was and how happy we were and somebody raised their hand and said but you know what the IMF says that the decline in the declining inequality in sub-Saharan Africa is more prominent than the one in Latin America so she go and I looked at each other said what's that we never heard of that what kind of data the person who raises hand by the way was a former president of the central bank in Chile very well respected economies paper the Gregorio so we took it seriously and so I went back to look at the data and this is in the fiscal monitor it was not in the paper that Andy presented today the fiscal monitor is a report that the IMF produces regularly and yes the data that they had there showed that inequality had declined in a number of African countries and then I said well let me go and check where the both call I went to the World Bank database I thought they were using the World Bank database in there I saw that the numbers were very different and so I went back I talked to people at the IMF I said well where does this data come from and they told me came from Frederick souls database which is as Andy described it today primarily imputed data based on some existing data but all of it is imputed all the data that isn't that databases imputed so I started asking a little more but then I said well I don't I mean this is imputed I know nothing about imputation methods so who am I to say whether it's right or wrong I said well let's let's go for it and let's have an assessment of databases but let's have them of most or all that they want the ones that we're using generally so that we can have a go at what's going on with this databases we tend to use them a little blindly all of us do because you know we want to use the data we're not data producers and you know we don't want to have to spend a lot of time or what's behind this data and we say well great if there is something that tells us what's happened to the Gini coefficient before and after government taxes and transfers I mean how you know that's heaven for most of us if we can do that so anyway we thought this is going to be a good public good and we invited a bunch of people at first I thought it was going to be just a forum section of the journal and then she could say that that time he was the editor no no let's do the whole issue so that's how this started so we the first thing that I am showing you here is we distinguish between three categories of the data sets the micro database data sets the ones that use secondary sources and the ones that use imputation so in total we have nine and so which are they and who are their reviewers we have sepal stat which is produced by the UN the reverse Francois in blue are the ones that you're gonna hear from today IDD is income distribution database from the OECD it's been reviewed by Leonardo Gasparini and Leopoldo Tornaroli Liz Martin Ravallian did a review of list of Cal world development indicators which is a World Bank Tim's meeting and John Latner and said luck which is the one that Andrea used as he referred today used for for his edited volume and I use a lot as well and the world top incomes database that Andrea Brandolini is writing the review for so from one to five they're micro data household surveys the last one is the one that uses tax returns as we all heard today then the secondary source base are all the genies produced by Brando Milano which and with our host and the invitation space is sweet that although it uses the same acronym I think we're gonna hear today it's not really only with and we don't know exactly if their cousins their cousins or nothing Andrea says nothing but Steven Jenkins is going to discuss sweet and with okay so if you want to know where they're based institutionally you can go and look on my slides I think that some are UN a World Bank OECD and some are private initiatives that are funded by by foundations primarily so which databases are not included here and worth mentioning the UTIP project by by by Godbreath who I don't know if he's here already I think it was I saw it on the program I think it's gonna be tomorrow or is it no longer on the program I don't remember so he will he has a very nice data set that they're put together then the Gini project by the time we started working on this it was not available then this is my website and I excluded and not because it's mine it's I'm willing to be subject to the same scrutiny but we had not really started posting it until recently and it has only very few observations and then there's a new one that I think also is going to be presented here the global consumption and income project so we asked the reviewers to sort of follow playbook in which you know they could use these criteria as a guide accessibility and user-friendly quality of documentation reliability accuracy of reported indicators and transparency and replicability which I think are very important when we are dealing with data sets so how many these are the data points country years with primary source data so there about 1346 this are the region the regional breakdown and also because in some cases you have more than one source database producing the same results in meaning the same results for the same country in the same year but not necessarily the same indicator you have more in the second column in particular because Latin America and the Caribbean has essentially two main initiatives that produce data for Latin America Sepad the UN and said lack okay so what do we want to know about the databases most of us when we're working on something that needs information on inequality and poverty we want to know which indicators what's a country coverage what's a period coverage however you know more sophisticated users also want to know which welfare indicator if you use income or consumption per capita or equalized total or monetary which makes a lot of difference by the way depending on whether you use a measure that has imputed rent for owners occupied housing and auto consumption can change can change the sign of the direction of a genie coefficient for example before after taxes or transfers you also may want to know statistical significance of what's put out then do you want to know probably if the income concepts are homogenized which is the reason that Andrea gave earlier today for choosing said lack over as a pal indicators calculation from unit records of group data are regional price differences taken into account by the way I discovered that some aren't doing it without that being so obvious in the on the face of it what's the definition of household so in particular in my case I always want to know what did they do to the data the data adjustments and in my case because of Latin America and I'll show you why I'm particularly interested what do they do with the underreporting problem particularly underreporting problem at the top do they correct do they not correct how do they do it but then you have top coding treatment of extreme values and zeros or even negative incomes and then you know if you are someone who is working particularly in a particular country you also may want to know some more information about the survey the sample design the questions they use a recall period they comparable across countries and over time and it is it possible to have access to the micro data which I think from all this group the only one that gives you that option is actually list list Luxembourg formerly known as Luxembourg income study project now it's main main main objective is not to produce data but to produce homogenize micro data that the researchers can use remotely okay so give me a little bit let me give you a little bit of highlights you know one one surprising thing is not indicators tend to be more less the same but not very not all of them not all of the databases that use micro data reports statistical significance which was a surprise because I thought you know there was a standard measure I'm going to give you just a preview of the kind of things that you're going to hear when you look at whether they use income or consumption these are the again the micro database surveys practically all use income the only one that has some some consumption some income is a pub call world development indicators all the others have income because that's what you get in many many countries in particular in Latin America it's much more common to have income based surveys then you know I was interested because I'm working now in tax incidents and transfer incidents to include estimates before taxes and transfers before and after well turns out that