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PCs Are Diving, Tablets Climbing
Looks like PC sales have had their worst quarter since sales tracking began in 1994, according to IDC, dropping 14% in the last quarter. IDC blames some of that on poor adoption of Windows 8, which seems like a pretty good guess to me.
Tablets, on the other hand, are still growing strongly. The 7 inch size seems to be the most popular one, whether it's the iPad Mini or one of the many Android tablets in that range. Every game maker I talk to (and I talk to a lot of them) has their eyes on tablets as the Next Big Thing.
Still, we're still in the early days on tablet games. Designers have to figure out ways to get around the lack of physical controls, and there are still many innovations to be found in designing for a touch interface, all the different sensors, and all the various means of connection.
For game marketers it just means things are changing even faster. You'd better be re-examining your marketing plans frequently as the market changes. Demographics are shifting, platforms are shifting, business models are changing, marketing channels are opening and closing... It's like trying to navigate through the breakup of an icecap. What looks like clear water ahead may turn out to be a dead end, then the ice closes in and you're trapped.
On the other hand there's a chance for new players to break through the noise and find a market. It's encouraging that new games and new publishers continue to make the Top Ten list of the highest-grossing games on iOS and Android. That means there's not complete dominance by large companies.
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Why Telltale Games Died
Before I begin, it's important to note that I have no inside knowledge of Telltale Games, other than what has been published. My opinions are just based on observation of the company and the game market. Keep that in mind as you read this -- there may be factors at play I know nothing about.
I was saddened to hear about the fall of Telltale Games. The company isn't quite dead yet, maintaining a crew of 25, but it seems the end is near from their public statements. Apparently the suddenness of the demise was due to a failed investment round. When that fell through, the company didn't have the revenues to go forward. Still, though, either the CEO shouldn't have been playing hardball in the negotiations, or should have had a viable plan B for the employee's sake if things fell through. The company must have been in bad shape financially for some time, and had to keep the employees on board in order to land the investment (who would invest if the staff was gone?) -- so couldn't give the staff any warning of potential impending doom. I understand why that was the thinking, but that puts the employee's welfare completely out of strategy entirely, which is obviously wrong. Or it should be obvious, anyway.
The bottom line is that Telltale should have been aware of its problems and trying to fix them years earlier. There were plenty of warning signs.
First of all, I'll point out the widespread stories that Telltale apparently operated in continuous crunch mode, demanding employees work 50, 60, 70 hours a week or more to complete episodes on time. That essentially says you don't have enough people on the project. And when you do that for every project, all the time, you're not properly allocating resources. Your budget for the project says $X on paper, but your really spending much more than $X... so the product is going to be that much less profitable.
According to some of the press reports, only Game of Thrones and Minecraft were profitable for Telltale, among their recent games. The conclusion is clear -- either they needed to create larger audiences for their games, or reduce the cost to create them, or find more ways to generate revenue from those games.
Part of the problem is inherent in the design of the games. Basically, they are stories with some branching. There's no opportunity there for multiple players or character customization (since your character is part of the story and can't be changed), which means there's no reason for virtual goods. Why customize your character's look if no one else sees it -- and it really isn't your unique character, anyway? Taking away virtual item sales means foregoing a major source of revenue in this day and age.
Another problem for Telltale was licensing. Their whole portfolio of games is built on licensed properties -- they have no company-owned IP. Now, licenses, properly used, can be great. A well-chosen license can get you a vast audience at a low acquisition cost, though of course you now have licensing costs on top of your usual costs. The trick is to find ways to profit from that new audience. Usually, the obvious thing is to create a game using in-house IP that can sell well to the audience you gathered for the licensed game. (Note that many publishers use this strategy, like Jam City, Electronic Arts, Activision, and others.)
For instance, if you've sold millions of a Game of Thrones game, why not create your own fantasy setting and build interactive stories for that? Sure, the audience would be smaller than for Game of Thrones... but you wouldn't have the licensing costs. But Telltale never used this obvious strategy.
I suppose that makes sense when your games weren't profitable anyway. This points to what they should have been doing -- finding a way to either sell their games to a bigger audience (through better marketing), or change the game design to be less expensive to produce and have more opportunities for profit (a design that made virtual items a reasonable thing to create).
All that said, I think interactive stories are fun, and Telltale had plenty of great ones (their numerous awards can testify to that). Telltale just hadn't figured out how to make them profitably. That's an important lesson for any game company. Yes, you have to create a fun experience for players -- but you have to make sure you have a way to make a profit, too.
Update: A lawsuit has just been filed against Telltale for breaking laws in its abrupt layoffs.
Further Information: More than just the problems I outlined above, Telltale had basic problems with its engine that it never solved, as detailed in this article.
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Maybe Robots Should Run Our Cyber Security
By Aliya Sternstein, Next-Gov
The theme of October’s National Cybersecurity Awareness month for half a decade has been “cybersecurity is a shared responsibility” — but should it be? We’re more aware than ever of the risks to logging online, with big-box store hacks, intelligence leaks and bank infiltrations regularly chronicled in the media. Yet the breaches continue.
Most network intrusions can be traced back to an employee who inadvertently or intentionally opened the door to hackers.
A heating and air conditioning vendor for Target compromised the retailer’s payment systems by clicking on a phishing email, unknowingly exposing the credentials needed to steal card data from as many as 70 million people, KrebsOnSecurity reported.
To retrieve sensitive information on 75 million households in JPMorgan’s systems, attackers entered a Web-development server using an employee’s username and password, according to Bloomberg.
And National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden apparently convinced multiple colleagues to provide passwords for accessing classified information.
Human Nature Is the Weakest Link in Cyber
Human nature is the weakest link in cybersecurity. Maybe the responsibility for cyber should be ceded to machines. Why should computer users be accountable for configuring encryption, remembering passwords, and calling a help desk after clicking on a shady link?
Wouldn’t it be better if cybersecurity were more automated? Many computer science researchers, citizens and even the White House say, Yes!
The U.S. military is even willing to pay a $2 million cash prize to anyone who can build an automated system to thwart cyberattacks as fast as they are launched. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Cyber Grand Challenge will hold a machine-to-machine “capture-the-flag-style” tournament in 2016.
Perhaps it’s hardware and software that need to become more aware, some programmers say.
Technology indeed is heading in this direction. There are efforts to enable encryption by default at Apple and Google, and to outsource identity verification for online accounts.
Cyber Awareness Month, sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security, with state and nonprofit support, emphasizes one key responsibility each week. This week’s duty is “Secure Development of IT Products,” which is exactly what citizens want.
But in this case, the burden for ensuring secure development is on the hapless computer user. Tips include: “Install and maintain vendor-distributed patches or updates, ensure they are using the latest operating systems on their computers and mobile devices, and be aware of vulnerabilities that may exist.” All sound advice, but hard to follow.
Cyber Awareness Outdated?
Even one of the public faces of this month’s campaign, White House Cybersecurity Coordinator Michael Daniel, said he can envision a future where humans have largely been voted off the island in favor of robots, so to speak.
“You’re going to have to automate a lot more of the processes, and you’re going to have to build it in so the security happens as much as possible in the background,” he told Nextgov in an interview. “And that’s a true statement. Now, you’ll never take people out of the loop entirely … But I think that to the largest extent that we can make the cybersecurity just there and transparent to the users, that’s the direction that we have to go.”
In November 2010, at a Federal Communications Commission workshop, James Lewis, a Center for Strategic and International Studies analyst who advises Congress and the executive branch on cyber, said educating end users will not protect the Internet.
“I’ve kind of given up on the end points,” he said then. “We had National Cybersecurity Awareness Month last month. A complete waste of time. We’re never going to get the end, the edge, to be safe. It’s never going to happen.” Instead, Lewis said, federal agencies should coordinate with Internet service providers to ensure consumers are supplied almost automatically with the best intrusion defenses.
Can Tech Keep up with Evolving Threats?
Notice how he said “almost automatically.” The problem with eliminating human intervention is that malware and hacking techniques mutate so rapidly, technical defenses cannot keep up.
“Because threats are changing so quickly, not in the foreseeable future are we going to be able to just turn things over to the machine,” said George Washington University law lecturer Richard Gray, who also serves as the Defense Department’s associate general counsel. “You’ve got to have the C-level suite people, who are in charge of making the business decisions, allocate how much money we are willing to spend to have a certain level of security. And then you’ve got to ask that same question the next day when some new hacking tool comes out.”
He was speaking to Nextgov as an academic, not on behalf of the Pentagon.
Part of the challenge is that software programs actually often permit risky activities that could be nefarious or legitimate, depending on the intent of the user. One example is a person logging on to a U.S. corporate network from Russia. The software might have trouble mind-reading to discern the user’s intent.
To deal with the unpredictability of humans, Mitre, a research and development contractor, holds internal cyber situational awareness sessions throughout the month. “We’re constantly talking about what threats are we facing? How do we need to change what we are doing? We are constantly evolving our strategy,” Mitre Chief Information Security Official Bill Hill said during a recent webcast interview with Nextgov.
And so, Cyber Awareness Month doesn’t seem all that outdated yet, unlike your computer’s anti-virus protections.
This article originally appeared in Next-Gov.
Read more at Next-Gov:
Will Afghanistan Become Forgotten War Again?
U.S. Strategic Leaders Need to Think Bigger, Much Bigger
5 Reasons to Pay Attention to Boko Haram's Latest Video
6 Things You Should Do Right Now to Protect Your Online Accounts
Beware of schemes that could drain your bank account Beware of schemes that could drain your bank account The first...
Why Netflix Didn’t Pay the Ransom for ‘Orange Is the New Black’
Over the weekend, hackers calling themselves “thedarkoverlord” threatened to release the first 10 episodes of the fifth...
Coming Soon to Your Credit Card: Fingerprint Scanning
In the race to make credit card payments more secure, MasterCard is testing a new card that uses a purchaser’s...
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Wyatt, Joseph (1788–1860)
by H. L. Oppenheim
Joseph Wyatt (1788-1860), theatre lessee and owner, settled in Sydney in the early days and made his money as a haberdasher at 16 Pitt Street. In October 1833 he sold his Cheap Wholesale and Retail Warehouse and invested in property. His first theatrical venture began in April 1835 when he was one of the six lessees who took over Barnett Levey's Theatre Royal. In May 1836 when Levey resumed nominal ownership Wyatt became the sole lessee, paying him the total amount of £30 a week, which previously had been paid by the group of six lessees. Two months later it became known that Wyatt had begun planning his own larger theatre; he was given the assurance that the governor 'will be very glad to see a more commodious theatre erected in Sydney'. Yet when the Victoria Theatre opened in March 1838 its size, a capacity of 2000, proved rather a disadvantage: Sydney's audience potential was too small to allow the building up of a proper repertoire; there was need for constant change of programme which led to badly rehearsed and shoddily produced performances. When opening the Victoria Theatre Wyatt had purchased the lease of the old Theatre Royal from Levey's widow and in years to come he fought every attempt which threatened his monopoly of the theatre in Sydney.
In March 1841 Wyatt sailed for England to bring out performers for the Victoria Theatre. During his absence the management was in the hands of William Knight, a hotel owner, who might also have been one of the six lessees of the Theatre Royal and who until December 1845 was part-owner of the Victoria. After Knight left Wyatt shared the management with Frederick Gibson, his brother-in-law.
The first group of actors engaged by Wyatt in England came to Sydney in October 1842; the others arrived with him in January 1843. By this time the Sydney actors who had played the decisive part in the young Australian theatre protested against this influx of newcomers and the direct result was the emergence of Joseph Simmons's City Theatre. Of the new engagements the Sydney Morning Herald, 25 January 1843, wrote: 'Mr Wyatt certainly made a most unfortunate selection of performers. Of the twelve brought out by him from England there is not one equal in ability to the leading members, male or female, of the old company'.
In 1854 Wyatt sold the Victoria, and in March 1855 opened the Prince of Wales Theatre in Castlereagh Street, Sydney. The building cost was above £30,000 but was sold for £10,000 five years later. Joseph Wyatt died on 20 July 1860, and was buried at St Stephen's cemetery, Newtown. It may be said that his purely commercial approach has left its mark on Australian theatre to this day.
Coppin, George Selth (acquaintance)
H. L. Oppenheim, 'Wyatt, Joseph (1788–1860)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, http://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/wyatt-joseph-2820/text4041, published first in hardcopy 1967, accessed online 16 July 2019.
Newtown, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
theatrical manager
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Alfred Mann
People of AMF
Timeline of Progress
Limb Loss
Life in Santa Clarita
Concert & Galas
AMF Award Winners
Donate Now - Support Alfred E Mann Foundation
Working on some of the most challenging medical problems for over thirty years
Develop and commercialize innovative solutions
for significant unmet medical conditions.
The Alfred Mann Foundation has been working on some of the most challenging medical problems for over a quarter of a century.
The Story of Alfred Mann
Alfred Mann's dream of creating a foundation to develop revolutionary medical devices came after many years of success in the medical industry.
The People of AMF
AMF has a diverse and uniquely qualified workforce, employing people from more than 20 countries, with more than half holding at least one graduate degree.
Since its founding in 1985, the Alfred Mann Foundation has developed a record of success in commercializing its technology.
Support AMF
Movement disorders, diabetes, limb loss and pain are all critical problems patients face today. The Alfred Mann Foundation’s goal is to develop medical devices to help patients who have few medical options and advance that technology to the marketplace.
Innovation and invention are the life blood of AMF. When our scientists discover novel technology, inventions are documented and reviewed internally by a multi-disciplinary group representing science, legal, operational, clinical and regulatory groups.
The AMF encourages the dissemination of its research results to scientific, engineering and medical communities in the form of publications and presentations at scientific meetings.
Each year, 750,000 people in the US experience a stroke and 11,000 suffer a spinal cord injury. 500,000 Americans currently live with cerebral palsy, 270,000 with multiple sclerosis and 5.3 million with the after-effects of a traumatic brain injury, and thousands more...
25.8 Million children and adults in the U.S. are currently living with diabetes*. Of these, 4.5 million are insulin-dependent. Injections of insulin and monitoring of blood glucose levels with finger sticks were once the sole option for these patients. Innovations such as...
Bringing new technology to market for some of the most challenging medical problems for over thirty years
Bioness offers award-winning medical devices designed to benefit people with Stroke, Multiple Sclerosis, Traumatic Brain Injury, Cerebral Palsy and Spinal Cord Injury. These products use Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to help people regain mobility and independence to improve quality of life and productivity.
Axonics was established in late 2013 with the ambition to develop next-generation neuromodulation solutions for an improved patient and clinician experience. The team is developing a complete system around a miniaturized rechargeable stimulator for the treatment of Overactive Bladder (OAB) and Fecal Incontinence (FI) as first applications.
Through dedication and innovation, Second Sight's mission is to develop, manufacture and market implantable visual prosthetics to enable blind individuals to achieve greater independence.
Medallion Therapeutics was founded with the mission of innovating better therapies to improve the quality of life for those suffering from diseases that require targeted and sustained delivery of drugs or biologics.
Knowledge of biochemistry and polymer science to create a polymer technology that simplifies sample preparation and processing.
AMF Events
The Alfred Mann Foundation highlights significant achievement in medicine and community involvement with its annual AMF events celebrating Innovation and Inspiration
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ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability is the world's leading association of cities and local governments dedicated to sustainable development.
ICLEI is a diverse, robust, global organization with a long history, myriad accomplishments and profound ambitions.
But at its core, ICLEI’s primary focus throughout its history – in every initiative across five continents – has been the same: sustainable cities.
Based on this mission, ICLEI’s initial campaigns and programs have evolved to cover a broad range of themes:
Management of global environmental goods, including: climate; water; biodiversity and ecosystems; air; land/soil; food; marine life and coastal health.
Policy innovation, including: Local Agenda 21/urban governance with stakeholder involvement; integrated, cyclical sustainability management; the green economy; security; social development.
Municipal planning and management, including: sustainability management; land use and development; climate change mitigation and adaptation; resilience management; the management of natural, social, economic and financial resources; procurement.
Transformation of infrastructure, including: mobility; building; energy; water and sanitation; waste; information and communication (technologies).
Why we act
Human expansion is happening at a rapid pace: Every minute, the world population grows by 145 people, which is 6.35 million per month. The population is expected to grow from the current 7.4 billion to 9.6 billion in 2050.
Urbanization is occurring just as rapidly. By 2050, the urban population is expected to surpass 6 billion people, meaning that two-thirds of humanity will then be living in towns and cities. Providing adequate urban infrastructure, which enables service delivery, will therefore also become a challenge.
The geo-economic and geo-political influence and development dynamics between the Global North and South results in different approaches to global and local governance. The developing economies of the globe need to adopt policies that guide development in a manner that is adaptive and suitable for addressing the challenge of global environmental change.
Global environmental change is widespread. The global rate of species loss is between 1,000 to 10,000 times higher than the natural extinction rate, and this trend is expected to be exacerbated by habitat loss linked to climate change. Over 90% of excess atmospheric carbon dioxide is absorbed by the world’s oceans causing acidification, threatening aquatic biodiversity.
Climate change poses unpredictable stress factors on cities and urban areas. According to the 5th Assessment Report on Climate Change from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), this change in climate is undeniably anthropogenic, and can only be stopped by humans.
The loss of biodiversity and green spaces has a further implication for climate change mitigation. Biodiversity and green spaces provide essential ecosystem services that contribute towards climate change adaptation, such as: moderating temperature and reducing the impacts of extreme events.
The ecological footprint of human civilization has become unsustainable. In 2014, humanity used over 50% more resources than nature could regenerate for that year.
About the name
ICLEI information brochure
ICLEI was founded in 1990 as the 'International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives'. The Council was established when more than 200 local governments from 43 countries convened at our inaugural conference, the World Congress of Local Governments for a Sustainable Future, at the United Nations in New York.
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
The organization's name is 'ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability'. In 2003, ICLEI's Members voted to revise the organization's mission, charter and name to better reflect the current challenges local governments are facing. The 'International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives' became 'ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability' with a broader mandate to address sustainability issues.
For more on ICLEI’s history, governance and activities at the global level, see the ICLEI Global Website.
Select a language and download the latest global information brochure about ICLEI:
• Português
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See the latest ICLEI Global iNews. Intelligent-innovative-informative News
The ICLEI Africa Secretariat, the regional office for ICLEI in Africa, is based in Cape Town, South Africa and collaborates closely with the global ICLEI network and other regional offices around the world, in sharing tools, materials and strategies and good practices specifically designed and implemented at the local level.
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THE STARS AT TWILIGHT
For professional athletes, knowing when to quit is the toughest task of all
STEVE MAICH October 3 2005
THE STARS AT TWILIGHT STEVE MAICH October 3 2005
STEVE MAICH
THIS SEASON, baseball etched another chapter into its book of legends. It also wrote another, sadder story. But that one was largely ignored, out of deference for its subject, and because pro sports favours stories of achievement over frailty.
The story we all know is that of Roger Clemens—the barrel-chested pitcher, who said goodbye to baseball two years ago and then decided, almost on a whim, to give the game one more shot. This year, Clemens tore through the major leagues. With just a few weeks
left in the season, he carried an astonishing 1.78 earned run average. He turned 43 in August, and yet is arguably more dominant now than when he won his first Cy Young award 19 years ago.
To watch him throw, you can almost believe that age is irrelevant, as long as competitive fires burn. But we can’t quite believe it, because we know the other story of this baseball season, the one not nearly so widely told: the story of Rickey Henderson.
On Labour Day weekend, while Clemens was on the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals, Henderson was playing in front of 1,018 fans in Long Beach, Calif., in the championship of the Golden Baseball League—the most distant of professional baseball’s outer colonies, where players make about US$1,000 a month and some come
to the park straight from their day jobs.
That weekend, the all-time major league leader in stolen bases, was in the outfield for the San Diego Surf Dawgs, raging against the dying light of his once-prodigious talent. Against opponents who couldn’t quite crack the lowest rungs of baseball’s minor league system, the 46-year-old Henderson could do no better than a .270 batting average and five homes runs in 73 games.
Clemens and Henderson are opposite sides of the same argument—the one that roils in the mind of every athlete eventually. When to quit? When to admit that whatever it was—that thing that transformed you from a player into a legend—is gone and it’s not coming back? There are no easy answers, and freaks of
nature like Clemens only make it harder for men like Henderson, lingering in the game, desperate for one last time at bat.
It takes pride and optimism to dedicate your life to sport, and quitting requires a level of realism and self-doubt that players must intentionally suppress to be effective. “I just want the same chance I had when I was 19 years old,” Henderson told a reporter in August. “I just want a team to give me that chance. If I’m going to retire I want to take the uniform off my back.” For those who watched in amazement as Henderson stole 1,406 bases over 25 seasons in the majors, his honesty was jarring. You’ll rarely hear such a raw admission from an athlete: he was no longer in control, and it was eating him up.
Pathetic is a cruel word. But that’s what Henderson had become: a hollow impersonation of his former self. It was tough not to feel sorry for him. And that’s no way for a legend to end.
Lately, there have been a lot of athletes forced to face the twilight of their careers. Jack Nicklaus played his last round at
The Masters this summer. A handful of NHLers —Mark Messier, Al Maclnnis, Scott Stevens, Ron Francis—hung up their skates rather than face the gruelling task of getting back in shape after more than a year of inactivity. Jerry Rice, 43, the all-time leader in receiving in the National Football League, said a teary goodbye to the game last month when he couldn’t earn a spot among the Denver Broncos’ top three receivers.
But there’s no shortage of others persevering, determined to get one more year, one more record, one more victory lap out of their game. Brett Hull, 41, is back with the Phoenix Coyotes. And after losing the 2002/03 season to reconstructive knee surgery, and having his face shattered by a puck IV2 years ago, 40-year-old Steve Yzerman decided to return to the Detroit Red Wings. The man who was once Detroit’s most prolific and dangerous playmaker is expected to spend the year on a checking line, shadowing the stars of opposing teams.
Their decisions weren’t much of a surprise. It’s the rare athlete that can resist the temptation of those elusive milestones— 1,000 games, 500 goals, one more championship, one last whiff of stardom. Everyone wants to “go out on top”, but few do.
Babe Ruth hit .181 in his final pro season, playing for the Boston Braves. Willie Mays got traded to the New York Mets when he was 41 and barely managed to hit .200. Guy Lafleur returned after three years of retirement for a sad comeback with the New York Rangers. And boxing history is littered with former champions humbled in their later years. Few who saw Muhammad Ali’s devastating loss at the hands of Larry Holmes will ever forget it. Now history repeats itself with Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson, and Tommy “Hitman” Hearns, returning to the ring at the age of 46. It’s hard to tell if Hearns is a suicide in progress, or merely a sideshow—like Gordie Howe, when he skated one shift for the minor league Detroit Vipers in 1997, to become the first man to play pro hockey in six different decades.
Ask psychologists why sports stars cling so desperately to the spotlight and they’ll tell you money and ego play a part. But the real motivation, they say, is a dark, cold fear that haunts almost all athletes. Lloyd Moseby, the former outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays, may have put it best in a 1996 interview with Saturday Night magazine. “Baseball was my God,” he said. “The game
made me alive. It made my brain work. It kept me up at night working things out. [After retiring] it was as if everyone in the world had died... watching those guys on TV, there’s a void so big, nothing can fill it.” Ted Butryn, a sports psychologist at San Jose State university has helped hundreds of athletes face the depression and anxiety that comes with the end of their playing days. He says most go through a sort of “symbolic death” of themselves. To reach the elite level, they must push down every other aspect of
their identity. Their sport made them rich, made them famous, made them respected, even loved. So, in the twilight of that career, almost all athletes go through the classic stages of emotional trauma: denial, anger, appeal to a higher power, depression, and finally acceptance. Those with unrealistic ambitions struggle most, Butryn says.
Jerry Rice, the greatest football receiver ever, once confided to his coach Mike Shanahan that he never wanted to see his achievements surpassed by the next generation. He spent his last three seasons scrounging for playing time with the Oakland Raiders, Seattle Seahawks and the Broncos, consumed by the idea of setting records that could never be broken. By chasing sporting immortality, he ended up looking all too human.
Increasingly, the economics of sport encourage players to hang on too long—the money is just too good to give up. Boxers keep fighting because, once they’ve established a name, they are a saleable commodity even
long after their skills have faded. That reality has spread to other sports. With the era of expansion in hockey, baseball, football and basketball, merchandising and marketing are now as important as wins and losses. Prominent, “big name” players can be valuable attractions for sub-par teams, even if they can’t produce victories. That point was clearly made when big crowds turned out to watch Michael Jordan’s woeful Washington Wizards, even though Air Jordan was a distant memory.
Some may see nothing wrong with that. If a player can get paid, why shouldn’t he play?
The answer lies in the nature of stardom, and the allure of sports: it’s about being super-human. We’re fascinated by athletes because they exceed the limits of mind and body that constrain the rest of us. It’s like magic. And to watch someone grow old on the field is like hanging around after the show and seeing how they didn’t really saw the lady in half. It ruins the wonder of what came before. When our heroes linger too long, they’re revealed as being just like the rest of us—vain, greedy, insecure and scared. And that’s the last thing we want them to be.
Clemens tempted fate coming back. If he’s wise, he’ll walk away now with an unblemished legacy and no regrets. As for Henderson, he’s bound to call it quits one of these days. In a few years, he will take his place in baseball’s Hall of Fame. His many accomplishments will be extolled and no one will mention the San Diego Surf Dawgs. But it’ll be hard to shake that memory, of a legend struggling through his last days, waiting for a call back to glory that never came. \0]
The Last Dictatorship
October 2005 By MICHAEL PETROU
THE REAL EPIDEMIC IS FEAR
October 2005 By Karin Marley, Danylo Hawaleshka
TOUGH LUCK
October 2005 By KEN MACQUEEN
SAMANTHA THE SEXPERT
October 2005 By JOHN INTINI
CTV’S GLOBAL CONQUEST
October 2005 By KATHERINE MACKLEM
IT CAN BE BITTER TO DRINK FROM THE SAME CUP
ONE FOR THE BOOKS
APR. 12th 2010 2010
THE SECRET WEAPON
APR. 12th 2010 2010 By COLBY COSH
The biology linking sex and money
APR. 21st 2008 2008 By STEVE MAICH
HOW OPEC LOST CONTROL
April 2005 By STEVE MAICH
What 'socialism for the rich’ looks like
OCT. 6th 2008 2008 By STEVE MAICH
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HomeCultureUNESCO Nominates Three New ASEAN Sites on the World Heritage List
UNESCO Nominates Three New ASEAN Sites on the World Heritage List
UNESCO, World Heritage, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Bagan
During its annual meeting in Baku , the World Heritage Committee inscribed 22 cultural sites on UNESCO’s World Heritage List until July 7. Among them are three sites located in Southeast Asia including Myanmar, Indonesia and Lao PDR. More sites could join the list until July 10, which will mark the end of the World Heritage Committee meeting.
Within Southeast Asia, the most exciting announcement was for the inscription of Bagan in Myanmar, a fabulous archeological site which has been waiting for its inscription for over 25 years.
Bagan (Myanmar) — Lying on a bend of the Ayeyarwady River in the central plain of Myanmar, Bagan is a sacred landscape, featuring an exceptional range of Buddhist art and architecture. The site’s eight components include numerous temples, stupas, monasteries and places of pilgrimage, as well as archaeological remains, frescoes and sculptures. The property bears spectacular testimony to the peak of Bagan civilization (11th–13th centuries CE), when the site was the capital of a regional empire. This ensemble of monumental architecture reflects the strength of religious devotion of an early Buddhist empire.
Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto, (Indonesia) — Built for the extraction, processing and transport of high-quality coal in an inaccessible region of West Sumatra, this industrial site was developed by the Netherlands’ colonial government from the late 19th to the beginning of the 20th century with a workforce recruited from the local population and supplemented by convict labour from Dutch-controlled areas. It comprises the mining site and company town, coal storage facilities at the port of Emmahaven and the railway network linking the mines to the coastal facilities. The Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage was built as an integrated system that enabled the efficient deep-bore extraction, processing, transport and shipment of coal.
Megalithic Jar Sites in Xiengkhouang — Plain of Jars (Lao People’s Democratic Republic) — The Plain of Jars, located on a plateau in central Laos, gets its name from more than 2,100 tubular-shaped megalithic stone jars used for funerary practices in the Iron Age. This serial site of 15 components contains large carved stone jars, stone discs, secondary burials, tombstones, quarries and funerary objects dating from 500 BCE to 500 CE. The jars and associated elements are the most prominent evidence of the Iron Age civilization that made and used them until it disappeared, around 500 CE.
ASEAN has now 40 UNESCO listed World Heritage Sites, including 3 for Cambodia, 8 for Indonesia, 3 for Lao PDR, 6 for the Philippines, 4 for Malaysia, 2 for Myanmar, 1 for Singapore, 5 for Thailand and 8 for Vietnam.
State of Emergency Declared in Bali
Kuala Terengganu Colours Its Streets to Attract More Visitors
Culinary Tourism Campaign in the Philippines Launched
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Game Preview: Women’s basketball to battle UT Martin for OVC Tournament Championship
For the fourth year in a row, the women’s basketball team will look to punch a ticket to the NCAA Tournament with another Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship.
To get there, Belmont will have to go head to head with UT Martin, a team that has risen to the occasion of challenging the Bruins’ spot at the top of the OVC.
It’s a familiar matchup for the championship.
Belmont and UT Martin faced off in the 2018 OVC Tournament championship, too. The two teams battled throughout the whole game until Belmont superstar Darby Maggard sunk a three that forced the game into overtime. The Bruins came out on top with a 63-56 final score, and a couple of weeks later, the team headed to Georgia to take on No. 5 Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
But not all of the teams’ recent meetings have gone in the Bruins’ favor.
Though Belmont beat UT Martin without too much difficulty in early February, the Skyhawks answered with a victory that broke Belmont’s 14 game winning streak when the two teams met up again on Feb. 28.
To get a win this time, the Bruins will need to show up on defense and limit UT Martin’s shooting, especially from the three-point line.
That’s not a new idea for this team, though.
“Coach always tells us that in the end it’s going to be about defense and D-glass. Every day we’ve got to keep getting better at it,” said junior Maddie Wright in Friday’s post-game press conference. “It’s doing what we do, but every day just getting a little bit better at it.”
UT Martin has had to adjust this season after star player Kendall Spray — who led the OVC in three point field goal percentage and averaged 17.8 points per game — transferred to Clemson. With Spray gone, senior Emanye Robertson has stepped up to lead the team in scoring, averaging 12.8 points per game.
Though Belmont will rely on big numbers from Maggard — who scored her 2,000th point during the semifinal — and other key players like senior Jenny Roy and junior Ellie Harmeyer, the depth of the Bruins’ bench will most likely also play in their favor.
Players like Jamilyn Kinney and Conley Chinn can be counted on to come off the bench and keep Belmont’s energy up on defense throughout the game.
“Everyone on our bench is more than capable of stepping onto that floor and making an impact for us,” head coach Bart Brooks said in Friday’s press conference. “We don’t rely on one player.”
That holds true on offense, too. Belmont’s ability to score in a variety of ways is typically a huge asset, especially in close games.
When the Bruins beat the Skyhawks earlier in the season, five players scored more than 10 points, and Roy grabbed an astounding 20 rebounds. If Belmont can deliver a stat line like that again, the team will most likely be unstoppable.
The Bruins and the Skyhawks will face off at 2 p.m. in Evansville, Indiana, with the game streaming on ESPN+.
Photos by Carina Eudy.
Women’s basketball takes down Tennessee Tech in OVC Tournament semifinal
Preview: Women’s basketball looks to win fourth straight OVC Championship title
Women’s basketball grabs third straight OVC Championship title after narrow overtime win
Men’s basketball advances to OVC Tournament final with victory over Austin Peay
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SARAI, later named SARAH
Daughter of Terah | Wife of (half-brother) Abraham | Mother of Isaac
Easton's Bible Dictionary | Smith's Bible Dictionary | International Standard Bible Encyclopedia | Thompson Chain Reference
SARAI, SARAH in scriptures [BibleGateway Search]
Wife and half-sister of Abraham: Genesis 11:29-31, 12:11-19, 20:02-5, * 20:16, 26:07
She was barren: 11:30
She tried to have a child via her handmaiden: 16
She benefited by God's plan 17:15-16, 20:6 and her husband's prayer: 20:17-18
SARAI [Easton's Bible Dictionary]
My princess, the name originally borne by Sarah (Genesis 11:31; 17:15).
SARAH [Easton's Bible Dictionary]
Princess, the wife and at the same time the half-sister of Abraham (Genesis 11:29; 20:12). This name was given to her at the time that it was announced to Abraham that she should be the mother of the promised child. Her story is from her marriage identified with that of the patriarch till the time of her death. Her death, at the age of one hundred and twenty-seven years (the only instance in Scripture where the age of a woman is recorded), was the occasion of Abraham's purchasing the cave of Machpelah as a family burying-place.
In the allegory of Galatians 4:22-31 she is the type of the "Jerusalem which is above." She is also mentioned as Sara in Hebrews 11:11 among the Old Testament worthies, who "all died in faith." (See ABRAHAM .)
SARAH [Smith's Bible Dictionary]
(princess )
1. The wife and half-sister, (Genesis 20:12) of Abraham, and mother of Isaac. Her name is first introduced in (Genesis 11:29) as Sarai. The change of her name from Sarai, my princess (i.e. Abraham's), to Sarah, princess (for all the race), was made at the same time that Abram's name was changed to Abraham, -- on the establishment of the covenant of circumcision between him and God. Sarah's history is of course that of Abraham. [ABRAHAM] She died at Hebron at the age of 127 years, 28 years before her husband and was buried by him in the cave of (B.C. 1860.) She is referred to in the New Testament as a type of conjugal obedience in (1 Peter 3:6) and as one of the types of faith in (Hebrews 11:11)
2. Sarah, the daughter of Asher. (Numbers 26:46)
SARAH [International Standard Bible Encyclopedia]
sa'-ra, sa'-ri:
(1) In Genesis 17:15 the woman who up to that time has been known as Sarai (Saray; Sara) receives by divine command the name Sarah (Sarah; Sarra). (This last form in Greek preserves the ancient doubling of the r, lost in the Hebrew and the English forms.)
The former name appears to be derived from the same root as Israel, if, indeed, Genesis 32:28 is intended as an etymology of Israel. "She that strives," a contentious person, is a name that might be given to a child at birth (compare Hosea 12:3-4, of Jacob), or later when the child's character developed; in Genesis 16:6 and Genesis 21:10 a contentious character appears. Yet comparison with the history of her husband's name (see ABRAHAM ) warns us not to operate solely upon the basis of the Hebrew language. Sarai was the name this woman brought with her from Mesopotamia. On the other hand there can be little doubt that the name Sarah, which she received when her son was promised, means "princess," for it is the feminine form of the extremely common title sar, used by the Semites to designate a ruler of greater or lesser rank. In the verse following the one where this name is conferred, it is declared of Sarah that "kings of peoples shall be of her" (Genesis 17:16).
We are introduced to Sarai in Genesis 11:29. She is here mentioned as the wife that Abraham "took," while still in Ur of the Chaldees, that is, while among his kindred. It is immediately added that "Sarai was barren; she had no child." By this simple remark in the overture of his narrative, the writer sounds the motif that is to be developed in all the sequel. When the migration to Haran occurs, Sarai is named along with Abram and Lot as accompanying Terah. It has been held that the author (or authors) of Genesis 11 knew nothing of the relationship announced in Genesis 20:12. But there can be no proof of such ignorance, even on the assumption of diversity of authorship in the two passages.
Sarai's career as described in Genesis 11 was not dependent on her being the daughter of Terah. Terah had other descendants who did not accompany him. Her movements were determined by her being Abram's wife. It appears, however, that she was a daughter of Terah by a different mother from the mother of Abram. The language of Genesis 20:12 would indeed admit of her being Abram's niece, but the fact that there was but Genesis 10 years' difference between his age and hers (Genesis 17:17) renders this hypothesis less probable. Marriage with half-sisters seems to have been not uncommon in antiquity (even in the Old Testament compare 2 Samuel 13:13).
This double relationship suggested to Abraham the expedient that he twice used when he lacked faith in God to protect his life and in cowardice sought his own safety at the price of his wife's honor. The first of these occasions was in the earlier period of their wanderings (Genesis 12). From Canaan they went down into Egypt. Sarai, though above 60 years of age according to the chronology of the sacred historian, made the impression on the Egyptians by her beauty that Abraham had anticipated, and the result was her transfer to the royal palace. But this was in direct contravention of the purpose of God for His own kingdom. The earthly majesty of Pharaoh had to bow before the divine majesty, which plagued him and secured the stranger's exodus, thus foreshadowing those later plagues and that later exodus when Abraham's and Sarah's seed "spoiled the Egyptians."
We meet Sarah next in the narrative of the birth of Ishmael and of Isaac. Though 14 years separated the two births, they are closely associated in the story because of their logical continuity. Sarah's barrenness persisted. She was now far past middle life, even on a patriarchal scale of longevity, and there appeared no hope of her ever bearing that child who should inherit the promise of God. She therefore adopts the expedient of being "builded by" her personal slave, Hagar the Egyptian (see Genesis 16:2 margin). That is, according to contemporary law and custom as witnessed by the Code of Hammurabi (see ABRAHAM , iv, 2), a son born of this woman would be the freeborn son and heir of Abraham and Sarah.
Such was in fact the position of Ishmael later. But the insolence of the maid aroused the vindictive jealousy of the mistress and led to a painful scene of unjustified expulsion. Hagar, however, returned at God's behest, humbled herself before Sarah, and bore Ishmael in his own father's house. Here he remained the sole and rightful heir, until the miracle of Isaac's birth disappointed all human expectations and resulted in the ultimate expulsion of Hagar and her son.
The change of name from Sarai to Sarah when Isaac was promised has already been noted. Sarah's laughter of incredulity when she hears the promise is of course associated with the origin of the name of Isaac, but it serves also to emphasize the miraculous character of his birth, coming as it does after his parents are both so "well stricken in age" as to make parenthood seem an absurdity.
Before the birth of this child of promise, however, Sarah is again exposed, through the cowardice of her husband, to dishonor and ruin. Abimelech, king of Gerar, desiring to be allied by marriage with a man of Abraham's power, sends for Sarah, whom he knows only as Abraham's sister, and for the second time she takes her place in the harem of a prince. But the divine promise is not to be thwarted, even by persistent human weakness and sin. In a dream God reveals to Abimelech the true state of the case, and Sarah is restored to her husband with an indemnity. Thereupon the long-delayed son is born, the jealous mother secures the expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael, and her career comes to a close at the age of 127, at Hebroni long time her home. The grief and devotion of Abraham are broadly displayed in Genesis 23, in which he seeks and obtains a burying-place for his wife. She is thus the first to be interred in that cave of the field of Machpelah, which was to be the common resting-place of the fathers and mothers of the future Israel.
The character of Sarah is of mingled light and shade. On the one hand we have seen that lapse from faith which resulted in the birth of Ishmael, and that lack of self-control and charity which resulted in a quarrel with Abraham, an act of injustice to Hagar, and the disinheriting of Ishmael. Yet on the other hand we see in Sarah, as the New Testament writers point out (Hebrews 11:11; 1 Peter 3:6), one who through a long life of companionship with Abraham shared his hope in God, his faith in the promises, and his power to become God's agent for achieving what was humanly impossible. In fact, to Sarah is ascribed a sort of spiritual maternity, correlative with Abraham's position as "father of the faithful"; for all women are declared to be the (spiritual) daughters of Sarah, who like her are adorned in "the hidden man of the heart," and who are "doers of good" and "fearers of no terror" (1 Peter loc. cit., literally rendered). That in spite of her outbreak about Hagar and Ishmael she was in general "in subjection to her husband" and of "a meek and quiet spirit," appears from her husband's genuine grief at her decease, and still more clearly from her son's prolonged mourning for her (Genesis 24:67; compare Genesis 17:17 and Genesis 23:1 with Genesis 25:20). And He who maketh even the wrath of man to praise Him used even Sarah's jealous anger to accomplish His purpose that "the son of the freewoman," Isaac, "born through promise," should alone inherit that promise (Galatians 4:22-31).
Apart from the three New Testament passages already cited, Sarah is alluded to only in Isaiah 51:2 ("Sarah that bare you," as the mother of the nation), in Romans 4:19 ("the deadness of Sarah's womb"), and in Romans 9:9, where God's promise in Genesis 18:10 is quoted. Yet her existence and her history are of course presupposed wherever allusion is made to the stories of Abraham and of Isaac.
To many modern critics Sarah supplies, by her name, a welcome argument in support of the mythical view of Abraham. She has been held to be the local numen to whom the cave near Hebron was sacred; or the deity whose consort was worshipped in Arabia under the title Dusares, i.e. Husband-of-Sarah; or, the female associate of Sin the moon-god, worshipped at Haran. On these views the student will do well to consult Baethgen, Beitrage, 94, 157, and, for the most recent point of view, Gressmann's article, "Sage und Geschichte in den Patriarchenerzahlungen," ZATW, 1910, and Eerdmans, Alttestamentliche Studien, II, 13.
(2) The daughter of Raguel, and wife of Tobias (Tobit 3:7,17, etc.).
See TOBIT, BOOK OF , BOOK OF ABRAHAM .
J. Oscar Boyd
SARAH [Thompson Chain Reference]
* (or Sarai, wife of Abraham)
* Genesis 11:29
* Genesis 16:5
* Romans 9:9
* Hebrews 11:11
* 1 Peter 3:6
* "The Mother of Nations"
o Genesis 17:15
* Beautiful
* Impatient of divine delays, attempts to anticipate the plans of providence, Compare Genesis 15:4 with Genesis 16:2
o Genesis 15:4
* Brings family trouble upon herself
* Again disbelieves God's promise
o Genesis 18:12-15
* The ruling personality in the home
* In spite of her infirmities honoured of God
* Mentioned in the roll of Bible worthies
o Hebrews 11:11
* SEE Notable Women
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Midnight Runners
Midnight Runners (Korean: 청년경찰; Hanja: 靑年警察; RR: Cheongnyeon gyeongchal; lit. Young Cop) is a 2017 South Korean action comedy film directed by Jason Kim
Dexys Midnight Runners (currently officially Dexys, their former nickname, styled without an apostrophe) are an English pop band with soul influences,
Come On Eileen
"Come On Eileen" is a song by English group Dexys Midnight Runners (credited to Dexys Midnight Runners and the Emerald Express), released in the United
Midnight Runner
Midnight Runner is a novel by Jack Higgins published in 2002. It is his tenth Sean Dillon novel. "MIDNIGHT RUNNER (Book)." Kirkus Reviews 70.2 (15 Jan
Too-Rye-Ay
Too-Rye-Ay is the second album by Dexys Midnight Runners, released in July 1982. The album is best known for the hit single "Come On Eileen", which included
with Secretary Kim (2018), and the film Chronicles of Evil (2015) Midnight Runners (2017). Park began his mandatory military service in 2008, when he
The Divine Fury
sleeper hit Midnight Runners. 박서준의 '사자', 7월 개봉 확정…강렬한 기운 담긴 포스터 공개[공식]. entertain.naver.com (in Korean). Retrieved 21 April 2019. "MIDNIGHT RUNNERS Duo Step
Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
Young Soul Rebels is the debut studio album by English pop group Dexys Midnight Runners, released on 11 July 1980, through EMI Records. Led by Kevin Rowland
Lars Frederiksen
Old Firm Casuals. In addition, he currently plays guitar in Oxley's Midnight Runners, Stomper 98, and The Last Resort. He was also briefly a member of the
singer-songwriter of Irish descent and frontman for the pop band Dexys Midnight Runners (currently called Dexys), which had several hits in the early 1980s
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Anarchist People of Color Conference Summary (english)
by anarchist 11 Oct 2003
Modified: 14 Oct 2003
Between 130-150 people of color came together October 3-5, 2003, at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, USA, for the first Anarchist People of Color conference. The event was empowering, enriching and liberating for so many of us waiting for an event like this.
Anarchist People of Color Conference Summary
Building A Nation: Anarchist People of Color Conference 2003 in Detroit
By Ernesto Aguilar
Broadly defined, an anarchist person of color is an individual from a cultural or racial minority group within a national territory who identifies as an anti-authoritarian or anarchist. Martin Sostre is one of the best-known people of color in contemporary history to articulate anarchist politics, as was Kuwasi Balagoon. Aside from these, major anti-authoritarian figures of color have been scarce.
Today, our movement is unique and decentralized. It is hard to estimate how many people call themselves anarchist people of color. Defining our politics and goals has been equally difficult. Some of us come to radical politics from deeply cultural backgrounds. Others were politicized in white-led subcultures and movements and are embracing their ethnic identities. There were many political tendencies represented.
When this conference was proposed last year, there were doubts such an event would draw as many as we did. After all, with the exception of the Anarchist People of Color email list and two or three collectives, the presence of people of color within the anarchist movement is hard to quantify. The event was the first of its kind in North America and, possibly, the world. At no time in contemporary history had a people of color conference come together organized around the idea of anarchism as a movement and a means of unity. The impact on each person cannot be underestimated.
The event opened October 3 with positive vibes and enthusiasm. We welcomed attendees from, among other areas, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philly, DC, Portland, many Texas cities, Kansas City, Phoenix, Baltimore, North Carolina, Kansas, Brazil, Mexico and Canada. We registered about 75 people in the course of two hours of the conference opening. Racially, our attendees seemed to come from many backgrounds. People of African descent seemed to be most largely represented, followed by Arabs, South Asians, people indigenous to North America (Native Americans as well as Mexicanos, Puerto Ricans, Central Americans, et al.) and people whose backgrounds crossed all areas of the Asian Diaspora. Typically, anarchist conferences are predominantly middle class folks who are part of a punk subculture. Here, we had our share of punks, but also a majority of regular folks and others.
A conscious and, in some circles, controversial, decision was made early to solely allow attendance of people of color, and ask whites to not attend. The reasons for doing this -- including the futility of holding a people of color conference that whites could potentially dominate in attendance and change the course of, even if unintentionally -- seemed obvious. Ultimately, it turned out to be the right call. Many people said they finally felt free to express their thoughts and share experiences with other people of color, and not worry about being isolated for them. The nature of dialogues seemed to change considerably.
Workshops began on Saturday. The morning plenary session allowed attendees the chance to introduce themselves and talk about their work. Virtually all the pre-registrants noted they were interested in connecting with others, and our wonderful Detroit hosts ensured that time was there for informal discussions.
Conference attendees were relied on as our volunteers. Prior to the discussion, some in the conference organizing had decided white allies would help with conference tasks. However, it was later decided to ask attendees to volunteer instead. The message of whites patrolling an area of people of color, as well, was a little surreal. To be fair, many white allies came out in support of the conference. However, in this case, we wanted to depend on ourselves for basics like registration and security, and did. Ultimately, this sent a strong message and people gravitated to fill conference needs.
Threats of violence aimed at conference attendees (issued in places like the racist Stormfront message board) never happened, thankfully.
Many attendees said the women�s-only workshop was really an empowering experience, where women had the opportunity to open up about various issues specifically pertaining to women of color. In fact, an extra session and two listserves came out of the original workshop.
Gabriel from San Antonio reportedly did a great presentation on the issue of fighting police on the attack against youth cruising. It was a little challenging because the cruising phenomenon is somewhat removed from the punk subculture. Getting people to understand the importance of police repression in this way opened up broader discussions of class.
In the halls, there was occasional discussion of conflicts that prompted Lorenzo Komboa Ervin to withdraw from the conference. However, the event itself was free of drama. Most of the expressions were of regret over the bickering before the event, and relief that these things had not broken the spirit of the conference.
The basis of the conflict was two proposals, the APOC Network proposal and the APOC United Front proposal, and how they were to be heard. Network authors, who said most conference pre-registrants had not expressed an interest in building an APOC group, requested their proposal be discussed in a workshop running concurrent with others, so those not interested in group-building could join other workshops. United Front authors argued that discussing a proposal anyplace else but a plenary was undemocratic. United Front advocates also called for a vote on all proposals, whereas the Network authors said they intended their discussion to be a dialogue and not necessarily a vote.
The ensuing debate prompted four BANCO members to issue a statement, �Stop Character Assassination and Sectarianism in the APOC Movement.� The statement condemned the Network proposal and its authors, along with various parties assisting with the conference. On October 3, Komboa emailed to say he would not attend the APOC conference due to the recent conflicts.
Ironically, no proposal was even heard at all. The Network proposal workshop was later changed to a �Building an APOC Movement� by its authors, who later cited the need to build upon dialogues over the weekend, rather than found a group out of the conference.
On Saturday night, we filled Harmonie Garden Middle Eastern restaurant. APOCs were standing and eating because the spot had no chairs left. One cat said he had never had dinner with South Asian anarchists, but just broke bread with six at the same table. A woman later said she had never known other Arabs were anarchists, but met four in the hall. On the message board notes scribbled down on butcher paper called out things like 'Desis meet at 7,' 'Latinos meet here later' and 'help me start an APOC group.' Intense sessions on Palestine and race theory, along with deep discussions on how a group should work, were important, but the real thing coming out of discussions was the realization that we were not alone. That may not sound political to some, but the feeling is indescribable when you are a person of color in a room and everyone feels what you feel on some level.
We have all been that lone person of color at a conference, feeling isolated. We have all been angered by careless remarks, exclusionary theory and practice, and disrespect of our history as a people's history. The reality of needing something for us has always been there, but October 3-5, 2003 made it live.
Workshops on Sunday got a late start, but we caught up. Word was the Critical Race Theory workshop got heated, but that attendees made great points. People loved Greg Lewis' karate workshops.
What really came out of the conference in Detroit? For the first time, this movement shined beyond the names and faces people know, and showed our strength and unity. Youth stepped up and took center stage as organizers and speakers. Veterans imparted their knowledge, but did not dominate proceedings. We got to talk about the issues affecting our communities, and how we can make our work more reflective of the anarchist ideal.
A common thread in terms of vision seemed to be the idea that the label we called ourselves was far less important than the theory and practice that were part of our struggles. During many workshops, attendees stressed that more emphasis in the white-led anarchist movement was on capital-A anarchism rather than developing projects that exemplified the ideals we talk about. People expressed wanting to see work that went beyond activism, but that served needs and worked with the community where it was at.
A theme that seemed to come up in Sunday workshops and indeed all weekend bears repeating. One issue overlooked by many movements is knowing your history. This goes beyond academic history, but about the history of one's own city and the role people of color played in building it. This too is political, and must be addressed.
Out of the �Building an APOC Movement� workshop, networks were established to facilitate regional conferences. Portland organizers, in particular, said they wanted to hold a regional APOC gathering in the Northwestern U.S. There was unanimous agreement that this conference would happen again in 2004. In all, 2003�s APOC conference was a productive and powerful event.
From the Anarchist People of Color website: http://www.illegalvoices.org/apoc/
http://www.illegalvoices.org/apoc/
Exclusion equals bias (english)
by Goju
(No verified email address) 14 Oct 2003
Fortunately the FBI has plenty of **agents of color** to keep tabs at these anti white people rallys.
They Don't Call 'Em Boneheads For Nothing... (english)
by anarchist
Hey moron, it was a conference NOT a rally. Kinda hard to miss that one, considering it was in the title of the post.
There certainly was not any anti-white sentiment among the participants, although there is obviously a strong anti-bonehead sentiment through the anarchist movement.
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Restore Hereford Manor Lake
In an effort to restore valuable natural habitats and a dynamic community resource, the Wildlife For Everyone Endowment Foundation has partnered with the Beaver County Sportsmen’s Conservation League and Restore Hereford Manor Lake who works in collaboration with the Governor of Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, to facilitate the quick repair of the Hereford Manor Lake Dam. Located less than 30 miles from downtown Pittsburgh in Franklin Township, the lake and its surrounding property encompass 428 acres critical to the community ecosystem and once valuable for fishing, boating, hunting, hiking, biking and other recreational activities.
Thousands of citizens utilized Hereford Manor Lake for recreational purposes each year. In fact, it was the most fished trout lake in Pennsylvania. However, in 2011 the lake was drained when the more-than-50-year-old Hereford Manor Lake dam was classified as a high-hazard, unsafe dam. Now, the site is off-limits and sits as a dried grass basin and the lake’s disappearance has strained the local economy.
Wildlife For Everyone has set up a special fund that provides an avenue for tax-deductible contributions to restore the dam and lake, recognizing the importance of Hereford Manor Lake as a community resource and wildlife habitat. Hereford Manor Lake provides vital wildlife habitat for waterfowl and aquatic creatures. It also serves as an outlet for outdoors activities for all generations.
To raise contributions and funding commitments from local partners.
To raise awareness of the economic impact of the dam on the local community.
To raise awareness of the recreational activities Hereford Manor Lake provides to the local community.
For more information on the project, visit: http://www.restoreherefordmanorlake.org/.
To donate, please visit www.wildlifeforeveryone.org or send payment to:
Wildlife For Everyone Endowment Foundation
341 Science Park Road
A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the Wildlife For Everyone Endowment Foundation celebrates the rich heritage of Pennsylvania wildlife, habitat, sportsmen and sportswomen. The foundation as formed to provide all wildlife enthusiasts with a way to show their commitment through much-needed financial support. Since its inception, the foundation has raised more than $2 million for projects benefiting all 480 species of wildlife and their habitat in Pennsylvania.
The Beaver County Sportsmen’s Conservation League and Youth Foundation promote and foster the protection and conservation of renewable wildlife resources through hunting and fishing together with all pertinent natural resources and work to promote the advancement of hunting, fishing and competitive shooting sports.
* photos are from prior to the lake’s draining and are courtesy of the PA Fish & Boat Commission.
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FinchSight Research
M&A Branding
Internal Activation
External Activation
Recode your Future - Dan Rhoton, Executive Director - Hopeworks
Dan Rhoton, Executive Director of Hopeworks joins us today on Real-World Branding. With two decades of experience helping youth and adults achieve their dreams, Dan's career path is not one to miss.
With a focus on education, technology, and entrepreneurship, Hopeworks provides a positive, healing atmosphere that propels young people to build strong futures and break the cycle of violence and poverty in Camden, New Jersey.
Hopeworks connects youth to life-changing opportunities where their growing technology skills go to work for enterprising businesses within our community. The real-world, on-the-job experience they gain raises their potential and benefits our partners.
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Bill Gullan: Greetings one and all. This is Real-World Branding. I'm Bill Gullan, President of Finch Brands a boutique brand consultancy, and we have Dan Rhoton today, the Executive Director of Hopeworks, known in other areas as Hopeworks in Camden, which is really where their greatest impact has been, and where they began. An amazing person, who represents a tremendously inspiring organization. Hopeworks provides educational and support services for youth who have had some of the most significant challenges that one could imagine. Not only has Hopeworks helped them heal from traumas, but help them develop skills that enable their lives to transform, and for them to secure employment, as well as all along the way to provide technology services to businesses around the region and beyond. It's an amazing model and Dan is an amazing leader who will tell you all about it. Enjoy Dan Rhoton.
Bill: Joining us at Fitch Brands headquarters is Dan Rhoton, who is the Executive Director of Hopeworks. It is such an honor to be connect with you and your organization and for you to join us today.
Dan Rhoton: It's a pleasure to be here. We're just so excited to be here.
Bill: Great. Great. We'll definitely get into Hopeworks. We'll get into some of the brand conversations and evolutions that have been made over the last little while, but your journey's a fascinating one. I would love to hear about some of the milestones and what were the things that kind of drove you on this path to where you are at this point.
Dan: Sure. I think really, my journey, there's three parts. The first part is at the beginning of my journey. I'd just finished getting a teaching degree. I was going to be a teacher. I was student teaching at this fancy, elite school. Great kids. Doing really smart stuff and then I was doing some volunteer work with a probation officer with some young people who were incarcerated. I went to the elite ... I was trying to figure out what job offer to take. Frankly, my mother had a clear thing about whether I should work at the fancy, prestigious private school or in the jail. Private school was her option, right?
Bill: Yes.
Dan: I went to that graduation for the fancy school and it was great. Kids were going to Harvard and Yale. Very smart kids. Then I went to the graduation at the detention facility. The parents were excited. They were screaming. They had balloons. They thought that their kid might not be alive and this kid was graduating.
Bill: What a moment.
Dan: Yeah. I was like, "Wow. The pay's not quite the same, procedure's a little different, but this is where I'm going to spend my time. I started there. Really, I think, once I was there I was there for about 15 years. I was a teacher there. I was a vice principal there. The key lesson I learned there, so working there, I worked with kids. I always joked. They had to work pretty hard to get to me. In some ways, we were the most selective school in the region. You didn't get there just for good grades. You had to steal not just one car, but sometimes two or three. You had to shoot somebody.
Bill: That's impressive. Show some energy level.
Dan: Yeah. Actually, joking aside, that was it. The one thing. These guys were rough and they had done bad stuff. There's no taking away from that, but the other thing is they had not been satisfied with the status quo. If they were sitting in a classroom and weren't learning anything, they walked out. If they wanted to change their life, and wanted to earn some money, they went out to the corner and earned money. Now, it wasn't the right thing. It wasn't the right direction, but if they were in a different neighborhood they'd be Mark Zuckerberg.
Bill: Revealed some characteristics.
Dan: Bingo. Right. Nobody was sitting in their basement playing Fortnite. They were doing something. That's really how I ended up at Hopeworks. Once you're around that kind of energy, young people who've got fire, who've got drive, who are taking care of their families, who are ready to do something with the world, and just need some help to put it in the right direction. Man, it's hard to work an ordinary job once you've been there. That's really how I ended up at Hopeworks. From there, taking young people that have been through very similar experiences, kind of my expertise, working in that environment, and bringing it to Camden to help those young people just blow it up and do a great job.
Bill: Yeah, but you were a classroom guy and an administrator for a decent chunk of time, 15 years or so.
Dan: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. A long time.
Bill: You wind up at Hopeworks in 2012. The transition from the day in/day out teaching, I mean there is some structure, you're trying to enforce it and make sure that the structure holds into the wild and wooly side of non-profits where you have, which will get into, a complex web of stakeholders and those you serve, how was the transition and how did it feel for you to make that jump?
Dan: Actually in a lot of ways, and this might be funny talking at a branding agency, it's the same job. You know what the job is? It's sales.
Bill: Yeah, right. Right.
Dan: When I'm teaching young people who have been dealing drugs and stealing cars, I'm selling. I'm selling a lifestyle. I'm selling them on the fact that what you've done up to this point has been energy intensive, but the lifestyle I'm offering is going to be better. Let me tell you why. Let me show you how to get there. Let me close that deal with you.
Dan: In the wild and wooly world of non-profit, in a way, what I'm selling is not a product, although Hopeworks sells products and services. It's not necessarily a service, although we do web design and GIS, but what I'm selling at the end of the day to our donors and supporters is the chance to go from being someone of success, someone whose earned money, someone whose business is important to be someone of significance in someone else's life. That's what Hopeworks can offer. We can take your success, your experience, your knowledge, that to this point has economically been very awesome, and transform that into a way to be significant for others. That's the opportunity that I'm selling to folks and it's pretty exciting to do it.
Bill: Sure. Well, you've done it. One of the things we were most impressed early in the way that we kind of came to know you is the board is really engaged. It's a group of people who are not just writing checks because they feel good about writing checks or for whatever reason, but level engagement is really high. How did you ... you got to Hopeworks in 2012 as Chief Impact Director. The executive director role, second ever in the life of this organization, is from 2015 to the present, talk about the transition for you into that executive director position, but also the folks that you brought along with you to serve on this board or to help support this organization, what are the success markers along that way?
Dan: Well, I'll tell you really why sometimes I hesitate to take credit for how engaged our board is or how awesome our staff is because really my job, and I'm stealing this story from someone, but my job really at the end of the day is if you're standing on a beach, and you see someone out there drowning, and you look over to your right, and there's somebody with a boat, they're going to help you. My job, really at the end of the day, is to just make sure that people that have the boats of this world, turn and see the people that are drowning. If I do that well, from then on, it's just a matter of getting out of the way. Really that's why our board is so engaged. Right, because they see the need. They see the transforming of impact they had, then my job is just not slowing them down. That's really why it's kind of easy to have an awesome board. It's easy to have an awesome team. If I do my job of letting them see the person who needs help, and what they have, and what they know can help, then no one's on the board for a resume because you see the purpose. That's really my job.
Bill: Well, I can see just having some relationship with several of the board members and others how eager they are to share on social media, and advocate, and be ambassadors for this organization in a way that at least strikes me as well beyond the way that other non-profit folks may be engaged either in a donor level or even at a governance level when you sort of sit there, and you maybe write a check, and attend some meetings. It's really powerful. Tell us about, educate our listeners on the Hopeworks model. There's such power and strength in just what you do. Give us the scope of that.
Dan: Yeah. At the end of the day, what we do is we help young people who have struggled. Young people who are homeless, trafficked, coming out of justice system, stuck, not knowing what to do. We help them transform their lives and get where they want to go. How we do it? Three things. We train them. We train them in technology, web development, GIS, digital mapping, relational databases, but more importantly than that, we train and teach them in how to heal from what's happened to them. We call it "Trauma Informed Care," but at the end of the day, it's helping our young people understand that bad things have happened to them, but just because bad things have happened in the past, it doesn't mean bad things are going to happen in the future. We help them learn the technical skills, but we help them learn the professional skills, and emotional management skills to be successful. We train them. Then we employ them.
Dan: Hopeworks has several business lines. We build websites and provide web services to companies all over the region. We do GIS, digital mapping, and data editing for large enterprises and public utilities. Then we train schools and other non-profits in how to work with young people like the young people we work with. Young people with large trauma histories. When I say we, of course, I don't mean me. Our young people do. Led by business directors with years of experience in industry, our young people deliver websites. They build mapping applications. They deliver trainings. Not only do they provide services to the community, but when those companies pay us, we pay our young people, and give them real professional experience working with real clients. From there, it's tough not to get them hired. They're well trained. They have technical skills. They have client experience. They have a portfolio of work and then they move on to industry. Our young people work at Cooper Hospital, Comcast, at American Water, New Jersey American Water, companies all over the region.
Bill: So they, simultaneously derive skills to cope with the trauma that they've endured, skills to handle a life moving forward, as well as skills that make them marketable, and they make things. The team has smartly chosen high growth or at least high demand industries around technology, so this isn't a manufacturing, sort of old school set of skills that they developed. Becomes really marketable. What is the wingspan of the organization, and relate who qualifies, and how you source them, and how they move through, what that path is like until at some point, I suppose, they're self-sufficient professionally and personally and then they exit.
Dan: The first thing is that our entry requirements are that you go on a tour and you decide you want to do it. That's important to us. One way for an organization to be successful is front end filtering. It's what Harvard does. They have great results, but one reason is they only let people who are pretty accomplished in. There are folks who do that and that's great. That's not our space. We meet our young people where they are. Then, once they come in, they start training with us. Some young people are pretty ready. They go through fast. Most aren't. What we do is, rather than say you have to finish in 6 weeks, 12 weeks, or 8 weeks, we work with them until they're ready. The analogy is, if I go to the gym and I want to do a hundred push-ups, but I can only do 8. I'll tell you what is not going to work, is either saying it's okay for me just to do 10. No clients going to do that. You've got to be able to do the work, but it's also not okay for me to kick me out and say come back when you can do a hundred. The way to get good at doing push-ups is doing more push-ups.
Dan: That's what we do with our young people. We work with them until they're ready. Once they're ready, we move them on into industry, working for us, giving them that extra skill portfolio and polish, and then at the end of their internship with us, usually it's about 6 or 8 months, then we're moving on to industry where our youth cannot only deliver great product for clients, but more importantly deliver a different life for their families.
Bill: So this began anchored in Camden. Could you give a sense of the orders of magnitude approximately how many folks have come through the program, what are some of the high level statistics that track all that Hopeworks has accomplished?
Dan: Yeah. I would say over the last 17/18 years, we've probably worked with over 3000 young people. I would say that's not the most important number. If you wanted to increase that number bigger, I would just open the front door. I would open the back door. I would give everybody $10 to walk through. The more important number is, for over the last 12 months, 87 percent of our young people who start an internship finish that internship and move on to not just a job, but a job that pays $35,000 a year or more, or if they're going to school, the hourly equivalent of that. It's important to us because it's not just a job, it's a job that's going to allow them to transform their lives. Of those young people that start the job, over the last, again over the last 12 months, 94 percent of those young people are still employed 12 months later at that same job, and 87 percent of those young people are still employed at the job 24 months later. That's what it is at the end of the day. The best thing is, of those alumni, we now have Hopeworks alumni hiring Hopeworks interns for their own companies. That means your doing it right.
Bill: Well the ripple of all that goes far.
Dan: If we're successful, the only reason a child of one of our youths should come to Hopeworks, is to make a donation. That means we're doing it right.
Bill: No question. Camden is where this all began and much of the life cycle has been ... thoughts about expansion, geographies of the services, what's sort of on the plate moving forward in terms of what you could share?
Dan: No. I'll tell you the question we have to answer. Right now, we have young people from Camden. We have young people come from Philly. We've had some folks come from Covenant House in Atlantic City because they see opportunity and it's kind of like how we started the interview. Young people have the fire. They're going to get it if you can help them. The question we have to answer now is our mission isn't, and has never been, to have buildings in every city or to be named as a regional or national organization, our mission is to transform lives. So, when we think about how we grow, and how we're invited to grow, the question is, it sounds cold but it's a matter of efficiency, how can we transform the most lives for the fewest resources because when a donor, or a grantor, or even a customer gives us dollars or gives us resources, they're not giving it to us. They're giving it to us as stewards for our young people. Every dollar we get, we have to think about that. As we go forward, what we're really working on is, which parts of our model are most efficient, most scalable, and can transform the most lives. We're going to scale those and really grow those.
Bill: Sure. We really got to know the organization as you approached a branding endeavor in the last 9 months or so, what led you to a point where you thought this might be an area that needed some focus, and then what were some of the major milestones in that process? Reflect a little bit on what the end result has been. The new website looks amazing, tag line, other things, talk about the role of the brand and how this has all transpired.
Dan: It's easy to talk about the stuff that you know happens and you guys know well. You know our website traffic is up. We're able to bid on larger contracts because we appear more professional and appear more capable. Folks are more excited to work with us. All those things are true. For me, none of those make the rebrand worth it though because the real benefit for us was something that a young man T.J. said to us shortly after. He walked into our space where we had rebranded the space. He had looked at our website, which was rebranded. He looked at our materials, the work we were doing for clients. Shortly after that, he went and did a mock interview at a main Philly tech company, lots of folks. He walked out of there. We checked in, how'd it go? How'd you do? What was your impression? What he said was the most important thing about this rebrand, he said, "I think I did great. I think I interviewed well, but you know what was really different Dan?" I said, "what, what." He's like, "They didn't seem like that bid a deal." That's it right.
Dan: Because we've taken the time to demonstrate to our young people that they are a worthy investment. They deserve to work in a professional space with professional branding. They deserve the same level of corporate quality and synergy that these see all around them, and then maybe, just maybe, they belong in that space. Maybe, just maybe, they belong in a skyscraper somewhere, not necessarily in the basement of a church or something like that. That's a powerful message. I would say the last thing, for us, the branding for our clients was amazing, for our donors was amazing, for our grantors was amazing. Everyone noticed, but I'll tell you who really noticed. Our young people realized that they're worth the investment.
Bill: Right. That's really powerful stuff and I think that we always from the beginning thought that this was, you know, sometimes some projects are about thinking of something new or shedding some baggage of the past. In this case, it really was about bringing the presentation up to the level of the services that are delivered and the value of the folks who deliver them and receive them. Just digging in to some of the elements of the brand here, the logo, the color scheme, the tag line, "Recode your future" is the tag line, talk a little bit about why that resonates with you, and why it sort of fits what you're doing, and is the right kind of banner for all of us to kind of march underneath.
Dan: I think, for me, what it means to me, is for our young people, when you look at them, when you look at their histories, when you look at where they're coming from, or what has happened to them, you imagine you know what's going to happen next. Our young people have a path laid out to them. It probably involves police. It probably involves poverty. It probably involves public benefits. What Hopeworks, we're keeping our promise to our young people. If we keep that promise, what we're doing is we're allowing them to recode that future. We're allowing them to write a new algorithm for how this is going to end. That's our promise to our young people. That's what we say is going to happen. It's really awesome for a young person. The first thing that they see about Hopeworks is we're going to recode your future. It's not going to be what other folks have told you it has to be. That's why it means a lot to me.
Bill: Yeah. Definitely. Recode is a word that anchors us a little bit and taking away it reflects the services, the instruction that's received, and what we deliver to our businesses. I remember during the logo development process, it may have been a board member, and he may have been the only person in the world who saw an early version of the logo, there's some interlocking o's there in the way of talking about cycles. There was a concern, we don't want these to look like handcuffs. There was one guy who thought they looked like handcuffs so there's a level of sensitivity that needs to be brought into a process like this, and obviously that wasn't the intent, but talk a little bit about colors, and logo form, and just how that fits into the overall story.
Dan: I think when you look at the colors and the logo form, again I'm no expert in any of those things, but I think, what I see, and what I hope our staff and young people see is, there is a hyperlink that's part of the log that brings us back to our tech groups, but more than that is connection. Is that link that if it was on the world wide web it was to resources and knowledge, but hopefully if we're doing our job at Hopeworks, there's that link to warmth. There's that link to the professionalism. There's that link to a future, which is that the thing that our log and I think more importantly the colors really bring to life. It's that balance of warmth and genuineness, professionalism, and future. That's what I really see when I look at those colors and logos.
Bill: Nice. So, you've talked about some of the impact of this. It isn't in a vacuum. It's occurring amidst so many long, rewarding days and success often measured in smiles and light bulb moments as opposed to some of the other wonderful statistics that you cited. It seems like it's part of an overall just progression for this organization into broadening its focus, and increasing its impact, and all of those different things that you've been leading.
Dan: Yeah.
Bill: No.
Dan: Absolutely.
Bill: It was a statement question. To the degree that you can share, I know you're always working on things, what are some of the ... everyone's going to be watching this organization because it's so cool, and the impact is so great, what next? What are some other major priorities that are kind of on your plate as you think about taking advantage of the branding thing, the advantage of the impact, and progressive.
Dan: I think our next challenge, and what we're really eagerly pursuing is growing our business offerings. We're happy to grow our donations. We're happy to grow our philanthropic review, but we love when folks give us a donation, give us money, but we'd rather earn it. The reason why we'd rather earn our money is because then we get the review and we can also employ young people. As we look at companies, large enterprises that have web work or have data editing needs, or mapping needs, or we even have several young people now who are licensed drone pilots, who are creating 3D models of neighborhoods for community development corporations. If there's companies out there that have that kind of work, don't give it to us, and please don't give us a donation, but give us a shot to bid on it. We'll win it. When we win it, not only will that company get some great results with better accuracy than anyone else, they'll also get a chance to know that they've changed lives. By doing business, they're also going to do good. At the end of the day, that's where we're really trying to grow.
Bill: Yeah, but you think there's a tremendous opportunity for organizations that have varied technology needs, some of which are heavy lifts for high priced development team, others of which are perfect. A lot of this is applicable and there's a lot of opportunity out there. As you reflect on what you've helped to build, the impact that you've had, as well as some of the twists and turns along the way for you, as you made your own transition in your career, as you thought through your own options, are there, for those who have been inspired by that path, are there words of wisdom that you would want to share with folks who are maybe going through some soul searching of their own or thinking about as they start out how to become something of the sort that you've become?
Dan: Well, I would say, I'm not sure about becoming what I've become, I'm sure that lots of folks who know me well might say that might not be a goal, but I will say this, if you want to help, and if you want to change people's lives really the first thing to do is spend time with them. Come to Hopeworks. Spend time with our young people. Come to Camden and spend time with them. It's hard to help someone change their life, and get where they're going if you don't know where they've been, and you don't where they're headed. One of the analogies I use is that a Ferrari is an incredible car. It's fast. It's red. It's beautiful, but if you don't know where to put the keys, you end up pushing it, and then it's slow, and horrible, and a pain. Just taking a few minutes to listen and learn about what a young person needs, what they already know, and where they're going allows you to go from pushing that car up a heavy hill and not going anywhere to having the young person get in the car with you, turning the ignition key, and doing amazing things.
Bill: Yeah. You're off. It reminds me of something that's very easy to forget in today's busy life, which is in philanthropy and the act of giving, often the most profound impact is on the giver. To your point, the ability to immerse yourself, and spend time kind of unlocks so many different things it would seem both for those who need it, and those who have it.
Dan: Although, I'll disagree with you on one thing because there's one thing, the giver does amazing things, but I'll tell you one thing that folks who make a donation don't know that I get to see every day, and often someone will come to me and say, "I can only give $10, $100, a million dollars." All those are fine, but a million's nice, but there was one of our young people Brianna, who taught me a really important lesson about this. We were sitting in huddle every day. We start the day in the huddle in a big circle, and we announce that some corporation or foundation had given us a grant. Everybody clapped, almost everybody. You know who didn't, Brianna. Not only did she not clap, she was making this ugly looking face. She had her face all scrunched up. I meant to ask her, but then she had to run out to class.
Dan: She goes out to class. I'm kind of waiting for her the rest of the day. I'm like, "I've never seen that before. Normally, money's a pretty good thing." She comes back from class. She says, "Dan, can I talk to you?" I'm like, "You bet. I'd like to talk to you." She's like, "Me first." Got it. She says, "Listen, you know I've been struggling in math. I've really been having trouble." I'm like, "Yes, I know." "You know how everyone at Hopeworks has been telling me to ask my professor." I'm like, "Yeah, we know. We also know you haven't done it." She's like, "Well, I asked my professor for help today, and he was super helpful. He tutored me. He stayed after. It was awesome. I was kind of happy, but then if I'm honest with you, I was also a little like, that's awesome. I'm very excited." "I've got to ask you, we've been telling you to do this for two months, what changed?"
Dan: This is the part I wish every person who thinks their volunteer time or their donation isn't enough or doesn't mean anything, to hear what she said next. She said, "When you told me at huddle that someone who had never met us gave us their money to help us, if even those fancy people (those were her words, right) want to help us and they don't even know us, then maybe my professor meant it when he said he wanted to help." That's it right. The donation no matter how big or how small, it helps because it pays for a salary, or it pays for rent, it keeps the lights on, but more than that, it tells young people who often have had to do everything by themselves, it shows them what many of us know, which is if you ask people for help, they will give it.
Dan: That's the world that I know. That's the world that you see on the day. That's not the world that many of our youth have grown up with. Something as simple as when our young people see people that they don't know, sometimes fancy people giving money, time, and effort, it shows them that just because what they've experienced up to this point, isn't how the world always has to be. Once a young person learns to ask for help, and realizes that people are out there to help them get where they want to got, it's hard to stop them. That's the value of that donation or that volunteer hour for me.
Bill: Building that level trust probably makes a difference across the entire spectrum of life.
Dan: It does.
Bill: That's perfect. We've kept you longer than we said we would, but Dan Rhoton, thank you so much for joining us for the opportunity to play some small role or whatever in the growth of this organization.
Dan: That's right, because we're awesome.
Bill: Thank you. We'll be watching with pride. It's amazing what you all have done. I appreciate your time.
Dan: It's a pleasure to be here. Thanks so much.
Bill: You can probably hear the sincerity, and the warmth, and the passion even through this microphone and through your earbuds, that Dan Rhoton brings to what he does, and to the organization that he represents, and I can vouch for the fact that all of this is true. It was an honor, it is an honor to know him, know them, and to have had a small role in at least in how they look, and what they are this day moving forward. So much power and impact. We'll continue to watch, and be proud of our affiliation with Dan and with Hopeworks. Three ways to help us on real-world branding as always, click subscribe. I'm going to do these fast today. I'm sick of doing them because hopefully you've all heard it by now, and you'll take some action. Click subscribe so you don't miss an episode, that's one. Rate us. Review us in the app store or the podcast store of your choice, that's two. Then give us a bit of feedback on Twitter. Ideas for guests or topics or just generally what works, and what doesn't about what we do. We want it to be ever better, and to have the kind of value that we always imagined when we set out to do this, and as we invest our time every other week in putting one of these interviews together, so those are the three ways. Hope everyone is doing well. We'll sign off at the cradle of liberty.
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Tag Archives: Whats My Line?
Broadway Remembered: When Sunday Nights Brought Broadway into Your Living Room
Posted on August 31, 2014 by Paul Mroczka Posted in Broadway Scenes Remembered Leave a comment
In 19060, Ed Sullivan celebrated 12 years on TV.
It was the 1950s and early 1960s that Americans welcomed Broadway into their living rooms each and every Sunday night. Families gathered around black and white console televisions to popular programs, including The Ed Sullivan Show and What’s My Line? The Ed Sullivan show gave America a glimpse of what was presently running on Broadway, while What’s My Line? Often included Broadway talents on the panel and as their mystery guest of the evening.
And Now On Our Stage Tonight
The Ed Sullivan Show (1948-1971) didn’t just bring the hottest pop performers to all of America. Yes, Sullivan did introduce Elvis Presley, The Supremes, and The Beatles, but the variety show also showcased Broadway talent and shows. Sullivan, who had been a Broadway a gossip columnist, was tapped to host the new TV show, which was first called The Toast of the Town. Sullivan became known as a star maker, and a short gig on his show meant that you had made it.
West Side Story performed live.
On any given Sunday, you could see a song from a Broadway hit. Famous performances include Carol Lawrence and Larry Kert singing “Tonight” from West Side Story (1958), Julie Andrews and the Broadway cast performing “Wouldn’t It Be Loverly?” from My Fair Lady (1961), the cast of Hair (1969) offering two numbers, “Aquarius” and “Let the Sunshine In,” and “Oklahoma!” (1955) with John Raitt and conducted by Richard Rodgers.
The original cast of the hit rock musical Hair.
In 1968, Sullivan, always the master showman, featured the great Broadway composer Irving Berlin singing his anthem “God Bless American.” Berlin’s thin, sweet voice offered a heartfelt rendition of an initial verse, and then the curtain behind him went up to reveal a backup chorus of Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts.