even though there are two that have it before there's only one that produces results systematically again this is a micro database okay before and after which is the OECD differences in prices by region looks like the only one that's doing it is at luck and I didn't know that until I asked but they deflate all the rural all the rural incomes by by I think 10 or 15 percent by definition to get the rural poverty and inequality estimates then in terms of the treatment of the data do they correct run the reporting well looks like the one that definitely do does it and almost systematically sepa then there's some of it in the OECD and the world's top incomes data now is documentation sufficient to replicate results and that's one of the things that probably made Andrea and me stay away sometimes from using Zepal because you cannot you don't have the documentation to know exactly what was done to every one of the data that are being used to calculate the inequality indicators and the only one that gives you access to micro data as I said is yes all right so let me let me now focus on sweet which like I said was inspiration to do this to do this I am no expert on imputation methods like I said I probably will never be so but I want to know is the script you know imputation method sufficient to replicate yes it's so well-documented that Dan tell us our RA was able to replicate all the information that that's all produces we know how to do it then you know I asked a question what has it been a method been subject to scrutiny by experts in the field of imputation for me that's not clear enough because the journal where this got published doesn't seem to be a journal where you have that expertise so in order for me to say I am going to use that data I want the experts to tell me yes the method is acceptable is there a systematic validation process in place with experts in countries and regions again to me it's not clear I hear anecdotes people saying oh you know the Hacundo Alvaredo from the top income says no but that they know the top income just makes sense but there's no systematic at least from my perspective validation I also don't know exactly how the genico-efficient for income before taxes and transfers are calculated I think that the and you know I wrote salt but but he hasn't responded yet I'd like to know what method he used oh by the way this is you know the sources used by secondary and imputed data sets you can also see what people use to generate the various data sets all right so let me give you some previews of the things that always obsesses me as a concern okay we have said pal and said lack there's a large overlap this is all Latin America and the Caribbean only large overlap lots of countries and date and years overlap they both calculate genico efficiency record for micro data the important difference in terms of methodology said pal corrects for under reporting in a way that is you know reasonable one could think but we only know the general method and I you know I can go into that if you want during the the questions and answers so how likely is this difference of affecting our analysis of levels and trends in inequality in Latin America the results are similar in terms of trends and the data points are quite correlated however the inequality levels as expected because a pal corrects particularly for under reporting at the top then to be systematically and significantly higher in sepal which is not correct for under reporting and since it's not well documented like I said I cannot replicate it I cannot compare so if you take the difference between the sepal genie minus the set lag genie that's what you get and the average difference is the red line so you'll always find most of the Latin American countries to be much more unequal if you use sepal and in some instances also if you look at specific data you can get trends in opposite direction well what about list key figures and versus OECD they're also highly correlated nevertheless when you zoom in to particular country here they can be important differences as you can see here this is OECD genie minus this genie okay so you do have differences which when you're looking at particular country for particular period they can affect your results and that's what concerns me okay two minutes all right so what about sweet versus others you know general trends look fairly similar and that's why I am going to ask even maybe later to comment on whether even if we're looking at particular countries particular years the results can be misleading can you use this for regression analysis and I'm going to leave it at that but when you zoom in for example this is sweet minus the width and genie so sweet tends to give lower estimates then and all the points there mean discrepancies okay either above or below and this is Povkal and sweet they're also quite with discrepancies but let me go to this table I have two tables that I want to show and then I finish this was the source of an inspiration for the special issue so I went back and I said okay let me grab the bunch of the countries for Africa and take the they were comparing 90s and 2000s that was the argument primarily I think by the IMF let me take the earliest point and the latest point that was in this report and compare Povkal with the IMF fiscal monitor based on sweet turns out that you know we have nine countries here four out of the nine if you use Povkal in a quality increase and in sweet the decrease so in four out of nine cases you would give a different story completely not only in terms of levels but trends so that's scary okay then you know I started corresponding with I mean this is comparisons for Indonesia sweet is the little points black and this is Jamaica this you know these are the countries that have a lot of differences depending on the source but you know when when I started asking so so what's what's going on when do we have such differences between Povkal and and sweet so Fred sold was kind enough and send me this Kenya confidence integral in sweet and then I said okay so you know if you start by one extreme of the confidence and then on the other extreme of the confidence you would probably get an increase in inequality another decline therefore really you can't tell within the percentage points that we're looking at whether it was an increase or a decline using this data set finally you know I also looked at the measuring the redistributive effect by by because that's that's you know that's quite fascinating if you have a number of countries for which for many years you can check that there is a bit of effect and I compared it to our project commitment to equity in which we do very if you want country-based careful fiscal incidents analysis and this is what I found sweet is the change in the genie from before after taxes and transfers is the red in the CEQ the commitment to equity project these are the countries for which we can do the comparison at this point you can see the difference between the two and in this case in four out of 14 countries you would get a different result and the difference when I say different I mean well in percentage points it's very large the difference or relative to the redistributive change is very different or even like in Sri Lanka we get the opposite results in 4 14 again is a very high ratio if you're trying to use information and this is just an example of 14 countries I don't know how that affects the results of Andy and his co-authors which by the way I love the results you know it's the results we all like but I think it's you know makes us pause in terms of how to use this information and how much to be confident about what we obtain in terms of results both when we focus on particular countries or when we do these cross-section regression analysis thank you very much and thank you for giving me a couple of minutes more or maybe more I don't know