Julie Andrews and the Broadway cast of My Fair Lady.
The Ed Sullivan Show aired early on Sunday night from 8-9 pm on CBS. What’s My Line?, which was on the same network, aired at 10:30 pm.
Erudite Entertainment
Mystery Guest Carol Channing made many appearance.
What’s My Line? (1950-1967) was a quiz show that featured John Daly as the host. Daily was a well-educated journalist who was a bit nerdy, a tad dapper, and whole-heartedly charming. His four-member guest panel, whose job it was to discern what profession someone was in (that is the “line” in what’s my line was their line of work) was usually comprised of noted New Yorkers, which often included actress Arlene Francis, columnist Dorothy Kilgallen, publisher Bennet Cerf, actress Kitty Carlisle, actor Tony Randall, humorist Henry Morgan, publisher Helen Gurly Brown, and others.
Julie Andrews prior to film stardom.
The final segment of the show featured a famous mystery guest. The panel would put on their blindfolds and the mystery guest would sign in on the same chalkboard all guests signed. The panel would then attempt to guess who was sitting next to Daly, and they were usually quite successful.
Angela Lansbury was in Town and visited.
With What’s My Line?, U.S. TV viewers got to see the Broadway personality, which was real treat. Here was a Broadway performer, to a degree being him/herself, in your living room. These were magic moments when Broadway reached out to everyone and just about everyone could afford to go see a Broadway show.
A Golden Age
The 1950s and 60s were a golden age for New York theatre and television, as Broadway stars appeared live on Ed Sullivan and What’s My Line? This was a happy and enchanting marriage of what were then two live mediums. Sullivan’s variety show was basically vaudeville on TV and with Daly as a host, What’s My Line? was a show that comfortably connected with its viewers. That era is now long gone. It was a short-lived and very special time.
Carol Channing Ed Sullivan Hair Julie Andrews My Fair Lady West Side Story Whats My Line?
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Commercial, recreational fishermen clash over licensing
By Kent Bernhard
In May 2018
Commercial, recreational fishermen clash over licensing2018-05-032018-04-27http://businessnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/bncweblogoblacksmall_space-01.pngBusiness North Carolinahttps://businessnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/east-region_fishing-boat_gettyimages-535453954.jpg200px200px
A battle is brewing between the North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission and the association that represents the state’s commercial fishermen. At issue are proposed changes to licensing rules, which the association says could deprive people who have fished for generations of permits.
The commission, which is part of the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, voted 5-4 in February to recommend that the General Assembly pass a law requiring commercial fishermen to record at least 1,000 pounds of seafood caught or 15 trips in any two of five years. Currently, there are no quotas, and anyone who holds a commercial-fishing license and pays the annual fee — $400 for state residents — can renew it.
The nonprofit N.C. Fisheries Association fired back with a lawsuit, alleging some board members violated the state’s open meetings law by developing the proposed changes outside the public eye.
“The commission has been stacked against us,” says Glenn Skinner, a commercial fisherman from the Morehead City/Newport area who is executive director of the fisheries association. The governor appoints the commission, which includes representatives of the commercial- and recreational-fishing industries, as well as at-large members and a scientist. Over time, Skinner says, the balance of power has shifted against commercial-fishing interests. A goal of the lawsuit is to force more open dialogue between the commission and commercial fishermen. “This is a way to get some openness and clarity,” he says.
For many years, the commission has considered tightening restrictions to ensure that the licenses are used by commercial fishermen, rather than recreational anglers who use the documents to catch more fish than would otherwise be allowed, depleting seafood stocks.
Commercial fishermen overwhelmingly opposed the proposed changes. Commission Chairman Sammy Corbett, a Hampstead commercial fisherman, voted against the proposal. “Once again, we’re trying to fix what seems to be more of a recreational problem, but we’re going to punish people with commercial licenses,” he told the Kinston Free Press.
The Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina, a group of conservationists and recreational fishermen, favors the proposed changes. “The biggest concern is [that] our fisheries-management plan is failing to manage our public trust resource properly,” says David Sneed, the group’s executive director. “It belongs to all of the people of North Carolina. It needs to be protected for all citizens. To us, that’s what’s important.”
Sneed says the fisheries association’s lawsuit attempts to discredit the commission because commercial fishermen are upset that they no longer hold sway over the board.
Coastal Conservation Association of North Carolina, David Sneed, General Assembly, Glenn Skinner, N.C. Department of Environmental Quality, N.C. Fisheries Association, North Carolina Marine Fisheries Commission, Sammy Corbett
Kent Bernhard
Eastern NC acts as hub for innovation
Opinion: Time to unrig the electoral maps
Opinion: Lew Ebert leaves NC Chamber on a high note
The tangled web
Wheels of fortune
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Home Celebrities Mary Tyler Moore: Fast Facts About The Legendary Icon
Mary Tyler Moore: Fast Facts About The Legendary Icon
Another of television’s beloved icon – Mary Tyler Moore – has passed away.
Such unfortunate news.
You might know her from her turn on The Dick Van Dyke Show or The Mary Tyler Moore Show; where she played two iconic characters that will forever be etched in American Television history.
While it may be instinctive to mourn the loss of a great talent, we should also remember that Mary Tyler Moore left an amazing legacy behind.
With that in mind, we should probably also focus on the positivity of her life.
To help with that, we’ll provide a few fast facts about Mary Tyler Moore:
Mary was born on the 29th of December, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York to Majorie and George Tyler Moore.
Mary Tyler Moore starred opposite Elvis Presley as his love interest in his last movie – Change of Habit.
In the movie, she played a nun in training who is conflicted by her developing feelings for Elvis Presley’s character and her devotion to her faith.
The actress was an advocate for Type 1 diabetes causes.
This stemmed as a result of her own diagnosis which she discussed extensively in her book – Growing Up Again: Life, Loves, and Oh Yeah, Diabetes.
She also testified in front of congress for stem cell research as a solution for Diabetes after she became an International chair for Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Mary Tyler Moore was a New York Times Best-Selling Author as two of her books made it on the famed ‘New York Times Best Selling’ list.
She was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the 1980 coming of age drama Ordinary People.
The Oscar-nominated actress has won over seven Emmy for the duration of her career. Which to be honest, is pretty impressive.
So impressive that there’s a statue of Mary Tyler Moore in Minneapolis tossing her beret in the air just as her character – Mary Richards – does in the intro of The Mary Tyler Moore Show.
The Statue was commissioned by TV Land. TV land is a cable network that specializes in the re-runs of classic television programs.
Mary Tyler Moore was married 3 times.
She first got married at 18, to Richard Carlton Meeker whom she dubbed the ‘boy next door’.
She gave birth to her first and only child – Richard Jr in 1956.
Read Also: Celebs Who Had Kids When They Were Really Young
Richard Meeker and Mary got divorced in 1961.
Their only son, Richard Junior, died in 1980 when he was only 24 from an accidental self-inflicted gunshot wound.
He shot himself in the head when inspecting a sawed-off shotgun.
That model was eventually taken off the market due to its ‘hair trigger’.
Mary Tyler Moore’s second marriage was to a CBS excutive – Grant Tinker
Tinker would go on to become the chairman of NBC.
In 1970, Moore and Tinker formed a production company – MTM Enterprises which not only created but only produced the hugely successful Mary Tyler Moore Show.
The company also had a record label – MTM Records.
They also produced quite a range of television sitcoms and dramas including Lou Grant, Phyllis, The Texas Wheelers, St. Elsewhere, Rhoda, Friends and Lovers, The Newhart Show, Hill Street Blues, WKRP in Cincinnati and The White Shadow.
The MTM logo was tribute to that of Metro Goldwyn Mayer but it featured Mary’s cat instead of a lion.
The company was sold to Television South in 1988.
The couple divorced in 1981.
She met her third husband, a cardiologist – Dr Robert Levine – when he was treating her mother.
The pair tied the knot in 1983.
Mary Tyler Moore’s family struggled with substance abuse.
Mary’s mother was an alcoholic. Her sister was a drug addict who died of a drug overdose.
Mary herself drank to the point she had to go the Betty Ford center for rehabilitation.
Mary Tyler Moore stated in her book After All that she had tried to help her brother, John, commit suicide by giving him drugged ice cream.
Her brother who had cancer survived the suicide attempt but he died of the disease three months later.
Besides her statue in Minneapolis, Moore has been recognized many times over for her contribution to television.
She awarded the Screen Actors Guild’s Lifetime achievement award in 2011.
She was also recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1992.
Mary Tyler Moore passed away at the age of 80 at the Greenwich Hospital in Connecticut, on the 25th of January 2017 from a cardiopulmonary arrest made complicated by Pneumonia.
May her soul rest in peace.
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CEP BREXIT Analysis
The Local Economic Effects of Brexit
Swati Dhingra, Stephen Machin and Henry G. Overman
Paper No' CEPBREXIT10:
Tags: brexit; trade; uk economy; uk politics; north and south divide; uk living standards; local authorities
Wealthy Southern cities will be hit hardest by both a ‘soft’ or ‘hard’ Brexit - but are also best placed to adapt to economic shocks ahead
Successful cities with large high-skilled service sectors - which are mainly in the South of England - will be hit hardest by the likely downturn in trade after the UK leaves the EU, regardless of whether we face a ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ Brexit.
However, these cities are better-placed to adapt to the economic shocks ahead than less affluent places outside the South East - despite the latter being less directly affected by Brexit.
This is according to a new study published today by the think tank Centre for Cities and the Centre for Economic Performance (CEP) at LSE. It analyses for the first time the potential impact of both a ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ Brexit (1) on British cities in the ten years following the implementation of new trade arrangements with the EU.
The research shows that all British cities are set to see a fall in economic output as a result of leaving the EU, because of the predicted increase in trade costs that both a ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ Brexit will bring (2). The economic impact will be almost twice as big in the event of a ‘hard’ Brexit, which the research predicts will bring an average 2.3% reduction in economic output across all UK cities - compared to a ‘soft’ Brexit, which will result in a 1.2% decrease.
The report also suggests that in both scenarios, it is economically vibrant cities - predominantly in the South of England - which will be hit hardest and most directly by Brexit. This reflects the fact that these cities specialise in large knowledge-intensive sectors such as business and financial services, which the research shows will be most affected by the increase in tariff and non-tariff barriers that Brexit could bring
‘Hard’ Brexit - Top 10 cities most affected
Predicted reduction in economic output (gross value added)
‘Soft’ Brexit - Top 10 cities most affected
However, the report also argues that the most-affected cities are also best-placed to respond to the predicted shocks ahead. Places such as London, Reading and Aberdeen are home to large highlyskilled labour markets, significant numbers of innovative firms and strong business networks - all of which are crucial in enabling a city to reinvent or adapt its industrial structure to changing economic circumstances.
In contrast, the cities least directly affected by either form of Brexit are mostly less prosperous places in the North, Midlands and Wales - the regions often dubbed the UK’s ‘left behind’ places, and credited with driving the vote to leave the EU. These cities are largely characterised by low numbers of high-skilled firms and workers, and smaller knowledge-intensive private sectors - which means they are both less vulnerable to the predicted post-Brexit downturn, but also less well-equipped to respond to the economic shocks ahead.
‘Hard’ Brexit - Top 10 cities least affected
‘Soft’ Brexit - Top 10 cities least affected
Commenting on the findings, Andrew Carter, Chief Executive of Centre for Cities, said:
“All UK cities face significant economic challenges after we leave the EU, but the impact of both ‘hard’ or ‘soft’ Brexit will be felt very differently across the country. Contrary to much of the received wisdom on Brexit, it is the most prosperous UK cities which will be hit hardest by the downturn ahead - but poorer places across the North and Midlands will find it tougher to adapt.
“First and foremost, the Government should do all it can to minimise the coming economic shocks by securing the best possible trade deal with the EU. That means ensuring that our post-Brexit trading arrangements are as close to our current relationship with Europe as possible.
“But it’s also critical that the Government uses its forthcoming industrial strategy to give cities across the country the investment, powers and responsibilities they need to make their economies as successful and competitive as possible. This will be crucial in helping cities to respond to the changing economic circumstances as we leave the EU, and to address the other big challenges they face in the coming years such as globalisation and automation.”
Professor Stephen Machin, from the Centre for Economic Performance, said:
“This research shows that focussing on the likely local economic impacts of Brexit will be a critical ingredient for policymakers when thinking about how to offset the negative economic effects that loss of trade due to Brexit will bring.”
“A hard Brexit would amplify the negative impact of leaving the EU on local economies across the UK. The estimated decline in economic activity is higher in richer local economies like London. But Brexit - whether hard or soft - would still hurt economic activity in poorer areas like Hull and Burnley that have some of the lowest incomes in the country.
“The fact that the industrial specialisation and the skill and knowledge intensity of different places are key to local impact should be of significant importance to the design and implementation of policy, especially in the arenas of industrial, skills and labour market strategies.” ENDS
‘Soft’ Brexit is defined as a scenario where the UK joins a free trade area with the EU, such as EFTA. While tariffs would remain at zero, non-tariff barriers (including customs checks, border controls, differences in product market regulations and legal barriers) would increase the costs of trade.
‘Hard’ Brexit is understood as the scenario in which the UK and EU do not immediately have a free trade area and the default situation is to trade under World Trade Organisation rules. This would result in an increase in tariffs and non-tariff barriers that would be substantially larger than under soft Brexit.
The trade model developed by CEP uses the most comprehensive data on trade flows and trade barriers currently available, including industry-level data on exports and imports covering all sectors of the economy in every country in the world. It is used to predict the sectoral impact of Brexit under ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ Brexit
The sectoral impacts predicted under these two scenarios are then weighted using local employment shares to predict changes to GVA at the city level. It considers the medium run impact on GVA as it is assumed that it would take 10 years for the non-tariff barriers within the EU to converge to a new level post Brexit.
It is important to note that the model predicts the static effects of Brexit related increases in trade costs on city economies. This is likely to underestimate the impact of Brexit as the model does not take account of the other effects of Brexit, for example on innovation, foreign investment and migration.
About Centre for Cities
The Centre for Cities is a research and policy institute, dedicated to improving the economic success of UK cities. We are a charity that works with cities, business and Whitehall to develop and implement policy that supports the performance of urban economies. We do this through impartial research and knowledge exchange. For more information, please visit www.centreforcities.org/about
About CEP
The Centre for Economic Performance is an interdisciplinary research centre at the LSE Research Laboratory. It was established by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) in 1990 and is now one of the leading economic research groups in Europe. The CEP studies the determinants of economic performance at the level of the company, the nation and the global economy by focusing on the major links between globalisation, technology and institutions (above all the educational system and the labour market) and their impact on productivity, inequality, employment, stability and wellbeing.
For further information, contact:
Henry Overman, Email: h.g.overman@lse.ac.uk;
Swati Dhingra, Email: s.dhingra@lse.ac.uk
Stephen Machin, Email: s.j.machin@lse.ac.uk
Brian Semple, Email: b.semple@centreforcities.org
Romesh Vaitilingam on +44(0)7768 661095, Email: romesh@vaitilingam.com ;
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Coaches look forward to 'strongest' Women's Club World Championship
Coaches and captains of the eight participating teams at the 2016 FIVB Club World Championship.
Manila, Philippines, October 17, 2016 - Although some are in it for the experience and the exposure and some are eying the medals, all coaches and captains agree that the 2016 FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship beginning Tuesday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Manila is the strongest edition in the history of the competition and the final outcome is very hard to predict.
The coaches and captains were speaking to an impressive media gathering at the official Press Conference of the competition, which brings together the cream of international volleyball players from around the world, including Olympic gold medallists and other Olympians, as well as a host of world and continental champions.
Captains (left to right): Pleumjit Thinkaow (Bangkok Glass), Valentina Tirozzi (Pomi Casalmaggiore), Neslihan Demir (Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul), Regiane Bidias (Rexona Sesc Rio de Janeiro), Gozde Kirdar (VakifBank Istanbul), Nataliya Mammadova (Volero Zurich), Miyu Nagaoka (Hisamitsu Springs Kobe), Rachel Daquis (PSL-F2 Logistics Manila).
Here's what they said, when coaches were asked what thought their teams' chances are in the competion and captains were requested to comment on what it's like to play wth clubs against some national team teammates:
Kittipong Pornchartyingcheep (Bangkok Glass coach): "We are first-timers in the Club World Championship and we'll just have to do our very best."
Pleumjit Thinkaow (Bangkok Glass): "For me personally it's nice to be here again in the Philippines in this first appearance for our club at the Club World Championship."
Massimo Barbolini (Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul): "I believe we are like everybody. I don't know exactly what our chances are in this competition but I'm sure it will be a tough event. I think for us it's important to think day-by-day. Take one game at a time."
Neslihan Demir (Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul): "My teammates are playing in different countries, but we still play for our clubs. We are used to playing against each other."
Coaches (left to right): Giovanni Caprara (Pomi Casalmaggiore), Masismo Barbolini (Eczacibasi VitrA Istanbul), Kittipong Pornchartyingcheep (Bangkok Glass), Giovanni Guidetti (VakifBank Istanbul), Kumi Nakada (Hisamitsu Springs Kobe), Zoran Terzic (Volero Zurich), Branislav Moro (PSL-F2 Logistics Manila), Bernardo Rezende (Rexona Sesc Rio de Janeiro).
Kumi Nakada (Hisamitsu Springs Kobe): "It's a combination of players for our team. This is the first time that I am head coach of Hisamitsu Springs. I spent time with these players from high school and they are here now. Some teams have Olympians and world-class players. This is a very important tournament for us because every player will gain experience with the top level of players in the world. We'll do our best against each team."
Miyu Nagaoka (Hisamitsu Springs Kobe): "There's lots of innovation in this competition so it is important for us to be part of it. We will do our best for our team."
Branislav Moro (PSL-F2 Logistics Manila): "It's the first time for me in this competition and I see a great number of fans and television interest. It's a good thing for Filipino volleyball. I have great respect for every coach here today and thank you for making this possible. For my team this is big experience. There are strong teams like Rexona. In my opinion, the number of people in the tournament is very good for volleyball."
Rachel Daquis (F2 Logistics): "We're very luck and honoured to play against these top-caliber teams and I know that it's a great experience and exposure for Philippines volleyball."
Giovanni Caprara (Pomi Casalmaggiore): "This tournament is of very high level. Everyone is very strong and anyone can win. I'm very excited to play in the Club World Championship because it's for the first time in my life."
Valentina Tirozzi (Pomi Casalmaggiore): "There will be no other Italian players against our team. We are the only ones who can represent our country. We are so honored to be here playing against a lot of super-strong players and champions from all over the world."
Bernardo Rezende (Rexona Sesc Rio de Janeiro): "We are a traditional team but this is a new group. We are playing against some all-star teams here. So many great players from the world. It's a good start for us here in this tournament. We might lose but we have to keep going. And if we lose, working hard is our option. To work hard, to improve while playing against the best in the world, that's an amazing experience for our team."
Regian Bidias (Rexona Sesc Rio de Janeiro): "We're very happy to be here. It's the third time we are participating in the Club World Championship. I'm very happy to be encountering players playing for Volero and Eczacibasi. We'll be playing against great players but we're happy to meet them here in Manila."
Giovanni Guidetti (VakifBank Istanbul): "I believe this is the best Club World Championship so far in the last three to four years. It's incredible. We have great teams and players in this tournament. We have a lot of Olympic coaches and players and it's an honour to be here and I can't predict the chances of any team."
Gozde Kirdar (Vakifbank): "I am proud to be here along with these coaches and players and I totally agree with Neslihan. We are used to playing against each other. We are professional players. We are ready for this. Good luck to everyone."
Zoran Terzic (Volero Zurich): "The Club World Championship in the Philippines is one of the best and one of the most important competitions this season. We worked hard and we're very happy to be here. Of course, the level of competition is very high. It's difficult to predict the outcome of the competition. But it's all about playing well and we will see in the end."
Natalia Mammadova (Volero Zurich): "It's great to be here and participate in this kind of competition. It's important for us, our team, to improve ourselves from last year. We will try to do it step by step."
- FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship Manila 2016 - Website
- FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship Manila 2016 - Results & Schedule
- FIVB Volleyball Women's Club World Championship Manila 2016 - Teams
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Contributing Editor: Alfred Habegger
In "The Beast in the Jungle," James's late style will be a problem. In "Daisy Miller," students may well miss the important social nuances of the language used by the characters and the narrator. Most of us take for granted certain usages--"ever so many," "it seems as if," "I guess," "quaint"--that are indications of the Millers' lack of cultivation. Also, there are some genteelisms in their speech--Mrs. Miller's "the principal ones." Then there's the narrator's somewhat inflated diction-- "imbibed," "much disposed towards."
Distribute ahead of time a short list of usages, divided according to categories, and ask the students to add some usages from their own reading of "Daisy Miller."
Another problem that should be mentioned is point of view. Tell the students ahead of time that both "Daisy" and "Beast" use the same technical device of restricting the reader's perspective to what one character sees and knows. Ask them to decide what character this is. Give examples, find exceptions where the narrator speaks out.
"Daisy Miller": Some students inevitably despise Daisy for her occasional social crudity and inexperience. A good tactic to deal with this attitude is to emphasize such matters right at the start, trusting to other students to feel that they must speak up and defend Daisy's naturalness and boldness. I also recommend getting the obvious fact that the Millers represent vulgar new money out in the open from the start; otherwise, some rather slow reader will triumphantly announce this fact later on in order to simplify the heroine's character.
Students will appreciate some facts about Rome. The story takes place before the floor of the Colosseum was excavated and before the cause of malaria was discovered. The 1883 Baedeker guide reminded tourists of the traditional danger of malaria: "In summer when the fever-laden aria cattive [bad air] prevails, all the inhabitants who can afford it make a point of leaving the city." Some students will have no experience of Giovanelli's type--the public dandy and lounger.
Students consistently enjoy analyzing and judging (with great ferocity) the various characters. I am often surprised at the harsh judgments passed on Daisy's flirtatiousness and game playing.
"Beast": Few students respond well to "Beast," partly because of the aridity of the lives portrayed. The students may want to know why the story is so long, why it delays the revelation of Marcher's emptiness.
In "Beast" I like to stress Marcher's eerie hollowness, the fact that he isn't quite alive and doesn't know it (until the end). In "Daisy Miller" students will probably need a detailed explanation of the Colosseum scene, where Winterbourne finally makes up his mind about Daisy, not only deciding that she isn't respectable but showing her by his behavior that he scorns her as beyond the pale. He learns the truth about her (and his own feelings for her) too late, of course--just like Marcher.
"Daisy Miller" may be presented as a classic instance of nineteenth-century realism in presenting "a study" of a modern character-type. Simultaneously, since the story follows Winterbourne's point of view, James's subject becomes a double one and also concerns the male character's process of vision and understanding. In this sense, the story is about Winterbourne's "studying.
"In "Beast" the emphasis on the man's process of vision becomes even more salient. The lack of objective detail points to modernism.
For "Beast," students need to be told that the two characters are late nineteenth-century or early twentieth-century English, and that Weatherend is an upper-class country house frequented by weekend guests.
In "Daisy Miller" students will need help in grasping the leisure-class European social code: the importance of restraint, public decorum, the drawing of lines. When Daisy looks at Winterbourne and boasts of having had "a great deal of gentleman's society," she doesn't know (though Winterbourne and James do) that she is coming on precisely as a courtesan would.
Many valuable comparisons can be drawn between "Daisy Miller" and "The Beast in the Jungle." Both stories tell of an aborted romance in which the man distances himself emotionally until it is too late. This fundamental similarity can help bring out the real differences between the works, especially the fact that "Daisy Miller" supplies a good deal of pictorial background and social realism, while "Beast" focuses far more intensively on Marcher's state of mind and perceptions. "Beast" may also profitably be compared with Eliot's "Prufrock."
1. Ask students to pay attention to those situations in "Daisy Miller" where one character tries to gauge or classify another. They may notice that Winterbourne's social judgment is much shakier than at first appears. Not only does he misread Daisy (in the Colosseum) but he is wrong in pronouncing Giovanelli "not a gentleman." Giovanelli turns out to be a respectable lawyer.
2. I like to ask students to compare and contrast the scene in the Colosseum where Winterbourne decides Daisy is a reprobate and laughs in her face to the scene in Huckleberry Finn where Huck decides to go to hell out of friendship with Jim. One character gives way to a rigid social exclusion, the other defies it.
The preface that James wrote for "Daisy Miller" in the New York edition is illuminating but must be used with care. The preface was written about thirty years after the story, and James's attitudes had changed somewhat. Now he was much more uneasy about the vulgarity of speech and manners of American women, and he decided he had been too easy on the Daisy Miller type. Hence he labeled this story "pure poetry"--a way of calling it romance rather than realism.
Two helpful and somewhat contrasting studies: Wayne Booth's discussion of "Daisy Miller" in The Rhetoric of Fiction and Louise K. Barnett, "Jamesian Feminism: Women in 'Daisy Miller,' " Studies in Short Fiction 16, no. 4 (Fall 1979): 281-87.
It's difficult to know whether Daisy Miller is a historically accurate type. Upper-class single women did not apparently go out alone in the evening in New York of the 1870s, but they did not require a duenna when accompanied by a man.
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Texas Rangers award winners and league leaders
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Best Of 15: Classical & Composed
The preceding 12 months brought the all the usual thinkpieces about the death of classical music, the decline of CD sales, the struggle to fill concert halls, etc. But for us listeners, there was plenty of sounds to surprise and delight. I'm probably only scratching the surface but here goes...
New (Mostly) Music, New Recordings
After the triumph of Become Ocean in 2014, no one would have looked askance if John Luther Adams had decided to take a year off. But the man has a work ethic so there were actually not one but two fascinating new releases in 2015. The Wind In High Places is an exquisite collection featuring three works for strings. The title work, played to perfection by the JACK Quartet, is an ethereal work which asks the players to keep their hands off the fretboards and play only open strings and harmonics. But knowing those technical details is not necessary to enjoy the airy tangles of harmonies woven together by Adams. The second piece, Canticles Of The Sky, was composed for 48 cellos and sounds like a ribbon of pure sound. You might find yourself breathing differently as you listen. The album closes with Dream of the Canyon Wren, also played by the JACK, a series of descending glissandos with some of the puckish wit of Harry Partch. The album is Adams in his prime, which means essential listening.
Ilimaq: Under the Ice, an electro-acoustic collaboration with Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche, is a little bit more of a specialty item. Five movements of spacy sounds, pounding tom toms and subtle clatters and clangs, without much structure that I can find, makes for a piece I don't listen to often. But if the mood is right, there's nothing else like it. As with The Wind In High Places, the recording is a masterpiece in its own right, finely detailed, sonically rich and involving.
Like Adams' music, the pieces on Clockworking by the Icelandic chamber ensemble Nordic Affect also seem in touch with the natural and physical world. From Beacon To Beacon, by Hafdís Bjarnadóttir, even features the sound of pounding surf or blowing winds among its spiky eplorations. Special notice should be taken, here and elsewhere, of the sparkling harpsichord of Guðrún Óskarsdóttir. The six works were commissioned from five local composers (all women, I might add), including superstar Anna Thorvaldsdottir. But while Thorvaldsdottir is the most well known, I will now be keeping an ear out for the others, especially Maria Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir, who wrote the instantly likeable opening and closing tracks. If there was ever a new music song of the summer, 2015 would belong to Sigfúsdóttir's Clockworking. Another beautiful recording from Sono Luminus, too.
On the darker end of the spectrum, we have The Soul is the Arena, three stunning works by Mario Diaz de Leon, including Luciform for flute and electronics performed by the great Claire Chase and the title track for bass clarinet and electronics, brilliantly played by Joshua Rubin. Both those works were previously released, however, the former on Chase's Density and the latter on Rubin's There Never Is No Light. So the only new work is the brooding and suspenseful Portals Before Dawn, played here by the International Contemporary Ensemble. It is a gorgeous and sophisticated work, signifying new levels of dynamic flexibility on the part of Diaz de Leon, so get to it whether or not you've already heard those other pieces.
Speaking of dark, it gets none more black than Jóhann Jóhannsson's soundtrack to the fatalistic thriller Sicario. This is literally the sound of dread and it has to be heard to be believed. For such a small country, Iceland sure knows how to crank out great composers. Hint: it probably starts in the schools.
If you're feeling tense after Sicario, get some rest with Max Richter's Sleep, eight hours of music precision-tooled to lull you to sleep and keep you there. However, I've listened to the shorter version, From Sleep, and you might want to stay awake. It's quite beautiful, Eno ambiance crossed with hushed minimalism.
When violinist Sarah Plum couldn't find a piece to pair with Sidney Corbett's beautiful, exploratory Yael from 2011 she simply commissioned another violin concerto by Christopher Adler and released them under the name Music For A New Century. There's a lot of variety of mood between Corbett's Yael and Adler's spiky and mysterious Violin Concerto, and Plum's committed and engaging playing makes a more than convincing case for both pieces.
There were three excellent collections that compiled music across centuries, some of it newly composed for the occasion. Viola virtuoso Melia Watras assembled Ispirare around the music of George Rochberg and Luciano Berio, putting them in dialog with more recent work by Atar Arad and Shulamit Ran. The Rochberg was a bit stodgy but her performances of the Berio and Ran works were revelatory - get to them so they can get to you.
Orli Shaham explored the songlike piano music of Brahms through some of the music (Schubert, Schumann, Chopin) that he was listening to and newly-commissioned works influenced by him. Shaham's stylish and assured playing wove a very satisfying tapestry on Brahms Inspired and it's a great entrée into his keyboard music.
If there is a choir around that's better than the SWR Vokalensemble Stuttgart conducted by Marcus Creed, I will personally sing hallelujah in front of a packed house at Carnegie Hall. Their album Italia was an ear-opening traversal through about 100 years of Italian choral music, including works by Verdi, Pizzetti, Scelsi, Nono and Petrassi. Their recording of Scelsi's TKRDG is likely definitive, hopefully bringing this extraordinary music to a wider audience.
Old Music, New Recordings
Marcus Creed also shone leading Denmark's DR VokalEnsemblet on L'amour et la foi, a stunning collection of Messiaen's choral music. The perfect introduction to this corner of the master's music.
Also on the choral tip is Salvatore Mundi: The Purcell Legacy, a dreamy compilation of English church music composed by Purcell's and in his wake (by Blow, Boyce, Jackson, Handel, etc.) and performed with utmost naturalism by St. Salvator's Chapel Choir with the expert assistance of the Fitzwilliam Quartet.
I have found, more often than not, that a composer's recording is not the definitive one. This is proved once again by Sir Simon Rattle's new live recording of Witold Lutoslawski's Concerto For Piano And Orchestra with the Berliner Philharmoniker. While the soloist, Krystian Zimerman, is the same as Lutoslawski's own performance from the eighties, this is an altogether more crisp and coherent version of a landmark work of 20th Century modernism. Essential.
Returning from the improvisatory adventures of Silfra, and the ambition of commissioning 27 new pieces, Hilary Hahn came home to Mozart in a new recording of his Violin Concerto No. 5. Paavo Järvi and The Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen are the perfect partners in this lyrical and unsentimental performance. It wasn't a warhorse when Mozart wrote it, after all, so there's no reason to play it like one. Belgian composer Henri Vieuxtemps was born about 30 years after Mozart died and is in no way his equal. Hahn takes his stormy Violin Concerto No. 4 at face value, playing it as well as it can be played, but it is filler nonetheless.
Speaking of a return, soprano Renee Fleming has been in the "crossover classical" trenches for a while now so it's nice to see her tackle something meatier: Alban Berg's Lyric Suite, performed here with the Emerson Quartet. The Emerson is really the star in the Berg, as Fleming only appears in an alternate version of the last of six movements. But what a glorious sound they make together! Fleming's lush voice blends perfectly with the strings, fitting Berg's conception of a mini-opera to a T. Fortunately, we get more of this divine combination in a set of five songs by Egon Wellesz, a Berg contemporary who is much less well known. His settings of Sonnets From The Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning are intimate and romantic while still feeling modern. I will be investigating his work further based on this. From the well-designed cover featuring a Klimt painting to the starry participants, this is a release that acknowledges no twilight of the record industry - and why should it?
New Music, Old Recording
Kudos to Wergo for reissuing the out of print Nonesuch recording of Morton Subotnick's The Wild Beasts (1978). This work is wild indeed, with Subotnick exploring the more comical side of the trombone alongside his signature electronics. Also included is After The Butterfly (1979), with Mario Guarneri as the adventurous trumpet soloist playing Subotnick's witty score with aplomb. If there is a butterfly being described it is a rather bumptious and quirky creature. As the cover says, these are "Landmark Recordings" and it is good to have them readily available again.
Sample the works mentioned with this handy playlist - then follow through with the complete recordings of anything that catches your ear.
Best Of 15: The Top 20
Best Of 15: Out Of The Past
Best Of 15: Reggae
Best Of 15: Hip Hop
Posted by Jeremy Shatan at 4:30 PM
Labels: Anna Thorvaldsdottir, Hilary Hahn, John Luther Adams, Luciano Berio, Mario Diaz de Leon, Max Richter, Melia Watras, Olivier Messiaen, Orli Shaham
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Home » Entertainment » Arjun Rampal to play gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli in Daddy
Arjun Rampal to play gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli in Daddy
Entertainment4 Sep 2017 1:00 PM GMTby Arun Mishra
Mumbai : The underbelly of society, yet again, finds space on the big screen with the release of the political crime drama, Daddy. The movie stars Arjun Rampal and Aishwarya Rajesh in the lead roles. Arjun Rampal will be seen playing the role of Arun Gawli, the gangster turned politician. The underbelly has always been an integral part of Mumbai and it has always inspired writers and makers. Recently, the star-cast along with the director, Ashim Ahluwalia and Rahul Mitra (CEO, Wave Cinemas) promoted the movie in Delhi. They interacted with the media and gave an insight of the film.
On being asked about the film and on Arun Gawli, Arjun said, "This film is one of its kind. Arun Gawli is already a hero in Maharashtra. I loved his genre which inspired me to play Arun Gawli. This is a very unique story which is very unusual and the gangster is an accidental don. He has faced many ups and downs but he kept coming back without the defeat is what inspired me."
On being asked about the preparation for the role he said, "We had to pay much attention on the looks because he is a known face. The style in which he used to wear his cap, the dialect and everything. The makeup artists were brought from Italy. I also got a new nose for the role. I had to drop gym and lose 11 kgs and so on."
Ashim on being asked about the glorification aspect of a gangster through this film said, "No, I don't like gangster films that aspire. But, I was interested in Arun Gawli as a normal man. We made it clear in the initial phase only that we will not portray him as a hero and will show his all shades. We were not really interested in glorifying him."
Aishwarya on being asked about the difficulties that she faced, said, "I didn't know anything about Arun Gawli. Difficult thing was the language and rest of the things were manageable. Ashim was very patient and supportive for me. And Arjun also helped me to feel comfortable which added positively in the output."
The film is a true account of the incidents that took place. The movie, whose making took three years, has the involvement of Gawli family and Geeta (Arun Gawli's daughter) who are quite thrilled about the way it has shaped up. Daddy gives an insight into the Mumbai underworld and traces Arun Gawli's journey from his rise as India's most feared gangsters to eventually becoming a politician.
The movie is ready to hit the screens on 8th September 2017.
Tags: Arjun Rampal Aishwarya Rajesh Arun Gawli Daddy Daddy Movie gangster turned politician Arun Gawli Arjun Rampal film Daddy Arun Gawli in Daddy Arjun Rampal in Daddy
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BabZhar / Turquie
“Turkey, of which I am a part of, is ready for this film”
Evrim Kaya - 28/08/2014
The first time we interviewed Fatih Akın for Agos was in Yerevan four years ago. He was attending the International Golden Apricot Film Festival and it hadn’t been long since he had landed, so his impressions were few. As we spoke, he realized he didn’t know much either about Armenians or Armenia; the only famous Armenians he could recall were the two world-champion boxers of Armenian origin who lived in Germany. Yet Yerevan greeted Fatih Akın with excitement. For instance, a young woman at the reception of a hotel that had welcomed many world famous stars since it served as host to the festival every year, hoped for the first time to be there for the arrival of a guest, and tried to find out from other participants the time Akın would arrive. Fatih Akın’s films were met with great enthusiasm in Yerevan, and he underlined the meaninglessness of borders in every interview he gave, and talked about how art could shatter all taboos and bring people together. What he said was right, however such statements did not go beyond the well-meaning responses to questions about the Armenian Genocide or the Armenia-Turkey border. The question of method remained unanswered. How would art overcome everything? As answers were sought for all these questions, the director, from which we had not heard from, whether about this specific topic or any other, returned to the spotlight in April with the first reports from his new film.
According to Time Out Istanbul’s report, Fatih Akın’s latest film ‘The Cut’ is about “the journey an Armenian living in Mardin, played by Tahar Rahim, sets out on in order to find his daughters following a tragedy that befalls him”. However, as we are quite sure the publication’s editor also knows, the tragedy that “befell” Nazaret, played by Tahar Rahim, was the Armenian Genocide.
‘The Cut’, shot by Fatih Akın in four continents, with a large budget, will premiere at the Venice Film Festival held from 27 August to 6 September. Rahim is accompanied in the film by a multinational cast including Armenian actors Simon Abkarian, Arsinée Khanjian and Kevork Malikyan, Akın Gazi from Cyprus, Numan Acar from Germany, the Moroccan singer and poet Hindi Zahra, and Önder Çakar and Bartu Küçükçağlayan from Turkey.
Perhaps, to some extent, to alleviate the confusion of the media in Turkey which is not particularly skilful in calling tragedies by their name, but mainly in order to provide the freshest news for Fatih Akın fans who impatiently look forward to his new film, we asked the director everything we were curious about, after all, we, too, have only seen the trailer of the film. Akın, as always, spoke frankly in this first interview about the film, and stated that his greatest wish was for the film to be screened in major theatres in Turkey.
In the interview we made four years ago, you told us that you knew very little about Armenians. That has obviously changed. How did you decide to make a film about 1915 and Armenians?
After ‘Soul Kitchen’ I had actually planned to make a feature film about Hrant Dink. I wrote a script based on 12 of Hrant’s articles published in Agos. It was an avant-garde project, because some of these articles were informative, some were his personal anecdotes and some others were narratives about 1915. It was a very text-rich script. I don’t know whether it would have turned out to be a good film. However, I couldn’t convince any actor from Turkey to accept the role of Hrant, they all found the script too strong. So I had to put the project in the freezer. I didn’t want to put any actor at risk, but it was also important that a film about Hrant would be a Turkish film. An American or French actor couldn’t have been cast as Hrant. We have to deal with this alone. So it wasn’t to be… Maybe not yet. Some of the articles Hrant wrote on 1915 were highly fascinating, and very powerful in visual terms. For instance, ‘Lizard Abdullah’… Also through Hrant, I had read and carried out a lot of research on 1915. There was another script I dreamed of realizing: A story about Anatolian emigrants to the United States. In a way, a Western. Eventually, I combined certain parts from the Hrant script with this Western, and the result is “The Cut”.
It is very exciting that you wrote the script of the film in collaboration with the Iraqi Armenian scriptwriter Mardik Martin who co-wrote the scripts some of Martin Scorsese’s legendary films like ‘Mean Streets’, ‘New York, New York’, ‘Raging Bull’. How did this collaboration and writing process come about?
I had written the script in German. When I decided to shoot the film in English, I realized I needed someone who could do more than translate the film from German into English. I needed an American scriptwriter; someone who also knew the subject matter, and the languages and customs of this region. Then the name Mardik Martin sprang to my mind. Scorsese’s team arranged a meeting for us. The first time I called Mardik he didn’t want to do it, he told me he had retired and hadn’t written a script in 30 years. But when he read ‘The Cut’ he fell for it. He said he had dreamed all his life for a film like this! However, he said that the script needed more than being translated into ‘American’. He changed the script, personalized it, condensed and improved it. He made it more ‘American’, in the positive sense of the word. Finally, with this film, I am also reflecting upon American cinema, which was the greatest influence on my formation. Particularly Scorsese’s cinema – to which Mardik Martin made a great contribution. Working with Mardik enriched my life in so many ways. This was a journey towards the roots of everything that mattered to me, things about cinema and things about life. Mardik is the most elderly friend I have. And he is a teacher to me.
It is difficult for me to describe the entire writing process; it is too complex to describe in a few sentences. Castro once said revolution has three main characteristics: 1. Observation 2. Planning 3. Action. This also serves as the best description of the writing process. Of course, this film is not a revolution, nor is it revolutionary. Yet perhaps every act of writing is a personal revolution.
I met with hundreds of people across the world who helped me in my research. I would like to name two of them: Wolfgang Gust, who, like me, lives in Hamburg, and Taner Akçam. The scientific works of these two researchers were the most important source for the film.
The trailer reveals Tahar Rahim as a very good choice for a character who retreats into silence. How did you cast the film?
As I always do, I tried to find the best actors for this film, too. In order to capture the necessary authenticity, I tried to cast Armenians in the roles of Armenian characters. But I didn’t restrict myself only to Armenians. I wanted to work with the singer and poet Hindi Zahra. Zahra is Moroccan, but in the film she plays the wife of the protagonist Nazaret, played by Tahar Rahim. As for Rahim, the moment I saw Jacques Audiard’s ‘A Prophet’ I said, “this is the man I am looking for”. Tahar is a French actor of Algerian origin. I gave him this role because all my instincts told me, “This is your hero, this is the Armenian you are looking for! Wherever he is from, he will pull it off for you.” There are no strict rules, water will flow and find its way. I am also very happy with the Turkish actors I had the chance to work with. Bartu Küçükçağlayan is in a key role… Bartu fulfilled his role with great commitment, passion and intelligence. And on the other hand, he possesses such innocence… The fact that he is a musician also contributes to that. My friend Önder Çakar, who wrote the Turkish dialogues, also stars. There are also Turks from Germany like Numan Acar, Korkmaz Arslan and Mehmet Yılmaz, and Akın Gazi, a British citizen of Cypriot origin. Meanwhile, I definitely want to cast Akın as Yılmaz Güney one day.
The cinematographer is once again Rainer Klausmann, but in this film he seems to have surpassed even his own usual mastery. Where did you shoot the film?
The key motif of the film is the journey of the hero. I traversed the entire span of this journey myself as well, I travelled through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Cuba, Florida, Minneapolis and North Dakota and took thousands of photographs and took notes. Finding the right filming locations was a long and complicated process. In the end, we decided upon Jordan, Cuba, Canada, Malta and Germany. Both Rainer and I were using an anamorphic lens to shoot cinemascope for the first time. And of course, 35 mm! It was a dream. This film is the real thing! On some days I used to think: “Somebody pinch me, I can’t believe this is real”. Because the lenses of this camera are very heavy, we worked with only two lenses; we used one of them for close-ups, and the other to shoot the remaining scenes. Since the film takes place across a broad landscape, we mostly used a wide-angle lens and this brought a certain sobriety to the film, a classical mood. We made an effort to always shoot with the sun behind us. We tried to stick to a classical style on the one hand, but we also tried to avoid clichés both in image and sound on the other. We didn’t use tacky techniques like a sepia tone filter. And none of that ethno-world music either, with every song beginning with the sound of the duduk. Our music for the film was Heavy Metal, because the stories I am telling here are Heavy Metal.
At Agos we have been discussing recently why a film that does justice to the story of 1915 has not been made yet. There are some great films, for instance, about the Holocaust. Are there any films about the Armenian Genocide that left a mark on you, or served as a reference?
I don’t see my film as a film about genocide. What would a film about genocide be like? What are the rhetorical tools of such a genre? Or, for that matter, is there a genre we could call ‘genocide films’? The genre I chose was the Western. This is a film in the genre appropriated by Sergio Leone and of course, Eastwood, it is an adventure film. It is an epic, in the tradition of John Huston and David Lean… It does not belong to the tradition of ‘Schindler’s List’ or ‘The Killing Fields’. Atom Egoyan did lend me a few costumes, but I can’t say it has a lot to do with ‘Ararat’ either. The greatest inspiration for this film was Elia Kazan’s ‘America, America’. I have read here and there that this film, too, has been described as a genocide film in the past, but I would disagree. In my opinion, ‘America, America’ is both an epic and an adventure film at the same time.
Why was it important for you to make this film? You had previously said, “I am completing the triangle of love-death-evil”. In the trailer, there is a scene where Tahar Rahim silently responds to a question with only his gaze: “Who did this to you?” Do you have an answer?
Sometimes I feel the topic chose me rather than me seeking out the topic. Wherever I come across something which has been banned or made into a taboo, or has been labelled dangerous or caused controversy, it immediately attracts my attention. Wherever there is prohibition, there is fear. And fear is the Devil. This film treats the outcome of fear in an abstract manner. The devil is not outside there, it sneaks into us. In other words, it is already there. Only we can exorcise him. My answer to, “Who did this to you?”, the question the old man poses to Tahar in the desert, is “Fear.”
This film will also mean that the audiences in Turkey will face up to the darkest page of their history, as they enter the year 2015. There are those who are looking forward to see the film with curiosity, but there are also those who are waiting with fear. Is there anything you would like to tell them?
Towards the end of the music video of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller”, Jackson’s girlfriend starts to scream in terror. Then MJ suddenly appears before her and tells her, “It’s just a movie”. If there is anyone who is afraid of the film, my response to them is precisely that, “It’s just a movie”. But I am sure that society in Turkey, of which I, too, am a part of, is ready for this film. There is no doubt that a film of this kind must be intense, otherwise we wouldn’t take it seriously. But the news we watch every night is much more intense than the film. There will be some who feel uncomfortable about the film’s content. Yet precisely for this reason, I believe the film will offer an opportunity for a constructive debate and I hope it will encourage its audience to learn more about 1915 and to think how a repeat of such events can be prevented.
The interview we made four years ago ended like this: “The message of my work is always this: Wherever there are borders, let us remove them, against the wall, gegen die Wand! And if they cannot be removed, let us build bridges. Politics always has precedence over culture and sports. Yet it functions in the slowest manner. Culture and sports are where problems are always solved, the people solve the problems, and politics catches up only later.” Is this film a blow to bring down a wall, or a bridge? Will we manage to solve the problems which politics has failed to?
My motivation in making this film was not to progress from one point to some other point. I do not belong to any group that pursues a political goal. I want people to watch my film. My greatest hope is for the film to be screened in Turkey in the way it deserves, and for it to be shown in large and modern theatres. If we can manage that, then we have become a mature, enlightened, self-aware and democratic society. If not, then we are still ruled by fear, and the devil still has us in his pocket.
“They expected me to make The Edge of Heaven – Part 2”
There have been reports about the film being rejected by the Cannes Film Festival. Could you tell us about that process?
At no stage did Cannes reject the film. They did not offer including the film in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section; we would have rejected such an offer. There was a certain image my previous films had created at Cannes, and since this film didn’t fit that image, they were left undecided. They were expecting me to make a minimalist film, once again focusing on issues of Turkishness-Germanness, something like ‘The Edge of Heaven – Part 2’… But I can’t fulfil other people’s expectations. I have to meet my own expectations. When Cannes remained unsure, I proposed the film to the Venice Film Festival as early as April. They immediately showed enthusiasm and wanted to include it in their program, and they did. But these festivals must announce their programs themselves; so I didn’t share this information for a while.
One of the issues that Cannes dwelled on was why I had shot the film in English. Yet in which language did Elia Kazan shoot ‘America, America’? The Chinese spoke English in Bertolucci’s ‘The Last Emperor’, English was the Chinese of that film. In Polanski’s ‘The Pianist’ the Polish spoke English with a Polish accent, whereas the Germans spoke German and the Russians spoke Russian. So how is it that Bertolucci and Polanski are allowed to do that, and I’m questioned for doing it? That is hypocritical.
First and foremost, I had to shoot the movie in a language I could speak so I could understand whether everything really fitted into place, that’s why I shot it in English. The second reason was so that I could work with whoever I wanted, not only with Armenian actors who spoke Western Armenian… The actors were not to focus on sentences they had phonetically memorized, but on emotions. I do not think language adds much to films like ‘Passion’ which Mel Gibson shot in Aramaic, or ‘Apocalypto’, which he shot in Mayan.
English is the language we identify ourselves with in ‘The Cut’. Since the film tells the story of journeys in alien worlds, the other figures speak languages unknown to our hero.
Evrim Kaya
English Translation: Nazim Hikmet Richard Dikbaş
Conference on Islamized Armenians in Turkey
From November 2nd to 4th, Bogazici University in Istanbul hosts an international conference on “Islamized Armenians” and their long silence.
Separate worlds brought together through arts
First phase of the “WALLS-Separate Worlds” project took place in ?irince, Turkey, Theatre actors from Turkey, Cyprus and Italy came together in the artistic residency workshop and put ino practise “the importance of knowing each other”.
The photographer Kursat Bayhan five years ago started to document the life’s conditions of the habitants of Eminönu e Küçükpazar, in Istanbul: internal migrants came from little villages in the countryside in the oriental and south-oriental areas of the Country. (Ebticar/Mashallah news)
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government:
state of civil and political rights:
constitution:
legal system:
legislative system:
judicial system:
death row: 95 (as of April 1, 2013, source: DPIC)
The method of execution is injection. The sentence is determined by a jury. The death row is located at Jackson (Women: Atlanta). As for the clemency process, the State Board of Pardons has exclusive authority to grant clemency.
USA - Georgia. Marion Wilson was executed. His execution was the 1,500th since the death penalty was reintroduced in the United States in 1976.
Read everything
USA - Georgia. Scotty Garnell Morrow, 52, Black, Was Executed.
21 June 2019 :
Marion Wilson, 42, Black, was executed. His execution was carried at 9:52 p.m. ET at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison in Jackson. He and Robert Earl Butts Jr. were convicted of murder in the March 28, 1996 slaying of Donovan Corey Parks. At the time of the crime, both defendants were 18, and trying to fulfill a gang requirement that they commit violent acts. The two men had been tried separately, and each tried to put the blame on the other. Butts was executed last year (see May 4, 2018). Wilson was sentenced to death in Baldwin County on Nov. 7, 1997. Wilson appealed multiple times arguing that he did not actually pull the trigger and the prosecution exaggerated his juvenile record and gang affiliation in order to secure a death penalty. Wilson is the second person in the state to have been executed despite not committing the killing — the first being Kelly Gissendaner, who was convicted of planning and covering up her husband’s murder and executed on Sept. 30, 2015 (see). Wilson was the 2nd person executed this year in Georgia, the 74th executed in Georgia since the state resumed executions in 1983, the 10th person executed this year in the US, and the 1,500th person executed in the United States since 1977.
(Source: themarshallproject.org, vox.com, 20/06/2019)
03 May 2019 :
Scotty Garnell Morrow, 52, Black, Was Executed. Morrow was convicted of murder in the shooting deaths of his ex-girlfriend Barbara Ann Young and her friend Tonya Woods on December 29, 1994. A little earlier Young informed Morrow over the phone they were through. A third woman, LaToya Horne, was shot in the face and arm, but survived. Morrow confessed to the shooting spree. A Hall County jury sentenced Morrow to death in 1999. But in 2011, a state court judge overturned Morrow’s sentence, ruling that he had not been adequately represented by his lawyers. The judge ordered a new trial, but the Georgia Supreme Court later (see Oct. 17, 2011) reversed that decision and reinstated the death sentence. Morrow’s latest appeal was rejected in 2018 in federal appeals court. But Judge Charles Wilson, in a concurring opinion, said he was troubled by Morrow’s attorneys’ failure to present evidence that might mitigate a death sentence. Specifically, jurors never were told that Morrow had been raped repeatedly while growing up in the New York area, Wilson said. Morrow was the 1st person executed this year in Georgia, the 73rd executed in Georgia since the state resumed executions in 1983, the 5th person executed this year in the US, and the 1,495th person executed in the United States since 1977.
(Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 02/05/2019)
USA - Georgia. A jury sentenced Tiffany Moss, 36, Black, to death
USA - Georgia. Five Years With No Death Sentences.
USA - Georgia. Judge Amy Totenberg throws out death sentence of Eric Perkinson.
USA - Georgia. Court Grants New Trial to Former Death-Row Prisoner Johnny Lee Gates.
A Gwinnett County jury sentenced Tiffany Moss, 36, Black, to death penalty for murdering 10-year-old stepdaughter in 2013. Moss was convicted Monday of starving 10-year-old Emani Moss and then, with the help of her husband Eman, trying to burn the girl’s emaciated body in a trash can. Eman Moss is serving life in prison without parole for his role in the crime, after pleading guilty to felony murder in 2015 in exchange for testifying against his wife. The jury recommended the death penalty and Gwinnett Superior Court Judge George Hutchinson signed off on Moss' sentence. Moss acted as her own lawyer in the capital case. She offered no defense, calling no witnesses and offering no opening statement or closing argument.
(Source: WSB TV news, 30/04/2019)
05 February 2019 :
Georgia Approaches Five Years With No Death Sentences. For the first time since Georgia brought back the death penalty in 1973, the state will go five years without imposing any death sentences. No jury has handed down a death sentence since March 2014 and, with no capital trials scheduled for February or March, the state is nearly certain to reach the 5-year milestone. Experts attribute the decline primarily to two factors: improved death-penalty representation and the availability of life without parole. Georgia’s Office of the Capital Defender — a statewide death-penalty public defender office — represents nearly everyone facing the death penalty in the state. The capital defender has reduced the number of death sentences by thoroughly investigating the life and mental health histories of its clients and working with prosecutors before trials even begin to reach non-capital dispositions. In December 2015, Jerry Word, who heads the state defender office, credited those efforts with preempting numerous capital trials. Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in January 2019 that the capital defender’s office “has become real good at identifying mitigating factors for a defendant and talking about that with prosecutors long before lines are drawn in the sand. This has made a real difference, and you save the resources and the time required of a death-penalty case and the victims don’t have to go through the years-long process.” In 2014, only one of the state's 19 potential capital cases ended in a death sentence and, by the end of 2015, that case had been the only one of the preceding 71 cases handled by the capital defender that had resulted in a death verdict. Since 2015, the capital defender has closed 69 death-penalty cases, of which just five went to trial and none resulted in a death sentence. Both defense attorneys and prosecutors said that the availability of life without parole as a sentencing option also has fundamentally changed the way potentially capital cases are tried and the verdicts juries reach. Prior to 2009, life without parole was not an option in Georgia unless prosecutors actually sought the death penalty. Now, prosecutors may seek life without parole without capitally prosecuting a defendant. Cobb County District Attorney Vic Reynolds said, “the majority of prosecutors around the state are now convinced that a life-without-parole sentence actually means what it says. It’s made a huge difference.” As a result, prosecutors now file notices to seek death much less often. In 2005, Georgia prosecutors filed 40 notices of intent to seek the death penalty. By 2011, that number had dropped to 26, and in 2017, it was just three. The decline in death sentences paints a sharp contrast between the way cases were handled in the past and how they are handled today. According to Steve Bright, former director and president of the Georgia-based Southern Center for Human Rights, the people on Georgia’s death row did not commit worse crimes than today’s defendants, they simply faced a worse system. The state has executed 19 prisoners since a jury last imposed a death sentence in the state, in cases criticized as out of step with current practices and emblematic of systemic problems with the state’s death penalty. “Those are people who were sentenced to death some time ago often with lawyers who were not qualified to try a death-penalty case,” Bright said, describing Georgia’s death-row prisoners. “They are also people who would not be sentenced to death today.”
(Source: DPIC, 04/02/2019)
U.S. District Judge Amy Totenberg throws out death sentence of Eric Perkinson. A federal judge in Atlanta has thrown out the death sentence imposed against a man who carjacked and killed a 16-year-old Dunwoody High School student. Eric Perkinson must stand trial within 120 days on the question of whether he is intellectually disabled, Judge Totenberg ordered. Alternatively, he could be sentenced to life in prison. If a jury is to find Perkinson to be intellectually disabled, he would be ineligible to get the death penalty. In her ruling, Totenberg found that Perkinson’s lead attorney, Alan Medof, abandoned his client before and during trial, making him incapable of mounting a defense. Also, Totenberg faulted then-Superior Court Judge Jefferson Davis Jr. for refusing to delay the trial when Medof’s co-counsel, Chris Paul, pleaded for more time to prepare. During the 1999 trial, Perkinson, was convicted and sentenced to death for the murder of Louis Nava, a member of his school’s wrestling team. The killing occurred June 6, 1998, when Nava and his best friend, 17-year-old Dakarai Sloley, were carjacked in the Mount Vernon Shopping Center parking lot by Perkinson and 1 of his accomplices. With Nava shoved into the trunk and Sloley sitting in the passenger seat, they drove 40 miles to a secluded road in Bartow County. Perkinson marched Nava into the woods and fatally shot him in the head. Sloley was shot in the arm when he fled for his life. He flagged down a pizza deliveryman and later identified Perkinson as the gunman.
21 January 2019 :
Citing Evidence of Innocence, Race Discrimination, Court Grants New Trial to Former Death-Row Prisoner Johnny Lee Gates. A Georgia judge has granted a new trial to Johnny Lee Gates based on new evidence that excludes him as the source of DNA on implements used by the killer during the November 30, 1976 rape and murder of Kathrina Wright, 19, White. Gates, now 64, Black, was convicted and sentenced to death on September 1977 by an all-white jury in a racially charged case. In 1992, Mr. Gates' case was sent back to Muscogee County for a new sentencing trial on the question of mental retardation. His death sentence was overturned in 2003 based upon evidence that he is intellectually disabled (IQ of 65), and he was resentenced to life. DNA testing disclosed that Gates’s DNA was not found on a necktie and the bathrobe belt the prosecution said were used by the killer during the murder. In a January 10, 2019, decision overturning Gates’s conviction, Senior Muscogee County Superior Court Judge John Allen credited the analysis of defense DNA expert Mark Perlin that Gates’s DNA was not present on the evidence. Judge Allen noted that Perlin had trained the two Georgia Bureau of Investigation scientists the prosecution relied upon in the most recent court proceedings in the case and that the testimony of the FBI witnesses supported Perlin's conclusions. Judge Allen wrote that “the exclusion of Gates’ profile to the DNA on the two items is material and may be considered exculpatory” and entitled Gates to a new trial.
United States of America and Canada
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The Complete Series DVD Set!
Jump into the Final Frontier along with Paul and Jamie!
Honored with several awards including 10 Emmy®s, Mad About You is one of TV’s most beloved and popular comedies.
Mad About You explores the romantic ups and downs of an endearingly neurotic couple, Paul and Jamie Buchman, as they cope with marriage, mood swings, love and life. You’ll experience the ultimate in laughs and entertainment with shows featuring celebrity guests Lisa Kudrow, Carl Reiner, Sid Caesar, Estelle Getty, Bruce Willis, Hank Azaria, Cyndi Lauper and more. This is truly the ultimate collection filled with bonus features for everyone who is mad about Mad About You!
Starring: Helen Hunt, Paul Reiser, Tommy Hinkely, Anne Ramsay, Richard Kind and Leila Kenzle. Guest Stars: Mel Brooks, Hank Azaria, Nathan Lane, Carol Burnett, Cyndi Lauper, Ellen DeGeneres, Jerry Seinfeld, Lisa Kudrow and more!
A Golden Globe® and Emmy® winning series (4 Golden Globes and 12 Emmys).
The show had crossover episodes with a number of other popular NBC TV shows that were set in New York City such as Friends, Seinfeld, and The Dick Van Dyke Show.
First time the Complete Series is being released on DVD!
Set includes a host of bonus features including commentaries, featurettes, a blooper reel and more.
Purchase Mad About You: The Complete Series on DVD here!
Since 2014, I've been keeping you up-to-date on popular televisions shows that have completed their official run on DVD or Blu-ray; whether in Complete Series Box Sets or in Individual Season Sets. I'd love to hear your suggestions to improve your online experience! Please leave comments on any page you desire.
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Copyright 2018 www.CompleteTVSeriesOnDVD.com
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Tradition: Celebrating Azaleas at Landon
Carnival, music, sales of plants and more all part of the tradition of fundraising.
The two-and-one-half acre Perkins Memorial Garden at Landon School will be Open May 3–5 during the school’s annual Azalea Garden Festival. Photo by Peggy McEwan
By Peggy McEwan/The Almanac
The Landon School Azalea Festival, an annual celebration of natural beauty, fun, food and community, will be held this weekend, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, May 3 through Sunday, May 5 at the school, 6101 Wilson Lane, Bethesda.
Since 1954, the school has opened the campus gardens to the public to view the more than 15,000 azaleas at their peak of color. Colors, that is. The gardens are abloom with pink, red, white, fuchsia, orange, and bi-color plants of pink and white, growing together along paths near the Bradley Blvd. end of the 75-acre campus.
The azalea gardens were not originally a part of the Landon campus, according to a history of the Festival written five years ago by Debra Graham, chair of this year’s Festival.
“Renowned economist Milo Perkins and his wife Theron built the garden to honor the memory of their sons, Landon students George and Randy, who tragically lost their lives within five years of each other during World War II. Thanks to Mr. Perkins’ post with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the late 1930s and early 1940s, he was able to procure hundreds of azalea hybrids, and in 1944 he and Theron began to plant them in the garden. Soon, the garden was bursting with unique flowers,” Graham wrote.
Landon School purchased the Perkins’ home and gardens, located adjacent to the school campus, in 1954.
“That year marked the first-ever Azalea Garden Festival, as Mary Lee Banfield, [who, along with her husband Paul Banfield founded the school in 1929], sold azaleas from the garden to raise funds for the school,” Graham wrote.
Perkins Garden is also home to a number of hard-to-find specialty flowers, including Chugai and Kurume azaleas from Japan; Southern Indian azaleas; three Landon-themed azaleas: the Landon, the Landon Pride and the Princess Mary Lee (named for Mary Lee Banfield); and a selection of tree peonies and wildflowers.
In addition to walking along the paths surrounding Perkins House, festival goers can browse a selections of native wildflowers and perennials for sale under the Plant Tent, shop for upscale resale items at the Bearly Used sale in the gymnasium (the Landon mascot is a bear) or for new items among the 45 vendors in the Boutique.
“There will be an acre of carnival rides,” Graham said. “And a stage with music by Landon students and children’s entertainment.”
Graham said she and her committee are always searching for ways to add to the experience of festival goers.
To that end, magician The Great Zucchini and Rocknoceros, a children’s band, will perform at the Festival for the first time this year. Performances by the Great Zucchini are scheduled for noon on Saturday and 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Rocknoceros will go on at 1 p.m. Saturday and at 11:30 a.m. Sunday.
The Festival is still a fundraiser for the school.
“It is a fundraiser for financial aid [for students] and teacher’s programs,” Graham said.
The three-day Festival is made possible by the help of 500 parent volunteers, Graham said.
This is her second year as chairperson of the event although she has volunteered for several years, she said. She has one son who graduated from Landon and one who is a junior in high school there.
Admission and parking at the Azalea Festival are free, with entrance on Wilson Blvd. For more information, visit www.landon.net/azalea.
Bloomtown
Landon in Full Bloom
Potomac Spring Fun and Entertainment
Landon Hosts Azalea Garden Festival on May 5
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MRC Mad That Documentary Accurately Reported The Clintons Were Right-Wing Targets
Kristine Marsh complains in a Nov. 19 Media Research Center post:
On Sunday night’s miniseries The Clinton Affair, A&E took potshots at conservatives in their attempt to create a sympathetic portrayal of Bill and Hillary Clinton. While praising Clinton as a feminist president, the network gave soundbites to Democrats attacking anyone on the right who dared to criticize the political couple for their numerous scandals.
Right from the get-go, the series portrayed conservatives and Republicans as the villains of the story, with a barrage of soundbites from journalists, and Clinton operatives, attacking Newt Gingrich, independent counsel Ken Starr, and anyone who dared to be critical of the Clintons as fueled by “Republican lies,” out for a witch hunt against President Clinton:
Who did A&E blame for Hillary becoming an “object of hatred?” Right-wing commentators and Republicans of course. Immediately after those soundbites, the network played clips of Newt Gingrich and Rush Limbaugh criticizing Hillary for implementing policy as First Lady.
Marsh headlined her piece "A&E Docuseries Paints Clintons as Victims of Conservative Hatred" -- which is what, in fact, they were. She might wnat to check with her boss, Brent Bozell, who declared in 2001 that "Yes, Virginia, the vast right-wing conspiracy did exist all along!"
So the right didn't merely "criticize" the Clintons for their "numerous scandals" -- it targeted them from the get-go. It's not "liberal bias" to report that fact, no matter what Marsh claims.
WND's Farah, Tries To Bash Anti-Semitism, Complains Instead That White Men Are Being Blamed Too Often For Mass Violence
Being who he is (an inveterate liar and Muslim-hater), WorldNetDaily editor Joseph Farah just can't be good with a solid, uncontroversial denunciation of anti-Semitism. See how, in his Nov. 18 column, Farah takes things in another direction:
Jewish people were the victims of more reported hate crimes than any other religious minority in 2016, according to the most recent year of FBI statistics. In fact, those incidents were higher than the rest of religiously motivated hate crimes combined.
Last year, anti-Semitic incidents rose almost 60 percent, the largest single-year increase on record. The ADL found 1,986 cases of harassment, vandalism or physical assaults against Jewish people or institutions in 2017. It found 1,267 in 2016.
Does anyone ask why this should be?
No, not really. In fact, the numbers parallel the trends in Europe where immigration trends run high among Muslims, as they do in the U.S. There are now 3.45 million Muslims living in the U.S., up more than 1 million in the last decade.
Yet we look not at who is committing these crimes. In fact, let’s face it. Every time there is a terrorist attack in America, the news media starts the game of pin the tail on the gun-toting, Christian white guy. It is considered “racist” to examine demographic changes in communities and immigration trends as a contributing cause – just as it is now to consider the threat posed by MS-13 gangs throughout the country. It is also considered inappropriate to look at the changing ways we educate our children about matters of faith, morality, justice, equality under the law.
Farah seems not to understand that the reason white men are looked at as perpetrataors of mass shootings is because that's statistically likely -- more than half of mass shootings in the past 30-plus years have been committed by white men. And the worst act of violence against Jews in America -- the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that took place just a few weeks befvore Farah's column was published -- was perpetrated not by a Muslim but, rather, by a white man.
Indeed, by complaining that "demographic changes in communities and immigration trends" are not being examined as a "contributing cause" to mass violence, Farah seems to be justifying the Pittsburgh massacre. The shooter targed the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society for its work in bringing refugees into the U.S. -- an agency Farah's own WND has demonized for bringing too many Muslims into the country (which is to say, bringing any Muslims, period). So it's entirely possible that WND helped inspire the shooter, something WND has had a problem with over the years.
But Farah doesn't want to talk about that -- there are brown people to fearmonger about.
Farah is also a pro-Trump sycophant, so his column turns to the president as well:
How does Donald Trump get sandbagged with that smear – the father of a Jewish convert, the father-in-law of a Jewish man, a New York developer who has worked lifelong in the city with a population of 2.2 million Jews. Never before he ran for president was there even a single allegation of antisemitism or racism toward him or anyone close to him. It would have been considered preposterous. It should be considered just as preposterous and irresponsible today.
Can we stop the dangerous labeling of Trump and his supporters as anti-Semites and racists? Indeed, it is dangerous and inflammatory, and not just for the president and his supporters. It is also is an excuse for not examining the real symptoms, the real perpetrators, the real hatred and the forceful violent solutions to which they so readily resort.
Well, Joe, one gets tagged as having anti-Semitic when one rants that one's political opponent "meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty," is slow to disavow the support of white supremacist David Duke, tells Republican Jews he doesn't want their money, and inspires anti-Semitic attacks on his Jewish critics, among other things. It's not preposterous at all, which Farah would know if he had done the slightest bit of research before writing his column.
Farah concludes his column by declaring: "Never again. No more racism. No more bigotry. No more phony blame-gaming slanders. No more fake hate-baiting." That's an odd declaration from a man whose website was built on bigotry and slander (against Obama) and a lot of fake hate-baiting (of Muslims).
You want the hate to stop, Joe? You first.
CNS Responds To Migrant Caravan By ... Invoking Abortion?
CNSNews.com responded to the migrant caravan in the expected right-wing ways.
One of which was justifying the use of tear gas on the mmigrants and downplaying the fact that women and children felt their effects. An article by Susan Jones noted that "The American Civil Liberties Union tweeted that 'Tear gassing children is outrageous and inhumane,'" followed by the Border Patrol's parenthetical insistence that "The crowd that tried to crash across the U.S. border near San Diego on Sunday was comprised mostly of adult men, some of whom threw rocks at federal agents, who were vastly outnumbered." Another Jones article uncritically pushed Border Patrol spin that the tear gas was actually "a very low level of force." A third Jones article let another Border Patrol agent uncritically blame the parents: "What I find unconscionable is that people would intentionally take children into this situation."
CNS also trotted out loopy rabbi Aryeh Spero to rant that "It is a sign of ignorance and imbalance to compare and equate the plight of the Jews of the Holocaust with those who have joined the caravan to forcibly enter the U.S." because the migrants "reportedly have guns, are well fed, and have been offered residency in Mexico" and, by contrast, "None of the Jews wishing to come to America posed a threat of physical criminality, nor were they carriers of lethal drugs, or MS-13 gang members." Spero doesn't seem aware that MS-13 wasn't founded until the 1970s so such membership was an impossibilty in the late 1930s.
But CNS also offered probably the most bizarre take on the caravan in a Nov. 26 article by Emily Ward that irrelevantly invoked abortion:
The number of Hispanic babies aborted in 2015 in the 31 states and the District of Columbia that report their abortion numbers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (72,056) outnumbered the migrants estimated to be in the current caravan from Central America (approximately 10,000) by about seven to one, according to new abortion data published by the CDC and estimates of the number in the caravan published by the New York Times and the Washington Post.
In fact, there were more Hispanic babies aborted in New York City alone in 2015 (17,391), than there are people in the caravan today.
What, exactly, was the point of injecting abortion into this? Is Ward arguing that if abortion was illegal, enough women could be forced to have children that all immigration into the U.S. should be halted? We're confused.
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Nutritional anthropology
Title: Nutritional anthropology
Subject: Anthropology, Medical anthropology, Cognitive anthropology, Nancy Scheper-Hughes, Transpersonal anthropology
Economic, applied, and development
Embeddedness
Limited good
Inalienable possessions
Singularization (commodity pathway)
Spheres of exchange
Cultural capital
Provisioning systems
Hunting-gathering
Pastoralism
Nomadic pastoralism
Shifting cultivation
Peasant economics
Kula ring
Moka exchange
Gifting remittances
Organ gifting
Shell money
Aché people (hunter-gatherers)
Batek people
Colonialism and development
The Anti-Politics Machine
Europe and the
People Without History
Jim Crow economy
Original affluent society
Formalist vs substantivist debate
Culture of poverty
State formation
Heritage commodification
Anthropology of development
Major theorists
Paul Bohannan
Alexander Chayanov
Stanley Diamond
Raymond Firth
Jane I. Guyer
Keith Hart
Marvin Harris
Bronisław Malinowski
Sidney Mintz
Marshall Sahlins
Harold K. Schneider
Eric Wolf
Bioarchaeological
Ethnoarchaeological
Paleoethnobotanical
Zooarchaeological
Anthrozoological
Biocultural
Evolutionary
Palaeoanthropological
Primatological
Anthropological
Ethnological
Ethnopoetical
Research framework
Ethnography (online)
Thick description
Cultural relativism
Emic and etic
Evolution (sociocultural)
Kinship and descent
Colonialism / Postcolonialism
Key theories
Actor–network theory
Alliance theory
Cross-cultural studies
Cultural materialism
Culture theory
Interpretive
Anthropologists by nationality
Anthropology by year
Anthropology portal
Nutritional anthropology is the interplay between economic systems, nutritional status and food security, and how changes in the former affect the latter. If economic and environmental changes in a community affect access to food, food security, and dietary health, then this interplay between culture and biology is in turn connected to broader historical and economic trends associated with globalization. Nutritional status affects overall health status, work performance potential, and the overall potential for economic development (either in terms of human development or traditional western models) for any given group of people.
1 General economics and nutrition
1.1 General economic summary
1.2 Modes of production and nutrition
2 Globalization and nutrition
2.1 General summary of globalization
2.2 Land degradation
2.3 Land expropriation
2.4 Cash cropping
2.5 Delocalization and commoditization
2.6 Dietary health
General economics and nutrition
General economic summary
Most scholars construe economy as involving the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services within and between societies. A key concept in a broad study of economies (versus a particular econometric study of commodities and stock markets) is social relations. For instance, many economic anthropologists state that the reciprocal gift exchange, competitive gift exchange, and impersonal market exchange are all reflective of dominant paradigms of social relations within a given society. The main forms of economy extant around most of the world today, in terms of a simple production, distribution, consumption model, are subsistence based and market economies. Subsistence refers to production and consumption on a small-scale of the household or community, while a market-based economy implies a much broader scale of production, distribution, and consumption. A market economy also entails the exchange of goods for currency, versus bartering commodities or being under continuing reciprocal gift exchange obligations. This is not to say that market economies do not coexist with subsistence economies and other forms, but that one type usually dominates within a given society. However, a broad array of scholarship exists, stating that market economies are rapidly increasing in importance on a global scale, even in societies that have traditionally relied much more heavily on subsistence production. This economic shift has nutritional implications that this entry will explore further.
Modes of production and nutrition
The most important step in understanding the links between economics and nutrition is to understand major modes of production that societies have used to produce the goods (and services) they have needed throughout human history; these modes are foraging, shifting cultivation, pastoralism, agriculture, and industrialism (Park 2006). Foraging, also known as hunting and gathering, is a subsistence strategy in which a group of people gathers wild plants and hunts wild animals in order to obtain food. This strategy was the sole mode of existence for human beings for the vast majority of human history (inclusive of the archeological and fossil record) and continued to be practiced by a few groups at least into the middle part of the 20th century. This mode of production is generally associated with small, nomadic groups of no more than fifty, also known as bands. The vast majority of foraging societies do not acknowledge exclusive ownership of land or other major resources, though they do acknowledge primary use rights for groups and people may individually possess small objects or tools such as a bow or cutting tools. Because foraging usually involves frequent movement and taking food naturally available rather than altering landscapes for production, many scholars state the foraging has a minimal negative environmental impact compared to other modes of production. Though foragers are generally limited in absolute amount of food available in a given area, foraging groups such as the !Kung in the Kalahari Desert have often been cited as having a more diverse diet and spending less time per week procuring food than societies that practice other modes of production such as intensive agriculture.
Shifting cultivation is a mode of production involving the low intensity production of plant-based foods; this mode is also known as horticulture or ‘slash and burn agriculture’ in some texts. Horticultural societies are generally situated in semi-sedentary villages of a few hundred that clear a field and burn the cleared vegetation in order to use the ashes to nourish the soil (hence the phrase slash and burn). Next, the group plants a crop or crops in this clearing and uses it for cultivation for several years. At the end of this period, the entire village relocates and starts the process anew, leaving the old clearing fallow for a period of decades in order to allow regeneration through the regrowth of wild vegetation. These food items can be supplemented through the raising of livestock, hunting wild game, and in many cases with the gathering of wild plants (Miller 2005; Park 2006). Though periodic movement precludes absolute permanent ownership of land, some horticultural societies fiercely defend current territories and practice violence against neighboring groups. For instance, Napoleon Chagnon (1997) depicts the Yanamamo of Venezuela and Brazil as the “Fierce People”, though others have been highly critical of Chagnon’s account of this society. Horticulture can also produce a broad diet, and in some cases more food per unit of land area than foraging. Though populations of horticulturalists tend to have greater density than those of foragers, they are generally less dense than those which practice other modes of production. If practiced on a small scale, over a large area, with long fallow periods, horticulture has less negative environmental impact than agriculture or industrialism, but more than foraging (Miller 2005). Generally, horticulture coincides with a subsistence type of economy in terms of production, distribution. Pastoralism, defined as reliance on products from livestock coupled with a seasonal nomadic herding tradition, is similar to horticulture in that it is extensive in its use of land area. Social groups in pastoral societies tend to have similar numbers and population density to horticultural societies. Pastoral societies often trade animal products with agricultural societies for plant based foods to augment their diet. Frequent movement often means that pastoralism has a similar environmental impact to horticulture, though instances of overgrazing, and consequent land degradation (see later subsection under Globalization and Nutrition), have been sited in some cases. Pastoralism generally entails a greater reliance on meat or other animal products, such as milk or blood, than other modes of production. This mode of production has a similar use rights profile to shifting cultivation. Traditionally, pastoralism has coincided with a subsistence based economy, but in the last several decades, some pastoralist societies, such as Mongolia, have herded animals and practiced nomadic living patterns but have produced livestock primarily for market exchange. Agriculture, sometimes referred to as intensive agriculture, involves clearing and using the same plot of land for an extended period, sometimes several generations; it also involves the use of plows and draft animals in the preparation of land for planting and the cultivation of crops. Agriculture often supports much higher population densities than other modes of production (except industrialism) and agricultural societies can range in population from a few thousand into the millions. Though agriculture produces more food per unit of land area than the previously mentioned modes, the tendency of agricultural societies to focus on relatively few crops has often meant that these societies have much less diverse diets than foraging and horticultural societies. There is some archaeological and fossil evidence that populations in transition from foraging to agriculture have tended to suffer reduced stature, reduced musculature, and to exhibit other markers of malnutrition. Research has suggested that agriculture paradoxically allows a higher, but less healthy population for a given area. The advent of agriculture has marked that advent of social stratification in many parts of the world, with marked differentials in access to resources between segments of the same society. This mode of production also is more likely to entail permanent individual or family ownership of particular tracts of land than previously mentioned modes of production. Agriculture has co-occurred with both subsistence and market economies, often with a single society exhibiting some degree of both types of economies and has a more negative impact on the environment than the aforementioned modes of production. Industrialism combines agriculture with mechanized industrial production of goods through the use of fossil fuels. Additionally, industrial societies use mechanized equipment in order to prepare land for planting, harvest crops, and distribute food to locations distant from where the original crops were planted. Industrialism shows similar trends to agriculture in terms of population density, and environmental impact, except to a much greater degree. Dietary diversity can be highly variable under an industrial mode of production and can depend on access to foods produced for local subsistence on the one hand, or to income level and purchasing power visa vie foods available in food markets (Leatherman and Goodman 2005). Dietary diversity and nutritional health often correlate with the degree of social stratification within an industrial society and sometimes between societies. With the exception of Soviet model states, industrial societies are heavily based on the concept of private property rights and the accumulation of profit through “free enterprise”. The general trend for many societies over the past several millennia has been toward agriculture, and in the past two centuries, toward industrialism. Though these two modes of production are by no means superior to other modes in every respect, the fact that societies that practice them tend to have larger populations, higher population densities, and a more complex social structure has correlated with the geographic expansion of agricultural and industrial societies at the expense of societies emphasizing other modes of production. Concurrent with this trend toward intensified agricultural and industrial production has been the rise of the social and economic paradigm of capitalism, which entails the production and sale of goods and services in the market place in order to produce a profit. These trends have had profound implications for nutritional status for human beings on a global scale. In order to discern how broader economic and environmental trends affect a community’s food systems, food security, and nutritional status, it is important to summarize one of the most significant economic and ecological phenomena today, globalization. The next section will treat the linkages between economic and ideological trends over the last several centuries and environmental and political economic factors affecting access to food and nutritional status.