So, first a quick overview. The STM32WB is a pioneer in the STM32 family coming with connectivity, a rich set of peripherals, security and has been launched on the mass market this week. It's a dual core SOC where we can run applications on one M4 core and handle radio on the other M0 plus core. This type of architecture enters real-time execution for both activities. In terms of connectivity, the STM32WB is quite interesting in that it is multi-protocol capable with Bluetooth 5, Mesh, as well as 802.15.4 with thread or ZigBee protocols. There are quite a few reasons why it's interesting. So, if I was to summarize, I would say flexibility, a really optimized solution, fast time to market. First about flexibility, the STM32WB offers a large memory size up to 1 MB flash and it goes down to 256 kW. The STM32WB also comes with 4 different packages with 2QFM, a WLCSP and a BGA129 pins. The different potential combinations of packages and memory give a wide range of possibilities to ensure your application is as cost-optimized as possible. So, then to talk about how optimized the solution is in terms of architecture. The dual core is a kind of 2-in-1 solution to combine MCU and radio on the same SOC. The STM42WB peripherals are inherited from the well-known STM42L4 family and are suitable for low-power applications with low-power modes and integrated DC to DC to increase the battery life. For time-to-market acceleration, the STM32WB ecosystem within the STM42 family is enriched with dedicated RF tools to perform RF trials and prototyping on different radio protocols. So, together with the STM32WB MX and STM32WB programmer, the full development chain allows a faster development process. Usually, customers would have to implement a companion MCU to the radio IC in order to manage the radio and application activities. With our dual core approach, this is already integrated and the application software development can be done while the radio activity is fully handled on the M0 Plus core, which makes life much easier for developers. So, between the different types of packages proposed, the small peripherals and large number of GPIOs offered, the global development of the device from PCB design to the application development becomes much faster. The demo we are showing deals with a multi-protocol environment that one can find in home automation where you want to control things remotely. The principle is to collect many characteristics from a house like temperature, humidity, intrusion coming from sensors, communicating using Bluetooth protocol with the home controller, which then transmits different information to the cloud through the gateway. The home sensor can be locally piloted thanks to an app on the smartphone connected with Bluetooth to the home controller acting as a router for the end-node sensors. To send information to the cloud, the Bluetooth home controller supports also our LoRa1 and SIGFORCE protocol stack through an MZSTM32 L0-based Murata module. Sensors information can thus be transferred to SIGFORCE backend and LoRa1 gateways connected to cloud. This is a real-life LP-1 applicative use case powered by our radio stack already available on ST.com. The Bluetooth devices, sensors and home controller are all based on the SIGFORCE WB55, handling different roles of the protocol, central and peripheral, supporting the software application, the Bluetooth radio as well as SIGFORCE and LoRa1 stacks. So just to repeat, the STM32 WB55, our new dual core MCU bringing connectivity is in mass market now. You can order our nuclear pack and enjoy the STM32 ecosystem enriched with a dedicated radio testing tool, the STM32 CUBE Monitor RF. You can connect to our wireless pages and on ST.com slash STM32 WB.


Blindfold Obstacle Course Create a course in the classroom using chairs and desks. Make sure that students won't hurt themselves if they bump into them. One student wears a blindfold, and the rest of the class has to guide them through the course with directions, such as turn left, go straight on, climb up, stop, etc. Rearrange the course for each new blindfolded student. If you liked this video, please subscribe by clicking the button down here and click on any of the videos here on the left for more interesting teaching tips for getting certified to teach English abroad and online.


Welcome to our hands update, these are your headlines from around the fleet. The Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Mark Ferguson, met with Boston City officials and U.S. sailors July 5th to thank them for their hard work during Boston Navy Week. The ceremony was held to commemorate the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 and allow Boston citizens to tour Navy ships. USS Ponce arrived in Bahrain for duty in the U.S. Fifth Fleet area for responsibility July 6th. Ponce's primary mission is to support mine countermeasure operations and repair service to other deployed units. You can read more about these stories at navy.mil. For all hands update, I'm Teddy Officer Ashley Hedrick.


What's going on guys got a brand new blu-ray review for you guys today today. We're discussing solo a Star Wars story Yeah, let's talk about it The lowest star war story of course is the film that didn't do that. Well the box office enjoyed it though You guys can catch my earlier review on this now I'm revisiting this revisiting the blu-ray talking about all the special features on here and Discussing how the film holds up at home now back in the theater my thoughts on it. I enjoyed it Thought it was a blast. I think if this title is solo a star war story And I think if you're telling a star war story This is the perfect interpretation of it's going on an adventure a fun adventure within the Star Wars lore And that was one of my favorite parts about solo.  We didn't need it. But still it was a blast to watch There's some fantastic action sequences and all goes far to say this film is more gritty Then rogue one gritty in a lot of ways within its action sequences within its storytelling and going in and delving in To the dark depths of the underworld area within Star Wars You know with the the mobsters the gangsters the mercenaries all towards of people like that the bad People that you don't want to get involved with it within the Star Wars universe But if you do they can make a quick buck for you It's a part of the universe that I've been wanting to see within this movie's universe that we've seen in Small tidbits, but this film actually goes very much deeper into it And I really appreciated that aspect of this movie. I mean the best aspect of it Of course, I'm gonna say no spoilers because I don't want to get into but there's some awesome character moments in here I think Alden did a fantastic job as Han Solo. I think he fit the role Donald Glover steals the role of the land though and I loved him But without his out the two best characters in here personally for me was Chewbacca. He was fantastic He's if you want more Chewbacca in Star Wars This is a movie for you. Also Khaleesi herself playing Kira in here was superb. She was my favorite part I actually want a solo film of her like now I think she was hands down carried some of the most best moments of her and she was more than just a one-note character She had layers to her was Ron Howard, of course directed this film He went into it he directed the movie and he took a charge of Phil Lord and Chris Miller now, of course That's where I'm gonna kind of get into the special effects I think Ron Howard did a decent job directing this film There are some slow-paced moments in here that I think there could have been some more energetic fun in here And I'm still like I want to see Chris Miller and Phil Lord's cuts or at least some moments to them Because I know a majority this film was reshot even though they said it wasn't it was But in some of the scenes you can still keep intact And they do still talk about that in some of the special features Which like the Chewbacca sequence when Han meets Chewie that all that is Phil Lord and Chris Miller Which it feels like it I like that. How does this movie hold up at home? I'm revisiting. It's stunning I mean for me I think this is one of the best-looking movies in the Star Wars universe You got Bradford young being a cinematographer on here and he does such a fantastic job in here He did a rival a couple years back which that movie was stunning It's probably the best-looking film that year and I think he does a great job of solo as well doing different camera angles And also getting different types of light It's a little bit darker with home because you used a lot of actual natural lighting But for some reason I appreciate that more and I think a lot of the landscaping using Actual locations really does help especially within solo. The audio is great in here. I think the score really fits the tone of it I think the way that it's moving with all the ships when all the battles going through Especially flying through Millennium Falcon when he's doing all the runs and through it The one of the sequences towards the end where he's flying the Millennium Falcon going through all these different portals and having to Hit the parsecs and stuff awesome One of the best sequences in the whole movie itself you you see him going through these clouds You see him fighting through this and just a one the cinematography again to the sounds are just screeching echoing and just great when I say screeching in a good way and of course just The special effects in the direction. It's tense even though you know, what's gonna happen. It's still tense It's special features on this film now. Let me tell you I Little bit this point I get they're not gonna go into the controversy and stuff I that's not something they want out elite on the open I'm sure Chris Miller and Phil or don't want that in the open I wanted a little bit more of that Ron Howard came in very late into production and there's a part where it's a round Tape rectory pretty much sits there and talks to the cast about production and there wasn't a lot of details about that it was just The normal stuff that you would hear within a Star Wars movie without it out One of the coolest things that they do have the special features is there's a brilliant action sequence towards the beginning of the Swim where it takes place on a train and you probably do see it in the trailer But they do go into more details on that and I think that was a really cool special feature that they did add in here Everything else is just smaller details within certain sequences or relationships say relationship with Chewbacca and Han or One of some of the other sequences with our practical effects or the flying ships But one of the other best notable things is Kazan on cast him Which is too because this film was written by Lawrence Kazan and his son And that was really cool to watch because you get both of them talking about something That's really been a big part of their life And I it's one of the most easily the best part about the special features also This film is worth watch if you have not seen solo Star Wars I think this film is more particularly Pointed at people who are not the biggest Star Wars fans to be honest a lot of people I know who aren't the biggest Star Wars fans Love this movie and Star Wars fans in general who did actually go out and see the movie because I know this film again Did not do good at the box office. It was not good marketing. I thought it was bad marketing It just no one knew it came out and I know people who think now it's coming out in December No, it's coming out on Blu-ray this week check it out on Tuesday It's a film that I think if you missed in the theaters, you got to give it at least a shot Don't wait till Netflix give it a shot rented at Red Box buy it on Blu-ray I know for sure I'm gonna be upgrading to the 4k because I need to see the 4k version The cinematography is way too beautiful not to be viewed on 4k as much as people will say well There's not a lot of stakes. There's not a lot of like new stuff in here again I don't think that's what this film was going for and if it was then it failed But for me I wanted to fund Star Wars adventure you get that fun Star Wars adventure There's not a lot to it, but there is a lot of fun elements to it You get some dynamics between Han and Chewie which are hands down the best part about it Kira is fantastic in here played by of course Khaleesi yourself from Game of Thrones What do you hear else since fantastic the villain is actually a little bit underwhelming but not bad and There's a lot of Easter eggs in here some that work a hundred percent and some that could have been a little bit better But solo Star Wars story again revisiting it I enjoyed it as much as I did it with watching it in the theaters I think this is a film that you guys will enjoy too. So if you haven't seen solo, definitely will say it's worth watching I mean guys are you guys gonna be picking up solo this week? Are you gonna hold off till it goes on cheaper? Let's talk about it down below in the comments And of course if you're new here hit up sandwich on films also down below cuz right down there You guys can get into advanced movie screens check out some movie news and even some movie reviews But of course guys until next time stay classy


Conspiracy theorists have said that the end of the world is coming and it will take place in September of this year. They believe that this is when Planet X is going to collide with the Earth. On August 21st, the moon is going to cover up the sun and the great American total solar eclipse is going to mean that there will be a sudden drop in the temperature and this is going to send half of Earth into darkness. Now, apparently, a big voice in the Nibiru Apocalypse movement has said that the solar eclipse event is going to coincide with the mythical Planet X alien planet crashing into Earth and when the two collide it means the end of the world. David Mead, Christian numerologist and amateur stargazer gave a prediction that it will be the end of the world in September. He gave this prediction based on Bible verses that he had analyzed and taken into account the planets and the stars. He is certain that the Old Testament of the Bible, the book of Isaiah 13 verse 9 to 10, tells us that the world is going to end. In this part of the Bible it says the day of the Lord is coming and it will be a cruel day, one with fierce anger and wrath and that it is going to make the land desolate and it will destroy all the sinners on it. It was said that the stars of heaven along with their constellations are not going to reveal their light again. It also says that the rising sun is going to be darkened and that the moon is not going to give its light. Mead has been speaking to media and he gave a warning that is chilling about the future of humanity. He went on to say that the great American eclipse occurring on the 21st of August will be a major harbinger. He said that when the eclipse starts the sunrise is going to be dark, the same as Isaiah predicts. Mead went on to say that the moon that is involved has the name of the Black Moon and that this is something that happens once every 33 months. In the Bible the name of Elohim also makes an appearance 33 times in Genesis. The eclipse will begin at Lincoln Beach in Oregon in the United States which is the 33rd state and it will come to an end on the 33rd degree of Charleston in South Carolina. A solar eclipse such as this has not been seen since back in 1918. This was 99 years ago or 33 multiplied by 3. Mead went on to say that the exact date of the apocalypse when the world will come to an end is September 23rd, 2017. This he said was based on the book of Revelation chapter 12 in which it talks about a great sign in heaven. I'm Darren Marlar. Subscribe for more. Get the latest news and sign up for our newsletter at Disclose.tv


How can an event hang so long in the minds of the people who witnessed it, that it can be completely forgotten about and still affect every aspect of our different cultures all around our world? They saw it in the sky. When the gods assembled, the great god, the light that shone great over the golden epic, the watchful eye of the Lord, the cosmic mountain, the tree of life, the squatter man or in the Jewish tradition, the menorah. Wait till you hear this. One of the two reliefs on the Ark of Titus, depicting the triumphal procession held in Rome in the year 71, shows Roman soldiers carrying the spoils of war through the city, including the famous menorah and other treasures of the destroyed temple. These were put on display in Rome in the Temple of Peace, not far from the Ark, and had been lost to history. The menorah is first mentioned in the Biblical book of Exodus, according to which the design of the lamp was revealed to Moses by God on Mount Sinai. The apparent candlestick holder was to be forged out of a single piece of gold and was to have six branches, three out of one side and three out of the other. The cup atop the central shaft, which is somewhat elevated to signify the Sabbath, was flanked by three lights on each side. It was forged by the craftsman Bezalel and put in the tabernacle, and its cups in the shape of flower blossoms suggested the tree of life. The great disc in the sky, the all-seeing eye above cosmic mountain, evolving first from the pillar to the tree of life, manifesting into the squatter man, and eventually radiates as a ladder, their stairway to heaven. This was the global event from which our stories and traditions began. The Temple of Solomon, according to the book of Kings, had ten golden candelabras, five on each side of the entrance to the inner sanctuary. During the early modern period, the menorah as symbol gave way to the star of David, but in the 19th century it was adopted as the symbol of the Zionist. The