Globalization and nutrition
General summary of globalization
Though the scope and dimensions of globalization as most people currently construe it are of fairly recent origin, the broader phenomenon of global interconnections through cultural diffusion and trade is several centuries old. Starting in the late Fifteenth century, [1] In contrast to the “western” economic model, most early social scholarship about economics stressed the predominance of reciprocity as a primary driving force in traditional non-Western societies. Marcel Mauss referred to the gift as a “total social phenomenon”, fraught with ritual and socio political as well as material significance. Though some objects, such as armbands or shell necklaces in the kula ring that runs through several island groups off the coast of Papua New Guinea, might induce some form of prestige based competition, the terms of exchange are significantly different than a monetary transaction under a modern capitalist system. While Appadurai actually describes ritual objects as a type of commodity, he couches them as such under significantly different terms than the market-based types of commodity normally treated by economists. Annette Wiener criticizes earlier works in anthropology and sociology that depicted “simple” societies utilizing a simple version of reciprocity. Whatever the theoretical stance of social scholars on non-western traditional economies, there is a consensus that such essentials as food and water tended to be shared more freely than other types of goods or services. This dynamic tends to change with the introduction of a market-based economy into a society, with food coming to be increasingly treated as a commodity, rather than a social good or an essential component of health and survival.
Regardless of one’s overall perspective on the costs and benefits of economic globalization, there are several examples in social scholarship of groups of people suffering a decline in nutritional statues subsequent to the introduction of a capitalist market-based economy into an area that has previously practiced an economy based more on subsistence production and reciprocity. Although some people’s food security may improve with access to more steady income, many people in communities that have heretofore practiced a subsistence economy may experienced greater food insecurity and nutritional status due to insufficient income to replace the foods no longer produced by a household. Whether the growth of food insecurity and socioeconomic disparities in many parts of the world in recent decades is an inherent part of globalization or a temporary “growing pain” until economic development attains its full efficacy is a matter of debate, but there are many empirical examples of communities being dissociated from traditional means of food production and not being able to find sufficient wages in a new market economy to achieve a balanced and calorically sufficient diet. Several factors affecting food security and nutritional status range on a continuum from more physical phenomena such as land degradation and land expropriation, to more culturally and socio-politically driven things such as cash cropping, dietary delocalization, and commoditization of food; one important caveat is that all of these trends are interconnected and fall under a broad category of socio-cultural and economic disruptions and dislocations under the current paradigm of globalization.
Land degradation
Though Blakie and Brookfield acknowledge the problematic aspects of defining land degradation, with definitional variation depending in large part on the scholar or stakeholder in question, they do outline a general idea of reduced soil fertility and reduced ability of a given area of land to provide for people’s subsistence needs, as compared to earlier periods in human history on that same land area. Paul Farmer discusses the effects of land degradation in central Haiti on local people’s ability to produce sufficient food for their families within the environs of their own communities. Farmer links malnutrition in a Haitian village with vulnerability to infectious diseases, including tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS, both in terms of chance of infection and severity of symptoms for those infected. While the extremely low percentage of the U.S. population involved in agriculture strongly suggests that direct access to arable land is not an absolute necessity for food security and nutritional health, land degradation in many developing nations is accelerating the rate of rural to urban migration at a more accelerated rate than most major cities are equipped to handle. Leatherman and Goodman also allude to land degradation co-occurring with decreases in food security and nutritional status in some communities in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo. Walter Edgar discusses the correlation between land degradation and economic disruption, as well as nutritional hardship, in the U.S. state of South Carolina in the decades following the Reconstruction Period. Coupled with land expropriation, land degradation has the effect of thrusting unprepared subsistence producers or other peasant farmers into a fast paced and complex market economy heavily influence by policy makers who are far removed from the concerns and worldview of small scale farmers in developing countries.
Land expropriation
Occurring for a variety of reasons, land expropriation, or the disruption of traditional ownership of land by more powerful interests such as local elites, governments, or transnational corporations, can also markedly affect nutritional status. Robbins details examples in Mexico of peasants facing land expropriation in the face of agribusiness consolidation under the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); in many cases, these subsistence producers are forced either to migrate to cities or work sporadically as agricultural labors. Since most if not all food must be purchased under these circumstances, the food security and nutritional status of these newer additions to the pool of poor unskilled labor often declines. Another common impetus for expropriation is non-agricultural “economic development”, often in the form of tourism. In one Example, Donald MacLeod details curtailment of subsistence activities, mainly fishing and cultivation, in areas of the Canary Islands in the face of pressures from tourism interests wishing to monopolize the “pristine” beauty of locations catering to Germans and other tourists from EU nations. Ironically, local people see relatively little monetary benefit from the rise in tourism, as many vacations are planned by German tour companies (linked with all inclusive German owned resorts in the Canary Islands) and are paid for before tourists ever arrive at their vacation destination. Leatherman and Goodman and Daltabuit point to circumscription of land available for traditional milpa horticultural production in communities in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo in the face of growing demands for land for resorts by tourism interests, under the auspices of the Mexican national government. One expropriation scenario with a long history is cash cropping, where crops grown for revenue from exports are prioritized over crops grown for local consumption.
Cash cropping
In Sweetness and Power, written by Sidney Mintz in 1985, details examples of mono-cropping, or planting massive areas with one cash crop, in several Caribbean Islands, including Cuba. He states that Cuba went from being an economically diverse place with many small scale subsistence producers to a mono-crop plantation system dependent on cash from its sugar crop and substantial food imports for the later centuries of the Spanish Colonial Period. He describes Cuba as an example of growing impoverishment and malnutrition concurrent with increasing concentration of land and other resources in fewer hands. Gross and Underwood illustrate the mid Twentieth Century example of the advent of sisal production in Northeastern Brazil. These authors detail a vicious cycle of the unfulfilled promises of sisal production for smallholders; because owners of sisal processing machines did not think small farms worth their time, small holders could not process and sell their sisal and were often forced to work as laborers on large farms. Sisal is cited as being particularly insidious because it is hard to eradicate once introduced and makes subsequent subsistence production virtually impossible. This article treats a common situation of households prioritizing working males in food allocation, exposing growing children to malnutrition, particularly under nutrition and micronutrient deficiency, and all of its attendant ills. Edgar discusses how exclusive planting of cotton in the Southeastern United States during the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries caused substantial land degradation, lead to a great deal of land expropriation from small scale farmers, and occurred in a context of widespread malnutrition. Especially in Today’s complex, accelerated version of globalization, cash cropping is intimately linked with the delocalization of diets and the commoditization of food and has profound, though varied, implications for food security and nutritional status.
Delocalization and commoditization
In “Diet and Delocalization: Dietary Challenges since 1750”, Pelto and Pelto trace the concurrent historical development of global capitalism and dietary delocalization, a process in which increasing portions of diet for a household or community come from an increasing distance away from that same community. Nutritional scholars explicitly state that delocalization does not necessarily entail increased food insecurity and malnutrition, but that access to an adequate diet becomes increasingly removed from local control and increasingly contingent on access to hard cash or some other non-food precious resource. Leatherman and Goodman discuss the ironic result of their study in Quintana Roo that both the groups with the best and worst food security and nutritional status worked in service industries related to tourism, with the median group being a milpa community. They differentiate between those with stable employment and income who have access to a wide variety of foods on a regular basis and those with sporadic employment who struggle for caloric sufficiency within the household and have low dietary diversity. The main import of these examples is not that delocalization is universally negative, but that it tends to increase disparities of food security and nutritional status within and between social groups, with some segments suffering marked degradation of both. Closely linked with delocalization is food commoditization, or the treatment of food primarily as a market commodity, rather than prioritizing other uses, such as sustenance, human rights entitlement, or social relations. Dewey describes the deleterious effects of food commoditization for rural communities in Central America, to include reductions in food security and nutritional status. Much of tourism literature details marked increases in the commoditization of food subsequent to the introduction of tourism as a form of market based economic development. Dewey and Robbins also state that when food is primarily seen as a commodity by powerful interests, not only does such an ideology increase delocalization, but also land degradation and expropriation as elite land owners or transnational corporations cause massive social and ecological disruptions in the process of mono-cropping food crops over broad swaths of land in order to reap maximum profits from overseas sales. Indeed delocalization and commoditization have significant potential to diminish food security and nutritional status in poor communities over broad areas of the world.
Dietary health
In terms of food security and dietary diversity, which are defined as reliable access to a caloric sufficiency and access to a wide variety of macro and micro nutrients in order to maintain nutritive balance, respectively, the commoditization of food plays a key role in diminishing the control local populations have over their own subsistence production. Delocalization of food systems, which Pelto and Pelto[2] define as taking production of food out of a local subsistence context and tying it to geographically broader market systems, can precipitate marked cultural and nutritional disruption. Likewise commoditization of food systems, defined as a paradigm shift from one of subsistence or social significances shift toward one which treats food primarily as a market commodity,[3] can affect dietary health as well as collective identity. Commoditization tends to shift food security and dietary diversity away from integrated kinship or other reciprocal distribution networks toward being an issue of who can best compete in a free market to achieve these ends; indeed, commoditization has often been linked to breakdowns in food entitlements, which are defined as cultural or social norms that ensure food access for all members of a given social group.[4][5]
The deleterious effects of mild to moderate malnutrition (MMM) not only pertain to caloric insufficiency (often closely associated with food insecurity) but also to poor dietary diversity; in particular, curtailed access to protein, complex carbohydrates, zinc, iron, and other micronutrients.[4][6] The ways in which undernutrition and micronutrient deficiency interact with other health effects are myriad. The most obvious manifestation of MMM, stunting is defined as height and or weight below the standard range for a particular age group. However, far from being a mere difference in height and weight, stunting was correlated with a wide variety of health effects.[7] Closely related to stunting, level of physical activity closely articulates with nutritional status and affects childhood development. Chronically malnourished infants and toddlers showed decreased physical activity compared to supplemented groups or those who are adequately nourished.[8][9]
Perhaps, the most critical facets of human development correlated to nutrition levels are behavior and cognition; development in these two areas could have profound effects on life chances for individuals and populations. In comparing a group of southern Mexican children subject to MMM and a group in the same region who received dietary supplements, Chavez et al.[10] show a relation between MMM and poorer school performance; unsupplemented children showed poorer participation, greater degree of in-class distraction, more sleeping in class, and poorer performance on standardized tests. In addition, malnourished children showed poorer scores on intelligence quotient (I.Q.) tests than their supplemented counterparts.[11]
Of all the aspects of human existence, sexual reproduction may have the most detailed articulation with malnutrition. In populations subject to MMM, menarche occurs later (15.5 years) than in adequately nourished populations; an early average menopause (40.5 years) makes for a relatively short reproductive period for women in the study area for Chavez et al.[12] Because of longer postpartum periods of amenorrhea, birth spacing was an average of 27 months, versus 19 months.[12] Though longer birth spacing can help control population growth, the evidence that Chavez et al.[10] present suggest a curtailing of reproductive choice and adaptability due to malnutrition. This study also linked maternal MMM with higher infant and young child mortality.[13]
Another effect of MMM crucial to life chances is work capacity; MMM shows a cyclical pattern of decreasing work capacity and its rewards, further exacerbating the problem. Allen[14] found a correlation between reduced VO2 max rates among MMM populations and decreased muscular strength and endurance in the performance of strenuous manual labor. Although personal motivation can have a strong positive impact on individual work performance, better muscular development associated with a history of adequate nutrition increases overall work capacity, irrespective of effort. Among Jamaican cane cutters, those within normal size range cut more cane than those who showed stunting. One cultural variation in this trend was found among MMM Guatemalan workers who put forth work effort comparable to better nourished counterparts, but were likely to engage in resting behavior than in recreational or social activity during off hours.[15] In wage economies where workers get paid in proportion to productive output, reduced work capacity can translate to reduced food security, increasing the risk of MMM.
Additionally, malnutrition and infectious disease have a synergistic relationship that can lead to spiraling health deterioration. According to Allen,[14] the incidence of infectious disease does not vary significantly between MMM and adequately nourished populations, but the duration and severity of disease episodes is greater for MMM populations.[14] A key reason for this disparity is that infectious disease often results in poor food intake and nutrient absorption. Not only do sick people generally eat little, but what they do eat is often of minimal benefit due to nausea and diarrhea.[16]
Aside from MMM due to under-nutrition or micro-nutrient deficiency, over-nutrition, defined as the consumption of too many calories for one’s body size and physical activity level,[17] is also becoming an increasingly significant problem for much of the World. Overnutrition has been associated with obesity, which the USDA[18] and McEwen and Seeman[19] correlate with increased risk of type II diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and stroke. Overnutrition is also often associated with the co-occurrence of caloric sufficiency (or over-sufficiency) and micronutrient deficiency, as is often the case where processed foods that are high in calories, but low in most nutrients, increase in dietary prominence.[17][18][20] Leatherman and Goodman[4] and Guest and Jones[21] discuss the growing coincidence of stunting and other symptoms of MMM and obesity within developing nations, sometimes within the same community. This trend can be linked to changing economies and food practices in much of the World under contemporary economic globalization.
^ Pelto and Pelto (2000)
^ Dewey (1989)
^ a b c Leatherman and Goodman (2005)
^ Messer et al. (1998)
^ Crooks (1998) pp.339-355
^ Chavez et al. (2000) pp.237-251
^ Allen (1984) pp.172-173
^ a b Chavez et al. (2000)
^ a b Chavez et al. (2000) pp.236, 239
^ Chavez et al. (2000) p.236
^ a b c Allen (1984)
^ Allen (1984) p.173
^ a b Crooks (2000)
^ a b USDA (2005)
^ McEwen and Seeman (1999)
^ Evans (1986)
^ Guest and Jones (2005)
Greenspan, Alan (2007), The Age of Turbulence: Adventures in a New World. New York: Penguin Press
Gross, Daniel G., and Barbara A. Underwood (1971), Technological Change and Caloric Cost: Sisal Agriculture in Northeastern Brazil. American Anthropologist 73(3):725-740
Guest,Greg, and Eric C. Jones (2005), Globalization, Health and the Environment: an Introduction. In Globalization, Health, and the Environment. G. Guest, ed. Lanham: Altamira Press
Himmelgreen, David A., Nancy Romero Daza, Maribel Vega, Humberto Brenes Cambronero, Edgar Amador (2006), “The Tourist Season Goes Down but not the Prices.”: Tourism and Food Insecurity in Rural Costa Rica. Ecology of Food and Nutrition 45:295-321
International Monetary Fund (2008), About the IMF. Electronic Document, imf.org accessed April 8, 2008
Leatherman, Thomas L., and Alan Goodman (2005), Coca-colonization of Diets in the Yucatán. Social Science and Medicine 61(4):833-846
MacLeod, Donald V. L. (1999), Tourism and Globalization of a Canary Island. The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 5(3):443-456.
MacLeod, Donald V. L. (2004) Tourism, Globalization and Cultural Change: an Island Community Perspective. Toronto: Channel View Publications
Malinowski, Bronislaw (1961), Argonauts of the Western Pacific. Long Grove, Illinois: Waveland Press, Inc
Mauss, Marcel (1990[1950]), The Gift: the Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies. New York: Norton
McEwen, Bruce, and Teresa Seeman (1999), Allostatic Load (Summary). John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Research Network on Socioeconomic Status and Health, Electronic Document, [www.macses.usf.edu/Research/Allostatic/notebook/allostatic.html usf.edu]
Messer, Ellen, Marc J. Cohen, and Jashinta D’Costa (1998), Food from Peace: Breaking the Links Between Conflict and Hunger In Food, Agriculture, and the Environment. Discussion Paper 24. Washington: IFPRI
Mintz, Sidney (1985), Sweetness and Power: the Place of Sugar in Modern History. New York: Penguin
Miller, Barbara D.(2005), Cultural Anthropology. 3rd edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc
Park, Michael A. (2006), Introduction Anthropology: an Integrated Approach. 3rd edition. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc
Polanyi, Karl (1957), The Economy as Instituted Process. In Trade and Market in the Early Empires. Karl Polanyi, Conrad Arensberg, and Harry Pearson, eds. New York: Free Press
Pelto, Gretel H., and Pertti J. Pelto (1989), Small but Health? An Anthropological Perspective. Human Organization 48(1): 11-15
Pelto, Gretel H., and Pertti J. Pelto (2000) Diet and Delocalization: Dietary Changes Since 1750. In Nutritional Anthropology: Biocultural Perspectives on Food and Nutrition. Alan H. Goodman, Darna L. Dufour, Gretel H. Pelto eds. Mountain View, California: Mayfield Publishing Company
Robbins, Richard H. (2005), Global Problems and the Culture of Capitalism. 3rd edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Sahalins, Marshall (1972), Stone Age Economics. Chicago: Aldine
Saitta, Dean J. (1998), Linking Political Economy and Human Biology: Lessons from North American Archaeology. In Building a New Biocultural Synthesis: Political-Economic Perspectives on Human Biology. Ann Arbor, Michigan: University of Michigan Press
Seckler, David (1980), “Malnutrition”: an Intellectual Odyssey. Western Journal of Agricultural Economics 5(2):219-227
Sen, Amartya K. (2001), Development as Freedom. Oxford: Oxford University Press
Smith, Carol (1993), Local History in Global Context: Social and Economic Transitions in Western Guatemala. In Constructing Culture and Power in Latin America. Daniel H. Levine, ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press
Stonich, Susan (1991), The Political Economy of Environmental Destruction: Food Security in Southern Honduras. In Harvest of Want: Hunger and Food Security in Central America and Mexico. Scott Whiteford and Anne E. Ferguson eds. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press
WorldHeritage references cleanup from September 2013
All articles needing references cleanup
Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from September 2013
All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify
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Nancy Scheper-Hughes
Anthropology, Medical anthropology, Israel, Psychological anthropology, Culture
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A Song for Saturday
Dar Williams and the war on women:
More Thoughts on Blogging
I have a post in the oven about this furor-provoking Atlantic Monthly opinion piece. "In the oven" sounds considerably more pleasant than the process itself. Some topics make me suffer, they do. It's like running the marathon (which I have never done) while fighting a 200 lb black belt in martial arts (which I have done). The hope is that whenever I finally get it written it will have been worth it.
Of course by that time the soundbites are about the most recent shocking revelations on the topic of how equality just means that women shoot themselves in that foot which really should be operated on to make it fit into f**k-me-now six-inch stiletto heels.
That's a real problem in wanting to think things through. One is late for the horse-races. But a goddess must weigh her choices carefully and I'd rather be right and lonely than wrong and popular. Of course I'd prefer an apartment in Paris and faithful admirers everywhere.
Sigh. That's the first problem. I should have called myself the goddess of the snails.
The second problem is that "furor-provoking." Provoking furor sells. It increases readers and increased readers increase donations and advertising income and other pitiful forms some goddesses try to eke out a part of their living.
Anger has its rightful place, especially righteous anger. It's a good form of clean-burning energy and women in general should use their anger in constructive ways. But anger provoked just to create more divide et impera for the powers-that-be? That's an old method of ruling: Telling people that they must all fight over the crumbs under the table of the actual rulers, that the enemy is that other person crawling there next to you, not the guys and gals sitting at the table. The mummy/mommy wars are real but they are also excellent devices to keep women divided and thus easier to control.
We should probably all get anger training. Some of us need to reign our anger in more, others need to let it out albeit in controlled ways. But the kind of anger Wurtzel's piece provokes is not going to be used for any kind of constructive energy.
This is why I don't want to join in the debates as such although the basic theoretical reasons why the debates exist need to be analyzed. And that is why I want the anger aimed at the real culprit: The system and its myths and how they manage us, not on other women.
But what I do want to write is probably too theoretical and too arid. I've jotted all the basic ideas down on various slips of paper around the Snakepit Inc.. When I look at them I think they are a book, not a blog post.
The third problem in blogging is always trying to know what is general and what is specific. Which of my weird ideas were spawned by nothing than my weird mind and which are general ideas but not so general that a reader might just go "duh, how obvious?" Mostly I cannot tell without writing the post and seeing what happens. On those weird ideas: Do you rescue insects which have entered your dwelling uninvited? And if you do, how do you go about it? Do you talk to them and then offer your arm as a landing field? And are the daddy longlegs the only ones who refuse your help?
1. From George Takei's Facebook page:
Note the second from the top. It's the reigning mood of the Twilight series.
2. This is sorta serious but the underlying assumptions that require it to be said are funny:
Foot-in-the-Mouth Disease Among Michigan Republicans
Remember the Michigan Vagina Control Monologues? The ones in which Democratic State Representatives were not allowed to join:
State Reps. Lisa Brown, D-West Bloomfield, and Barb Byrum, D-Onondaga, were told today that they wouldn’t be recognized to publicly speak on any matters before the House because of comments they made Wednesday during an emotional debate on a bill that puts new restrictions on abortion providers.
Brown, who voted against the legislation, told supporters of the bill, “I’m flattered you’re all so concerned about my vagina. But no means no.”
And Byrum was gaveled out of order after she protested when she wasn’t allowed to speak on her amendment to the bill that would have required proof of a medical emergency or that a man’s life was in danger before a doctor could perform a vasectomy.
Today was the last day of session for the House before it takes a long summer break.
The Republicans in Michigan decided to make things worse for them by first clarifying their position this way:
Just to be clear, despite the misinformation being spread by Reps. Brown and Byrum, and Sen. Gretchen Whitmer, there are two representatives not being recognized on the House floor today because of their actions yesterday. It has nothing to do with their gender, their religion or the topic they were discussing. All day today, we have had representatives of both parties, both genders and several different religions passionately debating important issues that will significantly impact the future of Michigan. I would urge you not to become too distracted by temper tantrums designed to score political points.
I bolded the crucial words for you.
And what did they do next, to clarify their position? This:
Michigan state Rep. Wayne Schmidt (R) recently compared prohibiting two Democratic women legislators from speaking to punishing a child.
“It’s like giving a kid a timeout for a day,” he told Lansing radio host Patrick Shiels. “You know, hey, timeout, you wanna comment too far, you spoke your piece. We’re gonna let these other people have their dissenting comments, and then we’ll get back to business.”
Hmm. Do we detect a pattern here? Heh.
The Right To Work
Those euphemisms are really funny. Because the Right To Work laws pretty much should be called the Right To Workers laws. Michigan, the state where vagina is a naughty word, is also debating the adoption of the Right To Workers laws.
A Baby in the Briefcase! Look What Feminism Did!
Here's something for you to ponder: The role of the Atlantic Monthly in the gender wars. I first spotted it when Caitlin Flanagan ruled supreme about the desirability of returning to imaginary 1950s gender roles, it continued with articles which told uppity women that the sky is falling (no good men), that men are going extinct (The End of Men) and it may have culminated with that blog post about how men are discriminated against in the US economy. Though perhaps that was not the culmination. I may be just oversensitive because I got called feminist scum in the comments.
But most recently the Atlantic seems to try to eat its cake and save it, too, by posting two at least quasi-feminist takes on the issues of women and work. Well, on the issues of pretty well-off educated women and the kind of work they are trained for.
This post is about one of those two articles, Anne-Marie Slaughter's piece fetchingly titled
Why Women Still Can't Have It All
Too bad that the whole message for those sailing past the actual article is in what I have shown you here because the article is much more complicated though still essentialist. But that short message is the usual one the Atlantic Monthly has been sending to uppity women.
I encourage you to read Slaughter's article because she makes several good points. But I also urge you to notice that the scenario she discusses involves living apart from her family during the weekdays while her husband takes care of their two young sons. It is this arrangement that raises her doubts about whether women can have it all. Of course any parent living apart from his or her family cannot have it all, given that the family is in another geographic location. That's also true for the Philippine nannies who come to the US while leaving their own children at home.
I'm utterly sick of something that crops up in this context, so sick that I need to write about it before discussing any of the issues Slaughter brings up in her piece.
This is the way feminism, out of all social justice movements, is the only one blamed for anything that might go wrong in women's lives. Advocate for wider avenues for women? If they are not as wide as we may have hoped, blame feminists, that lazy work crew which should have fixed the roads by now!
Urge women who want to have a career to pursue it? You get told off for "having sold a fiction to younger women."
You know, I have read extensively in the literature of the second wave of feminism and I don't recall anyone promising that all women can have it all or that there would be no resistance for entrenched sexism. Such a book probably exists somewhere but the "have-it-all" phrase probably came out of silly popularizations. Do people really believe that anyone, man or woman, can have it all? To rephrase the idea that women, just as men, have a right to have both a family and meaningful work has now become "have it all?" And nope, you cannot have it!
All that feminism-bashing! Even Slaughter refers to that silly study about why women are presumably less happy now than when they were all tethered to their traditional roles! That must be the fault of feminism so let's turn back the clock!
Be my guest. Better still, turn it back to Afghanistan-time and see whether the work of past feminists had any value at all.
It's enough to make a goddess want to give up.
Now to the meat in the article: Slaughter's own personal example of "no-she-couldn't-have-it-all" is an extreme case because she clearly is having it all with her academic job (if "having it all" means both meaningful full-time work and time with the family). But the points she makes are relevant for women in less high-flying occupations: The US labor market is still organized on the implicit assumption that every worker has a wife at home to take care of everything.
This can amounts to structural discrimination when combined with the expected gender of those who are responsible for the running of the household, the care of minor children and the care of elderly and sick relatives.
Slaughter's essentialist argument is a bit trickier to handle. She appears to state that had it been her husband who spent weeks in Washington D.C. while she continued working at Princeton and taking care of the children it all would have worked out better. Her reason is that she felt she cared more than her husband did, in essence. In the attached video she argues for a different essentialist explanation: That with three males in the house her presence was needed to balance the testosterone.
What about the implications of this piece, then? It has several good points, about the arrangements in the labor market and about the fact that most of us do really want to have both love and work, just as we need both food and water. It mentions that work-home balance is an issue younger men are also confronted with because of the more involved fathers of the current generation. And it urges for societal change, not just individual adaptations.
On the other hand, it's about a very privileged situation and some of the undertow is not helpful for most mothers in the labor force who need the paycheck and need good and affordable daycare. Things like flexible work arrangements tend not to seep down in these kinds of organizations. They are mostly helpful in the more powerful types of jobs. And it's still true that the employers are not going to reward women for being family-centered, rather the reverse, because that is seen as a signal about someone planning to quit.
Which means that the societal change she is looking for might be slow in coming.
Oh, I nearly forgot! Do read Rebecca Traister's take on this.
Life Is Complicated
Sometimes I despair of people's desire for very simple solutions to complicated problems. Life is complicated, human behavior is complicated and the causes for many phenomena are myriad and interacting. Yet what most people want are the kinds of explanations which can be made into television soundbites or which can be understood immediately by a person who has no training in the field.
Hence the popularity of, say, evolutionary psychology where my guesses about the past are as good as your guesses about the past, and neither one of us needs actual data from that imaginary past! We can just make up simple explanations. That's partly why those theories apply to so many. Why they apply to misogynists goes without saying.
Take that Search For Simple Answers to politics and you get Ron Paul believing in some weird god of free markets who will take care of everything for him. He's not the only politician or public person who loves Simple-But-Wrong-Answers, and they are not all on the right side of the political aisle. But that search for simplicity appears to be almost universal. And very wrong.
I've been following the obesity debates and the same thing is going on there: The Search For One Cause. It's much more likely that the causes are many and that they, once again, interact, though I'm willing to bet quite a lot that the most important part of that puzzle is some change in the practices of the food industry, sometime before 1980s. Other causes do, however, also exist. But the change in extreme obesity levels, in particular, was too fast to be caused purely by lifestyle changes and the shape of obesity itself looks to me to have changed as well. Fat deposits on the sides, even in an otherwise thin person, for instance.
The obesity debate is also interesting in revealing that unpleasant moralizing side of Americans (and probably people in general). If only we all had enough willpower we'd all be slim and supple! This turns the focus to purely individual solutions, purely individual failings and leaves the societal changes and frameworks unaffected. Never mind that the food industry advertises soft drinks all the time! Never mind that exercise has been cut in schools, that fears of pederasts make middle-class parents keep their children indoors and that the environment really is too dangerous for poor children to play outside. Never mind that healthy food is expensive and bad food is cheap. It's all about willpower and even that is assumed to be something you can acquire if you are good enough.
OK, that aside was more like a rant. It's a hot day here at Snakepit Inc..
The Search For Simple Answers often has false duality built into it. If the choices for an explanation are apples or bananas we tend to accept the initial setup and vote for either apples or bananas. But what if the cause is in both? Or in neither? Public political debates are usually set up in those falsely dualistic terms and any attempt to explain that things are more complicated becomes inaudible. For some weird reason.
Then take the reductio ad absurdum. This is a common trick in political debates: All liberals want to live off the government so that only conservatives end up working hard and paying all taxes. All feminists want to kill unborn babies.
Substitute your own reverse argument for that one. Then note how common such arguments are in political squabbling. There's no good way of responding to those arguments, by the way, not because they were true (they are not) but because the debate would deteriorate into addressing an absurd argument. Their point is not to present facts but to express loathing or hatred of the political opposition, and they work for that purpose.
The soundbite mode of public conversation makes things much worse, much more focused on short emotional comments. Think of Twitter or television programs. Television, in particular, may warp our understanding more than it aids it, given the short amount of time one has for presenting complex issues. The one with the funniest soundbite wins!
Let's Drop Ron Paul Into A Jungle
Armed with a machete (I'm kinder than he would be) but nothing else. That's the sort of world he desires, the sort of world he thinks we should all desire, the sort of world he believes he would thrive in.
Or so I surmise, from this:
During an interview on MSNBC Tuesday, Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul admitted that he got a monthly Social Security check, a program that he eventually wants to eliminate (video below).
Rep. Paul said: “I want young people to opt out of Social Security."
Guest Sam Stein then asked: “Are you on Social Security? Do you get Social Security checks?”
“I do,” Paul replied.
Stein countered: “You just told younger generations that they should wean themselves off of this social contract but you haven’t done it yourself. You’re not the wealthiest man in Congress, I’m not saying that. But you have enough means to take care of yourself in retirement. Shouldn’t you provide an example?”
Rep. Paul answered: “No. I think the programs are so designed, just as I use the post office too. I use government highways. I do that too. I use the banks. I use the Federal Reserve system. But that doesn’t mean you can’t work to remove this. The same way on Social Security, I am trying to make a transition. I personally don’t see any inconsistency in that."
Never mind the do-as-I-say-not-as-I-do bit. Focus on the fact that Paul wants to get rid of government highways, the post office and Social Security. He believes in some weird nonexistent god of "free" markets, without apparently ever having gotten far enough in Economics 101 to learn about externalities or uncertainty or lack of information. His "free" markets are a weird religious concept, defined by the Deus ex Machina of Greek plays. The markets just work if you give them a chance!
A guy who doesn't want federal highways really would be happy in that jungle. He could cut his own roads, hang his own lanterns for street lights and fight the predators with that machete.
The video of his comments:
Mitch McConnell: Lying Accidentally On Purpose?
McConnell is the Senate Republican leader and he doesn't like the US tax system. It's too progressive!
In an interview that aired on "CBS This Morning" Tuesday, the Kentucky Republican said he is ready to sit down with "this president or the next president" and have an animated discussion about the tax code to "reach a conclusion" that would bring down the ballooning U.S. deficit.
"Almost 70 percent of the federal revenue is provided by the top 10 percent of taxpayers now. Between 45 percent and 50 percent of Americans pay no income tax at all. We have an extraordinarily progressive tax code already. It is a mess and needs to be revisited again," McConnell said in the interview, taped Monday.
What McConnell wants is a less progressive system, one in which the tax burden of the poor will rise and the tax burden of the rich will drop. This in a country where 400 people have more wealth than 50% of all Americans.
Yes, I know wealth is not income. I referred to the wealth comment because of the vast income and wealth inequalities in this country. Given those inequalities, McConnell's comment is disgusting.
It's also false:
Claim: The top 10 percent wealthiest Americans pay 70 percent of federal income taxes.
Fact: This statistic presents a deeply misleading picture of the actual federal tax burden because (1) it fails to include payroll taxes, which every worker pays, and which fall disproportionately on the middle class, and (2) because it doesn’t reflect that high-income Americans earn a disproportionate share of income.
• Payroll taxes account for 34 percent of federal revenues. They only apply to income earned on the job – not income from capital gains on investments, which make up a much greater share of the income of the top 10 percent. And payroll taxes for Social Security are capped at $106,800.
• For both of these reasons, wealthier Americans face a disproportionately lower burden from payroll taxes. According to the independent, non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, the wealthiest 10 percent only pay 25 percent of all payroll taxes.
• Counting both payroll and income taxes, the top 10 percent only pay about 50 percent of that tax burden – not much larger than their share of our nation’s income (around 42 percent).
• The top 10 percent (households earning an average of nearly $400,000) has been earning a larger and larger share of our nation’s income. Twenty years ago, they accounted for 34 percent of our nation’s income. In the past twenty years – as tax rates have fallen for the highest earners – the income share of the top 10 percent has grown to 42 percent of our nation’s earnings.
• This aggregate figure also masks the fact that certain high-income Americans pay far less than others—and less than the middle class. That’s what the Buffett Rule is meant to address.
Got it? What the US has is a very mildly progressive tax system with respect to federal income taxes and payroll taxes combined. It is NOT extraordinarily progressive, and if we add state taxes and sales taxes and all other taxes it comes out roughly proportional.
A small detour on the concepts of progressive, regressive and proportional taxes is in order. A proportional tax means that the taxes you pay are the same percentage of each dollar you earn, whether you earn a lot or only a little. The tax rate (e.g. 0.3 for a 30 cent tax on each dollar) remains constant. This is the flat tax plan many conservatives support. Sounds fair, right? Everyone pays the same percentage! But wait...
A regressive tax rate decreases as one's income rises. The more you earn the less tax you pay on the last dollar you earned. For instance, you might pay 30% on each dollar earned up to, say, 20,000 dollars a year, then 20% on each dollar earned for incomes between 20,000 and 50,000 and so on. Regressive taxes are seldom sold that way because of their obvious unfairness.
A progressive tax rate increases as one's income rises. The more you earn the more tax you pay on the last dollar you earned. Thus, you might pay 20% on each dollar earned up to 20,000 dollars a year, then 30% on each dollar earned for incomes between 20,000 and 50,000 and so on. Progressive tax systems are common in practice.
And there are good reasons for that. The obvious one is that one cannot squeeze blood from a stone. It is easier for the government to get money by going where the money is. But there are deeper reasons for progressivity.
Consider someone very poor. So poor that getting enough food and safe housing is extremely difficult. If that person had to pay proportional income taxes those taxes could cause starvation. To avoid that outcome, the government has two choices: Either exempt the poor from paying income taxes (which turns the system into a progressive one) or set the tax rate (percentage of taxes on each dollar) so low that even the poorest of the poor can afford to pay it. The latter would mean a government which wouldn't be able to afford anything, not even the kinds of things drown-the-government-in-a-bathtub conservatives want it to be able to afford.
The deeper theoretical reason is this: We want income taxes to be fair in terms of actual sacrifice. But the sacrifice of, say, an additional 100 dollars in taxes, is not the same for a person earning a million a year and a person earning 30,000 a year, because the value of money declines the more of it one has. Just ask yourself under which income scenario you are more likely to take a cab when it rains.
What this means is that in order to have fair taxes (everybody contributes the same sacrifice) we need to have progressive taxes. Probably even McConnell agrees on this. But he regards the current, mildly progressive income tax system as extraordinarily progressive!
The real world tax system is messier than the simple case I've described, what with deductions and loopholes and so on. Often (but not always) those work to reduce progressivity. For instance, to take advantage of the mortgage interest deduction you need to have enough money to get a loan from the bank for a house or an apartment, and only the wealthy can take advantage of intricate financial tax planning.
That's it from me, pretty much. Except that I should note the reason why such a large percentage of taxpayers pay no federal income tax: It's Republican tax cutting policies. Those still cannot apply to only the rich so every such proposal has pushed more people into the group of non-payers. Note, also that those Americans do pay other kinds of taxes, including payroll taxes.
Today's Picture
From the Michigan State Capitol, on the reading of the Vagina Monologues. Thanks to knuckles for the link:
Credit.
This links to the Vagina Control Monologues ongoing in so many American states.
More On The Labor Market Sexism Study
After thinking about the results (i.e. that men with stay-at-home-wives have more sexist views of women in the labor force) I believer that the role of religion might be what drives the findings. The researchers do mention religion in the preface to the study:
Finally, another benefit may be spiritual in nature since specific tenets within religious doctrines sometimes focus on gender relations and men’s and women’s roles for childrearing (Davis & Greenstein, 2009). So, for instance, a follower of a particular religion may feel more spiritually endowed by believing that it is women’s primary responsibility to nurture the children in her family (Hinckley, 1995).
They also indicate that they controlled for religion as a background variable but did not report the results on that due to space constraints.* But the kind of religious impact I'm looking for would not be reflected in Christian/Jewish/Muslim etc. and not even in more specific denominational information.
What would be needed is knowledge about fundamental religions. It's likely that fundamentalist believers would have stay-at-home-wives and it's also possible that those are the beliefs which drive the results. After all, stating that one group exhibits more sexist opinions does not mean that all members of that group do so; simply that there are more such expressions in one group than in the other group.
This is just a guess and could be wrong. But it might make sense to gather data on the fundamentalism axis of religions for a study of this type.
Are Men With Stay-At-Home-Wives More Sexist Than Men With Wives in the Labor Force?
An interesting study missed my snake-eye view in early June. It's really a group of studies, done in different ways, but all on the same topic: How married heterosexual men with stay-at-home wives differ from married heterosexual men who have wives who work (in the labor market) when it comes to their views about women in the workforce.
Turns out that the former men express more sexist sentiments about women than the latter group of men. The crucial question, for the researchers, is the chicken-and-egg problem: Do men with more sexist values choose to have marriages where the wife stays at home? Or does having a wife who stays at home make men more sexist in their opinions about women at work?
Perhaps both are true at the same time?
All the sub-studies are worth having a look at, but I'd like to address only one of them, the fourth study in the paper*:
Studies 1-3 focused on passive attitudes of men in different marriage structures toward women. In Study 4, we examined whether these men would actively engage in actions that would prevent women in the organization from advancing their careers. A second goal of the study was to examine our hypothesis using a sample of men who might be accustomed to making important decisions—managers. To this end, we conducted a controlled quasi- experiment using male managers that were married and working full time. In this study, we examined if compared to men from modern marriages, men from traditional marriages deny qualified female employees opportunities for promotion (Hypothesis 4).
I picked this study for closer scrutiny because the subjects in it are managers which means that they might have real power to influence how their subordinates fare. Also, this study is a pretty neat experiment. It consists of telling the 232 male accountants in the study that they are to judge the desirability of a candidate for a fictitious but fantastic MBA program (on full pay) and a consecutive promotion at work. The study subjects were asked to either recommend or not recommend the candidate for admission in the program, and they were told that accuracy is very important.
I bet you can guess what the researchers did next. That's right. Roughly half of those 232 accountants were given a package of information about a candidate called Diane Blake, the rest were given the same package but the candidate's name was David Blake.
I love these types of studies because they control for the possibility that David might, in fact, be the better candidate. Given that the information about Diane is the same as the information about David, an unbiased assessment should find the two candidates equally good.
And indeed that is what happened in the current study. A test attempting to establish whether the study subjects thought one person was more qualified than the other person showed no difference. Thus, the study subjects did not attribute lower skills or ability to Diane or David.
Given this, it is fairly shocking that men with stay-at-home wives were significantly less likely to regard Diane a good fit with the MBA program than David. Remember that this doesn't seem to arise from the kind of sexism where Diane is viewed as less able (even though she cannot be, given the same information for both candidates).
So what's going on here? It could be that the men with stay-at-home wives believed that the fictitious Diane would be more likely to quit for family reasons than the fictitious David. But as both pretend-people already had 25 years of work experience this seems unlikely to be the main explanation.
Whatever the proper explanation, this study suggests that managers with certain gender values could harm the career prospects of women. Those values correlate with having what the researchers call "a traditional marriage."
*Ever since I got the Mac I've had trouble with linking to pdf articles. Let me know where I can find the link, please. Also note that the methods in this paper come across as somewhat basic (off the statistics textbook) to me. This is less of a problem because the different studies use different methods. Thus, the findings are unlikely to be caused by simple methodological problems. But one should be careful about not imputing too much power to the findings.
A Guest Post by Anna: A Feminist Literary Canon, Part Three: 1900-1950
Adeline Virginia Woolf (1882 –1941) was an English writer, considered one of the most important modernist literary figures of the twentieth century. Her most famous works include the novels Mrs. Dalloway (1925): Orlando: A Biography (1928), and the book-length essay A Room of One's Own. (1929).
Mrs. Dalloway concerns Clarissa Dalloway, a woman in post-WW1 England, in a single day in her life. Clarissa at first appears to be a typical housewife, though she finds ways to express herself in the parties she throws, and of course her thoughts find expression in the novel itself, challenging the idea that women do not think much on matters other than stereotypical ones. The novel also brings up homosexuality in the fact that Clarissa recalls being very attracted to her old friend Sally Seton, but “had not the option” to be with her; Virginia Woolf herself had several same-sex relationships, though she was married. The novel eventually reveals that Sally Seton is now married and has become a typical housewife, far from the independent figure she once was.
Orlando: A Biography concerns an immortal man who magically changes sex. Despite the restrictions on women at the time (which the book acknowledges) the character Orlando concludes, “Praise God I’m a woman!”
A Room of One's Own is a nonfiction essay arguing for both literal and figurative space for women writers. It most famously declares that “a woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction,” noting that few women in the past did, so their failure to produce great literature should not be considered a failure of genius. It also discusses the low opinion in which women’s intellect and writing was often held, and their lack of access to education; Woolf herself was not sent to college, though her brothers were.
Mrs. Dalloway can be read in English here.
Orlando: A Biography can be read in English here.
A Room of One's Own can be read in English here.
Simone-Ernestine-Lucie-Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir, often shortened to Simone de Beauvoir (1908 –1986), was a French existentialist philosopher, public intellectual, political activist, feminist theorist and social theorist.
She is now best known for her metaphysical novels, including She Came to Stay and The Mandarins, and for her 1949 treatise The Second Sex, a detailed analysis of women's oppression and a foundational tract of contemporary feminism.
Beauvoir researched and wrote the book in about 14 months. It denounces Christianity as oppressive of women, and it is worth noting that the Vatican placed it on its List of Prohibited Books.In the first volume, in addition to denouncing Christianity, she rejects Freud – then very much in vogue – details the history of women’s oppression and accomplishments, and details myths against women (such as "It is an indisputable fact that meat goes bad when touched by menstruating women." This particular myth appeared in no less than the British Medical Journal, as late as 1878.)
In the second volume Beauvoir discusses the then-contemporary oppression of women, for example in confining her to marriage and motherhood. She concludes by wishing for a time in which “women raised and educated exactly like men would work under the same conditions and for the same salaries; erotic freedom would be accepted by custom, but the sexual act would no longer be considered a remunerable "service"; women would be obliged to provide another livelihood [other than homemaker] for themselves; marriage would be based on a free engagement that the spouses could break when they wanted to; motherhood would be freely chosen—that is, birth control and abortion would be allowed—and in return all mothers and their children would be given the same rights; maternity leave would be paid for by the society that would have responsibility for the children, which does not mean that they would be taken from their parents but that they would not be abandoned to them.”
The Second Sex helped to inspire subsequent feminist arguments against psychoanalysis, including those of Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique, Kate Millett's Sexual Politics, and Germaine Greer's The Female Eunuch. However, it should be noted that the 1953 English translation of The Second Sex, often reissued, was greatly flawed and omitted a great deal of the text. A more accurate and unabridged translation into English, translated by Constance Borde and Sheila Malovany-Chevalier, was at last published in 2009 and is widely available.
For earlier posts in this series: Part I is here, Part II here.
Posted by echidne at 6/17/2012 10:33:00 AM
A Lullaby
This is a Carelian/Karelian folk song
If I understand it correctly, it was originally sung by Larin Paraske, a most interesting woman who could easily have been forgotten had she not happened to be sought out by a collector of folk songs and traditional poetry.
According to Wikipedia (her whole bio is well worth reading):
Larin Paraske (December 27, 1833–January 3, 1904) was an Izhorian[1] oral poet. She is considered a key figure in Finnish folk poetry and has been called the "Finnish Mnemosyne".[2] Her frequent listeners included several romantic nationalist artists, such as Jean Sibelius, seeking inspiration from her interpretations of Kalevala, an epic poem compiled from Finnish folklore by Elias Lönnrot.[3]
Paraske could recite over 32,000 verses of poetry, which made her an important source for Karelian culture.[4] Her poems were written down by Adolf Neovius in the 1880s, and after several years of work, approximately 1200 poems, 1750 proverbs and 336 riddles were documented, along with several Finnic lamentations known as itkuvirsi, performed by crying and sobbing.[5]
Foot-in-the-Mouth Disease Among Michigan Republica...
Are Men With Stay-At-Home-Wives More Sexist Than M...
A Guest Post by Anna: A Feminist Literary Canon, P...
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Community efficacy and social capital: Modelling how communities deliver outcomes for members
Kilpatrick, SI and Abbott-Chapman, JA, Community efficacy and social capital: Modelling how communities deliver outcomes for members, Social Capital, Lifelong Learning and the Management of Place: an international perspective, Routledge, Michael Osborne, Kate Sankey, Bruce Wilson (ed), Oxon, UK, pp. 105-124. ISBN 978-0-415-42796-8 (2007) [Research Book Chapter]
In this analytical chapter we introduce a new way of thinking about the social capital of a community, linked to the community's capacity to deliver favourable outcomes for its members. This capacity is termed community efficacy. The chapter reports on the initial stages of a project that is building the knowledge base and developing a framework for measurement of outcomes that accrue to rural communities. We focus on aspects of health service provision as exemplars of what our model and measurement framework may be used to achieve, illustrated by two case study communities in Tasmania, Australia. We present a model for the study of community efficacy which illustrates the link between community activity infrastructure and community efficacy and between the structural and dynamic elements of community transactions which go to make up the concept of social capital. This paves the way for a measurement framework against which a community's efficacy and the wellbeing outcomes of its members may be rated within any nominated social domain, and the robustness of its social capital may be assessed. The framework recognises that social capital resources are used at the point of interaction between community members; hence at a practical level opportunities for interaction are important. It also advances theoretical understanding of social capital and how it works in communities. While the literature suggests that the quality and quantity of a community's social capital has a large impact on that community's capacity to deliver favourable outcomes for its members and its capacity to manage its own future, social capital remains notoriously difficult to measure despite many attempts to do so. There is consensus that social capital is the 'property' of a community or collective, yet in measurement frameworks social capital is normally aggregated across individuals and different levels. Our model attempts to disaggregate and to tease out the different strands and dimensions involved in the 4 domains of Education, Employment, Health & Welfare, and Voluntary Social Groups. We argue that, as communities are not socio-economically homogenous, the differential capacity of various groups within the community to participate, and their differential access to decision making structures, should be included. Further, social capital must be set in context - social capital resources that are effective in one context are not necessarily effective in another. We suggest that the framework can be applied to measure community efficacy in various settings, and discuss how it can be applied to a rural community's ability to foster good health and general community 'wellbeing' outcomes at the planning and practical levels.
Research Book Chapter
Other Education and Training
Education and Training not elsewhere classified
Kilpatrick, SI (Professor Sue Kilpatrick)
Abbott-Chapman, JA (Professor Joan Abbott-Chapman)
Centre for Rural Health
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Matt Anthony is licensed to practice law and is a member of the State Bars of Texas, New York and Georgia. His practice focuses in the area of nonprofit organizations with an emphasis on compliance issues, real estate, commercial constructions, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, executive compensation and litigation/arbitration. His clients include all type of charitable, religious, educational organizations as well as individuals. Mr. Anthony attended Baylor University receiving his Bachelor of Business Administration degree in the areas of Finance and Real Estate.
He then attended St. Mary’s University School of Law where he earned his Juris Doctor degree in 1989 with honors in the study of Secured Transactions. Mr. Anthony is licensed in all Texas, New York and Georgia State Courts, as well as the Northern, Southern, Eastern, and Western Federal Jurisdictions in Texas, the Federal Middle District of Georgia and the Federal 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. He is also licensed in the United States Tax Court. Mr. Anthony began his career litigating cases as a criminal prosecutor and assistant district attorney before entering private civil practice. He is AV Rated by the Martindale Hubbell Peer Review Rating System. An AV rating is a testament to the fact that his peers rank Mr. Anthony at the highest level of professional Excellence. Mr. Anthony is also a member of the Christian Legal Society and National Association of Church Business Administration (NACBA). Mr. Anthony has been selected by Fort Worth, Texas Magazine, as a “Top Attorney” in the area of Religous/Nonprofit Law.
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By Citizens Basic Income Trust 14th November 1999
CI Leader: The Contributory Principle
The social Security Committee of the House of Commons has been taking evidence on The Contributory Principle1. The debate on the funding of social security has tended to focus upon the amount of expenditure rather than on payment methods and citizens’ preferences. However, underpinning 50% of social security is the contributory principle2.
In the UK, entitlement to National Insurance benefits is conditional on a National Insurance record. The receipt of contributory benefits is not based upon assessment of an individual’s needs, nor are the benefits made universally available. There is a strong link with paid employment. Usually, only those in paid work can afford to make the insurance contributions. On average, 24 million people contribute to the scheme, and the beneficiaries include 10.6 million pensioners, 2.4 million in receipt of sickness related benefits and 2.1 million unemployed people.
In late 1997, the Department of Social Security commissioned the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University3 to explore the public’s understanding and knowledge of and attitudes towards the contributory principle. The research showed that when people are informed about the funding of social security and the benefits received they
support the contributory principle. They believe they have a right to contributory benefits because they have a contract with the state, which they have met by making contributions. They think it unfair that people who have made some but not enough contributions receive any benefits. Views, which have been expressed, include:
• The National Insurance scheme should provide better provision for carers of sick and disabled people because they have made a non-financial contribution to society, which ought to be recognised;
• contributory benefits should not be means tested; and
• There should be no time limit to the receipt of Incapacity Benefit, which should be a simplified, single flat rate benefit.
There is a widespread delusion that, because retirement pensions and some other benefits are conditional on sufficient contributions having been made, they are paid out of some fund, that is the property of the individual in the same way as an occupational or personal pension fund. In fact contributory benefits are paid for by the taxes on those who are working in the year of payment, just like the running costs of schools, hospitals and so on. Moreover, these same taxes are used to pay means-tested benefits like Income Support and often means-tested benefits are larger than contributory ones.
Advocates of CI have to convince people that all benefits are financed from the same pot of taxation. Then it will more readily be accepted that everyone should receive a universal basic income (but with extra for those suffering from disabilities or chronic illness) instead of their subsistence income being determined by their past employment history or present means. All other income would then be taxed to help pay for these Citizen’s Incomes. It is a matter of debate to what extent CIs should also be financed by taxes on capital, expenditure or environmental degradation, for example.
A generation ago there was an appreciable number of people, principally married women, who chose not to work and therefore made no National Insurance contributions or did so at a special reduced rate. Nowadays the people who are excluded from work and so later from contributory benefits are those who have care responsibilities or who want to work but cannot find jobs because of lack of skills or age discrimination. So the objection that CIs would be paid to the undeserving rich has largely ceased to apply and those who are penalised because we do not yet have CIs are the underprivileged poor.
1 HC 485-i; HC 485-ii; and HC 485-iii, 1999
2 Dilnot A, 1998, “Reforming National Insurance Contributions”, Fiscal Studies. Vol.9,no.4
3 Stafford,B, 1998, “National Insurance and the Contributory Principle”, DSS Research Report No.39
CI Reports
Social Policy Association Annual Conference
University of Surrey, Roehampton 20-22 July, 1999
These three papers indirectly present a valid, coherent and logical justification for the introduction of a Citizen’s Income.
Firstly, there is Arber and Ginn’s paper: Pension Prospects of Ethnic Minorities: Variations by Gender, Class and Ethnicty: University of Surrey. The research assesses the risk of discrimination and social exclusion of people from ethnic minorities. (This is likely to be increase in later life if they lack financial resources.) Pension income, because it is influenced by position in the labour market and years of full employment, reflects the operation of discrimination in employment, for example concerning women’s employment from different ethnic groups. Employment patterns vary according to ethnicity and within the groups by gender (Dale, 1998). Yet little is known about the pension arrangements of ethnic minority groups of working age.
The research examines the extent of ethnic disadvantage in pension scheme arrangements and analyses variation according to class, gender and specific ethnic groups. The research uses two years of the British Family Resources Survey, which
provides information on about 64,000 adults, including 3,600 from ethnic minorities. The work in progress highlights the vulnerability of the elderly in achieving financial security in later life.
Kay Peggs (University of Portsmouth) discusses, “A Minimum Income Guarantee: Attitudes of women in mid-life to claiming means tested benefits after state pension age” provides a clear case for a Citizen’s Income Pension. Older people tend not to claim benefits because of stigma and lack of knowledge about entitlements are key contributory factors. Both papers reach similar conclusions; but by different routes. That is a straightforward increase in state basic (or perhaps a Citizen’s Income) pension, to above the levels of benefits, regardless of personal capital, is the only way to ensure that all current and future pensioners, the majority of whom are women, will receive the “Guaranteed Minimum Income” as promoted by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown.
Giddens promotes that social inclusion and exclusion are essential in analysing and responding to inequality. However, financial exclusion exacerbates these processes. Therefore, the needs for programmes, which promote Personal Finance Education, are becoming more necessary. Odih, et al from the University of Keele have emphasised the significant role that this could play in the construction of morally responsible and financially self-sufficient citizens. “Education for self-reliance” is the theme by which individuals can be educated in to achieving citizenship through managing their financial ‘responsibilities’.
The UK Government promotes the idea of duties and responsibilities. However, Government has a role to fulfil through guardianship and stewardship. In advancing this ethos the transition to the introduction Citizen’s Income is not too far removed from desired policy outcomes.
Dale, A. and Holdsworth, C. (1988), Chpt. 4 in J. O’Rielly and C. Fagan (Eds.) Part Time Prospects, London, Routledge
CI findings
Labour Market Flexibility and Welfare Reform
A series of short seminars on the theme of, “Labour Market Flexibility and Welfare Reform”, were organised by Professor Bill Jordan in 1998 and 1999 at the Citizen’s Income Study Centre, at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The seminars focused on the links between the new Labour Government’s programme – flexible labour market and welfare reform.
The seminars consider the changing character of European labour markets and the policy options, which are likely to be most appropriate. A deep restructuring of work is taking place across Europe. European labour markets are increasingly identified by flexibility, and there is a broad agreement amongst all the member states about the need for versatility. Firstly, this has been essential to increase productivity and competitiveness, and secondly, in the fight against unemployment.
The adaptability of labour markets brings with it turbulence and uncertainty. It poses challenges to policy makers. This growth has led to problems of insecurity of income and employment. It has led to a divided society. A large and growing proportion of the workforce is either in self-employment, in part-time employment or in insecure or
intermittent employment (Ursula Huws). Flexible contracts tend to imply exclusion via uncertainty, lack of clarity and low pay. This means that the wage system is moving away from a family wage (Guy Standing). Also, we have seen a marked shift in employment towards higher skill jobs.
Many of these forms, of new ways of working, involve the employment of women. Women have continued to enter the labour market, often finding it easier to secure employment than their male partners do. However, geographically, jobs are more unfairly spread. In Europe, there is now a surplus of unskilled labour. Returns to labour as a proportion of GNP are falling, so inequalities are increasing. This is in line with the growth of flexibility in national labour market (Ronald Dore).
One of the key issues these trends raise for the future of work in Europe also relates to how the welfare system operates. This begs the questions of how significant will the sources of job growth be in jobs not covered by social insurance? In addition, how can flexible workers be provided with social protection? Also, can the unemployed take up these jobs or are they penalised by the existing benefit system? Therefore, how can a minimum level of social protection be ensured without trapping the unemployed in dependency?
Most European social protection systems are developed on a model of employment. This assumes that everyone has access to full time permanent employment and that these workers are breadwinners supporting a dependent family. Benefits are based upon contributions and eligibility often depends upon continuous service. As a result there is a growth in the proportion of the population not covered by contributory benefits. The result is that this discourages economic and social participation.
Social security rules play a destructive and negative role in reinforcing the employment divide. It is obvious that there is a mismatch between the structure of European labour markets and the social protection schemes, which are in place. The question then is what adaptations to social security rules are necessary to stimulate more innovative forms of work?
All member states are facing similar challenges regarding labour productivity, competitiveness and employment. The UK experience highlights some of the issues at stake. Achieving a new balance between economic efficiency and social justice, through increased labour market participation is a key aim of the policies currently being implemented by New Labour. However, contradictions remain between achieving a genuinely flexible labour market in Europe (in order to allow European industry to respond quickly to market change and compete effectively in a global market) and promoting social cohesion (in order to ensure a stable and peaceful European society in which the benefits of growth are distributed throughout society) (Ursula Huws). For instance: Can the ‘Third Way’ on welfare that ‘promotes opportunity instead of dependence’ be consistent with improving Britain’s lagging productivity and competitiveness? Can investment in education and skill development be adequately rewarded through jobs that are mainly routine, for example: in the care of the elderly people and the service of household activities. And can the new measures to improve incentives and enforce responsibilities be introduced without unacceptable levels of persuasion and rising costs?
The key issues are whether there are approaches to the distribution of work that can sustain productivity and competitiveness in the long term while at the same time
prevent social exclusion. The overall message is that whatever the route taken to national and economic success, flexibility needs to be underpinned by security.
One answer to this would be in the introduction of a universal citizen’s income. A Citizen’s Income cannot be regarded as a cure for solving all issues. It can offer the best approach to achieving the right balance between flexibility and security of employment (Bill Jordan).
Update on Basic Income Developments in Ireland
Dr. Sean Healy
Justice Commission of the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI)
At the end of 1996 a new national agreement was signed between Government and Social Partners, which include employers, trade unions, farming organisations and the community and voluntary sector. (CORI Justice Commission is a recognised social partner within the community and a key player in the foundation of the social partnership.) This agreement included a commitment that “a further appraisal of the concept of, and full implications of introducing a basic income payment for all citizens” would be undertaken. To deliver on this commitment a Working Group was established which decided to conduct the study in two distinct but inter-related phases.
Phase one is now almost complete. It looks at the cost and distributional implications of the introduction of a basic income scheme similar to that proposed by CORI in its many publications in recent years. Phase two is underway and is focusing on the dynamic effects of such a system from a broad economic and social perspective.
The phase one study was divided into two parts which were undertaken by an ESRI team led by Dr Tim Callan and a team led by Professor Charles Clark, St John’s University, New York. Great care was taken to ensure that the study focused on the structural effects of introducing a basic income system. The final results of phase one will be published soon. They will show that the tax rate required to fund such an initiative is in line with that already identified by CORI. It will also show that Basic Income would have a dramatic effect on reducing poverty.
The Irish Government has undertaken to publish a Green Paper on Basic Income once these studies have been completed. Phase two is likely to be published later this year. The Green Paper should not be far behind.
Tackling Poverty and Extending Opportunity
Major Treasury study published
Chancellor Gordon Brown, Social Security Secretary Alistair Darling and Minister for Public Health Tessa Jowell launched a major Treasury study on the causes and scale of poverty and inequality in Britain and the best means of tackling it. The six-month research study “Tackling Poverty and Extending Opportunity” contains shocking
conclusions on the scale of poverty and inequality, and the passage of inequality from generation to generation.
The study, based on 1997 figures, shows:
• 12 million people in the UK – nearly a quarter of the population – live in relative poverty – almost three times the number in 1979;
• inequality rose by a third between 1977 and 1996 – almost unique among developed countries;
• inequality is passed from generation to generation – the children of the low paid are much more likely to be low paid.
It is the most extensive Government analysis yet of child poverty, showing that:
• 4 million children were living in poverty in 1995 – three times the number of 20 years ago;
• 2 out of every 5 children are born poor. Many of them born to families who were not poor before the birth of their child. As many as 1 in 6 families are pushed into poverty with the birth of a child;
• poverty damages a child’s life chances. By the time children are 22 months old there are clear social class differences in their rate of educational development and these differences continue to widen when children start school.
The study concludes that work and access to work is the key determinant in the in Britain today and lack of work is the primary cause of poverty. It shows:
• the number of workless households has more than doubled over the last 20 years;
• work is the best route out of poverty – 8 out of 10 people who moved into work moved out of the poorest fifth;
• education is the key to success in the labour market – what you learn is directly related to what you earn – half of people who have no qualifications are without a job.
The report emphasises that work history has a profound effect on life chances of individuals and their children: in the mid 1990’s half of those leaving unemployment were unemployed again within the year; people get stuck in a low-pay, no-pay cycle. The number of men stuck in this cycle or on a long-term, low-paid job has doubled since the early 1980s from 1 in 14 to 1 in 7.
The findings in the Treasury report are backed-up by research published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
The paper highlights the strategy the Government is pursuing to tackle poverty and inequality. The strategy covers investment in education to give poor children an equal chance to fulfil their potential, help for families, help to get into work and additional £6 billion a year in support for children. It includes:
• 375,000 people are already participating in the New Deal. It has already helped 55,000 young people, 6,000 long-term unemployed workers and 6,000 lone parents from welfare into work;
• reform of the tax and benefit system to make work pay and remove the unemployment and poverty traps for families with children.
The Working Families Tax Credit will provide every family with children with a full-time job a guaranteed minimum income of £200 a week. It means working families will be £24 better off than if they were on Family Credit; increases in Child Benefit – by next year it will be worth £15 for the first child and £10 for the second and subsequent children making sure that all children have the chance to thrive when they start school by providing £540 million for the Sure Start programme to deliver integrated services for children under 4 targeted at the areas of greatest need. Budget 99 announced further support for the very earliest stages of development with a Sure Start Maternity Grant to replace the Maternity Payment at double the rate (£200). Investing an additional £19 billion in education over the next 3 years to raise standards and narrow the performance gap.
However, the role and support for a Citizen’s Income has not been mentioned. This is surprising given that the findings of the report emphasise that poverty is about lack of money as a means of accessing choices.
The drawbacks to the WFTC have been highlighted in the previous issue of the Newsletter (Winter 1998). What we do know is that if a Citizen’s Income were introduced, we could be sure of almost 100% take-up. It would help promote a more flexible labour market yet ensure that the most vulnerable would be protected. It would be simple to administer, without the need to put and extra burden on employers, especially Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs).
We do have one ray of hope. The WFTC system operates on an accounting system similar to that required for the introduction of a Citizen’s Income. The opportunity to explore the strengths and weakness of the system will allow the CIT to develop a policy response and monitor the impact. In this way the CIT can participate, more fully, in the dynamics of welfare policy formation. A promotional option for the CIT is to start talking to the SMEs and their trade bodies. With them on our side me may begin to enhance the CI debate.
Another failing of the Treasury Report is that is does not tackle poverty in later-life; the review of pensions; the development of stakeholder pensions and the promotion of the minimum income guarantee for older people.
These issues will be the special focus of the next issue of the Newsletter.
Copies are available from
HM Treasury’s Public Enquiry Unit
Room 89/2
HM Treasury,
Parliament Street
London SW1P 3AG
Or at: http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk
CI Partnerships
Unfinished Business:
J.K. Galbraith promotes CI:
The distinguished economist J.K. Galbraith was awarded an Honary Doctorate on 29 June 1999. This is an edited extract from Professor Galbraith’s acceptance speech.
“The word ‘work’ is our most misleading social term. It designates the occupation of those who would be very unhappy without it. And we use the same word for hard, repetitive, even physically painful toil. No word in the English language stretches over such different conditions. There is the further perverse fact that those who most enjoy what is called work are those who are best paid. And they are also allowed the most leisure.
In the fortunate countries there has been an enormous increase in the production of goods and services, the wherewithal of life. The measure of the increase, the annual rise in Gross Domestic Product, has become the prime indicator of all human progress.
Success as measured by economic output bears no close relationship to human achievement. The most ardent artistic effort is now devoted not to the arts but to promoting the sale of goods and services. And so also most of our scientific efforts now concentrate on getting new products for the market. When you hear it being said that we’ve entered a new era of permanent prosperity with prices of financial instruments reflecting that happy fact, you should take cover. This has been the standard justification of speculative excess for several centuries. Let us not assume that the age of slump, recession, depression is past.
I come to two pieces of the unfinished business of the century and millennium that have high visibility and urgency. The first is the very large number of the very poor even in the richest of countries and notably in the US. Once the impoverished were scattered over the countryside in our case, especially in the rural south. Now everywhere they are in the great cities, melding in with the larger urban mass. In the fortunate lands, poverty, urban poverty, is the most evident and painful of the economic and social legacies from the centuries past.
The answer or part of the answer is rather clear: everybody should be guaranteed a decent basic income. A rich country such as the US can well afford to keep everybody out of poverty. Some, it will be said, will seize upon the income and won’t work. So it is now with more limited welfare, as it is called. Let us accept some resort to leisure by the poor as well as by the rich.
We have a bizarre problem in the distribution of income – a heavy concentration in the very top income brackets, much less to those below. There is now a stirring discussion of inequality; I would like to see it intensified. When it is said, as it is, that we should protect the income of the rich, reduce taxes in order to encourage effort, I have an answer. Perhaps we should have a higher marginal rate of taxation to stimulate effort to maintain after-tax income. This is not widely applauded.
As we look at the achievements of the century just past, we must all pay tribute to the end of colonialism. Nothing so ensures hardship, poverty and suffering as the absence of a responsible, effective, honest polity.
But in a humane world order we must have a mechanism to suspend sovereignty when this is necessary to protect against human suffering and disaster. Economic aid is important, but without honest, competent government, it is of little consequence. We have here one of the major unfinished tasks of the century….”
CI Book Reviews
CI Extracts from the Press
Education: poor to be paid to stay in school.
BBC News 11 May 1999
Children from deprived backgrounds are to be given £40 a week to help them stay in education, the Chancellor Gordon Brown has announced.
At a conference in London on homelessness, the Chancellor has announced the introduction of
“educational maintenance allowances” which will encourage young people from poor families to remain in school and college. Mr Brown is set to promise that the government is committed to rescuing the “lost generation of young people” who miss out both education and work and who are at risk of drifting into delinquency and homelessness
The payments will be made available to 16 to 18-year-olds in families with an income of less than £13,000, with the money going directly to the children rather than parents. The scheme, which is set to be piloted from September in deprived areas in inner-city London, north-east and north-west England and the midlands, will provide a living allowance for school pupils who might otherwise be unlikely to stay on in school.
Mr Brown told the Foyer Federation conference that he wants to change a benefits system which at present provides more money for young people who have left home than for those who have stayed at home and continued studying.
“We must not only deal with the consequences of poverty, we must tackle its causes. We are determined to provide a new future for the many thousands of people who have been written off for too long, unable to realise their potential,” said Mr Brown.
“Our challenge amongst young people is to persuade them to stay on at school or college, to take careers advice and to recognise the need for even the most basic qualifications if they are to secure a job.”
“The government must come clean on how they plan to pay for the educational maintenance allowance if they ever introduce it nationally,” said their Employment Spokesman Damian Green.
“It is likely that they will have to abolish child benefit for 16 and 17-year-olds living at home. All they are doing is redistributing money within the household,” he said.
The areas in which the payment scheme will be piloted are Bolton, Nottingham, Cornwall, Doncaster, Gateshead, Leeds, Middlesbrough, Oldham, Southampton, Stoke-on-Trent, Walsall and the London boroughs of Lambeth, Lewisham, Southwark and Greenwich.
Could this be developed into a form of Participation Income (for children)? If means testing of family incomes is removed then it is a CI (for children) and to be warmly welcomed. In moving the debate forward, let’s advocate CI more vigorously with policy formers.
Sir, “Tenants on income support do not automatically have all their rent paid by housing benefit,…. Reform of the housing benefit scheme is certainly overdue. But our evidence repeatedly shows how a narrow preoccupation with containing expenditure can compromise broader government objectives and result in increased spending in other areas. Rent restrictions rules are undermining strategies to improve the quality and quantity of private rented accommodation available, adding to local authority costs in housing homeless families, and undermining the aims of the new deal for under 25’s.
The housing benefit scheme should be reformed to provide the foundation of housing security on which other social policies can be built.”
As you will be aware the Government are reviewing housing benefit. The burden of administering Housing Benefit falls on local authorities. A system, which is clear, simple and easy to understand, is part of the solution. CI schemes in the UK, to date, have not included an element for housing. However the variation between tenures and costs makes this a significant issue in the introduction of a CI. (Therefore, a universal or common housing assistance coupled with a Citizen’s Income would enable a flexible, logical and clear to administer system to be developed. The nature of the relationship between a Citizen’s Income and Housing Assistance should be explored.
This is a gap in our research, which needs to be filled. At the CISC we are developing proposals, to work in partnership, to review, appraise and report on this issue.
CI Diary
European Institute of Social Security
Venue: Lemesos, Cyprus 6-9 Oct 1999
Conference on Work Patterns and Social Protection
The conference aims to give an accurate version of these dynamic work patterns. Work patterns are changing. This has meant the broader lines between employment as a wage earner and as a self-employed person are fading. Attention will be paid to the diversity of social protection systems operating within Europe for the self-employed. The Sessions will enable those who are interested in social security to examine the various experiences of growth of atypical work and self-employment. For further information and booking contact:
Department of Social Insurance
7 Byron Ave.
1465 Lescosia, Cyprus
eiss@law.kuleuven.ac.be
CI Letters
J Diabate
Risks of crime are highest for young people; the unemployed; single parents; private renters; and those living in inner-cities and in areas of high physical disorder. Poverty and unemployment are contributing factors. Indeed, most crime affecting women and older people is poverty related.
The Government is trying to reduce crime through welfare reform, which includes:
Welfare to work and The New Deal for young people and single parents
Supporting Working Families
Health Action Zones
Community regeneration
Employment Action Zones
Anti-poverty Programmes
Let’s compare this to the labour-market implications of a CI. Its advantages are reckoned to be the following:
• Alleviation of poverty by providing an income on which people with low earnings potential could build through paid work and savings;
• Improved work incentives by allowing people on low incomes to get back into work, and/or work more hours, or receive a higher salary;
• Encouraging people to undertake higher education, training or re-training by providing a small income maintenance;
• Recognition of the value of unpaid work by helping all those unable to engage in full-time work because of caring responsibilities; and
• Top up for retirement income.
Therefore, could a Citizen’s Income, in the long term, prove to be an effective alternative strategy to crime prevention and reduction? Does anyone know of literature and research looking at the possible effects of a Citizen’s Income on crime? If yes, what conclusions were reached? If not, would anyone be interested in conducting research in this area?
Jon Robson Ludlow, England
Dear Editor
I have read the paper by Jurgen de Wispelaere (Reciprocity and the Right to Non-exclusion, CIT Occasional Paper, 01, 1999) with interest, and judge that a brief comment is in order.
If I understand him aright (one has to penetrate the jargon), he sets out to provide a theoretical justification for CI. For whose consumption, I wonder? Surely such a justification is of practical use only if it would reconcile voters to the concept of CI. But there will be few voters who will understand his solution, and those who do will not accept it; it is too far-fetched.
Surely the writer is barking up the wrong tree. CI should be presented as a Return of Tax for most citizens, just as Child Benefit is a return of tax for most parents. For the minority, most obviously those for whom CI would represent whole income, CI could be wholly a return of tax. If they are of pensionable age that would be acceptable: it is the ones of working age about which we have to worry. Here the quantities are crucial; CI would have to proceed in the faith that only a few would choose voluntarily to live on CI alone. If they were only a few, then the mass of the electorate would grin and bear it.
Such tolerance could be promoted by the vigorous reform of the tax-benefit system generally, a reform, which must, in my view, accompany the introduction of CI. For example, counter-productive, fraud-ridden housing benefit should be abolished. Tax reforms should include an assault on expenses; rolling up NI into income tax; VAT at 10% on everything; and shifting the pensions relief from contributions to the pensions income.
We welcome readers’ views on CI and related topics. To submit your comments please write to the Editor of the Newsletter at the CISC address on page 1.
CI Resources
The Citizen’s Income Study Centre (CISC) library offers a variety of resources (newsletters, academic papers, articles, reviews, reports, research findings, and books) focusing on essential topics in social policy such as poverty, unemployment, and the causes of social disadvantage related to gender, ethnicity, class and tax and benefits systems. These issues are examined and analysed from a variety of disciplines, such as of sociology, history, politics, economic and statistics, human rights and others.
The library also provides a comprehensive overview of the issues surrounding a Citizen’s Income Scheme, including new areas for discussion and research. The reader will be able to find the answers to such questions as affordability, political feasibility, equity and efficiency. With a view to address the needs of a variety of audiences, CISC has developed a range of services:
• The Citizen’s Income Made Simple leaflets are a useful introduction to the subject and are particularly suited for advice centres and distribution at conferences, seminars, etc..
• Aspects, a series of more detailed information sheets are in the process of being updated and will serve as a building block for those interested in developing their knowledge further.
• Citizen’s Income Newsletter, is written in an easy to read style and will provide the public with up to date information. It is published four times a year and highlights new developments and partnerships, research-findings, and publications on issues directly relating to a Citizen’s Income.
• The Citizen’s Income Study Centre will soon have an improved Website, including a virtual library and the development electronic journal. An online debate on CI, which is funded by the Social Policy Association will be a key part of this new development. The aims of this new service is to improve the accessibility of our resources as widely as possible to all members of the public with a view to developing and promoting the debate on a Citizen’s Income Scheme. We welcome any ideas and suggestions.
Finally, the Library is also a centre for research. Currently, the Citizen’s Income Study Centre in partnership with the Justice Commission of the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) is undertaking a twelve-month programme of research on the impact of
introducing a Basic Income in the UK and Ireland. The research is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. A preliminary report on the findings of the first phase of the research is in hand. This focuses on comparing the cultural and political barriers facing a Basic Income proposal in both the UK and Ireland. It then seeks to explain why a basic income proposal has remained marginal to the UK mainstream policy forum while in Ireland it has achieved the status of a policy option.
The CISC needs to be aware of what research is being done; and identify what else is needed. Where a recognised need is not met CIT will work to encourage co-operation with researchers and institutions to seek funding.
Judith Granata.
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Heathrow Airport: Railways
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the capital contribution required by his Department to ensure the delivery of (a) southern rail access and (b) western rail access into Heathrow airport.
<p>The Government’s position in relation to funding Surface Access at airports is set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework and reiterated in the Airports National Policy Statement which was designated in June 2018. Where a scheme is not solely required to deliver airport capacity and has a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government, along with relevant stakeholders, will consider the need for a public funding contribution alongside an appropriate contribution from the airport on a case by case basis. The Government is supporting these schemes subject to the development of a satisfactory business case and the agreement of acceptable terms with the Heathrow aviation industry.</p><p> </p><p>In line with the published Rail Network Enhancements Pipeline, my Department is developing the Business Case for the Western Rail Link to Heathrow. Network Rail intends to apply for planning powers in 2019, and details of the scheme funding will be published.</p><p> </p><p>In May 2018, my Department launched a Market Sounding to test the market’s appetite to share the risk of development for a proposed Southern Rail Link to Heathrow in order to reduce the burden on taxpayers and fare payers. A summary of responses will be published later in the Autumn.</p><p> </p>
Harrogate and Knaresborough
Biography information for Andrew Jones
Heathrow Airport: Air Traffic
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) air pollution, (b) noise pollution and (c) congestion of lifting the air traffic movement cap at Heathrow Airport.
<p>The Appraisal of Sustainability that accompanies the Airports National Policy Statement provides a strategic assessment of the potential social, economic, and environmental impacts of expansion, including a) air quality and b) noise.</p><p>Following designation of the Airports National Policy Statement, it is down to an applicant for development consent to undertake a detailed assessment of the environmental impacts of their scheme, and to put forward an appropriate package of mitigation measures.</p><p>On c), the Airports National Policy Statement is also clear that an applicant for development consent should set out the mitigation measures that it considers are required to minimise the effect of expansion on the existing surface access arrangements. Any application, and its accompanying airport surface access strategy, must include details of how the applicant will increase the proportion of journeys made to the airport by public transport, cycling and walking.</p>
Hereford and South Herefordshire
Jesse Norman
Biography information for Jesse Norman
Heathrow Airport: Pollution Control
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that expansion at Heathrow airport is compatible with legal air quality limits.