seven-branch candelabra depicted on the Ark of Titus only became the official emblem of the state of Israel in the 20th century. For many Jews in antiquity, the menorah's seven branches represented the five visible planets, plus the sun and the moon, and its rounded branches suggested their trajectories across the heavens. One ancient Jewish thinker Philo of Alexandria compared the harmony of the menorah's branches to an instrument of music truly divine. Philo of Alexandria, writing during the first third of the first century, directly relates the shape of the menorah's rounded branches to the trajectory of the planets around the sun. He writes that the approach to them is from the side and the middle place is that of the sun. But to the other planets he distributed three positions on the two sides of the lampstand in the superior group are Saturn, Jupiter and Mars, while in the inner group are Mercury, Venus and the Moon. Philo is the first author to provide context for the rounded branches, associating them with his larger astral concerns. This approach harkens back to an association of the lamps of the lampstand with the planets that first appears in the prophet Zechariah already during the sixth century before the birth of Christ, who described the five visible planets, plus the sun and the moon, as the eyes of God known as Yahweh to the Jews. An Ecclesiastes 4, 10, it reads that these seven are the eyes of God which range through the whole earth, and the life of Moses Philo goes further in associating the menorah with the cosmos. The candlestick Moses placed at the south of the tabernacle, figuring thereby the movements of the luminaries above. For the sun and the moon and the others run their courses in the south far away from the north, and therefore six branches, three on each side. Issue from the central candlestick, bringing up the number two seven, and all these are set seven lamps and candle bearers, symbols of what the men of science call planets. For the sun, like the candlestick, has the fourth place in the middle of the sixth and gives light to the three above and the three below it, so tuning to harmony and instrument of music truly divine. The rounded branches thus give expression to this music truly divine, supporting the planets in their paths, even as they support the lights. A generation later Josephus explains the branches in a similar manner, in the Jewish war he describes the seven lamps such being the number of the lamps from the lamp stand, represent the planets. He returned to this theme around 90 AD in his magnum antiquities of the Jews, where Josephus ostensibly describes the menorah of the tabernacle. Facing the table near the south wall stood a candelabrum of cast gold, hollow, and of the weights of a hundred mine, this weight the Hebrews call Kancharis, a word which translated into Greek denotes a talent. It was made up of globules and lilies, along with pomegranates and little bowls, numbering 70 and all. Of these it was composed from a single base right up to the top, having been made to consist of as many portions as assigned to the planets with the sun. It terminated in seven branches regularly disposed in a row. Each branch bore one lamp, recalling the number of planets, the seven lamps faced southwest, and the candelabrum being placed crosswise. Philo and Josephus explain the menorah as a representation of the cosmic order. This interpretation might have seemed quite reasonable to a Roman audience, and we are reminded, for example, of a silver statuette of the goddess Tutela, the heads of seven planetary deities set on an ark above her in the heavens. Roman readers and viewers may have made this connection as well. Similarly, each of the branches of the menorah supports one of the heavenly luminaries, Zachariah's eyes of the gods. The pattern for the menorah must therefore begin with the vision of the cosmic mountain. Iminating the points of light at the top. Radiating plasma, a stunning petroglyph found in Siberia, shows us overwhelmingly that this was the case, encompassing the squatter man theory. You can clearly see the menorah is yet another representation of the Taurus field, the squatter man. Similar examples are found in Mexico, India, and even in the Armenian highlands. In James' church words lost continent of Mu, we meet Narayana, the seven-headed serpent, the symbol for the creator and the creation, and it matches the menorah with striking detail. It doesn't matter which culture or religion you belong to, or how deep your belief in either God or the devil has become, for all these stories and humankind's everlasting perception have manifested in the minds of the observer. Their perceptions are responsible for what we believe in today. Our gods, our beliefs, of course, there must have been an intervention. Our knowledge about where our knowledge has stemmed is another classic enigma that is bound with no conclusion. This means there must have been an effort to teach people by some universal source, maybe by cosmic. Harmony is the accessing of the occasion, but in terms of gods and religion, this is it. This is the path to truth and it's one that billions of people need to know about. The Greeks, the Hindus, the Mayans, and the Aboriginals are all telling the same stories. They tell us it was God, the many gods. They say they saw it in the sky and they begin the documentation in the shelter of the caves before we re-emerge and begin to remember the time when our kind were forced back into the Earth when Kronos went supernova, the God whom once shone over the Golden Epic. In a modern translation from the original Hebrew, the passage in which the phrase Lucifer or Morningstar occurs begins with the statement, On the day the Lord gives you relief from your suffering and turmoil and from the harsh labor forced on you, you will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon. How the oppressor has come to an end, how his fury has ended. After describing the death of the king, the taunt continues. How you have fallen from heaven, Morningstar, son of the dawn. You have been cast down to the earth. You who once laid low the nations, you said in your heart, I will ascend to the heavens. I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly on the utmost heights of Mount Zefon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds. I will make myself like the most high, but you are brought down to the realm of the dead, to the depths of the pit. Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate. Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble? The man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let the captives go home? According to Chronos, who is collaborating with the Lost History Channel in this series, they're telling you the Morningstar destroyed cities and shook the earth, made the earth a wilderness. They imagine Venus was cast out because Venus wanted to be the most high in the assembly of the god. Then they attempted to wipe out remnants of the disaster. By the way, disaster means bad star. They campaigned to chop down astral poles everywhere, which of course symbolize the tree of life or the sacred pillar that descended to the earth from the ancient assembly. Isaiah 14, the only text in the Old Testament that mentions the word Lucifer, the light bearer, and what has come down to us is a fabrication of the truth, designed for mass control. The best mind control is when it's voluntary. You better act right or else. The Lost History Channel is not trying to take away people's hopes, only searching for truths. In the minds of the Lost History Channel, the Big Bang Theory is ridiculous. The infinite universe itself is the Creator God, and we are here through its creative intentions, through forces we don't have a way to understand. But we can break the chains of false beliefs that were initiated through the ancient catastrophes. We can embrace and marvel at the privilege of this life experience and never discount reincarnation. Pyramids and temples are built because of the Age of the Gods. They serve a cosmic function of attempting to restore the break, the break of the separation of heaven and earth. Christmas trees is one example of the cosmic mountain, with the star radiating at the top. The menorah is no different. It's clear from the earliest of release in the petroglyphs, assimilating into art and culture before efforts were made to recover the thoughts of the memories of the time when Earthlings saw something in the sky. But what do you guys think about this anyway? Comments below and as always, thank you for watching.


Broadway's My Beat, from Climb Square to Columbus Circle, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesome-est mile in the world. Broadway's My Beat, the exciting drama of people who walk the Great White Way, with Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover. The miracle of June slips down over Broadway like a golden gauze, and the street slows down for the burst of sun. It's the time of vacation schedules posted near the water cooler, and the words, the magic names, Catskill, Far Rockaway, Atlantic City. And you wonder how she'll come to you this year, on a sand dune of portable radio, or with a tennis racket and golden legs, or on a horse. It's the time to turn on the dream, cotton candy time and carnival, bleachers and hot dog with everything time. It's happen, it's here again, it's June. And in the afternoon, in the E-60s, June gets an assist from the management. White stocking bowls on the lobby desk, gladiola in bases on corridor tables, and ended abruptly at the doorway number 312, where death had intruded, where I was, where Detective Muggerman was. This man was found here in his living room by a newsboy, Danny, the kid I talked to.  Uh-huh. Left the money for the week's paper delivery on that table right inside the door. Kid would pick up the money, lock the door on his way out. No money left today, so the kid walked in a little way, and so... Yeah. Shot up close with, looks like a .38 caliber. Yeah, about that.  Place is time of shooting around 3 o'clock. You know who this man is? Sure, positive identification. Name is Harry Moore, age 41, construction contractor. Firm of Moore and Nelson. No financial worries, no known enemies, no... That's real good, Muggerman. How'd you find out so soon? His wife. She's in there. Did she see it happen? No, she came in here a few minutes after I got here. Let's talk to her. Sure. Mrs. Moore? Mrs. Moore? This is Lieutenant Clover, Mrs. Moore. He'd like to speak to you. Oh, you can't come in here. This is my bedroom. I'd just like to ask you a few questions, that's all. I feel very much better. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Huh? Mrs. Moore was at a tea lunch in Danny's. She told me where. Mrs. Moore had six cocktails. I think it was only five. I was going to tell you because I don't want to lie to any policeman in the world. About your husband, Mrs. Moore. Harry's dead. This man told me. Harry's going away and never coming back. And I must be very brave about it. Do you have any idea why? One day, if I'm very good, I'll see Harry again. That's the kind of answers I've been getting down. She doesn't look real, John. You feel fine, Mrs. Moore. Head's not spinning, nothing like that. Fine. Clear-headed. Oh, I'm not drunk, if that's what you mean. Not at all. I know what being drunk's like. Yeah? I do feel a little busy. And I know why. Harry's not with me anymore. Harry's dead. And I know it. And I've got to think about it. Watch her as she turns away from you. The motion, tenuous, suspended, dance-like. Then a sudden twist and contortion as the sobbing wells like something from childhood. Watch her as she moves certainly to a couch, throws herself onto it, mutes her sobbing in a silken pillow. And it ebbs from her. Then she's still. Then she's still. Then sleeps. This is the escape of the wife of the dead. Leave there. Leave now to check on Alibi. Learn that Vivi Moore had attended the wives and girls tea luncheon from one until four. The cocktails had been served, and poor Vivi had got tipsy and giggly. It had to be put in a cavern told the way home. And thank the woman who was bored and exhausted with having arranged it all for the wives and girls. The instruction firm of Moore and Nelson and the information from the weary draftsman that he was overworked, that Mr. Nelson was supervising the current job at 30th and East River out in the sun. Then the skeleton of steel patterned and laced and riveted against the backdrop of river. The man with the straw hat tilted far back on his head. Yeah, I'm Nelson, Steve Nelson. You got something I can do for you? Police, Mr. Nelson.  Rough crew, flusty. I'll go bail for any one of them, not the crew. Harry Moore. I'll do likewise for him any time, any day. Got to tell you, though, long as I know him, you're the first cop that ever said Harry Moore to me. That gonna do him any good? No, he's dead. He's been murdered. We found him in his apartment, shot with a .38. We figured it happened to him around three this afternoon. Three this p.m. I was up 40 stories. There. You have a gun, Mr. Nelson? No gun. I asked my boys. They tell you I've got a whip studded with hot rivets. They talk like that, and I'm so good to them. Got to tell you something, Mr. Clover. What? About Harry. Not really any of my business, no skin off of my back. Tell me what? About Harry. About half for a week now, maybe 10 days, my boys been leaving me alone to handle this job. Hasn't showed up at all. I couldn't figure it. Harry's the type guy who was always right in there, made with a rivet gun, with advice, with bandages, and somebody was hurt. Couldn't figure it until... Until what? One of my boys, one of the crew, spied Harry walking skid row. You know the bar, right? Goes to show you're never alone in this town. Harry walks skid row. There's always a guy to tell you about it. A slumber guy. You know what he was doing there? Worried me too. So one night I went down, cornered Harry in a bar, said, Look pal. That's as far as I got. Look pal, I said, and then I dried up because I figure Harry's life is Harry's life. We were partners, not man and wife. I bought him a drink and said, See you pal, and walk out. You know his wife? Vivi? Yeah, I know her. You know her? I talked to her this afternoon.  That Vivi. How'd she get along with her husband? Harry told me once, said, Vivi was a romance from football grandstands in school and nighttime bonfires. He married her. They got along fine, he told me. Sometimes ice cream and cake, sometimes champagne and off the shoulder gowns. That Vivi.  