<p>Following designation of the Airports National Policy Statement, it is now down to an applicant for development consent to undertake a detailed assessment of the air quality impacts of the scheme, including during construction, and put forward to the Planning Inspectorate an appropriate package of mitigations that addresses air quality impacts and demonstrates compliance with air quality obligations.</p><p> </p><p>In order to grant development consent, the Secretary of State would need to be satisfied that, including any mitigations, the scheme would be compliant with legal obligations.</p>
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has received assurances from Heathrow Airport that there are no plans to increase landing charges; and if he will make a statement.
<p>The Secretary of State has set out a clear expectation that airport charges should remain close to 2016 levels under expansion, and Heathrow Airport Limited has stated that it will seek to meet this challenge. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) also confirmed in April 2018 that there are credible scenarios in which landing charges could remain close to 2016 levels in real terms.</p><p>As the scheme design and regulatory framework continue to develop, the CAA will scrutinise all proposals for expansion to ensure that, in line with its primary duty, they are in the best interest of the consumer. The CAA has confirmed that this could include a small increase in airport charges if that was required to unlock the wider consumer benefits of expansion.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p>
Department for Transport: Private Finance Initiative
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what his Department's definition is of private finance in relation to infrastructure projects.
<p>Private finance is a way to deliver infrastructure projects in which the private sector invests equity and/or lends in order to facilitate the development, delivery, acquisition, and/or operation of a project, asset or entity with the expectation of earning a return on the investment commensurate with the risk.</p><p> </p>
Wealden
Ms Nusrat Ghani
Biography information for Ms Nusrat Ghani
Private Finance Initiative
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's definition is of privately financed in relation to infrastructure projects.
<p>Private finance is a way to deliver infrastructure projects in which the private sector invests equity and/or lends in order to facilitate the development, delivery, and/or operation of a project, asset or entity with the expectation of earning a return on the investment.</p>
South West Norfolk
Elizabeth Truss
Biography information for Elizabeth Truss
Heathrow Airport: Carbon Emissions
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the expansion of Heathrow Airport on the ability of the UK to meet the net-zero emissions target by 2050.
<p>Following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Special Report on 1.5 degrees, published in October, we commissioned advice from our independent advisers, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC), on its long-term emissions reduction targets, including on the setting of a net zero target. This commission asks for evidence from the CCC on how reductions might be delivered in key sectors of the economy and the expected costs and benefits of different scenarios.</p><p> </p><p>The Committee will also publish a report on aviation in Spring 2019. As set out in the Committee’s recent progress report, this will include consideration of the potential to reduce aviation emissions over the period to 2050 and beyond.</p><p> </p><p>The Government will consider carefully the Committee’s advice on both these issues when it is received. Subject to this review, the Government will consider whether it is appropriate to review the Airports National Policy Statement, in accordance with Section 6 of the Planning Act 2008.</p>
Claire Perry
Biography information for Claire Perry
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has plans to introduce legislation proposals to set the target of net-zero emissions by 2050.
<p>Following the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s special report on the impacts of climate change of 1.5 degrees on 8 October, we commissioned our independent experts, the Committee on Climate Change, to provide their advice on the implications of the Paris Agreement for the UK’s long-term emissions reduction targets, including on setting a net zero target. The letter requesting the CCC’s advice is available <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-climate-targets-request-for-advice-from-the-committee-on-climate-change" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p> </p><p>We will consider the Committee’s evidence-based advice carefully when it is received in Spring 2019. We believe that is the right way to approach such an important question.</p>
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what level of capital funding he plans to allocate for the delivery of improvements to rail access related to the expansion of Heathrow Airport.
<p>The Government’s position in relation to funding Surface Access at airports is set out in the 2013 Aviation Policy Framework and reiterated in the Airports National Policy Statement which was designated in June 2018. Where a scheme is not solely required to deliver airport capacity and has a wider range of beneficiaries, the Government, along with relevant stakeholders, will consider the need for a public funding contribution alongside an appropriate contribution from the airport on a case by case basis. The Government is supporting Heathrow Surface Access schemes subject to the development of a satisfactory business case and the agreement of acceptable terms with the Heathrow aviation industry.</p>
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Animal Products: Imports
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total cost to the public purse is of processing and issuing a permit for the importation of a hunting trophy for species listed in Appendix I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species.
<p>The UK licensing service for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is subject to the policy of full cost recovery so that it is not a burden on the public purse. Where an import permit is required, applicants need to pay a fee. Details of these import permit fees can be found here:</p><p><a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/355264/cites-ag-ct-01.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/355264/cites-ag-ct-01.pdf</a></p><p> </p>
Suffolk Coastal
Dr Thérèse Coffey
Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
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General Forum => Wikimartial => Topic started by: Rainy on July 06, 2009, 11:05:03 pm
Title: Mixed martial arts (MMA)
Post by: Rainy on July 06, 2009, 11:05:03 pm
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full contact combat sport, the techniques used inspire from tradional and non-traditional martial arts. In the competition, the rules allow the use of striking and grappling techniques, both while standing and on the ground. The purpose of MMA is to bring together martial artists from different backgrounds to find a best fighting skill. In a mixed martial arts, you might see fighters with backgrounds in wrestling, boxing, Muay Thai kickboxing, judo and Brazilian Jiu-jitsu...
(http://forum.martial-way.com/gallery/1_06_07_09_9_05_52.jpeg)
The first type of mixed martial arts combat and competition were organized by Ancient Greek, and it was called pankration. Pankration was introduced in he Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC and was a mix between boxing and wrestling, as it was combining strikes and ground fighting.
(http://forum.martial-way.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=24.0;attach=37;image)
In 1887, the Brazilian Heavyweight Boxing Champion John L. Sullivan fought Greco-Roman Wrestling Champion William Muldoon, with Muldoon slamming the boxer to the mat in less than two minutes. Other events were staged over the years but the first to be organized were the vale tudo events in Brazil in the 1920’s, when fighters took up the Gracie family on their no-holds barred challenge.
During the 1970s in Japan, professional wrestlers began to compete in shoot-style wrestling matches. This in turn led to the formation of various mixed martial arts organization and that became the organized discipline of Shooto in 1985.
1993, the Gracie family has had the biggest impact on the modern explosion of mixed martial arts with the creation of the Ultimate Fighting Championships, the UFC was based on concepts from Brazilian vale tudo, with the first few events holding the slogan "no holds barred". In 1997, the Pride Fighting Championships were created in Japan, and modern mixed martial arts were born. In the early days of these promotions Brazilian jiu-jitsu and catch wrestlers dominated as disciplines, but today’s mixed martial artist must be well-rounded in numerous disciplines. The UFC has since bought out Pride, improving the organization of the sport into the future.
With the increasing popularity of the sport at the turn of the century, many smaller promoters sprung up, including Strikeforce, BodogFight, EliteXC, and WEC. The UFC started losing its viewers, and along with the criticism, Pay-per-view decided to drop them. No-holds barred matches were outlawed in most places as dangerous and barbaric street fights for years. The reality is that no one has ever died in a sanctioned fight in the modern history of MMA. MMA has become the top earning pay per view promotion today, and is growing in popularity each day.
(http://forum.martial-way.com/gallery/1_06_07_09_11_54_19.jpeg)
Ways to victory
# Knock Out (KO): as soon as a fighter becomes unconscious due to strikes, his opponent is declared the winner (because MMA rules allow ground fighting, the fight is stopped to prevent further injury to the unconcious fighter.)
# Submission: a fighter may admit defeat during a match by:
* tapping three times on his opponent's body;
* tapping three times on the mat or floor;
* verbal announcement.
# Technical Knockout (TKO)
* Referee Stoppage: the referee may stop a match in progress if:
- a fighter becomes dominant to the point where the opponent is unable to intelligently defend himself from attacks (this may occur as quickly as a few seconds);
- a fighter appears to be unconscious from a grappling hold.
- a fighter appears to have developed significant injuries (such as a broken bone) in the referee's view.
* Doctor Stoppage: the referee will call for a time out if a fighter's ability to continue is in question as a result of apparent injuries (such as a large cut). The ring doctor will inspect the fighter and stop the match if the fighter is deemed unable to continue safely, rendering the opponent the winner. However, if the match is stopped as a result of an injury from illegal actions by the opponent, either a disqualification or no contest will be issued instead.
* Corner stoppage: a fighter's cornermen may announce defeat on the fighter's behalf by throwing in the towel during the match in progress or between rounds.
# Decision: if the match goes the distance, then the outcome of the bout is determined by three judges. The judging critera are organization-specific.
# Forfeit: a fighter or his representative may forfeit a match prior to the beginning of the match, thereby losing the match.
# Disqualification:a "warning" will be given when a fighter commits a foul or illegal action or does not follow the referee's instruction. Three warnings will result in a disqualification. Moreover, if a fighter is injured and unable to continue due to a deliberate illegal technique from his opponent, the opponent will be disqualified.
# No Contest: in the event that both fighters commit a violation of the rules, or a fighter is unable to continue due to an injury from an accidental illegal technique, the match will be declared a "No Contest".
Title: Re: Mixed martial arts (MMA)
Post by: Webmaster on July 06, 2009, 11:44:52 pm
Hi Webmaster, I suggest to add this for "History" :
U're so quick, i'll add it in the 1st post, tks！
Post by: Rainy on July 10, 2009, 03:09:35 am
I'll put this article in Wikimartial, if you have any comments to add, pls reply the post, i'll update it.
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Jump to: 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2010 | 2008 | 2007 | 2004 | 2002 | 1998 | 1997
Podgórski, Tomasz and Scandura, Massimo and Jędrzejewska, Bogumiła (2014) Next of kin next door - philopatry and socio-genetic population structure in wild boar. Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 294 (3), p. 190-197. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Nuvoli, Simona and Burrai, Giovanni Pietro and Secci, Fabio and Columbano, Nicolò and Careddu, Giovanni Mario and Mandas, Luciano and Sanna, Maria Paola and Pirino, Salvatore and Antuofermo, Elisabetta (2014) Capture myopathy in a corsican red deer Cervus elaphus corsicanus (Ungulata: Cervidae). Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 81 (3), p. 457-462. ISSN 1125-0003. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Stocchino, Giacinta A. and Manconi, Renata (2013) Overview of life cycles in model species of the genus Dugesia (Platyhelminthes: Tricladida). Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 80 (3), p. 319-328. ISSN 1125-0003. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Mori, E. and Di Febbraro, Mirko and Foresta, M. and Melis, Paolo and Romanazzi, Enrico and Notari, A. and Boggiano, F. (2013) Assessment of the current distribution of free-living parrots and parakeets (Aves: Psittaciformes) in Italy: a synthesis of published data and new records. Italian journal of zoology, Vol. 80 (2), p. 158-167. ISSN 1125-0003. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Tessa, Giulia and Angelini, Claudio and Bielby, Jon and Bovero, Stefano and Giacoma, Cristina and Sotgiu, Giuseppe and Garner, T.W.J. (2013) The Pandemic pathogen of amphibians, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Phylum Chytridiomycota), in Italy. Italian journal of zoology, Vol. 80 (1), p. 1-11. ISSN 1125-0003. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Sanna, Daria and Dedola, Gian Luca and Lai, Tiziana and Curini Galletti, Marco and Casu, Marco (2012) PCR-RFLP: a practical method for the identification of specimens of Patella ulyssiponensis s.l. (Gastropoda: Patellidae). Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 79 (1), p. 50-59. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Balletto, Emilio and Bonelli, Simona and Borghesio, Luca and Casale, Achille and Brandmayr, Pietro and Vigna Taglianti, Augusto (2010) Hotspots of biodiversity and conservation priorities: a methodological approach. Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 77 (1), p. 2-13. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Casale, Achille and Di Giulio, Andrea and Marcia, Paolo and Molinu, Alessandro (2010) The Third instar larva of Speomolops sardous Patrizi, 1955, a cave-dwelling molopine beetle endemic to Eastern Sardinia, with notes on its habitat (Coleoptera, Carabidae). Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 77 (2), p. 159-167. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Curini Galletti, Marco and Campus, Paolo and Delogu, Valentina (2008) Theama mediterraneasp. nov. (Platyhelminthes, Polycladida), the first interstitial polyclad from the Mediterranean. Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 75 (1), p. 77-83. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Pais, Antonio and Azzurro, Ernesto and Guidetti, Paolo (2007) Spatial variability of fish fauna in sheltered and exposed shallow rocky reefs from a recently established Mediterranean Marine Protected Area. Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 74 (3), p. 277-287. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Pais, Antonio and Azzurro, Ernesto and Chessa, Lorenzo Antonio (2004) Distribution patterns of coastal fish assemblages associated with different rocky substrates in Asinara Island National Park (Sardinia, Italy). Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 71 (4), p. 309-316. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Casu, Marco and Maltagliati, Ferruccio and Meloni, Marilena and Casu, Daniela and Cossu, Piero and Binelli, Giorgio and Curini Galletti, Marco and Castelli, Alberto (2002) Genetic structure of Octopus vulgaris (Mollusca, Cephalopoda) from the Mediterranean Sea as revealed by a microsatellite locus. Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 69 (4), p. 295-300. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Gazzola, Andrea and Avanzinelli, Elisa and Mauri, Lorenza and Scandura, Massimo and Apollonio, Marco (2002) Temporal changes of howling in south European wolf packs. Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 69 (2), p. 157-161. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Curini Galletti, Marco and Mura, Francesco (1998) Two new species of the genus Monocelis ehrenberg, 1831 (Platyhelminthes: Proseriata) from the Mediterranean, with a redescription of Monocelis lineata (O. F. Müller, 1774). Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 65 (2), p. 207-217. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
Curini Galletti, Marco (1997) Contribution to the knowledge of the Proseriata (Platyhelminthes, seriata) from eastern Australia: Genera necia marcus, 1950 and pseudomonocelis meixner, 1938 (partim). Italian Journal of Zoology, Vol. 64 (1), p. 75-81. eISSN 1748-5851. Article.
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PAY BILL HERE
CLASS SCHEDULE/ENROLL
COMPETITIVE COMPANY
APPLY TO JOIN OUR TEAM
1296 B&C W Foxwood Dr
Raymore, MO 64083
Hayley Houchen (Owner/Director/Instructor):
Hayley Houchen is from Peculiar, Mo and has been dancing since she could walk. Competing with her studio regionally and nationally as a child, along with her time on high school dance team, helped form her passion for dance. After graduating high school she traveled the country teaching camps for the Universal Dance Association for two years. She danced professionally for the Missouri Comets for one season. From there, she went on to cheer 5 years for the Kansas City Chiefs Cheerleaders. As a member of the Chiefs Cheerleaders, she was a co-captain for one year, a captain for two years and was also the 2016 Pro Bowl Representative in Hawaii. She has been able to choreograph many routines, perform for our military in state and overseas on tour, compile youth halftime performances, and be a leader of the Junior Chiefs Cheerleader Program. Hayley not only loves performing, she has a passion for teaching dance. This led her to open her very own dance studio, FEARless Dance Center in Raymore, Missouri, 4 years ago. From the second the doors opened her studio became home to hundreds of dancers who take recreationally and competitively. She runs a fully competitive dance program out of her studio, where her dancers win many regional and national titles. Hayley's choreography is recognized and awarded at many regional and national competitions for various age groups. Owning her own studio has transformed her love of dance in ways she could never imagine and leaves her feeling extremely blessed to be able to have dance as her daily job.
Ashley Vaters (Co-Director/Instructor): Ashley started dancing when she was three years old and simply fell in love with the sport. Her dance background began in the studio like most children where she competed regionally and nationally throughout her childhood. She then went on to make her high school's varsity dance team (Ray-Pec Prowlers) all four years of high school, after which she had the opportunity to continue dancing semi-professionally for the MISL Comets Indoor Soccer team and later professionally for the Kansas City Chiefs. Since then she has been teaching at a dance studio, helping out with dance teams, and continues to perform when opportunity arises. After getting to teach dance on a regular basis she discovered her passion for dance itself went far beyond just dancing but in sharing that passion with others through teaching as well. She is currently coaching the Ray Pec JV Dance team and is extremely excited to work with all the students at FEARless Dance Center.
Marissa Agueros (Co-Director/Office Manager): Marissa started dancing at the age of 4 and continued until middle school competing at various competitions regionally and nationally. She was then on the Ray-Pec middle school dance team and then the high school’s varsity dance team (Ray-Pec Prowlers) her Senior year. Marissa’s favorite type of dance is tap. She was awarded various awards growing up for excelling in this style of dance; one including the Most Improved Tap award at her local dance studio. She has her Associate’s Degree in Early Childhood Care and Education and is excited to implement these skills through the form of dance classes. She is the mom of three little boys. She’s always had a special place in her heart for children and is super excited to be able to work with children of all ages and share her love of dance with them.
Maci Hodges (Instructor): Maci grew up in Raymore, Missouri and started dancing when she was 9. Although she loved dance, she also played soccer, competed in gymnastics and became captain of her cheerleading squad in middle school. From the time she was a little girl she always dreamed of becoming a Prowler at Ray-Pec High School. Following in many of her role model's shoes, she made the varsity dance team her freshman year and danced on the team for 4 years. Although she didn't have as much dance experience as most of the girls on the team, she worked really hard and was voted Most Improved Dancer her freshman year. During her high school dance career, her dance team placed 1st in multiple dances at Regional and State Competitions; and their Pom routine placed 17th Overall at UDA Nationals in Orlando, Florida her senior year. She atttends Avila University in plans to pursue a degree in Graphic Design. Maci loves being a role model for young girls, and is extremely excited to be apart of the FEARless Team.
Tara Jackson (Hip Hop Instructor): Miss Tara attended Omaha North High School in Omaha, NE where she was appointed Captain of the Omaha North High Pom Squad at the end of her sophomore dance season and choreographed for Omaha North High School Pom Squad until she graduated in 2000. During her senior year in high school, Universal Dance Association (UDA), extended the invitation to Tara Jackson to become apart of a nationally known dance association. For Two Years, through UDA, Tara traveled as a Professional Dance Instructor, teaching dance to college and high school dancers. After graduating high school Tara went on to complete her B.S. in Human Services and her Master’s in Students Affairs Practice in Higher Education at Wayne State College in Wayne, NE. Tara initially started as Captain and lead choreographer of the dance team for Wayne State College and after graduating in 2003 with her B.S., became the Head Coach and choreographer of the Wayne State College Dance Team. Tara danced professionally for two years as an Omaha Beef Prime Dancer in the Indoor Football League (IFL) and two years for the Omaha Nighthawks in the United Football League (UFL). She has participated in choreographing the Cotillion 2011, Ebony of Excellence formal event. Currently, Tara is a professional dancer for an organization in Missouri. Outside of her professional career as a dancer, Tara devotes much of her time to her son, Teryn.
Emmalyn Case (Instructor): Emmalyn has been passionate about dance since she could tap her little toes on the ground! She started her dance career at the age of 3 and has always loved being on stage. She was a competitive dancer through high school at Donna’s Doorway in Belton, MO. At Donna’s, she developed a special excitement for tapping and musical theatre! She also was the captain of her dance team at O’Hara High School for 2 years, performing all 4 years with the Celtics. She enjoys ALL genera of dance including jazz, tap, ballet, pointe, modern, hip-hop, and even a bit of clogging! As she moved through school, she became a Glitter Girl at Avila University and brought home multiple medals for placing 3rd in the nation in hip-hop as well as placing in the top 5 in jazz. She served as a captain her senior year at Avila. After graduation, Emmalyn danced for the Kansas City Chiefs and cheered with them for one season. She has choreographed for multiple high school dance teams in the area including Harrisonville HS Dance Team, and Gardner Dance Team. Outside of dance, Emmalyn has been investing in her nursing career at Monarch Plastic Surgery and enjoys every minute of it! She is EXTREMELY excited to facilitate other young girls and boys in their journey with dance!
Christina Aiello (Ballet Instructor): Christina has been dancing since the age of 3. She began in competition dance at Dancerz Unlimited in Prairie Village, KS. At age 9, she enrolled in classes at Kansas City Ballet and started dancing there full time at age 12. During her time at Kansas City Ballet, she performed in The Nutcracker in various roles. She also joined the Kansas City Youth Ballet where she was able to perform various classical ballet and contemporary dance pieces. Christina travelled to Europe with the Youth Ballet to perform in the Young Tanzsommer Festival. Christina has also spent time training with The Jillana School, Central Pennsylvania Youth Ballet, Miami City Ballet and LINES Ballet. Upon graduating high school, Christina attended the University of Arizona to study towards a BFA in Dance Performance. While in Arizona, she was asked to join ConDanza Contemporary Repertoire Company. Christina was invited to teach at the Simi Dance Center Summer Intensive in a suburb of Los Angeles, CA. During a summer dance intensive at LINES Ballet in San Francisco, she was asked to stay as a trainee. Christina returned to Kansas in the fall of 2013 and recently graduated with her Masters in Health, Human Performance and Recreation from Pittsburg State University. During her time at PSU, she was a Graduate Assistant for the HHPR department and helped develop the dance minor program and coursework. Christina recently returned to Kansas City and is looking forward to her first year teaching at Fearless Dance Center!
Tim Mincher (Strength & Conditioning Coach): Attended Ray-Pec High School where he competed in Football and Wrestling Earning All State honors and winning a State Championship in Football for the Panthers, After High School Tim attended Pittsburg State and Avila University where he continued his education along with his football career, After college Tim coached high school football and became a trainer. Tim has coached strength and conditioning classes along with boxing and kickboxing and is excited to see how far he can push the dancers at FDC!
Our instructors are highly trained and educated in all areas of dance. You have the choice of more than one instructor to fit your child’s personality and learning style. The energetic and friendly instructors are invested in making a difference in your dancer's life through dance and personally.
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Theses and DissertationsAll Collections
DigiNole Home » Research Repository » The Graduate School » Theses and Dissertations
York Bowen's Viola Music Reconsidered within the Context of the English Musical Renaissance (1860-1940)
York Bowen's Viola Music Reconsidered within the Context of the English Musical Renaissance (1860-1940).
Falkner, Renate Marie, author
Ryan, Pamela, professor directing treatise
Van Glahn, Denise, university representative
Sauer, Gregory, committee member
Stillwell, Corinne, committee member
College of Music, degree granting department
Florida State University, degree granting institution
Issuance:
The period in English musical history referred to as the English Musical Renaissance, stretching roughly from 1860-1940, is generally acknowledged as an era marked by a large resurgence of both musical and cultural activity. During this time, scholars, composers, performers, and philanthropists contributed to the growth of a new repertoire of English compositions that in turn strengthened England's burgeoning nationalistic identity. Despite this flourishing cultural climate, the era was rife with controversy, revealing a complex web of musical and sociopolitical factors, some deliberately constructed, that led to the privileging of certain English composers and repertoire at the expense of others. As such, the era remains a fertile one for musicological exploration and debate. Nevertheless, English composers made great strides during this era, producing an astonishing amount of significant repertoire in a variety of genres. Contributions to string chamber music literature, with a new emphasis on the viola, were a notable product of this period and helped define the transition from Germanic, late-romanticism to early English modernism. The principal purpose of this treatise is to re-examine the viola music of the relatively neglected composer York Bowen within both the context of the English Musical Renaissance and the development of the English viola repertoire. After a brief introduction, Chapter 1 gives an historical overview of the English Musical Renaissance, including a survey of the fundamental musicological texts and resources focusing on the complex construction of the era. Chapter 2 presents a biographical sketch of York Bowen as a performer and composer, highlighting his initial meeting and collaboration with the English violist Lionel Tertis and many of his noteworthy compositions. This leads to a more in-depth examination, in Chapter 3, of Bowen's most significant works for the viola: the Sonatas for viola and piano, the Viola Concerto, and the Fantasie Quartet for Four Violas, all composed between 1905 and 1907 and a product of the partnership between Bowen and Tertis. Chapter 4 discusses factors and obstacles that prevented Bowen from achieving a more lasting fame and re-examines his legacy and the importance of his role within the development of English viola literature. Chapter 5 concludes the body of this treatise by exploring the current revival of interest in Bowen's music and the growing prominence of his compositions in the core of viola repertoire as evidenced by a variety of new recordings, critical editions, scholarship, and pedagogy. After the final chapter of this treatise, two appendices are attached. The first lists a general catalogue of Bowen's viola music, including categories for those compositions featuring the viola in a solo role and those using viola in a larger chamber ensemble context. Also included are the dates of composition and any publishing information available. The second appendix is a current discography of Bowen's viola music. The treatise concludes with a detailed bibliography of resources used in the preparation of this project.
FSU_migr_etd-8777 (IID)
Submitted Note:
A Treatise submitted to the College of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Music.
Degree Awarded:
Spring Semester, 2014.
English Musical Renaissance, Lionel Tertis, Viola, York Bowen
Bibliography Note:
Advisory Committee:
Pamela Ryan, Professor Directing Treatise; Denise Von Glahn, University Representative; Gregory Sauer, Committee Member; Corinne Stillwell, Committee Member.
http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-8777
Falkner, R. M. (2014). York Bowen's Viola Music Reconsidered within the Context of the English Musical Renaissance (1860-1940). Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_migr_etd-8777
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A Year in Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of 2016
Home So True A Year in Review: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of...
By Rob Ermeta -
Without a doubt, 2016 was a year of many ups and downs that resulted in a whirlwind of emotions. Yet the end of the year is upon us once more.
As the year comes to a close, it is important to remember the wise words of Buddha: “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
As we jump forward into the new year, it is important that we reflect on everything that happened in 2016. Reflect, remember, and hope some of it doesn’t repeat itself! Only then can we move forward into a fresh 2017.
Some things that hurt us the most were the number of prolific figures who died in 2016. These deaths included Alan Rickman, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Prince, Mohamed Ali, Gene Wilder, Gary Marshall, Florence Henderson, John Glenn, Anton Yelchin, Glenn Frey, Arnold Palmer, Zsa Zsa Gabor and many others. Their deaths hit their fans hard, and the world will never be the same without their talents.
It is hard to believe we are entering into a time in our lives where we will discuss the music of David Bowie and Prince with our children the way our parents talk about Elvis and the Beatles with us. Chilling thought, but so very true.
The number of memes, both humorous and not, in existence is incredible, and most originated this year! Can you believe that? Out of all the memes out there, we decided to make new ones based on events that occurred during 2016.
Harambe Depot
We have Trump memes, Clinton memes, Harambe memes, Evil Kermit memes, Arthur’s fist memes, Petty Joe Biden memes, and the list goes on.
Luckily we also added some hilarious new sayings to our inventory of relevant phrases. How many times did you say “Damn, Daniel” or compliment someone on their white vans? Though it seems like they’ve always been here, Facebook also got emojis this year giving us more diverse reactions rather than just “like.”
Then there were the viral internet challenges. While other years saw the Harlem Shake and Ice Bucket Challenge, this year it was all about The Mannequin Challenge. I think we’ve probably seen every version imaginable at this point.
Getting back to the more serious aspects of the year, deaths weren’t the only thing that caused a high tide of emotions. The U.S. presidential election had all of North America, and even other parts of the world, holding their breath.
No media outlets seemed to have an accurate handle on what was going to happen, making for some huge upsets throughout the campaign period. It’s still hard to believe it came down to people it did, but there’s nothing to do now but hold the president accountable for the actions he takes following his inauguration in 2017.
Despite all of this, there were also some amazing strides made in 2016. I mean, besides the amazing phenomenon that was Pokemon Go. There were smaller things like the invention of glasses that enable people who are color blind to see colors.
Plus Leonardo DiCaprio finally won an Oscar, which was a long-awaited victory. Giant Pandas are no longer an endangered species (aww). And thanks to proceeds raised by the Ice Bucket challenge, The ALS Association made a major scientific breakthrough with the disease.
We have seen some new fads and fashions start, while others have become a thing of the past. We have been introduced to new genres of books, movies, and music, and have left other behind us. We have taken on a whole new list of slang terms and have confused many people with them.
All of this has been a part of 2016. Let’s see what 2017 brings!
Prev ArticleCat Gets Attached to Her Christmas Present... Literally!
Next Article 6 Things That Always Happen as the Year Starts Winding Down
#2016inreview
#welcoming2017
#yearinreview
6 Things That Always Happen as the Year Starts Winding Down
Gotta Catch Em All: Pokemon Go 2016
Who Rolled the Five? Jumanji Remake in the Works
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Home Dancing With The Stars DWTS Season 22 Week 3 Doug & Karina – Waltz Performance
DWTS Season 22 Week 3 Doug & Karina – Waltz Performance
Doug & Karina dancing for Waltz in DWTS Season 22 Week 3 on 4th of march 2016.
Couple : Doug Flutie & Karina Smirnoff
Dance : Waltz
Music : “Rainbow Connection” by Kermit the Frog
About Doug Flutie
Born on: October 23, 1962
Professional Partner: Karina Smirnoff
Douglas Richard Flutie is a former quarterback in the National Football League (NFL), Canadian Football League (CFL), and United States Football League (USFL). He first rose to prominence during his college football career at Boston College, where he received the Heisman Trophy and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award in 1984. His “Hail Mary” touchdown pass in a game against Miami on November 23, 1984 (dubbed “The Pass” is considered among the greatest moments in college football and American sports history.[4] Flutie was selected as the 285th pick in the 11th round of the 1985 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams (even though Flutie had already signed a 5 year $5+mil contract with the Generals[5]), making him the lowest drafted Heisman Award winner among those who were drafted. Flutie played that year for the New Jersey Generals of the upstart USFL. In 1986 he signed with the NFL’s Chicago Bears, and later played for the New England Patriots, becoming their starting quarterback in 1988.
Doug & Karina
About DWTS
Dancing with the Stars(DWTS) is an American dance competition show airing since 2005 on ABC in the United States, and CTV/CTV Two in Canada. DWTS is an American version of the British television series Strictly Come Dancing. Tom Bergeron is the Emmy-winning host, alongside Erin Andrews, who became co-host in season eighteen.Lisa Canning was co-host in season one, Samantha Harris co-hosted seasons two through nineand Brooke Burke-Charvet in seasons ten through seventeen,and Erin Andrews beginning with the eighteenth season. The series has been renewed though season 23 as of March 3, 2016.
About DWTS 22
Tom Bergeron and Erin Andrews will back to DWTS as hosts, while judges Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli will return this season. Len Goodman will return as judge after missing last season, while Julianne Hough will not be returning after three seasons.
DWTS 22
Previous articleDWTS Season 22 Week 3 Ginger & Val – Contemporary Performance
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Dallas mavericks mavericks mock draft roundup could dallas take one of the youngest players in the class sportsday electricity words
25.10.2018 Electricity bill
Chron.com’s Parth Upadhyaya (May 15): "Standing at 6-11, 225 pounds with a 7’9 wingspan, Bamba has the makings of an elite rim protector and rebounder in the NBA. He averaged 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds and 3.7 blocks in about 30 minutes per game this past season for the Longhorns. Bamba needs to improve his shooting, as he only made 14 of his 51 attempted 3-pointers while at Texas. However, if he develops more offensively and bulks up a bit, Bamba could be a star at the next level."
Cleveland.com’s Matt Ghoul (May 15): "Keeping Bamba in the Lone Star State could generate a buzz for Dallas, which has plenty of needs and could be back in the lottery next year. Dirk Nowitzki will be 40 years old in June, Nerlens Noel is a free agent and it is unlikely both are in the longterm plans."
UPROXX’s Brad Rowland (May 16): "Bamba is the best player available here, which makes this choice easy. Regardless, the Mavs likely wouldn’t consider Trae Young or Collin Sexton after taking Dennis Smith Jr. a year ago and Dallas has long coveted a franchise center. Bamba might be that and his defensive ceiling is off-the-charts."
SportingNews’ Chris Stone (May 16): "Given Dirk Nowitzki is aging and Nerlens Noel doesn’t seem part of Dallas’ long-term future, the Mavericks using their top-five pick to lock down a frontcourt piece wouldn’t be a surprise. Bamba is a raw prospect, but his potential as a rim protector and rim runner alongside Dennis Smith Jr. could give Dallas a nice one-two punch.
The Washington Post’s Tim Bontemps (May 16): "Rudy Gobert with a jump shot" is what fans of Bamba dream of him becoming. That happening, though, will require a lot of work, and there are questions about his motor. Still, Dallas needs a center, and if he works out, he could be a spectacular fit for what Rick Carlisle likes."
USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt, Sam Amick and Michael Singer (May 16): "Bamba was second in the NCAA with 3.72 blocks per game, and with a 7-foot-9 wingspan, Bamba is the kind of imposing center you draft to anchor a defense. He was also among the best offensive rebounders in college basketball. He immediately improves a weak Mavericks frontcourt."
Yahoo Sports’ Jordan Schultz (May 16): "Bamba’s Inspector Gadget arms — his wingspan measured 7-10 Wednesday morning — are a sight to behold. His massive upside is, too. He can develop into a great player — on both sides of the floor — particularly as he develops a stronger base and a couple of go-to post moves. Bamba, who just turned 20, is regarded as a terrific kid and undoubtedly one of the most enticing players available. He blocked a single-season school record 111 shots, which translated to 3.7 per game, good enough for second in the country. Bamba is also a tireless worker who has committed himself to improving, spending the pre-draft process with top-flight skills trainer Drew Hanlen."
The Athletic’s Michael Scotto (May 16): "The Nerlens Noel experiment will likely come to an end this summer, and Bamba could become Dallas’ long-term starting center. A young core of Dennis Smith Jr. at point guard, Harrison Barnes at forward and Bamba at center would give Dallas a balanced foundation to build on for the future.
CBS Sports’ Reid Forgrave (May 22): "Jackson is big, long, athletic and versatile, with an outrageous ceiling on both ends of the floor. He has versatility as a playmaker and as a shooter; he shot 80 percent from the free-throw line, 40 percent from 3-point range. And the youngster – one of the youngest players in this draft – could learn at the helm of one of the greatest offensive big men of all time."
SportingNews’ Sean Deveney (May 23): "There’s a thought that Jackson, who still is only 18, may be the player with the highest ceiling in this draft, but there’s a lot to make teams wary. Jackson could be dominant at times, a defensive presence and great athlete in the paint.
CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish (May 15): "I’m not as high on Jackson as most others, if only because he didn’t produce at Michigan State the way so many other heralded freshmen produced on other campuses in their only years of college basketball. The 6-11 forward averaged just 21.8 minutes and often struggled with foul trouble. That’s a concern. But his physical tools are undeniable. And the potential for stardom is clearly there considering Jackson is A) a top-shelf athlete, B) somebody who shot 39.6 percent from beyond the arc, and C) an asset, in a variety of ways, on the defensive end of the court."
NJ.com’s Eliot Shor-Parks (May 15): "Jackson is a true stretch-four in today’s NBA, with the ability to play defense and contribute from deep on the offensive side of the floor. After falling out of the top three, the Mavericks still get one of the best prospects in the draft."
WalterFootball.com’s David Kay (May 16): "Due to his combination of length, athleticism, and range on his jumper, Jackson has the makings of a modern-day NBA frontcourt player. He was also the Big Ten’s Defensive Player of the Year, so he is capable of getting it done on both ends of the floor. With Dirk Nowitzki on his final legs in the NBA and no great big on the roster, a prospect like Jackson is needed on this team."
SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell (May 15): "Porter Jr. was considered by some as the No. 1 recruit in the country entering his freshman season at Missouri. Then he was immediately sidelined by back surgery that cost him all but the last two games of the season. The injury remains a big concern. It’s also going to be hard for NBA teams to evaluate where his shooting and ball handling are at since he’s hardly played over the last year. There was a time when Porter looked like a sure-thing, a three-level scorer as a 6’10 combo forward who was going to be a devastating offensive weapon. That player very well could still be within him, but there’s a lot more risk associated with him now.
AZCentral.com’s Scott Bordow (May 23): "Dallas likely will consider Texas center Mohamed Bamba here as well but as it builds around point guard Dennis Smith Jr., it will need a versatile frontcourt scorer and Porter was widely considered to be a potential No. 1 pick before back surgery robbed him of his one season at Missouri. If Porter’s medical exam doesn’t raise any red flags, he could be Dallas’ version of Jayson Tatum."
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Gear Club Podcast
#43: Roy Hendrickson: The Avatar of Power Station
Our guest this week is Roy Hendrickson, a veteran of the New York music scene for over 3 decades. Roy got his start working at Power Station recording studio in the mid 80’s. After going freelance and working at first class studios from coast to coast, Roy returned to New York and became instrumental in the Power Station’s successful metamorphosis to Avatar, and continues making records there as its legacy moves forward, now Power Station at BerkleeNYC.
Roy has worked with a wide variety of artists in many different genres including Mick Jagger, Empire of the Sun, B.B. King, Billy Ocean, Missy Elliott, Blondie, Cheap Trick, Stanaj, P.O.D., Gavin DeGraw, Miles Davis, Peter Paul & Mary, Paul McCartney, James McCartney, Richie Havens, Carly Simon, Judy Collins, Gato Barbieri, Pat Metheny, Al di Meola, Kirk Whalum, Philippe Saisse, Roberta Flack, Zedd, Aloe Blacc, Wilco/Feist Fleming, La India, Prince Royce, and Ben E. King.
Gear Club hosted by John Agnello (Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr.) and Stewart Lerman (Patti Smith, St. Vincent), two producers / audio engineers based out of New York City. Each episode of the podcast features an interview with a key player in the audio industry, and also offers tips and guidance to the next generation of engineers and artists. The podcast is an informative, yet irreverent, look at the art of recording by leading practitioners of the art.
© ®2018 Gear Club Podcast
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Mason Student Recorded Women In Bathroom Without Their Knowledge
Angelique Arintok/Fourth Estate
Students concerned about slow police response
BY DANA NICKEL, NEWS EDITOR
Mason’s police department is investigating a male student who allegedly used his cell phone to record female students in campus bathrooms.
According to a report by ABC7 on Feb. 26, Mason police received a tip on Feb. 4 after a caller said he saw a male student leaving a women’s bathroom with his cell phone out. The caller also stated that he had seen the suspect spending time near the restroom throughout this and previous semesters.
On Feb. 11, the police were called again about the same student hanging around by the women’s bathroom. A photo of the student was also sent to the police. The police were contacted again on Feb. 12. They then entered the women’s bathroom and found the student.
According to a statement released by Mason PD on Facebook on Feb. 26, the officers found the suspect attempting to record women in the bathroom on his phone in the fourth-floor bathroom in Innovation Hall, one of Mason’s largest lecture halls.
The statement described that while no charges were “immediately” filed, Mason police detained and questioned the suspect, consulted with prosecutors and received search warrants for his dorm room and electronic devices.
ABC7 also reported that the student did admit to filming women in the Innovation Hall bathroom while he was being questioned.
The statement concludes by explaining that the investigation is still ongoing, and prosecutors will be consulted again when it has been completed.
Though a report about the incident was published in Mason’s crime log on Feb. 12, and a statement was released to Facebook two weeks later on Feb. 26, Mason students did not receive an alert about the incident until late Feb. 27, via email.
Since the investigation is still ongoing, Mason will not release the name of the student or comment on the incident. Many Mason students have expressed their confusion and outrage on campus and over social media since the news of this incident broke.
Henry Rieniets, a sophomore here at Mason, recalled to Fourth Estate how he found out about this incident. “I found out when another [Mason] student retweeted a local news story,” he explained. “The first thing I thought about [was] why [Mason police] didn’t notify us. These women could have been victims and not known about it.”
Rieniets continued, “After the sexual assaults Fourth Estate uncovered last year, it feels like the university doesn’t care about the safety of its female students.”
Rieniets was one of many students who posted their opinions on this incident and sentiments toward how Mason and the police department handled it.
Though the identity of the student is still unknown to the public, the Mason community is aware that the student lives in Piedmont Hall, a coed residence hall on campus.
One Mason student and resident of Piedmont, who chose to remain under the pseudonym Emma, expressed that this newfound information has created a sense of anxiety for all female students living in the residence hall.
Emma recalled that she happened upon the story from a smaller news outlet. “I was really disgusted and kind of annoyed that I had to find out about it this way,” she stated.
She continued, “When I was watching the story, I saw my building, Piedmont, and [I] was a bit frightened … I have no idea what he looks like or if he’s still living here, but I wish residents of Piedmont were given a warning or some kind of heads up for our own safety.”
In addition to news breaking on this incident, Mason students received a mass email from the police department early in the morning on March 1, in regards to a sexual assault in the Rappahannock Parking Deck. The incident happened at approximately 11 p.m. on Feb. 28, when an unknown male subject came up to a woman in the parking deck, groped her buttocks and wrapped his arms around her before running away. This alert came a few weeks after a previous alert describing an unidentified man who approached a woman by the Johnson Center and forcibly held on to the woman’s arm before the woman was able to leave.
Many Mason students have stated that a possible reason for the increase in Mason alerts surrounding sexual assault and harassment on campus is the lack of lighting at night around North Plaza, the area most affected by campus construction and a popular area in the middle of campus.
Mason students have taken to Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag “#GMULights” to raise awareness of the lack of proper lighting on campus and how it could be contributing to a general lack of safety for female students walking alone after dark.
MacKenzie Cahill, a Mason student, wrote on Facebook, “I have always felt safe on campus until the construction started. More and more women have been attacked and assaulted with the lack of light and abundance of hiding places made available to assailants.”
She continued, “This does not include incidents that were not reported,” but did not offer any additional details on unreported incidents in the post.
For students who feel unsafe on campus, Mason supports a campus safety mobile application, “Rave Guardian.” Mason police also offer safety escorts, and can be reached at (703) 993-2810.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story. It will be updated online as more details are made available.
campus crime campus safety developing story Piedmont Pervert privacy
About dananickel
Dana is a junior at Mason double majoring in Communications with a concentration in Journalism and Global Affairs with a concentration in International Development. She is the current Co Editor-in-Chief of Fourth Estate and has worked on stories ranging from in-depth coverage of donor influence at Mason to the arrival of Brett Kavanaugh as a visiting professor at Mason's law school.
View all posts by dananickel →
Patriot’s Pride, or Lack Thereof?
New Poll Breaks Down Trust In Trump
Disconnect Between Professors and Students on Course Evaluations
Mason Weekly Crime Log
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Pines Golden Wolves Hockey
Management and Advisory Board
The Golden Wolves Hockey Club was created to organize travel youth hockey in the South Florida market. This program is run by paid professional staff of trained hockey coaches. In 2011, the company was re-organized with new management and an advisory board. The company continues to seek advise from its customers through committtees created by the advisory board.
Stephen Lynch, President & Director of Hockey
Steve was born in Raleigh, NC but was raised in Pequannock, NJ. Steve grew up playing ice hockey in the South Mountain Arena in West Orange, NJ. It was the old practice facility for the NJ Devils and the home of his alma mater Seton Hall Prep. That’s also where his coaching career started before moving to South Florida in the spring of 2000. Steve resides in Cooper City, Florida and is married to Katrina Lynch with 3 children.
Mr. Lynch has been coaching ice hockey for over 25 years. He has been very fortunate to be able to work side by side with some of the best coaches in the business at a young age as an instructor and director for the Huron Hockey Schools. Mr. Lynch also served as Coaching and Program Director for the NJ Devils Youth Hockey Club before becoming the Program Director for the Golden Wolves where he has served for the past 19 years. In that time he been instrumental in helping change the face of hockey in Florida. Mr. Lynch has served on the SAHOF Board of Directors since 2003, has been a Head Coach and Evaluator for the USA Player Development Program, and has made five appearances at the USA Hockey National Championships which includes bringing the first National Championship to the Southeast District and the State of Florida.
John Harshaw, Member of the Advisory Board
John was born and raised in Florida, a non traditional hockey market, and is firmly committed to the growth and success of youth hockey in South Florida. John is married to Julie, and together reside in Davie, Florida with their three children, Justin, Jared, and Jenna. Both of their sons enjoy playing the game of hockey, while their baby sister Jenna patiently awaits her turn to play. John is very active in his community, and has coached youth soccer, baseball, and hockey for many local programs. He currently serves as a mentor for the Greater Miami Big Brothers and Big Sisters program, in partnership with the Miami Heat Academy. The Harshaw's are active supporters of many charities including the United Way of Miami Dade, St. Judes Childrens Research Hospital, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Autism Speaks, and Avon Walk for Breast Cancer.
Mr. Harshaw is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and joins our advisory board with over 30 years of experience in the field of Information Technology and business operations. His knowledge and expertise of business technology and effective integration will help to enhance our program, as we further improve automation to service the needs of our families, players, and teams. For the past two seasons, Mr. Harshaw has served as a team manager for the Golden Wolves, and has organized many special team functions and tournament teams. John is known by many travel organizations throughout the state, for his continual role as ambassador of goodwill and sportsmanship for the game we all love.
Richard Gardella, Member of the Advisory Board
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Title: Orthodox Judaism
Subject: Assembly of the Republic (Portugal), New Century Forum, Jewish prayer, List of places of worship in Berlin, Who is a Jew?
Collection: Jewish Religious Movements, Orthodox Judaism
The Shulchan Aruch, published in 1565, is the authoritative legal code for Orthodox Jews
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, a leading 20th-century American Orthodox authority.
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Orthodox Jews are Jews that try to obey and follow all the rules in Judaism. Orthodox Judaism is the approach to religious Judaism which adheres to the interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Tanaim and Amoraim and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and Acharonim. Orthodox Judaism generally includes Modern Orthodox Judaism and ultra orthodox or Haredi Judaism, but complete within is a wide range of philosophies. Orthodox Judaism is a modern self-conscious identification that, for some, distinguishes it from traditional premodern Judaism, although it was the mainstream expression of Judaism prior to the 19th century.[1]
As of 2001, Orthodox Jews and Jews affiliated with an Orthodox synagogue accounted for approximately 50% of British Jews (150,000), 25% of Israeli Jews (1,500,000) and 13% of American Jews (529,000).[2] (Among those affiliated to a synagogue body, Orthodox Jews represent 70% of British Jewry[3] and 27% of American Jewry).[2]
The majority of Jews killed during the Holocaust were religiously Orthodox.[4] It is estimated that they numbered between 50-70% of those who perished.[5]
Terminology 1
Roots of Orthodox Judaism 2.1
Development of Orthodox religious practice 2.2
Growth of Orthodox affiliation 2.3
Streams of Orthodoxy 3
Modern Orthodoxy 3.1
Haredi Judaism 3.2
Hasidic Judaism 3.3
In practice 3.4
Beliefs 4
In the United States 5
Movements, organisations and groups 6
Orthodoxy is not a single movement or school of thought. There is no single rabbinical body to which all rabbis are expected to belong, or any one organization representing member congregations. In the United States, there are numerous Jewish Orthodox organizations, such as Agudath Israel, the Orthodox Union and the National Council of Young Israel; none of which can claim to represent a majority of all Orthodox congregations.
In the 20th century, a segment of the Orthodox population (notably as represented by the World Agudath Israel movement formally established in 1912) disagreed with Modern Orthodoxy and took a stricter approach. Such rabbis viewed innovations and modifications within Jewish law and customs with extreme care and caution. Some observers and scholars refer to this form of Judaism as "Haredi Judaism", or "Ultra-Orthodox Judaism". The latter term is controversial, and some consider the label "ultra-Orthodox" pejorative.
Several media entities refrain from using the term “ultra Orthodox”, including the Religion Newswriters Association; JTA, the global Jewish news service; and the Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest daily newspaper, according the New Jersey Press Association.[6] New Jersey attorney Stephen E. Schwartz, Esq., convinced the Star-Ledger to become the first mainstream newspaper to drop the term.[6] Several local Jewish papers, including Jewish Week in New York and Jewish Exponent in Philadelphia have also dropped use of the term. According to Rabbi Shammai Engelmayer, spiritual leader of Temple Israel Community Center in Cliffside Park and former executive editor of Jewish Week, this leaves “Orthodox” as “an umbrella term that designates a very widely disparate group of people very loosely tied together by some core beliefs.”[6]
Roots of Orthodox Judaism
The roots of Orthodox Judaism can be traced to the late 18th or early 19th century, as a response to the Age of Enlightenment, Jewish Emancipation and Haskalah, whereby elements within German Jewry sought to reform Jewish belief and practice in the early 19th century. They sought to modernise education in light of contemporary scholarship, they rejected claims of absolute divine authorship of the Torah, declaring only those biblical laws concerning 'ethics' to be binding, and stated that the rest of halakha (Jewish law) need not be viewed as normative for Jews in wider society. (see Reform Judaism).
In reaction to the emergence of Reform Judaism, a group of traditionalist German Jews emerged who supported some of the values of the Haskalah[7] but who wanted to defend a conservative, traditional interpretation of Jewish law and tradition. This group was led by those who opposed the establishment of a new temple in Hamburg [1819] as reflected in the booklet "Ele Divrei HaBerit". As a group of Reform Rabbis convened in Braunschweig, Rabbi Jacob Ettlinger of Altona published a manifesto in German and Hebrew "Shlomei Emunei Yisrael" having 177 Rabbis signing on. At this time the first Orthodox Jewish periodical was launched "Der Treue Zions Waechter" with the Hebrew supplement "Shomer Zion HaNe'eman" [1845 - 1855]. In later years it was Rav Ettlinger's students Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch and Rabbi Azriel Hildesheimer of Berlin who deepened the awareness and strength of Orthodox Jewry. Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch commented in 1854 that
It was not the 'Orthodox' Jews who introduced the word 'orthodoxy' into Jewish discussion. It was the modern 'progressive' Jews who first applied this name to 'old', 'backward' Jews as a derogatory term. This name was at first resented by 'old' Jews. And rightly so. 'Orthodox' Judaism does not know any varieties of Judaism. It conceives Judaism as one and indivisible. It does not know a Mosaic, prophetic and rabbinic Judaism, nor Orthodox and Liberal Judaism. It only knows Judaism and non-Judaism. It does not know Orthodox and Liberal Jews. It does indeed know conscientious and indifferent Jews, good Jews, bad Jews or baptised Jews; all, nevertheless, Jews with a mission which they cannot cast off. They are only distinguished accordingly as they fulfil or reject their mission. (Samson Raphael Hirsch, Religion Allied to Progress, in JMW. p. 198)[8]
Hirsch held that Judaism demands an application of Torah thought to the entire realm of human experience, including the secular disciplines. His approach was termed the Torah im Derech Eretz approach, or "neo-Orthodoxy". While insisting on strict adherence to Jewish beliefs and practices, he held that Jews should attempt to engage and influence the modern world, and encouraged those secular studies compatible with Torah thought. This pattern of religious and secular involvement has been evident at many times in Jewish history. Scholars believe it was characteristic of the Jews in Babylon during the Amoraic and Geonic periods, and likewise in early medieval Spain, shown by their engagement with both Muslim and Christian society. It appeared as the traditional response to cultural and scientific innovation.
Some scholars believe that Modern Orthodoxy arose from the religious and social realities of Western European Jewry. While most Jews consider Modern Orthodoxy traditional today, some within the Orthodox community groups to its right consider it of questionable validity. The neo-Orthodox movement holds that Hirsch's views are not accurately followed by Modern Orthodoxy. [See Torah im Derech Eretz and Torah Umadda "Relationship with Torah im Derech Eretz" for a more extensive listing.]
Development of Orthodox religious practice
Contemporary Orthodox Jews believe that they adhere to the same basic philosophy and legal framework that has existed throughout Jewish history, whereas the other denominations depart from it. Orthodox Judaism, as it exists today, is an outgrowth that claims to extend from the time of Moses, to the time of the Mishnah and Talmud, through the development of oral law and rabbinic literature, until the present time.
However, the Orthodox claim to absolute fidelity to past tradition has been challenged by scholars who contend that the Judaism of the Middle Ages bore little resemblance to that practiced by today's Orthodox. Rather, the Orthodox community, as a counterreaction to the liberalism of the Haskalah movement, began to embrace far more stringent halachic practices than their predecessors, most notably in matters of Kashrut and Passover dietary laws, where the strictest possible interpretation becomes a religious requirement, even where the Talmud explicitly prefers a more lenient position, and even where a more lenient position was practiced by prior generations.[9][10]
Jewish historians also note that certain customs of today's Orthodox are not continuations of past practice, but instead represent innovations that would have been unknown to prior generations. For example, the now-widespread haredi tradition of cutting a boy's hair for the first time on his third birthday (upshirin or upsheerin, Yiddish for "haircut") "originated as an Arab custom that parents cut a newborn boy's hair and burned it in a fire as a sacrifice," and "Jews in Palestine learned this custom from Arabs and adapted it to a special Jewish context."[11] Similarly, the Ashkenazi prohibition against eating kitniyot (grains and legumes such as rice, corn, beans, and peanuts) during Passover was explicitly rejected in the Talmud, has no known precedent before the 12th century and represented a minority position for hundreds of years thereafter, but nonetheless has become a mandatory prohibition among Ashkenazi Orthodoxy.[10]
Growth of Orthodox affiliation
In practice, the emphasis on strictness has resulted in the rise of "homogeneous enclaves" with other haredi Jews that are less likely to be threatened by assimilation and intermarriage, or even to interact with other Jews who do not share their doctrines.[12] Nevertheless, this strategy has proved successful and the number of adherents to Orthodox Judaism, especially Haredi and Chassidic communities, has grown rapidly.[12] Some scholars estimate more Jewish men are studying in yeshivot (Talmudic schools) and Kollelim (post-graduate Talmudical colleges for married (male) students) than at any other time in history.
In 1915 Yeshiva College (later Yeshiva University) and its Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary was established in New York City for training in an Orthodox milieu. A school branch was established in Los Angeles, California. A number of other influential Orthodox seminaries, mostly Haredi, were established throughout the country, most notably in New York, Baltimore, Maryland; and Chicago, Illinois. Beth Medrash Govoha, the Haredi yeshiva in Lakewood, New Jersey is the largest Talmudic academy in the United States, with a student body of over 5,000 students.
Streams of Orthodoxy
Orthodox Judaism is heterogeneous, whereby subgroups maintain significant social differences, and less significant differences in understanding Halakha. What unifies various groups under the "Orthodox" umbrella is the central belief that Torah, including the Oral Law, was given directly from God to Moses at Mount Sinai and applies in all times and places. Haredi Judaism asserts that it may no longer be changed in any fashion. As a result, all Orthodox Jews are required to live in accordance with the Commandments and Jewish law.
Since there is no one Orthodox body, there is no one canonical statement of principles of faith. Rather, each Orthodox group claims to be a non-exclusive heir to the received tradition of Jewish theology, while still affirming a literal acceptance of Maimonides' thirteen principles.
Given this (relative) philosophic flexibility, variant viewpoints are possible, particularly in areas not explicitly demarcated by the Halakha. The result is a relatively broad range of hashqafoth (Sing. hashkafa Hebrew: השקפה – world view, Weltanschauung) within Orthodoxy. The greatest differences within strains of Orthodoxy involve the following issues:
the degree to which an Orthodox Jew should integrate and/or disengage from secular society
based, in part, on varying interpretations of the Three Oaths, whether Zionism is part of Judaism or opposed to it, and defining the role of the modern State of Israel in Judaism
their spiritual approach to Torah such as the relative roles of mainstream Talmudic study and mysticism or ethics
the validity of secular knowledge including critical Jewish scholarship of Rabbinic literature and modern philosophical ideas
whether the Talmudic obligation to learn while also practicing a trade/profession applies in our times
the centrality of yeshivas as the place for personal Torah study
the validity of authoritative spiritual guidance in areas outside of Halakhic decision (Da'as Torah)
the importance of maintaining non-Halakhic customs, such as dress, language and music
the role of women in (religious) society
the nature of the relationship with non-Jews
Based on their philosophy and doctrine vis-a-vis these core issues, adherents to Orthodoxy can roughly be divided into the subgroups of Modern Orthodox Judaism and Haredi Judaism, with most Hasidic Jewish groups falling into the latter category.
Modern Orthodoxy
Modern Orthodoxy comprises a fairly broad spectrum of movements, each drawing on several distinct though related philosophies, which in some combination have provided the basis for all variations of the movement today. In general, Modern Orthodoxy holds that Jewish law is normative and binding, while simultaneously attaching a positive value to interaction with contemporary society. In this view, Orthodox Judaism can “be enriched” by its intersection with modernity; further, “modern society creates opportunities to be productive citizens engaged in the Divine work of transforming the world to benefit humanity”. At the same time, in order to preserve the integrity of halakha, any area of “powerful inconsistency and conflict” between Torah and modern culture must be avoided.[13] Modern Orthodoxy, additionally, assigns a central role to the "People of Israel".[14]
Modern Orthodoxy, as a minor stream of orthodox Judaism represented by institutions such as the U.S. National Council for Young Israel, is pro-Zionist and thus places a high outreach (Kiruv)" to continued institutional relations and cooperation; see further under Torah Umadda. Other "core beliefs"[15] are a recognition of the value and importance of secular studies, a commitment to equality of education for both men and women, and a full acceptance of the importance of being able to financially support oneself and one's family.
Haredi Judaism
Haredi Judaism advocates segregation from non-Jewish culture, although not from non-Jewish society entirely. It is characterised by its focus on community-wide Torah study. Haredi Orthodoxy's differences with Modern Orthodoxy usually lie in interpretation of the nature of traditional halakhic concepts and in acceptable application of these concepts. Thus, engaging in the commercial world is a legitimate means to achieving a livelihood, but individuals should participate in modern society as little as possible. The same outlook is applied with regard to obtaining degrees necessary to enter one's intended profession: where tolerated in the Haredi society, attending secular institutions of higher education is viewed as a necessary but inferior activity. Academic interest is instead to be directed toward the religious education found in the yeshiva. Both boys and girls attend school and may proceed to higher Torah study, starting anywhere between the ages of 13 and 18. A significant proportion of students, especially boys, remain in yeshiva until marriage (which is often arranged through facilitated dating – see shiduch), and many study in a kollel (Torah study institute for married men) for many years after marriage. Most Orthodox men (including many Modern Orthodox), even those not in Kollel, will study Torah daily.
Hasidic Judaism
Rebbe (sometimes translated as "Grand Rabbi"), and various customs and modes of dress particular to each community. In some cases there are religious ideological distinctions between Hasidic groups, as well. Another phenomenon that sets Hasidic Judaism apart from general Haredi Judaism is the strong emphasis placed on speaking Yiddish; in (many) Hasidic households and communities, Yiddish is spoken exclusively.
The Babylonian Talmud
For guidance in practical application of Jewish law, the majority of Orthodox Jews appeal to the Shulchan Aruch ("Code of Jewish Law" composed in the 16th century by Rabbi Joseph Caro) together with its surrounding commentaries. Thus, at a general level, there is a large degree of uniformity amongst all Orthodox Jews. Concerning the details, however, there is often variance: decisions may be based on various of the standardized codes of Jewish Law that have been developed over the centuries, as well as on the various responsa. These codes and responsa may differ from each other as regards detail (and reflecting the above philosophical differences, as regards the weight assigned to these). By and large, however, the differences result from the historic dispersal of the Jews and the consequent development of differences among regions in their practices (see minhag).
Mizrahi and Sephardic Orthodox Jews base their practice on the Shulchan Aruch. The recent works of Halakha, Kaf HaChaim, Ben Ish Chai and Yalkut Yosef are considered authoritative in many Sephardic communities. Thus Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews may choose to follow the opinion of the Ben Ish Chai when it conflicts with the Shulchan Aruch. Some of these practices are derived from the Kabbalistic school of Isaac Luria.
Ashkenazic Orthodox Jews have traditionally based most of their practices on the Rema, the gloss on the Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi Moses Isserles, reflecting differences between Ashkenazi and Sephardi custom. In the post-World War II period, the Mishnah Berurah has become authoritative. Ashkenazi Jews may choose to follow the Mishna Brurah instead of a particular detail of Jewish law as presented in the Shulchan Aruch.
Chabad Lubavitch Hasidim and many other Hasidic sects generally follow the rulings of Shneur Zalman of Liadi in the Shulchan Aruch HaRav.
Traditional Baladi and Dor Daim (Yemenite Jews) base most of their practices on the Mishneh Torah, the compendium by Maimonides of halakha, written several centuries before the Shulchan Aruch. The Talmidei haRambam also keep Jewish law as codified in the Mishneh Torah.
A smaller number, such as the Romaniote Jews, traditionally rule according to the Jerusalem Talmud over the Babylonian Talmud.
Spanish and Portuguese Jews consider the Shulchan Aruch authoritatively but differ from other Sephardim by making less allowance for more recent authorities, in particular customs based on the Kabbalah. Some customs are based on Maimonides or the Arba'ah Turim.
Orthodox Judaism emphasizes practicing rules of Kashrut, Shabbat, Family Purity, and Tefilah (Prayer).
Externally, Orthodox Jews can be identified by their manner of dress and family lifestyle. Orthodox women dress modestly by keeping most of their skin covered. Additionally, married women cover their hair, most commonly in the form of a scarf, also in the form of hats, bandanas, berets, snoods or, sometimes, wigs. Orthodox men wear a skullcap known as a kipa and often fringes called "tzitzit". Haredi men often grow beards and always wear black hats and suits, indoors and outdoors. However, Modern Orthodox Jews are commonly indistinguishable in their dress from those around them.
13 Principles of Faith:
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is the Creator and Guide of everything that has been created; He alone has made, does make, and will make all things.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is One, and that there is no unity in any manner like His, and that He alone is our God, who was, and is, and will be.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, has no body, and that He is free from all the properties of matter, and that there can be no (physical) comparison to Him whatsoever.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, is the first and the last.
I believe with perfect faith that to the Creator, Blessed be His Name, and to Him alone, it is right to pray, and that it is not right to pray to any being besides Him.
I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true.
I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of Moses our teacher, peace be upon him, was true, and that he was the chief of the prophets, both those who preceded him and those who followed him.
I believe with perfect faith that the entire Torah that is now in our possession is the same that was given to Moses our teacher, peace be upon him.
I believe with perfect faith that this Torah will not be exchanged, and that there will never be any other Torah from the Creator, Blessed be His Name.
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, knows all the deeds of human beings and all their thoughts, as it is written, "Who fashioned the hearts of them all, Who comprehends all their actions" (Psalms 33:15).
I believe with perfect faith that the Creator, Blessed be His Name, rewards those who keep His commandments and punishes those that transgress them.
I believe with perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah; and even though he may tarry, nonetheless, I wait every day for his coming.
I believe with perfect faith that there will be a revival of the dead at the time when it shall please the Creator, Blessed be His name, and His mention shall be exalted for ever and ever.
-Maimonides
Orthodox Judaism is composed of different groups with intertwining beliefs, practices and theologies, although in their core beliefs, all Orthodox movements share the same principles.
Orthodoxy collectively considers itself the only true heir to the Jewish tradition. The Orthodox Jewish movements generally consider all non-Orthodox Jewish movements to be unacceptable deviations from authentic Judaism; both because of other denominations' doubt concerning the verbal revelation of Written and Oral Torah, and because of their rejection of Halakhic precedent as binding. As such, Orthodox groups characterise non-Orthodox forms of Judaism as heretical; see the article on Relationships between Jewish religious movements.
Orthodox Judaism affirms monotheism, or the belief in one God. Among the in-depth explanations of that belief are Maimonidean rationalism, Kabbalistic mysticism, and Chassidic Philosophy (Chassidut). A few affirm self-limited omniscience (the theology elucidated by Gersonides in "The Wars of the Lord".)
Orthodox Judaism maintains the historical understanding of Jewish identity. A Jew is someone who was born to a Jewish mother, or who converts to Judaism in accordance with Jewish law and tradition. Orthodoxy thus rejects patrilineal descent as a means of establishing Jewish national identity. Similarly, Orthodoxy strongly condemns intermarriage. Intermarriage is seen as a deliberate rejection of Judaism, and an intermarried person is effectively cut off from most of the Orthodox community. However, some Orthodox Jewish organizations do reach out to intermarried Jews.
Orthodox Judaism holds that the words of the Torah, including both the Written Law (Pentateuch) and those parts of the Oral Law which are halacha leMoshe m'Sinai, were dictated by God to Moses essentially as they exist today. The laws contained in the Written Torah were given along with detailed explanations as how to apply and interpret them, the Oral Law. Although Orthodox Jews believe that many elements of current religious law were decreed or added as "fences" around the law by the rabbis, all Orthodox Jews believe that there is an underlying core of Sinaitic law and that this core of the religious laws Orthodox Jews know today is thus directly derived from Sinai and directly reflects the Divine will. As such, Orthodox Jews believe that one must be extremely careful in interpreting Jewish law. Orthodox Judaism holds that, given Jewish law's Divine origin, no underlying principle may be compromised in accounting for changing political, social or economic conditions; in this sense, "creativity" and development in Jewish law is limited.
However, there is significant disagreement within Orthodox Judaism, particularly between Haredi Judaism and Modern Orthodox Judaism, about the extent and circumstances under which the proper application of Halakha should be re-examined as a result of changing realities. As a general rule, Haredi Jews believe that when at all possible the law should be maintained as it was understood by their authorities at the haskalah, believing that it had never changed. Modern Orthodox authorities are more willing to assume that under scrupulous examination, identical principles may lead to different applications in the context of modern life. To the Orthodox Jew, halakha is a guide, God's Law, governing the structure of daily life from the moment he or she wakes up to the moment he goes to sleep. It includes codes of behaviour applicable to a broad range of circumstances (and many hypothetical ones). There are though a number of meta-principles that guide the halakhic process and in an instance of opposition between a specific halakha and a meta-principle, the meta-principle often wins out. Examples of Halachic Meta-Principles are: Deracheha Darchei Noam-the ways of Torah are pleasant, Kavod Habriyot-basic respect for human beings, Pikuach Nefesh-the sanctity of human life.
Orthodox Judaism holds that on Mount Sinai the Written Law was transmitted along with an Oral Law. The words of the Torah (Pentateuch) were spoken to Moses by God; the laws contained in this Written Torah, the Mitzvot, were given along with detailed explanations in the oral tradition as to how to apply and interpret them. Furthermore, the Oral law includes principles designed to create new rules. The Oral law is held to be transmitted with an extremely high degree of accuracy. Jewish theologians, who choose to emphasize the more evolutionary nature of the Halacha point to a famous story in the Talmud,[16] where Moses is miraculously transported to the House of Study of Rabbi Akiva and is clearly unable to follow the ensuing discussion.
According to Orthodox Judaism, Jewish law today is based on the commandments in the Torah, as viewed through the discussions and debates contained in classical rabbinic literature, especially the Mishnah and the Talmud. Orthodox Judaism thus holds that the halakha represents the "will of God", either directly, or as closely to directly as possible. The laws are from the word of God in the Torah, using a set of rules also revealed by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, and have been derived with the utmost accuracy and care, and thus the Oral Law is considered to be no less the word of God. If some of the details of Jewish law may have been lost over the millennia, they were reconstructed in accordance with internally consistent rules; see The 13 rules by which Jewish law was derived.
In this world view, the Mishnaic and Talmudic rabbis are closer to the Divine revelation; by corollary, one must be extremely conservative in changing or adapting Jewish law. Orthodox Jews will also study the Talmud for its own sake; this is considered to be the greatest mitzvah of all; see Torah study.
Haredi and Modern Orthodox Judaism vary somewhat in their view of the validity of Halakhic reconsideration. It is held virtually as a principle of belief among many Haredi Jews that halakhah never changes. Haredi Judaism thus views higher criticism of the Talmud as inappropriate, and almost certainly heretical. At the same time, many self-proclaimed Modern Orthodox Jews do not have a problem with historical scholarship in this area. See the entry on historical analysis of the Talmud.
Some Modern Orthodox Jews are also somewhat more willing to consider revisiting questions of Jewish law through Talmudic arguments. Although in practice such instances are rare, they do exist. Notable examples include acceptance of rules permitting farming during the Shmita year and permitting the advanced religious education of women.
The New York City Metropolitan Area is home to the largest American Orthodox Jewish population.
Although sizable Orthodox-Jewish communities are located throughout the United States, the majority of American Orthodox Jews live in New York State, particularly in the New York City Metropolitan Area. Two of the main Orthodox communities in the United States are located in New York City and Rockland County. In New York City, the neighborhoods of Borough Park, Williamsburg, and Crown Heights, located in the borough of Brooklyn, have particularly large Orthodox communities. The most rapidly growing community of American Orthodox Jews is located in Rockland County and the Hudson Valley of New York, including the communities of Monsey, Monroe, New Square, and Kiryas Joel. There are also sizable and rapidly growing Orthodox communities throughout New Jersey, particularly in Lakewood, Teaneck, Englewood, Passaic, and Fair Lawn.
In addition, Maryland has a large number of Orthodox Jews, many of whom live in Baltimore, particularly in the Park Heights, Mount Washington, and Pikesville areas. Two other large Orthodox Jewish centers are southern Florida, particularly Miami Beach, and the Los Angeles area of California.
In contrast to the general American Jewish community, which is dwindling due to low fertility and high intermarriage and assimilation rates, the Orthodox Jewish community of the United States is growing rapidly. Among Orthodox Jews, the fertility rate stands at about 4.1 children per family, as compared to 1.9 children per family among non-Orthodox Jews, and intermarriage among Orthodox Jews is practically nonexistent, standing at about 2%, in contrast to a 71% intermarriage rate among non-Orthodox Jews. In addition, Orthodox Judaism has a growing retention rate; while about half of those raised in Orthodox homes previously abandoned Orthodox Judaism, that number is declining.[17][18] According to The New York Times, the high growth rate of Orthodox Jews will eventually render them the dominant demographic force in New York Jewry.[19]
Politically, Orthodox Jews, given their variety of movements and affiliations, tend not to conform easily to the standard left-right political spectrum, with one of the key differences between the movements stemming from the groups' attitudes to militarism and nationalism, as destructive of the Judaic way of life.[20]
On the other hand, orthodox Jews subscribing to Modern Orthodoxy in its American and UK incarnations, tend to be far more right-wing than both non-orthodox and other orthodox Jews. While the overwhelming majority of non-orthodox American Jews are on average strongly liberal and supporters of the Democratic Party, the Modern Orthodox subgroup of Orthodox Judaism tends to be far more conservative, with roughly half describing themselves as political conservatives, and are mostly Republican Party supporters.[21] Modern Orthodox Jews, compared to both the non-orthodox American Jewry and the Haredi and Hasidic Jewry, also tend to have a stronger connection to Israel due to their attachment to Zionism.[22]
Movements, organisations and groups
Heichal Shlomo, former seat of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel in Jerusalem.
Prussia (now Katowice, Poland). The American Agudath Israel was founded in 1939. There is an Agudat Israel (Hasidic) in Israel, and also Degel HaTorah (non-Hasidic "Lithuanian"), as well as an Agudath Israel of Europe. These groups are loosely affiliated through the World Agudath Israel, which from time to time holds a major gathering in Israel called a knessia. Agudah unites many rabbinic leaders from the Hasidic Judaism wing with those of the non-Hasidic "yeshiva" world. It is generally non-nationalistic and ambivalent towards the modern State of Israel.[23]
The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, known as the Union of Orthodox Rabbis (described below).
The National Council of Young Israel and the Council of Young Israel Rabbis are smaller groups that were founded as Modern Orthodox organizations, are Zionistic, and are in the right wing of Modern Orthodox Judaism. Young Israel strongly supports and allies itself with the settlement movement in Israel. While the lay membership of synagogues affiliated with the NCYI are almost exclusively Modern Orthodox in orientation, the rabbinical leadership of the synagogues ranges from Modern Orthodox to Haredi.
The Chief Rabbinate of Israel [24] was founded with the intention of representing all of Judaism within the State of Israel, and has two chief rabbis: One is Ashkenazic (of the East European and Russian Jewish tradition) and one is Sephardic (of the Mediterranean, North African, Central Asian, Middle-Eastern and of Caucasus Jewish tradition.) The rabbinate has never been accepted by most Israeli Haredi groups. Since the 1960s the Chief rabbinate of Israel has moved somewhat closer to the positions of Haredi Judaism.
Mizrachi, and political parties such as Mafdal and National Union (Israel) all represent certain sectors within the Religious Zionist movement, both in diaspora and Israel. The defunct[25] Gush Emunim, Meimad, Tzohar, Hazit and other movements represent over competing divisions within the sector. They firmly believe in the 'Land Of Israel for the People of Israel according to the principles Torah of Israel. ', although Meimad are pragmatic about such programme. Gush Emunim are the settlement wing of National Union (Israel) and support widespread kiruv as well, through such institutions as Machon Meir, Merkaz HaRav and Rabbi Shlomo Aviner. Another sector includes the Hardal faction, which tends to be unallied to the Government and quite centristic.
Second World War, it began sending out emissaries (shluchim) who have as a mission the bringing back of disaffected Jews to a level of observance consistent with authentic and proper norms (i.e., Orthodox Judaism). They are major players in what is known as the Baal Teshuva movement. Their mandate is to make nonobservant Jews more observant.[26][27][28][29][30][31]
In Israel although it shares a similar agenda with the Sephardic Shas political party, Shas is more bipartisan when it comes to its own issues and non-nationalistic-based with a huge emphasis on Sephardi and Mizrahi Judaism. Shas has its own positions and plays a more prominent role in the government of the State, usually having something to say about almost every Jewish issue. It is usually in fierce contention with Agudat Yisrael in Israel.
The Agudath HaRabbonim, also known as the Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog and Orthodox Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik) that the Conservative and Reform movements are "not Judaism at all. "
The Satmar Hasidic group, which has about 100,000 adherents (an unknown number of which are rabbis), and like-minded Haredi groups.
The left-wing Modern Orthodox advocacy group, Edah, formed from United States Modern Orthodox rabbis. Most of its membership came from synagogues affiliated with the Union of Orthodox Congregations and RCA (above). Their motto was, "The courage to be Modern and Orthodox". Edah ceased operations in 2007 and merged some of its programs into the left-wing Yeshivat Chovevei Torah.
The Beis Yaakov educational movement, begun in 1917, introduced the concept of formal Judaic schooling for Orthodox women.
Orthodox diversity
Baal teshuva movement
Jewish denominations
Lithuanian Judaism
Modern Orthodox Judaism
Religious Zionism
Sephardi Judaism
Torah Judaism
Divine Providence in Orthodox thought
Jewish principles of faith
List of Baalei teshuva
List of Orthodox rabbis
^ Susan Auerbach (1994). Encyclopedia of Multiculturalism: Daniel Ken Inouye-Mythology, American Indian. Marshall Cavendish. p. 976.
^ a b American Jewish Religious Denominations, United Jewish Communities Report Series on the National Jewish Population Survey 2001-01, (Table 2, pg. 9)
^ Synagogue membership in the United Kingdom in 2010
^ Dan Stone (22 February 2013). The Holocaust, Fascism and Memory: Essays in the History of Ideas. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 18.
^ Alex Grobman (2004). Battling for Souls: The Vaad Hatzala Rescue Committee In Post-holocaust Europe. KTAV Publishing House, Inc. p. 23.
^ a b c Josh Lipowsky, "Paper loses 'divisive' term", New Jersey Jewish Standard, February 5, 2009, pp 10.
^ "YIVO | Orthodoxy". Yivoencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
^ Cohn-Sherbok, Dan (2004). Judaism: History, Belief, and Practice. Routledge. p. 264.
^ Kraemer, David C. (2007). Jewish Eating and Identity Through the Ages. Psychology Press. pp. 151–154.
^ a b Steinberg, Paul (2009). Celebrating the Jewish Year: The Spring and Summer Holidays: Passover, The Omer, Shavuot, Tisha B'Av. Jewish Publication Society.
^ The tradition of lighting bonfires on Lag B'omer also derives from the same Arab practice of burning the child's cut hair, as it was initially on that day (rather than on the third birthday) that the cutting ceremony was performed.
^ a b Linker, Damon (2010). The Religious Test. W.W. Norton & Company. pp. 28–30.
^ "Rabbi Norman Lamm: Some Comments on Centrist Orthodoxy". Edah.org. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
^ William B. Helmreich and Reuel Shinnar: Modern Orthodoxy in America: Possibilities for a Movement under Siege
^ "בבלי – מסכת מנחות". Mechon-mamre.org. Retrieved 2011-07-22.
^ Pew survey of U.S. Jews: soaring intermarriage, assimilation rates
^ Eight facts about Orthodox Jews from the Pew Research Survey
^ David Brooks (March 7, 2013). "The Orthodox Surge". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2013.
^ Social and Political Views
^ Connection With and Attitudes Toward Israel
^ Agudath Yisrael More on Agudath Yisrael
^ Encyclopaedia Judaica: Volume 8, p. 145
^ Wertheimer, Jack (June 16, 2014). "Why the Lubavitch Movement Thrives in the Absence of a Living Rebbe". JA Mag in Jewish World. Orthodox Union. Retrieved 30 September 2014. Among the latter is the Jewish Learning Institute, the largest educational program for Jewish adults in the world (with the possible exception of the Daf Yomi enterprise), which currently enrolls over 66,000 teens and adults at some 850 sites around the world, each following a prescribed course of study according to a set timetable.
^ Wertheimer, Jack. "The Outreach Revolution". Commentary Magazine. Retrieved April 2, 2013.
^ "Chabad hosts Jewish perspectives on staying positive". New Jersey Hills Media Group, Bernardsville, NJ. Hanover Eagle. October 30, 2014. Retrieved 3 November 2014. “How Happiness Thinks” was created by the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute- an internationally acclaimed adult education program running on over 350 cities worldwide, which boast over 75,000 students. This particular course builds on the latest observations and discoveries in the field of positive psychology. “How Happiness Thinks” offers participants the chance to earn up to 15 continuing education credits from the American Psychological Association (APA), American Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) and the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC).
^ Open Source Contributor. "New Course to Explore Modern Ethical Dilemmas". Your Houston News. Retrieved November 3, 2013.
^ Tribune staff report (October 30, 2014). "Happiness focus of JLI presentation". Tahoe Daily Tribune. Retrieved 3 November 2014. JLI, the adult education branch of Chabad Lubavitch, offers programs in more than 350 U.S. cities and in numerous foreign locations, including Australia, Argentina, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Israel, the Netherlands, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela. More than 260,000 students have attended JLI classes since the organization was founded in 1998.
^ Sheskin and Dashefsky (2014). "National Jewish Organizations". American Jewish Year Book (Book) (Volume 113 ed.). Springer International Publishing. pp. 447–597.