So back to headquarters now to the photo lab, obtain a picture close up of Harry Moore, only slightly retouched. Take it and ride the night streets to the Bowery. Go to the places, the bars, and the back rooms, dedicated to knock Rummy, to regret, and to limbo, to the biggest beer in town for a dime, or six empties. Show the picture. Shaking the head means to knock Rummy, to regret, to limbo, to the biggest beer in town for a dime, or six empties. Show the picture. Shaking the head means no, and all the mother tongues gather together here. Meaning, never saw the man, meaning he'd never been in here, meaning your cops would get out of here. Walk the streets, show the picture, get the stairs, get the stairs, and the whispers would be walked away from. The policeman, the intruder upon the Tencent heaven, and at the time when one day slips into another, the time of the sprawled man in the doorway and the bus stop deals, and a little after that, after midnight, walk into another place, Benson's is called, and walk up to the bar. The man behind it flicks a corner of soggy rag to make clean the area of an elbow. What's yours? Police. I know. Why? Here, take a look at this picture. Have you seen this man? Why? Homicide. It would be. Have you seen him? You said homicide. You mean he killed somebody? He's dead. No, I'm confused. Him dead? Why don't you see him? Homicide's about as big as it can get, right? That's right. That's why I'm telling you. Yeah, I saw this guy days ago. I don't remember how many, maybe a week. He came in there as for Joe Connell. I pointed Joe out to him. Who is Joe Connell? Big guy. He comes in here for the brew, huh? Joe was there when this guy came in. I pointed Joe out to him like I told you. He walked over and talked to Joe. They went out together in a friendly manner. Joe's a big guy. Tough. Dumb but tough. I was surprised. Where do I find this Joe Connell? I can tell you where he lives, if that'll help you. Down the street, second house from the corner this side, brought a bottle to him on his third rear.  I'm really confused. I'm gonna see a show. He like crawled into the tent and grabbed the look for free. You've been shot. Yeah, yeah. You take a seat, kid. Watch this. Watch me. I'm gonna show you how a big man dies. You watch this. You know something. All of a sudden, a few real small group written by Morton Fine and David Friedgen and starring Larry Thor as detective Danny Clover. June morning is a sheen on Broadway's pavements. The street is lustrous with the glow of chrome and the brilliance of glass, reflecting the summer walk of women in their morning trials. Broadway leans against the neon railings and times handicaps, makes odds on how promises will run later this day. When the track is faster and the weather clearer. And the other diversions, the ones from out of town and flowered prints, the straw-bonnet woven for big city wear veiled and tilted to the angle safe on crowded subways. The non-crushable linen, the freshly laundered seersucker and the white purse clutch tight held close to the body. So make your pick, kid, and walk up to the window and play it across the board. It's June, the month of the winning ticket. And at headquarters, the June morning has Sergeant Geno Tataglia in it. Hey, Danny, you know what? What?  What about him, Geno? Sinking fast at police hospital, Danny. Still in shock, still unconscious. Dr. Sinski don't hold out much hope. Wherever I am, Geno, you'll let me know when I can talk to him. It goes without saying. I've been thinking, Danny, I come up with several items about this, Connell. Like what? Like he is on the regular schedule of rousing by our boys. Our boys got the sneaking hunch this Connell is a gun for hire, a freelance hood who works for anyone with the price. Well, they got something to build that on. Two sentences for assault, brutal, vicious, no apparent motive. None that our boys could prove anyway. This gives them these hunches and then Connell. What else? What else is, according to many previous tests by prison psychiatrist, this Connell is immature for such a big boy. In IQ reports, a child would be scared to bring home. Another thing, Danny, from technical, also, and then Connell. Well, anytime you feel up to it, you know. From technical. The report that the gun that killed Harry Moore also played hard with big Joe Connell. I see. You can in touch with Mrs. Moore like I told you. Please, hospital, check me a little while ago, Danny. Mrs. Moore is in the waiting room cooling her heels for you. Like at your request, I got in touch with her to do. You did fine. Thanks, you know. Hospital's brightening, Mr. Cooper. Sometimes. Other times. Yeah. It's quiet and flowers. But then I think what happens here. Pain, sorrow, and crying out. I know what that means. I cry out. Sometimes at night I do that. And I sit up in my bed. Rowan comes to me and comforts me. Yeah. Now that you're husband. I know. Before that. All the time. Since I was small. No one comes to me. We're going to go in this room, Mrs. Moore. I want you to look at a man. I want you to tell me. What man? Why? Why do you want me to do this? You must remember it's my job to find out who killed your husband. Yeah. That's right. This man? Yeah. You ever seen him before? He's very sick, isn't he? Very sick. He's going to die, isn't he? The doctors are doing all that. I would like to touch his face. I know he can't hear me. Maybe to touch. Somehow he can feel it. Know how sorry I am. Have you ever seen him before? No. Mrs. Moore, this man was seen with your husband a few days before Mr. Moore was murdered. I did. And Mrs. Moore, the gun that shot your husband shot this man. Yes. Poor man. Do you know why your husband was with this man? Oh, no. Please take me out of here now, Mr. Culver. And leave there, walking the gleaming corridors of the hospital again. Mrs. Moore takes your arm and smiles up to you, sadly, apologetically, size. Then thanks you when you put her in a cab and tip your hat to her. Find a restaurant and coffee now and watch the fat fly on his slow trajectory across the menu painted on the window. Make a pattern with the bottom of the coffee mug on the enameled counter and think. A man respected, Harry Moore, dead. An assassin, Joe Connell, dying. And the questions, why and by whom? What chain of circumstance? Back to headquarters with it. Why and by whom? Hey, Danny. Wait a minute. He's going to your office to give you something. What have you got? Routine check, Danny. Bank account of Harry Moore. Oh, what about it? A week ago, he made a withdrawal of $1,000, even. And? Three days ago, Mrs. Moore made a withdrawal, too. Separate accounts. She withdrew $2,000. And what? Day before yesterday, she put it back. Make sense to you? Uh-huh. A lot. Hey, Danny, you down there?  