Your Complete Guide to Brochos
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Outline of Judaism
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Annual Graduate Medical Education Day Brings Residency Shortages to the Forefront
Today in Washington, D.C., hospital advocates participated in the Association of American Medical Colleges’ (AAMC) Graduate Medical Education (GME) Day of Action to reinforce the importance of Congressional support for residency programs, workforce initiatives, and learning opportunities across the United States, in an effort to meet society’s ever-evolving health care needs.
Legislation Reintroduced to Strengthen the Workforce to Respond to the Opioid Epidemic
Building on sustained efforts at the federal level to address the opioid epidemic over the last two Congressional sessions, federal lawmakers reinitiated a bipartisan effort to strengthen the health care workforce’s ability to respond to the opioid crisis by incentivizing the training of more addiction specialists.
U.S. House Hearing, New CBO Report Identify Complicated Considerations for Single-payor, Medicare for All
As policy conversation in Washington, D.C., continues to explore avenues to advance health care reform and Democrat presidential hopefuls are challenged to define their perspectives regarding a single-payor health care system, a Congressional hearing in the U.S. House Rules Committee this week and a new report by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) highlight the complicated considerations surrounding such a significant health care overhaul.
PA Hospitals to See Slightly Reduced Penalties under New CMS Rule
A study published last week in JAMA Internal Medicine analyzed how Medicare’s recent changes to the Hospital Readmission Reduction Program (HRRP) affect hospitals with high versus low proportions of dual Medicaid- and Medicare-eligible patient populations.
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MMT and Why Historians Need to Reclaim Studying Money
tags: economic history, Bernie Sanders, William Jennings Bryan, Adam Smith, Modern Monetary Theory
by Rebecca Spang
Rebecca L. Spang is Professor of History at Indiana University where she directs the Liberal Arts and Management Program. The author of Stuff and Money in the Time of the French Revolution (Harvard University Press, 2015), she participated in the historians’ roundtable at the Second International MMT Conference (The New School, September 2018).
Pictured above: Campaign buttons from the 1896 election. Some monetary references are still obvious (“the money we want”); others, now more obscure (Bryan’s campaign advocated a “16 to 1” ratio between silver and gold). Supporters of a gold standard had been known as “goldbugs” since the 1870s; the silver beetle-shaped pins were made in response.
MMT (Modern Monetary Theory—a form of post-Keynesian economics) is everywhere these days. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders embrace it; Paul Krugman and George Will write about it; the Financial Times, Forbes, and The Economist have all run columns about it. Even the men’s parenting website Fatherly had an article on it. Do historians have anything to add?
Historians know this is not the first time that American politicians, scholars, and ordinary people alike have asked fundamental questions about what money is, how it works, and who it benefits. The 1896 presidential election is famous for William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech, but he was only one of many that decade to be talking and writing about the comparative merits of gold, silver, and paper. Americans got in barroom fights about it (at least one man died), sang songs about it, and composed poems on the subject. The economist President of Brown University, E. Benjamin Andrews, nearly lost his job because of his silverite views. Newspapers across the country reported when a Stanford professor asserted that faculty were forced to teach in favor of the gold standard; “Coercion in the colleges” ran the headline in the Morning World-Herald (Omaha).
Today, as in the 1890s, the fundamental question is whether prosperity can be increased and inequality reduced by injecting more money into the economy. Orthodox economists—the vocabulary of “orthodoxy” has been part of economics since the first professorships were created—say it cannot: that growth (whether it be the manufacture of more stuff, or the greener production of better stuff) has to happen in the “real” economy and that money simply facilitates buying, selling, saving, and investing. As J. Laurence Laughlin (first chair of Economics at the University of Chicago) wrote in 1895: “Money… no matter how valuable, is not wanted for itself. It is only a means to an end, like a bridge over a river.” No one, Laughlin continued, could really believe that adding silver to the money in circulation would produce “bushels of wheat and bushels of corn and barrels of mess pork”—only mine owners and their investors would gain by its being minted.
MMTers and silverites, in contrast, emphasize the work left undone—factories shut, children and the elderly not cared for, solar panels not made and installed, etc.—because there is too little money in circulation. MMT’s proposed mechanism for adding money to the economy is hardly that of the “Free Silver” movement, but the two fundamentally agree that money is a political phenomenon (a “creature of the state” in the words of Abba Lerner’s 1947 paper). Populists in the 1890s campaigned against the 1873 law that demonetized silver; MMTers today, against the rhetoric of “deficits” and mandates for pay-as-you-go budgeting that have been central to American politics since the Reagan Revolution. MMT crucially claims that a monetary sovereign cannot go broke in its own money—it can always issue more. We should therefore think of public deficits not as bills to be paid, but as indicators of how much we as a nation care about particular issues. Since money exists for wars and walls, they say, it can just as readily be found for high-speed trains and clean-power energy.
If the sovereign uses its money-issuing power unwisely—if more exists in the system than there is work to be done or goods to be bought—then prices for everything could rise. Should there be high inflation, the government should spend less and tax the excess money back into its coffers. MMT, in other words, does recognize that deficit-spending could become problematic, but not for the reasons usually given. A country like the United States—a public entity that is sovereign, does not age or plan to retire, and is imagined as existing indefinitely into the future—is not a household that needs to balance its budget. Using examples from personal finance to explain public spending may give a homey touch to political campaigns, but they are fundamentally misleading.
In the way it links monetary policy, fiscal policy, and social policy—the Jobs Guarantee and something like a Green New Deal are not things to be “paid for” via MMT, but are part of it—MMT rejoins the Enlightenment tradition of political/social economy. Adam Smith, remember, was not an economist (the word was barely used in the eighteenth century) but Professor of Moral Philosophy and an opponent of many of the developments—growth of corporations, laissez-faire capitalism, the exploitation of workers—for which he is now imagined to stand. As Gareth Stedman Jones and others have shown, the selective reading of Smith as “father of capitalism” was an interpretation formed in reaction to the social radicalism of the French Revolution. So, too, did political context play a significant role when economics became a distinct, and then increasingly model-based, social science some 120 years ago. With the strikes and labor unrest of the 1880s and the Populist Movement of the 1890s, economists who spoke in favor of unions or about the plight of workers under monopoly capitalism either found themselves out of a job or re-appointed to Social or Political Science departments. There is a long institutional history, then, to MMTers’ self-positioning as underdogs and voices in the wilderness.
While MMT economists (Stephanie Kelton, Pavlina Tcherneva, Randall Wray, Warren Mosler, and Bill Mitchell are five big names to know) quarrel with their fellow post-Keynesians over models and implications, historians need to reclaim money as something to be studied in specific social and political contexts. Historians know what all financial advisors profess to recognize: “past returns are no guarantee of future results.” In fact, however, the entire field of economics—with its assumptions about trend lines, models, and transhistorical facts (such as Milton Friedman’s assertion that “inflation is always and everywhere a monetary phenomenon”)—has largely failed to internalize this salient and important truth.
The historian Andrew Dickson White, first president both of Cornell University and of the American Historical Association, made himself part of the 1890s debate with his Fiat Money Inflation in France: How it came, what it brought, and how it went (1896). An earlier version, entitled Paper Money Inflation in France, had appeared in 1876 when the Greenback Party (named for the paper money issued by the United States to fund and win the Civil War) was at its peak. In both pamphlets, White used the example of the French Revolution’s paper money, the assignats, to argue against increases to the money supply and for “fighting a financial crisis in an honest and manly way.” By changing the first word in his title and adding material borrowed from Macauley’s History of England about seventeenth-century coinage debasements, White expanded his target to include all “fiat” currencies—all money created by government order. Re-issued in 1914, 1933, and 1945 by various publishers and in 1980 by the Cato Institute, White’s pamphlet remains widely available today. This is a record of impact and influence few historians can match, but I do not suggest it is a model we should follow. Couched in a vocabulary of natural laws—at one point, White describes issuing paper money as equivalent to opening dikes in the Netherlands; elsewhere, he compares it to corrosive poison and cheap alcohol—Fiat Money Inflation in France appealed to partisans of the Gold Standard because it seemed to show fiat money’s inevitable outcomes. But nothing in history is inevitable (even if some things are far more likely than others) and the eventual failure of the assignats owed as much to the specific politics of the Revolution as to any timeless laws of economics.
MMT, along with the euro crisis and awareness of austerity’s social effects, has done much to open monetary and fiscal debates to wider audiences. Simply recognizing that money is political and historical (central, as Harvard Law Professor Christine Desan likes to say, to how a polity constitutes itself) is a difficult breakthrough for most people. On the other hand, seeing money in this way doesn’t—in a fractured polity characterized by demagoguery and high levels of inequality—make policy any easier to write or implement.
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Clash of the Titans: The Science behind the Iceberg that sank the Titanic
By David Bressan on Tuesday, April 14, 2015
The tragedy of the “unsinkable” Titanic – lost in the cold water of the Atlantic – became part of history and pop culture, but the story of the main culprit that caused the disaster is mostly forgotten and only vague descriptions and some photos exists of the supposed iceberg(s). One famous photography taken from board of the cable ship “Minia“, one of the first ships to reach the area in search for debris and bodies, shows a tabular iceberg, an unusual shape for icebergs in the northern Atlantic. The crew found debris and bodies floating in the vicinity and the captain assured that this was the only iceberg near the point of the collision. However most surviving Titanic testimonies described later the infamous iceberg with a prominent peak or even two.
Fig.1. The moment of the collision according to the sailor Frederick Fleet - one of the two men on duty as lookout in the night of the disaster (after EATON & HAAS 1986).
Fig.2. Journalist Colin Campbell, a passenger of the "Carpathia" - the first ship to approach the scene of the disaster the next morning and save the surviving passengers of the Titanic - described the iceberg for the "New York Tribune" (after EATON & HAAS 1986).
Fig.3. One of the many icebergs photographed in the morning of April 15, 1912. The passengers on the ship “Prinz Adalbert”, still unaware of the disaster of the previous night, reported later to have noted a “red smear” at the waterline of the white iceberg.
Fig.4. Photography of an iceberg from the cable ship "Minia", one of the first ships to reach the area in search for debris and bodies. The crew found debris and bodies floating in the vicinity of the depicted iceberg and the captain assured that this was the only iceberg near the scene of the collision (after Titanic & Nautical Resource Center).
Fig.5. Another iceberg, photographed five days later from board of the German ship “Bremen”, claimed to be the Titanic iceberg based on the vicinity to the location of the disaster and the description of the iceberg according to survivors. An "authentic" photography of the iceberg that sank theTitanic was worth a lot of money for the eager press, this also explain why so many photographs of icebergs were taken at the time.
Fig.6. Photography taken from board of the ship “Birma” of the same iceberg as seen by the passengers of the “Carpathia” (see also Fig.2.) – the first ship to approach the scene of the disaster and save the surviving passengers of the Titanic – and published at the time in the “Daily Sketch”. This iceberg has in fact some remarkable similarities to the iceberg as described by survivors of the disaster.
Despite the question if one of the photos shows really the culprit iceberg, the remarkably number of spotted icebergs emphasizes the notion that in 1912 a quite impressive number of these white titans reached such southern latitudes.
The icebergs encountered in the North Atlantic originate mainly from the western coasts of Greenland, where ice streams deliver large quantities of ice in the fjords which lead to the Baffin Bay. Every year ten-thousand of small and large pieces of ice drop from the front of the glaciers and are pushed by the West Greenland Current slowly to northern latitudes, far away from ship routes. Following first the coast of Greenland this current is diverted by the Canadian coast to the south, forming the Labrador Current that circumnavigates Newfoundland and delivers the iceberg to the warm Gulf Stream. A more than 5.000km long journey full of obstacles and incessant erosion by the sun, the water and the waves. Only estimated 1 to 2% of large icebergs will, after a period of 1-3 years, reach latitude 45°N, crossing one of the most important route for ships of the entire Atlantic Ocean.
Fig.7. Schematic map of marine currents (blue= cold; red = hot) around Greenland, probable region of origin (West Greenland) and hypothetical route of the iceberg that hit the Titanic.
Apparently in 1912 icebergs were spotted remarkably often in this region and various hypotheses tried to explain this “anomaly”. The years before 1912 were characterized by mild winters in Europe and possibly the northern Atlantic. It was therefore speculated that the (relative) warm temperatures increased the melting rate and activity of the calving glaciers on Greenland.
Also a strengthened Labrador Current, pushing cold water and icebergs much more to the south, was proposed to explain the ice field that in the cold night 100 years ago forced various ships to stop along the Atlantic route.
Both hypotheses are based on the recorded values of Sea Surface Temperature (see this diagram by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution), which show an alternation of a warm and cold period in 1900-1920.
A recent hypothesis – promoted by NG – proposes that an exceptional high tide prevented much of the larger icebergs to run, as normally would happen, on ground along the coasts of Baffin Bay. However considering that this tide occurred just some months before (January 1912) and the average velocity of an iceberg is low (0,7km/h~0,6mph), the Titanic iceberg had to take a straight course to arrive in time for his rendezvous with history – April 14, 1912.
Based on iceberg counts along the shores of Labrador and later in the Atlantic, also the year 1912 don’t seem to be necessarily such an anomalous event, but the disaster raised considerably the interest (and maybe perception) of the public for icebergs.
Fig.8. Iceberg counts (estimated before 1912) at 48°N, data compiled from the International Ice Patrol Iceberg Database.
In the days after the disaster bypassing ships encountered and photographed various icebergs. Some eyewitnesses claim to have noted red paint on some of them; however there is no conclusive evidence that one of these spotted white giants is really the iceberg that sank the Titanic. At least some weeks later the culprit iceberg, captured by the warm water of the Gulf Stream, melted and disappeared forever into the Atlantic Ocean.
EATON, J.P. & HAAS, C.A. (1986): Titanic Triumph and Tragedy. Haynes Publishing: 352
SOUTH, C. et al. (2006): The Iceberg That Sank the Titanic. The Natural World documentary film – BBC
Labels: 20th century, Cryology, Earth Science VS Pop Culture, Geological Catastrophes, Geological Maps, Geology and Society, North America, Today in Geohistory
April 18, 1906: San Francisco´s Wicked Ground
Clash of the Titans: The Science behind the Iceber...
April 10, 1815: The Eruption that Shook the World
Frauds, Fakes and Fossils
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Armand Diaz - Integral Astrology
Astrology From the Heart
Astrology Consultations
Integral Consultations
Astrological Coaching
Monthly Forecasts
The Astroblog
Short Articles
Powerball!
Pluto stations to move direct today, with the moon in Aries as an edgy backdrop.
We're pushed to move forward, perhaps with a take-no-prisoners attitude that could lead to some significant tensions. But Pluto stations are a big deal on the world stage, where power plays reach a peak, and the news surrounding this station is already very telling...
The U.S. House of Representatives has contentiously added a measure that would defund Obamacare, the nation's first and only attempt at comprehensive health care legislation, to the bill that would keep the government funded. Essentially, they are suggesting they will shut down Obamacare or the government. See - take no prisoners, scorched earth. President Obama has said he would veto any such bill, reflecting his own Plutonian determination (which isn't necessarily a bad thing).
Oh, and the House also voted to cut $4 billion from food stamp programs. That news is strangely parallel to a report from the I.R.S. that showed that the disparity of incomes in the U.S. is at an all-time high, with the top 1% earning more than 19% of all income.
J.P. Morgan Chase was fined $920 million and admitted wrongdoing in last year's London Whale scandal. It is significant that this ruling by the Securities and Exchange Commission comes on the 5th anniversary of the collapse that started the Great Recession - which occurred on Pluto's station in 2008. By the way, $920 million is about 13 day's profits for the bank.
Pope Francis joined in the Plutonian news, as an interview he did last month was published this week. In the interview the pope said that the church is "obsessed" (Pluto) with issues of abortion, gay marriage, and birth control, and was leaning too heavily on dogma and not enough on the message of love. That is Plutonian (as some of the response has also been), although we can perhaps see more of the compassion of the Pisces full moon shining through.
Texas overturned Tom DeLay's conviction... 13 people were shot in a park in Chicago... A Goldman-Sachs banker is arraigned on rape charges... a chemical plant in Oklahoma has exploded... the Middle East... the Plutonian news goes on and on...
Finally, or not finally... someone in South Carolina has won $400 million dollars in the lottery. And what lottery would that be? Powerball.
© 2019 Armand Diaz Contact Me
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http://www.galaxytvonline.com/news/main-news/child-trafficking-jtf-intercepts-20-vehicles-with-103-children
Child Trafficking: JTF Intercepts 20 Vehicles With 103 Children
Posted: 38 mins ago by Emmanuel Udeagha
Members of the Joint Task Force (JTF) stationed in Lokoja, Kogi State, yesterday intercepted 20 vehicles conveying more than 103 children to an unknown destination. The JTF Commander, Lt-Col. Gabriel Olorunyomi, made this known in Lokoja yesterday. He said his men became curious when they discovered that the occupants of the vehicles were mostly children, accompanied by some men and women. He said the vehicles and the occupants had been taken to the Army Records Headquarters in Lokoja, where they would be screened to ascertain their actual destination. Olorunyomi, however, said that 103 of the passengers were children with ages between three and 16 years, while 79 others were of 19 years to 53.
He said preliminary investigations revealed that the vehicles were conveying the passengers from different communities in Benue, Cross Rivers and Kogi States.
“Most of the passengers are from Obi, Oju and Gwer Local Government Areas of Benue, while the remaining few are from Iyala Local Government Area of Cross Rivers and Olamaboro Local Government Area of Kogi,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all the passengers, apart from giving similar excuses for their movement from their various communities, also said that they were all heading to Ondo, Ekiti, Osun, Oyo, Ogun, Lagos and Edo States.
NAN also learnt that most of the passengers conceded that they were heading to the South-West states for the first time in search of vacation jobs, while some said that they wanted to go and work in the farm in those states.
Two of the drivers, Bolaji Olusola and Adedeji Oluwaseun, told journalists that they picked up the passengers at motor parks.
They said some of the passengers paid their transport fares at the loading points, while some promised to pay theirs when they got to their destinations.
NAN recalls that the JTF on July 27 arrested a man conveying 10 children with ages ranging between six years and 16 in an ash coloured Camry car to Lagos.
The man, who was arrested on the same route, was later handed over to the police for interrogation.
Also speaking to journalists, the Commander of Army Records, Maj- Gen, Alphonsus Chukwu, said the children might be victims of child trafficking.
He said initial interrogations revealed that the children would be received at their destinations by some yet-to-be-identified persons, who would then pay their transport fares to the drivers.
Chukwu said the drivers were also suspected to be accomplices, as they failed to produce the passengers’ manifest and agreed to carry many of the passengers without collecting their transport fares at the loading points.
The army officer said the vehicles, drivers and passengers would be transferred to the police for proper investigations and action.
Chukwu, however, said that the development indicated that many parents had failed in their responsibility toward their children’s upbringing.
He urged parents to take proper care of their children so as to ensure that they did not fall into wrong hands.
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Lacrosse dominates competition to stay undefeated
By Ellis Becker on April 4, 2017
If at first the boys’ lacrosse team didn’t succeed, it would try and try again. And try, and try, and try, and finally, succeed in beating its bitter rivals Loyola on March 26. The Wolverines lost three games to the Cubs last year. This year, they blew a three goal lead in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter. But they kept going, and finally, they conquered the Cubs, winning 13-12 in overtime and preserving an undefeated record.
The team has had an unbelievable start to the season, remaining undefeated through 10 games. But that one game that mattered the most, the Loyola game, was really where the team began to emerge as a huge contender in the race for the Mission League title. Additionally, a MaxLax coaches poll for week four of the season places the Wolverines as the top team in Los Angeles, overtaking the Cubs, who were number one the previous week.
After battling it out with the Cubs for a grueling four quarters, the team was able to barely eke out a victory 13-12 in overtime from a Paul Rodriguez ’18 goal. Despite emerging as one of the Mission League favorites and gaining the top rank, the players says the record will not get to their heads.
“Our undefeated record this season has just given us confidence in what we are doing,” team captain Zac Harleston ’17 said. “We have worked incredibly hard this year and are beginning to reap the benefits of putting in the time.”
Midfielder Jared Goldman ’18 also said the team isn’t getting comfortable and is working even harder to preserve their record.
“We aren’t big-headed, we understand that we will play good teams and we don’t take anything lightly,” Goldman said. “We hold ourselves to high standards, so winning is a big deal, and if anything, we are only pressuring ourselves.”
A large contributor to the Wolverines strong season has been the defense. Experienced defenders such as Simon Pompan ’18, Shane Houska ’17 and Donovan Econn ’19 have shut down opposing teams on multiple occasions, with the help of Veteran goalkeeper Troy Hattler ’16, who has also had a number of strong performances. Head Coach Erik Krum believes a large part of the team’s defensive success comes from teamwork and communication.
“In our defense, individually we have very skilled defenders, but one thing that all the coaches have been trying to continue with the boys is a concept of team defense,” Krum said. “One on one defense is great but we need to play a full six on six defense and everybody needs to continue to communicate. Communication is one of the biggest things for our defense to continue moving forward.”
On the other end of the field, the attack has also been very dangerous. The junior attacking trio of Rodriguez, Tommy Park ’18 and Reid Hudgins ’18 has scored over 70 goals combined this season, accounting for over half of the team’s goals. Additionally, Rodriguez scored the winning overtime goal to beat Loyola.
Despite the success, there have been times when the team has looked unlike the number one team in Los Angeles. In a preseason game against Thousand Oaks on March 7, in which the team won 14-12, the team gave up a six goal lead at the end of the third quarter to concede eight goals in the final quarter. However, the team has been focusing on this issue, Krum said.
“We’ve been saying to the boys we need to play a full 60 minutes of lacrosse, and that’s combining first quarter, second quarter, third quarter and fourth, and to be able to do that and combine it into one game,” Krum said. “That’s been our goal all season, sometimes with some of the teams we’re getting some younger players on the field that usually wouldn’t get as much playing time, but towards the end of the game we’re trying to possess the ball, move the ball around and hopefully not die down.”
Looking forward to the rest of the season, not only will the team hope to continue its undefeated streak, but it will also hope to uphold the reputation it has gained over the past few weeks. With the Loyola win and the number one rank, every team in Los Angeles will be gunning for the Wolverines.
“One way we like to deal with having the target on our backs is come out every single day of practice with an attitude and a purpose,” Krum said. “We need to come out with energy and we need to come out with a purpose for that day, whether we’re going to work on zone offense, zone defense, man-to-man offense or defense. We need to continue to go full speed in practice, so when we come to the game we’re ready to go.”
The Wolverines will face off away against Notre Dame on April 5 next, a team they beat 14-1 just a few weeks ago. The team will hope to take another victory against the Knights to take its record to 11-0 overall.
Erik Krum, lacrosse, Loyola, paul rodriguez, Spring Beat March Update, undefeated
Lacrosse completes league double over Crespi
The boys' lacrosse team dominated Crespi for the second time this season, crushing the Celts 17-6 on April 1. With...
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Naatang
BARANGAY NAATANG
Naatang is a barangay located on the eastern coast of the Municipality of Jagna, Bohol. It is exactly 5 kilometers from the town proper, it lies almost halfway between the towns of Jagna and Duero, Bohol.
It got its name from the word “ATANG” meaning an ambush that happened during the Spanish time. Rampant maltreatment, slavery and torture of the inhabitants by the rulers were visible during this era. Because of its proximity to the hinterland, it was made a place of refuge by the “insurrectos” (insurgents) due to lush vegetation and forest cover, which was suited for camouflage. It is said that the Filipino soldiers known asinsurrectos had no match to fight against the powerful Spaniards. Irked by the treatment accorded by the Spaniards, the insurrectos gathered and planned an ambush to the Spanish soldiers.
One night, when the Spaniards roamed and patrolled from Mambool, Duero to the highway proceeding to the town of Jagna, the insurrectos in the nearby barangay of Alejawan made an “ali” meaning blockade to the Spanish soldiers. A fierce and bloody encounter occurred between the two groups. Sensing a strong force of bolos and spears of the insurgents, the Spaniards fled and escaped towards Naatang. But when they reached the place, a surprise attack ensued. The natives of the place made an “atang” and the courage and strength of the insurrectos were tested. The air was filled with black smoke, blood and lifeless bodies scattered around the place. Many men had been killed and many others wounded.
During the Spanish occupation, a small school building was created. Spanish was taught to the children. One of the teachers was Santiago Acedo. They used banana leaves for paper and coconut midribs for pencil to learn writing in school. Sometimes charcoals were used to write on the pieces of boards.
After the World War 2, when classes were reorganized, a Parent-Teacher Association was formed in Naatang Elementary School. This organization repaired the school and constructed temporary home economics building, out of light materials such as bamboos, nipas, etc.
People empowerment and unity of Barangay Naatang and to achieve progress and total development, clean, peaceful and beautiful to place to live in.
To unite, believe in our strength and capacity. To achieve good governance, instill in us the importance of ecological balance and adapt new technologies for economic progress.
SPOT MAP OF BRGY. NAATANG
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Rootwords' new 70's Blaxploitation inspired music video "Django"
Almot didn't post it because the title Django. I had some assumptions on the track. But I love blaxploitation films so I had to check the video. I am glad I did. The video was a great piece of cinematography. Much better than a basic real hip hop track. The concept is not new but like the way it was presented. Beat is nice.
Don't forget where you get the best music and follow on twitter @deathchamberz
Inspired by the 70′s blaxploitation films, this video (directed by Charles Meuwly, and edited by Ganz Hq) is a trip back in time to a place where money, women, corruption and (of course) love make the world go round . So, sit back, relax and let your mind travel while you watch this brand new flick !
Django Video Link : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjD7HrWS6rw
Rootwords now presents to you his new 6-track EP “All Good” in which you are guaranteed to go places previously unexplored in his musical universe.
Press Kit ::
http://www.rootwords.ch/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/AllGood_DossierdePresse_210313.pdf
All Good Press Release ::
http://www.rootwords.ch/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/AllGood_PressRelease.pdf
Rootwords is an international artist born in the U.S, of Zambian origin, who found his inspiration from the diverse experiences he gained around the globe while growing up as a teenager in Switzerland and during his college years inEngland and Australia.
At 16 years old, Rootwords immerses himself into the Hip Hop scene by participating in the many freestyle and open-mic sessions organized by Colossal Crisis. His talent in rap improvisation is quickly recognized and he is encouraged to pursue music by his peers. Rootwords soon realises that he could leave his footprint in the Hip Hop movement after discovering Eminem, an accomplished U.S artist with a unique flow and identity. A few years later, Rootwords is invited on stage by Common during the world famous Montreux Jazz Festival, and seizes the opportunity to impress the artist known worldwide for his conscious lyrics and music.
In 1999, during his studies in London, Rootwords teams up with his partner in rhyme Larynx and continues to perform his musical art under the name of A-Stout. Life carries him to Australia to pursue his college degree and music. Rootwords’ flow quickly gets noticed and he then collaborates with the most famous independent Hip Hop label, Obese Records, which leads to his first experiences on stage along with a live band. After several disappointments working in the music business, Rootwords decides to return to Switzerland. Again, attracting the attention of the professionals, he decides to work withKinyama Sounds, a fresh indie label based in Geneva.
In 2010, between London and Geneva, Rootwords releases an EP called “What They Want” with Larynx, produced by Kinyama Sounds. This is the last Rootwords work under the name of A-Stout as both band members decide to focus on their solo musical careers. Based in Switzerland, Rootwords pursues stage appearances along side a DJ and wins the RepreZent Award in the “Underground” category.
In 2011, Kinyama Sounds releases Rootwords’ first solo EP called “Press Rewind to Begin”, blending many genres from Hip Hop to Reggae, Funk and Soul, a project that is well received within the music industry. The title “Life’s a Journey” finds its place on the compilation CD of the famous French Magazine Modzik. A written article in OpenMag Fnac magazine also further promotes the artist into the mainstream. In September, Rootwords releases another project called “The Double R Project” produced by Swiss producer Redbioul. The project sounds strictly Hip Hop and is mainly made of diverse collaborations with Swiss rap artists. By November, two titles of the release find their place in the playlist of Swiss national radio Couleur3 and later on the official radio compilation CD.
In 2012, along with Kinyama Sounds, Rootwords elevates by appearing with his own live band The Block Notes. In January 2012, he performs his first live appearance with the band at Usine in Geneva, the most famous venue in town.
In June, Rootwords officially releases the summer single called “Just Amigos”, blending Funk and Soul. He also appears on the album of the famous Swiss producer Yvan Peacemaker on the song called “She’s Got Me”, alongside the talentedBastian Baker, a Swiss Pop star established in the music industry.
Throughout the year, Rootwords has performed at the most notorious venues and festivals in Switzerland such as Tohu Bohu Festival (opening for French legendary Hip Hop act IAM) and the Royal Arena Festival (alongside other famous acts such asIce Cube). He appeared on the national TV show “Plein le poste” which broadcast Rootwords and The Block Notes live on the official number one Swiss TV station, RTS1.
Official Website : www.rootwordsmusic.com
Facebook Page : www.facebook.com/rootwordsmusic
Youtube Channel : www.youtube.com/rootwordsmusic
Twitter Page : www.twitter.com/rootwords
Soundcloud : www.soundcloud.com/rootwords
Reverbnation : www.reverbnation.com/rootwords
Instagram : www.instagram.com/rootwords
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Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Reports Second Quarter 2018 Financial Results
17% Revenue Growth Over Prior Year Period
NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 14, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc.(NASDAQ: CPIX), a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on hospital acute care, gastroenterology, and oncology supportive care today announced second quarter 2018 financial results and Company update. Cumberland has a portfolio of seven U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved brands. Net revenues for the quarter were $10.2 million, an increase of 17% over the prior year period and an 18% increase over the first quarter of this year. At the end of the second quarter, Cumberland had $90 million in total assets, including approximately $51 million in cash and marketable securities.
QUARTER HIGHLIGHTS:
New supplies of Vaprisol® replenished nationwide supply of that critical care product designed to treat hyponatremia – the most common electrolyte imbalance found in hospitalized patients.
Reached an agreement with Gastro-Entero-Logic, LLC (GEL) to acquire the assets associated with Omeclamox®-Pak
Completed patient enrollment in the initial Phase II clinical study for Portaban® - the Company's product candidate for the treatment of Portal Hypertension
Caldolor® approved for sale in India with product launch preparations underway
"I am pleased to report several positive developments during the second quarter, with the most significant being the overall growth generated from our diversified portfolio of seven FDA approved brands," said A.J. Kazimi, Chief Executive Officer of Cumberland Pharmaceuticals. "Furthermore, we continue to advance on our robust clinical pipeline, highlighted by the expected near-term NDA filing for our new methotrexate product line. We believe there is significant potential value in our clinical pipeline and its development remains a top priority for the company."
KEY DEVELOPMENTS:
GEL Agreement
In March 2018, Cumberland reached agreement with Gastro-Entero-Logic LLC, to acquire the assets associated with Omeclamox-Pak including the product's FDA approved New Drug Application, trademarks and other assets. As a result of this acquisition, the Company will no longer be obligated to provide GEL with royalties or fees for overseeing the product's manufacturing. As part of this transaction Cumberland will become responsible for maintaining the FDA approval and for overseeing the product's packaging.
Caldolor® Submission
In early 2018, the Company completed and filed the application for FDA approval of its Next Generation Caldolor product. During the second quarter, the FDA notified Cumberland of their acceptance of the submission for review. The product features a new, patented formulation in a more convenient to use package. There were then a number of communications with questions addressed through multiple amendments submitted to the application. On August 2, 2018 the FDA provided a complete response outlining additional information needed for the applications approval. The requests are for additional quality and nonclinical data. The next step involves discussion with the FDA and clarification on the additional requested items.
RediTrex™ Approval Submission
Cumberland is preparing to file its New Drug Application for the approval of the Company's methotrexate product line. This application follows two meetings held with the FDA to discuss the approval pathway and requirements for the submission. Once the application is filed with the FDA, Cumberland will await the FDA's determination of acceptance of the submission for its review.
CET Collaboration Agreement
Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET), Cumberland's majority-owned subsidiary, and Louisiana State University entered into an agreement, adding to CET's roster of academic collaborations which also includes Vanderbilt University, the University of Mississippi, and the University of Tennessee Research Foundation. These partnerships combine the strengths and capabilities of each organization by working together to identify, formulate, and develop attractive new biomedical products.
New Executive Appointment
The Company recently announced that biopharmaceutical industry veteran Adam Haeberle, Ph.D. joined as Senior Director, Clinical & Regulatory Affairs. Dr. Haeberle joined Cumberland from Amgen Inc., where he held a series of director level clinical development roles. At Amgen he led clinical development initiatives and held responsibility for innovating and increasing the overall efficiency of Amgen's cardiovascular portfolio.
Before Amgen, Dr. Haberle was Senior Manager, Clinical Development at Baxter Healthcare Corporation. There he led clinical activities for Baxter's Alpha-1 Protease Inhibitor franchise and was a clinical representative for the approval submission of Baxter's immunodeficiency brand HyQVIA® (immune globulin with hyaluronidase) and a subject matter expert for the acquisitions business development team.
FINANCIAL RESULTS:
Net Revenue: For the three months ended June 30, 2018, net revenues were $10.2 million, compared to $8.7 million for the prior year period. Net revenue by product for the three months ended June 30, 2018 included $3.2 million for Kristalose® and $2.8 million for Ethyol®. Net revenue for the Company's other brands were $1.7 million for Vaprisol®, $1.1 million for Caldolor®, $0.8 million for Acetadote® (including the brand and Company's Authorized Generic), $0.3 million for Totect®, and $0.1 million for Omeclamox®-Pak.
For the six months ended June 30, 2018, net revenues were $18.8 million compared to $18.3 million for the six months ended June 30, 2017.
Operating Expenses: Total operating expenses for the three months ended June 30, 2018 were $11.0 million, compared to $10.3 million during the prior year period. The primary reason for this increase is costs associated with the Company's Phase II clinical programs as well as royalties related to increased product sales.
Total operating expenses for the first six months of 2018 were $22.1 million compared to $20.6 million for 2017.
Earnings: Net income (loss) for the second quarter 2018 was $(0.7) million or $(0.05) per diluted share, compared to $(5.2) million or $(0.32) a share for the prior year period.
Adjusted Earnings for the second quarter were $0.2 million or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to a loss of $(0.7) million or $(0.05) per diluted share for the prior year period. The definition and reconciliation of Adjusted Earnings to net income is provided in this release.
Balance Sheet: At June 30, 2018, Cumberland had $50.7 million in cash and marketable securities, including approximately $35.9 million in cash and equivalents. Total assets at June 30, 2018 were $90.4 million. Total liabilities were $30.8 million, including $12.0 million outstanding on the Company's revolving line of credit, resulting in Total shareholder's equity of $59.9 million.
Cumberland also has approximately $44 million in tax net operating loss carryforwards, resulting from the prior exercise of stock options.
A conference call and live Internet webcast will be held on Tuesday, August 14, 2018 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the Company's second quarter 2018 financial results. To participate in the call, please dial 877-303-1298 (for U.S. callers) or 253-237-1032 (for international callers). A rebroadcast of the teleconference will be available for one week and can be accessed by dialing 855-859-2056 (for U.S. callers) or 404-537-3406 (for international callers). The Conference ID for the rebroadcast is 6256649. The live webcast and rebroadcast can be accessed via Cumberland's website at http://investor.shareholder.com/cpix/events.cfm.
About Cumberland Pharmaceuticals
Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company focused on the delivery of high-quality prescription brands to improve patient care. The Company develops, acquires, and commercializes brands for the hospital acute care, gastroenterology, and oncology market segments. These medical specialties are categorized by moderately concentrated prescriber bases that we believe can be penetrated effectively by small, targeted sales forces.
The Company's portfolio of FDA approved brands includes:
Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection, for the treatment of acetaminophen poisoning;
Caldolor® (ibuprofen) Injection, for the treatment of pain and fever;
Kristalose® (lactulose) for Oral Solution, a prescription laxative, for the treatment of chronic and acute constipation;
Omeclamox®-Pak, (omeprazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin) for the treatment of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection and related duodenal ulcer disease;
Vaprisol® (conivaptan) Injection, to raise serum sodium levels in hospitalized patients with euvolemic and hypervolemic hyponatremia;
Ethyol® (amifostine) Injection, for the reduction of xerostomia (dry mouth) in patients undergoing post-operative radiation treatment for head and neck cancer and the renal toxicity associated with the administration of cisplatin in patients with advanced ovarian cancer;
Totect®(dexrazoxane hydrochloride) Injection, for emergency oncology intervention, to treat the toxic effects of anthracycline chemotherapy in case of extravasation (drug leakage from the bloodstream into the tissues).
Cumberland's pipeline of product candidates includes:
Hepatoren® (ifetroban) Injection, a Phase II candidate for the treatment of critically ill patients suffering from liver and kidney failure associated with hepatorenal syndrome ("HRS");
Boxaban®(ifetroban) Oral Capsules, a Phase II candidate for the treatment of asthma patients with aspirin-exacerbated respiratory disease ("AERD");
Vasculan®(ifetroban) Oral Capsules, a Phase II candidate for the treatment of patients with the systemic sclerosis (SSc) form of autoimmune disease;
Portaban®(ifetroban) Injection and Oral Capsules, a Phase II candidate for the treatment of patients with portal hypertension associated with liver disease;
RediTrex™ (methotrexate) Injection, an approval submission candidate for the treatment of active rheumatoid, juvenile idiopathic and severe psoriatic arthritis.
For more information on Cumberland's approved products, including full prescribing information, please visit the individual product websites, links to which can be found on the Company's website www.cumberlandpharma.com.
About Acetadote® (acetylcysteine) Injection
Acetadote, administered intravenously within 8 to 10 hours after ingestion of a potentially hepatotoxic quantity of acetaminophen, is indicated to prevent or lessen hepatic injury. Used in the emergency department, Acetadote is approved in the U.S. to treat overdose of acetaminophen, a common ingredient in many over-the-counter medications. Acetadote is contraindicated in patients with hypersensitivity or previous anaphylactoid reactions to acetylcysteine or any components of the preparation. Serious anaphylactoid reactions, including death in a patient with asthma, have been reported in patients administered acetylcysteine intravenously. Acetadote should be used with caution in patients with asthma or where there is a history of bronchospasm. The total volume administered should be adjusted for patients weighing less than 40 kg and for those requiring fluid restriction. To avoid fluid overload, the volume of diluent should be reduced as needed. If volume is not adjusted, fluid overload can occur, potentially resulting in hyponatremia, seizure and death. For full prescribing information, visit www.acetadote.com.
About Caldolor® (ibuprofen) Injection
Caldolor is indicated in adults and pediatric patients for the management of mild to moderate pain and management of moderate to severe pain as an adjunct to opioid analgesics, as well as the reduction of fever. It was the first FDA-approved intravenous therapy for fever. Caldolor is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to ibuprofen or other NSAIDs, patients with a history of asthma or other allergic type reactions after taking aspirin or other NSAIDs. Caldolor is contraindicated for use during the peri-operative period in the setting of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Caldolor should be used with caution in patients with prior history of ulcer disease or GI bleeding, in patients with fluid retention or heart failure, in the elderly, those with renal impairment, heart failure, liver impairment, and those taking diuretics or ACE inhibitors. Blood pressure should be monitored during treatment with Caldolor. For full prescribing information, including boxed warning, visit www.caldolor.com.
About Kristalose® (lactulose) Oral Solution
Kristalose is indicated for the treatment of acute and chronic constipation. It is a unique, proprietary, crystalline form of lactulose, with no restrictions on length of therapy or patient age. Initial dosing may produce flatulence and intestinal cramps, which are usually transient. Excessive dosage can lead to diarrhea with potential complications such as loss of fluids, hypokalemia and hypernatremia. Nausea and vomiting have been reported. Use with caution in diabetics. Kristalose is contraindicated in patients who require a low-galactose diet. Elderly, debilitated patients who receive lactulose for more than six months should have serum electrolytes (potassium, chloride, carbon dioxide) measured periodically. For full prescribing information, visit www.kristalose.com.
About Omeclamox®-Pak (omeprazole, clarithromycin, amoxicillin)
Omeprazole is an antisecretory drug, which works by decreasing the amount of acid the stomach produces. Clarithromycin and amoxicillin are antibacterial drugs, which inhibit the growth of bacteria allowing the stomach lining to heal. Omeclamox-Pak is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to omeprazole, any macrolide antibiotic or penicillin. The safety and effectiveness of Omeclamox-Pak in the pediatric population has not yet been established. Omeclamox-Pak was approved by the FDA in 2011. For full prescribing information, visit www.omeclamox.com.
About Vaprisol® (conivaptan hydrochloride) Injection
Vaprisol is an intravenous treatment for hyponatremia used in the critical care setting. Hyponatremia is an electrolyte disturbance in which sodium ion concentration in blood plasma is lower than normal. This can be associated with a variety of critical care conditions including congestive heart failure, liver failure, kidney failure and pneumonia. The product is a vasopressin receptor antagonist that raises serum sodium levels and promotes free water secretion. Vaprisol was approved by the FDA in 2005 for euvolemic hyponatremia and in 2007 for hypervolemic hyponatremia. For full prescribing information, visit www.vaprisol.com.
About Ethyol® (amifostine) Injection
Ethyol is indicated to reduce the cumulative renal toxicity associated with repeated administration of cisplatin in patients with advanced ovarian cancer. It is indicated to reduce the incidence of moderate to severe xerostomia in patients undergoing post-operative radiation treatment for head and neck cancer, where the radiation port includes a substantial portion of the parotid glands. For more information please visit www.ethyol.com.
About Totect® (dexrazoxane) Injection
Totect is an anthracycline extravasation agent approved by the FDA. Anthracyclines are used to treat many types of cancer and are among the most common cancer therapies. Anthracycline extravasation occurs when there is accidental leaking of the intravenously-administered medication into the surrounding tissues. Anthracycline extravasation can result in serious complications for cancer patients including tissue necrosis with skin ulceration. In addition to tissue damage, an anthracycline extravasation may cause damage to the nerves, tendons, muscle, and joints. For more information please visit www.totect.com.
About Cumberland Emerging Technologies (CET)
Cumberland Emerging Technologies, Inc. (www.cet-fund.com) is a joint initiative between Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc., Vanderbilt University, LaunchTN, and Gloria Pharmaceuticals. The mission of CET is to advance biomedical technologies and products conceived at Vanderbilt University and other regional research centers towards the marketplace. CET helps manage the development and commercialization process for select projects, and provides expertise on intellectual property, regulatory, manufacturing and marketing issues that are critical to successful new biomedical products. CET's Life Sciences Center, provides laboratory space, equipment and infrastructure for CET's activities and other early-stage life sciences ventures.
The pharmaceutical industry is characterized by intense competition and rapid innovation. Cumberland is devoted to providing advanced products that improve value of care for patients and address unmet or poorly met medical needs. We promote our approved products through our hospital and gastroenterology sales forces in the United States and are launching a network of relationships with international partners to bring our products to patients in their countries. Our continued success in developing and commercializing pharmaceutical products will depend, in part, upon our ability to compete against existing and future products in our target markets.
This release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, which are subject to certain risks and reflect Cumberland's current views on future events based on what it believes are reasonable assumptions. These forward-looking statements involve certain risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from them. Some important factors which may cause results to differ from expectations include: market conditions; competition; an inability of manufacturers to produce Cumberland's products on a timely basis or failure of manufacturers to comply with regulations applicable to pharmaceutical manufacturers; maintaining an effective sales and marketing infrastructure; availability of additional debt and equity capital required to finance the business model; market conditions at the time additional capital is required; our ability to continue to acquire branded products; product sales; management of our growth and integration of our acquisitions, as well as other risks discussed in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and other filings with the SEC. There can be no assurance that results anticipated by the Company will be realized or that they will have the expected effects. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company does not undertake any obligation to publicly revise these statements to reflect events after the date hereof.
CUMBERLAND PHARMACEUTICALS INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
June 30,
Accounts receivable, net
Inventories, net
Property and equipment, net
Deferred tax assets, net
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Revolving line of credit
Other long-term liabilities
Equity:
Shareholders' equity:
Common stock—no par value; 100,000,000 shares authorized;
15,604,709 and 15,723,075 shares issued and outstanding as
of June 30, 2018 and December 31, 2017, respectively
Total shareholders' equity
Noncontrolling interests
Total equity
Total liabilities and equity
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Income (loss)
Three months ended June 30,
Six months ended June 30,
Costs and expenses:
Cost of products sold
Selling and marketing
General and administrative
Total costs and expenses
Operating income (loss)
Income (loss) before income taxes
Income tax (expense) benefit
Net income (loss)
Net loss at subsidiary attributable to noncontrolling interests
Net income (loss) attributable to common shareholders
Earnings (loss) per share attributable to common shareholders
- basic
- diluted
Weighted-average shares outstanding
Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to common shareholders
Total comprehensive income (loss)
Adjustments to reconcile net income (loss) to net cash used in operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization expense
Deferred tax expense
Share-based compensation
Excess tax (benefit) expense derived from exercise of stock options
Noncash interest expense
Noncash investment gains
Net changes in assets and liabilities affecting operating activities:
Other current assets and other assets
Accounts payable and other current liabilities
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Additions to property and equipment
Purchases of marketable securities
(16,916,890)
Proceeds from sale of marketable securities
Additions to intangible assets
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities
Borrowings on line of credit
Repayments on line of credit
Sales of shares of common stock, net of offering costs
Payments of deferred offering costs
Repurchase of common shares
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
Reconciliation of Net Income (loss) Attributable to Common Shareholders to Adjusted Earnings and Adjusted Diluted Earnings Per Share
Earnings per
share impact
Less: Net loss at subsidiary attributable to noncontrolling interests
Adjustments to net income (loss)
Income tax expense
Share-based compensation (a)
Adjusted Earnings (loss) and Adjusted Diluted Earnings (loss) Per Share
Diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding:
(a) Represents the share-based compensation of Cumberland.
The Company provided the above adjusted supplemental financial performance measures, which are considered "non-GAAP" financial measures under applicable SEC rules and regulations. These financial measures should be considered supplemental to, and not as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles ("GAAP"). The definition of these supplemental measures may differ from similarly titled measures used by others.
Because these supplemental financial measures exclude the effect of items that will increase or decrease the Company's reported results of operations, management encourages investors to review the Company's consolidated financial statements and publicly filed reports in their entirety. A reconciliation of the supplemental financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures is included in the tables accompanying this release.
Cumberland's management believes these supplemental financial performance measures are important as they are used by management, along with financial measures in accordance with GAAP, to evaluate the Company's operating performance. In addition, Cumberland believes that they will be used by certain investors to measure the Company's operating results. Management believes that presenting these supplemental measures provides useful information about the Company's underlying performance across reporting periods on a consistent basis by excluding items that Cumberland does not believe are indicative of its core business performance or reflect long-term strategic activities. Certain of these items are not settled through cash payments and include: depreciation, amortization, share-based compensation expense and income taxes. Cumberland utilizes its net operating loss carryforwards to pay minimal income taxes. In addition, the use of these financial measures provides greater transparency to investors of supplemental information used by management in its financial and operational decision-making, including the evaluation of the Company's operating performance.
The Company defines these supplemental financial measures as follows:
Adjusted Earnings (loss): net income (loss) adjusted for the impact of income taxes, depreciation and amortization expense, share-based compensation and interest income and interest expense.
Adjusted Diluted Earnings (loss) Per Share: Adjusted Earnings (loss) divided by diluted weighted-average common shares outstanding.
View original content with multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cumberland-pharmaceuticals-reports-second-quarter-2018-financial-results-300696921.html
SOURCE Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Investor Contact - Erin Smith, Corporate Relations, (615) 255-0068, Media Contact - Jeff Bradford, the Bradford Group, (615) 515-4880
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Unit Research, the institution was running with very limited teaching staffs. It was only the rector of the institute, Mr. Agusto da Conceição Soares with 10 teaching staffs. On 20th August 2002, the institution was declared as one of the higher education institution to offer Diploma I (D1) and III Programs (D3) and has offered specialization in Finance Management, General Management, Accounting and IT Management. The total students during that time were only 98 students. Today, IOB has been widely accepted as one of the best higher education institutions in Timor-Leste which has been institutionally accredited by International Accreditation Team (NAAAA) in 2008 with a grade point of 79.49% and was officially recognized by the Ministry of Education through “Diploma Ministerial do Ministério da Educação No. 3/2009”.
Initially IOB offers two faculties (ICT and Business) and four departments. The four departments are Finance Management, General Management, Accounting and Informatics Management. Today, IOB maintains its two faculties, but enlarges its departments to seven programs of studies with the addition departments of Technical Informatics, Computer Accounting, Development Studies beside Masters of Management Studies for the postgraduate programs. Details are as follow.
Undergraduate Programs in Economics and Business
Bachelor of Finance Management (regular/extension)
Bachelor of Accounting (regular/extension)
Bachelor of General Management (regular/extension)
Bachelor of Development Studies (regular/extension)
Diploma III / (D3) in Economics and Business
Diploma-3 of Accounting (regular/extension)
Diploma-3 of General Management (regular/extension)
Diploma-3 of Finance Management (regular/extension)
Diploma-3 of Development Studies (regular/extension)
Post-Graduate Programs
Master of Management Studies
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A. Schulman Acquires Elian SAS, A Leading Global Producer of Highly Specialized Color Masterbatch
January 30, 2012 at 4:05 PM EST
A. Schulman Acquires Elian SAS, A Leading Global Producer of Highly Specialized Color Masterbatch 21.1 KB
AKRON, Ohio, Jan. 30, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Strengthens global color masterbatch specialty market position
Increases capability to serve fast-growing healthcare and cosmetics markets
Annual synergies of up to $2.5 million expected
A. Schulman, Inc. (Nasdaq-GS: SHLM) announced today that it entered into a definitive agreement to purchase Elian SAS, a French portfolio company of British Vita plc, for approximately euro 48 million or $63 million in cash based on current exchange rates. Elian is a leading producer of highly specialized color masterbatch products. The transaction is expected to generate approximately $2.5 million of annual run rate synergies to be realized by the end of fiscal 2013. The transaction is anticipated to close in early February 2012.
Elian provides specialty formulated color concentrates to end markets such as healthcare, cosmetics, packaging, pipes and tubing and personal hygiene products that require demanding customer specifications. The company offers superior quality, technology and responsiveness to its diversified customer base.
"I'm pleased that we have reached an agreement to purchase Elian which is an excellent strategic fit as we continue to provide highly technical and differentiated solutions to our customers," said Joseph M. Gingo, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of A. Schulman. "The acquisition of Elian will move us into the number-three position in France's color masterbatch market. It also will allow us to significantly improve our product mix in the EMEA region by leveraging our full portfolio of masterbatch products with a wider customer base. Our strategic goal is to become the leading global manufacturer of masterbatch and we will continue to seek out global opportunistic acquisitions that will diversify our end markets and provide profitable long-term growth to our shareholders."
"Under an experienced management team, Elian has outperformed the challenging French economy by specializing in higher-margin products with a keen focus on quality and innovation," said Bernard Rzepka, General Manager and Chief Operating Officer of A. Schulman, Europe, Middle East, Africa. "We are excited to add their expertise to our team and to expand our product and service capabilities for our growing customer base in the region. Elian will help our continued efforts to penetrate faster into attractive market segments."
Founded in 1949, Elian has approximately 100 associates and is located in France's "Plastics Valley" in Oyonnax. A. Schulman currently has European color operations in Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Hungary, United Kingdom and Italy.
About A. Schulman, Inc.
Headquartered in Akron, Ohio, A. Schulman is a leading international supplier of high-performance plastic compounds and resins. These materials are used in a variety of consumer, industrial, automotive and packaging applications. The Company employs about 3,000 people and has 35 manufacturing facilities globally. A. Schulman reported net sales of $2.2 billion for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2011. Additional information about A. Schulman can be found at www.aschulman.com.
Cautionary Note on Forward-Looking Statements
A number of the matters discussed in this document that are not historical or current facts deal with potential future circumstances and developments and may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by the fact that they do not relate strictly to historic or current facts and relate to future events and expectations. Forward-looking statements contain such words as "anticipate," "estimate," "expect," "project," "intend," "plan," "believe," and other words and terms of similar meaning in connection with any discussion of future operating or financial performance. Forward-looking statements are based on management's current expectations and include known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, many of which management is unable to predict or control, that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those suggested by these forward-looking statements, and that could adversely affect the Company's future financial performance, include, but are not limited to, the following:
worldwide and regional economic, business and political conditions, including continuing economic uncertainties in some or all of the Company's major product markets or countries where the Company has operations;
the effectiveness of the Company's efforts to improve operating margins through sales growth, price increases, productivity gains, and improved purchasing techniques;
competitive factors, including intense price competition;
fluctuations in the value of currencies in major areas where the Company operates;
volatility of prices and availability of the supply of energy and raw materials that are critical to the manufacture of the Company's products, particularly plastic resins derived from oil and natural gas;
changes in customer demand and requirements;
effectiveness of the Company to achieve the level of cost savings, productivity improvements, growth and other benefits anticipated from acquisitions and restructuring initiatives;
escalation in the cost of providing employee health care;
uncertainties regarding the resolution of pending and future litigation and other claims;
the performance of the global automotive market; and
further adverse changes in economic or industry conditions, including global supply and demand conditions and prices for products.
The risks and uncertainties identified above are not the only risks the Company faces. Additional risk factors that could affect the Company's performance are set forth in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2011. In addition, risks and uncertainties not presently known to the Company or that it believes to be immaterial also may adversely affect the Company. Should any known or unknown risks or uncertainties develop into actual events, or underlying assumptions prove inaccurate, these developments could have material adverse effects on the Company's business, financial condition and results of operations.
SHLM_ALL
SOURCE A. Schulman, Inc.
News Provided by Acquire Media
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Deliberately Damage Kidneys to Improve Your Health!
Well, I bet just like me, your first thoughts were What!!!
Among other things, your kidneys help control blood pressure, and a new medical procedure aims to knock out this control system, to lower your blood pressure substantially.
I just saw this reported on the BBC News tonight, but you can also read about it in Lancet, the world famous medical journal.
The research, by Australian medical scientists, selectively severs nerves to the kidney that have an vital role in controlling blood pressure. This is done via a catheter inserted into the groin which feeds a thin wire up next to the nerves in question. The wire is given a short burst of radio waves and the energy knocks out some of the nerves in the arteries of the kidneys. So they no longer signal to raise blood pressure.
The technique is suggested as useful where patients have trouble remembering to take normal blood pressure controlling medication, or where the medication has little effect, and it proved to be very successful as six months after treatment, 84% of those treated had a lower blood pressure. Okay, not a back to normal blood pressure, but a better level than before treatment anyway, thus lowering their risk of future strokes and heart attacks.
Health Problems in Dialysis Clinics?
A research report produced by ProPublica, which has been discussed on many news sites, suggests that there are some serious health issues attached to dialysis - not that dialysis itself is bad for you, but the clinic you receive treatment at may be very bad for you.
To quote from the report
"Nearly 40 years after Congress created a unique entitlement for patients with kidney failure, U.S. death rates and per-patient costs are among the world's highest while the biggest for-profit providers flourish."
ProPublica examined thousands of clinic inspection reports and interviewed many patients and others involved in dialysis, and came to a shocking conclusion - at clinics all over America, it is quite common for patients to receive their live-giving treatment in unsanitary conditions, where lapses in the quality of care can endanger their life. In a health care clinic!
The report describes some pretty scary events that have occurred, including some which have lead to the patient's death, and claims that medical care supervision is minimal in some clinics. That care is often administered by young under-qualified technicians. That staff to patient ratios are not prescribed by the authorities. That some clinics (note that it says some, not most) are run like a factory systems, with technicians stretched to their limits by monitoring too many patients simultaneously.
According to the report, the clinic inspections that they examined revealed that almost half of those checked were described as filthy or unsafe, and many exposed patients to hepatitis, staph, tuberculosis and HIV. Prescription errors were common.
And remember, in America, Medicare funds these clinics, and running clinics is big business. According to the report, the government's payment policies for dialysis have created financial incentives that, in some ways, have worked against better patient care, while enabling for-profit corporations to dominate the business.
But if you come from a poor background in the US and have kidney failure, where can you go for treatment? To a Medicare funded clinic. It's highly unlikely that the less well-off will get private care for their dialysis.
Italy has one of the lowest mortality rates for dialysis care -- about one in nine patients dies each year, compared with one in five in the US! And yet Italy spends about one third less on patients than the Medicare system, according to the report.
Italy has doctors and nurses present at all stages of treatment, not technicians whose general medical knowledge will, by definition, be more limited. Fistulas are used in preference to catheters - catheters can be used immediately they are inserted, but are more prone to infection and clotting than fistulas, which must be allowed to "settle in" before being used.
Overall the report paints a pretty poor picture of health care at some clinics, and advocates reform in the way dialysis patients are treated. The obvious answers include (but are not limited to) having better staffing ratios, with doctors and nurses present to check patients, not just technicians.
It's not as if there's much of a choice in having dialysis or saying no thanks, not today.
You just don't expect to be at risk by saying yes to treatment!
Dialysis decrease in diabetics - good or bad?
We read of what at first seems like good news.
The number of people with diabetes going on to treatment for end stage renal disease in the US has dropped, according to a study reported on MedPageToday. It has fallen by a massive 35% between 1996 and 2007. But before you get excited, the question is why has it fallen?
Well, apparently the number of people with diabetes is increasing in the US, increasing a great deal in fact. So overall the actual number of diabetics who are on ESRD treatment has increased.
It is not really clear why the rate at which diabetics are moving on to dialysis has dropped - diabetes is still the single biggest cause of ESRD.
Does it mean more people have had undiagnosed diabetes and as medical techniques improve, many more cases have been reported, pushing up the apparent number of diabetics, while the number who need dialysis has only increased a little bit (presumably they'd be the worst cases, unlikely to go unrecognised)?
Further research is needed to settle this.
Deliberately Damage Kidneys to Improve Your Health...
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The WordPlayers Produces Broadway Bluegrass Musical: Bright Star
From Grammy, Emmy and Academy Award winning Steve Martin and Grammy Award winning Edie Brickell comes Bright Star, the five-time Tony nominated, Broadway musical that The New York Times called "a shining achievement."
July 19 @ 7:30 PM, July 20 @ 2:30 & 7:30 PM and July 21 @ 3:00 PM on the U.S. Cellular Stage at the Bijou Theatre. Tickets range from $21.50 to $25.50 and may be purchased online through knoxbijou.org or wordplayers.org, by phone at 865-684-1200, or at the door.
Inspired by a real event, this original musical tells a sweeping tale of love and forgiveness set in the mountains of western North Carolina in the 1920’s and ‘40’s. The story follows literary editor Alice Murphy and her relationship with Billy Cane, an ambitious young writer recently returned from World War II. (Suggested for ages 13)
Bright Star received a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Music and Outer Critics Circle Awards for Outstanding New Broadway Musical and Outstanding Score. It is an uplifting, humorous, emotional and theatrical journey that holds you tight in its grasp and is as refreshingly genuine as it is daringly hopeful. Bright Star has it all: a brilliant score, beautiful voices and harmonies, a barn-raising bluegrass band, and a story of broken lives made whole.
The WordPlayers’ production is directed by Leann Dickson and features Deanna Surber in the lead role of Alice Murphy and Jimmy Sherrod as Billy Cane. Sheryl Lawrence Howard is music director, leading an ensemble of talented local theatre artists whose voices and harmonies will stir the soul. They will be accompanied by a live 8-piece bluegrass band, comprised of excellent local musicians.
The WordPlayers is a 501(c)3 theatre organization based in Knoxville. Bright Star is sponsored by Care Around the Block (Season Sponsor), Warren & Kathy Payne, Aubrey’s, Home Federal Bank, Kiwanis Club of Northside Knoxville, LAMP Foundation, Zazzy Bandz, Dr. Ron & Peggy Turner, Leslie A. Hull - Law & Mediation, and Applegate Insurance. For more information about The WordPlayers, please visit wordplayers.org.
Knoxville Daily Sun
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Posts Tagged: Barack Obama
Michelle Obama’s Mother Does Not Believe She Is A “Real Celebrity”
We all felt blessed to see Michelle Obama grace the stage for the 2019 Grammy Awards. It was definitely a surprise for most but a very pleasant surprise to say the least. Unfortunately, someone very close to Michelle was not able to bask in the moment like we did. In a rather hilarious text message… Read more »
Barack Obama Enters Billboard Charts For The 3rd Time
Obama has made his way back on the Billboard charts entering at No. 22 on the Hot R & B songs chart. Obama is featured on BeBe Winans and Christopher Jackson gospel inspired track, One Last Time (44 Remix). In the past, Obama peaked at No. 6 TV DVD Sales chart with A Moment in History: The… Read more »
Michelle Obama Admits She Didn’t Believe Barack Would Win The Presidential Campaign
During a promotional run in London for her memoir, Becoming, Michelle Obama admitted that she didn’t believe her husband, Barack Obama, would actually win the presidential campaign. Apart of her apprehension was the simple fact that she believed America was not yet ready for a black president. Michelle Obama explained: “One of the reasons why… Read more »
Barack Obama Makes Surprise Visit on Michelle Obama’s Book Tour
Michelle Obama had Tracee Ellis Ross host her Los Angeles book tour stop. A very exciting and intimate conversation happened between the two ladies, but it was even more exciting to have her husband, former President of the United States, Barack Obama, stop by in Washington, DC. Barack was just as charismatic as usual as… Read more »
Barack Obama Encourages Everyone To Show Up To The Polls Like They Did in 2008 –
Yesterday [November 4th], made 10 years to the date our former President, Barack Obama, was officially elected as the 44th President of the United States, and the first black president to ever be elected. Obama supporters treated it like a holiday as they reminisced on the exact moment in their lives when the news was… Read more »
Oprah Campaigning Door To Door In Favor Of Stacey Abrams For Senate
The race for Senator is a very competitive one and celebrities are choosing to use their influence to get citizens to vote for the candidate they believe deserves to be in office. As far as for Stacey Abrams, Jermaine Dupri, Barack Obama, and even former Vice President, Joe Biden, are campaigning for Abrams. Now in… Read more »
The Obamas Storytelling Deal with Netflix Is In The Works
Back in May, The Obamas signed a storytelling deal with Netflix to produce a diverse mix of ccontent, including the potential for scripted and unscripted series, as well as docs-series, documentaries and features. More recently, Netflix’s chief content officer gave us more detail into what we can expect from our former First Family. Ted Sarandos… Read more »
President Obama Went to Kenya to Support His Sister
President Obama went to Kenya to support his sister. The former president’s half-sister, Dr. Auma Obama’s charitable organization built a sports training center. It’s named after their father. It was his first visit to Kenya since 2015. More here.
An Elementary School Dropped Their Confederate Name in Favor of Barack Obama
An elementary school dropped their Confederate name in favor of Barack Obama. Yesterday the Richmond School Board voted 6 to 1 to rename J.E.B. Stuart Elementary School to Barack Obama Elementary School. J.E.B. Stuart was a confederate general. The lone holdout was pushing for more local names to be considered while another board member said he hopes… Read more »
Some People Aren’t Happy About the Obamas Netflix Deal
Some people aren’t happy about the Obamas Netflix deal. If you didn’t hear about this, click here. Folks are ready to boycott Netflix. Critics of the former President and First Lady took to Twitter to show their displeasure with one California Senator saying, “I will now cancel my Netflix, seems like the shows are not as… Read more »
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Donald Trump Refuses To Apologize To Central Park Five
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Industry Audit
The Company of the Year: Our fifth annual report dives deep into the numbers and comes up with the industry's true top performers.
By Bill Trombetta
Pharmaceutical Executive
Bill Trombetta
For the fifth year in a row, Pharm Exec invites Professor Bill Trombetta of St. Joseph's University to analyze the pharma industry's financial performance with a battery of business metrics old and new. The highlights: Two top biotechs race neck-and-neck for first place, Forest delivers another strong performance, and AstraZeneca squeezes past Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline into the top four for the first time ever. And the winner is . . .
Company of the Year #1 Amgen
Last year, Genentech and Amgen tied for first place. This year, Amgen pulled ahead based on strong performances in several key metrics. Amgen had outstanding performances in Profit Margin (29.6 percent) and Revenue per Employee (a remarkable $756,098), and placed second in ratios of Enterprise Value to Total Sales, Earnings per Share, and the audit's main measure of innovation—Revenue from Intellectual Assets. One surprise: Though Amgen has almost twice Genentech's sales, Genentech has an Enterprise Value to Sales ratio almost double Amgen's, which may mean investors believe Amgen's portfolio will provide slower growth than Genentech's.
P HARM EXEC 'S FIFTH ANNUAL strategic industry audit analyzes the 2005 financial performance of 16 companies that are publicly traded on stock exchanges and file 10-K reports with the Securities & Exchange Commission (or 20-F reports, in the case of foreign companies). As in past years, the audit goes beyond standard accounting and financial statements, drawing on newer and oftentimes more meaningful metrics, such as sales per employee and percentage of income driven by intellectual capital. Data were gathered primarily from 10-Ks and 20-Fs. In addition, we consulted databases such as , and secondary sources such as Fortune, Forbes, BusinessWeek, In Vivo, and The Wall Street Journal. Non-annual data were collected the first week of April 2006.
Aiming to compare companies' performance, this report omits a few companies that are or appear to be publicly traded, but are not comparable with the rest of the group: extremely diversified firms (such as Procter & Gamble), narrow-focus companies (such as Novo Nordisk), companies that manufacture primarily generics (such as Teva), firms with unconventional ownership structures (like Roche), and companies whose financial reporting doesn't mesh with US standards (like Japanese drug firms).
Overall Rankings
Companies were assigned scores based on their rankings in 13 key metrics: The company that ranked first in a given metric received 16 points, the second-place company 15, and so on.
np.com.ua/torgovaja-mebel-i-oborudovanie/telezhki-pokupatelskie.html
www.oncesearch.com/category/deepthroat
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My permanent recordA Tribute to Jody Powell
I feel just fine … how about you? And the future of journalism.
“Communications is technology.”
That’s what my daughter said excitedly as she told me about her new english major courses at George Mason University. The excitement in her voice and the enthusiasm in her eyes made her impromptu presentation contagious.
She took me to the creation of Jonathan Harris and Sep Kanvar.
It is a site called We Feel Fine.
Check it out. I don’t know if it is the future of communications and literature. But it is certainly fascinating. It is literature, research, ethnography, technology, emotions, and crowd-sourced literature all rolled into one.
According to the site:
Since August 2005, We Feel Fine has been harvesting human feelings from a large number of weblogs. Every few minutes, the system searches the world’s newly posted blog entries for occurrences of the phrases “I feel” and “I am feeling”. When it finds such a phrase, it records the full sentence, up to the period, and identifies the “feeling” expressed in that sentence (e.g. sad, happy, depressed, etc.). Because blogs are structured in largely standard ways, the age, gender, and geographical location of the author can often be extracted and saved along with the sentence, as can the local weather conditions at the time the sentence was written. All of this information is saved.
The result is a database of several million human feelings, increasing by 15,000 – 20,000 new feelings per day. Using a series of playful interfaces, the feelings can be searched and sorted across a number of demographic slices, offering responses to specific questions like: do Europeans feel sad more often than Americans? Do women feel fat more often than men? Does rainy weather affect how we feel? What are the most representative feelings of female New Yorkers in their 20s? What do people feel right now in Baghdad? What were people feeling on Valentine’s Day? Which are the happiest cities in the world? The saddest? And so on.
And so with that, I’ll say this, hoping that at some point some of these nuggets are harvested by the We Feel Fine site and that my contribution adds to someone’s day and another person’s science.
I feel good. At least today I feel that way. There have been many days in the past when I’ve felt bad. Perhaps even miserable. But today’s a good one. So far. You never know. I could be feeling crummy this afternoon. Something crazy could happen. I could remember something stupid and start feeling blue. Feelings are that way. Very capricious things those feelings are. But right now, I feel good. And the fact that I’m feeling good, feels good.
Tagged: Books, Compassion, Feelings, Journalism, Media, Social media
One Response to “I feel just fine … how about you? And the future of journalism.”
Your Daughter says:
It’s “Reading is a Technology” because humans were not biologically programmed to read but created it as a means of communication. You were on the right track though, pops.
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Posted by Brian at 11:43 PM
Open your wallets, people.
Tired of all the crap? Buy Bonds.
Tired of Republicans talking smack about supporting the troops and then cutting their healthcare benefits? Buy Bonds.
Tired of Tom DeLay, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, and all the rest of those assholes using the word "liberal" as an epithet? Buy Bonds.
Time to put up or shut up people. I'm in for twenty a month, and I don't even have a job at present--I'll sell my plasma for the money if I have to. Let's do this.
Hey Scalia--I am somebody, fuck you very much.
In his dissent in the most recent Ten Commandments case, Anthony Scalia wrote, and I'm quoting Siva Vaidhyanathan on Altercation here:
With respect to public acknowledgment of religious belief, it is entirely clear from our Nation's historical practices that the Establishment Clause permits this disregard of polytheists and believers in unconcerned deities just as it permits the disregard of devout atheists.
Gee Tony--I'm no Constitutional scholar, but it seems to me that when the 14th Amendment says "No state shall...deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws," that also means that the court, and by extension, the country, can't simply disregard them because they happen to believe in multiple gods, no god, or a god who created the earth as part of his third grade science fair project and then tossed it in the closet and forgot about it.
As Siva also so cogently points out, most of the Founding Fathers, who Scalia claims to have such a hard-on for, were of that third grouping--they were Deists--so if Scalia is really an originalist, there's no way he could have honestly come to the conclusion he did. He's a bigot, pure and simple, and the most activist of activist judges.
A new corollary to Godwin's Law
Godwin's Law is a well known adage about the internet culture that basically says, the longer a thread, the more likely that Hitler or the Nazis will be invoked as a comparison. There's a tradition that says whomever invokes Hitler or the Nazis without a damn good reason loses the argument. I happen to disagree with that tradition, as there are plenty of times where the comparison is an apt one, as when Dick Durbin did it on the floor of the Senate recently.
Well, I've got my own addition to Godwin's Law, and it came to me after watching The Daily Show editors run clips of asswipe Congresspeople invoking the memories of 9/11 victims time and again for the vote on the Constitutional Amendment to prohibit flag desecration--if you claim to be passing legislation for the 9/11 victims that doesn't actually do anything to 1) legitimately improve the security of the country or 2) improve the lot of the surviving members of the victims' families, then you're automatically a douchebag.
And if you invoke their memories to slam a member of the opposition party, then you deserve to be kicked in the nads until dead. Karl Rove--I'm talking to you, motherfucker.
This one's for you, Walrus
There's an interesting discussion over at Brad DeLong's place about Godfather 1 and 2, including stuff about subtext and all other kinds of stuff that a simple fan like myself just doesn't understand.
A new addition to the family
We picked up a new kitten today, an orange and white male we have christened Wallace, in keeping with our literary naming tradition. Our other cat, who is not taking to the new addition particularly well, is named Eliot, after Thomas Stearns. Wallace is named after Wallace Stevens or Wallace Stegner--take your pick. When we told Monkey, she asked if he was named after the Wallace and Gromit character, which would also work, as far as I'm concerned.
One thing for certain--he is definitely not named after former Alabama Governor George Wallace.
Young Yellow Elephants
This story is ancient in blog reckoning, but I still want to comment on it because I think it's imperative to call these people out on their hypocrisy.
Adam Smeltz of Knight-Ridder newspapers wrote a good story on the Young Republican convention going on in New York right now. He talked to a number of convention goers and asked them if they planned on joining the military, since they claim to support the war and the troops so much. Their responses were, let's be kind, enlightening.
"Frankly, I want to be a politician. I'd like to survive to see that," said Vivian Lee, 17, a war supporter visiting the convention from Los Angeles,
Lee said she supports the war but would volunteer only if the United States faced a dire troop shortage or "if there's another Sept. 11."
"As long as there's a steady stream of volunteers, I don't see why I necessarily should volunteer," said Lee, who has a cousin deployed in the Middle East....
I physically probably couldn't do a whole lot" in Iraq, said Tiffanee Hokel, 18, of Webster City, Iowa, who called the war a moral imperative. She knows people posted in Iraq, but she didn't flinch when asked why she wouldn't go.
"I think I could do more here," Hokel said, adding that she's focusing on political action that supports the war and the troops.
"We don't have to be there physically to fight it," she said.
Similarly, 20-year-old Jeff Shafer, a University of Pennsylvania student, said vital work needs to be done in the United States. There are Republican policies to maintain and protect and an economy to sustain, Shafer said.
I could be outraged or condescending toward these kids, but instead, I'll content myself with the hope that they may have just shot whatever hope they had at a political career straight to hell with their comments. Of course, I could be wrong--acknowledging their cowardice doesn't seem to have hurt Tom DeLay or Dick Cheney.
Big Brass Blog has a wonderful photo-essay up--pics from the convention along with quotes from the story.
Credit where due
Senator Man-on-Dog Santorum's office has distanced him from Karl Rove's remarks about liberals. Tapped reports that
Rick Santorum's communications director, Robert Traynham, suggested that the Pennsylvanian had a different reaction. He told me: “Karl Rove speaks for himself. He doesn’t speak for the senator. On 9-11, there was no such thing as a Republican or a Democrat, and that’s what the senator believes.”
The staff of Kay Bailey Hutchinson, the Texas Senator who would lick Georgie's pus-ridden asshole to be the next Governor of Texas, had a slightly different response. No surprise--she agrees with Rove.
While this is a welcome move from Santorum, I feel I must note that it's probably due more to the fact that Pennsylvania is blue and trending bluer, and Santorum's poll numbers are currently deep in the shitter coming into his election next year than to any true fellow feeling for his companions across the aisle.
They get letters
And here's mine, to my Republican Senator Mel Martinez:
I've just recently moved to Florida--within the last month to be exact--but I'd like to go ahead and let you know how I feel about the remarks Karl Rove made last night in New York City to the effect that liberals, by which he means members of the Democratic party, want our troops to die. In my view, those remarks are slanderous at the very least. They're despicable, and since in today's press briefing, White House spokesman Scott McClellan defended Rove's remarks, I can only assume that the White House feels the same way about nearly half the voting public.
My question for you is: do you share those views? Do you feel that half the country is disloyal, is actively hoping for US soldiers, many of whom are members of your own political party, to be killed? Or are you willing to distance yourself from those hateful and slanderous statements? I await your reply.
In case you don't know what I'm talking about, visit Americablog.
Posted by Brian at 10:15 AM
The Flag Burning Amendment
It's back in the news, because it's back in the Congress again, which shouldn't be any big surprise. After all, it's not like Congress has been dealing with anything important thus far--they've been too busy with trying to kill the filibuster, demonize Michael Schiavo, and cover for Tom DeLay to get any actual work done--so why not take up an amendment that would "protect" the flag from being burned?
The amendment is stupid--let's just get that out of the way up front. For starters, it's not like there's a rash of flag-burning going on here in the US where law enforcement agents would have jurisdiction--most flag burning is done in countries that already have a low opinion of us (and most times, rightfully so), and I hardly think the FBI will be dispatched to round those people up. Secondly, there's a real benefit to ensuring that flag burning, which many see as the ultimate symbol of dissent againt one's government, continue to be protected speech.
But there is one plus I can see coming out of the flag amendment, should it pass and be ratified. The flag code might actually be enforced. No more flag napkins. No more flag t-shirts with uber-patriotic slogans on them. No more flag toothpicks sticking out of holiday hot dogs, only to be tossed to the ground on their way to the trash can. All that is flag desecration, and would presumably be covered by the flag-burning amendment. The ironic result of this amendment could be that instead of protecting the flag, it could effectively remove the flag from public life.
And would that be such a bad thing?
More from Operation Yellow Elephant
These guys are good.
Because it's clearer than giving them a white feather.
General JC Christian, Patriot has put together a campaign that was a long time in coming--Operation Yellow Elephant. It expresses what I've felt since it became clear to me in early 2002 that we were going to war in Iraq--if you're physically able to serve in the military and you support this war and yet aren't enlisted, then you're a damn coward and ought to be outed as one in public. And don't give me any shit about how what you're doing here in the states is more important than carrying a rifle down the streets of Baghdad--there are plenty of people who opposed this war who can do your sorry little job while you're out shitting yourself in a tent.
Eventually, there will be an image in my sidebar that you'll be welcome to link to, so as not to destroy the General's bandwidth.
Juan Marichal
I promised a picture of the new Juan Marichal statue that's outside the Lefty O'Doul gate of SBC Park in San Francisco, and I'm finally delivering. It's been busy the last couple of weeks--sorry for the delay.
It's even more impressive in person--the kick really is as extreme as it seems in the photograph.
The Art of Movie Quoting
Blagg Blog has a list of 5 films he wishes people would stop quoting from. I've only seen one of the five (Office Space), and I heartily disagree with his description of Will Ferrell as a genius, but he's got a point--far too many people quote movie lines badly. I was one of them, and occasionally still have problems, although not generally the types that Blagg describes.
Here are some general rules for successful movie quoting:
1. Don't go for the obvious. This is the case no matter whether we're talking about setting or situation--Blagg describes Old School quoting in bars or Office Space quoting in the workplace. He's right--it's just isn't funny. Why? Because it's expected. Funny is all about the unexpected, even slapstick. Quoting Sideways at a wine tasting gets you labeled as unoriginal.
2. If it gets used in the trailer, or it becomes a catch-phrase, don't use it. Ever. Because you just don't want to be that guy saying "Do I make you horny baby?"
3. Obscurity can be your friend, as long as you're not an ass about it. The problem with too many quoters is that they're either afraid to go obscure, or if they do, they feel the need to go into a long, tortured discussion about the context of the quote in the film and the surrounding geopolitical landscape. You don't. If you go obscure, and no one gives you a knowing wink or nod, then simply act as though the witticism was original. Trust your fellow conversers. Which brings me to rule 4.