So dark in these hallways, you can't tell out her from Beaselbub. Anyhow, Dr. Sinski just caught in the hospital. Joe Connell is dead. Oh. The good doctor said Joe opened his eyes and said, I couldn't take money from her. Not from her. And died. That mean anything, Danny? Everything. That's all I needed to know. You remember Detective Margaret, don't you? Yes, of course I do. But why shouldn't I? Please, come in. Thanks. How are you feeling, Mrs. Moore? Oh, very well, thank you. No more six cocktails at one sitting, huh? I told you I only had five. That's right, you did. I'd be very pleased to fix you something. I make a nice martini. My husband Harry taught me. Whenever we had guests, I'd mix the martinis and bring them in and pass them around. Harry would be proud. He'd say, my little girl may be. And the guests would all smile. And Harry would say, you know, I mean it. My little girl really did make these. Shall I fix you a... Nothing, thank you. Do you know why we're here, Mrs. Moore? That man you took me to see at the hospital. How is he? He died a little while ago. I've been sitting here all day making phone calls, arrangements for Harry's funeral, making out risks. When I set my mind to do anything, anything at all, I can do it. Mrs. Moore. Yes? Mr. Clover asked you a question. I know he did. He asked me if I knew why you gentlemen were here. I suppose you have your reasons. You'll tell me. One of the reasons was to tell you Joe Connell died. But you said that. You've already told me that. He killed your husband. And now he's dead. This man, this Joe Connell.  No.  No. You're not drunk now, so you can think clearly.  No. No, I don't. I don't. You've made all the arrangements for your husband's funeral, haven't you? I told you. You haven't made him? No. No, I don't. Beautifully kept apartment? I do it all myself. And I shop and I budget. Harry used to say, there's nobody like my little girl to run a house. I do it all myself.  Why don't you tell us about your husband, about Joe Connell?  You're not a little girl. No more. No more. That's right. So it's all right to tell us about your husband and Joe Connell. I don't know what you mean. Honestly, the way you're talking. How did you and your husband get along? We were man and wife. He called your little girl all the time? No. Not for a long time. We had a big argument. One day he screamed at me. This little girl bit gut in his nerves, huh? Listen, I'm me and I'm nobody else. I'll tell you just what I told Harry Moore. I'm me and I'm nobody else. Harry wooed me, he won me. And I'm the kind of girl he married. Up to his neck. Cut it out, Michael. We know all about it, Mrs. Moore. How your husband searched the Bowery and finally found the man he was looking for, Joe Connell. Harry did things. A lot of things. He didn't have to tell me. A man has his privacy. I know that. Did you know he hired Joe Connell to kill you?  Did you know that, Mrs. Moore? Yeah. One day when I was on the street, Joe got out of a car and walked over to me. He pointed a gun at me and told me to get in the car. I did. By the time we got to where we were going, Joe put away the gun. We were laughing. You and Connell got along, huh? I never met anybody like him. He told me people thought he was dumb. He wasn't dumb. I knew that right away.  He said Harry had given him a thousand dollars. I told Joe I'd give him two thousand dollars not to kill me. Joe said all right. But when I got the money from the bank and gave it to him, Joe wouldn't take it. Oh, we got along fine. How? We went to the movies, penny arcades. Joe wanted to take me to Coney, but I said later. After? After what? Joe told me he was going to kill Harry. After that. Joe told you that and you didn't know anything about it? Harry wanted me dead, so why should I help Harry? Harry told me right. Joe and I figured that out together. Tell me, how did Joe get shot? His room. The evening after he shot Harry, he was showing me how he did it. He said, I took this gun and I shot him. I said, let me see. He gave me the gun, showed me how to work the safety catch and everything. I said, like this? And I pointed it at him. And he laughed and I laughed. I said, bang. I must have pulled the trigger. Joe stopped laughing. And he said, you better go home now. Lights plume upward into the sky on Broadway and night bursts open. The swarm starts its dance down the canyon streets. A little man stalks the heels of a drunkard. It's the place of darting eyes of the fleeting smile and whispers in the wind and crowd and roar in the empty hand. It's Broadway, the gaudiest, the most violent, the lonesomeest mile in the world. Broadway, My Beat. Broadway's My Beat is produced and directed by Elliott Fleur, with music composed and conducted by Alexander Courage. The program is written by Morton Fine and David Freakin and stars Larry Thor as Detective Danny Clover with Charles Calvert, Esther Taglia, and Jack Prussian as Muggevin. Featured in tonight's story were Sammy Hill, Clayton Post, Shep Mankin and Lou Merrill.


It's a wonderful life hit the big screen in 1946 and has since been adapted to many forms. Walker Bay Theatre is performing the holiday classic in a form true to the time period as a luxe radio performance. Mal Meyer has more for this week's In Focus from Walker. The story starts with George Bailey headed towards a brink of suicide and Clarence Angel needs to intervene by showing George what life would be like had he never been born he has a powerful realization. Those little things or little acts of kindness that we can do for people in our everyday lives those can be awfully big and important also. The seven cast members lend their voices to the many people George changes through his actions. I have a list that I try to follow when to go gravel, when to go high, when to go Swedish, when to go Italian. The actors have to make sure their character changes emotions and tones are noticeable through speech unlike visual performances. I worked with plays so it was all about face and moving around and this is radio so it just matters about what your voice is. Making the show sound like it's still being acted out are simple sound effects like a door slamming which have to be perfectly timed out.  For Kathy Dale it's been a lot of fun to be part of the production. It's really neat to kind of show what it used to be like back when my parents were kids and they were listening to the radio instead of watching television. Which is why the Walker Bay Theatre has previously put on similar productions. Audiences seem to like these vintage radio shows. The company will have three more performances with ones on Saturday, Sunday and Monday. For this week's In Focus in Walker, I'm Mal Meyer, Lakeland News. If you've enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax deductible contribution to Lakeland Public Television.