4. Pick your spots. Nothing is more aggravating than the guy who thinks conversation consists of nothing but movie/tv/stand-up comic bits thrown out there in a depserate grasp at relevance. I was one of those people for a while, until my girlfriend, in a moment of frustration, gave me hell for it. After many months where I tried to restrain myself completely, I discovered that I could actually hold a conversation without making a single reference to pop culture. Now when I do it, it's with a purpose, as a tool to steer the conversation in a particular direction rather than to show the room the power of my voluminous memory to hold ridiculous bits of minutiae. Which brings us to the most important rule of all.
5. Make it relevant. Any dumbass can pop off a reference that adds nothing to the conversation. It takes a pro to make a a reference work in the context of the larger conversation without derailing the conversation into a quoting contest, which is always a danger. Nothing kills a group conversation more quickly than two people (usually guys) trying to outdo one another in a contest of "I can recite longer Monty Python passages than you can."
Go see it. Trust me on this. They got it right, more right than any other Batman film, hell, more right than any other comic book film I've seen, and that's a tall order. Just go see it.
Update: Stephanie Zacharek is a moron. Don't listen to her.
The last blog post about the move
Sorry this is so late, but my laptop, on which I have been writing these missives, has been largely without internet access for the last couple of days, so I've been saving up. The quick update is that we're in the place, vastly disordered, and attmepting to set up the wireless network again, with some difficulty. I'm hooked up directly for the moment. My net time will still be limited, since I have to finish unpacking, etc.
So here's the last one:
Monday June 13
Well, almost. The truck is empty and returned, and we slept in our new place for the first time last night. The fun part is really just beginning—the unpacking. There’s shit everywhere of course, and the biggest issue right now seems to be related to the fact that we ditched all of our old shoddy bookshelves in San Francisco. I’d forgotten, not that we have so many books, but that we stacked so much other crap on those shelves, and now we have no place for any of it. I’ve made some progress—the home theater (my 13 inch tv and adjoining stereo) is up and running, although I still haven’t located any of the remotes. I’ve managed to break both a jar of olives and the globe that covers the living room ceiling fan light, and my daughter broke the coffee maker carafe this morning—we replaced that immediately. In short, everything’s going about as expected.
Update: We spent the afternoon at Amy’s parents’ house visiting, and returned home to discover that the power had been cut—we hadn’t changed the lights over into our name soon enough, so tonight, we’re all camped out in one bedroom—Amy, Monkey, Eliot the Cat (and chickenshit Master of the Universe) and me under the wall unit a/c we’ve got hooked up to an extension cord running to the laundry room. We just may stay in here until the lights come on some time tomorrow. Home internet won’t be on until sometime on Friday, I think.
All you need on Downing Street
Go here. It's selected quotes from the two Downing Street memos and links to pdf files of the memos themselves. Read them and judge for yourselves whether or not Bush has been full of shit for the last three years.
Go Howard!
This is why I voted for Dean in California's primary even though Kerry had all but wrapped up the nomination.
"My view is FOX News is a propaganda outlet for the Republican Party and I don't comment on FOX News," Dean said. That was in response to vice president Dick Cheney calling Howard Dean "over the top" on Fox News on Sunday.
Now if we could only get everyone in the Democratic party to do the same, and ideally, stop appearing on Fox News altogether. It's not like CNN or MSNBC are doing much better with their "where the white women at?" coverage, but there is a difference, be it subtle or not, between ignoring the news and shoving Republican propaganda out there as news.
Here's what five days on the road will do to you: when I stopped for gas in Gainesville, I got back on the interstate and headed north instead of south, and it was forty miles before I discovered what I'd done wrong. Tack another hour onto an already excruciatingly long trip. But I'm here and it's good and now there's only the moving in, which will commence this afternoon, and then back to the regular blogging.
Saturday June 11, 1:28 a.m.
Marianna, Florida, and it looks like Arlene is coming right for us. It’s only light rain for now, and I don’t expect it’ll get terribly worse. I picked Monkey up in Bay St. Louis this evening, and we spent most of the next 4+ hours talking as I drove. It’s been really good.
The room looks like it never got out of the seventies, even if you include the modern tv, microwave and hair dryer. Faded beach prints on the wall above the two beds, faded drapes over the window, the bathtub even has those no-fall strips in the bottom—they’re peeling up, of course—and the door to the bathroom has either swollen or was just never hung properly, because it doesn’t close.
We wound up in Marianna because every hotel in Chipley gave us the “we don’t have any coupon rooms left, but we’ll gladly charge you full price” excuse—at 12:45 a.m. Like you’re gonna rent that room for full price—riiiight. I suppose it makes sense to keep the room empty rather than pay for the electricity, pay the maid to clean it up, change the linen, etc, but at least be willing to bargain.
Regardless, this trip will find its end tomorrow. It’s already been a hell of a five days, and I’m exhausted, but I can say I’ve done something relatively few others can lay claim to, and I’m proud of it. Next time, I don’t want to drive a U-Haul, and I want to stop and take pictures.
Friday June 10, Hammond, LA
I crossed into Louisiana early this afternoon after sitting in construction traffic for what seemed like forever in Vidor, close to the border. The drive through Houston and Beaumont was pretty uneventful, and perhaps it’s wishful thinking, but I swear the air felt different when I crossed the Sabine. One thing is different—I don’t think I’ll be needing the chapstick anymore. The air is heavy with water, and I’m reveling in it.
I sat in traffic in Baton Rouge—combine a traffic accident with a place where the highway goes from three lanes to two and you get a parking lot. It took about 45 minutes to go 2 miles, but once it cleared, I flew past the old familiar exits from that time when I would pick up my daughter on the weekends and return to Hammond—Denham Springs, Walker, Satsuma, Holden, Pumpkin Center, Baptist.
It seems appropriate that I should be returning to a hurricane. Arlene is in the gulf, and I’ll be racing her to Pensacola and beyond. After two years of weather that was positively boring if benign, and considering how many times I wished for some interesting weather while living in The City (as the Examiner still refers to it), it’s funny that instead of hauling ass from a hurricane, I find myself heading into one. I tell myself it’s just a baby, not even a real hurricane yet, but tell that to the people of Pensacola who have yet to fully recover from Ivan last year. I guess I’ll get to see just how much I miss the weather around here.
The most incredible part of the drive today is one I’ve done before, numerous times. It’s the Atchafalaya Freeway, a 38 mile stretch of I-10 that runs between Lafayette and Baton Rouge, that runs through the last remaining cypress swamp in the US. It’s a bridge with three or four exits over the span of the 38 miles, but there’s not much in the interior. It’s just beautiful swamp, leafy and green, and on the Lafayette end of it, cypress trees and their knees poking up out of the water. That section is called Henderson Swamp. The best part of it, I think, is that it’s damn near impossible to take pictures of it, because there’s literally nowhere to pull over and get out of traffic, no matter what you’re driving. I know, that sounds strange from someone who gets such joy out of photography, but there is something special about not benig able to capture a moment anywhere but in your memory.
Dinner with the parents
Note:Sorry for three long posts in such quick succession, but you've got to take advantage of the connection when you can.)
I'm in Schulenberg, Texas tonight, a town where I remember stopping for pastries as a child when my parents would drive my sister and me to Helotes (or wherever my grandparents were living at the time) for our regular visits. This was when I was a very small child, since these drives pretty much ended after we moved to Louisiana when I was seven. It's easily the nicest hotel I've stayed in on this trip, though not the most expensive, thank Jeebus--lots of amenities I won't be making use of, although I am making extensive use of, what else? the wireless internet.
I ate dinner with my parents at the Chili's in Boerne (pronounced birney), which is a major event when you consider that we haven't spoken in about two years, which corresponds roughly to my move to California, and my contact on the whole has been limited to a couple of cards that updated me on the doings of the people I once congregated with way back in the day. It seems we struck a bargain of sorts--I hauled ass the 600+ miles from Lordsberg, NM to Boerne, and they skipped the first half of their meeting at the Kingdom Hall to have dinner with me. In all, it seems a fair trade.
Conversation was pretty nondescript--I explained what exactly I'd been doing in San Francisco, they talked about the humdrum everyday things of their lives, of the changes in their lifestyle since they moved from Kokomo, MS to Boerne (it's a pretty massive difference). I caught them up on my daughter; they caught me up on my cousins--apparently another one is a professional musician of sorts, one I haven't met, a second cousin much younger than me. In short, it was wonderful, because there wasn't any uncomfortableness about religion--when it came up, it was in the context of experiences they'd had in field service. There was no accusatory tones, no recriminations, no pleas for me to reconsider my life of sin. Everything I dreded didn't happen, and when we split this time, I told them I'd forward my new contact information and they seemed genuinely pleased. That's a feeling I haven't seen in a long time.
I don't know where I got the idea that west Texas was flat, but it isn't--good lord it isn't. It's hilly as all hell, and right now, it's very green too. It was actually a very pleasant drive, except for the fact that it was too long and too hot. It wasn't overwhelming the way that driving through Utah is; it was just pleasant.
One last thing--I'm never taking bypass loops again. I got turned around so badly in San Antonio tonight that for a while, I was on I-35 south just so I could get back to the city center in hopes of running into I-10. I understand that traffic in Houston sis a stone bitch, and that taking the loop might save me some time, but to hell with that--I'd wind up in Galveston or something, and I don't have that many miles to spare.
Thursday the 9th, 12:54 p.m.
I’m in Van Horn Texas, just across the Central Time Zone line, so I’ve lost an hour in what was already going to be a long day. I’m sitting in the Pilot Truck Stop eating lunch, mainly because my computer told me I had an internet connection here—the airport seems to be getting a strong signal, but nothing comes up when I open a window. Oh well.
I’d always thought west Texas was flat—not so, at least, not completely so. Parts of it, especially close to the New Mexico border are, but since I got out of El Paso, I’ve been surprised by the hilliness. It’s very much like the country I’ve been coming through, only less so. The hills aren’t quite as dramatic, the rock formations, when they appear, are less impressive. For a person coming through the southernmost part of the US for the first time, I definitely recommend going east to west—your wonder will grow with every passing mile.
About twenty miles back, I was a blimp hovering over the valley I was passing through. It was bright and multi-colored, a lot like my first sofa, or the Partridge family bus, and if it had a corporate logo, I didn’t recognize it. Go figure—a blimp in the middle of Nowhere, West Texas.
I’m visiting briefly with my parents tonight—I called them yesterday and let them know I’d be passing through Boerne sometime today and would like to see them. It’ll be a short visit, since they have a meeting at the Kingdom Hall tonight, and I’m not a Witness anymore. It’s not that they’d bar me from going if I wanted, but it would send the wrong message to my parernts, that I might consider coming back, and even though we’ve been on the outs for several years now, I wouldn’t do that to them. It would be cruel, and regardless of what issues I still have with them over our lack of a relationship since I left the church, I still love them and won’t tease them with false hope. Back to the truck—I hope to post these sometime today.
Wed 8th, 10:30 p.m.
The 1-10 Motel in Lordsberg, New Mexico is $31.95 a night, $39.99 after tax, and I imagine they’re making a killing. The room is clean; spare is a pretty good word for it, I’d say. No Wal-Mart framed litho-posters adorn the bright white walls. There’s a bed, a nicked-up dresser with a twenty-inch Magnavox on it—don’t know if they have cable, but they certainly don’t have internet service, wireless or otherwise, and if one of the other hotels nearby has it, I can’t reach it because I’m on the lee side of the motel. There’s not even an alarm clock, much less a coffee maker, both of which I’d come to expect as standard equipment, even for a cheap motel. I suppose I’d be disappointed, except for the fact that all I really want is a shower and a bed.
And the ability to post this right after I’ve written it instead of having to wait for a hot spot. Somehow I’ll get by.
As to the drive. My experience with Los Angeles has been limited to say the least—one trip to the Science museum and todays’ drive, but based on that experience, all I can say is, I don’t get it. It’s dry-hot, the air is for shit, and the roads seem to overwhelm everything, which only adds to the hot, bad air. I was glad to be rid of it. The closer I got to the Arizona border, the more I thought the countryside looked like the Arizona/New Mexico area around I-40, only greener. I don’t know if there’s been more rainfall than usual down there this year, but parts of the area between Palm Springs and Phoenix were almost verdant—green shrubs along the roadside, green stretching all the way to the brown mountains on both sides of me. The air was so dry that I found myself drinking constantly, and rubbing Chapstick on my lips like an eight-year old girl with her first flavored lip gloss, but it looked like it had rained enough to let these plants prosper, at least for the time being.
The winds weren’t so bad today, but the truck still got its tail twisted a couple of times. Perhaps the most interesting driving moment was when some tumbleweed broke loose and got smacked by two eighteen-wheelers directly ahead—the wind caught the remains and flurried it in the air. It was beautiful.
I skirted Joshua Tree National Park and wish I’d had time (and the extra miles) to explore it. I didn’t get to see anything from the highway, but I saw enough saguaro to know that I want to return and hike this place, both Joshua Tree and Saguaro National Parks. I really wanted to take pictures, but there was nowhere really to pull over—that truck is a behemoth, and I wasn’t sure if I could get it completely off the road.
I’ve never seen saguaro before today, and I can only say that pictures don’t do it justice. First of all, it’s bigger than I imagined. Some of the ones I saw today were 12-15 feet tall, with multiple offshoots. One in particular jumped out at me, to the point where I nearly pulled over despite the traffic (which was surprisingly heavy). It was only about 8 feet tall, but instead of the 3 to 3 arms that most had, this one had at least 6, and they weren’t independent—they wrapped around each other like Shiva’s arms, intertwined.
And beyond—at one point, past Tucson, but I’m not exactly sure where, the landscape changed. The hills became less dirty and more rocky, smooth, curved rocks like the kind I used to toss into the ponds around my friends’ houses when I was a kid in Louisiana. Rocks that I found in driveways, that fit the palm of my hand, not flat for skipping, round for hurling as far as I could. Only, you know, bigger. Bigger as if they were gravel for giants, for eighty-foot children throwing them into the Pacific to see what kind of splash they’d make. The sun was setting as I drove through these rocks, and had there been any room at all, I’d certainly have stopped. The contrast of light and shadow was intense. I’m coming back here someday, and sooner rather than later.
This internet thing might be catching on
I'm in Willcox, Arizona, which is, from what I can tell, about a jillion miles from nowhere. I'm sitting in a Pizza Hut that's overrun with a little-league baseball team and I'm guessing every other family in town, and I'm leeching wireless internet from a Best Western hotel I can't even see. Damn, I love technology.
I'm going to try to make Las Cruces, New Mexico tonight, and if it's as wired as Willcox, I'll post another travel report.
Blogging the move, day the first
So it's Tuesday night and I'm in Burbank--left San Francisco around three, didn't really hit traffic until the Dublin/Pleasanton area on I-580, and then again on the early part of I-5.
There's not much traffic on I-5 in that part of California, mainly because there's not much up there, short of eighteen-wheelers and signs that say "It only grows when water flows" or something like that. On the back of one truck, someone had written in the dirt, "Flash the driver, he's bored." So was I. There's not much to look at, not that I could spare much time to glance about.
A fourteen foot U-Haul truck handles like a pregnant water buffalo to begin with--add in gusting winds and little or no room for error and you've got a challenging drive ahead of you. To top it all off, gas in that area is more retarded than most places--I drove the truck until I was down to an eighth of a tank just to avoid paying $2.79 a gallon. I settled for $2.49 when I got desperate, and I'll gladly pay the $2.33 from the gas station across the street from my, ahem, hotel room.
I'm getting ripped tonight, no question, because I didn't plan this part of my trip adequately. I didn't know where I was going to stop, don't know where anything is, so when the woman at the counter told me the price I said "What? Okay," with about all the resistance Rush shows to oxycontin (knew I had to sneak politics in there, didn't you). It's a shitty little room at the Quality Inn--bed, tv, wall-unit a/c. The sign on the door says "Executive Room," as opposed to hourly rate room. I exaggerate--it's not that bad, well, except for the wine cork sitting in the straw basket that holds the coffee makings for the morning. No bottle of wine to be seen, but maybe I'll check beneath the mattress for the hooker just in case.
The one major plus is that they have wireless internet, and it's free, so at least I can bitch and moan about this to everyone out there.
P.S.--remember that moany little blog piece about my ankle? Well, I resprained it yesterday, only much less severely, more of a relapse I suppose, and then had to load the truck, with the help of Amy's cousin Matt and my Steg buddy Jim. Thanks guys--you helped me more than you could ever know.
Moving is a bitch
But it's got to be done, and I'm almost done with the worst part of it--the boxing up of items. I'm at that point in the job where I know I'm going to get to Florida, open up a box and ask myself, "Why the hell did I even pack that?" It'll get tossed in a drawer or a closet and will still be there when I move the next time, because there's always a next time.
I packed my amulet today--a can of blueberry pie filling that I inherited about 8 years ago when I moved out of the frat house and in with Heath, a cook at the Mexican restaurant where I worked as a waiter/bartender. He'd apparently gotten it from Dave, his former roommate, who'd just left to go into the Army. Who knows how long this stuff has actually been in the can, but it lasted through another Louisiana apartment, two Arkansas apartments, one in San Francisco and is now coming to Florida, where I plan to place it in the exact same space it has inhabited for the last two years--atop the refrigerator. If I ever have a fire, I may go back into the burning building to save my blueberry pie filling. it's been good to me, after all.
I got some more pictures developed yesterday--if I have time tomorrow, I'll post a couple of them. Some great ones of the new Juan Marichal statue outside SBC Park.
From Kagro X over at The Next Hurrah:
Nature abhors a vacuum, and the Bush administration abhors a truce. Not coincidentally, many people think that vacuums and the Bush administration both suck.
It's not even a good photoshop job
I mean, I could do a job that good, and I don't even have the program.
See any similarities?
Google-bombing
All right--I've done this on a very, very limited scale before, and mainly for Senator Rick Santorum, but now I have been called to duty by the Big Brass Alliance to do a hard core, After Downing Street googlebomb. So please bear with me, and feel free to click on any of the many links below.
And now, phear the power of the googlebomb!
Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Downing Street Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo Rycroft Memo
Rycroft Memo George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush George W Bush Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war Iraq war
God, that's ugly. I hope it's effective at least.
So this is it
It's my last day of workshop--hopefully ever--but at least at Stanford. My fellowship officially ends after today's class and the end of the year party tonight (which will be pretty tame by comparison to the parties I've been attending lately--one bit of advice; Fernet is not your friend).
I'm sad that it's ending, although not sad that I won't be in workshop anymore. I've been in them almost non-stop for the last seven and a half years, and I've found that I do my best writing when I'm not in them. The workshops here have been by far the best I've ever attended, but still I'm glad they're done.
The folks I came in with have been doing well professionalls. Bruce Snider had his book come out at the same time he came into the Stegner program--it's titled The Year We Studied Women and I recommend it highly. Emily Rosko has been accepted to the PhD program at the University of Missouri--Columbia. Amaud Johnson just won the Dorset Prize from Tupelo Press and his book will be coming out next year, and Sharra Lessley is the winner of the Colgate Fellowship for next year.
And me? I get to reunite with Amy in Florida, where she's been for the last month. I pick up the U-Haul in 6 days. And maybe I can get some writing done.
Open your wallets, people. Tired of all the crap?...
Hey Scalia--I am somebody, fuck you very much. In...
A new corollary to Godwin's Law Godwin's Law is a...
This one's for you, Walrus There's an interesting...
A new addition to the family We picked up a new k...
Young Yellow Elephants This story is ancient in b...
Credit where due Senator Man-on-Dog Santorum's of...
They get letters And here's mine, to my Republica...
The Flag Burning Amendment It's back in the news,...
More from Operation Yellow Elephant These guys ...
Because it's clearer than giving them a white feat...
Juan Marichal I promised a picture of the new Jua...
The Art of Movie Quoting Blagg Blog has a list of...
Batman Begins Go see it. Trust me on this. They g...
The last blog post about the move Sorry this is s...
All you need on Downing Street Go here. It's sele...
Go Howard! This is why I voted for Dean in Califo...
The Last Day Here's what five days on the road wi...
Saturday June 11, 1:28 a.m. Marianna, Florida, an...
Friday June 10, Hammond, LA I crossed into Louisi...
Dinner with the parents Note:Sorry for three long...
Thursday the 9th, 12:54 p.m. I’m in Van Horn Texa...
Wed 8th, 10:30 p.m. The 1-10 Motel in Lordsberg, ...
This internet thing might be catching on I'm in W...
Blogging the move, day the first So it's Tuesday ...
Moving is a bitch But it's got to be done, and I'...
Quote of the day From Kagro X over at The Next Hu...
It's not even a good photoshop job I mean, I coul...
Google-bombing All right--I've done this on a ver...
So this is it It's my last day of workshop--hopef...
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Self-Published Authors Develop Realistic Expectations
April 26, 2017 By Linda Jo Martin Leave a Comment
A lot has happened since I started writing novels fifteen years ago. Back then most writers considered New York publishers the only way to go, and the only way to be real authors. These days, writers are more realistic, myself included. A lot of us have become self-published authors, and are happy with that.
Writers, Have Realistic Expectations
We’re small fish in a big pond. There are many thousands of writers, and few New York publishers. That kind of publication isn’t going to happen for every writer, no matter how good we are at writing, despite our amazing, unique characters and fascinating plots.
Writing is meant to be fun. Consider it a complex and challenging hobby, and you won’t be disappointed.
One of my long-time writing friends online has recently gave up on supporting herself as a novelist. She went back to work outside her home. There’s nothing wrong with that, but why should earning money while working for someone else end all effort put into fiction writing?
Of all my friends who consistently sell their manuscripts (to small press publishers) she has always stood out, to me, as the most likely to succeed big-time. She’s a talented writer with unique, fascinating ideas. She’s got lots of books in print and a few outstanding books self-published for Kindle on Amazon. But the money isn’t there – at least, not enough to provide for her family’s needs.
I don’t like seeing good writers give up, but what makes that happen? I believe the problem is in having unrealistic expectations. We’re not all going to win the Newbery Medal. We’re not all going to have New York Times best-selling novels.
The Publishing Industry is not “Traditional”
Most of us will never get published by what people still insist on calling “traditional” publishers. I say those publishing businesses are not traditional at all. They’re young upstart companies that tried to make self-published authors feel incompetent so they can keep more of the book sales money for themselves.
The truth is that self-publishing is traditional and publishing businesses are just part of the prevailing industrialization of every aspect of life. Where there’s money to be made, a materialistic entrepreneur will try to grasp as much of it as possible.
Self-Published Authors are Creative, Not Vain
For years the public has been brainwashed into thinking that self-published writers are “vanity” publishers. Folks, that’s an insult. It is a marketing ploy by people who don’t want the competition of people who aren’t dependent on the industry.
We don’t publish for vanity. We publish because a novel is our creative work of art, and we want to share it with the world. These are our stories. They are our contributions to the history of the world. Would you call an artist vain just because he displays a painting? No! So writers who self-publish their novels are just the same.
Don’t let anyone tell you not to be published. Just create the best manuscript you can, edit it numerous times so you don’t look grammatically ignorant, and put it out there for people to read. I’ve done it and am so glad I did.
There are way too many writers for them all to be published by the big five in New York City. There are hundreds of thousands of novels being edited right now, by hopeful authors. They’re going to have to be creative about publishing as that’s the only way it will ever happen, for most of us.
Hope For Self-Published Authors
I love e-book publishing. Here’s an opportunity open to anyone to show what they can write. There’s almost no cost to it. Just set everything up and make it available on Amazon for the public to discover.
If we want a hard copy – a real book to hold or share with others, or to sell in stores, it is easy to do on CreateSpace. Yes, there’s a learning curve to all of this, but it is part of becoming a self-published author.
An artist has similar hoops to jump through. An artist develops a style, hones his skill, practices daily, buys paints and canvases, learns to create frames, staples canvas to them, applies gesso, fine-tunes his brush choices and skills, and so on. There’s a learning curve to all of that. And if artists can do an amazing variety of tasks, so can writers.
Writers practice daily, develop a style and a voice, learn to plot novels or explore writing via active inspiration. They learn what works and what doesn’t. They learn to edit, edit, edit. They learn to critique and be critiqued gracefully. They learn to put their book manuscripts into e-book form, choose or create a cover, and hit the publish button. Yes, we can do all that. We are self-published authors.
Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t.
Help For Worried Authors Fretting About Agent Queries
Publishing Opportunities for Writers: Adjust Your Expectations
Why I’ve Decided to Self-Publish My Books
Business Ethics of Agents in the Writing Community
Writing Novels for Your Activist Agenda
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Laws Regulating the Landlord - Tenant Relationship (19-05)
Courts & Judicial
In Colorado, the landlord–tenant relationship is primarily prescribed in lease agreements. This issue brief provides an overview of state and local laws regulating the landlord–tenant relationship, discusses the state and federal agencies that enforce fair housing laws, and lists several resources for landlords and tenants in dispute.
Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act June Update
This issue brief provides an overview of state laws related to pet animal facilities. These facilities are licensed and regulated under the Colorado Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act (PACFA).
Extreme Risk Protection Orders (19-08)
This issue brief provides an overview of extreme risk protection orders, including what they are, how they are used, and how Colorado's proposed law compares to other states. It also addresses other types of protection orders authorized in Colorado law.
Filing Fees, Surcharges, and Costs in Colorado State Courts, Colorado Judicial Branch
This document provides a summary of the most frequently used court filing fees, surcharges, and costs.
Fiscal Policy & Taxes
Jury Duty in Criminal Cases
This memorandum provides an overview of jury duty for criminal trials in Colorado, including how jurors are summoned, excused, selected, paid, and impaneled. Jury deliberations, instructions, and verdicts are also covered.
State Laws Regarding Gravity and Switchblade Knives (17-10)
Gravity and switchblade knives, which were originally popularized by classic movies such as West Side Story and Rebel Without a Cause, are considered illegal weapons in Colorado. Possessing such a weapon could result in a fine or jail time, or both. This issue brief...
Statutes of Limitations for Criminal Offenses (18-18)
A statute of limitations is a law that specifies the maximum length of time allowed for a victim or prosecutor to initiate legal proceedings. Such a statute may apply in either criminal or civil cases. This issue brief provides an overview of criminal statutes of limitations, including...
Post-Conviction Sex Offender Polygraph Testing for Adult Sex Offenders
This memorandum provides an overview of how post-conviction sex offender polygraph testing (PCSOT) is used for adult sex offenders in Colorado, as well as in other states. It also includes a summary of current research on its effectiveness.
Property Tax Relief Programs for Senior Citizens
This memorandum provides information on five types of programs that provide property tax and/or rental cost relief to seniors.
Judicial Selection and Retention (18-12)
The Colorado Constitution allows voters to decide whether justices and judges stay on the bench after they have been appointed and have had time to establish a judicial record by serving an initial term. Some form of this process, otherwise known as the merit selection and retention of justices...
Summary of Major Legislation
Summary of Courts and Judicial Legislation (2017)
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Doron Dorfman
ddorfman@law.syr.edu
Curriculum Vitae [PDF]
J.S.D. 2019
J.S.M. 2014
S.P.I.L.S., Stanford Program in International Legal Studies 2014
L.L.M., Concentration on Health Law, Magna Cum Laude 2010
L.L.B., Magna Cum Laude 2009
B.A., Bachelor of Arts 2009
Doron Dorfman is an Associate Professor of Law at Syracuse University College of Law. His interdisciplinary research focuses on disability law and health law using doctrinal analysis and social science methodology. Professor Dorfman’s scholarship explores how stigma informs the legal treatment of disempowered communities through a variety of quantitative and qualitative methods, including surveys, experiments, interviews, and observations. He teaches Health Law, Employment Discrimination, Torts, and Disability Law.
Professor Dorfman’s work has been published in Law & Social Inquiry, Columbia Journal of Gender & Law, and the Journal of Law & Biosciences, and he has been cited by federal courts and the Israeli Supreme Court. He has received multiple writing awards, including the national Burton-Law360 Distinguished Legal Writing Award, the Steven M. Block Civil Liberties Award, and the Colin B. Picker Prize. During his doctoral studies, he received the Gerald J. Lieberman Fellowship, awarded to students whose research accomplishments, teaching, and service demonstrated potential for becoming academic leaders.
Professor Dorfman earned a B.A. in communication (2009), an LL.B. (J.D. equivalent, 2009) and an LL.M. (2010), all from the University of Haifa. He later earned a J.S.M. (2014) and J.S.D. (2019) from Stanford Law School. Before arriving at Stanford, he was a litigator at top law firms in Israel for four years while being actively involved in NGOs such as Kav La’Oved-Worker’s Hotline, where he gave legal advice to disadvantaged workers and asylum seekers.
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Lola Arias
Projects Performances Publications Films Music Curating Exhibitions
Minefield (Theatre)
16 & 17 July – Grec Festival, Barcelona, España
6 & 7 October – Sirenos Festival, Vilnius, Lituania
31 October - 15 December – Teatro General San Martín, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Futureland (Theatre)
18 October - OPENING – Gorki Theater, Berlin, Germany
Audition for a Demonstration (Performance)
4 November – Haus der Statistik, Berlin, Germany
She is a writer, theatre and film director and performer. She collaborates with people from different backgrounds (war veterans, former communists, Bulgarian children, etc.) in theatre, literature, music, film and art projects. Her productions play with the overlap zones between reality and fiction.
Since 2007, she develops her work in the field of documentary theatre. Mi vida después (CTBA, 2009) is based on the biography of six performers who re-enact their parents’ youth during the dictatorship in Argentina. Familienbande (Kammerspiele, 2009) deals with role models in a contemporary family with three parents. That Enemy Within (HAU, 2010) is a project about identity made in collaboration with two identical twins. The year I was born (Teatro a mil, 2012) is based on biographies of people born during Pinochet’s dictatorship. Melancolía y Manifestaciones (Wiener Festwochen, 2012) is a play about her mother’s depression. The art of making money (Stadttheater Bremen, 2013) takes a concept from The Threepenny Opera by Brecht for a play performed by beggars, prostitutes and street musicians from the city of Bremen. And The art of arriving (Stadttheater Bremen, 2015) uses the example of Bulgarian kids living in Germany to develop a scenic tutorial which reflects upon how to start a new life in another country.
Her last theatre plays are Minefield (2016), which brings together British and Argentinian veterans of the Falkland / Malvinas war to share their experience of the conflict and life since, and Atlas des Kommunismus (2016), which puts together stories of women between the ages of 8 and 84 with GDR backgrounds (Maxim Gorki Theater, Berlin).
She also created the exhibition Stunt Double (2016), in which four different installations rebuilt the last 40 years of Argentinian social and political history through documents, reenactments, interviews and popular songs; the durational performance Audition for a Demonstration (2014), which was presented in Berlin, Prague, Athens and Buenos Aires; and Ways of walking with a book in the hand (2017), a site specific project for readers in libraries and public spaces.
Her feature film Theatre of war (2018), starring the same protagonists as her theatre project Minefield, was selected for the 68th Forum of the Berlinale Film Festival.
Together with Ulises Conti, she composes and plays music and released the albums Love is a sniper (2007) and Those who do not sleep (2011), and together with Stefan Kaegi, she developed the projects Chácara Paraíso (2007), Airport Kids (2008) and Ciudades Paralelas (2010), a Festival of urban interventions in Berlin, Buenos Aires, Warsaw, Zurich and other cities.
She published poetry, fiction and plays: Love is a sniper (2007, Entropía), The postnuclear ones (2011, Emecé), My life after and other plays (2016, Penguin Random House) and a bilingual edition of her play Minefield (2017, Oberon Books)
Lola Arias’ works for theatre have been performed at festivals such as: Lift Festival, London, Under the Radar, NY, Festival d’Avignon, Theater Spektakel, Zurich, Wiener Festwochen, Festival Theaterformen, Brunswick/Hanover, Spielart Festival, Munich, and Berlinale, as well as in venues like Théâtre de la Ville, Paris, Redcat, LA, Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis, Parque de la memoria, Buenos Aires, Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, and Royal Court Theatre, London.
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TRADE DEALS: HARD BARGAIN / THE ECONOMIST
| Etiquetas: TPP, Trade, TTIP, World Economic And Political, WTO
Hard bargain
Lacking clear American leadership, the global trade agenda is floundering
ROBERTO AZEVEDO, the head of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), is not the architect of grand global trade deals that his title suggests. Sitting in his Geneva headquarters, he remembers only too well how the WTO’s Doha round collapsed under the weight of its own ambition. “Let’s do the trade deals that are in reach,” he says. Overambition is not the only problem. “Anti-trade rhetoric is catchy,” sighs Mr Azevedo. So catchy that it has infected deals beyond the WTO. The world’s most trumpeted regional trade deals are drifting out of grasp just when pep is most needed: on September 27th the WTO forecast that for the first time in 15 years, global trade growth this year, at just 1.7%, would not keep pace with global GDP.
The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a deal between America, Japan and ten other countries around the Pacific, was signed in February but is now faltering. On September 26th Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the Democratic and Republican nominees for the American presidency, fought to distance themselves from it in their first televised presidential debate. Mr Trump labelled the deal “almost as bad as NAFTA” (the North American Free Trade Agreement, which came into force in 1994 and which he sees as the worst thing ever to happen to American manufacturing).
The TPP is deeply controversial among the minority of Americans who have heard of it (a recent poll found that only 29% had, and most of them were unaware it excludes China).
Nevertheless, Barack Obama wants to push it through in the “lame-duck” session of Congress at the end of this year. There he faces a mixture of poisonous partisan politics and genuine concerns over the deal. Many Republicans would relish thwarting an important part of Mr Obama’s legacy. Winning the Democratic votes he needs would be a stretch.
The EU is also choking on its own processes when it comes to trade deals. After a recent bout of energetic protests against the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), a trade deal between the EU and Canada, an informal meeting of European trade ministers in Bratislava on September 23rd gave it the green light. But it could yet be undermined by any one EU member that refuses to ratify. The Austrians look particularly reluctant.
If CETA is fragile, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), a deal still being hammered out between the EU and America, is flailing. Negotiations have proceeded at a snail’s pace. Britain’s vote to leave weakens the EU’s clout and makes the Americans even less amenable to meeting European concerns. Looming French and German elections have made protests against it harder to ignore. In Bratislava the ministers grudgingly agreed to continue talks. If the deal is not done by the time the next president is inaugurated, “there will be a natural pause,” says Cecilia Malmstrom, the EU’s trade commissioner. A revival would not be imminent.
A nasty brew of opportunistic politicking and sceptical (and often misinformed) electorates is largely to blame for this halting progress. But there are other reasons why trade liberalisation is getting harder. TPP reduces some bilateral tariffs and quotas, such as those covering America’s imports of cars and Japan’s of beef. But since the deal includes the other NAFTA members (Canada and Mexico) and four other countries with which America already has bilateral free-trade agreements, most of it focuses on “behind the border” non-tariff barriers: ie, on harmonising regulations, removing privileges for state-owned enterprises, protecting intellectual property and so on. Such issues raise even greater hackles than old-style tariff-reduction talks; they inevitably encroach on areas covered by domestic law.
The drugs don’t work
Since tariffs are already on average below 3% between America and the EU, TTIP is even more focused on this sort of deep integration. But, to take just one example, persuading one drug-approval authority to update its regulations along with another is really hard; negotiators underestimated the difficulty of the task at hand.
In both TPP and TTIP, investor-state dispute settlement provisions have provoked particular controversy. These set up a system for foreign investors to sue national governments if they breach standards of fairness. Opponents see them as a way for corporate fat cats to sue elected governments for things they don’t like. Christian Odendahl, an economist at the Centre for European Economic Reform, a think-tank, says that including such a controversial provision in TTIP was probably a mistake; legal systems in America and Europe are developed enough for investors not to need the extra legal certainty.
The short-run trade impact of the collapse of TPP and TTIP would not be huge, because of their focus on rule-setting rather than tariff-scrapping. But it would mean an American retreat from its leadership role in global trade liberalisation. Mr Obama has advertised TPP as essential if America, not China, is to set the “rules of the road” for trade in the 21st century.
A trade agenda led by China would be less ambitious than the American-led one. Hopes for global rules covering trade unions, competition from state-owned enterprises and free movement of data would fade, in favour of tariff reduction. Attention would shift to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a more traditional deal between the ten members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations and six other countries, including China, India and Japan.
RCEP would, however, harvest much more of global trade’s low-hanging fruit. Its member countries cover 36% of global goods exports in 2015, compared with 28% for the TPP. Tariff walls protecting emerging markets are much higher than those around developed countries—China still has on average 10% tariffs, compared with 5% in Europe and under 4% in America—so the immediate boost to the economy from lowering them would be higher.
As for the WTO, it will for now push “plurilateral” deals of its own, which embrace enough WTO members to be significant but which avoid the quagmire of having to secure the agreement of all its 164 members. It already boasts some successes: in September, for example, China started cutting tariffs on technology goods as part of the plurilateral Information Technology Agreement.
Indeed, the failure of TPP and TTIP could provide an opportunity for the WTO to re-emerge as the main forum for the trade-liberalisation agenda. A return to the ambitious visions of the past, however, is unlikely. Mr Azevedo can imagine the WTO brokering another global trade deal, but only when expectations have been managed down from Doha. Above all, the politics needs to be fixed. Few political leaders around the world have done much to squash the anti-trade bug. To them Mr Azevedo says: “You have to speak up for trade.” But Mr Trump is speaking up for protectionism; and Mrs Clinton would rather change the subject.
ALAN GREENSPAN´S LEGACY TO CENTRAL BANKING: "THE GURU CAN PUNCH BACK" / THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
| Etiquetas: Alan Greenspan, Central Banking, Monetary Policy
Alan Greenspan’s Legacy to Central Banking: ‘The Guru Can Punch Back’
Alan Greenspan 'knew the dark arts of politics better even than the politicians did,' says biographer Sebastian Mallaby
By Greg Ip
Alan Greenspan “created something which we didn’t have before, namely a central bank which represented a combination of economic expertise and political clout,” biographer Sebastian Mallaby tells Greg Ip. Photo: Lauren Victoria Burke/Associated Press
Alan Greenspan stepped down from the Federal Reserve in 2006 a hero, but in the financial crisis that followed, became a goat. Was either reputation justified? No, says Sebastian Mallaby, a fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. His exhaustive new biography, “The Man Who Knew: The Life and Times of Alan Greenspan,” portrays a man who both shaped and was shaped by the U.S. financial system from the 1940s to the present.
I sat down with Mr. Mallaby to talk about Greenspan and his book. An edited transcript follows. You can also hear the entire interview as a podcast. (Disclosure: Mr. Mallaby provided an endorsement for my last book.)
GREG IP: Before the crisis, Alan Greenspan was “the maestro,” the man who could do no wrong, and yet after the crisis he became the man whose easy money and deregulatory inclinations gave us a financial crisis. Are these portrayals wrong?
MR. MALLABY: He went from hero to zero faster than anybody else in modern American memory. To some extent that’s justified: You cannot be the most powerful economist in the world, which Greenspan was for a long time as chairman of the Fed, then have the global financial system blow up and say, “It wasn’t my fault.” You have that much power, you have to have influence and responsibility.
But in my view, the mistake he made is not the conventional narrative. The conventional narrative would say, look, in the 2000s, inflation was around target, so interest rates must have been right. On the other hand, we had a financial crisis, so the regulation must have been wrong.
What I discovered in my five years of research was that the Fed tried more than we realized to do things about subprime mortgages, about Fannie and Freddie, the GSE lenders. The New York Fed tried a bit on excess leverage at the banks. And these regulatory efforts were stymied by the fact that the U.S. regulatory system is extremely balkanized, very political, and it’s extremely hard to really drive down risk through regulation. Therefore, I think, the real mistake was not to push with interest rates.
MR. IP: There’s also a view out that Greenspan was somehow blind to the possibility of bubbles, that he thought markets were hyperefficient. But you’ve found that that he actually had a much more sophisticated view about how markets worked.
MR. MALLABY: This is one of the incredibly exciting things about my research—discovering that Greenspan was not the guy we thought we knew. I was in his office repeatedly, talking to him at length, and whenever I asked about his early intellectual development, his eyes would drift up to a particular shelf above my shoulder. And as I looked up there, I saw this fat binder, the kind that might contain a Ph.D. thesis. I [said] Alan, it would be great if I had your Ph.D. thesis, which had been so-called lost, disappeared from the library at New York University, which was supposed to have it. When he gave it to me, I found its central portion was about bubbles, about the threat of financial instability to economic growth and therefore that central banks had to address that asset-price instability. So the idea that he was a naïve believer in the self-policing efficiency of markets is just 180 degrees wrong.
MR. IP: He was also an acolyte of Ayn Rand, the high priestess of the libertarian free-market vision of humanity. Reading your book, it appears he had a very austere and simplistic vision when he was young, but it changed.
MR. MALLABY: Greenspan had given these speeches under the auspices of Ayn Rand’s institute when he was in his late 30s. It was 1963, ’64, and he’d given these talks on the economics of a free society, which I thought must contain the kind of pristine expression of his libertarian faith. And one day I was going to see Ayn Rand people from that time, trying to get the transcript of these lectures, and I found a person in a cabin, isolated in the woods of rural Virginia, and in his basement there were the 300 pages, the whole transcript, the complete map of my subject’s mind in that period.
When I read it, I came across this quote saying, get this: “The creation of the Federal Reserve was an historic disaster.”
So the man who later embodied the Fed didn’t think the Fed should have been created. And that shows you how extreme he was in his belief that there should be a gold standard, there should be no monetary accommodation of asset price run-ups whatsoever. And he did change, so the later Greenspan, the pragmatic Greenspan, the person who rescued the financial system repeatedly, was diametrically opposed.
MR. IP: Is that a way of saying that he was politically expedient, willing to subvert his true beliefs in order to get along or to achieve more influence? Or is that a too uncharitable?
MR. MALLABY: You have this principled libertarian. He goes into government, and progressively he becomes the opposite of libertarian. He’s the man who used to believe in the gold standard, and now he’s the embodiment of fiat currency. Is that expediency, or is that just recognizing reality? I think you can take your pick.
MR. IP: There are terrific passages about how, for example, the Nixon White House used Greenspan to control Arthur Burns, chairman of the Federal Reserve at the time, how Greenspan bested Henry Kissinger in White House infighting. A picture emerges of a very political person. And yet central bankers today, including Greenspan, would hold themselves out as above politics. Is that wrong? Is Donald Trump right that central bankers are political people, trying to keep the president of the day in power?
MR. MALLABY: This is a common view, which I think is very wrong. When you look in detail at monetary history, the central bank can’t escape politics. It’s always either the victim of politics, as Arthur Burns was, where the people who were later jailed for Watergate did this dirty trick against the chairman of the Fed to force him into cutting interest rates. So either the Fed is the victim of politics or it can choose to be political itself and fight back. We live in this culture right now of the backlash against the technocrat, the expert. Alan Greenspan’s career shows how the expert can be empowered, the guru can punch back.
The way that Greenspan protected and established the independence, authority and prestige of the central bank was by being more political than the politicians who criticized him. If they wanted to leak bad stories about him, he would leak three bad stories about them. If they wanted to try and entrap him in politics, you know what? He had contacts in the Senate. He would go over there and so and so, who was his enemy, suddenly would not get confirmed to a big administration position. So he knew the dark arts of politics better even than the politicians did.
MR. IP: Your bottom line is, “He was a man who knew; he was not the man who acted.” You say he knew about the dangers of bubbles, but he chose not to act against a housing bubble that ended in our financial crisis for political reasons. I covered Greenspan a lot in those years, and the argument he and those around him advanced went like this: Bubbles are hard to detect. If you detect them, they’re hard to burst. And if you burst them, you might end up doing more harm than if you allowed them to burst on their own. That assessment seems to have stood the test of time. It’s shared by his successors, Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen. Do you disagree? Do you think that he should have acted?
MR. MALLABY: I do disagree, with some trepidation, because very serious people like Ben Bernanke and Janet Yellen are on the other side. I believe you’re on the other side, and you’re pretty serious as well. All parts of that three-part thesis you just laid out are open to question.
[Can you] detect bubbles in advance? You don’t know for sure, but you do see danger signs. In the transcripts of the Federal Open Market Committee, Greenspan’s repeatedly pointing to danger signs. Second, that you couldn’t necessarily raise the Fed’s interest rate enough to pop the bubble. I just don’t believe it. In 2013, when there was the so-called taper tantrum, the Fed did effect a repricing of asset market, and the amount of tightening needed was 0%. It has more power than it thinks.
There’s one last part, which is maybe you can just clean up after the bubble. I mean, clearly that was not true after 2008. When you look at the aftermath of the tech bubble, for example, the Fed did clean up after that, but it did so by cutting interest rates so much that it inflated the real-estate bubble.
MR. IP: If Greenspan were still chairman of the Fed, how would Fed policy be different today?
MR. MALLABY: I suspect it would not be all that different. Greenspan as a commentator occasionally comes out these days and says he’s worried about QE [quantitative easing]. The truth is that if you look at his record, he was always risk-averse, always ready to support growth. He was an activist, and therefore I don’t think it would be that different.
MR. IP: You’ve spent five years on this book. How is the Greenspan that you got to know different from the Greenspan that you knew before?
MR. MALLABY: One of the nice things is that he is in private a very humorous person. I discovered things which really don’t fit with the image of the dour, besuited, sober Fed chairman. In 1959, this is a man who bought the Buick Electra 225 convertible with red leather seats on the inside, one of those double-hoop steering wheels, which had leather on the outside and gleaming chrome on the inside. It had chrome all over the outside of the car. There was one of those radiator grilles in the front, snarling at you angrily, enormous tail fins. It was irrational exuberance incarnate.
MR. IP: There was also quite a parade of women in his life. What’s up with that?
MR. MALLABY: He was not against marriage—he did it twice. But he was single between the age of 27 and 71. That’s an unusual formula. And in between 27 and 71, as he told me, he dated senators, news anchors, beauty queens and much in between—and, I would add, not always sequentially. He was on the one hand extremely private, very shy, and therefore not really suited to sharing his life with a partner. That’s why he was single for the bulk of it. At the same time, because he was shy, he wanted to go to A-list parties with a beautiful woman on his arm.
It was important to his self-image. A lot of his life can be explained by the story of an introverted, shy person with extraordinary mental ability who wanted to convert that geekish facility with numbers into worldly recognition. And he did it first by making a lot of money, very young. He did it by dating glamorous women. And then he did it by attaining more power than any other economist has managed in the postwar era.
MR. IP: Did Alan Greenspan leave a permanent mark on the U.S.? And if so, what is it?
MR. MALLABY: He created something which we didn’t have before, namely a central bank which represented a combination of economic expertise and political clout. We think of Paul Volcker, his predecessor, as the giant who slayed inflation. But we forget that in the last part of his tenure, Volcker was surrounded by the Reagan administration, who put Reaganites onto the Fed’s board, who voted against Volcker, both on interest rates and twice on regulation. Volcker, by the end of his tenure, was a diminished shadow of his former self.
Greenspan comes in, and for the first four or five years he faces enormous political pressure. You know, the budget director in the George H.W. Bush White House, Richard Darman, was whispering in Washington that Greenspan was this creepy guy, 65 years old, calls his mother every day—doesn’t he remind you of the creepy guy in “Psycho,” the Alfred Hitchcock movie? There was really nasty political pressure on the Fed in the first few years.
But then Greenspan establishes his authority. He shows he won’t cave to the pressure. He shows that he can fight back by being as good at the political dark arts as his tormenters. And then the Fed enters this golden period of prestige from the advent of Bill Clinton in 1993 to the end of Greenspan’s tenure in 2006.
This model of the empowered expert, the political guru, is now in retreat in the era of Donald Trump, but it isn’t totally gone. I would say that’s the central legacy that Alan Greenspan has left to the United States.
HAS WORLD WAR 3 ALREADY STARTED? / CASEY RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL MAN
| Etiquetas: Russia, U.S. Economic And Political, World Economic And Political
Has World War 3 Already Started?
by Nick Giambruno
It took 3 million soldiers, 3,000 tanks, 7,000 artillery pieces, and 2,500 aircraft…
“Operation Barbarossa” was the code name for Nazi Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.
It was the largest military operation in human history.
The Nazis had already conquered most of Europe. Hitler had grown overconfident from his recent military victories. Now he was hunting for big game… Stalin’s USSR.
Throughout history, many European invaders, including Napoleon, suffered monumental defeats when they took on Russia. Despite this, Hitler thought he could succeed where they had failed.
The idea was to inflict a total defeat on the Soviets in a matter of months, before the notoriously brutal Russian winter began.
At first, it looked like the Germans might succeed. The Soviets were taken by surprise and were disorganized.
But those initial victories wouldn’t be enough. Thanks to stubborn resistance and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of Soviet troops, Operation Barbarossa stalled.
The Germans didn’t make it to Moscow before winter. The ruthless cold weather would prove to be a far more effective weapon than anything in the Soviet arsenal. Hitler’s hopes of quickly taking out the USSR perished in the brutal cold. It ultimately turned the tide of the war against Germany.
But the Soviet victory cost millions of lives. By the end of the war, the Soviets had lost over 20 million people. Some estimate they lost many millions more. By comparison, the U.S. lost around 400,000 people.
So, it shouldn’t be surprising that the Russians get a little prickly when a foreign military starts marching toward their borders.
And recently… for the first time since Operation Barbarossa, German tanks are once again advancing on Russia’s border.
You probably haven’t heard this extraordinary piece of news. That’s because the mass media has basically ignored and obscured it. They’ve been busy covering far more important things… like transgender issues and Kim Kardashian’s latest stunt.
That’s why I want to tell you about Operation Anaconda 2016.
It’s the largest war game in Eastern Europe since the end of the Cold War. It’s essentially a rehearsal to secure a quick NATO victory in the event of war with Russia.
It was launched from Warsaw, Poland, recently and involves 31,000 NATO troops.
Operation Anaconda 2016 is one of the most important stories you’re not hearing about. It shows how perilously close the world is to another global war.
I found out about Operation Anaconda 2016 while in Warsaw with Doug Casey earlier this year.
(Incidentally, Poland is one of the cheapest, enjoyable countries I’ve ever been to. A 30-minute taxi ride from the middle of Warsaw to the airport is only $5. You’ll be hard-pressed to find an entrée in one of the nicest restaurants for over $15.
Poland does not use the European currency, the euro. It has its own currency, the zloty. And the zloty’s weakness is a big reason Poland is so inexpensive today. By the way, “zloty” means “gold” in Polish. But the currency has no tie to gold. It’s just a paper currency, like the dollar and euro are.)
Operation Anaconda 2016 is controversial even within NATO. German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier recently said:
Whoever believes that a symbolic tank parade on the alliance’s eastern border will bring security is mistaken. We are well advised to not create pretexts to renew an old confrontation.
Although Steinmeier said Operation Anaconda 2016 is symbolic, he failed to mention exactly what it symbolizes.
First, an anaconda is a giant snake. It kills its prey by squeezing it. From the Russian perspective, they’re the ones who feel squeezed. This is precisely what the U.S. has been doing by fomenting so-called colored revolutions in Ukraine and Georgia (both on Russia’s periphery) and trying to absorb them into NATO.
Second, this unprecedented “tank parade” on Russia’s borders symbolizes nothing less than World War 3.
(Doug Casey: It’s provocative, and actually quite insane. The Western media paints the Russians as the aggressors, which—let me shock you by saying this—is the opposite of the truth. Russia is an economic minnow, producing nothing but oil and gas, and mostly unprofitably, at current prices. Its population is in permanent decline, and it’s actually a disintegrating empire with a dozen secession movements. Its only serious industrial sector is manufacturing weapons, but even the most advanced Sukhois and MiGs (like the F-22 and F-35) are artifacts of a bygone era. The Russians aren’t in a position to threaten anyone—entirely apart from the fact that conquering neighboring countries no longer makes sense. In today’s world, you’re no longer acquiring an asset to be looted, but taking on a liability.
As for NATO, it’s outlived its usefulness by over 25 years. The huge military bureaucracy is just a hammer in search of a nail. It should be abolished before it gets everyone in a lot of trouble.)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has reacted to Operation Anaconda 2016 with alarm. At a recent press conference, he warned Western mainstream media journalists that the world is sleepwalking into World War 3, saying:
We know year by year what’s going to happen, and they know that we know. It’s only you that they tell tall tales to, and you buy it, and spread it to the citizens of your countries. Your people in turn do not feel a sense of the impending danger—this is what worries me.
How do you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction? While they pretend that nothing is going on. I don’t know how to get through to you anymore.
U.S. politicians like to use Putin as a piñata to show how tough they are. Hillary Clinton has declared Putin to be the new Hitler. This is the kind of thinking that fueled Operation Anaconda 2016.
Now, we’re not referees charged with deciding which political players are good guys and which are bad guys.
However, the portrait of Putin as a Hitler or a crazy man leading his country toward disaster—the picture you get from the mainstream media and from many politicians—is suitable only for propaganda posters.
I don’t give two you-know-whats about what happens in Eastern Europe, except to the extent it might spark World War 3 and cause us to get vaporized in a nuclear exchange.
Albert Einstein once said, “I know not with what weapons World War 3 will be fought, but World War 4 will be fought with sticks and stones.”
EVEN WITH A CRISIS, NO DEFLATION COMING / SAFE HAVEN
Even With a Crisis, No Deflation Coming
By: Michael Ashton
Recently I've been thinking a lot about what might happen in the event of a banking crisis redux.
While I'm not very concerned about US banks these days, there is a 'developing situation' in China that could well eventually lead to crisis (although the state might prevent outright collapses), and of course ongoing gnashing of teeth over Deutsche Bank's capital situation if it is fined as heavily as some have suggested they will be.
I am not yet really worried about the banking side of things. But there are plenty of sovereign issuers who are clearly heading down unsustainable paths (not least of these is the US, especially if either of the leading Presidential candidates really implements the high-cost programs they are declaring they will), and when sovereigns tremble it is often banks that bear the direct brunt. After all, you can't form a line outside of the sovereign to withdraw your money.
But, in a spirit of looking forward to anticipate potential crises, let us pretend we are confronting another banking crisis. The question I often hear next is, "how deflationary would it be to have another crisis when inflation is already low?"
Unpeeling the onion, there are several reasons this doesn't concern me much. First, inflation is stable or rising in most developed nations. Yes, headline inflation is still sagging due to energy prices, but median inflation is 2.6% in the US and core inflation is 0.8% in Europe and 1.3% in the UK. To be sure, all of those are lower than they were in mid-2008. But remember that in 2009 and 2010, median (or core) inflation never got below 0.5% in the US, 0.8% in Europe, and 2.7% in the UK. Japan of course experienced deflation, but that wasn't the fault of the crisis - as I've pointed out before, Japan has been in long-running deflation due to the BOJ's inability or unwillingness to grow the money supply.
So, if the worst crisis in 100 years didn't take core inflation negative - a major, major failure of Keynesian predictions - then I'm not aflutter about it happening this time. Heck, in 2009 and 2010 core inflation wouldn't even have been as low as it was, had the cause of the crisis not been the bursting of the housing bubble. The chart below (source: Bloomberg) shows the Atlanta Fed's "sticky" CPI (another way to measure the underlying inflation trend) ex-shelter. Note that in 2010, the low in this measure was about 1.25%...it was actually lower in 2014 and 2015.
But we can go further than that. One reason that inflation decelerated in 2009 and 2010 was because money velocity dropped sharply. As I've shown before, and argued in my book, the decline in money velocity was not particularly unusual given the decline in interest rates. That is, if you had known what was going to happen to interest rates, you would have had a very good forecast of money velocity and, hence, core inflation.
Back in 2008, I never dreamed that interest rates would go so low, or stay so low for so long.
Few of us did! But the outcome, in the event, was consistent with the monetarist model while being completely inconsistent with the Keynesian model. And here's the point, when thinking about the next crisis: interest rates are already at incredibly low levels, lower even than the 36-year downtrend channel would have them (see chart, source Bloomberg).
With the wisdom of experience, I would never be so cavalier as to say that interest rates cannot go lower from here! But in 2008, 10-year rates were around 3.80% and they're 1.60% now (in the US, and lower elsewhere). Real rates were around 2% at the 10-year point; they are at 0% now. It is difficult to imagine how rates can have another dramatic move as they did in 2008-09.
It is important to understand, that is, just why inflation tends to fall in recessions. It is not, as the Keynesians would have it, that a growing "output gap" reduces the pressure on resources and relieves price increases. It is because slack demand for credit causes interest rates to decline, which leads to lower money velocity and hence, lower inflation. If the central bank responds in a timely manner to increase money supply growth by increasing reserves, then inflation doesn't fall very far. In the last crisis, the Fed and other central banks added enough liquidity to ramp up M2 growth, and that kept the decline in money velocity from causing outright deflation (then, they kept adding reserves for a few more years, which led to the situation we are in now - too many reserves in the system, so that central banks no longer control the marginal dollar that goes into the money supply).
So, in the next crisis I expect central banks will add still more reserves to the pile of excess reserves, which will be meaningless but will make them feel better. Interest rates will decline, but not by as much as they did in the last crisis, and money velocity will fall. So, in a real serious crisis, inflation will decline - however, it will not decline very much.
That is the world we are now living in: higher highs to inflation on each subsequent peak, and higher lows in each subsequent trough. The vicious cycle counterpart to the virtuous cycle we have enjoyed for 35 years. This is true, I think, whether or not we get a crisis or just a garden-variety recession.
I should be clear that I think that such a crisis would be horrible for growth. That is, our current weak growth in global GDP would turn negative again, and possibly even more painful.
And times would be truly bad in the stock market. But inflation will not follow, just as it didn't follow in 2009-2010, and turn into deflation.
ALAN GREENSPAN´S LEGACY TO CENTRAL BANKING: "THE G...
HAS WORLD WAR 3 ALREADY STARTED? / CASEY RESEARCH ...
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1. General. The owner of this website is Martin B O’Connor (hereafter referred to as The Artist)…of 22A Town Road, Croston, Leyland, Lancashire PR26 9RB. By using this website you agree to be legally bound by and act in accordance with these Terms of Use. In particular you agree not to do the acts prohibited under paragraphs 3 to 5 below. If you disagree with these Terms of Use, you are not permitted to, and agree not to, use this website.
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Genre: Épopée
From the far reaches of the D'Haran Empire, Bishop Hannis Arc and the ancient Emperor Sulachan lead a vast horde of Shun-Tuk and other depraved "half-people" into the Empire's heart, raising an army of the dead in order to threaten the world of the living. Meanwhile, far from home, Richard Rahl and Kahlan Amnell must defend themselves and their followers from a series of terrifying threats, despite a magical sickness that depletes their strength and which, if not cured, will take their lives...sooner rather than later.
"Richard saw the point of a sword blade sticking out from between the man's shoulder blades. He spun back toward Richard after throwing the woman out of the opening, ready to attack. It seemed impossible, but the man looked unaffected by the blade that had impaled him through the chest.
It was then, in the weak light from the fire pit off to the side, that Richard got his first good look at the killer.
Three knives were buried up to their brass cross-guards in the man's chest. Only the handles were showing. Richard saw, too, the broken end of a sword blade jutting out from the center of the man's chest. The point of that same blade stuck out from the man's back.
Richard recognized the knife handles. All three were the style carried by the men of the First File.
He looked from those blades that should have killed the big man, up into his face. That was when he realized the true horror of the situation, and the reason for the unbearable stench of death."
From Terry Goodkind, author of the Sword of Truth series, comes Severed Souls, a New York Times bestselling novel of Richard Rahl, Kahlan Amnell, and their world.
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The sounds of Islam
by Thembisile Dzonzi
In a community where listening to music is prohibited, the melodic sounds of the nasheed genre are a popular alternative in Islamic households. However, even in this religious genre of Islamic praise music there are contending views as to what is halaal and what is haram.
SOUNDS OF MAYFAIR: There are a number of stores in the Fordsburg area that cater to the musical needs of its residents. From nasheeds to Bollywood sounds. Photo: Thembisile Dzonzi
Seductive, explicit, harmful, shameless, vulgar, promotes vice, is not to be listened to or haram (prohibited in the Qur’an). These are some of the terms used by the observant Muslim community to describe Western styles of music.
Within the religious constraints of the Muslim community that prohibits music, nasheed is an alternative option. The genre has been popular in the Arab world for centuries but has also drawn a lot of debate in the Muslim community.
To unfamiliar ears, nasheed sounds like a combination of humming sounds sung in a variety of tones and melodies. It comprises various pitch formations and harmonies that sometimes mimic the sound of instruments. Nasheed can also be accompanied by a percussion instrument such as the daf, a traditional Islamic drum. It is traditionally sung in Arabic or Urdu.
In South Africa’s observant Muslim community, nasheed is sung in English and the use of instruments such as the piano have been embraced, particularly by the Muslim youth.
‘All music is haram and should not be listened to’
ALL IN THE BEAT: The drum set, traditional daf and djembe are the instruments of choice for nasheed artist Zain Bhikha. Photo: Thembisile Dzonzi
For Mayfair resident Junaid Bata, music played an integral part in his adolescent life. “Many years ago I was very involved with music. We used to play around on guitars and enjoy ourselves with music,” Bata says.
In Surah Luqman, Verse 6 of the Qur’an, it states “And of mankind is he who purchases idle talks (i.e.music, singing, etc.) to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah without knowledge, and takes it (the Path of Allah, the Verses of the Qur’an) by way of mockery. For such there will be a humiliating torment (in the Hell-fire).”
This reading in the holy book is one of the reasons Bata changed his opinion on music. He says, “In our religion we are not allowed to use musical instruments, and being young we were naughty.”
As Bata matured, listening to the rock and roll of the 1960s and ’70s became a distant memory of boyhood. “When I got married I quickly moved away from the wrong things and music was one of those wrong things,” Bata says.
Bata, like many Muslims, now leads a life without Western-styled music. Sharing in the orthodox belief that all music is haram and should not be listened to. For Bata walking away from music was an easy choice based on faith.
For many observant Muslims like Bata, the sounds of nasheed have to be on par with their religious values. Keeping the sound and its content clean is a priority.
The nasheed genre is popularly associated with international artists such as Yusuf Islam (formerly known as Cat Stevens) and South Africa’s Qari Ziyaad Petal and Zain Bhikha.
Depending on their preferred school of thought, nasheed artists share varying perspectives on the religious boundaries of the nasheed musical process. Some artists prefer to take a traditional approach and only perform nasheed using nothing but vocals and Arabic, while others are experimenting with English lyrics and various instruments such as the daf and piano.
QUR’AN COMES FIRST: Traditionalist Qari Ziyaad Patel prefers to sing his nasheeds a cappella without the accompaniment of any instrument. Photo: Thembisile Dzonzi
For Qari Ziyaad Patel, following orthodox dogma in relation to song is an important part of Islamic teachings. “My first and foremost priority is reciting the Qur’an. This is what differentiates me from other nasheed artists,” says Patel.
For Patel, nasheed can be described as a form of Islamic poetry made with soothing sounds that are accompanied by meaningful Islamic text. These are often sung in traditional tunes that have been passed down many generations.
“We all do know and we always follow the teachings of the noble Prophet Muhammad where he has mentioned in many of his narrations telling us of the harms of music,” says Patel.
“Wherever you go today you will find that wherever there is music, sadly a lot of vices take place at raves and clubs and so forth.”
Patel began singing nasheed some 15 years ago on a visit to Bata’s house where the two began a father-son like relationship composing nasheed together.
“My son made him read the Qur’an,” Bata recalls.
“I was inspired by his voice and I said to [Patel] why don’t you sing something and he said ‘what should I sing?’ and that time there was the war in Afghanistan and the Taliban,” says Bata. Patel interjects to elaborate that the pair were so impressed by the way children were taken care of during the time of war that they decided to write about it.
Over the years they composed a few more songs together, The Grief I Feel being one of their most popular songs. “I wrote one or two songs for [Patel]. The songs were a bit heavy,” says Bata.
“All of our songs are completely kosher. All our songs are in the spirit of peace,” Patel says, as he elaborates the non-fundamentalist aspect of his nasheed. For him nasheed is not music, it’s a form of Islamic praise poetry.
1 MUSIC, 2 ARTISTS: Patel holding his album ‘Children of Africa’ and Zain Bhikha’s ‘Mountains of Makkah’. Photo: Thembisile Dzonzi
“We were taught when we were kids that anything associated with music will only bring harm and wrong with it. It’s forbidden. We were taught to be careful of the vices associated with music,” Patel recalls.
Despite the traditional approaches practised by Patel and other nasheed artists in the area, and worldwide, the more modern, instrumentally based nasheed industry is a thriving one.
Artists like Zain Bhikha have made the move to English nasheed and have found local and international popularity. Bhikha is among the handful of South African nasheed singers who sing in English and use instruments like the daf.
However, Bhikha still remains cautious about the restrictions of halaal and haram music. Most of his albums come with bonus tracks that consist of non-instrumentals or offer the drum versions of the original nasheed. “Inadvertently, by being cautious and my love for a cappella, I’ve created a niche for myself,” Bhikha says.
Zain Bhikha
In the past 20 years, the name Zain Bhikha has become one of the most prolific in the South African nasheed landscape. Bhikha’s career began with simplistic a cappellas, reciting the Qur’an on cassette tapes. It was in a fateful moment that one of his cassettes landed in the hands of Yusuf Islam, who was so impressed by it that he flew Bhikha out to London to record A is for Allah with him.
It seems the influence of working with former rock star Islam shifted Bhikha’s creativity from reciting a capella tunes to more elaborate tunes that consist of vocal layering, harmonies and drumming.
Bhikha has made a number of appearances on the Top 500 Influential Muslims in the World list, which is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre in Amman, Jordan. He is also an international superstar in the Islamic music world and is often referred to as one of the founding fathers of the modern day nasheed. Though if you ask him, in his gentle demeanour, Bhikha would tell you “music is like a hobby for me”.
“I’ve seen this whole genre of English/Islamic music come from nothing over the last 21 years and every day I see new artists and every one of them comes with his or her own style. I think [the industry] is going to grow,” says Bhikha.
DRUMMING: Zain Bhikha demonstrating how he uses the daf to get his signature sound. Photo: Thembisile Dzonzi
Bhikha adds that bringing an African influence to his nasheeds has helped distinguish him from other artists. “My songs are very African, you can hear the African backing vocals coming through, you can hear the influences, even the melodies, whilst contemporary, they have a very strong African background.”
But Patel feels the shift to English nasheeds is a sad sign of the Islamic community. “There’s a great shift to English nasheeds, sadly many a time the old folk and the young folk as well they won’t understand much of the Arabic sung on some of the nasheeds. The Arabic is of a very high level and even the Urdu at times is of a very high level,” says Patel.
According to Patel, Arabic nasheeds are easier to sing because of the way in which the Qur’an is written, it allows the artist to put a tune to the words with more ease. “That gives us the edge over English artists. Arabic is very versatile,” says Patel.
He adds: “You will find that some of our parents and our grandparents would understand. But the current generation, we have lost our connection with the home language so many tend to go and listen to English nasheed.”
Patel recalls how many of the nasheed artists started off reciting nasheeds without any music but once they are in the industry they feel the need to want to try and make their material more accessible through the use of instruments and English.
“They will start to try make their music better and start inserting a bit of musical instruments. So they will initially start by inserting instruments where there is consensus from the scholars, for example the daf, and as time progresses, they want to make their music and nasheed more accessible and eventually we find some youngsters having a full-blown musical nasheed,” says Patel.
For Bhikha, music is simply black or white. “Either it’s a good song or a bad song, either it’s inspiring you to do something that is in accordance to what you wish to emulate as a human being or not. A lot of the songs out there are teaching our children harmful messages, whether it be about the materialism of this world, whether it’s about disrespecting women, whether it’s about drugs, whatever the case may be,” says Bhikha.
“For me personally, I don’t subscribe to any particular dogma. However, I do believe that I’ve erred on the side of caution to make my music accessible. So all my albums are only with drums and voices and even on the same album you will find both,” Bhikha adds to his contemporary thoughts on the longstanding debate.
“The important thing is for people to focus on the music rather than everything else. We should focus on the music, focus on the message and make a difference,” says Bhikha.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON: Zain Bhikha’s son Rashid is currently working on his solo EP after years of collaborating with his father. Photo: Thembisile Dzonzi
His more conservative counterpart shares a stronger and more traditional view on the prohibition of musical instruments. “As a reciter of the Qur’an and a Qari of the Qur’an, I would say that this is totally and completely incorrect. For us and the teachings that we have been taught, music and instruments are not allowed,” says Patel.
Music on Islamic radio
For traditionalists like Patel, nasheeds should be recited using vocals and harmonies but no musical instruments whatsoever. “There are others who would beg to differ but majority of us here in South Africa are of the school of thought that all musical instruments are haram and should not be used,” says Patel.
Islamic radio seems to agree with Patel’s view and contributes to the conservative nature of the Islamic community of Fordsburg and Mayfair. “From a faith perspective if something is not clear, allowed or not allowed, people would rather abstain from that grey area,” says Ismheal, public relations officer at Radio Islam.
For Radio Islam in Johannesburg, the station only reserves 5% of its content for music. The other 95% is talk. “Our licence conditions don’t allow us to play music because we are a more traditional or if you would like to use the word ‘orthodox’. I suppose, yes, our listeners share this sentiment,” says Ismheal.
He adds that the station has conditioning measures that filter through all music before it gets put on air. While most stations are concerned with making sure their aired content is audible and complies with the Broadcasting Complaints Commission’s mandate, Radio Islam checks for lyrical content and the use of instruments. Their checklist is simple, “first people will listen to it see what the lyrics are, what does it say. The other is ‘is it accompanied by musical instruments’ yes or no and if it’s not, fine,” says Ismheal.
From a contemporary point of view, Bhikha’s sentiments are more concerned with the instrumentally populated Bollywood style of music. “It’s interesting in the debate about music because many people would say music might not be permissible but Bollywood music has its own genre and exceptions a lot of the times. I think it’s because the tradition of Indian culture in Bollywood is so strong there’s a lot of nostalgia there … but that’s also changing, it’s becoming a lot more modern.”
Within the large range of music on sale in the Fordsburg and Mayfair there is a split between traditional nasheed CDs and copies of Bollywood tunes that fill the album shelves in music stores.
“Like in many communities, music is a central part of the heartbeat of Fordsburg and Mayfair,” says Bhikha.
In the western part of Johannesburg, there is a plethora of small and big stores that cater to the musical needs of the Fordsburg and Mayfair Muslim community and its visitors, traditional and contemporary.
“Ultimately, I think all human beings want to listen to beautiful sounds and beautiful poetry, this is what makes up human beings,” says Patel.
A community within and without
The Elder of Little Mogadishu
Fashion woven into the fabric of Fordsburg
The majestic joys of old Fordsburg
When times are hard, friends are few
Fashion and Tradition
Mayfair women break the Muslim mould
Fietas: A community starving for survival
History & Future
The resilience and torn shoes of workers in Fordsburg
A legacy of karate in Fordsburg
Community take on crime in Mayfair
From Mogadishu to Mayfair and beyond
Safety in Islamic numbers?
Work & Play
Tailoring multiculturalism: weaving through the fashion “melting pot”
The fast lanes of Mayfair
One match at a time
Coffee culture gives the aroma of home
The last barber of Fordsburg
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Food Bank, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina, Cisco and Food Lion Team Up for 9/11 Day of Service
700 Volunteers Bag 100,000 Meals for Hunger Action Month
RALEIGH, N.C. – The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina will be joined by Triangle-area companies at 9:30 a.m. on September 11, to package 100,000 meals for families at risk of hunger. The “Sort-A-Rama Day of Service” event is held as a creative way for the community to honor the memory of those lost on 9/11 and is one of the largest volunteer projects in the area.
Presenting partners Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC), Cisco and Food Lion will lead the effort to bring 700 corporate volunteers together from Bank of America, BASF, Coca-Cola, Fidelity Investments, Gregory Poole Equipment Company, Research Triangle Park, StrikeIron, RTI, SunTrust Banks, Wells Fargo, and Woodforest National Bank to sort bulk-sized bins of assorted pasta and beans into family-size portions during the Sort-A-Rama Day of Service.
“We are extremely humbled to see hundreds of our corporate partners, some longtime and some new, honor the families who struggle to provide meals in our community in a way that honors the memory of 9/11,” said Peter Werbicki, President/CEO of the Food Bank. “We’re also grateful of the volunteers who selflessly give their time and energy in support of hunger-relief initiatives. Partnerships and actions such as these provide a strong foundation for our mission: No One Goes Hungry in Central & Eastern North Carolina.”
Opening remarks by Dana Lange, Chair of the Food Bank Board of Directors, will be followed by Boy Scout Troop 39 presenting the colors and vocalists from BCBSNC singing the national anthem. A moment of silence will be held to remember those lost on 9/11.
Lead executives from the presenting companies will offer brief final comments before 700 corporate volunteers begin the sorting project at 10 a.m.
“Cisco focuses on connecting the unconnected and supporting critical human needs for those in our community,” said Jeff Zirker, Senior Director of Global Technical Services. “Today, we are honored to connect 175 Cisco executives and employees with the Food Bank to prepare meals for families in need.”
“9/11 is a day for finding strength and unity in our communities, and we’re very proud to serve thousands across the Triangle who would otherwise go hungry, while honoring those who fell on our nation’s darkest day,” said Kathy Higgins, Vice President, Corporate Affairs, BCBSNC.
“Food Lion’s longstanding partnership with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina over the past five years has provided more than 49.7 million pounds of food, which has helped provide 41.4 million meals,” said Mike Hall, Food Lion’s Director of Operations for the Raleigh and Henderson areas. “We expect our associates will have a great time volunteering at Sort-A-Rama Day. Our employees enjoy helping people in creative ways, including this event.”
Corporate leaders provided additional support in the following ways:
BASF, BCBSNC, and Cisco will provide Sort-A-Rama Day of Service hats to all participating volunteers.
Food Lion donated an additional $5,000 to purchase bulk product to be sorted.
Gregory Poole Equipment Company donated the use of forklifts and pallet jacks for the event.
September is Hunger Action Month across the country for Feeding America food banks. The 100,000 bagged meals will be immediately available for distribution through the Food Bank’s network of partner agencies – which include food pantries, rescue missions, and soup kitchens – to feed thousands of families in the Food Bank’s 34-county service area.
Opening program participants (Food Bank, Cisco, BCBSNC, Food Lion, Food Bank agency)
Boy Scout Troop leading national anthem
700 volunteers sorting and bagging 100,000 meals
Full bins containing sorted product (beans, assorted pasta)
About the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina:
The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina is a nonprofit organization that has provided food for people at risk of hunger in 34 counties in central and eastern North Carolina for more than 30 years. The Food Bank serves a network of more than 800 partner agencies such as soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, and programs for children and adults through warehouses in Durham, Greenville, New Bern, Raleigh, the Sandhills (Southern Pines), and Wilmington. In fiscal year 2012-2013, the Food Bank distributed nearly 52 million pounds of food and non-food essentials through these agencies. Sadly, hunger remains a serious problem in central and eastern North Carolina. In these counties, more than 560,000 struggle each day to provide enough food for their families. www.foodbankcenc.org.
About BCBSNC:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is a leader in delivering innovative health care products, services and information to more than 3.74 million members, including approximately 1 million served on behalf of other Blue Plans. For generations, the company has served its customers by offering health insurance at a competitive price and has served the people of North Carolina through support of community organizations, programs, and events that promote good health. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina was recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies by Ethisphere Institute in 2012 and 2013. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. Visit BCBSNC online at bcbsnc.com. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
About Cisco:
Cisco (NASDAQ: CSCO) is the worldwide leader in IT that helps companies seize the opportunities of tomorrow by proving that amazing things can happen when you connect the previously unconnected. For ongoing news, please go to http://thenetwork.cisco.com.
About Food Lion:
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., is a company of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG), and operates more than 1,100 supermarkets. The company employs approximately 57,000 associates delivering quality products, low prices, and service to customers in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states. For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.
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Stories Tours
3124 3rd Ave. So.: Arthur E. & Carrie E. Holbrook House
A transitional Queen Anne/Colonial Revival house
By Anders Christensen
Edited by Richard L. Kronick
Cost estimated on building permit: $4,000
This is the last house Healy built in the Healy Block Historic District. The first owners were Arthur and Carrie Holbrook. Arthur was president of the Glenwood-Inglewood Water Company. The Holbrooks lived here from 1899 until 1922. Several owners later, in 1970, Wayne and Delores Tinberg bought the house. They had previously lived in a house on the 3000 block of Second Ave. So., which was demolished for freeway construction. Wayne remembered going through the empty Healy houses before they were demolished to make way for the freeway. He also remembered his sons going out at night to play in the freeway construction site. Even though the Tinbergs were not planning to move, a real estate agent talked them into looking at 3124 Third Ave. So. They fell in love with it and bought it immediately. Wayne and Delores, stalwarts of the Healy Block, lived in this house until 2007, welcoming new neighbors and participating in neighborhood preservation efforts.
This house is an example of a shift in architectural fashion that began in the late 1870s. Several factors pushed T. P. Healy and many other architects and builders to transition from the Queen Anne style to Colonial Revival. Prominent among these factors was the Centennial Exposition of 1876 in Philadelphia, which, for the first time anywhere, included a replica of a Colonial American home staffed with history re-enactors. Another important factor was the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition (also called the Chicago World’s Fair). Its main attraction, an assemblage of neo-classical buildings dubbed “The White City,” greatly impressed the fair’s millions of visitors. 3124 3rd Ave. So. retains the characteristic asymmetry of the Queen Anne (off-center bay windows on first and second floors), but the Palladian window in the third-floor dormer, the pilasters at the corners of the front façade (also called “corner boards” in this configuration that wraps around the corner), the fluted Doric columns, and the neo-classical balusters on the front porch are all characteristics of the Colonial Revival.
Healy built at least 20 Queen Anne/Colonial Revival hybrids before and after 3124 3rd Ave. So., most of them in the Lowry Hill and Lowry Hill East neighborhoods. The first, in Lowry Hill East, was the Orth House, 2320 Colfax Ave. So. in 1893. In 1896, he built one on the Healy Block at 3116 2nd Ave. So., which was demolished for the freeway. Then, in 1898, Healy built a mirror image of 3124 3rd Ave. So. at 3329 2nd Ave. So.
Cement-asbestos siding was added to this house at some point, but the current owners have removed that siding from the front of the house and have restored the original lap siding. They also restored the front porch and have interpreted the house with decidedly modern paint colors.
3124 3rd Ave. So.: Arthur E. & Carrie E. Holbrook House ~ Creator: photo by Sam Goertz
Anders Christensen
Edited by Richard L. Kronick, “3124 3rd Ave. So.: Arthur E. & Carrie E. Holbrook House,” Minneapolis Historical, accessed July 16, 2019, http://minneapolishistorical.org/items/show/195.
Healy Block
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The need for privacy and cybersecurity compliance measures has become a paramount consideration as businesses become more digitally driven, data breaches become more publicized, and regulation continues to increase. Company executives, boards of directors, employees, customers, and third-party providers all have data security obligations. Leveraging our industry-specific command of privacy and cybersecurity issues and our experience navigating complex regulatory environments, we customize solutions and policies to meet each client’s business demands and ever-changing technology footprint.
We recognize that companies have a legitimate need to collect, process, and disseminate information—and the resultant data is a valuable asset that companies need to leverage and protect. Our team helps clients achieve their business goals while addressing privacy and cybersecurity concerns in a manner that protects the clients’ brands and reputations and complies with applicable regulations. This arena consists of three main components: compliance management, transactional issues, and data breach response and litigation.
Our compliance management team helps clients proactively develop and implement privacy and cybersecurity processes and policies for their workforces and third parties. The group also conducts compliance reviews and audits, and addresses online and website privacy requirements. The transactional team assists clients with third-party vendor and customer transactions, due diligence, and data collection, acquisition, and use. When breaches, disputes, or litigation is underway or unavoidable, our crisis-tested and trial-ready data breach response and litigation lawyers focus on efficient and practical responses and resolutions. We work to protect our clients before, during, and after a data breach incident.
Morgan Lewis privacy and cybersecurity lawyers advise clients operating in the United States, Europe, South America, and Asia on compliance with privacy and cybersecurity regulations. Regulations in the United States include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), and the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). European regulations include the European Commission’s ePrivacy Directive, European Critical Infrastructure Directive, and Data Protection Directive. We also counsel clients on investigations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), by the US Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights (OCR), and under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as e-commerce issues across industries such as retail, financial services, healthcare, pharmaceutical and life sciences, and manufacturing.
A company that wants to both advance its business objectives and minimize risk when handling private data must fully assess its strategic needs and current methods for collecting, using, storing, and securing information about customers, employees, and other individuals. Morgan Lewis conducts privacy audits with a threefold goal of ensuring that clients:
Meet their data needs ethically, legally, and as cost effectively as possible
Implement customized, comprehensive privacy and cybersecurity policies that further the clients’ business objectives but minimize potentially costly data breach risks
Have contingency plans in place for prompt, effective management of any possible data breach emergency
Within the United States, at least 47 states have enacted data breach notification laws that require businesses to communicate suspected unauthorized disclosures of personally identifiable information in the event of a breach. Outside the United States, countries in Europe, Asia, and Latin America have enacted myriad laws, with localities in Africa also imposing many restrictions.
Our lawyers have performed countless audits and policy reviews, including global assessments of data protection compliance procedures and reviews of international transfer mechanisms. Since HIPAA was enacted in 1996, Morgan Lewis has represented US-based clients such as large insurers, employers, health plans, healthcare providers, clearinghouses, and business associates of such entities in related compliance matters.
We provide guidance on the intricacies of HIPAA’s privacy and security standards, and we can customize form or model documents to meet a client’s particular needs. We also review and revise clients’ HIPAA privacy and security compliance plans, business associate agreements, authorization forms, notices of privacy practices, and related documents.
Our labor and employment lawyers advise clients on privacy and security issues relating to employee and employer privacy, including the following:
The preparation of privacy and security policies
Enforcement of privacy- and security-related statutes and regulations
Data protection and security
Cross-border transfers and compliance with European Union (EU) privacy legislation applicable to employee information website protection
HIPAA privacy
Security breach incidents and mitigation strategies
The available options for maintaining the free flow of personal information while minimizing risk
We help businesses such as Fortune 10 companies and small startups, among others, with their online privacy policies and use of data collected on websites.
From cookies and web beacons to behavioral advertising, our command of the technical and marketing language and issues in this area enables us to analyze our clients’ matters with precision, apply evolving standards and laws, and develop appropriate business strategies.
Transactional Issues
Our clients engage in many types of transactions that involve the disclosure, processing, collection, and use of critical business and sensitive personal data. At Morgan Lewis, we understand the regulatory and industry environments that impact these transactions, and we provide practical, business-oriented advice in connection with third-party vendor and customer transactions, due diligence, and data collection, acquisition and use, and commercialization.
Third-Party Vendor & Customer Transactions
Commercial Contracts: We advise clients on drafting, reviewing, and negotiating the provisions in commercial contracts that involve the protection and use of confidential information, as well as the actions and liability associated with the unauthorized use and disclosure of such information.
Third-Party Vendor Management: Our clients operate in many industries, each with increased focus on third-party vendor compliance and management. Morgan Lewis lawyers know the challenges associated with third-party vendor governance and oversight. We also understand the ongoing need to review and confirm compliance with security safeguards dictated by contractual and regulatory requirements. Our team helps clients develop and implement governance programs, and counsels them on contract interpretation issues, as well as contract and policy updates necessary to meet industry and regulatory standards.
E-Commerce and Websites: The Morgan Lewis team handles legal issues that arise when setting up, maintaining, and operating e-commerce and other websites. We advise clients on website privacy and acceptable use policies, click-through agreements, security requirements and processes, and data retention issues.
Morgan Lewis lawyers manage and perform diligence reviews and exercises to help clients understand the types and categories of data being stored or processed, how the data is protected, whether the appropriate security protocols have been or will be in place, whether there are any weaknesses or issues, whether the appropriate response and remediation procedures are in place, and whether specific disclosures are necessary. We participate in such diligence exercises for transactions that include mergers, acquisitions, strategic alliances, joint ventures, outsourcing, hosting and cloud services, and data analytics.
Data Collection, Acquisition, Use & Commercialization
The use and leveraging of data is big business, and it is becoming a critical part of how companies understand their operations and customers. We help clients navigate the legal issues relating to data collection, acquisition, use, and commercialization, and we work with them to implement solutions that comply with legal and contractual requirements.
Data Breach Response & Litigation
Our privacy and cybersecurity team has guided clients through compliance and damage control in more than 800 data breach incidents. In that role, we:
Conduct investigations and recommend immediate preventive measures
Determine whether notification to affected individuals or government authorities is required
Conduct the notification
Contain exposure
Implement remedial and cost-recovery measures, including insurance recovery
We advise retail, healthcare, technology, and e-commerce clients regarding data breaches involving notification laws as well as Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act (FACT Act or FACTA) violations; licensing, regulatory, and code-of-conduct issues; and acquisition agreements. We also counsel clients on the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule.
Our team provides clients with the strategic insight and agency relationships they need to prepare for, or respond efficiently to, regulatory scrutiny in this area. Our government alumni include lawyers who formerly held positions with the FTC, the US Department of Justice (DOJ), many state enforcement agencies, and a number of district attorney offices across the United States.
With increasing public focus on privacy issues and corporate responsibility, Morgan Lewis takes all possible measures to steer clients clear of, or efficiently and effectively resolve, privacy-related litigation.
Among other matters, we have represented clients in litigation involving:
Corporate investigations conduct
Data privacy class action defenses
Disposal of personal information
Employer group health plan privacy
Violations of FACTA
Cybersecurity in the Energy Sector
Energy companies turn to Morgan Lewis for help complying with Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) Reliability Standards, which have been difficult and expensive for electric utilities to implement. The standards require a melding of security concerns, energy company information technology (IT) infrastructure and operations, and legal advice.
Our lawyers advise clients on the implications of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Cybersecurity Framework for owners of critical infrastructure. We counsel clients on how to incorporate that framework into existing cybersecurity practices and how to leverage the framework to improve the cybersecurity of critical power systems infrastructure.
Because we’ve worked with utilities since the beginning of CIP compliance, we have familiarity with the unique compliance risks stemming from the CIP Reliability Standards. We help electric utilities understand the application of CIP Reliability Standards to the utilities’ unique IT environments, analyze the compliance issues arising in the CIP context, and defend compliance monitoring and enforcement actions, including CIP audits and spot checks.
Working alongside both business and technical leaders within companies as well as the companies’ outside IT consultants, our lawyers help electric utilities design their CIP compliance programs and defend those CIP efforts when necessary. We bridge the divide between a utility’s complex IT environment and the cybersecurity framework that the CIP Reliability Standards impose. Each utility is unique, with varying numbers of Critical Assets and Critical Cyber Assets and a variety of approaches to designing and implementing Electronic Security Perimeter and Physical Security Perimeter protections.
Our cybersecurity efforts extend to developments on Capitol Hill, as cybersecurity enforcement remains a likely subject of additional federal legislation and agency regulation. We advised clients on the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act and the Cybersecurity Act of 2012 in their various forms, as well as Executive Order 13636 and the resulting development of the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.
Cybersecurity in Financial Services
When a business is the victim of a cyberattack, the company must decide when and how to best cooperate with the government agencies investigating the attack. Nowhere is this more important than in the financial services industry, where the protection and security of customer assets and information is under constant scrutiny, particularly as hackers become more sophisticated and cyberattacks become more widespread.
Because an attack could have an expansive impact on the capital markets, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has said it intends to focus on companies’ and firms’ risks and weaknesses in their cybersecurity preparedness. This includes conducting mandatory cybersecurity-focused compliance examinations of brokerage firms, investment advisors, and hedge funds. Additionally, the SEC has called on boards of directors to become more proactive in identifying and mitigating cybersecurity threats.
Our former SEC and DOJ lawyers use their government experience to help companies identify unique cyberthreats. We also counsel companies on methods to protect clients, data, networks, and operations from theft, disruption, and destruction. Our team evaluates and strengthens the adequacy of our clients’ internal controls systems, including safeguarding customer identity and other data. The group also helps clients work through response plans and handles issues such as breaches in third-party service providers or attacks involving corporate espionage aimed at the disruption of financial markets.
We help clients manage their privacy obligations under the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, the FCRA, the SEC’s Regulation S-P, the Bank Secrecy Act, and other US federal and state privacy regulations. Additionally, we counsel clients on regulations outside the United States, such as those pertaining to the UK Financial Services Authority’s Codes of Business. Specifically, Morgan Lewis advises on issues critical to financial services firms, including the following:
Guiding and advising financial services firms that are preparing for and responding to SEC examinations focused on cybersecurity preparedness
Educating and advising boards, audit committees, directors, management, and employees on how to assess and manage cybersecurity risks
Updating and improving companies’ and firms’ disclosures on potential cybersecurity risks
Investigating potential cybersecurity breaches and, when appropriate, communicating the results of those investigations to the SEC, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA), the DOJ, and relevant state agencies
Responding to requests, subpoenas, or inquiries from the SEC, FINRA, and the DOJ relating to cybersecurity disclosures, breaches, and risks of breaches
Defending potential litigation with regulatory agencies and private plaintiffs relating to alleged violations of the securities laws as a result of cyberbreaches
Counseling boards, directors, and management on insurance-related issues concerning SEC investigations and private litigation, including directors and liability coverage
Privacy & Cybersecurity in Healthcare
Because medical information is especially sensitive, privacy and security compliance is a central concern for healthcare companies. Since HIPAA was enacted in 1996, Morgan Lewis has represented large US-based healthcare organizations in HIPAA compliance matters. We counsel clients regarding HIPAA, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act, state medical privacy laws, FTC standards, electronic health record meaningful use regulations, and actions of the OCR.
Our healthcare privacy and security counseling services include the following:
Developing privacy policies and procedures
Performing HIPAA compliance audits
Training workforce members on HIPAA requirements
Counseling on everyday issues regarding the use and disclosure of protected health information under state and federal healthcare privacy laws
Drafting and negotiating HIPAA business associate agreements
Assisting with security breach responses under the HIPAA Breach Notification Rule
Advising on how Big Data projects may be conducted consistent with HIPAA requirements
Developing breach response plans
Morgan Lewis advises on healthcare industry HIPAA compliance matters in the following sectors: hospitals, health plans and insurers, pharmaceutical companies, pharmacies, healthcare clearinghouses, healthcare IT companies, laboratories, academic medical centers, medical device manufacturers, health information exchanges, physician groups, third-party administrators, universities, and vision centers.
With our understanding of best practices and guidance (both formal and informal) from state and federal regulators, we develop corporate privacy compliance programs that comprehensively address privacy and security laws. We advise both HIPAA-covered entities and service providers to the healthcare industry that are seeking to demonstrate compliance with HIPAA business associate obligations. Our lawyers also advise institutions on the impact of the HIPAA Privacy Rule on research operations.
We have also represented hundreds of healthcare organizations in responding to security breaches involving medical information, and we offer knowledgeable, practical advice in these critical situations. OCR is ramping up HIPAA enforcement and audits in the wake of the HITECH Act, and the FTC and state attorneys general are increasingly concerned with privacy and security matters. In this heightened enforcement environment, our lawyers defend healthcare organizations in connection with administrative, civil, and criminal audits, investigations, and litigation relating to privacy matters.
Transactional & Corporate Matters
Our lawyers handle healthcare IT–related deals, including the formation of health information exchanges, spin-offs, sales of companies, acquisitions, financings, and ventures in transaction processing.
Privacy and security compliance have become increasingly critical due diligence issues in healthcare acquisitions and joint ventures. Morgan Lewis counsels healthcare IT companies, as well as traditional healthcare providers, on privacy and security issues arising from strategic alliances and joint ventures with third-party technology companies. We advise on the outsourcing of business functions such as website maintenance and application development, as well as teaming agreements to jointly market and sell existing healthcare IT products and services.
Employee Benefits: Special Resources
The Morgan Lewis employee benefits team has developed risk-management tools targeted to employers across all industries that sponsor group health plans for their employees, as well as the business associates of those plans. The firm’s HIPAA Privacy Compliance Initiative arms plan sponsors with the tools they need to navigate HIPAA in the new era of increased enforcement activity in addition to the heightened civil and criminal penalties that the HITECH Act ushered in. We offer these services—which include self-audit assistance, workforce training, and privacy officer assistance—based on a fixed-fee pricing model designed to meet each client’s needs.
Privacy & Cybersecurity in Hospitality and Travel
The hospitality and travel industry is a primary target for cyberattacks. As the industry and its increasingly sophisticated loyalty programs continue to go digital—with heavy reliance on mobile devices—the risk of attacks remains high.
Technology is revolutionizing how the industry operates, collects, uses, and transmits huge amounts of sensitive data. Consequently, hospitality and travel organizations need to understand how to assess and manage these risks to meet state, federal, and global privacy and security law requirements. They also need to know where vulnerabilities exist—from reservation systems and loyalty databases to point-of-sale software used at restaurants, bars, and gift shops.
Morgan Lewis lawyers identify possible data security threat vulnerabilities, while also reviewing privacy and cybersecurity insurance options. Many hospitality and travel companies turn to Morgan Lewis to review customer notification procedures and costs, credit card company procedures, fines and penalties, and technologies used as part of day-to-day operational procedures.
Privacy & Cybersecurity in Retail
Retailers have a legitimate need to amass large amounts of information about customers, business partners, competitors, and employees. But headlines confirm what we have known for years: Privacy and cybersecurity are massive challenges for retail companies—with threats emanating from hackers, data thieves, regulators, plaintiffs’ lawyers, insurers, and credit card companies. Drawing on our experience working with hundreds of retail companies, Morgan Lewis helps these clients address how they collect, transmit, store, use, and manage sensitive information.
For years, retail companies have experienced data breaches at a greater rate than those in any other industry. We’ve helped our clients manage more than 300 data breaches—from the smallest inadvertent disclosure of a single person’s information to epic hacking events, with hundreds of millions of credit card numbers at risk. When it’s time to respond to a data breach, our lawyers handle the initial investigation, government and individual notifications, and litigation from customers or others allegedly affected by the breach, among other responsibilities. We also help clients with cost recoveries against vendors, others potentially responsible for the breach, or insurers.
Our experience includes helping retailers with challenges in:
The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS)
FACTA
The FCRA
The CAN-SPAM Act
The FTC’s Red Flags Rule
California’s Song-Beverly Consumer Warranty Act
Gathering information at point of sale
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)
Children’s privacy, including COPPA
Online privacy policies
Driver’s license scanning
Data breach preparedness
Credit card cost recoveries
Payment processing systems
Data privacy class actions
Attorney general enforcement actions
FinCEN Anti-Money Laundering Rules
Gift card information management
Loyalty program customer data
Radio frequency identification (RFID) tagging details
In-store and online customer tracking
Use of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras
Gregory T. Parks
Mark L. Krotoski
Silicon Valley / Washington, DC
Pulina Whitaker
W. Reece Hirsch
Ezra D. Church
Elizabeth B. Herrington
Ronald W. Del Sesto, Jr.
Read more about our resources >>
Trailer: Responding to and Preventing Healthcare Data Breaches, Lawdition
The UK Triggers Process to Leave the EU. Learn More. >>
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Riverdale’s Luke Perry sent to hospital after reports of stroke
Luke Perry is known for playing the young heartthrob, Dylan McKay, in Beverly Hills, 90210. The actor can be seen in The CW’s Riverdale as Archie’s dad, struggling to keep his construction business afloat. Now it’s reported that he has been sent to the hospital after suffering from a stroke.
So far his condition still isn’t known, but according to Deadline, he is “currently under observation.” It’s reported that paramedics took him to the hospital closeby from his Sherman Oaks home on Wednesday morning.
Perry portrays Fred Andrews in Riverdale, a kind father who wants what’s best for his son, Archie. The show first premiered in 2016 and is on its third season. Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa is the creator and executive producer for the live-action series. The Archie comics are known to be light in tone, but The CW show has a very different and darker tone that involves a murder mystery with shocking revelations at the end of each episode. Aguirre-Sacasa has a thing with turning Archie properties dark, especially by turning Sabrina: The Teenage Witch into a dark drama on Netflix called The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which is based on the comic book series of the same name.
It was also revealed this week that Fox made a deal to make a Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot simply called 90210. It’s expected to air this summer with six episodes ordered. Even though Luke Perry hasn’t signed on to return for the reboot, other original cast members have including Jason Priestley, Jennie Garth, Ian Ziering, Gabrielle Carteris, Brian Austin Green and Tori Spelling.
Here’s hoping to Luke Perry having a quick recovery and being able to jump back on his feet. His character is definitely one of my favorite characters in Riverdale and is able to make me sympathize with him and his troubles with the opposing Riverdale characters.
Tags Beverly Hills 90210Luke PerryRiverdale
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Cleared Ice Cream Wars accused Thomas ‘TC’ Campbell dies
Image caption Thomas Campbell leaves the Court of Session in Edinburgh after having his conviction quashed on March 17, 2004
Thomas ‘TC’ Campbell, one of the two men wrongly convicted of Glasgow’s so-called Ice Cream Wars murders, has died at his home aged 66.
Mr Campbell and Joe Steele were convicted of murdering six members of the Doyle family at their flat in 1984.
The men had two appeals rejected before finally having their convictions quashed in 2004.
Mr Campbell, who staged several hunger strikes while in prison, is believed to have died of natural causes.
‘Pursuit of justice’
Paying tribute to Mr Campbell, his lawyer Aamer Anwar said: “He was a giant of a man who, despite being imprisoned, refused to give up, fighting the judiciary and a corrupt police force.
“For Tommy, his struggle was so much more than just about him, it was about the pursuit of justice for the Doyle family.
“I hope now that TC is truly free and can be at peace.
“What makes me sad is that this man who had his life taken from him never received the recognition and apology he deserved.”
Mr Campbell and Mr Steele battled for 20 years to prove their innocence.
Image caption Thomas Campbell continued to campaign for justice after his release
Their original trial was told that a fire was started at the Doyle family home in Ruchazie after a turf war over areas served by ice cream vans.
The deaths of six members of the family, including an 18-month old child, horrified people in Glasgow and across Scotland.
At the conclusion of the trial, Mr Campbell and Mr Steele were convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The pair continued to protest their innocence, claiming the police had fabricated evidence, but an appeal was turned down in 1985.
Prison escapes
During their years in jail, both men continued a high-profile campaign.
Mr Campbell was said to have been close to death on several occasions after staging hunger strikes, while Mr Steele escaped from jail three times only to deliberately draw attention to himself.
He once handcuffed and glued himself to the railings of Buckingham Palace.
More than a decade of pressure resulted in the case being referred to the Court of Appeal in 1996.
Once more, their case was rejected before a third and final appeal was eventually successful.
The appeal judges accepted that there had been a miscarriage of justice in what was one of the most high-profile cases in Scottish criminal history.
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Indonesia earthquake: Huge surge in death toll
September 30, 2018 Comment(0)
Media captionIt is feared many people remain trapped in collapsed buildings
At least 832 people were killed in the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the national disaster agency says.
Many people were reported trapped in the rubble of buildings that collapsed in Friday’s 7.5-magnitude earthquake, agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho told a news conference.
The quake triggered tsunami waves as high as 6m (20ft), he added.
Vice-President Jusuf Kalla said the final death toll could be thousands.
Rescuers have been digging by hand in the search for survivors in the city of Palu.
“What we now desperately need is heavy machinery to clear the rubble. I have my staff on the ground, but it’s impossible just to rely on their strength alone to clear this,” Muhammad Syaugi, head of the national search-and-rescue agency, told AFP news agency.
There have also been concerns about the town of Donggala, where the impact is still unclear.
In pictures: Search for survivors
The Red Cross estimates that more than 1.6 million people have been affected by the earthquake and tsunami which it described as a tragedy that “could get much worse”.
Strong aftershocks have continued to hit the island since Friday’s earthquake.
President Joko Widodo visited Palu to view sites affected by the disaster, including Talise Beach – the main tourist area that was badly affected by the tsunami.
“I know there are many problems that need to be solved in a short time, including communications,” he said.
What is the situation in Palu?
Many remain missing in the city of 335,000, some thought to be trapped in the debris of collapsed buildings.
Rescue teams dug by hand to free 24 people trapped in the rubble of the Roa-Roa hotel in the city of Palu, but there are fears that dozens more remain trapped.
Image caption The tsunami left a trail of destruction
Bodies have been lying in city streets and the injured are being treated in tents because of damage to hospitals.
Anxious survivors in Palu bedded down in the open air on Saturday night, heeding advice by officials not to return to their homes as a precaution.
“It feels very tense,” Risa Kusuma, who was with her feverish baby boy at an evacuation centre, told AFP.
“Every minute an ambulance brings in bodies. Clean water is scarce. The minimarkets are looted everywhere.”
‘Supplies running out’
By Rebecca Henschke, in Poso
In Poso, a four-hour drive from Palu, supplies are running out. State-owned petrol stations have closed as they have run dry. People are queuing up at roadside stalls, buying petrol in bottles to take into the affected area and to find missing loved ones. Supermarkets have limited food left and it is difficult to find bottled water.
Ermi Liana, who is travelling with our BBC team, doesn’t know if her parents are alive. “They live close to a bridge that collapsed. I can’t reach them by phone,” she says. “I can only pray they are alive.”
We haven’t seen any aid heading in and there is still no communication link to the town of Donggala.
Why were so many killed on Friday?
The 7.5 magnitude quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km (6.2 miles) just off the central island of Sulawesi at 18:03 (10:03 GMT), triggering a tsunami, US monitors say.
Many people were on the beach in Palu, preparing for a festival, and were caught when waves swept in.
Video shows people screaming and fleeing in panic.
As well as destroying homes, the quake wrecked a shopping centre, a mosque, a hotel and a road bridge.
An air traffic controller at Palu airport died ensuring a plane took off safely after the quake.
What do survivors say?
Media captionThe moment the tsunami hit
When the quake hit, “we all panicked and ran out of the house,” Anser Bachmid, 39, told AFP news agency. “People here need aid – food, drink, clean water. We don’t know what to eat for dinner tonight.”
“I just ran when I saw the waves hitting homes on the coastline,” Palu resident Rusidanto said.
Dwi Haris, who was in the city for a wedding, was staying in a hotel with his wife and daughter when the quake struck.
“There was no time to save ourselves,” he told the Associated Press news agency. “I was squeezed into the ruins of the wall… I heard my wife cry for help but then silence. I don’t know what happened to her and my child. I hope they are safe.”
With back and shoulder injuries, he is being treated outdoors at Palu’s Army Hospital.
What is being done to help?
Aid is being flown from the capital Jakarta into Palu airport, using the part of its runway still intact.
Patients are being treated in the open outside city hospitals and at least one military field hospital has been erected.
The regional head of the Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI), Komang, asked the authorities for immediate help.
“We need tents, medicines, medical personnel, tarpaulins, blankets and more of other things,” he said.
The UK-based charity Save the Children is sending an assessment team to the disaster zone.
“Unfortunately the more information that we’re getting, the worse the situation appears to be,” charity spokesman Tom Howells told the BBC from Jakarta.
Have you been affected by the earthquake? If it is safe to do so, share your experience by emailing haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk
Please include a contact number if you are willing to speak to a BBC journalist. You can also contact us in the following ways:
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-45697553
Chinese Nobel widow Liu Xia ready to ‘die at home’ in protest
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Italy storms: Two families killed in Sicily house
Image copyright AFPImage caption The flooded house where the tragedy occurred Two families have been wiped out in Italy after a river burst its banks submerging their house in Sicily. Nine people died in the incident in Casteldaccia – from children aged one, three and 15 to their grandparents. Only three people who were outside […]
China motorway toll crash: At least 15 dead in Lanzhou
Image copyright AFPImage caption The serious accident was a result of faulty brakes, according to the lorry driver More than a dozen people have been killed after a lorry lost control at a toll station in north-west China. Dozens more were injured when the vehicle collided with a line of waiting cars in Lanzhou, the […]
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Porsche 911 Speedster debuts in NY with 495bhp flat-six
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Microsoft unveils monstrously expensive Surface Hub 2S
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Facebook Prepping Voice Assistant, Possibly for VR Headsets
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Olixar case renders provide our best look at the OnePlus 7 Pro
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Super Smash Bros. Ultimate ad teases Stage Builder mode
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Switch version 8.0.0 system update now available
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Joker joins Super Smash Bros. Ultimate alongside new Stage Builder
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France Launches International Contest To Design Notre Dame Spire’s Replacement
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Samsung says its phone "is manufactured with a special protective layer", to cover the plastic Infinity Flex display. In this case, the left side of the folding panel is flickering without any rhyme or reason. YouTuber Marques Brownlee , who also peeled off the film, is experiencing a malfunctioning display, too. "The phone comes with this protective layer/film". (more...)
OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro differences detailed
The CEO requested to check to see his post on April 17. This is a typical OnePlus move wherein the company's marketing team builds up the hype for its upcoming devices. The OnePlus One , OnePlus 2, OnePlus 3 , OnePlus 5 , and OnePlus 6 have all represented OnePlus' first (and sometimes only) flagship during their respective launch years. (more...)
PS4 Games Will Play On PlayStation 5, Says Sony
The upcoming PlayStation 5 is a proper hardware evolution of the PlayStation 4 . So it is easier to make the PS4 games run on PS5. As mentioned above, PS5 will accommodate physical media, meaning disc-based games as well as digital. While on a PS5 dev kit with SSD, Spiderman loads in just about 1.5s. (The devkit, an early "low-speed" version, is concealed in a big silver tower, with no visible componentry.) What took 15 seconds now takes less than one: 0.8 seconds, to be exact. (more...)
Intel abandons 5G iPhone plans following Apple's Qualcomm settlement
Earlier the same day, Apple had fired the first legal shots in a San Diego courtroom, accusing Qualcomm of abusing its market power. However, the entire game changed in the last few 12 hours. Although that gave Apple a way to keep making iPhones there was a cost. Qualcomm stock has exploded upwards on this guidance, rising 20 percent. It's getting a payment from Apple, and a multi-year deal to supply chips for iPhone. (more...)
Facebook, Instagram And WhatsApp Back Online After Outage
The company's March outage also impacted the wider Facebook product family, including Instagram and WhatsApp , and persisted for hours. "Confirmed: Analysis of global network data shows Facebook , WhatsApp , Instagram and Messenger down globally for an estimated 60 percent of users; incident ongoing #FacebookDown", cybersecurity firm NetBlock.org tweeted. (more...)
Apple Card seen bolstering iPhone user loyalty
With the announcement of the new Apple Card this week, some fans may have hoped for the reinvention of how we pay for things. Apple also launched a credit card called Apple card. We won't be surprised if all the issues now available on Apple News + are already stored on a third-party server. Apple will charge 1% for making an instant transfer from the Apple Pay Cash balance to a debit card. (more...)
Honor 20 series set for London launch May 21
The Honor 20 series is likely going to include three phones which are the Honor 20 Lite , Honor 20 and Honor 20 Pro . The all-new Honor 20 Series will be the successor to the last year's Honor 10 Series . The phone, dubbed as Honor 8S , has surfaced online revealing its design and specifications. According to a report by WinFuture , Honor 8S will feature a 5.71-inch waterdrop notch display with a resolution of 1520 x 720 pixels. (more...)
Apple Arcade gaming service could cost company over $500 million
This is a promise the company plans to keep with its latest investment. For those unaware, Apple's Arcade is a gaming subscription service without "Cloud-based" prefixed to it. Meanwhile, the Apple App Store needs users to purchase specific games and find the ones that aren't clones of the popular apps. But the comparison between the two services may be a result of activity vs. (more...)
Leak suggests the OnePlus 7 launch is less than a month away
If you remember, OnePlus 6 was launched on May 16 last year globally, hence the date of May 14 is nearly one year later. The Model number of "GM1915" appears totally different from the Model numbers of earlier devices from OnePlus , the last one being A6010 and A6013 for OnePlus 6T . (more...)
Google teases May 7 announcement, likely Pixel 3a and 3a XL
The video ends with Google revealing that Pixel-exclusive Avengers: Endgame playmojis are now available on Playground. Well, now we have a good idea. As smartphone prices continue to climb, with the likes of Samsung and Apple offering phones that cost over $1,000, competing with mid-tier smartphone vendors (and perhaps learning more about that market as a vendor), the move makes a lot of sense for Google. (more...)
Facebook Messenger dark mode now rolling out worldwide
The new feature will be particularly loved by those who often use the smartphone in low light situations, where it's hard to deal with the glare of White interfaces. To make sure people are aware of this, a tutorial will appear the first time you use the keyboard after you get the update. Multi-select gesture. A new system-wide gesture will let users multi-select items in table and collection views. (more...)
Forza Street Launches on Windows 10, is Coming to Mobile
According to Turn 10 Studios, it will release new features for the game over time, as well as "actively" engaging with the game's community, though no additional details on that were provided. The game builds off Miami Street , a free-to-play title from 2018, so if this all seems oddly familiar to you, there's a reasonable chance that's the cause. (more...)
Samsung Galaxy S10 5G pre-orders open at Verizon on April 18
South Korea's three mobile carriers - SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus - held launch events across Seoul for the Galaxy S10 5G , whose base version costs 1.39mil won (RM4,991). Unfortunately, those speeds are most of the time achieved in lab conditions, so if you're located I Chicago or Minneapolis, you'll probably get download speeds of around 450Mbps. (more...)
Claim Outlook.com website breach much worse than Microsoft admits
A source described the attack before Microsoft released its statement, and then provided screenshots to prove it. Microsoft then confirmed to Motherboard that some email content had been accessed. A report from Motherboard and citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the hack reveals that the attackers could "gain access to any email account as long as it wasn't a corporate level account". (more...)
All Digital 1TB Xbox One S leaks, out next month
That price includes a single controller and three preinstalled games, according to the leak - Minecraft , Sea Of Thieves and Forza Horizon 3 . Even though the Xbox One S all-digital edition is launching at a budget price, it will still provide some decent power for those looking to upgrade from the standard Xbox One console. (more...)
Tmall: 3.2 million people search for Huawei P30 series in two weeks
That's not to say the cameras in other phones were bad - the Xiaomi Mi 9 has a fantastic snapper for its price, and the ROKiT IO Pro 3D's 3D photography is a novelty if nothing else - but while it was fun experimenting with these handsets for the goal of a review, I'd never used a phone camera for novelty, non-review purposes. (more...)
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Blog / November 5, 2015
TPP details released, AFL-CIO responds
Here's the response today from the Oregon AFL-CIO after seeing the first public draft of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
"The details of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a sweeping free trade agreement involving 40% of the global economy, has finally been released for public comment today. Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Chamberlain issued the following statement today regarding the release:
“It’s finally clear why the administration has kept TPP negotiations secret for so many years: this pact is a disaster for working people. If the TPP is approved by Congress, it will ship good-paying, family-wage Oregon jobs overseas, and will lower wages in jobs that are left; increasing inequality by forcing Oregonians into competition with workers abroad paid less than 65 cents an hour.
Since the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1994, over 50,000 Oregon workers have been certified by the Department of Labor as having lost their jobs due to trade. We can’t afford another trade deal that benefits multinational corporations, their shareholders and executives. We need to be more concerned about American work boots than sneakers made in Asia for pennies on the dollar.”
President Chamberlain’s statement reflects the sentiment of labor leaders across the country, including National AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, who issued the following statement earlier this morning:
“After six long years, the secrecy is over. The public finally has a chance to scrutinize the text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership for themselves instead of having to rely on characterizations made by the agreement’s supporters. America’s voters can now make their own judgment about whether it meets their high standards for a 21st Century agreement that will raise wages, protect our democracy, and promote sustainable growth and development.
From what we have reviewed so far, we are deeply disappointed that our policy recommendations and those of our trade reform allies in the environmental, consumer, public health, global development, and business sectors were largely ignored. The investment rules still provide expansive new legal rights and powers to foreign businesses to challenge legitimate government actions, the labor enforcement provisions are still inadequate to address the enormous challenges posed by this deal, and the lack of enforceable currency rules subject to trade sanctions mean the promised new export markets may never materialize.
We will be examining the text line by line in the coming days to understand the deal's full implications for working people in every sector from manufacturing and agriculture to public and private services. But from what we have already seen, it is clear that the threats of this expansive new agreement outweigh its benefits — for good jobs, for democracy, for affordable medicines, for consumer safety, and for the environment. The hardworking families of the AFL-CIO will join with our allies to defeat the TPP.”
Biz Beat 11-5-2015
ArtWalk Tonight: Curiosities & Contours
Ted Taylor
Barbara’s Soaps is back at Saturday Market and will have its usual booth space at Holiday Market, according to owner...
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Home > Business > Pipelines
OIL's 1157 Km fully automated trunk pipeline with a capacity of 8 MMTPA, which transports the combined crude oil production of OIL and ONGCL in North-East to the refineries in this region and imported crude from Barauni to Bongaigaon Refinery (delivered from ex Haldia port through IOCL pipeline), has become a lifeline of national importance. Commissioned in 1962, the crude oil pipeline traverses 78 river crossings through the states of Assam, West Bengal and Bihar. The network of 10 pumping stations and 17 repeater stations is a specimen of exemplary maintenance work by OIL personnel. OIL has the distinction of running the crude oil fuelled prime mover engines & the pumps in its Pump Stations for over 200,000 hours.
The 600 KM pipeline segment between Bongaigaon and Barauni has been re-engineered to enable oil flow in either direction and is now transporting RAVVA / Imported crude from Barauni to Bongaigaon.
The Company has recently undertaken a major project to replace all vintage equipments such as pumps, its prime movers along with all related auxiliaries in order to upgrade and optimize the Naharkatiya-Barauni pipeline system and meet all safety standards. The project is expected to be completed by end 2017. With the induction of technology in all fronts, this pipeline will become one of the technically updated pipelines in the country.
Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA) system to constantly monitor movement of crude oil through the pipeline is in use since its very inception. The trunk communication system uses Optical Fibre Cable technology for voice and data communication. OIL has also leased some of the spare dark fibre and bandwidth to other companies, generating revenue from the same.
In 2009, OIL commissioned a 660 km long Numaligarh - Siliguri product pipeline. This product pipeline is continuously evacuating refined products from Numaligarh Refinery to the markets in other states. The Duliajan - Numaligarh Gas Pipeline (DNPL) where OIL has 23% equity stake has also been operating since 2010. This line feeds natural gas to Numaligarh Refinery for their captive use and, in future may transport gas beyond Numaligarh to other cities in Assam. OIL thus has the distinct experience of operating and maintaining pipelines to transport hydrocarbon like crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products.
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In December 1941, Japanese forces attacked Pearl Harbor and Malaya, launching the Pacific war. The following month, as part of the same thrust targeting the Philippines and the Netherlands East Indies, they launched air raids (from 5 January) and a landing (23 January) against the town of Rabaul, at the northern tip of the Gazelle Peninsula of New Britain, in the former Australian territory of New Guinea. By late that day, Australian forces at Rabaul made up of 2/22 Infantry Battalion and 1st Independent Company, the main components of 'Lark Force'; members of the New Guinea Volunteer Rifles; and smaller anti-aircraft and ambulance units, were defeated.
Prisoners on board the Montevideo Maru
Of the 1396 Australian military personnel at Rabaul before the attack, 160 were killed south of the town at Tol, about 400 eventually escaped to Australia, and the remainder became prisoners of war (POWs). After the invasion, most civilians gathered around Rabaul where the Japanese forces set up a camp for civilian and military prisoners.
In June and July 1942 the Japanese naval authorities made two attempts to transfer these prisoners to Japan. The first group, of about 60 Australian officers and 18 women, including Army nurses, arrived safely. The second, historically thought to include 845 POWs and 208 civilian internees, left on 22 June for Hainan on the Montevideo Maru, a freighter requisitioned by the Japanese navy. It was not marked as a POW carrier. On 1 July it was torpedoed and sunk by the submarine USS Sturgeon off the Philippine island of Luzon, resulting in the deaths of all prisoners and internees on board. The loss of life on the Montevideo Maru is described as the worst maritime disaster, in peace or war, in Australian history.
The deaths of the men on the Montevideo Maru were not fully revealed in Australia until after the end of the war when evidence was found in Japan. Small pieces of information had come from wartime sources such as New Guineans who had reached safety and captured Japanese personnel and, after hostilities had ended, Japanese and surviving civilians in Rabaul, and the POW officers who had returned from Japan. In September 1945 the Australian authorities sent Australian Army officer Major Harold S Williams, a pre-war resident of Japan, to Tokyo as a liaison officer with No. 1 Australian Prisoners of War Contact and Enquiry Unit [B3856, 144/14/89] to investigate this and other POW matters.
Montevideo Maru route
Follow the path the vessel took and learn where and how it was sunk.
Select for a fullscreen version.
The freighter Montevideo Maru
Before the war, it operated as a passenger and cargo vessel, travelling mainly between Asia and South America.
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more like people
helping organisations to be more like people
You are currently browsing the trust category.
Is active listening the bedrock of social change?
It’s one thing to agree on the kind of world we want to live in; it’s another to agree the means of getting there. But the ways we work with one another in the process can make or break the most beautiful visions and most effective organising methods. It’s time we take our relationships seriously. Active listening is a good place to start…
I have limited patience these days for discussing big picture politics; the ‘general aims for the world’ kinda stuff. I don’t find conversations at this level offer a great deal of insight into the people you’re talking to, their motivations, and how they might go about creating the world they believe in. They are so abstract as to be practically meaningless, beyond establishing a broad set of shared values.
Another level down, is the ‘how we organise ourselves’ question, which I’ve put a lot of space on this blog into over the years. Beyond our general political and social aims, are we able to talk about the structures that will get us there and how to avoid thinking we can replicate the organising structures of the present, without also replicating their disastrous consequences?
These are clearly important conversations to be having, as far less creativity seems to go into re-imagining our organising structures, than goes into re-imagining the ‘end results’ of social change (as though there is some ‘final stage’ of human evolution!). But these conversations, too, don’t tell us enough… And they don’t push us enough. At least not on their own.
I’ve had too many experiences of organising with people with whom I had a shared vision of the future and a broadly-agreed approach for getting there, and yet, antagonism came to characterise our working relationships, or those of others we felt we’d seen eye-to-eye with. (I’ve experienced this in movements and organisations, both, so it transcends the dysfunctions of most hierarchical bureaucracies.)
Introducing: Active Listening!
This is what led me to the radically-simple concept of ‘active listening,’ and applying to a 5-week evening course with Jonathan Kahn on the subject.
Active listening and peer coaching feel like the most intimate iterations of the politics and values I try to spend much of my life pursuing. If we’ve agreed – vaguely, at least – on ‘the big picture’ and have agreed on systems of non-hierarchy and decentralisation of power to help get us there, I feel that these are the personal and interpersonal tools that we need to grow such systems and keep them working through the rocky waters that inevitably lay ahead.
Active listening is not complicated, at least as far as the practicalities of it go. It’s about changing the ways we engage in conversation, to help the other person realise themselves more fully and most of it is about pausing, asking questions and clarifying intent and feeling. But doing it is tricky. Simple techniques likes ‘leaving someone five seconds of silence before you reply to them,’ can challenge deeply held cultural assumptions, as well as some of our own insecurities. These things can feel trivial when we are thinking of the bigger problems in the world, but are too-often – left unaddressed – the stumbling blocks that keep us from realising any smaller-or-larger scale change efforts that we take part in. If we aren’t able to be aware of the countless pieces of personal hurt and negative social conditioning that we bring into all of our organising relationships, odds are considerably worse that those organising relationships will bear fruit.
Jonathan is serious about changing the ways we interact with one another. He gives what can feel like immense amounts of time to exploring how body language, tone, silence and well-placed questions, can change the ways we engage with one another for the better. In theory, it can be hard to see the practical value of examining such details, but in practice, the results can be remarkable. The looks on the faces of at least two of the people with whom I was able to practice these techniques, told me that in my conscious silence, paired with a few well-placed questions, I had offered them something they weren’t getting, but clearly appreciated. It’s truly difficult to explain, but one person said to me, following a coaching conversation: ‘It’s great to feel like you’re not boring someone to death!’ As I was reminded by in Occupy London general assemblies in 2011, we are so used to feeling unseen and unheard – when we have a chance to feel truly listened to, it can be a deeply liberating experience. And this kind of experience, when realised, can open our abilities to organise together.
In just a few evenings, I felt forced to re-evaluate countless aspects of my ways of engaging with others. I learned and practiced several simple techniques to undermine the role of my ego in any interaction, help others express themselves more fully and explore the deeper motivations and insecurities (in myself and others) that might be impeding progress on a particular project or activity.
The Bedrock of Social Change
To me, these tools are nothing-less-than the foundations of a better future. They enable us to hear each other and to be heard, which are the aims at the core of most systems of direct and participatory democracy. And without processes that offer us the voice and involvement in our own lives (that most current systems of governance and organisation deny us), we are doomed to recreate what we’ve already got.
So this stuff is critical. And it’s hard. But it is not ‘self-indulgent,’ ‘trivial,’ ‘a distraction’ or any of the other pejoratives I’ve heard used to describe this kind of work.
The truth is, it can be scary. It can expose us to parts of ourselves we don’t like admit exist. But it can also help us heal the wounds that keep us from supporting one another in the ways we all need when we’re experiencing the struggles associated with trying to build a new world in the shell of the old one.
I can’t stress enough how much I think Jonathan’s work is needed. His conferences are often more expensive than many of us in the social movement/NGO space can afford, but he runs his evening classes on a ‘gift economy’ basis, meaning he will accept whatever forms of monetary or non-monetary gratitude you choose to offer, based on the value you have received, when the course is finished.
The greatest visions, strongest strategies and most robust organising structures can be brought to their knees by misunderstandings, hurt feelings and generally crap listening. Let’s give ourselves half-a-chance to make these ideas and systems work, by giving ourselves the tools to communicate better!
Here’s where you can find out more about Jonathan’s work: https://2016.dareconf.com/evening-courses
Coming to Consensus
A powerful idea’s unexpected journey around the globe
This piece was commissioned by Contributoria in September 2015.
“It was an extraordinarily bad camping location,” DIY technologist Richard Bartlett says of Wellington’s Civic Square. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the slab of grass embedded in a concrete frame overtop of a car park in the centre of New Zealand’s capital city was not designed with camping in mind. Yet in October 2011, as the Occupy movement swept the globe, this questionable attempt at public space was repurposed and became home to the Occupy Wellington encampment for the next four months.
Among the 1,000-plus Occupy camps that scattered themselves like seeds around the globe in late 2011, Wellington’s was far from being the largest or longest-lasting. Yet it was the 40 or 50 tents in Civic Square that enabled a major development in one of the cornerstones of the Occupy experience around the world: the digitisation of consensus decision-making.
Consensus is a collective decision-making process that aims to avoid the pitfalls associated with both executive decree and majority rules voting. Seeds for Change, a UK collective that offers training in consensus process, describes it as “a creative and dynamic way of reaching agreement between all members of a group. Consensus is neither compromise nor unanimity – it aims to go further by weaving together everyone’s best ideas and key concerns – a process that often results in surprising and creative solutions.” [A Consensus Handbook, pg 6]
Anthropologist David Graeber grounds this process in a much bigger picture when he argues that the consensus process – not voting – is the core of democracy:
“Voting is divisive. If a community lacks means to compel its members to obey a collective decision, then probably the stupidest thing one could do is to stage a series of public contests in which one side will, necessarily, be seen to lose… Democracy, then, is not necessarily defined by majority voting; it is, rather, the process of collective deliberation on the principle of full and equal participation.” [The Democracy Project, pp 184-186]
In many people’s minds though, the consensus process is the series of silly-looking hand signals regularly employed by activists to symbolise where people in a group discussion stand on a comment or issue. While rarely featured in most mainstream discussions of democracy and collective organisation, variations on the consensus process have been found among the feminist movements of the 1960s and 1970s, Quaker religious traditions and countless Indigenous cultures across the globe, dating back millennia. However, in 2011, the explosion of the Occupy movement breathed new life into the process, introducing it to countless new practitioners.
The growth of consensus in recent years is testament to both the efficacy of the process itself and the emergence of networked communications technology. This is part of its story.
How consensus got to Wellington
Consensus process was fundamental to the Wellington Occupy camp from its onset. There remains some contention as to whether the “jazz hands“ landed in Wellington via a two-minute clip produced by Occupy Oakland, or an eight-minute clip produced by Occupy Wall Street, but there was agreement that watching videos of others doing it was all that was needed to train up this new cadre of activists for effective collective decision-making.
CONSENSUS (Direct Democracy @ Occupy Wall Street) from meerkatmedia on Vimeo.
As with so many other places, the process had a profound impact on those involved, as many experienced the ability to make group decisions without creating winners and losers, for the first time in their lives. Richard Bartlett described experiencing “radical insights” during Occupy general assemblies, in “…these moments where you have a breakthrough that takes you to a place that no individual could have got to on their own. Once you’ve seen this three or four times, you realise that the process is actually producing that, not a charismatic leader. I had a full-on, spark-of-light-to-the-eyeballs epiphany about that process!”
A fellow Occupier and web developer, Jon Lemmon, felt similarly, but had a new insight based on his elation with Civic Square consensus. “We should be able to translate this experience into software,” Jon said to Richard at the peak of the Wellington encampment.
From this initial observation came Loomio – an online consensus decision-making platform that Richard, Jon and a crew of local social entrepreneurs calling themselves Enspiral co-developed to preserve the central process of the Occupy Wellington experience after the camp had disbanded. And though dissemination of the practice from New York to Wellington happened via a YouTube channel (with a possible stopover in Oakland, en route), the process had another key step in its recent lineage, one that would become significant as Loomio began to spread around the world.
From indignation to consensus
On 15 May 2011, five months to the day before Richard, John, Ben and a few hundred other Kiwis descended on Wellington’s Civic Square, another city square was filling with citizens. In Madrid’s Puerta del Sol, an estimated 50,000 Spaniards came out in force, sparking a new movement for “real democracy”, enraged by the human fallout of the 2008 global financial collapse and the rampant cross-party corruption that plagued Spanish politics before and since.
The media termed the group indignados, or “indignants”. However, most of the participants refused to dwell on the systems they were fighting against, quickly placing their energies into something more constructive: the creation of “real democracy” in the square and beyond.
Miguel Catania had never been involved in activism before 2011, but on 15 May decided that he would add his voice to the tens of thousands of others who were fed up with how politics was playing out in his country. While Richard Bartlett and his fellow Wellingtonians are still visibly enthused when recounting their initial experiences of consensus process, Miguel is much more subdued in his descriptions of Day One in Puerta del Sol:
“The first assembly we did was very natural. Maybe there wasn’t somebody doing proper moderation to get to consensus. Anyway, in a natural way, we did it, because there were no leaders, there was nobody controlling things… it is a natural way of organising people in such situations. Like when you are among friends and want to take a decision to go to the movies, you are using this kind of process. You try to see other points of view, make everyone happy. It was a bit like this. We wanted to have a decision and of course we wanted everyone to be in the decision. It was a proper, natural process.”
In this case, the decision was to stay the night in the square. The basics of the process began to emerge via the input of a small core of veteran activists. These were largely people who had participated in the Global Justice Movement in the early 2000s and who began to introduce the hand signals that had been used in the street protests against the World Trade Organization in Seattle in 1999.
What became clear within a few days in Puerta del Sol was that a pure consensus process was unlikely to work with such large numbers. The aim for 100% agreement continued, but with space to enable the group to move ahead if 100% consensus wasn’t proving possible.
In Miguel’s view, this was not in contradiction. Rather than a literal interpretation of the word, the 15-M activists moved towards a spirit of consensus that aimed to bring more and more of the group into dialogue and gradual agreement about a question, but without allowing a minority to prevent a process from moving forward. This process was about collaborative improvement of proposals through open discussion, rather than purely about the number of people who backed the specifics of the proposal in the end.
In the weeks that Puerta del Sol remained occupied, it quickly became clear that the square was not the right place to do the kinds of organising that were needed to confront the plethora of problems that Spanish communities were facing. The local nature of evictions, electricity cut-offs, food prices and other issues – along with ongoing police repression – led to the localisation of assemblies that summer, with hundreds of smaller groups forming in neighbourhoods around Madrid and most other Spanish cities.
And while many criticised the consensus process used in Puerta del Sol for its unwieldy and often epic meetings, variations on the method again became the standard process in each of the neighbourhood assemblies that emerged. Though challenging, the fundamental consequences of adopting any other system that offered less widespread input were consistently shot down.
But the processes used in Puerta del Sol and elsewhere in Spain didn’t just become more localised. They also spread like seeds on the wind, as several 15-M activists found themselves in New York City that summer, and brought a few significant hand gestures along with them.
We are the 99% (but let’s aim for 100%, OK?)
Figuring out how exactly consensus became the decision-making process of choice in Zuccotti Park, Lower Manhattan, in September 2011 is still a slightly contested chapter in recent activist mythology. David Graeber, who took part in the early days of Occupy Wall Street (and its precursor, the New York City General Assembly), in his book The Democracy Project attributes the choice to the presence of a mix of American Global Justice Movement veterans and some Spanish and Greek activists who’d recently hopped the pond and plugged themselves into the organising efforts.
Miguel Catania in Madrid distinctly recalls some fellow Spaniards – possibly named Nikky, Vicente and Angel – who had moved to NY after the Puerta del Sol occupation and had shared their learning with the New York occupiers. “It was very direct. They just took the process and said, ‘ok, this is very effective, so use it’.”
Another variation on the story suggests that a translated pamphlet produced in Puerta del Sol, entitled How to Cook a Non-Violent Revolution, and its accompanying appendix, A Quick Guide to Group Dynamics in People’s Assemblies, provided the practical training for the soon-to-be Occupiers.
More generally, Marina Sitrin, a fellow veteran of Occupy Wall Street who has documented and participated in non-hierarchical social movements around the globe, also includes the role of “movement media” in spreading images of the processes being used in other movements around the world. These images captured the imagination of activists elsewhere, who filled in the details themselves based on a cursory understanding of what was being done in other movements.
And back to Spain again…
While the dissemination of the process from Madrid to New York, and then New York to Wellington, was at least in some significant part the result of the emergent web of connections on the internet, the birth of Loomio was a significant shift. Whereas the tools of the web had enabled others to learn about consensus before, and to put it to use in the flesh from there, Loomio digitised the process, opening it up to countless more who couldn’t be or hadn’t been a part of the Occupy movement.
There are currently about 20,000 Loomio groups operating in 33 different languages, enabling more creative, inclusive and collaborative decisions to be made among a massive array of users. The Loomio platform has facilitated group decisions at a community art gallery around the corner from its office in Wellington for more than three years, while also helping aggregate public opinion to push Statistics New Zealand – a national government department – to produce the first national census in the world that offers respondents non-binary gender options (i.e. not just male or female). Current users range from schools and grocery co-ops, to activist groups, community gardens and even a few local authorities, who have seen the value of consensus process, even while stuck in stifling hierarchical bureaucracies.
In yet another unexpected twist, though, Loomio also reintroduces 15-M activist Miguel Catania to the narrative, having found Loomio while organising with Podemos, the new leftist political party in Spain that won five seats in the 2014 European elections. Podemos had emerged as one of the spin-offs of the 15-M movement. It was founded on the desire to bring the (relatively) radical perspectives and processes of the country’s massive street movement, into the corridors of power. This was always contentious among some participants, but activists like Miguel saw the transition as an important part of bringing direct democracy into new places.
Initially, Podemos spread like wildfire and many of the neighbourhood assemblies that began after the Puerta del Sol occupation, morphed into Podemos “circles” – democratic groups that continued to take local collective action while also feeding into national policy debates and priorities.
Podemos offered political opinions that were well beyond the existing political consensus, and showed signs of bridging the gap between the direct democracy of the street movements and the shambolic representative democracy of first-past-the-post elections and political parties. The party held assemblies at every level, offered countless inroads for new volunteers (not just door-knocking and making phone calls) and practised consensus process in most of its local circles.
The initial excitement around the party led to five seats in the European Parliament and a membership in the hundreds of thousands. When Miguel came across Loomio through an article in the tech press, he and fellow 15-M technologist, Yago Bermejo Abati, invited Ben Knight, one of Richard and John’s Loomio co-founders, to pay them a visit in late 2013. Ben gave a couple of small talks there and Miguel and Yago began to tell other Podemos activists and local circles about it, encouraging them to use it to support local organising efforts.
By June 2014, hundreds of new groups and thousands of new members were flowing to Loomio from across Spain. At one point that summer, 60% of Loomio’s global web traffic was coming from the country. Today there are more than 1,600 Podemos-related discussion groups on the site.
However, with its growth, a centralising force set in, gradually asserting top-down control over the party’s direction. Miguel had joined Podemos as part of its participation and outreach group, from working on technology and collective process in Puerta del Sol. But from the start he had seen elements of the party that were only interested in achieving better governmental policies, rather than also creating directly democratic structures. In some cases, there had been open high-level contempt for assemblies and the directly democratic organising processes that they represented.
This became vastly more prevalent with the creation of the National Citizens Council, a body that was in many ways rigged to consolidate support for the existing party leadership, and that, at the very least, drew power away from hundreds of thousands of regular members and into a much smaller group of elected representatives. “The power of the circles disappeared,” Miguel says over Skype, and so “most of the circles stopped using [Loomio].”
Miguel moved his efforts away from Podemos and towards one of the smaller new local parties that emerged after 2011, Ahorra Madrid. Now he finds himself in the role of “director of participation” in Madrid’s new city council, since Ahorra Madrid came to power in May. A loose network of parties that had made stronger efforts to keep the consensus-based methods of 15-M at their core, ended up winning in countless local elections across the country this spring, with Podemos’ influence far weaker than many had predicted, failing to win any local elections.
The lesson from May was clear to Miguel: “If you turn to more traditional structures where things are done in a more traditional way, people just don’t want to work anymore, if they don’t have the space to work and support… [The local elections were] a bit like proof that it was much more effective to have this more open structure, a more open way of taking decisions.”
While Miguel had put his efforts into Podemos, whose media-savvy campaigning had helped capture the national imagination, he is clear that without consensus, change is impossible:
“It’s the only way we can organise these kinds of movements, where everybody is really at the same level. It’s the only structure that can really take all the collective intelligence of a lot of people and create better ideas and better proposals and better actions, that include all the collective intelligence of the people around it.”
Fundamentally, Miguel says, consensus “is the most powerful way to get the best ideas”. It is a process that allows for better processes and ideas to emerge, so even when the process is flawed, collective deliberation can help to find, create or adapt something that works better.
While decision-making processes can seem relatively inconsequential with all the big issues and questions that the world is facing, changing the process through which decisions are made can in turn change the ways we ask and answers so many wider questions. As Richard Bartlett at Loomio so eloquently said of one of his key moments recognising the importance of the consensus process: “We used the consensus process to improve the consensus process… holy shit! This thing can fix everything!”
Photo adapted from Kate Ausburn on Flickr, used under Creative Commons 2.0.
Structuring our Beloved Communities?
I wrote this piece for Contributoria, as my longest exploration of how we organise for social and environmental justice, since the publication of Anarchists in the Boardroom. It looks at the messy relationship between the kinds of organising structures we use, and the kinds of relationships we create. And I got to speak to some truly inspiring people in the process! Enjoy!
Photo credit: shankbone on Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/shankbone/6193404069/sizes/l
In the early days of the US civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. used the phrase ‘Beloved Community’ to describe the kind of change he was working towards. The Beloved Community expressed a way of organising that made non-violence and compassion both its means and its ends, and placed strong relationships at the core of wider social transformation. The phrase, initially coined by philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce, articulated the idea that organising based on Love will create a culture of Love in its wake. King said:
“Love is creative and redemptive. Love builds up and unites; hate tears down and destroys. The aftermath of the ‘fight with fire’ method… is bitterness and chaos, the aftermath of the love method is reconciliation and creation of the beloved community. Physical force can repress, restrain, coerce, destroy, but it cannot create and organize anything permanent; only love can do that.”
The King Centre describes the Beloved Community as “an overall effort to achieve a reconciled world by raising the level of relationships among people to a height where justice prevails and persons attain their full human potential.” But what does the Beloved Community look like when we get past its romantic broad-brush prose? And how can we organise ourselves in ways that align our methods with the visions our social change organisations and movements are trying to create?
The chicken-and-egg of structures and relationships
“I often say to people,” Margaret Wheatley tells me over Skype from her Utah home, “if you get the room set-up right, you’re at least 60 per cent of the way towards creating what you want.”
While seemingly a far cry from the ideals of Beloved Community, Wheatley has spent decades exploring what helps people to work meaningfully together, primarily in organisational settings, and places great importance on structuring the kinds of spaces we gather in. Her first book, Leadership and the New Science, became a best-seller in 1992 and offered a glimpse of what human leadership might look like if it followed the organising patterns found elsewhere in nature. She is deeply critical of hierarchy and over-specialization and an advocate of self-organising and individual autonomy.
“If we’re creating a good process – people are highly engaged, self-motivated, thinking again, feeling creative,” she tells me, “what we’re really doing is reintroducing people to what it feels like to work well together.”
But to what extent is ‘working well together’ something that is created – by place or process – and to what extent does it emerge through the individual relationships involved? Or is this simply a chicken-and-egg conundrum that leads in an unending circle? Even if the ‘relationship/structure’ question is ultimately rhetorical, the exploration remains a critical one if we are going to find better ways of organising our communities, organisations and social movements towards something resembling a Beloved Community.
The political is personal
Following King’s articulation of Beloved Community, the feminist movement in the 1960s made a quantum leap in Northern/Western understandings of social change with the articulation that ‘the personal is political,’ grounding each of our lives in the wider social dynamics they are a part of. More recently, new social movements have traced this relationship back again, looking at how widespread system change is dependent on deep reflection about the kinds of individual relationships we choose to form together. In other words, the political is also personal.
Marina Sitrin lived in Argentina for several years in the early 2000s. An American activist and writer, she documented and took part in an emergent form of organising – Horizontalidad (or horizontalism) – that offered an alternative to the top-down structures of most political parties, unions and NGOs.
While many of our current organising structures were initially used to bolster the iron-fist management practices of the industrial era, horizontalism emerged in worker-occupied factories, neighbourhood assemblies and direct actions undertaken by unemployed workers after Argentina’s economic collapse in late 2000. Hierarchies were flattened, management teams disappeared, decisions were made via consensus and actions were taken collectively. Sitrin has written two books about her experiences there, offering eloquent articulations of horizontal organisational forms that have influenced countless social movements around the globe in the past decade.
“In Argentina,” Sitrin explains to me from Berlin, “the focus was on creating a new relationship where people could be heard, and finding that in that process it was developing… new ways of thinking about oneself, a new dignity.”
It is around this ‘new relationship’ that Sitrin’s work meets with Wheatley and others at the more progressive end of the organisational spectrum, grounding organising in the transformation of the relationships between those involved. “We are all bundles of potential,” Wheatley opines, “that manifest only in relationship,” highlighting that if we are to realise our individual or collective potential, it will be based on the quality of connections we are able to form with one another.
Liberation via Structure
Kiran Nihalani is a founding member of The Skills Network, a women’s collective based in Brixton, South London that organises cooperatively around directly-democratic principles. She finds it hard to distinguish between the means and the ends of organising, as have so many others – from traditional charities to revolutionary armies. “It is difficult to separate structures and relationships,” she tells me via email. “They feed off each other… [the structures] help people think about their relationships with others in the group (and people outside it) in a different way.”
In societies built on deeply unequal power dynamics, we often need to be reminded of equality, wherever we are used to finding ourselves in the social pyramid. “I would be a proponent of a little more structure,” Marina Sitrin cautiously encourages, based on the relatively loose methods used by most of the non-hierarchical groups she worked with in Argentina. “Structure helps facilitate more horizontal relationships.” Making explicit reference to King’s idea of Beloved Community, Sitrin continues:
“Beloved Community …doesn’t just happen magically; we’re coming with so much baggage… people are coming from the system where [they] are so divided from each other and so alienated from each other, and alienated from themselves, that we need help in relating to each other in an equal way… We need help with structure to not permit certain behaviours. And if we agree to those structures ahead of time, collectively, there’s nothing hierarchical about that.”
Similarly, Peroline Ainsworth, another founding member of the Skills Network adds:
“…in our context, where people are so used to feeling ‘less than’, realising that everyone gets paid the same rate, deciding on paid to unpaid ratios together and seeing that you can participate in making formal decisions is crucial.
…the nuances of interpersonal relationships, although they are important, need to be combined with the really objective structural stuff to make it real for people. …This is an essential starting point in situations where a lot of people are so used to being made to feel unequal, even though they are told that they are equal.”
Another core member of the Skills Network, Hannah Emmons, described the liberating nature of their organising structures as follows:
“I think if those [non-hierarchical] structures and processes didn’t exist… [members] would be exactly where they felt they belonged – at the bottom … that they didn’t matter. So the structures we put in ensure people know that they do matter, and they are relevant, and what they have to say is worth hearing …[In] the hierarchical state, there’s always someone at the bottom, and unfortunately the majority of the people coming through our doors, they believed they were at the bottom of that hierarchy. So …when we’ve kicked off the hierarchical structure, for the first time in ages for some of them in a public space, they are equally important as everyone else in the room.”
But are alternative structures enough to undo all the ways we inevitably adopt bits of the structural inequalities that surround us, when we have been raised in deeply unequal societies? Tana Paddock, co-founder of the South Africa-based Organization Unbound project, says this:
“Those experiences live on inside of us and we’re going to replicate them… So what do we do when these patterns come up? …No structure can keep them down. No structure can rid our inner selves from those patterns.”
The question then becomes: are non-hierarchical structures and processes enough? Or do we need to think beyond these nuts and bolts if we want to foster our own Beloved Communities?
The shortcomings of non-hierarchical organisation
According to Paddock, “the form should always grow out of the experience. All the time, no matter how beautiful that form looks from the outside, it can eat us.” While no advocate of hierarchy, Paddock is also dubious of the focus many social movements since the 1960s and 1970s have placed on non-hierarchical structures: “The feminist movement was hugely successful in experimenting with ways of flattening hierarchies,” she argues, “but in doing so they became quite ideological. And thus the ideology started to overrun everything else.”
Paddock stresses the need to stay open to a range of forms, and that those forms must remain responsive to the people in the group, and the contexts they live and work in. “Structures are certainly helpful,” she says, “but they are only helpful if they grow out of relationships,” pointing to various experiences where “pushing the structure on the people just because of a philosophy of participation can end up having the opposite result in practice and in experience.”
Similarly, in North America and Europe, the concept of horizontalism has become rigidly associated with the particular form of consensus decision making used by Occupy and the 15-M movement in Spain since 2011. The experiences of some participants in both movements reinforced the thesis of Jo Freeman’s 1970 essay , ‘The Tyranny of Structurelessness’ in which she argued that soft hierarchies simply replace formalised power when formal hierarchy is removed. In some of these protest camps, the rigid adoption of a particular form of decision making ended up placing power in the hands of those most versed in that process, often silencing those less familiar with the intricacies of ‘jazz hands,’ ‘blocks’ and ‘speaker stacks.’
Sitrin echoes Paddock’s sentiment about ensuring structures grow from the place they are being used, describing a far less dogmatic understanding of consensus in Argentina: “Horizontalism doesn’t necessarily mean any form of consensus… it’s that the group together decides what makes most sense for that group without anyone having power over other people.”
She continues by highlighting that in many of the neighbourhood assemblies, “there was no formal consensus process at all… People referred to consensus, but what they meant was finding agreement with each other by seeking a compromise in a conversation.”
Wheatley, too, warns against the wholesale adoption of any particular structure or process:
“The issue for me is getting hooked on one, and only one [process]… so it’s all that you know how to do. It’s just like people assumed I always want to sit in a circle [when facilitating a session]… I would urge people to stay with their game here and not get hooked on one particular practice.”
When relationships transcend structures
While in theory non-hierarchical structures are more egalitarian, this is not universally the case in practice. In fact, does an on-paper hierarchy necessarily create inequality, any more than a flat organisation automatically creates egalitarian relationships? Tana Paddock began to wonder about this question when working with a community organisation that had adopted a very traditional management structure:
“This place seemed to develop this really embedded culture of strong relationships and trusting relationships, so much so that no matter who came in, in those positions, they were forced to work in that way because it was so embedded in their being as an organisation, as a collective. …I’m in this place that looks on paper to be very structurally hierarchical, and it’s the healthiest place I’ve ever been, and it had consistently been like that for years and years. So it’s not just reliant on a charismatic leader or someone who’s really good at relationships, it seemed to really develop this really deep way of working, despite the structure… Who am I to say, ‘No! You should be a flat structure!’?”
Many of us have experienced moments where particular organising relationships become so much more than how they are described on paper. Peroline Ainsworth of the Skills Network describes some of the relationships she has there as feeling more “like equals than most relationships I’ve had in my life.” While they have initially been shaped by formal process, they have become “something that is more than and exists beyond and between the formal structures.”
This is further reflected in Hannah Emmon’s description of the day-to-day application of the Network’s decision making process, where a culture of ongoing dialogue has often come to supersede the formalities of consensus:
“The more important decisions which really need everyone, we do ensure there is everyone… However on smaller ones, I think we’ve got mini-versions of consensus, where… you turn to the next person [and ask their perspective]. Nothing in Skills happens completely individually… before anything is finalised it always comes back to the group before the next step happens. …We are always… conferring with each other.”
Amongst Argentina’s primarily Indigenous-led defence of the land movements, formal rules were often eschewed in exchange for a culture of direct discussion, and when needed, confrontation. According to Marina Sitrin:
“When faced with the challenge of different kinds of political parties… trying to infiltrate [assemblies], they tend to not have rules that [those parties are] not allowed to participate, but… a culture of calling them out. Which is a step forward.”
While this hasn’t always been the case within these movements, Sitrin sees this type of constructive confrontation as an improvement on the culture of passivity that pre-dated it. Rules become less necessary if you have a culture that offers collective accountability. “Once you have good trusting relationships,” Margaret Wheatley adds, “you can sit on the ground or meet on a bus and it all works … over time [structure] becomes less important.”
So let’s recap:
• Non-hierarchical structures can help us challenge the parts of ourselves and others which have been negatively shaped by wider social inequality and injustice.
• But those structures, just like their hierarchical counterparts, can become oppressive when used too rigidly, playing into wider social privilege and bestowing undue influence on those who know the systems best.
• Relationships may transcend the structures we create, though if we want them to do so in a positive way we still need to be very conscious of how we relate to one another.
Rather than juxtaposing structures and relationships, perhaps a Beloved Community is more about the intent behind them? “When you’re creating structure, where is it coming from?” Tana Paddock asks me pointedly. “Is it coming from a place of fear, of what could happen if you didn’t have that structure, or is it coming from a place of wanting to generate something positive?”
“Most institutions,” she asserts, “are created out of fear. Rules and structures are created [because]… something bad happened and you don’t want it to happen again, so you create a structure or a process or a regulation to keep it from happening again.”
If we start from a place of fear – expecting the worst and focusing on avoiding it – how much more likely might we be to create the very patterns we are afraid of? Many traditional organisational policies start by telling people what they can’t do, and end up spawning the kinds of dishonesty and carelessness they aimed to avoid. Might some of our most-seemingly democratic and participatory organising structures have the same effect?
Imagine if we organised primarily with the intention of liberating human potential? While the prevalent use of horizontalidad amongst Argentine social movements reflected widespread intent to create equal relationships, the specifics that emerged in groups varied vastly. And while the Skills Network remain strong advocates of consensus because they want to correct the powerlessness that so many of their members feel in wider society, it hasn’t stopped them from adapting their understanding of consensus to fit the needs and aspirations of those members.
In other words, there is no silver bullet that will address the rich complexity of human dynamics, but if we think more about the intent behind each structure, each process, and each relationship we form on the path to creating a Beloved Community, we may just find we get there along the way.
Thank you to Contributoria for commissioning this piece and making it available Creative Commons!
Photo credit: shankbone on Flickr
Social media for organisational change @ ECF2014
I was lucky enough to be invited to speak at the eCampaigning Forum in Oxford on April 11, 2014, describing how social media can act as a ‘Trojan Horse’ for the constructive subversion of organisational bureaucracy. Here’s the video to prove it.
…If you’re not yet convinced that you want to commit 28 minutes of your life to watching me talk, here are a couple of teasers:
I describe ‘three stages of organisational social media embrace’: ‘the new fax machine,’ ‘the social engineering project,’ and ‘the more like people organisation.’ Most organisations are stuck at the second stage, but the real magic happens at the third stage.
You’ll get to see silly image macros that involve the Hulk, the boss from Office Space and a bunch of wanky pics that come up when you search ‘professional’ in Google Images.
I explain constructive subversion, as a way of changing your organisation, without expecting the turkeys (senior management) to vote for Christmas (flatter, more democratic, transparent and trusting organisations).
I’m especially keen to hear peoples’ thoughts on this one, and if they have been able to put any of the ideas into practice in their own workplaces.
May your subversions be constructive!
EDITOR’S NOTE: For those who really don’t have time for the video, here is the ‘3 stages of social media embrace’ I recently described on the ECF list. They are admittedly crude and no org will fall 100% into one of them, but I think they provide a bit of a sense of a trajectory for getting the fullest potential from online campaigning tools.
1. The new fax machine – it’s a tool that gets given to a low-ranking member of staff to handle, with little-to-no autonomy or recognition of its significance. ‘One Tweet per week’ kinda thing. Where lots of orgs were a few years ago, and at least a few still are… The point tends to be to keep up with the Jonses, cause others are doing it. Nothing more.
2. The social engineering project – highly specialised digital teams that add up lots of metrics and then conflate them with campaign success or failure. This tends to involve lots of assumptions about the people who support us, boxing them into demographic groups and feeding them lowest-common-denominator (clicktivist) actions based on those assumptions. The point to this approach tends to be bigger numbers, and that more=better. (This is obviously true in many situations, but can be a misleading metric of success in many others, if it is a kind of involvement that minimises what people feel they are able to offer to a cause, to give people something that is likely to boost total figures).
3. The more like people organisation – everyone who wants to, tweets, blogs, shares, etc. The tone is less managed, the line between staff, members, beneficiaries, supporters, etc is blurred as freer conversations emerge within and around the organisation. There is an honesty and openness rarely found in many more trad orgs. These conversations lead to freer collaborations and faster responsiveness, as important information tends to travel where it needs to more effectively through networks than hierarchies. The point becomes about nurturing stronger relationships, which lead to more resilient networks. This stuff is far harder to measure, but comes from a deep belief that if we aren’t building stronger networks amongst those who care about our work, we are making ourselves very vulnerable to a range of outside shocks that might make top-down campaigning models more difficult or impossible (laws, tech changes, natural disasters, etc). It also recognises that there is vast untapped potential within and around organisations, that our structures prevent us from realising, and which social media has the potential to open-up, through freer connections between people, ideas, and those needed to make them happen.
This last one is much closer to how social movements tend to organise, and I’d argue that it offers the most potential significance and impact for organisations, because it can start to model new ways of organising that move beyond the Industrial-era hierarchies most of our orgs have ended up adopting over the course of several decades, which have come at massive cost to the people and causes we champion.
I wrote a book called Anarchists in the Boardroom: How social media and social movements can help your organisation to be more like people. You can order it here.
Does your organisation need a social media policy?
Following this year’s eCampaigning Forum in Oxford, I find myself revisiting a perennial ECF question: social media policies. I’ve developed a simple flowchart tool to help your organisation decide if a social media policy is indeed right for you.
Jokes aside, I stand by this little doodle, in all its simplicity.
Like concepts of accountability and order more generally, the idea that social media ‘best practice’ is the result of some people telling everyone else what they can and can’t do is absurd and elitist… and is the kind of organisational behaviour that discourages actual ownership and responsibility amongst those doing the work, creating the very problems it tries to mitigate against.
What I tend to propose as an alternative, is simply having regular conversations amongst the responsible adults the organisation has hired, for whom social media will be a part of their jobs. You can all raise the thorny issues that the internet will inevitably throw in all of your collective faces, and work together to figure out what the best ways of handling these things are.
When the context shifts and a new thorny issue arises, whoever is facing it should be able to deal with it at the time. Then you can use it as an reason to revisit the discussion, acknowledging that you hadn’t predicted whatever has come up, but can work together once again to adapt the shared understanding of how to handle challenges.
The underpinning point here is that most organisational social media policies are based on a premise of mistrust – that staff will mess things up if given half-a-chance to do so. If this is truly the case, social media is not your problem – your hiring and/or management practices are.
When we have the chance to shape a process together, we both bring new perspectives into the fold and tend to feel more invested in whatever decisions or directions emerge. Collective process improves our sense of agency, responsibility and pride in our work.
So, like with so many organisational policies, skip the document, have the conversation. It may be the first step to unleashing some of the latent online potential our organisational structures have been restraining for so long!
Integrated development: Embracing mission drift in rural Nigeria
On Monday I got the chance to hear John Dada speak. John holds a lot of wisdom, much of which cuts directly against the so-called ‘best practices’ of the development world he’s involved with. One of the key lessons I took from John’s talk? Don’t get too focused on doing one particular thing; you’ll miss what’s going on around you!
John Dada w/ Indy Johar at Hub Westminster on Monday
“You need to cut down and focus on microfinance,” one funder told John Dada, after the Fantsuam Foundation had expanded its work into yet another previously unknown discipline in rural Nigeria.
This is typical advice from many of the ‘experts’ in the development world: ‘specialise in one thing and focus all of your energies on it.’
There’s a particular worldview that this makes perfect sense within. The jargony term this worldview assigns to organisations not heeding this advice, is ‘mission drift.’
John Dada doesn’t buy it though.
Instead, he throws an alternative approach out there, speaking at Hub Westminster on a rare UK visit on Monday evening: “No service should be allowed to stand on its own, because it wouldn’t work.”
Fantsuam Foundation has a serious case of mission drift! What began with microcredit loans in rural Nigeria, moved into local IT provision and training, HIV/AIDS clinics, affordable housing, and eventually a community-owned tractor – crowd-funded by the modestly-sized, but committed network of support that Fantsuam has built-up within and beyond Nigeria through the approach they call ‘integrated community development.’
I describe some elements of John’s work in Anarchists in the Boardroom.
Integrated community development stands-up where so many development projects fail; it doesn’t try to see social issues through the various specialised lenses our organisations like to apply to them.
John was initially trained as a nurse in the UK, but has not let that limit the work he has been involved with. Nursing can only address some of the issues faced by people living in a complex world; if John was to decide to draw clear lines around what he would and wouldn’t do to support the community he was working in, he would not have achieved a fraction of what his organisation has been able to do.
What I took away from hearing him speak on Monday, is the importance of relationships; that building and maintaining trusting connections with people is far more important than many of the specific skill sets involved. We can often learn new skills more easily than we can build new meaningful relationships.
Thus the mission drift: when you’ve built up strong relationships in a community, you can’t just farm people out to another ‘service provider’ and expect them to pick up where you left off.
I remember working at the Scarman Trust a number of years ago, supporting people who had set-up small-scale community projects around London, but who had come to the end of the small grants (usually about £1,500) the organisation had given them. I’d usually done workshops with them for several months, met with them one-to-one, helped them with everything from keeping receipts in order and finding venues to hire, to figuring out what they wanted to do next.
Often, near the end of their grants, I’d end up referring them to one of a handful of other organisations – sometimes funders, sometimes other local groups in their areas. Some people were fine with this, but others were offended. Most ignored the referrals, no matter how much specialist expertise these folks I was trying to put them in touch with had.
One woman put it to me very succinctly: ‘Why do we have to talk to them? We want to keep talking with you. We know you. We don’t want to go to someone else.’
I don’t mention this as a particular endorsement of my own work, but as an indication of the centrality of relationships.
Only in certain professional settings do we seem to forget this; we tell ourselves that we can pass people around, between professionals, services, departments, organisations, without this affecting the people themselves, their health, their trust, their level of engagement, their openness, their commitment to working with us… If we’re not careful, people, churned through so many services, become passive, hand-me-down ‘beneficiaries,’ as uncommitted to engaging with us, as our ways of working suggest we are to engaging with them.
Fantsuam’s work keeps relationships at the core of what it does, adapting services and projects, and learning the skills needed to address the needs of the community, with those in the community itself. This may all seem incredibly inefficient to some of you, but I’m certain that the real inefficiency lies in our attempts to wedge people into services that don’t respect the importance of the relationships we so-flippantly bounce them between, with little regard for what someone invests in opening themselves up to someone else.
And because John and Fantsuam pay attention to people and relationships, one can never say too far in advance, what their next project might be. The community will make that clear though. For many years it has continued to do so. The work emerges to fit the needs of the people involved, which are never as fixed as the business plans we write often make them out to be!
Maybe our organisations would be better off if they could embrace a bit of mission drift and follow the winding road of the real world, rather than the linear trajectory plotted out on a piece of paper so long before?
Chapter 8 of Anarchists in the Boardroom explores more of John’s story, in relation to complexity and our organisational obsession with fortune telling (often disguised as ‘strategy writing’). Feel free to order a copy.
‘Occupy Sandy operationalised Occupy Wall Street’
This summer I met two activists in New York City who had helped spearhead Occupy Sandy, a self-organised disaster relief effort that emerged from the Occupy Wall Street networks after Hurricane Sandy hit NYC. I wrote this piece for rabble.ca, but wanted to share the two interviews in their whole, because they were so damn good. Below is the audio and transcript of my interview with Michael Premo. Stay tuned for the 2nd interview, with Tammy Shapiro.
Michael Premo of Occupy Sandy
Normally when I interview activists or staff from organisations and movements about something they’ve been involved with, I end up adding a ‘meta-narrative’ explaining how their story fits into a range of wider trends I am exploring. With Michael Premo, a film maker and housing justice advocate who helped kick-off a self-organised disaster relief effort in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, I didn’t have to add a word.
http://www.morelikepeople.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Michael-Premo-OccupySandy-9.06.13v2.mp3
How things kicked-off
Occupy Sandy started the day of the storm. So there was a couple efforts happening. The sort of person-to-person effort that was occurring, was myself, a friend, Diego, Laura Schlomo, a couple other people, just headed out after the storm, to just check on people, to see what was what and what was happening and who was doing what. At the same time as our friends, Bobby and Brie, were driving out to the Rockaways and some of the neighbourhoods, Breezy Point, that were on fire. And I had a relationship with a group in Red Hook, called the Red Hook Initiative. And I just literally called them cold on the phone to see if anyone would answer the phone at their office, as we were driving down into Red Hook. I talked to them and I said, ‘Look, we want to help you help your community in any way that we can. What we can provide is the potential to be able to amplify your needs throughout our networks, so that you can identify what you need and we can support you getting what your need and support you until you’re at a point where you’re up and running and back in your normal functioning. And that became the first site of Occupy Sandy, which was in Red Hook. And then we sort of set out with that explicit intention to be able to support community-led rebuilding hubs throughout the city and we called those sites hubs.
And throughout the city we just went kinda door-to-door, and were talking to people who owned store fronts or had churches, saying ‘Hey, how can we help support you, and compliment the resources you’re getting through your networks, so that we can really work together?’
At the same time there was this sort of like emergence of people who wanted to help, and trying to figure out how to help. And so what happened was this network of little drop-off sites emerged in people’s lobbies, on their street corners where people were like, ‘well I didn’t get hit, but I have a front porch. If people want to drop of stuff on my porch or in my building, you can drop off stuff and then we’ll figure out how to bring it out to the areas.’There was one story of one girl who volunteered to do that and her neighbours got up in arms, she had no idea, her whole hallway was filled with goods that you couldn’t even get in and out of the hallway, so, people had to kinda scramble to get all that stuff into two or three carloads.
The transition to longer-term support
There was a group of folks within Occupy Sandy who understood that there are really multiple disasters; there’s the initial disaster and then there’s the long-term disaster that happens after the sorta volunteers leave, after the cameras leave, that is deeply related to the failures and ongoing crisis of capitalism as a system. And so we wanted to set up our initial, our goal was to set up the initial house with the stated and implicit intention to be able to have community-led rebuilding, so that when we got to that point when we were transitioning away from immediate relief, and into a sort of longer-term recovery and rebuilding and redevelopment phases, there would be some type of infrastructure, some type of support network, to be able to support for that long haul.So in about, I would say between December and March, the efforts started to transition from the immediate relief, to the sort of longer-term recovery.
What was the relationship between Occupy Wall Street and Occupy Sandy?
So there’s this theory, there’s this school of thought called ‘complex sciences.’ In those, one of those ideas is network theory and there’s another theory is called ‘emergence.’ Some people have written that in order to support the emergence of social movements, it’s necessary to develop a community of practice, right? Shared values, shared principles, that has a sort of like, cohesion and language and way of working, that will kind of support the further emergence of sort of, positive activity and positive action, right? So Occupy Wall Street in a lot of ways was sort of the seeds that helped create a community of practice. And what happened with Occupy Sandy is in a lot of ways we operationalized some of the more abstract ideas that were floating around Occupy Wall Street. So what I mean by that is sort of lateral, horizontal sort of approaches to, sort of, problem solving, as well as analysis, right? So if you could free up those systems of being able to sort of analyse a problem, being able to, like, strategize a problem, and being able to, like, implement those strategies, and open that up to a lateral or horizontal structure, so that you’re really supporting creativity, innovation from your community, to be able to like, really problem solve in a dynamic way, that speaks to and represents the inclinations and desires of multiple segments of your society, or of your community. It really creates the conditions to really have a robust, and really dope solution, right? And so with Occupy Wall Street, it created a cadre of people that sorta had worked together, had a working relationship, had a degree of sorta like a community around how and what they wanted to see in the world. So when Occupy Sandy hit what happened was those kind of tendencies and ideas were able to be turned into like, robust, sophisticated operation. In terms of Occupy Wall Street, I think there’s been three phases.
There’s the initial phase, which is the 53 days of the physical occupation. Then there was the second phase, which I think includes things like Occupy Homes and StrikeDebt, which sort of stretched over the year. And then you had Occupy Sandy, which really put into practice some of these goals and ideas, right?
My new book, ‘Anarchists in the Boardroom: How social media and social movements can help your organisation to be more like people’ available in paperback and epub now.
Unpacking boxes
Capulalpam de Méndez is one of a small but growing number of Mexican towns that have succeeded in kicking mining companies off their lands. Many activists have tried to understand their success, where so many others have failed, and while varied, the answer usually has something to do with ‘community.’ This doesn’t translate very well into either a ‘best practice,’ or a ‘scalable strategy,’ but does hold some critical thinking points for those of us trying to make some part of the world a little bit better than it is.
Procession from Capulalpam. Creative Commons 3.0.
Jen and I woke-up before 7am on Saturday, met up with our friend Yeyo and took a series of overcrowded forms of public transportation to the cold and rainy village of Capulalpam, in the Sierra Juárez mountains.
We joined a couple dozen others in the town’s church, heard some prayers, burned some incense, and headed off, picking up others as we walked from the cathedral, to the dirt road that led out of town on a steep incline. We were young and old, grandparents, toddlers and plenty in-between, walking through a mountainous forest, en route to a meeting point where our procession would connect with similar gatherings from two neighbouring towns.
These three villages were celebrating the 3rd anniversary of their collective decision to issue a 100 year moratorium on any mining projects within their territories. The decisions had been reached using traditional Zapotec assemblies, in which consensus emerges through collective community dialogue. The event was equal parts religious ceremony, political rally, community feast and intergenerational dance. One municipal president rejected the imposition of global capitalism on their traditional way of life and the head of the regional tourism network declared that, “any development that is not sustainable, is not development!”
Prayers were said, food was served, mescal sipped and dances had (the rain had trickled-out by this point and temperature had risen, as the march had descended to a lower plateau). Kids played on a swing set looking out across the mountain range, while friends reconnected with friends and bands from each of the three communities set the mood with different styles of local music. Sometime that afternoon it became crystal clear to me: THIS was why mining companies – with all the financial and political power they wield – had been unable to maintain their operations in this little corner of the world.
In Capulalpam, activism is not the fringe activity of a relative few (which often separates us from many of our own friends and families). It is also not something that exists in a bubble, independent of other important and meaningful activities – activism is simply a part of life. And say what you will about the specifics of this approach, but it has meant that in the face of deeply corrupt state and federal authorities, and a Canadian mining firm bent on sucking the last ounces of gold and silver from the surrounding mountains, the community has won and has no intention of giving in. Instead, they have opted for a mix of eco-tourism, locally bottled water and small-scale building projects, supplemented by the ‘techio,’ an indigenous custom in which all members of the town take on a range of responsibilities for countless public services, for free.
In Capulalpam, resistance is an integrated part of life and something that is as associated with community, celebration, relationships and nature, as it is with the political mobilisations we often associate it with in culturally Northern/ Western countries.
The other end of the spectrum
As far as a spectrum of social change approaches might look, our organisations are basically teetering off the other end of the line, in relation to the scene I’ve just described. Firstly, they are professional – they are deliberately separate from the personal lives, the communities, and the natural world that they are a part of. Secondly, they have taken this separation a step further, compartmentalising their professional notion of social change into so many teams, departments and specialist divisions, discouraging anything that might resemble a holistic and integrated approach to changing the world.
Let’s look at this as two parts: internal change and external change. How could we break down the barriers between those of us who are working within an organisation? And how can we break down the barriers between our organisations, and the world that exists beyond them?
The meeting point. Creative Commons 3.0
Now let’s stop looking at this as two parts and acknowledge that the continuum of relationships that are involved in our organisations’ work aren’t really confined to the little boxes we try to pack them into, including the mythical ‘internal/external’ divide. Our organisations (whether we admit it or not), are part of various broader movements for social, political and environmental change.
What do we do that gets in the way of these relationships? What do we do that blocks the energy of people who have a mutual interest in achieving a certain kind of change, from working together, from getting to know each other, from caring about each other?
This is the where ‘more like people’ comes from. Our organisations, as they stand, get in the way of relationships, trust, empathy, communication and more. For example:
• Hierarchical decision making reduces trust and responsibility. How could our organisations involve more people in decisions, as the community of Capulalpam does through the assembly process?
• Rigid standards of professional behaviour make it near-impossible for people to be themselves, to build trust, to open up to one another beyond the immediate practicalities of their work. How could our work incorporate more than simply ‘the practical tasks’ associated with a campaign or service, and offer a place to socialise, bring families, share stories, really get to know each other, beyond the professional masks we wear?
• Teams, departments and job titles keep us from following our passions, our interests and our strengths, forcing us to regularly underperform in fixed roles that don’t bend to the complexity of the situations we’re dealing with, or simple human changes in mood, which might mean we’d be better off doing different work on a given day. How could we drop these divisions and let individual passion and energy dictate the flow of our work?
Capulalpam de Méndez – a community of roughly 1,500 people, have succeeded where so many campaign strategies have failed. It is hard to imagine most of our organisations moving towards a more integrated approach to social change. But I’d like to challenge all of us to find something we can do to unpack the arbitrary and limiting boxes that our work is so often confined to, and see what happens if we cease to be simply staff with job titles, situated somewhere within the pyramidal prisons of organisational charts, and start to become part of a community instead…
Bosses shouldn’t be afraid of being tougher on misguided consultants
I got pretty worked-up when I read Gill Taylor’s recent piece in Third Sector, arguing that managers ‘treat staff too nicely.’ But when I calmed down, I realised that Taylor’s analysis makes perfect sense within a few of our organisations’ most widespread, but ultimately incorrect, assumptions about people and management. If we believe the worst of our fellow colleagues, it really is time we got tougher on them!
Gill Taylor, via Third Sector
Ultimately, there is a negative view of humanity at play here – people need to be controlled to avoid bad things happening. But there’s more to it. Here are three issues that underpin Taylor’s thinking:
1. The relationship between more and less senior staff is like the relationship between a parent and a young child.
While I could pick apart the issues with applying these attitudes to parenting, think of the traditional model: ‘I know best, listen to me, you’ll be alright, kid!’
This is the first assumption that Taylor – and most of our organisations – go wrong on. Management is one skill-set; counselling those who’ve experienced abuse, or running training courses, or working with youth on the street are others. Management is not ‘superior’ to other forms of work, even if our organisations have built this assumption into their structures, taking people out of jobs they do well, and making them become managers as their only hope of career progression.
If managers are superior to others, the patronising attitude outlined above makes perfect sense. This is what leads Taylor to say things like, “Treating staff too nicely isn’t necessarily good for them,” which can only conjure memories of a 1950s doctor telling a new mother ‘if you give them too much love, they’ll become spoilt!’
2. Problems are questions of fault, and the fault always trickles down the organisational ladder
When someone acts out, when an event doesn’t go to plan, when conflicts erupt at the office, organisational culture tends to scapegoat someone as ‘the cause’ of whatever bad thing happened. Rather than really try to understand the nuance of why an event failed (Were there other events on the same day? Were there unexpected cancellations? Did we know who we were pitching it to?), or why someone hasn’t been doing their job (Were they being adequately supported? Do they have issues outside of the office that are affecting their work? Are they being bullied?), many organisations find it far easier to nail someone with the blame. The last question that most organisations seem prepared to ask about troublesome employees, is ‘why did several of us think this person should be hired?’ Managers are the reason every employee is in an organisation, so perhaps asking themselves what made the person seem employable and how they could support the qualities that led to their hire, might be a good place to start when problems arise.
3. Compliance creates accountability
If we believe points 1 and 2, compliance (or ‘getting tough’) seems like a natural response. As a manager, you are superior to your staff and when something goes wrong, it is clearly that member of staff’s fault, therefore, how can you force them into being better employees?
But like a building built on a foundation of quicksand, this third assumption also crumbles under its own weight.
Compliance offers us the allusion of accountability, but trusting people and supporting them when they need it usually gives us the real thing.
Compliance measures that try to force people to prove they’re not screwing the organisation over (like so many sign-off processes and staff evaluations), often create barriers to meaningful contribution, and encourage the very behaviour they aim to avoid.
But if we assume that people who work in social change organisations want to do the right thing, the vast majority of the time, we might find that they do it. We can address the exceptions when they arise, rather than creating structures that assume the worst of all our staff, as so many policies imply, just by existing.
Ultimately, Gill Taylor and the many who continue the tradition started by an American Industrialist of the same last name (Fredrick Winslow, for the record), have a lot to answer for. Their assumptions and ‘solutions’ are what have made our organisations so much less like people, creating hostile, adversarial relationships, where they wouldn’t otherwise be.
While my gut response is reflected in my flip on the original article’s title, I hope that through conversation and experience, consultants like Taylor can see the error of their ways and try starting their work from an assumption of human decency.
But failing that, let’s stop giving them our business or the space to promote themselves, shall we?
Helping me write the back of the book
Covers and titles are very important, but once you’ve convinced someone to pick your book off the shelf, you need to have something compelling on the back that will hopefully make them believe this is a book that will make their life better in some way. So instead of just writing what I’d like to read on the back of a book, I’d like to know from you what 150 or so words you think should be on the back of Anarchists in the Boardroom. I’ve put one option below and would appreciate any feedback as to the right words to help make you want this book. Thanks!
Change how we organise. Change the world.
Social change is changing – but are our social change organisations keeping up?
Our Industrial Era structures and the ‘professionalism’ so many began to adopt in the 1980s have not lived up to their promise, actually doing considerable harm to the passion and purpose that has traditionally driven our efforts to make the world a fairer and more just place for all.
Meanwhile, the organising approaches found on social media and in recent social movements are proving better suited for the emergent realities of the 21st Century, and more closely aligned with the values our NGOs, charities, trade unions and voluntary organisations have long espoused.
This book is a journey through worker-run factories, Occupy encampments, a spattering of non-violent direct actions and even a few forward-thinking companies, to make the case for helping our organisations ‘to be more like people,’ brushing away our ‘professional’ assumptions and organising as we do when we don’t have a job description or a business plan telling us how to change the world.
Feel free to add any variations to the comments section below.
Crowd-funders’ shipping payment page
The Constructive Subversive’s Guide to Organisational Change
Campaigning and activism support
Re-centring our movements
Social media and e-campaigns coaching
Why social organisations get more social change from social media
Liam Barrington-Bush
Paul Barasi
More Like People is an association of freelance consultants, facilitators and trainers, working primarily in the voluntary, community and campaigning sectors in the the UK and elsewhere.
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Entries from July 2019
Monday, July 15. 2019
Mrs. Frances Geraldine Huff Parker, age 90, of Alpharetta, formerly of Tifton, passed away July 9, 2019. She was born in Williamson, GA, daughter of the late Owen Franklin Huff and Mildred Aldeane Glass Huff. After graduating from Zebulon High School in 1945 as the valedictorian, she graduated from Mrs. Mitchum’s Business School in Griffin. She worked as a secretary for First Savings & Loan and later Commercial Bank, both in Griffin. She lived in Athens while her husband attended the University of Georgia. While living in Blairsville for 18 years, she worked as secretary for the Federal Government in the ASCS (Agricultural Stabilization and Conservation Service) office for 2 years and then at the Bank of Blairsville before quitting work after contracting rheumatic fever. In 1969 she moved with her family to Tifton, where she lived for 44 years. She was a homemaker who devoted her life to taking care of her husband and family. She enjoyed visiting with family, keeping up with current events, and engaging in lively conversation.
[Full story »]
Wednesday, July 10. 2019
Mr. Gary J. Carroll age 63 of Molena, Georgia, passed away on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. [Full story »]
Tuesday, July 9. 2019
The 12U Pike County All Stars recently competed in the 2019 Georgia USSSA All Star Tournament in Lawrenceville and brought home the second place trophy with each girl earning their own finalist rings. [Full story »]
Between Monday, July 1, and Monday, July 8 area law enforcement agencies made the following arrests: [Full story »]
By Mike Ruffin
ruffinml@gmail.com
On Thursday, July 20, 1969 at 3:17 p.m., the Apollo 11 lunar landing module touched down on the moon’s surface. At 10:56 p.m. on that same day, astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin soon joined Armstrong on the moon’s surface. [Full story »]
New Georgia laws in effect
in Headlines
Several new laws are now in effect in the state of Georgia after the governor signed several bills and resolutions and many of the laws became effective at the start of the state’s fiscal year on July 1. [Full story »]
‘Fill That Bus’ to feed local students
in Top Stories
Last year, local citizens worked together to ensure that students in need were getting proper nutrition on weekends and school holidays. The Pike County Back Pack Program was delivered to 50 children each week and provided a total of 12,300 weekend meals during the school year. The new school year starts Aug. 8 and delivery for the Pike County Backpack Program will start Aug. 16. A bus for donations will be parked at the Ninth Grade Academy and open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 15-19. It will be at Freshway from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 20. [Full story »]
Public Notices 07-10-19
in Public Notices
Keeping the music alive
Thursday, July 4. 2019
Supporters of the Opry House are keeping the music alive as they continue to raise funds for a new venue for artists from near and far to play in a family-friendly environment. The June 22 benefit raised around $5,000 toward a new musical venue as bands took the stage at the Pike Auditorium for most of the day and hamburger plates, sweets and watermelons were sold. Bands who played at the free concert included the Appalachian Travelers, Tommy, Rita and Luke, New Creation, Mark Hall and Filmore House Band, Colonel Mustard, Sassy Grass and Kirkland and Friends. In addition to hamburger plates for lunch, a wide variety of homemade sweets and desserts were sold. Joe Clark and his service dog Nipper even brought a pickup truck full of watermelons to sell with donations going to the Opry House. [Full story »]
Joel Sandefur
Wednesday, July 3. 2019
Mr. Joel Arthur Sandefur, age 37, of Zebulon, passed away July 2, 2019, at his home. He grew up in Zebulon and worked as an electrician. He enjoyed drag racing and working on cars with his father.
14U All Stars place second in state, head to World Series
The 14U baseball All Star team was the only team to make it to the state championship from Pike County. They placed second to Brooks. The team will play in the World Series in July and are raising the funds to travel to the tournament. To donate online, go to gofundme.com/14u-pike-county-all-stars-world-series. Donations can be made at any United Bank branch into the 14U Pike County Baseball account. [Full story »]
Between June 27 and July 1 area law enforcement agencies made the following arrests: [Full story »]
By Anthony Vinson
advkdv@att.net
Listening to the daily news it appears things are dire. Sounds like the lament of that chorus line of sad sack, moonshine-swilling, perpetual losers from the old Hee-Haw television program. [Full story »]
Pike to pilot state’s new elementary agriculture courses
Pike County will be one of the pilot counties to offer agricultural education courses in kindergarten through fifth grade. Based on the recommendation of state school superintendent Richard Woods, the state board of education this month approved implementation of the course standards, which are a direct result of Senate Bill 330. The bill passed in 2018 and provides for a pilot program to develop and implement agricultural education in elementary schools. The courses will be offered in 20 elementary schools across the state that were selected for the pilot program last fall - including Pike’s. [Full story »]
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История Government in India
Beginning of the Raj
In 1858, British Crown rule was established in India, ending a century of control by the East India Company. The life and death struggle that preceded this formalisation of British control lasted nearly two years, cost £36 million, and is variously referred to as the 'Great Rebellion', the 'Indian Mutiny' or the 'First War of Indian Independence'.
Inevitably, the consequences of this bloody rupture marked the nature of political, social and economic rule that the British established in its wake.
It is important to note that the Raj (in Hindi meaning 'to rule' or 'kingdom') never encompassed the entire land mass of the sub-continent.
Two-fifths of the sub-continent continued to be independently governed by over 560 large and small principalities, some of whose rulers had fought the British during the 'Great Rebellion', but with whom the Raj now entered into treaties of mutual cooperation.
The 'Great Rebellion' helped create a racial chasm between ordinary Indians and Britons.
Indeed the conservative elites of princely India and big landholders were to prove increasingly useful allies, who would lend critical monetary and military support during the two World Wars.
Hyderabad for example was the size of England and Wales combined, and its ruler, the Nizam, was the richest man in the world.
They would also serve as political bulwarks in the nationalist storms that gathered momentum from the late 19th century and broke with insistent ferocity over the first half of the 20th century.
But the 'Great Rebellion' did more to create a racial chasm between ordinary Indians and Britons. This was a social segregation which would endure until the end of the Raj, graphically captured in EM Forster's 'A Passage to India'.
While the British criticised the divisions of the Hindu caste system, they themselves lived a life ruled by precedence and class, deeply divided within itself. Rudyard Kipling reflected this position in his novels. His books also exposed the gulf between the 'white' community and the 'Anglo-Indians', whose mixed race caused them to be considered racially 'impure'.
While there was a consensus that Indian policy was above party politics, in practice it became embroiled in the vicissitudes of Westminster.
Successive viceroys in India and secretaries of state in London were appointed on a party basis, having little or no direct experience of Indian conditions and they strove to serve two masters. Edwin Montagu was the first serving secretary of state to visit India on a fact-finding mission in 1917-1918.
1,200 civil servants could not rule 300 to 350 million Indians without indigenous 'collaborators'.
Broadly speaking, the Government of India combined a policy of co-operation and conciliation of different strata of Indian society with a policy of coercion and force.
The empire was nothing if not an engine of economic gain. Pragmatism dictated that to govern efficiently and remuneratively, 1,200 Indian civil servants could not rule 300 to 350 million Indians without the assistance of indigenous 'collaborators'.
However, in true British tradition, they also chose to elaborate sophisticated and intellectual arguments to justify and explain their rule.
On the one hand, Whigs and Liberals expounded sentiments most iconically expressed by TB Macaulay in 1833: 'that... by good government we may educate our subjects into a capacity for better government, that, having become instructed in European knowledge, they may, in some future age, demand European institutions. Whether such a day will ever come I know not. ... Whenever it comes, it will be the proudest day in English history.'
On the other hand, James Fitzjames Stephen, writing in the 1880s, contended that empire had to be absolute because 'its great and characteristic task is that of imposing on Indian ways of life and modes of thought which the population regards without sympathy, though they are essential to its personal well-being and to the credit of its rulers.'
What was less ambiguous was that it was the economic interests of Britain that were paramount, though as the 20th century progressed, the government in India was successful in imposing safeguards. For instance, tariff walls were raised to protect the Indian cotton industry against cheap British imports.
- Government in India
Beginning of the Raj In 1858, British Crown rule was established in India, ending a century of control by the East India Company. The life and death struggle that preceded this formalisation of British control lasted nearly two years, cost £36 million, and is variously referred to as the 'Great Rebellion', the 'Indian Mutiny' or the 'First War of Indian Independence'. Inevitably, the consequences of this bloody rupture marked the nature of political, social and economic rule that... [читать подробенее]
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FEATURED READERS NOVEMBER 2013
HOW TO EXPECT WHAT YOU'RE NOT EXPECTING:
Stories of Pregnancy, Parenthood, and Loss
Join us for the launch of this anthology. Featured readers are Cathy Stonehouse, Fiona Lam, Janet Baker and Yvonne Blomer.
One size fits all does not apply to pregnancy and childbirth. Each one is different, unique, and comes with its share of pleasure and pain. But how does one prepare for an unexpected loss of a pregnancy or hoped-for baby? In How to Expect What You're Not Expecting, writers share their true stories of miscarriage, stillbirth, infertility, and other, related losses. This literary anthology picks up where some pregnancy books end and offers diverse, honest, and moving essays that can prepare and guide women and their families for when the unforeseen happens.
See more at Touchwood Editions.
Elizabeth Bachinsky (photo: David Ellingsen)
BACHINSKY
& MALEEA ACKER
Elizabeth Bachinsky is the author of five collections of poetry: Curio, Home of Sudden Service, God of Missed Connections, I Don't Feel So Good and The Hottest Summer in Recorded History (Nightwood Editions, 2013). Her poetry
has been nominated for awards including the Pat Lowther Award, The Kobzar Literary Award, The George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature, the Governor General's Award for Poetry and the Bronwen Wallace Award, and has appeared in literary journals, anthologies and on film around the world. She lives in Vancouver where she is an instructor of creative writing and the Editor of EVENT magazine.
Maleea Acker
Maleea Acker is the author of The Reflecting Pool, with Pedlar Press (poetry), and Gardens Aflame: Garry Oak Meadows of BC’s South Coast, with New Star Books (non-fiction). Her second book of poetry, Air-Proof Green, will appear with Pedlar this Fall. Her poetry and interviews have also been published in journals such as Fiddlehead, Other Poetry, The Malahat Review, Prism International, Descant, Event, Ascent and the anthologies Best Canadian Poetry in English, 2008, Rocksalt, Poems from Planet Earth (Leaf Press, 2013), Force Field (Mother Tongue Press, 2013) and the forthcoming I Found it at the Movies (Guernica Editions, 2014). Maleea holds an MFA in Writing from the University of Victoria. She works as a writing instructor, freelance writer and for the non-profit, Veterinarians without Borders. She lives on Vancouver island.
day moon rising by Terry Ann Carter
TERRY ANN CARTER & CATHERINE GREENWOOD
Terry Ann Carter recently moved from Ottawa to Victoria. She is the author of four books of poetry: day moon rising, Waiting for Julia, Transplanted, and A Crazy Man Thinks He’s Ernest in Paris, which was nominated for the Archibald Lampman Award. She is a member of the Canadian League of Poets, The Canadian Authors association, Haiku Canada, and the Haiku Society of America. She has also performed extensive volunteer work, serving as the Canadian chair of Tabitha, an organization providing aid to the impoverished people of Cambodia.
day moon rising has been nominated for the Acorn-Plantos Award. Read more at Black Moss Press.
Catherine Greenwood
Catherine Greenwood reads from The Lost Letters. Find out more at brickbooks.ca
Catherine Greenwood’s poetry has been widely published in journals and anthologies; her first book, The Pearl King and Other Poems (Brick Books, 2004), was a Kiriyama Prize notable book. She works for British Columbia’s Ministry of Justice in Victoria, where she lives with her husband, the writer Steve Noyes.
The Lost Letters creates a world of wonder tinged with sadness on behalf of so much that goes unnoticed, whether it’s a bin of severed sows’ ears, a lizard tethered by its tail who severs it by self-amputation, or a down-and-out old schoolmate.
“…at her best like Elizabeth Bishop on caffeine.”—Marilyn Bowering
Marilyn Bowering
& DENNIS E. BOLEN
Marilyn Bowering is a Canadian poet, novelist and playwright. She was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, grew up in Victoria, BC, and currently lives in Sooke, BC. Marilyn Bowering is married and has one daughter. Her most recent collection of poems is Soul Mouth (Exile Editions, 2012).
Dennis E. Bolen
Dennis E. Bolen has led the literary life since his late teens, experimenting with poetry in high school before taking two university degrees in creative writing. He published seven books of fiction with three different publishers over a career that saw him work as editor for sub-TERRAIN magazine, part-time editorial writer for the Vancouver Sun, and freelance literature critic for several publications. Over the years Mr. Bolen has
sat on the executive of the Canadian Authors Association and assisted with the annual Summer Dreams literary festival. His return to poetry, the largely autobiographical collection Black Liquor, was published by Caitlin Press in September 2013.
Wendy Morton (photo: Rhonda Ganz)
WENDY MORTON & SANDRA LYNN LYNXLEG
Wendy Morton believes that poetry is the shortest distance between hearts. For the past four years she has focused on the books of poetry in the Elder Project, connecting Aboriginal youth with their Elders. She has five books of poetry, and a memoir, Six Impossible Things Before Breakfast, in which her adventures as a corporate-sponsored poet are revealed. She is the founder of Canada’s Random Acts of Poetry project, and was the recipient of the 2012 Colleen Thibaudeau Outstanding Contribution Award from the League of Canadian Poets, the 2010 Spirit Bear Award. Wendy lives in Sooke, BC, where she spent 30 years as an insurance investigator. Learn more about her here.
Sandra Lynxleg
Sandra Lynn Lynxleg was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1961. She is a status member of the Tootinaowaziibeeng Treaty Reserve No. 4 in Manitoba. Her father is of Scottish-Irish heritage and her mother is Saulteaux (Ojibwe-Cree). She is thrilled to launch her first book of poetry, Glass Beads, published by Black Moss Press in November 2013. She currently resides and works in Vernon, BC for School District 22 (Vernon) as a District Principal, Aboriginal Education. Sandra holds a UBC B.Ed. degree through UBC’s Native Indian Teacher Education Program (NITEP) and a UBC MFA, Creative Writing. Sandra has been published in Fiddlehead, Leaf Press, Our Canada Magazine, Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, and Ricepaper Magazine. Her work was anthologized in Force Field – 77 Women Poets of BC, published by Mother Tongue Publishing.
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2003 Parlington Site
Ghosts and Stuff!
Stereo Images
Please Note (Update August 2008)
The Site has been substantially redesigned with a lot of new content recently, if you entered from a search engine or bookmark to a particular page it's possible you have missed the new section, to visit it, please go to the Intro Page and navigate from there. If you wish to return to this old site there are links available in a menu on the right of the new pages, which when clicked will show the full listing.
Parlington Hall :: The Demolitions of 1952 :: Page One
The image at the head of this page was taken in 1952 by a photographer called Herbert Felton, for the National Monuments Record [NMR], at that time many houses were being demolished and the NMR made efforts to record for posterity the buildings that had for many years been part of the English landscape, before they disappeared forever. Parlington was one such example. The following pictures are the best examples available of the final days of the old hall.
There are four photographs of the Hall all taken on the same day in 1952, judging by the angle of the shadows, they were taken in the afternoon, in the summer months. Two pictures are of the south elevation and two more from the opposite side looking at the exposed structure on the north elevation. This section will look in some detail at these revealing pictures.
Detail One
Detail One image above shows the junction between the bay window and the main wall, this reveals that the bay window may well have been added on to the south elevation, the clue is the stone coursing which is different from that of the main wall. A clear indication that the bay window is a later feature.
Detail Two
A second clue is the nature of the stone detailing in the jambs and parapet stonework of the bay, both have more intricate embelishments, than the stone jambs, string courses and parapet of the main elevation.
Detail Three
The elevations shown here were constructed in the 1730's for Sir Edward Gascoigne, from his diaries of the time he noted the payment Pd Thackeray for corner stones and windows of the east end of the front.
Recent excavations show the stonework of the south elevation and bay window. [Bay stonework plinths on the left & the main wall to the right, in the centre is a box shaped surface water drain.]
The stones shown in the photograph above are from the corner of the bay and main wall, both were disturbed within the excavation and hence removed to allow the line of the structure to be clear. [The stones disruption was possibly due to the proximity of the rainwater pipe in the corner which may have been of lead, which would have been recovered during demolitions]
The stonework is limestone and looks to be of a similar type to that found on the nearby Almshouses, perhaps from the quarry at Huddlestone which had come into the ownership of the Gascoignes with the marriage of Sir Edward to Mary, daughter of Sir Francis Hungate of Huddlestone Hall.
The iron stains on the masonry are probably from the fixings in the wall which carried the creeper!! The stone has a chamfer along it's top and is clearly a plinth projecting at the foot of the wall by around 2 inches.
The wall plinth stones continuing to the east, shown above. The hole in the centre is the partly blocked air vent into the cellar, this wall is that of the small drawing room adjacent to the bay window of the dining room.
The Original Parlington Site :: Circa 2003
The Parlington Website is approaching it's fourth birthday! The first site, comprising just a couple of pages, can be viewed by clicking on the link above, or here.
This site was the starting point of what has become a serious research project. It all started following a discussion with a local resident who firmly believed that the existing structures [The West Wing] had nothing to do with Parlington Hall, which in any event had been deliberately burnt down by the Gascoigne Family themselves. [Where do people get these ideas from?]
I was intrigued to discover more of the old place and started to seek out information from wherever I could. The resulting website has grown substantially during this period. However it has ceased to be suitable to cope with the continuing volume of data that I would like to present on the site.
The site is now being re-designed along the lines of this page and to make things easier I am going to run it via a database and use Lasso to add logic to the mechanics of the site.
[Revision 26th August 2007. A weekend of digging has produced some new finds, the discovery yesterday of the end wall of the Drawing Room and a plinth which carried the Conservatory still insitu, leads me to the conclusion that the stone parapets mentioned here, are not from the Bay Window. They are in fact pieces of the base (plinth) to the Conservatory. The curved stone pieces are from the semi-circular end of the glass Conservatory. More on this later, but two things are cleared up, one, the stone is sandstone which was in contrast to the limestone of the bay and had always puzzled me, secondly the inserts for what I took to be a balustrade fixing are obviously the supports for the conservatory frame!] Amidst the woods, not far from where the Hall stood, are these sections of stone parapet from the bay. Both have signs of being ripped from their respective locations by a hauser or chain being wrapped around the centre of the stone and pulled from the wall by a heavy machine such a crane, pure vandalism! The stone is still largely in excellent condition and could have found a use elsewhere, were it not so damaged.
Although not apparent from the main views of the Hall, in any pictures featuring on the site, there are lead filled sockets in the top of the stonework from an iron balustrade around the bay, indicating it was used as a terrace. Therefore the centre opening overlooking the bay may have been a door. The two outer windows are seen in some pictures with the lower sash open.
The site has grown considerably over the last couple of years and to reflect the increasing need to update the site a different design and layout is being introduced, progressively. This section reflects the new design, which is simpler in form and uses Lasso to add enhanced features that are not possible with straight html pages.
The National Monuments Record, based in Swindon, Wiltshire is the public archive of English Heritage and have a collection of over 10 million historic photographs. The pictures of Parlington were taken during 1952 by Herbert Felton F.R.P.S. They were presented to the [NMR] in November 1953.
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Home » Science » Global Warming » History of Global Warming and Climatology
History of Global Warming and Climatology
The foundation of contemporary research on global warming was established in the nineteenth century. Scientists noted the ability of gases in the atmosphere to provide a greenhouse effect, and discovered the correlation between the level of carbon dioxide and the earth's temperature. They also noted the increase in carbon dioxide during the Industrial Revolution.
The invention of Freon in the late 1920s played a significant role in the history of global warming. This colorless gas comprised of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) ended up cooling almost every refrigerator manufactured from the 1930s onward, and helped spark the air conditioning industry. In the late 1940s, it was found to make an excellent propellant for aerosol cans. Insecticides, hair spray, deodorants, and household cleaners were just some of the widely-used products containing CFCs.
In 1974, Dr. Mario Molina, a researcher in the chemistry department at the University of California, theorized that CFCs were destroying the ozone layer. After a few years of additional research by the National Academy of Sciences, the United States banned the use of CFCs in most aerosol cans.
Other scientific studies began to show a relationship between the use of fossil fuels and an increase in carbon dioxide. The number of automobiles on the road increased with the post-World War II population boom; in the 1950s, most cars were rather large and inefficient, and leaded gasoline was the norm. However, the smog that hung over cities was attributed mostly to industry. In 1963, the United States passed the first Clean Air Act, which set emissions standards for industry, but not for vehicles.
In 1965, geophysicist Roger Revelle, of the President's Science Advisory Committee Panel on Environmental Pollution, warned of the possibility of global warming from the accumulation of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases. During the next few decades, scientists from many disciplines, including biology, physics, meteorology, climatology, chemistry, and geology contributed research that demonstrated significant changes were taking place, and made dire predictions.
In response, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Program established the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 1988, to assess the data and identify options that might stop global warming. The IPCC became the most influential group on the issue.
In 1970, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) amended the Clean Air Act and set limits for vehicle emissions in response to data that showed vehicles were responsible for roughly 80 percent of the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The Clean Air Act was further amended in 1990 to address new environmental concerns such as toxic pollutants and acid deposition.
In 1992, representatives from 170 countries met in Rio de Janeiro at the UN Conference on Environment and Development, commonly referred to as the "Earth Summit." The goal of this meeting was to ensure that all industrial nations shared responsibility for global warming and other environmental issues. The 1992 Earth Summit produced a treaty called the Convention on Biological Diversity that specified conservation strategies, species protection, ecosystem oversight, environmental restoration, and economic incentives for environment-friendly policy and actions. The Convention on Biological Diversity requires each member government to develop a self-implemented strategy and plan of action for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in their country.
Perhaps the most widely known global initiative is the Kyoto Protocol, which the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took up in 1997. The United States, under the administration of President Bill Clinton, agreed to this treaty and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 7 percent. The U.S. Senate blocked the ratification of the treaty and introduced the Hagel-Byrd Resolution, which stressed the importance of economic priorities and the belief that developing nations, including China and India, should also be required to participate in the Kyoto Protocol, which exempted developing nations because their per-capita emissions levels were considered low. Ultimately, the United States, the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, supported but did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol. The Kyoto Protocol has resulted in numerous associated environmental gains including the creation of the European Climate Change Program in 2000 and the development of a pro-climate alliance across all decision-making levels of the European Union system.
Environmental regulation focusing on ending global warming has been criticized by businesses for ignoring production processes, being expensive and excessive. Critics argue that environmental regulation has traditionally focused on "end-of-the pipe" solutions (such as emissions or waste control) rather than addressing the basic processes that created the initial environmental problem.
Find More Articles on this Topic Courtesy of THE LIBRARY OF VIRGINIA
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Rimington Trophy
The Rimington Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding center in NCAA Division FBS football.
Rimington Trophy Selection
The winner of the Rimington Trophy will be selected by determining the consensus All-American center pick from three existing All-America Teams.
While more than a dozen All-America football teams are selected annually, the Rimington Trophy committee will use these prestigious teams to determine a winner:
Walter Camp Foundation (WCF)
Sporting News (SN)
Football Writers Association of America (FWAA)
The Rimington Trophy will also use these teams to determine the winner of the center award. Because the selectors of these All-America teams can place centers in a "mix" of offensive linemen that includes guards and tackles, their 11-man first teams can often have two centers. Our policy will be to count all players that play primarily the center position for their respective teams as centers, even though they maybe listed as guards or tackles on the three All-American teams.
The center with the most first team votes will be determined the winner. If there is a tie with first team votes, then the center with most second team votes will win. If there is still a tie, the winner will be determined by the Rimington Trophy committee.
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Real Animal Welfare
Dog overpopulation is over.
Many people incorrectly believe that the United States has an overpopulation of homeless dogs. While numbers are sometimes skewed in order to make that appear to be the case, the fact is that there is NO overpopulation of dogs in this country. Many statistics that are used include cats. While there is in fact an overpopulation of homeless cats in this country, when you remove the number of cats from the overall count, statistics reflect a different set of facts regarding dogs.
The director of shelter operations Lisa Feder for the Vancouver Humane Society said it best in a news article highlighting the need for her shelter to import dogs for adoption;
“We have been telling people for years to adopt from shelters, but we’ve also said spay and neuter. We have spay-and-neutered ourselves out of a population of animals.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA);
78 million dogs are owned in the United States and approximately 44% of all households in the United States have a dog.
Approximately 3.3 million dogs enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. After more than 2.5 million are reunited with their owners or adopted out, approximately 670,000 remaining dogs are euthanized every year in the country. This statistic does not take into account how many of the 670,000 are euthanized due to temperament or health issues making them un-adoptable. It also does not reflect the large proportion of Pit Bull type dogs that enter the shelter system that are not as desired by the public due to local bans, liability insurance costs, and landlord issues, as well as public perception. While there are pockets of areas in the country that deal with homeless pets, there are also areas of the country that are dealing with a shortage of adoptable pets and have turned to importing dogs from other states or into the country to fill demand. In fact, some shelters and rescues have resorted to purchasing dogs, puppies and even pregnant dogs from breeders to fill demand!
Mark Cushing of the Animal Policy Group says that there is a demand for approximately 8 million dogs and puppies every year.
Even if we do not euthanize a single dog, even ones with temperament issues, health issues or placement issues, we will still have a dog shortage of approximatley 7.3 million…PER YEAR!
Where are the dogs coming from?
Miami Dade Shelter VS Baby
Pet Finder is a popular web platform where shelters and rescues list puppies and dogs for sale/adoption. However, Pet Finder is also a place where you can find dogs and puppies that already HAVE homes but were not returned to their rightful owners by certain shelters...
Rhode Island State Vet Doesn’t Think Banning Pet Stores is Smart | Rescue Will Step In
New York Registered Rescues & Shelters
Here is the 2018 New York List of Rescues and Shelters. Registered Rescues in New York
Resources Pet Store Puppies Zayzoo Terms
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Matthew Tuck Guitar & Vocals
Michael Padget Guitar & Vocals
Jason JamesBass & Vocals
Michael ThomasDrums
"Where the fuck have all the riffs gone?"
That's what Matt Tuck wants to know. He and his fellow Bridgend band-mates have been listening to the radio, going to shows, and - for the last 7 years - answering that often-asked question with their own metal-clad minstrelsy known as 'Bullet for My Valentine' - one of the most intense acts to come out of Wales since mega-groups Funeral for a Friend and Lostprophets put that outer-rim of the musical galaxy on the map. But make no mistake: geography is where their similarities end. Chalk it up to teenage years spent worshipping the likes of Metallica, Testament, and the almighty Iron Maiden.
"We were all kind of bewildered by how huge those bands got," continues Tuck. "It wasn't jealousy, but we didn't see a reason why that couldn't be us."
In fact, there is no reason, because this fearsome foursome's supercharged riffage and soaring vocalsharken back to a time in the UK when how good you were had to do with how well you played - something they're convinced is lost on too many of today's flash-in-the-pan upstarts.
"We're proud to say that there isn't a single indie band in South Wales ," says guitarist
Michael 'Padge 'Padget. "I don't see how a band can stand there for 40minutes and just sing bollocks. What's the point? It's about putting on a show!"
And that attitude's already won Bullet' a coveted support-slot with American metal-beasts Chimaira on their recent stint in the UK, a tour gave them an unforgettable taste of life on the road, not to mention a bit of intimate time with each-other.
"There was the four of us stuffed in the back of arider," laughs Tuck. "We didn't mind though, we're completely committed to this, even if that did mean knowing each other a little better than we should."
But what really mattered was getting known on the road, and it wasn't long before they got the call they'd been waiting for: an opening slot at the 2004 Download Festival. But where many bands would see their invitation to the legendary home of metal as a crowning achievement, these Welshmen saw it just the beginning. Not to say they didn't "appreciate" a chance to obliterate the Barfly stage, but they've set their sights higher.
"We drove up there at dawn with music cranked right up to 11," beams bass-man Jason James. "There we were at 10 in the morning, standing on the main-stage with beers in our hands. It was like, 'well, this is it boys. This is where we're meant to be."
If that sounds arrogant to you, think again. This foursome have already experienced the kind of setbacks that would have left a lesser-band in ruins. Bullet for my Valentine were formed from the ashes of Jeff Killed John, a band that - name aside - had everything going for it; great friends, good songs, and enough experience playing 'shitty gig after shitty gig with everyone telling us to fuck off' to last them a lifetime. That is, until one day two years ago their bassist decided to quit. His timing couldn't have been worse.
"We were due to go in the studio on Saturday, and he quit on the Friday," sighs Tuck. "Everything went completely tits up, and it was a really big kick in the balls but it made us stronger."
Strong enough to recruit a new bass player, and strong enough to take a critical look at themselves and see what had gone wrong. The result was a new sound based on what they wanted to play rather than what the then nu-metal-loving media wanted to hear, a new name to fit Matt Tuck's darkly romantic lyrics, and a new lease on a career they're determined to pursue 'til the end of their days.
"Everyone's been dumped, sure they have," says Tuck. " Not everyone's been dumped by a psycho. Some of our music's actually quite uplifting, but a lot of it isn't. This IS supposed to be fun, right?"
Certainly fun enough to write songs like 'Hand of Blood', a chugging, fist-throwing, chorus-laden anthem that's already received a stunning visual treatment. Lacking the funds to put on the kind of big-budget Hollywood production they'd envisioned, the band unanimously opted for the next-best thing. That is, getting 150 people to crowd into a garage and have fake-blood rained down on them in a disco-bloodbath inspired by a scene from the Wesley Snipes Vampire flick 'Blade'. Indeed, Slayer would be proud. But like the classic-metal masterpieces that inspire them, Bullet for my Valentine don't believe in re-inventing the wheel. They've discovered the power of the riff, and they've got the balls and the bravado to see that no one soon forgets it.
http://www.bulletformyvalentine1.com
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Select other Kings Brown, Dustin Campbell, Jack Carter, Jeff Clifford, Kyle Doughty, Drew Forbort, Derek Grundstrom, Carl Iafallo, Alex Kempe, Adrian Kopitar, Anze Kovalchuk, Ilya LaDue, Paul Lewis, Trevor Lizotte, Blake MacDermid, Kurtis Martinez, Alec Quick, Jonathan Roy, Matt Ryan, Joakim Toffoli, Tyler Wagner, Austin Walker, Sean Kings Roster
Team: Los Angeles Kings Height: 6-1 Born: 1/8/1987
Position: RW Weight: 205 Birthplace: Salt Lake City, Utah
Game Logs 2018-2019
Date Opp Result G A Pts +/- PIM SOG SPct. PP PPA SHG SHA GWG TOI
10/05 SJ OTL 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 4 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:16
10/07 Det W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 5 - 0 0 0 0 0 16:58
10/09 @ Wpg L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 12:29
10/11 @ Mon W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:18
10/13 @ Ott L 1-5 1 0 1 0 0 3 33.3% 0 0 0 0 0 12:26
10/15 @ Tor L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 12:17
10/18 NYI L 2-7 0 0 0 -2 0 4 - 0 0 0 0 0 16:05
10/20 Buf L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 13:44
10/23 @ Dal L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 - 0 0 0 0 0 15:43
10/25 @ Min L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:23
10/28 NYR W 4-3 1 0 1 -1 0 2 50.0% 0 0 0 0 0 16:06
11/01 Phi L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:00
11/03 Cls W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 - 0 0 0 0 0 11:20
11/06 Anh W 4-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 15:48
11/08 Min L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 11:37
11/10 Cgy L 0-1 0 0 0 -1 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 11:47
11/13 Tor L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:07
02/11 @ Was L 4-6 0 1 1 2 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 11:54
02/14 Van L-SO 3-4 0 1 1 1 2 4 - 0 0 0 0 0 13:05
02/16 Bos L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 11:09
02/18 Was L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 10:14
02/21 @ Nsh L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 15:57
02/23 @ Fla L 1-6 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 12:49
02/25 @ TB L-SO 3-4 0 1 1 2 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:01
02/26 @ Car L 1-6 0 0 0 -1 0 3 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:24
02/28 Dal OTL 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:18
03/02 Chi W 6-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 12:43
03/05 Mon L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 10:12
03/07 StL L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 12:49
03/09 @ Ari L 2-4 0 0 0 -1 0 4 - 0 0 0 0 0 16:19
03/10 @ Anh W 3-2 0 1 1 0 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 13:48
03/14 Nsh L 1-3 0 1 1 1 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 12:21
03/16 Fla L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 17:34
03/18 Wpg L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 12:32
03/21 SJ W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 17:33
03/23 Anh W-SO 4-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 15:15
03/25 @ Cgy W 3-0 0 1 1 2 0 3 - 0 0 0 0 0 15:47
03/26 @ Edm L 4-8 0 0 0 -2 5 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 13:24
03/28 @ Van L-SO 2-3 0 1 1 0 0 1 - 0 0 0 0 0 12:59
03/30 Chi W 3-2 0 1 1 1 2 2 - 0 0 0 0 0 17:13
04/02 @ Ari W 3-1 1 0 1 1 0 3 33.3% 0 0 0 0 1 15:17
04/05 @ Anh L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 3 - 0 0 0 0 0 14:42
04/06 VGK W 5-2 0 0 0 -1 0 4 - 0 0 0 0 0 13:44
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Home Technology The state of the smartphone
The state of the smartphone
A few manufacturers have managed to buck global trends. Can 5G and foldables turn things around for the rest?
Earlier this month, Canalys used the word “freefall” to describe its latest reporting. Global shipments fell 6.8% year over year. At 313.9 million, they were at their lowest level in nearly half a decade.
Of the major players, Apple was easily the hardest hit, falling 23.2% year over year. The firm says that’s the “largest single-quarter decline in the history of the iPhone.” And it’s not an anomaly, either. It’s part of a continued slide for the company, seen most recently in its Q1 earnings, which found the handset once again missing Wall Street expectations. That came on the tale of a quarter in which Apple announced it would no longer be reporting sales figures.
Tim Cook has placed much of the iPhone’s slide at the feet of a disappointing Chinese market. It’s been a tough nut for the company to crack, in part due to a slowing national economy. But there’s more to it than that. Trade tensions and increasing tariffs have certainly played a role — and things look like they’ll be getting worse before they get better on that front, with a recent bump from a 10 to 25% tariff bump on $60 billion in U.S. goods.
It’s important to keep in mind here that many handsets, regardless of country of origin, contain both Chinese and American components. On the U.S. side of the equation, that includes nearly ubiquitous elements like Qualcomm processors and a Google-designed operating system. But the causes of a stagnating (and now declining) smartphone market date back well before the current administration began sowing the seeds of a trade war with China.
Image via Miguel Candela/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty ImagesThe underlying factors are many. For one thing, smartphones simply may be too good. It’s an odd notion, but an intense battle between premium phone manufacturers may have resulted in handsets that are simply too good to warrant the long-standing two-year upgrade cycle. NPD Executive Director Brad Akyuz tells TechCrunch that the average smartphone flagship user tends to hold onto their phones for around 30 months — or exactly two-and-a-half years.
That’s a pretty dramatic change from the days when smartphone purchases were driven almost exclusively by contracts. Smartphone upgrades here in the States were driven by the standard 24-month contract cycle. When one lapsed, it seemed all but a given that the customer would purchase the latest version of the heavily subsidized contract.
But as smartphone build quality has increased, so too have prices, as manufacturers have raised margins in order to offset declining sales volume. “All of a sudden, these devices became more expensive, and you can see that average selling price trend going through the roof,” says Akyuz. “It’s been crazy, especially on the high end.”
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Next articleMicrosoft aims to train and certify 15,000 workers on A.I. skills by 2022
Pokémon GO battles will soon be less tappy, more Fruit Ninja-y
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Alfonso Ribeiro And Angela Unkrich
Information about Alfonso Ribeiro And Angela Unkrich
Alfonso Lincoln Ribeiro Sr. (born September 21, 1971) is an American actor, comedian, dancer, director and television personality. He played Alfonso Spears on the sitcom Silver Spoons, Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and Maxwell Stanton on In the House. He is the host of ABC's America's Funniest Home Videos, replacing host Tom Bergeron, who left after 14 years. Ribeiro hosted the GSN game show Catch 21, the ABC Family show Spell-Mageddon, and the television show Dance 360. He also starred in the title role of the Broadway musical The Tap Dance Kid, and took part in the 13th series of the British reality show I'm a Celebrity. . . Get Me Out of Here! Ribeiro won Season 19 of Dancing with the Stars with professional partner Witney Carson.
Alfonso Ribeiro Wife And Kids
Alfonso Ribeiro Dancing With The Stars
Alfonso Ribeiro Net Worth
Alfonso Ribeiro Pepsi Commercial
Alfonso Ribeiro Dead
Alfonso Ribeiro Dance
Alfonso Ribeiro Doing The Carlton Dance
Alfonso Ribeiro Daughter
Alfonso Ribeiro Height
Jack Kirby Argo [98]
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Back In Time: Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy Kilmister have dinner together
A few years ago two legends had dinner together and this great moment was capture on camera. Ozzy Osbourne and Lemmy Kilmister were great friends and wrote some songs for each other, like “Hellraiser” that was written by Lemmy and recorded by Ozzy and they also made a classic ballad together “I Ain’t No Nice Guy”, released by Motörhead.
See the special moment below:
Recently, Ozzy said that he called Lemmy on the day he died:
“I miss having him around, he was a nice guy,” Ozzy said. “I called him the day he died. I knew he was dying. He didn’t even know it was me. I had to say to him, ‘It’s Ozzy, Lem.’ I said, ‘Lemmy, please stay put, I’m coming.’
“I told Sharon, ‘Fuck you, get in the car, let’s go to his apartment.’ And as we were leaving, she came to me and said, ‘Don’t worry, he’s gone.’ It sank me. It hit me too hard, I will not pretend not to. ”Lemmy was already facing health problems and died in December 2015.
Lemmy Kilmister, died of cancer at his home at age 70. According to the official Facebook page, the singer and bassist discovered on Saturday (26) that he suffered from an “extremely aggressive” form of the disease.
Related Topics:articles, back in time, CLASSIC ROCK, Featured, hard rock, heavy metal, lemmy kilmister, motorhead, ozzy osbourne
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Vera Farmiga and Jon Bernthal join cast for Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark
We are gradually learning more about The Many Saints of Newark, the upcoming prequel film to HBO’s celebrated television series The Sopranos. Last week show creator David Chase divulged that the movie would explore “Tony’s boyhood” and feature prominently the stories of his father Johnny Boy and uncle Junior Soprano. Now, Variety reports that Vera Farmiga and Jon Bernthal have joined the cast, although their exact roles are yet to be revealed.
Farmiga is known for playing paranormal investigator Lorraine Warren in the The Conjuring franchise and recently starred alongside Hugh Jackman in The Front Runner. She is currently filming the Netflix series Central Park Five and has roles in the upcoming films Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Captive State. Bernthal plays the titular role in Netflix’s Daredevel spin-off The Punisher, which is returning this month for its second season. He will also star alongside Shia LaBeouf in the forthcoming indie film Peanut Butter Falcon.
The pair join Alessandro Nivola, who will portray Dickey Moltisanti, the deceased uncle of Tony Soprano and father of Christopher Moltisanti.
We’ve heard no other casting details at this time, but production for The Many Saints of Newark is set to begin by New Line and Warner Bros. later this year.
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Once Upon a Time's Emilie de Ravin on that heartbreaking Belle ending
‘I couldn’t stop crying,’ the actress says
Отправлено by nermai Больше года
Once Upon a Time recap: 'Beauty'
If Ты didn’t cry during that Up scene, were Ты even watching?
Emilie de Ravin Previews Belle's Return, Happy Ending: 'Prepare to Have a Lot of Emotions'
Tonight on Once Upon a Time, former series regular Emilie de Ravin returns for an episode that, among other things, takes us back to Belle and Rumplestiltskin’s Storybrooke existence before laying ou the road to the couple’s happy ending.
Once Upon a Time: Here's Your First Look at Rumbelle's Happy Ending
In addition to saying goodbye to Emma лебедь (Jennifer Morrison), Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) this season, Once Upon a Time will also have to say goodbye to Belle (Emilie de Ravin).
Once Upon a Time “Beauty” Обои & Описание
ABC has released a few Предварительный просмотр Обои to promote the Once Upon a Time episode “Beauty” but interestingly, the pictures released so far don’t seem to feature the “Beauty” (Belle) in question.
Ratings: Once Upon a Time Slips to New Low, Hawaii Five-0 Tops Night
After holding steady during Week 2 of its “requel” season, ABC’s Once Upon a Time this Friday drew 2.52 million total viewers and a 0.5 demo rating, dipping to its second-smallest audience ever
Once Upon a Time Recap: сердце Attack
It took three weeks, but this Friday on Once Upon a Time we got an idea of what Lady Tremaine’s objective is, both in the other realm and in Hyperion Heights.
Once Upon a Time stars on that Золушка twist
WARNING: This story contains major spoilers from Friday’s episode of Once Upon a Time. Read at your own risk!
The princesses unite to fight on Once Upon a Time
They may be cursed, but some of the residents of Hyperion Heights are beginning to notice something amiss in their quiet Seattle neighborhood — and they’re not alone.
Twitter- #JusticeForAnastasiaTremaine
Отправлено by KataraLover Больше года
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State Economic Council Sets Berkshire Listening Session
01:45PM / Monday, May 13, 2019
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Baker administration's new Economic Development Planning Council will meet at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art next month as a part of a regional listening tour.
Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito on Monday swore in members of the council that will provide input on and oversight of an economic development plan that will be presented to Baker by the end of the year. Polito and Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy will serve as co-chairs of the council.
The council includes appointees of the House, Senate, relevant Executive Secretariats, and municipal leaders, along with small-business owners and entrepreneurs, leaders from key business sectors and higher education.
"Our administration values the unique insight the members of the Economic Development Planning Council will bring under Lt. Gov. Polito and Secretary Kennealy's leadership to continue propelling Massachusetts' economy forward," Baker said in a release announcing the council's agenda. "We remain committed to empowering local communities with the tools and funding needed to succeed and I look forward to reviewing the council's recommendations."
The session on Thursday, June 13, at 10 a.m. at Mass MoCA will be the culmination of the regional engagement tour that begins Salem State University on Wednesday. In all, the council will visit eight regions throughout the state, including Springfield Technical Community College at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, May 21.
Members of the council include Pat Begrowicz, owner and president of Onyx Specialty Papers in Lee; Stephen Boyd, CEO of Boyd Technologies in Lee and Brian Fairbank, chairmanof The Fairbank Group of Hancock.
The council and process are guided by Section 16G of Chapter 6A of the Massachusetts General Laws, which requires a new economic development plan formulated and signed by the governor within the first year of a new administration. The council will embark on regional engagement sessions across the state to obtain public input in the development of a new economic development plan, which the council will approve and present to the governor to guide economic policy over the next four years.
"With council members hailing from the Berkshires to the Cape, representing industries ranging from health care to financial services to manufacturing, from entrepreneurial ventures to large established companies, the composition of this council will ensure Massachusetts benefits from a diversity of perspectives," Polito said in the statement.
At the onset of the Baker-Polito administration's first term in 2015, a similar process resulted in the "Opportunities For All" plan. This formed the basis for the administration's economic development policy and led to the filing of economic development legislation in 2016 and 2018. Together with the Legislature, the resulting bills signed by Baker collectively authorized more than $2 billion toward growing the economy and promoting regional equity within Massachusetts.
Since 2015, the administration has invested $1.5 billion in grants in more than 300 communities, spurring the addition of thousands of jobs and housing across the commonwealth.
More information can be found here.
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Philippine eagle “Pamana’s” flight to freedom on Independence Day #FlyFreePamana
Posted on June 10, 2015 Noemi Lardizabal-DadoPosted in Tech News
I would like to commend Globe for partnering with the Philippine Eagle Foundation (PEF). Globe released the following information about this partnership.
Globe Busines partnership will come to fruition with the release of a highly-endangered national symbol to its natural habitat on June 12, 2015.
Heightening the spirit of national pride and environmental consciousness on Independence Day, the enterprise ICT arm of Globe Telecom and the PEF will reintroduce Pamana, a rehabilitated Philippine eagle, at the Mt. Hamiguitan Range in Davao Oriental. The event will be a celebration of a successful tie-up between a business entity and a non-government organization working together for the protection and conservation of the country’s natural resources.
“As an ecologically-responsible company, we take pride in finding opportunities to show our genuine care for the Philippine environment as well as the creatures which thrive within them, such as our collaboration with the PEF. As Pamana takes flight on the most important day of our nationhood, we also hope to fire up the spirit of pride and environmental consciousness among Filipinos as individuals, as well as being the sentinels of Mother Nature within the industries they work for,” said Globe Senior Vice President for the Enterprise Group Nikko Acosta.
On the other hand, PEF Director Dennis Salvador acknowledged that, “We are very glad to have partnered with Globe Business in protecting the environment this side of the country. Taking care of Pamana as well as our environs in Mindanao together for three years is proof to everyone that it is possible to have a synergy between the private sector and groups such as the PEF for the higher good of our environment.”
According to the PEF, the Philippine Eagle (Pithecophaga jefferyi) is listed in the International Union for Conservation of Nature as “critically endangered,” or facing severe habitat loss, an extreme fluctuating population, and the possibility of future generations not seeing them in the wild. With a conservative estimate of only about 1,000 individual eagles remaining, the Philippine Eagle faces continued threats of shooting, hunting, trapping, and deforestation that further threaten its dwindling population.
In 2012, Pamana was retrieved in Iligan City and turned over to the PEF after suffering two gunshot wounds: one on its left breast and another on its left wing. It was immediately brought to the Phil. Eagle Center in Davao City where it was treated until full recovery three years after. The eagle was deemed to have been a target for possible poaching, as its severed talons may fetch up to US$200 a pair. Its other parts, including the feathers, wings and head, are also valuable items sold in the black market, where a whole body of the raptor may sell for US$1,000, according to various websites.
“For an endangered species like the Philippine eagle, every individual counts. Thus, the ultimate goal of our rescue and rehabilitation is to eventually release them back in the wild where they belong. These released raptors will help augment wild populations by replacing old and dying individuals. Pamana’s reintroduction to the area will hopefully contribute to increasing and improving its population once it finds its mate and breeds,” Salvador pointed out.
Meanwhile, Acosta confirmed that this year, Globe Business will continue its support PEF through an additional P500,000 grant in the aforementioned areas of work to ensure that more Philippine eagles like Pamana can be cared for and eventually set free in the wild. In their three-year partnership, total funding by Globe Business to PEF has reached about P1.2 million. The Head of Globe Business also noted that engaging Philippine corporations to similar causes for the environment can create a greater scale and impact for conservation programs.
Donations may be coursed through Globe Rewards points of 40, 20, 10 and 5 by texting DONATE PAMANA and send to 4438, while GCash account holders may follow the steps after dialing *143# and choosing “GCash” in the menu.
Nyne audio: bluetooth speakers for the active lifestyle
Digital5 rolls out 3 new original online programming: Kwentong Barbero, Tanods, Kontrabando
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Home/Podcasts/Transformational Writing with Kris Johnson
Transformational Writing with Kris Johnson
When writing their expert books, a lot of entrepreneurs and field experts make the mistake of discussing the process and how they do their business and their daily routine instead of focusing on the results and what the client needs really are. That causes problems for the writer because more often than not, it only makes sense to the actual person who wrote it. It’s not going to serve the purpose of elevating himself as an expert and actually giving value to the people who are reading it. Kris Johnson says transformational writing is all about building that connection between the reader and the writer. The world has changed so much and people want to know that they’re going to get an answer to their problem. Kris is a professional writer with an MFA, a credentialed teacher, and a writing coach. She talks about transformational writing and points out some of the biggest mistakes people make when writing their expert books.
I am excited to have one of my clients and one of my dear friends, Kristy Boyd Johnson. Kristy has ghosted over 21 books, nonfiction books at that, for a variety of businesses. She’s an Honors graduate of National University’s Professional Screenwriting Program with an MFA, an award-winning children’s book writer and a former teacher. She’s also an award-winning screenwriter. Kristy has combined her love of writing and teaching and formed her premier coaching business, the New Author Project to help entrepreneurs and small business owners develop their ideas into viable books. If you ever wanted to write a book, go to www.CrushYourExpertBook.com and take her quiz and see where you stand in the process. The process is everything in a book when you figure out what the mistakes are that people do. Welcome, Kristy. We’re going to talk about the big mistake that small business owners and entrepreneurs make when writing their expert books. That big problem is discussing the process instead of focusing on what the client needs are and the results. I agree with that 100% because I read books all the time where they tell us how they’re going to do that. They think it’s important because it’s different than how other people do it, but people don’t care. What they care about is, “Am I going to get results? Am I going to get benefits from this book?” Can you define what you mean by writers discussing the process and go deeper into that one?
Thanks, Juliet, for having me. I feel honored to be here and I appreciate it. You said it pretty well. When an author discusses their process, it literally means that they’re writing about their process, how they do their business or their daily routine. I thought of an example of a person. I worked with a chiropractor, we’ll call him Dr. X. He wanted to write a book to promote his business and then also elevate himself as an author, elevate himself to the level of expert. His first book that he brought me was all about how he works with the client when they come in, how gentle he is, how he finds out what needs adjusting and how he’s different with children, adults, elderly people or athletes. It was all about him. It was also a monster. I read a few pages and I was like, “It’s not going to work,” because nobody cares how you do it.
Stories are the best thing because they connect emotionally with the reader. Click To Tweet
That causes problems for the writer because more often than not, that’s what you get. The book is a monster. It’s a long ramble. It doesn’t make much sense. It only makes sense to the actual person who wrote it. It’s not going to serve the purpose of elevating himself as an expert and giving value to the people who are reading or either his clients currently or potential clients. The reason is essentially that there’s no connection between the reader and the writer. When you read any book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, you have to feel connected. In fiction, generally you feel connected to the character. You’re rooting for him or you’re against him, but you’re connected to it. In nonfiction, you have to feel connected to the writer because the writer is writing something of value to the reader. If the reader doesn’t feel that, it doesn’t happen.
That’s the difference in marketing the two and why it’s much harder to market fiction. You have to have people fall in love with the characters before they know them, which is difficult sometimes. Nobody knows who they are until three, four, five books in. For me, it was my third book. It was difficult up until then. Why did they get sucked into that when they’re writing their expert books?
It’s because these people are in fact experts in their field. Their heads are full of all the information that they deal with every single day and has become pretty much second nature to them. That is a commendable thing. That is definitely a good thing that they have the knowledge, but it isn’t enough to show the world how much knowledge you have. They pretty much can figure if you have an MD behind your name or you’re a chiropractor. If you have any initials behind your name that establish credentials or you’ve been working in a field for a very long time, it’s pretty much a given that you’re an expert. The world has changed so much. The world has become this world of tweets and little short blurbs, Facebook posts and attention spans have dwindled, which is tying back to the monster book thing. That’s a big mistake. That’s another big booboo. It’s better for the author to take a very focused part of their business and focus all about on one thing.
Transformational Writing: When you read any book, whether it’s fiction or nonfiction, you have to feel connected.
In my chiropractor example, let’s say he goes, “One of the big problems that my audience has are migraines. Probably 70% of my clients have migraines.” If he chooses them to take that subject and talk not about how he fixes migraines but talks about it in terms of the client, how people suffer from this, maybe statistics on how many people suffer from it so that people can feel like they’re not alone. Weave in the stories of his real-life clients, testimonials, and examples. He can get a little bit in of, “With Jane Doe, I had to be very careful because she had a back injury where she broke her back, so her migraines came from that. Adjusting her was a little different than this athlete over here, who played football and gets migraines because he’s got damaged from playing football.” It depends.
The stories connect emotionally. Story is the best thing. It connects emotionally with the reader. It’s all about uplifting the reader to feel like, “That person got better, so maybe I can get better. Maybe I don’t have to spend three days on the floor with my head packed on ice. Maybe I could go to this person and start to feel better.” That same chiropractor then can go, “I’ve got this first book. Now I’m going to write about low back pain in my next book. I’m going to write about sciatica in my next book. I’m going to write a book specifically about athletes because that’s one of my big audiences, specific needs to athletes and how a chiropractor could help them with their performance.” He’s got four books. He’s got a huge amount of credibility because he’s passed that three-mark, he’s got four. It’s very simple to focus a topic and orient it all towards, “This is going to make you feel better. If you suffer from this, you will feel better and this is why.” That’s what people want. They want to know that they’re going to get an answer to their problem. They don’t care how you do it. They just want it to get fixed.
Focus on one thing that will transform the reader's life in a significant way. Click To Tweet
Here’s another reason why people get so into the process is we have a lot of people come to us and they’ve written a book because a coach told them to. We’ve had people come to us where they’ll say, “I’m stuck on Chapter Eight: Joint Ventures.” We’ll go, “Let’s get through that. Let’s help you.” We’ll hear something like, “I’ve never done one.” We have a lot of that going out there too where they get deep into the process because they don’t know what they’re doing the way they should. That’s probably one of the big downfalls in the expert space as well. You’ve got to have a book, but I don’t even have a practice. I don’t even have a business, so very weird. Explain transformational writing. How is that different?
Transformational writing literally means that you focus your book on the benefits to the client or the reader. It’s all about changing their lives in a significant way but at the same time, it’s only one significant way. There’s no way any expert out there in any field can put every ounce of information that they know about their business into one book. It becomes a monster. It becomes unreadable. It becomes all about them. It’s better to break it up. You focus on one thing that will transform the reader’s life in a significant way. Like with the chiropractor, writing a whole bunch of little smaller books, maybe about 75 pages give or take. Another benefit to the reader is that they go, “I’ve heard of Dr. X. I’ve heard about these books.”
They check out your list of books on Amazon or on your website and they go, “I don’t need migraines. I sit at the computer all day and I have terrible sciatica. I’m going to get that book.” They self-determine what they need, but the author has taken little pieces of, “Here’s how you can feel better,” knowing what they know from their business and made it into something that the reader can benefit from. The reader can go, “There are exercises in here that are exactly for sciatica.” They start doing them and maybe they start feeling better and they go, “I’m going to call this guy because that helped me. If I go to him, I could get rid of this.” That’s what you want. You want to build your clientele. That’s what expert books are for. It’s for the purpose of building up your business, establishing your credibility and authority as an expert in your field and elevating you above every other expert in the same field that’s out there. It doesn’t matter what it is. There’s always a bunch of people in that field.
I met someone back at an event. We’ve chatted for a few minutes and then I realized she had a book. I went and bought her book. I called her and I was like, “We need to have lunch.” I have to tell you it was a fabulous lunch. I told her that book right after I read it, I had a client that came to me and I was like, “I’ve got the perfect exercise for you.” I put her through the exercise that Lauren had in that book and it was pretty amazing. It happens. Can you give our audience a tip about how to avoid these traps?
Transformational Writing: Transformational writing literally means that you focus your book on the benefits to the client or the reader.
I have two tips because they’re so interrelated. Firstly, it’s helpful if the author writes the book in the second person. Meaning you like, “I’m talking to you. If you do this exercise, it will help your sciatica in this way. You should notice this difference within about a week,” or whatever the expert field is. A lot of people resist that because in school, teachers are like, “You never write in second person. You never say you and you never say I.” This isn’t school and it’s an expert book. The purpose of it is to reach an audience. That’s what connects because they feel like they’re being talked to. The second tip I have is focus on one thing, pick something. I have this little trick that I use with people. I tell them, “I want you to write a list of all the things you want to address in your book. Write a list.” They’ll write a list and they’ll come up to ten or twelve items. I say, “See how each one of those is a book.” They go, “What?” They think they don’t have a book in them, but they do. They usually have way more than one book in them. They don’t know it because they don’t know how to focus on it and tailor each book to a specific need.
Thank you so much. That was a lot of great information. You have a quiz and a community on Facebook. Let’s pump them both because I know you put a lot of work into building them both. Where can they find your community over on Facebook?
It’s Crush Your Expert Book on Facebook. Click join and there are three easy questions to answer. Each week, we have different days for different things. Wednesdays is I go Live. It’s tips or information that writers can use.
She has a Feedback Friday every week where you can put a paragraph of your work and she will critique for you. That’s super helpful. You have access to a professional writing coach. Where can they take the quiz and find out where these skills are at?
The quiz is at www.CrushYourExpertBook.com. Go there and take the quiz. It’s very quick, maybe five minutes. You’ll get an email back telling you where you stand and then we can go from there.
Kristy Boyd Johnson
New Author Project
www.CrushYourExpertBook.com
Crush Your Expert Book – Facebook
About Kris Johnson
Kristy Boyd Johnson is an accomplished writer across multiply genres. She has a passion for writing children’s books with a light touch that leave you wondering about possibilities. She has ghostwritten over 20 non-fiction books, and now she helps entrepreneurs write their Expert Books. Additionally, Kristy is an Honors graduate of National University’s School of Professional Studies and holds an M.F.A. in Professional Screenwriting. Personally, Kristy is an avid reader, loves swimming and yoga and playing with her Improv group, and lives with her family in San Diego.
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Goldman Sachs Pulls Out of Raiders Stadium Plan
Mike Aglialoro, NFL January 31, 2017 at 11:51 pm 0 comments
The Raiders’ proposed move to Las Vegas was dealt another blow Tuesday afternoon when investment bank Goldman Sachs withdrew its financial support for the project, sources told ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne. The news comes a day after billionaire casino mogul Sheldon Adelson angrily withdrew from the Raiders’ stadium deal. Adelson had […]
Cardinals Docked Draft Picks, Fined for Hacking Scandal
Mike Aglialoro, MLB January 30, 2017 at 10:04 pm 0 comments
Major League Baseball is ordering the St. Louis Cardinals’ top two picks in the 2017 draft, as well as $2 million, be awarded to the Houston Astros. The announcement came Monday, after MLB completed its investigation regarding the breach of the Astros’ baseball operations database by a former Cardinals’ employee, […]
Colts and 49ers Name New General Managers
Mike Aglialoro, NFL January 29, 2017 at 9:34 pm 0 comments
The San Francisco 49ers and the Indianapolis Colts were the only NFL teams without general managers before Sunday, when both announced who will helm their franchises for the foreseeable future. The 49ers pulled off a shocker, naming Hall of Fame candidate and current FOX analyst John Lynch to the position, […]
Jets Hire Kevin Greene as OLB Coach
Hall of Fame linebacker Kevin Greene is returning to the sideline as a member of the New York Jets’ coaching staff, in a move made official Saturday. Greene will serve as the outside linebackers coach, replacing Mark Collins, who was dismissed after the season. Greene, 54, held the same position […]
NFL Probing Le’Veon Bell’s Status Before AFC Title Game
The NFL is investigating whether the Pittsburgh Steelers properly listed running back Le’Veon Bell on last week’s injury reports, a source told ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter on Friday. Bell said after Sunday’s AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots that he had been managing a groin injury […]
Gordon Hayward, Kemba Walker First Time All-Stars
Mike Aglialoro, NBA January 26, 2017 at 11:20 pm 0 comments
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are teammates again. Gordon Hayward, DeAndre Jordan and Kemba Walker are about to get their first opportunity on the All-Star stage. Meanwhile, Dwyane Wade’s run of 12 straight selections in the NBA’s midseason showcase is on the cusp of ending. Westbrook — the NBA’s scoring […]
Cormier/Johnson Announced for UFC 210
Mike Aglialoro, MMA, UFC January 25, 2017 at 11:57 pm 0 comments
UFC light heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier will attempt to defend his title against Anthony Johnson at UFC 210 on April 8 in Buffalo, New York. Officials announced the championship fight on Wednesday. The UFC 210 pay-per-view event will take place at KeyBank Center. Cormier (18-1) is looking to record his […]
Ben Roethlisberger Undecided on Future
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hinted at retirement on his weekly appearance with 93.7 The Fan, saying Tuesday that he will evaluate his future this offseason. Roethlisberger eventually said he’s not making any declarations and talked several times about next season, but he didn’t commit to returning in 2017. When […]
Los Angeles Dodgers Acquire Logan Forsythe
In the hunt for a second baseman and a leadoff man, the Dodgers found both in Logan Forsythe, whom they acquired Monday from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for highly regarded pitching prospect Jose De Leon. The Dodgers had reportedly been in discussions to acquire slugging second baseman Brian […]
Yordano Ventura, Andy Marte Die In Car Crashes
In what can only be described as the worst of coincidences, two Latin American ball players lost their lives in separate car crashes in the Dominican Republic early Sunday morning. Kansas City Royals pitcher Yordano Ventura, who had a large role in the team’s resurgence that led to the 2015 […]
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Contents tagged with Spain
Spain issues arrest warrant for Russian politicians with ties to Putin
Wednesday, May 4, 2016 10:15:00 AM
Spain has issued an international arrest warrant for Russian politicians and former officials who are closely associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin. These individuals are suspected of being involved in two organized crime groups.
A list of these suspects was made public by Judge José de la Mata. It includes high-ranking officials who have worked, or who are still working for, Russian law enforcement agencies. It also includes individuals working in the judiciary, business, banking …
Spain places United Russia MP on international wanted list
A Deputy of the United Russia Party, Vladislav Reznik, and his spouse Diana Gindin, were declared internationally wanted by Spain, as reported by RBC on March 12th. The MP’s lawyer, Alexander Gofshtein, has confirmed this information. There is no information about the search for him in the Interpol database yet.
Earlier, Rosbalt reported the transfer of documents to the international search organization by Spain to the Interpol General Secretariat.
According to the edition, the Spanish Court …
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